Vehicle frame and traveling vehicle

Abstract

The invention provides a vehicle frame and a traveling vehicle which are simple in structure, convenient to manufacture and high in layout freedom degree. Specifically, the vehicle frame of the present invention is for supporting a traveling unit on a traveling vehicle provided with the traveling unit, the traveling unit comprising: a rocking arm provided so as to be rockable about a rocking axis; and a wheel provided on the rocker arm, characterized by comprising: two main plates facing each other with a space therebetween; and a top plate which joins the two main plates to each other.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle frame for supporting a traveling unit having wheels on a traveling vehicle such as a two-wheeled vehicle or a three-wheeled vehicle, and the traveling vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a vehicle frame supporting a travel unit in a two-wheeled or three-wheeled vehicle is known to be formed by welding together a plurality of tubes. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a body frame 510 having a main tube 511 extending in the front-to-rear direction and an upper reinforcing tube 512. The main tube 511 connects a handlebar post 520 to a support member 533, and a saddle tube 540 with a saddle 541 mounted on its upper portion is joined in the central region. The handlebar post 520 has a front wheel 521 mounted on its lower portion and a handlebar 522 mounted on its upper portion for controlling the rotational direction of the front wheel 521. The support member 533 is a support member 533 to which the swing shafts of the two rear wheels 531 are connected.

[0003] Patent Literature

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-72498 Summary of the Invention

[0005] However, in the main body frame 510 involved in Patent Document 1, the pipe needs to be bent in order to form the shape of a traveling vehicle or to install parts. In addition, it is sometimes necessary to install another bracket, so there is a problem that the manufacturing process is time-consuming and complicated.

[0006] In addition, in order to reinforce the saddle tube 540, it is necessary to form a larger saddle support column 545 behind the saddle tube 540 relative to the main tube 511 extending from the handlebar post 520 for connecting the handlebar 522 to the rocking shaft of the rear wheel 531. As a result, there is also a problem that the openness of the space behind the saddle tube 540 is reduced.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, and the technical problem to be solved is to provide a vehicle frame and a traveling vehicle with a simple structure, easy manufacturing, and a high degree of layout freedom.

[0008] The vehicle frame of the present invention is used to support a traveling unit on a traveling vehicle equipped with the traveling unit. The traveling unit comprises: a swing arm configured to be swingable about a swing axis; and a wheel provided on the swing arm. The vehicle frame of the present invention can solve the above-mentioned problem by:

[0009] The invention comprises: two main boards arranged to face each other with a space therebetween; and a top plate for connecting the two main boards to each other.

[0010] The traveling vehicle of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a main body having the above-mentioned vehicle frame; a front traveling portion having front wheels; and a rear traveling portion having rear wheels.

[0011] At least one of the front running section and the rear running section is supported by the vehicle frame.

[0012] According to the vehicle frame of the present invention, since the vehicle frame has an overall generally box-shaped frame structure composed mainly of the plates, including two main plates arranged to face each other with a space therebetween and a top plate connecting them to each other, it is possible to arrange appropriate components such as a running mechanism in the space between the main plates while maintaining strength sufficient to connect the various parts of the vehicle. Furthermore, since the main portion of the vehicle frame is composed of plates, components can be directly mounted to the vehicle frame simply by arranging mounting holes at arbitrary positions on the plates, without the need for joining brackets, etc., thereby facilitating the manufacture of the running vehicle and achieving a high degree of layout freedom.

[0013] Furthermore, in the vehicle frame of the present invention, the gusset is provided to fill the joint corner between the seat tube joined to the top plate. This ensures sufficient strength for the seat tube and eliminates the need for a large saddle post extending from the upper portion of the seat tube toward the top plate. Consequently, a wide open space can be secured behind the seat tube. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing the structure of an example of the vehicle frame of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 2 From another perspective Figure 1 A perspective view of the vehicle frame.

[0016] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Front view of the vehicle frame.

[0017] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A top view of the vehicle frame.

[0018] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A top view of the main board of the vehicle frame.

[0019] Figure 6 It is a perspective view showing an example of the structure of a conventional traveling vehicle.

[0020] Explanation of symbols

[0021] 100 - vehicle frame; 110L, 110R - main plate; 111L, 111R - front plate; 111La, 111Ra - front flat plate; 111Lb, 111Rb - curved portion; 111Lc, 111Rc - rear flat plate; 112L, 112R - rear plate; 113L, 113R - flange; 116L, 116R - through hole for linkage shaft; 117L, 117R - shaft sleeve; 118L, 118R - through hole for swing shaft; 119L, 119R - sleeve; 120 - top plate; 130 - seat tube; 135 - gusset; 136 - auxiliary plate; 140 - down tube; 141 - head tube; 150 - bottom plate; 510 - main body frame; 511 - main tube; 512 - upper reinforcement tube; 520 - handlebar post; 521 - front wheel; 522 - handlebar; 531 - rear wheel; 533 - support component; 540 - saddle tube; 541 - saddle; 545 - saddle support pillar; S1 - front space; S2 - rear space. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The vehicle frame of the present invention is a vehicle frame for supporting a traveling unit on a traveling vehicle equipped with the traveling unit, and comprises: two main boards arranged to face each other with a space therebetween; and a top plate for joining the two main boards to each other. Thus, while maintaining a strength sufficient to connect the various parts of the traveling vehicle, it is possible to arrange appropriate components such as a traveling mechanism in the space between the main boards. Furthermore, by merely arranging mounting holes at arbitrary positions on the plates, components can be directly installed without joining brackets, etc. to the vehicle frame, thereby facilitating manufacturing and achieving a high degree of layout freedom. As long as the above-mentioned vehicle frame can be provided, its specific structure can be arbitrary.

[0023] (Vehicle Frame)

[0024] The vehicle frame of the present invention is a frame that supports a travel unit on a traveling vehicle. Examples of the traveling vehicle include various multi-wheeled vehicles, such as two-wheeled vehicles with single front and single rear wheels, three-wheeled vehicles with single front and two rear wheels, and three-wheeled vehicles with two front and one rear wheel, without particular limitation.

[0025] Hereinafter, a vehicle frame 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0026] The vehicle frame 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention can be used as a vehicle frame for a three-wheeled vehicle having one front wheel and two rear wheels, such as Figures 1 to 5 As shown, it has a roughly box-shaped frame structure, which includes: two main boards 110L and 110R, which are arranged to face each other with a space (front space S1 and rear space S2) between them; and a top plate 120, which connects the two main boards 110L and 110R to each other.

[0027] Each main plate 110L (110R) is formed by welding the overlapping portions of a front plate 111L (111R) and a rear plate 112L (112R). The front plate 111L (111R) is composed of a front flat plate portion 111La (111Ra); a curved portion 111Lb (111Rb) connected to the rear of the front flat plate portion 111La (111Ra) and bent to extend in the left-right direction (the y-axis direction in the figure); and a rear flat plate portion 111Lc (111Rc) connected to the rear of the curved portion 111Lb (111Rb) to extend in the front-back direction.

[0028] The rear plate 112L (112R) is substantially in the shape of a flat plate.

[0029] The main plates 110L and 110R are integrally formed by welding the outer side surface of the rear flat plate portion 111Lc (111Rc) of the front plate 111L (111R) and the inner side surface of the front portion of the rear plate 112L (112R).

[0030] The main boards 110L and 110R are configured to be roughly symmetrical with each other along vertical planes (xz planes) extending in the front-to-back direction (x-axis in the figure) and the up-down direction (z-axis in the figure), respectively. A front space S1 is formed between the front areas of the main boards 110L and 110R, and a rear space S2 is formed between the rear areas.

[0031] Specifically, the front flat plate portions 111La and 111Ra, the rear flat plate portions 111Lc and 111Rc, and the rear plates 112L and 112R of the front plates 111L and 111R of the main plates 110L and 110R are arranged parallel to each other along the xz plane, and the curved portions 111Lb (111Rb) are arranged approximately plane-symmetrically with respect to the xz plane along an angled plane (a vertical plane in the oblique rearward direction) in the xy plane. Furthermore, the arrangement angle of the main plates 110L and 110R is not limited to being parallel to each other along the xz plane; they may also be arranged at an angle relative to the xz plane, depending on the vehicle design.

[0032] Furthermore, in order to join the upper ends (side edges) and front ends (front edges) of the front flat plate portions 111La and 111Ra of the front panels 111L and 111R constituting the front region of the main panels 110L and 110R, a top panel 120 is covered and welded thereto, thereby forming a front space S1 surrounded by the two front flat plate portions 111La and 111Ra and the top panel 120. The top panel 120 has a substantially L-shaped shape obtained by bending a rectangular plate, the inner side of the bend conforming to the outer contour of the upper ends and front ends of the front flat plate portions 111La and 111Ra of the front panels 111L and 111R, and the upper ends and front ends of the front flat plate portions 111La and 111Ra are welded to the inner surface of the top panel 120.

[0033] Furthermore, a rear space S2 is formed between the two rear panels 112L and 112R that form the rear region of the main panels 110L and 110R. A flat bottom panel 150 is welded to the lower ends of the welded overlapping portions of the two rear panels 112L and 112R and the rear flat panel portions 111Lc and 111Rc of the front panels 111L and 111R, thereby joining them together. Providing the bottom panel 150 to the vehicle frame 100 further strengthens the generally box-shaped frame structure of the vehicle frame 100, thereby enhancing the overall strength of the vehicle.

[0034] The distance between the rear panels 112L and 112R forming the rear space S2 is greater than the distance between the flat plate portions 111La and 111Ra in front of the front panels 111L and 111R forming the front space S1. This spatial structure allows for a shorter seating area sandwiching the front space S1, while also ensuring a reasonably large clearance for the two rear wheels positioned to the left and right outside of the rear space S2.

[0035] The specific distance between the main plates 110L and 110R can be appropriately determined based on the types and arrangement of the components.

[0036] The main plates 110L and 110R only need to be made of a material and have a thickness that is strong enough to sustain the vehicle's running.

[0037] The main boards 110L and 110R do not need to have shapes that are completely symmetrical to each other. In addition, the specific outer contours of the main boards 110L and 110R (the outer contours along the xz plane, the outer contours along the vertical plane in the oblique rear direction) only need to have an outer contour shape that can be used to connect the top plate 120 or the bottom plate 150. The rest can adopt appropriate shapes according to the configuration or lightweighting of the components. In addition, appropriate through holes can be formed according to the configuration or lightweighting of the components.

[0038] As through holes formed in the main plates 110L and 110R, for example, in the vehicle frame 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, through holes 116L and 116R for linkage shafts and through holes 118L and 118R for swing shafts are formed in overlapping portions of the main plates 110L and 110R.

[0039] In the through holes 116L and 116R for the linkage shaft, the linkage shaft of the rocking transmission part of the travel unit described later is passed through the bushing parts 117L and 117R, and in the through holes 118L and 118R for the rocking shaft, the rocking shaft is passed through the bushing parts 119L and 119R, and each rear wheel is connected to the outside of the main board 110L and 110R in the left and right directions through the rocking arm and the rotating shaft connected to the rocking shaft.

[0040] Furthermore, flanges 113L and 113R capable of being connected to a cargo platform or the like are provided protruding outward at the upper ends (side edges) of the rear plates 112L and 112R of the main plates 110L and 110R.

[0041] In a vehicle frame 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, a tubular seat tube 130 is welded to protrude obliquely upward and rearward from a central region of a planar portion of a top plate 120 . A saddle (not shown) can be mounted on the upper end of the seat tube 130 .

[0042] Furthermore, to reinforce the seat tube 130 and fill the corners between the seat tube 130 and the top plate 120, a gusset plate 135 is provided. Filling the corners means that the front and bottom sides of the small, roughly rectangular gusset plate 135 are welded to the rear areas of the seat tube 130 and the top plate 120, respectively, at the rear base of the seat tube 130. In this embodiment, the two gusset plates 135 are joined rearwardly at an angle, specifically, with the distance between them increasing as they move rearward. Furthermore, to further enhance the reinforcement, the two gusset plates 135 can be welded together using an auxiliary plate 136.

[0043] Although the gusset plate 135 is a roughly rectangular pentagon with three unjoined open sides, it is not limited to this and can also be a polygon with a front side and a bottom side and an arc-shaped unjoined open side or more than three open sides, and can further be a complete rectangle.

[0044] The gusset plate 135 may have a vertical dimension that is less than half the height of the seat tube 130 , and a front-to-back dimension that is smaller than the vertical dimension.

[0045] The top and rear of the gusset plate 135 may be open spaces.

[0046] Furthermore, the front region of the top plate 120 extends obliquely downward toward the front end. A tubular down tube 140 is welded to the top plate 120, projecting upward from the front region. The upper end of the down tube 140 is adapted to be connected to components associated with the handlebars (not shown). Specifically, a head tube 141 is welded to the upper end of the down tube 140, to which a tubular handlebar post (not shown) is adapted to be connected. The handlebar post has a handlebar mounted at its upper end and a front wheel (not shown) mounted at its lower end.

[0047] (Moving vehicle)

[0048] The traveling vehicle of the present invention includes: a main body having the above-mentioned vehicle frame 100 ; a front traveling portion having front wheels; and a rear traveling portion having rear wheels, and at least one of the front traveling portion and the rear traveling portion is supported by the vehicle frame 100 .

[0049] The traveling vehicle involved in one embodiment of the present invention is a three-wheeled vehicle with one front wheel and two rear wheels. A traveling unit (not shown) can be used as a rear traveling unit. The traveling unit has: a swing transmission unit connected to the vehicle frame 100; a pair of left and right swing arms, which are swingably arranged on the swing transmission unit with a swing axis as the center; and wheels, which are rotatably connected to the swing arms through rotation axes.

[0050] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention described in the claims.

[0051] For example, the vehicle frame according to the present invention can be used for various vehicles that can be driven by wheels, such as vehicles equipped with engines, electric motors, etc., bicycles that can be driven by human power, and carts for transporting goods.

Claims

1. A vehicle frame for supporting a travel unit on a traveling vehicle equipped with the travel unit, the travel unit comprising: a swing arm configured to be swingable about a swing axis; and a wheel provided on the swing arm, wherein: The invention comprises: two main boards arranged to face each other with a space therebetween; and a top plate for connecting the two main boards to each other.

2. The vehicle frame according to claim 1, wherein: The top plate joins the front areas of the main plates to each other, There is also a bottom plate that joins the rear areas of the main plates to each other.

3. The vehicle frame according to claim 2, wherein: The distance between the main boards in a rear region of the main board where the bottom plate is provided is greater than the distance between the main boards in a front region where the top plate is provided.

4. The vehicle frame according to claim 1, wherein: The traveling vehicle includes a saddle. A seat tube is connected to the top plate in a state of projecting upward from a central region thereof, and a saddle can be provided at an upper end of the seat tube.

5. The vehicle frame according to claim 4, wherein: A gusset is provided to fill a joint corner between the seat tube and the top plate.

6. The vehicle frame according to claim 1, wherein: The traveling vehicle has a handlebar. A down tube is joined to the front region of the top plate in a state of projecting upward, and an upper end of the down tube is connectable to components related to the handlebar.

7. A traveling vehicle, characterized in that: The vehicle comprises: a main body having a vehicle frame according to any one of claims 1 to 6; a front running portion having a front wheel; and a rear running portion having a rear wheel. At least one of the front running section and the rear running section is supported by the vehicle frame.

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