The motor-vehicle is provided with side tracks (C1-C2) with respective electric motors (11-111) which actuate speed reducers (17-117) pivoted with their input shafts (16) on the inner side of said tracks and having keyed on their output shafts respective rubber-coated wheels (18-118) and respective pinions (19-119). The reducers are associated with raising/lowering units (22-122) which, when the motor-vehicle travels on its tracks, keep the rubber-coated wheels lifted from the ground and cause said pinions to mesh with ring gears (20-220) which are keyed to one of the wheels (3) for said tracks which are thus connected to the propelling motors. On the contrary, when the vehicle travels on its wheels, the reducers are lowered to cause the rubber-coated wheels to engage the ground and the tracks are kept in a lifted condition, with simultaneous disengagement of the pinions from the ring gears for said tracks. Provided at the front side of the motor-vehicle is at least one steering wheel (28) which can be raised/lowered simultaneously with the rear wheels and which is provided on its shaft with a potentiometer permitting an accurate control of the motors during the steering of the motor-vehicle.
1. A tracked motor-vehicle, with at least one pair of side tracks, capable of overcoming in a self-contained and safe manner any type of travel, including riding upstairs and downstairs and on strongly inclined planes, particularly suitable for invalid carriages, characterized in that the tracks (C1-C2) are actuated at one end thereof, preferably the rear end, by independent electric motors (11-111) mounted on a support which is solidary with the frame (1) for said tracks and transmitting the motion to the input shaft of respective speed reducers (17-117), supported by the inner side of said frame for the tracks, with possibility of oscillating on said input shaft which is parallel to the axes of the wheels (2-3-4) of each track, the output shafts of said reducers being parallel to the input shafts and having keyed thereon respective rubber-coated wheels (18-118) and respective pinions (19-119), the reducers being connected to respective raising and lowering actuators, for example, fluid-operated, double-acting cylinder-and-piston units (22-122) which are anchored to an extension integral with the frame of each track, the arrangement being such that when the motor-vehicle travels on its tracks the reducers (17-117) are raised, and that the pinions (19-119) keyed to the shaft of the rubber-coated wheels (18-118) are in mesh with respective toothed ring gears (20-120) which are keyed to one of the toothed wheels (3) diverting around each track, for activating said tracks, while said rubber-coated wheels are raised from the ground; and the arrangement being such that, conversely, by commanding an oscillation downwards of the reducers (17-117) via said actuators (22-122) until they abut against limit stops (27-127-408) integral with the central frame (8) of the motor-vehicle, the rubber-coated wheels (18-118) of the reducers (17-117) will rest on the ground and the tracks will be raised up, with simultaneous disengagement of the pinions (19-119) which are co-axial with said rubber-coated wheels, from ring-gears (20-120) of one of the wheels for the tracks which are thus de-activated, and that in this condition of traveling on the wheels, the motor-vehicle will be provided with at least one steering wheel (28) which may be also raised and lowered, so that by acting on suitable controls (85-86) the motor-vehicle may be, if desired, arranged either for traveling on its tracks along hard stretches, e.g. for riding upstairs or downstairs or on inclined planes, or it may be arranged for traveling on its wheels along planar surfaces either horizontal or slightly inclined, and in this instance the tracks are de-activated to avoid friction and waste of electric energy for feeding the motors.
The invention relates to a tracked motor-vehicle, adapted for moving also on wheels and capable of overcoming, in a self-contained and safe manner, any path of travel, included going upstairs and downstairs. Said motor-vehicle has been devised particularly to make carriages for disabled persons, but it can also be used for other purposes, e.g. as a powered base for displacing a robot, a video-camera or other articles.
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