VEHICLE BODY STRUCTURE AND COAXIAL TWO-WHEEL VEHICLE

• US 20100025139A1
• Filed: 07/31/2009
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kosaka, Yusuke, Kakinuma, Takekazu, Yamano, Ikuo, Oikawa, Susumu
• Application Number:
  US12/533,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20100025139A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/218
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 61/00 Motor vehicles or trailers, characterised by the arrangement or number of wheels, not otherwise provided for, e.g. four wheels in diamond pattern

Abstract

Provided is a vehicle body which constitutes a coaxial two-wheel vehicle including two wheels coaxially arranged. The vehicle body includes: a parallel linkage that includes horizontal links and vertical links and is rotatable in a left-and-right direction of the coaxial two-wheel vehicle; and step plates respectively provided to upper end portions of the vertical links. A load of a passenger riding on the left and right step plates acts on the parallel linkage at a position inside or outside of a line which passes through a ground contact point of one of the wheels respectively mounted to the vertical links and which is in parallel with the vertical links.

Claims

1. A vehicle body structure which constitutes a coaxial two-wheel vehicle including two wheels coaxially arranged, the vehicle body comprising:

a parallel linkage that includes horizontal links and vertical links and is rotatable in a left-and-right direction of the coaxial two-wheel vehicle; and

step plates respectively provided to upper end portions of the vertical links,

wherein a load of a passenger riding on the left and right step plates acts on the parallel linkage at a position inside or outside of a line which passes through a ground contact point of one of the wheels respectively mounted to the vertical links and which is in parallel with the vertical links.

2. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein

an area of each of the step plates inside of the line which passes through the ground contact point of one of the wheels and which is in parallel with the vertical links serves as a footrest portion, and

the load of the passenger riding on the footrest portion of each of the left and right step plates acts on the parallel linkage at a position inside or outside of the line which passes through the ground contact point of one of the wheels and which is in parallel with the vertical links.

3. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein

the step plates respectively project outward from the ground contact points of the wheels, and a projecting portion of each of the step plates serves as a footrest portion, and

the load of the passenger riding on the footrest portion of each of the step plates acts on the parallel linkage at a position inside or outside of the line which passes through the ground contact point of one of the wheels and which is in parallel with the vertical links.

4. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein the step plates are respectively provided to the vertical links through variable portions that allow the step plates to be slid in the left-and-right direction of the coaxial two-wheel vehicle.

5. The vehicle body structure according to claim 2, wherein the step plates are respectively provided to the vertical links through variable portions that allow the step plates to be slid in the left-and-right direction of the coaxial two-wheel vehicle.

6. The vehicle body structure according to claim 3, wherein the step plates are respectively provided to the vertical links through variable portions that allow the step plates to be slid in the left-and-right direction of the coaxial two-wheel vehicle.

7. The vehicle body structure according to claim 4, wherein the variable portions are actively controlled based on distribution of the load of the passenger to the left and right step plates.

8. The vehicle body structure according to claim 5, wherein the variable portions are actively controlled based on distribution of the load of the passenger to the left and right step plates.

9. The vehicle body structure according to claim 6, wherein the variable portions are actively controlled based on distribution of the load of the passenger to the left and right step plates.

10. The vehicle body structure according to claim 4, wherein the variable portions are actively controlled based on a rotation angle of the vehicle body.

11. The vehicle body structure according to claim 5, wherein the variable portions are actively controlled based on a rotation angle of the vehicle body.

12. The vehicle body structure according to claim 6, wherein the variable portions are actively controlled based on a rotation angle of the vehicle body.

13. A coaxial two-wheel vehicle comprising:

two wheels coaxially arranged; and

a vehicle body structure according to claim 1.