Pick-up style utility vehicle with expandable cargo bed

• US 8,303,013 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2009
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Motors Ltd (Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Kawamoto, Yuichi, Kawahara, Masahiro, Yamamoto, Teruaki, Takehara, Yoshiya, Horiuchi, Yuji, Leach, Steave
• Primary Examiner(s): Dayoan, Glenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blankenship, Gregory
• Application Number:
  US12/647,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20110156433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 296/26.08, 296/26.09, 296/26.11, 296/190.08, 296/190.11, 296/37.6, 296/183.1, 296/24.4, 296/26.1
• US Class Current: 296/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3011 the back-rest being hinged on the cushion, e.g. "portefeuille movement"
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3031 in a longitudinal-vertical plane
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/305 the cushion being hinged on the vehicle frame
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/286 Loading buckets
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/423 from transport of persons to transport of goods
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 33/0273 Movable tailboards for vehicles comprising non-movable sideboards, e.g. pick-up trucks B62D33/037 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 33/08 comprising adjustable means B62D33/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 47/003 convertible in order to modify the number of seats foldable compact cars B62D31/006; convertible from one use to a different one B60P3/42

Abstract

A pick-up style utility vehicle with an expandable cargo bed. The vehicle includes a chassis supporting a front seat, a rear seat, a screen formation, and a bottom plate of the cargo bed. The pick-up style utility vehicle is capable of being changed between a normal state in which the rear seat is situated on the bottom plate and an expanded state in which the rear seat is moved from the top of the bottom plate. A screen formation is positioned between the cargo bed in the normal state and the rear seat, and includes two screen formation divisions as a double door, and each of the screen formation divisions is supported rotatably around a vertical shaft by the chassis. In the normal state, the two screen formation divisions close the front of the cargo bed. In the expanded state, the two screen formation divisions open the front of the cargo bed and form side plates in the cargo bed.

Claims

1. A pick-up style utility vehicle with an expandable cargo bed, the pick-up style utility vehicle comprising a chassis supporting a front seat, a rear seat, a screen formation, and a bottom plate of the cargo bed,

wherein the pick-up style utility vehicle is capable of changing between a normal state in which the rear seat is situated on the bottom plate and an expanded state in which the cargo bed is expanded into a free space formed by shunting the rear seat from a top of the bottom plate,

wherein the screen formation is positioned between the cargo bed and the rear seat in the normal state, and comprises two screen formation divisions arranged as a double door, and each of the screen formation divisions is supported rotatably about a vertical shaft by the chassis,

wherein in the normal state, the two screen formation divisions close a front of the cargo bed and form a screen, and the screen separates the rear seat and the cargo bed,

wherein in the expanded state, the two screen formation divisions form expanded side plates of the cargo bed,

wherein the rear seat comprises:

a main seat which is rotatable around a first horizontal shaft extending in a right and left direction relative to the chassis; and

a backrest which is rotatable around a second horizontal shaft relative to the main seat,

wherein the rear seat in the expanded state is positioned forward of the rear seat in the normal state,

wherein each of the screen formation divisions comprises;

a first screen formation section supported on an outside of the chassis in a right and left direction, the first screen formation section being rotatably supported about the vertical shaft in the normal state; and

a second screen formation section supported at an inside of the chassis in the right and left direction in the normal state, the second screen formation section being rotatably supported around a vertical shaft by the first screen formation section in the normal state,

wherein in the expanded state, the two first screen formation sections configure the expanded side plates, and the two second screen formation sections configure the screen.

2. A pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a cover roll which can roll out a cover along a vertical direction between the front seat and the rear seat,

wherein the second screen formation section is arranged at an under portion of the screen formation division,

wherein in the normal state, the cover is rolled up,

wherein in the expanded state, the two second screen formation sections which close the front of the cargo bed, configure an under portion of the screen in the expanded state, and the cover which is rolled out configures an upper portion of the screen in the expanded state.

3. A pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the second screen formation section is arranged at an upper portion of the screen formation division,

wherein in the expanded state, the rear seat configures an under portion of the screen in the expanded state, and the two second screen formation configure an upper portion of the screen in the expanded state.

4. A pick-up style utility vehicle with an expandable cargo bed, the pick-up style utility vehicle comprising a chassis supporting a front seat, a rear seat, a screen formation, and a bottom plate of the cargo bed,

wherein the pick-up style utility vehicle is capable of changing between a normal state in which the rear seat is situated on the bottom plate and an expanded state in which the cargo bed is expanded into a free space formed by shunting the rear seat from a top of the bottom plate,

wherein the screen formation is positioned between the cargo bed and the rear seat in the normal state, and comprises two screen formation divisions arranged as a double door, and each of the screen formation divisions is supported rotatably about a vertical shaft by the chassis,

wherein in the normal state, the two screen formation divisions close a front of the cargo bed and form a screen, and the screen in the normal state separates the rear seat and the cargo bed,

wherein in the expanded state, the two screen formation divisions form expanded side plates of the cargo bed,

wherein the rear seat comprises:

a main seat which is rotatable around a first horizontal shaft extending in a right and left direction relative to the chassis; and

a backrest which is rotatable around a second horizontal shaft relative to the main seat,

wherein the rear seat in the expanded state is positioned forward of the rear seat in the normal state,

wherein the screen formation further comprises a third screen formation division, the third screen formation division being arranged at an upper portion of the screen formation and being supported removably by the two screen formation divisions,

wherein the pick-up style utility vehicle further comprising a supporting part to support the third screen formation division on the chassis,

wherein in the expanded state, the rear seat configures an under portion of the screen, and the third screen formation division configures the upper portion of the screen in the expanded state by fitting the third screen formation division in the supporting part.

5. A pick-up style utility vehicle with an expandable cargo bed, the pick-up style utility vehicle comprising a chassis supporting a front seat, a rear seat, a screen formation, and a bottom plate of the cargo bed,

wherein the pick-up style utility vehicle is capable of changing between a normal state in which the rear seat is situated on the bottom plate and an expanded state in which the cargo bed is expanded into a free space formed by shunting the rear seat from a top of the bottom plate,

wherein the screen formation is positioned between the cargo bed and the rear seat in the normal state, and comprises two screen formation divisions arranged as a double door, and each of the screen formation divisions is supported rotatably about a vertical shaft by the chassis,

wherein in the normal state, the two screen formation divisions close a front of the cargo bed, and the two screen formation divisions separate the rear seat and the cargo bed,

wherein in the expanded state, the two screen formation divisions form expanded side plates of the cargo bed,

wherein the rear seat comprises:

a main seat which is rotatable around a first horizontal shaft extending in a right and left direction relative to the chassis; and

a backrest which is rotatable around a second horizontal shaft relative to the main seat,

wherein the rear seat in the expanded state is positioned forward of the rear seat in the normal state,

wherein the screen formation further comprises a third screen formation division which is arranged at an upper portion of the screen formation,

wherein the third screen formation division comprises a screen formation supporting frame which is fixed on the chassis, and a screen panel which is supported by the screen formation supporting frame,

wherein the screen formation supporting frame rotatably supports the two screen formation divisions.

6. A pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 5,

wherein the panel for the screen is removably supported by the screen formation supporting frame,

wherein the pick-up style utility vehicle further comprising a supporting part to support the panel for the screen on the chassis between the front seat and the rear seat,

wherein in the expanded state, the rear seat configures an under portion of the screen, and the panel for the screen configures an upper portion of the screen by fitting the panel for the screen in the supporting part.

7. A pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 5,

wherein the panel for the screen comprises:

an upper stationary panel part which is fixed on the screen formation supporting frame; and

an under movable panel part which is supported slidably along the vertical direction relative to the screen formation supporting frame,

wherein in the expanded state, the rear seat configures the under portion of the screen in the expanded state, and the upper stationary panel part configures an upper portion of the screen in the expanded state.