Vehicle with a saddle

Abstract

Vehicle with a saddle, comprising: a motor (M) arranged between a front wheel (8) and a rear wheel (16); a fuel tank (38) arranged above the engine (M); a generator (30) attached to a crankshaft (20) of the engine (M); an inverter (54) which supplies the power of the generator (30) to a battery (52), wherein the converter (54) is arranged behind a control tube (4), above a crankcase (22) and below the fuel tank (38), characterized in that the converter (54) is arranged outside the crankcase (22) of the engine (M) in the vehicle width direction.

Description

The present application relates to a vehicle with a saddle comprising a motor, a generator mounted on the crankshaft of the motor and an inverter supplying the power of the generator to a battery, having the features of the preamble of claim 1.A vehicle of the generic type is known from EP 1 839 925 B1.EP 2 657 116 B1 proposes an electrically drivable motorcycle.Some saddle-riding vehicles, such as motor cycles, have a converter that performs regeneration of the energy of a motor into a battery for the purpose of energy regeneration during deceleration (see, e.g., WO 2014 / 102 851 A1).However, in saddled vehicles such as motor cycles, it may be difficult to find a slot for the inverter because they have only a limited space for such equipment in some cases.The object of the invention is therefore to specify a vehicle having a saddle in which a converter is arranged in a compact manner.To achieve this object, a vehicle having the features of claim 1 is provided.According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a saddle-riding vehicle includes: an engine disposed between a front wheel and a rear wheel; a fuel tank disposed above the engine; a generator mounted on a crankshaft of the engine; and an inverter supplying power of the generator to a battery, the inverter being disposed behind a head pipe, above a crankcase, and below the fuel tank, the inverter being disposed outside the crankcase of the engine in the vehicle width direction.According to the saddle riding vehicle of the present invention, the inverter is disposed behind the head pipe, above the crankcase, and below the fuel tank. Thus, the inverter can be compactly disposed in a limited installation space within the vehicle having the saddle.The object on which the invention is based is also achieved in each case by a vehicle having the features of claims 7, 11 and 16.The present invention will be more fully understood from the following description of preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments and drawings are for the purpose of illustration and explanation only and are not to be taken as limiting the scope of the present invention in any way, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims. In the accompanying drawings, like reference numerals are used to designate like or corresponding constituent elements throughout the several views. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a motorcycle which is a saddle-riding vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a plan view of the motorcycle; FIG. 3 is a side view of a front part of the motorcycle; FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view of the front part of the motorcycle; FIG. 5 is a side view of the front half of a body frame of the motorcycle; FIG. 6 is a side view showing wiring of an inverter in the motorcycle; FIG. 7 is a side view showing a front part of a motorcycle which is a saddle-riding vehicle according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 8 is a side view showing a body frame and an engine of the motorcycle; FIG. 9 is a front view showing the front part of the motorcycle in an enlarged form; FIG. 10 is a side view showing the configuration without the trim compared to the configuration shown in FIG. 7 ; and FIG. 11 is a horizontal sectional view of the front part of the vehicle body.A preferred embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a motorcycle which is a saddle-riding vehicle according to a first embodiment. As used in this application, "left" and "right" correspond to "left" and "right", respectively, from the perspective of a driver sitting on the vehicle. The terms "front" and "rear" refer to "front" and "rear" in the moving direction of the vehicle.The motorcycle according to the present embodiment is a hybrid vehicle including an engine E that is a first power source and an engine M that is a second power source. That is, depending on the traveling mode, the motorcycle of the present embodiment travels only with the engine E being an internal combustion engine, or only with the engine M being an electric motor, or simultaneously with the engine E and the engine M.The motorcycle includes a body frame FR formed by a tube frame. The body frame FR includes a chassis 1 forming the front half and a rear frame 2 forming the rear half. The chassis 1 extends rearward and diagonally downward from a head pipe 4 at the front end, and then is bent downward to extend in the vertical direction. The rear frame 2 extends rearward from a rear portion of the chassis 1.The head pipe 4 supports a front fork 6, a front wheel 8 is supported by a lower end portion of the front fork 6, and a steering handle 10 is fixed to an upper end portion of the front fork 6.At a rear end portion of the chassis 1, a swing arm bracket 3 is provided. The swing arm holder 3 supports the swing arms 14 so that they can swing vertically. A rear wheel 16 is fixed to the rear end portions of the swing arms 14.The engine E is disposed below the chassis 1 between the front wheel 8 and the rear wheel 16, and is supported by the body frame FR. The power of the engine E is transmitted from a sprocket of an engine output shaft OS to the rear wheel 16 via a power transmission member 18 so as to drive the rear wheel 16. The force transmission element 18 is, for example, a drive chain. However, the power transmission member 18 is not limited to a drive chain.The engine E includes a crankshaft 20 extending in the vehicle width direction, a crankcase 22 in which the crankshaft 20 is rotatably supported, a cylinder 23 protruding upward from the crankcase 22, and a cylinder head 24 located above the cylinder. In the present embodiment, the axis AX of the cylinder 23 and the cylinder head 24 is inclined forward while extending upward. The engine M is disposed above the crankcase 22.The respective front and rear portions of the cylinder 23 and the cylinder head 24 are supported by the body frame FR. Specifically, the body frame FR includes a first frame part 25 extending vertically forward of the cylinder head 24 and a second frame part 26 extending vertically rearward of the cylinder head 24. The first frame part 25 extends obliquely rearward from a part of the head pipe 4 located below the chassis 1. The second frame member 26 extends from a central portion of the chassis 1 slightly inclined rearward in the front-rear direction.The first frame member 25 and the second frame member 26 are provided at their lower end portions with a first fixing member M 1 and a second fixing member M 2, respectively. The first fixing part M 1 and the second fixing part M 2 are connected by a first connecting member 29 extending in the front-rear direction. The first connecting member 29 is located on the outer side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the cylinder 23. the front portion of the cylinder head 24 is held by the first fastening member M 1 using a fastening member such as a bolt, and the rear portion of the cylinder head 24 is held by the second fastening member M 2 using a fastening member such as a bolt. That is, the first frame member 25 and the first mounting member M 1 constitute a first engine support member 27 that supports the front portion of the cylinder 23 and the cylinder head 24 of the engine E, and the second frame member 26 and the second mounting member M 2 constitute a second engine support member 28 that supports the rear portion of the cylinder 23 and the cylinder head 24.More specifically, the chassis 1 extends rearward from the head pipe 4 in the vehicle width direction in the plan view of FIG. 2, and is then bent at bending parts P to extend rearward inclinedly inward in the vehicle width direction. The first frame part 25 extends outward in the vehicle width direction while extending rearward from the head pipe 4. As shown in FIG. 5, the chassis 1 and the first frame part 25 are connected by a second connecting member 31 and a third connecting member 33. The second link member 31 connects a front end portion of the chassis 1 to a front end portion of the first frame member 25, and the third link member 33 connects a middle portion of the chassis 1 in the front-rear direction to a rear portion of the first frame member 25.A generator 30 is disposed on one side of the crankshaft 20, i.e., at an axial end of the crankshaft. In the present embodiment, a generator 30 is disposed on the left side of the crankshaft. The generator 30 of the present embodiment is a starter function generator (integrated starter generator). The generator 30 generates electric power from the mechanical power of the engine E, i.e., from the rotation of the crankshaft 20. The alternator cover 32 covers the alternator 30 from the vehicle width direction outer side.An exhaust pipe 34 is connected to an exhaust port 24a at the front of the cylinder head 24. The exhaust pipe 34 extends rearward under the engine E and is connected to an exhaust muffler 36 on the right side of the rear wheel 16. The muffler 36 reduces the noise of the exhaust gases from the exhaust pipe 34 before being discharged to the outside. A radiator 35 is disposed in front of the engine E. The radiator 35 uses the incoming traveling wind to cool the cooling water of the engine.A fuel tank 38 is disposed in an upper part of the chassis 1, and a seat 40 on which a driver can sit is fixed to the rear frame 2. The fuel tank 38 is disposed directly above the engine E, behind the head pipe 4, and in front of the seat 40.At the front half of the vehicle body is disposed a hood 46 made of a resin material, which is shown by two-dot chain lines. The hood 46 of the present embodiment covers a region in front of the head pipe 4 to a region lateral to the engine E. A headlamp 45 is attached to the hood 46. As shown in FIG. 3, an exhaust port 46 ais formed in an upper rear part of the hood 46.As shown in FIG. 1, two rear covers 47 made of plastic are arranged on the rear side of the fairing 46, said rear covers being illustrated by double-dashed lines. The rear covers 47 cover the gaps between the seat 44 and the rear frame 2 from the outer sides.A pair of left and right knee grip covers 48 shown by two-dot chain lines are disposed below the fuel tank 38. The knee grip covers 48 cover portions located in front of and below the seat 40 on the outer lateral sides. As illustrated in FIG. 2, each of the knee grip covers 48 includes a recessed portion 48 athat is recessed inward in the vehicle width direction. The recessed portions 48a form knee grip portions that are held between knees of a driver during driving. The knee grip parts 48 acover the lower portions of the middle part to the rear part of the fuel tank 42 illustrated in FIG. 1 from the outer sides.Each knee grip part 48 ais disposed forward with respect to a line connecting a step 49 to the front end of the seat 44 and at a lower part of the side wall of the fuel tank 42. The knee grip parts 48 aare arranged above the motor E, for example. In the present embodiment, the knee grip parts 48 aare disposed in regions above the drive motor M and the cylinder head 24. The knee grips 48 amay be disposed in ranges from the boundary between the seat 44 and the fuel tank 38 to the middle position of the fuel tank 38 in the front-rear direction.A rear fender 50, shown in phantom, is disposed below the rear cowl 47 and above the rear wheel 16. The rear fender 50 protects the driver from splashing of mud, water, and the like through the rear wheel 16. That is, the rear fender 50 forms a battery case for accommodating the battery 52. the battery 52 is disposed below the seat 40 and above the crankcase 22. The battery 52 of the present embodiment is a 48-V lithium ion battery. However, the battery 52 is not limited to this example. Inside the rear fender, a control battery 53 is accommodated behind the traction battery 52.The motorcycle of the present embodiment includes, in an upper lateral position with respect to the engine E, an inverter 54 that supplies the power of the generator 30 to the battery 52. The inverter 54 of the present embodiment is an inverter having an integrated DC / DC converter. That is, the inverter 54 of the present embodiment supplies the output power of the generator 30 to the 48-V traction battery 52 and converts the output voltage to, for example, 12 V to supply the battery 53 with power for the control power supply.As shown in FIG. 5, the inverter 54 of the present embodiment includes a main body case 55 having a rectangular shape in a side view. The main housing 55 has a front 55f and a rear 55r each extending obliquely rearward from the upper end to the lower end, and a top 55t and a bottom 55b each extending obliquely upward from the front end to the rear end.The front side 55 fand the rear side 55 reach include an insertion hole 56 facing the vehicle width direction at the central part in the vertical direction. The bottom 55 bincludes three terminals 58. the connectors 58 are connected to a first wire connected to the generator 30, a second wire connected to the battery 52 for the motor M, and a third wire connected to the battery 53 for the control power supply.As shown in FIG. 6, the first wire W 1 extends rearward from the inverter 54 and is then bent to extend downward and connected to the generator 30. The second wire W 2 is connected to the battery 52 for the motor via the motor M. That is, the second wire W 2 extends rearward from the inverter 54 to be connected to one terminal of the motor M, then extends inward in the vehicle width direction, and thereafter is bent to extend rearward and connected to the battery 52 for the motor. The third wire W 3 extends rearward from the inverter 54 to be connected to the battery 53 for control.Thus, the power of the generator 30 shown in FIG. 1 is supplied to the battery 52 via the inverter 54, so that the battery 52 is charged. More specifically, the generator 30 is an AC generator whose power is converted into DC power by the inverter 54 before being supplied to the traction battery 52. The energy charged in the battery 52 is supplied to the motor M to drive it. In the electric and hybrid running modes, the driving force of the motor M causes the motor output shaft OS to rotate, and the driving force is transmitted to the rear wheel 16 via the power transmission member 18. In addition, when the engine E is started, power is supplied from the battery 52 to the generator 30, and the generator 30 functions as a starter.The output of the generator 30 is supplied to the control battery 53 having a lower voltage than the voltage of the traction battery 52 at the voltage lowered by the inverter 54. The inverter 54 of the present embodiment tends to be larger than a conventional regulator because the inverter supplies power to the traction battery 52 having a higher voltage than the voltage of the control battery 53.The inverter 54 is disposed behind the head pipe 4, above the crankcase 22, and below the fuel tank 38. In a side view, the inverter 54 is disposed forward with respect to the axis A 1 of the crankshaft 20. The inverter 54 is disposed in a region surrounded by the chassis 1, the first frame part 25, the second frame part 26, and the first connection member 29 in a side view. The converter 54 is located on the cylinder axis AX in a side view.The inverter 54 is disposed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the crankcase 22 of the motor E. In the present embodiment, the inverter 54 is disposed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the cylinder head 24, and in a side view, the lower half of the inverter 54 overlaps with a cylinder head cover 24 b.The inverter 54 is disposed in front of the knee grip parts 48 ashown in FIG. 2. The inverter 54 is disposed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction in a plan view of the chassis 1. The inverter 54 is disposed on an inner side in the vehicle width direction plan view with respect to the outer end 32 aof the generator cover 32.In the vehicle width direction, the inverter 54 is disposed on an opposite side to the exhaust muffler 36 with respect to the vehicle body center axis C 1 extending in the front-rear direction. That is, the inverter 54 is disposed on the left side of the vehicle body, and the muffler 36 is disposed on the right side of the vehicle body.As shown in FIG. 3, the inverter 54 is disposed on the inner side of the casing 46. Thereby, the inverter 54 can be prevented from coming into contact with an external object, and the inverter 54 is waterproof. This also improves the external appearance because the support part and the wiring part of the inverter 54 are not visible to the outside.In the plan view shown in FIG. 2, the front part of the inverter 54 protrudes forward with respect to the bending parts of the chassis 1. The inverter 54 extends in the front-rear direction so as to extend along the parts of the chassis 1 that extend rearward from the bending parts P in plan view. The inverter 54 is located in front of the central part of the fuel tank 38 in the front-rear direction. More specifically, the inverter 54 is located in front of the most bulging part of the fuel tank 38 in the vehicle width direction.As shown in FIG. 1, the lower end of the inverter 54 is located below the upper end of the motor E and the upper end of the inverter 54 is located above the upper end of the motor E. In the present embodiment, the inverter 54 is located above the cylinder 23 and the cylinder head 24.The inverter 54 is disposed behind the radiator 35. Specifically, the inverter 54 is disposed adjacent to the radiator 35 in the front-rear direction, and behind and obliquely above the radiator 35. As shown in FIG. 2, the inverter 54 is disposed outside the radiator 35 in the vehicle width direction plan view. The traveling wind A flowing past the radiator 35 passes the inside of the inverter 54 in the lower portion thereof, so that a temperature rise of the inverter 54 can be prevented.As shown in FIG. 3, the inverter 54 is disposed in the vicinity of the exhaust port 46 aof the shroud 46. In the present embodiment, a part of the inverter 54 overlaps with the exhaust port 46 ain a side view. An air inlet port 60 is provided in a part of the cowl 46 in front of the inverter 54 In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, an air inlet port 60 is formed in the front of the cowl 46. The air inlet opening 60 of the present embodiment is formed to extend inward from the boundary between the hood 46 and the knee grip cover 48 in the vehicle width direction. However, the number, shape, and position of the air inlet port 60 are not limited to those mentioned in this example.When the motorcycle travels, the traveling wind A shown in FIG. 3 is guided to the inside of the hood 46 through the air inlet port 60. The incoming traveling wind A that enters the inside of the hood 46 cools the inverter 54 and is then discharged to the outside of the hood 46 via the exhaust port 46 a. In the present embodiment, the incoming traveling wind A cools the inverter 54, so that the operation of the inverter 54 is stabilized.The inverter 54 is supported by the first motor support part 27 and the second motor support part 28 of the body frame FR shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 5, the first frame part 25 which is the first motor support part 27 is provided with a first bracket 62, and the second frame part 26 which is the second motor support part 28 is provided with a second bracket 64. The first bracket 62 and the second bracket 64 are metal plates and are joined to the first and second frame parts 25 and 26, for example, by welding.In the front and rear insertion holes 56, 56 of the main housing 55 of the inverter 54, fastening members 65, such as bolts, are inserted from the vehicle width direction outer side and fastened to the threaded holes of the first and second brackets 62, 64. The threaded bores are formed, for example, by weld nuts. Thus, the inverter 54 is detachably fixed to the body frame FR. However, the support structure for the inverter 54 is not limited thereto.For example, a bracket may be used to fix the inverter 54 to the body frame FR. Specifically, the inverter 54 may be first fixed to the bracket, and then the bracket may be attached to the body frame FR. A shock absorber may be mounted between the body frame FR and the inverter 54.According to the configuration described above, the inverter 54 is disposed behind the head pipe 4, above the crankcase 22, and below the fuel tank 38, as shown in FIG. 1. In a side view, the inverter 54 is disposed in front of the axis A 1 of the crankshaft 20. Thereby, the inverter 54 can be compactly disposed in a limited space inside the saddle-riding vehicle.As shown in FIG. 2, the inverter 54 is disposed outside the crankcase 22 in the vehicle width direction. Thereby, the distance in the vehicle width direction between the generator 30 disposed at the axial end of the crankshaft 20 and the inverter 54 disposed outside the crankcase 22 in the vehicle width direction can be reduced, so that the first wire M 1 that is the power cable between the generator 30 and the inverter 54 can be shortened as shown in FIG. 6.The battery 52 in FIG. 1 is disposed below the seat 40 and above the crankcase 22. Thereby, the distance in the vertical direction between the inverter 54 and the battery 52 disposed above the crankcase 22 can be reduced, so that the second cable M 2, i.e., the power cable between the inverter 54 and the battery 52, can be shortened as shown in FIG. 6.The inverter 54 is, as shown in FIG. 2, disposed in front of the knee grip parts 48 a. This makes it possible to prevent the inverter 54 from interfering with the knee of a motorcyclist.As shown in FIG. 5, the inverter 54 has a rectangular shape in a side view, and the back 55 rof the inverter 54 extends obliquely rearward from the upper end to the lower end. As shown in FIG. 3, the rear side 55 rfaces the front edge 48 fof the knee grip cover 48 with a gap in the front-rear direction therebetween, and extends parallel to the front edge 48 fof the knee grip cover 48, thereby preventing the inverter 54 from interfering with the knee of a motorcyclist.As shown in FIG. 5, the inverter 54 is disposed outside the chassis 1 in the vehicle width direction. In this way, the inverter 54 can avoid interference with other components disposed inside the chassis 1.The inverter 54 is supported by the first motor support part 27 and the second motor support part 28 of the body frame FR. By supporting the front and rear parts of the inverter 54 by the motor support parts 27, 28, the inverter 54 can be firmly supported on the body frame FR.As shown in FIG. 2, the inverter 54 is disposed on the opposite side of the muffler 36 in the vehicle width direction with respect to the vehicle body center axis C 1 extending in the front-rear direction. Thereby, the influence of the exhaust heat of the exhaust muffler 36 on the inverter 54 can be suppressed.The inverter 54 is disposed inward of the outer end 32 aof the generator cover 32 in the vehicle width direction plan view. This can prevent the inverter 54 from being damaged when the vehicle body is tilted.The inverter 54 is preferably disposed in an area where less interfering objects are located and which enables easy installation of the inverter even if the inverter 54 also provides the function of a DC-DC converter and the like and thus has an increased size. In the present embodiment, the inverter 54 has a function of a DC-DC converter. However, the inverter 54 may also function as other electrical accessories such as a relay and a fuse.Since the inverter 54 is disposed outside the body frame FR in the vehicle width direction, the inverter 54 can be disposed closer to the outer surface of the vehicle body than in the case where the inverter 54 is disposed inside the body frame FR in the vehicle width direction, and thus a temperature rise of the inverter 54 can be suppressed. Since the inverter 54 is disposed on the left side, i.e., opposite to the right side on which the exhaust pipe 34 extends, the influence of heat from the exhaust pipe 34 can be suppressed, and thus the temperature rise of the inverter 54 can be suppressed.The inverter 54 has a box-like shape and is disposed such that the thickness direction of the inverter coincides with the vehicle width direction.Thereby, it is possible to mount the inverter 54 without enlarging the vehicle body in the vehicle width direction. The inverter 54 is arranged such that the rectangular body of the inverter 54 has sides along the extending direction of the chassis 1. Thereby, it is possible to suppress protrusion from the chassis 1 and easily support the inverter 54 on the chassis 1. The inverter 54 has a part protruding forward with respect to the bending parts P of the chassis 1. The protruding part extends forward and away from the chassis 1, so that the protruding part can form a gap between the chassis 1 and the inverter 54 in the vehicle width direction. The flow of the incoming wind into such a gap can further improve the cooling performance.In the present embodiment, the inverter 54 has a rectangular shape in a side view, and the front side and the back side of the inverter 54 extend substantially along the cylinder axis. This enables easy support of the inverter 54 on the body frame FR along the frame parts 25, 26 supporting the motor E. Since the terminals 58 are provided on the lower side of the inverter 54, accumulation of rainwater and the like on the terminals 58 can be prevented.In the present embodiment, the traction battery 52 is disposed below the seat 44 and below the fuel tank 38, and the inverter 54 is disposed at a substantially same position as the traction battery 52 in the vertical direction. In other words, the inverter 54 and the drive battery 52 partially overlap in a front view of the vehicle body. Thereby, it is possible to further shorten the connection cable between the inverter 54 and the battery 52.In the present invention, as described above, the inverter 54 may be disposed outside the crankcase 22 of the motor E in the vehicle width direction. According to this configuration, the distance in the vehicle width direction between the inverter 54 and the generator 30 disposed at the axial end of the crankshaft 20 can be reduced to shorten the power cable between the inverter 54 and the generator 30.The battery 52 may be disposed below the seat 40 on which a driver sits and above the crankcase 22 of the engine E. With this configuration, the distance between the battery 52 and the inverter 54 can be reduced in the vertical direction to shorten the power cable between the battery 52 and the inverter 54.The inverter 54 may be disposed in front of the knee grip part 48 a. With this arrangement, the inverter 54 can be prevented from interfering with the knee of a driver who is driving the vehicle.In this case, the inverter 54 may have a rectangular shape in a side view and have a side extending obliquely rearward from the upper end to the lower end.The inverter 54 may be disposed forward of the axis of the crankshaft 20 in a side view. According to this configuration, the inverter 54 can be compactly disposed in a limited space inside the saddle riding vehicle.The inverter 54 may be disposed outside the chassis 1 of the vehicle body in the vehicle width direction. With this arrangement, the inverter 54 can avoid interfering with other components disposed inside the chassis 1.The body frame FR may include a first motor support part 27 supporting a front portion of the cylinder 23 of the motor E and a second motor support part 28 supporting a rear portion of the cylinder 23, and the inverter 54 may be supported by the first motor support part 27 and the second motor support part 28 of the body frame FR. According to this configuration, the front and rear parts of the inverter 54 can be fixedly supported on the body frame FR by the first and second motor support parts 27, 28.The inverter 54 may be disposed on an opposite side to the exhaust muffler 36 on the vehicle body outer side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the vehicle body central axis extending from front to rear. This arrangement can suppress the influence of the exhaust heat of the muffler 36 on the inverter 54.An outer end of the inverter 54 in the vehicle width direction may be disposed inward of an outer end of the generator cover 32 in the vehicle width direction that covers the generator 30 from the vehicle width direction outer side in a plan view. With this arrangement, the inverter 54 can be prevented from being damaged when the vehicle body is tilted.The generator 30 of the present embodiment is an ISG (Integrated Starter Generator) motor as described above, and exclusively performs functions of a starter for starting and a generator for power generation. The generator 30 is configured as a three-phase AC motor and can generate a driving force for rotating the crankshaft 20 when the engine E is started. The generator 30 is configured to operate at a higher voltage (e.g., 48 V) than the voltage for operating other actuators and / or sensors (e.g., 12 V).The inverter 54 of the present embodiment is connected via three high voltage cables to the generator 30, which is a three-phase AC motor. The inverter 54 of the present embodiment is connected to a high-voltage battery via two high-voltage cables. The inverter 54 converts a direct current from the high voltage battery into three-phase alternating currents having different phases before supplying the current to the generator 30. The inverter 54 changes the current and frequency of the current to be supplied to the motor M in response to a motor control command given from a controller. When the three-phase alternating current is supplied from the generator 30, the inverter 54 rectifys the current and converts it into direct current to feed it to the high voltage battery 52. Therefore, the inverter 54 of the present embodiment includes an inverter circuit that converts direct current into three-phase alternating current, a converter circuit that converts three-phase alternating current into direct current, and a control circuit that controls the individual circuits to change the state of the current to be generated in response to a command of the control device. Thus, the inverter 54 of the present embodiment has a complicated function, so that it is relatively large. In addition, since a larger current flows in the inverter 54, the inverter 54 tends to generate a larger amount of heat than other components in which a smaller current flows.FIGS. 7 to 11 show a second embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment mainly in the arrangement of the inverter 54 and a part of the shape of the casing 46.As shown in FIG. 7, the front end of the inverter 54 is located forward of the front end of the cylinder 23 of the motor E in a side view. more specifically, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the front side 54 fof the rectangular inverter 54 extends downward in a forwardly inclined manner from the upper end, the upper piece 54 uextends rearward in a downwardly inclined manner from the front end, and the whole of the front side 54 fis disposed forward of the front end of the cylinder head 24.In the present embodiment, the entire inverter 54 is disposed in front of the front end of the cylinder 23. By disposing the inverter 54 in front of the cylinder 23, the inverter 54 is disposed away from the motor E toward the upstream side in the traveling direction. As a result, the inverter 54 is less subject to the influence of the hot air of the motor E during traveling. The inverter 54 is disposed above and outside the exhaust port 24 ain the vehicle width direction. By disposing the inverter 54 away from the exhaust port 24 a, the inverter 54 can be less subjected to the influence of radiant heat through the exhaust.As shown in FIG. 8, the front end of the inverter 54 is located forward of the front end of the motor E compared to the first embodiment. The inverter 54 is disposed between the upper chassis 1 and the lower first frame member 25, and the upper and lower portions of the inverter 54 are fixed to both the upper and lower frames 1, 25. The inverter 54 is disposed adjacent to the connecting member 33 that connects the upper and lower frames 1, 25 to each other. As a result, the support rigidity of the inverter 54 can be increased. In the present embodiment, the connection member 33 extends in the vertical direction along the direction in which the inverter 54 extends in the vertical direction. Since the inverter 54 is obliquely disposed in a side view, the lower end portion can be laid forward as much as possible to avoid interference with a driver's knee region.As shown in FIG. 7, the structure of the exhaust port 70 of the shroud 46 is partially different in the present embodiment than in the first embodiment. The inverter 54 is disposed outside the body frame FR in the vehicle width direction and inside the cowl 46 in the vehicle width direction, and the exhaust port 70 is located in a region facing the inverter 54 in the cowl 46 in the vehicle width direction. Below the exhaust air opening 70, a lower opening 71 (FIG. 11 ) is formed, which connects the space for accommodating the inverter 54 to the lower space.As shown in FIG. 9, the cowl 46 has the air inlet port 60 at the front end portion. The hood 46 includes an air duct 72 leading from the air inlet opening 60 to the inverter 54 inside the hood 46. In the present embodiment, the hood 46 includes an inner hood 46 ifixed to the body frame FR and an outer hood 46 ofixed to the outside of the inner hood 46 iin the vehicle width direction, and the air passage 72 is defined between these hoods 46 i, 46 o.The air inlet port 60 is located on the outside of the hood 46 in the vehicle width direction, and thereby it is possible to receive and guide the incoming traveling wind A, which impinges on the front end of the hood 46 and / or the headlamp 45 and flows outward in the vehicle width direction, toward the inverter 54. The inner liner 46 idefining a part of the air inlet opening 60 is shaped to be recessed inward in the vehicle width direction and thereby can provide the air inlet opening 60 to increase the amount of the incoming traveling wind A to be received. The inner liner 46 i bulges outward in the vehicle width direction from the front end to the rear end, so that the inner liner 46 ican more easily prevent undesired exposure of the inner structure of the vehicle body when viewed from the front.As shown in FIG. 11, the air passage 72 on the upstream side with respect to the inverter 54 includes a nozzle part 74 in which the passage area is reduced as compared with the passage area on the intake side. As shown in FIG. 10, the rear edge 46 irof the inner hood 46 iis faced to the front side 54 fof the inverter 54 in the front-rear direction. In the present embodiment, the rear edge 46 irof the inner liner 46 iand the front side 54 fof the inverter 54 are parallel and do not overlap in a side view. That is, the inner panel 46 iand the inverter 54 are juxtaposed in the front-rear direction, and the inverter 54 is covered by the outer panel 46 ofrom the outer side in the vehicle width direction. The exhaust air opening 70 is located in the outer casing 46 o.On the outer surface of the inner liner 46 i, a recessed groove 76 recessed inward in the vehicle width direction is provided. The recessed groove 76 extends in the front-rear direction from the front edge of the inner liner 46 ito the center point P 1 in the front-rear direction. The recessed groove 76 is the strongest at the front edge and the least recessed at the center point P 1 in the front-rear direction. That is, the recess of the recessed groove 76 gradually decreases rearward from the front edge. The part of the inner liner 46 iwhich is located rearward with respect to the center point P 1, i.e., the part located between the center point P 1 and the inverter 54, is inclined rearward in the vehicle width direction.Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, the passage area of the air duct 72 between the inner panel 46 iand the outer panel 46 ois largest at the air inlet port 60, gradually decreases toward the center point P 1 to be smallest at the center point P 1, and then gradually increases from the center point P 1 toward the inverter 54 located behind. That is, the nozzle part 74 is located at the center point P 1 of the air passage 72.According to the air passage 72 having such a configuration, the air intake opening 60 extends in an inclined manner with respect to the vehicle width direction, with the inner end of the air intake opening in the vehicle width direction being located forward with respect to the outer end of the air intake opening in the vehicle width direction. Thus, the air intake opening 60 can be made relatively large relative to the passage cross-sectional area, so that a large amount of inflowing traveling wind can be taken into the air passage 72. The flow velocity of the incoming traveling wind A introduced into the air passage 72 gradually increases toward the nozzle part 74. The incoming travel wind A flows downstream of the nozzle part 74 diffusely in the direction of the converter 54 located behind it.The inverter 54 includes, as shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of cooling fins 78 on the outer surface. The individual cooling fins 78 extend along the upper portion 54 uof the inverter 54 In the present embodiment, the individual cooling fins 78 extend parallel to the upper portion 54 u. The cooling fins 78 extend in a direction perpendicular to the front side 54 fof the inverter 54, i.e., in a direction perpendicular to the rear edge 46 irof the inner liner 46 i. Therefore, the incoming traveling wind A guided by the inner hood 46 iflows along the cooling fins 78 of the inverter 54.According to the second embodiment, the front end of the inverter 54 is located forward of the front end of the cylinder 23 in the side view of FIG. 8. This facilitates the arrangement of the inverter 54 in front of the knee grip part 48 a(FIG. 7 ), thereby making it possible to prevent the inverter 54 from interfering with a driver's knee. Moreover, by disposing the inverter 54 away from the cylinder 23, the inverter 54 can be less subjected to the influence of the radiant heat of the cylinder 23.As shown in FIG. 11, the inverter 54 is disposed outside the body frame FR in the vehicle width direction and inside the cowl 46 in the vehicle width direction. Thus, the inverter 54 is disposed inside the outer surface of the vehicle body, so that the inverter 54 can be protected from contact with a person or an object located outside.The hood 46 has the exhaust port 70 in a region facing the inverter 54 shown in FIG. 7 in the vehicle width direction. This makes it possible to shape the flow of the incoming traveling wind A discharged through the exhaust port 70, and facilitates the arrangement of the inverter 54 in the flow of the incoming traveling wind A. The incoming traveling wind A flows past the exhaust port 70 outward in the vehicle width direction and away from the vehicle body. In this way, hot air can be prevented from flowing from the inverter 54 to the driver, thereby reducing the driver's inconvenience.In addition, since the hot air flows out from the exhaust air port 70 to the outside, heat accumulation of the inverter 54 inside the shroud 46 can be prevented when the vehicle is stopped. Specifically, the exhaust air opening 70 is disposed to face the top of the inverter 54 so that the hot air heated by the inverter 54 and accumulated above the inverter 54 can be easily discharged. In addition, the lower opening 71 that connects the air passage 72 to the lower space is provided below the inverter 54, so that the lower opening 71 can facilitate the supply of fresh air and suppress the temperature rise around the inverter 54 while the vehicle is parked.The hood 46 further includes an air inlet port 60 in the front end portion of the hood 46, so the incoming traveling wind enters the inside of the hood 46 from the air inlet port 60 and is discharged from the exhaust port 70 to the outside of the hood 46 in the vehicle width direction. The incoming wind cools the inverter 54 and causes hot air to flow away from the driver. The inverter 54 has a control function for adjusting the output of the motor M and adjusting the generator 30, and includes a control board and / or a circuit integrated therein. Therefore, the inverter 54 has more severe thermal requirements than analog circuit components such as a regulator. According to the above-mentioned configuration, the inverter 54 can be effectively cooled by the inflowing wind.As shown in FIG. 11, the shroud 46 includes the air passage 72 extending toward the inverter 54, and the air passage 72 includes the nozzle part 74 where the passage area on the upstream side of the inverter 54 is reduced. As a result, the flow velocity of the arriving wind in the nozzle part 74 is increased, so that the cooling effect during the driving operation can be improved.The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various additions, changes, or omissions may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, although the above embodiments are described with reference to motorcycle, the present invention can be applied to saddle-riding vehicles other than motorcycle such as three-wheel and four-wheel buggys.The present invention can also be applied to series hybrid vehicles as well as parallel hybrid vehicles. In particular, the present invention can be suitably applied to vehicles having an ISG (integrated starter generator) engine. The present invention can also be applied to motor vehicles having an ISG engine. The frame of the vehicle body is not limited to a pipe frame, and may be a die cast frame. Further, the inverter 54 does not necessarily have to have a function other than that of the inverter, for example, a DC-DC converter function. The orientation of the inverter 54 is not limited to the configuration described above. For example, the inverter may have a rectangular shape in a side view with two vertically extending sides and two front-rear extending sides, the terminals 58 being provided at the back side.Further, the position of the inverter 54 is not limited to that of the above embodiment, and the inverter 54 may be mounted at a position other than that of the above embodiment. The present invention can be applied not only to hybrid vehicles but also to electric vehicles. Accordingly, such variations are within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

A saddle-riding vehicle comprising: an engine (M) disposed between a front wheel (8) and a rear wheel (16); a fuel tank (38) disposed above the engine (M); a generator (30) attached to a crankshaft (20) of the engine (M); an inverter (54) supplying power of the generator (30) to a battery (52), the inverter (54) being disposed behind a head pipe (4), above a crankcase (22), and below the fuel tank (38), characterized in that the inverter (54) is disposed outside the crankcase (22) of the engine (M) in the vehicle width direction.The vehicle with a seat according to claim 1, further comprising a seat (40) on which a rider can sit, wherein the battery (52) is disposed below the seat (40) and above the crankcase (22) of the engine (M).The vehicle with a saddle according to any one of claims 1 or 2, further comprising a cowl (46) covering a front part of the vehicle body from an outer side in the vehicle width direction, wherein a part of the cowl (46) located behind the inverter (54) forms a knee grip part (48a).The vehicle with a saddle according to claim 3, wherein the inverter (54) has a rectangular shape in a side view and has a side extending obliquely rearward from an upper end of the inverter (54) to a lower end of the inverter (54).The vehicle with a saddle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the inverter (54) is disposed in front of an axis of the crankshaft (20) in the side view.The vehicle with a saddle according to claim 5, wherein a front end of the inverter (54) is located forward of a front end of a cylinder (23) of the motor (M) in a side view.A vehicle with a saddle, comprising: an engine (M) disposed between a front wheel (8) and a rear wheel (16); a fuel tank (38) disposed above the engine (M); a generator (30) fixed to a crankshaft (20) of the engine (M); an inverter (54) supplying power of the generator (30) to a battery (52), the inverter (54) being disposed behind a head pipe (4), above a crankcase (22), and below the fuel tank (38), characterized in that the inverter (54) is disposed outside a chassis (1) of the vehicle body in the vehicle width direction.The vehicle with a saddle according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a body frame (FR) includes a first motor support part (27) supporting a front portion of a cylinder (23) of the motor (M) and a second motor support part (28) supporting a rear portion of the cylinder (23), and the inverter (54) is supported by the first motor support part (27) and the second motor support part (28) of the body frame (FR).The vehicle with a saddle according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the inverter (54) is disposed on a side opposite to a muffler (36) located on an outer side of a vehicle body in the vehicle width direction with respect to a central axis of the vehicle body extending from front to rear.The vehicle with a saddle according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein an outer end of the inverter (54) in the vehicle width direction is disposed inward of an outer end of a generator cover (36) in the vehicle width direction that covers the generator (30) from an outer side in the vehicle width direction in a plan view.A vehicle with a saddle comprising: an engine (M) disposed between a front wheel (8) and a rear wheel (16); a fuel tank (38) disposed above the engine (M); a generator (30) attached to a crankshaft (20) of the engine (M); a converter (54) that supplies the power of the generator (30) to a battery (52), the converter (54) being disposed behind a head pipe (4), above a crankcase (22), and below the fuel tank (38), characterized in that the vehicle includes a cowl (46) that covers a front part of the vehicle body from the outside in the vehicle width direction, the converter (54) being disposed outside a body frame (FR) in the vehicle width direction and inside the cowl (46) in the vehicle width direction.The vehicle with a saddle according to claim 11, wherein the cowl (46) has an exhaust port (46a) in a region facing the inverter (54) in the vehicle width direction.The vehicle with a saddle according to claim 12, wherein the fairing (46) has an air inlet opening (60) in a front end portion of the fairing (46).A vehicle with a saddle according to claim 12 or 13, wherein below the exhaust air opening (46a), a lower opening (71) communicating with a lower space than the cowl (46) is defined.The saddle-riding vehicle according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the cowl (46) has an air passage (72) toward the inverter (54) inside the cowl (46), and the air passage (72) includes a nozzle part (74) in which a passage area on an upstream side of the inverter (54) is reduced.A vehicle with a saddle comprising a motor (M) as a drive power source; a generator (30) mounted on the crankshaft (20) of the motor (M); an inverter (54) that supplies the power of the generator (30) to a battery (52), and a cowl (46) that covers a front part of a vehicle body from the outside in the vehicle width direction, wherein the inverter (54) is disposed outside a body frame (FR) in the vehicle width direction and inside the cowl (46) in the vehicle width direction, and the cowl (46) includes an air inlet port (60) disposed in a front end portion of the cowl (46) and an exhaust port (46a) disposed in a region opposite to the inverter (54) in the vehicle width direction.

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