Utility vehicle

• US 9,056,576 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Motors Ltd (Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Teruaki, Takegami, Itsuo, Kuroyanagi, Yoshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Dayoan, Glenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLACK, MELISSA ANN
• Application Number:
  US13/729,693
• Publication Number:
  US 20140183894A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 296/24.43, 296/26.01, 296/26.08, 296/183.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/423 from transport of persons to transport of goods
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 23/005 with integrated chassis in the whole shell, e.g. meshwork, tubes, or the like B62D33/044 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 33/02 Platforms; Open load compartments flat wagons including posts or standards B61D3/08

Abstract

A utility vehicle includes a front seat, a rear seat at a rear side of the front seat, and a cargo bed at a rear side of the rear seat, and a screen for partitioning the cargo bed and a riding space at a front side of the cargo bed. The cargo bed includes left and right fixed side walls, a front wall movable into the riding space, and left and right expansion side walls expandable into the riding space. The cargo bed is changeable between an expanded state in which the cargo bed is expanded forward into the riding space and a non-expanded state in which the cargo bed is not expanded into the riding space. The screen is attached to the front wall, and each expansion side wall is foldably attached to the front wall and a corresponding one of the fixed side walls.

Claims

1. A utility vehicle, comprising:

a front seat;

a rear seat at a rear side of the front seat;

a cargo bed at a rear side of the rear seat; and

a screen for partitioning the cargo bed and a riding space at a front side of the cargo bed;

wherein the cargo bed includes left and right fixed side walls, a front wall movable into the riding space, and left and right expansion side walls expandable into the riding space, the cargo bed is changeable between an expanded state in which the cargo bed is expanded forward into the riding space and a non-expanded state in which the cargo bed is not expanded into the riding space,

wherein the screen is attached to the front wall,

wherein the left expansion side wall is foldably attached to the front wall and the left fixed side wall, and the right expansion side wall is foldably attached to the front wall and the right fixed side wall,

wherein a front end of the left expansion side wall is coupled to the front wall via a first left hinge and a rear end of the left expansion side wall is coupled to the left fixed side wall via a second left hinge, and the left expansion side wall comprises a plurality of plate members coupled to each other via a third left hinge,

wherein a front end of the right expansion side wall is coupled to the front wall via a first right hinge and a rear end of the right expansion side wall is coupled to the right fixed side wall via a second right hinge, and the right expansion side wall comprises a plurality of plate members coupled to each other via a third right hinge,

wherein the first left hinge comprises a first hinge base and a second hinge base configured to regulate each other such that an angle between the first hinge base of the first left hinge and the second hinge base of the first left hinge can be fixed at a first degree and at a second degree,

wherein the second left hinge comprises a first hinge base and a second hinge base configured to regulate each other such that an angle between the first hinge base of the second left hinge and the second hinge base of the second left hinge can be fixed at a first degree and at a second degree,

wherein the third left hinge comprises a first hinge base and a second hinge base configured to regulate each other such that an angle between the first hinge base of the third left hinge and the second hinge base of the third left hinge can be fixed at a first degree and at a second degree,

wherein the first right hinge comprises a first hinge base and a second hinge base configured to regulate each other such that an angle between the first hinge base of the first right hinge and the second hinge base of the first right hinge can be fixed at a first degree and at a second degree,

wherein the second right hinge comprises a first hinge base and a second hinge base configured to regulate each other such that an angle between the first hinge base of the second right hinge and the second hinge base of the second right hinge can be fixed at a first degree and at a second degree, and

wherein the third right hinge comprises a first hinge base and a second hinge base configured to regulate each other such that an angle between the first hinge base of the third right hinge and the second hinge base of the third right hinge can be fixed at a first degree and at a second degree.

2. The utility vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein, in each of the left and right expansion side walls, the plate members are coupled to each other by an elastic member so as to be biased in such a manner that an open angle between the plate members is a predetermined open angle.

3. The utility vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein a plurality of rollers is provided in a lower end of the front wall.

4. The utility vehicle according to claim 1, comprising:

lock devices provided on left and right sides of the front wall, respectively, each of the lock devices being configured to fix the front wall to a vehicle body at a position in the expanded state and at a position in the non-expanded state,

wherein each of the lock devices is configured to move between a fixing position where the lock device is at one of left and right outer sides of the vehicle body for fixing the front wall, and a non-fixing position where the lock device is at an inner side of the vehicle body, the inner side being closer to a longitudinal center axis of the utility vehicle than the outer side.

5. The utility vehicle according to claim 4, comprising:

left hooks provided on the left outer side of the vehicle body, the left hooks being configured to engage with the lock device at the left outer side of the vehicle body in the expanded state and the non-expanded state,

wherein the left hooks are spaced apart on the left outer side of the vehicle body along a first line parallel to the longitudinal center axis of the utility vehicle; and

right hooks provided on the right outer side of the vehicle body, the right hooks being configured to engage with the lock device at the right outer side of the vehicle body in the expanded state and the non-expanded state,

wherein the right hooks are spaced apart on the right outer side of the vehicle body along a second line parallel to the longitudinal center axis of the utility vehicle.

6. The utility vehicle according to claim 4,

wherein each of the lock devices has two fixing positions on a corresponding one of the left and right outer sides of the vehicle body, one of the fixing positions for the expanded state and the other one of the fixing positions for the non-expanded state.

7. The utility vehicle according to claim 1, comprising:

a fixing member for fixing the plate members of the left expansion side wall, and a fixing member for fixing the plate members of the right expansion side wall.

8. The utility vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein, for each of the left and right expansion side walls, said plurality of plate members is constituted by an even number of plate members.

9. The utility vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the plate members of the left expansion side wall are foldably attached to each other, and

wherein the plate members of the right expansion side wall are foldably attached to each other.

10. The utility vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the third left hinge is located in between the plate members of the left expansion side wall, and

wherein the third right hinge is located in between the plate members of the right expansion side wall.

11. The utility vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein, in the non-expanded state:

the plate members of the left expansion side wall are parallel to each other, and

the plate members of the right expansion side wall are parallel to each other.

12. The utility vehicle according to claim 11,

wherein, in the non-expanded state:

the plate members of the left expansion side wall are parallel to the front wall, and

the plate members of the right expansion side wall are parallel to the front wall.

13. The utility vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein, in the expanded state:

the left expansion side wall and the left fixed side wall are collinear, and

the right expansion side wall and the right fixed side wall are collinear.

14. The utility vehicle according to claim 13,

wherein, in the expanded state:

the plate members of the left expansion side wall are collinear, and

the plate members of the right expansion side wall are collinear.

15. The utility vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the left expansion side wall is pivotably attached to the front wall by the first left hinge, and the right expansion side wall is pivotably attached to the front wall by the first right hinge.

16. The utility vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein, in the non-expanded state:

the front wall is disposed between the rear seat and the left and right expansion side walls.

17. The utility vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein, in the expanded state:

the front wall is closer than the left and right expansion side walls to the rear seat.

18. The utility vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the left and right expansion side walls are attached to the front wall in both the expanded state and the non-expanded state.

20. The utility vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the first hinge base of the first left hinge, the second hinge base of the first left hinge, the first hinge base of the second left hinge, the second hinge base of the second left hinge, the first hinge base of the third left hinge, the second hinge base of the third left hinge, the first hinge base of the first right hinge, the second hinge base of the first right hinge, the first hinge base of the second right hinge, the second hinge base of the second right hinge, the first hinge base of the third right hinge, and the second hinge base of the third right hinge are plate-shaped.

19. A utility vehicle, comprising:

a front seat;

a rear seat at a rear side of the front seat;

a cargo bed at a rear side of the rear seat; and

a screen for partitioning the cargo bed and a riding space at a front side of the cargo bed;

wherein the cargo bed includes left and right fixed side walls, a front wall movable into the riding space, and left and right expansion side walls expandable into the riding space, the cargo bed is changeable between an expanded state in which the cargo bed is expanded forward into the riding space and a non-expanded state in which the cargo bed is not expanded into the riding space,

wherein the screen is attached to the front wall,

wherein the left expansion side wall is foldably attached to the front wall and the left fixed side wall, and the right expansion side wall is foldably attached to the front wall and the right fixed side wall,

wherein a front end of the left expansion side wall is coupled to the front wall via a first left hinge and a rear end of the left expansion side wall is coupled to the left fixed side wall via a second left hinge, and the left expansion side wall comprises a plurality of the plate members coupled to each other via a third left hinge,

wherein a front end of the right expansion side wall is coupled to the front wall via a first right hinge and a rear end of the right expansion side wall is coupled to the right fixed side wall via a second right hinge, and the right expansion side wall comprises a plurality of plate members coupled to each other via a third right hinge,

wherein the first left hinge comprises a hinge shaft, a first hinge base, and a second hinge base, the hinge shaft of the first left hinge being configured to be separable into a convex member and a concave member such that an angle between the first hinge base of the first left hinge and the second hinge base of the first left hinge can be fixed at a first degree and at a second degree by changing an engagement between the convex member of the first left hinge and the concave member of the first left hinge,

wherein the second left hinge comprises a hinge shaft, a first hinge base, and a second hinge base, the hinge shaft of the second left hinge being configured to be separable into a convex member and a concave member such that an angle between the first hinge base of the second left hinge and the second hinge base of the second left hinge can be fixed at a first degree and at a second degree by changing an engagement between the convex member of the second left hinge and the concave member of the second left hinge,

wherein the third left hinge comprises a hinge shaft, a first hinge base, and a second hinge base, the hinge shaft of the third left hinge being configured to be separable into a convex member and a concave member such that an angle between the first hinge base of the third left hinge and the second hinge base of the third left hinge can be fixed at a first degree and at a second degree by changing an engagement between the convex member of the third left hinge and the concave member of the third left hinge,

wherein the first right hinge comprises a hinge shaft, a first hinge base, and a second hinge base, the hinge shaft of the first right hinge being configured to be separable into a convex member and a concave member such that an angle between the first hinge base of the first right hinge and the second hinge base of the first right hinge can be fixed at a first degree and at a second degree by changing an engagement between the convex member of the first right hinge and the concave member of the first right hinge,

wherein the second right hinge comprises a hinge shaft, a first hinge base, and a second hinge base, the hinge shaft of the second right hinge being configured to be separable into a convex member and a concave member such that an angle between the first hinge base of the second right hinge and the second hinge base of the second right hinge can be fixed at a first degree and at a second degree by changing an engagement between the convex member of the second right hinge and the concave member of the second right hinge, and

wherein the third right hinge comprises a hinge shaft, a first hinge base, and a second hinge base, the hinge shaft of the third right hinge being configured to be separable into a convex member and a concave member such that an angle between the first hinge base of the third right hinge and the second hinge base of the third right hinge can be fixed at a first degree and at a second degree by changing an engagement between the convex member of the third right hinge and the concave member of the third hinge.