GB1592155A

GB1592155A - Motor vehicles

Info

Publication number: GB1592155A
Application number: GB43383/76A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1978-01-18
Filing date: 1978-01-18
Publication date: 1981-07-01

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTOR VEHICLES (71) I, ROBERT HOWARD DENNIS, a British subject, of 22 Brunswick Square, Hove, Sussex, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following state ment : - The present invention relates to motor vehicles.

According to the invention, a motor vehicle comprises a body portion having a roller shutter to close-off an opening in the body portion and which is slidable along a path encircling the body portion, said roller shutter being of such a length that a gap is left between its two ends of sufficient size to afford an access to or an exit from the vehicle for a person, when said gap is located at one or the other side of the vehicle. The gap between the two ends of the roller shutter also forms a sun-roof opening when said gap is located at the top of the vehicle, whilst when the gap is located underneath the vehicle, the roller shutter encloses the body portion.

Preferably at least a part of the shutter is made transparent; in particular that part which, when the shutter is in the position to close-off the body portion, is located at window height in the vehicle and also, if desired, the part forming the roof of the vehicle.

Advantageously, the vehicle is provided with a trackway comprising two spaced tracks encircling the vehicle and defining between them an opening in the body portion which extends over the roof and sides of the vehicle down to the region of the vehicle floor. The roller shutter is located by and slides in the tracks. One or both of the tracks may be constructed so as to form a, structural roll bar in the vehicle body. Advantageously, the roller shutter is made of a number of slats, which may be made of metal or at least partly of a plastics material. The slats are articulated together to enable the shutter to follow the curvature of the trackway around the vehicle.

The vehicle seating may advantageously be arranged with the driver seated on the centre line of the vehicle, and in the case of a passenger carrying vehicle, a passenger seat may be arranged on either side of the driver facing generally rearwardly and two further passenger seats may be positioned adjacent the rear of the passenger compartment, facing generally forwards.

The front of the vehicle is preferably provided with a further door giving access at least for the driver. This door may be arranged either to hinge upwardly or to one side.

The vehicle engine is preferably mounted at the rear of the vehicle body and a compartment may be provided on either side of the engine in order to house luggage.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference t6 the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of motor vehicle according to the invention, Figs. 2a, 2b and 2c are somewhat dia' grammatic cross-sections through the region of the body containing the roller shutter, Fig. 3 shows details of one construction of roller shutter, Figs. 4a, 4b and 4c show an alternative embodiment for the roller shutter, and Fig. 5 shows a further embodiment.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a passenger carrying vehicle comprises a supporting frame or chassis (not shown) forming a floor which supports the vehicle body 1. The body, which may be of monocoque construc- tion, may be made of metal or glass fibre.

The interior of the vehicle is provided with a seat 2 for the driver and with passenger seats 3 and 4, which face rearwardly and forwardly respectively. The engine is mounted at the rear of the vehicle beneath the hinged panel 5, which also encloses a luggage compartment or compartments.

The access to the driver 5 seat - 2 is normally obtained through the front door 6 which is hingedly connected at the side edge 7, so that it may be opened upwardly and to that side to allow access to the driver's seat 2.

In order to afford access to the passenger carrying compartment, the vehicle body is encircled by a roller shutter 8 which can be positioned to close-off an opening extending across the top of and down the sides of the vehicle and which is bounded by two spaced parallel tracks 9 in which the roller shutter is located and slides. The tracks completely encircle the vehicle body so that the roller shutter 8 can slide continuously around its trackway. Either or both of the tracks 9 may form a structural roll bar in the vehicle body.

As shown in Figs. 2a, 2b and 2c, the roller shutter 8 is of such a length that a gap 10 is left between its two ends which is of sufficient size to form an access or exit doorway in the vehicle body for a person entering or leaving the vehicle, when the gap 10 is located at one or other side of the vehicle, as is shown in Fig. 2a. When the gap 10 is located at the top of the vehicle it forms a sun-roof opening, as shown in Fig. 2b. When the gap 10 is located underneath the vehicle, as shown in Fig. 2c, the passenger compartment is closed by the roller shutter.

The portion of the trackway defined by tracks 9 which extends under the floor of the vehicle is enclosed by a cover in order to protect the lower part of the track and the shutter, when in this position, from road dirt, etc. Also, sealing strips or weather strips are preferably provided along the edges of the track so as to provent the ingress of rain or draughts. Moreover, means may be provided for locking the shutter in one or more defined positions, e.g. in either of the "side open" positions, in the "sunroof" position and in the "body closed" position.

The roller shutter is preferably formed from a plurality of parallel slats having their ends engaged in the tracks and which are articulated together by any suitable means. The slats may be made of metal or a plastics material but preferably at least the portions of the shutter which define the window region and possibly the roof, when the shutter is in the "body closed" position, are made from a transparent plastics material such as a polycarbonate.

Fig. 3 shows a preferred type of construction for the roller shutter where the slats are made from a plastics material. Each slat 11 is provided with an undercut groove 12 along both of its longitudinal edges and adjacent slats are interconnected by a flexible joining strip 13 formed of a plastics material and having edge beads 14 which fit 'in the grooves of two adjacent slats.

If desired, the two ends of the shutter may be joined by means of articulated or flexible members located in each of the tracks and defining the sides of the gap 10 between the ends of the shutter.

The invention also provides a steering arrangement for a vehicle of the kind wherein the driver gains access to the driver's seat through the front of the vehicle, said steering arrangement including a steering column or the like which, in the operative position, is located in front of the driver's seat and said steering column being adapted to pivot or fold downwardly or to one side to provide access to or egress from the driver's seat.

According to one embodiment, the steering column is centrally disposed but is pivoted at its lower end so that it can be folded down on to the floor of the vehicle.

The steering wheel at the upper end of the column may also be arranged to pivot or fold so that it lies on the floor of the vehicle when the column is lowered on to the floor.

According to a second embodiment, the steering column is arranged forwardly and to one side of the driver's seat and is inclined, when in the operative position, so that the steering wheel is in front of the driver, but can be pivoted to one side out of the driver's way for entering or leaving the vehicle.

According to a further embodiment, two steering columns are provided one at each side and forwardly of the driver's seat and in the operative position, the two columns are inclined towards each other and secured together at their upper ends with the steering wheel adjacent the driver. The columns can however be separated at their upper ends and moved aside to allow access to the driver's seat. The lower ends of the columns are secured at spaced points to a rotatable steering member. If desired the steering wheel may be formed of two parts, one associated with each column.

In all cases the steering column or columns are connected through one or more universal joints to a steering linkage to steer the two front wheels. The rear mounted engine drives the front wheels through a forward differential which may be fitted with inboard disc brakes, and a drive shaft tunnel in the chassis or frame. The vehicle suspension may be of the pneumatic or hydraulic type.

In an alternative embodiment the car shown in Figure 1 is modified by having a central tie bar 20 extending between the tracks 9 and two roller shutter portions 21, 22, which are independently movable. This arrangement is best seen in Figures 4a, 4b and 4c.

Thus the shutter portions 21, 22, which are constructed in the same manner as the shutter of Figure 3, can be slid to various positions in the trackway. In Figure 4a they are shown closing off access to the passenger compartment with opposing upper ends of the shutter portions adjacent opposite sides of the tie bar 20. A gap A left between the lower ends of the shutter portions is located underneath the vehicle. In Figure 4b, the shutter portion 21 alone has been slid downwardly around the trackway so that the lower ends of the shutter portions are adjacent each other and the gap A forms an access or exit doorway in one side of the vehicle. In Figure 4c both the shutter portions have been slid downwardly to form two sun roof openings, one either side of tie bar 20. Suitable means may be provided for locking the shutter portions to the tie bar and to hold them in their various positions.

In all embodiments, the base of the car may be provided with a protective cover or envelope within which the shutter portions slide to protect them from dirt and damage.

The cover may be provided with brushes or other devices to clean the shutter portions as they move past it.

Figure 5 shows a perspective view, similar to Figure 1, of an alternative means of providing access and exit for the driver. In this embodiment, the front door of the vehicle has a lower portion 6a and an upper portion 6b, which are respectively hinged to the floor and the roof of the vehicle and which can be opened outwardly as shown to provide the frontal access to the interior of the vehicle. The upper portion 6b includes the windscreen 6c which moves to its normal location when the portion 6b is lowered to its closed position. Similarly the portion 6a is raised to close the lower part of the front of the vehicle. Although not shown, a roller shutter is provided which is slidable along the tracks 9.

WHAT I CLAIM IS:- 1. A motor vehicle comprising a body portion having a roller shutter to close-off an opening in the body portion and which is slidable along a path encircling the body portion, said roller shutter being of such a length as to leave a gap between its ends of sufficient size to afford an access to or an exit from the vehicle for a person, when said gap is located at one or the other side of the vehicle.

2. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1, in which the roller shutter com prises two roller shutter portions independently slidable along the path.

3. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the roller shutter can be slid so that the gap is located at the top of the vehicle to provide a sun-roof opening.

4. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 3 as dependent on claim 2, in which the vehicle includes a tie bar spanning the path at the top of the vehicle so that a gap can be located either side of the tie bar to provide sun-roof openings.

5. A motor vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the roller shutter can be slid so that the gap is located underneath the vehicle and the roller shutter encloses the body portion.

6. A motor vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which at least a part of the shutter is transparent.

7. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 6, in which when the shutter is in the position to enclose the body portion, that part of the shutter which is located at window height in the vehicle is transparent.

8. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 7, in which that part of the shutter forming the roof of the vehicle also is transparent.

9. A motor vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, provided with a trackway comprising two spaced tracks encircling the vehicle and defining between them an opening in the body portion which extends over the roof and sides of the vehicle down to the region of the vehicle floor with the roller shutter being located by and slidable in the tracks.

10. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 9, in which one or both of the tracks are constructed so as to form a, structural roll bar in the vehicle body.

11. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 9 or 10, in which the roller shutter is made of a plurality of slats articulated together to enable the shutter to follow the curvature of the trackway around the vehicle.

12. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 11, in which each slat is provided with an undercut groove along both of its longitudinal edges and adjacent slats are interconnected by a flexible joining element having edge portions which fit in the grooves of two adjacent slats.

13. A motor vehicle as claimed in any of claims 9 to 12, in which the portion of the trackway which extends under the floor of the vehicle is enclosed by a cover to protect the lower part of the track, and the shutter when extending under the floor, from dirt.

14. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 13, in which the cover is provided with cleaning devices for cleaning the shutter as it moves out of the cover.

15. A motor vehicle as claimed in any of claims 9 to 14, in which sealing strips or weather strips are provided along the edges of the track to prevent the ingress of rain or draughts.

16. A motor vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, provided with means for locking the shutter in various defined positions about the vehicle body.

17. A motor vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the driver's

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. the shutter portions adjacent opposite sides of the tie bar 20. A gap A left between the lower ends of the shutter portions is located underneath the vehicle. In Figure 4b, the shutter portion 21 alone has been slid downwardly around the trackway so that the lower ends of the shutter portions are adjacent each other and the gap A forms an access or exit doorway in one side of the vehicle. In Figure 4c both the shutter portions have been slid downwardly to form two sun roof openings, one either side of tie bar 20. Suitable means may be provided for locking the shutter portions to the tie bar and to hold them in their various positions. In all embodiments, the base of the car may be provided with a protective cover or envelope within which the shutter portions slide to protect them from dirt and damage. The cover may be provided with brushes or other devices to clean the shutter portions as they move past it. Figure 5 shows a perspective view, similar to Figure 1, of an alternative means of providing access and exit for the driver. In this embodiment, the front door of the vehicle has a lower portion 6a and an upper portion 6b, which are respectively hinged to the floor and the roof of the vehicle and which can be opened outwardly as shown to provide the frontal access to the interior of the vehicle. The upper portion 6b includes the windscreen 6c which moves to its normal location when the portion 6b is lowered to its closed position. Similarly the portion 6a is raised to close the lower part of the front of the vehicle. Although not shown, a roller shutter is provided which is slidable along the tracks 9. WHAT I CLAIM IS:-

1. A motor vehicle comprising a body portion having a roller shutter to close-off an opening in the body portion and which is slidable along a path encircling the body portion, said roller shutter being of such a length as to leave a gap between its ends of sufficient size to afford an access to or an exit from the vehicle for a person, when said gap is located at one or the other side of the vehicle.

seat is arranged on the centre line of the vehicle.

18. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 17 in which a passenger seat is arranged on either side of the driver's seat facing generally rearwardly of the vehicle.

19. A motor vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the front of the vehicle is provided with a further door giving access at least for the driver.

20. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 19, further comprising a steering arrangement which includes a steering column or the like which, in the operative position, is located in front of the driver's seat, said steering column being adapted to pivot or fold downwardly or to one side to provide access to or egress from the driver's seat.

21. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 20, in which the steering column is centrally disposed but is pivoted at its lower end so that it can be folded down on to the floor of the vehicle.

22. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 21, in which the steering wheel at the upper end of the column is also arranged to pivot or fold so that it lies on the floor of the vehicle when the column is lowered on to the floor.

23. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 20, in which the steering column is arranged forwardly and to one side of the driver's seat and is inclined, when in the operative position, so that the steering wheel is in front of the driver, but can be pivoted to one side out of the driver's way for entering or leaving the vehicle.

24. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 20, in which two steering columns are provided, one at each side and forwardly of the driver's seat and in the operative position, the two columns are inclined towards each other and releasably secured together at their upper ends, with the steering wheel adjacent the driver, said columns being separable at their upper ends and movable aside to allow access to the driver's seat, and the lower ends of the columns being secured at spaced points to a rotatable steering member.

25. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 24, in which the steering wheel is formed of two parts, one associated with each column.

26. A motor vehicle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1, 2a, 2b, 2c and 3, or Figs. 4a, 4b and 4c, or Fig. 5 of the accompanying drawings.