Vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10625807-B2
Application number	US-201815913268-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2018
Priority date	Mar 7, 2017
Publication date	Apr 21, 2020
Grant date	Apr 21, 2020

Abstract

A vehicle includes a body frame including a connecting bracket including a unitary connector that connects a front end of a right frame and a front end of a left frame, and an extension that extends to the front of the vehicle from the connector to be welded to a link support at a front end thereof. When the vehicle is seen from the front thereof, a weld between the extension and the link support is located on an imaginary central straight line that passes a middle upper axis and a middle lower axis above or below a turning support in an up-and-down direction of the body frame.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a body frame that leans to the right when the vehicle turns to the right and leans to the left when the vehicle turns to the left;
a right front wheel that turns about a right steering axis that extends in an up-and-down direction of the body frame;
a left front wheel provided to the left of the right front wheel in a left-and-right direction of the body frame and that turns about a left steering axis that is parallel to the right steering axis;
a right shock absorber supporting the right front wheel at a lower portion thereof and that absorbs a displacement of the right front wheel towards an upper portion thereof in the up-and-down direction of the body frame;
a left shock absorber supporting the left front wheel at a lower portion thereof and that absorbs a displacement of the left front wheel towards an upper portion thereof in the up-and-down direction of the body frame; and
a linkage supporting the right front wheel and the left front wheel so that the right front wheel and the left front wheel are able to be displaced relative to each other in the up-and-down direction of the body frame; wherein
the linkage includes:
a right side member supporting an upper portion of the right shock absorber so as to turn about the right steering axis;
a left side member supporting an upper portion of the left shock absorber so as to turn about the left steering axis;
an upper cross member supporting an upper portion of the right side member at a right end portion thereof so as to turn about a right upper axis that extends in a front-and-rear direction of the body frame, supporting an upper portion of the left side member at a left end portion thereof so as to turn about a left upper axis that is parallel to the right upper axis, and supported on the body frame at a middle portion thereof so as to turn about a middle upper axis that is parallel to the right upper axis and the left upper axis; and
a lower cross member supporting a lower portion of the right side member at a right end portion thereof so as to turn about a right lower axis that is parallel to the right upper axis, supporting a lower portion of the left side member at a left end portion thereof so as to turn about a left lower axis that is parallel to the left upper axis, and supported on the body frame at a middle portion thereof so as to turn about a middle lower axis that is parallel to the middle upper axis;

the body frame includes:
a right frame that extends in at least a front-and-rear direction of the vehicle to support a right portion of a vehicle mounted component other than the body frame;
a left frame that extends in at least the front- and rear direction of the vehicle to support a left portion of the vehicle mounted component other than the body frame; and
a link support located ahead of a front end of the right frame and a front end of the left frame to support the middle portion of the upper cross member and the middle portion of the lower cross member so as to be turnable;

a turning support to which the middle portion of at least one of the upper cross member and the lower cross member is attached and is located at a rear portion of the link support;
the body frame includes a connector connecting the front end of the right frame and the front end of the left frame together and a connecting bracket including a unitary extension that extends to the front of the vehicle from the connector and that is welded to the link support at a front end thereof; and
when the vehicle is seen from the front thereof, a weld between the extension and the link support is located on an imaginary central straight line that passes through the middle upper axis and the middle lower axis above or below the turning support in the up-and-down direction of the body frame.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the middle portion of the lower cross member is attached to the turning support so as to be turnable; and
the weld is located below the turning support in the up-and-down direction of the body frame.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein a front portion of the extension is located between a right edge of a right weld where the right frame and the connecting bracket are welded together and a left edge of a left weld where the left frame and the connecting bracket are welded together in a left- and right direction of the body frame.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein, when the vehicle is seen from a side thereof, the front end of the right frame and the front end of the left frame are located behind a rear end of a movable range of the upper cross member or a rear end of a movable range of the lower cross member on an extension of the middle upper axis or the middle lower axis, and at least a portion of the extension is located ahead of the rear end of the movable range.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the turning support is unitary with the connecting bracket.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the connector includes:
a right wall connecting a front portion of the right frame and a rear portion of the extension;
a left wall connecting a front portion of the left frame and the rear portion of the extension;
a rear wall connecting the front portion of the right frame and the front portion of the left frame; and
a lower wall connecting a lower portion of the right wall, a lower portion of the left wall, and a lower portion of the rear wall, or an upper wall connecting an upper portion of the right wall, an upper portion of the left wall, and an upper portion of the rear wall; and
a space that opens upwards or downwards is defined by a rear portion of the extension, the right wall, the left wall, the rear wall, and the lower wall or the upper wall.

7. The vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein a front portion of the right wall is located to the left of a rear portion thereof, and a front portion of the left wall is located to the right of a rear portion thereof when the vehicle is seen from above.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the right frame includes:
a right upper frame extending in at least the front-and-rear direction of the vehicle; and
a right lower frame provided below the right upper frame and extending in the front-and-rear direction of the vehicle;

the left frame includes:
a left upper frame extending in at least the front-and-rear direction of the vehicle; and
a left lower frame located below the left upper frame and extending in the front-and-rear direction of the vehicle;

a front portion of the right upper frame and a front portion of the left upper frame are connected to an upper portion of the link support via an upper bracket;
the upper bracket includes a right upper insertion hole into which the front portion of the right upper frame is inserted and a left upper insertion hole into which a front portion of the left upper frame is inserted;
the connecting bracket includes a right lower insertion hole into which a front portion of the right lower frame is inserted and a left lower insertion hole into which a front portion of the left lower frame is inserted; and
the upper bracket and the connecting bracket are connected together by a right vertical frame extending in the up-and-down direction of the body frame and a left vertical frame extending in the up-and-down direction of the body frame and located to the left of the right vertical frame.

9. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein, in relation to a left-and-right direction of the vehicle, a right end of the extension is located to the left of a right end of the link support, and a left end of the extension is located to the right of a left end of the link support.

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Mitsuoka Ryuta
• Hirakawa Nobuhiko

Classifications

• B62K5/10 Primary

  with means for inwardly inclining the vehicle body on bends · CPC title

• B62K5/08

  with steering devices acting on two or more wheels · CPC title

• B62K2005/001

  Suspension details for cycles with three or more main road wheels · CPC title

• B62K5/06

  Frames for tricycles · CPC title

• B62K5/027

  Motorcycles with three wheels (specially adapted for disabled riders B62K5/023) · CPC title