A ball-balancing drive assembly includes a ball having a ball surface and a reference axis extending through a centroid of the ball. Three omniwheel assemblies, each having a motor with a motor axle and an omniwheel configured to rotate around the motor axle are mounted on a chassis configured for supporting the three omniwheel assemblies at radially symmetric spacings with the motor axles oriented at an angle relative to the reference axis and the omniwheels oriented in mutually-orthogonal planes. Each omniwheel frictionally contacts the ball surface to convert rotational motion of the motor axle to torque on the ball.

A ball-balancing drive assembly includes a ball having a ball surface and a reference axis extending through a centroid of the ball. Three omniwheel assemblies, each having a motor with a motor axle and an omniwheel configured to rotate around the motor axle are mounted on a chassis configured for supporting the three omniwheel assemblies at radially symmetric spacings with the motor axles oriented at an angle relative to the reference axis and the omniwheels oriented in mutually-orthogonal planes. Each omniwheel frictionally contacts the ball surface to convert rotational motion of the motor axle to torque on the ball.

A spherical body drive type movement device 10 includes rotary bodies 14, 15, and 16 rotating n number of driving spherical bodies 11, 12, and 13 by being rotationally driven in a state of being in contact from two different directions with each of the driving spherical bodies 11, 12, and 13, and moves on a traveling surface G. The rotary bodies 14, 15, and 16 come into contact with the driving spherical bodies 11, 12, and 13 at positions higher than centers P1, P2, and P3 of the driving spherical bodies 11, 12, and 13 in contact and inside a virtual inverted n-gonal pyramid H or, at positions higher than the centers P1, P2, and P3 of the driving spherical bodies 11, 12, and 13 in contact and on lateral faces ?, ?, and ? of the virtual inverted n-gonal pyramid H.

A wheel pad for moving an object across a surface having non-planar obstructions to allow movement of the object across the surface. The wheel pad has a contact pad and a load bearing assembly. The contact pad has an outer skin enclosing a fluid and a torus bearing. The torus bearing has a plurality of bearings, with each adjacent bearing rotatably joined by a connector that allows the bearings to independently rotate. The load bearing assembly has a load transfer mechanism and a load transfer device. The load transfer mechanism has a plurality of recirculating bearings moveably positioned inside a ball chamber. The load transfer device interacts with, but moves independently of, the load transfer mechanism to transfer the weight of the object to the contact pad, which weight is transferred to a lower surface thereof by the fluid and torus bearing to provide omnidirectional movement for the wheel pad.

A wheel pad for moving an object across a surface having non-planar obstructions to allow movement of the object across the surface. The wheel pad has a contact pad and a load bearing assembly. The contact pad has an outer skin enclosing a fluid and a torus bearing. The torus bearing has a plurality of bearings, with each adjacent bearing rotatably joined by a connector that allows the bearings to independently rotate. The load bearing assembly has a load transfer mechanism and a load transfer device. The load transfer mechanism has a plurality of recirculating bearings moveably positioned inside a ball chamber. The load transfer device interacts with, but moves independently of, the load transfer mechanism to transfer the weight of the object to the contact pad, which weight is transferred to a lower surface thereof by the fluid and torus bearing to provide omnidirectional movement for the wheel pad.

The present disclosure relates to a universal wheel assembly and a suitcase including the universal wheel assembly. The universal wheel assembly includes: a base structure including an upper base and a lower base which form a cavity therebetween; and a wheel bail locked in the cavity in a manner such that the wheel ball is capable of rolling in all directions, wherein a bottom of the lower base is provided with an opening enabling a part of the wheel bail to protrude out of a lower end face of the lower base to form an exposed rolling spherical surface, and an inner diameter of the opening is smaller than a diameter of the wheel ball.

The present disclosure relates to a universal wheel assembly and a suitcase including the universal wheel assembly. The universal wheel assembly includes: a base structure including an upper base and a lower base which form a cavity therebetween; and a wheel bail locked in the cavity in a manner such that the wheel ball is capable of rolling in all directions, wherein a bottom of the lower base is provided with an opening enabling a part of the wheel bail to protrude out of a lower end face of the lower base to form an exposed rolling spherical surface, and an inner diameter of the opening is smaller than a diameter of the wheel ball.

A caster configured to be attached to an object and provide for rolling movement of the object. The caster may include a main wheel and multiple support members that contact against and support the main wheel. One or more support members include a first sphere that may contact against a top of the main wheel. One or more support members include a second sphere that may contact against the main wheel along lateral sides of the main wheel and offset from the top.

A caster configured to be attached to an object and provide for rolling movement of the object. The caster may include a main wheel and multiple support members that contact against and support the main wheel. One or more support members include a first sphere that may contact against a top of the main wheel. One or more support members include a second sphere that may contact against the main wheel along lateral sides of the main wheel and offset from the top.

The present invention provides a robot which is suitable for travel through a pipeline. The inventive robot comprises at least one tracked drive means and at least one roller means that can swivel about an axis substantially normal to a rolling axis thereof, wherein said at least one tracked drive means and at least one roller means are provided with magnetic means for generating a magnetic adhesion force between the robot and an internal wall of the pipeline.