Patent ID: 6796618
Filing Date: 2004-09-28
Classification: B60B,B60Y

Abstract:
A method for designing an omni-directional wheel comprising a plurality of rollers, each roller having a centerline, that will result in low vibration when rotated under load, comprising the steps:determining a shape of the rollers that will result in a circular profile of an omni-wheel when viewed from a perspective removed from and coincident with an axis of rotation of the omni-directional wheel; mathematically modeling the rollers as assemblages of thin prismatic wheels aligned orthogonal to the centerline of each roller to estimate the omni-directional wheel's compliance when contacting a flat running surface under load and at all angles of omniâ€”wheel rotation; determining the coating thickness, surface grooves, and material properties required for each roller such that the omni-directional wheel has a circular profile and exhibits the same compliance at all angles of omni-directional wheel rotation when loaded; and adjusting the roller design to incorporate the coating thickness, surface grooving and material properties determined in the previous step.