Ford Tank Turn Patent - Applied Oct 2020 - Published April 21, 2022

[Zoidz]

Inside EVs

If you read the patent details, they are unloading the suspension weight on two wheels by removing air from the suspension to allow two tires to skid and two tires to drive? There has to be a "trick" since it is dual motor, not quad.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first suspension includes a first flexible bellow, the second suspension includes a second flexible bellow.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the controller is to decrease the first suspension load and the second suspension load by: indicating to a first pump to remove air from the first flexible bellow; and indicating to a second pump to remove air from the second flexible bellow.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is to decrease the first suspension load and the second suspension load in response to determining that (a) a first brake associated with the first wheel is engaged and (b) a second brake associated with the second wheel is engaged.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, further including a graphical user interface to display a button that, when selected, indicates to the controller to: determine whether the first brake associated with the first wheel is engaged; and determine whether the second brake associated with the second wheel is engaged.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, further including a first motor to drive the first axle and a second motor to drive the second axle.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to perform a tank turn. An example vehicle includes a first wheel and a second wheel, the first wheel located on an end of a first axle, the second wheel located on an end of the second axle, the end of the first axle opposite to the end of the second axle, a first suspension coupled to the first wheel, a second suspension coupled to the second wheel, and a controller to drive the first axle in a first direction, drive the second axle in the second direction and decrease a first suspension load of the first suspension and a second suspension load of the second suspension.

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[E.S.]

Dual motor? Not possible unless they add a two gears on each end of the motor's axle and each of them having an additional gear which allows it to engage in the opposite direction when selected. Possible? Yes. Overly complicated? Even that much more more so than a quad-motor design.

 

[Zoidz]

The patent explains it in less than clear detail and it would not require additional gears.
1) pump down front left and right rear suspension, putting most of the weight on front right and left rear.
2) Lock the brakes front left and right rear.
3) Power up the front motor going in reverse. With open diff, Front right turns backwards since front left is locked.
4) at the same time power up rear motor going forward and and right rear brake locked. Left rear spins forward.
5) Ugly mechanically abusive tank turn takes place.

We can debate if it makes any practical sense, how hard it is on the drive train, etc. but that’s what they patented and in theory it will work.

The patent office doesn’t care how much practical merit an idea has, they primarily determine if it is a unique solution or a significant difference from an existing patent.

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