Articulated vehicle

Claim 2

A pitch-axis articulated vehicle comprising: a vehicle body having a front body portion and a rear body portion; hinge means with an axis coincident with the laterally disposed pitch axis of said vehicle, said hinge means including a hinge pin connecting the opposing ends of said front and rear body portions together; projections included in said hinge means and fixedly carried on and integrally formed with each of the opposing ends of said front and rear body portions and arranged in a mated relationship wherein said projections carried on a selected body portion include a pair of spaced apart extensions and the other of said projections carried on said other body portion is nested between said pair of extensions; three wheel sets rotatably supporting said vehicle body on the ground in which two of said wheel sets are rotatably carried on said front and rear body portions respectively and said third wheel set''s axle is incorporated into said hinge means as the hinge pin and is enclosed within and protected by said projections of said front and rear body portions; and power means carried on said vehicle in is operable relationship with said wheel sets for imparting a driving force thereto.

Claim 3

The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein eacH of said three wheel sets includes a pair of coextensive axle segments and each of said axle segments mounts a wheel of its associated one of said wheel sets; and each of said axle segments is fixedly related to said body portions with respect to the point of passage through the sidewalls of said body portions and the said integrally formed projections thereof; and wherein said power means includes a drive train operably connected to said axle segments for selectively driving predetermined ones of said axle segments to propel and steer the vehicle.

Claim 4

The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said power means includes a pair of drive means directly coupled to said axle segments respectively of said axle assembly associated with said third wheel set; and intermediate drive means coupling each of said third wheel set axle segments to said first and second wheel set axle segments associated with said front and rear body portions respectively.

Claim 5

The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein each axle assembly includes a pair of coextensive axle segments and each of said axle segments mounts a wheel of its associated one of said wheel sets.

Claim 6

The invention as defined in claim 4 wherein said power means includes a drive train operably connected to each of said axle segments for selectively driving predetermined ones of said axle segments.

Claim 7

The invention as defined in claim 4 wherein said power drive means includes a pair of drive means directly coupled to said axle segments respectively of said axle assembly associated with said third wheel set; and intermediate drive means coupling each of said third wheel set axle segments to said first and second wheel set axle segments associated with said front and rear body portions respectively.

Claim 8

An articulated vehicle comprising: a vehicle body having a front portion and a rear portion; a first wheel set including a first axle assembly extending across and rotatably carried on said front body portion; a second wheel set including a second axle assembly extending across and rotatably carried on said rear body portion; a third wheel set disposed between said first and second wheel sets including a central axle assembly pivotally coupling said body portions together; separate coupling means operably connected to each of said axles; power means carried on said vehicle body operably connected to said coupling means to independently impart a driving force to each of said axles for vehicle movement and steering; each axle assembly comprising a pair of axle segments having adjacent ends rotatably mounted in a split axle bearing; said power means being coupled to said central axle segments and said central axle segments being coupled in driving relationship to said other axle segments; said front and rear body portions including mated projections pivotally joined by said central axle assembly; said body portions including opposing wall surfaces converging towards said projection mounted on said central axle assembly; said vehicle body portions providing semi-independent rotational displacement in a longitudinal, vertical plane via said central axle assembly about a lateral pitch axis; said mating projections being each integrally formed with opposing ends of the body portions of which they are a part; said semi-independent rotational displacement of the body portions being subjected to progressively greater constraint by an energy absorbing means disposed between the body portions in the area of the pivot; an energy absorbing means operably coupled between said front and said rear portions to yieldably restrain pivotal displacement of said portions relative to each other; and the opposing wall surfaces of said body portions angularly disposed with respect to each other in a substantially diverging relationship from said central hinged axis in an upward direction.

Claim 9

An articulated vehicle comprising: a vehicle body having a front portion and a rear portion; a first wheel set including a first axle assembly extending across and rotatably carried on said front body portion; a second wheel set including a second axle assembly extending across and rotatably carried on said rear body portion; a third wheel set disposed between said first and second wheel sets including a central axle assembly pivotally coupling said body portions together; separate coupling means operably connected to each of said axles; power means carried on said vehicle body operably connected to said coupling means to independently impart a driving force to each of said axles for vehicle movement and steering; each axle assembly comprising a pair of axle segments having adjacent ends rotatably mounted in a split axle bearing; said power means being coupled to said central axle segments and said central axle segments being coupled in driving relationship to said other axle segments; said front and rear body portions including mated projections pivotally joined by said central axle assembly; said body portions including opposing wall surfaces converging towards said projection mounted on said central axle assembly; said vehicle body portions providing semi-independent rotational displacement in a longitudinal, vertical plane via said central axle assembly about a lateral pitch axis; said mating projections being each integrally formed with opposing ends of the body portions of which they are a part; said semi-independent rotational displacement of the body portions being subjected to progressively greater constraint by an energy absorbing means disposed between the body portions in the area of the pivot; an energy absorbing means operably coupled between said front and said rear portions to yieldably restrain pivotal displacement of said portions relative to each other; and the opposing wall surfaces of said body portions angularly disposed with respect to each other in a substantially diverging relationship from said central hinged axis in an upward direction.