WO2002018163A9

WO2002018163A9 - Small-sized car, particularly for city traffic, having a forwardly facing door

Info

Publication number: WO2002018163A9
Application number: PCT/IT2001/000449
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giuliano Cozzari
Original assignee: Giuliano Cozzari
Priority date: 2000-08-29
Filing date: 2001-08-23
Publication date: 2010-11-04
Also published as: ITTO20000825A0; ITTO20000825A1; AU2001284409A1; AU2001284409A8; WO2002018163A1; IT1320610B1

Abstract

A small-sized, two-seat car, particularly suitable for city traffic, easy to park, equipped with a front part, or concealed door (6), which is superiorly hinged on an axis which is transversal to the car structure, and which can be raised to a positioning allowing the driver and the passenger, where relevant, to get in and out of the car.

Description

¹¹Small-sized car, particularly for city traffic, having a forwardly facing door"

* * *

This invention relates to small-sized cars, particularly for city traffic.

Underlying this invention is the intention to make a four-wheel, two-seat car, which is particularly suitable for city traffic, extremely small in size, easy to park, environment-friendly to the greatest possible extent and economic. In particular, the objective of this invention is to make a car of the aforesaid type, providing good characteristics in terms of comfort, which is characterised by extreme ease of use and access, low purchasing and running costs and high characteristics in terms of safety and lightness.

In order to attain these and additional objectives, this invention relates to a car which characteristics are illustrated in the accompanying claim 1. Additional preferred and advantageous embodiments of the invention will be defined in the claims hereof.

The basic principle of this invention is to make a car with a rear powertrain, mainly designed for city traffic, which front part is hinged to the car body and can be opened upwards, similarly to the tailgate of a traditional car. Said mobile front part, which is hinged to the car body, will hereof be called "concealed door". In the car according to this invention, the concealed door forms the front part of the car and can contribute to ensuring safety in the event of a crash, respecting the laws in force, when raised, the concealed door allows the driver and the passenger to get in and out of the car. The concealed door also supports the dashboard and the heating/air conditioning distribution system, as well as the steering wheel and the headlights, which are powered by means of wires passing through the windscreen pillars. When closed, the concealed door contributes to chassis stiffness, allowing a lighter chassis and better material use. Preferably, an extractable strut system will come into action when the concealed door is closed, to pull the structure, whereby increasing stiffness.

In a first form of embodiment, the pedal board, the steering unit, the brake booster, the longitudinal seat runners, the front and rear suspensions, the powertrain and the gearbox, the heating unit and, possibly, the air conditioning unit are permanently fitted to the floor of the car, which forms a part of the chassis. All said parts will be better described below. In this form of embodiment, the car is equipped with two seats, preferably provided with armrests, which slide on runners anchored to the floor. When the concealed door is moved from its closed position to its open position, the seats simultaneously slide on their longitudinal runners, to reach an advanced position for facilitating the- driver and the passenger's access in and out of the car. This result can be obtained, for example, by arranging a lever transmission mechanism connecting the seat backrest to the concealed door, so that the movement of the seats on the runners will automatically move the concealed door between its two extreme positions. Two electrical motors, for example of the type with' a perforated drive shaft to permit the sliding of a flexible control wire, are preferably fitted under the seat frame.

The driver, in order to get out of the car, will firstly release the concealed door, with an operation which will be better described below, after which the aforesaid electrical motors will make the seats slide on the runners, thus raising the concealed door by means of the aforesaid lever transmission mechanism. The opening of the concealed door can be facilitated by means of gas springs, or similar means. Following advancement of the seat, the user can put his or her feet on the ground, beyond the pedal board, after which, if required, he or she can lean on the seat armrests to get out of car.

After getting out, the user can close the concealed door by either one of two alternative strategies. According to a first solution, an electrical command reverses the movement of the electrical motor controlling the sliding seats, which thus move back whereby lowering the concealed door. Alternatively, the mechanism controlled by the electrical motor can be released when the advanced position of the seats is reached, so that the concealed door can be closed from the outside, like a normal tailgate.

The user must firstly open the concealed door to get into the car. The concealed door can be opened by either one of two possible strategies . In the first case, control means are arranged to start the electrical motor controlling the- seat movement, which thus moves forwards raising the concealed door. In a second case, a handle is arranged on the concealed door which the user can use to raise the concealed door, possibly with the assistance of the aforesaid gas springs. In both cases, the driver can access the car and sit in the seat, as in a normal armchair. There are two possibilities after sitting in the seat: either the electrical motor causing the seats to move backwards can be activated, . which simultaneously lowers the concealed door, or the concealed door can be lowered by grasping a handle on the side of the concealed door, making the seats slide - back manually.

The concealed door is hinged. The lower part is equipped with two centring struts, which are engaged in respective closing device housings arranged in the chassis. A lever, similar to the handbrake lever in a traditional car, is arranged on the floor of the car. The lever can be pulled to operate an expandable strut system, which pulls the structure, thus making the concealed door become an integral part of the chassis. The release operation consists in lowering said lever after releasing a respective ratchet gear by means of a. button associated with the lever, again similarly as the traditional handbrake release operation. In the car according to this invention, the steering column and the steering wheel are solidly •• mounted on the concealed door, which they follow during the opening and closing operations. The steering system can be a traditional mechanical system or an electrical steering system (steering by wire) . The steering shaft connected to the steering wheel runs on the steering column. The terminal part of the shaft is inserted in the steering unit when the concealed door is closed by means of a predetermined position grooved profile. During the opening operation, the driver, by means of a lever, releases the steering shaft, after which he or she can pull the steering wheel towards himself or herself. In this way, the steering shaft is released from the steering unit control housing, whereby the concealed door can be raised. The reversed procedure is followed to close the concealed door. The driver turns the steering wheel until the grooved profile of the shaft is engaged in the steering grooved control housing, after which it is locked by means of said lever.

Alternatively, the ends of the steering column can remain attached to the steering unit and to the steering wheel and allow opening the concealed door by presenting an extendible telescopic structure.

The dashboard supports the steering column, the instrument panel and the air distribution system. The heating/air conditioning system is fixed and arranged on the tunnel on the floor, between the two seats . The connection between the heating/air conditioning unit and the dashboard is ensured by means of rubber contact seals (similarly as the air distribution from the dashboard to the air vents arranged on the doors of traditional cars for demisting the side -Windows) .

The pedal board is fixed and anchored to the floor by means of a half partition firewall. The driver, when getting in and out of the car, must lift his or her feet to reach beyond the pedal board, reason for which the height of the pedal board is also defined according to this need. For this purpose, the brake booster can be arranged under the floor. According to a second form of embodiment, in which the car is destined to be used by a disabled person on a wheelchair, the car is not equipped with seats and a ramp is fitted frontally. The ramp can be lowered to street level, to allow the user to get in and out directly in his or her wheelchair.

Preferably, the car according to this invention is driven by an electrical motor arranged in the rear part of the car. Either a single motor or a motor on each wheel can be fitted. In the first case, the electrical motor is a three-phase alternating current synchronous motor. The motor is directly coupled to the wheels by means of a differential gear reducer. The motor works as a generator when braking by means of an electronic control system. Furthermore, an APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) battery recharging can be fitted onboard . The motor is constantly powered by the battery.

The battery can be recharged either by connecting the battery charger fitted aboard the car to the mains, or by means of the APU system, or by quickly changing the battery. None of these three system excludes the others, which can all be fitted in the same car, whereby ensuring a greater running range.

As concerns safety, the entire structure of the car is a space-frame made to satisfy safety standards. Particularly, the frame of the concealed door is. made of elastic, not energy-absorbing, materials so that, in the event of a crash, the driver's lower limbs will not be concerned by deformation of the structure. This result is obtained by means which are similar to railway buffers or fun-fair dodgems. Any repercussions on occupants are annulled by the seat belts which, being solidly secured to the concealed door, are, by definition, always fastened. The steering wheel and the dashboard (on passenger side) are equipped with airbags .

In order to protect the lower limbs in the event of a frontal crash, if the devices described above are not sufficient, the bumper sliding longitudinally on tubes connected to the chassis and equipped with explosive charges, working according to a principle similar to that of airbags, can be fitted so to distance the car, and, consequently, the occupant's legs, from contact with materials being deformed during the crash.

Alternatively, an airbag can be fitted in the lower part of the dashboard. The airbag will open, retracting the occupant's legs before the concealed door is deformed. The structure is similar to that of a roll-bar, which forms the side impact protection, and can be completed by the insertion of reinforcement bars directly fitted in the panels, by side airbags fitted in the false doors and/or in the seat armrests.

An example of a possible form of embodiment of this invention will be better explained by the following detailed descriptions with reference to the accompanying figure, whereas: figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a first form of embodiment of this invention, figures 2 and 3 show a lateral view of a cross- section of the front part of the car, in two conditions of use, figure 4 is an additional perspective view of the car in the closed condition of the concealed door, - figure 5 is a schematic plan view illustrating the safety system associated with the front bumpers of the car, and

- figures 6, 7 are lateral views of a second form of embodiments, .which can be used by disabled people, showing the concealed door in closed and open condition, with the access ramp raised and lowered, respectively.

In figures 1, 4 reference numeral 1 generally refers to a car of the generic type described above. The car is made in the form of a small- sized, two-seat car, with a front seat 2 for the driver and another front seat 3 by the side of the first seat for the passenger. The car 1 is equipped with two front wheels 4 and two rear drive wheels 5. The powertrain is arranged in the rear of the car. Reference numeral 6 indicates the concealed door, which is the only door provided for getting in and out of the car, for both the driver and the passenger. The concealed door 6 is hinged to the structure of the car on a horizontal axis 7 and carries the dashboard 8 and the steering wheel 9, .. with associated steering column 10. The pedal board 11, on the other hand, is permanently fitted to the floor 12 of the car (see figures 2, 3) . The structure of the seats 2, 3 is slidingly mounted on longitudinal runners 13 and can preferably be. moved by means of a motor driven control . The drawings do- not illustrate the lever mechanism system, which connects the seat backrest to the concealed door 6 with the purpose of automatically determining the opening and closing movement of the concealed door 6 following the sliding movement of the seats between a retracted driving position (figure 2) and an advanced position (figure 3) for permitting the driver and the passenger to get in and out of the car .

The characteristics related to the structure and to the operation' of the car according to this invention have been widely illustrated in detail in the previous part of this description.

Figure 5 shows a schematic plan view of a bumper 14 slidingly mounted on the ends of two longitudinal tubes 15, ' inside which explosive charges automatically fired in the event of a crash are arranged, similarly to the pyrotechnic charge of an airbag. As mentioned above, in the case of a crash, the bumper 14 is thus pushed forward, to the position illustrated with the dotted line in 5, to make the car ^■ structure retract with respect to the front obstacle, along with the occupants' legs.

The accompanying drawings do not illustrate the various constructive parts which can be adopted in the car according to this invention in detail, as described above, such as, for example, the system for closing and pulling the concealed door, the respective operating levers, the gas springs, which assist opening the concealed door, the system for coupling the steering column to the steering unit arranged on the floor, and so on. All the aforesaid assembly details . can be made in any known way, according to techniques which will be readily understood by sector experts, having acquired the basic principles herein illustrated to which this invention relates.

Figures 6, 7 illustrate a second form of embodiment destined to be used by a disabled person in a wheelchair 140. In this case, the car is not equipped with seats and has a ramp 120 jointed in position 120a to the car floor, to allow the user to get in and out of the car in his or her wheelchair 140. In closed conditions, the airtight closure of the overlapping area between the concealed door 6 and the ramp 120 is ensured by a seal 130 (see enlarged detail in figure 6) . No pedal board is provided in this case and all the controls, including the accelerator, are manual and arranged in the steering wheel area, according to a technique which is known in the field of cars for disabled users .

Naturally, numerous changes can be implemented to the construction and forms of embodiment of the invention herein envisaged, described and illustrated, as non-limiting examples, all comprised within the context of the concept characterising this invention, as defined by the following claims. Obviously, the accompanying drawings only refer to a possible form of embodiment of the invention.

Claims

1. - Small-sized car, with no more than two seats, with two front wheels (4) and two rear wheels (5) and a powertrain arranged in the rear of the car, characterised in that the front part of the car is hinged to the load-bearing structure on a transversal horizontal axis (7) , so to move from a closed position to an open raised position to allow the driver and a passenger, where relevant, to get in and out, and in that said front part, or concealed door, carries the steering wheel (9) and the dashboard (8) of the car.

2. - Car according to claim 1, characterised in that said car comprises two seats- (2, 3) arranged side by side, slidingly mounted on longitudinal runners (13) which can move between a retracted driving position and an advanced position, synchronously with the movement of the concealed door between its closed position and its open position.

3. - Car according to claim 1, characterised in that said car is not equipped with seats and is frontally provided with a ramp (120) , which can be lowered to allow a disabled user to get in and out in his or her wheelchair (140) .

4. - Car according to claim 2, characterised, in that a lever connection is arranged between the backrest of at least one seat (2, 3) and the concealed door (6) to cause the movement of the concealed door (6) following the sliding movement of the seats (2, 3).

5. - Car according to claim 2, characterisedin that the longitudinal movement of the seats is controlled by a motor driven control device.

6. - Car according to claim I₁ characterised in that it is provided with a device for connecting the concealed door to the chassis of the car in closed condition of the concealed door, comprising extractable strut means, for pulling the structure and making the concealed door an integral part of the structure.

7. - Car according to claim 1, characterised in that the concealed door (6) carries the steering column (10) and in that the steering column (10) can be disconnected from the steering unit arranged on the floor of the car.

8. - Car according to claim 1, characterised in that the concealed door (6) also supports the air distribution system, which is connected to the heating/air conditioning system which is fixed to the floor by means of seals which can be coupled.

9. - Car according to claim 1, characterised in that it is equipped with an electrical motor and a respective rechargeable powering battery.

10. - Car according to claim 9, characterised in that it comprises an APU unit for recharging the batteries .

11. - Car according to claim 1, characterised in that it is equipped with elastic devices, for example gas springs, for facilitating opening the concealed door (6) .

12. - Car according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises bumpers which are slidingly longitudinally mounted in sleeves (15) equipped with explosive charges, which are automatically fired in the case of a. front crash, to retract the structure of the car, and, consequently, the legs of the occupants, from a front obstacle.