PICK-UP STYLE UTILITY VEHICLE WITH EXPANDABLE CARGO BED

• US 20110156442A1
• Filed: 12/29/2009
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Motors
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Nishikawa, Yoshitaka, Sumi, Kenichi, Shirai, Tetsuaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,303,012 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 296/183.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/24 for particular purposes or particular vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/36 into a loading platform B60N2/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/423 from transport of persons to transport of goods
• 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 according to the present invention has a front seat, a rear seat, and a cargo bed in this order from front. The cargo bed has at least left and right stationary side panels and expandable side panels extended forward from the front ends of the stationary side panels and is changeable between an expanded state in which the cargo bed is expanded forward to a rear riding space in front of the cargo bed and a non-expanded state not occupying the rear riding space. The expandable side panels are rotatable about rotational shafts forward and rearward in a vehicle width direction so as to be shiftable between a position in the expanded state and a position in the non-expanded state.

Claims

1. A pick-up style utility vehicle comprising:

a front seat;

a rear seat; and

a cargo bed in this order from front;

wherein

the cargo bed has at least left and right stationary side panels and expandable side panels extended forward from front ends of the stationary side panels and is changeable between an expanded state in which the cargo bed is expanded forward to a rear riding space in front of the cargo bed and a non-expanded state not occupying the rear riding space; and

the expandable side panels are rotatable about rotational shafts forward and rearward in a vehicle width direction so as to be shiftable between a position in the expanded state and a position in the non-expanded state.

2. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a screen shield partitioning the cargo bed and the rear riding space, wherein

the expandable side panels are coupled to the screen shield, and

the screen shield is shifted between the position in the expanded state and the position in the non-expanded state so that the expandable side panels are rotatable forward and rearward.

3. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

a first engaging protrusion portion and a second engaging protrusion portion are provided in a lower portion of the screen shield,

a long hole is provided in each of the expandable side panels,

the first engaging protrusion portion is movable in the long hole along the long hole, and

the second engaging protrusion portion is coupled to each of the expandable side panels via a link mechanism.

4. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

a first engaging protrusion portion and a second engaging protrusion portion are provided in the lower portion of the screen shield,

an L-shaped long hole is provided in each of the expandable side panels, and

the first engaging protrusion portion and the second engaging protrusion portion are movable in the L-shaped long hole along the L-shaped long hole.

5. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

each of the expandable side panels is coupled to each of the stationary side panels via a hinge portion provided at the front end of the stationary side panel.

6. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

a third engaging protrusion portion engaging each of the expandable side panels is provided at the front end of each of the stationary side panels,

a long hole is provided in each of the expandable side panels, and

the third engaging protrusion portion is movable in the long hole along the long hole.

7. The pick-up style utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

each of the expandable side panels has a fixing member, and

each of the expandable side panels is fixed by the fixing member in the position in the expanded state and the position in the non-expanded state.