# US 12,214,842 B2 · Vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,214,842 B2 - Document ID: US12214842B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/757,978 - Filed: 2020-12-09 - Published: 2023-01-26 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2019-12-26 - Assignees: Kawasaki Motors, Ltd. - Applicants: Kawasaki Motors, Ltd. - Inventors: Takeshi Nakajima; Hiroshi Ishii; Taro Iwamoto; Kazuya Nagasaka; Taichi Inaba - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12214842B2 ## CPC - B62K 5/10: with means for inwardly inclining the vehicle body on bends - B62K 25/08: for front wheel - B62K 5/027: Motorcycles with three wheels (specially adapted for disabled riders B62K5/023) - B62K 5/05: characterised by a single rear wheel - B62K 5/08: with steering devices acting on two or more wheels - B62K 21/00: Steering devices - B62D 9/02: combined with means for inwardly inclining vehicle body on bends - B62K: CYCLES; CYCLE FRAMES; CYCLE STEERING DEVICES; RIDER-OPERATED TERMINAL CONTROLS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR CYCLES; CYCLE AXLE SUSPENSIONS; CYCLE SIDECARS, FORECARS, OR THE LIKE - B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M) ## Abstract A leaning vehicle includes a vehicle body, a left front wheel, a right front wheel, a steering rod, suspension, a first steering part, second steering part, a pantograph mechanism. The first steering part is disposed a vehicle body side respect to the suspension and transmits rotational a steering force by a driver. The second steering part is disposed the front wheel side respect to the suspension and transmits the rotational steering force to the steering rod. The pantograph mechanism is disposed separately from the suspension, transmits the rotational steering force from the first steering part to the second steering part, and maintains state of transmission of the rotational steering force by deforming in accordance with changes in relative positions of the first steering part and the second steering part. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle, comprising: a vehicle body; a first front wheel positioned on a first side in a vehicle width direction; a second front wheel positioned on a second side opposite to the first side in the vehicle width direction; a steering rod that, in response to receiving a rotational steering force, pushes and pulls the first front wheel and the second front wheel in the vehicle width direction, to change an actual steering angle; a suspension configured to connect a front wheel side to a vehicle body side and reduce vibration transmitted from a road surface to the vehicle body, the suspension being common for the first front wheel and the second front wheel to absorb the vibration transmitted from the road surface through the first front wheel and the second front wheel collectively; a first steering part supported by the vehicle body and disposed on the vehicle body side with respect to the suspension and transmits the rotational steering force by a driver; a second steering part supported by a part from an axle that moves vertically with the first and second front wheels and disposed on the front wheel side with respect to the suspension and transmits the rotational steering force to the steering rod; and a deformation transmitter disposed separately from the suspension, transmits the rotational steering force from the first steering part to the second steering part, and maintains state of transmission of the rotational steering force by deforming in accordance with changes in relative positions of the first steering part and the second steering part. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the suspension includes: a tubular body, a sliding body configured to be inserted into the tubular body and slidable relative to the tubular body, and a spring extending or retracting by sliding the sliding body, a position of an axis of the spring and a position of an axis of the tubular body being the same, wherein one of the first steering part and the second steering part vibrates integrally with the tubular body, and wherein the other of the first steering part and the second steering part vibrates integrally with the sliding body. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the deformation transmitter includes: a first link portion connected to the first steering part, and a second link portion rotatably connected to both of the first link portion and the second steering part, wherein the deformation transmitter is a pantograph mechanism including the first link portion and the second link portion, and wherein the pantograph mechanism protrudes on an opposite side of the suspension when the pantograph mechanism become short. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising: a steering handle, and a rotational transmitter transmitting the rotational steering force applied to the steering handle to the first steering part, wherein a rotation axis of the first steering part is positioned forward of a rotation axis of the steering handle, and wherein the suspension is arranged forward of the rotation axis of the first steering part in a front-rear direction. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising: a lean mechanism configured to cause the first front wheel and the second front wheel to lean about a front-rear direction as a rotation center when the vehicle body leans about the front-rear direction as the rotation center, wherein the lean mechanism is attached to the vehicle at a position forward from the suspension in the front-rear direction, and wherein the lean mechanism is arranged lower than the suspension. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the lean mechanism is positioned so as to overlap the first front wheel and the second front wheel in a side view. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a rotation axis of the first steering part and a rotation axis of the second steering part are coincident. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the steering rod is independently changeable from a center of a shaft length to the first side in the vehicle width direction and from the center of the shaft length to the second side in the vehicle width direction. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the deformation transmitter includes: a first link portion connected to the first steering part, and a second link portion rotatably connected to both of the first link portion and the second steering part, wherein the deformation transmitter is a pantograph mechanism including the first link portion and the second link portion, and wherein the pantograph mechanism protrudes on an opposite side of the suspension when the pantograph mechanism become short. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the suspension is a front fork type and at least a part of the suspension is arranged in a space in between a front part of the vehicle body and the first front wheel in a side view. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the suspension includes: a tubular body; a sliding body inserted into the tubular body and slidable relative to the tubular body; and a spring that extends or retracts by sliding the sliding body, wherein an axis of the spring and an axis of the tubular body are concentric, and wherein the tubular body is fixed to the vehicle body to prevent movement of the tubular body relative to the vehicle body. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the suspension includes an upper coupling member and a lower coupling member, the second steering part includes a suspension attaching portion, and the suspension attaching portion is attached to the lower coupling member via a lower coupling base. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the suspension includes a plurality of tubular suspensions, each of the tubular suspensions coupled to the upper coupling member and the lower coupling member. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the suspension includes a plurality of tubular suspensions, each of the tubular suspensions coupled to the upper coupling member and a front frame disposed in a front portion of the vehicle body. ### Claim 15 A vehicle, comprising: a vehicle body; a first front wheel positioned on a first side in a vehicle width direction; a second front wheel positioned on a second side opposite to the first side in the vehicle width direction; a steering rod that, in response to receiving a rotational steering force, pushes and pulls the first front wheel and the second front wheel in the vehicle width direction, to change an actual steering angle; a suspension configured to connect a front wheel side to a vehicle body side and reduce vibration transmitted from a road surface to the vehicle body via the first front wheel or the second front wheel; a first steering part disposed on the vehicle body side with respect to the suspension and transmits the rotational steering force by a driver; a second steering part disposed on the front wheel side with respect to the suspension and transmits the rotational steering force to the steering rod; a deformation transmitter disposed separately from the suspension, transmits the rotational steering force from the first steering part to the second steering part, and maintains state of transmission of the rotational steering force by deforming in accordance with changes in relative positions of the first steering part and the second steering part; a coupling part for coupling the first front wheel to the second front wheel; and a vehicle body frame having a front part positioned in front of a steering handle in a front-rear direction, wherein the suspension connects the coupling part to the front part of the vehicle body frame. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The vehicle according to claim 15, wherein the suspension is positioned forward of a rotation axis of the steering handle in the front-rear direction. ### Claim 17 A vehicle, comprising: a vehicle body; a first front wheel positioned on a first side in a vehicle width direction; a second front wheel positioned on a second side opposite to the first side in the vehicle width direction; a steering rod that, in response to receiving a rotational steering force, pushes and pulls the first front wheel and the second front wheel in the vehicle width direction, to change an actual steering angle; a suspension configured to connect a front wheel side to a vehicle body side and reduce vibration transmitted from a road surface to the vehicle body via the first front wheel or the second front wheel; a first steering part disposed on the vehicle body side with respect to the suspension and transmits the rotational steering force by a driver; a second steering part disposed on the front wheel side with respect to the suspension and transmits the rotational steering force to the steering rod; a deformation transmitter disposed separately from the suspension, transmits the rotational steering force from the first steering part to the second steering part, and maintains state of transmission of the rotational steering force by deforming in accordance with changes in relative positions of the first steering part and the second steering part; and a lean mechanism configured to cause the first front wheel and the second front wheel to lean about a front-rear direction as a rotation center when the vehicle body leans about the front-rear direction as the rotation center, wherein the lean mechanism is attached to the vehicle at a position forward from the suspension in the front-rear direction, and wherein the lean mechanism is arranged lower than the suspension.