Utility vehicle

• US 7,874,605 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2009
• Issued: 01/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation), Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corp. of America (Yamaha Corporation)
• Inventors: Tadipatri, Chaitanya, Inui, Akira, Smith, Craig, Yamamura, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): ENGLE, PATRICIA LYNN
• Application Number:
  US12/361,608
• Publication Number:
  US 20090184534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 296/193.07, 296/204, 296/63, 296/64, 296/65.01, 296/65.13, 296/193.01, 296/193.08, 296/193.12, 296/198, 296/203.01, 180/89.2, 180/312
• US Class Current: 296/64
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/005 Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles , e.g. dismountable auxiliary seatsB60N2/02 takes precedence ; for railway vehicles B61D1/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/06 slidable B60N2/12 , B60N2/2209 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3011 the back-rest being hinged on the cushion, e.g. "portefeuille movement"
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/305 the cushion being hinged on the vehicle frame
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/686 Panel like structures
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/803 fixed
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 21/08 built up with interlaced cross members
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 23/005 with integrated chassis in the whole shell, e.g. meshwork, tubes, or the like B62D33/044 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/20 Floors or bottom sub-units sub-frames for mounting engine or suspensions B62D21/11; drip trays F16N31/006
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 33/00 Superstructures for load-carrying vehicles having impact absorbing means B62D21/15; in which a load-carrying element is movable B60P; liners B60R13/00 ; joining sheets or plates to one another or to strips or bars parallel to them F16B5/00

Abstract

A utility vehicle includes a vehicle body frame including a left and right side portion, a front seat affixed to the vehicle body frame, and a rear seat affixed to the vehicle body frame provided to the rear of the front seat. The vehicle also includes a rear roof support structure including a left member and right pipe member that extend generally in the vertical direction from the vehicle body frame, disposed respectively at both the left and right side portions of the vehicle body frame to the rear of the rear seat. At least a downward direction portion of the left pipe member and right pipe member are positioned lower than a seating surface of a seat cushion portion of the rear seat and are angled so as to extend rearward as the left and right pipe members extend upward. A pair of rear wheels are supported by the vehicle body frame provided at a position that is below the seat cushion portion of the rear seat wherein, at least a portion thereof, is coincident with the rear seat and with the rear roof support structure in the front/back direction of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A utility vehicle comprising:

a vehicle body frame including a left side portion and a right side portion;

a front seat affixed to the vehicle body frame;

a rear seat affixed to the vehicle body frame and arranged rearward of the front seat in a front/back direction of the vehicle;

a rear roof support structure including a left pipe member and a right pipe member arranged to extend substantially vertically from the vehicle body frame and disposed, respectively, at the left side portion and the right side portion of the vehicle body frame rearward of the rear seat, at least lower portions of the left pipe member and the right pipe member being positioned lower than a seating surface of a seat cushion portion of the rear seat and angled so as to be positioned further rearward in the front/back direction of the vehicle as the lower portions extend upwardly; and

a pair of rear wheels supported by the vehicle body frame and provided at a position below the seat cushion portion of the rear seat, front ends of the pair of rear wheels are arranged forwardly in the front/back direction of the vehicle of both a rear end of the rear roof support structure and a rear end of the rear seat;

wherein

a bottom end of the rear roof support structure is positioned forwardly of the front ends of the pair of rear wheels in the front/back direction of the vehicle.

2. The utility vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of a middle portion, in a vertical direction, of the rear roof support structure is higher than the seating surface of the seat cushion portion of the rear seat, and coincident with at least a portion of the pair of rear wheels in the front/back direction of the vehicle.

3. The utility vehicle as set forth in claim 2, wherein the portion of the middle portion of the rear roof support structure is angled to extend upwardly as the middle portion extends rearwardly in the front/back direction of the vehicle.

4. The utility vehicle as set forth in claim 2, wherein the middle portion of the rear roof support structure includes a plurality of frame members, and, when viewed from a side of the vehicle, extends rearwardly and across a backrest portion of the rear seat.

5. The utility vehicle as set forth in claim 4, wherein the middle portion of the rear roof support structure includes a surface that is wider in the vertical direction and in the front/back direction than remaining portions of the rear roof support structure.

6. The utility vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein outside end portions of the rear seat in a width direction of the vehicle are positioned inside of the pair of rear wheels in the width direction of the vehicle.

7. The utility vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein a width of the seating surface in a width direction of the vehicle is narrower than a width of the front seat in the width direction of the vehicle.

8. The utility vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein a bottom end of the rear roof support structure is positioned forward of a front end of the rear seat in the front/back direction of the vehicle.

9. The utility vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein a wheel axle of the pair of rear wheels is positioned forwardly of both a rear end of the rear seat and a rear end of the rear roof support structure in the front/back direction of the vehicle.

10. The utility vehicle as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a left tire housing and a right tire housing positioned above the pair of rear wheels, wherein the seating surface of the rear seat is positioned between the left and right tire housings and below a top end of the left and right tire housings.

11. The utility vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein the pair of rear wheels are positioned directly under the rear seat.

12. The utility vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein a wheel axle of the pair of rear wheels is positioned directly under the rear seat and directly under at least a portion of the left pipe member and the right pipe member of the rear roof support structure.

13. The utility vehicle as set forth in claim 2, wherein a wheel axle of the pair of rear wheels is positioned directly under the middle portion of the rear roof support structure.