Ordnance – Mounts – For field use
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-22
2001-07-17
Johnson, Stephen M. (Department: 3641)
Ordnance
Mounts
For field use
C089S036080, C305S120000, C305S121000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06260465
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tracked vehicle comprising a hull and a driven track suspension on each of two side walls. The track suspension comprises an idler wheel, road wheels with lugs, return rollers and a drive wheel that is meshed with the track. The track suspension and the hull are connected by means of vibration-damping materials.
2. Background Information
A problem experienced with military tracked vehicles is that vibrations that are essentially generated in the track and components of the track suspension can be transferred via the track support on the frame to the rest of the vehicle and thus to the crew inside the hull.
These vibrations and oscillations not only adversely affect the performance of the crew, but also reduce the effectiveness of all of the installed observational or optical and electronic equipment. The vibrations and oscillations may also require the use of additional construction measures to protect the equipment against vibration and shock.
An additional disadvantage is the loud running noise which facilitates auditory detection of a tracked vehicle.
To prevent and dampen vibration, German Patent No. 37 25 920 C2 discloses the use of a decoupled track suspension that is attached to the hull by means of a permanently elastic material.
German Patent No. 41 23 778 C2 further discloses a tracked vehicle in which the two halves of the track suspension are attached on the left and right sidewalls of the vehicle frame by means of a vibration damping material, and the two track supports are connected to one another by means of diagonal ties and struts.
A problem with known configurations is to connect the final drives with the engine located in the front or rear of the vehicle to the track wheels and to decouple the final drives from the vehicle hull, in which the final drives are mounted.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is, with a generic configuration, to decouple the drives before the hull and to also realize a track support as an autarkic or independent or self-sufficient unit with high rigidity and large mass.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To achieve this object, the present invention teaches that the track suspension can be mounted on a U-shaped bridge element with lateral track supports and a connecting floor plate, that each of the lateral track supports can be equipped with an electric drive motor and that the hull can be suspended in the bridge element by substantially vibration-damping elements.
This can substantially prevent vibrations from the track suspension and drive motor from being transferred to the hull via the outboard electric drive motors installed on the drive wheel as final drives. Furthermore, the strength and rigidity of the oscillating track drive can be increased by incorporation of the final drive.
The features disclosed hereinbelow disclose additional advantageous embodiments. The following advantages can be achieved:
Increase of the oscillating mass with improved vibration characteristics;
Increased protection against mines and shock, in addition to an intermediate space for decoupling the introduction of shock;
Location of the electric power source with diesel engine and generator outside the hull between the two halves of the track suspension;
Improved protection of the crew inside the hull by means of additional ballistic protection in the track skirts or guards and to the front by means of the connection of the two halves of the track suspension, which can form a stowage and engine compartment or compartments.
The above discussed embodiments of the present invention will be described further hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying figures. When the word “invention” is used in this specification, the word “invention” includes “inventions”, that is, the plural of “invention”. By stating “invention”, the Applicants do not in any way admit that the present application does not include more than one patentably and non-obviously distinct invention, and maintain that this application may include more than one patentably and non-obviously distinct invention. The Applicants hereby assert that the disclosure of this application may include more than one invention, and, in the event that there is more than one invention, that these inventions may be patentable and non-obvious one with respect to the other.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4068732 (1978-01-01), Granryd
patent: 4647116 (1987-03-01), Trask
patent: 5178405 (1993-01-01), Brandstadter
patent: 5697463 (1997-12-01), Schlegl
patent: 1954797 (1971-05-01), None
patent: 3725920 (1989-02-01), None
patent: 4123778 (1992-04-01), None
patent: 4123771 (1993-01-01), None
Böttcher Ralf
Zonak Armin
Johnson Stephen M.
MaK System Gesellschaft mbH
Nils H. Ljungman & Associates
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