NO874332L

NO874332L - DRIVING AND CONTROL SYSTEM.

Info

Publication number: NO874332L
Application number: NO874332A
Authority: NO
Inventors: Pentti Juhani Tervola
Original assignee: Husso Voitto Leevi Samuel; Tervola Pentti J
Priority date: 1986-02-20
Filing date: 1987-10-19
Publication date: 1987-12-17
Also published as: NO874332D0

Description

BAKGRUNN FOR OPPFINNELSENBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Det er kjent å drive og styre beltegående kjøretøyer ved kraftoverføring fra en kraftdrevet aksel til kjedehjuldrivakslene via respektive planethjulsett, en styreaksel som hindrer et av solhjulene, planethjulholderen, ringhjulelementene i hvert planethjulsett i å dreies, slik at kjøretøyet beveger seg rettlinjet, og å dreie et av elementene i planethjulsettene i motsatte retninger for å svinge kjøretøyet. It is known to drive and control tracked vehicles by power transmission from a power-driven axle to the sprocket drive axles via respective planet gear sets, a steering shaft that prevents one of the sun gears, the planet gear holder, the ring gear elements in each planet gear set from turning, so that the vehicle moves in a straight line, and to turn a of the elements of the planetary gear sets in opposite directions to turn the vehicle.

Driv- og styresystemer av denne type er omtalt i de følg-ende patentskrifter: Drive and control systems of this type are described in the following patents:

11395.004, 25. oktober 1921, Norelius.11395.004, 25 October 1921, Norelius.

2.196.368, 9. april 1940, Thomson.2,196,368, April 9, 1940, Thomson.

3.450.218, 17. juni 1969, Looker. 3,450,218, June 17, 1969, Looker.

3.530.741, 29. september 1970, Charest3,530,741, September 29, 1970, Charest

4.471.669, 18. september 1984, Seaberg.4,471,669, September 18, 1984, Seaberg.

Det er også kjent å drive og styre og militære tanks og bulldosere under anvendelse av et motordifferensial og et styre-differensial som er koblet sammen for å øke og senke belteaks-lenes hastighet når styreakselen dreies av en hjelpemotor og snekkedrev. Dette system er vist og beskrevet i en artikkel med tittelen "Tanks and dozers turn on a dime with new all-gear steering", side 60-62, i juli-utgaven av "Popular Science". It is also known to drive and steer military tanks and bulldozers using a motor differential and a steering differential which are connected together to increase and decrease the speed of the track shafts when the steering shaft is turned by an auxiliary motor and worm drive. This system is shown and described in an article entitled "Tanks and dozers turn on a dime with new all-gear steering", pages 60-62, in the July issue of "Popular Science".

SAMMENFATNING AV OPPFINNELSENSUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Et driv- og styresystem for beltegående eller hjulgående kjøretøy erkarakterisert vedat det frembringes et hus som omfatter koaksiale drivaksler for fremdrift av kjøretøyets belter eller hjul, et kraftdrevet legeme som er roterbart opplagret huset i lagre på drivakselens aksiale inner-ender, et par planet tannhjulsett på begge sider av det kraftdrevne legeme og som operativt sammenkobler det kraftdrevne legeme med de respektive drivaksler, og hvert planettannhjulsett omfatter et solhjul i drivinngrep med enten det kraftdrevne legeme eller de respektive drivaksler, et planethjul-holderelement i drivinngrep med det andre av det kraftdrevne legeme og respektive drivaksel, og et ringhjul som roterbart er opplagret i huset i lagre mellom ringhjulet og huset og mellom ringhjulet og den respektive drivaksel. Huset understøtter roterbart en styreaksel som står i drivinngrep med ringhjulene for å hindre dem i å rotere slik at kjøretøyet får en rettlinjet fremdrift, og å rotere ringhjulene i motsatte retninger slik at hastigheten til en av drivakslene økes mens hastigheten til den andre drivaksel tilsvarende senkes, for følgelig å svinge kjøretøyet. A drive and control system for tracked or wheeled vehicles is characterized by producing a housing which includes coaxial drive shafts for propulsion of the vehicle's belts or wheels, a power-driven body which is rotatably supported by the housing in bearings on the axial inner ends of the drive shaft, a pair of planetary gear sets on both sides of the power-driven body and operatively interconnecting the power-driven body with the respective drive shafts, and each planetary gear set includes a sun gear in drive engagement with either the power-driven body or the respective drive shafts, a planet gear holder member in drive engagement with the other of the power-driven body and respective drive shaft, and a ring gear which is rotatably stored in the housing in bearings between the ring gear and the housing and between the ring gear and the respective drive shaft. The housing rotatably supports a steering shaft which is in drive engagement with the ring wheels to prevent them from rotating so that the vehicle gets a straight forward motion, and to rotate the ring wheels in opposite directions so that the speed of one of the drive shafts is increased while the speed of the other drive shaft is correspondingly lowered, to consequently turn the vehicle.

Driv- og styresystemet karakteriseres videre ved at kjøre-tøyets styreratt operativt er tilkoblet til den forannevnte styreaksel og ved at en fluidmotor utgjør en kraftmedvirkning til å drive styreakselen, og innkobles som respons på dreiningen av styrerattet, og følgelig svinge kjøretøyet, og koble den ut når dreiningen av styrerattet opphører slik at kjøretøyet følgelig fortsetter den rettlinjede fremdrift. The drive and steering system is further characterized by the fact that the vehicle's steering wheel is operatively connected to the aforementioned steering shaft and by the fact that a fluid motor constitutes a force input to drive the steering shaft, and is engaged in response to the turning of the steering wheel, and consequently turns the vehicle, and disengages it when the turning of the steering wheel ceases so that the vehicle consequently continues its straight line progress.

Driv- og styresystemet er videre kjennetegnet ved at styreakselen kan drives i ønsket retning for styring av kjøretøyet, med en toveis fluidmotor som kobles inn som respons når styrerattet dreies i ønsket retning, og som kobles ut som respons på tilbakeføringen av styrerattet til opprinnelig rettlinjet fremdrift. The drive and steering system is further characterized by the fact that the steering shaft can be driven in the desired direction for steering the vehicle, with a two-way fluid motor which is engaged in response when the steering wheel is turned in the desired direction, and which is disengaged in response to the return of the steering wheel to the original straight forward motion .

KORT OMTALE AV TEGNINGENEBRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

På de medfølgende tegninger omfatter:On the accompanying drawings include:

Fig. 1, 2 og 3 sidesnitt av et beltegående kjøretøy (fig. 1) og et hjulgående kjøretøy (fig. 2 og 3) respektivt, og som viser det foreliggende driv- og styresystem. Fig. 4 viser et skjematisk diagram av et fluiddrevet system som medvirker til dreiningen av systemets styreaksel under dreiningen av kjøretøyets styreratt. Fig. 5 viser et tversnitt av en del av det foreliggende driv- og styresystem langs linjen 5-5 på figurene 1, 2 og 3, og viser en retningsstyreventil som opereres av kjøretøyets styreratt for å kontrollere driften av en toveis fluidmotor som operativt er tilkoblet til systemets styreaksel. Fig. 6 viser et delvis i snitt det samme som er vist på fig. 5, bortsett fra at koblingsmekanismen er anbrakt mellom retningsstyreventilen og toveis fluidmotoren, for selektiv å frembringe manuell styring med kraftmedvirkning, eller med kraftstyring alene. Fig. 7 viser et tverrsnitt av det foreliggende driv- og styresystem omfattende en fortsettelse av fig. 5 eller 6. Fig. 8 er et tverrsnitt tilsvarende det som er vist på fig. 7, og viser en annen utførelse av det foreliggende driv- og styresystem. Fig. 9 viser et driv- og styresystem som f. eks. vises på fig. 6 og 7, og viser i tillegg en andre styreaksel og en toveis fluidmotor for anvendelser ved høye vridningspåkjenninger, og som reduserer belastningen på styremekanismens tenner. Fig. 1, 2 and 3 side sections of a tracked vehicle (Fig. 1) and a wheeled vehicle (Fig. 2 and 3) respectively, and which show the present drive and control system. Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a fluid-driven system which contributes to the rotation of the system's steering shaft during the rotation of the vehicle's steering wheel. Fig. 5 shows a cross-section of a part of the present drive and control system along the line 5-5 of Figures 1, 2 and 3, and shows a directional control valve operated by the vehicle's steering wheel to control the operation of a two-way fluid motor operatively connected to the system's steering shaft. Fig. 6 shows a partial section of the same as shown in fig. 5, except that the coupling mechanism is placed between the directional control valve and the two-way fluid motor, to selectively produce manual steering with power input, or with power steering alone. Fig. 7 shows a cross-section of the present drive and control system comprising a continuation of fig. 5 or 6. Fig. 8 is a cross-section corresponding to that shown in fig. 7, and shows another embodiment of the present drive and control system. Fig. 9 shows a drive and control system which, for example, shown in fig. 6 and 7, and additionally shows a second steering shaft and a two-way fluid motor for applications with high torsional stresses, and which reduces the load on the teeth of the steering mechanism.

DETALJERT BESKRIVELSE AV FORETRUKNE UTFØRELSERDETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Driv- og styresystemet 1, ifølge fig. 1, beveger og styrer et beltedrevet kjøretøy 2 som har belter 3 som drives av kjede-hjulene 4 på drivakslene 5 fra systemet 1. Kjøretøyet 2 kan være en traktor slik det er vist, eller et kjøretøy med to belter såsom en tank, en bulldoser, en fronthjullaster, em motorslede, en gaffeltruck eller en boremaskin osv. The drive and control system 1, according to fig. 1, moves and controls a track-driven vehicle 2 having tracks 3 driven by sprockets 4 on drive shafts 5 from system 1. The vehicle 2 may be a tractor as shown, or a vehicle with two tracks such as a tank, a bulldozer , a front-wheel loader, em snowmobile, a forklift or a drilling machine, etc.

Driv- og styresystemet 1 ifølge fig 2 og 3 beveger og styrer et hjulgående kjøretøy såsom en slåmaskin eller en traktor 6 (fig. 2) eller en gaffeltruck 7 (fig. 3) som omfatter et hjulpar 8 i den ene ende, og som drives av drivakslene 5, samt ett eller to lenkehjul 9 i den andre ende. Istedenfor lenkehjul 9 kan det være anordnet et andre hjulpar 8 på adskilte aksler, og som drives f.eks. av kjeder- eller tannhjul av de respektive drivaksler 5 slik at det frembringes en fremdrifts- og styrevirkning tilsvarende den som fremgår av fig. 1. The drive and control system 1 according to Figs 2 and 3 moves and controls a wheeled vehicle such as a mowing machine or a tractor 6 (Fig. 2) or a forklift 7 (Fig. 3) which comprises a pair of wheels 8 at one end, and which is driven of the drive shafts 5, as well as one or two link wheels 9 at the other end. Instead of link wheel 9, a second pair of wheels 8 can be arranged on separate axles, and which is driven e.g. of chains or gears of the respective drive shafts 5 so that a propulsion and steering effect corresponding to that shown in fig. 1.

Driv- og styresystemet 1 omfatter en styreaksel og et tann-hjuldrev 10 (se fig. 4 - 8) og som, når det hindres i å rotere, medfører at systemet 1 beveger kjøretøyets 2 drivaksler 5, kjede hjul, og belter 3 med samme hastighet (fig. 1), samt driver kjøretøyenes 6 og 7 drivaksler.5 og hjul 8 med samme hastighet (fig. 2 og 3), og dette fører til at kjøretøyene 2, 6 og 8 beveger seg langs en rettlinjet kjørebane. Når styreakselen 10 roteres i den ene eller den annen retning, slik det i detalj skal skal beskrives i forbindelse med fig. 7 og 8, øker eller avtar hastighetene til de respektive drivaksler 5 tilsvarende, og følgelig svinges kjøretøyet 2, 6, 7 i ønsket retning om en vertikal akse midtveis mellom beltene 3 og midt på beltenes 2 lengder, eller om en vertikal akse gjennom og midtveis mellom hjulsentrene 8. Kjøretøyets 2, 6, 7 svingradius avhenger av kjøretøyets frem-driftshastighet samt styreakselens 10 dreiningshastighet, og etterhvert som fremdriftshastigheten nærmer seg null, vil en fortsatt dreining av styreakselen 10 medføre at drivakslene 5 roterer i motsatte retninger slik at kjøretøyene 2, 6, og 7 dreies om de ovennevnte vertikale akser. The drive and steering system 1 comprises a steering shaft and a toothed wheel drive 10 (see fig. 4 - 8) and which, when it is prevented from rotating, causes the system 1 to move the vehicle's 2 drive shafts 5, sprockets and belts 3 with the same speed (fig. 1), and drive the vehicles' 6 and 7 drive axles.5 and wheels 8 at the same speed (fig. 2 and 3), and this causes the vehicles 2, 6 and 8 to move along a straight line. When the steering shaft 10 is rotated in one direction or the other, as will be described in detail in connection with fig. 7 and 8, the speeds of the respective drive axles 5 increase or decrease accordingly, and consequently the vehicle 2, 6, 7 is swung in the desired direction about a vertical axis midway between the belts 3 and midway between the lengths of the belts 2, or about a vertical axis through and midway between the wheel centers 8. The turning radius of the vehicle 2, 6, 7 depends on the vehicle's forward speed as well as the turning speed of the steering shaft 10, and as the forward speed approaches zero, continued rotation of the steering shaft 10 will cause the drive shafts 5 to rotate in opposite directions so that the vehicles 2, 6, and 7 are rotated about the above-mentioned vertical axes.

Hvert kjøretøy 2, 6, og 7 har et styreratt 11 som via en aksel 12 er tilkoblet til styreakselen 10. For å frembringe ekstra kraft til dreiningen av styreakselen 11, kan det anvendes et hydraulisk system som vist på fig. 4, og som omfatter et re-servoar 13, en motordrevet pumpe, en sikkerhetsventil 15, en retningsstyreventil 16, og en toveis motor 17 (servomotor). Motoren 17 står direkte i drivinngrep med styreakselen 10, men hvis det ønskes, kan motoren være lokalisert sideveis i forhold til akselen 10 under utnyttelse av en egnet drivanordning såsom belte-, kjede-, tannhjul- eller snekkehjuldrev. Ventilen er fortrinnsvis en fireveis ventil med tre innstillinger, såsom en glideventil, rotasjonsventil eller en tallerkenventil som har to driftsstillinger for selektivt å lede trykkfluid som leveres av pumpen 14, slik at motorens 17 rotor og styreaksel 10 roteres i ønskede retninger. Each vehicle 2, 6, and 7 has a steering wheel 11 which is connected via a shaft 12 to the steering shaft 10. In order to generate extra power for turning the steering shaft 11, a hydraulic system can be used as shown in fig. 4, and which comprises a reservoir 13, a motor-driven pump, a safety valve 15, a directional control valve 16, and a two-way motor 17 (servo motor). The motor 17 is directly in drive engagement with the steering shaft 10, but if desired, the motor can be located laterally in relation to the shaft 10 using a suitable drive device such as a belt, chain, gear or worm drive. The valve is preferably a four-way valve with three settings, such as a slide valve, rotary valve or a poppet valve which has two operating positions to selectively direct pressurized fluid supplied by the pump 14, so that the engine 17 rotor and steering shaft 10 are rotated in desired directions.

Ventilen som vises på fig. 5 er en fireveis glideventil med tre stillinger hvor hylsen 18 står i gjenget inngrep med styre-rattets aksel 12 og er aksialt glidbart fastkilt til akselen 12', som står i drivinngrep med rotoren, dvs motorens 17 styreaksel 10. En torsjonsfjær 19 i form av en langstrakt tynn stang er festet med sine ender til akslene 12 og 12'. Når styrerattet 11 og akselen 12 dreies i den ene eller den annen retning i forhold til akselen 12', vil de motstøtende gjenger på akselen 12 og hylsen 18 føre til en aksial forskyvning av hylsen 18 fra nøytral stilling, slik det fremgår av fig. 5, til en valgt driftsstilling slik at motoren 17 innkobles som derved driver styreakselen 10 i bestemte retninger slik at kjøretøyet 2, 6, 7 følgelig styres. The valve shown in fig. 5 is a four-way slide valve with three positions where the sleeve 18 is in threaded engagement with the steering wheel's shaft 12 and is axially slidably wedged to the shaft 12', which is in drive engagement with the rotor, i.e. the engine's 17 steering shaft 10. A torsion spring 19 in the form of an elongated thin rod is attached at its ends to the shafts 12 and 12'. When the steering wheel 11 and the shaft 12 are turned in one direction or the other in relation to the shaft 12', the opposing threads on the shaft 12 and the sleeve 18 will lead to an axial displacement of the sleeve 18 from the neutral position, as can be seen from fig. 5, to a selected operating position so that the motor 17 is switched on which thereby drives the steering shaft 10 in certain directions so that the vehicle 2, 6, 7 is consequently controlled.

En knast 20 på akselen 12 rager radielt inn i et knastspor 21 i akselen 12' og med tilstrekkelig sirkulær utstrekning til at akselen 12 kan dreies i forhold til akselen 12' i motsatte retninger for å forskyve hylsen 18 aksialt til den ene eller den annen driftsstilling med full gjennomstrømning, samt begrense fjærens 19 vridningsgrad. Dreining av akselen 12 i forhold til akselen 12', medfører også en vridning av torsjonsfjæren 19 slik at når dreiningen av styrerattet 11 og akselen 12 stanses, ut-løses energien som er lagret i fjæren 19 ved en fortsatt svak dreining av akselen 12' og hylsen 18 slik, at gjengene i hylsen 18 og akselen 12 vil forskyve hylsen til nøytral stilling, slik at motoren 17 utkobles. A cam 20 on the shaft 12 projects radially into a cam groove 21 in the shaft 12' and with a sufficient circular extent so that the shaft 12 can be turned relative to the shaft 12' in opposite directions to displace the sleeve 18 axially to one or the other operating position with full flow, as well as limiting the degree of torsion of the spring 19. Rotation of the shaft 12 in relation to the shaft 12' also results in a twisting of the torsion spring 19 so that when the rotation of the steering wheel 11 and the shaft 12 is stopped, the energy stored in the spring 19 is released by a continued weak rotation of the shaft 12' and the sleeve 18 so that the threads in the sleeve 18 and the shaft 12 will displace the sleeve to the neutral position, so that the motor 17 is disengaged.

Fig. 6 viser en modifisert utførelse hvor den nedre ende av akselen 12' er roterbart montert i den øvre ende (styreakselen 10) av motorens rotor (styreakselen 10) hvortil det er festet et koblingslegeme 22. Et stasjonært koblingslegeme 23 er anbrakt i aksial avstand fra koblingslegemet 22, og et bevegelig koblingslegeme er aksialt glidbart og kan fastkiles til akselen 12' for ved hjelp av drivenheten 25, å beveges til inngrep med koblingslegemet 22 for en kraftpåvirket styring slik det er beskrevet i forbindelse med fig. 5. Når drivenheten 25 forskyver koblingslegemet 24 inn i inngrep med koblingslegemet 23, vil akselen 12' låses mot rotasjon, og følgelig vil dreiningen av styrerattet 11 og akselen 12 forskyve hylsen 18 fra nøytral stilling til front-bestemte driftsposisjoner, slik at motoren 17 innkobles i ønsket retning for kraftstyring uten manuell medvirkning. Når kjøretøyet 2, 6, eller 7 har utført den ønskede svingebevegelse, returneres styrerattet 10 og akselen 12 ved hjelp av fjæren 19 slik at hylsen 18 forskyves til nøytral stilling og motoren 17 kobles ut. Fig. 6 shows a modified embodiment where the lower end of the shaft 12' is rotatably mounted in the upper end (steering shaft 10) of the motor's rotor (steering shaft 10) to which a coupling body 22 is attached. A stationary coupling body 23 is placed at an axial distance from the coupling body 22, and a movable coupling body is axially slidable and can be wedged to the shaft 12' in order to, with the aid of the drive unit 25, be moved into engagement with the coupling body 22 for a power-actuated steering as described in connection with fig. 5. When the drive unit 25 displaces the coupling body 24 into engagement with the coupling body 23, the shaft 12' will be locked against rotation, and consequently the rotation of the steering wheel 11 and the shaft 12 will displace the sleeve 18 from the neutral position to front-determined operating positions, so that the motor 17 is engaged in the desired direction for force control without manual intervention. When the vehicle 2, 6 or 7 has performed the desired turning movement, the steering wheel 10 and the axle 12 are returned by means of the spring 19 so that the sleeve 18 is moved to the neutral position and the motor 17 is switched off.

Under henvisning til fig. 7, omfatter driv- og styresystemet 1 et hus 26 hvor drivakslene 5 rager ut i motsatte retninger og er roterbart montert i lagrene 27. Mellom drivakslenes 5 aksielle inner-ender er det montert et kraftdrevet legeme 28 som kan være et kjededrevet tannhjul slik, det er vist, eller en beltedrevet eksenterskive, et konisk tannhjul drevet av et konisk lillehjul, eller snekkenjuldrev som drives av kjøretøyets transmisjon, idet legemet 28 er roterbart montert på drivakslene 5 i lagrene 29. With reference to fig. 7, the drive and control system 1 comprises a housing 26 where the drive shafts 5 project in opposite directions and are rotatably mounted in the bearings 27. Between the axial inner ends of the drive shafts 5 is mounted a power-driven body 28 which can be a chain-driven gear such as is shown, or a belt-driven eccentric sheave, a bevel gear driven by a bevel pinion, or worm gears driven by the vehicle's transmission, the body 28 being rotatably mounted on the drive shafts 5 in the bearings 29.

To planethjulsett 30 er montert på hver side av det kraftdrevne legeme 28, idet hvert omfatter et solhjul 31 som drives av det kraftdrevne legeme 28, et holder-33-element for planethjulene i drivinngrep med de tilhørende drivaksler 5, og et ringhjul som er opplagret i lagrene 3 5 for rotasjon i huset 26, og som sammen med lageret 36 utgjør en tilleggsstøtte for de tilhørende drivaksler 5 i aksial avstand fra lageret 27 og lageret 29. Planethjulene -32, vanligvis i et antall tre eller fire er opplagret roterbart i lagrene 37 på de korte akslene 3 8 som rager sideveis utad fra holderelementet 33. Planethjulenes 32 tenner danner inngrep med tennene på solhjulet og ringhjulene 31 og 34. Two planet gear sets 30 are mounted on each side of the power-driven body 28, each comprising a sun gear 31 which is driven by the power-driven body 28, a holder 33 element for the planet wheels in drive engagement with the associated drive shafts 5, and a ring gear which is stored in the bearings 3 5 for rotation in the housing 26, and which, together with the bearing 36, constitute an additional support for the associated drive shafts 5 at an axial distance from the bearing 27 and the bearing 29. The planet wheels -32, usually in a number of three or four, are stored rotatably in the bearings 37 on the short shafts 3 8 which project laterally outwards from the holder element 33. The teeth of the planet wheels 32 engage with the teeth of the sun gear and ring gears 31 and 34.

Ringhjulene 34 omfatter perifere koniske tannhjul 39 som danner inngrep med styreakselen og tannhjuldrevet 10, idet det sistnevnte omfatter motorens 17 rotor og er roterbart montert i lagrene 40 og 41. The ring wheels 34 comprise peripheral conical gears 39 which form engagement with the steering shaft and gear drive 10, the latter comprising the rotor of the motor 17 and is rotatably mounted in the bearings 40 and 41.

Når styreakselen 10 hindres i å rotere når motoren utkobles, hindres begge ringhjulene 34 i å rotere slik at bevegelsen av det kraftdrevne legeme 28 vil resultere i at drivakslene 5 vil drives med samme hastighet, for rettlinjet fremdrift av kjøre-tøyene 2, 6 og 7. When the steering shaft 10 is prevented from rotating when the engine is disengaged, both ring wheels 34 are prevented from rotating so that the movement of the power-driven body 28 will result in the drive shafts 5 being driven at the same speed, for rectilinear propulsion of the vehicles 2, 6 and 7 .

Når styreakselen 10 dreies i den ene eller den annen retning ved innkobling av motoren 17, roteres ringhjulene 34 i motsatte retninger slik at hastigheten til en av drivakslene 5 øker, mens hastigheten til den andre drivaksel 5 tilsvarende avtar, og følgelig svinger kjøretøyene 2, 6, og 7 slik det er forklart tid-ligere . When the steering shaft 10 is turned in one direction or the other when the motor 17 is switched on, the ring wheels 34 are rotated in opposite directions so that the speed of one of the drive shafts 5 increases, while the speed of the other drive shaft 5 correspondingly decreases, and consequently the vehicles 2, 6 turn , and 7 as explained time-liger .

Fremdrifts- og styresystemet 1 som vises på fig. 8, til-svarer det som er vist på fig. 7, bortsett fra at det kraftdrevne legeme 28 holder begge planethjul-holdeeelementene 32, 33, og at solhjulene 31 driver de respektive drivaksler 5. Når styreakselen 10 hindres i å rotere, låses ringhjulene 34 mot rotasjon slik at bevegelsen av det kraftdrevne legeme 28 også roterer begge pla-neth julholdeelementene 32-33, og følgelig at disse driver de respektive solhjul 31 og drivaksler 5 i samme hastighet, og kjøre-tøyenes 2, 6, og 7 får en rettlinjet fremdrift. Når styreakselen 10 roteres i den ene eller den annen retning, dreies ringhjulene The propulsion and control system 1 shown in fig. 8, corresponds to what is shown in fig. 7, except that the power-driven body 28 holds both planetary gear holding elements 32, 33, and that the sun gears 31 drive the respective drive shafts 5. When the steering shaft 10 is prevented from rotating, the ring gears 34 are locked against rotation so that the movement of the power-driven body 28 also rotates both plan-neth Christmas holding elements 32-33, and consequently that these drive the respective sun wheels 31 and drive shafts 5 at the same speed, and the vehicles 2, 6, and 7 get a straight forward motion. When the steering shaft 10 is rotated in one direction or the other, the rings are turned

34 i motsatte retninger slik at hastigheten til en av drivakslene 5 øker, mens hastigheten til den andre drivaksel 5 senkes tilsvarende, noe som fører til at kjøretøyene 2, 6 og 7 svinger. Driv- og styresystemet 1 ifølge fig. 9 representerer en kombinasjon av systemet ifølge fig. 6 og 7, og omfatter toveis fluidmotorer (servomotorer) 17 som er anbrakt i avstand fra hver-andre langs omkretsen, og styreaksler 10, for anvendelse ved høye vridningskrefter, og det fører til redusert belastning mellom tennene i de koniske tannhjul på styreakselen 10 og ringhjulets 34 koniske tannhjul 39. På fig 9 omfatter det kraftdrevne legeme 28 et snekkehjul som drives av en snekke 42 via kjøretøyets motor eller transmisjon. 34 in opposite directions so that the speed of one of the drive shafts 5 increases, while the speed of the other drive shaft 5 is lowered accordingly, which causes the vehicles 2, 6 and 7 to turn. The drive and control system 1 according to fig. 9 represents a combination of the system according to fig. 6 and 7, and comprises two-way fluid motors (servo motors) 17 which are placed at a distance from each other along the circumference, and steering shafts 10, for use with high twisting forces, and this leads to reduced load between the teeth in the conical gears on the steering shaft 10 and the bevel gear 39 of the ring gear 34. In Fig. 9, the power-driven body 28 comprises a worm wheel which is driven by a worm 42 via the vehicle's engine or transmission.

Ved den foreliggende oppfinnelse frembringes det følgelig et driv- og styresystem som er kompakt, effektivt og lett, for beltegående eller hjulgående kjøretøy. The present invention consequently produces a drive and control system which is compact, efficient and light, for tracked or wheeled vehicles.

Claims

1. Drive and control system for a vehicle with at least two free drive means, characterized by a housing between the drive means, coaxial drive shafts which are rotatably stored in the housing for operation of the respective drive means, a power-driven body coaxially between the drive shafts and rotatably supported by them , a pair of planet gear sets in the housing coaxial with and on either side of the power driven body, and each planet gear set includes a ring gear rotatably supported in the housing, a sun gear, and a planet gear holder member that includes a planet gear that meshes with the ring gears and sun gears, in that the planet gear sets have the first of the sun gear and planet gear holder elements in driving engagement with the aforementioned power-driven body, and have the other of the sun gear and planet gear holder elements in drive engagement with the respective drive shafts, a steering shaft which is rotatably supported in the housing and connected to the ring gear elements in order to prevent these from rotating, so that the vehicle moves forward in a straight line, etc g to rotate the ring gear members in opposite directions so that the speeds of the drive shafts and hence the propulsion means increase and decrease so that the vehicle turns, and each drive shaft is rotatably supported in axially spaced bearings between each axle and the housing, between the shaft and the ring gear members, and between the ring gear member and the housing .

2. System in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the said first of the sun wheel and plant wheel elements are the said sun wheel elements.

3. System in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the aforementioned first of the sun gear and planet gear carrier elements are the aforementioned planet gear carrier elements.

4. Drive and control system for a vehicle comprising at least two propulsion devices, characterized by a housing between the propulsion devices, coaxial drive shafts which are rotatably stored in the housing to drive the respective propulsion devices, a powered body which is placed between the drive shafts and which is rotatably supported by these, a pair of planet gear sets in the housing and which are coaxial with and located on each side of the power driven body, and each planet gear set includes a ring gear rotatably supported in the housing, a sun gear, a planet holder element comprising a planet gear engaged with the ring gear - and the sun gear elements, the planet gear elements in driving engagement with the aforementioned power driven body, and having the other of the sun gear and planet gear holder elements in driving engagement with the respective drive shafts, and a steering shaft is rotatably supported in the housing and connected to the ring gear elements to prevent the ring gear elements in rotating so that the vehicle gets a straight forward motion, as well as rotating e the ring gear elements in opposite directions thereby increasing and decreasing the speeds of the drive shafts and propulsion members accordingly so that the vehicle is swung and the power-driven body is rotatably stored in bearings between the power-driven body and the respective drive shafts.

5. System in accordance with claim 4, characterized in that each drive shaft is rotatably supported in axially separated bearings between the shaft and the housing, between the shaft and the ring gear element, and between the ring gear element and the housing.

6. System in accordance with claim 1 where the vehicle has a steering wheel and a steering wheel shaft, characterized in that a two-way fluid motor is connected to the steering shaft, an extension of the steering wheel shaft is in driving engagement with the steering shaft and has a limited rotatable dead-end spring connection with the steering wheel shaft, and where a directional control valve which is in fluid communication with the engine and with a pump driven by the vehicle's engine is connected to the steering wheel shaft and said extension to effect engagement of the motor for rotation of the steering shaft in the desired direction relative to the extension, so that it is possible by the limited rotatable dead-end spring connection, and in response to the continued joint rotation of the steering wheel shaft and the extension as said dead-end spring connection" is operative in stopping the continued rotation of the steering wheel and the steering wheel shaft so that the valve disengages the engine.

7. System in accordance with claim 6, characterized in that a coupling mechanism comprises a first coupling body attached to the steering shaft, a second stationary coupling body, a displaceable coupling body which is slidably attached to said extension, and a drive device which engages with the sliding coupling body to be able to selectively displace the latter into engagement, either with the first coupling body to produce the extension's said drive engagement with the steering shaft, or with the aforementioned second stationary coupling body to prevent the extension from rotating so that the rotation of the steering wheels and the steering wheel shaft in the one or the other direction is limited to that permitted by the limited rotatable dead-end spring linkage to cause the valve to engage the engine, the dead-end spring linkage being operative to assist in returning the steering wheel and steering wheel shaft to a position which provides valve to shut off the engine.

8. Drive and control system in accordance with claim 6, characterized in that the propulsion means, for a wheeled vehicle, comprise at least two coaxial wheels at one end of the vehicle and at least one link wheel at the other end of the vehicle.

9. Drive and control system in accordance with claim 6, characterized in that the propulsion means, for a tracked vehicle, comprise at least two tracked sprockets.

10. System in accordance with claim 6 or 7, characterized in that another second steering shaft is stored rotatably in the housing, and operatively connected to the ring gear elements at a peripheral distance in relation to the first mentioned steering shaft, a second two-way fluid motor being operatively connected to it second steering shaft and is in fluid connection with the directional control valve so that both motors are engaged to rotate both steering shafts in response to the turning of the steering wheel and the steering wheel shaft.