JPH0939758A - Brake mechanism for four-wheel-suspension vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively apply the brakes to a four-wheel-suspension vehicle which is apt to shift a weight balance to and for by independently applying the brakes to front wheels and the rear wheels. SOLUTION: A front center brake (A) and a rear center brake (B) for distributing braking force to a right and a left wheels are disposed at the front and the rear parts of a car body and they are controlled by an integrated brake pedal 13. Each brake has an automatic brake actuator for independently applying brake to front wheels 2 or rear wheels 3. The front center brake mechanism (A) transfers braking force to the right and the left front wheels 2 by a differential gear shaft 30 journaled with a differential gear mechanism DC via a propelling shaft.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is applied to a four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle of a type capable of automatically controlling braking force to control braking and traveling speed, for example, a golf cart and the like. The present invention relates to a brake mechanism in a vehicle such as a five-seater golf cart having front and rear seats.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, golf carts have been increasing in number. For example, JP-A-5-3240
As shown in FIG. 69, a guide loop wire is embedded in the running path, and the golf cart is electromagnetically guided based on the guide loop wire to run. In addition to braking, the automatic driving type
An automatic brake device that can automatically control the braking force is provided for traveling speed control (for example, to reduce the speed on a downhill). In addition, a multi-seater such as a five-seater with a seat for two people in the front and a seat for three people in the rear so that the members of one party can be moved by one cart is also known. There is.

In this way, with the automatic travel control and the multi-passenger use, the safe operation of the brake is important for a golf cart that runs on a rugged road. BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, some golf carts are provided with an automatic brake device, and in addition to this, an operation provided with an operation of a brake operation tool, for example, a brake applied when the brake pedal is depressed is shown in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 4-365657. Is well known.

Further, the present applicant has filed Japanese Patent Application No. 7-42041.
Discloses an automatic braking device using a golf cart as an example, which targets the rear wheels for braking. Not only the golf cart but also the conventional four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle has a brake mechanism that brakes only one of the front and rear wheels (mainly only the rear wheel in the golf cart because the rear wheels are driven), or the front and rear wheels. Some brakes uniformly, but none can brake the front and rear wheels independently. In addition, there is a conventional type in which steering wheels can be braked, but each wheel on the left and right is provided with a brake (mainly a drum type), and the brakes operate uniformly to prevent one-sided effect. Such a mechanism (equalizer, etc.) is essential.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The problem to be solved by the present invention is to make it possible to independently brake front and rear wheels in a four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle with a structure that is as light, thin, short and small as possible. First, regarding the independent control of the front and rear wheels, in the case of a golf cart, there are many ups and downs, and the ratio of the weight of people and luggage is large compared to the weight of the vehicle body. If a passenger is configured, the weight balance greatly changes in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, for example, when a person is sitting on either of the front and rear seats. When this happens, the wheels on the non-weight side will
Grips to the ground are extremely small, and not only those that brake only one of the front and rear wheels but also those that uniformly brake the front and rear wheels are good if the braking force is applied to the wheel with less grip like this. Braking or speed control cannot be obtained. If the front and rear wheels can be independently braked, the braking ratio between the front wheels and the rear wheels can be adjusted in accordance with the movement of the center of gravity before and after the front and rear wheels, and good braking or speed control can be performed.

[0006] Of the front and rear wheels, one of the front and rear wheels (mainly the front wheel) is often a steering wheel. Even with such a structure in which the front and rear wheels are independently braked,
The left and right wheels must brake uniformly. Among them, the steering wheel has a large number of parts in the brake system because it is necessary to provide a mechanism for uniformly braking the brakes independently attached to the left and right wheels as described above. The brake directly attached to the wheel requires a large brake capacity in that the wheel is directly braked. In this respect, it is disadvantageous for compactness. Further, conventionally, as described above, the brake system for operating the brake pedal and the automatic brake system are separately provided, so that the number of parts is large, which leads to weight increase and cost increase of the vehicle body. In the case of unifying this, it is necessary that the driver can selectively brake with the brake operation tool (brake pedal) arbitrarily even when the braking force is automatically controlled by the automatic braking device. .

[0007]

The present invention uses the following means in order to solve the above problems. That is, in the four-wheel suspension type traveling vehicle as claimed in claim 1, one center brake mechanism for applying a braking force to the left and right wheels from one brake through the differential device is arranged in front of and behind the vehicle, respectively. An automatic braking device for automatically controlling each center braking mechanism is provided for each automatic braking device.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in a four-wheel suspension type traveling vehicle, center brake mechanisms that apply braking force to left and right wheels from one brake through differential devices are arranged one by one in front of and behind the vehicle. Installed in each center brake mechanism that has an automatic braking device that automatically controls the brake,
The brake of each center brake mechanism operates both by each automatic braking device and by operating one brake operating tool provided in the vehicle, and braking by operating the brake operating device has priority over braking by the automatic braking device. , One brake operating tool applies an even operating force to each brake.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a center brake mechanism for applying a braking force from a single brake to the left and right steering wheels in a four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle through a differential device. In which the propeller shaft is connected to the left and right wheels from the differential gear shaft of the center brake mechanism, and the propeller shaft is enclosed by an integral front arm that supports a damper for suspension. A turning fulcrum was provided near the joint between the shaft and the connecting shaft to allow vertical rotation.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall side view of a multi-seater golf cart, FIG. 2 is a side view showing a brake mechanism in the entire golf cart according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a front view of a brake pedal and an equalizer portion, and FIG. 4 is a view from the brake pedal. A side view showing the brake cable wiring and the front center brake mechanism A, FIG. 5 is a side view showing an arrangement structure of an automatic brake actuator in the front center brake mechanism A, and FIG. 6 is a front sectional view of the front center brake mechanism A. 7 is a side view showing an arm structure in the brake main body case 23 of the front center brake mechanism A, FIG. 8 is a front sectional view showing the arm structure and an internal brake structure, and FIG. 9 is a front center brake mechanism A. Left and right front wheels 2
2 is a front cross-sectional view showing a brake transmission structure and a suspension structure to 2; FIG. 10 is a plan view of the same; FIG. 11 is a partial front cross-sectional view showing the brake transmission structure and the suspension structure near the front wheel 2; FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the spindle holder 44a and the knuckle arm 45a, and FIG.
14 is a plan view of the same, FIG. 14 is a plan view of the same, FIG. 15 is a side view of a pivot portion 44c of the front arm 44, FIG. 16 is a side view of a spindle holder 44a of the front arm 44, FIG. A side view of the front arm 44, FIG. 19 is a side view of the rear center brake mechanism B, FIG. 20 is a front sectional view of the same, and FIG. 21 is a side view showing an arm structure of the brake body case 23 of the rear center brake mechanism B. FIG. 3 is a front sectional view showing an arm structure and an internal brake structure.

The present invention will be described with reference to an embodiment adopted in a multi-person (five-seater) golf cart having front and rear seats as shown in FIG. The overall structure of this golf cart will be described with reference to FIG. Left and right front wheels 2 and left and right rear wheels 3 are suspended in front of and behind an underbody 1 forming steps for a rear seat, and a front seat base 4 is mounted on the suspension portion of the left and right front wheels 2. And the front seat 5 on it
Is placed. Further, a step plate 6 is extended in front of the front seat base 4, a front cowl 7 is fixedly provided at a front end thereof, and a handle 8 is projectingly provided at an upper rear end thereof. On the other hand, the front and rear wheels 2 on the underbody 1
A rear cowl 9 is mounted from between 3 to above the rear wheel 3, and a rear seat 10 is mounted on the rear cowl 9 via a seat mounting stay 10a. Further, a roof frame 11 is extended above and rearward of the front cowl 7, and a roof rear support column 12 is connected between a rear end of the roof frame 11 and an upper portion of the seat mounting stay 10a. A roof 11a is provided on the roof frame 11.
Is fixed to cover the upper side of the golf cart. A brake pedal 13 and an accelerator pedal 16 project upward from the front part of the step plate 6.

The drive system of the golf cart will be briefly described. The engine E is internally provided in the rear cowl 9 as shown in FIG. 2, and a mission case M is connected to a rear portion of the engine E. A differential gear mechanism DG is formed in the rear part of the case M as shown in FIG.
Axles 41, 41 of the left and right rear wheels 3.3 are pivotally supported. That is, it is a rear wheel drive type in which the rear wheel 3 is a driving wheel. The front wheels 2 are driven wheels, and are steering wheels steered by the steering wheel 8.

Next, the brake mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS.
2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, a brake pedal 13, which is a brake operating tool, is projected upward at the front foot of the front seat base 4 (the front portion of the step plate 6), and the lower end of the brake pedal 13 is provided at the step plate 6. 3 and 4, a pedal support member 14 is pivotally supported by a pivot shaft 14a, and a spring 15 biases the pedal support member 14 in a non-braking direction.
The brake pedal 1 is attached to the pedal support member 14.
The accelerator pedal 16 is pivotally supported in parallel with the position 3 of FIG. Two outer metal fittings 20 are fixed to the left and right at the rear part of the pedal support member 14, and the front metal parts of the front wheel brake cable 21F and the rear wheel brake cable 21R are connected to the outer metal parts 20 and 20, respectively. Each brake cable 2
Inner wires of 1F and 21R are slidably fitted into the outer metal fittings 20 and fixed to the absorbing members 19 each having a bellows-like elastic member. Both absorbing members 19
The front end of 19 is pivotally supported on the left and right ends of the equalizer plate 18, and the center of the equalizer plate 18 and the brake pedal 1
The equalizer connecting link 17 is pivotally connected to the base end portion of 3 to form an equalizer mechanism that equalizes the operation amounts of the front wheel brake cable 21F and the rear wheel brake cable 21R. The front wheel brake cable 21F
The rear end portions of the rear wheel brake cable 21R are respectively connected to the brake arms 31a and 31 'of the front center brake mechanism A and the rear center brake mechanism B as described later.
a.

Both of the brake cables 21F and 21R expand with use for a long time, but when the front wheel brake cable 21F and the rear wheel brake cable 21R have different lengths or different sliding amounts, The equalizer plate 18 rotates left and right to absorb this difference. Therefore,
When the brake pedal 13 is operated, the two brake cables 21F and 21R are always differentially operated by an equal amount of operation, so that the front wheels 2 and the rear wheels 3 are uniformly braked.

When the left and right wheels are individually provided with brakes (for example, drum brakes), a brake cable for the left and right brakes is provided with an equalizer mechanism in order to apply a uniform braking force to the brakes attached to the left and right wheels. Although it is necessary to further extend the structure, in this golf cart, as will be described later, since the braking force is applied to the left and right wheels from one brake mechanism by the differential gear mechanism,
The braking force can be evenly applied to the left and right, and such an equalizer mechanism is not necessary. As described above, only the equalizer mechanism that equalizes the braking operation amount between the front and rear wheels is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 10, a front center brake mechanism A having a brake case 22 as a main body is arranged in the center of the front seat base 4. Explaining this, first, on one side surface of the brake case 22, the brake main body case 23 shown in FIGS.
It is fixed like this. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, a differential gear mechanism DG is internally provided in the lower portion of the brake case 22, and the left and right differential gear shafts 30 are arranged on both sides of the differential gear mechanism DG. It supports and projects. Above the differential gear mechanism DG, the brake shaft 24 is laterally supported and one end thereof is inserted into the brake body case 23. At this insertion portion, a disc-shaped brake plate 25 is provided.
Are fixed in a loop. In the brake body case 23, a braking ring 26 is fixed along the brake plate 25, and a ball detent 27 is rotatably fitted along the outside of the brake plate 25. On the other hand, in the brake case 22, a counter gear 28 annularly fixed to the brake shaft 24 is meshed with a ring gear 29 in the differential gear mechanism DG.

When the vehicle is not braked, the brake plate 25 is not braked, that is, the brake shaft 24 is rotatable, and the differential gear shafts 30, 30 are not braked when the vehicle is running. , Transmitted from the left and right front wheels 2.2 (this transmission configuration will be described later), and the brake shaft 2
4 is also following it and rotating. During braking, the ball detent 27 rotates from the non-braking position to the braking position,
By pressing the brake plate 25 and pressing it against the braking ring 26, the brake shaft 24 cannot rotate and the differential gear shafts 30 and 30 are braked via the differential gear mechanism DG. The front wheels 2.2 are braked.

As shown in FIG. 8, the ball detent 27 is biased in a non-braking state by a spring 27b, and a cam 27a is provided so as to project so that the brake main body case 23 is formed.
Brake arm shaft 31 rotatably protruding outward
Is engageable with a cam 31d protruding from the inner end of the, and when the brake arm shaft 31 is rotated to the braking position,
The ball detent 27 is rotated to the braking position via the cams 31d and 27a.

As described above, in the front center brake mechanism A, the integrated disc brake is provided inside the integrated brake body case 23. However, as will be described later, the automatic brake actuator can also be operated by operating the brake pedal. Even with this, the front wheels 2.2 can be braked by this integrated disc brake, and it is not necessary to separately provide a brake by operating the brake pedal.

The brake shaft 24 has a differential gear mechanism D.
It is decelerated via G. The higher the speed reduction ratio in the differential gear mechanism DG, the slower the rotation speed of the brake shaft 24. Therefore, the brake capacity of the disc brake in the brake body case 23 can be suppressed to a small value, and the cost can be reduced. be able to.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, on the outside of the brake body case 23, the brake arm shaft 31 has
The brake arm 31a is fixed. Further, an automatic brake arm boss 32 is loosely fitted around the outside portion of the brake arm shaft 31, and the spring arm 32a and the link arm 3 are connected from the automatic brake arm boss 32.
And 2b project. A long hole 31b is formed at the tip of the brake arm 31a as shown in FIG. 7, and the front wheel brake cable 21F is formed in the long hole 31b.
A sliding shaft 34 at the rear end is slidably fitted inside. In addition, the brake arm shaft 3 of the brake arm 31a.
A stopper 31c that can be pressed against the link arm 32b is provided at a portion opposite to the elongated hole 31b via the stopper 1. In addition, the stopper 31c is the link arm 32.
It is designed to be pressed to the side of the braking position b.

A spring 33 for constant braking shown in FIG. 4 is connected to a support frame (not shown) for supporting the brake case 22 from the spring arm 31a to urge the spring arm 32a in the braking direction. , Unless the spring 33 for constant braking is subject to extension,
Is fixed in the final braking position. At this time, since the link arm 32b is integral with the spring arm 31a, both are in the final braking position, and the stopper 31c of the brake arm 31a is pressed to fix the brake arm 31a to the final braking position. (This is the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 7.) Thus, the brake which is always applied by the urging force of the brake spring 33 is called a constant brake.
At this time, when the brake pedal 13 is not depressed, the position of the sliding shaft 34 in the elongated hole 31b is at the rear end position in the elongated hole 31b, as shown by the solid line in FIG. Even if the front wheel brake cable 21F slides forward by depressing the brake pedal 13, the brake arm 31a is further rotated in the braking direction from this braking position by sliding within the play area in the elongated hole 31b. It does not move.

On the other hand, when the brake is always released on the assumption that the brake pedal 13 is not stepped on, the link arm 32b is pulled by the automatic brake actuator described later, and together with the spring arm 32a, the constant braking spring 33 is provided. Since the arm 31 moves integrally to the non-braking position against the urging force, the stopper 31c is not restrained by the link arm 32b, that is, the force for restraining the brake arm shaft 31 to the braking position is eliminated. Therefore, the ball detent 27 is rotated to the non-braking position by the spring biasing force, the brake arm shaft 31 is also rotated in the non-braking direction via the cams 27a and 31d, and the brake arm 31a is
The stopper 31c rotates to a position where it is pressed against the link arm 32b, that is, to a non-braking position. (This is the position indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 7.) At this time, the sliding shaft 34
7 is located at the front end position within the elongated hole 31b as shown in FIG. 7. Therefore, when the brake cable 21F for the front wheels slides forward by depressing the brake pedal 13, the sliding shaft 34
Immediately pushes the front end of the long hole 31b forward, and since the link arm 32b is on the non-braking side with respect to the stopper 31c, the brake arm 31a is free to rotate to the braking side. Brake cable 21
Immediately after being pulled by F, the brake arm 31a rotates to the braking position. That is, when the brake is always released, the front wheels 2.2 can be braked by depressing the brake pedal 13.

Next, the automatic brake actuator will be described. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the automatic brake actuator is configured in the vicinity of an automatic brake portion 22a formed in the upper rear portion of the brake case 22, and will be described in brief.
It has an automatic brake motor 36 which is a motor, connects the automatic brake link 35 to the link arm 32b, and slides it upward by driving the motor to pull the link arm 32b to a non-braking position for continuous braking. Is to be released.

Specifically, the automatic brake motor 36
The motor shaft of the worm 36a is the worm 36a, and the central shaft 37 of the worm wheel 37a that meshes with the worm 36a.
Is inserted into the brake case 22. These are arranged on the upper side of the brake case 22 on the opposite side of the brake main body case 23, while the pinion shaft 39 is provided on the upper side of the brake case 22 on the same side as the brake main body case 23. Is pivoted,
The pinion 39a is attached to the outer protruding portion of the pinion shaft 39.
Is formed, and a fan-shaped rack 40a that meshes with the
Is also pivotally supported by the brake case 22. The pinion shaft 39 is connected in series with the central shaft 37 of the worm wheel 37 a via the electromagnetic clutch 38 in the brake case 22.

The rack 40a is annularly fixed to a pivot shaft 40 that is axially supported in the brake case 22, and a link arm 40b projects from the same pivot shaft 40. And the link arm 40b and the link arm 32b.
The automatic brake link 35 is connected between and.

Assuming that the electromagnetic clutch 38 is energized and engaged, the automatic brake motor 36
Forward and reverse drive is possible, so the pinion 39a of the rack 40a
The meshing position, that is, the rotating position, can be adjusted between the non-braking position at the upper end and the final braking position at the lower end. Therefore, the automatic brake link 35 can adjust its position in this sliding range, although its sliding upper end is the non-braking position and its lower end is the final braking position. Therefore, the spring arm 32a and the link arm 32b can also be adjusted in position between the non-braking position and the final braking position. In this state, as described above, the brake arm shaft 31 is rotationally biased in the non-braking direction by the spring biasing force of the ball detent 27, and the brake arm 31a is pushed by pressing the stopper 31c.
It rotates integrally with the spring arm 32a and the link arm 32b. Therefore, the amount of rotation of the brake arm shaft 31 is also adjusted by the positions of the spring arm 32a and the link arm 32b.

Therefore, in the brake body case 23, the position of the ball detent 27 can be adjusted between the non-braking position and the final braking position. Since the position of the ball detent 27 is adjusted during this time, the degree of pressure contact of the brake plate 25 with respect to the braking ring 26 is adjusted. Therefore, the braking force applied to the brake shaft 24, that is, the differential gear shafts 30 and 30 is controlled. Power and ultimately the braking force on the front wheels 2.2 will be adjusted. That is, the automatic brake motor 3
It is possible to automatically control the braking force applied to the front wheels 2.2 by adjusting the driving amount and driving direction of the front wheels 6 and 6. It is also possible to bring the front wheels 2.2 into a semi-braking state by these adjustments.
This half braking control is utilized as low speed traveling control.

In the state where the brake pedal 13 is not depressed, the sliding shaft 34 moves to the brake arm 3
Since 1a is in the play area in the long hole 31b regardless of the position between the non-braking position and the final braking position,
The front wheel brake cable 21F does not slide with it. Even in the half braking state, if the brake pedal 13 is depressed, the front wheel brake cable 21F
Slides forward and the sliding shaft 34 slides forward in the long hole 31b, and then pushes the long hole 31b forward to rotate the brake arm 31a to the final braking position.
・ It is possible to put 2 into a completely braking state. That is, even when the braking force is automatically controlled by the automatic brake actuator, the driver can completely brake the front wheel 2 at any position by depressing the brake pedal 13.

When braking is performed by the automatic brake actuator without depending on the depression of the brake pedal 13 (when the vehicle must stop traveling, the cart is automatically stopped regardless of the depression of the brake pedal 13). The electromagnetic clutch 38 is de-energized and disengaged. Note that this is used as an emergency stop in the event of a failure in the electric system of the golf cart, because the vehicle is disengaged when the power supply is stopped. As a result, the transmission from the central shaft 37 of the worm wheel 37a to the pinion shaft 39 is cut off, and the braking force of the braking spring 33 constantly applies the brakes all at once. That is, since the upward pulling force of the automatic brake link 35 disappears, the constant braking spring 33 pivots the spring arm 32a to the final braking position at once, and the link arm 32b and the link arm 32b integrally with the spring arm 32a. When 32b pushes the stopper 31c, the brake arm 31a and the brake arm shaft 31 are swung to the final braking position at once, and the front wheels 2.2 are braked. If the automatic brake link 35 is pulled downward at a stroke while the rack 40a and the pinion 39a are meshed with each other, the meshed portion may be worn or damaged. It has a certain degree of freedom of extension with respect to the pulling force to the rack 40a, and the rack 40a can be gently rotated downward by its own weight to the braking position.

If the automatic brake motor 36 is driven in the opposite direction to the releasing direction to rotate the rack 40a downward to the braking side, the brake link 35 is pushed down, and the link arm 32b and the spring arm 32a. Turns to the braking side. With this rotation, the stopper 31
By pressing c, the brake arm 31a and the brake arm shaft 31 are rotated to the braking side, and the brake is applied. In this case, the rack 40a is rotated to gradually brake. This brake is used during low-speed control, such as when changing from the non-braking state to the semi-braking state.

Next, the rear center brake mechanism B for braking the rear wheels shown in FIGS. 19 to 22 is mainly formed with a traveling mission case M instead of the brake case 22. The brake shaft 24 'and the differential gear mechanism DG in the
1 that functions as a traveling transmission system, brake arm 31a ', spring arm 32a', and link arm 3
It has the same configuration as the front center brake mechanism A except that the shape of 2b 'is different from the above. 19 to 22, the same reference numerals as those used in the front center brake mechanism A indicate the same members, and 24 ', 31
Those having the reference numerals a ', 31b', 31c ', 32a', and 32b 'are different only in shape and the like, and the function as the brake member is 24, 31a, 31b,
They are the same as those denoted by 31c, 32a and 32b. Therefore, the braking force to the rear wheels 3 and 3 can be automatically controlled by the automatic brake actuator, and unless the braking force is controlled by the automatic brake actuator, the brake pedal can be controlled unless it is in a completely braking state. Thirteen
It is possible to put the rear wheels 3.3 into a complete braking state by depressing. When the brake pedal 13 is depressed, the equalizer mechanism can always apply a constant operating force to evenly brake the front and rear wheels.

As described above, in the golf cart of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the front center brake mechanism A and the rear center brake mechanism B are arranged in front of and behind the central portion of the vehicle. The brakes are configured to brake the left and right front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3. Further, each has an automatic brake actuator, and the braking force to the front wheels 2 and the rear wheels 3 can be automatically controlled independently. That is, the braking balance for the front wheels 2 and the rear wheels 3 can be changed.

For example, when a load is applied to the front part of the vehicle body (in this 5-seater cart, the front seat 4
(For example, when a person is only riding), or when braking or slowing down on a downhill, the center of gravity is applied to the front wheel 2 side even if the rear wheel 3 is braked. The rear wheel 3 floats from the ground and slips. Therefore,
Different braking forces are provided by the automatic brake actuators provided in the front center brake mechanism A and the rear center brake mechanism B. First, at the time of braking, the front center brake mechanism A brakes the front wheels 2 by a normal braking operation such as an electromagnetic clutch disengagement operation, and the rear center brake mechanism B avoids slippage in order to avoid slippage. Put in a half braking state. Further, during the low speed control, the braking force applied to the front wheels 2 is increased and the braking force applied to the rear wheels 3 is decreased. By doing so, the front wheel 2 is heavy and has a high degree of pressure bonding to the ground, and the braking force is effectively applied. Further, the rear wheel 3 has a weak braking force to avoid slippage. Therefore, the golf cart can be effectively braked or controlled at a low speed.

The reading of the braking balance, that is, the judgment as to which of the front wheels 2 and the rear wheels 3 the strong braking force is applied to, is determined by
Based on the detection of a tilt angle sensor provided on the vehicle body. That is,
When the lean angle sensor detects that the vehicle body leans toward the front wheel 2 side, for example, each center brake mechanism A is configured to apply a strong braking force to the front wheel 2 and a weak braking force to the rear wheel 3. The electromagnetic clutch 38 in the B automatic brake actuator is de-energized or a control signal is sent to the automatic brake motor 36.

Next, the connecting mechanism between the front center brake mechanism A and the left and right front wheels 2.2 will be described with reference to FIGS.
More will be described. Since the front wheels 2 and 2 are steering wheels and are driven wheels, conventionally, a brake such as a drum brake is attached to each of the left and right front wheels, and a braking force is applied to both separate brakes at the same time. In this embodiment, it is necessary to apply a braking force to the two left and right front wheels 2.2 by the front center brake mechanism A having one disc brake. Since the rear wheels 3 and 3 are driving wheels, the driving of the traveling drive system axles 41 and 41 is performed by applying a braking force to the differential gear mechanism DG in the rear center brake mechanism B with one disc brake. Then, both the left and right rear wheels 3 and 3 can be braked, but conventionally, there is no configuration for transmitting the braking force from one brake to the left and right driven wheels.

The arrangement position of the brake case 22 is
In order to avoid contact with the ground, it is arranged at a somewhat higher position, while the center position of the front wheel 2 is lower than the position of the differential gear shaft DG. Further, for safety reasons, the front wheel 2 is suspension-supported because a person is carried and the vehicle travels in a place with a lot of undulations (the rear wheel 3 also has a suspension structure in which the axle 41 is suspended by a damper). Therefore, the height of the front wheel 2 must be configured to have a certain degree of freedom. There are four-wheel drive type tractors etc. that brake the front wheels, but this can not take a suspension structure because the drive shaft of the front wheels to be braked is housed in a fixed axle case .

Therefore, in the front brake center mechanism A, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the universal joints 30a.
2a, the propeller shafts 42, 42 extend incliningly, that is, extending downward from the brake case 22 toward the front wheel 2, while the left and right front wheels 2, 2.
A universal joint 43 is projected from the center axis of the front wheel 2 inside of the. Are transmitted to the differential gear shaft 30. Thus, when the vehicle is running, the front wheels 2 that are driven wheels
The rotation of 2 is transmitted to the differential gear shafts 30 and 30 via the propeller shafts 42 and 42, and the brake shaft 24 that is axially supported in the brake case 22 is also rotated. And
At the time of braking, the brake shaft 24 is braked by the disc brake in the brake body case 23, the rotation of the differential gear shafts 30 and 30 is stopped, and the propeller shaft 42.4
Brake front wheels 2.2 through 2.

Further, the damper 4 of the suspension member
A front arm 44 having a shape shown in FIGS. 13 to 18 is provided as a member for supporting the propeller shaft 42 and protecting the propeller shaft 42. The front arm 44 encloses the propeller shaft 42 between upper and lower plate members of an arm portion 44b in which plate members are arranged vertically in a V shape in a plan view, and inner ends of the prop arm shafts 44c and 44c are formed as pivotal support parts 44c and 44c. A support frame that supports the brake case 22 is pivotally supported so as to be vertically rotatable. This pivot position is, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the differential gear shaft 30 and the propeller shaft 4 described above.
Universal joints 30a and 42a for connecting with 2
Since it is located in the vicinity of the position where the propeller shaft 42 is vertically rotated, the front arm 44 can also be vertically rotated while keeping the state in which the propeller shaft 42 is included in the arm portion 44b. is there.

A spindle holder 44a is formed at the outer end of the front arm 44, and the damper pivotal support portion 44d is projected upward at the joint between the upper portion of the spindle holder 44a and the upper portion of the arm portion 44b. The lower end of the damper 48 is pivotally supported by the damper pivotally supporting portion 44d as shown in FIGS. 9 and 11. The damper pivotally supporting portion 44d also functions as a reinforcing rib material for the front arm 44.

Such a structure in which the front wheels have a suspension structure and can be braked is also found in FF vehicles and four-wheel drive vehicles for general passenger vehicles. In this case, the transmission case and the bevel gear case in the center are connected to the left and right front wheels by a propeller shaft also using a universal joint. The front arm structure, which has a suspension structure and protects the drive wheels, is a parallel (upper and lower) parallel link (wishbone type suspension) in order to secure the degree of freedom of inclination of the drive wheels. It is a thing. In that respect, in the present invention, the front arm 44 itself is not provided with a link but is a fixed one body, and is pivotally supported so as to be vertically rotatable with respect to the support frame 4a. , Propeller shaft 4
Since it is adapted to follow the vertical rotation of 2 and support suspension, it is simpler and lower in cost than the vertical parallel link type front arm structure.

In the spindle holder 44a,
As shown in FIG. 11, a kingpin support member 45 is pivotally supported on the inner surfaces of the upper and lower surfaces thereof via a kingpin 46. In addition, the universal joint 43 integrated with the front wheel 2
Is internally fitted in the ball bearing 47, and the ball bearing 4
The outer portion of 7 is internally fixed to the kingpin support member 45. That is, the front wheel 2 and the universal joint 4
The kingpin support member 45 does not follow the rotation of 3. In this way, the universal joint 42 is secured in the kingpin support portion 45a of the kingpin support member 45.
The connecting portion of b · 43 is included. The kingpin support member 45 is rotatable with respect to the spindle holder 44a of the front arm 44 via the kingpin 46. By this rotation, the front wheel 2 swings left and right integrally with the kingpin support member 45.

A knuckle arm 45a projecting from the kingpin support member 45 is projected rearward and outward from inside the spindle holder 44a as shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, and the left and right knuckle arms 45a, 45a are connected to each other by a tie rod 48. It is connected with. The tie rod 48 is
The steering wheel 8 can be moved to the left and right, whereby the left and right front wheels 2.2 can be steered left and right integrally. In a conventional passenger car FF vehicle or four-wheel drive vehicle, an upper kingpin is extended upward, a knuckle arm is pivotally supported on this, and a tie rod is disposed above the propeller shaft. In the front arm 44 of the present invention, a moment load is strongly applied to the kingpin portion, and the front arm 44 itself does not rotate smoothly, so that a smooth turning cannot be performed. If the knuckle arm 45a is formed by projecting the kingpin support member 45 in the horizontal direction as in the present invention, such a moment will not be applied to prevent the steering of the front wheels 2.

[0044]

Since the present invention is constructed as described above,
The following effects are obtained. First, since it is configured as in claim 1, in the four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle, the front wheels and the rear wheels can be independently brake-controlled, so that a difference can be provided between the respective braking forces. Therefore, when the center of gravity is unevenly distributed in the front or rear of the vehicle body, the wheel on the side on which the center of gravity is applied is normally or strongly braked, and the wheel on the side on which the center of gravity is not applied has less grip on the ground. It becomes possible to loosen the braking force to prevent slip, and reliable braking or low speed control becomes possible. Vehicles such as golf carts run in undulating places, and people often get on and off and load and unload baggage. If it is a type like a passenger, the front and rear wheels will be longer, and if there is a center of gravity between the front and rear wheels, there will be no problem, but if a person is sitting in only one of the front and rear seats, there is no problem. There is a problem that the center of gravity tends to be biased. The present invention exerts an effective braking effect or speed control effect in such a vehicle in which the center of gravity is likely to move back and forth.

Further, in the case of a structure in which a braking force is applied to the front portion of the four wheels from one brake mechanism (for example, a brake is attached to each of the four wheels and the braking force is applied to all the brakes simultaneously by one automatic control device. If the automatic control device breaks down, all wheels cannot be braked. According to the present invention, if the front wheel and the rear wheel are independently braked, even if one of the braking mechanisms fails, one braking mechanism operates normally and both braking mechanisms do not work at the same time. Since the probability is low, the situation in which braking cannot be performed at all is reduced.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the braking force can be distributed to the left and right wheels through the differential device with one brake, and the brake shaft can be decelerated by the differential device. The brake capacity can be suppressed to be small in proportion to the ratio. Therefore, even if the front and rear wheels are independently controlled as described above, the brake structure can be kept compact and low cost. this is,
The same effect can be obtained in claims 1 and 3. And
By configuring the brakes of the center brake mechanism to be differential regardless of whether the automatic control device or the brake pedal is operated, it is possible to reduce the number of brake systems compared to the configuration in which each brake system is provided separately. To simplify,
It also contributes to making the vehicle compact and lightweight.

Braking by operating the brake pedal
Since priority is given to the braking by the automatic braking device, the vehicle can be stopped at any position by the driver's free will regardless of whether it is at the automatic braking point or not while traveling under the automatic control of the automatic braking device. . In addition, even with one brake pedal operation, even if the play amount changes from the initial setting value due to wear of the brake on the equalizer, the operating force is evenly applied to the front and rear wheels, so good braking is always obtained. .

According to the third aspect of the invention, even for steering wheels, a suspension structure in which the height of the front wheels is changed by providing a propeller shaft from the differential gear shaft in the center brake mechanism to the front wheels is provided. While having it, the braking force can be applied to the left and right front wheels from one brake. In addition, the pivotal fulcrum of the front arm is close to the connecting portion with the differential gear shaft, which is the vertical pivotal fulcrum of the propeller shaft, so that the front arm of the front wheel is always retained while the front arm always holds the propeller shaft. It can follow vertical movement. Further, an integrated front arm can be used instead of the conventional vertical link-shaped front arm structure, and the structure is simple and contributes to cost reduction.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall side view of a multi-person golf cart.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a brake mechanism in the entire golf cart according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a brake pedal and an equalizer portion.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a brake cable wiring from a brake pedal and a front center brake mechanism A.

5 is a side view showing an arrangement structure of an automatic brake actuator in the front center brake mechanism A. FIG.

6 is a front sectional view of a front center brake mechanism A. FIG.

7 is a side view showing an arm structure in a brake body case 23 of the front center brake mechanism A. FIG.

FIG. 8 is a front sectional view showing an arm structure and an internal brake structure.

[FIG. 9] Left and right front wheels 2 from the front center brake mechanism A
FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view showing a brake transmission structure to 2 and a suspension structure.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 11 is a partial front sectional view showing a brake transmission structure and a suspension structure near the front wheel 2.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a positional relationship between a spindle holder 44a and a knuckle arm 45a in the front arm 44.

13 is a front view of the front arm 44. FIG.

FIG. 14 is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 15 is a side view of a pivotally supporting portion 44c of the front arm 44.

16 is a side view of a spindle holder 44a of the front arm 44. FIG.

FIG. 17 is a front sectional view of the same.

FIG. 18 is a side view of the front arm 44.

FIG. 19 is a side view of a rear center brake mechanism B.

FIG. 20 is a front sectional view of the same.

21 is a side view showing an arm structure in a brake main body case 23 of a rear center brake mechanism B. FIG.

FIG. 22 is a front sectional view showing an arm structure and an internal brake structure.

[Short description of reference symbols] A front center brake mechanism B rear center brake mechanism DG differential gear mechanism 2 front wheel 3 rear wheel 13 brake pedal 18 equalizer plate 21F front wheel brake cable 21R rear wheel brake cable 22 brake case 23 brake Main body case 30 Differential gear shaft 31 Brake arm shaft 31a (31a ') Brake arm 31b (31b') Long hole 31c (31c ') Stopper 32 Automatic braking boss 32a (32a') Spring arm 32b (32b ') Link arm 33 Continuous brake spring 34 Sliding shaft 35 Automatic brake link 35 Automatic brake motor 38 Electromagnetic clutch 39a Pinion 40a Rack 40b Link arm 41 Axle 42 Propeller shaft 44 Front arm 44a Spin Holder was installed 45 kingpin support member 45a knuckle arm 46 the king pin 48 tie rod 49 Damper

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. In a four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle, center brake mechanisms for applying braking force to left and right wheels from one brake through a differential device are arranged one by one in front of and behind the vehicle, and the brakes are automatically controlled. A brake mechanism for a four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle, characterized in that an automatic braking device is provided for each center braking mechanism so that each automatic braking device can be controlled independently. 2. In a four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle, a center brake mechanism that applies braking force to the left and right wheels from one brake through a differential device is provided in front of and behind the vehicle, and the brake is automatically applied. In the case where an automatic braking device to be controlled is provided for each center braking mechanism, the brake of each center braking mechanism is actuated by each automatic braking device as well as by the operation of one brake operating tool provided in the vehicle. Braking of a four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle, characterized in that braking by operation of a tool has priority over braking by the automatic braking device, and a uniform operation force is applied to each brake from one brake operating tool. mechanism. 3. A center brake mechanism in which a center brake mechanism for applying a braking force from a single brake to a left and right steering wheel in a four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle through a differential device is provided. Of the differential gear shaft is connected to the left and right wheels of the propeller shaft, and the propeller shaft is included by an integral front arm that supports the damper for suspension. The front arm includes the differential gear shaft and the connecting shaft. A brake mechanism for a four-wheel suspension traveling vehicle, characterized in that it has a pivot point near the joint portion and is rotatable up and down.