Vehicle
AssigneeToyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsAkihiro Yanaka, Yoshikazu Motozono, Yasukazu Honda
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
When a vehicle turns, a body and a left and a right wheel are inclined inward of a turning circle. Consequently forces are exerted to an operator in an up-down direction, which leads to reducing discomfort felt by the operator. In addition, since a gravity center of the vehicle is moved inward of the turning circle, a turning stability of the vehicle is improved.
Claims29
A vehicle having (a) a body and (b) at least a pair of wheels consisting of a left wheel and a right wheel which are distant from each other in a widthwise direction of the body, the vehicle comprising:
- an up-down moving device which is provided between the body and each of the left wheel and the right wheel and which moves said each of the left wheel and the right wheel relative to the body in upward and downward directions;
- and
- a lateral-direction posture control device which controls, when the vehicle turns, the up-down moving device so that a position of the left wheel relative to the body and a position of the right wheel relative to the body differ from each other and accordingly the body and the left and right wheels are inclined, relative to a road surface, inward of a turning circle of the vehicle.
(canceled)
9-10. (canceled)
13-14. (canceled)
The vehicle according to claim, further comprising (a) at least one steering wheel which is attached to a portion of the body that is located in front of the left and right wheels;
- (b) a steering device which steers said at least one steering wheel;
- and (c) a steering control device which controls the steering device and thereby controls steering of said at least one steering wheel, (d) a steering instructing member which is operable by an operator;
- and (e) a steering-instruction detecting device which detects an operation state of the steering instructing member, wherein the steering control device comprises an operation-state-dependent steering control portion which controls the steering of said at least one steering wheel based on the operation state of the steering instructing member detected by the steering-instruction detecting device.
31-48. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.