Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60B—VEHICLE WHEELS; CASTORS; AXLES FOR WHEELS OR CASTORS; INCREASING WHEEL ADHESION
  • B60B33/00—Castors in general; Anti-clogging castors
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
  • B62B—HAND-PROPELLED VEHICLES, e.g. HAND CARTS OR PERAMBULATORS; SLEDGES
  • B62B5/00—Accessories or details specially adapted for hand carts
  • B62B5/02—Accessories or details specially adapted for hand carts providing for travelling up or down a flight of stairs
  • B62B5/026—Accessories or details specially adapted for hand carts providing for travelling up or down a flight of stairs with spiders or adapted wheels
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
  • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
  • B62D57/00—Vehicles characterised by having other propulsion or other ground- engaging means than wheels or endless track, alone or in addition to wheels or endless track
  • B62D57/02—Vehicles characterised by having other propulsion or other ground- engaging means than wheels or endless track, alone or in addition to wheels or endless track with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members
  • B62D57/022—Vehicles characterised by having other propulsion or other ground- engaging means than wheels or endless track, alone or in addition to wheels or endless track with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members consisting of members having both rotational and walking movements

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a wheel arrange ⁇ ment of the type comprising at least two contact mem ⁇ bers which are rotatable along a contact surface and equally spaced on a carrier which is movably connected to a frame, e.g. a portion of a waggon b'ody, a vehicle chassis, a container or a conveyor for the purpose of moving the frame relatively the contact surface.
• a frame e.g. a portion of a waggon b'ody, a vehicle chassis, a container or a conveyor for the purpose of moving the frame relatively the contact surface.
• the problem solved by prior art arrangement of the type above defined has been to make it possible to pass upwards or downwards stair steps.
• the prior art devices have been designed to "climb" up or down the stair and, more specifically, by rotation of the carrier relatively the frame in such a way that two of the wheels mounted on the carrier have been in simultaneous contact with the horizontal surfaces of at least two of the stair steps.
• the technical problem solved by such devices was consequently a conversion of the discontinuous, jerky movement into a smoother and more continuous movement, the ideal aimed for being a trajectory parallel to the tangent through the outer corners of the steps.
• the present invention solves a problem which could be stated to be diametrically opposed to the one just mentioned.
• the object of the invention has not been to make possible or facilitate a movement in a direction having vertical components. Instead, it has been to make it feasible to move, normally horizontally, the frame of the wheel arrangement along a contact sur ⁇ face without any change of the level of the frame above the contact surface in spite of the fact that the latt ⁇ er is not plane but has utwardly directed projections or similar obstacles.
• carrier member is continuously movable in a plane which is at least substantially perpendicular to the contact surface.
• circular, preferably rotat- able, support members are concentric with the contact - members and arranged in such a way to cooperate with support surfaces on the frame that the distance of the latter from the contact surface is maintained at least essentially constant independently of the poss ⁇ ible presence of projections therefrom which may be accomodated in the space between the support surface and those of the contact members which, in any given instant, are in contact with the contact surface.
• Figure 1 is a, partly broken, perspective view •showing a wheel undercarriage consisting of two wheel arrangements according to a first embodiment.
• Figures 2A-2F are lateral views illustrating the principle of operation of the undercarriage in Figure 1.
• the foremost wheel arrangement, as seen in the direction of movement, is shown partly in section.
• Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment.
• Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a wheel arrangement, -mainly according to Figures land 2, which is steerable in relation to a waggon chassis or the like.
• Figures5A-5C illustrate three different ways of stabilizing the rotational position of the carrier mem ⁇ ber during intervals when the arrangement does not pass over any obstacles.
• a bogie 1 constitutes a portion of e.g. a waggon body or a vehicle chassis which in Figure 1 has 2052
• the bogie consists of two wheel arrangements 3 and 4 interconnected by a bar 5 which at both ends has a fork 6.
• a plate 7. which', according to the embodiment illustrated, is an irregular hexagon. Its upper and lower sides are horizontal whereas the other four sides are substantially inclined in relation to the horizontal plane. The opera- tional significance of that layout will be explained be ⁇ low.
• Each pair of opposite plates 7 forms the frame of the related wheel arrangement.
• a member 8 Between the two plates there is a member 8, the contour lines of which do, according to the present embodiment, form an essentially equilateral triangle and which, at each of its three corners, supports a rotatable contact member 9 in the form of a wheel, a roller or the like.
• a slot 10 In each of the three legs of carrier member 8 there is a slot 10 ex- tending from the centre towards the adjacent corner.
• Carrier member 8 does here consist of two parallel, tri ⁇ angular members but it may also take other forms, e.g. consist of a central plate having fork-like corner sections for wheels 9. Slots 10 are traversed by a shaft 11 the ends of which are secured to plates 7. It is to be understood that instead of through slots 10 there could be used groove-like recesses engaging short pivot shafts. However, irrespective of the detailed structure of the arrangement its basic mode of opera- tion is as follows.
• the wheel arrangement carries a waggon body or a platform with a heavy load. If, according to the prior art, the passage of each wheel over the obstacle implies that the load must first be lifted and then. lowered a vertical distance equal to the height of the obstacle there is required the performance of a work which must be supplied by the prime mover generating the drive force.
• the ' second advantage is related to the fact that the vertical movement is not only undesired but in several connections directly detrimental, namely when, due to the nature of the load transported, it is import- ant to protect it from vertical acceleration forces or bumps.
• Figures 2A-2F explain how both those advantages are obtained.
• the rota ⁇ tional shafts of all wheels do at their ends have support or guide means in the form of small rollers 13 which in this case are rotatable and which exert a supporting and/or guiding action in cooperation with the edges of plates 7.
• the lower edge of plate 7 performs a rolling move ⁇ ment relatively the roller 13 of wheel 9a.
• the roller of wheel 9b does, in cooperation with shaft 11, control the turning movement of carrier member 8 by being de- rolled along the two trailing edges of plate 7.
• wheel 9 In the position shown in Figure 2C wheel 9 is about midway along the lower edge of plate 7 whereas wheel 9b is entering the guiding surface formed by the upper horizontal edge of the plate.
• the third wheel, 9c is on its way downwards along the former guiding edges of plate 7.
• shaft 11 In that position shaft 11 is located adjacent the end of that of the slots which is direct ⁇ ed towards wheel 9a.
• wheel 9c In Figure 2D the relative movement between the shaft and the slot is in the opposite direction so that shaft 11 does now approach the common center of the slots.
• Wheel 9c is located at the level where the two inclined front edges of plate 7 meet.
• the obstacle has been passed in the sense that one of the wheels, 9c, is now in front of the obstacle as counted in the direction of travel and in contact with the horizontal surface 2.
• Figure 2E does.
• the wheel arrangement is via a bracket 5 attached to a waggon body or the like and frame 14 is an elongated rectangle with semicircular ends. It is surrounded by a carrier member 8 in the form of an endless chain carrying equally spaced wheel shafts with wheels 9 and support rollers 13.
• a carrier member 8 in the form of an endless chain carrying equally spaced wheel shafts with wheels 9 and support rollers 13.
• each wheel shaft carr ⁇ ies two wheels which, as seen in the axial direction of the shafts, are located outside instead of inside the support rollers 13.
• the number of wheel pairs is four according to the embodiment shown but may be arbitrarily chosen.
• Frame 14 is connected to bracket 5 by a central shaft 15 around which the wheel arrangement may turn. However, this is not a requirement for realization of the mode of operation characterizing the invention.
• FIG. 5A and 5B illustrate two different ways of realizing that function. Both those methods are based on use of the gravitational force.
• the lower edge of plate 7 is slightly concave whereby roller 13 and, hence, wheel 9 tends to assume and remain in a centered position. This does naturally mean that the wheel arrangement cannot pass the obstacles without any vertical movement.
• the vertical displacement corresponding to the slightly concave form is in most applications negligible in comparison to the height of -the obstacle - in the drawing the concavity has been exaggerated for the sake of clearness.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Transportation (AREA)
• Handcart (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=20357121

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Cited By (4)

Families Citing this family (13)

Citations (3)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 1984
  • 1984-09-25 SE SE8404792A patent/SE447646B/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1985
  • 1985-05-24 JP JP60502766A patent/JPS62500231A/ja active Pending
  • 1985-05-24 WO PCT/SE1985/000220 patent/WO1986002052A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 1985-05-24 EP EP85903074A patent/EP0225870B1/en not_active Expired
  • 1985-05-24 DE DE8585903074T patent/DE3570410D1/de not_active Expired
  • 1985-09-24 CA CA000491463A patent/CA1248988A/en not_active Expired
  • 1985-09-24 US US06/859,986 patent/US4687213A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1987
  • 1987-03-24 FI FI871297A patent/FI871297A/fi not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (3)

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