Fuel Tank Positioning for Vehicle Center of Gravity Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicles experience significant changes in center of gravity due to varying fuel tank weight and fuel levels, affecting stability during operation, while downsizing the fuel tank to minimize weight variation reduces capacity.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle design with tiltable front and rear wheels and a strategically positioned fuel tank that maintains capacity while minimizing center of gravity changes, featuring a link mechanism and power unit configuration that allows for a wider fuel tank placement without increasing height, and positioning the fuel tank between the front and rear wheel grounding centers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the fuel tank capacity is increased to reduce weight variation impact, then the center of gravity stability improves, but the vehicle space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel tank is repositioned from a conventional longitudinal placement to a widthwise placement between the left and right side frames. This dimensional change allows the fuel tank to utilize the vehicle's width dimension rather than length, achieving stable center of gravity positioning without increasing overall vehicle length or requiring excessive space.
Solution Approach 2:
The fuel tank is strategically positioned between the left and right side frames at a specific location where it can optimally balance the vehicle's center of gravity. This localized placement ensures that the fuel weight contributes to stability while minimizing space requirements in other critical areas of the vehicle.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the fuel tank is downsized to minimize weight variation, then the center of gravity stability improves, but the fuel capacity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By placing the fuel tank widthwise between the side frames rather than longitudinally, the design充分利用s the vehicle's width dimension. This allows for adequate fuel capacity to be maintained while the tank's strategic positioning ensures that weight variation has minimal impact on center of gravity stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The fuel tank's positional parameters are optimized to achieve the desired balance between capacity and stability. The tank is positioned at specific coordinates relative to the vehicle frame that allow it to maintain adequate fuel volume while its location minimizes the effect of fuel weight changes on overall vehicle stability.
3Quantity of substance
If the fuel tank capacity is maintained, then the operational range is ensured, but the center of gravity varies significantly with fuel levels
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel tank is positioned at a specific location between the left and right side frames where its weight contribution optimally affects vehicle stability. This localized placement ensures that even with significant fuel capacity, the center of gravity remains relatively stable as fuel is consumed, because the tank's position is strategically chosen to minimize gravitational moment changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The widthwise placement of the fuel tank between side frames creates a more stable lateral weight distribution. This dimensional arrangement ensures that fuel consumption does not create significant longitudinal weight shifts, thereby maintaining center of gravity stability while preserving adequate fuel capacity for operational range.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a vehicle which is provided with a left front wheel, a right front wheel, and a rear wheel which are tiltable together with a body frame, wherein, while the capacity of a fuel tank is ensured, the variation in the center-of-gravity position of the vehicle while driving is small. The configuration is such that, as viewed in a side view with the body frame in upright position, in the longitudinal direction of the body frame, the fuel tank is disposed between: the center of the area between the center of the area between right and left front wheel ground contact portions and a rear wheel ground contact portion, and the right and left front wheel ground contact portions; and the center of the area between the center of the area between the right and left front wheel ground contact portions and the rear wheel ground contact portion, and the rear wheel ground contact portion. The left end of the fuel tank is disposed on the left side of the center (H2) of the area between the center of an upper cross member and a lower cross member, and the left ends of the upper cross member and the lower cross member, and the right end of the fuel tank is disposed on the right side of the center (H1) of the area between the center of the upper cross member and the lower cross member, and the right ends of the upper cross member and the lower cross member.