Heated hand grips
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A heated hand grip, comprising:
- an inner housing having a mounting aperture, an outer side pocket comprising a recess configured to hold control wires and an interface;
a printed circuit board for mounting within the inner housing and including a potentiometer for mounting in the mounting aperture and directly to the printed circuit board;
a bezel configured for mounting to a handlebar and also configured for mounting to the inner housing;
a control knob for mounting to the bezel;
a resistive heating element for at least one hand grip operatively connected to the printed circuit board; and
a control circuit mounted on the printed circuit board for controlling power to the resistive heating element.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Heated hand grips for motorcycles or other applications, such as snowmobiles, are disclosed. The hand grips enable better control and comfort for the user. The hand grips described herein have a better design for mounting on the handle bars, allowing for a better seal against ingress of moisture and for sturdier mounting of the control circuitry. The control circuitry itself is simplified, and the control knob has built-in detents for more tactile feedback to the user. The heated elements themselves include a temperature sensor for simplified wiring and immediate feedback.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A heated hand grip, comprising:
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an inner housing having a mounting aperture, an outer side pocket comprising a recess configured to hold control wires and an interface; a printed circuit board for mounting within the inner housing and including a potentiometer for mounting in the mounting aperture and directly to the printed circuit board; a bezel configured for mounting to a handlebar and also configured for mounting to the inner housing; a control knob for mounting to the bezel; a resistive heating element for at least one hand grip operatively connected to the printed circuit board; and a control circuit mounted on the printed circuit board for controlling power to the resistive heating element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 23, 24)
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7. A heated hand grip, comprising:
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an inner housing having a mounting aperture, an outer side pocket comprising a recess configured to hold control wires and an interface; a printed circuit board for mounting within the inner housing, the circuit board further comprising a potentiometer for controlling a heat setting for the hand grip, the potentiometer mounted in the mounting aperture and also mounted directly to the circuit board; a bezel configured for mounting to a handlebar and also configured for mounting to the inner housing; a control knob for mounting to the bezel, wherein the bezel and the knob further comprise a detent mounted for providing a tactile feedback to a user when the control knob is rotated; a resistive heating element mounted to at least one hand grip and operatively connected to the printed circuit board; and a control circuit mounted on the printed circuit board for controlling power to the resistive heating element. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A heated hand grip, comprising:
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an inner housing having a mounting aperture, an interface, an inner shelf and an outer side pocket comprising a recess configured to hold control wires; a printed circuit board for mounting within the inner housing on the shelf and including a potentiometer for mounting in the mounting aperture and directly to the printed circuit board; a bezel configured for mounting to a handlebar and also configured for mounting to the inner housing; a control knob for mounting to the bezel, wherein the bezel and the knob further comprise matching snap-fit connectors; a resistive heating element mounted to at least one hand grip and operatively connected to the printed circuit board; and a control circuit mounted on the printed circuit board for controlling power to the resistive heating element. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. A heated hand grip, comprising:
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an inner housing having a mounting aperture, an outer side pocket comprising a recess configured to hold wires, and an interface; a printed circuit board for mounting within the housing, the printed circuit board including a potentiometer for mounting in the mounting aperture and directly to the printed circuit board; a bezel configured for mounting to a handlebar and also configured for mounting to the inner housing; a control knob for mounting to the bezel, wherein the bezel and the knob further comprise a detent mounted for providing a tactile feedback to a user; a resistive heating element mounted to at least one hand grip and operatively connected to the printed circuit board; and a control circuit mounted on the printed circuit board for controlling power to the resistive heating element, the control circuit including a temperature sensor mounted between heating element traces of the resistive heating element, wherein the control knob, the bezel and the inner housing further comprise mounts for a first seal and a second seal, a first mount adjacent the control knob and the bezel and a second mount adjacent the bezel and the inner housing, wherein the control knob, the first seal, the bezel, the second seal and the inner housing form a tortuous path for moisture ingress. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. A method of heating a hand grip, the method comprising:
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providing a heating pad that comprises heating element traces mounted on a non-conductive thin polymer film, the heating pad mounted within the hand grip; connecting the heating pad to a control circuit, the control circuit including a circuit board and a potentiometer for controlling a heat setting for the hand grip, the potentiometer mounted directly to the circuit board and also mounted in an aperture of an inner housing of the hand grip, the inner housing comprising a recess configured to hold wires leading to and controlling the heating pad; connecting a temperature sensor to the control circuit by mounting the temperature sensor between the heating element traces; heating the heating pad with the control circuit; and regulating a flow of power to the heating pad using the temperature sensor. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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Specification