Scooter Cornering Light Layout for Stable Illumination Range

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing scooter type vehicles experience discomfort due to significant changes in cornering light illumination range with lean angle, and large cornering lights increase the vehicle's front portion size.

Innovation Solution

The scooter type vehicle features left and right cornering lights disposed at low positions on the front cover, with a controller adjusting their light quantities based on lean angles, ensuring minimal position change and compact placement, thus reducing illumination range variation and downsizing the front portion.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If cornering lights are disposed at a high position, then the distance between the cornering light and the ground increases, but the change in position of the cornering light increases with the change in lean angle, causing greater change in illumination range

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveillumination rangeVSAvoidrider comfort
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the vertical position parameter of the cornering light from high to low on the front cover. This parameter change reduces the lever arm effect during leaning, thereby minimizing the positional change of the cornering light and suppressing illumination range variation, which improves rider comfort.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of operation

If cornering lights are disposed at a low position, then the change in position of the cornering light decreases, but multiple light sources are needed to suppress decrease in illumination range, increasing device complexity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverider comfortVSAvoidlight unit structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple cornering light sources into a single integrated light unit disposed at a low position on the front cover. This merging approach maintains compact illumination coverage while suppressing positional change during leaning, avoiding the need for multiple separate light sources and reducing device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Illumination intensity

If cornering lights are enlarged in the vehicle width direction, then the illumination range is maintained, but the size of the front portion of the vehicle increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveillumination rangeVSAvoidfront portion size
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the vertical position parameter of the cornering light to low on the front cover, which suppresses positional change during leaning. This allows the use of a compact light unit without requiring enlargement in the vehicle width direction, thereby maintaining illumination range while reducing front portion size.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP4324729A1Scooter type vehicle
Publication Date: 2024.02.21 YAMAHA MOTOR CO LTD
  • EP4324729A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4324729A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4324729A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

There is described a scooter type vehicle (1) including a front cover (21), a light unit (40), and a controller (92); the light unit (40) being disposed on the front cover (21); the light unit (40) including a left cornering light (48) and a right cornering light (49); the controller (92) controls the light quantities of the left and right cornering lights (48, 49) according to the left and right lean angles of the scooter type vehicle (1); the entire left and right cornering lights (48, 49) being disposed below the center of the front cover (21) in the vehicle vertical direction as seen from the vehicle front view; as seen from the vehicle front view, the left and right cornering lights (48, 49) are entirely disposed between the outer edge of the left suspension (18) and the outer edge of the right suspension (19) in the vehicle width direction.