IP Library Granted Patent US 8,939,620
Granted Patent B2
US 8,939,620 · App. 13/686,672 · Granted Jan 27, 2015

Saddle-riding type automotive vehicle

Inventors: Kaoru Kouchi (Kakogawa, JP); Yuu Shibuta (Kobe, JP)
Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
B62J6/02B62K2202/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,939,620
App. No.
13/686,672
Granted
Jan 27, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

A headlamp device ( 18 ) having left and right pairs of lamp units ( 20 ) is disposed inwardly of a front fairing ( 14 ) to enclose a front portion of an automotive vehicle. Each of the lamp units ( 20 ) is a direct lighting type and includes two light emitting portions ( 34, 35 ), on which circuit boards ( 30, 31 ) having LED chips ( 32, 33 ) mounted thereon, and two lens portions ( 36, 37 ) for projecting light, emerging from the light emitting portions ( 34, 35 ), in a direction outwardly of the vehicle widthwise direction. The front fairing ( 14 ) is so formed as to bulge gradually laterally and upwardly of the vehicle widthwise direction from a tip portion ( 14 a ) in a rearward direction, and the headlight device ( 18 ) is disposed proximate to a lower end of the front fairing ( 14 ).

Claims (52)

1. A saddle-riding type automotive vehicle, which comprises:

a front fairing for enclosing a front portion of a vehicle body structure;

a headlamp device disposed within the front fairing and comprising one or more lamp units;

the lamp unit being a direct lighting type and comprising one or more light emitting portions having an LED chip mounted on a circuit board, and one or more lens portions for projecting light, emitted from the light emitting portion, in a direction forwardly of the device, the lens portion receiving the light directly from the light emitting portion;

the front fairing being formed to represent a streamlined shape and bulged gradually outwardly of a vehicle widthwise direction and upwardly from a tip portion thereof to the rearward; and

the headlamp device being disposed proximate to a lower end of the front fairing, in which one pair of the lamp units are disposed on respective left and right sides of the front fairing,

wherein each of the lamp units includes a plurality of light emitting portions juxtaposed in a direction widthwise of the vehicle body structure, and the lens portion of the lamp units on the inner side of the vehicle widthwise direction is formed to an elliptical or oval shape having its longitudinal direction oriented in the vehicle widthwise direction.

2. The saddle-riding type automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , in which the headlamp device is disposed having been spaced downwardly relative to an upper bracket for supporting a front fork assembly.

3. The saddle-riding type automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , in which each of the lamp units has a plurality of lens portions and the plurality of the lens portions of those lamp units on the both sides are, when viewed from front, disposed on a V-shaped line.

4. The saddle-riding type automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , in which a lens has an outer peripheral surface receded inwardly of the front fairing structure beyond an outer surface of the front fairing.

5. The saddle-riding type automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , in which a lens has an outer surface gradually inclined in a direction inwardly of the vehicle body structure towards a lower portion of the lens.

6. The saddle-riding type automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , in which each of the lamp units includes two lamps offset in a direction widthwise of the vehicle body structure and the lens portion on an outer side of the vehicle widthwise direction is positioned rearwardly of the lens portion on an inner side of the vehicle widthwise direction.

7. The saddle-riding type automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , in which the lens portion of the lamp units on the outer side of the vehicle widthwise direction is positioned above the lens portion on the inner side of the vehicle widthwise direction.

8. The saddle-riding type automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , in which a front end portion of a gauge unit is disposed rearwardly of a rear end portion of the headlamp device.

9. The saddle-riding type automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

a front suspension for connecting a vehicle front wheel and the vehicle body structure; and

a front fender for enclosing a region above the vehicle front wheel,

in which the headlamp device is disposed above the front fender and the front fender is movable relative to the headlamp device in dependence on a road surface condition;

in which the headlamp device includes a lamp casing on which the lamp unit is mounted; and

in which an electric power line for supplying an electric power to the circuit board extends from a region, excluding a lower end portion in the circuit board, to the outside of the light emitting portion.

10. The saddle-riding type automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 9 , in which the electric power line has a tip portion provided with a removable connector to a mounting portion of the circuit board, and

in which the mounting portion is provided in an upper portion or a side portion of the circuit board.

11. The saddle-riding type automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 9 , in which the lens portion includes a light distributing portion for distributing light from the light emitting portion and a fixing portion formed in an outer peripheral portion of the light distributing portion and fixed to the lamp casing;

in which the fixing portion is formed in a region of the outer peripheral portion of the light distributing portion excluding a region on an outer side portion in a vehicle widthwise direction.

12. The saddle-riding type automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 11 , in which the light distributing portion is of an elliptical or oval shape having its longitudinal direction oriented in the vehicle widthwise direction; and

in which the fixing portion is formed above and/or below the light distributing portion.

13. The saddle-riding type automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 11 , in which the electric power line has its tip portion provided with a removable connector to a mounting portion of the circuit board and extends from a portion in the circuit board corresponding to an upper and widthwise intermediate portion towards the outside of the lens portion; and

in which one of the fixing portions is formed above and on one side of the vehicle widthwise direction of the light distributing portion and the other of the fixing portions is formed below and on the other side of the vehicle widthwise direction of the vehicle widthwise direction.

14. The saddle-riding type automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 13 , in which left and right pairs or more of the lamp units are disposed inwardly of the front fairing; and

in which the one side is an outside of the vehicle widthwise direction and the other side is an inner side of the vehicle widthwise direction.

15. A saddle-riding type automotive vehicle, which comprises:

a front fairing for enclosing a front portion of a vehicle body structure;

a headlamp device disposed within the front fairing and comprising one or more lamp units;

the lamp unit being a direct lighting type and comprising one or more light emitting portions having an LED chip mounted on a circuit board, and one or more lens portions for projecting light, emitted from the light emitting portion, in a direction forwardly of the device, the lens portion receiving the light directly from the light emitting portion;

the front fairing being formed to represent a streamlined shape and bulged gradually outwardly of a vehicle widthwise direction and upwardly from a tip portion thereof to the rearward; and

the headlamp device being disposed proximate to a lower end of the front fairing, wherein

each of the lamp units has a plurality of lens portions; and

wherein the lens portion of the lamp unit on the inner side of the vehicle widthwise direction or the lens portion of the lamp unit on a front side of the vehicle is formed in an elliptical or oval shape having its longitudinal direction oriented in the vehicle widthwise direction.

16. A saddle-riding type automotive vehicle, which comprises:

a front fairing for enclosing a front portion of a vehicle body structure;

a headlamp device disposed within the front fairing and comprising one or more lamp units;

the lamp unit being a direct lighting type and comprising one or more light emitting portions having an LED chip mounted on a circuit board, and one or more lens portions for projecting light, emitted from the light emitting portion, in a direction forwardly of the device, the lens portion receiving the light directly from the light emitting portion;

the front fairing being formed to represent a streamlined shape and bulged gradually outwardly of a vehicle widthwise direction and upwardly from a tip portion thereof to the rearward;

the headlamp device being disposed proximate to a lower end of the front fairing, wherein the headlamp device is disposed on a lower side of an inner space defined in the front fairing; and

a voltage converting unit, configured to supply an electric power to the head lamp device, is disposed on an upper side of the inner space.

17. A saddle-riding type automotive vehicle, which comprises:

a front fairing for enclosing a front portion of a vehicle body structure;

a headlamp device disposed within the front fairing and comprising one or more lamp units;

the lamp unit being a direct lighting type and comprising one or more light emitting portions having an LED chip mounted on a circuit board, and one or more lens portions for projecting light, emitted from the light emitting portion, in a direction forwardly of the device, the lens portion receiving the light directly from the light emitting portion;

the front fairing being formed to represent a streamlined shape and bulged gradually outwardly of a vehicle widthwise direction and upwardly from a tip portion thereof to the rearward; and

the headlamp device being disposed proximate to a lower end of the front fairing and the lens portions has a lens region, which is positioned forwardly of the light emitting portion and is exposed outwardly through the front fairing and the lens region has an outer peripheral surface receded inwardly of the front fairing structure beyond an outer surface of the front fairing,

wherein the outer peripheral surface of the lens regions is gradually inclined in a direction inwardly of the vehicle body structure towards a lower portion of the lens region from the upper end to the lower end of the lens region.

Assignments (5)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE APPLICATION NUMBER 2948485061 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 061467 FRAME: 0001. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Oct 21, 2022
From: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
To: KAWASAKI MOTORS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 061741/0727 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE APPLICATION NOS. 29385357, 29385986, 29421245, 29484849 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 060313 FRAME 0629. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Aug 5, 2022
From: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
To: KAWASAKI MOTORS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 061467/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 8, 2022
From: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
To: KAWASAKI MOTORS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 060313/0629 →
ASSIGNOR ASSIGNS 50% OF INTEREST Recorded Mar 4, 2015
From: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
To: STANLEY ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 035124/0663 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 27, 2013
From: KOUCHI, KAORU; SHIBUTA, YUU
To: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 029890/0381 →
Priority Claims (2)
JP 2011-279359 · Dec 21, 2011 · national
JP 2011-279360 · Dec 21, 2011 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20130163263A1 · Jun 27, 2013