UTILITY VEHICLE

• US 20160052575A1
• Filed: 08/14/2015
• Published: 02/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Ito, Tomoki, Kato, Takaaki, Okubo, Susumu
• Granted Patent: US 9,902,448 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 15/26 Auxiliary wheels or rings with traction-increasing surface attachable to the main wheel body
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 15/263 Traction increasing surface being located axially beside tire
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 2900/721 Use under adverse external conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/20 Off-Road Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 61/12 with variable number of ground engaging wheels, e.g. with some wheels arranged higher than others, or with retractable wheels for manoeuvring purposes only B60S

Abstract

In a utility vehicle having a body and driven wheels rotatably fastened to the body, auxiliary driven wheels, having an outer diameter smaller than that of the driven wheels and a width equal to or smaller than that of the driven wheels, are coaxially fixed to the driven wheels.

Claims

1. A utility vehicle having a body and a driven wheel rotatably fastened to the body, comprising:

an auxiliary driven wheel coaxially fixed to the driven wheel and having an outer diameter smaller than that of the driven wheel and a width equal to or smaller than that of the driven wheel.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein an outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary driven wheel has multiple ribs extending in a direction parallel to an axial direction of the driven wheel.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary driven wheel is in a circular cylindrical shape having an opened side face exposed to exterior and a closed side face facing the driven wheel and formed with holes for passing bolts to be fastened to the driven wheel.

4. The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the auxiliary driven wheel is fixed to the driven wheel at the closed side face and is formed at the opened side face with multiple projections that project in a direction parallel to an axial direction of the driven wheel.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the projections project from ends of ribs extending in a direction parallel to an axial direction of the driven wheel.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an autonomously navigating utility vehicle having the body and a pair of the driven wheels rotatably fastened to the body so as to run a work area autonomously, and the auxiliary driven wheel comprises a pair of wheels each coaxially fixed to the driven wheels at inner sides of the driven wheels.