Systems and methods for providing wheels having variable spring rates
OwnerGuoming Alex LONGinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A wheel is disclosed that includes an inner hub, an outer rim, and a plurality of resilient elements that exhibit a first spring constant that is the same for all elements, and a second spring constant that is higher than the first spring constant for elements being compressed beyond a threshold deflection.
Claims21
-17. (canceled)
A vehicle comprising a vehicle platform for supporting a load, a plurality of wheels, each wheel including a hub, a rim, and a resilient interface between the hub and the rim, a plurality of powertrains that provide power to the wheels through the hubs, wherein, the wheels transfer power from the hubs to the rims to accelerate differently in one rotational direction than the other rotational direction, the resilient interface including mutually adjacent resilient elements, each of which defines an elliptical void therebetween, the elliptical void having a major axis that is angled with respect to a generally radial direction of the adjacent resilient elements, and wherein each apex of arcuate portions of the adjacent resilient elements alternates from being closer to the outer rim than to the inner hub and closer to the inner hub than the outer rim, such that power is transferred from the inner hub to the outer rim faster when a rotational direction of the inner hub is in the direction of the major axis than when the rotational direction of the inner hub is opposite the direction of the major axis.
A method of powering a vehicle having a first set of wheels and a second set of wheels, the method comprising:
- providing a vehicle having wheels with a hub, a rim, and a resilient interface between the hub and rim, the resilient interface including mutually adjacent resilient elements, each of which defines an elliptical void therebetween, the elliptical void having a major axis that is angled with respect to a generally radial direction of the adjacent resilient elements, and wherein each apex of arcuate portions of the adjacent resilient elements alternates from being closer to the outer rim than to the inner hub and closer to the inner hub than the outer rim, such that power is transferred from the inner hub to the outer rim faster when a rotational direction of the inner hub is in the direction of the major axis than when the rotational direction of the inner hub is opposite the direction of the major axis;
- powering the first set of wheels to accelerate in the first direction while the second set of wheels freely rotates;
- braking the second set of wheels to slow movement in the first direction while the first set of wheels freely rotates;
- powering the second set of wheels to accelerate in the second direction while the first set of wheels freely rotates;
- and
- braking the first set of wheels to slow movement in the second direction while the second set of wheels freely rotates.
A vehicle comprising:
- a vehicle platform for supporting a load, the vehicle platform including at least two platform rails spaced apart by a distance sufficient to receive at least one shelf platform therebetween, and
- a plurality wheels, each wheel including a hub, a rim, and a resilient interface between the hub and the rim, the resilient interface including mutually adjacent resilient elements, each of which defines an elliptical void therebetween, the elliptical void having a major axis that is angled with respect to a generally radial direction of the adjacent resilient elements, and wherein each apex of arcuate portions of the adjacent resilient elements alternates from being closer to the outer rim than to the inner hub and closer to the inner hub than the outer rim.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.