Vehicle
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A vehicle comprising:
- a body;
at least a pair of wheels including a left wheel and a right wheel which are distant from each other in a widthwise direction of the body;
an up-down moving device which is provided between the body and each of the left wheel and the right wheel and which moves said each of the left wheel and the right wheel relative to the body in upward and downward directions;
a lateral-direction posture control device which controls, when the vehicle turns, the up-down moving device so that a position of the left wheel relative to the body and a position of the right wheel relative to the body differ from each other and accordingly the body and the left and right wheels are inclined, relative to a road surface, inward of a turning circle of the vehicle; and
a gravity-center-height-position-change restraining portion which restrains a change of a height position of a gravity center of the vehicle when a turning direction of the vehicle in a turning state is changed to a direction opposite to the turning direction, as compared with when the vehicle in a straight running state is changed to the turning state.
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Accused Products
Abstract
When a vehicle turns, a body and a left and a right wheel are inclined inward of a turning circle. Consequently forces are exerted to an operator in an up-down direction, which leads to reducing discomfort felt by the operator. In addition, since a gravity center of the vehicle is moved inward of the turning circle, a turning stability of the vehicle is improved.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A vehicle comprising:
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a body; at least a pair of wheels including a left wheel and a right wheel which are distant from each other in a widthwise direction of the body; an up-down moving device which is provided between the body and each of the left wheel and the right wheel and which moves said each of the left wheel and the right wheel relative to the body in upward and downward directions; a lateral-direction posture control device which controls, when the vehicle turns, the up-down moving device so that a position of the left wheel relative to the body and a position of the right wheel relative to the body differ from each other and accordingly the body and the left and right wheels are inclined, relative to a road surface, inward of a turning circle of the vehicle; and a gravity-center-height-position-change restraining portion which restrains a change of a height position of a gravity center of the vehicle when a turning direction of the vehicle in a turning state is changed to a direction opposite to the turning direction, as compared with when the vehicle in a straight running state is changed to the turning state. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A vehicle comprising:
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a body; at least a pair of wheels including a left wheel and a right wheel which are distant from each other in a widthwise direction of the body; an up-down moving device which is provided between the body and each of the left wheel and the right wheel and which moves said each of the left wheel and the right wheel relative to the body in upward and downward directions; a lateral-direction posture control device which controls, when the vehicle turns, the up-down moving device so that a position of the left wheel relative to the body and a position of the right wheel relative to the body differ from each other and accordingly the body and the left and right wheels are inclined, relative to a road surface, inward of a turning circle of the vehicle; at least one steering wheel which is attached to a portion of the body that is located in front of the left and right wheels; a steering device which steers said at least one steering wheel; and a steering control device which controls the steering device and thereby controls steering of said at least one steering wheel; a steering instructing member which is operable by an operator; and a steering-instruction detecting device which detects an operation state of the steering instructing member, wherein the steering control device comprises an operation-state-dependent steering control portion which controls the steering of said at least one steering wheel based on the operation state of the steering instructing member detected by the steering-instruction detecting device. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A vehicle comprising:
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a body; at least a pair of wheels including a left wheel and a right wheel which are distant from each other in a widthwise direction of the body; an up-down moving device which is provided between the body and each of the left wheel and the right wheel and which moves said each of the left wheel and the right wheel relative to the body in upward and downward directions; a lateral-direction posture control device which controls, when the vehicle turns, the up-down moving device so that a position of the left wheel relative to the body and a position of the right wheel relative to the body differ from each other and accordingly the body and the left and right wheels are inclined, relative to a road surface, inward of a turning circle of the vehicle; at least one wheel which is attached to a portion of the body that is distant from the left and right wheels in a front-rear direction; a front-rear-direction posture control device which controls at least the up-down moving device to move the left and right wheels relative to the body in a same direction, and thereby controls an inclination of the body relative to the road surface with respect to the front-rear direction; a drive device which drives at least one driving wheel of a plurality of wheels comprising the left; and
right wheels and said at least one wheel;a steering device which steers at least one steering wheel of the plurality of wheels; a steering control device which controls the steering device based on an operation state of a steering instructing member; and a posture-control-failure-related running-state control device which, when at least one of the lateral-direction posture control device and the front-rear-direction posture control device fails to control a corresponding one of a lateral-direction posture and a front-rear-direction posture of the vehicle to a desirable posture, decreases at least one of an absolute value of a steering angle of said at least one steering wheel and a front-rear-direction acceleration of the vehicle.
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19. A vehicle comprising:
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a body; at least a pair of wheels including a left wheel and a right wheel which are distant from each other in a widthwise direction of the body; an up-down moving device which is provided between the body and each of the left wheel and the right wheel and which moves said each of the left wheel and the right wheel relative to the body in upward and downward directions; a lateral-direction posture control device which controls, when the vehicle turns, the up-down moving device so that a position of the left wheel relative to the body and a position of the right wheel relative to the body differ from each other and accordingly the body and the left and right wheels are inclined, relative to a road surface, inward of a turning circle of the vehicle; at least one wheel which is attached to a portion of the body that is distant from the left and right wheels in a front-rear direction; and a front-rear-direction posture control device which controls at least the up-down moving device to move the left and right wheels relative to the body in a same direction, and thereby controls an inclination of the body relative to the road surface with respect to the front-rear direction, wherein the front-rear-direction posture control device comprises a turning-braking-related control portion which controls, when turning and braking occur to the vehicle, the up-down moving device according to a deceleration of the vehicle and thereby lowers a rear portion of the body relative to a front portion thereof, and wherein the lateral-direction posture control device comprises a limit-using lateral-direction posture control portion which controls, when turning and braking occur to the vehicle, the up-down moving device to move the left and right wheels within respective limited movement ranges thereof, according to a centrifugal force exerted to the vehicle, and thereby inclines the body inward of the turning circle. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. A vehicle comprising:
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a body; at least a pair of wheels including a left wheel and a right wheel which are distant from each other in a widthwise direction of the body; an up-down moving device which is provided between the body and each of the left wheel and the right wheel and which moves said each of the left wheel and the right wheel relative to the body in upward and downward directions; a lateral-direction posture control device which controls, when the vehicle turns, the up-down moving device so that a position of the left wheel relative to the body and a position of the right wheel relative to the body differ from each other and accordingly the body and the left and right wheels are inclined, relative to a road surface, inward of a turning circle of the vehicle; at least one wheel which is attached to a portion of the body that is distant from the left and right wheels in a front-rear direction; and a front-rear-direction posture control device which controls at least the up-down moving device to move the left and right wheels relative to the body in a same direction, and thereby controls an inclination of the body relative to the road surface with respect to the front-rear direction, wherein the lateral-direction posture control device comprises a turning-driving-related control portion which controls, when turning and driving occur to the vehicle, the up-down moving device according to a centrifugal force exerted to the vehicle and thereby inclines the body inward of the turning circle, and the front-rear-direction posture control device comprises a limit-using front-rear-direction-posture control portion which controls, when turning and driving occur to the vehicle, the up-down moving device to move the left and right wheels within respective limited movement ranges thereof, according to an acceleration of the vehicle, and thereby lowers a front portion of the body relative to a rear portion thereof. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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23. A vehicle comprising:
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a body; at least a pair of wheels including a left wheel and a right wheel which are distant from each other in a widthwise direction of the body; an up-down moving device which is provided between the body and each of the left wheel and the right wheel and which moves said each of the left wheel and the right wheel relative to the body in upward and downward directions; a lateral-direction posture control device which controls, when the vehicle turns, the up-down moving device so that a position of the left wheel relative to the body and a position of the right wheel relative to the body differ from each other and accordingly the body and the left and right wheels are inclined, relative to a road surface, inward of a turning circle of the vehicle; at least one steering wheel which is attached to a portion of the body that is located in front of the left and right wheels; a steering device which steers said at least one steering wheel; and a steering control device which controls the steering device and thereby controls steering of said at least one steering wheel, wherein the steering control device comprises a steering restraining portion which, when the lateral-direction posture control portion cannot control, according to a centrifugal force exerted to the vehicle, the up-down moving device to move the left and right wheels relative to the body in the upward and downward directions, controls the steering device such that an absolute value of a steering angle of said at least one steering wheel is smaller than an absolute value of a steering angle of said at least one steering wheel when the lateral-direction-posture control portion can control the up-down moving device according to the centrifugal force.
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24. A vehicle comprising:
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a body; at least a pair of wheels including a left wheel and a right wheel which are distant from each other in a widthwise direction of the body; an up-down moving device which is provided between the body and each of the left wheel and the right wheel and which moves said each of the left wheel and the right wheel relative to the body in upward and downward directions; a lateral-direction posture control device which controls, when the vehicle turns, the up-down moving device so that a position of the left wheel relative to the body and a position of the right wheel relative to the body differ from each other and accordingly the body and the left and right wheels are inclined, relative to a road surface, inward of a turning circle of the vehicle; at least one wheel which is attached to a portion of the body that is distant from the left and right wheels in a front-rear direction; a front-rear-direction posture control device which controls at least the up-down moving device to move the left and right wheels relative to the body in a same direction and thereby controls an inclination of the body relative to the road surface with respect to the front-rear direction; an obtaining device which obtains at least one of an angle of inclination of the body with respect to the front-rear direction and an angular speed of the inclination of the body; a drive device which drives at least one driving wheel of a plurality of wheels comprising the left and right wheels and said at least one wheel; and a driving control device which controls the drive device and which comprises an acceleration restraining portion which, when the front-rear-direction posture control portion cannot control, according to a front-rear-direction acceleration of the vehicle, a front-rear-direction posture of the vehicle, controls the drive device based on said at least one of the angle of inclination of the body with respect to the front-rear direction and the angular speed of the inclination of the body, and thereby restrains the acceleration of the vehicle.
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25. A vehicle comprising:
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a body; at least a pair of wheels including a left wheel and a right wheel which are distant from each other in a widthwise direction of the body; an up-down moving device which is provided between the body and each of the left wheel and the right wheel and which moves said each of the left wheel and the right wheel relative to the body in upward and downward directions; a lateral-direction posture control device which controls, when the vehicle turns, the up-down moving device so that a position of the left wheel relative to the body and a position of the right wheel relative to the body differ from each other and accordingly the body and the left and right wheels are inclined, relative to a road surface, inward of a turning circle of the vehicle; at least one wheel which is attached to a portion of the body that is distant from the left and right wheels in a front-rear direction; and a front-rear-direction posture control device which controls at least the up-down moving device to move the left and right wheels relative to the body in a same direction and thereby controls an inclination of the body relative to the road surface with respect to the front-rear direction, wherein the front-rear-direction posture control device comprises an acceleration-deceleration-related front-rear-direction inclining portion which controls the up-down moving device to lower a front portion of the body relative to a rear portion thereof when the vehicle is accelerated by being driven and to lower the rear portion of the body relative to the front portion thereof when the vehicle is decelerated by being braked, wherein the acceleration-deceleration-related front-rear-direction inclining portion comprises an inclination-angle determining portion which determines an inclination angle of the body with respect to the front-rear direction such that an absolute value of the inclination angle of the body is greater when an absolute value of a front-rear-direction acceleration of the vehicle is great than when the absolute value of the front-rear-direction acceleration is small, and wherein the front-rear-direction posture control device further comprises an inclination-angle restraining portion which determines the inclination angle of the body with respect to the front-rear direction such that the inclination angle of the body is smaller when at least one of braking and driving occurs to the vehicle in a turning state, than when at least one of braking and driving occurs to the vehicle in a straight running state.
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Specification