Abstract:
A storage box illumination device disposed under the seat of a compact vehicle such as motorcycles. The device provides illuminating to the interior of the storage box when the seat is opened. In an illumination device provided in the storage box to be disposed under the seat of a compact vehicle, an illumination switch for actuating the illumination fixture is provided on the seat closure holding member for holding the seat in the closed state.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
         [0001]    The present application claims priority under 35 USC 119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-318492 filed on Oct. 16, 2001 the entire contents thereof is hereby incorporated by reference.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention relates to a storage box illumination device disposed under the seat of a compact vehicle such as motorcycles. More specifically, to a device for illuminating the interior of the storage box when the seat is opened.  
           [0004]    2. Description of Background Art  
           [0005]    In a compact vehicle of the related art in which the front end portion of the seat is rotatably supported on the front portion of the opening of the storage box so as to cover the upper opening of the storage box by a pivotal movement in the vertical direction, an illumination device was provided for illuminating the interior of the storage box (JP-U-6-15786, JP-A-10-194177).  
           [0006]    In such an illumination device, an illumination switch is disposed in the vicinity of the opening of the storage box in order to illuminate the illumination lamp in a state in which the seat is pivoted upwardly and the opening of the storage box is opened. Thus, so that when the seat is moved upwardly and opened, the contact element of the illumination switch is moved upwardly and the illumination switch is turned on, and thus the illumination lamp is illuminated.  
           [0007]    In the storage box illumination device for compact vehicles described above, since the position of the illumination switch lies next to the rotatably supported portion of the seat, the stroke of the contact element of the illumination switch is smaller in comparison with the amount of vertical pivotal movement of the distal end of the seat. Thus, there are cases where the illumination device does not work properly in correspondence with the opening and closing operation of the seat due to a fixation error of the illumination switch or the deformation of the opening of the storage box or of the lower edge of the seat.  
         SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    The present invention relates to an improvement of the storage box illumination device for compact vehicles in which such a disadvantage is overcome. An illumination device is provided in the storage box to be disposed under the seat of a compact vehicle wherein a seat closure holding means for maintaining the seat in the closed state is provided with a illumination switch of the illumination fixture.  
           [0009]    In the present invention, the illumination switch is provided on the seat closure holding means provided at the position where a reaction force against a closure of the seat is small, that is, the position away from the rotatably supported position of the seat when the seat is opened to provide necessary illumination in the storage box. Thus, the illumination switch actuates correspondingly and ensures illumination in the storage box without being effected by deformation of the seat or the storage box, or the like.  
           [0010]    In addition, according to the arrangement of the present invention, the seat closed position or the seat closure released state are accurately detected. Thus, reliability of the action of the illumination switch is improved.  
           [0011]    According to the arrangement of the present invention, reliability of the action of the illumination switch can further be improved by selectively detecting any one of the seat closed state and the seat closure released state accurately.  
           [0012]    Further, according to the arrangement of the present invention, the direction of movement of the aforementioned operation cable coincides with the direction of movement of the contact element of the illumination switch. Thus, the accuracy of the action of the illumination switch further increases. Simultaneously, since the aforementioned seat closure holding means is configured generally in the plate shape, and the aforementioned operation cable is laid along the direction thereof, the space occupied by the seat closure holding means provided with the aforementioned illumination switch is reduced, thereby enabling space saving.  
           [0013]    Still further, according to the arrangement of the present invention, since the illumination switch and the storage box illumination fixture can be arranged to be adjacent, the wiring may be shortened and the assembling operation may be improved.  
           [0014]    Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]    The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a scooter provided with a storage box illumination device for compact vehicles according to the present invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of FIG. 1 in a state in which the seat and the seat under cover are removed;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 1 partially in vertical cross section;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle body frame, a seat, and a locking mechanism with a vehicle body cover and a storage box removed;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the upper surface of the vehicle body frame and the lower surface of the seat;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the vehicle body frame, the storage box, and a rear spoiler;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a third cross member, the storage box, and a main seat catch;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 8 is a side view of the storage box;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 9 is a plan view of FIG. 8;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 10 is a lateral cross section taken along the line X-X in FIG. 8;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 11 is a lateral cross section taken along the line XI-XI in FIG. 8;  
         [0027]    FIGS.  12 ( a ) and  12 ( b ) are exploded back views of a main seat catch;  
         [0028]    FIGS.  13 ( a ) and  13 ( b ) are exploded back views of a sub seat catch;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 14 is a back view of the main seat catch in the locked state;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 15 is a back view of a sub seat catch in the locked state;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 16 is a back view of the main seat catch in the unlocked state;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 17 is a back view of the sub seat catch in the unlocked state;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 18 is an explanatory drawing illustrating the action of the main seat catch and the sub seat catch in the initial stage of transition from the unlocked state to the locked state;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 19 is an explanatory drawing illustrating the action of the main seat catch and the initial stage of transition from the unlocked state to the locked state of the second stage;  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 20 is an explanatory drawing illustrating the action of main seat catch and the initial stage of transition from the unlocked state to the locked state of the third stage;  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 21 is an explanatory drawing illustrating the action of main seat catch and the initial stage of transition from the unlocked state to the locked state in the final stage;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 22 is a back view of the main seat catch according to another embodiment; and  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 23 is a back view of the main seat catch according to still another embodiment. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0039]    An embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 21 will be described.  
         [0040]    In this embodiment, the front, rear, left, right, up, and down refer to the directions based on the rule in which the direction of travel of the motorcycle  0  is designated as the front.  
         [0041]    The motorcycle  0 , which is a scooter type vehicle, is provided with a front wheel  1  and a rear wheel  2  at the front and rear. The front wheel  1  is rotatably supported at the lower end of the front fork  6  that is bifurcated downwardly from the lower end of the steering shaft  5  fitted on the head pipe  4  of the vehicle body frame  3  so as to be rotatable to the right and left. The aforementioned rear wheel  2  is integrally fitted on the output shaft (not shown) of the power unit  7  supported at the position near the center portion of the vehicle body frame  3  so as to be capable of pivotal movement in the vertical direction, so that the motorcycle  0  can travel by being steered to the left or the right by turning the handle  8  coupled with the steering shaft  5  to the left or the right with the rear wheel  2  being rotated by the driving force of the power unit  7 . A rear cushion unit  9  is interposed between the rear portion of the power unit  7  and the rear frame  12  that will be described later.  
         [0042]    The vehicle body frame  3  is, as shown in FIG. 3, integrally provided with a pair of left and right upper frames  10  extending from the head pipe  4  obliquely downwardly towards the rear, and is integrally provided with a pair of left and right down tubes  11  positioned downwardly of the upper frame  10  and extending obliquely downwardly towards the rear. The lower ends of the aforementioned upper frames  10  are integrally joined to the down tubes  11 , and the front ends of the pair of left and right rear frames  12  are integrally connected to the pair of left and right upper frame  10 , respectively. The rear portion of the down tube  11  is curved upwardly, and the rear end thereof is joined integrally to the rear frame  12 .  
         [0043]    In addition, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, both ends of the first cross member  13 , which is an inverted angular U-shape in the front view, are integrally joined to the upper frames  10  at the position adjacent to the joint between the pair of left and right upper frames  10  and the rear frames  12 . Both ends of the second cross member  14 , which is an inverted angular U-shape in the front view, are integrally joined to the rear frames  12  at a position rearwardly thereof A linear third cross member  15  is detachably fitted on the rear frames  12  by means of a bolt at the position rearwardly of the second cross member  14 , and a fourth cross member  16  is detachably fitted to the rear ends of the rear frames  12  by a bolt.  
         [0044]    In addition, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the U-shaped stay  17  is integrally joined to the aforementioned second cross member  14  with both ends thereof faced towards the rear, and both side portions of a seat hinge supporting strip  18  are integrally joined to the front portion of the U-shaped stay  17 . The rear end of the extension member  19  are joined integrally to the seat hinge supporting strip  18  at the widthwise center of the vehicle so as to extend obliquely downwardly towards the front. The front end of the extension member  19  is integrally joined to the aforementioned first cross member  13  at the widthwise center of the vehicle. A portion of the seat hinge  20  is integrally joined to the aforementioned seat hinge supporting strip  18  and the front lower end strip  21   a  of the seat  21  is integrally joined to the other portion of the seat hinge  20 , so that the seat  21  is supported by the seat hinge supporting strip  18  so as to be capable of a pivotal movement in the vertical direction about the axis  20   a  of the seat hinge  20 .  
         [0045]    In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, a seat side bracket  23  is integrally attached to the inner surface of the right side wall (left side wall in FIG. 5 because the seat  21  is inverted) positioned at the substantially longitudinally center of the seat bottom plate  22  of the seat  21 , and the vehicle body side bracket  24  is integrally attached to the right base portion  17   a  of the U-shaped stay  17 . Brackets  25   a ,  25   b  of the damper  25  are rotatably attached to both of the seat side bracket  23  and the vehicle body side bracket  24 , so that the seat  21  is held in the opened state due to a resilient restoring force of the aforementioned damper  25  even when the aforementioned seat  21  is popped up and then is almost pivoted downward by its own weight.  
         [0046]    As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the helmet storage box  26  includes a box body portion  27  opened on top, and a box upper rear portion  29  to be integrally attached to the mounting projections  28  provided on both left and right side portions of the rear opening of the box body portion  27  by means of screws (not shown). An annular rubber sealing member  31  is adhered on the outer peripheral portion of the lower surface of the rear half of the seat bottom plate  22  being in contact with the upper opening edge  30  of the aforementioned helmet storage box  26  for covering the internal storage space in the helmet storage box  26 , as shown in FIG. 5. In a state in which the aforementioned seat  21  is pivoted downwardly and hooks  87 ,  88  are engaged with a main seat catch  70  and a sub seat catch  80  as described later, the sealing member  31  of the seat bottom plate  22  comes into intimate contact with the upper opening edge  30  of the helmet storage box  26  so that the internal storage space of the helmet storage box  26  is hermetically closed by the seat bottom plate  22 .  
         [0047]    In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, the front edge portion of the opening of the box body portion  27  of the helmet storage box  26  is integrally formed with forwardly projecting mounting strips  32  at four positions being symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal centerline, and mounting strips  33  are integrally formed between each outer mounting strip and inner mounting strip  32  respectively.  
         [0048]    Further, the upper front half portion  34  on both of the left and right sides of the box body portion  27  of the helmet storage box  26  is, as shown in FIG. 10, bent into an inverted U-shape, and the lower edge of the outer portion  35  thereof is formed so as to be parallel to the upper surface of the rear frame  12 . The rear portion of the upper front half portion  34  on both of the left and right sides is, as shown in FIG. 11, formed with an applied part  36  bent towards the outside in the horizontal direction. The applied part  36  is formed with a mounting hole  37 , and as shown in FIG. 6, the center of the rear bottom of the aforementioned box body portion  27  is formed with a mounting hole  38 .  
         [0049]    In addition, as shown in FIGS. 6, 8, and  10 , an opening  39  is formed on the left front portion of the box body portion  27 , a battery cover  40  is attached inside the opening  39 , and a battery box  41  is attached outside the opening  39 . A battery  53  is placed into the space surrounded by the battery cover  40  and the battery box  41 .  
         [0050]    The aforementioned helmet storage box  26  is attached on the vehicle body frame  3  in accordance with the procedure shown below.  
         [0051]    As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the box body portion  27  of the helmet storage box  26  is put down from above the rear portion of the rear frame  12 , and the outer attachment strips  32   a  out of four attachment strips  32  are fastened on the rear frame  12  together with both ends of the third cross member  15  by means of bolts  42  passing through the attachment strips  32   a  and the ends of the third cross member  15  from top to bottom and screwed into the rear frame  12  as shown in FIG. 7. The remaining inner attachment strips  32   b  are placed on the bracket  43  formed integrally with the third cross member  15 , and the mounting strip  81   a  of the housing  81  of the sub seat catch  80 , which will be described later, is placed on the inner attachment strips  32   b , and then they are fastened to the bracket  43  of the third cross member  15  by means of a bolt  44  passing through the bracket  43 , the inner attachment strips  32   b , and the mounting strip  81   a  of the housing  81  and a nut  45  from bottom to top to be screwed thereon.  
         [0052]    Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 6, the rear bottom portion of the box body portion  27  is mounted on the fourth cross member  16  by means of a bolt  47  passing through the mounting hole  38  formed at the center of the rear bottom of the box body portion  27  from top to bottom to be screwed on the bracket  46  formed on the fourth cross member  16  at the widthwise center of the vehicle.  
         [0053]    Finally, as shown in FIG. 6, the applied part  36  of the box body portion  27  is placed on the bracket  48  formed integrally with the upper surfaces of the rear half portions of the pair of left and right rear frames  12 , and the mounting strip  50  of the rear spoiler  49  is mounted on the applied part  36 . Thereafter, the rear spoiler  49  and the rear portion of the box body portion  27  are fastened to the rear frame  12  together by means of a bolt  51  passing through the mounting strip  50  and the mounting hole  37  of the applied part  36  from top to bottom to be screwed into the bracket  48 .  
         [0054]    Prior to attachment of the rear spoiler  49 , as shown in FIG. 4, a main seat catch holding portion  52  formed of aluminum die cast with the front portion opened in U-shape is integrally attached on the rear ends of the pair of left and right rear frame  12 , and the housing  71  of the main seat catch  70  is detachably mounted on the inner surface, in other words, the front surface, of the main seat catch holding member  52  at the widthwise center of the vehicle.  
         [0055]    As shown in FIG. 8, a fuel injection unit  54  for pressurizing fuel and a regulator  55  for adjusting the pressure of fuel in the fuel injection unit  54  are integrally attached on the left rear frame  12  rearwardly of the battery box  41  of the aforementioned helmet storage box  26  in order to inject fuel in the combustion chamber (not shown) in the internal combustion engine of the power unit  7 .  
         [0056]    As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle body cover  60  for covering the entire vehicle body frame  3  of the motorcycle  0  includes a front cowl  61  for covering the front portion of the vehicle body frame  3  with the upper cover  62  for covering the upper opening of the front cowl  61  and an inner cover  63  for covering the rear portion of the aforementioned front cowl  61 . A center cover  64  extends from the rear end of the inner cover  63  towards the rear for covering the longitudinal center of the vehicle body frame  3 . A low deck floor  65  extends outwardly from the outer edge of the lower end of the center cover  64 , on which the driver place his feet. A floor skirt  66  extends downwardly from the outer edge of the low deck floor  65 . A rear side cover  67  extends from the aforementioned center cover  64  towards the rear for covering the rear side portion of the vehicle frame  3 . A rear body cover  68  extends from the rear end of the rear side cover  67  towards the rear for covering the rear portion of the vehicle body frame  3 . The wind shield  69  is integrally provided on the upper end of the aforementioned front cowl  61 .  
         [0057]    Further, the outer edge of the seat under cover  56  shown in FIG. 2 is detachably attached on the pair of left and right mounting strips  33  provided on the front edge portion of the opening on the box body portion  27  of the helmet storage box  26  by means of a screw or the like, not shown, so that it can be disassembled for maintenance or inspection of the auxiliary machinery attached on the internal combustion engine of the power unit  7 .  
         [0058]    The aforementioned main seat catch  70  includes, as shown in FIGS.  12 ( a ) and  12 ( b ), a housing  71 , a locking claw  72  pivotably attached on one side of the housing  71  via a pin  77  with a stopper member  73  pivotably attached on the other side of the housing  71  via a pin  78 . A tension coil spring  74  is provided as shown in FIG. 14 with both ends thereof engaged with the spring catch  72   a  of the locking claw  72  and the spring catch  73   a  of the stopper member  73 . Bolts  75 ,  76  are provided for attaching the aforementioned housing  71  integrally to the main seat catch holding member  52 . The bolts  75 ,  76  pass through the main seat catch holding member  52  and the housing  71  is integrally attached to the main seat catch holding member  52  by nuts to be screwed on the tips of the bolts  75 ,  76 , not shown.  
         [0059]    The sub seat catch  80  includes, as shown in FIGS.  13 ( a ) and  13 ( b ), a housing  81 , a locking claw  82  rotatably attached to one side of the housing  81  via a pin  85 , a driving member  83  pivotably attached on the other side of the housing  81  via a pin  86 , and a tension coil spring  84  shown in FIG. 15 both ends of which are engaged to the spring catch  82   a  of the locking claw  82  and the spring catch  83   a  of the driving member  83 .  
         [0060]    In addition, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the hooks  87  and  88  to be engaged with the aforementioned main seat catch  70  and the sub seat catch  80 , respectively, pass through the rear end of the seat bottom plate  22  at the widthwise center of the vehicle and the substantially longitudinally center portion thereof from bottom to top, and are joined integrally to the seat bottom plate  22  with a nut, not shown, to be screwed on the upper end screw portions of the hooks  87 ,  88 .  
         [0061]    Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 4, the seat lock  90  is integrally mounted on the portion of the left side rear frame  12  in the vicinity of the rear end with the keyhole  91  of the seat lock  90  exposed towards the outside from the left rear side cover  67 . One end of the inner wire  94  of the first cable  93  is joined to the arm portion  92  of the seat lock  90 . The outer tube  95  of the first cable  93  passes around the outer periphery of the helmet storage box  26  and then passes through the cable holding bent strip  81   b  of the housing  81  of the sub seat catch  80 . The other end of the outer tube  95  of the first cable  93  is joined to the cable holding bent strip  71   a  of the housing  71  of the main seat catch  70 . The other end of the inner wire  94  of the first cable  93  is connected to the first cable engaging portion  73   b  of the stopper member  73  of the main seat catch  70 . One end of the inner wire  97  of the second cable  96  is joined to the second cable engaging portion  83   b  of the driving member  83  of the sub seat catch  80 , and the other end of the inner wire  97  of the second cable  96  is engaged with the second cable engaging portion  72   b  of the locking claw  72  of the main seat catch  70 . In addition, both ends of the outer tube  98  of the second cable  96  are connected to the cable holding bent strip  81   b  of the housing  81  of the sub seat catch  80  and the cable holding bent strip  71   a  of the housing  71  of the main seat catch  70 , respectively.  
         [0062]    As shown in FIG. 8, an opening  57  is formed on the left upper portion of the upper rear half portion  29  of the helmet storage box  26  and a rib  58  projects from the outer peripheral surface of sides other than the lower side of the opening  57 , so that the illumination unit  59  provided with a illumination lamp, not shown, projects from outside into the helmet storage box  26  and is adapted to be detachably attached to the aforementioned opening  57 .  
         [0063]    Further, in the housing  71  of the aforementioned main seat catch  70 , in a state in which the locking claw  72  is opened and the rubber damping strip  79  formed integrally with the projection  72   c  of the locking claw  72  abuts against the receiving strip  71   b  of the housing  71  as shown in FIG. 16. When the movable strip  99   a  of the push-pull switch  99  is positioned to be pressed by the rubber damping strip  79 , the push-pull switch  99  is attached to the housing  71  and the battery cover  40  of the aforementioned helmet storage box  26 . The battery  53  in the battery box  41 , the illumination unit  59  and the push-pull switch  99  are connected in series. In the locked state shown in FIG. 14, the rubber damping strip  79  moves away from the receiving strip  71   b  of the housing  71  and the movable strip  99   a  of the push-pull switch  99 . Thus, the push-pull switch  99  is turned off and the illumination lamp  59   a  in the illumination unit  59  is not illuminate. In the unlocked state shown in FIG. 16, the push-pull switch  99  is turned ON and the illumination lamp  59   a  in the illumination unit  59  is turned on.  
         [0064]    Since the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 21 is constructed as described above, in a state in which the seat  21  is closed and the hooks  87 ,  88  are engaged and locked with the main seat catch  70  and the sub seat catch  80 , respectively, as shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, the hooks  87 ,  88  cannot be released from the main seat catch  70 . The sub seat catch  80  and the seat bottom plate  22  of the seat  21  is brought into intimate contact with the upper opening edge  30  of the helmet storage box  26  via the sealing member  31  and the seat  21  is placed on the box body portion  27 . Therefore, as the weight of the rider on the seat  21  and the rider setting behind him/her are received by the rear frame  12  via the seat  21  the rider and the passenger are stably and reliably supported.  
         [0065]    As shown in FIG. 14, in a state in which the seat  21  is placed on the helmet storage box  26  and the helmet storage box  26  is hermetically closed by the seat bottom plate  22 , the push-pull switch  99  is turned off and the power source of the illumination unit  59  is shut off, and thus a discharge of the battery is suppressed. The seat  21  is reliably fixed by the main seat catch  70  and the sub seat catch  80  at its center portion and the rear portion.  
         [0066]    In a state in which the aforementioned helmet storage box  26  is hermetically closed by the seat bottom plate  22  of the seat  21 , as shown in FIG. 4, when a key  100  is inserted into the keyhole  91  of the seat lock  90  and turned clockwise, the first cable engaging portion  73   b  of the stopper member  73  of the main seat catch  70  is pulled towards the right via the inner wire  94  of the first cable  93  as shown in FIG. 16. Thus, the stopper member  73  is turned counterclockwise and the locking projection  73   c  of the stopper member  73  comes off the engaging projection  72   d  of the locking claw  72 . As a consequent, the locking claw  72  is rotated counterclockwise by a tensile force of tension coil spring  74 , and the hook  87  engaged by the claw portion  72   e  of the locking claw  72  disengages from the claw portion  72   e.    
         [0067]    As shown in FIG. 16, when the locking claw  72  rotates counterclockwise, a tension of the inner wire  97  of the second cable  96  is released. As shown in FIG. 17, the inner wire  97  is unwound at the sub seat catch  80 , and thus the driving member  83  is rotated clockwise. Consequently, the locking claw  82  restrained by the moving strip  83   c  of the driving member  83  via the receiving strip  82   c  is rotated counterclockwise by a tensile strength of the tension coil spring  84  in association with the clockwise rotation of the driving member  83 . The hook  88  engaged by the claw portion  82   b  of the locking claw  82  disengages from the claw portion  82   b  and thus is pivoted upwardly about the seat hinge  20  by the aid of a repulsive force of the seat  21  and the damper  25  to open the helmet storage box  26 . In a state in which the helmet storage box  26  is opened, two helmets  89  can be stored in fore-and-aft arrangement.  
         [0068]    As shown in FIG. 16, in a state in which the locking claw  72  rotates counterclockwise, the seat  21  is pivoted upwardly, and the helmet storage box  26  is opened. The rubber damping strip  79  is formed integrally with the projection  72   c  of the locking claw  72  abuting against the receiving strip  71   b  of the housing  71  and the movable strip  99   a  of the push-pull switch  99 . Thus, the push-pull switch  99  is turned on and the illumination lamp  59   a  in the illumination unit  59  is turned on. Therefore, the interior of the helmet storage box  26  is illuminated and thus the helmet or the like in the helmet storage box  26  easily becomes into view.  
         [0069]    As is described thus far, in a state in which the seat  21  is popped upwardly and the helmet storage box  26  is opened, the hooks  87 ,  88  are moved downwardly by pressing the seat  21  downwardly. As shown in FIG. 18, the hook  87  abuts against the abutting portion  72   f  of the locking claw  72 . When the hook  87  is moved further downwardly, as shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20, the locking claw  72  rotates clockwise and the engaging projection  72   d  of the locking claw  72  is moved over the locking projection  73   c  of the stopper member  73 . As shown in FIG. 21, the stopper member  73  is rotated clockwise by a tensile strength of the tension coil spring  74 , and the engaging projection  72   d  of the locking claw  72  is locked by the locking projection  73   c  of the stopper member  73  whereby the claw portion  72   e  of the locking claw  72  is engaged by the hook  87 , and the hook  87  is locked by the main seat catch  70 .  
         [0070]    In association with the action of the aforementioned main seat catch  70 , the sub seat catch  80  acts as described below, and the hook  88  is locked by the sub seat catch  80 .  
         [0071]    In other words, the inner wire  97  exposed from the cable holding bent strip  71   a  of the housing  71  of the main seat catch  70  is, as shown in FIG. 19, drawn towards the left by clockwise rotation of the locking claw  72  and the inner wire  97  exposed from the cable holding bent strip  81   a  of the housing  81  of the sub seat catch  80  gets drawn towards the right. As a consequent, the driving member  83  is rotated counterclockwise, the locking claw  82  is rotated clockwise by downward movement of the moving strip  83   c  of the driving member  83 , the claw portion  82   b  of the locked claw  82  is engaged by the hook  88 , and the hook  88  is locked by the sub seat catch  80 .  
         [0072]    In this case, the rubber damping strip  79 , formed integrally with the projection  72   c  of the locking claw  72 , is moved away from the movable strip  99   a  of the push-pull switch  99  by clockwise rotation of the locking craw  72 . Thus, the push-pull switch  99  is turned off and the illumination lamp  59   a  in the illumination unit  59  is turned off. Consequently, it is not necessary for a rider to turn off the illumination unit  59  manually. Thus, a discharge of the battery due to careless inexecution of the light out of the illumination lamp  59   a  in the illumination unit  59  is prevented.  
         [0073]    Since the push-pull switch  99  is attached integrally to the housing  71  of the main seat catch  70 , and is turned on and off by rotation of the locking claw  72  rotatably supported by the housing  71 , the illumination lamp  59   a  in the illumination unit  59  is turned on without fail corresponding to the vertical pivotal movement of the seat  21  only when illumination in the helmet storage box  26  is necessary without being influenced by deformation of the seat  21 , deformation of the helmet storage box  26 , or deformation of the vehicle body cover  60  at all.  
         [0074]    Since the movable strip  99   a  of the push-pull switch  99  abuts against the rubber damping strip  79 , and thus the rubber damping strip  79  is resiliently deformed, impact exerted on the push-pull switch  99  is alleviated, thereby improving durability of push-pull switch  99 .  
         [0075]    In addition, the main seat catch  70  and the sub seat catch  80  are attached on the main seat catch holding member  52  and the third cross member  15  that are formed integrally with the vehicle body frame  3 , the seat  21  or the helmet storage box  26  can be attached and detached irrespective of the main seat catch  70  and the sub seat catch  80 .  
         [0076]    In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 21, the push-pull switch  99  is provided at the position adjacent to the receiving strip  71   b  of the housing  71  of the main seat catch  70 . However, it is also possible to provide a limit switch  101  instead of the push-pull switch  99  as shown in FIG. 22.  
         [0077]    It is also applicable to provide the limit switch  101  integrally with the housing  71  of the main seat catch  70  at the position so that the movable strip  101   a  of the limit switch  101  comes into contact with the back portion of the claw portion  72   e  of the locking claw  72  of the main seat catch  70  in a state in which the main seat catch  70  is opened as shown in FIG. 23. The embodiment shown in FIG. 22 and FIG.  23  exercises the same effects as the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 21. Since the construction of the main seat catch  70  and the sub seat catch  80  in the embodiment shown in FIG. 22 and FIG. 23 is identical to the main seat catch  70  and the sub seat catch  80  in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 21, they are designated by same reference numerals.  
         [0078]    The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.