WO2006112688A1

WO2006112688A1 - Motorised tricycle for transporting goods and passengers

Info

Publication number: WO2006112688A1
Application number: PCT/MX2005/000028
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mauricio Hernandez Cervantes; Alberto Michel Hernandez
Original assignee: Mauricio Hernandez Cervantes; Alberto Michel Hernandez
Priority date: 2005-04-21
Filing date: 2005-04-21
Publication date: 2006-10-26

Abstract

The invention relates to a tricycle-type motorised vehicle for transporting goods and/or passengers. The invention comprises: a basket which is equipped with a pair of side wheels and which defines an area that is intended to receive goods or a passenger seating unit, and a motor actuation system which provides the propulsion power required to move the vehicle. The inventive tricycle also comprises: a rotatable connection assembly which is used to connect the motor system to the basket or the seating unit, and a crank for steering the tricycle in the desired direction.

Description

"MOTORIZED TRICYCLE FOR CARGO TRANSPORT AND

PASSENGERS "

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1.- Field of the Invention.

The invention relates to a motorized vehicle, more specifically to a motorized tricycle that is useful for the transportation of cargo and / or passengers.

2.- Related Technical Art.

In the matter of transporting light or not very heavy goods, the typical tricycle is currently known, consisting of a front basket equipped with side tires and which is coupled with a driving equipment similar to the driving device of a bicycle, that is to say a semi-square with a rear tire and a crown and pinion mechanism with chain and pedals that are operated by the user for the movement of said vehicle.

Although this type of vehicles has a very widespread use, and fulfills, as far as possible, the purpose of transporting goods preferably, it is well known that the speed of these tricycles depends directly on the physical effort of the person driving it and therefore usually Slow in its displacement. In addition to the great physical effort to which the operator of such a tricycle is subjected, during working hours that are mostly very long, it is understandable that the range of distance displacement of said tricycle, depending solely on physical capacity of the operator, it becomes essentially limited and therefore its routes to cover an area of sale or delivery of products is logically limited. As a result of its operation, the limited range of travel and the very low speed of the conventional tricycle mean a great inconvenience in terms of its use, especially in urban centers or towns that have significant motor vehicle traffic, since they often hinder or slow traffic in vehicles in general. Moreover, the impossibility to develop a good speed of the tricycle usually generate discomfort or unwanted accidents, especially when these tricycles are displaced by necessity due to high traffic roads. Another drawback of the known tricycle is the fact that its use logically limits itself to a range of poor coverage and sometimes only to rural areas or populations of low concentration or movement of motor vehicles.

Another drawback of the known tricycle is that by depending on its capacity and speed of travel directly from the physical capacity of its operator, the possibility of transporting goods of a certain weight is diminished for obvious reasons. In the absence of a driving device that does not depend on human effort, the common tricycle will only be useful for moving products of medium or low weight and at very low speeds. In addition, in the absence of a system that allows it to reach speeds beyond those that can be obtained with a person driving such a tricycle, its use for the transport of relatively heavier cargo and at greater distances will be limited to a restricted travel range .

As will be deduced below, the new motorized tricycle of the present invention is a viable solution to the aforementioned drawbacks. OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

The main object of the invention is to propose a new motorized vehicle, tricycle type, which has a greater capacity for transporting cargo and / or passengers, at distances and speeds that conventional tricycles cannot reach.

Another object of the invention is to expand the range of vehicles of this type and shorten the time that this would take by incorporating a motorized system. For the fulfillment of the above, a motorized vehicle, tricycle type, is proposed, which comprises a basket unit, equipped with side tires, configured so that it defines a sufficiently wide area for the accommodation of goods or products, and a drive system motor connected to the rear of said basket, whereby said tricycle is driven at speeds that will be determined by the power of the engine. In the preferred embodiment, the driving system is the driving part of a motorcycle.

The combination of the basket and the motor drive system of a motorcycle result in a motorized tricycle with greater load capacity and greater travel range and at speeds that will allow it to reach important distances. The ability of the motorized tricycle to move at a higher speed makes it a means of transport that will not hinder or hinder the roads or traffic of motor vehicles on streets and avenues.

In a first mode, the motorized tricycle in its application for loading is characterized in that it consists of the following main elements: a) a motor drive system that is adapted to drive the vehicle for which it is provided with an engine, and means for transmitting the output power of said engine to a rear wheel; b) a basket assembly that has a pair of wheels on its sides and that delimits an area to accommodate the items to be transported; c) an assembly to interconnect the drive system with the basket, which comprises a tubular structure with reinforcements that is part of the frame of the drive system, a tube element with threaded ends that is inserted into said tubular structure; upper and lower plates fixed to the rear section of the basket; and fastening and turning means for fastening the threaded tube to the upper and lower plates so that said threaded tube can partially rotate in one direction or the other; and d) a driving element consisting of a handle firmly secured to the basket assembly.

In a second embodiment, the tricycle can be used as a means of public transportation of people for which the basket unit would be enabled with seats. This alternate application of the motorized tricycle has great advantages, especially in cities where the traffic of motor vehicles is extremely chaotic, since due to its comparatively small size it has a greater maneuverability. For this second modality, the motorized tricycle adapted as a passenger public transport vehicle is characterized in that it consists of the following main elements: a) a motor drive system that is adapted to drive the vehicle for which it is provided with an engine, and means for transmitting the output power of said engine to a rear wheel; b) a basket assembly that has a pair of wheels on the sides and that delimits an area for the accommodation of a passenger seat unit; c) an assembly for interconnecting the drive system with the seat unit, which comprises a tubular structure with reinforcements that is part of the frame of the drive system, a tube element with threaded ends that is inserted into said tubular structure; upper and lower plates fixed to the rear section of the seat unit; and fastening and turning means for fastening the threaded tube to the upper and lower plates so that said threaded tube can partially rotate in one direction or the other; and d) a driving element consisting of a handle firmly attached to the seat unit.

Eventually, for this second alternative of use, the basket can be completely replaced by a seat assembly with wheels specially designed for the case.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1 is a conventional perspective view of the new motor vehicle of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side view of the motor vehicle of the previous figure.

Figure 3 is a rear view of the new motorized tricycle design. Figure 4 is a front view of the motorized tricycle.

Figure 5 is a top view of the motorized tricycle.

Figure 6 is an alternate modality of the motorized tricycle enabled as a means of transport for people. Figure 7 is a side view only of the motorized driving system of the motorized tricycle of the present invention.

Figure 8 is an exploded view of the interconnection mechanism used to couple the basket and the tricycle drive system together.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODE

OF THE INVENTION

In the accompanying figures, the new concept of motorized tricycle 100 is illustrated, which is mainly constituted by: a drive system 10 and a basket 50 connected to said system

10. The basket 50 consists of a structure made of generally tubular elements, without implying any limitation, consisting of a pair of lateral sections 55, a rear section 56 and a base section 58 on which the load to be placed is placed. You want to transport with the tricycle. In addition, the basket is equipped with 60 wheels on the sides of it.

In the rear section 56 of the basket, it is planned to establish its connection with the vehicle's drive system by means of an interconnection mechanism which will be described later. In addition, in this same section 56 the placement of the handlebar assembly 70 is provided for the maneuverability of the tricycle 100 in the desired direction.

The tricycle drive system 10 (Fig. 7) consists of a device equipped with a motor 12 of the desired power for move the tricycle at speeds that are not attainable with conventional tricycles, since these are driven by the user's own physical effort through pedals. The driving equipment is equipped with a rear wheel 15 that provides the necessary thrust traction and with a seat 18 for the driver. Also, the system 10 is enabled with everything that is necessary for the operation of the driving equipment (battery, ignition system, accelerator, clutch, brake actuation, gas tank, etc.).

The steering handle 70 of the tricycle is secured to the rear section 56 of the basket 50 by means of a pair of arms 72 which at one end hold the handle and at the other end are firmly attached to a horizontal tubular element of section 56 of the basket. The handle 74 of the handle 70 has the throttle for the control of the speed of the vehicle as well as the means of actuation of the front brakes, while the rear wheel brake can be operated by a pedal arranged within reach of the driver . Optionally, the handle 70 may incorporate an instrument panel 76 that includes speed, fuel indicating instruments and any other necessary accessories. By virtue of the speeds that can be obtained for a tricycle equipped with the drive system proposed here, it is envisioned that the front wheels of the tricycle are provided with special brakes which in their preferred embodiment may be disc brakes 80, without this implies any limitation for any other type of brake system. These front brakes 80 together with the rear wheel brake will provide the required safety when braking the vehicle.

In order to connect the basket 50 and the driving system 10 of the tricycle, an interconnection structure 20 is designed which is integrated by a tubular part 22 secured by means of reinforcements 23 to the frame or chassis (partially shown) of the drive system 10, a tube element 24 with threaded ends 25, 25 'which is inserted into the tubular part 22; an upper plate 26 and a lower plate 28 that are fixed, respectively, to a first horizontal tubular element and a second horizontal tubular element of the basket 50 by any suitable means (screwed, welded, etc.), said plates 26, 28 acting to hold the tube 24 with the possibility that it has delimited turning movement for which a turning 27 and clamping means 29 are also included. Thus, the joint connection of the tube 24 with the plates 26, 28 and the securing of these with The structure of the basket 50 will allow said basket to be turned to one side and to the other with the handles 70 to drive the tricycle in the desired direction. For the arrangement of the turning means 27, each end of the piece 22 has a seat section in which said elements 27 are placed. In a second embodiment represented in Figure 6, the motorized tricycle can be converted into a vehicle for transporting people for which in the basket 50 a seat unit 90 would be adapted with the necessary accessories for the comfort and safety of the passengers. Moreover, for this particular application, the basket 50 shown can be completely replaced by a seat unit with wheels specially designed to include everything necessary for the comfort and safety of the users. By way of example only, Figure 6 shows an embodiment of the tricycle for the transport of people, however, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the illustrated form can be conveniently modified to meet the safety requirements necessary for a vehicle of this type.

In the two modalities represented, the motorized tricycle will include, like any other vehicle, basic safety elements such as headlights front, rear lights, directional lights, turn signals, horn and any other accessory that is required by regulation.

Although this invention has been described in the context of the specific preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the scope of the present invention extends beyond the modalities specifically described to other alternate modalities and / or uses of the invention. that are obvious and derivable from it. Furthermore, although the invention has been shown and described in detail, some other modifications or changes, which are within the scope of the present invention, will be clearly obvious to specialists in this field, in particular based on the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is envisioned that various combinations of the specific characteristics and aspects of the described modalities that would unquestionably fall within the scope of the invention can be made. In view of the foregoing, it will be understood that various features and aspects of the described modalities can be combined with others or replaced by others to form alternate embodiments of the invention described above. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the present invention should not be limited by the particular modalities described above, but that said scope should be defined by a reasonable reading of the following claims.

Claims

1. A motorized tricycle for the transport of cargo, characterized in that in combination it comprises: a) a motor drive system that is adapted to drive the vehicle for which it is equipped with a motor, and means for transmitting the output power from said engine to a rear wheel; b) a basket assembly that has a pair of wheels on its sides and that delimits an area to accommodate the items to be transported; c) an assembly to interconnect the drive system with the basket, which comprises a tubular structure with reinforcements that is part of the frame of the drive system, a tube element with threaded ends that is inserted into said tubular structure; upper and lower plates fixed to the rear section of the basket; and fastening and turning means for fastening the threaded tube to the upper and lower plates so that said threaded tube can partially rotate in one direction or the other; and d) a driving element consisting of a handle firmly secured to the basket assembly.

2. The motorized tricycle of claim 1, characterized in that the driving system consists of the driving part of a motorcycle.

3. The motorized tricycle of claim 1, characterized in that said handle includes means for accelerating and braking the vehicle.

4. The motorized tricycle of claim 1, characterized in that it includes a fuel supply source.

5. The motorized tricycle of claim 1, characterized in that it also includes a power supply source.

6. The motorized tricycle of claim 1, characterized in that the engine is an internal combustion engine.

7. The motorized tricycle of claim 1, characterized in that the motor is an electric motor.

8. The motorized tricycle of claim 1, characterized in that it includes front and rear brakes.

9. The motorized tricycle of claim 1, characterized in that it includes arms for attaching the handle to the basket.

10. The motorized tricycle of claim 1, characterized in that the driving system includes a driver's seat.

11.- A motorized tricycle adapted as a passenger public transport vehicle, characterized in that it comprises: a) a motor drive system that is adapted to drive the vehicle for which it is equipped with an engine, and means for transmitting the output power of said motor to a rear wheel; b) a passenger seat unit that has a pair of wheels on its sides; c) an assembly to interconnect the drive system with the seat unit, which comprises a tubular structure with reinforcements that is part of the frame of the drive system, an element of tube with threaded ends that is inserted into said tubular structure; upper and lower plates fixed to the rear section of the seat unit; and fastening and turning means for fastening the threaded tube to the upper and lower plates so that said threaded tube can partially rotate in one direction or the other; and d) a driving element consisting of a handle firmly attached to the seat unit.

12. The motorized tricycle of claim 11, characterized in that the driving system includes a driver's seat.

13. The motorized tricycle of claim 11, characterized in that the driving system consists of the driving part of a motorcycle.

14. The motorized tricycle of claim 11, characterized in that said handle includes means for accelerating and braking the vehicle.

15. The motorized tricycle of claim 11, characterized in that it includes a fuel supply source.

16. The motorized tricycle of claim 11, characterized in that it also includes a power supply source.

17. The motorized tricycle of claim 11, characterized in that the engine is an internal combustion engine.

18. The motorized tricycle of claim 11, characterized in that the motor is an electric motor.

19. The motorized tricycle of claim 11, characterized in that it includes front and rear brakes.

20. The motorized tricycle of claim 11, characterized in that it includes arms for attaching the handle to the seat unit.