Vehicle

• US 9,517,807 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2013
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Inventors: Takano, Kazuhisa, Iizuka, Toshio, Hirayama, Yosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Ilan, Ruth
• Application Number:
  US14/430,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20150251719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2200/44 steerable
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/422 Links for mounting suspension elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/8302 Mechanical
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/122 Trikes
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/45 Rolling frame vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 3/01 the wheel being mounted for sliding movement, e.g. in or on a vertical guide camber maintaining means B60G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 9/02 combined with means for inwardly inclining vehicle body on bends
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 2005/001 Suspension details for cycles with three or more main road wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 21/18 Connections between forks and handlebars or handlebar stems
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 2202/00 Motorised scooters
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 25/08 for front wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 5/027 Motorcycles with three wheels specially adapted for disabled riders B62K5/023
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 5/05 characterised by a single rear wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 5/08 with steering devices acting on two or more wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 5/10 with means for inwardly inclining the vehicle body on bends

Abstract

In a vehicle, a size of an acute angle θL defined by a virtual plane perpendicularly or substantially perpendicularly intersecting with an upper axis and a lower axis of a cross member and a up-and-down direction of a vehicle body frame is smaller than sizes of an acute angle θTR and an acute angle θTL which are defined by an expansion and contraction direction of telescopic elements and the up-and-down direction of the vehicle body frame, and an acute angle θSR and an acute angle θSL which are defined by axes of side rods and the up-and-down direction of the vehicle body frame. The sizes of the acute angle θTR and the acute angle θTL are greater than the size of the acute angle θL defined by the virtual plane perpendicularly or substantially perpendicularly intersecting with the upper axis and the lower axis of the cross member and the up-and-down direction of the vehicle body frame, and are equivalent to or smaller than the sizes of the acute angle θSR and the acute angle θSL.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a vehicle body frame;

a right front wheel and a left front wheel disposed in a line in a left-and-right direction of the vehicle body frame;

a right shock absorbing device supporting the right front wheel at a lower portion thereof and configured to attenuate displacement of the right front wheel with respect to an upper portion thereof in an up-and-down direction of the vehicle body frame;

a left shock absorbing device supporting the left front wheel at a lower portion thereof and configured to attenuate displacement of the left front wheel with respect to an upper portion in the up-and-down direction of the vehicle body frame;

a link mechanism including;

a right side rod including a lower portion positioned in front of an upper portion thereof in a front-rear direction of the vehicle body frame, and supporting the upper portion of the right shock absorbing device to be turnable around a right axis extending in the up-and-down direction of the vehicle body frame;

a left side rod including a lower portion positioned in front of an upper portion thereof in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body frame, and supporting the upper portion of the left shock absorbing device to be turnable around a left axis parallel or substantially parallel with the right axis;

an upper cross member including a right end portion turnably supporting the upper portion of the right side rod, a left end portion turnably supporting the upper portion of the left side rod, and an intermediate portion supported by the vehicle body frame to be turnable around an upper axis extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body frame; and

a lower cross member including a right end portion turnably supporting the lower portion of the right side rod, a left end portion turnably supporting the lower portion of the left side rod, and an intermediate portion supported by the vehicle body frame to be turnable around a lower axis parallel or substantially parallel with the upper axis; and

a steering shaft supported by the vehicle body frame between the right side rod and the left side rod in the left-and-right direction of the vehicle body frame, turnable around an intermediate axis extending in the up-and-down direction of the vehicle body frame, including an upper end portion provided above the lower axis which is a turning axis of the lower cross member in the up-and-down direction of the vehicle body frame, and including a lower end portion provided in front of the upper end portion thereof in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body frame;

wherein

the right shock absorbing device includes a right telescopic element positioned directly in front of the vehicle body frame in the front-rear direction and configured to expand or contract in an expansion and contraction direction extending in the up-and-down direction of the vehicle body frame, and to cause the right front wheel to be displaced in the expansion and contraction direction of the right telescopic element;

the left shock absorbing device includes a left telescopic element positioned directly in front of the vehicle body frame in the front-rear direction and configured to expand or contract in the expansion and contraction direction extending in the up-and-down direction of the vehicle body frame, and to cause the left front wheel to be displaced in the expansion and contraction direction of the left telescopic element;

in an upright state of the vehicle body frame, an acute angle θ

L defined by a virtual plane perpendicularly or substantially perpendicularly intersecting with the upper axis and the lower axis and the up-and-down direction of the vehicle body frame is smaller than an acute angle θ

TR defined by the expansion and contraction direction of the right telescopic element and the up-and-down direction of the vehicle body frame, an acute angle θ

TL defined by the expansion and contraction direction of the left telescopic element and the up-and-down direction of the vehicle body frame, an acute angle θ

SR defined by the right axis of the right side rod and the up-and-down direction of the vehicle body frame, and an acute angle θ

SL defined by the left axis of the left side rod and the up-and-down direction of the vehicle body frame; and

in the upright state of the vehicle body frame, the acute angle θ

TR and the acute angle θ

TL are greater than the acute angle θ

L, and are equivalent to or smaller than the acute angle θ

SR and the acute angle θ

SL.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, in a side view of the upright state of the vehicle body frame, an intersection of the right axis of the right side rod and the lower axis of the lower cross member is positioned in front of a rear end of the right front wheel in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body frame and an intersection of the left axis of the left side rod and the lower axis of the lower cross member is positioned in front of a rear end of the left front wheel in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body frame.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, in a side view of the upright state of the vehicle body frame, an intersection of the right axis of the right side rod and the upper axis of the upper cross member is positioned in front of a rear end of the right front wheel in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body frame and an intersection of the left axis of the left side rod and the upper axis of the upper cross member is positioned in front of a rear end of the left front wheel in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body frame.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, in the upright state of the vehicle body frame, the acute angle θ

TR, the acute angle θ

TL, the acute angle θ

SR, and the acute angle θ

SL are equivalent or substantially equivalent to each other, rotation axes of the right front wheel and the left front wheel are positioned in front of the right axis of the right side rod and the left axis of the left side rod, and the expansion and contraction direction of the right telescopic element and the expansion and contraction direction of the left telescopic element are positioned in front of the right axis of the right side rod and the left axis of the left side rod in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body frame.