WO1999025603A1

WO1999025603A1 - Recreational vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO1999025603A1
Application number: PCT/NZ1998/000156
Authority: WO
Inventors: Philip John Molesworth
Original assignee: Sportluge New Zealand Limited
Priority date: 1997-10-24
Filing date: 1998-10-27
Publication date: 1999-05-27
Also published as: AU9767598A

Abstract

A vehicle frame (1) includes a support part (4), a steering part (7) and at least one axle (10); the support part (4) including a base portion (5) having a front end and a rear end, and an upright portion (6) extending from the rear end of the base portion (5); the steering part (7) being adapted to connect to a steering assembly at one end thereof and to ground contact means (3) at the other end thereof, the steering part (7) being connected at, or adjacent to, the front end of the base portion (5) of the support part (4); the at least one axle (10) being connected at, or adjacent to, the rear end of the base portion (5) of the support part (4); and wherein the steering part (7) and upright portion (6) of the support part (4) extend in the same plane from the base portion (5); and the base portion (5) including a substantially convex receiving portion (11), the apex (12) of the receiving portion (11) being positioned on the base portion (5) substantially in line with, but spaced apart from, the end of the steering part (7) supporting the steering assembly.

Description

RECREATIONAL VEHICLE

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a frame for a recreational vehicle and in particular, but not solely, to a gravity assisted recreational vehicle which is adapted to be controlled by a rider. The frame is particularly suited for a recreational vehicle adapted for use on "off-road" tracks but can also be used on purpose built, smooth, tracks such as a luge track or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A variety of wheeled vehicles are known which are intended to be gravity assisted. The well-known "soap box" derby-type vehicle being a type of these. A gravity assisted wheeled vehicle is also described in New

Zealand patent no. 21 3951 in the name of Skyline Skyrides Limited. In general, these vehicles are intended for use on roads or purpose built tracks and are not intended for use off-road.

Gravity assisted vehicles, such as that described in NZ21 3951 above, are not adapted to be readily useable in an off-road situation. The vehicle disclosed in NZ21 3951 , for example, has a braking system in which a part of the body of the vehicle is lowered to the ground for braking the vehicle. Such a system is unsuitable for use in off-road situations being intended to be propelled downhill by gravity on a smooth, usually purpose built, track.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to meet at least some of the difficulties associated with known recreational vehicles as referred to above, or at least to offer a useful alternative to the public. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention, in a first aspect, is directed to a vehicle frame, the frame including a support part, a steering part, and at least one axle;

the support part including a base portion having a front end and a rear end, and an upright portion extending from the rear end of the base portion;

the steering part being adapted to connect to a steering assembly at one end thereof and to ground contact means at the other end thereof, the steering part being connected at, or adjacent to, the front end of the base portion of the support part;

the at least one axle being connected at, or adjacent to, the rear end of the base part of the support portion;

and wherein the steering part and the upright portion of the support part extend in the same plane from the base portion; and the base portion including a substantially convex receiving portion, the apex of the receiving portion being positioned on the base portion substantially in line with, but spaced apart from, the end of the steering part supporting the steering assembly.

Preferably the steering part is angled from the base portion in the direction of the upright portion.

Preferably the distal ends of the axle and the end of the steering part distal to the steering assembly are connected to ground contact means such as wheels, skates, skis or the like.

Preferably the upright portion of the support part extends from the base part a distance sufficient to extend beyond the head of a rider when seated. Preferably the base portion and the upright portion are adapted to be able to releasably secure a seat to the vehicle frame.

Preferably the steering assembly is a steering wheel or a handle bar arrangement.

Preferably the steering part includes a tube connected to the front end of the base portion, the tube being adapted to receive therethrough a steering bar, the steering bar being connected to the steering assembly and to suitable ground contact means at the distal ends thereof.

The invention, in a second aspect, may be seen to be directed to a vehicle including a vehicle frame as referred to above, the vehicle including a seat releasably attached to the support part of the vehicle frame, wheels attached to the distal ends of the axle and the end of the steering part distal the steering assembly.

Preferably the vehicle includes a braking system activateable by the rider from, or adjacent to, the steering assembly.

Preferably, the braking system acts on each rear wheel individually.

Preferably the wheel at the end of the steering part distal the steering assembly is adapted, in use, to move about its vertical axis and to move from its horizontal axis.

The invention, in a third aspect, may be seen to be directed to a three wheeled vehicle having two rear and one front wheel, the vehicle being a gravity assisted vehicle having a steering system utilising steering apparatus connected to the front wheel, the front wheel being adapted to turn and move from a substantially vertical plane such that the wheel presents a front edge to the ground surface and allows the side of the wheel to be presented to the ground surface.

DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described with reference to the attached figures which show preferred embodiments of the present invention. In the figures:

Figure 1 : shows an elevated perspective view of a preferred form of the invention (excluding a seat); Figure 2: shows a side plan view of the preferred form of the invention shown in Figure 1 in a nested, stacked, formation; Figure 3: shows a perspective view of the nested, stacked, formation of Figure 2; and

Figure 4: shows a side perspective view of a preferred form of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention is generally directed to a frame for a gravity assisted vehicle. In its preferred form, the invention is directed to a vehicle frame which will allow a number of vehicles which use the frame to be stacked together for efficient transport. One obvious difficulty with gravity assisted vehicles is, following use on a track or hill, the vehicles must be transported back to the top of the incline before they can be used again. It is a costly and time consuming exercise to move such vehicles individually and the more vehicles which can be transported at one time, with minimal damage to the vehicle, the more commercially advantageous this would be for an operator of a commercial business involving such vehicles.

With reference to Figure 1 , a preferred form of the vehicle frame 1 is shown. The vehicle frame 1 as shown in Figure 1 includes two rear wheels 2 and a front wheel 3. The wheels 2, 3 could be replaced by any suitable ground contact means which would be known to a person skilled in this art as would be suitable for the particular terrain on which a vehicle utilising the frame 1 would travel. Skates, skis or similar ground contact devices could be used.

The vehicle frame 1 includes a substantially "L" shaped support part 4 which includes a base portion 5 and an upright portion 6. The upright portion 6 extending from the rear end of the base portion 5. At the front end of the base portion 5 the vehicle frame 1 includes a steering part 7 which includes a combination of handle bars 8, the front wheel 3, and a tube 9 through which a rod (obscured) passes to connect the handle bars 8 to the front wheel 3. The rod attaches to the front wheel 3 via a bracket 1 5 having side parts 1 6. The wheel 3 has a central axle which passes centrally through the wheel 3 and which attaches to the side parts 1 6.

At the juncture of the upright portion 6 and the base portion 5 the frame 1 includes an axle 10 which connects the two rear wheels 2. The axle 1 0 may be connected to the support part 4 by any means known in the art but will preferably be welded into position. The axle 10 may be provided at any suitable position known to a skilled person such as beneath the base portion 5 for additional inherent frame strength.

As would be apparent to a skilled person, the axle 10 may be a simple bar when the ground contact devices are skates, or skis, or the like.

A classic axle may be used to join wheels 3 is desired, however, these wheels may also operate independently if desired.

As can be seen in Figure 1 , the base portion 5 includes a convex part 1 1 which lies beneath the handle bars 8. The apex 1 2 of the convex part

1 1 is positioned such that it lies beneath the central portion 1 3 of the handle bars 8. The position of this convex part allows efficient stacking of vehicles using vehicle frame as is described below with reference to Figures 2 and 3. The tube 9 of the steering part 7 lies in the same substantially vertical plane as the upright part 6 and is angled toward the upright part 6. The length of the tube 9 and the connecting rod (obscured) therethrough may be of any suitable length as desired. The angle of the tube 9 in relation to the base portion 5 may again be selected as desired and will, in large, be dependent upon the desired body position of the rider. It is envisaged that the angle of the tube 9 or the column combining the tube 9 and the rod (obscured in Figure 1 ) would be adapted to be adjusted as desired. Such mechanisms are well known in the art but may add a position of potential weakness to the frame 1 . The greater the angle between the tube 9 and the line of the base portion 5 the more upright the rider will be positioned. As will be readily apparent, the angle between the base portion 5 and the tube 9 should not exceed 90 ° . The upright portion 6, in the preferred form, will be long enough to extend above the head of a rider when the rider is in the sitting position. Thus the upright portion 6 can act as a safety roll bar in case the vehicle, when in use, overturns.

The upright portion 6, as shown in Figure 1 , is positioned at an angle substantially normal to the line of the base portion 5. This is a preferred angular relationship however, as will be known to a person skilled in the art, this angle (marked "Y") need not be normal but may be greater than 90 ° if desired. The angle should not, however be less than 90 ° as this is likely to cause the rider some discomfort. The upright portion 6 may, of course, be of a variety of shapes and may be curved, for example, about the body of the rider if desired. It is also possible for two upright portions to be used or that the upright portion takes a substantially "Y" configuration as will be known in the art.

The components of the frame may be made up of known materials.

For example, the support part 4 may comprise stainless steel tubing or Rectangular Hollow Section amongst other options. The handle bars 8 may include rubber grips, or the like, if desired. The handle bars 8 may be replaced by a steering wheel of known form or a simple straight bar. If the handle bars 8 were replaced by a steering wheel, the convex portion 1 1 would be aligned with the highest point of the steering wheel. The reason for this will be discussed further herein. The wheels 2, 3 may be made up of any suitable material as will be known in the art. Composite rubber material or a hard plastic material may be used. It is highly preferred that the front wheel 3 at least includes a thick tread which is capable of contacting and gripping the ground over which the vehicle will pass in order to impart the maximum amount of control over the vehicle.

In use, on off-road terrain, gravity assisted vehicles can be difficult to steer and control. This is particularly so when the vehicle is a three wheeled vehicle with a single front wheel which is used for steering the vehicle.

The connection between the front wheel 3 and the remainder of the steering part 7 can best be seen in Figure 3 which shows the steering part 7 comprising handle bars 8, a cross piece 1 3, a connecting rod 14 (obscured in Figure 1 ), and tube 9 through which the connecting rod 14 passes. The steering assembly 7 also includes a bracket 1 5, including side parts 1 6 which extend outside the front wheel 3. The side parts 16 of the bracket 1 5 are adapted to attach with an axle 1 7 which passes through the centre portion of the front wheel 3. The front wheel 3 is loosely held on the axle 1 7 but is maintained in a forward facing position in relation to the angle of the tube 9 and connecting rod 14 of the steering part 7. The relationship between the wheel 3 and the positioning of the tube 9 and connector rod 14 can be seen in Figure 1 where the line of the tube 9 extends behind the position of the axle 1 7 of the front wheel 3. The bracket 1 5 and side parts 1 6 are positioned to maintain the front wheel 3 in a forward facing or

"reverse castor" position. The loose fit of the front wheel 3 about the axle 1 7 and the forward facing position of the wheel 3 in relation to the connecting rod 14 and tube 9 of the steering assembly 7 allows the front wheel 3 to move in direct response to movement of the handle bars 8 by the rider of the vehicle, but also allows the front wheel 3 to roll from a central axis in the plane of the support part 4 and thus present a front edge of the tyre to the ground. This minimises the bulldozing effect of the front wheel 3 when turned as the front wheel 3 flops from a vertical position to a slightly angled position in response to the steering directions of the rider.

The construction of the vehicle frame 1 is shown in Figure 1 , the positioning and length of the upright portion 6, the depth of the concave portion 1 1 in relation to the handle bars 8, as well as the size and positioning of the front wheel 3, allows the vehicle frame to be stacked in a nested manner for transportation. This can best be seen in Figures 2 and 3.

Figure 2 shows a number of the vehicle frames 1 in a nested relationship with each other. The frame 1 is tipped such that the upright portion 6 rests on the ground. A second frame is positioned such that the axle 10 of the rear wheels 2 rest on a part of the upright portion 6 adjacent to the connection between the upright portion 6 and the base portion 5.

As also seen in Figure 2, the central portion 13 of the handle bars 8 are received within the convex receiving portion 1 1 on the base portion 5. The front wheels 3, rest against each other as do the rear wheels 2. Therefore, a number of vehicles which use the vehicle frame 1 as shown in Figure 1 can be stacked in a nested manner against each other thus allowing safe, secure and efficient transport of a number of these vehicles from one site to another site.

As can also be seen in Figure 2, the forward facing nature of the front wheel 3 as a result of the angled relationship between the tube 9, connector rod 14, and the bracket 1 5, assists in the nesting arrangement of the vehicle frames 1 . As will be readily apparent to a person skilled in this particular art, the relationship of the components of the steering assembly could be altered to remove the angled relationship if desired. This would still allow the vehicle frames to nestably stack together.

As will also be readily apparent to a person skilled in this particular art the nestable relationship of the vehicle frames could also be applied to a four wheeled trolley which has two front wheels connected by an axle, as shown, for example, for the rear wheel assembly of wheels 2 and axle 10 in Figure 1 .

A further aspect of the invention may also therefore be seen to be a three wheeled trolley which could exclude the convex receiving part 1 1 but which includes the forward facing front wheel 3 and the particular arrangement of the steering part 7 as described previously as the "reverse castor" arrangement. In such a case the ability to nestably stack the vehicles using the vehicle frame 1 would optionally include the convex receiving part 1 1 .

It will of course be apparent to a person skilled in this particular art that the vehicle need not be a wheeled vehicle and may include skis or similar types of ground contacting apparatus dependent upon the terrain, and also that the vehicle may include more than three ground contacting wheels or skis (or the like) if desired. It is however a preferred option that the vehicle is a three wheeled vehicle which is able to be stacked in a nested manner for transport.

With reference to the preferred form of the invention shown in Figure 4, this figure shows the presence of two seat mounting points 1 7 for releasably securing a seat (not shown) to the upright portion 6 and to the base portion 5 of the vehicle frame 1 . The seat mounting points 1 7 as shown in Figure 4 are depicted as plates attached to the vehicle frame 1 having holes 18 positioned to receive a nut and bolt arrangement to releasably secure a seat (not shown) to the frame 1 . As will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art, a variety of mechanisms for securing the seat to the frame may be used such as rivets, welds, snap fit brackets or the like. The essential feature is that the seat is maintained securely in position on the vehicle frame 1 when a vehicle including the vehicle frame 1 is in use.

Figure 4 shows the presence of two independent brake actuators 1 9 on the handle bars 8 of the steering part 7. As shown in Figure 4, the independent brake actuators 1 9 are of a known form comprising grip handle

20 which will activate the braking mechanism when squeezed by the rider. It is preferred that the brakes act on the rear wheels 2 and, in a particularly preferred option, act on each of the individual rear wheels 2 independently via the corresponding brake actuators 1 9. As would be readily apparent to a person skilled in this art, a braking system which acted on the front wheel 3 could be used but would not be preferred given the intended use of such vehicles on off-road terrain. A suitable braking system is indicated in Figure

4. As will be apparent to a skilled person, the brakes may be activated via a variety of means including foot activation which may also act on individual rear wheels or both simultaneously.

Also shown on Figure 4 is the presence of a device steering retainer

21 and steering thrust washers 22. As may also be seen in Figure 4, the receiving portion 1 1 (as is also shown in Figures 1 to 3) is positioned relative to the cross piece 1 3 on the handle bars 8 to allow the stacking of a number of vehicles utilising the vehicle frame 1 as has been described previously in relation to Figures 2 and 3 above.

The vehicle frame shown in Figures 1 to 4 does not show a seat which would be positioned and secured on the support part 4. The seat would preferably be releasably secured to the upright portion 6 and/or the base portion 5 but could be permanently secured. There will be a variety of types of seats which could be used on such a frame as will, again, be known to a person skilled in this art. Where, in the foregoing description, reference has been made to specific components or integers of the invention having known equivalents, then such equivalents are intended to be incorporated herein as if individually set forth.

The invention has been described with reference to preferred forms thereof by way of example. Further modifications or improvements to this preferred form are intended to be included within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

We Claim:

1 . A vehicle frame, the frame including a support part, a steering part, and at least one axle; the support part including a base portion having a front end and a rear end, and an upright portion extending from the rear end of the base portion; the steering part being adapted to connect to a steering assembly at one end thereof and to ground contact means at the other end thereof, the steering part being connected at, or adjacent to, the front end of the base portion of the support part; the at least one axle being connected at, or adjacent to, the rear end of the base part of the support portion; and wherein the steering part and upright portion of the support part extend in the same plane from the base portion; and the base portion including a substantially convex receiving portion, the apex of the receiving portion being positioned on the base portion substantially in line with, but spaced apart from, the end of the steering part supporting the steering assembly.

2. The vehicle frame according to Claim 1 wherein the, at least one axle and the steering part are connected to wheels, skates, or skis.

3. The vehicle frame according to Claim 1 wherein the vehicle frame includes two rear wheels, one at each end of the at least one axle, and one on the end of the steering part.

4. The vehicle frame according to any one of the previous claims wherein the upright portion of the support part extends from the base part for a sufficient distance such that the upright portion extends beyond the head of the rider.

5. The vehicle frame according to any one of the previous claims wherein the base portion and the upright portion are adapted to be able to releasably secure a seat to the vehicle frame.

6. The vehicle frame according to any one of the previous claims wherein the steering assembly is a steering wheel or a handle bar arrangement.

7. The vehicle frame according to any one of the previous claims wherein the steering part includes a tube connected to the front end of the base portion, the tube being adapted to receive therethrough a steering bar, the steering bar connecting the steering assembly and the ground contact means.

8. The vehicle frame according to any one of the previous claims wherein the steering part is angled from the base portion in the direction of the upright portion

9. A vehicle including a vehicle frame according to any one of the previous claims, the vehicle further including a seat releasably attached to the support part of the vehicle frame, wheels attached to the distal ends of the at least one axle and to the end of the steering part distal to the steering assembly.

1 0. The vehicle according to Claim 9 including a braking system which acts on the wheels attached to the axle individually or simultaneously.

1 1 . The vehicle according to Claims 9 and 10 wherein the wheel attached to the steering part is adapted, in use, to move about its vertical axis and to move from its horizontal axis.

1 2. A three-wheeled vehicle having two rear and one front wheels, the vehicle being a gravity assisted vehicle having a steering system utilising steering apparatus connected to the front wheel, the front wheel being adapted to turn and move from a substantially vertical plane such that the wheel presents a front edge to the ground surface and allows the side of the wheel to be presented to the ground surface.

13. A vehicle frame substantially as herein described with particular reference to any one of the attached figures.