Fun-kart with two powered wheels

Abstract

A vehicle for leisure or competitive use has a chassis 50 supporting two wheels 12 on a common axis 14 which can be independently driven by respective battery-powered electric motors 22 or internal-combustion engines or be independently kept stationary. Two laterally-spaced castor wheels 18 are disposed in one plane at a longer distance on one side of the axis, and are mounted on the chassis by independent resilient suspension means 52, 54, 56, 58, 60 and 62 . Two laterally-spaced castor wheels 20 are disposed in another plane, which is inclined to that plane in which the castor wheels 18 are disposed, at a shorter distance on the other side of the axis, and are mounted directly on the chassis. The vehicle is provided with a seat 32 and the disposition of the seat and the batteries relative to the axis is so arranged that there is insufficient weight on the castor wheels 18 to resist the torque exerted at the wheels 12 during sudden acceleration as a result of which the vehicle will perform a so-called “wheely” whereby it rears up until the castor wheels 20 contact the ground as shown in broken lines. The vehicle can also be caused to turn rapidly in tight circles by appropriate independent control of the motors or engines. Remotely-controlled toy vehicles can employ the same principle of operation as the fun-karts described for carrying occupants.

1 . A vehicle comprising a chassis having mounted thereon two laterally-spaced independently power-driven and braked wheels rotateable about a common axis, front stabiliser means spaced in front of said axis, rear stabiliser means spaced behind said axis and, with the vehicle on a horizontal plane with the front stabiliser means and the power-driven wheels on said plane, the rear stabiliser means having a support surface which is disposed above said plane, the centre of gravity of the loaded vehicle, with the vehicle operating on the horizontal plane, being disposed between a first vertical plane containing said axis and a second vertical plane parallel to said first plane and containing the point of contact between the front stabiliser means and the horizontal plane, said vehicle being configured such that the driving force applied on the horizontal plane to the power-driven wheels multiplied by the radius of said wheels is capable of reducing to zero the weight supported at the point of contact between the front stabiliser means and the horizontal plane, and such that further increases in the driving force cause the vehicle to rotate about said axis until the rear stabiliser means contact the horizontal plane.  
     
     
         2 . A vehicle according to    claim 1   , wherein the chassis is provided with a seat so disposed that the centre of gravity of the vehicle and an occupant of the seat in combination is adjacent to and in front of the first vertical plane.  
     
     
         3 . A vehicle according to    claim 2   , wherein control means for the power-driven wheels are located within reach of the seat.  
     
     
         4 . A vehicle according to    claim 1   , wherein the front stabiliser means consist of at least one castor wheel.  
     
     
         5 . A vehicle according to    claim 1   , wherein the front and rear stabiliser means each consist of two laterally-spaced stabilisers in order to reduce the possibility of the vehicle tipping sideways.  
     
     
         6 . A vehicle according to    claim 1   , wherein the front stabiliser means are disposed at a longer distance than the rear stabiliser means from said axis.  
     
     
         7 . A vehicle according to    claim 1   , wherein the power-driven wheels are driven by at least one internal combustion engine.  
     
     
         8 . A vehicle comprising a chassis having mounted thereon two laterally-spaced independently power-driven and braked wheels rotateable about a common axis, front stabiliser means spaced in front of said axis, rear stabiliser means spaced behind said axis and, with the vehicle on a horizontal plane with the front stabiliser means and the power-driven wheels on said plane, the rear stabiliser means having a support surface which is disposed above said plane, the centre of gravity of the loaded vehicle, with the vehicle operating on the horizontal plane, being disposed between a first vertical plane containing said axis and a second vertical plane parallel to said first plane and containing the point of contact between the front stabiliser means and the horizontal plane, said vehicle being configured such that the maximum driving force applied on the horizontal plane to the power-driven wheels multiplied by the radius of said wheels is at least equal to the weight of the loaded vehicle multiplied by the horizontal distance of the centre of gravity of the loaded vehicle from said axis to enable the loading on the front stabiliser means to be controllably reduced to zero, and such that further increases in the driving force cause the vehicle to rotate about said axis until the rear stabiliser means contact the horizontal plane.  
     
     
         9 . A vehicle comprising a chassis having mounted thereon two laterally-spaced independently power-driven and braked wheels rotateable about a common axis, front stabiliser means spaced in front of said axis, rear stabiliser means spaced behind said axis and, with the vehicle on a horizontal plane with the front stabiliser means and the power-driven wheels on said plane, the rear stabiliser means having a support surface which is disposed above said plane, the centre of gravity of the loaded vehicle, with the vehicle operating on the horizontal plane, being disposed between a first vertical plane containing said axis and a second vertical plane parallel to said first plane and containing the point of contact between the front stabiliser means and the horizontal plane, said vehicle being configured such that the maximum driving force applied on the horizontal plane to the power-driven wheels multiplied by the radius of said wheels plus the inertia force multiplied by the vertical distance of the centre of gravity of the vehicle above said axis when said centre is so located is at least equal to the rolling resistance of the vehicle multiplied by the radius of said wheels plus the weight of the vehicle multiplied by the horizontal distance of the centre of gravity of the vehicle in front of said axis so as to enable the loading on the front stabiliser means to be controllably reduced to zero, and such that further increases in the driving force cause the vehicle to rotate about said axis until the rear stabiliser means contact the horizontal plane.