JP2016097766A - vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle including a structure which enables a wheel to be stored in a vehicle body without needing a large vehicle body width and enables a movable range of the wheel to be increased with a simple structure during the storage.SOLUTION: A vehicle includes: a vehicle body; a wheel 3L; a suspension assembly 13L which supports the wheel 3L so that the wheel 3L may be steered in a crosswise direction and is coupled to the vehicle body so as to rotate around a storage rotation axis 15L; a steering force generation unit 37 which generates a steering force for steering the wheel 3L; and a tie rod assembly 38L. The tie rod assembly 38L includes: a first rod part 81 to which the steering force is input from the steering force generation unit 37; a second rod part 82 which transmits the steering force to the wheel 3L; and a tie rod joint part 85. The tie rod joint part 85 couples the first rod part 81 to the second rod part 82 so that the first rod part 81 and the second rod part 82 may rotate. The tie rod joint part 85 may be disposed on the storage rotation axis 15L.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12A

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle capable of moving wheels with respect to a vehicle body.

The vehicle includes a vehicle body and wheels attached to the vehicle body. Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose examples of vehicles in which wheels can move relative to a vehicle body. Specifically, Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 disclose amphibious vehicles.
The amphibious vehicle includes wheels for running on land and a water propulsion unit for sailing on water. When running on land, it is necessary that the wheels touch the ground and the vehicle body does not touch the ground. Therefore, the wheels protrude downward from the vehicle body. When sailing on the water, the wheels protruding from the car body increase the drag.

  Patent document 1 is disclosing the amphibious vehicle provided with the body, the wheel, the engine, and the water jet apparatus. The body includes an upper body having a steering handle and a seat, and a lower body having a floating body. The lower body includes an engine room, a tire storage room, and a propulsion device room. The lower body further includes an elevating cylinder, a shutter device, a drive shaft, and a differential. When traveling on land, the elevating cylinder is extended, and the lower part of the wheel protrudes downward from the opening of the tire storage chamber and contacts the ground. At the time of water navigation, the lifting cylinder is contracted, the wheel moves upward and is stored in the tire storage chamber, and the shutter device closes the opening of the tire storage chamber. A differential and an axle shaft are respectively connected to both ends of the drive shaft via universal joints. Even when the elevating cylinder is operated to move the wheel up and down, the connected state of the drive shaft, the differential and the axle shaft is maintained.

  The amphibious vehicle of Patent Document 2 includes a hull, a vehicle body, a suspension device, and wheels. The suspension device includes an upper suspension arm, a lower suspension arm, a suspension upright connected thereto, and a storage ram. The wheel hub is connected to the suspension upright. By operating the retractable ram, the upper suspension arm and the lower suspension arm rotate around the respective pivot points. As a result, the suspension upright and the wheels supported thereby rotate, and the suspension device moves between the vehicle support position and the storage position. In the vehicle support position, the suspension uprights and the wheels are located outward beyond the side surface of the hull (vehicle body). At this time, the lower end of the wheel is positioned below the sliding surface of the hull. In the retracted position, the suspension upright is lifted and supported above the hull, and the wheel is supported at the lower end of the lifted suspension upright. At this time, the wheel is above the planing surface of the hull.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-5606 Special table 2010-536661 gazette

In the structure of Patent Document 1, since the wheels move up and down with respect to the vehicle body, the distance between the outer ends of the left and right wheels is substantially equal to the width of the vehicle body. Therefore, if the distance between the left and right wheels is increased for the stability of land travel, the width of the vehicle body is increased accordingly. When the width of the car body is large, the resistance during water navigation is large.
The structure of Patent Document 2 is complicated and the rotation angle of the wheel is small. Therefore, the range of movement of the wheel is limited, and the storage position of the wheel is greatly limited. Specifically, in the structure of Patent Document 2, the wheel is held in a state where it is lifted relatively high with respect to the vehicle body at the time of water navigation. For this reason, the center of gravity at the time of water navigation becomes high, and there is a limit to the improvement of motion performance and stability. In particular, the structure of Patent Document 2 is provided with an anti-roll bar that connects the left and right suspension devices in order to improve the steering performance during land travel. The movement of each link is restricted by the drop link connected to the anti-roll bar. Thereby, the rotation angle of the wheel is further limited. Therefore, in order to move the wheel upward, it is necessary to slide the suspension upright. In particular, if the wheel storage mechanism is provided in the suspension device for the drive wheel to which the driving force of the engine is transmitted, the moving range of the wheel is further limited.

  One embodiment of the present invention provides a vehicle having a structure in which wheels can be stored in a vehicle body without requiring a large vehicle body width, and the moving range of the wheels during storage can be enlarged with a simple configuration.

  An embodiment of the present invention includes a vehicle body, a wheel, a wheel support portion that supports the wheel so that the wheel can be steered in the left-right direction, and is coupled to the vehicle body so as to be rotatable about a storage rotation axis. A vehicle including a turning force generation unit that generates a turning force for turning wheels and a tie rod assembly is provided. The tie rod assembly includes a first rod portion to which a turning force is input from the turning force generation unit, a second rod portion that transmits the turning force to the wheels, and the first rod portion and the second rod portion. A first tie rod joint portion that is rotatably coupled to each other, and the first tie rod joint portion is configured to be disposed on the storage rotation axis.

  According to this configuration, when the turning force generating unit generates the turning force, the turning force is transmitted to the wheels via the tie rod assembly. Thereby, a wheel steers right and left in the state supported by the wheel support part. The tie rod assembly includes a first rod portion and a second rod portion that are rotatably coupled by a first tie rod joint portion. The wheel support portion can be rotated around the storage rotation axis. The first tie rod joint portion can be disposed on the storage rotation axis. Therefore, when the first tie rod joint portion is disposed on the storage rotation axis, the wheel support portion is not subjected to mechanical restriction by the tie rod assembly, and the tie rod assembly and the wheel are connected to each other while being stored. Can rotate around the axis of movement. Thus, with a simple configuration, the steered wheel can be rotated in a large rotation angle range. Since the wheel can be rotated in a large rotation angle range, when the wheel is used, the wheel can be disposed at a position exceeding the width of the vehicle body. Therefore, it is possible to avoid an increase in the width of the vehicle body for storing the wheels.

The 1st tie rod joint part may be constituted so that it may move with a turning operation. In this case, the moving path of the first tie rod joint portion only needs to be configured to pass through the storage rotation axis. The movement path may cross the storage rotation axis or may be along the storage rotation axis.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the wheel support portion can be rotated around the storage rotation axis while the first tie rod joint is on the storage rotation axis.

You may be comprised so that a 1st tie rod joint part may be guided on an accommodation rotation axis line by applying turning power in the state where the 1st tie rod joint part is not on an accommodation rotation axis line.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a coupling portion between the wheel support portion and the vehicle body is located on the storage rotation axis, and the first tie rod joint portion is coupled to the wheel support portion and the wheel. It can be arranged on the storage rotation axis at a position different from the part.

In this configuration, the first tie rod joint portion can be disposed on the storage rotation axis at a position different from the coupling portion between the wheel support portion and the vehicle body. Therefore, it is possible to provide a structure with little restriction on the rotation angle by the tie rod assembly without greatly restricting the degree of freedom of design.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the tie rod assembly is coupled to an intermediate portion of the first rod portion, and a rod support portion that rotatably supports the first rod portion around a rotation axis passing through the intermediate portion. The third rod portion to which the turning force from the turning force generating unit is input, and the first rod portion and the third rod on the opposite side of the rod support portion from the first tie rod joint portion. And a second tie rod joint part that rotatably couples the parts.

  In this configuration, when a turning force is input to the third rod portion, the turning force is input to the first rod portion via the second tie rod joint portion. Due to the turning force, the first rod portion rotates around the rotation axis passing through the intermediate portion. By turning the first rod portion, the turning force is transmitted to the second rod portion via the first tie rod joint portion, thereby causing the wheels to turn. Since the turning force transmission path can be bent also in the second tie rod joint part in addition to the first tie rod joint part, it becomes a structure with a higher degree of freedom in design, and the wheel support part and the rotation range of the wheel are further increased. Easy to design for.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the rotation axis passing through the intermediate portion of the first rod portion intersects the storage rotation axis, and the first tie rod joint portion is located on the storage rotation axis. The tie rod assembly is configured so that sometimes the second tie rod joint portion is also positioned on the storage rotation axis.
In this configuration, since the rotation axis of the first rod portion intersects the storage rotation axis, the first tie rod joint portion can be disposed on the storage rotation axis. Furthermore, since the first tie rod joint portion and the second tie rod joint portion can be simultaneously arranged on the storage rotation axis, the tie rod assembly limits the rotation range when the wheel support portion rotates around the storage rotation axis. Can be avoided.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the wheel support portion includes an upper arm, a lower arm disposed below the upper arm, an upper king pin rotatably coupled to a distal end portion of the upper arm, and a distal end portion of the lower arm A swivel hub unit rotatably coupled to the lower king pin, and a base end of the upper arm so as to pivotally support the upper arm and the lower arm, respectively. And an arm support unit coupled to the vehicle body so as to be rotatable about the storage rotation axis, and spanned between the arm support unit and the lower arm. Including shock absorbers.

  In this configuration, the wheel support portion constitutes a double wishbone type suspension device, and the suspension device is rotatable about the storage rotation axis. Therefore, the suspension device can be rotated together with the wheel and stored in the vehicle body. Since the shock absorber spanned between the arm support portion and the tip of the lower arm absorbs an impact from the road surface, excellent running performance can be obtained.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle includes a prime mover that generates a driving force for rotating the wheels, a first drive shaft portion that receives the driving force from the prime mover, and a first transmission that transmits the rotational force to the wheels. And a drive shaft including a drive joint portion that is located on the storage rotation axis and that rotatably couples the first drive shaft portion and the second drive shaft portion to each other.

  According to this configuration, the driving force generated by the prime mover is input to the wheels via the drive shaft. That is, the wheel is a steered wheel and a drive wheel. The drive shaft includes first and second drive shaft portions that are rotatably coupled via the drive joint portion, and the drive joint portion is positioned on the storage rotation axis. Therefore, when the wheel support portion is rotated around the storage rotation axis, the second drive shaft portion can be rotated around the drive joint portion on the storage rotation axis, thereby inhibiting the rotation of the wheel support portion. Without limiting the rotation range. For this reason, a wheel can be rotated, with a wheel support part and a wheel connected.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the first drive shaft portion is disposed along the storage rotation axis and is rotatably supported by the wheel support portion. According to this configuration, the structure can be simplified. In addition, since the first drive shaft portion is along the storage rotation axis, it is possible to design the wheel support portion to have a large rotation angle range.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle further includes a wheel actuator that rotates the wheel support portion around the storage rotation axis. According to this configuration, the wheel support portion can be rotated around the storage rotation axis by operating the wheel actuator.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle further includes an instruction device that outputs a storage instruction for the wheel, and the wheel actuator operates in response to the storage instruction output by the instruction device. According to this configuration, when the pointing device outputs a storage instruction, the wheel actuator operates in response thereto. Therefore, if necessary, the wheel actuator can be operated to rotate the wheel.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the wheel support portion rotates 90 degrees or more around the storage rotation axis. According to this configuration, since the wheel support portion can be rotated in a large angle range of 90 degrees or more, the wheel movement range is large, and the degree of freedom of wheel arrangement during storage is increased.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the wheel support portion rotates approximately 180 degrees around the storage rotation axis. According to this configuration, since the wheel support portion can be rotated in a larger angle range, the range of movement of the wheels is large, and the degree of freedom of arrangement of the wheels during storage is increased. More specifically, by turning the wheel approximately 180 degrees, the wheel can be stored at a low position, and the center of gravity of the vehicle body can be lowered.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a wheel storage portion is provided inside the vehicle body inward of the wheel, and the wheel support portion rotates around the storage rotation axis so that the wheel is It is stored in the wheel storage part. According to this configuration, since the wheel can be stored in the wheel storage portion inside the vehicle body, it is not necessary to secure a storage space for the wheel outside the vehicle body.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle further includes a lid portion that can open and close the wheel storage portion. According to this structure, since a wheel accommodating part can be closed with a cover part, an external appearance can be improved. In addition, the wheel stored in the wheel storage unit and the structure related thereto can be protected from the external environment.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the lid portion has an outer surface continuous with the exterior of the vehicle at least in a closed state (storage state) in which the lid portion is closed. According to this configuration, when the lid portion is closed, the outer surface thereof is continuous with the exterior of the vehicle, so that it is possible to provide a vehicle having an excellent appearance in the wheel storage state. Further, since the wheels do not receive resistance from the surrounding fluid when the vehicle moves, the resistance during movement can be reduced.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the lid portion includes an upper surface portion that forms an upper surface of the vehicle. According to this configuration, since the upper surface of the vehicle is opened by opening the lid portion, the wheel can be accommodated from above in the wheel accommodating portion. Therefore, the wheel can be stored at an inner position of the vehicle body by rotating the wheel around the storage rotation axis. Further, since the wheel can be guided and stored from the upper surface of the vehicle to a low position inside the vehicle, the center of gravity can be lowered, and the height in the vertical direction of the vehicle when the wheel is stored can be reduced.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the lid portion includes a side surface portion that forms a side surface of the vehicle. According to this structure, a wheel can be arrange | positioned to the side exceeding the width | variety of a vehicle body by opening a cover part. Accordingly, since the wheel can be arranged at a position away from the center of the vehicle body when the wheel is used, stable traveling performance can be realized. On the other hand, since the width of the vehicle body can be reduced, the resistance received from the surrounding fluid when the vehicle is moved can be reduced.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle further includes a water propulsion device attached to the vehicle body and providing a propulsive force to the vehicle on the water. According to this configuration, since the water propulsion device is provided, an amphibious vehicle can be provided. Since the resistance from the water can be reduced by storing the wheels during the water-based traveling, it is possible to efficiently use the propulsive force generated by the water-based propulsion device.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the vehicle. FIG. 3 is a left side view of the vehicle. FIG. 4 is a front view of the vehicle. FIG. 5 is a rear view of the vehicle. FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the vehicle. FIG. 7 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration for transmitting the driving force of the vehicle. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the vehicle in a water sailing mode. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state where the wheels of the vehicle are stored. FIG. 10 is a perspective view for explaining a configuration of a front wheel steering system provided in the vehicle, and shows a configuration in a land traveling mode. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the front wheel steering system in the water sailing mode. FIG. 12A is a perspective view of the front wheel and front wheel suspension assembly. 12B is a front view of the configuration of FIG. 12A. FIG. 12C is a rear view of the configuration of FIG. 12A. FIG. 12D is a plan view of the configuration of FIG. 12A. FIG. 13 is a perspective view for explaining the configuration of the front wheel drive shaft. FIG. 14 is a perspective view for explaining the configuration of the tie rod assembly. FIG. 15 is a plan view showing a state of the tie rod assembly when steering in the right direction. FIG. 16 is a plan view showing a state of the tie rod assembly when steered leftward. 17A to 17D are perspective views sequentially illustrating operations when the front wheels are housed in the vehicle body. FIG. 18A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the front wheels in the land travel mode. FIG. 18B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the front wheels in the water sailing mode. FIG. 19A is a perspective view for explaining the structure and operation of a lid portion that opens and closes a wheel storage portion. FIG. 19B is a perspective view for explaining the structure and operation of a lid portion that opens and closes the wheel storage portion. FIG. 20 is a block diagram for explaining the electrical configuration of the vehicle, and shows a configuration relating to switching between the land travel mode and the water travel mode. FIG. 21 is a block diagram for explaining the features related to engine cooling in the land traveling mode. FIG. 22 is a block diagram for explaining characteristics related to engine cooling in the water-cruising mode.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are a plan view, a left side view, a front view, a rear view, and a bottom view of the vehicle 1, respectively.
The vehicle 1 is an amphibious vehicle having a function of traveling on land and a function of traveling on water. In other words, the vehicle 1 can be switched between the land traveling mode and the water traveling mode. 1 to 6 show a vehicle 1 in a land travel mode. For convenience of explanation, the following description is based on the viewpoint of the driver who is on the vehicle 1 in the land driving mode placed on the horizontal plane, front (Front), rear (Rear), left (Left), right (Right) Suppose that Up, Down, etc. are defined.

The vehicle 1 includes a vehicle body 2 and wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R.
The vehicle body 2 is longer in the front-rear direction FR than in the vehicle width direction (left-right direction) LR. The front-rear direction FR is substantially along the horizontal direction. The vehicle width direction LR is a direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction FR and is substantially along the horizontal direction. A seat 5 is disposed in the vicinity of the intermediate portion with respect to the longitudinal direction FR of the vehicle body 2. In this embodiment, a pair of seats 5 are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction LR. One seat 5 is a driver seat 5D on which a driver is seated. A steering wheel 6 and instruments 7 are disposed in front of the driver's seat 5D.

  The vehicle body 2 includes an upper surface 8, left and right side surfaces 9 </ b> L and 9 </ b> R (referred to collectively as “side surface 9”), and a bottom surface 10. The bottom surface 10 is a sliding surface when the vehicle 1 sails on the water. The side surface 9 is provided between the top surface 8 and the bottom surface 10 so as to couple the top surface 8 and the bottom surface 10. Thereby, a storage space for storing the engine 20 and the like is defined inside the side surface 9. A recess 11 is formed in the upper surface 8. A seat 5 is disposed in the recess 11. The front portion 8F of the upper surface 8 has a tapered shape in plan view. The rear portion 8R of the upper surface 8 also has a tapered shape in plan view. The planar shape of the side surface 9 follows the shape of the upper surface 8. Thereby, the side surface 9 is formed so as to scrape water when moving forward and backward on the water. Specifically, the front portion of the side surface 9 is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction FR so as to approach the center of the vehicle body in the vehicle width direction LR toward the front. The rear part of the side surface 9 is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction FR so as to approach the center of the vehicle body in the vehicle width direction LR as it goes rearward. In the intermediate part in the front-rear direction FR, the side surface 9 is substantially along the front-rear direction FR. Further, the side surface 9 is substantially along the vertical direction UD. More precisely, the side surface 9 is slightly inclined with respect to the vertical direction UD so that the side surface 9 is farther from the center of the vehicle body with respect to the vehicle width direction LR. The bottom surface 10 has a curved surface with a central portion 10M protruding downward in a front view. The bottom surface 10 is smoothly continuous with the lower edge of the side surface 9 at the periphery.

  In this embodiment, the wheel includes a pair of front wheels 3L and 3R disposed on the left and right of the front portion of the vehicle body 2, and a pair of rear wheels 4L and 4R disposed on the left and right of the rear portion of the vehicle body 2. The front wheel includes a left front wheel 3L and a right front wheel 3R. The rear wheel includes a left rear wheel 4L and a right rear wheel 4R. The front wheels 3L and 3R are respectively supported by the left and right front wheel suspension assemblies 13L and 13R so as to be steerable in the vehicle width direction LR. That is, the front wheels 3L and 3R are steered wheels. The front wheel suspension assemblies 13L and 13R are wheel support portions that are coupled to the vehicle body 2 so as to be rotatable about storage rotation axes 15L and 15R along the front-rear direction FR of the vehicle body 2. The rear wheels 4L and 4R are supported by left and right rear wheel suspension assemblies 14L and 14R. In this embodiment, the rear wheels 4L and 4R are supported by the rear wheel suspension assemblies 14L and 14R without being steered to the left and right. That is, the rear wheels 4L and 4R are non-steered wheels. The rear wheel suspension assemblies 14L and 14R are wheel support portions that are coupled to the vehicle body 2 so as to be rotatable about storage rotation axes 16L and 16R along the front-rear direction FR of the vehicle body 2.

  A jet propulsion unit 17 is provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2. The jet propulsion unit 17 is configured to suck ambient water from a suction port 18 formed in the bottom surface 10 of the vehicle body 2 and to eject a water flow toward the rear of the vehicle body 2. The reaction force of the jetted water becomes a driving force for moving the vehicle body 2 forward. The jet propulsion unit 17 is a water propulsion device that imparts a propulsive force to the vehicle body 2 in the water sailing mode.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration for transmitting the driving force of the vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 includes an engine 20 as a prime mover, a transmission 21, front and rear differential gears 22 and 23, front and rear propeller shafts 24 and 25, wheel drive shafts 26R, 26L, 27L, and 27R, and a jet propulsion device drive shaft. 28. These are accommodated in the vehicle body 2.

  In this embodiment, the engine 20 is an internal combustion engine that rotates in one direction. The rotation of the engine 20 is input to the transmission 21. The transmission 21 changes the speed of the engine 20. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the transmission 21 includes a forward gear, a reverse gear, and a jet propulsion gear. The forward gear converts the rotation of the engine 20 into rotation in a direction corresponding to the forward direction of the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R, and converts the converted driving force to the front and rear through the front and rear propeller shafts 24, 25. Are transmitted to the differential gears 22 and 23. The forward gear may include a plurality of forward gears corresponding to a plurality of shift speeds. The reverse gear converts the rotation of the engine 20 into rotation in a direction corresponding to the reverse direction of the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R, and converts the converted driving force to the front and rear through the front and rear propeller shafts 24, 25. It is transmitted to the differential gears 22 and 23. Therefore, in this embodiment, all the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R are driving wheels that are driven by receiving a driving force from the engine 20.

  The front differential gear 22 transmits driving force to the left and right front wheel drive shafts 26L and 26R while allowing a rotational difference between them. The rotations of the left and right front wheel drive shafts 26L and 26R are transmitted to the left and right front wheels 3L and 3R, respectively. The rear differential gear 23 transmits driving force to the left and right rear wheel drive shafts 27L and 27R while allowing a rotational difference between them. The rotations of the left and right rear wheel drive shafts 27L and 27R are transmitted to the left and right rear wheels 4L and 4R, respectively.

The gear for the jet propulsion device converts the rotation of the engine 20 into rotation in a direction in which a water flow is formed toward the rear, and transmits the rotation to the jet propulsion device drive shaft 28.
The transmission 21 includes a power switching unit 21A. The power switching unit 21A transmits the driving force of the engine 20 to the differential gears 22 and 23 via the propeller shafts 24 and 25 in the land traveling mode. The power switching unit 21A transmits the driving force of the engine 20 to the jet propulsion unit 17 via the jet propulsion device drive shaft 28 in the water sailing mode. The power switching unit 21A includes, for example, a first clutch that transmits the driving force of the engine 20 to a transmission gear (forward gear or reverse gear) and the driving force of the engine 20 via a jet propulsion gear. And a second clutch that transmits to the shaft.

  Switching between the land running mode and the water running mode may be performed in response to a command by an operation of a mode change switch 12 (see also FIG. 1) provided in the vicinity of the driver's seat 5D. The mode changeover switch 12 may be a unit that also serves as a shift lever unit that selects a gear in the land travel mode. In the water sailing mode, the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R are housed in the vehicle body 2 as described later. The mode change switch 12 is an example of an instruction device for generating an instruction signal that instructs the storage of the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R.

  FIG. 1 shows the appearance of the vehicle 1 in the land traveling mode. In the land traveling mode, the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R protrude laterally from the side surface 9 of the vehicle body 2. In this embodiment, the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R protrude further outward than the full width range of the vehicle body 2 in plan view. Further, the lower ends of the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R are below the bottom surface 10 of the vehicle body 2 and are in contact with the ground.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the vehicle 1 in the water sailing mode. In the water sailing mode, the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R and the suspension assemblies 13L, 13R, 14L, 14 are housed in wheel housing parts 29L, 29R, 30L, 30R partitioned inside the vehicle body 2. The vehicle body 2 is provided with lid portions 31L, 31R, 32L, and 32R that cover the wheel storage portions 29L, 29R, 30L, and 30R so as to be openable and closable. When the lid portions 31L, 31R, 32L, and 32R are closed, the outer surfaces of the lid portions 31L, 31R, 32L, and 32R are substantially flush with the exterior of the vehicle 1 and are continuous.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a storage state of the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R with the lid portions 31L, 31R, 32L, 32R removed. The front wheels 3L, 3R are rotated about 180 degrees around the storage rotation axes 15L, 15R (see FIGS. 2, 4 and 5) along the front-rear direction FR, and the wheel storage portion 29L inside the vehicle body 2 is , 29R. The outer surfaces of the left and right front wheels 3L, 3R face each other. The wheel storage portions 29L and 29R have a height that is greater than the height of the front wheels 3L and 3R. The wheel storage portions 29L and 29R are open upward and laterally. The wheel storage portions 29L and 29R are configured to store the left and right front wheels 3L and 3R and the front wheel suspension assemblies 13L and 13R that support them.

  Similarly, the rear wheels 4L and 4R are rotated approximately 180 degrees around the storage rotation axes 16L and 16R (see FIGS. 2, 4 and 5) along the front-rear direction FR, It is stored in the wheel storage portions 30L, 30R. The outer surfaces of the left and right rear wheels 4L, 4R face each other. The wheel storage portions 30L, 30R have a height that is greater than the height of the rear wheels 4L, 4R. The wheel storage portions 30L and 30R are configured to receive the left and right rear wheels 4L and 4R and the rear wheel suspension assemblies 14L and 14R that support them.

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view for explaining the configuration of the front wheel steering system 35 provided in the vehicle 1, and shows the configuration in the land traveling mode. The front wheel steering system 35 includes a steering wheel 6, a steering rod 36 coupled to the steering wheel 6, a steering force generation unit 37 coupled to the steering rod 36, and a pair of left and right coupled to the steering force generation unit 37. Tie rod assemblies 38L and 38R. The steering wheel 6 is rotatably supported by the steering column 34. The steering rod 36 includes a plurality of rod portions 40 coupled by a universal joint 39 so as to be able to transmit a rotational force.

  The steered force generating unit 37 may have, for example, a rack and pinion mechanism including a pinion fixed to the steering rod 36 and a rack that meshes with the pinion. The rack and pinion mechanism converts an operating force applied to the steering wheel 6 into a left-right force of the rack and generates the left-right force as a turning force. In this case, the tie rod assemblies 38L and 38R may be coupled between the rack end and the front wheels 3L and 3R as the steered wheels. The turning force generating unit 37 may have a turning actuator such as an electric motor or a hydraulic cylinder.

The tie rod assemblies 38L and 38R transmit the steering force generated by the steering force generation unit 37 to the front wheels 3L and 3R. Thereby, the front wheels 3L and 3R are steered left and right.
FIG. 11 shows a configuration of the front wheel steering system 35 in a state in which the front wheels 3L and 3R are housed, that is, in the water navigation mode. With the tie rod assemblies 38L and 38R holding the coupling of the steering force transmission system between the steering force generating unit 37 and the front wheels 3L and 3R, the front wheels 3L and 3R are about 180 around the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R. Has been rotated. Accordingly, the front wheel suspension assemblies 13L and 13R are positioned outside the front wheels 3L and 3R, and the entire width including the front wheel suspension assemblies 13L and 13R and the front wheels 3L and 3R is reduced. Thereby, the left and right front wheels 3L and 3R can be stored in the vehicle body 2 having a width narrower than the entire width of the vehicle including the left and right front wheels 3L and 3R in the land traveling mode.

  A water steering system 135 (not shown in FIG. 10) for steering in the water sailing mode is coupled to the steering column 34. In this embodiment, the water steering system 135 is configured to rotate the deflector 136 to the left and right. The deflector 136 deflects the direction of water flow jetted backward by the jet propulsion unit 17 to the left and right. The deflector 136 is rotatable left and right around a rotation axis 137 along the vertical direction UD. A steered force transmission unit 139 is coupled to the operation lever 138 of the deflector 136. The turning force transmission unit 139 transmits the operation force applied to the steering wheel 6 to the operation lever 138. Specifically, the turning force transmission unit 139 may include a Bowden cable. With this configuration, the deflector 136 can be rotated left and right by operating the steering wheel 6 left and right. Thereby, the direction of the water flow injected by the jet propulsion unit 17 can be changed to the left and right, and the direction of the propulsive force applied to the vehicle body 2 can be changed to the left and right accordingly. Thereby, steering on water is achieved.

  The steering column 34 includes a steering system switching unit 33 that switches between the front wheel steering system 35 and the water steering system 135. The steering system switching unit 33 includes a land steering state in which an operation force applied to the steering wheel 6 is transmitted to the front wheel steering system 35, and a water steering state in which the operation force applied to the steering wheel 6 is transmitted to the water steering system 135. Can be switched.

  The steering system switching unit 33 may be configured such that the state is switched by a manual operation of moving the steering wheel 6 in the column axis direction of the steering column 34, for example. Specifically, the steering system switching unit 33 is configured to be in a land steering state when the position of the steering wheel 6 in the column axial direction is a land steering position, and in a water steering state when it is in a water steering position. May be. The switching between the land steering position and the water steering position may be allowed only when the operation position of the steering wheel 6 is in the neutral position. The neutral position is a rotation position of the steering wheel 6 when the vehicle 1 is moved straight. The steering system switching unit 33 may be configured to switch between a land steering state and a water steering state by control by a control unit 150 (see FIG. 20) including a microcomputer or the like.

FIG. 12A is a perspective view of the left front wheel 3L and the left front wheel suspension assembly 13L. 12B is a front view thereof, FIG. 12C is a rear view thereof, and FIG. 12D is a plan view thereof. These indicate the state in the land traveling mode.
The front wheel 3 </ b> L includes a wheel member 41 and a tire 42 attached to the wheel member 41. The front wheel suspension assembly 13L includes an upper arm 45, a lower arm 46, a swivel hub unit 47, an arm support portion 48, and a shock absorber 49.

  The upper arm 45 and the lower arm 46 are arranged with a space in the vertical direction. The lower arm 46 is disposed below the upper arm 45. The upper arm 45 is an A-type arm, and a pair of base end portions 51 are rotatably supported by the arm support portion 48. More specifically, the pair of base end portions 51 are arranged so as to sandwich the upper support arm 53 of the arm support portion 48 from the front and rear. A coupling pin 54 penetrates the pair of base end portions 51 and the upper support arm 53 in the front-rear direction FR. Thereby, the upper arm 45 can be rotated around the coupling pin 54 so that the tip end portion 52 moves in the vertical direction UD. Similarly, the lower arm 46 is an A-type arm, and a pair of base end portions 55 are rotatably supported by the arm support portion 48. More specifically, the pair of base end portions 55 are disposed so as to sandwich the lower support arm 57 of the arm support portion 48 from the front and rear. A connecting pin 58 passes through the pair of base end portions 55 and the lower support arm 57 in the front-rear direction FR. As a result, the lower arm 46 can be rotated around the coupling pin 58 so that the distal end portion 56 thereof moves in the vertical direction UD.

  The swivel hub unit 47 includes a unit main body 60 and a hub shaft 61. The hub shaft 61 is rotatably supported with respect to the unit main body 60. The hub shaft 61 has a circular brake disc 62 that extends along the radial direction of the wheel member 41. A wheel member 41 of the front wheel 3 </ b> L is attached to the hub shaft 61. The unit main body 60 includes an upper king pin 63 and a lower king pin 64. The upper king pin 63 extends upward from the unit main body 60. The lower king pin 64 extends downward from the unit main body 60.

  The upper king pin 63 is coupled to the distal end portion 52 of the upper arm 45 so as to be rotatable around the axis of the upper king pin 63. The lower king pin 64 is coupled to the distal end portion 56 of the lower arm 46 so as to be rotatable about the axis of the lower king pin 64. The axis lines of the upper king pin 63 and the lower king pin 64 are on the same straight line, and the swivel hub unit 47 is rotatable around the turning axis line 65 defined by the straight lines. Thereby, the front wheel 3L can be steered around the turning axis 65. A knuckle arm 66 extends from the unit body 60 along the front-rear direction FR. A tie rod assembly 38 </ b> L is coupled to the tip 67 of the knuckle arm 66.

When the tie rod assembly 38L pushes and pulls the knuckle arm 66 in the vehicle width direction LR, the swivel hub unit 47 rotates around the upper and lower king pins 63 and 64 (that is, around the turning axis 65). Thereby, the steering of the front wheel 3L is achieved.
The tip portions of the king pins 63 and 64 are coupled to the upper arm 45 and the lower arm 46 through ball joints 68 and 69 (see FIG. 13), respectively. Therefore, the king pins 63 and 64 are coupled to the upper arm 45 and the lower arm 46 not only with respect to the king pins 63 and 64 but also with respect to the rotation about the turning axis along the front-rear direction FR as well as the degree of freedom of rotation about the turning axis 65. Also gives freedom of movement. Accordingly, when the upper arm 45 and the lower arm 46 swing in the vertical direction UD, the swivel hub unit 47 moves up and down while maintaining the direction of the steered axis 65.

The arm support portion 48 includes an upper support arm 53, a lower support arm 57, a drive shaft support portion 70, and a shock absorber support arm 71. The drive shaft support portion 70 rotatably supports the front wheel drive shaft 26L. An upper support arm 53 and a pair of lower support arms 57 are coupled to the drive shaft support portion 70.
The upper support arm 53 extends from the drive shaft support portion 70 toward the front wheel 3L. The shape of the upper support arm 53 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the upper support arm 53 has a U shape in plan view, and the distal end side is branched. Below the upper support arm 53, a pair of lower support arms 57 are coupled to the drive shaft support portion 70.

  The pair of lower support arms 57 are provided in parallel with a gap in the front-rear direction FR, and they are coupled to each other by a cylindrical portion 59 in the vicinity of the distal end portion. Each lower support arm 57 has a C shape (inverted left and right C shape in FIG. 12B) in a front view. More specifically, each lower support arm 57 extends toward the front wheel 3L substantially parallel to the upper support arm 53, then hangs downward, and further curves away from the front wheel 3L (inward of the vehicle body 2). Or it is bent. A coupling pin 58 is inserted through the tube portion 59. In front view, the coupling pin 54 of the upper arm 45 is disposed closer to the front wheel 3L than the coupling pin 58 of the lower arm 46.

  Due to the curved or bent shape of the lower support arm 57 as described above, in the land traveling mode, the coupling pin 58 is positioned inwardly with respect to the vehicle width direction LR below the edge of the bottom surface 10 below the bottom surface 10 of the vehicle body 2. (See FIG. 12B). That is, the lower support arm 57 is configured in a curved or bent shape so as to go around the edge of the bottom surface 10 of the vehicle body 2 and to arrange the rotation axis of the lower arm 46 below the bottom surface 10. The edge of the bottom 2A of the vehicle body 2 is located outward from the storage rotation axis 15L in the vehicle width direction LR. The rotational axis (coupling pin 58) of the lower arm 46 is located inward and downward with respect to the edge of the bottom 2A of the vehicle body 2 in the vehicle width direction LR. With this configuration, the storage space (front wheel storage portion 29L) to be secured in the vehicle body 2 for storing the front wheel suspension assembly 13L and the front wheel 3L can be reduced.

The drive shaft support portion 70 rotatably supports the front wheel drive shaft 26L. The front wheel drive shaft 26L is inserted into the drive shaft support portion 70 from the rear along the front-rear direction FR of the vehicle 1 and changes direction within the drive shaft support portion 70 to be coupled to the hub shaft 61 of the swivel hub unit 47. Yes.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view for explaining the configuration of the front wheel drive shaft 26L. The front wheel drive shaft 26L includes a first drive shaft portion 75, a second drive shaft portion 76, a drive joint portion 77, and a universal joint portion 78. The first drive shaft portion 75 extends in the front-rear direction FR. More specifically, the axis of the first drive shaft 75 coincides with the storage rotation axis 15L. A middle portion of the first drive shaft portion 75 is rotatably supported by a drive shaft support portion 70 (see FIG. 12A and the like). A drive joint portion 77 is coupled to the distal end portion of the first drive shaft portion 75. An inner end portion of the second drive shaft portion 76 is coupled to the drive joint portion 77. The second drive shaft portion 76 extends outward from the drive joint portion 77 toward the swivel hub unit 47 in the vehicle width direction LR. A universal joint portion 78 is coupled to the outer end portion of the second drive shaft portion 76. The universal joint portion 78 is coupled to the hub shaft 61 of the swivel hub unit 47.

The drive joint portion 77 transmits the rotation of the first drive shaft portion 75 to the second drive shaft portion 76. Drive joint portion 77 includes, for example, a bevel gear. The universal joint part 78 transmits the rotation of the second drive shaft part 76 to the hub shaft 61 at a constant speed.
The driving force from the engine 20 is input to the first drive shaft portion 75, the direction of the driving force is changed by the drive joint portion 77 and transmitted to the second drive shaft portion 76. The rotational force of the second drive shaft portion 76 is transmitted to the front wheel 3L via the universal joint portion 78 and the hub shaft 61.

The drive joint portion 77 is supported by the drive shaft support portion 70. As shown in FIG. 12A, the second drive shaft portion 76 passes between the pair of lower support arms 57 of the arm support portion 48 and reaches the hub shaft 61.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view for explaining the configuration of a tie rod assembly 38L coupled to the left front wheel 3L. The tie rod assembly 38L includes a first rod portion 81, a second rod portion 82, a third rod portion 83, a rod support portion 84, a first tie rod joint portion 85, a second tie rod joint portion 86, and a third tie rod joint portion 87. Including.

  The first tie rod joint portion 85 rotatably couples the rear end portion of the first rod portion 81 and the inner end portion of the second rod portion 82. The 2nd tie rod joint part 86 has couple | bonded the front-end part of the 1st rod part 81, and the outward end part of the 3rd rod part 83 so that rotation is possible. The third tie rod joint portion 87 is rotatably coupled to the knuckle arm 66 at the outer end portion of the second rod portion 82.

The rod support portion 84 supports the intermediate portion 89 of the first rod portion 81 so as to be rotatable around the rotation axis 88. Specifically, the shaft 89 </ b> A extends downward from the intermediate portion 89 of the first rod portion 81 along the rotation axis 88. The shaft 89A is rotatably supported by the rod support portion 84. The rod support portion 84 is fixed to the bottom surface portion 2 </ b> A of the vehicle body 2.
The rotation axis 88 intersects the storage rotation axis 15L, and specifically, is substantially orthogonal. More specifically, the storage rotation axis 15L extends in the front-rear direction FR, and the rotation axis 88 extends along the up-down direction UD. Therefore, the first rod portion 81 can take a rotation position in which the central axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the first rod 81 coincides with the storage rotation axis 15 </ b> L by the rotation around the rotation axis 88. The inner end of the third rod portion 83 is coupled to the turning force generating unit 37. That is, the third rod portion 83 extends outward in the vehicle width direction LR from the steering force generating unit 37 and is coupled to the front end portion of the first rod portion 81 by the second tie rod joint portion 86. The second rod portion 82 extends outward from the rear end portion of the first rod portion 81 in the vehicle width direction LR, and is coupled to the distal end portion 67 of the knuckle arm 66 via the third tie rod joint portion 87. .

  When the turning force is input from the turning force generating unit 37 to the third rod portion 83, the third rod portion 83 is displaced in the vehicle width direction LR. As a result, the first rod portion 81 rotates (swings) about the rotation axis 88. Accordingly, the second rod portion 82 is displaced along the vehicle width direction LR in the direction opposite to the third rod portion 83. The displacement of the second rod portion 82 is converted into rotation around the turning axis 65 of the swivel hub unit 47 by the knuckle arm 66 and the king pins 63 and 64. Thereby, the front wheel 3L rotates around the turning axis 65, and turning is achieved.

  The front wheels 3L can be steered within a predetermined turning angle range. At any turning position within the turning angle range (in this embodiment, the turning neutral position), the central axis of the first rod portion 81 coincides with the storage turning axis 15L. At this time, the first tie rod joint portion 85 is positioned on the storage rotation axis 15L. At the same time, the second tie rod joint portion 86 is also positioned on the storage rotation axis 15L. In this embodiment, the 1st tie rod joint part 85 moves along the locus | trajectory which traverses the accommodation rotation axis 15L with steering. Similarly, the second tie rod joint portion 86 moves along a trajectory that traverses the storage rotation axis 15L along with the turning.

  As shown in FIG. 12C, the shock absorber 49 is bridged between the lower arm 46 and the drive shaft support portion 70. Specifically, the lower end portion 72 of the shock absorber 49 is coupled to an intermediate portion of the lower arm 46 in the vehicle width direction LR so as to be rotatable (in this embodiment, the left and right direction is rotatable). On the other hand, the drive shaft support portion 70 includes a shock absorber support arm 71 extending obliquely outward and upward in the vehicle width direction LR from the vicinity of the storage rotation axis 15L. An upper end portion 73 of the shock absorber 49 is coupled to the tip end portion of the shock absorber support arm 71 so as to be rotatable (in this embodiment, it is rotatable in the left-right direction).

The front end portion and the rear end portion of the drive shaft support portion 70 are rotatably supported by a pair of support brackets 91 and 92 fixed to the bottom surface portion 2A of the vehicle body 2. As a result, the drive shaft support portion 70 is coupled to the vehicle body 2 in a state in which the drive shaft support portion 70 can rotate about the storage rotation axis 15L.
A storage drive unit 90 is provided to rotate and store the front wheel 3L together with the front wheel suspension assembly 13L around the storage rotation axis 15L. The storage drive unit 90 includes a reduction gear 93, a wheel actuator 94, and a pinion 95. Wheel actuator 94 includes, for example, an electric motor. The wheel actuator 94 generates a driving force for rotating the front wheel 3L for storage.

  The reduction gear 93 is fixed to the rear end portion of the drive shaft support portion 70. The reduction gear 93 is a gear centered on the storage rotation axis 15L. The pinion 95 is fixed to the drive shaft of the wheel actuator 94. The pinion 95 is meshed with the reduction gear 93. The wheel actuator 94 is configured to be drivable in the forward rotation direction and in the opposite reverse direction. When the wheel actuator 94 is driven, the pinion 95 rotates, and the rotation is transmitted to the reduction gear 93. As a result, the drive shaft support portion 70 together with the reduction gear 93 rotates about the storage rotation axis 15L with respect to the support brackets 91 and 92, that is, with respect to the vehicle body 2. As a result, the front wheel suspension assembly 13L rotates around the storage rotation axis 15L together with the front wheel 3L.

The configuration related to the right front wheel 3R is symmetrical to the configuration related to the left front wheel 3L. In the accompanying drawings, corresponding parts of the configuration related to the left front wheel 3L are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
On the other hand, the configuration related to the left rear wheel 4L and the right rear wheel 4R is substantially the same as the configuration related to the left front wheel 3L and the right front wheel 3R, except that the steering system is not provided. Therefore, about these structures, the same referential mark as the corresponding part of the structure relevant to the left front wheel 3L is attached | subjected in an accompanying drawing, and description is abbreviate | omitted. However, the rear wheel suspension assemblies 14L, 14R corresponding to the rear wheels 4L, 4R have a shock absorber 49 in front of the upper arm 45 and the lower arm 46. Further, the drive shaft support portion 70 is configured to receive the rear wheel drive shaft 27R from the front. That is, the rear wheel suspension assemblies 14L and 14R have a configuration that is symmetrical with respect to the front wheel suspension assemblies 13L and 13R. In this embodiment, the rear wheels 4L and 4R are not steered wheels. Accordingly, the hub units of the rear wheels 4L and 4R are coupled to the upper arm 45 and the lower arm 46 so as to allow rotation about the axis along the front-rear direction FR and prohibit rotation about the axis along the vertical direction UD. Has been.

  FIG. 15 is a plan view showing a state of the tie rod assemblies 38L and 38R when the vehicle is steered rightward with respect to the neutral state shown in FIGS. 12A to 12D. In the neutral state, the front wheels 3L and 3R are substantially along the front-rear direction FR. At this time, in both the left and right front wheel suspension assemblies 13L and 13R, the first rod portion 81 of the tie rod assemblies 38L and 38R is on the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R. Accordingly, the first and second tie rod joints 85 and 86 are at different positions on the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R. The first drive shaft portions 75 of the front wheel drive shafts 26L, 26R are always located on the storage rotation axes 15L, 15R. The front wheel drive shafts 26L, 26R are supported by the drive shaft support portion 70 at positions different from the first and second tie rod joint portions 85, 86 on the storage rotation axes 15L, 15R. The drive shaft support portion 70 is coupled to the vehicle body 2 (more specifically, the support brackets 91 and 92) at positions different from the first and second tie rod joint portions 85 and 86 on the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R. And is rotatably supported.

  When the driver performs a right steering operation on the steering wheel 6, as shown in FIG. 15, the turning force generating unit 37 displaces the third rod portions 83 of the left and right tie rod assemblies 38L and 38R in the left direction. Let Accordingly, in each tie rod assembly 38L, 38R, the first rod portion 81 rotates around the rotation axis 88. Specifically, the first rod portion 81 rotates counterclockwise in plan view. As a result, the second rod portion 82 is displaced in the right direction along the vehicle width direction LR, and accordingly, the swivel hub unit 47 rotates around the steering axis 65 in the clockwise direction in plan view. As a result, the front ends of the front wheels 3L and 3R move to the right, and the rear ends of the front wheels 3L move to the left. Thus, the front wheels 3L and 3R are steered in the right direction. At this time, the first rod portion 81 is in a posture intersecting with the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R, and the first tie rod joint portion 85 is positioned on the right side of the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R in the plan view. The tie rod joint portion 86 is located on the left side of the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R.

FIG. 16 is a plan view showing a state of the tie rod assemblies 38L and 38R when steering leftward with respect to the neutral state shown in FIGS. 12A to 12D.
When the driver performs a left steering operation on the steering wheel 6, the turning force generating unit 37 displaces the third rod portions 83 of the left and right tie rod assemblies 38L and 38R in the right direction. Accordingly, in each tie rod assembly 38L, 38R, the first rod portion 81 rotates around the rotation axis 88. Specifically, the first rod portion 81 rotates clockwise in plan view. As a result, the second rod portion 82 is displaced leftward along the vehicle width direction LR, and accordingly, the swivel hub unit 47 rotates about the turning axis 65 counterclockwise in plan view. . As a result, the front end portions of the front wheels 3L and 3R move leftward, and the rear end portion of the front wheel 3L moves rightward. Thus, the front wheels 3L and 3R are steered leftward. At this time, the first rod portion 81 has a posture intersecting with the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R, and the first tie rod joint portion 85 is located on the left side of the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R in the plan view, and the second The tie rod joint portion 86 is located on the right side of the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R.

FIG. 17A to FIG. 17D are perspective views sequentially illustrating operations when the front wheels, which are steered wheels and also drive wheels, are accommodated in the vehicle body. 17A to 17D show the operation of the left front wheel 3L and the left front wheel suspension assembly 13L when stored.
When the front wheels 3L and 3L are stored, the front wheel steering system 35 is in a neutral state (initial storage state). The neutral state is a state of the front wheel steering system 35 when the vehicle 1 goes straight. In this neutral state (initial storage state), in both the left and right tie rod assemblies 38L, 38R, the first rod portion 81 is positioned on the storage rotation axis 15L. Therefore, the first and second tie rod joint portions 85, 86 is positioned on the storage rotation axis 15L (see FIG. 12A).

  On the condition that the front wheel steering system 35 is in the initial storage state, the wheel actuator 94 is rotationally driven in the storage direction. As a result, the front wheel suspension assembly 13L rotates around the storage rotation axis 15L in the storage direction with the drive shaft support portion 70 supported by the support brackets 91 and 92. In this embodiment, the storage direction is a direction in which the front wheel 3L is lifted upward from the initial storage state and moves inward of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction LR.

FIG. 17A shows a state in which the suspension assembly 13L is rotated by approximately 60 degrees from the initial storage state. In the tie rod assembly 38L, the first rod portion 81 is supported by the rod support portion 84 and the posture thereof is maintained. On the other hand, the second rod portion 82 rotates around the first tie rod joint portion 85.
FIG. 17B shows a state in which the front wheel suspension assembly 13L is rotated approximately 90 degrees from the initial storage state. At this time, the front wheel 3L is in a substantially horizontal posture, and the rotation axis of the front wheel 3L is substantially along the vertical direction.

FIG. 17C shows a state rotated approximately 150 degrees from the initial storage state. In the storage completion state of FIG. 17D rotated approximately 180 degrees from the initial storage state, the outer surface of the front wheel 3L faces the vehicle body in the vehicle width direction LR, and the front wheel 3L is in a substantially vertical posture. The 3L rotation axis is along the vehicle width direction LR (horizontal direction).
The operation when the right front wheel 3R and the right front wheel suspension assembly 13R are housed is symmetrical with respect to the operations shown in FIGS. 17A to 17D. The operation when the left and right rear wheels 4L and 4R and the rear wheel suspension assemblies 14L and 14R are stored is the same as the operation when the left and right front wheels 3L and 3R and the front wheel suspension assemblies 13L and 13R are stored. However, as described above, no tie rod assembly is provided for the rear wheels 4L and 4R. Therefore, the rear wheels 4L and 4R can be stored regardless of the state of the front wheel steering system 35.

The operation when the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R are deployed from the stored state and switched to the land travel mode is the opposite of the operation at the time of storage.
FIG. 18A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the front wheels 3L and 3R in the land travel mode, and corresponds to the initial storage state (see FIG. 12A). The left and right front wheels 3L, 3R are disposed outside the width of the vehicle body 2 in the vehicle width direction LR. Thereby, the distance between the left and right front wheels 3L and 3R is large, and stable land travel is possible. The structure in the vicinity of the rear wheels 4L and 4R is substantially the same.

  FIG. 18B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the front wheels 3L and 3R in the water sailing mode, and corresponds to a storage completion state (see FIG. 17D). The left and right front wheels 3L, 3R are rotated about 180 degrees around the storage rotation axes 15L, 15R, respectively, and the wheel storage portions 29L, 29R partitioned inside the vehicle body 2 with their outer surfaces facing each other. It is stored in. The structure in the vicinity of the rear wheels 4L and 4R is substantially the same.

  In the water sailing mode, the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R and the suspension assemblies 13L, 13R, 14L, 14R are moved inward from the storage rotation axes 15L, 15R, 16L, 16R. Is equal to the full width of the vehicle body 2. Thereby, the resistance received from water at the time of surface navigation can be made small. Further, since the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R are rotated by approximately 180 degrees and stored in the vehicle body 2 in a posture along the vertical direction, the height of the vehicle body 2 can be minimized. . Moreover, since the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R can be stored at a low position in the vehicle body 2, more specifically at a position lower than the upper surface 8, the center of gravity of the vehicle 1 during water cruising can be lowered.

  In the wheel storage portions 29L and 29R of the front wheels 3L and 3R, the bottom surface portion 2A of the vehicle body 2 is provided with wheel receivers 43L and 43R that receive the front wheels 3L and 3R, respectively. The wheel receivers 43L, 43R abut against the lower ends of the stored front wheels 3L, 3R and restrict the movement of the front wheels 3L, 3R. The structures and shapes of the wheel receivers 43L and 43R are not particularly limited, but in the configuration example of FIGS. 18A and 18B, the wheel receivers 43L and 43R are formed of a plurality of plate-like bodies extending in the front-rear direction FR and the vertical direction UD. They are arranged in parallel with the direction LR. Similar wheel receivers are also provided for the wheel storage portions 30L, 30R of the rear wheels 4L, 4R.

  19A and 19B are perspective views for explaining the structure and operation of the lid portion 31L that opens and closes the wheel storage portion 29L for the left front wheel 3L. The lid portion 31L includes an upper surface portion 97 that is continuous with the upper surface 8 of the vehicle body 2 in the closed state (see FIGS. 8 and 18B), and a side surface portion 98 that is continuous with the side surface 9 of the vehicle body 2 in the closed state. The side surface portion 98 has an upper half portion 99 that is continuous with the upper surface portion 97 and a lower half portion 100 that is coupled to the lower edge of the upper half portion 99. The upper surface portion 97 and the upper half portion 99 constitute one integrated first component 101, and the lower half portion 100 constitutes a second component 102. The lid portion 31L includes a first component 101 and a second component 102.

  The upper surface portion 97 has a substantially trapezoidal shape having a pair of substantially parallel sides opposed to each other in plan view, and an inner edge 97a along the front-rear direction FR of the vehicle 1 and an outer edge 97b along the outer shape of the vehicle 1 have. The first component 101 is coupled to the vehicle body 2 so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis 103L set along the front-rear direction FR in the vicinity of the inner edge 97a. A lid actuator 105L is provided to rotate the first component 101 about the rotation axis 103L. The lid actuator 105L may include an electric motor or a cylinder type actuator.

In the example shown in this embodiment, the upper half portion 99 has a trapezoidal shape having a pair of substantially parallel sides facing forward and backward. The upper edge 99 a is integrally connected to the outer edge 97 b of the upper surface portion 97. The lower edge 99b is substantially along the front-rear direction FR.
In the example shown in this embodiment, the lower half portion 100 has a trapezoidal shape having a pair of substantially parallel sides that face each other in the vertical direction. The upper edge 100a of the lower half portion 100 is coupled to the lower edge 99b of the upper half portion 99 so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis 104 along the front-rear direction FR. A spring unit 106 that applies elastic force toward the outer side of the vehicle body 2 with respect to the lower half portion 100 is disposed at a joint portion between the upper half portion 99 and the lower half portion 100. The rotation range around the rotation axis 104 of the lower half 100 is limited to a closed position where the upper half 99 and the lower half 100 are substantially flush with each other on the outer side of the vehicle body 2. . That is, the rotation of the lower half 100 due to the spring force of the spring unit 106 is restricted at the closed position.

The shapes of the upper half 99 and the lower half 100 do not have to be trapezoidal, and may be determined in consideration of the shape of the front wheel 3L, the path when the front wheel 3L is stored, and the like. Specifically, the shape of the upper half 99 and / or the lower half 100 may be a circle, an ellipse, a semicircle, or the like.
In the land travel mode, as shown in FIG. 18A, the first part 101 of the lid portion 31L is in the closed position, and the second part 102 is in the rotational position inside the closed position. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 18A, the second component 102 is in contact with the drive shaft support portion 70, and the state is held by the spring unit 106.

  When storing the wheel 3L, the lid part actuator 105L is driven, whereby the first component 101 is rotated around the rotation axis 103L and lifted to the open position. Accordingly, the second component 102 is separated from the drive shaft support portion 70, and the second component 102 is rotated outwardly around the rotation axis 104 by the spring force of the spring unit 106, and is continuous with the upper half 99. Take the rotated position. This state is shown in FIG. 19A.

In such an open state of the lid portion 31L, the wheel actuator 94 is operated, and the left front wheel 3L rotates inward about the storage rotation axis 15L. As a result, the left front wheel 3L reaches the storage completion position (see FIG. 17D) through the storage middle position of FIG. 19A.
Next, the lid actuator 105L is driven, and the first component 101 is rotated around the rotation axis 103L. As a result, the first component 101 and the second component 102 rotate integrally around the rotation axis 103L, and the closed state shown in FIGS. 8 and 18B is reached. In the closed state, the side surface portion 98 including the upper half portion 99 and the lower half portion 100 is continuous with the side surface 9 of the vehicle body 2. The drive shaft support portion 70 is inside the second component 102, and the entire front wheel suspension assembly 13L is stored in the wheel storage portion 29L.

  The configuration and operation of the lid portion 31R corresponding to the right front wheel 3R are symmetrical to those of the left front wheel 3L. In the attached drawings, the same reference numerals as those of the corresponding portion of the lid portion 31L are attached to the configuration related to the lid portion 31R. The lid 31R is rotated around the rotation axis 103R by the lid actuator 105R. The rotation axis 103R is disposed symmetrically with the rotation axis 103L. The configurations and operations of the lid portions 32L and 32R related to the left rear wheel 4L and the right rear wheel 4R are the same as those of the left front wheel 3L and the right front wheel 3R.

  FIG. 20 is a block diagram for explaining the electrical configuration of the vehicle 1 and shows a configuration relating to switching between the land travel mode and the water travel mode. The vehicle 1 includes a control unit 150. Connected to the control unit 150 are wheel actuators 94L, 94R, 96L, 96R, lid actuators 105L, 105R, 107L, 107R, a mode selector switch 12, a neutral detection unit 140, and the like. The wheel actuators 94L and 94R are actuators for housing / deploying the left and right front wheels 3L and 3R and the left and right front wheel suspension assemblies 13L and 13R, and correspond to the wheel actuator 94 of FIG. The wheel actuators 96L and 96R are actuators for storing / deploying the left and right rear wheels 4L and 4R and the left and right rear wheel suspension assemblies 14L and 14R, and are configured in the same manner as the wheel actuator 94 in FIG. Yes. The lid actuators 105L and 105R open and close the front left and right lids 31L and 31R, respectively. The lid actuators 107L and 107R are actuators that open and close the rear left and right lids 32L and 32R, respectively, and are configured in the same manner as the lid actuators 105L and 105R. The neutral detection unit 140 detects that the steering wheel 6 is in the neutral position.

The control unit 150 may be further input with a signal indicating whether the steering system switching unit 33 is in a land steering state or a water steering state. When the state of the steering system switching unit 33 is switched by the control of the control unit 150, the steering system switching unit 33 is one of the controlled objects of the control unit 150, as indicated by a two-dot chain line.
A water detection unit 141 may be further connected to the control unit 150. The water detection unit 141 detects that the vehicle 1 is on the water. The water detection unit 141 may be configured to detect the relative heights of the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R with respect to the vehicle body 2. When the vehicle 1 is located on the water, the vehicle body 2 floats on the water by buoyancy. In this state, the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R supported by the suspension assemblies 13L, 13R, 14L, and 14R lose the drag from the ground, so that the relative height with respect to the vehicle body 2 is higher than that in contact with the ground. Also lower. Therefore, by detecting the relative heights of the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R with respect to the vehicle body 2, it is possible to detect whether the vehicle 1 is on the water or on land.

When the vehicle 1 moves from the land to the water, the driver operates the mode switch 12 to instruct the switching from the land travel mode to the water travel mode. The control unit 150 is programmed to determine whether the water-cruising mode switching condition is satisfied when an instruction signal from the mode switch 12 is input.
The water sailing mode switching condition includes, for example, that the neutral detection unit 140 detects the neutral position of the steering wheel 6. The water sailing mode switching condition may further include that the steering system switching unit 33 is in a land steering state. The water navigation mode switching condition may further include that the water detection unit 141 detects that the vehicle 1 is located on the water.

  The control unit 150 drives the wheel actuators 94L, 94R, 96L, 96R and the lid actuators 105L, 105R, 107L, 107R to drive the wheels 3L, 3R when the water sailing mode switching condition is satisfied. 4L, 4R and suspension assemblies 13L, 13R, 14L, 14R are programmed to be housed in the vehicle body 2.

  More specifically, the control unit 150 drives the lid actuators 105L, 105R, 107L, and 107R to move the lids 31L, 31R, 32L, and 32R to the open position (see FIG. 19A). Thereafter, the control unit 150 drives the wheel actuators 94L, 94R, 96L, and 96R to store the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R and the suspension assemblies 13L, 13R, 14L, and 14R, and the rotation axes 15L, 15R, and 16L. , 16R, and they are stored in the wheel storage portions 29L, 29R, 30L, 30R, respectively (see FIG. 19B). Next, the control unit 150 drives the lid actuators 105L, 105R, 107L, and 107R to move the lids 31L, 31R, 32L, and 32R to the closed position (see FIG. 18B and the like). In this way, the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R and the suspension assemblies 13L, 13R, 14L, 14R are accommodated in the vehicle body 2, and the wheel accommodating portions 29L, 29R, 30L are formed by the lid portions 31L, 31R, 32L, 32R. 30R can be closed.

  If the water traveling mode switching condition includes that the steering wheel 6 is in the neutral position, and the water traveling mode switching condition is satisfied, the first rod portion in the left and right tie rod assemblies 38L and 38R is satisfied. It can be assured that 81 is on the storage rotation axis 15L, 15R. Therefore, when the front wheels 3L, 3R and the front wheel suspension assemblies 13L, 13R are rotated about the storage rotation axes 15L, 15R, it can be ensured that the first tie rod joint portion 85 is on the storage rotation axes 15L, 15R. Therefore, since the second rod portion 82 can rotate around the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R around the tie rod joint portion 85, the tie rod assemblies 38L and 38R limit the rotation of the suspension assemblies 13L and 13R and the like. There is no fear.

  Instead of the driver operating the mode switch 12 to switch from the land travel mode to the water sailing mode, the driver automatically switches from the land travel mode to the water sailing mode according to the detection result of the water detection unit 141. It may be configured to do. In this case, the water detection unit 141 is an example of an instruction device for generating an instruction signal for instructing accommodation of the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R.

  When the vehicle 1 is moved from the surface of the water to the land, the driver operates the mode changeover switch 12 when the vehicle 1 is on the surface of the water, and instructs to switch from the water-based traveling mode to the land-based traveling mode. The control unit 150 is programmed to determine whether or not the land driving mode switching condition is satisfied when an instruction signal from the mode switching switch 12 is input.

  The land driving mode switching condition includes, for example, that the neutral detection unit 140 detects the neutral position of the steering wheel 6. The land driving mode switching condition may further include that the steering system switching unit 33 is in a water steering state. The land driving mode switching condition may further include that the water detection unit 141 detects that the vehicle 1 is located on the water.

  When the land driving mode switching condition is satisfied, the control unit 150 drives the wheel actuators 94L, 94R, 96L, 96R and the lid actuators 105L, 105R, 107L, 107R, and the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R and suspension assemblies 13L, 13R, 14L, 14R are programmed to be deployed outside the vehicle body 2.

  More specifically, the control unit 150 drives the lid actuators 105L, 105R, 107L, and 107R to move the lids 31L, 31R, 32L, and 32R to the open position (see FIG. 19A). Thereafter, the control unit 150 drives the wheel actuators 94L, 94R, 96L, and 96R to store the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R and the suspension assemblies 13L, 13R, 14L, and 14R, and the rotation axes 15L, 15R, and 16L. , 16R, and they are deployed from the wheel storage portions 29L, 29R, 30L, 30R to the outside of the vehicle body 2 (see FIG. 18A). Next, the control unit 150 drives the lid actuators 105L, 105R, 107L, and 107R to move the lids 31L, 31R, 32L, and 32R to the closed position (see FIG. 18A and the like). Thus, after the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R and the suspension assemblies 13L, 13R, 14L, 14R are deployed outside the vehicle body 2, the driver moves the vehicle 1 from the water to the land.

  If the land driving mode switching condition includes that the steering wheel 6 is in the neutral position, and if the land driving mode switching condition is satisfied, the first rod portion 81 in the left and right tie rod assemblies 38L and 38R is It can be guaranteed that it is on the storage rotation axis 15L, 15R. Therefore, when the front wheels 3L, 3R and the front wheel suspension assemblies 13L, 13R are rotated about the storage rotation axes 15L, 15R, it can be ensured that the first tie rod joint portion 85 is on the storage rotation axes 15L, 15R. Therefore, since the second rod portion 82 can rotate around the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R around the first tie rod joint portion 85, the tie rod assemblies 38L and 38R rotate the suspension assemblies 13L and 13R and the like. There is no risk of restriction.

  In order to ensure that the first tie rod joint portion 85 is held on the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R when switching between the land traveling mode and the waterborne traveling mode, the rotation of the first rod portion 81 is performed. It is preferable that a lock mechanism for locking the rotation around the movement axis 88 is provided. As a result, even if the front wheels 3L and 3R receive a wave during storage / deployment, and the front wheels 3L and 3R receive a moment in the steering direction from the ground surface, the turning angles of the front wheels 3L and 3R do not change. Therefore, the position of the first tie rod joint portion 85 does not change.

  For example, when the front wheels 3L and 3R are deployed on the water, the front wheels 3L and 3R may contact the ground before the front wheels 3L and 3R reach the rotation completion position. In this case, the vehicle body 2 is lifted while being supported by the front wheels 3L and 3R in the process in which the front wheels 3L and 3R reach the rotation completion position. Accordingly, the front wheels 3L and 3R receive a drag force from the ground contact surface. If the ground contact surfaces of the left and right front wheels 3L, 3R are not parallel to the vehicle width direction FR, a moment in the turning direction may act on the front wheels 3L, 3R. In such a case, the lock mechanism ensures that the first tie rod joint portion 85 is held on the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R.

  The lock mechanism may be configured to restrict the rotation of the shaft 89 </ b> A coupled to the intermediate portion 89 of the first rod portion 81. The control unit 150 controls the lock mechanism to be in a locked state at least during the period in which the front wheels 3L and 3R are rotated for storage / deployment, so that the control unit 150 moves around the rotation axis 88 of the first rod portion 81. Programmed to regulate rotation. Further, the control unit 150 holds the lock mechanism in an unlocked state at least during use of the vehicle 1 in the land traveling mode, and allows the first rod portion 81 to rotate around the rotation axis 88. Is programmed to do so.

  FIG. 21 is a block diagram for explaining the characteristics related to cooling of the engine 20 in the land traveling mode. In the land traveling mode, the driving force of the engine 20 is transmitted to the front wheels 3L, 3R and the rear wheels 4L, 4R via the transmission 21. Inside the vehicle body 2, a pair of radiators 110 </ b> L and 110 </ b> R (see also FIG. 2) are disposed near the left and right side surfaces 9 </ b> L and 9 </ b> R, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, air inlets 111 </ b> L and 111 </ b> R are formed on the side surfaces 9 </ b> L and 9 </ b> R of the vehicle body 2 in front of the radiators 110 </ b> L and 110 </ b> R. Mouth 112L, 112R is formed.
The intake ports 111L and 111R may be provided with a rectifying plate 113 that rectifies the flow of the introduced air along the horizontal direction (front-rear direction FR of the vehicle 1). The rectifying plate 113 may be a plate-like body extending in the front-rear direction FR and the vehicle width direction LR. The exhaust ports 112L and 112R may be provided with a guide plate 114 that guides the air that has obtained exhaust heat from the radiators 110L and 110R in a direction away from the vehicle body 2. The guide plate 114 may be a plate-like body that is inclined outward with respect to the front-rear direction FR and that extends along the up-down direction UD of the vehicle 1.

In this way, as shown in FIG. 2, the cooling air flow path is such that air is introduced into the vehicle body 2 from the intake ports 111L and 111R, and the air passes through the radiators 110L and 110R and is discharged from the exhaust ports 112L and 112L. 115L and 115R are formed in the vehicle body 2.
As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 21, between the engine 20 and the radiators 110L and 110R, water heated by the engine 20 is sent to the radiators 110L and 110R, and water cooled by the radiators 110L and 110R is supplied to the engine 20. Cooling water passages 120L and 120R for refluxing are provided.

  When the vehicle 1 is traveling, the pair of left and right radiators 110L and 110R are cooled by the air passing through the cooling air flow paths 115L and 115R. Thereby, the cooling water passing through the cooling water passages 120L and 120R is cooled, and the engine 20 is cooled by the cooling water. By providing the pair of left and right radiators 110L and 110R, the engine 20 can be efficiently cooled, and the cooling fans of the radiators 110L and 110R are used in combination even when the vehicle 1 is traveling on a congested road. Thus, sufficient cooling performance can be obtained. The cooling fan may be configured to be driven by the driving force of the engine 20, or may be configured to be driven by an electric motor.

  FIG. 22 is a block diagram for explaining characteristics related to cooling of the engine 20 in the water-cruising mode. In the water sailing mode, the driving force of the engine 20 is transmitted to the jet propulsion unit 17 via the transmission 21 and the jet propulsion device drive shaft 28. A part of the water jetted by the jet propulsion unit 17 is jetted to the left and right radiators 110L and 110R via the cooling water pipes 125L and 125R.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cooling water pipes 125L and 125R have an inlet 126 disposed in the flow path of the water flow accelerated by the jet propulsion unit 17, and are routed around the vehicle body 2 to be guided to the radiators 110L and 110R. It is. And the discharge outlet 127 is arrange | positioned so that water may be injected toward the radiators 110L and 110R.
In the normal use state of the vehicle 1 in the water sailing mode, the engine 20 is operated at the maximum output (full throttle) in most time periods. Therefore, the engine 20 generates a large amount of heat. Therefore, in this embodiment, a part of the water sucked from the surroundings by the jet propulsion unit 17 is applied to the radiators 110L and 110R, and the radiators 110L and 110R are cooled by the water.

  During the water navigation, the radiators 110L and 110R are also cooled by the air passing through the cooling air flow paths 115L and 115R. In other words, in the water navigation mode, the radiators 110L and 110R are cooled by using both air cooling by wind generated by traveling and water cooling by surrounding water. As a result, in the water navigation mode, the radiators 110L and 110R acquire a large cooling capacity, so that the engine 20 can be continuously operated at a high output.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the tie rod assemblies 38L and 38R include the first rod portion 81 and the second rod portion 82 that are rotatably coupled by the first tie rod joint portion 85. And the 1st tie rod joint part 85 can be arrange | positioned on accommodation rotation axis 15L, 15R. Therefore, when the first tie rod joint portion 85 is disposed on the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R, the front wheel suspension assemblies 13L and 13R are not subject to mechanical limitations by the tie rod assemblies 38L and 38R, and the tie rod assemblies 38L are not affected. , 38R and the front wheels 3L, 3R can be rotated around the storage rotation axes 15L, 15R, and there is no need to disconnect the steering force transmission path in the tie rod assemblies 38L, 38R.

  Thus, the front wheels 3L and 3R, which are steered wheels, can be rotated within a large rotation angle range with a simple configuration. Specifically, in this embodiment, the front wheel suspension assemblies 13L and 13R rotate 90 degrees or more (more specifically, approximately 180 degrees) around the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R. Similarly, the rear wheel suspension assemblies 14L and 14R rotate 90 degrees or more (more specifically, approximately 180 degrees) around the storage rotation axes 16L and 16R. Therefore, the range of movement of the front wheels 3L, 3R and the rear wheels 4L, 4R is large, and the degree of freedom of arrangement of the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R at the time of storage is increased.

  Thereby, in the land travel mode using the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R, the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R can be arranged at positions beyond the width of the vehicle body 2, and therefore the motion performance of the vehicle 1 can be improved. On the other hand, the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R can be accommodated inside the vehicle body 2 in the watercraft mode in which the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R are not used. Therefore, it is possible to avoid an increase in the width of the vehicle body 2 for storing the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R. Thereby, since the resistance that the vehicle 1 receives from the water in the surface water traveling mode can be reduced, the surface water traveling that efficiently uses the propulsive force generated by the jet propulsion unit 17 is possible. In addition, by rotating the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R approximately 180 degrees, the wheels can be stored at a low position, so that the center of gravity of the vehicle body 2 can be lowered in the water navigation mode. Thereby, the exercise performance in the water navigation mode can be improved.

  Further, in the water sailing mode, the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R are completely accommodated in the vehicle body 2, so that an excellent appearance can be exhibited. In addition, since the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R are not exposed outside the vehicle body 2, there are few irregularities on the outer surface, so that air resistance and resistance from water can be reduced. Thereby, energy saving property can be improved and smooth sailing is possible. Moreover, since the maximum bank angle at the time of water navigation can be enlarged, exercise performance can be improved.

  Further, in this embodiment, the connecting portion between the front wheel suspension assemblies 13L and 13R and the vehicle body 2 is located on the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R, and the first tie rod joint portion 85 is located at a position different from the connecting portion. Can be disposed on the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R. Therefore, it is possible to provide a structure with little restriction on the rotation angle by the tie rod assemblies 38L and 38R without greatly restricting the degree of freedom of design.

  Further, in this embodiment, the intermediate portion 89 of the first rod portion 81 is supported by the rod support portion 84, and the first rod portion 81 can rotate around the rotation axis 88 passing through the intermediate portion 89. The third rod portion 83 to which the turning force from the turning force generating unit 37 is input is coupled to the first rod portion 81 via the second tie rod joint portion 86. As a result, the steering force transmission path can be bent also in the second tie rod joint portion 86 in addition to the first tie rod joint portion 85, so that a structure with a higher degree of freedom in design is obtained, and the front wheel suspension assemblies 13L and 13R and the front wheels It is easier to design to increase the rotation range of 3L and 3R.

  In addition, in this embodiment, when the rotation axis 88 of the first rod portion 81 intersects the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R, and the first tie rod joint portion 85 is positioned on the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R. In addition, the second tie rod joint portion 86 is also positioned on the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R at the same time. In this configuration, the rotation axis 88 of the first rod portion 81 intersects the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R, so that the first tie rod joint portion 85 can be disposed on the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R. . Further, since the first tie rod joint portion 85 and the second tie rod joint portion 86 can be simultaneously disposed on the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R, when the front wheel suspension assemblies 13L and 13R rotate around the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R. In addition, it is possible to avoid that the tie rod assemblies 38L and 38R limit the rotation range of the front wheel suspension assemblies 13L and 13R.

  In this embodiment, the suspension assemblies 13L, 13R, 14L, and 14R have a double wishbone type configuration, and the suspension assemblies 13L, 13R, 14L, and 14R include the storage rotation axes 15L, 15R, 16L, It can be rotated around 16R. Therefore, the suspension assemblies 13L, 13R, 14L, and 14R can be rotated together with the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R and stored in the vehicle body 2. Since the shock absorber 49 spanned between the arm support portion 48 and the lower arm 46 absorbs an impact from the road surface, excellent traveling performance can be obtained in the land traveling mode.

  In this embodiment, the wheel drive shafts 26L, 26R, 27L, and 27R transmit the rotational force to the first drive shaft portion 75 and the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R to which the driving force is input from the engine 20. 2 drive shaft portion 76 and drive joint portion 77 are included. The drive joint portion 77 is positioned on the storage rotation axes 15L, 15R, 16L, and 16R, and rotatably couples the first drive shaft portion 75 and the second drive shaft portion 76 to each other. Therefore, when the suspension assemblies 13L, 13R, 14L, and 14R are rotated about the storage rotation axes 15L, 15R, 16L, and 16R, the drive joint portions 77 on the storage rotation axes 15L, 15R, 16L, and 16R The second drive shaft portion 76 rotates around. Therefore, the wheel drive shafts 26L, 26R, 27L, and 27R do not hinder the rotation of the suspension assemblies 13L, 13R, 14L, and 14R, and do not limit the rotation range thereof. Therefore, the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R can be rotated while the suspension assemblies 13L, 13R, 14L, and 14R and the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R are connected to each other.

  In this embodiment, the front wheels 3L and 3R are steered wheels and drive wheels. The tie rod assemblies 38L and 38R and the front wheel drive shafts 26L and 26R do not hinder the rotation of the suspension assemblies 13L and 13R around the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R, and do not limit the rotation range thereof. Therefore, the front wheels 3L, 3R can be rotated together with the suspension assemblies 13L, 13R within a large rotation angle range.

  In this embodiment, the first drive shaft portion 75 is disposed along the storage rotation axes 15L, 15R, 16L, and 16R and is rotatably supported by the suspension assemblies 13L, 13R, 14L, and 14R. . Therefore, the structure can be simplified, and the rotation angle range of the suspension assemblies 13L, 13R, 14L, and 14R is increased by the first drive shaft portion 75 being along the storage rotation axes 15L, 15R, 16L, and 16R. Can be designed.

  In this embodiment, the wheel actuators 94L, 94R, 96L, and 96R are operated according to the operation of the mode change switch 12 or the detection result of the water detection unit 141, and the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R are turned into wheels. It is stored in the storage portions 29L, 29R, 30L, 30R. Therefore, if necessary, the wheel actuators 94L, 94R, 96L, 96R can be operated to rotate and move the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R.

  In this embodiment, the wheel storage portions 29L, 29R, 30L, and 30R are provided inside the vehicle body 2 inward of the wheels. The suspension assemblies 13L, 13R, 14L, and 14R are rotated about the storage rotation axes 15L, 15R, 16L, and 16R, so that the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R are wheel storage portions 29L, 29R, 30L, and 30R. It is stored in. Therefore, it is not necessary to secure a storage space for the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R outside the vehicle body 2. As a result, the air resistance during the water navigation mode can be reduced, so that excellent driving performance can be realized.

Moreover, in this embodiment, since the wheel storage parts 29L, 29R, 30L, 30R can be closed by the lid parts 31L, 31R, 32L, 32R, the appearance can be improved. In addition, the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R housed in the wheel housing parts 29L, 29R, 30L, 30R and the related structures can be protected from the external environment.
In this embodiment, the outer surfaces of the lid portions 31L, 31R, 32L, and 32R are continuous with the exterior of the vehicle 1 in the closed state (stored state) in which the lid portions 31L, 31R, 32L, and 32R are closed. Therefore, the vehicle 1 which has the outstanding external appearance in the wheel accommodation state can be provided. Further, in the water sailing mode, the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R do not receive the resistance of the surrounding fluid (air or water), so that the resistance during sailing can be reduced. As a result, excellent running performance can be realized in the water running mode.

  In this embodiment, the lid portions 31L, 31R, 32L, and 32R include the upper surface portion 97 that forms the upper surface 8 of the vehicle 1. Therefore, since the upper surface 8 of the vehicle 1 is opened by opening the lid portions 31L, 31R, 32L, and 32R, the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R can be accommodated from above in the wheel accommodating portions 29L, 29R, 30L, and 30R. . Therefore, the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R can be stored at the inner position of the vehicle body 2 by rotating the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R around the storage rotation axes 15L, 15R, 16L, 16R. Further, since the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R can be guided and stored from the upper surface 8 of the vehicle 1 to a low position inside the vehicle 1, the center of gravity of the vehicle 1 in the water sailing mode can be lowered. At the same time, the height in the vertical direction UD of the vehicle 1 in the water navigation mode can be reduced. Thereby, the sailing performance in the water sailing mode can be enhanced.

  In this embodiment, the lid portions 31L, 31R, 32L, and 32R include the side surface portion 98 that forms the side surface 9 of the vehicle 1. According to this configuration, the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R can be disposed laterally beyond the width of the vehicle body 2 by opening the lid portions 31L, 31R, 32L, and 32R. Therefore, in the land traveling mode, the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, and 4R can be arranged at positions away from the center of the vehicle body 2, so that stable traveling performance can be realized. On the other hand, since the width of the vehicle body 2 can be reduced, the resistance received from the surrounding fluid can be reduced in both the land traveling mode and the water traveling mode.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described, the present invention can be implemented in yet another form, as will be exemplified below.
(1) In the above-described embodiment, when the front wheel steering system 35 is in the neutral state, the first rod portion 81 of the tie rod assemblies 38L, 38R is positioned on the storage rotation axes 15L, 15R, and the first and second tie rods Both joint portions 85 and 86 are positioned on the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R. However, it is not an essential requirement in the present invention that the first tie rod joint portion 85 and the second tie rod joint portion 86 are simultaneously positioned on the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R. Therefore, the rotation axis 88 does not need to intersect the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R. It is sufficient that one of the first tie rod joint portion 85 and the second tie rod joint portion 86 is located on the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R within the operating range, and the other of them is within the operating range. It is not necessary to be located on the storage rotation axis 15L. For example, when the front wheel steering system 35 is in a neutral state, only the first tie rod joint portion 85 may be positioned on the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R. Further, even if the first tie rod joint portion 85 cannot be disposed on the storage rotation axis 15L within the operation range, the second tie rod joint portion 86 can be disposed on the storage rotation axis 15L within the operation range. That's fine. In this case, the second tie rod joint portion 86 is the “first tie rod joint portion” in one embodiment of the present invention. More generally, when the tie rod assembly includes a tie rod joint portion that can be disposed on the storage rotation axis between the turning force generating unit and the turning wheel, the tie rod joint portion is an embodiment of the present invention. It may be a “first tie rod joint part” in the form.

  (2) In the above-described embodiment, when the front wheel steering system 35 is in the neutral state, the first tie rod joint portion 85 is positioned on the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R, and in this state, the front wheel suspension assemblies 13L and 13R are rotated. Moved. However, the first tie rod joint 85 is applied to the front wheel suspension assemblies 13L and 13R around the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R with the first tie rod joint portion 85 not on the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R. The portion 85 may be configured to be guided on the storage rotation axes 15L and 15R.

  (3) In the above-described embodiment, the storage operation of the front wheels and the front wheel suspension assemblies 13L and 13R is started on the condition that the front wheel steering system 35 is in a neutral state. However, in response to the issuance of the mode switching command (wheel storage command) from the land running mode to the water sailing mode, the steering angle of the steering wheel 6 is set to zero degree (neutral position), and the front wheel steering system 35 is neutralized. A neutralization unit may be provided to bring it into a state. The neutralization unit may include a steering actuator provided in the steering force generation unit 37. Specifically, when the water navigation mode is instructed from the mode changeover switch 12, the control unit 150 may drive the steering actuator so that the steering angle is zero degree and the front wheel steering system 35 may be in a neutral state. . Then, after the neutral state is established, the control unit 150 operates the wheel actuators 94L, 94R, 96L, 96R and the lid actuators 105L, 105R, 107L, 107R, and the wheels 3L, 3R, 4L, 4R. The storing operation may be started.

  (4) The turning force generating unit 37 may include an actuator or may not include an actuator. More specifically, the turning force generating unit 37 may be configured to mechanically transmit the steering force applied by the operator to the steering wheel 6 to the tie rod assemblies 38L and 38R. An actuator for assisting the steering force may be provided, or may not be provided. When the steering force generating unit 37 includes an actuator, the front wheel steering system 35 is a system in which there is no mechanical coupling between the steering wheel 6 and the tie rod assemblies 38L and 38R, that is, a so-called steer-by-wire system. It may be.

  (5) In the above-described embodiment, the left and right front wheels 3L, 3R as the steered wheels are coupled to the steered force generating unit 37. However, the left and right front wheels 3L and 3R may be coupled to each other by tie rods, and either one of the front wheels may be coupled to the turning force generating unit 37 via a tie rod assembly. Further, the left and right front wheels 3L and 3R may be mechanically coupled to each other via a tie rod assembly, or may not be mechanically coupled. For example, a pair of turning force generating units may be provided corresponding to the left and right front wheels 3L, 3R. Furthermore, the number of wheels that can be steered may be one, or may be three or more.

  (6) In the above-described embodiment, the storage drive unit 90 includes the wheel actuators 94L, 94R, 96L, 96R and the reduction gear 93. However, other types of storage drive units may be provided in the vehicle 1. For example, a drive unit using a rack and a pinion may be provided. Further, a drive unit that pulls up and stores the suspension assembly by winding the wire may be provided. In addition, various drive units such as a belt drive mechanism can be applied. As the actuator, an electric motor, a hydraulic motor, a hydraulic cylinder, or the like can be used.

  (7) In the above-described embodiment, the spring unit 106 is provided between the first component 101 and the second component 102 constituting the lid, and the spring unit 106 is elastic in the opening direction with respect to the second component 102. Is given. However, a second lid actuator is provided instead of the spring unit 106 so that the second component 102 is rotated about the rotation axis 104 with respect to the first component 101 by the second lid actuator. You may comprise.

(8) In the above-described embodiment, the double wishbone type suspension assembly is shown. However, other types of suspension assemblies such as struts may be used.
(9) In the vehicle 1 of the above-described embodiment, the front wheels 3L and 3R and the rear wheels 4L and 4R are all drive wheels. However, only the front wheels 3L and 3R may be drive wheels, and the rear wheels 4L and 4R may be driven wheels. Further, the front wheels 3L and 3R may be driven wheels, and the rear wheels 4L and 4R may be drive wheels. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the front wheels 3L and 3R are steered wheels, and the rear wheels 4L and 4R are non-steered wheels. However, the front wheels 3L and 3R may be non-steered wheels, and the rear wheels 4L and 4R may be steered wheels. Further, the front wheels 3L, 3R and the rear wheels 4L, 4R may all be steered wheels. Furthermore, the vehicle 1 does not have to be a four-wheel vehicle, and may be, for example, a three-wheeled vehicle having a pair of front wheels on the front left and right and one rear wheel on the rear center. Further, it may be a three-wheeled vehicle having one front wheel at the front center and a pair of rear wheels at the rear left and right. In the case of a three-wheeled vehicle, an embodiment of the present invention is preferably applied to store a pair of wheels provided on the left and right.

(10) As the water propulsion device, a device other than a jet propulsion unit that sucks and blows out surrounding water may be used. For example, it is possible to use a propeller propulsion unit that generates propulsive force by scratching surrounding water by the rotation of a propeller (screw).
(11) In the above-described embodiment, an amphibious vehicle is taken as an example. However, the present invention can also be applied to a vehicle for other purposes having a configuration in which wheels are housed in a vehicle body. For example, the present invention may be applied to a land / snow vehicle capable of running on snow in addition to running on land.

  In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of matters described in the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 2 Car body 3L Left front wheel 3R Right front wheel 4L Left rear wheel 4R Right rear wheel 6 Steering wheel 8 Upper surface 9, 9L, 9R Side surface 10 Bottom surface 12 Mode change switch 13L, 13R Front wheel suspension assembly 14L, 14R Rear wheel suspension assembly 15L 15R storage rotation axis 16L, 16R storage rotation axis 17 jet propulsion unit 20 engine 21 transmission 21A power switching unit 26L, 26R front wheel drive shaft 27L, 27R rear wheel drive shaft 28 jet propulsion device drive shaft 29L, 29R wheel storage section 30L , 30R Wheel storage part 31L, 31R Lid part 32L, 32R Lid part 33 Steering system switching unit 34 Steering column 35 Front wheel steering system 36 Steering rod 37 Steering force generating unit 38L, 38R Tie rod assembly 45 Upper arm 46 Lower arm 47 Swivel hub unit 48 Arm support 49 Shock absorber 51 Base end (upper arm)
52 Tip (Upper Arm)
53 Upper support arm 54 Connecting pin 55 Base end (lower arm)
56 Tip (Lower Arm)
57 Lower support arm 58 Connecting pin 60 Unit body 61 Hub shaft 63 Upper king pin 64 Lower king pin 65 Steering axis 66 Knuckle arm 67 Tip (knuckle arm)
70 Drive shaft support portion 71 Shock absorber support arm 72 Lower end portion of shock absorber 73 Upper end portion of shock absorber 75 First drive shaft portion 76 Second drive shaft portion 77 Drive joint portion 78 Universal joint portion 81 First rod portion 82 Second Rod portion 83 Third rod portion 84 Rod support portion 85 First tie rod joint portion 86 Second tie rod joint portion 87 Third tie rod joint portion 88 Rotating axis 89 Intermediate portion of first rod portion 90 Storage drive unit 91, 92 Support bracket 93 Reduction gear 94L, 94R Wheel actuator 95 Pinion 96L, 96R Wheel actuator 97 Top surface 98 Side surface 101 First component 102 Second component 103L, 103R Rotating axis 104 Rotating axis 105L, 1 5R lid actuator 106 spring units 107L, 107R lid actuator 135 Water steering system 136 deflector 137 pivot axis 138 the operating lever 139 turning force transmitting unit 140 Neutral detection unit 141 water sensing unit 150 control unit

Claims (18)

The car body,
Wheels,
A wheel support unit that supports the wheel so as to be steerable in the left-right direction, and is coupled to the vehicle body so as to be rotatable about a storage rotation axis;
A turning force generating unit for generating a turning force for turning the wheels;
A first rod portion to which a turning force is input from the turning force generating unit, a second rod portion that transmits the turning force to the wheel, and the first rod portion and the second rod portion are rotatable with respect to each other. A vehicle comprising: a first tie rod joint portion to be coupled; and a tie rod assembly configured to be capable of disposing the first tie rod joint portion on the storage rotation axis.   2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the wheel support portion is rotatable about the storage rotation axis while the first tie rod joint is on the storage rotation axis.   A coupling portion between the wheel support portion and the vehicle body is positioned on the storage rotation axis, and the first tie rod joint portion is stored at a position different from a coupling portion between the wheel support portion and the wheel. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle can be arranged on a rotation axis.   The tie rod assembly is coupled to an intermediate portion of the first rod portion, a rod support portion that rotatably supports the first rod portion around a rotation axis passing through the intermediate portion, and a steering force generating unit. The first rod portion and the third rod portion are rotatably coupled to the third rod portion to which the steering force is input and the rod support portion on the side opposite to the first tie rod joint portion. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a second tie rod joint part.   The second tie rod joint portion when the rotation axis passing through the intermediate portion of the first rod portion intersects the storage rotation axis and the first tie rod joint portion is positioned on the storage rotation axis. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the tie rod assembly is configured to be positioned on the storage rotation axis. The wheel support portion is
An upper arm,
A lower arm disposed below the upper arm;
A swivel hub unit that has an upper king pin that is pivotably coupled to the tip of the upper arm, and a lower king pin that is pivotally coupled to the tip of the lower arm, and rotatably supports the wheel;
The upper arm and the lower arm are coupled to the base end portion of the upper arm and the base end portion of the lower arm so as to support the upper arm and the lower arm so as to be pivotable in the vertical direction, respectively, and can be pivoted around the storage pivot axis. A combined arm support;
The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a shock absorber spanned between the arm support portion and the lower arm. A prime mover for generating a driving force for rotating the wheel;
A first drive shaft that receives driving force from the prime mover; a second drive shaft that transmits rotational force to the wheels; and the first drive shaft and the second drive that are located on the storage rotation axis. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a drive shaft including a drive joint portion that rotatably couples the shaft portions to each other.   The vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the first drive shaft portion is disposed along the storage rotation axis and is rotatably supported by the wheel support portion.   The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a wheel actuator that rotates the wheel support portion around the storage rotation axis.   The vehicle according to claim 9, further comprising an instruction device that outputs a storage instruction of the wheel, wherein the wheel actuator operates in response to a storage instruction output by the instruction device.   The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the wheel support portion rotates 90 degrees or more around the storage rotation axis.   The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the wheel support portion rotates approximately 180 degrees around the storage rotation axis.   A wheel storage portion is provided inside the vehicle body inward of the wheel, and the wheel is stored in the wheel storage portion when the wheel support portion rotates around the storage rotation axis. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 12.   The vehicle according to claim 13, further comprising a lid portion capable of opening and closing the wheel storage portion.   The vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the lid portion has an outer surface continuous with an exterior of the vehicle at least in a closed state in which the lid portion is closed.   The vehicle according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the lid portion includes an upper surface portion that forms an upper surface of the vehicle.   The vehicle according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the lid portion includes a side surface portion that forms a side surface of the vehicle.   The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 17, further comprising a water propulsion device attached to the vehicle body and providing a propulsive force to the vehicle on the water.

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