Variable-Diameter Wheel Torque-Actuated Obstacle Clearance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicles with small-diameter wheels face obstacles and get stuck in rough terrain, especially when the wheels are prone to being higher than the obstacle, leading to operational and logistical issues, particularly in off-road and robotized vehicle applications where space and handling are critical.
Innovation Solution
A wheel with a variable outer diameter mechanism that adjusts based on drive torque, incorporating a diameter variation mechanism with contact portions, sliding rods, and an actuation device to increase the wheel diameter when encountering obstacles, allowing the vehicle to overcome higher obstacles and return to a normal configuration when the torque decreases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If large-diameter wheels are used to overcome obstacles higher than the wheel axis, then the vehicle can overcome more obstacles, but the wheel takes up much space when stored and is difficult to handle
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel incorporates a variable diameter mechanism that allows the effective rolling diameter to change dynamically. In normal conditions, the wheel operates with a smaller diameter for ease of handling. When encountering obstacles higher than the wheel axis, the mechanism activates to increase the effective diameter, enabling the vehicle to overcome such obstacles. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between needing large diameter for obstacle clearance and small diameter for storage convenience.
2Adaptability or versatility
If medium and large-diameter wheels are used for off-road vehicles, then most obstacles can be overcome, but the wheels take up much space when stored
Solution Approach 1:
The variable diameter mechanism is nested within the wheel structure itself. The mechanism includes components that can be positioned inside the wheel assembly when not in use, and deployed outward when obstacle overcoming is needed. This nesting approach allows the wheel to maintain a compact form factor for storage while providing large-diameter functionality when required, effectively resolving the space contradiction.
3Ease of operation
If small-diameter wheels are used for robotized vehicles to reach narrow places, then the vehicle is compact and easy to handle, but the wheels cannot overcome obstacles higher than the wheel axis
Solution Approach 1:
The robotized vehicle uses wheels with a variable diameter mechanism that operates in a compact configuration during normal navigation through narrow spaces, maintaining ease of handling. When obstacle detection occurs, the mechanism dynamically increases the effective wheel diameter to overcome obstacles higher than the nominal wheel axis, thereby resolving the contradiction between compactness for navigation and capability for obstacle overcoming.
Data Source
AI summary
A variable-diameter wheel 1 includes at least one rim or hub 11 having a predetermined diameter, to which at least one drive axle 14 of the wheel 1 is connected; at least one outer surface external to the hub 11, having a diameter which is greater than the diameter of the hub 11. At least one diameter-variation mechanism 3 is secured to the axle 14 and adapted to vary the actual diameter of the wheel 1 according to the torque applied to the drive axle 14 by at least one propulsion system.