US1148769A

US1148769A - Vehicle.

Info

Publication number: US1148769A
Application number: US84425214A
Authority: US
Inventors: Sabastian H Goodin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1914-06-10
Filing date: 1914-06-10
Publication date: 1915-08-03
Anticipated expiration: 1932-08-03

Description

S. H. GOODIN.

VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I0, I9I4.

KU. M M. MW )09E MO I u Na0 as G ou@ H An S dH W MM lylj.,

S. H. GOODIN.

VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNI: lo. 1914.

1,148,769. Patented Aug. 3,1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

S. H. GOODIN.

vEHlLE.

APPLICATION FILED IUNE I0. |914.

1,148,769. Patented Aug. 3,1915.

- 5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

S. H. GOODIN.

VEHICLE.

APPLlcATIoN FILED JUNE 1o. 1914.

Patented Aug.' 3, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

SHGOOUIN S ATES VEHICLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

Application filed .Tune 10, 1914. Serial No..84 4,252.

T0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SABASTIAN H. GooDIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Voodland, in the county of Yolo and State of California., have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

2r:Ehis invention relates to certain improvements in vehicles and has relation more particularly to a device of this general character which is motor driven; and an object of the invention is to provide a device of this general character having novel and improved means whereby the direction of travel of the vehicle may be controlled in an effective and convenient manner.

Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide a novel and improved device of this general character wherein all of the wheels are power driven, certain of such wheels being adapted to take the main drivingload while the remaining of the wheels are adapted, mainly, for the load strain.

The invention also has for its object to provide a device of this general character having novel and improved means whereby the peripheral travel of certain of the wheels may be retarded and the peripheral speed of other of the wheels accelerated when the vehicle is making a turn.

The invention consists in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts whereby certain important advantages are attained and the device is rendered simpler, less expensive and otherwise more convenient and advantageous for use, all as will be hereinafter more fully set4 forth.

The novel features of the invention will be carefully defined in the appended claims.

In order that my invention may be the better understood, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein- F igure 1 is a top plan View of a vehicle constructed in accordance with an embodiment of my invention, with certain of the parts in section and the motor omitted; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through the device as illustrated in Fig. l, with the motor included; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 3--3 of Fig. Q;l Fig. 4 is a sectional View taken substantially on the line 4 4 of Fig.

3; Fig. 5 is an elevational view of the outer end of the flexible shaft herein included; Fig. 6 is al sectional view taken substantially on the line G--G of Fig. 2; Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 7-7 of Fig. G; Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6; Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail view, in top plan, of the spring members herein included; Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary view, in perspective, illustrating certain details of the steering mechanism herein embodied; Fig. 11 is a. fragmentary view, partly in section and partly in elevation, illustrating further details of the steering mechanism; Fig. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary view in section and partly in detail,illustrating a connection, herein embodied, and one movable rod and a movable disk; and Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 13-13 of Fig. 2.

As disclosed in the accompanying drawings, l denotes a truck frame of any ordinary or preferred construction and herein disclosed as substantially rectangular in form and having disposed longitudinally thereof and located at predetermined distances opposite the longitudinal center of the frame, the driving shafts 2-2, herein disclosed as operatively supported by the bearings 3 depending from the frame, and each of such shafts is provided intermediate its length with a pinion 4 operatively engaged with a pinion 5 carried by the shaft 6 comprised in the differential 7, such differential being operatively engaged, in a conventional manner, with the motor S, herein disclosed as of an internal combustion type.

Suitably connected, as indicated at 9, to the longitudinal beams l0 of the truck frame and depending therefrom are the elliptical springs ll of any ordinary or preferred construction and suitably secured to the lower portion of each of such springs at substantially the longitudinal center thereof is a bearing 1Q in which is operatively mounted the journal or bearing box 14 provided at its front face with the outwardly projecting sleeve or skein 15, through which is adapted to be directed the floating axle 1G, the inner extremity whereof being angular in cross section and adapted to be engaged within a socket 17 formed on the outer extremity of the ieXible shaft 1S. I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself as to the llO exact construction of the iexible shaft as I desire in practice to employ any flexible shaft which properly meets the requirements of practice. One end portion of the flexible shaft 18 is operatively supported in a bearing 19 projecting upwardly from a cross tie bar 20, while interposed between the opposite extremity of the flexible shaft, or more particularly the sockety 17, and the adjacent face of the box 14 are the anti-friction members 2l, herein disclosed as spherical bodies positioned in the registering run-ways 2.2.

Rotatably supported on the sleeve or skem 15 is the hub 23 of a supporting wheel 24, the outer end of such hub being adapted to be closed by a cap 25, such cap being provided in its inner face and at its axial center with the 'inwardly directed socket 26 angular in cross section and which is adapted to receive the forward extremity of the floating axle 16 whereby it will be readily perceived that the supporting wheel 24 will be caused to rotate upon rotation of said lioating axle.

As herein disclosed, the supporting wheels 24 are eight in number and equally disposed at opposite longitudinal sides of the frame l, and each of the floating axles 16 of the end wheels is herein set forth as positively driven from a shaft through the medium of a' sprocket chain 28 which is directed around a sprocket 29 fixed to the flexible shaft 18 and also disposed around a sprocket wheel 29al fixed to a transversely disposed stub shaft 30 operatively supported by the frame l and being operatively connected, as at 31, through the medium of suitable intermeshing gears, with a shaft 2. While self-evident, it may be well to state that the cnnection 31 at opposite sides of the frame 1 are so arranged as to cause the floating axles 16 to rotate in the same direction. As herein embodied, each of the floating axles 16 of the intermediate supporting wheels is caused to operatel under the influence of a friction drive. The inner extremities of this latter floating axle are operatively connected with a transverse stub shaft 32 in a manner substantially identical to that which has been set forth relative to the end floating axles. The shaft, as herein embodied, is capable of endwise movement.

through its supporting bearings 33, said movement in one direction being created under the influence of the expansible meniber 34, herein disclosed as a coil spring interposed between one of -thebearings 33 and the sprocket wheel 29a.

The outer extremity of the shaft 32 has suitably affixed thereto the friction disk 35 adapted to be engaged by the friction disk 36 keyed to a shaft 2 so as to rotate therewith but capable of movement longitudinally thereof in a manner and for a purpose which will hereinafter be more fully set forth. As is believed to be self-evident, the end supporting wheels 24 are adapted to take the main driving load while the intermediate wheels 24 are, mainly, for the load strain.

Projecting upwardly from the frame 1- at a predetermined point is the steering column 37, the lower extremity of the shaft 38, included therein, -being provided with a worm 39 adapted to mesh with the worm shaft 40 and depending from said shaft 40 is a rock arm 41 having its lower extremity operatively engaged through the medium of the link 42 with the transversely disposed steering beam 43 pivotally secured midway of itsv longitudinal axis to the frame l. The opposite extremities of the beam 43 are operatively engaged with the longitudinally disposed steering rods 44 mounted for endwise reciprocal movement in the bearings 3 hereinbefore referred tto. By this arrangement, 1t will be perceived that upon requisite rotation being imparted to the shaft `38 through the medium of the hand wheel 45, the steering rods 44 will be caused to move in unison but in reverse directions.

Projecting upwardly from each of the journal or bearing boxes 14 at its vertical axis is a steering shaft 46 which is loosely directed through the adjacent bearing 12 and spring 11 and is also loosely directed through a sleeve 47 interposed between the bearing 12 and the connection 9, said sleeve being positively connected with the bearings 12 but loosely disposed through the connection 9 so that no obstruction will be offered to the desired operation of the spring. l

The upper extremities of the four forward steering shafts 46 are provided with the inwardly disposed arms 48 Aoperatively engaged, as indicated at 49, with an adjacent steering rod 44. The remaining or rear steering shafts 46 are provided with the outwardly disposed arms 50, adjacent longitudinal alined arms being tied or connected by the intermediate link or pitman 51, while the adjacent or

inner arms

48 and 50 "are operatively connected by the links or pitmen 52 whereby it will be readily-perceived that during the steering operation, the Vforward and rear supporting wheels will be caused to swing in opposite directions so that a desired turn of the vehicle may be effected.

In order that the peripheral speed of the intermediate wheels may be reduced in accordance with the angle of turn, I have depending from each of the steering rods 44 a fork 53 adapted to coact with an adjacent sliding disk 36 whereby it will be readily perceived that such disk 36 will be adjusted relative to the axial center of the disk 35 upon movement being imparted to the adjacent steering rod 44. In order to compensate for any unevenness in the road- Way, over which the vehicle may travel, I find it of advantage to interpose in each of the cross tie bars 20 the links 54, and I also find it of advantage to have the journal or bearing boxes 14, at each longitudinal side of the vehicle, connected by the tie links 55, such links being herein disclosed as pivotally engaged at their extremities with suitable brackets operatively engaged with the depending trunnion 56 of such bearing or journal boxes 14.

From the foregoing description, it isthought to be obvious that a vehicle constructed in accordance with my invention is modification without material departure from the principles and spirit thereof and for this reason I do not Wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise arrangement and formation of the several parts herein shown in carrying out my invention in practice.

I claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising a frame, a plurality of journal boxes carried by the frame along the opposite sides thereof and movable about substantially vertical axes,1su'pporting wheels operatively engaged with the boxes, driving means for the wheels, a steering shaft projecting upwardly from each of the boxes at substantially the axial center thereof, an arm projecting laterally from the upper ex'- tremity of the steering shaft, certain of vsaid arms being reversely directed relative to the remainder of the arms, and a steeringmechanism operatively engaged with the arms, said steering mechanism operating to rotate all of the boxes in unison but to impart movement to certain of the arms in a direction reverse to the direction of movement of the remainder of the arms.

2. A device of the character described comprising a frame, a plurality of journal boxes carried by the frame along the oppo site sides thereof and movable about substantially vertical axes, supporting Wheels jecting upwardly from each of the boxes at substantially the axial center thereof, an arm projecting laterally from the upper extremity of the steering shaft, certain of said arms being reversely directed relative to the remainder of the arms, a steering mechanism including two rods disposed longitudinally of the frame and capable of reciprocation, one of said rods being operatively engaged with the arms extending in one direction and the second rod being operatively engaged with the arms extending in the opposite direction, and means foi` reciprocating said rods in unison.

3. A device of the character described comprising a frame, a plurality of journal boxes carried by the frame along opposite sides thereof and movable about substantially vertical axes, an endwise movable rod supported by the frame and operatively engaged with the boxes for moving the same about their axes, a shaft disposed longitudinally of the frame, supporting wheels operatively engaged with theboxes, stub shafts carried by the frame and disposed transversely thereof, an operative connection between the stub shafts and the supporting wheels, a disk carried by each shaft, disks slidably engaged upon the longitudinally disposed shaft and adapted for rotation therewith and in engagement with the disks of the stub shafts, and an operative connection between `the rod and the slidable disks whereby the same are caused to move in.

unison.

4. A device ofthe character described comprising a frame, a plurality of journal boxes carried by the frame along the opposite sides thereof and movable about substantially vertical axes, supporting Wheels operatively engaged with the boxes, driving means for the wheels, steering mechanism operatively engaged with the boxes, and a tie bar connecting transversely alined boxes, said boxes being pivotally engaged therewith, said tie bar having its opposite extremities composed of pivotally engaged sections.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

SABASTIAN H. GGODIN.

Witnesses: l

J. E. STRONG, RALPH KNIGHT.

copies o! this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.