Motor vehicles – Special driving device – Stepper
Patent
1996-10-28
1999-01-12
Hurley, Kevin
Motor vehicles
Special driving device
Stepper
B62D 5702
Patent
active
058575332
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention concerns a vehicle supported and driven by articulated legs, according to the preamble of claim 1. Such vehicles are previously known, designed so that they can, as opposed to normal vehicles with wheels, move in very uneven and/or rough terrain.
In the prior art, there are several examples of leg-supported vehicles designed to move in uneven terrain or to perform various operating tasks in such terrain. Such a vehicle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,555,758. This vehicle has a central body or chassis, provided with four articulated legs. Each leg is connected to the chassis by a joint disposed at the chassis and having a substantially vertical pivot axis. A first leg-segment is pivotable at this first pivot axis and is connected at one end to this vertical, first pivot joint. At the other end of the first leg-segment, there is a joint having an axis located substantially in a horizontal plane and being directed, in its neutural position, substantially in the direction of movement (forwards or backwards) of the vehicle. Counting from the chassis, externally of the second pivot axis, there are still a number of leg-segments which are moveable relative to each other at pivot joints being parallel to the second pivot joint. The outermost leg-segment is provided, at its outer end, with a drive-wheel and an associated power source. Thus, in this known embodiment, all of the other leg-segments, outside the first, vertical pivot joint, move in the same vertical plane about horizontal axes. The angle of the vertical plane relative to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, which substantially concides with the direction of movement of the vehicle, is determined by the pivot angle at the first joint. The movement of each leg-segment is accomplished by a power device, disposed between the leg-segment and the adjacent leg-segment located closer to the chassis. The device according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,758 is also provided with telescopic leg-segments. The movement of the device is achieved through adjustment of the wheels in the direction of movement.
The patent U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,924 discloses a leg-mechanism operating in principle as a pantograph mechanism, in order to move the support point at the outer end of the outer-most leg-segment in a horizontal direction. The movements of the leg are achieved by motors which drive worm-gears, along which threaded nuts connected to the leg-segments are moveable.
Both of the devices discussed above have several disadvantages. Thus, the legs described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,758 are very heavy and long, which means that the legs are unable to carry out quick movements because of the great angular momentum during pivotal movements about the joints In principle, the legs have two degrees of freedom or movement parameters, i.e. a first degree of freedom represented by the pivotal movement about the substantially vertical pivot axis at the chassis, and a second degree of movement represented by the pivotal movement about a number of mutually parallel axes, being perpendicular to the first pivot axis. The speed of movement of the legs is therefore limited, first because of the great momentum forces and secondly because the legs only have two degrees of freedom.
The device according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,924 has a relatively light structure with small momentum forces during the movement. The movements are, however, very slow in spite of the small momentum forces.
The object of the present invention is to substantially reduce or eliminate the drawbacks found at prior art devices and to provide light and quickly moveable legs for accomplishing a vehicle, which can be moved over uneven and/or rough terrain at high speed.
In a vehicle supported and driven by articulated legs, being constructed of several segments being moveably connected to the chassis of the vehicle and to each other by means of joints, the object of the invention is achieved in that the free joints located closest to the vehicle are moveable relative to each other about axes, which are per
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patent: 4565487 (1986-01-01), Kroczynski
patent: 4738583 (1988-04-01), Macconochie et al.
patent: 5040626 (1991-08-01), Paynter
patent: 5121805 (1992-06-01), Collie
patent: 5353886 (1994-10-01), Paakkunainen
Alvsjo Data AB
Hurley Kevin
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