Moving mechanism

• US 9,108,665 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2012
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Amino, Azusa, Nakamura, Ryosuke, Ueda, Taishi
• Primary Examiner(s): WINNER, TONY H
• Application Number:
  US14/378,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20150027801A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,261 Days
• Field of Search: 180/6.44, 180/6.48, 180/6.5, 180/411, 180/253
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 33/0052 the rolling axle being inclined
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 33/026 being actuated remotely, e.g. by cable or electrically
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 33/045 mounted resiliently, by means of dampers
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 11/14 having helical, spiral or coil springs only B60G11/006 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2200/44 steerable
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2200/46 camber angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/4232 Sliding mounts
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 3/01 the wheel being mounted for sliding movement, e.g. in or on a vertical guide camber maintaining means B60G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0418 Electric motor acting on road wheel carriers
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/002 computing target steering angles for front or rear wheels B62D7/159 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 7/02 for pivoted bogies
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 7/08 the pivotal axes being situated in a single plane transverse to the longitudinal centre line of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 7/1509 with different steering modes, e.g. crab-steering, or steering specially adapted for reversing of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/86 Optimisation of rolling resistance, e.g. weight reduction

Abstract

The moving mechanism is capable of separating an orientation of a vehicle body from a traveling direction. In addition, the moving mechanism has a low center of gravity and is capable of reducing its weight. A moving body includes a vehicle body, steering actuators, right and left steering hubs, vehicle wheel actuators, and vehicle wheels. The steering actuators are disposed on the right and left sides of the vehicle body and drivable around a vertical axis. The right and left steering hubs are driven by the steering actuators. The vehicle wheel actuators are fixed to the steering hubs. The vehicle wheels are driven by the vehicle wheel actuators and are disposed in an inclined manner with respect to a vertical direction.

Claims

1. A moving mechanism comprising:

a vehicle body;

steering actuators which are disposed on right and left sides of the vehicle body and are drivable around a vertical axis;

right and left steering hubs which are driven by the steering actuators;

vehicle wheel actuators which are fixed to the steering hubs; and

vehicle wheels which are driven by the vehicle wheel actuators and are disposed in an inclined manner relative to a vertical direction.

2. The moving mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle wheels disposed on the right and left sides are disposed in an inclined manner so as to be arranged symmetrically.

3. The moving mechanism according to claim 1, comprising:

splines and suspension members for connecting the steering actuators and the steering hubs,

wherein the suspension members expand and contract along the splines and are suspended by the vehicle body and the steering hubs.

4. The moving mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the suspension member is a suspension spring.

5. The moving mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle wheel has a shape in which the right and left sides of a central cross-sectional circle on a surface vertical to the traveling direction of the vehicle wheel are removed, and

the center of the cross-sectional circle is located on a steering axis.

6. The moving mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the suspension member is a suspension spring, and

the moving mechanism satisfies a relation represented by [Formula 2]:

d<

r sin θ

−

s cos θ

where r represents an internal diameter of the vehicle wheel, s represents a distance from a central point of a cross-sectional vehicle wheel to a cross-sectional surface on a steering side of the vehicle wheel, θ

represents an inclination angle of the vehicle wheel from the steering axis, and d represents a distance from the steering axis of the suspension spring to the side of the vehicle wheel.

7. The moving mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a driving axis of the steering actuator and a grounding point, which is a contact point between the vehicle wheel and a traveling surface, are arranged in the same straight line.

8. The moving mechanism according to claim 1, wherein one pair of the vehicle wheels is disposed in a direction vertical to the traveling direction of the vehicle body, and

the moving mechanism comprises a second vehicle wheel which freely rotates separately from the aforementioned vehicle wheels around a vertical axis and around a horizontal axis.