ZA201007175B

ZA201007175B - A vehicle kit and a kit attachable to a vehicle

Info

Publication number: ZA201007175B
Application number: ZA2010/07175A
Authority: ZA
Inventors: Gideon Andries Mcquire Botha
Original assignee: Gideon Andries Mcquire Botha
Priority date: 2010-10-07
Filing date: 2010-10-07
Publication date: 2011-06-29

Description

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TITLE: A vehicle and a kit attachable to a vehicle

FIELD OF INVENTION

THIS INVENTION relates to vehicles and the conversion or modification of vehicles for outdoor purposes.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

During off-road expeditions a driver may encounter water obstacles such as lakes, rivers or dams. In certain cases, such water obstacles may be too large or too deep for ordinary vehicles to pass through, though it may be desirable to traverse directly across the water. This can result in a substantial detour in order to circumvent the water obstacle when as a matter of fact the desired destination is directly on the other side of the water obstacle. Driving around the water obstacle wastes valuable time and results in greater fuel expenses etcetera. The Inventor desires a vehicle that provides a solution to this problem.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a kit attachable to a vehicle, the kit including: at least one inflatable float attachable to an exterior of the vehicle, the float having an inlet; an inflation system mountable or mounted to the vehicle and connected or connectable to the inlet of the float; and at least one propulsion device attachable to the vehicle.

In the context of this specification the term ‘vehicle’ is limited to motor vehicles used for transporting people or goods on land, for example, cars, trucks or utility vehicles such as four wheel drive vehicles, but does not include a boat.

The propulsion device may include a base, attachable to a wheel of the vehicle, and a plurality of vanes projecting from the base.

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The inflation system may include a valve assembly having an inlet and at least two outlets. The valve assembly may be mounted or mountable in-line with an exhaust gas outlet system of the vehicle to be in flow communication with the outlet system. A float outlet of the valve assembly may be connected or connectable via suitable tubing and fittings to the inlet of the float. An exhaust outlet of the valve assembly may be connected to a remainder of the vehicle's outlet system. The valve assembly may be configured selectively to direct the flow of gas received through the valve assembly inlet to either the float outlet and/or the exhaust outlet.

The inflation system may include a user-operable control module which is in communication with the valve assembly to control operation of the valve assembly. In use, the control module may be configured to facilitate remote user control of the valve assembly, for example, from within the vehicle.

The kit may include at least one rigid hollow shell defining a storage chamber and having an opening through which at least one float is receivable into the storage chamber when deflated, the shell being mountable or mounted to the exterior of the vehicle. The shell may be cylindrical and may include a spindle which is rotatably mounted about a longitudinal axis of the shell. The float may be attached to the spindle and retractable into the shell by rotation of the spindle when the float is deflated. To this end, the float may be wound up around the spindle and housed within the shell in a storage condition. An electric motor may be drivingly connected or connectable to the spindle to facilitate retraction and deployment of the float in and out of the shell. The electric motor may be operable from a location remote, or at least removed, from the electric motor, for example, from within the vehicle when the kit is attached to the vehicle.

Multiple inflatable floats may be attached to and receivable within a single shell.

In one embodiment, the shell may be configured to serve as a bull bar when attached to the front of the vehicle. In another embodiment the shell may be configured to serve as a running board when attached to a side of the vehicle, and in yet another embodiment, the shell may be configured to serve as a drawbar when

, ER attached to the rear of the vehicle. In the case of the shell being configured to serve as a running board, the kit may include running board extensions secured to the shell.

The base of the propulsion device may be a steel cable or chain. The vanes may be rigid pieces of metal. The propulsion device may be attachable around a periphery of the wheel of the vehicle.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a vehicle including: a wheeled chassis; a power source mounted to the chassis and drivingly connected to at least two wheels; at least one inflatable float attached to the chassis, the float having an inlet; an inflation system connected to the inlet of the float; and at least one propulsion device attached to the chassis.

The propulsion device may include a base, attached or attachable to a wheel of the vehicle, and a plurality of vanes projecting from the base.

The power source may be a combustion engine.

The inflation system may include a valve assembly having an inlet and at least two outlets. The valve assembly may be mounted in-line with an outlet system of the vehicle to be in flow communication with the outlet system. A float outlet of the valve assembly may be connected via suitable tubing and fittings to the inlet of the float. An exhaust outlet of the valve assembly may be connected to a remainder of the vehicle's exhaust gas outlet system. The valve assembly may be configured selectively to direct the flow of gas received through the valve assembly infet to either the float outlet and/or the exhaust outlet.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a vehicle having a wheeled chassis and a kit, as described above, attached to the chassis.

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The vehicle may include at least one rigid hollow shell defining a storage chamber and having an opening through which at least one float is receivable into the storage chamber when deflated, the shell being mounted to the chassis of the vehicle. The shell may be cylindrical and may include a spindle which is rotatably mounted about a longitudinal axis of the shell. The float may be attached to the spindle and retractable into the shell by rotation of the spindle when the float is deflated. To this end, the float may be wound up around the spindle and housed within the shell in a storage condition. An electric motor may be drivingly connected to the spindle to facilitate retraction and deployment of the float in and out of the shell. The electric motor may be operable from a location remote, or at least removed, from the electric motor, for example, from within the vehicle.

In a specific configuration, a shell may be attached to a front of the chassis and configured such that the shell serves as a bull bar. In addition to, or alternatively, a shell may be attached to either one or both sides of the chassis in a configuration such that the shell serves as a running board. In this particular configuration, running board extensions may be secured to the shell, the running board extensions being extendable laterally with respect to the vehicle. A shell may be attached to a rear of the chassis in a configuration such that the shell serves as a drawbar.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method of enabling a vehicle to travel across water, the method including: attaching at least one propulsion device to the vehicle; attaching at least one inflatable float having an inlet to an exterior of the vehicle; and inflating the float.

The vehicle may include a combustion engine and inflating the float may include feeding exhaust gases from the engine into the float.

Attaching a propulsion device to the vehicle may include attaching a propulsion device to a wheel of the vehicle, the propulsion device including a base and a plurality of vanes projecting from the base.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a plan view of an underside of a vehicle in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of an inflatable float in a storage condition within a shell configured as a running board in accordance with the invention;

Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of an inflatable float in a storage condition within a shell configured as a drawbar in accordance with the invention;

Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of an inflatable float in a storage condition within a shell configured as a bull bar in accordance with the invention;

Figure 5 shows the float of Figure 2 in a deployed condition;

Figure 6 shows the float of Figure 3 in a deployed condition;

Figure 7 shows the float of Figure 4 in a deployed condition; and

Figure 8 shows a side view of a wheel of the vehicle with a propulsion device attached to the wheel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In Figure 1 reference numeral 100 refers generally to a vehicle in accordance with the invention.

Throughout the detailed description of the invention, unless otherwise indicated, the same reference numerals will be used to refer to similar features of the invention in different figures.

With reference to Figure 1, the vehicle 100 includes a wheeled chassis, generally indicated by reference numeral 102, and a combustion engine

7 © 95010/0717% 103 mounted toward the front of the chassis 102 and drivingly connected via a driveshaft 104 to the wheels 105. It is not required that the vehicle 100 be an all wheel drive vehicle, such as a 4X4. However, in most applications of the invention, the vehicle 100 used will probably be an all wheel drive vehicle. It will be preferred if the vehicle 100 is at least a front wheel driven vehicle, as this will aid in the steering of the vehicle 100 when travelling on water as will be described below. The vehicle 100 includes an exhaust gas outlet system 106 extending longitudinally from the combustion engine 103 toward the rear of the vehicle 100.

The vehicle 100 further includes a plurality of inflatable floats made from, for example, a durable flexible plastic material. Each inflatable float has an inlet (not shown) and is housed or stored within an elongate, rigid, roughly circular cylindrical shell 108, mounted to the chassis 102 using nuts and bolts or any other suitable fasteners, along a lower periphery of the chassis 102 as shown in Figure 1.

A pair of elongate longitudinally extending shells 108 are mounted on either side of the chassis 102 and are configured to serve as running boards, indicated by reference numeral 109, in addition to housing the floats. A combination of two interconnected laterally extending shells 108a, 108b, mounted to a front of the chassis 102, makes up a bull bar configuration, indicated by reference numeral 110 (see Figure 4), which projects upward from an underside of the vehicle 100. An elongate laterally extending shell 108 mounted to a rear of the chassis 102 is configured to serve as a drawbar 111, (Figure 3) in addition to housing a rear float.

The vehicle 100 further includes an inflation system generally indicated by reference numeral 113 for inflating the inflatable floats. The inflation system 113 includes a valve assembly 114 having an inlet and a number of outlets. The valve assembly 114 is mounted in-line with the outlet system 106 of the vehicle 100 to be in flow communication with the outlet system 106. Float outlets 115 of the valve assembly 114 are connected via suitable tubing 116 and fittings to the respective inlets of the floats. An exhaust outlet of the valve assembly 114 is connected to a remainder of the vehicle’s exhaust gas outlet system 106. The inflation system 113 includes a user-operable control module which is in communication with the valve assembly 114 to control operation of the valve assembly 114. The control module is configured to facilitate remote user control of the valve assembly 114, for example,

from within the vehicle. Upon receipt of control information from the control module, the valve assembly 114 is configured to direct the flow of exhaust gas received through the valve assembly inlet to one or more of the float outlets 115 or the exhaust outlet.

Figure 8 depicts a propulsion device which includes a base in the form of steel cables or chains 118 to which pieces of angle iron 119 are attached at spaced apart positions along the cables 118. The cables 118 are secured around an outer perimeter of the wheel 105 of the vehicle 100 such that the pieces of angle iron project radially outward with respect to the wheel 105 thus forming vanes or paddles.

Figure 2 depicts a generally circular cylindrical shell 108 configured as a running board 109. The same reference numerals are used to refer to similar features of the respective configurations illustrated in Figures 2 to 7. Substantially housed within the shell 108, in a storage condition, are three inflatable floats 12. The floats comprise a primary float 12a, a secondary float 12b and a tertiary float 12c (see Figure 5). The shell 108 includes an upwardly and inwardly facing opening 13 relative to an underside of the vehicle 100 (shown in dotted lines), for receiving the floats 12 and a spindle 15 which is rotatably mounted within the shell 108 about a longitudinal axis of the shell 108. The floats 12a, 12b and 12c are attached to the spindle while the inlets of the respective floats 12 lead into the spindle. As shown in

Figure 2, in a storage condition, the floats 12 are retracted into the shell 108 and are wound up around the spindle 15, thus being housed within the shell 108. In order to facilitate retraction and deployment of the floats 12 an electric motor 17 (see Figure 1) is drivingly connected to the spindle 15. In use, the control module is in communication with the electric motor 17 to facilitate remote user control, for example, from within the vehicle 100. A longitudinally extending support 20 which is roughly triangular in cross-section is attached to an outer surface of the shell 108 and projects outwardly. Running board extensions 19 in the form of plates, slideably mounted one above the other, are mounted to an upper surface of the support 20.

The extensions 19 are laterally extendable as shown in Figure 5.

Figure 3 depicts a drawbar or tow bar configuration 111 mountable to ! the rear of the vehicle 100 with the floats 12 in the storage condition within the shell

108. A rearwardly facing drawbar 26 for hitching a trailer is mounted to the support 20, midway along the length of the shell 108. The shell 108 defines an upwardly and inwardly facing opening 13, relative to an underside of the vehicle 100 (shown in dotted lines), for receiving the floats 12. Figure 6 shows the primary, secondary and tertiary floats 12a, 12b, 12¢ of the drawbar configuration 111 in the deployed condition.

The bull bar configuration 110 shown in Figures 4 and 7 includes an upper shell 108b and a lower shell 108a interconnected by members 22. The bull bar is completed by elongate laterally extending interconnected bars 24 positioned above the shells 108a, 108b. The bull bar configuration 110 may be integrally formed or the respective parts may be secured together by fasteners in the form of nuts and bolts or other suitable fasteners. The upper shell 108b defines a downwardly and inwardly facing opening 13b, relative to an underside of the vehicle 100 {shown in dotted lines), through which a single float 12 may be deployed as shown in Figure 7. The float 12 extends substantially along the length of the vehicle 100 when deployed. The lower shell 108a, however, defines an upwardly and inwardly facing opening 13a through which the primary, secondary and tertiary floats 12a, 12b, 12c may be deployed as shown.

In use, floats 12 are retracted into their respective shells 108 while the vehicle 100 is travelling on land. The valve assembly 114 is configured to direct exhaust gases to the exhaust outlet from where the gases are emitted into the atmosphere. Upon arrival at a water obstacle which a driver of the vehicle 100 wishes to traverse with the vehicle 100, the driver stops the vehicle and exits the vehicle 100 to attach the steel cables 118 of the propulsion devices to the wheels 105 of the vehicle 100. To do this, the driver stretches out the propulsion devices in a line on a ground surface immediately in front of each wheel to which the devices are to be fitted. The vehicle 100 is driven forward onto the propulsion devices and then the cables 118 are secured around the wheels 105.

Next, the individual floats 12 of the respective configurations 109, 110, 111 are deployed by operation of the electric motors 17 from within the vehicle via the control module. Once deployed, the driver adjusts the valve assembly 114 from

10 = 2010/07475 within the vehicle 100 via the control module to redirect exhaust gases from the outlet system 106 into the respective inlets of the floats 12, thereby to inflate the floats 12. It is understood that once the floats 12 are sufficiently inflated, the valve assembly 114 may once again be adjusted to direct the exhaust gases through the outlet system 106 of the vehicle 100 and that the pressure of the floats 12 may be regulated in this manner. The vehicle 100 is then driven into the water with the vanes of the propulsion devices providing extra grip on the muddy banks or surroundings usually associated with dams, lakes or rivers for example. As the vehicle 100 enters the water, buoyancy is provided by the inflated floats 12 to ensure that the vehicle 100 floats on top of, or perhaps partially submerged in, the water.

Forward thrust of the vehicle 100 in the water is achieved by rotation of the vanes of the propulsion devices attached to the driven wheels 105 of the vehicle 100. The wheels 105 are driven in the conventional manner by operation of an accelerator pedal. Steering of the vehicle 100 on the water is achieved by turning a steering wheel as if one were driving on land. For steering purposes, it is important that the front wheels are fitted with propulsion devices and are driven. To this end, steering is achieved by turning the front wheels in the desired direction and operating the accelerator pedal to drive at least the front wheels 105 to obtain forward thrust. It is to be appreciated that a rudder may be fitted to the vehicle 100 to aid in steering the vehicle 100 in the water.

Before inflating the floats 12 associated with the running board configuration 109, the running board extensions 19 are extended laterally. The purpose of the extensions 19 is to provide greater effective lateral width and to provide downward pressure on the inflated floats 12, thereby to aid in stabilising the vehicle 100 on the water. In addition, the respective openings 13 of the shells 108 are orientated inwardly to provide maximum lift and buoyancy to the vehicle 100.

Once the vehicle has successfully negotiated the water obstacle and has reached an opposing bank, the floats 12 are deflated and retracted into the shells 108 by reverse operation of the electric motors 17. The propulsion devices are removed from the wheels 105 and the vehicle 100 can continue on its way.

In an example embodiment, fof an average sized vehicle having an overall weight of say between 2700 kg to 3300 kg, the floats 12 may have the following volumetric dimensions when inflated.

For the bull bar configuration 110 the floats 12 housed in the lower shell 108a are dimensioned as follows: 0.75m x 0.75m x 1.5m = 0.84375 m? (primary float 12a); 0.5m x 0.5m x 1.5m = 0.375 m® (secondary float 12b); and 0.5m x 0.5m x 1.5m = 0.375 m” (tertiary float 12c).

The float 12 housed in the upper shell 108b has the following dimensions: 0.5m x 0.5m x 4m = 1 m°.

For the running board configuration 109 the floats are dimensioned as follows: 0.75m x 0.75m x 2m = 1.125 m* (primary float 12a); 0.5m x 0.5m x 2m = 0.5 m® (secondary float 12b); and 0.5m x 0.5m x 2m = 0.5 m® (tertiary float 12c).

The same dimensions apply for the opposite side of the vehicle.

The dimensions for the floats 12 of the drawbar configuration 111 are as follows: 0.75m x 0.75m x 1.5m = 0.84375 m* (primary float 12a); 0.5m x 0.5m x 1.5m = 0.375 m® (secondary float 12b); and 0.5m x 0.5m x 1.5m = 0.375 m” (tertiary float 12c).

Therefore if the vehicle 100 is fitted with all the floats 12 as shown in the figures, it totals to an overall volumetric capacity of 8.4375 m®.

It will be appreciated that the floats and inflation system can be incorporated on the vehicle at the time of manufacture. Instead, the vehicle may be modified by retrofitting the floats and inflation system. The various components required in order to modify the vehicle may be supplied as a kit, parts of which are indicated by reference numeral 10 in Figures 2 to 7.

The Inventor believes that the kit 10 and vehicle 100 as described above provides an efficient and cost effective solution to water obstacles faced by land vehicles by modifying an ordinary land vehicle to enable it to traverse both land and water, thereby to save time and money by avoiding having to drive around water obstacles to reach a desired destination.

The Inventor believes that the kit 10 can be applied to short wheel base vehicles as well as large trucks.

The floats 12 are mounted to the vehicle 100 in shells 108 configured to serve the purpose of running boards 109, a bull bar 110 and a drawbar 111, without significantly diminishing the aesthetical appeal of the vehicle 100. The invention has the further advantage that the gas used to inflate the floats 12 is obtained from the vehicle 100 itself, independent of a separate source.

Claims

cL ] 13 CLAIMS:

1. A kit attachable to a vehicle, the kit including: at least one inflatable float attachable to an exterior of the vehicle, the float having an inlet; an inflation system mountable or mounted to the vehicle and connected or connectable to the inlet of the float; and at least one propulsion device attachable to the vehicle.

2. A kit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the propulsion device includes a base, attachable to a wheel of the vehicle, and a plurality of vanes projecting from the base.

3. A kit as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the inflation system includes a valve assembly having an inlet and at least two outlets, the valve assembly being mountable in-line with an exhaust gas outlet system of the vehicle to be in flow communication with the outlet system.

4, A kit as claimed in claim 3, wherein the valve assembly is configured selectively to direct the flow of gas received through the valve assembly inlet to either a float outlet and/or an exhaust outlet.

5. A kit as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein the inflation system includes a user-operable control module which is in communication with the valve assembly to control operation of the valve assembly, the control module being configured to facilitate remote user control of the valve assembly.

6. A kit as claimed in any of the preceding claims, which includes at least one rigid hollow shell defining a storage chamber and having an opening through which at least one float is receivable into the storage chamber when deflated, the shell being mountable to the vehicle.

7. A kit as claimed in claim 6, wherein multiple inflatable floats are attached to and receivable within a single shell.

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8. A kit as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the shell includes a spindle which is rotatably mounted about a longitudinal axis of the shell.

9. A kit as claimed in claim 8, wherein the or each float is attached to the spindle and retractable into the shell by rotation of the spindle when the float is deflated.

10. A kit as claimed in claim 9, including an electric motor which is drivingly connected or connectable to the spindle to facilitate retraction and deployment of the or each float in and out of the shell, the electric motor being operable from a location remote from the electric motor.

11. A kit as claimed in any of claims 6 to 10 inclusive, wherein the shell is configured to serve as a bull bar when attached to the front of the vehicle.

12. A kit as claimed in any of claims 6 to 10 inclusive, wherein the shell is configured to serve as a running board when attached to a side of the vehicle.

13. A kit as claimed in any of claims 6 to 10 inclusive, wherein the shell is configured to serve as a drawbar when attached to the rear of the vehicle.

14. A kit as claimed in claim 12, including running board extensions secured to the shell.

15. A vehicle having a wheeled chassis and a kit as claimed in any of claims 1 to 14 attached to the chassis.

16. A vehicle including: a wheeled chassis; a power source mounted to the chassis and drivingly connected to at least two wheels; at least one inflatable float attached to the chassis, the float having an inlet; an inflation system connected to the inlet of the float; and at least one propulsion device attached to the chassis.

17. A vehicle as claimed in claim 16, wherein the propulsion device includes a base, attached or attachable to a wheel of the vehicle, and a plurality of vanes projecting from the base.

18. A vehicle as claimed in claim 16 or claim 17, which includes at least one rigid hollow shell defining a storage chamber and having an opening through which at least one float is receivable into the storage chamber when deflated, the shell being mounted to the chassis.

19. A vehicle as claimed in claim 18, wherein a shell is attached to a front of the chassis and configured such that the shell serves as a bull bar.

20. A vehicle as claimed in claim 18 or claim 19, wherein a shell is attached to either one or both sides of the chassis in a configuration such that the shell serves as a running board.

21. A vehicle as claimed in claim 20, including running board extensions which are secured to the shell, the running board extensions being extendable laterally with respect to the chassis.

22. A vehicle as claimed in any of claims 18 to 21 inclusive, wherein a shell is attached to a rear of the chassis in a configuration such that the shell serves as a drawbar.

23. A method of enabling a vehicle to travel across water, the method including: attaching at least one propulsion device to the vehicle; attaching at least one inflatable float having an inlet to an exterior of the vehicle; and inflating the float.

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24. A method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the vehicle includes a combustion engine and inflating the float includes feeding exhaust gases from the engine into the float.

25. A method as claimed in claim 23 or claim 24, wherein the step of attaching a propulsion device to the vehicle includes attaching a propulsion device to a wheel of the vehicle, the propulsion device including a base and a plurality of vanes projecting from the base.

26. A kit as claimed in claim 1, substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in any of the accompanying drawings.

27. A vehicle as claimed in claim 15 or claim 16, substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in any of the accompanying drawings.

28. A method as claimed in claim 23, substantially as herein described. Dated this 7" day of October 2010 ADAMYBAFAMS APPLICANTS PATENT ATTORNEYS