Motorcycle

• US 9,238,496 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Tsutsumi, Yojiro, Shigetomi, Tadatoshi, Katayama, Mutsumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Boehler, Anne Marie
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, MAURICE L
• Application Number:
  US11/979,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20080128190A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,003 Days
• Field of Search: 180/219, 340/427, 340/446, 701/301, 701/31, 381/71.4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2002/981 Warning systems, e.g. the seat or seat parts vibrates to warn the passenger when facing a danger
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0232 for measuring vehicle parameters and indicating critical, abnormal or dangerous conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 1/12 Box-shaped seats; Bench-type seats, e.g. dual or twin seats
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 1/28 Other additional equipment, e.g. back-rests for children
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 3/14 indicating functioning of other devices, e.g. acoustic warnings indicating that lights are switched on
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 11/00 Motorcycles, engine-assisted cycles or motor scooters with one or two wheels fairings or streamlining parts not forming part of the frame B62J; transmission of drive from engines to wheels B62M
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 11/04 characterised by the engine being between front and rear wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 21/26 Handlebar grips twist grips B62K23/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/023 in a chair, pillow

Abstract

Vibration generators are provided on a vehicle to give vibration to the body of an occupant in response to outside information inputted from the outside of the vehicle, or vehicle information outputted from an in-vehicle system. The vibration generators are installed under the seating faces or inside the back of the occupant seats, or in the side wall surface of a fuel tank. The vibration generators are driven by information on predetermined contents among outside information obtained by two-way radio communication with another vehicle using radio communication equipment. The vibration generator provided in the occupant seats can be operated as speaker means producing deep bass sound in response to an audio signal of an in-vehicle audio unit. The resulting configuration enables information to be transmitted to the occupant of the vehicle by vibration given to his/her body, rather than being transmitted audibly or visually.

Claims

1. A motorcycle comprising:

a first vibration generator mounted on an upper right region of an upwardly facing surface of a seat bottom plate of an occupant seat,

a second vibration generator mounted on an upper left region of the upwardly facing surface of the seat bottom plate of the occupant seat,

the first and second vibration generators are directly mounted on the upwardly facing surface of the seat bottom plate and extend lengthwise in a front-to-rear direction along the seat bottom plate of the occupant seat, so that long sides of the first and second vibration generators extend parallel to each other, and

driver means capable of selectively driving either one of, or both of, the first and second vibration generators in an upward direction in response to at least one of inputted outside information and vehicle information detected by an in-vehicle system to generate a vibration,

wherein each of the first and second generators includes a housing with a body portion slidably supporting a plurality of magnetic movable members in a vertical direction, and a skirt portion extended downward from the body portion and connected to the seat bottom plate,

wherein the body portion is provided with partially spherical flexible members made of an elastic material in positions corresponding to one or more of the movable members protruding upward through holes in the upper surface of the body portion,

wherein the flexible members are made of a member different from the body portion of the housing and are adhered onto the body portion by an adhesive.

2. The motorcycle according to claim 1,

wherein the motorcycle further comprises:

a power unit including an engine and a transmission;

a seat cover and a cushion member are installed over the seat bottom plate, including the first and second vibration generators mounted respectively in the right and the left regions of the upwardly facing portion of the seat bottom plate of the occupant seat, and

a waist support slanting rearwardly and upwardly in a position behind the seat bottom plate, the waist support being arranged directly above the power unit,

wherein each of the first and second vibration generators also include solenoids arranged so as to surround the movable members,

lower ends of the movable members are magnetic substances, and

the solenoids are mounted over a vibration generator base via spacers, the vibration generator base being fixed onto the seat bottom plate.

3. The motorcycle according to claim 1,

wherein the first and second vibration generators installed in the right and left regions of the occupant seat are capable of being selectively driven by different operating conditions of the motorcycle.

4. The motorcycle according to claim 1, further comprising radio communication equipment,

wherein the outside information is information on predetermined contents among information obtained by two-way radio communication with another vehicle.

5. The motorcycle according to claim 4,

wherein the radio communication equipment includes means measuring the distance between the motorcycle and the another vehicle based on communication with the another vehicle;

the motorcycle further comprising;

an inertia guidance system, a GPS receiver, and an optical beacon communication system; and

the radio communication equipment detects a self-position based on map information obtained from the another vehicle having a navigation system and position information of the another vehicle and drives one or both of the first and second vibration generators using information that the vehicle is approaching within a predetermined distance to a noted position on the map information, as the outside information.

6. The motorcycle according to claim 4,

wherein the radio communication equipment includes means measuring the distance between the motorcycle and the another vehicle based on communication with the another vehicle.

7. The motorcycle according to claim 6, further comprising:

an inertia guidance system, a GPS receiver, and an optical beacon communication system; and

wherein the radio communication equipment detects a self-position based on map information obtained from the another vehicle having a navigation system and position information of the another vehicle and drives one or both of the first and second vibration generators using information that the vehicle is approaching within a predetermined distance to a noted position on the map information, as the outside information.

8. The motorcycle according to claim 1,

wherein a frequency of the vibration generated by at least one of the first and second vibration generators is set to 50 hertz or below.

9. The motorcycle according to claim 1,

wherein a frequency of the vibration generated by each of the first and second vibration generators is set to 50 hertz or below.

10. The motorcycle according to claim 1,

wherein each of the first and second vibration generators includes a housing lengthwise in a front-to-rear direction along the seat bottom plate of the occupant seat containing multiple solenoid-driven movable members, and

wherein each of the movable members is adapted to give the vibration to the right and left regions of the body of the occupant via a flexible member on an outer surface of the housing.

11. The motorcycle according to claim 1, further comprising:

an audio unit provided in a forward portion of the motorcycle;

a pillion provided directly rearward of a waist support;

a third vibration generator arranged just under a seating face of the pillion.

12. The motorcycle according to claim 11,

wherein a frequency of the vibration generated by the first, second, and third vibration generators is set to 50 hertz or below.

13. The motorcycle according to claim 11,

wherein each of the first, second, and third vibration generators is activated by operating information of the motorcycle.

14. The motorcycle according to claim 11,

wherein each of the first, second, and third vibration generators is activated by information from outside of the motorcycle.

15. A motorcycle, comprising:

vibration generation means installed giving vibration to a body of an occupant; and

driver means driving the vibration generation means in response to at least one of inputted outside information and vehicle information detected by an in-vehicle system to generate vibration,

wherein the vibration generation means is installed in a recess of a side wall surface of a fuel tank arranged forward of an occupant seat, and includes a flat vibration generator surface member capable of giving the vibration to the body of the occupant.

16. The motorcycle according to claim 15, further comprising a housing which is disposed in the recess in the side wall surface of the fuel tank for containing the vibration generation means,

wherein a perimeter of the flat vibration generator surface member is surrounded by a side wall of the housing.

17. The motorcycle according to claim 16,

wherein the vibration generation means includes a plurality of solenoids capable of generating the vibration on a back surface of the flat vibration generator surface member.

18. The motorcycle according to claim 15,

wherein the vibration generation means generates the vibration with a phase that is opposite to a phase of a vibration of a motorcycle body by vibration from an internal combustion engine, wherein the vibration generation means is capable of reducing vibration from the engine to the occupant.

19. The motorcycle according to claim 15,

wherein a frequency of the vibration generated by the vibration generation means is set to 50 hertz or below.