Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present subject matter relates generally to vehicle frame assembly, and particularly to a frame assembly to accommodate one or more auxiliary components in a vehicle.
BACKGROUND

5 [0002] Generally, a vehicle comprises of a frame assembly extending rearwardly from a head tube. The frame assembly acts as a skeleton and a structural member for the vehicle that supports the vehicle loads. At least one front wheel is connected to a front portion of the frame assembly through one or more front suspension(s). The frame assembly extends towards a rear portion of the vehicle. At least one rear
10 wheel is connected to a frame assembly through one or more rear suspension(s). The frame assembly comprises of an engine assembly coupled to it for fuel drive vehicles. The engine assembly is functionally connected to the rear wheel, which provides forward motion to the vehicle. In case of electrically driven vehicles, a motor that is driven by a battery is mounted onto the frame assembly. The battery is
15 also mounted onto the frame.
[0003] Primarily, in vehicles, the frame assembly has a main tube extending rearwardly with a fuel tank mounted on the main tube. The main tube diverges into two rearwardly extending tubes that extend rearwardly in a longitudinal direction up to the length of the vehicle with a rear fender mounted at the rear of those two
20 rearwardly extending tubes.
[0004] In existing two wheelers, the chassis/frame assembly will be a single unit that is composed of multiple portions (referred to as sub-frames) fastened with one another. Two wheelers generally will have a chassis member which is made of mild steel. The frame assembly made of mild steel is generally heavier and thereby
25 adding to overall vehicle weight.
[0005] Further, to manufacture a conventional tubular sub-frame structure for a frame assembly, a complex jig must be engineered which is time and resource

consuming. Due to the tubular nature of a conventional rear sub-frame, it is difficult to create complex organic shapes on the sub frame. This causes difficulties and it becomes challenging to optimize the design for better leg reach and for providing space to hold a Utility box. Additional housing/mounting for
5 other technical components needs to be created on the sub-frame (for example to hold the battery, tail lamp, tail cover etc.) and cannot be integrated in the sub-frame itself.
[0006] Furthermore, in a conventional subframe, usually unpleasing welds are visible on the assembled frame which then need to be hidden by additional plastic
10 style parts. It is challenging in a conventional sub-frame to alter just the rear section to optimize it as per design requirement.
[0007] Therefore, there is a requirement in the art, to have a frame sub-assembly that is lighter in weight in comparison with the conventional frame assembly, that is easier to assemble and enables easy mounting of multiple auxiliary components
15 within the frame.

SUMMARY

[0008] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become
20 apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

[0009] Aspects of the present disclosure pertain to a frame assembly comprising a head pipe. From the head pipe, a left main tube and a right main tube extend, the left main tube and the right main tube diverge rearwardly downwardly from the head pipe, each of the left main tube and the right main tube having a first portion
25 and a second portion. The left main tube has a first portion of the tube and correspondingly, the right main tube has a first portion as a part of the right main tube. Further, the frame assembly includes a left down tube and a right down tube, the left down tube and the right down tube extend downwardly from a bottom end

of the head pipe, the left down tube and the right down tube diverging downwardly at an angle. Each of the left down tube and the right down tube are comprised of a a third portion and a fourth portion. The left main tube and the right main tube are connected by a first horizontal member at respective the first portion of the left
5 main tube and the right main tube. The left down tube is connected to the left main tube at the first portion and, the right down tube is connected to the right main tube at the first portion by one or more fasteners. In an embodiment, the left rear frame member and the right rear frame member are made of aluminum.
[00010] In an embodiment, the left main tube and the right main tube extend to
10 receive a corresponding left rear frame member and a right rear frame member to form a rear frame at respective the first portion of the left main tube and the first portion of the right main tube. The left main tube and the right main tube diverge rearwardly downwardly at a first pre-defined angle. In an embodiment, the left down tube and the right down tube are connected at the third portion by a second
15 horizontal member.
[00011] The left main tube and the right main tube are configured with one or more slots of a predetermined shape. The one or more slots on the left main tube and the right main tube are of a triangular shape. The slots may be used to accommodate one or more auxiliary electrical components within the vehicle.
20 [00012] The left main tube and the right main tube, the left down tube and the right down tube define a storage volume configured to accommodate one or more batteries. The storage volume is configured to receive one or more cross member, the cross member is configured to mount a power train to the frame assembly. A plurality of brackets is disposed on the second horizontal member and the first
25 horizontal members to enable mounting of components.
[00013] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure pertains to an electric vehicle with the frame assembly mounted therein. The vehicle is an electric vehicle that uses an electrical motor as the driving component for the vehicle. The electric motor is driven by a battery that is mounted on the frame assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[00014] The detailed description of the present subject matter is described with reference to the accompanying figures. Same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components.
5 [00015] Fig. 1 illustrates a left side view of an exemplary two-wheeled engine driven vehicle, illustrating the various sub-assemblies such as a frame assembly in accordance with the existing state of the art that forms the prior art for embodiments of the present disclosure.
[00016] Fig. 2 is a perspective front view of the frame assembly in accordance
10 with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00017] Fig. 3 is a perspective rear view of the frame assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00018] Fig. 4 is a left view of the frame assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure showing the frame as an assembled
15 structure with axes A-A, B-B, C-C, D-D and E-E.
[00019] Fig. 5A is a perspective view of the left down tube and the right down tube connected by a second horizontal member accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00020] Fig. 5B are the top and bottom views of the front view of the left down
20 tube and the right down tube connected by a second horizontal member in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[00021] Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to a vehicle frame
25 assembly, and particularly to a frame assembly to accommodate one or more auxiliary components such as batteries in an electric vehicle.
[00022] Conventional frames are made of stainless-steel parts that are welded or fastened together to form a single frame structure. These frame assembly structures are heavy, and it is desirable to reduce the overall weight of the frame

assembly. It is desirable that certain portions that are fastened within the assembly are made of a lighter material. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to reduce the overall weight of the frame assembly.
[00023] Further, conventional frames are made by forging a tube in the desired
5 share to arrive at the frame structure. While forging, it becomes difficult to create complex shapes. As it is difficult to create complex organic shapes, it becomes challenging to optimize the design for better leg reach and also for creating space to hold a Utility box big enough for a full-face helmet. Therefore, it is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide for better leg reach while enabling space
10 to hold auxiliary vehicle components.
[00024] Additional housing for other technical components needs to be created on the sub-frame (for example to hold the battery, tail lamp, tail cover etc.) and cannot be integrated in the sub-frame itself. It is yet another object to provide for maximum space mountings/fastening points to enable mounting of various
15 electrical sub-systems within the frame assembly.
[00025] It is challenging in a conventional sub-frame to alter just the rear section to optimize it as per design requirement. At times the inner part of the thigh of the rider might come in contact to the inner components of the vehicle which is not ergonomically desirable. Therefore, it is yet another object of the present
20 disclosure to maintain ergonomics and aesthetics of the vehicle on frame assembly being a part of the vehicle.
[00026] Typically, in a two-wheeled vehicle, the engine assembly is mounted to the body frame or is swingably connected to the frame assembly. Correspondingly, in an electric vehicle, the motor assembly and the battery
25 assembly is mounted to the body frame or is connected to the frame assembly by means of fasteners.
[00027] References to “one embodiment,” “at least one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “one example,” “an example,” “for example,” and so on indicate that the embodiment(s) or example(s) may include a particular feature, structure,

characteristic, property, element, or limitation but that not every embodiment or example necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation. Further, repeated use of the phrase “in an embodiment” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.
5 [00028] The ensuing disclosure is not intended to limit the present disclosure to the precise forms or fields of use disclosed. As such, it is contemplated that various alternate embodiments and/or modifications to the present disclosure, whether explicitly described or implied herein, are possible considering the disclosure. Having thus described embodiments of the present disclosure, a
10 person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is limited only by the claims.
[00029] The present disclosure may be best understood with reference to the detailed figures and description set forth herein. Various embodiments are
15 discussed below with reference to the figures. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed descriptions given herein with respect to the figures are simply for explanatory purposes as the methods and systems may extend beyond the described embodiments. For example, the teachings presented and the needs of a particular application may yield multiple alternative and
20 suitable approaches to implement the functionality of any detail described herein. Therefore, any approach may extend beyond the particular implementation choices in the following embodiments described and shown.
[00030] Fig. 1 illustrates a left side view of an exemplary two-wheeled vehicle 200, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. Arrows
25 provided in the top right corner of each figure depicts direction with respect to the vehicle, wherein an arrow F denotes front direction, an arrow R indicates rear direction, an arrow Up denotes upward direction, and an arrow Dw denotes downward direction. The vehicle 200 includes a frame assembly 201 that extends rearward from a head tube 201A. The frame assembly 201 extends along in a

longitudinal direction F-R of the vehicle 200. The frame assembly 201 includes a mainframe comprising a first member 201B extending rearward from a rear portion of the head tube 201A and a down tube 201C that extends rearwardly downward from the head tube 201A. The frame assembly 201 may further
5 comprise a sub-frame formed by a pair of rear tubes that extend obliquely rearward from the main frame. A driving assembly 100 is mounted to the main frame of the frame assembly 201. The driving assembly may be an engine assembly (100). In electric vehicles, a battery and motor assembly (100) is mounted on to the main frame of the frame assembly 201 and the battery and
10 motor assembly acts as the driving assembly. In electric vehicles, it may be desirable to accommodate more than one set of battery packs or batteries onto the frame.
[00031] The rear wheel 120 is functionally coupled to the driving assembly 100 through a transmission system/member 125.
15 [00032] Furthermore, the vehicle 200 includes various electrical and electronic systems including a starter motor (not shown), a headlamp 175, a vehicle control unit, and a tail lamp 180. In addition, the vehicle includes safety systems including a synchronous braking system (not shown), and an anti-lock braking system.
20 [00033] Fig. 2 is a perspective front view of a frame assembly 201 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The frame assembly 201 comprises a head pipe 210. From the head pipe 210, a left main tube 212-L and a right main tube 212-R extend outwards towards the rear of the frame assembly
201. The left main tube 212-L and the right main tube 212-R diverge rearwardly
25 downwardly from the head pipe 210, each of the left main tube 212-L and the right main tube 212-R having a first portion and a second portion. Further, the frame assembly includes a left down tube 216-L and a right down tube 216-R such that the left down tube 216-L and the right down tube 216-R extend downwardly from a bottom end of the head pipe 210. The left down tube 216-L

and the right down tube 216-R are diverging downwardly at an angle. Each of the left down tube 216-L and the right down tube 216-R are comprised of a third portion and a fourth portion. The left main tube 216-L and the right main tube 216-R are connected by a first horizontal member 218 at the respective first
5 portions of the left main tube 212-L and the right main tube 212-R. The left down tube 216-L is connected to the left main tube 212-L at the first portion and, the right down tube 216-R is connected to the right main tube 212-R at the respective first portions by one or more fasteners 224-1, 224-2.
[00034] In an embodiment, the left main tube 212-L and the right main tube
10 212-R extend to receive a corresponding left rear frame member 214-L and a right rear frame 214-R member to form a rear frame 214 extending from the respective the first portion of the left main tube 212-L and the first portion of the right main tube 212-R. The left main tube 212-L and the right main tube 212-R diverge rearwardly downwardly at a first pre-defined angle.
15 [00035] In an embodiment, the left down tube 216-L and the right down tube 216-R are connected at the third portion by a second horizontal member 220. In an embodiment, the left rear frame 214-L and the right rear frame 214-R are made of aluminum.
[00036] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure pertains to an electric
20 vehicle with the frame assembly 201 mounted therein. The vehicle is an electric vehicle that uses an electrical motor as the driving component 100 for the vehicle. The electric motor is driven by a battery that is mounted on the frame assembly. [00037] Fig. 3 is a perspective rear view of the frame assembly 201 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring now to
25 Fig.3, the left main tube 212-L and the right main tube 212-R are configured with one or more slots 228-n of a predetermined shape. The one or more slots 228-n on the left main tube and the right main tube are of a triangular shape. The slots 228-n may be used to accommodate one or more auxiliary electrical components within the vehicle.

[00038] The left main tube 212-L and the right main tube 212-R, the left down tube 216-L and the right down tube 216-R define a storage volume configured to accommodate one or more batteries. The storage volume is configured to receive one or more cross member, the cross member is configured to mount a power
5 train to the frame assembly 201. A plurality of mounts 226-1, 226-2, 226-3 are provided on the frame members. A plurality of brackets is disposed on the second horizontal member 226-3 and the first horizontal members to enable mounting of components.
[00039] Fig. 4 is a left view of the frame assembly 201 in accordance with an
10 embodiment of the present disclosure showing the frame as an assembled structure with axes A-A, B-B, C-C, D-D and E-E. Various slots 222-1, 222-2, 222-3 may be provided on the rear left frame 214-L and the rear right frame 214-R.
[00040] Fig. 5A is a perspective view of the left down tube 216-L and the right
15 down tube 216-R connected by a second horizontal member 220 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Mounting brackets 224-1, 224-2 are provided that enable mounting the down tubes to the main frames. Further mounting brackets 226 may be provided on the horizontal member 220.
[00041] Fig. 5B are the top and bottom views of the left down tube 216-L and the
20 right down tube 216-R connected by a second horizontal member 220 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00042] The frame assembly 201 being formed as an assembly of main tubes 212-L, 212-R in contrast to the conventional approach of forging a single tube structure to form the main tube, solves the issue of requiring complex jigs at the
25 time of manufacturing the frame assembly.
[00043] In an embodiment, the solution discussed above consists of a main frame 212 onto which sub-frame 214 and cradle frame 216 are mounted on. In an embodiment, the main frame 212 is of aluminum thereby reducing the weight of overall vehicle. In an embodiment, the sub-frames 214, 216 are made of

aluminum. The aluminum frame manufactured is a cast part and the manufacturing error will almost be negligible or of no error. The quality and life of aluminum will not deteriorate and rust w.r.t environmental changes(rain) in comparison with mild steel and other materials.
5 [00044] The proposed solution is designed in such a way that the rider’s leg
reachability is not affected.
[00045] Further, the frame being an assembly of a number of individually forged/manufactured components 212, 214, 216,.. offers flexibility as the rear portion and the front portion of the sub-frame can be customized and optimized
10 for specific use cases. The requirement for developing a completely new frame
from scratch is eliminated if a minor modification in one of the various members can enable the same function.
[00046] Furthermore, the frame assembly 201 can enable efficient modification and optimization of the frame based on requirements without affecting the
15 stability and the stiffness of the overall vehicle. The disclosed construction helps
to modify rear frame and re-design it based on customers requirement or priority, thereby providing customers to an additional benefit to customize on need basis. [00047] Various housings and mountings for the surrounding components can be integrated within the frame itself and needn't be engineered and developed
20 separately. Further, the inner part of the rider’s thigh is protected from the inner
components of the vehicle by the rear frames 214-L, 214-R.
[00048] In light of the above-mentioned advantages and the technical advancements provided by the disclosed method and system, the claimed steps as discussed above are not routine, conventional, or well understood in the art, as
25 the claimed steps enable solutions to the existing problems in conventional technologies as discussed hereinabove. Further, the claimed steps clearly bring an improvement in the functioning of the device (frame assembly) itself as the claimed steps provide a technical solution to a technical problem.

[00049] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any of the aforementioned steps and/or system modules may be suitably replaced, reordered, or removed, and additional steps and/or system modules may be inserted, depending on the needs of a particular application. In addition, the systems of the aforementioned
5 embodiments may be implemented using a wide variety of suitable processes and system modules, and are not limited to any particular computer hardware, software, middleware, firmware, microcode, and the like. The claims can encompass embodiments for hardware and software, or a combination thereof. [00050] While the present disclosure has been described with reference to certain
10 embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made, and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the
15 present disclosure is not limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
, Claims:
We claim:

1. A frame assembly comprising: a head pipe;
a left main tube and a right main tube, said left main tube and said
5 right main tube diverging rearwardly downwardly from said head pipe, each of said left main tube and said right main tube having a first portion and a second portion;
a left down tube and a right down tube, said left down tube and said right down tube extending downwardly from a bottom end of said head
10 pipe, said left down tube and said right down tube diverging downwardly, each of said left down tube and said right down tube having a third portion and a fourth portion;
wherein,

said left main tube and said right main tube, said left main
15 tube and said right main tube being connected by a first horizontal member at respective said first portion of said left main tube and said right main tube, and,
said left down tube being connected to said left main tube at said first portion and, said right down tube being connected to
20 said right main tube at said first portion by one or more fasteners.
2. The frame assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said left main tube and said right main tube extending to receive a corresponding left rear frame member and a right rear frame member to form a rear frame at respective
25 said first portion of said left main tube and said right main tube.

3. The frame assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said left down tube and said right down tube being connected at said third portion by a second horizontal member.

5 4. The frame assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said left main tube and said right main tube being configured with one or more slots of a predetermined shape.

5. The frame assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said one or more slots
10 on said left main tube and said right main tube being of a triangular shape.

6. The frame assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said left main tube and said right main tube, said left down tube and said right down tube forming a storage volume, said storage volume being configured to accommodate one
15 or more batteries.

7. The frame assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said storage volume being configured to receive one or more cross members, said one or more cross members being configured to connect a power train to said frame
20 assembly.

8. The frame assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said left rear frame member and said right rear frame member being made of aluminum.

25 9. The frame assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said left main tube and said right main tube diverging rearwardly downwardly at a first pre-defined angle.

10. The frame assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said left down tube and said right down tube diverging downwardly rearwardly at a second pre-defined angle.

5 11. The frame assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of brackets being disposed on said second horizontal member and said first horizontal members.

12. The frame assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said one or more slots
10 being configured to accommodate at least one auxiliary component.

13. A vehicle comprising a frame assembly mounted therein, said vehicle comprising:
a head pipe;

15 a left main tube and a right main tube, said left main tube and said right main tube diverging rearwardly downwardly from said head pipe, each of said left main tube and said right main tube having a first portion and a second portion;
a left down tube and a right down tube, said left down tube and
20 said right down tube extending downwardly from a bottom end of said head pipe, said left down tube and said right down tube diverging downwardly, each of said left down tube and said right down tube having a third portion and a fourth portion;
wherein,

25 said left main tube and said right main tube said left main tube and said right main tube being connected by a

first horizontal member at respective said first portion of said left main tube and said right main tube, and,

said left down tube being connected to said left main tube at said first portion and, said right down tube being
5 connected to said right main tube at said first portion by one or more fasteners.

14. The vehicle as claimed in claim 13, wherein said vehicle being an electric vehicle being driven by a motor and operable by a battery.