[Autohome?Industry]?"Tank turning" means that a car can make the two wheels on one side turn forward and the two wheels on the other side turn backward, that is, like a tank Still turning in place. According to foreign media reports, Toyota has applied to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a new feature similar to "tank turning." The term "tank turn" is actually not unfamiliar. Similar U-turn methods have long been installed on the Lexus LX570 and Toyota Land Cruiser. The 2020 Haval H9 also has similar technology, using active braking of the inside wheel. To achieve the effect of reducing the turning radius. This function really makes the driver more comfortable when going extreme off-road, and can make this "behemoth" move more flexibly in complex road conditions. The "tank turning" design filed by Toyota is based on independent hub motors mounted on each wheel. As can be seen from the patent drawings, all four wheels of the Toyota car can rotate in a transverse manner, allowing lateral movement. At the same time, the wheels can also rotate to achieve zero turning radius or even diagonal movement, just like the universal wheels on office chairs. Therefore, this function makes it easy to park and reverse the car in a small space, making it easy to put the car into storage. The patent document also shows how the vehicle can move laterally, diagonally, and rotate on the spot. Because the various movements of vehicles are different from traditional vehicles, new "acoustic or optical" prompt signals are needed to let drivers and pedestrians near the vehicle understand the next operation of the vehicle. For example, when the wheel rotation angle is 45° or 90°, the vehicle's movement direction can be prompted through body lights or continuously flashing signal lights and images. (Information source: Gaadiwaadi; Compiled/Autohome?Peng Fei)