Motor vehicles – Special wheel base – Having only two wheels
Patent
1996-07-15
1998-10-27
DePumpo, Daniel G.
Motor vehicles
Special wheel base
Having only two wheels
180181, 180223, 280 1123, 280442, 280 87042, B62D 6102
Patent
active
058266747
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns a wheeled vehicle.
Wheeled vehicles such as motorized skates, which may be typically used for recreation, are described, for example, in FR 26 25 688 A1 and DE 32 05 379 A1. The vehicles shown therein comprise a board having two in-line arranged wheels which are rotatably mounted beneath the board or in an opening in the board. The person using the skate (board) stands free-handed on the board and steers the same by weight shifting. A disadvantage of these designs is that they have small sized wheels which in conjunction with the bearing arrangement of the wheels in respect to the board make it very difficult or impossible to use the motorized skate boards on rough terrain.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a wheeled vehicle for carrying a person comprising a frame rotatably supporting two substantially in-line wheels, and foot support means for, in use, supporting the feet of a user, wherein said wheels are ring-shaped and the foot support means comprises spaced platform structures coupled to said frame and which extend axially through respective said wheels.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention also provides a wheeled vehicle for carrying a person comprising a frame rotatably supporting at least one wheel, wherein said at least one wheel is ring-shaped and rotatably supported on said frame by a plurality of rollers mounted on said frame and which are arranged around the at least one ring-shaped wheel to bear upon a circumferential surface thereof.
Preferably the vehicle is provided with two substantially in-line wheels having the foot support means in the form of platforms extending axially through the central portion of respective wheels. Preferably the platforms are positioned so as to be below the axis of rotation of the wheels so as to enable the axis of rotation of the wheels so as to enable the vehicle to, in use, have a lower center of gravity. An engine may also be provided on the frame between the two wheels and coupled to rotatably drive the rear wheel of the vehicle. To allow the user to control the engine a hand throttle can be provided which is operable whilst standing on the foot platforms, and may be coupled to regulate the engine by way of a flexible control line. The front wheel may also be pivotally articulated with respect to the frame and rear wheel to allow for easier steering of the vehicle.
The invention further provides a motorized vehicle comprising: said wheel; movement of the vehicle; and regulate the drive engine; supported by at least three supporting rollers at different angular positions which engage with an inner circumferential surface of each said ring wheel, bearing axles of said supporting rollers being fixed to said frame, and in that said foot support means comprises two foot platforms each of which extends axially through a respective one of said ring-shaped wheels.
Preferably three of said rollers are disposed symmetrically around the or each said wheel to bear upon the inner circumferential surface thereof, although in one embodiment four rollers are provided with the upper surfaces of the respective foot platforms substantially in a common horizontal plane with two of the support rollers of the respective ring wheel, with the other two rollers of each wheel being positioned directly above and below the foot platforms respectively.
Preferably, also, there are two said wheels arranged substantially in-line with the drive engine mounted on the frame therebetween, and wherein the frame is articulated into two portions with one of said wheels on each portion.
Alternatively, one wheel only may be provided or a plurality of wheels rotatable about the same axis may be provided. In these cases a ski, slide plate, skid or similar non-rotational support member may also be provided, substantially in-line with the one wheel or the plurality of wheels.
The motorized vehicle according to some embodiments of the invention allows operation in rough terrain due to the suspen
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