TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES AND METHODS

• Main Authors: KRISTAL, PHYLLIS K, SKOSKIEWICZ, ANDRZEJ, KEY, BRIAN R, AMBROGI, ROBERT R, HEINZMANN, RICHARD KURT, KAMEN, DEAN L, DUGGAN, ROBERT J
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 16.09.2003
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS INVEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OFTRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GASEXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS, IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; AXLES FOR WHEELS OR CASTORS; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL; CASTORS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES; CYCLE AXLE SUSPENSIONS; CYCLE FRAMES; CYCLE SIDE-CARS, FORECARS, OR THE LIKE; CYCLE STEERING DEVICES; CYCLES; FUNERAL DEVICES; HAND TOOLS; HAND-PROPELLED VEHICLES, e.g. HAND CARTS, PERAMBULATORS; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; INCREASING WHEEL ADHESION; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS; MANIPULATORS; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; MOTOR VEHICLES; OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OFVEHICLES; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; RIDER-OPERATED TERMINAL CONTROLS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FORCYCLES; SLEDGES; TRAILERS; TRANSPORT OR ACCOMODATION FOR PATIENTS; TRANSPORTING; VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES; VEHICLE WHEELS; VEHICLES IN GENERAL

There is provided, in a preferred embodiment, a transportation vehicle for transporting an individual over ground having a surface that may be irregula r. This embodiment has a support for supporting the subjet. A ground-contacting module, movably attached to the support, serves to suspend the subject in th e support over the surface. The orientation of the ground-contacting module defines fore-aft and lateral planes intersecting one another at a vertical. The support and the ground-contacting module are components of an assembly. A motorized drive, mounted to the assembly and coupled to the ground-contactin g module, causes locomotion of the assembly and the subject therewith over the surface. Finally, the ambodiment has a control loop, in which the motorized drive is included, for dynamically enhancing stability in the fore-aft plane by operation of the motorized drive in connection with the ground-contacting module. The ground-contacting module may be realized as a pair of ground- contacting members, laterally disposed with respect to one another. The grou nd- contacting members may be wheels. Alternatively, each ground-contacting memb er may include a cluster of wheels. In another embodiment, each ground-contacti ng member includes a pair of axially adjacent and rotatably mounted arcuate element pairs. Related methods are also provided.