Abstract:
Vibration generators are provided on a vehicle to give vibration to the body of an occupant in response to outside information inputted from the outside of the vehicle, or vehicle information outputted from an in-vehicle system. The vibration generators are installed under the seating faces or inside the back of the occupant seats, or in the side wall surface of a fuel tank. The vibration generators are driven by information on predetermined contents among outside information obtained by two-way radio communication with another vehicle using radio communication equipment. The vibration generator provided in the occupant seats can be operated as speaker means producing deep bass sound in response to an audio signal of an in-vehicle audio unit. The resulting configuration enables information to be transmitted to the occupant of the vehicle by vibration given to his/her body, rather than being transmitted audibly or visually.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-321668, filed Nov. 29, 2006, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a motorcycle. More specifically, the present invention relates to a motorcycle having a human-machine interface (HMI) which can transmit outside information and vehicle driving information to an occupant by bodily felt vibration. 
     2. Description of Background Art 
     In a vehicle such as a motorcycle, there is known a system which obtains outside information to be noted during running, such as the position of another vehicle and the position of an intersection. For instance, JP Patent Publication No. 3773040 proposes a vehicle recognition support system in which position information of an intersection detected by a main vehicle having a navigation system is transmitted to a sub-vehicle by radio communication and the sub-vehicle receiving the position information warns a rider that the vehicle is approaching the intersection. The warning is performed using an audio receiver arranged in an HUD (Head-Up Display) or helmet. 
     JP Patent Publication No. 3211125 proposes a motorcycle which has a vibration generator in a grip portion of a handlebar and drives the vibration generator in response to operation of a direction indicator. An occupant identifies that the direction indicator is operated, through vibration transmitted from the grip portion to his/her hands by operation of the vibration generator. 
     The system described in JP Patent Publication No. 3773040 visually or audibly transmits warning information to the occupant by the audio receiver in the HUD or helmet. It is impossible to continue to monitor the HUD all the time. When the audio receiver receives other information such as music, the warning information interrupts the music information, which can offend the rider&#39;s ear. It is considered that the warning information is transmitted to the occupant using the vibration generator in the grip portion described in JP Patent Publication No. 3211125. 
     In this case, there is a problem to be addressed. As the vibration generator vibrates the grip portion, it is desirable that its vibrational amplitude be small. The small vibrational amplitude is masked in engine vibration or vibration transmitted from a road to the vehicle body and is difficult to be reliably transmitted to the occupant. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a motorcycle having a system which can easily transmit outside information and vehicle driving information by bodily felt vibration, not by an HUD or an audio receiver. 
     SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention for achieving the object has a first aspect in that a motorcycle has vibration generation means installed under the seating face or inside the back of an occupant seat or in the side wall surface of a fuel tank and giving vibration to the body of an occupant in response to outside information inputted from the outside of a vehicle or vehicle information outputted from an in-vehicle system. 
     The present invention has a second aspect in that the vibration generation means is driven by information on predetermined contents among outside information obtained by two-way radio communication with another vehicle using radio communication equipment. 
     The present invention has a third aspect in that the radio communication equipment includes means measuring the distance between a vehicle and another vehicle based on communication with the another vehicle, the motorcycle further includes an inertia guidance system, a GPS receiver, and an optical beacon communication system, and the radio communication equipment detects a self-position based on map information obtained from another vehicle having a navigation system and position information of the another vehicle and drives the vibration generation means using information that the vehicle is approaching within a predetermined distance to a noted position on the map information, as the outside information. 
     The present invention has a fourth aspect in that a vibration generator is driven by an output signal of an audio unit to generate vibration. 
     The present invention has a fifth aspect in that the frequency of vibration generated by the vibration generation means is set to 50 hertz or below. 
     Effects of the invention include the following: 
     According to the first aspect of present invention, the vibration generator is vibrated by inputted outside information or vehicle information and can transmit the outside information or vehicle information to a rider or passenger on the occupant seat, or a rider knee-gripping the fuel tank by vibration added to his/her body (bodily felt vibration). 
     According to the second aspect, when information obtained from another vehicle by radio communication is predetermined noted information, the information can be transmitted to the occupant by vibration. 
     According to the third aspect, information on another vehicle having a navigation system is used to detect a self-position and information that the user vehicle is approaching a predetermined noted position can be transmitted to the vibration generator provided in the occupant seat or the fuel tank. 
     According to the fourth aspect, the motorcycle without a space for arranging deep bass sound speakers can reproduce a deep bass sound signal outputted from the audio unit. 
     According to the fifth aspect, vibration is generated in a low frequency range. Various kinds of outside information or vehicle information can be transmitted to the occupant using vibration which can be clearly differentiated from a signal transmitted from an engine. 
     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 
       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: 
         FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of a rider seat of a motorcycle having a vibration generator according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of a scooter type motorcycle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a system block diagram of a motorcycle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a system block diagram of the essential parts of the motorcycle including the vibration generator according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram showing the essential part functions of an ECU provided in a motorcycle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of a large motorcycle according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view showing a modification example of a vibration generator provided in a motorcycle according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.  FIG. 2  is a side view showing a motorcycle with a bodily felt vibration generator according to an embodiment of the present invention. A motorcycle  1  shown in  FIG. 2  is a scooter type vehicle. A front fork  3  coupled to a steering shaft  2  and the lower portion of the steering shaft  2  and extended diagonally forward and downward is provided in the forwardmost portion of a vehicle body frame, not shown. A front wheel  4  is pivotally mounted on the front fork  3 . One end of a power unit  5  including an engine and a transmission is swingably pivotally mounted on the vehicle body frame, not shown. The rear portion of the power unit  5  is coupled to the rear portion of the vehicle body frame by a rear cushion  6 . A rear wheel  7  is attached to an output shaft (not shown) of a decelerator of the power unit  5 . 
     The substantially entire vehicle body frame is covered by a front cowl  8  and a rear cowl  9 . A headlight  10  is embedded in the forwardmost portion of the front cowl  8 . A rearward tilted wind screen  11  is erected in the upper portion of the front cowl  8 . A handlebar  12  coupled to the upper portion of the steering shaft  2  is provided with a sideview mirror  13  and a grip  14 . A rider seat  15  is arranged in the substantially center portion in the front and rear directions of the vehicle body. A pillion  16  is provided rearward of the rider seat  15 . 
     A vibration generator  17  giving vibration to the seating face of the rider seat  15  is mounted on the bottom plate (described later) of the rider seat  15 . 
       FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of the rider seat  15  into which the vibration generator  17  is incorporated. In  FIG. 1 , the rider seat  15  has a bottom plate  18 , a cushion member  19  molded by a urethane foam, and a seat cover  20  covering the cushion member  19 . The vibration generator  17  is mounted on the bottom plate  18 . 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a specific constitution of the vibration generator  17 . The vibration generator  17  has plural (in this example, five) pillar-shaped movable members  21 , a housing  22  supporting the movable members  21 , and solenoids  23  arranged so as to surround the movable members  21 . Lower ends  21 A of the movable members  21  are magnetic substances. The solenoids  23  are mounted over a vibration generator base  25  via spacers  24 . The vibration generator base  25  is fixed onto the bottom plate  18 . The housing  22  has a body portion  26  slidably supporting the movable members  21  in the vertical direction in the drawing, and a skirt portion  27  extended downward from the body portion  26  and connected to the bottom plate  18 . The body portion  26  is provided with partially spherical flexible members  28  made of an elastic material such as rubber in the positions corresponding to the movable members  21  protruded upward from the body portion  26 . The flexible members  28  may be made of a member different from the body portion  26  of the housing  22  and be adhered onto the body portion  26  by an adhesive. The body portion  26  and the flexible members  28  may be formed integrally by an elastic material. 
     When the solenoids  23  of the vibration generator  17  are energized, the magnetic substances constituting the lower ends  21 A of the movable members  21  are attracted by the action of a magnetic field generated by the solenoids  23  and the movable members  21  are then displaced upward. The flexible members  28  are pushed up by the movable members  21  so as to be deformed. When energization to the solenoids  23  is stopped, the movable members  21  are displaced downward by a return force of elasticity of the flexible members  28  so as to be returned to the original positions. Energization to the solenoids  23  is performed by a predetermined duty, whereby the movable members  21  are continuously reciprocated to vibrate the flexible members  28 . The vibration is transmitted to the hips of the rider via the seat cover  20  of the rider seat  15 . 
     An application example of the vibration generator  17  will be described specifically.  FIG. 4  is a system block diagram of the essential parts of the motorcycle including the vibration generator  17 . In  FIG. 4 , a central processing unit (ECU)  29  is connected to radio communication equipment  30 , a vehicle information interface  31 , an inertia guidance system (INS)  32 , a vibration generator driver  33 , a display unit  34 , and an audio information provision device  35 . An output of the vibration generator driver  33  is connected to the vibration generator  17 . The INS  32  is connected to a GPS receiver  36  and an optical beacon communication system  37 . The audio information provision device  35  provides audio information by an audio receiver  38  and speakers  39  provided in a helmet worn by the rider using radio communication means such as Bluetooth. For instance, it is preferable that the display unit  34  be constituted by the HUD projecting an image onto the wind screen  11 . 
     The radio communication equipment  30  can establish a communication link with another vehicle by the spread spectrum (SS) communication method and the time-division multiplex method. The radio communication equipment  30  has a distance measurement function executing communication with another vehicle via an SS communication antenna  30 A to measure a relative distance between a vehicle and another vehicle communicated therewith. The vehicle information interface  31  collects vehicle information such as the vehicle speed, the acceleration and deceleration, and the running distance of the motorcycle  1  in a predetermined cycle to supply the information to the ECU  29  and the INS  32 . DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication) which is widely spreading in an ETC may be applied to the radio communication equipment  30 . 
     The GPS receiver  36  may be a D-GPS measuring a position based on plural GPS electric waves. The INS  32  calculates a direction and a traveling distance by a direction detected by a gyro and an acceleration detected by an accelerometer. The calculated results are corrected by position information obtained by the GPS electric waves and the optical beacon communication system  37 . The ECU  29  transmits UpLink information via the optical beacon communication system  37 . 
       FIG. 5  is a block diagram showing the essential functions of the ECU  29 . The ECU  29  has an intersection detection unit  291  detecting that the user vehicle is approaching an intersection, based on position information of the intersection received via another vehicle V 1  or the optical beacon by the radio communication equipment  30  and the position of the user vehicle (motorcycle)  1  based on information inputted from the INS  32 . Here, the another vehicle V 1  is assumed to be a vehicle having a navigation function and a function transmitting the coordinates of the intersection, the running position vector, and the current position present within a predetermined range to all vehicles in which the communication link with the vehicle V 1  is established. Such vehicle is disclosed in JP Patent Publication No. 3773040. 
     The intersection detection unit  291  precisely specifies the current position of the user vehicle based on the position measured results of the INS  32 , the current position of the vehicle V 1 , and the relative distance between the user vehicle and the vehicle V 1  to determine the running position vector of the user vehicle. The intersection the user vehicle is approaching is identified based on the running position vector of the user vehicle and the coordinates of the intersection. A warning instruction unit  292  receives intersection identification information from the intersection detection unit  291  and then inputs, to the vibration generator driver  33 , an instruction warning that the user vehicle is approaching the intersection. The vibration generator driver  33  intermittently supplies an electric current from a battery, not shown, by a predetermined duty to the vibration generator  17  according to the instruction. The vibration generator  17  operates the movable members  21  by intermittent supply of the electric current to generate vibration. 
     The duty of electric current supply to the vibration generator  17  is controlled to vary the vibration frequency according to information to be transmitted. An alternate current at a constant frequency may be simply supplied to generate vibration at a constant frequency. 
     In general, the vehicle body vibration of the motorcycle is determined by engine vibration. The vibration frequency is often hundreds of hertz to several kilohertz. The vibration frequency of the vibration generator  17  is set in a range from several to tens of hertz (preferably, 10 to 50 hertz). The vehicle body vibration can be easily discriminated from the vibration of the vibration generator  17 . The information to be transmitted to the rider can be transmitted precisely with good timing. 
     The vibration generator  17  is energized so that the magnetic substances  21 A of the movable members  21  are moved toward the solenoids  23 . The amount of movement, that is, the vibrational amplitude of the movable members  21  can be determined based on the extent to which the displacement of the magnetic substances  21 A and the solenoids  23  is set when the movable members  21  are in the lowermost position. 
     The vibration generator  17  vibrates the rider seat  15  in the vertical direction. The rider can sense the vibration on his/her hips during running to easily receive warning information. The warning information may only be directly transmitted as a feeling in the body, obtained by directly stimulating the body (hips) of the rider by vibration of the vibration generator  17 . A visual or audible method via the display unit  34  or the audio information provision device  35  may be used together. 
     One vibration generator  17  is provided in the rider seat  15  to vibrate the entire rider seat  15 , which is not limited. For instance, the rider seat  15  may be divided into right and left regions to arrange one vibration generator  17  in each of the regions. It is thus possible to previously set a vibration transmission mode of whether one or both of the two vibration generators  17  are to be driven according to the type of information to be transmitted or the emergency degree. The type of information or the emergency degree can be transmitted to the rider more easily. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the vibration generator  17  is provided with a row of the flexible members  28 . Without being limited to this, plural rows of the flexible members  28  may be arrayed in a planar wide range. For instance, an application in which information to be transmitted is discriminated depending on which region of the movable members  21  is driven is considered. Generally, hips are not sensitive to the extent of properly identifying which of the flexible members  28  is moved up and down in a narrow region. When the flexible members  28  are distributed in a wide range, even an equal number of the flexible members  28  can eliminate variation in sensitivity due to the difference in physique between individual riders and information can be transmitted precisely. 
     In the above embodiment, the warning information from communication of the vehicles that the user vehicle is approaching the intersection is transmitted to the rider by the vibration generator  17 . The vibration generator  17  is not limited to this and can be used for transmitting various kinds of outside information or vehicle information to the occupant. For instance, in place of transmission of the operation of the direction indicator of the vehicle described in Patent Document 2, more effective information transmission can be performed. In this case, the vibration generators  17  provided on the right and left sides of the rider seat  15  can be selectively driven corresponding to the operating one of the right and left direction indicators. 
     When the amount of residual fuel is smaller than a predetermined value to give a warning or a vehicle speed is higher than a predetermined value to give an over-speed warning, the vibration generator  17  may be driven. 
     A second embodiment of the present invention will be described.  FIG. 6  is a side view of a large motorcycle into which the vibration generator is incorporated. In  FIG. 6 , a large motorcycle  40  has entirely the same constitution as the scooter type motorcycle  1  of  FIG. 2  and the same or equivalent portions are indicated by similar reference numerals. The rider seat  15  is arranged in the center portion of the vehicle body. The pillion  16  is arranged rearward of the rider seat  15 . A fuel tank  41  is provided forward of the rider seat  15 . The large motorcycle  40  has an audio unit in addition to the motorcycle  1 . An audio unit body (audio unit)  42  is provided forward of the fuel tank  41 . Speakers  43  of the audio unit are arranged on the right and left sides of a meter unit having a speedometer and a rotating meter. Rear speakers  44  connected to the audio unit are arranged on the right and left sides of the back  16 A of the pillion  16 . 
     The vibration generator  17  is incorporated into the rider seat  15 . Vibration generators  17 A are provided in the right and left side wall portions of the fuel tank  41 . When the rider takes the rider seat  15  to take a driving posture in the knee-gripping state sandwiching the fuel tank between the inner sides of both legs, the vibration generators  17 A are positioned such that vibration generated by the vibration generators  17 A is transmitted to the rider. A vibration generator  17 B is arranged just under the seating face of the pillion  16 . The vibration generators  17 A and  17 B may be of the same constitution as the vibration generator  17  and can also be modified. 
       FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view according to a modification example of the vibration generator  17 A (ditto for  17  and  17 B). The same reference numerals as  FIG. 3  denote similar or equivalent portions. In  FIG. 7 , plural movable portions  46  coupled to and integrally formed on a vibration generator surface member  45 . The movable portions  46  have magnetic substances  46 A similar to the magnetic substances  21 A of the movable members  21 . The vibration generator surface member  45  is a portion opposite the legs of the rider in the case of the vibration generator  17 A and may be formed by an elastic body material such as rubber. The vibration generator surface member  45  is surrounded by a housing side wall  47  and both are connected by a flexible member  48 . The flexible member  48  is desirably a member of an entirely annular shape (a rectangular annular shape when the housing side wall is rectangular) having a semicircular sectional shape as shown and may be small pieces which can be distributed and arranged in plural positions. 
     In the constitution of  FIG. 7 , when the solenoids  23  are energized, the magnetic substances  46 A of the movable portions  46  are attracted by the solenoids  23  so as to be displaced in the direction moving away from the fuel tank  41 . The vibration generator surface member  45  coupled to the movable portions  46  deforms the flexible members  48  so as to be displaced in the same direction. When energization to the solenoids  23  is stopped, the restoring force of the deformed flexible members  48  displaces the vibration generator surface member  45  to the fuel tank  41  side so as to be returned to the lower position. Energization and stop of energization to the solenoids  23 , that is, cyclic energization vibrates the vibration generator surface member  45 . This vibration is transmitted to the legs of the knee-gripping rider as a feeling in the body and information is transmitted to the rider using the vibration as a medium. 
     Information transmitted by vibration of the vibration generators  17 A and  17 B may be the same as the above-described outside information or vehicle information for the vibration generator  17  or may be other information. 
     In the large motorcycle  40  having the audio unit, the vibration generator  17 B provided in the pillion  16  may be used as an audio reproducer of the audio unit for reproducing deep bass sound. It has been difficult to secure a space for installing speakers (woofers) suitable for reproducing sound in the deep bass sound range by the audio unit in the motorcycle. The vibration generator  17 B is therefore replaced with the speakers for the deep bass sound range to eliminate the difficulty in securing the space. The vibration frequency of the vibration generator  17 B is 50 hertz or below, which is the range of the lower limit of the audible frequency of a human. Vibration at this frequency can be directly transmitted to the body of the occupant. 
     The vibration generator  17 B can reproduce deep bass sound of the audio unit as well as the outside information or vehicle information. Even without improving the deep bass sound reproduction function of the speakers for audio reproduction or increasing the entire volume, rich deep bass sound can be felt in the body. The marketability of the large motorcycle can be enhanced. Vibration sound of the vibration generator  17  is hardly heard by a human outside the vehicle. The occupant can enjoy reproduced sound of the audio unit without worrying about sound leak to outside. 
     The above embodiments show examples of the present invention and the present invention is not limited to this. For instance, the installed position of the vibration generator can be arbitrarily selected as long as it is a place in which the occupant can feel vibration to the body, not audibly or visually. For instance, the vibration generator may be provided in a waist support  15 A of the rider seat  15  or the back portion  16 A of the pillion  16  (or a waist support  16 B of  FIG. 2 ). 
     The constitution of the vibration generator is not limited to that shown in  FIGS. 3 and 7  and various constitutions generating vibration by an electromagnetic method is applicable. The quality of material of the surface member of the vibration generator  17 , that is, the member opposite the hips or the inner sides of legs can be a flexible material. Its shape can be a smoothly rounded outer shape. 
     The vibration generator generates vibration in opposite phase of vibration of a vehicle body frame by vibration from an internal combustion engine and may be used as a device reducing vibration to the occupant. Vibration can be made smaller during normal running so that vibration at giving a warning can be easily felt. 
     In the example of JP Patent Publication No. 3211125, vibration is given to the grip. Vibration felt can be changed by the operation state during driving. In the present invention having the vibration generator in the seat, the rider is often contacted with it in the same state all the time. Information can be transmitted more easily. 
     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.