Stair climbing vehicle

Details Stair climbing vehicle Stair climbing vehicle

2000-10-23

2001-12-11

DePumpo, Daniel G. (Department: 3611)

Motor vehicles

Special driving device

Stepper

C180S008200, C280SDIG001

Reexamination Certificate

active

06328120

ABSTRACT:

The invention resides in a stair-climbing vehicle for negotiating steps, ledges and stairs with a vehicle body having four wheels supported on climbing arms, which are pivotally mounted on the sides of the vehicle body.
Stairs, steps and ledges are obstacles, which are hard to overcome for wheeled vehicles. The use of wheeled vehicles for handicapped persons under rehabilitation or medical care substantially restricts the individual movability of the persons in need of such vehicles. The object for vehicles to overcome such obstacles is therefore not new so that, over the years, numerous vehicle concepts for negotiating steps have been developed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,716 discloses a wheelchair with four wheels and two climbing arms which can lift the axes of the wheelchair over a step. The described lifting arms are mounted at each side of the wheelchair frame near the center axis of gravity between the two axes such that they are pivotable toward the front and the rear. The climbing arms are neither extendable nor retractable, but they have a joint at the center thereof about which the climbing arms can bend. When operated on level surfaces, the wheelchair described therein is driven by the two rear wheels. For overcoming a step, the front wheels are first moved close to the step the climbing arms are then pivoted in front of the vehicle onto the step and the front of the vehicle is raised and the front wheels are moved onto the step.
When the front axle is disposed on the step, the climbing arms are pivoted behind the vehicle and the second axis is lifted onto the step.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a stair-climbing vehicle which, in contrast to the state of the art, can adapt to different stair or step geometries and which can lift at the same time all four wheels for negotiating steps.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a stair-climbing vehicle for negotiating steps, ledges and stairs comprising a vehicle body having wheel support arms mounted thereon at opposite sides and in spaced relationship so as to be pivotable about a wheel support arm shaft and wheels rotatably mounted on the free ends of the wheel support arms, climbing arms are supported on the vehicle so as to be pivotable about the pivot axes of the support arms. The climbing arms are linearly extendable for moving the wheels from one step to the next, one wheel, one wheel support arm and one climbing arm forming together a stair climbing module.
Below, the stair-climbing vehicle according to the invention will be described in greater detail on the basis of the accompanying drawings showing a particular embodiment of the vehicle.


REFERENCES:
patent: 2641325 (1953-06-01), Hoffman et al.
patent: 2701005 (1955-02-01), Bennett et al.
patent: 3269475 (1966-08-01), Joslyn
patent: 4266627 (1981-05-01), Lauber
patent: 4569409 (1986-02-01), Kluth
patent: 4932491 (1990-06-01), Collins, Jr.
patent: 5513716 (1996-05-01), Kumar et al.
patent: 52-44933 (1977-04-01), None

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