Powered tracked vehicle suitable for carriages for the disabled
First Claim
1. A powered tracked vehicle comprising:
- a base frame having an upwardly-oriented intermediate part;
at least one pair of powered tracks attached to said base frame for moving said frame forwards and backwards along a surface;
a chair having a seat and a transversely pivoting chair frame to which said seat is attached and which said chair frame is supported on said intermediate part of said base frame;
a hydraulic actuator attached at one end to said chair frame and at another end to said base frame, said actuator being controlled by an electrohydraulic control unit;
an inclinometer which senses changes in attitude of said chair and which controls actuation of said electrohydraulic control unit to actuate said hydraulic actuator to maintain an attitude of said seat always approximately horizontal;
a front photocell, a middle photocell and a rear photocell mounted to said base frame and oriented downwards to explore the surface during movements of the vehicle forwards and backwards;
a front adjusting means for automatically adjusting the orientation of said front photocell during various operating conditions of the vehicle in order to adapt to these conditions and ensure as great as possible operational safety of the vehicle; and
a rear adjusting means for automatically adjusting the orientation of said rear photocell during various operating conditions of the vehicle in order to adapt to these conditions and ensure as great as possible operational safety of the vehicle.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The powered tracked vehicle is equipped with photocells (13, 45) which monitor its backward and forward movements and automatically modify their orientation according to whether the vehicle is travelling on the level or negotiating stairs or a slope. The inclinometer (25) that monitors the attitude of the chair is located in a protected inner part of the frame (3) and is connected to the chair itself by means of a hinged parallelogram (57, 59, 103, 105). The inclinometer is mounted on one of the sides of the hinged parallelogram via a pivoting support (61) which, by means of a sheathed cable (66, 65) and a feeler (67), detects whether the vehicle'"'"'s front runner (70) is raised or lowered and transmits to the chair the advance backward tilt required when beginning to descend a flight of stairs. Other devices are also provided to make the vehicle as safe to operate as possible.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. A powered tracked vehicle comprising:
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a base frame having an upwardly-oriented intermediate part; at least one pair of powered tracks attached to said base frame for moving said frame forwards and backwards along a surface; a chair having a seat and a transversely pivoting chair frame to which said seat is attached and which said chair frame is supported on said intermediate part of said base frame; a hydraulic actuator attached at one end to said chair frame and at another end to said base frame, said actuator being controlled by an electrohydraulic control unit; an inclinometer which senses changes in attitude of said chair and which controls actuation of said electrohydraulic control unit to actuate said hydraulic actuator to maintain an attitude of said seat always approximately horizontal; a front photocell, a middle photocell and a rear photocell mounted to said base frame and oriented downwards to explore the surface during movements of the vehicle forwards and backwards; a front adjusting means for automatically adjusting the orientation of said front photocell during various operating conditions of the vehicle in order to adapt to these conditions and ensure as great as possible operational safety of the vehicle; and a rear adjusting means for automatically adjusting the orientation of said rear photocell during various operating conditions of the vehicle in order to adapt to these conditions and ensure as great as possible operational safety of the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification