Patent Application
20140265171
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is a gear system to assist with transportation on uneven ground and stairs.
2. Description of Prior Art
People have difficulty ascending and descending stairs or traveling on uneven terrain in many vehicles, especially wheelchairs and research exploration vehicles. The first stair-climbing wheelchair was introduced in 1986. Today, manufacturing of these designs has slowed down, and there is a need for a better model to address this issue.
This invention is a gear system that can be used to assist with using stairs comfortably and with maneuvering on rough, bumpy terrain. This unique gear system has three wheels and the whole system rotates when it encounters any large objects, such as stairs or rocks, so that, at any time, two of the three wheels will be touching the ground. This also helps avoid uneasy, jerky movements.
This invention is a unique gear system that allows vehicles to smoothly traverse uneven ground or climb stairs. The framework of this invention contains three gears attached to wheels on either side that mesh with the same inner gear so that they rotate in the same direction. When the vehicle is on flat ground, two wheels are on the ground at any given time, with the third in the air, forming an equilateral triangle shape with the base of the triangle parallel to and touching the ground. Every time a vehicle drives forward and encounters any obstacles or stairs, the entire system rotates so that the wheels switch places: the one that was previously farthest from the vehicle on the ground, in the front, moves to the rear, the position closest to the vehicle on the ground. Similarly, the one that was previously in the rear moves to the air, and the one that was previously in the air moves to the front. The vehicle continues to drive forward throughout the rotation.
This invention is both simple and effective, and, unlike other systems, it is easily adaptable to fit most vehicles. Additionally, the gear system is unique and different. Previous designs are very slow and therefore inefficient. As a result, they may reduce the speed of the entire vehicle. Additionally, they are not compliant with many different types of vehicles. Previous designs are not versatile and are specific to the machine they are built for, such as a wheelchair or a rover. Because of this immense specificity, these other designs are incapable of adjustment. Also, the designs are slow due to the complexity of many mechanical systems. In this invention, the gear system is functionally separate from the other subsystems of the machine, which makes it versatile and compliant with many different types of vehicles. This design is also very simple and does not require multiple moving parts and different types of motion.
The components of the gear system are listed as follows and will henceforth be referred to by their respective item numbers and notated as follows on the figures where applicable.
Item Number 1: Outer gear
Item Number 2: Inner gear
Item Number 3: Wheel
Item Number 4: Triangle bracket
Item Number 5: Axle
Item Number 6: Bushing
Item Number 7: Axle System
Item Number W: Width
An axle (5) is threaded through an outer gear (1), such as a 40-tooth gear, two wheels (3) and another outer gear (1). Each wheel (3) has a radius that is slightly larger than that of the outer gear (1). Each axle (5) is slightly longer than the combined width (W on
The outer gears (1) rotate in the same direction as each other because they all mesh with the inner gears (2). The outer gears (1) are attached to wheels (3) in axle systems (7) that enable the vehicle to drive on the ground. The axle systems (7) are supported at either end by a triangle bracket (4) and secured by bushings (6) so that the gear system does not fall apart. On a flat surface, the gear system has one axle system (7) that is always in the air while the other two axle systems (7) are parallel to and touching the ground. Therefore, the three axle systems (7) are arranged in a triangle. When the vehicle drives forward without any obstruction, each axle system (7) rotates independently. As shown in
To use this gear system, a person must construct it to the proportions that are required for his vehicle, and then attach the gear system to his vehicle in a way that suits him. There is no need to power the gear system because the forward momentum of the vehicle will cause the gear system to rotate toward the front. There should be enough clearance between the vehicle and the gear system to allow the axle systems to rotate freely.
For example, when the vehicle is a car, a person can attach the gear system to the front fender of the vehicle with two bars with holes at the ends of both bars that are pointed away from the vehicle. An axle may be threaded through the holes to support the gear system. This is just one possibility for attaching the gear system, and the invention is not limited to being attached by only this method but can be attached in a variety of ways. The vehicle should function normally with the gear system attached.
The gear system should be assembled to desired proportions to fit the size of the vehicle in question. The general design is the same for any vehicle, but the materials and size required may vary by vehicle to increase durability and effectiveness. For example, because of the added heat from the sun, the material used to help a vehicle travel over rough terrain in the desert may not be the same as the material used to help a vehicle climb stairs indoors in an urban environment. The invention can be attached to the vehicle as necessary as previously described. Adjustability in wheel and axle size could improve the ease of usage.
These specifications are for a triangular gear system. In place of a triangle bracket, another geometric shape can be used for a differently shaped gear system, such as a square. The number of vertices of the bracket will determine the number of axle systems. The triangular system is optimal because it uses the least amount of resources and the triangle shape is the most effective and strong. However, the same principle used for the triangular gear system can be successfully applied to a square or other geometric shaped gear system.
The creation of this gear system results in a device that can be attached to a vehicle to assist with transportation on uneven ground and stairs. However, the basic design of having an inner gear rotate several other gears simultaneously could alternatively be applied to a variety of other uses; for example, this invention could be used in pharmaceuticals and medicine to rotate test tubes and test tube holders when injecting into them.
Although a particular embodiment of the gear system has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.
