Travel unit

Abstract

The present invention provides a travel unit which is capable of suppressing manufacturing cost and maintenance frequency with a simple configuration, and which has a high degree of freedom in layout of a device. Specifically, the device is provided with: a body part; a pair of left and right swing arms provided on the swing transmission unit so as to be swingable about a swing shaft; and wheels provided on the swing arms, the swing transmission unit having: a first swing rotating body that rotates in conjunction with one of the swing arms; a second rocking rotating body that rotates in conjunction with the other rocking arm; a first transmission rotating body that transmits rotation by means of the first rocking rotating body and the first transmission bar body; and a second transmission rotating body that transmits rotation by means of the second rocking rotating body and the second transmission bar body, the first transmission rotating body and the second transmission rotating body being connected by means of a linkage shaft, and the first rocking rotating body and the second rocking rotating body being configured such that the rotation thereof can be linked in opposite directions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a travel unit, which comprises: a main body; a swing transmission part connected to the main body; a pair of left and right swing arms swingably arranged on the swing transmission part with a swing axis as the center; and wheels respectively arranged on the swing arms. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for example, Patent Document 1 and the like discloses a travel unit including a main body, a pair of left and right swing arms that are swingable about a swing axis, and wheels that are provided on the swing arms, respectively.

[0003] The multi-wheeled vehicle 1 provided with a travel unit described in the patent document 1 comprises: a main body (frame 2); a pair of left and right swing arms (swing arms 4L, 4R) which are swingably arranged on the main body (frame 2) with a swing shaft (support shaft 3A) as the center; and wheels (5L, 5R) which are respectively arranged on the swing arms (swing arms 4L, 4R), and tilting parts 17L, 17R of roughly fan-shaped bodies are arranged on the swing shaft (support shaft 3A), and the arc surface parts 21 of each of the tilting parts 17L, 17R and the balance-shaped or pulley-shaped direction conversion parts 19 are respectively connected by belt bodies 20.

[0004] As a result, the tilting parts 17L, 17R can be linked together, so that when one side of the wheel (5L, 5R) is pushed up by the rocking shaft (support shaft 3A) and the rocking arm (4L, 4R) due to the force from the road surface, the other side of the wheel (5L, 5R) can be pressed toward the road surface, and when turning or changing direction or when driving on a laterally inclined road surface, the ground contact pressure of the wheel (5L, 5R) can be evenly maintained while the wheel (5L, 5R) can be tilted freely together with the vehicle body.

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 4567813 Summary of the invention

[0007] However, the travel units known in the above-mentioned patent documents and the like still have room for improvement.

[0008] That is, since the known travel unit in Patent Document 1 and the like is constructed by linking a pair of left and right wheels through a direction conversion component, a tilting component, or a belt-shaped body, the drive parts are numerous and complex, which may lead to increased manufacturing costs and maintenance frequency such as grease up.

[0009] In addition, since the structure is such that the balance-shaped or pulley-shaped direction-changing component is connected to the left and right tilting components by a belt-shaped body and the left and right wheels are linked, it is necessary to configure the direction-changing component and the tilting component to have a specified size and a specified distance, which may result in a decrease in the layout freedom of the device.

[0010] The present invention is an invention for solving these problems, and the technical problem to be solved is to provide a travel unit that can suppress manufacturing costs and maintenance frequency with a simple structure and has a high degree of freedom in device layout.

[0011] The travel unit of the present invention comprises: a main body; a swing transmission part, which is arranged on the main body; a pair of left and right swing arms, which are swingably arranged on the swing transmission part with a swing axis as the center; and wheels, which are respectively arranged on the swing arms, and the above-mentioned problems can be solved by the following contents, that is, the swing transmission part comprises: a first swing rotating body, which rotates in conjunction with the swinging of the swing arm on one side; a second swing rotating body, which rotates in conjunction with the swinging of the swing arm on the other side; a first transmission rotating body, which transmits rotation through the first swing rotating body and the first transmission strip body; and a second transmission rotating body, which transmits rotation through the second swing rotating body and the second transmission strip body, the first transmission rotating body and the second transmission rotating body are connected by a linkage shaft that connects each other's rotation axes, and the first swing rotating body and the second swing rotating body are constructed so that their rotations can be linked in opposite directions.

[0012] According to the invention involved in technical solutions 1 and 5, the shaking transmission part comprises: a first shaking rotating body, which rotates in conjunction with the shaking of a shaking arm of one party; a second shaking rotating body, which rotates in conjunction with the shaking of a shaking arm of the other party; a first transmission rotating body, which transmits rotation through the first shaking rotating body and the first transmission strip; and a second transmission rotating body, which transmits rotation through the second shaking rotating body and the second transmission strip, the first transmission rotating body and the second transmission rotating body are connected by a linkage shaft that connects each other's rotation axes, and the first shaking rotating body and the second shaking rotating body are constructed so that their rotations can be linked in opposite directions. Therefore, for example, when the wheel of one party shakes upward due to the road surface condition, as the shaking arm of one party shakes, the shaking transmission part can cause the shaking arm of the other party to shake downward, and cause the wheel of the other party to be linked in a shaking downward manner.

[0013] Furthermore, conversely, when only the other wheel is rocked upward, the rocking transmission unit can be used to cause one wheel to be rocked downward in conjunction with the other wheel.

[0014] Thus, the swing transmission unit can change the height of the left and right wheels according to the left-right inclination of the vehicle body, the unevenness of the road surface or the state of the slope, so that the left and right wheels can be firmly grounded, thereby improving driving stability.

[0015] Furthermore, since the configuration for interlocking the left and right wheels in the pivoting direction can be concentrated by bringing the pivot shaft and the interlocking shaft close to each other, space saving can be achieved and the degree of freedom in layout of the travel unit can be increased.

[0016] According to the construction described in Technical Solution 2, since the first transmission bar body is composed of an end-shaped chain connected to the first shaking rotating body at one end and to the first transmission rotating body at the other end, and the second transmission bar body is composed of an end-shaped chain connected to the second shaking rotating body at one end and to the second transmission rotating body at the other end, the first transmission rotating body, the first shaking rotating body, the second transmission rotating body, and the second shaking rotating body can be used as sprockets to effectively transmit rotation, and each sprocket can also be formed into a fan shape only within the range of meshing with the end-shaped chain, thereby reducing the weight of the shaking transmission part and reducing the accommodation space.

[0017] According to the structure described in Technical Solution 3, since the rocking transmission part comprises: a third rocking rotating body, which is axially adjacent to and rotates integrally with the first rocking rotating body; a fourth rocking rotating body, which is axially adjacent to and rotates integrally with the second rocking rotating body; a third transmission rotating body, which transmits rotation through the third rocking rotating body and the third transmission strip; and a fourth transmission rotating body, which transmits rotation through the fourth rocking rotating body and the fourth transmission strip, the third transmission rotating body and the fourth transmission rotating body are connected by a linkage shaft, and the third transmission strip is constructed to transmit rotation caused by stretching in the opposite direction to the first transmission strip, and the fourth transmission strip is constructed to transmit rotation caused by stretching in the opposite direction to the second transmission strip. Therefore, for any movement of each rocking arm, each transmission strip will not relax. For example, even when the main body is lifted and both wheels float from the ground, the rocking arms of both sides will effectively link in opposite directions and will not rock downward together.

[0018] According to the construction described in Technical Solution 4, since the third transmission bar body is composed of an end-shaped chain connected to the third shaking rotating body at one end and to the third transmission rotating body at the other end, and the fourth transmission bar body is composed of an end-shaped chain connected to the fourth shaking rotating body at one end and to the second transmission rotating body at the other end, the third transmission rotating body, the third shaking rotating body, the fourth transmission rotating body, and the fourth shaking rotating body can be used as sprockets to effectively transmit rotation, and each sprocket can also be formed into a fan shape only within the range of meshing with the end-shaped chain, thereby reducing the weight of the shaking transmission part and reducing the accommodation space. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of the travel unit 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 It is a plan view of the travel unit 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 It is a front view of the travel unit 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 It is a perspective view from below of the travel unit 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 5 It is an enlarged explanatory diagram of the swing transmission portion 120 of the travel unit 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 6 This is an operation explanation diagram of the present invention as viewed from the rear.

[0025] Figure 7 It is an explanatory diagram showing the state of the first wheel 113L side when the first wheel 113L of the present invention is rocked upward.

[0026] Figure 8 This is an explanatory diagram showing the state of the second wheel 113R side when the first wheel 113L of the present invention is rocked upward.

[0027] Fig. 9 It is an enlarged explanatory diagram of the swing transmission portion 120 b of the travel unit 100 b according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Explanation of symbols

[0029] 100-travel unit; 110-frame member (main body); 111-swing shaft; 112-swing arm; 113-wheel; 114-rotation shaft; 120-swing transmission unit; 121-first swing sprocket (first swing rotating body); 122-second swing sprocket (second swing rotating body); 123-first transmission sprocket (first transmission rotating body); 124-second transmission sprocket (second transmission rotating body); 125-linkage shaft; 126- The 1st chain (the 1st transfer bar); 127-the 2nd chain (the 2nd transfer bar); 131-the 3rd shaking sprocket (the 3rd shaking rotating body); 132-the 4th shaking sprocket (the 4th shaking rotating body); 133-the 3rd transfer sprocket (the 3rd transfer rotating body); 134-the 4th transfer sprocket (the 4th transfer rotating body); 136-the 3rd chain (the 3rd transfer bar); 137-the 4th chain (the 4th transfer bar); FG-flat surface; TG-convex surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Hereinafter, a travel unit 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0031] In addition, since the illustration of other structures of the traveling vehicle other than the traveling unit 100 is omitted, the main body 110 is depicted as being divided into left and right parts, but in fact, the left and right main body parts 110 are connected and integrated by other structures not shown in the figure, and the relative positions of the rocking shaft 111 (the first rocking shaft 11R, the second rocking shaft 111L) and the linkage shaft 125 are fixed.

[0032] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the travel unit 100 involved in the first embodiment of the present invention includes: a main body 110; a swing transmission part 120, which is connected to the main body 110; a pair of left and right swing arms 112 (a first swing arm 112R and a second swing arm 12L), which are swingably arranged on the swing transmission part 120 with a swing shaft 111 (a first swing shaft 11R and a second swing shaft 111L) as the center; and wheels 113 (a first wheel 113R and a second wheel 113L), which are rotatably connected to the swing arms 112 via rotating shafts 114 (a first rotating shaft 114R and a second rotating shaft 114L), respectively.

[0033] The swing transmission part 120 comprises: a first swing sprocket 121, which is a first swing rotating body connected to a first swing arm 112R via a first swing shaft 111R; a second swing sprocket 122, which is a second swing rotating body connected to a second swing arm 112L via a second swing shaft 111L; a first transmission sprocket 123, which is a first transmission rotating body that transmits rotation via the first swing sprocket 121 and a first transmission bar body, i.e., a first chain 126; and a second transmission sprocket 124, which is a second transmission rotating body that transmits rotation via a second swing sprocket 122 and a second transmission bar body, i.e., a second chain 127.

[0034] The first transmission sprocket 123 and the second transmission sprocket 124 are connected via an interlocking shaft 125 that couples the rotation axes of each other.

[0035] The first chain 126 is fixed at both ends to the first oscillating sprocket 121 and the first transmission sprocket 123 , and is wound between the lower side of the first oscillating sprocket 121 and the lower side of the first transmission sprocket 123 .

[0036] The second chain 127 is fixed at both ends to the second oscillating sprocket 122 and the second transmission sprocket 124 , and is wound between the lower side of the second oscillating sprocket 122 and the upper side of the second transmission sprocket 124 .

[0037] Therefore, the first oscillating sprocket 121 and the second oscillating sprocket 122 can rotate in opposite directions in conjunction with each other.

[0038] Next, based on Figures 6 to 8 The interlocking operation of the first wheel 113L and the second wheel 113R of the travel unit 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0039] First, if Figure 7 As shown, when the second wheel 113L of the travel unit 100 rides from the flat surface FG onto the convex surface TG during traveling on the flat surface FG, the second swing arm 112L swings upward around the second swing shaft 111L.

[0040] At this time, the second swing sprocket 122 connected to the second swing arm 112L via the second swing shaft 111L also rotates. Since the second transmission sprocket 124 and the second swing sprocket 122 have the second chain 127 wound around them in opposite directions, the second transmission sprocket 124 rotates in the opposite direction to the second swing sprocket 122 .

[0041] Furthermore, since the first transmission sprocket 123 and the second transmission sprocket 124 are connected via the interlocking shaft 125 that couples the rotation axes of each other, the first transmission sprocket 123 rotates in the same direction as the second transmission sprocket 124 .

[0042] Since the first chain 126 is wound around the first transmission sprocket 123 and the first swing sprocket 121 in the forward direction, the first swing sprocket 121 rotates in the same direction as the first transmission sprocket 123 and in the opposite direction to the second swing sprocket 122 .

[0043] As a result, the first swing arm 112R connected to the first swing sprocket 121 via the first swing shaft 111R swings downward, and the first wheel 113R contacts the flat surface FG.

[0044] When the vehicle moves and the second wheel 113L moves from the convex surface TG to the flat surface FG, the second wheel 113L loses the force to swing upward and starts to swing downward together with the second swing arm 112L due to its own weight.

[0045] On the other hand, the first wheel 113R maintains a state of contacting the flat surface FG while being swung upward together with the first swing arm 112R as viewed from the first swing shaft 111R, and contacts the flat surface FG with the rotation axes 114 of the pair of left and right wheels 113 aligned.

[0046] In this way, since the left and right pair of wheels 113 are constructed to be linked and rocked in opposite directions, even if one wheel 113 rides on a step, the main body 110 will not tilt significantly, and the other wheel 113 can be grounded, thereby improving driving stability.

[0047] Furthermore, of course, when only the first wheel 113R is rocked upward, the linkage relationship between the first wheel 113R and the second wheel 113L also operates to cause the second wheel 113L to rock downward.

[0048] Furthermore, when the vehicle is turning or the like, even when the vehicle body is tilted, both the first wheel 113R and the second wheel 113L can be brought into contact with the ground, thereby improving the driving stability.

[0049] Furthermore, each sprocket around which the end-shaped first chain 126 and the second chain 127 are wound may not have teeth on part or all of the outer circumference as long as the ends of the respective chains can be fixed and the force in the tensile direction can be transmitted.

[0050] In addition, the first chain 126 wound in the forward direction may be formed in an endless shape and wound around the entire circumference.

[0051] like Fig. 9As shown, in addition to the same structure as the first embodiment, the travel unit 100b involved in the second embodiment of the present invention has: a third rocking sprocket 131, which is a third rocking rotating body axially adjacent to the first rocking sprocket 121 and rotates integrally therewith; a fourth rocking sprocket 132, which is a fourth rocking rotating body axially adjacent to the second rocking sprocket 122 and rotates integrally therewith; a third transmission sprocket 133, which transmits rotation through the third rocking sprocket 131 and the third transmission bar body, i.e., the third chain 136; and a fourth transmission sprocket 134, which transmits rotation through the fourth rocking sprocket 132 and the fourth transmission bar body, i.e., the fourth chain 137.

[0052] The first transmission sprocket 123 , the second transmission sprocket 124 , the third transmission sprocket 133 , and the fourth transmission sprocket 134 are connected via an interlocking shaft 125 that couples the rotation axes of each other.

[0053] Similar to the first embodiment, the first chain 126 is fixed at both ends to the first oscillating sprocket 121 and the first transmission sprocket 123 , and is wound between the lower side of the first oscillating sprocket 121 and the lower side of the first transmission sprocket 123 .

[0054] Similar to the first embodiment, the second chain 127 is fixed at both ends to the second oscillating sprocket 122 and the second transmission sprocket 124 , and is wound between the lower side of the second oscillating sprocket 122 and the upper side of the second transmission sprocket 124 .

[0055] In the present embodiment, the third chain 136 is fixed at both ends to the third oscillating sprocket 131 and the third transmission sprocket 133 , and is wound between the upper side of the third oscillating sprocket 131 and the upper side of the third transmission sprocket 133 .

[0056] The fourth chain 137 is fixed at both ends to the fourth oscillating sprocket 132 and the fourth transmission sprocket 134 , and is wound between the upper side of the fourth oscillating sprocket 132 and the lower side of the fourth transmission sprocket 134 .

[0057] Therefore, the third rocking sprocket 131 and the fourth rocking sprocket 132 are the same as the first rocking sprocket 121 and the second rocking sprocket 122, and their rotation can be linked in opposite directions. Even when the main body 100b is lifted to make the wheels 113 of both sides (the first wheel 113R and the second wheel 113L) float from the ground, the rocking arms 112 of both sides (the first rocking arm 112R and the second rocking arm 112L) will effectively link in opposite directions and will not rock downward together.

[0058] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention described in the claims.

[0059] The travel unit according to the present invention can be used for various vehicles that can travel with wheels, such as a vehicle equipped with an engine, an electric motor, etc., a bicycle driven by manpower, and a cart for transporting goods.

[0060] In the above-described embodiment, the wheels of the travel unit function as rear wheels of the travel vehicle. However, the configuration of the travel unit is not limited thereto, and for example, the travel unit may be installed to function as front wheels of the travel vehicle.

[0061] Furthermore, although the transmission strip is constituted by a chain in the above-mentioned embodiment, the transmission strip may be a belt-like body such as a transmission belt or a linear body such as a cable.

Claims

1. A travel unit comprising: a main body; a swing transmission part, which is arranged on the main body; a pair of left and right swing arms, which are swingably arranged on the swing transmission part with a swing axis as the center; and wheels, which are respectively arranged on the swing arms, characterized in that: The swing transmission part comprises: a first swing rotating body, which rotates in conjunction with the swing of the swing arm on one side; a second swing rotating body, which rotates in conjunction with the swing of the swing arm on the other side; a first transmission rotating body, which transmits rotation through the first swing rotating body and the first transmission strip body; and a second transmission rotating body, which transmits rotation through the second swing rotating body and the second transmission strip body. The first transmission rotating body and the second transmission rotating body are connected via a linkage shaft that connects the rotation axes of each other. The first oscillating rotating body and the second oscillating rotating body are configured so as to be able to rotate in conjunction with each other in opposite directions.

2. The travel unit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first transmission bar body is composed of a chain with an end connected to the first swing rotating body at one end and connected to the first transmission rotating body at the other end. The second transmission strip body is composed of a chain having an end connected to the second swing rotating body at one end and connected to the second transmission rotating body at the other end.

3. The travel unit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shaking transmission part comprises: a third shaking rotating body, which is adjacent to the first shaking rotating body in the axial direction and rotates integrally with it; a fourth shaking rotating body, which is adjacent to the second shaking rotating body in the axial direction and rotates integrally with it; a third transmission rotating body, which transmits rotation through the third shaking rotating body and the third transmission strip body; and a fourth transmission rotating body, which transmits rotation through the fourth shaking rotating body and the fourth transmission strip body. The third transmission rotating body and the fourth transmission rotating body are connected via a linkage shaft. The third transmission strip body is configured to transmit rotation caused by tension in the opposite direction to that of the first transmission strip body. The fourth transmission strip body is configured to transmit rotation caused by tension in a direction opposite to that of the second transmission strip body.

4. The travel unit according to claim 3, characterized in that: The third transmission bar body is composed of a chain with an end connected to the third swing rotating body at one end and connected to the third transmission rotating body at the other end. The fourth transmission strip body is composed of a chain with an end connected to the fourth swing rotating body at one end and connected to the second transmission rotating body at the other end.

5. A traveling vehicle comprising a vehicle body, a front traveling portion having wheels, and a rear traveling portion having wheels, wherein: At least one of the front running section and the rear running section is constituted by any one of the running units according to claim 1 to claim 4 .

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