US 11,305,832 B2Granted

Leaning vehicle

AssigneeYamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsKeisuke Terada, Kotaro Ogura, Hiroyuki Morita, Yosuke Hirayama

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Abstract

A left suspension unit supports a left wheel. A right suspension unit supports a right wheel. A steering actuator imparts a force causing the left suspension unit and the right suspension unit to turn about a left steering axis and a right steering axis respectively to a steering force transmission mechanism. A leaning actuator imparts a force causing a body frame to lean leftward or rightward of a leaning vehicle to a link mechanism. A control unit is capable of selecting a first mode wherein both of the steering actuator and the leaning actuator are employed, and a second mode wherein the steering actuator is employed without employing the leaning actuator, in order to control a leaning angle of the body frame in cooperation with a steering mechanism.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A leaning vehicle comprising:

a body frame;
at least three wheels including a left wheel and a right wheel that are arranged side by side in a left-right direction of the body frame;
a left suspension unit supporting the left wheel that is included in the three wheels and as a front wheel a cross-sectional shape of which is curved;
a right suspension unit supporting the right wheel that is included in the three wheels and as a front wheel a cross-sectional shape of which is curved;
and
a steering mechanism configured to turn the left suspension unit about a left steering axis and the right suspension unit about a right steering axis, thereby turning the left wheel and the right wheel about the left steering axis and the right steering axis respectively,
wherein each of the left steering axis and the right steering axis is inclined downward in a front-rear direction of the body frame relative to a vertical direction;
wherein a cross point between each of the left steering axis and the right steering axis and a ground is located ahead of a ground contact point of each of the left wheel and the right wheel in the front-rear direction of the body frame;
wherein a cross-sectional shape of the ground contact point of the left wheel in a plane including a left axle is curved;
wherein a cross-sectional shape of the ground contact point of the right wheel in a plane including a right axle is curved;
wherein the leaning vehicle further comprises:
a link mechanism configured to change positions of the left wheel and the right wheel relative to the body frame to cause the body frame to lean leftward when the leaning vehicle is steered leftward and to cause the body frame to lean rightward when the leaning vehicle is steered rightward;
a steering actuator configured to impart a force causing the left suspension unit and the right suspension unit to respectively turn about the left steering axis and the right steering axis to the steering mechanism;
a leaning actuator configured to impart a force causing the body frame to lean leftward or rightward to the link mechanism;
and
a control unit configured to select a first mode in which both of the steering actuator and the leaning actuator are employed, and a second mode in which the steering actuator is employed without employing the leaning actuator, in order to control a leaning angle of the body frame in cooperation with the steering mechanism.

13 more elements

A leaning vehicle comprising:

a body frame;
at least three wheels including a left wheel and a right wheel that are arranged side by side in a left-right direction of the body frame;
a suspension unit supporting a wheel that is included in the three wheels and a front wheel a cross-sectional shape of which is curved;
and
a steering mechanism configured to turn the suspension unit about a steering axis,
wherein the steering axis is inclined downward in a front-rear direction of the body frame relative to a vertical direction;
wherein a cross point between the steering axis and a ground is located ahead of a ground contact point of the front wheel in the front-rear direction of the body frame;
wherein a cross-sectional shape of the ground contact point of the front wheel in a plane including an axle of the front wheel is curved;
wherein the leaning vehicle further comprises:
a link mechanism configured to change positions of the left wheel and the right wheel relative to the body frame to cause the body frame to lean leftward when the leaning vehicle is steered leftward and to cause the body frame to lean rightward when the leaning vehicle is steered rightward;
a steering actuator configured to impart a force causing the suspension unit to turn about the steering axis to the steering mechanism;
a leaning actuator configured to impart a force causing the body frame to lean leftward or rightward to the link mechanism;
and
a control unit configured to select a first mode in which both of the steering actuator and the leaning actuator are employed, and a second mode in which the steering actuator is employed without employing the leaning actuator, in order to control a leaning angle of the body frame in cooperation with the steering mechanism;
and
wherein the control unit is configured to perform a transition between the first mode and the second mode such that an output of the leaning actuator for controlling the leaning angle takes a value between a value taken before the transition and a value taken after the transition.

13 more elements

A leaning vehicle comprising:

a body frame;
at least three wheels including a left wheel and a right wheel that are arranged side by side in a left-right direction of the body frame;
a suspension unit supporting a wheel that is included in the three wheels and a front wheel a cross-sectional shape of which is curved;
and
a steering mechanism configured to turn the suspension unit about a steering axis,
wherein the steering axis is inclined downward in a front-rear direction of the body frame relative to a vertical direction;
wherein a cross point between the steering axis and a ground is located ahead of a ground contact point of the front wheel in the front-rear direction of the body frame;
wherein a cross-sectional shape of the ground contact point of the front wheel in a plane including an axle of the front wheel is curved;
wherein the leaning vehicle further comprises:
a link mechanism configured to change positions of the left wheel and the right wheel relative to the body frame to cause the body frame to lean leftward when the leaning vehicle is steered leftward and to cause the body frame to lean rightward when the leaning vehicle is steered rightward;
a steering actuator configured to impart a force causing the suspension unit to turn about the steering axis to the steering mechanism;
a leaning actuator configured to impart a force causing the body frame to lean leftward or rightward to the link mechanism;
and
a control unit configured to select a first mode in which both of the steering actuator and the leaning actuator are employed, and a second mode in which the steering actuator is employed without employing the leaning actuator, in order to control a leaning angle of the body frame in cooperation with the steering mechanism;
and
wherein the control unit is configured to perform a transition between the first mode and the second mode such that an output of the leaning actuator for controlling the leaning angle takes no value between a value taken before the transition and a value taken after the transition.

13 more elements

A leaning vehicle comprising:

a body frame;
at least three wheels including a left wheel and a right wheel that are arranged side by side in a left-right direction of the body frame;
a suspension unit supporting a wheel that is included in the three wheels and a front wheel a cross-sectional shape of which is curved;
and
a steering mechanism configured to turn the suspension unit about a steering axis,
wherein the steering axis is inclined downward in a front-rear direction of the body frame relative to a vertical direction;
wherein a cross point between the steering axis and a ground is located ahead of a ground contact point of the front wheel in the front-rear direction of the body frame;
wherein a cross-sectional shape of the ground contact point of the front wheel in a plane including an axle of the front wheel is curved;
wherein the leaning vehicle further comprises:
a link mechanism configured to change positions of the left wheel and the right wheel relative to the body frame to cause the body frame to lean leftward when the leaning vehicle is steered leftward and to cause the body frame to lean rightward when the leaning vehicle is steered rightward;
a steering actuator configured to impart a force causing the suspension unit to turn about the steering axis to the steering mechanism;
a leaning actuator configured to impart a force causing the body frame to lean leftward or rightward to the link mechanism;
and
a control unit configured to select a first mode in which both of the steering actuator and the leaning actuator are employed, and a second mode in which the steering actuator is employed without employing the leaning actuator, in order to control a leaning angle of the body frame in cooperation with the steering mechanism;
and
wherein the control unit is configured to select one of the first mode and the second mode based on parameters that reflects an operation frequency of the leaning actuator.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/784,909Filed 7 Feb 2020 · continuation
Priority: 10 Aug 2017
Published: US 2020/0172192 A14 Jun 2020
Granted: 19 Apr 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

B62K 5/10
Cycles with handlebars, equipped with three or more main road wheels: with means for inwardly inclining the vehicle body on bends
B62K 5/007
Cycles with four or more wheels, specially adapted for disabled riders, e.g. personal mobility type vehicles with four wheels: power-driven
B62K 5/05
Tricycles: characterised by a single rear wheel
B62K 5/08
Cycles with handlebars, equipped with three or more main road wheels: with steering devices acting on two or more wheels

Family

PCT/JP2017/029214Parent of this continuation · filed 10 Aug 2017
US 2020/0172192 A1Pre-grant publication · published 4 Jun 2020
US 11,305,832 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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