IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,216,612
Granted Patent B2
US 9,216,612 · App. 14/346,485 · Granted Dec 22, 2015

Mecanum wheel and Mecanum-wheeled vehicle

Inventors: Pavel Zdrahal (Pfaeffikon, CH); Baudouin Uebelhart (Oberdorf, CH); Zdenek Spindler (Usti nad Orlici, CZ)
Assignee: Omniroll AG
B60B19/003B60B11/02B60B19/125B60B33/0028B60B33/0042B60B33/0044B60B33/0052B60B33/045B60B2900/131B60Y2200/10
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,216,612
App. No.
14/346,485
Granted
Dec 22, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

A Mecanum wheel having a first wheel rim ( 2 ) which bears a multiplicity of rollers ( 4 ) which are arranged adjacent to one another in a circumferential direction and which are in each case mounted so as to be rotatable about a roller axis of rotation ( 38 ) arranged at an angle with respect to a first wheel rim axis of rotation ( 24 ), wherein said Mecanum wheel is characterized by a second wheel rim ( 3 ) which can be driven together with the first wheel rim ( 2 ) by means of a common drive shaft ( 33 ) and which bears a multiplicity of rollers ( 4 ) which are arranged adjacent to one another in a circumferential direction and which are in each case mounted so as to be rotatable about a roller axis of rotation ( 38 ) arranged at an angle with respect to a second wheel rim axis of rotation ( 25 ), which second wheel rim is connected to the first wheel rim ( 2 ) via damping means ( 7 ) formed so as to permit a limited relative movement of the first and the second rim ( 3 ) relative to one another. It is provided according to the invention that the damping means ( 7 ) are formed so as to permit a damped, limited relative movement between the first and the second wheel rim ( 2, 3 ) in the circumferential direction and/or perpendicular to a Mecanum wheel axis of rotation ( 9 ) and/or perpendicular to the first and/or to the second wheel rim axis of rotation ( 25 ) and/or at a tilt angle relative to one another.

Claims (24)

1. A Mecanum wheel with a first rim ( 2 ) carrying a plurality of rollers ( 4 ) arranged next to one another in a circumferential direction each mounted about a roller axis of rotation ( 38 ) which is arranged angularly to a first rim axis of rotation ( 24 ), wherein a second rim ( 3 ) which is driveable via a common driveshaft ( 33 ) with the first rim ( 2 ) and carrying a plurality of rollers ( 4 ) arranged next to one another in circumferential direction each rotatably mounted about a roller axis of rotation ( 38 ) arranged angularly to a second rim axis of rotation ( 25 ), is connected to the first rim ( 2 ) via damping means ( 7 ), which are formed permitting a limited relative movement of the first and the second rim ( 3 ) to one another, wherein

the damping means ( 7 ) are formed permitting a dampened, limited relative movement between the first and the second rim ( 2 , 3 )

in circumferential direction

and/or

perpendicularly to a Mecanum wheel axis of rotation ( 9 )

and/or

perpendicularly to the first and/or to the second rim axis of rotation ( 25 )

and/or

tilt angularly relative to one another.

2. The Mecanum wheel according to claim 1 , wherein the damping means ( 7 ) comprise at least one damping element ( 13 , 14 ) of an elastomer material, which is connected to the first and/or the second rim ( 2 , 3 ) in a fixed manner.

3. The Mecanum wheel according to claim 2 , wherein the damping means ( 7 ) further comprise a carrier part ( 8 ) which is preferentially arranged between the first and the second rim ( 2 , 3 ) and carrying the at least one damping element ( 13 , 14 ), which carrier element ( 8 ) can be coupled to the common driveshaft ( 33 ) for the first and the second rim ( 2 , 3 ).

4. The Mecanum wheel according to claim 3 , wherein the carrier part ( 8 ) engages in the damping element ( 13 , 14 ) via multiple extensions ( 39 ) extending parallel to Mecanum wheel axis of rotation ( 9 ).

5. The Mecanum wheel according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the rollers ( 4 ) of the first rim ( 2 ) and/or at least one of the rollers ( 4 ) of the second rim ( 3 ), comprise at least two part rollers ( 5 , 6 ) which are rotatably mounted independently of one another.

6. The Mecanum wheel according to claim 5 , wherein two part rollers ( 5 , 6 ) of a roller ( 4 ) form a part roller pair and wherein the part rollers ( 5 , 6 ) of the part roller pair are held by a carrier ( 19 ) which is arranged between the part rollers ( 5 , 6 ).

7. The Mecanum wheel according to claim 6 , wherein the carrier ( 19 ) each with a lateral carrier extension for carrying a rolling bearing ( 20 , 21 ) each, extends into the part rollers ( 5 , 6 ), wherein the carrier extensions each have a free end.

8. The Mecanum wheel according to claim 6 , wherein the part rollers ( 5 , 6 ) of a part roller pair are rotatable independently of one another about the same imaginary roller axis of rotation ( 38 ) or about rollers axes of rotation ( 38 ) which are arranged differently, angularly to one another.

9. The Mecanum wheel according to claim 6 , wherein the part rollers ( 5 , 6 ) of a part roller pair have a surface structure that differs from one another and/or a surface material that differs from one another.

10. The Mecanum wheel according to claim 5 , wherein the at least one of the rollers ( 4 ) of the first rim ( 2 ) and/or the second rim ( 3 ) comprise barrel-shaped rollers.

11. The Mecanum wheel according to claim 1 , wherein the rollers ( 4 ) of the first rim ( 2 ) and the rollers ( 4 ) of the second rim ( 3 ) have a surface structure that is different from one another and/or a surface material that is different from one another.

12. A vehicle having at least one Mecanum wheel ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , which is assigned a drive ( 26 ) for driving the Mecanum wheel ( 1 ) about a Mecanum wheel axis of rotation ( 9 ).

13. The vehicle according to claim 12 , the drive ( 26 ) of the Mecanum wheel ( 1 ) is assigned a bearing arm ( 30 ), which wherein is pivotable in a dampened manner in a limited angular range about a torsion axis (T A ) spaced from the Mecanum wheel axis of rotation ( 9 ) and/or is deflectable about a second bearing axis running perpendicularly to the torsion axis (T A ).

14. The vehicle according to claim 13 , wherein the drive ( 26 ) of the Mecanum wheel ( 1 ) is assigned the bearing arm ( 30 ) by means of a torsion spring element ( 34 ).

15. The vehicle according to claim 12 , wherein the vehicle is designed as a passenger vehicle and/or as a utility vehicle.

16. The vehicle according to claim 12 , wherein the drive ( 26 ) is an electric drive ( 26 ).

Assignments (2)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNEE ADDRESS SHOULD READ BERGSTRASSE 12 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 033183 FRAME 0730. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE BERSTRASSE 12. Recorded Aug 15, 2014
From: ZDRAHAL, PAVEL; UEBELHART, BAUDOUIN; SPINDLER, ZDENEK
To: OMNIROLL AG
Reel/Frame 033549/0771 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 26, 2014
From: ZDRAHAL, PAVEL; UEBELHART, BAUDOUIN; SPINDLER, ZDENEK
To: OMNIROLL AG
Reel/Frame 033183/0730 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2011 053 903 · Sep 23, 2011 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20140232174A1 · Aug 21, 2014