Thomas M Kuhl

US Patent:

20200114995, Apr 16, 2020

Filed:

Feb 8, 2019

Appl. No.:

16/271017

Inventors:

- Middlebury IN, US
Thomas A. Kuhl - Davenport FL, US
Donald W. Roberts - Franklin NC, US

International Classification:

B62D 63/02
B60K 5/10
B62D 63/04

Abstract:

A motor vehicle and construction method for a motor vehicle, such as a bus, wherein fabricated subassemblies or modules are joined using mechanical fasteners to form an integrated, load carrying structure. The fabricated subassemblies are configured to allow substitution of subassemblies with alternative configurations in order to produce a number of unique vehicle configurations each sharing a common architecture. Modular construction techniques allow for simplification of construction processes, reduction of welding processes, and the application of physically smaller subassemblies. Interchange and substitution of subassemblies with shared attributes may also facilitate production of vehicles having different characteristics.