The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 25, 2014
Filed:
Jan. 23, 2013
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US);
William Lark, Jr., Burbank, CA (US);
Nicholas Pennycooke, Herndon, VA (US);
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US);
Abstract
In exemplary implementations of this invention, a foldable vehicle has a foldable chassis. The wheelbase (and thus the overall footprint) of the vehicle can be reduced when parking, and can be extended when driving on the open road. In exemplary implementations the ability to shorten and lengthen the wheelbase is achieved by using two 4-bar linkages, activated by one or more linear actuators positioned in parallel. The dual 4-bar linkage and linear actuator(s) can provide: (i) the ability to maintain full maneuverability in the vehicle's folded and unfolded state; (ii) a fail-safe static system, and (iii) a rigid but transformable chassis.