CN-122003354-A - Land vehicle with pivotable tandem wheel sets with corresponding single electric drive motor

Abstract

A land vehicle includes a frame supported for movement on a support surface and having longitudinally opposed front and rear ends and laterally opposed sides. The vehicle includes a plurality of pivotable tandem wheel sets, each tandem wheel set being formed of a longitudinally adjacent pair of wheels supported for pivotal movement about a common pivot axis. The vehicle further includes electric drive motors disposed on opposite sides of the frame, each motor being associated with a corresponding tandem pair, respectively. Each motor supports one of the wheels of each tandem pair such that the rotational axis of the main drive wheel coincides with the axis of the drive shaft member of the motor. The other wheel of each tandem pair is operatively connected by a transmission to the motor associated with the corresponding tandem pair, forming a driven wheel that rotates about its own axis of rotation.

Inventors

• M. Mattel

Assignees

• 贝奥尼克斯机器人有限公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260508

Application Date

20231011

Claims (14)

1. 1. A land vehicle comprising: A frame arranged to move across a support surface, wherein the frame has longitudinally opposed front and rear ends and laterally opposed sides; a plurality of wheels supported on both sides of the frame to support the frame as it moves across the support surface, wherein the wheels on the same side of the frame are arranged in tandem pairs, the wheels in each tandem pair being longitudinally adjacent to each other relative to the frame; Wherein each tandem pair of wheels is arranged for pivotal movement relative to the frame about a generally transversely oriented pivot axis, wherein the pivot axis is longitudinally arranged between respective axes of rotation of the wheels in the tandem pair; Wherein the respective axes of rotation of the wheels in each tandem pair are different from the pivot associated with the tandem pair to which said wheels belong; a power source carried on the frame and configured to provide power; A plurality of electric drive motors operatively connected to the power source to be configured to receive power from the power source, wherein the plurality of electric drive motors are supported on both sides of the frame and are respectively associated with respective tandem pairs of wheels, wherein each electric drive motor has a drive shaft member configured to rotate about an axis of the drive shaft member in response to an electrical power input to the electric drive motor; Wherein a first wheel of the wheels in each tandem pair is rotatably supported on a drive shaft member of an associated one of the plurality of electric drive motors to form a primary drive wheel of the tandem pair, wherein a respective rotational axis of the primary drive wheel is defined by the drive shaft member of the associated electric drive motor, and Wherein a second wheel of the wheels in each tandem pair is operatively connected to the associated electric drive motor by a transmission to form a driven wheel that is driven in rotation about its respective axis of rotation.
2. 2. The land vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of brakes, each of the plurality of brakes being respectively operatively connected with the driven wheels of the tandem pair to be configured to brake the driven wheels.
3. 3. The land vehicle of claim 2, wherein the brake is an electromagnetic brake operatively connected to the power source to be configured to receive power from the power source.
4. 4. A land vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, when the driven wheel of each tandem pair includes a shaft rotatably supported on a respective side of the frame, the transmission operatively interconnecting the driven wheel with the associated electric drive motor is in the form of a rotating annular member operatively supported on the drive shaft of the electric drive motor and the shaft of the driven wheel.
5. 5. The land vehicle of claim 4, wherein the rotating annular member is wound on a support wheel mounted in fixed rotational relation to the drive shaft member of the electric drive motor and the shaft member of the driven wheel.
6. 6. The land vehicle of claim 5, wherein when the primary drive wheel is supported on a drive shaft member of the electric drive motor and is located outboard of the drive shaft member remote from the frame, a respective one of the support wheels mounted on the drive shaft member is supported on the drive shaft member in an opposite axial relationship to the primary drive wheel such that the drive shaft member extends from an inboard side of the electric drive motor proximate to the frame.
7. 7. A land vehicle as defined in claim 6, wherein when the hub of the driven wheel is supported at or adjacent an outer end of the axle of the driven wheel remote from the frame and when the axle extends from the outer end to adjacent an inner end of the frame, a respective one of the support wheels supported on the axle of the driven wheel is disposed at or adjacent the inner end of the axle of the driven wheel.
8. 8. A land vehicle as claimed in claim 7, wherein the wheels of each tandem pair are supported on a support member in the form of a substantially closed housing and the rotating annular member is located within the housing.
9. 9. A land vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the rotating endless member is a conveyor belt and the support wheels are pulleys.
10. 10. A land vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 9, wherein for each tandem pair of wheels, the pivot axis is collinear with the rotational axis of the wheel in the tandem pair, and the upstroke and downstroke of the rotating annular member are directed to the same side of the pivot axis.
11. 11. The land vehicle of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein when the electric drive motor of each tandem pair has a stator and a rotor, the electric drive motor further comprises an internal transmission operatively connecting the rotor and the drive shaft member and configured to cause the drive shaft member to have a reduced rotational speed relative to the rotor.
12. 12. A land vehicle as claimed in claim 11, wherein the internal transmission is in the form of a planetary gear set.
13. 13. A land vehicle as claimed in claim 11 or 12, wherein the internal transmission is arranged axially between the rotor and the stator when the rotor is supported for rotation radially outwardly relative to the electric drive motor about the stator.
14. 14. A land vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein when the tandem pairs of wheels are arranged in laterally opposed pairs and aligned with each other at the same longitudinal position of the frame, the primary drive wheel of the tandem pair of the same group of the laterally opposed tandem pairs is the rear wheel of the wheels of the tandem pair.

Description

Land vehicle with pivotable tandem wheel sets with corresponding single electric drive motor Technical Field The present invention relates generally to a land vehicle having a plurality of tandem wheel sets pivotally supported for pivotal or rotational movement, respectively, about a generally transverse pivot axis disposed transverse to the direction of vehicle travel and driven by a hub-mounted electric motor, and more particularly to a land vehicle of the type wherein each tandem wheel set is driven by only a single electric motor. Background According to one common hub-mounted motor-driven all-terrain land vehicle solution, each of the drive wheels receives one of a plurality of hub-mounted motors to effect the drive. Thus, if all of the traction wheels (i.e., the wheels that make rolling contact with the ground or underlying support surface, whether in direct contact or indirect contact (e.g., via tracks)) were to be driven, then providing each wheel with a hub-mounted motor would result in an overall cost and weight increase, and would further shorten (travel or work) mileage when the vehicle is battery powered. Disclosure of Invention According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a land vehicle comprising: A frame configured to move on a support surface, wherein the frame has longitudinally opposed front and rear ends and transversely opposed sides; a plurality of wheels supported laterally of the frame for supporting the frame for movement on a support surface, wherein the wheels on the same side of the frame are arranged in tandem pairs, each tandem pair including a respective one of the wheels that is longitudinally adjacent relative to the frame; wherein each of the tandem pairs of support wheels is pivotally movable relative to the frame about a generally transversely oriented pivot axis longitudinally between the respective axes of rotation of the wheels of the tandem pair; Wherein the respective axes of rotation of the wheels in each tandem pair are different from the pivot associated with the tandem pair to which the wheel belongs; a power source carried on the frame and configured to provide electrical power; a plurality of electric drive motors operatively connected to a power source to be configured to receive power from the power source, wherein the electric drive motors are supported laterally of the frame and are respectively associated with respective tandem pairs of wheels, wherein each of the electric drive motors has a drive shaft member configured to rotate about an axis of the drive shaft member in response to power input to the electric drive motor; wherein a first wheel of the wheels in each tandem pair is rotatably supported on a drive shaft member of an associated electric drive motor to form a primary drive wheel of the respective tandem pair, wherein a respective rotational axis of the primary drive wheel is defined by the drive shaft member of the associated motor, and Wherein a second wheel of the wheels in each tandem pair is operatively connected to an associated electric drive motor by a transmission to form a driven wheel rotationally driven about a rotational axis of the associated electric drive motor. This provides an all-wheel drive land vehicle configuration employing what is known in the industry as a "hub-mounted" electric motor, but with a fewer number of motors than wheels, potentially increasing vehicle electrical energy efficiency, reducing manufacturing costs of such vehicles, and reducing the weight of such vehicles, potentially extending battery range. Preferably, the land vehicle further comprises a plurality of brakes, each of the plurality of brakes being respectively operatively connected to the driven wheels of the tandem pair of wheels, thereby being configured to brake the driven wheels. This serves to supplement the braking action of the motor on the main drive wheel in each series pair. Preferably, the brake is an electromagnetic brake, operably connected to a power source, and thereby configured to receive power from the power source. Typically, the electromagnetic brake is configured to be biased toward a braking or stopping position when no power is applied to resist rotation of a wheel to which the respective actuator is operatively connected. When the driven wheels of each tandem pair include a shaft rotatably supported on a respective side of the frame, the transmission operatively interconnecting the driven wheels with the associated electric drive motor is preferably in the form of a rotating endless member operatively supported on the drive shaft of the electric drive motor and the shaft of the driven wheels. In the arrangement shown, the rotating annular member is wound on a support wheel fixedly rotatably mounted on the drive shaft element of the electric drive motor and the shaft element of the driven wheel. Thus, the driven wheel shaft rotates at the same rotational speed as the drive shaft of the electric drive