Arrangement of a vehicle assembly member

• US 9,346,352 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2015
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Karube, Shinichi, Nozawa, Hironori, Sato, Koji, Nishida, Tomohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, DREW J
• Application Number:
  US14/636,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20150274012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 448 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 13/04 concerning exhaust collecting exhaust gases with central suction systems not forming part of vehicles, e.g. in workshops or tunnels B08B15/002, otherwise along carriageways E01C1/005; extensions for melting snow on roads E01H5/00, E01H6/00; exhaust or silencing apparatus for internal combustion engines per se F01N; pipes, joints or supports therefor F16L
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/20 in which the differential movement is limited
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/22 characterised by arrangement, location, or type of main drive shafting, e.g. cardan shaft
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2005/003 the internal combustion or jet propulsion unit is arranged between the front and the rear axle
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2023/046 Axle differential locking means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 23/04 for differential gearing
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 23/08 for changing number of driven wheels , for switching from driving one axle to driving two or more axles B60K17/3515 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/20 Off-Road Vehicles

Abstract

An arrangement for an assembly member of a vehicle includes a power unit for generating a driving force; a pair of left and right driving wheels; a propeller shaft extending in the forward and backward direction of the vehicle; a differential for transmitting the driving force to the pair of left and right driving wheels via a pair of left and right drive shafts; a switch for switching the diff-lock of the differential on and off; an exhaust pipe disposed on one side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the propeller shaft; and an assembly member for operating the switch via each of a plurality of operation side transmission members and a device side transmission member using an operating force applied to each of a plurality of operating elements; wherein the assembly member is disposed on the opposite side of the propeller shaft as the exhaust pipe.

Claims

1. An arrangement for an assembly member of a vehicle comprising:

a power unit for generating a driving force;

a pair of left and right driving wheels disposed on both sides in the vehicle width direction;

a propeller shaft extending in a forward and backward direction of the vehicle in a vicinity of a center of the vehicle width direction between the pair of left and right driving wheels and the power unit;

a differential to which the propeller shaft is connected so as to transmit the driving force to the pair of left and right driving wheels via a pair of left and right drive shafts disposed on both sides in the vehicle width direction;

a switch for switching a diff-lock of the differential on and off;

an exhaust pipe disposed on one side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the propeller shaft;

a plurality of operation side transmission members, one end of which is respectively connected to a plurality of operating elements disposed at a driver'"'"'s seat;

a device side transmission member, one end of which is connected to the switch; and

an assembly member to which the other ends of the plurality of operation side transmission members and the device side transmission member are respectively connected so as to operate the switch via each of the plurality of operation side transmission members and the device side transmission member with an operating force applied to each of the plurality of operating elements;

the assembly member being disposed on the opposite side of the propeller shaft as the exhaust pipe.

2. The arrangement for an assembly member of a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a back seat positioned behind front seats including the drivers seat;

and a rear floor positioned between the front seats and the back seat so that occupants of the back seat may rest their feet on the rear floor;

wherein the assembly member is disposed beneath the rear floor; and

a lid enabling the opening/closing or attachment/detachment of at least part of the rear floor is provided on the rear floor facing the assembly member.

3. The arrangement for an assembly member of a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein a front floor on which occupants may rest their feet is provided in front of the front seats;

and the height of the footrest surface of the rear floor and of the assembly member is greater than the height of the footrest surface of the front floor.

4. The arrangement for an assembly member of a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein a front floor on which occupants may rest their feet is provided in front of the front seats;

and

a housing member having roughly the same length in the vehicle width direction as the front floor and having roughly the same base height as the front floor is provided beneath the front seats in front of the assembly member.

5. The arrangement for an assembly member of a vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising a first support member provided along the rear floor so as to support the rear floor;

and

a second support member forming an upward-opening U-shape with both ends connected to the first support member;

wherein the assembly member is attached so as to be placed in a central part in the direction in which the second support member extends in a planar view.

6. The arrangement for an assembly member of a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein a case housing the assembly member forms a long rectangular shape in the front-backward direction of the vehicle in a planar view;

the plurality of operation side transmission members are arranged facing the driver'"'"'s seat from one of the short sides of the case;

the device side transmission member extends toward the differential from the other short side of the case;

the central part of the second support member extends in the long side direction of the case;

a first standing part on one side of the second support member passes between the plurality of operation side transmission members and extends toward the first support member; and

a second standing part on the other side of the second support member extends toward the first support member while avoiding the device side transmission member and while bending further inward in the vehicle width direction than the central part.

7. An arrangement for an assembly member of a vehicle comprising:

a propeller shaft extending in a forward and backward direction of the vehicle;

an exhaust pipe disposed on one side of the propeller shaft;

an operating element disposed at a driver'"'"'s seat;

a transmission member having one end connected to the operating element and another end connected to the assembly member so as to operate with an operating force applied to the operating element;

wherein the assembly member is disposed on an opposite side of the propeller shaft as the exhaust pipe.

8. The arrangement of claim 7, wherein the propeller shaft is connected to a differential.

9. The arrangement of claim 8, wherein the assembly member is connected to a switch for switching a diff-lock of the differential on and off.

10. The arrangement of claim 7, further comprising a back seat positioned behind the driver'"'"'s seat, and a rear floor positioned between the driver'"'"'s seat and the back seat, and wherein the assembly member is disposed beneath the rear floor.

11. The arrangement of claim 10, further comprising a lid that enables opening or closing at least part of the rear floor, the lid being provided on the rear floor facing the assembly member.

12. The arrangement of claim 7, wherein the operating element is a shift lever for switching the traveling mode of the vehicle to at least one of a park, reverse, neutral, high and low modes.

13. The arrangement of claim 7, wherein the operating element is operable to switch between two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive.

14. An arrangement for an assembly member of a vehicle comprising:

a seat for an occupant of the vehicle;

a floor positioned in front of the seat and providing a surface for the occupant'"'"'s feet to rest;

a transmission member having one end connected to an operating element and another end connected to the assembly member so as to operate with an operating force applied to the operating element;

wherein the assembly member is disposed beneath the floor, and a lid enabling the opening or closing of at least part of the floor is provided on the floor facing the assembly member.

15. The arrangement of claim 14, wherein the seat is a back seat.

16. The arrangement of claim 15, further comprising a driver'"'"'s seat in front of the back seat.

17. The arrangement of claim 16, wherein the floor is a rear floor, and the arrangement further comprises a front floor in front of the driver'"'"'s seat, and wherein a height of the rear floor is greater than a height of the front floor.

18. The arrangement of claim 16, wherein the operating element is a shift lever disposed at the front seat for switching the traveling mode of the vehicle.

19. The arrangement of claim 14, further comprising a case for housing the assembly member.

20. The arrangement of claim 14, further comprising:

a propeller shaft extending in a forward and backward direction of the vehicle;

an exhaust pipe disposed on one side of the propeller shaft; and

wherein the assembly member is disposed on an opposite side of the propeller shaft as the exhaust pipe.