372results about "Rotary transmissions" patented technology

An all terrain vehicle (“ATV”) is disclosed having a frame with front, rear, right, and left sides. The frame defines a frame centerline extending longitudinally between the front and the rear sides. The ATV includes an engine with at least one cylinder having an axis that defines an engine centerline. The all terrain vehicle also includes an output shaft defining an output shaft centerline. A continuously variable transmission (“CVT”) operatively connects the engine to the output shaft and defines a CVT centerline. The engine centerline, output shaft centerline, and CVT centerline are positioned with respect to one another and the frame centerline. In one embodiment, the engine centerline is disposed between the output shaft centerline and the CVT centerline. In this embodiment, the engine centerline also may lie between the frame centerline and the CVT centerline.

An all terrain vehicle has a lubrication system that draws from an oil pan and lubricates the main bearings and the piston. A drive shaft for the vehicle is positioned outside of the oil pan such that the oil pan's lateral dimension may be decreased. Additionally, a lubricant pump pickup is located within a recess in the bottom of the oil pan such that the pick-up is at about the same vertical height as the lower surface of the crankcase. The vehicle is also shiftable from two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive. The shifting mechanism is located within the crankcase or transmission case. A locking collar selectively engages or disengages two of the four wheels from the output.

An all terrain vehicle has a crankcase cover and shaft supporting arrangement through which a shaft of a transmission is mounted between the crankcase and a crankcase cover. The arrangement includes a spider bracket having a bearing carrier and a cover member attached to the crankcase through the spider arrangement. The crankcase cover is preferably made of a less thermally conductive material as compared to the spider.

In order to reduce the influences of engine heat and vibration on a shift actuator, a shift actuator is disposed apart from the engine and the transmission on a vehicle. In particular a straddle-type vehicle, the vehicle includes a head pipe and a body frame including a main frame that extends rearward from the head pipe. The engine is suspended by the body frame 2 and a transmission is disposed next to the engine. The transmission includes a shift mechanism having a multiple-step speed change gear and a clutch mechanism that interrupts the transmission of rotation at the switching of the speed change gear of the transmission 40. An automatic transmission control unit operates the clutch mechanism and switches the speed change gear of the transmission automatically. The automatic transmission control unit includes the shift actuator which is mounted to the body frame and is disposed opposite to the transmission with the body frame therebetween, as viewed from the side of the vehicle, for operating the shift mechanism. A shift rod joins together the shift mechanism and the shift actuator.

A bicycle drive system includes a front gear face, a rear gear face, a front guide assembly, a rear guide assembly, and a drive shaft coupled to a rear-suspension frame via a rear hub and a crank spindle. The bicycle drive system operates independently of the frame. Shifting from one gear to another is controlled by a shift controller. Each shift of the shift controller shifts both the front and rear guide assemblies at the same time. The shift controller is preferably coupled to the front and rear guide assemblies via a cable system.

A two-wheel drive motorcycle having a drive train that supplies power to the front wheel and includes a series of rigid shafts or other internalized drive systems. The front wheel drive consists of components located on the axis of steering within the head tube and positioned symmetrically in a counterbalancing fashion within the front fork in order to counteract the torque reactions from the rotating front wheel drive while providing a full range of steering. The front wheel drive lengthens and shortens in parallel with the shock-absorbing front fork. An engagement clutch, a one-way hub, and torque limiting clutch operatively engaged with the front wheel drive are also disclosed.

A mounting configuration is provided for mounting an ABS unit on a base model motorcycle which permits a relatively large-sized and heavy ABS unit to be easily mounted on a vehicle body frame. A V-shaped engine is longitudinally mounted on the frame, and a rear wheel is supported on a rear swing arm which is pivotally supported on the frame by a pivot shaft, the rear wheel driven via a drive shaft. An ABS unit is arranged on one side of the vehicle body in a space below and to one side of the pivot shaft so as to avoid interference with the rear swing arm or the like, thus it is possible to easily mount the ABS unit on a base model. Further, by arranging exhaust pipe system parts on another side of the vehicle body, it is possible to obtain a proper lateral balance of the vehicle body.

A continuously variable transmission for bicycles having a transmission mechanism including a plurality of link units for converting rotary motion of an input shaft rotated by a pedal-operated crankshaft into swinging motion, and a one-way clutch for converting the swinging motion into rotary motion of an output shaft. The link units have drive links pivotally mounted on an eccentric ring which rotates in unison with the input shaft. The continuously variable transmission is disposed between a front wheel and a rear wheel of a bicycle in the longitudinal direction thereof and disposed either upwardly of a hypothetical plane which contains the axes of rotation of the front wheel and the rear wheel or upwardly of a position below and near the hypothetical plane. The transmission so configured provides better bicycle maneuverability, lower cost, while suffering almost no danger of contacting the ground.

The present invention describes a two-wheel drive bicycle. The drive train, which supplies power to the front wheel, is incorporated into a modified frame. The bicycle includes a rear wheel driven by a traditional chain mechanism. The front wheel is driven by a series of shafts transmitting power from the driven rear wheel to the front wheel.

The present invention is a fully functioning two-wheel drive bicycle (78). The drive train which supplies power to the front wheel (17) is incorporated into a modified frame (91) and comprises a rear wheel (90) driven by the traditional chain or shaft mechanism (23) and the front wheel driven (17) by a series of rigid shafts transferring power from the driven rear wheel (90) to the front wheel (17).

An engine includes a crankshaft for transmitting rotational drive power to a drive wheel, a clutch mechanism for connecting or disconnecting the transmission of rotational drive power of the crankshaft, and clutch actuators. The crankshaft, clutch mechanism, and clutch actuators are accommodated in an engine case. The clutch actuators control the clutch mechanism and are positioned outside the clutch mechanism, viewed from the crankshaft direction.

A space is secured inside left and right pivot plates and a space is secured in front of a rear wheel to increase flexibility in design. In a motorcycle including left and right pivot plates provided at the rear portion of main pipes, a swing arm is provided on pivots so as to be capable of moving in the vertical direction. Only one rear suspension is interposed between the swing arm and the main pipe that is disposed outside the pivot plate in the direction of the width of the vehicle. A lower end of the rear suspension is connected to an upper surface of an arm portion of the swing arm. The rear suspension is mounted to one of the main pipe so as to extend continuously from the main pipe and substantially linearly in the direction of the length of the vehicle in a top view.

A motorcycle shifting arrangement is connected to a transmission of the motorcycle for shifting the transmission between a higher gear and a lower gear. The motorcycle includes an original shifting structure having an original shift member pivotally mounted on an original pivot shaft coupled to the transmission at a location adjacent a foot rest attached to a bottom portion of the motorcycle. A supplemental shifting structure is pivotally attached relative to a supporting structure at a forward location on the motorcycle and has a foot engaging shift member adjacent the foot rest for permitting shifting of the motorcycle between higher and lower gears while the motorcycle operator has a foot supported on the foot rest by applying downward force of the operator's toe on either of the original shift member or the foot engaging shift member of the supplementary shifting structure.

A mounting configuration is provided for mounting an ABS unit on a base model motorcycle which permits a relatively large-sized and heavy ABS unit to be easily mounted on a vehicle body frame. A V-shaped engine is longitudinally mounted on the frame, and a rear wheel is supported on a rear swing arm which is pivotally supported on the frame by a pivot shaft, the rear wheel driven via a drive shaft. An ABS unit is arranged on one side of the vehicle body in a space below and to one side of the pivot shaft so as to avoid interference with the rear swing arm or the like, thus it is possible to easily mount the ABS unit on a base model. Further, by arranging exhaust pipe system parts on another side of the vehicle body, it is possible to obtain a proper lateral balance of the vehicle body.

A two-wheel drive motorcycle having a drive train that supplies power to the front wheel and includes a series of rigid shafts or other internalized drive systems. The front wheel drive consists of components located on the axis of steering within the head tube and positioned symmetrically in a counterbalancing fashion within the front fork in order to counteract the torque reactions from the rotating front wheel drive while providing a full range of steering. The front wheel drive lengthens and shortens in parallel with the shock-absorbing front fork. An engagement clutch, a one-way hub, and torque limiting clutch operatively engaged with the front wheel drive are also disclosed.

A motorcycle includes a head pipe that is disposed at a front portion of a vehicle body and makes front forks pivot, and a pair of left and right down tubes that extend downward from the head pipe and extend to the rear side of an engine under the engine, wherein connecting members for connecting brake hoses that are formed of elastic members to respective brake pipes that are formed of metal pipes are disposed behind the head pipe, and the brake hoses that extend from the connecting members to a brake for a front wheel extend frontward after passing between the pair of the left and right down tubes.

A motorcycle including a front wheel, a rear wheel, a frame, a seat and handlebars is disclosed. The motorcycle includes a linkage connecting a brake pedal with a caliper. The caliper is located within a body perimeter of the motorcycle. The caliper is adapted to engage a disk and the caliper can have a line of action. The direction of the line of action of the caliper can be different than the axis of rotation of the rear wheel. The linkage can also convert vertical motion into horizontal motion.

In a motorcycle, a pivot plate on a drive shaft side is arranged closer to a vehicle body center axis side than the drive shaft and, at the same time, a swing arm mounting portion of the pivot plate in the vicinity of the drive shaft is flattened. Further, a lower cross pipe is extended between the left and right pivot plates in a state that the lower cross pipe projects from the pivot plate on the drive shaft side, a down tube is lowered from a head pipe, a lower pipe is extended rearwardly in the longitudinal direction of a vehicle body frame from a lower end of the down tube, and a rear end of the lower pipe is connected to a projecting portion of the lower cross pipe thus offsetting the pivot plate arranged closer to the drive shaft side than the lower pipe to the vehicle body center axis side.

To restrain an increase in the numbers of components and process steps and achieve an easy mounting and dismounting of a pivot shaft. An arm supporting member includes a pair of left and right plate members, a middle cross pipe extending between the plate members and a center pivot plate mounted to the middle cross pipe. A pivot shaft is supported by the plate member and the center pivot plate, and a drive shaft is arranged between the plate member and the center pivot plate. The middle cross pipe is arranged above the pivot shaft on a front portion of a vehicle. The center pivot plate is provided with an upright wall as a receiving portion for aiding the positioning of the bearing member by receiving the bearing member, more specifically, the collar when assembling the swing arm to the center pivot plate and the plate member.

A shifting system for a motorcycle includes a shift link mechanism for transmitting operational force during a gear shifting operation. The shift link mechanism is arranged between a shift spindle and a change pedal operated by a shifting movement. A motion capture mechanism is provided on the shift link mechanism so as to transmit the operational force from the change pedal to the shift spindle via an resilient member including a compressive coil spring.

A durable, airless, chainless bicycle multiple riders of differing heights is disclosed. The bicycle is propelled by a drive shaft instead of a chain, making the drive assembly more dependable. The tires are made from a solid material and cannot go flat. The frame and other components of the bicycle are either inherently rust resistant or are coated to increase their rust resistance. The bicycle also has a front basket that is mounted such that the basket does not turn when the front wheel turns. Finally, the bicycle has a seat adjustment mechanism which allows the seat height to be adjusted without tools.

A saddle riding type vehicle capable of making turns by leaning a vehicle body includes a pair of rear wheels provided at opposite sides of the vehicle body, a pair of support mechanisms arranged to support the pair of rear wheels to be movable, independently of each other, up and down about a pivot axis relative to the vehicle body, an engine disposed forward of the pivot axis to produce a drive force, a differential mechanism arranged to distribute the drive force of the engine to the pair of rear wheels and to absorb a rotating speed difference between the pair of rear wheels at a time of making a turn, the differential mechanism including drive shafts arranged between the engine and the pivot axis, a pair of shaft drive mechanisms provided for the pair of rear wheels, respectively, and arranged to transmit the drive force of the differential mechanism to the pair of rear wheels, and a pair of constant velocity universal joints provided for the pair of shaft drive mechanisms, respectively, each including a pair of universal joints connected by a coupling yoke, the coupling yoke being located on the pivot axis, and the pair of universal joints being arranged in a positional relationship of point symmetry.

In order to reduce the influences of engine heat and vibration on a shift actuator, a shift actuator is disposed apart from the engine and the transmission on a vehicle. In particular a straddle-type vehicle, the vehicle includes a head pipe and a body frame including a main frame that extends rearward from the head pipe. The engine is suspended by the body frame 2 and a transmission is disposed next to the engine. The transmission includes a shift mechanism having a multiple-step speed change gear and a clutch mechanism that interrupts the transmission of rotation at the switching of the speed change gear of the transmission 40. An automatic transmission control unit operates the clutch mechanism and switches the speed change gear of the transmission automatically. The automatic transmission control unit includes the shift actuator which is mounted to the body frame and is disposed opposite to the transmission with the body frame therebetween, as viewed from the side of the vehicle, for operating the shift mechanism. A shift rod joins together the shift mechanism and the shift actuator.

A saddle-type vehicle has an engine unit with a continuously variable transmission. The transmission has a primary sheave and a secondary sheave that are connected by a flexible transmitter such as a belt. The primary sheave, the secondary sheave and the belt are positioned in a transmission case. A starting kick shaft is positioned on the same side of the engine unit as the transmission case but the starting kick shaft is positioned outside of a profile of the transmission case when the engine unit is viewed from a lateral side.

A three-wheeled motor vehicle includes a through coupling situated between right and left internal shafts and rear wheels, each via a drive shaft. The axial lines of right and left internal shafts are both intersected with a straight line as a rocking axis. If the right and left internal shafts are placed away from each other in the front and rear of the vehicle body, the drive shaft can be placed extensively in the diagonal direction from the right and left internal shafts to the rear wheel side. Using the described structure, the total length of the drive shaft can be increased. In consideration thereof, the bending angle of the drive shaft can be minimized when the rear drive wheels move in the vertical direction, and the track of the rear wheels can be reduced because the drive shaft is placed extensively in the diagonal direction.

A motorcycle has a frame and a power unit. The frame comprises a main frame member extending rearward from a steering head pipe. The power unit comprises a drive source, power transmission devices attached to the output end of the drive source, and a casing that houses the power transmission devices and that is suspended from the main frame member. The casing of the power unit comprises a recess opening toward the main frame member. A boss is formed on the bottom of the recess and is suspended from the main frame member.

A straddle-type vehicle with enhanced heat exhaust efficiency in a transmission case housing a continuously variable transmission. The continuously variable transmission and an engine are arranged forward of a rear wheel 4. An air intake duct introduces outside air into the transmission case and an air exhaust duct exhausts air from the transmission case. The air exhaust duct is connected to and extends upward from a top portion of the transmission case. The air exhaust duct has an air exhaust port that is positioned above the transmission case.