JPH07503208A - Improvements to wheels or related to wheels - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Improvements in wheels or wheels The present invention relates to improvements in wheels or wheels. Regarding ru.

In particular, the present invention reduces the load per unit area, thereby particularly during rotation. Minimize damage to supporting surfaces through frictional and mechanical contact It relates to wheels used for vehicles intended for.

The wheels of the invention are particularly, but not exclusively, sensitive and easily damaged. Suitable for vehicles intended to be driven over exposed surfaces, e.g. golf course turf. used. With the use of traditional holes using pneumatic tires on golf carts. One of the problems is changing direction, especially when moving on wet or heavy grass. Ru. The act of spinning the wheels can cause damage to the grass and leave tire marks. and cause total surface destruction.

There have been various proposals that have attempted to achieve the same goal, with one school of thought A number of ground-contacting pads that contact and laterally intersect the ground plane of the ear. , and these pads are rotatable about a radial axis relative to the tire. That's what I do. This arrangement allows the tire to move through a small angular movement while at the same time one or more pads in contact with the ground, the associated pad or pads in contact with the ground leave such contact until it has rotated through a sufficient angle to cease contact with , the pad or pads return to their home position by elastic loading. Accordingly, When one end moves in a particular direction by the same distance and the other end moves in the opposite direction, the entire All pads across the width move in unison. The major drawback of the above idea is that only when using but perhaps more specifically its relative inflexibility, which exists even during production. and complexity.

The purpose of the invention is to have a simplified shape, but to avoid damage to the supporting surface. An object of the present invention is to provide an improved wheel capable of separating wheel loads.

According to the invention, the wheels are arranged so as to sequentially form areas in contact with the supporting surface during use. having a number of spaced apart protrusions extending laterally and circumferentially around each side of the wheel. The above protrusion is provided on a sleeve fixed directly to the wheel to provide a differential of A wheel characterized in that the protrusion is provided integrally with a sleeve or a sleeve. provided.

The sleeve advantageously has a track that can be fixed around the periphery of the wheel. The wheel has a hub that supports the tire, and the sleeve is fixed to the tire. Can be determined. Tires can be solid or fluid-filled. used in this statement The term “fluid-filled” refers to gas-filled, e.g., air- or liquid-filled or foam-filled Includes filling type.

The sleeve may be in the form of a cage that can be attached to the wheel.

The sleeve may be annular or may be formed in an annular shape to surround the wheel. .

Adhesive may be used as a means of securing the sleeve to the wheel. instead If the tires used are of the fluid-filled type, The friction caused by the expansion of can also be used. Further alternative means of fixation are: Mechanically provided by a structure interengaging with the surface of the wheel on the inner surface of the sleeve It can be done.

Advantageously, the sleeve is replaceable.

The protrusions may be provided in the form of teeth equidistantly spaced around the circumference of the wheel. The gap between the teeth is smooth. It has a flat, uniform rectangular shape, and the teeth can be in the form of a castle. Instead, the gap between the teeth may be V-shaped or other shapes in which the cross-sectional shape changes from the root to the tip of the adjacent tooth. stomach.

The projections are preferably made of natural rubber or allow differential movement between each side of the wheel. An elastomeric material, such as a synthetic material, has sufficient flexibility to sleeve may also be made of the same material, and the protrusion may advantageously be integral with the sleeve. good Preferably, the elastomeric material is a laminated structure bonded by heat or a bonding agent, e.g. For example, neoprene, plastic, and neoprene laminates.

As an example, one form of a wheel according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. do. Figure 1 is a side view of the wheel, Figure 2 is an end view of the wheel, and Figure 3 is a side view of the wheel. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the golf cart.

Referring to the drawings, a wheel 1 comprises a hub 2 mounted on an axle 4, the axle 4 having: The bearing installed in the front of the golf cart 8's steering wheel and steering wheel 6. or is rotatably held in a bush (not shown). The same kind of wheel l Equipped on each side of the rear of the cart.

Each wheel 1 also has an air inflatable tire 10 with a circumferential tread (not shown). including. The sleeve 12 is made of elastomeric material and has the essential annular trunk form. , a central part with a plurality of equally spaced projections in the form of teeth 16 on each peripheral edge; 14, the teeth 16 are integral with the sleeve 12 and extend from one side to the other with a straight groove 18. are spaced apart and have an annular outline. The central part 14 is tied with a suitable adhesive. The protrusion is glued to the tread of the tire 1o, and the protrusion is attached to the center part 14 and therefore to the tire. The wheels can move independently, thereby also creating a differential between the two sides of the tire. Tarasu.

When in use, the wheel 1 of the present invention on the golf cart 8 has an area equivalent to its unit area. loads are separated by the protrusions in the form of teeth 16, thus reducing the presence of the sleeve 12. This effectively widens the tire tread. Therefore, a straight line When moved along the road, the inventive wheel leaves the golf cart on a vulnerable support surface. In the case of grass, it comes into gentle contact with the grass.

When it is desired to change the direction, the front fork 6 of the cart 8 is turned to the desired angle. . The wheel will then move the same angle, but due to the elasticity of the sleeve 12 and the deflection of the teeth 16. The stiffness creates a limited differential between the two sides of the wheel.

Teeth that are relatively inner tend to move toward each other to compensate for each other, while The relatively outer teeth of the eel tend to move away from each other, and the outer and inner teeth tend to move away from each other. The series of tooth movements are independent of each other. As a result, the teeth come into contact with the supporting surface. the elasticity of the material of which these teeth are made to move towards or away from the supporting surface The teeth return to their normal relative position when leaving contact with the support surface.

The wheel of the invention can also adapt to changes in the shape of the supporting surface, and in doing so Super mounting (sup) while maintaining good ground contact by almost eliminating damage to the holding surface. The er-mounted vehicle can be reliably adapted to the terrain.

The wheels of the invention can be used for more than just golf carts, which is just one application. It should be understood that

The effect of the present invention is to maintain the effectiveness of reducing the load per unit area, and to reduce the load per unit area. As a result of the previously proposed The reason is that the structure and manufacture are simpler than those that have come before.

Submission of translation of amendment band (Article 184-8 of the Patent Law) August 1, 1994

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. The lateral and It has a number of circumferentially spaced protrusions that provide differential movement between each side of the wheel. The above protrusion can be provided on a sleeve that is directly fixed to the wheel so that the wheel is A wheel characterized in that the above-mentioned protrusion is integrally covered with a leaf. 2. Claims in which the sleeve is in the form of a track that can be fixed around the periphery of the wheel 1. The wheel according to 1. 3. The wheel has a hub that supports the tire, and the sleeve can be fixed to the tire. The wheel according to claim 1 or 2. 4. Claim 1, wherein the sleeve is in the form of a cage that can be attached to a wheel. wheel. 5. The sleeve can be formed in an annular shape to bound the wheel or is annular A wheel according to claim 1. 6. The home according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the protrusion is made of an elastomer material. Eel. 7. 7. A wheel according to claim 6, wherein the elastomeric material is a laminated structure. 8. Claims in which the protrusions are in the shape of teeth provided at equal intervals around the periphery of the wheel. 8. The wheel according to any one of 1 to 7. 9. The wheel according to claim 8, wherein the gap between the teeth has a constant or varying cross section. Le. 10. 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings. 11. comprising one or more wheels according to any one of claims 1 to 10. vehicle.