Straddled Vehicle Front Cover Unit Knee Contact and Shifting
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Solution Overview
Problem
In straddled vehicles, the existing front cover units often cause the leg shield and front cover to shift relative to each other due to driver knee contact, compromising comfort and coupling rigidity, especially during travel, as the upper portions of the front cover unit are prone to contact with the knees, leading to reduced wind protection and increased vibration-induced shifting.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a front cover unit with recessed upper portions above the seat's virtual horizontal line, combined with left and right side reinforcement covers that extend outward and upward, enhancing coupling rigidity and wind protection by positioning these reinforcement covers further outward in the vehicle width direction to overlap the boundary between the front cover and leg shield.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the upper portion of the front cover unit is formed widely in the vehicle width direction, then wind protection is improved, but the knees of the driver come into contact with the front cover unit causing relative shifting between the front cover and leg shield
Solution Approach 1:
The front cover unit is divided into an upper portion and a lower portion, with the upper portion recessed in the vehicle width direction and the lower portion extending outward. This segmentation allows the upper portion to avoid knee contact while the lower portion maintains wind protection, resolving the contradiction between wind protection and preventing relative shifting.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the front cover unit have different spatial configurations: the upper portion is recessed to prevent knee contact, while the lower portion extends outward to provide wind protection. This local differentiation allows each portion to fulfill its specific function without causing the harmful effects associated with a uniformly wide configuration.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the upper portion of the front cover unit is recessed in the vehicle width direction, then knee contact is reduced, but wind protection is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The front cover unit is segmented into upper and lower portions with different spatial configurations. The upper portion is recessed to reduce knee contact, while the lower portion extends outward to maintain wind protection, thus resolving the contradiction between reducing knee contact and maintaining wind protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The front cover unit has non-uniform spatial configuration where the upper portion is recessed and the lower portion is extended. This local quality differentiation allows the upper portion to minimize knee contact while the lower portion provides adequate wind protection, resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the distance from the front edge of the front cover to the upper edge portion is increased, then wind protection is improved, but the coupling rigidity between front cover and leg shield is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The front cover unit is segmented into upper and lower portions with different horizontal positions. The lower portion extends outward to provide wind protection, while the upper portion is recessed to maintain coupling rigidity with the leg shield, resolving the contradiction between wind protection and coupling rigidity.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the front cover unit have different horizontal positions relative to the leg shield. The lower portion extends outward to provide wind protection, while the upper portion maintains close coupling with the leg shield to ensure coupling rigidity, thus resolving the contradiction between wind protection and coupling strength.
Data Source
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AI summary
A front cover upper left portion (101UL) and a front cover upper right portion (101UR) are respectively arranged further to the inside in a vehicle width direction than at least portions of a front cover lower left portion (101DL) and a front cover lower right portion (101DR). At least portions of a left side reinforcement cover (15) and a right side reinforcement cover (16) protrude further to the outside in the vehicle width direction than a boundary (B) as seen in the plan view and overlap the boundary as seen in the side view of the vehicle. A left side reinforcement cover left front portion (15A) and a right side reinforcement cover right front portion (16A) are respectively longer than a left side reinforcement cover left rear portion (15B) and a right side reinforcement cover right rear portion (16B) in the vehicle front-back direction as seen in the side view of the vehicle. The left side reinforcement cover left rear portion and the right side reinforcement cover right rear portion are respectively longer than the left side reinforcement cover left front portion and the right side reinforcement cover right front portion in the vehicle up-down direction as seen in the side view of the vehicle.