Wheels with controllable suction devices for adhesion on surfaces
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorsAbdulwahab Halawani, Sahejad Patel, Fadl Abdellatif, Mohammed H. Alsheikh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Wheels have controllable suction devices for adhesion on surfaces. The wheel has an axle and an outer circumferential surface. The outer circumferential surface has a plurality of apertures and a plurality of stretchable materials. Each aperture has a respective stretchable material therein. Rotating the wheel moves a first stretchable material adjacent to a surface of a structure. A portion of the first stretchable material moves in the direction radial to the axle, to control adhesion of a portion of the outer circumferential surface to the surface of the structure. A method implements use of the wheel to adhere to the surface of the structure.
Claims13
A wheel, comprising:
- an axle;
- an outer circumferential surface having a plurality of apertures and a plurality of stretchable materials, wherein each aperture has a respective stretchable material therein, wherein a portion of the outer circumferential surface is adjacent to a surface of a structure;
- a bracket coupling the outer circumferential surface to the axle;
- a portion of a diaphragm adjacent to the portion of the outer circumferential surface;
- and
- a diaphragm moving device configured to move the portion of the diaphragm in a direction radial to the axle,
- wherein a first aperture of the plurality of apertures and a respective first stretchable material of the plurality of stretchable materials are adjacent to the surface of the structure, and
- wherein the moved portion of the diaphragm moves a portion of the first stretchable material in the direction radial to the axle, thereby controlling adhesion of the portion of the outer circumferential surface to the surface of the structure.
A method, comprising:
- providing a wheel with an axle and an outer circumferential surface having a plurality of apertures and a plurality of stretchable materials, wherein each aperture has a respective stretchable material therein;
- rotating the wheel to move a first stretchable material adjacent to a surface of a structure;
- and
- moving a portion of the first stretchable material in the direction radial to the axle, thereby controlling adhesion of a portion of the outer circumferential surface to the surface of the structure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.