Abstract
The invention concerns a rolling device for a device to enable moving the device along a surface. The rolling device comprises a housing arranged for attachment to the device and a wheel support assembly arranged in the housing for carrying a wheel. The wheel support assembly comprises a wheel carrying member arranged for connection with the wheel, and a retainer element arranged for connection with the housing. The wheel carrying member comprises a deflective rib with an protrusion for releasable engagement with a groove of the retainer element to select the release or attachment between the wheel carrying member and the retainer element.
Claims
1. A rolling device for a device to enable moving the device along a surface wherein the rolling device comprises: a housing arranged for attachment to the device, a wheel support assembly arranged in the housing for carrying a wheel, wherein the wheel support assembly comprises a wheel carrying member arranged for connection with the wheel, and a retainer element arranged for connection with the housing, wherein the wheel carrying member comprises a deflective rib with an protrusion for releasable engagement with a groove of the retainer element to select the release or attachment between the wheel carrying member and the retainer element.
2. The rolling device according to claim 1, where the deflective rib has a neutral position when the wheel carrying member is attached to the retainer element and is adapted to attain a deflective position for the release of the protrusion from the engagement with the groove.
3. The rolling device according to claim 2, where the deflective rib comprises a selected area configured for applying a guide and release force to disengage the protrusion from the groove and release the wheel carrying member from the retainer element.
4. The rolling device according to claim 1, where the housing comprises a lifting arm for displacement of the wheel into and out from the housing, where the lifting arm comprises a retainer holding structure for accommodation of the retainer element.
5. The rolling device according to claim 4, where the retainer element is movably accommodated in the retainer holding structure and comprises springs for enabling the displacement of the retainer element in the retainer holding structure in accordance with impacts from the wheel moving on the surface.
6. The rolling device according to claim 2, where the wheel carrying member comprises a wheel attachment structure for connecting the wheel a protruding elongated structure comprising the deflective rib with the protrusion, wherein the protruding elongated structure is adapted to fit into a recess of the retainer element to position the protrusion for releasable engagement with the groove of the retainer element.
7. The rolling device according to claim 7, where the protruding elongated structure comprises a rib recess with a depth arranged for accommodating the deflective rib and the protrusion when the rib is oriented in the deflective position.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0036] In the following, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the enclosed drawings, where:
[0037] FIGS. 1a-1c shows schematic illustrations of the rolling device.
[0038] FIGS. 2 and 3 are two schematic side views of the rolling device with the wheel support assembly for release of the wheel.
[0039] FIG. 4 is an detail of the illustration of FIG. 3 where a wheel carrying member is attached to a retainer element.
[0040] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the wheel carrying member released from the retainer element.
[0041] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the retainer element.
[0042] FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate the insert of the wheel carrying member into the recess of the retainer element.
[0043] FIGS. 9-11 illustrate the sequence of disengaging the wheel carrying member from the retainer element.
[0044] FIGS. 12-14 illustrate the sequence the disengaging the wheel from the rolling device.
[0045] FIG. 1a show the rolling device 1 arranged with ha housing 11 where a wheel support assembly is provided for carrying a wheel 20. One wheel support assembly is arranged at each side of the wheel 20. An arm 15 for lifting and lowering the wheel 20 is illustrated. The wheel 20 as shown in this example is a Mecanum wheel.
[0046] FIGS. 1b and 1c show the rolling device 1 from below. In these figures a selected area 31 designated to be gripped by the hand or fingers of a user is visible. By applying a release force onto these selected areas 31, the wheel 20 may be released from the rolling device 1, and as such the release of the wheel 20 may be carried out by hand force of a user. This procedure as well as the specifics of the wheel support assembly will be described further below.
[0047] FIGS. 2 and 3 show an example of a wheel support assembly 12 as being arranged in the interior of the housing 11 (see FIG. 1a-1c). The wheel support assembly 12 comprises a wheel carrying member 14 (see FIG. 5) for attachment to the wheel 20. The wheel carrying member 14 in this example comprises a wheel attachment structure 33 connected with the wheel 20, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
[0048] As explained above the wheel 20 as shown in this example comprises a Mecanum wheel and screw holes 17 as arranged in the wheel attachment structure 33 are provided for attachment to the inner stationary part of the Mecanum wheel by screws (not shown).
[0049] Further the wheel support assembly 12 also comprises a retainer element 13 for connection with the housing. The wheel carrying member 14 is releasably arranged in the retainer element 13, see FIGS. 4-7. The retainer element 13 is arranged for the selective release and attachment of the wheel carrying member 14 which carries the wheel 20 by connection to the wheel attachment structure 33. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention as shown in the FIG. 5, the wheel attachment member 33 comprises a deflective rib 24 arranged with a protrusion 21 for being received and releasably secured in a groove 25 formed in the retainer element 13.
[0050] The release and attachment of the protrusion 21 in the groove 25 will be described in more detail below.
[0051] In the example shown in the figs, the retainer element 13 is accommodated in a retainer holding structure 18, see FIGS. 2 and 3, arranged in a lifting arm 15. The lifting arm 15 is arranged with connection 16 to the housing. The connection may typically comprise a pivot connection enabling lifting and lowering the lifting arm and thereby the wheel 20 between a position where the wheel is retracted into the housing 11 and a position where the wheel projects from the housing 11.
[0052] In the shown example the retainer element 13 is accommodated in the retainer holding structure 18 in a manner where it is able to move, and springs 23 are provided for enabling the displacement of the retainer element 13 within the retainer holding structure 18. When the wheel carrying member 14 is attached to the retainer element as shown in FIGS. 2,3 with the protrusion 21 placed into the groove 25, the impact from the wheel 20 when for instance moving on a bumpy surface will cause the compression of the springs 23 and thereafter the release of the spring when passing the bump. The retainer element 13 is thereby caused to move up in the retainer holding structure 18 as illustrated in FIG. 2 when hitting a bump in the surface, and move down in in the retainer holding structure 18 as illustrated in FIG. 3 when having passed the bump.
[0053] FIG. 4 shows the wheel carrying member (which in this figure is illustrated by the wheel attachment structure 33) attached to the retainer element 13, similar to the situation as illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 shows the wheel carrying member 14 in a position where it is released from the retainer element 13. The wheel carrying member 14 as illustrated in FIG. 5, comprises the wheel attachment structure 33 for connecting the wheel, a protruding elongated structure 34 and the deflective rib 24 having one end portion attached to the protruding elongated structure 34 allowing the free end of the deflective rib 24 to bend or flex to move the protrusion 21 of the deflective rib into and out from engagement with the groove 25 when the wheel carrying member 14 is attached to the retainer element 13. The free end of the deflective rib 24 extends in a rib recess 35 formed in the protruding elongated structure 34.
[0054] As shown in the illustrative embodiment in the figs, the deflective rib 24 is arranged with a selected area 31 configured for applying a guide and release/insert force to disengage/engage the protrusion 21 from/with the groove 25. In the figures the selected area 31 has the configuration of a hand or finger grip, for applying a force to disengage or engage the protrusion 21 when inserting or removing the wheel carrying member 14 relative the retainer element 13. The wheel attachment structure 33 is also configured with a hand grip 36 to ensure stability when pulling the wheel carrying member 14 with the wheel 20 away from the retainer element 13, by the use of pure hand power.
[0055] FIG. 6 shows the retainer element 13 arranged with the groove 25 for receiving the protrusion 21 of the deflective rib 24. A recess 30 is shown for receiving the protruding elongated structure 34 of the wheel carrying member 14.
[0056] FIGS. 7 and 8 show an example of steps of releasing or inserting the wheel carrying member 14 out from or into the recess 30 of the retainer element 13. As seen in the FIGS. 7 and 8, the free end of the deflective rib 24 is moved downward in the rib recess 35, typically by the user who applies a force to the selected area 31. The height of the protruding elongated structure 34 corresponds to the depth of the recess 30 and the free end of the rib 24 is to be kept in downward position into the rib recess 35 to avoid that the protrusion 21 obstructs the release or insert of the protruding elongated structure 34 from or into the recess 30.
[0057] FIG. 9-11 illustrates the sequence of disengaging the wheel carrying member 14 from the retainer element 13. The reverse order of this sequence describes the engagement of the wheel carrying member 14 with the retainer element 13.
[0058] FIG. 9 shows the protruding elongated structure 34 inserted into the recess 30 of the retainer element 13. The protrusion 21 of the deflective rib 24 is engaged in the groove 25, and the wheel carrying member 14 is as such attached to the retainer element 13. For the release of the wheel carrying member 14 from the retainer element 13, a release force is to be applied to the selected area 31 for instance by hand force as conducted by a user. The free end of the deflective rib 24 then deflects and the protrusion 21 is disengaged from the groove 25 and into the rib recess 35 as shown in FIG. 10. The wheel carrying member 14 is now free to be pulled out from the recess of the retainer element 12 for instance by pulling using the selected area 31 and the holding grip 36, see FIG. 11.
[0059] When the wheel carrying member 14 is to be engaged with the retainer element 13, the sequence is reversed starting from the position shown in FIG. 11, where the rib is deflected and lowered into the rib recess 35 by applying a force onto the selected area 31. From this position the wheel carrying member 14 is inserted into the recess of the retainer element 13 as shown in FIG. 10. The force is removed from the selected area 31, for instance by releasing the hand grip. The deflective rib 24 then regains its neutral position and moves the protrusion 21 into the groove 25 as shown in FIG. 9. The wheel carrying member 14 is then engaged with the retainer element 13.
[0060] The release of the wheel 20 as attached to the wheel attachment structure 33 by the use of the sequence of FIGS. 9-11 is shown in FIGS. 12-14. FIG. 12 shows the protrusion 21 of the deflective rib 24 as released from the groove 25, this situation corresponds to that of the illustration of FIG. 11, except that the deflective rib 24 as illustrated in FIG. 12 has returned to its neutral position. FIG. 13 shows the same situation as that of FIG. 12, but in a side view. FIG. 13 shows the wheel 20 as completely released from the rolling device 1.
