Nestable vehicles

Abstract: Perfected automotive vehicle, which presents the incorporation of a multiple towing system enabling the group transfer of these vehicles, and thereby facilitating its redistribution to points of demand in order to be used as a public, self-service, hire vehicle, without the need for individual transfer. This multiple towing system is made possible by means of the combination of: a) A chassis structure made of two halves in which one of the two halves of each vehicle fits into the opposite half of another vehicle the same or similar by means of a double hitching device thereby producing a rigid coupling between two vehicles and ensuring that the axis of the wheels of the half that is being towed aligns itself with the axis of the wheels of the opposite half of another vehicle that is towing it. b) A steering system that pivots about the centre of the two halves thereby ensuring that all vehicles being towed follow the same path.

Description: The object of the present invention is to provide a perfected nestable automotive vehicle. An automotive vehicle according to preamble of claim 1 is known from the patent US-A-5 417 300. The innovation of the invented vehicle is the incorporation of a multiple towing system that enables the group transfer of several vehicles driven by a single operator, thereby facilitating its redistribution for use as a public vehicle. This multiple towing system is made possible by the features of claim 1. By means of the invented vehicle, an efficient concept of vehicle transfer and parking of vehicle groups is put into operation in a compact form. This vehicle can be offered for hire by means of "smart cards" for example or by means of any other public use, as found with experiments in Brussels and Turin. With a multiple towing system a rapid and efficient redistribution of a car fleet is made possible, with a minimum number of operators, allowing a greater flexibility of the points of delivery and return. One could hope that the use of these vehicles might become extensive thereby creating a reduction in private car ownership and solving associated problems, such as those of parking for example. The purpose of the present invention is to encourage the use of public cars and to offer an efficient alternative to the private car, thereby helping to restrict some of the negative consequences of its abusive use. According to the invention, the vehicle has four wheels, of which some have an autonomous means of motorization, this being preferably of reduced dimensions with an electric motor or not. Obviously, the invention does not concentrate on precise constructive details, for example the shape of the bodywork, but more essentially on the multiple towing system produced due to the ability it has to couple in a rigid way with another vehicle the same or similar, combined with a steering system produced by the central pivoting of the chassis. Although proposals are known of for coupling cars in order to save parking space, at present no vehicle is known of that incorporates a multiple towing system for transfer in groups by means of a rigid linking system between vehicles thereby achieving that all vehicles follow the same path. In order to understand not only the vehicle construction, but also the actual use of the invented vehicle more easily, the following practical example is given of how it could be used, this being merely enunciatory and by no means limitory of the same. Although the structure of the vehicle is such that the half of the vehicle which couples inside the housing of the other half may indifferently be the front or back part, for the sake of simplicity only one of the possible versions is shown graphically: that in which the housing is situated between the front wheels, in order to allow and enable the housing of the rear wheels of another vehicle the same or similar. All this being as is shown in the attached drawing, in which: Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic view of a series of the invented vehicle coupled in a row. Figure 2 shows a sectional plan view of figure 1. Regarding the drawings, the invented automotive vehicle 1 is divided in one half 2, with housing between the wheels and another half 3 that fits into the housing of the half 2 of another vehicle, joined by means of a pivot 4. The vehicle 1 has a cabin 5 in which a seat 6 and a luggage compartment 7 are found. The vehicle 1 has two hitching points 8 to which another vehicle the same or similar is connected by means of two hooks 9. The half 2 shows a central housing 11 that facilitates the fitting of a central guide 10 in the half 3 of another vehicle as shown in the drawings.

Claims: Automotive vehicle (1) having a multiple towing system comprising a combination of: a) a chassis structure, b) a steering system characterised in that a) the chassis structure is made of two halves (2, 3), front and back, where the distance between the wheels of one of the halves (3) having a central guide (10) is necessarily less than the distance between the wheels of the other half (2) having a central housing (11) suited for coupling with said central guide (10) of another vehicle (1) of the same type such that when they are coupled a rigid coupling is produced by means of a double hitching device (8, 9, 10, 11) between both halves (2, 3) of said two vehicles (1) and by said means (8, 9, 10, 11) a module is formed with a single axis of four wheels, and where b) the steering system is pivoted in the centre (4) of the two halves (2, 3) that make up the vehicle (1), in a way similar to certain street cleaning vehicles, which enables the central pivoting of the chassis such that when they are coupled rigidly, the vehicles (1) being towed necessarily has to follow the same path as the vehicle (1) towing it. Automotive vehicle, as described in claim 1, characterised in that the coupling by means of the double hitching device (8, 9, 10, 11) is directed by means of a central guide (10) which is formed in the middle of one half (2, 3) as a curved concave shape and in the other half (2, 3) as a curved convex shape. Automotive vehicle described in the claim 1 characterised in that the coupling by means of the double hitching device (8, 9, 10, 11) is directed by means of a central guide (10) in one half (2, 3) in the shape of a closed polygonal line and the other half (2, 3) in the shape of an open polygonal line.

Inventors: RENDALL WILLIAM M C, RENDALL, WILLIAM M.C.
Applicants: RENDALL WILLIAM M C, RENDALL, WILLIAM M.C.
Application year: 2000
Main classification: B62D47
IPC codes: B62D47