| 摘要 |
FOUR-WHEEL STEERABLE VEHICLE HAVING A FORE/AFT SLIDING LINK. A vehicle having four-wheel steering is disclosed. The rotation of the steering wheel is transferred through a steering gear to a double pitman arm. A drag link is coupled to one end of the double pitman arm and to the front-wheel steering control arm. A second drag link is pivotally coupled to the other end of the double pitman arm and to a sliding link. The sliding link extends from a position adjacent the steering gear to a position adjacent the rear axle. A drag link is pivotally coupled from the other end of the sliding link to an idler arm. The idler arm is pivotally coupled to the frame of the vehicle. Another drag link is pivotally coupled to the idler arm and also to the rear-wheel steering control arm. Rotation of the steering gear causes the double pitman arm to pivot about a central pivot point. As the double pitman arm pivots, the sliding rod moves axially fore or aft, causing the idler arm adjacent the rear axle to pivot. As the idler arm pivots, the steering control arm for the rear wheels moves, causing the wheels to turn an amount proportional to the motion of the idler arm. The support clamp for the sliding link permits fore/aft axial motion of the sliding link but prohibits radial motion of the sliding link. The length of the drag links is variable to permit precise alignment of the wheels of the front axles with the wheels of the rear axle.
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