US 12,077,211 B2Granted

Lightweight vehicle

AssigneeTextron Innovations Inc.

InventorsDonny Lee Hammond, Jr., Sam Dean Smith, Trevor Douglas Roebuck, Landon Niles Ball

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A lightweight vehicle includes a pair of rear wheel assemblies, one or more front wheel assemblies, a universal assembly platform, and forward facing seating. The universal assembly platform includes a main vehicle chassis, a front suspension system coupled to the main vehicle chassis and to which the one or more front wheel assemblies is mounted, and a rear suspension system coupled to the main vehicle chassis and to which the pair of rear wheel assemblies is mounted. A front distal end of the one or more front wheel assemblies is longitudinally forward of a front end of the main vehicle chassis. The forward facing seating is mounted to the main vehicle chassis such that a portion of a seat bottom of the forward facing seating is located longitudinally rearward of an axis extending through a center of the pair of rear wheel assemblies.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A lightweight vehicle comprising:

a rear axle defining a first axis;
a first rear wheel assembly coupled to the rear axle, the first rear wheel assembly including a first rear wheel rotatable about the first axis, the first rear wheel having a rearmost portion;
a second rear wheel assembly coupled to the rear axle, the second rear wheel assembly including a second rear wheel rotatable about the first axis;
a first front wheel assembly including a first front wheel having a frontmost portion;
a second front wheel assembly including a second front wheel;
a chassis, wherein at least a portion of the chassis has a planar structure;
a front suspension system coupling the first front wheel assembly and the second front wheel assembly to the chassis;
a rear suspension system coupling the pair of rear wheel assemblies first rear wheel assembly and the second rear wheel assembly to the chassis to the chassis, the rear suspension system including a pair of leaf springs having forward ends coupled to interfaces positioned beneath the planar structure of the chassis;
a front seat configured to accommodate a plurality of front occupants, the front seat including a front seat bottom, a front seat back, and a pedestal supporting the front seat bottom, the pedestal coupled to the chassis;
a rear seat configured to accommodate a plurality of rear occupants, the rear seat coupled to the chassis rearward of the front seat, the rear seat comprising a rear seat bottom and a rear seat back, the rear seat back positioned rearward of at least a portion of the rear seat bottom such that the rear seat defines a forward-facing seating, wherein at least a portion of the rear seat bottom of the rear seat is positioned longitudinally rearward, in a side plan view of the lightweight vehicle, of a second axis extending vertically and through the first axis of the rear axle;
a floorboard coupled to the planar structure, the floorboard providing a first footwell in front of the front seat for feet of the plurality of front occupants and a second footwell between the front seat and the rear seat for feet of the plurality of rear occupants, wherein the first footwell and the second footwell are coplanar, and wherein the front seat bottom and the rear seat bottom are positioned at different heights above the floorboard;
and
a drivetrain coupled to the rear axle and positioned beneath the rear seat bottom, the drivetrain including an electric motor and a transaxle;
wherein the floorboard has a lateral width of between 42 inches and 52 inches;
wherein a longitudinal length between the frontmost portion of the first front wheel and the rearmost portion of the first rear wheel is less than 106 inches;
and
wherein the frontmost portion of the first front wheel is positioned longitudinally forward, in the side plan view of the lightweight vehicle, of a front end of the chassis.

14 more elements

A lightweight vehicle comprising:

a rear axle defining a first axis;
a first rear wheel assembly coupled to the rear axle, the first rear wheel assembly including a first rear wheel rotatable about the first axis, the first rear wheel having a rearmost portion;
a second rear wheel assembly coupled to the rear axle, the second rear wheel assembly including a second rear wheel rotatable about the first axis;
a first front wheel assembly including a first front wheel having a frontmost portion;
a second front wheel assembly including a second front wheel;
a chassis, wherein at least a portion of the chassis has a planar structure;
a front suspension coupling the first front wheel assembly and the second front wheel assembly to the chassis;
and
a rear suspension coupling the first rear wheel assembly and the second rear wheel assembly to the chassis, the rear suspension including a pair of leaf springs having forward ends coupled to interfaces positioned beneath the planar structure of the chassis;
a front seat configured to accommodate a plurality of front occupants, the front seat including a front seat bottom, a front seat back, and a pedestal supporting the front seat bottom, the pedestal coupled to the chassis;
a rear seat configured to accommodate a plurality of rear occupants, the rear seat coupled to the chassis rearward of the front seat, the rear seat comprising a rear seat bottom and a rear seat back, the rear seat back positioned rearward of at least a portion of the rear seat bottom such that the rear seat defines a forward-facing seating, wherein at least a portion of the rear seat bottom of the rear seat is positioned longitudinally rearward, in a side plan view of the lightweight vehicle, of a second axis extending vertically and through the first axis of the rear axle;
a floorboard coupled to the planar structure, the floorboard providing a first footwell in front of the front seat for feet of the plurality of front occupants and a second footwell between the front seat and the rear seat for feet of the plurality of rear occupants, wherein the first footwell and the second footwell are coplanar;
and
a drivetrain coupled to the rear axle and positioned beneath the rear seat bottom, the drivetrain including an electric motor and a transaxle;
wherein the floorboard has a lateral width of between 42 inches and 52 inches;
wherein a longitudinal length between the frontmost portion of the first front wheel and the rearmost portion of the first rear wheel is less than 106 inches;
and
wherein the frontmost portion of the first front wheel is positioned longitudinally forward, in the side plan view of the lightweight vehicle, of a front end of the chassis.

15 more elements

A lightweight vehicle comprising:

a rear axle defining a first axis;
a first rear wheel assembly coupled to the rear axle, the first rear wheel assembly including a first rear wheel rotatable about the first axis, the first rear wheel having a rearmost portion;
a second rear wheel assembly coupled to the rear axle, the second rear wheel assembly including a second rear wheel rotatable about the first axis;
a first front wheel assembly including a first front wheel having a frontmost portion;
a second front wheel assembly including a second front wheel;
a chassis, wherein at least a portion of the chassis has a planar structure;
a front suspension coupling the first front wheel assembly and the second front wheel assembly to the chassis;
and
a rear suspension coupling the first rear wheel assembly and the second rear wheel assembly to the chassis;
a front seat configured to accommodate a plurality of front occupants, the front seat including a front seat bottom, a front seat back, and a pedestal supporting the front seat bottom, the pedestal coupled to the chassis;
a rear seat configured to accommodate a plurality of rear occupants, the rear seat coupled to the chassis rearward of the front seat, the rear seat comprising a rear seat bottom and a rear seat back, the rear seat back positioned rearward of at least a portion of the rear seat bottom such that the rear seat defines a forward-facing seating, wherein at least a portion of the rear seat bottom of the rear seat is positioned longitudinally rearward, in a side plan view of the lightweight vehicle, of a second axis extending vertically and through the first axis of the rear axle;
a floorboard coupled to the planar structure, the floorboard providing a first footwell in front of the front seat for feet of the plurality of front occupants and a second footwell between the front seat and the rear seat for feet of the plurality of rear occupants, wherein the first footwell and the second footwell are coplanar;
and
a drivetrain coupled to the rear axle and positioned beneath the rear seat bottom;
wherein the floorboard has a lateral width of between 42 inches and 52 inches;
wherein a longitudinal length between the frontmost portion of the first front wheel and the rearmost portion of the first rear wheel is less than 106 inches;
and
wherein the frontmost portion of the first front wheel is positioned longitudinally forward, in the side plan view of the lightweight vehicle, of a front end of the chassis.

15 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/518,336Filed 22 Nov 2023 · continuation
Priority: 12 Apr 2019
Published: US 2024/0083501 A114 Mar 2024
Granted: 3 Sep 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification18 codes

B62D 21/02
Understructures, i.e. chassis frame on which a vehicle body may be mounted: comprising longitudinally or transversely arranged frame members
B60G 3/06
The arm being essentially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle: the arm being rigid
B60G 3/10
The arm being essentially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle: the arm itself being resilient, e.g. leaf spring
B60G 3/20
With two or more pivoted arms, e.g. parallelogram: all arms being rigid

Family

Application16/383,041Parent of this continuation · filed 12 Apr 2019
Application18/337,896Parent of this continuation · filed 20 Jun 2023
US 2024/0083501 A1Pre-grant publication · published 14 Mar 2024
US 11,767,060 B2Parent of this continuation
US 12,122,452 B2Related patent
US 2020/0324817 A1Published application
US 2023/0331304 A1Published application
US 12,077,211 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.