초록 ▼

An all-terrain vehicle is supported and driven by endless track units. Each track unit includes a drive belt with rows of interior drive lugs driven by cogs on multiple sprocket wheels of a common drive wheel assembly having an integrated, one-piece drum and hub. Multiple guide wheel assemblies enga

An all-terrain vehicle is supported and driven by endless track units. Each track unit includes a drive belt with rows of interior drive lugs driven by cogs on multiple sprocket wheels of a common drive wheel assembly having an integrated, one-piece drum and hub. Multiple guide wheel assemblies engaging the lower run of the drive belt distribute the vehicle load across substantially the full width of the belt. Each guide wheel assembly includes a pair of guide wheel units mounted on opposite end portions of a common spindle and on opposite sides of a carrier beam of the track unit. Each guide wheel unit has a wide belt-engaging surface extending to, or close to, an edge portion of the belt and interrupted by an annular groove permitting passage of a row of the belt drive lugs while maintaining alignment of the belt and drive wheel assembly.

대표청구항 ▼

I claim: 1. A drive track unit for a track-driven all-terrain vehicle, the drive track unit including: a track unit frame including a carrier beam extending longitudinally of the track unit; plural guide wheel assemblies rotatably mounted on said carrier beam; a drive wheel assembly rotatably suppo

I claim: 1. A drive track unit for a track-driven all-terrain vehicle, the drive track unit including: a track unit frame including a carrier beam extending longitudinally of the track unit; plural guide wheel assemblies rotatably mounted on said carrier beam; a drive wheel assembly rotatably supported on said frame; an endless drive track trained about said guide wheel assemblies and the drive wheel assembly; a drive axle drivingly connected at one end portion to said drive wheel assembly for rotating the assembly and adapted for connection to a power source on a vehicle; said plural guide wheel assemblies and said drive wheel assembly supporting said endless track in a generally triangular configuration with the drive wheel assembly at the apex of said configuration and said guide wheel assemblies spaced apart along the base of the configuration so that the track defines a terrain-engaging lower track run; said guide wheel assemblies each including multiple guide wheel units, with at least one said guide wheel unit mounted on each of the opposite sides of said carrier beam; said endless track having a track width defined by inner and outer track reaches extending laterally inwardly and outwardly beyond the carrier beam and terminating at inner and outer track edges; each said guide wheel unit of a guide wheel assembly including a track support surface engaging and supporting said endless track such that the track support surfaces of a guide wheel assembly support substantially the full width of the drive track; said drive track comprising an elastomer drive belt having circumferentially spaced apart drive lugs extending inwardly from an inner surface of the belt and arranged in multiple circumferentially extending rows, said drive wheel assembly including a sprocket wheel means including cogs for drivingly engaging the lugs in each of said rows. 2. A drive track unit according to claim 1 wherein the multiple rows of lugs include at least three rows of lugs and said sprocket wheel means includes at least two sprocket wheels, each with its cogs arranged to drivingly engage at least two of said rows of lugs. 3. A drive track unit according to claim 1 wherein said drive belt has a smooth outer surface to minimize terrain disturbance. 4. A drive track unit according to claim 2 wherein said drive wheel assembly includes a unitary one-piece axle hub and sprocket drum directly and drivingly connected to said drive axle and to both said sprocket wheels. 5. A drive track unit according to claim 1 wherein said track support surfaces of said guide wheel units of a guide wheel assembly engage the inner surface of said drive belt across substantially the full width of said belt except in regions of said inner belt surface interrupted by said rows of drive lugs. 6. A drive track unit according to claim 1 wherein each said guide wheel unit of a guide wheel assembly includes laterally spaced apart outer and inner track support surface portions for engaging and supporting said drive belt, said surface portions of a wheel unit being separated by a circumferential groove for receiving and allowing passage of a row of said lugs. 7. A drive track unit according to claim 6 wherein the outer surface portion of each said guide wheel unit is substantially wider than the inner surface portion thereof and extends laterally to a position adjacent one of said edges of said drive belt. 8. A drive track unit according to claim 5 wherein each said guide wheel unit of a guide wheel assembly includes laterally spaced apart outer and inner track support surface portions for engaging and supporting the drive belt, said surface portions of a wheel unit being separated by a circumferential groove for receiving and allowing passage of a row of said lugs, and said outer surface portion being substantially wider than said inner surface portion and extending laterally to a position adjacent one of said edges of said belt. 9. A drive track unit according to claim 4 wherein each said guide wheel unit of a guide wheel assembly includes laterally spaced apart outer and inner track support surface portions for engaging and supporting the drive belt, said support surface portions of a wheel unit being separated by a circumferential groove for receiving and allowing passage of a row of said lugs, and said outer support surface portion being substantially wider than said inner support surface portion and extending outwardly to a position adjacent to the outer edge of said belt. 10. A drive track unit according to claim 1 wherein said inner and outer track reaches of said drive belt terminate respectively at said inner and outer track edges laterally inwardly and outwardly beyond the inner and outer limits of said track support surfaces. 11. A drive track unit according to claim 10 wherein said drive lugs are arranged in three said rows, including an outer row positioned to be restrained against lateral movement by a first said guide-wheel unit of a guide wheel assembly, an inner row positioned to be restrained against lateral movement by a second guide wheel unit of said guide wheel assembly, and a middle row positioned between said first and second guide wheel units, the lugs of said middle row having a width such that said middle row is restrained against lateral movement by both of said first and second guide wheel units. 12. A drive track unit according to claim 1 wherein said drive lugs are arranged in three said rows, including an outer row positioned to be restrained against lateral movement by a first said guide-wheel unit of a guide wheel assembly, an inner row positioned to be restrained against lateral movement by a second guide wheel unit of said guide wheel assembly, and a middle row positioned between said first and second guide wheel units, the lugs of said middle row having a width such that said middle row is restrained against lateral movement by both of said first and second guide wheel units. 13. A drive track unit according to claim 12 wherein the lugs in said middle row are substantially wider than the lugs in said outer and inner rows. 14. A drive track unit according to claim 10 wherein said cogs are sized and arranged to drivingly engage simultaneously the full width of a lug in each of said rows. 15. A drive track unit according to claim 1 wherein said cogs are sized and arranged to drivingly engage simultaneously the full width of a lug in each of said rows. 16. A drive track unit according to claim 12 wherein said cogs are sized and arranged to drivingly engage simultaneously the full width of a lug in each of said rows. 17. A drive track unit according to claim 13 wherein said cogs are sized and arranged to drivingly engage simultaneously the full width of a lug in each of said rows. 18. A drive track unit for a track-driven all-terrain vehicle, the track unit comprising: a track frame including a carrier beam extending longitudinally of the frame; a rotatable track drive wheel assembly supported on said frame; plural guide wheel assemblies mounted on said carrier beam and in spaced apart relationship along said beam; an endless drive track trained about said drive wheel assembly and said guide wheel assemblies and being drivingly engaged by the drive wheel assembly and supported during ground engagement by said guide wheel assemblies; each said guide wheel assembly including a wheel spindle fixedly mounted to said carrier beam and extending laterally outwardly and inwardly beyond said beam, and a pair of guide wheel units rotatably mounted on said spindle, including an outer guide wheel unit mounted outwardly of said beam and an inner guide wheel unit mounted inwardly of said beam, such that the outer and inner guide wheel units are axially spaced apart on opposite sides of said beam and define the width of the guide wheel assembly; and each said inner and outer guide wheel unit of a guide wheel assembly including an outer guide wheel portion and an inner guide wheel portion carried by a common guide wheel hub rotatably mounted on said spindle, said outer and inner guide wheel portions each including a track-engaging surface, said track-engaging surface of said outer guide wheel portion being substantially wider than the track-engaging surface of said inner guide wheel portion, and the guide wheel surfaces of said inner and outer guide wheel portions being separated by an annular groove. 19. A drive track unit according to claim 18 wherein said endless track has a track width extending at least the full width of said guide wheel assembly. 20. A drive track unit according to claim 18 wherein said guide wheel assembly has a width that extends substantially the full width of said endless drive track. 21. A drive track unit according to claim 18 wherein all said guide wheel assemblies engaging a ground-engaging portion of the endless track are identical. 22. A drive track unit according to claim 20 wherein all guide wheel assemblies engaging a ground-engaging portion of the endless track are of identical construction. 23. A drive track unit according to claim 18 wherein the inner and outer guide wheel units of a said guide wheel assembly are identical in size and construction. 24. A drive track unit according to claim 18 wherein the track-engaging surface of said outer guide wheel portion extends to substantially an edge portion of the endless track. 25. A drive track unit according to claim 18 wherein the endless drive track comprises an elastomer belt having a smooth outer ground-engaging surface and an inner surface including multiple laterally spaced-apart rows of inwardly extending and longitudinally spaced-apart drive lugs. 26. A drive track unit according to claim 25 wherein each said guide wheel unit includes an outer belt-engaging surface, said surface being subdivided by an annular groove into a wide outer surface portion and a narrower inner surface portion, said groove being sized and positioned to enable a row of said lugs to pass therethrough when said belt-engaging surface engages the inner surface of said belt. 27. A drive track unit according to claim 26 wherein said belt includes at least one row of drive lugs positioned between and extending into the space defined by the separation between said outer and inner guide wheel units of a guide wheel assembly, such that said at least one row of drive lugs passes between said outer and inner guide wheel units of said assembly. 28. A drive track unit according to 27 wherein said belt-engaging surfaces of said inner and outer guide wheel units of a guide wheel assembly engage and support substantially the entire width of said endless belt except in spaces defined by said annular grooves and by the separation between said guide wheel units of said assembly. 29. A drive track unit according to claim 24 including a drive axle and wherein said drive wheel assembly comprises a pair of axially spaced apart drive sprocket wheels mounted on a central one-piece sprocket drum and hub, the drive sprocket wheels being drivingly connected directly to opposite end portions of said drum and hub, and the drum and hub being drivingly connected directly to said drive axle, each drive sprocket wheel including circumferentially spaced apart drive cogs extending laterally from opposite sides of the sprocket wheel to drivingly engage said drive lugs of multiple said rows of lugs. 30. A drive track unit according to claim 29 wherein the belt includes at least three said rows of lugs including one said row aligned with said annular groove of each said guide wheel unit and another said row aligned with and extending into the spacing between said pair of guide wheel units of a guide wheel assembly. 31. A drive track unit according to claim 27 wherein said at least one row of drive lugs comprises a single row of said drive lugs. 32. A drive track unit according to claim 31 wherein the drive lugs of said single row extend substantially the full width of said space between said outer and inner guide wheel units. 33. A drive track unit according to claim 19 wherein said track width is greater than the full width of said guide wheel assembly. 34. A drive track unit according to claim 29 wherein each drive cog is sized to drivingly engage the full width of each drive lug in a row of said lugs. 35. A drive track unit according to claim 30 wherein a single said row of lugs extends into said spacing, the lugs of said single row having a width that substantially fills said spacing, and said drive cogs of said pair of sprocket wheels including cog portions that drivingly engage substantially the full width of the lugs of said single row. 36. A drive track unit for a track-driven all-terrain vehicle, the track unit comprising: a track frame including a carrier beam extending longitudinally of the frame; a rotatable track drive wheel assembly supported on said frame; plural guide wheel assemblies mounted on said carrier beam and in spaced apart relationship along said beam; an endless drive track trained about said drive wheel assembly and said guide wheel assemblies and being drivingly engaged by the drive wheel assembly and supported during ground engagement by said guide wheel assemblies; each said guide wheel assembly including a wheel spindle fixedly mounted to said carrier beam and extending laterally outwardly and inwardly beyond said beam, and a pair of guide wheel units rotatably mounted on said spindle, including an outer guide wheel unit mounted outwardly of said beam and an inner guide wheel unit mounted inwardly of said beam, such that the outer and inner guide wheel units are axially spaced apart on opposite sides of said beam and define the width of the guide wheel assembly; an elastomer belt having a smooth outer ground-engaging surface and an inner surface including multiple laterally spaced-apart rows of inwardly extending and longitudinally spaced-apart drive lugs; and each said guide wheel unit including an outer belt-engaging surface, said surface being subdivided by an annular groove into a wide outer surface portion and a narrower inner surface portion, said groove being sized and positioned to enable a row of said lugs to pass therethrough when said belt-engaging surface engages the inner surface of said belt. 37. A drive track unit according to claim 36 wherein said belt includes at least one row of drive lugs positioned between and extending into the space defined by the separation between said outer and inner guide wheel units of a guide wheel assembly, such that said at least one row of drive lugs passes between said outer and inner guide wheel units of said assembly. 38. A drive track unit according to claim 37 wherein said belt-engaging surfaces of said inner and outer guide wheel units of a guide wheel assembly engage and support substantially the entire width of said endless belt except in spaces defined by said annular grooves and by the separation between said guide wheel units of said assembly. 39. A drive track unit according to claim 37 wherein said at least one row of drive lugs comprises a single row of said drive lugs. 40. A drive track unit according to claim 39 wherein the drive lugs of said single row extend substantially the full width of said space between said outer and inner guide wheel units.