DESC:TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present subject matter relates to a front cowl assembly of a vehicle. More particularly and not exclusively, it pertains to a support bracket of the front cowl assembly.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In two-wheeled vehicles, a head pipe that houses steering column of the vehicle is housed between a front panel and a rear panel. The rear panel acts like a leg shield of the vehicle. The space between the front panel and the rear panel is being utilized to house at least one component of the vehicle. There is a need for accessing these components for servicing and maintenance during life of the vehicle. However, the access to these components and their mounting of the frame of the vehicle is cumbersome.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0003] The detailed description is described with reference to an embodiment of a two wheeled saddle type vehicle along with the accompanying figures. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components.
[0004] Fig. 1 exemplarily illustrates a perspective of a vehicle;
[0005] Fig. 2 exemplarily illustrates a perspective view of a front cowl assembly of the vehicle;
[0006] Fig. 3 exemplarily illustrated an exploded view of the front cowl assembly of the vehicle;
[0007] Figs. 4A-4B exemplarily illustrate a perspective view of the front surface and the rear surface of the front panel of the front cowl assembly, respectively;
[0008] Fig. 5 exemplarily illustrates a front perspective view of the support bracket of the front cowl assembly;
[0009] Fig. 6 exemplarily illustrates a top perspective view of the support bracket;
[00010] Figs. 7A-7B exemplarily illustrate sectional views of the front panel and the support bracket taken along A-A’ in Fig. 2, in an assembled condition and a dis-assembled condition of the front cowl assembly;
[00011] Figs. 8A-8B exemplarily illustrate the front cowl assembly viewed from a seat of the vehicle;
[00012] Fig. 9A-9C exemplarily illustrate the front cowl assembly with an embodiment of a support bracket;
[00013] Fig. 10 exemplarily illustrates an embodiment of a front cowl assembly of a vehicle;
[00014] Fig. 11 exemplarily illustrates a bottom view of a seat of the vehicle;
[00015] Fig. 12 exemplarily illustrates a disassembled condition of the front panel showing two vehicle components; and
[00016] Figs. 13A-13B exemplarily illustrate a schematic diagram of a horn assembly of a vehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[00017] In conventional vehicles, the front panel and the rear panel of the front cowl assembly are attached to each other at numerous mounting points using multiple fasteners. The front panel and the rear panel may house numerous vehicle components which require periodic maintenance check and servicing; thus, their accessibility is of high importance. The main purpose of mounting the vehicle components in the space between the front panel and the rear panel is for ease in assembly and balancing CG of the vehicle, with improved layout of the vehicle. Thus, to assemble or service these vehicle components, the front panel and the rear panel need to be detached by removing the numerous fasteners. This impacts the time taken for assembly, servicing, and accessing the component. As a result, the over-all time taken for servicing one vehicle also increases as the dis-assembled parts are to be assembled back to the vehicle. Further, when the front panel and the rear panel are dis-assembled and kept separately, there is chance of surface damage of the parts like scratch marks, if not handled properly and the aesthetics of the vehicle may be affected. Also, the disassembly of the front panel requires removal of other accessories, such as, license number plate, vehicle crash guard members mounted on the front panel using different types of fasteners. This disassembly also makes the process of assembly, servicing, and maintenance of the vehicle components very cumbersome and tedious. Also, manufacturing and assembly of the front and the rear panels on the frame of the vehicle requires utmost accuracy and precision as any gap between the front panel and the rear panel will damage the vehicle components housed within and also affect the aesthetics of the vehicle. Thus, there is a need for a means to ease the process of manufacture, assembly, and servicing of the front panel, the rear panel, and the vehicle components housed in between.
[00018] The front lighting system of the conventional vehicle, such as, the headlight and the turn signal lamps are also mounted to the front panel. In these vehicles, by removal of some mounting fasteners at mounting locations on the top of the front panel and the rear panel, the vehicle components within may be accessed. However, since these lamps are heavy, the front panel mounted to the frame at the lower mounting positions may buckle in such conditions. To avoid this damage, if in case a mounting bracket for mounting the head lamps to the frame are used, the load of the lamps gets transmitted to the mounting bracket and thus to the frame. The mounting bracket may bend rearwards and subsequently fail over a period of time as the weight of the lamps is high and the frame of the vehicle undergoes a whole lot of vibrations during a ride. Thus, there is need for improving the rigidity of the mounting bracket for it to sustain the vibrations and achieve high durability.
[00019] Also, in conventional vehicles, the multiple vehicle components positioned between the front panel and the rear panel of the front cowl assembly would require mounting on different brackets to prevent the buckling of the front panel and the rear panel due to loading by the vehicle components, thereby increasing the number of components (Brackets), and corresponding fasteners, therefore increasing the time and cost of the vehicle.
[00020] Thus, there exists a need for an improved design of a front cowl assembly of a vehicle housing at least one vehicle component, where the front cowl assembly and the vehicle components are easy and non-cumbersome to access, assemble, service, and maintain, with use of reduced number of durable mounting components (fasteners and brackets), thereby improving serviceability, durability and aesthetic appeal, and ensuring extended life of the vehicle.
[00021] In an embodiment, a front cowl assembly of a vehicle comprising a front panel and a rear panel enclosing a head pipe of the vehicle in a space between them is disclosed. The front cowl assembly further comprises at least one vehicle component disposed in the space and configured to be mounted to the head pipe and a support bracket removably attached to the at least one vehicle component for mounting the front panel. In an embodiment, a bottom portion of the front panel is hingedly coupled with a jaw portion of the support bracket and a top portion of the front panel is removably attached to the rear panel at one or more mounting location.
[00022] An embodiment of the support bracket comprises two arms forming an inverted V-profile when viewed from a front direction, a cross member connecting the two arms at substantially central locations of the two arms, a flat protrusion extending towards the bottom portion of the front panel from an intersection of the two arms, and the jaw portion formed on the flat protrusion for housing a hinge pin. A protuberance in the bottom portion of the front panel hingedly engages with the hinge pin housed in the jaw portion.
[00023] In an embodiment, a lower section of each of the two arms of the support bracket is substantially perpendicular to the flat protrusion, when viewed from a side direction. The two arms of the support bracket are inclined rearwardly away from the cross member in an upper section above the central locations, when viewed from a side direction. Also, the flat protrusion of the support bracket further comprises at least one mounting provision for mounting at least one secondary vehicle component.
[00024] In an embodiment, each of the two arms of the support bracket comprise at least one projection at the central locations for removably mounting the support bracket to the vehicle component, and the projection is orthogonally outward from the two arms of the support bracket. Further, each of the two arms of the support bracket comprise at least one secondary projection at an extreme end and at least one mounting provision in the lower section for mounting at least one vehicle lighting component. In an embodiment, one of the two arms of the support bracket comprises at least one recess on a side edge above the central location for facilitating access to the at least one vehicle component. Further, the one of the two arms of the support bracket comprises a guide portion extending from the side edge and positioned above the at least one recess for guiding mounting of the support bracket to the at least one vehicle component.
[00025] In an embodiment, the flat protrusion and the lower section of the two arms are perpendicular to each other forming a L-shaped profile and an upper section of the two arms between the central locations and the extreme ends is arcuate and concentric with rear surface of the front panel. Further, the flat protrusion, the lower section of the two arms, and the cross arm form a trapezoidal cut-out in the support bracket for facilitating access to the at least one vehicle component.
[00026] The support bracket further comprises a secondary guide portion extending from a rear surface of the support bracket and located above the at least one projection for guiding mounting of the support bracket to the at least one vehicle component. Also, in an embodiment, the rear surface of the support bracket further comprises a plurality of reinforcement ribs for rigidity of the support bracket.
[00027] In an embodiment, the rear panel has a three-piece construction, wherein a third centre piece is sub assembled prior to coming to an assembly line. In another embodiment, the front panel, mounted to a front portion of the frame of the vehicle, comprises a front panel outer L,R sections and front panel top portion having a receiving portion for a headlamp and front turn signal lamps that are assembled together, creating a deliberate gap between the front portion of the frame and the front panel cowl assembly.
[00028] Fig. 1 exemplarily illustrates a perspective of a vehicle 100, for example, a two-wheeled vehicle. The vehicle may be a two wheeled vehicle 100 driven by an IC engine, a traction motor, or a combination of an IC engine and a traction motor. The vehicle 100 may be a scooter, a motorcycle, a unicycle, any saddle type vehicle, any straddle type vehicle, etc. The two wheeled vehicle 100 illustrated comprises a frame covered by vehicle body panels, such as, 102, 109 on all sides. The front cowl assembly 102 illustrated is formed by a front panel 101 and a rear panel 103. The rear panel 103 forms the leg shield. The front panel 102 and the rear panel 103 cover the head pipe 201 shown in Fig. 2 through which a steering column of the vehicle 100 is connected to the front wheel 107. The steering column and the head pipe 201 are covered by the front cowl assembly 101. The handlebar cover 105 covers the handle bar assembly connected to the steering column. As illustrated, the head lamp may be housed in the handlebar cover 105. The turn signal lamps (TSLs) may be housed in the front cowl assembly 101. The front fender 106 extends below the front cowl assembly 101 over the front wheel 107 of the vehicle 100. The front cowl assembly 101 may have guard members mounted on the front panel 102 for protecting the TSLs from getting damaged due to a fall or a crash. Similar guard members may be provided on the front fender 106 too. In an embodiment, the guard members may be continuous members extending from the front panel 102 of the front cowl assembly 101 to the rear vehicle body panel 109 protecting all the body panels during a crash.
[00029] In addition to the steering column and the head pipe 201, the front cowl assembly 101 houses vehicle components between the front panel 102 and the head pipe 201 and the head pipe 201 and the rear panel 103. The head pipe 201, slightly inclined towards a seat 108 of the vehicle 100, may be centrally located in the space between the front panel 102 and the rear panel 103. The vehicle components disposed thereat may be a battery, a telematics unit, an on-board charger in case of an electric or a hybrid electric vehicle 100, ignition lock assembly 104, beeper, external antennae for wireless capabilities of the vehicle 100, and their associated electrical components (wiring, couplers) and associated mechanical components (fasteners, flanges, and brackets). These components may be positioned between the front panel 102 and the head pipe 201 or the head pipe 201 and the rear panel 103.
[00030] Fig. 2 exemplarily illustrates a perspective view of a front cowl assembly 101 of the vehicle 100. As exemplarily illustrated, the head pipe 201 is tilted and located longitudinally eccentrically in the space 204 between the front panel 102 and the rear panel 103. The rear panel 103 is mounted to the head pipe 201 and a main pipe 202 of a frame of the vehicle 100. The inner contour of the rear panel 103 matches the head pipe 201 and the main pipe 202 of the vehicle 100 and forms the leg shield of the vehicle 100. At the top region R, the rear panel 103 is removably attached to the front panel 102. Shown here is only an embodiment of the rear panel 103 that covers only the head pipe 201 and the start of the obliquely extending main pipe 202 and forms only a partial section the leg shield. However, in another embodiment, the rear panel 103 in the present invention may be extending from the top of the head pipe 201 and cover whole of the steering column and end at the floorboard 107 of the vehicle 100. Similarly, shown here is only an embodiment of the front panel 102 that covers only the head pipe 201 and not the steering column until the front fender 106. However, in an embodiment, the front panel 102 in the present invention may extend from the head pipe 201 till the front fender 106 covering the whole of the steering column and the head pipe 201. At least one vehicle component 203, for example, a battery box is shown to be positioned between the front panel 102 and the head pipe 201. The front panel 102 on a front surface 102a has provisions 102b to mount accessories such as the license plate and on a rear surface 102c has provisions to engage with a support bracket 205.
[00031] Fig. 3 exemplarily illustrated an exploded view of the front cowl assembly 101 of the vehicle 100. As exemplarily illustrated, the vehicle component 203 is battery box within which a battery is housed. The battery box 203 is removably attached to the head pipe 201. Inner surface 103a of the rear panel 103 has mounting provisions 301 to be mounted on the head pipe 201 and the main pipe 202. The rear panel 103 has cut-outs 302 for the ignition lock 104 and an USB charger and other accessories accommodated in the space 204 between the front panel 102 and the rear panel 103 to be accessed by the rider while seated on the seat 108.
[00032] The support bracket 205 as shown is removably attached to the inner surface 102c of the front panel 102 on one side and removably attached to the vehicle component 203 on the other side. The vehicle component 203 has attaching provisions 303 for attaching the support bracket 205 to it. The vehicle component 203 also has mounting provisions to mount it on the head pipe 201. In an embodiment, the vehicle component 203 may be mounted on a mounting stay and the mounting stay may be in turn mounted onto the head pipe 201. In an embodiment, the vehicle component 203 may have a mounting stay attached to it to accommodate other vehicle components over it or below it or in front of it. The support bracket 205 is one such mounting bracket provided on the front of the vehicle component 203 between the front panel 102 and the vehicle component 203.
[00033] The support bracket 205 has mounting provisions provided for mounting the TSLs on it, instead of on the front panel 102. As can be seen, the structural profile of the support bracket 205 complements with the inner rear surface 102c of the front panel 102.
[00034] Figs. 4A-4B exemplarily illustrate a perspective view of the front surface 102a and the rear surface 102c of the front panel 102 of the front cowl assembly 101, respectively. As exemplarily illustrated, the front panel 102 comprises mounting provisions 102b for the accessories and a vent 102d for cooling of the vehicle components, such as, 203 in between and the horn. The front panel 102 may be a single panel or may be modular comprising many panel sections put together to form the front panel 102. On the rear surface 102c, the front panel 102 includes attaching ribs 401, 402 and guide members 403 for attaching the front panel 102 to the support bracket 205 and the rear panel 102. Using the attaching ribs 401 at a top portion 102d of the rear surface 102c, the front panel 102 is removably attached to the rear panel 103 at the mounting locations 304 shown in Fig. 3. At a bottom portion 102e of the rear surface 102c, the front panel 102 is hingedly coupled with a jaw portion 507 (shown in Fig. 5) of the support bracket 205. The bottom portion 102e of the front panel 102 has a protuberance 404 that engages with a hinge pin 206 (shown in Fig. 3) housed in the jaw portion 507 of the support bracket 205. The protuberance 404 is a clip like structure extending from the rear surface 102c with a semi-circular or a rectangular cross section that can suitably engage with the hinge pin 206 in the jaw portion 507.
[00035] Fig. 5 exemplarily illustrates a front perspective view of the support bracket 205 of the front cowl assembly 101. The support bracket 205 comprises two arms 501, 502 forming an inverted V profile as can be seen in the front direction F and a cross member 503 connecting the two arms 501, 502 at substantially central locations 504, 505 of the two arms 501, 502, respectively. Further, the support bracket 205 comprises a flat protrusion 506 extending towards the bottom portion 102e of the front panel 102 from an intersection of the two arms 501, 502 and the jaw portion 507 is formed on the flat protrusion 506 for housing the hinge pin 206.
[00036] The overall length of the two arms 501, 502 is divided into a lower section 501a, 502a, and an upper section 501b, 502b. The upper section 501b, 502b is defined between extreme ends 501c and 502c of the two arms 501, 502 and the central locations 504 and 505 of the two arms 501, 502, respectively. The lower section 501a, 502a is defined between the flat protrusion 506 and the central locations 504, 505 of the arms 501, 502. As illustrated, the lower section 501a, 502a of the two arms 501, 502 is substantially perpendicular to the protrusion 506, when viewed from a side direction S. In the upper section 501b, 502b, the two arms 501, 502 of the support bracket 205 are inclined rearwardly away from the cross member 503, when viewed from the side direction S. The cross member 503, the lower section 501a, 502a of the two arms 501, 502, and the flat protrusion 506 form a trapezoidal cut-out 507 in the support bracket 205.
[00037] The flat protrusion 506 has a predefined width to extend from the two arms 501, 502 towards the front panel 102 and the jaw portion 507 formed on the protrusion 506 extends beyond the predefined with of the flat protrusion 507. The jaw portion 507 has walls 507a extending downwards as can be seen to which the hinge pin 206 is attached. The hinge pin 206 engages with the protuberance 404 in the rear surface 102c of the front panel 102. The hinge pin 206 may be circular, rectangular, or any shape and the shape of the protuberance 404 is compatible to hingedly couple with the hinge pin 206. The walls 507a of the jaw portion 507 guide the protuberance 404 to be clipped onto the hinge pin 206. The hinge pin 206 in the front direction F can be seen to have depressions on its surface to reduce the amount of material used in manufacturing it, without requiring any tooling change.
[00038] Also shown is the flat protrusion 506 further comprises at least one mounting provision 508, 509 for mounting at least one secondary vehicle component, such as, the accessory lamps, other panel sections, etc. At the central locations 504, 505, the two arms 501, 502 comprise at least one projection 601, 602 (shown in Fig. 6) on a rear side for removably mounting the support bracket 205 to the vehicle component 203. These projections 601, 602 are the only mounting means using which the support bracket 205 is mounted on the mounting provisions 303 in the vehicle component 203 using fasteners. The projections 601, 602 are orthogonally outwards from the two arms 501, 502. On a side edge 510 of one of the two arms, a right arm 502 of the support bracket 205, at least one recess 510a is formed above the central location 505 in the upper section 502b of the cross arm 502 for facilitating access to the vehicle component 203 behind it.
[00039] Further, the right arm 203 comprises a guide portion 511 extending from the side edge 510 and positioned above the recess 510a for guiding mounting of the support bracket 205 to the vehicle component 203. The guide portion 511 may rest on the vehicle component 203 at a designated location when the support bracket 205 is mounted correctly on the vehicle component 203. At the extreme ends 501c, 502c, the two arms 501, 502 comprise at least one secondary rearward projection 603, 604 (shown in Fig. 6) and in the lower section, each of the two arms 501, 502 comprises at least one mounting provision 512, 513. The secondary projections 603, 604 and the mounting provisions 512, 513 are used to mount the Turn Signal lamps (TSLs) to the support bracket 205. The front panel 102 may have corresponding cut out for the TSLs. On the surface of the support bracket 205, depressed cavities 514, 515 are formed from which the secondary projections 603, 604 extend rearwards.
[00040] Fig. 6 exemplarily illustrates a top perspective view of the support bracket 205. Exemplarily illustrated are the onward projections 601, 602 extending from the central locations 504, 505 and the secondary projections 603, 604 extending from the extreme ends 501c, 502c. Also, one of the two arms, that is, the left arm 501 of the support bracket 205 comprises a guide member 605 extending over one of the projection 601 for guiding mounting of the support bracket 205 to the vehicle component 203. Also, in an embodiment, the two arms 501, 502 have reinforcement members, such as, 606 provided on a rear surface 205a to strengthen the support bracket 205.
[00041] Figs. 7A-7B exemplarily illustrate sectional views of the front panel 102 and the support bracket 205 taken along A-A’ in Fig.2, in an assembled condition and a dis-assembled condition of the front cowl assembly 101. As exemplarily illustrated, the lower section 501a, 502a of the two arms 501, 502 is substantially perpendicular to the flat protrusion 506, when viewed from a side direction. In the upper section 501b, 502b, the two arms 501, 502 of the support bracket 205 are inclined rearwardly away from the cross member 503 towards the vehicle component 203, when viewed from a side direction S. The flat protrusion 506 and the lower section 501a, 502a of the two arms 501, 502 are perpendicular to each other forming a L-shaped profile in the side direction S. The upper section 501b, 502b of the two arms 501, 502 between the central locations 504, 505 and the extreme ends 501c, 502c is arcuate and complementary with the rear surface 102c of the front panel 102.
[00042] As illustrated in Fig. 7A, in the assembled condition, the hinge pin 206 is engaged with the protuberance 404 and the upper section 501b, 502b is complementary with the contour of the rear surface 102c of the front panel 102 while the projections 601, 602 remain engaged with the vehicle component 203. In Fig. 7B, to access the vehicle component and the associated wiring, the support bracket 205 remains connected to the vehicle component 203 and the front panel 102 is pulled away from the support bracket 205. The front panel 102 is rotatable about this hinge pin 206, where this hinge pin 206 acts as a pivot for rotation. However, the front panel 102 remains engaged with support bracket 203 and only the fasteners at the top portion 102d of the front panel 102 need to be unfastened for accessing the vehicle component 203. Also, the TSLs (not shown) remain mounted on the support bracket 205 and not on the front panel 102.
[00043] Figs. 8A-8B exemplarily illustrate the front cowl assembly 101 viewed from the seat 108. In case of two piece rear panel 103 construction, there is a restriction to improve the storage space due to molding constraints and part weight. However, in a three piece construction of the rear panel 103 or the leg shield as shown in Fig. 8A, provides more storage space, since a third centre piece is sub assembled prior to coming to the assembly line and since the storage space is not formed from the bottom piece hence there is no difficulty during molding and hence no loss in volume as depth is maintained by the third piece. This prevents scratch and removal of paint at the time of full load condition on the floor board. The third centre piece is non painted so it will not get scratch with objects.
[00044] Also, through the cut-out 302 the front RH TSL is easily accessible by providing an opening in a glove box at the cut-out 302 which guides to reach the TSL area, as shown in Fig. 8B A cap is detachably attached onto this opening in the glove box. This can be detached easily to access the TSL bulb through the rear panel 103 during service and can be attached back. By doing so the time taken to service the TSL bulb is reduced.
[00045] Fig. 9A-9C exemplarily illustrate the front cowl assembly 101 with an embodiment of a support bracket 901. In this embodiment, a front panel sub-assembly 102 is mounted on the vehicle component 203 by using the support bracket 901. The front panel sub-assembly 102 comprises front panel sections L&R, turn signal assembly L&R, cover top L&R, Cover L&R and the support bracket 901. The support bracket 901 connects the TSL L&R to the vehicle component 203.
[00046] Fig. 10 exemplarily illustrates an embodiment of a front cowl assembly 1001 of a vehicle 100. The front panel 102 has a receiving portion for a headlamp and front turn signal lamps to be mounted to the front portion of the frame of the vehicle 100. The front cowl assembly 1001 comprises a front panel outer L,R sections and front panel top portion assembled and then mounted to the front portion of the frame. This construction and sequencing is creating a deliberate gap 1002 between front portion of the frame and the front panel cowl assembly and called as "floating panel" construction.
[00047] Fig. 11 exemplarily illustrates a bottom view of the seat 108 of the vehicle 100. Generally, provision is given in ‘B’ surface of a seat base of the seat 108 in the form of either cut-outs (or openings) or hump or combination of both to accommodate helmet in the utility box. This provision reduces cushion depth which would affect seating comfort. In order to retain seating comfort by retaining the original cushion depth, cut-out is given in the seat base for a larger diameter and covered with a rubber flap (elastic covering) to act as cushioning member. The rubber flaps in the proposed feature are given for both rider & pillion seats. As per an embodiment, such rubber flaps can be incorporated on the inner side of the gap between the floating panels to minimise the entry of dust, water etc.
[00048] Fig. 12 exemplarily illustrates a disassembled condition of the front panel 102 showing two vehicle components, for example, a battery box and ISG controller mounted in the space 204. The battery box is located on the front side of the vehicle and is mounted to the head pipe 201. The battery box is covered by the front panel 102. The ISG controller is located in front of the battery box. The ISG controller is kept in an angular fashion to avoid interference with other style components.
[00049] Figs. 13A-13B exemplarily illustrate mounting and operation of a horn assembly of a vehicle. In two wheeler, one of the safety device which is used by the rider to indicate the pedestrian, is carried out using horn. The horn which is sound producing device, works based on inductive principle for making and breaking the contact. The horn is packaged at RH / LH side of the vehicle below a perimeter frame of the vehicle. The said horn is detachably attached to battery holding structure (on bracket and bracket is welded on battery holding structure tube). The said horn is surrounded by Leg shield, front panel bottom portion and rear panel. Due to which the horn interference with hoses and cable in handle bar articulation condition is taken care of. Further, by packaging the horn here several aspects are enhanced like- Effective space utilization, Improved in DB level, and no cut-out required in the aesthetic parts.
[00050] Fig. 13B, depicts the schematic circuit diagram of the horn. The diaphragm and moving contact of the horn with respect to the fixed contact makes the sound. The sound producing device has to be adequately loud with predetermined sound pressure level and current drawn. The two control parameters are electrical frequency and resonant frequency. The horn will generally produce tone which depends upon the design of disc and bracket length. In order to obtain multi-tone, the contact has to be controlled electronically. The main advantage of electronic horn is to generate different sound pattern. The vehicle control unit will provide PWM signal of different frequencies, which will serve as input to the electronic horn. As per an aspect of the present invention, the gap between the floating panels enables achieving desired sound level and its tonal quality with ease thereby further enhancing the performance of the vehicle.
[00051] The front cowl assembly of a vehicle as disclosed in the present invention provides the following technical advancement in the field of assembly and serviceability of the vehicle: One support bracket of the front cowl assembly accommodates the secondary vehicle component and the vehicle lighting component, reducing number of brackets and fasteners to be accommodated in the space between the front panel and the rear panel and reducing load on the front panel. Also, the number of fasteners to now disengage the front panel from the rear panel are reduced as the bottom portion of the front panel is hingedly coupled to the rear panel and the top portion is only fastened using at least two fasteners. Since, the front panel is no longer required to be removed and placed elsewhere during servicing, the possibility of any scratches on its surfaces and deterioration of its aesthetic appeal are avoided during the assembly and disassembly of the front panel. Further, the recess on the side edge and the trapezoidal cutout do not require removal of the support bracket for accessing the vehicle component, thus reducing efforts in servicing of the vehicle component. Also, the recess ensures a commonly available tooling can be inserted and used for servicing the vehicle component, thereby not requiring any change in the servicing tools when the front panel is only opened. The support bracket may be made in resin and has reinforcement ribs throughout its rear surface to strengthen and provide rigidity to it. The guide portions on side edge and the rear surface, guide the mounting of the support bracket to the vehicle component. Only requirement in mounting the support bracket to the vehicle component is the two mounting points on the vehicle component. Once guided while mounting, the process of fastening the support bracket to the vehicle component is simpler and non-cumbersome, and cost-effective. Further, the structure of the support bracket in the upper section complies with the rear surface of the front panel improving aesthetics of the vehicle. Also, the structure of the support bracket ensures load of the secondary vehicle component and the lighting component is borne by the support bracket and not transferred to the front panel. The guide walls of the jaw portion guide the mounting of the protuberance on the hinge pin and ensure hinge coupling between both. The width jaw portion being more than that of the flat protrusion, it ensures smooth coupling of the front panel with the support bracket without any rubbing surfaces between them. The number of attaching ribs to be formed on the rear surface of the front panel can be reduced as number attaching points are reduced and instead a protuberance and hinge pin is used. Thus, the process of manufacturing, assembly, servicing, and periodic maintenance of the front cowl assembly and the vehicle is simple, non-cumbersome, with reduced components to be assembled and disassembled, and also cost effective.
[00052] Improvements and modifications may be incorporated herein without deviating from the scope of the invention.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
100-vehicle
101-front cowl assembly
102- front panel
102a-front surface
102b-mounting provisions on front panel
102c-rear surface
102d-top portion
102e-bottom portion
103- rear panel
103a- rear/inner surface of rear panel
104- ignition lock
105-handle bar cover
106-front fender
107-front wheel
108-seat
109- vehicle body panel
201-head pipe
202- main pipe
203-vehile component
204-space
205-support bracket
205a- rear surface of support bracket
206-hinge pin
301- mounting provision in rear panel
302- cut-outs on rear panel
303-mounting provisions in vehicle component
401, 402- attaching ribs in front panel
403-guiding members
404- protuberance
501, 502- arms
501a, 501b- lower section
501b,502b -upper section
501c, 502c- extreme ends
503- cross arm
504, 505- central location
506- protrusion
507- jaw portion
508-509-mounting provisions
510- side sedge
510a- recess
511- guide portion
512, 513- mounting provision
514, 515- depressed cavities
601, 602- projections
603, 604-secondary projections
605- guide member
606-reinforcement ribs

,CLAIMS:I/We claim:
1. A front cowl assembly (101) of a vehicle (100) comprising:
a front panel (102) and a rear panel (103), said front panel (102) and said rear panel (103) enclosing a head pipe (201) of said vehicle (100) in a space (204) between said front panel (102) and said rear panel (103),
at least one vehicle component (203), said at least one vehicle component (203) being disposed in said space (204), and said at least one vehicle component (203) being mounted to said head pipe (201),
a support bracket (205), said support bracket (205) being removably attached to said at least one vehicle component (203) for mounting said front panel (102),
wherein said support bracket (205) having a jaw portion (507), said jaw portion (507) being disposed at a lowermost portion of said support bracket (205);
wherein a bottom portion (102e) of said front panel (102) being hingedly coupled with said jaw portion (507) of said support bracket (205), and
wherein a top portion (102d) of said front panel (102) being removably attached to said rear panel (103) at one or more mounting locations (304) for enabling ease of assembly and serviceability of said front cowl assembly (101).
2. The front cowl assembly (101) of the vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support bracket (205) includes:
two arms (501, 502), said two arms (501, 502) forming an inverted V-profile when viewed from a front direction (F) of said vehicle (100),
a cross member (503), said cross member (503) connecting said two arms (501, 502) at substantially central locations (504, 505) of said two arms (501, 502),
a flat protrusion (506), said flat protrusion (506) extending towards said bottom portion (102e) of said front panel (102), said extension being from an intersection of said two arms (501, 502), and
said jaw portion (507) being formed on said flat protrusion (506) for housing a hinge pin (206) of said front panel (102).
3. The front cowl assembly (101) of the vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein a protuberance (404) being provided in said bottom portion (102e) of said front panel (102), said protuberance (404) being hingedly engaging with said hinge pin (206) housed in said jaw portion (507).
4. The front cowl assembly (101) of the vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein a lower portion (501a, 502a) of each of said two arms (501, 502) of said support bracket (205) being substantially perpendicular to said flat protrusion (506), when viewed from a side direction (S).
5. The front cowl assembly (101) of the vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein said two arms (501, 502) of said support bracket (205) having an upper portion (501b , 502b), said upper portion (501b, 502b) being above said central locations (504, 505) wherein said upper portion (501b, 502b) being oriented inclined rearwardly away from said cross member (503), when viewed from a side direction (S).
6. The front cowl assembly (101) of the vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein said flat protrusion (506) of said support bracket (205) having at least one mounting provision (508, 509) for mounting at least one secondary vehicle component on said support bracket (205).
7. The front cowl assembly (101) of the vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said two arms (501, 502) of said support bracket (205) having at least one projection (601, 602) at said central locations (504, 505), said projection (601, 602) being orthogonally outward from said two arms (501, 502), and being adapted for removably mounting said support bracket (205) to said vehicle component (203).
8. The front cowl assembly (101) of the vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein each of said two arms (501, 502) of said support bracket (205) having at least one secondary projection (603, 604), said secondary projection (603, 604) being at an extreme end (501c, 502c) of said upper portion (501b, 502b) of said two arms (501, 502) and at least one mounting provision (512, 513) being provided in said lower portion (501a, 502a) of said two arms (501, 502) for mounting at least one vehicle lighting component.
9. The front cowl assembly (101) of the vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein one of said upper portion (501b, 502b) of said two arms (502) of said support bracket (205) having at least one recess (510a) on a side edge (510), said recess (510a) being located above said central location (505), said recess (510a) adapted for facilitating access to said at least one vehicle component (203).
10. The front cowl assembly (101) of the vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 9, wherein said one of said upper portion (501b, 502b) of said two arms (501, 502) being configured with a guide portion (511) extending from said side edge (510), and said guide portion (511) being positioned above said at least one recess (510a) for guiding mounting of said support bracket (205) to said at least one vehicle component (203).
11. The front cowl assembly (101) of the vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 4 and claim 8, wherein said flat protrusion (506) and said lower portions (501a, 502a) of said two arms (501, 502) being perpendicular to each other forming a L-shaped profile, and said upper portion (501b, 502b) of said two arms (501, 502) being arcuate in shape and complementary with a rear surface (102c) of said front panel (102).
12. The front cowl assembly (101) of the vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein said flat protrusion (506), said lower section (501a, 502a) of said two arms (501, 502), and said cross arm (503) form a trapezoidal cut-out (507) in said support bracket (205) for facilitating access to said at least one vehicle component (203).
13. The front cowl assembly (101) of the vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 7, wherein said support bracket (205) having a secondary guide portion (605) extending from a rear surface (205a) of said support bracket (205) and being located above said at least one outward projection (601); for guiding mounting said support bracket (205) to said at least one vehicle component (203).
14. The front cowl assembly (101) of the vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 13, wherein said rear surface (205a) of said support bracket (205) having a plurality of reinforcement ribs (606) for rigidity of said support bracket (205).
15. The front cowl assembly (101) of the vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rear panel (103) having at least a three-piece construction, wherein a third centre piece being sub assembled on said rear panel (103) prior to said rear assembly (103) being assembled on said vehicle (100).
16. The front cowl assembly (1001) of the vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2, wherein said front panel (102) being mounted to a front portion of said frame of said vehicle (100) when viewed from said front direction (F) of said vehicle (100), said front panel (102) having a front panel outer L,R portions and a front panel top portion, said front panel top portion having a one or more receiving portion for a headlamp and front turn signal lamps, said headlamp and said front turn signal lamps when being assembled together with said front panel (102) forming a predetermined gap (1002) between said front portion of said frame and said front cowl assembly (1001).