GB804836A - Improved multiple steering systems for vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

804,836. Motor vehicles. BOBARD, E. Nov. 7, 1955 [Nov. 6, 1954; March 9, 1955; July 4, 1955], No. 31751/55. Classes 79(2), 79(5) and 136(1) In a vehicle the rear wheel assembly can be connected to the steerable front assembly whereby the rear assembly can be steerably rotated in the same or opposite direction to the front assembly. As shown in Fig. 8 single wheels 71 are mounted at the front and rear of the vehicle 1 and are supported by stub axles 70 on brackets 68 which carry sleeves 72 containing shafts 73 connected by gearing within casings 69 with the wheels. The shafts 73 are driven from the motor (not shown) by a shaft 77 connected by bevel gearing 75, 76 to the shafts. The sleeve 72 of the front wheel carries a bevel gear 81 and the sleeve 72 of the rear wheel rotatably carries bevel gears 86, 87, the gears 81, 86, 87 meshing with bevel pinions 82, 85 on a shaft 83 rotated through chain gearing 89 from a steering mechanism (not shown). The gears 86, 87 have apertures 96 to receive a pin 34d carried by a sleeve 90 keyed to the sleeve 72, the pin being vertically displaceable by a handle 93 whereby the sleeve 72 can be locked to either gear 85 or 87. In the position shown in Fig. 8 the pin 34d is disengaged from both gears 86, 87 and hence the rear wheel is not steered but held in a centred position by a finger 92 on the handle 93 engaging a cut-out in a ring 102 on the sleeve 90. The pin 34d is held in its selected position by a spring loaded ball 98 engaging notches 100 in the pin. In a modification, Figs. 3, 4, and 7 (not shown), the wheel pivots are interconnected by a diagonal strut, the connection of the strut to one pivot being releasable and the pivot locked to the frame by a vertically slidable pin. In Fig. 7 the drive to the wheels includes a differential gear which can be locked when the rear wheel is in its centred position. In another embodiment, Figs. 1 and 2 (not shown)., the pivots are interengaged by a crossed chain. The wheel assemblies may each have one or two wheels. In a further embodiment, Figs. 5 and 6 (not shown), the front wheel assembly is positively steered and is connected at a single point to two rods, the other ends of which are releasably connected to diametrically spaced points on the pivot of the rear wheel assembly, the releasabLe connections comprising pins controlled for vertical displacement by a single hand lever.