IL98507A - Portable, foldable wheeled vehicle - Google Patents

Description

. PORTABLE, FOLDABLE WHEELED VEHICLE The present invention relates to a foldable and portable vehicle. More particlarly, the invention is concerned with providing such a vehicle which is able to transport a passenger at a speed exceeding 10 miles per hour while itself being foldable to dimensions enabling its convenient transport in the boot of a small automobile.

Two-wheeled passenger vehicles capable of speeds in excess of 10 miles per hour are seen practically everywhere that there are roads. Of the various methods of propulsion, the foot powered bicycle has been used for about 200 years. Bicyles power—assisted by internal combustion engines, often referred to as mopeds, have been known for about 50 years, one such design being described in U.S. Patent 4,276,950. Electrically powered bicycles have also been proposed, as for; example in U.S. Patents 4,280,581 and 4,541,500, although this type of vehicle has had little commercial success due to the lack to date of a suitable light-weight battery.

The energy/volume ratios of known batteries range from 100 watt-hour per liter for Nickel Cadmium to 800 watt-hours per liter for some lithium batteries. In comparison, the energy/volume ratio of gasoline, as measured using heat value, is about 13000 watt-hour per liter, which even after allowing ; for the moderate efficiency of internal combustion engines, far exceeds the usable energy available from any known electric battery.

However, electrically powered tricycles are used extensively by invalids and elderly people, but as the maximum speed of such vehicles does not usually exceed 6 miles per hour, they are able to use the heavy electric batteries currently available.

A foldable vehicle providing transport for a single passenger can be of much utility for those wishing to travel in the center of today's congested cities. Such a vehicle can be transported to the city outskirts in an automobile for which parking space can there be found, the vehicle then being erected and used to reach and move around. the congested city center at a speed exceeding that of those using 4-wheeled vehicles caught in today's typical traffic jam.

A further use of the proposed vehicle is recreational. For example, the vehicle could be transported to and used at a site such as ,a nature reserve or park whereto entry of automobiles is prohibited, the proposed vehicle being erected at the automobile parking area. For these reasons the need has long been felt for a vehicle which can be easily transported in the luggage compartment of a small car, can be erected within a minute and when used, can transport a passenger at a speed of at least 10 miles per hour.

In the case of an electrically powered vehicle it is desirable that its battery be rechargeable in a short time span by use of the electrical system of the automobile used for and during its transportation. j Such an arrangement would allow the foldable vehicle to use a battery of smaller power capacity, hence of smaller size and of less weight, than is usually provided in the known electrically powered tricycles.

There is known one type of foot-powered bicycle which is provided with a lockable hinge at a mid-point of its frame, which meets the needs of vehicle speed and of foldability. However, this bicycle is not conveniently carried, and there being no external frame, components such as the chain, sprockets and pedals tend to come into contact with the clothing of the person carrying the folded vehicle.

Several types of commercially available electrically powered tricycles are arranged for convenient disassembly for transport or storage, an example of this type being the Carrette TM available in the U.S. from Everest & Jennings. However, its maximum speed of 5.5 miles per hour is suited only to the needs of the elderly or of the handicapped.

It is therefore one of the objects of the present invention to obviate the disadvantages of the prior-art . wheeled singTe-passenger vehicles and to provide a foldable and portable vehicle easily insertable in the boot of a small car, the vehicle when in use having a maximum speed in excess of 10 miles per hour. 98507/2 -5- This the present invention achieves by providing a portable foldable single-passenger wheeled vehicle, the main frame thereof being of suitcase-size proportions, said frame providing hinged attachment points for an extendable and retractable wheeled front section and for an extendable and retractable wheeled rear section of said vehicle, said frame being further provided with second attachment points for said sections, whereby both of said sections may be alternately fixedly extended for use or folded substantially into the space defined by the frame outline, said wheeled front section being forwardly extendable beyond an imaginary plane transverse to the front of said frame, and said wheeled rear section being rearwardly extendable beyond an imaginary plane transverse to the rear of said frame, thereby distancing the axis of rotation of both said front and rear wheels from the center of gravity of said passenger.

In European Patent 0416529 and US Patent 3,934,669 there are described motor bicyles having a body frame resembling a suitcase from which a front. wheel is extended. However, thie rear wheel does not extend beyond an imaginary plane transverse to the rear of said frame, and thus said rear wheel sits substantially below the passenger creating problems of both stability and maneuverability of the vehicles proposed therein.

-Sa¬ in the further preferred embodiment of the present invention the vehicle is arranged for foot propulsion, or is powered by an internal combustion engine or by a rechargeable electric battery.

As it is obvious that a vehicle of the proposed type must be provided with a main frame having a high rigidity/weight ratio, further preferred embodiments are provided with a frame made of either a high-strength aluminum alloy or a frame made of a carbon fiber reinforced polymer.

The invention will now be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments with reference to the following illustrative figures so that it may be more fully understood.

With specific reference now to the figures in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of the^present invention only and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, 'the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice.

; In the drawings: Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing the vehicle in erected form and powered by an internal combustion engine; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same vehicle in folded form; Fig. 3 is a foot powered embodiment provided with a trapezoidal prismatic frame in erected form; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of an electrically powered embodiment with an inverted U frame, in erected form; and Fig. 5 is an electric block diagram showing the embodiment of Fig. 4 connected to the power system of an automobile.

■ There is seen in Fig. 1 a portable foldable single-passenger wheeled vehicle 10 in erected form. , The vehicle shown has two wheels 12, 14, and is powered by an internal combustion engine 16, typically a gasoline-fueled 2-cycle unit of 25 to 40 cubic centimer d splacement.

The main frame 18 is of suitcase-size proportions, for- example 15 x 40 x 50 centimeters.

' Said frame is a rigid, strong, yet light-weight member. In one embodiment of the invention, it is made of a carbon fiber reinforced ·} · polymer. In a further embodiment, said frame is made of a heat-treated high-strength aluminum alloy.

A pair of front hinged attachment points 28 on the main frame 18 carry an extendable and retractable wheeled front section 22. Similarly, a pair of rear hinged attachment points 30 carry an extendable and retractable wheeled rear section 26. The. main frame 18 is,, further provided with a second attachment point 20 for the front section 22 and also with a second attachment point 24 for the rear section 26.

Both the wheeled front section 22 and the wheeled rear section 26 may be alternately fixedly extended for use or folded substantially into the space defined by the outline of the main frame 18, as can be seen in Fig. 2.

The steering unit 32 is provided with a telescopic joint 34 and a further joint 36 to allow folding of the hand grips 38.

A joint 39 allows folding of the front section 22.

At least one carrying handle 40 is provided near the center of gravity of the vehicle as folded.

Two side panels 52 may be provided to cover the major faces of the main frame 18.

The remaining parts shown, such as the shock absorber 42, front light 44, foot rest 46, stand 48 and other parts found on similar vehicles require no description.

Fig. 2 shows at a larger scale the vehicle 10 previously described, but in folded form, and the side panels 52 are removed to reveal inner parts.

A joint 50 of the wheeled rear section 26 and a joint 20 connected to the front wheeled section 22 have been disengaged, for example by the removal of a central pin 51 or by the release of clamping means. The telescopic joint .34 is shown in its retracted position, and the joint 36 has been used to fold the hand grips 38. The front wheeled section 22 has first been folded into the main frame 18, and thereafter the rear wheeled section 26 has been folded into the remaining space. One corner of the frame 18 is occupied by a fuel tank 53.

The resulting form bears similarity to a suitcase and can be inserted into the boot of even a compact automobile without difficulty.

Fig. 3 shows a foot powered embodiment in erected form, provided with a trapezoidal prismatic frame 54. Conventional bicycle pedals 56 drive a chainshaft 58 which also serves as the pivot of the hinge point by which the wheeled rear section 60 is foldable into the frame 54. The rear wheel 14 is driven through the secondary chain drive 61.

A wheeled front section 62 is provided with a lockable telescopic joint 64, whereby said section may be retracted inwards to allow passage of the wheel 12 by the side of the pedal shaft 66 and into the space defined by the outline of the frame. Other parts are designated by the numbers describing similar parts with reference to Fig. 1.

, As will be realized pedals 56 of the embodiment shown in figure 3 as well as foot rests 46 as shown in figures 1, 2 and 4 can also be provided with hinge means (not shown) to faciliate the folding of these parts.

In Fig. 4 there is shown an electrically powered embodiment having a main frame 18 covered by an inverted U channel 68. An electric motor 70 powered by a rechargeable electric battery 72 drives the wheel 14, said battery being sized to provide a range of approximately 15 miles and to operate on one charge for approximately one hour. Such a moderately sized battery avoids the problems of high weight, large bulk and high cost which plague known battery-powered electric vehicles. Such a moderate battery size is possible because two convenient means are provided for its partial or full recharging. Photovoltaic panels 74 are provided^ to cover at least a part of the U channel 68, whereby the battery 72 is recharged, starting from when the vehicle is removed from the boot of the automobile.

Fig. 5 is an electric block diagram showing the embodiment of Fig. 4 connected to the power system of an automobile, thereby providing the second means of recharging the battery 72. Charging takes place while the vehicle is folded and being transported in the boot of an automobile. A battery charger 76 1s connected to an extension cable 78, which may be provided with a plug 80 suitable for insertion in. the electric cigarette lighter 82 of an automobile. The battery 72 alternatively receives power from the photovoltaic panels 74, and drives the motor 70 through a driver-operated controller 84.

A relay 86 cuts the circuit when the automobile engine is stopped, thereby preventing excessive draining of the automobile battery.

. It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing illustrative embodiments and that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

Claims (12)

98507/2 -12- HAT 18 CLAIMED 18:

1. A portable foldable single-passenger wheeled vehicle, the main frame thereof being of suitcase-size proportions, said frame providing hinged attachment points for an extendable and retractable wheeled front section and for an extendable and retractable wheeled rear section of said vehicle, said frame being further provided with second attachment points for said sections, whereby both of said sections may be alternately fixedly extended for use or folded substantially into the space defined by the frame outline, said wheeled front section being forwardly extendable beyond an imaginary plane transverse to the front of said frame, and said wheeled rear section being rearwardly extendable beyond an imaginary plane transverse to the rear of said frame, thereby distancing the axis of rotation of both said front and rear wheels, from the center of gravity of said passenger.

2. The portable foldable single-passenger wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of road wheels is two.

3. The portable foldable single-passenger wheeled vehicle lai ed in claim 1, wherein said frame is of substantial trapezoidal prismatic shape. 98507 -12a-

4. The portable foldable single-passenger wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said frame is shaped as an upturned U channel.

5. The portable foldable single-passenger wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said frame is made of a carbon fiber reinforced polymer. - 13 -

6. The portable foldable single-passenger wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said frame is made of a heat-treated high-strength aluminum alloy.

7. The portable foldable single-passenger wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 1, provided with pedals for foot propulsion.

8. The portable foldable single-passenger wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 1, provided with an internal combustion engine sized to provide at least most of the power required for propulsion.

9. The portable foldable single-passenger wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 1, provided with an electric motor and a rechargeable battery for supplying at least most of the power required for propulsion.

10. The portable foldable single-passenger wheeled" vehicle as claimed in claim 9, wherein said battery is adapted to be rechargeable by connection to the power circuit of an automobile.

11. The portable foldable single-passenger wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further provided with at least one carrying handle. - 14 - .

12. A portable foldable single-passenge vehicle, substantially as described herebefore and with reference to the accompanying drawings. For the Applicant WOLFF, BREGMAN AND GOLLER