Adaptive Wheel Holder Control for Rough-Terrain Work Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing work vehicles lack effective means to detect the state of the travel surface and operate link mechanisms for improved roadability and brake performance on rough terrain.
Innovation Solution
A work vehicle equipped with travel wheels, holder mechanisms, a detector, and a controller that adjusts the position and orientation of the wheels relative to the body based on surface conditions to enhance stability and brake performance on rough terrain.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the work vehicle travels on rough terrain with fixed wheel positions, then the structure is simple, but the roadability and brake performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The holder mechanisms are designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing the travel wheels to dynamically adjust their positions and orientations in response to detected surface conditions. The controller actuates these mechanisms to optimize wheel placement for both roadability and brake performance on rough terrain.
Solution Approach 2:
The detector continuously monitors the travel surface state and provides feedback to the controller, which then adjusts the holder mechanisms accordingly. This closed-loop control system enables the vehicle to adapt to changing terrain conditions, improving both roadability and brake performance through real-time wheel position optimization.
2Reliability
If the body remains close to the travel wheels, then the vehicle structure is compact, but the body contacts uneven surfaces on rough terrain
Solution Approach 1:
The holder mechanisms provide dynamic adjustment capability, allowing the body to maintain a safe distance from the travel surface by moving the wheels independently. This dynamic positioning prevents body contact with uneven surfaces while maintaining vehicle compactness through controlled motion ranges.
Solution Approach 2:
The holder mechanisms are designed as segmented, independently controllable units for each wheel, allowing localized adjustment without requiring entire body movement. This segmentation enables precise wheel positioning to navigate rough terrain while keeping the overall vehicle structure compact.
3Reliability
If the rotation axes of travel wheels are orthogonal to the traveling direction, then the wheel structure is simple, but the vehicle cannot effectively brake or stop on sloped surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The holder mechanisms enable dynamic reorientation of the travel wheels, allowing the rotation axes to be adjusted non-orthogonally to the traveling direction when needed. This dynamic orientation control improves brake performance on sloped surfaces while maintaining simple wheel structures through controlled angular adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the orientation parameter of the wheel rotation axes based on detected surface conditions. By adjusting the angular parameter of wheel orientation through the holder mechanisms, the vehicle achieves improved braking capability on slopes without fundamentally altering the wheel structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A work vehicle includes: a body 1; a plurality of travel wheels 2 at front and back portions of the body 1 on each of left and right sides; a plurality of holder mechanisms A held by the body 1 and holding the respective travel wheels 2 in such a manner as to be capable of moving the travel wheels 2 independently of one another relative to the body 1; a detector B configured to detect a state of a travel surface; and a controller C configured to, based on the state that the detector B has detected, control the holder mechanisms A to move the travel wheels 2 relative to the body 1.