GB2275030A

GB2275030A - Passenger carrying vehicle for invalids

Info

Publication number: GB2275030A
Application number: GB9402319A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Rodney John Brotherwood
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-02-16
Filing date: 1994-02-07
Publication date: 1994-08-17
Anticipated expiration: 2014-02-07
Also published as: GB9303025D0; GB9402319D0; GB2275030B

Abstract

A passenger carrying vehicle 1 for accommodating a wheelchair and its occupant has a sliding door 4, a lowered floor 13 and a foldable ramp 18 incorporated in the boot. The lowered floor 13, which has a downward sloping rear section 17, is supported by two transversely extending cross members 7, 8 connected to two longitudinally extending chassis members. The front cross member 7 extends under, and supports, the gearbox 9. A method of converting a standard passenger vehicle into a vehicle suitable for accommodating a wheelchair and its occupant is also disclosed. <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN PASSENGER CARRYING VEHICLES This invention relates to passenger carrying vehicles of the kind adapted to accommodate an invalid wheelchair and its occupant.

It is known to adapt passenger carrying vehicles for example, vans, estate cars, station wagons and the like having rear doors, to accommodate a wheelchair and its occupant.

It is known to lower the floor of the vehicle behind the front seats, for example in the region of rear seats when fitted. This enables the occupant of a wheelchair to be accommodated substantially at the same height as normally seated rear passengers.

In my EP-A-O 390 431 I disclosed a passenger carrying vehicle for accommodating a invalid wheelchair and its occupant and having a rear door and a pair of spaced longitudinal chassis members, in which a local floor region positioned below the chassis members and extended rearwardly substantially from the backs of the seats in front of the rearmost seats defines a support for a wheelchair and its occupant, and a transverse beam positioned below the local floor region interconnects the chassis members, the beam defining a mounting for parts of the rear suspension assembly of the vehicle.

The local floor region is so positioned that when accommodated in the vehicle the occupant of the wheelchair is sitting substantially at the same height as a passenger normally seated in a rearmost seat.

According to my present invention a passenger carrying vehicle for accommodating an invalid wheelchair and its occupant and having a rear door and a pair of transversely spaced longitudinally extending chassis members is provided with front and rear cross members which are spaced longitudinally, traverse a gap between the chassis members, and are connected to the chassis members at their opposite ends for which they provide braces, the cross members providing a support for a local floor region, and the front cross member extending under the gearbox for which it provides a support.

The local floor region is disposed in a plane below a plane in which the normal floor lies so that the occupant of the wheelchair is sitting substantially at the same height as a passenger normally seated in a rear seat of the vehicle.

The lowered floor region may comprise a well assembly including a shallow yet rigid floor which slopes down from the rear of the rear cross member to the rear of the vehicle to increase the available head room when loading or unloading passengers.

A ramp may be fitted towards the rear of the sloping floor. The ramp may be stored substantially upright, and folded double, inside the tailgate when not in use. A seal is effected by sandwiching the ramp between the tailgate and the body of the vehicle.

The ramp may be counterbalanced by a spring mechanism.

In a modification a tail lift may be provided instead of a ramp.

When the vehicle is provided with a rear sliding door to the rear of a front door, a section of a rear side chassis rail, for a right hand drive vehicle, is removed in the vicinity of the door, and a box section is welded in underneath to join the front and rear portions of the chassis rail.

According to another aspect of my invention, a passenger vehicle of the kind having a rear door is adapted to receive an invalid wheelchair and its occupant by the steps of: (a) removing the fuel tank, exhaust system, and a region of the floor from a point close to the rear of the front seat to the rear of the vehicle to expose the spaced chassis members of the vehicle; (b) attaching front and rear longitudinally spaced cross members to the chassis members to brace them, and with the front cross member acting as a support for the gearbox; (c) fitting a lowered floor well assembly to be supported on the cross members; (d) fitting a fuel tank between the front cross member to one side of the floor well assembly; (e) fitting an exhaust system to the other side of the floor well assembly; and (f) moving the rear suspension struts from the inside to the outside of the chassis members.

Some embodiments of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a passenger carrying vehicle adapted to accommodate an invalid wheelchair.and its occupant; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the opposite side of the vehicle; Figure 3 is a plan of the vehicle of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a plan similar to Figure 2 but showing a different arrangement of seats; and Figure 5 is a side elevation of the vehicle with a portion of the side wall cut away from clarity.

The vehicle 1 illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings has a rear tailgate 1 hinged at its upper end for movement about a horizontal axis. The vehicle has been adapted from a standard passenger carrying vehicle having a pair of front seats 2, a load carrying compartment 3 to the rear of the front seats which may accommodate two rows of rear seats, and a rear door 4 slidably mounted on the body of the vehicle to provide side access to the compartment 3.

The vehicle 1 is adapted by removing the two rows of rear seats, the fuel tank, and the exhaust system.

The rear floor section 6, from a point just behind the front seats 2, is removed from that point to the rear of a vehicle for width symmetrical about the centreline and sufficient to expose the two main longitudinally chassis members of the vehicle. This presents a construction in which an open space is exposed between the chassis member for a substantial length. The two chassis members are braced by a pair of front and rear steel cross members comprising beams 7 and 8.

The two beams 7 and 8 brace the chassis members, and the front beam 7 supports the gearbox 9.

A section of the rear side longitudinal chassis member is cut away in the vicinity of the rear sliding door 4, and a box section 10 is welded in underneath to join the front and rear portions of that chassis member.

A lowered floor well assembly 11 made in a jig is fitted to the vehicle in one-piece between the chassis members. The well assembly 11 consists of two laterally spaced side walls 12 joined together by a plurality of wide shallow channels which, in turn, are welded together to produce a shallow, yet rigid, floor 13 which is supported by both beams 7 and 8. The floor 13 slopes down from behind the rear beam 8 for a portion 17 terminating at the rear of the vehicle, thereby increasing the available headroom when loading and unloading passengers. Inverted fabricated extensions 14 and 15 are incorporated in the floor 13 to clear the gearbox 9 and the differential housing 16.

A ramp 18 is fitted towards the rear of the sloping portion 17 and is stored upright hingedly folded double, just inside the tailgate 1 when not in use. A seal is effected by sandwiching the ramp 18 between the tailgate and the vehicle body.

The ramp 18 is fabricated out of aluminium, and has its weight counterbalanced by a concealed mechanism incorporating a gas spring to facilitate operation.

In use, entry to the rear of the vehicle is gained by raising the tailgate 1 and unfolding the hinged ramp 18.

In a modification, the ramp 18 is replaced by a tail lift.

To complete the conversion, a new, purpose made, fuel tank is fitted to the off-side of the vehicle, outboard of the lowered floor 13, a new exhaust system is fitted to the rear side, and the rear suspension struts are moved from the inside, to the outside of the chassis members.

As illustrated in Figure 2-5 of the drawings, the seating options are flexible and can be adapted to meet the needs of both local authorities and private customers.

In the layout of Figures 2 and 3, the intermediate row of seats is removed from the component 3 leaving a space between the front seats 2 and the rearmost seats 20 to accommodate an invalid wheelchair and its occupant 21. Access is achieved through the sliding door 4 and over the box section 10.

In the layout of Figure 4, the intermediate row of seats 22 is retained, and the rearmost seats 20 are removed. Access for a wheelchair and its occupant 23 into the vacant space behind the seats 22 is achieved by raising the tailgate 1 and utilising the ramp 18 as described above.

Finally, in the layout of Figure 5, the omission of both row of rear seats 20 and 22 provides accommodation for two wheelchairs 21 and 23 in tandem.

Claims

1. A passenger carrying vehicle for accommodating an invalid wheelchair and its occupant and having a rear door and a pair of transversely spaced longitudinally extending chassis members is provided with front and rear cross members which are spaced longitudinally, traverse a gap between the chassis members, and are connected to the chassis members at their opposite ends for which they provide braces, the cross members providing a support for a local floor region, and the front cross member extending under the gearbox for which it provides a support.

2. A passenger carrying vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the local floor region is disposed in a plane below a plane in which a normal floor of the vehicle lies so that the occupant of the wheelchair sits substantially at the same height as a passenger normally seated in a rear seat of the vehicle.

3. A passenger carrying vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the local floor region comprises a well assembly including a shallow yet rigid floor which slopes down from the rear of the rear cross member to the rear of the vehicle in order to increase available head room when loading or unloading passengers.

4. A passenger carrying vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the well assembly further comprises two laterally spaced side walls joined together by a plurality of wide shallow channels which, in turn, are welded together to produce the shallow yet rigid sloping floor.

5. A passenger carrying vehicle according to claim 3 or claim 4, further comprising a ramp which is fitted towards the rear of the rigid sloping floor.

6. A passenger carrying vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the ramp is stored substantially upright, and folded double, inside a tailgate of the vehicle when not in use.

7. A passenger carrying vehicle according to claim 6, wherein a seal is effected by sandwiching the ramp between the tailgate and the body of the vehicle.

8. A passenger carrying vehicle according to any of claims 5 to 7, wherein the ramp is fabricated from aluminium.

9. A passenger carrying vehicle according to any of claims 5 to 8, wherein the ramp is counterbalanced by a spring mechanism.

10. A passenger carrying vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the spring mechanism comprises a gas spring.

11. A passenger carrying vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising a tail lift which is fitted towards the rear of the rigid sloping floor.

12. A passenger carrying vehicle according to any preceding claim, having a front door and being provided with a rear sliding door located to the rear of the front door, wherein the vehicle is a right-hand drive vehicle and one of the chassis members comprises a rear side chassis rail, a section of the rear side chassis rail being removed in the vicinity of the door, and a box section being welded in underneath the chassis rail to join the front and rear portions of the chassis rail.

13. A passenger carrying vehicle of the kind having a rear door is adapted to receive an invalid wheelchair and its occupant by the steps of: (a) removing the fuel tank, exhaust system, and a region of the floor from a point close to the rear of the front seat to the rear of the vehicle to expose the spaced chassis members of the vehicle; (b) attaching front and rear longitudinally spaced cross members to the chassis members to brace them, and with the front cross member acting as a support for the gearbox; (c) fitting a lowered floor well assembly to be supported on the cross members; (d) fitting a fuel tank between the front cross member to one side of the floor well assembly; (e) fitting an exhaust system to the other side of the floor well assembly; and (f) moving the rear suspension struts from the inside to the outside of the chassis members.

14. A passenger carrying vehicle substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.