Single-Motor Cart with Pivoting Drive Wheels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motorized carts used in warehouse logistics for transporting products are complex and expensive to implement, requiring two engines per turret for independent wheel control, which increases costs and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A motorized cart with a single rotation training engine for all driving wheels, mounted on pivoting and training devices, allowing the wheels to rotate around a vertical axis and change direction efficiently without drift.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If two motors are mounted per turret for independent wheel control, then the trolley can change direction precisely, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control of multiple drive wheels into a single motorized turret. Instead of having two independent motors per turret for precise directional control, one motor rotates the entire turret assembly, which then directs a single drive wheel to propel the trolley. This combining approach reduces motor quantity while maintaining navigation capability through the turret's directional adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The motorized turret serves multiple functions: it acts as both the drive mechanism (propelling the trolley forward) and the steering mechanism (changing direction by rotating the wheel). This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate motors dedicated solely to directional control, reducing overall system complexity while achieving precise navigation.
2Device complexity
If a single motor drives all drive wheels, then the implementation is simpler and cost is reduced, but the ability to control direction changes may be limited
Solution Approach 1:
The turret is designed to be dynamically rotatable, allowing the drive wheel's orientation to change during operation. This dynamic adjustment capability enables a single motor to achieve both propulsion and steering functions, as the turret can reorient the drive wheel to different angles to execute direction changes without requiring multiple independent motors.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a motorized carriage intended to transport a load and comprising at least 3 wheels for running along the ground, these being able to pivot through at least 90°, the wheels being mounted on pivoting and driving devices fixed to the chassis of the carriage, each of the pivoting and driving devices comprising an actuating motor for actuating means for pivoting a wheel about a vertical axis, the means being intended to cause a wheel to pivot on itself. According to the invention, such carriage comprises a single drive motor (210) for driving the rotation of the wheels and which is intended to actuate the means for driving the rotation of the wheels, which means are housed in the pivoting and driving devices.