Three-row wheel vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11312196-B2
Application number	US-202117198433-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 11, 2021
Priority date	Mar 13, 2020
Publication date	Apr 26, 2022
Grant date	Apr 26, 2022

Abstract

A three-row wheel vehicle having front, center and rear wheels has laterally spaced front pivot links each pivotably connected at a middle to a vehicle body, laterally spaced swing arms each swingably connected to a front end of the front pivot link and rotatably supports the front wheel at a lower end, laterally spaced rear pivot links each pivotably connected to the vehicle body at a middle and rotatably supports the rear wheel at a rear end, laterally spaced force transmission mechanisms each configured to convert a rearward force transmitted from the front wheel to the swing arm into an upward force and transmit the upward force to the front pivot link on a front side of the middle, and laterally spaced connecting links each pivotably attached to a rear end of the front pivot link and a front end of the rear pivot link.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A three-row wheel vehicle having a front wheel group, a center wheel group and a rear wheel group that are arranged in a front-rear direction of the three-row wheel vehicle, and at least one of the front wheel group, the center wheel group and the rear wheel group includes a pair of laterally spaced wheels, wherein
the three-row wheel vehicle has a pair of laterally spaced front pivot links, a pair of laterally spaced swing arms, a pair of laterally spaced rear pivot links, a pair of laterally spaced force transmission mechanisms and a pair of laterally spaced connecting links, and wherein
each front pivot link is connected at a middle portion to a vehicle body so as to pivot in a vertical direction around a first pivot axis; each swing arm is connected to a front end portion of the front pivot link so as to swing in a front-rear direction around a second pivot axis and rotatably supports the corresponding wheel of the front wheel group at a lower end portion; each rear pivot link is connected to the vehicle body so as to pivot in a vertical direction around a third pivot axis at a middle portion and rotatably supports the corresponding wheel of the rear wheel group at a rear end portion; each force transmission mechanism is configured to convert a rearward force transmitted from the corresponding wheel of the front wheel group to the swing arm into an upward force and transmit the upward force to the front pivot link on a front side of the first pivot axis; each connecting link is pivotably attached to a rear end portion of the front pivot link at a lower end portion and pivotably attached to a front end portion of the rear pivot link at an upper end portion, and each wheel of the center wheel group is rotatably supported by one of the front pivot link and the connecting link.

2. The three-row wheel vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein each wheel of the center wheel group is rotatably supported below the first pivot axis by the front pivot link.

3. The three-row wheel vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein a rotation axis of each wheel of the center wheel group is located directly below the first pivot axis when the three-row wheel vehicle is on a horizontal flat traveling road.

4. The three-row wheel vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein each connecting link has a trailing arm portion, each wheel of the center wheel group is rotatably supported around a rotation axis by a rear end portion of the trailing arm portion, and the rotation axis of each wheel of the center wheel group is located below and behind a pivot axis of the lower end portion of the connecting link and a pivot axis of the upper end portion of the connecting link.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Isono Hiroshi

Classifications

• B60G5/01

  the set being characterised by having more than two successive axles · CPC title

• B60G7/006 Primary

  Attaching arms to sprung or unsprung part of vehicle, characterised by comprising attachment means controlled by an external actuator, e.g. a fluid or electrical motor (B62D7/146 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60G11/14

  having helical, spiral or coil springs only {(B60G11/006 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B60G5/04

  with two or more pivoted arms, the movements of which are resiliently interrelated {, e.g. the arms being rigid} · CPC title

• B60G2202/12

  Wound spring · CPC title