EP3472409A1

EP3472409A1 - A storage box for small electrical vehicles

Info

Publication number: EP3472409A1
Application number: EP17814812.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Juha Karppinen
Original assignee: Ride-In Safe Oy
Current assignee: Ride-In Safe Oy
Priority date: 2016-06-20
Filing date: 2017-06-14
Publication date: 2019-04-24
Also published as: FI127142B; WO2017220849A1; EP3472409A4; FI20160163A

Abstract

In the invention a storage box (100) is provided for a small electric vehicle which storage box has a body (101 ), a door (102), a floor arrangement (103), and a groove (115) in the inner wall of the body and a first pivoting crank arrangement (106) and a second pivoting crank arrangement (109). The first pivoting crank arrangement is attached to the door, the second pivoting crank arrangement being attached to the floor arrangement and the pivoting crack arrangements are connected to each other by means of a joint arrangement (1 14) which moves in the groove. When the storage box door opens, the sliding floor arrangement slides out of the storage box by means of the said system. When closing the door, the floor arrangement slides back into the storage box. A small electric vehicle is placed onto the outwardly extended floor arrangement and when the door is closed, the vehicle transfers with the floor arrangement inside the storage box. When opening the door, the floor arrangement pulls out the small electrical vehicle that was stowed inside, leaving it ready for use.

Description

A storage box for smaii electrical vehicles Technical field

The invention relates to a storage box for a small electric vehicle, the storage box- featuring a body and a door element. Background

The use of small electrical vehicles such as wheelchairs or electric scooters and the like has proliferated. One of the reasons for this is an increase in the number of the elderly and the physically challenged. However, there are problems associated with the use and storage of these vehicles. They may not fit inside a bicycle shed, but all the same they require protection from the weather and a charging possibility. Unprotected, they are also susceptible to theft and vandalism. Still, these devices are quite heavy and cumbersome to move with muscle power alone. In addition, when a person with reduced mobility who uses both a conventional (or an electrically powered) wheelchair and an electrical mobility aid, switches to the electric vehicle, the wheelchair, which usually cannot be locked, must be stored safely and this constitutes an extra measure for, for example, an assistant.

A common practice to bypass these problems is to store these small electrical vehicles in a garage or a similar storage space. However, this is not a viable solution at a venue where there are several users of such electrical vehicles, for example care and nursing homes and homes for the elderly. Also, not all apartments come with a garage. Similarly, storing vehicles in indoors is not always permitted. This applies for example to the corridors in apartment buildings.

Patent publication FR2449766 describes a storage box for two-wheeled vehicles with an opening door and a moving floor equipped with wheels. The structures are, however, subject to strain. GB2486653 describes a storage box for wheelchairs with an opening door. Patent publications DE814659 and DE1033546 both describe a storage box for cars with an opening door. However, their implementations are such that storing a wheelchair is quite difficult.

Summary The object of the invention is a solution that can significantly reduce the disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. In particular, the object of the invention is a solution that is easy and safe to use. The objects of the invention are achieved by an arrangement characterized by what is set forth in the independent claim. Some preferred embodiments of the invention are set forth in the dependent claims.

The invention comprises a storage box for a small electric vehicle, wherein the storage box has a system consisting of two pivoting crank arrangements and when the storage box door opens, the moving floor arrangement slides out of the storage box by means of said system. When closing the door, the floor arrangement slides back inside the storage box. A small electric vehicle is placed onto the extended floor arrangement and when the door is closed, the vehicle transfers with the floor arrangement into the storage box. When opening the door, the floor arrangement brings out the small electric vehicle in stored inside and it is ready for use.

When the text refers to the upper or lower side or the like, it describes a situation where the storage box according to the invention is in its normal operating posi- tion.

A storage box according to an embodiment of the invention is for a small electric vehicle with the storage box featuring a body and a door element. According to a advantageous embodiment of the invention, the storage box has a floor arrangement having a first end and a second end of the floor arrangement, a first pivoting crank arrangement having a first end and a second end of the first pivoting arrangement and a second pivoting crank arrangement having a first end and a second end of the second pivoting crank arrangement. The inner wall of the body has at least one groove with a first end of the groove and a second end of the groove. The first end of the first pivoting crank arrangement has a first joint arrangement, and the first end of the second pivoting crank arrangement has a second joint arrangement, at the second end of the first pivoting crank arrangement and at the second end of the second pivoting crank arrangement there is a third joint arrangement that is shared by the aforementioned pivoting crank arrangements and which is configured to move in said groove. The first joint arrangement is attached to the door element and the second joint arrangement is attached to the floor arrangement in a manner that when the third joint arrangement moves in the groove from the second end of the groove towards the first end of the groove, the door element is configured to open and the first end of the floor arrangement is configured to slide out of the storage box. The at least partially outwardly extended floor arrangement is configured to act as a ramp or platform on or over which the small electric vehicle to be stowed inside the storage box can be transferred. In one embodiment of the storage box according to the invention, the body of the storage box has a roof section and the door element is hinged to the roof section.

In a second embodiment of the storage box according to the invention, the door element is configured to slide at least partially over the body of the storage box. In a third embodiment of the storage box according to the invention, the storage box has a transfer arrangement that is configured to move the third joint arrangement. The transfer arrangement may be, for example, a chain, a timing belt, a V- belt, a cable arrangement or the like. The transfer arrangement may be driven by a motor, but it can also be accomplished by other means, such as hydraulics or pneumatics.

In a fourth embodiment of the storage box according to the invention, when the door element of the storage box is closed, the third joint arrangement is in its travel in the groove closest to the second end of the groove and when the door element is in its extreme open position, the third joint arrangement is in its travel in the groove closest to the first end of the groove.

In a fifth embodiment of a storage box according to the invention, the storage box body has two side walls: a first side wall and a second side wall, and the first side wall has a first shape and the second side wall has a second shape and said shapes are counterparts of each other so that two storage boxes can be secured to each other by placing the second shape inside the first shape. Thus, several storage boxes can be daisy-chained.

In a sixth embodiment of the storage box according to the invention, the door element has a locking arrangement. In a seventh embodiment of the storage box according to the invention, the locking arrangement is remotely operated. In an eighth embodiment of the storage box according to the invention, opening the locking arrangement is configured to activate the third joint arrangement to move in the groove from the second end of the groove to the first end of the groove.

In a ninth embodiment of the storage box according to the invention, the storage box has a charging arrangement and when the door element is open, the small electric vehicle on the floor arrangement is connectable to the charging arrangement.

An advantage of the invention is that it implements a storage box that is easy and safe to load and unload. It also saves space. A further advantage of the invention is that it allows easy switching of vehicles. A person with a mobility impairment often needs two mobility aids: one for indoors and one for outdoors. The invention is also easily scaled up or down for vehicles of different sizes.

An advantage of the invention is also that it can easily be transferred to a new lo- cation.

Another advantage of the invention is that it prevents vandalism to the vehicle and significantly reduces the possibility of theft. In addition, the vehicle is protected from the weather.

Description of the figures In the following, the invention will be described in detail. In the description, reference is made to the enclosed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows an example of a storage box according to the invention;

Figure 2 presents another storage box body, door element and floor arrangement according to the invention, and Figure 3 presents a third example of a storage box according to the invention.

Detailed description of Figures

The embodiments in the following description are given as examples only, and a person skilled in the art may realise the basic idea of the invention also in some other way than what is described in the description. Though the description may refer to a certain embodiment or embodiments in several places, this does not mean that the reference would be directed towards only one described embodiment or that the described characteristic would be usable only in one described embodiment. The individual characteristics of two or more embodiments may be combined and new embodiments of the invention may thus be provided. Figure 1 shows a storage box 100 according to the invention from the side. In order to show the functionality of the storage box, it is shown here in a transparent manner.

The storage box 100 comprises a body 101 and a door element 102. In addition, the storage box further comprises a floor arrangement 103 having a first end 104 and a second end 105 of the floor arrangement a first pivoting crank arrangement 106 having a first end 107 and a second end 108 of the first pivoting crank arrangement, a second pivoting crank arrangement 109 having a first end 1 10 and a second end 1 1 1 of the second pivoting crank arrangement. The first end of the first pivoting crank arrangement has a first joint arrangement 1 12, the first end of the second pivoting crank arrangement has a second joint arrangement 1 13, at the second end of the first pivoting crank arrangement and at the second end of the second pivoting crank arrangement there is a third joint arrangement 1 14 that is shared by the aforementioned pivoting crank joint arrangements. The inner wall of the body has at least one groove 1 15 having a first end 1 16 of the groove and the second end 1 17 of the groove.

The body 101 of the storage box 100 may be constructed of, for example, plastic, fibre-glass, metal, engineered wood such as plywood, composite material or a combination of various materials. The material is selected to suit the location of the storage box. The shape of the body is designed so that the small vehicles in- tended to be stowed fit inside the storage box, allowing the door element 102 to be closed. The body has a roof section 1 18, walls and a floor. In some embodiments, the floor arrangement 103 replaces the floor at least partly. The roof section, the walls and the floor form the interior of the storage box, which the door element closes. In this example, the door element 102 is hinged to the roof section 1 18. In some embodiments, the door element can be attached to the body so that it slides over the roof section, for example, along rails or grooves. The first end 107 of the first pivoting crank arrangement 106 is attached to the door element with the first joint arrangement 1 12. The first joint arrangement enables the first joint arrangement and the door element to move relative to each other. In this example, the first joint arrangement is attached so that it remains in place relative to the door element. In some embodiments, the first joint arrangement may be, for example, in a groove in the door element.

The first pivoting crank arrangement 106 and the second pivoting crank arrange- ment 109 are in this example elongated rod elements. In some embodiments, they may be curved or asymmetrically shaped. In some embodiments, they may be telescoping, i.e. their length may be variable. It should be noted that the pivoting crank arrangements can also consist of two parts. In this case, the pivoting crank arrangements are located at the two sides of the interior of the storage box, close to the walls. In some embodiments, there may more than two pivoting crank arrangements. It is essential that the pivoting crank arrangements are arranged so as not to hinder the operation of the storage box 100, i.e. the stowage of a small vehicle. In addition to the pivoting crank arrangements, there may also be hold- open devices between the door element 102 and the body 101 , which may, for example, be gas-dampened cylinders. The floor arrangement 103 is made from a suitably durable material. The floor arrangement is configured to extend at least partially from of the interior of the storage box 100. The floor arrangement is guided by grooves, rails or similar arrangements in the inner wall of the body. The travel of floor arrangement has an outer limit and an inner limit. At the outer limit, the floor arrangement will no longer travel outward from the storage box. When the floor arrangement is at the outer limit, it acts as a ramp or a platform over or on which the small vehicle to be stowed in the storage box can be transferred. Preferably, the floor arrangement includes, in some embodiments, arrangements preventing undesirable movement of the vehicle over the floor arrangement. For example, these may be obstacles that are raised from the surface of the floor arrangement in order to support the vehicle. In some embodiments, the second end of the floor arrangement 105 has a shape or a similar arrangement that is configured to engage a counter- arrangement in the body when the floor arrangement has reached its outer limit and, with the said shape and counter-arrangement, the floor arrangement can be turned into a gently sloping ramp. It should be noted that the floor arrangement does not necessarily have to move in the vertical direction but a ramp-like effect can be achieved by the shape or the placement of the floor arrangement. The floor arrangement may, for example, be so close to the surface of the storage box that the vehicle can easily be transferred on or off the floor arrangement. In some em- bodiments, the floor arrangement is shaped in a manner that the vehicle to be stowed can be transferred onto or removed from the floor arrangement from several directions. In some embodiments, the vehicle can be moved from the side onto the floor arrangement, i.e. the direction is approximately perpendicular to the direction of travel of the floor arrangement. This allows the storage box to be placed in tight spaces.

The first joint arrangement 112 is attached to the door element 102 and the second joint arrangement 113 is attached to the floor arrangement in a manner that when the third joint arrangement 114 moves in the groove 115 from the second end of the groove 117 towards the first end of the groove116, the door element is configured to open and the first end 104 of the floor arrangement is configured to slide out of the storage box 100. The attachment point of the second joint ar- rangement onto the floor arrangement may vary according to the embodiments. For example, it may be at the second end 105 of the floor arrangement or at its centre. The floor arrangement, when slid at least partly out of the storage box, is configured to act as a ramp or platform on or over which the small electric vehicle can be transferred. When the third joint arrangement moves in the groove 115 from the first end of the groove 1 16 towards the second end of the groove 117, the door element is configured to close and the floor arrangement slides inside the storage box 100.

The movements of the third joint arrangement 114 in the groove 115 may be brought about by external manual force. In this case, for example, the opening of the door element 103 pulls at the first pivoting crank arrangement 106 so that the second end 108 of the first pivoting crank arrangement moves and the third joint arrangement of said second end slides in the groove 115 from its second end 117 towards the first end 116. At the same time, the second pivoting crank arrangement 109 moves and the first end 110 of the second pivoting crank arrangement pushes the floor arrangement 103 out of the storage box. When closing the door, the movements described occur in the opposite direction. The aforementioned movements can also be carried out with an actuator. In the example shown in Figure 1 , the actuator is a motorised transfer arrangement 119 that is configured to move the third joint arrangement in the groove and as a result open the door element and push the floor arrangement out of the storage box and to close the door element and pull the floor arrangement inside the storage box. The transfer arrangement can be implemented with chains, various types of belts, cables, hydraulic or pneumatic actuators or similar known arrangements. The transfer arrangement may be configured to become active, for example, when the storage box lock is opened. In this case, the door element opens and the floor arrangement comes out. If the vehicle was stowed, it will then be ready for use.

The storage box can be remotely operated by electronic means so that it is not necessary for the user to be in the immediate vicinity to open and close the stor- age box. Locking can, of course, also be realised with mechanical locks or electronic locks that are operated from close proximity. Locking can also be implemented with a combination of several types of arrangements.

Preferably, the storage box 100 has access to electricity. In this case, the transfer arrangement 1 19 may be electrically powered. The storage box may also have a charging arrangement for the small electric vehicle to be stowed. The charging arrangement or the arrangement for connecting to it is preferably located so that when the door element 102 is open, the small electric vehicle on the floor arrangement 103 is easily connected to the charging arrangement. In some embodiments, the storage box has a lighting arrangement that is activated when the door element is opened. The lighting arrangement can consist of several light sources and these can be inside and outside of the storage box, or both.

In one embodiment, the storage box 100 has a safety arrangement that stops the door element 102 and the floor arrangement 103 from moving if an obstacle is detected in their range of motion.

The lower part of the body 101 has a support leg 120. There may be several sup- port legs. The storage box 100 is configured to rest on the support legs. In one embodiment, the support legs are adjustable in order to adjust the position of the storage box. In one embodiment, the support legs are or may be replaced by a wheel arrangement 121 to facilitate the transfer of the storage box.

Figure 2 shows the body 201 of the storage box, the door element 202 and the floor arrangement 203. The said parts are described separately. The parts inside the storage box are omitted for clarity reasons.

The body 201 is a box-like structure that is partially open. The body has a roof, side walls, a back wall and a floor. The body has a front part and a back part. The open part of the body, that is, the spot at which the vehicle to be stowed is moved into and out of the storage box, is at the front of the body. On the floor, parallel to the body, i.e. from the front part to the rear part, is a rail arrangement 204. The rail arrangement is positioned in a manner that the floor arrangement 203 moves over it. In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the rail arrangement consists of two rails on the sides of the floor. Naturally, other means can be used to guide the move- ment of the floor arrangement.

The door element 202 is shaped in a manner that allows it to be positioned to cover the opening in the front of the body 201. The door element has a first end 205 and a second end 206. In one embodiment, the first end of the door element is hinged to the roof of the body. In this case, the door element can be opened so that it rises at least partially over the body. When the door element does not swing to the side, the advantage is achieved that the door element will never be in the way of the user of the storage box.

The floor arrangement 203 is a platform on which the vehicle to be stowed in the storage box is moved inside and out of the storage box. Preferably, the floor ar- rangement is shaped in a manner that when it is at least partially out of the storage box, the vehicle to be stowed can be transferred onto the floor arrangement from more than one direction. The floor arrangement has a counterpart 207 to the rail arrangement consisting of two grooves that fit the rails of the rail arrangement 204 of the body 201.

In the example shown in Figure 1 , the door element 102 is open and the floor arrangement 103 is partially outside and ready to receive the vehicle. Figure 3 shows a third example of a storage box 300 as examined from the side. In Figure 3, the storage box is closed, i.e. the door element is closed and the floor arrange- ment is inside the storage box.

The storage box 300 has a body 301 , a door element 302, a hinge arrangement 305, and a shape 306. The door element has a first end 303 and a second end 304. The door element is attached to the body at the second end by means of a hinge arrangement so that when the door element is opened it rises at least par- tially over the storage box. The side wall of the storage box has a shape that allows the storage box to be secured to another storage box, which has a counterpart on its side wall. The aforementioned shapes can be realised in many different ways. In this example, the shapes are two arrangements attached to the side wall, at the rear top corner of the side wall and at the front bottom corner. The counter- part on the second storage box design consists, respectively, of two arrangements mounted on the side wall of the second storage box, respectively at the rear top corner of the side wall and at the front bottom corner. This allows a queue of storage boxes to be formed. In this queue, door elements can open in the same direction or, for example, alternately in opposite directions. Some preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above. The invention is not limited to the solutions just described, but the inventive idea can be applied in numerous ways within the limits set by the claims.

Claims

1. A storage box (100; 300) for a small electric vehicle with the storage box featuring a body (101 ; 201 ; 301) and a door element (102; 202; 302), characterized in that the storage box has a floor arrangement (103; 203) having a first end (104) and a second end (105) of the floor arrangement, a first pivoting crank arrangement (106) having a first end (107) and a second end (108) of the first pivoting arrangement, a second pivoting crank arrangement (109) having a first end (110) and a second end (111) of the second pivoting arrangement, and the inner wall of the body has at least one groove (115) having a first end (1 16) of the groove and a second end (117) of the groove, and the first end of the first pivoting crank arrangement has a first joint arrangement (112), and the first end of the second pivoting crank arrangement has a second joint arrangement (1 13), and at the second end of the first pivoting crank arrangement and at the second end of the second pivoting crank arrangement there is a third joint arrangement (1 4) that is shared by the aforementioned pivoting crank arrangements and which is configured to move in said groove, and the first joint arrangement is attached to the door element and the second joint arrangement is attached to the floor arrangement in a manner that when the third joint arrangement moves in the groove from the second end of the groove towards the first end of the groove, the door element is con- figured to open and the first end of the floor arrangement is configured to slide out of the storage box and the at least partially outwardly extended floor arrangement is configured to act as a ramp or platform on or over which the small electric vehicle to be stowed inside the storage box can be transferred.

2. A storage box (100; 300) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the body of the storage box (101 ; 201 ; 301 ) has a roof section (118) and the door element (102; 202; 302) is hinged to the roof section.

3. A storage box (100; 300) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the door element (102; 202; 302) is configured to slide at least partially over the body of the storage box (101 ; 201 ; 301 ).

4. A storage box (100; 300) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the storage box has a transfer arrangement (119) that is configured to move the third joint arrangement (114).

5. A storage box (100; 300) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that when the door element (102; 202; 302) of the storage box is closed, the third joint arrangement (114) is in its travel in the groove (1 15) closest to the second end of the groove (1 17) and when the door element is in its extreme open position, the third joint arrangement is in its travel in the groove closest to the first end of the groove (116).

6. A storage box (100; 300) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the body of the storage box (101 ; 201 ; 301) has two side walls: a first side wall and a second side wall, and the first side wall has a first shape and the second side wall has a second shape; said shapes are counterparts of each other so that two storage boxes can be secured to each other by placing the second shape inside the first shape.

7. A storage box (100; 300) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the door element (102; 202; 302) has a locking arrangement.

8. A storage box (100; 300) according to claim 7, characterized in that the locking arrangement is remotely operated.

9. A storage box (100; 300) according to any one of claims 7 to 8, characterized in that opening the locking arrangement is configured to activate the third joint arrangement (114) to move in the groove (115) from the second end (117) of the groove towards the first end (116) of the groove.

10. A storage box (100; 300) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the storage box has a charging arrangement and when the door element (102; 202; 302) is opened, the small electric vehicle on the floor arrangement (103; 203) is connectable to the charging arrangement.