CN112752707B

CN112752707B - Battery mounting/dismounting structure for saddle-ride type vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN112752707B
Application number: CN201880098061.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 冈部贞隆; 佐藤央; 中林俊一
Original assignee: Honda Motor Co Ltd
Current assignee: Honda Motor Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-09-27
Filing date: 2018-09-27
Publication date: 2021-12-14
Anticipated expiration: 2038-09-27
Also published as: JPWO2020065869A1; TW202017795A; WO2020065869A1; CN112752707A; JP7095103B2; TWI708699B

Abstract

Provided is a battery attaching/detaching structure for a saddle-ride type vehicle, which can restrict the movement of a battery to be accommodated and maintain good electrical connection by a simple structure. The disclosed device is provided with: an operating lever (60) in which the grip (61) is positioned above the battery (B); a swing-type pressing bracket (45) that presses the upper surface (102) of the battery (B); and a terminal holder (74) that supports the housing-side terminals (90) so as to be movable between a connection position (U) and a retracted position (D). When the operating lever (60) is pushed downward, the pressing bracket (45) swings to press the upper surface (102) of the battery (B). The pressing bracket (45) comprises a main body part (45c) axially supported by a swing shaft (45a), an elastic member (45d) for applying force in the direction of pressing the upper surface (102) of the battery (B), a pressing part (45B) contacted with the upper surface of the battery (B), and a contact part (49) contacted with the operating rod (60) by pressing the operating rod (60) downwards.

Description

Battery mounting/dismounting structure for saddle-ride type vehicle

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a battery attachment/detachment structure for a saddle-ride type vehicle, and more particularly to a mobile battery detachably housed in a body of a saddle-ride type electric vehicle, and a battery attachment/detachment structure for a saddle-ride type vehicle applied to the housing portion.

Background

In recent years, a saddle-ride type electric vehicle that runs by driving a motor using electric power of a vehicle-mounted battery has been developed. In such a saddle-ride type electric vehicle, a configuration is known in which a portable battery that can be detached from a vehicle body is used to facilitate charging, maintenance, and the like.

Patent document 1 discloses a scooter-type electric vehicle having a low floor between a steering handle and a seat, in which two batteries are housed in a lower portion of an openable seat. The structure is as follows: the approximately rectangular parallelepiped 2 batteries long in the vehicle body vertical direction are housed in two housing recesses disposed adjacent to each other in the vehicle body front-rear direction, and by being housed at a predetermined position, the battery-side connection terminal and the vehicle-body-side connection terminal are engaged with each other.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: international publication No. 2012/043518

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

Here, as in patent document 1, in a configuration in which the connection terminals are engaged by housing the battery in the housing recess, it is preferable to provide a mechanism for holding the housed battery at a predetermined position so that the battery moves upward in the vehicle body without affecting the electrical connection when the battery passes over a large bank or the like. However, it is desirable to provide such a holding mechanism to avoid the problem that the battery attachment and detachment become complicated and the convenience is degraded.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a battery attachment/detachment structure for a saddle-ride type vehicle, which is capable of restricting the movement of a battery to be stored and maintaining good electrical connection with a simple structure.

Means for solving the problems

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a battery attachment/detachment structure for a saddle-ride type vehicle, including: a plurality of substantially rectangular parallelepiped batteries (B) that supply electric power to a power source of the saddle-ride type vehicle (1); a battery case (40) that houses the battery (B); a battery-side terminal (75) provided on the lower surface (107) of the battery (B); a case-side terminal (90) that engages with the battery-side terminal (75); a first aspect of the battery attachment/detachment structure for a saddle-ride type vehicle includes: an operation lever (60) in which a grip (61) is positioned above the battery (B) in a state in which the battery (B) is housed in the battery case (40); a swing-type pressing bracket (45) that presses an upper surface (102) of the battery (B); a terminal holder (74) that supports the case-side terminal (90) so as to be movable between a connection position (U) to be connected to the battery-side terminal (75) and a retracted position (D) away from the battery-side terminal (75); when the plurality of batteries (B) are accommodated in the battery case (40) and the operating lever (60) is pressed downward, the pressing bracket (45) swings to press the upper surface (102) of the batteries (B), and the pressing bracket (45) includes: a main body part (45c) which is pivotally supported by a swing shaft (45a) in a swingable manner; an elastic member (45d) that biases the upper surface (102) of the battery (B) in a direction in which the elastic member presses the upper surface; a pressing portion (45B) that is fixed to the main body portion (45c) and that abuts against the upper surface (102) of the battery (B); and an abutment portion (49) which abuts against the operating lever (60) by pressing down the operating lever (60).

In addition, the second characteristic is that the swing shaft (45a) is disposed in a direction different from the sliding direction of the operating lever (60).

In addition, according to a third aspect, the contact portion (49) is configured by a first contact portion (49a) that is not located on the radially outer side of the swing shaft (45a) and a second contact portion (49b) that is disposed close to the radially outer side of the swing shaft (45a), and an area of contact between the first contact portion (49a) and the operation lever (60) is larger than an area of contact between the second contact portion (49b) and the operation lever (60).

In addition, according to a fourth aspect, the battery (B) is arranged in two rows in the vehicle width direction, and the operation lever (60) includes: a grip portion (61) that protrudes upward beyond an upper surface (102) of the battery (B) in a state in which the battery (B) is housed in the battery case (40); a dividing portion (62) that is inserted between the batteries (B) in a state where the batteries (B) are housed in the battery case (40); the dividing part (62) is formed to be narrower than the width of the holding part (61), and a holding opening (60a) is formed between the holding part (61) and the dividing part (62).

Further, a fifth feature is that a positioning plate (63) for holding the operating lever (60) in a neutral position when the operating lever (60) is depressed is provided below the dividing portion (62) of the operating lever (60), a positioning recess (52) for housing the positioning plate (63) when the operating lever (60) is depressed is provided in the battery case (40), and the positioning recess (52) includes a tapered surface (51) with which a side end surface (63a) of the positioning plate (63) abuts and guides the operating lever (60) to the neutral position.

In addition, according to a sixth aspect, the positioning plate (63) functions as a pressing member that swings the pressing bracket (45) upward when the operating lever (60) is pulled upward.

In addition, according to a seventh aspect, a connecting portion (69) that connects the grip portion (61) and the divider portion (62) is provided in the operating lever (60), and both lateral side surfaces of the connecting portion (69) in the vehicle width direction have a tapered shape that narrows in width downward.

Further, according to an eighth aspect, a corner portion (61a) on an upper end side of the grip portion (61) is formed of a curved surface.

In addition, according to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the battery case (40) is disposed below an openable seat (23) provided in the saddle-ride type vehicle (1), and a boss (84) positioned above the operating lever (60) is provided on a bottom surface of the seat (23).

Further, according to a tenth aspect, the boss (84) does not abut against the operating lever (60) in a state where the operating lever (60) is depressed to a predetermined lowermost position.

Effects of the invention

According to a first aspect, a battery mounting/dismounting structure for a saddle-ride type vehicle is provided, the battery mounting/dismounting structure comprising: a plurality of substantially rectangular parallelepiped batteries (B) that supply electric power to a power source of the saddle-ride type vehicle (1); a battery case (40) that houses the battery (B); a battery-side terminal (75) provided on the lower surface (107) of the battery (B); a case-side terminal (90) that engages with the battery-side terminal (75); the battery attaching and detaching structure of the saddle-ride type vehicle is provided with: an operation lever (60) in which a grip (61) is positioned above the battery (B) in a state in which the battery (B) is housed in the battery case (40); a swing-type pressing bracket (45) that presses an upper surface (102) of the battery (B); a terminal holder (74) that supports the case-side terminal (90) so as to be movable between a connection position (U) to be connected to the battery-side terminal (75) and a retracted position (D) away from the battery-side terminal (75); when the plurality of batteries (B) are accommodated in the battery case (40) and the operating lever (60) is pressed downward, the pressing bracket (45) swings to press the upper surface (102) of the batteries (B), and the pressing bracket (45) includes: a main body part (45c) which is pivotally supported by a swing shaft (45a) in a swingable manner; an elastic member (45d) that biases the upper surface (102) of the battery (B) in a direction in which the elastic member presses the upper surface; a pressing portion (45B) that is fixed to the main body portion (45c) and that abuts against the upper surface (102) of the battery (B); and a contact part (49) which is contacted with the operating rod (60) by pressing the operating rod (60), therefore, the pressing bracket can be pressed against the upper surface of the battery and the operating rod is contacted with the pressing bracket by storing the battery in the battery shell and pressing the operating rod. That is, the swing motion of the pressing bracket is restricted by the operating lever, and therefore, even when the pressing bracket goes over a large slope, the battery is prevented from moving upward in the vehicle body, and good electrical connection can be maintained.

According to the second feature, since the swing shaft (45a) is disposed in a direction different from the sliding direction of the operating lever (60), the pressing bracket can be easily swung in conjunction with the sliding operation of the operating lever.

According to the third feature, the contact portion (49) is composed of a first contact portion (49a) which is not located on the radially outer side of the swing shaft (45d) and a second contact portion (49b) which is disposed close to the radially outer side of the swing shaft (45a), and the area of contact between the first contact portion (49a) and the operating lever (60) is larger than the area of contact between the second contact portion (49b) and the operating lever (60).

According to a fourth aspect, the two batteries (B) are arranged in a line in the vehicle width direction, and the operation lever (60) includes: a grip portion (61) that protrudes upward beyond an upper surface (102) of the battery (B) in a state in which the battery (B) is housed in the battery case (40); a dividing portion (62) that is inserted between the batteries (B) in a state where the batteries (B) are housed in the battery case (40); the dividing part (62) is formed to be narrower than the width of the holding part (61), and a holding opening (60a) is formed between the holding part (61) and the dividing part (62), so that the dividing part can prevent the batteries from interfering with each other, protect the batteries from impact, and improve the heat dissipation effect. Further, by passing a finger through the grip opening located above the partition portion, the grip portion is easily gripped, and the battery can be easily attached and detached.

According to the fifth feature, since the positioning plate 63 for holding the operation lever 60 at the neutral position when the operation lever 60 is pressed down is provided at a position below the dividing portion 62 of the operation lever 60, and the battery case 40 is provided with the positioning recess 52 for housing the positioning plate 63 when the operation lever 60 is pressed down, the positioning recess 52 includes the tapered surface 51 which brings the side end surface 63a of the positioning plate 63 into contact with and guides the operation lever 60 to the neutral position, the positioning plate of the operation lever can be housed in the positioning recess provided with the tapered surface which functions as a guide, and the operation lever can be smoothly held at the neutral position only by pressing down the operation lever.

According to the sixth aspect, since the positioning plate (63) functions as a pressing member that swings the pressing bracket (45) upward when the operating lever (60) is pulled upward, the structure can be simplified by using the positioning plate provided on the operating lever as a pressing member that swings the pressing bracket upward. Further, the pressing bracket can be raised by pulling up the operating lever, and the pressing bracket can be swung by the biasing force of the elastic member to press the upper surface of the battery by pushing down the operating lever, thereby improving the function of holding the battery at a predetermined position.

According to the seventh feature, since the operating lever (60) is provided with the connecting portion (69) that connects the grip portion (61) and the dividing portion (62), and both side surfaces of the connecting portion (69) in the vehicle width direction have tapered shapes whose widths become narrower as they go downward, when the battery is pulled out upward from the battery case, even if the upper end portion of the battery comes into contact with the operating lever, the operating lever can be smoothly retracted by the tapered shape of the connecting portion, and the battery can be easily pulled out.

According to the eighth feature, since the corner portion (61a) on the upper end side of the grip portion (61) is formed by the curved surface, even if the side surface of the battery abuts against the end portion of the upper surface of the operation lever when the battery is inserted into the battery case, the battery can be protected because the side surface is formed by the curved surface.

According to the ninth feature, the battery case (40) is disposed below an openable seat (23) provided in the saddle-type vehicle (1), and a boss (84) located above the operating lever (60) is provided on the bottom surface of the seat (23), so that the operating lever can be depressed by the boss when the seat is closed in a state where the operating lever is lifted upward from a predetermined lowermost position, and therefore the operating lever can be depressed by the boss when the seat is closed in a state where the operating lever is lifted upward from the predetermined lowermost position.

According to the tenth aspect, since the boss (84) does not abut against the operating lever (60) in a state where the operating lever (60) is depressed to the predetermined lowermost position, the boss of the seat back portion is set to abut against the operating lever and be pushed into the minimum position when the operating lever is not depressed sufficiently at the time of closing the seat, and the boss does not abut against when the operating lever is depressed to the predetermined lowermost position, whereby it is possible to prevent a load from being further applied to the operating lever that is depressed sufficiently.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a left side view of an electric motorcycle as a saddle-ride type electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a left side view of the electric motorcycle with the main exterior member removed.

Fig. 3 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the electric motorcycle with the seat and the under seat cowl removed.

Fig. 4 is a top view of a battery case.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the battery case showing a state in which the battery on the left side in the vehicle width direction is removed.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a battery case.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the upper housing as viewed from the front and upward of the vehicle body.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the lower housing as viewed from the front and upward on the right side of the vehicle body.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the battery case with the operating lever removed.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the operating lever and the link mechanism L.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the operating lever.

Fig. 12 is a partially enlarged view of fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged perspective view showing the structure around the stopper member.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing an XIV-XIV line section of fig. 4.

Fig. 15 is a front view showing the configuration of the link mechanism (a state of pulling up the operation lever).

Fig. 16 is a front view showing the structure of the link mechanism (a state in which the operation lever is depressed to a predetermined lowermost position).

Fig. 17 is a perspective view showing the pressing bracket in a state where the operation lever is pressed down to a predetermined lowermost position.

Fig. 18 is a perspective view of the pressing bracket on the vehicle body rear side as viewed from the vehicle body rear side (a state in which the upper surface of the battery is pressed).

Fig. 19 is a perspective view of the pressing bracket on the vehicle body rear side as viewed from the vehicle body rear side (a state of rising upward in accordance with the pull-up operation of the operation lever).

Fig. 20 is a left side view of the pressing bracket showing a state in which the operation lever is pressed down to a predetermined lowermost position.

Fig. 21 is a sectional view taken along line XXI-XXI of fig. 4.

Fig. 22 is a sectional view taken along line XXII-XXII of fig. 21.

Fig. 23 is a sectional view taken along line XXIII-XXIII of fig. 21.

Fig. 24 is a front view showing the relationship between the battery and the operating lever in the middle of storage.

Fig. 25 is a perspective view of the seat pan as viewed from the vehicle body lower side.

Fig. 26 is a sectional view taken along line XXVI-XXVI of fig. 4.

Fig. 27 is an explanatory view of the structure of the battery-side terminal.

Fig. 28 is a perspective view of the case-side terminal.

Fig. 29 is an explanatory view of a structure of a preload mechanism that presses the case-side terminal against the battery-side terminal (a state where the operation lever is pressed down to some extent).

Fig. 30 is an explanatory view of a structure of a preload mechanism for pressing the case-side terminal against the battery-side terminal (a state where the operation lever is pressed down to a predetermined lowermost position).

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a left side view of an electric motorcycle 1 as a saddle-ride type electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electric motorcycle 1 is a so-called scooter type electric vehicle in which a low floor 25 on which an occupant steps is provided between a steering handle 2 and a seat 23.

The pair of left and right front forks 9 that rotatably support the front wheel WF are swingable in the vehicle width direction by the steering handle 2 extending in the vehicle width direction. A rearview mirror 3 and a wind screen 4 are attached to a handlebar cover 33 covering the front and rear of the steering handlebar 2. A front cover 5 covering the front side of the vehicle body front portion and a floor panel 27 covering the rear side of the vehicle body front portion and facing the feet of the occupant are disposed below the handlebar cover 33. A headlamp 7 supported by a lamp support 31 and a pair of left and right front winker devices 6 are disposed in front of the front cover 5. A front fender 8 covering the upper side of the front wheel WF is supported between the left and right front forks 9.

A brake pedal 26 for actuating a brake of the rear wheel WR is disposed on the upper surface of the lower plate 25, and a lower cover 10 connected to the lower end of the front cover 5 is disposed below the lower plate 25. A seat lower cowl 24 having a curved shape protruding toward the vehicle body front side is disposed below a seat 23 on which a driver sits. The lower seat cowl 24 is provided with slits 22 for actively taking in traveling wind from the front of the vehicle body in a pair of left and right directions.

A side bracket 11 and a tandem pedal 13 are disposed below the seat lower cowl 24. Further, a pair of rear cowls 21 are disposed behind the seat lower cowl 24 in the vehicle width direction, and a cargo bed 37 surrounded by a grab tube 36 and a rear bracket 20 attached to the upper surface of the cargo bed 37 are disposed on the upper portion of the rear cowls 21. A tail lamp 19 and a rear winker device 28 are disposed behind the rear cowl 21.

A swing unit type power unit P having a rear wheel WR rotatably supported by an axle S at a rear position of the under cover 10 and a motor M for driving the rear wheel WR is swingably attached to the body frame via a link mechanism 12. The rear part of the power unit P is suspended from the body frame via a rear cushion 18, and a rear fender 17 covering the upper part of the rear wheel WR is attached to the upper part of the power unit P.

A cover member 38 is disposed between the seat lower cowl 24 and the rear fender 17, and the cover member 38 blocks the traveling wind introduced from the slit 22 of the seat lower cowl 24 and the traveling wind flowing inside the lower cowl 10.

Fig. 2 is a left side view of the electric motorcycle 1 with main exterior components removed. The body frame F of the electric motorcycle 1 includes: a main frame F2 extending downward from the head pipe F1 at the center in the vehicle width direction, a pair of left and right lower frames F3 connected to the lower end of the main frame F2 and curved rearward of the vehicle body, an upright portion F4 erected upward from the rear end of the lower frame F3, and a pair of left and right rear frames 6 connected to the upright portion F4 and extending rearward of the vehicle body. A bent tube F5 connecting the left and right rising portions F4 is connected to the front portion of the rising portion F4.

The steering rod 34 is pivotally supported on the head pipe F1 so as to be rotatable. The steering handle 2 is fixed to an upper end portion of the steering rod 34, and the bottom bridge 32 that supports an upper end portion of the front fork 9 is fixed to a lower end portion thereof. A battery case 40 is disposed below the seat 23, and the battery case 40 houses two batteries (high-voltage batteries) B that supply electric power to the motor M in a vehicle width direction. The rated voltage of battery B is, for example, 48V. The seat 23 is pivotally supported at the upper end of the battery case 40 so as to be openable and closable, and functions as an opening/closing cover for the battery case 40.

The battery case 40 is housed in a space between the pair of right and left standing portions F4 behind the bent pipe F5. The under-seat cowl 24 (see fig. 1) extends from the front of the bent pipe F5 to the sides of the left-right raised portion F4 so as to cover the front and sides of the battery case 40. A storage case 30 is disposed below the lower plate 25, and the storage case 30 stores a low-voltage sub-battery B2 for supplying electric power to auxiliary devices such as the headlight 7 and electrical components such as a fuse. The rated voltage of the sub-battery B2 is, for example, 12V.

A cover member 38 that blocks traveling wind from the front of the vehicle body in front of the rear fender 17 is disposed on the rear surface side of the battery case 40, and a PCU (power control unit) 39 that controls power supply to the motor M is disposed at a position near above the rear surface side of the battery case 40.

Fig. 3 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the electric motorcycle 1 with the seat 23 and the under-seat cowl 24 removed. In the figure, the state is shown as viewed from the front upper side on the left side of the vehicle body. The battery case 40 made of a hard resin or the like is composed of a bottom case 42 and an upper case 41 engaging with an upper portion of the bottom case 42. A hinge mechanism 44 is provided at an upper portion of the front end of the upper housing 41, and the hinge mechanism 44 pivotally supports the front end of the seat 23 in a swingable manner. On the other hand, a hook opening 43 is provided at the upper rear end of the upper case 41, and the hook opening 43 engages a seat latch mechanism for locking the seat 23 in the closed state.

Two batteries B are housed in line in the vehicle width direction, and an operation lever 60 (hatched portion) to be operated by a passenger's hand is disposed at a position between the left and right batteries B. A pressing bracket 45 that abuts the upper surface of the battery B is disposed below the operating lever 60.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the battery case 40. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the battery case 40 with the battery B on the left side in the vehicle width direction removed. Fig. 5 shows a state viewed from the rear and upper side on the left side of the vehicle body. The batteries B arranged in the vehicle width direction have the same shape and structure on the left and right. While the second side surface 103 directed inward in the vehicle width direction, the third side surface 105 directed in the vehicle body front-rear direction, and the fourth side surface 106 are flat, the first side surface 104 directed outward in the vehicle width direction of the battery B is formed of a curved surface that protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction.

A first handle 100 directed in the vehicle width direction and a second handle 101 formed continuously with the first handle 100 and directed in the vehicle body front-rear direction are formed at the upper end portion of the battery B. The upper surface 102 of the battery B located below the first handle 100 and the second handle 101 is formed in a mortar-like concave shape, and the space between the upper surface and the

handles

100 and 101 is increased to facilitate gripping.

The operating lever 60 is disposed between the left and right batteries B and at the center in the vehicle width direction. The pressing brackets 45 that press the upper surface 102 of the battery B are provided one at each of the front and rear of the battery B, and four in total. The pressing bracket 45 is pivotally supported on the upper portion of the upper case 41 so as to be swingable, and is configured to press the upper surface 102 of the battery B by pressing the operating lever 60 downward.

Referring to fig. 5, a grip 61 extending in the vehicle body longitudinal direction and gripped by a passenger is provided at the upper end of the operating lever 60, and a partition 62 inserted between the left and right batteries B is formed below the grip 61. In addition, pressing portions 64 directed in the vehicle width direction are formed at the front end portion and the rear end portion of the grip portion 61. Further, positioning plates 63 positioned below the pressing portions 64 are formed at the front end portion and the rear end portion of the partition portion 62.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the battery case 40. A link mechanism L that operates in conjunction with the sliding movement of the operating lever 60 in the vertical direction and electrically disconnects or connects the battery B to the vehicle body side is disposed on the vehicle body front side of the lower case 42. Terminal portion covers 42a covering connection portions of the terminals are provided in a pair on the left and right sides at a lower end portion of the lower case 42. A base 46 for attaching the hinge mechanism 44 is disposed on the upper front end of the upper housing 41.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the upper housing 41 viewed from the front and upward of the vehicle body. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the lower case 42 as viewed from the front upper side on the right side of the vehicle body, and fig. 9 is a perspective view of the battery case 40 with the operating lever 60 removed.

As described above, the battery case 40 is configured by combining the upper case 41 and the lower case 42 (hatched portions in the drawing), and the upper case 41 is provided with the central opening 50 through which the battery B passes.

Both

support portions

56, 58 for pivotally supporting the pressing bracket 45 in a freely swingable manner are formed on the lower case 42, and are configured to be exposed upward of the vehicle body through the

square openings

47, 48 provided in the upper case 41 by engaging the upper and

lower cases

41, 42 with each other. Similarly, a base 46 for attaching the hinge mechanism 44 is also formed on the lower housing 42 and is exposed upward of the vehicle body through a square opening 53 provided in the upper housing 41.

At the rear end portion of the upper housing 41, a hook opening 43 is formed near the seat latch mechanism. The

openings

47 and 48 are surrounded by

ribs

47a and 48a standing above the vehicle body. Between the left and right openings 47 and between the left and right openings 48, a positioning recess 52 is formed that accommodates a positioning plate 63 of the operating lever 60. The tapered surface 51, which is the outer side surface of the positioning recessed portion 52 in the vehicle width direction, has a tapered shape whose width is narrowed downward.

The body portion 55 of the lower case 42 forms a bottomed recess 59 that accommodates the battery B. A leg opening 57 into which a leg 66 (see fig. 10) of the operating lever 60 is inserted is formed between the support portions 56 that pivotally support the pressing bracket 45. The foot opening 57 is similarly formed between the support portions 58 on the vehicle body front side.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the operating lever 60 and the link mechanism L. The link mechanism L has a substantially symmetrical shape in the vehicle body front-rear direction and the vehicle width direction, as well as the operation lever 60 has a substantially symmetrical shape in the vehicle body front-rear direction and the vehicle width direction.

A pair of left and right arm members 70 are pivotally supported by a first swing shaft 71 at an upper end portion of a long base plate 73 supporting the link mechanism L. Further, a lower end portion 67 of the operating lever 60 is pivotally supported by a second swing shaft 68 on one end side of the arm member 70 located on the vehicle width direction inner side. The shaft support portion of the second swing shaft 68 has an elongated hole shape for sliding the leg portion 66 of the operation lever 60 in a substantially vertical direction. On the other hand, a terminal holder 74 for supporting the case-side terminal 90 is pivotally supported on the other end side of the arm member 70 located on the outside in the vehicle width direction so as to be able to swing. The terminal holder 74 is formed in a substantially U shape so as to surround the side surfaces of the battery B in the vehicle body longitudinal direction.

According to the above configuration, the link mechanism L having a structure including a "lever" based on the fulcrum, the force point, and the action point can be obtained. More specifically, the link mechanism L can be obtained in which the terminal holder 74 is raised when the operation lever 60 is pushed down and the terminal holder 74 is lowered when the operation lever 60 is pulled up, with the first swing shaft 71 as a fulcrum, the second swing shaft 68 as a force point, and the third swing shaft 72 as an action point. Further, by coupling the two terminal holders 74 to the link mechanism L, a structure in which the two terminal holders 74 are moved up and down by the single operation lever 60 can be obtained. Further, the terminal holder 74 can be moved up and down with a small force by utilizing the principle of leverage. The arm member 70 and the base plate 73 may be made of a thin plate-like metal.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the operating lever 60. The operating lever 60 for operating the link mechanism L is formed of a thin plate-like metal at a lower end portion 67 connected to one end portion of the arm member 70, and the upper side including the grip portion 61 and the partition portion 62 is formed of a hard synthetic resin or the like, thereby achieving weight reduction. In addition, the lower end portion 67 is deeply insert-molded in the longitudinal direction of the leg portion 66, so that the strength of the leg portion 66 can be improved.

Between the grip portion 61 and the partition portion 62, a grip opening 60a through which the occupant passes the fingers is formed. Further, a coupling portion 69 for coupling the grip portion 61 and the dividing portion 62 is formed on the front side and the rear side in the vehicle body longitudinal direction of the grip opening 60 a. The left and right side surfaces of the connecting portion 69 in the vehicle width direction are formed in a tapered shape whose width is narrowed downward.

A side end surface 63a that abuts the tapered surface 51, which is the tapered side surface of the positioning recess 52, and an upper end surface 63b that abuts the lower portion of the pressing bracket 45 by pulling up the operating lever 60 and pushes up the same are formed on the positioning plate 63 extending in the vehicle width direction between the leg portion 66 and the dividing portion 62. A chamfered portion 63c is provided at a corner portion on the lower side of the positioning plate 63 which is substantially square in front view. Further, a stopper member 65 standing downward is formed at a lower portion of the pressing portion 64.

The side end surface 63a of the positioning plate 63 inserted into the positioning recess 52 has a tapered shape whose width is narrowed downward. Thus, by housing the positioning plate 63 in the positioning concave portion 52 provided with the tapered surface 51 functioning as a guide, the operating lever 60 can be smoothly held at the neutral position only by pressing down the operating lever 60. Further, by providing the chamfered portion 63c at the corner portion on the lower side of the positioning plate 63, the chamfered portion 63c comes into contact with the tapered surface 51 of the positioning concave portion 52 when the operation lever 60 is pushed down, and the operation of pushing down the operation lever 60 can be performed more smoothly.

Fig. 12 is a partially enlarged view of fig. 11. Fig. 13 is an enlarged perspective view showing the structure around the stopper member 65. As described above, both side surfaces of the connecting portion 69 in the vehicle width direction have a tapered shape whose width is narrowed as it goes downward. Thus, when battery B is pulled out upward from battery case 40, even if the upper end of battery B contacts operating lever 60, operating lever 60 can be smoothly retracted by the tapered shape of coupling portion 69, and battery B can be easily pulled out. Further, a stopper member 65 provided at a lower portion of the pressing portion 64 abuts against a top surface of the upper housing 41 positioned between the pressing brackets 45 on the left and right in the vehicle width direction, and defines a lowermost position of the operation lever 60. The stopper member 65 is provided with three weight-reduction recessed portions, and is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in the vehicle width direction.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing an XIV-XIV line section of fig. 4. Two batteries B are arranged in the vehicle width direction. The operating lever 60 is formed with a grip portion 61 that protrudes upward beyond the upper surface 102 of the battery B in a state where the battery B is housed in the battery case 40, and a partition portion 62 that is inserted between the batteries B in a state where the battery B is housed in the battery case 40. The dividing portion 62 is formed to be narrower than the width of the grip portion 61, and a grip opening 60a through which the occupant passes the fingers is formed between the grip portion 61 and the dividing portion 62. This prevents batteries B from interfering with each other by dividing portion 62, protects batteries B from impact, and improves the heat dissipation effect of batteries B. Further, by inserting a finger through the grip opening 60a, the wide grip portion 61 is easily gripped, and the attachment/detachment operation of the battery B is facilitated. The dividing portion 62 may be extended further downward to improve the insulating function between the batteries B.

Fig. 15 and 16 are front views showing the structure of the link mechanism L. Fig. 15 shows a state in which the operation lever 60 is pulled up, and fig. 16 shows a state in which the operation lever 60 is pushed down to a predetermined lowermost position. The pressing bracket 45 pivotally supported by the battery case 40 so as to be swingable is biased by an elastic member in a direction to press the upper surface of the battery B. Here, when the operating lever 60 is pulled up, the upper end surface 63b of the positioning plate 63 abuts against the lower surface of the pressing bracket 45, and the operating lever 60 is pulled up against the urging force of the elastic member, whereby the pressing bracket 45 swings upward and becomes an upright state. At the same time, the terminal holder 74 connected to the link mechanism L is lowered to the retracted position D by pulling up the operating lever 60, and the case-side terminals 90 are separated from the batteries B.

On the other hand, when the operating lever 60 is pushed down, the pressing bracket 45 swings in a direction of pressing the upper surface 102 of the battery B by the urging force of the elastic member. At the same time, when the operating lever 60 is pushed down, the terminal holder 74 connected to the link mechanism L is raised to the connection position U, and the case-side terminal 90 is connected to a battery-side terminal (see fig. 27) provided at the bottom of the battery B.

That is, by pressing down the single operation lever 60, the upper surfaces 102 of the two batteries B are pressed by the pressing brackets 45, and the case-side terminals 90 are engaged with the battery-side terminals provided on the lower surfaces of the batteries B, whereby the batteries B can be held so as to be sandwiched from above and below. This stably holds the battery B, and can maintain good electrical connection even when the battery B crosses a large slope. Further, since the two batteries B are held at the same time by holding the grip portion 61 positioned above the batteries B and pressing down the operating lever 60 and the operating lever 60 is pulled up to be in a state where the batteries B can be removed, the convenience of the operation of removing the batteries B can be improved.

The operating lever 60 is configured to be swingable about the second swing shaft 68 in a state where the operating lever 60 is pulled upward and the terminal holder 74 is moved to the retracted position D. Thus, even when the operation lever is disposed between two batteries disposed in proximity to each other, the operation lever 60 can be swung when the battery B is pulled out upward, thereby preventing interference with the battery B. Thus, the two batteries B can be disposed as close as possible, the space required for housing the batteries B can be reduced, and the battery case 40 can be downsized.

In the present embodiment, two batteries B are arranged in line in the vehicle width direction, and the first swing shaft 71, the second swing shaft 68, and the third swing shaft 72 are arranged at positions overlapping the batteries B when viewed from the front of the vehicle body, and therefore, the battery case 40 and the vehicle body can be downsized by arranging the link mechanism L at positions overlapping the batteries B when viewed from the front of the vehicle body.

Fig. 17 is a perspective view showing the pressing bracket 45 in a state where the operating lever 60 is pressed down to a predetermined lowermost position. Fig. 18 and 19 are perspective views of the pressing bracket 45 on the vehicle body rear side as viewed from the vehicle body rear side. Fig. 18 shows a state in which the upper surface 102 of the battery B is pressed, and fig. 19 shows a state in which the battery B rises upward in accordance with the pulling operation of the operation lever 60.

The pressing bracket 45 includes a main body portion 45c pivotally supported by the pivot shaft 45a, an elastic member 45d biasing in a direction to press the upper surface 102 of the battery B, and a pressing portion 45B fixed to the main body portion 45c and abutting against the upper surface 102 of the battery B. The main body 45c is formed of metal such as aluminum or hard synthetic resin, and the pressing portion 45b can be formed of resin such as rubber. A bottomed box-shaped interference portion 45e, with which the upper end surface 63b of the positioning plate 63 abuts from below, is provided on the vehicle width direction inner side of the main body portion 45 c. The elastic member 45d is a coil spring wound around the swing shaft 45a, and can apply a biasing force in one direction to the swing operation of the pressing bracket 45 with a simple structure.

Fig. 20 is a left side view of the pressing bracket 45 showing a state in which the operating lever 60 is pressed down to a predetermined lowermost position. In a state where the operation lever 60 is depressed, the interference portion 45e is formed in a shape protruding downward of the pressing bracket 45 at a vehicle body front side (vehicle body rear side) with respect to the swing shaft 45 a. The pressing portion 45b is disposed on the vehicle width direction outer side and the vehicle body front side of the interference portion 45 e.

Fig. 21 is a sectional view taken along line XXI-XXI of fig. 4. In this figure, battery B is omitted for the sake of explanation. The swing shaft 45a of the push bracket 45 is disposed to be slidable in the vertical direction with respect to the operating lever 60 so as to be directed in the vehicle width direction. This facilitates the swinging of the pressing bracket 45 in conjunction with the sliding operation of the operating lever 60. Further, since the two corners 61a on the upper end side of the grip portion 61 are formed by curved surfaces, the battery B can be protected even if the side surface of the battery B abuts against the operation lever 60 when the battery B is inserted into the battery case 40.

Fig. 22 is a sectional view taken along line XXII-XXII of fig. 21. Fig. 23 is a sectional view taken along line XXIII-XXIII in fig. 21. The pressing bracket 45 is provided with a contact portion 49 that comes into contact with the operating lever 60 when the operating lever 60 is pressed down. The contact portion 49 includes a first contact portion 49a (see fig. 22) which is not located on the radially outer side of the rocking shaft 45a, and a second contact portion 49b (see fig. 23) which is disposed close to the radially outer side of the rocking shaft 45 a.

The area of contact between the first contact portion 49a provided near the center in the vehicle width direction and the operating lever 60 is set larger than the area of contact between the second contact portion 49b provided near the outer side in the vehicle width direction and the operating lever 60. Thus, the holding force by the pressing bracket 45 can be increased by increasing the contact area with the operating lever 60 in the region not overlapping with the swing shaft 45a of the pressing bracket 45 in the axial direction.

According to the above-described configuration of the contact portion 49, the battery B is accommodated in the battery case 40, and the operation lever 60 is pressed down, whereby the pressing bracket 45 presses the upper surface 102 of the battery B, and the operation lever 60 is brought into contact with the pressing bracket 45. That is, the operation lever 60 restricts the swing operation of the pressing bracket 45, and thus, even when the battery B passes over a large slope, the battery B is prevented from moving upward in the vehicle body, and good electrical connection can be maintained.

Fig. 24 is a front view showing the relationship between the battery B and the operating lever 60 in the middle of storage. The battery B is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. When battery B is pulled upward with terminal holder 74 set at retracted position D, inclined side surface 103a provided at a position close to the upper side of battery B is pushed open and swings in a direction away from battery B. That is, by pulling up battery B, operation lever 60 is automatically swung to enable battery B to be removed, and thus the operation of removing battery B becomes easy. The inclination of the center line C of the operating lever 60 is set to such a degree that the inclined side surface 103a can automatically swing to the opposite side along the shape of the coupling portion 69 of the operating lever 60 even when the battery B on the inclined side of the operating lever 60 is pulled out. Further, an upper corner portion of the grip portion 61 of the operating lever 60 functions as a guide member for abutting against the vehicle width direction inner side surface of the battery B and accommodating the battery B at a predetermined position when the battery B is inserted.

Fig. 25 is a perspective view of a seat pan 80 constituting a bottom of the seat 23 viewed from a lower side of the vehicle body. Fig. 26 is a sectional view taken along line XXVI-XXVI in fig. 4. In fig. 26, the seat 23 is also shown, as well as a seat pan 80. A fixing member 82 for fixing the seat 23 to the hinge mechanism 44 is provided at the front end of the seat pan 80, and a pair of left and right anti-vibration rubbers 84a for absorbing impact and vibration when the seat 23 is closed and a hook 83 for engaging with the seat latch mechanism 110 are provided at the rear end of the seat pan 80. Further, bosses 84 are provided at the front and rear of the center in the vehicle width direction of the seat pan 80 so as to abut on the upper surface of the operating lever 60. The boss 84 can be formed of a hard synthetic resin or the like. A recess 85 that avoids interference with the pressing portion 64 of the operating lever 60 is formed around the boss 84 on the vehicle body front side.

The boss 84 has a function of pressing the operation lever 60 when the seat 23 is closed in a state where the operation lever 60 is lifted upward from the predetermined lowest position, but is set so as not to abut against the operation lever 60 in a state where the operation lever 60 is pressed down to the predetermined lowest position. Thus, when the operating lever 60 is not sufficiently depressed when the seat 23 is closed, the boss 84 is set to abut against the operating lever 60 and be pushed into the minimum position where the battery-side terminal 75 and the case-side terminal 90 are electrically connected, and when the operating lever 60 is depressed to the predetermined minimum position, the boss 84 does not abut against the operating lever 60, thereby preventing a load from being further applied to the operating lever 60 that is sufficiently depressed.

Fig. 27 is a structural explanatory diagram of the battery-side terminal 75. Fig. 28 is a perspective view of the case-side terminal 90. The battery side terminal 75 is embedded at a position on the lower surface 107 of the battery B near the outer side in the vehicle width direction. The battery-side terminal 75 is formed with a slit 76 into which seven terminal plates 94 of the case-side terminal 90 are inserted, and an engagement hole 77 into which a positioning pin 93 supported by a support portion 93a on the outer side of the terminal plate 94 is inserted.

A through hole 92 is formed in the base plate 91 of the terminal block 94 and the positioning pin 93 for supporting the case-side terminal 90, and the through hole 92 passes through a support shaft for allowing the case-side terminal 90 to slide with respect to the terminal holder 74 (see fig. 29 and 30). A protection plate 94a for protecting the terminal plate 94 is erected on a side of the terminal plate 94, and a harness holder 95 for supporting a harness for supplying electric power is provided on a lower surface of the bottom plate 91.

Fig. 29 and 30 are explanatory views of the structure of the preload mechanism for pressing the case-side terminal 90 against the battery-side terminal 75. Fig. 29 shows a state in which the operating lever 60 is pushed down to a position at which the case-side terminal 90 engages with the battery-side terminal 75, and fig. 30 shows a state in which the operating lever 60 is further pushed down to a predetermined lowest position to apply a preload. Fig. 29 and 30 (b) are enlarged cross-sectional views of the dotted circle portion of (a).

The case-side terminal 90 is supported slidably in the vertical direction with respect to the terminal holder 74 by a cylindrical support shaft 98 inserted through a through hole 74a formed in the terminal holder 74. The coil spring 97 around the support shaft 98 is configured to generate an elastic force in a direction of separating the terminal holder 74 from the case-side terminal 90. The longest distance between the terminal holder 74 and the housing-side terminal 90 is limited by the snap ring 98a, and the shortest distance between the terminal holder 74 and the housing-side terminal 90 is limited by the cup-shaped member 96 disposed on the lower surface of the bottom plate 91 and covering the coil spring 97.

In the present embodiment, when the battery B is housed in the battery case 40 and the operation lever 60 is pressed down, the electrical connection of the case-side terminal 90 and the battery-side terminal 75 is completed immediately before the lowermost position of the operation lever 60 is reached, and the coil spring 97 is further pressed down to the lowermost position, so that the preload is generated by contraction. In this case as well, a gap 99 between the cup-shaped member 96 and the terminal holder 74 can be ensured.

As described above, according to the preload mechanism of the present embodiment, the spring 97 that biases the case-side terminal 90 in the direction of pressing the case-side terminal 90 against the battery-side terminal 75 is disposed between the case-side terminal 90 and the terminal holder 74, and thus the pressing force that presses the case-side terminal 90 against the battery-side terminal 75 can be generated in the state where the case-side terminal 90 is moved to the connection position. Thus, even when the battery B moves upward in the vehicle body, for example, when the battery B passes over a large slope, the case-side terminals 90 can be kept electrically connected following the movement of the battery B.

Further, since the single operation lever 60 that restricts the vertical movement of the battery B by being pressed downward in a state where the battery B is housed in the battery case 40 and the link mechanism L that couples the operation lever 60 and the terminal holder 74 are provided, the vertical movement of the battery B can be restricted by the single operation lever 60, and the attachment/detachment work of the battery B becomes easy. Even when the link mechanism L includes a plurality of rocking shafts and a dead stroke is generated in the operation of the operating lever 60, the dead stroke can be absorbed by the coil spring 97 after the case-side terminal 90 comes into contact with the battery-side terminal 75, and the preload can be effectively applied to both terminals.

Further, by providing a pair of support shafts 98 of the winding coil spring 97 with the case-side terminal 90 interposed therebetween, the sliding mechanism of the terminal holder 74 is provided on both sides of the case-side terminal 90, and thus, the case-side terminal 90 can be prevented from being inclined, and a smooth sliding operation can be performed. This can maintain good electrical connection between the case-side terminal 90 and the battery-side terminal 75.

The shape and structure of the battery, the number and mounting position of the battery, the shape and structure of the battery case and the operation lever, the shape and structure of the pressing holder and the terminal holder, the shape and structure of the link mechanism and the preload mechanism, and the like are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible. The battery attachment/detachment structure for a saddle-ride type vehicle according to the present invention can be applied to a saddle-ride type three-wheeled electric vehicle, a four-wheeled electric vehicle, and the like.

Description of the reference numerals

1 electric tumbrel (riding type vehicle)

23 seat

40 Battery case

45 pressing support

45b pressing part

45c body part

45d elastic component

49 abutting portion

49a first abutment

49b second abutment

51 taper surface

52 positioning recess

60 operating rod

60a grip opening

61 gripping part

61a upper surface end portion of the holding portion

62 division part

63 positioning plate

Side end face of 63a positioning plate

63c chamfer part

68 second axis of oscillation

69 joining part

70 arm component

71 first oscillating shaft

72 third axis of oscillation

74 terminal support

74a through hole

75 battery side terminal

84 boss

90 case side terminal

97 spring

98 support shaft

102 upper surface of the cell

103a inclined side of the cell

Lower surface of 107 cell

B battery

U connection position

D back off position

L-shaped connecting rod mechanism

Claims

1. A battery mounting/dismounting structure for a saddle-ride type vehicle, comprising: a plurality of substantially rectangular parallelepiped batteries (B) that supply electric power to a power source of the saddle-ride type vehicle (1); a battery case (40) that houses the battery (B); a battery-side terminal (75) provided on the lower surface (107) of the battery (B); a case-side terminal (90) that engages with the battery-side terminal (75); the battery attachment/detachment structure for a saddle-ride type vehicle is characterized by comprising:

an operation lever (60) in which a grip (61) is positioned above the battery (B) in a state in which the battery (B) is housed in the battery case (40);

a swing-type pressing bracket (45) that presses an upper surface (102) of the battery (B);

a terminal holder (74) that supports the case-side terminal (90) so as to be movable between a connection position (U) to be connected to the battery-side terminal (75) and a retracted position (D) away from the battery-side terminal (75);

when the plurality of batteries (B) are accommodated in the battery case (40) and the operating lever (60) is pressed downward, the pressing bracket (45) swings to press the upper surface (102) of the batteries (B),

the pressing bracket (45) is configured to include:

a main body part (45c) which is pivotally supported by a swing shaft (45a) in a swingable manner;

an elastic member (45d) that biases the upper surface (102) of the battery (B) in a direction in which the elastic member presses the upper surface;

a pressing portion (45B) that is fixed to the main body portion (45c) and that abuts against the upper surface (102) of the battery (B);

and an abutment portion (49) which abuts against the operating lever (60) by pressing down the operating lever (60).

2. The battery mounting/demounting structure for saddle-ride type vehicles according to claim 1, wherein said swing shaft (45a) is disposed so as to point in a direction different from a sliding direction of said operating lever (60).

3. The battery mounting/demounting structure as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said contact portion (49) is constituted by a first contact portion (49a) which is not located radially outside said swing shaft (45a) and a second contact portion (49b) which is located close to the radially outside of said swing shaft (45a),

the area of the first contact portion (49a) in contact with the operating lever (60) is larger than the area of the second contact portion (49b) in contact with the operating lever (60).

4. The battery mounting/demounting structure for saddle-ride type vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein two of said batteries (B) are arranged in line in the vehicle width direction,

the operating lever (60) includes: a grip portion (61) that protrudes upward beyond an upper surface (102) of the battery (B) in a state in which the battery (B) is housed in the battery case (40); a dividing portion (62) that is inserted between the batteries (B) in a state where the batteries (B) are housed in the battery case (40);

the dividing portion (62) is formed to be narrower than the width of the holding portion (61),

a grip opening (60a) is formed between the grip portion (61) and the dividing portion (62).

5. The battery mounting/demounting structure for a saddle-ride type vehicle according to claim 4, wherein a positioning plate (63) for holding said operating lever (60) at a neutral position when said operating lever (60) is depressed is provided at a position of said operating lever (60) below said dividing portion (62),

the battery case (40) is provided with a positioning concave part (52) for accommodating the positioning plate (63) when the operating lever (60) is pressed downwards,

the positioning recess (52) includes a tapered surface (51) that is brought into contact with a side end surface (63a) of the positioning plate (63) to guide the operating lever (60) to a neutral position.

6. The battery mounting/demounting structure for saddle-ride type vehicles according to claim 5, wherein said positioning plate (63) functions as a pressing member for swinging said pressing bracket (45) upward when said operating lever (60) is pulled upward.

7. The battery mounting/demounting structure for saddle-ride type vehicles according to claim 5 or 6, wherein a coupling portion (69) for coupling said grip portion (61) and said dividing portion (62) is provided in said operating lever (60),

both side surfaces of the connecting portion (69) in the vehicle width direction have a tapered shape whose width is narrowed as it goes downward.

8. The battery mounting/demounting structure as set forth in any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein a corner portion (61a) on an upper end side of said grip portion (61) is formed of a curved surface.

9. The battery attachment/detachment structure of a saddle-ride type vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein said battery case (40) is disposed below an openable/closable seat (23) provided in said saddle-ride type vehicle (1),

a boss (84) is provided on the bottom surface of the seat (23) above the operating lever (60).

10. The battery mounting/demounting structure for saddle-ride type vehicles according to claim 9, wherein said boss (84) does not abut against said operating lever (60) in a state where said operating lever (60) is depressed to a predetermined lowermost position.