Endless Flexible Track Patents (Class 180/6.7)
  • Patent number: 6325166
    Abstract: In a hydraulic travelling agricultural machine which includes travelling sections, a pump operating unit is disposed in an operating section for controlling the steering and speed change of the travelling sections. The pump operating unit is connected interlockingly to a pair of varible flow rate control pumps via a link mechanism for a spool, and is operated by a steering mechanism and a speed changing mechanism. Accordingly, the natural vibration occurring in the variable flow rate control pumps is obsorbed by the link mechanisms, and hence the vibration transmitted to the pump operating unit is attenuated. The propagation of the vibration to the steering mechanism and the speed changing mechanism is thereby inhibited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignees: Yanmar Agricultural Equipment Co., Ltd., Seirei Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takanobu Shimada, Katsumi Fujiki, Kouichi Hiroshige
  • Publication number: 20010035303
    Abstract: A motion control system for controlling the motion of a crawler having a left and right track. The system comprises a pivotally mounted controller; a steering control system hydraulically communicable with a pressurized fluid supply, a brake of each of a left and right track of a crawler and a clutch of each of a left and right track of a crawler, a direction control system hydraulically communicable with a pressurized fluid supply, a forward and a reverse transmission signal input, a steering speed controlling system for controlling the speed of a left track and a right track, and a transmission gears controlling system. The steering speed controlling means includes at least one selector. The transmission gear controlling means includes at least one transmission gear selector. The steering control means is positioned so that pivoting the controller in a first series of planes operates the steering control system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2001
    Publication date: November 1, 2001
    Inventor: Probir Chatterjea
  • Patent number: 6289995
    Abstract: A rough terrain, large water volume, track driven firefighting vehicle with tracked running gear for all terrain capability, having a large onboard water tank, a universal nozzle and heat shields cooled by a system of standoff sprinklers behind the shields, a forward spraying sprinkler and an operator's compartment having controls for operating the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2001
    Inventor: Homer M. Fuller
  • Patent number: 6283263
    Abstract: A clutch and brake control system for a tracklaying construction vehicle is disclosed, which comprises a turning operation system and a driving brake operation system. The turning operation system is operative to carry out slow turning steering and quick turning steering of the vehicle by controlling clutches provided for right and left crawler belts for the purpose of transmitting driving force to the crawler belts and controlling brakes provided for right and left crawler belts for the purpose of stopping the rotation of the crawler belts. The driving brake operation system is operative to stop the vehicle by actuating only both of the brakes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2001
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshio Ibuki
  • Patent number: 6260642
    Abstract: The modulation characteristic (static characteristic or dynamic characteristic) of a clutch and a brake are changed according to various operating conditions of a vehicle such as a high load driving state, slope traveling state, low engine speed state, and high speed driving state, to enable optimum steering performance that matches each operating condition of the tracklaying vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2001
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeru Yamamoto, Koji Okazawa, Satoru Morita
  • Patent number: 6216807
    Abstract: A drive system for tracked vehicles has the drive engine and the electrical generator combined into one modular drive unit. The elements of the drive motor and generator can be integrated in the drive units in the form of modules. There are at least two drive units that are located one on each side of the vehicle housing in the vicinity of the chain or track shoulders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2001
    Assignee: MaK System Gesellschaft mbH
    Inventor: Detlev Eckhoff
  • Patent number: 6179073
    Abstract: A vehicle (10) includes a pair of hybrid track assemblies (12) mounted on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis (A) of the framework (11) of the vehicle (10) for cooperating to steer the vehicle (10). Each of the hybrid track assemblies (12) includes a first lead track (14) entrained about a first plurality of wheels (16) and a second lead track (18) entrained about a second plurality of wheels (20). A plurality of first lead rollers (26) are rotatably supported in spaced and parallel relationship to one another along the longitudinal axis of the first lead track (14). A plurality of second lead rollers (38) are rotatably supported in spaced and parallel relationship to one another along the longitudinal axis of the second lead track (18). The assembly is characterized by the first and second axes of the first lead rollers (26) and second lead rollers (38) being disposed in opposite directions, i.e., a herringbone configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: University of South Florida
    Inventors: Nitin Chhabra, Stuart Wilkinson
  • Patent number: 6170584
    Abstract: A control system is provided for a tracked vehicle drive/steering system having an engine driven hydraulic steering pump which drives a hydraulic steering motor. The steering pump is responsive to steering control signals representing a status of an operator manipulated steering wheel. The steering motor provides an input to a differential track drive mechanism which responds to manipulation of the steering wheel and drives left and right tracks to turn the vehicle. The control system includes a control unit which receives signals from an engine speed sensor, a steering motor rotation speed and direction sensor, and the steering control signals. The control unit calculates a motor speed threshold value as a function of sensed engine speed and steering control signals, and generates a fault signal as a function of a relationship between the steering motor speed signal and a motor speed threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Sanjay Ishvarlal Mistry, Yifei Hou, Mark Allen Bergene, Scott Allen Toppin