A floor and seat attachment structure for electric van vehicles

Abstract

The present invention relates to an attachment structure (1), which allows the conversion of an electric van vehicle into a minibus and comprises a rail support sheet (2) which is positioned on the base (B) of an electric van vehicle and comprises a recessed housing (3) thereon; a floor rail (4) which is placed in the housing (3) and used for seat attachment thereon; and at least one fastener (7) which is used for fixing the floor rail (4) to the vehicle base (B) and rail support sheet (2).

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] A FLOOR AND SEAT ATTACHMENT STRUCTURE FOR ELECTRIC

[0003] VAN VEHICLES

[0004] Field of the Invention

[0005] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat attachment structure, which enables a seat attachment to the cargo cabin in electric vehicles comprising a cabin suitable for carrying cargo, and a vehicle having such structure.

[0006] Background of the Invention

[0007] In the state of the art, there are passenger transport vehicles with a driver’s space and a passenger space at the rear. Vehicles referred to as panel vans have driver and front seats in the front part, while the rear empty body part contains free space for cargo transportation. However, depending on the situation, in accordance with the customer demand, passenger seats can be installed in the body part, which is the empty space of the panel van, and the panel van can be converted into a passenger transportation vehicle. The conversion of these vehicles from cargo transport vehicles (panel vans) to passenger transport vehicles, i.e. the conversion into minibuses, is carried out by specialized companies.

[0008] In the state of the art, for the conversion of vehicles with internal combustion engines from cargo transport vehicles (panel vans) to passenger transport vehicles, rail support on the vehicle base is made with bolt-nut-sheet bracket connection directly on the vehicle base. After the rail support is fixed, the seats are connected to the vehicle rail support. Within the scope of conversion into minibus, the rail support required for seat leg attachments in internal combustion panel vans is provided directly by floor assembly or carried out by supporting the vehicle underfloor with a U-profile since the vehicle underfloor is empty. In electric panel vans, the battery extending from the driver’s seat to the rear fenders makes direct or close intervention on the floor risky in terms of both the occupational safety of technical personnel and passenger safety due to the risk of ignition. Therefore, in electric panel vans, it is necessary to ensure that the rail support is mounted on the vehicle base without interfering with the lower part of the floor.

[0009] In addition, in the state of the art, the rail support in vehicles with internal combustion engines is directly attached to the vehicle chassis, while in electric vehicles, it is not possible to make an attachment on the chassis. Therefore, an attachment that is not made on the chassis may not provide the required rigidity / support for fixing the seat.

[0010] In the state of the art, there is no other attachment model, technique or rail system known or developed for the conversion of electric vans into minibuses. In the industry, the conversion of panel vans into minibuses with direct floor attachment is carried out without TSE approval and the safety test requirements of ECE-R14, ECE-R16, ECE-R17 and ECE-R80 are not met. There are no minibus conversion projects which have passed the relevant tests and inspections in all brands of electric vehicle groups and have TSE Serial Modification TYPE Approval.

[0011] The patent application no. CN216268990 in the state of the art relates to a panel van vehicle which can be used with and without a seat, and there is a seat attachment on the base of the cargo compartment of the panel van and the seat attachment can be used in active and passive state by moving the seat attachment. The said application is cited as an example of prior art.

[0012] Summary of the Invention

[0013] The objective of the present invention is to realize a vehicle seat attachment structure, which enables seat attachment to the cargo cabin in electric vehicles comprising a cabin suitable for carrying cargo, and a vehicle having the attachment structure.

[0014] The objective of the present invention is to realize a vehicle seat attachment structure, which enables the conversion of an electric van vehicle into a minibus, and a vehicle having the attachment structure.

[0015] The objective of the present invention is to realize a vehicle seat attachment structure, which enables seat attachment to the cargo cabin without damaging the vehicle battery in electric vehicles comprising a cabin suitable for carrying cargo, and a vehicle having the attachment structure.

[0016] The objective of the present invention is to realize a vehicle seat attachment structure, which enables seat attachment to the cargo cabin to be carried out in a rigid manner in electric vehicles comprising a cabin suitable for carrying cargo, and a vehicle having the attachment structure.

[0017] The objective of the present invention is to realize a vehicle seat attachment structure, which prevents the vehicle cabin interior from being exposed to battery heat in electric vehicles comprising a cabin suitable for carrying cargo, and a vehicle having the attachment structure.

[0018] The objective of the present invention is to realize a vehicle seat attachment structure, which is positioned at a sufficient safe distance in terms of occupation / job security from the battery in electric vehicles comprising a cabin suitable for carrying cargo, and a vehicle having the attachment structure.

[0019] The objective of the present invention is to realize a vehicle seat attachment structure, which keeps the vehicle weight at minimum by means of a seat attachment formed with minimum parts, and a vehicle having the attachment structure. The objective of the present invention is to realize a vehicle having an attachment structure which ensures that the cabin interior temperature is not affected by the heat from the battery.

[0020] Detailed Description of the Invention

[0021] The following are drawings illustrating the attachment structure and the vehicle having the attachment structure realized to achieve the objective of the present invention:

[0022] Figure 1 is a side sectional view of the bolt-nut connection structure according to prior art.

[0023] Figure 2 is a front perspective view of the vehicle having the attachment structure of the present invention, in which the base, side wall and seat attachment structure can be seen on the seat assembly.

[0024] Figure 3 is a front perspective view of the vehicle having the attachment structure of the present invention, in which the base, side wall and seat attachment structure can be seen.

[0025] Figure 4 is a side sectional view of the attachment structure of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 5 is an exploded side view of an embodiment of the attachment structure of the present invention.

[0027] The parts in the figures are individually numbered and their equivalents are given below.

[0028] 1. Attachment structure

[0029] 2. Rail support sheet

[0030] 3. Housing

[0031] 31. Elevation 4. Floor rail

[0032] 41. Recess

[0033] 5. Attachment bracket

[0034] 6. Adhesive

[0035] 7. Fastener

[0036] 8. Lower bracket

[0037] 9. Carrier bracket

[0038] 10. Side rail

[0039] 11. Side bracket

[0040] A. Vehicle

[0041] B. Vehicle base

[0042] C. Side wall

[0043] K. Seat

[0044] Electric vehicle (A) comprises:

[0045] - a passenger / cargo cabin comprising a base (B) and side wall (C),

[0046] - at least one attachment structure (1) comprising a rail support sheet (2), which is used for seat attachment to the cargo cabin, is positioned on the base (B) of an electric van vehicle and comprises a recessed housing (3) thereon; a floor rail (4), which is placed in the housing (3) and used for seat attachment thereon; and at least one fastener (7), which is used for fixing the floor rail (4) to the vehicle base (B) and rail support sheet (2),

[0047] - at least one lower bracket (8) fixed on the floor rail (4) located in the attachment structure (1),

[0048] - a carrier bracket (9) positioned on the lower bracket (8) and horizontally oriented for fixing the seat thereon,

[0049] - at least one side bracket (11) fixed on a side wall (C) of the vehicle for fixing the carrier bracket (9) on the side wall (C) of the vehicle. An attachment structure (1) for use in the attachment of a seat to the cargo cabin in electric vehicles (A) comprising a cabin suitable for carrying cargo comprises:

[0050] - a rail support sheet (2) which is positioned on the base (B) of an electric van vehicle and comprises a recessed housing (3) thereon,

[0051] - a floor rail (4) which is placed in the housing (3) and used for seat attachment thereon,

[0052] - at least one fastener (7) which is used for fixing the floor rail (4) to the vehicle base (B) and rail support sheet (2).

[0053] The attachment structure (1) of the present invention provides a seat attachment to the cargo cabin without having to access the lower part of the vehicle base (B) / without having to be operated from the lower part of the vehicle base (B) in electric vehicles (A) comprising a cabin suitable for carrying cargo, and it comprises a rail support sheet (2) which is positioned on the upper surface of the vehicle base (B) and comprises a housing (3) in the shape of strip thereon; a floor rail (4) which is positioned in the housing (3); and a fastener (7) which is used for fixing the floor rail (4) and rail support sheet (2) to the vehicle base (B). By means of the attachment structure (1), the floor area of the vehicle (A) having the battery is elevated with the additional rail support sheet (2) and the floor rail (4) placed thereon is fixed on this additional rail support sheet (2) with the fastener (7), so that the seat attachments and extensions are approximately 6 cm above the battery. Since the seat assembly process on the additional floor platform is carried out 6 cm above the battery, no intervention is made to the battery and its immediate surroundings, and the risk of ignition and explosion is prevented and passenger safety is ensured. In this way, the seat and floor attachment model is presented in the safest possible way and the lack of TSE approved floor and seat attachment model needed for the conversion of electric van into minibus is eliminated. By means of the attachment structure (1) of the present invention, extra safety is provided both for the technicians’ work safety and for the passengers due to the high seat resistance. In the attachment structure (1) of the present invention, the said fastener (7) passes through a hole located / drilled on the rail support sheet (2) and is fixed to the vehicle base (B) through the hole located / drilled on the vehicle base (B) in electric vehicles (A) comprising a cabin suitable for carrying cargo.

[0054] By means of the attachment structure (1) of the present invention, a floor and seat attachment model is provided for seat attachment to the cargo cabin within the scope of the conversion of the electric panel van vehicle, which is not manufactured as a minibus with seats, into a minibus glass van. The invention is characterized in that the conversion of the electric panel van vehicle into passenger transport vehicles such as school buses and tourism vehicles (A) complies with ECE-R14 (Safety-belt Anchorages), ECE-16 (Safety-belts and ISOFIX Connections), ECE- R17 (Seats and Their Anchorages to the Vehicle), and ECE-R80 (Strength of Seats and Their Anchorages) standards according to the Republic of Tiirkiye, Ministry of Industry and Technology and the accredited test, inspection and certification body, IT AC.

[0055] The method of assembling the attachment structure (1) of the present invention to the vehicle base (B) is carried out with the following steps:

[0056] - placing the rail support sheet on the vehicle floor and drilling holes in predetermined special dimensions, bonding to the sheet metal floor with special adhesive and fixing with blind rivets,

[0057] - preparing for the aluminum rail attachment by tightening the rivets with nuts for the aluminum rail to be attached to the floor sheet,

[0058] - providing aluminum floor rail and drilling holes on the rail at certain intervals and fixing it with bolts and special adhesive to the rivet with nut located on the floor.

[0059] In an embodiment of the invention, the rail support sheet (2) is in the shape of a trapezoidal sheet. In another embodiment of the invention, the housing (3) is a wave structure located on a trapezoidal sheet. In an embodiment of the invention, the rail support sheet (2) comprises at least one elevation (31) located on the housing (3) to accommodate protruding structures which may be present on the vehicle floor. In an embodiment of the invention, at least one recess (41) is located on the base of the floor rail (4), which corresponds to the elevation (31) on the housing (3).

[0060] In an embodiment of the invention, when the said fastener (7) reaches the rear surface of the vehicle base (B) (if the surface facing the vehicle cargo volume is selected as the front surface) through the hole, it can be fixed to the rear surface of the vehicle base (B) without the need for intervention from the rear surface of the vehicle base (B). In another embodiment of the invention, the fastener (7) is a blind rivet. In another embodiment of the invention, the fastener (7) is a blind rivet application. In another embodiment of the invention, the fastener (7) is a multi-grip with a bump head. In this way, the attachment from the rear of the vehicle base (B) is achieved without any additional intervention (tightening nuts, etc.) and with a minimum distance.

[0061] In an embodiment of the invention, an adhesive (6) is provided between the floor rail (4) and the housing (3) for fixing the rail to the housing (3). In an embodiment of the invention, the adhesive (6) is a two-component adhesive.

[0062] In an embodiment of the invention, the rail support sheet (2) is made of steel material. In another embodiment of the invention, the floor rail (4) is made of aluminum material.

[0063] In an embodiment of the invention, the rail support sheet (2) comprises a (trapezoidal) housing (3) for placement to the vehicle base (B) and the surfaces of the rail support sheet (2) outside the trapezoidal housing (3) form a distance between the vehicle base (B) equal to the height of the housing (3). In an embodiment of the invention, there is provided an attachment bracket (5) which is positioned in the floor rail (4) so as to be linearly movable within the floor rail (4) and which is fixed to the vehicle seat attachment. The said attachment bracket (5) is fixed into the floor rail (4) with a slide-rail attachment.

[0064] In a panel van vehicle (A) having the attachment structure (1) of the present invention and a passenger / cargo cabin comprising a base (B) and a side wall (C), the said attachment structure (1) is positioned on the vehicle base (B) and there is a lower bracket (8) on the floor rail (4) in the attachment structure (1) and a carrier bracket (9) which is positioned on the lower bracket (8) and capable of carrying the seat. There is a side bracket (11) which is fixed on the vehicle side wall (C) for fixing the said carrier bracket (9) to the vehicle side wall (C) and receiving support from the side wall (C). The said side bracket (11) is fixed on the vehicle side wall (C) on one side and on the carrier bracket (9) on the other side and transfers the forces from the carrier bracket (9) to the side wall (C). Since there is no direct connection on the chassis of the vehicle (A) due to the battery (1) in the attachment structure (A) in the said electric panel vans, only the lower bracket (8) and the carrier bracket (9) may not be sufficient to carry the seat, and therefore, in the vehicle (A) of the present invention, the carrier bracket (9) is also attached to the side wall (C) of the vehicle.

[0065] In the side wall (C) assembly method, after the vehicle floor preparation is completed, additional steel sheets with dimensions of 1250x350x3 mm and 550x350x3 mm for the side walls (C) are screwed to the vehicle side walls (C) with nuts and screws with C-profile welding at a height of 30 cm from the floor. Thus, the side wall (C) attachment point is also created for the seats with crippled legs to be located in the battery area.

[0066] In an embodiment of the invention, the lower bracket (8) is fixed to the attachment structure (1) via the attachment bracket (5). In another embodiment of the invention, the attachment bracket (5) is the attachment part of the lower bracket (8). In an embodiment of the invention, the side rail (11) is L-shaped. In this way, it can be fixed to the side wall (C) of the vehicle from one extremity, while the other extremity can be fixed on the underside of the carrier bracket (9) to carry the carrier bracket (9).

[0067] In one embodiment the invention comprises a side rail (10) in the shape of a strip on the side wall (C), which is used for fixing the side bracket (11) in the desired position on the side wall (C) of the vehicle, and the said side bracket (11) can be moved on this side rail (10) and fixed with connection element (bolts, screws, etc.) in the desired position. In another embodiment of the invention, the side rail (10) is C-shaped.

[0068] In another embodiment of the invention, the lower bracket (8) extends perpendicularly from the attachment structure (1) so as to extend away from the vehicle base (B). In another embodiment of the invention, the lower bracket (8) is rectangular.

[0069] In another embodiment of the invention, the carrier bracket (9) consists of two profiles.

[0070] In another embodiment of the invention, there is an insulation layer which is applied to the roof and side walls of the vehicle to prevent external heat and cold from affecting the cabin temperature of the vehicle. In an embodiment of the invention, the insulation layer has an elastomeric flame-retardant water and vapor diffusion property.

[0071] In one embodiment, the invention comprises a piece which is positioned on the rail support sheet (2) and consists of water-resistant wood material. The said wooden piece is fixed on the floor with silicone. In an embodiment of the invention, the said piece made of wood material is provided with cavities in which the rails are to be positioned. In one embodiment, the invention comprises at least one oilcloth which is positioned over a piece made of wood and is used for anti-slip surface.

[0072] In an embodiment of the invention, a wooden piece and an oilcloth are respectively fixed on the vehicle base (B).

Claims

CLAIMS1. An attachment structure (1) for use in the attachment of a seat to the cargo cabin in electric vehicles (A) comprising a cabin suitable for carrying cargo characterized by:- a rail support sheet (2) which is positioned on the base (B) of the electric van vehicle and comprises a recessed housing (3) thereon,- a floor rail (4) which is placed in the housing (3) and used for seat attachment thereon,- at least one fastener (7) which is used for fixing the floor rail (4) to the vehicle base (B) and rail support sheet (2).

2. An attachment structure (1) according to claim 1, comprising a fastener (7) having a structure which can be fixed to the rear surface of the vehicle base (B) without requiring intervention from the rear surface of the vehicle base (B).

3. An attachment structure (1) according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a fastener (7) which is a blind rivet.

4. An attachment structure (1) according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a fastener (7) which is a multi -grip with a bump head.

5. An attachment structure (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising at least one adhesive (6) which is positioned between the floor rail (4) and the housing (3) and used for fixing the rail to the housing (3).

6. An attachment structure (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a rail support sheet (2) made of steel material.

7. An attachment structure (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a floor rail (4) made of aluminum material.

8. An attachment structure (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a rail support sheet (2) in the shape of a trapezoidal sheet.

9. An attachment structure (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising at least one elevation (31) which is located on the housing (3) and at least one recess (41) which is located on the base of floor rail (4) and compatible with the elevation (31) on the housing (3).

10. An attachment structure (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising an attachment bracket (5) which is positioned in the floor rail (4) so as to be linearly movable within the floor rail (4) and which is fixed to the vehicle seat attachment.

11. A vehicle (A) comprising a passenger / cargo cabin which comprises a base (B) and side wall (C), and characterized by- an attachment structure (1) according to any one of the preceding claims,- at least one lower bracket (8) which is fixed on the floor rail (4) located in the attachment structure (1),- a carrier bracket (9) which is positioned on the lower bracket (8) and horizontally oriented for fixing the seat thereon,- at least one side bracket (11) which is fixed on a side wall (C) of the vehicle for fixing the carrier bracket (9) on the side wall (C) of the vehicle.

12. A vehicle (A) according to claim 11, comprising a L-shaped side bracket (11) which is fixed to the underside of the carrier bracket (9), such that one extremity thereof is fixed to the side wall (C) of the vehicle while the other extremity carries the carrier bracket (9).

13. A vehicle (A) according to claim 11 or 12, comprising a side rail (10) in the shape of a strip on the side wall (C), which is used for fixing the side bracket (11) in the desired position on the side wall (C) of the vehicle.

14. A vehicle (A) according to claims 11 to 13, comprising a carrier bracket (9) which consists of two profiles.

15. A vehicle (A) according to any one of claims 11 to 14, comprising at least one insulation layer which is applied to the roof and side walls (C) of the vehicle and used to prevent heat from the battery from affecting the cabin temperature of the vehicle.

16. A vehicle (A) according to any one of claims 11 to 15, comprising a wooden piece which is positioned on the rail support sheet (2) and made of a water- resistant wood material.

17. A vehicle (A) according to any one of claims 11 to 16, comprising at least one oilcloth which is positioned on the rail support sheet (2) or on the wooden piece and used for anti-slip surface.

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