700136560
700136560 Technical Field
[0001] The present subject matter described herein generally relates to a
step-through vehicle, and particularly relates to a body frame assembly for a step-through vehicle. 5 Background
[0002] Typically, body frames of two-wheeled vehicles including step
through vehicles are made of tubular members welded together to form a skeletal load bearing framework. Further, body panels are assembled over said plurality of tubular members to complete the body and to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the
10 two wheeled, vehicle. ...... ^
[0003] Plurality of fasteners is used to assemble the body panels to the
body frame, and are often exposed to the outside; leading to water invasion during rains or during water wash. The fasteners which are thus, exposed to water; corrode and wear out easily, thereby affecting durability of the body panels which
15 are fastened by the same.
[0004] For example, in conventional step through vehicles having a
floorboard for a rider to rest his foot, the floorboard is top mounted to a pair of floorboard support tubes by means of plurality of fasteners. The plurality of fasteners is exposed to water seeping in through a floor mat disposed on said
20 floorboard or from sides of the floor mat, thereby resulting in corrosion of said plurality of fasteners. This not only affects the life of fasteners but also the overall aesthetics of the vehicle, especially in cases where a floor mat is not used.
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[0005] Conventional mounting of side trims to the body frame is another
example where fasteners are exposed to the outside. Conventionally, side trims are side mounted to the body frame by means of fasteners which are fastened from a lateral side thereof. Said fasteners used to fasten the side trim are exposed to the 5 outside and are visible when viewed from a vehicle sideward direction. Rusting of said fasteners due to water entry not only affects durability of the side trims but also gives poor aesthetic appeal.
[0006] it is therefore desirable to prevent exposure of fasteners to the
outside, especially in order to prevent air and water exposure.
10 . Summary of the Invention . ...
[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above
circumstances.
[0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide a body frame
assembly whose structure and arrangement enables to prevent exposure of.
15 fasteners provided to fasten a floorboard panel thereof.
• [0009] It is another object of the present invention to provide a body frame
assembly whose structure and arrangement prevents visibility of fasteners
' provided to fasten a pair of side trims thereof.
[0010] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a body
20 frame assembly whose structure and arrangement aids in enhancing overall appearance and aesthetics of a step through vehicle.
[0011] To this end, the present invention seeks to provide a step through
vehicle having a body frame assembly. The body frame assembly as per an
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embodiment of the present invention includes a head tube, a main tube extending downwardly and rearward!y from said head tube, a pair of floorboard support tubes connected to the main tube and extending parallely to at least a portion of said main tube, a front cross bridge bridging the pair of floorboard support tubes 5 at a rear end thereof, a pair of side tubes extending rearwardly and inclinedly upwardly from said pair of floorboard support tubes, and a floorboard panel disposed between at least a portion of the main tube and the pair of side tubes. Particularly, the floorboard panel is adapted to be detachably attached to at least a portion of said pair of floorboard support tubes by means of fasteners. More
10 particularly,.each floorboard support tube of the pair of floorboard support, tubes... is provided with at least two pairs of mounting brackets to receive the floorboard panel. As per another aspect of the present invention, a bottom panel of the body frame assembly adapted to be disposed below the floorboard panel and disposed to cover the main tube and the pair of floorboard support tubes from a bottom side
15 thereof, is sandwich mounted together with the floorboard panel at the at least two pairs of mounting brackets. A first set of fasteners is used to fasten the bottom panel together with the floorboard panel to said pair of floorboard support tubes. As per one more aspect of the present invention, each fastener of the first set of fasteners is fastened from a lateral side of each floorboard support tube of said
20 pair of floorboard support tubes. In other words, each fastener of the first set of
fasteners is fastened from a sideward direction of the step through vehicle.
[0012] Further, a pair of side trim members is provided to cover a portion
of said pair of floorboard support tubes from a vehicle sideward direction.
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Particularly, each side trim member of said pair of side trim members is
assembled on either sides of the floorboard panel in a manner so as to cover the
first set of fasteners. More particularly according to an aspect of the present
invention, the pair of side trim members is adapted to be assembled using a
5 second set of fasteners, at least two of which are fastened from a vehicle front
direction; which in turn are covered by a front fork assembly.
[0013] Thus, the present invention aids in ensuring that no fasteners are
visible in a front portion of the step through vehicle when viewed from a vehicle sideward direction or a vehicle top direction. Moreover, since none of the . 10..... fasteners are exposed to the outside,.chances of water entry into.said fasteners are minimal, thereby reducing the probability of rusting of fasteners. Also, since fasteners are not visible when viewed from the vehicle sideward direction, the overall appeal of the step through vehicle is improved. Brief Description of Drawings
15 [0014] The above and other features, aspects, and advantages of the
subject matter will be better understood with regard to the following description and accompanying drawings where:
[0015] FIG.l illustrates a side view of a step through vehicle in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
20 [0016] FIG.2 illustrates a side view of a body frame assembly of the step
through vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0017] FIG.3 illustrates an exploded view depicting mounting of a
floorboard panel in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
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[0018] FIG.4a illustrates a cross sectional view taken along a line A-A in
FIG.l.
[0019] FIG.4b illustrates a cross sectional view taken along line B-B in
FIG.l.
5 [0020] FIG.5 is an exploded view depicting mounting of a side trim
member in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG.6 is a perspective view of said side trim member in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0022] FIG.7 is a cross sectional view depicting mounting of said side
10 trim member to a.front.panel in accordance-with an .embodiment, of the present-invention.
[0023] FIG.8 is an exploded view depicting mounting of the side trim
member to a portion of the body frame assembly in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention.
15 [0024] FIG.9 is an enlarged perspective view of the body frame assembly
depicting the floorboard panel and the side trim in an assembled condition in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
[0025] Exemplary embodiments detailing features of a body frame
20 assembly of a step-through vehicle, in accordance with the present invention will
be described hereunder with reference to the accompanying drawings. Various
aspects of different embodiments of the present invention will become discernible
from the following description set out hereunder. Rather, the following
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description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Further, it is to be noted that terms "upper", "lower", "right", "left", "front", "forward", "rearward", "downward", "upward", "top", "bottom" and like terms are used herein based on the illustrated state or in a 5 standing state of the step through vehicle with a driver riding thereon unless otherwise elaborated. Furthermore, a longitudinal axis refers to a front to rear axis relative to said step through vehicle, while a lateral axis refers to a side to side, or left to right axis relative to said vehicle. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and
10. . should not.be.regarded as limiting..-
[0026] Firstly a description is made of an entire schematic structure of a
step through vehicle 10 such as a scooter type motorcycle with reference to FIG.l in accordance with the present invention. [0027] . FIG.l is a side view of the step through vehicle 10. As shown in
15 FIG.l, the step through vehicle 10 includes a body frame assembly 11 (shown in FIG.2), for example an underbone body frame, made of a metal, alloy or a polymeric material and covered by various body covers. The body frame assembly 11 supports a steering assembly including a steering shaft (not shown), and a handle bar 1 in a front portion thereof. A front fork assembly 2 is pivotally
20 supported to the steering shaft. The handlebar 1 provided above the front fork assembly 2 allows steering of a front wheel 3. A headlamp unit 4 housed in a headlamp housing 4a is disposed in front of the handle bar 1.
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[0032] A toggle link member (not shown) supports the engine 30
swingably on a lower side of the left and right side covers 8. A rear wheel 35 is connected to the toggle link member via the engine 30. Power from the engine 30 is transmitted to the rear wheel 35 for driving the step through vehicle 10 by 5 means of a transmission assembly 40.
[0033] Suspensions are provided for comfortable steering of the vehicle
on the road. A front suspension assembly (not shown) includes the front fork assembly 2. Further, a rear suspension assembly is provided which is a hydraulic damped arrangement and is connected to the body frame assembly 11. In the
10 present embodiment, said reat.suspension assembly includes two rear suspension
members 15, connected to the rear portion of the body frame assembly 11.
[0034] For the safety of the user and in conformance with the traffic, a
taillight 45 and a pair of turn signal lamps is also provided in the rear portion of the saddle riding type vehicle.
15 [0035] Referring to FIG.2, the body frame assembly 11 of the step-
through vehicle 10 is elaborated. FIG.2 illustrates a side view of the body frame assembly 11 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As may be seen, the body frame assembly 11 comprises a head tube 11a, a main tube lib extending downwardly and rearwardly from said head tube 11a, a pair of
20 floorboard support tubes lie connected to said main tube lib and extending parallely to at least a portion of said main tube lib, and a pair of side tubes lid extending rearwardly and inclinedly upwards from the pair of floorboard support tubes lie. In the present embodiment, said pair of floorboard support tubes lie
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floorboard support tube, said mounting structure lying in front of the mounting provision for the side trim on said floorboard support tube.
[0041] Thus, as may be seen in FIG.9, and FIG.l, none of the fasteners
used for mounting the floorboard panel and the pair of side trim members are 5 visible when viewed in the vehicle sideward direction and vehicle top direction. Therefore, the aesthetic appeal of the vehicle is improved significantly. Moreover, since the floorboard panel is side mounted to the floorboard support tubes, it is ensured that the fasteners used for the same are hidden by the pair of side trims, thereby ensuring that there is no water entry or dust entry into said fasteners.
10 .. Thus, the durability of plastic parts., namely that of.the.floorboard panel .and .the. .
pair of side trim members is improved significantly. Further, since common mounting brackets are used for mounting the floorboard panel and the bottom panel, reduction in part count is achieved, improving the overall productivity in manufacturing.
15 [0042] While the present invention has been shown and described with
reference to the foregoing preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes in form, connection, and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims:
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