Apparatus for and method of controlling grip heater
First Claim
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1. A grip heater controlling apparatus, comprising:
- a grip heater mounted on a steering handle of a vehicle;
a single momentary switch directly operable by a driver of the vehicle;
an amount-of-current controller for changing an amount-of-current level to the grip heater cyclically to at least three levels depending on a number of times that said single momentary switch is operated, said at least three levels include at least a maximum current level, a minimum current level and intermediate current levels;
an interface circuit connected between said single momentary switch and said amount-of-current controller, said interface circuit consisting of a pull-up resistor and a filter for stabilizing a signal from said single momentary switch, wherein said filter consisting of a capacitor and a resistor and said interface circuit is connected to an input port of said amount-of-current controller to provide said signal from said single momentary switch after said signal has passed through said filter;
an indicator for indicating the amount-of-current level, said indicator comprises fewer light-emitting elements than said at least three levels; and
a plurality of emitter-grounded transistors each of which communicates to a light-emitting element of the light-emitting elements,wherein said amount-of-current controller supplies current to each of the plurality of emitter-grounded transistors for energizing the corresponding light-emitting elements of the indicator,wherein the maximum current level is indicated by having all of said light-emitting elements fully turned on, the minimum current level is indicated by having all of said light-emitting elements turned off, the intermediate current levels are indicated by a combination of the light-emitting elements that are fully turned on, the light-emitting elements that are turned off and the light-emitting elements that are at an intermediate luminance level,wherein the intermediate current levels having at least one combination of the light-emitting elements that is indicated by having one light-emitting element that is at the intermediate luminance level and the remaining light-emitting elements that are fully turned on,wherein in an initial state when a power supply switch of the vehicle is turned on, said amount-of-current controller minimizes the amount-of-current level, and when said single momentary switch is operated once in said initial state, said amount-of-current controller maximizes the amount-of-current level,wherein when the amount-of-current level is at a maximum, the amount-of-current level is reduced in stages each time said single momentary switch is operated.
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Abstract
A grip heater controlling apparatus controls an amount of current supplied from a power supply to a grip heater mounted on a handle grip on the steering handle of a motorcycle. The grip heater controlling apparatus has a single momentary switch operable by the driver of the motorcycle, and an amount-of-current controller for changing the amount of current cyclically to at least three levels, including 0, depending on the number of times that the momentary switch is operated.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A grip heater controlling apparatus, comprising:
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a grip heater mounted on a steering handle of a vehicle; a single momentary switch directly operable by a driver of the vehicle; an amount-of-current controller for changing an amount-of-current level to the grip heater cyclically to at least three levels depending on a number of times that said single momentary switch is operated, said at least three levels include at least a maximum current level, a minimum current level and intermediate current levels; an interface circuit connected between said single momentary switch and said amount-of-current controller, said interface circuit consisting of a pull-up resistor and a filter for stabilizing a signal from said single momentary switch, wherein said filter consisting of a capacitor and a resistor and said interface circuit is connected to an input port of said amount-of-current controller to provide said signal from said single momentary switch after said signal has passed through said filter; an indicator for indicating the amount-of-current level, said indicator comprises fewer light-emitting elements than said at least three levels; and a plurality of emitter-grounded transistors each of which communicates to a light-emitting element of the light-emitting elements, wherein said amount-of-current controller supplies current to each of the plurality of emitter-grounded transistors for energizing the corresponding light-emitting elements of the indicator, wherein the maximum current level is indicated by having all of said light-emitting elements fully turned on, the minimum current level is indicated by having all of said light-emitting elements turned off, the intermediate current levels are indicated by a combination of the light-emitting elements that are fully turned on, the light-emitting elements that are turned off and the light-emitting elements that are at an intermediate luminance level, wherein the intermediate current levels having at least one combination of the light-emitting elements that is indicated by having one light-emitting element that is at the intermediate luminance level and the remaining light-emitting elements that are fully turned on, wherein in an initial state when a power supply switch of the vehicle is turned on, said amount-of-current controller minimizes the amount-of-current level, and when said single momentary switch is operated once in said initial state, said amount-of-current controller maximizes the amount-of-current level, wherein when the amount-of-current level is at a maximum, the amount-of-current level is reduced in stages each time said single momentary switch is operated. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of controlling a grip heater controlling apparatus, comprising the steps of:
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using a single momentary switch operable by a driver of a vehicle; changing an amount-of-current level cyclically to at least three levels depending on a number of times that said single momentary switch is operated, said at least three levels include at least a maximum current level, a minimum current level and intermediate current levels; and indicating the amount-of-current level in an indicator that is controlled by an amount-of-current controller, said indicator comprises fewer light-emitting elements than said at least three levels; stabilizing a signal from said single momentary switch by connecting an interface circuit between said single momentary switch and said amount-of-current controller, said interface circuit consisting of a pull-up resistor and a filter, said filter consisting of a capacitor and a resistor wherein said interface circuit is connected to an input port of said amount-of-current controller to provide said signal from said single momentary switch after said signal has passed through said filter; supplying current to each of a plurality of emitter-grounded transistors, each of which communicates to a light-emitting element of the light-emitting elements, for energizing the corresponding light-emitting elements of the indicator, wherein the maximum current level is indicated by having all of said light-emitting elements fully turned on, the minimum current level is indicated by having all of said light-emitting elements turned off and the intermediate current levels are indicated by a combination of the light-emitting elements that are fully turned on, the light-emitting elements that are turned off and the light-emitting elements that are at an intermediate luminance level, wherein the intermediate current levels having at least one combination of the light-emitting elements that is indicated by having one light-emitting element that is at the intermediate luminance level and the remaining light-emitting elements that are fully turned on. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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Specification