Drive unit

• US 8,758,191 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2010
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Takenaka, Toru, Gomi, Hiroshi, Kobashi, Shinichiro, Koyama, Taiji, Izumi, Hideharu, Kuwabara, Kazuya, Sasaki, Masao
• Primary Examiner(s): Chambers, Troy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Craciun, Valentin
• Application Number:
  US12/882,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20110070998A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,378 Days
• Field of Search: 476/16, 476/17, 476/27, 476/28, 476/31, 476/67, 476/68, 476/72, 476/73, 180/7.1, 180/15, 180/21, 180/209, 180/210, 180/218, 180/219, 280/293, 280/304, 301/5.23, 301/5.1
• US Class Current: 476/68
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 19/003 Multidirectional wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 19/125 with helical projections on radial outer surface translating rotation of wheel into movement along the direction of the wheel axle
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 2200/47 Physical activity equipment, e.g. leisure or sports articles
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 2360/348 Resins
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 2360/50 Rubbers
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 1/00 Unicycles
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 11/007 Automatic balancing machines with single main ground engaging wheel or coaxial wheels supporting a rider

Abstract

A drive unit includes a main wheel having an annular member, and a plurality of driven rollers that are rotatably attached to the annular member, a plurality of first drive rollers and a plurality of second drive rollers, which are provided with the annular member between them and arranged such that they make contact with the outer peripheral faces of the driven rollers, a first holder and a second holder, which are arranged with the annular shaft between them and respectively hold the plurality of first drive rollers and the plurality of second drive rollers while allowing them to rotate, and a first drive unit and a second drive unit that rotationally drive the first holder and the second holder respectively; grooves are formed in the outer peripheral faces of the driven rollers at an angle to the circumferential direction thereof.

Claims

1. A drive unit comprising:

a main wheel having an annular member, and a plurality of driven rollers that are rotatably attached to the annular member;

a plurality of first drive rollers and a plurality of second drive rollers, which are provided with the annular member between the plurality of first drive rollers and the plurality of second drive rollers and arranged such that they make contact with the outer peripheral faces of the driven rollers;

a first holder and a second holder, which are arranged with the annular member between the first holder and the second holder and respectively hold the plurality of first drive rollers and the plurality of second drive rollers while allowing them to rotate;

and a first drive unit and a second drive unit that rotationally drive the first holder and the second holder respectively;

wherein grooves being formed in the outer peripheral faces of the driven rollers at an angle to the circumferential direction thereof.

2. The drive unit according to claim 1, wherein the grooves are arranged in a net formation such that the angle of the grooves becomes one where the outer peripheral faces of the driven rollers make contact with the outer peripheral faces of the first drive rollers and the second drive rollers.

3. The drive unit according to claim 1, wherein the interval between adjacent grooves is narrower than the intervals between adjacent first drive rollers and between adjacent second drive rollers.

4. The drive unit according to claim 2, wherein the interval between adjacent grooves is narrower than the intervals between adjacent first drive rollers and between adjacent second drive rollers.