GB707655A - Improvements in and relating to endless track vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

707,655. Endless track vehicles. RESTANY, J. L. L. June 22, 1951 [June 23, 1950; April 19, 1951], No. 14904/51. Classes 79(2), 79(3) and 79(5) [Also in Groups XXIV, XXXIV, and XXXV] An endless track vehicle is steered by a mechanism in which the energy necessary to overcome the turning resistance of the vehicle is supplied by kinetic energy previously stored in two flywheels each driven by an independent auxiliary motor. As shown in Fig. 2 two coaxially arranged flywheels 16, 17, are rotated independently in opposite directions by electric motors 22, 23, and are each provided with electromagnetic braking solenoids 24, 25 and 26, 27 respectively. The flywheels are contained in a casing 13 which may be evacuated of air or filled with a light gas to reduce rotational resistance. The casing is bolted to the chassis of the vehicle with the axis of the flywheels vertical and when the vehicle is to be steered one or other of the flywheels is braked by its electromagnets and/or by reversing the current supply to its motor and the resulting inertia reaction on the chassis steers the vehicle. Either of the flywheels may also be coupled by means of electromagnetic clutches to a gear wheel 12, each clutch consisting of a plate 28 or 29 and a solenoid 30 or 31, both solenoids being secured to a plate 32 which is connected to the gear wheel 12. The gear wheel may drive a gun-turret so that is can be moved when desired by the energy in one or other of the flywheels, the turret having an electrically actuated brake for stopping its rotation. The gear wheel 12 may alternatively be connected to the tracks of the vehicle so that the energy in one or other of the flywheels is used to overdrive a differential to steer the vehicle in addition to using the inertia reaction of the flywheels. As shown in Fig. 4, track sprockets 46 are normally driven by a motor 34 through bevel gears 38, 39 and a differential 40 which is connected to shafts 41, 42. Each shaft 41, 42 is connected by gearing to a further shaft 50, 51 these shafts being driven equally in opposite directions. The shafts 50, 51 are connected to the output shafts of a differential 49, the input shaft of which is driven by the gear 12. Hence when the gear 12 is rotated by one or other of the flywheels, one of the shafts 50, 51 is speeded up and the other is slowed down, corresponding variations being transmitted to the track sprockets. In a modification of this construction the flywheels which are each driven by electric motors are mounted on the shafts 50, 51, and are each provided with an electric winding energized through slip rings so that either flywheel can be clutched to the cage of the differential 49. By this means the speed of the endless tracks may be varied as in the former construction but the inertia reaction of the flywheels is not used directly. In a further modification two flywheels, each driven by electric motors, are positioned on the shafts 41, 42 and rotated in the same direction. They each have an electric winding by which they may be clutched independently to the adjacent output gears of the differential 40 to vary the speed of the track sprockets. When a spur-type differential is used braking bands to assist the action may also be provided. In any of the above constructions hydraulic clutches may be used instead of electromagnetic clutches. The application of the construction using inertia reaction is also described as applied to a tank having a single endless track and carrying an explosive charge which is detonated by a radio receiver. The tank is driven by a flywheel motor and the steering flywheel may be controlled by the radio receiver.