Vehicle with centralized laser beam source

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12054089-B2
Application number	US-202318339056-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2023
Priority date	Dec 22, 2020
Publication date	Aug 6, 2024
Grant date	Aug 6, 2024

Abstract

A vehicle that is the leaning vehicle or the straddled vehicle includes a fiber optic cable extending from a laser beam source unit to both a forward light-emitting part and a rearward light-emitting part via a forward-rearward branch portion, the fiber optic cable allowing a laser beam emitted from the laser beam source unit to be branched in the forward-rearward branch portion, and then supplied to both the forward light-emitting part and the rearward light-emitting part. A length of the fiber optic cable between the laser beam source unit and the forward-rearward branch portion is shorter than a total length of the fiber optic cable between the forward-rearward branch portion and the forward light-emitting part and between the forward-rearward branch portion and the rearward light-emitting part in a side view of the vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle that is a leaning vehicle or a straddled vehicle having a plurality of wheels, the vehicle comprising:
a vehicle body supporting the plurality of wheels, the vehicle body including a seat and a footrest part, the seat being configured to accommodate only one rider to sit thereon in a lateral direction of the vehicle, the footrest part being configured to allow the rider sitting on the seat to place his or her foot on the footrest part while driving the vehicle;
one laser beam source unit disposed in the vehicle body, the laser beam source unit having
one or more laser beam source elements each configured to generate a laser beam, and
an output part shared by the one or more laser beam source elements for emitting the generated laser beam;

a forward light-emitting part disposed further forward than the laser beam source unit in a front-back direction of the vehicle, the forward light-emitting part being configured to emit light from the laser beam supplied by the laser beam source unit;
a rearward light-emitting part disposed further rearward than the laser beam source unit in the front-back direction of the vehicle, the rearward light-emitting part being configured to emit light from the laser beam supplied by the laser beam source unit; and
a fiber optic cable extending from the laser beam source unit to both the forward light-emitting part and the rearward light-emitting part via a forward-rearward branch portion, to thereby allow the laser beam emitted from the laser beam source unit to be branched in the forward-rearward branch portion, and to then be supplied to both the forward light-emitting part and the rearward light-emitting part, wherein
in a side view of the vehicle, a length of the fiber optic cable between the laser beam source unit and the forward-rearward branch portion is shorter than a sum of a length of the fiber optic cable between the forward-rearward branch portion and the forward light-emitting part and a length of the fiber optic cable between the forward-rearward branch portion and the rearward light-emitting part;
the laser beam source unit further has a first directional end toward a first direction and a second directional end toward a second direction that is opposite to the first direction, the output part being at a position further in the first direction than the second directional end, the forward-rearward branch portion being at a position further in the first direction than the first directional end,
the first direction and the second direction are in any of the front-back direction, a left-right direction, or an up-down direction of the vehicle; and
at least a part of the laser beam source unit is positioned further upward than the footrest part in the side view of the vehicle, and positioned between a left end and a right end of the seat in a plan view of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the rearward light-emitting part is disposed further rearward than a front end of the seat such that the rearward light-emitting part is visible in a rear view of the vehicle, and
the forward light-emitting part is disposed further forward than the front end of the seat such that the forward light-emitting part
is visible in a front view of the vehicle, or
is visible to the rider sitting on the seat, or
is visible both in the front view of the vehicle and to the rider sitting on the seat.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the length of the fiber optic cable between the laser beam source unit and the forward-rearward branch portion is shorter than one, or both, of the length of the fiber optic cable between the forward-rearward branch portion and the forward light-emitting part and the length of the fiber optic cable between the forward-rearward branch portion and the rearward light-emitting part.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the forward light-emitting part and the rearward light-emitting part functions as a flashing light.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a motive power source that generates power to be transmitted to at least one of the plurality of wheels, wherein
each of the forward light-emitting part and the rearward light-emitting part is continuously on while the motive power source is in operation.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the forward light-emitting part functions as one or both of a position lamp and a meter lamp, and
the rearward light-emitting part functions as one or both of a position lamp and a license plate lamp.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the fiber optic cable has:
a first part that is from the laser beam source unit to the forward-rearward branch portion,
a second part that is from the forward-rearward branch portion to the forward light-emitting part, and
a third part that is from the forward-rearward branch portion to the rearward light-emitting part;

in the side view of the vehicle, each of the first part, the second part, and the third part of the fiber optic cable has an upper portion and a lower portion in the up-down direction of the vehicle; and
in the up-down direction of the vehicle, a distance between the upper portion and the lower portion of the first part is shorter than a distance between the upper portion and the lower portion of the second part, and shorter than a distance between the upper portion and the lower portion of the third part.

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Muramatsu Kenichi
• Inoue Takehiro
• Kamo Atsushi
• Takagi Yoko

Classifications

• B62M7/02

  with engine between front and rear wheels · CPC title

• B62J6/04

  Rear lights · CPC title

• B60Q1/56

  for illuminating registrations or the like {, e.g. for licence plates} · CPC title

• B60Q1/04

  the devices being headlights · CPC title

• B62J6/022

  specially adapted for motorcycles or the like · CPC title