FR3046980A1 - OBSTACLE CROSSING DEVICE FOR VEHICLE - Google Patents

Abstract

The principle of the present invention is to provide a vehicle with a device allowing it to overcome obstacles too high for its wheels to allow it to cross easily. A shoe 3 is located next to the wheel 10 and connected to its support by a mechanical connection 4 of a type known as a pivoting arm 4. In its rest position, the shoe is arranged so that it meets the obstacle first, before the wheel 10. This has the effect of moving it backwards. It then gradually lifts the vehicle until the wheel 10 can roll on top of the obstacle. An elastic return then returns to the pad 3 its rest position, and is ready for the crossing of a new obstacle. A vehicle can be supported only by devices according to the invention, which are put into service alternately.

Description

Vehicle Obstacle Clearance Device Technical Area

The present invention is a device that improves the crossing capacity of rolling machines.

Prior art

The main factor that determines the crossing capacity of a vehicle is the diameter of its wheels. The larger the diameter, the higher the vehicle can cross over obstacles. Several devices have been devised to allow vehicles to cross larger obstacles without increasing the diameter of their wheels, including those described in the two following documents: - US2002104692Al (Eiji Nakatsukasa and Al. [JP] - 2002 08 08) which discloses a vehicle comprising said laterally offset pivoting arm whose distal end can be positioned on the ground to lift the vehicle. - US8764027B1 (Délia Polla Michael [US] - 2014 07 01) which describes a foot pivotally attached to the front portion of a carriage, allowing the vehicle to be rotated around the end of this foot to assist a user to take a step up stairs.

We also know the big idler roller serving as a fulcrum to cross the rough terrain that fitted the Citroën inset of the Yellow Cruise in 1931.

Problem

Increasing the size of the wheels increases the size and cost of a vehicle, whereas this increase only affects the crossing capacity when the vehicle encounters an obstacle. Apart from this rare case, when the vehicle is traveling on flat ground, a smaller diameter wheel would do the trick.

It is true that increasing the diameter of the wheels also results in improved comfort, but this problem can be solved by a good suspension, all the more easily as we now know how to build so-called active suspensions, which make automatically vary the height of the vehicle relative to the ground according to the profile of the road as it has been analyzed in real time by sensors of different types.

Presentation of the invention

The present invention is a device for assisting the crossing of a vehicle comprising a ground-contacting surface, referred to as ground contact 1, consisting of a pad 3 connected directly or indirectly to the vehicle frame by a mechanical connection 4, characterized by the fact that: - the mechanical connection 4 guides the shoe 3 downwards when it is pushed backwards by an obstacle from a so-called rest position in which the front part of the shoe 3 is located above and in front of said ground contact 1, towards a so-called retracted position in which this front part of the pad 3 has lowered while remaining higher than said ground contact 1 and thus no longer touches the ground, - no point of the pad 3 n is in contact with the ground when the vehicle is placed by its ground contact 1 on a flat ground, whatever the position of the pad, - that the pad 3 is provided with a return means at its rest position when he is not in contact with the ground, - and that the shoe 3 is offset laterally with respect to said ground contact 1, and at a lateral distance sufficient to not be able to get caught between said ground contact and the ground.

According to other characteristics - the mechanical connection between the shoe 3 and said ground contact 1 is said arm 4, one end of which is integral with the shoe 3 and the other is fixed to the vehicle by an axis called an arm axis 41 around which it can pivot, this arm axis being substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the vehicle - the vehicle is provided with a wheel 10 and said ground contact 1 is the lowest point of this wheel 10. - the vertical stroke of the foremost part of the shoe 3 is substantially greater than the radius of the wheel 1, the shoe 3 during its rotation about said arm axis describes a circle whose radius is both greater than that of said wheel 10 and less than that of a circle of the same center but tangent to the furthest periphery of the wheel 10; said arm axis 41 is situated in front of the axis of said wheel 10, at a horizontal distance less than the length of the radius of said wheel 10. the shoe forms a wheel portion representing an arc of between 20 and 60 degrees. ; the shoe 3 comprises a part cooperating with said wheel 10 so that, in a so-called locking position, it prevents said wheel 10 from rotating. - The shoe 3 is driven in motion by the rotation of said wheel 10 when in contact with the ground - said wheel 10 is provided with two crossing aids according to the invention, located on both sides said wheel 10; - The running surface of the pad is substantially an arc; - The pad is flexible to absorb shocks; - The pad is supported by a roller 28 located substantially vertically from the axis of the point of tangency between the running surface of the shoe 3 and the running surface of said wheel 10; this wheel 28 is motorized; this roller 28 is rotated by said wheel 10; the lowest part of the running surface of the pad 3 is lower when the pad goes back and forth than when it goes back and forth; - The axis of rotation of the shoe 3 rolls on a first surface when the pad goes back and forth, and follows a path in which the lower part of the pad is higher when it goes back and forth. ; - A portion of the shoe 3 is a ground connection device of a type known as a ski or an ice skate; - A connecting element connects at their front two pads located on either side of said ground contact 1, and a stop prevents this connecting element to pass under said ground contact; this stop can be deactivated on command; - two pads are arranged in series; the invention is a wheel provided with at least one crossing aid device according to the invention; the invention is a vehicle of any kind comprising at least one crossing assistance device according to the invention; this vehicle comprises a front axle and a rear axle each provided with at least one device according to the invention.

Brief description of the drawings The invention will be better understood, and other objects, advantages and characteristics thereof will appear more clearly on reading the description which follows, which is illustrated by the appended figures numbered from 1 to 31 which represent all devices according to the invention.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are side views of a device according to a preferred embodiment, in which a shoe 3 is located at the end of this arm 4 connected to the support 2 of said wheel 10 by an axis arm 41 allowing the arm 4 and the shoe 3 to pivot back and forth. The device is in the so-called retracted position in FIG. 1 and in the so-called rest position in FIG. 2, the direction of the device being from left to right. A dashed circle portion makes it possible to measure the radius of the large wheel 10 which would have the same crossing capacity as the small wheel 10 provided with the device according to the invention.

Figures 3 to 5 are perspective views of the same device, showing the successive steps of automatic crossing an obstacle from left to right. In Figure 3, the shoe 3 which is in the rest position abuts on the nose of a step, which forces it to pivot backwards by turning about said arm axis 41. The arm 4 and the skid 3 which is integral with it then pivot, as illustrated in FIG. 4, around the point of contact of the shoe 2 with the nose of the step until said wheel 10 in turn encounters the step nose as illustrated in FIG. Figure 5, which has the effect of losing the shoe 3 the contact with the ground. The arm 4 and the shoe 3 associated with it can then resume their rest position as shown in FIG.

Figures 7 to 10 are perspective views of the same device, showing the steps of the reverse movement, that of the descent of an obstacle from right to left. In Figure 7, the pad 3 comes into contact with the nose of the step because said wheel 10 has left the top of the step, which forces it to pivot backwards, by turning about said arm axis 4L The arm 4 then pivots, as illustrated in FIG. 8, around its point of contact with the nose of the step until said wheel 10 in turn encounters the ground as illustrated in FIG. 9, which has for effect of losing the shoe 3 the contact with the walking nose. The arm 4 and the shoe 3 associated with it can then resume their rest position as illustrated in FIG.

Figure 11 is a side view of a scooter equipped with a device according to the invention.

Figure 12 is a side view of a device according to the invention, in another embodiment.

Figures 13 to 16 of the profile views of the device of Figure 12, showing the steps of crossing an obstacle from left to right. In Figure 13, the elemental pad 3d comes into contact with the nose of the step, which carries the entire vehicle continuing its movement from left to right, its wheel 10 leaving the ground as shown in Figure 14. A la 15, said wheel 10 comes into contact with the step nose, which allows the pad to resume its rest position as shown in Figure 15. The vehicle then continues its route to the top of the step, ready for a new crossing obstacle.

Figures 17 to 19 show a variant of the invention which has the advantage of a smaller footprint.

Figure 20 is a perspective view of a device according to the invention operating both forward and backward. The arm 4 is disposed here in the middle of the shoe 3, but it could as well be placed at one or the other of its ends or at any other location.

Figures 21 to 23 are perspective views of a devil according to the invention. It is folded in FIG. 21 and in operation with the following ones, the pad in the rest position in FIG. 22 and working in FIG. 23.

FIGS. 24 and 25 are perspective views of an improved device comprising a pedal 31 enabling it to be moved from the rest position in FIG. 24 to a locked position in FIG. 25, said wheel 10 on which the vehicle is resting being then immobilized by the faces 34 and 35 of the pad 3.

Figures 26 to 28 illustrate another improvement of the invention, wherein said wheel 10 drives the shoe 3 when in the working position. The arm 4 is decomposed into two parts 42 and 43 sliding one inside the other, so that the distance between said arm axis 41 and the pad 3 varies elastically between the rest position and the working position. In the working position, the shoe 3 is pushed towards said arm axis 41 until it cooperates with its surface 33 with the surface 13 of said wheel 10. An elastic return moves the shoe 3 away from said arm axis 41 when the shoe is not in contact with any obstacle, and then suppresses this cooperation so that the arm 3 no longer rubs on said wheel 10.

FIG. 29 represents a perspective view of a vehicle according to the invention, equipped with four pads, one for each wheel 10.

Figure 30 is a perspective view of a set of two devices according to the invention which are juxtaposed in series.

Figure 31 is a side view of the same set.

Detailed description of the invention

When an obstacle is of low height, the slope of the running surface of said wheel 10 at the point of contact with the obstacle is small, but when it is of greater height, this slope increases up to to reach 90 ° if the height of the obstacle is equal to or greater than the radius of said wheel 10. The obstacle is then impassable by the wheel.

The principle of the present invention is to provide any support means of a vehicle on the ground, such as a wheel 10 for example, a pad 3 allowing it to gradually rise to the height of an obstacle for the to avoid stumbling on the obstacle. This device is not used permanently but only when the vehicle encounters an obstacle, and is then returned to a rest position, either manually by the user, or preferably by an elastic return of the pad 3 to this rest position this elastic return is not represented.

In the remainder of the description, an example is taken of a ground contact 1 which is the lowest point of a wheel 10, but this wheel can in most cases be replaced by another contact means. between the vehicle and the wheel, like a skate or a ski for example.

The big difference with the crazy roller of the Citroëns of the Yellow Cruise in 1931 is that the diameter of this roller was very small, even lower than that of the wheels. He could not cross very important obstacles, and a rock could even be crossed by the wheel and then get caught between the roller and the wheel.

An important advantage of the invention over the aforementioned documents US2002104692Al and US8764027B1 is that the pad is both the means for raising the vehicle above the obstacle, and also the detector for its automatic implementation, since it is the contact between the pad and the obstacle that causes its passage from its so-called rest position to its so-called working position.

A second advantage over the prior art is that the device automatically resumes its so-called rest position after having been automatically put into service, since it suffices for a simple elastic return to obtain this repositioning when the pad does not touch anymore. floor.

The shoe 3 is located next to the ground support of the vehicle and shifted laterally so as not to conflict with it, which would occur if it was possible that, by moving back, it passes under said ground contact and gets stuck between him and the floor.

The shoe 3 may be connected to the support of said wheel 10 by a mechanical connection 4 of any type known to those skilled in the art. FIGS. 12 to 16 show that the shoe 3 may consist of a multitude of elementary shoes marked 3a, 3b and following, which slide in a rail 32 which runs along the support 2 of wheel 10. The elementary skids are connected together to each other and can slide from the upper front part of the rail 32 noted 321 to the rear end of this rail denoted 322 The shoe 3 can also cooperate with the frame 2 by a wheel 36 which rolls on a rail 29. A wheel 28 secured to the frame 2 prevents the pad 3 from rising when it encounters an obstacle. The trajectory of the pad can be optimized by an appropriate drawing of the rail 29 and the shape of the pad 3.

The following four points are important: • the mechanical connection 4 must exist to guide the pad 3 when it is pushed back by an obstacle from its so-called rest position to its working position, then its retracted position. • The so-called rest position must be such that a front portion of the shoe 3 is located above and in front of the ground support 1, so that this part of the shoe 3 comes into contact with an obstacle first, before the support- floor 1. • At the end of the run, the runner 3 must be in a so-called retracted position in which it must not touch the ground, in order to be able to return freely to the rest position. Its lowest part must therefore be located substantially above the ground support 1. • During its journey from its so-called rest position to its so-called retracted position, the pad 3 must pass through a so-called working position in which a at least part of the pad 3 is lower than its rest position. This is indeed the condition for the vehicle to be lifted by the skate.

In a preferred version, illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 11 and 20 to 31, the mechanical connection between the shoe 3 and the support of said wheel 10 of the vehicle is said arm 4, one end of which is fixed to the shoe 3 and the other rotates. around an axis said arm axis 41 which is substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of said wheel 10. The end of the shoe 3 attached to the arm 4 describes during this rotation a circle whose radius is less than that of a circle of the same center but tangential to the periphery of said wheel 10. In fact, if the pad was tangent to the periphery of said wheel 10, there would be a stage of crossing the obstacle in which the arm and said wheel 10 would simultaneously be in contact with the obstacle, and it would be the skate 3 which would then remain in contact with the obstacle, whereas what is sought is on the contrary that, at the end of the crossing, it is said wheel 10 only that stay in contact with the ground in ur that the pad 3 can resume its rest position.

FIG. 31 makes it possible to understand that the lowest point of an arcuate pad is advantageously placed at the intersection of its periphery with that of the rolling surface of said wheel 10, so as not to be lower than one located further back where it would be of no use and could be driven unnecessarily or hinder its return to the rest position, the center of this arc is advantageously located vertically to this intersection. Advantageously, the shoe 3 forms a wheel portion whose axis of rotation is substantially coincidental with the axis of rotation 41 of said arm 4, and this wheel portion has a radius substantially greater than that of said wheel 10. replaced, only the time of crossing an obstacle, a wheel 10 by another of larger diameter, able to better overcome the obstacle. This is illustrated in FIG. 2, in which the diameter of this large wheel 10, of which only one arc is used when necessary, has been shown by a dashed circle portion. It is necessary that, when the arm 4 is in its rest position, the lowest end of the periphery of the wheel portion formed by the shoe 3 is substantially closer to the axis of rotation of said wheel 10 than to the periphery of said wheel 10, because this is a necessary condition so that the pad 3 can resume its rest position.

In a preferred embodiment, the pad forms a wheel portion representing an arc of between 20 and 60 degrees. The invention is both an accessory that can be added to a wheel 10 or a vehicle, a wheel 10 provided with at least one crossing aid device according to the invention, for example two pads according to the invention located on either side of said wheel 10, a vehicle of any kind comprising at least one wheel 10 and at least one crossing aid device according to the invention.

The shoe 3 has a rear portion opposite to the front portion, which is located above and behind the lower part of the vehicle. It can then move from the home position to the working position as well in forward and reverse as shown in Figure 17.

The shoe 3 may advantageously comprise a portion cooperating with said wheel 10 so that, in a so-called locking position, it prevents said wheel 10 from rotating. Such an improvement is shown in FIGS. 21 and 22. The elasticity of the periphery of said wheel 10 is advantageously sufficient for the surface 35 to be able to pass from one side to the other of said wheel 10 when the pedal is depressed. 31. This surface 35, associated with the opposite surface 34, then surrounds said wheel 10 to prevent it from rotating. It must always be said wheel 10 which supports the vehicle, so that this maneuver immobilizes the device on its ground position.

The pad 3 can be foldable or telescopic. Its rest position and / or its geometry can be modified to order of the user or automatically according to the inclination of the vehicle when it is a devil for example. The rest position can for example be modified so that the device takes up less space when it is not in use. The pad associated with a wheeled suitcase can for example be retracted into the body of the bag when it is not desired to roll it, and automatically released to its so-called rest position as soon as one pulls on the handle of the suitcase.

An improvement is to motorize the movement of the skate when it encounters an obstacle, so that it is he who drives the movement of the vehicle. Any device for autonomous motorization or transmission to the energy pad of the main engine of the vehicle can be implemented, and the start of this motorization of the movement of the pad can be controlled by a first retreat of the pad when meets an obstacle. One embodiment of this improvement, as illustrated in FIGS. 23 to 25, may be that the arm 4 is of variable length to allow or prevent the collaboration between a surface 33 of the pad 3 and a surface 13 of said wheel 10.

The pad can also be quite inflexible so that its flexion when in contact with an obstacle brings it closer to a rotating element with the wheel. Such a solution is shown in FIG. 29. The rear pads, on the right, are provided with a toothed surface 33 which cooperates with a toothed surface 13 on each of the rear wheels 1.

In these two variants shown in FIGS. 23 to 25 and in FIG. 29, the peripheral speed of the pad is not perfectly equal to that of said wheel 10, but the person skilled in the art can very easily introduce a transmission so that these speeds are perfectly equal version not shown.

It is often advantageous to use a soft pad that can absorb shocks with obstacles encountered. In this case, the pad is advantageously supported by a wheel 28 secured to the frame 2 of the vehicle. Such a wheel 28 is advantageously located substantially vertical to the axis of the point of tangency between the running surface of the shoe 3 and the running surface of said wheel 10. Such a wheel 28 can be motorized independently or driven by rotation by said wheel 10.

In a particular version not shown, a portion of the pad 3 may be a ski or an ice skate, or any other mechanical device hanging better on the ground than a wheel. The commissioning of this element can be an effective backup solution when a car rolls on the ice, for example.

A connecting element can connect two pads located on either side of said ground contact 1 of a vehicle. This connecting element may be placed at the front of the device, but it is in this case desirable that a stop prevents this connecting element from passing under said ground contact. This stop can be deactivated on command, for example when the pad is an ice skate or a brake

In an improved version, two pads may be arranged in series as shown in Figures 30 and 31. The pad 30 is located in front of the pad 3 and absorbs the highest obstacles. Its action is followed by that of the skate 3.

A vehicle advantageously comprises a front axle and a rear axle each provided with at least one device according to the invention, but it is not essential. A particularly advantageous solution is to use several rear wheels placed one behind the other so that the vehicle is always supported by one of these wheels which can be small to increase the loading space of the vehicle. This solution is also very suitable for pallet trucks that can have multiple wheels under pallets version not shown.

A vehicle may comprise only pads according to the invention, and no wheel 10. It is then necessary that the distance between the lowest point of the pad 3 and the vehicle frame is greater when the pad backwards than when it advances. to find its so-called rest position, so that the pads can successively resume their rest position, a pad resuming its rest position as soon as another pad carries the vehicle. This allows the vehicle to roll permanently on its only skates 3. For this, the lowest part of the running surface of the pad 3 must be lower when the pad goes back and forth than when it goes to back forward. Many solutions are available to those skilled in the art to achieve this result. The axis of rotation of the pad 3 can for example roll on a first surface when the pad goes back and forth, and follow a path in which the lower part of the pad is higher when it goes backwards. before. It is the shape of the axis and the way it rolls in its housing that makes it lower on the way out. A vehicle can thus be supported only by devices according to the invention, which are put into service alternately.

To avoid changes in the height of the vehicle when traveling on flat ground, it is necessary that the axis of rotation 41 of each pad is immobilized during its rotation back and forth. applications

The present invention applies to motor vehicles including in particular off-road vehicles, tricycles and quads, two-wheelers such as bicycles, scooters and gyropods, wheelbarrows, devils, trolleys, caddies, roller skates, wheeled luggage, wheelchairs, trolleys, robots, toys, aircraft landing gear, boat trailers, cement mixers and generally all equipment or objects that one wishes to be able to move easily without providing them with wheels of very large dimensions.

Claims (10)

claims 1. Device for assisting the crossing of a vehicle comprising a ground-engaging contact surface (1) consisting of a shoe (3) connected directly or indirectly to the frame (2) of the vehicle by a mechanical connection (4), characterized in that: - said mechanical connection (4) guides said shoe (3) downwards when it is pushed backwards by an obstacle, from a so-called rest position in which the front part said shoe (3) is located above and in front of said ground contact (1), towards a so-called retracted position in which this front portion of said shoe (3) has lowered while remaining higher than said ground contact (1) and therefore no longer touches the ground, - no point of said pad (3) is in contact with the ground when the vehicle is placed by said ground contact (1) on flat ground, whatever the position of the pad, - that said pad (3) is provided with a return means at its rest position when n is not in contact with the ground, - and that said pad (3) is offset laterally with respect to said ground contact (1), and at a lateral distance sufficient to not be able to jam between said ground contact (1) and the soil. 2. Crossing aid device according to claim 1 characterized in that - said ground contact is a wheel (10) - the mechanical connection between said shoe (3) and said ground contact (1) is an arm (4). ) one end of which is integral with said pad (3) and the other is fixed to the vehicle by an axis said arm axis (41) about which it can pivot, this arm axis being substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the vehicle, and that said shoe (3) during its rotation about said arm axis describes a circle whose radius is both greater than that of said wheel (10) and less than that of a circle of the same center but tangent to the furthest periphery of said wheel (10). 3. Crossing assistance device according to claim 1 or claim 2 characterized in that said ground contact is a wheel (10) and said shoe (3) is supported by a wheel (28) located substantially vertically the axis of the point of tangency between the running surface of said shoe (3) and the running surface of said wheel (10). 4. Crossing assistance device according to any one of the preceding claims characterized in that said ground contact (1) is the lowest part of a wheel (10), and that the vertical stroke of the part the foremost of said shoe (3) is substantially greater than the radius of said wheel (10), 5. Crossing assistance device according to any one of the preceding claims characterized in that said ground contact (1) is the lowest part of a wheel (10), and that said shoe (3) is driven in motion by rotation of said wheel (10) when in contact with the ground. 6. Crossing assistance device according to any one of the preceding claims characterized in that said ground contact (1) is the lowest part of a wheel (10), and said pad (3) has a part cooperating with said wheel (10) so that, in a so-called locking position, it prevents said wheel (10) from rotating. 7. Crossing assistance device according to any one of the preceding claims characterized in that a portion of said pad (3) is a ski or an ice skate. 8. Crossing assistance device according to claim 1 characterized in that two pads are arranged in series. Wheel (10) provided with at least one crossing assistance device according to any one of the preceding claims. 10. Vehicle provided with at least one crossing assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.