Saddle-ride vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9346413-B2
Application number	US-201314346138-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2013
Priority date	Mar 2, 2012
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

Abstract

The saddle-ride vehicle includes: a front fork that rotatably supports a front wheel; a steering shaft that is coupled to the front fork and is steerably supported by a vehicle body frame; a steering handlebar holder that includes a lower holder and an upper holder and is provided above the steering shaft, the upper holder being in contact with the lower holder from above and fastened to the lower holder; a portable terminal holder that is fastened to the upper holder or the lower holder and capable of holding a personal digital assistance; and a steering system in which a steering handlebar pipe sandwiched between the lower holder and the upper holder is fixed to the steering handlebar holder.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A saddle-ride vehicle comprising:
a front fork that rotatably supports a front wheel;
a steering shaft that is coupled to the front fork and is steerably supported by a vehicle body frame;
a steering handlebar holder that comprises a lower holder and an upper holder and is provided above the steering shaft, the upper holder being in contact with the lower holder from above and fastened to the lower holder;
a portable terminal holder fastened to the upper holder or the lower holder, the portable terminal holder including a first base and a locking portion, the locking portion being provided upright on the first base, the locking portion being capable of holding a personal digital assistance;
a connection line electrically connected to a battery, the battery supplying electric power to the connection line, the connection line being attached to the first base or the locking portion; and
a steering system in which a steering handlebar pipe sandwiched between the lower holder and the upper holder is fixed to the steering handlebar holder.

2. The saddle-ride vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the portable terminal holder is fastened to the lower holder and the upper holder, and the upper holder and the portable terminal holder are tightened together to the lower holder.

3. The saddle-ride vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the portable terminal holder holds the personal digital assistance so that the personal digital assistance is located on an extension line of a steering axis line of the steering shaft.

4. The saddle-ride vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an instrument panel disposed in front of the steering handlebar pipe, wherein
the personal digital assistance is held by the portable terminal holder;
in a case where a driver seated on a seat looks at the instrument panel along a line of sight in which the driver looks at an upper end of the personal digital assistance, the portable terminal holder holds the personal digital assistance so that a substantially lower edge of the instrument panel is located in the line of sight.

5. The saddle-ride vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein
in a case where the personal digital assistance is held by the portable terminal holder,
where an angle between a line of sight when the driver looks at an upper end of the instrument panel and a line of sight when the driver looks at the upper end of the personal digital assistance is represented as a first view angle (θ 1 ); and an angle between the line of sight when the driver looks at the upper end of the personal digital assistance and a line of sight when the driver looks at a lower end of the personal digital assistance is represented as a second view angle (θ 2 ), a relationship of the first view angle (θ 1 )+the second view angle (θ 2 )<90 degrees is established,
where an angle between a straight line that extends forward and upward in a direction parallel to a surface of a display unit of the instrument panel and the line of sight when the driver looks at an upper end of the instrument panel is represented as a first eye point angle; and an angle between a straight line that extends forward and upward in a direction parallel to a surface of the personal digital assistance and the line of sight when the driver looks at the upper end of the personal digital assistance is represented as a second eye point angle (θβ), a relationship of 90 degrees≦the first eye point angle (θα)≦180 degrees and a relationship of 90 degrees≦the second eye point angle (θβ)≦180 degrees is established.

6. The saddle-ride vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein
where an angle between a horizontal line of sight when the driver looks forward and upward along a horizontal direction parallel to a ground surface and a straight line that extends forward and upward in a direction parallel to a surface of a display unit of the instrument panel is represented as a panel inclination angle (θα′); an angle between the horizontal line of sight when the driver looks forward and upward along the horizontal direction parallel to the ground surface and a straight line that extends forward and upward in a direction parallel to a surface of the personal digital assistance is represented as a terminal inclination angle (θβ′), a relationship of the panel inclination angle (θα′)>the terminal inclination angle (θβ′) is established.

7. The saddle-ride vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the portable terminal holder is placed above the upper holder and is configured to include: a second base that is fastened to the lower holder, the locking portion protrudes from the second base and
the upper holder is covered with the second base.

8. The saddle-ride vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein
the second base is formed in a downward-and-backward inclined shape.

9. The saddle-ride vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein
the portable terminal holder comprises a shaft portion parallel to an extension direction of the steering handlebar pipe that is sandwiched by the steering handlebar holder and is capable of allowing the locking portion to rotate around the shaft portion, and
the shaft portion is placed behind the steering handlebar pipe.

10. The saddle-ride vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein
the portable terminal holder holds the personal digital assistance so that the personal digital assistance is located on an extension line of a steering axis line of the steering shaft.

11. The saddle-ride vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein
where an angle between a horizontal line of sight when the driver looks forward and upward along a horizontal direction parallel to a ground surface and a straight line that extends forward and upward in a direction parallel to a surface of a display unit of the instrument panel is represented as a panel inclination angle (θα′); an angle between the horizontal line of sight when the driver looks forward and upward along the horizontal direction parallel to the ground surface and a straight line that extends forward and upward in a direction parallel to a surface of the personal digital assistance is represented as a terminal inclination angle (θβ′), a relationship of the panel inclination angle (θα′)>the terminal inclination angle (θβ′) is established.

12. The saddle-ride vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the locking portion is provided with a power supply, and the power supply is electrically connected to the connection line.

13. The saddle-ride vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the first base is provided with a power supply, and the power supply is electrically connected to the connection line.

14. The saddle-ride vehicle according to claim 13 , wherein the portable terminal holder is provided with a spring provided between the first base and the power supply.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Watanabe Tsuguo
• Fujihara Kiyotaka
• Matsui Yasumasa
• Kusano Takuhei
• Kuriki Daisuke
• Takizawa Kota
• Sekiya Daisuke

Classifications

• B62J50/225

  Mounting arrangements therefor · CPC title

• B62K21/02

  Front wheel forks or equivalent, e.g. single tine · CPC title

• B60R2011/0001

  characterised by position · CPC title

• B60R2011/0007

  Mid-console · CPC title

• B62K11/14

  Handlebar constructions, or arrangements of controls thereon, specially adapted thereto (hand controls per se B62K23/02) · CPC title