Locomotion System by rolling Balls and its Traficability

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A new locomotion system, designed with a concept quite different from the conventional wheel system, comprises one big rolling ball and three driving rollers. The big rolling ball supports the vehicle body through three driving rollers which are positioned at equal intervals of 120 deg.of the same latitude onto the upper part of the rolling ball. The rolling of the ball is controlled by the rotating speed and direction of each roller. The results of the experiments on the fundamental characteristics of a single drive unit and the basic performance of the trial vehicle based on this locomotion system are presented. The magnitude of meandering and the angle of deviation from the desired direction of the rolling was estimated. The results showed that the rolling performance depended on the rolling direction. At a given time any two of the three rollers are at 60 deg.and the third at right angles to the rolling direction. When the rollers at 60 deg.were at the forefront of rolling, rolling was stable with less meandering but unstable in the traction between the rollers and the ball. The trial vehicle comprised three drive units. Straight traveling is engaged by setting all the units in the same rolling direction. Pivotal turning is engaged by setting one unit on stop and the other two units on drive in the rolling direction concerned. Traveling tests were succeeded on asphalt road, tilled soil and also grassy land. However, the ball sometime removed from drive unit. The cause of its problem was considered by measuring the torques of the rollers and normal reaction forces produced on rollers.