JPH0127910B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a small vehicle having two steering front wheels.

A small vehicle having two steering front wheels and one or two rear wheels normally turns while moving the driver's center of gravity in the turning direction against the centrifugal force during turning. In this case, the driver's seat is usually fixed to the frame, making it difficult for the driver's center of gravity to shift. Particularly when making sharp turns, the driver has to tilt his or her upper body considerably, causing an inconvenience in that the driver has to drive in an awkward position.

The present invention has been made in view of these inconveniences, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a small vehicle that can easily move the center of gravity when turning and eliminates the need to take an unreasonable driving posture even when turning sharply.

According to the present invention, the object is to provide a small vehicle having two steering front wheels and one or two rear wheels, a main frame that cannot swing, and a main frame that is attached to the main frame so as to be swingable from side to side. The present invention is achieved by a small vehicle comprising: a seat for seating a driver; and a pair of left and right footrests provided on the main frame, the center of swing of the seat being set higher than the footrests. The present invention will be described in detail below based on the illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view showing main parts of the steering device, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are front views showing the driving state. The figure shows the vehicle when going straight, and FIG. 4 shows the vehicle when turning.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a main frame that cannot swing, and this main frame 10 consists of one center frame 12 that is long in the front and back direction, and a left and right frame that is welded near the middle of this center frame 12 and extends rearward. A pair of side frames 14 (only one is shown) and cross members 16, 17, 18 spanned between both side frames 14
and a front cross member 20 welded to the front end of the center frame 12. Note that the rear end of the center frame 12 extends to a cross member 17 and is welded thereto. A rear wheel 22 (only one is shown) is attached to the rear end of each side frame 14, respectively.

24 is an engine unit, and engine 2
6, and a transmission case 28 extending rearward from the engine 26. This engine unit 2
A bracket 30 4 is welded to the cross member 17 so as to be located in front of the cross member 16.
and the cross member 18.
The output of the engine 26 is transmitted to the right rear wheel 22 by an output shaft (not shown) protruding rightward from near the rear end of the transmission case 28 via a flexible joint (not shown) made of annular rubber. . In FIG. 1, 32 is an air purifier, 34 is an intake duct, and 36 is a flat footrest.

38 is a swinging frame, which includes a pair of left and right pipes 40 (40a, 40b) and a pair of left and right pipes 4.
2 (42a, 42b) and these pipes 40,
42 and a bracket 44 for connecting the two. The front ends of the pipes 40a, 40b are welded to the bushing 46, and the lower ends of the pipes 42a, 42b are welded to the bushing 46.
It is welded to 8. The bearing sleeve 46 is rotatably mounted on a support member 50 erected on the center frame 12, and the bearing sleeve 48 is rotatably mounted between the cross members 16 and 18. As a result, the swing frame 38 is rotated as shown in FIG. Footrest 36 as shown
It is possible to swing in the left and right directions around a swing shaft 52 located at a higher position. 54 is a torsion coil spring attached to the bearing sleeve 48, and both ends of this coil spring 54 are respectively locked to the bearing sleeve 48 and the cross member 18, giving the swinging frame 38 the habit of returning to the upright position. do. Reference numeral 56 denotes a seat for the driver, which is fixed to the bracket 44 and the pipe 42. Therefore, the seat 56 is integrated with the swing frame 38 and swings in the left-right direction with respect to the main frame 10.

The front part of the swing frame 38, that is, the pipe 40
A handle support cylinder 58 is connected between four connecting pipes 60 (60a, 60b), 62 (62a,
62b), and a handle shaft 64 is rotatably held in this handle support cylinder 58. 66 is a bar handle fixed to the upper end of the handle shaft 64. The lower end of the handle shaft 64 is located above the bearing tube 46, as shown in FIGS.
8 is fixed. This arm 68 has inner wires 72 for a pair of left and right wires 70 (70a, 70b).
(72a, 72b) are locked, and the outer receiver 74 (74a, 74b) of this wire 70 is welded to the pipe 40a, 40b, respectively.
6 (76a, 76b). (Second
figure). The wires 70a and 70b are connected to the main frame 1
0, the wire 70b is inserted from the inside of the left side frame 14 into the bearing sleeve 48.
The inner 72b is connected to the left pipe 42a, and the outer 74b is connected to the cross member 1.
6, respectively. Similarly, the inner wire 72a of the other wire 70a is connected to the right pipe 42b, and the outer wire 74 is connected to the right pipe 42b.
a is the outer receiver 7 welded to the cross member 16
8b (Figs. 3 and 4).
As a result, when the bar handle 66 is rotated left and right, the swinging frame 38, the seat 56, and the bar handle 66
If the seat 56 is also pivoted left and right, and the seat 56 is pivoted left and right, the bar handle 66 is also pivoted left and right, and these elements are interlocked with each other.

Next, the steering device will be explained. Knuckles 80 (80
a, 80b, FIGS. 1 and 4) to steer the front wheels 82.
(82a, 82b) are attached to this knuckle 80, respectively.
84b) are coupled so as to extend rearward. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 86 denotes a rack rod.
Both ends of the tie rods 90 (90a, 9
0b) to the knuckle arm 84. In addition, the rack case 88 is attached to the bracket 9.
2 to a support member 50 erected on the center frame 12. A rack 94 facing upward from the rack case 88 is fixed to the upper central surface of the rack rod 86.

As shown in FIG. 1, a swinging member 96 is attached to the rear surface of the support member 50 with a support shaft 97, and a long hole 98 (see FIG. 2) formed at the swinging end of the upper part of the swinging member 96 is provided with the swinging member 96 as shown in FIG. An engagement pin 102 of a bracket 100 fixed to the handle support tube 58 is engaged. Therefore, the swing member 96 swings from side to side about the support shaft 97 together with the swing frame 38 . The support member 50 has a substantially horizontal support shaft 10 above the support shaft 97.
A small gear 106 is fixed to the rear end thereof, and a large gear 108 is fixed to the front end of the small gear 106, and both gears 106 and 108 rotate together. An arc-shaped internal tooth 110 that meshes with a small gear 106 is fixed to the swinging member 96, and a large gear 108 meshes with a rack 94 that is fixed to the rack rod 86. Therefore, the small gear 106 and the large gear 108 rotate due to the swinging of the swinging member 96, and the rack rod 86 slides in the left-right direction together with the rack 94.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained. The driver does not shift the center of gravity to the left or right, and the bar handle 66
When is in the straight forward position, the swing frame 38 is in the upright position (FIG. 3). At this time, the rack rod 86 is at the center of FIG. 2, and the front wheels 82 are positioned in the straight-ahead direction.

When the driver turns the bar handle 66 left and right, the swing frame 38,
The seat 56 and the bar handle 66 also swing left and right (FIG. 4). At this time, the swing member 96 swings in the same direction as the swing frame 38, and the small gear 106 and the large gear 108 are rotated by the internal teeth 110. Therefore, the rack 94 meshing with the large toothing 108 slides left and right together with the rack rod 86, and the front wheel 82 is rotated left and right by the rack rod 86 via the knuckle 80, the knuckle arm 84, and the tie rod 90. That is, the steering angle of the front wheels 82 changes.

Furthermore, if the bar handle 66 is returned to the straight position and the center of gravity is moved to the center, the state returns to the straight state shown in FIG. The return to the straight-ahead state shown in FIG. 3 is easily performed, and the straight-ahead travel performance is also improved.

In this embodiment, the steering device includes a swing frame 38,
Although the steering device is configured to operate in conjunction with the bar handle 66 and the seat 56, the steering device may be configured to be independent of the swing frame and operate in conjunction with the handlebar, and the steering device may also be configured to operate in conjunction with the handlebar handle 66 and the seat 56. The bar handle 66 may be fixed to the frame 10 side so that it cannot swing to the left or right.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the seat 56 swings from side to side in response to the rotation of the bar handle 66, making it very easy to shift the center of gravity during driving.
Since the amount of rotation of the seat 56 corresponds to the amount of rocking of the seat 56, the driver can easily sense the required amount of movement of the center of gravity, resulting in a good driving feeling. At this time, the center of swing of the seat 56 is higher than the footrest 36, so when the seat 56 is tilted, the area on which the feet can be placed on the footrest 36 on the main frame side does not decrease. Therefore, even if this type of small vehicle has a relatively narrow body width, the footrest can be reliably placed on the footrest when the seat 56 is swung, and the vehicle can be driven without changing the footrest position.

As described above, this invention allows the driver's seat to swing left and right with respect to the main frame, so when turning, the driver can tilt his or her body to the left and right along with the seat, making it easy to shift the center of gravity. become. Particularly when making sharp turns, the driver can lean not only his upper body but also part of his lower body, such as his waist, at the same time, which allows him to increase the amount of movement of the center of gravity and forces him to drive in an unreasonable position. Not at all. Furthermore, since the center of swing of the seat is set higher than the footrest, when the seat is tilted to the left or right, the area on the footrest that can be placed on the footrest does not change, allowing the rider to ride in a comfortable posture without having to move his or her feet.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a front view showing the main parts of the steering device, and Figs. 3 and 4 show running states when going straight and when turning, respectively. It is a diagram. 10... Main frame, 22... Rear wheel, 36
...Footrest, 52...Swing center, 56...
Seat, 82...Steering front wheel.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a small vehicle having two steering front wheels and one or two rear wheels, a main frame that cannot swing, and a driving device that is attached to the main frame so that it can swing left and right. 1. A small vehicle comprising a seat for seating a person and a pair of left and right footrests provided on the main frame, the center of swing of the seat being set higher than the footrest.