Wheel assembly, methods, and applications

Abstract

A quick release mechanism for a wheel includes a hub and a clip, which interact with a wheel or roller that may or may not be part of the invention per se. The hub is disposable on a drive shaft such that it will rotate with the drive shaft. An optional hub cap is disposable on the wheel and has an opening that is complimentary to the geometry of the hub to allow engagement thereof such that the hub the hub cap rotate together. The clip is disposable on the hub in a closed or an open position so that the hub cap cannot or can be removed from the hub.

Claims

1. A quick release wheel mechanism, comprising: a hub component configured to couple to a drive shaft such that the hub component will rotate with the drive shaft, the hub component comprising a central portion aligned with the drive shaft and two hub projections projecting outward from the central portion in opposite directions, each hub projection comprising an opening comprising clip component engagement means and configured to receive a hub component engagement means, the hub projections configured to align with a reciprocal slot of a hub cap and to drive rotation of the hub cap when the drive shaft rotates while the hub cap is coupled to the hub component; and a clip component having hub component engagement means that are engageable with the clip component engagement means, wherein the clip component can be configured in each of a closed position so as to preclude the engagement or disengagement of a wheel from the hub component and an open position so as to allow the engagement or disengagement of the wheel from the hub component.

2. The quick release wheel mechanism of claim 1, wherein each hub projection opening comprises an opening within a surface of a corresponding hub projection facing away from the central portion.

3. The quick release wheel mechanism of claim 1, wherein each hub component engagement means comprises a hub component projection projecting inward towards a center of the clip component, and wherein the hub component projections are aligned.

4. The quick release wheel mechanism of claim 1, further comprising a hub cap configured to couple to the hub component via the reciprocal slot of the hub cap.

5. The quick release wheel mechanism of claim 4, wherein the hub cap further comprises a depression in an outer surface of the hub cap adjacent to clip component when the clip component is configured in the closed position, the depression enabling a fingertip of a person to reconfigure the clip component to the open position.

6. The quick release wheel mechanism of claim 4, wherein the hub cap further comprises a clip detent that enables the clip component, when configured in the closed position, to abut a surface of hub cap.

7. The quick release wheel mechanism of claim 4, wherein the hub component, when coupled to the hub cap, protrudes through the reciprocal slot of the hub cap such that the openings within the hub projections are accessible for coupling the clip component to the hub component.

8. The quick release wheel mechanism of claim 4, further comprising a wheel coupled to the hub cap.

9. The quick release wheel mechanism of claim 8, wherein the wheel is an omni-wheel.

10. The quick release wheel mechanism of claim 1, wherein a width of the central portion of the hub component is greater than a width of either hub projection.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an assembled quick release wheel mechanism including a direct-driven Mecanum or Omni-wheel (not part of the invention per se) mounted on a robotic vacuum cleaner platform, according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

(2) FIG. 2 schematically shows a hub cap component and features thereof of the quick release wheel mechanism, according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

(3) FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a motor pod (not part of the invention per se) that contains a motor (not shown, not part of the invention per se) therein with a hub component of the quick release wheel mechanism that is press-fit to the motor drive shaft and spins with the drive shaft, according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

(4) FIG. 4A schematically illustrates the motor pod with the hub component installed; FIG. 4B schematically illustrates a snap clip component of the quick release wheel mechanism, according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

(5) FIG. 5 schematically shows the snap clip component of the quick release wheel mechanism in an open orientation, according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY, NON-LIMITING EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

(6) FIG. 1 illustrates a robotic vacuum cleaner omni-wheel assembly 100 showing a direct-drive Mecanum or Omni/poly wheel 102 with rollers 101 (not part of the invention per se), and a quick release wheel mechanism including a hub cap component 104 (which may or may not be a part of the invention per se; see FIG. 3) attached to an outer surface of the wheel assembly, a hub component 106 that is directly mounted to the wheel's drive motor (not part of the invention per se; see FIG. 3), and a semi-circular clip component 108 that is pivotally attached to opposite transverse ends of the hub. It will be appreciated that the wheel per se may be of any type provided that it can be mounted onto the drive shaft/hub assembly. The clip is advantageously made of an elastic or resilient-type material that can sufficiently flex to be assembled to the hub. The clip 108 is shown in FIG. 1 rotated to a closed position to secure the wheel to the driving hub 106. The clip is made of a material (e.g., plastic, metal) such that it can flex enough to forcibly pass one or more small detents 110 formed in the hub cap 104 to secure/lock the wheel in the installed position when it is oriented transverse to the hub cap slot 116. The clip 108 can be rotated to an open position (see FIG. 5) thus orienting it parallel to the longitudinal axis 112 of the hub and the slot 116.

(7) FIG. 2 shows the hub cap 104 including the clip detent(s) 110, scalloped finger access regions 114, and a shaped slot 116 that is complimentary to the shape of the end of the hub 106 for engagement therewith. The shaped slot 116 enables the wheel 102 to be engaged and driven by the hub 106. It will be appreciated that the shape of the hub and the opening in the hub cap need only be complimentary so as to allow engagement and rotation of the hub cap with the hub. The scalloped cuts 114 in the hub cap allow finger access to the clip 108 edges.

(8) FIG. 3 illustrates a wheel-drive motor pod 122 (not part of the invention per se) that contains a motor (not shown, not part of the invention per se) therein. The hub 106 may advantageously be press-fit to the motor drive shaft (shown in dotted line), thus spinning with the motor shaft when it turns. Clip 108 is also shown being oriented in the closed position.

(9) FIG. 4A illustrates the motor pod 122 with the hub installed as shown in FIG. 3 but without the clip 108. FIG. 4B illustrates the snap clip 108, which is configured to flex in order to mount to the opposite ends 133 of the hub 106 via projections 134 that are rotatably disposed in openings in hub ends 133. Similarly although not shown, the ends of the clip could have openings that could engage complimentary projections on the opposite ends of the hub. The detents 110 (FIG. 2) on the hub cap enable the clip to have two operational orientations: closed as shown in FIG. 1 and open as shown in FIG. 5. In the open position, the clip 108 is parallel to or aligned with the shaped slot 116 in the hub cap and the longitudinal axis 106 of the end of the hub, enabling removal of the hub cap/wheel assembly.

(10) In operation, a person may engage the tips of their thumb and a finger in scallops 114, flip the clip 108 from the secured closed position to the open position, and simply and easily slide the wheel off the hub 106. Reinstallation of the wheel is performed by the reverse procedure.

(11) Another embodiment of the invention is a quick release wheel assembly as illustrated in FIG. 3, in which a hub cap 104 is optional but not required. While the hub cap provides certain convenience features for operation such as access spaces for a person's fingertips and detents to locking/unlocking the clip in the closed and open positions, a wheel such as wheel 102 shown in FIG. 1, without the hub cap 104, may be slid over hub 106, and clip 108 moved to a closed position similarly as described above. The wheel itself may have detent features to secure the clip in the closed position, or the engagement features 133 on the hub and 134 on the clip may be so shaped to provide secure positioning in the open and closed positions and ease of movement between those positions.

(12) While several inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the inventive teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure.

(13) All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

(14) The indefinite articles a and an, as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean at least one.

(15) The phrase and/or, as used herein in the specification and in the claims, should be understood to mean either or both of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with and/or should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., one or more of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the and/or clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to A and/or B, when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as comprising can refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc.

(16) As used herein in the specification and in the claims, or should be understood to have the same meaning as and/or as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, or or and/or shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as only one of or exactly one of, or, when used in the claims, consisting of, will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term or as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e. one or the other but not both) when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as either, one of, only one of, or exactly one of Consisting essentially of, when used in the claims, shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.

(17) As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase at least one, in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase at least one refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, at least one of A and B (or, equivalently, at least one of A or B, or, equivalently at least one of A and/or B) can refer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc. It should also be understood that, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, in any methods claimed herein that include more than one step or act, the order of the steps or acts of the method is not necessarily limited to the order in which the steps or acts of the method are recited.

(18) In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as comprising, including, carrying, having, containing, involving, holding, composed of, and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases consisting of and consisting essentially of shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively, as set forth in the United States Patent Office Manual of Patent Examining Procedures, Section 2111.03.