DRIVING SYSTEM

• US 20090205881A1
• Filed: 06/26/2007
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ki-Soo Kim
• Original Assignee: Ki-Soo Kim
• Inventors: Kim, Ki-Soo
• Granted Patent: US 8,393,420 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/8.200
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 5/026 with spiders or adapted wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 55/075 Tracked vehicles for ascending or descending stairs, steep slopes or vertical surfacesmagnetic or pneumatic ground-engaging parts B62D55/265; chairs or multi-track cycles specially adapted for invalids A61G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 61/12 with variable number of ground engaging wheels, e.g. with some wheels arranged higher than others, or with retractable wheels for manoeuvring purposes only B60S

Abstract

A driving system that can allow a vehicle to go over or ascend obstacles or stairs through a step driving manner is provided. The driving system includes a power transmission unit connected to a main shaft connected to a power generation unit installed on the wheel frame, a plurality of driven units engaged with the power transmission unit and supporting wheels rotating by rotational force of the power transmission unit, and a carrier to which the power transmission unit and each of the driven units are operationally fixed and which goes over the obstacles by rotating when the driven units stop due to the obstacles.

Claims

1. A driving system that is installed on a wheel frame to allow a vehicle to go over obstacles and ascend stairs, the driving system comprising:

a power transmission unit connected to a main shaft connected to a power generation unit installed on the wheel frame;

a plurality of driven units engaged with the power transmission unit and supporting wheels rotating by rotational force of the power transmission unit; and

a carrier to which the power transmission unit and each of the driven units are operationally fixed and which goes over the obstacles by rotating when the driven units stop due to the obstacles.

2. The driving system of claim 1, wherein the power transmission unit includes a sun gear fixing on the main shaft of the power generation unit, a plurality of planet gears engaged with an outer circumference of the sun gear, and a ring gear engaged with the planet gears.

3. The driving system of claim 2, wherein the ring gear includes a cover to be shield from an circumference and to effectively drive and the cover is connected to a body of the ring gear by a rod.

4. The driving system of claim 1, wherein the driven unit includes a lead gear engaged with the ring gear of the power transmission unit, a connection gear engaged with the lead gear, and a driving gear that is engaged with the connection gear, supports a shaft of the wheels, and rotates the wheels.

5. The driving system of claim 1, wherein the carrier shields the power transmission unit and the driven unit;

and

the sun gear and planet gears of the power transmission unit, and the lead gear, connection gear, and driving gear of the driven unit are rotatably fixed on the carrier by shafts and bearings.

6. The driving system of claim 1, further comprising a wheel shift unit that, when the wheel body having a plurality of wheels connected to the driving system runs on an even road, shifts one of at least two wheels contacting the road away from the road.

7. The driving system of claim 6, wherein the wheel shift unit includes a shift plate on a center of which the main shaft of the driving unit is rotatably fixed;

a plurality of shift gears provided on end portions of shafts of the wheels extending toward the shift plate; and

a support gear, which is provided on a connection shaft rotatably provided on a portion of the shift plate, surface or line-contacts the shift gear selectively, contacts the shift gear to be capable of shifting.

8. The driving system of claim 7, wherein each of the shift and support gears includes four flat surfaces and four corners for surface or line contact.

9. The driving system of claim 8, wherein the shift gears and the support gear contact each other such that the shift gear rotates together with the support gear within a predetermined range about their axes and rotate around the support gear and the corner and/or flat surface of the shift gear contacts the flat surface and/or corner of the support gear to rotate about its axis.

10. The driving system of claim 6, further comprising a reverse drive preventing unit that can restrict rotation of the planet gears of the power transmission unit in accordance with an advancing direction of the wheel frame so that a passenger can stably move the wheel frame in a direction he/she is wanting.

11. The driving system of claim 10, wherein the reverse driving preventing unit includes:

sub-planet gears provided on respective end portion of extending shafts of the planet gears of the power transmission unit and provided at outer circumferences with gear teeth;

a sub-ring gear disposed around the sub-planet gears, rotatably engaged with the sub-planet gears, and provided with an outer circumference with gear teeth; and

a ratchet including a body pivotally fixed on the shift plate of the shift unit, a first coupling member formed on one side end of the body, detachably engaged with the teeth of the sub-ring gear, and restricting rotation of the sub-planet gears when the wheel frame moves forward, and a second coupling member formed on the other side end of the body, detachably engaged with the teeth of the sub-ring gear, and restricting rotation of the sub-planet gears when the wheel frame moves rearward.