JPH0155150B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a four-wheeled vehicle having the function of safely and stably passing over uneven terrain with grooves, protrusions, steps, etc.

Four-wheeled moving bodies, typified by conventional automobiles, are intended for running on level ground, and are not suitable for running on rough terrain with grooves, protrusions, steps, and the like.

In order to make this vehicle suitable for driving on rough terrain, the suspension length of each wheel is controlled so that each wheel can be held in two positions, high and low relative to the vehicle body, and obstacles such as grooves, protrusions, and steps are avoided. It is conceivable to raise and hold only the wheels immediately in front of the obstacle in a high position when crossing the obstacle, but depending on where the center of gravity of the vehicle is located, when any one wheel is raised, the vehicle body The vehicle may lose support from its wheels and tilt. Therefore, simply making it possible to hold each wheel in two positions, high and low, is not suitable for running on rough terrain.

Therefore, as a conventionally known wheel-type moving body that can control the suspension length,
For example, in order to cross slopes with the vehicle body horizontal, such as forestry work vehicles, the suspension lengths on the valley and mountain sides are controlled, and in passenger cars, the suspension length is controlled to prevent rolling when turning. There are devices that keep the car body horizontal with respect to the road surface slope, but these types of devices are only 4
The vehicle body is supported by wheels, and even though the wheels may momentarily come off the road due to an impact, it is impossible to drive with some of the wheels off the road. Therefore, the width of grooves and steps that this type of moving object can overcome is about the radius of a wheel, just like a normal automobile, and getting over it involves a considerable impact.

The present invention aims to provide a wheel-type mobile body that is capable of traveling in areas where it is normally impossible to travel, such as drainage ditches, cracks in the ground in disaster areas, scattered wood, fallen utility poles, etc. , an object of the present invention is to provide a four-wheeled moving body in which the suspension length can be controlled so that when any of the wheels is held at a high position, the vehicle body does not lose support from the wheels and tilt. .

Thus, the four-wheeled moving body of the present invention is a four-wheeled moving body provided with a pair of front and rear running wheels on the left and right sides of the vehicle body, and is capable of holding these wheels in two positions, upper and lower, respectively, and also allows the vehicle body to move forward. The two wheels on at least one side of the vehicle can be slid back and forth, and the center of gravity of the moving body is set on four lines connecting the two wheels on one side that are in the front and rear sliding positions and the wheels that are diagonally opposite to these wheels. It is characterized by being located within a plane partitioned by this.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, 10 is a vehicle body of a moving body, and 11 to 14 are wheels provided on the moving body.
When distinguishing them, they are called the first to fourth wheels in the order of the numbers.

In the mobile body, four running wheels 11 to 1
4, two wheels 11 and 13 on one side can be slid back and forth, and each of the wheels 11 to 14
It is configured so that it can be held in two positions, upper and lower.

Conventional automobiles have stoppers on the top and bottom that restrict the vertical movement of the wheels, so the mechanism for keeping the wheels in two positions (up and down, that is, the upper retracted position and the lower extended position) is to hold the wheels in the positions of these stoppers. Either you can add a device to move the suspension up and down, or you can add a device to move the suspension up and down directly. In addition, as a mechanism for sliding the two wheels 11 and 13 on one side back and forth, the first wheel 11 and the third wheel 13 are
Since it is only necessary to pair only the wheels and slide them in the front and back direction, for example, attach a guide rail to the vehicle body frame, fit the entire assembly including the suspension of the first and third wheels into the guide rail,
It may be made to slide using an arbitrary driving source.

In addition, each wheel is provided with a wheel drive device,
If they are configured to be driven independently, there is no need to provide a power transmission device suitable for the forward and backward movement and up and down movement of the wheels, and the structure of the drive system can be simplified.

In the four-wheel mobile body having the above configuration, the second
As shown in Figure a, when the first wheel 11 and the third wheel 13 are slid forward and the first wheel 11 is stored in the upper position, if the center of gravity is within the shaded area in the figure, the vehicle body 10 Stability is maintained, and when the second wheel 12 is stored in the upper position, the stability of the vehicle body 10 is maintained if the center of gravity is within the shaded area in FIG. 2b. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 2c and d, when the first wheel 11 and the third wheel 13 are slid backward, the third wheel 13 and the fourth wheel 14 are stored within the shaded areas shown in the figure, respectively. The stability of the vehicle body is maintained when the center of gravity is at

Therefore, if the center of gravity of the moving body is maintained within the shaded area in FIG. 3, which is the common area of the shaded areas in FIGS. To store the two wheels 12 in the upper position and to store the third wheel 13 and the fourth wheel 14 in the upper position after the two wheels 11 and 13 on one side slide rearward while stably holding the vehicle body 10. Can be done.

In order for the four-wheeled moving body to pass over an obstacle such as a groove, the obstacle 1 must be
5, the two wheels 11 and 13 on one side are slid forward, and the vehicle body is moved forward while sequentially retracting and extending the first and second wheels 11 and 12, thereby passing both wheels 11 and 12, After that, the fourth
As shown in FIGS. c and d, the two wheels 11 and 13 on one side are slid backward, and the fourth and third wheels 14 and 13 are moved forward while sequentially retracting and extending to pass both wheels.

5A to 5D schematically show the situation in which the moving body passes over the groove according to FIGS. 4A to 4D. The width of the groove through which the vehicle can pass is within the distance between each wheel in the longitudinal direction when the two wheels on one side are slid forward or backward. Even if the obstacle is a protrusion, it can be passed through in the same way as in the case of the groove. In the case of a step, the 6th
As shown in Figures a and b, the vehicle can be passed by raising the wheels to that height when riding on the vehicle, and by lowering the wheels to that location when descending. The height of the step that can be passed through at this time is limited to within the vertical stroke of the wheel, but this value can be arbitrarily designed. Further, it is desirable to not only be able to hold the wheel at the vertical stroke end, but also to be able to lift it to an appropriate height within the stroke range depending on the level difference.

When the above-mentioned moving body runs on a general flat ground, 4
It is possible to drive with all wheels retracted to the upper position or with all four wheels extended to the lower position.

In addition, although the case where only two wheels on one side of the movable body are slidable back and forth has been described above, it is also possible to make each two wheels on both sides slidable back and forth.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
Figures a to d are explanatory diagrams of the support of the center of gravity by the remaining wheels when some wheels are retracted; Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram of the common area within the shaded area of Figures 2 a to d; Figure 4 a - d are plan views showing how the wheels slide and move up and down relative to obstacles; Figures 5 a to d;
6 is a schematic side view when the moving body crosses a groove, and FIG. 6 is a schematic side view when the moving body crosses a step. 10...Vehicle body, 11-14...Wheels, 15...
Obstacle.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a four-wheeled moving body provided with a pair of front and rear running wheels on the left and right sides of the vehicle body, each of these wheels can be held in two positions (up and down), and two wheels are provided on at least one side of the vehicle body in the traveling direction. A plane in which the wheels can be slid back and forth, and the center of gravity of the moving body is defined by four lines connecting the two wheels on one side that are in the front and rear sliding positions and the wheels that are diagonally opposite to these wheels. A four-wheel mobile body for traveling on rough terrain, characterized by being located within the interior of the vehicle.