JP3484500B2 - Four-wheeled vehicle - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a four-wheeled vehicle such as a buggy that travels on uneven terrain.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A four-wheeled vehicle such as a buggy car traveling on rough terrain includes a rear arm suspended from a body frame by a rear cushion, and a left and right pair supported at the rear end of the rear arm via a rear wheel shaft. The engine power is transmitted to the rear wheels to drive.

[0003]

By the way, in a conventional four-wheeled vehicle that employs a so-called shaft drive system as a drive system, for example, the rear cushion is arranged on the center line of the vehicle body. Therefore, avoid the rear cushion. It is necessary to dispose the gearbox and drive shaft on the outside, which increases the width of the rear arm that is suspended by the rear cushion on the vehicle body frame, and the width of the pivot part that pivotally pivots the front end of the rear arm. In addition to the large size and complicated structure, the vehicle body frame also becomes large and the structure becomes complicated, which causes a problem that the entire vehicle becomes heavy and the cost is increased.

Further, when the drive shaft is arranged outside with respect to the center line of the vehicle body as described above, the engine is also arranged outside, so that the width dimension of the engine is increased and the weight thereof is increased. There was a problem that it would also grow.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to reduce the width of the entire structure to simplify the structure and shape, reduce the weight, and reduce the cost. To provide a vehicle.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object,
According to the first aspect of the invention, a front arm is swingably attached to the vehicle body frame, and a rear arm is suspended from the vehicle body frame by a rear cushion. The rear arm is supported by the rear end portion of the rear arm via a rear wheel shaft. In a four-wheeled vehicle that travels by transmitting engine power to a pair of left and right rear wheels via rear wheel drive means, the engine is offset to either the left or right with respect to the center line of the vehicle body, and the rear cushion is offset to the other. It is characterized by having done.

The invention according to claim 2 is the above claim 1.
In the invention described above, the rear wheel drive means is arranged on the side where the engine is offset with respect to the center line of the vehicle body.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the exhaust pipe leading from the engine is located on the side opposite to the side where the engine is offset with respect to the center line of the vehicle body. It is characterized in that it extends to the rear of the vehicle body through the side and is connected to the muffler through the inside of the vehicle body frame.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the invention of the first aspect, the output shaft of the engine is offset to the same side as the engine with respect to the center line of the vehicle body, and the output shaft and the center line of the vehicle body are aligned with each other. It is characterized in that the arranged front differential is connected by a transmission shaft that obliquely crosses the center line of the vehicle body.

[0010]

According to the present invention, by offsetting the rear cushion with respect to the center line of the vehicle body, a gear box or the like disposed on the same side as the engine, which is offset from the rear cushion with respect to the center line of the vehicle body, is provided. The rear wheel drive means such as the drive shaft can be brought close to the center line of the vehicle body. As a result, the width dimension of the rear arm and the vehicle body frame can be reduced, and the engine width dimension can be reduced. The width dimension of the engine can be further reduced by offsetting the engine with respect to the center line of the vehicle body, and the engine can be made smaller and lighter.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the width dimension of the vehicle body frame and the rear arm can be reduced, and the engine can be made smaller and lighter. As a result, the entire vehicle can be made smaller and lighter to reduce the cost. To be

[0012]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a layout of devices in a four-wheel vehicle according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a rear view of the same (a rear view showing a relationship between a vehicle body frame, a rear cushion and a rear arm), and FIG. 3 is a side view of the four-wheel vehicle according to FIG.

The four-wheel vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment is a buggy vehicle that travels on rough terrain, and the body of the four-wheel vehicle can be freely moved by a pair of left and right front wheels 2 at the front and a pair of left and right rear wheels 3 at the rear. It is supported.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle body frame 4 of the four-wheeled vehicle 1 is constructed in a pipe frame structure, which is a pair of left and right upper tubes 4a which are substantially rectangular in a side view.
And a down tube 4b, and a reinforcing frame 4c is installed between the tubes 4a and 4b.

A steering pipe 5 is erected obliquely upward toward the rear at the vehicle body center line L (see FIGS. 1 and 2) of the vehicle body frame 4 at the front of the vehicle body. A steering shaft (not shown) is rotatably inserted in the pipe 5. A bar handle 6 is attached to the upper end of the steering shaft.

Thus, the pair of left and right front wheels 2 is steered by the steering operation of the bar handle 6. As shown in FIG. 3, the front wheels 2 are front wheel shafts 7.
It is rotatably supported by the front cushion 8 and is suspended vertically by the front cushion 8 from the body frame 4. The front part of the vehicle body above the front wheels 2 is covered by a front cover 9 which is integrally molded of resin.

On the other hand, a fuel tank 10 is arranged at the upper center of the vehicle body, behind the steering pipe 5, and a seat 11 is arranged behind the fuel tank 10. The seat 11 is the upper tube 4a.
It is supported by a seat rail frame 4d extending from the rear of the vehicle body.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, an engine 12 is disposed below the fuel tank 10 at the center of the vehicle body, and the engine 12 has the reinforcing frame 4c.
The four points are mounted and supported by the vehicle body frame 4 via a pair of left and right brackets 13 connected to each other and a pair of left and right brackets 14 connected to the upper tube 4a.

By the way, the air cleaner 15 constituting the intake system of the engine 12 is arranged below the seat 11 as shown in FIG.
The intake duct 16 connected to the fuel tank 10 opens to the rear of the fuel tank 10 in the seat 11. The air cleaner 15 is connected to the intake side of the engine 12 via the carburetor 17.

The exhaust pipe 18 extending forward from the exhaust side of the engine 12 is folded back toward the right side of the vehicle body (the side opposite to the side where the engine 12 is offset), and then to the side of the engine 12. Extend to the rear of the vehicle through
It is connected to the muffler 19 through the inside of the one (right) down tube 4b.

On the other hand, behind the engine 12, the upper tube 4a and the down tube 4 of the body frame 4 are
A front end of a rear arm 21 is pivotally attached to a pair of left and right rear arm brackets 20 connected to a connecting portion with b so as to be vertically swingable by a pivot shaft 22.
A pair of left and right rear wheels 3 is rotatably supported by a rear wheel shaft 23 at the rear end of the rear wheel 1. The rear arm 21 is suspended on the vehicle body frame 4 by a rear cushion 24.

The rear arm 21 is arranged parallel to the pipes 21a, 21b of different sizes, which are arranged on the left and right of the vehicle body, and the pipes 21a, 21b.
It is configured by a pivot pipe 21c and an axle pipe 21d that connect the front and rear ends of b, respectively, and the large diameter pipe 21a and the axle pipe 21d are connected via a gear box 25.

The four-wheel vehicle 1 according to this embodiment employs a so-called shaft drive system as a drive system, and the output shaft 26 extending from the rear portion of the engine 12 toward the rear of the vehicle body is the rear arm 21. One end (left side) of the drive shaft inserted in the pipe 21a (not shown) is connected to one end, and the other end of the drive shaft is connected to a bevel gear mechanism (not shown) housed in the gear box 25. .

When the engine 12 is driven, the rotation of the output shaft 26 is transmitted to the drive shaft in the pipe 21a of the rear arm 21, and the rotation of the drive shaft is generated by the bevel gear mechanism in the gear box 25. The direction is converted by 90 ° and transmitted to the rear wheel shaft 23, and the rear wheel 3 is driven to rotate by the rotation of the rear wheel shaft 23, whereby the four-wheel vehicle 1 is caused to travel.

On the other hand, the rear cushion 24 is supported at its upper end by a shaft 28 on a pair of brackets 27 connected to the cross pipe 4e (see FIGS. 1 and 2) of the vehicle body frame 4, and its lower end is A shaft 30 is attached to a bracket 29 connected to the axle pipe 21d of the rear arm 21.
Supported by.

As shown in FIG. 3, the rear portion of the vehicle body above the rear wheel 3 is covered with a rear cover 31 integrally formed of resin.

In the above, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the center of the engine 12 (engine cylinder 1
2a is offset to the left with respect to the vehicle body center line L (downward in FIG. 1) by a, and the rear cushion 24 is on the right side with respect to the vehicle body center line L as shown in FIGS. It is offset by (b) (upper side in FIG. 1).

Therefore, in contrast to the conventional structure in which the rear cushion is arranged on the vehicle body center line, the rear cushion 24 is offset by b from the vehicle body center line L as described above, so that the vehicle body center line L is offset. Rear cushion 24
The rear wheel drive means such as a gearbox 25 and a drive shaft (not shown), which are arranged on the same side as the engine 12, which is offset by a on the side opposite to As a result, the width dimension of the rear arm 21 and the vehicle body frame 4 can be reduced, and the width dimension of the engine 12 can be suppressed to be small. That is, the dimension c of the engine 12 can be reduced by the total (a + b) of the offset amount b of the rear cushion 24 and the offset amount a of the engine 12, and the size and weight of the engine 12 can be reduced. . In FIG. 1, d is the distance from the vehicle body center line L of the rear wheel drive means such as the gear box 25 and a drive shaft (not shown).

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the width of the vehicle body frame 4 and the rear arm 21 can be reduced, and the engine 12 can be made smaller and lighter. As a result, the entire four-wheel vehicle 1 can be made smaller and lighter. Therefore, the cost can be reduced.

Further, when the width dimension of the rear arm 21 is reduced and the width dimension around the pivot portion (front end pivotally attached portion) is reduced, the structure and shape around the pivot portion are simplified.
In particular, by reducing the width dimension of the pivot part, the shape of the peripheral part (the part hatched in the drawing) can be simplified to a horizontal parallel plane, and the structure of the part can be simplified. .

Further, according to this embodiment, since the engine 12 is offset to the left with respect to the vehicle body center line L, the exhaust pipe 8 leading from the engine 12 can be passed through the inside of the right down tube 4b, This also makes it possible to reduce the width dimension of the vehicle body frame 4 and to reduce the size and weight of the four-wheel vehicle.

In the above embodiment, the engine 12 is offset to the left with respect to the vehicle body center line L and the rear cushion 24 is offset to the right with respect to the vehicle body center line L. On the right side, rear cushion 2
It is needless to say that the same effect as described above can be obtained by offsetting 4 to the left side, and the point is that the offset directions of the engine 12 and the rear cushion 24 are opposite to the vehicle body center line L.

By the way, the present invention can be similarly applied to a four-wheel drive type vehicle. Here, the configuration of the front wheel drive system of the four-wheel drive type four-wheel vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. Explain. 4 is a plan view showing the structure of the front wheel drive system of the four-wheel drive vehicle, FIG. 5 is a side view of the same, and FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway front view showing the structure of the front wheel suspension. The same elements as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted below.

Also in the four-wheel vehicle 1 according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the center of the engine 12 is offset to the left side (downward in FIG. 4) with respect to the vehicle body center line L by a. The output shaft 26 of the engine 12 is offset by d on the same side as the engine 12.

On the other hand, the vehicle body center line L in front of the engine 12
A front differential (front differential device) 32 is arranged on the upper side, and an input shaft 32a is offset from the front differential to the side opposite to the engine 12 with respect to the vehicle body center line L by e and is directed rearward. It has been extended. The input shaft 32a and the front end of the output shaft 26 are separated from each other by the vehicle body center line L.
Transmission shaft 33 and universal joint 3 that cross diagonally
They are connected by 4, 35.

A pair of drive shafts 36 for transmitting the driving force to the front wheels 2 extend outward from the left and right sides of the front differential 32. As shown in FIG. 6, each front wheel 2 has a drive shaft. An upper arm 37, a lower arm 38, and a front cushion 8 which are arranged above and below the 36, are suspended vertically on the vehicle body.

When the engine 12 is driven, the rotation of the output shaft 26 is transmitted to the rear wheel 3 as described in the above embodiment, and at the same time, the transmission shaft 33, the front differential 32 and the drive shaft 36. Is transmitted to the front wheels 2 via the
Then, the rear wheels 3 are simultaneously driven to drive the four-wheel vehicle 1.

In the above, in the present embodiment, as described above, the output shaft 26 of the engine 12 is connected to the front differential 32 by the transmission shaft 33 diagonally crossing the center line L of the vehicle body. In addition to maintaining good balance, the vehicle body side attachment points 37a, 37b, 38a, 38b of the upper arm 37 and the lower arm 38 (see FIG. 4).
(See) can be brought closer to the center side of the vehicle, and as a result,
The tread of the front wheels 2 (distance between the left and right front wheels 2) can be suppressed to a small width to form the vehicle body frame 4 with a narrow width, and the rigidity of the vehicle body frame 4 can be increased and the vehicle body can be made compact. Alternatively, if the tread of the front wheel 2 is constant, the upper arm 37 and the lower arm 38 are
Can be increased, and as a result, the vehicle body side attachment points 37a, 3 of both arms 37, 38 associated with the vertical movement of the front wheel 2 can be increased.
The swing angle at 7b, 38a, 38b is suppressed to a small value, and the mounting points 37a, 37b, 3 at the time of swing of both arms 37, 38, 3
Friction at 8a and 38b can be suppressed small.

[0040]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the front end of the rear arm is pivotally attached to the body frame so as to be swingable, and the rear arm is suspended by the rear cushion. In a four-wheel vehicle that travels by transmitting engine power to a pair of left and right rear wheels supported by a rear wheel shaft through rear wheel drive means, the engine is either left or right with respect to the center line of the vehicle body. Since the rear cushion is offset to the other side, the width dimension of the entire four-wheel vehicle can be reduced, and the structure and shape thereof can be simplified, the weight can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a layout of devices in a four-wheel vehicle according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the relationship between the vehicle body frame, the rear cushion, and the rear arm in the four-wheel vehicle according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a four-wheel vehicle according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a configuration of a front wheel drive system of a four-wheel drive type four-wheel vehicle.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a configuration of a front wheel drive system of a four-wheel drive vehicle.

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway front view showing a configuration of a front wheel suspension of a four-wheel drive four-wheel vehicle.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 four-wheel vehicle 2 front wheels 3 rear wheels 4 body frame 12 engine 18 Exhaust pipe 19 muffler 21 Rear arm 23 Rear wheel axle 24 Rear cushion 25 gearbox (rear wheel drive means) 26 Engine output shaft 32 front differential 33 Transmission shaft a Engine offset amount b Rear cushion offset amount L body center line

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Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A pair of left and right members, each of which has a rear arm pivotably attached to a body frame at a front end thereof and suspended from the body frame by a rear cushion, and which is supported at a rear end portion of the rear arm via a rear wheel shaft. In a four-wheeled vehicle that travels by transmitting engine power to the rear wheels via rear wheel drive means, the engine is offset to either the left or right with respect to the center line of the vehicle body, and the rear cushion is offset to the other. A characteristic four-wheeled vehicle. 2. The four-wheel vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the rear wheel drive means is arranged on a side where the engine is offset with respect to a center line of a vehicle body. 3. An exhaust pipe extending from the engine extends rearward of the vehicle body through a side of the engine opposite to a side where the engine is offset with respect to a vehicle body center line, and extends inside the vehicle body frame. The four-wheel vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the four-wheel vehicle is connected to a muffler. 4. An output shaft of the engine is offset on the same side as the engine with respect to the center line of the vehicle body, and a transmission shaft that obliquely crosses the center line of the vehicle body between the output shaft and the front differential arranged on the center line of the vehicle body. The four-wheel vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the four-wheel vehicle is connected by.