Series hybrid type straddled vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12275306-B2
Application number	US-202117504837-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2021
Priority date	Apr 19, 2019
Publication date	Apr 15, 2025
Grant date	Apr 15, 2025

Abstract

A straddled vehicle including a frame structure having a frame body, a rear arm swingably supported by the frame structure, a driving wheel rotatably supported by the rear arm, a drive motor supported by the frame structure or the rear arm, and an electric power generation unit supported by the frame body but not by the rear arm. The electric power generation unit includes: an electric power generation engine arranged with an offset toward a first direction from a center of the straddled vehicle with respect to a left-right direction, not overlapping the drive motor in a side view; and an electric power generator further in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, than the electric power generation engine, overlapping the electric power generation engine, but not overlapping the drive motor, in the side view. The electric power generator is driven by the electric power generation engine to generate electric power.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A straddled vehicle that is a series hybrid vehicle, comprising:
a frame structure including a frame body;
a rear arm that is swingably supported by the frame structure;
a driving wheel that is rotatably supported by the rear arm;
a drive motor that is supported by the frame structure or the rear arm, the drive motor being configured to drive the driving wheel; and
an electric power generation unit including an electric power generation engine and an electric power generator, wherein
the electric power generation engine has either a single cylinder or two cylinders, to thereby define a center plane thereof that is either
a vertical plane in which a center line of the single cylinder lies when the straddled vehicle is in an upright state,

or
a vertical plane in which any point is of an equal distance to two center lines of the two cylinders;
the center plane of the electric power generation engine is arranged with an offset toward a first direction from a center plane of the straddled vehicle with respect to a left-right direction of the straddled vehicle, and is positioned not to overlap the drive motor when viewed in the left-right direction;
the electric power generator is positioned further in a second direction than the electric power generation engine, and is arranged to overlap the electric power generation engine, but not to overlap the drive motor, when viewed in the left-right direction, the second direction being in the left-right direction of the straddled vehicle and being opposite to the first direction; and
the electric power generator is driven by the electric power generation engine to generate electric power for driving the drive motor, the electric power generation unit being supported by the frame body, and not being supported by the rear arm, such that the electric power generation unit constitutes the frame structure or does not constitute the frame structure.

2. The straddled vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the electric power generation unit is swingably supported by the frame body, and such that the electric power generation unit does not constitute the frame structure.

3. The straddled vehicle according to claim 2 , further comprising a gear box that accommodates a rotational power transmission mechanism, the rotational power transmission mechanism shifting a speed of power outputted from the drive motor with a predetermined gear ratio, and transmitting resulting power to the driving wheel, wherein
the gear box is rigidly fixed to the frame body, to thereby form the frame structure along with the frame body, and
the drive motor is supported by the gear box.

4. The straddled vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein
the drive motor is supported by the rear arm, and drives the driving wheel without transmission of rotational power.

5. The straddled vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein
the rear arm supports the drive motor, and accommodates a rotational power transmission mechanism, the rotational power transmission mechanism shifting a speed of power outputted from the drive motor with a predetermined gear ratio, and transmitting resulting power to the driving wheel, and
the drive motor drives the driving wheel via the rotational power transmission mechanism.

6. The straddled vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the electric power generation unit is rigidly fixed to the frame body, to thereby form the frame structure along with the frame body.

7. The straddled vehicle according to claim 6 , further comprising a gear box that accommodates a rotational power transmission mechanism, the rotational power transmission mechanism shifting a speed of power outputted from the drive motor with a predetermined gear ratio, and transmitting resulting power to the driving wheel, wherein
the gear box is rigidly fixed to the frame body, to thereby form the frame structure along with the frame body, and
the drive motor is supported by the gear box.

8. The straddled vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein
the drive motor is supported by the rear arm, and drives the driving wheel without transmission of rotational power.

9. The straddled vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein
the rear arm supports the drive motor, and accommodates a rotational power transmission mechanism, the rotational power transmission mechanism shifting a speed of power outputted from the drive motor with a predetermined gear ratio, and transmitting resulting power to the driving wheel, and
the drive motor drives the driving wheel via the rotational power transmission mechanism.

10. The straddled vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a gear box that accommodates a rotational power transmission mechanism, the rotational power transmission mechanism shifting a speed of power outputted from the drive motor with a predetermined gear ratio, and transmitting resulting power to the driving wheel, wherein
the gear box is rigidly fixed to the frame body, to thereby form the frame structure along with the frame body, and
the drive motor is supported by the gear box.

11. The straddled vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the drive motor is supported by the rear arm, and drives the driving wheel without transmission of rotational power.

12. The straddled vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the rear arm supports the drive motor, and accommodates a rotational power transmission mechanism, the rotational power transmission mechanism shifting a speed of power outputted from the drive motor with a predetermined gear ratio, and transmitting resulting power to the driving wheel, and
the drive motor drives the driving wheel via the rotational power transmission mechanism.

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kitamura Naoki
• Takemoto Yasushi

Classifications

• F16H2057/02065

  for motorcycles or squads · CPC title

• F16H2057/02034

  Gearboxes combined or connected with electric machines · CPC title

• B62M7/02

  with engine between front and rear wheels · CPC title

• B62K11/04

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

• B60Y2200/92

  Hybrid vehicles · CPC title