Omnibus

• US 5,813,487 A
• Filed: 02/28/1997
• Issued: 09/29/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEOPLAN Bus GmbH (Construcciones Y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles SA)
• Original Assignee: Gottlob Auwärter GmbH & Co. KG.
• Inventors: Lee, Robert, David, Karl-Heinz
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Brian L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): AVERY, BRIDGET D
• Application Number:
  US08/807,252
• Time in Patent Office: 578 Days
• Field of Search: 180/413, 180/412, 180/65.3, 180/65.4, 180/65.5, 180/414, 180/415, 180/65.1
• US Class Current: 180/65.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/14 Buses
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/02 comprising more than one electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/34 for driving both front and rear wheels, e.g. four wheel drive vehicles arrangement or mounting of control devices for changing number of driven wheels B60K23/08
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 5/00 Arrangement or mounting of internal-combustion or jet-propulsion units B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 5/04 with the engine main axis, e.g. crankshaft axis, transversely to the longitudinal centre line of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/46 Series type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 7/0007 the motor being electric
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2036 Electric differentials, e.g. for supporting steering vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/18 Buses
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/62 charged by low-power generators primarily intended to support the batteries, e.g. range extenders
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/143 Busses
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/1432 Low floor busses
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 47/02 for large numbers of passengers, e.g. omnibus
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 7/142 specially adapted for particular vehicles, e.g. tractors, carts, earth-moving vehicles, trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 7/159 characterised by computing methods or stabilisation processes or systems, e.g. responding to yaw rate, lateral wind, load, road condition
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

An omnibus with steered front wheels as well as steered and driven rear wheels, the rear wheels being arranged in the region of a rear end of the omnibus such that wheel housings associated with the rear wheels are arranged essentially at the rear end and/or outside the passenger compartment. A particularly compact and economical drive is obtained due to fact that the drive for the rear wheels comprises an electric drive, wherein the rear wheels are driven by wheel hub motors free of slip and the wheel hub motors are designed as electric motors.

Claims

1. An omnibus comprising:

steered front wheels as well as steered and driven rear wheels, said rear wheels being arranged in a rear end region of the omnibus such that wheel housings associated with the rear wheels are arranged essentially at the rear end of the omnibus; and

an electric drive comprising at least one electric wheel hub motor free of slip for driving the rear wheels;

wherein a steering movement of the rear wheels is coupled to a steering movement of the front wheels such that a predeterminable, virtual wheelbase R_v is generated which is shorter than an actual wheelbase R_t.

2. An omnibus as defined in claim 1, wherein a separate electric wheel hub motor is connected to each rear wheel via a respective gear unit.

3. An omnibus as defined in claim 1, wherein the drive for the rear wheels comprises a generator driven by an internal combustion engine for supplying current to said at least one wheel hub motor.

4. An omnibus as defined in claim 3, wherein the internal combustion engine is one of a diesel engine and gasoline engine.

5. An omnibus as defined in claim 1, wherein the drive for the rear wheels comprises an accumulator used as an energy storage means.

6. An omnibus as defined in claim 1, wherein:

a control unit is provided for controlling or regulating the electric drive, a supply of energy therefor, and optionally a feedback of energy.

7. An omnibus as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

one drive unit, including a rear axle, for driving, steering and braking the rear wheels.

8. An omnibus as defined in claim 7, wherein the drive unit has a common housing.

9. An omnibus as defined in claim 8, wherein the housing is substantially soundproof in relation to a body of the omnibus.

10. An omnibus as defined in claim 7, wherein a body of the omnibus is essentially produced from a fiber composite material.

11. An omnibus as defined in claim 7, wherein the drive unit is connected to a body of the omnibus via sound absorbing and/or shock-absorbing structural elements.

12. An omnibus as defined in claim 7, wherein the drive unit provides control via linkage-less control connections to a body of the omnibus, said connections comprising at least one of electric, pneumatic and hydraulic control lines.

13. An omnibus as defined in claim 7 wherein the drive unit is adapted to be coupled to and uncoupled from a body of the omnibus.

14. An omnibus as defined in claim 12, wherein:

the control connections have rapid action couplings, such as plug connections, in the region of a transition between the body and the drive unit.

15. An omnibus as defined in claim 7, wherein the drive unit is adapted to be attached to different bodies.

16. An omnibus as defined in claim 11, wherein the drive unit is adapted to be attached to different bodies.

17. An omnibus as defined in claim 14, wherein the drive unit is adapted to be attached to different bodies.

18. An omnibus as defined in claim 7, wherein the drive unit forms a rear part of the body of the omnibus.

19. An omnibus as defined in claim 1, wherein the virtual wheelbase R_v is adjustable.

20. An omnibus as defined in claim 19, wherein an input element is provided in a driver'"'"'s compartment of the omnibus for adjusting the virtual wheelbase R_v.

21. An omnibus as defined in claim 20, wherein:

the virtual wheelbase R_v is controlled or regulated as a function of a traveling speed of the omnibus, and

the virtual wheelbase R_v is altered, in particular, towards a longer wheelbase with increasing traveling speed, proceeding from a shorter wheelbase.

22. An omnibus as defined in claim 21, wherein the shorter wheelbase is adjustable and the longer wheelbase is specifically predeterminable.

23. An omnibus as defined in claim 1, wherein for maneuvering the omnibus below a certain traveling speed, the coupling of the steering movements of the front wheels and rear wheels is adapted to be overridden and the steering of the rear wheels is adapted to be freely controlled.

24. An omnibus as defined in claim 1, wherein a coupling of the steering movements of the front wheels and the rear wheels takes place without mechanical linkage rods.

25. An omnibus as defined in claim 20, wherein a coupling of the steering movements of the front wheels and the rear wheels takes place without mechanical linkage rods.

26. An omnibus as defined in claim 1, wherein the steering of the rear wheels is activated electrically and/or hydraulically.

27. An omnibus as defined in claim 1, wherein the steering of the rear wheels is controlled or regulated as a function of a position of a steering wheel for the steering of the front wheels.

28. An omnibus as defined in claim 1, wherein a steering control unit is provided, said unit controlling or regulating the steering of the rear wheels as a function of the steering of the front wheels.

29. An omnibus as defined in claim 1, wherein the omnibus has a rear axle comprising a twin axle formed from a driven, steered axle and a steered trailing or leading axle.

30. An omnibus as defined in claim 1, wherein the omnibus has a drop-frame construction.

31. An omnibus, comprising:

steered front wheels as well as steered and driven rear wheels, said rear wheels being arranged in a rear end region of the omnibus such that wheel housings associated with the rear wheels are arranged essentially outside a passenger compartment of the omnibus; and

an electric drive comprising at least one electric wheel hub motor free of slip for driving the rear wheels;

wherein a steering movement of the rear wheels is coupled to a steering movement of the front wheels such that a predeterminable, virtual wheelbase R_v is generated which is shorter than an actual wheelbase R_t.

32. An omnibus as defined in claim 31, wherein:

said wheel housings are arranged essentially at the rear end of the omnibus.

33. An omnibus, comprising:

steered front wheels as well as steered and driven rear wheels, said rear wheels being arranged in a rear end region of the omnibus; and

an electric drive comprising at least one electric wheel hub motor free of slip for driving the rear wheels;

wherein;

a steering movement of the rear wheels is coupled to a steering movement of the front wheels; and

for maneuvering the omnibus below a certain traveling speed, the coupling of the steering movements of the front wheels and rear wheels is adapted to be overridden and the steering of the rear wheels is adapted to be freely controlled.