JPH0939751A - Brake mechanism of four-wheel suspension type traveling vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To apply equal braking force to all brakes at the same time by connecting a link mechanism from one brake operating tool and a link mechanism from an automatic brake actuator to an equalizer mechanism, and extending a cable from the equalizer mechanism to brakes of all wheels. SOLUTION: When a brake pedal is worked, an equalizer connecting rod 25 of an equalizer mechanism E follows up the forward sliding of a brake pedal rod 19. The respective brake cables 34L, 34R, 36L, 36R are operated by equal sliding force through a front-to-back synchronizing equalizer plate 26 and right to left synchronizing equalizer plates 27F, 27R, the central parts of which are pivoted on both side parts thereof. A rotating shaft arm 21a of a rotating shaft 21 and an auto arm 21b fixed to the opposite end part in the equalizer mechanism E are set to the non-braking side to normally release the brakes. Further, an automatic brake actuator AB is disposed for controlling the position of the auto arm 21b.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is applied to a four-wheel suspension type traveling vehicle of a type capable of automatically controlling a braking force to control braking and traveling speed, for example, a traveling vehicle such as a golf cart. Related to the braking mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, golf carts have been increasing in number, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-365657. A guide loop wire is embedded in the running path, and the golf cart is electromagnetically guided based on the guide loop wire to run. Then, in order to automatically control the braking and the traveling speed, an automatic brake actuator (which operates in a direction to release the brake biased to the braking side) is provided to automatically control the braking force. ing. That is, a slight braking force is applied during traveling on a down road to drive at a low speed or brake at a designated stop position. Applicant is Japanese Patent Application 7-
No. 42041 discloses an automatic braking device using a golf cart as an example, but this one targets a rear wheel for braking, and has a configuration in which a braking force is distributed from a central differential device to both left and right wheels. ing. Generally, a golf cart is one that brakes only one of the front and rear wheels (mainly only the rear wheel).

Among them, the automatic brake actuator operates so as to put the brake in the non-braking position against the spring acting on the braking side, and in an emergency, for example, when the electric system fails. The constant braking system is adopted in which the operation of the actuator is stopped and the brake is automatically applied by the urging force of the spring. First of all, for safety reasons, the vehicle must be stopped in this way at the time of failure, but with this brake applied, the wheels are being braked even when trying to move the vehicle to overtake the following vehicle, Have to move. For a multi-seater, this is extremely hard work. Therefore, conventionally, a brake is released by manually operating a link mechanism in which an automatic actuator pulls a spring toward a brake release side with a tool such as a spanner.

Even when such an automatic brake mechanism is provided, a brake operating tool (mainly a brake pedal) is separately provided so that the driver can stop at any position.

[0005]

Recently, a multi-person type golf cart, such as a five-seater, has been developed so that all parties in one party can move on one cart. This is because the front and rear seats are arranged side by side, so that the vehicle body becomes long in the front and rear, and a person may sit on only one of the front and rear seats. Therefore, the grip of one of the front and rear wheels on the ground is reduced,
Even if the wheels are braked, they often do not brake properly. Therefore, in such a vehicle having a long front-rear length, such as a vehicle for a large number of people, it is desirable that all four wheels can be braked.

Further, in an emergency, the method of using a tool such as a spanner to release the brake applied by stopping the operation of the automatic brake actuator is time-consuming and complicated, and the link is pulled up against the spring biasing force. Because it is an operation, it has power. This operation is not easy for women-only parties.

Further, conventionally, the brake system using the brake operation tool (brake pedal) and the automatic brake system have different structures, which makes the structure complicated, increases the weight, and raises the cost. If this is unified into one system, the driver must be able to stop at an arbitrary position while the vehicle is traveling by automatically controlling the braking force by the automatic braking mechanism.

[0008]

The present invention uses the following means in order to solve the above problems. That is, as described in claim 1, in the act of attaching a brake to each wheel of the four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle, the link mechanism from one brake operating tool and the link mechanism from the automatic brake actuator are both connected to the equalizer mechanism. A cable is extended from the equalizer mechanism to the brakes attached to all wheels, and a uniform braking force is simultaneously applied to all brakes.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in a structure in which a brake is provided for each wheel of the four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle, the link mechanism from one brake operating tool and the link mechanism from the automatic brake actuator are both equalizer mechanisms. And a cable extending from the equalizer mechanism to the brakes attached to all wheels to apply uniform braking force to all brakes at the same time. The actuator operates so as to pull the cable against the spring toward the non-braking side, and the cable pulling operation force of the automatic brake actuator is released in an emergency, and the brake is applied by the spring biasing force. In, in the case where the brake is applied in an emergency, the spring hook is operated to rotate,
The spring can be moved to the non-braking position.

Further, in addition to the constitution of claim 2, claim 3
As described above, in a configuration in which a brake is provided for each wheel of a four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle, both the link mechanism from one brake operating tool and the link mechanism from the automatic brake actuator are connected to the equalizer mechanism, and By extending the cable to the brake with all wheels,
In the brake mechanism of a four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle configured to apply uniform braking force to all brakes at the same time, even when the automatic brake actuator is not used, braking can be performed by the brake operating tool.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall side view of a multi-seater golf cart, FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view showing the same brake system, and FIG. 3 is a side view showing an automatic brake pedal rod 19, a connecting mechanism between a brake actuator AB and an equalizer mechanism E, FIG. 4 is a plan view of the same, FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the locking structure of the spring 38 for constant braking, and FIG. 6 is a side view showing the state of the link mechanism from the brake pedal rod 19 to the rotating shaft 21 portion. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a case where the brake is always applied when the brake pedal 15 is not depressed, FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a case where the brake is released when the brake pedal 15 is not depressed, and FIG.
9 is a side view of the automatic brake actuator AB, and FIG. 10 is a front sectional view of the same.

The present invention will be described with reference to an embodiment adopted in a multi-person (five-seater) golf cart having front and rear seats as shown in FIG. The overall structure of this golf cart will be described with reference to FIG. Left and right front wheels 2 and left and right rear wheels 3 are suspended in front of and behind the main frame 1, and a front seat pedestal 4 is mounted on a suspension portion of the left and right front wheels 2, and a front portion is mounted thereon. Seat 5 is placed. Further, a front step plate 6 is extended in front of the front seat base 4,
A front cowl 7 is fixed at the front end thereof, and a handle 8 is projectingly provided at the upper rear end thereof. On the other hand, a rear cowl 9 which is rotatable rearward is mounted between the front and rear wheels 2 and 3 on the main frame 1 and above the rear wheel 3. On the rear cowl 9, a rear seat 10 mounts a seat mounting stay 10a. Is installed through. Further, between the front lower end of the rear cowl 9 and the rear lower end of the front seat base 4, a rear step plate 11 on which the person sitting on the rear seat 10 lowers his foot is fixed horizontally on the main frame 1. There is. Further, a roof frame 12 is extended above and rearward of the front cowl 7, and a roof rear column 14 is pivotally connected between the seat mounting stay 10a and the rear end of the roof frame 12 to rotate the rear cowl 9. It is possible to rotate following the. A roof 13 is fixedly mounted on the roof frame 12 to cover the upper side of the golf cart.

The drive system of the golf cart will be briefly described. An engine (not shown) is installed inside the rear cowl 9 (the rear cowl 9 is used for engine maintenance and maintenance of a battery installed inside the rear cowl 9). Therefore, the transmission case M is connected to the rear portion of the engine as shown in FIG. 2, and the differential device is formed in the rear portion of the transmission case M. The axles 3a and 3a of the rear wheels 3L and 3R are pivotally supported. That is, it is a rear wheel drive type in which the rear wheel 3 is a driving wheel. The front wheels 2 are driven wheels, and are steering wheels steered by the steering wheel 8.

Next, the brake mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS.
It will be explained from 0. First, the operation system of the brake pedal will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, a brake pedal 15 (a manual lever is also conceivable), which is a brake operating tool, is projectingly provided above the front part of the front step plate 6.
The lower end thereof is pivotally supported below the step plate 6 by a rotary shaft 16 shown in FIG. 6, and is urged by a spring 17 toward a non-braking position (state in which the pedal is not depressed).
An accelerator pedal 18, which is arranged in parallel with the brake pedal 15, is also pivotally supported on the frame on which the rotating shaft 16 is arranged. A front end of a brake pedal rod 19 is pivotally supported by a base end portion of the brake pedal 15, and the brake pedal rod 19 is extended to a rear equalizer mechanism E.

The equalizer mechanism E will be described. 2 to 4 below the rear step plate 11.
The equalizer support frame 20 is fixed to the main frame 1 as shown in FIG.
At the front part of 0, a rotary shaft 21 for automatic braking is rotatably supported in the lateral direction. A boss portion 22 of a base of a center arm 22a is loosely fitted around the right end of the automatic braking rotary shaft 21. From the boss portion 22, a pushing arm is formed in parallel with the center arm 22a. 22b is projected, a pushing bolt 23 is fixed to the pushing arm 22b, and is fixed to the right end of the automatic braking rotary shaft 21 projecting to the right outside from the boss portion 22. The rotation axis arm 21a can be pushed.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the locking pin 24 is provided with a pin hole at the upper end of the pushing arm 22b and a long hole 19a formed in the rear end of the brake pedal rod 19 and is long in the front-rear direction. A pin hole at the front end of the equalizer connecting rod 25,
Then, the center arm 22a is fitted and inserted so as to penetrate through the pin hole at the upper end of the center arm 22a, and these are locked. The equalizer connecting rod 25 is thus connected to the center arm 22.
The brake pedal rod 19 is connected to the brake pedal rod 19 via a, etc., and is configured to slide forward following the forward sliding of the brake pedal rod 19 due to the depression operation of the brake pedal 15. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a spring S is connected to the rear portion of the equalizer support frame 20 from the rear end of the center arm 22a, and the center arm 22a and the brake pedal rod 19 are moved rearward, that is, to the non-braking side. I am biased. The spring S may be further connected from the rear end of the brake pedal rod 19 to strengthen the biasing force.

Further, a front-rear tuning equalizer plate 26 which pivotally supports a turning fulcrum 26a in the vertical direction is arranged at a portion near the rear end of the equalizer connecting rod 25. The front-rear tuning equalizer plate 26 is horizontally rotatable around the rotation fulcrum 26a as a fulcrum, and both sides of the equalizer plate 26F and 27R for left-right tuning (collectively referred to as left-right tuning equalizers). It is pivotally supported at each central part of the plate 27).

Among these, the equalizer plate 27 for left-right synchronization
R connects the rear wheel braking brake cables 36L and 36R, and the connecting portion will be described with reference to FIG. The front ends of the end rods 28, 28 are pivotally supported on the left and right ends of the left and right tuning equalizer plate 27R, and each end rod 2
Reference numeral 8 extends rearward and is connected to a bellows-shaped elastic member 29 made of an elastic member. On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
Drum brake 37L attached to the left and right rear wheels 3L and 3R
The front end of the brake cable 36L, 36R for braking the rear wheels, which extends forward from the brake shoe of 37R, is slidably fitted into the outer metal fitting 30, 30 fixed to the rear of the equalizer support frame 20, Each front end is fixed to a metal fitting rear end connected to the left and right tuning equalizer plate 27R.

On the other hand, a method of connecting the front wheel braking brake cables 34L and 34R to the left and right tuning equalizer plate 27F will be described with reference to FIGS. At the rear end of the equalizer support frame 20, a rotating shaft 33 is provided laterally, and reversing links 32L and 32R are loosely fitted around the upper ends of the reversing links 32L and 32R and the left and right tuning equalizer plate 27F. Connect the left and right ends to the connecting rod 31L /
It is connected at 31R. On the other hand, the outer metal fitting 30 fixed at the lower portion of the equalizer support frame 20.
30, the drum brake 35 attached to the front wheels 2L and 2R
Brake cables 34L and 34R (3 in FIG. 3) for braking the front wheels extending rearward from the brake shoes L and 35R.
4) A rear end of the absorbing member 29 is slidably fitted into the outer metal fitting 30 and a rear end of the absorbing member 29 is fixed to the front end of the absorbing member 29. , Is pivotally supported at the lower end of each reversing link 32L / 32R. That is,
The link mechanism extending rearward from the equalizer mechanism E with the connecting rods 31L and 31R is provided with the reversing links 32L and 32L.
Brake cable 34L that extends forward through R
It is connected to 34R in a folded shape.

Brake cables 34L, 34R and 36
When the lengths and positions of the left and right brake cables connected to the same left / right tuning equalizer plate 27 are different from each other, the L / 36R is extended by long-time use, and the left / right tuning equalizer plate 27 is used. This difference is corrected by rotating the. Therefore, the left and right wheels 2L and 2R of the front wheels 2 and the left and right wheels 3L and 3R of the rear wheels can be held with an equal operation force. Further, since the golf cart of this configuration brakes all four wheels, it is required that the braking responsiveness be even between the front wheels 2 and the rear wheels 3. Therefore, as described above, the left and right synchronizing equalizer plates 27F and 27R for the front wheel 2 and the rear wheel 3 are pivotally supported at the left and right ends of one rotatable front and rear synchronizing equalizer plate 26, and the front and rear synchronizing equalizers 27 and 27R are pivotally supported. The rotation of the plate 26 causes the front wheel 2 and the rear wheel 3 to rotate.
I am trying to correct the difference in the amount of operation between and.

Equalizer mechanism E constructed as described above
At each brake cable 34L / 34R / 36L / 3
Each of the 6Rs can be operated with an equal sliding force, and each brake cable can be connected to the front wheels 2L and 2R as shown in FIG.
And the brake shoes of the drum brakes 35L and 35R and 37L and 37R attached to the rear wheels 3L and 3R, respectively. With such a structure, all four wheels can be uniformly braked by stepping on the brake pedal 15. The golf cart of the present invention is provided with brakes (drum brakes in this embodiment, but disc brakes, etc.) may be attached to all four wheels. Since it is not distributed to the left and right wheels via the differential gear mechanism and the axle (propeller shaft), rattling does not occur during braking, and the braking feeling is good.
Also, since brakes are attached to all four wheels, even if one brake fails or one wheel punctures, the brakes of the other three wheels can be applied.
Sufficient braking can be obtained.

As described above, one brake pedal 15 is used to attach the (drum) brakes 35L, 35R, and 3 attached to the four wheels.
Utilizing the brake system that brakes all of 7L and 37R,
That is, the same equalizer mechanism E, the same brake cable and the same brake are used to form an automatic braking mechanism. This will be described. First, an auto arm 21b is fixedly attached to the end of the rotary shaft 21 of the equalizer mechanism E opposite to the rotary shaft arm 21a, and the upper end of the auto arm 21b and the equalizer support frame 20 are fixed.
A hanger 3 rotatably pivotally supported between left and right hanger support plates 40, 40 fixed below the front seat pedestal 4 located further forward.
A brake spring 38 is always connected between the brake spring 9 and the motor 9.
A hook 39 for locking the front end of the brake spring 38 at all times.
Is the portion L that protrudes outward from the right hanger support plate 40.
The brake release lever 39a is shaped like a letter and is normally located at the position (solid line) shown in FIG. 3 under normal conditions, and the constant brake spring 38 receives a downward pulling force. In order to prevent the brake release lever 39a from constantly pulling in such a downward direction, a stopper pin 41 is provided between the left and right hanger support plates 40, 40 so as to be inserted and removed in the lateral direction, The hanging device 39 is held in this position.

As described above, in the state where the position of the hanging device 39 is held, the constant braking spring 38 does not apply any force to the automatic arm 21b.
The upper end of the auto arm 21b is pulled forward.
For this reason, the rotary shaft arm 21a fixed to the other end of the automatic brake rotary shaft 21 is pressed against the pressing bolt 23 to hold down the pressing arm 22b, and thus the center of the center is suppressed. The arm 22a is also pulled forward, and the equalizer connecting rod 25 is pulled forward via the locking pin 24. That is, the brake cables 34L and 34
R ・ 36L ・ 36R is pulled and brakes 35L ・ 35
R, 37L and 37R are in a braked state. This is a constant brake.

During constant braking, when the brake pedal 15 is not depressed, as shown in FIG.
The brake pedal rod 19 is located at the sliding rear end portion by the biasing force of the
Since the brake pedal 19 is not pushed forward by the locking pin 24 in the middle of the long hole 19a from the front end, the brake pedal 15 is held in the non-braking position where it is not stepped. Has been done. Even if the brake pedal 15 is depressed to slide the brake pedal rod 19 forward, the elongated hole 19a of the locking pin 24 is formed.
The relative position with respect to
Since 4 does not move, the position of the equalizer connecting rod 25 is also maintained at the position where the brake is always applied. That is, the brake pedal 15 is in an idle state while the brake is always applied. It is also possible to increase the braking force by pulling the brake pedal toward the braking side beyond the long hole from the state where the brake is always applied.

The auto-arm 21b is set to the non-braking side to release the brake at all times against the biasing force of the constant-brake spring 38, and the braking force is adjusted by adjusting the position of the auto-arm 21b. 9 and 1 for speed control by
An automatic brake actuator AB such as 0 is disposed in the front seat base 4. This will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 10, the motor-side support plates 42 are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction.
The rack side support plate 43 is fixed, and the automatic brake motor 44, which is a DC motor capable of forward and reverse rotation, is fixed to the motor side support plate 42, and its motor shaft serves as the worm 44a and meshes with the worm wheel 45. The center shaft 45a of the worm wheel 45 is fitted into the motor-side support plate 42 and is supported by a pinion shaft 47, which is fitted into the rack-side support plate 42 by an electromagnetic clutch 46. Are connected in series. The motor side support plate 42
A rack rotation shaft 48 is rotatably supported by the rack side support plate 43,
A fan-shaped rack 48a is fixed to the outer end of the rack rotation shaft 48 along the outer surface of the rack-side support plate 43, and meshes with a pinion 47a formed on the outer portion of the pinion shaft 47. Thus, in a state where the electromagnetic clutch 46 is turned on and engaged, the pinion shaft 47 is rotationally driven by the drive of the automatic brake motor 44, and the rack 48a is rotated accordingly. The position of the rack 48a can be adjusted by drive control.

An upper end of an automatic brake rod 49 is pivotally supported on a part of the rack 48a, while a lower end of the automatic brake rod 49 is pivotally supported on a lower end of the automatic arm 21b. In this way, when the rack 48a is rotated upward by driving the automatic brake actuator and the automatic brake rod 49 is pulled upward, as shown in FIG.
The lower end of 1b is pulled upward, and accordingly, the rotary shaft arm 21a fixed to the rotary shaft 21 for automatic braking is also provided.
Rotates upward. Further, since the center arm 22a is biased rearward by the spring S, the pushing arm 2
2b is rotated upward while the pressing bolt 23 is pressed against the rotary shaft arm 21a. That is, the pushing arm 22b and the center arm 22a rotate by the amount of rotation of the rotating shaft arm 21a. In other words,
The position of the center arm 22a is determined by the position of the rack 48a set by controlling the motor with the automatic brake actuator. The center arm 22a is returned to the stopper position of the support frame 20 when the rod is pulled upward. The rod 49 expands and contracts with a spring between 50 and 51. The stop at the upper limit is detected by the limit switch 102, and the lower limit is detected by the limit switch 105 at the lowest position of the rod and stopped.

The equalizer connecting rod 25, which is connected to the center arm 22a via the locking pin 24, is thus pushed toward the non-braking side, that is, rearward to push the brake cables 34L, 34R, 36L and 36R toward the braking side. , The brakes 35L, 35R, 37L, and 37R are brought into the non-braking state, but as described above, if the position of the rack 48a is controlled by the automatic brake actuator and the upward pulling amount of the automatic brake rod 49 is adjusted, the rotation is performed. Since the turning position of the center arm 22 that follows the shaft arm 21a is adjusted, the pulling amount of the equalizer connecting rod 25 is adjusted, and the braking force can be adjusted. This makes it possible to control the traveling speed.

Further, when braking (rapid braking) by the automatic braking mechanism, a method is adopted in which the braking state is constantly set at once. That is, the electromagnetic clutch 46 in the automatic brake actuator AB is deenergized to turn the pinion shaft 4
7 and the central axis 45a of the worm wheel 45 are separated.
As a result, the rotational driving force of the pinion 47a disappears, and the force of the rack 48a pulling up the automatic arm 21b via the automatic brake rod 49 also disappears. As shown in FIG. 6, the automatic arm 22b constantly operates the spring 3 for braking.
8 is pulled by the front urging force, and the rotary shaft arm 21a is also rotated downward while pushing the pushing arm 22b, thereby moving the center arm 22 and the equalizer connecting rod 25 forward, The brake cables 34 and 36 are pulled to brake the brakes 35 and 37.

Since the braking by the constant brake is caused by turning off the electromagnetic clutch 46, it can be used for an emergency stop when the electric system of the golf cart fails. However, for safety reasons, after stopping traveling in this manner, it is necessary to move the vehicle out of the traveling path in order to pass the succeeding golf cart. Since it is difficult to move with the brakes applied due to the weight of the vehicle body, the brakes are released and the wheels are allowed to rotate freely.
Even at this time, braking can be performed by operating the brake pedal, so that it is possible to have a function equivalent to that of the conventional two-system brake, and it is possible to maintain safety even when the brake is always released. Conventionally, the rack shaft 48 is rotated by a wrench to rotate the rack 48a upward, that is, to the non-braking side to release the brake, but a tool such as a wrench is required, Furthermore, the spring 3 for constant braking
Since the turning operation is performed against the biasing force of 8, the force is required and it takes time. Cam plate 103 provided on the rack shaft 48
Lever stopper 1 within the range where is regulated by pin 104
01 can be selectively attached by a long hole, and the spring force can be adjusted by changing the lever position.

Therefore, in this golf cart, as shown in FIG.
Also, with the configuration shown in FIG. 5, the constant braking spring 38 can be easily operated by the turning operation of the constant braking release lever 39a.
So that it can be moved to the non-braking position. First, unless the brake release lever 39a is operated at all times, the brake spring 38 and the hanger 39 are always in the solid line position in FIG. Then, when the stopper pin 42 is pulled out while the brake is always applied, the constant brake release lever 39a is allowed to rotate forward, and when it is rotated forward to some extent, the fulcrum of the constant brake spring 38 is exceeded. Thus, the hook 39 is naturally rotated downward to reach the position indicated by a dashed line. At this time, the front end position of the brake spring 38 is always rearward of the original position, and the auto arm 21b, the center arm 22a, the equalizer connecting rod 25, and the like are rotated or slid rearward accordingly. The brake cables 34 and 36 are moved to push the brake cables 34 and 36 toward the brake side, and the brakes 35 and 37 are released.
That is, since the brake can be released by using the action of exceeding the spring fulcrum with a slight lever operation amount, the brake release operation is very easy and requires only a short time.

If the automatic brake rod 49 is a fixed one-piece rod, the rack 48a may be twisted when the rack 48a is rotated, or the rotation of the automatic arm 21b may be immediately responded to when the electromagnetic brake is turned off. By doing so, the rack 48a is swung all at once, and the rack 48a and the pinion 4
Since the meshing portion of 7a may be worn or damaged, it is configured to be expandable / contractible via a spring or the like. The structure of the automatic brake rod 49 will be described with reference to FIG. The automatic brake rod 49 has a sliding rod 51 slidably fitted into the rod case 50 from below,
An elongated hole 50a is formed in the vertical direction in the rod case 50, and a stopper pin 51a protruding from the upper end of the sliding rod 51 is slidably fitted therein. This long hole 50a
Within the movable range of the stopper pin 51a within
The sliding amount of the sliding rod 51 with respect to the rod case 50 is limited. The lower part of the rod case 50 is a spring case part 5.
0b, and in the spring case portion 50b,
A spring stopper pin 51b is provided at an intermediate portion of the sliding rod 51 so as to project the spring stopper pin 51b and the spring case portion 50.
Between the upper end of b and the small spring 52,
1b and the spring case portion 50b, the large spring 53
Are respectively wound around the sliding rods 51. The small spring 52
The large spring 53 is a compression spring.

In order to always release the brake, the rack 48a
When the automatic brake rod 49 is pulled up by pulling upward, the urging force of the brake spring 38 must always be opposed, so the upward pulling force of the automatic brake rod 49 must be increased. Automatic brake rod 4
When 9 is pulled upward, first, the rod case 50 is pulled upward, and the sliding rod 51 slides relatively downward. At this time, the spring stopper pin 51b moves together with the rod case 50. It opposes the large spring 53 that is pulled upward. Since the large spring 53 has a strong spring force, the spring stopper pin 51b is pushed upward by the large spring 53, and accordingly, the sliding rod 51 is also pulled up integrally with the rod case 50, which is always The automatic arm 21b is pulled up to the non-braking side against the biasing force of the brake spring 38.

On the other hand, when the rack 48a is rotated downward by driving the automatic brake motor 44 in the reverse direction so as to apply the braking force to the brake from the non-braking state in the low speed traveling control or the like, First, the rod case 50 is pushed downward and the sliding rod 51 relatively slides upward. Therefore, the spring stopper pin 51b opposes the small spring 52 descending together with the rod case 50. Since the spring force of the small spring 52 is weak, it allows the spring stopper pin 51b to compress the small spring 52 to some extent, that is, allows the sliding rod 51 to slide upward relative to the rod case 50. Therefore, as a whole of the automatic brake rod 49,
When the rack 48a is pushed down by the downward rotation, the rack 48a is pushed down while contracting to some extent, and the auto arm 2
1b is pushed down. As a result, the automatic brake rod 49 does not become tired, that is,
The pushing force is smoothly controlled without exerting an unreasonable force on the rack 48a, the automatic arm 21b, and the automatic brake rod 49.

When the electromagnetic clutch 46 is turned off to suddenly apply the brake, the rack 48a does not push and pull the rod case 50, but the automatic arm 2
1b, the sliding rod 50 keeps the brake spring 3
It will be pulled downward by the biasing force of 8. The urging force of the brake spring 38 is always strong, and the spring stopper pin 51b slides downward against the large spring 53 to compress the large spring 53, and the stopper pin 51a has a downward sliding limit in the long hole 50a. Inside, the sliding rod 51 slides downward relative to the rod case 50. That is, the rod case 50 does not immediately follow the downward sliding of the sliding rod 51, and the automatic brake rod 49 as a whole is pulled downward by the automatic arm 21b while extending downward. Will be drawn to. Therefore, rack 4
Since the 8a does not suddenly rotate downward but almost rotates by its own weight, the meshing portion with the pinion 47a is not damaged.

Next, a structure for enabling the brake pedal to be operated while the automatic brake control is being performed will be described. Locking pin 2 by braking force control of automatic braking device
Regarding the movement of No. 4, when the brake pedal 15 is in the non-braking position, the brake pedal 15 can freely move from the rear end to the front end in the elongated hole 19a of the brake pedal rod 19 held at the rear end. For example, in the half braking state,
It is located in the middle of the elongated hole 19. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, when the brake pedal 15 is stepped on, the brake pedal rod 19 slides forward, and thus the locking pin 24 that was in the middle of the elongated hole 19a remains stopped. Even if there is, it moves relatively backward and eventually the long hole 19
After reaching the rear end in a, the brake pedal rod 19 still slides forward to push the locking pin 24 forward at the rear end of the elongated hole 19a. Here, the pushing arm 22a is
Since it is below the rotary shaft arm 21a, it is free to rotate downward. Therefore, if the locking pin 24 is pulled forward, it can be rotated downward accordingly. Therefore, the locking pin 24 slides forward, and the equalizer connecting rod 25 slides forward with this, and the brake cables 34L and 34R.
・ Pull 36L ・ 36R, and brake 35L with four wheels
Brakes 35R, 37L, and 37R. In this way, even when the automatic brake control is being performed, the driver can selectively step on the brake pedal 15 to stop the golf cart at any position.

[0036]

Since the present invention is constructed as described above,
The following effects are obtained. That is, since it is configured as in claim 1, in a configuration in which a brake is attached to each wheel of a four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle, a brake attached to all wheels via an equalizer mechanism with one brake operating tool (brake pedal). Therefore, for example, in a multi-person golf cart where the center of gravity is easy to move back and forth, if it is a type that only brakes the rear wheels, braking will not be reliably performed when the center of gravity is applied to the front wheels. However, in the case of the present invention, it is possible to reliably brake without causing such a situation. Moreover, the equalizer mechanism ensures more reliable braking without causing a difference in braking force between the front and rear wheels. Further, since all brakes attached to the four wheels can be braked by one equalizer mechanism by one brake operation tool, the installation space on the main body side is omitted, which contributes to cost reduction. Further, since automatic braking by the actuator is possible, speed control during automatic traveling can be performed by adjusting the operating force.

Further, since it is configured as in claim 2, the emergency brake can be provided in the event of an abnormal condition during automatic driving, and the brake is released and the wheels of the cart are rotated in order to allow the succeeding cart to pass when the emergency stop occurs. Compared to the conventional operation of pulling the rack against the spring resistance with a spanner, the operation that enables it will be dramatically easier, and will take only a short time, and will not hinder the following players. Moreover, the configuration is simple and the cost is low.

According to the third aspect of the invention, even when the automatic brake control is performed, the driver can stop by operating the brake operation tool so that the driver can stop the vehicle at an arbitrary position, so that the driver can travel as desired. With this configuration, it is possible to unify the automatic brake mechanism and the brake system by the brake operating tool, which leads to a significant reduction in the number of parts and cost compared to the case where a separate brake system is provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall side view of a multi-person golf cart.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view showing a brake system of the same.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a coupling mechanism of an automatic brake pedal rod 19, a brake actuator AB and an equalizer mechanism E.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a locking structure of a constant brake spring 38.

6 is a side view showing a state of a link mechanism from a brake pedal rod 19 to a rotary shaft 21 for automatic braking, and is a view in a case where a brake is constantly applied when the brake pedal 15 is not stepped on. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of the same manner when the brake pedal 15 is not depressed and the brake is always released.

FIG. 8 is a diagram when the brake pedal 15 is depressed at all times when the brake is released.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the automatic brake actuator AB.

FIG. 10 is a front sectional view of the same.

[Explanation of symbols]

 E Equalizer mechanism AB Automatic brake actuator 15 Brake pedal 19 Brake pedal rod 19a Long hole 20 Equalizer support frame 21 Rotating shaft for automatic braking 21a Rotating shaft arm 21b Auto arm 22 Boss part 22a Center arm 22b Pushing arm 23 Pushing Bolt 24 Locking pin 25 Equalizer connecting rod 26 Equalizer plate 27 Equalizer plate for left / right synchronization 34 Front wheel brake cable 35 Front wheel brake 36 Rear wheel brake cable 37 Rear wheel brake 38 Always brake spring 39 Hook 39a Always Brake release lever 41 Stopper pin 48a Rack 49 Automatic brake rod 101 Lever stopper 102 Limit switch 103 Cam plate 104 Pin 105 Limit Switch

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. In a structure in which a brake is provided for each wheel of a four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle, a link mechanism from one brake operating tool and a link mechanism from an automatic brake actuator are both connected to an equalizer mechanism, and the equalizer mechanism is connected. A brake mechanism for a four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle, characterized in that a cable is extended from the mechanism to a brake provided with all wheels to apply uniform braking force to all brakes at the same time. 2. A structure in which a brake is provided for each wheel of a four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle, wherein a link mechanism from one brake operating tool and a link mechanism from an automatic brake actuator are both connected to an equalizer mechanism, and the equalizer mechanism is connected. Cables are extended from the mechanism to the brakes attached to all wheels, and a uniform braking force is applied to all brakes at the same time.A spring for urging the cables toward the braking side is provided. If the cable pulling force of the automatic brake actuator is released and the brake is applied by the spring biasing force in case of emergency, When the brake is applied in an emergency, the tool can be rotated to move the spring to the non-braking position. A brake mechanism for a four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle characterized by. 3. A four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle having a structure in which a brake is provided for each wheel, wherein a link mechanism from one brake operating tool and a link mechanism from an automatic brake actuator are both connected to an equalizer mechanism, and the equalizer is connected. In a brake mechanism for a four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle, in which a cable is extended from the mechanism to brakes attached to all wheels, and a uniform braking force is applied to all brakes at the same time, even when non-braking is performed by the automatic brake actuator. , A brake mechanism for a four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle, which is capable of being braked by a brake operation tool.