Active omni-directional moving spherical wheel with surface gliding split ring

Abstract

Conventional omni-directional wheels into four types based on whether they are active-driven or passive-driven and spherical or torus. Among these, the active spherical wheel has the best performance over bumps in principle. However, most conventional spherical wheels have small steps that can be surmounted relative to the wheel diameter, and although some mechanisms feature a large height that can be surmounted, they have a posture that does not allow them to perform well. To address this issue, the study proposes an actively driven spherical wheel with an equal turning radius in all directions of travel. This proposed mechanism consists of several rings that slide on the surface of the sphere, which intersect each other and touch the ground at their intersection points, allowing the wheel to move in any direction without steering.