WO2017042721A1

WO2017042721A1 - Modular kinetic pneumatic device

Info

Publication number: WO2017042721A1
Application number: PCT/IB2016/055375
Authority: WO
Inventors: Carlos ROVETTO; Salvador VARGAS; Pablo MONTERO; Cesar ALMANZA; Giancarlo RUIZ
Original assignee: Universidad Tecnologica De Panama
Current assignee: Universidad Tecnologica De Panama
Priority date: 2016-07-20
Filing date: 2016-09-09
Publication date: 2017-03-16
Anticipated expiration: 2019-01-20

Abstract

A modular kinetic pneumatic device intended for being installed in objects to move them from a first position to a final position. It comprises an air compressor, at least one air bag with a certain angle of inclination observable from one of its views, at least one duct wherethrough air passes from the air compressor to the air bag, and a control unit that controls the filling and emptying of the air bags.

Description

MODULAR KINETIC PNEUMATIC DEVICE

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses a modular kinetic pneumatic device which allows the movement of objects, preferably vehicles, in situations in which the vehicle is stuck, for example, in mud, snow, sand or similar.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In many situations in life traction is lost in the wheels, endless tracks or arms of vehicles that move over terrain where there is little friction between the ground and the surface of the vehicle. Currently, there is continuous interest in improving the traction of vehicles in all types of terrain and providing a secure and efficient medium that can be integrated without making major changes to the vehicle.

Given the geographical, ecological and climatic characteristics, in addition to the difficulty of accessing many areas such as non-urban zones, there are no economically viable technological alternatives for mobilising a vehicle or load that is stuck.

The conventional modalities for solving these problems are based on increasing the size and amount of the vehicle traction devices or on resting the vehicle on points distant from the bog area. The first technique is not dynamic because the change is not performed quickly and the second technique requires moving away from the bog area, which in certain areas is either a risk or there is no support, as in the case, for example, of sandy terrain.

A conventional modality is to use a set of air bags for raising a vehicle from the ground where it is stuck. The air bags provide facilities that make it possible to adapt to irregular and particular conditions of the terrain and is even efficient for different temperatures. However, this solution does not provide mobility. A solution for moving the vehicle once raised from the ground is not known.

Providing mobility requires a strategy that is associated with the position with respect to the terrain in which the bags are inflated and deflated. This sequence guarantees that the effort made to raise the vehicle is not wasted and is leveraged for future movements in other, different places.

The introduction of new technologies using airbags to separate the vehicle stuck in muddy ground, sand, snow, etc., while simultaneously providing mobility is a way of reinforcing the technological capabilities of the conventional traction system.

The use of a device that uses compressed air bags to raise or support the crossing of vehicles is a technology that, in itself, does not solve the problem of mobility of the vehicle on the road. From time immemorial, cylindrical shapes have been used, placed underneath the objects that must be moved and currently that is the technique applied with cylinder-shaped compressed air bags.

This technique avoids friction on rolling the cylinder underneath the object or vehicle to be moved, but lacks a propulsion system per se provided by the air bags. Likewise, the use of air bags with different geometrical shapes to support the crossing of a wheel or endless track in an area in which there is no traction is known.

For this reason, it is necessary to develop a technological concept that provides mobility taking advantage of the height provided by the air bags, without considering the terrain in which the vehicle is stuck. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A device is proposed for moving vehicles or loads using air bags that are sequentially inflated and deflated. This is specially intended for use in vehicles which are stuck in mud, sand, snow or other type of terrain where they do not have traction in their main mobility system. The air bags are independent but function in a coordinated manner to produce the movement of an object on a surface.

The displacement is caused by the sequential inflation and deflation of the different air bags. The bags, with different inclinations and sizes, are inflated with different amounts of air. In this manner, the object moves between air bags with different heights. A sequential inflation process is used such that bags of greater height and then those of lower height are inflated. The subsequent deflation is performed in the same order. Said inflation and deflation is preferably performed using compressors.

The displacement of the object is caused by the fact that smaller bags have a certain angle of inclination and contact different from the angle of inclination and contact of the larger bags. This makes it possible to perform a hinge movement while the larger bags are deflated. The bag that has a hinged movement does so because it is rigid, inclined and, in addition, held by one end, such that when the support bags are deflated they bear the weight, which they tend to rotate on the base by which it is held.

The inclined bags must have, on average, the same direction of inclination therebetween and the projection of the air bag on the ground must indicate the direction of movement to be achieved, in order to guarantee the movement in a certain direction.

The smaller bags give up their position due to their deflation and the thrust caused by the larger bags. The inflation and deflation is guided by a control system that individually inflates or deflates the bags required to generate displacement. The movement process begins with the filling of the air bags and ends with the total emptying thereof. It is a cyclical process that is performed as often as required until reaching the established destination position.

A minimum or maximum ideal size is not determined for the bags due to the fact that they can be retracted once deflated and inflated according to need. This flexibility will allow the device to be preserved in a cavity the size of the air bag in order to protect it from the environment.

A first object of the present invention is to mobilise an object, which can be a vehicle, from an initial position to a final position using air bags.

Another objective of the present invention is to allow the easy installation of the device in any vehicle where there is space between the lower part of the vehicle and the ground. This device will even allow movement over a water channel due to the floatability of the air bags. In the event that it is to be used for the displacement of a vehicle in a water channel, the characteristics of said channel must previously be considered.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a resistant structure and mechanisms to survive the collisions suffered to the vehicle during its movement.

Another objective of the present invention provides a device that can easily be transported over long distances. In addition, it must be transportable by any means of transport and, above all, towed or sent by any small or medium-sized means of transport. These conditions are necessary to transport it to the vehicle in which it must be installed.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a device that can easily be adjusted to work in the standard anchoring points of a traction vehicle.

Another objective of this invention is to provide another traction alternative for vehicles that move mainly over mud, sand, stone or snow and require a secondary mobilisation system when the main traction system does not have sufficient capacity to move the vehicle from one place to another.

Another objective of the present invention is to increase the manoeuvring capacity of a vehicle so it can move over different types of terrain with the adaptation of this device on the lower part thereof.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a device easy to maintain. This characteristic is very important because the device is going to be, on many occasions, operating in areas far from technical service providers or spare parts suppliers.

In order to achieve these objectives, a device is provided that comprises at least one air bag which is inflated or deflated in order to create a hinge effect which allows displacement using the inclination towards one of its sides.

Ideally, the device comprises a plurality of air bags aimed at reinforcing the structure and facilitating the inclination and subsequent displacement of the device from an initial site to a final site. These air bags can be individually replaced in the case of deterioration due to fact that it is individually inflated and deflated.

The inflation and deflation of the air bags is carried out through a control unit and can be carried out simultaneously in all the bags.

The distance between the air bags must be sufficient to allow them to adapt to a certain inclination when deflated. The height of the bags is determined by the displacement need. The greater the lifting height the greater the displacement achieved.

Likewise, the air bags must necessarily have a mechanism that causes a difference in height which in turn represents a gain from a first point to a second point.

The air bags may also have recesses depending on the degree of grip desired in each embodiment. Said degree of grip generally depends on the terrain on which the device is to be used. The tread of the air bag may be adapted for muddy terrain, for rocky terrain, for sandy terrain or for snow. This is done with the aim of reinforcing traction; however, the air bags may encompass a wide area and do not need to go deep into the ground to have traction due to the fact that they encompass a larger size than a traditional traction system.

That is, with the present invention we do not aim to achieve traction by going deep into the ground but rather by creating a height differential that makes it possible to create displacement from one place to another. This makes it possible to move a vehicle even when there is no traction with the conventional system and can be applied in different terrains. The temperature does not affect the operation of the proposed device and does not represent an obstacle for inflating and deflating the air bags. In order to ensure a movement of the device on a surface there must be a degree of inclination that can be exceeded by the height reached by the air bags. If the degree of inclination of the ground is very steep, there will be a force vector in the direction of gravity that will prevent the device from functioning properly. As an alternative, in these cases, we propose making the object or vehicle advance in the direction of inclination given by the terrain or sideways.

All the control, inflation and deflation elements of the device are disposed on the side farthest from the area of impact of the bags in order to prevent the metallic parts from receiving dirt or water from the terrain. In some embodiments these elements may be protected to guarantee their operation in extreme conditions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

As a complement to the description being made, and for the purpose of helping to make the characteristics of the invention more readily understandable, in accordance with a preferred practical embodiment thereof, said description is accompanied by a set of drawings constituting an integral part thereof which, by way of illustration and not limitation, represent the following:

FIGURE 1. Shows a front view of the device;

FIGURE 2. Shows a side view of the device;

FIGURE 3. Shows an elevation view of the device of figure 2 installed in a vehicle and representing two different possible types of air bags with different angles; and

FIGURE 4. Shows an elevation view of the device installed in a vehicle at the time of displacement of the vehicle.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

What follows is a description, with the help of figures 1 to 4, of an example of embodiment of the invention.

The figures accompanying this description are not to scale. The dimension and/or real shape of each of the components of the device may vary. Since the main function of the device relates to the movement of a vehicle or object using air bags that are inflated and deflated in a logical sequence until going from an origin to a destination, no shape, size or exact position.

The key of the invention is the use of an angle of inclination that is generated either by raising air bags of different sizes and with different angles of inclination or by the use of a single air bag but with a mechanism that generates that angle of inclination that determines the change in position.

Likewise, neither the degree of resistance nor the force used to inflate or deflate the air bags is mentioned, due to the fact that it may vary based on the displacement needs or the terrain.

Figure 1 shows a front view of the device wherein an air compressor has been schematically represented, which is the element of the device in charge of inflating and deflating the air bags. Likewise, the air duct lines have been represented wherethrough the air passes from the compressor to the air bags.

The figure shows a representation of a first segment (1) that corresponds to the upper part of the bags and a second segment (V) that corresponds to the lower part of the bags, which is the part that remains in contact with the ground.

It is also shown a first tread (2) that corresponds to the tread of a certain air bag, seen from a side view, and a second tread (3) that corresponds to the tread of another air bag adjacent to the previous air bag, also seen from a side view. As can be observed from the treads (2, 3), the air bags have a different angle of inclination therebetween. This difference in height between a number n of air bags different from each other as, for example, in the case of the first bag (1) and the second bag (V), causes a change in position and the subsequent movement of the device from an initial place to a final place.

Figure 1 also shows a compressor (4), which is the element of the device in charge of introducing air through the ducts (represented with a dotted line) in the air bags.

Figure 2 shows a side view of the device. The arrows (5) represent the variation in height between the different types of air bags. In this figure only two different types of air bags have been represented for greater clarity of the explanation and the figure. The figures (5) indicate the difference in height between the two. There may be other types of air bags and different heights, in addition to air bag shapes, in order to achieve the objective of moving the device from one place to another, different place.

Figure 3 shows a representation of a side view of the device disposed in a vehicle. The area segments (6) represent the area wherein the air compressor and the device control unit will be disposed. The arrows (5) have been represented as in figure 2 to show the difference in height between two different types of air bags. Figure 4 shows a figure similar to figure 3 but wherein only one type of air bag can be observed and the movement that has been caused by the deflation of the other type of air bag can be observed.

The profile wherefrom the inclination of the air bag or air bags can be seen is the profile lateral to the movement. The inclination of the bags must be in the same direction as the movement we want to achieve.

The angle of inclination must form a certain angle with respect to the perpendicular to the surface of the earth.

Claims

1. A modular kinetic pneumatic device intended for being installed in objects to move them from a first position to a final position, which comprises:

- an air compressor;

at least one air bag with at least one inclined side;

at least one duct wherethrough air passes from the air compressor to the air bag; and

a control unit that controls the filling and emptying of the air bags.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein an air bag or a set of air bags have a hinge-type movement.

3. The device of claim 1 , which comprises a plurality of air bags of different sizes and at least one of its sides is inclined.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the inclined sides of each bag have different degrees of inclination.