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US 9,539,856 B2Granted
Wheel
AssigneeOntario Drive & Gear Limited
InventorPeter Derek Visscher
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The wheel is all-metal, and is suitable for use on the moon. The wheel includes tread-plates mounted on leaf-springs, which deflect to permit suspension movement. The leaf-springs are flexible, light, and thin, yet are made strong enough to cope with heavy traction forces by the provision of hoop-cables, which link all the tread-plates together.
Claims23
Wheel, wherein:
- the wheel includes a rim, which is fast to a hub of the wheel, for rolling motion about a wheel axis;
- the wheel includes many tread-plates;
- the wheel includes resiliently flexible tread-springs;
- proximal ends of the tread-springs are fast to the rim;
- distal ends of the tread-springs are fast to the tread-plates, whereby the tread-plates and tread-springs form tread-units;
- the tread-units are so configured that:
- (a) the tread-plates are urged radially outwards, with respect to the axis of the wheel, by the resilience of the tread-springs;
- and
- (b) the tread-plates can move, individually, radially inwards against the resilience of the tread-springs;
- the tread-units are arranged in a hoop-set, or in hoop-sets;
- in respect of the or each hoop-set of tread-plates:
- (a) the hoop-set is so configured that each tread-plate of the hoop-set lies circumferentially between adjacent tread-plates of the hoop-set;
- (b) the hoop-set includes a hoop-cable;
- (c) each one of the tread-plates that make up the hoop-set is fast to the hoop-cable;
- (d) the hoop-cable is of so dimensioned that, the wheel being unloaded and the tread-plates being urged radially outwards by the tread-springs, the hoop-cable is under hoop-tension;
- and
- (e) the tread-plates are each fastened to the hoop-cable in such manner that, the wheel being unloaded, adjacent tread-plates can approach but cannot separate, circumferentially.
14 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.