Muscle-powered vehicle

Abstract

A muscle-powered vehicle, comprising a treadmill, which is supported by a chassis and is adapted to be actuated by the thrust of the feet and legs of at least one user who walks or runs thereon; a system for travel over land or on water functionally connected to the treadmill by way of motion transmission means; and a steering system for directing the travel.

1 . A muscle-powered vehicle, comprising: a chassis; a treadmill, which is supported by said chassis and is adapted to be actuated by a feet thrust of at least one user who walks or runs thereon; travel means for travel over land or on water that are supported by said chassis and are functionally connected to said treadmill; motion transmission means mounted on the chassis for transmitting motion to said travel means; and guiding means supported on said chassis for directing travel of the vehicle.  
   
   
       2 . The vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein said treadmill comprises: at least two rollers, namely a first front roller and a second rear roller; a belt which surrounds and is stretched between said front roller and said rear roller so as to be walkable; and a supporting surface for the at least one user who walks or runs thereon, an upper portion of said belt being slideable on said supporting surface, said belt being suitable to transmit motion imparted thereto by the thrust of the feet of the at least one user to said at least two front and rear rollers.  
   
   
       3 . The vehicle of  claim 2 , wherein said supporting surface is provided by a plurality of contiguous bars, with free rollers supported thereon, which form a sliding surface for said belt and for supporting the user.  
   
   
       4 . The vehicle of  claim 2 , wherein said at least two rollers and said supporting surface are supported by the chassis, to which the travel means and the guiding means are rigidly coupled.  
   
   
       5 . The vehicle of  claim 2 , wherein said motion transmission means are flexible and comprise: at least one driving pulley, which is rigidly coupled to a rotation shaft of at least one of said front and rear rollers; at least one driven pulley, which is connected with said travel means; and at least one flexible torque transmission element, in driving cooperation with said driving pulley for transmitting driving torque to said driven pulley.  
   
   
       6 . The vehicle of  claim 1 , being a watercraft, which comprises a floating structure which is fixed to said chassis, and wherein said travel means are formed by at least one propulsion impeller.  
   
   
       7 . The vehicle of  claim 6 , wherein said guiding means are constituted by a rudder and handlebar for steering said rudder.  
   
   
       8 . The vehicle of  claim 6 , wherein said floating structure is provided with two longitudinally elongated lateral floats.  
   
   
       9 . The vehicle of  claim 6 , wherein said motion transmission means comprise: a first driving pulley; a first and a second intermediate pulleys; a driven pulley; a first flexible torque transmission element for transmitting actuation torque between the first driving pulley and the first intermediate pulley, and a second flexible torque transmission element for transmitting actuation torque between the second intermediate pulley, which is coaxial and rigidly coupled to the first intermediate pulley, and the driven pulley, which is keyed to a shaft for actuating the at least one propulsion impeller.  
   
   
       10 . The vehicle of  claim 5 , adapted to travel over land and comprising, rested on the ground, at least one front wheel and at least one rear wheel, said travel means being constituted by at least one of said front and rear wheels.  
   
   
       11 . The vehicle of  claim 10 , wherein said guiding means are constituted by a handlebar for steering said at least one front wheel.  
   
   
       12 . The vehicle of  claim 11 , wherein said motion transmission means comprise: a driving pulley which is rigidly coupled and coaxial with respect to the shaft of one of said front and rear rollers; a driven pulley which is coaxial and rigidly coupled to any of a shaft of said at least one rear wheel, and a shaft of said at least one front wheel; and a flexible transmission element, which is adapted to transmit motion from the driving pulley to the driven pulley.  
   
   
       13 . The vehicle of  claim 12 , wherein said flexible transmission element is a chain which is suitable to transmit motion from said driving pulley that comprises a driving gear, which is rigidly coupled and coaxial with respect to the shaft of one of said front and rear rollers, to the driven pulley that comprises a driven gear, which is coaxial and rigidly coupled to the shaft of said at least one rear wheel.