Mecanum wheel

The Mecanum wheel is a wheel that a so-equipped vehicle allows omni-directional maneuvers without having to be equipped with a mechanical steering must. It is sometimes named after its Swedish inventor, Bengt Ilon also Ilon wheel. Ilon invented this wheel in 1973 as an engineer with the Swedish company Mecanum AB.

Technology

On the circumference (the " rim" ) of the wheel a plurality of rotatably mounted rollers are barrel-shaped usually mounted at an angle of 45 degrees to the axis of the entire wheel. Only these rollers make contact with the ground. These roles do not have direct drive and can rotate freely about its axis inclined bearings. The entire Mecanum wheel is driven, however, by a drive motor with a variable direction of rotation and variable speed.

The so-equipped vehicles usually have four such wheels arranged in a rectangle ( " carriage assembly "). The axes of the inclined rolls have to at the support level either star-shaped point to the center of the vehicle or any angle axes of the rollers have a circular projection are (different choice of the angle of the wheels on the front and rear axle - each 45 ° or -45 ° to the axis of Mecanum wheel ). If this criterion is not respected, there is no omni-directional driving forces can be generated.

The speed and the direction of rotation of each wheel is individually controlled. Through individual rotation selection of wheels arise against the road force vectors that form by the movable rollers in two directions, but with a sum of the vectors of the other wheels to an overall direction of movement or a torque sum for the entire vehicle. It is crucial simply unrolled only by the wheel on which they are located, without turning yourself that adjusted according to the direction of the forces which rolls on the ground and partly in rotation or - for example in forward straight ahead. In extreme cases, such a vehicle moved cross only by opposing sense of rotation of the wheels front and rear axle, without moving "forward" or having to perform a rotation about the vertical axis.

Applications are eg trucks, mobility aids for disabled people, driverless transport vehicles, in intra-logistics in patient beds and operating tables, in production processes, for example in the machine, airplane - or vehicle, further in robotics.

History

The U.S. Navy bought the patent from Ilon and developed it in 1980 in Panama City on. The Navy used it to transport loads on ships.

1997 paid the company Airtrax Inc. and several other companies at the Navy per $ 2500 earned them the rights to the technology as well as some old drawings for the operation of the motors and the controller. The company built therewith including a forklift that can move well in tight spaces.