Claims:WE CLAIM:
1. A cargo vehicle (100) comprising:
a driver compartment (24);
a loading deck (110) extending rearwards in a vehicle front rear direction (F-R) between a first end (110a) contiguous to the driver compartment (24) and a second end (110b) terminating above a rear end (72a, 72b) of the cargo vehicle (100); and
a storage space (90) formed behind the driver compartment (24) and below the first end (110a) of the loading deck (110).

2. The cargo vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprises a main frame (200), the main frame (200) having: a frame member (60); and a pair of spaced apart long members (70a, 70b) extending rearwards from the frame member (60) in the vehicle front-rear direction (F-R); wherein the pair of long members (70a, 70b) bends upward and rearward into the rear end (72a, 72b) of the cargo vehicle (100).

3. The cargo vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprises a pair of orthogonal support members (80, 82) disposed behind the driver compartment (24), the pair of orthogonal support members (80, 82) supporting the first end (110a) of the loading deck and thereby defining the storage space (90).

4. The cargo vehicle (100) as claimed in claims 2 and 3, wherein the main frame (200) comprises the pair of orthogonal support members (80, 82) disposed behind the driver compartment (24).

5. The cargo vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of the pair of the orthogonal support members (80, 82) extends from a lower end (80a’, 82a’) to an upper end (80b’, 82b’), the lower end (80a’, 82a’) fixedly attached to each of the long members (70a, 70b) and the upper end (80b’, 82b’) attached to a portion of each of the long member (70a, 70b) bending upwards and rearwards towards the rear end (72a, 72b).

6. The cargo vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of the orthogonal support member (80, 82) comprises a first member (80a, 82a) extending upwards from the lower end (80a’, 82a’) and a second member (80b, 82b) extending rearwards in the vehicle front-rear direction (F-R) and terminating into the upper end (80b’, 82b’).

7. The cargo vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the pair of orthogonal support members (80, 82) comprises a horizontal cross member (84) disposed therebetween.

8. The cargo vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first member (80a, 82a) and the second member (80b, 82b) of the orthogonal support members (80, 82) are detachably attached to each other.

9. The cargo vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 2 comprises a floorboard (86) disposed upon the pair of spaced apart long members (70a, 70b), the floorboard (86) extending rearwards in the vehicle front rear (F-R) direction and underneath the orthogonal support members (80, 82), and terminating in a region where the pair of long members (70a, 70b) bend upwards.

10. The cargo vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of the spaced apart long members (70a, 70b) comprise a fender mounting bracket (88), each of the fender mounting brackets (88) disposed towards the rear end (72a, 72b) of the cargo vehicle (100).

11. The cargo vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 10, wherein each of the fender mounting bracket (88) comprises a first member (88a) and a second member (88b) being adjacently disposed towards the rear end (72a, 72b) of the cargo vehicle (100), such that extended brackets of each of the rear fenders (22) are received between the first member (88a) and the second member (88b) thereby being affixed to each of the fender mounting brackets (88) by fastening means (X).

12. The cargo vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a utility box (92) is received inside the storage space (90), the utility box (92) resting on the floorboard (86), the utility box (92) being provided with an openable cover (92a) accessible from a side of the vehicle (100).

13. The cargo vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a fuel tank is disposed inside the storage space (90), the fuel tank resting on the floorboard (86).

14. The cargo vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 13, wherein a spare tyre (94) is disposed inside the storage space (90) adjacent to the fuel tank.
, Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[001] The present invention relates to a cargo vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[002] Three wheeled vehicles have an increasing demand in developing countries. This is predominantly due to their easy maneuverability given the narrow road conditions, easy availability of the vehicles and last mile connectivity offered by these vehicles. Over time, three wheeled vehicles came to be developed as: passenger vehicles in the form of autorickshaws for transporting people; and cargo vehicles having a cargo deck/ loading deck in the rear portion for carrying and transporting small and medium sized goods and raw materials.
[003] An ever-growing population has triggered an exponential need for both three wheeled passenger vehicles as well as cargo vehicles. More so, the rise in need for the three wheeled cargo vehicles has been substantially higher than its counterpart passenger vehicle owing to increasing infrastructural development in the developing countries.
[004] However, although the vehicles are three wheeled, manufacturing the passenger vehicle or the cargo vehicle requires entirely different manufacturing setups, entailing separate manufacturing units, assembling machineries and dedicated workmen. This therefore increases cost of manufacturing a three wheeled vehicle manifold thereby making manufacturing of three wheeled cargo and passenger vehicles not only a cost-intensive process but also a labor-intensive process and a time-intensive process.
[005] Further, the presently developed three wheeled cargo vehicles have numerous features to make loading and unloading of the goods and raw materials an easy task, however, there still is a lot of be desired in the cargo vehicles. To begin with, owing to a want of higher space for carriage, the cargo vehicles often compromise on fuel tanks thereby having small sized fuel tanks. Since, fuel efficiency of the cargo vehicles substantially drops when transporting heavy goods and especially in hilly terrains, the vehicles require frequent re-fueling which is a tedious and a time-consuming task. Further, since the vehicles are expected to maneuver through all kinds of terrain, they are always exposed to bad roads which cause frequent punctured wheels. The present cargo vehicles store a spare tyre below driver seat which makes it inconvenient for the driver to store his personal belongings since the space available below the seat is the only spare space available in the entire vehicle. Thus, there is yet another challenge of having a storage space to store additional supplies, official documents and personal belongings.
[006] Thus, there is a need in the art for a cargo vehicle which addresses at least the aforementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[007] The present invention is directed to a cargo vehicle. The cargo vehicle includes: a driver compartment; a loading deck extending rearwards in a vehicle front rear direction between a first end contiguous to the driver compartment and a second end terminating above a rear end of the cargo vehicle; and a storage space formed behind the driver compartment and below the first end of the loading deck.
[008] In an embodiment of the invention, the cargo vehicle includes a main frame, the main frame having: a frame member; and a pair of spaced apart long members extending rearwards from the frame member in the vehicle front-rear direction; wherein the pair of long members bends upward and rearward into the rear end of the cargo vehicle.
[009] In another embodiment of the invention, the cargo vehicle includes a pair of orthogonal support members disposed behind the driver compartment, the pair of orthogonal support members supporting the first end of the loading deck and thereby defining the storage space.
[010] In a further embodiment of the invention, the main frame includes the pair of orthogonal support members disposed behind the driver compartment.
[011] In yet another embodiment, each of the pair of the orthogonal support members extends from a lower end to an upper end, the lower end fixedly attached to each of the long members and the upper end attached to a portion of each of the long members bending upwards and rearwards towards the rear end.
[012] In yet another embodiment, each of the orthogonal support member includes a first member extending upwards from the lower end and a second member extending rearwards in the vehicle front-rear direction and terminating into the upper end.
[013] In an embodiment of the invention, the pair of orthogonal support members includes a horizontal cross member disposed therebetween.
[014] In another embodiment, the first member and the second member of the orthogonal support members are detachably attached to each other.
[015] In a further embodiment of the invention, the cargo vehicle includes a floorboard disposed upon the pair of spaced apart long members, the floorboard extending rearwards in the vehicle front rear direction and underneath the orthogonal support members and terminating in a region where the pair of long members bend upwards.
[016] In yet another embodiment, each of the spaced apart long members include a fender mounting bracket, each of the fender mounting brackets disposed towards the rear end of the cargo vehicle.
[017] In another embodiment, each of the fender mounting bracket includes a first member and a second member being adjacently disposed towards the rear end of the cargo vehicle, such that extended brackets of each of the rear fenders are received between the first member and the second member thereby being affixed to each of the fender mounting brackets by fastening means.
[018] In a further embodiment, a utility box is received inside the storage pace, the utility box resting on the floorboard, the utility box being provided with an openable cover accessible from a side of the vehicle. In yet another embodiment, a fuel tank is disposed inside the storage space, the fuel tank resting on the floorboard. In a further embodiment, a spare tyre is disposed inside the storage space adjacent to the fuel tank.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[019] Reference will be made to embodiments of the invention, examples of which may be illustrated in accompanying figures. These figures are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Although the invention is generally described in context of these embodiments, it should be understood that it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to these particular embodiments.
Figure 1 shows a three wheeled cargo vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 2 shows a rear perspective view of the three wheeled cargo vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 3 shows a main frame and a utility box disposed in a storage space of the three wheeled cargo vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
. Figure 4 shows an exploded view of the main frame in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 5 shows an orthogonal support member in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 6 shows the main frame the three wheeled cargo vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 7 shows a fuel tank disposed in the storage space of the three wheeled cargo vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 8 shows a cover for the utility box disposed in the storage space of the three wheeled cargo vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 9 shows a fender mounting bracket in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[020] The present invention relates to a cargo vehicle.
[021] Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary cargo vehicle 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The cargo vehicle 100 has an internal combustion (IC) engine (not shown) or an electric powertrain (not shown) for driving the cargo vehicle 100. The cargo vehicle 100 has a front wheel 18, a pair of rear wheels 20, a main frame 200 and a driver compartment 24 disposed towards front portion of the vehicle 100 in the vehicle 100 front rear (F-R) direction. The driver compartment 24 has a soft top 24a and a seat assembly 26. In an embodiment, the IC engine is disposed on the frame 200 under the seat assembly 26. In the present embodiment, the main frame 200 includes a frame member 60 (shown in Figures 3 and 4) and a pair of spaced apart long members 70a, 70b (shown in Figures 4 and 5) extending rearwards from the frame member 60 in the vehicle front-rear direction (F-R). In the same embodiment, the pair of long members 70a, 70b bend upward and rearward into rear ends 72a, 72b of the main frame 200 of the cargo vehicle 100.
[022] The frame member 60 has a head pipe 50 (shown in Figure 3) which supports a steering shaft and front suspensions attached to the steering shaft through a lower bracket (not shown). The front suspensions support the front wheel 18. The upper portion of the front wheel 18 is covered by a front fender 16 mounted to the lower portion of the front suspensions at the end of the steering shaft. A handlebar 12 is fixed to upper bracket and can rotate to both sides.
[023] As seen in Figure 1, one or more headlights 14 are provided on a front face of the driver compartment 24. A pair of swing arms 10 are configured to extend rearwardly from the main frame 200 and support the pair of rear wheels 20. Generally, the swing arms 10 are further supported by a dual rear suspension (not shown). Each of the rear wheels 20 are covered by a rear fender 22 that is disposed above each of the rear wheels 20. In an embodiment, the rear wheels 20 rotate by the driving force of the IC engine transmitted from differential unit of the IC engine through propeller shafts.
[024] According to the invention and as seen particularly in Figure 2, the cargo vehicle 100 further has a loading deck 110. The loading deck 110 extends rearwards in the vehicle front rear direction (F-R) between a first end 110a and a second end 110b. As seen in Figure 1, the first end 110a is disposed contiguous to the driver compartment 24, while the second end 110b terminates above the rear ends 72a, 72b of the main frame 200 of the cargo vehicle 100. In an embodiment, the second end 110b of the loading deck 110 extends beyond the rear ends 72a, 72b.
[025] As seen in Figure 3, the cargo vehicle 100 has a storage space 90. The storage space 90 is formed behind the driver compartment 24 and below the first end 110a of the loading deck 110. Referring to Figure 3, in order to have the storage space 90 below the loading deck 110, in an embodiment, the cargo vehicle 100 has a pair of orthogonal support members 80, 82. The orthogonal support members 80, 82 are disposed behind the driver compartment 24 and are configured to support the first end 110a of the loading deck 110. These orthogonal support members 80, 82 thereby define the space 90 formed below the first end 110a of the loading deck 110.
[026] In an embodiment and as seen in the Figure 5, each of the pair of orthogonal support members 80, 82 extends from a lower end 80a’, 82a’ to an upper end 80b’, 82b’. The lower ends 80a’, 82a’ of the orthogonal support members 80, 82 are thereby fixedly attached to each of the long members 70a, 70b. As explained hereinabove, the pair of long members 70a, 70b bend upward and rearward into the rear ends 72a, 72b. In this regard, the upper ends 80b’, 82b’ of the pair of orthogonal support members 80, 82 are attached to a portion of each of the long members 70a, 70b bending upwards and rearwards towards the rear ends 72a, 72b. In another embodiment of the invention, the main frame 200 itself includes the pair of orthogonal support members 80, 82 disposed behind the driver compartment 24.
[027] Referring back to Figure 5, in an embodiment of the invention, each of the orthogonal support members 80, 82 has a first member 80a, 82a respectively. Accordingly, the first members 80a, 82a extend from the lower ends 80a’, 82a’ of the orthogonal support members 80, 82. Further, each of the orthogonal support members 80, 82 has a second member 80b, 82b. The second members 80b, 82b extend rearwards in the vehicle front-rear direction (F-R) and terminate into the upper ends 80b’, 82b’. In another embodiment of the invention, and as shown in Figure 4, the first member 80a, 82a and the second member 80b, 82b of the orthogonal support members 80, 82 are detachably attached to each other. As seen in Figure 4, in an embodiment of the invention, the pair of orthogonal support members 80, 82 have a horizontal cross member 84 disposed therebetween.
[028] Referring to Figure 3, in an embodiment of the invention, the cargo vehicle 100 has a floorboard 86. The floorboard 86 is disposed upon the pair of spaced apart long members 70a, 70b. As shown, the floorboard 86 extends rearwards in the vehicle front rear (F-R) direction, underneath the orthogonal support members 80, 82 and terminates in a region where the pair of long frame members 70a, 70b bend upwards.
[029] Referring now to Figure 6, in an embodiment of the invention, the cargo vehicle 100 has fender mounting brackets 88. The fender mounting brackets 88 are disposed towards the rear ends 72a, 72b of the cargo vehicle 100. As seen in Figure 2, in an embodiment of the invention, the fender mounting brackets 88 are used to mount the rear fenders 22 above the rear wheels 20 by using plurality of fastening means X (shown in Figure 9) like screws, nuts, bolts etc. Referring now to Figure 9, which shows an exemplary fender mounting bracket 88. In an embodiment, each of the fender mounting bracket 88 has a first member 88b and a second member 88b. The first member 88a and the second member 88b are disposed adjacent to each other and are thus mounted towards the rear ends 72a, 72b of the cargo vehicle 100. In this embodiment, in order to mount the rear fenders 22 above the rear wheels 20, extended brackets (not shown) of the rear fenders 22 are received between the first member 88a and the second member 88b, of each of the fender mounting brackets 88. Each of the rear fenders 22 are thus mounted on each of the fender mounting brackets 88. Further, the fender mounting brackets 88 provide additional strength and stability when the rear wheels 20 are disposed lower than usual deriving the strength from a cantilever extension.
[030] In an embodiment of the invention, and as seen in Figure 3, a utility box 92 is received inside the storage space 90. The utility box 92 rests on the floorboard 86. In an embodiment of the invention, and as shown in Figure 8, the utility box 92 is provided with an openable cover 92a and is thus accessible from a side of the vehicle. In another embodiment, and as seen in Figure 7, a fuel tank 96 is disposed inside the storage space 90, wherein the fuel tank 96 rests on the floorboard 86. In yet another embodiment, a spare tyre 94 is disposed inside the storage space 90. In a further embodiment, the spare tyre 94 (shown in Figure 2) is disposed inside the storage space 90 once the fuel tank 96 is received in the storage space 90. In this regard, the spare tyre 94 provides additional protection to the fuel tank and other parts disposed within the storage space 90.
[031] Advantageously, the present invention offers a common frame structure for both the three wheeled cargo vehicle as well as the passenger vehicle. Having a common frame structure thereby decreases the overall cost, time and labour required in procuring machinery, having dedicated assembly lines, and thus producing two separate types of three wheeled vehicles. The present invention thereby obviates the requirement of having separate manufacturing units for three wheeled cargo vehicles and three wheeled passenger vehicles.
[032] Further, owing to the storage space provided by the cargo vehicle of the present invention, fuel tanks of higher capacities than normal can be installed in the cargo vehicles thereby lessening the amount of re-fuelling stops required. Further, as explained hereinabove, along with the fuel tank, a utility box and a spare tyre can also be received inside the storage space. This affords the driver a larger space to store additional supplies, personal belongings as well as official documents. The storage space also gives a scope to further transport materials that need extra protection from external weather conditions. Further still, the present invention also affords a retrospective fit over existing three-wheeler passenger vehicles thereby converting unused three wheeled passenger vehicles to three wheeled cargo vehicles.
[033] While the present invention has been described with respect to certain embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modification may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.