Crawler

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10730571-B2
Application number	US-201615577346-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2016
Priority date	Jun 5, 2015
Publication date	Aug 4, 2020
Grant date	Aug 4, 2020

Abstract

A crawler includes a crawler main body (a rubber crawler main body (12)), a tensile body (70), guide protrusions (16), and flat surfaces (40). The tensile body (70) is provided with a flat portion (72) that is arranged along a width direction of the crawler main body and a slanting portion (74) that is slanted and arranged at a width direction outer side of the crawler main body relative to the flat portion (72). The guide protrusions (16) are formed at an inner peripheral face of the crawler main body at a width direction middle portion of the crawler main body. The flat surfaces (40) are formed at the width direction outer sides of the crawler main body relative to the guide protrusions (16). Turning wheels (a driving wheel (100), an idling wheel (102) and rolling wheels (104)) provided at a vehicle roll on the flat surfaces (40). In a linear region of the crawler main body as seen in a side view of the crawler main body, if a thickness from an imaginary plane projected from the flat portion (72) in the width direction of the crawler main body to an end edge at a crawler main body width direction outer side of the slanting portion (74) is represented by L, then a result of subtracting a turning direction length of the crawler main body at the flat portion (72) from a turning direction length of the crawler main body at the slanting portion (74) is less than 2πL.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A crawler comprising:
a crawler main body formed by a resilient body having an endless belt shape;
a tensile body that is wound along a longitudinal direction of the crawler main body and is embedded in the crawler main body, the tensile body including, in a sectional view of a thickness direction of the crawler main body:
a planar portion that is arranged along a width direction of the crawler main body, and
a slanting portion that is present at a width direction outer side of the crawler main body and that slants relative to the planar portion, the slanting portion: (a) slanting toward a crawler outer peripheral side in a linear region of the crawler main body as seen in a side view of the crawler, and (b) slanting toward a crawler inner peripheral side in a curved region of the crawler main body as seen in a side view of the crawler main body;
guide protrusions that are formed at an inner peripheral face of the crawler main body at a width direction middle portion of the crawler main body, the guide protrusions being formed at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the crawler main body; and
a planar surface on which a roller wheel of a vehicle rolls, the planar surface being formed at the inner peripheral face of the crawler main body at the width direction outer side of the crawler main body relative to the guide protrusions,
wherein, in the linear region of the crawler main body as seen in a side view of the crawler main body, if a thickness from an imaginary plane projected in the width direction of the crawler main body from the planar portion to an end edge of the slanting portion at the width direction outer side of the crawler main body is represented by L, then a result of subtracting a longitudinal direction length of the crawler main body at the planar portion from a longitudinal direction length of the crawler main body at the slanting portion is less than 2πL,
the crawler further comprises a side surface that is formed at the width direction outer side of the crawler main body, the side surface extends along the thickness direction of the crawler main body in the linear region of the crawler main body as seen in the side view of the crawler, and the side surface slants in the curved region of the crawler main body as seen in the side view of the crawler main body so that an inner end of the side surface in the thickness direction of the crawler main body moves toward a width direction inner side of the crawler main body more than an outer end of the side surface in the thickness direction of the crawler main body, and
the crawler further comprises a slanted surface that is formed at the crawler width direction outer side of the planar surface, and that slants relative to the planar surface so that an end portion at the width direction outer side of the crawler main body is thicker in the thickness direction of the crawler main body than a portion at the planar surface.

2. The crawler according to claim 1 , wherein the crawler longitudinal direction length at the slanting portion is the same as the crawler longitudinal direction length at the planar portion.

3. The crawler according to claim 1 , wherein, in the linear region as seen in the side view of the crawler main body, in a state in which the crawler main body is wrapped around a driving wheel and an idling wheel of the vehicle, a distance between the slanting portion at a width direction outer end portion of the crawler main body and the planar portion is at least 0.1% of a distance between rotation axes of the driving wheel and the idling wheel.

4. The crawler according to claim 1 , wherein the crawler is a coreless crawler.

5. A crawler comprising:
a crawler main body formed by a resilient body having an endless belt shape;
a tensile body that is wound along a longitudinal direction of the crawler main body and is embedded in the crawler main body, the tensile body including, in a sectional view of a thickness direction of the crawler main body:
a planar portion that is arranged along a width direction of the crawler main body, and
a slanting portion that is present at a width direction outer side of the crawler main body and that slants relative to the planar portion, the slanting portion: (a) slanting toward a crawler outer peripheral side in a linear region of the crawler main body as seen in a side view of the crawler, and (b) slanting toward a crawler inner peripheral side in a curved region of the crawler main body as seen in a side view of the crawler main body;
guide protrusions that are formed at an inner peripheral face of the crawler main body at a width direction middle portion of the crawler main body, the guide protrusions being formed at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the crawler main body; and
a planar surface on which roller wheels of a vehicle roll, the planar surface being formed at the inner peripheral face of the crawler main body at the width direction outer side of the crawler main body relative to the guide protrusions,
wherein, in the linear region of the crawler main body as seen in a side view of the crawler main body, if a thickness from an imaginary plane projected in the width direction of the crawler main body from the planar portion to an end edge of the slanting portion at the width direction outer side of the crawler main body is represented by L, then a result of subtracting a longitudinal direction length of the crawler main body at the planar portion from a longitudinal direction length of the crawler main body at the slanting portion is less than 2πL, and
the crawler further comprises a slanted surface that is formed at the crawler width direction outer side of the planar surface, and that slants relative to the planar surface so that an end portion at the width direction outer side of the crawler main body is thicker in the thickness direction of the crawler main body than a portion at the planar surface.

6. The crawler according to claim 5 , wherein the crawler longitudinal direction length at the slanting portion is the same as the crawler longitudinal direction length at the planar portion.

7. The crawler according to claim 5 , wherein, in the linear region as seen in the side view of the crawler main body, in a state in which the crawler main body is wrapped around a driving wheel and an idling wheel of the vehicle, a distance between the slanting portion at a width direction outer end portion of the crawler main body and the planar portion is at least 0.1% of a distance between rotation axes of the driving wheel and the idling wheel.

8. The crawler according to claim 5 , wherein the crawler is a coreless crawler.

Assignees

• Bridgestone Corp

Inventors

• Mizusawa Takashi
• Sugihara Shingo
• Tateishi Kenji

Classifications

• B62D55/14 Primary

  Arrangement, location, or adaptation of rollers · CPC title

• B62D55/253

  having elements interconnected by one or more cables or like elements · CPC title

• B62D55/244 Primary

  Moulded in one piece, with either smooth surfaces or surfaces having projections, e.g. incorporating reinforcing elements · CPC title