Vehicle with flat frame structure

Claim 2

Vehicle comprising a chassis including a substantially flat, relatively thin, frame on which are fixable wheel-mounting means at front and rear zones respectively, a body, elastic elements connecting said body to said chassis and adapted to filter noise and vibration which may be transmitted from the chassis to the body, said frame having self-rigidity in its plane, the body being substantially undeformable by torsion forces around the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and flexion forces under vertical load, said elastic connecting elements between the body and the chassis being arranged to prevent practically any vertical relative displacement and to permit slight relative longitudinal movement between the chassis and the body, the assembly being such that the body, fixed to the chassis resists buckling of the chassis, the smallest cross-sectional height of the chassis, between the two zones of attachment of the wheelmounting means being less than a fortieth (1/40th) of the longitudinal distance separating said front and rear zones.

Claim 3

Vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the front parts of the longitudinal members are upwardly inclined and connected by two transverse members situated at different levels.

Claim 4

Vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the dimension of the frame, in the vertical direction is less in the central portion of this frame than at its two longitudinal ends.

Claim 5

Vehicle according to claim 1, in which the frame comprises two longitudinal members, wherein the longitudinal members are low in height and their cross-section is reduced, both in width and in height, in their central portion, with respect to the crosssections of the end portions.

Claim 6

Vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the longitudinal members are wide at their longitudinal ends and are welded at said ends to provide good interlocking between these longitudinal members and front and rear transverse members completing the frame.

Claim 7

Vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the height of the longitudinal members is less than the width and, in the central portion of the longitudinal members, the height is less than half the width of said longitudinal members.

Claim 8

Vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the elastic connecting elements between the chassis and the body are constituted by units of elastomeric material whose thickness is less than their dimension in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

Claim 9

Vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the longitudinal members comprise cavities adapted to serve as housings for the units of elastomeric material.

Claim 10

Vehicle comprising a chassis including a substantially flat, relatively thin, frame comprising longitudinal members on which are fixable wheel-mounting means at front and rear zones respectively, a body, elastic elements connecting said body to said chassis and adapted to filter noise and vibration which may be transmitted from the chassis to the body, said frame having high self-rigidity in its plane, the body being substantially undeformable by torsion forces around the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and flexion forces under vertical load, said elastic connecting elements between the body and the chassis being arranged to preVent practically any vertical relative displacement and to permit relative longitudinal movement between the chassis and the body, the assembly being such that the body, fixed to the chassis resists buckling of the chassis, wherein the elastic connecting elements between the chassis and the body are constituted by units of elastomeric material whose thickness is less than their dimension in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the longitudinal members comprise cavities adapted to serve as housings for the units of elastomeric material and each cavity of a longitudinal member is formed by two cups provided in the upper and lower surfaces of the longitudinal member and whose bottoms touch, the bottoms of these cups being pierced by a hole for the passage of the unit of elastomeric material.

Claim 11

Vehicle comprising a chassis including a substantially flat, relatively thin, frame comprising longitudinal members on which are fixable wheel-mounting means at front and rear zones respectively, a body, elastic elements connecting said body to said chassis and adapted to filter noise and vibration which may be transmitted from the chassis to the body, said frame having high self-rigidity in its plane, the body being substantially undeformable by torsion forces around the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and flexion forces under vertical load, said elastic connecting elements between the body and the chassis being arranged to preVent practically any vertical relative displacement and to permit relative longitudinal movement between the chassis and the body, the assembly being such that the body, fixed to the chassis resists buckling of the chassis, wherein the elastic connecting elements between the chassis and the body are constituted by units of elastomeric material whose thickness is less than their dimension in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the longitudinal members comprise cavities adapted to serve as housings for the units of elastomeric material and each cavity of a longitudinal member is formed by two cups provided in the upper and lower surfaces of the longitudinal member and whose bottoms touch, the bottoms of these cups being pierced by a hole for the passage of the unit of elastomeric material.

Claim 12

Vehicle according to claim 9, wherein each unit of elastomeric material comprises two parts between while the bottoms of the cups are gripped, said parts being gripped between two plates one of which is fast to the body.

Claim 13

Vehicle comprising a chassis including a substantially flat, relatively thin, frame comprising longitudinal members on which are fixable wheel-mounting means at front and rear zones respectively, a body, elastic elements connecting said body to said chassis and adapted to filter noise and vibration which may be transmitted from the chassis to the body, said frame having high self-rigidity in its plane, the body being substantially undeformable by torsion forces around the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and flexion forces under vertical load, said elastic connecting elements between the body and the chassis being arranged to prevent practically any vertical relative displacement and to permit slight relative longitudinal movement between the chassis and the body, the assembly being such that the body, fixed to the chassis resists buckling of the chassis, wherein the front parts of the longitudinal members are upwardly inclined and connected by two transverse members situated at different levels and, wherein the body comprises, at the front on each side, a curved leg adapted to be fixed to said upwardly inclined parts situated on the same side of the vehicle as the leg through an elastic connecting element.

Claim 14

Vehicle comprising a chassis including a substantially flat, relatively thin, frame comprising longitudinal members on which are fixable wheel-mounting means at front and rear zones respectively, a body, elastic elements connecting said body to said chassis and adapted to filter noise and vibration which may be transmitted from the chassis to the body, said frame having high self-rigidity in its plane, the body being substantially undeformable by torsion forces around the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and flexion forces under vertical load, said elastic connecting elements between the body and the chassis being arranged to prevent practically any vertical relative displacement and to permit slight relative longitudinal movement between the chassis and the body, the assembly being such that the body, fixed to the chassis resists buckling of the chassis, wherein the front parts of the longitudinal members are upwardly inclined and connected by two transverse members situated at different levels and, wherein the body comprises, at the front on each side, a curved leg adapted to be fixed to said upwardly inclined parts situated on the same side of the vehicle as the leg through an elastic connecting element.