Vehicle wheel system

• Main Authors: YOUNG DAVID A, BORRONI-BIRD CHRISTOPHER E, VITALE ROBERT L, SHABANA MOHSEN D, CHERNOFF ADRIAN B, ZEMKE BRUCE EDWARD
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 15.07.2008
• Subjects: ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS INVEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OFTRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GASEXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS, IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS OR ADAPTATIONS OF HEATING, COOLING, VENTILATING,OR OTHER AIR-TREATING DEVICES SPECIALLY FOR PASSENGER OR GOODSSPACES OF VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL; CALCULATING; CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TOTRANSPORTATION; COMBINED OPERATIONS; COMPUTING; CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE ORDIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; COUNTING; DATA PROCESSING SYSTEMS OR METHODS, SPECIALLY ADAPTED FORADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL, SUPERVISORYOR FORECASTING PURPOSES; ELECTRIC EQUIPMENT OR PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLEDVEHICLES; ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES, IN GENERAL; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HAND-PROPELLED VEHICLES, e.g. HAND CARTS, PERAMBULATORS; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS; MACHINE TOOLS; MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MEASURING; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; MOTOR VEHICLES; OTHER WORKING OF METAL; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OFVEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TOTHE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT; SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; SLEDGES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE,COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL, SUPERVISORY OR FORECASTINGPURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; TESTING; TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES ORSTRUCTURES; TESTING STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; TRAILERS; TRANSPORTING; UNIVERSAL MACHINE TOOLS; VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS; VEHICLES IN GENERAL

A wheel assembly for a vehicle includes a rotatable wheel having a selectively adjustable steering angle. A steering actuator is operatively connected to the wheel and is configured to selectively adjust the steering angle of the wheel and not any other wheels. The wheel assembly allows independent control of the steering angle of the wheel. The wheel assembly also facilitates modular construction of vehicles by enabling the packaging of mechanical steering components in a preassembled wheel module with simple electrical connections to a vehicle chassis.