JPS625103B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a trailer coupled to a motor vehicle, particularly a private passenger motor vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In order to increase the loading capacity and weight of a motor vehicle, it has long been proposed to connect a trailer, which constitutes an external loading area, to the motor vehicle and tow it. There are two types of trailers currently commercially available for this purpose.

The first type is a fixed structure with a predetermined storage area, which area can optionally be modified by adding stackable frames or racks. Although this type of trailer satisfies its primary function of transporting cargo, it is difficult to store it when not in use, as the safe storage of the trailer requires a space comparable to the overall dimensions of the trailer. There is.

The second type of trailer is a modification of the first type and is assembled for use and disassembled to reduce overall size when not in use. It is an assembled structure of component parts. Therefore, when not in use, the trailer can be stored in a conventional garage or carport for towing vehicles.

These two types of trailers do not satisfy users who do not have a dedicated garage or carport, as they are suitable for carrying heavy or voluminous items that cannot be easily stowed inside a car or its trunk. This is because users who do not have dedicated storage space for such trailers do not consider acquiring trailers for occasional transportation.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new trailer for a motor vehicle, especially designed to be stored in the trunk of a motor vehicle when not in use, so that the user does not need a special storage location for the trailer. There is always the possibility of accessing the required additional cargo volume as soon as it is needed.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle inside the trunk of a small automobile (including one with a hatchback-type rear door) having a rear seat that is deformable or non-transformable. The goal is to be able to store trailers in.

According to the present invention, this problem can be solved by providing a trailer for an automobile equipped with a traction rod, a chassis having a loading platform, a pair of wheels, and a wheel support device for supporting each wheel. and a constricted portion narrower in width than the first portion recessed inwardly from the side end forming a recess at the rear side end, and the wheel support device is configured such that the wheel supporting device is configured to fit into the recess when the wheel is in the running position. a longitudinal axis of the chassis on the underside of said first portion adjacent to the side edge of the cargo platform, such that said first portion is located below said recess and is located away from below the recess and below the constriction of the chassis when not in use; This was achieved through a configuration in which it is supported so as to be rotatable in the lateral direction and extends rearward.

Examples will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

In the embodiment of the trailer shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the chassis 1 consists of transverse members 2 and 3 connected to each other by two longitudinal members 4, which The material is formed, for example, from a light alloy tube having an annular cross section. The longitudinal member 4 has a warped portion 4a that is recessed from approximately the midpoint to the inside of the frame formed by the chassis 1, and extends so as to form a recess 5 extending in the direction of the cross member 3. ing. A loading platform (not shown) having a shape that matches the shape of the chassis is fixed onto the chassis 1 formed by the vertical and horizontal members.

The chassis 1 is connected to a traction rod 6 of the same length as the front crosspiece 2, the attachment of the traction rod to the chassis 1 being attached to the crosspiece 2 and to the crosspiece 3 or possibly an intermediate crosspiece. This is ensured by the sleeve 7, which guarantees the sliding and guiding of the traction rod 6 up to the support and assembly sleeve 8, which is secured to the material 9. Traction rod 6 and assembly sleeve 8
The connection between is ensured by a movable pin 10 of the elastic clamp type or possibly all other types. Although not shown, the traction rod 6 has, on the side opposite the traction head 11, several holes for the insertion of pins 10, thereby protruding from the crosspiece 2 of the traction rod 6. It is possible to adjust the length, ie the distance between the chassis 1 and the rear of a towing vehicle (not shown).

The chassis 1 comprises two wheel support devices 16 each having a wheel 12 supported by an axle 13 between the arms 14 of a fork 15 arranged on the longitudinal member 4 . As shown in more detail in FIG. 3, the wheel support device 16 is located in front of the camber 4a of the longitudinal member 4, for example by welding, as seen in the normal traction direction indicated by the arrow f ₁ in FIG. It has a fixing plate 17 fixed by twisting. The fixed plate 17 has a traction rod 6 attached to its edge located inside the chassis.
It holds a pivot 18 extending parallel to the traction axis of the chassis 1 defined by . The pivot 18 ensures the support of the pivot plate 19, which is held on the fixed plate 17 by a quick clamping mechanism 20. In one preferred arrangement, the quick clamping mechanism 20 has a spindle 21 disposed in a bearing 22 mounted on the fixed plate 17. The spindle 21 is provided with an operating lever 23 extending outside the fixing plate 17 that allows the rotation of the spindle 21 within the bearing 22 to be operated. The spindle 21 has in its central part an eccentric cylindrical span 24 which passes across a cylindrical bore in the head 25 of the screw shaft 26 which engages in an opening 27 provided in the fixed plate 17. The screw shaft 26 is the pivot plate 19
It is provided with a nut 29 on the outside thereof, which engages in a groove 28 provided in the pivot plate 19.

To operate the clamp mechanism 20, first adjust the threading of the nut 29 on the screw shaft 26 so as to reduce the gap between the facing parallel plates 17 and 19 as much as possible, and then move the operating lever 23 in an appropriate direction. By rotating the eccentric span 24 and moving the eccentric span 24, the eccentric function of this span 24 ensures the tightening of the pivot plate 19 to the fixed plate 17 by the nut 29.
It brings about a tensile effect on. Although FIG. 3 shows the clamp mechanism 20 in the maximum tightening position, the pivot plate 19 can be released from the fixed plate 17 from this position by operating the operating lever 23 in the direction of arrow _f2. , is obtained by releasing the nut 29 by pivoting the head 25 in the direction f ₃ about the span 24.

The wheel support device 16 furthermore has two suspension bearings 30 adapted to support an axle 31 which is supported by a pivot plate 19 and passes through a tube 32 connecting the arm 14 of the fork 15. . As shown in FIG. 3, the arms 14 are interconnected by spacers 33 which act against compression and are placed under stress between the spacers 33 and the pivot plate 19. , for example, constitutes a support member for the shock absorber 34 constituted by a helical spring 35.
Fixing elements 36 and 37 are preferably spacers 33
and on the pivot plate 19 to prevent the risk of unintentional release of the helical panel 35.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings show that the wheel support device 16 is typically located in a recess 5, as seen in FIG.
The presence of a damper 34 located in the lower position and interposed between each fork allows the pivot of the wheel 12 to move freely in one direction or the other direction of the arrow f ₄ as a function of running stresses and loads. Primarily responsible for supporting the moving axis. This structural arrangement allows for wheel supports for running and damping to be placed on each side of the chassis 1, and for such independent supports to be
This makes it possible to arrange and apply it to the area within the polygon occupied by the loading platform combined with the chassis 1.

The wheel support device 16 further includes a corresponding spring 34 inserted between the space 33 and the pivot plate 19.
It has a complementary function that ensures the support of The wheel support device 16 achieves the possibility of collapsing the corresponding wheel 12 into the polygonal inner region of the chassis 1. Indeed, as mentioned above, the lever 2
All you have to do is operate 3 in _{the two} directions of the arrow f. Spiral shaft 26
is thus released from the groove 28 and the pivot plate 19 can then pivot on the axis 18 in the direction of arrow f ₅ (FIG. 3), thereby moving the wheel and wheel support device into the second position. It can be guided to the position shown at the bottom of the figure. In this position, all of the components are located inside the chassis 1, so that the trailer can be easily placed in the trunk of the vehicle after removal of the tow rod 6 by pulling out the movable pin 10. In fact, first the cross member 3 is brought inside the trunk and the wheels and wheel support device are retracted so that they are located in the lower parallel plane of the chassis by folding, as shown in FIG. so that the generally open chassis recess 5 can fit into a projection for receiving a motor vehicle wheel, which normally projects into the interior of the trunk of the vehicle. The recess 5 thus has the primary function of a swing space for the wheels of the trailer, which can be arranged in line with the longitudinal members 4, and the primary function of fitting into the wheel projection in the trunk of the vehicle. It has two functions. The chassis is thus stored flat inside the trunk.
It occupies only a small height volume and can provide the necessary capacity for receiving, placing or placing packages, luggage or other loads. Complete storage of the folded trailer inside the trunk is completed by placing the tow rod 6 in a position parallel to the crosspiece 2 shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.

The structure of the trailer according to the invention thus allows the trailer to be permanently folded into the trunk of a vehicle and, when necessary, to be easily pulled out for effective use.

This is because the cargo platform thus constructed is removed from the trunk, the wheels and wheel supports are placed in a useful position by means of the corresponding quick clamping mechanism 20, and the tow rod 6 is arranged to be towed by the vehicle. This is because it is sufficient to place the load on top. As can be seen in FIG.
In particular, a flat loading platform 38 is connected which is arranged on the chassis by means of a collar. The bed 38 allows for easy loading and when the trailer is placed in its folded position in the trunk of the vehicle, the floor of the trunk is still needed to support the entire load or cargo. This results in a flat surface that provides a large volume.

5 and 6 show special embodiments for increasing the load capacity of the trailer without compromising the advantages mentioned above. In this embodiment, the chassis 1 is complemented by a chassis 1 ₁ of a longitudinal member 4 ₁ symmetrical thereto in shape, in other words with a curvature 4 a ₁ for defining two recesses 5 . ing. In this embodiment, chassis 1 and ₁₁ have opposite cross members 2 and 2.
₁ , and the recesses 5 and ₅₁ are opposite. The connection between the chassis 1 and ₁₁ is preferably provided by two clamping mechanisms 40 of the same type as the clamping mechanism used in the wheel support device 16.
two plates 42 and 43 secured by and fixed to the ends of the longitudinal members of chassis 1 and ₁₁ respectively;
An operating lever 41 between the two allows quick connection. FIG. 5 shows that the half chassis 1 and ₁₁ extended and aligned with each other to form the actual chassis of the trailer have been previously described in connection with the function of the clamping mechanism of the wheel support device 16 in FIG. After the folding of the wheels and the wheel support, the chassis 1 ₁ is folded in the direction of the arrow f ₆ and the chassis 1 ₁ is placed parallel to the chassis 1, thus forming these two half chassis into two folded chassis 1. The trailer is shown in use, aligned by a clamping mechanism 40 which can be secured by means of an operating lever 41 to ensure that it is held together as a unit. In this embodiment, the loading capacity can be doubled without causing a significant increase in the volume of the trailer in the folded state.

FIG. 5 shows that in such a construction example, the traction rod 16 is located at the bottom of the chassis ₁₁ .

The invention is not limited to the embodiments shown and described in detail, but can be modified in various ways without going beyond these.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the object of the invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view taken along line - in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view taken along line - in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a side view similar to FIG. 1, showing one possibility of the object of the invention. FIG. 5 is a side view similar to FIG. 1 showing an embodiment of the object of the invention. 6 is a side view illustrating the advantages of the structural arrangement of FIG. 5; FIG. Symbols in the figure: 1... Chassis, 2... Cross member, 3... Horizontal member, 4... Vertical member, 5... Concave member, 6... Traction rod, 7...
Sleeve, 8... Assembly sleeve, 9... Intermediate cross member, 1
0...Movable pin, 11...Tow head, 12...Wheel, 1
3... Axis, 14... Arm, 15... Fork, 16... Wheel support device, 17... Fixed plate, 18... Pivot, 19... Pivoting plate, 20... Quick clamp mechanism, 21... Spindle, 22... Bearing, 23... Operation lever, 24... eccentric span, 25... head, 26... screw shaft, 27... opening,
28...Groove, 29...Nut, 30...Suspension bearing, 31
...shaft, 31...shaft, 32...tube, 33...spacer, 3
4... Buffer, 35... Helical spring, 36... Fixed element, 37... Fixed element, 38... Loading platform, 39... Quick coupling means, 40... Clamp mechanism, 41... Operating lever, 42... Fixed plate, 43... Pivoting plate , respectively.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A towing rod, a chassis having a loading platform, 1.
In an automobile trailer equipped with a pair of wheels and a wheel support device for supporting each wheel, a chassis 1 has a first portion A having a predetermined width and a recess 5 at the rear end thereof. The wheel support device 16 has a constricted portion B that is narrower in width than the first portion concave, and the wheel support device 16 is configured so that the wheel 12 is located below the concave portion 5 in the running position and when not in use. the first portion A adjacent to the side edge of the loading platform 38 so as to be located below the narrowed portion B of the chassis 1;
A trailer for an automobile, characterized in that the trailer is supported on the underside of the chassis 1 so as to be rotatable in the lateral direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the chassis 1, and extends rearward. 2. The wheel support device 16 has a fork 15 that receives and rotatably supports the wheel 12, and this fork is pivotally supported by a shaft 31 held by a suspension bearing 30 of a pivot plate 19, The automobile trailer according to claim 1, wherein the trailer is arranged between the fork 15 and the pivot plate 19. 3. The chassis 1 is extended by a second chassis ₁₁ having a loading platform at the front end of the first part A, which is swingably hinged _and extended.
2. The automobile trailer according to claim 1, wherein the trailer has substantially the same shape and size as the first loading platform 38 when folded over the first loading platform. 4. A motor vehicle trailer according to claim 1, characterized in that the removable towing rod (6) is smaller than the maximum width of the chassis (1).