Abstract:
A two-seat center-tracking motor vehicle with a narrow body completely enclosing the occupants designed for maximum compactness, energy efficiency, high performance in term of acceleration, speed and maneuverability, and maximum protection of the occupants. The vehicle has two primary road wheels arranged in tandem, and is stabilized at low speeds by a pair of ski-rollers attached to a pair of outrigger struts which are tucked within the width of the body during normal operation. The outrigger struts may be swung outward to widen the base of support when necessary in adverse condition, and they are also capable of lifting the vehicle upright should it fall flat on its side. Suspension and actuation of the outrigger mechanism is by oleo-pneumatic principle. The rear seat is faced rearward, the rear leg room shares space with the centerlined-mounted rear wheel, and the engine is placed between the front and the rear seat to achieve: 1) the most aerodynamic profile possible 2) maximum protection of the occupants, and, 3) maximum reduction in the length and height of the vehicle.

Description:
This is a division of Ser. No. 09/093,625 Filed Jun. 6, 1998 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,078, which claims benefit of 60/049,118 filed Jun. 10, 1997. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to efficient, safe and comfortable 2-seat vehicles for daily personal transportation, and particularly, to the use of center-tracking vehicle with retractable support side wheels to prevent turning over during normal use and during collision. More specifically, the major emphases of this particular 2-seat vehicle will be on the minimal utilization of roadway and parking spaces to fight traffic congestion as well as low aerodynamic drag and low curb weight for much improved fuel efficiency and low exhaust emission. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Two-wheeled, or center-tracking vehicles, such as bicycles and motorcycles have long been commercially used to achieve the above mentioned objectives. However, it is obvious that they do not offer the level of comfort and protection, both from the weather elements and during event of a collision, acceptable to the general public in more developed countries. Furthermore, touring motorcycles do not offer a significant improvement in gas mileage in comparison to an economy sized automobile, because of their lack of aerodynamic efficiency imposed by the fully-exposed body of the rider. 
     Full-bodied center-tracking vehicles have been described in various patents. These vehicles require means for stabilization against falling-over when stopped, moving at low speeds, or when moving on wet or otherwise slippery roadways, the latter condition cause tire slip to occur. 
     One prior art technique of stabilizing single track vehicles is to use a large passive gyro and utilize its precessional moment to control body roll. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,465,840 to Summers for example, the vehicle is stabilized against rolling over by a large brute force gyro having a lateral spin axis and a vertical gimbal axis. Roll equilibrium is maintained by application of a vehicle righting gimbal force as a function of gimbal precession rate. Gimbal drift resulting in gimbal displacement is erased by application of a drift correcting gimbal torque in the direction of the displacement. While the method disclosed in Summers has met with some success in stabilizing large ships, the weight, expense and complexity of this method have barred two wheeled vehicles from using the method in an economical manner. 
     A second type of stabilizing method which has been described in previous patents uses retractable outrigger wheels of various designs and mechanisms. U.S. Pat. No. 3,700,059 to Sutton discloses a vehicle stabilizing system wherein the outrigger wheels can be steered in the direction of travel , rotated to meet road speed and raised or lowered through an electromechanical system. Drawbacks to this design involve its great mechanical complexity thus increasing manufacturing cost, its completely exposed outrigger wheels mechanism along both sides of the vehicle, thus taking up almost as much road space as a conventional automobile thus offering no advantage in term of space saving ability, and furthermore, the fully exposed outrigger mechanism creates a large amount of wind drag thus offering little advantage in fuel economy over that of an economy car. 
     In U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,837 to Archer, the outrigger device is completely retractable upward in the vehicle&#39;s body cleanly. However, this cleanly upward retractable mechanism can only permit a narrow outrigger support track which makes the vehicle vulnerable to rolling over in slippery road condition or at high banking angle, and once the vehicle is rolled over on its side, there is no mechanism built in that can immediately right itself up, thus creating a very vulnerable situation where it can be run over by other cars. Furthermore, Archer&#39;s outrigger mechanism is placed not in the same saggittal plane with the center of gravity (CG) of the vehicle where it would exert the most effect, but instead is placed behind the CG, in line with the rear drive wheel, where it would have decreased stabilizing effect. 
     In U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,798 to Engelbach, the outrigger mechanism is attached to the vehicle frame where it pivots upward when retracted and downward when deployed, and those described actions are coupled to an automatic system controlled by a microprocessor guided by a rate gyro sensor. While no mechanical details regarding the construction of such an outrigger mechanism was described in this patent, it is clear that an outrigger system of sufficient track width for satisfactory stabilization when pivoting up to down or vice-versa on both side of the vehicle can interfere with traffic on either side of the vehicle , therefore limiting this vehicle&#39;s utility in the solution for an ever-increasing traffic congestion problem. And, like the previously-described invention, this design&#39;s outrigger system is also placed in line with the rear wheel of the vehicle, thereby limiting its stabilizing authority. 
     In U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,402, a simple outrigger assembly of narrow track base was described attached to the rear wheel of the vehicle, and therefore, as in the two previous patents, its stabilizing ability is limited. 
     In U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,864 by Geiger dated Sep. 17, 1991, a similar outrigger system was described which was very much similar to that of Archer&#39;s in that the outrigger system is placed transversely in-line with the rear wheel and not near the center of gravity of the vehicle thus significantly limiting its stabilizing authority. Furthermore, this patent requires the width of the vehicle to be nearly as much as that of a sub-compact size car (51 inches or 129.5 cm versus 60 inches or 152 cm) for adequate stability hence offers little advantage in term of road saving ability. 
     In my previous U.S. Pat. No. 5,401,055 (Pham), a center-tracking vehicle capable of carrying two occupants are disclosed which can overcome the aforementioned limitations of the prior arts. However, this vehicle design as illustrated does not represent the optimum in aesthetic, aerodynamic efficiency, space efficiency, cost of production, maintenance and ease and reliability in daily operation. The use of pneumatic actuators in my past design requires high pressure compressed air which is prone to leakage and is energy-consuming to produce. Furthermore, my past design requires a large outrigger telescopic strut in order to house the entire outrigger wheel in order to retract the outrigger wheel past the center of gravity of the vehicle. This previous design requires a separate pneumatic actuator for retracting the outrigger wheel. To reduce the length of this previous vehicle, the driver is required to sit fairly high, on top of the flat engine. This increases the vehicle height and hence vehicle&#39;s profile area, and developing a new flat engine and separately rear-mounted transmission for this vehicle requires major development expenses. To reduce the vehicle&#39;s profile area, the top area above the rear passenger is removable, but this requires extra effort, thus not very ergonomically appealing. Therefore, my previous design is heavy, expensive, ergonomically undesirable and prone to failure. 
     My new design that is herein disclosed will represent a major improvement in all of the above aspects, with emphasis on simplicity and reliability of the outrigger mechanism and of the engine-transmission arrangement, on practicalities such as ease of entry and exit with automobile&#39;s style doors, and improved aerodynamics and aesthetics. The new design uses an off-the-shelf in-line motorcycle engine-transmission unit that requires almost no developmental expenses. Its outrigger struts are very simple hydraulic actuators that are much more resistant to leakage than the pneumatic actuators, and its ski-rollers at the end of the outrigger struts can be easily retracted above the vehicle&#39;s center of gravity in order to lift the vehicle upright should it fall on its side. The ski-roller provide stable support for parking in soft surfaces such as snow, sand, gravel, mud or grass while a typically small-size outrigger wheel would be more likely to sink, making the vehicle liable to fall over. 
     A very important advantage of the herein-disclosed design over the prior arts is in the location of vehicle&#39;s engine-transmission unit and seating arrangement. Most of prior art designs feature a single-seat vehicle, with the engine usually located behind the seat. This is done in order to keep the vehicle&#39;s length and height, hence the vehicle&#39;s profile area to a minimum. Otherwise, a lengthy 2-seat vehicle would have poor maneuverability and would take up too much parking space, and a light-might vehicle with too much profile area would be very unstable in strong cross wind. In a four-wheeled automobile, the engine is located in either in front or at the rear, transversely inline with the front wheels or rear wheels, thus allowing reduction in the vehicle&#39;s length. In a center-tracking vehicle, the primary road wheels must be placed in the center line in tandem relationship, the engine then must be placed either in front or behind the primary road wheel, thus making the vehicle much longer than an automobile if the vehicle is to have two tandem seats for carrying two occupants. A few of the prior art designs that feature a two-seat center-tracking vehicles are either too tall because the occupants seat above the engine-transmission assembly in motorcycle fashion (J. Pattner, 2,589,023), or too long because the engine-transmission assembly is placed behind the rear seat (Hom, 5,181,740). 
     SUMMARY AND OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION 
     The principal objective of this invention is to produce a personal motor vehicle capable of carrying two full-sized adults completely enclosed in full comfort, yet sufficiently narrow in width such that two of it can occupy only a single lane of traffic, and sufficiently compact in length such that its length is even less than that of a subcompact automobile, for maximum maneuverability and saving of roadway space and parking space. This vehicle will easily lend itself to the lowest aerodynamic drag coefficient and frontal area as well as curb weight using conventional low cost materials in order to produce fuel efficiency three to four times that of modern automobiles with a responding reduction in exhaust pollution when using petroleum fuel. The use of alternative fuels or electricity on these vehicles in large scale, which is easier to be made practical due to their far greater energy efficiency, will bring exhaust pollution to near zero. 
     The both of the vehicle&#39;s occupants will be completely enclosed and protected from the weather and during collision by a strong and rigid body with provision for complete air conditioning comfort as well as noise protection. 
     When stationary or when moving at slow speed, the vehicle will be supported in the upright position by a pair of ski-rollers attached to outrigger struts that are positioned within the vehicle&#39;s width in order to save roadway and parking space. This narrow outrigger wheel track can be rapidly widened by the driver when driving over rough, uneven terrain or when encountering slick or icy roads, or in case of high cross wind, in order to improve stability. When the vehicle accidentally falls completely flat on its side, this mechanism can also immediately turn the body upright in order to protect the driver from being run over by other vehicles, or in order for the driver to regain control of the vehicle. During a high speed high banking turn, the driver may elect to deploy this mechanism partially in order to prevent excessive banking and hence lost of control (during a motorcycle race, the rider lowers and extends his corresponding knee during a high speed high banking turn to achieve this same purpose). During normal operation, when the vehicle reaches a speed that the driver can stabilize it solely via the steering mechanism (as in a bicycle ) the outrigger wheels will be retracted upward in order to give the driver complete freedom to maneuver. 
     The vehicle&#39;s length and height is kept to a mininum by an unique engine-transmission and seating arrangement. Specifically, the engine-transmission unit is placed between the front and the rear seat. The rear seat is faced rearward thereby bringing the heads of the front and rear occupant together, allowing for a nice downward-sloping of the rear portion of the vehicle&#39;s roof for reduction of the vehicle&#39;s profile while enhancing aerodynamic efficiency and aesthetics. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIGS.  1   a ,  1   b ,  1   c  are the side elevation view, front sectional view and top plan view respectively of the vehicle&#39;s salient features and their relative positions to each other. 
     FIGS.  2   a ,  2   b  and  2   c  show closed-up mechanical details of the vehicle&#39;s outrigger device in its side elevation view, front sectional view and top plan view respectively. 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the actuation and control-hookup of the electromechanical hydraulic mechanism of the vehicle&#39;s outrigger system. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Overview 
     Referring to FIG.  1   a , a side view, reveals a center-tracking vehicle designated in its entirety by reference numeral  1 , with a front primary road wheel  65 , and a rear primary road wheel  67  disposed in the center-line or longitudinal axis  2  of the vehicle and two outrigger devices disposed on each lateral side of the vehicle. The outrigger devices are comprised of a ski-roller assembly  66  mounted on the lower end outrigger strut  45  on each side of the vehicle. Outrigger strut  45  is made of a cylinder  46  wherein slidingly fitted a piston  47  allowing outrigger strut  45  to shorten or lengthen linearly. Advantages of the ski-roller versus a small outrigger wheel as in prior art include the ability to retract the ski-roller higher upward than possible with a single outrigger wheel mounted in caster, and that the ski-roller  66  does not sink as much as a small wheel does when running on snow, sand, or soft ground. Cylinder  46  is supported from the roof  4  of the vehicle on each side by being attached to pillars  21  vertically disposed on each side of the vehicle with mechanism to be detailed later. The two primary road wheels  65 ,  67  are mounted onto suspension mechanisms  3 ,  11 , which are of the types well known in the art for supporting the wheels of a conventional motorcycle. For example, the front wheel  65  is particularly suitable for the front telescopic-fork-type of motorcycle suspension which is very easy and inexpensive to manufacture in comparison to an automobile&#39;s more complex front suspension. The rear wheel  67  is supported by a typical motorcycle&#39;s swing-arm telescopic strut design. However, the steering mechanism differs slightly from motorcycle type in that the steering wheel  5  is not directly connected to suspension fork  3 , but undergoes geared reduction ratio of 4:1 or higher, in order to reduce the steering efforts at low speed and to improve precision of steering at high speed. Steering torque from steering wheel  5  is transmitted via steering shaft  6  to pinion gear  7 . Pinion gear  7  is mated to larger bevel gear disk  8  which is mounted directly on top of front suspension assembly  3  thereby transmitting steering motion to front wheel  65 . 
     Seating Arrangement 
     The driver sits in the front seat  16 , on top of the hip-supporting surface or cushion  16   h  and resting his back against the back-supporting surface or back rest  16   b . The passenger sits in the rear-facing rear seat  17  directly behind, supported by the rear seat cushion  17   h  and rear back rest  17   b . It is to be noted that the rear seat  17  are significantly inclined forwardly, thereby binging the driver&#39;s head and the rear passenger&#39;s head close together for: 1) protection of the occupants&#39; heads under pillars  21 , 2) allowing for gradual aerodynamic downward-sloping of the vehicle&#39;s rear roof line and rear end 3) separating the cushions of the front seat  16   h  and of the rear seat  17   h  in order to increase the floor space between the seats for more room for engine mounting and 4) creating more space underneath the rear seat cushion  17   h  in order to bring the rear wheel  67  closer to the front wheel  65  thereby reducing the vehicle length. This seating arrangement allows for the shortest, lowest, yet most streamlined 2-seat center-tracking vehicle ever, in comparison to the prior art. The gas pedal  41 , referring to FIG.  1   c , brake pedal  42  and clutch pedal  43  are to be found in their conventional automotive positions in the drivers leg room. The driver enters and exits the vehicle via a conventional automobile style side door  19 , while the passengers entry is via the forward-swinging rear door  20 . In order to reduce production cost and to improve vehicle chassis rigidity, preferrably the doors should be placed on only one side of the vehicle. 
     Engine and Transmission 
     As shown in FIG.  a , the engine  78  is a motorcyle-type four-cylinder liquid-cooled in-line engine transversely mounted on the floor space between the front and the rear seat. The transmission unit  12  is adjacent to the engine block as an integral part, as in motorcycle practice. A motorcyle-type of manual transmission may be used, or, for ease of use, a light-weight and compact automatic continously variable-ratio transmission (CVT) type may be developed if these vehicles should proved to be popular. Power from transmission unit  12  is transmitted to the rear wheel  67  via steel chain as in motorcycle practice. The radiator  24  is placed in the front section of the vehicle in order to provide a convenient heat source for the cabin and for windshield defrosting. The battery  38  may also be placed in the front section as in automotive practice for more even weight distribution between the front and the rear wheels. 
     Outrigger Mechanism Overview 
     In FIG.  1   b , which is a front sectional view of the vehicle, there is shown the mechanical details of the retractable outrigger mechanism. The top portions of outrigger struts  45  are attached to pillars  21  on both sides of the vehicle in such a way that they are able to slide up and down on the pillars  21  when swung outwardly. Swinging action of the outrigger strut  45  is provided by a pair of horizontally oriented hydraulic jack  26 . Both ends of horizontal jack  26  is welded to pillars  21  on each side, serving as cross-member structural component of the vehicle and protecting the driver from being crushed when the vehicle is being hit from the sides. The piston ends  31  of the horizontal jacks  26  are attached via a hinged mechanism  84  to the lower end of the cylinder  46  of outrigger strut  45 . Since the length of the cylinder  46  is constant, it follows that the cylinder  46  must be able to slide down on the pillars in order for the piston end  31  of horizontal jack  26  to move outward, forming a triangle. 
     The outrigger ski-roller assembly  66  may be retracted upward past the center of gravity (CG)  29  of the vehicle so that even if the vehicle should accidentally fall flat on its side on the ground, the outrigger mechanism is still able to get the vehicle upright. This is accomplished as follow: 1) first, the vertical outrigger strut will shorten maximally, 2) then horizontal jack  26  will expand by either force of hydraulic fluids from a hydraulic pump or force of compressed gas stored in cylindrical tank  28  disposed right next to the horizontal jacks  26 . Details of hydraulic system and pneumatic system will be subsequently discussed in FIG.  3 . Expansion of horizontal jack  26  will cause the vehicle to rise up to about 50 degrees from the ground. At this point, expansion of the vertical strut assembly  45  will further raise the vehicle further upward to about 80 degrees. Then, contraction of the horizontal jack  26  will bring the vehicle up to a 90 degrees vertical. In actual use, the driver would be able to quickly deploy the outrigger mechanism in order to “catch” the vehicle before it falls completely on its side. Therefore, the previously mentioned scenario rarely ever happens. However, it is very important for the driver to have complete confidence in his machine&#39;s stability and safety for the complete pleasure of motoring. 
     FIG.  1   b  also shows that by expansion of the horizontal jack  26  with the vehicle in the upright position, the outrigger ski-roller&#39;s track width  66   w , defined as the transverse distance between the outrigger ski-rollers  66 , is increased for more stability while driving in poor road condition or in high cross wind. In normal use, the outrigger ski-rollers&#39; track width  66   w  are kept to a minimum by being tucked neatly adjacent to the vehicle&#39;s body width or body sides. 
     FIG.  1   c  represents a top plan view of the vehicle, confirming the locations of the vertical outrigger struts  45 , outrigger ski-rollers  66 , side pillars  21 , cross bar  22  for the pillars and the roof, steering wheel  5 , front wheel  65 , rear wheel  67 , front seat  16 , rear seat  17 , gas pedal  41 , brake pedal  42 , clutch pedal  43 , radiator  24 , and battery  38 . 
     Closed-Up Mechanical Details of the Outrigger Mechanism 
     FIGS.  2   a-c  show close-up mechanical details of the outrigger strut mechanism in three different perspectives. In FIG.  2   a , which a side-elevation view, there is shown the outrigger ski-roller  66  pivotably mounted to the end of the piston  47  of the outrigger strut  45  on hinge joint  68 . Hinge joint  68  allows ski-roller unit  66  to pivot up and down in respond to uneven road surface. The outrigger ski-roller  66  is free to swivel on the long axis  69  of the outrigger strut  45  because the piston  47  is free to rotate within cylinder  46 . Ski-roller  66  is made of an elongated flat surface having an upwardly curled tip or a small ski  66   s , in which a front roller wheel  66   f  and a rear roller wheel  66   r  protrude through a slot cut out on the surface of the ski  66   s . The roller wheels are rotatably mounted to ski  66   s  via bearings  66   b . In order to keep the ski-roller assembly aligned to the direction of travel of the vehicle, it is necessary to make the tire  66   t  of the rear roller wheel  66   r  out of material with high friction coefficient such as rubber and the front roller wheel  66   f  should be made out of low friction materials such as nylon or metal. The increase in road grip of the rear roller wheel  66   r  will ensure that it will always be dragged behind the front roller wheel  66   f . To reduce stress on the fragile outrigger struts unit  45 , a very effective suspension and shock absorption means for the outrigger ski-roller that automatically varies in stiffness in response to vehicle speed is provided. When the vehicle is standing still, the outrigger&#39;s suspension system is electrically deactivated therefore outrigger strut assembly is incompressibly stiff, thereby allowing great stability for the driver to enter or exit the vehicle. With the slowest forward motion detected by the vehicle&#39;s speedometer, however, the suspension system is activated but the suspension is still relatively stiff. With more forward speed, the outrigger&#39;s suspension becomes softer to anticipate higher road shock at higher speed, and also because when the vehicle is in faster motion, the outrigger stabilizing effect is needed less and less. At above certain pre-set speed, the outrigger ski-rollers are automatically retracted upward allowing the vehicle freedom to maneuver. Detailed mechanism for outrigger suspension and motive power will be presented in connection to FIG.  3 . The top portion of FIG.  2   a  shows the outrigger strut  45  being attached to the vehicle pillar  21  via roller  56  slidably fitted inside roller guide  58  which is welded or bolted to the vehicle pillar  21 . 
     FIG.  2   b  represents a front sectional view of the outrigger system. Above the ski-roller  66 , the outrigger strut  45  is shown in various deployed position with expansion of the horizontal jack  26 . Please note that jack  26  is angled slightly downward in its piston  31  end in order to push ski-roller  66  down as it expands thereby making up for the lost in height of the vertical outrigger strut as it is being swung outward. Jack  26  is firmly attached to pillars  21  on each of its ends and serve as structural cross member of the vehicle. The end of piston  31  of jack  26  is shown attached to the outrigger cylinder  46  via hinge joint  84  and bracket  59 . Bracket  59  wraps tightly around lower end of cylinder  46 . The top portion of FIG.  2   b  shows roller  56  in various alternative positions as it slides within roller guide  58  which is attached to pillar  21 . 
     FIG.  2   c  represents a top-down plan view of the outrigger strut mechanism, confirming the relative locations of each component. A pair of pillars  21  are seen flanking each side of outrigger strut  45 , and the pillars on each lateral sides of the vehicle are joined at the top by pillar cross bar  22 . Horizontal hydraulic jacks  26  are seen bracing pillars  21  on each side mid level in the vehicle. 
     Electromechanical Control Connections and Hydraulic System 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the control system, suspension system and powering of the outrigger system. The vertical outrigger strut  45  and the horizontal jack  26  are powered by hydraulic fluids stored in hydraulic fluids reservoir  38  and supplied under pressure by hydraulic pump  37  which in turn is powered by the engine via belt drive  39  or alternatively by an electric motor (not shown). Central control means of all these system is done electronically by the vehicle electronic control module (ECM)  52 . The high pressure outlet line  32  of the hydraulic pump  37  is connected to both vertical strut  45  and horizontal jack  26  by hydraulic lines, and this connection is interrupted by reversing rotary valve  60 . Pump  37  is protected by pressure regulator  36  as commonly used in hydraulic system in order to prevent excess pressure built up. Reversing valve  60  is comprised of a solid casing  60   c  through which multiple flow channels  60   d are formed. In the center of solid casing  60   c  is a cylindrical rotor  60   a  that is tightly fitted to corresponding cylindrical space machined into casing  60   c . Rotor  60   a  also contains a multiple of flow channels  60   b  that is formed within, such that depending on the rotational position of rotor  60   a , the flow of fluids from pump  37  may be directed to the top of cylinder  46  pushing piston  47  downward, in turn, the fluids on bottom of cylinder  46  is allowed to exit through rotary valve  60  to the fluids reservoir  38 . Or, by rotating rotor  60   a  ninety degrees, as shown in phantom lines in the page corner, the flow of fluids is now reversed, and the flow of fluids from pump  37  is now directed toward the bottom of cylinder  46  and pushing piston  47  upward while the top of cylinder  46  is simultaneously connected to fluids reservoir  38  allowing fluids to exit thereto. Electronic flow meter  51  placed between rotary valve  60  and pump  37  and in hydraulic connection to either ends of cylinder  46 , is used to determine the position of the piston  47  relative to cylinder  46 , and as piston  47  has reached the end of its travel accompanied by the flow rate approaching zero, flow meter  51  will signal ECM  52  to close off valve  60  thus locking piston  47  in place. Rotational movement of rotor  60   a  is done by electric servo  61  electrically linked to ECM  52 . Servo arm  61   a  is linked to a push rod  62  that is linked to rotor  60   a . Rotation of rotor  60   a  only fourty-five degrees, as shown on the bottom center of the page, will completely interrupt fluid connection from the pump to the top of the cylinder, causing piston  47  to be hydraulically locked in a fixed position within cylinder  46 , however, the bottom compartment of the cylinder is still in fluids connection to reservoir  38  via channel  60   e  within rotor  60   a.    
     Suspension Means for Outrigger Struts 
     This rigid hydraulic locking is important when the vehicle is parked, in order to prevent the vehicle from leaning too much on one side potentially leading to falling on its sides in cross wind or when the occupants step into the vehicle. However, when the vehicle is in slow forward motion, the outrigger strut  45  must have suspension property, albeit fairly stiff, in order to reduce stress to its fragile structure at the same time lends some support to keep the vehicle upright. Also, when the vehicle is riding on top of a convex surface, a rigid outrigger strut will prevent one of the two main wheels  65 ,  67  of the vehicle from touching the ground thus causing lost of traction control, at the same time the outrigger struts will bear most of the weight of the vehicle because they are placed very dose to the vehicle&#39;s center of gravity  29 . This does not bode well for the fragile nature of the telescopic outrigger strut which will bend or break. Providing for suspension for the outrigger strut  46  and the horizontal jack  26  is a small size air chamber  54   a , disposed in fluid connection with the top ends of the outrigger strut cylinder  46  and to jack  26 . This chamber  54   a  contains air or an inert gas at atmospheric pressure or not much higher. Still, a moveable partitioning plate  34  is desirable in order to prevent escape of gas inside chamber  54  to the hydraulic line. Interrupting the fluid connection between chamber  54   a  and cylinder  46  is a solonoid flow-control valve  53   a , which opens or closes under signal from the ECM  52 , in order to activate the suspension system or deactivate it. Also connected in parallel to air chamber  54   a  is larger air chamber  54   b , but is similarly constructed. Another solonoid valve  53   b  controls the flow in or out of chamber  54   b , and this valve opens at higher vehicle speed when softer suspension with higher range of travel is desirable. 
     Rapid or Emergency Deployment of Outrigger Struts 
     For rapid deployment of outrigger struts in case of emergency, a faster means must be provided than by hydraulic pump  37 . Also, since hydraulic pump  37  is powered by the engine  78 , a backup means is desirable in case of engine failure. Therefore, it is highly desirable to use the stored energy of a compressed inert gas in tank  28  for rapid emergency deployment. High pressure tank  28  is connected to the top ends of vertical strut cylinder  46  and horizontal jack  26 . Solonoid valve  53   e  is used to control flow directly out of tank  28 , while valve  53   c  controls flow to vertical strut cylinder  46  while valve  53   d  controls gas flow to horizontal cylinder  26 . Valves  53   c  and  53   d  are normally kept open, unless when valve  53   e  is opened, in which case, either valve  53   c  or  53   d  will have to be closed to allow for selective movement of either horizontal or vertical cylinder. With opening of solonoid valves  53   e  and  53   c  and with rotary valve  60  set in cooperative position as shown on the bottom center of the page, the gas flows from tank  28  to the top of cylinder  46  pushing piston  47  downward and moving hydraulic fluids on the bottom part of cylinder  46  back to fluid reservoir  38 . To prevent high pressure gas from going toward the hydraulic pump via outlet line  32 , an unidirectional flow valve  49  is serially placed on hydraulic line  32 , thereby preventing the gas from backing up into the hydraulic pump  37 . Flow meter  50  installed on the hydraulic return line  33  will keep account of the rate of fluids flowed past, and as piston  47  reaches its end of travel, the flow rate goes to zero and flow meter  50  will signal the ECM  52  to close solonoid valve  53   e  thereby conserving pressure in tank  28 . If however, higher gas pressure is desirable in cylinder  46 , the driver can signal the ECM  52  via switch means to reopen solonoid valve  53   e  again, thereby allowing more pressure from tank  28  to enter cylinder  46 . To move piston  47  back to the upward position, rotary valve  60  is activated causing hydraulic fluids to enter the bottom of cylinder  46 . This in turn allows gas on top of piston  47  to escape via the fluid return line  33  toward the fluid reservoir  38  where the gas will escape to the atmosphere via vent  35 . In order to reduce manufacturing cost, most of the valves herein described may be grouped together into a metal casting valve assembly unit (not shown) similar to the control valve assembly in automatic transmission unit. 
     Thumbstick Control 
     Referring to the top of FIG. 3, switch means is available for the driver to selectively deploy any of the 4 hydraulic cylinders. Mounted on each sides of steering wheel  5  is a mini thumbstick control  85  (or thumb pad as in electronic games) mounted on a round gimbal  86 . The thumbstick  85  is movable in all directions. When thumbstick  85  is moved in lateral directions, toward the inside or toward the outside, horizontal jack  26  is activated causing swinging motion of outrigger strut in order to increase or decrease the outrigger wheel track width. When thumbstick  85  is moved forward or backward, lowering or retraction of outrigger wheels occured, respectively. When moved in a diagonal direction, simultaneous activation of both hydraulic cylinders  45  and  26  is possible. Thumbstick  85  is kept centered in its neutral position by returning springs (not shown) mounted inside gimbal  86 . When thumbstick  85  is moved only a small amount, only rotary valve  60  is activated, causing only slow movement of the activated hydraulic cylinder. When thumbstick  85  is moved near its extreme range, however, solonoid valve  53   e  is opened along with either valve  53   c  or  53   d , causing discharge of high pressure gas into respective hydraulic cylinder resulting in rapid movement of that cylinder&#39;s piston in response to emergency needs. 
     Automatic Deployment of the Outrigger Struts 
     In normal use, the driver hardly ever needs to touch thumbstick (or thumb pad)  85 , as retraction and lowering of outrigger ski-rollers  66  and activation or deactivation of the suspension mechanism is done automatically according to the vehicle speed as measured by speedometer  55  which is connected to the ECM  52 . As mentioned in previous section, the stiff suspension mode for the outrigger ski-rollers is activated at the first sign of any forward vehicle speed by opening of valve  53   a , and as the speed reaches above 3-5 mph (4.88 km/h) a softer suspension mode is activated by opening of valve  53   b  and dosing of valve  53   a , and as speed reaches above 7 mph (11.2 km/h) both valves  53   a  and  53   b  are opened, causing even softer suspension. Upward retraction of outrigger ski-rollers  66  begins at speed above 10 mph (16 km/h), and as the vehicle moves faster, the outrigger ski-rollers will be retracted higher, until it is completely retracted at a pre-set cruise speed. The reverse is true when the vehicle decelerates. Determination of the position of outrigger ski-rollers is done by flow meters  50  and  51 , by measing the flow volume passing it at the start of the signal to retract the wheel  66 . An optional impact sensor  57  connected to the ECM  52  may be provided in order to rapidly lower the outrigger ski-rollers  66  and to increase their track width in the event of a collision, thus preventing the vehicle from fallen down and being “run-over” by other vehicles. The outrigger struts  45  and the horizontal jack  26  may need be deployed only partially in most cases in order to minimize the chance of it being caught onto by oncoming traffics. 
     Scope and Ramification 
     As anyone in this field of art can quickly notice, there are many different adaptations to the principle herein disclosed. For example, the vehicle&#39;s energy efficiency also lends well to economical use of battery powered electric motor for propulsion. A major reason for the high purchasing and operating costs of electric automobile is due to the expensive battery which must be frequently replaced, and expensive amount of power semiconductor electronics used in motor control. A very small size and very energy efficient vehicle significantly reduces the size of the motor, the battery and of power semi-conductor electronics. The limited range of electric vehicles is of little consequence for a vehicle intended for daily commuting, and a small size battery can be recharged very quickly, unlike larger battery in electric cars. Another appealing reason for the use of electric power in this very slim and compact vehicle is that it may be used in-door in large shopping malls, in large industrial plants, school campuses, bike trails, narrow back-door alleys in large cities, or wherever that is considered off-limit for the automobiles. 
     Therefore, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather by the examples herein given.