Vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11124231-B2
Application number	US-201916535308-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 8, 2019
Priority date	Dec 17, 2018
Publication date	Sep 21, 2021
Grant date	Sep 21, 2021

Abstract

Provided is a vehicle including a plurality of wheels, a steering device, and a direction indication system. The steering device is configured to steer the wheels at least either to such a first steering angle that the vehicle travels straight in a direction intersecting the front-rear direction or to such a second steering angle that the vehicle rotates around a vertical axis passing through a central portion of the vehicle body. The direction indication system is configured to, when the steering device steers the wheels to either the first steering angle or the second steering angle, indicate toward the outside of the vehicle body that the vehicle is going to travel straight in a direction intersecting the front-rear direction or that the vehicle is going to rotate around the vertical axis passing through the central portion of the vehicle body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a plurality of wheels that is mounted to a vehicle body and grounded;
a steering device configured to steer the wheels to such a steering angle that the vehicle travels straight in a front-rear direction of the vehicle, and additionally to steer the wheels at least either to such a first steering angle that the vehicle travels straight in a direction intersecting the front-rear direction or to such a second steering angle that the vehicle rotates around a vertical axis passing through a central portion of the vehicle body; and
a direction indication system configured to, when the steering device steers the wheels to either the first steering angle or the second steering angle, indicate toward an outside of the vehicle body that the vehicle is going to travel straight in the direction intersecting the front-rear direction or that the vehicle is going to rotate around the vertical axis passing through the central portion of the vehicle body.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the direction indication system includes a detection unit that detects that the steering device steers the wheels to the first steering angle or the second steering angle, and an indication unit that optically or acoustically indicates to those around the vehicle body that the vehicle is going to travel straight in the direction intersecting the front-rear direction or that the vehicle is going to rotate around the vertical axis passing through the central portion of the vehicle body.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein:
the steering device is configured to rotate each of the wheels around a rotational central axis to the first steering angle or the second steering angle; and
the detection unit is configured to detect that the wheels are steered to the first steering angle or the second steering angle, based on rotation angles of the wheels rotated around the rotational central axis.

4. The vehicle according to claim 2 , further comprising a manipulation unit that is manipulated by a driver to output a signal ordering the steering device to steer the wheels to the first steering angle or the second steering angle, wherein the detection unit is configured to detect that the steering device steers the wheels to the first steering angle or the second steering angle, based on the manipulation unit having been manipulated and output the signal.

5. The vehicle according to claim 2 , further comprising a wheelhouse that covers at least an upper side of the wheel, wherein:
the wheelhouse is configured such that when the steering device steers the wheel to the first steering angle or the second steering angle, the wheel partially protrudes from the wheelhouse to the outside of the vehicle body; and
the detection unit is configured to detect that the steering device steers the wheel to the first steering angle or the second steering angle, based on the wheel having partially protruded from the wheelhouse to the outside of the vehicle body.

6. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the indication unit includes a light emitter that emits visible light to the wheels when the detection unit has detected that the steering device steers the wheels to the first steering angle or the second steering angle.

7. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein:
the indication unit includes blinkers that are provided on right and left sides of the vehicle body and configured to flash when the vehicle is going to travel in a direction different from that when the vehicle travels straight forward; and
the indication unit is configured to control the blinkers such that a first aspect of flashing of the blinkers when the vehicle is going to turn in an arcuate line around a center of turning that is set outside the vehicle body, and a second aspect of flashing of the blinkers when the vehicle is going to travel straight in the direction intersecting the front-rear direction or when the vehicle is going to rotate around the vertical axis passing through the central portion of the vehicle body, are different from each other.

8. The vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein:
the blinkers are sequential blinkers in each of which a plurality of flashing parts is arranged in a straight line or a curved line and the flashing parts flash in predetermined order; and
the first aspect of flashing of the blinkers and the second aspect of flashing of the blinkers include order of flashing of the flashing parts.

9. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the indication unit includes a display part that displays, on an outer surface of the vehicle body, a text or an image representing a direction in which the vehicle is going to travel as a result of the steering device having steered the wheels to the first steering angle or the second steering angle.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hiroe Yoshihiko
• Okamura Masaki
• Yoshizue Kensuke

Classifications

• B62D7/1509 Primary

  with different steering modes, e.g. crab-steering, or steering specially adapted for reversing of the vehicle · CPC title

• B62D7/14 Primary

  the pivotal axes being situated in more than one plane transverse to the longitudinal centre line of the vehicle, e.g. all-wheel steering · CPC title

• B60Q1/507

  specific to autonomous vehicles · CPC title

• B60Q1/5035

  electronic displays · CPC title

• B60Q1/34

  for indicating change of drive direction (B60Q1/22 takes precedence) · CPC title