Patent ID: 6158539
Filing Date: 2000-12-12
Classification: B62D,E02F

Abstract:
A vehicle comprising a tilt mechanism for maintaining an axis of a superstructure of the vehicle vertical, the vehicle comprising:(a) an undercarriage adapted to be positioned on a ground plane defined by a longitudinal axis of the undercarriage and an axis transverse thereto;(b) a superstructure; and(c) a tilt mechanism connecting the undercarriage to the superstructure, the tilt mechanism comprising:(i) a lower member pivotally coupled to the undercarriage;(ii) an upper member pivotally coupled to the superstructure;(iii) a hinge pivotally connecting the upper and lower members for relative rotation about a tilt axis;(iv) a power actuator for tilting the upper member relative to the lower member about the tilt axis; and(v) a braking mechanism engageable to fix an orientation of the tilt axis relative to the undercarriage and releaseable to permit the lower member to be rotated to change the orientation of the tilt axis relative to the undercarriage, by rotating the tilt axis in a plane substantially parallel to the ground plane.