An apparatus for transporting a load is described, including: a body including a part or portion for engaging with or connecting to a load to be transported; a ground-engaging device supporting the body, the ground-engaging device for effecting movement of the body over a surface; a transmitter module; a receiver module; and a controller for communicating with the transmitter and receiver modules and the ground engaging device and for receiving status signals from components and/or devices of the apparatus, wherein the controller is capable of conducting a check as to the status of the components and/or devices of the apparatus, and after completing said check to provide an apparatus operative or apparatus non-operative signal to the transmitter module, wherein the transmitter module is configured to transmit the apparatus operative or apparatus non-operative signal to a receiver module of one or more other apparatus and to its own receiver module.

An apparatus for transporting a load is described, including: a body including a part or portion for engaging with or connecting to a load to be transported; a ground-engaging device supporting the body, the ground-engaging device for effecting movement of the body over a surface; a transmitter module; a receiver module; and a controller for communicating with the transmitter and receiver modules and the ground engaging device and for receiving status signals from components and/or devices of the apparatus, wherein the controller is capable of conducting a check as to the status of the components and/or devices of the apparatus, and after completing said check to provide an apparatus operative or apparatus non-operative signal to the transmitter module, wherein the transmitter module is configured to transmit the apparatus operative or apparatus non-operative signal, and wherein the receiver module is configured to receive from a first predetermined, or designated, other such apparatus its respective apparatus operative or apparatus non-operative signals.

A drill rig with a steering system may include a substructure having a wheelhouse, a drill floor arranged atop the substructure, a mast extending upwardly and above the drill floor, and a steering system arranged within the wheelhouse. The steering system may include a wheel assembly comprising an electric motor configured for driving rotational motion of a wheel, a deployment device configuring for deploying the wheel assembly to carry the drill rig, and a steering mechanism configured for selective engagement with the wheel assembly and rotating the wheel assembly.

A wheel steering system includes a steering device arranged on a steerable wheel, a signal execution device and a steering angle control device. The steering device includes a wheel support rotatably connected to a chassis by a slewing bearing, a bottom of the wheel support is rotatably connected to two ends of a rotary shaft of the steerable wheel, and the wheel support is configured to drive the steerable wheel to turn by 360 degrees through the slewing bearing. The signal execution device is configured to control an angle of rotation of the steerable wheel driven by the slewing bearing. The steering angle control device includes a plurality of reciprocating switch rotors, and the plurality of switch rotors are configured to send electrical signals of steering angles to the signal execution device.

A drill rig with a steering system may include a substructure having a wheelhouse, a drill floor arranged atop the substructure, a mast extending upwardly and above the drill floor, and a steering system arranged within the wheelhouse. The steering system may include a wheel assembly comprising an electric motor configured for driving rotational motion of a wheel, a deployment device configuring for deploying the wheel assembly to carry the drill rig, and a steering mechanism configured for selective engagement with the wheel assembly and rotating the wheel assembly.

A synchronous steering vehicle body includes wheels, a cab and a steering mechanism for driving the wheels and the cab to synchronously steer, steering center axes of the wheels are vertical to rotation center axes of the wheels, and the wheels are vertical to the center of the horizontal ground to be concentric to the steering center axes of the wheels, and the steering motions of the wheels and the cab are kept synchronous. The disclosure provides a synchronous steering vehicle body capable of directly achieving the synchronous steering of the wheels and the cab.

A work vehicle includes a hydraulic actuator, a control valve, a pressure sensing unit, a force imparting component, and a controller. The hydraulic actuator varies a steering angle. The control valve controls flow of fluid supplied to the hydraulic actuator. The operation member is configured to be operated by an operator and to control the control valve when varying the steering angle. The pressure sensing unit senses a pressure produced by the hydraulic actuator. The force imparting component imparts an assisting force or a counterforce to operation of the operation member. The controller controls the force imparting component so as to generate resistance to operation of the operation member based on a pressure value sensed by the pressure sensing unit.

A robotic platform may include a chassis, a drive assembly, and a pair of fore and aft wheel assemblies. The drive assembly may include a motor and belt that is controlled by the motor. The wheel assemblies may each include a wheel mounted to an axle for rotation about a drive axis and steering about a steering axis, and a shaft. The shaft may extend along the steering axis from one end that is connected to the axle, to another end that is wrapped by the belt, such that the belt controls rotation of the shaft. Various other assemblies, robots, and methods are also disclosed.

The invention relates to a steering device for an articulated tracked vehicle comprising a front and a rear vehicle unit, wherein said steering device comprises a substantially vertical steering link about whose axis said front and rear vehicle units are pivotable. The vertical steering link is arranged substantially centrally of the front vehicle unit, and the steering device comprises a steering bearing configuration comprising an outer bearing ring arranged to be attached to a centre bean of said front vehicle unit, and an inner bearing ring rotatbly arranged relative to said outer bearing ring via a bearing about the axis of the steering link.

A omnidirectional power steering system which can be used on wheeled vehicles that can travel on land without relying on tracks, the device comprises horizontal steering motors (1), teeth (2), bearing balls (3), a horizontal rotary disc (4), brake discs (5), a space for rotation of the extended brake discs (6), a rotating shaft (7), fixing members (8), an inner layer of the wheel hub motor (9), a tyre (10), a wheel hub (11), a space for tyre rotation (12), an operation space for replacing the tyre (13), a housing (14), brake calipers (15), an outer layer of the wheel hub motor (16), an A-arm (17), a control box (18), single chip microcomputers (19), a control panel (20), sensors (21), connecting rods (22), each tyre (10) can rotate to any angle independently, and can also be matched with other tyres to rotate a specific angle, the horizontal rotary disc (4) is a horizontal large gear, a wheel hub (11) is arranged in the middle space, and a wheel hub motor is mounted in the wheel hub (11), and the wheel hub motor is divided into the rotating layer and the non-rotating layer, the non-rotating layer is fixed on the horizontal rotary disc (4), the rotating layer of the wheel hub motor vertically rotates the wheel frame to drive the wheels to move forwards and backwards. When a steering wheel steers, a connection to the control box (18) is present, the control box (18) issues a signal to an independent turning power source, so that the independent turning power source controls the horizontal rotary disc (4) to steer horizontally, and the control box (18) controls each steering direction and each angle of the plurality of wheels according to a driver-selected steering mode. The steering system can achieve parallel parking, a 180 degree in situ zero rotation radius U-turn, a movement toward any direction from a static position and oblique movement, and can use a drift mode when steering at high speed and a plurality of wheel steering modes at different speeds. Inner and outer side wheels cooperative steering angles are optimized, and tyre wear-outs are significantly reduced.