US 4,763,910 A · Resiliently mounted, pivotable steering roll, especially for driverless vehicles

Abstract

This device prevents individual components of a load from being thrown off during halting of a conveying vehicle at a high rate of deceleration. A blocking device for the suspension of the caster which instantly assumes a front position as viewed in the direction of travel, prevents the vehicle from forwardly and downwardly dipping about the axle of the center-mounted drive wheels. The blocking device automatically adjusts itself corresponding to the direction of motion. A sliding stop vertically displaceably mounted on a pivotable part of a caster arrangement and a stop component fixedly mounted on the vehicle body cooperate to block the suspension of this front caster when the front caster experiences a predetermined degree of suspension displacement. At the caster instantly assuming the rear position, the stop component and the sliding stop are positioned at 180.degree. to one another, thus precluding inadvertent engagement and permitting full suspension displacement. When changing direction of travel, both casters pivot automatically about a vertical axis, blocking the suspension of the front caster in the new direction of travel and permitting the rear caster to exploit its full suspension displacement range.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A caster arrangement for resilient and pivotable mounting at the front and rear of a vehicle body of a vehicle, comprising:

a caster;
suspension means for resiliently supporting said caster at the vehicle body;
said suspension means defining a predetermined substantially vertical suspension travel;
a stop device associated with said suspension means and said vehicle body;
said vehicle travelling in a first range of travel directions and in a second range of travel directions and which second range of travel directions is substantially opposite to said first range of travel directions;
and
said stop device being operatively associated with said suspension means and said vehicle body in order to limit said predetermined substantially vertical suspension travel of said suspension means under predetermined travelling conditions of said vehicle only in one of said first and second ranges of travel direction.

4 more elements

A vehicle having a first range of travel directions and an opposite second range of travel directions on a travel surface, comprising:

a vehicle body;
at least one caster supporting said vehicle body at each end thereof at the travel surface;
support means for pivotably mounting said at least one caster relative to the vehicle body about a substantially vertical axis;
said support means comprising suspension means for resiliently suspending said at least one caster such that said at least one caster can perform motion in a vertical direction relative to said vehicle body;
limiting means operatively associated with said suspension means for automatically limiting said relative motion of said caster which constitutes a front caster when the vehicle travels in said first range of travel directions and operatively disassociated from said suspension means when said caster constitutes a rear caster and the vehicle travels in said second range of travel directions.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Resiliently mounted, pivotable steering roll, especially for driverless vehicles

Life of this patent

Resiliently mounted, pivotable steering roll, especially for driverless vehicles

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims9