Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Patent
1994-03-03
1995-05-30
Focarino, Margaret A.
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
180199, B60S 918
Patent
active
054195802
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a direction change device for use with a front wheel driving automobile and more particularly to a direction change wheel which is mounted to a conventional suspension of an automobile chassis.
2. Description of Related Art
To improve prior Korean patent application Nos. 89-4546 and 89-4547, the direction change device of the present invention is mounted to a middle portion of the conventional suspension which is secured to the shaft of the rear wheels, with the structure of the chassis being unchanged.
With a conventional driving and direction changing device, the direction change for parking or stopping of an automobile is generally achieved through several operations of a steering wheel.
In recent years, the number of automobiles has increased explosively on a world-wide scale. Accordingly, parking lot security is on the rise, particularly in towns and cities. To solve parking problems, underground parking in a building or tower parking has been provided. However, there is still not enough parking available to solve the parking or stagnation problem.
Another plan has been proposed to solve the problem. That is, an automobile with a direction change device has been proposed. With the direction change device, the automobile is parked easily in a narrow area, whereby the unit area per one automobile may be decreased. This means that more automobiles can be parked in the unit area.
Japanese patent application Nos. 67-21689 (published on Oct. 25, 1967) and 69-30286 (published on Dec. 6, 1969) and Korean patent application No. 88-562 disclose direction change devices. In the devices, the radius of direction change of automobiles is minimized or an automobile is lifted, shifted sidewards and changed in its direction to some degree. These prior art devices have the disadvantage that the chassis of the conventional automobile should be changed structurally and hydraulic devices with a separate frame should be additionally provided, resulting in an increased weight of an automobile. Furthermore, the appearance is not easily changed and safety is therefor not ensured. Thus, the prior art direction change devices have not been practical in application.
The prior direction change device has been improved by my inventions of Korean patent application No. 89-4546 and 4547. However, in the inventions, the chassis and the hydraulic system were changed for mounting of the direction change device, which causes difficulty in putting the device into practical use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a direction change device for use with an automobile by which the direction of the automobile is easily changed even in a narrow area.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a direction change device for use with an automobile which is mounted to the conventional chassis of an automobile.
The direction changing device of the present invention comprises a cylinder having securing means for securing the direction changing device to a suspension, a downwardly extendable piston, the cylinder further having a wheel lifting motor fixed to one side thereof and a wheel orienting motor movably mounted to the other side thereof, a foldable bracket and a direction change wheel both movably attached to the lower end of the piston, the foldable bracket being locked in place when completely folded and unfolded, whereby, when the direction of the automobile is desired to be changed, the direction change wheel will move to an upright position resulting in rear wheels of the automobile being lifted slightly from the ground upon the downward movement of the piston, turn to the desired direction, and then move the automobile in the desired direction by the driving force of the front wheel after the rotational angle has been adjusted.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a chassis on which a direction change device of the present invention is mounted;
FIGS. 2 and 3 are rear and side
REFERENCES:
patent: 2162257 (1939-06-01), Hoecker
patent: 2872991 (1959-02-01), Collins
patent: 2931448 (1960-04-01), Boutwell
patent: 2983327 (1961-05-01), Hult
patent: 3011575 (1961-12-01), Bouet
patent: 3826322 (1974-07-01), Williams
Focarino Margaret A.
Hurley Kevin
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