JPH04283128A - Small vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow a gas fuel container of sufficient capacity to be mounted within the breadth of a small vehicle. CONSTITUTION:An engine 21 where gas fuel is employed is mounted on a small vehicle 1, and a plurality of cylindrical gas fuel containers 25 for the engine are mounted in parallel arrangement in the direction of the vehicle breadth by keeping the axial lines of the containers in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a small vehicle equipped with an engine that uses a gas such as natural gas or methane as fuel, and more particularly to the arrangement of a gaseous fuel container in such a vehicle.

0002

[Prior Art] Vehicles that use liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as fuel are already known (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-5784
(Refer to No. 9), in such gas-fueled vehicles, the gaseous fuel that serves as the fuel is filled in a cylindrical container (cylinder), and this cylinder is generally mounted in the trunk of the vehicle facing the width of the vehicle body. Met. Note that natural gas does not liquefy at room temperature, so in order to obtain sufficient storage capacity, compressed natural gas (C
NG) is being considered to be installed in automobiles.

However, in order to mount the cylinder in an elongated manner in the width direction of the vehicle as described above, the vehicle must be wide, so it is difficult to install the cylinder in small vehicles such as motorcycles, tricycles, and light vehicles. It was considered inconvenient to install it due to cosmetic limitations.

0004

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is intended to enable the use of gaseous fuel by allowing a small vehicle to be equipped with a gaseous fuel container of sufficient capacity.

[0005]

[Means and Effects for Solving the Problems] Therefore, the small vehicle of the present invention has an engine that uses gaseous fuel as fuel, and has an elongated cylindrical gaseous fuel container for the engine, with its axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. It is characterized by having a plurality of them oriented toward the direction of the vehicle and distributed within the width of the vehicle body.

According to the invention, the elongated gaseous fuel container comprises:
Since a plurality of fuel containers are distributed and arranged within the width of the vehicle with the longitudinal direction being the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, a sufficient capacity of gaseous fuel containers can be mounted within the limited width of the vehicle body of a small vehicle. For example, the gaseous fuel container can be installed in the space below the floor of a scooter-type motorcycle, the space below the seat and cargo bed of a saddle-type motorcycle, and the space below the seat of a light vehicle. can be used. It is also possible to utilize the weight of this container and place it as a weight balance weight for the vehicle body.

[0007]

[Embodiment] Figures 1 to 5 show an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a scooter type motorcycle 1.

This scooter type motorcycle 1 has a front body 4 which protrudes above the front wheels 2 and is provided with a steering head 3 at the top, and a rear body 7 which is located above the rear wheels 5 and has a seat 6 on the top. A low floor 8 is provided in between. The frame of this vehicle is formed by a vehicle body frame structure 9 as shown in FIG. Reference numeral 10 denotes a head pipe, which is disposed approximately vertically at the center of the front vehicle body 4 in the width direction. A main pipe 11 extends diagonally downward and rearward from the head pipe 10, and its rear portion extends horizontally rearward under the floor 8. Side pipes 12, 12 branch to the left and right from the front lower part of the main pipe 11, extend rearward under the floor 8 at the same height as the rear part of the main pipe 11, then bend upward, and then extend below the seat 6. It extends rearward, and left and right side pipes 12, 12 are integrally connected at the rear end. The left and right side pipes 12, 12 are also connected to each other by a cross member 13 near the upper bend, and the rear end of the main pipe 11 is fixed to this cross member 13. Further, in the rear horizontal portion of the main pipe 11, a frame member 14 having a U-shape in side view is vertically provided with front and rear legs fixed to the main pipe 11.

Brackets 15 are fixedly installed near the upward bends of the left and right side pipes 12 and protrude rearward, and link mechanisms 16 (FIG. 5) are attached to these brackets 15.
The swing unit 17 is connected to the swing unit 17 so as to be able to swing up and down. Further, a rear cushion 19 is provided between a link member 18 pivotally supported on the rear upper portion of the side pipe 12 and the swing unit 17, and the front end of the link member 18 is connected to the cross member 13 via a torque link 20.
is connected to. An engine 21 is integrated into the front end of the swing unit 17, and the rear wheel 5, which is pivotally supported at the rear end, is driven by the engine 21 via a transmission mechanism.

[0010] The engine 21 is a gas engine that uses natural gas as fuel. However, its basic structure is no different from a regular gasoline engine. In FIG. 1, 22 is an air cleaner, 23 is an intake pipe, and natural gas is supplied to the intake pipe 23 via a mixer 24.

Natural gas as a fuel is compressed to a high pressure and stored in a cylinder (gaseous fuel container) 25. Since the cylinder 25 must withstand the high pressure of the gas it contains,
It has a long cylindrical shape with a relatively small diameter. In this embodiment, this elongated cylinder 25 is stored and mounted using the space below the floor 8. That is, cylinders 25 are disposed on both the left and right sides of the frame member 14, with their axes directed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and these two cylinders 25 are mounted within the width of the vehicle body. The two cylinders 25 are
As shown in FIG. 4, it is tightened by a band 26 and fixed to the lower part of the floor 8, and the outside is further attached to the left and right covers 2.
7, covered by 27. The inner end of the cover 27 is hinged to the frame member 14 via a hinge 28, and the outer end is detachably attached to a bracket 29 fixed to the side pipe 12 with a screw 30. By removing the screws 30 and opening the cover 27 downward as shown by the broken line in FIG. 4, maintenance and inspection around the cylinder 25 can be easily performed.

Gas enters and exits the cylinder 25 through an inlet/outlet valve 31 provided at the head, and the cylinder 25 is mounted with the inlet/outlet valve 31 facing toward the engine 21 at the rear. is connected to the mixer 24 through a gas supply pipe 32, and to a gas inlet 34 through a gas injection pipe 33. The gas inlet 34 is provided at the rear of the floor 8 and below the front end of the seat 6, and is normally covered by a lid 35.

FIG. 6 is a system diagram showing a gas supply system from the cylinder 25 to the engine 21 and a gas injection system from the gas injection port 34 to the cylinder 25. During engine operation, the gas in the cylinder 25 is sent to the gas supply pipe 32 via the inlet/outlet valve 31 and the three-way solenoid valve 36, and the gas supply pipe 32 has a first pressure regulating valve 37 and a second pressure regulating valve 38 connected in series. The high-pressure gas from the cylinder 25 is reduced in pressure in two stages by these pressure regulating valves, and then transferred to the mixer 2.
4, mixing with air from the air cleaner 22;
The air is sucked into the engine 21 through the intake pipe 23. The operation of the second pressure regulating valve 38 is controlled by the intake negative pressure transmitted through the negative pressure pipe 39, and when the engine 21 is stopped, the second pressure regulating valve 38 is operated.
Pressure regulating valve 38 shuts off gas flow to mixer 24 .

A gas inlet 34 is also connected to the three-way solenoid valve 36 via a check valve 40. The three-way solenoid valve 36 is operated by a signal from a main switch 41 provided on a panel of the front vehicle body 4. The main switch 41 is “ON”
”, “OFF” and “Gas injection”. When the actuator 42 is set to the “ON” position, the gas supply pipe 32 communicates with the cylinder 25 side, and when the actuator 42 is set to the “OFF” position, the gas supply pipe 32 is connected to the cylinder 25 side. Both the supply pipe 32 and the gas injection pipe 33 are connected to the cylinder 2.
It is blocked from the 5th side. When the actuator 42 is set to the "gas injection" position, the gas injection pipe 33 communicates with the cylinder 25 side.
The lid 35 is opened, the gas inlet 34 is connected to the gas delivery pipe of the gas filling equipment, and the compressed gas from the equipment is transferred to the cylinder 25.
Can be filled with injection. Since the gas pressure in the cylinder 25 is detected by the pressure gauge 43, the amount of gas stored in the cylinder 25 can be determined from this. Since the pressure sensing portion of this pressure gauge 43 is provided within the first pressure regulating valve 37, there is no need to increase the number of connection points for the high pressure piping portion. Further, since it is provided downstream of the three-way solenoid valve 36, the frequency of high pressure applied to the detection portion can be reduced, and the durability of the detection means is improved.

Since the cylinder 25 is a pressure vessel and is relatively heavy, the stability of the vehicle can be improved by mounting such a cylinder 25 at a low position below the floor 8 and symmetrically with respect to the center line of the vehicle body. increases further.

FIGS. 7 to 9 show another embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a saddle-ride type motorcycle 44, and the same parts as in the previous embodiment are given the same reference numerals. In this saddle type motorcycle 44, the engine 21 is mounted between the front wheels 2 and the rear wheels 5, and the seat 6 is mounted above the rear wheels 5.
A loading platform 45 is provided. Both lower sides of the seat 6 and the cargo platform 45 are covered with a vehicle body cover 46.

In this embodiment, two cylinders 25 are mounted in the longitudinal direction from the lower part of the loading platform 45 to the lower part of the seat 6, and symmetrically on the left and right sides with respect to the center plane of the vehicle. Each cylinder 25 is fastened and fixed to the vehicle body frame 48 by a band 47, and a cushioning material 49 such as rubber is inserted between the cylinder 25 and the vehicle body frame 48. An opening 50 is provided in a portion of the vehicle body cover 46 along the cylinder 25, and the opening 50 is covered by a cover 51 so as to be openable and closable. The cover 51 is hinged to the vehicle body cover 46 by a hinge 52 at its lower side, and is removably fixed to the vehicle body cover 46 by a keyed knob 53 at its upper side. By opening the cover 51, the area around the cylinder 25 can be inspected freely.

The cylinder 25 is mounted with the inlet/outlet valve 31 facing forward, and a gas supply system similar to that described above is provided between the inlet/outlet valve 31 and the engine 21. The gas injection port 34 is provided below the sheet 6 and is normally covered by the sheet 6, but when gas is injected, the sheet 6 is opened rearward and upward from its rear end to expose the gas injection port 34.

Since the cylinders 25 are arranged symmetrically on the left and right sides, they provide good stability to the vehicle body, and are provided at the bottom of the loading platform 45 and the seat 6 without protruding from the width of the vehicle body. Since it is covered by the cover 51, it gives the vehicle body a good appearance.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show a pair of left and right front wheels 5.
4 and a pair of left and right rear wheels 55, the present invention is applied to a light vehicle 56. This light vehicle 56 has an engine room 59 defined at the rear of a passenger compartment 58 including a seat 57, and the engine 21 is mounted in the engine room 59. The cylinder 25 is placed under the seat 57 facing the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and the inlet/outlet valve 31 is placed in the engine compartment 59.
It is set up facing the As shown in FIG. 11, four such cylinders 25 are arranged in parallel in the width direction of the vehicle body, symmetrically with respect to the center line of the vehicle body. The configurations of the gas supply system from the cylinder 25 to the engine 21 and the gas injection system from the gas injection port 34 to the cylinder 25 are substantially the same as those in the previous embodiment, and therefore detailed explanations will be omitted. Although the containers are arranged in parallel, they may be arranged in a staggered manner.

The present invention can also be applied to small vehicles that use gaseous fuels other than natural gas as fuel, and can also be applied to small vehicles that use LPG as fuel if a paperizer is inserted in the gas supply system. Although the fuel container in this embodiment is made of iron, it may also be an aluminum container whose outer periphery is reinforced with resin.

[0022]

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, within the limited vehicle width,
A gaseous fuel container with sufficient capacity can be mounted, and the appearance is improved. Furthermore, it becomes possible to arrange a container as a balance weight within the width of the vehicle body, making it easier to move the vehicle body around.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a scooter type motorcycle to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the scooter type motorcycle.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the body frame of the scooter type motorcycle.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partially detailed view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a system diagram showing a gas supply and injection system.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a saddle-ride type motorcycle showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a rear view of the saddle riding type motorcycle.

9 is a sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 7. FIG.

FIG. 10 is a side view of a light vehicle showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

11 is a sectional view taken along the line XI-XI in FIG. 10. FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Scooter type motorcycle, 2... Front wheel, 3... Steering head, 4... Front body, 5... Rear wheel, 6... Seat, 7...
Rear body, 8... Floor, 9... Body frame structure, 10
...Head pipe, 11...Main pipe, 12...Side pipe, 13...Cross member, 14...Frame member, 15...Bracket, 16...Link mechanism, 17...Swing unit, 18...Link member, 19...Rear cushion, 20... Torque link, 21...engine, 22...air cleaner, 2
3...Intake pipe, 24...Mixer, 25...Cylinder (gaseous fuel container), 26...Band, 27...Cover, 28...Hinge,
29... Bracket, 30... Screw, 31... In/out valve, 32...
Gas supply pipes 32, 33...Gas injection pipe, 34...Gas injection port, 35...Lid, 36...Three-way solenoid valve, 37...First pressure regulation valve, 38...Second pressure regulation valve, 39...Negative pressure pipe, 40... Check valve, 41... Main switch, 42... Operator, 43... Pressure gauge, 44... Saddle type motorcycle, 45... Loading platform, 46... Loading platform, 46... Vehicle body cover, 47... Band, 48... Vehicle body frame, 49 ...Cushion material, 50...Opening, 51...Cover,
52... Hinge, 53... Knob, 54... Front wheel, 55... Rear wheel,
56...light vehicle, 57...seat, 58...vehicle compartment, 59...engine room.

Claims (1)

[Claims] [Claim 1] An engine that uses gaseous fuel as fuel, and a plurality of elongated cylindrical gaseous fuel containers for the engine are mounted with their axes oriented in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and distributed within the width of the vehicle body. A small vehicle characterized by