US20050034646A1 - Retractable road wheel and steering arrangement for an amphibious vehicle - Google Patents

Retractable road wheel and steering arrangement for an amphibious vehicle Download PDF

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Publication number
US20050034646A1
US20050034646A1 US10/493,670 US49367004A US2005034646A1 US 20050034646 A1 US20050034646 A1 US 20050034646A1 US 49367004 A US49367004 A US 49367004A US 2005034646 A1 US2005034646 A1 US 2005034646A1
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
wheel
steering
amphibious vehicle
steering arm
leg member
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US10/493,670
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English (en)
Inventor
David Albert Royle
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
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Individual
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of US20050034646A1 publication Critical patent/US20050034646A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60F—VEHICLES FOR USE BOTH ON RAIL AND ON ROAD; AMPHIBIOUS OR LIKE VEHICLES; CONVERTIBLE VEHICLES
    • B60F3/00—Amphibious vehicles, i.e. vehicles capable of travelling both on land and on water; Land vehicles capable of travelling under water
    • B60F3/0007—Arrangement of propulsion or steering means on amphibious vehicles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63C—LAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS
    • B63C13/00—Equipment forming part of or attachable to vessels facilitating transport over land
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60F—VEHICLES FOR USE BOTH ON RAIL AND ON ROAD; AMPHIBIOUS OR LIKE VEHICLES; CONVERTIBLE VEHICLES
    • B60F2301/00—Retractable wheels
    • B60F2301/04—Retractable wheels pivotally

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a retractable wheel mounting and steering arrangement for an amphibious vehicle.
  • a steering and wheel mounting arrangement for an amphibious vehicle having at least one retractable steered wheel
  • said steering and wheel mounting arrangement comprising: said at least one wheel rotatably mounted on a steerable leg member; said leg member being pivotably mounted on pivot means which is pivotable around a substantially horizontal axis relative to a hull of said amphibious vehicle; a steering arm member operably connected to said steerable leg member; means to raise said wheel by pivoting about said axis; wherein an end of said steering arm member remote from said steerable leg member is closely adjacent said horizontal axis and operably connected to steering arm moving means.
  • an amphibious vehicle having the wheel mounting and steering arrangement of the first aspect of the present invention.
  • the pivot means may include a bracket member on which the steerable leg member is mounted.
  • Said axis may be transverse or generally parallel to a longitudinal direction of travel of said hull.
  • the wheel may be raised by the mounting and steering arrangement being tipped backwards about the axis.
  • the wheel mounting and steering arrangement may, for example, be raised by being rotated about the axis which also extends in a longitudinal direction with respect to the hull.
  • an amphibious vehicle of the present invention may comprise a relatively small vehicle capable of accommodating only a few people.
  • the vehicle may not possess suspension in terms of separate springs and shock absorbers for example but may depend upon relatively large, low-pressure tyres for springing and shock absorbing properties.
  • the vehicle may have only a single steerable wheel.
  • Suspension members may be interposed between the wheel mounting and steering arrangement described and the vehicle hull.
  • the end of the steering arm remote from the wheel mounting leg is positioned such that it is closely adjacent the horizontal axis about which the bracket on which the steerable leg member is mounted rotates. Rotation of the bracket and leg raises the wheel out of the water for example.
  • the steering arm moving means may comprise a cable or linkage operably connected to a tiller or steering wheel for example.
  • the steering arm moving means is capable of accommodating the degree of movement inherent on raising the wheel or wheels.
  • the geometry of the steering arrangement according to the present invention is such that even with the wheel in its raised position, the steering arm is able to be moved through its full arc of movement by the steering arm moving means.
  • the road wheel steering linkage is also connected to water guidance means such as a rudder or hydrojet for example, directional control of the vehicle can still be effected by the normal steering arrangement without disconnection of the steering arm moving means from the road wheel or by the need for alternative or duplicated steering linkages to the water guidance means.
  • FIG. 1 shows a side elevation of the principal components of a wheel mounting and steering arrangement according to the present invention in raised and in road-going positions;
  • FIG. 2 which shows a perspective view of the arrangement of FIG. 1 in the road-going position.
  • a wheel mounting and steering arrangement in an amphibious vehicle hull is denoted generally at 10 , the hull being denoted only by its lower surface such as a chine 12 .
  • a single steerable and retractable front wheel 14 rotatably mounted between the forks 16 of a steerable leg member 18 .
  • the leg member 18 has a pivot shaft 20 which is pivotably mounted in a tubular headstock 22 to which is strongly mounted a pair of diverging triangular support brackets 24 .
  • Each support bracket 24 has a mounting point at its apex to which a tie tube 26 is joined, the tube 26 not only bracing the support brackets 24 but importantly provides a main pivot axis 30 about which the wheel and support assembly is retracted.
  • a steering arm 28 is fixed to the steering leg shaft 20 so that movement thereof causes turning of the wheel 14 when in the road-going position and in the retracted position.
  • the support brackets 24 are pivotable about the horizontal axis 30 (the term “horizontal” being defined with reference to the hull 12 ), the axis 30 also being transverse to a direction of travel of the hull 12 denoted by arrow 32 .
  • the brackets 24 and headstock arrangement are pivotably mounted upon a support shaft 34 (shown in dashed lines) which is fixed to strong supports (not shown) on the hull 12 and passing through the tie tube 26 .
  • the end 36 of the steering arm 28 is adjacent the axis 30 /tube 26 and has a joint such as a ball joint 40 fixed thereto and which is itself connected to a steering rod 42 (or cable such as a flexible Bowden-type cable sliding in an outer sheath).
  • the rod 42 has a rotatable joint 46 to accommodate rotation of the rod 42 during retraction of the wheel, the joint 46 being able to accommodate axial thrust.
  • the steering rod 42 is connected at its end remote from the ball joint 40 to a lever or bellcrank (not shown) which is itself operably connected to a primary steering member such as a tiller or steering wheel (not shown) which is directly controlled by the driver.
  • the wheel steering mechanism is also connected by a linkage (not shown) to water guidance means such as a rudder or hydrojet (not shown) which are also moved by the primary steering member.
  • a further bracket 50 is fixed to the headstock 22 and to which is connected means 52 to enable the whole wheel mounting and steering arrangement 10 to be tipped backwards about the axis 30 in order to retract the wheel 14 .
  • the retracted position is shown in FIG. 1 in dashed lines.
  • the means 52 may comprise any suitable means and may include a hydraulic cylinder and ram or a mechanical strut arrangement, for example.
  • FIGS. 1 and 2 it may be seen that the end 36 of the steering arm 28 is adjacent the main pivot axis 30 thus, when the arrangement 10 is retracted, the actual displacement of the steering arm end 36 and joint 40 is relatively very small, rotational displacement being accommodated by the thrust bearing 46 . Furthermore, since the steering rod 42 (or cable) is mounted to move with the support frames 24 there is little relative translational displacement of the end of the steering arm moving means 42 and steering arm 28 .
  • the arrangement shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 show that it is possible to have strong and simple steering arrangement comprising rods or linkages or cables attached to a retractable wheel.
  • the close proximity of the steering arm and ball joint 40 to the main pivot axis 30 results in small angular changes which are accommodated by the steering rods or cable 42 through its arc of movement during retraction of the wheel.
  • An important feature of the present invention is that the steering mechanism continues to be able to steer the wheel even in the retracted position thus, upon the amphibious vehicle becoming water-borne and the wheel being retracted, the primary steering member operated by the driver, e.g. a steering wheel or tiller, is still connected to and operates the water guidance means such as a rudder or hydrojet, without the need to disconnect the road-going wheel or road steering.
  • the arrangement of the present invention is simple and convenient in use.
  • FIG. 1 shows the wheel in its road-going position in solid lines and in the retracted position in dashed lines.
  • a suitable arrangement may comprises two sets of the assemblies 10 described above with steering arms 28 linked together by a tie rod but essentially operated in the same way as described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 by a single steering arm moving means 42 .
  • conventional suspension members such as springs and shock absorbers may be employed if desired.
  • conventional suspension members may be interposed between the leg member 18 and the tubular headstock 22 .
  • a square section (or other than round) sliding pillar may be incorporated in such a way that the steering arm 28 remains in the same close proximity to the support brackets 24 and the main pivot axis 30 , the headstock 22 and steering being unaffected by the suspension.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
  • Steering-Linkage Mechanisms And Four-Wheel Steering (AREA)
US10/493,670 2001-10-26 2002-10-09 Retractable road wheel and steering arrangement for an amphibious vehicle Abandoned US20050034646A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0125689.0 2001-10-26
GBGB0125689.0A GB0125689D0 (en) 2001-10-26 2001-10-26 A retractable road wheel and steering arrangement for an amphibious vehicle
PCT/GB2002/004588 WO2003035416A1 (fr) 2001-10-26 2002-10-09 Ensemble de galets de roulement retractables et de direction pour un vehicule amphibie

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20050034646A1 true US20050034646A1 (en) 2005-02-17

Family

ID=9924551

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US10/493,670 Abandoned US20050034646A1 (en) 2001-10-26 2002-10-09 Retractable road wheel and steering arrangement for an amphibious vehicle

Country Status (6)

Country Link
US (1) US20050034646A1 (fr)
EP (1) EP1439969A1 (fr)
JP (1) JP2005506238A (fr)
CA (1) CA2464938A1 (fr)
GB (1) GB0125689D0 (fr)
WO (1) WO2003035416A1 (fr)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20080108257A1 (en) * 2006-08-24 2008-05-08 Gibbs Technologies Ltd Amphibian
WO2009027646A1 (fr) * 2007-08-24 2009-03-05 Gibbs Technologies Limited Engin amphibie
US20100206212A1 (en) * 2009-02-18 2010-08-19 Ranko Lazarevic Amphibious boats, canoes and kayaks
CN110329014A (zh) * 2019-04-19 2019-10-15 武汉理工大学 一种电控可卸载式车轮收放装置及控制方法

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
NZ528471A (en) * 2003-09-25 2006-08-31 Sealegs Internat Ltd Retractable leg assembly
FR2900905A1 (fr) * 2006-05-09 2007-11-16 Windkart Soc Par Actions Simpl Voilier avec moyens de mise a l'eau
GB2445552B (en) 2007-01-15 2009-05-13 Gibbs Tech Ltd Wheel suspension and retraction apparatus
US20160332494A1 (en) * 2013-12-20 2016-11-17 Wareham Steamship Corporation A surface vehicle

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3421472A (en) * 1967-04-10 1969-01-14 Frank Fasano Amphibious vehicle
US3755838A (en) * 1971-04-30 1973-09-04 L Dunagan Integrated boat-trailer-camper apparatus
US3946698A (en) * 1974-08-29 1976-03-30 American Challenger Corporation Inboard-outboard drive for marine vessel
US5769021A (en) * 1995-09-28 1998-06-23 Schad; Robert D. Amphibious craft

Family Cites Families (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2322759A1 (fr) * 1975-09-05 1977-04-01 Pages Michel Bateau amphibie

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3421472A (en) * 1967-04-10 1969-01-14 Frank Fasano Amphibious vehicle
US3755838A (en) * 1971-04-30 1973-09-04 L Dunagan Integrated boat-trailer-camper apparatus
US3946698A (en) * 1974-08-29 1976-03-30 American Challenger Corporation Inboard-outboard drive for marine vessel
US5769021A (en) * 1995-09-28 1998-06-23 Schad; Robert D. Amphibious craft

Cited By (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20080108257A1 (en) * 2006-08-24 2008-05-08 Gibbs Technologies Ltd Amphibian
US8025540B2 (en) 2006-08-24 2011-09-27 Gibbs Technologies Ltd. Amphibian
US9555678B2 (en) 2006-08-24 2017-01-31 Gibbs Technologies Ltd. Amphibian
WO2009027646A1 (fr) * 2007-08-24 2009-03-05 Gibbs Technologies Limited Engin amphibie
US20110189907A1 (en) * 2007-08-24 2011-08-04 Gibbs Technologies Ltd Amphibian
US8495966B2 (en) 2009-02-12 2013-07-30 Ranko Lazarevic Amphibious boats, canoes and kayaks
US20100206212A1 (en) * 2009-02-18 2010-08-19 Ranko Lazarevic Amphibious boats, canoes and kayaks
US8091501B2 (en) 2009-02-18 2012-01-10 Ranko Lazarevic Amphibious boats, canoes and kayaks
CN110329014A (zh) * 2019-04-19 2019-10-15 武汉理工大学 一种电控可卸载式车轮收放装置及控制方法

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB0125689D0 (en) 2001-12-19
CA2464938A1 (fr) 2003-05-01
JP2005506238A (ja) 2005-03-03
WO2003035416A1 (fr) 2003-05-01
EP1439969A1 (fr) 2004-07-28

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