Automatic direction changing apparatus for vehicle

• US 4,938,305 A
• Filed: 11/23/1988
• Issued: 07/03/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sang Man Lee
• Original Assignee: Heung J. Park
• Inventors: Park, Heung J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hill, Mitchell J.
• Application Number:
  US07/275,318
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 180/199, 180/8.1, 180/8.5, 280/638, 254/93 HP
• US Class Current: 180/199
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 9/215 driven by an auxiliary motor

Abstract

An automatic direction changing apparatus for a vehicle in which an air tube is mounted at the bottom of the vehicle body and the air tube is expanded to lift the vehicle to a predetermined height from the ground surface and the vehicle body can be moved right or left. The vehicle body when lifted can be turned with any rotational angle clockwise or counterclockwise, so that the vehicle is capable of moving or turning on a narrow road, in a blind alley, and in a crowded parking lot. It also allows the vehicle to be pulled out of a muddy road if it is stuck and can be utilized to lift the vehicle for repairs or to replace the tires. The apparatus is comprised of means for moving to the right or left, means for turning clockwise or counterclockwise, and lifting up means for lifting the vehicle body to a predetermined height from the ground surface. The moving means comprises guide rails, guide rollers, a motor capable of producing forward and reverse movement, worm and worm gear, large and small gears for speed reduction and a rack. The turning means includes a motor, worm and worm gear, large and small gears for speed reduction, circular internal teeth gear, supporting rollers, and a hollow shaft. The lifting means comprises an air tube, supporting plate, and a hose and valve assembly.

Claims

1. An automatic direction changing apparatus for a vehicle which comprises:

movement means which includes a cover plate (10) of rectangular shape mounted at a bottom portion of the vehicle, guide rails (11), (11) protruding at both sides of a bottom surface of said cover plate (10), a supporting plate (20) formed at a lower side of said cover plate (10), guide rollers (12), (12) fixed at an upper surface of the supporting plate (20), said guide rollers (12), (12) are meshed with said guide rails (11), (11), a first motor (13) fixed to the upper surface of said supporting plate (20) for producing forward and reverse revolution, a first worm gear (14) fixed to a rotary shaft of said first motor (13), a large and small gear (15), (16) meshed with said first worm gear (14) to reduce the speed of revolution of said motor (13), and a rack (17) which is fixed at a side of the bottom surface of said cover plate (10) and is meshed with said small gear (16);

turning means which includes a second motor (21) fixed at the upper surface of said supporting plate (20) for producing forward and reverse revolution, a second worm gear (22) fixed to a rotary shaft of said second motor (21), a large and small gear (23), (24) for speed reduction meshed with said second worm gear (22), a circular base plate (30), a circular internal tooth gear (25) fixed at a central portion of an upper surface of said circular base plate (30) and meshed with said small gear (24), a pair of supporting rollers (26), (26) fixed at a bottom surface of said supporting plate (20) to support the supporting plate (20), and a hollow shaft (28) fixed at a central portion of said supporting plate (20) and a lower end of said shaft being supported by a bearing (27) at the central portion of said circular base plate (30);

lift-up means for lifting up the vehicle which includes an air tube (31) fixed at a bottom surface of said circular base plate (30), a bottom plate (33) fixed at a bottom surface of said air tube (31) and connected to said circular base plate (30) with a pair of tensile springs (32), (32), a hose (34) fixed to said air tube (31) and passing through said hollow shaft (28), and a flexible hose (37) having a first end connected to said hose (34) with a ring coupling means (35) and a second end connected to an air supply source.

2. An automatic direction changing apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said movement means includes bevel gears (15'"'"'), (16'"'"') which transfer the rotation force of said first motor of said movement means, a threaded bar (19) which is connected to the bevel gear (16'"'"'), and a nut (19'"'"') attached to the bottom surface of the cover plate (10) and meshed with said threaded bar (19).

3. An automatic direction changing apparatus for vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said air supply source is the exhaust gas of a vehicle.

4. An automatic direction changing apparatus for vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said air supply source is the separate compressed air tank.

5. An automatic direction changing apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a three-way valve (39) and a check valve (40) between said hose (37) and said air supply source.