Development an Omni-Directional Wheels with Small Diameter and High Load Capacity

Abstract

We have focused on mecanum wheels among various omni-directional wheels and conducted load capacity experiments with commercially available mecanum wheels. As a result, it was found that the wheels were easily damaged by the change in propulsive force due to rotational friction. Therefore, we proposed two omni-directional wheels with different types of roller patterns that improve load capacity by increasing the roller tip diameter without changing the wheel diameter. Experiments were conducted on four types of wheels: the two proposed wheels, a commercial wheel and a wheel with a normal roller pattern, using a three-wheel experimental vehicle. Current values and robot trajectories were evaluated for their loading capacity, and we confirmed that the proposed roller patterns effectively improved the load capacity of the Mecanum wheel.