Machine element or mechanism – Gearing – Interchangeably locked
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-22
2004-02-24
Wright, Dirk (Department: 3681)
Machine element or mechanism
Gearing
Interchangeably locked
C180S908000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06694836
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an all-terrain vehicle with a speed sensing device. Moreover, the present invention relates to an all-terrain vehicle with a gear transmission.
2. Description of the Related Art
Construction of a four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle and a power train for the four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle will be briefly described. The four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle has a body frame, a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels supported on the body frame, an engine mounted on a part of the body frame between the front and the rear wheels, and steps disposed on the right and the left side of the engine, respectively. A handlebar is supported on an upper part of the body frame, and a straddle-type seat is disposed behind the handlebar. A speed meter (speed indicating device) is held on a middle part of the handlebar. Levers including a brake lever are disposed near the grips of the handlebar.
A crankcase of the engine extends rearward, and a transmission case is joined to the rear end of the crankcase. A gear transmission is built in the transmission case. A variable-speed V-belt drive is disposed on the right side of the crankcase. The output power of the engine is transmitted through the variable-speed V-belt drive to the gear transmission.
A drive shaft is extended in the back-and-forth direction under the transmission case. The drive shaft has a front end connected to a front propeller shaft, and a rear end connected to a rear propeller shaft. The front propeller shaft has a front end part interlocked with a front reduction gear built in a front reduction gear case. The rear propeller shaft has a rear end part interlocked with a rear reduction gear built in a rear reduction gear case.
In the four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle of this type, a conventional speed sensor is placed in a rear axle supporting part of the rear reduction gear case (axle case) and measures the rotation of a rear axle.
Mechanical speed sensors and electric speed sensors are available as a speed sensor of a vehicle. The mechanical speed sensor has a cable or a rod, a gear attached to the cable or the rod and engaged with a gear attached to a rotating member. The cable or the rod, and the gear attached to the same serve as a speed signal transmitting mechanism. The electric speed sensing device has a rotor connected to a rotating member, converts the rotation of the rotor into a corresponding electric pulse signal, and gives the electric pulse signal through a signal line to the speed indicating device.
Referring to
FIG. 8
showing a related art speed sensing device disclosed in JP-A 183499/1999 for a vehicle, the speed sensing device
500
is attached to a right side wall of a rear reduction gear case
522
included in an all-terrain vehicle. The speed sensing device
500
has a screw gear
501
supported coaxially with a rear axle
522
a
for rotation together with the rear axle
522
a,
a pinion
503
supported for rotation and engaged with the screw gear
501
. The rotation of the pinion
503
is measured and a speed signal corresponding to the rotating speed of the pinion
503
is sent through a harness
510
to a speed meter.
When the speed sensing device
500
is attached to the rear reduction gear case
522
as shown in
FIG. 8
, the speed sensing device
500
is splashed with mud and water while the vehicle is traveling. Since the speed sensing device
500
is distant from the speed meter disposed in a front part of the body frame of the vehicle, and the harness
510
is long, much time and great effort for wiring are required, and the harness
510
must be protected with a cover.
A conventional gear transmission for an all-terrain vehicle includes a chain transmission mechanism as a reversing transmission mechanism interposed between a transmission input shaft and a counter shaft. As shown in
FIG. 9
, a transmission input shaft
402
connected to a driven shaft
401
included in a variable-speed V-belt drive, a counter shaft (intermediate shaft)
403
and a transmission output shaft
404
are extended in parallel to each other and are supported in a transmission case
400
. A forward high-seed gear
405
, a forward low-speed gear
406
and a small reverse sprocket
407
are mounted on the transmission input shaft
402
. Forward intermediate gears
410
and
411
respectively engaged with the forward gears
405
and
406
, an intermediate output gear
413
and a large reverse sprocket
412
are mounted on the counter shaft
403
. A chain
415
is extended between the sprockets
407
and
412
. An output gear
416
engaged with the intermediate output gear
413
, and a bevel gear
422
engaged with a bevel gear
421
mounted on a drive shaft
420
are mounted on the output shaft
404
.
A shift dog clutch has a first shift sleeve
425
and a second shift sleeve
426
mounted on the counter shaft
403
. The first shift sleeve
425
is interposed between the reverse sprocket
412
and the forward high-speed intermediate gear
410
. The second shift sleeve
426
is disposed near the forward low-speed intermediate gear
411
.
A shift rod
430
is provided with a first shift arm
431
A and a second shift arm
431
B respectively engaged with the shift sleeves
425
and
426
.
When setting the gear transmission shown in
FIG. 9
for a forward high speed or a reverse, the first shift sleeve
425
is shifted. On the other hand, when setting the gear transmission for a forward low speed, the second shift sleeve
426
is shifted. Techniques relating to the present invention are disclosed in JP-A 106162/1987.
Another known gear transmission is not provided with any chain transmission mechanism like that mentioned above, and is provided with a transmission input shaft, a counter shaft and a reverse idle shaft disposed between the transmission input shaft and the counter shaft, and drives an output shaft in the reverse direction by a gear for going backward.
However, those conventional gear transmissions for all-terrain vehicles have the following problems.
(1) Although the gear transmission shown in
FIG. 9
including the chain transmission mechanism as a reversing transmission mechanism does not need a reversing idle shaft as an intermediate shaft, the transmission case
400
must be wide because the chain
415
must be a wide one to transmit a large torque, and the chain transmission mechanism requires much assembling work.
(2) In some cases, the chain transmission mechanism needs a tensioner to prevent the generation of rattling noise due to the elongation of the chain
415
.
(3) The gear transmission provided with the reverse idle shaft as an intermediate shaft and not provided with any chain transmission needs an additional shaft and hence the transmission case is large and the gear transmission has complicated construction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an all-terrain vehicle with a speed sensing device capable of being easily protected from mud, water and stones, of being connected to a speed meter by a short harness and of facilitating wiring work.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an all-terrain vehicle with a gear transmission having a transmission case of a comparatively small width and a comparatively short length regardless of being additionally provided with a reverse idle shaft as an intermediate shaft, having simple construction and capable of being assembled by assembling work not requiring much time and great effort.
According to the present invention, an all-terrain vehicle comprises: a variable-speed V-belt drive disposed on one side of a crankcase of an engine; a V-belt drive cover covering the variable-speed V-belt drive; a gear transmission of transmitting a power of the engine in cooperation with the variable-speed V-belt drive; and a speed sensing device including a speed sensor of measuring a rotating speed of a member which transmits the power of the engine to the wheels, the speed sensor being disposed right under the V-belt driv
Kawamoto Yuichi
Takano Kiyohito
Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Wright Dirk
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