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US 2005/0239351 A1Published application
Amphibious vehicle
AssigneeGibbs Technologies Limited
InventorsChristopher Darby, Roger Pease
Life of this patent
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AssigneeGibbs Technologies Limited
InventorsChristopher Darby, Roger Pease
Estimating the term…
A planing amphibious vehicle has at least one trim tab at its stern. A vehicle control system includes a mode change controller and a trim tab controller. The mode change controller informs the trim tab controller when a mode change event is taking place. The trim tab controller retracts the trim tabs if the mode change is from marine to land mode; and deploys the tabs if the change is from land mode to marine mode, to assist the vehicle in rising on to the plane. The controller may also retract the tabs if the vehicle reverses; and deploy the tabs if a change is made from reverse to forward motion. The vehicle control system may connect to actuators and sensors for retractable road wheels, which may use hydropneumatic struts. Safeguards against system faults and/or erroneous switch operation are included. Road wheel drive decouples are used; a marine drive decoupler may also be fitted.
An amphibious vehicle adapted for use on land and on water including a vehicle body, and at least one trim tab, for adjusting the trim of the amphibious vehicle when it is in a marine mode, connected to the vehicle body and movable relative to the vehicle body between a retracted position and any one of a range of operational positions, and a control system for controlling the position of the or each trim tab including detecting means for detecting at least one mode change event and tab actuation means for moving the or each trim tab relative to the vehicle body, the control system being adapted to automatically move the or each trim tab either into the retracted position or into any one of a range of operational positions according to the mode change event detected.
(cancelled)
A method for controlling a trim tab system for an amphibious vehicle including the steps of automatically detecting a mode change event, and on detection of the mode change event automatically moving the or each trim tab either into the retracted position or into any one of a range of operational positions according to the event detected.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.