Vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016152137-A1
Application number	US-201514882497-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 14, 2015
Priority date	Nov 28, 2014
Publication date	Jun 2, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A recreational off-highway vehicle includes a supporting frame pivotally connected to a body frame via pivot shafts, a shaft support fixed to the supporting frame and including a steering shaft, a steering wheel connected to the steering shaft and rotatable around the steering shaft with respect to the shaft support, a paddle shifter disposed on the supporting frame and operable to move toward the steering shaft, a transmission supported by the body frame, a shift actuator that shifts the transmission, and a controller that controls the shift actuator so as to shift speed-changing gears of the transmission when the paddle shifter is operated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vehicle comprising:
a body frame; at least one pivot shaft; a supporting frame pivotally connected to the body frame via the at least one pivot shaft; a shaft support fixed to the supporting frame, the shaft support including a steering shaft; a steering wheel connected to the steering shaft, the steering wheel being rotatable around the steering shaft with respect to the shaft support; a paddle shifter disposed on the supporting frame or the shaft support, the paddle shifter being operable to move toward the steering shaft; a transmission supported by the body frame, the transmission including a plurality of speed-changing gears; a shift actuator that shifts the transmission; and a controller that controls the shift actuator so as to shift the speed-changing gears of the transmission when the paddle shifter is operated.

2 . The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the supporting frame includes at least two connectors connected with the body frame.

3 . The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the supporting frame is U-shaped or substantially U-shaped.

4 . The vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein the supporting frame is a single pipe frame.

5 . The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a power steering system disposed on the shaft support, the power steering system including a steering actuator that assists a driver in turning the steering wheel.

6 . The vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein the paddle shifter is disposed rearward relative to the steering actuator, and forward relative to the steering wheel.

7 . The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a gear indicator disposed on the supporting frame or the shaft support, the gear indicator indicating a current gear of the transmission.

8 . The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the paddle shifter includes:
a left shifter disposed leftward relative to the steering shaft; and
a right shifter disposed rightward relative to the steering shaft; and
the left shifter and the right shifter are separate and spaced apart from each other.

9 . The vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein
the left shifter includes a first extension located inward relative to the steering wheel as viewed along an axis of the steering shaft; and the right shifter includes a second extension located inward relative to the steering wheel as viewed along the axis of the steering shaft.

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sunahiro Kazuo

Classifications

• B62D5/04

  electrical, e.g. using an electric servo-motor connected to, or forming part of, the steering gear · CPC title

• B62D1/187

  with tilt adjustment; with tilt and axial adjustment (B62D1/183, B62D1/19 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16H2059/0247

  with lever or paddle behind steering wheel · CPC title

• F16H63/18

  the final actuating mechanism comprising cams · CPC title

• B62D5/00

  Power-assisted or power-driven steering (for non-deflectable wheels B62D11/00; fluid-pressure servomotors in general F15B) · CPC title