Title of Invention	"A MOTOR-ASSISTED BICYCLE"
Abstract	A motor-assisted bicycle having a body frame, a head pipe provided at the front end of said body frame, a front basket mounted on said head pipe, an electric motor mounted on said body frame for assisting a depression force applied to crank pedals, and a battery mounted on said body frame for supplying electric power to said electric motor; a battery mounting structure characterized in that a battery mounting portion is provided at a rear portion of said front basket for mounting and demounting of said battery from a mount opening exposed into said front basket and also allow the battery to be fixedly mounted, wherein said battery mounting portion is provided with terminals electrically connected to contacts of said battery in response to mounting of said battery into said battery mounting portion.

Title of Invention

"A MOTOR-ASSISTED BICYCLE"

Abstract

A motor-assisted bicycle having a body frame, a head pipe provided at the front end of said body frame, a front basket mounted on said head pipe, an electric motor mounted on said body frame for assisting a depression force applied to crank pedals, and a battery mounted on said body frame for supplying electric power to said electric motor; a battery mounting structure characterized in that a battery mounting portion is provided at a rear portion of said front basket for mounting and demounting of said battery from a mount opening exposed into said front basket and also allow the battery to be fixedly mounted, wherein said battery mounting portion is provided with terminals electrically connected to contacts of said battery in response to mounting of said battery into said battery mounting portion.

Full Text	[DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION] [0001 ] (Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a motor-assisted bicycle including a body frame, a head pipe provided at the front end of the body frame, a front basket mounted on the head pipe, an electric motor mounted on the B frame for t assisting a depression force applied to crank pedals, and a battery mounted OIL the body frame for supplying electric power to the electric motor, the battery including a battery case and a cell assembly accommodated in the battery case, and more particularly to a battery mounting structure in such a motor-assisted bicycle. [0002] . (Prior Art] Such a motor-assisted bicycle is well known in the art, e.g., in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 7-95744. r- [000 3] (Problem to be Solved by the Invention] In the prior art motor-assisted bicycle mentioned above, a battery is accommodated in a storage box fixedly located behind a seat post present below a seat. Accordingly, in removing the battery from the storage box to charge the battery or in storing the battery into the storage box after charging the battery, the seat must be rotated so as not to hinder the work of removing or storing the battery. Thus, it is hard to say that such a prior art battery mounting structure is excellent in workability. [0004] It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a battery mounting structure in a motor-assisted bicycle which can make a battery mounting, demounting operation very easy. – (0005] [Means of Solving the Problem] According to the invention as defined in claim 1, there is provided in a motor-assisted bicycle including a body frame, a head pipe provided at the front end of said body frame, a front basket mounted on said head pipe, an electric motor mounted on said body frame for assisting a depression force applied to crank pedals, and a battery mounted on said body frame for supplying electric power to said electric motor; a battery mounting structure characterized in that a battery mounting portion is provided at a rear portion of said front basket to allow mounting and demounting of said battery from a mount opening exposed into said front basket and also allow the battery to be fixedly mounted, and in that said battery mounting portion is provided with terminals adapted to be electrically connected to contacts of said battery in response to mounting of said battery into said battery mounting portion. [0005] With this arrangement, the need for any extra operation such as rotation of the seat post can be eliminated, and the battery can be easily mounted into and demounted from the battery mounting portion by a very simple operation similar to aloading/unloading operation for a baggage into/from the front basket irrespective of the position of the bar handle. Further, electrical connection between the battery and the battery mounting portion can be easily made in response to mounting of the battery into the battery mounting portion. Further, even if the battery is inadvertently dropped in the mounting or demounting operation, the battery can be received by the front basket, so that there is no possibility of damage to the battery. Additionally, since the battery mounting portion is not present inside the front basket, a baggage storage space of the front basket is not sacrificed by the battery mounting portion. [0006]According to the invention as defined in claim 2, a lock mechanism for fixedly maintaining a mounted condition of said battery in said battery mounting portion is provided between said battery and said battery mounting portion, and an operating portion for performing locking and unlocking operations of said lock mechanism is provided on one of the right and left sides of said battery mounting portion. Accordingly, the locking and unlocking operations of the lock mechanism can be easily performed without hindrance by brake cables extending behind the front basket. [0007] According to the invention as defined in claim 3, said lock mechanism comprises a first engaging member adapted to disengageably engage one of the right and left side portions of said battery according to the locking operation of said operating portion and a second engaging member stored in said battery and adapted to disengageably engage the other of the right and left side portions of said battery mounting portion in response to the movement of said first engaging member. Accordingly, the right and left side portions of the battery are engaged with the right and left side portions of the battery mounting portions, respectively, by operating the operating portion located on the right or left side of the battery mounting portion, thereby allowing reliable mounting of the battery in the battery mounting portion. [0008] According to the invention as defined in claim 4, said second engaging member is a rodlike member extending over the substantially entire length between the right and left side portions of said battery and axially movably supported to said battery. Accordingly, the configuration of the lock mechanism can be simplified. [0009] According to the invention as defined in claim 5, there is provided in a motor-assisted bicycle including a body frame, a "head pipe provided at the front end of said body frame, a front basket mounted on said head pipe, an electric motor mounted on said body frame for assisting a depression force applied to crank pedals, and a battery mounted on said body frame for supplying electric power to said electric motor; a battery mounting structure characterized in that a battery mounting portion adapted to detachably support said battery is fixedly provided in a rear portion of said front basket, in that a lid adapted to cover said battery supported on said battery mounting portion from the front side is connected to a lower portion of said battery mounting portion so as to be pivotable frontward and rearward in said front basket, and in that said battery mounting portion is provided with terminals adapted to be electrically connected to contacts of said battery in response to mounting of said battery to said battery mounting portion. [0010] With this arrangement, the need for any extra operation such as rotation of the seat post can be eliminated, and the battery can be easily mounted to and demounted from the battery mounting portion by such a very simple operation as to only swing the lid frontward and rearward as similar to a loading/unloading operation for a baggage into/from the front basket, irrespective of the position of the bar handle. Further, electrical connection between the battery and the battery mounting portion can be easily made in response to mounting of the battery to the battery mounting portion. Further, even if the battery is inadvertently dropped in the mounting or demounting operation to or from the battery mounting portion, the battery can be received by the front basket, so that there is no possibility of damage to the battery. [0012] According to the invention as defined in claim 6, a lock mechanism for fixedly maintaining a closed condition of said lid is operatively provided between an upper portion of said battery mounting portion and an upper portion of said lid on a longitudinal center line of said body frame. Accordingly, the locking and unlocking operations of the lock irechanism can be easily performed without hindrance by brake cables extending behind the front basket. Accordingly, the present invention relates to a A motor-assisted bicycle having a body frame, a head pipe provided at the front end of said body frame, a front basket mounted on said head pipe, an electric motor mounted on said body frame for assisting a depression force applied to crank pedals, and a battery mounted on said body frame for supplying electric power to said electric motor; a battery mounting structure characterized in that a battery mounting portion is provided at a rear portion of said front basket for mounting and demounting of said battery from a mount opening exposed into said front basket and also allow the battery to be fixedly mounted, wherein said battery mounting portion is provided with terminals electrically connected to contacts of said battery in response to mounting of said battery into said battery mounting portion. [BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS] [FIG. 1] FIG. 1 is a side view of a motor-assisted bicycle according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. [FIG. 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional side view of a motor unit. [FIG. 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view taken in the direction of an arrow 3 in FIG. 1. [FIG. 4] FIG. 4 is a cross section taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 3. [FIG. 5] FIG. 5 is a cross section taken along the line 5-5 in FIG. 3. [FIG. 6] FIG. 6 is a cross section taken along the line 6-6 in FIG. 4. [FIG. 7] FIG. 7 is a view taken in the direction of an arrow 7 in FIG. 5 in the condition that most of a rear cover and a battery are omitted. [FIG. 8] FIG. 8 is an elevational view of the battery. [FIG. 9] FIG. 9 is a side view taken in the direction of an arrow 9 in FIG. 8. [FIG. 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic circuit diagram of the internal configuration of the battery. [FIG. 11] FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross section taken along the line 11-11 in FIG. 4. [FIG. 12] FIG. 12 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 5, for illustrating a demounting operation of the battery. [FIG. 13] FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of a part depicted by an arrow 13 in FIG. 9. [FIG. 14] FIG. 14 is a plan view of a charger. [FIG. 15] FIG. 15 is a cross section taken along the line 15- 15 in FIG. 14. [FIG. 16] FIG. 16 is a cross section taken along the line 16- 16 in FIG. 14. [FIG. 17] FIG. 17 is a schematic circuit diagram of the internal configuration of the charger. [FIG. 18] FIG. 18 is a vertical sectional view of an essential part of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, corresponding to a cross section taken along the line 18-18 in FIG. 19. [FIG. 19] FIG. 19 is a cross section taken along the line 19-19 in FIG. 18. ^13] [Preferred Embodiment] Some preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings. [0014] FIGS. 1 to 17 show a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, FIG. 1 is a side view of a motor-assisted bicycle; FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional side view of a motor unit; FIG. 3 is a plan view taken in the direction of an arrow 3 in FIG, 1; FIG. 4 is a cross section taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is a cross section taken along the line 5-5 in FIG. 3; FIG. 6 is a cross section taken along the line 6-6 in FIG. 4; FIG. 7 is a view taken in the direction of an arrow 7 in FIG. 5 in the condition that most of a rear cover and a battery are omitted; FIG. 8 is an elevational view of the battery; FIG. 9 is a side view taken in the direction of an arrow 9 in FIG. 8; FIG. 10 is a schematic circuit diagram of the internal configuration of the battery; FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross section taken along the line 11-11 in FIG. 4; FIG. 12 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 5, for illustrating a demounting operation of the battery; FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of a part depicted by an arrow 13 in FIG. 9; FIG. 14 is a plan view of a charger; FIG. 15 is a cross section taken along the line 15-15 in FIG. 14; FIG. 16 is a cross section taken along the line 16-16 in FIG. 14; and FIG. 17 is a schematic circuit diagram of the internal configuration of the charger. [0015] Referring first to FIG. 1, the motor-assisted bicycle includes a body frame 21 having a substantially U-shaped configuration as viewed in side elevation. A front fork 23 is steerably supported to a head pipe 22 connected to the front end of the body frame 21. A front wheel WF is rotatably supported to the lower ends of the front fork 23. A bar handle 24 is provided at the upper end of the front fork 23. A motor unit 31 having an electric motor 30 is provided at a lower portion of the body frame 21. A pair of right and left rear forks 25 extend obliquely downward from the body frame 21 at a position above a rear portion of the motor unit 31 and extend substantially horizontally at a position behind the motor unit 31. A rear wheel WR is rotatably supported to the rear ends of the rear forks 25. A pair of right and left stays 26 extend between the rear ends of the rear forks 25 and the rear end of the body frame 21. A seat post 28 having a seat 27 at its upper end is mounted at a rear portion of the body frame 21 in such a manner that the seat 27 is vertically adjusted in position. A carrier 29 is fixedly located behind the seat 27. [0016] Referring also to FIG. 2, a casing 135 of the motor unit 31 is connected by bolts 136 and 137 to a pair of hanger portions 2la and 21b provided at a lower portion of the body frame 21. A crankshaft 33 having crank pedals 32 at its opposite ends is rotatably supported to the casing 135. A drive sprocket 34 is provided on the crankshaft 33 so that it can transmit torque from the crankshaft 33 and can also apply an assisting force from the electric motor 30 to the crankshaft 33. An endless chain 36 is wrapped between the drive sprocket 34 and a driven sprocket 35 provided on an axle of the rear wheel WR. [0017] A power transmission system 138 provided between the electric motor 30 and the drive sprocket 34 is accommodated in the casing 135. The power transmission system 138 includes a drive gear 139 fixed to a rotating shaft 30a of the electric motor 30, a first idle shaft 140 having an axis parallel to the rotating shaft 30a and rotatably supported to the casing 135, a first intermediate gear 141 fixed to one end of the first idle shaft 140 and meshing with the drive gear 139, a second intermediate gear 142 provided integrally with the first idle shaft 140, a third intermediate gear 143 meshing with the second intermediate gear 142, a second idle shaft 144 having an axis parallel to the first idle shaft 140 and rotatably supported to the casing 135, the second idle shaft 144 being coaxial with the third intermediate gear 143, a one¬ way clutch 145 provided between the third intermediate gear 143 and the second idle shaft 144, a fourth intermediate gear 146 provided integrally with the second idle shaft 144, and a driven gear 147 meshing with the fourth intermediate gear 146. The driven gear 147 is connected to the drive sprocket 34. [0018] In the power transmission system 138, torque generated by the operation of the-electric motor 30 is transmitted to the drive sprocket 34 with a rotating speed reduced. When the operation of the electric motor 30 is stopped, idling of the second idle shaft 144 is allowed by the function of the one-way clutch 145, and does not hinder the rotation of the drive sprocket 34 by a depression force applied to the crank pedals 32. [0019] Another power transmission system not shown is provided between the crankshaft 33 and the drive sprocket 34. This power transmission system includes a torsion bar adapted to be twisted according to an input torque from the crank pedals 32 and a one-way clutch which can transmit the input torque to the drive sprocket 34 upon forward rotation of the crankshaft 33 by depression of the crank pedals 32 and allows reverse rotation of the crankshaft 33. [0020] The operation of the electric motor 30 is controlled by a controller 37 fixedly supported to a lower portion of the body frame 21 before the motor unit 31 as shown in FIG. 1. The controller 37 controls the operation of the electric motor 30 according to the rotating speed of the electric motor 30 and the input torque from the crank pedals 32. As shown in FIG. 2, to detect the rotating speed of the electric motor 30, a reluctor 148 having a projecting portion 148a at its outer circumference is fixed to the rotating shaft 30a of the electric motor 30, and an electromagnetic pickup type sensor 149 for sensing the projecting portion 148a to detect the rotating speed of the reluctor 148, that is, the rotating speed of the electric motor 30 is mounted on the casing 135. Further, the input torque from the crank pedals 32 is detected by means (not shown) for detecting the amount of twist of the torsion bar in the power transmission system provided between the crankshaft 33 and the drive sprocket 34[0021] Most of the body frame 21 is covered with a cover 41. A main switch 42 for supplying electric power from a battery 40i to the controller 37 and the electric motor 30 is provided at an upper portion of the cover 41. [0022] Referring also to FIGS. 3 to 7, a front basket 38i is mounted on the head pipe 22 so as to be located before brake cables 44L and 44R respectively extending from the right and left ends of the bar handle 24. A battery mounting portion 39i is provided at a rear portion of the front basket 38x. The battery 40i for supplying electric power to the electric motor 30 is detachably mounted on the battery mounting portion 39j. [0023] A bracket 45 extending frontward is mounted on the head pipe 22, and a support frame 46 is mounted on the bracket 45. The front basket 38i is fixedly supported to the support frame 46. [0024] The support frame 46 includes a lateral support bar 46a extending laterally of the body frame 21, a pair of upper vertical support bars 46b extending upward from the opposite ends of the lateral support bar 46a, a lower vertical support bar 46c extending downward from a position spaced downward from a laterally central portion of the lateral support bar 46a, a front extension bar 46d extending frontward from the lower end of the lower vertical support bar 46c, a mounting plate 46e having a front opening substantially U-shaped cross section for connecting the lateral support bar 46a and the lower vertical support bar 46c, a support plate 46f provided between a lower portion of the lower vertical support bar 46c and a rear portion of the front extension bar 46d, and a pair of reinforcing plates 46g provided between the front ends of the mounting plate 46e and the lateral support bar 46a. The mounting plate 46e is secured at its rear portion to the bracket 45 mounted on the head pipe 22. [0025] The lateral support bar 46a and the upper vertical support bars 46b are formed as an upper opening, substantially U-shaped bent rectangular pipe having a rectangular cross section. The lateral support bar 46a is welded to the front upper end portions of the mounting plate 46e. The lower vertical support bar 46c and the front extension bar 46d are formed as a substantially L-shaped bent rectangular pipe having a flattened rectangular cross section. The lower vertical support bar 46c is welded at its upper portion to the front lower end portions of the mounting plate 46e in such a manner that a rectangular opening 47 is defined between the lower vertical support bar 46c and the lateral support bar 46a. [0026]The rear portion of the front basket 3$i is formed with an opening as a mount opening 48 for allowing mounting of the battery 40! into the battery mounting portion 39i. The battery mounting portion 39 x includes a pair of lower side walls 49 provided contiguously to the front basket 38i so as to extend rearward from lower portions of the opposite side edges of the mount opening 48, a pair of rear walls 50 provided contiguously to the rear ends of the lower side walls 49 at right angles thereto so as to extend toward each other, a pair of bottom walls 51 provided contiguously to opposite side portions of the lower edge of the mount opening 48 so as to extend rearward, a pair of upper side walls 52 fixed to the upper vertical support bars 46b of the support frame 46 at a position upward spaced from the lower side walls 49 in such a manner that the inner surfaces of the upper side walls 52 correspond to the outer surfaces of the lower side walls 49, and a terminal box 88 provided between the bottom walls 51 and secured to the support plate 46f of the support frame 46. Thus, the battery mounting portion 39i is configured so as to open on the front and upper sides. [0027]The front basket 38i is fixedly supported to the support frame 46 in such a manner that upper portions of the rear walls 50 are secured by screws 54 to stays 53 mounted at opposite end portions of the lateral support bar 46a of the support frame 46, and that a bottom portion of the front basket 38! is secured by a screw 55 and a nut 56 to a front end portion of the front extension bar 46d of the support frame 46. [0028]Referring also to FIGS. 8, 9, and 10, the battery 40j includes a battery case 62 and a cell assembly 61 accommodated in the battery case 62. The cell assembly 61 is composed of a plurality of Ni-Cd cells 60 connected in series. The battery case 62 is composed of a front case half 63 and a rear case half 64 connected together. The battery case 62 is formed in a flattened rectangular box-shaped configuration allowing mounting of the battery 40! into the battery mounting portion 39j from the mount opening 48. [0029] The upper surface of the battery case 62 is formed with a grip portion 65 contiguous to both the case halves 63 and 64 and raised at a laterally central portion of the battery case 62. As apparent: from FIG. 3, a battery meter 67 incorporating a shunt resistor 66 (see FIG. 10) is provided in the upper surface of the battery case 62 at a position on one lateral side of the grip portion 65. The upper surface of the battery meter 67 is provided with a push button 68 for turning on the battery meter 67. The push button 68 is operated in the vertical direction. A triangular indicator 69 having a width gradually decreased of the battery case 62, a front guide portion 88b slightly raised from the front end of the plate portion 88a and adapted to come into contact with a lower portion of the front surface of the battery case 62, a rear guide portion 88c raised from the rear end of the plate portion 88a up to a position higher than the top position of the front guide portion 88b along the lower vertical support bar 46c of the support frame 46 and adapted to come into contact with a lower portion of the guide 62b of the battery case 62, and a terminal support portion 88d contiguous to a longitudinally central portion of the lower surface of the plate portion 88a and extending downward so as to pass through a hole 71 formed through the support plate 46f. Thus, the terminal box 88 is secured to the support plate 46f. [0030]Referring also to FIG. 12, the battery case 62 of the battery 40! is mounted on the battery mounting portion 39i in such a manner that the front and rear lower ends of the battery case 62 are guided by the front guide portion 88b and the rear guide portion 88c of the terminal box 88. * In relation therewith, an elastic biasing mechanism 151 is provided on the mounting plate 46e of the support frame 46, so as to facilitate demounting of the battery 40i from the of the battery case 62, a front guide portion 88b slightly raised from the front end of the plate portion 88a and adapted to come into contact with a lower portion of the front surface of the battery case 62, a rear guide portion 88c raised from the rear end of the plate portion 88a up to a position higher than the top position of the front guide portion 88b along the lower vertical support bar 46c of the support frame 46 and adapted to come into contact with a lower portion of the guide 62b of the battery case 62, and a terminal support portion 88d contiguous to a longitudinally central portion of the lower surface of the plate portion 88a and extending downward so as to pass through a hole 71 formed through the support plate 46f. Thus, the terminal box 88 is secured to the support plate 46f. [0031]Referring also to FIG. 12, the battery case 62 of the battery 40i is mounted on the battery mounting portion 39i in such a manner that the front and rear lower ends of the battery case 62 are guided by the front guide portion 88b and the rear guide portion 88c of the terminal box 88. 4 In relation therewith, an elastic biasing mechanism 151 is provided on the mounting plate 46e of the support frame 46, so as to facilitate demounting of the battery 40i from the mount opening 48 by biasing the battery case 62 supported at its lower end portion by the front guide portion 88b and the rear guide portion 88c in such a direction that the front end portion of the battery case 62 is tilted frontward. [0032] The elastic biasing mechanism 151 includes a support shaft 152 having an axis extending substantially horizontally in the lateral direction of the body frame 21 and provided between the opposed side walls of the mounting plate 46e, an arm 153 having a front end portion 153a allowed to project frontward from the opening 47 and pivotably supported at a base end portion to the support shaft 152, and a spring 154 provided between the base end portion of the arm 153 and the mounting plate 46e so as to apply to the arm 153 a rotational biasing force in such a direction that the front end portion 153a of the arm 153 frontward urges the battery case 62 of the battery 40i. [0033] The arm 153 is formed in a substantially U-shaped configuration as having the front end portion 153a which is a rod portion parallel to the support shaft 152. The front end portion 153a of the arm 153 is adapted to come into contact with the guide 62b of the battery case 62 of the battery 40i at a portion over the stopper 62c. In the condition that the battery case 62 of the battery 40i is mounted in the battery mounting portion 39lf the front end portion 153a of the arm 153 is in- contact with the upper surface of the stopper 62c of the battery case 62, so that the lower portion of the battery case 62 is held between the front end portion 153a of the arm 153 and the plate portion 88a of the terminal box 88. Accordingly, vibrations of the battery 40i in the battery mounting portion 39i during running of the vehicle can be prevented, and stable connection between the battery 40X and discharge terminals 89 and 90 to be hereinafter described can be maintained. [0035] Furthermore, a lock mechanism 155! is provided between the battery 40! and the battery mounting portion 39i to fixedly maintain the mounted condition of the battery 40! in the battery mounting portion 39X. [0036]The lock mechanism 155: includes an operating portion 156 mounted on the outer side surface of one of the two upper side walls 52 of the battery mounting portion 39X, e.g., on the outer side surface of the right upper side wall 52 with respect to the frontward direction of the vehicle, for allowing locking and unlocking operations of the lock mechanism 155X, a first engaging member 157 adapted to disengageably engage the battery case 62 on the right side of the battery 40j in response to the operation of the operating portion 156 by means of a key 159, and a second engaging member 158 accommodated in the battery case 62 of the battery 40i and adapted to disengageably engage the left upper side wall 52 of the battery mounting portion 392 in response to the movement of the first engaging member 157. [0037]The operating portion 156 has an upper opening key hole 160 for allowing insertion of the key 159, and is fixedly mounted on the right upper side wall 52. The first engaging member 157 is a rodlike member having a base end portion received in the operating portion 156. The operating portion 156 incorporates a mechanism for operating the first engaging member 157 in its axial direction in response to the operation of the key 159 inserted into the key hole 160. That is, the right side portion of the battery case 62 is formed with an engagement * hole 161, and the first engaging member 157 is operated between a position where its front end portion is inserted through the engagement hole 161 to thereby engage the right side portion of the battery case 62 and a position where the front end portion is disengaged from the engagement hole 161 to thereby release the engagement with the battery case 62. - [0038] The second engaging member 158 is a rodlike member extending over the substantially entire length between the right and left side portions of the battery case 62 of the battery 40!, and is axially movably supported to the battery case 62. One end of the second engaging member 158 is abuttable against the front end of the first engaging member 157 in coaxial relationship with each other. The left side portion of the battery case 62 is formed with a through hole 162 for allowing insertion of the other end of the second engaging member 158, and the left upper side wall 52 of the battery mounting portion 39i is formed with an engagement hole 163 aligned with the through hole 162. Further, a collar 158a is provided at an intermediate portion of the second engaging member 158, and a spring seat 164 is provided in the battery case 62 at a position spaced from the collar 158a toward the other end of the * second engaging member 158. A coil spring 165 surrounding the second engaging member 158 is provided between the collar 158a and the spring seat 164 to bias the second engaging member 158 in such a direction that its one end abuts against the front end of the first engaging member 157. Further, a stopper 166 is provided in the battery case 62 at a position opposed to -the collar 158a on the first engaging member 157 side along the axial direction of the second engaging member 158. The collar 158a is adapted to come into abutment against the stopper 166 by a biasing force of the spring 165, thereby limiting the axial movement of the second engaging member 158 toward the first engaging member 157. [0039] According to the lock mechanism 155lf by operating the operating portion 156 with the key 159 in the condition where the battery 40: is mounted in the battery mounting portion 39i, the first engaging member 157 is inserted into the engagement hole 161, thereby engaging the right side portion of the battery case 62, and in response to this movement of the first engaging member 157 the second engaging member 158 is inserted into the engagement hole 163, thereby engaging the left side portion of the battery mounting portion 39j. Thus, the mounted condition of the battery 40i in the battery mounting portion 39j is fixedly maintained. Conversely, when the first engaging member 157 is retracted toward the operating portion 156 by operating the operating portion 156 with the key 159, the first engaging member 157 is disengaged from the engagement hole 161, thereby releasing the engagement with the battery case 62, and in response thereto the second engaging member 158 is axially moved toward the first engaging member 157 by the biasing force of the spring 165, thereby disengaging from the engagement hole 163 and releasing the engagement with the battery mounting portion 39l. At this time, one end of the second engaging member 158 is inhibited from projecting from the engagement hole 161, and the other end of the second engaging member 158 is also inhibited, from projecting from the through hole 162 by means of the stopper 166. Accordingly, the battery 40i is biased frontward by the elastic biasing mechanism 151, thereby facilitating removal of the battery 40j from the mount opening 48. [0040] The battery mounting portion 39i is covered on its rear side and right and left sides with a rear cover 168 formed of a synthetic resin. The rear cover 168 is secured by screws 169 to the stays 53 mounted on the lateral support bar 46a of the support frame 46 and is also secured by screws 170 to the rear walls 50 of the front basket 38^ The rear cover 168 is formed at its portion covering the operating portion 156 of the lock mechanism I55i with a circular opening 171 to which the upper surface of the operating portion 156 is exposed, so as to allow the key 159 to be inserted from the upper- side into the key hole 160 formed on the upper surface of the operating portion 156. Further, the rear cover 168 is integrally formed at its lower portion with a pair of extended cover portions 168a extending downward to cover the terminal box 88 on its right and left sides, so that the terminal box 88 provided at the lower end of the battery mounting portion 39i is almost concealed on the right and left sides to thereby provide an aesthetic design. [0041]Referring also to FIG. 13, the battery 40i is provided with first, second, and third connection terminals 75, 76, and 77. The first connection terminal 75 is connected through a shunt resistor 66 to the negative terminal of the cell assembly 61. The second connection terminal 76 is connected to the positive terminal of the cell assembly 61. The third connection terminal 77 is connected through a thermistor 78 for detection of the temperature of the cell assembly 61 to the negative terminal of the cell assembly 61. [0042] As previously mentioned, the guide 62b is provided on the rear surface of the battery case 62, that is, of the rear case half 64 of the battery case 62 of the battery 40x at its laterally central portion so as to extend vertically and project rearward. Further, the recess 62a is formed on the bottom of the battery case 62 at its laterally central portion. The connection terminals 75, 76, and 77 are provided in the battery case 62 at a corner portion between the guide 62b and the recess 62a. [0043] The first connection terminal 75 has a flat terminal plate 80 fixed at its front end and resiliently abutting against the inner surface of the bottom of the battery case 62, a discharge contact 75a riveted to the lower surface of the terminal plate 80, and a platelike charge contact 75b contiguous to the rear end of the terminal plate 80 at substantially right angles thereto and resiliently abutting against the inner surface of the rear portion of the battery case 62. Thus, the first connection terminal 75 is relatively widely formed in a substantially L-shaped configuration. The discharge contact 75a is a silver contact, and the charge contact 75b is plated with nickel (or silver). [0044] The first connection terminal 75 is located at a position corresponding to one lateral side portion of the guide 62b. The bottom wall of the battery case 62 is formed with a circular opening 81- for exposing the discharge contact 75a, and the guide 62b is formed with a vertically elongated slit 82 closed at its upper end and open at its lower end, for exposing the charge contact 75b. [0045] The second connection terminal 76 has a discharge contact 76a and a charge contact 76b, and is formed in a substantially L-shaped configuration like the first connection terminal 75. However, the second connection terminal 76 is narrower than the first connection terminal 75. The second connection terminal 76 is located at a position corresponding to the other lateral side portion of the guide 62b. The bottom wall of the battery case 62 is formed with a circular opening (not shown) for exposing the discharge contact 76a, and the guide 62b is formed with a vertically elongated slit 83 closed at its upper end and open at its lower end, for exposing the charge contact 76b. [0046] The third connection terminal 77 is formed in a substantially L-shaped configuration like the first connection terminal 75 and the second connection terminal 76. However, the third connection terminal 77 has no contact exposed to the bottom outer surface of the battery case 62. The third connection terminal 77 is located in the battery case 62 at a position between the first connection terminal 75 and the second connection terminal 76. The guide 62b is formed with a vertically elongated slit 84 closed at its upper end and open at its lower end, for exposing the third connection terminal 77. [0047]Further, the guide 62b is formed with two vertically elongated guide grooves 85 closed at their upper ends and open at their lower ends at positions between the slits 82 and 84 and between the slits 83 and 84. [0048]On the other hand, the terminal support portion 88d of the terminal box 88 is provided with a first discharge terminal 89 adapted to be connected to the discharge contact 75a of the first connection terminal 75 in the battery 40j mounted in the battery mounting portion 39i and a second discharge terminal 90 adapted to be connected to the discharge contact 76a of the second connection terminal 76 in the battery 40j mounted in the battery mounting portion 3 9^ —[0049] The plate portion 88a and the terminal support portion 88d of the terminal box 88 is formed with a mounting hole 91 closed at its lower end and open at its upper end so as to correspond to the opening 81 formed through the bottom wall of the battery case 62 to expose the discharge contact 75a of the first connection terminal 75. The first discharge terminal 89 is a rodlike member located in the mounting hole 91 in coaxial relationship therewith and axially movably passed through the closed bottom of the mounting hole 91. Further, a retainer 92 slidably engaged within the mounting hole 91 is fixed to the first discharge terminal 89 at its intermediate portion. A spring 94 is interposed under compression between the retainer 92 and a washer 93 disposed on the inner surface of the closed bottom of the mounting hole 91. With this arrangement, the first discharge terminal 89 is biased by the spring 94 in such a direction that the upper end of the first discharge terminal 89 comes into pressure contact with the discharge contact 85a of the first connection terminal 75. Further, a stop ring 95 is fixedly engaged with a lower end portion of the first discharge terminal 89 and adapted to come into abutment against the outer surface of the closed bottom of the mounting hole 91 by a biasing force of the spring 94, thereby limiting upward movement of the first discharge terminal 89. [0050] According to such a mounting structure of the first discharge terminal 89 in the terminal box 88, the upper end of the first discharge terminal 89 comes into resilient abutment against the discharge contact 75a of the first connection terminal 75 when the battery 40a is mounted into the battery mounting portion 39i. Accordingly, the connection of the discharge contact 75a and the first discharge terminal 89 can be effectively maintained against vibrations of the battery 40i during running of the vehicle. [0051] The second discharge terminal 90 is also provided in the terminal box 88 in a mounting structure similar to that of the first discharge terminal 89, so that when the battery 40i is mounted into the battery mounting portion 39i, the upper end of the second discharge terminal 90 comes into resilient abutment against the discharge contact 76a of the second connection terminal 76. Accordingly, the connection of the discharge contact 76a and the second discharge terminal 90 can be effectively maintained against vibrations of the battery 40: during running of the vehicle. [0052]The first and second discharge terminals 89 and 90 are connected to cords 96 and 97 for supplying electric power to the electric motor 30, respectively. The cords 96 and 97 are drawn from the terminal box 88. [0053] Referring to FIGS. 14 to 16, reference numeral 100 generally designates a charger for charging the battery 40i demounted from the battery mounting portion 39i. The charger 100 is so designed as to vertically receive the battery 40^ [0054] The charger 100 has a housing 101 adapted to be placed on a flat floor surface 99. The housing 101 has a low-level portion 102 having a relatively low level from the floor surface 99 and a high-level portion 103 having a level from the floor surface 99 higher than the level of the low-level portion 102 and contiguous to the low-level portion 102. The housing 101 is formed of a synthetic resin and has a substantially rectangular boxlike shape as viewed in plan with a width smaller than the width of the battery 40^ [0055] The high-level portion 103 is formed with a mounting groove 107 open on its upper side and right and left sides. That is, the mounting groove 107 is defined by a vertically extending side surface 104 formed on the low-level portion 102 side, a vertically extending side surface 105 opposed to the side surface 104, and a horizontal bottom surface 106 connecting the lower ends of the side surfaces 104 and 105. The battery 40! is adapted to be vertically mounted into the mounting groove 107. The dimensions of the bottom surface 106 are set so that when the battery 40i is mounted into the mounting groove 107, the push button 68 of the battery meter 67 located on the upper surface of the battery 40i is positioned over the bottom surface 106. [0056] The side surfaces 104 and 105 are tapered in such a manner as to be diverged toward the upper side for the purpose of ease of mounting of the battery 40! into the mounting groove 107. A pair of vertically elongated ribs 108 project from the side surface 104 at its lower portion. The side surface 104 is opposed to the rear surface of the battery 40i mounted in the mounting groove 107, and the ribs 108 come into contact with the rear surface of the battery 40i on the right and left sides of the guide 62b formed on the rear surface of the battery 40i. Further, a plurality of (e.g., three) vertically elongated ribs 109 project from the side surface 105 over the height of the side surface 105. The side surface 105 is opposed to the front surface of the battery 40a mounted in the mounting groove 107, and the ribs 109 come into contact with the front surface of the battery 40!. These ribs 108 and 109 are also tapered in such a manner as to be diverged toward the upper side like the side surfaces 104 and 105 mentioned above. However, an angle of inclination of the ribs 108 and 109 is set smaller than that of the side surfaces 104 and 105. Accordingly, the battery 401 can be easily mounted into and demounted from the mounting groove 107 owing to the inclination of the side surfaces 104 and 105 and the ribs 108 and 109, and the front and rear surfaces of the battery 40! can be effectively supported by the ribs 109 and 108, respectively, which are less inclined than the side surfaces 104 and 105, thereby preventing frontward and rearward play of the battery 40x within the mounting groove 107. [0057] The side surface 104 is further formed with a guide recess 110 open on the upper side. The guide recess 110 is adapted to vertically receive the guide 62b projecting from the rear surface of the battery case 62 of the battery 40i. The guide recess 110 has opposite side surfaces llOa at its upper portion, which are tapered in such a manner as to be diverged toward the upper side for the purpose of ease of insertion of the guide 62b into the guide recess 110. [0057]The guide recess 110 is further provided with two projections 111 adapted to engage the two guide grooves 85 formed on the rear surface of the battery 40^ By the engagement of the projections 111 with the guide grooves 85, lateral play of the battery 40i within the mounting groove 107 can be prevented. [0058] Referring to FIG. 17, the charger 100 includes a power circuit 115 adapted to be connected through a connector 114 to an AC power source, a control circuit 116 constructed of a microcomputer, a drive circuit 117, a MOS-FET 118, a transistor 119, and a diode 120. [0059] A first charge terminal 121 is connected to one end of the power circuit 115, and a second charge terminal 122 is connected through the MOS-FET 118, the transistor 119, and the diode 120 to the other end of the power circuit 115. The control circuit 116 has a transistor 125 connected to the gate of the MOS-FET 118. The base of the transistor 125 is connected to a thermistor terminal 123. A control signal for current switching is input from the control circuit 116 to the power circuit 115, and a voltage signal at the second charge terminal 122 is input to the control circuit 116. Further, an output end of the drive circuit 117 is connected to the base of the transistor 119, so as to control switching on and off of the transistor 119. A battery detection terminal 124 is connected to an input end of the drive circuit 117. [0060] A substrate 113 is disposed in the low-level portion 102 and a part of the high-level portion 103 on the low-level portion 102 side with respect to the mounting groove 107 in such a manner as to be located aside a lower portion of the battery 40i mounted in the mounting groove 107. The electric components shown in FIG. 17 are mounted on the substrate 113. Thus, the substrate 113 is provided inside the housing 101 in such a manner as to be located aside the lower portion of the battery 40i mounted in the mounting groove 107, so that the mounting position of the battery 40i into the charger 100 can be set as low as possible, thereby stabilizing the mounted condition of the battery 40i in the charger 100. [0061] The lower portion of the guide recess 110 formed on the side surface 104 of the mounting groove 107 is formed with projections 126, 127, and 128 adapted to respectively engage the slits 82, 83, and 84 formed on the rear surface of the battery 40^ The first charge terminal 121 and the battery detection terminal 124 are formed from a wire, and bent portions of the terminals 121 and 124 project from an opening 129 formed through the projection 126 so as to come into resilient sliding contact with the charge terminal 75b of the first connection terminal 75 when the battery 40! is mounted into the mounting groove 107. Similarly, the second charge terminal 122 formed from a wire projects from an opening (not shown) of the projection 127 so as to come into resilient sliding contact with the charge terminal 76b of the second connection terminal 76 when the battery 40i is mounted into the mounting groove 107. Similarly, the thermistor terminal 123 formed from a wire projects from an opening (not shown) of the projection 128 so as to come into resilient sliding contact with the third connection terminal 77 when the battery 40i is mounted into the mounting groove 107. [0062] The operation of the first preferred embodiment will now be described. The battery mounting portion 39i is provided at the rear portion of the front basket 38l to allow mounting and demounting of the battery ^Ol from the mount opening 48 exposed into the front basket 38x and also allow the battery 40! to be fixedly mounted. Accordingly, the need for any extra operation such as rotation of the seat post 28 can be eliminated, and the battery 40i can be easily mounted into and demounted from the battery mounting portion 39X by a very simple operation similar to a loading/unloading operation for a baggage into/from the front basket 38i irrespective of the position of the bar handle 24. Further, even if the battery 40j is inadvertently dropped in the mounting or demounting operation into or from the battery mounting portion 39!, the battery 40i can be received by the front basket 38i, thereby preventing damage to the battery 40j. Further, since the battery mounting portion 39x is not present inside the front basket 38!, a baggage storage space of the front basket 38i is not sacrificed by the battery mounting portion 39i. [0063] Further, the battery mounting portion 39i is provided with the discharge terminals 89 and 90 adapted to be electrically connected to the contacts 75a and 76a of the battery 40i, respectively, in response to mounting of the battery 40i into the battery mounting portion 39^ Accordingly, electrical connection between the battery 40a and the battery mounting portion 39j can be easily made in response to mounting of the battery 40: into the battery mounting portion 39x. [0065] The lock mechanism 155} is provided between the battery 40j and the battery mounting portion 39j, and the operating portion 156 for performing locking and unlocking operations of the lock mechanism 155} is provided on one of the right and left sides of the battery mounting portion 39lf e.g., on the right side of the battery mounting portion 39i. Accordingly, the locking and unlocking operations of the lock mechanism I55i can be easily performed without hindrance by the brake cables 44L and 44R extending behind the front basket 38 x. Furthermore, the lock mechanism [0066] includes the first engaging member 157 adapted to disengageably engage one of the right and left side portions of the battery 40i, e.g., the right side portion of the battery 40l according to the locking operation of the operating portion 156, and the second * engaging member 158 adapted to disengageably engage the other of the right and left side portions of the battery mounting portion 39i, e.g., the left side portion of the battery mounting portion 39X in response to the movement of the first engaging member 157. With this arrangement, the right and left side portions of the battery 40x are engaged with the right and left side portions of the battery mounting portion 39l7 respectively, thus reliably mounting the battery 40i in the battery mounting portion 39:. Furthermore, the second engaging member 158 is a rodlike member extending over the substantially entire length between the right and left side portions of the battery 40i and axially movably supported to the battery 40i. Accordingly, the configuration of the lock mechanism 155} can be simplified. [0067] The battery meter 67 is provided on the upper surface of the battery case 62 of the battery 40!, so that the battery meter 67 is visible from the upper side. Accordingly, a rider on the bicycle can easily visibly check the battery meter 67 even in the condition that the rider is sitting on the seat 27, thus allowing easy check of the remaining capacity of the battery 40l. Further, only when the push button 68 is depressed, the battery meter 67 is turned on to indicate the remaining capacity of the battery 40}. Accordingly, undue power consumption by the battery meter 67 can be prevented, and the rider's view is not spoiled by the indication of the battery meter 67 during running. [0067] The first and second connection terminals 75 and 76 of the battery 40: are used both in discharging and in charging. Therefore, as compared with a battery having connection terminals dedicated for discharging and connection terminals dedicated for charging, the number of parts can be reduced and the wiring structure in the battery case 62 can be simplified. [0068] A current flowing in discharging from the battery 40i, i.e., in feeding to the electric motor 30 is relatively large, while a current flowing in charging to the battery 40]. is relatively small. Therefore, in the case that electrical connection is made at the same position on the first and second connection terminals 75 and 76 both in discharging and in charging, the electrical capacity of both the connection terminals 75 and 76 must be set large, and the electrical capacity of both the charge terminals 121 and 122 of the charger 100 must also be set large. However, according to this preferred embodiment, the discharge contacts 75a and 76a to be connected to the first and second discharge terminals 89 and 90 and the charge contacts 75b and 76b to be connected to the first and second charge terminals 121 and 122 are provided at different positions on the first and second connection terminals 75 and 76. Accordingly, although the first and second connection terminals 75 and 76 are used commonly in discharging and in charging, electrical characteristics required in discharging and in charging can be satisfied. That is, in discharging where a large current flows, the discharge contacts 75a and 76b formed as silver contacts are in resilient point contact with the front and second discharge terminals 89 and 90, respectively, in coaxial relationship, thereby reducing wear in the contact condition to cope with the flow of such a large current in discharging. On the other hand, in charging where a small current flows, the first and second charge terminals 121 and 122 formed from a wire wipe the charge contacts 75b and 76b in inserting the battery 40i into the mounting groove 107 of the charger 100, and thereby clean off dust or the like on the surfaces of the charge contacts 75b and 76b, thus providing a connection structure with no faulty contact to cope with the flow of such a small current in charging. [0069] Further, the discharge contacts 75a and 76a of the first and second connection terminals 75 and 76 are exposed to the bottom surface of the battery case 62 of the battery 40!, while the charge contacts 75b and 76b of the first and second connection terminals 75 and 76 are exposed to the rear surface of the battery case 62 perpendicular to the bottom surface. Accordingly, possible misconnection in discharging and in charging can be prevented. [0070] The battery 40j is adapted to be vertically mounted into the charger 100, and charging of the battery 40X can be effected by such vertical mounting into the charger 100. Accordingly, the need for connection work in charging can be eliminated to thereby make charging work easy. [0071]The terminals 121 to 124 are provided on the side surface 104 different from the bottom surface 106 of the mounting groove 107, which bottom surface 106 is a wall surface on which the self-weight of the battery 40x acts in mounting the battery 40i into the charger 100, and the terminals 121 to 124 are connected to the charge contacts 75b and 76b and the third connection terminal 77 each exposed to the rear surface of the battery 40!. Accordingly, the self-weight of the battery 40i which is relatively heavy is prevented from acting on the terminals 121 to 124 of the charger 100, and the terminals 121 to 124 can be made light and compact. Further, the battery meter 67 provided on the upper surface of the battery 40X can be visibly checked from the upper side in mounting the battery 40j in the charger 100. In addition, since the push button 68 for operating the battery meter 67 is adapted to be vertically pushed in the charger 100, there is no possibility that the connection of the terminals of the battery 40j with the terminals 121 to 124 may be canceled by a depression force applied to the push button 68. [0072] FIGS. 18 and 19 show a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, FIG, 18 is a vertical sectional view of an essential part of the second preferred embodiment, which is a cross section taken along the line 18-18 in FIG. 19, and FIG. 19 is a cross section taken along the line 19-19 in FIG. 18. A front basket 382 is fixedly supported through a support member 181 to the head pipe 22, and a battery mounting portion 392 is fixedly provided at a rear portion of the front basket 382. A battery 402 can be fixedly supported to the battery mounting portion 392. The battery 402 supported on the battery mounting portion 392 is covered with a lid 182. The battery mounting portion 392 is formed from a metal plate and has a substantially L-shaped configuration as viewed in vertical section. That is, the battery mounting portion 392 has a portion adapted to face a rear portion of the battery 402 which rear portion is formed with a guide 62b' and a portion adapted to face a bottom portion of the battery 402 which bottom portion is formed with a recess 62a'. The battery mounting portion 392 is secured together with the rear portion of the front basket 382 to the support member 181 by means of a plurality of (e.g., four) bolts 183 and nuts 184. [0074] A terminal box 88 is mounted on a lower portion of the battery mounting portion 392 so as to be engaged with the recess 62a' formed on the bottom portion of the battery 402. The lower portion of the battery mounting portion 392 is formed at its front end with a pair of right and left * connecting portions 185 extending downward. Each connecting portion 185 is formed with a rectangular connection hole 186. Further, the lower portion of the battery mounting portion 392 is formed at its front end with a supporting portion 187 extending obliquely upward between the right and left connecting portions 185. The supporting portion 187 serves to support the front lower end of the battery 402. [0077]The lid 132 is formed of a synthetic resin and has a boxlike, substantially L-shaped configuration as viewed in vertical section. That is, the lid 132 has a portion adapted to face the front surface of the battery 402 and a portion adapted to face the upper surface of the battery 402- The lid 132 further has opposed side portions adapted to face the opposite side surfaces of the battery 402. The lid 132 is formed at its lower end with a pair of right and left connecting portions 188 respectively inserted through and engaged with the connection holes 186 of the right and left connecting portions 185 of the battery mounting portion 392. That is, the lid 132 is pivotable frontward and rearward in the front basket 382 about engaging portions between the connecting portions 185 and the connecting portions 188. [ 0078 ]~ As similar to the battery 40i of the first preferred embodiment, the bottom portion of the battery 402 is provided with discharge contacts 75a and 76a adapted to be connected to discharge terminals 89 and 90 provided in the terminal box 88. When the battery 402 is mounted onto the battery mounting portion 392,the discharge contacts 75a and 76a come to electrical connection with the discharge terminals 89 and 90[0079] Attached to the inner surface of the lid 182 are an elastic member 189 adapted to come into elastic contact with the front surface of the battery 402, thereby pressing the guide 62b' of the rear surface of the battery 402 against the battery mounting portion 392 and an elastic member 190 adapted to come into elastic contact with the upper surface of the battery 402, thereby pressing the bottom portion of the battery 402 against the battery mounting portion 392. Further, the front surface of the battery 402 is formed with an engagement recess 191, and the inner surface of the lid 182 is integrally formed with an engagement projection 192 adapted to engage the engagement recess 191. Accordingly, when the lid 182 is closed, play of the battery 402 between the lid 182 and the battery mounting portion 392 can be prevented, and stable connection of the battery 402 and the discharge terminals 89 and 90 can be maintained. The upper end of the battery mounting portion 392 is formed with a tongue portion 193 extending obliquely rearward, and the upper end of the lid 182 is formed with a tongue portion 194 adapted to face the tongue portion 193 from the upper side. A lock mechanism 1552 for fixedly maintaining a closed condition of the lid 182 is provided between the two tongue portions 193 and 194 on a longitudinal center line of the body frame 21 (see FIG. 1). The lock mechanism 1552 includes an operating portion 196 fixed to the tongue portion 194 of the lid 182 and having a key hole 195 exposed to the upper surface, an engagement hole 197 formed through the tongue portion 193 of the battery mounting portion 392 for disengageably engage the operating portion 196, and a pawl 198 operatively provided in the engaging portion 196 and adapted to engage the lower surface of the tongue portion 193 at the periphery of the engagement hole 197. Accordingly, when a key (not shown) inserted into the key hole 195 is operated in the closed condition of the lid 182, the pawl 198 comes into engagement with the tongue portion 193, thereby fixedly maintaining the closed condition of the lid 182. According to the second preferred embodiment, the battery mounting portion 392 adapted to detachably support the battery 402 is fixedly provided in the rear portion of the front basket 392, and the lid 182 adapted to cover the battery 402 supported on the battery mounting portion 392 from the front side is connected to the lower portion of the battery mounting portion 392 so as to be pivotable frontward and rearward in the front basket 382. With this arrangement, like the first preferred embodiment, the battery 402 can be easily mounted to and demounted from the battery mounting portion 392 by such a very simple operation as to only swing the lid 182 frontward and rearward as similar to a loading/unloading operation for a baggage into/from the front basket 382. Further, even if the battery 402 is inadvertently dropped in the mounting or demounting operation onto or from the battery mounting portion 392/ the battery 402 can be received by the front basket 382, thereby preventing damage to the battery 402. Further, electrical connection between the battery 402 and the discharge terminals 89 and 90 can be easily made in response to supporting of the battery 402 onto the battery mounting portion 392[0083]Further, the lock mechanism 1552 for fixedly maintaining the closed condition of the lid 182 is located on the longitudinal center line of the body frame 21. Accordingly, the locking and unlocking operations of the lock mechanism 1552 can be easily performed without hindrance by the brake cables 44L and 44R extending behind the front basket 382. while the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above preferred embodiments, but various design changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention defined by the appended claims. [0084] [Effect of the Invention] According to the invention as defined in claim 1, the need for any extra operation such as rotation of the seat post can be eliminated, and the battery can be easily mounted into and demounted from the battery mounting portion by a very simple operation similar to a loading/ unloading operation for a baggage into/from the front basket irrespective of the position of the bar handle. Further, electrical connection between the battery and the battery mounting portion can be easily made in response to mounting of the battery into the battery mounting portion. Further, even if the battery is inadvertently dropped in the mounting or demounting operation into or from the battery mounting portion, there is no possibility of damage to the battery. Additionally, since the battery mounting portion is not present inside the front basket, a baggage storage space of the front basket is not sacrificed by the battery mounting portion[0085] According to the invention as defined in claim 2, the operating portion for performing locking and unlocking operations of the lock mechanism is provided on one of the right and left sides of the battery mounting portion. Accordingly, the locking and unlocking operations of the lock mechanism can be easily performed without hindrance by the brake cables extending behind the front basket. According to the invention as defined in claim 3, the right and left side portions of the battery are engaged with the right and left side portions of the battery mounting portion, respectively, by operating the operating portion located on the right or left side of the battery mounting portion, thereby allowing reliable mounting of the battery in the battery mounting portion. [0086] According to the invention as defined in claim 4, the second engaging member is a rodlike member supported to the battery. Accordingly, the configuration of the lock mechanism can be simplified. [0087]According to the invention as defined in claim 5, the need for any extra operation such as rotation of the seat post can be eliminated, and the battery can be easily mounted to and demounted from the battery mounting portion by such a very simple operation as to only swing the lid frontward and rearward as similar to a loading/unloading operation for a baggage into/from the front basket irrespective of the position of the bar handle. Further, electrical connection between the battery and the battery mounting portion can be easily made in response to mounting of the battery to the battery mounting portion. Further, even if the battery is inadvertently dropped in the mounting or demounting operation to or from the battery mounting portion, there is no possibility of damage to the battery. [0088]According to the invention as defined in claim 6, the lock mechanism for fixedly maintaining the closed condition of the lid is operatively provided on the longitudinal center line of the body frame. Accordingly, the locking and unlocking operations of the lock mechanism can be easily performed without hindrance by the brake cables extending behind the front basket. [Explanation of Reference Numerals 21: body frame 22: head pipe 30: electric motor 32: crank pedal 38:, 38:: front basket 39:, 392: battery mounting portion 40i, 402: battery 48: mount opening 75a, 76a: contact 89, 90: terminal 155i, 1552: lock mechanism 156: operating portion 157: first engaging member 158: second engaging member 182: lid We claim; 1. A motor-assisted bicycle having a body frame (21), a head pipe (22) provided at the front end of said body frame (21), a front basket (38i) mounted on said head pipe (22), an electric motor (30) mounted on said body frame (21) for assisting a depression force applied to crank pedals (32), and a battery (401) mounted on said body frame (21) for supplying electric power to said electric motor (30); a battery mounting structure characterized in that a battery mounting portion (39i) is provided at a rear portion of said front basket (381) for mounting and demounting of said battery (401) from a mount opening (48) exposed into said front basket (381) and also allow the battery (401) to be fixedly mounted, wherein said battery mounting portion (391) is provided with terminals (89, 90) electrically connected to contacts (75a, 76a) of said battery (401) in response to mounting of said battery (401) into said battery mounting portion (391). 2. A motor-assisted bicycle as claimed in claim 1, wherein a lock (1551) for fixedly maintaining a mounted condition of said battery (401) in said battery mounting portion (391) is provided between said battery (401) and said battery mounting portion (391), and an operating portion (156) for performing locking and unlocking operations of said lock (1551) is provided on one of the right and left sides of said battery mounting portion (391). 3. A motor-assisted bicycle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lock (1551) comprises a first engaging member (157) to disengageably engage one of the right and left side portions of said battery (401) according to the locking operation of said operating portion (156) and a second engaging member (158) provided in said battery (401) to disengageably engage the other of the right and left side portions of said battery mounting portion (39i) in response to the,.movement of said first engaging member (157). 4. A motor-assisted bicycle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second engaging member (158) is a rodlike member extending over the entire length between the right and left side portions of said battery (401) and axially movably supported to said battery (401). 5. A motor-assisted bicycle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein a lock (1552) for fixedly maintaining a closed condition of said lid (182) is provided between an upper portion of said battery mounting portion (39a) and an upper portion of said lid (182) on a longitudinal center line of said body frame (21). 6. A motor-assisted bicycle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Full Text

[DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION]
[0001 ]
(Field of the Invention]
The present invention relates to a motor-assisted bicycle including a body frame, a head pipe provided at the front end of the body frame, a front basket mounted on the head pipe, an electric motor mounted on the B frame for
t
assisting a depression force applied to crank pedals, and a battery mounted OIL the body frame for supplying electric power to the electric motor, the battery including a battery case and a cell assembly accommodated in the battery case, and more particularly to a battery mounting structure in such a motor-assisted bicycle.
[0002] . (Prior Art]
Such a motor-assisted bicycle is well known in the art, e.g., in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 7-95744.
r-
[000 3] (Problem to be Solved by the Invention]
In the prior art motor-assisted bicycle mentioned above, a battery is accommodated in a storage box fixedly located behind a seat post present below a seat. Accordingly, in removing the battery from the storage box to charge the battery or in storing the battery into the storage box after charging the battery, the seat must be rotated so as not to hinder the work of removing or storing the battery. Thus, it is hard to say that such a prior art battery mounting structure is excellent in workability. [0004]
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a battery mounting structure in a motor-assisted bicycle which can make a battery mounting, demounting operation very easy. –
(0005] [Means of Solving the Problem]
According to the invention as defined in claim 1, there is provided in a motor-assisted bicycle including a body frame, a head pipe provided at the front end of said body frame, a front basket mounted on said head pipe, an electric motor mounted on said body frame for assisting a depression force applied to crank pedals, and a battery mounted on said body frame for supplying electric power to said electric motor; a battery mounting structure
characterized in that a battery mounting portion is provided at a rear portion of said front basket to allow mounting and demounting of said battery from a mount opening exposed into said front basket and also allow the battery to be fixedly mounted, and in that said battery mounting portion is provided with terminals adapted to be electrically connected to contacts of said battery in response to mounting of said battery into said battery mounting portion. [0005]
With this arrangement, the need for any extra operation such as rotation of the seat post can be eliminated, and the battery can be easily mounted into and demounted from the battery mounting portion by a very simple operation similar to aloading/unloading operation for a baggage into/from the front basket irrespective of the position of the bar handle. Further, electrical connection between the battery and the battery mounting portion can be easily made in response to mounting of the battery into the battery mounting portion. Further, even if the battery is inadvertently dropped in the mounting or demounting operation, the battery can be received by the front basket, so that there is no possibility of damage to the battery. Additionally, since the battery mounting
portion is not present inside the front basket, a baggage storage space of the front basket is not sacrificed by the battery mounting portion.
[0006]According to the invention as defined in claim 2, a lock mechanism for fixedly maintaining a mounted condition of said battery in said battery mounting portion is provided between said battery and said battery mounting portion, and an operating portion for performing locking and unlocking operations of said lock mechanism is provided on one of the right and left sides of said battery mounting portion. Accordingly, the locking and unlocking operations of the lock mechanism can be easily performed without hindrance by brake cables extending behind the front basket. [0007]
According to the invention as defined in claim 3, said lock mechanism comprises a first engaging member adapted to disengageably engage one of the right and left side portions of said battery according to the locking operation of said operating portion and a second engaging member stored in said battery and adapted to disengageably engage the other of the right and left side portions of said battery mounting portion in response to the movement
of said first engaging member. Accordingly, the right and left side portions of the battery are engaged with the right and left side portions of the battery mounting portions, respectively, by operating the operating portion located on the right or left side of the battery mounting portion, thereby allowing reliable mounting of the battery in the battery mounting portion. [0008]
According to the invention as defined in claim 4, said second engaging member is a rodlike member extending over the substantially entire length between the right and left side portions of said battery and axially movably supported to said battery. Accordingly, the configuration of the lock mechanism can be simplified. [0009]
According to the invention as defined in claim 5, there is provided in a motor-assisted bicycle including a body frame, a "head pipe provided at the front end of said body frame, a front basket mounted on said head pipe, an electric motor mounted on said body frame for assisting a depression force applied to crank pedals, and a battery mounted on said body frame for supplying electric power to said electric motor; a battery mounting structure characterized in that a battery mounting portion adapted to
detachably support said battery is fixedly provided in a rear portion of said front basket, in that a lid adapted to cover said battery supported on said battery mounting portion from the front side is connected to a lower portion of said battery mounting portion so as to be pivotable frontward and rearward in said front basket, and in that said battery mounting portion is provided with terminals adapted to be electrically connected to contacts of said battery in response to mounting of said battery to said battery mounting portion. [0010]
With this arrangement, the need for any extra operation such as rotation of the seat post can be eliminated, and the battery can be easily mounted to and demounted from the battery mounting portion by such a very simple operation as to only swing the lid frontward and rearward as similar to a loading/unloading operation for a baggage into/from the front basket, irrespective of the position of the bar handle. Further, electrical connection between the battery and the battery mounting portion can be easily made in response to mounting of the battery to the battery mounting portion. Further, even if the battery is inadvertently dropped in the mounting or demounting operation to or from the battery mounting portion, the
battery can be received by the front basket, so that there is no possibility of damage to the battery. [0012]
According to the invention as defined in claim 6, a lock mechanism for fixedly maintaining a closed condition of said lid is operatively provided between an upper portion of said battery mounting portion and an upper portion of said lid on a longitudinal center line of said body frame. Accordingly, the locking and unlocking operations of the lock ir*echanism can be easily performed without hindrance by brake cables extending behind the front basket.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to a A motor-assisted bicycle having a body frame, a head pipe provided at the front end of said body frame, a front basket mounted on said head pipe, an electric motor mounted on said body frame for assisting a depression force applied to crank pedals, and a battery mounted on said body frame for supplying electric power to said electric motor; a battery mounting structure characterized in that a battery mounting portion is provided at a rear portion of said front basket for mounting and demounting of said battery from a mount opening exposed into said front basket and also allow the battery to be fixedly mounted, wherein said battery mounting portion is provided with terminals electrically connected to contacts of said battery in response to mounting of said battery into said battery mounting portion.

[BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS]
[FIG. 1]
FIG. 1 is a side view of a motor-assisted bicycle according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. [FIG. 2]
FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional side view of a motor unit. [FIG. 3]
FIG. 3 is a plan view taken in the direction of an arrow 3 in FIG. 1. [FIG. 4]
FIG. 4 is a cross section taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 3. [FIG. 5]
FIG. 5 is a cross section taken along the line 5-5 in FIG. 3.
[FIG. 6]
FIG. 6 is a cross section taken along the line 6-6 in FIG. 4. [FIG. 7]
FIG. 7 is a view taken in the direction of an arrow 7 in FIG. 5 in the condition that most of a rear cover and a battery are omitted. [FIG. 8]
FIG. 8 is an elevational view of the battery. [FIG. 9]
FIG. 9 is a side view taken in the direction of an arrow 9 in FIG. 8. [FIG. 10]
FIG. 10 is a schematic circuit diagram of the internal configuration of the battery. [FIG. 11]
FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross section taken along the line 11-11 in FIG. 4. [FIG. 12]
FIG. 12 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 5, for illustrating a demounting operation of the battery. [FIG. 13]
FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of a part depicted by an arrow 13 in FIG. 9.
[FIG. 14]
FIG. 14 is a plan view of a charger. [FIG. 15]
FIG. 15 is a cross section taken along the line 15-
15 in FIG. 14.
[FIG. 16]
FIG. 16 is a cross section taken along the line 16-
16 in FIG. 14.
[FIG. 17]
FIG. 17 is a schematic circuit diagram of the internal configuration of the charger. [FIG. 18]
FIG. 18 is a vertical sectional view of an essential part of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, corresponding to a cross section taken along the line 18-18 in FIG. 19. [FIG. 19]
FIG. 19 is a cross section taken along the line 19-19 in FIG. 18.

^13] [Preferred Embodiment]
Some preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings. [0014]
FIGS. 1 to 17 show a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, FIG. 1 is a side view of a motor-assisted bicycle; FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional side view of a motor unit; FIG. 3 is a plan view taken in the direction of an arrow 3 in FIG, 1; FIG. 4 is a cross section taken along the line 4-4 in FIG.
3; FIG. 5 is a cross section taken along the line 5-5 in FIG. 3; FIG. 6 is a cross section taken along the line 6-6 in FIG. 4; FIG. 7 is a view taken in the direction of an arrow 7 in FIG. 5 in the condition that most of a rear cover and a battery are omitted; FIG. 8 is an elevational view of the battery; FIG. 9 is a side view taken in the direction of an arrow 9 in FIG. 8; FIG. 10 is a schematic circuit diagram of the internal configuration of the battery; FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross section taken along the line 11-11 in FIG. 4; FIG. 12 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 5, for illustrating a demounting operation of the battery; FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of a part depicted by an arrow 13 in FIG. 9; FIG. 14 is a plan view of a charger; FIG. 15 is a cross section taken along the line 15-15 in FIG. 14; FIG. 16 is a cross section taken along the line 16-16 in FIG. 14; and FIG. 17 is a schematic circuit diagram of the internal configuration of the charger. [0015]
Referring first to FIG. 1, the motor-assisted bicycle includes a body frame 21 having a substantially U-shaped configuration as viewed in side elevation. A front fork 23 is steerably supported to a head pipe 22 connected to the front end of the body frame 21. A front wheel WF is
rotatably supported to the lower ends of the front fork 23. A bar handle 24 is provided at the upper end of the front fork 23. A motor unit 31 having an electric motor 30 is provided at a lower portion of the body frame 21. A pair of right and left rear forks 25 extend obliquely downward from the body frame 21 at a position above a rear portion of the motor unit 31 and extend substantially horizontally at a position behind the motor unit 31. A rear wheel WR is rotatably supported to the rear ends of the rear forks 25. A pair of right and left stays 26 extend between the rear ends of the rear forks 25 and the rear end of the body frame 21. A seat post 28 having a seat 27 at its upper end is mounted at a rear portion of the body frame 21 in such a manner that the seat 27 is vertically adjusted in position.
A carrier 29 is fixedly located behind the seat 27. [0016]

Referring also to FIG. 2, a casing 135 of the motor unit 31 is connected by bolts 136 and 137 to a pair of hanger portions 2la and 21b provided at a lower portion of the body frame 21. A crankshaft 33 having crank pedals 32 at its opposite ends is rotatably supported to the casing
*
135. A drive sprocket 34 is provided on the crankshaft 33 so that it can transmit torque from the crankshaft 33 and can also apply an assisting force from the electric motor
30 to the crankshaft 33. An endless chain 36 is wrapped between the drive sprocket 34 and a driven sprocket 35 provided on an axle of the rear wheel WR.
[0017]
A power transmission system 138 provided between the electric motor 30 and the drive sprocket 34 is accommodated in the casing 135. The power transmission system 138 includes a drive gear 139 fixed to a rotating shaft 30a of the electric motor 30, a first idle shaft 140 having an axis parallel to the rotating shaft 30a and rotatably supported to the casing 135, a first intermediate gear 141 fixed to one end of the first idle shaft 140 and meshing with the drive gear 139, a second intermediate gear
142 provided integrally with the first idle shaft 140, a
third intermediate gear 143 meshing with the second
intermediate gear 142, a second idle shaft 144 having an
axis parallel to the first idle shaft 140 and rotatably
supported to the casing 135, the second idle shaft 144
being coaxial with the third intermediate gear 143, a one¬
way clutch 145 provided between the third intermediate gear
143 and the second idle shaft 144, a fourth intermediate
gear 146 provided integrally with the second idle shaft
144, and a driven gear 147 meshing with the fourth
intermediate gear 146. The driven gear 147 is connected to
the drive sprocket 34.
[0018]
In the power transmission system 138, torque generated by the operation of the-electric motor 30 is transmitted to the drive sprocket 34 with a rotating speed reduced. When the operation of the electric motor 30 is stopped, idling of the second idle shaft 144 is allowed by the function of the one-way clutch 145, and does not hinder the rotation of the drive sprocket 34 by a depression force applied to the crank pedals 32. [0019]

Another power transmission system not shown is provided between the crankshaft 33 and the drive sprocket 34. This power transmission system includes a torsion bar adapted to be twisted according to an input torque from the crank pedals 32 and a one-way clutch which can transmit the input torque to the drive sprocket 34 upon forward rotation of the crankshaft 33 by depression of the crank pedals 32 and allows reverse rotation of the crankshaft 33. [0020]

The operation of the electric motor 30 is controlled by a controller 37 fixedly supported to a lower portion of the body frame 21 before the motor unit 31 as shown in FIG. 1. The controller 37 controls the operation
of the electric motor 30 according to the rotating speed of the electric motor 30 and the input torque from the crank pedals 32. As shown in FIG. 2, to detect the rotating speed of the electric motor 30, a reluctor 148 having a projecting portion 148a at its outer circumference is fixed to the rotating shaft 30a of the electric motor 30, and an electromagnetic pickup type sensor 149 for sensing the projecting portion 148a to detect the rotating speed of the reluctor 148, that is, the rotating speed of the electric motor 30 is mounted on the casing 135. Further, the input torque from the crank pedals 32 is detected by means (not shown) for detecting the amount of twist of the torsion bar in the power transmission system provided between the crankshaft 33 and the drive sprocket 34[0021]

Most of the body frame 21 is covered with a cover 41. A main switch 42 for supplying electric power from a battery 40i to the controller 37 and the electric motor 30 is provided at an upper portion of the cover 41. [0022]

Referring also to FIGS. 3 to 7, a front basket 38i is mounted on the head pipe 22 so as to be located before brake cables 44L and 44R respectively extending from the right and left ends of the bar handle 24. A battery
mounting portion 39i is provided at a rear portion of the front basket 38x. The battery 40i for supplying electric power to the electric motor 30 is detachably mounted on the battery mounting portion 39j. [0023]
A bracket 45 extending frontward is mounted on the head pipe 22, and a support frame 46 is mounted on the bracket 45. The front basket 38i is fixedly supported to the support frame 46. [0024]

The support frame 46 includes a lateral support bar 46a extending laterally of the body frame 21, a pair of upper vertical support bars 46b extending upward from the opposite ends of the lateral support bar 46a, a lower vertical support bar 46c extending downward from a position spaced downward from a laterally central portion of the lateral support bar 46a, a front extension bar 46d extending frontward from the lower end of the lower vertical support bar 46c, a mounting plate 46e having a front opening substantially U-shaped cross section for connecting the lateral support bar 46a and the lower vertical support bar 46c, a support plate 46f provided between a lower portion of the lower vertical support bar 46c and a rear portion of the front extension bar 46d, and
a pair of reinforcing plates 46g provided between the front ends of the mounting plate 46e and the lateral support bar 46a. The mounting plate 46e is secured at its rear portion to the bracket 45 mounted on the head pipe 22. [0025]

The lateral support bar 46a and the upper vertical support bars 46b are formed as an upper opening, substantially U-shaped bent rectangular pipe having a rectangular cross section. The lateral support bar 46a is welded to the front upper end portions of the mounting plate 46e. The lower vertical support bar 46c and the front extension bar 46d are formed as a substantially L-shaped bent rectangular pipe having a flattened rectangular cross section. The lower vertical support bar 46c is welded at its upper portion to the front lower end portions of the mounting plate 46e in such a manner that a rectangular opening 47 is defined between the lower vertical support bar 46c and the lateral support bar 46a. [0026]The rear portion of the front basket 3$i is formed with an opening as a mount opening 48 for allowing mounting of the battery 40! into the battery mounting portion 39i. The battery mounting portion 39 x includes a pair of lower side walls 49 provided contiguously to the front basket 38i
so as to extend rearward from lower portions of the opposite side edges of the mount opening 48, a pair of rear walls 50 provided contiguously to the rear ends of the lower side walls 49 at right angles thereto so as to extend toward each other, a pair of bottom walls 51 provided contiguously to opposite side portions of the lower edge of the mount opening 48 so as to extend rearward, a pair of upper side walls 52 fixed to the upper vertical support bars 46b of the support frame 46 at a position upward spaced from the lower side walls 49 in such a manner that the inner surfaces of the upper side walls 52 correspond to the outer surfaces of the lower side walls 49, and a terminal box 88 provided between the bottom walls 51 and secured to the support plate 46f of the support frame 46. Thus, the battery mounting portion 39i is configured so as to open on the front and upper sides.
[0027]The front basket 38i is fixedly supported to the support frame 46 in such a manner that upper portions of the rear walls 50 are secured by screws 54 to stays 53 mounted at opposite end portions of the lateral support bar 46a of the support frame 46, and that a bottom portion of the front basket 38! is secured by a screw 55 and a nut 56 to a front end portion of the front extension bar 46d of
the support frame 46.
[0028]Referring also to FIGS. 8, 9, and 10, the battery 40j includes a battery case 62 and a cell assembly 61 accommodated in the battery case 62. The cell assembly 61 is composed of a plurality of Ni-Cd cells 60 connected in series. The battery case 62 is composed of a front case half 63 and a rear case half 64 connected together. The battery case 62 is formed in a flattened rectangular box-shaped configuration allowing mounting of the battery 40! into the battery mounting portion 39j from the mount opening 48. [0029]
The upper surface of the battery case 62 is formed with a grip portion 65 contiguous to both the case halves 63 and 64 and raised at a laterally central portion of the battery case 62. As apparent: from FIG. 3, a battery meter 67 incorporating a shunt resistor 66 (see FIG. 10) is provided in the upper surface of the battery case 62 at a position on one lateral side of the grip portion 65. The upper surface of the battery meter 67 is provided with a push button 68 for turning on the battery meter 67. The push button 68 is operated in the vertical direction. A triangular indicator 69 having a width gradually decreased
of the battery case 62, a front guide portion 88b slightly raised from the front end of the plate portion 88a and adapted to come into contact with a lower portion of the front surface of the battery case 62, a rear guide portion 88c raised from the rear end of the plate portion 88a up to a position higher than the top position of the front guide portion 88b along the lower vertical support bar 46c of the support frame 46 and adapted to come into contact with a lower portion of the guide 62b of the battery case 62, and a terminal support portion 88d contiguous to a longitudinally central portion of the lower surface of the plate portion 88a and extending downward so as to pass through a hole 71 formed through the support plate 46f. Thus, the terminal box 88 is secured to the support plate 46f. [0030]Referring also to FIG. 12, the battery case 62 of the battery 40! is mounted on the battery mounting portion 39i in such a manner that the front and rear lower ends of the battery case 62 are guided by the front guide portion 88b and the rear guide portion 88c of the terminal box 88.
*
In relation therewith, an elastic biasing mechanism 151 is provided on the mounting plate 46e of the support frame 46, so as to facilitate demounting of the battery 40i from the
of the battery case 62, a front guide portion 88b slightly raised from the front end of the plate portion 88a and adapted to come into contact with a lower portion of the front surface of the battery case 62, a rear guide portion 88c raised from the rear end of the plate portion 88a up to a position higher than the top position of the front guide portion 88b along the lower vertical support bar 46c of the support frame 46 and adapted to come into contact with a lower portion of the guide 62b of the battery case 62, and a terminal support portion 88d contiguous to a longitudinally central portion of the lower surface of the plate portion 88a and extending downward so as to pass through a hole 71 formed through the support plate 46f. Thus, the terminal box 88 is secured to the support plate 46f.
[0031]Referring also to FIG. 12, the battery case 62 of the battery 40i is mounted on the battery mounting portion 39i in such a manner that the front and rear lower ends of the battery case 62 are guided by the front guide portion 88b and the rear guide portion 88c of the terminal box 88.
4
In relation therewith, an elastic biasing mechanism 151 is provided on the mounting plate 46e of the support frame 46, so as to facilitate demounting of the battery 40i from the
mount opening 48 by biasing the battery case 62 supported at its lower end portion by the front guide portion 88b and the rear guide portion 88c in such a direction that the front end portion of the battery case 62 is tilted frontward. [0032]
The elastic biasing mechanism 151 includes a support shaft 152 having an axis extending substantially horizontally in the lateral direction of the body frame 21 and provided between the opposed side walls of the mounting plate 46e, an arm 153 having a front end portion 153a allowed to project frontward from the opening 47 and pivotably supported at a base end portion to the support shaft 152, and a spring 154 provided between the base end portion of the arm 153 and the mounting plate 46e so as to apply to the arm 153 a rotational biasing force in such a direction that the front end portion 153a of the arm 153 frontward urges the battery case 62 of the battery 40i. [0033]
The arm 153 is formed in a substantially U-shaped configuration as having the front end portion 153a which is a rod portion parallel to the support shaft 152. The front end portion 153a of the arm 153 is adapted to come into contact with the guide 62b of the battery case 62 of the
battery 40i at a portion over the stopper 62c. In the condition that the battery case 62 of the battery 40i is mounted in the battery mounting portion 39lf the front end portion 153a of the arm 153 is in- contact with the upper surface of the stopper 62c of the battery case 62, so that the lower portion of the battery case 62 is held between the front end portion 153a of the arm 153 and the plate portion 88a of the terminal box 88. Accordingly, vibrations of the battery 40i in the battery mounting portion 39i during running of the vehicle can be prevented, and stable connection between the battery 40X and discharge terminals 89 and 90 to be hereinafter described can be maintained. [0035]
Furthermore, a lock mechanism 155! is provided between the battery 40! and the battery mounting portion 39i to fixedly maintain the mounted condition of the battery 40! in the battery mounting portion 39X. [0036]The lock mechanism 155: includes an operating portion 156 mounted on the outer side surface of one of the two upper side walls 52 of the battery mounting portion 39X, e.g., on the outer side surface of the right upper side wall 52 with respect to the frontward direction of the
vehicle, for allowing locking and unlocking operations of the lock mechanism 155X, a first engaging member 157 adapted to disengageably engage the battery case 62 on the right side of the battery 40j in response to the operation of the operating portion 156 by means of a key 159, and a second engaging member 158 accommodated in the battery case 62 of the battery 40i and adapted to disengageably engage the left upper side wall 52 of the battery mounting portion 392 in response to the movement of the first engaging member 157.
[0037]The operating portion 156 has an upper opening key hole 160 for allowing insertion of the key 159, and is fixedly mounted on the right upper side wall 52. The first engaging member 157 is a rodlike member having a base end portion received in the operating portion 156. The operating portion 156 incorporates a mechanism for operating the first engaging member 157 in its axial direction in response to the operation of the key 159 inserted into the key hole 160. That is, the right side portion of the battery case 62 is formed with an engagement
*
hole 161, and the first engaging member 157 is operated between a position where its front end portion is inserted through the engagement hole 161 to thereby engage the right
side portion of the battery case 62 and a position where the front end portion is disengaged from the engagement hole 161 to thereby release the engagement with the battery case 62. - [0038]
The second engaging member 158 is a rodlike member extending over the substantially entire length between the right and left side portions of the battery case 62 of the battery 40!, and is axially movably supported to the battery case 62. One end of the second engaging member 158 is abuttable against the front end of the first engaging member 157 in coaxial relationship with each other. The left side portion of the battery case 62 is formed with a through hole 162 for allowing insertion of the other end of the second engaging member 158, and the left upper side wall 52 of the battery mounting portion 39i is formed with an engagement hole 163 aligned with the through hole 162. Further, a collar 158a is provided at an intermediate portion of the second engaging member 158, and a spring seat 164 is provided in the battery case 62 at a position spaced from the collar 158a toward the other end of the
*
second engaging member 158. A coil spring 165 surrounding the second engaging member 158 is provided between the collar 158a and the spring seat 164 to bias the second
engaging member 158 in such a direction that its one end abuts against the front end of the first engaging member 157. Further, a stopper 166 is provided in the battery case 62 at a position opposed to -the collar 158a on the first engaging member 157 side along the axial direction of the second engaging member 158. The collar 158a is adapted to come into abutment against the stopper 166 by a biasing force of the spring 165, thereby limiting the axial movement of the second engaging member 158 toward the first engaging member 157. [0039]
According to the lock mechanism 155lf by operating the operating portion 156 with the key 159 in the condition where the battery 40: is mounted in the battery mounting portion 39i, the first engaging member 157 is inserted into the engagement hole 161, thereby engaging the right side portion of the battery case 62, and in response to this movement of the first engaging member 157 the second engaging member 158 is inserted into the engagement hole 163, thereby engaging the left side portion of the battery mounting portion 39j. Thus, the mounted condition of the battery 40i in the battery mounting portion 39j is fixedly maintained. Conversely, when the first engaging member 157 is retracted toward the operating portion 156 by operating
the operating portion 156 with the key 159, the first engaging member 157 is disengaged from the engagement hole 161, thereby releasing the engagement with the battery case 62, and in response thereto the second engaging member 158 is axially moved toward the first engaging member 157 by the biasing force of the spring 165, thereby disengaging from the engagement hole 163 and releasing the engagement with the battery mounting portion 39l. At this time, one end of the second engaging member 158 is inhibited from projecting from the engagement hole 161, and the other end of the second engaging member 158 is also inhibited, from projecting from the through hole 162 by means of the stopper 166. Accordingly, the battery 40i is biased frontward by the elastic biasing mechanism 151, thereby facilitating removal of the battery 40j from the mount opening 48. [0040]
The battery mounting portion 39i is covered on its rear side and right and left sides with a rear cover 168 formed of a synthetic resin. The rear cover 168 is secured by screws 169 to the stays 53 mounted on the lateral support bar 46a of the support frame 46 and is also secured by screws 170 to the rear walls 50 of the front basket 38^ The rear cover 168 is formed at its portion covering the
operating portion 156 of the lock mechanism I55i with a circular opening 171 to which the upper surface of the operating portion 156 is exposed, so as to allow the key
159 to be inserted from the upper- side into the key hole
160 formed on the upper surface of the operating portion
156. Further, the rear cover 168 is integrally formed at
its lower portion with a pair of extended cover portions
168a extending downward to cover the terminal box 88 on its
right and left sides, so that the terminal box 88 provided
at the lower end of the battery mounting portion 39i is
almost concealed on the right and left sides to thereby
provide an aesthetic design.
[0041]Referring also to FIG. 13, the battery 40i is provided with first, second, and third connection terminals 75, 76, and 77. The first connection terminal 75 is connected through a shunt resistor 66 to the negative terminal of the cell assembly 61. The second connection terminal 76 is connected to the positive terminal of the cell assembly 61. The third connection terminal 77 is connected through a thermistor 78 for detection of the temperature of the cell assembly 61 to the negative terminal of the cell assembly 61. [0042]
As previously mentioned, the guide 62b is provided on the rear surface of the battery case 62, that is, of the rear case half 64 of the battery case 62 of the battery 40x at its laterally central portion so as to extend vertically and project rearward. Further, the recess 62a is formed on the bottom of the battery case 62 at its laterally central portion. The connection terminals 75, 76, and 77 are provided in the battery case 62 at a corner portion between the guide 62b and the recess 62a. [0043]
The first connection terminal 75 has a flat terminal plate 80 fixed at its front end and resiliently abutting against the inner surface of the bottom of the battery case 62, a discharge contact 75a riveted to the lower surface of the terminal plate 80, and a platelike charge contact 75b contiguous to the rear end of the terminal plate 80 at substantially right angles thereto and resiliently abutting against the inner surface of the rear portion of the battery case 62. Thus, the first connection terminal 75 is relatively widely formed in a substantially L-shaped configuration. The discharge contact 75a is a silver contact, and the charge contact 75b is plated with nickel (or silver). [0044]
The first connection terminal 75 is located at a position corresponding to one lateral side portion of the guide 62b. The bottom wall of the battery case 62 is formed with a circular opening 81- for exposing the discharge contact 75a, and the guide 62b is formed with a vertically elongated slit 82 closed at its upper end and open at its lower end, for exposing the charge contact 75b. [0045]
The second connection terminal 76 has a discharge contact 76a and a charge contact 76b, and is formed in a substantially L-shaped configuration like the first connection terminal 75. However, the second connection terminal 76 is narrower than the first connection terminal 75. The second connection terminal 76 is located at a position corresponding to the other lateral side portion of the guide 62b. The bottom wall of the battery case 62 is formed with a circular opening (not shown) for exposing the discharge contact 76a, and the guide 62b is formed with a vertically elongated slit 83 closed at its upper end and open at its lower end, for exposing the charge contact 76b. [0046]
The third connection terminal 77 is formed in a substantially L-shaped configuration like the first connection terminal 75 and the second connection terminal
76. However, the third connection terminal 77 has no contact exposed to the bottom outer surface of the battery case 62. The third connection terminal 77 is located in the battery case 62 at a position between the first connection terminal 75 and the second connection terminal 76. The guide 62b is formed with a vertically elongated slit 84 closed at its upper end and open at its lower end, for exposing the third connection terminal 77. [0047]Further, the guide 62b is formed with two
vertically elongated guide grooves 85 closed at their upper ends and open at their lower ends at positions between the slits 82 and 84 and between the slits 83 and 84.
[0048]On the other hand, the terminal support portion 88d of the terminal box 88 is provided with a first discharge terminal 89 adapted to be connected to the discharge contact 75a of the first connection terminal 75 in the battery 40j mounted in the battery mounting portion 39i and a second discharge terminal 90 adapted to be connected to the discharge contact 76a of the second connection terminal 76 in the battery 40j mounted in the battery mounting portion 3 9^ —[0049]
The plate portion 88a and the terminal support portion 88d of the terminal box 88 is formed with a mounting hole 91 closed at its lower end and open at its upper end so as to correspond to the opening 81 formed through the bottom wall of the battery case 62 to expose the discharge contact 75a of the first connection terminal 75. The first discharge terminal 89 is a rodlike member located in the mounting hole 91 in coaxial relationship therewith and axially movably passed through the closed bottom of the mounting hole 91. Further, a retainer 92 slidably engaged within the mounting hole 91 is fixed to the first discharge terminal 89 at its intermediate portion. A spring 94 is interposed under compression between the retainer 92 and a washer 93 disposed on the inner surface of the closed bottom of the mounting hole 91. With this arrangement, the first discharge terminal 89 is biased by the spring 94 in such a direction that the upper end of the first discharge terminal 89 comes into pressure contact with the discharge contact 85a of the first connection terminal 75. Further, a stop ring 95 is fixedly engaged with a lower end portion of the first discharge terminal 89 and adapted to come into abutment against the outer surface of the closed bottom of the mounting hole 91 by a biasing force of the spring 94, thereby limiting

upward movement of the first discharge terminal 89. [0050]
According to such a mounting structure of the first discharge terminal 89 in the terminal box 88, the upper end of the first discharge terminal 89 comes into resilient abutment against the discharge contact 75a of the first connection terminal 75 when the battery 40a is mounted into the battery mounting portion 39i. Accordingly, the connection of the discharge contact 75a and the first discharge terminal 89 can be effectively maintained against vibrations of the battery 40i during running of the vehicle. [0051]
The second discharge terminal 90 is also provided in the terminal box 88 in a mounting structure similar to that of the first discharge terminal 89, so that when the battery 40i is mounted into the battery mounting portion 39i, the upper end of the second discharge terminal 90 comes into resilient abutment against the discharge contact 76a of the second connection terminal 76. Accordingly, the connection of the discharge contact 76a and the second discharge terminal 90 can be effectively maintained against vibrations of the battery 40: during running of the vehicle.
[0052]The first and second discharge terminals 89 and 90 are connected to cords 96 and 97 for supplying electric power to the electric motor 30, respectively. The cords 96 and 97 are drawn from the terminal box 88. [0053]
Referring to FIGS. 14 to 16, reference numeral 100 generally designates a charger for charging the battery 40i demounted from the battery mounting portion 39i. The charger 100 is so designed as to vertically receive the battery 40^ [0054]
The charger 100 has a housing 101 adapted to be placed on a flat floor surface 99. The housing 101 has a low-level portion 102 having a relatively low level from the floor surface 99 and a high-level portion 103 having a level from the floor surface 99 higher than the level of the low-level portion 102 and contiguous to the low-level portion 102. The housing 101 is formed of a synthetic resin and has a substantially rectangular boxlike shape as viewed in plan with a width smaller than the width of the battery 40^ [0055]
The high-level portion 103 is formed with a
mounting groove 107 open on its upper side and right and left sides. That is, the mounting groove 107 is defined by a vertically extending side surface 104 formed on the low-level portion 102 side, a vertically extending side surface 105 opposed to the side surface 104, and a horizontal bottom surface 106 connecting the lower ends of the side surfaces 104 and 105. The battery 40! is adapted to be vertically mounted into the mounting groove 107. The dimensions of the bottom surface 106 are set so that when the battery 40i is mounted into the mounting groove 107, the push button 68 of the battery meter 67 located on the upper surface of the battery 40i is positioned over the bottom surface 106. [0056]
The side surfaces 104 and 105 are tapered in such a manner as to be diverged toward the upper side for the purpose of ease of mounting of the battery 40! into the mounting groove 107. A pair of vertically elongated ribs 108 project from the side surface 104 at its lower portion. The side surface 104 is opposed to the rear surface of the battery 40i mounted in the mounting groove 107, and the ribs 108 come into contact with the rear surface of the battery 40i on the right and left sides of the guide 62b formed on the rear surface of the battery 40i. Further, a
plurality of (e.g., three) vertically elongated ribs 109 project from the side surface 105 over the height of the side surface 105. The side surface 105 is opposed to the front surface of the battery 40a mounted in the mounting groove 107, and the ribs 109 come into contact with the front surface of the battery 40!. These ribs 108 and 109 are also tapered in such a manner as to be diverged toward the upper side like the side surfaces 104 and 105 mentioned above. However, an angle of inclination of the ribs 108 and 109 is set smaller than that of the side surfaces 104 and 105. Accordingly, the battery 401 can be easily mounted into and demounted from the mounting groove 107 owing to the inclination of the side surfaces 104 and 105 and the ribs 108 and 109, and the front and rear surfaces of the battery 40! can be effectively supported by the ribs 109 and 108, respectively, which are less inclined than the side surfaces 104 and 105, thereby preventing frontward and rearward play of the battery 40x within the mounting groove 107. [0057]
The side surface 104 is further formed with a guide recess 110 open on the upper side. The guide recess 110 is adapted to vertically receive the guide 62b projecting from the rear surface of the battery case 62 of the battery 40i.
The guide recess 110 has opposite side surfaces llOa at its upper portion, which are tapered in such a manner as to be diverged toward the upper side for the purpose of ease of
insertion of the guide 62b into the guide recess 110.
[0057]The guide recess 110 is further provided with two projections 111 adapted to engage the two guide grooves 85 formed on the rear surface of the battery 40^ By the engagement of the projections 111 with the guide grooves 85, lateral play of the battery 40i within the mounting groove 107 can be prevented. [0058]
Referring to FIG. 17, the charger 100 includes a power circuit 115 adapted to be connected through a connector 114 to an AC power source, a control circuit 116 constructed of a microcomputer, a drive circuit 117, a MOS-FET 118, a transistor 119, and a diode 120. [0059]
A first charge terminal 121 is connected to one end of the power circuit 115, and a second charge terminal 122 is connected through the MOS-FET 118, the transistor 119, and the diode 120 to the other end of the power circuit 115. The control circuit 116 has a transistor 125 connected to the gate of the MOS-FET 118. The base of the
transistor 125 is connected to a thermistor terminal 123. A control signal for current switching is input from the control circuit 116 to the power circuit 115, and a voltage signal at the second charge terminal 122 is input to the control circuit 116. Further, an output end of the drive circuit 117 is connected to the base of the transistor 119, so as to control switching on and off of the transistor 119. A battery detection terminal 124 is connected to an input end of the drive circuit 117.
[0060]
A substrate 113 is disposed in the low-level portion 102 and a part of the high-level portion 103 on the low-level portion 102 side with respect to the mounting groove 107 in such a manner as to be located aside a lower portion of the battery 40i mounted in the mounting groove 107. The electric components shown in FIG. 17 are mounted on the substrate 113. Thus, the substrate 113 is provided inside the housing 101 in such a manner as to be located aside the lower portion of the battery 40i mounted in the mounting groove 107, so that the mounting position of the battery 40i into the charger 100 can be set as low as possible, thereby stabilizing the mounted condition of the battery 40i in the charger 100. [0061]

The lower portion of the guide recess 110 formed on the side surface 104 of the mounting groove 107 is formed with projections 126, 127, and 128 adapted to respectively engage the slits 82, 83, and 84 formed on the rear surface of the battery 40^ The first charge terminal 121 and the battery detection terminal 124 are formed from a wire, and bent portions of the terminals 121 and 124 project from an opening 129 formed through the projection 126 so as to come into resilient sliding contact with the charge terminal 75b of the first connection terminal 75 when the battery 40! is mounted into the mounting groove 107. Similarly, the second charge terminal 122 formed from a wire projects from an opening (not shown) of the projection 127 so as to come into resilient sliding contact with the charge terminal 76b of the second connection terminal 76 when the battery 40i is mounted into the mounting groove 107. Similarly, the thermistor terminal 123 formed from a wire projects from an opening (not shown) of the projection 128 so as to come into resilient sliding contact with the third connection terminal 77 when the battery 40i is mounted into the mounting groove 107.
[0062]
The operation of the first preferred embodiment will now be described. The battery mounting portion 39i is

provided at the rear portion of the front basket 38l to allow mounting and demounting of the battery ^Ol from the mount opening 48 exposed into the front basket 38x and also allow the battery 40! to be fixedly mounted. Accordingly, the need for any extra operation such as rotation of the seat post 28 can be eliminated, and the battery 40i can be easily mounted into and demounted from the battery mounting portion 39X by a very simple operation similar to a loading/unloading operation for a baggage into/from the front basket 38i irrespective of the position of the bar handle 24. Further, even if the battery 40j is inadvertently dropped in the mounting or demounting operation into or from the battery mounting portion 39!, the battery 40i can be received by the front basket 38i, thereby preventing damage to the battery 40j. Further, since the battery mounting portion 39x is not present inside the front basket 38!, a baggage storage space of the front basket 38i is not sacrificed by the battery mounting portion 39i. [0063]

Further, the battery mounting portion 39i is provided with the discharge terminals 89 and 90 adapted to be electrically connected to the contacts 75a and 76a of the battery 40i, respectively, in response to mounting of
the battery 40i into the battery mounting portion 39^ Accordingly, electrical connection between the battery 40a and the battery mounting portion 39j can be easily made in response to mounting of the battery 40: into the battery mounting portion 39x. [0065]

The lock mechanism 155} is provided between the battery 40j and the battery mounting portion 39j, and the operating portion 156 for performing locking and unlocking operations of the lock mechanism 155} is provided on one of the right and left sides of the battery mounting portion 39lf e.g., on the right side of the battery mounting portion 39i. Accordingly, the locking and unlocking operations of the lock mechanism I55i can be easily performed without hindrance by the brake cables 44L and 44R extending behind the front basket 38 x. Furthermore, the lock mechanism [0066]
includes the first engaging member 157 adapted to disengageably engage one of the right and left side portions of the battery 40i, e.g., the right side portion of the battery 40l according to the locking operation of the operating portion 156, and the second
*
engaging member 158 adapted to disengageably engage the other of the right and left side portions of the battery mounting portion 39i, e.g., the left side portion of the
battery mounting portion 39X in response to the movement of the first engaging member 157. With this arrangement, the right and left side portions of the battery 40x are engaged with the right and left side portions of the battery mounting portion 39l7 respectively, thus reliably mounting the battery 40i in the battery mounting portion 39:. Furthermore, the second engaging member 158 is a rodlike member extending over the substantially entire length between the right and left side portions of the battery 40i and axially movably supported to the battery 40i. Accordingly, the configuration of the lock mechanism 155} can be simplified. [0067]

The battery meter 67 is provided on the upper surface of the battery case 62 of the battery 40!, so that the battery meter 67 is visible from the upper side. Accordingly, a rider on the bicycle can easily visibly check the battery meter 67 even in the condition that the rider is sitting on the seat 27, thus allowing easy check of the remaining capacity of the battery 40l. Further, only when the push button 68 is depressed, the battery meter 67 is turned on to indicate the remaining capacity of the battery 40}. Accordingly, undue power consumption by the battery meter 67 can be prevented, and the rider's view

is not spoiled by the indication of the battery meter 67
during running.
[0067]
The first and second connection terminals 75 and 76 of the battery 40: are used both in discharging and in charging. Therefore, as compared with a battery having connection terminals dedicated for discharging and connection terminals dedicated for charging, the number of parts can be reduced and the wiring structure in the battery case 62 can be simplified. [0068]

A current flowing in discharging from the battery 40i, i.e., in feeding to the electric motor 30 is relatively large, while a current flowing in charging to the battery 40]. is relatively small. Therefore, in the case that electrical connection is made at the same position on the first and second connection terminals 75 and 76 both in discharging and in charging, the electrical capacity of both the connection terminals 75 and 76 must be set large, and the electrical capacity of both the charge terminals 121 and 122 of the charger 100 must also be set large. However, according to this preferred embodiment, the discharge contacts 75a and 76a to be connected to the first and second discharge terminals 89 and 90 and the
charge contacts 75b and 76b to be connected to the first and second charge terminals 121 and 122 are provided at different positions on the first and second connection terminals 75 and 76. Accordingly, although the first and second connection terminals 75 and 76 are used commonly in discharging and in charging, electrical characteristics required in discharging and in charging can be satisfied. That is, in discharging where a large current flows, the discharge contacts 75a and 76b formed as silver contacts are in resilient point contact with the front and second discharge terminals 89 and 90, respectively, in coaxial relationship, thereby reducing wear in the contact condition to cope with the flow of such a large current in discharging. On the other hand, in charging where a small current flows, the first and second charge terminals 121 and 122 formed from a wire wipe the charge contacts 75b and 76b in inserting the battery 40i into the mounting groove 107 of the charger 100, and thereby clean off dust or the like on the surfaces of the charge contacts 75b and 76b, thus providing a connection structure with no faulty contact to cope with the flow of such a small current in charging. [0069]

Further, the discharge contacts 75a and 76a of the
first and second connection terminals 75 and 76 are exposed to the bottom surface of the battery case 62 of the battery 40!, while the charge contacts 75b and 76b of the first and second connection terminals 75 and 76 are exposed to the rear surface of the battery case 62 perpendicular to the bottom surface. Accordingly, possible misconnection in discharging and in charging can be prevented. [0070]

The battery 40j is adapted to be vertically mounted into the charger 100, and charging of the battery 40X can be effected by such vertical mounting into the charger 100. Accordingly, the need for connection work in charging can be eliminated to thereby make charging work easy. [0071]The terminals 121 to 124 are provided on the side surface 104 different from the bottom surface 106 of the mounting groove 107, which bottom surface 106 is a wall surface on which the self-weight of the battery 40x acts in mounting the battery 40i into the charger 100, and the terminals 121 to 124 are connected to the charge contacts 75b and 76b and the third connection terminal 77 each exposed to the rear surface of the battery 40!. Accordingly, the self-weight of the battery 40i which is relatively heavy is prevented from acting on the terminals
121 to 124 of the charger 100, and the terminals 121 to 124 can be made light and compact.
Further, the battery meter 67 provided on the upper surface of the battery 40X can be visibly checked from the upper side in mounting the battery 40j in the charger 100. In addition, since the push button 68 for operating the battery meter 67 is adapted to be vertically pushed in the charger 100, there is no possibility that the connection of the terminals of the battery 40j with the terminals 121 to 124 may be canceled by a depression force applied to the push button 68. [0072]
FIGS. 18 and 19 show a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, FIG, 18 is a vertical sectional view of an essential part of the second preferred embodiment, which is a cross section taken along the line 18-18 in FIG. 19, and FIG. 19 is a cross section taken along the line 19-19 in FIG. 18.
A front basket 382 is fixedly supported through a support member 181 to the head pipe 22, and a battery mounting portion 392 is fixedly provided at a rear portion of the front basket 382. A battery 402 can be fixedly
supported to the battery mounting portion 392. The battery 402 supported on the battery mounting portion 392 is covered with a lid 182.
The battery mounting portion 392 is formed from a metal plate and has a substantially L-shaped configuration as viewed in vertical section. That is, the battery mounting portion 392 has a portion adapted to face a rear portion of the battery 402 which rear portion is formed with a guide 62b' and a portion adapted to face a bottom portion of the battery 402 which bottom portion is formed with a recess 62a'. The battery mounting portion 392 is secured together with the rear portion of the front basket 382 to the support member 181 by means of a plurality of (e.g., four) bolts 183 and nuts 184. [0074]
A terminal box 88 is mounted on a lower portion of the battery mounting portion 392 so as to be engaged with the recess 62a' formed on the bottom portion of the battery 402. The lower portion of the battery mounting portion 392 is formed at its front end with a pair of right and left
*
connecting portions 185 extending downward. Each connecting portion 185 is formed with a rectangular connection hole 186. Further, the lower portion of the
battery mounting portion 392 is formed at its front end with a supporting portion 187 extending obliquely upward between the right and left connecting portions 185. The supporting portion 187 serves to support the front lower end of the battery 402.
[0077]The lid 132 is formed of a synthetic resin and has a boxlike, substantially L-shaped configuration as viewed in vertical section. That is, the lid 132 has a portion adapted to face the front surface of the battery 402 and a portion adapted to face the upper surface of the battery 402- The lid 132 further has opposed side portions adapted to face the opposite side surfaces of the battery 402. The lid 132 is formed at its lower end with a pair of right and left connecting portions 188 respectively inserted through and engaged with the connection holes 186 of the right and left connecting portions 185 of the battery mounting portion 392. That is, the lid 132 is pivotable frontward and rearward in the front basket 382 about engaging portions between the connecting portions 185 and the connecting portions 188. [ 0078 ]~
As similar to the battery 40i of the first preferred embodiment, the bottom portion of the battery 402
is provided with discharge contacts 75a and 76a adapted to be connected to discharge terminals 89 and 90 provided in the terminal box 88. When the battery 402 is mounted onto the battery mounting portion 392,the discharge contacts 75a and 76a come to electrical connection with the discharge terminals 89 and 90[0079]
Attached to the inner surface of the lid 182 are an elastic member 189 adapted to come into elastic contact with the front surface of the battery 402, thereby pressing the guide 62b' of the rear surface of the battery 402 against the battery mounting portion 392 and an elastic member 190 adapted to come into elastic contact with the upper surface of the battery 402, thereby pressing the bottom portion of the battery 402 against the battery mounting portion 392. Further, the front surface of the battery 402 is formed with an engagement recess 191, and the inner surface of the lid 182 is integrally formed with an engagement projection 192 adapted to engage the engagement recess 191. Accordingly, when the lid 182 is closed, play of the battery 402 between the lid 182 and the battery mounting portion 392 can be prevented, and stable connection of the battery 402 and the discharge terminals 89 and 90 can be maintained.
The upper end of the battery mounting portion 392 is formed with a tongue portion 193 extending obliquely rearward, and the upper end of the lid 182 is formed with a tongue portion 194 adapted to face the tongue portion 193 from the upper side. A lock mechanism 1552 for fixedly maintaining a closed condition of the lid 182 is provided between the two tongue portions 193 and 194 on a longitudinal center line of the body frame 21 (see FIG. 1).
The lock mechanism 1552 includes an operating portion 196 fixed to the tongue portion 194 of the lid 182 and having a key hole 195 exposed to the upper surface, an engagement hole 197 formed through the tongue portion 193 of the battery mounting portion 392 for disengageably engage the operating portion 196, and a pawl 198 operatively provided in the engaging portion 196 and adapted to engage the lower surface of the tongue portion 193 at the periphery of the engagement hole 197. Accordingly, when a key (not shown) inserted into the key hole 195 is operated in the closed condition of the lid 182, the pawl 198 comes into engagement with the tongue portion 193, thereby fixedly maintaining the closed condition of the lid 182.
According to the second preferred embodiment, the battery mounting portion 392 adapted to detachably support the battery 402 is fixedly provided in the rear portion of the front basket 392, and the lid 182 adapted to cover the battery 402 supported on the battery mounting portion 392 from the front side is connected to the lower portion of the battery mounting portion 392 so as to be pivotable frontward and rearward in the front basket 382. With this arrangement, like the first preferred embodiment, the battery 402 can be easily mounted to and demounted from the battery mounting portion 392 by such a very simple operation as to only swing the lid 182 frontward and rearward as similar to a loading/unloading operation for a baggage into/from the front basket 382. Further, even if the battery 402 is inadvertently dropped in the mounting or demounting operation onto or from the battery mounting portion 392/ the battery 402 can be received by the front basket 382, thereby preventing damage to the battery 402. Further, electrical connection between the battery 402 and the discharge terminals 89 and 90 can be easily made in response to supporting of the battery 402 onto the battery mounting portion 392[0083]Further, the lock mechanism 1552 for fixedly maintaining the closed condition of the lid 182 is located on the longitudinal center line of the body frame 21. Accordingly, the locking and unlocking operations of the lock mechanism 1552 can be easily performed without hindrance by the brake cables 44L and 44R extending behind the front basket 382.
while the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above preferred embodiments, but various design changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention defined by the appended claims. [0084] [Effect of the Invention]
According to the invention as defined in claim 1, the need for any extra operation such as rotation of the seat post can be eliminated, and the battery can be easily mounted into and demounted from the battery mounting portion by a very simple operation similar to a loading/ unloading operation for a baggage into/from the front basket irrespective of the position of the bar handle. Further, electrical connection between the battery and the
battery mounting portion can be easily made in response to mounting of the battery into the battery mounting portion. Further, even if the battery is inadvertently dropped in the mounting or demounting operation into or from the battery mounting portion, there is no possibility of damage to the battery. Additionally, since the battery mounting portion is not present inside the front basket, a baggage storage space of the front basket is not sacrificed by the battery mounting portion[0085]
According to the invention as defined in claim 2, the operating portion for performing locking and unlocking operations of the lock mechanism is provided on one of the right and left sides of the battery mounting portion. Accordingly, the locking and unlocking operations of the lock mechanism can be easily performed without hindrance by the brake cables extending behind the front basket.
According to the invention as defined in claim 3, the right and left side portions of the battery are engaged with the right and left side portions of the battery mounting portion, respectively, by operating the operating portion located on the right or left side of the battery mounting portion, thereby allowing reliable mounting of the
battery in the battery mounting portion. [0086]
According to the invention as defined in claim 4, the second engaging member is a rodlike member supported to the battery. Accordingly, the configuration of the lock mechanism can be simplified. [0087]According to the invention as defined in claim 5, the need for any extra operation such as rotation of the seat post can be eliminated, and the battery can be easily mounted to and demounted from the battery mounting portion by such a very simple operation as to only swing the lid frontward and rearward as similar to a loading/unloading operation for a baggage into/from the front basket irrespective of the position of the bar handle. Further, electrical connection between the battery and the battery mounting portion can be easily made in response to mounting of the battery to the battery mounting portion. Further, even if the battery is inadvertently dropped in the mounting or demounting operation to or from the battery mounting portion, there is no possibility of damage to the battery.
[0088]According to the invention as defined in claim 6,
the lock mechanism for fixedly maintaining the closed condition of the lid is operatively provided on the longitudinal center line of the body frame. Accordingly, the locking and unlocking operations of the lock mechanism can be easily performed without hindrance by the brake cables extending behind the front basket.
[Explanation of Reference Numerals
21: body frame
22: head pipe
30: electric motor
32: crank pedal
38:, 38:: front basket
39:, 392: battery mounting portion
40i, 402: battery
48: mount opening
75a, 76a: contact
89, 90: terminal
155i, 1552: lock mechanism
156: operating portion
157: first engaging member
158: second engaging member
182: lid

We claim;
1. A motor-assisted bicycle having a body frame (21), a head pipe (22)
provided at the front end of said body frame (21), a front basket (38i) mounted on said head pipe (22), an electric motor (30) mounted on said body frame (21) for assisting a depression force applied to crank pedals (32), and a battery (401) mounted on said body frame (21) for supplying electric power to said electric motor (30); a battery mounting structure characterized in that a battery mounting portion (39i) is provided at a rear portion of said front basket (381) for mounting and demounting of said battery (401) from a mount opening (48) exposed into said front basket (381) and also allow the battery (401) to be fixedly mounted, wherein said battery mounting portion (391) is provided with terminals (89, 90) electrically connected to contacts (75a, 76a) of said battery (401) in response to mounting of said battery (401) into said battery mounting portion (391).
2. A motor-assisted bicycle as claimed in claim 1, wherein a lock (1551)
for fixedly maintaining a mounted condition of said battery (401) in said battery mounting portion (391) is provided between said battery (401) and said battery mounting portion (391), and an operating portion (156) for performing locking and unlocking
operations of said lock (1551) is provided on one of the right and left sides of said battery mounting portion (391).
3. A motor-assisted bicycle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lock
(1551) comprises a first engaging member (157) to disengageably
engage one of the right and left side portions of said battery (401)
according to the locking operation of said operating portion (156) and
a second engaging member (158) provided in said battery (401) to
disengageably engage the other of the right and left side portions of
said battery mounting portion (39i) in response to the,.movement of
said first engaging member (157).
4. A motor-assisted bicycle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second
engaging member (158) is a rodlike member extending over the entire
length between the right and left side portions of said battery (401)
and axially movably supported to said battery (401).
5. A motor-assisted bicycle as claimed in any of the preceding claims,
wherein a lock (1552) for fixedly maintaining a closed condition of
said lid (182) is provided between an upper portion of said battery
mounting portion (39a) and an upper portion of said lid (182) on a
longitudinal center line of said body frame (21).
6. A motor-assisted bicycle substantially as hereinbefore described with
reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Documents:

2687-del-1997-abstract.pdf

2687-del-1997-claims.pdf

2687-del-1997-correspondence-others.pdf

2687-del-1997-correspondence-po.pdf

2687-del-1997-description (complete).pdf

2687-del-1997-drawings.pdf

2687-del-1997-form-1.pdf

2687-del-1997-form-13.pdf

2687-del-1997-form-19.pdf

2687-del-1997-form-2.pdf

2687-del-1997-form-3.pdf

2687-del-1997-form-4.pdf

2687-del-1997-form-6.pdf

2687-del-1997-gpa.pdf

2687-del-1997-petition-138.pdf

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Patent Number

216118

Indian Patent Application Number

2687/DEL/1997

PG Journal Number

12/2008

Publication Date

21-Mar-2008

Grant Date

10-Mar-2008

Date of Filing

22-Sep-1997

Name of Patentee

HONDA GIKEN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Applicant Address

1-1, MINAMIAOYAMA 2-CHOME, MINATO-KU, TOKYO, JAPAN.

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	MITSURU ISENO	C/O KABUSHIKI KAISHA HONDA GIJUTSU KENKYUSHO, OF 4-1, CHUO 1-CHOME, WAKO-SHI, SAITAMA, JAPAN.
2	MASAAKI YAMAGUCHI	C/O KABUSHIKI KAISHA HONDA GIJUTSU KENKYUSHO, 4-1, CHUO 1-CHOME,WAKO-SHI, SAITAMA, JAPAN.

PCT International Classification Number

B62M 23/02

PCT International Application Number

N/A

PCT International Filing date

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1	HEI-8-280570	1996-10-23	Japan