Title of Invention

"FLOOR STRUCTURE OF SCOOTER TYPE VEHICLE"

Abstract

[Object] To provide a simple floor structure of a scooter type vehicle, which is aimed at preventing a leg shield from being directly applied with a load from the driver" s feet when the driver extends the feet, and eliminating the need of making larger the thickness of the leg shield for reducing the weight thereof. [Solving Means] In a floor structure of a scooter type vehicle having a low height floor 50 at a center portion in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and also having a leg shield 60 rising in front of the floor 50, the floor 50 has a front portion which is positioned inside the leg shield 60_and has an inclined portion 51d becoming gradually higher toward the outside. [Selected Drawing]

Full Text

The present invention relates to a structure of a step floor of a scooter type vehicle. [Prior Art] In scooter type vehicles, a leg shield rises in front of a floor cover constituting a step floor, and it covers the front side of the driver's feet put on foot placing portions of the floor cover. The foot placing portions of the floor cover are substantially in the horizontal direction and the leg shield rises substantially in the vertical direction from front edges of the foot placing portions, and accordingly, when the _driver moves forward his feet put on the horizontal foot placing portions, he is restricted in movement because the front portions of the feet are brought in contact with the substantially vertical leg shield, and to more extend the feet, the driver must raise the front portions of the feet and put them on the leg shield. As a result, a large load is applied to the leg shield. [0004] To cope with such an inconvenience, there is provided a structure in which a forward extending recessed portion is formed on the lower portion of a leg shield and foot placing portions are formed on the upper and side portions of the recessed portion (Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 5-7232). In this structure, when the driver extends his feet, he can insert the front portions of the feet in the recessed portion and also put the feet on the foot placing portions on the lower portion of the leg shield. [Problem to be Solved by the Invention] The above structure, however, is advantageous in that the leg shield haying the recessed portion and foot plating portions is complex in structure, and also the leg shield is_ heavy in weight because it must be reinforced by making larger the thickness. In view of the foregoing, the present invention has been made, and an object of the present invention is to provide a simple floor structure of a scooter type vehicle, which is aimed at preventing a leg shield from being directly applied with a load from the driver's feet when the driver extends the feet, and eliminating the need of making larger the thickness of the leg shield for reducing the weight thereof. [Means for Solving the Problem and its Functional Effect] To achieve the above object, according to an invention described in claim 1, there is provided a floor structure of a scooter type vehicle having a low height floor at a center portion in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and also having a leg shield rising in front of the floor, characterized in that the floor has a front portion which is positioned inside the leg shield and has an inclined portion becoming gradually higher toward the outside. In the above simple structure of the present invention in which the floor front portion inside the leg shield has an inclined portion becoming gradually higher toward the outside, when the driver extends his feet, the feet can be supported by the floor without any restriction in a state that the front portions of the feet are naturally raised by means of the inclined portion. Accordingly, a load is not directly applied to the leg shield, so that it becomes possible to eliminate the need of making larger the thickness of the leg shield and hence to reduce the weight thereof. According to an invention described in claim 2, in addition to the configuration of the invention described in claim 1, the inclined portion includes a plurality of projections which project from an upper surface of the floor and have projecting heights being gradually changed to form an inclined surface. Accordingly, the front portions of the drivers' feet extending forward over the floor can be raised along and put on the inclined surface composed of a plurality of the projections. [0001] According to an invention described in claim 3, in addition to the configuration of the invention described in claim 1, the inclined portion includes a separate member to be fixed on the upper surface of the floor. Accordingly, a main body of the foot placing portion of the floor can be simplified in its shape, and the inclined portion can be provided later . According to the present invention, there is provided a floor structure of a scooter type vehicle having a low height floor at a center portion in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and also having a leg shield rising in front of the floor, characterized in that said floor has a front portion which is positioned inside said leg shield and has an inclined portion becoming gradually higher toward the outside. [Brief Description of theACCOMPANING Drawings] [Fig. 1] A side view of a scooter type motorcycle including an embodiment of a floor structure of the present invention. [Fig. 2] A side view showing a down frame and a rear frame in the floor structure of the scooter type motorcycle shown in Fig. !_. [Fig. 3) A plan view of Fig. 2. [Fig. 4] A plan view of a floor cover. [Fig. 5] A side view of Fig. 4. [Fig. 6] A plan view of a body cover. [Fig. 7] A side view of Fig. 6. [Fig. 8] A front view of Fig. 6. [Fig. 9] A rear view of a leg shield. [Fig. 10] A view seen from an arrow X. [Fig. 11] A side view of a floor portion of the scooter type motorcycle of the present invention, with parts partially cutaway. [Fig. 12] A sectional view taken on line XII-XII of Fig. 11. [Fig. 13] A plan view showing an essential portion of the floor portion of the scooter type motorcycle of the present invention. [Fig. 14] A side view of Fig. 13. [Fig. 15] A sectional view taken on line XV-XV of Fig. 13. [Fig. 16] A sectional view showing an essential portion of a floor portion according to an alternate embodiment. [Preferred Embodiment of the Invention] One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 15. A scooter type motorcycle 1 includes a front wheel 3 and a rear wheel 4 on the front and rear sides of a vehicular body 2, as shown in Fig. 1. The vehicular body 2 has a head pipe 5, a down frame 6 made of an annular pipe, and a rear frame 7 made of a hollow pipe having a rectangular cross-section (having a major axis in the width direction of the vehicular body). The down frame 6 descends rearward from he head pipe 5, and extends substantially in the horizontal direction from a lower portion of the floor cover 50; and the rear frame 7 is integrated to a rear end portion 6a of the down frame 6 and rises upward, rearward therefrom. A lower front portion 7a of the rear frame 7 curves downward, rearward, and extends rearward in such a manner as to cover a lower portion of a rear power unit 21. [0012] As shown in Fig. 2, a rear end portion 6a of the down frame 6 curves slightly downward, and both side edges of contact portions of the down frame 6 and the rear frame 7 are integrally connected to each other by welding. [0013] A front gusset 8 is, as shown in Fig. 2, brought in contact with and integrally welded to both an upper surface of a horizontal rear portion 6b of the down frame 6 positioned forward from the contact portion between the down frame 6 and the rear frame 7 , and a front surface of a rising portion 7b of the rear frame 7 positioned upward from the contact portion between the down frame 6 and the rear frame 7 . The rigidity of the connection portion between the downward frame 6 and the rear frame 7 is thus reinforced by the front gusset 8. A rear gusset 9 is, as shown in Fig. 2, welded to a rear surface and both side surfaces of a curving portion 7c upward from the rising portion 7b of the rear frame 7 , to thus reinforce the rigidity of the curving portion 7c of the rear frame 7. A main stand bracket 10 is fixed at a rear end of a lower side rearward extension portion 7d extending rearward from the lower front portion 7a of the rear frame 7, and a main stand 11 is pivotably mounted to the main stand bracket 10 in such a manner as to be rockable for rising/ falling by a tension coil spring 13 interposed therebetween A hanger sleeve 14 passes through and welded to right and left side surfaces of the rising portion 7b of the rear frame 7 and right and left side surfaces of the front gusset 8. A pair of right and left hanger links 16 are integrally mounted at leading ends thereof to both ends of a hanger pin 15 fitted in the hanger sleeve 14. A front end of the power unit 21 is mounted at rear ends of the hanger links 16 through mounting pins 17 so that the power unit 21 is vertically rockable. A damper supporting shaft 19 extending in the width direction of the vehicle is welded to an upper side rear end portion 7e of the .upper portion 7c of the rear frame 7 through a bracket 18 welded on a left side surface of the upper side rear end portion 7e, and an ignition coil mounting stay 20 is welded to a right side surface of the upper side rear end portion 7e. A base end of the damper supporting shaft 19 is brought in contact with and welded to the ignition coil mounting stay 20. The power unit 21 is composed of an internal combustion engine 22, a V-belt type continuously variable transmission 23, and a reduction gear 24. A rear wheel 4 is integrally mounted to an output shaft of the reduction gear 24. Upper and lower ends of a damper 26 are pivotably mounted to the damper supporting shaft 19 of the upper side rear end portion 7e of the rear frame 7 and to a mounting shaft 25 of the power unit 21 so that the weight of a rear half of the scooter type motorcycle 1 is supported by the rear wheel 4 through the damper 26 and the power unit 21. A carburetor 34 is disposed rearward from a cylinder of the internal combustion engine 22 which is erected in a state being slightly inclined rearward, and an air cleaner 33 is disposed rearward from the carburetor 34 and upward from the le,ft side V-belt type continuously variable transmission 23. A. base end fastening portion 35a of an exhaust pipe 35 is fastened to an exhaust pipe mounting portion 22a disposed on a front surface of the cylinder of the internal combustion engine 22. The exhaust pipe 35 extends forward, curving rightward of the vehicular body, and extends under the front portion of the internal combustion engine 22, after of which it further extends rearward along the right side of the vehicular body and is connected to a muffler 36. With respect to the front portion of the vehicular body, a steering shaft 30 is right and left turnably fitted to the head pipe 5, and a steering handlebar 31 is integrally mounted at an upper end of the steering shaft 30; and a front fork 32 is integrally mounted at the lower end of the steering shaft 30, and the front wheel 3 is rotatably supported at lower ends of the front fork 32 . A pair of floor pipes 27 extending in the width direction of the vehicular body penetrate vertical centers of the front and rear portions, that is, the horizontal center portion 6c and ,a horizontal rear portion 6b, extending rearward through a step floor portion, of the downward frame 6 of the vehicular frame 2, and integrally fixed thereto by welding. Floor brackets 28 are integrally fixed by welding to upper surfaces of right and left ends of each of the floor pipes 27 (see Figs. 2 and 3), and a floor cover 50 is provided on the floor brackets 28. f0021] An aluminum made rear sub frame 29 is integrally provided at the upper side rear end portion 7e of the rear frame 7 in such a manner as to further extend rearward therefrom. A fuel tank 37, an oil tank 38 and a battery 39 are disposed over the rear frame 7 and the rear sub frame 29 in this order from the front side to the rear side of the vehicular body. A seat 40 with its front end pivotably supported by a front end bracket of the fuel tank 37 openably covers the fuel tank 37, oil tank 38, battery 39 and the like from the upper side. A body cover 55 entirely covers, under the seat 40, peripheries of the rear frame 7 and the rear sub frame 29, and a center cover 44 connected to an upper end of a front portion of the body cover 55 covers a lower front portion of the fuel tank 37. .When the seat 40 is closed to cover the upper side of the fuel tank 37, oil tank 38, battery 39 and the like, a lower peripheral edge of the seat 40 is brought in contact with upper edges of the center cover 44 and the body cover 55, to thus close them. A rear portion of the body cover 55 covers an upper side of a rear fender positioned over the rear wheel 4, and a lower end of the front portion of the body cover 55 is connected to an upper end of a rear rising portion 52 of the floor cover 50. [0024] On the other hand, a leg shield 60 rises from ^he front portion of the floor cover 50, covering the front portion of the down frame 6, and rises along the down frame 6 . A front fender 41 extending forward from a center portion of the leg shield 60 is integrally mounted to the front fork 32 at a position over the front wheel 3. The covers for covering the vehicular body are generally configured as described above. Of these covers, the floor cover 50 will be described in detail below. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the floor cover 50 is composed of a horizontal plate portion 51 on which feet of the driver are placed and the rear rising portion 52 . H?026] The horizontal plate portion 51 has at a front side center portion a recess through which the down frame 6 passes. Front portions of foot placing portions 51 i and 51r are positioned on both sides of the recess. Bolt holes 5la are formed at the front and rear portions of each of the foot placing portions 51 ℓ and 51r while penetrating boss portions 51b extending downward. In the horizontal plate portion 51, mounting pieces 51c project downward from portions near right and left side edges shifted obliquely, rearward from the right and left front side boss portions 51b. [0027] Small sized and flattened columnar projections are formed over the upper surface of the horizontal plate portion 51. Of these projections, five pieces of projections 51d provided outside each of the front side bolt holes 51a are higher, and particularly they become gradually higher as nearing the front and outer sides. Ribs 51e are formed on a back surface of the horizontal plate portion 51 in a grid shape. The rear rising portion 52 of the horizontal plate portion 51 rises upward from a rear edge of the horizontal plate portion 51 with right and left side portions largely extending rearward to form a U-shaped opening in a top view (see Fig. 4) . A U-shaped upper edge 52 a of the rising portion 52 extends slightly inward to form a substantially horizontal surface . Each of right and left symmetric portions of the upper edge 52a has front and rear projecting pieces 52b projecting inward. The projecting piece 52b has a slit-like locking hole 52c. A front center portion of the upper edge 52 a has a recess opened rearward in which a vertically rectangular plate like mounting portion 52d having at the center a screw hole is formed, with the vicinities of the mounting portion 52d of the upper edge 52 being cut out. i-0030-] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 1 and Figs. 6 to 8, the body cover 55 includes a cover front portion 56, a cover intermediate portion 57, and a cover rear portion 58. The cover front portion 56 covers a front side and right and left sides of the front portion of the rear frame 7 and has. an upper portion largely opened; the cover intermediate portion 57 extends obliquely, upward from the cover front portion 56, on which the oil tank 38 and the battery 39 are disposed; and the cover rear portion 58 extends rearward from the cover intermediate portion 57 while covering the upper side of the rear fender. ^031] The cover intermediate portion 57 has right and left rising side walls 57a, and a top wall 57b extending substantially in the horizontal direction. The top wall 57b has a circular opening 57c at the center of a front half thereof, and an upper rectangular recess 57d largely opened downward at its rear half thereof. {0032] A lower recess 57e surrounded by the front half of the top wall 57b, the right and left side walls 57a, and a front wall of the upper recess 57d covers the oil tank from the upper side, and an oil feeding hole projecting upward from the oil tank 38 projects through the circular opening 57c. The upper recess 57d behind the oil tank 38 functions as a rectangular parallelepiped space for containing the battery 39 from the upper side. The cover front portion 56 has a lower edge 56a formed in a U-shape corresponding to the shape of the upper edge 52a of the rising portion 52 of the floor cover 50, and each of right and left symmetric portions of the lower edge 56a has front and rear locking claws 56b projecting downward . The locking claw 56b projects from a position slightly inward from the cover side wall, and has a lower portion extending forward and being formed in an L-shape in a side view. The lower edge 56a of the cover front portion 56 has a downward extending mounting piece 56c positioned slightly inward from the center of a front portion thereof. [0034] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 1 and Figs. 9 and 10, the leg shield 60 includes a shield upper portion 61 covering the periphery of the head pipe 5, a shield center portion 62 covering the rear side of a downward extending portion of the down frame 6, and shield side portions 63 extending rightward and leftward from the sides of the shield center portion 62. The shield side portion 63, which curves while swelling forward, has an outer wall 63a having a rearward extending lower portion. fQ035] . A bracket 63b extends rearward in the horizontal direction from the curved lower edge of the shield side portion 63, and has at a specified position a bolt hole 63c. The outer wall 63a of the shield side portion 63 has at the rearward extending lower end a screw hole 63d. A horizontally extending rib 63e is formed along an inner surface of the shield side portion 63 curving slightly higher than the bracket 63b. [0036] Each of the right and left floor brackets 28 integrally provided on the down frame 6 through the floor pipes 27 has the front and rear bolt holes 28a, wherein a nut 28b is welded to a lower surface of the bolt hole 28a (see Fig. 3). The lower brackets 63b of the shield side portions 63 of the leg shield 60 are supported on the front end portions of the floor brackets 28, and the front portions of the right and left foot placing portions 51 I and 51r of the floor cover 50 are overlapped on the brackets 63b through the boss portions 51b. At this time, the front edges of the right and left foot placing portions 51 l and 5lr are supported by the ribs 63e formed on the inner surfaces of the side walls of the shield side portions of the leg shield 60 . As shown in Fig. 11, the bracket 63b and the boss portion 51b are overlapped on the front end portion of the floor bracket 28 in this order, and a bolt 72 passes through the aligned bolt holes 28a, 63c and 5 la from the upper side, and screwed with the nut 28b. Thus, the lower brackets 63b of the leg shield 60 and the front portions of the foot placing portions 51 ℓ and 51r of the floor cover 50 are co-fastened with the floor brackets 28 by means of the bolts 72. [0038] The rear portions of the foot placing portions 51 As shown in Fig. 12, each of the mounting pieces 51c provided in the vicinities of the right and left side edges of the front portion of the floor cover 50 faces a threaded hole 63d provided at a lower end portion of the outer side wall 63a of the shield side portion 63 of the leg shield 60. A screw 74 passing through the threaded hole 63d is fastened to the mounting pieces 51c through a washer 75. When the foot placing portions 51 ℓ and 51r of the floor cover 50 are thus assembled in such a manner that the front portions thereof project inside the right and left curving shield side portions of the leg shield 60, five pieces of the projections 51d provided on the outer side of the front portion of each of the foot placing portions 51 t> and 51r are, as shown in Figs. 13 to 15, positioned inside a rearward extending lower end portion of the outer side wall 63a of the shield side portion 63 of the leg shield 60. [0040] The outer side wall 63 of the shield side portion 63 has an obliquely, downward, rearward extending edge 63f which is, outside five pieces of the projections 5Id of the floor cover 50, somewhat higher than the horizontal upper surface of each of the foot placing portions 51 I and Sir as shown in Figs. 14 and ,15, and it gradually drops in its height toward the rear side. The five projections 51d of the floor cover 50 become higher as nearing the front and outer side, and as shown in Fig. 15, the top surface of each projection 51d is inclined and the edge 63f of the shield side portion 63 of the leg shield 60 is positioned on the extension of the inclined surfaces of the projections 5Id. [v0041]. Accordingly, when the driver puts his feet F on the foot placing portions 51ℓ and 51r and then suitably extends them, the front portion of the foot F is, as shown in Figs. 13 to 15, put on five pieces of the projections 51d of the floor cover 50, and if the foot F projects outward from the projections 51d, it is not directly put on the edge 63f of the shield side portion 63 of the leg shield 60. As a result, the load is not applied from the foot F only to the edge 63f. [0042] In Fig. 15, the foot F is shown not to be brought in contact with the edge 63f; however, if it is brought in contact with the edge 63f, a large load is not applied to it. Accordingly, it is possible to eliminate the need of making larger the thickness of the leg shield 60 for increasing the strength thereof, and hence to reduce the weight of the leg shield 60. In this structure, since five pieces of the projections 5 Id form a smooth inclined surface at the front and outer portion of each of the foot placing portions 51 t and 51r, the driver can extend his feet on these inclined surfaces without any restriction and be smoothly supported thereon . Although the inclined surface is composed of the projections 51d integrally formed on the floor cover 50 in the above embodiment, it may be composed of a separate member. Fig. 16 is a sectional view, taken at the same position as that in Fig. 15, showing an alternate embodiment using a separate inclined member 80. [-0044] The inclined member 80 is fixed at the front and outer portion of a foot placing portion 81 of the floor cover. An upper inclined surface of the inclined member 80 becomes higher as nearing the outer portion, and an edge 82a of a shield side portion 82 of the leg shield is positioned on the extension of the inclined surface. £0045] . Accordingly, when the driver extends his feet, the front portion of the foot is naturally put on the inclined member 80, and if the foot projects outward from the inclined member 80, a large load is not applied from the foot to the edge 82a of the shield side portion 82 of the leg shield. [0046] Accordingly, it is possible to eliminate the need of making larger the thickness of the leg shield 60 for increasing the strength thereof, and hence to reduce the weight of the leg shield 60. In addition, since the inclined member 80 is separately provided, it becomes possible to simplify the shape of the floor cover 81. [Reference Characters] 1: scooter type motorcycle, 2: vehicular body, 3: front wheel, 4: rear wheel, 5: head pipe, 6: down frame, 7: rear frame, 8: front gusset, 9: rear gusset, 10: main stand bracket, 11: main stand, 12: pivot, 13: tension coil spring, 14: hanger sleeve, 15: hanger pin, 16: hanger link, 17: mounting pin, 18: bracket, 19: damper supporting shaft, 20: ignition coil mounting stay, 21: power unit, 22: internal combustion engine, 23: V-belt type continuously variable transmission, 24: reduction gear, 25: mounting shaft, 26: damper, 27;, floor pipe, 28: floor bracket, 29: rear sub frame, 30: steering shaft, 31: steering handlebar, 32: front_ fork, 33: air cleaner, 34: carburetor, 35: exhaust pipe, 36: muffler, 37: fuel tank, 38: oil tank, 39: battery, 40: seat, 41: front fender, 44: center cover, 50: floor cover, 51: horizontal plate portion, 52: rising portion. 55: body cover, 56: cover front portion, 57: cover intermediate portion, 58: cover rear portion, 60: leg shield, 61: shield upper portion, 62: shield center portion, 63: shield side portion, 70: screw, 71: washer, 72, 73: bolt, 74: screw, 75: washer, 80: inclined member, 81: foot placing portion, 82: shield side portion WE CLAIM: 1. A floor structure of a scooter type vehicle (1) having a low height floor (50) at a center portion in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and also having a leg shield (60) rising in front of the floor, characterized in that said floor has a front portion which is positioned inside said leg shield (60) ad has an inclined portion (5Id) becoming gradually higher toward the outside wherein said inclined portion has a plurality of projections which project from an upper surface of said floor and have projecting heights being gradually changed to form an inclined surface. 2. A floor structure of a scooter type vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inclined portion (5Id) has a separate member to be fixed on the upper surface of said floor. 1. A floor structure of a scooter type vehicle substantially as herein before described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. (50) at a center portion in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and also having a leg shield (60) rising in front of the floor, characterized in that said floor has a front portion which is positioned inside said leg shield (60) ad has an inclined portion (5Id) becoming gradually higher toward the outside wherein said inclined portion has a plurality of projections which project from an upper surface of said floor and have projecting heights being gradually changed to form an inclined surface. 2. A floor structure of a scooter type vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inclined portion (5Id) has a separate member to be fixed on the upper surface of said floor. 3. A floor structure of a scooter type vehicle substantially as herein before described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Documents:

169-del-1997-abstract.pdf

169-del-1997-claims.pdf

169-del-1997-correspondence-others.pdf

169-del-1997-correspondence-po.pdf

169-del-1997-description (complete).pdf

169-del-1997-drawings.pdf

169-del-1997-form-1.pdf

169-del-1997-form-13.pdf

169-del-1997-form-19.pdf

169-del-1997-form-2.pdf

169-del-1997-form-3.pdf

169-del-1997-form-4.pdf

169-del-1997-form-6.pdf

169-del-1997-gpa.pdf

169-del-1997-petition-137.pdf

169-del-1997-petition-138.pdf

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