Title of Invention

"HYBRID VEHICLE"

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide a hybrid vehicle wherein the load can be distributed readily to improve the steering characteristic of the vehicle. [SOLVING MEANS] In a hybrid vehicle 1 wherein at least one of an engine 2 and a motor is used as a power source, battery units 8 formed from batteries 8a for supplying electric power to the motor are disposed such that front side end portions thereof are positioned near to each other while the other rear side end portions thereof are spaced away from each other. Further, the engine 2 is disposed in a space formed between the rear side end portions of the battery units 8, and the engine 2 and the battery units overlap partly with each other as viewed in side elevation. Further, the location of the engine 2 is set to the front side with respect to a center line Lm of the vehicle in the forward and backward direction. [SELECTED FIGURE] FIG. 2

Full Text

[DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION] [Technical Field to Which the Invention Pertains] This invention relates to a hybrid vehicle which includes a motor driven by a battery and an engine. [Prior Art] Conventionally, as one of vehicles of the hybrid type such as two-wheeled vehicles, three-wheeled vehicles and four-wheeled vehicles which include an engine which is an internal combustion engine and a motor, a vehicle is known wherein a cylinder of the engine is disposed in a direction proximate to a horizontal direction in order to assure a utility space. In a hybrid vehicle of the type described, batteries for the motor are disposed in the utility space or in exteriors on the opposite sides of the utility space or disposed forwardly of the engine (refer to, for example, Patent Document 1). In the vehicle of the hybrid type disclosed in the Patent Document 1, batteries are disposed on the lower side of a foot receiving floor and an air path and a cooling water path for cooling the batteries are provided on the front side of the engine. The batteries and the engine are disposed in parallel or in series within the air path or the cooling water path. It is to be noted that the batteries have a configuration that a plurality of packs each containing a plurality of cells are connected in series or in parallel. Further, a power unit including the engine and the motor is connected for rocking motion in upward and downward directions on a vehicle body frame through a linkage. [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 10-297570 (column numbers 0023 and 0057 to 0061, FIGS. 1, 3, 11 and 12) [Problems to Be Solved by the Invention] Incidentally, in a vehicle of the hybrid type described, since the engine which is a heavyweight article is positioned on the rear side with respect to the position at which the batteries are carried, the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle body is positioned on the rear side. Further, since also the seat is positioned rather rearwardly of the vehicle body, when a passenger is seated on the seat, the center of gravity is displaced further rearwardly. From the point of view of improving the steering characteristic of the vehicle, it is preferable to set the center of gravity of the vehicle body at a position close to the center in the forward and backward direction so that the load is distributed forwardly and backwardly when a passenger is seated on the seat. Further, where the engine is positioned on the rear side, there is a problem that the utility space decreases as much. The present invention has been made to solve the subjects described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a hybrid vehicle wherein the load can be distributed readily to improve the steering characteristic and the convenience of the vehicle. [Means for Solving the Problems] According to the invention as set forth in claim 1 which solves the subjects described above, a hybrid vehicle (for example, a hybrid vehicle 1 of an embodiment) wherein output power of at least one of an engine (for example, an engine 2 in the embodiment) and a motor (for example, a motor 3 in the embodiment) is transmitted to a driving wheel (for example, a rear wheel 15R in the embodiment) and a foot receiving floor (for example, a step floor 24 in the embodiment) is provided at a portion of a vehicle body forwardly of and below a seat (for example, a set 2 0 in the embodiment), is characterized in that batteries (for example, battery units 8 in the embodiment) for supplying electric power to the motor are disposed below the floor, and the engine is disposed at a position at which at least part thereof overlaps with the batteries in a forward and backward direction of the vehicle body. In the hybrid vehicle according to the present invention, since the batteries and the engine which are heavy weight articles are disposed in a partly overlapping relationship in the forward and backward direction of the vehicle body, the position of the engine can be displaced to the front side of the vehicle body. Further, since the batteries are positioned below the floor, the center of gravity of the vehicle body becomes low when compared with an alternative case wherein the batteries are disposed in the proximity of a utility space. Where the batteries and the engine are disposed in this manner, since the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle body is positioned at a low position rather near to the center in the forward and backward direction, the weight balance of the vehicle body is improved. If a passenger is seated on the seat of the hybrid vehicle, then the load of the passenger, engine and batteries is distributed in the forward and backward direction of the vehicle body. In particular, while, in a state wherein no passenger is seated on the seat, the load is concentrated on the front side of the vehicle body, when a passenger is seated on the seat, the weight of the passenger is applied to the rear side of the vehicle body. As a result, the load balance of the vehicle in the forward and backward direction is improved. In addition, since, according to the hybrid vehicle according to the present invention, the batteries and the engine are disposed such that they overlap with each other in the forward and backward direction, the length of the vehicle body in the forward and backward direction can be reduced, and consequently, compact configuration of the vehicle body can be anticipated. According to the invention as set forth in claim 2, the hybrid vehicle according to claim 1 is characterized in that the batteries are disposed at least at two separate positions in a vehicle widthwise direction and the engine is disposed between the batteries disposed separately from each other. [000-»j— In the hybrid vehicle according to the present invention, the batteries are disposed in a spaced relationship from each other in the vehicle widthwise direction. The batteries which are heavy weight articles are disposed over a great width in the leftward and rightward direction and the position of the center of gravity of the batteries is set closely to the center line in the widthwise direction of the vehicle body to improve the balance of the center of gravity of the vehicle body in the leftward and rightward direction. According to the invention as set forth in claim 3, the hybrid vehicle according to claim 2 is characterized in that the batteries are disposed along opposite inclined sides of a V shape whose vertex is positioned on a center line (for example, a center line Lw in the embodiment) in the vehicle widthwise direction as viewed in plan. -f^nni] In the hybrid vehicle according to the present invention, since the batteries are disposed in an inclined relationship toward the center in the vehicle widthwise direction, that is, disposed along opposite inclined sides of a V shape as viewed in plan, if a cylinder head of the engine having a reduced width configuration or a like element is disposed in a region formed by the batteries, then the arrangement space for the engine and the batteries can be saved. 40012]According to the invention as set forth in claim 4, a hybrid vehicle wherein output power of at least one of an engine and a motor is transmitted to a driving wheel and a foot receiving floor is provided at a portion of a vehicle body forwardly of and below a seat, is characterized in that a battery for supplying electric power to the motor and the engine are disposed on the front side with respect to the seat in a forward and backward direction of the vehicle body. In the hybrid vehicle according to the present invention, the battery and the engine are disposed on the front side with respect to the seat thereby to allow the load to be distributed readily to the front side and the rear side of the vehicle so that the load may not be concentrated on the rear side of the vehicle when a seat is seated on the seat. Further, the position of the engine is set to the front side to lower the position of the engine. Due to such a position of the engine as just described and the position of the battery disposed below the floor, the center of gravity of the vehicle is lowered. According to the invention as set forth in claim 5, a hybrid vehicle wherein output power of at least one of an engine and a motor is transmitted to a driving wheel and a foot receiving floor is provided at a portion of a vehicle body forwardly of and below a seat, is characterized in that a battery for supplying electric power to the motor and the engine are disposed on the front side with respect to a center line (for example, a center line Lm in the embodiment) in a forward and backward direction of the vehicle body. In the hybrid vehicle according to the present invention, the battery and the engine which are heavy weight articles are positioned on the front side with respect to the center line of the vehicle body in the forward and backward direction. Consequently, the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle body is set to the front side when compared with an alternative case wherein the engine and the battery are positioned on the rear side as in the prior art. According to the invention as set forth in claim 6, the hybrid vehicle according to claim 5 is characterized in that the seat is disposed on the rear side with respect to the center line. In the hybrid vehicle according to the present invention, the seat is disposed on the rear side with respect to the center line so that the weight of a passenger may be received mainly on the rear side. Here, the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle is set to the front side as described above. Accordingly, the load is distributed to the front side and the rear side of the vehicle body. It is to be noted that, when the engine and the battery are disposed on the front side, if the attached positions of the heavy weight articles are set low, then the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle is lowered. [Mode for Carrying Out the Invention] An embodiment of the present invention is described in detail with reference to the drawings. Accordingly the present invention relates to a hybrid vehicle wherein output power of at least one of an engine and a motor is transmitted to a driving wheel and a foot receiving floor is provided at a portion of a vehicle body forwardly of and below a seat, characterized in that batteries for supplying electric power to said motor are disposed below floor, and said engine is disposed at a position at which at least part thereof overlaps with said batteries in a forward and backward direction of said vehicle body. [BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPAYING DRAWINGS] [FIG. 1] FIG. 1 is a side elevational perspeccive view showing a configuration of a hybrid vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [FIG. 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a configuration of the hybrid vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention. [FIG. 3] FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 1 and a view illustrating arrangement of a battery and an engine. [FIG. 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a configuration of a power unit. As shown in a side elevational view of FIG. 1 and a plan view of FIG. 2, a hybrid vehicle 1 of the present embodiment is a two-wheeled vehicle of the scooter type which includes an engine 2 which is an internal combustion engine and a motor 3 which functions as amotor or a charger. A vehicle body frame 11 of the hybrid vehicle 1 has a configuration wherein a front frame 12 and a rear frame 14 are connected to each other by an intermediate frame 13. The engine 2 and the motor 3 form a power unit 7 together with a continuously variable transmission 4 hereinafter described and so forth, and the power unit 7 is secured to the intermediate frame 13. A battery unit 8 formed from batteries 8a which supply electric power to the motor 3 or into which electric power generated by the motor is charged is secured to the intermediate frame 13 such that it partly overlaps with the power unit 7 in a forward and backward direction of the vehicle body which is a direction perpendicular to the vehicle width. It is to be noted that the battery unit 8 in the present embodiment corresponds to a battery in the claims. A front fork 17 for interconnecting a front wheel 15F and a steering handle bar 16 is inserted in the front frame 12, and a front cover 18 is mounted on the front frame 12. The rear frame 14 includes a pipe 13a having a shape bent in a substantially U shape and a cross member 13b, and a rear cover 19 is mounted on the rear frame 14. The rear cover 19 has a seat 20 mounted at an upper portion thereof and has a tail lamp 21 and a number plate attaching portion 22 mounted at a rear portion thereof. It is to be noted that the seat 20 is attached on the rear side with respect to a center line Lm of the vehicle body in the forward and backward direction. The intermediate frame 13 extends downwardly from a connection portion thereof to the front frame 12 and is bifurcated into two portions in the proximity of the bottom of the hybrid vehicle 1 as seen in FIG. 2. Further, the intermediate frame 13 connects to the rear frame 14 on the rear side. The battery unit and the power unit 7 are secured to the two bifurcated frames 13a and 13b. Further, a radiator 9 for cooling the power unit 7 and so forth and a thermostatless electric water pump (hereinafter referred to as water pump) formed integrally with the radiator 9 are attached to the front side of the intermediate frame 13 shown in FIG. 1. A center cover 23 is mounted on the intermediate frame 13 in such a manner that it covers the radiator 9, water pump, battery unit 8, and power unit 7. A step floor 24 is formed on the center cover 23 such that a central portion thereof in the vehicle widthwise direction projects upwardly along the forward and backward direction of the vehicle and the both sides, m the vehicle widthwise direction, of the central portion serve as foot receiving floors of a passenger. Further, as seen in FIG. 2, the center cover 23 has a shape whose width decreases toward the front side of the vehicle body as viewed in plan. Here, an example of a securing form of the power unit 7 and the battery unit 8 to the intermediate frame 13 is described with reference to FIG. 3. In FIG. 3 which is a sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 1, the center cover 23 includes an upper portion 23a and a bottom portion 23b, and the power unit 7 and the battery unit 8 are disposed in a space formed by the upper portion 23a and the bottom portion 23b. The power unit 7 is secured to the frames 13a and 13b by brackets 91, 91. The battery unit 8 is secured such that it is supported by a support plate 92 which has curved portions 92a and 92b conforming in shape to the frames 13a and 13b, respectively. Further, the center cover 23 corresponding to the upper side of the battery unit 8 serves as the step floor 24. The battery unit 8 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a configuration that cylindrical batteries 8a are bundled in parallel to each other such that major axes thereof coincide with each other and are fixed to each other by a bonding agent or the like and besides the batteries 8a are connected in series by conductive plates not shown. It is to be noted that the battery unit 8 may be formed as a shrink package wherein a plurality of cylindrical batteries 8a are bundled by a resin member or the like. The battery unit 8 has an elongated shape, and the short side thereof is substantially equal to the length of the major axis of the batteries 8a while the long side and the height thereof depend upon the number of batteries 8a. In the present embodiment, a pair of battery units 8 are carried in a one-by-one substantially leftwardly and rightwardly symmetrical relationship with respect to the center line Lw of the hybrid vehicle 1 in the widthwise direction as viewed in the plan view shown in FIG. 2. The battery units 8 are disposed along opposite inclined sides of a V shape whose vertex is positioned forwardly of the hybrid vehicle 1, or in other words, disposed with such an inclination angle that first end portions 81 thereof on the front wheel 15F side approach each other. While the inclined arrangement increases the distance between the other second end portions 82 of the battery units 8 on the rear wheel (driving wheel) 15R side, a space formed by the second end portions 82 is used as an arrangement space in which the engine 2 is disposed. For example, a cylinder head 3 0 of the engine 2 is disposed in the arrangement space. Therefore, in the plan view of FIG. 2, the battery units 8 disposed in the inclined arrangement sandwich the engine 2 from the left and right sides, and in such a side elevation as seen in FIG. 1, the battery units 8 and the power unit 7 overlap partly with each other in the forward and backward direction of the hybrid vehicle 1. The radiator 9 shown in FIG. 1 is positioned on the rear side of the front fender and circulates cooling water along a cooling water path not shown tc cool the engine 2 of the power unit 7. The radiator 9 includes the water pump provided integrally therewith and is disposed such that a cooling face thereof extends substantially perpendicularly to running wind. Where the radiator 9 and the water pump are formed integrally with each other in this manner, reduction of the number of parts can be anticipated and also the attachment performance can be improved. Further, the running wind having used to cool the radiator 9 flows along the outer surfaces of the battery units 8 in the center cover 23 illustrated in FIG. 3, and the battery units 8 are cooled by the running wind. In the present embodiment, since the two battery units 8 are disposed separately on the left and right, a great contacting area with the running wind can be assured and the cooling efficiency is high. As particularly shown in FIG. 4, the power unit 7 has a short cylinder engine 2, and the motor 3 is provided at one end of a crankshaft 6. The crankshaft 6 is connected to a centrifugal clutch 41 by a gear 38, and the continuously variable transmission 4 of a conical shape disposed coaxially with the centrifugal clutch 41 is connected to a power transmission mechanism 61 which rotates the rear wheel (driving wheel) 15R shown in FIG. 1 through the reduction gear train 5. The engine 2 includes a cylinder block 28 including a cylinder 27 in which a piston 26 connected to the crankshaft 6 by a connecting rod 2 5 can be slidably moved and the cylinder head 30 on which an ignition plug 29 and valves (not shown) for intake and exhaust air are mounted. Further, a valve lift mechanism 31 of the variable timing type is provided on the cylinder head 30. Rotation of a camshaft 32 for driving the valves to open and close is controlled by a timing chain 33 wound around a driving sprocket 6a of the crankshaft 6 and a driven sprocket 32a of the camshaft 32. It is to be noted that the cylinder 27 of the engine 2 of the power unit 7 is disposed substantially horizontally in order that a large utility space 34 shown in FIG. 1 may be assured. ^0028] - The motor 3 is of the outer rotor type wherein a rotor 36 rotatable together with the crankshaft 6 is disposed around a stator 35. The motor 3 plays a roll as a motor for receiving supply of electric power from the battery units 8 (refer to FIG. 1) to rotate the crankshaft 6 when the engine 2 is started or when a request for high output power is received and another roll as a generator for converting rotation of the crankshaft 6 into electric energy to charge the battery units 8. It is to be noted that to convert kinetic energy into electric energy to charge the battery units 8 in this manner is referred to as regeneration. Details of operation upon the regeneration are hereinafter described, Further, a clutch 37 and the gear 38 are disposed on the crankshaft 6 between the motor 3 and the connecting rod 25. The clutch 37 plays a roll of connecting and disconnecting the engine 2 and the motor 3 to and from each other and is formed from, for example, a wet clutch. Where the clutch 37 is interposed, all energy generated by engine brake (pumping loss, mechanical loss) upon deceleration can be regenerated. The energy recovery efficiency can be further improved by recovering also the energy upon engine brake. The gear 3 8 is held in meshing engagement with the centrifugal clutch 41. The centrifugal clutch 41 is disposed coaxially with an input power shaft 42 of the continuously variable transmission 4 and is a one-way clutch wherein the clutch inner member can be coupled to the clutch outer member which can rotate integrally with the input power shaft 42 in response to the speed of rotation. The continuously variable transmission 4 has a configuration wherein a cone 46 which contacts with a driven face 43 on the input power shaft 42 side and a driven face 45 of an output power shaft 44 side is supported for rotation by means of a support shaft 47. The support shaft 47 is provided on a generating line of the cone of the output power shaft, and a centrifugal mechanism 4 8 slidably moves a holder 49, on which the support shaft 47 is supported for rotation, in response to the speed of rotation of the input power shaft 42 to vary the contacting positions between the driven faces 43 and 4 5 and the cone 4 6 to vary the transmission gear ratio. The reduction gear train 5 is provided at a succeeding stage to the continuously variable transmission 4. The reduction gear train 5 includes a gear 51 of the output power shaft 44 of the continuously variable transmission 4, another gear 52, a further gear 53 and a still further gear 54. The gears 51, 52, 53 and 54 mesh with each other to reduce the speed of power. t0032] The power transmission mechanism 61 plays a roll of transmitting rotation generated by the power unit 7 to the rear wheel 15R by means of a drive chain 6 6 wound around a driving sprocket 63 in a driving wheel swing arm 62 and a driven sprocket 6 5 of an axle 64 shown in FIG. 1 The driving wheel swing arm 62 supports the axle 64 for rotation by means of a main arm 62a which covers the drive chain 66 and an auxiliary arm 62b opposing to the main arm 62a with the rear wheel 15R interposed therebetween. The main arm 62a and the auxiliary arm 62b are attached for rocking motion to the power unit 7 individually through bearings. Further, the main arm 62a and the auxiliary arm 62b are connected to each other by a cross member 62c on the power unit 7 side to prevent a twist of the driving wheel swing arm 62. It is to be noted that the axle 64 is connected to a wheel 67 of the rear wheel 15R A suspension 70 for the rear wheel 15R is positioned on the lower side of the utility space 34 which accommodates a helmet and so forth as viewed in side elevation as seen in FIG. 1 and extends between the rear frame 14 and the driving wheel swing arm 62. In the present embodiment, since the power unit 7 is disposed on the front side, the space on the rear side of the vehicle body has a sufficient room, and the utility space can be increased as much. Now, action by the arrangement of the battery units 8 and the engine 2 described above is described. The hybrid vehicle 1 is improved in the balance thereof in the leftward and rightward direction since the battery units 8 are disposed at substantially leftwardly and rightwardly symmetrical positions with respect to the center line Lw in the vehicle widthwise direction and the position of the center of gravity of the battery units 8 is set in the proximity of the center line Lw. Further, since the power unit 7 is disposed such that it is sandwiched between the battery units 8, the engine 2 is positioned rather forwardly. Since the battery unit 8 and the power unit 7 each having a heavy weight are disposed in a concentrated manner in the proximity of the center of the hybrid vehicle 1 in the forward and backward direction, the weight balance in the forward and backward direction is improved. Accordingly, for example, even when the driving wheel swing arm 62 is rocked, the steering characteristic of the hybrid vehicle 1 is good. Particularly since the battery units 8 and the engine 2 (cylinder head 30 and cylinder block 28) are disposed on the front side with respect to the center line Lm, when a passenger is seated on the seat 20, the load of the battery units 8 and the engine 2 as well as the passenger is distributed to front and rear portions of the vehicle and the steering characteristic is good. Furthermore, also the fact that the seat 20 is positioned on the rear side with respect to the center line Lm contributes to distribution of the load applied to the vehicle body to front and rear portions. Further, since the battery unit 8 is disposed below the step floor 24, also the position of the center of the vehicle body in the vertical direction is lowered. Furthermore, since the engine 2 positioned on the front side with respect to the seat 20 is positioned at a lower position in such a manner that the engine 2 is sandwiched between the battery units 8, the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle body is further lowered. -[0037] Since the battery units 8 are disposed in an inclined relationship, the vehicle width on the first end portions 81 side of the battery units 8 can be reduced with respect to that on the second end portions 82 side, the center cover 23 of the vehicle can be cut as much. If the center cover 23 is cut, then the vehicle body can be formed in reduced weight and is improved also in the appearance. tTrOT8"r It is to be noted that operation of the hybrid vehicle 1 is such as follows. First, where the hybrid vehicle 1 runs using only the motor 3 as a power source upon starting of the hybrid vehicle 1 or when the hybrid vehicle 1 runs at a low speed, the motor operates with electric power received from the battery units 8 to rotate the gear 38 securely mounted on the crankshaft 6. The rotation of the gear 3 8 is transmitted to the input power shaft 42 of the continuously variable transmission 4 through the centrifugal clutch 41. Then, the speed of the rotation is changed by the continuously variable transmission 4, and the power of the reduced speed by the reduction gear train 5 is transmitted to the axle 64 through the power transmission mechanism 61 to rotate the rear wheel 15R. When the hybrid vehicle 1 runs using only the engine 2 as a power source such as when the hybrid vehicle 1 runs at a stable speed, fuel air mixture sucked into the cylinder 27 in synchronism with the rotation of the crankshaft 6 is combusted with the ignition plug 2 9 to move the piston 26 back and forth. Consequently, the rotation of the crankshaft 6 generated thereby is transmitted to the continuously variable transmission 4, reduction gear train 5 and power transmission mechanism 61 through the centrifugal clutch 41 as described hereinabove to rotate the rear wheel 15R. Where the hybrid vehicle 1 runs using both of the motor 3 and the engine 2 as a power source when the load to the hybrid vehicle 1 is high such as upon high speed running or upon acceleration, the crankshaft 6 is rotated by the rotation of the motor 3 and the back and forth movement of the piston 26 described above. The rotation of the crankshaft 6 is transmitted to the continuously variable transmission 4, reduction gear train 5 and power transmission mechanism 61 through the centrifugal clutch 41 to rotate the rear wheel 15R. In this instance, composite power of the output power of the engine 2 and the output power of the motor 3 is transmitted to the rear wheel 15R. While the motor 3 acts as a power source, that is, as a motor, with electric power supplied thereto from the battery units 8 in this manner, where the remaining capacity of each of the batteries 8a of the battery units 8 decreases to a predetermined value, it is necessary to cause the motor 3 to operate as a generator in accordance with an instruction of a control apparatus not shown and charge (regenerate) the batteries 8a with the generated electric power. As a regeneration method in this instance, a method wherein kinetic energy of the rotation of the rear wheel 15R is converted into electric energy by the motor 3 upon deceleration of the hybrid vehicle 1 and another method wherein at least part of kinetic energy of the crankshaft 6 rotated with the output power of the engine 2 during running is converted into electric energy by the motor 3 are available. Such charge and discharge of the batteries 8a are performed repetitively during running of the hybrid vehicle 1. Thereupon, since running wind flows between the two battery units 8 disposed in a spaced relationship from each other, the battery units 8 are cooled effectively. Furthermore, since the radiator 9 is positioned on the front side, also the cooling efficiency of the radiator 9 is high. It is to be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. For example, while, in the embodiment described above, the hybrid vehicle 1 is a two-wheeled vehicle, it may otherwise be a three-wheeled vehicle or a four- wheeled vehicle. The battery units 8 are not limited to the shape wherein the batteries Ba of an elongated shape are bundled, but may have some other form such that one battery unit 8 is formed from a single battery. Further, also the arrangement need not be such that one battery unit 8 is provided on each of the left and right sides, but a plurality of battery units 8 may be provided on each of the left and right sides. In this instance, in order to assure a good balance in the vehicle widthwise direction, preferably the weight of the battery units 8 positioned on the right side of the center line Lw and the weight of the battery units 8 positioned on the left side are set substantially equal to each other. 4-&645] Further, in place of the inclined arrangement of the battery units 8, a battery unit 8 is formed from two units on each side, and the battery units 8 on the rear wheel 15R side are disposed at positions spaced by a great distance from the center line Lw than the battery units 8 on the front wheel 15F side. Also with the arrangement just described, the engine 2 can be disposed between the battery units 8 on the rear wheel 15R side and besides the front side of the center cover 23 can be cut . The power unit 7 is not limited to the configuration or arrangement shown in FIG. 3 but can be modified in various manners only if a driving wheel is rotated using at least one of an engine and a motor as a power source[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to claim 1, since the engine and the battery which are heavy weight articles are disposed at a forward and low position of the vehicle body, a good load balance can be assured when a passenger is seated on the seat and the steering characteristic of the vehicle can be improved. Further, since the batteries and the engine are disposed in an overlapping relationship with each other in the forward and backward direction of the vehicle body, compact configuration of the vehicle body can be anticipated. According to claim 2, since the batteries are disposed with a great width and the positions of the center of gravity of the batteries are set in the proximity of the center line in the widthwise direction of the vehicle body, the balance of the center of gravity of the vehicle body in the widthwise direction is improved. Accordingly, the steering characteristic of the vehicle can be improved. According to claim 3, the engine can be disposed between the batteries disposed in an inclined relationship to each other, and efficient utilization of the arrangement space can be anticipated. Where the arrangement space is saved, it is possible to miniaturize the overall shape of the vehicle body and assure a wide utility space. It is to be noted that, if part of the cover of the vehicle body is cut away as an example of the miniaturization, then reduction in weight of the vehicle body and improvement of the appearance can be anticipated. According to claim 4, since the battery and the engine are disposed on the front side with respect to the seat, the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle body comes to the front side with respect to the seat. Accordingly, when a passenger is seated on the seat, the weight can be distributed in the forward and backward direction of the vehicle body. Further, since the battery and the engine are disposed on the front side with respect to the seat, the position of the center of gravity of them can be lowered. Consequently, the steering characteristic of the vehicle can be improved. According to claim 5, since the battery and the engine are disposed on the front side with respect to the center line of the vehicle body in the forward and backward direction, the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle body is positioned on the front side with respect to the center line. Since the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle body is positioned rather near to the center, the steering characteristic of the vehicle body can be improved. According to claim 6, since the seat is disposed on the rear side with respect to the center line in the forward and backward direction, when a passenger is seated on the seat, the weight can be distributed in the forward and backward direction of the vehicle body. Further, since the engine is disposed on the front side with respect to the seat, the position of the center of gravity of the battery and the engine can be lowered. Accordingly, the steering characteristic of the vehicle can be improved. [Description of Reference Characters] 1 : hybrid vehicle 2 : engine 3 : motor 8 : battery unit 8a: battery 20 : seat 24 : Step floor Lm: center line Lw: center line We Claim: 1. A hybrid vehicle (1) wherein a foot receiving floor is provided at a portion of a vehicle body forwardly of and below a seat, characterized in that batteries for supplying electric power to said motor (3) are disposed below floor (4), and said engine (2) is disposed at a position at which at least part thereof overlaps with said batteries (8) in a forward and backward direction of said vehicle body. 2 A hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said batteries are disposed at least at two separate positions in a vehicle widthwise direction, and said engine is disposed between said batteries disposed separately from each other. 3 A hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein .said batteries are disposed along opposite inclined sides of a V shape whose vertex is positioned on a center line (LW) in the vehicle widthwise direction. 4 A hybrid vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein said battery for supplying electric power to said motor and said engine are disposed on the front side with respect to said seat in a forward and backward direction of said vehicle body. 5 A hybrid vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein said battery for supplying electric power to said motor and said engine are disposed on the front side with respect to a center line (Lm) in a forward and backward direction of said vehicle body. 6 A hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 5, wherein said seat is disposed on the rear side with respect to the center line (Lm). 7. A hybrid vehicle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Documents:

759-del-2004-abstract.pdf

759-del-2004-claims.pdf

759-del-2004-complete specification(granted).pdf

759-del-2004-correspondence-others.pdf

759-del-2004-correspondence-po.pdf

759-del-2004-description (complete).pdf

759-del-2004-drawings.pdf

759-del-2004-form-1.pdf

759-del-2004-form-19.pdf

759-del-2004-form-2.pdf

759-del-2004-form-3.pdf

759-del-2004-form-5.pdf

759-del-2004-gpa.pdf

759-del-2004-petition-137.pdf

759-del-2004-petition-138.pdf

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