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Apparatus for and method of controlling grip heater

  • US 9,024,236 B2
  • Filed: 01/18/2005
  • Issued: 05/05/2015
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2004
  • Status: Active Grant
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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