JP2003154805A - Wheel with rotor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce wheel vibration or a shock upon a collision and facilitate sideways rolling over a step, in a wheel with rotors designed for travel in all directions. SOLUTION: Each rotor 10 is rotatably supported about a rotation axis X1 across a radial direction from an axle 1, and is shaped so that a smaller diameter of a tip end 12 than the diameter of a base end 11 causes a periphery 19 to form an arc of a wheel periphery circle C1. A head shaft 32 projected upward from an upper end of a fork 7 supporting the axle 1 from both sides is supported in a cylindrical bearing portion 30 mounted on a vehicle body, rotatably about a vertical axis via an annular elastic body 35 encircling the head shaft 32.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wheel with a rotating body in which a plurality of non-turning type rotating bodies that rotate in a direction orthogonal to a straight traveling direction of the wheel are arranged for turning around the wheel. Is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a wheel with a rotating body of this type, in JP-A-11-227404, a roller-like rotating body that rotates in a direction perpendicular to a straight traveling direction is arranged on a rotating shaft along an outer circumference of the wheel. A wheel in which a cushioning member is arranged between rotating bodies is disclosed. Further, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-12829 or Japanese Patent Publication No. 10-500049, a large number of spindle-shaped rotating bodies are provided inclined with respect to the straight traveling direction on the assumption that the drive wheels are provided. Wheels are disclosed.

[0003]

According to the former wheel,
Unlike the casters, the turning rotator allows the vehicle to travel diagonally without turning, that is, without widening the lateral width of the wheels, or while rotating the wheels in the lateral direction or according to the vector component force. A gap inevitably occurs between the front and rear ends of the adjacent rotating bodies with a width corresponding to the diameter of. Therefore, although a cushioning member is interposed for the stones or the like to be caught in the gap, there is room for improvement in that frictional resistance with the rotating body is generated, and the non-rotation prevents smooth rotation.

On the other hand, according to the latter wheel, the vehicle can travel laterally or diagonally without being turned by the oblique turning rotary body, but a gap is generated between the adjacent circumferential surfaces of the rotary body. In addition, if the diameter of the wheel is increased and the vertical width of each rotating body is increased correspondingly to avoid overcoming a step, the lateral width of the wheel, that is, the turning radius, naturally widens due to the inclined rotating body. become.

Therefore, the present applicant has filed Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-22.
By the 2548, a plurality of rotating bodies that rotate in a direction orthogonal to the straight traveling direction of the wheels are arranged around the wheels, and each rotating body forms a rotation axis line that intersects the radial direction around the axle. Each wheel is rotatably supported at the center, and each wheel has a wheel with a wheel that is formed in a shape in which the diameter of the tip end is made smaller than the diameter of the base end to form an arc of a wheel outer circle by the peripheral surface. Proposed. This not only makes it possible to turn the vehicle in the forward and backward directions freely without turning like the casters, but also to increase the diameter of the wheels so that the vehicle can easily get over bumps. Even in such a case, the gap between the rotating bodies can be made small so as not to interfere with each other.

It is an object of the present invention to further develop such an omnidirectional traveling wheel with a rotating body so as to alleviate the vibration of the wheel or the impact at the time of collision and to easily overcome the step in the lateral direction. .

[0007]

In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides, according to claim 1, a plurality of rotating bodies which are arranged around a wheel so as to rotate in a direction orthogonal to a straight traveling direction of the wheel. In a wheel with a rotating body, each rotating body is rotatably supported around a rotation axis that intersects the radial direction centering on the axle, and each rotating body has a diameter of its tip end portion that is equal to a base end portion. A head shaft that is smaller than the diameter of the fork and is formed in a shape that forms a circular arc of the wheel outer circle by the peripheral surface, and that protrudes upward at the upper end of the fork that supports the axle on both sides is attached to the vehicle body. It is characterized in that it is supported rotatably around an axis line in the vertical direction by means of an annular elastic body surrounding the head shaft in the tubular bearing portion.

The rotating body is rotatably supported on a rotation axis that intersects the radial direction, and the diameter thereof gradually decreases from the base end portion to the distal end portion, or increases once and then decreases. To form a wheel outer circle. The small diameter tip can be closer to the large diameter base, compared to a uniform diameter. When the wheels collide in the straight traveling direction or the lateral direction, the head shaft bends the elastic body and is displaced with a cushioning action. When the wheels collide diagonally in the lateral direction, the head shaft bends the elastic body and rotates in the direction perpendicular to the collision surface to provide a cushioning effect, and the head rises in the direction perpendicular to the rising surface of the step. .

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the head shaft projecting upward from the upper end of the fork supporting the axle on both sides extends in the vertical direction on the cylindrical bearing portion mounted on the vehicle body. According to the invention of claim 3, an elastic body that is rotatably supported about the axis and that has an elastic reaction force against rotation of the head shaft from the reference rotational position is housed in the cylindrical bearing portion. A head shaft protruding upward from an upper end portion of a fork supporting the axle on both sides is supported by a cylindrical bearing portion mounted on the vehicle body so as to be rotatable about an axis line in the vertical direction, and A key groove is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft so that the key groove is tapered toward the center of the shaft.A tapered shape corresponding to the key groove is urged by an elastic body from the rear toward the center in the cylindrical bearing part. By storing the key so that it can move back and forth in the keyway , When the wheel is to collide with the oblique lateral direction,
Similarly, the head shaft bends the elastic body and rotates in a direction in which the elastic body is flush with the cushioning action.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Referring to FIGS. 1 to 6, a wheel with a rotating body adopted as a front wheel among four wheels of a wheelchair according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The front wheel 9 has a diameter large enough to easily climb over steps such as between sidewalks on a road, and surrounds the rim 2 having the axle 1 at the center, in a direction orthogonal to the straight traveling direction of the front wheel 9. It is configured by arranging a plurality of rotating bodies 10 of the same shape that rotate to.

A rotation axis X1 of each rotating body 10 that is flush with the direction of a radius R1 centered on the rotation axis O of the axle 1 and has a deviation angle from the orthogonal direction in the same plane as the radius circle.
It is rotatably supported by a rotating shaft 26 located above.
The diameter of each rotating body 10 continuously changes from the base end portion 11 along the radius R1 toward the tip end portion 12, and the circumferential surface 19 is an arc of the front wheel 9 at the rotational position of the wheel outer circumferential circle C1. Therefore, each rotating body 10 is formed in a semi-spindle shape.

Further, the peripheral surface of which the tip 12 partially penetrates into the outer peripheral half of the conical recess 25 formed in the base 11 of the adjacent rotor 10 and rotates to the wheel peripheral circle C1. 1
9 is preferably arranged so as to be able to approach the base end portion 11 of the adjacent rotating body 10 with a gap 19a of about 1 mm to 5 mm.

Further, a bearing arm 20 is provided on the peripheral surface of the rim 2.
Is attached to the peripheral wall 25 on the rim 2 side of the recess 25.
It penetrates into the gap 27 between the peripheral surface 19 on the side of a and the rim 2, and further penetrates into the gap between the tip portions 12 and is sequentially bent in the direction orthogonal to the adjacent rotating shafts 26. As a result, the base end of the rotary shaft 26 is supported at the intermediate position 21 of the bearing arm 20, and the rotary shafts 26 of the adjacent rotating bodies 10 at the front end position 22.
It supports the tip end of the.

2 and 3 at the upper end of a fork 7 that rotatably supports the axle 1 of the front wheel 9 of the wheelchair shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, a pin-shaped head shaft 32 supported by a cylindrical bearing portion 30 provided below the leg portion 8 via a disc-shaped bearing base portion 31 is provided so as to project upward. The upper end of the shaft rotatably abuts on the bearing base 31, and the bearing 30 formed integrally downward on the base surrounds an annular elastic body 35 made of synthetic resin such as rubber or urethane.
The head shaft 32 is supported rotatably about a vertical axis in the vertical direction. The outer peripheral surface of the elastic body 35 is fixed to the bearing portion 30 by joining or the like, and the inner peripheral surface thereof is joined to the head shaft 32, so that the front wheel 9 is supported in the traveling direction in a normal state.

The operation of the wheelchair that employs the front wheel 9 thus constructed is as follows. When the wheelchair, that is, the front wheel 9 is pushed in the straight traveling direction A, the rotating body 10 moves straight without rotating. A retreat is possible as well. The entire circumference 19 of the rotating body 10 may form a substantially continuous wheel circumference circle C1,
Further, since the gap between the front and rear ends of the rotating body 10 is so small as not to interfere with the respective rotation operations, stones or the like are prevented from being caught in the gap, and smooth running is guaranteed.
Further, when the front wheel 9 collides with an obstacle, the head shaft 32 can be displaced rearward with respect to the bearing portion 30 due to the elastic expansion and contraction of the elastic body 35, whereby the impact is moderated.

When the wheelchair is pushed in the lateral direction, the rotating body 10 which is in contact with the ground rotates and the traveling direction of the wheelchair turns to the lateral direction. When pushed diagonally, the front wheel 9 rotates about its axle 1 and the rotating body 10 also rotates about the rotation axis 26 according to the component force of the vector obtained by dividing the traveling force in the orthogonal direction. The advancing direction turns to an oblique forward or backward direction. That is, it is possible to travel in all directions of 360 ° without widening the lateral width of the front wheels 9 due to the non-turning of the rotating body 10. Since the peripheral surface 19 of the rotating body 10 is continuous with the outer periphery of the front wheel 9 having a sufficient diameter, it is possible to easily get over a step on the road surface without getting caught. Wheelchair
Since the rear wheel is not provided with the rotating body 10, it gradually turns in that direction in a lateral or diagonal traveling process and becomes a straight traveling state.

When the front wheel 9 collides with the rising surface of the step from the lateral direction, the front wheel 9 surrounds the head shaft 32 with an elastic body 35.
With the intervention of, the vehicle slightly displaces in the lateral direction with a cushioning effect. At that time, as shown in FIG. 3, when the front wheel 9 collides with the rising surface 6a of the step 6 obliquely from the lateral direction instead of being flush (solid line in the figure), the head shaft 32 bends the elastic body 35 and rotates. The front wheel 9 is flush with the rising surface 6a of the step 6 (dotted line in the figure), and rides smoothly. When the oblique collision is released, the front wheels 9 elastically return to the normal running direction.

FIG. 5 shows a fork 7 according to another embodiment.
The structure of the head shaft portion at the upper end of FIG. A fan-shaped spring accommodating portion 47 smaller than 180 ° is formed in a concave shape in the bulging portion 48 bulging inward in the lateral direction of the tubular bearing portion 40 of the front wheels 9 on both sides. On the other hand, a plate-shaped spring seat 43 is provided on the head shaft 42 so as to project inward in the lateral direction. Two coil springs 45, which are in pressure contact with both sides of the spring seat 43, are attached to the spring housing portion 47. In the normal state, the front wheel 9 is directed straight ahead due to the balance of these springs. When the front wheel 9 obliquely collides with the step rising surface, one of the springs 45 is compressed and the other extends to rotate the head shaft 42 from the normal rotation position with a cushioning action, thereby causing the side surface of the front leg 9 to interfere. Rotate to the in-plane state. When the side collision is released, the coil springs 45 on both sides restore the front wheel 9 to the normal state.

FIG. 6 shows the structure of the head shaft portion at the upper end of the fork 7 according to still another embodiment. Bearing part 5
At 0, a box-shaped spring accommodating portion 58 is formed so as to bulge inward in the lateral direction. On the other hand, a key groove 53 is formed on the peripheral surface of the head shaft 52 so as to gradually taper toward the center thereof. A coil spring 59 is accommodated in the spring accommodating portion 58, and a tapered key 57 corresponding to the key groove 53 is biased from the back so that the key can be moved back and forth along the spring accommodating portion 58.

In the normal state, as shown in FIG. 3A, the key 57 is engaged with the key groove 53 to support the head shaft 52 at the rotational position where the front wheel 9 is directed in the straight traveling direction. As shown in FIG. 9B, when the front wheel 9 obliquely collides with the interference surface and a rotational force is applied in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure, the head shaft 52 rotates while retracting the key 57 with a buffering action of a spring. Figure C
When the impact is large, the key groove 53 is detached from the key 57 and largely rotated to avoid the impact as shown in FIG. When the collision is released, the front wheel 9 is rotated by hand and the keyway 53
The key 57 is engaged with and is returned to the normal rotation position.

The wheel with a rotating body described above as the front wheel can also be adopted as the rear wheel of the wheelchair or as the caster of the truck. Further, as a structure for rotatably supporting each rotating body on the rim, various configurations such as dividing the rotating body into two in the front and rear and supporting it at an intermediate position are conceivable. The present invention is naturally applied to the case where both ends of the axle are rotatably supported by the forks and the rim is fixed to the axle.

[0022]

According to the inventions of claims 1 to 3,
Without the need to turn in the direction of travel like casters,
Not only can the vehicle be turned forward and backward obliquely, but the gap between the rotating bodies can be made small enough not to interfere with each other even when the diameter of the wheel is increased so that the vehicle can easily climb over a step. it can. Further, according to the invention of claim 1, the impact is mitigated when the vehicle collides in a straight traveling or a lateral traveling, and when it is adopted in a wheelchair or a trolley, the rotating body becomes a rising surface of the step when moving in the lateral direction. When the vehicle collides obliquely, the wheel rotates in the direction perpendicular to the surface with a cushioning effect, so that the ability to get over the vehicle is improved. Similarly, according to the inventions of claims 2 and 3, the ability of the wheel to rotate along with elasticity improves the ability to climb over an oblique step, and at the same time, a buffering effect against an oblique collision can be obtained.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the gap between the rotating bodies can be further reduced by the leading end of each rotating body entering into the recess of the base end of the other party. According to the invention of claim 5, the difference between the diameters of the front and rear ends becomes large, and the rotating bodies are easily brought close to each other in order to reduce the gap.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of essential parts of a wheel with a rotating body according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a head shaft portion of the wheel with a rotating body, FIG. 2A is a partial vertical sectional view thereof, and FIG. 2B is a partial horizontal sectional view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the wheel with the rotating body.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a wheelchair that employs the wheel with the rotating body.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a bearing portion of a head shaft according to another embodiment.

6A and 6B are cross-sectional views of a bearing portion of a head shaft according to still another embodiment. FIG. 6A is a normal state, FIG. 6B is a state in which a small impact is applied to a front wheel in a diagonal lateral direction, and FIG. The figure shows a state in which a large impact is applied to the front wheels in the diagonal lateral direction.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 axle 2 rims 7 forks 9 wheels 10 rotating body 11 Base end of rotating body 12 Tip of rotating body 19 Peripheral surface of rotating body 19a, 27 gap 26 rotation axis 30, 40, 50 Bearing 32, 42, 52 head shaft 35 Elastic body 45, 59 coil spring 53 keyway 57 key

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A wheel with a rotating body in which a plurality of rotating bodies that rotate in a direction orthogonal to a straight traveling direction of the wheel are arranged around the wheel, wherein each rotating body is in a radial direction about an axle. The rotating body is rotatably supported around a rotating axis intersecting with each other, and each of the rotating bodies has a shape in which the diameter of the tip end portion is made smaller than the diameter of the base end portion to form an arc of a wheel outer circumference circle by the peripheral surface. A fork head shaft that is formed to project upward at the upper end portion of a fork that supports the axle on both sides is provided with a tubular bearing portion attached to the vehicle body via an annular elastic body that surrounds the head shaft. A wheel with a rotating body, which is rotatably supported around an axis in the vertical direction. 2. A wheel with a rotating body in which a plurality of rotating bodies that rotate in a direction orthogonal to a straight traveling direction of the wheel are arranged around the wheel, wherein each rotating body is in a radial direction about an axle. The rotating body is rotatably supported around a rotating axis intersecting with each other, and each of the rotating bodies has a shape in which the diameter of the tip end portion is made smaller than the diameter of the base end portion to form an arc of a wheel outer circumference circle by the peripheral surface. A head shaft that is formed and projects upward from the upper end of a fork that supports the axle on both sides is supported rotatably about a vertical axis by a cylindrical bearing portion that is attached to the vehicle body. At the same time, a wheel with a rotating body, characterized in that an elastic body that exhibits an elastic reaction force with respect to rotation of the head shaft from a rotation position in a normal state is housed in the cylindrical bearing portion. 3. A wheel with a rotating body in which a plurality of rotating bodies that rotate in a direction orthogonal to a straight traveling direction of the wheel are arranged around the wheel, wherein each rotating body is in a radial direction about an axle. The rotating body is rotatably supported around a rotating axis intersecting with each other, and each of the rotating bodies has a shape in which the diameter of the tip end portion is made smaller than the diameter of the base end portion to form an arc of a wheel outer circumference circle by the peripheral surface. A head shaft that is formed and projects upward from the upper end of a fork that supports the axle on both sides is supported rotatably about a vertical axis by a cylindrical bearing portion that is attached to the vehicle body. At the same time, a key groove is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the head shaft so as to be tapered toward the center thereof, and the key groove is urged by an elastic body from the rear toward the center in the cylindrical bearing portion to engage with the key groove. Move the tapered key that has been Rotator equipped wheel, characterized in that housed in the ability. 4. The distal end portion of each rotating body is formed at the proximal end portion of the adjacent rotating body so that the leading end portion of each rotating body can approach the proximal end portion of the adjacent rotating body. The wheel with a rotating body according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which partially penetrates into the recessed portion. 5. The rotating body according to claim 1, wherein each rotating body has a semi-spindle shape whose diameter is continuously reduced from the base end portion toward the tip end portion. Wheels with body.