Vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9745012-B2
Application number	US-201615279745-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2016
Priority date	Sep 30, 2015
Publication date	Aug 29, 2017
Grant date	Aug 29, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle includes a linkage, a steering force transmission, and a steering lock. The steering force transmission includes a rear shaft that is able to turn about a rear axis, a front shaft that is able to turn about a front axis, and a connector. When seen from a side of the vehicle, a distance between the front shaft and a right steering axis is smaller than a distance between the rear shaft and the right steering axis, and in which at least one portion of the steering lock that is mounted on the front shaft or a member that turns together with the front shaft and a member that is displaced relative thereto is provided in a position that overlaps a movable range of the linkage when seen from the side of the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a body frame that is able to lean to a right of the vehicle when the vehicle turns right and is able to lean to a left of the vehicle when the vehicle turns left;
a right front wheel and a left front wheel that are aligned side by side in a left-and-right direction of the body frame;
a linkage that includes a cross member that turns about a link axis that extends in a front-and-rear direction of the body frame relative to the body frame, supports the right front wheel and the left front wheel so as to be displaced relatively in an up-and-down direction of the body frame, and supports the right front wheel so as to turn about a right steering axis that extends in the up-and-down direction of the body frame and supports the left front wheel so as to turn about a left steering axis that is parallel to the right steering axis;
a steering force transmission that includes a steering force input that is disposed between the right steering axis and the left steering axis when seen from a front of the vehicle, is provided so as to turn about a middle steering axis that is parallel to the right steering axis, and transmits a steering force that is inputted to the steering force input to the right front wheel and the left front wheel; and
a steering lock that makes it impossible for the right front wheel and the left front wheel to be steered; wherein
the steering force transmission includes:
a rear shaft into which a steering force is inputted from the steering force input and which is able to turn about a rear axis;
a front shaft that is disposed ahead of the rear shaft in relation to the front-and-rear direction of the body frame and which is able to turn about a front axis; and
a connector that transmits a turning motion of the rear shaft to the front shaft;

a distance between the front shaft and the right steering axis is smaller than a distance between the rear shaft and the right steering axis when seen from a side of the vehicle; and
the front shaft or a member that turns together with the front shaft and at least a portion of the steering lock that is mounted on a member that is displaced relative to the front shaft or the member are provided in a position that overlaps a movable range of the linkage when seen from the side of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein, when seen from the front of the vehicle that is standing upright, at least a portion of the steering lock is provided above or below the cross member.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein, when the vehicle is divided into three areas of a right portion, a central portion, and a left portion in the left-and-right direction of the body frame when seen from the front of the vehicle that is standing upright, at least a portion of the steering lock is disposed in the central portion.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the connector includes a link that is connected to the front shaft or the rear shaft via a turning axis that is different from the front axis or the rear axis so as to turn and which is displaced as the rear shaft turns to turn the front shaft.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the connector includes a right connector that is provided on a right of the front shaft in relation to the left-and-right direction of the body frame to connect the front shaft and the rear shaft together, and a left connector that is provided on a left of the front shaft in relation to the left-and-right direction of the body frame to connect the front shaft and the rear shaft together.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the steering lock includes:
a first portion that is attached to the front shaft or a member that turns together with the front shaft; and
a second portion that is attached to a member that is displaced relative to the front shaft or the member that turns together with the front shaft;
the first portion and the second portion are brought into abutment with each other so as to make it impossible for the first portion and the second portion to be displaced relatively to make it impossible for the right front wheel and the left front wheel to turn; and
an abutment between the first portion and the second portion is provided on one side of the front shaft in the left-and-right direction of the body frame, and the connector is provided on the other side of the front shaft in the left-and-right direction of the body frame.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the steering lock includes:
a first portion that is attached to the front shaft or a member that turns together with the front shaft; and
a second portion that is attached to a member that is displaced relative to the front shaft or the member that turns together with the front shaft;
a pin that is operated by an actuator is provided on one of the first portion and the second portion;
a pin receiver that receives the pin is provided on the other of the first portion and the second portion; and
the actuator is operated to bring the pin into abutment with the pin receiver so as to make it impossible for the first portion and the second portion to turn relatively to make it impossible for the right front wheel and the left front wheel to turn.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the front axis and the rear axis are parallel to each other.

9. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a steering stopper that restricts a maximum steering angle of the right front wheel and the left front wheel mounted on the front shaft or the member that turns together with the front shaft and a member that is displaced relative to the front shaft when the front shaft turns; wherein
at least a portion of the steering stopper is provided in a position that overlaps a movable range of the linkage when seen from the side of the vehicle.

10. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a steering stopper that restricts a maximum steering angle of the right front wheel and the left front wheel mounted on the rear shaft or a member that turns together with the rear shaft and a member that is displaced relative to the rear shaft when the rear shaft turns.

11. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the front shaft on which the steering lock is provided is thicker than the rear shaft.

12. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the linkage includes:
a right side member that supports the right front wheel so as to turn about a right steering axis that extends in an up-and-down direction of the body frame; and
a left side member that supports the left front wheel so as to turn about a left steering axis that is parallel to the right steering axis; wherein
the cross member includes:
an upper cross member that supports an upper portion of the right side member at a right end thereof so as to allow the upper portion to turn about a right upper axis that extends in a front-and-rear direction of the body frame, supports an upper portion of the left side member at a left end thereof so as to allow the upper portion to turn about a left upper axis that is parallel to the right upper axis, and which is supported on the body frame at a middle portion thereof so as to turn about a middle upper axis that is parallel to the right upper axis; and
a lower cross member that supports a lower portion of the right side member at a right end thereof so as to allow the lower portion to turn about a right lower axis that extends in the front-and-rear direction of the body frame, supports a lower portion of the left side member at a left end thereof so as to allow the lower portion to turn about a left lower axis that is parallel to the right upp

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ohno Kohsuke
• Yoshikuni Hiroyuki
• Hirakawa Nobuhiko

Classifications

• B62K5/05

  characterised by a single rear wheel · CPC title

• B62K5/027

  Motorcycles with three wheels (specially adapted for disabled riders B62K5/023) · CPC title

• B62K21/18

  Connections between forks and handlebars or handlebar stems · CPC title

• B62K5/08 Primary

  with steering devices acting on two or more wheels · CPC title

• B62K5/10

  with means for inwardly inclining the vehicle body on bends · CPC title