Railing device attached to the rear loading platform of a vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a railing device (200) attached to the loading platform (110) of a motorized or non-motorized bicycle (100), said device comprising two lateral safety bars (210, 220) arranged to protect at least one passenger, said device (200) being characterized in that the lateral safety bars (210, 220) are mounted to be retractable between a first, deployed position forming a railing and a second position in which they are lowered alongside the loading platform (110).

Description

Guardrail device fixed to the rear loading platform of a vehicle

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of two- or three-wheeled vehicles, motorized or not, and more particularly to the safety of passengers in such a vehicle.

[0002] In the market for bicycles, or cargo bikes with a front-mounted cargo box, there are "longtail" bikes, also known as "extended" bikes, with or without electric assist. These longtail bikes feature a rear cargo platform, typically located behind the rider's seat and above the rear wheel. Longer than a standard bicycle rack, this platform allows for the transport of cargo or passengers behind the rider. This type of longtail bike is very popular for transporting children. The cargo platform is usually equipped with a bench seat and can accommodate up to three or even four children, or one adult and one or two children, for example. When children are seated on this platform, it is crucial to ensure their safety in case the bike falls to one side or the other.That is why this rear platform is generally equipped with a structure including side safety bars that children can hold onto while riding and providing a protective guardrail in case the bike falls to one side.

[0003] This guardrail structure is usually fixed and bolted to the vehicle's cargo bed, so it cannot be quickly removed. Children must be carried by an adult to get on it because the structure is relatively high, typically about 60 to 70 cm from the ground.

[0004] To facilitate the placement of children on the cargo platform of such a vehicle, an improvement was developed and is the subject of patent application EP4 306 396. This patent application describes a passenger protection structure arranged to pivot between an open passenger placement position and a closed driving position. Thus, when the structure is open, it allows children to pass through so they can sit on the vehicle's cargo platform, and when the structure is closed in the driving position, it protects the children in the event of the vehicle tipping over.

[0005] Whether the guardrail structure is fixed to the vehicle's loading platform or pivots between a seating and driving position, existing solutions do not allow an adult to access the vehicle's loading platform without dismantling the entire guardrail structure. Such dismantling is too time-consuming and discouraging, so adults generally do not use the vehicle's loading platform.

[0006] The invention therefore aims to remedy at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art. In particular, the invention aims to design a guardrail device fixed to the loading platform of a motorized or non-motorized vehicle, with two or three wheels, said device allowing, on the one hand, the protection of at least one child seated on said loading platform and, on the other hand, allowing an adult to sit on said loading platform without having to dismantle the guardrail device.

[0007] To this end, the invention relates to a guardrail device fixed on the loading platform of a motorized or non-motorized vehicle, said device comprising two lateral safety bars arranged to protect at least one passenger, said device being characterized in that said lateral safety bars are mounted retractably between a first deployed position forming a guardrail and a second lowered position along said loading platform.

[0008] Thus, the guardrail device according to the invention offers the possibility of placing the side safety bars in two different positions for two different uses, allowing the transport of child or adult passengers on the vehicle's loading platform without having to dismantle or reassemble the guardrail structure depending on whether the passenger is an adult or a child. In the retracted position, the device allows an adult to sit on the loading platform. The deployed position allows it to surround and protect at least one child seated on said loading platform, thus forming a guardrail in the event of the vehicle tipping over.

[0009] Depending on other optional features of the guardrail system:

[0010] - each side safety bar has a "U" shape, at least one end of which is mounted on a first vertical support, pivoting around a first and a second axis of rotation respectively, said first and second axes of rotation being perpendicular to said first vertical support;

[0011] - the said first and second axes of rotation are coaxial;

[0012] - said first and second axes of rotation are perpendicular to a second vertical support located opposite said first vertical support and a second end of each lateral bar, opposite said first end, is mounted on said second vertical support, pivoting around said first and said second axis of rotation respectively;

[0013] - said first vertical support is arranged to accommodate a padding material forming a backrest;

[0014] - said first vertical support constitutes a rear end of the device, surmounting a rear end of said loading platform and said second vertical support constitutes a front end of the device, surmounting a front end of said loading platform;

[0015] - it includes a third vertical support fixed to the loading platform so that it separates two seating areas, each seating area comprising two retractable side safety bars mounted between a first deployed position forming a guardrail and a second lowered position along said rear platform;

[0016] - it includes at least one means of retention designed to hold said side safety bars in the deployed position;

[0017] - said retaining means is in the form of an indexing finger designed to fit into a high positioning socket provided in said first vertical support;

[0018] -said indexing finger is designed to fit into at least one low positioning socket provided in said first vertical support in order to stabilize said side bar in the lowered position;

[0019] - the indexing finger includes a thread designed to screw into a tapped hole provided in a plate attached to said side safety bar;

[0020] -it further includes a geared means arranged to synchronize the movement of the two side safety bars, so that the actuation of one side bar causes the other side bar to move.

[0021] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description provided by way of illustrative and non-limiting example, with reference to the attached figures which represent:

[0022] , a perspective diagram of the guardrail device according to the invention in the deployed position, fixed to the loading platform of a "longtail" type cargo bike,

[0023] , a perspective diagram of the guardrail device according to the invention in its deployed position,

[0024] , a diagram seen from the rear of the device in its deployed position,

[0025] , a perspective diagram of the guardrail device according to the invention in the lowered position,

[0026] , a cross-sectional view of a support means for holding a side safety bar in the deployed position or stabilizing it in the lowered position.

[0027] The term "vertical" means a plane or axis oriented perpendicular to the ground when the vehicle is in driving position.

[0028] The term "horizontal" refers to a plane or axis oriented parallel to the ground when the vehicle is in driving position.

[0029] Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a longtail cargo bike frame 100, equipped with a guardrail device 200 according to the invention. The bike 100 includes a loading platform 110, located behind the rider's seat and above the rear wheel of the vehicle 100. The guardrail device 200 according to the invention is fixed to the loading platform 110, preferably at both the front and rear ends of said platform 110. In Figure 1, the device 200 is shown in the deployed position, with the side safety bars 210 and 220 forming a guardrail and protecting a child passenger in the event of the vehicle 100 falling to one side.

[0030] Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the guardrail device 200 in the deployed position and Figure 2 represents a rear view of the same device in the deployed position.

[0031] The device 200 includes a first fastening element 230, for example in the form of a plate. This first fastening element 230 is intended to be fixed to a supplementary plate located on the vehicle's loading platform 110. It can be fixed by any known means, such as bolting or clipping. For example, holes 231 are provided in this first fastening element 230 to allow its fixing, for example by bolting, to the loading platform. Preferably, this first fastening element 230 is located at the rear of the guardrail device 200, and the supplementary plate to which it is fixed is located at the rear end of the vehicle's loading platform 110.

[0032] A second fastening element 270 is also provided at the front of the device and is intended to be fixed by any known means, such as bolting or clipping, to an additional plate located on the bicycle frame 100 and at the front of the loading platform 110. For example, holes 271 are provided in this second fastening element 270 to allow for its attachment. This second fastening element 270 is shown in the figures as a U-shaped profile, but this shape is only illustrative and in no way limiting; other shapes may be considered.

[0033] The side safety bars 210, 220 preferably have a length substantially equal to the length of the vehicle's loading platform 110 and two ends curved at approximately 90° to form a "U" shape. The side safety bars 210, 220 are mounted in a retractable position between a deployed and a lowered position along the loading platform 110.

[0034] For this purpose, at least one end 261, 262 of each side bar 210, 220 is mounted on a first vertical support 240, pivoting around respectively a first A1 and a second axis of rotation A2 perpendicular to the surface of said first vertical support 240. Preferably, the first A1 and second A2 axes of rotation of each side bar 210, 220 are located in an upper part of the first vertical support 240 so that, when the side bars 210, 220 are deployed, they are located substantially at the height of a child's waist when sitting on the loading platform 110.

[0035] In such an embodiment, where only one end 261, 262 of each side bar 210, 220 is pivotally mounted about an axis of rotation A1, A2, the second end 263, 264 of each side safety bar 210, 220, opposite the first end 261, 262, can then be inserted into a housing provided at the upper end of a vertical post located opposite the first vertical support 240.

[0036] In order to improve the rigidity of the guardrail device, a preferred embodiment consists of mounting the second end 263, 264 of each side safety bar 210, 220, opposite said first end 261, 262, on a second vertical support 280 located opposite said first vertical support, and pivoting about said first A1 and second A2 axis of rotation respectively, said first A1 and second A2 axes of rotation being perpendicular to the surface of said second vertical support 280.

[0037] According to another embodiment, the first A1 and second A2 axes of rotation can be coaxial.

[0038] The first vertical support 240 can consist of a solid surface surmounting, for example, the first fastening element 230 attached to the rear end of the loading platform. However, to minimize the weight of the device, a preferred solution is to make this vertical fastening support 240 in the form of a plate positioned between two side posts 242, 243 of a hoop 241 surmounting said first fastening element 230. The vertical support 240 is connected to the side posts 242, 243 of the hoop 241 by means of at least two tabs 247, preferably four tabs 247. The tabs 247 can be attached to the side posts 242, 243 by any known means, such as welding, riveting, or screwing, for example.According to one embodiment, the first vertical support 240 and the arch 241 can be made in one piece, which avoids the appearance of areas of weakness related to the fixing of the legs 247 on the lateral uprights 242, 243.

[0039] Advantageously, the first vertical support 240 is arranged to accommodate, on its front surface, directed towards the inside of the guardrail device 200, a padding material forming a backrest.

[0040] The second vertical support 280 is fixed to the upper end of a post 272 that overhangs the second fixing element 270 located at the front end of the device. The post 272 is preferably inclined towards the rear of the guardrail device 200, at an angle between 30 and 90 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane of the loading platform 110, so as to avoid any obstruction to the vehicle driver.

[0041] According to one embodiment, a third vertical support can be fixed to the bicycle's loading platform 110, dividing the platform into two separate seating areas. Each area comprises two pivoting side safety bars that can be folded down and extended. For example, a first seating area can be provided along the first third of the loading platform's length, and a second seating area along the remaining two-thirds. This allows a child passenger to be secured in the first seating area by extending the side bars to form a guardrail, while an adult can sit in the second seating area where the side bars are folded down.

[0042] Advantageously, the device 200 further includes at least one retaining means 250, allowing the side safety bars 210, 220 to be kept in the deployed position.

[0043] This retaining means 250 can take various forms, including, for example: a knurled screw cooperating with a threaded hole in the first vertical support 240, or a pin designed to index with a hole in the first vertical support 240, or a clamping toggle designed so that, in the lowered position, it indexes in a positioning sleeve in said first vertical support 240, or an indexing finger fitting into a positioning sleeve 244, 245 in said first vertical support 240. The retaining means can also consist of a clamping bar designed to firmly hold the right and left side bars together when deployed and form a rigid assembly eliminating any possibility of rotation of the bars around their respective axis of rotation.

[0044] Preferably, the retaining means 250 is in the form of an indexing finger. In this case, two high positioning sleeves 245 are positioned on the lateral edges of the vertical support 240, in its upper part and substantially below the first A1 and second A2 axes of rotation of the first ends 261, 262 of the side bars 210, 220. Thus, when the two indexing fingers 250 are inserted into the high positioning sleeves 245, they each hold a side bar 210, 220 in the deployed position by preventing its rotation around its axis A1, A2.

[0045] Optionally, two additional lower positioning sockets 244 can be positioned in the lower part of the vertical support 240, towards the middle of said support and on either side of vertical axes perpendicular to the axes of rotation A1, A2. Thus, when the two indexing fingers 250 are inserted into the lower positioning sockets 244, they each allow a safety side bar 210, 220 to be stabilized in its lowered position.

[0046] Preferably, the indexing pin 250 has a thread that screws into a tapped hole 256 in a plate 251 attached to the side safety bar 210, 220. The plate 251 can have any geometric shape. In the example shown in Figures 2 to 4, it is substantially triangular. It is attached to the side safety bar 210, 220 by any known means such as welding, screwing, riveting, or any other equivalent method. Preferably, it is attached by welding. Thus, the side safety bar 210, 220 is held securely in its extended position when the indexing pin 250 is inserted into the upper positioning sleeve 245, or in its lowered position when the indexing pin 250 is inserted into the lower positioning sleeve 244.

[0047] Lare represents a cross-sectional view of an indexing finger 250 allowing a lateral bar 210 to be held in the deployed position. A high positioning sleeve 245 is inserted into the thickness of the vertical support 240. Typically, an indexing pin 250 includes a protruding tab 254 that fits into the positioning sleeve 245. To remove the indexing pin 250 from the positioning sleeve 245, a lever 252 pulls on a spring to retract the tab 254 and release it from the positioning sleeve 245. A plate 251, attached to the lateral safety bar 210, includes a tapped hole 256 into which the threaded rod of the indexing pin 250 is screwed until it abuts against a nut 253. The indexing pin 250 is thus secured to the lateral safety bar 210 and is inserted into the high positioning sleeve 245.Thus, the side safety bar 210 is held fixedly in the deployed position by the indexing pin 250 inserted into the upper positioning sleeve 245, preventing any rotation around its axis A1. To remove the indexing pin 250 from the upper positioning sleeve 245, simply pull the lever 252 on the indexing pin, which then acts on a spring to retract the stop 254 and remove it from its housing.

[0048] To position the side bars 210, 220 in the lowered position, as illustrated in the figure, along the loading platform 110, each indexing finger 250 is removed from its upper positioning sleeve 245, and the side bar it held is gently lowered along the platform. To stabilize the side bars 210, 220 in this lowered position during movement, the indexing fingers 250 can be inserted into the lower positioning sleeves 244.

[0049] According to another embodiment, it is possible to provide a geared means arranged to synchronize the movement of the two lateral safety bars 210, 220, so that the actuation of one bar 210 causes the other bar 220 to move. In this case, it is possible to provide only one upper positioning sleeve 245, and possibly one lower positioning sleeve 244, and one indexing finger 250 which inserts into the upper positioning sleeve 245 to hold the two bars in the deployed position and possibly into the lower positioning sleeve 244 to stabilize the two bars in the lowered position along the loading platform 110.

[0050] When the guardrail system is deployed, small passengers seated on the cargo platform 110 of the vehicle 100 can hold onto the side bars 210, 220 while the vehicle is in motion. Advantageously, the side safety bars 210, 220 are each reinforced with an outer bar 211, 221 to protect the hands of small passengers should the vehicle tip to one side or the other. When the guardrail system is retracted, i.e., when the side bars 210, 220 are lowered along the cargo platform 110 of the vehicle 100, the outer bars 211, 221 can serve as a grab handle for an adult passenger. The outer bars 211, 221 also allow the attachment of transport bags when the side safety bars 210, 220 are in the lowered position.

[0051] In another embodiment, a weatherproof canopy structure can also be attached to the side safety bars 210, 220 when they are in the deployed position. In this case, the canopy structure comprises uprights that are removably attached to the side bars and can preferably be detached without tools. For this purpose, a clamp-type fastening system or any equivalent means can be used. The uprights support, at their upper ends, a closed curve forming a canopy headliner support. At least two forward-facing uprights can be rigid, for example, made of aluminum, while two rearward-facing uprights can be made of a more flexible material, such as fiberglass strips, to accommodate deformations caused by wind, among other things.

[0052] According to yet another embodiment, it is also possible to provide a housing in each of the side safety bars 210, 220 to integrate an airbag device in order to better protect small passengers in the event of the vehicle rolling onto its side. The airbag device can then be activated in the deployed position and deactivated in the lowered position.

[0053] The guardrail system just described has the advantage of offering two different positions for two different uses and allows children or adults to be transported without having to dismantle the system.

Claims

Guardrail device (200) fixed on the loading platform (110) of a motorized or non-motorized bicycle (100), said device (200) comprising two lateral safety bars (210, 220) arranged to protect at least one passenger, said device (200) being characterized in that said lateral safety bars (210, 220) are mounted retractably between a first deployed position forming a guardrail and a second lowered position along said loading platform (110). Guardrail device (200) according to claim 1, characterized in that each side safety bar (210, 220) has a "U" shape of which at least one first end (261, 262) is mounted on a first vertical support (240), pivoting around respectively a first (A1) and a second (A2) axis of rotation, said first (A1) and second (A2) axes of rotation being perpendicular to said first vertical support (240). Guardrail device (200) according to claim 2, characterized in that said first (A1) and second (A2) axes of rotation are coaxial. Guardrail device (200) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that said first (A1) and second (A2) axes of rotation are perpendicular to a second vertical support (280) located opposite said first vertical support (240) and in that a second end (263, 264) of each side bar, opposite said first end (261, 262), is mounted on said second vertical support (280), pivoting around said first (A1) and said second (A2) axis of rotation respectively. Guardrail device (200) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that said first vertical support (240) is arranged to accommodate a padding material forming a backrest. Device (200) according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that said first vertical support (240) constitutes a rear end of the device (200), surmounting a rear end of said loading platform (110) and in that said second vertical support (280) constitutes a front end of the device (200), surmounting a front end of said loading platform (110). Guardrail device (200) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a third vertical support fixed to the loading platform (110) so that it separates two seating areas, each seating area comprising two side safety bars mounted retractable between a first deployed position forming a guardrail and a second lowered position along said rear platform. Guardrail device (200) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one retaining means (250) designed to hold said side safety bars (210, 220) in the deployed position. Guardrail device (200) according to claim 8, characterized in that said retaining means is in the form of an indexing finger (250) designed to fit into a high positioning socket (245) provided in said first vertical support (240). Guardrail device (200) according to claims 8 and 9, characterized in that said indexing finger (250) is designed to fit into at least one low positioning socket (244) provided in said first vertical support (240) in order to stabilize said side bars (210, 220) in the lowered position. Device (200) according to any one of claims 9 to 10, characterized in that the indexing finger (250) comprises a thread designed to screw into a tapped hole (256) provided in a plate (251) integral with said side safety bar (210, 220). Guardrail device (200) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises a geared means arranged to synchronize the movement of the two lateral safety bars (210, 220), so that the actuation of one lateral bar (210) causes the other lateral bar (220) to move.

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