Straddled vehicle with eps

Abstract

The objective of the present invention is to provide a straddled vehicle provided with an EPS capable of suppressing changes, due to dynamic thrust loads, in the state of power transmission to a steering shaft from an EPS actuator, while disposing the EPS actuator in a compact manner. A motor constituting an EPS actuator is configured such that the sum of a maximum compression amount of an upward dynamic thrust load attenuation elastomer member, which is less than the height of an upward movement allowable space for allowing upward movement of a rotor shaft when subjected to an upward dynamic thrust load, and a maximum compression amount of a downward dynamic thrust load attenuation elastomer member, which is less than the height of a downward movement allowable space for allowing downward movement of the rotor shaft when subjected to a downward dynamic thrust load, is less than the vertical length of the gear portion having the greater vertical length among a rotor gear portion and a transmission gear portion that meshes with the rotor gear portion.

Description

Straddled vehicle with EPS

[0001] The present invention relates to a saddle-ride type vehicle, and more particularly to a saddle-ride type vehicle equipped with an EPS.

[0002] Straddle-type vehicles have been known in the past. Among these saddle-type vehicles, there is a saddle-type vehicle equipped with an EPS. A saddle-type vehicle equipped with an EPS actuator is configured to apply an auxiliary steering force to the front steering wheel in response to the rider's operation of the handlebars. Such a saddle-type vehicle is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1.

[0003] International Publication No. 2017 / 200095

[0004] In a straddle-type vehicle equipped with an EPS, from the viewpoint of compactly arranging the EPS actuator, the rotor shaft of the motor constituting the EPS actuator is disposed so as to extend in the vertical direction of the vehicle. Here, when a straddle-type vehicle equipped with an EPS is traveling, a dynamic thrust load in the vertical direction is input to the motor. That is, the dynamic thrust load during traveling is input in the direction in which the rotor shaft extends. As a result, the rotor shaft moves in the vertical direction (i.e., axial direction). The meshing position between the rotor gear portion and the transmission gear portion meshing with the rotor gear portion changes. The wear state between the rotor gear portion and the transmission gear portion may differ depending on the meshing position of these gear portions. As the rotor shaft moves, the state of power transmission from the EPS actuator to the steering shaft may change. In addition, to increase the durability of parts that receive the dynamic thrust load, the parts may be enlarged.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a saddle-type vehicle equipped with an EPS that can suppress changes in the state of power transmission from the EPS actuator to the steering shaft due to dynamic thrust loads while compactly arranging the EPS actuator.

[0006] The inventors have studied ways to achieve the above object, and have come to the conclusion that the dynamic thrust load input to the motor during running can be received and attenuated by both upper and lower dynamic thrust load attenuating elastomer members. The present invention was completed based on this finding.

[0007] (1) A saddle-riding type vehicle equipped with an EPS according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a steering mechanism including a front steering wheel, a bar handle operated by a rider, and a steering shaft extending in the vertical direction of the saddle-riding type vehicle, wherein the steering mechanism is configured so that the operation of the bar handle by the rider is mechanically transmitted to steer the front steering wheel; and an EPS actuator configured to apply an auxiliary steering force to the front steering wheel in accordance with the operation of the bar handle by the rider, wherein the EPS actuator includes: a motor; and at least one transmission gear unit that transmits the output of the motor to the steering shaft, the motor including: a rotor shaft that is rotatable about an axis that extends in the vertical direction of the saddle-riding type vehicle; and a rotor gear unit that is provided on the rotor shaft and meshes with one of the at least one transmission gear unit so that their tooth grooves extend in the vertical direction. an upward dynamic thrust load attenuating elastomer member that is arranged to allow the rotor shaft to move in an upward direction of the saddle-ride type vehicle and to receive and attenuate a dynamic thrust load that is input in the upward direction and that is generated as the saddle-ride type vehicle travels; and a downward dynamic thrust load attenuating elastomer member that is arranged to allow the rotor shaft to move in a downward direction of the saddle-ride type vehicle and to receive and attenuate a dynamic thrust load that is input in the downward direction and that is generated as the saddle-ride type vehicle travels, wherein the upward dynamic thrust load attenuating elastomer member is compressed in the upward direction when it receives a dynamic thrust load that is input in the upward direction of the saddle-ride type vehicle and that is generated as the saddle-ride type vehicle travels, thereby attenuating the thrust load, and the maximum amount of compression when it receives the thrust load is smaller than the height of an upward movement allowance space that is provided to allow the rotor shaft to move in the upward direction when it receives the thrust load, andThe downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member is compressed downward when subjected to a dynamic thrust load that is input downwardly to the saddle-ride type vehicle as the saddle-ride type vehicle is traveling, thereby damping the thrust load, and is configured so that the maximum amount of compression when subjected to the thrust load is smaller than the height of a downward movement allowance space that is provided to allow the rotor shaft to move downward when subjected to the thrust load, and so that the sum of the maximum compression amounts of the upward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member and the downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member is shorter than the vertical length of the gear portion that has the longer vertical length out of the rotor gear portion and the transmission gear portion that meshes with the rotor gear portion.

[0008] According to the straddle-type vehicle equipped with EPS of (1), the motor constituting the EPS actuator is configured such that the upward dynamic thrust load attenuating elastomer member is compressed upward when subjected to a dynamic thrust load input in an upward direction of the straddle-type vehicle, which is generated as the straddle-type vehicle travels, thereby attenuating the thrust load, and the maximum amount of compression when subjected to the thrust load is smaller than the height of an upward movement allowance space provided to allow upward movement of the rotor shaft when subjected to the thrust load, and the downward dynamic thrust load attenuating elastomer member is compressed upward when subjected to a dynamic thrust load input in an upward direction of the straddle-type vehicle, thereby attenuating the thrust load. The elastomer member is configured so that when subjected to a dynamic thrust load input in a downward direction, it is compressed downward, thereby attenuating the thrust load, and so that the maximum amount of compression when subjected to the thrust load is smaller than the height of a downward movement allowance space provided to allow downward movement of the rotor shaft when subjected to the thrust load, and so that the sum of the maximum compression amounts of the upward dynamic thrust load attenuating elastomer member and the downward dynamic thrust load attenuating elastomer member is shorter than the vertical length of the gear portion having the longer vertical length out of the rotor gear portion and the transmission gear portion meshing with the rotor gear portion. This makes it possible to arrange the EPS actuator compactly and to suppress changes in the state of power transmission from the EPS actuator to the steering shaft due to dynamic thrust loads.

[0009] More specifically, the EPS actuator is disposed so that the rotor shaft of the motor constituting the EPS actuator extends in the vertical direction of the saddle-riding vehicle. This allows the EPS actuator to be disposed compactly. Here, dynamic thrust loads generated as the saddle-riding vehicle travels are input to the motor in the vertical direction of the saddle-riding vehicle, i.e., in the direction in which the rotor shaft of the motor extends. Therefore, the rotor shaft moves in the vertical direction (i.e., axial direction). Here, the sum of the maximum compression amounts of the upward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member and the downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member is shorter than the vertical length of the gear portion having the longer vertical length among the rotor gear portion and the transmission gear portion meshing with the rotor gear portion. Regardless of whether a dynamic thrust load is input in the upward or downward direction, the rotor gear portion and the transmission gear portion can maintain their meshed state. When an upward dynamic thrust load is input to the motor, the upward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member is compressed under the thrust load, thereby damping the thrust load. Here, the maximum amount of compression when the thrust load is received is smaller than the height of the upward movement allowable space. This allows the thrust load to be effectively damped. When a downward dynamic thrust load is input to the motor, the downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member is compressed under the thrust load, thereby damping the thrust load. Here, the maximum amount of compression when the thrust load is received is smaller than the height of the downward movement allowable space. This allows the thrust load to be effectively damped. When the compressed states of the upward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member and the downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member are released, the position where the rotor gear unit and the transmission gear unit mesh can be returned to the position before the dynamic thrust load was input (i.e., the original position) or a position substantially the same as the original position. This can prevent the meshing position between the rotor gear portion and the transmission gear portion that meshes with the rotor gear portion from changing, and can prevent the wear state of the rotor gear portion and the transmission gear portion from varying depending on the meshing position of these gear portions.This can prevent changes in the state of power transmission from the EPS actuator to the steering shaft. In addition, by providing the above-described upward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member and downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member, the durability of the parts that receive the dynamic thrust load can be increased, and the size of these parts can be prevented from increasing. As a result, the EPS actuator can be arranged in a compact manner.

[0010] A saddle-type vehicle is, for example, a vehicle equipped with a saddle-type seat. A saddle-type vehicle is, for example, a vehicle in which a rider sits astride a saddle. Examples of saddle-type vehicles include scooters, mopeds, snowmobiles, watercraft, and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). A saddle-type vehicle is, for example, equipped with at least one front wheel and at least one rear wheel. In other words, a saddle-type vehicle is not limited to a two-wheeled vehicle, but may be a tricycle having a pair of front or rear wheels, or a four-wheeled vehicle having a pair of front and rear wheels, respectively. A saddle-type vehicle may be, for example, a tilting vehicle. A tilting vehicle is a vehicle having a body that tilts to the left when turning left and to the right when turning right. A saddle-type vehicle is, for example, equipped with a drive source. The drive source may be, for example, an engine, an electric motor, or both an engine and an electric motor. The handlebars are, for example, a single handlebar that extends continuously in the left-right direction of the saddle-riding vehicle. The handlebars may include, for example, a left handlebar and a right handlebar that are spaced apart in the left-right direction of the saddle-riding vehicle. "Extending in the vertical direction of the saddle-riding vehicle" includes, for example, extending at an angle in the fore-aft direction of the saddle-riding vehicle when the body of the saddle-riding vehicle is upright. "Operation of the handlebars by the rider is mechanically transmitted to steer the front wheels" includes, for example, an EPS actuator disposed on a path along which force is transmitted from the handlebars to the front wheels, and when the rider operates the handlebars, the EPS actuator outputs an auxiliary steering force, which is transmitted to the front wheels to steer the front wheels. The EPS actuator is disposed on a path along which force is transmitted from the handlebars to the front wheels so that operation of the handlebars by the rider is transmitted to the front wheels even when the EPS actuator is not operating. The auxiliary steering force, for example, helps the front wheel to steer in the direction in which the rider operates the handlebars. In other words, the auxiliary steering force makes it easier for the front wheel to steer in the direction in which the rider operates the handlebars. The auxiliary steering force may, for example, prevent the front wheel from being steered in the direction in which the rider operates the handlebars.In other words, the auxiliary steering force may make it difficult for the front wheel to be steered in the direction in which the rider operates the handlebars. The at least one transmission gear unit may be, for example, a gear unit formed on the outer periphery of the steering shaft itself (hereinafter sometimes referred to as gear unit (A)), or a gear provided coaxially with the steering shaft (hereinafter sometimes referred to as gear (B)). The at least one transmission gear unit may include, for example, gear unit (A) or gear (B). The at least one transmission gear unit may include, for example, gear unit (A) or gear (B), and at least one gear that transmits motor output to gear unit (A) or gear (B). The EPS actuator may include, for example, a housing. The housing houses the motor and at least one transmission gear unit. The gear unit (A) or gear (B) constitutes the at least one transmission gear unit as long as it is housed in the housing of the EPS actuator. The "rotor gear portion that meshes with the transmission gear portion so that their tooth grooves extend in the vertical direction" refers to, for example, spur or helical teeth on the transmission gear portion and the rotor gear portion that meshes with the transmission gear portion. The rotor gear portion is, for example, a gear portion formed on the rotor shaft itself, or a gear provided coaxially with the rotor shaft. A dynamic thrust load is input, for example, from the road surface when the saddle-ride type vehicle is traveling. A dynamic thrust load is input, for example, when the saddle-ride type vehicle passes over an uneven road surface. A dynamic thrust load is input, for example, temporarily as the saddle-ride type vehicle is traveling. A dynamic thrust load is not, for example, input continuously at a constant magnitude. The upward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member is configured, for example, to be compressed upward when an upward dynamic thrust load is input, and then return to its original shape when the input of the thrust load is no longer present. The upward dynamic thrust load attenuating elastomer member is positioned so that, for example, when an upward dynamic thrust load is input and the member is compressed upward, it is allowed to expand and deform in a direction perpendicular to the upward direction (horizontal direction).The downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomeric member is configured to, for example, be compressed downward when a downward dynamic thrust load is input, and then return to its original shape when the input of the thrust load is removed. The downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomeric member is arranged, for example, such that, when a downward dynamic thrust load is input and the downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomeric member is compressed downward, expansion deformation in a direction perpendicular to the downward direction (horizontal direction) is permitted. The upward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomeric member and the downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomeric member may, for example, be formed of the same material or different materials. The upward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomeric member and the downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomeric member may, for example, be made of elastomer. The upward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomeric member and the downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomeric member may, for example, be made of rubber. The upward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomeric member and the downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomeric member may, for example, have the same shape or different shapes. The upward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member and the downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member are formed, for example, in an annular shape. The upward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member and the downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member are formed, for example, in an annular shape and have a circular cross section. The upward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member and the downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member are formed, for example, in a ring shape. The upward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member is designed, for example, by appropriately changing the material, shape, etc. of the upward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member so that the maximum compression amount when the upward dynamic thrust load is applied is smaller than the height of the upward movement allowable space. The downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member is designed, for example, by appropriately changing the material, shape, etc. of the downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member so that the maximum compression amount when the downward dynamic thrust load is applied is smaller than the height of the downward movement allowable space.In this case, the materials, shapes, etc. of the upward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member and the downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member are designed so that the maximum compression amount when the upward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member is subjected to an upward dynamic thrust load and the maximum compression amount when the downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member is subjected to a downward dynamic thrust load are shorter than the vertical length of the gear portion having the longer vertical length out of the rotor gear portion and the transmission gear portion meshing with the rotor gear portion. Here, "the vertical length of the gear portion having the longer vertical length out of the rotor gear portion and the transmission gear portion meshing with the rotor gear portion" refers to, for example, the vertical length of the rotor gear portion if the rotor gear portion has a longer vertical length than the transmission gear portion, or the vertical length of the transmission gear portion if the transmission gear portion has a longer vertical length than the rotor gear portion. For example, when the rotor gear portion and the transmission gear portion move relative to the transmission gear portion by the maximum compression amount when the upward dynamic thrust load damping elastomer member is subjected to an upward input dynamic thrust load, or when the downward dynamic thrust load damping elastomer member moves by the maximum compression amount when a downward input dynamic thrust load is applied, the gear portion (the other gear portion) of the rotor gear portion and the transmission gear portion that is different from the gear portion (one gear portion) having a longer vertical length meshes with the one gear portion over the entire vertical length.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, a saddle-ride type vehicle equipped with an EPS can employ the following configuration: (2) In the saddle-ride type vehicle equipped with an EPS described in (1), the rotor gear portion and the transmission gear portion are each a gear with spur teeth or helical teeth.

[0012] According to the saddle-ride type vehicle equipped with EPS (2), the rotor gear portion and the transmission gear portion mesh with each other so that their tooth grooves extend in the vertical direction. This facilitates vertical movement of the rotor gear portion relative to the transmission gear portion. In particular, when the rotor gear portion and the transmission gear portion are each spur gears, vertical movement of the rotor gear portion relative to the transmission gear portion is even easier. Each dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member is compressed under dynamic thrust load, thereby more effectively damping the thrust load. The input dynamic thrust load can be effectively damped while the EPS actuator is compactly arranged. This prevents changes in the state of power transmission from the EPS actuator to the steering shaft due to the dynamic thrust load.

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, a saddle-ride type vehicle equipped with an EPS can employ the following configuration: (3) The saddle-ride type vehicle equipped with an EPS according to (1) or (2), further comprising a front fork configured to expand and contract in the direction in which the axis of the rotor shaft extends when a dynamic thrust load is input from the road surface during driving, thereby attenuating the dynamic thrust load input from the road surface during driving.

[0014] According to the straddle-type vehicle equipped with EPS (3), the front fork is configured to expand and contract in the direction of extension of the axis of the rotor shaft when a dynamic thrust load is input from the road surface during driving, thereby attenuating the dynamic thrust load input from the road surface during driving. The amount of movement of the rotor shaft when a dynamic thrust load is input can be reduced. The heights of the upward movement allowance space and the downward movement allowance space can be reduced. The EPS actuator can be arranged compactly, while preventing changes in the state of power transmission from the EPS actuator to the steering shaft due to the dynamic thrust load.

[0015] According to one aspect of the present invention, a saddle-ride type vehicle equipped with an EPS can employ the following configuration: (4) A saddle-ride type vehicle equipped with an EPS according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member is formed in an annular shape, and the downward movement-allowing space is formed inside the downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member.

[0016] In the saddle-type vehicle equipped with the EPS of (4), the space inside the downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member can be utilized to allow compressive deformation of the downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member and movement of the rotor shaft. The space for arranging the downward dynamic thrust load-damping elastomer member can be utilized to form a downward movement-allowing space. The EPS actuator can be arranged compactly.

[0017] The above and other objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the use of the terms "including," "comprising," or "having" and variations thereof specifies the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or equivalents thereof, but may include one or more of the steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted to have a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the relevant technology and this disclosure, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined herein. It is understood that numerous techniques and processes are disclosed in the description of the present invention. Each of these has distinct advantages, and each can also be used with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed technologies. Therefore, for the sake of clarity, this description will refrain from unnecessarily repeating all possible combinations of individual steps. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with the understanding that all such combinations are within the scope of the present invention and the claims. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. The present disclosure is to be considered as an example of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated in the following drawings or description.

[0018] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress changes in the state of power transmission from the EPS actuator to the steering shaft due to dynamic thrust loads, while arranging the EPS actuator in a compact manner.

[0019] 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a saddle-ride type vehicle equipped with an EPS according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Hereinafter, a saddle-type vehicle equipped with an EPS according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below is merely an example, and the present invention should not be construed as being limited in any way by the embodiment described below.

[0021] A saddle-ride type vehicle 10 equipped with an EPS according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as the saddle-ride type vehicle 10) will be described with reference to Figure 1. The saddle-ride type vehicle 10 equipped with an EPS includes a front steerable wheel 20, a steering mechanism 30, and an EPS actuator 40.

[0022] The steering mechanism 30 includes a handlebar 32 operated by the rider and a steering shaft 34 extending in the vertical direction of the saddle-riding type vehicle 10. The steering mechanism 30 is configured so that the operation of the handlebar 32 by the rider is mechanically transmitted to steer the front steered wheels 20.

[0023] The EPS actuator 40 is configured to apply an auxiliary steering force to the front steering wheel 20 in response to the rider's operation of the handlebars 32. As shown in (A), the EPS actuator 40 includes a motor 42 and at least one transmission gear unit 44 that transmits the output of the motor 42 to the steering shaft 34. Note that (A) is a diagram that schematically illustrates the configuration of the EPS actuator 40.

[0024] The motor 42 includes a rotor shaft 421, a rotor gear unit 422, an upward dynamic thrust load damping elastomer member 423, and a downward dynamic thrust load damping elastomer member 424. The rotor shaft 421 is arranged to be rotatable about an axis 421C extending in the vertical direction of the saddle-riding type vehicle 10. The rotor gear unit 422 is provided on the rotor shaft 421 and meshes with one transmission gear unit 441 of at least one transmission gear unit 44 so that their tooth grooves extend in the vertical direction. The upward dynamic thrust load damping elastomer member 423 is arranged to allow the rotor shaft 421 to move upward on the saddle-riding type vehicle 10, and to receive and damp dynamic thrust loads that are input in the upward direction and that are generated as the saddle-riding type vehicle 10 travels. The downward dynamic thrust load damping elastomer member 424 is positioned to allow the rotor shaft 421 of the saddle-ride vehicle 10 to move downward, and to receive and damp the dynamic thrust load that is input downward and that occurs as the saddle-ride vehicle 10 travels.

[0025] The motor 42 is configured so that the upward dynamic thrust load attenuating elastomer member 423 is compressed upward when subjected to a dynamic thrust load that is input upward to the saddle riding type vehicle 10 as the saddle riding type vehicle 10 travels (see (B)), thereby attenuating the thrust load and so that the maximum compression amount U1 when subjected to the thrust load is smaller than the height U2 of the upward movement allowance space 425 that is provided to allow upward movement of the rotor shaft 421 when subjected to the thrust load. Note that (B) shows the case where the compression amount of the upward dynamic thrust load attenuating elastomer member 423 is the maximum compression amount U1. The motor 42 is configured so that the downward dynamic thrust load attenuating elastomer member 424 is compressed downward when subjected to a dynamic thrust load that is input downward from the saddle riding vehicle 10 as the saddle riding vehicle 10 travels (see (C)), thereby attenuating the thrust load and so that the maximum compression amount L1 when subjected to the thrust load is smaller than the height L2 of the downward movement allowance space 426 that is provided to allow downward movement of the rotor shaft 421 when subjected to the thrust load. Note that (C) shows the case where the compression amount of the downward dynamic thrust load attenuating elastomer member 424 is the maximum compression amount L1. The motor 42 is configured so that the sum of the maximum compression amount U1 of the upward dynamic thrust load damping elastomer member 423 and the maximum compression amount L1 of the downward dynamic thrust load damping elastomer member 424 is shorter than the vertical length G1 of the gear portion having the longer vertical length (the rotor gear portion 422 in the example shown in Figure 1) between the rotor gear portion 422 and the transmission gear portion 441 that meshes with the rotor gear portion 422.

[0026] In a saddle-type vehicle 10 equipped with an EPS, the EPS actuator 40 can be arranged compactly while suppressing changes in the state of power transmission from the EPS actuator 40 to the steering shaft 34 due to dynamic thrust loads.

[0027] In the example shown in Fig. 1, the rotor gear portion 422 and the transmission gear portion 441 are each spur or helical gears. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the saddle-type vehicle 10 equipped with an EPS further includes a front fork 50. The front fork 50 is configured to expand and contract in the direction of extension of the axis 421C of the rotor shaft 421 when a dynamic thrust load is input from the road surface during driving, thereby attenuating the dynamic thrust load input from the road surface during driving. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the downward dynamic thrust load-attenuating elastomer member 424 is formed in an annular shape, and a downward movement allowance space 426 is formed inside the downward dynamic thrust load-attenuating elastomer member 424.

[0028] (Other Embodiments) The embodiments and variations described and / or illustrated in this specification are intended to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. The above-described embodiments and variations may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. This spirit encompasses equivalent elements, modifications, deletions, combinations (e.g., combinations of features across embodiments and variations), improvements, and modifications that would be recognized by a person skilled in the art based on the embodiments disclosed herein. The limitations in the claims should be interpreted broadly based on the terms used in the claims and should not be limited to the embodiments and variations described in the specification or prosecution of this application. Such embodiments and variations should be construed as non-exclusive. For example, in this specification, the terms "preferably" and "good" are non-exclusive and mean "preferably but not limited to" or "good but not limited to."

[0029] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Straddle-type vehicle equipped with EPS 20 Front steering wheel 30 Steering mechanism 32 Bar handle 34 Steering shaft 40 EPS actuator 42 Motor 421 Rotor shaft 421C Axis 422 Rotor gear part 423 Upward dynamic thrust load damping elastomer member 424 Downward dynamic thrust load damping elastomer member 425 Upward movement allowable space 426 Downward movement allowable space 44 At least one transmission gear part 441 One transmission gear part 50 Front fork

Claims

1. A saddle-ride type vehicle equipped with an EPS, the saddle-ride type vehicle equipped with an EPS comprising: a front steering wheel, a bar handle operated by a rider, and a steering shaft extending in a vertical direction of the saddle-ride type vehicle, the steering mechanism being configured so that operation of the bar handle by the rider is mechanically transmitted to steer the front steering wheel, and an EPS actuator configured to apply an auxiliary steering force to the front steering wheel in accordance with operation of the bar handle by the rider, the EPS actuator comprising: a motor, and at least one transmission gear unit which transmits the output of the motor to the steering shaft, the motor comprising: a rotor shaft which is rotatably disposed about an axis which extends in a vertical direction of the saddle-ride type vehicle; and a rotor gear unit which is provided on the rotor shaft and which meshes with one of the at least one transmission gear unit so that their tooth grooves extend in a vertical direction; an upward dynamic thrust load attenuating elastomer member that is disposed to allow movement of the rotor shaft in an upward direction of the saddle-ride type vehicle and to receive and attenuate a dynamic thrust load that is input in the upward direction and that is generated as the saddle-ride type vehicle travels; and a downward dynamic thrust load attenuating elastomer member that is disposed to allow movement of the rotor shaft in a downward direction of the saddle-ride type vehicle and to receive and attenuate a dynamic thrust load that is input in the downward direction and that is generated as the saddle-ride type vehicle travels, wherein the upward dynamic thrust load attenuating elastomer member is compressed in the upward direction when it receives a dynamic thrust load that is input in the upward direction of the saddle-ride type vehicle and that is generated as the saddle-ride type vehicle travels, thereby attenuating the thrust load, and wherein the maximum amount of compression when it receives the thrust load is smaller than the height of an upward movement allowance space that is provided to allow movement of the rotor shaft in the upward direction when it receives the thrust load, andThe downward dynamic thrust load damping elastomer member is compressed downward when subjected to a dynamic thrust load input in a downward direction of the saddle-ride type vehicle, which is generated as the saddle-ride type vehicle is traveling, thereby damping the thrust load, and is configured such that the maximum compression amount when subjected to the thrust load is smaller than the height of a downward movement allowance space that is provided to allow the rotor shaft to move in the downward direction when subjected to the thrust load, and the sum of the maximum compression amount of the upward dynamic thrust load damping elastomer member and the maximum compression amount of the downward dynamic thrust load damping elastomer member is shorter than the vertical length of the gear portion having the longer vertical length among the rotor gear portion and the transmission gear portion that meshes with the rotor gear portion.

2. A saddle-type vehicle equipped with the EPS according to claim 1, wherein the rotor gear section and the transmission gear section are each spur-tooth or helical-tooth gears.

3. A saddle-type vehicle equipped with the EPS as described in claim 1 or 2, further comprising a front fork configured to expand and contract in the direction in which the axis of the rotor shaft extends when a dynamic thrust load is input from the road surface while driving, thereby attenuating the dynamic thrust load input from the road surface while driving.

4. A saddle-type vehicle equipped with an EPS as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the downward dynamic thrust load damping elastomer member is formed in an annular shape, and the downward movement permitting space is formed inside the downward dynamic thrust load damping elastomer member.

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