Vehicle drive unit and remotely controllable vehicle therewith

• US 9,731,571 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2016
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ontario Drive & Gear Limited
• Original Assignee: Ontario Drive and Gear, Ltd.
• Inventors: Visscher, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): AVILA, STEPHEN P
• Application Number:
  US15/249,107
• Publication Number:
  US 20160361962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 354 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60F 3/0007 Arrangement of propulsion or steering means on amphibious vehicles marine propulsion or steering B63H
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 1/04 with divided axle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 21/045 between wheels on different axles on the same side of the vehicle, i.e. the left or the right side
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 21/05 between wheels on the same axle but on different sides of the vehicle, i.e. the left and right wheel suspensions being interconnected
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2200/422 Driving wheels or live axles
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/421 Pivoted lever mechanisms for mounting suspension elements, e.g. Watt linkage
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/8102 diagonally arranged
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/8302 Mechanical
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/8306 Permanent; Continuous
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/07 Off-road vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/08 Agricultural vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/28 Amphibious vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/50 Electric vehicles; Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 5/02 mounted on a single pivoted arm , e.g. the arm being rigid
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/00 Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00; electric transmission arrangements B60K17/12; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles per se B60L; current-collectors for power supply lines of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/342 having a longitudinal, endless element, e.g. belt or chain, for transmitting drive to wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/60 Industrial applications, e.g. pipe inspection vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 63/025 Modular vehicles superstructures for busses having modular sections B62D31/025
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2702/02 Mechanical transmissions with planetary gearing combined with one or more other mechanical transmissions
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 37/02 comprising essentially only toothed or friction gearings
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 : characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00

Abstract

A vehicle drive unit and land vehicle comprising the drive unit are disclosed. Each drive unit comprises a pair of longitudinally aligned and longitudinally spaced apart ground wheels. The land vehicle comprises a pair of drive units on opposite sides thereof. The drive units comprise an electric motor for powering the pair of wheels and a gear drive assembly comprising structure for disengaging the electric motor from the ground wheels. The drive units may be remotely controllable, may be water-tight and may be floatable. The vehicle comprising the drive unit may be amphibious.

Claims

1. A vehicle drive unit comprising:

a pair of longitudinally aligned and longitudinally spaced apart ground wheels;

an electric motor operatively coupled to the pair of wheels by a gear drive assembly;

a housing enclosing the gear drive and motor to which the pair of wheels is operatively mounted; and

,

a pivot structure configured to pivotally mount the drive unit to a land vehicle, the pivot structure comprising either

a pivot shaft receiving member located on the housing between the pair of wheels, the pivot shaft receiving member having an aperture configured to receive a drive shaft therein, the aperture configured to allow pivoting movement of the drive unit about a pivot axis passing through the pivot structure, or

a stub shaft located on the housing beneath the gear drive assembly, the stub shaft extending from the drive unit to be received within a corresponding aperture on a body of the vehicle, the stub shaft configured to allow pivoting movement of the drive unit about the pivot axis.

2. The vehicle drive unit of claim 1, wherein the aperture is configured with a bearing and/or bushing to allow the pivoting movement of the drive unit when the drive shaft is received within the aperture.

3. The vehicle drive unit of claim 2, wherein the pivot axis passes through a center of the pivot structure.

4. The vehicle drive unit of claim 1, wherein the stub shaft extends inwardly of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle drive unit of claim 1, wherein the housing is water-tight and wherein the drive unit is capable of floating.

6. The vehicle drive unit of claim 1, wherein the ground wheels are configured with treads suitable for propelling the drive unit on land as well as on water.

7. The vehicle drive unit of claim 1, wherein the drive unit comprises structure suitable for connection to an electrical power supply.

8. The vehicle drive unit of claim 1, wherein the gear drive assembly comprises a planetary gear arrangement having a single drive gear and a pair of driven gears corresponding to the pair of ground wheels.

9. The vehicle drive unit of claim 8, wherein each drive gear is coupled to its respective ground wheel by a rotatable drive structure configured to interact with an endless tension structure.

10. The vehicle drive unit of claim 9, wherein the rotatable drive structure comprises a drive sprocket and wherein the endless tension structure comprises a drive chain.

11. The vehicle drive unit of claim 9, wherein the rotatable drive structure comprises a drive pulley and wherein the endless tension structure comprises a drive belt.

12. The vehicle drive unit of claim 9, wherein the rotatable drive structure has an axis of rotation that is not co-axially aligned with an axis of rotation of the drive gear when the gear drive assembly is in operation.

13. The vehicle drive unit of claim 9, wherein the gear drive assembly comprises an engagement structure for maintaining engagement between the rotatable drive structure and the drive gear when in a first position and for permitting disengagement of the rotatable drive structure from the drive gear when in a second position.

14. The vehicle drive unit of claim 13, wherein the engagement structure is moveable between the first position and the second position by an operator of the drive unit.

15. A land vehicle comprising:

a vehicle body;

a pair of drive units pivotally attached on opposite sides of the vehicle body, each drive unit comprising a pair of longitudinally aligned and longitudinally spaced apart ground wheels, an electric motor operatively coupled to the pair of wheels by a gear drive assembly, a housing enclosing the gear drive and motor to which the pair of wheels is operatively mounted, and a pivot structure configured to pivotally mount the drive unit to the vehicle located on the housing between the pair of wheels, the pivot structure comprising a pivot shaft receiving member having an aperture configured to receive a drive shaft therein, the aperture configured to allow pivoting movement of the drive unit about a pivot axis passing through a center of the pivot structure;

an electrical power supply; and

,

remote control structure for the vehicle configured to permit differential operation of the drive units.

16. The land vehicle of claim 15, wherein the vehicle body is water-tight and configured to float.

17. The land vehicle of claim 16, wherein the vehicle is amphibious.

18. The land vehicle of claim 15, wherein the vehicle is remotely controllable via a radio transceiver.

19. The land vehicle of claim 18, wherein there is a radio transceiver for each vehicle drive unit.

20. The land vehicle of claim 15, wherein the electrical power supply is located in the vehicle body and comprises a battery.

21. The land vehicle of claim 15, wherein the vehicle comprises an electrical supply cable passing from each drive unit to the vehicle body.

22. The land vehicle of claim 21, wherein the structure configured to pivotally mount each drive unit to the vehicle is hollow and contains the electrical supply cable.

23. The land vehicle of claim 15, wherein there is a disconnect switch on the vehicle body for interrupting power to both drive units.

24. The land vehicle of claim 15, wherein the vehicle further comprises a vehicle suspension configured to cause the vehicle drive units to pivotally move in opposite directions to one another.

25. The land vehicle of claim 24, wherein the vehicle suspension comprises a pair of suspension links, each link being pivotally attached at one end to a respective drive unit and at an opposite end to a suspension cross member that is pivotally mounted to the vehicle body for movement about a central vertical pivot axis, the vehicle suspension configured such that pivoting movement of one drive unit in a first direction about the structure configured to pivotally mount the drive unit to the vehicle causes the other drive unit to move in a second direction opposite the first direction via pivoting movement of the suspension cross member about the central vertical pivot axis.

26. The land vehicle of claim 15, wherein the vehicle further comprises a drive unit bushing between each drive unit and the vehicle body, each drive unit bushing configured to engage both the vehicle body and the drive unit during operation of the vehicle.

27. The land vehicle of claim 26, wherein the drive unit bushing comprises at least an arcuately shaped portion concentric with the structure configured to pivotally mount the drive unit to the vehicle and is configured to slidingly engage one or more of the vehicle body and the drive unit during operation of the vehicle.