How to choose an Electric steering Motor?

Many customers frequently have questions about drive structures when purchasing robot chassis, particularly regarding the steering drive wheel motor. Electric  steering wheels encompass not only single-wheel steering drive motors but also dual-wheel and differential steering wheel motor options. Naturally, due to structural differences, their applicable environments, load capacities, and pricing also vary. This section provides a brief analysis and differentiation of steering drive wheel motor, hoping to offer you helpful guidance.

The steering drive wheel motor is a modular wheel unit integrating drive, steering, and load-bearing functions, enabling integrated drive and steering control for mobile robots or AGVs/AMRs. Comprising a powered drive wheel and a precision steering mechanism, its core feature is the wheel's ability to freely rotate 360°(The steering angle range is typically limited to ±120° to prevent damage to the motor cables in the event of steering wheel malfunction.). Simultaneously, it independently provides driving force, enabling the vehicle to perform complex maneuvers such as translation in any direction, diagonal movement, and turning on the spot without requiring the vehicle to rotate in place.

Suitable Environments

The steering drive wheel motor is ideally suited for use on flat, hard surfaces such as concrete, epoxy flooring, steel plates, tiles, or compacted hardened dirt paths. This type of flooring provides sufficient traction for tires to prevent slipping while protecting internal precision components such as servo motors, gearboxes, and encoders from impact and contamination. They are particularly suitable for indoor or sheltered light outdoor environments, such as factory workshops, smart warehouses, hospital corridors, utility tunnels, multi-span greenhouses, or internal pathways within vegetable greenhouses. Especially in indoor or partially sheltered outdoor environments, such as factory workshops, smart warehouses, hospital corridors, power ducts, multi-span greenhouses, or interior pathways within vegetable greenhouses.

Additionally, the steering drive wheel motor is particularly well-suited for scenarios with limited space and high maneuverability requirements. For instance, in narrow greenhouse aisles (often less than 1.2 meters wide) or between warehouse shelves, the steering drive wheel motor system enables 360° on-the-spot rotation, lateral translation, and diagonal movement in any direction without the need for reversing or wide-radius turns, significantly boosting operational efficiency. Furthermore, for tasks requiring high-precision positioning and docking—such as inspection robots aligning with sensor windows, AGVs docking with charging stations, or robotic arms docking with workstations—the steering drive wheel motor, combined with absolute encoders and closed-loop control algorithms, achieves millimeter-level docking accuracy. This is accomplished by fusing wheel speed odometers with IMUs, even in environments with limited or no GPS signal (e.g., densely canopied greenhouses or underground utility tunnels).

Note: Electric steering drive motor are not suitable for complex or harsh off-road environments. On muddy terrain, paddy fields, swamps, sandy areas, or snow-covered surfaces, tires are highly prone to slipping or sinking, with significantly lower traction than tracks, resulting in impaired mobility.

Electric steering drive motor Structure = Traverse Drive + Steering Drive + Slewing Bearing + Encoder Feedback + Sealed Housing + Mounting Interface

It is an integrated intelligent unit combining mechanical, electrical, and control systems, not an ordinary wheel.

How to Select Different Steering Wheels for Different Environments?

The Single-wheel steering motor is an intelligent wheel module integrating both drive and steering functions. Primarily composed of a drive motor, a drive wheel, a steering motor, a steering gear disc, a planetary gear reducer, and a slewing bearing, it serves as the core mobility component for a mobile robot or automated guided vehicle (AGV/AMR) chassis. With its omnidirectional motion capability and zero-radius turning on the spot, the Single Steering Wheel is ideally suited for scenarios demanding high flexibility, heavy load capacity (under 5 tons), positioning accuracy, and spatial adaptability. Applications include warehouse logistics and factory material handling.

Dual Wheels Steering-Drive motor primarily consists of a drive motor, drive wheel, steering motor, steering gear disc, planetary reducer, and slewing bearing assembly. Unlike a single-wheel steering motor, a dual-wheel steering motor features two drive wheels equipped with an internal mechanical differential. During steering maneuvers, this design effectively reduces friction between the wheels and the ground, minimizing tire wear. This steering wheel integrates both drive (travel) and steering functions. Compared to a single-wheel steering motor, dual-wheel steering AGVs can handle higher loads (over 5 tons). Under the same load capacity, they effectively distribute weight across the wheel assembly, making them more suitable for surfaces with higher ground pressure requirements.

Differential wheel steering drive motors are a common drive wheel assembly used in AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles). Unlike single-wheel or dual-wheel steering systems, differential wheel steering does not require separate steering motors or steering gear plates. Instead, it controls the vehicle's steering and forward direction by regulating the speed difference between two independent drive wheels. This enables on-the-spot turning and omnidirectional movement, offering a compact structure and high control precision. Compared to dual-wheel steering drive motor, AGVs equipped with differential steering wheels feature lower ground clearance, making them more suitable for applications with height restrictions, such as warehouse transportation.

We hope this overview has provided you with a basic understanding of the steering drive motor. Due to space limitations, many details could not be fully covered. Should you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us for consultation.