ELECTRICALLY POWERED FOUR-WHEELED SINGLE VEHICLE

• US 3,664,450 A
• Filed: 06/01/1970
• Issued: 05/23/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bert Hjalmar Engman, Per Edward Carl Udden, Siegfried Graf
• Original Assignee: Bert Hjalmar Engman, Per Edward Carl Udden, Siegfried Graf
• Inventors: Udden, Per Edward Carl, Engman, Bert Hjalmar, Graf, Siegfried
• Primary Examiner(s): Hersch, Benjamin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Milton L.
• Application Number:
  US05/042,116
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65,70,55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,54F 280/111,112,34
• US Class Current: 180/65.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/723 Impact absorbing means, e.g. bumpers or airbags
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/045 Rear wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/06 with obstacle mounting facilities, e.g. for climbing stairs, kerbs or steps
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/101 of the parking brake type, e.g. holding the wheelchair
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/1027 Hub elements, e.g. drums
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/1035 manipulated by wheelchair user
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/1051 Arrangements for steering
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/1054 Large wheels, e.g. higher than the seat portion
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/1072 rotating the whole seat around a vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/1075 tilting the whole seat backwards tilting forwards for standing-up or sitting-down aids A61G5/14
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/1081 with shock absorbers or other suspension arrangements between frame and seat
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/128 for feet
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/00 Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00; electric transmission arrangements B60K17/12; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles per se B60L; current-collectors for power supply lines of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 180/907 Motorized wheelchairs

Abstract

Electrically powered four-wheeled single vehicles especially for disabled persons and invalids and specifically made for out-door use must have such stabilizing qualities that under all circumstances there is no risk for the chair to turn over even if it will have to force different kind of obstacles such as curbs. A further object of such vehicles is to provide a simple and safe steering operation so that the forces from the obstacles to be forced must not be transmitted to the steering handle, since patients in many cases have considerably reduced power to control such forces by hand. These objects are realized in the present invention substantially by the fact that the vehicle comprises a rear and a front portion which are swingably connected to each other by means of telescopic pipes or the like running substantially in parallel with the ground and in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. To meet the requirement of a safe and unaffected steering operation the front wheels are neutrally positioned in a way that the extension of the swivel axles will cut the contact surfaces between the corresponding wheels and the ground.

Claims

1. An electrically powered four-wheeled vehicle that is especially useful for invalids, comprising in combination:

a. a rear section and a front section, b. said rear section including a pair of driving wheels, means for driving said wheels and a driver'"'"''"'"'s seat, c. said front section comprising a pair of front wheels and a framework interconnecting said wheels, d. braking means for at least some of said wheels and steering means for said front wheels, e. said rear and front sections being interconnected to each other by means of a pair of telescoping tubular shafts, one shaft being connected to said rear section and one shaft being connected to said front section, f. the said tubular telescoping shafts of e being positioned in axial alignment with each other along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and having at least limited rotative movement relative to each other, g. said tubular shafts being disposed above the ground at a height which is less than the radius of the smallest wheels on the vehicle.

2. A vehicle according to claim 1 wherein said tubular shafts are disposed above the ground at a height which is one-half the radius of the smallest wheel of the vehicle.

3. A vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the extent to which the shafts of (e) can telescope in coaxial relationship is adjustable, whereby the distance between the front section and the rear section may be varied.

4. A vehicle according to claim 1 wherein said steering mechanism comprises a link system with a link rod, one end of which is swingably connected to a steering bar, which is in turn fulcrumed in the rear frame, the other end of said link rod being swingably connected to a knee lever, which is in turn fulcrumed in the front portion of the frame, said knee lever being rotatably connected to a tie-rod mechanism for the turning movement of the front wheels and the swivel axle of each front wheel is disposed substantially above and perpendicularly to the contact surface between the corresponding wheel and the ground.