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US 6,543,559 B1Granted
Vehicle propulsion system
OwnerGregory Kapluninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A propulsion system for a vehicle comprised of two wheels, both of which are in the shape of hemispheres. Each of the hemisphere wheels is mounted through a bearing on a fork with two pivots attached to the inner race of the bearing, allowing the wheel to rotate around two perpendicular accesses. The center of each wheel is attached to the shaft through a double universal joint or a flexible shaft. By rotating the hemisphere wheel around the fork pivots the diameter of the wheel engaged with the ground is increased or decreased allowing the vehicle speed and/or direction to very.
Claims15
A propulsion system for a vehicle comprising:
- first and second hemisphere wheels;
- an input means connected to said first hemisphere wheel;
- said first hemisphere wheel having a first bearing located on an inside circumference of the first hemisphere wheel;
- a housing having a first mounting fork attached to said first hemisphere wheel at two pivot points located at the first hemisphere wheels diameter;
- a control lever having a joint attachment to an inner race of the first bearing, parallel to a pivot axis defined by the pivot points of the first mounting fork;
- said control lever also being attached to an inner race of a second bearing, parallel to the pivot axis of the pivot points of a second mounting fork of a second hemisphere wheel;
- said second hemisphere wheel having said second bearing located on the inside circumferences of the second hemisphere wheel;
- the housing having a second mounting fork attached to said second hemisphere wheel at two pivot points located at the second hemisphere wheels diameter;
- an outer circumference of said first and second hemisphere wheels being engaged through friction with the ground;
- said control lever having the ability to swing both hemisphere wheels around the pivot points of the mounting forks to change the engaged diameters of both of the hemisphere wheels.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.