The present disclosure is generally related to a tri-wheel automobile and
more particularly to a tilting system for front and rear frame of a tri wheel automobile.
5 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A tri-wheel vehicle is different from four or two wheel automobiles. Especially
while negotiation a curve, tri-wheel vehicles are prone to turning over. This is
because, while negotiating a curve the centre of gravity is fixed and due to the
centripetal force, the inner rear wheel generally lifts up. In such a condition if the
10 speed of the vehicle is not controlled to reduced, the tri-wheel vehicle is prone to
turn over.
[0003] Therefore, there is a need of a more efficient mechanism to address this
problem in order to increase safety of the driver and passengers or goods being
carried in the tri-wheel vehicle.
15 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The invention discloses a tri-wheel automobile. The tri wheel automobile
includes multi part chassis that further includes an independent front part,
configured to support a front tire, an independent rear part, configured to support at
least two rear tires and a tilting device configured to connect the independent front
20 part and the independent rear part, wherein the tilting system includes a locking pin,
a swing and lock unit, wherein the swing and lock unit includes a plurality of locking
holes, a magnet guide housing, placed adjacent to the swing and lock unit, including
a magnet window configured to align with each of the plurality of lock holes at a time,
2
a magnetic block, wherein the magnetic block is configured to move in or out of the
magnetic block and having an endpoint placement at the magnet window wherein,
the locking pin moves in to at least one of the plurality of lock holes when the
magnetic block moves to define a locked state of the swing and lock unit and the
5 locking pin moves out of the at least one of the plurality of lock holes when the
magnetic block moves out to define an unlocked state.
[0005] According to another embodiment of the invention, a tilting system for a triwheel automobile is provided. The tilting system includes a locking pin, a swing and
lock unit, wherein the swing and lock unit includes a plurality of locking holes, a
10 magnet guide housing, placed adjacent to the swing and lock unit, including a
magnet window configured to align with each of the plurality of lock holes at a time,
a magnetic block, wherein the magnetic block is configured to move in or out of the
magnetic block and having an endpoint placement at the magnet window wherein,
the locking pin moves in to at least one of the plurality of lock holes when the
15 magnetic block moves to define a locked state of the swing and lock unit and the
locking pin moves out of the at least one of the plurality of lock holes when the
magnetic block moves out to define an unlocked state.
3
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] The accompanying drawings illustrate various embodiments of systems,
methods, and embodiments of various other aspects of the disclosure. Any person
with ordinary skills in the art will appreciate that the illustrated element boundaries
5 (e.g. boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent one example
of the boundaries. It may be that in some examples one element may be designed
as multiple elements or that multiple elements may be designed as one element. In
some examples, an element shown as an internal component of one element may
be implemented as an external component in another, and vice versa. Furthermore,
10 elements may not be drawn to scale. Non-limiting and non-exhaustive descriptions
are described with reference to the following drawings. The components in the
figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating
principles.
[0007] Fig. 1 illustrates a line diagram of a tilting system 100, according to an
15 embodiment;
[0008] Fig. 2A-2B illustrates locking and unlocking of the tilting device, according to
an embodiment of the invention;
[0009] Fig. 3A-3B illustrates swing of a swing and lock unit, according to an
embodiment of the invention; and
20 [0010] Fig. 4 illustrates a tri-wheel automobile using the tilting device, according to
an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
4
[0011] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described more fully
hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals
represent like elements throughout the several figures, and in which example
embodiments are shown. Embodiments of the claims may, however, be embodied
5 in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments
set forth herein. The examples set forth herein are non-limiting examples and are
merely examples among other possible examples.
[0012] Some embodiments of this invention, illustrating all its features, will now be
discussed in detail. The words “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” and “including,”
10 and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open
ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be
an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant to be limited to only the listed
item or items.
[0013] It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the
15 singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly
dictates otherwise. Although any systems and methods similar or equivalent to
those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of embodiments of the
present invention, the preferred, systems and methods are now described.
[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates a line diagram of a tilting system 100. The tilting system 100
20 essentially includes an upper casing 104 and a lower casing 106. Further, the tilting
system includes a swing and lock unit 108 that includes a plurality of locking holes
126. The swing and lock unit is configured to swing, within permissible limits, from
one extreme to another when unlocked (to be explained later). The tilting system
5
100 further includes a locking pin 110 housed and supported by a locking pin
housing 112 and a holder 128. The locking pin further includes a restraining pin 114
that helps the locking pin 110 to return to its position when removed from a locked
state. The tilting system 100 further includes a magnet guide housing 116 that helps
5 inward and outward movement of a magnetic block 118, that is further managed
using a pull wire 120. The magnet housing block includes a magnet window 122 that
aligns with at least one of the plurality of holes 126 at a given time. The magnetic
block 118 reaches and nestles within the magnet window 122. The pull wire 120
may be controlled using a mechanical wire or a motor and an actuator (not shown
10 in the figure) that may be controlled using a controller (also not shown in the figure).
[0015] The tilting system 100 may further contain supporting elements like bearings
136, 134 and 132. The tilting system 100 further includes a swing shaft 138 that is
connected through a swing shaft guide 130 and attached directly to the swing unit
126 on one side and to a rear chassis part of a tri-wheel automobile on the other (to
15 be described later). As described above, the swing and lock unit 108 is capable of
swinging from one side to other along an axis 140 as shown in the figure, during the
unlocked state.
[0016] For locking the pin: For locking the pin to achieve the locked state, the
controller sends a signal to the motor. The signal may be initiated by a user or may
20 be done automatically. The motor activates the actuator that causes the pull wire
120 to move in a direction 142 as shown in the figure. When the magnetic block 118
enters the magnet guide housing 116 and nestles within the magnet window 122, it
pulls the locking pin 110, ideally made up of some metal or a mixture of metals,
6
towards it. This pulling function of the magnetic block 118 on the locking pin 110
moves the pin within one of the locking holes 126 of the swing and lock unit 108
thereby putting the swing and lock unit 108 in the locked state. The locked state also
locks the swing shaft 138 and it is not free to move on the axis 140. It is to be noted
5 that the swing shaft 138 attaches a front frame of the vehicle with a rear frame of
the vehicle. The front frame of the vehicle includes a single tire whereas the rear
frame includes at least two tire arrangement.
[0017] For unlocking of the locking pin 110: The control unit of the vehicle, on user’s
initiation, is configured to send a signal wirelessly or through wired connection to the
10 motor. For unlocking the locking pin 110, the motor receives a signal from the control
unit. The motor activates the actuator to pull the pull wire to the opposite direction
of 142. This pulling removes the magnetic block 118 from the magnet window 122
and out of the magnet guide housing 116. Hence, the removal of the magnetic block
118 makes the locking pin 110, with the help of the restraining spring 110 to move
15 out of the at least one of the plurality of holes 126 and thereby puts the swing and
lock unit 108 in an unlocked state. The unlocked state of the swing and lock unit 108
enables the side to side movement of the swing and lock unit 108 and the swing
shaft along the axis 140.
[0018] Fig. 2A illustrates a top view of the locked state of the swing and lock unit
20 108. In the locked state, as depicted in the figure, the pull wire 120 moves in the
direction 202 that moves the magnetic block 118 to move towards the inside of the
magnet guide housing 116 and pulls the locking pin 110, in a direction 204, to move
within one of the plurality of locking holes 126.
7
[0019] Fig. 2B illustrates a top view of the unlocked state of the swing and lock unit
108. In the unlocked state, as depicted in the figure, the pull wire 120 moves in the
direction 206 that moves the magnetic block 118 to move towards the outside of the
magnet guide housing 116 and pushes the locking pin 110, in a direction 208, to
5 move out from the one of the plurality of locking holes 126.
[0020] FIG. 3A-3B illustrates a swinging movement of the tilting system 100 after
unlocking. The swing and lock unit 108, after the locking pin 110 has been removed,
is free to move along a horizontal axis as shown in the figure.
[0021] Fig. 4 illustrates the placing of the tilting apparatus 100 on a vehicle 400, that
10 is a tri-wheeled automobile. The vehicle 400 is a multipart chassis vehicle. The
vehicle 400 includes a front chassis part 402 and a rear chassis part 404. The rear
part 4040 of the vehicle 400 is connected to the front part 402 through the swing
shaft 138.
[0022] When the swing and lock unit 108 of the tilting system 100, is in a locked
15 state, the front part 402 and the rear part 404 are in a joined state and the front part
402 is not free to move or swing. However, when the swing and lock unit 102 is in
an unlocked state, the front part 402, of the vehicle 400, is disjointed from the rear
part 404 and therefore is capable of swing movement from left to right and vice vera.
Therefore, the swinging movement of the front part 402 helps in better negotiation
20 of curves during riding. The centre of gravity is dynamically shifted and hence the
curves can be better negotiated without lifting up of the vehicle while facing such
curves and bends on travel path.
8
[0023] It is to be appreciated that only the essential components of the system have
been described above. The locking arrangement may further include various other
parts like a housing and support mechanisms like support 112 for various parts as
described above. As also disclosed, the locking arrangement may be placed within
5 a single housing or may be provided as an open arrangement in a waterproof
arrangement.
[0024] According to an embodiment of the invention, the locking pin may be moved
out from the locked state to unlocked state when control unit determines that vehicle
is about to move or that the driver seat is not empty.
10 [0025] Without the locking pin 102 not being in locked state the vehicle will be in a
tilted state and the vehicle is able to negotiate curves in a better manner. This is so
because, in unlocked state the front part is separate from the rear part and hence
while negotiating a curve, the center of gravity of the vehicle is moved dynamically
to negotiate the curve without the inner rear wheel getting lifted and posing any
15 threat to the driver of the vehicle.
[0026] Moreover, although the present invention and its advantages have been
described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and
alterations can be made herein without departing from the invention as defined by
the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended
20 to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture,
composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As
one will readily appreciate from the disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture,
compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be
9
developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the
same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized.
Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such
processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or
5 steps.

Claims
We claim:
1. A tri-wheel automobile comprising:
A multi part chassis that includes;
5 An independent front part, configured to support a front tire;
An independent rear part, configured to support at least two rear tires;
A tilting device configured to connect the independent front part and the
independent rear part, wherein the tilting system includes;
A locking pin;
10 A swing and lock unit, wherein the swing and lock unit includes a
plurality of locking holes;
A magnet guide housing, placed adjacent to the swing and lock unit,
including a magnet window configured to align with each of the plurality of
lock holes at a time; and
15 A magnetic block, wherein the magnetic block is configured to move in
or out of the magnetic block and having an endpoint placement at the magnet
window wherein, the locking pin moves in to at least one of the plurality of lock
holes when the magnetic block moves to define a locked state of the swing
and lock unit and the locking pin moves out of the at least one of the plurality
20 of lock holes when the magnetic block moves out to define an unlocked state.
2. The tri-wheel automobile of claim 1, wherein the independent front part is
configured to tilt when the tilting system is at the unlocked state.
11
3. The tri-wheel automobile of claim 1, wherein the independent front part is
configured to not tilt when the tilting system is at the locked state.
4. The tri-wheel automobile of claim 1, wherein the magnetic block is operatively
connected to a motor configured to move in or move out based on a user
5 input.
5. The tri-wheel automobile of claim 4, wherein the motor is communicatively
connected to a vehicle control unit.
6. A tilting system for a tri-wheel automobile comprising;
A locking pin;
10 A swing and lock unit, wherein the swing and lock unit includes a
plurality of locking holes;
A magnet guide housing, placed adjacent to the swing and lock unit,
including a magnet window configured to align with each of the plurality of
lock holes at a time; and
15 A magnetic block, wherein the magnetic block is configured to move in
or out of the magnetic block and having an endpoint placement at the magnet
window wherein, the locking pin moves in to at least one of the plurality of lock
holes when the magnetic block moves to define a locked state of the swing
and lock unit and the locking pin moves out of the at least one of the plurality
20 of lock holes when the magnetic block moves out to define an unlocked state
7. The tilting system of claim 6, wherein the magnetic block is operatively
connected to a motor configured to function based on a user input.
12
8. The tilting system of claim 7, wherein the motor is communicatively connected
to a vehicle control unit.
9. The tilting system of claim 6, further comprising an upper casing cover and a
lower casing cover.
5 10.The tilting system of claim 6, further comprising a swing shaft connecting the
independent front part of the chassis to an independent rear part, wherein the
independent front part is configured to support a front tire and wherein the
independent rear part is configured to support at least two rear tires.