SE2330203A1

SE2330203A1 - A vehicle and a trailer

Info

Publication number: SE2330203A1
Application number: SE2330203A
Authority: SE
Inventors: Edvin Öhman; OVE öHMAN
Original assignee: Jemson AB
Priority date: 2023-05-05
Filing date: 2023-05-05
Publication date: 2024-11-06

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vehicle (12) having a rotatably arranged front wheel (18a) connected to a handlebar (15), wherein a front hub (18a) of the front wheel (18b) is fixedly arranged in relation to a frame (17), and a rear hub (19b) of a rear wheel (19a) fixedly arranged to the frame (17) and connected to a drive mechanism configured to rotate the rear wheel (19a) when the drive mechanism is activated. The periphery of the rear wheel (19a) is configured to move the vehicle when the periphery of the rear wheel (19a) interacts with a surface (S). The vehicle (12) further comprises an anchoring point (24; 33) for a trailer (11), wherein a vector (50) is defined from the rear hub (19b) to the surface, and the anchoring point (24; 33) is arranged in a position (51) along the vector (50) not including the rear hub.

Description

A VEHICLE AND A TRAILER TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a vehicle, especially a manually driven vehicle such as a bicycle, and a trailer configured to be attached to the vehicle. BACKGROUND Vehicles, e.g. bicycles, are normally designed to allow the attachment of a bracket from a trailer either to the rear wheel hub or the saddle post. This will provide a rigid connection between the vehicle and the trailer in the pulling direction of the vehicle. However, the stability in the transversal direction compared to the pulling direction is less rigid due to the natural sideways movement of the vehicle during use, especially uphill and when turning, which thereby affects the overall user experience.

Thus, there is a need to improve the attachment configuration to improve the user experience. SUMMARY An object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle with an anchoring point which seeks to mitigate, alleviate, or eliminate one or more of the above-identified deficiencies in the art and disadvantages singly or in any combination and to provide a trailer suitable to be attached to the vehicle and a mounting device.

This object is obtained by a vehicle having a rotatably arranged front wheel connected to a handlebar, wherein a hub of the front wheel is fixedly arranged in relation to a frame, and a hub of a rear wheel fixedly arranged to the frame and connected to a drive mechanism configured to rotate the rear wheel around the hub when the drive mechanism is activated and the periphery of the rear wheel is conﬁgured to move the vehicle when the periphery of the rear wheel interacts with a surface. The vehicle further comprises an anchoring point for a trailer, and a vector is defined from the hub of the rear wheel to the surface, and the anchoring point for the trailer is arranged in a position along the vector not including the hub of the rear wheel. 2 An advantage of the present invention is that the sideways stability is increased compared to prior art solutions since an anchoring position close to the surface will reduce the transversal forces on the vehicle and thereby improve the overall user experience.

According to an aspect, a trailer with a tow bar is provided which is configured to attach the tow bar to an anchoring point of a vehicle as defined above.

This object is also achieved by a mounting device comprising an attachment configured to securely fasten the mounting device to a vehicle having a rotatably arranged front wheel connected to a handlebar, wherein a hub of the front wheel is fixedly arranged in relation to a frame, and a hub of a rear wheel fixedly arranged to the frame and connected to a drive mechanism configured to rotate the rear wheel around the hub when the drive mechanism is activated and the periphery of the rear wheel is configured to move the vehicle when the periphery of the rear wheel interacts with a surface. The mounting device further comprises an anchoring point for a trailer, and when the mounting device is mounted to the vehicle, the attachment is configured to position the anchoring point for the trailer in a position along a vector defined from the hub of the rear wheel to the surface, the position along the vector not including the hub of the rearwheel.

An advantage of this object is that a vehicle may be retrofitted with a mounting device that will improve the sideways stability compared to prior art solutions since an anchoring position close to the surface will reduce the transversal forces on the vehicle and thereby improve the overall user experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing will be apparent from the following more particular description of the example embodiments, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the example embodiments.

Figures 1a and 1b illustrate a prior art vehicle and trailer configuration; Figure 2a illustrates a vehicle provided with a first embodiment of a mounting device; 3 Figure 2b illustrates a more detailed view of the first embodiment of figure 2a together with a trailer with an adapted tow bar; Figure 3 illustrates a first embodiment of a vehicle with an integrated mounting device; Figure 4 illustrates a vehicle provided with a second embodiment of a mounting device; Figure 5 illustrates a vehicle in a rear view with an indication of the position of an anchoring point for a trailer according to the invention; Figure 6a illustrates the first embodiment of the mounting device as mounted to a vehicle in Figure 2a and 2b; Figure 6b illustrates the second embodiment of the mounting device as mounted to a vehicle in Figure 4; Figure 7a illustrates a vehicle provided with a third embodiment of a mounting device; Figure 7b illustrates a third embodiment of the mounting device as mounted to a vehicle in Figure 7a; Figure 8a illustrates a vehicle provided with a fourth embodiment of a mounting device; and Figure 8b illustrates a fourth embodiment of the mounting device as mounted to a vehicle in Figure 8a. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Aspects of the present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. The apparatus disclosed herein can, however, be realized in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the aspects set forth herein. Like numbers in the drawings refer to like elements throughout.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects of the disclosure only, and is not intended to limit the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

Some of the example embodiments presented herein are directed towards a vehicle with an anchoring point for a trailer, a trailer and a mounting device suitable to be attached to a vehicle. As part of the development of the example embodiments presented herein, a problem will first be identified and discussed in connection with figures 1a and 1b. 4 Figures 1a and 1b illustrate a prior art vehicle 12 and trailer 11 arranged in a vehicle configuration 10. A vehicle 12 has a rotatably arranged front wheel 18a connected to a handlebar 15. A front hub 18b of the front wheel 18a is ﬁxedly arranged in relation to a frame 17 via a front fork, and a rear hub 19b of a rear wheel 19a is fixedly arranged to the frame 17. The front hub 18a and the rear hub 18b are provided with through shafts, wherein a front shaft is attached to the front fork using nuts (not shown), and the rear shaft is attached to the frame 17 using nuts (not shown). The rear hub 19b is connected to a drive mechanism configured to rotate the rear wheel 19a around an axis of the rear hub 19b when the drive mechanism is activated and the periphery of the rear wheel 19a is configured to move the vehicle when the periphery of the rear wheel 19a interacts with a surface, S. The vehicle further comprises a saddle post 16 upon which a saddle is arranged for a user of the vehicle. ln this example, vehicle 12 also comprises an anchoring point 13 to attach the trailer 11 via a tow bar 14.

The anchoring point 13 is attached to the rear shaft along the axis as the read hub 19b, to provide a rigid attachment of the towbar 14 of the trailer 11 to the frame 17 of the vehicle 12. However, the user may experience an unbalanced movement when riding the vehicle 12, especially if the frame 17 of the vehicle is moved sideways and/or tilted due to the vertical distance of the anchoring point 13 from the surface S.

Figure 2a illustrates an example 20 of a vehicle 12 provided with a first embodiment of a mounting device 60 (as illustrated in figure 6a). Vehicle 20 (e.g. a bicycle, moped, etc.) comprises a rotatably arranged front wheel 18a connected to a handlebar 15. A front hub 18b of the front wheel 18a is fixedly arranged in relation to a frame 17 via a front fork, and a rear hub 19b of a rear wheel 19a is fixedly arranged to the frame 17. The front hub 18a and the rear hub 18b are provided with through shafts, wherein a front shaft is attached to the front fork using nuts (not shown), and the rear shaft is attached to the frame 17 using nuts (not shown). The rear hub 19b is connected to a drive mechanism configured to rotate the rear wheel 19a around an axis of the rear hub 19b when the drive mechanism is activated and the periphery of the rear wheel 19a is configured to move the vehicle when the periphery of the rear wheel 19a interacts with a surface S. The vehicle further comprises a saddle post 16 upon which a saddle is arranged for a user of the vehicle 20. ln figure 2a, a distance "H" between the axis of the rear hub 19b and the surface S is indicated being equal to the radius of the rear wheel 19a. The vehicle is further provided with a drive hub connected to the frame 17 and the drive mechanism is arranged to the drive hub 19b. A distance "h" between the center of the drive hub and the surface S is also indicated in ﬁgure 2a. The drive mechanism may be activated using rotatably arranged pedals around the drive hub that move a chain which is attached to the rear hub 19b. Other drive mechanisms may be implemented, such as electrically powered drive mechanisms.

The mounting device 60 is illustrated in figure 6a and comprises a first attachment part 21, second attachment parts 23, and a joining piece 25 provided with an anchoring point 24 for a trailer. The first attachment part 21 and the joining piece 25 are interconnected using two struts 22, wherein each strut 22 has a first end connected to the first attachment part 21 and a second end connected to thejoining piece 25. An intermediate point is situated between the first end and the second end, and the intermediate point is connected to the second attachment part 23. ln this example, the first attachment part 21 is secured to the saddle post 16 and each second part 23 is configured to be secured to frame 17 via an opening 23a fitting over the rear shaft of the rear hub 19b. The vertical distance between the axis of the rear hub 19b and the anchoring point 24 is indicated as "a" in Figure 2a and the distance between the anchoring point 24 and the surface S should be as close as possible to reduce the vertical movement of the anchoring point when tilting the vehicle, and thus optimize the user experience.

Figure 2b illustrates a more detailed view of the first embodiment 20 of figure 2a together with a trailer 11 with a tow bar 26 adapted to be secured to the anchoring point 24 of vehicle 12. lt should be noted that a distance from the rear hub 19b to the anchoring point 24 is less than the distance from the drive hub to the anchoring point 24 since the anchoring point 24 in this example is situated behind the rear wheel 19a.

Figure 3 illustrates a first embodiment of a vehicle 30 with an integrated mounting device 34 (marked with dashed lines). Vehicle 30 comprises the same features as the vehicle in figures 2a and 2b without a detachable mounting device 60. lnstead, vehicle 30 is provided with the integrated mounting device 34 comprising a supporting rod 31 and a supporting surface 32 provided with an anchoring point 33. The supporting rod is integrated to frame 17 and the anchoring point 33 is preferably positioned directly 6 beneath the frame 17 with the purpose of not interfering with the drive mechanism. ln this example, a distance from the rear hub 19b to the anchoring point 33 is larger than the distance from the drive hub to the anchoring point 33. lt should be noted that the center of the drive hub is positioned a distance "h" over the surface S and the anchoring point 33 should be positioned as close as possible to surface S, as explained in more detail in connection with figure 5.

Figure 4 illustrates a side view of an example 40 of a vehicle 12 provided with a second embodiment of a mounting device 65 (as illustrated in figure 6b). Vehicle 12 is described in connection with figures 2a and 2b, and the mounting device 65 is configured to provide an anchoring point 33 similar to the anchoring point described in connection with ﬁgure 3. ln this example the mounting device 65 is illustrated in figure 6b and comprises a first attachment part 41, second attachment parts 43, and a joining piece 45 provided with an anchoring point 33 for a trailer. The first attachment part 41 and the joining piece 45 are interconnected using one or two struts 42, wherein each strut 42 has a ﬁrst end connected to the first attachment part 41 and a second end connected to the joining piece 45. An intermediate point is situated between the first end and the second end, and the intermediate point is connected to the second attachment part 43. ln this example, the first attachment part 41 is secured to the saddle post 16 and each second part 43 is configured to be secured to frame 17. The vertical distance between the axis of the drive hub and the anchoring point 33 is indicated as "a1" in Figure 4 and the distance between the anchoring point 33 and the surface S should be as close as possible to reduce the vertical movement of the anchoring point when tilting the vehicle, and thus optimize the user experience.

Figure 5 illustrates a vehicle 12 in a rear view with an indication of the position of an anchoring point for a trailer according to the invention. The rear wheel is configured to rotate in a plane (which is indicated by line 52) The distance "H" between the rear hub 19b and the surface S is the same as the radius of the rear wheel 19a and some examples of the location of the anchoring point (51, 53 and 54) may be found within the indicated area 55. A preferred location 53 of the anchoring point coincides with the plane 52 since this will have the largest impact on a reduced vertical movement of the anchoring point when the vehicle is tilted sideways (as indicated by arrow 56). ln order 7 to describe this effect in a clear way, a vector 50 is defined from the rear hub 19b to the surface S having a length corresponding to the distance between the rear hub 19b and the surface S, and the anchoring point for the trailer is arranged in position 51 along vector 50 not including the rear hub. The distance of position 51 may be defined as x% of distance "H" which corresponds to x% of the length of vector 50. ln the ﬁrst example, the position 51 of the anchoring point is at least 10% of the length of vector 50, i.e. the distance along the vector 50. ln the second example, the anchoring point is at least 25% of the length of vector 50. ln the third example, the anchoring point is at least 50% of the length of vector 50. ln the fourth example, the anchoring point is at least 75% of the length of vector 50. ln the fifth example, the anchoring point is at least 85% of the length of vector 50. ln the sixth example, the anchoring point is at least 95% of the length of vector 50.

Preferably vector 50 coincides with plane 52 of the rear wheel 19a, as indicated by position 53.

Figure 7a illustrates an example 70 of a vehicle provided with a third embodiment of a mounting device 76. The features of the vehicle have been described in connection with figures 2a and 2b, and the mounting device 76 is described in connection with figure 7b.

The mounting device 76 comprises a first attachment part 71, second attachment part 77, and an anchoring point 74 for a trailer. The first attachment part 71 and the anchoring point 74 are interconnected using struts 72 and 73, wherein strut 72 has a first end connected to the first attachment part 72 and a second end connected to the second attachment part 77 and strut 73 has a first end connected to the second attachment part 77 and a second end connected to the anchoring point 74 for the trailer. ln this example, the first attachment part 71 is secured to the saddle post 16 and the second attachment part 77 is configured to be secured to frame 17 via an opening fitting over the rear shaft of the rear hub 19b. The distance between the anchoring point 74 and the surface S should be as close as possible to reduce the vertical movement of the anchoring point when tilting the vehicle, and thus optimize the user experience. A trailer 11 and tow bar 75 are indicated using dotted lines to illustrate how a trailer may be attached to the anchoring point 74. 8 Figure 8a illustrates an example 80 of a vehicle provided with a fifth embodiment of a mounting device 86. The features of the vehicle have been described in connection with figures 2a and 2b, and the mounting device 86 is described in connection with figure 8b.

The mounting device 86 comprises a first attachment part 71, second attachment parts 77 and 87, and anchoring points 74 and 84 for a trailer. The first attachment part 71 and the anchoring points 74, 84 are interconnected using struts 72, 73 and 82, 83, wherein struts 72 and 82 each have a ﬁrst end connected to the first attachment part 72 and a second end connected to a separate second attachment part 77 and 87, while struts 73 and 83 have a first end connected to the separate second attachment part 77 and 87 and a second end connected to separate anchoring points 74 and 84, respectively. ln this example, the first attachment part 71 is secured to the saddle post 16 and each second attachment part 77, 87 is configured to be secured to frame 17 via an opening fitting over the rear shaft of the rear hub 19b. The distance between the anchoring points 74 and 84 and the surface S should be as close as possible to reduce the vertical movement of the anchoring point when tilting the vehicle, and thus optimize the user experience. A trailer 11 and fork-like tow bar 85 are indicated using dotted lines to illustrate how a trailer may be attached to the anchoring points 74 and 84.

The present invention relates to a vehicle having a rotatably arranged front wheel connected to a handlebar, wherein a front hub of the front wheel is fixedly arranged in relation to a frame, and a rear hub of a rear wheel is fixedly arranged to the frame. The rear hub is connected to a drive mechanism configured to rotate the rear wheel around the rear hub when the drive mechanism is activated and the periphery of the rear wheel is configured to move the vehicle when the periphery of the rear wheel interacts with a surface. The vehicle further comprises an anchoring pointfor a trailer. A vector is defined from the rear hub to the surface, and the anchoring point for the trailer is arranged in a position along the vector not including the rear hub.

According to some aspects, the rear wheel is configured to rotate in a plane, and the vector coincides with the plane of the rear wheel.

According to some aspects, the vehicle is a bicycle. 9 According to some aspects, a length of the vector defines a distance from the rear hub to the surface, and the position of the anchoring point is at least 10% of the distance along the vector.

According to some aspects, the position of the anchoring point is at least 25% of the distance along the vector.

According to some aspects, the position of the anchoring point is at least 50% of the distance along the vector.

According to some aspects, the position of the anchoring point is at least 75% of the distance along the vector.

According to some aspects, the position of the anchoring point is at least 85% of the distance along the vector.

According to some aspects, the position of the anchoring point is at least 95% of the distance along the vector.

According to some aspects, the vehicle further comprises a drive hub connected to the frame and the drive mechanism is arranged to the drive hub wherein a distance from the rear hub to the anchoring point is less than the distance from the drive hub to the anchoring point.

According to some aspects, the vehicle further comprises a drive hub connected to the frame and the drive mechanism is arranged to the drive hub wherein a distance from the rear hub to the anchoring point is larger than the distance from the drive hub to the anchoring point.

The present invention also relates to a trailer provided with a tow bar configured to attach to an anchoring point of a vehicle according to any of the above mentioned aspects.

The present invention also relates to a mounting device comprising an attachment configured to securely fasten the mounting device to a vehicle having a rotatably arranged front wheel connected to a handlebar. A front hub of the front wheel is fixedly arranged in relation to a frame, and a rear hub of a rear wheel is fixedly arranged to the frame and is connected to a drive mechanism configured to rotate the rear wheel around the rear hub when the drive mechanism is activated. The periphery of the rear wheel is configured to move the vehicle when the periphery of the rear wheel interacts with a surface. The mounting device further comprises at least one anchoring point for a trailer. When the mounting device is mounted to the vehicle, the attachment is configured to position the at least one anchoring point for the trailer in a position along a vector defined from the rear hub to the surface, and the position along the vector not including the rear hub.

According to some aspects, the attachment comprises a first attachment part configured to be secured to a saddle post of the vehicle and a second attachment part configured to be secured to the frame of the vehicle.

According to some aspects, the anchoring point is provided on a joining piece and the mounting device further comprises at least one elongated strut. Each strut has a first end connected to the first attachment part, a second end connected to the joining piece, and an intermediate point situated between the first end and the second end being connected to the second attachment part.

According to some aspects, the second attachment part is configured to be attached to the frame adjacent to the rear hub.

According to some aspects, the vehicle further comprises a drive hub connected to the frame and the drive mechanism is arranged to the drive hub. The second attachment part is configured to be attached to the frame adjacent to the drive hub. ln the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed exemplary aspects of the disclosure. However, many variations and modifications can be made to these aspects without substantially departing from the principles of the present disclosure. Thus, the disclosure should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive, and not as being limited to the particular aspects discussed above. Accordingly, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of Iimitation.

The description of the example embodiments provided herein have been presented for purposes of illustration. The description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit example embodiments to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various alternatives to the provided embodiments. The examples discussed herein were chosen 11 and described in order to explain the principles and the nature of various example embodiments and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the example embodiments in various manners and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. The features of the embodiments described herein may be combined in all possible combinations of methods, apparatus, modules, systems, and computer program products. lt should be appreciated that the example embodiments presented herein may be practiced in any combination with each other.

It should be noted that the word '"comprising" does not necessarily exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listed and the words "a" or "an" preceding an element do not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. lt should further be noted that any reference signs do not limit the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A vehicle (12; 30) having a rotatably arranged front wheel (18a) connected to a handlebar (15), wherein a front hub (18b) of the front wheel (18a) is fixedly arranged in relation to a frame (17), and a rear hub (19b) of a rear wheel (19a) is fixedly arranged to the frame (17) and the rear hub is connected to a drive mechanism configured to rotate the rear wheel (19a) around the rear hub (19b) when the drive mechanism is activated and the periphery of the rear wheel (19a) is configured to move the vehicle when the periphery of the rear wheel (19a) interacts with a surface, the vehicle (12; 30) further comprises an anchoring point (24; 33) for a trailer (11), characterized in that a vector (50) is defined from the rear hub (19b) to the surface, and the anchoring point (24; 33) for the trailer is arranged in a position (51) along the vector (50) not including the rear hub.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the rear wheel (19a) is configured to rotate in a plane (52), and the vector (50) coincides with the plane (52) of the rear wheel.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vehicle is a bicycle.

4. The vehicle according to any of claims 1-3, wherein a length of the vector (50) defines a distance from the rear hub (19b) to the surface, and the position (51) of the anchoring point (24; 33) is at least 10% of the distance along the vector (50).

5. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the position (51) of the anchoring point (24; 33) is at least 25% of the distance along the vector (50).

6. The vehicle according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the position (51) of the anchoring point (24; 33) is at least 50% of the distance along the vector (50).

7. The vehicle according to any of claims 4-6, wherein the position (51) of the anchoring point (24; 33) is at least 75%, 85%, or 95% of the distance along the vector (50).

8. The vehicle according to any of claims 1-7, wherein the vehicle further comprises a drive hub connected to the frame (17) and the drive mechanism is arranged to the 2 drive hub wherein a distance from the rear hub (19b) to the anchoring point (24) is less than the distance from the drive hub to the anchoring point (24).

9. The vehicle according to any of claims 1-7, wherein the vehicle further comprises a drive hub connected to the frame (17) and the drive mechanism is arranged to the drive hub wherein a distance from the rear hub (19b) to the anchoring point (33) is larger than the distance from the drive hub to the anchoring point (33).

10. A trailer provided with a tow bar (26) configured to attach to an anchoring point (24; 33) of a vehicle according to any of claims 1-

11. A mounting device (60; 65; 70; 80) comprising an attachment configured to securely fasten the mounting device to a vehicle (12) having a rotatably arranged front wheel (18a) connected to a handlebar (15), wherein a front hub (18b) of the front wheel (18a) isfixedly arranged in relation to a frame (17), and a rear hub (19b) of a rear wheel (19a) is fixedly arranged to the frame (17) and is connected to a drive mechanism configured to rotate the rear wheel (19a) around the rear hub (19b) when the drive mechanism is activated and the periphery of the rear wheel (19a) is configured to move the vehicle when the periphery of the rear wheel interacts with a surface (S), the mounting device further comprises at least one anchoring point (24; 33; 74; 84) for a trailer (11), characterized in that when the mounting device (60; 65; 70; 80) is mounted to the vehicle (12), the attachment is configured to position the at least one anchoring point (24; 33; 74; 84) for the trailer (1 1) in a position along a vector (50) defined from the rear hub (19b) to the surface, the position along the vector (50) not including the rear hub (19b).

12. The mounting device according to claim 11, wherein the attachment comprises a first attachment part (21; 41; 71) configured to be secured to a saddle post (16) of the vehicle (12) and a second attachment part (23; 43; 77; 87) configured to be secured to the frame (1 7) of the vehicle (12).

13. The mounting device according to claim 12, wherein the anchoring point (24; 33; 74; 84) is provided on a joining piece (25; 32; 45) and the mounting device further comprises at least one elongated strut (22; 42; 72, 73; 82, 83), each strut having: - a first end connected to the first attachment part (21 ; 41; 71 );- a second end connected to the joining piece (25; 32; 45); and - an intermediate point situated between the first end and the second end being connected to the second attachment part (23; 43; 77; 87).

14. The mounting device according to any of claims 12-13, wherein the second attachment part (23; 77; 87) is configured to be attached to the frame (17) adjacent to the rear hub (19b).

15. The mounting device according to any of claims 12-13, wherein the vehicle further comprises a drive hub connected to the frame (17) and the drive mechanism is arranged to the drive hub, and wherein the second attachment part (43) is configured to be attached to the frame (17) adjacent to the drive hub.