Endless track

Abstract

An endless track is for use with a mobile robot and includes a belt, a plurality of chamfered cleats, a plurality of holes and a dual v-guide. The belt has an inner surface and an outer surface. The plurality of chamfered cleats, each have a contact surface. The chamfered cleats are attached to the outer surface defining an attachment area, and the contact surface is shaped such that when the track is laid on a flat solid surface, each chamfered cleat contacts the flat solid surface with less area than the attachment area. The plurality of holes in the belt are disposed between the chamfered cleats and are shaped to allow teeth of a drive sprocket pulley to pass through and to engage the belt for transmitting force from the sprocket pulley to the belt. The dual v-guide includes two elongate, parallel protrusions which are spaced laterally from each other and are attached to the inner surface.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An endless track for use with a mobile robot having a drive sprocket with teeth, comprising:
 a belt having an inner surface and an outer surface;   a plurality of chamfered cleats each having a contact surface, the chamfered cleats being attached to the outer surface defining an attachment area, and the contact surface shaped such that when the endless track is laid on a flat solid surface, each chamfered cleat contacts the flat solid surface with less area than the attachment area;   a plurality of holes in the endless track, disposed between the chamfered cleats and shaped to allow teeth of the drive sprocket to pass through and to engage the belt for transmitting force from the drive sprocket to the belt; and   a dual v-guide comprising two elongate, parallel protrusions which are spaced laterally from each other, and are attached to the inner surface.   
     
     
         2 . The endless track according to  claim 1  wherein each of the plurality of chamfered cleats has a substantially rectangular cross section in a plane perpendicular to the lateral direction to the endless track. 
     
     
         3 . The endless track according to  claim 2  further comprising a fillet where each of the plurality of chamfered cleats attaches to the outer surface. 
     
     
         4 . The endless track according to  claim 3  wherein each of the plurality of chamfered cleats is integrally formed with the belt. 
     
     
         5 . The endless track according to  claim 4  wherein each of the plurality of chamfered cleats has a rubber cover. 
     
     
         6 . The endless track according to  claim 5  wherein the holes are substantially rectangular. 
     
     
         7 . The endless track according to  claim 1  wherein the two elongate parallel protrusions extend around the belt. 
     
     
         8 . The endless track according to  claim 1  wherein the two elongate parallel protrusions of dual v-guide are first two elongate parallel protrusions, and further including at least a second two elongate parallel protrusions. 
     
     
         9 . The endless track according to  claim 8  wherein the first and second two elongate parallel protrusions have rounded edges. 
     
     
         10 . The endless track according to  claim 9  wherein the first and at least a second two elongate parallel protrusions are spaced longitudinally such that the drive sprocket, in operation, is always contacted by at least a portion of the first and second two elongate parallel protrusions. 
     
     
         11 . The endless track according to  claim 1  wherein the belt is made of nylon. 
     
     
         12 . The endless track according to  claim 11  wherein the dual v-guide is made of polyurethane. 
     
     
         13 . The endless track according to  claim 12  wherein the plurality of chamfered cleats each comprise a material selected from the group consisting of rubber and polyurethane.