Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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~°_Y VEHICLE
The present invention relates to motorized vehicles and more particularly
to a small utility vehicle that is especially suited for short-run, mufti stop
urban use.
BACKGRO ND
In a heavy traffic urban environment, it is often desirable to have a
small, highly maneuverable vehicle for such uses as monitoring parking, short-
run or
frequent stop deliveries, parcel services, and so on. Some of the requirements
for such
a vehicles are:
1. Acceptability under the legal requirements for road vehicles
("streetlegal").
2. Short turning radius for high maneuverability.
3~ Easy access, preferably step in and step out for frequent entry
and exit.
4. Ability of the operator to mark tires and deliver tickets from
inside the vehicle.
In addition, there are the usual considerations of cost, reliability and
safety.
MARY
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a
vehicle frame for a three-wheeled street vehicle, having a front end and a
rear end,
comprising:
two upright, laterally-spaced polygonal hoops, each having a
bottom section, a lower front section leading upwards from a front end of the
bottom
section, an upper front section sloping upwardly and iearwardiy from the lower
front
section, a top section extending rearwardIy from the upper front section and
positioned
above the bottom section, an upper rear section exuding downwardly from the
rear
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end of the top section and a lower rear section extending upwardly from the
rear end of
the bottom section;
a plurality of laterally-oriented cross members joining the hoops
and including:
floor members joining the hoops adjacent the bottom
section thereof to provide a substantially flat floor frame;
roof members joining the hoops adjacent the top sections
thereof to provide a substantially flat roof frame,
a front member joining the upper front sections of the
hoops, and
rear members joining the upper rear sections of the hoops
and joining the lower rear sections of the hoops;
rear frame means comprising members extending rearwardly
from the hoops and at least one laterally-extending member adjacent the rear
end of the
frame;
two upright front door posts extending across the respective
hoops adjacent the front ends of the bottom sections; and
two rear door posts extending across the respective hoops at
positions spaced rearwardly from the front door posts;
each hoop enclosing a door opening that is unobstructed between
the floor frame and the roof frame and between the door posts.
The three-wheel fornnat is particularly useful in a vehicle of the type in
question since it provides for high maneuverability, minimal intrusion of the
wheels
into the passenger compartment and a relatively simple, proven suspension and
steering
system for the single front wheel.
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In preferred embodiments, each of the frame hoops is made of a single
tube. 'Che hoops are placed on opposite sides of the vehicles and are linked
by the
cross members which are also tubes to provide a frame that completely
surrounds the
passenger compartment and supports the remaining components of the vehicle,
including the body panels, wheels, engine and so on. The two-hoop format
allows the
use of large door openings on each side of the vehicle, extending from floor
to roof
without obstruction. This is of importance in a vehicle of this sort since the
operator
can be expected to enter and leave the vehicle with some frequency. In
essence, the
large door system allows the operator to step in and step out of the vehicle
much as can
be done with a much larger step van type of vehicle.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a
vehicle for street use having a front end and a rear end, and comprising:
a frame comprising two upright, laterally-spaced hoops, each
with a roof section, a floor section beneath the roof section, a front section
sloping
downwardly to the front from the roof section and a rear section extending
downwardly
from the roof section;
a plurality of laterally-oriented frame members joining the hoops
to form a space frame with spaced roof and floor frame sections;
a plurality of panels mounted on the inside of the frame and
including:
a roof panel secured to and closing the roof frame section;
a floor panel secured to and closing the floor frame
section;
a windshield secured toy the frame between the front
sections of the hoops;
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front body panel means secured to the frame between the
hoops and extending from the windshield to the floor panel; and
back panel means secured to the rear section of the frame
below and to the rear of the roof panel; and
a cargo container supported by the frame below and to the
rear of the back panel.
The external frame is lightweight and very strong. The frame provides a
complete roll cage for the passenger compartment. It is inexpensive to
construct and
provides a complete support structure for simple body panels that are mounted
on the
inside.
The frame based on the side hoops also provides sufficient internal space
to accommodate a conventional automotive engine and transaxle assembly with a
mid-
engine layout in a narrow, e.g., four foot wide, vehicle. With an internal
space frame
or a chassis, the available space in a vehicle of comparable width is
insufficient to
accommodate this type of layout. Vin.: oongeqoa~, ~:p~ior art vehicles for the
same
purpose have been either modified motorcycles or vehicles constructed with a
fore and
aft engine orientation using a diffe~at ~ar:axle drive and drive shaft system.
two
main disadvantages with that type of engine layout are a significantly
increased wheel
base and increased vehicles weight. Thewlanger w~el base significantly reduces
the
maneuverability of the vehicle by increasing the minimum turning radius.
The small wid;h iswitseif~of advamage as it allows the operator to sit in a
centre position in the cab with equal access to both doors, both for egress
from the
vehicle and for tire marking and ticket delivery purposes.
The external frame:;providesoomplete toll-over protection as an added
benefit.
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Another advantage of the external frame concept is the ability to use
modular, individually-mounted body panels secured to the frame. This body
construction is extremely convenient for assembly and maintenance purposes.
The "cage" concept provides sufficient structural rigidity along with
sufficient space at the front that a large front wheel and a motorcycle type
telescoping
fork suspension may be used.
In the accompanying drawings which illustrate an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention:
Figure 1 is an isometric representation of a vehicle according to the
presentinvention;
Figure 2 is a plan view of the vehicle;
Figure 3 is a side view of the vehicle; and
Figure 4 is an isometric view of the vehicle frame.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated a vehicle 10
having an external frame 12 composed of tubular steel components. The vehicle
is
supported on a front sxxering wheel 14 and two rear drive wheels 16.
The frame encompasses a passenger compartment 17 at the front of the
vehicle. This is defined by two vertically arranged side hoops 18, each made
from a
single tube bent to provide a number of linear sections. These include a top
section 20,
and a top front section 22 leading from the top section down to a front bend
24 at the
front end of the vehicle. A bottom front section 26 leads from the bend 24
downwardly and rearwardly to a horizontal bottom section 28. At the rear end
of the
top section 20 is a top rear section 30.that slopes downwardly and to the
rear. At the
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rear end of the bottom section 28 is a bottom rear section that slopes
upwardly and to
the rear.
The two side hoops are joined by a top front cross member 34, joining
the hoops where the top and top front sections 20 and 22 meet. A top rear
cross
member 36 joins the hoops where the tops and top rear sections 20 and 30 meet.
A
front cross member 38 joins the two hoops slightly above the front bends 24. A
bottom
front cross member 40 joins the hoops where the bottom front and bottom
sections 26
and 28 meet. A bottom rear cross member 42 joins the hoops where the bottom
and
bottom rear sections 28 and 32 meet. The ends of the hoops are joined by rear
cross
members 44 and 45.
Parallelling the lower parts of the hoops 18 are two center support tubes
46. These extend from the front cross member 38 to the rear cross member 45,
paral-
lel to the lower sections of the hoops.
A vertical front door post 47 joins the frame sections 22 and 26 on each
side.
A vertical rear door post 48 is mounted on each side of the frame and
extends between the top and bottom sections 20 and 28 of the associated hoop.
At the rear end of the vehicle on each side are two parallel, frame
members 50 and 52. These extend rearwardly from the door posts and are
connected to
the ends of the hoop sections 30 and 32 at the back of the vehicle. The upper
members
50 turn downwards across the ends of the members 52 and then bend laterally to
a
common member 53 across the back of the vehicle.
All of the components of the frame are made from tubular steel bent as
necessary and welded together. This provides a lightweight and very strong
frame
structure. The frame surrounds the passenger compartment 17 and a rear engine
and
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cargo compartment 55.
Between the side hoops 18 and the adjacent center tubes 46, above the
front bends 24, are headlights 54. Below bends 24, between members 46 is a
recess 55
that accommodates the front wheel 14 which is carried on a motorcycle type
front fork
15. The remainder of the front of the vehicle is enclosed with front body
panels 56
secured to the side hoops 18 and the center tubes 46. Between the front cross
member
38 and the top front cross member 34 is a windshield panel 58, secured to the
frame
components.
On each side of the vehicle ahead of the door post 47 is a short, fixed
side panel 60. Between the door posts 47 and 48 is a door opening 62 that may
be
closed by a removable door 63. The door in the illustrated embodiment pivots
outwardly about hinges on the door post 48 so that it can lie along side the
frame to the
rear of the door post. The door ran be latched in this position to provide for
repeated
entry and exit from the vehicle at frequent intervals. In an alternative
embodiment (not
illustrated) the doar slides from the closed position to an open position at
the rear of the
door post 48. The upper part of the door includes a window pane 64.
To the rear of the door post 48, and above the upper horizontal member
50 is a small window 66. A back panel in the form of a rear window 68 fills
the space
between the side hoops 18, the rear cross member 44 and the top rear cross
member
36.
The body of the vehicle is completed with a roof panel 67, a floor panel
69; side panels 70, a rear parxel 72 and a rear deck 74 forming a box-like
housing at the
rear.
All of the body panels of the vehicle ale mounted within the frame, so
that the exterior dimensions of the vehicle are limited by the frame. This
provides
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maximum usable space inside a vehicle of small exterior size.
The power plant 76 for the vehicle is a conventional, off the shelf
engine-transaxle unit for a small automobile. The currently used unit is a 1.3
litre
automotive engine transaxle assembly from KIA Motors of Korea. Units of this
sort
are generally mounted in the front of an automobile to drive the front,
steerable wheels
of an automobile. In the present instance, the complete drive unit can fit
directly into
the space immediately behind the passenger compartment. The unit preferably
has an
automatic transmission to minimize the effort required of the driver in heavy
traffic,
frequent stop service.
The resulting vehicle is a small, highly maneuverable, lightweight
vehicle ideal for local deliveries, parking monitoring and mail services.
Because the
frame is made of tubular steel it is lightweight and very strong. It provides
a complete
roll cage for the passenger compartment. Because the frame is external, a
small
vehicle, approximately four feet in overall width, can accommodate an
automotive
engine and transaxle unit. The mounting of the body panels, including a floor,
is
extremely simple.
While one embodiment of the present invention has been described in
foregoing, it is to be understood that other embodiments are possible within
the scope
of the invention. The invention is to be considered limited solely by the
appended
claims.
