Miscellaneous hardware (e.g. – bushing – carpet fastener – caster – Casters – Antifrictionally swivelled
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-08
2003-09-30
Knight, Anthony (Department: 3676)
Miscellaneous hardware (e.g., bushing, carpet fastener, caster,
Casters
Antifrictionally swivelled
C016S01800R, C180S196000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06625846
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention improves a caster with a sled for moving over a surface of varying height. The new caster size is smaller than the size of the existent caster since larger wheels are limited by space. If the existing caster is moved by a person or moves freely it is unable to travel over obstacles of varying height along its transit plane.
This invention is for a caster that has higher stability than the existent caster, and whose movement can be controlled without the use of a brake to the wheel and a wheel's axle. In other words, this is an invention of a caster for a robot.
And this is an invention of a caster for a robot which can serve as a foot part of a robot having two feet, because the caster has a sled for traveling over obstacles and thus the robot can stand on itself, by maintaining stabilization by one or two casters each with a sled for traveling over obstacles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, for moving any object such as a utensil or a structure, a caster was used as a means to place a wheel on a transit surface. Casters were usually used with three wheels or more because casters could not securely support a load by standing on one wheel or two wheels, and one wheel or two wheels were used when taking advantage of centrifugal force.
When the aforesaid casters are not available for moving solid obstacles such as a utensil or a structure because of obstacles on the transit path, casters that have big wheels or big wheels installed directly in the object were used for traveling over obstacles. When a big wheel isn't available for the surrounding conditions, the existing caster having a small wheel couldn't travel over obstacles.
As a sled has high friction, it is used under conditions such as touching snow having little friction, and it is hard to use the sled in a building because frictional resistance against a floor is too high. When casters were attached to a robot and used, many small wheels were set up in sequence to secure its stability and the wheels were used as a caterpillar. Furthermore, three legs (i.e., three wheels) or more were used for the foot part when use in two wheels was difficult.
This inventor has filed an application for an invention of a walker provided with a caster having a plate at the bottom of a frame body as Japanese patent application JP 7-236670. The above is an example to correct the above mentioned inconvenience in moving with stability inside a building that has an abundance of traversing obstacles such as the edge of a tatami mat or some other types of material. In particular, the above is an invention to correct an inconvenience in that a handicapped person falls down due to the rotation of the wheels and to enable the person to traverse a surface including steps at home.
And this inventor has filed for a caster of which a plate for traveling over steps with stability as Japanese patent application JP 9-92722. And this inventor has filed for a caster that has a plate of which, the gross touching area to the ground is variable due to the adjustable movement of a plate back and forth, up and down, and a change in angle as Japanese patent application JP 10-98084 claiming domestic priority to Japanese patent application JP 9-92722.
JP
64-44301
is an example of an existing caster. Its purpose is to assist a then-existing caster to travel over steps as obstacles by a sled disposed in front of the caster, when this caster rolls over a generally flat surface in the same manner as the then-existing caster. The other purpose of the above application is to control the proceeding direction of a sled and a caster relative to the proceeding direction so that traveling over steps may become possible by pivoting of the caster. At the same time, the realization is attempted by a stopper that secures a sled material to be set up in order to run with rolling on top of a flat surface of a road.
The purpose of JP 64-44301 is mentioned as above. In the embodiment, it is mentioned the drive power is kept by the other wheel that isn't indicated in
FIG. 1
of reference example 2. In comparison with the caster in the request of JP 64-44301, the present invention enhances stability by establishing a gross touching area of a plate to the ground.
And the present invention is an invention for controlling the acceleration of a caster by making friction variable by changing the gross touching area to the ground. The present invention is an invention for enabling a caster to stand on a wheel by itself because stability is enhanced by changing the loading point as the wheel moves.
And Japanese Utility Model Application 50-140166 is an example of an existing caster. But it is composed of a link which is attached to the bottom of a weight body, a wheel attached to a middle part of the link and a fixing device that fixes the other end of the link on the bottom with an adjustable distance.
When considering FIG.
1
and
FIGS. 4-6
of Japanese Utility Model Application 50-140166, it is seen that the purpose of the caster is to lift the weight body to the height desired. The caster of Japanese Utility Model Application 50-140166 is combined with other structures to enhance stability and secure high stability by independently adjusting the height of each individual wheel.
In contrast, the present invention enhances stability by making a plate that is designed for the gross touching area to the ground. The present invention controls acceleration of the caster by changing the gross touching area to the ground. In other words, the present invention controls acceleration by a change in pressure exerted on a part of a plate that touches the ground. In other words, the present invention controls acceleration by changing the form of the touching part of a plate to the ground.
Additionally the present invention enhances stability by changing the loading point of a wheel due to a front and back motion while maintaining its function as a wheel. In comparison with the caster of Japanese Utility Model Application 50-140166, the present invention is totally different.
This is a new invention due to the fact that it is able to support a structure with a single wheel and provide motion of a structure due to its high stability.
In this inventor's application of JP 7-236670, a hole in the plate enables a rotating wheel's surface to easily touch the floor. Therefore the movement of the walker as well as a person's movement is made smoother due to the wheel reducing the friction between a plate and the floor. As mentioned above, the wheel's surface easily touches the floor. There is neither an idea of the front and back movement nor an idea of the up and down movement of the wheel. There is no idea to control the change of acceleration by making the gross touching area of the plate to the ground adjustable due to the movement of the wheel's position.
There are descriptions that a part of the plate is shaped so that the plate can touch the ground at the bottom, and the inconvenience that any changes in direction or movement could not be performed easily due to excessive friction was eliminated. However, there is no way to control the friction or the change of variable acceleration by adjusting the gross touching area of the plate to the ground.
In contrast, the present invention realizes as new ideas the following characteristics: The present invention can control acceleration by making friction variable due to its ability to make the gross touching area to the ground of a plate adjustable. And then, in the condition that an angle of inclination of a plate is unchanged, friction of the plate to the ground area is controlled in the condition that the plate and a wheel are touching the ground area. And then it is able to change the contact pressure of the ground to the plate into the condition that a wheel doesn't touch the ground area due to the change of an angle of inclination of the plate.
Also it is able to assemble a propulsion device that is able to make the
Hutton Doug
Knight Anthony
Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP
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