US3578097A - System for controlling the steering of vehicle wheels - Google Patents

System for controlling the steering of vehicle wheels Download PDF

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Publication number
US3578097A
US3578097A US812037A US3578097DA US3578097A US 3578097 A US3578097 A US 3578097A US 812037 A US812037 A US 812037A US 3578097D A US3578097D A US 3578097DA US 3578097 A US3578097 A US 3578097A
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base
wheels
circle
plane
rotation
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Jean Vertut
Jean-Pierre Guilbaud
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Commissariat a lEnergie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives CEA
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Commissariat a lEnergie Atomique CEA
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
    • B62D5/00—Power-assisted or power-driven steering
    • B62D5/04—Power-assisted or power-driven steering electrical, e.g. using an electric servo-motor connected to, or forming part of, the steering gear
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
    • B62D7/00—Steering linkage; Stub axles or their mountings
    • B62D7/02—Steering linkage; Stub axles or their mountings for pivoted bogies
    • B62D7/026—Steering linkage; Stub axles or their mountings for pivoted bogies characterised by comprising more than one bogie, e.g. situated in more than one plane transversal to the longitudinal centre line of the vehicle

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  • PATENTED um I l97l saw 3 OF 6 PATENTEDHAH 1 I97! 3578'097 sum u or 6 SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING THE STEERING OF VEHICLE WHEELS This invention is concerned with improvements to systems for controlling the steering of the wheels of a vehicle, whereby the wheel-turning radius can be varied between a value at which the center of rotation is projected to infinity in the case in which the wheels are parallel and a zero value at which the center ofrotation is located at the center of the vehicle which accordingly rotates about this point.
  • a further aim of the invention is to permit the displacement of the center of rotation in the plane which passes through the axes of rotation of all the wheels irrespective of the value of the turning radius, thereby endowing the vehicle with the most general plane on plane motion.
  • Steering control systems which are already known suffer from a first limitation in that the center of rotation must necessarily remain on a straight line which is related to the vehicle and usually materialized by the rear axle centerline located at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.
  • the center of rotation In the simplest case of a three-wheeled vehicle in which a single wheel has both a driving and steering function and in which the axis of pivotal motion of the wheel is located in the plane at right angles to the commondirection of the axle of the other two wheels, it is possible to displace the center of rotation to any point of the straight line of the rear axle; however, a vehicle of this type evidently lacks stability and is suitable only for limited applications.
  • the center of rotation can be displaced along the straight line of the rear axle only between given limits.
  • the front wheels are usually mounted on kingpins which define their respective pivotal axes and are controlled by steering tie rods, the compensated displacements of which are related to the operation of the steering wheel by means of a toothed rack.
  • the center of rotation is displaced between infinity, in which case all wheels are parallel, and an ultimate or limiting point which is close to the vehicle but located outside the rectangle of the four wheels; this limiting point defines the minimum turning radius.
  • the aim of the present invention is to provide a remedy for these disadvantages by permitting any desired displacement of the center of rotation in the plane which contains the axes of rotation of all the wheels and any desired number of wheels. Moreover, all the wheels can be endowed either simultaneously or separately with either a driving or steering function or both at the same time.
  • the invention applies generally to a vehicle in which the pivot axes of the wheels intersect a base plane at the vertices of a base polygon which can be inscribed in a base circle.
  • the plane of the base polygon is perpendicular to the pivotal axes of said wheels which are all parallel.
  • the invention would also be applicable to the case in which the pivotal axes of the wheels are not necessarily normal to the plane of the base polygon; these wheels can also have particular angles of inclination to this plane, as is the case with conventional motor vehicles in which the support polygon defined by the points of contact of the wheels with the ground is not directly similar to the base p lygon and is not deduced from this latter simply by orthogonal projection on the plane of the ground.
  • the system under consideration is characterized in that, inasmuch as the direction of the axes of rotation of the wheels is caused to converge continuously towards a common point known as the center of rotation of the vehicle, the circle which circumscribes the base polygon in the base plane corresponds by means of a geometrical transformation to a reference circle in a reference plane, said center of rotation being related alternately to its transformed point in said reference plane and to the harmonic conjugate of said point with respect to said reference circle.
  • said geometrical transformation is a similitude which constitutes a translation in an extreme case.
  • said transformed point is caused either mechanically or electrically to carry out a displacement along a straight line of the reference plane.
  • said straight line is capable of carrying out a pivotal motion about a point in said reference plane, the combination of the displacement of said point on said straight line andthe pivotal motion of this latter being such that said point is permitted to take up any position in said plane.
  • two possible positions of the center of rotation correspond to each position of the transformed point in the reference plane within the reference circle.
  • the first possible position in which the transformed point is directly related to the center of rotation places this latter inside the base circle which is deduced from the reference circle as a result of the reverse transformation;
  • the second possible position in which the harmonic conjugate of the transformed point which is related to the center of rotation conversely places said center outside the base circle.
  • the center of rotation can thus take up any position either inside or outside said circle corresponding to the homologous, continuous and unlimited displacements of the transformed point within the reference circle.
  • the position of the transformed point with respect to the reference circle is determined by means of forks which are pivotally mounted at the vertices of the reference polygon and the ends of which are adapted to cooperate with a control pin, said pin being operated within a guide slot which materializes a straight line of the reference plane.
  • the angular displacements of the forks determine in the case of the vehicle wheels which are associated with the vertices of the base polygon either equal or opposite displacements according as the center of rotation is located either inside or outside the base circle.
  • said system is essentially characterized in that it comprises a control plate in which is formed a guide slot, a first set of forks which are capable of being directly keyed on the pivotal shafts of the wheels and extend parallel to the plane of said control plate so as to come into engagement with a first pin which is engaged in said slot, first pinions which are rigidly fixed to said pivotal shafts and disposed in meshing relation with second pinions having the same diameter which are carried by swivel pins located parallel to the pivotal shafts and fixed on said control plate, a second set of forks which are capable of being directly keyed on said swivel-pins and extend parallel to the plane of said control plate so as to come into engagement with a second pin engaged in a second slot of said control plate, the centers of the second pinions being located on the reference circle of which the second slot constitutes a diameter, said reference circle being deduced by translation of the base circle in the direction which joins the pivotal shafts to the associated swivel
  • said first and second pinions are capable of being alternately coupled to the pivotal shafts of the wheels by means of keys slidably fitted on said shafts, each pair of pinions having the same diameter being coupled together by means of a planetary pinion whose diameter defines the amplitude of the translation which causes the base circle to correspond to the reference circle, said pivotal shafts being additionally coupled with a set of third identical pinions which are in meshing relation by means of bevel pinions with a fourth or common pinion which is carried by'a shaft located parallel to the pivotal shafts and which is adapted to support the guide slot for the control pins, the diameter of said fourth pinion being equal to the diameter of the bevel pinions and one-half the diameter of the third pinions.
  • said control plate comprises a reference circle which is deduced from the base circle by virtue of a similitude and a set of circular electric potentiometers disposed on said circle at the vertices of the reference polygon and having sliding contacts which are caused to converge towards a common pin constituting the transformed point of the center of rotation, said pin being capable of displacement along a diameter of said reference circle and the pivotal shafts of the wheels being driven by individual motors supplied as a function of the positions of the sliding contacts of the duplicating potentiometers which are each associated with a corresponding potentiometer of said control plate.
  • control plate is provided at the extremities of the diameter of the reference circle on which said control pin is capable of displacement with relays for reversing the directions of polarity of the duplicating potentiometers which control the individual motors of the pivotal shafts so as to ensure correspondence between said center of rotation and its transformed point or its harmonic conjugate relative to said reference circle.
  • FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a portion of a vehicle which is equipped with a steering control system in accordance with the invention
  • FIGS. 2 and 3 are diagrams relating to the embodiment of FIG. 1 and serving to explain its operation;
  • FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment which is derived from that of FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 5 is another perspective view of another embodiment of more highly improved design
  • FIG. 6. is an explanatory diagram of the embodiment of FIG.
  • FIG. 7 illustrates another alternative embodiment
  • FIGS. 8 and 9 are explanatory diagrams of operation of the alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 7.
  • FIG. I a vehicle 1 comprising only a part of the steering control system as constructed in accordance with the invention and serving to gain a clearer conception of its general structure as shown by way of example in the perspective view of FIG. 4.
  • the vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a frame 2 in the form of a flat plate on which are mounted a series of pivots 3 each associated with a wheel 4 by means of a stub axle or axle-pin S.
  • Said pivots 3 are in parallel relation and oriented at right angles to the plane of the plate 2; in the example under consideration, the pivots are also spaced on a circle which defines the base circle mentioned earlier and the extremities of the pivots constitute on said circle the vertices of the base polygon.
  • Said pinion 6 is adapted to cooperate with a second pinion 7 having the same diameter and mounted at the end of a swivel-pin 8 which is parallel to the axis of the corresponding pivot.
  • All the pairs of pinions 6,7 which are associated with the wheels 4 are identical by design, the straightline segments which join the centers of these pinions being parallel to each other and having the same length from one pair to the next.
  • the centers of the pinions 7 which correspond to the swivel-pins 8 are disposed on a circle having the same diameter as the circle relating to the pinions 6.
  • This second circle or so-called reference circle isdeduced from the first base circle by means of a geometrical transformation which is in this case a translation in the direction of said straight-line segments and equal in amplitude to the diameter of any one of said pinions.
  • a fork 9 adapted to engage with a pin 10 which is parallel to the pivots 3, said pin 10 being intended to produce the convergence of all the forks which are associated with all the pinions 7.
  • said pin 10 is caused by any known means to carry out a movement of displacement within a slot 11 which is formed in the example illustrated in the drawings through the thickness of the plate 2. Said slot extends along a diameter of the reference circle which passes through the centers of the pinions 7.
  • FIG. 2 There is shown in this FIG. the reference circle 12 which circumscribes the axes of the pinions 7 and the base circle 13 which circumscribes the axes of the pivots 3, that is to say which passes through the axes of the pinions 6.
  • FIG. 2 For the sake of enchanced clarity, there has been shown in FIG. 2 only a single pair of pinions 6,7, it being understood that the demonstration given hereinafter applies at the same time to all the other pairs which, as stated earlier, are disposed on the circles 12 and 13 respectively.
  • the points A and B on the circle 12 delimit a diameter corresponding to the slot 1 l in which is displaced the pin 10, the axis of which is represented at C.
  • the point D on the circle 12 represents schematically the axis of the pinion 7 as outlined whilst the point E on the circle 13 materializes the axis of the associated pinion 6.
  • the circles 12 and 13 are deduced from each other by means of a translation which takes place in the direction of the segment DE and the amplitude of which is equal to the length of said segment, that is to say to the diameter of the pinion 6 which is made equal by design to the diameter of the pinion 7.
  • the result there achieved is that the angles 65% on the one hand and D on the other hand are equal whilst the straight line DB bisects the angle GDT' in accordance with a known property of harmonic beams.
  • the pinion 6 rotates continuously through an angle which is opposite to that which is described by the pinion 7 when this latter is driven about its axis D as a result of the motion of its fork caused by the displacement of the point C representing the control pin 10 within the slot 11.
  • said pinion 6 is coupled by means of its pivot 3 to one of the wheels 4 of the vehicle whose rotational axis is defined by the straight line EF which is parallel to the straight line DC.
  • the result thereby achieved is that the point F which corresponds to the center of rotation of the vehicle is deduced from the point C' by means of the same translation which causes the reference circle I2 to correspond to the base circle 13.
  • the point F is displaced along the diameter GH of the base circle but outside this latter between infinity and the extremities G and H.
  • FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative construction which is derived directly from the construction of HO. 2 in which the translation which causes the base circle 13 to correspond to the reference circle 12 is carried out in a direction parallel to the diameter AB of the reference circle.
  • the diameter GH of the base circle coincides with AB, which means that the slot 11 is common to the two control pins which produce the pivotal motion of the wheels according as the center of rotation is located either inside or outside the base circle or in other words is directly related to its transformed point within the reference circle or to the conjugate of this point with respect to said circle.
  • FIG. 4 illustrates a construction which is directly deduced from the general variant illustrated in FIG. 3.
  • a vehicleequipped with a steering control system in accordance with the invention comprising any desired number of wheels, the axes of which are in parallel relation and disposed on a given circle or base circle.
  • axlepins 22 carried by bearing-brackets 23 each having a vertical shaft 24 which constitutes the pivotal axis of the associated wheel 21 and the angular position of which is controlled by the system in accordance with the invention.
  • the pivotal shafts 24 of the wheels are supported by the frame 25 of the vehicle which comprises two parallel and suitably braced plates 26 and 27.
  • Each pivotal shaft 24 is provided in the portion located between said two plates with a member 28 which forms a tenon and has two flat faces 29 which are oriented parallel to the plane defined by the pivotal shaft 24 and the axle-pin 22 of the corresponding wheel 21. At the two portion thereof, the pivotal shaft 24 passes through the plate 27 within the bore of a bushing 30 and terminates in a pinion 31.
  • Swivel-pins 32 which are associated with each pivotal shaft 24 and parallel thereto are mounted in the upper plate 27 of the frame 25 and traverse the plate 27 through support bushings 33.
  • These members are provided at the upper extremities thereof with pinions 34 disposed in meshing relation with the corresponding pinions 31; the pinions 31 and 34 are of identical diameter in order to produce in respect of a rotation of one pinion through any given angle in equal rotation of the other pinion but in the opposite direction.
  • each swivel-pin 32 has an extension above the pinion 14 in the form of a member 35 which forms a tenon, said tenon being similar to the member 28 and having flat faces 36 oriented in a direction perpendicular to the faces 29 of said member 28.
  • the swivelpins 32 can be located on the plate 27 in any desired position with respect to the pivotal shafts 24 provided that said position remains the same in each pair of pinions which are associated with the different wheels 21 of the vehicle. This position is established by design and, in the example under consideration, is parallel to the position of a slot 37 which is formed through the plate 27 and provides a communication between the top and bottom faces of this latter.
  • the support 41 is provided with a second pin 44 which is parallel to the pin 40 but displaced with respect to this latter in the direction of the slot 37 by a distance equal to that which exists between the axes of the pinions 31 and34 in any given pair, that is to say to the diameter of one of these pinions.
  • Said second pin 44 extends downwards in the opposite direction to the pin 40.
  • the system comprises two sets of forks which cause the axes of rotation of the wheels to converge towards the center of rotation according as this latter is located either inside or outside the base circle as explained with reference to FlGS. 2 and 3.
  • said forks are designated by the reference numeral 45 or 46.
  • the forks 45 are provided with internal faces 47 which are adapted to cooperate with the faces 29 of the member 28 whilst the forks 46 are provided with internal faces 48 which are adapted to guide the faces 36 of the corresponding members 35. All the lower forks 45 are joined atone end to the pin 44.
  • the operation is as follows: when the support 41 has been brought to one of the ends of the slot 37 or in other words to one of the extremities of the diameter of the reference circle, the clamping bracket 49 is operated in such a manner as to lower both sets of forks at the same time.
  • the lower forks 45 move away from the members 28 whilst the upper forks 46 engage the members 35.
  • the pin 40 carried by the support 41 again travels along the slot 37, the angular displacements of the pinions 34 are transmitted to the wheels 21 by means of the pinions 31, that is to say with reversal of the direction of rota tion.
  • each position of the pin 40 one position of the center of rotation or point of convergence of the axle-pins 22 of the wheels 21 which is located outside the base circle.
  • the center of rotation therefore undergoes a displacement which is controlled at will over the full length of the straight line represented by the diameter of the reference circle as defined by the slot 37.
  • FIG. illustrates a more highly improved alternative form of the steering control system according to the invention whereby, in addition to a displacement 'of the transformed point of the center of rotation or of its harmonic conjugate within a slot extending along a diameter of the reference circle, said slot can be pivoted in its plane so that the transformed point can thus be moved to any desired position within said circle.
  • each pivotal shaft 64 is as sociated with two identical bevel pinions 68 and 69 which are mounted on said shaft and capable of being alternately coupled for rotation with this latter by means of a dog-coupling ring 70 which is slidably mounted but rotationally keyed on the shaft 64.
  • Said sliding ring is provided with projections or dogs 71 which are adapted to engage in recesses having corresponding dimensions and formed in the opposite faces of the pinions 68 and 69.
  • Positioning of the dog-coupling ring 70 along the shaft 64 in order to couple said ring to either of the two pinions considered is controlled by means of a key 73 provided with a lug 74 which is adapted to engage in a groove 75 of the dog-coupling ring 70.
  • Said key has an extension in the form of a handle 76 so that, in certain positions of the pinions which will be defined below, the dogs 71 or 72 of said coupling ring aie permitted to engage in their respective recesses of the pinions 68 or 69.
  • Each pinion 69 is rigidly fixed at its upper extremity by means of a nut 77 to a fork-shaped member 78 having a U-shaped transverse cross section and the upper arm 79 of which is provided with a longitudinal slot 80. All the forks 78 which are thus associated by means of the pinion 68 or 69 which the pivotal shafts 64 corresponding to the different wheels of the vehicle are connected at a common point materialized by a control pin 81 which is normal to the plane of the top plate 67 of the frame 65.
  • Said control pin 81 is mounted in a support 82 and provided at the lower end with a pinion 83 disposed in meshing relation with a rack 84 machined in a diametral slot 85 of a rotary disc 86 which is disposed parallel to the plane of the plate 67 and engaged within the interior of the U of all the forks 78.
  • the rotary disc 86 is provided in the outer surface thereof with gear-teeth 87 meshing with an outer pinion 88 carried by a member 89 which is rigidly fixed to the frame 65 and provided with a driving pin 90 for causing the rotary disc to carry out a pivotal motion about its shaft 91.
  • the disc shaft extends substantially to the center of the frame 65 at right angles to the plane of the plates 66 and 67 and is provided at the lower end with a spurtooth pinion 92.
  • Said pinion 92 is in mesh with a set of identical pinions 93 having the same diameter as the pinion 92 and mounted to rotate freely on shafts (not shown in the drawings) which are carried by the plate 66 and are equal in number to the pivotal shafts 64 and consequently to the wheels 61.
  • Each pinion 93 is in turn adapted to mesh with a pinion 94 which is coupled for rotation with the pivotal shaft 64 of the corresponding wheel, the diameter of said pinion 94 beingdouble that of the pinion 92.
  • each pinion 94 is rigidly fixed to a bracket 95 which is adapted to carry a differential planetary pinion 96.
  • Said planetary pinion is mounted to rotate freely on its shaft and adapted to engage simultaneously with both of the pinions 68 and 69 which are associated with the corresponding pivotal shaft 64.
  • the key 73 which controls the position of the dog-coupling ring 70 on the pivotal shaft 64 passes axially through the planetary pinion 96.
  • FIG. 5 The operation of the system which is illustrated in FIG. 5 can be directly deduced from the operation which was explained earlier with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.
  • the operation involves two main steps, depending on whether the center of rotation of the vehicle is to be brought either inside or outside the base circle.
  • the reference circle which is materialized by the axes of the pinions 69 is deduced directly from the base circle materialized by the pinions 68 by means of a simple translation parallel to the common direction of the pivotal shafts 64, these two circles being therefore equal by design.
  • the dogcoupling rings 70 are in the top position on their shafts 64, the dogs 72 of said rings being engaged in the corresponding recesses of the pinions 69.
  • the shafts 64 are coupled for rotation with said pinions 69 and these latter are in turn driven directly by the forks 78 which converge towards the control pin 81.
  • the direction of any axle-pin 62 of a wheel 61 is therefore parallel to that of the corresponding fork 78*; the center of rotation thus coincides on the shaft 91 with its transformed point in the translation which causes the base circle to correspond to the reference circle.
  • the displacement of the control pin 81 within the slot by means of the pinion 83 and the rack 84 determines under these conditions the displacement of the center of rotation along a diameter of the base circle.
  • the system is controlled in the following manner: in the case of a limiting point of the operation in the first step, that is to say when the control pin 81 is located at one extremity of the diameter'of the reference circle defined by the slot 85, the keys 76 are operated so as to ensure that-the dog-coupling rings 70 are released from the pinions 69 and coupled to the pinions 68 by means of their projections .or dogs 71 which are. accordingly designed to be located opposite to the corresponding recesses.
  • This mode of operation is therefore identical with the operation which was explained in connection with the first embodiment, the only difference being a mechanical variant in the method of keying the pivotal shafts and the pinions which control their angular displacements.
  • the alternative form which is illustrated in FIG. also makes it possible to vary the position of the slot 85 or in other words, on the reference circle, to modify the, orientation of the diameter along which the transformed point of the center of rotation effects a displacement.
  • the pinions 92,93 and 94 are so designed that they retain a parallel relation between the axle-pins 62 and the forks 78 during the rotation of the disc 86 irrespective of the orientation of the slot 85.
  • the planetary pinions 96 which are each associated with the pivotal shafts 64 rotate about their own axes through an angle equal to 01/2. This is readily apparent if reference is made to FIG.
  • FIG. 7 illustrates another alternative construction of the invention which is similar to the embodiment of H6. 1 but in which the transmission of the angular displacements of the forks for producing the convergence of the pivotal axes of the wheel towards the transformed point of the circle of rotation or towards the harmonic conjugate thereof relative to the reference circle is no longer obtained by means of a mechanical coupling system of the pinion type but is carried out by means of a potentiometer control system.
  • This arrangement according to the invention is more especially, although not solely, applicable to the case in which the forces to be developed in order to turn the wheels cannot be obtained by means of simple forks, the mechanical strength of which might prove inadequate.
  • the frame 110 which is illustrated comprises a plurality of wheels 111 (four in number in the example) which are assumed to be driving and steerable wheels and mounted on axle-pins 112, said axle-pins being in turn supported by pivots 113 about which the wheel orientation control is effected.
  • the frame 110 is associated with a coordination plate 114 which can be completely separate from said frame and placed in' particular at a distance from this latter, circular control potentiometers which are associated with the wheels of the vehicle being mounted on said plate 114.
  • potentiometers 115 and 116 Only two of these potentiometers 115 and 116 have been shown in the drawings for the sake of greater simplicity, it being understood that the plate 114 in fact supports a number of potentiometers corresponding to the number of wheels, each pivot 113 being additionally associated on the frame 110 with a potentiometer for duplicating the control potentiometer of the coordination plate.
  • the potentiometers 115 and 116 thus correspond respectively to two potentiometers 117'and 118. mounted on the shafts 119 and 120 of two motors 121 and 122 which are directly coupled with the pivots 113 of the corresponding wheels 1 l 1.
  • FIG. 8 which again shows side by side the frame 110 of the vehicle and the control'plate 114 with the control potentiometers 115 and 116 on the one hand and 117 and 118 on the other hand serves to explain the operation of the device in the embodiment 'under consideration, this operation being naturally based on the same general arrangements which were explained in connection with the alternative mechanical control systems described earlier.
  • the axes of the pivots 113 of the vehicle wheels are all parallel and disposed at intervals in a circle which defines the base circle of the vehicle.
  • the control potentiometers on the plate 114 are uniformly spaced in a circle which constitutes the reference circle as deduced from the base circle by means of any perfectly defined geometrical transformation.
  • the sliding contacts 123 and 124 of the control potentiometers 115 and 116 are connected by forks or any like means 125 and126 to a control pin 127 which is displaceable along a diameter128, 129 of the reference circle.
  • Said potentiometers are supplied with a direct-current voltage having polarities which are suitably distributed at the terminals of said potentiometers, the voltage collected at the sliding contacts being returned to the associated duplicating potentiometers, that is to say towards the potentiometers 117 and 118 in the case considered.
  • P16. 9 shows the manner in which electric switching is carried out in this case at the limits of the reference circle so as to cause the center of rotation within the base circle to correspond not to its transformed point within the reference circle but to its harmonic conjugate with respect to said circle.
  • duplicating potentiometer 118 having two diametrically opposite sliding contacts 132 and 132a. Only one of the two sliding contacts will be employed, namely the particular contact which is located within the useful zone of said potentiometer, that is to say at an angular distance of 90 on each side of the zero voltage point.
  • Apparatus for controlling the steering of the wheels of a vehicle in which the pivot axes of the wheels intersect a base plane at the vertices of a base polygon inscribed within a base circle, the base plane being parallel to a plane passing through the axes of rotation of the wheels and corresponding to a reference circle in a reference plane by a geometrical transformation comprising means for causing the rotational axes of the wheels to continuously converge towards a common point and center of rotation of the vehicle lying on the axis of rotation of the vehicle, the axis of rotation of the vehicle intersecting the base plane at a base point related alternatively to a transformed point in the reference circle related thereto by said geometrical transformation or to the conjugate of the transfonned point with reference to said reference circle, said means including a first set of bifurcated members pivotally 5 mounted at the vertices of a reference polygon corresponding by said geometrical transformation to said base polygon, said members engaging a control pin, said pin intersecting said reference plane at said transformed point and being
  • Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 including a second set of bifurcated members pivotally mounted at the vertices of said base polygon, engaging a second control pin intersecting said base plane at said base point and movable along a second linear guide slot in said base plane.
  • Apparatus in accordance with claim 5, including a control plate, said first and second guide slots being formed in said plate, first pinions, swivel pins for said first pinions extending parallel to the pivot axes of the wheels mounted on said control plate and positioned with their center at the vertices of said base polygon, said first set of bifurcated members engaging said swivel pins and extending parallel to the plane of said control plate, second pinions having the same diameter as said first pinions rigidly fixed to pivotal shafts for the wheels of the vehicle positioned with their centers at the vertices of said reference polygon and connected with said first pinions, said second set of bifurcated members engaging said pivotal shafts, said reference circle being deduced by translation of said base circle in the direction of a line joining said pivotal shafts to the axes of the associated swivel pins and the amplitude of the translation being equal to the distance between the centers of associated ones of said first and said second pinions.
  • said bifurcated members of said first and said second sets being parallel and disposed, respectively, on each side of said control plate.
  • Apparatus in accordance with claim 4, including a control plate, said first guide slot being formed in said plate, first and second pinions carried by pivotal shafts for the vehicle wheels, said shafts being positioned with their centers at the vertices of said reference and said base polygons respectively and alternatively engageable with said pivotal shafts, said first set of bifurcated members being mounted on said first pinions, a planetary pinion coupling associated ones of said first and said second pinions the diameter of said planetary pinion defining the amplitude of translation in the direction of said pivotal shafts, a set of third identical pinions coupled with said pivotal shafts and in meshing relation through bevel pinions with a fourth pinion, a shaft for said fourth pinion parallel to said pivotal shafts and supporting said control plate, the diameter of said fourth pinion being equal to the diameter of said bevel pinions and to one-half the diameter of said third pinions.
  • Apparatus for controlling the steering of the wheels of a vehicle in which the pivot axes of the wheels intersect a base plane at the vertices of a base polygon inscribed within a base circle, the base plane being parallel to a plane passing through the axes of rotation of the wheels and corresponding to a reference circle in a reference plane by a geometrical transformation comprising means for causing the rotational axes of the wheels to continuously converge towards a common point and center of rotation of the vehicle lying on the axis of rotation of the vehicle, the axis of rotation of the vehicle intersecting the base plane at a base point related alternatively to a transformed point in said reference circle related thereto by said geometrical transformation or to the conjugate of the transformed point with reference to said reference circle, said means including a control plate, a set of circular electric potentiometers on said plate disposed on said reference circle at the vertices of a reference polygon corresponding respectively to said base circle and said base polygon by a similitude', sliding contacts for said '

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Steering-Linkage Mechanisms And Four-Wheel Steering (AREA)
  • Retarders (AREA)
US812037A 1968-04-09 1969-04-01 System for controlling the steering of vehicle wheels Expired - Lifetime US3578097A (en)

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US812037A Expired - Lifetime US3578097A (en) 1968-04-09 1969-04-01 System for controlling the steering of vehicle wheels

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US (1) US3578097A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
JP (1) JPS4941769B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
BE (1) BE730319A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
CH (1) CH507832A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
FR (1) FR1585202A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
GB (1) GB1217285A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
LU (1) LU58364A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
NL (1) NL6905368A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3720283A (en) * 1971-06-22 1973-03-13 G Weaver Steered, high speed vehicle

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS6237292U (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) * 1985-08-21 1987-03-05
US5139279A (en) * 1990-10-10 1992-08-18 Roberts Brock F Parallel-aligned all-wheel steered vehicle

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1472940A (en) * 1923-11-06 Assigkktos to the ross carrier
US2756066A (en) * 1948-10-01 1956-07-24 Ludowici Johann Wilhelm Steerable wheels in which the axle axes intersect at a common point in all steered positions of the wheels
US2824749A (en) * 1955-01-24 1958-02-25 Yasuda Yoshichiro Steering mechanism for producing differential steering angles for two or more steerable wheels

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1472940A (en) * 1923-11-06 Assigkktos to the ross carrier
US2756066A (en) * 1948-10-01 1956-07-24 Ludowici Johann Wilhelm Steerable wheels in which the axle axes intersect at a common point in all steered positions of the wheels
US2824749A (en) * 1955-01-24 1958-02-25 Yasuda Yoshichiro Steering mechanism for producing differential steering angles for two or more steerable wheels

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3720283A (en) * 1971-06-22 1973-03-13 G Weaver Steered, high speed vehicle

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE1917856A1 (de) 1969-11-06
LU58364A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1969-07-16
DE1917856B2 (de) 1976-01-15
NL6905368A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1969-10-13
GB1217285A (en) 1970-12-31
FR1585202A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1970-01-16
JPS4941769B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1974-11-11
CH507832A (fr) 1971-05-31
BE730319A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1969-09-01

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