An autonomous floor cleaning robot includes a transport drive and control system arranged for autonomous movement of the robot over a floor for performing cleaning operations. The robot chassis carries a first cleaning zone comprising cleaning elements arranged to suction loose particulates up from the cleaning surface and a second cleaning zone comprising cleaning elements arraigned to apply a cleaning fluid onto the surface and to thereafter collect the cleaning fluid up from the surface after it has been used to clean the surface. The robot chassis carries a supply of cleaning fluid and a waste container for storing waste materials collected up from the cleaning surface.

A wheel float that articulates in multiple directions for efficiently and safely moving an object across a surface having a non-planar obstruction. The wheel float has a pair of walking beam assemblies, a crosstube assembly having a crosstube interconnecting the walking beam assemblies, a pedestal supported by the crosstube and a center pivot assembly that allows the crosstube assembly to pivot relative to the pedestal. The pedestal has a support surface that supports the object above the walking beam assemblies. Each walking beam assembly has a base plate, wheeled casters, a pair of spaced apart hangers and a bushing assembly associated with an articulation opening in each of the hangers. Pivot members at the ends of the crosstube assembly engage the hanger bushings to allow the respective walking beam assembly to pivot relative to the crosstube. Thrust blocks or locating plates position the walking beam assemblies on the crosstube assembly.

A castor includes a wheel support and at least one roller mounted on the wheel support. The at least one roller has a peripheral portion provided with a hollow air chamber which is provided with a plurality of hollow air columns. One of the hollow air columns is provided with an air inlet. The at least one roller is made of soft material that is made by a blow molding operation. The soft material is initially made into a tubular blank by a blow molding machine. A gas is then filled into the soft material to blow and shape the soft material in a die at a high temperature to form the at least one roller. The at least one roller is then stripped from the die.

An autonomous floor cleaning robot includes a transport drive and control system arranged for autonomous movement of the robot over a floor for performing cleaning operations. The robot chassis carries a first cleaning zone comprising cleaning elements arranged to suction loose particulates up from the cleaning surface and a second cleaning zone comprising cleaning elements arraigned to apply a cleaning fluid onto the surface and to thereafter collect the cleaning fluid up from the surface after it has been used to clean the surface. The robot chassis carries a supply of cleaning fluid and a waste container for storing waste materials collected up from the cleaning surface.

A castor includes a wheel support and at least one roller mounted on the wheel support. The at least one roller has a peripheral portion provided with a hollow air chamber which is provided with a plurality of hollow air columns. One of the hollow air columns is provided with an air inlet. The at least one roller is made of soft material that is made by a blow molding operation. The soft material is initially made into a tubular blank by a blow molding machine. A gas is then filled into the soft material to blow and shape the soft material in a die at a high temperature to form the at least one roller. The at least one roller is then stripped from the die.

Art operating shall rises and fails by abutting against a cam surface of a cam rotatably built into the upper part of a stem. A swivel-preventing plate part is fixed to the lower end of the operating shaft. An engagement member is fixed to a support yoke and regulates the swiveling by engaging with the swivel-preventing plate part. A brake shoe part is fixed to the lower part of the swivel-preventing plate pail and brakes by abutting against a treat surface of a wheel when the operating shaft falls. A link cam causes a link cam to pivot and causes a brake plate to rise and fall by connected to the brake shoe part. A protruding part for braking, by displacement of the brake plate, is capable of engaging with and disengaging from an annular engagement receiving part formed in the inner periphery of the wheel.

A shopping cart wheel includes a braking apparatus, and electronics that control the braking apparatus in response to wireless signals. The wireless signals include low frequency electromagnetic signals within a low frequency band and high frequency signals within a high frequency band. The braking apparatus includes a moveable interposer and an interposer controller where the moveable interposer is moved between braking and non-breaking positions at least partially with magnetic force.

A wheel float that articulates in multiple directions for efficiently and safely moving an object across a surface having a non-planar obstruction. The wheel float has a pair of walking beam assemblies, a crosstube assembly having a crosstube interconnecting the walking beam assemblies, a pedestal supported by the crosstube and a center pivot assembly that allows the crosstube assembly to pivot relative to the pedestal. The pedestal has a support surface that supports the object above the walking beam assemblies. Each walking beam assembly has a base plate, wheeled casters, a pair of spaced apart hangers and a bushing assembly associated with an articulation opening in each of the hangers. Pivot members at the ends of the crosstube assembly engage the hanger bushings to allow the respective walking beam assembly to pivot relative to the crosstube. Thrust blocks or locating plates position the walking beam assemblies on the crosstube assembly.

A hospital bed obstacle detection device and related method for detecting an obstacle between first and second components of a hospital bed is provided.

A caster yoke for use in the manufacture of a set of wheeled caster assemblies wherein each caster assembly of the set of caster assemblies is capable of having unique functional capabilities relative to each other caster assembly of the set arising from different combinations of caster components (selected from a set of pre-determined of caster components) being mountable on each respective caster yoke of the set of wheeled caster assemblies. To this end, the caster yoke is provided with all of the mounting features necessary to selectively mount all of the respective caster components of the pre-determined set on the caster yoke, such that the same form of caster yoke may be used without modification as a mounting frame to create a set of caster assemblies having different functionalities, significantly reducing design, production and inventory costs for the set of caster assemblies.