JPH0221988B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a six-wheel mobile body that has the ability to safely and stably pass over rough 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 for forest workers to cross slopes while keeping the vehicle horizontal, there are devices that control the suspension length on the valley and mountain sides, and even in passenger cars, the suspension length is controlled to improve rolling when turning and the road surface. There are devices that keep the car body horizontal against the slope, but this type of device is 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 six-wheeled moving body in which the suspension length can be controlled so that when any one of the wheels is held at a high position, the vehicle body does not lose support from the wheels and tilt. be.

Thus, the six-wheel moving body of the present invention has two wheel axles of a pair of left and right running wheels at intermediate two wheel axle positions among four wheel axle positions spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body.
In a six-wheeled moving body, in which one running wheel is provided at each of the front and rear wheel axle positions, the running wheels installed at the four wheel axle positions are connected to two upper and lower wheels.
The center of gravity of the moving body is set between two intermediate axles, one running wheel at each of the front and rear ends, and two wheels on the left and right of the intermediate wheel axle on the side remote from each wheel. It is characterized by being located within a range defined by four lines connecting each other.

The six-wheel moving body of the present invention has running wheels on each of four axles spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, so that it can overcome obstacles with the vehicle body and running wheels perpendicular to the obstacle. Therefore, compared to a three-axle, five-wheel moving body that requires the vehicle body to be tilted relative to the obstacle, it is easier to overcome obstacles and the running performance is improved.

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 16 are wheels provided on the moving body.
When distinguishing them, they are called the first to sixth wheels in the order of the numbers. These wheels 11 to 16 are arranged at four wheel axle positions spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 10, that is, the middle two wheel axle positions of these wheel axle positions.
Two sets of left and right running wheels are provided at each wheel axle position, and one running wheel is provided at each of the front and rear wheel axle positions, thereby configuring a six-wheeled moving body.

The above-mentioned moving body is configured so that the six running wheels 11 to 16 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, 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 vertical movement of the wheels, and the structure of the drive system can be simplified.

In the six-wheel mobile body having the above configuration, the first
When the wheels 11 are 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. 2a. In addition, the second wheel 12, the third wheel 13, and the fourth wheel
When storing the wheel 14, the fifth wheel 15, or the sixth wheel 16 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, c, or d. .

Therefore, within the lane section of FIG. 3, which is the common area of the shaded areas of FIGS. If the center of gravity of the moving object is maintained within the range defined by four lines connecting the two wheels on the left and right sides of the middle wheel axle on the side where the vehicle is moving, the vehicle body 10 can be stably maintained while retracting and extending any one wheel. It can be done in the same state.

In order for the six-wheeled moving body to pass over an obstacle such as a groove, the moving body should reach just in front of the obstacle, and then move the wheels sequentially from the front wheels, that is, the first wheel 11 and the second wheel 12. 3rd wheel 13, 4th wheel 14 and 5th wheel 1
The fifth and sixth wheels 16 are sequentially retracted and extended, and the process is repeated while moving forward to pass through each wheel.

Figures 4 a to d show the groove 1 where the moving body is an obstacle.
7 schematically shows the situation in which the vehicle passes over the 7th floor.
The width of the groove through which the vehicle can pass is within the distance between each wheel in the longitudinal direction. 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, see Figure 5a,
As shown in b, the vehicle can be passed by raising the wheels to that height when riding on the ground, and lowering the wheels to that position 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 is generally running on flat ground, it is of course possible to run with all six wheels extended or retracted while touching the ground, but two or three wheels can be retracted to make a normal four-wheeled vehicle or three-wheeled vehicle. It can run as a wheeled vehicle.

In addition, in order to increase the width for overcoming obstacles such as grooves, it is desirable that the intervals between the wheels in the front and rear directions are all set to be equal.

[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 schematic side views when the moving body crosses a groove, and FIGS. 5a and 5b are schematic side views when the moving body crosses a step. 10...Car body, 11-16...Wheels.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Two pairs of left and right running wheels are provided at the middle two wheel axle positions among the four wheel axle positions spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and two pairs of left and right running wheels are provided at the wheel axle positions at the front and rear ends. In a six-wheeled moving body provided with one running wheel, the running wheels installed at the four axle positions can be held in two positions, upper and lower, respectively, and the center of gravity of the moving body is set between the two middle axles.
It is characterized by being located within a range defined by four lines connecting one running wheel at the front and rear ends and two wheels on the left and right of an intermediate wheel axle on the side far from each wheel. A 6-wheel vehicle for traveling on rough terrain.