LOW GRAVITY ALL-SURFACE VEHICLE

摘要

Vehicles are disclosed which have a lower center of gravity than existing all-terrain, amphibious, and unmanned ground vehicles due to the location of propulsion units and other vehicle components inside the wheels of the vehicle. The vehicles can climb over large obstacles yet are also able to corner at high speeds. The vehicles can be configured for direct manual operation or operation by remote control, and can also be configured for a wide variety of missions.

主权项

1. A vehicle comprising:
a frame; and a plurality of self-contained motorized wheels, each wheel defining an inner volume and comprising:
an axle extending through the inner volume and having one end positioned outside of the inner volume, the one end attached to the frame;a propulsion unit supported within the inner volume by the axle and drivingly coupled to the wheel; anda frame mount positioned within the inner volume and connected to the axle, the frame mount having a portion extending below an axis of the axle, which portion supports a control unit and an energy source for powering the propulsion unit and the control unit; wherein the center of gravity of each self-contained motorized wheel is below the axis of the axle thereof.