JPH0348042B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field The present invention relates to an amphibious vehicle that travels on water using hydrofoils displaceably disposed at the front and rear of the vehicle body.

Conventional technology Conventionally, amphibious vehicles used hydrofoils to travel on water and wheels to travel on land.
A foldable hydrofoil is installed on the side of the vehicle body, and when cruising on water, the position of the wing surface is maintained at a predetermined position below the bottom edge of the wheels, and when a certain speed is reached, the lift force acting on the hydrofoil is Therefore, it is common for vehicles to run with their bodies supported above the water surface, and when traveling on land, the hydrofoils are folded so as to touch the sides of the vehicle body, and the vehicles run on wheels. In this configuration, the hydrofoils that are folded up during land travel not only serve no purpose, but also spoil the appearance and increase air resistance.

Purpose The present invention eliminates the drawbacks of conventional amphibious vehicles that use displaceable hydrofoils to travel on water, displace the hydrofoils upward when traveling on land, and run on wheels. An object of the present invention is to provide an amphibious vehicle having hydrofoils that do not spoil the appearance and increase air resistance during driving, but rather can be used to improve aerodynamic effects and driving stability. shall be.

Configuration In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is provided at the rear of the vehicle body so that it can be raised and lowered, and lowered during water navigation.
The rear hydrofoil that rises when traveling on land, the propulsion device used when traveling on water, the front hydrofoil installed at the front of the vehicle body, the front and rear wheels used when traveling on land, and the sides of the vehicle body. a rotary shaft supported by the vehicle body so as to be rotatable around an axis extending in the direction; a motor rotatably driving the rotary shaft; and a motor fixed to each end of the rotary shaft and rotating together with the rotary shaft around the axis. The front hydrofoil extends in the lateral direction of the vehicle body, and as the rotary member rotates, the front hydrofoil is positioned as a hydrofoil when traveling on water and as a spoiler when traveling on land. We propose an amphibious vehicle characterized in that each end of the gray water wing is supported by the front end of each rotating member so as to occupy the same area.

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are diagrams respectively showing a state in which an amphibious vehicle to which the present invention is applied is traveling on water and a state while traveling on land.

As shown in the figure, a front wheel 2 and a front hydrofoil 3 are provided at the front of the vehicle body 1 so as to be rotatable around an axis A-A extending in the lateral direction of the vehicle body, and a rear wheel 3 is provided at the rear of the vehicle body. 4 are provided. The front wheels 2 and rear wheels 4 are used in the same way as a normal automobile when traveling on land. Further, a rear hydrofoil 5 is provided at the rear of the vehicle body 1 so as to be movable up and down from the bottom of the vehicle body 1. The front hydrofoil 3 and the rear hydrofoil 5 are each formed as a fully submerged type hydrofoil, and the rear hydrofoil is integrally provided with a water intake port 6 for a water jet propulsion device.
When traveling on water, water sucked in from the water intake port 6 is propelled by jetting it backwards by a jet propulsion device (not shown). In this way, the propulsion device is used during water navigation. When traveling on land, the rear wheels 4 are driven by a normal engine, and the front wheels 2 are used for steering.

When running on water, as shown in Figure 1, the front wheel 2 and front hydrofoil 3 are rotated downward around the axis A-A, and the rear hydrofoil 5 is lowered to a position suitable for wing running. Fix it in that position. In this state, the front hydrofoil 3 is held in a position that provides the optimum angle of attack for the hydrofoil. When driving on land, the second
As shown in the figure, the rear hydrofoil 5 is raised to a position close to the bottom of the vehicle body 1 and retracted, and the front wheels 2 and the front hydrofoil 3 are integrally rotated forward around the axis A-A. The front hydrofoil 3 is brought to a position suitable for running with the front wheels, and the front hydrofoil 3 is moved to a position in front of the front hydrofoil 3 to take an optimal attitude as a spoiler.

Due to the above-mentioned configuration, during water cruising, the hydrofoil 3 maintains the optimal position and attitude for wing running, is propelled by the water jet from the water sucked in from the water intake port 6, and when a certain speed is reached, the hydrofoil 3 , 5 lifts the vehicle body 1 to a position above the water surface, reducing resistance and allowing the vehicle to travel at high speed.

On the other hand, when traveling on land, the front and rear hydrofoils 3 and 5 are held at positions above the lower ends of the wheels 2 and 4, so that the vehicle can be driven as a normal rear-wheel drive vehicle, and the front hydrofoils 3 Since the spoiler is held at the optimal position and posture, it can improve aerodynamic characteristics during driving and improve driving safety.

A configuration for rotating the front wheel 2 and the front hydrofoil 3 around the axis AA will be explained with reference to FIG. 3. Vehicle body 1
A support member 8 is fixedly provided near the front end of the inside of the motor, and a rotary shaft 9 that rotates around the aforementioned axis AA is pivotally supported on the support member 8. Further, an arm 10 is fixed to each end of the rotating shaft 9 at right angles thereto, and a rotating member configured as a front wheel cover 7 is fixed to the arm 10.

The rotating shaft 9 is driven to rotate around a predetermined angular axis AA via a toothed belt 12 by a motor 11 for switching between land and water provided in the vehicle body 1 .

As described above, the rotating shaft 9 is rotatably supported by the vehicle body 1 around the axis A-A, and is rotationally driven by the motor 11. A front wheel cover 7 as a rotating member fixed therebetween rotates around the axis AA.

Further, the aforementioned front midwater blade 3 extends in the lateral direction of the vehicle body 1, and each end thereof is supported by the front end portions of a pair of front wheel covers 7 provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle body. Further, a front wheel 2 is attached to each arm 10, as will be described later.

According to the above-described configuration, the rotation shaft 9, the arm 10, the front wheel cover 7, the front wheel 2, and the front hydrofoil 3 are aligned with the axis A- by the operation of the motor 11.
It rotates integrally around A, is brought to a predetermined position when traveling on water or on land, and is positioned and fixed at each position by a fixing means (not shown). In this way, the front wheel cover 7
With this rotation, the front hydrofoil 3 can assume the position of a hydrofoil when traveling on water, as shown in FIG. 1, and as a spoiler, as shown in FIG. 2, when traveling on land. A shock absorber 13 may be provided on the rotating shaft 9 to absorb vibrations transmitted from the front wheels 2 and the hydrofoils 3 during running.

Further, an electric pulse motor 14 for steering the snake is housed at the tip of the arm 10, and the front wheel 2 is attached to its shaft via a fork member 16 having a shock absorber. An electric wire is connected to the pulse motor 14 from inside the vehicle body 1 through the rotary shaft 9 and the arm 10, and the pulse motor 14 can steer the vehicle when traveling on land. Note that the portions of the shaft 9 and shock absorber 13 that protrude outside the vehicle body are preferably covered with a rectifying cover. Steering during water navigation can be carried out by any suitable known method, such as by changing the output of the left and right water jets.

In this example, a means is provided for more reliably and easily changing the attitude of the front hydrofoil 3 between an attitude suitable for wing running and an attitude suitable for a spoiler,
This will be explained with reference to FIG. As mentioned above, the front wheel cover 7 is moved by the motor 11 for water/land switching via the rotary shaft 9 between the position when traveling on land, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 4, and the position when traveling on water, as shown by the chain line in the figure. and held in that position. A hydrofoil attitude switching motor 17 is provided inside the front wheel cover 7, and a shaft 20 is rotated around its axis via a worm 18 and a worm wheel 19. A worm 21 is fixed to the other end of the shaft 20, and the shaft 2 is fixed to both ends of the front hydrofoil 3.
The hydrofoil 3 is engaged with a worm wheel 22 fixed to the hydrofoil 3 to rotate the hydrofoil 3. Universal joint 2 is attached to the shaft 20 as required.
0a is inserted.

With the above configuration, the motor 17 is operated and the shaft 20 is
By rotating the front hydrofoil 3 to the axis 23
The attitude of the hydrofoil 3 can be controlled by rotating it around the . Therefore, when switching between land and water, by turning on the changeover switch, both the motor 11 for switching between land and water and the front hydrofoil attitude switching motor 17 can be activated simultaneously, and the front hydrofoil 3 can be switched between water and land. When running, it is displaced to the optimal position and attitude for wing running (the state indicated by the chain line in Figure 4), and when running on land, it is displaced to the optimal attitude as a spoiler (Figure 4).
(indicated by the broken line in the figure), these can be held in their respective positions.

In the illustrated embodiment, when the hydrofoil 3 is used as a spoiler, the leading edge when used as a hydrofoil is rotated approximately 180 degrees to become the trailing edge. It is not necessarily limited to
The present invention can also be applied to a case where the shape is suitable as a spoiler in almost the same posture as when used as a hydrofoil. In this case, the front hydrofoil described with reference to FIG. It is also possible to omit the configuration that rotates around the periphery.

Effects As described above, according to the present invention, in an amphibious vehicle equipped with hydrofoils, the hydrofoils do not spoil the appearance or increase air resistance even when traveling on land.
This has made it possible to contribute to improved aerodynamic effects and driving stability.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an amphibian according to an embodiment of the present invention in a water running state, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the land running state, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing its front hydrofoil displacement mechanism. 4 are partially sectional side views showing the hydrofoil attitude changing mechanism. 1...Vehicle body, 2...Front wheels, 3...Front hydrofoil,
4... Rear wheel, 5... Rear hydrofoil, 9... Rotating shaft,
11...Motor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A rear hydrofoil that is movable up and down at the rear of the vehicle body and lowers when traveling on water and rises when traveling on land, a propulsion device used during water travel, and a front underwater wing that is installed at the front of the vehicle body. A wing, a front wheel and a rear wheel used during land traveling, a rotating shaft supported by the vehicle body so as to be rotatable around an axis extending in the lateral direction of the vehicle body, a motor that rotationally drives the rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft. a rotating member fixed to each end of the rotating member and rotating around the axis together with the rotating shaft, the front hydrofoil extending in the lateral direction of the vehicle body, and having a rotating member fixed to each end of the rotating member. Accordingly, an amphibious vehicle characterized in that each end of the hydrofoil is supported by the front end of each rotating member so that it functions as a hydrofoil when traveling on water and as a spoiler when traveling on land. .