Title: Rear cushion installation structure of low floor type vehicle
Abstract: A low floor type vehicle 10 is disclosed with a housing box 59 having substantially similar longitudinal length to the longitudinal length of a seat is provided under the seat 58 and a rear cushion for the rear wheel is transversely arranged under the housing box. The housing box is provided with a lid for checking the rear cushion for the rear wheel at the bottom. The engine is suspended from a diamond type frame 20. The rear cushion for the rear wheel is arranged along the rear of an upper frame extended backward and downward from a head pipe.
Patent Number: 7,004,276 Issued on 02/28/2006 to Iizuka, et al.
| Inventors:
|
Iizuka; Chikashi (Wako, JP);
Takada; Yoshio (Wako, JP)
|
| Assignee:
|
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Tokyo, JP)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
666099 |
| Filed:
|
September 18, 2003 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
| Sep 26, 2002[JP] | 2002-281990 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
180/89.17; 180/219; 296/37.1 |
| Current Intern'l Class: |
B62D 25/24 (20060101) |
| Field of Search: |
180/219,227,891.7
280/288.1,783
296/371
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 4363375 | Dec., 1982 | Kamiya.
| |
| 4577719 | Mar., 1986 | Nomura et al.
| |
| 4650026 | Mar., 1987 | Shiraishi.
| |
| 4744434 | May., 1988 | Miyakoshi et al.
| |
| 4753314 | Jun., 1988 | Tsukiji.
| |
| 4901813 | Feb., 1990 | Kimura et al.
| |
| 5044646 | Sep., 1991 | Iiga et al.
| |
| 5501292 | Mar., 1996 | Kawashima et al.
| |
| 2004/0118362 | Jun., 2004 | Inayama.
| |
| 2004/0124029 | Jul., 2004 | Takenaka et al.
| |
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 01237280 | Sep., 1989 | JP.
| |
| 2000/-313388 | Nov., 2000 | JP.
| |
| 2001-88763 | Apr., 2001 | JP.
| |
| 2002/-019677 | Jan., 2002 | JP.
| |
Primary Examiner: Morris; Lesley D.
Assistant Examiner: Yeagley; Daniel
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hanare, Schumann, Mueller & Larson, P.C.
Claims
We claim:
1. A rear cushion installation structure of a low floor vehicle comprising:
a body cover for covering a vehicle body that comprises a low floor which has
a step floor for putting feet of a rider thereon, and an engine mounted below the
low floor, the engine being connected to an intake system,
a body frame comprising a head pipe, a front upper part, a rear upper part, and
a swing arm pivot, wherein the front upper part and rear upper part extends from
the head pipe substantially along a straight line passing through the a central
point of the head pipe and the swing arm pivot point and wherein the rear upper
part of the body frame has a reduced degree of downward inclination relative to
the front upper part of the body frame,
a rear cushion for a rear wheel arranged in a center of the vehicle body horizontally
on the rear upper part of the body frame,
a seat mounted on the rear upper part of the body frame,
a housing box having a bottom surface and defining a housing space above the
bottom surface, the housing box arranged under the seat with a longitudinal length
substantially equal to a longitudinal length of an underside of the seat, the bottom
surface of the housing box positioned adjacent to the rear cushion,
a lid provided at the bottom of the housing box for checking the rear cushion,
and wherein the rear cushion for the rear wheel is transversely arranged under
the housing box and wherein the engine and intake system are arranged in a space
below the straight line passing through the a central point of the head pipe and
the swing arm pivot point.
2. The rear cushion installation structure of claim 1, wherein
the body frame comprises a diamond frame composed of an upper frame extended
backward and downward from the head pipe and a down frame extended downward from
the head pipe;
the engine is suspended by the diamond frame; and
the rear cushion is arranged along a rear of the upper frame.
3. The rear cushion installation structure of claim 2, wherein
the engine is connected to the diamond frame, and
the rear cushion is attached to the rear of the upper frame.
4. A rear cushion and seat structure of a low floor vehicle comprising:
a body cover for covering a vehicle body that comprises a low floor which has
a step floor for putting the feet of a rider thereon, and an engine mounted below
the low floor, the engine being connected to an intake system,
a body frame comprising right and left upper frames extending backward and downward
from an upper side of a head pipe substantially along a straight line passing through
the a central point of the head pipe and the swing arm pivot point, the upper frames
including front parts and rear parts, wherein the rear parts include a reduced
degree of downward inclination relative to the front parts,
and right and left lower frames extending downward from a lower side of a head
pipe, the upper and lower frames being coupled to the engine,
a cylinder portion of the engine being positioned between the upper frames,
a rear cushion for a rear wheel attached horizontally to the upper frames so
as to extend along the rear parts of the upper frames,
a seat mounted on the rear parts of the upper frames, and
a housing box having a bottom and arranged under the seat with a longitudinal
length substantially equal to a longitudinal length of an underside of the seat,
the bottom of the housing box positioned adjacent to the rear cushion and including
a lid for checking the rear cushion,
wherein the rear cushion is horizontally arranged under the housing box and wherein
the engine and the intake system is arranged below the straight line passing through
a central point of the head pipe and the swing arm pivot point.
5. The rear cushion and seat structure of claim 4, wherein the rear cushion is
in the center of the vehicle body of the low floor vehicle.
6. A low floor vehicle comprising:
a body cover for covering a vehicle body, the body cover including a low floor
for supporting feet of a rider thereon, and an engine mounted at least partially
below the low floor, the engine being connected to an intake system;
a body frame comprising a head pipe, an upper frame and a swing arm pivot, the
upper frame including a front part and a rear part, the upper frame extending generally
along a downwardly angled reference line that extends from a central region of
the head pipe to the swing arm pivot, the front part of the upper frame being oriented
at a steeper downward angle than rear part of the upper frame,
a swing arm connected to the body frame at the swing arm pivot;
a rear shock absorber for a rear wheel of the vehicle, the rear shock absorber
being mounted between the rear part of the upper frame and the swing arm, and the
rear shock absorber extending generally in a front to rear direction;
a seat mounted on the rear part of the upper frame;
a storage compartment mounted beneath the seat, the storage compartment having
a bottom surface, the storage compartment defining a storage volume above the bottom
surface and beneath the seat, and the rear shock absorber extending generally along
an underside of the bottom surface of the storage compartment;
an access panel defining at least a portion of the bottom surface of the storage
compartment, the access panel being removable to provide access to the rear shock
absorber; and wherein the engine and intake system are arranged in a space below
the upper frame.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a structure for improving the rear cushion installation
structure of a low floor type vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In a low floor type vehicle such as a scooter-type motorcycle or a scooter-type
three-wheeled vehicle, a technique for mounting an engine below a body frame and
arranging a rear cushion for a rear wheel substantially in the center of the body
at the back of the engine is known (for example, Japanese published unexamined
patent application No. 2001-88763 (see FIG. 2 on pp. 3 and 4)).
FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram showing the conventional type low floor type
vehicle of FIG. 2 of Japanese published unexamined patent application No. 2001-88763.
A conventional type low floor type vehicle 300 is a scooter type motorcycle
in which a power unit 320 is mounted in a double cradle type body frame
under 310 and under a low floor 318.
The body frame 310 is composed of a pair of right and left upper frames
312, 312 (only the left one is shown and it is similar for the following
components) extended backward and downward from a head pipe 311, a pair
of right and left down frames 313, 313 extended downward from the
head pipe 311, a pair of right and left center frames 314, 314
extended backward and upward on the way of the down frames 313, 313,
a pair of right and left lower frames 315, 315 extended backward
from each lower end of the down frames 313, 313 and a pair of right
and left rear frames 316, 316 each of which connects each rear end
of the lower frames 315, 315 and each rear end of the center frames
314, 314.
Each rear end of the upper frames 312, 312 is connected to each
extension of the center frames 314, 314. The low floor 318
can be supported by the body frame 310. The low floor 318 is a floor
for bearing the feet of a rider.
The power unit 320 is composed of a front longitudinal V-type engine 321
and a rear transmission unit 331. The V-type engine 321 is a water-cooled
engine provided with a front cylinder 322 and a rear cylinder 323
so that a banking angle θ10 (an angle θ10 between the
cylinders 322 and 323) of approximately 45° is formed when the
engine is viewed from the side. The front cylinder 322 is extended substantially
horizontally forward. The rear cylinder 323 is extended toward the head
pipe 311. As a result, the banking angle θ10 is approximately
45° when the engine is viewed from the side. Naturally, a bisector L11
of the banking angle θ10 passes between the head pipe 311 and
a front wheel 351. A reference number 324 denotes a crankshaft.
Each exhaust pipe 326, 326 connected to each cylinder 322,
323 is extended backward under the engine 321 and reaches a muffler 327.
Further, in the low floor type vehicle 300, an air cleaner 340
is arranged in space between the head pipe 311 and the rear cylinder 323,
a radiator for cooling the engine 352 is arranged between the engine 321
and the front wheel 351, a seat 353 is arranged on the upside of
the rear, and a front fuel tank 354 and a rear housing box 355 are
arranged under the seat 353.
The transmission unit 331 is provided with a transmission device 333
which can be vertically swung with a final output shaft 332 as the base
of a swing. A rear wheel 334 is attached to the transmission device 333
and the transmission device 333 can be suspended from the body frame 310
via a rear cushion 335. The rear cushion 335 is vertically arranged
under the seat 353 and between the fuel tank 354 and the housing
box 355. L12 denotes a straight line passing the head pipe 311
and the final output shaft 332.
The air cleaner 340 is provided with a filter element 341 inside
and is provided with an intake port 342 on the upside. The intake port 342
is covered with an upper lid 343. Each cylinder 322, 323 is
connected to such an air cleaner 340 via each intake coupling pipe 344,
345. The intake coupling pipe 344 connected to the front cylinder
322 reaches the air cleaner 340 through space between the cylinders
322 and 323. In the meantime, the intake coupling pipe 345
connected to the rear cylinder 323 reaches the air cleaner 340 through
space above the rear cylinder 323.
However, as the rear cushion 335 is vertically arranged in the conventional
type low floor type vehicle 300, the V-type engine 321 is mounted
below the body frame 310 and the rear cushion 335 can be arranged
substantially in the center of the body at the back of the engine, vertical space
is small in the vicinity of an installed location at the upper end of the rear
cushion 335. Therefore, there is a limit for effectively utilizing space
under the seat 353. For example, as there is the rear cushion 335
vertically arranged, even if the fuel tank 354 under the seat 353
is arranged in another position, housing space cannot be expanded by extending
the housing box 355 forward. To secure housing space for housing a long
thing having a large diameter in the housing box 355, improvement is required.
Therefore, a need exists for structures for enabling the expansion of
housing space in a housing box arranged under a seat in a low floor type vehicle
in which a rear cushion for a rear wheel is arranged substantially in the center
of the body.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In an embodiment, the rear cushion installation structure of a low floor type
vehicle is based upon a low floor type vehicle in which an engine is mounted below
a low floor and a rear cushion for a rear wheel is arranged substantially in the
center of the body and is characterized in that the low floor type vehicle is provided
with a housing box having substantially similar longitudinal length to the longitudinal
length of a seat, under the seat, and the rear cushion for the rear wheel is transversely
(horizontally) arranged under the housing box.
As the rear cushion for the rear wheel is transversely arranged under the housing
box, the housing box extended longitudinally does not interfere with the rear cushion
for the rear wheel located substantially in the center of the body. Therefore,
the housing box having substantially similar longitudinal length to the longitudinal
length of the seat can be arranged under the seat. Therefore, housing space for
housing a long thing having a large diameter can be easily secured by extending
the longitudinal length of the housing box and expanding the housing space.
In an embodiment, the lid for checking the rear cushion for the rear wheel is
provided at the bottom of the housing box.
As the lid for checking of the rear cushion for the rear wheel is provided at
the bottom of the housing box, the lid for checking can be detached and the rear
cushion can be maintained and checked. As work for maintenance and a check is facilitated
without detaching the housing box and a body cover, workability is enhanced.
In an embodiment, the engine is suspended by a diamond type frame composed of
an upper frame extended backward and downward from a head pipe and a down frame
extended downward from the head pipe and the rear cushion for the rear wheel is
arranged along the rear of the upper frame.
As the body frame is a diamond type frame, the engine is suspended by the diamond
type frame, the engine can function as a part of the body frame. Therefore, a frame
member is not required to be arranged under the engine. Therefore, the engine can
be lowered maximally, up to the height of the ground. The center of gravity of
the low floor type vehicle is lowered by lowering the engine and driving stability
can be enhanced.
Further, as the rear cushion for the rear wheel is arranged along the rear
of the upper frame of the diamond type frame, the rigidity of the rear cushion
for the rear wheel can be sufficiently secured by the rigid upper frame and suspension
structure can be miniaturized.
DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a left side view showing a low floor type vehicle according to an
embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a second left side view showing the low floor type vehicle according
to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 3 is a top plan view showing the low floor type vehicle according to an
embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 4 is a left side view showing a body frame according to an embodiment of
the invention;
FIG. 5 is a top plan view showing the body frame according to an embodiment
of the invention;
FIG. 6 is a front view showing the body frame according to an embodiment of
the invention;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the body frame according to an embodiment
of the invention viewed from the left side;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the body frame according to an embodiment
of the invention viewed from the right side;
FIG. 9 is a left side view showing the body frame, a power unit and the circumference
of an air cleaner and a fuel tank respectively according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view showing the power unit according to an embodiment
of the invention;
FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view showing a front half of the power unit according
to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view showing a rear half of the power unit according
to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 13 is a plan showing the rear of the power unit and the circumference of
a swing arm for a rear wheel respectively according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the body frame and the circumference of
the power unit respectively viewed from the left front according to an embodiment
of the invention;
FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the body frame, the power unit and the
circumference of the air cleaner respectively viewed from the left rear according
to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the body frame, the power unit and the
circumference of the air cleaner respectively viewed from the right front according
to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing the body frame and the circumference of
the power unit respectively viewed from the right rear according to an embodiment
of the invention;
FIG. 18 is a left side view showing the body frame, a V-type engine and the
circumference of an intake system respectively according to the invention;
FIG. 19 is a back cross sectional view showing the circumference of the air
cleaner and a body cover respectively according to the invention;
FIG. 20 is an exploded view showing the air cleaner according to the invention;
FIG. 21 shows the action of the air cleaner according to the invention;
FIG. 22 is a left side view showing the body frame, the power unit and the circumference
of an exhaust system respectively according to the invention;
FIG. 23 is a plan showing the body frame, the power unit and the circumference
of the exhaust system respectively according to the invention;
FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram showing the low floor type vehicle according
to the invention;
FIG. 25 is a left side view showing the circumference of a housing box and a
rear cushion for a rear wheel respectively according to the invention;
FIG. 26 is a cross sectional view viewed along a line 26-26 in
FIG. 25;
FIG. 27 shows a transformed example of the housing box according to the invention; and
FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional type low floor type vehicle.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to attached drawings, embodiments of the invention will be described
below. "Front", "rear", "right", "left", "upper" and "lower" denote each position
of a vehicle viewed from a rider, "Fr" means the front, "Rr" means the rear, "R"
means the right, "L" means the left and "CL" means the center in the width of the
body (the center of the body). The drawings shall be viewed with regard to the
reference numbers.
First, the whole configuration of a low floor type vehicle
10 will
be described. FIG. 1 is a left side view showing the low floor type vehicle according
to an embodiment of the invention and shows the configuration in which a body cover
is attached. FIG. 2 is a second left side view showing the low floor type vehicle
according to an embodiment of the invention and shows the configuration in which
the body cover is detached. FIG. 3 is a top plan view showing the low floor type
vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention and shows the configuration
in which the body cover is detached.
The low floor type vehicle
10 is mainly composed of a body frame
20,
a front fork
51 attached to a head pipe
21 of the body frame
20,
a front wheel
52 attached to the front fork
51, a handle
53
coupled to the front fork
51, a power unit
54 attached to a lower
part of the body frame
20, a radiator
55 attached to a front upper
part of the body frame
20, an air cleaner
56 and a fuel tank
57,
a seat
58 attached to a rear upper part of the body frame
20, a housing
box
59 attached to the rear of the body frame
20 under the seat
58,
a swing arm
62 suspended by a rear cushion
61 (shock absorber) for
a rear wheel in the rear of the body frame
20 and the rear wheel
63
attached to the swing arm
62, and is a vehicle of a full cowling type in
which the whole body is covered with a body cover (cowl)
70.
The seat
58 is a tandem seat for a double ride and is provided with a
movable (adjustable) seat back
64 for a rider in the center. Such a seat
58 can be attached to the body frame
20 via a seat rail
65
extended backward from the rear upper part of the body frame
20.
Referring to FIG. 2, P
1 denotes an intermediate position of a wheel
base (center distance between the front wheel
52 and the rear wheel
63),
and distance X
1 and distance X
2 are equal.
Referring to FIG. 1, the body cover
70 is composed of a front cover
71 that covers the front of the head pipe
21 and the top of the front
wheel
52, an inner cover
72 that covers the rear of the front cover
71, right and left low floors
73 (only the left is shown, hereinafter
similar) as a step floor for putting a rider's foot, right and left floor skirts
74 extended downward from the outer edge of each low floor
73, a
center cover
75 extended backward from the inner cover
72 and covering
the center in the longitudinal direction of the body frame
20, a side cover
76 extended backward from the center cover
75 and covering the rear
of the body frame
20, the seat rail
65 and the housing box
59
and a rear cover
77 covering the rear upper part of the body in the rear
of the side cover
76 as shown in FIG. 1.
The center cover
75 is a member that also covers the air cleaner
56,
the fuel tank
57 and the engine
100.
In these drawings, a reference number
81 denotes a wind screen,
82
denotes a front fender,
83 denotes a head lamp,
84 denotes a blinker,
85 denotes a rear spoiler that also functions as a rear grip,
86
denotes a tail lamp,
87 denotes a rear fender and
88 denotes a license plate.
Next, the body frame
20 will be described. FIG. 4 is a left side view
showing the body frame according to an embodiment of the invention, FIG. 5 is a
top plan view showing the body frame according to an embodiment of the invention,
FIG. 6 is a front view showing the body frame according to an embodiment of the
invention, FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the body frame according to an
embodiment of the invention viewed from the left side and FIG. 8 is a perspective
view showing the body frame according to an embodiment of the invention viewed
from the right side.
The body frame
20 is composed of a pair of right and left upper frames
22,
22 extended backward and downward from the head pipe
21
and a pair of right and left down frames
23,
23 extended downward
from the head pipe
21 and coupled to the front of a crankcase
104
of the V-type engine
100 (see FIG. 2), and is a diamond type frame. A diamond
type frame is a frame with the engine suspended as a stressed member rather than
cradled underneath by tubes of the frame.
The upper frames
22,
22 are pipes which are extended substantially
straight, being inclined backward and downward from the upside of the head pipe
21, the degree of inclination of which is reduced from the end inclined
downward
22a and which are extended further backward and downward.
The down frames
23,
23 are pipes extended backward and downward from
the downside of the head pipe
21 and having more inclination than the upper
frames
22,
22.
The left upper frame
22 and the left down frame
23, and the right
upper frame
22 and the right down frame
23 respectively form a trussing
type frame structure (triangular frame structure).
For the trussing type frame structure, three triangular spaces are formed when
viewed from the side (
27 to
29) by extending a substantially horizontal
first reinforcement
24 toward the upper frame
22 from a part in which
the head pipe
21 and the down frame
23 are joined, extending a second
reinforcement
25 toward the lower end of the down frame
23 from a
part in which the upper frame
22 and the first reinforcement
24 are
joined and further extending a third reinforcement
26 between the vicinity
of the end
22a inclined downward of the upper frame
22 and
a point on the second reinforcement
25.
The first space
27 is formed by the head pipe
21, the upper frame
22 and the first reinforcement
24. The second space
28 is
formed by the down frame
23, the first and second reinforcements
24,
25. The third space
29 is formed by the upper frame
22, the
second and third reinforcements
25,
26.
Further, the rigidity of the body frame
20 is secured by extending
a cross member
31 between the right and left upper frames
22,
22
in the vicinity of the end
22a inclined downward of the upper frame
22 and extending two cross members
32,
33 between the respective
halfway points of the right and left down frames
23,
23 and between
the lower ends of the down frames. The cross member
31 between the right
and left upper frames
22,
22 is provided with a bracket for a cushion
34.
The body frame
20 is provided with a first hanger plate
35 on the
left side at the lower end of the left down frame
23, is provided with a
second hanger plate on the left side
36 on the left third reinforcement
26, is provided with a third hanger plate on the left side
37 in
the vicinity of a part in which the left upper frame
22 and the left third
reinforcement
26 are joined, and is provided with a left fourth hanger plate
44 at the rear end of the left upper frame
22. The body frame
20
is also provided with a right hanger
23a at the lower end of the
right down frame
23 as shown in FIG. 8, is provided with a right first hanger
plate
38 on the right third reinforcement
26, is provided with a
right second hanger plate
39 in the vicinity of a part in which the right
upper frame
22 and the right third reinforcement
26 are joined and
is provided with a right third hanger plate
48 at the rear end of the right
upper frame
22.
These hanger plates
35 to
39,
44,
48 are coupling
members which can be detached from the body frame
20.
The low floors
73 (see FIG. 1) are supported by right and left low floor
supporting frames
41,
42 fixed to the respective lower parts of the
down frames
23,
23 via stays
47,
47 and extended longitudinally.
Referring to FIG. 7, the left low floor supporting frame
41 is a
pipe the rear of which is coupled to the rear of the left upper frame
22
via a stay
43 and the left fourth hanger plate
44 and a side stand
46 is integrally held by the rear. The left fourth hanger plate
44
also functions as a stay for the low floor supporting frame.
The side stand
46 is attached to the left low floor supporting frame
41
via the bracket
45 so that the side stand can stand and can be housed. As
shown in FIG. 8, the rear of the right low floor supporting frame
42 is
coupled to a bracket
172 of a transmission unit
130 shown by an imaginary line.
The mounting structure of the low floor supporting frames
41,
42
described above will be described below.
The low floor supporting frames
41,
42 extended longitudinally
are fixed to the respective lower parts of the down frames
23,
23
in the diamond type frame and the low floors
73 (see FIG. 1) are supported
by these low floor supporting frames
41,
42. Therefore, though the
vehicle is configured so that the V-type engine
100 (see FIG. 2) is lowered,
the low floor
73 can be securely and stably, that is, effectively supported.
Further, the rear of the left low floor supporting frame
41 is fixed
to the lower part of the left down frame
23 is also coupled to the rear
of the left upper frame
22. Therefore, the left low floor supporting frame
41 extended longitudinally can be more sufficiently fixed to the body frame
20. As a result, the rigidity of the low floor supporting frame
41
can be enhanced, the low floor
73 can be more securely and more stably supported
and the supporting rigidity can be enhanced.
In the meantime, as shown in FIG. 8, the rear of the right low floor supporting
frame
42 fixed to the lower part of the right down frame
23 is further
coupled to the rigid transmission unit
130. Therefore, the right low floor
supporting frame
42 extended longitudinally can be more sufficiently fixed
to the body frame
20 and the transmission unit
130. As a result,
the rigidity of the low floor supporting frame
42 can be enhanced, the low
floor
73 can be more securely and more stably supported and the supporting
rigidity can be enhanced.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, as the side stand
46 is integrated
with the rear of the left low floor supporting frame
41, the low floor supporting
frame
41 can fulfill a role for holding the side stand
46. Therefore,
the function of another functional component can be also achieved, the bracket
45 for holding the side stand
46 can be miniaturized and a holding
component formed by another component is not required to be provided. In addition,
as the side stand
46 is held by the low floor supporting frame
41
extended longitudinally, the side stand
46 can be set to an arbitrary position
in a longitudinal direction and the degree of freedom in design is enhanced.
Next, the configuration of the circumference of the power unit
54 will
be described. FIG. 9 is a left side view showing the circumference of the body
frame, the power unit, the air cleaner and the fuel tank respectively according
to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view showing the
power unit according to an embodiment of the invention and the power unit
54
viewed from the top is shown as expanded sectional structure. FIG. 11 is a cross
sectional view showing a front half of the power unit according to an embodiment
of the invention and corresponds to FIG. 10. FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view
showing a rear half of the power unit according to an embodiment of the invention
and corresponds to FIG. 10. FIG. 13 is a plan showing the circumference of the
rear of the power unit according to an embodiment of the invention and the swing
arm for the rear wheel.
The power unit
54 is composed of the front longitudinal V-type engine
100 and the rear transmission unit
130. That is, the power unit
54
is provided with the transmission unit
130.
As shown in FIG. 9, the V-type engine
100 is a two-cylinder engine set
so that when it is viewed from the side, a banking angle θ
1 (an angle
θ
1 between the cylinders
101 and
102) is approximately
90° or more than 90°. In the V-type engine
100, the front cylinder
101 in a bank, that is, the front cylinder
101 is substantially horizontally
extended forward so that the cylinder is directed above the axle of the front wheel
52 (see FIG. 2). The rear cylinder
102 in the bank, that is, the
rear cylinder
102 is substantially vertically extended upward so that the
cylinder is directed toward the end inclined downward
22a of the
upper frame
22. The V-type engine
100 is arranged with the bisector
L
1 of the banking angle θ
1 directed toward the head pipe
21
as described above.
Further, FIG. 9 shows that the front cylinder
101 in the bank is
arranged in front of the right and left down frames
23,
23 by arranging
the crankshaft
103 of the V-type engine
100 in front of the intermediate
position P
1 (see FIG. 2) of the wheel base and the rear cylinder
102
in the bank is arranged between the right and left upper frames
22,
22
(see FIG. 3, too).
The V-type engine
100 can be arranged as in front as possible by arranging
the front cylinder
101 in the bank in front of the right and left down frames
23,
23. As a result, as the center of gravity of the low floor type
vehicle
10 can be set in front, a load onto the front wheel
52 and
the rear wheel
63 (see FIG. 2) can be more suitably distributed.
Further, the position of the crankshaft
103 of the V-type engine
100 is shifted in front by arranging the front cylinder
101 in the
bank in front. In this case, the bisector L
1 of the banking angle θ
1
is also directed toward the head pipe
21. As the bisector L
1 of the
banking angle θ
1 is closer to a right angle by quantity in which the
position of the crankshaft
103 is shifted in front, the rear cylinder
102
in the bank is accordingly inclined backward in the body. Therefore, the height
of the rear cylinder
102 in the bank can be reduced. Therefore, the degree
of freedom in mounting the V-type engine
100 is enhanced.
Furthermore, as the rear cylinder
102 in the bank is arranged
between the right and left upper frames
22,
22, it has no effect
upon the rear cylinder
102 in the bank to lower the upper frames
22,
22. Therefore, the upper frames
22,
22 can be arranged in
as a low position as possible. Therefore, as the center of gravity of the body
frame
20 is lowered, the center of gravity of the low floor type vehicle
10 can be lowered and the vibration can be reduced. In addition, as the
low floor
73 (see FIG. 1) can be lowered, the driving of the low floor type
vehicle
10 is facilitated. Further, when a rider rides on the vehicle, he/she
can more easily straddle the body frame
20 by lowering the upper frames
22,
22.
To enable the arrangement in front of the V-type engine
100, the radiator
55 for the engine (the water-cooled engine)
100 is arranged in front
of the head pipe
21 as shown in FIG. 2. The V-type engine
100 can
be arranged as in front as possible by shifting the radiator
55 heretofore
arranged in front of the water-cooled engine in front of the head pipe
21.
The respective lower halves of the V-type engine
100 and the transmission
unit
130 are arranged below the low floor supporting frames
41,
42
(only the left frame is shown in FIG. 9). Therefore, the V-type engine
100
and the transmission unit
130 can be mounted in the low floor type vehicle
10 with them also arranged below the low floors
73 (see FIG. 1) supported
by the low floor supporting frames
41,
42 from the downside. The
crankshaft
103 is located below the low floors
73 and the low floor
supporting frames
41,
42.
Hereby, the V-type engine
100 and an intake system
190 are
arranged in space S
1 under a straight line L
2 passing a central point
P
2 in the height of the head pipe
21 and a final output shaft
138
of the transmission unit
130. In addition, the bisector L
1 of the
banking angle θ
1 can be directed toward the head pipe
21.
The intake system
190 is a system for supplying air for combustion to
the V-type engine
100 and includes the air cleaner
56 and each intake
coupling pipe
191,
191 for connecting the air cleaner
56 and
each cylinder
101,
102.
As the V-type engine
100 is arranged with the bisector L
1 of the
banking angle θ
1 directed toward the head pipe
21, the banking
angle θ
1 can be set to a large angle equal to or exceeding approximately
90°. The vibration of the V-type engine
100 can be controlled by setting
the banking angle θ
1 to such a large angle and large space for arranging
the intake system
190 including the intake coupling pipes
191,
191
for each cylinder
101,
102 and the air cleaner
56 can be secured.
Therefore, the degree of freedom in designing the intake system
190 is enhanced.
Further, as the bisector L
1 of the bank angle θ
1 is
directed toward the head pipe
21, a large space can be secured between each
cylinder in the bank of the V-type engine and the head pipe
21. As the intake
system
190 including the intake coupling pipes
191,
191 and
the air cleaner
56 is arranged in such large space with the intake system
directed toward the head pipe
21, the intake system
190 and the V-type
engine
100 can be efficiently coupled and the performance of the V-type
engine
100 can be enhanced. Besides, the intake system
190 can be
miniaturized in a relatively low position. Therefore, the fuel tank
57 can
be easily arranged above the low intake system
190 and the mass can be concentrated
in the front.
As the center of gravity of the low floor type vehicle
10 can be set in
the front by arranging the fuel tank
57 in the front of the low floor type
vehicle
10, a load onto the front wheel
52 and the rear wheel
63
can be more suitably distributed. In addition, as the fuel tank
57 is not
required to be arranged under the seat
58 (see FIG. 2), a large space is
secured under the seat
58 and a housing box
59 (see FIG. 2) having
a large housing space can be provided.
Furthermore, as the V-type engine
100 and the intake system
190
are arranged in the space S
1 under the straight line L
2 passing the
head pipe
21 and the final output shaft
138 of the transmission unit
130, space S
2 above the air cleaner
56 can be effectively
utilized. Therefore, the fuel tank
57 as a functional component can be easily
arranged above the air cleaner
56.
Though the end of the rear cylinder
102 in the bank and the upper end
of the air cleaner
56 of the intake system
190 are protruded slightly
upward from the straight line L
2, they are located in a range in which they
are substantially equivalent to the upside contour of the upper frames
22,
22 and can be substantially regarded as arranged in the space S
1
under the straight line L
2 passing the head pipe
21 and the final
output shaft
138.
FIGS. 10 to 12 show the sectional configuration of the power unit
54.
For the V-type engine
100, the rear cylinder
102 in the bank is not shown.
The V-type engine
100 is composed of a crankcase
104 of a type
divided into right and left two, the front cylinder
101 in the bank and
the rear cylinder
102 in the bank (see FIG. 9) respectively coupled to the
crankcase
104, a head
105 and a head cover
106 respectively
coupled to the respective ends of these cylinders
101,
102, a crankshaft
103 extended in the direction of the width of the body and housed in the
crankcase
104 so that the crankshaft can be rotated, a piston
108
coupled to the crankshaft
103 via a connecting rod
107, a valve train
111 housed in a cam chamber
109 and an ignition plug
112,
and is a water-cooled engine provided with a water-cooled jacket.
In the drawings, a reference number
113 denotes a cam chain,
114
denotes a driving gear for a cooling water pump,
115 denotes a right side
cover,
116 denotes an alternator and
117 denotes a gear for driving
the crankshaft driven by a starter motor (described later).
The left end of the crankshaft
103, the alternator
116 and the
circumference of the left end of a first transmission shaft
136 described
later are covered by covering the left side of the crankcase
104 with a
left side cover
118.
The transmission unit
130 is configured so that it is connected to the
engine
100 on one side (the right side R) of the V-type engine
100,
is extended backward on one side (the right side R) of the low floor type vehicle
10 and it drives the rear wheel
63 from the other side (the left
side L) of the low floor type vehicle
10 via a pivot of the swing arm
62
for the rear wheel.
Hereby, the power unit
54 is configured by combining the crankcase
104 and the transmission unit
130 in a U shape when they are viewed
from the top and a substantially U-shaped opening when it is viewed from the top
can be provided on the other side (the left side L) of the low floor type vehicle
10.
As a result, the change of only the V-type engine
100 or only the transmission
unit
130 is enabled, and the power unit
54 has high flexibility.
The transmission unit
130 is composed of a main case
131 attached
to the right face of the rear of the crankcase
104 and extended backward,
a first cover
132 that closes an opening on the right side of the main case
131, a first transmission chamber
133 formed by the main case
131
and the first cover
132, a subcase
134 overlapped with the left side
of the rear of the main case
131, a second transmission chamber
135
formed by the main case
131 and the subcase
134, the first transmission
shaft
136 extended in the direction of the width of the body from the rear
of the crankcase
104 to the first transmission chamber
133, a second
transmission shaft
137 extended in the direction of the width of the body
from the rear of the first transmission chamber
133 to the second transmission
chamber
135, the final output shaft
138 extended from the second
transmission chamber
135 to the left outside via the subcase
134,
a first gear train
139 that transmits motive power from the left end of
the crankshaft
103 to the left end of the first transmission shaft
136,
a belt type continuously variable transmission
141 that transmits motive
power from the right end of the first transmission shaft
136 to the right
end of the second transmission shaft
137, a centrifugal clutch
142
and a second gear train
143 that transmits motive power from the left end
of the second transmission shaft
137 to the final output shaft
138.
For the belt type continuously variable transmission
141, a motor control
method that the shift is controlled by a servo motor not shown via a gear for shift
147 is adopted.
A reference number
144 denotes a balancer,
145 denotes a reluctor,
146 denotes a pulser (an angle sensor of the crankshaft) and the pulser
is used for controlling the ignition and the fuel injection of the engine
100.
Further, to explain referring to FIG. 13, the motive power of the V-type
engine
100 can be transmitted from the transmission unit
130 to the
rear wheel
63 via a chain drive mechanism
150 by connecting a transmission
shaft
151 to the left end of the final output shaft
138 via splines,
attaching a driving sprocket
152 to the transmission shaft, in the meantime,
attaching a driven sprocket
154 to an axle
153 of the rear wheel
63 and putting a chain
155 between these driving and driven sprockets
152,
154.
The axis C
1 of the final output shaft
138 is also the center C
1
(the center C
1 of a swing) of the pivot of the swing arm for the rear wheel
62.
The swing arm
62 is a member substantially in a H type when it is viewed
from the top and composed of a left arm
161, a right arm
162 and
a cross member
163 connecting the left and right arms
161,
162,
and can support the rear wheel
63 at the rear end so that the rear wheel
can be rotated.
Such a swing arm
62 is arranged so that the right side of the rear of
the main case
131 and the left side of the rear of the subcase
134
are put between the respective front ends of the left and right arms
151,
162. The swing arm
62 can be attached so that it can be vertically
swung by supporting a left supported part
161a provided to the front
end of the left arm
161 by the left side of the rear of the subcase
134
via a left pivot
164 and supporting a right supported part
162a
provided to the front end of the right arm
162 by the right side of
the rear of the main case
131 via a right pivot
165.
The pivot
165 is a male screw for screwing so that it can be screwed into
the main case
131. The right supported part
162a can be attached
to the main case
131 by exposing the end of the pivot
165 and fitting
it to the right supported part
162a after the pivot
165 is
screwed into the main case
131 beforehand and the swing arm
62 is
positioned in the center C
1 of the pivot.
The left arm
161 also functions as a chain case, and the driving and driven
sprockets
152,
154 and the chain
155 can be housed by covering
the opening on the left side of the left arm
161 with a chain cover
166.
As is clear from the description, in the power unit
54, the opening substantially
in the U shape when it is viewed from the top surrounded by the rear end of the
crankcase
104, the left sides of the main case
131 and the subcase
134 of the transmission unit
130 and the front end of the left arm
161 of the swing arm
62 can be provided to the other side (the left
side L) of the low floor type vehicle
10.
Next, the relation between the body frame
20 and the power unit
54
will be described. FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the body frame and the
circumference of the power unit respectively according to an embodiment of the
invention and viewed from the left front. FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing
the body frame, the power unit and the circumference of the air cleaner respectively
according to an embodiment of the invention and viewed from the left rear. FIG.
16 is a perspective view showing the body frame, the power unit and the circumference
of the air cleaner respectively according to an embodiment of the invention and
viewed from the right front. FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing the body frame
and the circumference of the power unit respectively according to an embodiment
of the invention and viewed from the right rear.
FIGS. 14 to 17 show that the V-type engine
100 and the transmission
unit
130 are suspended from the body frame
20 which is the diamond
type frame.
For the V-type engine
100, the left side of the crankcase
104 is
attached to the body frame
20 via the left first, second and third hanger
plates
35,
36,
37 and the right side of the crankcase
104
is attached to the body frame
20 via the right hanger
23a and
the right first hanger plate
38.
In the meantime, for the transmission unit
130, the upside of the left
side of the main case
131 is attached to the body frame
20 via the
left third and fourth hanger plates
37,
44 and the upside of the
right side of the main case
131 is attached to the body frame
20
via the right second and third hanger plates
39,
48.
The cross members
32,
33 also function as a guard member for the engine.
As the body frame
20 is the diamond type frame and the V-type engine
100
is suspended from the diamond type frame, the engine
100 can function as
a part of the body frame
20. Therefore, no frame member is required to be
arranged below the V-type engine
100. Therefore, the V-type engine
100
can be lowered at a maximum up to (or down to) the height of the ground. As a result,
as the crankshaft
103 of the V-type engine
100 is also lowered as
shown in FIG. 9, large space can be secured above the low floor
73 (see
FIG. 1) by the quantity. Further, the low floor
73 is arranged above the
crankcase
104 and the width of a step (the width of the low floor
73)
can be narrowed by lowering the V-type engine
100.
Generally, when the crankshaft
103 is lowered, the banking angle
θ
1 is reduced. In a layout according to the invention, the banking
angle θ
1 is secured by adopting the V-type engine
100 the width
of which is narrow.
Hereby, the degree of freedom in mounting the V-type engine
100 having
the banking angle θ
1 equal to or exceeding approximately 90°
can be more enhanced. In addition, the center of gravity of the low floor type
vehicle
10 can be lowered by lowering the V-type engine
100.
To explain referring to FIG. 9, the degree of inclination of the upper frames
22,
22 is reduced after the upper frames are substantially linearly
extended, being inclined backward and downward up to the vicinity of the rear cylinder
102 in the bank of the V-type engine
100 and the upper frames are
extended up to the vicinity of the pivot (the position of the final output shaft
138) of the swing arm for the rear wheel
62.
Hereby, the upper frames
22,
22 can be substantially linearly
extended longitudinally. Therefore, the rigidity of the upper frames
22,
22 can be enhanced and as a result, the rigidity of the body frame
20
can be enhanced.
As described above, the respective fronts of the upper frames
22,
22
contribute to the stability of the intake system
190 and the respective
rears of the upper frames
22,
22 can effectively catch a load from
the rear wheel
63. Therefore, the rigidity of the body frame
20 can
be effectively held by the small-sized and light configuration.
The capacity of the air cleaner
56 can be increased by forming the right
and left first reinforcements
24,
24 in the body frame
20
so that they are curved outside as shown in FIG. 15 and even if the air cleaner
56 is arranged in front, the air cleaner can be prevented from interfering
with the head pipe
21 and interfering with the maximum angle of traverse
of the front fork
51 (see FIG. 2).
A reference number
148 shown in FIG. 15 denotes a servo motor for varying
the continuously variable gear ratio and the servo motor controls the continuously
variable gear ratio of the belt type continuously variable transmission
141
via the gear for shift
147 shown in FIG. 11. A reference number
121
shown in FIG. 16 denotes a pump for engine cooling water. Further, FIGS. 16 and
17 show that the bracket
172 in a right upper part of the transmission unit
130 is attached to the right side of the crankcase
104 so that the
bracket can be detached.
As shown in FIG. 9, the crankcase
104 and the transmission unit
130
are vertically coupled via the left third hanger plate
37 and the coupling
member
173, and these left third hanger plate
37 and coupling member
173 are provided on the side of the opening substantially U-shaped when
it is viewed from the top of the power unit
54. The left third hanger plate
37 fulfills a role of a coupling member.
The front of the coupling member
173 is attached to a lower part of the
left rear of the crankcase
104 via two bolts
174,
174 and
the rear of the coupling member
173 is attached to a lower part of the left
front of the transmission unit
130 via one bolt
175.
The front of the left third hanger plate
37 (the coupling member
37)
is attached to an upper part of the left rear of the crankcase
104 via one
bolt
178 and the rear of the left third hanger plate
37 is attached
to an upper part of the left front of the transmission unit
130 via one
bolt
179.
Hereby, the rigidity of the power unit
54 can be sufficiently secured.
Therefore, as the rigidity of the power unit
54 composed of the engine
100
and the transmission unit
130 to be a part of the body frame
20 is
enhanced, the rigidity of the body frame
20 can also be enhanced.
Further, as the opening can be reinforced by the upper and lower coupling
members
37,
173 by providing the upper and lower coupling members
37,
173 on the side of the opening substantially U-shaped when it
is viewed from the top of the power unit
54, desired rigidity can be efficiently
achieved, the degree of freedom in securing the rigidity can be enhanced and because
the coupling members
37,
173 are not protruded from the body, the
appearance of the low floor type vehicle
10 is enhanced.
Further, the coupling member
173 holds a main stand (a stand member)
176 as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6. That is, the main stand
176 is attached
so that it can stand and can be housed by coupling a left upper part of the main
stand
176 substantially portal-shaped when it is viewed from the front to
the lower end of the coupling member
173 and coupling a right upper part
of the main stand
176 to a lower part of the transmission unit
130
via a stay
177.
As the coupling member
173 for securing the rigidity of the power unit
54 also fulfills a role of holding the main stand
176, the function
of another functional component also be accomplished and the low floor type vehicle
10 can be configured so that the number of parts is small and the configuration
is light and small-sized.
Next, the intake system
190 will be described. FIG. 18 is a left side
view showing the body frame, the V-type engine and the circumference of the intake
system respectively according to an embodiment of the invention and shows the cross
section of the air cleaner
56. FIG. 19 is a back cross sectional view showing
the circumference of the air cleaner and the body cover respectively according
to an embodiment of the invention, FIG. 20 is an exploded view showing the air
cleaner according to an embodiment of the invention and FIG. 21 shows the action
of the air cleaner according to an embodiment of the invention.
To explain referring to FIGS. 9 and 18, the intake system
190 including
the intake coupling pipes
191,
191 and the air cleaner
56
is arranged above the V-type engine
100 and the space S
2 for arranging
the fuel tank
57 as an accessory for a vehicle is provided above the air
cleaner
56.
Detailedly, the intake system
190 is arranged between the cylinders
101,
102 in the bank of the V-type engine
100 with the intake
system directe
