JP4152146B2 - Elastic crawler - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an elastic crawler used in various crawler type traveling devices.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, there are an increasing number of cases where a crawler type traveling device is mounted and used instead of a wheel of an RV vehicle for leisure. Even in the case of a crawler type traveling device attached to such an RV vehicle, an elastic crawler made of an endless rubber belt or the like is attached, but the traveling speed is higher than that of a crawler type traveling device attached to a construction machine or an agricultural machine. Since it becomes relatively large, it is necessary to employ an elastic crawler having flexibility that allows high-speed rotation.
[0003]
As an elastic crawler having such flexibility, for example, there is a protrusion driving type in which a driving protrusion continuously protruding on an inner peripheral surface of a crawler body is driven by a sprocket. This type of elastic crawler usually has a crawler main body having a plurality of drive projections arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction and having no engagement holes, and a predetermined pattern on the outer peripheral surface of the crawler main body. The formed lug group and a tensile body embedded in the crawler main body along the circumferential direction are provided (for example, refer to JP-A-10-129547).
[0004]
And in this conventional elastic crawler, in order to effectively secure traction performance on snow or soft ground, a lag group consisting of a plurality of horizontal lag extending in the width direction of the crawler body is adopted, and high-speed rotation is achieved. In order to ensure the possible flexibility, each lug is arranged at the same pitch at a position corresponding to the drive projection.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In conventional protrusion-driven type elastic crawlers, multiple lugs with a single horizontal character are arranged at positions corresponding to the drive protrusions, so when the rolling wheel comes between the lugs, it is easy to fall down. There is a drawback that the vibration on the road becomes intense and the ride comfort becomes worse. In order to eliminate such inconvenience, the pitch of the lug of one horizontal character may be made smaller than the pitch of the driving projection, but this increases the rigidity of the crawler body in the circumferential direction so that it can be rotated at high speed. May not be secured.
[0006]
In view of such circumstances, a first object of the present invention is to provide a protrusion drive type elastic crawler that can improve riding comfort without hindering flexibility capable of high-speed rotation.
[0007]
On the other hand, the conventional projection drive type elastic crawler uses only a single horizontal character lug extending in the width direction of the crawler body, so that the soil removal to the outside in the width direction of the crawler deteriorates and off-road (particularly soft) There is also a disadvantage that the running performance on the ground is inferior. In order to eliminate such inconvenience, it is sufficient to adopt a lag pattern inclined with respect to the width direction. However, if all the lags are inclined, a contradiction arises in that the traction performance is greatly deteriorated. .
In addition, in the projection drive type elastic crawler in which the engagement hole is not formed in the crawler main body, earth and sand (snow in the case of snow) is not discharged from the engagement hole, so that the soil removal performance of the lug is reduced. It can be said that prevention is a more important problem than the case of an elastic crawler having an engagement hole.
[0008]
In view of such circumstances, the present invention is to provide a protrusion-driven elastic crawler that can improve soil removal performance while effectively ensuring traction performance, and exhibits well-balanced running performance. The purpose.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the first object, the present invention takes the following technical means.
That is, according to the present invention, the lug group formed on the outer peripheral surface of the crawler body in the above-described protrusion drive type elastic crawler is defined by a plurality of main lugs defined in (a) below and (b). Consisting of a plurality of end lugs ,
The contact width in the circumferential direction of the end lug is set to be larger than the contact width in the circumferential direction of the main lug .
[0010]
(A) It extends substantially horizontally in the width direction of the crawler body so as to extend between the left and right wheel contact ground areas located on the left and right sides of the drive protrusion, and at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. between the Meinragu to adjacent arranged Meinragu (b) circumferentially, polymerized either only one of the left and right track roller contact region, and arranged with a shift from each other in the circumferential direction, transverse A pair of left and right end lugs extending in a single character shape
According to the present invention described above, the main lugs arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction extend substantially in the width direction of the crawler body so as to spread between the left and right wheel contact ground areas. It acts on the main lug in a state where the shear resistance force received is substantially maximized along the circumferential direction of the crawler body, and the traction performance on snow or soft ground is effectively ensured.
[0012]
On the other hand, the pair of left and right end lugs overlaps with any one of the left and right rolling contact ground areas between the main lugs adjacent in the circumferential direction, and is disposed in a state shifted from each other in the circumferential direction. When the wheels pass between the main lugs, they are always supported by either the left or right end lugs. For this reason, it is difficult for the wheels to fall downward between the main lugs, the vibration is reduced, and the on-road riding comfort is improved.
Further, the pair of left and right end lugs are arranged at a position where only one of the left and right wheel contact ground areas overlaps and is present only on one side in the width direction of the crawler body. In spite of the provision of the crawler body, the circumferential rigidity of the crawler body does not increase so much, and the flexibility capable of high-speed rotation can be effectively ensured.
Furthermore, in the elastic crawler of the present invention, the end lug that supports only one side portion of the roller wheel is subjected to a larger load than the main lug that supports both side portions of the roller wheel, and therefore acts on the main lug and the end lug. The contact width of the end lug is set to be larger than the contact width of the main lug in order to average the frictional force to prevent uneven wear.
[0014]
In the present invention, if the circumferential pitch from the main lug to the end lug closer to this is set so that the circumferential pitch between the left and right end lugs is substantially the same, the wheel is moved from the main lug to The time required to transfer to the next end lug is almost the same as the time required for the wheel to transfer from one end lug to the other end lug. The impact acting on the vehicle is almost uniform, and the ride comfort is further improved.
[0015]
In the present invention, when the main lug is disposed at a position corresponding to the driving protrusion, it is preferable that the circumferential pitch of the main lug is set to be approximately twice the circumferential pitch of the driving protrusion.
In this case, since the wheel is always supported by a pair of left and right end lugs while moving in the circumferential direction by two pitches of the driving projection, all horizontal one character lugs (in the main lug of the present invention) Compared to the conventional case (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-129547), in which the wheel is rotated per unit length (two pitches of the drive protrusion). As a result, there are more opportunities to be supported by lugs, vibrations are less likely to occur than conventional elastic crawlers, and riding comfort is improved.
[0016]
The elastic crawler according to the present invention can be applied to either a cored bar-less or coreless-less core, but when a corerless crawler body is employed, in order to ensure necessary strength and rigidity. The width direction reinforcing layer is preferably embedded on the inner peripheral side or outer peripheral side of the tensile body inside the crawler body or on both sides thereof .
[0018]
On the other hand, in the present invention, a space that is substantially line-symmetric with the end lug with respect to the center line of the crawler body (hereinafter referred to as a symmetric space if necessary) is bent in the thickness direction of the crawler body because there is no lug. It becomes easy, and if a rolling occurs when the wheel passes through this space, it may cause vibration.
Therefore, within the range in which the flexibility that enables high-speed rotation can be effectively ensured, a mounting portion that is built up on the inner peripheral side of the crawler main body is provided in the symmetrical space, or is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the crawler main body. And it is preferable to provide an auxiliary lug smaller than an end lug.
[0019]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an elastic crawler 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a crawler type traveling device 2 using the crawler 1.
As shown in FIG. 2, the crawler travel device 2 in this case is mounted on a so-called RV vehicle as a wheel instead of a wheel, and includes a sprocket 3 disposed in the upper center as a drive wheel, and a pair of front and rear idlers 4. 4 and a plurality of rolling wheels 5 arranged between the idlers 4 and 4, and the elastic crawler 1 is wound around the outer periphery thereof.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 1, the elastic crawler 1 of the present embodiment has an engagement hole in which a plurality of drive protrusions 7 arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1A) are formed on the inner circumferential surface. A crawler body 8 that does not have, a lug group 9 formed in a predetermined lug pattern on the outer peripheral surface of the crawler body 8, a tensile body 10 embedded in the crawler body 8 along the circumferential direction, And a width direction reinforcing layer 11 embedded in the outer peripheral side of the tensile body 10 inside the crawler body 8.
[0021]
Among these, the crawler main body 8 is formed in an endless belt shape having a substantially constant thickness by a rubber-like elastic body, and the crawler main body 8 has a central portion in the width direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 1A) on the inner peripheral surface. The drive projection 7 made of a rubber-like elastic body made of the same material as that of the crawler body 8 is projected. The drive protrusions 7 are provided over the entire circumference of the crawler body 8 at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. By engaging the sprockets 3 with the drive protrusions 7, the elastic crawler 1 is moved in the circumferential direction. Can be driven along.
[0022]
The wheel 5 of the crawler traveling device 2 has a pair of left and right circular wheel portions 5A and 5A that are coaxially integrated at a constant interval in the crawler width direction. In the meantime, it is in contact with the inner surface of the crawler main body 8 in a state of straddling the driving projection 7 (see FIG. 1B). A hard resin or metal reinforcing member may be embedded in the drive protrusion 7.
The tensile body 10 is configured by juxtaposing tensile strength cords such as steel cords extending along the circumferential direction. On the other hand, the width direction reinforcement layer 11 is comprised by arranging in parallel the tensile cord which consists of a steel cord etc. in the direction inclined with respect to the circumferential direction. The reinforcing layer 11 can also be provided on the inner peripheral side of the tensile body 10 and on both the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 1, the lug group 9 of the present embodiment is arranged at a main lug 12 extending substantially horizontally and arranged at the center in the width direction of the crawler body 8 and at both left and right ends in the width direction of the crawler body 8. And a pair of left and right end lugs 13, 13 extending substantially horizontally.
Of these, the main lug 12 extends substantially in the width direction of the crawler main body 8 so as to extend between the left and right rolling contact ground regions 14L, 14R located on the left and right sides of the drive protrusion 7, and is constant in the circumferential direction. Arranged at intervals. For this reason, the shear resistance force received from the ground acts on the main lug 12 in a state where it is substantially maximized along the circumferential direction of the crawler body 8, and the traction performance on snow or soft ground is effectively ensured. .
[0024]
On the other hand, the pair of left and right end lugs 13, 13 overlaps with only one of the left and right rolling contact ground regions 14L, 14R between the main lugs 12 adjacent in the circumferential direction, and are shifted from each other in the circumferential direction. It is arranged to be in the state. For this reason, when the wheel 5 passes between the main lugs 12, the wheel 5 is always supported by either one of the left and right end lugs 13. In particular, the on-road ride is improved.
[0025]
Further, the pair of left and right end lugs 13, 13 are arranged at a position where only one of the left and right wheel contact ground areas 14 L, 14 R overlaps, and exists only on one side in the width direction of the crawler body 8. Therefore, in spite of the provision of the end lug 13, the circumferential rigidity of the crawler body 8 does not increase so much, and the flexibility that enables high-speed rotation can be effectively ensured. Therefore, in the elastic crawler 1 of the present embodiment, the ride comfort can be improved without hindering the flexibility that enables high-speed rotation.
[0026]
As shown in FIG. 1, in the lug pattern of this embodiment, the circumferential pitch P1 from the main lug 12 to the end lug 13 closer to the main lug 12 and the circumferential pitch P2 between the left and right end lugs 13 and 13 are as follows. It is set to be almost the same. For this reason, the time until the wheel 5 changes from the main lug 12 to the next end lug 13 and the time until the wheel 5 changes from one end lug 13 to the other end lug 13 are substantially the same. Therefore, compared with the case where these times differ greatly, the impact which acts on the wheel 5 is made substantially uniform, and riding comfort is further improved.
[0027]
Further, in the lug pattern of the present embodiment, the main lug 12 is arranged at a position corresponding to the drive projection 7 so that the center thereof coincides with the center of the drive projection 7, and the circumferential pitch of the main lug 12 is The drive protrusion 7 is set to be approximately twice the circumferential pitch Q. For this reason, since the wheel 5 is always supported by the pair of left and right end lugs 13 and 13 while moving in the circumferential direction by two pitches of the drive protrusion 7, for example, the main lug 12 is connected to the drive protrusion 7. Compared to the case where they are arranged at the same pitch, there is a greater opportunity for the rolling wheels 5 to be supported by lugs per unit length (for two pitches of the drive projections), and vibrations are less likely to occur and riding comfort is improved. .
[0028]
Further, in the elastic crawler 1 of this embodiment, the ground contact width b of the end lug 13 is equal to the contact width a of the main lug 12 in order to prevent uneven wear by averaging the frictional force acting on the main lug 12 and the end lug 13. It is set to be larger.
[0029]
FIG. 3 shows an elastic crawler 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
The elastic crawler 1 of the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the end lug 13 is not a horizontal single-character type extending in the crawler width direction, but an inclined type inclined with respect to the width direction is adopted. In other respects, the other configuration is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment. That is, in the lug pattern of the second embodiment, the relative positional relationship between the drive protrusion 7, the main lug 12, and the end lug 13 is substantially the same as in the first embodiment, and then a pair of left and right end portions. As the lugs 13 and 13, those having a soil removal portion 15 that is inclined rearward in the crawler rotation direction (in the direction of arrow X in the figure) as it goes outward in the width direction of the crawler body 8 are employed.
[0030]
Therefore, in the elastic crawler 1 according to the present embodiment, the same effect as that of the elastic crawler 1 according to the first embodiment (FIG. 1) can be obtained, and the end lugs 13 inclined as described above can also be used for the crawler 1. Since the soil removal property to the outside in the width direction is exhibited, it is possible to achieve a well-balanced traveling performance in which the traction performance and the soil removal property are compatible.
As shown in FIG. 3, the circumferential position of the inclined end lug 13 is the point where the center line in the width direction of the wheel contact areas 14L and 14R intersects the center line in the width direction of the end lug 13. Identified.
[0031]
FIG. 4 shows an elastic crawler 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
In the elastic crawler 1 according to the present embodiment, the left and right side portions of the main lug 12 are provided with soil discharge portions 16 that are inclined rearward in the crawler rotation direction toward the outer side in the width direction of the crawler main body 8. It is formed in a V shape. Further, in the elastic crawler 1 of the present embodiment, a mount portion 17 is provided in which the crawler body 8 is built up on the inner peripheral side in a space that is substantially line symmetrical with the end lug 13 with respect to the center line of the crawler body 8. It has been.
[0032]
In the elastic crawler 1 according to the third embodiment, the soil removal performance can be improved not only on the left and right end lugs 13 and 13 but also on the left and right side portions of the main lug 12, so that the running performance on soft ground or the like is improved. It will be better. Moreover, since the symmetrical space in the crawler main body 8 is reinforced by the mount portion 17, the drop when the roller 5 passes through this space is further reduced, and the occurrence of vibration can be suppressed.
[0033]
FIG. 5 shows an elastic crawler 1 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
The elastic crawler 1 of the present embodiment is different from that of the third embodiment in that the crawler main body 8 is provided in a symmetrical space so as to protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the crawler main body 8 instead of the mount portion 17 and the end lug 13. The smaller auxiliary lug 18 is provided.
In the present embodiment, the rolling wheel 5 is supported by the auxiliary lug 18 when passing through the symmetric space, and the rolling wheel 5 does not fall downward, so that generation of vibration can be more effectively suppressed.
[0034]
Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.
For example, in the example of FIGS. 3 to 5, the case where both the pair of left and right end lugs 13 are inclined types is exemplified, but a lug pattern in which only one of them is an inclined type may be employed. .
[0035]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the ride comfort without disturbing the flexibility capable of high-speed rotation in the protrusion drive type elastic crawler.
Further, according to the present invention, in the protrusion driven type elastic crawler, the running performance can be improved without causing deterioration of the traction performance.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1A is a plan view of an elastic crawler according to a first embodiment viewed from the outer peripheral side, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view when the crawler is cut at a main lug.
FIG. 2 is a side view of a crawler type traveling device equipped with the elastic crawler of the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of an elastic crawler according to a second embodiment viewed from the outer peripheral side.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of an elastic crawler according to a third embodiment as viewed from the outer peripheral side.
FIG. 5 is a plan view of an elastic crawler according to a fourth embodiment viewed from the outer peripheral side.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Elastic crawler 5 Roller wheel 7 Driving protrusion 8 Crawler main body 9 Lug group 10 Tensile body 11 Width direction reinforcement layer 12 Main lug 13 End lug 14L Roller contact area (left side)
14R Wheel contact area (right side)
15 Earth removal part 16 Earth removal part 17 Mount part 18 Auxiliary rib P1 Circumferential pitch P2 Circumferential pitch a Main ground lug width b End lug ground width

Claims (6)

A crawler body having a plurality of drive projections arranged on the inner circumferential surface at regular intervals in the circumferential direction and not having an engagement hole, a lug group formed in a predetermined lug pattern on the outer circumferential surface of the crawler body, In an elastic crawler comprising a tensile body embedded along the circumferential direction inside the crawler body,
The lug group is constituted by a plurality of Meinragu defined in the following (a), and a plurality of end lugs defined in (b),
An elastic crawler, wherein a ground contact width in a circumferential direction of the end lug is set to be larger than a ground contact width in a circumferential direction of the main lug .
(A) It extends substantially horizontally in the width direction of the crawler body so as to extend between the left and right wheel contact ground areas located on the left and right sides of the drive protrusion, and at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. between the Meinragu to adjacent arranged Meinragu (b) circumferentially, polymerized either only one of the left and right track roller contact region, and arranged with a shift from each other in the circumferential direction, transverse A pair of left and right end lugs extending in a single character The elastic crawler according to claim 1, wherein the circumferential pitch from the main lug to the end lug closer to the main lug and the circumferential pitch between the left and right end lugs are set to be substantially the same . The elastic crawler according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the main lug is disposed at a position corresponding to the driving protrusion, and the circumferential pitch of the main lug is set to be approximately twice the circumferential pitch of the driving protrusion . The elastic crawler in any one of Claims 1-3 by which the width direction reinforcement layer is embed | buried under the inner peripheral side of the tension body inside a crawler main body, the outer peripheral side, or these both sides . The elasticity according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a mount portion is provided in which the crawler body is built up on the inner peripheral side in a space that is substantially line symmetrical with the end lug with respect to the center line of the crawler body. Crawler. The auxiliary lug which protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the said crawler main body, and is smaller than an end lug is provided in the space which becomes substantially line symmetrical with respect to the center lug of the crawler main body . Elastic crawler as described in.

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