AU2007202531A1 - A vehicle having slide outs - Google Patents

Description

O A VEHICLE HAVING SLIDE OUTS Field of the Invention This invention relates to a vehicle body having slide outs. This invention also relates to a vehicle incorporating this vehicle body having slide outs.

This invention relates particularly to a vehicle that is a recreational vehicle such as a motor home that contains amenities for enabling a person to travel around in 10 the vehicle and live out of the vehicle. It will therefore be convenient to hereinafter (Ni describe the invention with reference to this example application. At the same time it is to be clearly understood that the invention could be applied to other vehicles. For example the invention could equally be applied to other recreational vehicles including caravans and fifth wheelers. It could also be applied to vehicles that are not recreational vehicles such as commercial vans, enclosed trailers and the like.

The contents of the applicant's complete application 2005202365 filed on 1 June 2005 is hereby specifically incorporated into this specification by direct cross reference.

Definitions In this specification the term recreational vehicle shall be interpreted to include, but not be limited to caravans, motor homes and fifth wheelers.

In this specification the term motor home shall be understood to cover a vehicle that has its own motive power and is capable of being driven and that has a living region behind a front seat region including the driver's seat that is adapted to be lived in. For example it may have a sleeping area, a kitchen and a bathroom.

Typically the motor home is formed by taking a light commercial vehicle, e.g. a cab chassis or a van, that is available in the market place and then modifying a rear part of the vehicle to make it suitable for living in. However at the same time the term motor home shall also be defined to include larger commercial vehicles requiring a truck driver's licence.

In this specification a caravan shall be understood to be a vehicle mounted on wheels that does not have its own motive power and is towed by a car or by a truck to where it is required.

In this specification a fifth wheeler shall be understood to be an articulating truck and trailer. The truck has a rear tray pulling an articulated trailer that is pivotally mounted to the rear tray with the pivot point mounted over the rear axle of the truck. The rear trailer is fitted out with amenities to enable it to be lived in much like a caravan described above. A fifth wheeler may often be bigger than a motor home with a side wall of longer length than a side wall of a motor home.

Further in this application a slide out shall be understood to mean a member mounted on a side wall of a vehicle that can be laterally displaced outwardly when the vehicle is not being driven around to create more space and a larger living area inside the vehicle. The slide out is retracted when the vehicle is driven on the road and is expanded when it is being lived out of, e.g. at a camping ground.

Background to the Invention Vehicles that have been built to make them suitable for being lived out of are known. For example a caravan is a ubiquitous feature of Australian society and comprises a passive vehicle mounted on wheels that has an interior space that has been adapted to be lived in. For example it might typically contain a kitchen and living area and optionally also a bathroom and toilet facility.

A caravan is towed by a towing vehicle, typically the family car, to where it is required and it is then detached and transformed into a camping mode where it serves as a temporary dwelling. It offers flexibility in the sense that the caravan can be towed to wherever it is required and it is not fixed to a single destination.

Further it offers a living region with fairly comfortable amenities and is considerably cheaper than hotel or unit accommodation.

A development on the caravan has been the motor home which as its own motive power and does not need to be towed by a towing vehicle like a caravan. Fig. 1 of the drawings shows a schematic view of the layout of the interior space of a motor home in accordance with the prior art. The motor home defines an interior space comprising a front seat region and rear living region behind the front seat region.

The front seat region comprises a driver's seat and a passenger's seat. The rear living region has been adapted to form a dwelling space or living space having the basic amenities required for enabling a person to live out of the motor home.

For example it might contain a kitchen area including a set of cupboards, a bedroom area including a bed and a wardrobe for clothes and the like, and a bathroom/toilet area often with a toilet, a shower and a basin. As can be seen from the drawing in Fig. 1 the double bed occupies most of the width of the vehicle and there is limited access to the bed from the sides. Further one side of the body is lined with a kitchen forward of the bed and the other side is lined with a bathroom including a toilet forward of the bed.

Motor homes are often preferred by couples because they are compact and no work is required to hitch them up and then uncouple them. The use of a motor home in both the driving and camping modes is simple and uncomplicated as the users' simply get in the motor home and drive off. With the change in lifestyles that is occurring, in particular with baby boomers starting to retire, the uptake and usage of motor homes has increased markedly and this is likely to continue.

The basic vehicle that one has to work with when designing a motor home is limited to a width of about 2.50m external width to meet the road regulations for road going vehicles. Consequently a particularly limited dimension in a motor home is the lateral width of the vehicle. In the Fig. 1 motor home the narrow spacing of the side walls of the vehicle body is further exacerbated by the kitchen and bathroom being mounted along the walls of the motor home. The width of the space between the units mounted on each side of the vehicle will be very narrow, e.g. less than 1 metre.

Human beings in an evolutionary sense prefer room spaces having a lateral width that is at least comparable to the length. The discrete spaces in the motor home are long and narrow which creates a feeling of limited space that is cramped.

This detracts from the appeal of the motor home for being lived in for long periods of time, e.g. on long trips of several weeks or months.

A major market for motor homes at this time would be retiring baby boomers and these people generally speaking are discerning and are looking for high levels of comfort and amenity in their motor home. Therefore the narrow width in the living region of prior art motor homes particularly where there are fittings on both side walls would be seen as a shortcoming by this market.

Clearly it would advantageous if an innovation could be devised that enabled the lateral width of the motor home to be increased when it was off the road and in its camping configuration. It would be particularly advantageous if the innovation increased the lateral width of the living area of the vehicle for a substantial portion of its length, e.g. at least half its length. It would also be advantageous if the width could be increased on both the left and right sides of the body to balance the weight of the vehicle on each side. It would also be advantageous if the increase in the width of the vehicle was at least 300mm.

Summary of the Invention According to one aspect of this invention there is provided a vehicle comprising: O a vehicle body having front and rear ends and left and right sides and defining an interior space, the body having at least one slide out on one side and at least two slide outs on the other side, each said slide out being movable between a contracted position and an expanded position in which it projects laterally outward beyond the associated side of the body whereby to increase the interior space defined by the body of the vehicle.

Thus the vehicle has at least one slide out on one side and at least two slide outs on the other side. These slide outs are provided on said one and other sides of the body to increase the lateral width of the interior space of the body. The slide outs are in the contracted position while the vehicle is being driven on the roads and can be moved to the expanded position when the vehicle is parked for use in a recreational mode.

The slide outs may be broadly aligned with the associated side of the body in the contracted position.

The feature of having two slide outs side by side along a side of the vehicle enables the cumulative length of the side that has an increased lateral width due to slide outs to be increased without increasing the length of the individual slide outs. That is the cumulative slide out length is achieved instead with two side by side slide outs rather than a single slide out of increased length.

The vehicle may be a motor home and the body may define an interior space comprising a front seat region and a rear living region behind the front seat region.

The vehicle may have an opening defined in the associated side of the vehicle body for each slide out that is sized to receive the slide out therein.

0 Each slide out of the vehicle body may be cup shaped and may be mounted over the correspondingly sized opening in the associated side of the body, and the slide out may be oriented to open into the interior space of the vehicle body.

Each slide out may include a primary wall portion covering the opening in the side of the body of the vehicle across which it extends, and each slide out may also include end portions at each end of the primary wall portion extending transversely away from an edge of the primary wall portion towards the interior space of the vehicle.

N Each slide out may further include roof and floor portions at each end of the primary wall portion extending transversely away from an edge of the primary wall portion back towards the interior space of the vehicle. The slide out and in particular the roof and floor portions together with the end portions may close off the vehicle interior when the body is in the expanded condition and while it is being moved to the expanded condition.

The primary wall portion, the end portions, and the floor and roof portions may be rigidly attached to each other and may move together as a single unit. In particular the slide out may be in the form of a unitary article.

The adjacent slide outs on each side may be arranged substantially side by side and a space may be defined between adjacent ends of adjacent slide outs. The space may extend a short distance, e.g. 20-80mm, say 40-60mm. The body may include a substantially vertical support in the space between the ends of the adjacent slide outs that supports that part of the vehicle body that is above the slide outs.

The vertical support may be formed by that part of the associated side of the vehicle body that is between the adjacent ends of the adjacent slide outs, e.g.

the wall of the side of the vehicle body. The vertical support supports the roof of the body and other components above the slide out in their vertical position. It therefore functions very much like a post support.

One or more of the slide outs described above may have a width or depth in a direction transverse to the side of the body of at least 200mm, e.g. 200mm to 1200mm. Further one or more of the slide outs may have a width or depth in a direction transverse to the side of the body of 400-900mm. In some forms of the invention all the slide outs described above may have a width or depth in a direction transverse to the side of the body of 400 to 900mm.

Thus where both the left and right slide outs of the vehicle overlap each other in a longitudinal direction this will increase the overall width of the vehicle by 400mm to 2400mm, e.g. by 800mm tol800mm, along this overlapping section. This will significantly add to the amenity of the living region of a motor home particularly when this increased width extends for over half of the length of the body.

The width of different slide outs on the vehicle may be different. For example some slide outs may have a greater width than other slide outs. For example it may be desirable in some applications to have a slide out containing kitchen fittings to have a greater width than other slide outs, say containing bedroom fittings.

Instead all of the slide outs on the vehicle may have substantially the same width.

Naturally it would be advantageous to increase the width of the living region of the motor home by as large a width as possible. However as the width of the vehicle body is limited to 2500mm, effectively due to road regulations this imposes a practical limit on the cumulative width of the left and right slide outs.

That is the slide outs need to be received within the sides of the body in the contracted configuration when it travels on the road.

Each of the slide outs on said other side of the vehicle body may have a length of 2 to 5 m. In particular each of the slide outs on said other side may have a length of 2.0 to 3.5 m.

Further said at least one slide out on said one side of the body may have a length of 2 to 5 m. In particular said at least one slide out on said one side of the body may have a length of 2.0 to 3.5 m.

In one particular form of the invention the vehicle body may have one slide out on said one side and two slide outs on said other side. That is the vehicle has a total of three slide outs arranged with two slide outs on one side of the vehicle and one slide out on the other side of the vehicle.

In this form of the invention said one slide out on said one side may extend more than forty percent of the length vehicle body and said two slide outs on said other side (when the lengths thereof are added together) may extend more than sixty percent of the length of the vehicle body. In this form said two slide outs on said other side may extend substantially the full length of the vehicle body.

In another form of the invention the vehicle body may have two slide outs on said one side and two slide outs on said other side. That is two slide outs on one side of the body and two slide outs on the other side of the body.

In said other form of the invention described above said two slide outs on said one side (when the lengths thereof are added together) may extend more than sixty percent of the length of the vehicle body. Further said two slide outs on said other side (when the lengths thereof are added together) may extend more than sixty percent of the length of the vehicle body. In this form said two slide outs on said one side and said two slide outs on said other side may also both extend substantially the full length of the vehicle body.

0 The vehicle may further include one or more fittings mounted on the slide outs.

The fittings may include one or more of the following: cook top, oven, dishwasher, basin, shower, toilet, vanity, seat such as a bench seat, and refrigerator unit. The fittings may further include a head region of a bed with the rest of the bed projecting into the floor portion of the vehicle body and bedside tables on each side of the head region of the bed.

The slide outs enable fittings to be mounted up against adjacent the primary wall portion of the slide out and still provide a corridor or space between the fittings on N 10 the left and right slide outs through which people can pass and move with comfort and space and also provide a living area for the occupants.

The slide out may further include drive means for driving the slide out from the contracted to the expanded condition and back again, and a support means for supporting the slide out movably on the body and for guiding sliding displacement of the slide outs between the contacted and expanded conditions.

The slide outs may each be selectively moved from the contracted to the expanded condition and back again. Thus one or more slide outs may be moved to the expanded condition while other slide outs remain in the contracted condition.

Further while Applicant envisages that the slide outs will be driven to one of the expanded or contracted positions in use and not be stopped in an intermediate position, the movement of different slide outs to different positions including intermediate positions is contemplated to be within the scope of the invention.

The vehicle may include a chassis and the vehicle body may be mounted on the chassis. The chassis may be mounted on wheels, e.g. four wheels towards the corners of the body, by means of which the vehicle is mounted on a support surface.

The vehicle defined above may be a recreational vehicle. In particular the vehicle may be a motor home, a caravan or a fifth wheeler.

The vehicle may have more than two slide outs on said one side of the vehicle body and more than two slide outs on said other side. For example the vehicle body may include three slide outs on one side and three slide outs on the other side.

Thus each side of the body may include further slide outs other than those defined above and the statements should not be read to exclude the body having further slide outs on the body other than those above.

According to another aspect of this invention there is provided a motor home comprising: a motor home body having front and rear ends and left and right sides, and defining an interior space comprising a front seat region and a rear living region behind the front seat region, the body having at least one slide out on one side and at least two slide outs on the other side, each said slide out being movable between a contracted position in which it is broadly aligned with the associated side of the body and an expanded position in which it projects laterally outward beyond the associated side of the body whereby to increase the interior space defined by the body of the vehicle.

The motor home may include one slide out on one side of the body and two slide outs on the other side of the body.

The front seat region of the motor home may include a driver's seat on one side and a passenger seat on the other side. Said one side of the body with the two slide outs may be on the same side as the driver's seat and the side with the single slide out may be on the same side as the passenger's seat.

In Australia, New Zealand and the UK where the driver's seat is on the right side of the vehicle, the motor home will have two slide outs on the right side of the vehicle and one slide out on the left side of the vehicle.

In Continental Europe, the USA and Canada where the driver's seat is on the left side, the motor home will have two slide outs on the left side of the vehicle and one slide out on the right side of the vehicle. Put another way the side with the single slide out is positioned adjacent to the kerb side for safety reasons.

The adjacent slide outs on the same side as the driver's seat may be arranged substantially side by side with a space defined between the adjacent ends of the adjacent slide outs, e.g. a small space of say 20mm to 80mm. A substantially vertical support may be positioned in the space between the slide outs to support that part of the vehicle body above the slide outs. Further each vertical support may be formed by the associated side of the vehicle body between the adjacent slide outs, e.g. the wall of the vehicle body.

The living region may have a length of 5.0m to 10m. On one form the basic vehicle is a MERCEDES SPRINTER T M cab chassis having a living region length of 5.0m to 5.5.m. Each slide out may have a length of 2.5m to 2.75m. In another form the basic vehicle is an IVECO cab chassis having a living region length from to 7.5m, e.g. about 6.9m. Each slide out may have a length of 3.25m to 3.75m.

The two slide outs on the same side of the vehicle as the driver's seat (when their lengths are added together) may extend more than two thirds of the length of the living region. In one form the two slide outs on the same side of the vehicle as the driver's seat may extend more than three quarters of the length of the living region of the body of the vehicle, e.g. substantially the full length.

The two slide outs on the driver's seat side when viewed together may extend from a first position proximate to the front of the living region to a second position proximate to the rear of the living region of the vehicle.

Further the slide out on the same side of the vehicle as the passenger's seat may extend more than half of the length of the living region of the vehicle, e.g.

more than two thirds of the length of the living region.

The motor home and specifically the motor home body may include a rear door providing access to the living region on the same side of the body as the passenger seat.

The slide out on the same side as the passenger's seat may extend from a first position on the body just behind the rear door on the body to a second position proximate to the rear of the passenger's seat side of the body.

The vehicle body may include a further slide out on the same side of the vehicle as the passenger's seat, and the further slide out may be positioned forward of said one slide out on said one side.

The rear door may be defined in the further slide out on the same side as the passenger's seat. Thus the rear door forms part of the slide out and is displaced laterally outwardly with the wall of the slide out when it is moved to the expanded position.

The two slide outs on the same side of the vehicle as the passenger's seat may extend more than two thirds of the length of the living region. In particular the two slide outs on the same side of the vehicle as the passenger's seat may extend three quarters of the length of the living region, e.g. substantially the full length of the living region.

The two slide outs on the passenger's seat side when viewed together may extend from a first position proximate to the front of the living region to a second position proximate to the rear of the living region of the vehicle.

The advantage of this form of the invention is that the slide outs collectively extend along substantially the full length of the living region on both the left and right sides of the vehicle. Thus this provides a living region of significantly increased lateral width along the length of the living region.

Further the body may have at least one front door providing direct access to the front seat region, e.g. two front doors on the left and right sides providing access to the front seat region.

In yet another form of the invention the slide outs on the left and right side extend forward of the living region, e.g. across the front seat region forward of the living region. This increases the lateral width of the interior space of the vehicle in the front seat region as well as the living region.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a caravan comprising a caravan body having front and rear ends and left and right sides and defining an interior space, the body having at least one slide out on one side and at least two slide outs on the other side, each said slide out being movable between a contracted position in which it is broadly aligned with the side of the caravan body and an expanded position in which it projects laterally outward beyond the associated side of the caravan body whereby to increase the interior space defined by the caravan body.

The caravan body and the slide outs may include any one or more of the features of the vehicle body and slide outs defined in the first aspect of the invention described above.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a fifth wheeler comprising a tow truck having a tray and an articulating trailer pivotally mounted to the tray, the trailer having front and rear ends and left and right sides and defining an interior space, the trailer having at least one slide out on one side and at least two slide outs on the other side, each said slide out being movable between a contracted position in which it is broadly aligned with the side of the trailer and an expanded position in which it projects laterally outward beyond the associated side of the trailer whereby to increase the interior space defined by the trailer.

The articulating trailer may include any one or more of the features of the vehicle body defined in the first aspect of the invention described above. Further the slide outs may also include any one or more of the features of the slide outs defined in the first aspect of the invention According to another aspect of this invention there is provided a vehicle body comprising: a vehicle body shell having front and rear ends and left and right sides and defining an interior space; at least one slide out mounted on one side of the body shell and at least two slide outs mounted on the other side of the body shell, each said slide out being movable between a contracted position and an expanded position in which it projects out beyond the associated side of the body shell whereby to increase the interior space defined by the vehicle body.

The one side of the body shell may be the same side as the passenger's seat of the vehicle body or a towing vehicle used to tow the vehicle.

The other side of the body shell may be the same side as the driver's seat of either the vehicle or a towing vehicle used to tow the vehicle.

Thus said one side corresponding to the passenger's seat in Australia, New Zealand and the UK is on the left side of the vehicle body. The other side corresponding to the same side as the driver's seat in Australia, Australia, New Zealand and the UK is on the right side of the vehicle body.

In Continental Europe, the USA, and Canada the driver's side and passenger's side are the other way around and thus said one and other sides would be arranged the other way around, e.g. said one side would be on the right side, and said other side would be on the left side.

The body may have any one or more of the optional features of the vehicle body described above in the first aspect of the invention. In particular each slide out may include any one or more of the optional features of the body described above with reference to the first aspect of the invention above.

Further the body may also include fittings, e.g. as described above for the first aspect of the invention.

Specifically the body may include one slide out on one of the left and right sides of the body and two slide outs on the other of the left and right sides of the body.

The body may be a motor home body or a caravan body or a fifth wheeler trailer body.

The invention also extends to a layout of an interior space of a motor home having the arrangement of left and right slide outs described above in any of the preceding aspects of the invention.

The invention also extends to a method of expanding the lateral width of a recreational vehicle having a vehicle body with slide outs as described above in any one of the preceding aspects of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments A recreational vehicle that is a motor home or a caravan in accordance with this invention may manifest itself in a variety of forms. It will be convenient to hereinafter provide a detailed description of several embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. The purpose of providing this 0detailed description is to instruct persons having an interest in the subject matter of the invention how to put the invention into practice. It is to be clearly understood however that the specific nature of this detailed description does not supersede the generality of the preceding statements. In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of a motor home showing the internal layout thereof in accordance with the prior art; Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of a motor home showing the internal layout thereof in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; Fig. 3 is a schematic plan view of a motor home showing the internal layout thereof that is a variation on the motor home shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a schematic plan view of a motor home showing the internal layout thereof in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention; Fig. 5 is a schematic plan view of a motor home showing the internal layout thereof in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention; Fig. 6 is a schematic plan view of a motor home showing the internal layout thereof in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 7 is a schematic plan view of a caravan showing the internal layout thereof in accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 is discussed in the background to the invention above and will not be described further in this description.

In Fig. 2 reference numeral 1 refers generally to a recreational vehicle that is a motor home in accordance with the invention.

The motor home (vehicle) 1 comprises broadly a chassis (not shown) on which four wheels are mounted in the usual way to support the motor home 1 on a support surface. A vehicle body 5 is in turn mounted on the chassis. The vehicle shown in the drawing is a MERCEDES SPRINTER T M (Registered trade marks of Mercedes Benz) 316, or 416 or 616 which is a long wheel base cab chassis. The width of the body of the vehicle is about 2480mm.

The body 5 has a front 6 and a rear 7 and a left side 8 and a right side 9 extending between the front 6 and the rear 7. It also has a floor 10 filling in the space between the front and the rear 6 and 7 as well as the left and right sides 8 and 9. Further it has a roof that is substantially co-terminus with the floor 10 and is spaced above the floor 10. Thus the floor 10 and roof together close off the space defined by the front and rear 6 and 7 and left and right sides 8 and 9.

The outline of the body 5 defined by the front 6 and rear 7 and left and right sides 8 and 9 and the floor and the roof enclose and define an interior space. The interior space in turn can be divided into a front seat region 11 and a living region 13 that is rearward of the front seat region 11.

The front seat region 11 comprises a driver's seat 15 on the right side and a passenger's seat 16 on the left side. The driver's seat 15 contains the controls, e.g. steering wheel, ignition and pedals for enabling the driver to drive the motor home 1.

The living region 13 comprises all of the interior space that is rearward of the front seat region 11. The living region 13 provides the basic amenities of a dwelling that enable it to be lived in by the occupants of the motor home 1. While the front seat region 11 is typically occupied while the vehicle 1 is being driven along a road, the rear living region 13 is typically only utilised by users when the motor home 1 is in a recreational or camping mode. By this is meant that it is used when the motor home 1 is stationary and parked at a camp site or the like.

Each of left and right sides 8 and 9 of the body 5 of the motor home 1 comprises a wall made up of a left or right front section and a left or right living section rearward of the front section that is aligned with the living region 13.

Each front section contains a driver's door or passenger's door as the case may be that is aligned with the front seat region 11. The left side living section is rearward of the left front section. The right side living section is rearward of the right front section.

A rear door 18 is mounted on the left living section towards the front of the living region 13 to provide access from outside the vehicle to the living region 13. In the illustrated embodiment this door 18 is a hinge mounted door that swings outward and a set of steps may be associated with this door 18.

The vehicle 1 further includes a single left slide out 20 mounted on the left side 8 of the body 5 along the living region 13 of the vehicle 1. The left slide out extends from a point just rearward of the rear door 18 to a point proximate to the rear of the living section of the side 8. In fact in the illustrated embodiment the left slide out 20 extends substantially fully all the way to the rear of the left side 8.

Thus in the illustrated embodiment the left slide out 20 extends over 60% of the length of the living section of the left side 8.

The vehicle 1 further includes two slide outs 22, 24 on the right side 9 that are arranged broadly side by side with their adjacent ends being spaced a short distance apart from each other. One such slide out 22 is called the front slide out and the other slide out 24 is called the rear slide out. The front slide out 22 extends from the front of the living section on the right side 9 to an intermediate point 26 positioned along the length of the living section of the right side 9. The rear slide out 24 then extends from another point on the right side 9, close to said intermediate point 26, to the rear of the right side 9. Thus the right slide outs 22 and 24 cumulatively extend substantially the full length of the living section of the right side 9 and the living region 13 of the vehicle 1.

As described above the rear of the front slide out 22 is spaced a short distance apart from the front on the rear slide out 24 on the right side 9. The side or wall of the body 5 of the vehicle 1 extends up from the floor to the roof of the body 5 in this region between the front and rear slide outs 22, 24 to form a support that is like a support post. This section of wall between the slide outs 22, 24 effectively provides vertical support to the roof and other components of the body 5 in the region of the intermediate point 26. This is useful because it substantially reduces the span length between vertical support points when compared with the situation if there was only a single slide out extending the length of both these slide outs. This is useful because the weight of the roof above each slide out needs to be supported by a structural member mounted on the body of the vehicle and spanning the slide out. With a longer span length where there is only one slide out composite beams are required to be manufactured to withstand the weight of the roof along the span length. With a shorter span length lower gauge materials that are lighter can be used to span the length of the slide out. This in turn enables the overall weight of the motor home to be kept down. Further the construction and assembly is often easier and simpler when the span length of the slide out is shorter.

The motor home in Fig. 2 is registered to be driven on a simple car licence. This is made possible because the weight of the motor home is kept under the weight limit of 4495 kg for registration on a car licence.

Each said slide out 20, 22, and 24 is broadly cup shaped or receptacle shaped and opens into the living region 13 of the body 2 thereby to integrate it with the living region 13. Specifically each slide out 20, 22, and 24 comprises a primary wall portion 30 for covering a portion of the side of the vehicle body 5 and end wall portions 32, 34 at each end of the primary wall portion 30. It also includes a bottom portion and a roof portion (not shown) extending between the end wall portions 32, 34. The end portions 32, 34 and the bottom and roof extend transverse to the primary wall portion 30 to close off the interior of the slide out from the outside and also to integrate it with the interior space of the vehicle body Each of the right slide outs 22 and 24 has a width or depth of about 400-700mm and the left slide out 20 may have a similar width or depth of 400-700mm.

Therefore when all three slide outs 20, 22, 24 on both sides of the vehicle 1 are expanded they will increase the internal width of most of the living region 13 by about 800-1400mm. As is clearly shown in Fig. 2 the living region enjoying this substantially increased width of greater than 800mm extends for over 50% of the length of the living region from the rear door 18 to the rear of the living region 13.

The remainder of the length of the living region 13 has an increased width of at least 400mm reflecting a slide out on only one side in that longitudinal region of the body.

Each said slide out 20, 22, 24 is movable between a retracted or contracted position (not shown) in which the slide out is substantially aligned with the associated side 8 or 9 of the body 5 and an expanded condition. In the expanded condition which is shown in Fig. 2 the slide outs 20, 22, and 24 project side ways outwardly proud of the rest of the associated side 8, 9 of the body The slide outs 20, 22, and 24 are driven between the retracted and expanded conditions by a drive including a linear actuator (not shown) that rotates a screw threaded shank in a stationary nut that is held against rotation whereby to effect displacement of the nut along the shank. The linear actuator is a very precise type of drive mechanism and it only occupies a small amount of space and further it can be driven by an electric motor.

Each slide out 20, 22, and 24 is slidably mounted on the body 5 of the vehicle 1 by a fine tolerance sliding support mechanism that also guides movement of the slide out between the contracted and expanded conditions. The sliding support mechanism moves the slide out to exactly the same position each time it expands or contracts the slide out. Each sliding support mechanism comprises at least one pair of complementary engaging male and female members (not shown). In the illustrated embodiment the male member is mounted on the slide out and the female member is mounted on the vehicle body. Generally each said slide out 22 and 24 will be supported by three or four longitudinally spaced pairs of complementary engaging male and female members. Each slide out also has seals that seal the slide out to the adjacent side wall of the body in each of the contracted and expanded configurations.

In the sliding support mechanisms the male member is received within the female member with snug fit. This resists rattling of the mechanism during use, for the amenity of the driver and passenger. It will readily be appreciated that when a vehicle is on the road it will move around and the mounting of the slide out on the body should preferably be sufficiently tight for it not to rattle excessively when travelling on the road. Further the surfaces of the male and female member that make contact with each other should be such as to attenuate rattling.

This increased lateral width on the living region 13 of the motor home 1 gives a feeling of spaciousness and comfort that does not exist in a living region 13 not having left and right slide outs extending along more than half of the length of the living region 13. This is because humans feel more comfortable and relaxed in a space that has a width that is broadly comparable to the length as distinct from being long and narrow.

In Fig. 2 the living space 13 has a bedroom region containing a bed 40 and a wardrobe 42. The bed 40 has a transverse or an east-west configuration and the wardrobe 42 is aligned with the bed 40 thereby also occupying and taking up part of the lateral width of the body in this bedroom region. Notwithstanding this the slide outs 20 and 24 have the effect that a clearance of over 1 metre can still be provided between the wardrobe 42 and the foot of the bed 40 providing a comfortable walk around passage for users. This confers a level of amenity that would be difficult to provide in a vehicle 1 that did not have increased lateral space in the bedroom region due to one or more slide outs.

Further the Fig. 2 embodiment has a bathroom 46 extending across the full width of the vehicle 1 towards the rear of the living region 13. The existence of both left and right slide outs 20, 24 at the rear of the living region 13 enables the size and particularly the length of the bathroom 46 to be significantly increased over a rear bathroom where there are no slide outs towards the rear opening into a bathroom. As shown in the drawings the bathroom 46 has a toilet and a completely separate shower at opposite ends of the bathroom. Further the bathroom has a double vanity intermediate the toilet and shower. Applicant believes that this size and layout of bathroom 46 will find great appeal with elderly users of motor homes.

Further as is shown in Fig. 2 the living region 13 has a dining area 50 forward of the rear door 18 in a forward portion of the living region 13. This forward portion is the only part of the living region that does not have increased lateral width from a left slide out. It has some increased lateral width on one side from a right slide out.

However the portion of the front right slide out 22 that is aligned with this dining region 50 has fittings that only extend up to a counter height or waist height and there are windows above these fittings. This open space above waist height and the presence of windows helps to maintain the feeling of spaciousness in the living region and particularly this forward portion of the living region notwithstanding that the left side is not expanded laterally by a slide out. Again this feature helps to contribute to the feeling of spaciousness and amenity within the motor home 1.

The driver's seat 15 and the passenger seat 16 described above can be rotated to enable the seats 15, 16 to be turned around to be rearward facing when the vehicle is parked. This way a person sitting on a rearward facing seat 15 or 16 has access into and is integrated with the living region 13. The dining area 50 is formed by a chair 52 and a fold up dinette 54 and by swivelling the passenger seat 16 around so that it faces into the living region 13 and in fact becomes integrated with the living region 13.

As shown in the drawing the right front slide out 22 has a lounge seat 60 towards its front end and a cook top 62 alongside the lounge seat 60. These units 60, 62 are arranged side by side along the length of the slide out 14. These fittings only extend up to counter height at most. The vehicle body 5 may also include further fittings such as overhead cupboards above the cook top 62. The body 5 may also include further overhead cupboards in the bathroom.

In use the slide outs 20, 22, and 24 can be moved to the retracted position for travel of the vehicle 1 on the roads. When the vehicle 1 is stopped say at a camp site and converted to camping mode all three slide outs 20, 22, 24 can be moved to the expanded condition. This provides a living region of substantially increased width to live in as shown in the drawings.

In the expanded condition the slide outs 20, 22, 24 open up a middle region or central corridor of the living space 13 which enables people to move around in the living region 13 easily and provides a feeling of increased space that is more relaxing to human beings. This could not be provided in a road going vehicle body having a width of not more than 2500 mm without any lateral slide outs.

At a more practical level the three slide outs enable a double bed to be fitted in an east west orientation with an island configuration and for wardrobes to be provided in alignment with the bed. It also enables a full bathroom to be provided at the rear of the interior space 10 having a toilet, a separate full size shower, and a vanity with wash basin that are comfortably spaced along the rear wall of the vehicle body.

Fig. 3 illustrates a motor home which is a minor variation on the motor home shown in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 3 the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same components unless otherwise indicated. The following description will focus on the differences between this vehicle and the Fig. 2 vehicle.

In Fig. 3 the width of the different slide outs 22, 24 are different. For example slide out 22 has considerably greater width than adjacent slide out 24. This is useful because the slide out 22 increases the space of the kitchen and dining area which is widely used during the day and evening. By contrast the slide out 24 forms part of the bedroom and the imperative to create additional width in this part of the motor home 1 is less acute. The slide out 24 does provide sufficient additional width at the foot of the bed 40 to enable a user to walk around the bed while also having a wardrobe extending along the right side 9 in the bedroom.

Fig. 3 also shows how some slide outs may be moved to the expanded position while others may be left in the retracted position. For example if a user stops the motor home during the day for a refreshment break or the like, slide out 24 may be moved to the expanded condition but not slide out 22 or vice versa.

Further the body of the vehicle in Fig. 3 and particularly the living region 12 thereof is slightly longer than that of the vehicle in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 illustrates a motor home in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

In Fig. 4 the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same components unless otherwise indicated.

As this motor home has many structural and functional similarities to the motor home described above with reference to Fig. 2 the following description will focus on the differences between the two embodiments.

The body of this motor home which is built onto an IVECO cab chassis and has a substantially longer living region than the motor homes in Figs. 2 and 3, e.g. a living region having a length of 6.5m which is considerably longer than the 5.1m living region in the Fig. 2 embodiment. In Fig. 4 each of the slide outs 20, 22, 24 is longer than the corresponding slide outs in the Fig. 2 embodiment.

The Fig. 4 motor home consequently has increased lateral width over much more vehicle length than the Fig. 2 embodiment, e.g. 6.3m to7.0m of longitudinal length. This causes a significantly increased interior space when compared with the Fig. 2 embodiment which is expected to find appeal with users of motor homes.

The motor home in Fig. 4 weighs about 6.0 to 6.5 ton and thus has to be licensed to be driven on a light truck driver's licence and not a car licence like the Fig. 2 motor home. However Applicant believes the significantly increased interior space in the living region will find great appeal with user's of motor homes and there will be a great uptake of this embodiment notwithstanding that it has to be registered to be driven on a truck licence. It will be registered on a light truck driver's licence as distinct from a heavy truck driver's licence.

Fig. 5 illustrates a motor home in accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention.

This embodiment has many similarities with the embodiment shown in Fig. 2 above. Accordingly the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same components unless otherwise indicated.

The following description will focus on the differences between this vehicle and the Fig. 2 vehicle. The main difference between this embodiment and the earlier one is that it has two slide outs on the left side 8, namely front and rear left slide outs 70 and 20, as well as two slide outs 22, 24 on the right side 9.

This slide out 70 thus helps to increase the transverse width of the living region 13, in the lounge and dining area. Thus the Fig. 5 embodiment provides two slide outs on each side that together extend substantially the full length of the living sections on the left and right sides 8 and 9 to maximise the increased transverse width of the living area.

The two right slide outs 22, 24 are basically the same as those in the first embodiment. Further the rear slide out 20 on the left side 8 is the same as the single left slide out in the Fig. 2 embodiment.

The new or additional slide out 70 is positioned in front of the rear left slide out Specifically it extends from the front or leading edge of the living region 13 to an intermediate point 72 on the left side 8 spaced just forward of the front of the rear slide out 20. It thus has the effect of broadening out this forward portion of the living region 13 to a lateral width that is comparable to that of a rear portion of the living region 13.

It should be noted that the rear door 18 providing direct access from the outside into the living region 13 is mounted on the front left slide out 70. Thus it moves laterally with the slide out 70 relative to the side 8 of the vehicle 1. Further the dinette 54 and an associated seat 52 also moves laterally with the front left slide out 70 relative to the body The additional slide out 70 that is the left front slide out has the effect of increasing the lateral width of the living region 13 on both the left and right sides 8 and 9 for the full length of the living region 13. Naturally this contributes to an increased feeling of spaciousness within the living region 13, and particularly a forward portion of the living region containing the dinette and the lounge.

As described above there is a space between the rear of the front left slide out and the front of the rear left slide out 20. The side 8 of the body 5 extends up from the floor to the roof in this space between the ends of the adjacent slide outs 20. This provides support much like a post support to the vehicle body particularly the side of the body and roof of the body, above the slide outs 70, This spacing and the associated side or wall of the body providing post support is the same as that described above for the right side in Fig. 2. By having two slide outs 70, 20 of reduced length instead of one long slide out the gauge of material used to span the slide outs can be kept down and this helps to keep the overall weight of the body down.

Fig. 6 illustrates a motor home in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention.

As this motor home has many structural and functional similarities to the motor home described above with reference to Fig. 5 the following description will focus on the differences between the two embodiments. Further unless otherwise indicated the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same components.

The main difference between this embodiment and the Fig. 5 embodiment is that the front left and right slide outs 70, 22 do not terminate at the front end of the living region 13. Rather they extend forward over the front seat region 11 as well.

The front end of these slide outs 70, 22 is broadly aligned with the vehicle dash board and/or the front edge of the driver's seat 15 and front passenger seat 16.

Thus the slide outs 70, 22 widen the width of the front driver's seat region 11 to the same width as the living region 13 when the slide outs 70, 22 are expanded.

This increases the feeling of space in the motor home further than the Fig. embodiment.

Thus with the Fig. 5 embodiment the slide outs on the left and right side of the body 70, 20, 22, 24 together extend substantially the full length of the vehicle body 5 and not just the full length of the living region 13) on both the left and right sides 8 and 9. This therefore represents a maximisation of the internal space within the body Fig. 7 illustrates a recreational vehicle that is a caravan in accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention.

Aside from the obvious difference that this embodiment is a caravan and the Fig.

2 embodiment is a motor home this embodiment has many similarities with the Fig. 2 embodiment. Accordingly the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same components unless otherwise indicated.

In Fig. 7 the caravan has one slide out 20 on the left side 8 that is rearward of the rear door and two slide outs 22, 24 on the right side 9. Further these slide outs function much like the Fig. 2 slide outs. Further the layout is very similar to that in Fig. 2 with the only real difference being the arrangement of the dinette 50 in the Fig. 7 caravan due to the fact that the caravan does not have a front seat region.

In another embodiment that has not been illustrated the caravan has two slide outs on the left side and two slide outs on the right side.

In another embodiment that has not been illustrated a motor home has three slide outs along each of the left and right sides thereof. The overall length of the left and right sides covered by the slide outs is similar to that in Fig. 2. The main difference is that each of the left and right sides has three slide outs arranged side by side with their adjacent ends closely spaced apart from each other instead of two said slide outs side by side.

By having three slide outs down each side of the body the length of a particularly long motor home that can be widened by slide outs while still keeping the span length of each slide out within reasonable limits.

Further by having three slide outs in a motor home having a living region of shorter length say 5 to 6.9 m, the span length of each slide out and hence the engineering requirements of the materials used to span the slide out can be kept down. Further construction of the slide outs and the body around the slide outs is easier. In some applications this may represent the best balance between weight, engineering complexity and cost.

An advantage of a vehicle described above with reference to Fig. 2 is that it is able to provide increased lateral width of about 900 mm over a large portion of the length of the living region, e.g. over at least two thirds of the length of the living region. An advantage of having two slide outs arranged in series on one side is that the length needed to be spanned by the body across each slide out is less than if there was only one slide out. This enables a lighter gauge and lighter weight materials to be used to span the slide out than if there was only one long slide out. This helps to save weight to keep the overall weight of the vehicle under the weight limit of 4495 kg weight limit which is required for it to be driven on a car licence. It also makes the engineering and construction of the slide out to be made easier.

A further advantage of the vehicle described above and illustrated in the drawings is that the size of a bathroom could be increased to provide greater amenity.

A further advantage of the motor homes described above and illustrated in the drawings is that it is able to increase the lateral width of the living region along substantially the full length of the living region. In Fig. 2 this greatly improves the feeling of space in a motor home that is registered on a car licence having a living region of say a length of 5-6m. In Fig. 4 this greatly increases the lateral space along the length of a long motor home having a living region length of about 7 to lOnm.

It will of course be realised that the above has been given only by way of illustrative example of the invention and that all such modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as herein set forth.

Claims (33)

1. A vehicle comprising: a vehicle body having front and rear ends and left and right sides and defining an interior space, the body having at least one slide out on one side and at least two slide outs on the other side, each said slide out being movable between a contracted position and an expanded position in which it projects laterally outward beyond the associated side of the body whereby to increase the interior space defined by the body of the vehicle.

2. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein each slide out is cup shaped and is mounted over a correspondingly sized opening in the associated side of the body, and the slide out is oriented to open into the interior space of the vehicle body.

3. A vehicle according to claim 2, wherein each slide out includes a primary wall portion covering the opening in the side of the body of the vehicle across which it extends, and end portions at each end of the primary wall portion extending transversely away from an edge of the primary wall portion towards the interior space of the vehicle.

4. A vehicle according to claim 3, wherein each slide out further includes roof and floor portions extending transversely away from upper and lower edges of the primary wall portion back towards the interior space of the vehicle, to close off the vehicle interior when the body is in the expanded condition.

A vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein adjacent slide outs on each side are arranged substantially side by side and a space is defined between adjacent ends of adjacent slide outs, and the vehicle includes a substantially vertical support in said space between the slide outs that supports that part of the vehicle body that is above the slide outs.

6. A vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the vertical support is formed by a part of the associated side of the vehicle body that is between the adjacent ends of the adjacent slide outs.

7. A vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein each slide out has a width or depth in a direction transverse to the side of the body of at least 200mm.

8. A vehicle according to claim 7, wherein each slide out has a width or depth in a direction transverse to the side of the body of 200-900mm.

9. A vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein each of the slide outs on said other side has a length of 2 to 5 m.

10. A vehicle according to claim 9, wherein each of the slide outs on said other side has a length of 2.0 to 3.5 m.

11. A vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein said at least one slide out on said one side of the body has a length of 2 to 5 m.

12. A vehicle according to claim 11, wherein said at least one slide out on said one side of the body has a length of 2.0 to 3.5 m.

13. A vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the vehicle body has one slide out on said one side and two slide outs on said other side.

14. A vehicle according to claim 13, wherein said one slide out on said one side extends more than forty percent of the length vehicle body and said two slide outs on said other side extend more than sixty percent of the length of the vehicle body.

A vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the vehicle body has two slide outs on said one side and two slide outs on said other side

16. A vehicle according to claim 15, wherein said two slide outs on said one side extend more than sixty percent of the length vehicle body, and said two slide outs on said other side extend more than sixty percent of the length of the vehicle body.

17. A vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the vehicle is a motor home, a caravan, or a fifth wheeler.

18. A motor home comprising: a motor home body having front and rear ends and left and right sides, and defining an interior space comprising a front seat region and a rear living region behind the front seat region, the body having at least one slide out on one side and at least two slide outs on the other side, each said slide out being movable between a contracted position in which it is broadly aligned with the associated side of the body and an expanded position in which it projects laterally outward beyond the associated side of the body whereby to increase the interior space defined by the body of the vehicle.

19. A motor home according to claim 18, wherein the vehicle includes one slide out on one side of the body and two slide outs on the other side of the body.

A motor home according to claim 19, wherein the front seat region includes a driver's seat on one side and a passenger seat on the other side, and said other side of the body with the two slide outs is on the same side as the driver's seat, and said one side with the single slide out is on the same side as the passenger's seat.

21. A motor home according to claim 20, wherein the two adjacent slide outs on the same side as the driver's seat are arranged substantially side by side, and the adjacent ends of the adjacent slide outs are spaced apart from each other, and a substantially vertical support is positioned in the space between the slide outs to support that part of the vehicle body above the slide outs.

22. A motor home according to claim 21, wherein each vertical support is formed by part of the associated side of the vehicle body between the adjacent slide outs.

23. A motor home according to any one of claims 18 to 22, wherein the two slide outs on the same side of the vehicle as the driver's seat extend more than two thirds of the length of the living region.

24. A motor home according to claim 23, wherein the two slide outs on the same side of the vehicle as the driver's seat extend substantially the full length of the living region of the body of the vehicle.

A motor home according to any one of claims 18 to 24, wherein the slide out on the same side of the vehicle as the passenger's seat extends more than half of the length of the living region of the vehicle.

26. A motor home according to claim 19, wherein the vehicle body includes a further slide out on the same side of the vehicle as the passenger's seat, and the further slide out is positioned forward of said one slide out on said one side.

27. A motor home according to claim 26, wherein the body includes a rear door providing access to the living region on the same side of the body as the passenger seat, and the rear door is defined in the further slide out.

28. A motor home according to claim 26 or claim 27, wherein the two slide outs on the same side of the vehicle as the passenger's seat extend more than two thirds of the length of the living region.

29. A motor home according to any one of claims 26 to 28, wherein the two slide outs on the same side of the vehicle as the passenger's seat extend substantially the full length of the length of the living region.

A caravan comprising a caravan body having front and rear ends and left and right sides and defining an interior space, the body having at least one slide out on one side and at least two slide outs on the other side, each said slide out being movable between a contracted position and an expanded position in which it projects laterally outward beyond the associated side of the caravan body whereby to increase the interior space defined by the caravan body.

31. A fifth wheeler comprising a tow truck having a tray and an articulating trailer pivotally mounted to the tray, the trailer having front and rear ends and left and right sides and defining an interior space, the trailer having at least one slide out on one side and at least two slide outs on the other side, each said slide out being movable between a contracted position and an expanded position in which it projects laterally outward beyond the associated side of the trailer whereby to increase the interior space defined by the trailer.

32. A vehicle substantially as herein described in any one of the embodiments described in the detailed description and illustrated in the drawings.

33. A motor home substantially as herein described in the detailed description and illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.