GB1245970A - Vehicle with inclined wheels - Google Patents

Abstract

1,245,970. Motor vehicles. E. P. AGHNIDES. 19 Nov., 1968, No. 54769/68. Heading B7H. In a vehicle having one or more composite wheels (Fig. 3) comprising a hemispheroidal main wheel mounted to rotate on an axle shaft 25 inclined from the horizontal and a smaller auxiliary wheel 31 mounted to rotate on the axle shaft 25 at a point lower than the main wheel, means are provided for selectively permitting the auxiliary wheel 31 to rotate independently of the main wheel and for locking the auxiliary wheel to the main wheel to rotate synchronously therewith. The auxiliary wheel 31 may thus be allowed independent rotation when the vehicle is travelling in a straight line so that its tyre 33 is permitted the same peripheral velocity on the tyre 32 on the main wheel, and can be locked to the main wheel when the vehicle is steered so that the composite wheel tends to turn about the point where the axis of the shaft 25 intersects the supporting surface to assist the steering effect obtained by turning one or more composite or other steerable wheels on the vehicle about a vertical axis. As shown the vehicle has a body 12 and a frame 11 supported by springs 23 on front and rear composite wheels each having its axle shaft 25 supported by a housing 27 and steering box 28 so as to be turnable in one direction from alignment with the longitudinal axis of the vehicle under the control of a steering wheel 23a. A bevel gear 24 attached to each main wheel is driven from an engine 15 through a shaft 16, clutch and transmission 17, a drive shaft 18 or 19, and bevel gears 21a, 21b on a shaft 21c. Clutch mechanism 34 for locking each auxiliary wheel 31 may be controlled manually as shown, or may be engaged progressively by differential servo means upon turning the steering wheel. The vehicle may have additional auxiliary wheels positioned between the composite wheels (Figs. 7, 8, not shown). In Figs. 9-12 (not shown) the vehicle has four wheels, at least two of which are composite wheels. The two front wheels of the vehicle may be steerable composite wheels, the front wheels may be composite wheels and the rear wheels may be either steerable or not, or all four wheels may be composite wheels none of which are steerable.