CA2415145C - Wheeled vehicle - Google Patents
Wheeled vehicle Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2415145C CA2415145C CA2415145A CA2415145A CA2415145C CA 2415145 C CA2415145 C CA 2415145C CA 2415145 A CA2415145 A CA 2415145A CA 2415145 A CA2415145 A CA 2415145A CA 2415145 C CA2415145 C CA 2415145C
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- wheel
- vehicle
- wheels
- steerable
- steering column
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62B—HAND-PROPELLED VEHICLES, e.g. HAND CARTS OR PERAMBULATORS; SLEDGES
- B62B3/00—Hand carts having more than one axis carrying transport wheels; Steering devices therefor; Equipment therefor
- B62B3/007—Coaster wagons
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63G—MERRY-GO-ROUNDS; SWINGS; ROCKING-HORSES; CHUTES; SWITCHBACKS; SIMILAR DEVICES FOR PUBLIC AMUSEMENT
- A63G21/00—Chutes; Helter-skelters
- A63G21/12—Chutes; Helter-skelters with special cars, e.g. horse-shaped
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60T—VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL; ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES
- B60T1/00—Arrangements of braking elements, i.e. of those parts where braking effect occurs specially for vehicles
- B60T1/12—Arrangements of braking elements, i.e. of those parts where braking effect occurs specially for vehicles acting otherwise than by retarding wheels, e.g. jet action
- B60T1/14—Arrangements of braking elements, i.e. of those parts where braking effect occurs specially for vehicles acting otherwise than by retarding wheels, e.g. jet action directly on road
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62B—HAND-PROPELLED VEHICLES, e.g. HAND CARTS OR PERAMBULATORS; SLEDGES
- B62B5/00—Accessories or details specially adapted for hand carts
- B62B5/04—Braking mechanisms; Locking devices against movement
- B62B5/049—Braking mechanisms; Locking devices against movement locking against movement by contacting the floor or a wall
Abstract
A coasting trolley, intended to be propelled downhill by gravity has at least one wheel 23 steerable by handlebars 20. The wheel 23 can be retracted by pushing forward on handlebars 20, bringing the front part of the trolley into contact with the ground, and braking it. Wear pads 24 may be fitted to protect the body. Movement of the handlebars 20 backwards causes tie rods 32 to bring rear wheels 30 into contact with friction pads 35, providing a controlled braking effect.
Description
',NHEELED VEHICLE
This invention relates to a vehicle for carrying a rider, and is applicable particularly, but not exclusively to a vehicle for amusement purposes intended to be propelled downhill by gravity and to be steerable and breakable by the rider.
According to the invention, a wheeled unpowered land vehicle intended to be propelled downhill by gravity, said vehicle including: a body to carry a rider of the vehicle; and three or more wheels on which the vehicle may travel on the ground, at least one of said ~o wheels being mounted to the body by suspension means which are selectively movable by means of a steering column controlled by the rider of the vehicle, between a first position in which the wheel engages the ground to hold the body clear thereof and a second position in which the wheel is retracted relative to the body to a position in which the wheel cannot contact the ground, whereby at least part of the body is lowered to the ~5 ground for braking the vehicle; said one wheel also being a steerable wheel controllable by said steering column, whereby rotation of said steering column pivots said wheel about a substantially vertical axis which is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said wheel, such that the vehicle may be steered.
2o Conveniently at least one of said wheels is selectively movable relative to the body between a position in which the wheel is freely rotatable and a braking position in which the wheel bears against part of the body, to brake the wheel in which case there may be provided a pad of friction material mounted on the body, into contact with which pad the wheel is moved in the braking position.
A preferred embodiment of the invention is described by way of example only, with reference to the drawings accompanying the provisional specification, in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle according to the invention, and :~o Fig. 2 is a ghost view from the same viewpoint as Fig. 1, showing components hidden therein.
In the drawings an amusement vehicle to carry a single rider is intended to be propE:lled downhill by gravity on a smooth track and to be optionally steerable and brakabl~~ by the rider.
The structure of the vehicle is provided by a body 10 formed as a metal pressing or plastics moulding, with unshown reinforcing if necessary. The rear of the body 10 is formed with rear and side humps 11, 12 which together form the back and sides of a seat for the rider.
Adjacent the front sides of the vehicle the body 10 is formed with two foot wells 13 behind each of which is a hump 14. Within each hump 14 a rigid bearing block 15 is screwed to the underside of the body 10. A transverse shaft 16 is pivoted in bearing bushes 17 in the bearing blocks 15. The shaft 16 is formed with an enlarged central ~o portion 18 having a vertical bore in which a steering column 19 is pivoted.
Handlebars 20 are affixed to the top of the steering column 19, which is cranked rearwards so as to bring the handlebars 20 to a convenient position for a rider sitting in the seat.
Below the enlarged portion 18 of the shaft 16, the column 19 is fixed to a pair of ~5 parallel trailing arms 21, directed rearwardly of the vehicle. Between the arms ~ 1 is fastened a front spindle 22 on which a ground- engagable wheel 23 is free-running.
Thus, by moving the handlebars 20 from side to side of the vehicle the steering column 19 is rotated in the shaft 16 to turn the wheel at an angle to the longitudinal centre line of the body 10, so as to steer the vehicle. The trail of the wheel 2o provided by the arms 21 promotes steering stability for the vehicle.
Furthermore, by moving the handlebars 20 forward, to pivot the shaft 16 in the bushes 17, the arms 21 are inclined upwardly to raise the wheel 23 relative to the body 10.
At a predetermined point the underside of the body touches the ground and further 25 forward movement of the handlebars 20 raises the wheel clear of the ground, so ':hat at least the front part of the body 10 bears on the ground to brake the vehicle. A pair of replaceable pads 24 of Wear resistant friction material are affixed to the underside of the body 10 to avoid wear thereof. By these means, if the rider releases his hold on the handlebars 20, the vehicle will adopt a substantially straight course and will be braked 3o automatically.
Within the underside of the rear hump 11 two rear bearing blocks 26 are fastened, adjacent the sides of the body 10. A transverse shaft 27 is pivoted in the blocks 26 adjacent the top thereof and at each outer end of the shaft 27 is affixed a substantially vertical swinging link 35 28. In the bottom ends of the links 28 is fastened a non-rotary spindle 29, parallel to the shaft 27. Adjacent the ends of the spindle 29 a pair of rear ground-engaging wheels 30 are free running but are transversally located to be within the bearing blocks 26:
., Two lengths of tube 31, located on the spindle 29 adjacent the wheels 30, are fastened to parallel fore-and-aft drag links 32. Each drag link 32 is connected by a clevis 33 to a drop arm 34 fast at each end of the front transverse shaft 16, adjacent the front bearing blocks 15. Thus, fore-and-aft location of the rear spindle 29 and wheels 30 is controlled by fore-s and-aft movement of the handlebars 20.
From a position of the handlebars 20 wherein all three wheels 23, 30 are free runninc3 and engaging the ground (i.e. the free-wheel position), rearward movement of handlebars 20 by the rider will raise the front of the vehicle somewhat and also draw the rear ~o wheels 30 forwards until they bear against arcuate pads of friction material 35 fastened within wheel arches 36 in the rear bearing blocks 26. Thereby, a controlled amount of braking of the rear wheels 30 is provided to the driver:-this is the 'controlled' position.
>5 On the other hand, forward movement of the handlebars 20, as described above, raises the front wheel 23 clear of the ground and at the same time moves the rear wheels 30 rearwardly. This causes the swinging links 28 to rotate rearwardly from the rear vertical, so that the rear wheels 30 swing upwardly relative to the body 10 in an arc until the rear of the body 10 also moves downwardly into contact with the 2o ground to provide maximum braking of the vehicle. Further replaceable pads 37 of wear resistant friction material are fastened to the underside of the body 10, rear-wards of the centre thereof, so that for maximum braking the total weight of the vehicle plus rider is automatically applied to the pads 24, 37 if the rider releases the handlebars 20 (i.e. a 'hands-off' position).
Clearly, instead of the single front wheel 23 there may be provided a pair of front wheels, each adjacent a side of the body 10 and each mounted on trailing arms pivoted on or around the transverse shaft 16 and connected to the steering column 19 by suitable steering linkage. Similarly, if preferred, a single central rear wheel 30 3o could be used, in place of the pair described above, and provided with the same modes of operation as them.
This invention relates to a vehicle for carrying a rider, and is applicable particularly, but not exclusively to a vehicle for amusement purposes intended to be propelled downhill by gravity and to be steerable and breakable by the rider.
According to the invention, a wheeled unpowered land vehicle intended to be propelled downhill by gravity, said vehicle including: a body to carry a rider of the vehicle; and three or more wheels on which the vehicle may travel on the ground, at least one of said ~o wheels being mounted to the body by suspension means which are selectively movable by means of a steering column controlled by the rider of the vehicle, between a first position in which the wheel engages the ground to hold the body clear thereof and a second position in which the wheel is retracted relative to the body to a position in which the wheel cannot contact the ground, whereby at least part of the body is lowered to the ~5 ground for braking the vehicle; said one wheel also being a steerable wheel controllable by said steering column, whereby rotation of said steering column pivots said wheel about a substantially vertical axis which is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said wheel, such that the vehicle may be steered.
2o Conveniently at least one of said wheels is selectively movable relative to the body between a position in which the wheel is freely rotatable and a braking position in which the wheel bears against part of the body, to brake the wheel in which case there may be provided a pad of friction material mounted on the body, into contact with which pad the wheel is moved in the braking position.
A preferred embodiment of the invention is described by way of example only, with reference to the drawings accompanying the provisional specification, in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle according to the invention, and :~o Fig. 2 is a ghost view from the same viewpoint as Fig. 1, showing components hidden therein.
In the drawings an amusement vehicle to carry a single rider is intended to be propE:lled downhill by gravity on a smooth track and to be optionally steerable and brakabl~~ by the rider.
The structure of the vehicle is provided by a body 10 formed as a metal pressing or plastics moulding, with unshown reinforcing if necessary. The rear of the body 10 is formed with rear and side humps 11, 12 which together form the back and sides of a seat for the rider.
Adjacent the front sides of the vehicle the body 10 is formed with two foot wells 13 behind each of which is a hump 14. Within each hump 14 a rigid bearing block 15 is screwed to the underside of the body 10. A transverse shaft 16 is pivoted in bearing bushes 17 in the bearing blocks 15. The shaft 16 is formed with an enlarged central ~o portion 18 having a vertical bore in which a steering column 19 is pivoted.
Handlebars 20 are affixed to the top of the steering column 19, which is cranked rearwards so as to bring the handlebars 20 to a convenient position for a rider sitting in the seat.
Below the enlarged portion 18 of the shaft 16, the column 19 is fixed to a pair of ~5 parallel trailing arms 21, directed rearwardly of the vehicle. Between the arms ~ 1 is fastened a front spindle 22 on which a ground- engagable wheel 23 is free-running.
Thus, by moving the handlebars 20 from side to side of the vehicle the steering column 19 is rotated in the shaft 16 to turn the wheel at an angle to the longitudinal centre line of the body 10, so as to steer the vehicle. The trail of the wheel 2o provided by the arms 21 promotes steering stability for the vehicle.
Furthermore, by moving the handlebars 20 forward, to pivot the shaft 16 in the bushes 17, the arms 21 are inclined upwardly to raise the wheel 23 relative to the body 10.
At a predetermined point the underside of the body touches the ground and further 25 forward movement of the handlebars 20 raises the wheel clear of the ground, so ':hat at least the front part of the body 10 bears on the ground to brake the vehicle. A pair of replaceable pads 24 of Wear resistant friction material are affixed to the underside of the body 10 to avoid wear thereof. By these means, if the rider releases his hold on the handlebars 20, the vehicle will adopt a substantially straight course and will be braked 3o automatically.
Within the underside of the rear hump 11 two rear bearing blocks 26 are fastened, adjacent the sides of the body 10. A transverse shaft 27 is pivoted in the blocks 26 adjacent the top thereof and at each outer end of the shaft 27 is affixed a substantially vertical swinging link 35 28. In the bottom ends of the links 28 is fastened a non-rotary spindle 29, parallel to the shaft 27. Adjacent the ends of the spindle 29 a pair of rear ground-engaging wheels 30 are free running but are transversally located to be within the bearing blocks 26:
., Two lengths of tube 31, located on the spindle 29 adjacent the wheels 30, are fastened to parallel fore-and-aft drag links 32. Each drag link 32 is connected by a clevis 33 to a drop arm 34 fast at each end of the front transverse shaft 16, adjacent the front bearing blocks 15. Thus, fore-and-aft location of the rear spindle 29 and wheels 30 is controlled by fore-s and-aft movement of the handlebars 20.
From a position of the handlebars 20 wherein all three wheels 23, 30 are free runninc3 and engaging the ground (i.e. the free-wheel position), rearward movement of handlebars 20 by the rider will raise the front of the vehicle somewhat and also draw the rear ~o wheels 30 forwards until they bear against arcuate pads of friction material 35 fastened within wheel arches 36 in the rear bearing blocks 26. Thereby, a controlled amount of braking of the rear wheels 30 is provided to the driver:-this is the 'controlled' position.
>5 On the other hand, forward movement of the handlebars 20, as described above, raises the front wheel 23 clear of the ground and at the same time moves the rear wheels 30 rearwardly. This causes the swinging links 28 to rotate rearwardly from the rear vertical, so that the rear wheels 30 swing upwardly relative to the body 10 in an arc until the rear of the body 10 also moves downwardly into contact with the 2o ground to provide maximum braking of the vehicle. Further replaceable pads 37 of wear resistant friction material are fastened to the underside of the body 10, rear-wards of the centre thereof, so that for maximum braking the total weight of the vehicle plus rider is automatically applied to the pads 24, 37 if the rider releases the handlebars 20 (i.e. a 'hands-off' position).
Clearly, instead of the single front wheel 23 there may be provided a pair of front wheels, each adjacent a side of the body 10 and each mounted on trailing arms pivoted on or around the transverse shaft 16 and connected to the steering column 19 by suitable steering linkage. Similarly, if preferred, a single central rear wheel 30 3o could be used, in place of the pair described above, and provided with the same modes of operation as them.
Claims (11)
1. A wheeled unpowered land vehicle intended to be propelled downhill by gravity, said vehicle including: a body to carry a rider of the vehicle; and three or more wheels on which the vehicle may travel on the ground, at least one of said wheels being mounted to the body by suspension means which are selectively movable by means of a steering column controlled by the rider of the vehicle, between a first position in which the wheel engages the ground to hold the body clear thereof and a second position in which the wheel is retracted relative to the body to a position in which the wheel cannot contact the ground, whereby at least part of the body is lowered to the ground for brak-ing the vehicle; said at least one wheel also being a steerable wheel controllable by said steering column, whereby rotation of said steering column pivots said at least one wheel about a substantially vertical axis which is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said wheel, such that the vehicle may be steered.
2. The wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one of the remaining wheels is selectively movable relative to the body between a position in which the wheel is freely rotatable and a braking position in which the wheel bears against part of the body to brake the vehicle.
3. The wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 2, further including a pad of friction material mounted on the body such that a wheel in the braking position contacts said pad.
4. The wheeled vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the portions of the vehicle body which may engage the ground are provided with one or more wear pads upon which the body rides on the ground when said wheel or wheels is or are retracted.
5. The wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 2 wherein when a rider releases said steering column, said steering column automatically returns the vehicle to a 'hands-off' position in which said at least one retractable wheel is in said second, retracted, position.
6. The wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 5 wherein all of said wheels are movable between said first and second positions and in said hands-off position all of said wheels are in said second, retracted, position.
7. The wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 6 wherein said controls are movable by the rider from said hands-off position selectively to a free-wheel position in which all wheels engage the ground and are free-running and the or each steerable wheel is steerable; or to a controlled position in which all wheels engage the ground but there is controlled braking on the non-steerable wheel or wheels only.
8. The wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 7 wherein said wheels comprise one or a pair of steerable wheels and a pair of non-steerable wheels, the or each said steerable wheel being connected to said steering column.
9. The wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 8 wherein said pair of non-steerable wheels are freely rotatably mounted upon a spindle which is suspended by swinging links from a shaft parallel to said spindle; said spindle being connected to said steering column by drag links such that movement of said steering column in one direction brings both the or each steerable wheel and the non-steerable wheels to said free-wheel position and movement of said steering column in the opposition direction brings said wheels into said controlled position.
10. The wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 9 wherein said vehicle is provided with a single steerable wheel which is connected to the steering column.
11. The wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 9 wherein said vehicle is provided with a pair of steerable wheels.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA2415145A CA2415145C (en) | 2002-12-24 | 2002-12-24 | Wheeled vehicle |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA2415145A CA2415145C (en) | 2002-12-24 | 2002-12-24 | Wheeled vehicle |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2415145A1 CA2415145A1 (en) | 2004-06-24 |
| CA2415145C true CA2415145C (en) | 2010-10-26 |
Family
ID=32514134
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA2415145A Expired - Fee Related CA2415145C (en) | 2002-12-24 | 2002-12-24 | Wheeled vehicle |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2415145C (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KR101599773B1 (en) * | 2014-03-25 | 2016-03-04 | 유수상 | Theprehauling equipment of a sleigh type |
-
2002
- 2002-12-24 CA CA2415145A patent/CA2415145C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CA2415145A1 (en) | 2004-06-24 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| MKLA | Lapsed |
Effective date: 20210831 |
|
| MKLA | Lapsed |
Effective date: 20191224 |