AU2010100281B4 - A Kit - Google Patents

A Kit Download PDF

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Publication number
AU2010100281B4
AU2010100281B4 AU2010100281A AU2010100281A AU2010100281B4 AU 2010100281 B4 AU2010100281 B4 AU 2010100281B4 AU 2010100281 A AU2010100281 A AU 2010100281A AU 2010100281 A AU2010100281 A AU 2010100281A AU 2010100281 B4 AU2010100281 B4 AU 2010100281B4
Authority
AU
Australia
Prior art keywords
seat
bus
floor
metal strip
wall
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
AU2010100281A
Other versions
AU2010100281A4 (en
Inventor
Matthew Lukan
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Styleride Pty Ltd
Original Assignee
Styleride Pty Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from AU2006906975A external-priority patent/AU2006906975A0/en
Application filed by Styleride Pty Ltd filed Critical Styleride Pty Ltd
Priority to AU2010100281A priority Critical patent/AU2010100281B4/en
Publication of AU2010100281A4 publication Critical patent/AU2010100281A4/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of AU2010100281B4 publication Critical patent/AU2010100281B4/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60NSEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2/00Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
    • B60N2/005Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles, e.g. dismountable auxiliary seats
    • B60N2/015Attaching seats directly to vehicle chassis
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60NSEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2/00Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
    • B60N2/005Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles, e.g. dismountable auxiliary seats
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60NSEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2/00Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
    • B60N2/24Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles
    • B60N2/242Bus seats
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62DMOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
    • B62D25/00Superstructure or monocoque structure sub-units; Parts or details thereof not otherwise provided for
    • B62D25/20Floors or bottom sub-units

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Body Structure For Vehicles (AREA)

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention generally relates to bus seats, in particular bus seats with seatbelts for small buses. BACKGROUND ART 5 In Australia and worldwide it is becoming unacceptable to provide buses, mini-buses and people-movers without seatbelts. In many states and countries, legislation exists or is in the process of being passed which stipulates the use of seatbelts in these vehicles. Most of the foregoing types of vehicles are manufactured without seatbelts. In order to comply with legislation, and ensure the safety of passengers, it is therefore necessary to either 0 fit seatbelts to existing seats, or retro-fit seats which incorporate seatbelts. The former option is generally not desirable as the seats provided with the vehicles are not designed to accommodate seatbelts. It is therefore most desirable to retro-fit seats incorporating seatbelts. Most buses and mini-buses have a discrete chassis and it is a relatively simple matter to anchor such seatbelt-incorporating seats to the chassis. However, monocoque 5 buses, such as the Toyota Coaster and Iveco Daily, have a bus body anchored to the chassis. Retro-fitting a belt-incorporating seat in these vehicles is complicated by the fact that the bus body is located between the seat and the chassis. The method presently used in monocoque buses is to remove existing seats from the bus, remove the existing flooring, and fit a metal frame into the vehicle, to which frame belt 20 incorporating seats are attached after a floor panel is fitted. There are a number of disad vantages to this method. The method is lengthy and expensive. More importantly, the metal frame alters the structural integrity of the vehicle, which is designed, as a monocoque vehicle, to be flexible. Introduction of the metal frame significantly compromises the structural integrity of the base of the vehicle, and thereby the strain which the vehicle can sustain, particularly 25 under collision conditions. Therefore, there would be an advantage if it were possible to provide means for incorporating seats with seatbelts into buses which overcomes or ameliorates one or more of the disadvantages or problems described above, or which at least provides the consumer with a useful choice.
2 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a kit for retrofitting at least one seat within a bus, the bus having floor structural frame members and wall structural frame members, the kit comprising: 5 floor mount means for mounting the seat to the floor structural frame members; and wall mount means for mounting the seat to the wall structural frame members. The wall mount means may comprise a wall mount. The wall mount may comprise at least one metal strip of angle iron to which the seat can be mounted. The wall mount means may further comprise fasteners (e.g. bolts) for fastening the angle iron relative to the wall 0 structural frame members. The floor mount means may comprise a floor mount. The floor mount may comprise at least one metal strip to which the seat can be mounted. The floor mount means may further comprise fixings for fixing the metal strip to floor structural frame members. In one embodiment, the kit may further comprise the seat for mounting to the floor 5 mount means and wall mount means, the seat including one or more seat belts. Alternatively, the seat may be provided (e.g. sold) separately to the kit. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bus comprising: floor structural frame members; wall structural frame members; 20 floor mount means mounting at least one seat to the floor structural frame members; and wall mount means mounting the seat to the wall structural frame members. The bus may be a monocoque bus of any make and model. The bus may be a Toyota Coaster or similar bus, for example the Iveco Daily. The seatbelt-incorporating seat may be of any design, configuration and make which 25 meets design and safety regulations. A seat may be configured for a single or multiple occupants. The StyleRide® series of seats is particularly suited for use in embodiments of the invention as these seats meet design, safety and comfort regulations and requirements. Seatbelt incorporating seats may have one or more legs appropriate for attachment to the base of the bus. Preferably, the legs are appropriate for bolting to the base of the bus. 30 The leg may be attached to the metal strip in any appropriate manner, but is preferably attached as follows: the metal strip is placed above the flooring of the bus and in a suitable 3 position for having a leg of a seat fixed thereto; a metal strip portion is placed under a lateral member of the bus below the metal strip and the strip portion is attached, preferably by bolting from each end, to the metal strip. The seat is attached, via the leg of the seat, to the metal strip preferably by bolting the leg of the seat to the metal strip. 5 An optional manner of attaching the metal strip to a lateral member in essence results in the formation of a U-shaped clamp fitting about the lateral member, comprising the metal strip portion, and the bolts extending either side of the member between the strip portion and the metal strip. The metal strip and strip portions may be any appropriate size and metal, but are 0 preferably strips of steel of 40 mm width by 10 mm thickness. Metal strip portions for placement under a lateral member of the bus may be of any practicable length, but are preferably only long enough to accommodate a bolt on either side of the lateral member as described above. However, if the configuration of the lateral member demands it, the metal strip portion may have a shape accommodating such a configuration, or 5 the metal strip may be attached to one end of the metal strip portion only. For most of the seating positions in a Toyota Coaster, where the strip portion may be attached to the metal strip on either side of a lateral member, a strip portion typically has a length of about 110 mm. In the absence of lateral members, the metal strip portion may take the form of a bracket attached to the base frame of the bus. This would typically only occur in isolated positions in ?0 order to conserve the integrity of the bus, for example in respect of the seat forward of the door of the Toyota Coaster, and the seat situated above the battery box. The metal strip per se may be any practicable length, but preferably extends substantially along the length of the bus in the bus seating area. The strip may also be of any practicable shape. The strip for the most part may be flat. However, should the configuration of 25 the bus demand it, the strip may adopt a suitable shape. For example, seat positioning over the wheel arch demands that the metal strip adopts a shape allowing the strip to be positioned adjacent the wheel arch, being attached to the lateral member on either side of the arch. The angle-iron may be any appropriate size and metal, but preferably is steel and has a width across each flat of 50 mm. 30 A further advantageous aspect of embodiments of the invention is that the metal strip and angle-iron may be attached to the bus members using existing drilled holes in those members, thereby negating the need to drill holes for bolts. In addition, attachment of the leg of 4 the seat to the metal strip may also be achieved using existing boltholes in the lateral members of the bus. When attached in the manner described above, the seatbelt-incorporating seat may easily and inexpensively attached to the bus, and complies with ADR-68. 5 In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practice, non limiting examples will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings briefly described hereafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is an isometric representation of two modules of an embodiment of the 0 invention, excluding seats. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of two modules of the embodiment of the invention, excluding seat. Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the area marked 'Detail A' in Figure 2. Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the area marked 'Detail B' in Figure 2. .5 Figure 5 is a plan view of a bus body anchored to a bus chassis and showing various fixing brackets for fixing seats to the bus body in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As indicated above, conventionally the monocoque buses of interest are supplied with 20 seats lacking seatbelts. In order to retrofit seatbelt-incorporating seats, it is necessary to remove the existing seats. The original flooring is retained and structural frame members of the bus body are used to construct a seat module. The structural members utilized in the construction of a seat module can be appreciated from Figure I which comprises sections of the wall and floor of a Toyota Coaster body but with 25 the wall and floor panels omitted so that the wall and floor structural members can be seen. In the figure, there is shown lateral floor frame members (1, 2, 3), extending from side to side of the bus, and longitudinal floor frame members (4, 5), extending from front to back of the bus. Also visible are the existing longitudinal wall frame members (6, 7) and vertical wall frame members (8, 9, 10). 30 The elements of a seat module according to an embodiment of the invention can be 5 appreciated from Figures 1 and 2. A metal strip portion (11) forming part of a fixing is placed under the lateral members (1, 2, and 3) and attached to the metal strip (12), which is placed above the longitudinal members (4, 5). An angle-iron wall mount which in situ comprises a vertical section (15) and a horizontal section (16), is bolted to the horizontal wall members (6, 5 7) and the vertical wall members (8, 9, 10) via the vertical section (15). An end (not shown) of the seatbelt-incorporating seat is then bolted to the horizontal section (16) of the angle-iron while the other end of the seat is fixed to the metal strip (12) by way of a leg (14). In some instances, metal strip (12) will adopt a bent shape to accommodate a feature of the frame of the bus, for example the wheel arch. In that instance, the metal strip adopts a shape 0 allowing the strip to be positioned adjacent the wheel arch, being attached to the lateral member on either side of the arch. In some instances, the lateral members of the bus are not available for attaching the metal strip, for example for example positions in respect of the seat forward of the door of a Toyota Coaster, and the seat situated above the battery box. In these situations, the metal strip 5 portion can take the form of a bracket attached to the chassis of the bus. Module components are shown in greater detail in Figures 3 and 4. With particular reference to Figure 3, there is shown metal strip portion (11) of a fixing under the lateral members (1, 2, and 3) and attached to the floor mount metal strip (12), which is placed above the longitudinal members (4, 5), over the plywood flooring (18). The strip portions (11) and the !0 strip (12) are bolted together with bolts (13) (M12 (8.8GR)) of the fixing on either side of the lateral members (1, 2, 3). With particular reference to Figure 4, the leg (14) of a seatbelt-incorporating seat is attached to the strip (12). This is achieved using M12 bolts (20) in holes drilled through metal strip (12) and the plywood flooring (18). 25 A kit is provided for retrofitting at least one seat within the bus. The kit comprises floor mount means for mounting the leg (14) of the seat to the floor structural members (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Elaborating further, the floor mount means comprises at least one metal strip (12) or other like floor mount to which the leg (14) of the seat can be mounted. The floor mount means further comprises fixings for fixing the metal strip (12) to floor 30 structural members (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). The fixings include metal strip portions (11), and bolts (13, 19 and 20).
6 The kit further comprises wall mount means for mounting the end of the seat opposite the leg (14) to the wall structural members (6, 7, 8, 9, 10). The wall mount means comprises at least one metal strip of angle iron (15, 16) or other like wall mount to which the seat can be mounted with vertically extending bolts 17. The wall mount means further comprises fasteners 5 in the form of horizontally extending bolts (25) for fastening the angle iron (15, 16) to the wall structural members (6, 7, 8, 9, 10). The kit can optionally further comprise at least one seat for mounting to the floor mount means and wall mount means. Each seat includes one or more seat belts, and is a StyleRide® seatbelt-incorporating seat. 0 The kit also typically includes instructions for installing the seats. A bus comprising the kit is also provided. In this manner, the bus comprises floor structural members (1, 2, 3, 4, 5); wall structural members (6, 7, 8, 9, 10); floor mount means mounting at least one seat to the floor structural members (1, 2, 3, 4, 5); and wall mount means mounting the seat to the wall structural members (6, 7, 8, 9, 10). 5 Fitting of the kit in a monocoque bus provides a seat module which complies with safety and integrity regulations, and is uncomplicated and inexpensive to produce. It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The above examples are therefore to be considered in all !0 respects illustrative and not restrictive. For example, the fasteners and fixings of the wall mount means and floor mount means may include brackets 30 of varying shape and dimension to accommodate the shape and dimension of the structural members (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10). The kit may further include a drawing such as that of Figure 5 showing the required location of various constituent brackets 25 30. Each bracket 30 can include multiple parts. The fixings and fasteners may also include nuts, washers and bolts as required. Figure 5 also shows the bus chassis 32 to which the bus body 34 including the structural members (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) is anchored. The term "comprise" and variants of the term such as "comprises" or "comprising" are used herein to denote the inclusion of a stated integer or stated integers but not to exclude any 30 other integer or any other integers, unless in the context or usage an exclusive interpretation of the term is required.
7 Any reference to publications cited in this specification is not an admission that the disclosures constitute common general knowledge in Australia.

Claims (5)

1. A kit for retrofitting at least one seat within a bus, the bus having floor structural frame members and wall structural frame members, the kit comprising: 5 floor mount means for mounting the seat to the floor structural frame members; and wall mount means for mounting the seat to the wall structural frame members.
2. A kit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wall mount means comprises at least one metal strip of angle iron to which the seat can be mounted, and fasteners for fastening the angle iron 0 relative to the wall structural frame members.
3. A kit as claimed in claim I or claim 2, wherein the floor mount means comprises at least one metal strip to which the seat can be mounted, and fixings for fixing the metal strip to floor structural frame members. 5
4. A kit as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising the seat for mounting to the floor mount means and wall mount means, the seat including one or more seat belts. W0
5. A bus comprising: floor structural frame members; wall structural frame members; floor mount means mounting at least one seat to the floor structural frame members; and wall mount means mounting the seat to the wall structural frame members. 25
AU2010100281A 2006-12-13 2010-03-29 A Kit Expired AU2010100281B4 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2010100281A AU2010100281B4 (en) 2006-12-13 2010-03-29 A Kit

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2006906975 2006-12-13
AU2006906975A AU2006906975A0 (en) 2006-12-13 A Bus Module and Method
AU2007237155A AU2007237155B2 (en) 2006-12-13 2007-11-26 A Bus Module and Method
AU2010100281A AU2010100281B4 (en) 2006-12-13 2010-03-29 A Kit

Related Parent Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
AU2007237155A Division AU2007237155B2 (en) 2006-12-13 2007-11-26 A Bus Module and Method

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
AU2010100281A4 AU2010100281A4 (en) 2010-04-29
AU2010100281B4 true AU2010100281B4 (en) 2010-07-01

Family

ID=38983170

Family Applications (3)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
AU2007237155A Active AU2007237155B2 (en) 2006-12-13 2007-11-26 A Bus Module and Method
AU2010100281A Expired AU2010100281B4 (en) 2006-12-13 2010-03-29 A Kit
AU2018282260A Pending AU2018282260A1 (en) 2006-12-13 2018-12-17 A bus module and method

Family Applications Before (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
AU2007237155A Active AU2007237155B2 (en) 2006-12-13 2007-11-26 A Bus Module and Method

Family Applications After (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
AU2018282260A Pending AU2018282260A1 (en) 2006-12-13 2018-12-17 A bus module and method

Country Status (3)

Country Link
US (1) US20080143167A1 (en)
AU (3) AU2007237155B2 (en)
GB (1) GB2444836A (en)

Citations (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE2646203A1 (en) * 1976-10-13 1978-04-20 Bremshey Ag Adjustable bench seat for bus - has folding floor strut at outer end and wall catch to receive hook on upper part of frame
DE2759596B2 (en) * 1977-11-11 1981-05-21 WEMA GmbH Werkstatt für Mechanik und Apparate, 1000 Berlin Passenger seat for local transport vehicles
EP0615894A1 (en) * 1993-03-16 1994-09-21 Matra Automobiles Vehicle compartment structure including seat anchoring devices
GB2291628A (en) * 1994-07-23 1996-01-31 Univ Manchester Metropolitan Seat and seat belt anchorage arrangements for buses and minibuses
US5826945A (en) * 1995-01-23 1998-10-27 Mercedes-Benz Ag Bench seat system for motor vehicles especially for small vans
EP1266791A2 (en) * 2001-06-12 2002-12-18 Grammer Ag Passenger seat for public transport vehicles
US20030141752A1 (en) * 2002-01-30 2003-07-31 Tachi-S Co., Ltd Seat framework for bus
US20050200172A1 (en) * 2004-02-26 2005-09-15 Graham Thomas R. School bus passenger seat with integrated restraints
US20060273610A1 (en) * 2005-06-03 2006-12-07 Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Structure for mounting vehicle seat

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3147045A1 (en) * 1981-11-02 1983-05-05 C. Rob. Hammerstein Gmbh, 5650 Solingen Multi-seat arrangement, in particular double-seat arrangement for buses
DE102006006174A1 (en) * 2006-02-10 2007-08-23 Daimlerchrysler Ag vehicle seat

Patent Citations (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE2646203A1 (en) * 1976-10-13 1978-04-20 Bremshey Ag Adjustable bench seat for bus - has folding floor strut at outer end and wall catch to receive hook on upper part of frame
DE2759596B2 (en) * 1977-11-11 1981-05-21 WEMA GmbH Werkstatt für Mechanik und Apparate, 1000 Berlin Passenger seat for local transport vehicles
EP0615894A1 (en) * 1993-03-16 1994-09-21 Matra Automobiles Vehicle compartment structure including seat anchoring devices
GB2291628A (en) * 1994-07-23 1996-01-31 Univ Manchester Metropolitan Seat and seat belt anchorage arrangements for buses and minibuses
US5826945A (en) * 1995-01-23 1998-10-27 Mercedes-Benz Ag Bench seat system for motor vehicles especially for small vans
EP1266791A2 (en) * 2001-06-12 2002-12-18 Grammer Ag Passenger seat for public transport vehicles
US20030141752A1 (en) * 2002-01-30 2003-07-31 Tachi-S Co., Ltd Seat framework for bus
US20050200172A1 (en) * 2004-02-26 2005-09-15 Graham Thomas R. School bus passenger seat with integrated restraints
US20060273610A1 (en) * 2005-06-03 2006-12-07 Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Structure for mounting vehicle seat

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU2007237155A1 (en) 2008-07-03
GB2444836A (en) 2008-06-18
GB0724038D0 (en) 2008-01-16
AU2018282260A1 (en) 2020-07-02
US20080143167A1 (en) 2008-06-19
AU2010100281A4 (en) 2010-04-29
AU2007237155B2 (en) 2012-12-20

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