Leaning vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11794846-B2
Application number	US-202217684148-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 1, 2022
Priority date	Sep 2, 2019
Publication date	Oct 24, 2023
Grant date	Oct 24, 2023

Abstract

A leaning vehicle including a vehicle body, front and rear wheels, a leaning mechanism that causes the vehicle body and the front and rear wheels to lean left or right when the leaning vehicle turns left or right, a lean actuator, a support stand, a detection device that detects a getting on intention input and or a getting off intention input, which respectively indicate that a rider of the leaning vehicle intends to get on and off the leaning vehicle, and a control device configured to control the lean actuator to thereby control a lean angle of the vehicle body while the vehicle body is in motion, based on a manipulation that the rider performs for turning in the left or right direction, and control the lean angle of the vehicle body while the leaning vehicle is not in motion, based on a detection result of the detection device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A leaning vehicle comprising:
a vehicle body;
at least one front wheel and at least one rear wheel, which are supported by the vehicle body and include
one front wheel and two rear wheels, or
two front wheels and one or two rear wheels;

a leaning mechanism that causes the vehicle body, the at least one front wheel, and the at least one rear wheel
to lean in a left direction when the leaning vehicle turns in the left direction, and
to lean in a right direction when the leaning vehicle turns in the right direction;

a lean actuator connected to the leaning mechanism, the lean actuator being configured to impart a force to a leaning operation of the vehicle body, the at least one front wheel, and the at least one rear wheel;
a side stand configured to maintain the vehicle body of the leaning vehicle at a predetermined lean angle when the leaning vehicle is not in motion;
a detection device that detects a getting on intention input, which indicates that a rider of the leaning vehicle intends to get on the leaning vehicle; and
a control device configured to control the lean actuator to thereby
control a lean angle of the vehicle body while the vehicle body is in motion, based on a manipulation that the rider performs for turning in the left direction or the right direction, and
control the lean angle of the vehicle body while the leaning vehicle is not in motion, based on a detection result of the detection device, by
before detecting the getting on intention input, maintaining the vehicle body at the predetermined lean angle by the side stand, and
while the vehicle is not in motion, upon detecting the getting on intention input, controlling the lean actuator to thereby raise the vehicle body before the rider gets on the leaning vehicle, based on the getting on intention input detected by the detection device.

2. The leaning vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the detection device detects the getting on intention input from the rider, when the rider is away from the leaning vehicle.

3. The leaning vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein
the getting on intention input includes at least one of an image, a voice, a radio wave or a sound wave.

4. The leaning vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising an intention input device that receives the getting on intention input indicating an intention of the rider to get on the leaning vehicle, the intention input device being disposed at a position to be manipulatable by the rider, wherein
the detection device detects the getting on intention input that the rider enters to the intention input device.

5. A leaning vehicle comprising:
a vehicle body;
at least one front wheel and at least one rear wheel, which are supported by the vehicle body and include
one front wheel and two rear wheels, or
two front wheels and one or two rear wheels;

a leaning mechanism that causes the vehicle body, the at least one front wheel, and the at least one rear wheel
to lean in a left direction when the leaning vehicle turns in the left direction, and
to lean in a right direction when the leaning vehicle turns in the right direction;

a lean actuator connected to the leaning mechanism, the lean actuator being configured to impart a force to a leaning operation of the vehicle body, the at least one front wheel, and the at least one rear wheel;
a side stand configured to maintain the vehicle body of the leaning vehicle at a predetermined lean angle when the leaning vehicle is not in motion;
a detection device that detects a getting off intention input, which indicates that the rider intends to get off the leaning vehicle; and
a control device configured to control the lean actuator to thereby
control a lean angle of the vehicle body while the vehicle body is in motion, based on a manipulation that the rider performs for turning in the left direction or the right direction, and
control the lean angle of the vehicle body while the leaning vehicle is not in motion, based on a detection result of the detection device, wherein

the leaning vehicle is configured to have a roof installable thereon,
if the roof is installed and is at least partially above the rider of the leaning vehicle, the control device is configured to control the lean actuator to thereby lean the vehicle body after the rider gets off the leaning vehicle, in response to the getting off intention input detected by the detection device while the rider is on the leaning vehicle, and
if the leaning vehicle does not have the roof installed thereon, the control device is configured to control the lean actuator to thereby lean the vehicle body before the rider gets off the leaning vehicle, in response to the getting off intention input detected by the detection device while the rider is on the leaning vehicle.

6. The leaning vehicle according to claim 5 , further comprising an intention input device that receives the getting off intention input indicating an intention of the rider to get off the leaning vehicle, the intention input device being disposed at a position to be manipulatable by the rider, wherein
the detection device detects the getting off intention input that the rider enters to the intention input device.

7. The leaning vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein
the control device is further configured to control the lean actuator to thereby lean the vehicle body while the vehicle is not in motion, including, if the leaning vehicle has the roof installed thereon, to keep the lean angle of the vehicle body after the rider gets off the leaning vehicle.

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nagata Tatsuya
• Uchiyama Toshifumi

Classifications

• B62K5/10 Primary

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

• B62K5/027

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

• B62H1/02

  Articulated stands, e.g. in the shape of hinged arms (B62H1/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B62K5/08

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

• B62J17/086

  Frame mounted hoods specially adapted for motorcycles or the like · CPC title