Jack, vehicle, and jack-up system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12472909-B2
Application number	US-202318306185-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2023
Priority date	Apr 26, 2022
Publication date	Nov 18, 2025
Grant date	Nov 18, 2025

Abstract

The jack includes an upper support portion (upper plate) fixed to the lower portion of the vehicle body, and an airbag provided below the upper support portion (upper plate) and inflated and deployed by the supply of gas. According to the jack, the airbag is inflated and deployed under the vehicle body by the supply of the gas. When the gas is further supplied to the airbag in contact with the ground, the vehicle body fixed to the upper support portion (upper plate) is lifted. When the vehicle body is lifted in this manner, the state of contact between the wheels and the ground is changed, and the vehicle can escape from the stacked state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A jack comprising:
an upper support portion fixed to a lower part of a vehicle body; an airbag provided below the upper support portion to be inflated and deployed by supply of gas; a lower support portion provided below the airbag; and an urging portion that connects the upper support portion and the lower support portion and that urges the lower support portion toward the upper support portion side, wherein the airbag is deflated by exhaust of the gas, the urging portion urges the lower support portion toward the upper support portion side by a force smaller than a force acting on the lower support portion in a direction away from the upper support portion when the airbag is inflated and deployed, and the urging portion includes a constant load spring that urges the lower support portion toward the upper support portion side by a constant force, and the constant load spring comprises:
an upper drum,
a lower drum,
a wire wound around the upper drum, wherein the wire is connected to the lower support portion, and
a metal thin plate wound around each of the upper drum and the lower drum,
wherein the metal thin plate is separate from the wire.

2 . The jack according to claim 1 , wherein the lower support portion is sized to cover the inflated and deployed airbag in a bottom view.

3 . A vehicle comprising:
the jack according to claim 1 ; an air supply portion able to supply the gas to the airbag; an exhaust portion able to exhaust the gas from the airbag; and a valve switchable in at least two directions including an air supply direction in which an air supply flow path for communicating the air supply portion and the airbag is opened and an exhaust direction in which an exhaust flow path for communicating the air exhaust portion and the airbag is opened.

4 . A jack-up system comprising:
the jack according to claim 1 ; an air supply portion able to supply the gas to the airbag; an exhaust portion able to exhaust the gas from the airbag; a valve switchable in at least two directions including an air supply direction in which an air supply flow path for communicating the air supply portion and the airbag is opened and an exhaust direction in which an exhaust flow path for communicating the air exhaust portion and the airbag is opened; and a control device that switches the valve to the air supply direction when the vehicle is in a stuck state, and switches the valve to the exhaust direction after deployment of the airbag is completed.

5 . The jack-up system according to claim 4 , wherein the control device switches the valve to the air supply direction prior to moon landing of a vehicle used on a moon surface, and switches the valve to the exhaust direction after the moon landing of the vehicle.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Taya Hironari
• Matsuura Tadashi
• Noda Shinichiro

Classifications

• B66F3/35

  Inflatable flexible elements, e.g. bellows (inflatable load-engaging elements B66F3/40; connection of valves to inflatable elastic bodies B60C29/00) · CPC title

• B66F3/25

  Constructional features · CPC title

• B60S9/10 Primary

  by fluid pressure · CPC title

• B66F3/247 Primary

  pneumatically actuated (B66F3/35 takes precedence) · CPC title