Description:TITLE OF THE INVENTION: AN INGRESS AND EGRESS AIDING APPARATUS FOR A LOCOMOTORY DEVICE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure is generally related to locomotory devices. Particularly, the present disclosure is related to an apparatus for a locomotory device. More particularly, the present disclosure is related to an ingress and egress aiding apparatus for a locomotory device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As illustrated, in Figure 2A, an ingress and egress aiding apparatus, for locomotory devices are known in the art, but suffer from at least the following drawbacks: is complex in construction; non-modular; non-load bearing; decreases ground clearance; reduces stability and structural integrity; and/or increases weight of the locomotory device.
There is, therefore, a need in the art, for an ingress and egress aiding apparatus for a locomotory device, which overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks and shortcomings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An ingress and egress aiding apparatus, for a locomotory device, is disclosed. Said apparatus broadly comprises: an ingress and egress aiding member.
Said ingress and egress aiding member is disposed at an entrance door of the locomotory device on a same plane of a structural unit, with the help of an enclosing member.
Said ingress and egress aiding member broadly comprises: a structural member; a sliding member; a functional member; and a package mechanism.
The structural member is configured as a load bearing structure. Said structural member is disposed over the sliding member.
In an embodiment, said structural member is configured to bear load of about 450 Kgs.
In an embodiment, said structural member is made of aluminium honeycomb panel with said honeycomb pattern being filled with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or Polyurethane (PUR) foam.
The sliding member is disposed over the functional member. Said sliding member is provided with a slider on either side.
In an embodiment, said sliding member is configured to bear load of about 300 Kgs, and is made of aluminium honeycomb panel.
The functional member is configured as a bottom layer of said ingress and egress aiding member. Said functional member is disposed over a frame of the locomotory device.
Said functional member is configured to comprise a sliding mechanism, which enables sliding of the sliding member into and/or out of the apparatus.
The package mechanism is disposed on a rear side of: said sliding member and said functional member. Said package mechanism is configured to comprise an actuating mechanism, which enables sliding of the sliding member into and out of the apparatus with the help of the sliding mechanism.
Said actuating mechanism is operated either manually or automatically.
In an embodiment, length and width of said ingress and egress aiding member is about 1045 mm and about 1416 mm, respectively.
The method of working of the apparatus is also disclosed.
The disclosed apparatus offers at least the following advantages: is simple in construction; is configured to be modular; secures ground clearance within the structure of the locomotory device; reduces weight (upto about 100 Kgs) of the locomotory device; improves stability and structural integrity; and/or configured to bear load of about 450 Kgs per Sq.Mt, based on UBS requirements.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 illustrates an ingress and egress aiding apparatus, disposed (or installed) on a locomotory device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 2A illustrates a cross-sectional view, of a conventional ingress and egress aiding apparatus, for a locomotory device;
Figure 2B illustrates a cross-sectional view, of an ingress and egress aiding apparatus for a locomotory device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 3A illustrates an ingress and egress aiding member of an ingress and egress aiding apparatus, for a locomotory device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 3B illustrates a sliding member, a functional member, and a package mechanism, of an ingress and egress aiding apparatus, for a locomotory device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 4A and Figure 4B illustrate sample materials used for the construction of a structural member and a sliding member of an ingress and egress aiding apparatus, for a locomotory device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 5 illustrates a prototype of an ingress and egress aiding apparatus for a locomotory device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
Figure 6 illustrates components of a functional member, and a package mechanism, of an ingress and egress aiding apparatus, for a locomotory device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Throughout this specification, the use of the words “comprise” and “include”, and variations, such as “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes”, and “including”, may imply the inclusion of an element (or elements) not specifically recited. Further, the disclosed embodiments may be embodied, in various other forms, as well.
Throughout this specification, the use of the word “apparatus” is to be construed as: “a set of technical components (also referred to as “members”) that are communicatively and/or operably associated with each other, and function together, as part of a mechanism, to achieve a desired technical result”.
Throughout this specification, the use of the words “communication”, “couple”, and their variations (such as communicatively), is to be construed as being inclusive of: one-way communication (or coupling); and two-way communication (or coupling), as the case may be, irrespective of the directions of arrows, in the drawings.
Throughout this specification, where applicable, the use of the phrase “at least” is to be construed in association with the suffix “one” i.e. it is to be read along with the suffix “one”, as “at least one”, which is used in the meaning of “one or more”. A person skilled in the art will appreciate the fact that the phrase “at least one” is a standard term that is used, in Patent Specifications, to denote any component of a disclosure, which may be present (or disposed) in a single quantity, or more than a single quantity.
Throughout this specification, where applicable, the use of the phrase “at least one” is to be construed in association with a succeeding component name.
Throughout this specification, the use of the word “plurality” is to be construed as being inclusive of: “at least one”.
Throughout this specification, the use of the word “ingress” is to be construed as: “getting into” or “entering into” a locomotory device.
Throughout this specification, the use of the word “egress” is to be construed as: “getting out” or “exiting” from a locomotory device.
Throughout this specification, the use of the phrase “an ingress and egress aiding apparatus” is to be construed as: “an apparatus for aiding entry/exit of a user into/from a locomotory device.”
Throughout this specification, the use of the word “user”, and its variations is to be construed as: “a person with permanent or partial or temporary mobility impairment; a wheelchair user; and/or the like”.
Throughout this specification, the use of the phrase “locomotory device” is to be construed as being inclusive of: “a passenger vehicle with an ultra-low entry flow, and/or the like”.
Throughout this specification, the use of the acronym “UBS” is to be construed as being inclusive of: “urban bus specifications”.
Throughout this specification, the disclosure of a range is to be construed as being inclusive of: the lower limit of the range; and the upper limit of the range.
Throughout this specification, the words “the” and “said” are used interchangeably.
Throughout this specification, the phrases “at least a”, “at least an”, and “at least one” are used interchangeably.
Also, it is to be noted that embodiments may be described as a method. Although the operations, in a method, are described as a sequential process, many of the operations may be performed in parallel, concurrently, or simultaneously. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. A method may be terminated, when its operations are completed, but may also have additional steps.
An ingress and egress aiding apparatus (may also referred to as “apparatus”), for a locomotory device, is disclosed. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as illustrated, in Figure 2B, said apparatus broadly comprises: an ingress and egress aiding member (1). Structural support for all the components of the apparatus is provided by a frame (3; for example, chassis) of the locomotory device.
As illustrated, in Figure 1, said ingress and egress aiding member (1) is disposed (or mounted, or installed, or positioned) at an entrance door of the locomotory device on a same plane of a structural unit (2), and aiding entry/exit of users into/from the locomotory device.
As illustrated, in Figure 3A, said ingress and egress aiding member (1) broadly comprises: a structural member (1A); a sliding member (1B); a functional member (1C); and a package mechanism (1D).
Said functional member (1C) is configured as a bottom layer of said ingress and egress aiding member (1) and is disposed (or mounted, or installed, or positioned) over the frame (3).
In another embodiment of the present disclosure, said functional member (1C) is configured to comprise a sliding mechanism, which enables sliding of the sliding member (1B) into and/or out of the apparatus.
Said sliding member (1B) is a middle layer of said ingress and egress aiding member (1) and is disposed (or mounted, or installed, or positioned) over the functional member (1C), as illustrated in Figure 3A.
As a top layer of said ingress and egress aiding member (1), said structural member (1A) is configured as a load bearing structure, which provides structural integrity to the apparatus. Said structural member (1A) is disposed (or mounted, or installed, or positioned) over the sliding member (1B).
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, said ingress and egress aiding member (1) is disposed (or mounted, or installed, or positioned) at the entrance door of the locomotory device with the help of an enclosing member (A; Figure 6). Said enclosing member is provided with a guide rail (F; Figure 6) on either side and acts as a support for a slider (B; Figure 6) provided on either side of the sliding member (1B), thereby enabling easy sliding.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, said structural member (1A) is configured to bear load (4) upto about 450 Kgs.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, said structural member (1A) is made of aluminium honeycomb panel (Figure 4A) with said honeycomb pattern is filled with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or Polyurethane (PUR) foam (Figure 4B).
While the apparatus is in use, said sliding member (1B) slides out of the apparatus and forming a ramp, thereby aiding users to ingress or egress the locomotory device. If the apparatus is not in use, said sliding member (1B) slides into the apparatus, and provides structural integrity to the apparatus.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, said sliding member (1B) is configured to bear load (4) upto about 300 Kgs.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, said sliding member (1B) is made of aluminium honeycomb panel (Figure 4A).
As illustrated in Figure 3A, and Figure 3B, said package mechanism (1D) is disposed (or mounted, or positioned, or installed) on a rear side of: said sliding member (1B) and said functional member (1C).
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, said package mechanism (1D) is configured to comprise an actuating mechanism, which enables sliding of the sliding member (1B) into and/or out of the apparatus with the help of the sliding mechanism.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, said actuating mechanism may be operated either manually or automatically.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, said actuating mechanism may be based on pneumatic or hydraulic, as per requirements.
For example, if the apparatus is considered to be operated automatically using a motor, as illustrated in Figure 6, said functional member (1C) comprises a rack and pinion (C) that is operatively associated with a cylinder (E) and a DC motor (D). The other end of said rack and pinion (C) is associated with the sliding member (1B).
Said cylinder (E) and said DC motor (D) are disposed within the package mechanism (1D), and acts as the actuating mechanism. Similarly, said rack and pinion (C) acts as the sliding mechanism.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, thickness of said structural member (1A), said sliding member (1B), and said functional member (1C) are about 20 mm, about 20 mm, and about 80 mm, respectively.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, thickness of said package mechanism (1D) is about 100 mm [the thickness of said sliding member (1B) + the thickness of said functional member (1C).
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, length and width of the structural member (1a) is about 1046 mm and about 1145 mm, respectively.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, length and width of the sliding member (1B) is about 1007 mm and about 1005 mm, respectively.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, length and width of the functional member (1C) is about 1007 mm and about 1060 mm, respectively.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, length and width of the package mechanism (1D) is about 1007 mm and about 356 mm, respectively.
In another embodiment of the present disclosure, thickness ratio of said structural member (1A), said sliding member (1B), and said functional member (1C) is about 1:1:4.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, length and width of said ingress and egress aiding member (1) is about 1045 mm and about 1416 mm, respectively.
As illustrated, in Figure 2B, said structural unit (2) is disposed (or mounted, or installed, or positioned) over the frame (3; for example, chassis) of the locomotory device, and acts as a floor of the locomotory device. Said structural unit (2) broadly comprises: a base member (2A); a structural supporting member (2B); and a protective member (2C).
Said protective member (2C) is the top layer of the structural unit (2), the base member (2A) is the bottom layer of the structural unit (2), and said structural supporting member (2B) is sandwiched between the base member (2A) and the protective member (2C).
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, said base member (2A) is made of structural tube.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, said structural supporting member (2B) is made of plywood.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, said protective layer (2C) is made up of a material with non-slip and weather resistance properties.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, said protective layer (2C) is made of vinyl.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the thickness of said base member (2A), said structural supporting member (2B), and said protective layer (2C) is about 40 mm, about 15 mm, and about 3 mm, respectively.
A prototype of the disclosed ingress and egress aiding apparatus for a locomotory device is illustrated in Figure 5.
The disclosed apparatus offers at least the following advantages: is simple in construction; is configured to be modular; secures ground clearance within the structure of the locomotory device; reduces weight (upto about 100 Kgs) of the locomotory device; improves stability and structural integrity; and/or configured to bear load of about 450 Kgs per Sq.m, based on UBS requirements.
It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the above description is for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered as limiting. Various modifications, additions, alterations, and improvements, without deviating from the spirit and the scope of the disclosure, may be made, by a person skilled in the art. Such modifications, additions, alterations, and improvements, should be construed as being within the scope of this disclosure.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

1 – Ingress and Egress Aiding Member
1A – Structural Member
1B – Sliding Member
1C – Functional Member
1D – Package Mechanism
2 – Structural Unit
2A – Base Member
2B – Structural Supporting Member
2C – Protective Member
3 – Frame
4 – Load
A – Enclosing Member
B – Slider
C – Rack and Pinion
D – DC Motor
E – Cylinder
F – Guide Rail , Claims:1. An ingress and egress aiding apparatus for a locomotory device, comprising:
an ingress and egress aiding member (1) that is disposed at an entrance door of the locomotory device on a same plane of a structural unit (2), with the help of an enclosing member (A), said ingress and egress aiding member (1) comprising:
a structural member (1A) that is disposed over a sliding member (1B) and is configured as a load bearing structure;
the sliding member (1B) that is disposed over the functional member (1C), said sliding member (1B) being provided with a slider (B) on either side;
a functional member (1C) that is disposed over a frame (3) of the locomotory device, and being configured as a bottom layer of said ingress and egress aiding member (1), with:
said functional member (1C) being configured to comprise a sliding mechanism, which enables sliding of the sliding member (1B) into and out of the apparatus; and
a package mechanism (1D) that is disposed on a rear side of: said sliding member (1B) and said functional member (1C), with:
said package mechanism (1D) being configured to comprise an actuating mechanism, which enables sliding of the sliding member (1B) into and out of the apparatus with the help of the sliding mechanism; and
said actuating mechanism being operated either manually or automatically.
2. The ingress and egress aiding apparatus for a locomotory device as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said structural member (1A) is configured to bear load (4) of 450 Kgs.
3. The ingress and egress aiding apparatus for a locomotory device as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said structural member (1A) is made of aluminium honeycomb panel with said honeycomb pattern being filled with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or Polyurethane (PUR) foam.
4. The ingress and egress aiding apparatus for a locomotory device as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said sliding member (1B) is configured to bear load (4) of 300 Kgs.
5. The ingress and egress aiding apparatus for a locomotory device as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said sliding member (1B) is made of aluminium honeycomb panel.
6. The ingress and egress aiding apparatus for a locomotory device as claimed in claim 1, wherein: length and width of said ingress and egress aiding member (1) is 1045 mm and 1416 mm, respectively.