Vehicle having variable track
AssigneeTriggo S.A.
InventorRafal Budweil
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle having a front axle with a pair of front wheels having a track width adjustable between a wide track and a narrow track; a rear axle with at least one rear wheel; a steering wheel configured to control the turn of the rear wheel when the front wheels are set to the narrow track; track width control configured to change the track width of the front wheels and to change the wheel base between the front axle and the rear axle such that for the wide track of the front wheels the wheel base is longer than for the narrow track of the front wheels; a locking mechanism configured to lock the track width; wherein each of the front wheels is connected to a dedicated front wheel motor for driving that front wheel and to a dedicated front wheel brake for braking that front wheel.
Claims12
A vehicle comprising:
- (a) A front axle with a pair of front wheels having a track width adjustable between a wide track and a narrow track;
- (b) A rear axle with a rear wheel;
- (c) Steering means configured to control the turn of the rear wheel when the front wheels are set to the narrow track;
- (d) Track width control means configured to change the track width of the front wheels and to change the wheelbase between the front axle and the rear axle such that for the wide track of the front wheels the wheel base is longer than for the narrow track of the front wheels;
- (e) A locking mechanism configured to lock the track width;
- (f) Wherein each of the front wheels is connected to a dedicated front wheel motor for driving that front wheel and to a dedicated front wheel brake for braking that front wheel;
- and
- (g) Wherein the track width control means are configured to change the track width of the front wheels by controlling the front wheel motors and the front wheel brakes such that when the locking mechanism is not locked the front wheel motors that drive the front wheels are configured to increase the track width and the front wheel brakes that brake the front wheels are configured to decrease the track width.
A method for changing track width of front wheels in a vehicle, the vehicle comprising:
- a front axle with a pair of front wheels having a track width adjustable between a wide track and a narrow track;
- a rear axle with a rear wheel;
- steering means configured to control the turn of the rear wheel when the front wheels are set to the narrow track;
- track width control means configured to change the track width of the front wheels and to change the wheel base between the front axle and the rear axle such that for the wide track of the front wheels the wheel base is longer than for the narrow track of the front wheels;
- a locking mechanism configured to lock the track width;
- wherein each of the front wheels is connected to a dedicated front wheel motor for driving that front wheel to a dedicated front wheel brake for braking that front wheel;
- wherein the method comprises controlling the front wheel motors and the front wheel brakes to change the track width of the front wheels, such that when the locking mechanism is not locked the front wheel motors that drive the front wheels are configured to increase the track width and the front wheel brakes that brake the front wheels are configured to decrease the track width.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.