Kawasaki Motors, Ltd.

Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Taichi Inaba

Kazuya Nagasaka

Takeshi Nakajima

Hiroshi Ishii

Taro Iwamoto

Takenori Terada

Atsushi Sano

A leaning vehicle includes a vehicle body, a left front wheel, a right front wheel, a lean mechanism, and a suspension. The left front wheel is positioned on the first side (left side) in the vehicle width direction. The right front wheel is positioned on the second side (right side) opposite to the first side in the vehicle width direction. The lean mechanism connects the left front wheel and the right front wheel and vertically vibrates integrally with both of the left front wheel and the right front wheel. The suspension is positioned so as to overlap the center of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction, connects the lean mechanism to the vehicle body, and reduces vibration transmitted from a road surface to the vehicle body via the left front wheel and the right front wheel.

Vehicle

A control requirement determiner includes: a storage that stores at least one piece of location information and one piece of behavior information as past data in which the location information and the behavior information are associated with each other, the location information indicating a geographic location, the behavior information being related to a behavior exhibited by a vehicle body of a vehicle at the location indicated by the location information when the vehicle traveled in the past; and processing circuitry that calculates, based on the vehicle speed information, the acceleration information, and the sprung weight information of the past data, a degree of unevenness of a road surface, and determines, based on the calculated degree of unevenness of the road surface, a control requirement to be imposed on a control target of a rough terrain vehicle at the location indicated by the location information of the past data during travel.

Control requirement determiner, rough terrain vehicle, and control requirement determining method for calculating surface unevenness

A leaning vehicle includes a vehicle body, a left front wheel, a right front wheel, a steering rod, suspension, a first steering part, second steering part, a pantograph mechanism. The first steering part is disposed a vehicle body side respect to the suspension and transmits rotational a steering force by a driver. The second steering part is disposed the front wheel side respect to the suspension and transmits the rotational steering force to the steering rod. The pantograph mechanism is disposed separately from the suspension, transmits the rotational steering force from the first steering part to the second steering part, and maintains state of transmission of the rotational steering force by deforming in accordance with changes in relative positions of the first steering part and the second steering part.

A leaning vehicle includes a vehicle body, a left front wheel, a right front wheel, a lean mechanism, a lean brake mechanism, a steering handle, a left grip, a throttle grip, a lean brake manipulator. The lean mechanism causes the left front wheel and the right front wheel to lean about a front-rear direction as a rotation center when the vehicle body leans about the front-rear direction as a rotation center. The lean brake mechanism brakes the leaning operation by the lean mechanism while the leaning vehicle is traveling. The lean brake manipulator is positioned at a first side in the vehicle width direction, changes a position integrally with the left grip, and for performing an operation of actuating the lean brake mechanism to brake.

Leaning-type vehicle

A leaning vehicle includes a vehicle body, a plurality of wheels, a lean mechanism, and a lean stopper mechanism. The wheels include a left front wheel and a right front wheel. The lean mechanism causes the left front wheel and the right front wheel to lean about a front-rear direction as a rotation center when the vehicle body leans about the front-rear direction as a rotation center. The lean stopper mechanism prevents a lean angle from exceeding a limit angle. in a plan view, an area bounded by lines connecting contact positions of ground and tires of the plurality of wheels is referred to as a grounding surface inner area, and a gravity center is positioned in the grounding surface inner area in a state where the lean angle reaches the limit angle.

A leaning vehicle includes a vehicle body, a left wheel, a right wheel, left and right bearings, left and right axle, left arm, right arm, and lean mechanism. The left arm supports the left wheel from inside in a vehicle width direction. The right arm supports the right wheel from inside in the vehicle width direction. The lean mechanism causes the left wheel and the right wheel to lean about a front-rear direction as a rotation center when the vehicle body leans about the front-rear direction as a rotation center. The single bearing is inserted into a hub hole of the left wheel. The single bearing is inserted into a hub hole of the right wheel.

A leaning vehicle includes a vehicle body, a left front wheel, a right front wheel, a lean mechanism, and a lean brake mechanism. The lean mechanism causes the left front wheel and the right front wheel to lean about a front-rear direction as a rotation center when the vehicle body leans about the front-rear direction as a rotation center. The lean brake mechanism brakes a leaning operation of the lean mechanism. The lean brake mechanism includes a brake caliper and a brake disc. The brake caliper is attached to the lean mechanism and has a brake pad. The brake disc is attached to the lower arm of the upper arm and the lower arm that is farther from the brake pad in the front view, has a contact portion that generates braking force by being pressed by the brake pad.

Leaning vehicle

A leaning vehicle includes a vehicle body, a left front wheel, a right front wheel, a lean mechanism, and a lean brake mechanism. The lean mechanism causes the left front wheel and the right front wheel to lean about a front-rear direction as a rotation center when the vehicle body leans about the front-rear direction as a rotation center. The lean brake mechanism brakes a leaning operation of the lean mechanism. The lean brake mechanism includes a brake disc and brake pads. The brake disc is attached to an upper arm or a lower arm. The brake pads, which are attached such that their position relative to the brake disc changes in the leaning operation, produce a frictional force against the brake disc in the leaning operation.

A traveling vehicle includes a vehicle body, a left swing part, a right swing part, a holding body, and a suspension device. The left swing part rotatably supports a left front wheel. The right swing part rotatably supports a right front wheel. The left swing part and the right swing part are supported on the vehicle body. The holding body for supporting the suspension device is formed in a U-shape so as to sandwich the suspension device in a front-back direction. A support shaft provided in the suspension device is supported on the holding body on both sides in the front-back direction. The suspension device is rotatable about the support shaft. The suspension device is arranged at a position higher than the left swing part and the right swing part, and extends and contracts in conjunction with swings of the left swing part and the right swing part.

Traveling vehicle

A traveling vehicle includes a vehicle body, a left swing part, a right swing part, and an interlocking link mechanism. The left swing part and the right swing part are supported on the vehicle body so as to be swingable in the up-down direction, respectively. A left support part supporting a left front wheel is provided on a front part of the left swing part so as to be rotatable about a left steering shaft. A right support part supporting a right front wheel is provided at a front part of the right swing part so as to be rotatable about a right steering shaft. The interlocking link mechanism rotates one of the left support part and the right support part in conjunction with the other. The interlocking link mechanism is provided between the left support part and the right support part.

Growing community of inventors

Nada-ku, Japan

Taichi Inaba