Crawler Vehicle Power Pack Segmentation for Weight Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tracked vehicles face issues with weight distribution and center of gravity due to the concentrated mass density of the power pack, which affects accessibility and chain stress, especially when the power pack is mounted at the rear or front, and requires inefficient transmission assemblies near final drives.
Innovation Solution
The drive motor, gearbox, and hydraulic pump are spatially separated from the steering gear, allowing for flexible placement of the drive unit and steering gear to optimize weight distribution, reduce chain stress, and enable rear access, with the steering gear located at the rear and the drive unit at the front, utilizing direct output shafts and spur gear stages for efficient power flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the power pack (drive motor, transmission, steering gear) is concentrated in one block at the rear or front, then the vehicle structure is simplified, but the center of gravity shifts unfavorably and accessibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The power pack is segmented into two independent modules: the drive unit (drive motor, transmission, pump) and the steering gear. This segmentation allows them to be positioned at different locations along the vehicle's longitudinal axis, enabling optimized weight distribution and center of gravity positioning while maintaining structural simplicity.
2Device complexity
If the power pack is installed in the rear, then the structure is compact, but the crew cannot board from the rear
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the power pack into drive unit and steering gear, the steering gear can be positioned at the rear near the chain drive while the drive unit is placed at the front. This creates rear accessibility for crew boarding while maintaining the benefits of a compact power pack configuration.
3Device complexity
If the power pack is installed in the front, then the structure is compact, but the chain-side final drive experiences unfavorable chain stress and wear
Solution Approach 1:
The steering gear is separated from the drive unit and positioned near the rear chain drive. This allows the chain-side final drive to be located at the rear, which reduces chain stress and wear by optimizing the mechanical layout, while the drive unit remains at the front maintaining structural compactness.
4Power
If additional bevel gears are used for power transmission from the drive unit to the steering gear, then the power flow path is extended, but power loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The steering gear is extracted from the traditional power pack configuration and positioned independently near the chain drive. This allows the power transmission path to be optimized by using direct spur gear connections rather than extended bevel gear train, reducing power loss while maintaining effective power delivery to the steering mechanism.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention proposes a crawler-type vehicle (5) having a drive engine (1) as mechanical traction drive, having a shift transmission (2) coupled to the drive engine (1), and having at least one steering gear (6) which is coupled to the final drive (12, 12A) of each chain (10, 10A), and also having at least one pump (3) for the hydraulic supply of power to at least one hydraulic motor (4, 4A) of the steering gear (6), wherein the drive engine (1), the shift transmission (2) and the pump (3) are arranged, as a drive unit (16), separately from the steering gear (6).