Amphibious vehicle and method of controlling attitude of vehicle body of amphibious vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10144257-B2
Application number	US-201515552848-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2015
Priority date	Feb 27, 2015
Publication date	Dec 4, 2018
Grant date	Dec 4, 2018

Abstract

The objective of the present invention is to provide an amphibious vehicle and a method of controlling the attitude of the vehicle body of an amphibious vehicle, with which it is possible to reduce the fluid resistance when traveling on water and to improve the propulsion performance of the vehicle main body. An amphibious vehicle 1 according to the present invention is characterized in being provided with: a vehicle main body 11 capable of moving on water and on land; a rear flap 14B provided at the rear of the vehicle main body 11; a drive unit 33 which drives the rear flap 14B to vary a flap angle θ1 between the vehicle main body 11 and the rear flap 14B; a detecting unit 31 which detects a trim angle of the vehicle main body 11, a vehicle speed and the flap angle θ1; and a control unit 32 which controls the flap angle θ1 on the basis of the trim angle, the vehicle speed and the flap angle θ1 detected by the detecting unit 31.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An amphibious vehicle, comprising:
a vehicle main body which can move on water and on land;
a rear flap which is provided at a rear of the vehicle main body;
a drive unit which drives the rear flap to change a flap angle between the vehicle main body and the rear flap;
a detecting unit which detects a trim angle of the vehicle main body, a vehicle speed, and the flap angle; and
a control unit which controls the flap angle based on the trim angle, the vehicle speed, and the flap angle detected by the detecting unit, wherein the control unit
causes the detecting unit to detect a correction trim angle after controlling the flap angle based on a relationship between the vehicle speed and an optimum angle of the flap angle acquired in advance,
determines whether the detected correction trim angle is within a predetermined range of a target value based on a relationship between the vehicle speed and an optimum angle of the trim angle acquired in advance,
calculates, when the correction trim angle is not within the predetermined range, a displacement amount of a flap angle for controlling an increase and a decrease of the flap angle based on an average relationship between a displacement amount of the trim angle and a displacement amount of the flap angle acquired in advance, and
controls the flap angle based on the calculated displace amount of the flap angle.

2. The amphibious vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit detects an initial trim angle of the vehicle main body and controls the flap angle based on the detected initial trim angle.

3. A method of controlling an attitude of a vehicle body of an amphibious vehicle, comprising:
a first step of detecting a vehicle speed of a vehicle main body; and
a second step of controlling a flap angle based on the detected vehicle speed and a relationship between the vehicle speed and an optimum angle of a flap angle of a rear flap provided at the rear of the vehicle main body acquired in advance,
a third step of detecting a correction trim angle and determining whether the detected correction trim angle is within a predetermined range of a target value based on a relationship between the vehicle speed and an optimum angle of the trim angle acquired in advance,
a fourth step of calculating, when the correction trim angle is not within the predetermined range, a displacement amount of a flap angle for controlling an increase and a decrease of the flap angle based on an average relationship between a displacement amount of the trim angle and a displacement amount of the flap angle acquired in advance and controlling the flap angle based on the calculated displace amount of the flap angle.

4. An amphibious vehicle, comprising:
a vehicle main body which can move on water and on land;
a rear flap which is provided at a rear of the vehicle main body;
a drive unit which drives the rear flap to change a flap angle between the vehicle main body and the rear flap;
a detecting unit which detects a trim angle of the vehicle main body, a vehicle speed, and the flap angle; and
a control unit which controls the flap angle based on the trim angle, the vehicle speed, and the flap angle detected by the detecting unit, wherein
the controller has a map based on a relationship between the vehicle speed of the vehicle main body and an optimum angle of the flap angle acquired in advance, outputs an output signal based on the map and controls the flap angle, and, further
detects the flap angle having controlled based on the map, determines whether the detected flap angle is within a predetermined range of the target value of the map, and controls the flap angle.

5. An amphibious vehicle, comprising:
a vehicle main body which can move on water and on land;
a rear flap which is provided at a rear of the vehicle main body;
a drive unit which drives the rear flap to change a flap angle between the vehicle main body and the rear flap;
a detecting unit which detects a trim angle of the vehicle main body, a vehicle speed, and the flap angle; and
a control unit which controls the flap angle based on the trim angle, the vehicle speed, and the flap angle detected by the detecting unit, wherein
the controller detects an initial trim angle in a stationary state via the detecting unit, further has a map, that is prepared a plurality of curves corresponding to initial trim angles different from each other in advance, based on a relationship between the vehicle speed of the vehicle main body and an optimum angle of the flap angle, and
selects an optimum curve of the vehicle speed and the flap angle corresponding to the detected initial trim angle from the plurality of the curves, using the detected initial trim angle, and controls the flap angle.

6. An amphibious vehicle, comprising:
a vehicle main body which can move on water and on land;
a rear flap which is provided at a rear of the vehicle main body;
a drive unit which drives the rear flap to change a flap angle between the vehicle main body and the rear flap;
a detecting unit which detects a trim angle of the vehicle main body, a vehicle speed, and the flap angle; and
a control unit which controls the flap angle based on the trim angle, the vehicle speed, and the flap angle detected by the detecting unit, wherein
the controller acquires, in advance, a relationship between the vehicle speed of the vehicle main body and an optimum angle of the trim angle, and
has a function, which calculates an angle change command for controlling increase and decrease of the flap angle using an average relationship between a displacement amount of the trim angle and the displacement amount of the flap angle of the rear flap, acquired in advance.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Oshima Takaaki
• Sato Shinichi
• Ishikawa Satoru
• Matsunaga Takashi

Classifications

• B60F3/00

  Amphibious vehicles, i.e. vehicles capable of travelling both on land and on water; Land vehicles capable of travelling under water · CPC title

• B60F3/0038 Primary

  Flotation, updrift or stability devices · CPC title

• B63B1/40

  by diminishing wave resistance · CPC title

• Y02T70/12

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02T70/10

  Measures concerning design or construction of watercraft hulls · CPC title