JPH09240520A - Traveling vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Problem] The objective is to successfully run on a road surface with severe undulations. SOLUTION: The crawler device 20 includes a vehicle body 11, a plurality of crawler devices 20 as running wheels, and a drive means.
However, the input shaft 21 driven by the drive shaft 12 of the drive means and the input shaft 21 rotatably at the central portion 22A.
A supporting member 22 for supporting the rotating wheels 23, a plurality of rolling wheels 23 radially and rotatably mounted on the supporting member, an endless annular crawler 24 wound around these rolling wheels 23, and an input shaft 21.
Power transmission means 30 for transmitting the rotation of the drive shaft to any of the wheels, second power transmission means 40 for transmitting the rotational force from the drive shaft 12 to the input shaft 21, the drive shaft 12 and the input shaft 21. Is provided at a predetermined interval so as to be rotatably held, and the drive shaft 12 is held by the holding guide 25 so that the drive shaft 12 is above the input shaft 21.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a traveling vehicle,
In particular, it relates to a traveling vehicle equipped with a crawler device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional traveling vehicle 50 is shown in FIG. The traveling vehicle 50 is intended for traveling on a road surface having undulations and unevenness, and includes a vehicle body 51 and a plurality of crawler devices 10 mounted on the vehicle body 51 as traveling wheels.
0 and driving means (not shown) for urging the crawler device 100 to rotate. This drive means
Each crawler device 100 has a drive shaft to which rotational force is applied by a drive source.
00 is disposed on the tip side of the drive shaft 52.

Next, a conventional crawler device 100 is shown in FIG. This crawler device 100 has an input shaft 101 to which a rotational force is transmitted by a drive shaft 52 of a driving means.
And a support member 102 that rotatably supports the input shaft 101 at its center through a bearing, and the support member 1
No. 02 has three rolling wheels 103A, 103B, 103B radially and rotatably provided from the center, an endless annular crawler 104 wound around these rolling wheels 103, and the rotation of the input shaft 101 by rolling wheels 103A. And a power transmission means 105 for transmitting the power.

The above-mentioned rolling wheels 103A, 103B, 103B
Are arranged equidistantly from the center by the support member 102, and the crawler 104 is wound by the rollers 103A, 103B, 103B in a substantially equilateral triangle shape as shown in FIG. 7 (A). Further, the rolling wheels 103A are composed of sprockets for driving the crawlers, and the rotational force transmitted to the rolling wheels 103 is transferred to the other rolling wheels 103 via the crawlers 104.
B, 103B.

[0005] The above-mentioned power transmission means 105 is a driving sprocket 105A fixedly mounted on the input shaft 101.
And a driven sprocket 105B coaxially connected to the wheel 103A, and an endless annular belt 105C for interlocking these sprockets 105A and 105B.

A traveling vehicle 50 equipped with the conventional crawler device 100 as traveling wheels is usually equipped with a rotating wheel 1 in which a rotational force is applied from an input shaft 101 by a power transmission means 105.
03A causes the crawler 104 to rotate the rolling wheels 103A, 103
B and 103B are driven along the outer periphery of the contact of a substantially equilateral triangle, whereby the support member 102 travels without rotating.

Further, when the road surface becomes rough and uneven, and it becomes difficult for the crawler 104 to run, the rolling wheels 103A
Becomes a fixed state, and the rotational force transmitted to the input shaft 101 urges the supporting member 102 to rotate as a whole. That is,
The crawler device 100 as a whole rotates as one wheel, whereby each of the rolling wheels 103A, 103B, 103B.
It is possible to ride over bumps and depressions and ridges that are allowed by a substantially equilateral triangle.

[0008]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, at least the input shaft 101 of the crawler device 100 is coaxially connected to the drive shaft 52 which is arranged in a protruding state from the side surface of the vehicle body 51. The vehicle body 51 could only secure a height that was substantially the same as the distance from the input shaft 101 of the crawler device 100 to the road surface.

That is, assuming that the height from the bottom surface of the vehicle body 51 to the road surface is H, as shown in FIG.
When 0 is a substantially equilateral triangle having a side length of L, H =
(L / 2) · tan 30 ° is established, and the height H is approximately 0.2887 times L. As described above, in comparison with the size of the entire crawler device 100, conventionally, the vehicle body 51 has not been secured at a sufficient height.

For this reason, as shown in FIG. 9, an obstacle is likely to collide with the vehicle body 51 between the crawler devices 100 forming a pair as front wheels in the traveling direction. Alternatively, the vehicle body 51 may be damaged.

Further, in the conventional crawler device 100, as shown in FIG. 7 (B), the power transmission means 105 is arranged so as to extend outside the winding region of the crawler 104. When the driven sprocket 105B moves downward due to the rotation of 100, as shown in FIG. 10, the driven sprocket 105B is likely to collide with an obstacle, which may cause damage or failure.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a traveling vehicle capable of overcoming the disadvantages of the conventional example, and more particularly, capable of running on a road surface with severe undulations while preventing the occurrence of damage or the like.

[0013]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
The vehicle main body, a plurality of crawler devices mounted on the vehicle main body as traveling wheels, and a driving means for urging the crawler devices to rotate are provided.

Each crawler device has an input shaft driven by the drive shaft of the drive means, a support member for rotatably supporting the input shaft at its center, and a radial direction from the center of the support member. And a plurality of rotatably mounted rolling wheels, an endless annular crawler wound around these rolling wheels, and first power for transmitting the rotation of the input shaft to at least one of the rolling wheels. A second power transmission means for transmitting a rotational force from the drive shaft to the input shaft, and a holding guide for rotatably holding the drive shaft and the input shaft to the crawler device at predetermined intervals. And are provided.

Furthermore, one end of this holding guide is fixedly mounted on the vehicle body, and the drive shaft is arranged above the input shaft by the holding guide.

In the above structure, when the vehicle travels, a rotational force is applied to the input shaft from the drive shaft of the drive means mounted on the vehicle body through the second power transmission means. At this time, in the case of traveling on a road surface with little ups and downs and unevenness, the rotational movement is urged from the input shaft to a predetermined rolling wheel via the first power transmission means. Then, the crawler is driven along the outer peripheral surface of each rolling wheel while the support member is not rotating, and travel is performed with the area between any two adjacent rolling wheels on the outer peripheral surface of the crawler as the ground plane. .

When traveling on a road surface having a lot of ups and downs and irregularities, the support member rotates around the input shaft, and the entire crawler device functions as a wheel.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the crawler device has the same structure as the first aspect of the invention, and the crawler device has all the other structures except the fixed end of the holding guide on the vehicle body side.
The crawler is arranged inside the crawler in the lateral width direction.

In the case of this construction, the traveling is carried out almost in the same manner as in the first aspect of the invention, and almost all constructions of the crawler device are traveling without protruding from the inner region of the crawler.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, which has the same structure as the second aspect of the invention, a support member is provided between the first power transmission means and the second power transmission means along the input shaft. It has a configuration of being installed in.

In the case of this construction, the traveling is carried out in substantially the same manner as in the first aspect of the invention, and the respective rolling wheels supported by the supporting members arranged between the respective power transmission means are arranged relative to the crawler. The crawler comes into contact with the crawler almost at the center in the width direction, and the crawler is driven in this state.

The present invention is intended to achieve the above-mentioned objects by the above respective configurations.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the vehicle body 11
2 shows a traveling vehicle 10 including four crawler devices 20 mounted on the vehicle body 11 as traveling wheels, and a drive unit for urging the crawler devices 20 to rotate.

This traveling vehicle 10, as shown in FIG.
Crawler devices 20 are mounted as front wheels on the left and right sides of the vehicle body 11 via holding guides 25 (rear wheels are also composed of a pair of crawler devices 20, but not shown). Inside each of the holding guides 25, a drive shaft 12 rotatably urged by a drive source (not shown) of a drive means arranged inside the vehicle body 11 is rotatably arranged. That is, this drive shaft 12
Is provided for each crawler device 20, and each crawler device 20 is disposed so as to engage with the tip end side of the drive shaft 12.

The crawler device 20 includes an input shaft 21 driven by the drive shaft 12, and the input shaft 21.
Member 2 for rotatably supporting the center portion 22A
2 and three rolling wheels 23A, 2 which are rotatably mounted on the support member 22 radially from the central portion 22A.
3B, 23B, an endless annular crawler 24 wound around these rollers 23A, 23B, 23B, and a first power transmission means 30 for transmitting the rotation of the input shaft 21 to the rollers 23A.

In addition to the above-mentioned structure, the crawler device 20 is provided with a second power transmission means 40 for transmitting a rotational force from the drive shaft 12 to the input shaft 21, a predetermined drive shaft 12 and the input shaft 21. The above-mentioned holding guide 25 that holds the crawler 2 rotatably at intervals.
4 is provided inside the frame 4, and holds a frame body 26 for holding each of the above configurations.

Each of the above structures will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 2 is a side view of the crawler device 20 as seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1 with part of the holding guide 25 and the frame 26 omitted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the support member 22 is
The three wheels 23A are radially arranged about the input shaft 21 at regular intervals of 60 degrees so as to be equidistant from the center 22A.
Both 23B and 23B are rotatably held.

That is, the support member 22 has a central portion 22A.
Has an arm portion 22B extending in three directions from each end and holding each roller wheel at its tip end.
2B is a center portion 22A of the support member 22 and each rolling wheel 23A,
Bending processing (bending to the right as it goes to the tip in FIG. 1) is performed so that both 23B and 23B are at substantially the same position in the axial direction of the input shaft 21.

A bearing is provided in the central portion 22A of the support member 22, and the input shaft 21 is rotatably arranged.

The input shaft 21 is held by the support member 22 approximately in the middle in the axial direction. Further, one end of the input shaft 21 is rotatably supported by the frame 26 and the other end thereof is rotatably supported by the holding guide 25. The second power transmission means 40 which is held
The rotational force is transmitted from the drive shaft 12 via the.

The second power transmission means 40 is a drive pulley 41 fixedly mounted on the tip of the drive shaft 12.
And a driven belt 42 fixedly mounted on the input shaft 21, and a transmission belt 43 for interlocking these pulleys 41, 42, and the drive shaft 1 separated from each other.
The rotational force is transmitted between 2 and the input shaft 21.

Further, the crawlers 24 are arranged in a state in which the rollers 23A, 23B and 23B arranged at the respective ends of the support member 22 are wound at once. The crawler 24 has flexibility and deformability and is formed in an annular shape using rubber as a material, and the inner peripheral surface of the crawler 24 is formed by the tension of the rollers 23A,
The portions 23B, 23B are in contact with part of the outer peripheral surfaces with a constant contact pressure. As a result, when one rolling wheel rotates, all the rolling wheels are interlocked via the crawler 24.

The above-mentioned three rollers 23A, 23B, 23
In B, the rolling wheel 23A is a sprocket for driving the crawler, and a plurality of engaging projections 23a that are evenly formed on the outer peripheral portion thereof are formed on the crawler 24 in a line along the driving direction. The crawler 24 is fitted into a fitting hole (not shown), and the crawler 24 is driven in a predetermined direction according to the rotation of the rolling wheel 23A.

Further, this wheel 23A is driven by the driven pulley 3
2 and the same axis of rotation are connected. The driven pulley 32 is a driving pulley 31 that is coaxial with and interlocks with the input shaft 21.
And the transmission belt 33 that transmits the rotational force of the main driving pulley 31 to the driven pulley 32, and the first power transmission means 30 is configured by these configurations.
Has a function of transmitting the rotational force of the input shaft 21 to the rolling wheels 23A.

Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the support member 22 is disposed along the input shaft 21 between the first power transmission means 30 and the second power transmission means 40 described above. Thus, the rollers 23A, 23B, and 23B come into contact with each other at substantially the middle portion in the width direction of the crawler 24.

Further, the support member 22, the first power transmission means 30, the second power transmission means 40 and the input shaft 21.
Are arranged so as to be sandwiched between the two side plates 26A and 26B of the frame 26. The frame 26 includes the two side plates 26A and 26B and three connecting portions 2 that connect them.
6C, all of which are arranged in the width direction of the crawler 24 so as to hardly protrude from the inside region thereof. As a result, all the configurations of the crawler device 20 except the holding guide 25 are arranged in the inner region of the crawler 24 without protruding in the width direction.

Further, the frame body 26 rotatably supports one end portion of the input shaft 21 by the side plate 26A thereof, and similarly, rotates one end portion of the rotary shafts of the respective rolling wheels 23A, 23B, 23B. Supports freely. As a result, the frame 26
Rotates integrally with the support member 22 with respect to the input shaft 21.

The side plate 26B of the frame 26 is provided with the above-mentioned holding guide 25. Here, FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the crawler device 20. The holding guide 25 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the disc 25A is disposed on the same plane as the side plate 26B and the vehicle body side fixed end 25B fixedly mounted on the vehicle body 11.

First, the disc portion 25A rotatably holds the other end portion of the input shaft 21 at the central portion thereof and the side plate 26.
It is slidable with respect to B, so that the entire crawler device 20 can be rotated around this disk portion 25A.

On the other hand, the vehicle body side fixed end portion 25B rotatably holds the drive shaft 12 therein. The holding guide 25 is fixedly mounted on the vehicle body 11 so that the vehicle body side fixed end portion 25B is located above the center portion of the disc portion 25A with respect to the vehicle body 11. The drive shaft 12 held by the vehicle body side fixed end portion 25B is maintained in a state of being positioned above the input shaft 21. Further, these drive shaft 12 and input shaft 21 are
It is held almost parallel by 5.

FIG. 4 shows a state of the holding guide 25 during traveling. FIG. 4 (A) shows when the vehicle is traveling on a relatively flat road surface, and in the crawler device 20, the frame 26 of the crawler device 20 does not rotate, and only the crawler 24 surrounds the inside of the rolling wheels 23.
It shows a state in which it is driven by being biased by A. At this time, the frame body 26 is stationary with respect to the holding guide 25.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
When traveling on a road surface having a lot of ups and downs and unevenness, it becomes difficult to drive the crawler 24 alone, and the rotational force transmitted to the input shaft 21 is directly transmitted to the frame 26 and the support member 22.
And the like, and the rotation operation about the input shaft 21 is performed.

At this time, the holding guide 25 does not rotate because the vehicle body side fixed end portion 25B is fixedly mounted on the vehicle body 11, that is, the drive shaft 12 is positioned above the input shaft 21. While maintaining a certain state, the entire crawler device 20 except the holding guide 25 rotates around the disk portion 25A of the holding guide 25.

Here, the crawler device 20 is schematically shown in FIG. 5, and the length L of one side of the regular triangular crawler device 20 is L.
And the maximum height difference R between the drive shaft 12 and the input shaft 21 will be described.

That is, the maximum value of the height difference R is the length L of one side.
Equal to the radius of the inscribed circle of the equilateral triangle of
= (L / 2) · tan 30 °, and the maximum height difference R is
The length L of one side is approximately 0.2887 times, and it is possible to dispose the drive shaft 12 higher than the input shaft 21 by this distance (in practice, since the axial radius of the drive shaft 12 is reduced, A little smaller).

Further, as can be seen by comparing with FIG.
Conventionally, the distance from the road surface of the vehicle body was the same height H as that of the input shaft, but in the present embodiment, it is possible to secure a height that is almost twice the height H. As a result, it is possible to raise the vehicle body 11 to almost twice the height of the conventional one.

The operation of the traveling vehicle 10 having the above structure will be described. First, a rotational force is applied to each drive shaft 12 by the drive means provided inside the vehicle body 11. Then, the rotational force is transmitted from each drive shaft 12 to each crawler device 20.

Here, first, when the road surface is relatively flat, the drive shaft 12 to the second power transmission means 40 is used.
The rotational force is transmitted to the input shaft 21 via the, and the rotary operation is further urged to the rolling wheels 23A. As a result, the crawler 24 is provided with the rolling wheels 23A arranged by the support member 22,
The traveling vehicle 10 starts traveling in a state in which driving is started along the rotation directions of 23B and 23B, and the support member 22 and the frame body 26 do not rotate with respect to the holding guide 25 (FIG. 4A). reference).

Next, when it becomes difficult to drive the crawler 24 during traveling on a road surface having a lot of ups and downs and irregularities, the support member 22 and the frame body 26 correspondingly rotate about the input shaft 21 with respect to the holding guide 25. Start operation. That is,
The side plate 26 </ b> B of the frame body 26 has the disc portion 25 of the holding guide 25.
Around A, the crawler device 20 as a whole rotates at the same time, and the crawler device 2 is rotated.
The entire vehicle is driven with 0 as wheels.

In this embodiment, the drive shaft 12 is arranged above the input shaft 21 by the holding guide 25, and
The rotational force is transmitted from the drive shaft 12 to the input shaft 21 by the power transmission means 40 of the vehicle main body 1.
It is possible to maintain 1 at a higher position than before.

As a result, the obstacles on the road surface and the vehicle body 1
The vehicle body 11 is prevented from being damaged due to the collision with the vehicle 1, and the maintainability of the traveling vehicle 10 as a whole is improved. At the same time, it becomes possible to travel on a road surface having a larger undulation than before.

Further, in the present invention, all the other constitutions of the crawler device 20 except for the vehicle body side fixed end portion 25B of the holding guide 25 are arranged between the side plates 26A and 26B of the frame 26, Furthermore, since the entire frame 26 is arranged in the inner region in the width direction of the crawler 24, the front side of the crawler device 20 is uniformly covered with the crawler 24 during traveling, This prevents damages and the like due to collisions between other structures than the crawler 24 and obstacles on the road surface.

In addition to the above effects, the side plates 26A and 26B of the frame body 26 suppress the intrusion of earth and sand into the inner area of the crawler 24, so that the occurrence of breakage or failure of each part is further prevented. However, due to this, the maintainability is further improved.

Further, in this embodiment, the support member 22 is used.
Is disposed between the first power transmission means 30 and the second power transmission means 40 in the direction along the input shaft 21, so that each of the rolling wheels 23A, 2 held by the support member 22.
3B and 23B abut on the central portion of the crawler 24 in the width direction. Therefore, the crawler 24 is held and transmitted in a well-balanced manner by the rollers 23A, 23B, 23B, and the stability during traveling is improved.

Here, the crawler 24 of the above embodiment is
It may be made of a material having higher hardness. For example, a small piece of metal may be connected on the belt.

Further, the number of individual rolling wheels is not limited to the three shown in the above embodiment. For example, a crawler device composed of four or more wheels may be equipped.

[0058]

The traveling vehicle of the present invention according to claim 1 has the same effect as a conventional traveling vehicle, and the drive shaft is disposed above the input shaft by the holding guide.
Since the rotational force is transmitted from the drive shaft to the input shaft by the second power transmission means, it is possible to maintain the vehicle body at a position higher than the conventional road surface and travel.

As a result, damage to the vehicle body due to a collision between an obstacle on the road surface and the vehicle body is prevented, and the maintainability of the entire traveling vehicle is improved. At the same time, it becomes possible to travel on a road surface having a larger undulation than before.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, all the other configurations of the crawler device except the fixed end portion of the holding guide on the vehicle body side are arranged in the inner region in the width direction of the crawler. At the time, the front side of the crawler device is
The crawler is uniformly covered by the crawler to prevent damages and the like due to collision with other structures other than the crawler and obstacles on the road surface. Therefore, for example, it is possible to effectively prevent breakage of the power transmission means that is disposed outside the crawler as in the conventional case, and thereby further improve the maintainability of the traveling vehicle as a whole.

In the present invention according to claim 3, the support member is
The first power transmission means and the second power transmission means in the direction along the input shaft.
Since it is arranged between the crawler and the power transmission means, the respective rolling wheels held by the supporting member come into contact with each other at the central portion in the width direction of the crawler. Therefore, the crawlers are held and transmitted in a well-balanced manner by these rolling wheels, and the stability during traveling is improved.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an excellent traveling vehicle that has never been seen before.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway front view of a traveling vehicle according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the crawler device disclosed in FIG. 1 as viewed in the direction of arrow A in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the crawler device disclosed in FIG.

FIG. 4 (A) is an explanatory view showing a crawler device when traveling on a road surface with less undulations and unevenness, and FIG. 4 (B) shows a crawler device when traveling on a road surface with many undulations and unevenness. It is an explanatory view shown.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view schematically showing a crawler device and showing a distance relationship between a drive shaft and an input shaft.

FIG. 6 is a partially omitted perspective view showing a conventional traveling vehicle.

7 shows the conventional crawler device disclosed in FIG. 6, FIG. 7 (A) is a front view, and FIG. 7 (B) is a partially cutaway side view.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view schematically showing a conventional crawler device and explaining a height of an input shaft from a road surface.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a state where the vehicle body of the traveling vehicle collides with an obstacle on the road surface.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the power transmission means of the crawler device collides with an obstacle on the road surface.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 traveling vehicle 11 vehicle body 12 drive shaft 20 crawler device 21 input shaft 22 support member 22A central portion 23A, 23B wheel 24 crawler 25 holding guide 25B vehicle body side fixed end 30 first power transmission means 40 second power Transmission means

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A traveling vehicle including a vehicle main body, a plurality of crawler devices mounted on the vehicle main body as traveling wheels, and drive means for urging the crawler devices to rotate. An input shaft driven by a drive shaft of the drive means, a support member that rotatably supports the input shaft at a central portion, and a rotatably arranged radial member from the central portion on the support member. A plurality of equipped rolling wheels, an endless annular crawler wound around these rolling wheels, and a first power transmission means for transmitting the rotation of the input shaft to at least one of the rolling wheels, Second crawler devices have second power transmission means for transmitting a rotational force from the drive shaft to the input shaft, and the drive shaft and the input shaft are rotatably held at predetermined intervals. And a holding guide for providing the traveling vehicle that is fixed mounted at one end portion of the holding guide to the vehicle body, characterized in that disposed above said input shaft said drive shaft by the retaining guide. 2. The crawler device is characterized in that all the structures other than a fixed end portion of the holding guide on the vehicle body side are arranged in an inner region of the crawler in a lateral width direction. The traveling vehicle described in 1. 3. The traveling vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the support member is arranged between the first power transmission means and the second power transmission means along the input shaft. .