JP2010202154A - Spherical wheel device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a spherical wheel device smoothly moving in the rotary shaft direction of an entire wheel even when a rotary shaft of a hemispherical wheel is vertical to a traveling face. <P>SOLUTION: This device comprises: two semi-spherical wheels (1); a supporting member (4) for rotatably fixing the hemispherical wheels (1) around its center shaft (3) and supporting and fixing the two hemispherical wheels (1) to entirely constitute one spherical wheel by opposed to cut faces of the wheels to each other; a U-shaped support frame (6) for rotatably fixing the supporting member (4) in the rotary shaft (5) direction vertical to the center shaft (3) of the spherical wheel and through the center shaft; and a rotary support part (7) rotatably supporting the U-shaped support frame in a second rotary shaft (B-3) direction vertical to the rotary shaft (5). The rotary shaft (5) is made offset from the second rotary shaft (B-3). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a spherical wheel device that is a spherical caster that rotates smoothly in any direction.

  FIG. 1 shows a conventional free caster. The wheel rotates about the A1 axis, and the direction of the wheel changes about the A2 axis. 2 (A) to 2 (C) are views of the moving caster as seen from the lower side, but if it is going to change the direction of the V shape from the upper right to the upper left in this way, the rotation of the wheel needs to change direction rapidly. There is also a need to change the direction of the caster itself. This phenomenon appears extremely when trying to move back what is moving forward. Since such a rapid change is difficult to generate, as shown in the figure, the caster's trajectory will deviate from the trajectory to be moved, and the reaction force of the dynamic effect works. Such movement seems to be difficult to generate.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a spherical wheel device combining two hemispherical wheels as shown in FIG. 3A has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). However, in such a wheel, a combination of rotation in the Y-axis direction and rotation in the entire wheel rotation axis (X-axis) direction, unless the rotation axis (Y-axis) of the hemispherical wheel is perpendicular to the traveling surface. Can move in any direction, but if the Y-axis is perpendicular to the running surface and moves in a direction parallel to the X-axis, this wheel cannot rotate in either direction, It will slide on the running surface and is affected by the frictional force of the running surface.

In order to solve this problem, a spherical wheel shown in FIG. 3B has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). That is, a small wheel such as a small roller is provided in the Z-axis (not shown) direction at the intersection of the hemispherical wheel and the Y-axis.
However, it is considered that such a small wheel has problems such as dust becoming difficult to move during traveling.

JP 2007-210576 A

  The present invention has been made to solve the conventional problems in the spherical wheel device as described above, and the entire wheel rotates even when the rotation axis of the hemispherical wheel is perpendicular to the traveling surface. An object of the present invention is to provide a spherical wheel device capable of smoothly moving in the axial direction.

The present invention relates to a spherical wheel device, and the object of the present invention is to fix two hemispherical wheels (1) and the hemispherical wheels (1) rotatably around a central axis (3) thereof. In addition, a support member (4) for supporting and fixing the two hemispherical wheels (1) so as to constitute one spherical wheel as a whole with the cut surfaces facing each other, and the support member (4 ) In a direction perpendicular to the central axis (3) of the spherical wheel and rotatably in the direction of the rotation axis (5) passing through the central axis, and the U-shaped support frame (6) A rotation support portion (7) for rotatably supporting the letter-shaped support frame in the direction of the second rotation axis (B-3) perpendicular to the rotation axis (5);
This is achieved by a spherical wheel device characterized in that the rotating shaft (5) and the second rotating shaft (B-3) are in a twisted position where they are offset.

  The object of the present invention is to fix two hemispherical wheels (1) and the hemispherical wheels (1) rotatably around a central axis (3). A support member (4) for supporting and fixing the hemispherical wheel (1) so that the cut surfaces face each other so as to constitute one spherical wheel as a whole, and the support member (4) are attached to the spherical wheel. A U-shaped support frame (6) perpendicular to the central axis (3) and rotatably fixed in the direction of the rotation axis (5) passing through the central axis; and the U-shaped support frame (6) A base that supports the middle point of the U shape as a second rotation axis (C-3) so as to be rotatable in a direction parallel to a plane including the rotation axis (5) and the U shape; This is achieved by a spherical wheel device characterized by the following.

  Further, the object of the present invention is to fix two hemispherical wheels (1) and the hemispherical wheels (1) rotatably around the central axis (3), A support member (4) for supporting and fixing the hemispherical wheel (1) so that the cut surfaces face each other so as to constitute one spherical wheel as a whole, and the support member (4) are attached to the spherical wheel. A U-shaped support frame (6) perpendicular to the central axis (3) and rotatably fixed in the direction of the rotation axis (5) passing through the central axis; and the U-shaped support frame (6) The second rotation axis (D) perpendicular to the plane including the center line of the U-shaped support frame (6) and the rotation axis (5), with the midpoint of the U shape as the second rotation axis (D-3). -3) and a rotation support portion (7) that is rotatably supported by a spherical wheel device characterized by Achieved.

  According to the spherical wheel device according to the present invention, even when the rotational axis of the hemispherical wheel is perpendicular to the traveling surface, the entire wheel can be smoothly moved in the rotational axis direction.

It is a perspective view of the conventional free caster. It is a figure which shows the state of the direction change by the conventional free caster. It is a perspective view of the conventional spherical wheel apparatus. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a spherical wheel device according to the present invention. 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of a spherical wheel device according to the present invention. 1 is an exploded view of a first embodiment of a spherical wheel device according to the present invention. It is a figure which shows the state of the direction change by 1st Example of the spherical wheel apparatus based on this invention. It is a perspective view of 2nd Example of the spherical wheel apparatus based on this invention. It is a top view (partially perspective view) of the second embodiment of the spherical wheel device according to the present invention. It is a disassembled assembly figure of 2nd Example of the spherical wheel apparatus based on this invention. It is a side view of 3rd Example of the spherical wheel apparatus based on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows an example at the time of mounting 3rd Example of the spherical wheel apparatus based on this invention in a moving body. It is a figure which shows the sequence of a motion of the spherical wheel apparatus shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, it will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the spherical wheel device according to the present invention. The two hemispherical wheels 1 are supported by a cross-shaped support member 4 shown in FIG. 6 so as to be independently rotatable around the axis (B-2) to form one spherical wheel as a whole, A spherical wheel connected by a mold support member 4 is rotatably supported around an axis (B-1), and is further rotated around a vertical axis (B-3) by a U-shaped support frame 6 that offsets and supports the spherical wheel. It is supported in a freely rotatable manner.
FIG. 5 is a side view of the spherical wheel of Example 1, and it can be seen that the center line of the U-shaped support frame 6 is offset from the center of the spherical wheel.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the first embodiment of the spherical wheel device according to the present invention. A shaft support member 2 that also serves as a reinforcement is bonded to the hollow hemispherical wheel 1, and is rotatably fixed to the cross-shaped support member 4 via the rotation shaft 3 of the hemispherical wheel 1. Further, another hemispherical wheel 1 is connected so as to sandwich the cross support member 4 to constitute a spherical wheel.
Further, the spherical wheel is offset to the U-shaped support frame 6 via the spherical wheel support shaft 5 in a direction orthogonal to the rotation shaft 3 and is rotatably supported and fixed to the cross-shaped support member 4. Further, the rotation support portion 7 that supports the vertical axis has the same center line as the center line of the U-shaped support frame 6, and enables the U-shaped support frame 6 to rotate in the horizontal plane direction.
As the material of the hemispherical wheel 1, metal, plastic, wood, or the like can be used, but metal is preferable from the viewpoint of durability. The cross-shaped support member 4, the U-shaped support frame 6, and the rotation support portion 7 are also preferably made of metal, but are not limited thereto. The rotation shaft and the support shaft are preferably metal.

  If the spherical wheel device according to the first embodiment is used to change the direction as shown in FIG. 2 as shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C, the state shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7B, the spherical wheel advances while rotating around the axis B-1 (FIG. 4), and simultaneously with the start of the direction change, the entire spherical wheel rotates around the axis (B-2). It becomes like. The difference from FIG. 2 is that it rotates around the hemispherical wheel shaft (B-2) in the middle of this process. With this rotation, the spherical wheel slowly rotates around the vertical axis (B-3) and can transition to a state in which the spherical wheel rotates in the opposite direction as shown in FIG. 7C. However, the movement of the wheel suddenly changes its direction and it can move smoothly.

  As a special state during the above operation, if the hemispherical wheel rotation shaft (B-2) is stopped in a grounded state in FIGS. 7A to 7C, the hemispherical wheel can rotate. However, although a state similar to that in FIG. 3A occurs for a moment, the spherical wheel continues to move, so that the state immediately exits and returns to the above-described operation, and the movement is not hindered.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the spherical wheel device according to the present invention, which is a configuration example of a structure for supporting the spherical wheel in another posture. When supported in this way, the entire spherical wheel rotates when moving around the axis (C-1), and the grounded hemispherical wheel rotates when moving around the axis (C-2).
However, the hemispherical wheel cannot rotate when the hemispherical wheel rotation shaft (C-2) is in contact with the ground (perpendicular to the grounding surface). However, since the U-shaped support frame 6 is supported by the spring 8 as shown in FIG. 9, the shaft (C-1) is slightly inclined as shown in FIG. 9, and the spherical wheel is rotated about the shaft (C-1). since the component force F ₁ of the force to be generated, the hemispherical wheel rotation axis (C-2) situation exactly are grounded avoided, move smoothly. After passing through this unique state, the U-shaped support frame 6 which supports the spherical wheel again by the effect of the spring returns to the original neutral position.
FIG. 10 is an exploded view of a second embodiment of the spherical wheel device according to the present invention. Since the U-shaped support frame 6 is the same as that shown in FIG. 6 except that the U-shaped support frame 6 is fixed to the base so as to be rotatable in the horizontal direction via the spring 8, description thereof is omitted.
In the second embodiment, since the role of the spring is to return the U-shaped support frame 6 to the original neutral position, it is not indispensable to escape from the above unique state.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing a third embodiment of the spherical wheel device according to the present invention. The U-shaped support frame 6 has a second rotation axis (D-3) perpendicular to the plane including the center line of the U-shaped support frame 6 and the spherical wheel support shaft 5 with the midpoint of the U-shape as the center of rotation. It is connected to a rotation support portion 7 that is supported so as to be rotatable around.
By doing so, even if the rotating shaft (D-2) of the hemispherical wheel comes to rest in a grounded state, the rotation around the rotating shaft (D-1) is caused by the rotation in the rotating shaft (D-3) direction. Born and can escape from the state where the shaft (D-2) is grounded.

  FIG. 12 shows a case where the rotating shaft (D-3) is fixed so as to be slightly tilted from a position perpendicular to the ground surface when the spherical wheel device of FIG. 11 is attached to an actual moving body (for example, a tripod) as a caster. Show. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a sequence of the movement, showing the movement of the spherical wheel when the spherical wheel rotates around the rotation axis (D-3) and the vertical movement of the rotation support portion 7 at that time. ing. Since the weight of the moving body is always applied in the W direction shown in FIG. 13, the rotation support portion 7 has a property of returning to the state at the lowest point, that is, the initial state.

  The spherical wheel device according to the present invention can be used as a caster for a moving body such as a chair or a wagon.

1 hemispherical wheel 2 shaft support member 3 hemispherical rotation axis (center axis)
4 Cross-shaped support member 5 Spherical wheel support shaft (rotary shaft)
6 U-shaped support frame 7 Rotation support 8 Spring

Claims (5)

Two hemispherical wheels (1) and the hemispherical wheel (1) are rotatably fixed around the central axis (3), and the two hemispherical wheels (1) are cut. A support member (4) for supporting and fixing the surfaces so as to constitute a single spherical wheel as a whole;
A U-shaped support frame (6) for fixing the support member (4) to be perpendicular to the central axis (3) of the spherical wheel and to rotate in the direction of the rotation axis (5) passing through the central axis. And a rotation support portion (7) that rotatably supports the U-shaped support frame in the direction of the second rotation axis (B-3) perpendicular to the rotation axis (5),
A spherical wheel device characterized in that the rotary shaft (5) and the second rotary shaft (B-3) are in a twisted position where they are offset.
Two hemispherical wheels (1) and the hemispherical wheel (1) are rotatably fixed around the central axis (3), and the two hemispherical wheels (1) are cut. A support member (4) for supporting and fixing the surfaces so as to constitute a single spherical wheel as a whole;
A U-shaped support frame (6) for fixing the support member (4) to be perpendicular to the central axis (3) of the spherical wheel and to rotate in the direction of the rotation axis (5) passing through the central axis. )When,
The midpoint of the U-shape of the U-shaped support frame (6) is set as the second rotation axis (C-3) so that it can rotate in a direction parallel to the plane including the rotation axis (5) and the U-shape. A spherical wheel device comprising a base for supporting the ball wheel.
A point at a substantially symmetrical position with respect to the middle point of the U-shaped support frame and a point at a substantially symmetrical position with respect to the point at which the second rotation shaft on the base side is provided are respectively springs. The spherical wheel device according to claim 2, wherein the spherical wheel device is connected.
Two hemispherical wheels (1) and the hemispherical wheel (1) are rotatably fixed around the central axis (3), and the two hemispherical wheels (1) are cut. A support member (4) for supporting and fixing the surfaces so as to constitute a single spherical wheel as a whole;
A U-shaped support frame (6) for fixing the support member (4) to be perpendicular to the central axis (3) of the spherical wheel and to rotate in the direction of the rotation axis (5) passing through the central axis. )When,
The midpoint of the U-shape of the U-shaped support frame (6) is defined as a second rotation axis (D-3), and is perpendicular to the plane including the center line of the U-shaped support frame (6) and the rotation axis (5). A spherical wheel device comprising: a rotation support portion (7) that rotatably supports the second rotation shaft (D-3).
The spherical wheel device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the support member (4) is a cross-shaped support member having a cross shape including the rotation shaft (5) and a central shaft (3).