MOTORCYCLE HANDLEBAR LOCK SYSTEM

• US 20100229611A1
• Filed: 12/25/2007
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Konno, Takeshi, Takeuchi, Yoshiaki, Onozuka, Tadashi
• Granted Patent: US 8,193,921 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 70/252
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/306 Motorcycles
• CPC Class Codes: B62H 5/02 for locking the steering mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 23/04 Twist grips
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5956 Steering mechanism with switch
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5978 With switch
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/625 Operation and control

Abstract

A motorcycle handlebar lock system (10) includes a control section (16) that executes a process of authenticating information necessary for driving a motorcycle (30), and a switch part (12L, 12R) for initiating the authentication process, the switch part being disposed within a grip (61 or 62) of a handlebar (31) of the motorcycle.

Claims

1. A motorcycle handlebar lock system comprising:

a portable key designed to be carried by a motorcycle rider;

transmission and reception sections for transmitting to and receiving from the portable key information required for driving a motorcycle;

a locking mechanism for locking and unlocking at a predetermined position a handlebar provided for steering the motorcycle; and

a control section adapted to transmit information to the transmission section, to execute, on the basis of information received from the reception section, an authentication process required for driving the motorcycle and, when the authentication process successfully ended, to cause the locking mechanism to unlock the handlebar,

wherein a switch part for initiating the authentication process by the control section is provided on a grip of the handlebar.

2. The motorcycle handlebar lock system of claim 1, wherein the switch part comprises a proximity sensor which is disposed inside the grip.

3. The motorcycle handlebar lock system of claim 1, wherein the grip is a throttle grip.

4. The motorcycle handlebar lock system of claim 1, further comprising a vehicle velocity sensor for detecting a traveling state of the motorcycle, wherein the control section is designed to keep the handlebar unlocked when the grip is gripped or when the motorcycle is detected as being in the traveling state.

5. The motorcycle handlebar lock system of claim 1, wherein the control section is designed to keep the handlebar locked when no detection is made by the switch part and when authentication of the information communicated between the control section and the portable key fails.