Wrap around vehicle windshield

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10654530-B2
Application number	US-201916381434-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 11, 2019
Priority date	Dec 30, 2015
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices for a vehicle windshield are described herein. A vehicle includes a vehicle body comprising a front, a first side, and a second side, wherein the first side and the second side are opposite one another on the vehicle body. The vehicle comprises a cabin located within the body of the vehicle, wherein the cabin comprises an interior that is configured to accommodate at least one person. The vehicle comprises at least one door that provides ingress and egress to the interior of the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle comprises a windshield that provides a visual line of sight out of the cabin for a user located within the interior of the cabin, and wherein the windshield extends across the front and at least partially on to at least one of the first side or the second side.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a vehicle body comprising a front, a first side, and a second side opposite the first side on the vehicle body;
a cabin located within the vehicle body and comprising an interior that is configured to accommodate at least one person;
at least one door that provides ingress and egress to the interior of the cabin;
a windshield having a continuous front windshield portion and extending across the front of the vehicle and a least partially into at least one of the first side or the second side,
wherein a foremost portion of the continuous front windshield portion is forward of a foremost portion of a front wheel provided with the vehicle body, and
wherein a seat is located within the cabin and at least a portion of the seat is located forward of a rearmost portion of the front wheel, such that the at least one person is positioned at least partially above the front wheel; and
a tapered edge on at least one of the first side or the second side, the tapered edge extending inward from the vehicle body to the windshield.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is an electric vehicle comprising a battery pack that is coupled to an electric drivetrain.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the windshield extends to the door on at least one of the first side or the second side.

4. The vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the windshield provides a continuous field of vision from the interior of the cabin to an exterior of the cabin when the door is closed.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the windshield comprises an upward taper on the lower edge of the windshield where the windshield extends into at least one of the first side or the second side.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the windshield comprises a taper on at least one of the lower or upper edge of the windshield where the windshield extends into at least one of the first side or the second side.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the front of the vehicle and the continuous front portion of the windshield form an aerodynamic shape.

8. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the windshield comprises a single piece of transparent substrate.

9. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprises a windshield frame configured to secure the windshield in place.

10. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the door is a sliding door.

11. The vehicle of claim 10 , wherein the door moves outward with respect to the body and backward with respect to the front of the vehicle as the door is moved to an open position.

12. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the at least one door is located approximately at a midpoint of the body of the vehicle.

13. A vehicle comprising:
a vehicle body comprising a front, a front bumper, a first side, and a second side positioned opposite the first side on the vehicle body;
a front portion of the vehicle comprising a front 50% of the total length of the vehicle;
a wheel positioned within the front portion;
a cabin located within the vehicle body and comprising a cabin interior configured to accommodate at least one person; and
a windshield at the front of the vehicle, wherein the windshield includes a front continuous windshield portion configured to provide a visual line of sight from the cabin interior to an exterior of the vehicle,
wherein the windshield extends across the front and wraps onto a portion of at least one of the first side or the second side,
wherein a foremost portion of the front continuous windshield portion is forward of a foremost portion of the wheel,
wherein the windshield comprises an upward taper on an upper portion of the windshield on at least one of the first side or the second side,
wherein an angle formed between the front bumper and a plane of the front continuous windshield portion is between about 30 degrees and about 45 degrees, and
wherein a seat is located within the cabin and at least a portion of the seat is located forward of a rearmost portion of the front wheel, such that the at least one person is positioned at least partially above the front wheel.

14. The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the vehicle is an electric vehicle comprising a battery pack coupled to an electric drive train.

15. The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the windshield comprises a single piece of transparent substrate.

16. The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the angle formed between the front bumper and the plane of the front continuous windshield portion is between about 37 degrees and about 40 degrees.

17. The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the windshield comprises an upper length along the top length of the windshield and a lower length along the lower length of the vehicle, and wherein the upper length is shorter than the lower length.

18. The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the vehicle further comprises a door disposed in at least one of the first side or the second side and wherein the door comprises a door window.

19. The vehicle of claim 18 , wherein the door window lines up with an end portion of the windshield when the door is closed.

20. The vehicle of claim 19 , wherein the windshield and the door window form a continuous field of view from the interior of the cabin to the exterior of the vehicle when the door is closed.

Assignees

• Nikola Corp

Inventors

• Milton Trevor R
• Jennes Steve

Classifications

• B60G2200/144

  with two lateral arms forming a parallelogram · CPC title

• F16H3/08

  exclusively or essentially with continuously meshing gears, that can be disengaged from their shafts · CPC title

• B60G2202/1524

  with two air springs per wheel, arranged before and after the wheel axis · CPC title

• B60G11/27

  wherein the fluid is a gas · CPC title

• B60G3/20

  all arms being rigid · CPC title