Straddled Vehicle Headlight Adjustment Mechanism

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing straddled vehicles with adjustable headlights require careful fastening of bolts to maintain the adjusted orientation, making the fixing process troublesome and inconvenient.

Innovation Solution

The straddled vehicle design incorporates a headlight with a first attachment portion and a second attachment portion, supported by stays with bolt holes that include long holes for forward and rearward adjustment and elastic holes for post-fastening movement, allowing for easy adjustment and fixing of the headlight orientation without needing to fasten all bolts simultaneously.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If long holes are used in both bolt holes to enable adjustment, then lateral orientation adjustment is possible, but both bolts must be fastened carefully after adjustment making the fixing process troublesome

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheadlight orientation adjustmentVSAvoidbolt fastening process
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The bolt holes are segmented into two distinct types: long holes for adjustment and elastic holes for fixing. This segmentation allows the adjustment and fixing functions to be separated, enabling easy orientation adjustment through long holes while the elastic holes automatically secure the position without requiring careful fastening operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the physical parameter of the bolt hole from a uniform circular shape to two different shapes: long holes (elongated) for adjustment and elastic holes (circular with elastic material) for fixing. This parameter change enables the bolt holes to have different functions - the long holes allow movement while the elastic holes provide automatic securing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If all bolts are fastened to fix the headlight orientation, then the orientation is securely fixed, but the fixing process becomes time-consuming and troublesome

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheadlight orientation fixationVSAvoidfixing process time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The elastic holes perform the fixing function automatically through the elastic deformation of the inserted material. When a bolt is inserted into an elastic hole, the elastic material deforms and then secures the bolt in place, providing self-service fixation without requiring additional fastening operations or careful adjustment by the operator.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of using traditional fastening methods where bolts must be carefully tightened to fix the orientation, the invention inverts the approach by using elastic holes that automatically secure the bolt through elastic deformation. The fixing action happens automatically when the bolt is inserted, rather than requiring a separate careful fastening step.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Adaptability or versatility

If long holes are used in stay bolt holes, then headlight can be moved forward and rearward for adjustment, but the bolts must be fastened carefully not to displace the orientation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheadlight position adjustmentVSAvoidbolt fastening operation
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The bolt holes are segmented into long holes for adjustment and elastic holes for fixing. This segmentation allows the adjustment and fixing functions to be separated, enabling easy orientation adjustment through long holes while the elastic holes automatically secure the position without requiring careful fastening operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The elastic material in the elastic holes acts as an intermediary between the bolt and the headlight stay. This intermediary provides a compliant connection that allows adjustment movement through the long holes while automatically securing the final position, eliminating the need for careful bolt fastening.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This configuration simplifies the process of adjusting and fixing the lateral orientation of the headlight, reducing the complexity and effort required in the adjustment and fixing process.

Implementation Method 1

at least one of the second bolt hole and the fourth bolt hole is a first elastic hole surrounded by an elastic body... the second bolt is movable forward and rearward inside the first elastic hole within the range where the first elastic hole is elastically deformable

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElastic deformation: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP4417496B1Straddled vehicle
Publication Date: 2025.04.02 YAMAHA MOTOR CO LTD
  • EP4417496B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4417496B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4417496B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

There is provided a straddled vehicle that eases the work of adjusting lateral orientation of a headlight and the work of fixing the orientation of the headlight is provided, wherein a first attachment portion (21) of a headlight (20), a second attachment portion (22) of the headlight (20), a first stay (31) supporting the first attachment portion (21), and a second stay (32) supporting the second attachment portion (22) include a first bolt hole (51), a second bolt hole (52), a third bolt hole (53), and a fourth bolt hole (54), respectively; a first bolt (41) being inserted in the first bolt hole (51) and the third bolt hole (53), and a second bolt (42) being inserted in the second bolt hole (52) and the fourth bolt hole (54); at least one of the first bolt hole (51) and the third bolt hole (53) being a long hole elongated in a front-rear direction; at least one of the second bolt hole (52) and the fourth bolt hole (54) being an elastic hole surrounded by a gromet (70) as an elastic body.