Patent ID: 6354394
Filing Date: 2002-03-12
Classification: B62D

Abstract:
A steering mechanism for a wheeled vehicle, the vehicle having a generally longitudinal dimension and a generally transverse dimension normal to the longitudinal dimension, wheels of the vehicle rotating about respective rotation axes, said vehicle having at least four wheels pivotable about pivot axes oriented generally normal to the axes of rotation for steering the vehicle, said pivotable wheels being arranged in transversely spaced pairs, said pairs of wheels being longitudinally spaced along the vehicle, the wheels, and the rotational axes of the wheels, being parallel when the vehicle is in a condition to move straight forward or rearward, said pivotable wheels undergoing angular deflection about said pivot axes to steer the vehicle out of straight forward or rearward movement, the pivoting of the wheels through angular deflections being such that central lines, one of which extends through each of the rotational axes for the wheels, meet and intersect each other at a common point comprising a turning point for the vehicle, said steering mechanism comprising:a turning shaft for each of said wheels, each of said turning shafts being journalled in said vehicle for movement about the pivot axis for the wheel; a first disc-shaped power transmission means mounted on each of said turning shafts and presenting a periphery, each of said first power transmission means being elliptical in shape and having a major axis; second power transmission means extending between and engaging said first power transmission means along at least a portion of the peripheries of said first power transmission means for linking the pivotal movement of one wheel in one of said pairs of wheels to the pivotal movement of the corresponding wheel in an adjacent pair of wheels; and each of said first power transmission means being mounted so that said major axes of said elliptical first power transmission means mounted on the turning shafts for the wheels of one pair of wheels lie at an angle to the major axes of said first power transmission means mounted on the turning shaft of the corresponding wheel in another pair of wheels when said vehicle is in a condition to move straight forward or rearward, the angles of said major axes of the first power transmission means with respect to each other controlling the relative angular deflection carried out by each of said pivotable wheels when said wheels are pivoted.