Full body slide and integrated chassis

Abstract

A full body slide out room assembly is comprised of a vehicle with stationary end modules, a stationary roof and a plurality of moveable room assemblies that consist of a telescoping roof, floor, anterior walls, and end walls. The sliding movement of each room is controlled by one or more linear drive mechanisms that are pneumatic, hydraulic, mechanical, electromechanical, or combination of two or more of these methods. Each moveable room is supported by a center or offset longitudinal truss or trusses below the floor level, and a plurality of guide rails and support rails located between the vehicle chassis and the moveable room. Polymer plates are installed between the support and guide rails.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Recreational vehicles have become a very popular way of traveling, especially for extended periods of time. These vehicles are equipped with a wide variety of amenities that are normally found in a residence. These include fully appointed kitchens, complete bathrooms, laundry facilities, and entertainment centers. For many years, trailers have incorporated expandable rooms, sometimes called slide outs, to increase the interior space while parked and yet maintain legal size requirements while in motion. In the past decade, expandable rooms have become very common in motorhome applications. Owners continue to want more space and more luxurious amenities. In recent years, consumer demands have resulted in manufacturers adding multiple slide outs to their production models, sometimes as many as four or five in a forty or forty-five foot model. When the expandable rooms are retracted, cupboards, appliances, fixtures, and other components can be inaccessible. This is of more concern in motorhome applications than trailers because people occupy a motorhome, but not a trailer, while in motion. When the expandable room is retracted, the appearance is less pleasing because of the intrusion of the box-like structure.

[0003] The present invention, which uses one or two large slide out assemblies rather than multiple small rooms, provides increased living area when expanded, less intrusion on interior space when retracted, and the same interior ceiling height as the rest of the vehicle.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention is a full body or multiple slide out assembly for all types of recreational vehicles. There is a front and rear stationary module and the entire length between the modules can be deployed outwardly from one or both sides, which can nearly double the interior living space. When retracted for travel, the vehicle body meets legal size. Because the roof of the full body slide is between the stationary center section interior ceiling and the exterior roof, the appearance of the ceiling remains unchanged and is aesthetically pleasing whether the full body slide is deployed or retracted. The interior height of the slide module is the same as the stationary module.

[0005] There is a center or offset longitudinal truss or trusses below the floor level and a longitudinal central spar with lateral ribs at the roof level. The full body slides can be deployed or retracted using a variety of techniques, including manual, hydraulic, electric, mechanical, or a combination of two or more of these methods. The slides can be locked in a retracted or deployed position. In a motorhome application, the front stationary module contains the driver's cab area, including a co-pilot's seat. This area is similar to that in a conventional motorhome. The rear can be any optional room designation such as bathroom, bedroom, or office. In a trailer application, both the front and rear modules can be any optional room designation.

[0006] When the full body slides are retracted the floor of each full body slide meet in the middle to create an even, level floor that is contiguous from front to rear and side to side. When the full body slides are extended a sub-floor automatically elevates to yield a level floor. The sub-floor may be raised and lowered using different means including air pressure, hydraulic pressure or electromechanical drive mechanisms.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0007] FIG. 1: are plan and front views of a 45′ coach with Full Body Slide.

[0008] FIG. 2: are plan and elevation view of lateral support rails, driver's side rail extended.

[0009] FIG. 3: is a vehicle chassis with front and rear rollbars and stationary modules.

[0010] FIG. 4: is an end view of central spar assembly.

[0011] FIG. 5: is an end view of central spar assembly plus roof structure of slide out module.

[0012] FIG. 6: is a plan view of vehicle showing central spar and lateral roof ribs.

[0013] FIG. 7: is cross section, roof with slides and stationary ceiling in place.

[0014] FIG. 8: is vehicle roof with lateral support ribs, sliding element, and roof rib of slide out module.

[0015] FIG. 9: is an isometric view of FIG. 8 components.

[0016] FIG. 10: is slide out module.

[0017] FIG. 11: is an end view of guide rail assemblies.

[0018] FIG. 12: is plan view, drive assemblies mounted under floor of slide and vehicle.

[0019] FIG. 13: shows linear actuators located within the roof structure of the stationary module.

[0020] FIG. 14: is linear actuator lock and alignment pin assembly.

[0021] FIG. 15: is an end view of the vehicle that shows the relative positions of the vehicle chassis, the support rails for the slide out module, the floor of the two slide out modules and the sub floors that may be raised when each slide out module is extended. The sub floor may be two-piece, one sub-floor for each module, or one sub-floor that may be raised after both slideout modules are extended.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] The preferred embodiment of the present invention consists of one or more slide-out modules 1 where each is located between fixed front 2 and rear 3 modules and are not constrained in length, height, or depth other than the overall dimensions of the target vehicle. (FIG. 1)

[0023] An integrated full body slide and chassis is comprised of a center or offset longitudinal truss or trusses below the floor level, a plurality of lateral support rails 4 mounted under the vehicle floor 5 and mechanically attached to the chassis and truss assembly 6 of the vehicle (FIG. 2), front 7 and rear 8 roll bars, front 2 and rear 3 stationary modules (FIG. 3), a central spar 9, an interior ceiling 10, lateral roof ribs 12 extending from the central spar 9, a roof covering 13 (FIG. 4) and one or more full length slide-out modules 1. The roof 14 of each slide out module is located between the stationary ceiling 10 and the stationary roof structure 15 of the vehicle (FIG. 5).

[0024] Front 7 and rear 8 rollbars are structural members consisting of a support column in the left outer wall 16, a horizontal support beam 17 spanning the width of the vehicle and a support column in the right outer wall 18. The front rollbar 7 is located at the rear edge of the front stationary module 2 and the rear rollbar 8 is located at the front edge of the rear stationary module 3. (FIG. 6)

[0025] The central spar 9 located in the roof of the vehicle is a sheetmetal box section that spans the region from the front rollbar 7 to the rear rollbar 8 and is secured to the rollbars with bolts, rivets, or welds. The dimensions of the spar are typically 24″ wide, 8 to 10″ high with a length determined by the distance between the front 7 and rear 8 rollbars, which will be dependent on the overall length of the vehicle. There are multiple-lateral ribs 12 perpendicular to the longitudinal length of the central spar to support sheet metal or other material used for the exterior roof covering 13 of the vehicle. (FIG. 6)

[0026] Lateral roof ribs 12 are mechanically attached to the central spar 9 and extend laterally to the outer extremities where the roof ends at the side of the vehicle. Each stationary-lateral roof rib 12 in the vehicle roof is positioned above a roof rib 19 in the slide out module. Sliding elements 20 are mechanically attached to the inboard end of each roof rib 19 of the slide-out module (FIG. 7). Each sliding element 20 engages and captures a vehicle roof rib 12 above and remains engaged throughout the inward and outward movement of the slide-out module 1 (FIGS. 8 & 9).

[0027] Each slide out module 1 (FIG. 10) is a monocoque type construction, which may be of fiberglass, aluminum, steel, stainless steel, carbon fiber, or other material consisting of a roof 21, floor 22, front-lateral wall 23, rear lateral wall 24, and longitudinal walls 25. Each is assembled as a unit and then mounted on the lateral support rails 4 of the chassis 6, with each roof rib of the slide-out module 19 attached to the stationary lateral roof ribs of the vehicle 12 using the sliding elements 20 as the mechanical connection between the roof of the vehicle and the roof of the slide-out module. This mechanical interconnection is achieved between a plurality of roof ribs in each module 19, a plurality of roof ribs in the vehicle 12, and a plurality of sliding elements 20 to connect said roof ribs.

[0028] Each guide rail assembly 26 consists of a support rail 4 that is attached to the vehicle chassis 6 and a guide rail 27 that is attached to the underside of each slide out module 1 (FIG. 11). Pluralities of guide rail assemblies 26 are mechanically attached to vehicle chassis and extend laterally to the opposite side of the vehicle. The guide rails 27 support the slide-out modules 1 while retracted, extended, and by capturing the support rails 4 that are mounted to the vehicle chassis, support and guide the slide-out modules 1 during the movement between the retracted and extended positions. A low-friction bearing surface is a polymer plate 28 located between the support rails 4 and the guide rails 27 to provide a dry, lubrication free, bearing surface between these two structural members. (FIG. 11)

[0029] In the preferred embodiment, each slide out module 1 is driven by four linear actuators 29 that are electronically synchronized for smooth extension and retraction. Each actuator consists of a DC drive motor, gearbox, and lock assembly and extension shaft to apply pressure to the slide out module 1. Two of these actuators 29 are located under the floor of the vehicle (FIG. 12) and two actuators 29 are located within the stationary roof structure of the vehicle (FIG. 13). Each slide is locked front and rear as well as top and bottom by the linear actuators (FIG. 14) when the slide is in the retracted or any deployed position. The locks at the top 30 mechanically fasten each slide to the central spar 9. The locks under the floor 31 (FIG. 12) mechanically lock the slide in any position, extended or retracted, to vehicle chassis. In the retracted position, the slide out modules 1 are held in alignment with the central spar 9 via tapered alignment pins 32. The full body slides 1 can be deployed or retracted using a variety of techniques, including manual, hydraulic, electric, mechanical, or a combination of two or more of these methods.

[0030] In addition to the increased structural benefits of this design, the integration of the full body slides creates new possibilities. The floor of the stationary structure and the full body slide(s) can be adapted to meet different interior design requirements. (FIG. 15) In one case the floor of the stationary structure can comprise the full width of the vehicle in the travel position (8 or 8½ feet less wall thickness). It may be desirable to have each full body slide provide 50% of the floor width in the travel position. The stationary floor or floor of the vehicle would then occupy a central position below the full body slide floor. If partial extension is a design goal, the central stationary floor 33 may be divided into smaller sections, which will allow a level floor during partial extension of the full body slide (FIG. 15). In a retracted position, the floor of the expandable portion of the full body slide is above the center floor assembly 33. When the full body slide is deployed, the floor of the slide out module moves outwardly and then the sub floor assembly 33 elevates to become flush with the floor of the slide out modules. (FIG. 15) This is accomplished with pneumatic or hydraulic lift cylinders, or electromechanical lifts 34. This last adaptation is an optional embodiment of the invention.

[0031] While the present invention has been described for a motorhome application, the principles may be applied to any vehicle, independently powered or towable. Variations and modifications to this description could be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. large slides to replace small multiple slides in a recreational vehicle.

2. the roof of said vehicle and the roof of said slide module telescope to provide an interior height in said slide out that is equal to or greater than the interior height of said vehicle.

3. each slide of claim 1 is supported by a plurality of low friction polymer plates, guide rail assemblies, and a load bearing truss.

4. the drive mechanism for each slide module of claim 1 consists of a plurality of electromechanical actuators that are electronically synchronized.

5. the full body slide of claim 1 provides the optional capability of inserting an elevating sub-floor that would be raised when said slides are extended to yield a flat and level floor throughout the coach.