Saddle-type vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10220914-B2
Application number	US-201615094792-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2016
Priority date	Oct 11, 2013
Publication date	Mar 5, 2019
Grant date	Mar 5, 2019

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a saddle-type vehicle which can switch between the parking brake state and the neutral state using a clutch actuator configured to operate the clutch and thus lower the manufacturing cost. According to the present disclosure, there is provided a saddle-type vehicle which can be driven by a driver sitting on a seat and steering a bar handle. The saddle-type vehicle can comprise a clutch arranged on a power transmitting path from a driving source to a wheel (or wheels) configured to selectively transmit a driving power of the driving source to the wheel and selectively cut off the transmission of driving power of the driving source; a transmission arranged on the power transmitting path configured to shift gears in accordance with the travelling state of the vehicle; and a clutch actuator comprising an electrically operated actuator configured to actuate the clutch, wherein the clutch can be switched by the clutch actuator between a parking brake state, in which the power transmission between the driving source and the driving wheel is performed under a stopped state of the driving source, and a neutral state, in which the power transmission between the driving source and the driving wheel is cut off.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A saddle-type vehicle which can be driven by a driver sitting on a seat and steering a bar handle, comprising:
a clutch arranged on a power transmitting path from a driving source to a driving wheel or wheels configured to transmit a driving power of the driving source to the driving wheel or wheels and cut off the transmission of driving power of the driving source;
a transmission arranged on the power transmitting path for shifting gears in accordance with a travelling state of the vehicle;
a clutch actuating means comprising an electrically operated actuator for actuating the clutch; and
an operating means for selecting a range for attaining a parking brake state, a range for attaining a neutral state, and a range for attaining a driving state, wherein the clutch and the transmission can be controlled under the driving state in accordance with the travelling state of the vehicle,
wherein the clutch can be switched by the clutch actuating means between the parking brake state, in which the power transmission between the driving source and the driving wheel is performed under a stopped state of the driving source, and the neutral state, in which the power transmission between the driving source and the driving wheel is cut off, and
wherein the parking brake state can be attained by automatically stopping the driving source on a condition that a selecting operation of the range for attaining the parking brake state by the operating means has been performed during driving of the driving source.

2. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the state of the clutch can be maintained when the clutch actuating means is in a non-electrically energized state.

3. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 1 wherein a selecting operation of the range for attaining the parking brake state by the operating means can be completed only from the range for attaining the neutral state.

4. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 1 wherein a selecting operation of the range for attaining the parking brake state by the operating means can be completed only when the vehicle speed is lower than a predetermined value and only from the range for attaining the neutral state.

5. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 1 , wherein a switching from the range for attaining the parking brake state to the range for attaining the neutral state can be automatically attained on a condition that a starting operation of the driving source has been performed in the range for attaining the parking brake state.

6. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 5 , further comprising an indicator for performing indications corresponding to the range for attaining the parking brake state, the range for attaining the neutral state, and the range for attaining the driving state.

7. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the transmission comprises a continuously variable transmission comprising a belt forming part of the power transmitting path and a pair of pulleys sandwiching and suspending the belt.

8. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 7 , wherein the slippage of the belt relative to the pulleys under the parking brake state can be limited by increasing a sandwiching force of the pulleys relative to the belt under the parking brake state to be larger than the sandwiching force of the pulleys relative to the belt in the range for attaining the driving state while the vehicle is stopped.

9. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 7 , wherein the neutral state can be attained at the range for attaining the neutral state by setting a sandwiching force of the pulleys relative to the belt so that the power transmission is not performed by the belt when the driving source is in the stopped state, and the slippage of the belt relative to the pulleys can be limited by setting the sandwiching force of the pulleys relative to the belt so that the power transmission is performed by the belt as well as so that the sandwiching force is smaller when in the range for attaining the neutral state and while the driving source is in the driving state than the sandwiching force in the range for attaining the driving state while the vehicle is stopped.

10. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 7 , further comprising a transmission actuating means comprising an electrically operated actuator operable to change a pulley position under an electrically energized state so as to adjust a sandwiching force of the pulleys relative to the belt when the belt is not being rotated, adjust a pulley gear ratio while the sandwiching force of the pulleys relative to the belt is applied, and hold the sandwiching force of the pulleys relative to the belt under a non-electrically energized state of the transmission actuating means.

11. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 7 , wherein when a sandwiching force of the pulleys relative to the belt is applied to the belt in the range for attaining the driving state, the clutch can be selectively operated in accordance with a driver's input between a travelling control including a start control when an accelerator operation is done or a travelling control having a gear shift control, and a creep control in which the vehicle can travel under an idling state of the driving source without operating the accelerator.

12. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the transmission is a stepwise variable transmission.

13. A saddle-type vehicle which can be driven by a driver sitting on a seat and steering a bar handle, comprising:
a clutch arranged on a power transmitting path from an engine to one or more driving wheels configured to transmit a driving power from the engine to the one or more driving wheels and cut off the transmission of driving power from the engine to the one or more driving wheels;
a transmission arranged on the power transmitting path configured to shift gears in accordance with a travelling state of the vehicle;
a clutch actuator comprising an electrically operated actuator configured to actuate the clutch; and
an operating range selector configured to select a range for attaining a parking brake state, a range for attaining a neutral state, and a range for attaining a driving state, wherein the clutch and the transmission can be controlled in the driving state in accordance with the travelling state of the vehicle,
wherein the clutch can be switched by the clutch actuator between the parking brake state, in which power transmission between the engine and the one or more driving wheels is performed when the engine is stopped, and the neutral state, in which power transmission between the engine and the one or more driving wheels is cut off, and
wherein the parking brake state can be attained by automatically stopping the engine on a condition that a selecting operation of the range for attaining the parking brake state by the operating range selector has been performed during driving of the engine.

14. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the state of the clutch can be maintained when the clutch actuator is not electrically energized.

15. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the transmission comprises a continuously variable transmission comprising a belt forming part of the power transmitting path and a pair of pulleys sandwiching and suspending the belt.

16. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 15 , wherein the slippage of the belt relative to the pulleys under the parking brake state can be limited by increasing a sandwiching force of the pulleys relative to the belt under the parking brake state to be larger than the sandwiching force of the pulleys relative to the belt in the range for attaining the driving state while t

Assignees

• Fcc Kk

Inventors

• Ohashi Tatsuyuki
• Miyachi Kazuyoshi
• Makita Shouji
• Chiba Ryouhei
• Iida Kaoru
• Sato Makoto

Classifications

• F16H2061/66277

  by optimising the clamping force exerted on the endless flexible member · CPC title

• B62M9/04

  of changeable ratio · CPC title

• B62L3/06

  Means for locking the actuating mechanisms (locking a cycle braking device directly B62H5/18) · CPC title

• F16H61/66272

  characterised by means for controlling the torque transmitting capability of the gearing · CPC title

• F16H61/662

  with endless flexible members · CPC title