Vehicle and travel device for same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9346474-B2
Application number	US-201113812630-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 7, 2011
Priority date	Dec 17, 2010
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

Abstract

A travel device includes a bogie frame ( 11 ) configured to support an axle ( 5 ) to which a wheel ( 3 ) is attached, a suspension frame ( 15 ) disposed close to a center of a vehicle body ( 1 ) with respect to the bogie frame ( 11 ) and having a support section ( 16 ) extending downward from the vehicle body ( 1 ), and an upper link ( 14 a ) and a lower link ( 14 b ) configured to connect the support section ( 16 ) and the bogie frame ( 11 ) to relatively move the bogie frame ( 11 ) with respect to the support section ( 16 ) in a vertical direction. In the lower link ( 14 b ), a position ( 11 b ) at which the lower link ( 14 b ) and the bogie frame ( 11 ) are connected by pin coupling is disposed lower than a position ( 15 b ) at which the lower link ( 14 b ) and the support section ( 16 ) are connected by pin coupling. In addition, even in the upper link ( 14 a ), similar to the lower link, a position ( 11 a ) at which the upper link ( 14 a ) and the bogie frame ( 11 ) are connected by pin coupling is disposed lower than a position ( 15 a ) at which the upper link ( 14 a ) and the support section ( 16 ) are connected by pin coupling. Thus, the lower link ( 14 b ) and the upper link ( 14 a ) are installed parallel to each other.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A travel device of a vehicle disposed at a front side and a rear side of a lower portion of a vehicle body, the travel device comprising:
an axle support configured to support an axle to which wheels are attached;
a suspension frame including a hanging section disposed close to a center of the vehicle body with reference to the axle support and extending downward from the vehicle body; and
a link configured to connect the hanging section and the axle support and in which the axle support is movable with respect to the hanging section in a vertical direction, wherein
the link has a lower link configured to be connected to the hanging section and the axle support by pin coupling, and an upper link disposed over the lower link and configured to be connected to the hanging section and the axle support by pin coupling,
in the lower link, a pin coupling position between the lower link and the axle support is disposed lower than a pin coupling position between the lower link and the hanging section of the suspension frame in the vertical direction,
when a distance in the vertical direction from the pin coupling position between the lower link and the hanging section to the pin coupling position between the lower link and the axle support is a vertical reference distance, in the upper link, a pin coupling position between the upper link and the axle support is disposed lower than a pin coupling position between the upper link and the hanging section of the suspension frame in the vertical direction at the vertical reference distance, and
the pin coupling position between the lower link and the axle support, the pin coupling position between the upper link and the axle support, and the axle are arranged to be aligned on a straight line in the vertical direction.

2. A vehicle comprising:
the vehicle body; and
a travel device according to claim 1 .

3. A travel device according to claim 1 , wherein inclination angles of the upper link and the lower link with respect to a horizontal direction are 5° or more and 15° or less.

4. A travel device according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between the axle support and a center of the vehicle body is greater than a distance between the hanging section and the center of the vehicle body.

Assignees

• Maeyama Hiroyuki
• Yamamoto Hiromichi
• Katahira Kousuke
• Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Maeyama Hiroyuki
• Yamamoto Hiromichi
• Katahira Kousuke

Classifications

• B62D1/265

  especially adapted for guiding road vehicles carrying loads or passengers, e.g. in urban networks for public transportation · CPC title

• B61F5/26 Primary

  Mounting or securing axle-boxes in vehicle or bogie underframes · CPC title

• B61F5/02

  Arrangements permitting limited transverse relative movements between vehicle underframe or bolster and bogie; Connections between underframes and bogies · CPC title

• B61F5/50

  Other details · CPC title

• B61F5/325 Primary

  The guiding device including swinging arms or the like to ensure the parallelism of the axles · CPC title