JP2012192902A - Saddle-riding type vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a saddle-riding type vehicle which steers a fork member at low cost when an excessive load is applied to a front wheel.SOLUTION: In the saddle-riding type vehicle, shapes of arms 80L and 80R of a lower arm 30 are asymmetry to steer the fork member 20 when an excessive load is applied to the front wheel 51. The left arm 80L is arranged at a position so as to contact with the withdrawn fork member 20, and the right arm 80R is curved so as to avoid the withdrawn fork member 20. The vehicle cost increase is reduced by only devising the shape of the lower arm 30 without preparing a special steering component of the fork member 20. Thereby, when an excessive load is applied to the front wheel 51, the fork member 20 can be steered at low cost.

Description

  The present invention relates to a saddle-ride type vehicle that is connected to a fork member having a rotatable front wheel and includes an upper arm and a lower arm that are swingably provided on a body frame side.

  A vehicle is known that can steer a front wheel when an excessive load is input to the front wheel from the front of the vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1 (FIGS. 1, 2, and 4)).

  As shown in FIG. 2 of Patent Document 1, at the front part of the saddle-ride type vehicle, behind the front wheel (14) (the numbers in parentheses indicate the codes described in Patent Document 1. The same applies hereinafter) A bumper (31) having an inclined surface (35) is attached to the vehicle body frame (13). In addition, a steered fender (30) is disposed between the tire (14a) and the bumper (31).

  As shown in FIG. 4A of Patent Document 1, when an excessive load is input to the front wheel (14), the front wheel (14) rotates like an imaginary line. By this rotation of the front wheel (14), the steered fender (30) contacts the bumper (31) and slides on the inclined surface (35). That is, as shown in FIG. 4B, the front wheels (14) can be steered. Such a mechanism for turning the front wheels is effective in a saddle-ride type vehicle equipped with an airbag.

  However, in the vehicle, a turning fender (30) that promotes turning of the front wheels (14) is provided between the tire and the bumper (31). The front wheel (14) is usually covered with a front fender, but is not covered with a steered fender (30). The installation of such a steering fender (30) increases the cost of the vehicle.

  By the way, as FIG. 1 of patent document 1 shows, the front-wheel suspension apparatus of a saddle-ride type | mold vehicle (12) is a telescopic type. As another type of front wheel suspension device, a link type is known. The cost increase due to the installation of the steered fender (30) is preferably eliminated regardless of the type of the front wheel suspension device. However, the inventors of the present invention have a cost in a saddle-ride type vehicle equipped with a link type front wheel suspension device. We focused on reducing

  Therefore, a saddle-ride type vehicle that can steer the fork member at low cost when an excessive load is input to the front wheels is required.

JP 2010-254278 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a saddle-ride type vehicle capable of turning a fork member at a low cost when an excessive load is input to the front wheels.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle body frame, a fork member having a front wheel which is disposed in front of the vehicle body frame and is rotatable at a lower portion thereof, and is connected to the fork member and swingable on the vehicle body frame side. In a saddle-ride type vehicle having an upper arm and a lower arm, a fragile portion having a fragile structure is provided in the vicinity of a connecting portion between the fork member and the lower arm, and the lower arm extends to the left in the vehicle width direction. An arm portion and a right arm portion extending to the right, wherein one of the left arm portion and the right arm portion is disposed at a position where the fork member is retracted, and the left arm portion and the right arm portion The other is characterized by being curved so as to avoid the retracted fork member.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the fragile portion is provided in a bearing mounting portion to which a spherical bearing that connects the fork member and the lower arm is mounted.

  In the invention according to claim 3, the fork member includes a pair of left and right legs that support the front wheel via a shaft, and is rotatably connected to the lower arm and the left leg and the right leg so as to extend in the vehicle width direction. A cross part is handed over, and a weak part is provided at an arbitrary position in the vehicle width direction of the cross part.

  In the invention which concerns on Claim 1, the weak part is provided in the connection part vicinity of a fork member and a lower arm. In addition, the lower arm includes left and right arm portions, one of the left and right arm portions is disposed at a position where it abuts on the retracted fork member, and the other of the left and right arm portions is curved to avoid the retracted fork member. Provided. When an excessive load is input to the front wheels, the members of the fragile portion are separated from each other, so that the fork member moves rearward due to the swinging of the upper arm. At this time, the fork member and one of the left and right arm portions come into contact with each other before the other of the left and right arm portions, thereby turning the fork member. That is, when an excessive load is input to the front wheels, the shape of the arm portion of the lower arm is asymmetrical in order to steer the fork member. Only by devising the shape of the lower arm, it is not necessary to prepare a separate steering part for the fork member, and an increase in vehicle cost can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to provide a saddle-ride type vehicle that can steer the fork member at a low cost when an excessive load is input to the front wheels.

  In the invention which concerns on Claim 2, a weak part is provided in the bearing attachment part to which the spherical bearing which connects a fork member and a lower arm is attached. In such a bearing mounting portion, when an excessive load is input to the front wheel, the connection between the fork member and the lower arm is easily released. By using the bearing mounting portion for the weak portion, the weak portion can be easily set.

  In the invention which concerns on Claim 3, a cross part is passed to the left leg part and right leg part of a fork member, and a weak part is provided in the arbitrary positions of the cross part in the vehicle width direction. Since the cross portion extends in the vehicle width direction, it is a portion that is likely to receive a load on the lower arm side when an excessive load is input to the front wheels. Thus, the cross part is a strength member, and the strength of the fragile part can be easily set by setting the cross-sectional shape of the cross part.

It is a left view of a saddle-ride type vehicle front part provided with the weak part which concerns on this invention. It is a front view of a saddle-ride type vehicle. It is a perspective view of a lower arm. It is sectional drawing of a lower arm. It is a figure explaining an effect | action until a fork member contact | abuts to a lower arm. It is a perspective view explaining the structure of another weak part. It is sectional drawing of the connection part of a right leg part and a lower cross part. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of 8 parts in FIG. 7.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are viewed in the direction of the reference numerals.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, a saddle-ride type vehicle 10 can swing a front wheel 51 up and down on a front portion 13 of a vehicle body frame 12 that supports an internal combustion engine 11 as a drive source via a front wheel suspension device 14 (detailed later). And ready for steering.

  A steering shaft 52 is erected on the front portion 13 of the vehicle body frame 12, and a cylindrical steering member 53 is rotatably fitted around the steering shaft 52. Since the steering handle 54 is bolted to the front upper surface of the steering member 53, the steering member 53 is rotated around the steering shaft 52 by the steering handle 54. That is, the fork member 20 is turned by the turning force applied to the steering handle 54 and the front wheel 51 is turned.

  In the saddle-ride type vehicle 10, a radiator 55 that cools the internal combustion engine 11 is disposed between the internal combustion engine 11 and the front wheels 51. A bracket 56 is attached to the upper front portion of the fork member 20, and a headlight 57, meters 58 and a front cowl 59 are attached to the bracket 56, and a shield 61 extends upward from the front cowl 59. .

  In addition, a fuel tank 62 is provided at an intermediate portion of the vehicle body frame 12, and an airbag module 63 is disposed above the intermediate portion of the fuel tank 62. The airbag module 63 is attached to an intermediate portion of the vehicle body frame 12 via a vehicle body side stay 64 and is covered with a lid 65.

  The front wheel suspension device 14 is provided at the rear portion 22 of the steering member 53 so as to be swingable up and down, and extends forward. The front wheel suspension device 14 is rotatably provided at a front end 24 of the upper arm 23 and extends downward, and a front wheel 51 at a lower end portion. A fork member 20, a lower arm 30 (described later in detail) that is provided at the lower portion of the vehicle body frame 12 so as to be swingable up and down, and a lower end that is provided at the upper end 31 of the vehicle body frame 12 so as to be able to swing back and forth. A cushion unit 33 connected to the cushion mounting portion 32 of the lower arm 30, a link member 37 connected to the link mounting portion 34 of the lower arm 30 and supported by a ball joint 36 whose front end 35 is attached to the fork member 20, A tension lock connected to the rear end 38 of the link member 37 and connected to the front portion 13 of the vehicle body frame 12. Consisting of 39 Metropolitan. That is, the saddle-ride type vehicle 10 is a vehicle that is connected to the fork member 20 and includes an upper arm 23 and a lower arm 30 that are swingably provided on the body frame 12. The connecting portion 40 between the fork member 20 and the lower arm 30 has a ball joint 36 as a spherical bearing.

The upper arm 23 swings up and down about an upper pivot shaft 41 attached to the rear portion 22 of the steering member 53 as a rotation center. The upper pivot shaft 41 is an axis extending in the vehicle width direction.
A ball joint 43 is attached to the upper end 42 of the fork member 20. The ball joint 43 connects the front end 24 of the upper arm 23 and the upper end 42 of the fork member 20.

  A lower pivot shaft 44 extending in the vehicle width direction is provided on the vehicle body frame 12 at a position lower than the upper pivot shaft 41. The lower arm 30 swings up and down around the lower pivot shaft 44 as a rotation center.

The shape of the fork member 20 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the fork member 20 includes a left leg portion 68 </ b> L extending from a left end portion 67 </ b> L of the front wheel axle 66 (L is a left suffix with respect to an occupant, R is a suffix indicating a right, and so on) From the right leg 68R extending from the right end 67R of the front wheel axle 66, the upper cross 69 connecting these left and right legs 68L, 68R and the upper arm (FIG. 1, reference numeral 23), and the upper cross 69 The lower cross portion 71 is connected to the left and right leg portions 68L and 68R and the lower arm 30 is connected to the lower position. The tension rods 39 and 73 can be viewed through a space (window) 72 surrounded by the left and right leg portions 68L and 68R, the upper cross portion 69, and the lower cross portion 71 in a front view.

The configuration of the lower arm 30 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the lower arm 30 extends in the vehicle width direction and has a substantially U shape in plan view, and has U-shaped portions 48 </ b> L and 48 </ b> R at the left end portion and the right end portion.

A link attachment portion 34 extends from the front portion 49 of the lower arm 30 to the front lower side. Since the front reinforcing members 74L and 74R are attached to the left and right of the link attachment portion 34, the rigidity of the link attachment portion 34 can be improved.
In addition, the cushion mounting portion 32 extends from the front portion 49 of the lower arm 30 to the rear upper side. Since the rear reinforcing members 75L and 75R are attached to the left and right of the cushion mounting portion 32, the rigidity of the cushion mounting portion 32 can be improved.

The shape of the lower arm 30 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the lower arm 30 includes a substantially L-shaped left arm portion 80L extending leftward in the vehicle width direction and a right arm portion 80R extending obliquely rearward to the right. The left arm portion 80L is disposed at a position where the left arm portion 80L contacts the retracted fork member 20, and the right arm portion 80R is curved so as to avoid the retracted fork member 20.

  The lower arm 30 is not limited to the above shape. The left arm portion 80L may be extended obliquely to the left and curved so as to avoid the fork member 20 that has been retracted. Further, the right arm portion 80R may be extended in a substantially L shape and disposed at a position where it comes into contact with the retracted fork member 20.

The rear part of the lower arm 30 is formed into U-shaped parts 48L and 48R. For example, the right U-shaped portion 48R is connected to the vehicle body frame 12 by a lower pivot shaft 82 extending in the vehicle width direction via angular bearings 81, 81, and the left U-shaped portion 48L is connected via a needle bearing 83. The lower pivot shaft 44 extending in the vehicle width direction is connected to the vehicle body frame 12.
The angular bearing 81 withstands a radial load and a thrust load. The needle bearing 83 cannot withstand a thrust load, but has an advantage of a small diameter.

The bulging portion 84 is a member that extends rearward and downward from the link member (FIG. 1, reference numeral 37), and the bulging portion 84 and the link mounting portion 34 are rotatably connected.
A pin member 46 that also serves as a bolt is attached to the link attachment portion 34, and a bulging portion 84 is attached to the pin member 46 via rolling bearings 85 and 85. Since the rolling bearings 85 and 85 are provided between the pin member 46 and the bulging portion 84, the bulging portion 84 and the lower arm 30 can be operated smoothly.

The operation of the fork member 20 and the lower arm 30 described above will be described next.
As shown in FIG. 5A, when an excessive load is applied to the front wheel 51, the connection between the link member (FIG. 1, reference numeral 37) and the fork member 20 is released at the connection portion (FIG. 1, reference numeral 40). There are times. When the connection between the link member and the fork member 20 is released, the fork member 20 moves rearward as indicated by an arrow (1) by the swing of the upper arm 23.

  As shown in (b), the left leg portion 68L of the fork member 20 is in contact with the left arm portion 80L of the fork member 20. Since an excessive load continues to be applied to the front wheel 51, the fork member 20 is steered as indicated by an arrow (2) around the point 86.

  As a result, as shown in (c), the left leg portion 68L of the fork member 20 is in contact with the left arm portion 80L of the fork member 20, and the right leg portion 68R is also in contact with the right arm portion 80R. Note that the turning angle θ1 can be arbitrarily set by changing the bending angle θ2 of the right arm portion 80R. Since the bending angle θ2 can be freely set by bending the lower arm 30, the turning angle can be adjusted at low cost.

  In the saddle-ride type vehicle (FIG. 1, reference numeral 10), the shape of the arm portions 80L and 80R of the lower arm 30 is asymmetrical in order to steer the fork member 20 when an excessive load is input to the front wheels 51. . Only by devising the shape of the lower arm 30, it is not necessary to separately prepare a steering component for the fork member 20, and an increase in vehicle cost can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to provide a saddle-ride type vehicle that can steer the fork member 20 at a low cost when an excessive load is input to the front wheels 51.

  In this example, as shown in FIG. 1, the connecting portion 40 including the ball joint 36 is a fragile portion 90 having a fragile structure. That is, the fragile portion 90 is provided in the bearing mounting portion 87 to which the ball joint 36 that connects the fork member 20 and the lower arm 30 is mounted. In such a bearing mounting portion 87, when an excessive load is input to the front wheel 51, the connection between the fork member 20 and the lower arm 30 is easily released. By using the bearing mounting portion 87 for the fragile portion 90, the setting of the fragile portion 90 is facilitated.

  By the way, in the saddle-ride type vehicle described so far, the connecting part 40 between the fork member 20 and the lower arm 30 is the weak part 90, but other parts can be used as the weak part instead of the connecting part. . An example of this will be described next.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the lower cross portion extending in the vehicle width direction is rotatably connected to the link member 37 connected to the lower arm (FIG. 2, reference numeral 30) to the left leg portion 68 </ b> L and the right leg portion 68 </ b> R. 71 is passed. A fragile portion 100 is provided inside the right end of the lower cross portion 71.

  In addition, the ball joint 36 includes a ball body 76 that rotatably supports the link member 37, and a ball support shaft 77 that supports the ball body 76 and is attached to the lower cross portion 71. In the vehicle including the fragile portion 100, a rotation mechanism other than the spherical bearing (the ball joint 36) may be used to connect the link member 37 and the lower cross portion 71. For example, if a link swingable in the horizontal direction is attached to the front end of the link member 37 and the front end of this link is attached to the lower cross portion 71, the front wheel (FIG. 1, reference numeral 51) can be steered. It becomes.

A cross-sectional structure of the connecting portion between the right leg portion 68R and the lower cross portion 71 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the fragile portion 100 is provided inside the lower cross portion 71. Further, the right end 91 of the lower cross portion 71 and the root 92 of the right leg portion 68R are connected by welding.

The structure of the weak part 100 is demonstrated based on FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, the fragile portion 100 has a notch 93 that is recessed outward in the lower cross portion 71. When an excessive load is applied to the lower cross portion 71 from the link member (FIG. 6, reference numeral 37) side as indicated by an outlined arrow, the intermediate member 94 and the right end member 95 of the lower cross portion 71 are separated. In the embodiment, the fragile portion 100 is provided at the right end 91 of the lower cross portion 71. However, the fragile portion 100 may be provided at an intermediate portion or a left end of the lower cross portion 71, and the position setting of the fragile portion 100 is arbitrarily determined. It's okay.

  Since the lower cross portion 71 extends in the vehicle width direction, when an excessive load is input to the front wheels (FIG. 1, reference numeral 51), the lower cross portion 71 is a portion that easily receives a load on the lower arm (FIG. 2, reference numeral 30). Thus, the lower cross portion 71 is a strength member, and the strength of the fragile portion 100 can be easily set by setting the cross-sectional shape of the lower cross portion 71.

  In addition, in the weak part 100, the cross-sectional shape of the lower cross part 71 was set to a notch shape. Since the notch 93 is provided inside the end portion of the lower cross portion 71, the notch processing can be easily performed, and the fragile portion 100 can be manufactured at a low cost.

  Although the lower arm of the present invention is applied to a saddle-ride type vehicle in the embodiment, it can also be applied to a bicycle or a tricycle, and can be applied to a general vehicle.

  The lower arm of the present invention is suitable for saddle riding type vehicles.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Saddle-ride type vehicle, 12 ... Body frame, 20 ... Fork member, 23 ... Upper arm, 30 ... Lower arm, 36 ... Spherical bearing, 40 ... Connection part, 51 ... Front wheel, 66 ... Shaft, 68L ... Left leg part, 68R ... Right leg part, 71 ... Cross part, 80L ... Left arm part, 80R ... Right arm part, 87 ... Bearing mounting part, 90, 100 ... Vulnerable part.

Claims (3)

A vehicle body frame (12), a fork member (20) having a front wheel (51) disposed in front of the vehicle body frame (12) and freely rotatable at a lower portion, and connected to the fork member (20) and the vehicle body frame (12) In a saddle-ride type vehicle (10) comprising an upper arm (23) and a lower arm (30) provided so as to be swingable on the side,
In the vicinity of the connecting portion (40) between the fork member (20) and the lower arm (30), a fragile portion (90) having a fragile structure is provided,
The lower arm (30) includes a left arm portion (80L) extending leftward in the vehicle width direction and a right arm portion (80R) extending rightward, and the left arm portion (80L) and the right arm portion (80R). One of the left arm part (80L) and the right arm part (80R) is arranged so as to avoid the retracted fork member (20). A saddle-riding type vehicle characterized by being curved.   The said weak part (90) is provided in the bearing attachment part (87) to which the spherical bearing (36) which connects the said fork member (20) and the said lower arm (30) is attached. A saddle-ride type vehicle. The fork member (20) includes a pair of left and right legs (68L, 68R) that support the front wheel (51) via a shaft (66),
A cross part (71) that is rotatably connected to the lower arm (30) and extends in the vehicle width direction is passed to the left leg part (68L) and the right leg part (68R),
The saddle-ride type vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the weak portion (100) is provided at an arbitrary position in the vehicle width direction of the cross portion (71).

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