A REAR CENTRE COVER SUB-ASSEMBLY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to a rear cover for a saddle
type vehicle, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a rear centre cover sub­assembly for a saddle type vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Conventionally, a two wheeled saddle type vehicle designed for road use includes a rear light unit at an extreme rear portion of the vehicle for safety reasons and to meet government regulations. The rear light unit comprises of a plurality of lamps, and may include a left indication lamp disposed towards the left of rear light unit, a right indication lamp disposed towards the right of rear light unit and a rear lamp centrally disposed therebetween the left indication lamp and the right indication lamp. These lamps receive power from a battery connected to such unitary rear light unit through a wiring harness.

[0003] In such vehicle, the assembly of the rear portion of the vehicle is often cumbersome wherein said unitary rear light unit is assembled onto the vehicle frame independent of the side covers. Subsequently, the left and right side covers are mounted on the vehicle frame covering the side portion of the vehicle as well as that of the rear light unit as shown in FIG.l. Lastly, a left side trim member and a right side trim member are respectively mounted to cover the remaining portion of the vehicle frame.

[0004] Further, a rear centre is separately assembled on the vehicle after said rear light unit is mounted on the vehicle frame. The rear centre cover is located below the rear lamp for covering at least an end portion in a vehicle width direction of the rear lamp. It is smaller in size than the rear lamp and does not support all or any constituent of the rear light unit. Such assembly takes more time and increases required man hours. Meanwhile, the rear lamp is sandwiched between the side cover and the side trim member from lateral left and right sides.

[0005] Such assembly of the rear light unit leads to difficulty in serviceability of the rear lamp. This is because to access the rear lamp of the rear light unit, several components of the vehicle have to be unassembled. Further, the independent assembly of the rear light unit creates an undesirable cavity between the rear centre cover and the rear lamp of the rear light unit. In an implementation where the two components are made to sit with an uneven gap between them, warpage is possible during the operation of the vehicle. This gap also reduces the aesthetic look of the vehicle. In today's competitive markets, the visual appearance of a vehicle or a display associated with a vehicle can be a significant factor in a customer's purchase decision, and a stimulating visual appearance that sets one vehicle apart from others in the same category can positively influence the customer in his or her purchase decision.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Therefore, a need exists to provide a rear centre cover accomodating a rear lamp in a non-unitary rear light unit. Among other things, one of the object of the present invention is to mount a rear lamp on the vehicle in a manner that it is easily serviceable. Another object of the present invention is to disclose a rear centre cover which can accommodate the real lamp and can also facilitate the venting of hot air from the engine disposed below the vehicle seat and enclosed between the side covers. It is also an object of the present invention to disclose a rear centre cover having an integrally formed covering to cover a license plate illuminator in the vehicle. To this end, the present invention discloses a saddle type motorcycle with a swinging power unit comprising a rear centre cover sub-assembly including a rear centre cover and a rear lamp. The standalone rear lamp is a part of non-unitary rear light unit and is accomodated within the rear centre cover. The rear centre cover sub-assembly is separately assembled off the conveyor line and is mounted to and supported only on the left and right side covers of a saddle type vehicle. The rear centre cover sub-assembly is not supported on the vehicle frame.

[0007] The rear centre cover sub-assembly enables ease of serviceability of the rear lamp as in case of any undesirable event, the entire rear centre sub­assembly is easily dismounted from the left and right side covers and the rear lamp is serviced. The rear lamp is further secured to the rear centre cover through at least one hook means and a plurality of bosses which ensures proper attachment. Due to simplified assembly, the time taken for dismounting and also for servicing of the rear lamp is reduced. Furthermore, the rear lamp is accommodated in the rear centre cover in a manner so that the gap between the two is minimized and hence the vehicle looks more sportier and elegant.

[0008] The foregoing objectives and summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form, and is not limiting. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present subject matter as well as the subject matter itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the ensuing detailed description of the subject matter and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] The above and other features, aspects and advantages of the subject matter will be better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings where:

[00010] FIG. 1 shows a saddle type vehicle exemplified in the form of a two wheeled scooter type motorcycle according to the prior art.

[00011] FIG. 2 shows a side view of the scooter type motorcycle according to the present invention.

[00012] FIG. 3 shows a rear view of the scooter type motorcycle of FIG. 2.

[00013] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a rear centre cover according to the present invention.

[00014] FIG. 5 shows a detailed view of an inner surface of the rear centre cover of FIG. 4.

[00015] FIG. 6 shows a top view of the rear centre cover of FIG. 4.

[00016] FIG. 7 shows a front view of the rear centre cover of FIG. 4 when seen from the front of the motorcycle.

[00017] FIG. 8 shows a front view of a rear centre cover sub-assembly.

[00018] FIG. 9 shows a sectional view of the rear centre cover sub- assembly of FIG. 8.

[00019] FIG. 10 shows a sectional view of the rear centre cover sub- assembly along with a fuel tank.

[00020] FIG. 11 shows a rear view of the rear centre cover sub-assembly along with adjacently disposed vehicular components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[00021] The present invention discloses a saddle type motorcycle with a swinging power unit comprising a rear centre cover sub-assembly for covering a rear portion of the motorcycle. The rear centre cover sub-assembly comprises of a rear centre cover and a rear lamp. The rear centre cover further comprises of a central opening to accommodate the rear lamp, at least one hook means protruding forwardly from an inner surface of the rear centre cover and contouring the central opening, a plurality of bosses protruding forwardly from the inner surface of the rear centre cover to secure the rear lamp with the rear centre cover, and a license plate illuminator cover protruding rearwardly from an outer surface of the rear centre cover. At least a portion of the central opening, the at least one hook means and at least two bosses from the plurality of bosses are formed integral with a upper portion of the rear centre cover.

[00022] The rear centre cover further comprises of at least one air louver on each side of a longitudinal axis of the rear centre cover partially surrounding a fuel tank, disposed below the rear lamp and upwardly of the license plate illuminator cover. The license plate illuminator cover and the at least one air louver are formed integral with an arcuate lower portion of the rear centre cover. In an embodiment, the lower portion is wider than the upper portion and formed integral with the upper portion. Further, the rear centre cover sub-assembly is supported on, and secured to, a left side cover and a right side cover disposed laterally on said motorcycle.

[00023] The present invention is now described in further detail. It is to be noted that in the ensuing description, the present invention is exemplified with a two wheeled scooter type motorcycle for better illustration. Further "front" and "rear", and "left" and "right" referred to in the ensuing description of the illustrated embodiment refer to front and rear, and left and right directions as seen in a state of being seated on a seat of the scooter type motorcycle. Furthermore, a longitudinal axis, except otherwise mentioned, refers to a front to rear axis relative to the said motorcycle, while a lateral axis, except otherwise mentioned, refers generally to a side to side, or left to right axis relative to the said motorcycle. Various other features and embodiments of the rear centre cover sub-assembly according to the present subject matter here will be discernible from the following further description thereof, set out hereunder. The detailed explanation of the constitution of parts other than the subject matter which constitutes an essential part has been omitted at suitable places.

[00024] FIG. 2 shows a side elevation view of the saddle type vehicle embodied in the form of the scooter type motorcycle. The motorcycle 1 includes a frame assembly made up of several tubes welded together which usually supports the body of the said vehicle. The motorcycle 1 has a steerable front wheel 2 and a driven rear wheel 25 driven by driving force generated by a power unit 24. The front wheel 2 of the motorcycle 1 is axially supported at a lower end of a front fork 3, and the front fork 3 is pivoted in a steerable manner in a head pipe of the motorcycle frame. The frame assembly (chassis) is covered by a plurality of vehicle body covers including a front panel 17, a leg shield 16, an under seat cover 21, a left side cover 41 disposed on the left side of the motorcycle frame and a right side cover 42 disposed on a right side of the motorcycle frame. A lower member 18 of the front panel 17 functions as the front fender to cover the front wheel 2 whereas a rear fender 27 is provided to cover the rear wheel 25. A license plate 90 is supported on the rear fender 27 facing towards the rear direction to display the vehicle registration number.

[00025] A handle bar 7 is attached to an upper end of the head pipe. A headlight unit 10 is arranged forwardly of the handle bar 7 and is surrounded by a visor 9. The visor 9 is located upwardly of the headlight unit 10. The handlebar 7 and a seat 22 are supported at opposing ends of the frame assembly and a generally open area is defined there between known as floorboard 12 which functions as a step through space. The seat 22 for a driver and a pillion is placed forward to a fuel tank (not shown) and rearwardly of the floorboard 12. A side trim member 14 beneath an edge portion of the floorboard 12 is provided to cover a lower portion of the frame assembly. The side trim member 14 is laterally present on both sides of the vehicle; however, only one is visible in the side view in FIG. 2. A side stand fixed to the left side of the vehicle frame supports the vehicle such that vehicle inclines to the left side without falling.

[00026] In the motorcycle, a rear suspension typically supports the power unit 24 configured to drive the rear wheel 25 of the vehicle. The power unit 24 is swingably supported on the frame assembly. It is integrally formed with an engine and a transmission system, and the rear wheel 25 is connected to a drive shaft at the rear of the power unit 24. In an embodiment of the present invention, the engine is a four stroke single cylinder internal combustion engine.

[00027] FIG. 3 shows a rear view of the motorcycle 1. The left side cover 41 and right side cover 42 laterally cover a considerable rear portion of the motorcycle frame along the longitudinal axis of the motorcycle and support a rear centre cover sub-assembly. The rear centre cover sub-assembly comprises of a rear centre cover 60 disposed at a rear end of the seat 22 and a rear lamp 51 facing towards the rear. The rear lamp 51 is provided in the motorcycle for night visibility and to meet statutory norms. It is configured to act as a brake lamp and a stop lamp. In an embodiment, the rear lamp 51 is a part of a non-unitary rear light unit which means that the rear lamp 51 is accommodated in the rear centre cover 60 and the left and right rear indication lamps are respectively housed within the left side cover 41 and right side cover 42.

[00028] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the rear centre cover 60 which spans across a lateral axis of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction. The rear centre cover 60 is visible from a rear end of the motorcycle 1. To further describe the construction, it is divided into an upper portion 65 and a lower portion 61 formed integral with each other. The upper portion 65 is planar and inclined towards the rear end of the motorcycle when seen in a side view. An elevation 66 is provided forwardly of the upper portion 65 to locate and partially cover a rear portion of the seat 22. The elevation 66 is integrally formed with the upper portion 65.

[00029] As shown in FIG. 6, the rear centre cover comprises of a central opening 70 formed in the upper portion 65 to accommodate the rear lamp 51. The upper portion 65 is connected to the lower portion 61 through at least two upper arm members 69a, 69b which are connected to each other forwardly of the upper portion. The upper arm members 69a, 69b are divergent from each other as they extend forwardly toward the elevation 66. Toward the rear, they progress downwardly and merge from the left and the right with the lower portion 61. The central opening 70 is disposed in the space between the two upper arm members in a manner that one upper arm member is disposed on each side of the central opening 70. The central opening 70 is configured to receive the rear lamp 51 and approximately has titled V-shaped cross section when viewed laterally and an inverted bell shaped cross section when viewed from the rear.

[00030] The rear centre cover 60 has an inner surface 73 facing toward the seat 22 and an outer surface 74 facing opposite to the inner surface 73 as shown in FIG. 4. In an embodiment, the inner surface of the rear centre cover 60 serves as the inner surface for the upper portion 65 and the lower portion 61. As further shown in FIG. 5, at least one hook means 76 protrudes in the front direction from the inner surface 73 and is provided in the upper portion 65 of the rear centre cover 60. The hook means 76 is integrally formed with the rear centre cover 60 and contours the central opening 70. In an embodiment, the rear centre cover is provided with a plurality of hook means 76, 76, 76 spaced from each other along the vehicle width. In another embodiment, the plurality of hook means is present anywhere along the boundary of the central opening 70. The hook means extend from side to side for better locking with the rear lamp 51.

[00031] FIG. 7 shows a front view of the rear centre cover 60. The rear centre cover 60 further comprises of a plurality of bosses 77a, 77b, 78a, 78b protruding toward the front direction from the inner surface 73 and secure the rear lamp 51 with the rear centre cover 60. In an embodiment, the plurality of bosses is integrally formed at the inner surface 73 of the rear centre cover 60. The plurality of bosses 77a, 78b, 77b, 78b are provided adjacently to a boundary of the central opening 70 to aid in the assembly of the rear lamp 51. At least two bosses 77a, 78a from the plurality of bosses are formed integral with the upper portion 65 of the rear centre cover 60. More particularly, at least one boss 77a in the upper portion 65 is formed integral with the one of the upper arm member 69b. Similarly, the other boss 78a is formed integral with the other upper arm member 69a. The other two bosses 77b, 78b from the plurality of bosses are provided in the lower portion 61.

[00032] The lower portion 61 of the rear centre cover 60 is integrally formed with the upper portion 65 as shown in FIG. 4 and is arcuate in shape. At least two forwardly extending lower arm members 62, 63 emanate from the lower portion 61 such that at least one lower arm member is present on either side of the lower portion 61. The lower arm members 62, 63 are integrally formed with the lower portion 61 and progressively reduce in width while extending forwardly. According to an aspect, the lower portion 61 is broader than the upper portion 65 and is curved to surround the rear portion of the vehicle. Therefore, the lower portion 61 is wider than the upper portion 65. The rear centre cover 60 further comprises a plurality of connecting edge portions 64a, 64b through which the rear centre sub-assembly is supported on and secured to the left side cover 41 and the right side cover 42. To this end, the lower arm members 62, 63 of the rear centre cover are provided with the connecting edge portions 64a, 64b.

[00033] The rear centre cover 60 also integrates a license plate illuminator cover 91 protruding rearwardly from the outer surface 74 and disposed upwardly of a license plate illuminator 92. This is depicted in FIG. 10. The license plate illuminator 92 has an illumination bulb which lights up the license plate 90 to comply with the homologation norms. The license plate illuminator cover 91 protects the license plate illuminator 92 by forming a rearwardly protruded covering upwardly of the license plate illuminator 92. In an embodiment, the license plate illuminator cover 91 is formed integral with the outer surface 74 of the rear centre cover 60. In an embodiment, the license plate illuminator cover 91 is formed in the lower portion 61 of the rear centre cover 60. The license plate illuminator cover 91 also aids in providing better aesthetics to the motorcycle.

[00034] The rear centre cover 60 also comprises of at least one air louver on each side of the longitudinal axis of the rear centre cover. In an embodiment, the rear centre cover 60 is provided with at least two air louvers 71, 72 disposed one on each side longitudinal axis of the rear centre cover 60. Each air louver spans from the inner surface 73 to the outer surface 74. The air louver is disposed below the rear lamp 51, upwardly of the license plate illuminator cover 91 and surrounds a fuel tank. In an embodiment, the air louvers 71, 72 are provided in the arcuate lower portion 61 of the rear centre cover below the central opening 70. As shown in FIG. 10, the motorcycle 1 comprises of a plastic fuel tank for storing fuel through which fumes escape and have to be vented out. The fuel tank is disposed below the seat 22 and laterally surrounded by the left side cover 41 and the right side cover 42. The fuel tank is further surrounded by a utility box from the front direction and the rear centre cover sub-assembly from the rear direction. Thus, the fuel tank is disposed in an enclosed area. Due to this reason, the air louvers 71, 72 allow escaping of the fumes in the direction of the wind when the motorcycle is in operation. Further, the air louvers also allow hot air from the engine to escape out of the enclosed area. Additionally in an embodiment, the shape of the air louvers increases the aesthetic value of the motorcycle.

[00035] As shown in FIG. 9, the upper portion 65 further comprises at least one rib 67 disposed on each side of the longitudinal axis of the rear centre cover 60 extending downwardly and inclinedly from the upper portion 65. In an embodiment, the inner surface 73 is provided with at least two symmetrical ribs 67, 67 one on each side of the longitudinal axis of the rear centre cover 60. The ribs 67, 67 provide structural strength and support to the rear centre cover. More particularly, the ribs 67, 67 provide rigidity to the upper arm members 69a, 69b thus avoiding flexing of the rear centre cover 60. Each rib 67 defines a side opening 68 formed between the rib 67 and the upper portion 65. The side opening 68 is located laterally. The side opening 68 helps in supporting and routing of wiring harness used to connect the rear lamp 51 to a battery of the vehicle. In an embodiment, the side opening 68 is used for locating rear indication lamp.

[00036] The assembly of the rear centre cover 60 with the rear lamp 51 is now explained. FIG. 5 shows a detailed view of the inner surface 73 of the rear centre cover whereas FIG. 8 shows a front view of the rear centre cover sub­assembly. The rear centre cover sub-assembly is formed when the rear lamp 51 is assembled with the rear centre cover 60. The rear lamp 51 is received in the central opening 70 of the rear centre cover 60 from the inner surface side. The hook means 76 first clamps the corresponding hook receiving means formed in the rear lamp 51. The hook means 76 are interlocked with the hook receiving means creating a snap fit which leads to internal locking of the rear lamp 51 with the rear centre cover 60. The edge portions of the rear lamp 51 have mounting holes through which it is then secured to the rear centre cover when each mounting hole 79 is fastened to the corresponding boss from the plurality of bosses 77a, 78b, 77b, 78b provided in the inner surface of the rear centre cover. Thus, the rear lamp is secured to the rear centre cover using at least four fasteners. Subsequently, the rear centre cover subassembly is supported on and secured with the left side cover and the right side cover. The plurality of connecting edge portions 64a, 64b in the lower arm members 62, 63 of the rear centre cover respectively secure themselves with the left side cover 41 and right side cover 42 using fasteners. The thusformed rear portion of the motorcycle then looks like as shown in FIG. 11.

[00037] A sectional view of the rear centre cover subassembly is shown in FIG. 9. The rear lamp 51 is held through the hook means 76 and further secured through the bosses 78a, 78b. The rear centre cover 60 is symmetrical across the vehicle longitudinal axis and covers the rear portion of the vehicle 1. Due to this construction where only the rear lamp bulb portion protrudes out of the central opening 70, the rear lamp 51 maintains unnoticeable or approximately zero gap with the outer surface 74 of the rear centre cover 60. This also increases aesthetic value and hence merchantability of the vehicle. Further, the rear centre cover 60 is made of any material from a group consisting of plastic resin, metal or metal alloy.

[00038] From the foregoing description, it will be appreciated that the present invention offers many advantages including those described above. In the present invention, the rear lamp is mounted on the rear centre cover and leads to zero gap between them. The rear centre cover is broader than the rear lamp unlike the prior art. The rear centre cover sub-assembly is assembled off the conveyor and is later assembled with the vehicle. The present invention is also usable in scooter type vehicle with step thru space.

[00039] The present subject matter is thus described. The description is not intended to be exhaustive nor is it intended to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed embodiments may be modified in light of the above description. The embodiments described are chosen to provide an illustration of principles of the invention and its practical application to enable thereby one of ordinary skill in 5 the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Therefore the forgoing description is to be considered exemplary, rather than limiting, and the true scope of the invention is that described in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A saddle type motorcycle (1) with a swinging power unit (24) comprising a rear centre cover sub-assembly including a rear centre cover (60) and a rear lamp (51), the rear centre cover (60) further comprising: a central opening (70) to accommodate the rear lamp (51); at least one hook means (76) protruding forwardly from an inner surface (73) of the rear centre cover (60) and contouring the central opening (70); a plurality of bosses (77a, 77b, 78a, 78b) protruding forwardly from the inner surface (73) of the rear centre cover (60) to secure the rear lamp (51) with the rear centre cover (60); a license plate illuminator cover (91) protruding rearwardly from an outer surface (74) of the rear centre cover (60) and disposed upwardly of a license plate illuminator (92); wherein, the rear centre cover sub-assembly is supported on, and secured to, a left side cover (41) and a right side cover (42) disposed laterally on said motorcycle (1) through a plurality of connecting edge portions (64a, 64b) provided in the rear centre cover (60), and wherein, the rear lamp (51) forms part of a non-unitary rear light unit and contours a boundary of the central opening (70) to maintain zero gap.

The motorcycle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rear centre cover (60) further comprises of at least one air louver (71, 72) on each side of a longitudinal axis of the rear centre cover (60) partially surrounding a fuel tank, disposed below the rear lamp (51) and upwardly of the license plate illuminator cover (91).

The motorcycle as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the central opening (70), the at least one hook means (76) and at least two bosses (77a, 78a) from the plurality of bosses are formed integral with aN upper portion (65) of the rear centre cover (60).

The motorcycle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the license plate illuminator cover (91) and the at least one air louver (71, 72) are formed integral with an arcuate lower portion (61) of the rear centre cover (60). The motorcycle as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the lower portion (61) is wider than, and formed integral with, the upper portion (65).

The motorcycle as claimed in claim 3, wherein the upper portion (65) of the rear centre cover further comprises at least one rib (67) disposed on each side of the longitudinal axis of the rear centre cover extending downwardly and inclinedly from the upper portion and defining a side opening (68) between the rib (67) and the upper portion (65).

The motorcycle as claimed in claim 3, wherein the upper portion further comprises of at least two upper arm members (69a, 69b) divergent from each other as they extend forwardly and the central opening (70) disposed between the two upper arm members.

The motorcycle as claimed in claim 5, wherein the lower portion (61) further comprises of at least two forwardly extending lower arm members (62, 63) located one on either side of the lower portion (61) and progressively reducing in width while extending forwardly.

The motorcycle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the rear centre cover (60) is made of any material from a group consisting of plastic resin, metal or metal alloy.