An apparatus for moving a separable cabin out of a vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle having a cabin secured to a planar chassis, a control system causing wheels to be moved out of recesses in the cabin when the cabin needs to escape a hazard or be moved to another platform, if it determines that the wheels will not hit objects nearby, to provide some freedom for lateral movement of the cabin, or to enable longitudinal movement of the cabin above the chassis, partially or wholly outside the vehicle.

Description

Invention Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle having a separable compartment (also referred to as a cabin), and particularly to moving the compartment into or out of the vehicle when a hazard is detected, or when the compartment is transferred between two vehicles (hereinafter collectively referred to as "compartment movement").

[0002] Background of the Invention

[0003] Traditionally, passengers in a vehicle are protected by airbags during a collision, but this still cannot prevent them from suffering serious injuries.

[0004] Chinese utility model patent CN205971195U proposes ejecting the driver's cab from the vehicle, but this is clearly impractical. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism that enables the movement of a safe cabin.

[0006] According to the first and second embodiments, the cabin is connected to the chassis by a cable to prevent the cabin from being bounced up or even ejected from the chassis due to impact caused by a collision, and the cable can also be used to move the cabin.

[0007] According to the third and fourth embodiments, all mechanisms required for cabin movement are housed within the cabin, thereby reducing the chance of damage to these mechanisms due to impacts from vehicle collisions.

[0008] The sixth embodiment discloses a wheel well, which is typically disposed within a cabin, optionally disposed within a separable portion of the cabin, i.e., a tubular element 31, and by separating them, the cabin can be moved laterally out of the chassis without being obstructed by the wheels in the wheel well.

[0009] According to the seventh, eighth and ninth embodiments, longitudinal and lateral movement can be achieved by removing the wheels out of the wheel well 9 so that the well body is not obstructed by the wheels. Brief description of the attached diagram

[0011] picture 1 This is a schematic diagram of an example vehicle, featuring a separable compartment and a chassis with upward-projecting front and rear sections.

[0012] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an example vehicle, featuring a separable compartment and a chassis with a flat upper surface.

[0013] Figure 3 This is an exemplary, cable-based mobile device according to the first embodiment.

[0014] Figure 4This is an exemplary schematic diagram of a cable-based mobile device according to the second embodiment.

[0015] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the supporting plane 12, which has a clamping device 20.

[0016] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of hull 6, which has two tubular elements 31.

[0017] Figure 7 This is a 3D schematic diagram of tubular element 31.

[0018] Please note that the images shown above may be out of scale; for reference only. Figure 1 The gaps between different components, such as the hull and chassis, are greatly exaggerated to avoid confusion. In reality, such gaps may exist, but they should be so small as to be negligible.

[0019] Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

[0020] This application is related to UK patent application GB2007051.2 filed on 13 May 2020 and PCT international application PCT / IB2021 / 051670 filed on 1 March 2021 because they contain common subject matter.

[0021] These two patent applications, along with the patent application for which priority is claimed in this application, are all incorporated herein by reference (collectively referred to as the “Patent Applications”).

[0022] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The hull 1 or 6 is directly or indirectly fixed to the chassis 2 or 10 via conventional connection and separation devices (not shown in the figure). If it is indirectly fixed, the hull may be detachably fixed to the support plane 4 or 12.

[0023] Such as the situation disclosed in the "Patent Application" and references Figure 1 and Figure 2 The upper surface of the chassis may not be flat, and an inflatable cushion may be placed on its upper surface or at the bottom of the hull to enable the hull to move or facilitate the movement of the hull.

[0024] Furthermore, the supporting plane 4 or 12, along with the telescopic drive device 5, can be used to raise the cabin above the height of the wheels (and other upward-protruding parts, if any) used for road travel, so that the cabin can be moved or to facilitate the movement of the cabin.

[0025] This vehicle may have autonomous driving capabilities, or be driven by a human inside the vehicle or remotely, and the cabin may be used to transport goods and / or people. Furthermore, this vehicle may or may not have the aforementioned inflatable cushion or supporting surface.

[0026] All functional units in this vehicle, such as sensors, detectors, drive or movement mechanisms, are under the control of a control system, which communicates with and controls each unit directly or indirectly through electronic signals.

[0027] The control system uses conventional detectors (including those disclosed in the patent application) to detect hazards, which may be a collision, an impending collision, a potential fire risk, or a fire in the chassis. Based on the signals received from the detectors, the control system knows that the hazard exists and may have the ability to determine the severity of the hazard.

[0028] The control system can be any conventional computing system containing at least one processing unit, and can be installed in a chassis or hull, or partially installed in a chassis or hull, or partially or entirely cloud-based, including conventional software and hardware technologies and components, such as different storage devices capable of storing programs or data required for its operation.

[0029] According to the first embodiment and referring to Figure 3 This illustrates a cable-based mobile device. The cable 15 shown can be any conventional continuous loop, such as a continuous track or belt.

[0030] Alternatively, cable 15 can be a rigid chain, in which different chain members can interlock; once interlocked, the chain becomes rigid, and if unlocked, it becomes flexible. Figure 3 As shown, the portion of the rigid chain exposed outside surface 16 is in a rigid state, while the portion behind surface 16 is in a flexible state. In other words, the chain members interlock when removed from surface 16, but are unlocked when moved into surface 16. Chinese Patent CN103410934B is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, but is used only as an illustrative, non-limiting example to provide a rigid chain and related technology.

[0031] Furthermore, clamping devices 20 and 21 are positioned on surface 17 to clamp portions of the cable 15 exposed on surface 16. By moving the cable 15 using motor-driven pulleys 13 and 14, the control system enables surface 16 to move backward or forward relative to surface 17.

[0032] If, eventually, one of the clamping devices 20 and 21 is moved very close to the hole 18 or 19, the control system causes that clamping device to release the cable 15, thereby releasing the previously clamped portion of the cable 15 and allowing it to move into the hole 18 or 19.

[0033] To achieve this, the control system must determine the distance between the clamping device and the hole using conventional techniques, based on the relative positions of surfaces 16 and 17, the position of the clamping device on surface 17, and the position of the hole on surface 16.

[0034] The position of the hole on surface 16 is based on design-related conditions and is therefore constant. Thus, this position information can be incorporated into the control system through programming.

[0035] As for the position of the clamping device on surface 17, it can also be based on design-generated conditions, and therefore remain unchanged, and can be added to the control system through programming. However, if the clamping device is movable, as will be discussed below, then its position will depend on how the control system moves it. Therefore, the control system itself has the necessary information, such as the speed and duration of its movement, to determine its position.

[0036] The relative positions between the two surfaces 16 and 17 can be determined by using a laser rangefinder, by measuring the distance between a reference point on one surface and another reference point on the other surface, or by using the Global Positioning System (GPS) to provide the GPS positions of the two reference points.

[0037] Please note that one of surfaces 16 and 17 can be the lower surface of the hull, while the other will be the upper surface of the chassis (or support planes 4 or 12, if present).

[0038] According to the second embodiment, this is a modification of the first embodiment, and references... Figure 4 The cable 15 can be understood as consisting of two indivisible parts, namely cables 15a and 15b, which are respectively wrapped around pulleys 13 and 14.

[0039] Furthermore, behind (or optionally in front of) the holes 18 and 19 on surface 16, there are fixed clamping devices 22 and 23, respectively, for clamping the cable 15 to prevent the cable 15 from moving, and this can also prevent the cabin from moving if the clamping devices 20 and 21 are also clamping the cable 15.

[0040] Therefore, clamping devices 20-23 can be used as a supplement to the above-mentioned connecting and separating devices, but they can also be used in place of them.

[0041] Optionally, two braking devices based on conventional vehicle wheel braking technology can be used to apply variable or non-variable braking forces to pulleys 13 and 14 respectively to prevent cable 15 from moving.

[0042] Regardless of which of the above devices is used to prevent cabin movement, ideally, if the impact applied to the cabin due to a collision exceeds the limit, cabin movement should be allowed to occur in order to reduce the damage suffered by the cabin.

[0043] As an improvement, each clamping device 20, 21 can move on one of two parallel tracks (or grooves, not shown in the figures) by using a respective, track-engaging, motor-driven wheel.

[0044] If the cable 15 is in a straight line between holes 18 and 19, the track set on surface 17 will be perpendicular to the cable 15 on surface 16, if the two surfaces are correctly aligned.

[0045] However, if any misalignment occurs between surfaces 16 and 17 in this direction, the clamping device 20 or 21 can move on its track under the control of the control system to a correct position to clamp the cable 15, based on the misalignment determined by the control system itself, which is actually determining the relative position between the two surfaces, as discussed above.

[0046] This misalignment could occur during the cabin transfer process or be caused by the impact of a vehicle collision.

[0047] The correct position is actually the relative position between holes 18 and 19 and the clamping device, and therefore also depends on their individual positions on surfaces 16 and 17, which have been discussed above.

[0048] To facilitate clamping of the cable 15 by clamping devices 20 and 21, the portion of the cable 15 exposed on surface 16 should be kept under tension. This is achieved by rotating one or at least one of pulleys 13 and 14 in a direction intended to retract the cable 15, thus maintaining and extending the cable 15 under tension. The other pulley can be prevented from releasing the cable 15 by a braking device, but a stronger retraction force can also be used to forcefully release the cable 15.

[0049] Alternatively, the cable 15 can be clamped while under tension using stationary clamping devices 22, 23, so that the tension can be maintained.

[0050] After the cable 15 is successfully clamped by the clamping devices 20 and 21, any further movement of the clamping devices 20 and 21 on the track will force the surface 17 to move relative to the surface 16.

[0051] Maintaining the tension of cable 15 is always crucial in terms of causing relative movement between surfaces 16 and 17, or in maintaining their relative positions.

[0052] It should be noted that the structure of this vehicle may deform rapidly during a collision, and the distance between holes 18 and 19 may become closer, while cable 15 may become slack. Therefore, when or after a collision, which may be detected by a conventional impact detector or other technologies disclosed in the "Patent Application", the control system will put or maintain tension on cable 15 in the same or similar manner as described above.

[0053] If the distance between holes 18 and 19 becomes longer due to deformation, pulleys 13 and 14 will provide the necessary additional cable 15 by forcibly releasing the coiled cable 15.

[0054] According to the third embodiment, this is a modification of the second embodiment, and references... Figure 5 The clamping device 20 is movably mounted on a track, which is itself movable, namely the movable track 26, and the clamping device 21 can also be similarly mounted on the track 26.

[0055] Furthermore, surface 17 is the lower surface of hull 6, while surface 16 is the upper surface of chassis 10 or support plane 12.

[0056] The movable track 26 has two movable ends 27 and 28 that move along two other tracks 24 and 25, which are perpendicular to the track 26. The two movable ends 27 and 28 are driven by individual electric motors to drive wheels (not shown in the figure) that engage with the tracks 24 and 25 for movement, which is controlled by a control system.

[0057] Thus, the control system can move the clamping devices 20 and 21 in any horizontal direction on surface 17, causing corresponding relative movement of surfaces 16 and 17.

[0058] Thus, relative movement between surfaces 16 and 17 can occur without moving cable 15. Therefore, cable 15 can be short and immovable.

[0059] According to the fourth embodiment, which is a modification of the third embodiment, the surface 16 does not have a cable 15, but instead has a plurality of ring devices set in their respective fixed positions.

[0060] Furthermore, clamping devices 20 and 21 are each composed of two clamping members, and when they clamp the annular device, the two clamping members form a ring for passing through the central hole of the annular device.

[0061] In addition, other linear motion actuators can be used instead of tracks and motor-driven wheels. For example, see reference. Figure 5 The track 24 with two ends 29 and 30 is replaced by two telescopic rods with conventional drive mechanisms controlled by the control system.

[0062] One telescopic rod is disposed between the fixed position at end 29 and the movable end 27, while another telescopic rod is disposed between the fixed position at end 30 and the movable end 27. Both are used to push the movable end 27 backward and forward, respectively, within the movable distance between the two ends 29 and 30.

[0063] According to the fifth embodiment and referring to Figure 1 and 2 The vehicle has a support plane for lifting the cabin from the chassis, as disclosed in the patent application, but this has an undesirable effect, namely that the vehicle's center of gravity is also raised.

[0064] As an improvement, the control system uses tilt sensors, such as pendulum or MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) type, to detect the degree of vehicle tilt, which may be caused by chassis deformation due to an accident, and / or by unevenness and tilt of the road the vehicle is traveling on, etc.

[0065] One remedial solution is to use a support plane to tilt the cabin in a direction opposite to the detected tilt direction. The control system determines the degree of tilt in the opposite direction needed to counteract the instability based on the degree of vehicle tilt detected by the tilt sensor, and ideally, it also determines the tendency of the vehicle to overturn, which depends on the rate of increase / decrease of tilt, the speed of movement, and the vehicle's steering angle.

[0066] Another solution is to move the cabin on the support plane in the opposite direction to the detected tilt, and even move a portion of the cabin out of the vehicle using the aforementioned or any conventional moving mechanism.

[0067] The tendency of a vehicle to overturn and other instability conditions while in motion can be determined using conventional techniques in the art. For example, U.S. Patent Application US2015 / 232074A1 discloses a "vehicle rear wheel lift tendency determination device," while Chinese Patent Application CN105517863A and U.S. Patent US8437950B2 both disclose methods for determining overturn risk. Furthermore, the entire contents of these patents are incorporated herein by reference only as illustrative and non-limiting examples.

[0068] The control system can use one of these two solutions, or both. Furthermore, once the vehicle stabilizes, the control system will stop tilting in the opposite direction and / or move the cabin back to its original position.

[0069] According to the sixth embodiment, in this vehicle, there is a wheel well for accommodating the wheel, such that the outer surface of the wheel is flush with the outer surface of the vehicle.

[0070] Each wheel well consists of two wheel wells, one located in the hull and the other in the chassis. This invention addresses the former, because it is the only one related to the movement of the hull.

[0071] refer to Figure 2 , 5 6. Inside the hull 6 are two tubular elements 31. Each tubular element 31 is laterally positioned on the chassis 10, with two wheel wells 9 at its ends, each wheel well accommodating the upper part of a wheel.

[0072] The tubular element 31 can have any cross-section, which must be uniform or substantially uniform, as long as its two ends are large enough to individually accommodate a wheel well 9, and it can be of any shape, such as trapezoidal, semi-circular, etc., and is not limited to such shapes. Figure 6 The rectangular shape shown.

[0073] Furthermore, the tubular element 31 is detachably fixed to the cabin 6 and / or chassis 10 under the control of the control system via conventional locking and unlocking devices.

[0074] In order for the cabin 6 to move laterally relative to the chassis without being obstructed by the wheels in the wheel well 9 of the tubular element 31, the tubular element 31 must be separated from the cabin 6 if they are connected to the cabin 6, and if there is an electrical connection between the cabin 6 and the tubular element 31, this connection must also be disconnected by an unlocking device.

[0075] Then, hull 6 can be moved.

[0076] As a modification, the hull is 6 times larger than... Figure 2 and 6The shorter one is about half the length of the chassis 10. Underneath this modified hull 6, there are only two front wheels, or only two rear wheels, and only one tubular element 31 with two wheel wells 9 to house them.

[0077] The chassis 10 can also be modified in such a way that only the portion of the chassis 10 used to house the modified hull 6 has a flat or substantially flat upper surface, while the rest of the chassis 10 can project upwards. For example, see reference... Figure 1 The front part 2a and the rear part 2b of the chassis are both upward protrusions of the chassis 2.

[0078] Furthermore, the lateral movement of the modified hull 6 relative to the modified chassis 10 can be caused and performed in the same manner as the unmodified hull described above.

[0079] According to a seventh embodiment, which is a modification of the sixth embodiment, the wheels of the vehicle are individually, directly or indirectly, connected to one end of a lateral telescopic bar.

[0080] The extension of the telescopic rod can be driven by any conventional mechanical, hydraulic, or pressurized fluid device, under the control of the control system, to completely push the wheels attached to it (with or without other related components) out of the wheel well 9 so that the cabin 6 containing the tubular elements 31 can move longitudinally relative to the chassis 10 without being obstructed by the wheels.

[0081] To do this, if the tubular element 31 is physically and / or electrically connected to the chassis 10, the chassis 10 must be detached or disconnected by an unlocking device.

[0082] These "other related components" may be protective covers that protect part of the wheel.

[0083] Other conventional telescoping techniques used to change the distance between two front wheels or rear wheels may also be used or applied, including those disclosed in U.S. Patents 6,199,769 and 9,527,536, and Chinese Patent Application 201911055763.5, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety as illustrative and non-limiting examples only.

[0084] Note that if the vehicle has a modified chassis 10 with a front-upward protrusion (mentioned in the sixth embodiment), only the rear wheels need to be completely removed from their respective wheel wells 9 in order to allow the modified body 6 to move rearward.

[0085] As an alternative, tubular element 31 is an integral part of hull 6.

[0086] When facing a side impact, the wheels on the side not facing the impact can move laterally in the manner described above. This provides the cabin with the freedom to move laterally, but the cabin's movement is still limited by the distance the wheels can move laterally.

[0087] Furthermore, the lateral movement of the hull to move away from a side impact can be caused by the moving mechanism disclosed herein or other conventional moving mechanisms, and / or by a side impact.

[0088] As an alternative, the control system moves the wheel out of the wheel well 9 when it determines that such movement of the wheel will not pose a risk of impact to an external object, or vice versa.

[0089] This collision risk can be determined based on the assumption that no external object will exist in a location that a moving vehicle is about to occupy, or that it has just left, or that no external object will exist in a location very close to such a location.

[0090] Therefore, if the control system wants to move the wheel outward from the wheel well 9, the control system will first determine the position of the vehicle in a time period before moving the wheel, for example, 1 / 20 of a second, and / or the position of the vehicle in another time period after moving the wheel.

[0091] Furthermore, if the control system determines that if the wheels move, the wheels will be within these positions of the vehicle, or, as a more flexible alternative, within a short distance (e.g., 1 meter) from these positions of the vehicle, the control system will cause the wheels to move.

[0092] Note that the time period and distance mentioned above may also depend on the potential risks detected or identified, as will be discussed below, and the time period and / or distance may be longer if the potential risks are low.

[0093] This innovative impact risk assessment technology can also be used to determine whether movable parts of the vehicle, such as the hull and impact absorption / resistance devices, can be partially or completely removed from the vehicle.

[0094] Based on the assessment of this impact risk, the wheels on both sides of the vehicle may have to move laterally by different distances to allow the hull 6 to move longitudinally relative to the chassis 10.

[0095] If so, the control system must move the housing 6 (containing tubular elements 31) laterally relative to the chassis towards the side of the vehicle where the wheels have moved outward more significantly, while moving away from the wheels on the other side of the vehicle, which have moved outward less, or may not have moved at all. As a result, all the wheels on both sides are disengaged from their respective wheel wells 9.

[0096] According to the eighth embodiment, based on the potential risks of the vehicle, such as its speed, traffic conditions (e.g., whether there are high-speed moving vehicles nearby), weather conditions, road conditions, vehicle conditions, vehicle component conditions, visibility on the road, etc., the control system completely removes the wheels from their wheel wells 9 so as to allow the body 6 to move longitudinally in the manner described above, as a proactive preventive measure against an unforeseen frontal collision.

[0097] Control systems use conventional technologies and sensors to detect and / or determine potential risks, including those disclosed in U.S. Patents 5,809,437 and 7,082,359, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference but are illustrative and non-limiting examples only.

[0098] As an alternative, the wheel is only partially removed from the wheel well 9, so that when the control system uses the aforementioned detector to detect a collision or an impending collision, the time required to completely remove the wheel from the wheel well 9 is reduced.

[0099] Moreover, if the potential risk becomes less severe or no longer exists, the control system causes the wheel to partially or completely move back into the wheel well.

[0100] As a second alternative, the control system has a device for receiving user commands for partially or completely moving the wheel out of / back into the wheel well 9.

[0101] However, if the control system detects or determines that the aforementioned potential hazard exists, it may refuse the user's command to move the wheels back into the wheel well 9, or execute the command but issue a warning signal to the user with information about the potential hazard.

[0102] If the control system detects a risk of impact, it can similarly reject a user command to move the wheels out of the wheel well.

[0103] As a third alternative, the aforementioned sensors and technologies for detecting and / or determining potential risks are installed on the roadside in an autonomous vehicle-friendly infrastructure (AVFI), and the control system receives relevant information about potential risks from the AVFI and controls the movement of the wheels accordingly in the manner described above.

[0104] According to the ninth embodiment, when the cabin 6 begins to move backward in the initial stage, this may be caused by the impact of a frontal vehicle collision, which is used by a mechanical device to cause the wheels to move laterally out of the wheel well 9, so that the wheels will not prevent the cabin 6 from moving backward further.

[0105] Specifically, the initial rearward movement of the housing 6 causes the rack connected to it to move, which in turn causes the associated pinion to rotate. The rotation of the pinion is used as the input to the gearbox, and the output rotation of the gearbox is used to rotate another pinion to move another rack laterally so as to remove a shaft and the wheel attached to it from the wheel housing 9.

[0106] As an alternative, the initial rearward movement of hull 6 would cause one of its connected wedges to be moved. This wedge has a surface inclined at 45° to a vertical plane that passes through the vehicle's horizontal longitudinal axis, and this surface presses against another surface of another wedge to force... That other The wedge is moved away.

[0107] Thus, the other wedge, which is itself a retractable part connected to a lateral telescopic rod, is forced to move laterally and simultaneously push the retractable part, removing the wheel attached to it from the wheel well 9.

[0108] As a second alternative, a traditional locking pin is installed on the telescopic rod to prevent it from extending.

[0109] Furthermore, in a manner similar to that described above, the initial rearward movement of the hull 6 is converted into a driving force to move the locking pin to the unlocked position, allowing the telescopic rod to extend. The telescopic rod then extends under pressure, which can come from a pressurized fluid storage device or be based on spring action. This extension can be automatic, as the pressure causing the extension may already be present prior to the impact.

[0110] Please note that the movement may not be backward movement of the hull 6, but forward movement, which could be caused by a rear impact. The same method could be used to move the wheels or locking pins.

[0111] In addition, a movable component can replace the compartment 6 for forward or backward movement in the event of an impact. The movable component is a long and rigid component that is placed longitudinally in the vehicle, with its front end ideally located at the very front of the vehicle, within the "crush zone" used to absorb a frontal impact through metal deformation, and its rear end ideally located at the very rear of the vehicle.

[0112] The chassis and / or hull may be provided with an elongated opening to accommodate the movable component.

[0113] Other conventional mechanical equipment and technologies can also be used as alternatives.

[0114] It should be noted that the forward or backward movement of the cabin 6 or the movable component can be caused by the control system in the manner described above or similarly, but such movement of the cabin 6 or the movable component can also be caused by a forced and accidental impact.

[0115] It should be noted that any of the above embodiments / examples / modifications / alternatives / methods are given by way of example only, and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to any one or any combination of them without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A device for a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a main body and a sub-body, wherein when the vehicle is in normal driving operation and traveling on a road, the sub-body is placed on the main body; in, The sub-body has at least one recess on one or both sides for accommodating a portion of at least one wheel of the vehicle for road travel, thereby the at least one wheel hindering longitudinal relative movement between the sub-body and the main body. The device includes: A control device; A sub-body positioning device, under the control of the control device, performs a first operation to release a separable connection between the sub-body and the main body, thereby separating the sub-body from the main body and facilitating longitudinal relative movement. A wheel-moving device, under the control of the control device, performs a second operation to laterally move at least one wheel away from its original position to remove the obstruction, and performs a third operation to move the at least one wheel back to its original position to restore the obstruction; The first operation and the second operation are directly or indirectly related, so that the first operation and the second operation cooperate to make the longitudinal relative movement easier to occur.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, Even after the separable connection is released, other separable connections still exist between the sub-body and the main body, so that the longitudinal relative movement can only occur when the sub-body is subjected to a collision force, and the collision force exceeds a certain limit.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising: A collision detection device for detecting an impending collision involving the vehicle and providing relevant collision information; in, The collision information directly or indirectly causes the control device to control the moving wheel device to move at least one wheel laterally in order to remove the obstruction.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The collaborative operation is used to enable the sub-body to be moved from one platform onto the main body, or to enable the sub-body to be moved from the main body onto a platform.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the sub-body positioning device is also configured to cause the longitudinal relative movement under the control of the control device; in, After the first operation and the third operation are completed, the control device controls the sub-body positioning device to cause the sub-body to perform the longitudinal relative movement.

6. An apparatus for a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a main body and a sub-body, wherein when the vehicle is in normal driving operation and traveling on a road, the sub-body is placed on the main body; in, The sub-body has at least one recess on one or both sides for accommodating a portion of at least one wheel of the vehicle for road travel, thereby the at least one wheel hindering longitudinal relative movement between the sub-body and the main body. The device includes: A control device; A moving sub-body device, used to cause the longitudinal relative movement under the control of the control device; A wheel-moving device, under the control of the control device, causes at least one wheel to move laterally to release or restore the obstruction; Specifically, before controlling the moving sub-body device to cause the longitudinal relative movement of the sub-body, the control device controls the moving wheel device to cause the at least one wheel to perform the lateral movement in order to remove the obstruction.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising: A collision detection device for detecting an impending collision involving the vehicle and providing relevant collision information; in, The collision information directly or indirectly causes the control device to control the moving wheel device to move at least one wheel laterally in order to remove the obstruction.

8. A device for a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a main body and a sub-body, wherein when the vehicle is in normal driving operation and traveling on a road, the sub-body is placed on the main body; in, The sub-body has two recesses on each side, which are used to accommodate a portion of each of the two wheels of the vehicle used for road travel. Thus, the two wheels obstruct the longitudinal relative movement between the sub-body and the main body. The device includes: A control device; A device for moving a sub-body, under the control of the control device, is used to cause the sub-body to move relative to the main body; A wheel-moving device for laterally moving two wheels under the control of the control device; Under the control of the control device, one or both wheels are moved outward from the recess by the wheel-moving device, and the moving sub-body device moves the sub-body towards the wheel that has been moved outward and has traveled a greater distance, so that both wheels are completely removed from the two recesses, thereby removing the obstruction; One of the wheels was not moved at all by the moving wheel device, or was not completely removed from the recess by the moving wheel device.

9. An apparatus for a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a main body and a sub-body, wherein when the vehicle is in normal driving operation and traveling on a road, the sub-body is placed on the main body; in, The sub-body has at least one recess on one or both sides for accommodating a portion of at least one wheel of the vehicle for road travel, thereby the at least one wheel hindering longitudinal relative movement between the sub-body and the main body. The device includes: A control device; A collision detection device for detecting an impending collision involving the vehicle and providing relevant collision information; A wheel-moving device, used to move at least one wheel laterally under the control of the control device, in order to remove or restore the obstruction; The collision information directly or indirectly causes the control device to control the moving wheel device to cause the lateral movement of at least one wheel in order to remove the obstruction.

10. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising: A risk detection device for detecting, determining, or acquiring potential risks of the vehicle; If the potential risks are high or low, the control device is used to accordingly cause the moving wheel device to move the wheel, partially or entirely, outward from the recess or into the at least one recess; The potential risks are related to a variety of factors, including the vehicle's speed, traffic conditions, weather conditions, road conditions, vehicle condition, vehicle component condition, and / or visibility.

11. The device as claimed in any one of claims 10, further comprising: A command device for receiving user commands; The control device is also configured to respond to the command so that the moving wheel device moves each of the at least one wheel, partially or completely, out of the at least one recess.

12. A safety-enhancing device for a vehicle, comprising: A movable component; A vehicle positioning device is used to determine the position of a vehicle on a road during a first time period before a component is moved in a planned manner, and / or the position of the vehicle on a road during a second time period after the component is moved in the planned manner; A collision risk device is used to determine a planned movement that would move the component to a new location, and to determine whether the new location is within a distance of the vehicle's current location, and if so, to permit the planned movement. It further includes a potential risk device for detecting, determining, and / or obtaining potential risks of the vehicle; The potential risks mentioned herein are related to a variety of factors, including the vehicle's speed, traffic conditions, weather conditions, road conditions, vehicle condition, vehicle component condition, and / or visibility. If the potential risk is low, the impact risk device will change the distance to a distance longer than the original distance.

13. The device as claimed in claim 12, wherein, The distance can be zero, and the component is a wheel.

14. A method for improving safety in a vehicle having a movable part, comprising the following steps: Step 1: Determine the position of the vehicle on the road during a first time period before the component is moved according to the plan, and / or the position of the vehicle on the road during a second time period after the component is moved according to the plan; Step 2: Determine the new location to which the component will be moved in the planned movement; Step 3: Determine whether the new location is within a distance of the vehicle's current location, and if so, permit the planned movement; This further includes a potential risk step for detecting, identifying, and / or obtaining potential risks of the vehicle; The potential risks mentioned herein are related to a variety of factors, including the vehicle's speed, traffic conditions, weather conditions, road conditions, vehicle condition, vehicle component condition, and / or visibility. If the potential risk is low, then in step three the distance is changed to a distance that is longer than the original distance.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The distance can be zero, and the component is a wheel.

16. An apparatus for a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a main body and a sub-body, wherein when the vehicle is in normal driving operation and traveling on a road, the sub-body is placed on the main body; in, The sub-body has at least one recess on one or both sides for accommodating a portion of at least one wheel of the vehicle for road travel, thereby the at least one wheel hindering lateral relative movement between the sub-body and the main body. The device includes: A control device; A wheel-moving device, under the control of the control device, is used to partially or completely move one of the wheels out of the at least one recess, so as to allow the sub-body to move laterally within a limited distance, said distance being limited by the moved wheel; A device for moving a sub-body, under the control of the control device, is used to cause the sub-body to perform the lateral movement.

17. An apparatus for a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a main body and a sub-body, wherein when the vehicle is in normal driving operation and traveling on a road, the sub-body is positioned above a surface of the main body; in, The sub-body has two recesses on its sides, which are used to accommodate a portion of each of the two wheels of the vehicle used for road travel. Thus, the two wheels obstruct the lateral relative movement between the sub-body and the main body. The sub-body has at least one tubular structure inside, each tubular structure having a uniform or substantially uniform cross-section, and when the sub-body is placed in the position, each tubular structure lies laterally on the surface of the main body of the vehicle, and each tubular structure is detachably fixed to the sub-body; Each of the tubular structures has two recesses at each end; The device includes: The tubular structure; A control device; A separation device, under the control of the control device, is used to separate each of the tubular structures from the sub-body so that the sub-body can make the lateral relative movement without being hindered by the wheel within the recess.

18. A device for a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a body and a sub-body, wherein a downward-facing interface of the sub-body is for contacting an upward-facing interface of the body; in, One of the main body and the sub-body has an elongated or rope-like device, a portion of which is hidden inside the first part, and another portion, referred to as the exposed portion, is exposed between two holes on the interface of the first part; The device includes: The elongated or rope-like device; A clamping device, under the control of the control device, is movable on the interface of the other of the body and the sub-body to clamp the exposed portion; A moving device, under the control of the control device, is used to cause the sub-body to move relative to the main body after the clamping device has clamped the exposed portion, by performing an operation to move the exposed portion, wherein an elongated or rope-like device of one length is moved out of one of the two holes, and simultaneously, another elongated or rope-like device of the same length is moved into the other of the two holes, and / or an operation is performed to move the clamping device at the interface of the other.

19. An apparatus for a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a main body and a sub-body, wherein when the vehicle is in normal driving operation and traveling on a road, the sub-body is placed on the main body; in, The sub-body has at least one recess on one or both sides for accommodating a portion of at least one wheel of the vehicle for road travel, thereby the at least one wheel hindering longitudinal relative movement between the sub-body and the main body. The device includes: A movable device; A propulsion device for mechanically converting a propulsive force generated by a collision affecting the vehicle, which directly or indirectly causes the movable device to move backward or forward, into another propulsive force, which is used directly or indirectly to propel at least one wheel laterally telescopically out of the at least one recess to eliminate the obstruction.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising: A locking device for directly or indirectly locking the at least one wheel into the at least one recess; The one or the other pushing force is also used, directly or indirectly, to cause the locking device to move to an unlocked position, thereby allowing the at least one wheel to be moved out of the at least one recess; The movable device includes the sub-body and / or a movable component.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising: A control device; A sub-body positioning device, under the control of the control device, is used to allow the longitudinal relative movement and also to prevent the longitudinal relative movement; in, The movable device is the sub-body; The backward or forward movement of the movable device occurs after the longitudinal relative movement is permitted by the sub-body positioning device; or, it is forcibly and accidentally caused by the sub-body under the action of a driving force.

22. An apparatus for a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a main body and a sub-body, wherein when the vehicle is in normal driving operation and traveling on a road, the sub-body is placed on the main body; in, The sub-body has at least one recess on one or both sides for accommodating a portion of at least one wheel of the vehicle for road travel, thereby the at least one wheel hindering longitudinal relative movement between the sub-body and the main body. The device includes: A movable device; A locking device for directly or indirectly locking the at least one wheel into the at least one recess; A pushing device is used to mechanically convert a pushing force generated by a collision affecting the vehicle, which directly or indirectly causes the movable device to move backward or forward, into another pushing force, which directly or indirectly pushes the locking device to an unlocked position, thereby allowing the at least one wheel to be retractably moved out of the at least one recess and thus eliminating the obstruction.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the movable device comprises the sub-body and / or a movable component; This further includes: A thrust device is used to respond to the locking device being moved to the unlocked position, or to automatically push the at least one wheel laterally out of the at least one recess after the locking device has been moved to the unlocked position, thereby eliminating the obstruction.

24. The device as claimed in any one of claims 1-13, 16-23, wherein the main body is a chassis and the sub-body is a cabin.

25. An apparatus for a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a body and a sub-body, wherein a downward-facing interface of the sub-body is for contacting an upward-facing interface of the body; in, One of the main body and the sub-body has an elongated or rope-like device, partially hidden inside the first part, and the other part, referred to as the exposed part, is exposed between two holes on the interface of the first part; The device includes: A control device; The elongated or rope-like device; A connecting device for moving at the interface between the body and the sub-body, and for connecting to the exposed portion at a point thereon; A resistance device, under the control of the control device, is used to generate or not generate a resistance after the connecting device has connected the exposed portion, the resistance being used to prevent the elongated or rope-like device from being pulled out of either of the two holes, thereby preventing the sub-body from exhibiting relative movement relative to the body; If the vehicle collides with an external object, and the pulling force generated directly or indirectly by the collision exceeds the resistance, the slender or rope-like device will be pulled out of either of the two holes, and the relative movement will occur, thereby preventing the collision from causing a more direct impact and / or greater damage to the sub-body. During and after the collision and / or the relative movement, the control device maintains the resistance.

26. A land vehicle comprising the equipment as described in any one of claims 1-13, 16-25.

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