UNDERCOVER STRUCTURE FOR MOTORCYCLE

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to an undercover structure for a motorcycle. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known that an undercover structure for a scooter type motorcycle includes a battery and a wire harness between a step floor to put a rider's feet and an undercover arranged below the step floor, as is disclosed in JP4108222B2.

JP4108222B2 further discloses that there is a vacant space between the undercover and the step floor. Since small animals such as rats and insects which prefer the dark place, there are cases when the small animals enter the vacant space between the undercover and the step floor. For the purpose of preventing the small animals from entering the vacant space, it is necessary to provide a lot of parts for the undercover so that the small animals do not enter the vacant space.

Unfortunately, if these parts are provided for the undercover, it is possible for the undercover structure to increase the complexity and the manufacturing cost of the undercover structure. Therefore, recently the development of the undercover structure for the motorcycle which reduces the complexity and the manufacturing cost is desired.

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature

PTL 1 : Japanese Patent Publication No. JP4108222B2

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an objective of the present invention to provide an undercover structure for a motorcycle capable of being simple and reducing the manufacturing cost, by forming an optical guide portion introducing the sunlight to enter a vacant space between an undercover and a step floor.

In order to achieve the above objective, an embodiment of the present invention provides an undercover structure for a motorcycle that includes a step floor including: an undercover provided under said step floor; and a vacant space placed between said step floor and said undercover, wherein said undercover has at least one optical guide portion which is configured to introduce the sunlight to enter said vacant space between said undercover and said step floor.

Generally, the small animals such as rats and incents are nocturnal, prefers the dark place, and avoids the lighted place.

According to the embodiment of the present embodiment, the undercover has at least one optical guide portion which is configured to introduce the sunlight to enter the vacant space between the undercover and the step floor, the sunlight is taken in the vacant space from the optical guide portion. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the small animals enter and live in the vacant space between the undercover and the step floor. As a result, the undercover structure is capable of being simple and reducing the manufacturing cost, and having a larger vacant space as a storage space, just placing the optical guide portion.

In the undercover structure of the embodiment of the present invention, said optical guide portion comprises one or more openings provided to said undercover, and each opening is formed with an erected wall erected from said rear end of said opening into said vacant space.

According to the embodiment of the present embodiment, since each opening is formed with an erected wall erected from the rear end of the opening into the vacant space, it is possible to make the water or the mud which is whirled up at the front portion of the motorcycle adhere to one or more erected walls. Thus, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the mud or the water enter the vacant space through the opening.

In the undercover structure of the embodiment of the present invention, said erected wall is inclined in a front direction of said motorcycle.

According to the embodiment of the present embodiment, since the erected wall is inclined in a front direction of motorcycle, it is possible to discharge the water or the mud which temporarily adhered to one or more erected walls to the outside of the motorcycle.

Moreover, since the erected wall can be formed so as to cover the opening, it is possible to keep the area of the opening and to make the water or the mud adhere the erected wall. Thus, it is possible to restrain that the water or the mud which is whirled up at the front portion of the motorcycle from enters the vacant space.

In the undercover structure of the embodiment of the present invention, an upper edge portion of said erected wall includes a plurality of sharp protrusions.

According to the embodiment of the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the small animals enter the vacant space, because of the plurality of sharp protrusions. In addition, it is difficult for the small animals to stay in the upper edge portion of the erected wall.

In the undercover structure of the embodiment of the present invention, said erected wall is provided with at least one side wall extending from at least one side edge of said erected wall toward a front end of said opening.

According to the embodiment of the present embodiment, it is possible to discharge the water or the mud which adhered to the erected walls to the outside of the motorcycle more efficiently. In addition, since the side wall is formed so as to become low gradually from the side edge of the erected wall toward the front end of the opening, this undercover structure introduces the sunlight to enter the vacant space efficiently.

In the undercover structure of the embodiment of the present invention, said rear end of said opening is disposed at a position higher than said front end when viewed from the side of said motorcycle.

According to the embodiment of the present embodiment, since it is difficult for the water or the mud to enter the opening, this undercover structure further efficiently prevents the water or the mud which is whirled up at the front portion of the motorcycle from entering the vacant space.

In the undercover structure of the embodiment of the present invention, an engine of said motorcycle is arranged at the rear position in said undercover, and wherein the heights of said erected walls decrease gradually toward the rear side of said undercover.

According to the embodiment of the present embodiment, since the erected walls are arranged so that the heights of the erected walls decrease gradually toward the rear side of the undercover, this undercover structure much further efficiently prevents the water or the mud which is whirled up at the front portion of the motorcycle from entering the vacant space. Moreover, in the traveling state, it is possible to secure the sufficient flow rate of the intake air. As a result, it is possible to improve cooling efficiency of the engine.

In the undercover structure of the embodiment of the present invention, a main frame and a battery which is arranged at one side of right and left of said main frame are accommodated in said vacant space, and wherein each opening is arranged in a side opposite to said one side.

Generally, since the small animals live to the large space in the vacant space of the motorcycle, the small animals tend to live in one side of the vacant space in which the battery is not accommodated.

According to the embodiment of the present embodiment, since the more openings are arranged on the opposite side from the battery with respect to the main frame, this undercover structure prevents the small animals from living in the opposite side from the battery in the vacant space, by being lighted from the outside through the openings.

In the undercover structure of the embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the openings is arranged at the center of said vacant space in front of the battery.

According to the embodiment of the present embodiment, the sunlight is taken in the vacant space sufficiently.

In the undercover structure of the embodiment of the present invention, said rear end of said opening extends rearward of the motorcycle from a position of the central side of said undercover to the outside of said undercover.

Even if the motorcycle travels, the travelling air blows against the openings of the undercover. According to the embodiment of the present embodiment, since the flow of the travelling air is stabilized in the outward of the motorcycle, it is possible to reduce more efficiently the possibility that the water or the mud from enter the vacant space through the openings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The principle of the present invention and its advantages will become apparent in the following description taking in consideration with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a left view of the motorcycle with the undercover structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of an undercover structure of FIG.1 ;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the undercover structure taken along the line III-III of FIG.2;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the undercover structure taken along the line IV-IV of FIG.2;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the undercover structure taken along the line V-V of FIG.1 ;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the undercover structure taken along the line VI-VI of FIG.2; FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the undercover structure taken along the line VII-VII of FIG.2;

FIG. 8 is a bottom left side view of the undercover structure.

DETAILED DESCTIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 8. In the following detailed description, relative positional terms such as "front (FR)", "rear (RR)", "right side (RS)" and "left side (LS)" correspond to those directions considered from the vantage point of a vehicle operator, seated in the driver's seat and facing forwardly. The embodiment of the invention discloses an undercover structure for a motorcycle that includes a step floor including: an undercover provided under the step floor; and a vacant space placed between the step floor and the undercover. Moreover, the undercover has an optical guide portion which is configured to introduce the sunlight to enter the vacant space between the undercover and the step floor.

As shown in F1G.1 , the motorcycle 10 is a scooter type vehicle. The motorcycle 10 includes, as main parts thereof, a head pipe 18, the main frame 1 1 descendingly inclined rearward from the head pipe 18, a pair of rear frame pipes 12a, 12b extending rearward from the end portions of a pivot shaft 12c respectively, the cross member 13 which includes a front cross member 13a and a rea cross member 13b, acrossing the rear frame pipes 12a, 12b, a front fork (not shown) which is mounted on the head pipe 18, a front wheel FW for a front tire FT which is mounted on the front fork, a handle 19 which is connected to the front fork, the swingable power unit 30 which is mounted on a rear portion of the main frame 1 1 in a vertically swingable manner, a rear wheel RW for a rear tire RT which is mounted on the swingable power unit 30, a rear cushion 21 which is mounted on a rear end portion of the swingable power unit 30 thereon in a suspended manner, and the seat 14 which arranged on the front and rear cross members 13a, 13b such that the seat 14 can be opened and closed.

The main frame 1 1 includes a down frame portion 11 d descendingly inclined rearward from the head pipe 18, a floor frame portion 1 If ^* bent substantially horizontally from a rear end of the down frame portion l i d and extending rearward, and a main frame cross pipe 1 lc having a middle portion fixed at a right angle to a rear end of the floor frame portion 1 1 f in a horizontal plane. The down frame portion 1 Id and the floor frame portion 1 I f are continuously formed together.

The center line of the down frame portion l id and the floor frame portion l l f corresponds with the center line of the motorcycle 10 when viewed from above. As showed in FIG.2 and FIG.3, the floor stays 22a, 22b are configured to extend frontward from the end portions of the main frame cross pipe 1 1 c respectively. The floor stays 22a, 22b are formed symmetrically with respect to the center line of the motorcycle 10.

In the present embodiment, the material of the main frame 1 1 and the rear frame pipes 12a, 12b is steel, but is not limited aluminum alloy or the like.

The swingable power unit 30 includes a belt converter cover, a cylinder, a cylinder head, a cylinder head cover, and a bellows air duct tube (not shown). The swingable power unit 30 is constituted of an engine 36 and a continuously variable transmission (not shown) which is positioned to the left side from the center line of the motorcycle 10. The cylinder of the engine 36 is configured to be projected between the front portions of the rear frame pipes 12a, 12b and inclined in the substantially horizontal direction.

The continuously variable transmission is disposed inside of the belt converter cover 31. The rear wheel RW is directly rotatably and journaled to the rear portion of the continuously variable transmission. In particular, two pulleys are disposed in the inside of the belt converter cover 31. Two pulleys are fixed to the driving shaft and axis of the rear wheel RW, and a belt is configured to be bound pulleys for supplying the driving force.

The motorcycle 10 is covered with several covers. Several covers include a front cover 40 which covers a front portion of the head pipe 18, an inner cover 41 that covers a rear portion of the front cover 40 and includes a pocket means (not shown) to store rider's things, a leg shield 42 which covers the front fork and the front lower portion of the motorcycle 10 to protect the rider's legs, a step floor 43 which is configured to cover the floor stays 22a, 22b so that the driver places his or her feet, includes a pair of left and right side covers 44a, 44b (not shown) which is arranged under the seat 14 to cover the side structure of the motorcycle 10, a front fender 45 that covers the upper portion of the front wheel FW, an undercover 46 provided under the step floor 43, and a rear fender 47 that covers the upper portion of the rear wheel RW.

In the present embodiment, the front cover 40, the inner cover 41 , the leg shield 42, the step floor 43, the side covers 44a, 44b, the front fender 45, the undercover 46 is plastic, and the rear fender 47, but is not limited aluminum alloy, steel or the like.

As shown in FIG. l, the undercover 46 extends backward from the leg shield 42 and the front cover 40, and covers the engine 36, in order to cover and protect the battery 50, a plenary of wire harness 52 and so on which are provided under the step floor 43. The undercover 46 is provided under the step floor 43 and removably mounted on the under surface of the step floor 43.

As shown in FIG.2 to FIG.8, the undercover 46 includes including a left undercover sidewall 46a, a right undercover sidewall 46b, and an undercover bottom surface member 46c. The undercover 46 has an almost U-shaped width direction cross section.

For the purpose of accommodating the battery 50, the harness 52, and the main frame 1 1, a vacant space 48 is formed inside the undercover 46 by the left and right undercover sidewall 46a, 46b, the undercover bottom surface member 46c, and the step floor 43. The main frame is located in the central position of the U-shaped width direction cross section of the undercover 46. The battery 50 is located at the right side of the main frame in the vacant space 48. In addition, the battery 50 may be located at the left side of the main frame in the vacant space 48. As shown in FIG.2 to FIG.8, the undercover structure 1 including the undercover 46 and the vacant space 48 has four openings provided in the undercover bottom surface member 46c, as an optical guide portion 60 which is configured to introduce the sunlight to enter a vacant space 48 between the undercover 46 and the step floor 43. In the present embodiment, the number of the openings is four, but is not limited one or the like.

The optical guide portion 60 is composed of a first opening 61 located in the central portion of the undercover 46 at the front of the undercover 46, a second opening 62 which is the second opening from the front of the undercover 46, a third opening 63 which is the third opening from the front of the undercover 46, and a fourth opening 64 which is the fourth opening from the front of the undercover 46. Each opening is formed in an almost rectangular form. In the present embodiment, each opening is formed in an almost rectangular form, but is not limited in a semicircular shape, in a semicircle shape, in an elliptic shape, in a sectional polygonal shape or the like.

The rear ends 61b, 62b, 63b, 64b of the openings 61, 62, 63, 64 are extended rearward of the motorcycle from the positions of the central side of the undercover 46 to the outside of the undercover 46, respectively. The openings 61, 62, 63, 64 of the undercover 46 are formed away from the battery 50. In the embodiment, the openings 62, 63, 64 are arranged in the left side opposite to the right side of the main frame 1 1, in order to prevent the small animals from entering the vacant space 48.

As the example, the construction of the optical guide portion 60 is explained by using the first opening 61 and the second opening 62. The third and fourth openings 63, 64 are formed concerning the erected wall and the side wall similarly.

As showed in FIGs.5 to 7, the first opening 61 is formed with an erected wall 61a erected from the rear edge 61 b of the first opening 61 into the vacant space 48. Also, the second opening 62 is formed with an erected wall 62a erected from the rear end 62b of the first opening 62 into the vacant space 48.

The erected walls 61 a, 62a are inclined in a front direction of the undercover 46. The angles of the erected walls 61a, 62a to the ground decreases as the position of the opening departs from the front of the undercover 46. Moreover, the heights of the erected walls 61 a, 62a from the rear ends 61b, 62b decrease gradually toward the rear of the undercover 46.

The erected walls 61a, 62a have upper edge portions 61c, 62c on the opposite side from the openings 61, 62 respectively. The upper edge portions 61c, 62c include a plurality of sharp protrusions respectively, in order to prevent the small animals from entering the vacant space 48. The erected wall 61 a is provided with side walls 61d, 61 d extending from side edges 61 e, 61 e of the erected wall 61 a toward a front end 6 I f. Also, the erected wall 62a is provided with side walls 62d, 62d extending from side edges 62e, 62e of the erected wall 62a toward a front end 62f. In addition, the erected wall 61a (62a, 63a, 64a) may be provided with one of the side walls 61d, (62d, 63d, 64d), in order to prevent the water or the mud from entering the vacant space 48.

As showed in FIG.7 which is described in order to clear both the height position of the rear end 61 b and the front end 61 f of the opening 61 by using the horizontal line HL, the rear end 61b is disposed at the positions higher than the front end 61 f when viewed from the side of the motorcycle 10, in order to prevent the water or the mud from entering the vacant space 48. In addition, the rear ends 62b, 63b, 64b are disposed at the positions higher than the front ends 62f, 63f, 64f when viewed from the side of the motorcycle 10, respectively.

Next, the advantages obtained by the undercover structure 1 for motorcycle 10 that includes the step floor 43 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

In the case of the motorcycle stop state, since the sunlight is taken in the vacant space 48 from the optical guide portion 60, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the small animals enter and live in the vacant space 48 between the undercover 46 and the step floor 43.

In addition, each opening is formed with an erected wall erected from the rear end of the opening into the vacant space 48, and the upper edge portion of the erected wall includes a plurality of the shape protrusions. Therefore, it is difficult for the small animals to enter the vacant space 48 and stay in the upper edge portion of the erected wall.

In the case of the motorcycle traveling state, the water or the mud is whirled up at the front portion of the motorcycle 10. Even if the water or the mud whirled up at the front portion of the motorcycle 10, it is possible to make the water or the mud which is whirled up adhere to the erected walls 61 a, 62a, 63a, 64a. Thus, the undercover structure 1 prevents the mud or the water from entering the vacant space 46.

Even if the mud or the water enters the vacant space 46, since the openings 62, 63, 64 are arranged in the left side opposite to the right side where the battery 50 is arranged, the undercover structure 1 prevents the mud or the water from entering the vacant space 46.

In addition, since each opening is arranged in the left side opposite to the right side where the battery 50 is arranged, the undercover structure 1 can prevent the water or the mud from entering the battery 50 directly, and the sunlight is taken in the vacant space 46 sufficiently. Moreover, since the heights of the erected walls decrease gradually, it is possible to secure the sufficient flow rate of the intake air. As a result, the undercover structure 1 can cool the engine 36 efficiently, in the motorcycle traveling state.

Furthermore, the rear ends 61b, 62b, 63b, 64b extend rearward of motorcycle from the positions of the central side of the undercover 46 to the outside of the undercover 46.

In the motorcycle traveling state, the travelling air blows against the openings 61 , 62, 63, 64 of the undercover 46. Since the flow of the travelling air is stabilized in the outward of the motorcycle 10, the undercover structure 1 prevents the water or the mud from entering the vacant space 48 through the openings 61, 62, 63, 64.

Even if the mud enters into the vacant space 48, since drain holes DH, DH are provided at the undercover 46, it is possible to discharge the mud through the drain holes DH, DH. Moreover, since the undercover structure 1 can intake the traveling air, the engine 36 can be cooled by the traveling air.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been disclosed and described as well as illustrated in the companying drawings, it is simply for the purpose of better understanding of the principle of the present invention and it is not as a limitation of the scope and spirit of the teaching of the present invention. Adaption and modification to various structures such as design or material of the invention, mounting mechanism of various parts and elements or embodiments are possible and apparent to a skilled person without departing from the scope of the present invention which is to be determined by the claims.

List of reference:

1 undercover structure

10 motorcycle

1 1 main frame

1 lc main frame cross pipe

1 I d down frame portion of main frame

1 I f floor frame portion of main frame

12a left rear frame pipe

12b right rear frame pipe

12c pivot shaft

13 cross member

13a front cross member b rear cross member

seat

air cleaner

head pipe

handle

rear cushion

a, 22b floor stays

swingable power unit

engine

front cover

inner cover

leg shield

step floor

a, 44b left and right side covers front fender

undercover

a, 46b left and right undercover sidewall c undercover bottom surface member rear fender

vacant space

battery

harness

optical guide portion

1 first opening

second opening

third opening

fourth opening

1a, 62a, 63a, 64a erected wall

1b, 62b, 63b, 64b rear end of opening1c, 62c, 63c, 64c upper edge portion Id, 62d, 63d, 64d side wall of opening1e, 62e, 63e, 64e side edge of erected wall1 f, 62f, 63f, 64f front end of opening HL horizontal line FW front wheel FT front tire RW rear wheel RT rear tire