US Patent 9010882 Debris guard for a wheel assembly

A wheel assembly with a debris guard is disclosed, the debris guard being configured to prevent hair and thread from winding around an axle and interfering with the operation of the wheel. The debris guard, which is mounted between the wheel and the robot chassis, comprises a spool and a plurality of tines. The spool is positioned between the wheel and chassis to collect debris that would otherwise wind around the axle. In the preferred embodiment, the tines are arrayed in proximity to a gap between the debris guard and the hub in order to inhibit debris from migrating to the axle exposed between the guard and wheel. The debris guard is intended for a wide variety of wheeled devices.