Motorhome with increased interior ceiling height

• US 6,688,678 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2003
• Issued: 02/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alfa Leisure Inc
• Original Assignee: Alfa Leisure Inc
• Inventors: Crean, Johnnie Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Pape, Joseph D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GUTMAN, HILARY L
• Application Number:
  US10/354,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20030111866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 378 Days
• Field of Search: 296/204, 296/183, 296/182, 296/37.6, 296/37.1, 296/164, 296/165, 296/175, 296/176, 296/256.13, 296/156
• US Class Current: 296/204
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 21/02 comprising longitudinally or transversely arranged frame members
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 33/046 built up with flat self-supporting panels; Fixed connections between panels B62D29/045, B62D33/048 take precedence

Abstract

A vehicle frame with a low profile is designed to be suitable for attaching directly to an incomplete, preassembled motorized chassis to construct a motorhome. The vehicle frame includes planar bulkheads and a storage area floor that are attached to the frame and to the chassis so as to create a three-dimensional space frame that is highly resistant to bending and twisting forces as well as storage areas that extend the width of the motorhome. The motorhome with the frame mounts a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system as well as heavy holding tanks within or below the plane of the vehicle frame so as to lower the center of mass of the motorhome to thereby improve vehicle handling and safety. Placement of the HVAC system within and/or below the vehicle frame obviates the need to position HVAC components on the roof of the motorhome thereby further lowering the center of mass and eliminating a source of liquid water condensation above the living space of the motorhome. The vehicle frame attached directly to the chassis further facilitates an interior ceiling height in the motorhome of at least 7′ 6″ while maintaining a total vehicle height not exceeding 13′ 6″ as well as facilitating construction of slide-out rooms with interior heights of at least 6′ 1″ thereby allowing adults of above average height to stand up inside the slide-out rooms.

Claims

1. A motorhome comprising:

a chassis having at least two parallel interconnected chassis members having top, bottom, and inner and outer side surfaces and wherein the chassis further includes a plurality of wheels attached thereto to permit rolling movement of the chassis over the ground and wherein the chassis defines a location for an engine so that the motorhome can be self-propelled;

a frame having a floor section, a plurality of vertically arranged structural members each having proximal and distal ends, and at least one horizontally arranged structural member wherein the plurality of vertically arranged structural members are mechanically coupled to the floor section at the proximal ends at spaced intervals so as to extend perpendicularly downward from the floor section and wherein the at least one horizontally arranged structural member is attached to the distal ends of the plurality of vertically arranged structural members so as to inhibit relative movement of the distal ends of the plurality of vertically arranged structural members with respect to each other and wherein the floor section is mechanically coupled to the top surface of the parallel interconnected chassis members and wherein the plurality of vertically arranged structural members are mechanically coupled to the side surfaces of the parallel interconnected chassis members such that the frame is mechanically coupled to the parallel interconnected chassis members in at least two orthogonal directions; and

a housing mounted on the frame so as to define an enclosed living space defining an interior height, wherein the housing includes a bathroom, a bed, and a driver'"'"'s position such that a driver can drive the motorhome.

2. The motorhome of claim 1, wherein the floor section comprises at least a first and a second longitudinal member and a plurality of interconnecting members wherein the plurality of interconnecting members interconnect the longitudinal members such that the longitudinal members are positioned in the same horizontal plane.

3. The motorhome of claim 2, further comprising a floor that is attached to the floor section such that the floor is elevated above the parallel interconnecting chassis members by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the floor section.

4. The motorhome of claim 3, wherein the interior height of the motorhome is approximately 7′

6″

.

5. The motorhome of claim 3, wherein the interior height of the motorhome is no less than 6′

less than a maximum allowed overall exterior height of the motorhome.

6. The motorhome of claim 3, wherein the interior height of the motorhome is at least 55% of a maximum allowed overall exterior height of the motorhome.

7. The motorhome of claim 3, wherein the floor is attached to the floor section such that the floor is elevated above the parallel interconnecting chassis members by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the longitudinal members.

8. The motorhome of claim 3, further comprising a slide out assembly defining an interior height and having at least one slidable member mounted in the floor section and a slide-out floor attached thereto such that the slide-out floor is at substantially the same height as the floor attached to the floor section of the motorhome.

9. The motorhome of claim 8, wherein the at least one slidable member extends through an opening in the first longitudinal member.

10. The motorhome of claim 8, wherein the interior height of the slide out assembly is approximately 6′

1″

.

11. The motorhome of claim 1, wherein the plurality of vertically arranged structural members comprise a plurality of planar members that have an opening formed therein such that the parallel interconnected chassis members are positioned within the opening such that the vertically arranged structural members are mechanically connected to the outer side surfaces of the parallel interconnected chassis members while the floor section is mechanically coupled to the top surface of the parallel interconnected chassis members.

12. A motorhome frame comprising:

a plurality of parallel, elongate rail members extending the length of the frame;

a plurality of parallel, elongate cross-tie members attached perpendicular to the rail members and interconnecting the rail members so as to define a chassis plane;

a plurality of rigid vertically arranged structural members fixedly attached along a first edge to the cross-tie and rail members so as to extend downwards from the chassis plane; and

at least one rigid horizontally arranged structural member attached to the plurality of rigid vertically arranged structural members along oppositely arranged second edges thereof wherein the interconnected rail, cross-tie, and structural members together define a three dimensional space frame comprising a plurality of mutually interconnected and substantially rigid, parallel structures extending in each of three mutually perpendicular directions, each said rigid structure being displaced from another of said parallel structures along the direction perpendicular to the plane of the structures.

13. The motorhome frame of claim 12, wherein the interconnected elongate rail members, cross-tie members, and structural members together define an at least partially closed, box structure.

14. The motorhome frame of claim 12, wherein the interconnected structural members define storage areas.

15. The motorhome frame of claim 14, wherein the storage areas extend substantially the width of the motorhome frame.

16. A recreational vehicle comprising:

a chassis;

a low profile frame attached to a top face of the chassis;

a plurality of vertically arranged structural members welded along first edges to a bottom face of the low profile frame and along second edges adjacent the first edges to sides of the chassis such that the vertically arranged structural members extend downwards from the chassis and the low profile frame; and

at least one horizontally arranged interconnecting member attached to third edges of the vertically arranged structural members, the third edges being opposite the first edges thereby defining a three-dimensional space frame wherein the vertically arranged structural members connect to the sides of the chassis, the bottom face of the low profile frame, and a top surface of the at least one horizontally arranged interconnecting member and wherein the interconnection of the low profile frame, the vertically arranged structural members, and the at least one interconnecting member to the chassis encloses the chassis thereby defining a space frame structure surrounding and including the chassis and so as to define storage areas.

17. The recreation vehicle of claim 16, wherein the storage areas extend substantially the width of the recreational vehicle.

18. The recreational vehicle of claim 16, further comprising a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system installed within and below the plane of the chassis.