Patent ID: 6474434
Filing Date: 2002-11-05
Classification: B60B,B60Y

Abstract:
A drive wheel for traveling over a traveling surface, comprising:a support member that is adapted to be mounted on a chassis so as to be rotatable in relation to the chassis about a steering axis extending substantially perpendicularly to the traveling surface; a wheel member having a surface contacting portion extending about a periphery of said wheel member; and a drive shaft having a longitudinal axis, wherein said drive shaft includes a drive device that is immovably fixed relative to said drive shaft and is arranged to engage a drive surface that is immovably fixed relative to said wheel member and is on said wheel member such that said wheel member can be rotatably driven relative to said support member, wherein when said drive device is engaged with the drive surface a line of engagement is defined in a vertical cross-sectional plane along portions of said drive device and the drive surface that engage with each other, with the line of engagement forming an acute angle with said longitudinal axis such that when said drive wheel is traveling over the traveling surface, the line of engagement intersects a part of said surface contacting portion that contacts the traveling surface and, the part of said surface contacting portion that contacts the traveling surface is spaced from an intersection of the steering axis and the traveling surface.