Rear Fender Protrusion for Electronic Control Unit Packaging
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In straddle-type vehicles, such as motorcycles, it is challenging to reduce the size of the body cover below the seat due to the large electronic control unit being positioned in the space above the rear fender and below the seat, which hinders the compactification of the vehicle body.
Innovation Solution
The electronic control unit is housed within a rearward protruding portion of the rear fender, which includes an upper portion with an opening that allows it to be positioned downward, and a base portion that closes this opening, allowing the unit to be placed on an inclined surface, thus freeing up space beneath the body covers and enabling a more compact design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the electronic control unit is disposed in the space surrounded by the body cover above the rear fender and below the seat, then the electronic control unit can be accommodated, but the body cover cannot be reduced in size
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic control unit is extracted from the space above the rear fender and below the seat, and relocated to the rearward protruding portion of the rear fender. This extraction removes the obstruction that prevented body cover reduction, allowing the body cover to be made more compact while the control unit remains accommodated in its new location.
Solution Approach 2:
The rear fender is designed with a rearward protruding portion that extends in the front-rear direction, creating a new spatial dimension for accommodating the electronic control unit. This dimensional extension allows the control unit to be placed outside the traditional body cover space, resolving the contradiction between compact body cover and control unit accommodation.
2Shape
If the body cover size is reduced to make the vehicle body look compact, then the vehicle appearance is improved, but the electronic control unit cannot be accommodated
Solution Approach 1:
The rear fender is segmented into an upper portion and a base portion, with the upper portion forming the rearward protruding portion that houses the electronic control unit. This segmentation allows the rear fender to provide both the compact vehicle body shape (by not interfering with body cover reduction) and the necessary control unit accommodation space through its protruding section.
3Ease of operation
If the electronic control unit is disposed on the base portion with an inclined surface, then installation is facilitated, but the space requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The base portion of the rear fender is designed with a specific inclined surface (rearward descending portion) that provides optimal installation characteristics for the electronic control unit. This localized quality enhancement at the base portion facilitates installation while the overall space requirement is minimized by utilizing the rearward protruding portion's volume.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A saddle-type vehicle (1) includes a pair of left and right body covers (7) disposed below a seat (10) on which an occupant sits and extending in an upper-lower direction and a front-rear direction, a rear fender (5) connected to lower end portions (7d) of both of the pair of left and right body covers (7) and disposed above a rear wheel (3), and an electronic control unit (6). The rear fender (5) includes a rearward protruding portion (55) protruding from the lower end portions (7d) of the pair of left and right body covers (7) toward a rear side of the vehicle. The electronic control unit (6) is disposed inside the rearward protruding portion (55) of the rear fender (5).