Straddled vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016229473-A1
Application number	US-201514896301-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 11, 2015
Priority date	Jun 11, 2014
Publication date	Aug 11, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A predefined length between first and second optical lens sections and of the first and second highly-directional light units is smaller than a length, which is half of a length between a left end of a lower portion of a left front-wheel support unit and a right end of a lower portion of a right front-wheel support unit in the left-right direction of a vehicle, and the predefined length is greater than half a smaller one of minimum widths of the optical lens sections of the first and the second highly-directional light units. A configuration is adopted in which light radiated through the optical lens section of the first highly-directional light unit partially overlaps light radiated through the optical lens section of the second highly-directional light unit and the remaining part does not overlap.

First claim

1 . A straddled vehicle comprising a body frame and a front wheel portion that includes at least one front wheel, the straddled vehicle being turnable leftward while the body frame is tilted leftward in a left-right direction of the vehicle and being turnable rightward while the body frame is tilted rightward in the left-right direction of the vehicle, the straddled vehicle comprising:
a steering shaft turnably supported by the body frame; a handlebar that is longest in the left-right direction of the vehicle and that is configured to turn integrally with the steering shaft; a left front-wheel support unit located at the left of the steering shaft in the left-right direction of the vehicle and being turnable with the steering shaft, the left front-wheel support unit including
an upper portion supported by the body frame, and
a lower portion that supports the front wheel portion and that is displaceable with respect to the upper portion in an up-down direction of the vehicle;
a right front-wheel support unit located at the right of the steering shaft in the left-right direction of the vehicle and being turnable with the steering shaft, the right front-wheel support unit including
an upper portion supported by the body frame, and
a lower portion that supports the front wheel portion and that is displaceable with respect to the upper portion of the right front-wheel support unit in the in the up-down direction of the vehicle;
a first highly-directional light unit including
a first light-emitting section that emits highly-directional first light, and
a first optical lens section that refracts the first light to form a first light distribution, the first light distribution being a light distribution of at least part of a light beam, the light beam being a main beam or dipped beam;
a second highly-directional light unit being configured to turn on when the first highly-directional light unit is turned on, and to turn off when the first highly-directional light unit is turned off, theft second highly-directional light unit including
a second light-emitting section that emits highly-directional second light, and
a second optical lens section that refracts the second light to form a second light distribution, the second light distribution being a light distribution of at least part of the light beam, which includes the first light distribution; and
a first base portion that supports the first highly-directional light unit and the second highly-directional light unit, the first base portion being movably supported so that a position of the first base portion relative to the body frame or the handlebar is changeable, wherein the first highly-directional light unit and the second highly-directional light unit are formed in such a way that: in the left-right direction of the vehicle when viewed from a front of the vehicle, each of the first optical lens section and the second optical lens section has a respective maximum width which is smaller than half a first length, wherein in the left-right direction of the vehicle when viewed from the front of the vehicle, the first length is measured in the left-right direction between a left end of the lower portion of the left front-wheel support unit and a right end of the lower portion of the right front-wheel support unit; and a second length between the first optical lens section and the second optical lens section is both
smaller than half the first length, and
greater than half a length that is a smaller one of a minimum width of the first optical lens section and a minimum width of the second optical lens section, the minimum widths of the first and second optical lens sections each being measured in the left-right direction of the vehicle when viewed from the front of the vehicle,
further wherein the first and second highly-directional light units are fixed to the first base portion so as to maintain, when a relative position of the first base portion with respect to the body frame or the handlebar is changed, a state in which a first wall light distribution partially overlaps a second wall light distribution while a remaining part of the first wall light distribution does not overlap the second wall light distribution, further wherein the first wall light distribution is the first light distribution projected onto an upright wall body located 10 meters forward of the vehicle from a front end of one of the first optical lens section and the second optical lens section that is located at a foremost forward position in a front-rear direction of the vehicle from among all portions of the first and second optical lens sections, and further wherein the second wall light distribution is the second light distribution projected onto the wall body.

2 . The straddled vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein a region between the first optical lens section and the second optical lens section is located at a center of the vehicle in the left-right direction when viewed from the front of the vehicle.

3 . The straddled vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a left grip disposed on the left of the handlebar; and a right grip disposed on the right of the handlebar, wherein wherein the first and second light distributions form at least the parts of the dipped beam, further wherein the straddled vehicle further comprises: a third highly-directional light unit including
a third light-emitting section that emits highly-directional third light, and
a third optical lens section that refracts the third light to form a third light distribution, the third light distribution being a light distribution of at least part of the dipped beam;
a fourth highly-directional light unit being configured to turn on together when the third highly-directional light unit is turned on, and to turn off together with the third highly-directional light unit when the third highly-directional light unit is turned off, the fourth highly-directional light unit including
a fourth light-emitting section that emits highly-directional fourth light, and
a fourth optical lens section that refracts the fourth light to form a fourth light distribution, the fourth light distribution being a light distribution of at least part of the dipped beam;
a fifth highly-directional light unit including
a fifth light-emitting section that emits highly-directional fifth light, and
a fifth optical lens section that refracts the fifth light to form a fifth light distribution, the fifth light distribution being a light distribution of at least part of the main beam;
a sixth highly-directional light unit including
a sixth light-emitting section that emits highly-directional sixth light, and
a sixth optical lens section that refracts the sixth light to form a sixth light distribution, the sixth light distribution being a light distribution of at least part of the main beam; and
a second base portion that supports the third highly-directional light unit and the fourth highly-directional light unit, the second base portion being movably supported so that a position of the second base portion relative to the body frame or the handlebar is changeable, wherein the third highly-directional light unit and the fourth highly-directional light unit are formed in such a way that: each of the third optical lens section and the fourth optical lens section have a respective maximum width that is smaller than half the first length, a length between the third optical lens section and the fourth optical lens section is both
smaller than half the first length, and
greater than half a length that is a smaller one of a minimum width of the third optical lens section and a minimum width of the fourth optical lens section, the minimum widths of the third and fourth optical lens sections each being measured in the left-right direction of the vehicle when v

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Inoue Takehiro
• Kubo Yutaka
• Ikeda Takeshi

Classifications

• B60Q1/0041

  of several lamps in relation to each other · CPC title

• F21S41/295

  specially adapted to projection lenses · CPC title

• F21S41/663

  by switching light sources (by switching incandescent light sources F21S41/162) · CPC title

• F21S41/255

  Lenses with a front view of circular or truncated circular outline · CPC title

• B60Q1/14

  having dimming means · CPC title