GB1146679A - Improvements in wind motor propelled vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

1,146,679. Wind motor propelled vehicles. J. A. CHILCOTT. 18 Oct., 1966 [19 Oet., 1965], No. 44122/65. Heading B7H. [Also in Divisions A6 and F1] A land or amphibious full-size or toy vehicle (see Division A6) includes a chassis, an upwardly projecting column 18 supporting a rotor which comprises a plurality of vanes 22, and is automatically maintained facing the wind as by a fin 27 and power transmission means between the rotor and chassis driving means 3 carried by the chassis. The power transmission means comprises a drive-shaft 17 which drives, through gearing and a horizontal shaft, sprockets (59) (Fig. 7, not shown), engaging the top run of the tracks (60) of an endless track vehicle, or one or both rear wheels 3 of a chassis with steerable or castoring front wheels 2. To reverse the vehicle the shaft 24 is movable axially to selectively engage the two bevel gears (29a), (29b) on it with the bevel gear (29c) at the top of the driveshaft (17) (Fig. 4, not shown) or a bevel gear (13) may be moved transversely of the vehicle to selectively engage bevel wheels (12) on the respective drive-shafts of the wheels 3. The vanes 22 may be of fixed pitch or of variable pitch adjusted either automatically by centrifugal weights or manually. The front axle 5 is mounted on a pivot pin (6) (Figs. 2, 4, not shown) and is held in a selected position for steering by a pin (8) engaging one of several holes 9 of the vehicle chassis. The pin (6) may be inclined in order to raise one of the rear wheels 3 from the ground when both are mounted on a rigid axle. The rotor may comprise (Fig. 6) a series of flat paddles 50 radiating from a shaft 51, half the area of the paddles being shielded from the incident wind by a shield 56. In a modification the paddle and shield axes are vertical. The column 18 may be replaced by a lattice framework or a grotesque figure.