Land vehicles – Runner vehicle – Occupant steered
Patent
1995-04-21
1997-09-16
Johnson, Brian L.
Land vehicles
Runner vehicle
Occupant steered
188 8, 280 2811, B62B 1312, B62B 1314
Patent
active
056672292
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a sled with runners. Sleds are used for sliding on low-friction ground, particularly on a blanket of firm snow. To steer the prior art sleds, the driver forces his or her shoe or boot against the runway for the sled so as to brake the sled and to pull it toward the side on which it is braked.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sleds are known having runners which are divided in the longitudinal direction and in which the front pair of runners can be pivotally moved laterally outwardly by steering means. In that case the sled will travel in the direction in which the leading ends of the pair of runners which have been deflected are directed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The known modes of steering have the disadvantage that kinetic energy of the sled will be dissipated for steering so that the velocity of the sled will be decreased although this is not intended. With pivoted runner sections the energy loss is caused by the lateral slipping of the pair of trailing runners.
It is an object of the invention to provide a sled which can be steered almost without a loss of kinetic energy.
As a result of the deformation of the runners for cornering, the entire sliding surface of the sled is approximately adapted to the radius of the corner to be turned. The adaptation is almost perfect when each runner is pivoted at its front or rear end to the body of the sled, one of the hinges of each of the two sets of hinges is slidable along the runner, and the force for bending each runner acts on the runner approximately at its center at right angles to the direction of travel and parallel to the surface of the runway for the sled. Because the deflection of the resilient runners consists of an elastic deformation over a distance which is small relative to the length of the runner, that deflection will be in first approximation a circular deformation so that it will ideally correspond to the radius of the corner to be turned.
If the runners are of a sufficient length, they may be mounted in the hinges to be non-displaceable in the longitudinal direction. In that case, the lateral bending of the runner will no longer be ideal for the generation of the radius of the corner but will still be sufficient for steering the sled with a low loss of kinetic energy.
The deflection of the runners is preferably effected with a pivoted lever. The lever, which protrudes over the top surface of the sled, can be conveniently actuated. In a preferred embodiment, the pivotable lever is coupled to a spring-biased braking means so that the release of the pivotable lever will cause a braking member between the runners to be forced down against the snow to effect an automatic braking. The pivotable lever, due to it projecting vertically upward acts as a further automatic braking element on the snow surface when the sled turns over.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
An example of the sled in accordance with the invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a functional representation of the operation by which the sled is steered;
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the sled; and
FIG. 3 is a front elevation showing the sled viewed in the direction designated III in FIG. 2 with the runners of the sled shown in section.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 illustrates the operation by which a sled 1 is steered which comprises laterally disposed left-hand and right-hand resilient runners 3a and 3b. A pivotable lever 5 is provided in the forward portion of the sled 1 and protrudes over the seat 16 of the sled. The pivotable lever 5 exerts, by means of a force-transmitting unit shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a force 7a and 7b, at right angles to the direction of travel 6 of the sled and parallel to the plane in which the runners 3a and 3b are sliding on the runners hinges 9a/9b and 10a/10b mounted on the body of 13 of the sled. In FIG. 1 the extent to which the runners 3a and 3b can be laterally deflected is greatly
REFERENCES:
patent: 1244460 (1917-10-01), Blaszczyk
patent: 1444175 (1923-02-01), Eronen
patent: 1658490 (1928-02-01), Lorusso
patent: 1745452 (1930-02-01), Reed
patent: 2006328 (1935-06-01), Scholtes
patent: 2247033 (1941-06-01), Oermann et al.
patent: 2353501 (1944-07-01), Redling
patent: 3498627 (1970-03-01), Pfeifer
patent: 3519284 (1970-07-01), Toki
patent: 3858898 (1975-01-01), Pfeifer
patent: 3909024 (1975-09-01), Salomon
Johnson Brian L.
Lemiteg Lebensmittel - und Freizeittechnik GmbH
Mar Michael
LandOfFree
Toboggan with runners does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Toboggan with runners, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Toboggan with runners will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-213226