JP4126943B2 - Oil storage device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an oil storage device (oil tank) particularly in a straddle-type rough terrain vehicle (ATV) called a buggy vehicle or the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
This type of vehicle has excellent running performance and high maneuverability, not only on-road, but also particularly in severe driving conditions such as off-road or waterfront. The basic configuration is, for example, that there are four wheels on the front and rear of the body frame, a steering device is installed between the front wheels, an engine is mounted on the body frame, and a fuel tank and seat are placed on the top. is there.
[0003]
FIG. 7 shows an example of a conventional vehicle. In the figure, a pair of left and right front wheels 2 and a rear wheel 3 are disposed in the front and rear of the body frame 1 so as to be positioned between the front and rear wheels 2 and 3. An engine unit 4 is mounted on the body frame 1. In addition, a steering device (steering shaft or the like) 5 for steering the front wheels 2 is provided. In particular, when the engine lubrication is a dry sump type, an oil tank 6 separate from the engine unit 4 is provided.
[0004]
In the case of a water-cooled engine, a radiator device for cooling the engine unit 4 is disposed, for example, in the vicinity of the front end portion of the vehicle body frame 1. Alternatively, the vehicle body frame 1 is disposed using an appropriate space. In this case, the oil tank 6 is arranged and configured on the front side of the steering shaft, for example, as shown in FIG.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional oil storage device, the oil tank 6 is arranged far away from the engine unit 4. Therefore, the weight balance of the entire vehicle is biased forward, which greatly affects the setting of the vehicle center of gravity. In addition, a long oil hose 7 must be routed between the engine unit 4 and the oil storage device, which is troublesome in handling and disadvantageous in terms of weight and cost.
[0006]
Furthermore, when the oil tank 6 is disposed, for example, in front of the radiator device, the front of the oil tank 6 is blocked, and as a result, the cooling performance of the radiator device is degraded. In that case, in order to protect the oil tank 6 from flying stones, a guard or a protector had to be disposed near the front surface.
[0007]
Further, when the oil tank 6 is divided in the front-rear direction, a large space is required in the left-right direction at a position where the oil tank 6 does not interfere with the vehicle body frame 1 in order to ensure a sufficient oil supply amount particularly in the dry sump type. become. However, there are large restrictions on the layout of each member or device, and it is substantially difficult to construct a slim vehicle body.
[0008]
In view of such a situation, the present invention has an object to provide an oil storage device that effectively arranges and configures particularly around an oil tank and effectively reduces costs and the like.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The oil storage device according to the present invention includes a front wheel and a rear wheel disposed at a front portion and a rear portion of a vehicle body frame, a steering device is provided between the front wheels, and the vehicle body frame between the front wheel and the rear wheel. In a vehicle equipped with an engine unit, an oil storage device for storing oil for lubricating the engine unit,
The steering device and to dispose the radiator device during the engine unit, the oil tank is arranged below between the steering device and the radiator device,
The oil tank is configured to be divided in a left-right direction, and a front portion thereof is disposed close to the steering device, and a divisional mating surface of the oil tank is set so as to be deviated with respect to an axis center of the steering device. To do.
[0010]
Further, in the oil storage device of the present invention, a pair of left and right frame members extending in a substantially vertical direction is provided in the vicinity of the steering device, and the oil tank is accommodated at a position sandwiched between the frame members. It is characterized by.
[0011]
In the oil storage device of the present invention, the lower part of the oil tank is formed longer in the front-rear direction so that the horizontal cross-sectional area is larger than the upper part of the oil tank.
[0012]
Further, in the oil storage device of the present invention, the left and right widths of the lower portion of the oil tank are narrowed, and a step portion having an appropriate spread in a substantially horizontal direction is formed at a substantially intermediate portion between the upper portion and the lower portion on the back side. It is characterized by that.
[0014]
In the oil storage device of the present invention, an oil inlet and its lid member are provided at the upper end of the front portion of the oil tank on the opposite side to the direction of deviation of the split mating surfaces.
[0015]
According to the present invention, the radiator device is disposed between the steering device and the engine unit, and the oil tank is disposed below the steering device and the radiator device. By arranging the oil tank in this manner, the oil hose can be shortened and the center of gravity of the vehicle can be set easily and appropriately. In that case, the lower part of the oil tank is formed long in the front-rear direction so that its horizontal cross-sectional area is larger than the upper part of the oil tank, so the oil tank is installed in a limited space while ensuring the required oil supply amount. It can be installed properly.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an oil storage device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The oil storage device according to the present invention can be effectively applied to various gasoline engines mounted on a saddle-ride type four-wheeled vehicle or a motorcycle, and in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. An example of a riding type four-wheeled vehicle 10 will be described.
[0017]
In FIG. 1, the overall configuration of a saddle-ride type four-wheel vehicle 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. In the figure, the arrow F represents the front and the arrow R represents the rear.
The straddle-type four-wheel vehicle 10 includes a steel pipe body frame 11 constituting a basic skeleton. In the basic structure, a front wheel 12 and a rear wheel 13 are disposed at the front and rear portions of the body frame 11, and the front wheel 12 is interposed between the front wheels 12. A steering device 14 is installed, and an engine unit 15 is mounted on the vehicle body frame 11 between the front wheels 12 and the rear wheels 13.
[0018]
2 and 3, the vehicle body frame 11 includes a main frame 16, a front upper frame 17, a front lower frame 18, a lower frame 19, and a down tube 20, and an intermediate down frame 21 is provided inside them. An intermediate frame 22 and a support frame 23 are disposed. A pair of such frame structures are provided on both the left and right sides of the vehicle, and these are connected to each other by a cross member 24 or the like to constitute the basic skeleton of the vehicle.
[0019]
The engine unit 15 mounted on the vehicle body frame 11 so as to be positioned between the front and rear wheels 12 and 13 includes, for example, a 4-cycle single cylinder engine, and its output is transmitted to the drive sprocket 25 via a transmission. Note that the engine unit 15 in the present embodiment performs engine lubrication in a dry sump type, and is provided with an oil tank, which will be described later, separately from the engine unit 15. The drive sprocket 25 is coupled to the driven sprocket 27 of the rear wheel 13 via the chain 26, whereby the rear wheel 13 is rotationally driven.
[0020]
A carburetor 28 is connected to the intake port of the engine of the engine unit 15, and an air-fuel mixture is supplied by the carburetor 28. An air cleaner device 29 is connected to the carburetor 28. In addition, the engine keeps the engine height low by tilting the cylinder forward, and has an intake port on the rear surface. Since the intake port has a straight shape as much as possible for the purpose of increasing the intake efficiency, the carburetor 28 is disposed at a position relatively higher than the intake port.
[0021]
A straddle-type seat 31 is installed on the seat pipe 30 of the body frame 11, a fuel tank 32 is installed in front of it, and a steering handle 33 for steering the front wheels 12 and the steering handle 33 are installed in front of the fuel tank 32. A supporting steering shaft 34 is provided. The lower end portion of the steering shaft 34 is rotatably supported by a bearing portion 35 located in the vicinity of the axle of the front wheel 12 at the center of the vehicle, and is tilted rearward and upward as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG.
[0022]
A front fender 36 that covers the front wheel 12 and the front upper portion of the vehicle body frame 11 is provided at the front of the vehicle body, and a rear fender 37 that covers the rear wheel 13 and the rear upper portion of the vehicle body frame 11 is provided. The front fender 36 and the rear fender 37 are synthetic resin molded products.
[0023]
In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the radiator device 100 is disposed at a position close to the front of the engine unit 15. In addition, an oil tank (storage tank) 200 is disposed substantially below the radiator device 100.
[0024]
In the radiator device 100, a radiator body 101 is disposed between the steering device 14 (steering shaft 34) and the engine unit 15, and a frame material (intermediate) extending in the vicinity of the steering device 14 in the vicinity of the steering device 14 as will be described later. The radiator cover 102 is attached to the down frame 21). The radiator cover 102 covers the front of the radiator main body 101.
[0025]
Referring to FIG. 2, radiator body 101 has upper and lower portions coupled to bracket 103 and bracket 104 fixed to main frame 16 and intermediate down frame 21, respectively, and supported with a moderate forward tilt as shown. Is done. An inflow side cooling water pipe 105 and an outflow side cooling water pipe 106 are connected to the upper and lower parts of the radiator body 101, and these cooling water pipes 105, 106 are connected to the upper part and the lower part of the cylinder part of the engine unit 15, respectively. Yes. A reservoir tank 107 is attached to the back (rear part) of the radiator main body 101 so as to adjust the amount or level of cooling water in the radiator main body 101 according to the operating state of the radiator device 100.
[0026]
The radiator cover 102 is formed of a synthetic resin, and is formed in a substantially “U” shape in a plan view or a top view. The U-shaped two ends are disposed so as to cover the side of the radiator main body 101. Further, a plurality of louver-shaped fins are provided at the front portion of the radiator cover 102, and these fins prevent muddy water and the like splashed from the front and rear wheels 12 and the like from scattering to the radiator main body 101. It has become.
[0027]
The radiator cover 102 has an opening for allowing the steering shaft 34 of the steering device 14 to be inserted at a substantially central portion thereof, and has a notch formed to accommodate the oil tank 200. By providing these openings or notches, the radiator body 101 can be attached so as to cover the front without interfering with other members such as the steering shaft 34 or the oil tank 200.
[0028]
In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the radiator device 100 is disposed between the steering device 14 and the engine unit 15 as described above, and the oil tank 200 is disposed below the steering device 14 and the radiator device 100. To do. In this case, the oil tank 200 is accommodated in a position sandwiched between the intermediate down frame 21 or the intermediate frame 22 as shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. The oil tank 200 is connected to the engine unit 15 via an oil hose 211 for collecting oil collected in an oil pan of the engine unit 15 and an oil hose 212 for supplying oil to an oil pump of the engine unit 15. It is connected.
[0029]
FIG. 5 shows a configuration example of the oil tank 200. The oil tank 200 is formed by deep drawing a thin plate material made of iron or aluminum (or aluminum alloy), and has a shape that is long and thin in the vertical direction. In particular, the lower part 200 </ b> B of the oil tank 200 is formed long in the front-rear direction so that its horizontal cross-sectional area is larger than that of the upper part 200 </ b> A of the oil tank 200.
[0030]
Further, the left and right widths of the lower part 200B of the oil tank 200 are narrowed (FIG. 5 (c)), and a step part 201 having a moderate extent in a substantially horizontal direction is provided at a substantially middle part of the upper part 200A and the lower part 200B on the back side. It is formed.
In addition, connection parts 202 and 203 of oil hoses 211 and 212 are provided on the top and bottom of the oil tank 200. An oil injection port 204 is provided at the upper front end of the oil tank 200, and a lid member 205 is attached to the oil injection port 204 (FIG. 2). An oil overflow hose connection 206 is provided at the top of the oil tank 200.
[0031]
Further, the oil tank 200 is divided in the left-right direction along the flange-shaped dividing mating surface 207. Mounting holes 208 and 209 are provided on the divisional mating surface 207, and bolts or the like are inserted into the mounting holes 208 and 209 to fasten and fix the oil tank 200 to the vehicle body frame 11. . The left and right divided portions of the oil tank 200 are each deep-drawn and joined together by welding or brazing at the division mating surface 207.
[0032]
As shown in FIG. 2 and the like, the front portion of the oil tank 200 is arranged close to the steering device 14, and further, as shown in FIG. It is set biased with respect to L. In that case, an oil injection port 204 and its lid member 205 are provided at the front upper end of the oil tank 200 on the side opposite to the biasing direction of the dividing mating surface 207.
[0033]
In the above configuration, the radiator device 100 is disposed between the steering device 14 and the engine unit 15, and the oil tank 200 is disposed below the steering device 14 and the radiator device 100. By disposing the oil tank 200 in this way, the water hoses 211 and 212 are shortened, thereby reducing the weight and facilitating their routing. In addition, since the oil tank 200 is disposed closer to the center of gravity of the vehicle, the center of gravity can be set easily and appropriately, and as a result, traveling stability can be improved.
[0034]
Further, by disposing the oil tank 200 below the radiator device 100, the air guide to the radiator device 100 can be improved, the cooling performance can be improved, and a guard or protector in front of the oil tank 200 can be eliminated. it can.
[0035]
Furthermore, the lower part 200B of the oil tank 200 is formed longer in the front-rear direction so that the horizontal sectional area is larger than that of the upper part 200A. With this configuration, the oil tank 200 can be properly installed in a limited space while securing the necessary oil supply amount, and the center of gravity can be lowered. In that case, the amount of movement of the center of gravity is reduced with respect to the inclination of the vehicle body in the left-right direction.
[0036]
Further, a step portion 201 having an appropriate extent in a substantially horizontal direction is formed at a substantially middle portion between the upper part 200A and the lower part 200B of the oil tank 200, and the oil level in the oil tank 200 may be crushed at the horizontal plane part. it can. Thereby, it is possible to prevent bubbles and the like from being generated in the oil in the oil tank 200 and to ensure a good lubricating action.
[0037]
Further, the oil tank 200 is divided in the left-right direction along a flange-shaped dividing and mating surface 207. The oil tank 200 is deep-drawn, but by making the deep-drawing direction correspond to the left-right direction, the deep-drawable range a even when arranged between the left and right body frames 11 as shown in FIG. The necessary and sufficient oil capacity can be secured.
[0038]
6B, when the oil tank 200 'is divided in the front-rear direction along the dividing face 207', the length in the front-rear direction of the oil tank 200 'is limited by the deep-drawable range a. It becomes difficult to secure. Thus, even when compared with the case of FIG. 6 (b), according to the present invention, the tank capacity can be greatly increased as shown by the hatched lines in FIG. 6 (a). Therefore, particularly in the case of dry sump engine lubrication, a sufficient oil supply amount is secured, which is advantageous.
[0039]
Further, by dividing the oil tank 200 in the left-right direction, the oil tank 200 is attached to the vehicle body from the left-right direction. This facilitates assembly work in the factory. Further, in that case, the division mating surface 207 is the axial center C.P. Since it is set so as to be biased with respect to L, it is possible to secure a space for providing the oil injection port 204 on the side opposite to the biasing direction. The oil injection operation is facilitated by arranging the oil injection port 204 in this manner.
[0040]
As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated with embodiment, this invention is not limited only to these embodiment, A change etc. are possible within the scope of the present invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example of a four-wheel buggy vehicle has been described. However, the present invention can be effectively applied to a vehicle (for example, a motorcycle) on which this type of engine is mounted, and the same effects as the above-described embodiment can be obtained. Can do.
[0041]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, in this type of oil storage device, a radiator device is particularly disposed between the steering device and the engine unit, and an oil tank is disposed below the steering device and the radiator device. By arranging the oil tank in this way, the water hose can be shortened and the center of gravity of the vehicle can be set easily and appropriately. In that case, the lower part of the oil tank is formed long in the front-rear direction so that its horizontal cross-sectional area is larger than the upper part of the oil tank, so the oil tank is installed in a limited space while ensuring the required oil supply amount. It has the advantage that it can be installed properly.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a vehicle equipped with an oil storage device in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side view around the oil storage device in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a front view around the oil storage device in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an overall configuration example of a vehicle equipped with an oil storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a plan view, a front view, and a rear view showing a configuration example of an oil tank in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the direction of deep drawing of an oil tank according to an embodiment of the present invention in relation to a comparative example.
FIG. 7 is a side view of a vehicle showing a conventional example.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 straddle-type four-wheeled vehicle 11 body frame 12 front wheel 13 rear wheel 14 steering device 15 engine unit 16 main frame 17 front upper frame 18 front lower frame 19 lower frame 20 down tube 21 intermediate down frame 22 intermediate frame 23 support frame 28 carburetor 29 Air cleaner device 31 Seat 32 Fuel tank 33 Steering handle 34 Steering shaft 100 Radiator device 101 Radiator body 102 Radiator cover 105 Inflow side cooling water piping 106 Outflow side cooling water piping 107 Reservoir tank 200 Oil tank 201 Step portion 204 Oil injection port 207 Division Mating surface

Claims (5)

In a vehicle in which a front wheel and a rear wheel are disposed at a front portion and a rear portion of a body frame, a steering device is provided between the front wheels, and an engine unit is mounted on the body frame between the front wheel and the rear wheel. An oil storage device for storing oil for lubricating the engine unit,
A radiator device is disposed between the steering device and the engine unit, and an oil tank is disposed below the steering device and the radiator device ,
The oil tank is constructed so as to be divided into the right and left direction, and characterized in that with close place the front to the steering device sets the split mating surfaces of the oil tank deviate with respect to the axis center of the steering device Oil storage device.   The pair of left and right frame members extending substantially in the vertical direction is provided in the vicinity of the steering device, and the oil tank is accommodated at a position sandwiched between the frame members. Oil storage device. The lower portion of the oil tank, oil storage apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the horizontal cross-sectional area that is elongated in the front-rear direction to be larger than the top of the oil tank. To Subomari hem lateral width of the lower portion of the oil tank, according to claim 1, characterized in that the stepped portion is formed with a moderate spread in a substantially horizontal direction substantially intermediate portion of the upper and lower on the rear side Oil storage device. The oil storage device according to claim 1 , wherein an oil inlet and a lid member thereof are provided at an upper end of the front portion of the oil tank opposite to the direction of deviation of the divided mating surfaces.

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