FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to two-wheeled vehicles and particularly, but not exclusively, to a windshield mounting assembly.

BACKGROUND
[0002] A two-wheeled vehicle in motion causes impingement of air stream on the rider resulting in blurred vision and discomfort to the rider. The extent of air flow impact is reduced through use of a windshield. A windshield is a transparent screen mounted on the fore front of the two-wheeled vehicle, in front of the rider’s seating position.
[0003] The windshield is conventionally mounted either on the frame or the handle bar of the two-wheeled vehicle. The usual windshield mounting assembly is impeded by other parts of the two-wheeled vehicle with respect to tooling access to install or remove the windshield or adjust its position and angle.
[0004] The present invention proposes a solution to address the mentioned drawbacks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0005] The detailed description of the present subject matter is described with reference to the accompanying figures. Same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components.
[0006] Figure 1 illustrates a left side view of an exemplary two-wheeled vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0007] Figure 2 illustrates an isometric top view of the exemplary two-wheeled vehicle, showing the windshield mounted on the exemplary two-wheeled vehicle through a windshield mounting assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0008] Figure 3 illustrates a rear view of the exemplary two-wheeled vehicle, showing the windshield mounted on the exemplary two-wheeled vehicle through a windshield mounting assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0009] Figure 4 illustrates an isometric side view of the windshield mounting assembly for the exemplary two-wheeled vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0010] Figure 5 illustrates axes of rotation of the components of the connecting sub-assembly for the exemplary two-wheeled vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0011] Figure 6 illustrates an enlarged view of the connecting sub-assembly for the exemplary two-wheeled vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] Generally, a windshield is mounted on the front portion of a two-wheeled vehicle, before the seating location of the rider to prevent direct impingement of incident air stream when the vehicle is in motion.
[0013] The usual location chosen for mounting the windshield is either the handlebar or the frame. Handlebar mounting is a preferred method when windshields are required to move with the steering. Frame mounted windshields remain fixed in their position.
[0014] The mounting of windshield on an assembled vehicle, whether on the frame or the handle bar requires removal of body cover panels on the front end of the two-wheeled vehicle. The fasteners securing the windshield are hidden by accessories which require removal to enable tooling access to said fasteners. Apart from mounting, every adjustment of the position of the windshield requires removal of body cover panels for tooling access.
[0015] Body cover panels are usually snap-fitted onto the two-wheeled vehicle. Repeated removal and mounting back of these accessories will cause wear and tear at the interlocking ends and may also result in fracture of the snap-fitted part. Wear and tear of interlocking ends results in the snap-fit parts not being able to be re-assembled or an unreliable re-assembly on account of change in the shape of interlocking ends.
[0016] According to usual industrial practice, windshields are mounted on a two-wheeled vehicle, post assembly, as an accessory, in accordance with the preferences of the customer. Further, the position, height, angle and inclination of the windshield are also required to be customized according to the rider’s discretion.
[0017] An assembled two-wheeled vehicle may not be consistently symmetrical. Mounting a windshield through rigid fasteners or rigid fastening mechanisms could result in an uneven stress distribution across the mounted windshield which may cause the windshield to fracture on impact levels far below the actual fracture resistance value. Therefore, a flexible mounting assembly is required to secure the windshield to the two-wheeled vehicle.
[0018] Patent number US6234554 B1 discloses a windshield mounting assembly to mount a windshield on the handle bar of a two-wheeled vehicle which allows detachability and adjustability of the position of the windshield. However, tooling access to enable detachment of the windshield is unimpeded only due to the absence of regular body cover panels usually mounted on the fore end of a two-wheeled vehicle. Adjustability is achieved through the use of ball and socket mechanism. Ball and socket mechanism is relatively expensive and suffers from disadvantages such as change in position or alignment of the windshield on being subject to shocks or vibration and abrasion of components due to accumulation of dirt. Abrasion of components and presence of dirt may render adjustment frictional and uneven.
[0019] Therefore, a windshield mounting assembly that allows tooling access for installation, removal or adjustment of position and angular alignment of a windshield without necessitating removal of any unrelated part of the two-wheeled vehicle while having multiple degrees of freedom to adjust the position and angular alignment of the windshield is desirable in the art.
[0020] The present invention provides a windshield mounting assembly, which mounts the windshield on at least one mirror stem of the two-wheeled vehicle, to allow mounting, removal and adjustment of the windshield with multiple degrees of freedom without necessitating removal of any body cover panels of the two-wheeled vehicle.
[0021] In an embodiment, the two-wheeled vehicle comprises of a windshield, a handle bar, a rear view mirror assembly and a windshield mounting assembly. The handle bar is disposed on the front portion of the vehicle. The rear view mirror assembly comprises at least one mirror, said mirror being connected to the handle bar through at least one mirror stem. The windshield mounting assembly comprises at least one connecting sub-assembly, said connecting sub-assembly used to connect the windshield to the said at least one mirror stem. The connecting sub-assembly comprises components that allow adjustment of position and angular alignment of the windshield. The windshield mounting assembly allows tooling access to the components of the connecting sub-assembly which is unimpeded by body cover panels and does not require the removal of said body cover panels.
[0022] In an embodiment, the connecting sub-assembly comprises rigid fasteners and at least one rod member, at least one L shaped bracket, at least one adjustable mounting bracket, at least one nut and washer sub-assembly and at least one adapter coupler. Use of said at least one rod member and said at least one adjustable mounting bracket allows translational freedom of adjustment along said at least one rod member and rotational freedom of adjustment around the cross-sectional radius of said at least one rod member. Use of said at least one nut and washer assembly allows rotational freedom of adjustment around the axis perpendicular to the radius of the nut. Use of said at least one adapter coupler allows rotational freedom of adjustment along the axis of said at least one adapter coupler. Use of all of said at least one rod member, said at least one L shaped bracket, said at least one adjustable mounting bracket, said at least one nut and washer sub-assembly and said at least one adapter coupler allows the windshield to be adjusted with all 6 degrees of freedom. 6 degrees of freedom allows the translational adjustment along and rotational adjustment around longitudinal, transverse and vertical axes of the two-wheeled vehicle.
[0023] In an embodiment, forward- Rear (F-R) axis lies along the longitudinal axis of the two-wheeled vehicle. Left-Right (L-Rt) axis lies along the lateral axis of the two-wheeled vehicle and Up-Down (U-D) axis lies along the vertical axis of the two-wheeled vehicle, said vertical axis being perpendicular to the plane of (F-R) and (L-Rt) axes. Use of rigid fasteners or rigid fastening mechanisms, such as welding, to substitute for one or more of said at least one rod member, the L shaped bracket, said at least one adjustable mounting bracket, the nut and washer sub-assembly and the adapter coupler will allow degrees of freedom lesser than 6 degrees of freedom.
[0024] In an embodiment, the windshield mounting assembly consists of two connecting sub-assemblies and the rear mirror assembly consists of two mirrors secured to the handle bar by one mirror stem each. The windshield is mounted on to the two-wheeled vehicle through the windshield mounting assembly, wherein each connecting sub-assembly secures the windshield to one mirror stem. Each connecting sub-assembly comprises of one angular rod member, a plurality of adjustable mounting brackets, one L shaped bracket, one nut and washer sub-assembly and one adapter coupler. In this embodiment, one of the plurality of adjustable mounting brackets is located on one arm of the angular rod member and at least one adjustable mounting brackets of the plurality of adjustable mounting brackets is located on the other arm of the angular rod member. In an embodiment, one adjustable mounting bracket is located on one arm of the angular rod member and two adjustable mounting brackets are located on the other arm.
[0025] In an embodiment, A-A axis passes through one of the plurality of adjustable mounting brackets. B-B axis lies along the longitudinal axis of the adapter coupler, B-B axis being perpendicular to the A-A axis. C-C axis passes through the cylindrical axis of one of the two adjustable mounting brackets on one arm of the angular rod member. C-C axis is parallel, in this embodiment, to the cylindrical axis of the second adjustable mounting brackets of the two adjustable mounting brackets located on said one arm of the angular rod member. The angular rod member is connected to one arm of the L-shaped bracket by the adjustable mounting bracket that lies along the A-A axis and the nut and washer sub-assembly. Another arm of the L-shaped bracket is connected to one end of the adapter coupler on the lower face of the arm and the mirror stem on the upper face of said arm. Another end of the adapter coupler is secured to the handle bar. In this embodiment, the L-shaped bracket and the mirror stem are connected by the sleeve type lock nut. The windshield is secured to the adjustable mounting brackets that lie along the C-C axis by a tightening nut. A vibration damper is disposed between the tightening nut and the windshield.
[0026] The position of the windshield along the A-A axis is changed by rotating the adapter couplers simultaneously and rotating the angular rod member about the adjustable mounting brackets aligned along C-C axis. The position of the windshield along the B-B axis is changed by rotation of adapter couplers or by moving the position of the adjustable mounting brackets placed along the C-C axis, along the angular rod member. The position of the windshield along the C-C axis is changed by moving the position of the angular rod member with respect to the adjustable mounting bracket placed along the A-A axis. Angular alignment of the windshield around the A-A axis is controlled by the nut and washer sub-assembly and rotation of the angular rod member about the adjustable mounting bracket aligned along A-A axis. Angular alignment of the windshield around the B-B axis is controlled by the adapter coupler. Angular alignment of the windshield around the C-C axis is controlled by the adjustable mounting bracket that lies along the A-A axis and the nut and washer sub-assembly.
[0027] Thus, the present subject matter provides a windshield mounting assembly that allows mounting, removal and adjustment of the windshield in all 6 degrees of freedom, without necessitating removal of any body cover panels of the two-wheeled vehicle, by mounting the windshield on at least one mirror stem of the rear view mirror assembly.
[0028] The present invention dispenses with the need to remove the snap-fitted body cover panels to mount, remove or adjust the windshield. Therefore, the present invention addresses the drawbacks prevalent in the state of the art. Further, such unimpeded tooling access improves ease in adjustability and serviceability.
[0029] Apart from the advantages already mentioned, the described invention has several advantages over conventional arrangements prevalent in state of the art. Mounting of the windshield over the mirror stem gives flexibility to the windshield to displace slightly as opposed to mounting the windshield over a handle bar or a frame, both of which are rigid mounting platforms. In the event of a crash or an impact the flexibility to displace slightly, as mentioned above, allows the windshield the move as much as it is allowed to before it’s fracture resistance is tested. This greatly improves the lifetime of the windshield and also raises the impact force value at which the windshield fractures or fails.
[0030] An embodiment of the present invention is described in further detail in conjunction with the figures in the following description.
[0031] Figure 1 illustrates a left side view of an exemplary two-wheeled vehicle (100), in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. A mirror of the rear view mirror assembly (102) is mounted on the two-wheeled vehicle (100) through a mirror stem (shown in figure 2). A windshield (101) is mounted on said mirror stem (shown in figure 2) by a windshield mounting assembly (shown in figure 3). An air stream (103) is incident upon the two-wheeled vehicle (100) and the rider when the two-wheeled vehicle (100) is in motion. The vehicle comprises of a frame assembly (not shown) which is conventionally an underbone chassis frame which provides a generally open central area to permit “step-through” mounting by a rider.
[0032] Typically, the frame assembly (not shown) comprises of a head tube (not shown), a main tube (not shown), and a pair of side tubes (not shown). The head tube (not shown) is disposed towards the front portion. The main tube (not shown) extends downwardly and rearwardly from the head tube (not shown) forming a flat horizontal step-through portion (107). The other end of the main tube (not shown) is connected with the pair of side-tubes (not shown) through a bracket (not shown). The head tube (not shown) is configured to rotatably support a steering tube (not shown) and further connected to the front suspension system (not shown) at the lower end. A handlebar support member (not shown) is connected to an upper end of the steering tube (not shown) and supports a handlebar assembly (106).
[0033] Two telescopic front suspension system (not shown) is attached to a bracket (not shown) on the lower part of the steering tube (not shown) on which is supported the front wheel (109). The upper portion of the front wheel (109) is covered by a front fender (108) mounted to the lower portion of the steering shaft (not shown). The pair of side-tubes (not shown) extends from the other end of the main tube and are disposed parallel on either side of the vehicle width direction. Each of the said side tube (not shown) includes a down frame section (not shown) inclined and extending from the main tube (not shown) and gradually after a certain length extending rearward in a substantially horizontal direction to the rear of the vehicle. A plurality of cross pipes (not shown) is secured in between the pair of side-tubes (not shown) at selected intervals to support vehicular attachments including a utility box (not shown), a seat assembly (not shown) and a fuel tank assembly (not shown).
[0034] A seat (107) is supported on the pair of side-tubes (not shown) on which a rider may sit. Generally, the utility box (not shown) is supported between the front portions of the left and right end of the pair of side-tubes (not shown) so as to be disposed below the seat (107). A fuel tank assembly (not shown) is disposed on between the rear portions of the pair of the side-tubes (not shown).
[0035] The exhaust emission system (not shown) can be seen disposed at the side extending rearward coupled to the frame assembly. There is front brake (not shown) and rear brake (not shown) arranged on the front wheel (109) and a rear wheel (105) respectively. The rear wheel (105) is covered by a rear fender (110) with a tail light (not shown) disposed above it and a support bar (not shown) place above it at the end of the seat assembly (not shown). The rear wheel (105) is supported towards the rear side of the frame by the internal combustion (IC) engine (not shown) which is horizontally coupled swingably to the rear of the frame assembly of the two-wheeled vehicle through a rear suspension system (not shown).
[0036] An air cooling system (not shown) is provided for the IC engine which helps in cooling the assembly because of the excess heat generates within it. The IC engine transfers the drive directly to the rear wheel (105) as it is coupled directly to it through a continuously variable transmission system.
[0037] Figure 2 illustrates an isometric top view of the exemplary two-wheeled vehicle (100), showing the windshield (101) mounted on the exemplary two-wheeled vehicle (100) through the windshield mounting assembly (shown in figure 3), in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. In an embodiment, the windshield (101) is mounted on each mirror stem (200) by the windshield mounting assembly (shown in figure 3), said windshield mounting assembly (shown in figure 3) having two connecting sub-assemblies (shown in figure 4). Each connecting sub-assembly (shown in figure 4) is used to secure the windshield to one mirror stem (200). Each connecting sub-assembly (shown in figure 4) is identical in this embodiment and mounts the windshield (101) to the mirror stem (200) in the following manner.
[0038] Adjustable mounting brackets (202a, 202b, 202c) are disposed on the angular rod member (201). The angular rod member (201) is connected to one arm of the L-shaped bracket (203) by the adjustable mounting bracket (202c) and the nut and washer sub-assembly (204). Another arm of the L-shaped bracket (203) is connected to one end of the adapter coupler (205) on the lower face of the arm and the mirror stem (200) on the upper face of said arm. Another end of the adapter coupler (205) is secured to the handle bar (210). In this embodiment, the L-shaped bracket (203) and the mirror stem (200) are connected by the sleeve type lock nut (206). The windshield (101) is secured to the adjustable mounting brackets (202a, 202b) by a tightening nut (207). A vibration damper (208) is disposed between the tightening nut (207) and the windshield (101).
[0039] Figure 3 illustrates a rear view of the exemplary two-wheeled vehicle (100), showing the windshield (101) mounted on the exemplary two-wheeled vehicle (100) through a windshield mounting assembly (300), in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The windshield mounting assembly (300), in this embodiment consists of two connecting sub-assemblies (shown in figure 4). Each connecting sub-assembly (shown in figure 4) is used to secure the windshield to one mirror stem (200). Each connecting sub-assembly (shown in figure 4) is identical in this embodiment and mounts the windshield (101) to the mirror stem (200) in the following manner. In the present embodiment, the mirror stems (200) are disposed symmetrically on a left side and a right side of the handlebar assembly (106). A plurality of adjustable mounting brackets (202a, 202b, 202c) is disposed on the angular rod member (201). The angular rod member (201) is located on one arm of the L-shaped bracket (203) by one of the plurality of adjustable mounting brackets (202c) and the nut and washer sub-assembly (204). Another arm of the L-shaped bracket (203) is connected to one end of the adapter coupler (205) on the lower face of the arm and the mirror stem (200) on the upper face of said arm. The adapter coupler (205) is hidden from view by a grommet (shown in figure 6). Two adjustable mounting brackets (202a, 202b) of the plurality of adjustable mounting brackets (202a, 202b, 202c) secure the windshield (101) to the angular rod member (201) through a tightening nut (207).
[0040] Figure 4 illustrates an isometric side view of the connecting sub-assembly (400) for the exemplary two-wheeled vehicle (100), in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The connecting sub-assembly (400), in this embodiment, comprises adjustable mounting brackets (202a, 202b, 202c), angular rod member (201), L-shaped bracket (203), nut and washer sub-assembly (204) and adapter coupler (205). The adjustable mounting brackets (202a, 202b, 202c) are disposed on the angular rod member (201). The angular rod member (201) is located on one arm of the L-shaped bracket (203) by the adjustable mounting bracket (202c) and the nut and washer sub-assembly (204). Another arm of the L-shaped bracket (203) is connected to one end of the adapter coupler (205) on the lower face of the arm and the mirror stem (200) on the upper face of said arm. In this embodiment, the L-shaped bracket (203) and the mirror stem (200) are connected by a rigid fastener such as a sleeve type lock nut (206). The windshield (101) is secured to the adjustable mounting brackets (202a, 202b) by the tightening nut (207), another rigid fastener.
[0041] Figure 5 illustrates axes of rotation of the components of the connecting sub-assembly (400) for the exemplary two-wheeled vehicle (100), in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. A-A axis passes through the cylindrical axis of the adjustable mounting bracket (202c) and rotation about A-A axis is controlled by the nut and washer sub-assembly (204). B-B axis passes through the adapter coupler (205) and rotation about B-B axis is achieved through the adapter coupler (205). B-B axis, in this embodiment, lies along the adjustable mounting brackets (202a, 202b) and rotation about C-C axis is achieved through the angular rod member (201) and the adjustable mounting bracket (202c). A-A axis may be adjusted to position at any point in the F-R and L-Rt plane and the U-D and L-Rt plane. B-B axis may be adjusted to position at any point in the F-R and U-D plane and the U-D and L-Rt plane. C-C axis may be adjusted to position at any point in the F-R and U-D plane and the U-D and F-R plane.
[0042] Figure 6 illustrates an enlarged view of the connecting sub-assembly (400) for the exemplary two-wheeled vehicle (100), in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The angular rod member (201) is connected to one arm of the L-shaped bracket (203) by the adjustable mounting bracket (202c) and the nut and washer sub-assembly (204). Another arm of the L-shaped bracket (203) is connected to one end of the adapter coupler (205) on the lower face of the arm and the mirror stem (200) on the upper face of said arm. The adapter coupler (205) is hidden from view by a grommet (601). In this embodiment, the L-shaped bracket (203) and the mirror stem (200) are connected by the sleeve type lock nut (206).
[0043] Thus, the present invention describes a windshield mounting assembly (300) to mount the windshield (101) on at least one mirror stem (200) of a two-wheeled vehicle (100). Such windshield mounting assembly (300) allows flexible and adjustable mounting of the windshield (101) while allowing unimpeded tooling access, without the need to remove body cover panels to mount, remove or adjust the position or angular alignment of the windshield (101).
[0044] It is to be understood that the aspects of the embodiments are not necessarily limited to the features described herein. Many modifications and variations of the present subject matter are possible in the light of above disclosure. Therefore, within the scope of claims of the present subject matter, the present disclosure may be practiced other than as specifically described.

,CLAIMS:We claim:
1. A two-wheeled vehicle (100) comprising:
a handle bar assembly (106) adapted to steer the two-wheeled vehicle (100);
a rear-view mirror assembly (102) including at least one mirror attached to the handle bar assembly (106) through at least one mirror stem (200); and
a windshield (101) mounted on said at least one mirror stem (200)..

2. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) according to claim 1, wherein the windshield (101) is capable of being mounted to said at least one mirror stem (200) by a windshield mounting assembly (300) adapted to allow adjustment of at least one of position and angle of the windshield (101).

3. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) according to claim 2, wherein the windshield mounting assembly (300) includes at least one connecting sub-assembly (400) adapted to mount the windshield (101) to said at least one mirror stem (200).

4. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) according to claim 3, wherein said at least one connecting sub-assembly (400) includes one or more of a plurality of rigid fasteners (206, 207), at least one rod member (201), at least one L shaped bracket (203), at least one adjustable mounting bracket (202a, 202b, 202c), at least one nut and washer sub-assembly (204) and at least one adapter coupler (205).

5. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein said at least one connecting sub-assembly (400) includes said at least one adjustable mounting bracket (202a, 202b, 202c) mounted on said at least one rod member (201), said at least one connecting sub-assembly (400) being adapted to allow at least one of a translational and angular adjustment of the windshield (101) in a plane perpendicular to axis A-A.

6. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) according to claim 3, wherein said at least one connecting sub-assembly (400) includes at least one adapter coupler (205), said at least one connecting sub-assembly (400) being adapted to allow at least one of a translational and angular adjustment of the windshield (101) in a plane perpendicular to axis B-B.

7. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) according to claim 3, wherein said at least one connecting sub-assembly (400) includes at least one L shaped bracket (203) and at least one nut and washer sub-assembly (204), said at least one connecting sub-assembly (400) being adapted to allow at least one of a translational and angular adjustment of the windshield (101) in a plane perpendicular to axis C-C.

8. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the rear-view mirror assembly (102) includes two mirrors, each of said two mirrors being secured to the handle bar assembly (106) by each of two mirror stems (200) respectively, the windshield mounting assembly (300) including two connecting sub-assemblies (400), each of said two connecting assemblies (400) adapted to mount the windshield (100) to each of said two mirror stems (200) respectively.

9. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) according to claim 8, wherein said two mirrors of the rear-view mirror assembly (102) are symmetrically disposed on a left and right side of the handlebar assembly (106).