Land vehicles – Wheeled – Articulated vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-19
2001-12-04
Johnson, Brian L. (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Articulated vehicle
C280S047240
Reexamination Certificate
active
06325403
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a steerable dolly for moving helicopters.
Unlike conventional fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters are capable of vertical take-off and landings, thereby obviating the need for landing gear or wheels. As a helicopter does not need wheels to fly, most helicopters, and especially small one- and two-man models, are supported on an undercarriage that includes a pair of parallel skids. However, once they have landed, helicopters can be difficult to move, as the skids upon which they are supported are not well adapted for moving the helicopters about. Skid mounted helicopters have traditionally been moved by either dragging them across the ground, landing them on a trailer which then may be used to move the helicopter, or by securing a single wheel to the rear-most portion of each of the helicopter skids. This latter mode of moving a helicopter has been useful only on smaller helicopters as only the smaller helicopters are small enough to be moved in this manner. Moving the helicopter using this method is accomplished by forcing the tail of a helicopter equipped with the skid mounted wheels towards the ground, thereby lifting the nose and tilting the weight of the helicopter onto the skid mounted wheels. The helicopter is then rolled on its wheels to its new location. The problem with this mode of moving a helicopter is that it is strenuous and quite difficult to move a helicopter in this manner over unpaved surfaces. The relatively small wheels are not able to negotiate grass, mud, or ruts that may be present in many airfields where helicopters are kept.
Therefore, it is object of the present invention to disclose a steerable dolly, which will permit a pilot or ground crewman to move a landed helicopter with ease over varying terrain. These and other objectives and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description, made in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A dolly which meets the objectives set forth above comprises a pair of steerable wheel assemblies affixed to the respective ends of an axle, a pair of clamping assemblies that are coupled to the axle and which secure the skids of the helicopter thereto, and a tow bar that is rotatively coupled to the axle and to the wheel assemblies for towing and steering the dolly. Preferably, the axis of the axle of the dolly will be vertically offset from an axis passing through the center of the tires of the wheel assemblies, i.e. the axle will be lower than the centers of the wheels.
The tow bar itself comprises an actuating link that is rotatively coupled to the axle and to a steering linkage that is coupled between the wheel assemblies. A tongue is hingedly coupled to the actuating link such that the tongue may pivot toward and away from the helicopter. The tongue of the tow bar typically has a connecting mechanism such as a D-ring for hitching the dolly to a towing vehicle and/or a handle.
Each of the clamping assemblies that secures one of a helicopter's skids to the dolly essentially comprises a pair of opposable clamping elements in which one of the clamping elements is rotatable between a first, open position and a second, closed position. The clamping elements are constructed and arranged to that when the clamping elements are in their second, closed position, they will be able to clamp therebetween a skid of the helicopter. A locking device is provided for maintaining the clamping elements in their second, closed position so that the skids of the helicopter will remain coupled to the dolly during transport.
Where the distance between the skids of a helicopter or helicopters may vary by make or model or through deformation of the undercarriage of the helicopter, the clamping assemblies may be adjustably coupled to the axle of the dolly. Alternatively or in addition to adjustably coupling the clamping assemblies to axle of the dolly, the axle can be provided with a telescoping joint that permits the length of the axle to be altered as needed.
The steerable wheel assemblies of the dolly include a tire mounted upon a rim that is coupled to a wheel axle that is itself secured to a vertical spindle. The vertical spindle is rotatable about a vertical axis such that the rotation of the vertical spindle causes the tire to be steered in the direction of the rotation of the spindle. The vertical spindle of each wheel assembly is actuated by a pitman arm that is coupled thereto. In order to steer the tires of the wheels assemblies in conjunction with one another, the respective pitman arms are coupled together by a linkage that is also coupled to the tow bar of the dolly.
An alternate embodiment of the present invention substitutes swivel wheels similar to those on an office chair for the steerable wheel assemblies described above.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3477742 (1969-11-01), Barrington
patent: 4033422 (1977-07-01), Benning
patent: 4134601 (1979-01-01), Propst
patent: 4223856 (1980-09-01), Divencenzo
patent: 4397254 (1983-08-01), Deady
patent: 4488612 (1984-12-01), Patterson
patent: 4516744 (1985-05-01), Burnside
patent: 5056981 (1991-10-01), Knowles
patent: 5135346 (1992-08-01), Roach
patent: 5655733 (1997-08-01), Roach
patent: 5791593 (1998-08-01), Warren, III
Johnson Brian L.
Luby Matthew
Moore & Hansen
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