DESC:TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present subject matter relates generally to two-wheeled motor vehicle and more particularly, but not exclusively, to two-wheeled vehicles with step-though type frame assembly.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Generally, in a two-wheeled saddle-ride type vehicle a frame assembly extends rearward from a head tube. Moreover, in a two-wheeled vehicle with a step-through type frame assembly, a step-through space is provided. The step-though space provided may be used for carrying loads or for the rider to rest feet. Typically, the frame assembly acts as a skeleton for the vehicle that supports the vehicle loads. Also, a front wheel and a rear wheel are mounted to a frame assembly of the vehicle. The front wheel is rotatably connected to the frame assembly through one or more front suspension(s). A rear wheel is connected to the frame assembly through one or more rear suspension(s). The engine is functionally connected to the rear wheel, which provides the forward motion to the vehicle. Typically, plurality of panels is mounted to the frame assembly of the vehicle that covers various vehicle components. The vehicle components include electrical and electronic components including an electric starter system. Also, some of the vehicles have an anti-lock braking system, a synchronous braking system, or a vehicle control unit. The electrical and electronic components are powered by an on-board auxiliary power source or a magneto setup coupled to the engine.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] 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.
[0004] Fig. 1 (a) illustrates a left side view of an exemplary vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0005] Fig. 1 (b) illustrates a left side view of a frame assembly of the vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0006] Fig. 2 (a) depicts a rights side view of the vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0007] Fig. 2 (b) illustrates a right side perspective view of the frame assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0008] Fig. 3 (a) and Fig. 3 (b) illustrate an auxiliary storage compartment, in accordance with another embodiment of the present subject matter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0009] Generally, in a two-wheeled vehicle with a step-through type frame assembly, a tubular structure extends rearwardly downward from the head tube and one or more rear tubes extends inclinedly rearwards towards a rear portion of the vehicle. Further, vehicle components that include a power unit, a fuel tank, and a seat assembly are mounted to the frame assembly. Generally, the vehicle has a naked appearance. Moreover, majority of the vehicle components are exposed to the atmosphere.
[00010] Generally, the vehicle is compactly packaged with the vehicle components. Especially, the engine is mounted to the frame assembly below the step-through space of the frame assembly. Vehicles, now a days are provided with electric starter system for providing ease of operation to the user. The starter system includes a starter motor that is powered by the auxiliary power source. For example, a battery acts as an auxiliary power source. All the electrical and electronic components including the battery are connected through wiring harness. However, the compact packaging of the vehicle makes accommodating the battery complex and the wiring harness is prone to electrical faults. Further, length of wiring harness connecting the magneto setup assembly and the battery should be also less, to reduce the possibility of electrical faults. In addition, the battery should be protected from being exposed to atmosphere, rain, or dirt, for effective functioning. Further, the battery is to be protected from tampering and theft. Furthermore, the aforementioned problem(s) are to be solved without compromising utility space on the vehicle.
[00011] The present subject matter is aimed at overcoming the above mentioned and other problems in the prior art. Hence, it is an object of the present subject matter to address the aforementioned problems. Further, it is an object of the present subject matter, to provide a two-wheeled vehicle with a power unit and an auxiliary storage unit capable of supporting one or more electrical components being disposed in proximity to each other. It is another object, to accommodate auxiliary storage compartment without comprising on the utility space of the vehicle. Moreover, the present subject matter enables accommodating a battery or the like in the auxiliary storage compartment. According to another aspect, length of wiring harness for connecting the battery to a starter motor of a power unit including internal combustion engine is reduced. Also, the wiring harness length for connecting a generator provided with the power unit to a battery mounted to auxiliary storage unit is reduced. This is an advantage that the two-wheeled vehicle provides optimum layout. It is another advantage that the cost of system is reduced. It is yet another advantage that the probability of occurrence of short circuit is reduced. According to yet another additional advantage, the utility space on the vehicle is retained. Additional aspect is to provide ease of access for maintenance.
[00012] In an embodiment, the present subject matter is for a step-through type. The frame assembly includes a head tube, a main tube, a down tube and one or more rear tube(s). In an embodiment, a pair of rear tubes may be used. The down tube is disposed at the step-through space. A power unit includes at least one of an internal combustion engine or an electric motor. The power unit is mounted to the down tube. In an embodiment, a fuel tank is mounted to the main tube and the fuel tank is functionally connected to the engine of the power unit, for supplying fuel. The unit is coupled to a rear wheel. The rear wheel is rotatably supported by the swing arm, which is swingably connected to the frame assembly. A floorboard is mounted to the down tube in an upper portion and the floorboard covers at least a portion of the power unit. An auxiliary storage compartment is disposed on the vehicle. In an embodiment, the auxiliary storage compartment being configured to accommodate an auxiliary power source to power the electrical starter system or the traction motor of the power unit.
[00013] In a preferred embodiment, the auxiliary storage compartment is disposed adjacently behind the power unit and is secured to the down tube of the frame assembly. Also, the auxiliary storage compartment is disposed towards one lateral side of the two-wheeled vehicle and the transmission means is disposed towards other lateral side.
[00014] In an embodiment, the engine of the power unit includes at least one of an electric starter system or a mechanical starter system. A starter motor of the electrical starter system is powered by an auxiliary power source, for cranking the engine. Further, the starter motor is mounted to the engine and it is functionally connected to a crankshaft.
[00015] In an embodiment, the engine of the power unit is forwardly inclined and extends along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The transmission means is disposed on one side with respect to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The transmission means includes one of a chain drive, a belt drive, a continuously variable transmission, an automatic transmission, or the like. The auxiliary storage compartment is mounted to the down tube in other half with respect to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. In an embodiment, the auxiliary storage compartment is disposed rearwardly of the engine. The floorboard disposed to an upper portion of the down tube covers at least a portion of the auxiliary storage compartment.
[00016] In an embodiment, an exhaust pipe, which is functionally connected to the engine, is extending rearwardly and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, towards a rear portion of the vehicle. The exhaust pipe is disposed downwardly of the auxiliary storage compartment. The exhaust pipe is secured to the frame assembly of the vehicle through one or more exhaust mounting bracket(s).
[00017] In an embodiment, the auxiliary storage compartment is capable of accommodating an auxiliary power source or an electronic/electrical component of the vehicle. In an embodiment, a battery is mounted to the auxiliary storage compartment. Wiring harness connecting the battery to the starter motor is reduced. Further, the auxiliary storage compartment is disposed rearwardly of the power unit thereby length of wiring harness required for connecting the battery to the power unit is also minimal. Thus, the probability of occurrence of electrical short is also reduced.
[00018] In an embodiment, a casing with a locking mechanism may be provided for protecting the battery from being damaged and from being exposed to atmosphere. A locking mechanism provided on the casing secures the battery from theft.
[00019] The auxiliary storage compartment is disposed at an optimal position, which is at a substantially lower point of centre of gravity of the vehicle. Therefore, the drivability is also improved. In addition, the auxiliary storage compartment is easily accessible at the time of servicing.
[00020] These and other advantages of the present subject matter would be described in greater detail in conjunction with the figures in the following description.
[00021] Arrows wherever provided in the top right corner of figure(s) in the drawings 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, an arrow Dw denotes downward direction, an arrow RH denotes right side, and an arrow LH denotes left side.
[00022] Fig. 1 (a) illustrates a left side view of an exemplary two-wheeled type-through type vehicle 100, in accordance with an embodiment of present subject matter. Fig. 1 (b) depicts a left side view of a frame assembly 105 of the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 has a frame assembly 105, which acts as load bearing structure of the vehicle 100. A longitudinal axis of the vehicle extends from a front portion F to a rear portion R of the vehicle. The frame assembly 105 includes a head tube 105A, a main tube 105B, a down tube 105C, and a rear tube 105D. The main tube 105B extends rearwardly downward from the head tube 105A. The down tube 105C extends rearward, along a longitudinal axis of the vehicle 100 from a rear portion of the main tube 105B. The rear tube 105C extends inclinedly rearward from a rear portion of the down tube 105C towards a rear portion R of the vehicle 100. A handle bar assembly 115 is pivotally disposed through the head tube 105A. A power unit 135 is mounted to the down tube 105C. In an embodiment, the power unit 135 includes an internal combustion engine 135 is forwardly inclined. Hereinafter, the terms power unit 135 and internal combustion (IC) engine 135 are interchangeably used.
[00023] A fuel tank 130 is mounted to the main tube 105A. Further, the fuel tank 130 is functionally connected to the engine 135, for supplying fuel. A rear wheel 145 is rotatably supported by the swing arm 140, which is pivotally connected to the frame assembly 105. The power generated by the engine 135 is transferred to the rear wheel 145 for creating a forward motion, through a transmission means 150. The engine 135 is a power unit of the vehicle 100. For example, the transmission means 150 can be a chain drive connected to an engine sprocket and a rear wheel sprocket. A handle bar assembly 115 is connected to a front wheel 110 by one or more front suspension(s) 120. A front fender 125 is disposed above the front wheel 110 for covering at least a portion of the front wheel 110. A rear fender 175 covers at least a portion of the rear wheel 145.One or more rear suspension(s) 160, which are connecting the swing arm 140 at an angle, to sustain both the radial and axial forces occurring due to wheel reaction, to the frame assembly 105. A seat assembly 155 is disposed at a rear portion R of the step-through space. In an embodiment, the seat assembly 155 is formed by a rider seat 155A, and a pillion seat 155B. Further, the seat assembly 155A, 155B is positioned above the rear wheel 145. The vehicle 100 is supported by a centre stand 170 mounted to the frame assembly 105. A floorboard 165 is mounted to the down tube 105C in an upper portion and the floorboard 165 covers at least a portion of the power unit, which is the engine 135 in the present embodiment. An auxiliary storage compartment 200 (shown in Fig. 2 (a)) is mounted to the vehicle 100.
[00024] Further, the engine 135 includes n air intake system (not shown), an exhaust pipe assembly 180 assembly 180 (shown in Fig. 2), and a starter system (not shown). The starter system includes an electric starter mechanism or a mechanical starter mechanism. A starter motor (not shown) of the electrical starter system is powered by an auxiliary power source, for cranking the engine 135. Generally, the starter motor is mounted to the engine 135. Further, the vehicle 100 may include electrical and electronic components including the battery, a head lamp, a tail lamp, a vehicle control system, a anti-lock braking system, and a synchronous braking system that provide improved and safe riding.
[00025] Fig. 2 (a) depicts a right side view of the vehicle 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The engine 135 of the vehicle 100 is disposed at the lower portion to the down tube 105C. The down tube 105C is provided with one or more engine mounting bracket(s) 135A (shown in Fig. 2 (b)), which are welded or affixed, for mounting the engine 135. In an embodiment, the engine 135 is forwardly inclined and extends along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100. The transmission means 150, which includes a chain drive, an engine sprocket, and a rear wheel sprocket, is disposed on one side with respect to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle 100. The engine sprocket is provided on the engine 135 and the rear wheel sprocket is concentrically provided on the rear wheel 145. The chain drive connects the engine sprocket and the rear wheel sprocket. The transmission means 150 includes a transmission cover extending rearwardly and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle 100. The transmission cover is capable of covering at least a portion of the transmission means 150. Further, the auxiliary storage compartment 200 is mounted to the down tube 105C in other half with respect to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle 100.
[00026] Also, the auxiliary storage unit 200 is surrounded by the power unit 135 from front, an exhaust assembly 180 from bottom, a floorboard 165 from the top, and a rear fender 175 from rear, when viewed from side, as shown in Fig. 2 (a). The rear fender 175 is a semicircular structure covering at least a portion of the rear wheel 145 from the top. This secures the auxiliary storage unit 200 of the vehicle 100. Also, the auxiliary storage unit 200 covers at least a portion of the battery 300 or the like mounted therein. Furthermore, a lock assembly (not shown) is provided to provide authorized access to the battery 300.
[00027] Also, the floorboard 165 is sandwiched between the auxiliary storage unit 200 and a tool box 185. The toolbox is mounted to the rear tube 105D of the frame assembly 105. Also, the tool box 185 is disposed below the seat assembly 155.
[00028] The auxiliary storage compartment 200 mounted to the frame assembly 105 is depicted in Fig. 2 (b), in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The auxiliary storage compartment 200 is mounted to the down tube 105C in the other side with respect to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle 100. Further, the auxiliary storage compartment 200 is positioned rearwardly to the engine 135. One or more compartment bracket(s) 205 are welded or affixed to the frame assembly 105. This enables in securing the auxiliary storage compartment 200 to the vehicle 100. Further, the floorboard 165 is disposed to an upper portion of the down tube 105C. The floorboard 165 is mounted to one or more floorboard bracket(s) 165A that are provided on the down tube 105C. The floorboard 165 covers at least a portion of the auxiliary storage compartment 200. The floorboard 165 portion may be used for carrying loads in an upper portion.
[00029] In one embodiment, width of the auxiliary storage unit 200 is substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis F-R of the vehicle 100. In other words, a long axis of the auxiliary storage unit 200 is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis F-R of the vehicle 100.
[00030] In an embodiment, an exhaust pipe assembly 180, which is functionally connected to the engine 135 and extending rearwardly from the engine 135. The exhaust pipe assembly 180 extends rearwardly and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle 100, towards a rear portion R of the vehicle 100. The exhaust pipe assembly 180 is disposed downwardly of the auxiliary storage compartment 200. The exhaust pipe assembly 180 is secured to the frame assembly 105 of the vehicle 100 through one or more exhaust mounting bracket(s) 180A.
[00031] Fig. 3 (a) depicts a left side view of an auxiliary storage compartment 200, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. Fig. 3 (b) depicts a front view of the auxiliary storage compartment 200 that is depicted in Fig. 3 (a). The auxiliary storage compartment 200 is capable of accommodating a battery or an electronic/electrical component of the vehicle 100. The auxiliary storage compartment 200, is provided with a first compartment bracket 205A provided on a side that is facing the down tube 105C. In addition, a second bracket 205B is provided on the front side of the auxiliary storage compartment 200, wherein said second bracket 205B is connected to one of the one or more floorboard 165 mounting bracket. In an embodiment, the floorboard-mounting bracket 165A and the second mounting bracket 205B are integrally formed.
[00032] The geometric shape of the auxiliary storage compartment 200 may be adapted to compactly package the electrical/electronic components. In this particular embodiment, the auxiliary storage compartment 200 is adapted to mount a battery. The starter motor of the electrical starter system of the vehicle 100 is mounted to the engine 135. Also, the auxiliary storage compartment 200 is disposed rearwardly of the engine 135. Therefore, length of wiring harness required for connecting the battery to the starter motor and for connecting the magneto setup to the battery is reduced. Thus, the probability of occurrence of an electrical short is also reduced.
[00033] Further, the auxiliary storage compartment 200 is provided with at least one band 210, which is generally made of elastic material, which secures the battery to the auxiliary storage compartment 200. Furthermore, a casing (not shown) may be provided for protecting the battery from getting exposed to atmosphere. In addition, a locking mechanism (not shown) may be provided on the casing that secures the battery from theft.
[00034] The auxiliary storage compartment of the vehicle is disposed at an optimal position, which is at a substantially lower point of the vehicle thereby providing lover centre of gravity of the vehicle. This improves stability thereby improving the drivability of the vehicle. In addition, the auxiliary storage compartment is easily accessible at the time of servicing.
[00035] It is to be understood that the aspects of the embodiments are not necessarily limited to the features described herein. Many modifications and variations of the present subject matter are possible in the light of above disclosure. Therefore, within the scope of claims of the present subject matter, the present disclosure may be practiced other than as specifically described.
,CLAIMS:I/We claim:
1. A two-wheeled vehicle (100) comprising:
a frame assembly (105) including a head tube (105A), a main tube (105B) extending rearwardly downward from the head tube (105A) and a down tube (105C) extending rearward from a rear portion of the main tube (105C) along a longitudinal axis (F-R) of the two-wheeled vehicle (100); and
a power unit (135) is functionally connected to at least one wheel (145) through a transmission means (150), and said power unit (135) is disposed adjoiningly below said down tube (105C),
wherein
an auxiliary storage compartment (200) is disposed adjacently behind said power unit (135) and is secured to said down tube (105C), wherein
said auxiliary storage compartment (200) is disposed towards one lateral side of the two-wheeled vehicle (100) and said transmission means (150) is disposed towards other lateral side of the two-wheeled vehicle (100).
2. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) of claim 1, wherein said storage compartment (200) is capable of accommodating one or more electrical components including a battery (300).
3. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) of claim 1 or 2, wherein said one or more electrical components includes at least one electrical components (300) electrically connected to said power unit (135).
4. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) of claim 1, wherein said down tube (105C) supports a floorboard (165) disposed above said down tube (105C), and said floorboard (165) covers at least a portion of said auxiliary storage compartment (200) when viewed from top.
5. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) of claim 1, wherein said auxiliary storage compartment (200) has a long axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis (F-R) of the two-wheeled vehicle (100).
6. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) of claim 1, wherein said storage compartment (200) is disposed upwardly to an exhaust pipe assembly (180) and a swing arm (140) of said two-wheeled vehicle (100).
7. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) of claim 1, wherein said power unit (135) includes at least one of an internal combustion engine (135) and an electric motor.
8. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) of claim 1 or 4, wherein floorboard (165) is sandwiched between said auxiliary storage unit (200) and a toolbox (185) of the two-wheeled vehicle (100).
9. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) of claim 7, wherein said internal combustion engine (135) is forwardly inclined.
10. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) of claim 1, wherein said auxiliary storage unit (200) is surrounded by said power unit (135) from front, an exhaust assembly (180) from bottom, a floorboard (165) from the top, and a rear fender (175) from rear, when viewed from side.