Saddle type vehicle having a remote control type trunk

• US 7,196,612 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2001
• Issued: 03/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sumada, Takashi, Nozoe, Koichi, Kano, Koji, Mochizuki, Yoshifumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman; Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, VERNAL U
• Application Number:
  US09/820,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20020027497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,188 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.72, 340/427, 340/426.13, 340/426.29, 340/425.5, 340/825.72, 340/825.69, 340/426.1, 340/5.64, 70/64, 296/37.1, 296/37.6, 296/76, 180/219, 180/287
• US Class Current: 340/5.72
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 9/23 above or alongside the rear wheel B62J9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 9/30 characterised by locking arrangements, e.g. top case locks integrated in a vehicle central locking system
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/00 Power-actuated vehicle locks
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 83/16 Locks for luggage compartments, car boot lids or car bonnets
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00222 by more than one push button
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00984 fob
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00182 operated with unidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

A saddle type vehicle including at least one trunk provided with a lid, an opening/closing mechanism for permitting and rejecting the opening and closing of the lid, and a radio signal receiving unit which receives a radio signal for remotely operating the opening/closing mechanism, whereby the radio signal receiving unit is disposed on top of the trunk. A rear trunk is mounted on a rear portion of a body of the vehicle, a lid having a projection formed outside on top of the trunk, and a radio signal receiving unit is disposed inside the projection.

Claims

1. A remote control trunk assembly for a saddle type vehicle comprising:

at least one trunk;

at least one lid respectively mounted on each of said at least one trunk to move from an open position where the at least one lid is in contact with the at least one trunk to a closed position where the at least one lid is separated from the at least one trunk;

an opening mechanism for opening each of said at least one lid to separate each of the at least one lid from the at least one trunk, respectively; and

a radio signal receiving unit, said radio signal receiving unit receiving a radio signal for remotely operating said opening mechanism, said radio signal receiving unit being disposed on top of said at least one lid,

wherein said remote control trunk assembly is mountable on a rear portion of a vehicle body, said at least one lid has a projection upwardly formed on a top surface thereof, said radio signal receiving unit is disposed inside said projection on said at least one lid and is disposed higher than the top surface of said at least one lid, and said projection is disposed at substantially a central portion of said at least one lid, and

wherein said remote control trunk assembly is mountable on the rear portion of the vehicle body behind a seat, and said projection formed on top of said at least one lid is immediately adjacent a back rest of the seat.

2. The trunk assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a rear trunk and a pair of side trunks.

3. The trunk assembly according to claim 2 further comprising an opening lever for each of said at least one lid, each of said opening levers being provided in a lower portion of said rear trunk.

4. The trunk assembly according to claim 1, and further comprising:

a switch for detecting whether said at least one lid is open or closed, said switch outputting a result of the detection to the radio signal receiving unit;

a lock mechanism actuated by a key actuator to lock or unlock said at least one lid; and

a trunk catcher actuated by a pop-up actuator to pop up said at least one lid simultaneously with unlocking said at least one lid.

5. The trunk assembly according to claim 4, wherein said radio signal receiving unit responds to signals transmitted from the switch to control the pop-up actuator and the key actuator.

9. The trunk assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a locking/unlocking device for each of the at least one trunk, said locking/unlocking device causing each of said at least one trunk to be in a locked position where the at least one lid cannot be opened by the opening mechanism to an unlocked position where the at least one lid can be opened by the opening mechanism.

10. The trunk assembly according to claim 1, wherein said opening mechanism includes an opening lever and a trunk catcher, said opening lever being controlled in response to an opening signal received from the radio signal receiving unit to actuate the trunk catcher to open the at least one lid.

11. The trunk assembly according to claim 10, further comprising a locking/unlocking device for each of the at least one trunk, said locking/unlocking device causing each of said at least one trunk to be in a locked position where the at least one lid cannot be opened by the opening mechanism to an unlocked position where the at least one lid can be opened by the opening mechanism.

12. The trunk assembly according to claim 9, wherein the locking/unlocking device includes a key actuator and a lock mechanism, said key actuator being controlled in response to a locking or unlocking signal received from the radio signal receiving unit to actuate the lock mechanism to lock or unlock the at least one lid.

13. The trunk assembly according to claim 11, wherein the locking/unlocking device includes a key actuator and a lock mechanism, said key actuator being controlled in response to a locking or unlocking signal received from the radio signal receiving unit to actuate the lock mechanism to lock or unlock the at least one lid.

14. The trunk assembly according to claim 11, further comprising a remote controller, said remote controller including a locking button for sending a radio signal to the radio signal receiving unit to lock the at least one trunk, an unlocking button for sending a radio signal to the radio signal receiving unit to unlock the at least one trunk and an opening button for sending a radio signal to the radio signal receiving unit to unlock the at least one trunk and open the at least one lid.

15. The trunk assembly according to claim 13, further comprising a remote controller, said remote controller including a locking button for sending a radio signal to the radio signal receiving unit to lock the at least one trunk, an unlocking button for sending a radio signal to the radio signal receiving unit to unlock the at least one trunk and an opening button for sending a radio signal to the radio signal receiving unit to unlock the at least one trunk and open the at least one lid.

16. The trunk assembly according to claim 14, wherein the at least one trunk includes a rear trunk and a pair of side trunks, and the locking button sends a signal to the radio signal receiving unit to lock all of the trunks, the unlocking button sends a signal to the radio signal receiving unit to unlock all of the trunks and the opening button sends a signal to the radio signal receiving unit to unlock and open only the rear trunk.

17. The trunk assembly according to claim 15, wherein the at least one trunk includes a rear trunk and a pair of side trunks, and the locking button sends a signal to the radio signal receiving unit to lock all of the trunks, the unlocking button sends a signal to the radio signal receiving unit to unlock all of the trunks and the opening button sends a signal to the radio signal receiving unit to unlock and open only the rear trunk.

6. A remote controller for a remote control trunk assembly, the trunk assembly including at least one lid, an opening mechanism for opening each of the at least one lid, a locking/unlocking mechanism and a radio signal receiving unit which receives a radio signal for remotely operating the opening/closing mechanism and the locking/unlocking mechanism, whereby the radio signal receiving unit is disposed on top of the at least one lid, said remote controller comprising:

a locking button for sending a radio signal to the radio signal receiving unit to lock the at least one trunk with the locking/unlocking mechanism;

an unlocking button for sending a radio signal to the radio signal receiving unit to unlock the at least one trunk; and

an opening button for sending a radio signal to the radio signal receiving unit to unlock the at least one trunk and open the at least one lid;

wherein said radio signal receiving unit is mountable on a rear portion of a vehicle body, the at least one lid has a projection upwardly formed on a top surface thereof, the radio signal receiving unit is disposed inside said projection on the at least one lid at substantially a central portion of the at least one lid, and the radio signal receiving unit is disposed higher than the top surface of said at least one lid, and

wherein said remote control trunk assembly is mountable on the rear portion of the vehicle body behind a seat, and said projection formed on top of said at least one lid is immediately adjacent a back rest of the seat.

7. The remote controller according to claim 6, and further comprising a radio signal, said radio signal transmitting to the radio signal receiving unit having a switch to control a pop-up actuator and a key actuator.

8. The remote controller according to claim 6, wherein the at least one trunk includes a rear trunk and a pair of side trunks, and the locking button sends a signal to the radio signal receiving unit to lock all of the trunks, the unlocking button sends a signal to the radio signal receiving unit to unlock all of the trunks and the opening button sends a signal to the radio signal receiving unit to unlock and open only the rear trunk.

18. A remote controller for a remote control trunk assembly, the trunk assembly including at least one trunk, at least one lid respectively mounted on each of said at least one trunk to move from an open position where the at least one lid is in contact with the at least one trunk to a closed position where the at least one lid is separated from the at least one trunk, an opening mechanism for opening each of the at least one lid to separate each of the at least one lid from the at least one trunk, a locking/unlocking device for each of the at least one trunk, said locking/unlocking device causing each of said at least one trunk to be in a locked position where the at least one lid cannot be opened by the opening mechanism to an unlocked position where the at least one lid can be opened by the opening mechanism and a radio signal receiving unit which receives a radio signal for remotely operating the opening/closing mechanism and the locking/unlocking device, whereby the radio signal receiving unit is disposed on top of the at least one lid, said remote controller comprising:

a locking button for sending a radio signal to the radio signal receiving unit to lock the at least one trunk;

an unlocking button for sending a radio signal to the radio signal receiving unit to unlock the at least one trunk; and

an opening button for sending a radio signal to the radio signal receiving unit to unlock the at least one trunk and open the at least one lid;

wherein said radio signal receiving unit is mountable on a rear portion of a vehicle body, the at least one lid has a projection upwardly formed on a top surface thereof, the radio signal receiving unit is disposed inside said projection on the at least one lid at substantially a central portion of the at least one lid, and the radio signal receiving unit is disposed higher than the top surface of said at least one lid, and

wherein said remote control trunk assembly is mountable on the rear portion of the vehicle body behind a seat, and said projection formed on top of said at least one lid is immediately adjacent a back rest of the seat.