Luggage Compartment for Vehicles

Abstract

1. A motor vehicle having an exterior bodywork surface including front and rear wheel arches and at least one passenger or driver door on each side of the vehicle, wherein a luggage compartment is provided on at least one side of the vehicle, each luggage compartment being located within the exterior surface and forward of the rear wheel arch, the luggage compartment having an opening extending at least partially to a top of the luggage compartment and closable by a hinged panel, the panel forming part of the exterior bodywork surface of the motor vehicle and being located rearward of the luggage compartment and having a hinge towards the rear of the vehicle.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a luggage compartment for a motor vehicle, particularly a passenger car, and particularly but not exclusively to a rear engined vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Passenger cars come in a wide variety of designs, and one aspect of vehicle design is the provision of luggage space. Most automobiles have a luggage compartment at the rear, and others have a luggage compartment at the front in addition to or instead of the rear luggage compartment, and both compartments are usually accessible from the outside of the vehicle. Providing luggage space is problematic when there is little room in the vehicle envelope or overall body, perhaps because the vehicle is small and low-profile, and / or because the interior of the vehicle envelope is given primarily to the passenger compartment, with the remaining space required for the engine, transmission, wheels, suspension, fuel tank, and all the other physical elements that allow the vehicle to be driven safely. In such tightly packed designs, it can be difficult to provide a lot of luggage space without compromising the aesthetics, weight distribution, and / or driving characteristics of the vehicle. Many conventional vehicle luggage compartments have openings on the exterior of the vehicle; these openings require a door to seal them against the elements, a locking mechanism to hold the door closed, and a hinge mechanism that is usually arranged to hinge about a horizontal axis and thus also has a lifting means to assist in opening. All of these features of conventional luggage compartment doors add undesirable weight to the vehicle, which negatively impacts fuel consumption.

[0003] Previous attempts to provide sufficient luggage space have led to the installation of roof racks, boot racks, and the like for carrying luggage, and the development of lockable external containers intended to be loaded onto the roof or other portions of the vehicle; however, all of these approaches have adversely affected the aesthetics of the vehicle, its aerodynamic performance (leading to increased fuel consumption, highly undesirable in today's environmentally conscious society, and reduced top speed and acceleration, undesirable in the performance car market), and its driving / handling characteristics. There remains a need for an automobile design that utilizes the space within the vehicle envelope and provides a luggage compartment that allows sufficient access to the compartment without significantly increasing the overall weight of the vehicle or compromising other elements of the automobile design.

[0004] The following assumes that the reader is familiar with the following general aspects of automotive design: an automobile has a front end and a rear end, with the front end being the leading (or "leading") end when normally traveling, and the rear end being the leading end when traveling in reverse (where the front end trails or trails). As used herein, terms such as front, rear, leading, trailing, etc. should be interpreted in accordance with these well-known vehicle design features, and longitudinal should be considered the direction the vehicle travels when driven with no steering applied. Automobiles have laterally separated left and right sides, with wheels that fit within front and rear wheel arches on each side of the vehicle; most or all of the passenger compartment is usually located between the wheel arches, and each side of the vehicle usually has at least one door for the driver and / or passengers to access the passenger compartment. The term "rearmost" is used with respect to passenger doors to acknowledge that there may be one, two, or more passenger doors on the side of the vehicle, and is used to indicate the passenger door closest to the rear of the vehicle; when used with respect to other elements, the term should be interpreted similarly. Automobiles generally have engines mounted at the front, mid, or rear of the vehicle, and the main luggage compartment is often located at the front and / or rear of the vehicle. The terms vertical, longitudinal, and lateral should be interpreted relative to the vehicle. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention has been anticipated based on two realizations: that many vehicle designs have a chassis or monocoque design in which some of the exterior body panels are external bodywork only and have little structural function (they exist primarily for aesthetic and aerodynamic purposes), but may be given useful function; and that in many vehicle designs there exists capacity that is largely unused, empty space and that could be usefully used as a luggage compartment.

[0006] The invention therefore provides a motor vehicle having an external bodywork surface including front and rear wheel arches and at least one passenger or driver door on each side of the vehicle, with a luggage compartment on at least one side of the vehicle, each luggage compartment being located in the external bodywork surface forward of the rear wheel arch, the luggage compartment having an opening which extends at least partly to a top of the luggage compartment and which is closable by a hinged panel, the panel being located rearward of the luggage compartment and rearward of the rear wheel arch and having a hinge towards the rear of the vehicle. In such an arrangement the luggage compartment is located inboard of the vehicle side, preferably immediately forward of the rear wheel arch of the vehicle, so that the rear wall of the luggage compartment can form the front of the rear wheel arch. The compartment is located near the rear edge of the rearmost side door of the vehicle and is located within the area through which a passenger or driver passes when entering or exiting the passenger compartment; therefore, from a side view, the compartment is located within the area defined by the front and top of the seats in the vehicle, the rear wheel arch, and the outside and bottom of the vehicle, and therefore does not impair the accessibility of the passenger compartment of the vehicle. While many vehicles include structural members in this area to provide strength and rigidity, the walls forming the luggage compartment can be made strong enough and appropriately shaped and configured so as not to impair the structural strength or integrity in this area. This location of the luggage compartment is particularly suitable for use in rear-engine or mid-engine vehicle designs, since in such vehicle designs the longitudinal distance between the rear wheels and the rear edge of the rearmost passenger door is often greater than the longitudinal distance between the front wheels and the front edge of the frontmost passenger door due to the space required to accommodate the engine.

[0007] The luggage compartment is closed by a panel, which forms part of the vehicle exterior and seals the opening to the luggage compartment. This arrangement utilises an existing bodywork panel to provide the opening to the compartment; traditionally this panel has been provided primarily for aesthetic and aerodynamic purposes, and its use to also access the luggage compartment adds little structural requirement and therefore little additional weight to the vehicle.

[0008] The panel is located behind the luggage compartment and has a hinge towards the rear of the vehicle. This means that this rear body panel acts as a form of "suicide door" to the luggage compartment, providing maximum access to the opening for loading or unloading luggage. If the vehicle is mid-engine or rear-engine, the panel gives further access to the engine bay, and if the hinge is removable, the panel can be removed completely to give clearer access to the engine bay. Anyone using the luggage compartment (and the luggage therein) is protected from the weather from the rear by the open panel, and from the front by the open rearmost passenger door. Preferably, the hinge is located as close to the rear of the vehicle as possible; this means that the length of the panel is approximately equal to 3 / 4 the length of the rear of the vehicle (as it needs to extend from the rear of the vehicle over the rear wheel arch towards the passenger door), which allows the panel to open at its front edge to allow sufficient access to the luggage compartment, and allows the panel to close without pivoting too far.

[0009] The hinge may have an axis about which it pivots when the panel is opened or closed, the axis being oriented to have both vertical and lateral components. There should be at least a small lateral component so that when the panel is opened it swings upwards as well as outwards; this is advantageous in that the seal between the panel and the opening or aperture of the luggage compartment can be established and released (when opening and closing the panel) through contact and pressure, without any sliding components that may wear away the seal over time. The small lateral component also avoids the rearmost edge of the panel colliding with the rear bumper of the vehicle, and requires little effort to close the panel, providing a "self-closing" effect in that the weight of the panel assists the closing movement. Additionally or alternatively, the axis may be oriented to have components perpendicular to the vertical and lateral directions. This may be necessary depending on the exact geometry of the opening relative to the luggage compartment or the panel that abuts the opening, in order to achieve a sliding-free seal between the opening of the luggage compartment and the panel being opened or closed. The vertical component preferably dominates the other orthogonal components so that opening and closing the panel does not result in significant vertical movement of the panel, which means that less effort is required to open and close the panel and the hinge can be of a simple, lightweight, yet robust design.

[0010] The panel preferably has a leading edge at its forward end, which preferably extends such that in the closed position at least a portion of the leading edge is forward of the rearmost portion of the rearmost door on that side of the vehicle. In this manner, the overlap of the closed rearmost door securely holds the panel in the closed position and prevents the panel from opening when the vehicle is moving, which is an important safety feature. The panel may be shaped and configured at its leading edge to be complementary to the shape and configuration of the rearmost portion of the rearmost door on that side of the vehicle, which helps seal the panel against the opening and helps maintain the desired aerodynamic shape of the bodywork at the point where the door overlaps the panel.

[0011] The opening to the luggage compartment may extend at least partially over the top of the luggage compartment and / or at least partially below the exterior of the luggage compartment (but preferably not all the way to the vehicle floor). This allows the interior of the luggage compartment to be accessed from above and / or from the side and allows it to extend vertically downwards, which is convenient for holding luggage therein while the vehicle is moving - the vertical walls of the luggage compartment extend upwards to form an aperture, or lip, which defines the opening to the compartment, around which a rubber seal may be applied to form a seal when the panel is closed. The lip is formed at the upper end of the compartment wall and is recessed towards the vehicle floor outside the compartment.

[0012] The panel does not pivot significantly vertically, but there may be a telescoping strut, such as a gas strut or hydraulic strut or mechanical spring, with one end fixed to the vehicle and the other end fixed to the panel, to assist in opening the panel and / or to hold it in the open position. The panel itself need not be significantly heavier than if it were fixed in place, and the hinge and lock arrangement need not be as robust or heavy as a conventional horizontally hinged luggage compartment lid. A motor vehicle may have two luggage compartments, one on each side of the vehicle, and two closable panels; this provides a balanced loading system which helps to provide good vehicle handling. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a vehicle according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic rear perspective view of the vehicle of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic front and side view of a portion of the vehicle shown in FIGS. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a panel that constitutes a part of the vehicle shown in FIGS. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Figures 1 and 2 show a motor vehicle 2 having a front end F and a rear end R, front and rear wheels 4a, 4b located in front and rear wheel arches 6a, 6b, and a passenger door 8. An engine (not shown) is located inside the vehicle 2 in an engine compartment EC. At the rear of the vehicle, two upper bodywork panels 10, the edges of which define part of the rear wheel arch 6b (see Figure 4), are hinged so as to be pivotable between open and closed positions (the open position is shown in Figures 1 to 3). Behind the panels 10 when closed there are luggage compartments 12, one on each side of the vehicle 2 (in Figures 1 and 2 the left-hand luggage compartment 12 is occupied by a suitcase and the right-hand luggage compartment is empty). When closed, the panel 10 overlaps an opening 18 (see FIG. 3) to the luggage compartment 12 all around, thereby forming a complete weatherproof seal to protect the contents of the luggage compartment 12.

[0015] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the panels are arranged to open and close by pivoting on hinges H which join the panels 10 to the vehicle 2 and have a hinge axis HL which is oriented relative to the vehicle 2 to maximise horizontal, lateral movement of the leading edge 14 of each panel 10, with a small vertical component and some movement about the longitudinal axis. The latter two movements allow the inner surface of the panel 10 to seat easily and without abrasive sliding against the rubber seals 16 provided around the edges of the apertures 18 opening to the luggage compartment 12. The hinges H are located behind the rear wheel arch and adjacent the rear of the vehicle so as to be attached to a rigid structural part of the vehicle just forward of the rear bumper / panel.

[0016] The aperture 18 is positioned to extend to the top of the compartment 12 (so that loading and unloading of luggage is accomplished primarily by vertical movement), but it also extends downwards outside the vehicle by the same amount, so that loading of luggage can be done by moving the luggage into the aperture at an angle away from the vehicle and then unloading it vertically (unloading is the opposite); this helps to facilitate loading and unloading, especially if the luggage is heavy, while also ensuring that the stored luggage is secured against lateral or longitudinal forces, since a significant proportion of its vertical height is held by the side walls of the storage compartment which extend completely around the compartment 12. The edges of the aperture 18 outside the compartment 12 do not extend to the floor of the luggage compartment.

[0017] A leading edge 14 of each panel 10 is molded to fit snugly laterally under a trailing edge 20 of a corresponding door 8 so that additional rubber seals (not shown, but provided on panel 10 and / or door 8) can provide an air-tight, weather-resistant seal between panel 10 and door 8. When both are closed, door 8 overlaps panel 10, thereby actively preventing panel 10 from opening if door 8 is closed, for example, when traveling (this arrangement prevents panel 10 from opening unless the door is open).

[0018] In one of our designs, the lateral opening movement of the panel 10 is stopped (by telescoping struts) in the position shown in Figure 1, resulting in a maximum width W of less than 2.7m, the width of a typical car park. This allows for easy loading and unloading of the luggage compartment 12, as seen in Figures 1 and 2, and also allows for greater access to the engine compartment EC. The volume of each luggage compartment is approximately 71 liters, which is more than enough to accommodate a standard airline carry-on size case.

[0019] It will of course be understood that many modifications can be made to the above described embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, although the vehicle is shown as having only two doors, one on each side of the vehicle, the invention is applicable to vehicles having more than two side doors, where a luggage compartment is provided behind the rearmost door. The panels may be made of metal alloys or composite materials such as carbon fiber composites (CFC), they may be simple shaped panels or may have additional frameworks to strengthen them, and further, the walls defining the luggage compartment may be made of the same material and / or they may be additionally strengthened to provide structural support to the chassis of the vehicle 2. Additional rubber seals may be provided to ensure that the closed panel 10 fits snugly against the vehicle body. The telescopic struts used to hold the panel in the open position may be spring, hydraulic, or air-sprung to assist in opening the panel. Additionally or alternatively, there may be conventional stays to hold the panel in the open position and ensure that it only opens to a desired extent. There may be additional means and / or a safety latch to lock the panel in a closed position even when the side door is open.

[0020] Where different variations or alternative arrangements have been described above, it will be understood that embodiments of the invention may incorporate such variations and / or alternatives in any suitable combination.

Claims

1. 1. A motor vehicle having exterior bodywork surfaces including front and rear wheel arches and at least one passenger or driver door on each side of the vehicle, A luggage compartment is provided on at least one side of the vehicle; each luggage compartment is located in the exterior bodywork surface forward of the rear wheel arch; the luggage compartment has an opening extending at least partially to a top of the luggage compartment and closable by a hinged panel; The panel comprises a bodywork panel forming part of the exterior bodywork surface of the motor vehicle and having a hinge located rearwardly of the luggage compartment.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the hinge is located adjacent a rear of the vehicle.

3. the hinge has an axis about which the hinge pivots when the panel is opened or closed; 3. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the axis is oriented to have both vertical and lateral components.

4. 4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the vertical component is significantly greater than the lateral component.

5. 5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the axis is oriented having a longitudinal component perpendicular to the vertical and lateral directions.

6. 10. A motor vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the panel has a leading edge at a front end thereof, the panel extending such that, in a closed position, at least a part of the leading edge lies forward of the rearmost portion of a rearmost door on that side of the vehicle.

7. 7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the panel is shaped and configured at its leading edge to be complementary to the shape and configuration of the rearmost portion of the rearmost door on that side of the vehicle.

8. 10. A motor vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a telescoping strut having one end fixed to the vehicle and another end fixed to the panel for assisting the panel in opening and / or for holding the panel in an open position.

9. 3. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the opening extends at least partially towards a side of the vehicle to a side of the luggage compartment.

10. 10. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising two luggage compartments and two closable panels, one luggage compartment and one panel on each side of the vehicle.

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