JP7196822B2 - segregated vehicle - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle in which a body section and a platform (chassis section) can be separated.

Conventionally, it consists of a unit equipped with a motor for driving a vehicle and a battery for supplying power to the motor, and a unit equipped with a power generation system for generating power to be supplied to the motor or battery. A separable vehicle in which the above two units are separable is known (see, for example, Patent Literature 1).

DE 102009057693 A1

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique for easily separating and connecting a vehicle body portion and a chassis portion in a vehicle in which the vehicle body portion and the chassis portion are separable.

A separable vehicle of the present disclosure includes a chassis portion and a vehicle body portion, and is configured such that the chassis portion and the vehicle body portion are separable. The chassis includes a plurality of wheels, a prime mover that drives at least some of the wheels, and a steering device that changes the steering angle of at least some of the wheels. The vehicle body has at least one of a passenger compartment and a luggage compartment.
Such separate vehicles are
a pair of tapered portions provided on both side surfaces of the vehicle body portion and inclined from the upper side to the lower side in the vehicle height direction from the outer side to the inner side in the vehicle width direction;
a pair of support members extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle on both side surfaces of the chassis;
a pair of inclined projections provided on the inner wall surfaces facing each other of the pair of support members and projecting from the outside to the inside in the vehicle width direction while being inclined from the upper side to the lower side in the vehicle height direction;
an expansion device that changes the distance between the pair of inclined projections in the vehicle width direction by changing the distance between the pair of support members along the vehicle width direction;
a control unit that controls the prime mover, the steering device, and the telescopic device;
Prepare.
When connecting the chassis portion to the vehicle body portion placed on the ground, the control portion is configured to:
controlling the expansion and contraction device so that the distance between the pair of inclined projections is greater than the width of the vehicle body;
controlling the prime mover and the steering device so that the vehicle body portion is positioned between the pair of inclined projections;
In a state where the vehicle body portion is positioned between the pair of inclined projections, the expansion and contraction device is controlled such that the distance between the pair of inclined projections is reduced, thereby moving the pair of inclined projections to the pair of inclined projections. and displacing the vehicle body portion from the lower side to the upper side in the vehicle height direction by sliding the pair of inclined projections and the pair of tapered portions against each other, and
to run.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a technique capable of easily separating and connecting a vehicle body portion and a chassis portion in a vehicle in which the vehicle body portion and the chassis portion are separable.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a separate vehicle in this embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the configuration of the chassis part in the embodiment; FIG. 4 is a rear view showing the configuration of the chassis section in the embodiment; It is a figure for demonstrating expansion-contraction operation|movement of the support member in this embodiment. It is a front view which shows the structure of the vehicle body part in this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a first plan view showing the coupling operation between the chassis portion and the vehicle body portion in the embodiment; FIG. 5 is a second plan view showing the coupling operation between the chassis and the vehicle body in the embodiment; FIG. 11 is a third plan view showing the coupling operation between the chassis and the vehicle body in the embodiment; FIG. 10 is a first rear view showing the coupling operation between the chassis and the vehicle body in the embodiment; FIG. 11 is a second rear view showing the coupling operation between the chassis and the vehicle body in the embodiment;

The present disclosure provides a separable vehicle capable of separating a vehicle body portion and a chassis portion, by providing a function of coupling and separating the vehicle body portion and the chassis portion. It is characterized by performing coupling and separation between the part and the chassis part.

Here, in a detachable vehicle in which the body portion and the chassis portion can be separated, considering the weight and size of the body portion and the chassis portion, the work of connecting and separating the body portion and the chassis portion must be done manually. It is difficult. Therefore, when performing the above-mentioned joining work and separation work, a heavy machine equipped with a lift, a crane, or the like is required in addition to the separable vehicle. Therefore, the user of the detachable vehicle may not be able to easily perform the work of connecting or detaching the body portion and the chassis portion at a destination or the like.

In contrast, a separable vehicle according to the present disclosure includes a chassis section and a vehicle body section that are configured to be separable from each other. The chassis includes a plurality of wheels, a prime mover that drives at least some of the wheels, and a steering mechanism that changes the steering angle of at least some of the wheels, and is configured to travel on roads. . In addition, the vehicle body portion includes at least one of a passenger compartment and a luggage compartment, and is configured so that at least one of a passenger and baggage can be placed thereon. Both side surfaces of the vehicle body are provided with a pair of tapered portions that are inclined from the upper side to the lower side in the vehicle height direction from the outer side to the inner side in the vehicle width direction. On the other hand, the chassis portion is provided with a pair of support members extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle on both side surfaces of the chassis portion, and a pair of inclined projections provided on inner wall surfaces of the pair of support members facing each other. be done. The inclined protrusion is formed to protrude inward in the vehicle width direction from the inner wall surface of the support member. At this time, the inclined projection is formed so as to be inclined from the outer side to the inner side in the vehicle width direction and from the upper side to the lower side in the vehicle height direction. That is, the pair of inclined projections are formed such that the distance between the pair of inclined projections becomes smaller from the upper side to the lower side in the vehicle height direction. Further, the chassis section includes an expansion device that changes the spacing between the pair of inclined projections in the vehicle width direction by changing the spacing between the pair of support members along the vehicle width direction, and the prime mover. and a control unit that controls the steering device and the telescopic device. The expansion and contraction device is not limited to a device having a specific structure, and various known devices can be adopted. For example, the expansion device may be a mechanism that changes the distance between the pair of support members using a hydraulic cylinder, or a mechanism that changes the distance between the pair of support members by driving gears or chains with an electric motor. may be

In the separated type vehicle described above, when the body portion and the chassis portion are in the separated state, the body portion is placed on the ground and cannot move by itself. On the other hand, the chassis portion can move by itself by driving the wheels with the prime mover and changing the rudder angle of the wheels with the steering device. Therefore, when the body portion and the chassis portion are to be joined together, the control portion first controls the expansion device so that the distance between the pair of inclined projections is made larger than the width of the body portion. Next, the control unit controls the prime mover and the steering device to move the chassis so that the vehicle body is positioned between the pair of inclined projections. Then, in a state in which the vehicle body is positioned between the pair of inclined projections, the control unit controls the expansion device so that the distance between the pair of support members becomes smaller, thereby allowing the pair of inclined projections to move toward each other. reduce the spacing between As a result, the tapered portion of the vehicle body portion and the inclined projection of the support member are engaged (contacted) with each other. When the distance between the pair of inclined projections is further reduced while the tapered portion and the inclined projection are engaged with each other, the tapered portion and the inclined projection slide against each other. When the pair of taper portions slides along the pair of inclined projections, the pair of taper portions are displaced from the lower side to the upper side in the vehicle height direction, and the vehicle body portion is also displaced from the lower side to the upper side in the vehicle height direction. will be displaced. Thereby, the vehicle body can be separated from the ground. The position of the vehicle body in the vehicle height direction increases as the distance between the pair of inclined projections decreases. Therefore, when the ground clearance of the vehicle body (the distance from the ground to the bottom surface of the vehicle body) reaches a size suitable for running, the control unit may stop the operation of the extension device. A vehicle in which the body portion and the chassis portion are coupled in this way can run properly.

When separating the chassis portion and the vehicle body portion, the work may be performed in the reverse order of the above. That is, the control unit controls the extension device to increase the distance between the pair of inclined projections while the separable vehicle is stopped. As a result, the vehicle body portion is displaced downward in the vehicle height direction, and the vehicle body portion is grounded. Then, when the distance between the pair of inclined projections becomes larger than the width of the vehicle body portion, the engagement between the tapered portion and the inclined projections is released. As a result, the chassis portion and the vehicle body portion are separated from each other. As a result, the chassis portion becomes capable of running independently.

<Embodiment>
Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, and the like of components described in the present embodiment are not intended to limit the technical scope of the invention.

(Overview of separable vehicle)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a separable vehicle 1 according to this embodiment. A separate vehicle 1 in this embodiment includes a chassis portion 100 and a vehicle body portion 200 . The chassis portion 100 and the vehicle body portion 200 are configured to be connectable and separable from each other. The chassis part 100 has a plurality of wheels 100a to 100b and is configured to be able to travel on roads. The vehicle body portion 200 includes at least one of a passenger compartment and a luggage compartment, and is configured to be capable of loading at least one of a passenger and luggage.

(Configuration of chassis)
Here, a specific configuration of the chassis section 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of the chassis section 100. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a rear view showing the configuration of the chassis section 100. As shown in FIG. 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining the expansion and contraction operation of the support member 103 in the chassis section 100. FIG.

The chassis portion 100 includes a drive unit portion 101 and a pair of frame portions 102, as shown in FIGS. The drive unit portion 101 is arranged, for example, at the front end portion of the chassis portion 100 and formed in a box shape extending in the vehicle height direction. The drive unit section 101 includes a pair of wheels (front wheels) 100a, a motor 1011, a steering device 1012, and a control section 1013, as shown in FIG. The front wheels 100a are attached to the left and right sides of the bottom portion of the drive unit portion 101 via suspension devices. Motor 1011 uses electrical energy to drive front wheel 100a. Such a motor 1011 corresponds to the "prime mover" in this disclosure. Instead of the motor 1011, an internal combustion engine or a hybrid mechanism of an internal combustion engine and a motor can be used as a prime mover for driving the front wheels 100a. The steering device 1012 changes the steering angle of the front wheels 100a. As the steering device 1012, a known device that uses a motor or hydraulic pressure to change the steering angle of the wheels can be used. The control unit 1013 is a computer that controls the motor 1011, the steering device 1012, and an extension device 1022 described later, and typically includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) and the like. The control unit 1013, for example, controls the motor 1011 and the steering device 1012 according to the given operation command, thereby causing the chassis unit 100 to autonomously run in automatic operation. Note that the control unit 1013 may control the motor 1011 and the steering device 1012 in accordance with the driving operation of the user, thereby manually driving the chassis unit 100 . In addition, the control unit 1013 changes the distance between a pair of support members 103, which will be described later, along the vehicle width direction, for example, by controlling the expansion device 1022 according to a command given by a user or the like.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the pair of frame portions 102 is composed of a pair of plate-like members extending rearward in the vehicle front-rear direction from both side portions of the rear surface of the drive unit portion 101 . A pair of wheels (rear wheels) 100 b , a pair of support members 103 , a battery 1021 , and an expansion device 1022 are attached to the pair of frame portions 102 . One of the pair of rear wheels 100b is attached to one of the pair of frame portions 102 via a suspension system. The other of the pair of rear wheels 100b is attached to the other of the pair of frame portions 102 via a suspension system. The support member 103 is attached to the inner wall surfaces of the pair of frame portions 102 and is composed of a pair of columnar members extending in the vehicle front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the support member 103 is attached to the frame portion 102 so as to be movable along the vehicle width direction. The frame portion 102 is provided with an inclined projection 1031 that is inclined from the outer side to the inner side in the vehicle width direction and is inclined from the upper side to the lower side in the vehicle height direction. A battery 1021 stores electrical energy for supplying the aforementioned motor. The battery 1021 may be mounted on one of the pair of frame portions 102 or may be mounted on both of the pair of frame portions 102 . Note that the battery 1021 may be mounted in the drive unit section 101 . As shown in FIG. 4, the expansion device 1022 changes (expands/contracts) the distance between the pair of support members 103 by moving the pair of support members 103 along the vehicle width direction. A known device can be used as the expansion device 1022 . For example, the expansion device 1022 may be a device that moves the support member 103 using a hydraulic cylinder, or a device that moves the support member 103 by driving gears or chains with an electric motor. .

(Construction of vehicle body)
Next, the configuration of the vehicle body portion 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5. FIG. The vehicle body portion 200 is a box-shaped housing in which at least one of a passenger compartment and a luggage compartment is formed. The length of the vehicle body portion 200 in the vehicle front-rear direction is substantially the same as the length of the support member 103 in the vehicle front-rear direction. The width of the vehicle body portion 200 (W2 in FIG. 5) is the state where the pair of support members 103 are positioned at the outer displacement end in the vehicle width direction (each of the pair of support members 103 is on the inner wall surface of the frame portion 102). is smaller than the distance (W1 in FIG. 3) between the tips of the pair of support members 103 when they are in contact with each other. Note that the height of the vehicle body portion 200 in the vehicle height direction can be changed as appropriate. A pair of tapered portions 201 are provided on both side surfaces of the vehicle body portion 200 . The tapered portion 201 is formed so as to be inclined from the upper side to the lower side in the vehicle height direction from the outer side to the inner side in the vehicle width direction. As shown in FIG. 5, tapered portion 201 in this example is formed such that the width of body portion 200 continuously decreases from the middle of both side surfaces of body portion 200 to the bottom surface. The ground clearance of the upper end of the tapered portion 201 (h2 in FIG. 5) when the body portion 200 is placed on the ground is set to be higher than the ground clearance of the tip of the inclined projection 1031 (h1 in FIG. 3). is set to Also, the inclination angle of the tapered portion 201 is set to be substantially the same as the inclination angle of the inclined projection 1031 .

(Coupling operation between chassis and vehicle body)
Next, the operation of the chassis portion 100 when connecting the chassis portion 100 and the vehicle body portion 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 10. FIG. 6 to 8 are side views showing how the chassis portion 100 and the vehicle body portion 200 are connected. 9 and 10 are rear views showing how the chassis section 100 and the vehicle body section 200 are connected.

When the chassis section 100 and the vehicle body section 200 are in the separated state, the vehicle body section 200 is placed on the ground. At this time, the vehicle body portion 200 cannot run by itself, but the chassis portion 100 can run by itself. Therefore, first, as shown in FIG. 6, the controller 1013 of the chassis 100 controls the expansion device 1022 so that the distance between the tips of the pair of inclined projections 1031 is W1, which is larger than the width W2 of the vehicle body 200. . Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 7, the control section 1013 controls the motor 1011 and the steering device 1012 to move the chassis section 100 so that the body section 200 is accommodated between the pair of inclined projections 1031 (reverse). Let Then, as shown in FIG. 8, when the front end of the vehicle body portion 200 abuts against the rear portion of the drive unit portion 101 in the chassis portion 100, the control portion 1013 controls the motor 1011 to stop the movement of the chassis portion 100. .

When the vehicle body portion 200 is accommodated between the pair of inclined projections 1031 as shown in FIG. 8, the control section 1013 operates the expansion device 1022 to reduce the distance between the pair of inclined projections 1031 as shown in FIG. Control. As a result, the pair of inclined projections 1031 are engaged with the tapered portions 201 provided on both side surfaces of the vehicle body portion 200 . When the pair of inclined projections 1031 and the tapered portion 201 are engaged with each other and the distance between the pair of inclined projections 1031 is further reduced, the pair of inclined projections 1031 and the tapered portion 201 slide against each other. As a result, the tapered portion 201 slides from the distal end side to the proximal end side of each inclined projection 1031, and as shown in FIG. will be As a result, the vehicle body section 200 is separated from the ground. Then, when the ground clearance of the bottom surface of the vehicle body 200 (the distance from the ground to the bottom surface of the vehicle body 200) reaches a height suitable for running, the control unit 1013 stops the operation of the expansion device 1022. In this example, as shown in FIG. 10, the ground clearance of the bottom surface of the vehicle body portion 200 is a height suitable for running in a state in which both side surfaces of the vehicle body portion 200 are in contact with the inner wall surfaces of the pair of support members 103. The chassis portion 100 and the vehicle body portion 200 are designed so that When the chassis portion 100 and the vehicle body portion 200 are coupled in this way, the chassis portion 100 can be driven without causing the vehicle body portion 200 to interfere with the ground. Chassis portion 100 may be provided with a lock mechanism for fixing the position of body portion 200 in a state where chassis portion 100 and body portion 200 are coupled.

When the chassis portion 100 and the vehicle body portion 200 are to be separated, the control portion 1013 causes the motor 1011, the steering device 1012, and the expansion device 1022 to be separated in the reverse order of the steps shown in FIGS. You can control it. That is, the control unit 1013 first controls the expansion device 1022 so as to ground the vehicle body portion 200 while the chassis portion 100 is stopped. Specifically, the control unit 1013 controls the expansion device 1022 so that the distance between the pair of inclined projections 1031 increases, thereby displacing the vehicle body portion 200 from the upper side to the lower side in the vehicle height direction. After the body part 200 touches the ground, the control part 1013 controls the extension device 1022 so that the distance between the tips of the pair of inclined projections 1031 becomes the distance W1 larger than the width W2 of the body part 200 . As a result, the pair of inclined projections 1031 and the tapered portion 201 are disengaged, and the chassis portion 100 and the vehicle body portion 200 are separated. As a result, the chassis portion 100 can travel alone.

According to the embodiment described above, the operation of connecting and separating the chassis portion 100 and the vehicle body portion 200 can be performed without relying on a heavy machine such as a lift or a crane. As a result, the user of the detachable vehicle 1 can easily connect and disconnect the chassis section 100 and the vehicle body section 200 at a destination or the like.

In this embodiment, an example in which the tapered portions are formed from the middle of both side surfaces to the bottom surface of the vehicle body portion has been described, but the positions of the tapered portions may be changed as appropriate. For example, a tapered portion projecting like a flange may be provided on both side surfaces of the vehicle body portion.

<Others>
The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present invention can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the invention. Also, the processes and means described in the present disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as there is no technical contradiction.

1 Separable vehicle 100 Chassis part 100a Front wheel 100b Rear wheel 101 Drive unit part 102 Frame part 103 Supporting member 1011 Motor 1012 Steering device 1013 Control part 1021 Battery 1022 Expansion device 1031 Inclined projection 200 Body part 201 Tapered part

Claims (1)

A chassis section comprising a plurality of wheels, a prime mover for driving at least some of the wheels, and a steering device for changing the steering angle of at least some of the wheels, and a vehicle body comprising at least one of a passenger compartment and a luggage compartment. , wherein the chassis portion and the vehicle body portion are configured to be separable,
a pair of tapered portions provided on both side surfaces of the vehicle body portion and inclined from the upper side to the lower side in the vehicle height direction from the outer side to the inner side in the vehicle width direction;
a pair of support members extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle on both side surfaces of the chassis;
a pair of inclined projections provided on the inner wall surfaces facing each other of the pair of support members and projecting from the outside to the inside in the vehicle width direction while being inclined from the upper side to the lower side in the vehicle height direction;
an expansion device that changes the distance between the pair of inclined projections in the vehicle width direction by changing the distance between the pair of support members along the vehicle width direction;
a control unit that controls the prime mover, the steering device, and the expansion device;
with
When connecting the chassis portion to the vehicle body portion placed on the ground,
The control unit
controlling the expansion and contraction device so that the distance between the pair of inclined projections is greater than the width of the vehicle body;
controlling the prime mover and the steering device so that the vehicle body portion is positioned between the pair of inclined projections;
In a state where the vehicle body portion is positioned between the pair of inclined projections, the expansion and contraction device is controlled such that the distance between the pair of inclined projections is reduced, thereby moving the pair of inclined projections to the pair of inclined projections. and displacing the vehicle body portion from the lower side to the upper side in the vehicle height direction by sliding the pair of inclined projections and the pair of tapered portions against each other, and
run the
Separate vehicle.

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