U.S. patent application number 09/943502 was filed with the patent office on 2002-03-07 for article storage device of motorcycle.
This patent application is currently assigned to SUZUKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA. Invention is credited to Aoki, Eizo.
Application Number | 20020027367 09/943502 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 18751429 |
Filed Date | 2002-03-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020027367 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Aoki, Eizo |
March 7, 2002 |
Article storage device of motorcycle
Abstract
A motorcycle is provided with an article storage device which is
disposed below a rider's seat, and the storage device includes an
article accommodation box having an article entrance port formed to
be opened upward in a standing state of a motorcycle and a cover
member provided for a bottom portion of the seat. The article
entrance port has a lateral width larger than a lateral width of an
outer peripheral edge of the seat, and the cover member covers the
article entrance port formed to the article accommodation box.
Inventors: |
Aoki, Eizo; (Hamamatsu-shi,
JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
OBLON SPIVAK MCCLELLAND MAIER & NEUSTADT PC
FOURTH FLOOR
1755 JEFFERSON DAVIS HIGHWAY
ARLINGTON
VA
22202
US
|
Assignee: |
SUZUKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
300, Takatsuka-cho
Hamamatsu-shi
JP
|
Family ID: |
18751429 |
Appl. No.: |
09/943502 |
Filed: |
August 31, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
296/37.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B62K 2202/00 20130101;
B62K 19/46 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
296/37.1 |
International
Class: |
B60R 007/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 31, 2000 |
JP |
2000-263945 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An article storage device of a motorcycle disposed below a
rider's seat, comprising: an article accommodation box having an
article entrance port formed so as to be opened upward in a
standing state of a motorcycle, said article entrance port having a
lateral width larger than a lateral width of an outer peripheral
edge of the seat; and a cover member provided for a bottom portion
of the seat so as to cover the article entrance port formed to the
article accommodation box.
2. An article storage device of a motorcycle according to claim 1,
wherein said seat includes a rider's seat section on which a rider
sits and a pillion section which is connected to a rear portion of
the rider's seat section and on which a fellow rider sits, and said
article accommodation box has a maximum lateral width portion at a
rear portion more than a front end of a sitting portion of the
pillion in a longitudinal direction of a body of the
motorcycle.
3. An article storage device of a motorcycle according to claim 2,
wherein fellow rider foot rests for the fellow rider are disposed
to lower portions of the motorcycle body on both lateral left and
right sides of the seat and said maximum lateral width portion of
the article accommodation box is provided to a rear portion more
than the fellow rider foot rests in the longitudinal direction of
the motorcycle body.
4. An article storage device of a motorcycle according to claim 3,
wherein a lateral width of a portion of the motorcycle body at
which the article accommodation box has the maximum lateral width
is set to be smaller than an entire width of a handle bar of the
motorcycle.
5. An article storage device of a motorcycle according to claim 1,
wherein article to be accommodated in the article accommodation box
is two helmets and said article accommodation box has an inner
space in which the two helmets are arranged side by side in the
width direction of the vehicle body in a plan view.
6. An article storage device of a motorcycle according to claim 1,
wherein article to be accommodated in the article accommodation box
is two helmets and said article accommodation box has an inner
space in which the two helmets are arranged in an overlapped state
in the width direction of the vehicle body in a plan view.
7. An article storage device of a motorcycle according to claim 1,
wherein the motorcycle is a scooter type motorcycle and the seat
includes a rider's seat section and a pillion section.
8. An article storage device of a motorcycle according to claim 1,
wherein said cover member is fixed to an upper surface of a bottom
portion of the seat by means of vises together with a seat cover of
the seat.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to an article storage device
of a motorcycle in which an article accommodation box or storage
chamber is provided in a motorcycle (vehicle) body.
[0002] A motorcycle, particularly a scooter type motorcycle, has
been provided with an article storage device including a
large-capacity accommodation box capable of storing a large article
such as a helmet at a position below a seat, the seat being
attached to be opened and closed. Conventional example of such
article storage device is for example disclosed in Japanese Patent
Laid-open Publication No. HEI 1-148679, Japanese Patent Laid-open
Publication No. HEI 6-156344 or other.
[0003] However, such article storage device has a capacity that can
store only one large article such as helmet.
[0004] In addition, in recent years, according to large
displacement of a motorcycle, in a scooter type motorcycle on which
two persons can ride, an article storage device having a capacity
and a structure capable of accommodating two helmets including a
fellow rider's helmet has been developed. Conventional examples of
such article storage devices are disclosed in Japanese Patent
Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 10-59255, Japanese Patent Laid-Open
Publication No. HEI 11-129969 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open
Publication No. HEI 11-129971.
[0005] However, in the article storage device having a capacity and
a structure capable of storing two helmets, since two helmets are
arranged in a longitudinal direction with respect to the front-
and-rear direction of the vehicle body, a frame cover which covers
the accommodation box and a body frame is extended backward of the
vehicle body. Moreover, in a conventional structure, there is a
case including a useless dead space in the article accommodation
box.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention has been conceived to solve the above
matters, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an
article storage device of a motorcycle which is capable of orderly
storing large articles without imparting an adverse influence on a
function of the vehicle driving or steering stability.
[0007] This and other objects can be achieved according to the
present invention by providing an article storage device of a
motorcycle disposed below a rider's seat, comprising:
[0008] an article accommodation box having an article entrance port
formed to be opened upward in a standing state of a motorcycle, the
article entrance port having a lateral width larger than a lateral
width of an outer peripheral edge of the seat; and
[0009] a cover member provided for a bottom portion of the seat so
as to cover the article entrance port formed to the article
accommodation box.
[0010] In a preferred example of this aspect, the seat includes a
rider's seat section on which a rider sits and a pillion section
which is connected to a rear portion of the rider's seat section
and on which a fellow rider sits, and the article accommodation box
has a maximum width portion at a rear portion more than a front end
of a sitting portion of the pillion in a longitudinal direction of
a body of the motorcycle.
[0011] Fellow rider foot rests for the fellow rider are disposed to
lower portions of the motorcycle body on both lateral left and
right sides of the seat and the maximum width portion of the
article accommodation box is provided to a rear portion more than
the fellow rider foot rests in the longitudinal direction of the
motorcycle body. A width of a portion of the motorcycle body at
which the article accommodation box has the maximum width is set to
be smaller than an entire width of a handle bar of the
motorcycle.
[0012] When two helmets are accommodated as article to be stored in
the article accommodation box, the article accommodation box has an
inner space in which the two helmets are arranged side by side in
the width direction of the vehicle body in a plan view. The two
helmets may be arranged in an overlapped state in the width
direction of the motorcycle body.
[0013] The motorcycle is a scooter type motorcycle and the seat
includes a rider's seat section and a pillion section.
[0014] The cover member is fixed to an upper surface of a bottom
portion of the seat by means of vises together with a seat cover of
the seat.
[0015] According to the structures and characters of the present
invention mentioned above, the article port (entrance/take-out
port) of the article accommodation box is formed to be wider than
the outer peripheral edge of the seat, and the cover member that
covers the article port of the accommodation box is provided on the
bottom plate of the seat. Therefore, a lot of large articles can be
stored orderly without exerting a bad influence on the function of
the vehicle driving or steering stability.
[0016] In addition, according to the present invention, the article
port is formed to be wider than the outer peripheral edge of the
seat so that the article port can be made larger than a
conventional one, and a large article can be easily put in or out.
Further, the cover member covering the article port of the article
accommodation box is provided so that the article port can be made
larger than a conventional one without damaging outer
appearance.
[0017] Furthermore, according to the preferred embodiment of the
present invention, the article accommodation box has the maximum
width portion on the rear position more than the sitting front end
of the pillion so that the vehicle body below the rider seat can be
made slim, and pedaling ability and riding properties of a rider
can be improved.
[0018] Furthermore, the maximum width portion of the article
accommodation box is positioned on the rear position more than the
fellow rider foot rests. Accordingly, the rear body on the side of
the article accommodation box hardly interferes with feet of a
fellow rider sitting on the pillion section, and thus the riding
properties can be improved.
[0019] The vehicle width dimension in the maximum width portion of
the accommodation box is set to be smaller than the whole width of
the handle bar of the motorcycle so as not to impart an adverse
effect to narrow road passing ability of the vehicle.
[0020] Moreover, according to the present invention, two full-faced
helmets can be accommodated in the article accommodation box in the
side by side arrangement in the width direction of the motorcycle
body with substantially no useless dead space therein. The article
accommodation box can be applied to a scooter type motorcycle on
which two riders can ride.
[0021] The nature and further characteristic features of the
present invention will be made more clear from the following
descriptions made with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] In the accompanying drawings:
[0023] FIG. 1 is a left side view showing a scooter type motorcycle
to which an article storage device of the present invention is
applied;
[0024] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the scooter type motorcycle of
FIG. 1;
[0025] FIG. 3 is a layout diagram showing an inside of the vehicle
(motorcycle);
[0026] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a seat of the motorcycle of
FIG. 2;
[0027] FIG. 5 is a cross section showing the seat and an article
accommodation box;
[0028] FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross section showing an engagement
state of a seat bottom and an article port of the motorcycle of
FIG. 5;
[0029] FIG. 7 is a cross section showing a modified example of the
accommodation box; and
[0030] FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing a modified example
of a cover member.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0031] One preferred embodiment of the present invention will be
described hereunder with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
[0032] With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the scooter type vehicle,
i.e., a motorcycle, 1 has a body frame 2 made of steel pipe shown
in FIG. 3, and a front fork 4 and a handle bar 5 for holding a
front wheel 3 are pivotally supported to a front head section of
the body frame 2 so as to be freely rotatable in the bilateral
direction of the vehicle body. Meanwhile, a power unit 8 is
arranged to a suspension bracket 6 provided to a rear section of
the body frame 2 via a suspension link 7 to be swung up and
down.
[0033] The power unit 8 is integrally composed of an engine 10 and
a swing case 11 which are well known to be used for a scooter type
vehicle. For example, the engine 10 is of a four-stroke-cycle
single cylinder engine. The swing case 11 is connected to a left
side surface of a crankcase 12 of the engine 10 and extends
backward, and a rear wheel 13 is axially supported to a right side
surface of its rear section. A continuously variable (non-stage)
transmission using a V-belt, a reduction gear device, and an engine
starting device and the like are all housed in the swing case 11. A
power of the engine 10 is automatically varied and transmitted to
the rear wheel 13.
[0034] In addition, a cylinder 14 extending substantially
horizontally in the forward direction is provided on the front
surface of the crankcase 12 of the engine 10. A carburetor 15 and
an air cleaner 16 composing an intake system of the engine 10 are
provided above the cylinder 14. Further, an exhaust pipe 18 is
disposed to extend backward from a lower surface of the cylinder 14
and connected to an exhaust muffler 19 positioned on the right side
of the rear wheel 13.
[0035] In the running state of the scooter type vehicle 1, when the
rear wheel 13 moves up and down due to an irregular road condition,
the power unit 8 and the auxiliary machineries, including the
carburetor 15, the air cleaner 16 and the exhaust muffler 19, are
all integrally swung up and down with the suspension link 7 being a
fulcrum for the swing motion. Further, the exhaust muffler 19 is
provided to be approximately parallel with the road surface in a
side view.
[0036] A suspension 20 of the power unit 8 is arranged on the front
side and below the engine 10 (cylinder 14). For example, a front
end of a shock absorber 21, which is arranged to a lower portion of
the body frame 2 to be approximately horizontal in the longitudinal
direction, is supported to the body frame 2, and its rear end is
linked with a point of force of a link 22 which is pivotally
supported by the body frame 2 to be freely rotatable, and a point
of application of the link 22 is linked to the front surface of the
crankcase 12 of the power unit 8 through a coupling rod 23. The
shock absorber 21 expands and contracts according to the
up-and-down swing motion of the power unit 8 so as to absorb the
swinging shock.
[0037] A periphery of the body frame 2 is wholly covered with a
frame cover 25 made of synthetic resin so that a streamline fairing
26 is formed on the front head portion of the vehicle body.
Meanwhile, a rear body 27 is formed on the rear half portion of the
vehicle body, and a seat 28 is disposed to the upper portion of the
rear body 27. Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a section
between the handle bar 5 and the seat 28 is indented deeply
downward, and a low-floor type step board 29 is arranged to this
section. A pair of step boards 29 are arranged on right and left
sides, straddling a middle portion, of the body frame 2, and a fuel
tank and the like, not shown, are disposed in a center console 30
arranged between the step boards 29.
[0038] The seat 28 is designed so that a pillion (fellow rider's
seat) section 28b where a fellow rider sits is connected to a rear
portion of a rider's seat section 28a where a rider sits at a
position higher by one stage. The rider sitting on the rider's seat
section 28a places both feet on the step boards 29, and the fellow
rider sitting on the pillion section 28b places both feet on a pair
of left and right fellow rider foot rests 31. The fellow rider foot
rests 31 are integrally formed on the rear body 27 so as to be
connected with the rear part of the step board 29 at a position
higher by one stage.
[0039] In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the front end portion of
the seat 28 is pivoted to the upper end of a seat bracket 33 which
is projected from a middle section of the body frame 2 to be freely
rotatable and pilled up in an arrowed direction A shown in FIG. 1
to be opened. Moreover, an article accommodation box 36 of a
bottomed container structure which has an article port (article
entrance/take-out port) 35 opened upward is provided inside the
rear body 27 below the seat 28, thus constituting an article
storage device 37. When the seat 28 is opened, a large article can
be put into or taken out of the article accommodation box 36.
[0040] Since the power unit 8 and the rear wheel 13 are disposed
just below an article storage chamber, the article storage device
37 is arranged so that the rear wheel 13 does not interfere with
the bottom surface of the article accommodation box 36 when the
power unit 8 is in the top position of the swinging range. The
carburetor 15 and the air cleaner 16 are laid just in front of the
article accommodation box 36, and when the seat 28 is opened, the
maintenance of the carburetor 15 and the air cleaner 16 can be
easily performed.
[0041] In FIG. 2, the article port 35 of the article accommodation
box 36 is formed to be wider in its lateral width than an outer
peripheral edge of the seat 28 as shown by a two-dot-chain line
line, whereas as shown in FIG. 5, a cover member 39 having a bowed
shape in a plan view is fixed to the upper surface of a bottom
plate 38 of the seat 28 by means of vises 40. The cover member 39
covers the article port 35 of the article accommodation box 36 from
an upper direction. When the cover member 39 is fixed to the upper
surface of the bottom plate 38 by means of vises 40, an outer
periphery of a seat cover 41 of the seat 28 is nipped so that a
seat cushion 42 formed by sponge or the like is fixed.
[0042] In addition, a maximum lateral width W1 of the accommodation
box 36 is provided on the rear position more than the front end of
the sitting position of the pillion 28b as shown in FIG. 2 and on
the rear position more than the fellow rider foot rests 31.
Moreover, a vehicle lateral width W2 in the maximum width W1 of the
accommodation box 36 is set to be smaller than a whole lateral
width W3 of the handle bar 5.
[0043] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 6, a seat bottom 43 is
integrally formed to the lower surface of the bottom plate 38 of
the sitting seat 28 along an outer peripheral edge in the vicinity
of the lower surface of the bottom plate 38 of the seat 28, and an
arc-shaped concave section 43a having a width wider than the
thickness of the seat bottom 43 is integrally formed on a lowermost
section of the seat bottom 43.
[0044] In addition, a seal member 44, which is formed of rubber,
synthetic resin or the like along an entire periphery of the
opening edge of the article port 35 so as to provide a convex
shape, is attached to the article port 35 of the article
accommodation box 36. The seal member 44 is engaged with the
arc-shaped concave section 43a of the seat bottom 43.
[0045] Furthermore, the article accommodation box 36 is provided
with left and right side sections 45a and 45b, which are formed
into arc shapes according to a shape of an article (articles) to be
stored as shown in FIG. 5, and a bottom section 46 connected to
both the side sections 45a and 45b is also formed into an arc shape
on the left and right sides. Therefore, two full-faced helmets 47
and 48 can be stored in the article accommodation box 36 in a state
that they are arranged in left and right (lateral) positions as
viewed in a plan view.
[0046] In this case, since the article accommodation box 36 is
formed according to the shapes of the two full-faced helmets 47 and
48 as articles to be stored, the two full-faced helmets 47 and 48
can be held securely with no useless dead space and no movement of
the helmets stored in the accommodation box 36.
[0047] In addition, the outer peripheral edges of a pair of the
right and left cover members 39 are engaged with an engagement
flange 49 which is formed on an upper end of the rear body 27 to be
fixed thereto as shown in FIG. 5.
[0048] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the article port 35
of the article accommodation box 36 is formed to be wider than the
outer peripheral edge of the seat 27, and the cover member 39 which
covers the article port 35 of the accommodation box 36 is secured
to the bottom plate 38 of the seat 28. As a result, a lot of large
article can be stored orderly without exerting a bad influence on
the function of the vehicle operation such as vehicle driving or
steering stability.
[0049] In addition, the article port 35 is formed to be wider than
the outer peripheral edge of the seat 28 in the vehicle lateral
direction, so that the article port 35 can be larger than a
conventional one, and hence, a large article can be easily put in
or taken out. Further, the location of the cover member 39 covering
the article port 35 of the accommodation box 36 allows the article
port 35 to become larger than a conventional one without damaging
outer appearance.
[0050] Further, the maximum width W1 of the article accommodation
box 36 is formed to the rear position more than the seat front end
of the pillion so that the vehicle body below the rider seat 28a
becomes slim, and pedaling ability and riding properties of a rider
are made acceptable. Moreover, the portion having the maximum width
W1 of the article accommodation box 36 is provided in the rear
position more than the fellow rider foot rests 31 so that the rear
body 27 hardly interferes with feet of a fellow rider sitting on
the pillion 28b, and thus, the riding properties can be improved
without deteriorating comfort of the fellow rider.
[0051] In addition, the vehicle width W2 in the maximum width W1 of
the article accommodation box 36 is set to be smaller than the
whole width W3 of the handle bar to obviate a bad effect on the
vehicle narrow road passing characteristic.
[0052] Furthermore, the article accommodation box 36 is formed so
as to store the plural helmets 47 and 48 in a state that they are
arranged in the left and right positions as viewed in a plan view.
As a result, the article accommodation box 36 can be applied to a
scooter type motorcycle on which two riders can ride.
[0053] FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view showing a modified example
of the article accommodation box 36. In an illustrated state, an
article accommodation box 50 of the modified example is constituted
so that a left surface section 51a is formed into a flat plate
shape and a right surface section 51b is formed into an arc shape,
and a bottom section 52 which is connected to both the surface
sections 51a and 51b is also formed to provide arc shapes at the
left and right bottom positions. Therefore, the two full-faced
helmets 47 and 48 are stored in an overlapped state in the lateral
left-and-right width direction in the article accommodation box
50.
[0054] FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing a modified example
of the cover member 39. A cover member 53 of the modified example
is constituted into an annular shape so as to surround the entire
periphery of the seat 28 and cover the article port 35 of the
article accommodation box 36 from the upper direction.
[0055] Therefore, the cover member 53 is formed into an annular
shape so as to surround the entire periphery of the seat 28, so
that the cover member 53 covers not only the article port 35 formed
to be wider but also the entire periphery of the seat 28, thus
improving the outer appearance of the vehicle.
[0056] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned
embodiment and the modified examples, and various changes and
modifications may be carried out. For example, in the above
embodiment, there is explained the example that the article storage
device 37 is applied to the scooter type motorcycle, but the
application is not limited to the scooter type, and the structure
of the article storage device of the present invention can be
applied to motorcycles of another type vehicle.
[0057] In addition, the above embodiment and modified examples
explained the case where the two helmets 47 and 48, as large
article, are stored in the article accommodation box 36, but the
present invention is not limited to the accommodation of such
article of helmet, and the another large article and long article
such as an attache case may be stored in the accommodation box
36.
[0058] Furthermore, although the above embodiment explained the
example that the present invention is applied to the scooter type
vehicle for two riders, similarly, in a scooter type vehicle for
one rider, an article port of an article accommodation box is
formed to be wider than an outer peripheral edge of a seat 27 in
the body lateral direction, and a cover member which covers the
article port of the article accommodation box may be provided on a
bottom plate of the seat.
* * * * *