CN111746696A

CN111746696A - Battery holder for saddle type vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN111746696A
Application number: CN202010207125.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: C·P·拉美什; M·苏巴什; K·V·M·拉朱
Original assignee: TVS Motor Co Ltd
Current assignee: TVS Motor Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-03-26
Filing date: 2020-03-23
Publication date: 2020-10-09
Anticipated expiration: 2040-03-23
Also published as: CN111746696B

Abstract

The invention relates to a saddle type vehicle (100), wherein the vehicle (100) comprises a frame assembly (200), wherein a battery (301) is mounted by means of a clamp (302). The clip (302) is mounted on a bridging plate (401) of the frame assembly (200). The clamp (302) includes a mounting device for mounting the electrical component (600), which eliminates the need for additional components to mount the electrical component and stabilizes the battery.

Description

Battery holder for saddle type vehicle

Technical Field

The present subject matter relates to a saddle type vehicle. More particularly, the present subject matter relates to mounting of an energy source for a saddle-type vehicle.

Background

In a conventional saddle-ride type vehicle with an IC engine as the powertrain, there is an energy storage unit, such as a battery, to provide spark for ignition. In addition, batteries are used to power lights, speakers, and other auxiliary functions. In a vehicle of an Electric Vehicle (EV) powertrain, at least one energy storage unit is implemented to provide energy to various functions of the vehicle (e.g., motion, Electronic Control Unit (ECU), electrical loads, etc.). The battery is fixed to the saddle type vehicle by using the battery holder and the mounting bracket.

Further, when traveling on a bump or a decelerator, the battery is displaced from the battery holder due to the inertia of the battery. Furthermore, this can lead to loosening of the connector pins in the wires and the battery may fall out of the battery holder or loosen during use due to road loads and vibrations.

Drawings

The detailed description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings. Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same features and components.

Fig. 1 is a side view of a motorcycle type vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a frame according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a frame with a battery according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3a is a perspective view of a frame showing a recessed portion and walls of an air cleaner according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3b is an exploded view of a recessed portion of an air cleaner according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a top view of a frame having a bridge plate according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a left side view of a frame according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5a is a center plane axis view of a vehicle having a battery according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a clip according to one embodiment of the present invention, showing the installation of electrical components.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a clip according to one embodiment of the present invention, showing the aperture.

Fig. 7a is a perspective view of a frame according to one embodiment of the present invention, showing a hook.

Description of the figure numbers:

FIG. 1:

100: vehicle with a steering wheel

102: windscreen

103: front shining lamp

104: rear-view mirror

105: handlebar

106: front fork assembly

107: front mudguard

108: front wheel

109: fuel tank

111: seat assembly

112: shock absorber

113: backseat handle

114: internal combustion engine

115: tail lamp

116: rear mudguard

117: rear wheel

118: steering handle

200: frame assembly

F: front part

R: rear part

FIG. 2:

201: head tube

202a, 202 b: upper pipe

203: front side tube

204: rear side tube

FIG. 3:

301: battery with a battery cell

302: web beam clamp

303: air filter

FIG. 3 a:

304: concave portion

FIG. 3 b:

305: upper wall

306a, 306 b: side wall

307: base wall

308a, 308 b: retainer

FIG. 4:

401: bridging board

402: tail part

403: mounting hole

FIG. 5:

XX': vertical axis

FIG. 5 a:

YY': mid-plane axis

FIG. 6

600: electrical component

601: USB charger slot

602: battery fuse

603: battery fuse

604. 605: web arm

606. 607: auxiliary claw arm

608. 609: third attachment portion

FIG. 7:

701: hole(s)

703: flange

FIG. 7 a:

702: hook part

704: rib part

Detailed Description

In a saddle type vehicle, when riding on a road through bumps or decelerating, the battery is easily displaced from the battery holder due to loosening of the connector pins in the electric wire, and the electric device is also loosened. However, the embodiment in which the battery clamp is provided on the top surface of the battery fixes the battery to the holder by providing a preload force and prevents displacement thereof, so that the number of parts of the saddle type vehicle increases, which increases the weight of the vehicle and also increases the assembly time of the vehicle. Also, when the battery position deviates from the center plane of the vehicle, this results in an undesirable increase in mass, which hinders the maneuverability of the saddle-type vehicle.

It is customary to mount batteries and other electrical equipment in a rigid manner that is not movable unless removed or adjusted by use of a tool. A rigid mounting must be employed to prevent the battery from being dislodged from the battery holder and to avoid loosening of the electrical apparatus. Further, a rigid structure is required to prevent one of the plurality of components from interfering with or damaging another of the plurality of components by changing the position or angle of any of the plurality of components relative to each other. Also, energy storage devices are very heavy and often cumbersome, and it is a challenge to arrange them on a vehicle, to maintain a compact package and layout of the vehicle, and to provide a stable mounting structure while bringing their mass closer to the Center of Gravity (CG) of the vehicle.

The various components include batteries and electrical components, both of which need to be placed to ensure a comfortable and careless riding experience for the rider. However, in the known art, the battery is generally mounted on the side of the saddle type vehicle. For batteries arranged below the storage compartment, removal and maintenance of the battery is generally not easy, since it is hindered by the traversing side-by-side tubes. There is always a conflicting challenge of providing a stable packaging structure for the battery while making assembly easy and facilitating manufacturing and maintenance. Although the stability and poor vehicle dynamic performance are compromised because the CG of the battery cell is far from the vehicle CG, arranging the battery cell far from the main structural components of the frame tends to improve ease of access. The deeper the depth of the battery unit into the vehicle, the more difficult access and assembly becomes. Additionally, it is often necessary to package other electrical components with the battery in the vicinity of the battery cells. Multiple brackets are provided on the vehicle structure to mount the battery cells and electrical components, which makes the system design complex, expensive, difficult to manufacture, and undesirable. Typically, the battery cells are arranged in a battery holder, which in turn is mounted to the vehicle structure by a plurality of mounts. The battery holder takes up additional valuable layout space of the vehicle, increases cost, increases the number of parts and is not conducive to ease of assembly and access to the tools for mounting the battery unit to the vehicle.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved battery cell mounting structure/retainer that overcomes all of the above-referenced problems and others known in the art.

The present subject matter discloses a web beam clamp structure to provide a stable mounting while securing a plurality of components including a battery and electrical components to a battery unit together with a battery holder.

According to one aspect of the invention, the web beam clamp structure is mounted to the bridge member of the frame using a single mounting device provided at the end of the tail portion of the clamp.

In accordance with one aspect of the present subject matter, the web beam clamp structure is configured to directly mount the battery unit (without a battery holder), which limits movement of the battery in the vertical and lateral directions when viewing the saddle-type vehicle in a longitudinal axis side view. Further, according to an aspect of the present invention, at least one of the vertical sidewall surfaces of the battery coincides with at least one of the vertical claw portions of the jig to ensure stable mounting and good stability of the battery cell.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the web beam clamp structure is capable of properly juxtaposing at least three electrical components in the vicinity of the battery while ensuring a compact layout and packaging. The present subject matter eliminates the necessity of providing separate/dedicated mounting brackets/devices for the electrical components, thereby reducing the overall component and vehicle costs.

According to one aspect of the invention, the material of the web beam clamp structure used herein is plastic, which ensures a reduction in weight of the saddle type vehicle. Further, according to an aspect of the invention, the web beam clamp structure is made of plastic and provided with flanges and ribs to ensure the strength of the clamp.

According to an aspect of the invention, the side portion of the web beam clamp structure is provided with at least one hole on at least one tail portion to enable stable attachment of the web beam clamp structure to the vehicle frame structure. According to one embodiment, the tail portion is attached to a bridge member of the frame structure arranged substantially below the seat portion. The web beam clamp structure is configured with at least two jaw portions, each jaw portion being located on a lateral end of a centrally configured beam portion. Additionally, the web beam clamp structure is configured with at least a known attachment mechanism having a substantially orthogonal center arrangement on the top portion of the beam, and the web beam clamp structure is configured with a pair of clips on the attachment portion, each clip located on a lateral side upper surface portion of the beam structure, proximate the claw portion. The web beam clamp structure thus disclosed enables stable mounting of the battery and the electrical component, thereby reducing the cost of fixing the electrical component and also reducing the assembly time.

According to one aspect of the invention, the center plane of the vehicle coincides with the center plane of the battery, resulting in the center of mass or CG of the battery being very close to the center of mass or CG of the vehicle, which in turn improves stability and dynamic handling of the saddle type vehicle. For ease of reference, the terms "web beam clamp structure" and "clamp" are used interchangeably throughout this specification.

According to one aspect of the invention, the battery is mounted directly to the clamp structure and the ends of the battery are protected by the seat. Further, according to one aspect of the invention, the air cleaner is placed in a juxtaposed orientation relative to the battery unit, and both the air cleaner and the battery unit are disposed substantially in a central triangular region beneath a rider seat portion of the vehicle and are surrounded by a closed frame portion that forms a substantially triangular enclosure as viewed in a side view of the vehicle. The substantially triangular enclosure on the frame structure is made up of frame upper pipe members, frame rear side pipe members and frame front side pipe members. The geometry of the air cleaner is configured such that it has a recess forming a battery receiving portion that closes at least one of the left, right and bottom portions of the battery cell, thereby protecting the battery cell from external components entering the battery by at least one of the walls of the air cleaner receiving recess portion. According to one embodiment of the invention, at least one side wall of the battery unit is substantially parallel to the rear side tube of the frame structure. According to one aspect of the invention, the battery unit receiving recess portion of the air cleaner assembly has a base portion that is substantially orthogonal to a vertical axis of the battery unit and substantially orthogonal to the rear side tube of the frame structure. Since the battery can be easily removed by removing the seat and releasing the jig, ease of maintenance of the battery can be ensured.

Various other features of the invention will be described in detail below using an embodiment of a motorcycle type vehicle, with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The drawing in which an element first appears is indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the corresponding reference number. Reference is made to the drawings wherein like reference numerals will be used to refer to the same or similar elements throughout the several views.

Further, "front" and "rear" and "left" and "right" mentioned in the following description of the illustrated embodiment refer to the front and rear, left and right directions as seen in a state of being seated on a seat of a saddle type vehicle. Further, the longitudinal axis refers to the front-to-rear axis relative to the vehicle, while the lateral axis refers to the side-to-side or left-to-right axis relative to the vehicle. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

Fig. 1 is a left side of a motorcycle type vehicle (100) (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle"). According to one embodiment of the invention, a vehicle (100) includes a frame assembly (200) schematically configured to mount a fuel tank (109). In a front portion (F) of the vehicle (100), a steering shaft (not shown) is rotatably supported within a certain range. Further, a handlebar (105) is rotatably integrally connected to the steering shaft for steering the vehicle (100), and the handlebar (105) is connected to the front wheel (108) through the steering shaft. The steering handle (118) is rotatably supported on a steering rod provided on a head pipe (201) (fig. 2) independently of the front fork assembly (106), and the upper portion of the front wheel is covered with a front fender (107) which prevents soil and water from deflecting toward the steering shaft. The front wheel (108) is rotatably mounted on a front portion (F) of the vehicle, and the rear wheel (117) is rotatably mounted on a rear portion (R) thereof. In addition, the front fork assembly (106) is mounted on a front mudguard (107). In a portion located in front of the front fork assembly (106), an illumination device (e.g., a head lamp (103)), a pair of signaling devices (such as turn signal lamps (not shown)), a display device (e.g., a speedometer (not shown)) are accommodated by a holding structure (not shown) mounted on the front portion. The portion located on the rear side of the vehicle (100) includes a tail lamp (115), a rear fender (116) that prevents mud and water from deflecting. An adjustable windshield (102) is mounted to the front of the vehicle (100). A pair of rear view mirrors (104) includes a housing having a front mirror for reflecting an image of a traffic vehicle approaching from behind. A shock absorber (112) is placed which provides a better riding experience for the rider. Two-legged feet (not shown) are used to support and hold the vehicle (100). The feet (not shown) move on pivots (not shown) to occupy two positions, one folded and the other on the ground.

Further, in fig. 1, in a front portion (F) of the vehicle (100), the fuel tank (109) is disposed directly behind the head pipe (201) (fig. 2) and above the internal combustion engine (114). The seat assembly (111) is disposed directly behind the fuel tank (109). The rear seat handle (113) is disposed rearward of the seat assembly (111), rearward of the seat assembly (111) is supported on the upper tube (202), and the upper tube (202) (fig. 2) is supported by the side tube (203) (fig. 2). A suspension system is provided for steering a vehicle comfortably on a road. A front fork assembly (106) forms a front suspension system and serves as a rigid component. An internal combustion engine (114) is mounted to a front lower portion of the vehicle body frame by an engine mounting bracket (not shown). An internal combustion engine (114) is equipped with an exhaust system including an exhaust pipe (not shown) connected to the engine and a muffler (not shown) connected to the exhaust pipe.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the frame. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the frame assembly (200) includes a head pipe (201), upper pipes (202a, 202b), a front side pipe (203), a rear side pipe (204), a main pipe (not shown), and a pivot pipe (not shown) to ensure strength and support for the vehicle. Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, an engine (114) (shown in fig. 1) is installed between the lower pipe (204) and the main pipe (not shown) through the installation holes (205a, 205b, 205c) to ensure stability of the engine. Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the seat assembly is mounted on the upper pipe (202a, 202b) to ensure the rigidity of the seat assembly, and the dual-function bracket and the rear seat handle are mounted on the upper pipe (202a, 202b) to ensure the strength of the mounting structure.

Fig. 3 is a side view of a frame assembly (200) with a battery unit according to one embodiment of the invention, including a battery (301), a web beam clamp structure (302), and an air cleaner assembly (303), and a seat assembly (111) on an upper tube (202). Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the air cleaner (303) is arranged in a substantially triangular closed area formed by the frame upper pipe (202), the front side pipe (203), and the rear side pipe (204). At least one wall of the air filter (303) is substantially parallel to the at least one frame tube. Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the battery (301) is installed in the recess portion (304) of the air cleaner (303) (fig. 3a) and the battery (301) is protected by at least one wall of the receiving recess portion (304) of the air cleaner (303), thereby reducing the entrance of external components such as dust, water, etc. into the battery and eliminating the need for a new component as a separate battery holder. Moreover, the battery unit is mounted such that it is configured such that it can be easily removed by removing the seat assembly (111) and unfastening the web beam clamp (302), by sliding or displacing the battery unit in a substantially upward and rearward direction (as shown in fig. 3a), thereby ensuring easy maintenance of the battery. This helps to simplify assembly and maintenance of the battery cells and other electrical components.

Fig. 3b is an exploded view of the recess portion (304) of the air cleaner (303) according to one embodiment of the invention, the base wall (307) of the receiving recess portion (304) of the air cleaner (303) is configured to be substantially orthogonal to the base wall (not shown) of the battery unit (301), and the battery unit may rest on the base wall (307) of the air cleaner receiving recess portion (304). According to another embodiment, a base wall (307) of a recess portion of the air cleaner is configured to be substantially orthogonal to a rear side tube (204) of the frame structure assembly, thereby ensuring easy maintainability of the battery. Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the battery unit is also protected by at least one retainer (308a, 308b), ensuring the mounting strength of the battery unit in the recessed portion of the air cleaner.

Fig. 4 is a top view of the vehicle showing the web beam clamp structure (302) in an assembled state. According to one embodiment of the invention, the web beam clamp (302) comprises a tail portion (402) which is mounted on the bridging plate (401) by locking the mounting holes (403) with the protruding portions on the bridging plate (401) by any known attachment means, wherein the bridging plate (401) is mounted between the upper tubes (202), ensuring easy assembly of the battery.

Fig. 5 is a left side view of the frame assembly (200) with the battery (301) mounted on the clamp (302) in an axially protruding manner according to one embodiment of the invention. Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the invention, the vertical axis (XX') of the battery (301) coincides with the axis of the clamp (302), and therefore the sides of the clamp limit the vertical movement of the battery, ensuring good stability and mounting of the battery. According to one embodiment, the air filter is configured to circumscribe at least three of the four lateral vertical walls of the battery cell, wherein each wall forms a plane parallel to the axis (XX'). According to one embodiment, the air cleaner recessed portion is configured to have at least one fourth open side that is arranged in a rearward direction of the vehicle and is immediately adjacent to the frame rear side tube.

Fig. 5a is a mid-plane axis (YY') view of the frame assembly (200) according to one embodiment of the present invention, the center plane of the saddle type vehicle (100) coinciding with the center plane of the battery (301), so that the center of gravity or CG of the battery is very close to the center of gravity or CG of the vehicle. Moreover, this embodiment increases the stability and maneuverability of the vehicle.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a web beam clamp structure (302) configured for installation of electrical components. According to one embodiment of the invention, a web beam clamp (302) is configured with a pair of opposing web arms (604, 605) oriented in a transverse width direction of the vehicle, the web arms (604, 605) constituting a beam portion of the clamp structure. According to another aspect, the beam portion has a downwardly projecting portion on each end, the downwardly projecting portion substantially constituting the main jaw portion. The clip is configured with two sub-jaw portions (606, 607), the two sub-jaw portions (606, 607) being disposed on either side of a midplane of the web beam clip (301) and on opposite sides of the tail portion (402), and substantially midway between either half of the beam portions. Additionally, according to another embodiment, the clamp is configured with a third attachment portion (608, 609) in the form of a pair of vertical members, arranged substantially symmetrical and in the vicinity of the mid-plane. The main jaw portion (604, 605), the beam, the secondary jaw portion (606, 607), and the third attachment portion (608, 609) constitute the entire web beam clamp structure with jaws. The third attachment portion (608, 609) together with the secondary jaw portion (606, 607) is configured to mount an electrical component (600), such as a USB charger socket (601) and at least one battery fuse (602, 603). Further, this embodiment eliminates the necessity of providing a separate mounting device for the electrical components, thereby reducing the overall cost of the vehicle.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a clip (302) according to one embodiment of the present invention, the clip (302) including a beam portion configured on at least one of the main jaw portion and the web arm, and a hole (701) formed for snap-fitting. This eliminates the need for an additional component for securing the battery. Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the material for the clip is plastic, thereby ensuring minimal impact on the weight of the saddle-type vehicle (100) and maintaining the strength of the clip made of plastic by the flange (702) and the rib (704) (fig. 7 a).

The embodiments explained in fig. 4, 6, and 7 of the present invention help overcome the problem of space limitation, minimize the use of new components, and stabilize the position of the battery. The present subject matter overcomes the problems of the prior art and reduces the overall weight of the vehicle and makes it cost effective.

Advantageously, embodiments of the present invention describe a potential design when mounting a battery with a clamp to the frame of a saddle type vehicle. This facilitates simple and easy installation of the battery without disturbing surrounding components.

Many other improvements and modifications may be incorporated herein without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A saddle type vehicle (100), the vehicle (100) comprising:

a frame assembly (200) for providing skeletal support to the vehicle (100), the frame assembly (200) comprising a head tube (201), an upper tube (202), a front side tube (203), and a rear side tube (204);

an air cleaner (303) arranged in a triangular enclosed area formed by the upper tube (202), the front side tube (203) and the rear side tube (204), the vehicle (100) comprising a battery unit (301), the battery unit (301) being directly mounted to the frame assembly (200) by a web beam clamp structure (302), wherein the web beam clamp structure is configured with a pair of opposing web arms (604, 605), two secondary claw arms (606, 607) and a third attachment portion (608, 609) in the form of a pair of vertical members, wherein an electrical component (600) is mounted on the web beam clamp (302).

2. The saddle type vehicle (100) according to claim 1, wherein said pair of opposing web arms (604, 605) are oriented in a transverse width direction of the vehicle (100).

3. The saddle type vehicle (100) according to claim 1, wherein said two secondary claw arms (606, 607) are arranged on either side of the midplane of the web beam clamp (302) and on opposite sides of the tail portion (402).

4. The saddle-type vehicle (100) according to claim 1, wherein the third attachment portions (608, 609) are symmetrically arranged with respect to the mid-plane.

5. Saddle type vehicle (100) according to claim 1, wherein the vertical axis (XX') of said battery (301) coincides with the axis of said clamp (302).

6. The saddle type vehicle (100) according to claim 1, wherein said clamp is mounted on a bridge plate (401) of said frame assembly (200).

7. The saddle type vehicle (100) according to claim 1, wherein a center plane of said battery (301) coincides with a center plane of said vehicle (100) at a midplane (YY') of said vehicle (100).

8. The saddle-type vehicle (100) according to claim 1, wherein said battery (301) is mounted in a recessed portion (304) of said air cleaner (303).

9. The saddle-type vehicle (100) according to claim 8, wherein said battery (301) is protected at least by a wall of said recessed portion (304) of said air cleaner (303).

10. The saddle type vehicle (100) according to claim 9, wherein the walls of the recess portion comprise a base wall (307), side walls (306a, 306b) and an upper wall (305).

11. The saddle type vehicle (100) according to claim 9, wherein said air cleaner (303) is configured to be orthogonal to a base wall and a rear side tube (204) of said battery unit (301).

12. Saddle type vehicle (100) according to claim 10, wherein said wall of said battery unit (301) is parallel to said vertical axis (XX').

13. A saddle type vehicle (100), the vehicle (100) comprising:

an air cleaner (303) arranged in a triangular enclosed area formed by the upper tube (202), the front side tube (203) and the rear side tube (204), the vehicle (100) comprising a battery unit (301), the battery unit (301) being directly mounted to the frame assembly (200) by a web beam clamp structure (302), wherein the battery unit (301) is removed by removing the seat assembly (111) and unfastening the web beam clamp (302).

14. The saddle type vehicle (100) according to claim 13, wherein said battery unit (301) is removed by sliding or displacing said battery unit (301) in a generally upward and rearward direction.