This disclosure relates generally to a tailgate of a vehicle. More particularly the present disclosure relates to transforming the tailgate of the vehicle into a seating arrangement with a seat portion dropping below a level of the tailgate.
Conventionally, a tailgate is attached to a box of a vehicle such as a pickup truck or a sport utility vehicle. The tailgate is hinged to a bed of the truck along the width of the bed. The tailgate can be latched to the box to secure contents in the box and unlatched for loading or unloading the contents of the box. Another use of tailgate can be for seating purposes. Typically, during tailgating, the tailgate is placed in an open configuration providing the gathered individuals with a place to sit.
A tailgate can include attachments to attach and detach a seating device. For example, a bench seat that comprises a seat and a back rest can be mounted to a tailgate and designed for easy removal from the tailgate.
A tailgate can also be collapsed into a seat bench, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 8,123,271 B1. A seat portion of the tailgate is connected by cables to a back portion and the seat is maintained at the same level as the bed of the vehicle. When the bed is higher from the ground, it may be uncomfortable to sit on the tailgate; as such a lowered seat portion may be desired. Hence, there remains a continuing need to provide improved multipurpose tailgate for vehicles. For example, the tailgate intended to make the seating experience more enjoyable by providing a user with a more comfortable place to sit at a lower level than the bed of a tuck.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a tailgate apparatus of a vehicle. The apparatus includes a back portion and a seat portion, a telescopic mechanism including a first link, a second link, and a slotted link with a slot connected to the back portion of the tailgate allowing the tailgate to slide and pivot, and a four-bar mechanism including a third link and a fourth link hingedly connected to the back portion and the seat portion of the tailgate, wherein the telescopic mechanism and the four-bar mechanism allow the tailgate to transition between a first position, a second position, and a third position.
The forgoing general description of the illustrative implementations and the following detailed description thereof are merely exemplary aspects of the teachings of this disclosure, and are not restrictive.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate one or more embodiments and, together with the description, explain these embodiments. The accompanying drawings have not necessarily been drawn to scale. Any values dimensions illustrated in the accompanying graphs and figures are for illustration purposes only and may or may not represent actual or preferred values or dimensions. Where applicable, some or all features may not be illustrated to assist in the description of underlying features. In the drawings:
The description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various embodiments of the disclosed subject matter and is not necessarily intended to represent the only embodiment(s). In certain instances, the description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the disclosed embodiment(s). However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed embodiment(s) may be practiced without those specific details.
It must be noted that, terms such as “length,” “width,” “lower,” and the like that may be used herein merely describe points of reference and do not necessarily limit embodiments of the present disclosure to any particular orientation or configuration. Furthermore, terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., merely identify one of a number of portions, components, steps, operations, functions, and/or points of reference as disclosed herein, and likewise do not necessarily limit embodiments of the present disclosure to any particular configuration or orientation.
Furthermore, the terms “approximately,” “proximate,” “minor,” and similar terms generally refer to ranges that include the identified value within a margin of 20%, 10% or preferably 5% in certain embodiments, and any values therebetween.
Normally, the telescopic mechanism 100 and the four-bar mechanism 110 remain in a locked state. The mechanisms 100 and 110 are sequentially unlocked when converting the tailgate 20 to a seating arrangement.
The telescopic mechanism 100 allows the tailgate 20 to slide away from the bed 10, while the four-bar mechanism 110 allows the tailgate 20 to be converted into a seat. Further, the telescopic mechanism 100 in conjunction with the four-bar mechanism 110 enables the tailgate 20 to be lowered below the bed 10 of the vehicle. The tailgate 20 can be transformed into a seating arrangement via the telescoping mechanism 100 and the four-bar mechanism 110 in three steps.
In the first step, the tailgate 20 occupies the first position, shown in
The length of the first link 101 is L1, the length of the second link 102 is L2, and the length of the slotted link 103 is L3. The slotted link 103 includes a slot 104 of length L5. The first pivot point P1 is located at a distance L4 from a bed end i.e., an end connected to the truck bed) of the slotted link 103. The first link 101 and the second link 102 can be fully extended. Furthermore, the first link 101 can form an angle θ1 with the slotted link 103 creating a distance H mm between the ends of the slotted link 103 and the second link 102. The angle θ1 between the links 101 and 103 and the distance H between the links 102 and 103 allows the telescopic mechanism 100 to provide a support to the back portion 201 (not shown in
Referring to
The trigger 120 is a device (e.g., a cylindrical pin) used to release a spring to unlock the four-bar mechanism 110. The sliding of the tailgate 20, as discussed earlier with respect to
The second position of the tailgate 20 can reached from the first position (in
In the second position, the back portion 201 and the seat portion 202 of the tailgate 20 are folded together and inclined at the angle θ3 with respect to the slotted link 103. The first link 101 and the second link 102 are in fully extended position. The trigger 120 is positioned at the second end of the slotted link 103 which unlocks the four-bar mechanism 110. As the four-bar mechanism 110 is unlocked, it allows the tailgate 20 to transition to the third position.
In the third position, the seat portion 202 of the tailgate 20 is opened or unfolded and the four-bar mechanism 110 is fully extended. The four-bar mechanism 110 causes the seat portion 202 of the tailgate 20 to drop below a reference level such as a level of the bed 10. The seat portion 202 does not touch the ground.
The four-bar mechanism includes the back portion 201, the seat portion 202, a third link 111, and a fourth link 112 that are hingedly connected to each other. The third link 111 can be of length L6 and the fourth link 112 can be of length L7. In the fully extended position, the third link 111 is approximately at 180° to the fourth link 112. Depending on the lengths of the four-bar mechanism, the seat portion 202 can form an angle θ2 ranging from 60°-90° with respect to the back portion 201 of the tailgate 20.
The four-bar mechanism 110 can also include a spring connected at the hinge between the back portion 201 and the seat portion 202. The spring allows the four-bar mechanism to be maintained in a locked position or an unlocked position. In the locked position, the back portion 201 and the seat portion 202 of the tailgate 20 are folded together, while in the unlocked position, the seat portion 202 can be unfolded to create the seating arrangement as shown in
While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosures. Indeed, the novel apparatus described herein can be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the methods, apparatuses and systems described herein can be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosures. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the present disclosures.
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Number | Date | Country |
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2001-233100 | Aug 2001 | JP |
WO 2005014330 | Jun 2006 | WO |