Vehicle battery placement structure.

Abstract

DEPCT63 The procedure for removing the electrical wiring assembly may be provided for the layout structure. The battery in the vehicle's battery arrangement structure includes battery 51, which includes the 51p positive terminal. And the negative terminal 51n on the top surface 51a, battery housing 60 to hold battery 51 and strip 68 for... Battery 51 is secured to battery housing 60 by a bar 68 which is provided to straddle the opening of 61e. The battery housing 60 exposes the top surface of battery 51a to the outside strip 68. This includes the 88 cover to enclose the 51p positive terminal and the 80n negative electrical wiring harness to be installed. Connecting to the negative terminal 51n will close the 68 strip. -----------------------------------------------------------

Description

Vehicle battery arrangement structure

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery arrangement structure for a vehicle.

[0002] Conventionally, a vehicle battery arrangement structure that includes a band that secures a battery stored in a battery storage section to the battery storage section is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, one end of the band is hooked onto the battery storage section, and the other end of the band is fastened to the battery storage section. When removing the battery for maintenance or the like, the battery can be removed from the battery storage section by removing the negative side harness and the positive side harness connected to the battery terminals, and the band.

[0003] JP 2011-70801 A

[0004] The battery harness is usually disconnected after the negative terminal, but it is desirable to be able to suggest this procedure. The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a battery arrangement structure that allows a suggestion of the procedure for disconnecting the battery harness.

[0005] This specification includes the entire contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-060182, filed on March 24, 2017. The present invention relates to a vehicle battery arrangement structure including a battery (51) having a positive terminal (51p) and a negative terminal (51n) on one side (51a), a battery storage section (60) that stores the battery (51), and a band (68) that secures the battery (51) to the battery storage section (60), wherein the band (68) is provided across an opening (61e) of the battery storage section (60) that exposes the one side (51a) of the battery (51) to the outside, the band (68) includes a cover portion (88) that covers the positive terminal (51p), and a negative-side harness (80n) connected to the negative terminal (51n) covers the band (68).

[0006] In the above invention, the band (68) may have one end and the other end fixed to the battery storage section (60), the band (68) may have the covering portion (88) at the one end, and the other end may be covered by the negative-side harness (80n). In the above invention, the other end of the band (68) may have a side wall portion (89) erected from a band main body portion (85) extending along the one side surface (51a) of the battery (51), and an engaging portion (90) protruding from the side wall portion (89) and engaging with the battery storage section (60), and the side wall portion (89) may overlap the negative-side harness (80n) when viewed in the insertion direction of the engaging portion (90) into the battery storage section (60).

[0007] Furthermore, in the above invention, the battery storage section (60) may include a wall section (81) with which the engaging section (90) of the band (68) engages, and the side wall section (89) may be located between the negative side harness (80n) and the wall section (81). Also, in the above invention, the band (68) may be slid and inserted into the wall section (81), a positive side harness (80p) connected to the positive terminal (51p) may be routed along the sliding direction of the band (68), and the cover section (88) may be formed in a dome shape with an opening section (88a) in the sliding direction. In the above invention, the battery (51) may be stored so that the one side surface (51a) is located deeper than the opening (61e) of the battery storage section (60), and the battery storage section (60) may be configured to have a cutout portion (61g) that exposes the peripheral wall portion (51b) of the battery (51).

[0008] The vehicle battery arrangement structure according to the present invention includes a battery having a positive terminal and a negative terminal on one side thereof, a battery storage compartment for storing the battery, and a band for securing the battery to the battery storage compartment. The band is disposed across an opening in the battery storage compartment that exposes one side of the battery to the outside, the band has a cover for covering the positive terminal, and a negative-side harness connected to the negative terminal covers the band. With this configuration, because the cover of the band covers the positive terminal, it is difficult to remove the positive terminal side without removing the band. Furthermore, because the band is covered by the negative-side harness, it is difficult to remove the band without removing the negative-side harness. This suggests that the negative-side harness should be removed before the positive terminal side.

[0009] In the above invention, the band may have one end and the other end fixed to the battery storage section, and the band may have a covering portion at one end and the other end covered by the negative-side harness. With this configuration, the band has a covering portion at the end fixed to the battery storage section, allowing the covering portion to firmly cover the positive terminal. Furthermore, the other end of the band fixed to the battery storage section is covered by the negative-side harness, effectively preventing the other end of the band from being removed by the negative-side harness. In the above invention, the other end of the band may have a side wall portion extending from a band main body portion extending along one side of the battery and an engaging portion protruding from the side wall portion and engaging with the battery storage section, and the side wall portion may overlap the negative-side harness when viewed in the direction in which the engaging portion is inserted into the battery storage section. With this configuration, when attempting to release the engaging portion from the battery storage section, the negative-side harness interferes with movement of the side wall portion. This prevents the band from being removed before the negative-side harness is removed.

[0010] Furthermore, in the above invention, the battery storage section may include a wall portion with which the engagement portion of the band engages, and the side wall portion may be located between the negative side harness and the wall portion. With this configuration, movement of the band can be firmly restricted by the wall portion and the negative side harness. Furthermore, in the above invention, the band may be slid and inserted into the wall portion, and the positive side harness connected to the positive terminal may be routed along the sliding direction of the band, and the cover portion may be formed in a dome shape with an opening in the sliding direction. With this configuration, the dome-shaped cover portion can widely cover the positive side harness while allowing the band to slide. Furthermore, because the positive side harness is routed along the sliding direction of the band, the positive side harness is less likely to interfere with the movement of the side wall portion of the band when the band slides, allowing the band to slide smoothly. Furthermore, in the above invention, the battery may be stored so that one side is located deeper than the opening of the battery storage section, and the battery storage section may include a cutout portion exposing the peripheral wall portion of the battery. According to this configuration, the peripheral wall of the battery can be accessed through the cutout, making it easy to remove the battery from the battery storage section.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a left side view of a motorcycle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a left side view showing the structure of the peripheral area of ​​a fuel tank. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the peripheral area of ​​a battery case as viewed from above. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the peripheral area of ​​the battery case as viewed from the left rear side. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the battery case with a battery housed therein. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the lid as viewed from the front side in an open state by swinging it about a swing shaft. FIG. 7 is a left side view showing the fuel tank being supported by the lid. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 3. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the lid as viewed from the rear in an open state after swinging it from the state shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X-X of FIG. 3 in an open state. FIG. 11 is a plan view of a battery housed in a battery case as viewed from above. FIG. 12 is a plan view of the peripheral area of ​​the battery with the positive side harness, negative side harness, and band fastener removed. FIG. 13 is a plan view of the peripheral area of ​​a tank cover. FIG. 14 is a front view of the periphery of the tank cover as seen from the front.

[0012] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the description, directions such as front, rear, left, right, and up and down are the same as directions relative to the vehicle body unless otherwise specified. Also, in each drawing, the symbol FR indicates the front of the vehicle body, the symbol UP indicates the upper side of the vehicle body, and the symbol LH indicates the left side of the vehicle body.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a left side view of a motorcycle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 1, only the left side of a pair of left and right components is shown, including the reference numerals. The motorcycle 1 is a vehicle in which an engine 11 serving as a power unit is supported on a body frame 10, a steering system 12 supporting a front wheel 2 in a steerable manner is supported at the front end of the body frame 10 in a steerable manner, and a swing arm 13 supporting a rear wheel 3 is provided on the rear side of the body frame 10. The motorcycle 1 is a saddle-ride type vehicle in which a seat 14 on which a rider sits astride is provided above the rear of the body frame 10.

[0014] The body frame 10 includes a head pipe 15 provided at its front end, a pair of left and right main frames 16 extending rearward and downward from the head pipe 15, a pair of left and right down frames 17 extending rearward and downward from the front ends of the main frames 16, and a pair of left and right pivot frames 18 extending downward from the rear ends of the main frames 16. The body frame 10 also includes a pair of left and right seat frames 19 extending rearward and upward from the midpoint between the front and rear of the main frames 16, and a pair of left and right sub-frames 20 extending rearward and upward from the upper parts of the pivot frames 18 and connected to the seat frames 19.

[0015] Each main frame 16 includes an upper main frame 16a extending rearward and downward from an upper portion of the head pipe 15, and a lower main frame 16b extending rearward and downward from a lower portion of the head pipe 15 and connected to the rear end of the upper main frame 16a. The body frame 10 includes an upper gusset 21 connecting the front end of the upper main frame 16a to the front end of the lower main frame 16b. The body frame 10 also includes a lower gusset 22 connecting the front end of the lower main frame 16b to the front end of the down frame 17. The upper gusset 21 and the lower gusset 22 are provided in pairs on the left and right.

[0016] The steering system 12 is supported by the head pipe 15. In detail, the steering system 12 includes a steering shaft 24 (FIG. 4) rotatably supported by the head pipe 15, a pair of left and right front forks 25, 25 disposed on both the left and right sides of the front wheel 2 to support the front wheel 2, a top bridge 26 fixed to the upper end of the steering shaft 24 and connecting the upper parts of the left and right front forks 25, 25, a bottom bridge 27 fixed to the lower end of the steering shaft 24 and connecting the left and right front forks 25, 25, and a handlebar 28 fixed to the upper part of the top bridge 26. The front wheel 2 is supported by an axle 2a spanning the lower ends of the front forks 25, 25. The swing arm 13 is supported by a pivot shaft 29 provided on the pivot frames 18, 18, and extends rearward. The rear wheel 3 is supported by the rear end of the swing arm 13.

[0017] The engine 11 is suspended from the body frame 10 and disposed below the main frames 16, 16, between the down frames 17, 17 and the pivot frames 18, 18. The engine 11 includes a crankcase 30 that supports a crankshaft (not shown) extending in the vehicle width direction, and a cylinder section 31 that extends upward from the upper front portion of the crankcase 30. A transmission (not shown) is housed in the rear portion of the crankcase 30. A cylinder axis 31a of the cylinder section 31 extends forward and upward. An exhaust pipe 32 of the engine 11 is drawn downward from the front surface of the cylinder section 31. The downstream end of the exhaust pipe 32 is connected to a muffler 33 disposed below the engine 11.

[0018] The driving force of the engine 11 is transmitted to the rear wheel 3 via a chain 34. A fuel tank 35 is disposed above the main frames 16, 16, between the seat 14 and the head pipe 15. A headlight 36 is provided in front of the head pipe 15. The seat 14 includes a front seat 14a for the rider and a rear seat 14b for a passenger provided above and behind the front seat 14a. A pair of left and right steps 37, 37 for the rider are provided on the lower sides of the pivot frames 18, 18.

[0019] The motorcycle 1 includes a body cover 40 that covers the body, including the body frame 10 and the fuel tank 35. The body cover 40 includes a tank cover 41 that covers the fuel tank 35, a pair of left and right shrouds 42, 42 attached to the front end of the tank cover 41, and a pair of left and right side covers 43, 43 that cover the spaces between the front seat 14a and the main frames 16, 16 and the sub-frames 20, 20. The body cover 40 also includes a rear cover 44 that covers the rear of the seat frames 19, 19, and an undercover 45 that covers the engine 11 from below. The motorcycle 1 also includes a front fender 46 that covers the front wheel 2 from above, a rear fender 47 that covers the rear wheel 3 from above and behind, and an inner fender 48 that covers the rear wheel 3 from above and behind.

[0020] Fig. 2 is a left side view showing the structure of the fuel tank 35 and its surrounding area. Fig. 2 shows a state in which parts such as the tank cover 41, shrouds 42, 42, and handlebars 28 have been removed. The fuel tank 35 is provided behind the head pipe 15 to cover the front portion of the body frame 10 from above. The fuel tank 35 is provided across the main frames 16, 16 and the seat frames 19, 19 in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The fuel tank 35 is also provided across the main frames 16, 16 and the seat frames 19, 19 in the vehicle width direction (left and right direction).

[0021] The body frame 10 includes a cross member 19a that connects the front portions of the left and right seat frames 19 in the vehicle width direction. The cross member 19a extends upward beyond the seat frames 19. The body frame 10 also includes a pair of left and right tank stays 16c that extend upward from the upper main frames 16a.

[0022] The fuel tank 35 has a fuel filler opening 35a on its upper front surface. In a side view of the vehicle, the underside of the front portion of the fuel tank 35 forms an inclined surface 35b that extends downward toward the rear at a steeper incline than the upper main frame 16a. The rear end of the fuel tank 35 is supported by the body frame 10 via a tank swing support 50 (swing support) provided on the cross member 19a. The tank swing support 50 is a hinge shaft extending in the vehicle width direction and supports the fuel tank 35 so that it can swing freely. The fuel tank 35 also has a pair of left and right fixing portions 35c, 35c that extend forward on both left and right sides of the lower front portion. The fuel tank 35 is fixed to the tank stays 16c, 16c of the upper main frames 16a, 16a via fasteners 35d, 35d that are inserted into the fixing portions 35c from the vehicle width direction.

[0023] The battery 51, which is connected to the electrical components of the motorcycle 1 and the engine 11, is housed in a box-shaped battery case 60 (battery storage section). A lid 70 is attached to the battery case 60, covering the battery 51 from above. The battery 51 and battery case 60 are disposed below the front portion of the fuel tank 35 and above the cylinder section 31 of the engine 11. More specifically, the battery 51 and battery case 60 are disposed below the inclined surface 35b of the fuel tank 35 and between the left and right upper main frames 16a. The battery 51 and battery case 60 are located forward of the fixing portions 35c of the fuel tank 35, with their upper portions located above the upper main frames 16a and their lower portions located below the upper main frames 16a.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the periphery of the battery case 60 as seen from above. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the periphery of the battery case 60 as seen from the left rear side. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the battery case 60 with the battery 51 housed inside. Here, FIGS. 3 and 4 show a state in which the fuel tank 35, the steering system 12, and some components of the body cover 40 have been removed. Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, the battery case 60 includes a box-shaped case main body 61 with an open top. The case main body 61 includes left and right side walls 61a, 61b, a rear wall 61c, a front wall 61d, a bottom wall 61f (FIG. 7), and an opening 61e on the top.

[0025] The battery case 60 also includes a lateral extension portion 62 extending to one side in the vehicle width direction from an upper portion of the left side wall 61a, a lateral extension portion 63 extending to the other side in the vehicle width direction from an upper portion of the right side wall 61b, and a forward extension portion 64 extending forward from an upper portion of the front wall 61d. Lid swing support portions 65, 65 that swingably support the lid 70 are provided at the tips of the lateral extension portions 62, 63. More specifically, the lid swing support portions 65, 65 are provided at both ends of the rear of the battery case 60 in the vehicle front-rear direction. Case fixing portions 62a, 63a are provided on the lateral extension portions 62, 63 at positions inward in the vehicle width direction from the lid swing support portions 65, 65. The battery case 60 is fixed to the upper main frames 16a, 16a by case fixing bolts 66, 66 that are inserted from above into the case fixing portions 62a, 63a.

[0026] Additionally, upwardly extending guide portions 67, 67 are provided on the lateral extension portions 62, 63 inward in the vehicle width direction of the case fixing portions 62a, 63a. The guide portions 67, 67 are plate-shaped ribs extending in the front-to-rear direction. The front extension portion 64 has a lid engagement portion 64a extending upward. The battery 51, which is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped block, is housed in the case main body portion 61 through an opening 61e of the case main body portion 61. The battery 51 is fixed in place by a band 68 attached to the battery case 60 so as to straddle the opening 61e in the vehicle width direction.

[0027] Battery case stays 16d, 16d to which case fixing bolts 66, 66 are fastened are provided on the top surfaces of the upper main frames 16a, 16a in front of the tank stays 16c, 16c. The case main body 61 of the battery case 60 is inserted from above between the upper main frames 16a, 16a, and the left and right lateral extensions 62, 63 are fixed to the battery case stays 16d, 16d of the upper main frames 16a, 16a. The lateral extensions 62, 63 of the battery case 60 extend outward in the vehicle width direction across the upper main frames 16a, 16a, and the lid swing support portions 65, 65 are positioned outward of the upper main frames 16a, 16a.

[0028] 2 to 4, the lid 70 is formed to cover the case main body 61 and the lateral extensions 62, 63 from above, and extends longer in the vehicle width direction than in the front-to-rear direction. The lid 70 has swing shafts 71, 71 at both ends in the vehicle width direction that protrude outward in the vehicle width direction. Specifically, the swing shafts 71, 71 are provided at both ends of the rear of the lid 70 in the vehicle front-to-rear direction. The swing shafts 71, 71 are fitted into the lid swing support parts 65, 65, and the lid 70 is attached to the battery case 60, and is swingable about the swing shafts 71, 71. A swing axis 71a of the swing of the lid 70 is parallel to the swing axis of the tank swing support part 50 (FIG. 2), which serves as the hinge axis.

[0029] An engagement portion 72 that engages with the lid engagement portion 64a of the battery case 60 is provided at the center of the front edge of the lid 70 in the vehicle width direction. As shown in Figure 3, when the lid 70 is closed to cover the opening 61e of the case main body 61, the engagement portion 72 engages with the lid engagement portion 64a, thereby locking the lid 70 in the closed state. The engagement between the lid engagement portion 64a and the engagement portion 72 is, for example, a snap fit.

[0030] 2 and 3, the lid 70 has a pair of left and right fuel tank contact portions 75 that protrude upward when the lid 70 is closed. The fuel tank contact portions 75 are located at the front of the lid 70 in the vehicle longitudinal direction, on the opposite side from the swing shafts 71 in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The fuel tank contact portions 75 are located above the lateral extensions 62, 63 of the battery case 60, and are provided in positions that overlap the upper main frames 16a, 16a from above in a top view.

[0031] Fig. 6 is a perspective view from the front side of the lid 70 when it is opened by swinging it around the swing shafts 71, 71. Fig. 7 is a left side view showing the fuel tank 35 supported by the lid 70. Components other than essential parts are not shown in Figs. 6 and 7. Referring to Figs. 6 and 7, when the fuel tank 35 is released from the fasteners 35d, 35d (Fig. 2), the fuel tank 35 becomes swingable around the tank swing support part 50. When the swing amount of the fuel tank 35 reaches a predetermined value, the restricting piece 35e at the rear end abuts against the cross member 19a, restricting the swing.

[0032] When a worker or the like accesses the battery 51 during maintenance or the like, the fuel tank 35 is swung upward, and the lid 70 is swung rearward about the swing shafts 71, 71, using the space created by the swinging of the fuel tank 35 to open the lid 70. The fuel tank 35 is supported in an upward swinging state by the fuel tank contact portions 75, 75 of the lid 70 abutting against the fixing portions 35c, 35c from below. More specifically, when the lid 70 is closed (see FIG. 2), the front surfaces of the fuel tank contact portions 75, 75 support the fixing portions 35c, 35c from below.

[0033] In this embodiment, the tank swing support part 50 is provided at the rear end of the fuel tank 35, and the battery 51 is provided at the front end of the fuel tank 35 on the opposite side of the tank swing support part 50 in the vehicle longitudinal direction, so that when the fuel tank 35 is swung, a large space can be secured above the battery 51. This allows easy access to the battery 51. Furthermore, the swung fuel tank 35 can be supported using the lid 70 that protects the battery 51, etc., so that the battery 51 can be easily accessed.

[0034] The fuel tank abutment portions 75, 75 are located at the front, opposite in the vehicle longitudinal direction from the swing shafts 71, 71 located at the rear of the lid 70, and are therefore located at a high position when the lid 70 is open. This allows the fuel tank abutment portions 75, 75 to support the fuel tank 35 even when it swings widely. The tank swing support portion 50 is located at the rear end of the fuel tank 35, and the swing shafts 71, 71 are located at the rear end of the lid 70, so that the fuel tank 35 and the lid 70 swing in the same direction when accessing the battery 51. As a result, when the lid 70 is open and supports the fuel tank 35, the lid 70 swings rearward toward the tank swing support portion 50, and the battery 51 is exposed upward in front of the open lid 70. This means that the lid 70 is less likely to get in the way when accessing the battery 51 from the front, making it easy to access the battery.

[0035] 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 3. Referring to FIGS. 5 and 8, each lid swing support portion 65 of the battery case 60 includes an outer wall portion 65a that covers the shaft end of the swing shaft 71 of the lid 70 from the outside in the vehicle width direction, and a support wall portion 65b that extends from the outer wall portion 65a toward the inside in the vehicle width direction and forms a vertically extending groove into which the swing shaft 71 fits. The support wall portion 65b is closed on the front side and upper side, and includes an open portion 65c at the bottom of the rear side that is open rearward. The swing shaft 71 rotates while fitted in the inner groove of the support wall portion 65b.

[0036] The lid 70 has flat contact portions 76 that contact the guide portions 67 of the battery case 60. The guide portions 67 have an arc portion 67a that is formed in a generally semicircular arc shape that protrudes upward, and a vertical portion 67b that extends generally vertically downward from the rear end of the arc portion 67a. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 8 , when the lid 70 is closed, the pivot shafts 71 of the lid 70 are fitted into the upper portions of the grooves in the support wall portion 65b. In this state, the contact portions 76 of the lid 70 contact the upper ends of the arc portions 67a of the guide portions 67 from above and are supported from below by the arc portions 67a.

[0037] Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the lid 70 in an open state after being swung rearward from the state shown in Fig. 8. When the lid 70 is swung rearward in the opening direction from the state shown in Fig. 8, the lid 70 swings about the swing shafts 71 while the abutment portions 76 slide on the guide portions 67, resulting in the state shown in Fig. 9. In detail, when the abutment portions 76 swing along the vertical portions 67b, the lid 70 moves downward along the vertical portions 67b, and the swing shafts 71 also move downward within the grooves of the support wall portion 65b.

[0038] That is, when the lid 70 is in the open state, the abutment portions 76, 76 abut against the vertical portions 67b, 67b. In this state, even if a force acts in the direction of closing the lid 70, the abutment portions 76, 76 abut against the vertical portions 67b, 67b, thereby restricting the swinging of the lid 70. This prevents the lid 70 from being unintentionally closed. To close the lid 70 from the state shown in FIG. 9, the lid 70 is pulled upward to position the swing shafts 71, 71 at the top of the grooves of the support walls 65b, 65b, and then the lid 70 is swung forward.

[0039] 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line X-X in FIG. 3 with the lid 70 open. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 10, the battery case stays 16d include stoppers 16e that extend upward from positions rearward of the portions that receive the case fixing portions 62a and 63a. The stoppers 16e protrude upward beyond the case fixing portions 62a and 63a.

[0040] The lid 70 includes receiving portions 77 that come into contact with the upper surfaces of the case fixing portions 62a, 63a when the lid 70 is in an open state. The stoppers 16e are provided so as to approach the receiving portions 77 from the rear when the lid 70 is in an open state. The stoppers 16e restrict the rearward movement of the receiving portions 77. Therefore, even if the lid swing support portions 65 have openings 65c as shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, the swing shafts 71 of the lid 70 can be prevented from coming off the openings 65c in a rearward direction.

[0041] When attaching or detaching the lid 70 to or from the battery case 60, the battery case 60 is removed from the body frame 10. In this state, the stoppers 16e, 16e do not get in the way, so the swing shafts 71, 71 can be attached or detached to or from the lid swing support parts 65, 65 via the openings 65c, 65c.

[0042] Next, the structure surrounding the band 68 that secures the battery 51 will be described. FIG. 11 is a plan view of the battery 51 housed in the battery case 60, viewed from above. The lid 70 is not shown in FIG. 11 . Referring to FIGS. 5 , 6 , and 11 , the battery 51 is housed in the battery case 60 such that one side surface, that is, an upper surface 51 a, is exposed upward through an opening 61 e of the battery case 60. The upper surface 51 a of the battery 51 is rectangular, and the battery 51 is disposed such that the longitudinal direction of the upper surface 51 a substantially coincides with the vehicle width direction. The battery 51 is housed in the battery case 60 such that the upper surface 51 a is located deeper than the upper end of the opening 61 e of the battery case 60.

[0043] The battery 51 has a positive terminal 51p at one end of the front end of the upper surface 51a in the vehicle width direction, and a negative terminal 51n at the other end of the front end of the upper surface 51a in the vehicle width direction. That is, the positive terminal 51p and the negative terminal 51n are arranged linearly in the longitudinal direction of the upper surface 51a (vehicle width direction) at the front end of the upper surface 51a. The arrangement direction of the positive terminal 51p and the negative terminal 51n is the vehicle width direction.

[0044] A positive harness 80p is connected to the positive terminal 51p, and a negative harness 80n is connected to the negative terminal 51n. The positive harness 80p is drawn from the positive terminal 51p in the longitudinal direction of the top surface 51a toward the negative terminal 51n, bends forward just before the negative terminal 51n, and extends outside the case main body 61. The negative harness 80n is drawn from the negative terminal 51n rearward in the lateral direction of the top surface 51a. In other words, the routing directions of the positive harness 80p and the negative harness 80n on the top surface 51a of the battery 51 are approximately perpendicular to each other.

[0045] Figure 12 is a plan view of the area surrounding the battery 51 with the positive side harness 80p, the negative side harness 80n, and a band fastener 84 (described later) removed. Referring to Figures 5, 6, 11, and 12, the battery case 60 includes a wall 81 near the negative terminal 51n that extends above the top surface 51a of the battery 51. The wall 81 extends upward along the right side wall 61b of the case main body 61. An engagement hole 81a is formed in the upper portion of the wall 81, penetrating the wall 81 in the vehicle width direction.

[0046] The battery case 60 includes a platform portion 82 on the upper surface of the lateral extension portion 62. The platform portion 82 is continuous with the upper end of the left side wall 61a of the case main body 61. The battery case 60 also includes a band fixing portion 83 provided on the upper surface of the platform portion 82 at a position on the side wall 61a side. A band fixing hole 83a is provided on the upper surface of the band fixing portion 83. The band fixing hole 83a is, for example, a clip nut that is attached to the band fixing portion 83. The band fixing portion 83 also includes a protrusion 83b that protrudes outward along the upper surface of the platform portion 82.

[0047] The band 68 is a strip-shaped plate member that is long in the vehicle width direction. The band 68 is provided across the opening 61e of the case main body 61 in the vehicle width direction and covers a portion of the upper surface 51a of the battery 51 from above, thereby fixing the battery 51 to the battery case 60. The band 68 extends in the longitudinal direction of the upper surface 51a of the battery 51, behind the positive terminal 51p and the negative terminal 51n. In other words, the band 68 extends in the vehicle width direction along the arrangement direction of the positive terminal 51p and the negative terminal 51n.

[0048] One longitudinal end of the band 68 is fixed to the band fixing portion 83 by a band fixing device 84, and the other longitudinal end is fixed to the wall portion 81. The band fixing device 84 is, for example, a bolt. The band 68 includes a band main body portion 85 that extends linearly along the upper surface 51a of the battery 51. Specifically, one end of the band 68 is provided with a hole 86 through which the band fixing device 84 is inserted, a side engaging portion 87 that engages with the protrusion 83b of the band fixing portion 83, and a cover portion 88 that covers the positive terminal 51p and the positive-side harness 80p from above. The side engaging portion 87 is a hole formed in the end surface of the band 68 in the vehicle width direction. The one end of the band 68 is fixed to the battery case 60 by the side engaging portion 87 engaging with the protrusion 83b and the band fixing device 84 inserted into the hole 86 being fastened to the band fixing hole portion 83a.

[0049] The cover portion 88 extends from the band main body portion 85 toward the positive terminal 51p in the front. The cover portion 88 is formed in a dome shape that covers the positive terminal 51p from above, from the front, from the rear, and from the outer side in the vehicle width direction, and has an opening portion 88a that opens toward the inner side in the vehicle width direction.

[0050] The other end of the band 68 is provided with a side wall portion 89 that extends upward from the band main body portion 85 along the wall portion 81 of the battery case 60, and an engagement portion 90 that extends outward in the vehicle width direction from the upper end of the side wall portion 89. The other end of the band 68 is fixed to the battery case 60 by inserting and engaging the engagement portion 90 into an engagement hole 81a in the wall portion 81 of the battery case 60 from the inside in the vehicle width direction. That is, as the band 68 slides in the vehicle width direction along the upper surface 51a of the battery 51, the engagement portion 90 engages with the engagement hole 81a and the side engagement portion 87 engages with the protrusion 83b. Thereafter, the band fastener 84 is fastened, and the band 68 is fixed to the battery case 60. The open portion 88a of the cover portion 88 is open in the sliding direction of the band 68.

[0051] 6 and 11 , the negative-side harness 80n covers the band main body 85 from above at the other end of the band 68. That is, the other end of the band 68 is sandwiched between the negative-side harness 80n and the upper surface 51a of the battery 51. Furthermore, a side wall 89 at the other end of the band 68 is sandwiched between the negative-side harness 80n and the wall 81 of the battery case 60. When viewed in the insertion direction of the band 68 relative to the wall 81 (the sliding direction of the band 68), the side wall 89 of the band 68 overlaps the side surface of the negative-side harness 80n. Furthermore, the connection end 80p1 of the positive-side harness 80p connected to the positive terminal 51p and the positive terminal 51p are covered by the cover 88.

[0052] Here, an example of the procedure for removing the battery 51 from the battery case 60 will be described. In the state shown in Fig. 11 , the positive side harness 80p is covered by the cover portion 88 of the band 68 fixed to the battery case 60, and the cover portion 88 gets in the way, making it difficult to remove the positive side harness 80p from the positive terminal 51p. Also, in the state shown in Fig. 11 , the other end of the band 68 is covered by the negative side harness 80n, and the negative side harness 80n gets in the way of removing the band 68, making it difficult to remove the band 68.

[0053] 11, even if the band fastener 84 is removed, the negative harness 80n is positioned in the sliding direction of the band 68 when the band 68 is removed from the wall 81, and therefore the negative harness 80n interferes with the movement of the band 68 due to the sliding of the side wall 89, making it difficult to remove the band 68. Furthermore, the presence of the wall 81 makes it difficult to remove the band 68 by sliding it toward the wall 81. This suggests to the worker that the negative harness 80n should be removed before the positive harness 80p and the band 68.

[0054] 12, when the negative side harness 80n and the band fastener 84 are removed, the worker can remove the band 68 by sliding the band 68 in the vehicle width direction toward the positive terminal 51p. This exposes the connection end 80p1 of the positive side harness 80p, allowing the worker to remove the positive side harness 80p from the positive terminal 51p.

[0055] Furthermore, in this embodiment, it can be suggested that the positive harness 80p should be attached before the negative harness 80n when attaching the battery 51 to the battery case 60. In other words, if the negative harness 80n and the band 68 are attached before the positive harness 80p, the cover portion 88 gets in the way, making it difficult to connect the positive harness 80p to the positive terminal 51p.

[0056] An upper portion of the peripheral wall 51b of the battery 51 is exposed to the outside through cutouts 61g, 61g formed in the rear wall 61c and the front wall 61d of the case main body 61. This allows the operator to grasp the battery 51 through the cutouts 61g, 61g when attaching or detaching the battery 51, improving workability.

[0057] Next, the structure of the tank cover 41 will be described. Figure 13 is a plan view of the periphery of the tank cover 41. Figure 14 is a front view of the periphery of the tank cover 41. The steering system 12 and other components are not shown in Figures 13 and 14. Referring to Figures 1, 13, and 14, the tank cover 41 includes a tank center cover 92 that covers the center of the fuel tank 35 from above in the vehicle width direction, and a pair of left and right tank side covers 93, 93 that cover the left and right side surfaces of the fuel tank 35. The motorcycle 1 also includes an inner cover 94 that covers the fuel tank 35 from the front, and a pair of left and right duct covers 95, 95 that are provided between the shrouds 42, 42 and the inner cover 94.

[0058] The tank center cover 92 extends linearly from near the rear of the head pipe 15 to the front edge of the front seat 14a. The fuel filler port 35a is exposed upward from an opening provided in the tank center cover 92. The tank side covers 93 extend downward and outward in the vehicle width direction from the side edges of the tank center cover 92 along the upper and side surfaces of the fuel tank 35. Bulging portions 93a that bulge outward in the vehicle width direction are provided in the front portions of the tank side covers 93, and shrouds 42 are attached to the outer surfaces of the front end portions of the bulging portions 93a. Gaps 96, 96 through which airflow passes during running are formed between the rear edges of the shrouds 42 and the bulging portions 93a. The gaps 96, 96 are formed from the upper surfaces of the bulging portions 93a to the side surfaces of the bulging portions 93a.

[0059] The inner cover 94 integrally includes a pair of left and right cover portions 94a, 94a provided between the tank side covers 93, 93 and the main frames 16, 16, and a connecting portion 94b connecting the left and right cover portions 94a, 94a. The connecting portion 94b extends in the vehicle width direction rearward of the head pipe 15 and above the main frames 16, 16. The connecting portion 94b also passes below the front edge of the tank cover 41. The cover portions 94a, 94a of the inner cover 94 include inner side surface portions 94c, 94c that face the inner surfaces of the shrouds 42 from the inside in the vehicle width direction.

[0060] The duct covers 95 cover air guide openings 97 formed between the front edges of the shrouds 42 and the front edges of the inner side surfaces 94c of the inner cover 94. The duct covers 95 are formed in a mesh shape to allow the airflow to pass through. The airflow taken in between the shroud 42 and the inner side surfaces 94c through the air guide openings 97 is discharged to the outside through gaps 96. More specifically, the airflow is discharged to the outside through both the gaps 96 on the upper surface of the bulging portions 93a and the gaps 96 on the side surfaces of the bulging portions 93a.

[0061] 1, in a side view of the vehicle, the leading edges of the shrouds 42 are located rearward of the front forks 25 and are tilted rearward along the rear edges of the front forks 25. The rear edges of the front forks 25 and the leading edges of the shrouds 42 are generally parallel to each other. This allows the riding wind that flows from the front around the front forks 25 toward the shrouds 42 to be smoothly guided to the air guide openings 97.

[0062] As described above, according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied, the battery arrangement structure for the motorcycle 1 includes the body frame 10 having the main frames 16, 16 extending rearward from the head pipe 15, the fuel tank 35 located above the main frames 16, 16, the engine 11 located below the main frames 16, 16, and the battery 51. The fuel tank 35 is swingably supported on the body frame 10 by the tank swing support part 50 provided at its rear end. The battery 51 is provided between the fuel tank 35 and the engine 11 and is located on the front end side of the fuel tank 35 opposite the side on which the tank swing support part 50 is provided. As a result, when the fuel tank 35 swings via the tank swing support part 50, the battery 51 located below the fuel tank 35 becomes exposed upward. The battery 51 is located on the side opposite the side on which the tank swing support part 50 is provided, and is located on the side on which the fuel tank 35 moves more due to swinging, and therefore is largely exposed to the outside. This allows easy access to the battery 51 located below the fuel tank 35.

[0063] Furthermore, the battery 51 is disposed in a position where at least a portion thereof overlaps with the main frames 16, 16 in a side view of the vehicle. This allows the battery 51 to be disposed while keeping the vertical height low. Furthermore, the main frames 16, 16 are provided in a pair on the left and right, and the battery 51 is disposed between the left and right main frames 16, 16. This allows the battery 51 to be disposed by utilizing the space between the left and right main frames 16, 16. Furthermore, even in a configuration where the presence of the left and right main frames 16, 16 makes it difficult to access the battery 51 from the side, the battery 51 can be accessed from above.

[0064] The battery case 60 further includes a battery case 60 that houses the battery 51, and a lid 70 that is provided on the battery case 60 and covers the battery 51 from above. This allows the lid 70 to protect the battery 51 from above. The lid 70 is pivotally supported on the battery case 60 via lid pivot support portions 65, 65, and includes fuel tank abutment portions 75, 75 that abut against the fuel tank 35 when the lid 70 is pivoted to an open state exposing the battery 51. This allows the fuel tank 35 to be supported in a pivoted state by utilizing the lid 70, which is opened when accessing the battery 51, making it easier to access the battery 51.

[0065] The lid 70 also has fuel tank contact portions 75, 75 at the end opposite the side where the lid swing support portions 65, 65 are provided. This allows the lid 70 to support the fuel tank 35 in a widely swung position, making it easier to access the battery 51. The lid swing support portions 65, 65 are provided at the end of the lid 70 in the front-rear direction that is closer to the tank swing support portion 50. As a result, when the lid 70 is opened via the lid swing support portions 65, 65 and supports the fuel tank 35, the battery 51 is exposed on the side opposite the tank swing support portion 50. This prevents the lid 70 and the fuel tank 35 from getting in the way, making it easier to access the battery 51. The fuel tank contact portions 75, 75 are provided in positions that overlap the main frames 16, 16 from above in a top view. This allows the weight of the fuel tank 35 to be effectively supported by the main frames 16, 16 via the fuel tank abutment portions 75, 75.

[0066] Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the battery arrangement structure of the motorcycle 1 includes a battery 51 having a positive terminal 51p and a negative terminal 51n on the upper surface 51a, a battery case 60 that houses the battery 51, and a band 68 that secures the battery 51 to the battery case 60. The band 68 is disposed across an opening 61e of the battery case 60 that exposes the upper surface 51a of the battery 51 to the outside. The band 68 includes a cover portion 88 that covers the positive terminal 51p, and a negative-side harness 80n connected to the negative terminal 51n covers the band 68. With this configuration, because the cover portion 88 of the band 68 covers the positive terminal 51p, it is difficult to remove the positive-side harness 80p without removing the band 68. Furthermore, because the band 68 is covered by the negative-side harness 80n, it is difficult to remove the band 68 without removing the negative-side harness 80n. This suggests that the negative-side harness 80n should be removed before the positive-side harness 80p.

[0067] The band 68 has one end and the other end fixed to the battery case 60, and includes a cover 88 at one end and a negative-side harness 80n at the other end. Because the cover 88 is included at the end of the band 68 that is fixed to the battery case 60, the cover 88 can firmly cover the positive terminal 51p. Because the other end of the band 68 that is fixed to the battery case 60 is covered by the negative-side harness 80n, the negative-side harness 80n can effectively prevent the other end of the band 68 from being removed. The other end of the band 68 includes a side wall 89 that stands upright from a band main body 85 that extends along the upper surface 51a of the battery 51, and an engagement portion 90 that protrudes from the side wall 89 and engages with the battery case 60. When viewed in the direction in which the engagement portion 90 is inserted into the battery case 60, the side wall 89 overlaps the negative-side harness 80n. As a result, when attempting to release the engagement portion 90 from the battery case 60, the negative side harness 80n interferes with the movement of the side wall portion 89. This prevents the band 68 from being removed before the negative side harness 80n is removed.

[0068] Furthermore, the battery case 60 includes a wall 81 with which the engaging portion 90 of the band 68 engages, and a side wall 89 is positioned between the wall 81 and the negative harness 80n. This allows the wall 81 and the negative harness 80n to firmly restrict movement of the band 68. The band 68 slides and is inserted into the wall 81. The positive harness 80p connected to the positive terminal 51p is routed along the sliding direction of the band 68, and the cover 88 is dome-shaped with an opening 88a in the sliding direction. This allows the dome-shaped cover 88 to widely cover the positive harness 80p while allowing the band 68 to slide. Furthermore, because the positive harness 80p is routed along the sliding direction of the band 68, the positive harness 80p is less likely to interfere with the movement of the side wall 89 of the band 68 when the band 68 slides, allowing the band 68 to slide smoothly. The battery 51 is stored so that the upper surface 51a is located deeper than the opening 61e of the battery case 60, and the battery case 60 has cutouts 61g, 61g that expose the peripheral wall 51b of the battery 51. This allows access to the peripheral wall 51b of the battery 51 through the cutouts 61g, 61g, making it easy to remove the battery 51 from the battery case 60.

[0069] The above embodiment illustrates one application of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. In the above embodiment, the fuel tank 35 is swingably supported on the body frame 10 by the tank swing support 50 provided at its rear end, and the battery 51 is provided between the fuel tank 35 and the engine 11 and is provided on the front end side of the fuel tank 35. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the fuel tank 35 may be swingably supported on the body frame 10 by the tank swing support provided at its front end, and the battery 51 may be provided between the fuel tank 35 and the rear portion of the crankcase 30 of the engine 11 and below the rear end of the fuel tank 35. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the main frames 16, 16 are provided as a pair on the left and right, and the battery 51 is disposed between the left and right main frames 16, 16. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the battery may be provided so as to overlap a single main frame extending rearward from the head pipe 15 in a side view of the vehicle. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the box-shaped battery case 60 has been described as an example of the battery storage section, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the battery storage section may be formed into a shape capable of storing the battery 51 using multiple vehicle body parts. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the motorcycle 1 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention is applicable to three-wheeled saddle-ride vehicles with two front or two rear wheels, saddle-ride vehicles with four or more wheels, and saddle-ride vehicles such as scooters.

[0070] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Motorcycle (vehicle) 51 Battery 51a Top surface (one side surface) 51b Peripheral wall portion 51n Negative terminal 51p Positive terminal 60 Battery case (battery storage portion) 61e Opening 61g, 61g Cutout portion 68 Band 80n Negative side harness 80p Positive side harness 81 Wall portion 85 Band main body portion 88 Cover portion 88a Opening portion 89 Side wall portion 90 Engagement portion

Claims

DEPCT631. Vehicle battery mounting structure incorporating battery(51) including positive(51p) and negative(51n) terminals on one side surface(51a), battery housing unit(60) to hold battery(51), and strip(68) to secure battery(51) to battery housing unit(60), where the strip(68) is provided to straddle the opening(61e) of battery housing unit(60) to expose one side surface(51a) of battery(51). The external strip (68), including the cover (88) to enclose the positive terminal (51p) and the negative cable assembly (80n) to be connected to the negative terminal (51n), encloses the strip (68).

2. The vehicle battery placement structure according to claim 1, where one end and the other end of the strip (68) are fixed to the battery unit (60) and the strip (68), including the cover (88) at one end and the other end are enclosed by the negative cable assembly (80n).3.The vehicle battery mounting structure under claim 2 in which the other end of the strip (68) includes the side wall (89) which is provided vertically from the main body of the strip (85) extending along one of the lateral surfaces (51a) of the battery (51) and the interlock (90) which extends from the side wall (89) to interlock with the battery housing unit (60) and the side wall (89) is superimposed on the negative conductor assembly (80n) when viewed in the direction of interlock (90) relative to the battery housing unit (60).

4. The vehicle battery mounting structure under claim 3 in which the battery housing unit (60) includes the wall (81) to which the interlock (90) of the strip (68) is interlocked and the side wall (89) is positioned between the negative conductor assembly (80n) and the wall (81). 5.The vehicle battery placement structure under claim 4 in which the strip (68) is made to slide and is inserted into the wall section (81) and the positive wire assembly (80p) to be connected to the positive terminal (51p) is routed along the sliding direction of the strip (68) and the enclosure (88) is formed into a dome shape incorporating the discharge section (88a) in the sliding direction.

6. Any vehicle battery placement structure under claims 1 through 5 in which the battery (51) is placed in such a way that one of the side surfaces (51a) is positioned deeper than the opening (61e) of the battery unit (60) and the battery unit (60) includes a cutout (61g) to expose the perimeter wall section (51b) of the battery (51).