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US 11,452,663 B2Granted
Knee walker with four-wheel steering
AssigneeRover Mobility, LLC
InventorHarry W. Jernigan, IV
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A knee walker with four-wheel steering. The knee walker includes a frame, at least one front axle assembly, at least one rear axle assembly, a kneeling pad assembly, and a steering system. The steering system is configured to turn the rear axle assembly in the opposite direction from the front axle assembly. The opposing angles of the front and rear wheels enable the knee walker to perform tighter turns by eliminating rear wheel drag.
Claims12
A knee walker with four-wheel steering comprising:
- a body frame, two front axle assemblies and two rear axle assemblies pivotally mounted to the body frame, a knee-pad assembly, and a steering system;
- wherein the steering system is configured to drive the two front axle assemblies in a first rotational direction and the two rear axle assemblies in an opposite second rotational direction;
- and wherein the two front axle assemblies are hingeably mounted to opposite ends of a front crossbar and the two rear axle assemblies are hingeably mounted to opposite ends of a rear crossbar.
A four-wheel knee walker comprising
- a body frame having a front end and a rear end, the body frame comprising a kneeling cushion attached thereto between its front and rear ends;
- a left front axle assembly and a right front axle assembly, with a left front wheel rotatably mounted on the left front axle assembly, and a right front wheel rotatably mounted on the right front axle assembly;
- a left rear axle assembly and a right rear axle assembly, with a left rear wheel rotatably mounted on the left rear axle assembly, and a right rear wheel rotatably mounted on the right rear axle assembly;
- and
- a steering system, the steering system comprising a steering column having a handlebar, a steering mount, and a steering arm, and a plurality of tie-rods;
- wherein a first tie-rod links the left front axle assembly to the steering arm, a second tie-rod links the right front axle assembly to the steering arm, a third tie-rod links the left rear axle assembly to the steering mount, a fourth tie-rod links the right rear axle assembly to the steering mount, and a fifth tie-rod links the left rear axle assembly to the right rear axle assembly;
- wherein the handlebar, the steering mount, and the steering arm operate in unison to control the plurality of tie-rods;
- and
- wherein the plurality of tie-rods control the turning of the left front axle assembly and the right front axle assembly in unison in a first direction while turning the left rear axle assembly and right rear axle assembly in a second direction opposite the first direction.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.