In a method for monitoring an electromagnetically actuable brake, which has an energizable coil that interacts with a tractive electromagnet situated so as to be linearly movable, and a vehicle having an electromagnetically actuable brake, the current flowing through the coil is acquired, the acquired current value in particular being conveyed to an evaluation unit, the voltage applied at the coil is intermittently increased, and a relative position of the tractive electromagnet with respect to the coil is determined from the thereby induced current characteristic, in particular the characteristic of the current rise, it is particularly determined from the ascertained position whether the brake is in the applied state or in the released state, the tractive electromagnet in particular is arranged as a permanent magnet or has a permanent magnet.

A multidirectional wheel system, apparatus, and method to control one or more multidirectional wheels to provide multidirectional motion or movement for a movable apparatus, such as a skateboard, roller blades, a car, a motorcycle, a cleaning robot, to which the one or more multidirectional wheels are attached. The multidirectional wheel system includes a braking system to slow and/or stop the movement of the multidirectional wheel(s). At least one of the multidirectional wheels is an omnidirectional wheel, with a plurality of multidirectional wheels acting thereon to control movement thereof. The multidirectional wheel system includes a drone, wherein the omnidirectional wheel operates based on instructions from the drone.

An adjustable highchair. The adjustable highchair includes attachments for seating multiple children simultaneously for convenience when seating multiple children for feeding or other activities. An interchangeable chair assembly is attachable to a height adjustable stem. Each chair assembly includes one or more seats that support a child.

A wheel adapter for a cargo container includes a wheeled adapter body. A container connector on the adapter body is configured for connection to the cargo container. A container elevation bolt threadably engages the adapter body. The container elevation bolt is selectively adjustable to correspondingly adjust an elevation of the adapter body and raise the cargo container for transport.

A mobility apparatus. The mobility apparatus may include a continuous fixed-length rail attached horizontally to a bottom structural member of the front or the rear of a server rack. The continuous fixed-length rail exceeds a width of the server rack by an equal amount on either side of the server rack. The mobility apparatus also includes a lower rail portion attached to a lower edge of the continuous fixed-length rail; a raised rail portion attached to an extended length of each portion of the continuous fixed-length rail; and at least one wheel attached to an underside of each end of the extended length of the continuous fixed-length rail.

A driven caster wheel assembly may include a wheel, an axle, a drive assembly, a drive shaft, and a bevel gear. The wheel may be mounted to the axle for rotation about a drive axis and steering about a substantially vertical steering axis. The drive shaft may extend along the steering axis from a first end to a second end, with the first end being connected to the axle and the second end being connected to the drive assembly such that the drive assembly controls rotation of the drive shaft about the steering axis. The bevel gear may connect the first end to the axle such that rotation of the drive shaft about the steering axis controls rotation of the wheel about the drive axis to drive the driven caster wheel assembly in a substantially horizontal direction. Various other assemblies and methods are also disclosed.

Described are service trolleys with ball caster assemblies for a passenger vehicle. The service trolley may include a housing and a set of ball caster assemblies. The housing may include an internal component, a top end, and a bottom end. The set of ball caster assemblies may be positioned on the bottom end. Each ball caster assembly may include a caster housing and a sphere wheel that is retained within the caster housing.

A caster brake device includes a brake gear, receiving unit, driving unit, elastic element and operating unit connected to the driving unit. The brake gear is disposed at an axle or wheel of a mobile carrier. Stop slots are disposed at the brake gear circumferentially. The receiving unit has a penetrating recess corresponding in position to the stop slots. The driving unit is disposed in the receiving unit and includes a penetrating portion corresponding in position to the penetrating recess and a stop spindle penetrating the penetrating recess and the penetrating portion. Two ends of the stop spindle correspond in position to the stop slots and thus are movably confined to the penetrating recess to enter or exit the stop slots. The elastic element has two ends abutting against the receiving unit and driving unit, respectively, to enable the stop spindle to undergo reciprocating motion within the penetrating recess.

An article movement system includes an article and at least one ball wheel. The article has first and second article surfaces meeting at a first article edge. The ball wheel is located along the first article edge and includes a ball, a bearing arrangement and a shell. The ball engages a surface underlying the article, the bearing arrangement supports the ball for omni-directional rotational movement, and the shell is located along the first article edge and contains the ball and the bearing arrangement. The shell defines a non-circular ball opening through which a portion of the ball extends to contact the underlying surface. The article, the bearing arrangement and the shell are configured such that the ball wheel is able to support the article for omni-directional rolling motion over the underlying surface with either of the first and article surfaces parallel thereto, and at any orientation therebetween.

A mobile component having a roller bearing unit, in particular a mobile component having a steering roller, a roller, in particular a drive roller, being rotationally braced in a pivot unit, which is supported via a pivot bearing on the frame of the mobile component, the axes of rotation of the two pivot bearings in particular being aligned perpendicularly with respect to each other, the axis of rotation of the pivot bearing for pivoting parallel to the direction of the normal of the normal of the driving surface of the mobile component touched by the roller, a drum brake being developed on the roller, the actuation of the drum brake being able to be brought about by an electromagnet, which is connected on the frame of the mobile component, the drum brake being able to be actuated by the electromagnet via a wedge gear.