IP Library Granted Patent US 10,710,661
Granted Patent B2
US 10,710,661 · App. 16/052,076 · Granted Jul 14, 2020

Grip heater device

Inventor: Tomo Yamamoto (Akashi, JP)
Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
B62J33/00B62K11/14B62K21/26B62K23/02B62J50/20B62K23/04
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,710,661
App. No.
16/052,076
Granted
Jul 14, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

A grip heater device includes a display unit provided at a grip and including a first light source and a second light source, and a controller including an electric power control section which controls an amount of electric power to be supplied to the heater in response to an operation of a temperature adjustment member, and a light source control section which controls the first light source and the second light source. The display unit is configured to perform: a first color display, a second color display, and a third color display. The light source control section causes the display unit to perform a temperature display with a blinking pattern corresponding to an amount of the electric power supplied to the heater, by use of the first color display, the second color display, or the third color display, in response to the operation of the temperature adjustment member.

Claims (28)

1. A grip heater device including a grip which is attached on a handle of a straddle vehicle and is gripped by a rider, the grip containing a heater therein, and a temperature adjustment member which is provided at the grip and operated by the rider to adjust a temperature of the heater, the grip heater device comprising:

a display unit provided at the grip and including a first light source and a second light source which are disposed adjacently to each other, the first light source and the second light source being configured to emit light in such a way that a color of the light emitted by the first light source is different from a color of the light emitted by the second light source; and

a controller including an electric power control section which controls an amount of electric power to be supplied to the heater in response to an operation of the temperature adjustment member, and a light source control section which controls the first light source and the second light source,

wherein the display unit is configured to perform:

a first color display in which the first light source blinks or is ON and the second light source is OFF to display a first color,

a second color display in which the first light source is OFF and the second light source blinks or is ON to display a second color, and

a third color display in which both of the first light source and the second light source blink or are ON to display a third color formed by mixing the first color and the second color, and

wherein the light source control section causes the display unit to perform a temperature display with a blinking pattern corresponding to the amount of the electric power supplied to the heater, by use of one color display selected from the first color display, the second color display, and the third color display, in response to the operation of the temperature adjustment member.

2. The grip heater device according to claim 1 ,

wherein in the blinking pattern of the temperature display, time of an OFF-operation of each of the first light source and the second light source is longer than a time of an ON-operation of each of the first light source and the second light source.

3. The grip heater device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the electric power control section shifts levels of the amount of the electric power to be supplied to the heater, in a predetermined sequence, in a case where the temperature adjustment member is operated by the rider for a time shorter than a predetermined time, and

wherein the electric power control section sets the amount of the electric power to be supplied to the heater to zero, in a case where the temperature adjustment member is operated by the rider for a time longer than the predetermined time.

4. The grip heater device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the display unit is integrated with an inner portion of the grip in a vehicle width direction.

5. The grip heater device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the controller includes an abnormality detecting section which detects whether the grip heater device is in a normal state or an abnormal state,

wherein in a case where the electric power is supplied to the heater and the abnormality detecting section detects the normal state, the light source control section causes the display unit to perform a normal display by use of one color display which is selected from the first color display, the second color display, and the third color display and is not used in the temperature display, and

wherein in a case where the abnormality detecting section detects the abnormal state, the light source control section causes the display unit to perform an alarm display by use of one color display which is selected from the first color display, the second color display, and the third color display and is not used in the normal display and the temperature display.

6. The grip heater device according to claim 5 ,

wherein the light source control section causes the display unit to perform the alarm display with a blinking pattern corresponding to a kind of an abnormality detected by the abnormality detecting section.

7. The grip heater device according to claim 6 ,

wherein the light source control section makes the blinking pattern of the alarm display different between the abnormality of the temperature adjustment member, the abnormality of a voltage applied to the heater, and the abnormality of an electric current flowing through the heater.

8. The grip heater device according to claim 5 ,

wherein one of the first light source and the second light source has a green color and the other of the first light source and the second light source has a red color,

wherein in a case where the electric power is supplied to the heater and the abnormality detecting section detects the normal state, the light source control section causes the display unit to perform the normal display in which the first light source blinks or is ON and the second light source is OFF,

wherein the light source control section causes the display unit to perform the temperature display in which both of the first light source and the second light source blink to emit the light with a mixed color, in response to the operation of the temperature adjustment member, and

wherein in a case where the abnormality detecting section detects the abnormal state, the light source control section causes the display unit to perform the alarm display in which the first light source is OFF, and the second light source blinks or is ON.

Assignments (2)
NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT Recorded Jun 2, 2022
From: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
To: KAWASAKI MOTORS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 060300/0504 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 1, 2018
From: YAMAMOTO, TOMO
To: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 046527/0004 →