Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61G—TRANSPORT, PERSONAL CONVEYANCES, OR ACCOMMODATION SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PATIENTS OR DISABLED PERSONS; OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; FUNERAL DEVICES
  • A61G3/00—Ambulance aspects of vehicles; Vehicles with special provisions for transporting patients or disabled persons, or their personal conveyances, e.g. for facilitating access of, or for loading, wheelchairs
  • A61G3/02—Loading or unloading personal conveyances; Facilitating access of patients or disabled persons to, or exit from, vehicles
  • A61G3/06—Transfer using ramps, lifts or the like
  • A61G3/066—Transfer using ramps, lifts or the like using a lowering device for a part of the floor of the vehicle
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60P—VEHICLES ADAPTED FOR LOAD TRANSPORTATION OR TO TRANSPORT, TO CARRY, OR TO COMPRISE SPECIAL LOADS OR OBJECTS
  • B60P1/00—Vehicles predominantly for transporting loads and modified to facilitate loading, consolidating the load, or unloading
  • B60P1/02—Vehicles predominantly for transporting loads and modified to facilitate loading, consolidating the load, or unloading with parallel up-and-down movement of load supporting or containing element
  • B60P1/025—Vehicles predominantly for transporting loads and modified to facilitate loading, consolidating the load, or unloading with parallel up-and-down movement of load supporting or containing element with a loading platform inside the wheels of a same axle and being lowerable below the axle
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60P—VEHICLES ADAPTED FOR LOAD TRANSPORTATION OR TO TRANSPORT, TO CARRY, OR TO COMPRISE SPECIAL LOADS OR OBJECTS
  • B60P1/00—Vehicles predominantly for transporting loads and modified to facilitate loading, consolidating the load, or unloading
  • B60P1/44—Vehicles predominantly for transporting loads and modified to facilitate loading, consolidating the load, or unloading having a loading platform thereon raising the load to the level of the load-transporting element
  • B60P1/4414—Vehicles predominantly for transporting loads and modified to facilitate loading, consolidating the load, or unloading having a loading platform thereon raising the load to the level of the load-transporting element and keeping the loading platform parallel to the ground when raising the load
  • B60P1/4435—Vehicles predominantly for transporting loads and modified to facilitate loading, consolidating the load, or unloading having a loading platform thereon raising the load to the level of the load-transporting element and keeping the loading platform parallel to the ground when raising the load the loading platform being suspended by wires, chains or the like from horizontal rails, e.g. the rails forming part of the vehicle floor

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a vehicle having a raising and lowering floor section at the rear of the vehicle, and in particular to a method of modifying an existing vehicle to have a raising and lowering floor section at the
• the present invention seeks to ameliorate these problems by providing a
• vehicle having a floor located at the rear of the vehicle, comprising: a well located in the said floor and open to the rear of the vehicle;
• a u-shaped frame located on the closed sides of said well; operating means located on said frame; a tray located in said well and connected to said operating means whereby the operating means moves said tray between a raised transport position and a ground engaging loading position such that said tray retains substantially the same orientation throughout its movement between said transport position and said loading position, a first torsion bar connected to said u-shaped frame; a first trailing arm connected to the first torsion bar; a first wheel stub axle mounting located at or adjacent the free end of the
• first trailing arm a second torsion bar connected to said u-shaped frame; a second trailing arm connected to the first torsion bar; and
• a second wheel stub axle mounting located at or adjacent the free end of the second trailing arm.
• the invention provides a vehicle having two longitudinally extending chassis members and a floor located at the rear of the vehicle, comprising: a transverse bar connected across the two longitudinally extending chassis members and having its ends extending outwardly from said two longitudinally extending chassis members ; two arm members extending rearwardly from said transverse bar,
• a tray located in said well and connected to said operating means whereby the operating means moves said tray between a raised transport position and a ground engaging loading position such that said tray retains substantially the same orientation throughout its movement between said transport position and said loading position, a first trailing arm pivotally connected, at its first end, adjacent one end of the transverse bar;
• first wheel stub axle mounting located at or adjacent the second end of the first trailing arm
• first shock absorber mounted at or adjacent the second end of the first trailing arm and connected to said vehicle; and a second shock absorber mounted at or adjacent the second end of the
• Figure 1 illustrates a schematic view of the frame and tray
• Figure 2 illustrates schematically a close up view of the trailing arm
• Figure 3 illustrates a schematic side view of the frame and tray operating arrangement of one embodiment of the present invention
• Figure 4 illustrates a schematic opposite side view of the frame and tray
• Figure 5 illustrates a schematic prospective view of the suspension arrangement of another embodiment of the present invention.
• Figure 6 illustrates an view of one embodiment of the trailing arm
• Figure 7 illustrates a close up view of the connection of the trailing arm to the
• a yoke shaped frame (1 ) is secured around the well (not shown).
• the two arms (2) reinforce the floor of the vehicle.
• Supported on the arms (2) are lifting devices in this case hydraulic cylinders (3).
• the cylinder rods (4) extend through the arms (2) of the yoke shaped frame (1).
• the tray (6) has side walls (7) and a ramp or tail gate (8).
• the tray (6) is raised and lowered by the hydraulic cylinders (3) with the side walls (7) sliding between the arms (2) of the frame (1 ). If required lubricating
• suspension and wheel axle assembly is replaced by a separate suspension mounting for each wheel.
• One embodiment is shown in figure 2.
• the suspension comprises a trailing arm (9) having on one end a stub
• the trailing arm (9) has a hole (11 ) in the other end into which is rigidly fitted a tubular member (12).
• the tubular member (12) is embedded in a resilient rubber like matrix
• each tubular support (14) is rigidly attached to the base (15) of the frame (1 ), such that the trailing arm (9) under normal loading extends at any suitable angle with respect to the side arms (2) of the frame, preferably at 30°.
• a spring over shock absorber (not shown) can be fitted between the trailing arm (9) and the respective side arm (2), if required.
• FIG. 5 A further embodiment is shown in figures 5, 6 & 7.
• a transverse bar (16) is welded to the ends (26) of the two chassis members (17), with the two ends (18 & 19) of the transverse bar, extending beyond the two chassis members (17) .
• Two arms (25) are welded to the transverse bar (16) to form a u-shaped frame around the well (not shown).
• the two arms (25) and the transverse bar (16) are welded to the floor of the vehicle to reinforce the floor of the vehicle around the well.
• lifting devices in this case hydraulic
• tray (6) is raised and lowered by the hydraulic cylinders (3) with the side walls sliding between the arms (25). If required lubricating means could be located on the arms (25) or side walls as bearing points to stabilise the movement of the tray (6).
• suspension and wheel axle assembly is replaced by a separate suspension mounting for each wheel.
• One embodiment is shown in figure 5, 6 & 7.
• the suspension comprises a trailing arm (9) having on one end
• the trailing arm (9) is pivotally attached at the other end to the transverse bar (16), and lies external of the two chassis
• the trailing arm (9), in a preferred form is shown in figure 6, and is connected by a suitable bush (not shown) to the transverse bar (16), as shown in figures 5 & 7, with the trailing arm (9) pivotally suspended between the bracket (27) and the end plate (28), which is welded to the bracket (29) on the end (18) of the transverse bar (16).
• the other end (30) of the end plate (28) is preferably connected to the body of the vehicle for further support, and an additional brace (31 ) is connected at one end to the transverse bar (16),
• a shock absorber of any suitable construction can be fitted from the free end (20) of the trailing arm (9) to a shock absorber mount (21 ) on any suitable position on the vehicle body, such as the wheel arch (22), as shown in figure 5.
• a suspension spring (23) can be fitted between the trailing arm (9) and the wheel arch (22), with a bump stop (24) located as shown in figure 5, on the
• any suitable drive units such as worm
• a rear access door can be fitted such that the tray can be lowered to the ground and a wheel chair driven onto the tray and the tray raised to the travel position and the rear door closed and the wheel chair locked in position.
• two wheel chairs could be held on the tray.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Transportation (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Vehicle Body Suspensions (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=25645621

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (3)

Family Cites Families (7)

• 1998
  • 1998-09-24 JP JP2000512501A patent/JP2001517489A/ja active Pending
  • 1998-09-24 EP EP98946147A patent/EP1023026A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1998-09-24 WO PCT/AU1998/000810 patent/WO1999015124A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1998-09-24 KR KR1020007003087A patent/KR20010015606A/ko not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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