Attachable laterally-stable range extender for an electric vehicle

Abstract

A system for dual-attachment of a trailer to a vehicle by either manually or robotically so that the trailer becomes a laterally-stable extension of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A trailer for use with a vehicle, the trailer comprising a housing having a vehicle facing side, an attaching plate attached to the vehicle facing side of the housing, said attaching plate being adapted for engaging with a receiving plate having a pair of angled alignment guides on the vehicle, and defining a seating recess, whereupon the attaching plate will laterally self-align to the angled alignment edges of the receiving plate into the seating recess when the trailer and/or vehicle are moved towards one another; and at least three wheels attached to the housing, wherein the at least three wheels includes one or more swiveling suspension wheels attached to the housing, spaced from the attaching plate, and one or more swiveling ground maneuvering wheels attached to the housing between the swiveling suspension wheels and the attaching plate, wherein the one or more swiveling maneuvering wheels are adapted to be raised out of the way when the trailer is hitched to the vehicle.

2. The trailer of claim 1, further including a maneuvering handle attached to the housing.

3. The trailer of claim 2, wherein the maneuvering handle is attached to a rear of the trailer.

4. The trailer of claim 2, wherein the maneuvering handle is attached to a side of the trailer.

5. The trailer of claim 1, wherein the attaching plate is sized and shaped to self align with the receiving plate on the vehicle.

6. The trailer according to claim 1, comprising two swiveling suspension wheels and one swiveling ground maneuvering wheel.

7. The trailer of claim 1, comprising one swiveling suspension wheel and two swiveling ground maneuvering wheels.

8. The trailer of claim 1, comprising two swiveling suspension wheels and two swiveling ground maneuvering wheels.

9. A system for extending a range of a motor vehicle powered by an electric motor, said system comprising a trailer as claimed in claim 1, and one or more rechargeable batteries carried on the trailer.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the motor vehicle is selected from the group consisting of an automobile, a truck, a van, and a bus.

11. The trailer of claim 1, further comprising a battery pack configured to power a motor vehicle carried on the trailer.

12. The trailer according to claim 1, wherein the attaching plate has a general form of an inverted J.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further features and advantages of the present disclosure shall be seen from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals depict like parts, and wherein:

(2) FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate maneuvering functionality of a three-wheeled range-extending trailer according to the present disclosure.

(3) FIGS. 2A and 2B demonstrate the manual maneuverability of the range-extending trailer vehicle by means of two different handle configurations.

(4) FIGS. 3A-3C demonstrate an alternative swing-away installation system allowing full access to the rear of an attached vehicle.

(5) FIGS. 4A-4D demonstrate a manual attachment of the range-extending trailer to a vehicle.

(6) FIG. 5A demonstrates the functionality of a range-extending trailer attaching plate installing to a vehicle receiving plate, and FIG. 5B is a top plan view thereof.

(7) FIGS. 6A-6G demonstrates the lateral and vertical self-aligning functionality of a range-extending trailer attaching plate installing to a vehicle receiving plate.

(8) FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate two alternative embodiments of a range-extending trailer of the present disclosure.

(9) FIGS. 8A-8D and 9A-9B illustrate yet another alternative embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(10) FIG. 1A is a plan view of a range-extending trailer 100 showing the maneuvering functionality of the vehicle swiveling suspension wheel or wheels 130 and trailer swiveling ground maneuvering wheel or wheels 140. Also shown is dually-attached trailer installing plate 150.

(11) FIG. 1B illustrates how the swiveling wheels 130, 140 permit lateral maneuverability of the range-extending trailer.

(12) FIG. 2A demonstrates manual maneuvering of the range-extending trailer from behind using a rear handle 160.

(13) FIG. 2B demonstrates manual maneuvering of the range-extending trailer from a side using a side-front wrapping handle 170.

(14) FIG. 3A is an elevational view of an electric pickup truck 200 that requires full access to its rear end. The same would be true for station wagons and SUVs and delivery vans. Identified are the trailer's housing 110 and deployable rear handle 115.

(15) In an expanded view, FIG. 3B, is shown the range-extending trailer's attaching plate 150 and the vehicle's receiving plate 210 installed to vehicle hinged hitch frame 250. The hinged frame 250 features a quick release component (not shown) allowing its two hinged components to be operationally opened.

(16) FIG. 3C is a plan view of the truck with its hinged attachment frame opened so as to locate the attached range-extending trailer off to a side so as to allow full access to the back of the vehicle.

(17) FIGS. 4A-4D demonstrate manual attachment of a range-extending trailer 100 to electric vehicle 200.

(18) FIG. 4A shows the range-extending trailer 100 sitting on the ground supported on its own three wheels 130, 140. Identified are a swiveling suspension wheel 130, a swiveling ground maneuvering wheel 140, the vehicle's housing 110, deployable rear handle 115 and attaching plate 150.

(19) FIG. 4B demonstrates a man raising the front of the range-extending trailer's installing plate above the operational height of a vehicle's receiving plate 215. This action also has elevated maneuvering wheels 140 off the ground.

(20) FIG. 4C shows the tilted range-extender trailer's attaching plate arriving over the vehicle's receiving plate.

(21) FIG. 4D demonstrates the installing plate having been lowered onto vehicle receiving plate 210.

(22) FIG. 5A is an operational schematic of the connecting plates. Range-extender trailer installing plate 150 is positioned at step 202 and moved at step 204 to above its target receiving plate 210 and lowered at step 206 into connection with the receiving plate. Step 208 shows the accomplished connective assembly of the plates. At step 208 a locking pin 220 is installed into aligning holes 222 in the established plates.

(23) FIG. 5B is a top plan view of the dual-connectivity structure of a range-extending trailer's installing plate 150 arriving to an electric vehicle's receiving plate 210.

(24) FIGS. 6A-6F present front and side views and FIG. 6G a top plan view of self-aligning functionality installing plate 150 slidingly installed to vehicle receiving plate 210, as follows:

(25) FIG. 6A is illustrates the receiving plate's alignment edges 230 that will guide the installing plate down into the seating recess, 235.

(26) FIG. 6B illustrates an installing plate making random first contact with the receiving plate 210.

(27) FIG. 6C illustrates the installing plate being laterally slid against the receiving plate until an end edge 290 is above an alignment edge of the receiving plate.

(28) FIG. 6D illustrates the installing plate's indicated guiding edge being slid down an alignment edge of a receiving plate.

(29) FIG. 6E illustrates the installing plate free of the bottom of the alignment plate edge and so over the receiving plate's seating recess 235.

(30) FIG. 6F illustrates the installing plate being lowered down into operational connection with the receiving plate.

(31) FIG. 6G is a top plan view of the accomplished connective assembly of trailer installing plate 150 and a vehicle receiving plate 210.

(32) By virtue of the disclosure that has just been described it is a simple and straight forward exercise for a user to attach a swiveling-wheeled range-extending trailer to an electric vehicle, thus significantly extending the range of the vehicle. Moreover, unlike conventional single ball-mounted trailers, being dually-attached to the vehicle, and by virtue of the swiveling ground maneuvering wheel or wheels, the trailer will effortlessly track movement with the vehicle when backing up as a laterally-stable extension of the vehicle.

(33) The disclosure in particular allows users of electric vehicles to simply and rapidly attach a range-extending trailer to an electric vehicle. The range-extending trailers may be privately owned, i.e. by the vehicle owner, or alternatively can be rented from central depots when a long trip is planned. Also, since the range-extending trailers may be provided with a universal standard attaching plate, and electric vehicles with a universal receiving plate, it will be a simple matter to attach or swap out a range-extending trailer at a central depot in a matter of minutes. The attachment system allows both manual and robotic attachment of the trailer to a suitably equipped vehicle.

(34) Various changes may be made in the above disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

(35) FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate two alternative embodiments. In FIG. 7A, the range-extending trailer has two swiveling suspension wheels 130A, 130B, and a single swiveling ground maneuvering wheel 140. In FIG. 7B, the trailer has two swiveling suspension wheels 130A, 130B and two swiveling ground maneuvering wheels 140A, 140B.

(36) FIGS. 8 and 9 present a laterally-stable dual-hitching structure as an elaboration of the existing normal single-ball hitching method for trailers to vehicles.

(37) FIG. 8 is a top plan view demonstrating a dual-ball hitching procedure.

(38) FIG. 8A presents vehicle hitch frame 410 that features two hitch balls 415, and trailer hitch frame 310 that features two trailer hand grabs 315. Extending from the hitch frame are two hitching tongues with coupler connectors 320. The tongues are in assembly with tongue connective support 330. An arrow demonstrates the initial operational destination of a trailer hitching connector to a hitch ball of the vehicle 400 hitch frame.

(39) FIG. 8B illustrates a first step of the trailer hitching process: a person's hand grabbing a trailer hand grip 325 and pulling a trailer tongue into installed connection with a vehicle hitch ball.

(40) FIG. 8C illustrates a second step of the hitching process from the other side of the trailer 300: a hand is shown pulling the second trailer tongue toward it's destination vehicle hitch ball.

(41) FIG. 8D presents the accomplished dual-hitched trailer attachment.

(42) FIG. 9A-is a full side view of detail 81/FIG. 9B is a full top plan view of detail 8D.

(43) While the disclosure has been provided in connection with wheeled range-extending trailers for electric vehicles, the disclosure advantageously may be used in connection with other general-purpose or special-purpose trailers.

DRAWINGSReference Numerals

(44) 100 Range-Extending Trailer 110 Trailer Housing 115 Handle 130 Trailer Swiveling Suspension Wheel 140 Trailer Swiveling Ground Maneuvering Wheel 150 Trailer Installing Plate 160 Rear Handle 170 Side Handles 200 Electric Vehicle 210 Vehicle Receiving Plate 215 Clearance Height of Receiving Plate 220 Locking Pin 222 Locking Pin Holes 230 Receiving Plate Alignment Edge 235 Receiving Plate Seating Recess 240 Installing Plate End Edge 250 Vehicle Hinged Hitch Frame 300 Trailer 310 Trailer Hitch Frame 315 Trailer Hand Grip 320 Trailer Hitching Tongue with Ball Connector 325 Tongue Hand Grip 330 Tongues Connective Support 400 Electric Vehicle 410 Trailer Hitch Frame 415 Hitch Ball 202-208 Alignment and Attachment Steps