JP2010202192A - Layout structure of inclination angle sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a vehicle of a type not banking a vehicle body when turning to have an inclination angle sensor as least susceptible to an affect of a centrifugal force as possible. <P>SOLUTION: A four-wheel buggy, having a steering shaft 20 connected to a steering handle 21, includes: four fore and aft wheels composed of front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3 with large-sized balloon tires; an engine 5; a fuel tank 16; and a fuel pump 28. In the four-wheel buggy, the inclination angle sensor 25 is located in front of the steering shaft 20 over the axis O of the front wheels 2 in an area above and rear of a radiator 23. Thus, the inclination angle sensor is less susceptible to affects of the centrifugal force and heat damage during the turn. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an arrangement structure of an inclination angle sensor suitable for a vehicle of a type in which a vehicle body such as a four-wheel buggy is turned without banking.

Some have provided a tilt angle sensor for detecting the tilt of the vehicle body to the left and right to stop the engine. In the vehicle of the type that turns without banking the vehicle body, this inclination angle sensor is easily affected by the centrifugal force when turning, so that there is a sensor arranged close to the turning center to avoid this.

JP 2005-178420 A

In the above conventional example, the turning center in the vehicle is considered to be above the axial center of the left and right front wheels, and in order to position the tilt angle sensor near the turning center of the vehicle body, a recess is provided at the front end of the fuel tank, and the tilt angle is set in this recess. A sensor was placed.
However, in this case, in order to provide the tilt angle sensor, it is necessary to change the shape of the fuel tank, and it is necessary to change the fuel tank for each vehicle type.
It is also desirable to reduce the influence of centrifugal force by placing an inclination angle sensor closer to the vicinity of the turning center.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to place an inclination angle sensor closer to the vicinity of a turning center without requiring a large change to vehicle body components.

In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 relating to the arrangement structure of the tilt angle sensor includes a frame, four large balloon tires supported by the frame, and a steering shaft connected to a steering handle. In rough terrain four-wheel buggy car with
The four-wheel buggy vehicle includes an inclination angle sensor, and the inclination angle sensor is disposed in front of the steering shaft and in the vicinity of the upper portion of the front wheel axis, at the upper rear of the radiator.

A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, the inclination angle sensor is located behind the front wheel axis.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the tilt angle sensor is arranged behind the radiator with a space therebetween.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to third aspects, an electric wire is connected to an upper portion of the inclination angle sensor.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the tilt angle sensor is offset to one side of the vehicle body in the vicinity of the cross member provided between the left and right vehicle body frames, so The two points are fixed to the frame by bolts and are located below the upper end of the cross member.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the four-wheel buggy vehicle that turns without causing the vehicle body to bank, the tilt angle sensor is disposed in front of the steering shaft and in the vicinity of the upper center of the front wheel at the upper rear of the radiator. It can be placed at a position where it is not easily affected by the heat, and it can be placed at a position where it is difficult to receive heat damage from the radiator.

Side view of a four-wheel buggy vehicle according to an embodiment Above plan view Front view above The figure which shows the attachment part of the inclination angle sensor Front view of tilt angle sensor Side view of tilt angle sensor

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the directions such as front, rear, left and right are based on the vehicle in use unless otherwise specified.

FIG. 1 is a left side view of the four-wheel buggy according to the embodiment. This four-wheel buggy vehicle is a saddle-ride type vehicle for rough terrain travel, and includes a pair of left and right front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3 that are relatively large-diameter low-pressure balloon tires in front of and behind a body frame 1, and has a minimum ground clearance. This is a vehicle that has secured a large and mainly improved running performance on rough terrain.

An engine 5 having a forward tilting cylinder 4 is mounted at a substantially central position of the body frame 1. The engine 5 is a water-cooled single cylinder engine. A crankcase 6 constituting the lower part of the engine 5 also serves as a transmission case. A chain 9 is wound around an output sprocket 7 provided at the rear of the crankcase 6 and a driven sprocket 8 on the rear wheel side. The rear wheel 3 is chain driven.
The rear wheel 3 is suspended from the rear of the vehicle body in the form of a double wishbone.

Supply of the air-fuel mixture to the cylinder head 13 of the engine 5 is performed from a throttle body 14 disposed at the rear thereof. The throttle body 14 includes an injector (not shown, see FIG. 2), injects fuel into the intake passage by electronic control, and introduces outside air from an air cleaner 15 behind the injector. Fuel is supplied from a fuel tank 16 disposed above the cylinder head 13 via a fuel pump (described later).
Further, a base end portion of an exhaust pipe 17 is connected to the front portion of the cylinder head 13, and the exhaust pipe 17 is connected to a muffler 18 disposed at the rear of the vehicle body through the side of the cylinder head 13.

A steering shaft 20 is provided at the front of the vehicle body and is rotated by a handle 21 at the upper end. The steering shaft 20 is disposed obliquely upward and rearward, and the lower end thereof forms a turning center and is located near the center of the front wheel 2 in a side view. When turning, the left and right front wheels 2 are steered by a known steering mechanism by turning the steering shaft 20.

The front of the steering shaft 20 is covered with a resin front cover 22, and an engine cooling radiator 23, a reserve tank 24, and an inclination angle sensor 25 are arranged behind the front cover 22 in order from the front side. It is installed. The inclination angle sensor 25 is arranged so as to be hidden behind the reserve tank 24 in a front view.

An air cleaner 15 is provided below the lowermost part of the seat 26, a snorkel 15 a extends upward from the rear part, and an opening at the upper end projects to a relatively high position below the seat 26. A battery case 27 is disposed between the air cleaner 15 and the throttle body 14. A fuel pump 28 is disposed below the fuel tank 16 and in front of the engine 5.

The fuel inlet at the top of the fuel pump 28 and the fuel outlet at the bottom of the fuel tank 16 are linearly connected to each other via a connecting pipe 28a. On the other hand, the fuel outlet of the fuel pump 28 and the injector of the throttle body 14 are connected via a fuel supply pipe 28b. The fuel supply pipe 28b extends upward from the fuel discharge port at the top of the fuel pump 28, then curves backward and extends backward to reach the injector.

When the fuel pump 28 is operated, the fuel sucked from the fuel tank 16 is boosted to a predetermined fuel pressure and then supplied to the injector through the fuel supply pipe 28b. The fuel is injected by the operation of the injector and is discharged from the air cleaner 15. It is supplied to the cylinder head 13 together with the introduced outside air.

The vehicle body frame 1 includes an upper frame 30 and a lower frame 31 that extend substantially parallel to each other in the vertical direction, a front down frame 32 that is bent forward at the front of the upper frame 30 and is disposed obliquely forward, and a rear portion of the upper frame 30. And a rear down frame 33 that is disposed obliquely rearward and downwardly through the rear of the engine 5 and is continuous in a closed loop shape in a side view.

In the vicinity of the connection portion between the front end portion of the upper frame 30 and the upper portion of the front down frame 32, an upper bracket 34 that supports the upper portion of the steering shaft 20 is provided. Reference numeral 35 denotes a lower bracket that supports the lower end of the steering shaft 20 and is supported on the center of the vehicle body of the lower frame 31.

Between the lower part of the front down frame 32 and the front part of the lower frame 31, a reinforcing pipe 36 is provided obliquely upward, and a triangular reinforcing part is provided below the front part of the vehicle body frame 1, where a double wishbone type front wheel is provided. A stay 37 for supporting the arm member for the suspension device is provided. Reference numeral 38 denotes a front protector mainly composed of a steel pipe.

A reinforcing pipe 39 that connects an intermediate portion of the front down frame 32 and a front portion of the lower frame 31 is provided, and a cross member 51 (described later) provided in an intermediate portion of the front down frame 32 in the vicinity of the upper end portion of the reinforcing pipe 39. The upper end portion of the front cushion 19 of the front wheel suspension device is supported. The upper end position of the front cushion 19 is located above the axis O of the front wheel 2 in a side view. The axis O corresponds to the center of the front axle.

The rear portion of the lower frame 31 is bent in the vicinity of the lower end portion of the rear down frame 33 to form a rear frame 40 extending obliquely rearward, and the rear end portion thereof is the rear end portion of the upper frame 30 and the rear down frame 33. It is connected to the front-rear direction intermediate portion of the seat rail 41 extending rearward substantially horizontally from the vicinity of the connecting portion.
The seat rail 41 is provided with an overhang portion 42 that extends rearward from a portion where the upper end portion of the rear frame 40 is connected and then bends obliquely downward, and is connected to the rear end of the rear extension portion 43 of the lower frame 31.

The rear extending portion 43 extends rearward from the vicinity of the connecting portion between the rear portion of the lower frame 31 and the rear frame 40, and the rear end portion is bent upward to be connected to the lower end of the overhang portion 42 by the connecting portion 44. A reinforcement pipe 45 is connected between the middle part in the vertical direction of the rear frame 40 and the connection part 44, and the upper part of the rear extension part 43 is arranged substantially in parallel. The reinforcing pipe 45 and the rear extension 43 support an arm member for a rear wish suspension device of a double wishbone type, and a stay 46 is provided for this purpose.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the vehicle body frame 1. The vehicle body frame 1 in a plan view is provided with a pair of left and right sides with respect to the center C of the vehicle body, and the left and right portions are connected by cross members 50 to 56 and the like, and the whole is integrated. The members constituting the body frame 1 are made of steel pipes or the like.
Although omitted in the figure, the steering shaft 20 overlaps the vehicle body center C. The tilt angle sensor 25 is also located on the center of the vehicle body. The inclination angle sensor 25 is for detecting when the inclination of the vehicle body reaches a predetermined angle.

A heat insulating cover 29 is provided between the fuel tank 16 and the engine 5. On the heat shield cover 29, a fuel supply pipe 28b is provided in the front-rear direction, and the rear end portion is connected to the injector 14a of the throttle body 14. The fuel supply pipe 28b is fixed to the heat shield cover 29 with a clamp in place.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the vehicle body frame 1, and an upper bracket 34 protruding above the cross member 51 spanned between the left and right upper frames 30 is provided on the vehicle body center C at the front of the vehicle body. The inclination angle sensor 25 is provided for mounting the front cushion 19 (FIG. 1) of the front wheel suspension device, is supported at the center in the left-right direction of the cross member 51 that crosses the left and right front down frames 32, and is positioned on the vehicle body center C. To do. Since this position is on the center of the vehicle body and above the axis O of the front wheel 2 in front and side view of the steering shaft 20, it is located close to the vicinity of the turning center of the vehicle body.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of the cross member 51. The cross member 51 has a substantially inverted U shape in side view and rises upward from the front down frame 32, and the lower part is welded to the outer periphery of the front down frame 32. In the lower end portion of the back surface portion 51a of the cross member 51, the central portion in the left-right direction is a downward projecting portion 51b, and a nut 51c is welded thereto. By attaching the inclination angle sensor 25 to the nut 51c, the inclination angle sensor 25 is supported to the center of the vehicle body.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the inclination angle sensor 25 is configured as an acceleration sensor including a float 61 as a pendulum in a casing 60. The casing 60 accommodates the detection circuit 63 in the box part 62 constituting the upper part thereof, and accommodates the float 61 in the space forming part 65 constituting the lower part.

The space forming portion 65 is formed on the upper side composed of front and rear wall portions 66 and 66 having a U-shaped outer shape in front view (front view) and an outer peripheral wall portion 67 that connects between the outer peripheries of the front and rear wall portions 66 and 66. An open container shape is formed, and an accommodation space 69 is formed therein. Rubber mounts 70 are provided on attachment protrusions 67a provided on both sides of the casing 60, and are attached to nuts 51c of the cross member 51 with vibration isolation by bolts 71 (FIG. 6).

The float 60 is a member having a semicircular shape that is pivotally supported by a swing shaft 72 at a substantially center in the accommodation space 69 and is supported by the casing 60 so as to be swingable with the shaft mounting portion as a swing fulcrum. . The lower part of the outer peripheral wall 67 has an arc shape corresponding to the arc of the float 60. The accommodation space 69 is filled with damper oil for attenuating the swing of the float 61.

Magnets 73 are embedded in the left and right end portions of the float 61, and magnetic sensors 74 are provided on the left and right ends of the upper end portion in the accommodation space 69. When the float 61 reaches a predetermined swing angle, the magnetic sensor 74 can detect that the vehicle body has been tilted to a predetermined angle by detecting the magnetism of the magnet 73 that is in close proximity.

The swing shaft 72 of the float 61 is provided in parallel to the front-rear direction. However, the float 61 swings not only when the vehicle body tilts in the left-right direction but also when the vehicle body tilts in the front-rear direction by adjusting the position of the center of gravity. It is like that. Hereinafter, when the vehicle body is in a state where the front / rear / left / right inclination is 0 ° (upright state) and the force acting on the float 61 is only gravity, the float 61 is positioned at the neutral position of the swinging range in the accommodation space 69. Shall be located.

When the vehicle body tilts forward, backward, left and right, the float 61 swings with respect to the casing 60. When this swing reaches a predetermined angle, the detection circuit 63 makes the vehicle body tilt at a predetermined angle based on the detection signal of the magnetic sensor 74. Judgment of whether or not is reached. When it is determined that the vehicle body is inclined at a predetermined angle, predetermined engine control such as ignition cut and fuel injection cut is performed via an ECU (not shown).

Since the four-wheel buggy according to the present embodiment does not turn by banking the vehicle body like a motorcycle, the inclination angle sensor 25 is maintained even when the vehicle body is almost upright by the action of centrifugal force or the like during turning. The float 61 may swing. In order to cope with such a situation, the detection angle is made larger than that of the inclination angle sensor used in the motorcycle. The detected angle is an angle swung from the neutral position of the float when determining the predetermined inclination angle of the vehicle body.

Further, in the inclination angle sensor 25, when the float 61 temporarily swings greatly during turning or the like and temporarily reaches the detection angle, it is erroneously recognized that the inclination of the vehicle body has reached a predetermined angle. Therefore, a delay time is provided until the detection circuit 63 detects the tilt angle of the vehicle body. This delay time is set to be longer than the time during which the float 61 sticks to the maximum swing position due to the centrifugal force during turning. Thereby, when the state where the float 61 is inclined to the predetermined angle continues for a predetermined time, it is determined that the vehicle body is inclined to the predetermined angle.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the tilt angle sensor 25 is disposed on the vehicle body center C of the cross member 51 that is in front of the steering shaft 20. In addition, since the tilt angle sensor 25 is disposed on the vehicle body center C that is in front of the steering shaft 20 and above the axis O of the front wheel 2 in a side view, the tilt angle sensor 25 is also used in a four-wheel buggy that does not bank the vehicle body when turning. 25 can be arranged closer to the vicinity of the turning center of the vehicle body, and the influence of centrifugal force or the like during turning can be suppressed as much as possible. For this reason, the tilt angle sensor 25 can be arranged at an optimal position in such a vehicle, and the tilt angle sensor 25 can be prevented from misidentifying the tilt of the vehicle body due to centrifugal force or the like, and good engine control can be achieved. .

Moreover, since the inclination angle sensor 25 is attached to the existing cross member 51, it can be arranged without the need to change other vehicle body components such as providing special attachment parts, and the number of parts can be reduced. Changes to other vehicle body components can be eliminated. Moreover, since the cross member 51 supports the upper end of the front cushion 19, if the inclination angle sensor 25 is attached to the cross member 51, the inclination angle sensor 25 can be disposed above the axis O of the front wheel 2 in a side view. become.

Even with the tilt angle sensor 25 that detects the tilt of the vehicle body in the left-right direction, when the vehicle body tilts in the front-rear direction, the float 61 swings to the left or right. Can be detected, and engine control corresponding to a wide range of vehicle body tilt can be made possible. Further, since a delay time is provided for detection in the detection circuit 63, it is detected that the inclination of the vehicle body is a predetermined angle only when the swing of the float 61 has continued to the detection angle for a predetermined time. For this reason, momentary fluctuations of the float 61 can be eliminated as noise, and the detection accuracy becomes higher. Moreover, since the detection angle is larger than that for motorcycles, the detection accuracy can be further improved.

Furthermore, since the radiator 23, the reserve tank 24, and the inclination angle sensor 25 are arranged in order from the front, and the inclination angle sensor 25 is arranged so as to be hidden behind the reserve tank 24 in a front view, the exhaust heat of the radiator 23 is reduced by the inclination angle. It is possible not to reach the sensor 25 directly, and the heat damage of the radiator 23 to the tilt angle sensor 25 can be prevented. Therefore, this can also contribute to improvement in detection accuracy by the inclination angle sensor 25.

In addition, this invention is not restricted to the said Example, A various change is possible. For example, the position where the inclination angle sensor 25 is provided is not necessarily provided on the cross member 51, and may be provided in front of and in the vicinity of the steering shaft 20. Moreover, you may offset not to the vehicle body center but to the one side of the vehicle body.

Further, the structure of the tilt angle sensor 25 is not limited to the structure of the embodiment, and a known one can be used. Furthermore, the vehicle to which the present invention is applied can include various types of vehicles as long as the vehicle has at least three or more wheels and does not bank when turning.

1: body frame, 5: engine, 14: throttle body, 15: air cleaner, 16: fuel tank, 20: steering shaft, 23: radiator, 24: reserve tank, 25: tilt angle sensor, 26: seat, 51: cross Member, 60: casing, 61: float, 63: detection circuit

Claims (5)

Rough terrain traveling 4 comprising a frame (1), four large balloon tires (2, 3) supported by the frame, and a steering shaft (20) connected to a steering handle (21) In wheeled buggy cars,
The four-wheel buggy vehicle includes an inclination angle sensor (25). The inclination angle sensor (25) is disposed in front of the steering shaft (20) and in the vicinity of the upper portion of the front center (O) of the front wheel (2). 23) An arrangement structure of an inclination angle sensor, which is arranged at the upper rear of the above.
The arrangement structure of the tilt angle sensor according to claim 1, wherein the tilt angle sensor (25) is located behind the axis (O) of the front wheel.
The arrangement structure of the inclination angle sensor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inclination angle sensor (25) is arranged behind the radiator (23) with a space therebetween.
The said inclination-angle sensor (25) has the electric wire connected to the upper part, The arrangement structure of the inclination-angle sensor of Claim 1 thru | or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned.
The inclination angle sensor (25) is offset to one side of the vehicle body in the vicinity of the cross member (51) provided between the left and right vehicle body frames (32), and the two left and right points of the casing (60) are bolted (71 5. The tilt angle sensor arrangement structure according to claim 1, wherein the tilt angle sensor is disposed at a position lower than an upper end of the cross member (51).

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