Vehicle frame and running vehicle

Abstract

To provide a vehicle frame and a running vehicle which can be easily produced by a simple structure, and which have a high degree of freedom for layout.SOLUTION: A vehicle frame is provided. A swing transmitting portion of a running vehicle which includes a running unit having a swing arm provided so as to be swingable around a swing axis and a wheel provided at the swing arm is connected to the vehicle frame. The vehicle frame includes: two main plates that face each other with a space therebetween; and a roof plate that joins the two main plates to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle frame that supports a traveling unit having wheels in a traveling vehicle such as a two-wheeled vehicle or a three-wheeled vehicle, and to the traveling vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in traveling vehicles such as two-wheeled vehicles and three-wheeled vehicles, a vehicle frame formed by welding a large number of pipes has been known to support a traveling unit. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a main body frame 510 that connects a handle post 520, which has a front wheel 521 mounted at its lower part and a handle 522 mounted at its upper part for controlling the rotation direction of the front wheel 521, to a support member 533 for a swing shaft to which two rear wheels 531 are connected, and further has a saddle tube 540, which has a saddle 541 mounted at its upper part, joined to its central region, and that has a main pipe 511 extending in the fore-and-aft direction and an upper reinforcing pipe 512. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-72498 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the main body frame 510 according to Patent Document 1 requires processing to bend pipes to form the shape of a running vehicle or to attach components, and may also require the attachment of a separate bracket, resulting in a problem that the manufacturing process is labor-intensive and cumbersome. Furthermore, in order to reinforce the saddle tube 540, it is necessary to form a large seat stay 545 behind the saddle tube 540 in relation to the main pipe 511 that extends from the handle post 520 for connecting the handlebars 522 to the pivot axis of the rear wheel 531, which creates the problem of reducing the openness of the space behind the saddle tube 540.

[0005] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a vehicle frame and a running vehicle that have a simple configuration, are easy to manufacture, and have a high degree of layout freedom. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle frame of the present invention is a vehicle frame to which the swing transmission part is connected in a traveling vehicle including a swing arm provided to be swingable around a swing axis and a traveling unit having a wheel provided on the swing arm, The above problem is solved by having two main plates facing each other across a space and a roof plate that joins the two main plates together.

[0007] The traveling vehicle of the present invention is a traveling vehicle including a main body having the above-mentioned vehicle frame, a front traveling part having wheels, and a rear traveling part having wheels, At least one of the front running portion and the rear running portion is supported by the vehicle frame. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the vehicle frame of the present invention, the vehicle frame has an overall, approximately box-shaped frame structure mainly composed of two main plates arranged facing each other across a space and a roof plate that joins these plates together, so that it is possible to arrange components such as appropriate running mechanisms in the space between the main plates while maintaining sufficient strength to connect each part of the vehicle.Furthermore, because the main parts of the vehicle frame are made up of plates, it is possible to attach components directly to the vehicle frame by simply placing mounting holes in any position on the plates without joining brackets, etc., so that running vehicles can be easily manufactured and a high degree of layout freedom is achieved.

[0009] Furthermore, in the vehicle frame of the present invention, a gusset plate is provided in a state that fills the joint corner between the roof plate and the seat tube joined to the roof plate, so that the seat tube has sufficient strength while eliminating the need to arrange large seat stays or the like that extend from the top of the seat tube toward the roof plate, thereby ensuring a large open space behind the seat tube. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an example of a vehicle frame of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle frame of FIG. 1 from another angle. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a front view of the vehicle frame of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a top view of the vehicle frame of FIG. 1. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a top view of the main plate of the vehicle frame of FIG. 1; [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a conventional traveling vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The vehicle frame of the present invention is a vehicle frame that supports a traveling unit in a traveling vehicle equipped with the traveling unit, and has two main plates arranged facing each other across a space, and a roof plate that joins the two main plates to each other, thereby making it possible to arrange components such as appropriate traveling mechanisms in the space between the main plates while maintaining sufficient strength to connect each part of the traveling vehicle.Furthermore, by simply placing mounting holes in any position on the plates, components can be directly attached without joining brackets or the like to the vehicle frame, making it easy to manufacture, and the specific configuration can be any as long as it provides a vehicle frame that allows a high degree of layout freedom.

[0012] [Vehicle frame] The vehicle frame of the present invention is a frame that supports a traveling unit in a traveling vehicle. Examples of traveling vehicles include, but are not limited to, various multi-wheeled vehicles, such as a two-wheeled vehicle with one front wheel and one rear wheel, a three-wheeled vehicle with one front wheel and two rear wheels, or a three-wheeled vehicle with two front wheels and one rear wheel. A vehicle frame 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0013] A vehicle frame 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention is used as a vehicle frame for a three-wheeled vehicle having one front wheel and two rear wheels, and as shown in Figures 1 to 5, has a roughly box-shaped frame structure having two main plates 110L, 110R arranged opposite each other across a space (a front space S1 and a rear space S2), and a roof plate 120 that joins the two main plates 110L, 110R to each other.

[0014] Each main plate 110L (110R) is formed by welding a front plate 111L (111R) and a rear plate 112L (112R) at their overlapping portions. The front plate 111L (111R) is made up of a front flat plate portion 111La (111Ra), a bent portion 111Lb (111Rb) that is bent and continues to the rear of the front flat plate portion 111La (111Ra) so as to expand in the left-right direction (the y-axis direction in the figure), and a rear flat plate portion 111Lc (111Rc) that is continuous and extends in the front-rear direction behind the bent portion 111Lb (111Rb). The rear plate 112L (112R) is substantially flat. The outer surface of the rear flat plate portion 111Lc (111Rc) of the front plate 111L (111R) and the inner surface of the front portion of the rear plate 112L (112R) are welded together to form the integral main plates 110L, 110R.

[0015] The main plates 110L and 110R are arranged so as to be approximately symmetrical with respect to each other along a vertical plane (xz plane) extending in the front-to-back direction (x-axis direction in the figure) and the up-to-down direction (z-axis direction in the figure), and a front space S1 is formed between the front regions of the main plates 110L and 110R, and a rear space S2 is formed between the rear regions. Specifically, the front flat plate portions 111La, 111Ra, the rear flat plate portions 111Lc, 111Rc, and the rear plates 112L, 112R of the front plates 111L, 111R of the main plates 110L, 110R are arranged parallel to each other along the xz plane, and the bent portions 111Lb (111Rb) are arranged approximately symmetrically with each other along a plane (a vertical plane diagonally rearward) that is angled from the xz plane in the xy plane. Note that the arrangement angle of the main plates 110L, 110R is not limited to a parallel arrangement state along the xz plane, and they may be configured to be angled from the xz plane according to the vehicle design, etc. Then, roof plate 120 is covered and welded to join the upper ends (side edges) and front ends (front edges) of front flat plate portions 111La, 111Ra of front plates 111L, 111R that constitute the front regions of main plates 110L, 110R to each other, thereby forming a front space S1 surrounded by the two front flat plate portions 111La, 111Ra and roof plate 120. Roof plate 120 has a shape in which a rectangular plate is bent into a substantially L shape, and the inner shape of the bend has a shape that fits the outer contour shapes of the upper ends and front ends of front flat plate portions 111La, 111Ra of front plates 111L, 111R, and the upper ends and front ends of front flat plate portions 111La, 111Ra are welded to the inner surface of roof plate 120. A rear space S2 is formed between the two rear plates 112L, 112R that form the rear regions of the main plates 110L, 110R. A flat floor plate 150 is welded to the lower ends of the welded overlapping portions of the rear flat plate portions 111Lc, 111Rc of the two rear plates 112L, 112R and the front plates 111L, 111R, thereby joining them together. By providing the floor plate 150 to the vehicle frame 100, the approximately box-shaped frame structure of the vehicle frame 100 can be made stronger, thereby improving the strength of the entire traveling vehicle.

[0016] The distance between the rear plates 112L, 112R that form the rear space S2 is greater than the distance between the front flat plate portions 111La, 111Ra of the front plates 111L, 111R that form the front space S1. This spatial structure makes it possible to form a short riding area that sandwiches the front space S1, and also ensures an appropriately large distance between the two rear wheels that are disposed outward in the left-right direction of the rear space S2. The specific distance between the main plates 110L and 110R can be determined appropriately based on the types and arrangement of the components.

[0017] The main plates 110L, 110R may be made of a material and have a thickness strong enough to support a traveling vehicle. The main plates 110L, 110R do not need to have shapes that are completely symmetrical to each other, and the specific outer plate contours of the main plates 110L, 110R (outer contours along the xz plane, outer contours along a vertical plane diagonally rearward) can be any shape appropriate for the arrangement of the components, weight reduction, etc., as long as they have contour shapes that allow them to be joined at the parts where the roof plate 120 and floor plate 150 are joined, and the rest can be any shape appropriate for the arrangement of the components, weight reduction, etc., and appropriate through holes can be shaped depending on the arrangement of the components, weight reduction, etc.

[0018] As for the through holes formed in the main plates 110L, 110R, for example, in the vehicle frame 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, through holes 116L, 116R for the interlocking shaft and through holes 118L, 118R for the oscillating shaft are formed in the overlapping portions of each main plate 110L, 110R. The interlocking shaft of the swing transmission part of the traveling unit described later is inserted into the interlocking shaft through holes 116L, 116R via boss portions 117L, 117R, and the swing shaft is inserted into the swing shaft through holes 118L, 118R via boss portions 119L, 119R, and each rear wheel is connected to the outside in the left-right direction of the main plates 110L, 110R via swing arms and rotation shafts connected to the swing shaft. Furthermore, flanges 113L, 113R that can be connected to a loading platform or the like are provided to protrude outward from the upper ends (side edges) of the rear plates 112L, 112R of the main plates 110L, 110R.

[0019] In the vehicle frame 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, a pipe-shaped seat tube 130, at the upper end of which a saddle (not shown) can be mounted, is welded so as to protrude diagonally upward and rearward from the central region of the flat surface of the roof plate 120. Furthermore, to reinforce the seat tube 130, a gusset plate 135 is provided so as to fill the joint corner between the seat tube 130 and the roof plate 120. Filling the joint corner refers to a state in which a small, approximately rectangular gusset plate 135 is provided at the base of the rear of the seat tube 130, and its front and lower edges are joined by welding to the rear regions of the seat tube 130 and the roof plate 120, respectively. In this embodiment, the two gusset plates 135 are joined at an angle to each other, specifically, with the rear open so that the distance between them increases as they extend rearward. Furthermore, to further enhance the reinforcement, the two gusset plates 135 are joined to each other by welding with an auxiliary plate 136. The gusset plate 135 is assumed to have a pentagonal shape that is approximately rectangular with three open sides that are not joined, but is not limited to this, and may have a front side and a lower side, and the open sides that are not joined may be arc-shaped, or may be polygonal with more than three open sides, or may even be a perfect rectangle. The size of the gusset plate 135 in the vertical direction can be equal to or less than half the height of the seat tube 130, and the size in the front-to-rear direction can be smaller than the size in the vertical direction. Above and behind the gusset plate 135 can be an open space.

[0020] Furthermore, the front region of roof plate 120 is formed to extend obliquely downward toward the front end, and a pipe-shaped down tube 140, the upper end of which can be connected to a member related to a handlebar (not shown), is welded to protrude upward from the front region of this roof plate 120. Specifically, a head tube 141, the upper end of which can be connected to a pipe-shaped handlebar post (not shown), the upper end of which has a handlebar mounted thereon and a front wheel (not shown) mounted at its lower end, is welded to the upper end of down tube 140.

[0021] [Vehicles in motion] The running vehicle of the present invention is a running vehicle that comprises a main body having the above-mentioned vehicle frame 100, a front running part having front wheels, and a rear running part having rear wheels, and at least one of the front running part and the rear running part is supported by the vehicle frame 100. A running vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention is a three-wheeled vehicle with one front wheel and two rear wheels, and can be configured to use a running unit (not shown) having a swing transmission part connected to the vehicle frame 100 as the rear running part, a pair of swing arms on the left and right sides that are swingable around a swing axis on the swing transmission part, and wheels that are rotatably connected to each of the swing arms by a rotation axis.

[0022] 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 modifications can be made without departing from the present invention as set forth in the claims. For example, the vehicle frame of the present invention can be used in various vehicles that can run on wheels, such as vehicles equipped with engines, electric motors, etc., bicycles that can be driven by human power, and carts for carrying luggage. [Explanation of symbols]

[0023] 100 ··········· Vehicle frame 110L, 110R Main plate 111L, 111R Front plate 111La,111Ra ··· Front flat plate part 111Lb,111Rb...Bending part 111Lc, 111Rc - Rear flat plate part 112L, 112R Rear plate 113L, 113R... Flange 116L,116R... Through hole for interlocking shaft 117L, 117R Boss part 118L, 118R: Through hole for swing shaft 119L, 119R Boss part 120 ············ Roof plate 130 Seat tube 135 Gusset plate 136 Auxiliary plate 140 Down tube 141 Head tube 150 Floor plate 510 Main frame 511 Main pipe 512 Upper reinforcing pipe 520 Handle post 521 Front wheel 522 Handle 531 Rear wheel 533 Support member 540 Saddle tube 541 Saddle 545 Seat stay S1 ········································ Front space S2 ·········· Rear space

Claims

1. A vehicle frame supporting a traveling unit in a traveling vehicle including a swing arm provided to be swingable around a swing shaft and a wheel provided on the swing arm, A vehicle frame comprising: two main plates arranged to face each other across a space; and a roof plate connecting the two main plates to each other.

2. the roof plate joins the front regions of the main plates together; 2. The vehicle frame according to claim 1, further comprising a floor plate joining rear regions of the main plates together.

3. 3. The vehicle frame according to claim 2, wherein the distance between the main plates in a rear region where the floor plate is provided is greater than the distance between the main plates in a front region where the roof plate is provided.

4. The traveling vehicle is provided with a saddle, 2. The vehicle frame according to claim 1, wherein a seat tube, on whose upper end a saddle can be disposed, is joined so as to protrude upward from a central region of the roof plate.

5. 5. The vehicle frame according to claim 4, wherein a gusset plate is provided so as to fill in a corner portion where the seat tube and the roof plate are joined.

6. The vehicle is provided with a steering wheel, 2. The vehicle frame according to claim 1, wherein a down tube is joined to the front region of the roof plate so as to protrude upward, and the upper end of the down tube is adapted to be able to connect a member related to a handlebar.

7. A traveling vehicle comprising a main body having the vehicle frame according to any one of claims 1 to 6, a front traveling section having front wheels, and a rear traveling section having rear wheels, A traveling vehicle, wherein at least one of the front traveling portion and the rear traveling portion is supported by the vehicle frame.

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