Debris guard for a wheel assembly

• US 9,010,882 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2012
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Dooley, Michael, Romanov, Nikolai
• Primary Examiner(s): BELLINGER, JASON R
• Application Number:
  US13/455,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20120267943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: 301/37.101, 301/37.105, 305/100, 305/110, 305/115, 305/107
• US Class Current: 305/107
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 2900/211 Soiling
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 2900/721 Use under adverse external conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 33/00 Castors in general; Anti-clogging castorscastors for large containers B65D90/18
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/68 for freeing wheels or tyres from foreign matter, e.g. wheel scrapers
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 55/0882 Track or sprocket cleaning devices mounted on the frame wheel cleaning devices in general B60S

Abstract

A wheel assembly with a debris guard is disclosed, the debris guard being configured to prevent hair and thread from winding around an axle and interfering with the operation of the wheel. The debris guard, which is mounted between the wheel and the robot chassis, comprises a spool and a plurality of tines. The spool is positioned between the wheel and chassis to collect debris that would otherwise wind around the axle. In the preferred embodiment, the tines are arrayed in proximity to a gap between the debris guard and the hub in order to inhibit debris from migrating to the axle exposed between the guard and wheel. The debris guard is intended for a wide variety of wheeled devices.

Claims

1. A wheel assembly for a mobile robot apparatus with a chassis component, the wheel assembly comprises:

at least one wheel comprising a tread and a hub, wherein the hub is recessed with respect to the tread;

an axle connecting the hub to the chassis component, the axle having a longitudinal axis; and

a debris guard interposed between the wheel and the mobile robot apparatus chassis component, wherein the debris guard does not rotate relative to the mobile robot apparatus chassis component, wherein

the debris guard is stationary with respect to the chassis component,

the debris guard further comprises a backing plate separated from the wheel by a channel to the axle, and

the channel accesses a cavity between the wheel and the debris guard, wherein the cavity is formed by a hollow spool.

2. The wheel assembly in claim 1, wherein tines are mounted to the backing plate.

3. The wheel assembly in claim 2, wherein the tines are oriented substantially parallel to the axle.

4. The wheel assembly in claim 3, wherein the tines are distributed about a circle concentric with the axle.

5. The wheel assembly in claim 1, further comprising tines which form a comb protectively concealing the axle, wherein the comb resides in proximity to the channel between the wheel and the debris guard.

6. The wheel assembly in claim 1, wherein the spool is aligned along the longitudinal axis with a first gap between the wheel and the chassis component.

7. The wheel assembly in claim 6, wherein the spool is a cylinder concentric with the longitudinal axis.

8. The wheel assembly in claim 6, wherein the wheel is removable for cleaning of the spool.

9. The wheel assembly in claim 6, wherein the spool comprises a longitudinal channel for cutting away debris from the spool.

10. The wheel assembly in claim 6, wherein the hub includes a groove or channel for removing debris from the spool.

11. A wheel assembly for a mobile apparatus with a chassis component, the wheel assembly comprises:

at least one wheel comprising a tread and a hub, wherein the hub is recessed with respect to the tread;

an axle connecting the hub to the chassis component, the axle having a longitudinal axis; and

a debris guard interposed between the wheel and the chassis component, wherein the debris guard comprises a spool and a plurality of tines,

wherein the spool is aligned along the longitudinal axis with a first gap between the wheel and the chassis component and wherein the hub includes a groove or channel for removing debris from the spool.

12. A wheel assembly for a mobile apparatus with a chassis component, the wheel assembly comprises:

at least one wheel comprising a tread and a hub, wherein the hub is recessed with respect to the tread;

an axle connecting the hub to the chassis component, the axle having a longitudinal axis; and

a debris guard interposed between the wheel and the chassis component, wherein the debris guard comprises a hollow spool and a plurality of tines,

wherein the debris guard further comprises a backing plate to which the tines are mounted and wherein the backing plate is separated from the wheel by a channel to the axle, wherein the channel accesses a cavity between the wheel and the debris guard and the cavity is formed by the hollow spool.