Abstract:
A vehicle with a collapsible body. With this construction a one-person&#39;s vehicle can be folded together to a very compact size with the dimensions of an average suitcase. The body comprises two halves: a front and back part. Each of these parts contains a lower and upper hollow section. Each upper hollow section can slide telescopically in and out the lower hollow section, thus enlarging or reducing the length of the corresponding part. In the collapsed state both parts with all their sections are nested into each other. A further reduction of the volume of the collapsed vehicle can be achieved by using a chassis with two retractable slidable frame parts.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is the U.S. national phase of PCT Appln. No. PCT/NL2010/050494 filed Aug. 4, 2010, which claims priority to Netherlands application NL 2003332 filed Aug. 5, 2009 the disclosures of which are incorporated in their entirety by reference herein. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a vehicle with a collapsible body. With this system a one-person vehicle can be collapsed to very compact dimensions of the size of an ordinary suitcase. 
     RELATED ART 
     In the patent literature many collapsible vehicles are described: GB1383997 (1974 Greppi) describes a vehicle, whose front and back side can be folded to reduce the size of the vehicle. JP 58122265 (1983 Nakamatsu) describes a vehicle, the length of which can be reduced using a scissor construction. DE 8908186 (1989 Schausten) and DE 29621710 (1996 Schausten) describe a vehicle with a body that comprises slidable and nested side- and roof-panels that move along a guide brace. US 2005/236202 (2005 Walworth) describes a vehicle with a collapsible roof structure. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     The present invention relates to a collapsible construction, that further reduces the volume of the collapsed state as compared to the above mentioned vehicles. The body consists of two parts: a front part and a back part. Each part comprises an upper and lower hollow section. Each upper hollow section can telescopically slide inward and outward in the lower hollow section to reduce or increase the length of the corresponding part. The hollow sections can have the shape of a rectangular box or semicylinder. 
     If the upper hollow section of one part is telescoped into the lower hollow section, the other part can be turned around this part and so the first said part is nested inside the second said part of which the upper hollow section can also be telescoped into the lower hollow section. In this way the volume of the body can be reduced by three-quarter. A further reduction of the volume of the collapsed body can be realized through a chassis which encompasses two telescoping frame members, such that the front body part is attached to the front frame member and the back body part is attached to the back frame member. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a folded out vehicle for a single person; 
         FIG. 2  shows the first phase of the folding process; 
         FIG. 3  shows the first body rotated to the refracted position; 
         FIG. 4  shows the second body part rotated to the retracted position; 
         FIG. 5  shows the second body part in a collapsed configuration; 
         FIGS. 6, 7 and 8  illustrate an alternative embodiment in the direct partially collapsed and fully collapsed positions; 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a third embodiment in the unfolded state; 
         FIG. 10  illustrates the third embodiment in the collapsed state; and 
         FIG. 11  illustrates a fourth embodiment in the erect but open position to enable an occupant entry. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention will be further elucidated here below with reference to the annexed figures of several examples of embodiments:  FIG. 1  shows the folded-out vehicle in which there is space for one person. The front part comprises an upper hollow section  1  and a lower hollow section  2 , which have the shape of a hollow semicylinder in this figure. The upper hollow section  1  comprises two guides  5 , which can slide telescopically in the corresponding guides  6  of the lower hollow section  2 . For extra strength more than two pairs of guides  5  and corresponding guides  6  can be used. The upper hollow section  1  comprises at its top a cover  9 , which in this semicylindrical design has a semicircular surface. The lower hollow section  2  can comprise a similar cover at its bottom. The back part of the body comprises an upper hollow section  3  and a lower hollow section  4 , which also have the shape of a hollow semicylinder in this figure. The upper hollow section  3  comprises two guides  7 , which can slide telescopically in the corresponding guides  8  of the lower hollow section  4 . For extra strength more than two pairs of guides  7  and corresponding guides  8  can be used. The upper hollow section  3  comprises at its top a cover  10 , which in this semicylindrical design has a semicircular surface. The lower hollow section  4  can also comprise a similar cover at its bottom. 
     The lower section  2  of the front part of the body is hingedly connected with a hinge  12  to the chassis  11 . The lower section  4  of the back part of the body is hingedly connected with a hinge  13  to the chassis  11 . This chassis  11  is, in this here depicted embodiment of the invention, a rectangular box with a front wheel  24  at its front and two rear wheels  14  attached to its back. An electric motor can be placed in the front wheel  24  for the propulsion of the vehicle. Instead of this in an alternative design the electric motor can propel the back wheels  14  or the back wheels are driven by pedals and a chain. In the  FIGS. 2 to 5  (inclusive) the folding-together process of the vehicle&#39;s body is depicted. 
       FIG. 2  shows the first phase of the folding-together process with the upper section  1  of the front part slid into the lower section  2  of said front part. 
       FIG. 3  depicts the vehicle after this retracted front part is turned about the hinge  12  and is flat-lying onto the chassis  11 . For this the vehicle&#39;s steer must be folded in/turned over too. 
       FIG. 4  shows the vehicle&#39;s configuration after turning over the back part of the body about the hinge  13  such that said back part is lying flat on the retracted front part. 
       FIG. 5  depicts the final position of both collapsed nested parts in the folded-in configuration, with the upper section  3  is slid into the lower section  4  of the back part. The wheels  14  and  24  can be designed as detachable from the chassis. When the wheels  14  and  24  are uncoupled from the chassis  11  they can be stored within the inner hollow section  1  of the nested sections of both parts. In another embodiment of the invention, after collapsing both parts of the body, both back wheels  14  together with their forks are turned over such that they either lie flat on the bottom of the chassis  11  or the back forks with the back wheels are rotated about an axis parallel to the wheel axles and reside next to the collapsed nested hollow body parts. The front wheel  24  and its fork can also be tilted because said fork comprises two hinged elements. By turning the front wheel and tilting the fork, the front wheel can lie flat onto the bottom of the chassis. This yields a significant space reduction. 
       FIGS. 6 and 7  show an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In  FIG. 6  the folded-out configuration is shown of a vehicle&#39;s body that again comprises two body parts. The first part includes preferably two halfcylindrical sections with one section  1  sliding in another section  2 . Section  1  has a guide  5  which telescopes in the corresponding guide  6  of section  2 . The second part includes preferably two halfcylindrical sections with one section  3  sliding in another section  4 . Section  3  has a guide  7  which telescopes in the corresponding guide  8  of section  4 . The first mentioned part has slightly smaller outside dimensions than said second part and can turn around a vertical rotation axis  15 . This rotation axis  15  can be designed as a pin or bolt through both covers  9  and  10  and a corresponding pin or bolt through both bottom covers for a rotatable mutual attachment. In  FIG. 7  is depicted the state of the folding-in process with said first smaller part is turned over approximately 180 degrees about the vertical rotation axis  15  and said first part is completely or largely enclosed in said second bigger part. 
     In  FIG. 8  the final state of the collapsing process is shown. Here all nested sections of both parts are slid into each other along their guides. 
     In  FIG. 9  another variant of the invention is depicted with a chassis which includes a front frame member  16  and a back frame member  17 , which can slide inward and outward with respect to each other along guides  18 . Each guide  18  can be designed as a block with two round holes, through which the round legs of the frame members  16  and  17  can slide. 
     The vehicle again comprises a front part with an upper hollow section  1  and a lower hollow section  2 . Both said sections are here (rounded) box-shaped. The upper hollow section  1  includes two guides  5 , which can telescopically slide inward and outward in the corresponding guides  6  of the lower hollow section  2 . For the sake of clarity the body panels and covers are not depicted in this and the next figures. The lower hollow section  2  of the front part of the body is hingedly connected with hinges  12  to the front frame member  16 . The vehicle also includes a back part with an upper hollow section  3  and a lower hollow section  4 , which are here (rounded) box-shaped. The upper hollow section  3  includes two guides  7 , which can telescopically slide inward and outward in the corresponding guides  8  of the lower hollow section  4 , The lower hollow section  4  of the back part of the body is hingedly connected with hinges  13  to the back frame member  17  (See  FIG. 11 ). In this embodiment of the invention a front fork  21  is suspended to the top of the front frame member  16  with a hinge  22 . The steer  23  is hingedly attached to this fork  21 . Both back wheels  14  are each mounted in a back fork  20 . Said forks  20  being mounted on a rear axle  19 , which is attached to the back frame member  17 . The two back forks  20  can slide along and rotate about this rear axle  19 . 
       FIG. 10  shows the folded-in configuration of this embodiment of the collapsible vehicle, as seen from its back. The front frame member  16  of the chassis is slid inward into the back frame member  17  of the chassis. The front part of the body has its upper hollow section  1  telescoped into the lower hollow section  2  and next this front part of the body is turned over 90 degrees about the front frame member  16  with hinges  12 . (See  FIG. 9 ) 
     Similarly the back part of the body has its upper hollow section  3  telescoped into the lower hollow section  4  and next this back part of the body is turned over 90 degrees about the back frame member  17  with hinges  13 . 
     The front fork  21  with the front wheel  24  and the steer  23  are turned about the horizontal top of the front member  16  by a tube hinge  22  such that said fork  21  with the front wheel  24  are located inside the body of the collapsed vehicle. At this the steer  23  is also turned over its attachment to the front fork  21  by means of a second tube hinge  25 . Both back forks  20  with their mounted back wheels  14  are moved to the central part of the rear axle  19  and are then turned over 180 degrees about this rear axle  19  to the front so that both back forks  20  with their back wheels  14  reside in the interior of the nested collapsed hollow parts of the body. In this way the front wheel  24  is lying between and parallel to both back wheels  14  in the interior of the collapsed vehicle. This gives a significant reduction of space. 
     In another embodiment of the invention this front wheel  24  is rotated 90 degrees and tilted by the tube hinge  25  after which the front wheel  24  is lying flat on the bottom of the chassis between both back wheels  14 . 
       FIG. 11  shows another preferred embodiment of the invention in which upper hollow section  1  of the front body part is telescoped into the lower hollow section  2  of the front body part and constitutes the bonnet/hood of the vehicle which encloses the steer  23 . For the sake of clarity the body panels, covers and seats are not depicted in this and the preceding figures. The back part with its upper hollow section  3  and lower hollow section  4 , can be turned backwards and secured in a horizontal position with both hollow sections of this back part are extended outward to increase their total volume. This back part can serve now as a cargo space for the vehicle. Similarly the front part can be turned forward and secured in a horizontal position, with its hollow sections extended, to serve as the front cargo space. 
     Furthermore in this figure pedals and a chain are depicted which drive this carrier-tricycle. The pedals  26  are mounted on a chain wheel  27 , which drives a chain or belt  28 . In the middle of the hollow rear axle  19  a second chain wheel  29  is situated. This chain wheel  29  is firmly attached by means of an internal drive shaft within the rear axle  19  to two chain wheels  30  on both ends of that drive shaft at the ends of the rear axle  19 . The two chain wheels  30  drive a chain or belt  32  on each back fork  20 , which propel a secondary chain wheel  31  on each back wheel  14 . 
     It will be apparent to the skilled person that the inventive concept allows a wide application and is certainly not limited to the given embodiments, which serve only by way of illustration.