Title of Invention

"A COMPOSITE WINDSREEN FOR SCOOTERS"

Abstract

A composite windscreen for scooters to be combined with a scooter frame, including a lower portion (12) and an upper portion (13), partially overlapping each other and at least one of the two portions (12, 13) having a recess (22) in a central area to determine, with the aid of the other one of said two portions (12, 13), an air flow channel whose flow brushes against an internal surface (24) of said upper portion (13) and a part of the external surface (23) of the lower portion (12), characterised in that said upper portion (13) is constrainable at said lower portion (12) by freely removable fastening parts (17), which can be positioned in a series of seats made in one or more supports (15, 16) set between said lower and upper portions (12, 13), said supports (15, 16) each have at least two holes (20', 20), which define said seats, to house said freely removable fastening parts (17) so as to vary the height position of said upper portion (13) with respect to said lower portion (12).

Full Text

The present invention relates to a composite windsreen for scooters. The present invention refers to a composite windscreen : for scooters. It is known that two or three-wheeled vehicle. especially scooters, previously had a windscreen with a certain number of precise aims. In particular, the main aims are to shield and/or protect the cider/ at least partly, from adverse weather conditions (rain, wind, etc.) and from all other objects (debris, stones, mud etc.) inadvertently coming from vehicles travelling in front of the scooter. A further aim is to produce a vehicle that is aerodynamically more efficient in which the windscreen is appropriately combined with the vehicle body. In this way the arisal of air vortices which can adversely affect vehicle speed, fuel consumption and aerodynamic noise is prevented. An additional requirement is that the windscreen must have a hand in rider comfort through the production of suitably directed/conveyed air flows. Hence a cooling effect is possible in summer, and unwanted and harmful air currents are diverted around the body of the rider, etc. Various solutions have been proposed to achieve the aforesaid aims, envisaged by the market/ which are more or less simple and inexpensive. For example, the windscreen has been made of a single transparent piece, which may be both assembled and disassembled or fixed en bloc on the vehicle, i.e. integral with it. Some of the solutions provided also provide front air intakes/vents in one case arranged in the scooter shield or made on the lower part of the windscreen itself and able to appropriately steer the air flow onto or around the rider. In any case, such a windscreen is always rigidly joined, even if in different positions, or to the handlebar, or to the scooter body or frame. In a further example, a single transparent windscreen piece is provided with either manual or mechanical operation or an electric motor; this moveable transparent configuration can be partially or totally hidden in the front scooter shield. However, windscreens made of two distinct, separate pieces are also known which can then be combined manually or by mechanical/electrical movement into a single element. Despite these premises, wind tunnel and/or road tests have shown that the search for "high aerodynamic protection" just by the extension of the single transparent surface (windscreen) is unsatisfactory in achieving good comfort levels. In particular, this solution generates a strong depression in the area in front of the rider and irritating and noisy turbulence behind the rider*s helmet and shoulders. It was also noticed that sizing a large windscreen, which would be necessary, involves a considerable increase in its front area and hence an increase in aerodynamic resistance at the expense of overall performance. In addition, it involves a substantial task from design viewpoint (increased size/weight of the attachments, thicker transparent material and thus heavier) to prevent the deformations caused by the aerodynamic load at high speed. Then not to be forgotten are the functional and homologation implications introduced by a transparent material which extends above the rider's point of vision. The total perception of the road can even become critical with dirty and wet external surfaces, so as to make use of a windscreen wiper necessary. An additional problem to bear in mind, in any large or small windscreen solution adopted, is to avoid its connection to the handlebar. This stratagem has the purpose of reducing the mass which moves along with the steering, thus benefiting vehicle manoeuvrability and handling boţii when stationary and in motion. In fact, in this case, especially in transient states, vibration is present, induced on the steering. Connection with the vehicle body is therefore preferable, which eliminates such drawbacks and gives the designer greater freedom of expression for its positioning. Therefore a main aim of the present invention is to satisfy all the aforesaid requirements by solving the respective drawbacks with a simple and inexpensive windscreen. An additional aim of the present invention is to produce a windscreen with optimum air circulation which can also be quickly adjusted to the height of the user. These and other aims, according to the present invention, are reached by producing a composite windscreen arrangement for scooters as shown in claim l. The additional claims define the supplementary characteristics of the present invention. For such a purpose, it has been found (also confirmed later on in road and wind tunnel tests) that the provision of a bigger windscreen can be overcome by a composite windscreen with an air intake or front vent. This leads to the channelling of part of the air flow which runs over the vehicle in motion and imposes a preferenţial direction on the resultant final flow, due also to its precise sizing and correct positioning on and of the windscreen. This solution allows the height reached by the windscreen itself to be limited, the aerodynamic protection being equal and with no negative consequences for aerodynamic penetration. The characteristics and advantages of a composite windscreen arrangement for scooters, according to the present invention, will be made clearer and more evident from the following illustrative, non-limiting description referring to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which: - figure l is a front and tilted perspective view of a composite windscreen arrangement for scooters according to the present invention; - figure 2 is a rear and tilted perspective view from a different angle of the windscreen arrangement shown in figure 1; - figure 3 is an enlarged section of a fastening part at. the central support of the windscreen arrangement of figure l according to line III-III, figure 4 is an enlarged section of a part according to line IV-IV of figure l, figure 5 is an enlarged section of a part according to line V-V of figure l, figure 6 is an enlarged section of a fastening part according to line VI-VI of figure l at a side support of the windscreen arrangement of figure 1. With reference to the figures, a composite windscreen arrangement for scooters is shown to be combined with a scooter frame which basically consists of a windscreen 11 including a lower portion 12 and an upper portion 13, partially overlapping in a central area and able to identify air flows which are turned according to specific directions. The lower portion 12, adapted to be constrained at the frame (not shown) , is the most internai portion and acts as a lower windscreen. For example, the lower portion 12 is made of dulled and non-transparent injection moulded thermoplastic material. It wraps around the front frame part forming a sort of additional protective shield. This lower portion 12 is joined by a gasket (not shown) situated near the upper externai profile of the vehicle shield and thus is integral and/or combined with the vehicle body itself through suitable attachments 14, e.g. holes or slots distributed along its perimeter, and by side supports 15 in turn joined to the frame by fastening parts 14' . The second upper portion 13 or more externai portion identifies an upper windscreen which, as said, is joined to the lower windscreen 12. For example, this second portion 13 which can be made of transparent polycarbonate, glass etc. is rigidly joined to the first portion 12 by a series of supports placed between the two portions. In particular, as shown in the example, there can be two distinct applicable side supports 15 and a central support 16, made en bloc with the lower windscreen 12. Each of the supports 15 and 16 are also height adjustable, into various positions, of the upper portion 13; at least three different positions are possible in the example, between the upper and the lower portion 13 and 12, respectively, with the aid of special freely removable fastening parts 17, such as bolts, screws or similar. In particular, such fastening parts can consist of washers or pierced plastic supports 43, complete with internai screws 44 and externai rubber parts 25. In fact, in the example the upper surfaces 18 and 19 of supports 15 and 16 nave three holes or seats 20' and 20 for each support 15, 16, within which the threaded ends of fastening parts 17 can be housed, once the upper 13 and lower 12 portions have been positioned in the mutually overlapping position desired, with the interposition of gaskets 32 and 33. In the illustrative solution shown, the fastening parts are set in the respective holes 20' and 20, chosen from those present, once they have entered the three single holes 40, and fixed in position, made in the upper portion 13. More precisely, by consulting the drawings, it can be seen that the mentioned side supports 15 are made up of added shaped parts placed along an internai surface 21 of the lower portion 12. It is also noted how such side supports 15 extend in their upper parts well past the limit of the lower portion 12 thus forming a supporting surface for the upper portion 13, once the gasket 32 has been placed in between them. The side supports 15 are also fixed to the frame by the fastening parts 14'. The central support 16 is instead made en bloc from the lower portion 12 and is housed in a central recess 22 made in an externai surface 23 of the lower portion 12. The recess 22 starts lower down at a contained size and tends to widen, out and diverge towards the upper part of said lower portion 12. The second portion 13 partially overlaps such a recess 22 so as to form an > entry aperture for a channel. In fact, a channel diverging upwards is made which is open at its other end on a rear internai surface 24 of the upper portion 13. The central support 16 is made within such a recess 22 and extends upwards emerging from it until matching the i internai surface 24 of the upper portion 13 of the windscreen 11 with the interposition of the gasket 33. The channel thus formed has two flow branches for the air flowing into it. The figure 4 section made at the central recess 22 and central support 16 shows how the facing lower 12 and upper 13 windscreen portions match one another to form a certain seal and an air flow which is, for the most part, within the same recess 22. In addition, figures 3 and 4 show how the fastening part 17 is set in a hole 20 of the central support 16, with the aid of the gasket 33 between the upper portion 13 and the central support 16 and with the interposition of the rubber part 25 between fastening part 17 and upper portion 13. The fastening part 17 is locked, for example, by a threaded nut 26 housed behind it within a central counter support 34, which is covered by a cap 27 after assembly to protect and conceal such coupling. The counter support 34 naturally provides three seats 36 for as many threaded nuts 26 in line with three holes 20. It nas been seen that this central support 16, being made en bloc, does not require any fastening raeans for its assembly. On the contrary, the two side supports 15 must be constrained to the lower portion 12 of the windscreen 11, as shown in figure 5. In fact, the side supports 15, besides providing the holes 20' in their upper part to house the internally threaded inserts 37 and co-moulded with the support 15, provide additional connections with the lower part 12. In fact, for such a purpose, ribbed projecting areas 38 which are integer with said lower portion 12 and which form a continuation of the externai surface 18 of the supports 15, are provided with a through hole 39 for each rib 38 and each support 15. Located in this bole 39 is a fixing screw 41 that locks the support 15 to the lower portion 12 of the windscreen, being fitted with an internai threaded insert 42 which is also co-moulded with the side support 15. The gasket 32 is positioned on the rib 38 of the support avoiding contact with the upper portion 13. It is thus observed how these two portions 12 and 13 are positioned is such a way that the main air flow caused by movement of the vehicle, indicated with an arrow 35, is separated into two main flows. In fact, an internai flow and an externai flow are envisaged, which recombine at the final perimetric end of the upper portion 13 of the windscreen, as indicated by a second arrow 35, give rise to a single flow, directed according to a particular direction, so as to satisfy all the prefixed aims as previously described. The channel shown in the practicai example illustrated in the figures is able to create a first air flow, shown by the dotted line arrow 29, which is almost parallel with the internai surface 24 of the windscreen, especially of its upper portion 13. This first air flow, upon reaching the top of the upper portion, for example transparent, combines with a second externai air flow shown by an unbroken arrow 30, changing its direction upwards. The second flow runs over the iniţial part of the externai surface 23 of the lower portion 12 and then on an externai surface 31 of the upper portion 13 of the windscreen according to the present invention thus formed. To achieve this result two surfaces have been implemented close to each other and parallel downstream the vent, overlapping for a certain length and at a set distance, so as to channel the flow entering the aperture. It is clear that the groove 22 could be made on the upper portion 13, and the lower portion could be smooth, without however leading away from the protective scope of the present invention. Once the windscreen, according to the present invention, is assembled on the scooter, the lower windscreen portion 12 cannot be removed from the body and/or frame of the vehicle. On the contrary, the upper windscreen portion 13 can assume at least three different rigid height positions to adapt itself to different rider configurations and various weather conditions. Figure l shows how the upper portion 13 is assembled in the lowest position, i.e. in the first of holes 20 and 20' starting from the bottom; naturally if the rider is tall, he/she will be able to move the fastening parts 17 and position the upper portion in another hole 20 and 20' so as to raise the upper portion 13 in relation to the lower portion 12. This type of arrangement or solution obtains a noteworthy result which can be summarised as follows. Firstly, a virtual increase in windscreen length with greater aerodynamic penetration as a consequence, reduced fuel consumption and lower aerodynamic noise. The windscreen of the invention also provides protection from weather conditions, and noticeably better comfort for the user. In fact, there is a lower depression in the area of the rider, a reduction in the masses in motion along with the steering giving benefits in vehicle manoeuvrability and handling, both when stationary and in motion, as well as lower vibration induced on the steering. The cited adaptability of the windscreen height i allows rider configuration and height adjustments to be made. Not least advantage is that concerning appearance, i.e. increased freedom of expression for the designer on the various scooter parts. For example, integration with ) the instrument panel is obtained. To noticeable as partly anticipated, is a particular composite structure of two distinct induced air flows, produced by the arrangement of the parts shown which, after having covered and brushed the internai and externai windscreen surfaces, are brought together again upon exit. We claim: 1. A composite windscreen (11) for scooters to be combined with a scooter frame, including a lower portion (12) and an upper portion (13), partially overlapping each other and at least one of the two portions (12, 13) having a recess (22) in a central area to determine, with the aid of the other one of said two portions (12, 13), an air flow channel whose flow brushes against an internal surface (24) of said upper portion (13) and a part of the external surface (23) of the lower portion (12), characterised in that said upper portion (13) is constrainable at said lower portion (12) by freely removable fastening parts (17), which can be positioned in a series of seats made in one or more supports (15, 16) set between said lower and upper portions (12, 13), said supports (15, 16) each have at least two holes (20', 20), which define said seats, to house said freely removable fastening parts (17) so as to vary the height position of said upper portion (13) with respect to said lower portion (12). 2. A windscreen as claimed in claim 1, wherein said recess (22) is made in a central portion of said lower portion (12) facing said upper portion (13). 3. A windscreen as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said lower portion (12) and upper portion (13) partially overlapping each other so as to determine an air entry aperture in front of said windscreen and an air exit aperture behind it. 4. A windscreen as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lower portion (12) provides attachments (14) to said scooter frame. 5. A windscreen as claimed in claim 1, wherein said supports (15, 16) comprise two side supports (15) and a central support (16), the latter accommodated in said recess (22), mutually constraining the parts. 6. A windscreen as claimed in claim 5, wherein is provided with single holes (40) through which said freely removable fastening parts (17) can be set. 7. A windscreen as claimed in claim 5, wherein said lower portion (12) has ribbed projecting areas (38) at a positioning area of said side supports (15). 8. A windscreen as claimed in claim 7, wherein in said projecting areas (38) there is provided a through hole (39) for each rib (38) to house a constraining element (41) of said side supports (15). 9. A windscreen as claimed in claim 5, wherein said side supports (15) have attachments (145) to said scooter frame. 10. A windscreen as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fastening parts (17) include washers or pierced plastic supports (43), in which internal screws (44) are inserted, placed in position with the interposition of rubbed parts (25). 11. A windscreen as claimed in clam 1, wherein said lower portion (12) is made of dulled and non-transparent injection moulded thermoplastic material. 12. A windscreen as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lower portion (12) is made of dulled and non-transparent material, such as transparent polycarbonate, glass and similar.

Documents:

106-DEL-2002-Abstract-(30-06-2008).pdf

106-DEL-2002-Abstract-31-03-2008.pdf

106-del-2002-abstract.pdf

106-DEL-2002-Claims-(18-06-2008).pdf

106-DEL-2002-Claims-(30-06-2008).pdf

106-DEL-2002-Claims-31-03-2008.pdf

106-del-2002-claims.pdf

106-DEL-2002-Correspondence-Others-(18-06-2008).pdf

106-DEL-2002-Correspondence-Others-31-03-2008.pdf

106-del-2002-correspondence-others.pdf

106-del-2002-correspondence-po.pdf

106-del-2002-description (complete)-18-06-2008.pdf

106-del-2002-description (complete)-30-06-2008.pdf

106-del-2002-description (complete).pdf

106-DEL-2002-Description (Complete)31-03-2008.pdf

106-DEL-2002-Drawings-31-03-2008.pdf

106-del-2002-drawings.pdf

106-DEL-2002-Form-1-(30-06-2008).pdf

106-del-2002-form-1.pdf

106-del-2002-form-18.pdf

106-DEL-2002-Form-2-31-03-2008.pdf

106-del-2002-form-2.pdf

106-DEL-2002-Form-3-31-03-2008.pdf

106-del-2002-form-3.pdf

106-del-2002-form-5.pdf

106-DEL-2002-GPA-31-03-2008.pdf

106-del-2002-gpa.pdf