Patent ID: 6543548
Filing Date: 2003-04-08
Classification: B60K,B62D

Abstract:
An operating device in a vehicle provided with front and rear wheels, a steering device and a pair of continuously variable transmissions, the vehicle comprising:left and right driven wheels as the front or rear wheels connected to said pair of continuously variable transmissions, respectively; a vehicle speed setting means for setting a vehicle speed; and a steering angle setting means for setting a steering angle of the steering device which is operatively associated with the other of said front and rear wheels; in which outputs of said continuously variable transmissions are increased and decreased at substantially identical rotational numbers to each other based on an operation of said vehicle speed setting means, and said outputs of said continuously variable transmissions are increased and decreased at different rotational numbers from each other based on an operation of said steering angle setting means, thereby varying wheel speeds of the driven wheels so as to control said vehicle speed and to conduct a steering, wherein said operating device includes a steering characteristic changeover means for changing over speed increasing and decreasing characteristics of said pair of continuously variable transmissions based on the operation of said steering angle setting means in accordance with the vehicle speed, said steering characteristic changeover means comprising a pair of first speed change operating members which are pivotally supported, through a longitudinal shaft, on a lateral shaft operatively associated with the operation of said vehicle speed setting means for longitudinal swinging movement, and which are capable of longitudinally swinging integrally with said lateral shaft and capable of laterally swinging about said longitudinal shaft; a second speed change operating member operatively associated with the operation of said steering angle setting means for laterally swinging movement; and a mixing member which transmits a lateral swinging movement of said second speed change operating member to said first speed change operating members for laterally swinging said first speed change operating members, and which restrains a longitudinal swinging movement of said first speed change operating members from being transmitted to said second speed change operating member.