13480results about "Understructures" patented technology

The present invention relates to a motive power device for a vehicle, which is preferably retrofittable as front or rear axle. In a first embodiment, the device comprises a chassis (301) supporting at least one electric motor (318) and attached to the vehicle suspension fixtures with mounts (302, 304). Wheel hubs (377) are suspended from the chassis (301) and driven by the at least one motor (318). Further independent claims are included for a motive power device having a controller providing launch assist and / or stability control, a motive power device having at least two motors and a clutch therebetween, a vehicle provided with these various motive power devices, a method of making a vehicle, a clutch per se and an acceleration controller.

The present invention relates to all terrain vehicles having at least a pair of laterally spaced apart seating surfaces. More particularly, the present invention relates to trail compliant side-by-side all terrain vehicles.

The present invention relates to all terrain vehicles having at least a pair of laterally spaced apart seating surfaces. More particularly, the present invention relates to trail compliant side-by-side all terrain vehicles.

A vehicle body structure includes a body frame with a subframe mounted to a lower part of the body frame. The subframe is formed into a rectangular shape and has front, intermediate and rear cross members. A storage battery is designed to be mounted astride the front cross member and the intermediate cross member. A fuel tank is designed to be mounted astride the intermediate cross member and the rear cross member.

A modular vehicle comprises a preassembled undercarriage module, a preassembled overcarriage module, and coupling means for releasably coupling the overcarriage module to the undercarriage module. The undercarriage module includes wheels for permitting travel of the vehicle on a travelling surface, means for holding a power source for supplying operating power to the vehicle, and means for directing controlled motive power from the power source to at least one of the wheels. The overcarriage module includes control means linkable with the undercarriage module for controlling operation of the vehicle. When the power source associated with a first undercarriage module is in need of maintenance service, there is provided a method of handling an overcarriage module coupled to the first undercarriage module comprising the steps of decoupling and separating the two modules; then releasably coupling the overcarriage module to a second one of such undercarriage modules, the associated power source of the second undercarriage module not being in need of maintenance service; then operating the overcarriage module and the second undercarriage module together as a vehicle while providing the maintenance service required by the power source of the first undercarriage module.

A small vehicle, such as a go-kart, which includes a power train unit including an engine and a transaxle which are attached to the frame of the vehicle as an integrated component. In this manner, easy installation of the engine and transaxle to the frame of the vehicle is facilitated. An adjustable engine mounting system is provided, which allows fine adjustment of the position of the engine to vary the tension of the belt drive which drivingly couples the engine and the transaxle. The transaxle includes a selective lock-out feature which allows an operator to lock out selected forward or reverse gears to thereby modify or limit the performance characteristics of the go-kart as desired to a particular application. Additionally, the transaxle includes a built-in differential which may be selectively locked out by the operator during running of the vehicle, in order to switch between “differential active” and “differential locked-out” positions.

A high-voltage equipment component is disposed in a recessed accommodating portion which is formed on a vehicle body floor in such a manner as to be recessed downwardly. The high-voltage equipment component is accommodated in the recessed accommodating portion in a suspended state via a sub-assembly frame which is supported on the vehicle body floor. A heat insulating member for forming a flow path for allowing cooling air to flow towards the high-voltage equipment component is interposed between the high-voltage equipment component and a bottom portion of the recessed accommodating portion.

A stroller mainly includes an upper rack, a front wheel rack, a rear wheel rack, an arched rib, a connection bar, a bracing bar, a guarding handle, a plurality of rotary joints and a plurality of corresponding bars. It also has a folding means consisting of the rear wheel rack, arched rib, second, third and fourth rotary joints, a direction switch and wheel retraction means consisting of the front wheel rack, arched rib, second, third and fourth rotary joints, a brake means consisting of brake pulling bar assembly, a plurality of brake means and a cable, and a seat assembly consisting of a cross coupling hub, a guarding handle, a seat rack and a first rotary joint. The second rotary joint is slidable on the rear wheel rack. The fourth rotary joint is slidable on the arched rib.

Front vehicle body structure includes left and right front side frames, a subframe provided on the undersides of the side frames, and left and right mounting brackets for connecting the side frames and subframe. Engine-transmission unit is mounted on the subframe. Respective rear half portions of the side frames extend toward the rear of the vehicle body while gradually approaching the centerline of the vehicle body. Left and right mounting brackets are provided, on the respective rear half portions, to project toward the centerline. The left and right mounting brackets are detachably connected to the subframe. When an impact load greater than a predetermined intensity has been applied, the left and right mounting brackets are detached from the subframe and then squashed by the engine-transmission unit while effectively absorbing the impact.

A three-wheeled leaning passenger vehicle comprises a frame rigidly mounting a passenger seat; a drive wheel rotatably mounted on the frame preferably in a rearward region thereof; a frame-mounted rotary drive cooperatively coupled with the drive wheel for rotation of the drive wheel relative to the frame; and a frame-mounted coast / steer system including two rotatable and preferably front wheels freely rotatable relative to the frame in a forward region thereof, and a handlebar coupled with the two front wheels for turning the two rotatable wheels in a plane defined by their rotational axes substantially parallel with one another to corner, the vehicle being configured to substantially freely lean left and right in a natural response to a driver thereof in the driver seat steering the vehicle and leaning respectively left and right, and, alternatively or additionally, to have controlled leaning in response to a hydraulically or otherwise provisioned leaning, suspension, and stand-up mechanisms. The rotary drive includes a frame-mounted power plant operatively couple-able with the drive wheel, the rotary drive including an internal combustion engine and an electric motor selectively operatively couple-able with the drive wheel to power the vehicle. The power plant is selectively operable to power the vehicle in three modes of operation including a hybrid mode characterized by operation of the internal combustion engine and the electric motor coordinated substantially to optimize fuel economy, an electric-only mode characterized by operation only of the electric motor, and a sport mode characterized by concurrent operation of the internal combustion engine and the electric motor.

A collapsible stroller frame capable of being either collapsed or expanded with a rod set, wherein a slide sleeve is located at a front supporter of the stroller frame and a foldable supporter is pivotally connected between the front supporter and a rear supporter. A link rod connects the slide sleeve and the foldable supporter, and is pivotally connected between the front and rear supporter. The foldable supporter includes a front folding tube and a rear folding tube, pivotally connected to each other. A user can operate the foldable supporter to shorten the distance between the front and rear folding tubes, by disengaging the slide sleeve from the frame, thereby facilitating assembly and folding of the stroller.

A gaseous fuel storage system for a vehicle is disclosed. The fuel storage system can be installed as a modular unit in the vehicle. The fuel storage system is pivotable relative to the vehicle to allow easy accessibility to the storage tanks without requiring the storage tanks to be unmounted from the vehicle. The fuel storage system also provides protection for the storage tanks through the use of shielding and energy absorbing material.

A stroller includes two coupling units, each including a coupling member which has opposite first and second coupling portions and which is mounted on a seat supporting bar of a frame so as to be shiftable between a normal position where the first coupling portion faces upwardly, and an alternate position where the second coupling portion faces upwardly. The first and second coupling portions mate with an insertable portion of a seat member. The insertable portion is brought to engage the first coupling portion in the upright direction when the coupling member is in the normal position. The insertable portion is brought to engage the second coupling portion in the upright direction when the coupling member is in the alternate position. A locking member is disposed to releasably retain the coupling member in the normal or alternate position.

To achieve efficient and proper transmission of an impact load from a floor frame on one side of a vehicle body to a floor frame on the other side to thereby protect a battery unit from damage, an automotive floor structure includes a first cross member upper and a first cross member lower. the first cross member upper extends in a lateral direction of the vehicle body and has ends attached to left and right side sills, respectively. The first cross member lower extends in the lateral direction below a front floor panel at a position under the first cross member upper, and has ends secured to the left and right floor frames, respectively. The first cross member upper and the first cross member lower vertically sandwich the battery unit therebetween.

An three-wheel vehicle including a modular front structure having a storage compartment therein. The modular front structure is adapted to be mounted onto the chassis of the three-wheel vehicle and to support bodywork elements thereby providing ease of assembly of the vehicle and ease of disassembly for packaging the vehicle.

An energy management system and device for use in an automotive frame, rail, or other structural component of an automotive vehicle. The frame or rail having a cavity or exposed surface capable of supporting at least one member. The member having an interior portion and an exterior portion with the interior portion being defined by at least one trigger or step change to the geometry of the inner portion to target and direct axial bending of the system. A reinforcing material, such as a polymer-based expandable material, is disposed along the exterior portion of a member prior to final assembly of the vehicle by the vehicle manufacturer. The system is activated as the vehicle undergoes the final vehicle assembly process and paint operation which activates and transforms the reinforcing material to expand, bond and structurally adhere the frame rail to mange, direct, and / or absorb energy in the event of an impact to the vehicle from an applied load or an external force.

An energy absorbing and distributing side impact system for use with a vehicle is provided, the system utilizing a battery pack enclosure that includes a plurality of cross-members that transverse the battery pack enclosure and absorb and distribute at least a portion of the load received when either the first or second side of the vehicle receives a side impact. The battery pack enclosure is positioned between the front and rear vehicle suspension assemblies and mounted between, and mechanically coupled to, vehicle structural members (e.g., rocker panels) located on either side of the vehicle. In addition to providing rigidity, strength and impact resistance, the battery pack cross-members segregate the batteries contained within the battery pack enclosure into battery groups.

A method for optimizing a twelve-cornered strengthening member comprises: modeling a vehicle assembly including a strengthening member having a twelve-cornered cross section; parameterizing a geometry of the strengthening member with a plurality of control parameters; defining a design of experiment using the plurality of control parameters; modeling a vehicle using the vehicle assembly; simulating a frontal impact event with the vehicle; generating a response surface based on the frontal impact event; and determining a set of optimized control parameters for the strengthening member based on the response surface.

An integrated fuel management system and method for controlling the fuel storage and delivery in a vehicle. The fuel management system includes a fuel storage tank for storing fuel in a vehicle, a vapor collection canister located within the fuel storage tank, a vent actuator coupled to the vapor collection canister for venting gas from the canister during a vent operation, and a purge actuator coupled to the canister for purging fuel vapor from the canister during a purge operation. A variable speed fuel pump is disposed within the fuel storage tank for delivering fuel to a fuel delivery line for an engine. The fuel management system has a controller provided in a module disposed in communication with the fuel for controlling the amount of fuel pumped with the variable speed fuel pump to deliver fuel to the fuel delivery line and further control the purge and vent actuators.

A sub-frame 11 of a vehicle, which is made by means of die casting into a substantially rectangular shape and attached to a front lower portion 14 of a vehicle body 13, includes: a C-shaped front sub-frame 15; and a C-shaped rear sub-frame 16, wherein a right and a left front beam members 65, 67, which are formed at a right and a left end portion of a front beam member 47 constituting the front sub-frame 15, and a right and a left beam rear members 96, 97, which are formed at a right and a left end portion of a rear beam member 53 constituting the rear sub-frame 16, are joined to each other, and flat portions 113, 114 are formed in the right and the left front beam members 65, 67 so that the flat portions can be start points of plastic deformation of the sub-frame 11 when a load, which is heavier than a normal load, is given to the sub-frame 11 in the longitudinal direction.

A shock absorbing vehicle body structure in a vehicle includes a substantially quadrilateral front subsidiary frame comprised of left and right side members extending in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle body and connected at their front and rear ends to each other by a front cross member and a rear cross member. The front subsidiary frame is supported at its four corners on main frames for the vehicle body through rubber mounts and bolts. Upon full-lap collision of the vehicle, the left rear bolt is first broken, whereby the rear end of the left side member is separated from the main frame and then, the right rear bolt is broken, whereby the rear end of the right side member is separated from the main frame. The right and left side members are formed with different rigidities to a longitudinal load applied thereto, which causes the right and left rear bolts to break at different times, or with a time lag therebetween. Such a time lag decreases the peak value of deceleration of the vehicle at a time when the front subsidiary frame is separated from the main frames due to a full-lap collision of the vehicle.