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US 12,370,881 B1Granted
Wheel for use in a low gravity vehicle
AssigneeAzak Inc.
InventorBenjamin Meager
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Vehicles are disclosed which have a lower center of gravity than existing all-terrain, amphibious, and unmanned ground vehicles due to the location of propulsion units and other vehicle components inside the wheels of the vehicle. The vehicles can climb over large obstacles yet are also able to corner at high speeds. The vehicles can be configured for direct manual operation or operation by remote control, and can also be configured for a wide variety of missions.
Claims20
A wheel for use with a vehicle, the wheel comprising:
- a wheel core configured to be physically mounted to the vehicle, wherein the wheel core comprises:
- a rotation point that establishes an axis of rotation for the wheel;
- a core body having a center of mass positioned below the axis of rotation;
- a motor that, in response to control signals, causes the wheel to rotate about the axis of rotation and to rotate about the wheel core,
- a cavity provided in the core body that is configured to receive the motor and position the motor below the axis of rotation;
- a battery provided in the cavity of the wheel core, wherein the battery provides power to the motor and wherein the battery is positioned below the axis of rotation;
- an access panel that is removably attachable to the core body and that provides access to the cavity when removed from the core body.
4 more elements
A wheel for use with a vehicle, the wheel comprising:
- a wheel core configured to be physically mounted to the vehicle, wherein the wheel core comprises:
- a rotation point that establishes an axis of rotation for the wheel;
- a core body;
- a motor that, in response to control signals, causes the wheel to rotate about the axis of rotation and to rotate about the wheel core;
- a battery that provides power to the motor;
- a cavity that is configured to receive the motor and battery;
- and
- an electrical interface that provides an electrical connection between a component mounted in a frame of the vehicle and a component mounted in the wheel core.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.