JP2013129337A - Saddle riding type electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a saddle riding type electric vehicle capable of mounting a large battery without deteriorating ride quality.SOLUTION: A saddle riding type electric vehicle includes: a vehicle body frame 2 formed so as to extend in a front-rear direction of the vehicle; a battery 6 mounted to the vehicle body frame 2; and a power unit 40 housing an electric motor 5. The power unit 40 is turnably mounted to the vehicle body frame 2 in the vertical direction about a pivot shaft 51 provided thereabove as a rotation center. At least a portion of the battery 6 overlaps with the power unit 40 when viewed from a side surface of the vehicle.

Description

  The present invention relates to a straddle-type electric vehicle using an electric motor as a power source.

In recent years, straddle-type electric vehicles such as electric motorcycles using an electric motor as a power source have been developed.
The thing of patent document 1 is known as such a saddle-ride type electric vehicle. Patent Document 1 proposes that a battery as a power source of the electric motor is disposed below the footrest portion in order to lower the center of gravity of the vehicle.

  By the way, such a straddle-type electric vehicle accommodates an electric motor for driving a rear wheel and a controller thereof in a power unit. For this reason, the power unit needs to secure a certain size. The power unit is attached to the vehicle via a pivot shaft provided at the front of the power unit. The power unit can swing up and down with respect to the vehicle about the pivot shaft.

JP 2010-228660 A

  In recent years, the size of batteries has been increasing in order to increase the distance that can be traveled by one charge. However, when a battery is disposed as in Patent Document 1, the battery becomes longer in the front-rear direction, and the power unit must be disposed at the rear of the vehicle. In this case, the electric motor in the power unit is arranged at a position far from the pivot shaft. As a result, the moment of inertia of the power unit with respect to vibration from the road surface increases. Thereby, the followability of the power unit with respect to vibration from the road surface is reduced, and the riding comfort of the vehicle is reduced.

  On the other hand, unlike the configuration of Patent Document 1, even when the battery is accommodated under the seat, if the battery is enlarged, the battery becomes longer upward and the center of gravity of the vehicle moves upward. As a result, the center of gravity increases, and thus the vehicle easily shakes in the left-right direction, and the riding comfort of the vehicle decreases.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a straddle-type electric vehicle in which a large battery can be mounted without impairing the ride comfort.

In order to achieve the above object, a straddle-type electric vehicle of the present invention is
A body frame formed to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle;
A battery attached to the body frame;
A power unit that houses the electric motor,
The power unit is attached to the vehicle body frame so as to be pivotable in the vertical direction with a pivot shaft provided at the upper part as a pivot center.
At least a part of the battery overlaps the power unit when viewed from the side of the vehicle.

In the straddle-type electric vehicle according to the present invention, the battery and the power unit are located at a position where at least a part of the battery overlaps with the power unit when viewed from the side of the vehicle. Thereby, even if it enlarges a battery, it does not interfere with a power unit. Therefore, since the electric motor in the power unit does not move away from the pivot shaft, the moment of inertia of the power unit with respect to vibration from the road surface does not increase. Therefore, the battery can be enlarged without impairing the ride comfort.
Moreover, since the battery can be lengthened to a position where it overlaps with the power unit, it is not necessary to lengthen the battery upward, and there is no possibility that the riding comfort is lowered.

In the saddle riding type electric vehicle according to the present invention,
The vehicle body frame has a right frame portion and a left frame portion sandwiching a vehicle central axis extending in the front-rear direction,
The battery is disposed between the right frame portion and the left frame portion,
The power unit may be arranged on the right side of the right frame part or on the left side of the left frame part.

  By arranging the battery between the left and right frame parts, the battery can be protected.

1 is a left side view of an electric motorcycle according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a left side view of a state where some parts such as a body cover of the electric motorcycle are removed. Fig. 3 is a top view of the rear part of the electric motorcycle shown with the vehicle body cover removed. Fig. 4 is a right side view of the rear part of the electric motorcycle shown with the vehicle body cover removed. FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4 of an electric motorcycle according to a modification of the present invention.

The first embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a left side view of an electric motorcycle 1 which is a straddle-type electric vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, an electric motorcycle 1 including a scooter will be described as an example of a saddle riding type electric vehicle. The electric motorcycle 1 can travel with a load placed on the front part and the rear part, and is suitable for use as a cargo handling vehicle.

  In the following description, the front, rear, top and bottom, and left and right directions are in a reference posture corresponding to a state in which the electric motorcycle 1 is traveling straight on a horizontal plane, and the driver when the driver is facing forward. Based on this viewpoint. In addition, the configuration of the electric motorcycle 1 will be described with reference to the electric motorcycle 1 that stands upright, the front wheels 3 and the rear wheels 4 are in contact with the road surface A1, and the driver is not on the vehicle.

  The electric motorcycle 1 includes a body frame 2, a front wheel 3, a rear wheel 4, an electric motor 5, a battery 6, and a vehicle body cover 7. The electric motor 5 is driven by the electric power supplied from the battery 6. The rear wheel 4 is driven by the output of the electric motor 5. Hereinafter, the entire structure of the electric motorcycle 1 will be described in order from the front of the vehicle body.

FIG. 2 is a left side view of the electric motorcycle 1 with some parts such as the body cover 7 removed.
The electric motorcycle 1 has a head pipe 8 disposed at the front upper portion of the electric motorcycle 1. A steering shaft 9 is rotatably inserted into the head pipe 8. A pair of left and right front forks 10 are attached to the lower end of the steering shaft 9. The front wheel 3 is attached to the front fork 10.

A handle 11 is attached to the upper end portion of the steering shaft 9. The driver can turn the steering shaft 9, the front fork 10 and the front wheel 3 around the axis of the steering shaft 9 by operating the handle 11.
A grip 12 is provided at each of the left and right ends of the handle 11 (only the left grip is shown). The right grip constitutes the throttle grip. The driver can adjust the output of the electric motor 5 by turning the throttle grip.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a meter 13 is provided near the center of the handle 11. A loading platform 14 is disposed below the meter 13. The loading platform 14 is fixed to the head pipe 8. The load of the load loaded on the loading platform 14 mainly acts on the front wheel 3 via the head pipe 8 and the steering shaft 9. A headlamp 15 is fixed to the bottom of the loading platform 14.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the electric motorcycle 1 includes a vehicle body frame 2 that extends rearward from the head pipe 8. The body frame 2 is formed using a steel pipe member or the like. The vehicle body frame 2 includes a down tube 19 and a frame main body 20 disposed behind the down tube 19. The down tube 19 extends obliquely downward and rearward from the lower portion of the head pipe 8. In the side view, the frame body 20 extends rearward from the lower end portion of the down tube 19, and an intermediate portion of the vehicle in the front-rear direction X <b> 1 is formed in an S shape.

  A pair of frame main bodies 20 are provided on the left and right with respect to a center line extending in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 3). The frame body 20 includes a first frame portion 21, a second frame portion 22, a third frame portion 23, and a fourth frame portion 24. The first frame portion 21 extends substantially straight rearward from the lower end portion of the down tube 19 in a side view, and is slightly inclined rearward and upward.

  The second frame portion 22 is formed in an S shape in a side view. The second frame portion 22 includes a lower end portion 22a, an intermediate portion 22b, and an upper end portion 22c. The lower end portion 22 a of the second frame portion 22 is formed in a curved shape and is connected to the rear end portion of the first frame portion 21. The intermediate part 22b of the second frame part 22 extends straight from the lower end part 22a obliquely rearward and upward. In side view, the inclination angle of the intermediate portion 22b with respect to the first frame portion 21 is, for example, about 45 degrees. The upper end portion 22c of the second frame portion 22 is formed in a curved shape and is connected to the intermediate portion 22b.

  The third frame portion 23 extends linearly from the upper end portion 22c, and is slightly inclined rearward and upward. The fourth frame portion 24 extends rearward from the intermediate portion 22 b of the second frame portion 22, is bent obliquely rearward and upward in the middle, and is connected to the intermediate portion of the third frame portion 23.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the electric motorcycle 1 includes a vehicle body cover 7 attached to the vehicle body frame 2. The vehicle body cover 7 includes a front cover 25 that covers the head pipe 8, a lower cover 26 that extends rearward from the lower portion of the front cover 25, and a rear cover 27 that is disposed behind the front cover 25.

  The front cover 25 surrounds a part of the steering shaft 9 and the head pipe 8, and surrounds the down tube 19. The lower cover 26 extends rearward from the lower portion 25a of the front cover 25, and covers the first frame portion 21 and the lower end portion 22a of the second frame portion 22 from the lower side and the left and right sides. A footrest 28 is disposed at the upper end of the lower cover 26. The footrest portion 28 is provided for the driver to place his / her feet, and is formed substantially flat.

  The rear cover 27 as a whole is formed in a shape extending obliquely upward and rearward from the rear portion 26a of the lower cover 26. The rear cover 27 covers the area of the second frame portion 22 excluding the lower end portion 22a from the front and both left and right sides. The rear cover 27 covers the third frame portion 23 and the fourth frame portion 24 from both the front and left and right sides.

  A seat 29 is disposed above the rear cover 27. While the electric motorcycle 1 is traveling, the feet of the driver sitting on the seat 29 are placed on the footrest portion 28. In the front-rear direction X1, the footrest portion 28 is disposed between the rear surface 25b of the front cover 25 and the front end portion 29a of the seat 29. The seat 29 is disposed above the second frame portion 22, disposed above a portion of the third frame portion 23, and disposed above a portion of the fourth frame portion 24. . A space surrounded by the seat 29 and the rear cover 27 defines an accommodation space S1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a battery 6 as a power source for the electric motor 5 is disposed in the accommodation space S <b> 1 below the seat 29. The battery 6 is a rechargeable secondary battery. The battery 6 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in a side view, and the length (height) in the vertical direction Z1 of the vehicle is longer than the length (width) in the front-rear direction X1. The substantially rectangular parallelepiped battery 6 is attached so as to be inclined with respect to the front-rear direction of the vehicle along the inclined second frame portion 22.

  The upper end of the battery 6 extends to the vicinity of the upper end of the second frame portion 22 that does not interfere with the seat 29. Further, the lower end of the battery 6 extends to the same position as the first frame portion 21 that does not come into contact with the ground when the vehicle travels.

  FIG. 3 is a top view of the rear portion of the electric motorcycle 1 shown with the vehicle body cover 7 removed. As shown in FIG. 3, the battery 6 is disposed between a pair of left and right body frames 20. The battery 6 is fixed to the second frame portion 22 via a battery mounting bracket 61 provided inside the pair of second frame portions 22 (FIG. 4).

  The rear wheel 4 is also disposed between the pair of body frames 20. The battery 6 is disposed in front of the rear wheel 4. The power unit 40 is arranged on the right side of the third frame portion 23 on the right side, and is arranged from the right side of the battery 6 to the right side of the rear wheel 4. Thereby, the battery 6 can be protected by the body frame 20 and the power unit 40 when the vehicle falls. Further, it is possible to prevent the passenger from inadvertently accessing the battery 6.

  FIG. 4 is a right side view of the rear portion of the electric motorcycle 1 shown with the vehicle body cover 7 removed. As shown in FIG. 4, the power unit 40 that houses the electric motor 5 is inclined slightly rearward and upward from the upper end portion 22 c of the second frame portion 22 behind the S-shaped second frame portion 22. It is arrange | positioned under the 3rd frame part 23 extended. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the power unit 40 is disposed on the right side of the rear wheel 4 and the battery 6. Electric power is supplied to the electric motor 5 through a harness 53 connected to the battery 6.

  A first support part 41 provided on the front side of the vehicle and a second support part 42 provided on the rear side of the vehicle are provided on the upper part of the power unit 40. Each of the first support portion 41 and the second support portion 42 is provided with a first insertion hole 41a and a second insertion hole 42a penetrating in the left-right direction of the vehicle.

  The fourth frame portion 24 is provided with a pivot shaft bracket 52 that protrudes downward. A pivot shaft 51 extending in the left-right direction is fixed to the pivot shaft bracket 52. The pivot shaft 51 is rotatably inserted into a first insertion hole 41 a provided in the first support portion 41 of the power unit 40. Thus, the front portion of the power unit 40 is supported by the fourth frame portion 24 so as to be swingable around the pivot shaft 51.

  A suspension device 32 protruding downward is attached to the third frame portion 23. A shaft portion extending in the left-right direction is provided at the lower end of the suspension device 32. This shaft portion is rotatably inserted into the second support portion 42 of the power unit 40. Thereby, the rear part of the power unit 40 is also rotatably supported by the third frame part 23 via the suspension device 32.

  Therefore, when the rear wheel 4 vibrates up and down, for example, when the electric motorcycle 1 travels on rough terrain, the power unit 40 swings around the pivot shaft 51, and the suspension device 32 expands and contracts. Suppress dynamic movement.

  In the electric motorcycle 1 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the first support portion 41 connected to the pivot shaft 51 is provided at the upper portion, not at the front end portion of the power unit 40. As a result, the distance between the pivot shaft 51 and the electric motor 5 is short, and the moment of inertia of the power unit 40 with respect to vibration from the road surface is reduced. Therefore, the followability of the power unit 40 with respect to vibrations from the road surface can be improved, and an electric motorcycle having a comfortable ride can be provided.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, when the battery 6 is viewed from the right side of the vehicle, a part of the battery 6 and the front part of the power unit 40 overlap. Thereby, even if the long battery 6 is mounted on the vehicle, the power unit 40 and the battery 6 do not interfere with each other. Further, even if the battery 6 is extended downward, the center of gravity of the vehicle does not move upward, so that the riding comfort of the vehicle can be maintained in a good state even when the large-capacity battery 6 is mounted.

  Therefore, in the electric motorcycle according to the present embodiment, a battery having a long vertical dimension can be mounted without interfering with the power unit 40. Further, even when the power unit 40 having a long vertical dimension is mounted, the distance between the pivot shaft 51 and the electric motor 5 does not change, so that riding comfort is not impaired.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the battery 6 that is long in the vertical direction is mounted below the seat 29 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

  FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing an electric motorcycle 1 according to a modification of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the battery 6 that extends long in the front-rear direction may be attached to the lower portion of the second frame portion 22.

  Also in the electric motorcycle 1 according to this modification, the battery 6 having a long longitudinal dimension can be mounted without interfering with the power unit 40. Moreover, even if the power unit 40 having a long longitudinal dimension is mounted, the distance between the pivot shaft 51 and the electric motor 5 does not change, so that riding comfort is not impaired.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the battery 6 is fixed to the second frame portion 22 below the seat 29 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the battery 6 may be fixed to the first frame portion 21 below the footrest portion 28. Moreover, you may attach the battery 6 to the vehicle body frame 2 so that attachment or detachment is possible.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the power unit 40 is disposed on the right side of the rear wheel 4 has been described. However, the power unit 40 may be disposed on the left side of the rear wheel 4.

  In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to an electric motorcycle. However, the present invention may be applied to other than an electric motorcycle such as an electric tricycle as long as it is a saddle type vehicle.

  In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of matters described in the claims.

1: electric motorcycle, 2: body frame, 20: frame body, 21: first frame portion, 22: second frame portion, 23: third frame portion, 24: fourth frame portion, 32: suspension device, 40: Power unit, 41: first support portion, 41a: first insertion hole, 42: second support portion, 42a: second insertion hole, 5: electric motor, 51: pivot shaft 51, 52: pivot shaft bracket, 6: battery 61: Battery mounting bracket

Claims (2)

A body frame formed to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle;
A battery attached to the body frame;
A power unit that houses the electric motor,
The power unit is attached to the vehicle body frame so as to be pivotable in the vertical direction with a pivot shaft provided at the upper part as a pivot center.
At least a part of the battery overlaps the power unit as seen from the side of the vehicle.
A straddle-type electric vehicle. The vehicle body frame has a right frame portion and a left frame portion sandwiching a vehicle central axis extending in the front-rear direction,
The battery is disposed between the right frame portion and the left frame portion,
The power unit is disposed on the right side of the right frame part or on the left side of the left frame part,
The straddle-type electric vehicle according to claim 1.

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