WO1999028179A1 - Four-wheeled vehicle for at least one adult in front and at least one adult at the back - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a four-wheeled vehicle, comprising a passenger compartment for at least one adult in front and at least one adult at the back, characterised in that a first section (1H) is arranged substantially in the middle of the passenger compartment and its shell forms a first seat support (12) for at least the driver (10) and a second section (1A) is arranged behind the first section (1H) and its shell forms, inside the passenger compartment, a second seat support (16) for at least a second adult passenger (11) and the shell of the first section (1H) is of such height that the driver (10) is seated with his legs in a vertical position.

Description

Four-wheeled car for at least one adult person in the front and at least one adult person in the rear

The present invention relates to a four-wheeled passenger car, comprising a passenger compartment for at least one adult person at the front and at least one adult person at the rear. This car has a particularly reduced length and width to park without problems in the spaces, often reduced, left between cars.

At the present time, cars of this type are known, in particular the carts. They generally have a length of between 2m and

3m approximately and a width between 1.30m and 1.70m approximately. These cars are ^'adapted to accommodate more than two people, including at least one adult (the driver), who sit one beside the other.

Although they are small, these cars are not satisfactory, on the one hand because they are still too large to allow relief from the constraints linked to the difficult conditions of traffic and parking in the city, and , on the other hand, because they are limited to two people. In addition, they do not, in general, have a rear trunk with sufficient capacity to store their shopping there, in particular "household" shopping occupying the volume of a shopping cart.

The present invention therefore essentially aims to remedy the aforementioned drawbacks of cars of known type by providing a car of the type defined in the preamble, which meets today's urban and economic requirements, designed for at least two adults, possibly accompanied by young children, whose footprint is as small as possible

To this end, the car according to the present invention is characterized in that a first compartment is arranged substantially in the middle of the passenger compartment and its envelope forms a first seat support for at least the driver, in that a second compartment is arranged behind the first compartment and its envelope forms, inside the passenger compartment, a second seat support for at least one second adult passenger, and in that the envelope of the first compartment has a height such that the driver happens to be seated, legs vertical

Advantageously, the second compartment has substantially the same height as the first compartment

Advantageously, the first compartment also serves as a seat support for at least one person positioned facing the road. Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will emerge during the following description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, given by way of nonlimiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 is a schematic view in vertical section of a car for urban use according to the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a schematic view in horizontal section of the car of FIG. 1,

• Figure 3 is a schematic view in vertical section of the various seats and seat supports of the car shown in Figure 1 • Figure 4 is a front view of the lower part of the child seat of the car shown in Figure 1 ,

• Figure 5 is a schematic view in vertical section of a driving pedal of the car of Figure 1, representing it both in its rest position and in its depressed position, • Figure 6 is a view in perspective of the driving pedal of FIG. 5, representing the latter in its depressed position, • Figure 7 is a schematic view in vertical section of a first variant of the car of Figure 1;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view in vertical section of a second variant of the car of FIG. 1. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the car according to the present invention comprises a body 1 equipped with a rear trunk 1A, two front wheels R1, R2 and two rear wheels R3, R4, as well as a heat engine 2

The body 1 has a substantially parallelepipedic external shape of approximately 1.50m long, 0.90m wide and 1 60m high. It comprises an upper panel forming a roof 1 B, a floor 1 C having several levels N1, N2, a front panel. substantially vertical 1 D, a substantially vertical rear panel 1 E corresponding substantially to the boot lid 1A, and two vertical side panels 1 F and 1 G each comprising a door not shown The body 1 is also provided with two fixed windows, which comprise respectively the windshield 3, slightly inclined towards the rear, and the rear window 4, and of the side windows of the doors not shown. This also comprises four wheel arches P1, P2, P3 and P4 corresponding respectively to the wheels. R1, R2, R3 and R4, the passage of each rear wheel being conventional and the passage of each front wheel having a very great height compared to the diameter of the ro eu and a much larger width compared to the thickness of the wheel. Because the height of the car is very high compared to its width, it is necessary to have a front suspension anchor, such as elements 5A, 5B, and rear suspension, such as elements 6A ,

6B, at the height of the seats. This possibility is given at the front by the particular pattern of the wheel arches P1, P2, the height of which reaches substantially at the level of the front seat and the width of which is two to three that of the thickness of the wheel At the rear , this possibility is given by the upper plane of compartment 1A, a plane serving as a rear seat support The passenger compartment usually comprises a dashboard 7, a steering wheel 8 (steering column not shown) and a gear change 9 the location of which is for example at the wheel

With the exception of the seats, the equipment responsible for ensuring comfort, interior aesthetics and safety in use are entirely conventional and will therefore neither be described nor represented

As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, a compartment 1 H and the rear trunk 1A are provided respectively at the place of the front and rear seats mentioned above, the envelope of compartment 1 H and the envelope of the trunk rear 1A constituting respectively a first seat support for the driver 10 and a second seat support for the rear passenger 11 which is, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, an adult, but which can of course be a child. respective envelopes of the compartment 1H and the rear trunk 1A are roughly similar, have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape substantially at the level N1 of the floor 1C, and are arranged transversely relative to the central longitudinal axis of the car More specifically , the envelope of compartment 1H is arranged substantially in the middle of the car, substantially over the entire width thereof. Its width is equal, for information only. f, at 0 30m and its height equal, for information, to 0 65m The envelope of the rear trunk 1A is, for its part, disposed only inside the passenger compartment, at the rear end of the car, over the entire width thereof Its height is, for information only, equal to 0 70m and its width to 0 30m for information only The height of the compartment 1 H is adapted so that the driver

10 happens to be seated, legs vertical Referring to Figure 1, the conductor 10 has the right bust, the thighs inclined about 135 ° downward relative to the bust, the legs thereof being vertical, with the feet resting flat on the floor 1 C in the vicinity of the pedals (not shown) The conductor 10 is installed on the compartment 1 H by means of a seat 12, fixed on the upper wall of the latter The seat 12 has a movable seat , of sufficient width and length to allow the driver 10 a comfortable seat on his buttocks The fact that the seat is mobile makes it possible to adapt it to people of different size and morphology The seat seat 12 has, as an indication, a length of 0 45m and a width of 0 15m As can be seen, the specific seating of the driver and passenger, described below, has the advantage of allowing a significant reduction in the length of the car Furthermore, the tandem arrangement proves to be very interesting since it allows a significant reduction in the width of the car The length of the car according to the present invention can be further reduced, due to the absence of a hood, which is generally present on most known cars , and whose role is to protect the engine most often located at the front thereof. In the case of the car according to the invention, the body 1 simply comprises the front panel sensi vertical 1 D, and the engine 2, as well as its auxiliaries and controls (battery, starter, filters, etc. ) (not shown), and failing this, the clutch and the gearbox, are advantageously arranged in the middle of the car, in the compartment 1 H, which comprises a removable part, not shown, which makes it possible to have access to the latter In order to prevent excessive heat generation which would seriously harm the comfort of the driver and, for example of a child possibly placed back to the road, a heat shield (not shown) is provided along the walls compartment 1H internal

In order to have the largest possible rear trunk 1A, a fuel tank 13 of the conventional type, of substantially parallelepiped shape, is arranged transversely with respect to the longitudinal central axis of the car between the two compartments 1A and 1 H It is fixed for safety reasons, inside a shelter isolating it from people, its upper wall being in fact about 0 15m above the level N1 of the floor 1 C, this so that its capacity is sufficient, and its base being substantially at level N1 of the floor 1 C In order to save as much space as possible, a radiator 14 is provided at the front of the car, which is fixed vertically by appropriate means, on the internal face of the front panel 1 D of the body 1, approximately opposite the driver's legs 10 Above the radiator 14, space is still available for accommodating a spare wheel 15 which can, for example, be supported vertically, by its hub, using a means of any attachment provided on the inside of the front panel 1 D

Regarding the rear passenger 11, it is installed on the envelope of the rear trunk 1A by means of a seat 16, its bust remaining straight, its thighs being horizontal and its legs being folded back towards the rear of the car The feet of the rear passenger 11 lie flat on a footrest 17 which is fixed flat on the floor 1 C housing the tank 13 The seat 16, which has the same dimensions as those of the upper part of the rear trunk 1A, is fixed on the latter As for the driver 10, the rear passenger 11 has a seat of sufficient width and length to allow it to be installed comfortably The footrest 17, about 0 30m wide, can be fitted with suitable means which allow its height to be adjusted according to the size of the rear passenger 11

In the case where a child is placed in the back of the car, in place of the adult passenger 11, it is possible, given its size, to sit completely on the seat 16

In the presence of the adult passenger 11, a child 18 is seated rearward facing on the compartment 1H, by means of a child seat 19 The latter can receive at most two children II is fixed on the upper wall of the compartment 1H and occupies the entire length thereof As can best be seen in FIG. 3, the child seat 19 comprises two tubes 19A and 19B which are arranged transversely relative to the central longitudinal axis of the car, substantially over the entire width of the latter The tube 19A is arranged above the envelope of the compartment 1 H, approximately 2/3 of the thickness of the latter, and is fixed in each of its ends, on the upper part of said envelope, by means of two uprights 19C and 19'C The tube 19B, for its part, is arranged above the large rear edge of the envelope of compartment 1 H and is fixed, at each of its ends, on the upper part of said envelope, by means of two uprights 19D and 19'D The tube 19B is arranged at a level below that of the tube 19A and about 10cm from the latter A piece of curved canvas 19E, for example of rectangular shape, having slots not shown, the two large edges of which are fixed respectively around the tubes 19A and 19B, for example by means of a seam, makes it possible to receive children

Referring to Figure 4, the seat 19 further comprises two pieces of canvas 19F and 19'F, identical, for example of rectangular shape, arranged side by side, of which a large corresponding upper edge is fixed around the tube 19B , for example using a seam, so that it can pivot around the latter upwards The piece of canvas 19F

(respectively 19'F) has two openings 01 and 02 (respectively 0'1 and 0'2), through which the legs of a first child (respectively of a second child) can pass Once the children have been installed correctly on the seat 19, each piece of canvas 19F and 19'F is raised, in order to fold them over the bust of the corresponding children, then the latter are fixed on the piece of canvas 19E by assembly means The latter are made up , for example, of two identical belts 19G and 19'G, which are sewn respectively along the corresponding large lower edge of the fabrics 19F and 19'F When the piece of fabric 19F (respectively 19'F) is folded over the first child (respectively on the second child), one passes respectively through two corresponding slots (not shown) formed in the fabric 19E, the free ends of the belt 19G (respectively 19'G) Then the belt 19G (respectively 19'G) is looped in the back of the first child (respectively in the back of the second child) behind the fabric 19E, passing it through the slots in the fabric 19E not shown, arranged for this purpose The children are thus limited in their movement and greater security is therefore obtained

As seen in Figure 1, a slightly older child can also take a seat on the seat 19 in place of the two children. In this case, the canvas pieces 19F and 19'F will not be used. The child will on the seat 19, so that his torso is straight, her buttocks resting on the canvas 19E, substantially horizontal her thighs and bent _j ambes the child will simply be kept attached to the seat 19 by a conventional seatbelt ( The driving pedals of this car, one of which is represented by the reference numeral 20 in FIGS. 5 and 6, are designed and arranged so as to be adapted to the particular position taken by the feet of the driver 10 In Indeed, as the latter is in a sitting position, vertical legs, it would be very difficult to operate conventional driving pedals Therefore, for more convenience, the driver 10 operates the driving pedals by pressing the heel, bringing it under the floor 1 C of the car

For this purpose, as can be seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, the pedal 20 comprises a rectangular plate 20A of approximately 12cm long by 8cm wide, which can be articulated, along its short front side, by an axis horizontal 20B fixed on the floor 1 C of the car In order to correctly accompany the movement of the foot downwards (respectively upwards), when the driver 10 depresses (respectively releases) the pedal 20, a curved rectangular plate is provided 21, along which slides the back of the driver's heel 10 Thus, the driver's foot cannot accidentally slide backwards and pass under the floor 1 C The curved plate 21, the width of which is substantially equal to that of the plate 20A, is fixed, by its small upper side, under the floor 1 C of the car, by means of a flange 21 A, which, when the pedal is in the horizontal rest position, runs along the small rear side of the latter

Said plate 21 further comprises an internal rim 21 B running along its short lower side and, in its middle part, a slot 21 C which is intended to engage with a pin 20C fixed, for example welded, in the middle of the small rear side of the plate 20A of the pedal 20 The radius of curvature of the plate 21 is substantially equal to the length of the plate 20A A spring 22 is fixed by a first end to the internal rim

21 B and, by a second end, at the small rear side of the plate 20A of the pedal 20 A transmission cable 23 is fixed to the free end of the lug 20C and is wound around a scalloped wheel 24, which is located, as can be seen in Figure 5, just below the floor 1 C, next to the curved plate 21, on the left side of it

In the rest position, the plate 20A of the pedal 20 is horizontal and is at the same level as the floor 1 C, the foot (not shown) of the conductor 10 being placed flat on the plate 20A A pressure from the heel on the plate 20A causes the latter to move downward relative to the axis 20B, which causes the pin 20C to collapse into the slot 21 C with, as a consequence, the exertion of a pull on the cable 23 The conductor 10 exerts pressure on the heel until the lug 20C is stopped at the end of its travel in the lower part of the slot 21 C

When the conductor 10 releases the pedal 20, the spring 22 relaxes, and the plate 20A returns to the horizontal at the level of the floor 1 C

It goes without saying that the embodiment which has been described above has been given for purely indicative and in no way limiting, and that numerous modifications can be easily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. part of the invention C is thus in particular that, in accordance with a first variant of the car shown in FIG. 7, it would be possible to provide a compartment 1 H lower, of about 20 cm, so that the driver is truly seated The latter, in fact, would then no longer be seated inclined thighs but horizontal thighs The footrest 17 would then be at level N1 of the floor 1 C, and the fuel tank 13 would be located at outside the compartment 1H, along the rear vertical wall thereof, inside a shelter for security purposes The child seat 19, for its part, would be fixed on the upper wall housing the tank 13 instead of being fixed on the upper wall of compartment 1H, which completely serving as a seat support for the driver 10 For reasons of improving comfort, this variant would also lead to a reduced passenger compartment height d '' approximately 20cm, but to a length of the body 1 increased by approximately 10cm and to a volume of the rear trunk 1A reduced to approximately 130 dm ³ By adopting a rear trunk 1A projecting approximately 10cm (in dotted lines in Figure 7) at the rear end of the passenger compartment, it would be possible to obtain a trunk whose capacity would reach approximately 180 dm ³ Obviously, this would be at the expense of an increase in the length of the car In accordance with this variant, it would be pos sible to bring the width of the car to approximately 1 40m, which would offer the possibility of obtaining a four-seater car facing the road, that is to say two front seats side by side and two rear seats side by side, and two rear-facing seats respectively for a child

It would also be possible, in accordance with a second variant of the car according to the invention (not shown) to accommodate the engine 2, in the usual way, at the front of the car. The vertical front panel 1 D would then be deleted and replaced by a classic engine hood By adopting an adequate length and width, we could obtain a family car with four seats, plus the child seat 19, which would be comfortable enough to cover great distances. The 1 H compartment would be made wider, so as to support, in its front part, two front car seats 12, provided with backrest and agencies side by side, which would be close to conventional car seats, and, in its rear part, two seats 19 for children, provided with backrest back to the road Two 16 rear car seats, also similar to conventional seats, would be fixed on the upper wall of the rear trunk

1A, made wider for this purpose The dimensions of the car according to this second variant would be, for information only, 2 50m long, 1 50m wide and 1.40m high, for an effective storage volume of the order of 700 dm ³ , which would be distributed between compartment 1H and rear trunk 1A.

One could also imagine, in accordance with a third variant shown in Figure 8, a car equipped only with the compartment 1 H, which would provide a relatively large rear space. This car would then be of the utility type and would be particularly suitable for people such as plumbers, electricians or the like. It would also be suitable for small deliveries and transport in urban areas. The minimum dimensions of the car according to this third variant would be, for information, approximately 2m long, approximately 0.90m wide and approximately 1.60m high. The useful space would occupy a volume of approximately 1.50m ³ . In a variant whose dimensions would be larger, a second person, seated back to the driver or next to him in the 1 H compartment, could of course take place.

Claims

R E V E N D I C A T I O N S Four-wheeled car, comprising a passenger compartment for at least one adult person at the front and at least one adult person at the rear, characterized in that a first compartment (1 H) is arranged substantially in the middle of the passenger compartment and its envelope forms a first seat support (12) for at least the driver (10), in that a second compartment (1A) is disposed behind the first compartment (1 H) and its envelope forms, inside of the passenger compartment, a second seat support (16) for at least a second adult passenger (11), and in that the envelope of the first compartment (1 H) has a height such that the driver (10) is sitting, vertical legs Car according to claim 1, characterized in that the second compartment (1A) has substantially the same height as the first compartment (1H) Car according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first compartment ( 1 H) serves as engine compartment and the second compartment (1A) forms a rear car storage box according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first and second compartments (1 H) and (1A) respectively form a central storage box and a rear car storage box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the first compartment (1 H) also serves as a seat support for at least one person (18) positioned rearward facing 6. Car according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the passage of each front wheel (R1, R2) has a height substantially equal to that of the first and second compartments (1 H) and (1A) and a width approximately two to three times greater than the thickness of the wheel, to accommodate the suspension members of the corresponding front wheel. 7. Car according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises a fuel tank (13) which is arranged between the first compartment (1 H) and the second compartment (1A), and of which the base is substantially at a level N1 of the floor (1 C) of the car. 8. Car according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it comprises horizontal driving pedals (20), arranged flush with the floor (1 C) of the car, which are actuated by a pressure substantially vertical of the heel, bringing the latter under the floor (1 C) of the car.