GB478786A - Improvements in foot-propelled vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

478,786. Scooter &c. driving - mechanism. SMITH, C. C. April 7, 1937, No. 9844. [Class 136 (ii)] A foot-propelled vehicle comprises a steering wheel and a driving wheel mounted on opposite ends of a metal frame, a vertically-oscillatable rocker pivoted on the frame and fitted with a separate foot-plate pivoted at each of its ends, and a gear assembly carried by the frame and adapted by downward travel only of either foot-plate to effect forward travel of the vehicle. A rocker frame 19, Fig. 3, is centrally pivoted to the frame 10 of a scooter &c., and carries by means of springs 21 a subsidiary frame 22, on which are pivotally mounted foot-plates 23, 24 connected together by metal straps 25. The rocker 19 is provided with an arcuate rack 20 meshing with driving-gear, from which the drive is transmitted to the rear wheel through a sprocket-wheel 26 and chain. The driving-gear comprises two parallel shafts 28, 29 geared together by keyed spurwheels 30, 33, the sprocket 26 being fixed to the shaft 28. The rack 20 meshes with pinions 31, 34, which are slidably mounted on the shafts 28, 29 respectively and are connected by sliding one-way clutches 32, Fig. 5, to the spur-wheels 30, 33, the clutches being reversely arranged, so that both forward and backward oscillations of the rocker 19 effect forward driving of the sprocket 26. In order to enable the vehicle to be free-wheeled, the hubs of the pinions 31, 34 are channelled to receive a. lever 36, Figs. 5 and 6, pinned to a horizontal arm 37, which slides in a guide 38 and has its inner end bevelled at 39 to engage the bevelled end of a spring-pressed pin 40, the upper end of which engages a cam boss 42 on the rocker 19, whereby on further downward pressure of the foot at the end of a stroke, the pinions 31, 34 are declutched. On downward pressure of the other foot, the cam face is moved off the pin 40, the pin is raised by its spring, and the clutches are returned to normal position by their springs 50. In a modification, the rocker 19 has two racks, the gearing on the shafts 28, 29 being suitably modified.