AmazonGranted patentCars & transportInterest 3/10

Amazon patents wheel design for motorized track shuttles

Patent drawing from the official filing.

Amazon has secured a patent for a specific wheel arrangement used in shuttles that run on tracks powered by linear motors. The design features wheels set at a slight angle, known as a positive toe angle, along with a pivot mechanism that allows the wheels to tilt slightly between -5 and +5 degrees.

Why it mattersThis filing details mechanical components for automated transport systems, such as those potentially used in airport or campus logistics, focusing on how wheels interact with tracks for stability.

In the filing’s own words

Systems and methods are disclosed for improved wheel assemblies for shuttles powered by linear synchronous motors. An example shuttle may include a frame having a front lateral portion, a rear lateral portion, and a central member. The shuttle may include a first wheel assembly disposed at a first end of the front lateral portion, the first wheel assembly having a first wheel configured to engage a first sidewall of the track, and a second wheel configured to engage the track, where the second wheel is disposed at a positive toe angle, and a second wheel assembly disposed at a second end of the front lateral portion, the second wheel assembly having a third wheel configured to engage a second sidewall of the track, and a fourth wheel configured to engage the track, where the fourth wheel is disposed at the positive toe angle.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A shuttle configured to move along a track, the shuttle comprising: a frame comprising a front lateral portion, a rear lateral portion, and a central member disposed between the front lateral portion and the rear lateral portion; a first wheel assembly disposed at a first end of the front lateral portion, the first wheel assembly comprising a first wheel configured to engage a first sidewall of the track, and a second wheel configured to engage the track, wherein the second wheel is disposed at a positive toe angle, wherein the first wheel assembly further comprises: a pivot mechanism disposed on an inner side of the first end of the front lateral portion, wherein the second wheel is a vertical wheel and is coupled to the pivot mechanism, and wherein the vertical wheel is configured to pivot between −5 degrees and +5 degrees with respect to the pivot mechanism; and a second wheel assembly disposed at a second end of the front lateral portion, the second wheel assembly comprising a third wheel configured to engage a second sidewall of the track, and a fourth wheel configured to engage the track, wherein the fourth wheel is disposed at the positive toe angle.

Facts

Company: Amazon (Amazon Technologies, Inc.)
Official title: Wheel assemblies for shuttles powered by linear synchronous motors
Patent number: US12752632B1
Application number: 18337712
Filed: Jun 20, 2023
Granted: Oct 6, 2026
Inventors: 1
Claims: 20

Classified under

B60L 13/03 Operations & transportB61F 13/00 Operations & transportB60L 2200/26 Operations & transportB60L 2220/14 Operations & transport

Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.