Leaning vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11753099-B2
Application number	US-201916428043-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2019
Priority date	Dec 1, 2016
Publication date	Sep 12, 2023
Grant date	Sep 12, 2023

Abstract

This leaning vehicle that turns in a leaning posture and has a leaning frame structure made of a material containing fiber-reinforced resin can achieve weight reduction and help reduce changes in ride quality. The vehicle includes a rear structure that leans to the left during a left turn and leans to the right during a right turn with respect to the left-right direction of the vehicle, and is made of a material containing carbon-fiber-reinforced resin, and a leaning frame structure damage notification unit that, when the rear structure receives an impact caused by a fall of the vehicle in the left direction or the right direction, and the impact damages a non-visible part of the rear structure, makes a notification of the damage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A leaning vehicle turning in a leaning posture comprising:
a leaning frame structure that, with respect to a left-right direction of the leaning vehicle, leans left during a left turn, and leans right during a right turn, and is made of a material containing fiber-reinforced resin; and
a leaning frame structure damage notification unit that, when the leaning frame structure receives an impact caused by a fall of the leaning vehicle in a left direction or a right direction, in a case where the impact causes damage to a non-visible part of the leaning frame structure without damaging a part in a visible range of the leaning frame structure, makes a notification of the damage,
wherein
the leaning frame structure damage notification unit includes a leaning frame structure damage detection unit and an output unit,
the leaning frame structure damage detection unit detects the damage caused to the non-visible part of the leaning frame structure without damaging the part in the visible range of the leaning frame structure, and
the leaning frame structure damage detection unit includes an ultrasonic wave transmission device that transmits ultrasonic wave signals, an ultrasonic wave detection device that detects the ultrasonic wave signals, and a damage detection control unit,

the damage detection control unit detecting changes in propagation response of ultrasonic wave signals propagating between two points in the leaning frame structure as viewed in the left-right direction and detecting damage in the non-visible part of the leaning frame structure, based on ultrasonic wave signals that have been output successively or regularly from the ultrasonic wave transmission device and are detected by the ultrasonic wave detection device, and
the output unit making a notification of the damage that is detected by the damage detection control unit, or
wherein the leaning frame structure damage notification unit includes a state changing portion,
the state changing portion, when an inner part of the leaning frame structure receives the impact that causes the damage thereto, causes a predetermined changes in color, the state changing portion being
a layer that is provided inside the leaning frame structure, and has a color different from a color of the fiber-reinforced resin, or
a layer that is provided in inside the leaning frame structure, and changes its color when a force is applied to the inner part of the leaning frame structure,
and

the leaning frame structure damage notification unit makes a notification of the damage that has been caused in the inner part of the leaning frame structure without damaging the part in the visible range of the leaning frame structure, based on the predetermined change in color in the state changing portion.

2. The leaning vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the leaning frame structure damage notification unit includes a detection unit that directly, indirectly, or electrically detects the impact that is received by the leaning frame structure and causes the damage to the non-visible part of the leaning frame structure.

3. The leaning vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein
the detection unit directly detects the impact that is received by the leaning frame structure and causes the damage to the non-visible part of the leaning frame structure.

4. The leaning vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein
the detection unit indirectly detects the impact that is received by the leaning frame structure and causes the damage to the non-visible part without damaging a part in a visible range.

5. The leaning vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the fiber-reinforced resin is carbon-fiber-reinforced resin made by reinforcing resin with carbon fibers.

6. The leaning vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein
the fiber-reinforced resin is carbon-fiber-reinforced resin made by reinforcing resin with carbon fibers.

7. The leaning vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein
the fiber-reinforced resin is carbon-fiber-reinforced resin made by reinforcing resin with carbon fibers.

8. The leaning vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein
the fiber-reinforced resin is carbon-fiber-reinforced resin made by reinforcing resin with carbon fibers.

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ueno Ryo
• Chiba Akihiro

Classifications

• B62J6/24 Primary

  warning or informing the rider, e.g. low fuel warning lights · CPC title

• B62J3/14 Primary

  indicating functioning of other devices, e.g. acoustic warnings indicating that lights are switched on · CPC title

• B62K19/16

  the material being wholly or mainly of plastics · CPC title

• B62K11/04

  characterised by the engine being between front and rear wheels · CPC title

• B62J50/21

  intended to provide information to rider or passenger · CPC title