All wheel steering system
First Claim
1. A four wheel steering system for a vehicle comprising front and rear pairs of steerable wheels, control means for selecting a plurality of steering modes, said modes including a first mode in which steering of said rear pair of wheels is generally fixed, a second mode in which movement of said rear pair of wheels is generally opposite to that of said front pair, a third mode in which movement of said rear pair is generally similar to that of said front pair, and a fourth mode in which movement of said rear and front pairs of wheels can be controlled independently and simultaneously from a single steering control location, locking means for limiting steering of said rear pair of wheels, said locking means being automatically actuated when said vehicle exceeds a predetermined vehicle speed.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An all wheel steering system for heavy vehicles such as airport and municipal service vehicles. The system includes several display devices to inform the operator of the operational status of various components of the system. A rear wheel lock-out is provided to ensure safe operation by preventing rear steering above a pre-set vehicle speed. The system can be adjusted so that rear steering response timing and front and rear steering range angles can be varied to fit particular applications.
66 Citations
20 Claims
- 1. A four wheel steering system for a vehicle comprising front and rear pairs of steerable wheels, control means for selecting a plurality of steering modes, said modes including a first mode in which steering of said rear pair of wheels is generally fixed, a second mode in which movement of said rear pair of wheels is generally opposite to that of said front pair, a third mode in which movement of said rear pair is generally similar to that of said front pair, and a fourth mode in which movement of said rear and front pairs of wheels can be controlled independently and simultaneously from a single steering control location, locking means for limiting steering of said rear pair of wheels, said locking means being automatically actuated when said vehicle exceeds a predetermined vehicle speed.
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12. A four wheel steering system for a vehicle comprising front and rear pairs of steerable wheels, control means for selecting a plurality of steering modes, said modes including a first mode in which steering of said rear pair of wheels is generally fixed, a second mode in which movement of said rear pair of wheels is generally opposite to that of said front pair, a third mode in which movement of said rear pair is generally similar to that of said front pair, and a fourth mode in which movement of said rear and front pairs of wheels can be controlled independently and simultaneously from a signal steering control location, locking means for limiting steering of said rear pair of wheels, said locking means being automatically actuated when said vehicle exceeds a predetermined vehicle speed,
said system including rear wheel display mean for constantly informing an operator as to the orientation of said rear pair of wheels.
Specification