Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FCIFIC~TION
Be it known khat I, GENE HOWARD M~ LER, a citi~7en of the
United States of America, residing at North Palm Beach, County of Palm
Beach and State o~ Florida, have invented certain new and ~sefulimprove-
ments in a MOTOR VEHICLE SLEE:PER UNIT, of which the following is
a specification.
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This invention rela-tes to sleeper units for motor
vehicles and particularly to those useful in an over-the-road
tractor having a cab-over engine design in which the cah is
tiltable with respect to the vehicle -Erame for access to the
engine for maintenance and/or repair.
State legislated length restrictions on over-the-road
motor vehicles, especially tractor-trailer combinations, have
resulted in tractor designs in which the cab is mounted over
the engine. Such designs reduce the length of the tractor cab
to permit a longer trailer to be used and therefore a larger
payload to be transported. Access to the engine for mainten-
ance and/or repair in a cab-over-engine design is usually
obtained by tilting the cab forwardly on the vehicle frame. In
present cab-over-engine designs which include a bed or sleeper
area behind the seats in the cab or above the cab, tilting of
the cab results in tilting of the bed, thereby dislodging bed
clothes, pillows and any notions which migh-t be in the area. In
those designs in which a separate sleeping area or compartment
is provided, for example in campers Eor pick~up trucks, that part
of the compartment which extends over the cab would interfere
with the tilting of the cab in cab-over-engine type vehlcles.
SUMMARY OF T~IE INVENTION
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The present invention provides a sleeper unit for a
motor vehicle including a frame with a forwardly tiltable cab
mounted thereonr said sleeper unit comprising a closed compart-
ment having at least four upstanding walls supporting a top
wall, and means for mounting said compartment on said vehicle
frame; said compartment mounting means comprising support means
provided on the vehicle frame for supporting the compartment
and fastening means connecting said support means with said com~
partment at the rear of said compartment whereby said compart~
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ment can be tilted with respect ko said frame by raising the
front of said co-mpartment; and a part of said compartment
extending forwardly of the frame over the cab.
The invention also provides in combination with a
motor vehicle having an engine manifold and having a frame with
a cab mounted thereon, a sleeper unit comprising a closed com
partmen-t having at least four upstanding walls supporting a top
wall, a part of said compartment ex-tending forwardly of the
frame over the cab, means for mounting said compartment on said
vehicle frame such that said compartment is tiltable with
respect to said frame, and a vehicle muffler secured to an up-
standing wall of said compartment and connected to the vehicle
engine manifold through flexible conduit extending adjacent -the
compartment.
In one form of tilting means of the invention, the
compartment is supported on spaced outrigger members secured to
the vehicle frame and the compart-
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ment is bolted to the rearwardmost outrigger members. In another form,
the tilting means is a pivot connection provided by at least one pivot rod
journaled in brackets on a support frame of the compartment and rod sup-
port means secured to the vehicle Erarne. In either case, rnechanical tilt-
ing is achieved by activation of pneumatic or h~rdraulic cylinders controlled
by an operator. In a preEerred embodiment of the invention, a part of the
closed compartment e:Ktends orwardly of the vehicle and over the cab to
provide increased sleeping area and means are provided between the for-
wardly extending part of the compartment and the roof of the cab for ab-
10 sorbing shock therebetween, especially shock resulting from uneven road
surfaces. Openings may be provided in the cab and sleeper unit topermit
interlor access between the cab and the sleeper unit.
DESCE~:IPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the Drawings:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view (looking at the right or passenger
side) of a motor vehicle, i. e. a tractor, having a sleeper unit mounted on
the vehicle frame;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view (looking at the left or driver side)
of the vehicle of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is an elevation view of the vehicle of Fig. 1 with por-
tions removed to show details of the sleeper unit with the tractor caband
sleeper unit in n~rmal over-the-road runningposition;
Fig. 4 is an elevation view of the vehicle of Fig. 1 with por-
tions removed to show details of the sleeper unit and with the tractor cab
and sleeper unit in their respective tilted positions;
Fig. 5 is a rear view of the vehicle of Fig. 1 with portions
removed to show details of the sleeper unit and means for tilting the unit;
Fig. 6 is a sectional view takenalong lines VI-VI of F'ig. 3
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showing the access openings between the tractor cab and the
sleeper unit;
Figure 7 (on the same sheet as Figure 3) is an
enlarged view of the portion of Figure 5 designated VII showing
a typical mounting means or the sleeper unit on the vehicle
frame;
Figure 8 (on the same sheet as Figure 4) is an
enlarged view of the portion of Figure 3 designated VIII showing
the sealing means for the access openings between the sleeper
unit and the vehicle cab; and
Figure 9 is a schematic view of a mechanical system
or tilting the sleeper unit with respect to the vehicle frame
including hydraulic pump, lines and cylinders.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF
PREF~RRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
Referring to Figures 1 and 2~ the sleeper unit 10 in
accordance with the invention is adapted to be mounted on a
frame 12 of a motor vehicle, such as tractor 14. The tractor
1~ has an over~-the-engine cab 16 which, for purposes of mainten-
ance and/or repair must be tilted forwardly, as is well known
in the art, to provide access to the engine which is located
under the cab 16. The tractor 14 also includes the usual wind-
shield 18, passenger door 20, driver door 22 and saddle tanks
24, 26.
The sLeeper unit 10 is mounted on the vehicle frame
12 directly behind the cab 16. The unit ].0 includes a main com-
partment 28 which is accessible through door 30 from the outside
and also, preferably, through access openings Erom the cab 16
as will be described hereinafter. Various storage compartments
32 and access openings 34 for fuel and the like are provided in
the exterior wall o the sleeper unit 10. The main compartment
28 opens into a sleeper compartment 36 which extends forwaraly
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over the roof of cab 16~ A windshield 33 is provided at -the
front of the compartment 36. The sleeper compartment 36 is
designed to hold a bed, while
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additional accessories such as a bath, shower, stove, table and storage
closets and cabinets are provided in the main compartment.
According to the invention, as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the
sleeper unit 10 is mounted on the vehicle frame 12 behind and closely ad-
jacent rear wall 44 of cab 16. The unit is preferabl~ made of fiberglass-
balsa core material with a reinforcedaluminum frame, although other
materials having sufficient strength and stability such as steel, aluminum
and other metals and plastic materials, are equally suitable. The unit has
opposed upstanding side walls 46, 48, front wall 50, rear wall 52, top wall
54, and bottom wall 56. The top wall 54 extends over the main and sleeper
compartments. The sides of the sleeper compartment are closed bSr suit-
able wall portions integral with the side walls 46, 48 ofthe maincompart-
ment 28. The sleeper compartment also includes a bottom wall 58. A
shock absorbing pad 60 of resilient material such as closed cellneoprene
foam is provided between top wall 62 of cab 16 and the bottom wall 58 of
the sleeper compartment 36.
A ELoor 64 isprovided in the main compartment 28 supported
by a plurality of spaced support members 66 which extend transversely of
the compartment and are secured to a box frame 68, preferably formed of
20 2" x 4" structural aluminurn, secured to the side, front and rear walls of
the main compartment 28.
The sleeper unit 10 is supported on the frame 12 of the tractor
14 by a series of spaced outrigger members 70, 72; 74, 76; and 78, 79 which
are preferably welded to the frame 12. Each outrigger member extends out-
wardly from the frame 12 a length slightly less than the distance from the
~rame to a side wall 46, 48 of the sleeper unit 10.
The sleeper unit 10 is normally secured to the forward out-
rigger members 70, 72 andrearward outrigger mernbers 78, 79 by a
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plurality of shock mountings 80, each of which includes a bolt 82, nut 84
and grommet member 86, It is also supported by shock mountings 8~ on
intermediate outrigger members 74, 76. The grommet melnbers 86 are
made of neoprene rubber or similar compressible material which serves
as a shock absorber, as well as permitting the unit to be tilted with respect
to frame 12 as described hereinafter. The rear of the unit is held by bolts
8Z which are welded to outrigger members 7~, 79, extend through grommet
members 86, through the bottom wall 56 of compartment 28 and are held
by nuts 84. The forward end of the compartment 28 is adapted to be secured
10 to outrigger members 70, 72 using identical connections; however, the for-
ward shock mountings 80 are accessible from outside of the unit 10 such
that the nuts 84 can be removed from the bolts 82 by an operator to permit
tilting of the un;t.
Tilting of the unit 10 with respect to the vehicle frame 12 can
be achieved either mechanically or manually. The preferred mechanical
systern includes a pair of hydraulic cylinders 90, each of which is secured
at one end to the frame 12. The cylinder pistons 92 are secured at their
opposite ends to a support member 66 at the front of the unit 10. The cyl-
inders 90 are adapted to be energized hydraulically through a system, such
20 as shown schematically in Fig. 9, which i6 operable through a hand or foot
pump 9'L. By activating the pump, fluid pressure causes the pistons to be
extended from the cylinder, thus raising the front of the sleeper unit and
tilting it on the grommet members in the shock mountings at the rear of the
sleeper unit. Instead of a hydraulic systemt a pneumatic sSrstem may be
used, or the unit may be tilted manually. Only a very small amount of tilt-
ing of the unit 10 is required to permit the cab 16 to be tilted sufficiently
(as shown in Fig. 4) to gain access to the engine for repair, r~aintenance
or the like. This small tilting angle, which is preferably on the orde~ of
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6, will not cause anything in the sleeper unit to become dislodged.
As particularly shown in Figs. 4 and 5, in order to tilt the
sleeper unit lO with respect to the frame 12, it may be necessary to mod-
ify the tractor exhaust system. In a preferred embod;ment, therefore, a
flexible conduit or hose 96 is provided between the engine exhaust manifold
(not shown) and the rear of the unit lO so that when the unit is tilted, there
will be some "give" to the e~haust conduit to avoid rupturing it. As shown
in Fi~. 5, the exhaust conduit terminates in the usual muf~ler 98 and the
tail pipe lO0. The muffler and tail pipe are attached to the rear wall 5Z of
1~) the unit by spaced brackets 102 and Easteners 104.
In another form of the invention, the tilting means may com-
prise a pair of brackets mounted at the rear o the ~lnit with a pivot rod
journaled in the brackets and brackets attached to the frame. In this em-
bodiment, when the front of the unit is raised by hydraulic or pneumatic cyl-
inders, the pivot rod, which is journaled in the brackets, rotates permit-
ting the front of the unit to be raised with respect to the frame.
Fig. 7 ~hows in detail the shock mounting between an outrigger
member, such as outrigger member 70, and the bottom wall 56 at the rear
of the unit. The mounting comprises an upstanding bolt 82 which is welded
20 to the outrigger member 70~ a grommet member 86 provided between the
member 70 and wall 56, and a securing nut 84 to retain the unit on the out-
rigger member 70. This typical connection is preferably used at the front
and rear corners of the unit 10 and serves as a shock absorber for the unit
on the frame lZ. When it is desired to tilt the unit lO to permit the cab to
be tilted to gain access to the engine, the nuts 84 on the shock mountings at
the front of the unit are removed before activating the hydraulic lifting sys-
tem through the pump 94. Of course, once the nuts are removed, the front
of the unit may be raised manually, if required, although the weight of the
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unit may make such a manual operation extremely difficult, especially in
view of the moment e~erted by the forwardly e~tending sleeper compart-
ment 36.
Although exterior access to the main compartment (and from
there to the sleeper cornpartment) can be gained through the outside opening
door 30 shown in Fig~ 1, it is preferable that interior access from the cab
16 to the compartments and vice versa be provided so that there is access
to the sleeper unit without the need for theoperator to stop the vehicle. As
shown in Figs. 3, 4, 6 and 8, such access is provided in a preferred embodi-
10 ment of the present invention by an access opening 106 which is formed in therear wall 44 of the cab 16 and by an opening 108 formed inthe frontwall 50
of the main compartment 28. The openings 106 and 108 are disposed oppo-
site to and adjacent one another so 1:hat a crawl space is prov;ded between
the cab 16 and the unit 10. Theopenings 106 and 108 are sealed against dirt
and weather elements by meansof sealing elements 110 and 112, which ex-
tend in abutment around theperiphery of the openings 106 and 108, respec-
tively, as moreparticularly shown in Fig. 8. The sealing elements are
preferably in the form of a collar and are made of closed cell foam material,
such as neoprene rubber or the equivalent. The foam material may be pro-
20 tected by a vinyl covering 113. In addition to sealing against the weatherelements, the sealing elements keep out water and vapors, absorb the heav-
ing motion of the sleeper unit with respect to the cab and cushion the edges
of the access openings so that a person can crawl through the opening, even
while the vehicle is in motion, without being injured.
Many types of known mechanical systems may be used to tilt
the sleeper unit. In Fig. 9, one such systernincorporating the elements of
the present invention is shown in schematic. The two cylinders 114 are
mounted on the cab frame 12. The pistons llb of the cylinder~ are con-
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nected to the support members 66 of the sleeper unit. When pump 118 is
actuated, hydraulic fluid under pressure, for example, causes extension
of the pistons 116 with respect to the cylinders ll'L lifting the forward end
of the sleeper unit, thus tilting the unit to allow tilting of the tractor cab
for access to the vehicle engine for maintenance and/or repair.
Equivalent pneumatic or other fluid operated systems ma~ also
be used. The compartmentmay also be tilted manually, if necessary.
The present invention provides a compact, versatile, econom-
ical sleeper unit or a motor vehicle, and more particularly for an over-
10 the-road type tractor having a cab-over~engine clesign. It is apparent that
neither the invention nor its application is limited to such a vehicle. For
example, the sleeper unit couldbe used with a standard non-tilt cab tractor
and access to the unit could be obtainecl byone or more outside doors to the
unit instead of or in addition to the interior access means herein disclosed.
