Motor vehicle

This application claims foreign priority benefits under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) to DE Application 10 2016 222 071.3 filed Nov. 10, 2016, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The present invention concerns a motor vehicle that is adapted to transport an individual mobility apparatus.

The high traffic density of motor vehicles in cities leads increasingly frequently to the requirement to park motor vehicles outside the city center or at the city limits, and bridge the so-called “last mile” with an individual mobility apparatus. In particular, the mobility apparatus should be carried by the motor vehicle.

DE 10 2015 110 730 A1 discloses a lifting arrangement for a vehicle which is configured to be attached to the vehicle. A lifting arm is coupled rotatably to the holder. Furthermore, a docking structure is carried by the lifting arm. The docking structure is configured to lift the personal mobility means. The docking structure also contains an electrical port for electrical connection to the electrical port of the personal mobility means.

A further mobility solution for the last mile is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,211,932 B1. A unicycle is disclosed with its own drive. The self-stabilizing unicycle is optionally either decoupled from a motor vehicle and used as an independent transport means, or integrated in dismantled state in the motor vehicle. The self-stabilizing unicycle consists of a cycle body and a wheel which is attached rotatably to the cycle body, and a motor which drives the wheel. The assembled self-stabilizing unicycle is an individual transport means. The unicycle may be dismantled and the wheel of the unicycle can be used in dismantled state for the wheel suspension of the motor vehicle.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an advantageous motor vehicle for transporting a mobility apparatus to cover the so-called “last mile”. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to propose a solution which does not reduce the available stowage space.

The present invention discloses a motor vehicle with which a compact scooter can be transported. The motor vehicle comprises an engine bay, a passenger compartment, a luggage compartment and an auxiliary stowage compartment. The additional stowage compartment is accessible from the outside of the motor vehicle and is configured to receive a compact scooter.

According to one embodiment of the motor vehicle according to the invention, the dimensions of the additional stowage compartment correspond to the dimensions of the compact scooter. The dimensions of the compact scooter may vary greatly depending on use. Examples include a collapsible kick scooter as a vehicle for one person, or a foldable transport scooter suitable for transporting luggage.

According to one embodiment of the motor vehicle according to the invention, the additional stowage compartment has a cover configured for opening and closing. The cover is configured to completely or partially close the stowage compartment. The covers may be formed in various ways. Examples include covers provided with a hinge for folding back, covers provided with a rail hinge for sliding, separate covers provided with a push closure, covers provided with a bayonet closure, or foldable covers. The types of covers are merely examples and indicate some of the many variations of covers that may be provided on a motor vehicle.

According to one embodiment, the cover is a part of the outer skin of the motor vehicle. The cover here serves, for example, as protection from view and/or as protection from dirt and/or as an aerodynamic element. The design of the cover may be matched to the design of the outer skin of the motor vehicle.

The cover may be designed to be lockable. It may be locked for example via the central locking during travel, or when the motor vehicle is locked after travel. This prevents the scooter from being removed by an unauthorized person, e.g. at traffic lights or in a car park.

The additional stowage compartment may be arranged in the bumper, in the side member, or in the sill. These locations are most suitable for the provision of an additional stowage compartment in modern motor vehicles.

The additional stowage compartment has a device which is configured to allow a tool-free connection by force fit or form fit between the compact scooter and the device. The term “tool-free” here means that no additional aids are required to open the device. However, the device is configured such that the compact scooter is held in position during travel without falling out of the anchorage because of vibrations. For example, spring clamps could be used to hold the compact scooter firmly in position and can easily be opened by a driver of the motor vehicle in order to remove the compact scooter.

The additional stowage compartment may have a slide-in module such as, for example, a slide-in tray or drawer.

The stowage compartment may have a charging station for charging a battery of the compact scooter. The battery of the compact scooter may have connected to the charging station of the additional stowage compartment as soon as the compact scooter is inserted, suspended or otherwise attached in the additional stowage compartment. This may take place with a simple cable and plug connection, a charging tray or by inductive charging methods.

The charging station may be configured to charge the battery of the compact scooter during travel. Charging the battery of the compact scooter during travel leads to the advantage that the battery of the compact scooter is partially or even fully charged when the journey is completed. The compact scooter is then available for use at the end of the journey.

The motor vehicle may have a battery system that feeds an electric motor. In such a motor vehicle, the charging station may be configured to charge the battery of the compact scooter while charging the battery system. For example, the battery system of the motor vehicle may be charged externally. Charging the battery of the compact scooter while charging the battery system of the motor vehicle helps maintain the full performance of the battery system of the motor vehicle. The range of the motor vehicle is not adversely affected thereby. Alternatively, the battery system of the motor vehicle may be charged by an internal combustion engine or fuel cell. Here again, charging the battery system leads to charging of the battery of the compact scooter.

The charging station may be configured to transmit a state of charge of the battery of the compact scooter to one of the instruments of the motor vehicle. The instrument may indicate the state of charge of the compact scooter to the driver. The instrument may be integrated into the dashboard of the motor vehicle. For example, the driver of the motor vehicle may read or be told the state of charge of the battery of the compact scooter during travel, so that even during the journey, the driver receives information on whether the compact scooter of the motor vehicle can be available for bridging the so-called “last mile”.

According to another aspect of this disclosure, a motor vehicle is disclosed in combination with a compact scooter according to the invention.

The compact scooter is provided with a battery and is configured to be driven electrically. Alternatively, other drive systems may be fitted, for example solar-powered drive systems or drive systems based on fuel cell technology.

The compact scooter may be configured to be charged by the motor vehicle during operation of the motor vehicle and/or be charged during charging of the battery system of the motor vehicle.

The compact scooter may be foldable and include a folding mechanism that folds to a collapsed state.

The compact scooter may have at least one wheel. The types of compact scooter vary widely and may include unicycle scooters, two-wheeled scooters such as for example kick scooters or scooter rollers, three-wheeled scooters or four-wheeled scooters which may be used as transport scooters or luggage scooters. Alternatively, scooter bikes are possible. Furthermore, compact scooters with more than four wheels are possible.

Further features, properties and advantages of the present invention arise from the description below of an exemplary embodiment, given with reference to the enclosed figures.

FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic view of a first exemplary embodiment for transport of a compact scooter in a side member of a motor vehicle.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of a foldable compact scooter which is depicted diagrammatically in unfolded state.

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.

The present invention provides a motor vehicle 1 for transporting a compact scooter 2 . A simple solution is sought for bridging the distance in urban areas between the parked vehicle and the actual destination of the driver of the motor vehicle 1 . The desired transport means should be ready to use at the end of the journey with the motor vehicle 1 , and should be easy to extract. Furthermore, the transport means must not reduce the usable space available in the motor vehicle 1 . An electrically powered so-called “last mile” scooter would be ideal for this. The compact scooter 2 of the present invention constitutes one such “last mile” scooter which is useful in large urban areas.

An electrically driven compact scooter 2 may solve the so-called “last mile” problems of individual mobility. In particular, European urban areas such as London with 3 million inhabitants within the inner city, plus 8 million inhabitants in the outer city region, plus an additional 14 million inhabitants in the catchment area of the city, or China's mega-cities such as Shanghai with 15 million inhabitants in the inner city, require a clever solution to the so-called “last mile” problem. Because of the lack of space in inner cities and because of the lack of usable space in motor vehicles 1 which must also be available at all times, one option for an additional stowage compartment lies in integrating this in the bodywork of the motor vehicle 1 or in the underfloor area. This additional stowage compartment can be filled with a simple battery-powered scooter.

FIG. 1 shows a motor vehicle 1 for transporting a compact scooter 2 , wherein in this exemplary embodiment, the additional stowage compartment 8 in the motor vehicle 1 is situated in one of the side members 10 of the motor vehicle 1 . The use of the side member 10 for the additional stowage compartment 8 does not reduce the useful load space of the motor vehicle 1 normally available. The full availability of the load space in the motor vehicle 1 is thus retained. The side member 10 of a motor vehicle 1 is just one example of integration of the additional stowage compartment 8 . Alternatively, the additional stowage compartment 8 may be integrated in the front or rear bumper or in the sill of one of the doors of the motor vehicle 1 . Furthermore, an additional stowage compartment 8 may be integrated in a cavity of the bodywork or in a cavity of the underfloor structure.

The opening of the side member 10 in FIG. 1 is provided with a cover 3 . The cover 3 serves as protection from view and/or protection from dirt. At the same time, it can guarantee that the aerodynamics of the motor vehicle 1 are not adversely affected by an open stowage compartment 8 . The design of the cover 3 is adapted to the design of the outer skin of the bodywork. In FIG. 1 , the cover 3 is shown as a hatch. It is attached to a hinge. Alternatively, other covers 3 may be used. Examples here include a cover 3 which slides to open, a foldable cover 3 , or a cover 3 which is not connected to the bodywork and can be removed like a lid 3 .

To use the additional stowage compartment 8 in the side member 10 of the motor vehicle 1 in FIG. 1 , the compact scooter is folded up and placed in a slide-in module 11 . The slide-in module 11 has dimensions such that this can be inserted in the additional stowage compartment 8 of the side member 10 . Furthermore, the slide-in module 11 is configured to receive a foldable compact scooter 2 . Also, the slide-in module 11 may be configured to contain a charging tray for the compact scooter 2 (not shown in FIG. 1 ). After inserting the slide-in module 11 in the side member 10 , the charging tray, or charging station 12 , may be connected to the battery system of the motor vehicle 1 .

The compact scooter may be attached with spring clamps in this exemplary embodiment to hold it in position during travel. This method of fixing is tool-free and can be quickly opened and closed.

An electrically driven, foldable compact scooter 2 , which in the collapsed state does not exceed the dimensions of the slide-in module 11 , is placed in the slide-in module 11 and connected to the charging tray of the slide-in module 11 . The compact scooter 2 may be placed precisely in the charging tray.

The battery 14 in the compact scooter 2 may be charged. The motor vehicle 1 may be a hybrid vehicle and the battery 14 of the compact scooter 2 may be charged either by an internal combustion engine or by a battery system used for the electric motor. The battery 14 of the compact scooter 2 may be further charged when the battery system for the electric motor of the hybrid vehicle is charged.

The charge state of the battery 14 of the compact scooter 2 may be transmitted to the driver via an instrument of the motor vehicle 1 .

A foldable compact scooter 2 is shown in FIG. 2 . The compact scooter 2 , shown in the unfolded state in FIG. 2 , has a battery 14 and is driven electrically. The compact scooter 2 may also have a free-wheel mode and an electric drive mode. In cases when the battery 14 of the compact scooter 2 is not charged, or the battery charge is not sufficient to bridge the distance, the compact scooter 2 has the flexibility to be used without the electric drive.

The different versions of compact scooter 2 vary greatly. Compact scooters 2 are available with a handle or with a handlebar on which a mobile device or navigation system can be attached. Secondly, there are compact scooters 2 that are designed to transport luggage, heavy loads, the elderly or the disabled. The compact scooter 2 may have four wheels. Four-wheeled compact scooters 2 may be flexibly constructed to provide two separate compact scooters 2 . The compact scooter 2 may be configured with two wheels for use as a kick scooter. A second compact scooter 2 may alternatively serve as a trailer.

The compact scooter 2 may be made of a composite material to make the compact scooter 2 lightweight and hence suitable for anyone to stow, remove and use. Alternatively, any other type of lightweight material may be used for construction of the compact scooter 2 . The light weight of the compact scooter 2 in conjunction with small dimensions in the collapsed state is particularly advantageous for business people, tourists, inhabitants of the suburbs of a large city, tradespeople and the elderly.

The present invention has been explained in detail for illustrative purposes with reference to an exemplary embodiment. A person skilled in the art will however find that deviations from the exemplary embodiment are possible. Thus, the compact scooter 2 may be a unicycle scooter or a tricycle scooter. Also, the use of a scooter bicycle is possible. In very large vehicles with corresponding bodywork, scooters with wheels measuring several inches in size can also be accommodated. Also, compact scooters 2 other than the types cited are possible, as will be evident to a skilled person. The invention should not therefore be limited by the exemplary embodiment but merely by the attached claims.

While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.