GB2116495A - Individual transportation vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle has a chassis formed by two parallel side girders (5 and 6), between which are mounted, on bearings the axles (3 and 4) of wheels (1 and 2), the front wheel (1) being stearable and the rear wheel (2) being driven through a chain by an alcohol or gasolene fuelled engine (7). The vehicle has two side foot-boards (9) for the user, capable of being folded, and a single or double rod bare (11), with an articulation point (12) which allows its folding, and having telescoping extensions (13). The vehicle is capable of being folded and converted into a small-sized volume which is then enveloped within a cover and carried or towed by the user. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Door-to-door individual transportation vehicle Having in view the problem that the whole world is facing nowadays, mainly in the large urban centers, regarding the locomotion means offered to the population, further aggravated by the fuel saving need, new techniques and new methods are being studied over the whole world looking for locomotion systems which be able to meet the needs referred to, in order to offer to the population a suitable, comfortable, cheap and efficient system and which may likewise meet the required fuel savings.

The collective conveyance means, in spite of being more economic, subject their users to transshipments and tiresome walkings in order to reach their destinations. The automobile would be more suitable because it offers door-to-door individual locomotion, but, however, it faces problems such as lack of sufficient parking lots, mainly in the large urban centers and, further, due to its high cost and greater fuel consumption, therefore rendering anti-economical its use.

Another option would be the motorcycle, but this one also shows problems and inconveniences, among which the fact of exposing their users to bad weather, with a greater accident risk, and also stealing risk when parking in the large urban centers. The bicycles would be more economic, being suitable for short distances, showing, however, disadvantages on sloping terrain, demanding a greater physical effort from the users and, as the motorcycles, they are subject to the same stealing, bad weather and parking risks.

Therefore, there is a crying need to be developed a transportation means which does not offer the above mentioned problems and inconveniences to the user, which is cheap and economic, useful, practical and suitable, and which displays all the advantages deserved by the user.

It is the object of this Invention to meet such need and, therefore, it regards to a small vehicle for individual transportation, idealized and developed upon fully Brazilian technology and which can operate also with fuel of domestic origin and which is being used in our Country the alcohol - with extraordinary economy.

Said vehicle is portable, compact, of low cost and substantially suitable to the wages' profile of most Brazilian urban population. It moves upon two pneumatic wheels. It is equipped with alcohol-driven domestic motor, of approx. 30 cc - 1 HP. Average speed: 20-35 Kl/h. Approx.

consumption: 75 km/liter of alcohol. It can run also with gasoline, consuming almost one tenth compared with the consumption of the most economic known car. Therefore, said vehicle comes to meet the present needs as an alternative for the fuel economy.

Regarding the alcohol, for instance; one sugarcane bar (approx. weight 1 Kg) produces an average of 0.075 liter of alcohol, this amount allowing a car to cover a distance of approx. 300 meters, while if used in the vehicle object of the Invention the same alcohol amount will allow it to cover a distance of 3 kilometers, therefore 10 times more than the automobile.

Still comparing the vehicle object of the patent with the most economic and of lower price car among the existing ones, we must point out that the first one can be acquired at a cost of approx.

8% of the value of the second one. the small vehicle for individual transportation is portable and capable to be folded, it moves at a speed of 20-35 km/h and weighs approx. 8 kilos, against 80 km/h (maximum legal speed allowed) of the automobile which, for its turn, weighs from 650 to 1 500 kg.

Therefore, the vehicle object of the present invention offers a series of technical, practical and economic advantages, thus being perfectly suitable to the new times, contributing for the lessening of traffic jam in the public streets, parking lots and lesser investments in public services. It attends to the most needed populational layers. It reduces the permanency time of the lowincome people inside the collective transportation means, in transshipments and in traffic jams, thus allowing more time for leisure and familiar intimacy.

One of the great advantages of the invention is the fact of allowing the user's individual locomotion door-to-door, within short and medium distances or conjugated with collective transportation means, that is, from your house door, for instance, to the door at the place to where you are going, and vice-versa, even if it is a long distance, from a quarter to another or from a quarter to downtown.This is rendered possible due to the fact that said vehicle is super-compact and can be fully folded having a little weight, it being easy to be carried by hand (after being folded, it converts itself into a small-sized volume which is covered by a cover closed by a zipfastener, clasps or other means, showing itself in the shape of a suitcase, with the respective handle), or inside collective transportation means (bus, subway, taxi) or even into the car's trunk (mixed use also being feasible: car (parking lot)/vehicle object of the patent). The cover which envelops the folded vehicle leaves free and clear a section of the front wheel, which makes possible the folded and enveloped vehicle to be moved through the rolling of its front wheel, with the user holding it at the handle bar which, even folded, allows to be extended through a telescoping system.

It is, therefore, a small-sized, robust, light, economic and efficient vehicle which comes to solve a series of problems related to the transport and fuel consumption, having its own characteristics and which shows all the novelty and originality requirements demanded in order to deserve the Invention Patent.

In order to better understand the invention constructive, constitutive and functional characteristics, hereinafter it shall be described a preferred embodiment of the door-to-door individual transportational vehicle, the same being schematically represented in the attached drawings, to which references are made as follows.

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 - Views of the vehicle referred to, respectively side elevation, front and plan view.

FIG. 4 - Manner of folding the vehicle and its enveloping with the cover-bag.

FIG. 5 - An example of door-to-door individual transportation.

FIGS. 6 and 7-Two ways to carry along the folded vehicle.

As it may be seen in the attached drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, the door-to-door individual transportation vehicle moves on two pneumatic wheels, front wheel (1) and rear wheel (2), the respective axles (3 and 4) of which are mounted on bearings between two parallel girders (5 and 6) which, practically, constitute the vehicle chassis.

The front wheel axle is mounted in such a way that it is allowed to displace itself radially to its center, its terminals running between slots provided in the chassis girders, on balls or other means, thus making possible the steering of said front wheel (1).

Between the chassis it is mounted the motor (7), of approx. 30 ce -- 1 HP, light, strong, compact and stable, operating with alcohol, gasoline or other fuel type, said motor being coupled to the rear wheel by means of chain and cogwheels, which provide the reduction of the wheel rotation to suitable speeds.

By means of suitable supports (8) fixed to the chassis, there are suspended in both sides two foot-boards (9) fastened by means of articulation elements (10) which allow said foot-boards to be folded upwardly as best illustrated in Figure 4.

To the front wheel (1) axle there is substantially fixed a single or double rod handle bar 1), suitably curved and provided with an intermediate articulation point (12) closer to the wheel upper level, said handle bar having telescoping extensions (13) the positioning adjustment of which is fixed by means of bolts (14).

At the outwardly bent ends of the telescoping extensions (13) the handle bar grips (15) are coupled, which besides helping the user to steady himself are also meant to accelerate the motor and other purposes.

The driving system operates by means of a device which starts the motor upon a forward thrust applied to the vehicle. With the motor dead, the device, which operates by centrifugal force, couples the traction system to the crankshaft, and the motor start-up can be achieved through the impulse of the vehicle itself.

When the motor starts rotating, the coupling system claws uncouple themselves and the motor beings to run by the centrifugal force system itself.

As can be seen in Figure 4, the handle bar can be folded backwards at the articulation point (1 2), it being positioned in the longitudinal direction on the vehicle, while the foot-boards are folded upwardly, being tangent to the chassis, therefore reducing its size into a small-sized volume, and thus being covered with a cover (16) which can be closed with zip-fastener, clasps or other means. It then converts into a handbag type, having also a handle (17) to allow it to be carried.

The cover may have a front opening (18) which allows the externalization of a section of the front wheel (1) while the handle bar grips may, through an opening (10) provided at the posterior upper part, be allowed to remain outside, thus allowing the telescoping extensions (13) to be extended in order to form a grasping handle (see Fig. 7) for one of the options of transport of the vehicle. That is, pulling it by the said grasping handle and allowing it to roll by means of the exposed section of the front wheel.

Another transportation option is illustrated in Fig. 6, the vehicle already folded and enveloped being carried along as a suitcase, it being an easy task due to the vehicle's light weight.

These options to carry along the vehicle are used only to enter into a building, the user's house, a collective transportation means (bus, subway, train), along the spaces of bus, subway and railroad stations, through the corridors of buildings, galleries and other places in which it is impossible the utilization of the individual transportation vehicle in operation.

As the above description and the illustrative drawings attached hereto refer to a preferred embodiment it should not have a limiting or exclusive character of the scope of protection of the present invention patent but it has a mere explanatory purpose of the basic concept on which it is founded.

When the door-to-door individual transportation vehicle as described and exemplified is put into practice, modifications and/or improvements may be introduced, all of which being regarded as simple variants of the embodiment comprises within the scope of protection of the present Invention Patent.

For instance, the vehicle referred to may be constructed with folding systems at various points, in order to convert it into a smallest possible volume. It may use also diminution means through telescoping systems.

With technical improvements, the vehicle's wheels may be conjugated with spring suspension system, and the foot-boards may as well be provided with damping system, in order to followup the movements caused by the terrain irregularities, thus obtaining comfort and safety for the user.

Optional equipment may be included. The cover may be fastened in the handle bar itself, in the shape of a bag or sack, suitable for the packing of packages or other objects. And many other options may be employed in order to improve not only the vehicle's functionality but its visual, aesthetic appearance and comfort as well, within the scope of the present invention patent.

In short it refers to a small-sized vehicle, running on two pneumatic wheels and operating with an alcohol-driven motor, gasoline-driven motor or any other fuel type, of approx. 30 cc and 1 HP, reaching an average speed of 20 to 35 km/h, the consumption being of 75 km/liter. It constitutes a new individual transportation system developed with Brazilian technology and fuel and more suitable to the income profile of most of the Brazilian urban population. It may have a mixed use with collective transportation means (bus, subway, train) it being feasible the mixed use with car, between a parking place and the destination.

It is a low cost vehicle, it being a suitable option to the purchasing power of the less favoured population. It reduces thepeimanency time of the people inside transportation means and traffic jams, therefore favouring extraordinarily the users who, therefore, shall have more time for leisure and familiar intimacy. It is, at last, a popular vehicle that comes to meet the present needs, wanting a collective transportion means really efficient and, furthermore, due to the pressing shortage of fuel deriving from petroleum.

Claims (4)

1. "Door-to-door individual transportation vehicle", characterized by moving itself on two pneumatic wheels, front wheel (1) and rear wheel (2), being constituted by a chassis formed by two parallel side girders (5 and 6), between which the respective wheels' axles (3 and 4) are mounted; and by the fact of the front wheel being provided with a horizontal radial articulation system for the steering of said wheel; and by having the motor (7) operating with alcohol, gasoline or any other sort of fuel mounted on the chassis, said motor being coupled to the rear wheel by means of chain and cogwheel.

2. "Door-to-door individual transportation vehicle", as in the previous Claim, in which, by means of suitable supports (8) fixed to the chassis, there are suspended in both sides two foot-boards (9) fastened by means of articulation elements (10) which allow said foot-boards to be folded upwardly.

3. "Door-to-door individual transportation vehicle", as in the previous Claims, characterized in that to the front wheel (1) axle there is fixed a single or double rod handle bar (11), suitable curved and provided with an intermediate articulation point (1 2), closer to the wheel upper level, said handle bar having telescoping extensions (13), the positioning adjustment of which is fixed by means of bolts (14), it being that at the outwardly bent ends of the telescoping extensions (13) there are coupled the handle bar grips 5).

4. "Door-to-door individual transportation vehicles", as in the previous Claims, in which the handle bar can be folded backwards at the articulation point (12), it being positioned in the longitudinal direction on the vehicle, while the foot-boards are folded upwardly, being tangent to the chassis, reducing its size into a small-sized volume, thus being covered with a cover (16) which can be closed with zip-fastener, clasps or other means, therefore converting itself into a handbag shape type, having also a handle (17) to allow it to be carried, said cover may have a front opening (18) which allows the externalization of a section of the front wheel (1), while the handle bar grips may, through an opening (19) provided at the posterior upper part, be allowed to remain outside, allowing the telescoping extensions (13) to be extended in order to form a grasping handle.