AU2012202294C1

AU2012202294C1 - A slide out and a vehicle including a slide out

Info

Publication number: AU2012202294C1
Application number: AU2012202294A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Colin Maclean
Original assignee: Pmh Manufacturing Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Pmh Manufacturing Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2004-12-16
Filing date: 2012-04-19
Publication date: 2019-03-07
Anticipated expiration: 2025-06-01
Also published as: AU2012202294B2; AU2012202294A1; AU2005202366A1; AU2005202366B2

Abstract

A vehicle having a slide out (13) including, a vehicle body defining a slide out opening, a slide out that is moveable between an expanded position during recreational use of the vehicle and a retracted position during use of the vehicle for travel on the roads, wherein the slide out includes at least one service and at least one flexible service connector (54) connecting the service fixture to a service supply element or a service receiving element on the body to the vehicle body through which a service can be conveyed and which accommodates movement of the slide out between the retracted and expanded positions. Figure: 1OB

Description

2012202294 01 Nov 2018

A MOTOR HOME HAVING A SLIDE OUT

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates to a motor home including a slide out.

DEFINITIONS

In this application the term ‘a motor home’ shall be understood to cover a vehicle that is capable of being driven by its own motive power having a living area behind a driver's seat that is adapted to provide living accommodation. Typically a motor 10 home is formed by taking a light commercial vehicle that is a cab chassis or van vehicle of a type that is available in the market place and then modifying the area behind the driver’s seat to turn it into a living area.

In this specification the term ‘a caravan’ shall be understood to be a passive wheel 15 mounted vehicle that does not have its own motive power and is required to be towed by a towing vehicle from one location to another.

Further in this specification the term ‘a slide out’ shall be understood to mean an assembly having a body member that is mounted over an opening in a side wall of 20 a vehicle. The body member can be longitudinally aligned with the side wall when the vehicle is being used for travelling on the roads. The body member can also be laterally displaced outwardly when the vehicle is being used to provide living accommodation at a camp site, to provide a greater interior space inside the vehicle. The portion of the side wall that slides out will usually be positioned 25 rearward of a driver’s seat.

BACKGROUND TO THE DISCLOSURE

Recreational vehicles which provide living accommodation are known. One type of recreational vehicle is a caravan which is a passive vehicle without motive 30 power that needs to be towed. A caravan has an interior that has been fitted out

2012202294 01 Nov 2018 to provide living accommodation. A caravan is towed by a towing vehicle such as a family car to a destination where it is detached from the towing vehicle and established as a compact dwelling providing accommodation providing living amenities for a group of people such as a family. It provides living accommodation 5 with fairly comfortable amenities that is considerably cheaper than hotel or unit accommodation.

Another type of recreational vehicle is a motor home which comprises a vehicle that has its own motive power which is fitted out with living accommodation. It has 10 a front seat area for a driver and a passenger and driver's controls that enable it to be driven in the usual way. It also has a living area behind the front seat that typically contains a bed, a cupboard, a kitchen area, a storage area for clothes, and a washing area sometimes with a toilet and a basin. The living area is integral with a vehicle having motive power as distinct from being separate and detachable 15 from such a vehicle.

Motor homes are more suited to travellers who want to move frequently from one place to another. Motor homes are easier to set up at a camp site and they are also easier to pack up and move to another campsite. The interior space within a 20 motor home is limited in width as the motor home needs to be received within a lane on a public road.

A constant challenge in designing motor homes is to utilize the limited space that is available to provide a comfortable and functional living environment. There is a 25 continuing need to come up with further improvements to further improve utilisation of the very limited space. This is particularly so as more affluent and discerning customer's start using motor homes.

One approach that is well known in the motorhome and caravan industry is to 30 provide one or more slide outs that are moveable between an expanded position for recreation and a retracted position for travel. Slide-outs are used to expand

2012202294 01 Nov 2018 the living and bedroom areas laterally, without increasing the overall travel width of the vehicle (which is obviously limited to a maximum width for road travel).

In addition to the constraints described above there is another constraint if the motor home is to be driven on a normal car licence. Vehicle licensing authorities in Australia will only licence a motor home to be driven be a driver on a normal car licence if the motorhome does not weight more than 4.5 tons. Accordingly there is a strong imperative among motor home builders to provide motor homes that satisfy the weight requirement for permitting the motor home to be driven on a 10 regular car licence.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Applicant has recognised the challenge of providing as much amenity in a motor home as possible, e.g. a kitchen, bathroom, cupboards and an island bed, while 15 keeping the motor home below this weight limit. Applicant has recognised the need to look for ways to save or reduce the weight of a built motor home to keep it under this weight limit required for a car licence. Applicant understands that the weight of a chassis frame and also the weight of a slide out is a significant contributor to the overall weight of the motor home and has recognised that it 20 would be advantageous if the chassis frame and slide out could interact and engage with each other in a way that saved weight.

In addition to weight constraints applicant has also recognised that motorhome safety is an emerging issue in the recreational vehicle industry in Australia. A 25 motor home contains a number of fittings that are heavy and if dislodged or released at speed will become dangerous projectiles within the motor home. This poses a number of safety issues when a motor home has a collision at cruising speed. Unlike in a caravan the fittings are contained within the same cabin space as the driver and any passengers within the motor home and have the potential to 30 harm the driver and passenger. Applicant has therefore recognised that developments in the structural strength of motor homes particularly when they are travelling along a road would be useful.

2012202294 01 Nov 2018

According to one aspect of the disclosure there is provided a vehicle that is a motor home, comprising a vehicle chassis including a chassis frame comprises a plurality of longitudinal frame members and a plurality of transverse frame 5 members extending across a width of the chassis frame, the transverse frame members forming at least two slide out engaging support members having an open end. At least one slide out is mounted on the vehicle chassis and is moveable between an expanded position for recreational use of the vehicle and a retracted position for when the vehicle is travelling. The or each slide out includes 10 at least two chassis engaging support members for supporting the slide out on the chassis, with each chassis engaging support member passed through an open end of a slide out engaging support member. The chassis engaging support members are tightly received within the associated slide out engaging support members and permit sliding of the chassis engaging support members while 15 resisting any lateral movement thereof. The chassis engaging support members extend parallel to the transverse chassis frame members at all times when being displaced from the retracted to the expanded position, and the chassis engaging support members carry the full weight of the slide out. The vehicle includes a drive arrangement for driving the or each slide out between the retracted position 20 and the expanded position. The or each drive arrangement includes at least two linear actuators spaced apart along a length of the slide out and separate from the slide out engaging support members and the chassis engaging support members and each linear actuator has one end bearing against the chassis frame and the other end bearing against the slide out away from the slide out engaging support 25 members and the chassis engaging support members.

Suitably there are two slide outs and the drive arrangement for each slide out independently drives each slide out between the retracted and expanded positions. In this case, one slide out may be mounted on one side of the vehicle 30 chassis and the other slide out may be mounted on the other side of the vehicle chassis.

2012202294 01 Nov 2018

At least one of the slide out engaging support members may have two open ends and a chassis engaging support member of one slide out passes through one open end and a chassis supporting engaging support member of the opposed slide out passes though the other open end of the transverse frame member.

Each or the drive arrangement may includes a limit switch for limiting travel of the linear actuators in one direction when the slide out is in the retracted position and limiting travel in an opposite direction when the slide out is in the expanded position.

Each linear actuator may include a lead screw that is rotated relative to a passive actuator member which is mounted on the lead screw whereby to effect displacement of the passive actuator member along the lead screw.

Each lead screw may be mounted on the chassis and each passive actuator member is mounted on the slide out, and the linear actuators for driving the slide outs are located beneath the floor in the services compartment.

Each chassis engaging support member is suitably substantially fully received 20 within a slide engaging support member in the retracted position, and partly received in the slide out engaging support member in the expanded position.

Each chassis engaging support member may have a cross-sectional configuration that is configured to complement a cross-sectional configuration of the associated 25 slide out engaging support member.

Each slide out engaging support member may extend linearly and substantially horizontally in the retracted and expanded positions, and the each chassis engaging support member may also extend linearly and substantially horizontally 30 from the slide out engaging support member in the retracted and expanded positions.

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The motor home suitably includes a vehicle floor mounted on top of the chassis frame and the slide out may include a slide out floor base spaced above the chassis engaging support member, and the slide out floor base is positioned spaced above the vehicle floor such that the slide out floor base clears the vehicle 5 floor in both the retracted and extended positions.

The slide out suitably includes a slide out support formation extending vertically upward from each chassis engaging support members to the slide out floor base to vertically support the slide out floor base in its position.

The slide out floor base may comprise a substantially planar slide out base frame formed from a plurality of longitudinal and transverse frame members that is substantially horizontally extending.

The floor may partition the vehicle body into a cabin area above the floor and a services compartment below the floor, and the chassis frame and the chassis engaging support members are located beneath the floor in the services compartment.

The motor home may include a vehicle body mounted on the vehicle chassis and the vehicle body includes a slide out opening defined in the vehicle body, and the slide out includes a slide out wall mounted on the slide out base frame extending across and closing off the slide out opening in both the retracted and extended positions.

The transverse chassis frame members may form the slide out engaging support members are formed of hollow rectangular tubing suitable for receiving the chassis engaging support member therein, and the chassis engaging support member are also formed of hollow rectangular tubing.

All of the transverse chassis frame members and all of the longitudinal chassis frame members are formed of hollow rectangular tubing.

2012202294 01 Nov 2018

Each slide out may include at least three chassis engaging support members supporting the slide out in a sliding fashion on the chassis, and the chassis engaging support members are spaced apart from each other along a longitudinal length of the slide out.

According to one further aspect of the disclosure there is provided a vehicle that is a motor home, comprising:

a vehicle chassis including a chassis frame comprises a plurality of longitudinal frame members and a plurality of transverse frame members extending across a width of the chassis frame, the transverse frame members forming at least two slide out engaging support members having an open end; and at least one slide out mounted on the vehicle chassis, and moveable between an expanded position for recreational use of the vehicle and a retracted position for when the vehicle is travelling, the slide out including at least two chassis engaging support members for supporting the slide out on the chassis, with each chassis engaging support member passed through an open end of a slide out engaging support member, wherein the chassis engaging support members are tightly received within the associated slide out engaging support members and permit sliding of the chassis engaging support members while resisting any lateral movement thereof and wherein the chassis engaging support members extends parallel to the transverse chassis frame members at all times when being displaced from the retracted to the expanded position, and the chassis engaging support members carry the full weight of the slide out.

Each chassis engaging support member may be substantially fully received in the slide out engaging support member in the retracted position, and partly received in the slide out engaging support member in the expanded position.

2012202294 01 Nov 2018

Each chassis engaging support member and associated slide out engaging support member may have a tight fit along their length of overlap in the expanded position and also in positions between the extended and retracted positons.

The chassis engaging support members may have a cross-sectional configuration that is configured to complement a cross-sectional configuration of the slide out engaging frame members. The cross-sectional configuration may be rectangular, e.g. square rectangular.

Each slide out engaging tubular frame member may extend linearly and substantially horizontally in the retracted and expanded positions. Further each chassis engaging support member may also extend linearly and substantially horizontally from the slide out engaging support member in the retracted and extended positions.

The motor home may include a floor mounted on the chassis frame, e.g. directly on top of the chassis frame.

The slide out may include a slide out floor base spaced above the chassis engaging support member, e.g. a short distance above the chassis engaging support member.

The slide out floor base may be positioned spaced above the floor in the retracted position and also in the expanded position such that the slide out floor base clears the floor in both the retracted and extended positions, e.g. by some distance.

The slide out may include a slide out support formation extending vertically upward from each chassis engaging support member to the slide out floor base to vertically support the slide out floor base in its position.

2012202294 01 Nov 2018

The slide out floor base may comprise a substantially planar slide out base frame formed from a plurality of longitudinal and transverse frame members. The planar slide out base frame may be substantially horizontally extending.

The floor may partition the vehicle body into a cabin area above the floor, and a services compartment below the floor. The chassis frame and the chassis engaging support members may be located beneath the floor in the services compartment.

The motor home may also include a vehicle body mounted on the vehicle chassis and the vehicle body may include a slide out opening defined in the vehicle body receiving the slide out.

The slide out may include a slide out wall mounted on the slide out base frame 15 extending across and closing off the slide out opening in both the retracted and extended positions.

The motor home may further include a drive arrangement for driving each slide out between the retracted position for travel use and the expanded position for 20 camping use.

The drive arrangement may independently drive each slide out between the retracted and expanded positions.

The drive arrangement may include at least two linear actuators spaced apart along a length of the slide out.

Each linear actuator may have one end bearing against the chassis frame and an opposite end bearing against the slide out away from the slide out engaging 30 tubular frame members and the chassis engaging support members.

2012202294 01 Nov 2018

The drive arrangement may include limit switches for limiting travel of the linear actuator in one direction when the slide out is in the retracted position and limiting travel in the other direction when the slide out is in the expanded position.

In one form each lead screw is mounted on the chassis and each passive actuator 10 member is mounted on the slide out.

The linear actuators may be located beneath the floor in the services compartment.

The transverse chassis frame members forming the slide out engaging support members may be formed of hollow rectangular steel tubing suitable for receiving the chassis engaging support member therein.

The chassis engaging support member may also be formed of rectangular steel 20 tubing.

Advantageously all of the transverse chassis frame members and all of the longitudinal chassis frame members are formed of hollow rectangular steel tubing, e.g. hollow aluminium steel tubing.

Each slide out may include at least three chassis engaging support members supporting the slide out in a sliding fashion on the chassis, and the chassis engaging support members may be spaced apart from each other along a longitudinal length of the slide out.

According to another aspect of this disclosure there is provided a vehicle having a slide out, the vehicle comprising:

2012202294 01 Nov 2018 a vehicle body having a wall including two side wall sections and defining a vehicle interior;

at least one slide out body member extending across an opening in a side wall section of the vehicle body that is capable of movement between a laterally 5 expanded position during recreational use of the vehicle and a retracted position during use of the vehicle for travel on the roads, the slide out body member having a primary wall portion for covering at least a portion of the side wall section of the vehicle body and the body member also including end walls and a bottom and roof extending transverse to the primary wall portion in a direction into the vehicle body 10 so that the space defined by the slide out member opens into and forms part of the vehicle interior;

a support means for supporting the body member on the body of the vehicle in a way that permits sliding of the slide out relative to the body of the vehicle between the expanded and retracted positions; and a drive means for driving the body member between said expanded and retracted positions on said support means.

The body of the motor home may define a vehicle interior comprising a front seat area including driver's seat space and a living space rear of the front seat.

The support means may comprise at least two sets of complementary guide rail formations on each of the slide out body member and the vehicle body, e.g. longitudinally spaced from each other.

The guide rail formations may comprise a female member defining a passage open at one end on one of the slide out body member and the vehicle body, and a male member that is sized to be received within the open end and passage of the female member on the other of the slide out body member and the vehicle body.

The female member/s may be mounted on the vehicle body and the male member/s may be mounted on the slide out member.

2012202294 01 Nov 2018

The female member may comprise a square tube with an open end. The male member may comprise a length of square rod or square tube. The male and/or female members may be coated with a friction reducing coating to assist sliding 5 movement of the male member relative to the female member.

The coating may be a polymer coating, e.g. a synthetic polymer coating. The coating may be nylon or polyurethane and may have a thickness of 1mm.

In one particular embodiment there are more than two said engaging male and female members along the length of the slide out member, e.g. four to six said engaging male and female members.

The drive means may comprise at least one linear actuator with a shaft operatively 15 mounted on to the vehicle body or the slide out body member and a passive actuator element defining an opening through which the shaft of the linear actuator is passed, mounted on to the other of the vehicle body or the slide out body member, whereby rotation of the shaft relative to the passive actuator element effects translational displacement of the passive actuator element in an 20 axial direction along the shaft and thereby lateral displacement of the slide out body member relative to the vehicle body.

Thus the slide out member can be moved laterally outwardly to the expanded position to increase the living space defined within the vehicle interior when the 25 vehicle is being used for recreational use. The space defined by the slide out member is used to increase the interior space within the vehicle body. The slide out member is returned to the retracted position prior to the vehicle being used for road travel.

The support means supports the slide out member on the vehicle body for movement laterally outward into the expanded position on demand. This

2012202294 01 Nov 2018 movement is effected by a linear actuator which is very precise and does not occupy a large amount of space.

The shaft or lead screw of the linear actuator may be mounted on the vehicle body 5 and the passive actuator element or lead nut may have the slide out member mounted thereto.

The slide out body member may further include a floor vertically intermediate said bottom wall and said top wall or roof and define a living space between said floor 10 and said roof and a services compartment between said floor and said bottom wall.

Thus the interior space of the slide out is vertically divided up into a living space which opens into the vehicle interior and forms part of the amenity of the vehicle 15 which can be occupied by people, and a services compartment beneath the living space. Thus the services compartment is located beneath the floor and is immediately above the bottom wall of the slide out.

The male and female members of the sliding arrangement described above may 20 be located in the services compartment. Further any other structural members extending between the vehicle body and the slide out body member may be located in the services compartment.

The vehicle may be a motorhome. Instead the vehicle may be a caravan.

The vehicle may include more than one side out, e.g. two or three slide outs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A recreational vehicle that is a motor home having a sliding arrangement and a 30 slide out in accordance with this disclosure may manifest itself in a variety of

2012202294 01 Nov 2018 forms. It will be convenient to hereinafter provide a detailed description of several embodiments of the disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings. The purpose of providing this detailed description is to instruct persons having an interest in the subject matter of the disclosure how to put the disclosure into 5 practice. It is to be clearly understood however that the specific nature of this detailed description does not supersede the generality of the preceding statements. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a three dimensional view of a vehicle that is a motor home with left and right side slide outs showing the slide outs in their retracted positions;

Fig. 2 is a three dimensional view of the motor home of Fig. 1 showing the slide outs in their expanded positions;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view through the motor home and the associated slide outs of Fig. 1 with the slide outs shown in the expanded position, section through Ill-Ill;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through the motor home with slide outs of

Fig. 1 section through IV-IV;

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view of the motor home with slide outs of Fig. 2, section through V-V;

Fig. 6 is a three dimensional view of a sliding arrangement comprising a 20 pair of engaged male and female members forming part of a slide on the vehicle body that guide the slide out between the retracted and expanded positions;

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view of the pair of engaged male and female members shown in Fig. 6, section through VII-VII;

Fig. 8 is a schematic plan view of a part of the motor home showing the 25 position of the sliding arrangements and the linear actuators when the slide outs are in the retracted positions;

Fig. 9 is a schematic plan view of a part of the motor home showing the position of the sliding arrangements and the linear actuators when the slide outs are in the expanded positions;

2012202294 01 Nov 2018

Fig. 10a is a three dimensional view of part of a motor home having a slide out in the retracted position showing an arrangement of a service conduit within the slide out with some detail omitted for clarity;

Fig. 10b is a three dimensional view of part of a motor home having a slide out in the expanded position showing an arrangement of a service conduit within the slide out with some detail omitted for clarity;

Fig. 11 is a sectional end view of the motor home in Figure 10a showing the arrangement of the service conduit in the retracted position;

Fig. 12 is a sectional end view of the motor home in Figure 10b showing the 10 arrangement of the service conduit in the expanded position of the slide out member and the vehicle body of Fig 11; and

Fig.13 is a lower perspective view of a motor home in accordance with another embodiment of the disclosure showing the slide out in a retracted position.

The drawings above are very schematic and are provided purely for the purposes of illustrating the structure and functioning of the vehicle and slide outs. In some drawings certain details of the slide outs have been omitted for clarity.

In Figs. 1 and 2 reference numeral 1 refers generally to a vehicle that is a motor home in accordance with one embodiment of the disclosure. The motor home 1 has two slide outs in accordance with the disclosure having sliding arrangements and a slide out body member on the body of the vehicle. The motor home is built from a donor vehicle that is a commercially available light commercial van vehicle 25 that can be driven on a car licence.

The motor home 1 comprises broadly a vehicle body 2 having a vehicle wall including two side wall sections 6 and 7 and defining a vehicle interior. The vehicle interior is in turn divided up circumferentially into a front seat area 8 having a front 30 seat where a driver and passenger sit, and a living area indicated generally by reference numeral 9, behind the front seat area 8.

2012202294 01 Nov 2018

The vehicle body 2 also includes a chassis in the form of a flat substantially horizontally extending chassis frame shown generally by the reference numeral 60. The chassis frame 60 comprises a plurality of longitudinal frame members 5 extending in a direction of longitudinal length of the motor home 1 and a plurality of transverse frame members extending transversely across the width of the motor home 1. The longitudinal and transverse frame members are conveniently formed of hollow aluminium tubing. The chassis frame is typically rectangular and Figures 6 and 8 when viewed together show in some detail how the longitudinal and 10 transverse members are arranged. The body 2 is mounted on the chassis frame in the usual way and the vehicle is powered by an engine typically a petrol or diesel engine located within the body 2 towards the front of the vehicle 1. The width of the vehicle body 2 is broadly the same as that for normal light commercial vehicles suitable for use on a public road. The vehicle also includes a suspension 15 with road engaging wheels 3 that is mounted on the chassis frame 60.

The motor home 1 has two front doors 4 providing access to the front seat area 8 on left and right sides respectively. It also has a side door 5 providing access to the living area 9 rearward of the front seat area 8. It also includes a rear door (not 20 shown) providing access to a rear storage compartment. The vehicle 1 also includes a slide out 11 mounted on a left side of the vehicle body 2 and another slide out 12 mounted on the right side of the vehicle body 2. Each slide out provides some additional width in the living area 9 makes it a convenient location for a bedroom. It enables an island double bed, e.g. a head end of a bed, to be 25 received in the slide out. The slide out can also be used for a kitchen.

Each slide out 11 includes a slide out body member 13 or 14 extending across the left and right side wall sections of the vehicle body 2. Each slide out 11, 12 also includes a support means in the form of a plurality of sliding arrangements formed 30 by the chassis frame members and slide out frame members respectively which are indicated very generally by the reference numeral 21 for supporting the slide out body member 13, 14 on the vehicle body 2. The support means and the drive

2012202294 01 Nov 2018 means are shown in some detail in Figures 5 and 6 in particular. The slide out 11, 12 also includes a drive means which is indicated very generally by the reference numeral 23, for driving the slide out 11, 12 between the expanded and retracted positions.

Each of the components of the slide outs 11,12 described above namely the slide out body member, the sliding arrangement and the drive means will now be described in more detail.

Each slide out body member 13, 14 comprises a primary wall portion 15 and two end walls 17 and 18. It also includes a bottom portion or bottom wall 19 and a roof or top wall 20 extending transverse to the primary wall portion 15. The end walls 17 and 18 and the bottom wall 19 and roof 20 fit into a slide out opening defined in a side wall section 6 or 7 of the vehicle body 2. The internal space defined by the 15 various wall components of the slide out member 13, 14 opens into the vehicle interior and specifically the living area 9 thereof. Each slide out body member 13, 14 is moveable between a retracted position in which the primary wall portion 15 thereof is longitudinally aligned with an adjacent side wall section 6 or 7 of the vehicle body 2 as shown in Fig. 1 and an expanded condition where the primary 20 wall portion 15 projects laterally outward from the adjacent side wall section 6 or 7 of the vehicle body 2 as shown in Fig. 2. These features are best illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 5.

Generally each slide out body member 13, 14 is formed from a frame with a sheet 25 material applied to the frame. The frame includes a base frame comprising a plurality of horizontally extending frame members. In the illustrated embodiments the sheet material extending across the frame is made of fibre glass although other materials could also be used. These features are most clearly shown in Figure 4.

2012202294 01 Nov 2018

The plurality of sliding arrangements for supporting the slide out are longitudinally spaced from each other along the length of the slide out 11, 12. Each sliding arrangement 21, comprises a male member 30 projecting laterally out from the slide out 11, 12 having outward facing contact surfaces. Each male member is 5 formed by one of the horizontally extending frame members of the base frame of the slide out and is received within a complementary transverse female member 32 defining an internal passage.

Each female member is formed by a transverse frame member of the chassis 10 frame having an open end forming the female formation within which the transverse member on the slide out is received as shown in Figure 6. Figure 8 shows the male frame members on the base frame of the slide out being received in the female members comprising the transverse frame members of the chassis frame. The male member 30 is received within the female member 32 in a way 15 that permits the male member 30 to slide relative to the female member 32 between the retracted and expanded positions. The chassis frame including the transverse chassis frame members is made out of aluminium tube which is a strong but lightweight material. Similarly the frame members of the slide out base frame are also made of aluminium tube. Naturally the male and female members 20 30, 32 are engineered with a suitable level of mechanical strength to safely and properly support the slide out body member 13, 14 in particular on the vehicle body 2.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 each female member 32 25 comprises a square tube of the chassis frame defining a passage therein with an open end and a male member 30 in the form of a transverse chassis frame member and frame member of the slide out base frame respectively,. The male member 30 is received within the female member 32 with a snug fit that permits sliding of the male and female members 30, 32 relative to each other as will be 30 described in more detail below.

2012202294 01 Nov 2018

The contact surfaces of the male member 30 are coated with a coating 31 to reduce friction with the female member 32 within the passage. In one form the friction reducing coating 31 is a smooth coating that is a polymer coating such as a nylon or polyurethane coating although clearly many other low friction coatings 5 could also be provided. The thickness of the coating 31 in the illustrated embodiment is very thin being of the order of about 1 mm. The male member 30 is snugly received within the passage of female member 32 with a space of the order of 0.4 mm between the coating 31 and an internal surface of the female member. Thus the male and female members 30, 32 have a very close tolerance 10 and a tight fit and this reduces any lateral movement which causes rattling.

In the illustrated embodiment the male member 30 and female member 32, including the passage defined in the female member have a complementary square rectangular cross-sectional shape. However it will readily be appreciated 15 by persons skilled in the art that other complementary cross sectional configurations could equally be used, such as a non-square rectangular cross section, provided that the cross-sectional shape of the male and female members 30, 32 complement each other. The male members 30, 32 must provide a snug fit which does not permit any lateral movement of the two members relative to each 20 other to resist the sliding arrangement from rattling.

The support means of each slide out comprises four sliding arrangements 31 that are spaced apart along the length of the associated slide out body member 13, 14 as shown in Figures 5, 8 and 9. The four sliding arrangements 31 provide 25 sufficient support to mount the slide out body member 13, 14 securely on the vehicle body 2. The male members 30 are vertically positioned in the base frame of the slide out, in a vertically lower region of the slide out body member 13, 14. It is not necessary to have further slide out support at the top of the slide out body members 13, 14.

The drive means 23 driving each slide out 11 and 12 between the retracted and expanded positions includes a plurality of linear actuators indicated by numeral

2012202294 01 Nov 2018

40. In the illustrated embodiment each slide out 11, 12 has two linear actuators 40 that are positioned towards the ends of the slide out 11, 12. Each linear actuator 40 includes a shaft or lead screw 42 that rotates to effect translational displacement of a passive actuator member that is a lead nut 44 which is mounted for rotation on the lead screw 42. The lead screw 42 is elongate and has an external screw thread defined on its surface along its length. The lead nut 44 has a complementary internal screw thread that engages the screw thread on the lead screw 42 so that rotation of the lead screw 42 effects linear movement of the lead nut 44 along the lead screw 42. In the illustrated embodiment the lead screw 42 is 10 mounted to the vehicle body 2 and the lead nut 44 is mounted to the slide out body member 13, 14 in a retaining fashion that holds it against rotation. Thus rotation of the lead screw 42 produces linear displacement that moves the slide outs 11, 12 and the associated slide out body members 13, 14 between said retracted and expanded positions. Each linear actuator 40 has a rotational drive 15 arrangement such as an electric motor (not shown) for driving the lead screw 42 to rotate. The motor is energised by power from a battery provided by the standard vehicle battery which supplies electrical energy to the starter motor and the lights.

Further each linear actuator 40 includes limit switches (not shown) at each end of 20 its range of travel; for stopping rotation of the lead screws and thereby advancement of the linear actuators when the slide out body member is located or seated in each of the retracted and expanded positions.

A combination of two linear actuators 40 spaced apart from each other in the 25 direction of length of the slide out 11, 12 is particularly suitable for moving the slide out 11, 12 between the retracted and expanded positions because its movements are very precise. Further each linear actuator 40 is positioned in proximity to a said sliding arrangement 31 as shown in the drawings. Each turn of the lead screw 42 moves the lead nut 44 a very specific incremental amount and 30 this enables the slide outs 11, 12 to be moved very precisely into the retracted and expanded conditions. Another advantage is that each linear actuator 40 only occupies a small amount of space and the electrical cables (not shown) which

2012202294 01 Nov 2018 electrically connect the actuator motor to the battery and fed through the vehicle body 2 in a very unobtrusive and space efficient fashion without encroaching on the living space 9 to any material extent. This is advantageous in motor homes because space is at a premium.

The vehicle body 2 has a bottom wall 56 and a floor 58 that is positioned above the bottom wall 56. The bottom wall 56 and the floor 58 define a vehicle body services compartment 59 between the bottom wall 56 and the floor 58. This is shown particularly clearly in Figure 3. The chassis frame 60 is received within the 10 vehicle body services compartment 59 adjacent the floor 58.

Each slide out 11, 12 further includes a slide out floor 50 spaced a short distance above its bottom wall 19 and below the roof 20. This floor 50 divides the space defined by the slide out 11, 12 into a slide out living space above the floor and a 15 slide out services compartment 52 between the floor 50 and the bottom wall 19,

i.e. underneath the floor 50.

The linear actuators 40 are conveniently located in the services compartment 52 of each slide out 11 or 12, and in the services compartment 59 of the vehicle body 20 2. Further the engaged male member 30 formed by the transverse chassis frame member and the female members 32 formed by the frame member of the base frame of the slide out, i.e. the sliding arrangements 21 that support the slide out body member 13, 14 on the vehicle body 2, are also located in the services compartments 52 and 59. The sliding arrangements 21 are therefore located 25 beneath the floor 50 of the slide out 11, 12 and floor 58 of the vehicle body 2 and do not project into the living area 9 of the motor home 1.

As shown in Figures 10A to 12, the services compartment 52 within each slide out 11,12 also contains one or more service connectors 53 each of which is in the 30 form of a flexible conduit 54 that carries services from the main vehicle body 2 into the slide outs 13, 14 and other services from the slide out 11 or 12 back to the

2012202294 01 Nov 2018 body 2. The conduits 54 have sufficient length to accommodate movement of the slide outs 13, 14 between the retracted and expanded conditions. The type of services that are transferred through the service connectors 53 between the vehicle body 2 and the slide outs 11 and 12 include supply services, such as 5 water, gas, and electricity, and they also include drainage services, e.g. drainage of grey water. Each service supply connector extends from a supply source on the body of the vehicle to a delivery point at a service receiving element such as a bathroom fitting or fixture on the slide out. Each supply and drainage service is directed into the slide out or drained from the slide out through one of the flexible 10 conduits 54. Each conduit 54 has one end operatively coupled to the fitting or fixture 56 associated with that service in the slide out 11, 12 and a corresponding supply or waste disposal facility on the vehicle body 2. Drainage services provided in the slide out 11, 12 include a drainage service for draining grey water that results from washing or cleaning in a bathroom fitting that is a basin or sink 56 15 housed in the slide out 11, 12. The grey water needs to be transferred from the slide out to the main body where a grey water disposal facility such as a holding tank is contained for holding and then facilitating disposal of the grey water.

Each flexible conduit 54 comprises a flexible pipe or flexible tube having sufficient 20 length to accommodate movement of the slide out 11 or 12 between the retracted and expanded positions without being subjected to tension. Thus the flexible nature of the conduits 54 and their sufficient length enables services to be provided in the slide out 11, 12 notwithstanding that they undergo a fair amount of movement in a lateral direction. The conduits 54 are not visible to a person in the 25 living area 9 of the motor home 1 because they are located in the services compartments 52 and 59.

The slide out has a partition or conduit organiser 57 that helps to organise the flexible conduit 56 of each service connector 53 and direct the manner in which it 30 folds up when the slide out is moved from the expanded to the retracted positions and also to guide the manner in which the conduit 56 unfolds and extends out the slide out moves from the retracted to the expanded positions.

2012202294 01 Nov 2018

Figure 5 shows a motorhome having a floor plan in which the slide-out 13 includes a kitchen area and also a portion of the bedroom area with bed 100. The slide-out 14 includes a portion of the bedroom area with bed 100. Figure 13 shows a 5 schematic bottom view of another slide out 102 in the expanded position within a vehicle body 103.

The slide out has a primary wall 104, opposed end walls 105, 106 and a free end that communicates with the interior space of the vehicle. The vehicle has a 10 chassis frame 136 that supports a floor (not shown). Above the chassis frame and the floor is the living space and beneath the chassis frame and the floor is the service compartment 138. The service connector described above enables fixtures or fittings such as wash basins, kitchen sinks and cooking facilities to be housed in the slide outs 11,12 and for the associated services to be connected to 15 the fixtures or fittings in the slide outs 11, 12.

In use the slide out members 13, 14 need to be positioned in the retracted position when the vehicle 1 is in a travelling mode and is driven on the road in the normal way for travel on a road. Accordingly if the slide outs are in the expanded position 20 they first need to be moved to the retracted position. In the retracted position the slide out body members 13, 14 do not project outwardly proud of the side wall sections of the vehicle body 2 to any significant extent. In particular the primary wall portion 15 is substantially aligned with the side wall section 6, 7 of the body 2 and the end walls 17, 18 are received behind the side wall section 6, 7.

Further in this position the male transverse frame members on the base frame on the slide out are substantially received within the transverse chassis frame members on the chassis. In this position shown in Figure 8 of the drawings, the two members are effectively superimposed for much of their length and this 30 confers additional strength on the chassis frame.

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Generally when the motor home 1 is travelling the occupants will be seated on the front seats in the front seat area 8 and do not occupy the rear living area 9 of the interior. The motor home 1 is particularly well suited to two occupants.

When the motor home 1 is to be used for camping and/or recreation (herein referred to as recreational mode) it is parked at a suitable site in a stationary position. The linear actuators 40 are then used to move the slide outs 11 and 12 on each side wall section into their expanded position. The slide outs 13, 14 are moved out to their expanded position by the linear actuators 40 on demand by 10 operation of a hand control. The linear actuators 40 are very precise and this reproducibly moves the slide outs 13, 14 into the expanded or retracted position each time with a great deal of precision. Further the linear actuators move the slide outs between the retracted and expanded positions within a short space of time. The limit switches associated with the linear actuators stop the advancement 15 of retraction effected by the linear actuators of the slide outs 13, 14, precisely when the slide outs locate their expanded and retracted positions. In this position the male transverse frame members on the slide out are withdrawn out of the open end of the female transverse chassis frame members of the chassis as shown in Figure 9. Once in the expanded position the slide out members 13, 14 20 considerably enlarge the living area 9 within the motor home 1 particularly in the lateral direction or direction of width. The slide outs 11, 12 give increased lateral width which is the key dimension to make the living space more useful and enable routine activities such as cooking, washing and eating to be carried out in greater comfort than otherwise would be the case.

Applicant has recognised that a particularly limited dimension in a motor home is the lateral width of the living space and that it would be particularly advantageous if a wider living area could be created when the motor home was used in recreational or camping mode. The applicant realised that this needed to be done 30 in a way that provided reliable operation and did not require additional drive systems which used up a significant amount of space within the motor home body 2.

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One advantage of the motor home described above with reference to the drawings is that the use of the transverse members of the chassis frame with open ends to receive the chassis engaging support members results in considerable weight 5 savings. This weight saving helps the motorhome designer to provide the required amenities while staying under the weight limit for motorhomes to be driven on a car licence. Another advantage is that the chassis frame members are effectively strengthened when the motor home is travelling because the chassis engaging support members are received within the chassis frame providing improved safety 10 in a collision.

An advantage of the slide out described above with reference to the drawings is that the male member is received within the female member with a snug but sliding fit to guide movement of the slide out between the retracted and expanded 15 positions. This close tolerance resists lateral movement of the male and female members relative to each other which in turn inhibits rattling. This is advantageous because the motor home travels on roads in use, including rough roads and the sliding arrangements would be susceptible to rattling if they were loose. For example if a usual roller mechanism was used of the type which are 20 found on drawers or the like there will be a substantially looser fit and this will cause rattling and will also shorten the life of the mechanism. In addition it would be difficult to stop the rattling because the rollers are not readily accessible.

Another advantage of the sliding arrangements comprising female members that 25 are transverse frame chassis members and male members that are slide out frame members that they are of compact construction and occupy minimal space bearing in mind that space is at a premium in motor homes, particularly in compact motor homes that are driven on a car licence. A yet further advantage of the sliding arrangement described above comprising engaged male and female 30 members formed from chassis and slide out frame members is that they are made of aluminium which is light and strong and helps to reduce the overall weight.

2012202294 01 Nov 2018

Another advantage of the linear actuators used to move the slide outs in and out is that they are capable of very precise movement. This enables the slide out to be very accurately moved to the same position each time it is displaced into the expanded position. A yet further advantage is that the linear actuator is rotated by 5 an electric motor driven off the existing vehicle battery and the electrical wiring running to the actuators is very space efficient. By contrast a hydraulic system would require hydraulic plumbing, a hydraulic pump, and a hydraulic piston and cylinder which would add weight and occupy space and also its fine movement would not be as precise.

It will of course be realised that the above has been given only by way of illustrative example of the invention and that all such modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as is herein set forth.

Claims

2012202294 01 Nov 2018

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A vehicle that is a motor home, comprising:

a vehicle chassis including a chassis frame comprises a plurality of

5 longitudinal frame members and a plurality of transverse frame members extending across a width of the chassis frame, the transverse frame members forming at least two slide out engaging support members having an open end; and at least one slide out mounted on the vehicle chassis, and moveable 10 between an expanded position for recreational use of the vehicle and a retracted position for when the vehicle is travelling, the or each slide out including at least two chassis engaging support members for supporting the slide out on the chassis, with each chassis engaging support member passed through an open end of a slide out 15 engaging support member, wherein the chassis engaging support members are tightly received within the associated slide out engaging support members and permit sliding of the chassis engaging support members while resisting any lateral movement thereof, and

20 the chassis engaging support members extend parallel to the transverse chassis frame members at all times when being displaced from the retracted to the expanded position, and the chassis engaging support members carry the full weight of the slide out and the vehicle includes a drive arrangement for driving the or each slide out between the retracted 25 position and the expanded position;

wherein the or each drive arrangement includes at least two linear actuators spaced apart along a length of the slide out and separate from the slide out engaging support members and the chassis engaging support members and each linear actuator has one end bearing against the chassis frame and the 30 other end bearing against the slide out away from the slide out engaging support members and the chassis engaging support members.

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2. A motor home according to claim 1, wherein there are two slide outs and the drive arrangement for each slide out independently drives each slide out between the retracted and expanded positions.
3. A motor home according to claim 2, wherein one slide out is mounted on one

5 side of the vehicle chassis and the other slide out is mounted on the other side of the vehicle chassis.
4. A motor home of claim 3, wherein at least one of the slide out engaging support members has two open ends and a chassis engaging support

10 member of one slide out passes through one open end and a chassis supporting engaging support member of the opposed slide out passes though the other open end of the transverse frame member.
5. A motor home according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each or the

15 drive arrangement includes a limit switch for limiting travel of the linear actuators in one direction when the slide out is in the retracted position and limiting travel in an opposite direction when the slide out is in the expanded position.

20
6. A vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein each linear actuator includes a lead screw that is rotated relative to a passive actuator member which is mounted on the lead screw whereby to effect displacement of the passive actuator member along the lead screw.

25
7. A motor home according to claim 6, wherein each lead screw is mounted on the chassis and each passive actuator member is mounted on the slide out, and the linear actuators for driving the slide outs are located beneath the floor in the services compartment.

30
8. A motor home according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each chassis engaging support member is substantially fully received within a slide engaging support member in the retracted position, and partly received in the slide out engaging support member in the expanded position.

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9. A motor home according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein each chassis engaging support member has a cross-sectional configuration that is configured to complement a cross-sectional configuration of the associated

5 slide out engaging support member.
10. A motor home according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein each slide out engaging support member extends linearly and substantially horizontally in the retracted and expanded positions, and the each chassis engaging

10 support member also extends linearly and substantially horizontally from the slide out engaging support member in the retracted and expanded positions.
11. A motor home according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the vehicle includes a vehicle floor mounted on top of the chassis frame.
12. A motor home according to claim 11, wherein the slide out includes a slide out floor base spaced above the chassis engaging support member, and the slide out floor base is positioned spaced above the vehicle floor such that the slide out floor base clears the vehicle floor in both the retracted and

20 extended positions.
13. A motor home according to claim 12, wherein the slide out includes a slide out support formation extending vertically upward from each chassis engaging support members to the slide out floor base to vertically support

25 the slide out floor base in its position.
14. A motor home according to claim 12 or claim 13, wherein the slide out floor base comprises a substantially planar slide out base frame formed from a plurality of longitudinal and transverse frame members that is substantially

30 horizontally extending.
15. A motor home according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the floor partitions the vehicle body into a cabin area above the floor and a services compartment below the floor, and the chassis frame and the chassis

2012202294 01 Nov 2018 engaging support members are located beneath the floor in the services compartment.
16. A motor home according to any one of claims 1 to 15, including a vehicle

5 body mounted on the vehicle chassis and the vehicle body includes a slide out opening defined in the vehicle body, and the slide out includes a slide out wall mounted on the slide out base frame extending across and closing off the slide out opening in both the retracted and extended positions.

10
17. A motor home according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the transverse chassis frame members forming the slide out engaging support members are formed of hollow rectangular tubing suitable for receiving the chassis engaging support member therein, and the chassis engaging support member are also formed of hollow rectangular tubing.
18. A motor home according to claim 17, wherein all of the transverse chassis frame members and all of the longitudinal chassis frame members are formed of hollow rectangular tubing.
20 19. A motor home according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein each slide out includes at least three chassis engaging support members supporting the slide out in a sliding fashion on the chassis, and the chassis engaging support members are spaced apart from each other along a longitudinal length of the slide out.