Wheel assembly of mobile robot

• US 9,033,079 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2012
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yujin Robot Co., Ltd. (The Miele Group)
• Original Assignee: Yujin Robot Co., Ltd. (The Miele Group)
• Inventors: Shin, Kyung Chul, Park, Seong Ju, Lee, No Soo
• Primary Examiner(s): Walters, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRIGGS, JAMES J
• Application Number:
  US14/232,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20140145495A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 180/9.32, 180/7.1, 180/7.4, 180/167, 180/2.1, 180/8.7, 180/9.5, 901/1, 901/48
• US Class Current: 180/65.6
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/043 Transmission unit disposed in on near the vehicle wheel, or between the differential gear unit and the wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2007/0061 the motor axle being parallel to the wheel axle
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 7/0007 the motor being electric
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile robot, in which a wheel is mounted on a robot body in an elevatable structure.

Claims

1. A wheel assembly of a mobile robot, comprising:

a gear box which accommodates a driving gear driven by a driving motor and a driven gear driven by the driving gear, installed to be rotatable about a rotation shaft in front and rear directions with respect to a robot body and having a first fixing part, the rotating shaft being provided at one side of the gear box;

a wheel which is coupled to a rotary shaft of the driven gear so as to rotate integrally with the driven gear, and move up or down with respect to the robot body when the gear box is rotates; and

a pulling member which has one end fixed to the first fixing part and the other end fixed to a second fixing part which is fixed with respect to the robot body, and pulls the first fixing part toward the second fixing part so as to rotate the gear box in a direction to move the wheel down with respect to the robot body.

2. The wheel assembly of claim 1, wherein the pulling member is a coil spring.

3. The wheel assembly of claim 1, wherein the pulling member is a flat spring.

4. The wheel assembly of claim 1, wherein at least a part of an outer circumferential surface of the rotation shaft is circular, and the rotation shaft is seated on and supported by a rotation shaft seating portion having a shape that matches a shape of the outer circumferential surface of the rotation shaft.

5. The wheel assembly of claim 4, further comprising:

a lower case which accommodates at least a part of the gear box and at least a part of the wheel, the lower case including an opened upper portion and a lower surface, and being coupled and fixed to the robot body, the lower surface including an opened portion through which the wheel moves up and down,

wherein the lower case further includes the rotation shaft seating portion.

6. The wheel assembly of claim 5, wherein the lower case further includes the second fixing part.

7. The wheel assembly of claim 6, further comprising:

an upper case coupled to an upper portion of the lower case, and accommodating at least a part of the gear box and at least a part of the wheel.

8. The wheel assembly of claim 7, wherein the upper case includes a rotation shaft cover which is provided over the rotation shaft seating portion such that the rotation shaft is interposed between the rotation shaft cover and the rotation shaft seating portion so as to prevent the rotation shaft from being moved away from the rotation shaft seating portion.

9. The wheel assembly of claim 1, wherein the rotation shaft is hinge-coupled.

10. The wheel assembly of claim 9, further comprising:

a lower case which accommodates at least a part of the gear box and at least a part of the wheel, the lower case including an opened upper portion and of lower surface and being coupled and fixed to the robot body, the lower surface including an opened portion through which the wheel moves up and down,

wherein the rotation shaft is hinge-coupled to the lower case.

11. The wheel assembly of claim 1, further comprising a sensor which is a contact sensor and comes into contact with a protruding portion,

wherein the protruding portion, which is provided on a surface of the gear box, extends in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the gear box.

12. The wheel assembly of claim 11, wherein the sensor is a micro switch, and is inserted into a sensor fixing part that is provided at a lower case.