Utility vehicle

• US 8,752,878 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2011
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Motors
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Teruaki, Takegami, Itsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Pape, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US13/340,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20130168988A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 296/146.1, 296/26.01, 296/26.08, 296/26.11, 296/183.1, 296/183.2, 296/186.4, 296/24.43
• US Class Current: 296/26.08
• 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: B60N 2/38 specially constructed for use on tractors or like off-road vehicles
• 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 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 utility vehicle according to the present invention includes a front seat, a rear seat, and a cargo bed in order from the front side, wherein the cargo bed is changeable between an expanded state in which the cargo bed is expanded forward into a rear riding space on the front side of the cargo bed and a non-expanded state in which the cargo bed is not expanded in the rear riding space, a pair of left and right rear doors partitioning the rear riding space and left and right exteriors of a vehicle body in the non-expanded state is provided, and the rear doors serve as expansion side walls partitioning an expanded part of the cargo bed and the left and right exteriors of the vehicle body in the expanded state.

Claims

1. A utility vehicle, comprising:

a front seat;

a rear seat disposed in a rear riding space;

a cargo bed disposed on an opposite side of the rear seat from the front seat, the cargo bed being changeable between an expanded state in which the cargo bed is expanded forward into the rear riding space on the front side of the cargo bed and a non-expanded state in which the cargo bed is not expanded in the rear riding space;

left and right rear doors which partition the rear riding space from an exterior of the utility vehicle in the non-expanded state of the cargo bed; and

grip portions formed on the outer surfaces of the left and right rear doors, respectively,

wherein the rear doors serve as expansion side walls partitioning an expanded part of the cargo bed from the exterior of the utility vehicle in the expanded state of the cargo bed,

wherein the cargo bed includes side walls, and

wherein a height of upper ends of the rear doors is the substantially the same as a height of the side walls of the cargo bed.

2. The utility vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

a vehicle body frame,

wherein front ends of the rear doors are supported on the vehicle body frame, and the rear doors are openable toward the left and right exteriors of the vehicle body by pivoting about the front ends thereof.

3. The utility vehicle of claim 1, wherein the cargo bed includes a reference part which is divided from the expanded part, and the reference part is capable of being brought into a dumping state in which the reference part is inclined downward in a rear direction in both the expanded state and the non-expanded state.

4. The utility vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a bottom plate positioned on a lower side of the rear seat in the non-expanded state of the cargo bed,

wherein the rear seat is configured to pivot forward about a front end thereof into a substantially upright state in the expanded state of the cargo bed, and

wherein the bottom plate is configured to pivot forward about a front end thereof in the expanded state of the cargo bed.

5. A utility vehicle, comprising:

a front seat

a rear seat disposed in a rear riding space;

a cargo bed disposed on an opposite side of the rear seat from the front seat, the cargo bed being changeable between an expanded state in which the cargo bed is expanded forward into the rear riding space on the front side of the cargo bed and a non-expanded state in which the cargo bed is not expanded in the rear riding space; and

left and right rear doors which partition the rear riding space from an exterior of the utility vehicle in the non-expanded state of the cargo bed,

wherein the rear doors serve as expansion side walls partitioning an expanded part of the cargo bed from the exterior of the utility vehicle in the expanded state of the cargo bed,

wherein the cargo bed includes side walls, and

wherein a height of upper ends of the rear doors is the substantially the same as a height of the side walls of the cargo bed.

6. The utility vehicle of claim 5, further comprising:

a vehicle body frame,

wherein front ends of the rear doors are supported on the vehicle body frame, and the rear doors are openable toward the left and right exteriors of the vehicle body by pivoting about the front ends thereof.

7. The utility vehicle of claim 5, wherein the cargo bed includes a reference part which is divided from the expanded part, and the reference part is capable of being brought into a dumping state in which the reference part is inclined downward in a rear direction in both the expanded state and the non-expanded state.

8. The utility vehicle of claim 5, further comprising a bottom plate positioned on a lower side of the rear seat in the non-expanded state of the cargo bed,

wherein the rear seat is configured to pivot forward about a front end thereof into a substantially upright state in the expanded state of the cargo bed, and

wherein the bottom plate is configured to pivot forward about a front end thereof in the expanded state of the cargo bed.