Vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9845111-B2
Application number	US-201314437893-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2013
Priority date	Oct 25, 2012
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

A resisting force change mechanism includes a first portion and a second portion configured to change a resisting force against relative displacement. The first portion is supported on any one of a first side member, a second side member, a first cross member, and a second cross member of a link mechanism where at least a portion thereof is superposed on one member at all times. The first portion is aligned with the one member and a steering shaft at the front. The second portion is supported on any other one of the body frame, the first side member, the second side member, the first cross member, and the second cross member that is displaced relative to the one member on which the first portion is supported. The second portion is located at a position where at least a portion thereof is superposed on the other member at all times.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a body frame;
a right front wheel and a left front wheel aligned side by side in a left-and-right direction of the body frame;
a right shock absorbing device supporting the right front wheel at a lower portion thereof and configured to absorb a displacement of the right front wheel in an up-and-down direction of the body frame in relation to an upper portion thereof;
a left shock absorbing device supporting the left front wheel at a lower portion thereof and configured to absorb a displacement of the left front wheel in the up-and-down direction of the body frame in relation to an upper portion thereof;
a link mechanism including:
a right side member supporting the upper portion of the right shock absorbing device so as to turn about a right steering axis extending in the up-and-down direction of the body frame;
a left side member supporting the upper portion of the left shock absorbing device so as to turn about a left steering axis that is parallel or substantially parallel to the right steering axis;
an upper cross member supporting an upper portion of the right side member at a right end portion thereof so as to turn about an upper right axis extending in a front-and-rear direction of the body frame, supporting an upper portion of the left side member at a left end portion thereof so as to turn about an upper left axis parallel or substantially parallel to the upper right axis, and supported on the body frame at a middle portion thereof so as to turn about an upper middle axis parallel or substantially parallel to the upper right axis and to the upper left axis; and
a lower cross member supporting a lower portion of the right side member at a right end portion thereof so as to turn about a lower right axis parallel or substantially parallel to the upper right axis, supporting a lower portion of the left side member at a left end portion thereof so as to turn about a lower left axis parallel or substantially parallel to the upper left axis, and supported on the body frame at a middle portion thereof so as to turn about a lower middle axis parallel or substantially parallel to the upper middle axis;

a steering shaft supported on the body frame between the right side member and the left side member in the left-and-right direction of the body frame, including an upper end portion provided above the lower middle axis in the up-and-down direction of the body frame, and able to turn about a middle steering axis extending in the up-and-down direction of the body frame;
a handlebar provided at the upper end portion of the steering shaft;
a turn transfer mechanism configured to transfer a turning motion of the steering shaft according to an operation of the handlebar to the right shock absorbing device and to the left shock absorbing device; and
a resisting force change mechanism configured to change a resisting force exerted against turning operations of the upper cross member and the lower cross member in relation to the body frame; wherein
the resisting force change mechanism includes a first portion and a second portion configured to be displaced relatively and configured to change a resisting force exerted against the relative displacement of the first portion and the second portion;
the first portion is supported on any one member of the right side member, the left side member, the upper cross member, and the lower cross member that are included in the link mechanism at a location where at least a portion thereof is superposed on the one member at all times as seen from a direction axially along the upper middle axis about which the upper cross member turns in relation to the body frame, and is aligned with one of a forward direction and a rearward direction of the one member and the steering shaft in relation to the direction of the upper middle axis about which the upper cross member turns in relation to the body frame, and
the second portion is supported on any other member of the right side member, the left side member, the upper cross member, and the lower cross member that are displaced relative to the one member on which the first portion is supported at a location where at least a portion thereof is superposed on the other member at all times as seen from the direction axially along the upper middle axis about which the upper cross member turns in relation to the body frame, and is aligned with the other member in the same direction as the one direction of the first portion relative to the one member and the steering shaft in relation to the direction of the upper middle axis about which the upper cross member turns in relation to the body frame.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the first portion is supported on the right side member at a location lower than a location where the right side member supports the lower cross member, or is supported on the left side member at a location lower than a location where the left side member supports the lower cross member.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the resisting force change mechanism includes a friction imparting portion provided on either of the first portion and the second portion, the friction imparting portion is configured to impart a frictional force to the other of the first portion and the second portion, and the resisting force change mechanism is configured to change the resisting force against the relative displacement between the first portion and the second portion by adjusting the frictional force imparted by the friction imparting portion.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the resisting force change mechanism includes a first fluid chamber configured to change a capacity thereof according to the relative movement between the first portion and the second portion, and a second fluid chamber configured to communicate with the first fluid chamber via a communication path, and to change the resisting force against the relative movement between the first portion and the second portion by restricting the movement of a fluid between the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber by adjusting a degree of opening of the communication path.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between the first portion and the second portion changes according to turning of the upper cross member or the lower cross member in relation to the body frame and the resisting force change mechanism is configured to change the resisting force exerted against the relative displacement of the first portion and the second portion according to a change in distance between the first portion and the second portion.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein turn angles of the first portion and the second portion change according to turning of the upper cross member or the lower cross member in relation to the body frame, and the resisting force change mechanism is configured to change the resisting force exerted against the turning operations of the upper cross member and the lower cross member in relation to the body frame according to a change in the turn angles of the first portion and the second portion.

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takano Kazuhisa
• Yamasaki Shigeto

Classifications

• B60G17/08

  Characteristics of fluid dampers (adjusting fluid dampers in general F16F9/44 - F16F9/53) · CPC title

• B60G2300/45

  Rolling frame vehicles · CPC title

• B62K21/00

  Steering devices · CPC title

• B60G17/0162

  mainly during a motion involving steering operation, e.g. cornering, overtaking (B60G17/0164 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B62K5/05 Primary

  characterised by a single rear wheel · CPC title