Couplable automotive road vehicle with compact steering and suspension

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11235803-B2
Application number	US-201816652337-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2018
Priority date	Oct 3, 2017
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

A couplable automotive road vehicle includes two front wheels, a chassis having a front part and a rear part, an articulated connection device, and front and rear couplings. A wheel cylinder is defined as the cylindrical geometric shape surrounding the two front wheels when the wheels are not turned. The front part of the chassis includes a chassis beam disposed behind the front wheels, outside the wheel cylinder. The front coupling includes a yaw rigid coupling module mounted on the chassis beam between the two front wheels. The vehicle includes, for each front wheel, a suspension arm mounted on the chassis beam and extending around the wheel cylinder, above same, and a tie rod for controlling the steering device, located above the wheel cylinder.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A couplable automotive road vehicle comprising:
a set of front wheels comprising two wheels and a set of rear wheels comprising at least one wheel;
a chassis comprising a front part, on which the set of front wheels is mounted, and a rear part, on which the set of rear wheels is mounted;
an articulated connection device, interposed between the front and rear parts of the chassis, and allowing the front part to pivot relative to the rear part about an articulation axis normal to a running plane of the vehicle;
a steering device able to modify the turning angle of the two wheels of the front set, this steering device being able to be activated independently of the articulated connection device;
front and rear couplings, respectively located at the front and at the rear of the vehicle;
the front coupling being alternately movable between:
a coupled position, in which this front coupling engages with a rear coupling, identical to the rear coupling of this vehicle and located on another vehicle, in order to mechanically attach, without any degree of freedom for yaw rotation, these vehicles together, and to align the front part of this vehicle with the rear part of the other vehicle; and
an uncoupled position, in which these vehicles are detached from each other;
the rear coupling being alternately movable between:
a coupled position, in which this rear coupling engages with a front coupling, identical to the front coupling of this vehicle and located on another vehicle, in order to mechanically attach, without any degree of freedom for yaw rotation, these vehicles together, and to align the rear part of this vehicle with the front part of the other vehicle; and
an uncoupled position, in which these vehicles are detached from each other,
wherein a wheel cylinder is defined as being the cylindrical geometrical shape surrounding the two front wheels when they are not turned and extending transversely between the two front wheels, and in that:
the front part of the chassis comprises a chassis beam extending parallel to the axis of the wheel cylinder and disposed behind the front wheels, outside the wheel cylinder;
the front coupling comprises a yaw rigid coupling module mounted on the chassis beam between the two front wheels, this module having a coupling axis substantially coaxial to the wheel cylinder;
the vehicle comprises, for each front wheel:
a suspension arm mounted on the chassis beam and extending around the wheel cylinder from above;
a control tie rod for the steering device controlling the pivoting of the wheel in order to modify the turning angle of the wheel, this tie rod being located above the wheel cylinder.

2. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the size of the chassis beam, in the transverse direction of the vehicle, is greater than the size, in this transverse direction, of the yaw rigid coupling module.

3. The vehicle as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the chassis beam extends, in the transverse direction, on either side of the yaw rigid coupling module until it arrives opposite the tire tread of each front wheel.

4. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each suspension arm is disposed opposite the tire tread of the corresponding front wheel.

5. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the steering device comprises, for each front wheel, a steering lever pivotably secured to the wheel and connected by a ball joint to the control tie rod, said ball joint being located outside the wheel cylinder and on the top of the wheel cylinder.

6. The vehicle as claimed in claim 5 , wherein each suspension arm comprises, at the end thereof that is opposite the chassis beam, two flanges in the form of a jaw, a pivot of the steering device extending between the two flanges, and the steering lever being disposed between the two flanges.

7. The vehicle as claimed in claim 5 , wherein each steering lever is disposed opposite the tire tread of the corresponding front wheel.

8. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the yaw rigid coupling module comprises two coupling points defining a coupling axis parallel to the chassis beam.

9. The vehicle as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the coupling axis is contained in a 30 centimeter diameter cylinder that is coaxial to the wheel cylinder.

10. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein it comprises a stabilizer bar connecting the two suspension arms and extending parallel to the chassis beam.

11. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the suspension arm is bent in order to extend around the wheel cylinder from above.

12. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each suspension arm is mounted for free rotation on the chassis beam along an axis parallel to the axis of the wheel cylinder.

13. The vehicle as claimed in claim 12 , wherein each suspension arm comprises an extension extending from the top of the wheel cylinder toward the hub of the corresponding front wheel, by running alongside the side of the corresponding front wheel, in the direction of the wheel pivot.

14. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each suspension arm is fixedly mounted on the chassis beam.

15. An automotive road convoy, comprising at least two attached automotive road vehicles, wherein each of these vehicles is a vehicle according to claim 1 , these vehicles being attached in pairs by means of the respective front and rear couplings of these vehicles.

Assignees

• Commissariat Energie Atomique

Inventors

• Cervantes Valery
• Leblanc Xavier Emmanuel

Classifications

• B62D53/005

  Combinations with at least three axles and comprising two or more articulated parts (articulated buses B62D47/025) · CPC title

• B62D47/006 Primary

  Vehicles which can be divided in sub-vehicles; nestable vehicles · CPC title

• B62D12/02 Primary

  for vehicles operating in tandem · CPC title

• B60D1/481

  adapted for being mounted to the front and back of trailers, carts, trolleys or the like to form a train · CPC title

• B60G5/02

  mounted on a single pivoted arm {, e.g. the arm being rigid} · CPC title