Articulated chassis for a vehicle

Claim 1

A VEHICLE CHASSIS COMPRISING A FRONT PORTION, A REAR PORTION, AND A BRIDGE MEMBER INTERCONNECTING SAID FRONT AND REAR PORTIONS, SAID FRONT PORTION AND SAID REAR PORTION PROVIDED RESPECTIVELY WITH A PAIR OF COAXIAL GROUND WHEELS, SAID BRIDGE MEMBER COMPRISING A RIGID CENTRAL PORTION WITH A RESPECTIVE RIGID DOWNWARDLY-EXTENDING ARM AT EACH OF ITS ENDS, ONE OF SAID ARMS PIVOTED ON A VERTICAL AXIS FROM ONE OF SAID CHASSIS PORTIONS WHEREBY SAID PORTIONS CAN BE ARTICULATED ABOU THE SAID VERTICAL AXIS FOR STEERING PURPOSES, THE VERTICAL AXIS BEING EQUI-DISTANT FROM THE AXES OF SAID PAIRS OF GROUND WHEELS, THE OTHER CHASSIS PORTION PIVOTED BETWEEN SAID ARMS OF SAID BRIDGE MEMBER AND ON A LONGITUDINAL AXIS WHEREBY SAID OTHER CHASSIS PORTION CAN TILT LATERALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID BRIDGE MEMBER AND TO SAID ONE CHASSIS PORTION TO CATER FOR IRREGULARITIES IN THE SURFACE OF THE GROUND, A RESPECTIVE DIFFERENTIAL DRIVE TRANSMISSION GEARING INTERCONNECTING THE GROUND OF EACH SAID PAIR, SAID DIFFERENTIAL DRIVE TRANSMISSION GEARINGS HAVING RESPECTIVE INPUT SHAFTS, A TORQUE TRANSMITTING SHAFT, UNIVERSAL JOINTS RESPECTIVELY INTERCONNECTING THE ENDS OF SAID TORQUE TRANSMITTING SHAFT TO SAID INPUT SHAFTS, SAID TORQUE TRANSMITTING SHAFT COMPRISING TELESCOPABLE PORTIONS, A POWER PLANT MOUNTED ON SAID OTHER CHASSIS PORTION, SAID POWER PLANT HAVING A POWER OUTPUT SHAFT, MEANS CONNECTING SAID OUTPUT SHAFT TO DRIVE THE INPUT SHAFT OF THE ADJACENT DIFFERENTIAL DRIVE TRANSMISSION GEARING AND THEREBY TO DRIVE THE INPUT SHAFT OF THE OTHER DIFFERENTIAL DRIVE TRANSMISSION GEARING THROUGH SAID TORQUE TRANSMITTING SHAFT AND UNIVERSAL JOINTS, AND MEANS REACTING BETWEEN SAID BRIDGE MEMBER AND SAID ONE CHASSIS PORTION FOR RELATIVELY ARTICULATING THEM ABOUT SAID STEERING AXIS.