DESC:TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present subject matter relates generally to a step-through saddle type vehicle. More particularly but not exclusively, the present invention relates to a side stand assembly for the step-through type vehicle.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Conventionally, most of the scooter type vehicles comprises of a frame assembly, an engine assembly, an induction assembly, and one or more electrical systems. All of these vehicular components are covered by one or more body panels. The vehicle frame assembly forms a basic structure of the scooter-type vehicle that carries the engine assembly and other subsystems through various mountings. Further, the vehicle frame assembly is capable enough to withstand all of the loads from all the vehicular components and in addition, the vehicle frame assembly also withstands the load of the persons seated on the vehicle. Generally, a side stand assembly is attached to the vehicle frame assembly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components.
[0004] Fig. 1 shows a side view of the scooter type vehicle.
[0005] Fig. 2 illustrates a front perspective view of a vehicle frame assembly of the scooter type vehicle.
[0006] Fig. 3 illustrates a rear perspective view of a vehicle frame assembly supporting a side stand assembly in exploded view.
[0007] Fig. 4 illustrates an exploded view of the vehicle frame assembly along with a side stand mounting structure.
[0008] Fig. 5 illustrates a detailed view of vehicle frame assembly supporting a side stand assembly.
[0009] Fig. 6 illustrates a sectional view of the vehicle frame assembly taken along G-G axis.
[00010] Fig. 7 illustrates an exploded view of the side stand assembly.
[00011] Fig. 8 illustrates an exploded view of the side stand mounting structure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[00012] Generally, a vehicle frame assembly comprises head tube disposed at a vehicle front end. A main tube extends rearwardly downward from the head tube. A downward portion of the main tube supports a floorboard used to dispose the legs of the rider. Further, at a rear end of the main tube, a cross-bridge member is disposed. The cross-bridge member extends perpendicular to the rear end of the main tube and extends in a vehicle width direction. The cross-bridge member has lateral ends that are capable of supporting a pair of rear frames, each extending from a rear portion of the lateral ends. The side stand assembly includes a side stand mounting structure attached to the left side of the vehicle frame assembly. The side stand mounting structure enables attachment of the side stand assembly to the vehicle frame assembly. Generally, the side stand mounting structure is attached near the rear end portion of the main tube or to a portion of the rear frame. In these cases, the side stand mounting structure provides support only in certain conditions including load transfer during parking conditions. However, such an arrangement of the side stand assembly does not support during other load transfer cases including withstanding of payload and road load. This results in failure of the side stand assembly due to lower function to weight ratio.
[00013] In order to overcome the above said problems, a side stand assembly is proposed according to the present invention. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the side stand assembly comprises a side stand mounting structure fixedly attached to a vehicle frame assembly. The side stand mounting structure is capable of withstanding the load transferred during any condition, including payload and road load conditions. Furthermore, the side stand mounting structure includes a back plate member fixedly attached, for example, welded to a lateral end of the cross-bridge member. The cross-bridge member comprises a rectangular cross-section and the lateral ends of the rectangular tube of the cross-bridge member provide enough surface area for attachment with the side-stand mounting structure. Furthermore, the back plate also supports at least a portion of a rear frame of the pair of rear frames. Particularly, a portion of the back plate member is fixedly attached to a bottom portion of the front end of the pair of rear frames. Therefore, the back plate of the side stand mounting structure provides an additional contact surface with the vehicle frame assembly.
[00014] Furthermore, the back plate member is an ‘L’ shaped structure including an upper portion and a lower portion. The ‘L’ shaped back plate substantially covers the lateral end of the cross-bridge member. In particular, the upper portion of the ‘L’ shaped back plate is attached to a front face of the lateral end and at least a portion of the lower portion of the ‘L’ shaped back plate is attached to a bottom portion of the cross-bridge member. Furthermore, at least another portion of the lower portion of the ‘L’ shaped back plate is attached to a bottom portion of the front end of the rear frame of the pair of rear frames.
[00015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cross-bridge member is situated at almost center of the vehicle. The side stand assembly is attached to this cross-bridge member so that, the side stand assembly remains closer to the center of gravity in the vehicle. Further, the side stand assembly disposed at the center of the vehicle is capable of effectively balancing the front portion and rear portion of the vehicle. Else, the vehicle front portion and the rear portion may not be uniformly balanced by the side stand assembly, due to which, the vehicle side stand may fail to support the vehicle and result in falling of the vehicle.
[00016] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the ‘L’ shaped back plate and the front plates are supported by an attaching member. The attaching member comprises a first portion attached to at least a portion of a front face of the back plate and to at least a portion a front plate. The attaching member is configured to receive one or more electrical components through at least one holding member.
[00017] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the front plate is configured to receive a rod member through one or more bolt members. Further, an actuating member enables retractable movement of the rod member with respect to the side stand mounting structure. The actuating member is a loaded spring, which acts as a connector between rod member and the side stand mounting structure.
[00018] Fig. 1 shows a side view of the scooter type vehicle. The vehicle has a frame assembly made up of several tubes welded together, which usually supports the body of the said vehicle. The vehicle has a steerable front wheel 101 and a driven rear wheel 102. The frame assembly of the vehicle is an elongated structure, which typically extends from a forward end to a rearward end of the vehicle. It is generally convex in shape, as viewed from a side elevation view. The frame assembly includes a head tube (not shown), a main frame 108 and may have a sub-frame. The sub-frame is attached to the main frame using appropriate joining mechanism. The frame assembly is covered by a plurality of vehicle body covers including a front panel 103, a rear cover 104, a front cover 105, and a side panel 106. A side stand assembly 115 is attached to the frame assembly for balancing the vehicle on the ground during non-riding conditions.
[00019] A handlebar assembly 110 and a seat assembly 107 are supported at opposing ends of the frame assembly and a generally open area is defined there between known as floorboard 113 that functions as a step through space. The seat for a driver and a pillion is placed forward to a fuel tank and rear side of floorboard 113. A front fender 109 is provided above the front wheel 101 to avoid the vehicle and its occupants from being splashed with mud. Likewise, a rear fender 114 is placed between fuel tank and rear wheel 102, and to the outer side in the radial direction of the rear wheel 102. The rear fender 114 inhibits rainwater or the like from being thrown up by the rear wheel 102.
[00020] Fig. 2 illustrates a front perspective view of a vehicle frame assembly of the scooter type vehicle. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle frame assembly 200 comprises a head pipe 116, a main tube 108 extending inclinedly rearward from the head pipe 116 in a vehicle longitudinal direction, a pair of floor board supporting member 117 extending rearwardly downward in an inclined manner with respect to the main tube 108, and a pair of rear tubes 201 extending obliquely rearward from the main tube 108. The pair of rear tubes 201 is substantially parallel to each other. Further, the vehicle frame assembly 200 includes a cross-bridge member 202 extending in a vehicle transverse direction WD from a rear end of the main tube 108. The cross-bridge member 202 is disposed perpendicular to the main tube 108. The pair of rear tubes 201 extends rearwardly from one or more lateral ends of the cross-bridge member 202. The cross-bridge member 202 has a rectangular cross-section. Further, the lateral ends of the cross-bridge member 202 also include a rectangular cross-section and are capable of supporting a side stand assembly 115.
[00021] Fig. 3 illustrates a rear perspective view of a vehicle frame assembly supporting a side stand assembly in exploded view. The side stand assembly 115 includes a side stand mounting structure 302 configured to cover at least a lateral end 202a of the cross-bridge member 202. The side stand mounting structure 302 covers at least a portion of the opening of the lateral end 202a and at least a bottom portion (not shown) of the lateral end 202a of the cross-bridge member 202. Further, at least a portion of the side stand mounting structure 302 also supports a front end portion of at least a rear tube of the pair of rear tubes 201. In the present embodiment, at least a portion of the side stand mounting structure 302 supports at least a portion of the front end 201aa of the left rear tube 201a. The front end 201aa of the left rear tube 201a includes a rectangular cross-section. The rectangular cross-section of the lateral end 202a and the front end 201aa provides sufficient surface area for attachment of the side stand mounting structure 302. The sufficient contact surface area between the side stand mounting structure 302 and the lateral end 202a and further with the side stand mounting structure 302 and the front end 201aa enhances the structural stability of the side stand assembly 115. Such a side stand mounting structure 302 having sufficient contact area is capable of withstanding maximum load transferred due to seating of the passengers and the load arising due to weight of the vehicle.
[00022] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the side stand assembly 115 also includes a rod portion 301c detachably attached to a portion of the side stand mounting structure 302. The attaching means, for example, at least one bolt member 301b enables detachable attachment of rod portion 301c to the portion of the side stand mounting structure 302. Furthermore, the rod portion 301c is retractable and an actuating member 301a provides retractable movement to the rod portion 301c of the side stand assembly 115.
[00023] Fig. 4 illustrates an exploded view of the vehicle frame assembly along with a side stand mounting structure. The lateral end 202a of the cross-bridge member 202 includes an opening 202aa and a bottom portion 202b. Further, the left rear frame 201a includes a front end portion 201aa. The side stand mounting structure 302 is capable of covering at least a portion of the opening 202aa, the bottom portion 202b, and the front end portion 201aa. The front end portion 201aa and the lateral end 202a of the cross-bridge member 202 are disposed almost at the center of the vehicle. Therefore, by attaching the side stand mounting structure 302 to the lateral end 202a and the front end portion 201aa, the side stand assembly 115 is disposed closer to the center of gravity of the vehicle. Through this, balancing of the vehicle at a center point is enhanced. Further, a more reliable operation of the side stand assembly 115 is achieved. The opening 202aa is rectangular in shape according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[00024] Fig. 5 illustrates a detailed view of vehicle frame assembly supporting a side stand assembly. Fig. 6 illustrates a sectional view of the vehicle frame assembly taken along G-G axis. The cross-bridge member 202 and the lateral end 202a includes a rectangular cross-section. The lateral end 202a and the bottom portion are substantially covered by an upper portion 304a and a lower portion 304b of the back plate 304. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the back plate 304 is integrally mounted to the cross-bridge member 202. The back plate 304 forms an integral portion of the vehicle frame assembly. Further, the back plate 304 is configured to receive a side stand mounting structure 302.
[00025] Fig. 7 illustrates an exploded view of the side stand assembly. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the side stand assembly 115 includes the side stand mounting structure 302. The side stand mounting structure 302 includes a back plate 304, a front plate 301, and an attaching member 303. The back plate 304 is an ‘L’ shaped member. The ‘L’ shaped back plate 304 includes an upper portion 304a and a lower portion 304b. Particularly, the upper portion 304a substantially covers at least a portion of the rectangular opening of the cross-bridge member (not shown) and the lower portion 304b substantially covers the bottom portion of the cross-bridge member (not shown). The upper portion 304a includes an outer surface 304aa configured to support a front plate 301. The front plate 301 is angularly disposed with respect to the upper portion 304a. The front plate is configured to support the rod portion 301c through a bolt member 301b and the actuating member 301a. Further, the side stand mounting structure 302 also includes an attaching member 303 capable of supporting at least a portion of the upper portion 304a and the front plate 301.
[00026] Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the attaching member 303 is capable of receiving one or more electrical parts through at least one projection 305.
[00027] Fig. 8 illustrates an exploded view of the side stand mounting structure. The side stand mounting structure 302 includes the front plate 301, the back plate 304, the attaching member 303 and at least one projection 305. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the front plate 301 is configured to receive the rod portion (not shown) through a pip 301aa. The back plate 304, the front plate 301, and the attaching member 303 are fixedly attached by means of welding. Furthermore, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the at least one projection 305 is fixedly attached to a portion of the attaching member 303.
[00028] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the projection 305 is detachably attached to the attaching member 303 of the side stand mounting structure 302.
[00029] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the side stand mounting structure is made of a group of known metals including aluminium, steel and cast iron.
[00030] Although the subject matter has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible. It is to be understood that the aspects of the embodiments are not necessarily limited to the features described herein.
,CLAIMS:I/We claim:
1. A vehicle frame assembly (200) for a step-through saddle type vehicle (100), said vehicle frame assembly (200) comprising:
a main tube (108) extending rearwardly downward from at least a portion of a head pipe (116);
a cross-bridge member (202) extending from said a rear end of said main tube (108) along a vehicle transverse direction (WD) and perpendicular to said main tube (108);
a pair of rear tubes (201) extending obliquely rearward from at least a rear portion of lateral ends (202a) of said cross-bridge member (202); and
a side stand assembly (115) including a side stand mounting structure (302) attached to at least one of said lateral ends (202a) of said cross-bridge member (202),
wherein,
said lateral ends (202a) of said cross-bridge member (202) includes an opening (202aa) and a bottom portion (202b) configured to be integrally mounted to an upper portion (304a) and a lower portion (304b) of a back plate (304) respectively, said lower portion is configured to substantially support at least a portion of a pair of rear frames (201).
2. The vehicle frame assembly for a step-through type vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said side stand mounting structure (302) includes a front plate (301) projecting angularly from an outer surface (304aa) of said back plate (304), and an attaching member (303) comprising a first portion (303a) attached to at least a portion of said outer surface (304aa) and a second portion (303b) supporting at least a portion of said front plate (301).
3. The vehicle frame assembly (200) for a step-through type vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said side stand mounting structure (302) is fixedly attached to at least a portion of said at least one of said lateral ends (202a) and to at least a portion of said front end (201aa) of said pair of rear tubes (201).
4. The vehicle frame assembly (200) for a step-through type vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said opening (202aa) is rectangular in shape.
5. The vehicle frame assembly (200) for a step-through type vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cross-bridge member (202) and said a pair of rear tubes (201) include a rectangular cross-section.
6. The vehicle frame assembly (200) for a step-through type vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said side stand assembly (115) also includes a rod portion (301c) detachably attached to a portion of the side stand mounting structure (302), at least one bolt member (3001b) enables detachable attachment of said rod portion (301c) to at least a portion of said side stand assembly (115).
7. The vehicle frame assembly (200) for a step-through type vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein said attaching member (303) includes at least one holding member (305) capable of receiving one or more electrical components.
8. The vehicle frame assembly for a step-through type vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein said front plate (301) is configured to support a rod portion (301c) of said side stand assembly (115) and wherein, at least a portion of said second portion (303b) of said back plate (304) is configured to support at least a portion of a front end (201aa) of said pair of rear tubes (201).
9. A side stand mounting structure (302) for a step-through type vehicle (100), said side stand mounting structure (302) comprising:
back plate (304);
a front plate (301) projecting angularly from an outer surface (304aa) of said back plate (304); and
an attaching member (303) comprising a first portion (303a) attached to at least a portion of an outer surface (304aa) of said back plate (304) and a second portion (303b) supporting at least a portion of said front plate (301).
10. The side stand mounting structure (302) for a step-through type vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 9, wherein said attaching member (303) includes at least one holding member (305).