All-terrain vehicle (ATV) propellable on wheels or endless tracks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9656703-B2
Application number	US-201113170697-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2011
Priority date	Jun 28, 2010
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

An all-terrain vehicle (ATV) equippable with a plurality of ground-engaging wheels or a plurality of ground-engaging track assemblies providing traction on the ground. The ATV is designed to facilitate its use whether it is equipped with the ground-engaging wheels or the ground-engaging track assemblies. A powertrain, a steering system, a suspension, a braking system, a body, and/or other components of the ATV have features which take into account that the ATV can be equipped with either the ground-engaging wheels or the ground-engaging track assemblies.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), the ATV being equippable with a plurality of ground-engaging wheels or a plurality of ground-engaging track assemblies providing traction on the ground, each ground-engaging track assembly of the plurality of ground-engaging track assemblies comprising: a plurality of track-contacting wheels; and an endless track disposed around the plurality of track-contacting wheels, the plurality of track-contacting wheels including a drive wheel for driving the endless track, the endless track comprising an inner side for facing the plurality of track-contacting wheels and a ground-engaging outer side for engaging the ground, the ATV comprising:
a powertrain for delivering power to the ground-engaging wheels when the ATV is equipped with the ground-engaging wheels and to the drive wheels of the ground-engaging track assemblies when the ATV is equipped with the ground-engaging track assemblies, the drive wheels of the ground-engaging track assemblies being different from the ground-engaging wheels, the powertrain being operable in a wheel mode when delivering power to the ground-engaging wheels and in a track mode when delivering power to the drive wheels of the ground-engaging track assemblies; and
a mode selector for selecting a particular one of the wheel mode and the track mode to cause the powertrain to operate in the particular one of the wheel mode and the track mode.

2. The ATV claimed in claim 1 , wherein the powertrain comprises a prime mover for generating power, the prime mover operating differently in the track mode than in the wheel mode.

3. The ATV claimed in claim 2 , wherein the powertrain is configured to control a power output of the prime mover differently in the track mode than in the wheel mode.

4. The ATV claimed in claim 2 , comprising an accelerator for use by a user of the ATV, a response of the prime mover to input of the user at the accelerator being different in the track mode than in the wheel mode.

5. The ATV claimed in claim 2 , wherein at least one of (i) an idle speed of the prime mover and (ii) a maximum speed of the prime mover is different in the track mode than in the wheel mode.

6. The ATV claimed in claim 2 , wherein a torque curve or power curve of the prime mover is different in the track mode than in the wheel mode.

7. The ATV claimed in claim 2 , wherein an operational region of a torque curve or power curve of the prime mover is different in the track mode than in the wheel mode.

8. The ATV claimed in claim 7 , wherein the operational region of the torque curve or power curve of the prime mover in the track mode includes a lower range of speeds than the operational region of the torque curve or power curve of the prime mover in the wheel mode.

9. The ATV claimed in claim 2 , wherein the powertrain is configured to control a temperature of the prime mover differently in the track mode than in the wheel mode.

10. The ATV claimed in claim 2 , wherein an operational temperature range of the prime mover is different in the track mode than in the wheel mode.

11. The ATV claimed in claim 2 , comprising a cooling system for cooling the prime mover, a rate of cooling of the prime mover by the cooling system being different in the track mode than in the wheel mode.

12. The ATV claimed in claim 2 , wherein a warm-up process of the prime mover is different in the track mode than in the wheel mode.

13. The ATV claimed in claim 1 , wherein the powertrain comprises a prime mover for generating power and a transmission for transmitting power, the transmission operating differently in the track mode than in the wheel mode.

14. The ATV claimed in claim 13 , wherein the powertrain controls a transmission state of the transmission differently in the track mode than in the wheel mode.

15. The ATV claimed in claim 13 , wherein a shifting scheme of the transmission is different in the track mode than in the wheel mode.

16. The ATV claimed in claim 13 , wherein, for a given speed of the prime mover, a transmission ratio of the transmission is different in the track mode than in the wheel mode such that there is more torque at an output of the transmission in the track mode than in the wheel mode.

17. The ATV claimed in claim 13 , wherein a set of available transmission states of the transmission is different in the track mode than in the wheel mode.

18. The ATV claimed in claim 17 , wherein the set of available transmission states of the transmission in the track mode includes a transmission ratio that is lower than any transmission ratio of the set of available transmission states of the transmission in the wheel mode.

19. The ATV claimed in claim 13 , wherein the transmission has at least one of (i) a transmission ratio dedicated to the wheel mode and (ii) a transmission ratio dedicated to the track mode.

20. The ATV claimed in claim 13 , wherein the transmission has a greater number of transmission ratios in a reverse direction of the transmission in the track mode than in the wheel mode.

21. The ATV claimed in claim 1 , wherein the powertrain comprises a traction control system, the traction control system operating differently in the track mode than in the wheel mode.

22. The ATV claimed in claim 1 , wherein the powertrain is configured to control differently the power delivered to the drive wheels of the ground-engaging track assemblies in the track mode than the power delivered to the ground-engaging wheels in the wheel mode.

23. The ATV claimed in claim 1 , wherein the powertrain is configured to apply more torque to the drive wheels of the ground-engaging track assemblies in the track mode than to the ground-engaging wheels in the wheel mode.

24. The ATV claimed in claim 1 , wherein the powertrain comprises a powertrain controller for controlling the powertrain, the mode selector providing an indication of the particular one of the wheel mode and the track mode to the powertrain controller.

25. The ATV claimed in claim 1 , comprising a user interface for use by a user of the ATV, the mode selector comprising a mode selection control implemented by the user interface, the mode selection control allowing the user to select the particular one of the wheel mode and the track mode.

26. The ATV claimed in claim 25 , wherein the mode selection control comprises at least one of a button, a switch, a knob and a lever.

27. The ATV claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mode selector comprises a sensor for sensing whether the ATV is equipped with the ground-engaging wheels or the ground-engaging track assemblies.

28. The ATV claimed in claim 27 , wherein the sensor is a contact sensor for sensing whether the ATV is equipped with the ground-engaging wheels or the ground-engaging track assemblies based on physical contact with the contact sensor.

29. The ATV claimed in claim 27 , wherein the sensor is a contactless sensor for sensing whether the ATV is equipped with the ground-engaging wheels or the ground-engaging track assemblies without physical contact with the contactless sensor.

30. The ATV claimed in claim 29 , wherein the contactless sensor includes at least one of an optical sensor, an acoustic sensor, and a magnetic sensor.

31. The ATV claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mode selector comprises a mode controller configured to select the particular o

Assignees

• Zuchoski Jeremie
• Bernard Jean
• Camso Inc

Inventors

• Zuchoski Jeremie
• Bernard Jean

Classifications

• B60Y2200/124

  Buggies, Quads · CPC title

• B62D55/04 Primary

  with tracks and alternative ground wheels, e.g. changeable from endless track vehicle into wheeled vehicle and vice versa {(for multi-purpose tractors B62D49/0635)} · CPC title

• B62D55/02

  with tracks and additional ground wheels {(for multi-purpose tractors B62D49/0635)} · CPC title

• B60W2050/0095

  Automatic control mode change · CPC title

• B60W2300/362

  Buggies; Quads · CPC title