Six-wheeled vehicle

Abstract

To provide a six-wheeled vehicle that can move in all directions.SOLUTION: A six-wheeled vehicle 100 is provided with: a main body 301; middle wheels 304 provided at left and right sides of the main body 301; front wheels 302 arranged in front of the middle wheels 304; rear wheels 303 arranged behind the middle wheels 304; and a driving mechanism 311 that turns the middle wheels 304 respectively around steering shafts extending in a vertical direction, and rotates the middle wheels 304 respectively around axles.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a six-wheeled vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a six-wheeled paddy field working vehicle including a pair of front wheels, a pair of middle wheels, and a pair of rear wheels.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Conventional six-wheeled vehicles are difficult to move in all directions.

[0005] This disclosure has been made in view of such problems, and realizes a six-wheeled vehicle capable of omnidirectional movement.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A six-wheeled vehicle according to one aspect of this disclosure includes a main body, middle wheels arranged on the left and right sides of the main body, front wheels arranged in front of the middle wheels, and rear wheels arranged behind the middle wheels, and a drive mechanism that rotates each middle wheel around a steering axis extending in the vertical direction and rotates each middle wheel around an axle. The six-wheeled vehicle according to one aspect of this disclosure includes

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to this disclosure, a six-wheeled vehicle capable of omnidirectional movement can be realized.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008] [Figure 1] This is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a rocker bogey as an example. [Figure 2] This is an explanatory diagram showing the support polygon of a rocker bogey as an example. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a six-wheeled vehicle according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing the functions of a six-wheeled vehicle according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram showing the support polygon of a six-wheeled vehicle according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram showing the turning operation of a six-wheeled vehicle according to Embodiment 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] <Reference example> A reference example of a rocker bogie 300 will be described with reference to Figure 1. A pair of front wheels 302 are positioned at the front of the body 301 of the rocker bogie 300, and a pair of rear wheels 303 are positioned at the rear of the body 301. A pair of middle wheels 304 are provided in the center of the body 301. A rocker link 305 supports the rear wheels 303. A bogie link 306 supports the front wheels 302 and the middle wheels 304. The bogie link 306 is supported at one end of the rocker link 305 so that it can swing around the pivot axis 307. The rocker link 305 is supported on the body 301 so that it can swing around the pivot axis 308. The pair of rocker links 305 are connected to each other via a differential, and it is common for the rocker links 305 to be connected to the body 301 via the differential.

[0010] At least one of the front wheels 302, rear wheels 303, and middle wheels 304 is a drive wheel. The rocker bogie 300 can turn, for example, by stopping one drive wheel and rotating the other drive wheel. When the rocker bogie 300 travels on a concave or convex road surface, each wheel makes smooth contact with the road surface.

[0011] <Embodiment 1> First, in the rocker bogie 300 of the above reference example, the problems found by the present inventors will be described. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the support polygon of the rocker bogie 300. Since the bogie link 306 is supported by the rocker link 305, the area S1 of the support polygon of the rocker bogie 300 is small. Therefore, the rocker bogie 300 has a problem of being easily unbalanced. Further, the rocker bogie 300 has a problem that it cannot move in all directions. Therefore, Embodiment 1 realizes a six-wheeled vehicle that is difficult to lose balance and can move in all directions.

[0012] Hereinafter, the six-wheeled vehicle according to Embodiment 1 will be described centering on the differences from the rocker bogie 300 according to the comparative example. The same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description will be omitted as appropriate.

[0013] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the six-wheeled vehicle 100. The six-wheeled vehicle 100 includes a main body 301, a pair of front wheels 302, a pair of rear wheels 303, a pair of middle wheels 304, a pair of bogie links 306, a swing shaft 309, and a suspension 310. The right side of FIG. 3 corresponds to the front direction of the six-wheeled vehicle 100, and the left side of FIG. 3 corresponds to the rear direction. The depth direction in FIG. 3 corresponds to the left-right direction of the six-wheeled vehicle 100.

[0014] The pair of front wheels 302 are provided on the left and right of the main body 301. The pair of front wheels 302 are arranged in front of the pair of middle wheels 304. The pair of front wheels 302 may be driven wheels.

[0015] The pair of rear wheels 303 are provided on the left and right of the main body 3是、本体301の左右に設けられる。一対の後輪303は、一対の中輪304の後方に配置される。一対の後輪303は、従動輪であってもよい。

[0016] The pair of middle wheels 304 are provided on the left and right of the main body 301. Each middle wheel 304 is an active caster that rotates around the axle and turns around a steering axis extending in the vertical direction. The axle is arranged so as to be displaced in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the steering axis.

[0017] The front wheels 302 and the rear wheels 303 may be swivel casters. The swivel casters are configured to be rotatable around the axle and to be swivellable around a swivel axis extending in the vertical direction. The axle is arranged offset in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the axle with respect to the swivel axis.

[0018] A pair of bogie links 306 are provided on the left and right sides of the main body 301. Each bogie link 306 is supported by the main body 301 so as to be able to swing around a swing axis 309 extending in the left - right direction. The swing axis 309 may be arranged behind the center in the front - rear direction of the bogie link 306. In this case, the middle wheel 304, which is an active caster, is likely to come into contact with the road surface.

[0019] The bogie link 306 supports the front wheels 302 and the rear wheels 303. The bogie link 306 may be a substantially U - shaped (C - shaped) member. The bogie link 306 may include, for example, a main body extending in the front - rear direction and two legs extending in the vertical direction. The two legs are connected to both ends of the main body. The middle wheel 304 and the front wheels 302 are connected to the two legs.

[0020] The suspension 310 is arranged between the main body 301 and each rear wheel 303. The suspension 310 expands and contracts in the vertical direction. The suspension 310 is, for example, a spring suspension including a spring (e.g., a coil spring).

[0021] Figure 4 is a block diagram for explaining the functions of the six - wheel vehicle 100. The six - wheel vehicle 100 includes a drive mechanism 311. The drive mechanism 311 includes two motors 3111. The two motors 3111 may be provided for each middle wheel 304.

[0022] One of the two motors 3111 may rotate the middle wheel 304 around the axle, and the other motor 3111 may pivot the middle wheel 304 around the steering axis. Alternatively, the two motors 3111 may rotate simultaneously, causing the middle wheel 304 to rotate around the axle, and the two motors 3111 may also rotate simultaneously, causing the middle wheel 304 to pivot around the steering axis. In other words, the drive mechanism 311 may be an interference drive mechanism.

[0023] The six-wheeled vehicle 100 may be equipped with sensors such as cameras, radar, and LiDAR. A control unit (not shown) may transmit control signals based on data collected by the sensors to the drive mechanism 311, thereby enabling the six-wheeled vehicle 100 to move autonomously.

[0024] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the support polygon of the six-wheeled vehicle 100. The support polygon has a trapezoidal shape due to the provision of the suspension 310. The area S2 of the support polygon is larger than the area S1 shown in Figure 2. The six-wheeled vehicle 100 does not include rocker links, so it is more stable than the rocker bogie 300.

[0025] The center of gravity of the six-wheeled vehicle 100 may be located behind the center in the longitudinal direction of the six-wheeled vehicle 100. If the center of gravity is located in front of the pivot axis 309, the six-wheeled vehicle 100 may lose its balance.

[0026] The six-wheeled vehicle 100 does not include rocker links, but because the suspension 310 is positioned between the main body 301 and the rear wheels 303, the active caster middle wheel 304 can be brought into contact with the ground. The six-wheeled vehicle 100 is equipped with bogie links 306, which allows it to travel on uneven surfaces.

[0027] The six-wheeled vehicle 100 is equipped with active caster wheels 304, enabling movement in all directions. The six-wheeled vehicle 100 does not need to have omni-wheels or Mecanum wheels, which generate noise. In addition, because the middle wheels 304 are less slippery than omni-wheels or Mecanum wheels, the six-wheeled vehicle 100 can easily climb inclines and overcome obstacles.

[0028] Furthermore, because the middle wheels 304 are active casters, the six-wheeled vehicle 100 is easier to turn compared to the case where the front wheels 302 or rear wheels 303 are active casters. In other words, the six-wheeled vehicle 100 can turn with little force and is less likely to slip when turning. Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the turning operation of the six-wheeled vehicle 100. The six-wheeled vehicle 100 can easily turn in place by, for example, rotating one of the pair of middle wheels 304 in one direction and rotating the other of the pair of middle wheels 304 in the opposite direction.

[0029] The symbol G indicates the position of the vehicle's center of gravity. The distance from the middle wheel 304 to the center of gravity is shorter than the distance from the front wheel 302 to the center of gravity, and also shorter than the distance from the rear wheel 303 to the center of gravity. Therefore, the six-wheeled vehicle 100 can turn with less force compared to when either the front wheel 302 or the rear wheel 303 is an active caster.

[0030] Furthermore, the six-wheeled vehicle 100 can overcome obstacles with less driving force compared to a four-wheeled vehicle. Also, when the front wheels 302 and rear wheels 303 are driven wheels, there is the advantage of having fewer drive wheels.

[0031] The diameter of the middle wheel 304 may be determined according to the height of any steps present on the road surface on which the six-wheeled vehicle 100 travels. If the middle wheel 304 is an active caster and the front wheels 302 and rear wheels 303 are driven casters, the diameter of the middle wheel 304 located in the center of the main body 301 becomes larger, which is advantageous in terms of design.

[0032] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and may be modified as appropriate without departing from its spirit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 100 Six-wheeled vehicles 300 Rocker Bogey 301 Main Unit 302 Front Wheel 303 Rear wheel 304 Middle wheel 305 Locker Link 306 Bogey Link 307, 308, 309 Oscillating shaft 310 Suspension 311 Drive mechanism 3111 Motor

Claims

1. The main unit and The drive mechanism, The main body is positioned on the left and right sides, and the intermediate wheels are driven by the drive mechanism, The front wheel is positioned in front of the aforementioned middle wheel, The rear wheel is positioned behind the aforementioned middle wheel. Equipped with, The aforementioned drive mechanism rotates each intermediate wheel around a steering shaft that extends in the vertical direction, and also rotates each intermediate wheel around an axle. The bogie links further support the front wheel and the middle wheel, The bogie link is supported by the main body so as to be able to swing around a pivot axis that extends in the left-right direction. A suspension that extends and retracts vertically is positioned between the main body and the rear wheel. The aforementioned front wheel and rear wheel are driven wheels that are swivel casters. A six-wheeled vehicle.

2. The aforementioned pivot axis is located behind the center of the bogie link in the front-rear direction. The six-wheeled vehicle according to claim 1.

3. The distance from the middle wheel to the center of gravity of the six-wheeled vehicle is shorter than the distance from the front wheel to the center of gravity, and shorter than the distance from the rear wheel to the center of gravity. A six-wheeled vehicle according to claim 1 or 2.

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