Utility vehicle

• US 9,902,448 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2015
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kato, Takaaki, Ito, Tomoki, Okubo, Susumu
• Primary Examiner(s): Rocca, Joseph M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yeagley, Daniel S
• Application Number:
  US14/826,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20160052575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 15/26 Auxiliary wheels or rings with traction-increasing surface attachable to the main wheel body
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 15/263 Traction increasing surface being located axially beside tire
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 2900/721 Use under adverse external conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/20 Off-Road Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 61/12 with variable number of ground engaging wheels, e.g. with some wheels arranged higher than others, or with retractable wheels for manoeuvring purposes only B60S

Abstract

In a utility vehicle having a body and driven wheels rotatably fastened to the body, auxiliary driven wheels, having an outer diameter smaller than that of the driven wheels and a width equal to or smaller than that of the driven wheels, are coaxially fixed to the driven wheels.

Claims

1. A utility vehicle autonomously navigating in a work area including humps and hollows, having a body and a driven wheel rotatably fastened to the body, comprising:

an auxiliary driven wheel coaxially fixed to the driven wheel and having an outer diameter smaller than that of the driven wheel and a width equal to or smaller than that of the driven wheel, wherein

the auxiliary driven wheel has an outer peripheral surface formed in a circular cylindrical shape to contact the ground, an inner surface connected to the outer peripheral surface, a closed side face fixed to a side face of the driven wheel, and an opened side face opposing to the closed side face in an axial direction of the driven wheel, the auxiliary driven wheel being formed at the opened side face with multiple projections projecting outwardly of the auxiliary driven wheel from an end of the outer peripheral surface in the axial direction,

wherein the outer peripheral surface has;

multiple ribs extending from the closed side face to the opened side face in a direction parallel to the axial direction, provided at regular intervals over an entire surface of the outer peripheral surface, and continuously bulging out from the outer peripheral surface to project radially outward from the outer peripheral surface; and

members radially spaced from the inner surface and extending from each of the ribs to adjacent ribs and extending from the closed side face to the opened side face, along the outer peripheral surface,

wherein the projections project from ends of the ribs, and

wherein each circumferential side of each rib has one of the members fastened thereon.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the closed side face is formed with holes for passing bolts to be fastened to the driven wheel.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle has the body and a pair of the driven wheels rotatably fastened to the body, and the auxiliary driven wheel comprises a pair of wheels each coaxially fixed to the driven wheels at inner sides of the driven wheels.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the width of the auxiliary driven wheel including the projections is equal to or smaller than the width of the driven wheel.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the outer peripheral surface is divided into the members by the ribs.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the projections smoothly project from the end of the outer peripheral surface and the ends of the ribs.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein an open side of each member is arched inwardly toward a closed side of each member.