Steered vehicle

• US 6,932,173 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2001
• Issued: 08/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stephen Carl Henderson
• Original Assignee: Stephen Carl Henderson
• Inventors: Henderson, Stephen Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FREEDMAN, LAURA
• Application Number:
  US10/312,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20030168825A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,512 Days
• Field of Search: 180/24.01, 180/209, 180/449, 280/402, 280/403, 280/43, 280/81.1, 280/81.5, 280/81.6, 280/432, 105/72.2, 105/166, 105/168, 105/215.2
• US Class Current: 180/24.01
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 13/00 Steering specially adapted for trailers combined traction and steering hitches B60D
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 13/005 operated from tractor steering system

Abstract

The steered vehicle, which may be a road vehicle or a vehicle devised to be usable upon road surfaces and also upon a rail line, has road wheels or a combination of road and rail wheels as required. The wheels are mounted upon a bogie pivoted about a generally vertical pivot and the vehicle has a main steering control to align at least some of the wheels with the intended direction of travel of the bogie, and a supplementary steering control to modify the steered path produced by that main steering control.

Claims

1. An improved steered vehicle, having road wheels or a combination of road and rail wheels, said wheels being mounted upon a bogie pivoted about a generally vertical pivot, a main steering control to align at least some of the wheels with an intended direction of travel of the bogie thereby producing a steered path, and a supplementary steering control that applies a yaw movement on the bogie to independently modify the steered path produced by said main control.

2. A steered vehicle as claimed in claim 1, having both road wheels and rail wheels, wherein one or other of those two types of wheels are vertically movable relative to the bogie.

3. A steered vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main steering control is provided by means of hydraulic cylinders.

4. A steered vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main steering control is provided by a self-steering bogie.

5. A steered vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pivoting of the bogie by the supplementary steering control is achieved by means of actuators selected from the group consisting of hydraulic, pneumatic and electromagnetic actuators.

6. A steered vehicle as claimed in claim 5, wherein said hydraulic actuators comprise opposing hydraulic cylinders, with hydraulic fluid able to flow between them.

7. A steered vehicle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the flow of said hydraulic fluid between said cylinders is controlled by valves, to pivot the bogie in a selected direction or to lock it in one position.

8. A steered vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said supplementary steering is controlled by the vehicle driver.

9. A steered vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said supplementary steering is controlled by means of an array of sensors.

10. A steered vehicle as claimed in claim 9, wherein the sensors detect the position of rail lines.

11. A steered vehicle as claimed in claim 9, wherein the sensors detect the position of a guide line.

12. A steered vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extent of the modification produced by the supplementary steering control is limited.

13. A steered vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein additional sensors are disposed behind said bogie, to assist reversal of the vehicle.