WO2008122304A2

WO2008122304A2 - Multi-wheel bimodular vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2008122304A2
Application number: PCT/EP2007/003156
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giorgio Bellezza Quater; Paolo Bellezza Quater; Silvia Bellezza Quater
Original assignee: A.R.I.S. S.P.A.
Priority date: 2007-04-10
Filing date: 2007-04-10
Publication date: 2008-10-16
Also published as: WO2008122304A3

Abstract

A front module (12) is provided with a watertight body (20), with an engine (26) and with six driving wheels (14) operatively connected to the engine (26) via front transmission means (32, 34, 36, 38). A rear module (16) is articulated to the front module (12) via a drive coupling (17) and is provided with a watertight body (28) and with six driving wheels (18) operatively connected to the engine via rear transmission means (41a, 41 b, 42, 43, 44, 45) and the drive coupling (17).

Description

"Multi-wheel bimodular vehicle"

The present invention relates to a multi-wheel bimodular vehicle of the type comprising a front module supported on wheels and a rear module supported on wheels which are articulated to each other, and has the object of providing a vehicle having both a high maneuvrability when moving on the ground, with enhanced drive and grip with respect to the known vehicles of the same category, and amphibian capabilities, with high performances of navigation and of propulsion in the water.

The above objects and other advantages, which will better appear below, are achieved by the multi-wheel bimodular vehicle having the features recited in claim 1 , while the dependent claims state other advantageous, though secondary features of the invention.

The invention will be now described in more detail with reference to a few preferred, non-exclusive embodiments shown by way of non-limiting example in the attached drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a multi-wheel bimodular vehicle according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the vehicle of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view in cross section showing the lower part of the front module of the vehicle of Fig. 1 ; Fig. 4 is a perspective view in cross section showing the lower part of the rear module of the vehicle of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a detail of the rear module of Fig. 4 to an enlarged scale;

FIg. 6 is a view in cross section of Fig. 5 made along line VI-VI; Fig. 7 is a side view of the vehicle in a first alternative embodiment of the invention; Fig. 8 shows the vehicle of Fig. 7 while rolling into the water; Fig. 9 shows the vehicle of Fig. 7 while rolling out of the water;

Fig. 10 is a side view of the vehicle in a second alternative embodiment of the invention. With reference to the above Figures, a multi-wheel bimodular vehicle 10 comprises a front module 12 supported on six driving wheels such as 14, with three wheels on each side of the module, and a rear module 16, which is articulated to front module 12 via a drive coupling 17 of a known type and is also supported on six driving wheels 18 connected to drive coupling 17 via rear transmission means which will be better described below.

Front module 12 is provided with a watertight windowed body 20 made of a light alloy and housing a passenger compartment, with a driving place 22 with respective control means 24 arranged in a front area of the module. An engine 26 (only diagrammatically shown in Fig. 2) is also housed within front module 12 and is connected to the wheels via front transmission means which will be better described below.

Rear module 16 is also provided with a watertight windowed body 28 made of a light alloy and housing a passenger compartment. An fuel tank 30 (only diagrammatically shown in Fig. 2) is also housed within rear module 16 and is connected to engine 26 via a hose 31.

Having now particular reference to Fig. 3, the three wheels on each side of the front module are interconnected via a chain drive 32 having a drive 34. A front differential 36 is operatively connected to engine 26 (not shown in Fig. 3 for better clarity) via a driving shaft 40, and is connected to the two drives 34 at the opposite sides of the front module by respective front axle shafts 38 via universal joints such as 39.

With particular reference now to Fig. 4, front wheels 18a and central wheels 18b of rear module 16 are connected to respective tees 41a, 41b. The front and central tees on each side of the rear module are interconnected via a transmission shaft 42. A rear differential 43 is operatively connected to engine 26 via a driven shaft 44 and drive coupling 17, and is connected to central tees 41b on the opposite sides of the rear module by respective rear axle shafts 45 via universal joints.

As shown in Figs. 4-6, rear wheels 18c of rear module 16 are each connected to a pneumatic (or hydropneumatic) vertical cylinder 48 having a rod 50 which can be turned by 90° under control of a rotating actuator 52, whereby rear wheels 18c be turned about the axis of cylinder 48 to a position transversal to the module. Rear wheels 18c also are driving wheels but they are driven independently from front wheels 18a and central wheels 18b of rear module 16, by respective electric motors 54 having a motor housing with a hydrodinamic profile. Furthermore, rear wheels 18c are each provided with a rigid frame 56 profiled as a three-bladed propeller. Vertical pneumatic cylinder 48 acts as a dumper but is also operable to change the vertical position of the rear wheel for the aims which will be clarified below.

Drive coupling 17 is of a type well known to the person skilled in the art, with three degrees of freedom which allow the vehicle to compensate different positions of the front module with respect to the rear module. Moreover, the steering of the vehicle can be controlled by rotating drive coupling 17 about a vertical axis. In the operation, the vehicle has effective performances both on the ground, in virtue of the maneuvrability provided by the drive coupling 17 and to the tractive force of the twelve driving wheels, and in navigation, with the propeller-shaped frame of rear wheels 18c which are used for the propulsion in water, after the wheels have been turned about the axes of their respective pneumatic (or hydropneumatic) cylinders to a position transversal to the module, i.e., with the propelles oriented rearwards to provide a hydrodinamic propulsion in a longitudinal direction. While preparing to roll into the water, rear wheels 18c of rear module 16 are rotated to a position transversal to the vehicle and are lifted by their respective cylinders 48, so that the vehicle can move forward towards the water without the rear wheels slipping on the ground. Furthermore, by operating cylinder 48, it is also possible to optimize the draft of the propellers in navigation.

An alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 7, where the two front wheels 114a of the front module 1 12 are also provided with a rigid frame profiled as a propeller and are operated independently from the other four wheels, by respective electric motors, likewise rear wheels 1 18c of rear module 1 16, and can be turned by 90° about respective vertical axes for the propulsion in the water. As shown in Figs. 8, 9, this alternative embodiment makes the propulsion of the vehicle in the water more effective and enhances the steps of rolling into and out of the water. In fact, in the rolling-in step (Fig. 8), at first only front wheels 1 14a of the front module are lifted and turned transversely to assume the configuration of navigation. Therefore, while rolling in the water, vehicle 1 10 is driven by the combined action both of the wheels which are still contacting the gound, including the rear wheels 1 18c of the rear module which are still in their ground-rolling configuration and will be the last wheels that immerge, and of the propellers incorporated in the front wheels 1 14a, which are the first wheels that immerge in the water. Thereafter, when the vehicle is completely immersed, rear wheels 1 18c of the rear module also will be turned to their configuration of navigation, thereby increasing the propulsive action in the water.

On the other hand, when rolling out from the water (Fig. 9), at first only the front wheels 114a of the front module are turned and lowered to their ground-rolling configuration, while the rear wheels, which are still in the water, remain in their configuration of navigation. Therefore, while rolling out of the water, the vehicle is driven by the combined action both of front wheels 114a, which are the first wheels that contact the gound, and progressively of the other wheels, as well as of the propellers incorporated in rear wheels 1 18c, which are still immersed. Thereafter, when the vehicle is completely out of the water, rear wheels 118a of the rear module also will be rotated and lowered to their ground-rolling configuration. Fig. 10 shows a further alternative embodiment of the invention, in which the propulsion in water of vehicle 210 is not provided by the end wheels of the vehicle, i.e., the front wheels of the front module and the rear wheels of the rear module, but is obtained by independent motorized propellers 260 mounted to the rear part of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the end wheels of the vehicle are operatively connected to the transmission means of the respective module likewise the other wheels of the same module, and are not profiled as propellers.

A few preferred embodiments of the invention have been described herein, but of course many changes may be made by a person skilled in the art within the scope of the inventive concept. For example, althouth in the first described embodiment chain drives are used to drive the wheels of the front module and shaft drives are used to drive the front and central wheels of the rear module, other configurations are possible, e.g., by using chain drives in both the modules, or an inverse configuration with respect to the above-illustrated one, i.e., with chain drives in the rear module and shaft drives in the front module. Furthermore, although in the first two embodiments the wheels incorporating the propellers are driven by electric motors, other types of motors can be used, e.g., hydraulic motors. Similarly, the motorized propellers of the third embodiment can be driven by motors of a different type, e.g., hydraulic motors.

Claims

1. Multi-wheel bimodular vehicle (10), characterized in that it comprises a front module (12) provided with a watertight body (20), with an engine (26) and with six driving wheels (14), at least four of which are operatively connected to the engine (26) via front transmission means (32, 34, 36, 38), and a rear module (16) articulated to the front module (12) via a drive coupling (17) and provided with a watertight body (28) and with six driving wheels (18), at least four of which are operatively connected to the engine via rear transmission means (41a, 41b, 42, 43, 44, 45) and said drive coupling (17).

2. The vehicle of claim 1, characterized in that at least one of said front transmission means and rear transmission means comprises one chain drive (32) per each side of the module, which interconnects at least two of the wheels on that side and which is provided with a drive (34) operatively connected to the engine (26).

3. The vehicle of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one of said front transmission means and rear transmission means comprises one transmission shaft

(42) per each side of the module, which interconnects two adjacent wheels on that side and is operatively connected to said drive coupling (17).

4. The vehicle of any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a fuel tank (30) is housed within said rear module (16) and is connected to the engine (26).

5. The vehicle of any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the rear wheels (18c) of the rear module (16) are pivotable about respective substantially vertical axes between a position of ground-rolling, which is longitudinal to the module, and a position of navigation which is turned by 90°, and in that said rear wheels (18c) each have a propeller (56) coaxially intergal therewith, whereby, with the vehicle partially immersed in the water and said rear wheels turned transversely to the module in the position of navigation, the rotation of the rear wheels generates a hydrodinamic thrust in a longitudinal direction.

6. The vehicle of claim 5, characterized in that said rear wheels (18c) are each provided with a rigid frame and said propeller (56) is incorporated in said rigid frame.

7. The vehicle of claim 5 or 6, characterized in that said rear wheels (18c) of the rear module (16) are each connected to a vertical cylinder (48) provided with a rod that is pivotable about its axis and is operable to change the vertical position od the rear wheel (18c).

8. The vehicle of any of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that said rear wheelsare each driven by a respective motor.

9. The vehicle of any of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the front wheels (114a) of the front module (1 12) are rotatably supported about respective, substantially vertical axes between a position of ground-rolling, which is longitudinal to the module and a position of navigation turned by 90°, and in that said rear wheels (1 14a) each have a propeller coaxially intergal therewith, whereby, with the vehicle partially immersed in the water and said front wheels (114a) turned transversely to the module in their position of navigation, the rotation of the front wheels generates a hydrodinamic thrust in a longitudinal direction.