Vehicle with contactless throttle control

• US 8,161,939 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2010
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GP Technology & Innovation Limited
• Original Assignee: Vectrix International Limited (Gold Peak Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Dugas, David, Bliss, Craig, Hughes, Peter S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gimie, Mahmoud
• Application Number:
  US12/836,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20100326760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 123/399, 123/396, 123/361, 123/337, 123/403, 701/101, 701/102, 745/04, 731/143.6
• US Class Current: 123/399
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/12 Bikes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/16 for vehicles comprising converters between the power source and the motor
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 23/04 Twist grips
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle power control that includes a throttle mounting portion and a throttle that is movably mounted to the throttle mounting portion and configured for manipulation and operation by a rider. The power control also includes a sensor in contactless association with at least one of the throttle and throttle mounting portion. The sensor is configured for sensing a position of the throttle with respect to the mounting portion, in the contactless association, and generating a signal based on the sensed position for controlling motive power of a vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle power control, comprising:

a throttle mounting portion;

a throttle movably mounted to the throttle mounting portion and configured for manipulation and operation by a rider;

a magnetic member having a magnetic field;

a sensor in contactless association with at least one of the throttle and throttle mounting portion, the sensor configured for sensing a position of the throttle with respect to the mounting portion, in the contactless association, and generating a signal based on the sensed position for controlling motive power of a vehicle;

a support member supporting one of the magnetic member and sensor for moving said one with respect to the other to orient the magnetic field in a predetermined orientation when the throttle is in a predetermined position; and

a locking member configured for locking the support member in said predetermined position when such position is obtained to retain said orientation of the magnetic member with respect to the sensor with the throttle in said predetermined position for calibrating the sensor.

2. The power control of claim 1, further comprising a threaded member having threads and fixed to the throttle, wherein:

the support member is in threaded association with the threaded member and comprises first and second threaded portions that are flexible with respect to each other and that are in said threaded association; and

the locking member is configured for flexing the first and second flexible portions with respect to each other for gripping threads of the threaded member to rotationally lock the support member with respect to the throttle.

3. The power control of claim 2, wherein the locking member comprises a fastener.

4. The power control of claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured for sensing an absolute position of the throttle without requiring movement of the throttle.

5. The power control of claim 1, wherein rotation of the throttle from a neutral position in a first side demands acceleration, and rotation in a second side demands regenerative braking or reverse power.

6. The power control of claim 1, wherein the support member supports one of the magnetic member and sensor, the support member having walls that can be biased apart.

7. The power control of claim 1, further including a reverse travel spring limiter having a reverse travel spring and movable in a direction to compress the reverse travel spring but prevented from moving in a direction to allow reverse travel spring to expand past a limit position.

8. A vehicle power control, comprising:

a throttle mounting portion;

a throttle movably mounted to the throttle mounting portion and configured for manipulation and operation by a rider;

a magnetic member having a magnetic field;

a sensor in contactless association with at least one of the throttle and throttle mounting portion, the sensor configured for sensing a position of the throttle with respect to the mounting portion, in the contactless association, and generating a signal based on the sensed position for controlling motive power of a vehicle; and

a throttle biasing assembly to resiliently bias the throttle towards a neutral position with respect to the sensor, the biasing assembly being configured for applying a lesser bias to the throttle toward the neutral position when the throttle is displaced from the neutral position on a first side thereof than when the throttle is displaced from the neutral position on a second side thereof.

9. The power control of claim 8, wherein rotation of the throttle from the neutral position in the first side demands acceleration, and rotation in the second side demands regenerative braking or reverse power.

10. The power control of claim 8, wherein the biasing assembly comprises:

a first biasing member configured to bias the throttle in a first direction from the first side toward the neutral; and

a second biasing member configured to bias the throttle in a second direction, opposite the first direction, to provide the greater bias when the throttle is on the second side than on the first side.

11. The power control of claim 8, wherein the biasing assembly is configured such that:

the first biasing member is in biasing association with the throttle when the throttle is on both the first and second sides; and

the second biasing member is in biasing association with the throttle when the throttle is on the second side and is disengaged from the throttle when the throttle is on the first side.

12. The power control of claim 8, wherein rotation of the throttle from a neutral position in a first side demands acceleration, and rotation in a second side demands regenerative braking or reverse power.

13. The power control of claim 8, further including a support member that supports one of the magnetic member and sensor, the support member having walls that can be biased apart.

14. The power control of claim 8, further including a reverse travel spring limiter having a reverse travel spring and movable in a direction to compress the reverse travel spring but prevented from moving in a direction to allow reverse travel spring to expand past a limit position.