Temporary protective tent that can be erected on the front of a truck

Abstract

Temporary protective tent that can be erected on the front of a truck, characterized by the following features: The main element of this protective tent is a support structure integrated as high as possible into the front of the truck. It is a sturdy body – made of metal or plastic – containing a roof and a back panel. Both can be rolled out – similar to a roller blind. • The roof element is fixed to the front of the truck, behind the (free) space where the support element is located during transport. To unroll it, the support element is pulled out from the front of the truck. • Once the roof element is unrolled, the support element is held in place by two (telescopic) poles. These must be inserted into designated brackets on the bumper at the start of the assembly. The brackets should be positioned as low as possible – i.e., close to the ground – in the bumpers to ensure the most stable overall construction. • Next, the back element is unrolled. It reaches to the floor and is fixed there with floor clamps. • The base supports consist of two weights into which the back element is hooked. The base supports are either rigid, e.g., made of metal, or flexible, e.g., hollow bodies that can be filled with water, such as (collapsible) plastic canisters. • To improve weather protection, two side panels are hung via eyelets, both on the roof and back elements. • The resulting protective tent is so large that it extends almost across the entire width of the truck's front. The roll-out roof can be extended to approximately 200 cm, allowing the truck driver to stand comfortably underneath. • It is designed so that one person can quickly assemble and disassemble it without outside help. • The few non-integrated attachments such as (telescopic) poles and side panels can be stored in a suitable bag and placed in any suitable storage location, e.g. with the tools, during the journey. • The support element is designed to be fully integrated into the front of the truck while driving. • The roof and back elements as well as the side panels are waterproof, windproof, lightproof and UVproof.

Description

1. Technical environment

[0001] The invention relates to a temporary protective tent that can be erected on the front of a truck and is otherwise completely integrated into the front of the truck, apart from a few attachments. It can be fully erected by one person – typically the truck driver – in just a few minutes and then offers the driver extensive protection from the elements.

[0002] A roof and back panel can be rolled out from the support element as needed. Using (telescopic) poles and side panels, a fully functional shelter is created.

[0003] In a further development of the invention, the protective tent is designed as a security cabin, with doors that can be locked from the inside and are protected by an alarm. 2. State of the art:

[0004] The state-of-the-art technology includes so-called attachable awnings for motorhomes, which can be mounted either along the long side or at the front or rear. These are typically made of awning fabric. A hard-shell version, specifically designed for recreational vehicles (RVs), is also known, in the form of a separate trailer, which is intended to provide additional aerodynamic improvements while driving.

[0005] Sunshades are also known that can be installed in the front of the driver's cab in the form of an awning. These are often films made of reflective material that are attached directly to the windshield, either inside or outside. However, a variant in which a sunshade is installed in front of the vehicle is also known.

[0006] From DE 20 2012 104 349 U1 a sun protection device for the front area of ​​a truck is known, whereby the sun protection device on the front area of ​​the driver's cab is designed as an awning.

[0007] What all of the above-mentioned concepts have in common is that they are, at best, merely roofs. None of these roofs is integrated into the vehicle.

[0008] The disadvantage of such solutions is that they offer only very limited protection.

[0009] None of these concepts allows for the temporary construction of a protective tent covering all sides - or even a safety cabin - and none of them represents an integral part of the vehicle in its essential parts. 3. Task:

[0010] The invention therefore addresses the problem of creating a temporary protective tent which, in its essential components, is an integral part of the vehicle, whereby it can be integrated into the vehicle as far as possible to ensure easy transport in the unassembled state, without significantly changing its shape. 4. Invention:

[0011] The problem addressed under (3) is solved by the features mentioned in claim 1. Advantageous further developments are listed in claims 2 to 6. 5. Commercial use

[0012] The tent is intended to provide temporary space for truck drivers to make their stay at rest stops or other stopping points more comfortable, allowing them to rest better and subsequently drive more safely. For the trucking company, it offers an attractive option that is appreciated by drivers; one that allows them to differentiate themselves in the competition for drivers, among other things. For the truck manufacturer offering the tent, it is a very interesting differentiating element – ​​especially since it can be offered at a comparatively low additional cost.

[0013] The protective tent thus offers the driver a much more spacious (temporary) rest area than the driver's cab can offer. Thanks to its simple and well-thought-out design, it can be set up and taken down by a single person in just a few minutes. Because it's built directly in front of the truck, it occupies an area that must be left clear in front of the truck anyway so that it can continue driving after the rest period.

[0014] The addition of the safety cabin also gives the driver the opportunity to spend the night safely in the protective tent. 6. Beneficial effect:

[0015] As is well known, truck drivers are required by law to take rest breaks. These can be taken in the truck, but the truck should have a sleeping cabin.

[0016] However, these sleeping cabins are very small and don't allow for comfortable long-term living. Therefore, you often see truck drivers sitting outside next to or in front of their vehicles, for example, cooking – even though they are exposed to the elements and have no privacy.

[0017] The protective tent shown in the patent application, which can be temporarily erected on the front of the truck, offers the driver both protection from the weather and privacy and, in particular when extended with the safety cabin, the possibility of spending the night safely in the protective tent. 7. Description of the drawing

[0018] An embodiment of the invention is shown purely schematically in the drawing and is described in more detail below.

[0019] The drawing shows a side view of the driver's cab with the protective tent according to the invention in a partially assembled state. 8. Examples of implementation

[0020] The drawing shows a side view of the protective tent for the front area of ​​the truck - comprising the support element from which both the roof element and the back element are rolled out, the telescopic poles and floor holders as well as a partially rolled out side element.

[0021] The telescopic rods connect the support element to the truck's bumpers for stabilization; the back element is secured to the ground by floor brackets.

[0022] The side element is shown here in a partially rolled out state so as not to cover the telescopic poles.

[0023] As can be seen particularly from the combined drawing and description under (4), the main element of this shelter is the support element, which is integrated as high as possible into the front of the truck and houses both the roof and rear elements. The roof element is fixed to the front of the truck and, when rolled out, forms a roof that extends from the front of the truck to the now-removed support element. It is stabilized by the (telescopic) poles.

[0024] The back panel extends from the support element to the ground and is secured using the ground clamps. This creates a shelter that is enclosed on three sides (roof element, truck front, back panel) but still open on the sides.

[0025] A fully enclosed shelter is created by attaching the side panels – shown here partially unrolled. When fully unrolled, they form a fully enclosed shelter.

[0026] This shelter is so large that it extends almost the entire width of the truck's front end. The roll-out roof extends to approximately 200 cm, allowing the truck driver to comfortably stand underneath. Depending on the installation position of the support element, a height can be achieved that is perfectly sufficient for standing height for people of average height.

[0027] The safety cabin described in (4) as an extension of the invention is suspended in the protective tent. With its doors that can be locked from the inside and are optionally equipped with an alarm, it allows the truck driver to remain safe even at night. legend 1 telescopic poles 2 support element 3 roof elements 4 back element 5 floor holders 6 page element, partially rolled out

Claims

[1] Temporary protective tent that can be set up on the front of a truck, characterized by following features: • The main element of this protective tent is a support element integrated as high as possible into the front of the truck. It is a sturdy body – made of metal or plastic – with a roof and a back element inside. Both can be rolled out – similar to a roller blind. • The roof element is attached to the front of the truck, behind the space where the carrier element is located during travel. To roll it out, the carrier element is pulled out from the front of the truck. • Once the roof element is rolled out, the support element is held by two (telescopic) rods. These must be inserted into the designated brackets on the bumper at the beginning of assembly. The brackets are positioned as low as possible—i.e., close to the ground—in the bumpers to ensure the most stable overall structure. • Next, the backrest element is rolled out. It reaches the floor and is secured there with floor brackets. • The base holders are two weights into which the backrest element is hooked. The base holders are either sturdy, e.g., made of metal, or flexible, e.g., hollow bodies that can be filled with water, such as (foldable) plastic canisters. • To improve weather protection, two side parts are attached via eyelets, both on the roof and on the back element. • The resulting protective tent is so large that it extends almost the entire width of the truck's front. The roll-out roof can be extended to approximately 200 cm, allowing the truck driver to comfortably sit underneath. • It is designed so that one person can quickly assemble and disassemble it without assistance. • The few non-integrated attachments such as (telescopic) poles and side panels can be stowed in a suitable bag and stored in any suitable storage space, e.g. with the tools, while driving. • The carrier element is designed so that it is fully integrated into the front of the truck while driving. • The roof and back elements as well as the side panels are water, wind, light and UV-proof. [2] Temporary protective tent which can be erected on the front of a truck according to claim 1, characterized by that transparent elements are integrated into the back element as well as the side parts as a kind of window, which let light into the shelter. [3] Temporary protective tent which can be erected on the front of a truck according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the support element can only be unlocked for the body from inside the driver's cab and is thus protected against misuse. [4] Temporary protective tent which can be erected on the front of a truck according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that unlocking from the driver's cab is only possible when the truck is parked via an additional lock. [5] Temporary protective tent which can be erected on the front of a truck according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a safety cabin with one or more doors that can be locked from the inside and are protected by an alarm system and have the following features is suspended in the protective tent: • The cabin is made of thin but cut-resistant Kevlar or a comparable material. • Each door is designed so that it can only be locked from the inside. This is ensured by the inside-hinged door being significantly larger than the hatch, thus significantly overlapping it. A zipper is attached to the inside of the door, the counterpart of which is located on another overlap sewn onto the inside of the safety cabin. This allows the door to be closed by first threading it between the inside of the safety cabin and the overlap, and then closing the zipper. • An alarm system can also be integrated. When secured, this creates a connection like spider arms between the inside of the door and counterparts on the inside of the security cabin. If these contacts are interrupted, the alarm is triggered. [6] Temporary protective tent which can be erected on the front of a truck according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat lighting and a connection for an electrically operated cooking area are integrated into the support element, which are preferably supplied via the truck's on-board electrical system.

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