Terrain adaptive tracked high wheeler

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of agricultural transport vehicle technology and discloses a terrain-adaptive tracked high-top vehicle, including a load-bearing beam and a transport platform. The load-bearing beam connects a tension wheel, a scissor lift mechanism, and a transport wheel assembly. The load-bearing beam and the transport platform are connected by the scissor lift mechanism. Slide rails for the scissor lift mechanism to slide are provided on the upper side of the load-bearing beam and the lower side of the transport platform. A screw mechanism at the bottom of the transport platform drives one end of the scissor lift mechanism to move in the slide rail. The other end of the scissor lift mechanism is located in the slide rail above the load-bearing beam and connected to the tension wheel. When the angle of the scissor lift mechanism changes, the tension wheel also shifts along the slide rail. Drive wheels driven by motors are provided on both sides of the bottom of the transport platform. Tracks cover the outer sides of the drive wheels, transport wheel assembly, and tension wheel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of agricultural transport vehicle technology, specifically to a terrain-adaptive tracked high-foot vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] Elevated chassis transport vehicles are special vehicles that enable passage through complex terrain by raising the chassis and using a special suspension system. Currently, for ground-based vehicles such as transport vehicles, the passability of the mobile chassis is one of the most important performance characteristics, especially when operating in unstructured environments, where good flexibility and adaptability are required. Therefore, improving the passability of chassis in complex terrain environments has always been a research hotspot for experts and scholars both domestically and internationally. Currently, mobile chassis used for different road conditions in complex terrain mainly include wheeled, tracked, and legged structures. Wheeled chassis generally use a four-wheel structure, offering high speed and strong maneuverability on hard surfaces, but due to high ground pressure, they are prone to slipping, sinking, inability to overcome obstacles, or even overturning in unstructured environments such as mud, sand, and slopes. Legged chassis can meet certain special performance requirements, but their structure is complex, with more degrees of freedom, and higher power consumption. In comparison, tracked chassis have a larger contact area on soft ground, resulting in better grip, more agile movement, and stronger obstacle-crossing ability. Compared to the other two types, they are more widely used in the agricultural field, such as rice paddies, orchards, deserts, hills, and extremely cold regions.

[0003] Early chassis architectures used fixed-height steel frame structures, resulting in a high center of gravity and a tendency to tip over; the power system relied on diesel engines, which had high energy consumption and poor terrain adaptability; the mechanical balancing system had a slow response, lacked active adjustment capabilities, and had poor stability control. In addition, during long-term use and height adjustment, the track condition could not be detected, which could easily lead to mismatches in track tension. Summary of the Invention

[0004] (a) Technical problems to be solved

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a terrain-adaptive tracked high-top vehicle, which has the advantage of terrain adaptability and solves the problem of transport vehicles traversing different terrains.

[0006] (II) Technical Solution

[0007] To achieve the aforementioned terrain-adaptive objective, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a terrain-adaptive tracked high-top vehicle, comprising a load-bearing beam and a transport platform. The load-bearing beam connects a tension wheel, a scissor mechanism, and a transport wheel assembly. The load-bearing beam and the transport platform are connected via the scissor mechanism. Slide rails for the scissor mechanism to slide are provided on the upper side of the load-bearing beam and the lower side of the transport platform. A screw mechanism at the bottom of the transport platform drives one end of the scissor mechanism to move within the slide rail. The other end of the scissor mechanism is positioned in the slide rail above the load-bearing beam and connected to the tension wheel. When the angle of the scissor mechanism changes, the tension wheel also shifts along the slide rail. Drive wheels driven by motors are located on both sides of the bottom of the transport platform. Tracks cover the outer sides of the drive wheels, transport wheel assembly, and tension wheel.

[0008] The tension wheel extends to the side to increase the contact area with the track, and the contact surface is arrayed with outer tension wheel airbags. The same number of inner tension wheel airbags are provided on the inner side of the edge. The outer tension wheel airbags and the inner tension wheel airbags are connected and filled with gas.

[0009] The tensioning wheel has a frustum-shaped drainage slope on its side. When the air in the outer air bladder of the tensioning wheel is compressed and flows into the inner air bladder of the tensioning wheel, the inner air bladder of the tensioning wheel expands and fills the gap between the side of the drainage slope and the edge of the tensioning wheel. The adjacent inner air bladders of the tensioning wheel also compress each other.

[0010] A retaining ring is provided on the outer side of the sewage slope, and the diameter of the retaining ring is larger than the diameter of the top of the sewage slope.

[0011] An auxiliary wheel is provided at the hinge point of the scissor structure. The auxiliary wheel is also wrapped inside the track, and its surface is in contact with the track and rotates passively.

[0012] The auxiliary wheel has a rubber layer on the contact surface between the auxiliary wheel and the track.

[0013] The auxiliary wheel hub has a circumferential array of sliding grooves, and a sliding block is provided in the sliding groove. When the rubber layer of the auxiliary wheel is squeezed, it will push the sliding block at the pressure position to slide in the sliding groove. A strain gauge is provided below the sliding block. When the strain gauge is deformed under pressure, it will change its own resistance.

[0014] (III) Beneficial Effects

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention provides a terrain-adaptive tracked hobby vehicle, which has the following advantages:

[0016] 1. This terrain-adaptive tracked platform lift utilizes a screw-driven scissor lift mechanism. One end moves towards the center within a slide rail, reducing the angle of the scissor arms and thus smoothly and powerfully lifting the entire transport platform vertically. This effectively increases the chassis's ground clearance and prevents damage to the vehicle's underbody. Particularly ingenious is that this lifting process is not isolated. The other end of the scissor lift simultaneously moves the tension wheel towards the center along the slide rail of the load-bearing beam. This coordinated design is crucial because platform lifting changes the relative distance between the drive wheels and the load-bearing wheel set. Without a compensation mechanism, the outer track would inevitably become loose, leading to derailment, slippage, or power loss. This structure, through the displacement of the tension wheel, automatically and in real-time compensates for the track length redundancy caused by changes in vehicle height, maintaining the track at a constant tension. This ensures the reliability of the drive wheel-track engagement and transmission efficiency. It possesses excellent structural rigidity and stability, effectively resisting lateral forces when lifting heavy objects, ensuring the stability and safety of the transport platform in a high-lift state, and avoiding swaying. By placing the drive wheels directly at the bottom of the transport platform, the powertrain rises and falls with the platform. This not only simplifies the transmission design but also ensures that the drive wheels are always the active traction components, regardless of the platform's height, providing optimal obstacle-crossing traction and passability. The entire system controls the overall vehicle height and track tension through a central screw structure, achieving a unity of complex adaptive functions and simple control logic, greatly improving the system's reliability and maintainability.

[0017] 2. This terrain-adaptive tracked high-top vehicle utilizes an ingenious air pressure balance system formed by interconnected airbags on the outer and inner sides of the tensioner wheel. When the track violently impacts ground obstacles, compressing the outer airbag, gas is forced into the inner airbag. This effectively absorbs impact energy, acting like a built-in buffer to prevent damage to the track and tensioner wheel from hard collisions. It also gives the track system a flexible adaptability to sudden, strong impacts. On flat surfaces, when the track slackens and the pressure on the outer airbag decreases, the gas in the inner airbag, driven by centrifugal force and internal pressure difference, flows back to the outer airbag, causing it to expand moderately. This actively fills the space inside the track, preventing damage caused by excessive track length. To mitigate the risk of bouncing or derailment, this physics-based adaptive adjustment achieves dynamic balance of tension during operation, eliminating the need for external control intervention and significantly improving transmission smoothness and reliability. Another highlight of this design is its superior self-cleaning capability. A specially designed frustum-shaped drainage slope works in conjunction with the expansion and contraction of the inner airbags to form a highly efficient drainage system. When the vehicle is driving in mud, and silt easily seeps into the wheel rim gaps, the expansion of the inner airbags fills the space between it and the drainage slope, and adjacent airbags press against each other. This periodic action acts like a continuously pulsating pump, continuously pushing the accumulated mud and grime outwards along the inclined drainage slope. The baffle ring at the end acts as a final line of defense, ensuring that the discharged sludge does not splash back onto the core shaft, effectively protecting the bearings and transmission system and preventing malfunctions caused by hardened mud and grime. This self-cleaning mechanism significantly reduces maintenance requirements and downtime risks when working in harsh environments. This tensioning wheel design integrates three major functions: dynamic tensioning, shock absorption, and active decontamination. It not only ensures that the track system maintains appropriate tension under various terrains and loads, but also greatly enhances the durability and maintenance-free nature of the entire walking system in dirty environments. It is a key innovation that ensures that the high-foot vehicle can work reliably for a long time in the most demanding terrains.

[0018] 3. This terrain-adaptive tracked stilt vehicle utilizes auxiliary wheels located at the core hinge point of the scissor lift structure. The rubber layer on these auxiliary wheels provides effective damping support for the track sections surrounding them. This flexible contact significantly absorbs the high-frequency vibrations and impacts transmitted by the tracks during travel and obstacle crushing. This not only improves the smoothness of equipment operation but, more importantly, prevents severe vibrations from shaking off mud and dirt adhering to the upper track surface. This is crucial because falling mud can easily infiltrate the precision moving parts of the slide rails or transport wheelsets below, causing jamming, accelerated wear, or even malfunction. The auxiliary wheel thus acts as a cleaning barrier, reducing pollution sources at the source by suppressing vibration and ensuring the reliability of the core lifting and walking mechanisms in harsh environments. The revolutionary breakthrough of this design lies in upgrading the auxiliary wheel into an integrated intelligent sensing system. The sliding groove, sliding block, and strain gauge on the wheel hub together form a distributed pressure sensing array. When the track exerts pressure on the rubber layer of the auxiliary wheel, the pressure is transmitted to the corresponding sliding block. The sliding block then undergoes a slight displacement in the sliding groove, squeezing the strain gauge below. The strain gauge is a sensor based on the strain effect. When its metal or semiconductor material undergoes mechanical deformation due to force, its internal lattice structure changes accordingly, resulting in a precise and linear change in its resistance value. By measuring this change in resistance value, the magnitude of the pressure applied by the track to that point on the auxiliary wheel can be deduced. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention. Figure 1 ;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention. Figure 2 ;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the tensioning wheel structure of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the tensioning wheel of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the auxiliary wheel structure of the present invention. Figure 1 ;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the auxiliary wheel structure of the present invention. Figure 2 .

[0025] In the diagram: 1. Load-bearing beam; 2. Transport platform; 3. Scissor lift structure; 11. Tensioner wheel; 12. Transport wheel assembly; 13. Slide rail; 21. Drive wheel; 31. Auxiliary wheel; 101. Track; 111. Outer airbag of tensioner wheel; 112. Inner airbag of tensioner wheel; 113. Sewage slope; 311. Rubber layer of auxiliary wheel; 312. Sliding groove; 313. Sliding block; 314. Strain gauge; 1131. Sewage ring. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] Please see Figures 1-2 The terrain-adaptive tracked high-top vehicle includes a load-bearing beam 1 and a transport platform 2. The load-bearing beam 1 connects a tension wheel 11, a scissor lift structure 3, and a transport wheel assembly 12. The load-bearing beam 1 and the transport platform 2 are connected by the scissor lift structure 3. Both the upper side of the load-bearing beam 1 and the lower side of the transport platform 2 are provided with slide rails 13 for the scissor lift structure 3 to slide. A screw mechanism at the bottom of the transport platform 2 drives one end of the scissor lift structure 3 to move within the slide rail 13. Rotation of the screw causes one end of the scissor lift structure 3 to translate, changing its included angle and thus altering the horizontal height of the transport platform 2. The other end of the scissor lift structure 3 is located within the slide rail 13 above the load-bearing beam 1 and is connected to the tension wheel 11. When the angle of the scissor lift structure 3 changes, the tension wheel 11 also shifts along the slide rail 13. The bottom of the transport platform 2... The platform has drive wheels 21 driven by motors on both sides. The drive wheels 21, transport wheel set 12 and tension wheel 11 are wrapped with track 101. The end of the scissor arm is not a simple slider, but a slider assembly with an integrated articulation function. The slider is connected to the tension wheel 11. When the platform needs to be raised when the platform vehicle passes over uneven road surfaces, bumps or depressions, the screw rotates and drives one end of the scissor structure 3 to move towards the center on the slide rail 13, reducing its included angle and lifting the transport platform 2. At the same time, the other end of the scissor structure 3 drives the tension wheel 11 to move towards the center. Because the drive wheels 21 rise with the transport platform, the contact tightness between the track 101 and the wheel hub is ensured, and the track 101 is not too tight or too loose due to the displacement of the drive wheels 21 with the transport platform 2.

[0028] See Figures 1-4The tension wheel 11 extends laterally to increase the contact area with the track 101. Outer tension wheel airbags 111 are arrayed on the contact surface, and an equal number of inner tension wheel airbags 112 are provided on the inner side of the edge. The outer tension wheel airbags 111 and inner tension wheel airbags 112 are connected and filled with gas. A channel connects the outer tension wheel airbags 111 and inner tension wheel airbags 112 by slotting the side edge of the tension wheel 11. When the outer tension wheel airbag 111 is pressurized, gas can enter the inner tension wheel airbag 112. When the pressure on the outer tension wheel airbag 111 is insufficient, the gas in the inner tension wheel airbag 112 will flow into the outer tension wheel airbag 111 due to centrifugal force and pressure difference during rotation. The airbag configuration reduces the required distance between the track 101 and the tension wheel 11, effectively adapting to changes in airbag volume. The tensioning wheel 11 has a frustum-shaped drainage slope 113 on its side. When the outer air bladder 111 of the tensioning wheel is compressed and gas flows into the inner air bladder 112 of the tensioning wheel, the inner air bladder 112 expands and fills the gap between the side of the drainage slope 113 and the edge of the tensioning wheel 11. Adjacent inner air bladders 112 compress each other, so that during the expansion and contraction process, the inner air bladders 112 can effectively push the mud and dirt on the side of the tensioning wheel 11 along the drainage slope 113. At the same time, the mutual compression of the inner air bladders 112 in the tensioning wheel 11 ensures that when the outer air bladder 111 is under insufficient pressure, the gas inside it flows into the outer air bladder 111. A dirt-blocking ring 1131 is provided on the outer side of the drainage slope 113. The diameter of the dirt-blocking ring 1131 is larger than the top diameter of the drainage slope 113 to prevent mud and dirt from flowing into the shaft from the side.

[0029] See Figures 1-2 and Figures 5-6An auxiliary wheel 31 is provided at the hinge point of the scissor structure 3. The auxiliary wheel 31 is also wrapped inside the track 101. The edge surface of the auxiliary wheel 31 contacts the track 101 and rotates passively. An auxiliary wheel rubber layer 311 is provided on the contact surface between the auxiliary wheel 31 and the track 101. The auxiliary wheel rubber layer 311 can effectively absorb the vibration transmitted on the track 101 and prevent the mud and dirt on the surface of the track 101 located on the upper side from falling off and into the slide rail 13 or the transport wheel set 12, causing jamming. The hub surface of the auxiliary wheel 31 has a circumferential array of sliding grooves 312. A sliding block 313 is provided in the sliding groove 312. When the auxiliary wheel rubber layer 311 is squeezed, it will push the sliding block 313 at the pressure position to slide in the sliding groove 312 and below the sliding block 313. A strain gauge 314 is provided, and a sliding block 313 transmits track pressure. When the strain gauge 314 is deformed under pressure, it changes its own resistance. By changing the resistance, the condition of the track 101 can be effectively detected. Under ideal tension, the contact pressure between the auxiliary wheel 31 and the inner side of the track 101 should be uniform and stable, and its value will be maintained within a preset normal range. When the measured average pressure value is significantly lower than the normal range, it indicates that the track 101 is too loose. At this time, the meshing between the track 101 and the drive wheel and the load-bearing wheel may be poor, which may easily cause jumping or even derailment. The pressure curve may show large fluctuations because the loose track 101 will produce more slapping phenomena during operation. When the average pressure value is consistently significantly higher than the normal range, it indicates that the track 101 is tensioned too much. This will lead to increased driving resistance, increased energy consumption, and accelerated wear of track pins, wheel bearings, and tensioner airbags. If only a few of the multiple sensors arranged around the circumference of the auxiliary wheel 31 have abnormally high or low pressure, it may mean that there is local deformation or uneven wear of the track, or that the contact surface between the tensioner 11 and the track 101 is not parallel, resulting in uneven wear.

[0030] The ground contact shape of track 101 directly reflects the vehicle's fit with the terrain. On flat, hard ground, the ground pressure is evenly distributed. On soft or rugged terrain, the pressure distribution becomes more complex. When a vehicle drives over soft ground (such as mud), the contact area between track 101 and the ground increases due to sinking, but the pressure per unit area may decrease, and the overall pressure curve becomes flat. However, when pressing on a single hard protrusion (such as a rock), a sharp, instantaneous pressure peak will appear on the corresponding sensor. If the vehicle chassis is about to bottom out, track 101 will be forced to arch upwards, resulting in a sharp increase in contact pressure between track 101 and the auxiliary wheel 31 located at the apex of the scissor structure 3. When the system detects this abnormally large pressure peak, it can immediately issue an alarm to the operator or automatically instruct the lifting system to raise the vehicle body to avoid jamming.

[0031] Working principle: Both the upper side of the load-bearing beam 1 and the lower side of the transport platform 2 are equipped with slide rails 13 for the scissor lift structure 3 to slide. A screw mechanism at the bottom of the transport platform 2 drives one end of the scissor lift structure 3 to move within the slide rail 13. Rotation of the screw causes one end of the scissor lift structure 3 to translate, changing its included angle and thus altering the horizontal height of the transport platform 2. The other end of the scissor lift structure 3 is positioned within the slide rail 13 above the load-bearing beam 1 and connected to a tensioning wheel 11. When the angle of the scissor lift structure 3 changes, the tensioning wheel 11 also shifts along the slide rail 13. Drive wheels 21, driven by a motor, are located on both sides of the bottom of the transport platform 2. Tracks are provided on the outer sides of the drive wheels 21, the transport wheel assembly 12, and the tensioning wheel 11. With the 101 package, the end of the scissor arm is not a simple slider, but a slider assembly with integrated articulation function. The slider is connected to the tension wheel 11. When the platform vehicle needs to raise the transport platform 2 due to uneven road surfaces, protruding obstacles, or depressions, the screw rotates and drives one end of the scissor structure 3 to move towards the center on the slide rail 13, reducing its included angle and lifting the transport platform 2 upward. At the same time, the other end of the scissor structure 3 drives the tension wheel 11 to move towards the center. Because the drive wheel 21 rises with the transport platform, the contact tightness between the track 101 and the hub is ensured, avoiding the track 101 from being too tight or too loose due to the displacement of the drive wheel 21 with the transport platform 2.

[0032] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0033] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A terrain-adaptive tracked high-top vehicle, comprising a load-bearing beam (1) and a transport platform (2), wherein the load-bearing beam (1) is used to connect a tension wheel (11), a scissor mechanism (3), and a transport wheel assembly (12), wherein the load-bearing beam (1) and the transport platform (2) are connected by the scissor mechanism (3), characterized in that: The upper side of the load-bearing beam (1) and the lower side of the transport platform (2) are both provided with slide rails (13) for the scissor structure (3) to slide. The bottom of the transport platform (2) is provided with a screw structure to drive one end of the scissor structure (3) to move in the slide rail (13). The other end of the scissor structure (3) is set in the slide rail (13) above the load-bearing beam (1) and connected to the tension wheel (11). When the angle of the scissor structure (3) changes, the tension wheel (11) will also move along the direction of the slide rail (13). The bottom sides of the transport platform (2) are provided with drive wheels (21) driven by motors. The drive wheels (21), transport wheel set (12) and tension wheel (11) are wrapped with tracks (101). (11) The edge extends to the side to increase the contact area with the track (101), and the contact surface is arrayed with tension wheel outer airbags (111), and the same number of tension wheel inner airbags (112) are provided on the inner side of the edge. The tension wheel outer airbags (111) and tension wheel inner airbags (112) are connected and filled with gas. The tension wheel (11) has a frustum-shaped sewage slope (113) on the side. When the tension wheel outer airbag (111) is squeezed and the gas flows into the tension wheel inner airbag (112), the tension wheel inner airbag (112) expands and fills the gap between the side of the sewage slope (113) and the edge of the tension wheel (11), and the adjacent tension wheel inner airbags (112) squeeze each other.

2. A terrain adaptive tracked high wheeled vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: A dirt-blocking ring (1131) is provided on the outer side of the sewage slope (113), and the diameter of the dirt-blocking ring (1131) is larger than the top diameter of the sewage slope (113).

3. The terrain adaptive track-based high wheeler of claim 1, wherein: An auxiliary wheel (31) is provided at the hinge point of the center intersection of the scissor structure (3). The auxiliary wheel (31) is also wrapped inside the track (101). The surface of the auxiliary wheel (31) is in contact with the track (101) and rotates passively.

4. A terrain adaptive tracked high wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 3, wherein: The auxiliary wheel (31) is provided with an auxiliary wheel rubber layer (311) on the contact surface between the auxiliary wheel (31) and the track (101).

5. A terrain adaptive tracked high wheeled vehicle according to claim 4, characterized in that: The auxiliary wheel (31) has a circumferential array of sliding grooves (312) on its hub surface. A sliding block (313) is provided in the sliding groove (312). When the rubber layer (311) of the auxiliary wheel is squeezed, it will push the sliding block (313) at the pressure position to slide in the sliding groove (312). A strain gauge (314) is provided below the sliding block (313). When the strain gauge (314) is deformed under pressure, it will change its own resistance.

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