Spherical Single-Wheel Structure for Better Ground Contact Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing single-wheeled vehicles with round wheels are difficult to control, especially for users with poor physical balance, due to limited frictional force and contact area, leading to reduced controllability and increased risk of injury during sudden stops.
Innovation Solution
A single-wheeled vehicle equipped with a spherical or elliptical wheel made from an elastic material, directly connected to a motor housing, providing a larger contact area and improved stability through reinforcing shells and anti-slip features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a round wheel is used in single-wheeled vehicles, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the contact area with the ground is small leading to reduced frictional force and poor controllability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies spheroidality by replacing the traditional round wheel with a spherical wheel. This curvature change increases the contact area with the ground from a line contact to a surface contact, thereby improving frictional force and controllability while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through standardized spherical components
2Volume of moving object
If a round wheel with small contact area is used, then the vehicle structure is compact, but the frictional force with the ground decreases causing power loss during inclination
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical wheel geometry transforms the contact interaction from line contact to surface contact, significantly increasing the frictional force available for propulsion and control without substantially increasing the overall vehicle volume, as the sphere maintains a compact form factor
3Device complexity
If a round wheel is used, then the vehicle has simple structure, but users with poor physical balance cannot smoothly control the vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical wheel provides superior contact characteristics that enhance stability and control responsiveness, making the vehicle easier to operate for users with poor balance while maintaining overall structural simplicity through the use of a single spherical rolling element
4Device complexity
If the vehicle uses a wheel with small contact area, then the structure is simple, but the vehicle may lose power and cause operator falls during sudden stops
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical wheel's increased surface contact area provides enhanced frictional force for effective braking and stopping, reducing the risk of uncontrolled falls and injuries during sudden stops while maintaining the simplicity of a single-wheel vehicle structure
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances user safety by buffering sudden stops and improving controllability, allowing users with poor physical coordination to operate the vehicle smoothly, while maintaining structural stability and preventing dust entry into the motor.
Implementation Method 1
the spherical (or elliptical) wheel made from an elastic material has a large contact area with the ground at all angles and thus can provide power for buffering even if the single-wheeled vehicle falls in the moving process
Implementation Method 2
because of the small contact area between the wheel of the existing single-wheeled vehicles and the ground, the single-wheeled vehicles may occasionally lose power when inclining forwards or backwards due to the decrease of the frictional force with the ground
Data Source
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AI summary
A spherical/elliptical single-wheeled vehicle comprises a motor, pedals and a wheel. The motor comprises a motor shell and a spindle having two ends fixedly connected to the pedals respectively. The wheel is spherical or elliptical and is of a hollow structure having two ends formed with openings, and the wheel is arranged on the motor housing in a sleeving manner, is fixedly connected to the motor housing, and comprises a sleeve made from an elastic material. The wheel has a large contact area with the ground at any angles and thus can provide power for buffering even if the single-wheeled vehicle falls in the moving process, so that injuries to users caused by a sudden stop are avoided, and the controllability of the single-wheeled vehicle is greatly improved; in addition, users can get on the vehicle easily, users with poor physical coordination can also smoothly operate the spherical/elliptical single-wheeled vehicle, and the operation difficulty of the single-wheeled vehicle is lowered, and user experience is improved; and the reinforcing shells are used to support the two ends of the spherical/elliptical wheel, so that the structural stability of the spherical/elliptical single-wheeled vehicle is improved.