VEHICLE PROTECTING STRUCTURE FOR A SADDLE TYPE
VEHICLE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to a protecting structure for a saddle type vehicle, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a vehicle protecting structure for a saddle type vehicle with a swinging power unit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] A saddle type vehicle with a swinging power unit when driven by a novice, unskilled or an untrained driver is susceptible to fall. It is also prone to collision with nearby obstructions on the road like the divider or with other vehicles. Any such collision or undesirable contact causes damage to the components of the vehicle. It is likely that the vehicle may lose its aesthetic appearance due to deformation resulting from such damage. To contain the damage, the vehicle is generally provided with an option of having a vehicle protecting member which is installed in the front portion of the vehicle forwardly of the front panel, or in the rear portion of the vehicle, or both.

[0003] Generally, the vehicle protecting structure is supported on a floorboard of the saddle type vehicle which reduces the floorboard space available for use by vehicle occupants. In the particular context of a pillion rider, the vehicle protecting structure has chances of fouling with the pillion rider's foot during vehicle operation leading to his discomfort. Additionally, if such vehicle is provided with floorboard mounted footrest members, there is a further reduction in the usable floorboard space and increase in the pillion rider's discomfort.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a protective structure for a saddle type vehicle protecting the vehicle from damage and not supported on the floorboard of the vehicle. Another object of the present invention is to disclose the attachment of such protective structure with the vehicle so that it remains firmly attached to the vehicle during rugged use of the vehicle and has a longer durability.

[0005] The present invention thereofore discloses a vehicle protecting structure for protecting a rear portion of the vehicle from undesirable collision or contact. The vehicle protecting structure is provided with dual support on the vehicle with its arms supported on a frame member and body supported on a rear fender. It is supported on the frame member inwardly of a footrest cavity and jointly with a side trim member of the vehicle. The vehicle protecting structure thus frees the floorboard area for use by vehicle occupants and remains firmly attached to the vehicle.

[0006] The foregoing objectives and summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form, and is not limiting. 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 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 elevation view of a saddle type vehicle exemplified in the form of a two wheeled scooter type motorcycle.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a vehicle protecting structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the vehicle protecting structure mounted on the scooter type motorcycle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows an illustrative view of the vehicle protecting structure supported on the vehicle frame according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a sectional view along the axis X-X' of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 shows a side view of the vehicle frame supporting the vehicle protecting structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows a detailed view of the vehicle frame according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows a rear view of a rear portion of the vehicle including a vehicle protecting structure.

FIG. 9 shows a sectional view of the rear portion of the vehicle along the axis A-A'of FIG. 8

FIG. 10 shows an exploded view of the vehicle protecting structure also supported on a rear fender of the vehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The present invention discloses a vehicle protecting structure protecting a side cover(s), a rear cover and a rear lamp of a saddle type vehicle with a swinging power unit. The vehicle protecting structure is jointly mounted to the vehicle frame with a side trim member and further supported on the rear portion of the vehicle for firm attachment and better durability. The vehicle protecting structure has its arms supported on a frame member through a frame mounting bracket and body supported on a rear fender through a rear fender mounting bracket. The vehicle protecting structure mainly protects the rear and lateral portion of the vehicle from undesirable collision or contact, and frees the floorboard area for use by vehicle occupants.

[0009] Various other features and embodiments of the vehicle protecting structure according to the present subject matter here will be discernible from the following further description thereof, set out hereunder. The detailed explanation of the constitution of parts other than the subject matter which constitutes an essential part has been omitted at suitable places. It is to be noted that in the ensuing description, the present invention is explained with the help of a saddle type vehicle embodied in the form of the scooter type motorcycle for better illustration. Further "front" and "rear", and "left" and "right" referred to in the ensuing description of the illustrated embodiment refer to front and rear, and left and right directions as seen in a state of being seated on a seat of the scooter type motorcycle. Furthermore, a longitudinal axis, except otherwise mentioned, refers to a front to rear axis relative to the said motorcycle, while a lateral axis, except otherwise mentioned, refers generally to a side to side, or left to right axis relative to the said motorcycle.

[00010] FIG. 1 shows a side elevation view of the scooter type motorcycle. The vehicle 1 includes a frame assembly made up of several tubes welded together supporting the body of said vehicle. The vehicle 1 has a steerable front wheel 2 and a driven rear wheel 25 driven by driving force generated by a power unit 24. The front wheel 2 of a motorcycle 1 is axially supported at a lower end of a front fork 3, and the front fork 3 is pivoted in a steerable manner in a head pipe 58 of the vehicle frame. The vehicle frame assembly is covered by a plurality of vehicle body covers including a front panel 17, a leg shield 16, an under seat cover 21, a side cover on each side of the vehicle longitudinal plane. The side cover includes a left side cover 41 and a right side cover 42. A handle bar 7 is attached to an upper end of the head pipe 58 (FIG. 6). A headlight unit 10 is arranged forwardly of the handle bar 7 and is surrounded by a visor 9. The handle bar 7 and a seat 22 are supported at opposing ends of the frame assembly and a generally open area is defined there between known as floorboard 12 which functions as a step through space. The seat 22 for a driver and a pillion is placed forward to a fuel tank and rearwardly of the floorboard 12. A side trim member 14 laterally beneath the floorboard 12 is provided to cover the lower frame members
from being visible. The side trim member 14 comprises of a footrest cavity 30 at a rearward portion to accommodate a footrest for a pillion rider. The side trim member 14 is laterally present on both sides of the vehicle; however, only one is visible in the side view. A side stand fixed to the left side of the frame supports the vehicle such that vehicle can incline to the left side without falling.

[00011] In the said vehicle, the power unit 24 is configured to drive, and is swingably supported on, the rear wheel 25. The power unit 24 is integrally formed with an engine and a power transmission, and the rear wheel 25 is connected to a drive shaft at the rear of the power unit 24. In an embodiment of the present invention, the engine is a four stroke single cylinder internal combustion engine.

[00012] A rear lamp 51 is provided at the rearmost endportion of the vehicle for night visibility and to meet statutory norms. In an embodiment, the rear lamp acts as a tail lamp and stop lamp. In another embodiment, the rear lamp includes a tail lamp, stop lamp and rear indication lamps all integrated to form a unitary rear light unit. The rear lamp 51 is surrounded by a rear cover 52. The rear cover 52 adjoins the rear lamp and conceals the vehicle frame from the rearmost direction to provide good aesthetic appearance to the vehicle. The rear cover is present at the meeting point of the left side cover and the right side cover. A rear fender 27 is accommodated below the rear lamp 51 to partially cover the rear wheel 25. Likewise, the front wheel 2 is covered by a lower member 18 of the front panel 17. A license plate 90 is also mounted above the rear fender 27 to display the vehicle registration number. The portion of the vehicle behind the floorboard is generally considered to form the rear portion of the vehicle and includes the side cover(s) 41, 42, the rear cover 52 and the rear lamp 51.

[00013] FIG. 6 shows a side view of the vehicle frame of the motorcycle. The frame assembly of the vehicle 1 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 elevational view. The vehicle frame is comprised of a downpipe 54 extending downwards from a head pipe 58, a lower pipe 55 supporting the low-slung floorboard 12 extending rearwards from a lower end of the downpipe 54, and a rear pipe 56 formed by curving a rear end section of the lower pipe 55 diagonally upwards. The rear pipe 56 is made of an inclined section extending diagonally upwards from a rear end of the lower pipe 55, and a horizontal section extending rearwards substantially horizontally from the inclined section and is covered by the side cover 41. A support pipe 57 extends rearwardly of the inclined section of the rear pipe 56.

[00014] In order to protect the vehicle from scratches and prevent the vehicle parts from being severely damaged in case of fall or collision or undesirable contact, the present invention disclose a vehicle protecting structure 70. FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the vehicle protecting structure 70 according to the present invention. The vehicle protecting structure 70 is a single unit and comprises a curved side cover protecting member 83, at least one frame mounting bracket 72, a rear lamp protecting member 78 and a rear cover protecting member 79. The side cover protecting member 83 is disposed adjacent to each side cover 41, 42 and the rear cover 52 to protect them during any fall or collision or impact. It has at least two arms (one arm referred to by the numerical 71 and one other arm being symmetrical to the one arm). The side cover protecting member 83 is configured to curve around the rear portion of the vehicle in such a way that one arm 71 protects the left side cover 41 and one other arm (not shown) protects the right side cover 42. The at least one frame mounting bracket 72 is attached to each arm 71 of the side cover protecting member 83. It facilitates the supporting of the vehicle protecting structure on the vehicle frame. The rear lamp protecting member 78 protects the rear lamp 51 and is suspended in a plane above the side cover protecting member 83. The contours of the rear lamp protecting member corresponds to the contours of the rear lamp. The rear cover protecting member 79 protects the rear cover 52 from any scratches or undesirable contact (collision) and is suspended in a plane below the side cover protecting member 83. The outer profile of the rear cover protecting member corresponds to the profile of the rear cover.

[00015] According to an aspect, the vehicle protecting structure 70 maintains a clearance with the vehicle body parts so that the vehicle protecting structure itself does not damage the vehicle. More particularly, the side cover protecting member 83, the rear lamp protecting member 78 and the rear cover protecting member 79 respectively maintain clearance with the side cover(s) 41, 42, the rear lamp 51 and the rear cover 52.

[00016] According to another aspect, the vehicle protecting structure 70 is symmetrical along the vehicle longitudinal axis and therefore only one side (left side) of the structure is discussed in detail. The vehicle protecting structure is a
single individual unit. FIG. 4 shows an illustrative view of the vehicle protecting structure 70. The frame mounting bracket 72 has an arm portion 73 towards the one arm 71, a cavity portion 75 having a mounting recess 76 and a middle portion 74 between the arm portion 73 and cavity portion 75. Further, the arm portion 73 is mechanically connected to the one arm 71. According to an embodiment, the arm portion 73 is welded to the one arm 71 of the side cover protecting member 83.

[00017] According to an embodiment, the frame mounting bracket 72 is made of any material consisting of the groups of metal or plastic resin. In a preferred embodiment, the frame mounting bracket 72 is a metal plate. The other components of the vehicle protecting structure 70 are made of metal, steel or plastic resin and the vehicle protecting structure is rigid enough to take significant load during any undesirable contact or collision. Further, the side cover protecting member 83, rear lamp protecting member 78 and rear cover protecting member 79 are of tubular cross section. However, the side cover protecting member 83 has a bigger cross sectional area because it has to withstand most of the impact, if any, in case of fall or collision.

[00018] According to an aspect, the vehicle protecting structure 70 is supported on the vehicle frame and the rear fender. The vehicle protecting structure 70 is supported on the vehicle frame through each of the side cover protecting member 83. Further, the side cover protecting member 83 is supported on the vehicle frame jointly with the side trim member 14 through the frame mounting bracket 72. Thus, the mounting of the vehicle protecting structure to the vehicle frame is common with the side trim member 14. The middle portion 74 of the frame mounting bracket 72 is configured inwardly to the footrest cavity 30 to facilitate mounting of the cavity portion 75 to the vehicle frame through the mounting recess 76. The side trim member 14 also comprises of a corresponding hole 65 for connection to the frame. Thus, the vehicle protecting structure 70 is mounted in the footrest cavity 30 and secured to the vehicle frame.

[00019] The attachment of the one arm 71 of the side cover protecting member 83 to the vehicle frame is explained now. The other arm is symmetrical attached. As shown in FIG. 7, the support pipe 57 comprises of a footrest holding bracket 31 for supporting the footrest and a side cover holding bracket 85 adjacent to the footrest holding bracket for supporting the side cover 41. Both the brackets 31, 85 are located inwardly of the footrest cavity 30 but the footrest holding bracket 31 protrudes laterally of the footrest cavity 30" and hence is visible whereas the side cover holding bracket 85 remains behind the footrest cavity 30. Both brackets are preferably welded to the support pipe 57.

[00020] FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show the detailed connection of vehicle protecting structure 70 with the support pipe 57 of the vehicle frame. The vehicle protecting structure 70 is attached to the vehicle frame through the frame mounting bracket 72. Section X-X' of FIG. 4 shows such attachment. The mounting recess 76 of the cavity portion 75 and the hole 65 of the side trim member 14 are co-axial. The cavity portion 75 of the frame mounting bracket 72 is secured to the side cover holding bracket 85 through a fastener 77, a metal washer 87 and a rubber washer 86. The fastener 77 passes through the mounting recess 76 and the hole 65. The rubber washer 86 is present between the side cover holding bracket 85 and the side trim member 14 to stop the transfer of vibrations from the support pipe 57 to the side trim member 14. In an embodiment, the fastener 77 is a hex bolt. Thus, the side trim member and the side cover protecting member are jointly secured to the side cover holding bracket 85.

[00021] The vehicle protecting structure 70 is also supported on the rear fender for firm attachment with the vehicle. FIG. 8 shows a rear view of the vehicle including the vehicle protecting structure. The rear portion of the side cover protecting member 83 (where the one arm 71 connects with one other arm) is further supported on the rear fender 27 through a rear fender mounting bracket 80 provided therein. The rear fender mounting bracket 80 is mechanically connected to the rear cover protecting member 79. A sectional view along the axis A-A' is shown in FIG. 9. Said rear fender mounting bracket 80 is secured to the rear fender 27 with the license plate 90 positioned in between by a fastener 81 and a washer 82 as shown in the exploded view of FIG. 10.

[00022] From the foregoing description, it will be appreciated that the present invention offers many advantages including those described above. The vehicle protecting structure protects the vehicle in case of fall or collision from the side or rear. This reduces the cost of ownership of the vehicle and gives the owner a sense of security. The vehicle protecting structure is supported on the support pipe of the vehicle frame as well as on the rear fender. Dual support makes the attachment of vehicle protecting structure strong. Since the vehicle protecting structure is attached to the frame inwardly of the footrest cavity, it does not foul with the pillion rider's feet during vehicle operation leading to easy handling of the vehicle. Moreover, the floorboard space remains intact and is available for effective use by vehicle occupants which increases ride comfort.

[00023] 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 saddle type vehicle (1) with a swinging power unit having a vehicle protecting structure (70) for covering a rear portion of the saddle type vehicle (1), the vehicle protecting structure comprising: a curved side cover protecting member (83) disposed adjacent to a side cover (41, 42) and a rear cover (52), and having at least two arms (71); at least one frame mounting bracket (72) attached to each arm (71) of the side cover protecting member (83); a rear lamp protecting member (78) suspended in a plane above the lateral axis of the side cover protecting member (83); and, a rear cover protecting member (79) suspended in a plane below the lateral axis of the side cover protecting member (83); wherein the vehicle protecting structure is supported on a vehicle frame and a rear fender (27).

2. The saddle type vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frame mounting bracket (72) is a metal plate having an arm portion (73) towards the one arm (71), a cavity portion (75) and a middle portion (74) between the arm portion (73) and cavity portion (75); and wherein the cavity portion (75) has a mounting recess (76) for securing the vehicle protecting structure to the vehicle frame.

The saddle type vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the side cover protecting member (83) is supported on the vehicle frame jointly with a side trim member (14) through the frame mounting bracket (72).

The saddle type vehicle as claimed in claim 3, wherein the frame mounting bracket (72) is mounted in a footrest cavity (30) provided in the side trim member (14) and secured to the vehicle frame.

The saddle type vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the arm portion (73) is welded to the arm (71) of the side cover protecting member (83).

The saddle type vehicle as claimed in claim 3, wherein the side trim member (14) comprises of a hole (65) co-axial to the mounting recess (76).

The saddle type vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle protecting structure (70) is symmetrical along the vehicle longitudinal axis and maintains a clearance with the side cover(s) and the rear cover.

The saddle type vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle protecting structure (70) is supported on the rear fender (27) through a rear fender mounting bracket (80).

The saddle type vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the side cover protecting member (83), rear lamp protecting member (78) and rear cover protecting member (79) are of tubular cross section.

10. The saddle type vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle protecting structure is made of any material from a group consisting of a metal, alloy or plastic resin.