DESC: FRONT COWL STRUCTURE OF A SADDLE-RIDING TYPE VEHICLE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a cowl structure of a saddle-riding type vehicle.
BACKGROUND

[0002] Generally, headlight, and speedometer or console unit of a saddle-riding type vehicle are mounted on a front cowl structure attached to the front portion of the saddle-riding type vehicle such as a motorcycle. One such structure is described in an Indian patent application IN250087. The Indian patent application IN250087 discloses a meter support structure for a saddle-riding type vehicle, in which the meter support structure comprises a stay made up of a synthetic resin for supporting a meter unit mounted on a front fork steerably supported by a head pipe at a front end of a motorcycle body frame (F). A meter visor is formed wholly on the stay to cover the meter unit from a front direction.
[0003] However, in the abovementioned structure, as the weight of the meter unit is fully supported on the synthetic resin stay or on the front cowl structure, there is a chance of failure of the synthetic resin stay or the front cowl structure in case of a heavy meter unit.
SUMMARY

[0004] In an embodiment, a front cowl structure of a saddle-riding type vehicle is disclosed. The front cowl structure comprises a pair of front fork rotatably coupled to a head pipe of the saddle-riding type vehicle through a lower bridge and an upper bridge. The front cowl structure comprises a stay member mounted to the upper bridge, where the stay member is adapted to mount a console unit of the saddle-riding type vehicle. Further, the front cowl structure comprises a front cowl member mounted to the lower bridge and at least one of the console unit and the stay member. The front cowl member comprises one or more provisions for mounting one or more auxiliary components.
[0005] In an embodiment, the front cowl member comprises an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion comprises one or more provisions for mounting the front cowl member to the console unit, where the one or more provisions are engaged to one or more provisions configured in the console unit. The lower portion comprises one or more provisions for mounting the front cowl member to the lower bridge.
[0006] In an embodiment, the upper portion is of a hollow-box shape and the upper portion further comprises a left flange and a right flange. The left flange comprises a mounting provision for mounting a lighting device and the right flange comprises a mounting provision for mounting a lighting devices
[0007] In an embodiment, the front cowl structure further comprises a windscreen adapted to be removably mounted to one or more provisions configured in the upper portion of the front cowl member. In an embodiment, a bottom portion of the upper portion comprises one or more provisions for mounting a number plate bracket.
[0008] In an embodiment, the front cowl member further comprises an opening and a headlight unit surrounding section configured surrounding the opening. The headlight unit surrounding section comprises one or more mounting provisions for mounting the headlight unit covering the opening.
[0009] In an embodiment, the console unit comprises at least one projection adapted to snap fit into a slot provided on the upper portion of the front cowl member.
[0010] In an embodiment, the lower portion of the front cowl member is a substantially inverse-triangular-shaped lower portion. The lower portion comprises one or more ribs provided on outer surface of lower portion and one or more ribs provided on inner surface of lower portion.
[0011] In an embodiment, the stay member comprises a plate like member extending frontwardly in substantially longitudinal direction of the saddle-riding type vehicle for supporting the console unit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

[0012] The invention itself, together with further features and attended advantages, will become apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. One or more embodiments of the present invention are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:
[0013] Figure 1 is a side view of a front portion of a motorcycle, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0014] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating elements of a front cowl structure, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0015] Figure 3 is a rear view of front cowl structure without a consol unit, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] Figure 4 is a sectional view of the front cowl structure shown in Figure 3 along the line A-A’, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0017] Figure 5 is a view of the front cowl member of the front cowl structure, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
[0018] Figure 6 is a view of the console unit, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0019] The drawings referred to in this description are not to be understood as being drawn to scale except if specifically noted, and such drawings are only exemplary in nature.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawing and will be described below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the spirit and the scope of the invention.
[0021] The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a setup, device or method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup, device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or apparatus.
[0022] The terms “front / forward”, “rear / rearward / back / backward”, “up / upper / upward”, “down / downward / lower / lowerward” that may be used therein represent the directions as seen from a vehicle driver sitting astride and these directions are referred by arrows Fr, Rr, U, Lr in the drawing figures. Further, “left / leftward”, “right / rightward” that may be used herein represent the directions as seen from a vehicle driver sitting astride.
[0023] While the front cowl structure has been described in the context of a saddle riding type vehicle. However, this is not limited to the saddle type riding vehicle, and the front cowl structure and the features thereof may be used in any other vehicle.
[0024] Figure 1 illustrates a side view of front portion of a saddle-riding type vehicle (200) for example a motorcycle, according to an embodiment of the invention. As illustrated in Figure 1, the front portion of the saddle-riding type vehicle (200) includes a head pipe (102) disposed at a front end of a body frame of the saddle-riding type vehicle (200). A pair of front fork (108a, 108b) (see, (108b) in Figure 2) is rotatably coupled to the head pipe (102) in front of a fuel tank (116) through a lower bridge (104) and an upper bridge (106) for enabling free steering. The pair of front fork (108a, 108b) supports a front wheel (not shown in figure) at lower end thereof and a steering handle bar (118) at upper end thereof. A front cowl structure (100) is mounted to the pair of front fork (108a, 108b) at a position substantially at the upper bridge (106) and the lower bridge (104). A headlight unit (112) and left and right lighting device (114a, 114b) ((114b) is shown in Figure 2) are mounted to the front cowl structure (100). In an embodiment, the left and right lighting devices (114a, 114b) are the left and right winker of the vehicle (200). Further, a console unit (120) is mounted to the front cowl structure (100). In an embodiment, the console unit (120) accommodates therein a speedometer, a tachometer, a fuel gauge, and the like device.
[0025] Figure 2 is an exploded view of the front cowl structure (100) comprising a stay member (122), the console unit (120) and a front cowl member (110) mounted on the pair of front fork (108a, 108b) between the lower bridge (104) and the upper bridge (106) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The front cowl member (110) includes one or more provisions for mounting one or more auxiliary components, where the one or more auxiliary components include the left and right lighting device (114a, 114b), the headlight unit (112) and a number plate bracket (121). The front cowl member (110) is adapted to cover a periphery of the headlight unit or lens (112). The stay member (122) is mounted to the upper bridge (106) connected to the pair of front fork (108a, 108b) of the saddle-riding type vehicle (200). The console unit (120) is mounted to the stay member (122). The front cowl member (110) is then mounted to the console unit (120) and the lower bridge (104) from the front side. A windscreen (128) is mounted to the front cowl member (110) so that the windscreen (128) partially overlaps with the front cowl member (110).
[0026] In an embodiment, the stay member (122) is a plate like structure extending from one end which is removably attached to the upper bridge (106) and then extending downward towards the lower bridge (104) and then extending frontward substantially in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (200). The portion of the stay member (122) extending frontward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (200) is a console unit support portion, and the area of the console unit support portion is such that it accommodates the console unit (120). In an embodiment, the stay member (122) is a metallic stay member. In an embodiment, the stay member (122) is made from resin having sufficient stiffness to provide support to the console unit (120). In an embodiment, the stay member (122) has two leg portions (122a, 122b) removably mounted to the upper bridge (106) of the front fork (108a, 108b) and extending frontward parallely therefrom, and then parallely extending downward towards lower bridge (104) and then extending frontward in the longitudinal direction of the motorcycle to form an arc shaped flat plate structure (a plate like member (122c)). The plate like member (122c) extends in the width direction of the motorcycle for supporting the console unit (120) as acts as a console unit support portion. Further, plate like member (122c) (i.e. the console unit support portion) includes one or more mounting provisions (144a, 144b) (e.g., see Figure 3). In an embodiment, the mounting provisions (144a, 144b) are one or more through holes. With this structure of the stay member (122), there is minimal material involved for the design of the stay member (122) and at the same time, the stay member (122) provides a good mounting support to the console unit (120) and the front cowl member (110).
[0027] As can be seen in Figures 2 and 3, the front cowl member (110) is of a substantially hollow-box shape, and comprises an upper portion (132) and a lower portion (134) that are formed integrally. In an embodiment, the upper portion (132) is a hollow-box shape upper portion and the lower portion (134) is a substantially inverse-triangular-shaped lower portion which extends downwardly from the hollow-box shape upper portion (132). The hollow-box shape upper portion (132) and the inverse-triangular shaped lower portion (134) are integral parts of the front cowl member (110). One or more ribs (133) are provided on an inner surface of the inverse-triangular shaped lower portion (134). Similarly, one or more ribs (131) are provided on outer surface of the inverse-triangular shaped lower portion (134). In an embodiment, a left flange (136a) and a right flange (not shown) extending rearward from the left side and the right side, respectively, of the hollow-box shape upper portion (132), are integrally formed with the hollow-box shape upper portion (132) of the front cowl member (110). The left flange (136a) and a right flange (not shown) have left and right side symmetry of the front cowl member (110). In an embodiment, the left and right side lighting devices (114a, 114b) are mounted to the left flange (136a) and the right flange respectively. Each of the left flange (136a) and the right flange has a mounting provision for mounting lighting devices (114a, 114b). For example, the left flange (136a) is shown to include a mounting provision (137a) in form of a through hole for mounting the lighting devices (114a), and similarly, the right flange includes a mounting provision in the form of a through hole for mounting the lighting device (114b).
[0028] The front cowl member (110) has one or more mounting provisions (142) on the hollow-box shape upper portion (132) for mounting the windscreen (128). In an embodiment, the underside of the front portion of the hollow-box shape upper portion (132) have one or more mounting provisions (111) for mounting the number plate bracket (121). In an embodiment, two mounting provisions (142, 142) are provided in form of a slot towards two upper corners of the hollow-box shape upper portion (132) for mounting the windscreen (128) to the front cowl member (110). Further, the console unit (120) has one or more mounting provisions (144a, 144b) on the upper portion for mounting the front cowl member (110). Further, the console unit (120) has at least one projection (143) which is adapted to snap fit into a slot (145) provided on the upper portion (132) of the front cowl member (110). The projection (143) may act as a locator for the front cowl member (110) when mounting the front cowl member (110) to the console unit (120). Further, the console unit (120) is mounted on the stay member (122) from the upper side with one or more common mounting means. In an embodiment, a common threaded member passing through the mounting provision of the console unit (120) and the stay member (122) from the downward or upward direction are screwed. In an embodiment, a threaded member passing through the mounting provisions of the console unit (120) and the stay member (122) from the downward direction are screwed. Tightening the threaded members then results in the console unit (120) being attached to the stay member (122). With this arrangement, the front cowl member (110) and the console unit (120) are mounted to the stay member (122) using the common mounting means such as bolt and screw, and the front cowl member (110) is mounted to the console unit (120) thereby providing a very compact front cowl structure.
[0029] As illustrated in Figure 6, the console unit (120) comprises a housing (150) and a housing cover (152). The housing (150) is covered by the housing cover (152) from top. The housing cover (152) comprises one or more mounting provision (144a, 144b). In an embodiment, the housing (150) and the housing cover (152) is a single integral body. In an embodiment, the housing cover (152) is mounted to the housing (150) using one or more mounting means. The housing cover (152) includes a left side flange (154) and a right side flange (156) extending from the left side and right side of the console unit (120), respectively. The one or more mounting provisions (144a, 144b) are configured on the left side flange (154) and the right side flange (156) in the form of a through hole. The front cowl member (110) at the upper portion (132) is mounted to the console unit (120) using the mounting provisions (144a, 144b) provided in the left and right side flanges (154) and (156) of the console unit (120). A common threaded member passing through the mounting provision (144a) of the left side flange (154) of the console unit (120) and a corresponding mounting provision (144c) configured in the left side of the front cowl member (110), from the downward or upward direction is screwed. Similarly, another common threaded member passing through the mounting provision (144b) of the right side flange (156) of the console unit (120) and a corresponding mounting provision (144d) configured in the right side of the front cowl member (110), from the downward or upward direction is screwed. Further, the extension or projection (127) is provided to the console unit (120) that is adapted to be slidably inserted into the upper portion (132) of the front cowl member (110). The front cowl member (110) is mounted to the console unit (120) such that there is no gap between the peripheral edges of the contacting portion of the console unit (120) and the front cowl member (110) thereby ensuring that there is no leakage of light from the headlight unit (112) to the console unit (120) or surroundings.
[0030] In addition, the front cowl member (110) has one or more mounting provisions (146a, 146b) at the substantially inverse-triangular-shaped lower portion (134) thereof for mounting the front cowl member (110) to the lower bridge (104) of the front fork (108a, 108b). In an embodiment, two mounting provisions (146a, 146b) are provided at the inverse-triangular-shaped lower portion (134) of the front cowl member (110) for mounting the front cowl member (110) to the lower bridge (104) of the pair of front fork (108a, 108b). Also, the front cowl member (110) has one or more insertion holes, through which one or more wire harness is passed through. As the front cowl member (110) is majorly supported by the console unit (120) and partially supported by the lower bridge (104) of the pair of front fork (108a, 108b), therefore, the front cowl structure (100) is not prone to failure.
[0031] The front cowl member (110) comprise a headlight unit surrounding section (113) that surrounds the headlight unit (112) and an opening hole (125) extending in the longitudinal direction of the motorcycle through which the headlight unit (112) is visible, is formed in the front cowl member (110). In an embodiment, the headlight unit surrounding section (113) that surrounds the headlight unit or lens (112) has one or more mounting provision and the headlight unit (112) is adapted to be mounted to the front cowl member (110) using the one or more mounting provisions. In an embodiment, an elastic member such as a rubber gasket may be fitted to the front cowl member (110), and the elastic member may be sandwiched between the outer periphery edge section of the headlight unit (112) and the inner periphery edge section of the opening hole (125) of the front cowl member (110). In an embodiment, the headlight unit (112) is disposed forwardly of the front cowl member (110) and is swingably supported by the front cowl member (110). When the front cowl member (110) is mounted to the console unit (120) and the lower bridge (104), it forms a housing between the rear side of the front cowl member (110) and the downward of the console unit (120) to accommodate the rear portion of the headlight unit (112). The rear portion of the headlight unit (112) may include wire harness, bulb mounting means and other electrical connections.
[0032] A windscreen (128) is removably mounted to the front cowl member (110) in the frontward direction such that the windscreen (128) partially overlaps with the front cowl member (110). In the assembled state of the front cowl structure (100), the windscreen (128) covers the console unit (120) from frontward direction. As the console unit (120) and the front cowl member (110) are majorly supported by the stay member (122), and they are closer to the front handlebar, therefore, such arrangement provides a more compact and robust front cowl structure (110). Also, the headlight unit (112) is mounted to the front cowl member (110), therefore, the weight of the headlight unit (112) is solely supported by the front cowl member (110).
[0033] While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the particular features of this invention, it will be appreciated that various modifications can be made, and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the invention. For example, various types of front cowl member and visor having different shapes and profiles may be used in the cowl structure. These and other modifications in the nature of the invention or the preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation.

CLAIMS:
We claim:

1. A front cowl structure (100) of a saddle-riding type vehicle (200), the front cowl structure (100) comprising:
a pair of front fork (108a, 108b) rotatably coupled to a head pipe (102) of the saddle-riding type vehicle (200) through a lower bridge (104) and an upper bridge (106);
a stay member (122) mounted to the upper bridge (106), the stay member (122) adapted to mount a console unit (120) of the saddle-riding type vehicle (200); and
a front cowl member (110) mounted to the lower bridge (104) and at least one of the console unit (120) and the stay member (122), the front cowl member (110) comprising one or more provisions for mounting one or more auxiliary components (114a, 114b, 112, 121).

2. The front cowl structure (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front cowl member (110) comprises:
an upper portion (132) comprising one or more provisions (144c, 144d) for mounting the front cowl member (110) to the console unit (120), wherein the one or more provisions (144c, 144d) are engaged to one or more provisions (144a, 144b) configured in the console unit (120); and
a lower portion (134) comprising one or more provisions (146a, 146b) for mounting the front cowl member (110) to the lower bridge (104).

3. The front cowl structure (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the upper portion (132) is of a hollow-box shape, and the upper portion (132) further comprises a left flange (136a) and a right flange.

4. The front cowl structure (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the left flange (136a) comprises a mounting provision (137a) for mounting a lighting device (114a) and the right flange comprises a mounting provision for mounting a lighting device (114b).

5. The front cowl structure (100) as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a windscreen (128) adapted to be removably mounted to one or more provisions (142) configured in the upper portion (132) of the front cowl member (110).

6. The front cowl structure (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein a bottom portion of the upper portion (132) comprises one or more provisions (111) for mounting a number plate bracket (121).

7. The front cowl structure (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the front cowl member (110) further comprises an opening (125) and a headlight unit surrounding section (113) configured surrounding the opening (125), the headlight unit surrounding section (113) comprising one or more mounting provisions for mounting the auxiliary component (112) covering the opening (125), the auxiliary component (112) being a headlight unit.

8. The front cowl structure (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the console unit (120) comprises at least one projection (143) adapted to snap fit into a slot (145) provided on the upper portion (132) of the front cowl member (110).

9. The front cowl structure (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the lower portion (134) is a substantially inverse-triangular-shaped lower portion.

10. The front cowl structure (100) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the lower portion (134) comprises one or more ribs (131) provided on outer surface of the lower portion (134) and one or more ribs (133) provided on inner surface of the lower portion (134).

11. The front cowl structure (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stay member (122) comprises a plate like member (122c) extending frontwardly in substantially longitudinal direction of the saddle-riding type vehicle (200) for supporting the console unit (120).