Motor vehicles – Special driving device – Portable track
Patent
1998-08-13
1999-12-14
Ellis, Christopher P.
Motor vehicles
Special driving device
Portable track
180 928, 89 4003, B62D 5506, F16H 702, F41H 700
Patent
active
060004851
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The following invention concerns a tracked motorized vehicle which comprises a vehicle body unit and two tracked carrier units arranged by the sides of the vehicle body unit and parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, where the vehicle body unit is formed as an engine-equipped vehicle drive module, which is connected to a front part of the respective tracked carrier units in order to give the vehicle a substantially U-shaped appearance when seen in plan view, whereby the rear parts of the tracked carrier units are cantilevered backwards from the vehicle drive module in order to form a completely free space between the rear parts of the tracked carrier units in order to be releasably connectable to a load module. The present invention consequently relates to a tracked motorized vehicle, which makes it possible to easily and quickly convert a tracked vehicle for another application, whereby different load modules can be releasably connected to the tracked vehicle through docking.
In order to permit a simple assembly and an easy dismantlability of the main component parts of such a tracked vehicle, viz. the vehicle drive module and the tracked carrier units, and simultaneously a vibration-damped attachment of the tracked carrier units in the drive module, it is proposed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention that the vehicle drive module has a rigid frame with fastening trunnions extending out from each side of its rear part for the attachment of the central part of a support beam of the respective tracked carrier unit and that the frame has, on each side of its front part, a hollow fastening device for fastening of a front end part of the beam of the respective tracked carrier unit, whereby the fastening trunnions resp. the fastening devices are connected to the respective beams via a rubber-elastic element.
Because each tracked carrier unit has, in a way known per se, a plurality of carrier wheels arranged in parallel rows on each side of the beam, it can be appropriate that the inner carrier wheels, which lie nearest to the vehicle drive module, lie somewhat in front of corresponding outer carrier wheels in the section of the tracked carrier in front of the fastening position for the fastening trunnion in the beam, while behind the fastening position for the fastening trunnion, the inner carrier wheels lie somewhat behind the corresponding outer carrier wheels. In this way, a gap is formed in the inner row of carrier wheels which is used for the elastic attachment of the fastening trunnion of the drive module. The carrier wheels in each tracked carrier can therefore be tightly packed with, consequently, a lower load on the rubber bushings of the swinging arms and a lower specific pressure against the ground through the drive tracks. By means of the mutual displacement in the longitudinal direction of the carrier wheels in the inner and outer rows of carrier wheels, a favourable plough-shape of the carrier wheels in the two track carriers in front of the fastening trunnion and a reversed plough-shape behind the fastening trunnion are achieved.
The rear parts of the track carrier units appropriately have means for their connection with the respective side parts of a load module, while the rear parts of the drive module have means for the connection with a front part of the load module. The means for the connection of the load module with the drive module and with the track carrier units appropriately comprise a vibration damping rubber-elastic element.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is described more closely below with reference to the appended drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a tracked vehicle drive module according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the vehicle in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-section, taken along line III--III in FIG. 2 through a part of one track carrier unit of the vehicle;
FIG. 4 shows an exploded perspective view of the vehicle according to the inv
REFERENCES:
patent: 3757635 (1973-09-01), Hickerson et al.
patent: 4600069 (1986-07-01), Oswald et al.
patent: 4737055 (1988-04-01), Scully
patent: 5498060 (1996-03-01), Satomi
Bottorff Christopher D
Ellis Christopher P.
Hagglunds Vechicle AB
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