Carrier for vehicle

A front carrier includes an outer frame pipe surrounding the periphery, and a cross pipe and a back-and-forth member which are provided inside the outer frame pipe. A front side portion of the outer frame pipe is lowered at a one-step to form a stepped bottom portion. The back-and-forth member is disposed to extend obliquely downwardly from the cross pipe toward the stepped bottom portion. In addition, the widthwise inside portion of the rear side portion is bent to be forward to form an end side portion, which is joined to the cross pipe to be flush with the back-and-forth member. Thus, a cargo support surface formed by the cross pipe, the back-and-forth member and the end side portion is surrounded by an outer frame portion higher at a one-step than the cargo support. Part of the outer frame portion is allowed to serve as a cargo stopper for the cargo.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority under 35 USC 119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-193179 filed on Jun. 30, 2005 the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to carriers for vehicles and, more particularly, to a carrier for a vehicle with a simplified and weight-reduced construction.

DESCRIPTION OF BACKGROUND ART

A carrier for a vehicle needs a cargo-stopper to prevent collapse of cargo. Therefore, the cargo-stopper is formed as a separate member to be attached to the front end or the like of the carrier by welding or the like as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-191768.

Provision of the cargo-stopper as a separate member increases the number of constituent members of the carrier and the manhours for assembly, as well as the weight. Accordingly, it is desired to solve such problems and an object of an embodiment of the present invention is to achieve this result.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to solve the above problem, it is an object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a carrier for a vehicle including an outer frame surrounding periphery with reinforcing members provided inside and connected at ends thereof to the outer frame member so as to constitute a cargo support surface. Part of the outer frame member is bent downwardly to form a stepped bottom portion with one end of the reinforcing member being joined to the stepped bottom portion.

A stepped bottom portion refers to a lower stepped portion among the higher and lower stepped portion.

It is an object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide reinforcing member that slant downwardly to connect with the stepped bottom portion.

It is an object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide the stepped bottom portion to be disposed at the central portion of a vehicle body.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, part of the outer frame member is bent downwardly to form a stepped bottom portion with one end of the reinforcing member being joined to the stepped bottom portion. Therefore, a portion, near the stepped bottom portion, of the cargo support portion formed by the reinforcing member is lower than the outer frame member other than the stepped bottom portion. That is, a portion, of the outer frame member, other than the portion near the stepped bottom portion is higher than the cargo support surface which can then be used as a cargo stopper. Thus, it is not necessary that the cargo stopper is prepared as a separate member and is attached by welding or other processing. As a result, the number of component parts of the carrier and the manhours for assembly can be reduced with a weight reduction being achieved.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, since the reinforcing member is inclined downwardly with one end being joined to the stepped bottom portion, cargo is held on the cargo support surface as an inclined surface so as to move in an inclined direction. Consequently, the cargo placed on the carrier is less likely to move over so as to be held stably.

In addition, the stepped bottom portion and the cargo stopper located higher than the stepped bottom portion are provided near the inclined-directional end of the cargo support surface. Therefore, the stepped bottom portion is adapted to slant the cargo support surface and the cargo stopper can ensure that the cargo is stopped from moving down on the inclined surface.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the stepped bottom portion is provided on the central side in the widthwise direction. Therefore, it is possible not to interrupt the operator's visibility in the back-and-forth direction and it is possible to load the cargo satisfactorily.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

One embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that in the following description, the front and back, left and right, and up and down directions are generally on the basis of a vehicle facing in an operating direction.

FIG. 1is a left side view of a four-wheeled buggy vehicle, mainly depicting a body frame with carriers with a body cover removed. The body frame includes a central loop portion1with a front portion2provided in front of the loop portion1and a rear portion3provided in rear of the loop portion1.

The loop portion1includes an upper pipe4and a lower pipe5which are disposed on an upper side and a lower side, respectively, that extend substantially parallel to each other. In addition, the loop portion1includes a front vertical pipe6and a rear vertical pipe7. The front vertical pipe6vertically connects the respective front portions of the upper and lower pipes4,5. The rear vertical pipe7vertically connects the respective rear portions of the upper and lower pipes4,5. An engine8is mounted inside the loop portion1. A head pipe10that extends vertically is provided in the vicinity of a joint of the front end of the upper pipe4and the front vertical pipe6. A steering shaft11is supported for rotation by the head pipe10and is turned by a handlebar12.

The front portion2includes a front-down pipe13, a front lower pipe14and the front vertical pipe6that form an approximate triangle as viewed from the side. The front-down pipe13extends obliquely downwardly and forwardly from a joint of the upper pipe4and the front vertical pipe6. The front lower pipe14is connected to the lower end of the front-down pipe13. The front lower pipe14is a front extension of the lower pipe5. The front portion2supports a front wheel15via a front suspension with a front shock absorber for the front suspension being provided.

A front bumper17that extends vertically is provided forward of the front portion2and is connected at its lower end to the front end of the front lower pipe14. A front carrier20is supported between the upper portion of the front bumper17and a cross member18that spans between the upper portions of the front-down bumpers13. Although the front carrier20slants slightly to above the front fender22which covers the front wheels15from above, in general it is arranged substantially horizontally. Cargo21is held on the front carrier20and may be a relatively large, heavy article such as a concrete block or the like.

The rear portion3is such that a rear vertical pipe7, a seat rail23and a rear lower pipe24form an approximate triangle portion as viewed from the side. The seat rail23extends almost-horizontally rearwardly from a joint of the upper pipe4and the rear vertical pipe7. The rear lower pipe24, which is the rear extension of the lower pipe5, extends obliquely upward and connects with the middle of the seat rail23in a back-and-forth direction. A portion between the rear lower pipe24and the seat rail23are further reinforced by a rear stay25.

The rear vertical pipe7is joined at its lower end to the vertically middle portion of the rear lower pipe24. A pivot plate26is disposed near the joint and the rear swing arm27is connected at its front end to the pivot plate26. A rear wheel28is supported by the rear end of the rear swing arm27, which is suspended by a rear cushion29attached between the seat rail23and the rear end of the rear swing arm27.

A rear carrier30is supported by the rear portions of the seat rails23with a rear cargo31being similar to the cargo21. The rear carrier30is disposed rearwardly of the seat32held on the seat rails23and above a rear fender33covering the rear wheel28from above.

InFIG. 1, a radiator34is provided together with a fuel tank35that is held on the upper pipes4. An exhaust pipe36extends rearwardly from an exhaust port of a cylinder head attached to the engine8, and connects with a muffler37held by the seat rail23. A carburetor38and an air cleaner39are provided.

FIG. 2is a plan view of a portion similar to that ofFIG. 1with some parts omitted. As illustrated inFIG. 2, a pair of left and right loop portions1, a pair of left and right front portions2and a pair of left and right rear portions3are provided. In addition, a pair of left and right front wheels15and a pair of left and right rear wheels28are provided.

The front carrier20is provided to extend symmetrically in a widthwise direction with respect to the body center. In addition, the left and right portions of the front carrier extend to partially overlap the left and right front wheels15, respectively, above the front fender22. Likewise, the left and right portions of the rear carrier30extend to partially overlap the left and right rear wheels28, respectively, above the rear fender33. The rear wheels28are covered with the rear fender33from above the outside thereof.

The front carrier20is composed of an outer frame pipe40and reinforcing members41disposed inward thereof and serving as a cargo support portion. The reinforcing members41include a cross pipe41aand back-and-forth members42. The cross pipe41aconnects side portions40a,40a, i.e., the left and right portions, of the outer frame pipe40. The back-and-forth members42connect the left and right portions of the cross pipe41awith the front side portion40b. The front side portion40bis formed as a stepped-bottom portion and extends leftward and rightward through oblique line portions40c,40cto merge with the side portions40a,40a. The rear portions of the side portions40a,40abend toward the body center to form rear side portions40d,40dextending parallel to the cross pipe41a. The widthwise inside portions of the rear side portions40d,40dextend to bend obliquely forward, forming end side portions40e,40econnecting with the cross pipe41a.

Next, the front carrier20is further detailed with reference toFIG. 3, which is a plan view of the front carrier together with the front fender22. The respective rear side portions40d,40dextend to the left and the right with respect to the body centerline C. The end side portions40e,40ebend forward, extending toward the vicinity of the body center, and is welded to the central portion of the cross pipe41a.

The respective end side portions40e,40eare disposed almost-parallel to the left and right back-and-forth members42,42and on the side of the body center. Stays43,43are welded at its front ends to the vicinity of comers between the left and right rear end portions40d,40dand the end side portions40e,40e. The stays43,43each project obliquely downward and rearward. The front ends of the stays extend through openings bored in the front fender22and are bolted to the cross member18(seeFIGS. 1 and 2). The stays43,43are located at respective positions corresponding approximately to and forward of the left and right upper ends45a,45aof a central protruding portion45included in the front fender22. The front fender22surrounds the forward end of the upper end of the steering shaft11.

The back-and-forth members42,42are disposed symmetrically with respect to the body center so as to slant widthwise-inwardly, that is, to form almost-parallel lines whose width is progressively narrowed as they go forward. In addition, the back-and-forth members are joined at its front ends to the vicinities of oblique line portions40c,40cof the front side portion40b. Stays46are attached to respective joint portions between the left and right portions of the front side portion40band the back-and-forth members42,42so as to project downwardly. The stays46are bolted to flat attachment portions19formed at the upper ends of the bumper17(seeFIGS. 1 and 2). The back-and-forth members42each have an almost-U-shape opening downwards in cross-section and a rear end welded to the cross pipe41a. The front ends of the back-and-forth members42are located on both sides or on the left-hand and right-hand sides of an air intake opening47for the radiator34, which is provided at the front center of the front fender22.

FIG. 4is a plan view of the left half of the front carrier20. The cross pipe41ahas a longitudinal end, i.e., a flat portion48having a flat surface on its upper side. This flat portion48is welded to a portion corresponding to the middle of the side portion40ain the back-and-forth direction and to the inside thereof. The back-and-forth member42has a flat end surface on its upper side as well.

FIG. 5is a front view of a portion corresponding to that ofFIG. 4. A portion of the oblique line portion40con the body center side bends toward the body center to form a slant portion40fextending obliquely downwardly and has a lower end merging into the front side portion40b. Thus, the front side portion40bis a lowest portion provided at the front body-center portion in the outer frame pipe40. More specifically, the front side portion40bis a stepped bottom portion in the present invention.

The slant portion40c(excluding the slant portion40f) and the rear side portion40doverlap each other in the back-and-forth direction. They have outer circumferential surfaces whose top portions have the same height and are the highest portions. Such top portions constitute an outer frame flat surface A. The top portion of the cross pipe41ais slightly lower than the outer frame flat surface A, but higher than the front side portion40b. The end side portion40ehas a rear end having the same height as the rear side portion40dand a front end having the same height as the cross pipe41a. The front side portion40bis disposed slightly lower than the cross pipe41aso as to partially overlap the cross pipe41a. More specifically, the top of the front side portion40bis lower than the outer frame flat surface A by a value equal substantially to a pipe-diameter.

FIG. 6is a cross-sectional view taken along line6-6ofFIG. 4. The upper surfaces of the back-and-forth members42and the end side portions40eand the top of the cross pipe41aconstitute the same cargo support surface B. The plane of the cargo support surface B is a slant surface having a forward slant angle of θ relative to the outer frame flat surface A formed by the top of the side portion40aor the like. In this example, the cargo support surface B is a single slant surface that continuously extends forward and downward from the front side portion40bto the rear side portion40d.

The upper surface of the back-and-forth members42and the top of a flat portion45continuously constitute the same cargo support surface B, which has a front end flush substantially with the upper surface of the front side portion40b. A portion, located outside the slant portion40f, of the respective upper surfaces of the side portion40a, rear side portion40dand oblique line portion40cis positioned inside the same flat surface A. The end side portion40eslants forwardly from the outer frame flat surface A to the cargo support surface B.

Since a nut46ais welded to the stay46, the flat attachment portion19(seeFIGS. 1 and 2) attached to the upper end of the front bumper17can be fastened to the stay46with a bolt not shown. The stay43is made of a pipe member and has a lower end serving as a flat attachment portion43a, which is formed with an oval hole43b. The stay43can be fastened to the widthwise end of the cross member18(seeFIG. 1) with a bolt not shown while accommodating an error with the oval hole43b.

The cross pipe41ais connected to the middle portion of the side portion40ain the back-and-forth direction through the flat portion48, which has the same height as the top thereof. A broken line that runs along the lower surface of the side portion40aoverlaps the back-and-forth member42and the end side portion40einFIG. 6. Thus, the broken line passes the center axis of the cross pipe41aso as to overlap the cross pipe41a.

FIG. 7is an enlarged view of portion D inFIG. 5. The flat portion48is formed in an offset manner to be flush with the top of the cross pipe41a, and has the top end welded to the heightwise-center of the side of the side portion40a. Therefore, the top of the cross pipe41ais lower from the outer frame flat surface A so that it shifts downward by a size “d” equal substantially to half of the diameter of the outer frame pipe40.

The rear carrier30is next described in detail. As shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, the rear carrier30is configured to have substantially the same shape as that of the front carrier20and be substantially symmetrical with respect to the back-and-forth direction. In addition, the rear carrier30includes an outer frame pipe50and a reinforcing member51, which includes a cross pipe51aand back-and-forth members52. The cross pipe51aconnects the left and right side portions50a,50aof the outer frame pipe50. The back-and-forth members52connect the left and right portions of the cross pipe51awith the rear side portion50bof the outer frame pipe50.

The rear side portion50bextends to the left and the right to be contiguous to the side portions50a,50athrough oblique line portions50c,50c. Each of the side portions50a,50ahas a front part which bends toward the body center to form a front side portion50d,50dextending parallel to the cross pipe51a. Each of the front side portions50d,50dhas a widthwise inside part which bends rearwardly and extends obliquely to form an end side portion50e,50ejoined to the cross pipe51a.

The respective front parts of the left and right end side portions50e,50eare connected to the left and right seat rails23,23through stays53,53, respectively. The seat rails23,23are connected at respective rear ends to the left and right parts of the rear side portion50bthrough stays54,54.

Taper portions50c,50care obliquely chamfered off to face side rear end portions33c,33cformed at the left and right rear ends of the rear fender33. The side rear end portions33c,33centirely cover up to the rear portions of the rear wheels28,28. The taper portions50c,50cmostly overlap the side rear end portions33c,33cfrom above. It is however to be noted that the rear side portion50bprojects rearwardly from the rear fender33so that it can be used as a ground-contacting portion when the vehicle body is supported in a standing position when stored and as a grip when pulled.

FIG. 8depicts the rear carrier30as viewed from the backside of the vehicle body. The widthwise inside portions of the oblique line portions50c,50cbend toward the body center to form slant portions50f,50fextending obliquely downwardly, and then the lower ends thereof merge into the rear side portion50b. Thus, the rear side portion50bis the lowest portion of the outer frame pipe50provided at the body center portion, that is the stepped bottom portion in the present invention.

The oblique line portions50c,50c(excluding the slant portions50f,50f) overlap the front side portions50d,50d, respectively, in the back-and-forth direction. The tops of the outer circumferential surfaces thereof are the highest portion and constitute the outer frame flat surface A. The top of the cross pipe51ais slightly lower than the outer frame flat surface A but higher than the rear side portion50b. The back-and-forth members52,52each have a front end equal in height to the front side portion50dand a rear end equal in height to the cross pipe51a. The rear side portion50bis slightly offset downwardly from the cross pipe51a. The top of the rear side portion50bis slightly lower than the outer frame flat surface A by a value equal approximately to the pipe-diameter.

The left and right end side portions50e,50eare joined to the respective tips, bending outwardly, of the stays53,53which extend upwardly from the left and right seat rails23,23, respectively. The respective slant portions of the left and right oblique line portions50c,50care joined to the upper ends of the stays54,54extending upwardly from the rear ends of the left and right seat rails23,23, respectively. The joint portions are located in the vicinities of bent portions50g,50g, of the slant portions50f,50f, contiguous to the rear side portion50b. The longitudinal portions52,52have ends joined to portions on the side of the rear side portion50b, in the vicinities of the bent portions50g,50gand between the rear side portion50band the bent portions50g,50g.

The stays54,54have lower ends serving as flat attachment portions54a,54aand are fastened to the rear ends of the left and right seat rails23,23from the back side of the vehicle body with respective bolts54b,54bassociated with the attachment portions54a,54a. In addition, the structure of the outer frame portion40and reinforcing member41of the front carrier shown inFIG. 6is substantially equal to that of the outer frame portion50and reinforcing members51of the rear carrier30if the back and forth are inverted to each other. Therefore, the explanation of these portions is omitted by referring toFIG. 6.

FIG. 9is an enlarged view of the right-hand portion of the body rear portion inFIG. 2. The side rear end portion33cincludes the rearmost end33aof the rear fender33and an inside portion33bis provided widthwise inside the side rear end portion33c. The rearmost end33ais located forward of the rear side portion50band an extended line F extending from the front end of the rear side portion50b. Symbol H denotes a straight line that extends along the tire rear end of the rear wheel28in parallel to the widthwise direction.

FIG. 10is a cross-sectional view taken along line10-10ofFIG. 9. Assuming that a straight line L connects the side rear end portion33cof the rear fender33and the same portion of the tire of the rear wheel28in the widthwise direction, then the taper portion50cis located forward of the straight line L, on the widthwise outside of the straight line G ofFIG. 9. With such an arrangement, it is possible to prevent mud or the like splashed by the tire of the rear wheel28from adhering to the taper portion50c. Note that the straight line H ofFIG. 9is vertical with respect to the sheet surface and is denoted with a point.

Next, the function of the present invention will be described. The cargo support surface B is formed inward of and lower, at a one-step, than the outer frame flat surface A. This flat surface A is composed of the left and right side portions40a,40a, the outside portions of the oblique line portions40c,40cand the tops of the rear side portions40d,40d, of the outer frame pipe40which constitutes the contour of the front carrier20. More specifically, the cargo support surface B includes the cross pipe41a, the end side portions40e,40e, the back-and-forth members42,42and the front side portions40b,40bfor placing the cargo21thereon.

In this way, the cargo21is surrounded by the outer frame portion forming the outer frame flat surface A which is higher than the cargo support surface B at a one-step. With respect to the outer frame pipe40, the side portions40a,40aand the oblique line portions40c,40cwhich are higher than the cargo support surface B come into contact with the cargo21to serve as a cargo stopper which prevents the cargo21from moving over on the cargo support surface B. Thus, the cargo21can be held stably and it is not necessary to separately form a cargo stopper.

That is to say, the cargo support surface B and the outer frame flat surface A which are different in height from each other are formed by changing the respective heights of the component parts without forming a different member and welding it. Therefore, the number of component parts and the manhours of assembly can be reduced. Further, a weight saving can be achieved.

In addition, since the cargo support surface B is slanted forward, the cargo21can be moved over forward to come into contact with the side of the oblique line portions40c,40cserving as the cargo stopper. This reduces the movement of the cargo21during traveling to hold the cargo21more stably. In addition, the slant cargo support surface B and the cargo stopper can be formed simultaneously since the front portion of the outer frame pipe40is made up of the front side portion40bserving as the step bottom portion and the oblique line portions40c,40cserving as the cargo stopper.

Further, the front side portion40bis formed to bend downwardly, so that the rear end portion40dbecomes relatively higher than the front side portion40b. The slant face can be formed only by connecting the front side portion40bwith the rear end portion40dby use of the end side portions40e,40eand the back-and-forth members42,42. In addition, since the front side portion40is provided at the central portion in the widthwise direction, it is possible to lower the body center so as not to interrupt the operator's visibility. In other words, this contributes to ensuring sufficient visibility and makes it possible to load the cargo satisfactorily. The top surfaces of the back-and-forth members42,42and the flat portion48of the cross pipe41aare formed flat. Therefore, it is easy to hold the cargo. Further, since the flat portion48is flush with the top of the cross pipe41a, the middle portion of the cargo support surface B in the back-and-forth direction can be lowered as much as possible.

The rear carrier30is configured in the same manner as the front carrier20so that the cargo support surface may slant rearwardly (the cargo support surface is formed to slant rearwardly and downwardly in an inverse relation to the cargo support surface B ofFIG. 6). Therefore, the rear carrier30can exhibit the same effect as the front carrier20. In addition, the taper portions50c,50coverlap the side rear end portions33c,33cof the rear fender33from above on the widthwise outside of the line G (FIG. 9) widthwise inside of the tire. Therefore, it is possible to prevent mud or the like splashed by the rear wheels28,28from adhering to the taper portions50c,50c.

When the vehicle body is stored in an upright position, it is possible to prevent the rear end of the rear fender33from coming into contact with the ground as illustrated inFIG. 11. As illustrated inFIG. 11, when the vehicle body is stored in an upright position, the left and right rear wheels28and the straight rear side portion50bcome into contact with the ground E. At this time, the tangential line L is positioned higher than the rear side portion50bserving as a ground-contact point. That is, the rear end of the rear fender33never projects downwardly from the tangential line L. Therefore, the rear end of the fender33can be prevented from coming into contact with the ground, and thereby, from being damaged.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Various modifications and applications can be made within the principle of the invention. For example, the carrier structure in which part of the outer frame pipe40forms a cargo stopper may be provided in at least one of the front carrier20and the rear carrier30. In addition, the carrier structure may be provided on the left and right sides as well as the front and rear sides in the vehicle body.

The inclined surface serving as the cargo support surface B may be inclined in any direction, longitudinally or laterally. In addition, a plurality of inclined surfaces may be provided in one and the same carrier. In this case, the configuration can be easily obtained by providing a plurality of stepped bottom portions in a plurality of respective locations of the outer frame. Also the stepped bottom portions may be located at any place, a longitudinal or lateral place, of the carrier. If a plurality of stepped bottom portions are disposed at respective locations opposite to each other and straight reinforcing members span between the corresponding stepped bottom portions, the cargo support surface B that is not necessarily inclined can be provided. Furthermore, the vehicle provided with the carrier is not limited to the buggy vehicle and may be a motorcycle or other various vehicles.