REINFORCEMENT MEMBER FOR A THREE WHEELER CHASSIS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to a chassis of a three wheeled vehicle and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a reinforcement member of the chassis of the three wheeled vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] In many countries of the world, motor vehicle specially a three wheeled motor vehicle is a significant mode of public transportation. It is vastly used as a point to point mode of transport in rural and urban areas. Though such vehicle is designed to bear the load of four people, generally it is overloaded and is operated intermittently for 12 to 14 hours a day to enable the driver to maximize his earnings.

[0003] Such a three wheeled vehicle is often driven over pot holed roads in urban areas and on rugged, rough, unmetalled roads in rural areas. Operating on this type of terrain along with carrying excess load causes high stress on the head tube and steering tube of the vehicle. The forces act in combination on the head tube from front, vertical, left and right directions which may further cause a distortion in the chassis, specially the area around the head tube and the inner surface of the front cowl. As a result, the head tube and surrounding chassis members may buckle under the stress which may render the vehicle unmaneuverable. The vehicle may be stranded without being operated for some time as the vehicle might not receive immediate servicing and maintenance support due to its likelihood of being operated in a relatively inaccessible location. This may also cause monetary loss to the driver. A need therefore exist for strengthening the area proximate to the head tube and front cowl of the three wheeled vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more problems as set forth above and thereby obviate a lacunae in the prior art. It is therefore an object of the present subject matter to provide a reinforcement member for strengthening the front chassis of a three wheeled vehicle, and prevent the distortion of head tube and front cowl. Another object of the present subject matter is to disclose a reinforcement member attached to a head tube and a front cowl of a three wheeled vehicle which increases the structural rigidity in the area around the head tube of the vehicle and hence load carrying capacity of the vehicle.

[0005] To this end, the present subject matter described herein relates to a reinforcement member for reinforcing the area around the head tube of a three wheeled vehicle and comprises of a front portion and a rear portion. According to an aspect, the front portion further comprises at least three joining flanges namely a first flange disposed at the front, a second flange and a third flange both disposed laterally on either side of the front portion of the reinforcement member. The reinforcement member, through the joining flanges of the front portion, is connected to an inner surface of a front cowl as well as a supporting member, and to the head tube through its rear portion. According to another aspect, the reinforcement member is disposed below the supporting member. [0006] The foregoing objectives and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present subject matter. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present subject matter as well as the subject matter itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the ensuing detailed description of the subject matter and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The above and other features, aspects and advantages of the subject matter will be better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 shows a side view of a concerned three wheeled vehicle.

FIG. 2 shows a front view of the vehicle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a rear isometric view of the anterior portion of the vehicle.

FIG. 4 shows a rear view of a reinforcement member.

FIG. 5(a), 5(b) and 5(c) respectively show a side view, a bottom view and a top view of the reinforcement member.

FIG. 6 shows a rear perspective view of the anterior portion of the vehicle with the reinforcement member attached to a head tube and a front cowl.

FIG. 7 shows an isometric view of anterior portion of the vehicle illustrating complete assembly of the reinforcement member.

FIG. 8 shows a rear perspective view of the anterior portion of the vehicle illustrating attachment of the reinforcement member with the front cowl.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a reinforcement member for a three wheeled vehicle which is mainly, but not solely, used as a passenger carrier. It is to be noted that "front" and "rear", and "left" and "right" wherever referred to in the ensuing description, refer to front and rear, and left and right directions as seen in a state of being seated on a seat of the vehicle and looking forward. Furthermore, a longitudinal axis refers to a front to rear axis relative to the vehicle, while a lateral axis refers generally to a side to side, or left to right axis relative to the vehicle. Various other features of the reinforcement member according to the present subject matter here will be discernible from the following further description thereof, set out hereunder.

[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a concerned three wheeled passenger carrier vehicle, referenced by the numeral 100, driven by an internal combustion engine. It has a front cowl 101 supporting a windscreen 102. The lower portion of the front cowl 101 is connected to a front wheel 104 with a wheel cover 103 disposed in between. A handle bar assembly 109 is present behind the front cowl 101 which is used to operate the said three wheeled vehicle 100. In this view, a steering tube assembly iSTiot visible to an onlooker of the vehicle. The vehicle is longitudinally divided into two halves along the line X-Y; an anterior portion A having a driver's seat 107 while a posterior portion P having a long passenger seat 108 with a seating capacity of minimum three passengers. A rear panel (also known as rear cabin) 106 along with the posterior portion P of the vehicle containing the passenger seat 108 is supported on a pair of rear wheels 105 located on either side of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle 100. An internal combustion engine is disposed proximately to the passenger seat 108 internal to the rear cabin 106 and is used to power the vehicle.

[00010] FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of the three wheeled vehicle with the panels and styling parts removed. The said three wheeled vehicle 100 is supported on a frame structure spanning from the anterior portion A to the posterior portion P of the vehicle. A steering column assembly is connected to the front wheel 104 and comprises a steering column tube 202, front suspension 203 and a trailing arm 204. The steering column tube 202 rotatably supports the front wheel 104 and acts as a mechanical link between the handle bar 109 and the front wheel 104. A portion of the steering column tube 202 is engulfed by a head tube 205 on all sides, and welded or secured to the head tube. The head tube 205, which is a part of vehicle chassis, usually houses bearings that allow the steering tube 202 to rotate freely to facilitate the manoeuvring of the vehicle. A clutch actuation lever 111 is pivotally mounted at a distal end of the handle bar 109 preferably on the left side thereof, such that the user may grip the handle bar 109 to change the gear ratio by retracting and releasing the clutch actuation lever 111.

[00011] FIG. 3 shows the rear view of the anterior portion A of the vehicle. An inner surface of the front cowl 101 is supported by a cowl reinforcement member 112. The inner surface of the front cowl 101 is the surface which faces the vehicle driver. The cowl reinforcement member 112 is a metal sheet type structure which runs laterally from side to side of the inner surface of the front cowl 101 and strengthens it to withstand torsional forces. A steering column bracket 113 is provided longitudinally rearwardly of the cowl reinforcement member 112 to strengthen the steering column assembly. A supporting member 114 is provided rearwardly inclinedly to the cowl reinforcement member 112 and connects the head tube 205 to the front cowl 101. The supporting member reinforces the front cowl 101 as well as the head tube 205 and also used to increase the aesthetic appearance of the anterior portion A of the vehicle by hiding the structural elements underneath it from the vehicle driver. In an embodiment, the supporting member may be a metal bracket. However, owing to the drive terrain and usage pattern of the vehicle, many a times the torsional forces acting on the head tube, front cowl and the supporting member are too strong and the supporting member may buckle under this stress. Therefore, to further strengthen this area, below the supporting member 114, a reinforcement member 300 is provided which is connected to the front cowl 101 and the head tube 205.

[00012] The reinforcement member is now described with the help of FIGs. 4-9. A rear view of the reinforcement member 300 is shown in FIG.4. The reinforcement member 300 strengthens the front chassis of the three wheeled vehicle, specifically the area around the head tube of the vehicle which comprises of head tube 205, supporting member 114 and cowl reinforcement member 112. The reinforcement member 300 comprises of a front portion 301 connected to the front cowl 101 and a rear portion 302 supported on the head tube 205. The front portion 301 further comprises at least three joining flanges namely a first flange 301a disposed at the front, a second flange 301b and a third flange 301c both disposed laterally on either side of the reinforcement member 300. FIG. 5(a), 5(b) and 5(c) respectively show a side view, a bottom view and a top view of the reinforcement member to illustrate the respective joining flanges. The reinforcement member 300 is connected to the inner surface of the front cowl 101 through the first flange 301a. It is connected to the supporting member 114 at its sides through the second flange 301b and the third flange 301c, and to the outer circumferential surface of the head tube 205 through its rear portion 302. The joining flanges provide flat 'joining surfaces' for the reinforcement member 300 to connect with the front cowl 101, supporting member 114 and the head tube 205.

[00013] According to a preferred embodiment, the reinforcing member 300 is substantially an inverted triangular bracket having a U shaped groove at its rear portion 302 to be supported on the head tube 205 as shown in FIG. 6. The first, second and third joining flanges form the upper portion of this triangle. The U shaped groove rests the reinforcement member over the outer circumferential surface of the head tube 205. In an embodiment, the rear portion 302 is welded to the outer circumferential surface of the head tube 205.

[00014] FIG. 7 shows an isometric view of anterior portion A of the vehicle illustrating complete assembly of the reinforcement member 300. Since the reinforcement member 300 is present beneath the supporting member 114, it does not disturb the aesthetics of the anterior portion A while further strengthening the area around the head tube of the vehicle. FIG. 8 shows a rear perspective view of the lower anterior portion of the vehicle illustrating attachment of the reinforcement member 300 with the front cowl 101. According to an aspect, the first flange 301a in the front portion 301 of the reinforcement member 300 is welded (preferably C02 welding) to the inner surface of the front cowl 101. The reinforcement member 300 may be made of any material including sheet metal and therefore provides structural rigidity to the front chassis. Since the supporting member 114 is coupled with the reinforcement member 300, head tube 205 and cowl reinforcement member 112, the rigidity around the supporting member is greatly increased which prevents its distortion as well as distortion of the head tube 205 due to the variety of forces acting thereon, and consequently enables the vehicle to carry more loads. In an embodiment, the supporting member 114 is co-structural with the reinforcement member 300.

[00015] The present subject matter is thus described. The description is not intended to be exhaustive nor is it intended to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed embodiments may be modified in light of the above description. The embodiments described are chosen to provide an illustration of principles of the invention and its practical application to.enable thereby one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Therefore the forgoing description is to be considered exemplary, rather than limiting, and the true scope of the invention is that described in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A reinforcement member (300) mounted below a supporting member (114) for reinforcing the area around a head tube (205) of a three wheeled vehicle (100), the reinforcement member (300) comprising a front portion (301) connected to a front cowl (101) and a rear portion (302) supported on the head tube (205), the front portion (301) further comprising at least three joining flanges namely a first flange (301a) disposed at the front, a second flange (301b) and a third flange (301c) both disposed laterally on either side of the reinforcement member (300), wherein the reinforcement member (300) is connected to an inner surface of the front cowl (101) through the first flange (301a), and wherein the reinforcement member (300) is connected to the supporting member (114) at its sides through the second flange (301b) and the third flange (301c).

2. The reinforcement member as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first flange (301a) in the front portion (301) of the reinforcement member (300) is welded to the inner surface of the front cowl (101).

3. The reinforcement member as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reinforcing member (300) is a substantially inverted triangular bracket having a U shaped groove at its rear portion (302) to be supported on the head tube (205).

4. The reinforcement member as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting member (114) connects the head tube (205) to the front cowl (101).

5. The reinforcement member as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting member (114) is a metal bracket and co-structural with the reinforcement member (300).

6. The reinforcement member as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reinforcement member (300) is made of any material including sheet metal.