MOTORCYCLE WITH HANDLEBAR PROTECTOR

Abstract

A vehicle, in particular motorcycle, includes a frame, handlebars with two handlebar grips and a communication unit with at least one sensor for the acquisition of data relating to the vehicle, and an interface for transmitting the acquired data. A handlebar protector is arranged, preferably centrally, between the handlebar grips and the communication unit is arranged underneath the handlebar protector or at least partially, preferably entirely, within the handlebar protector.

Claims

1. A vehicle, in particular motorcycle, having a frame, handlebars with two handlebar grips and a communication unit with at least one sensor for the acquisition of data relating to the vehicle and an interface for transmitting the acquired data, wherein a handlebar protector is provided, wherein the handlebar protector is arranged, preferably centrally, between the handlebar grips and wherein the communication unit is arranged underneath the handlebar protector or at least partially, preferably entirely, within the handlebar protector.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the handlebar protector has a recess in which the communication unit can be arranged.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a holding device is provided, by which the communication unit and/or the handlebar protector are held, and wherein the holding device is fastened to the handlebars.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit has a memory for storing the data acquired by the sensor.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit has several sensors for the acquisition of data relating to the vehicle, in particular a GPS sensor, an acceleration sensor, a temperature sensor and/or an inclination sensor.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit has a receiving device for receiving data relating to the vehicle status.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit has a computing unit, in particular for compiling statistics from the acquired and/or received data.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the interface is designed for the wireless transmission of data, in particular in accordance with the WLAN standard and/or Bluetooth® standard.

9. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit has a transmitting device with telecommunications function.

10. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit has a control device, by which at least one vehicle parameter can be set.

11. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the interface is designed to receive data or control commands and/or a receiving device for receiving data and/or control commands is provided.

12. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit can be connected to a switch for starting and/or stopping the data acquisition by the at least one sensor or has such a switch.

13. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit can be connected to a display, in particular in the form of an illuminating device, or has a display, by which the operating state of the communication unit can be indicated.

14. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the handlebar protector comprises a cushioning material, in particular a foamed material, for the protection of the rider.

15. The vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the cushioning material forms an upper part of the handlebar protector, which is facing the rider in the fitted state, in particular wherein the upper part is, especially in a detachable or an openable manner, connectable to a harder lower part, wherein the lower part is for example made from hard plastic.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Further advantages and details of the invention are discussed for different embodiment examples with reference to the following figures. There are shown in:

[0029] FIGS. 1a to 1 c a side view, a view from behind and a top view of a motorcycle with a handlebar protector,

[0030] FIGS. 2a and 2b detail views of FIGS. 1b and 1c,

[0031] FIG. 3 a representation of a handlebar protector in the opened state with a communication unit,

[0032] FIGS. 4a to 4d a view from below, a view from behind, a top view and a side view of a handlebar protector,

[0033] FIGS. 5a and 5b exploded views of the fastening of a handlebar protector, and

[0034] FIG. 6 a schematic representation of the configuration of the communication unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] A vehicle 1 in the form of an enduro motorcycle is represented in a side view, a view from behind and a top view in FIGS. 1a to 1 c. A handlebar protector 5 according to the invention, made from foamed material, is fastened to the steering wheel 2 centrally between the handlebar grips 3a and 3b and covers the handlebar clamp 13, which is usually made from steel, with the result that an impact, for example of the chest area with the handlebar clamp 13, often has serious consequences. In contrast, an impact with the handlebar protector 5 usually has much less serious consequences.

[0036] The sections A and B according to FIGS. 1b and 1c are represented in detail views in FIGS. 2a and 2b, wherein it can be seen that the handlebar protector 5 at least partially made from foamed material covers the handlebar clamp 13. A display 8 in the form of an LED ring serves to indicate the operating state of the communication unit 4 arranged in a recess 6 in the handlebar protector 5. For example, when the LED ring glows in a certain color this indicates that GPS login is active. Of course, the display 8 can also have other shapes or designs.

[0037] A handlebar protector 5 according to the invention in the opened state is represented in FIG. 3. The communication unit 4 arranged in a recess 6 in the lower part 5b of the handlebar protector 5 can be seen and in this embodiment is connected to a power supply line 9 via a receiving device and transmitting device arranged in the communication unit 4, since the power supply line 9 can be connected namely on the one hand to the battery of the vehicle 1 and serves to supply power to the communication unit 4, but on the other hand has further cables which serve for data transmission between digital in- and outputs. In particular, in this embodiment example the power supply line 9 also has a CAN bus data line. In summary, parameters relating to the vehicle 1 and control commands are sent to various parts of the vehicle 1 and received by them via the cables contained in the power supply line 9. In this embodiment example, in addition to the power supply line 9 a data line 10 is provided, which is a high-speed data line which serves for example for the readout of the communication unit 4 or the control device 19 or other control devices of the vehicle 1, and/or can be used to install software for configuration or for firmware updates for these devices.

[0038] The communication unit 4 is arranged in a holder 14 made of plastic, which in turn is engaged with snap-in elements 7, which are arranged in the lower part 5b of the handlebar protector 5. The snap-in elements 7 serve to fasten the communication unit 4 in the handlebar protector 5. Of course, a wide variety of options for fastening the communication unit 4 can be imagined, just as there are for fastening the handlebar protector 5 to the handlebars 2. The variants shown are only example embodiments.

[0039] In the embodiment shown, openings 11 arranged in the holding device 12 can be seen. The holding device 12 is arranged on the underside of the lower part 5b of the handlebar protector 5 and, in this embodiment, serves to fasten the handlebar protector 5 to the handlebars 2 and also to fix the handlebars 2 to the vehicle 1. Screws 12c, with which the holding device 12 is fastened to the handlebars 2, are inserted into the openings 11.

[0040] FIGS. 4a to 4d show the handlebars 2 of the vehicle 1 according to the invention with the handlebar protector 5 in a view from below, a view from behind, a top view and a side view. For reasons of clarity, only parts of the holding device 12 with which the handlebar protector 5 is fastened to the handlebars 2 are represented. In the view from below according to FIG. 4a, openings 11 can be seen in that part 12b of the holding device 12 which is designed to be arranged on the cylindrical central part of the handlebars 2 and to fix the handlebars 2. The lower part 5b of the handlebar protector 5 is in turn fastened to the part 12b. Lateral drilled holes in the lower part 5b of the handlebar protector 5 and of the part 12b of the holding device are used for this in this embodiment example and can then be connected by means of screws inserted into these drilled holes.

[0041] The display 8, which serves to display the operating state of the communication unit 4, can be seen in particular in FIGS. 4b and 4c. The upper part 5a of the handlebar protector 5 acts as a damping element for the rider of the vehicle 1 in the event of a fall and is, for this purpose, made from foamed material. In this embodiment example, the upper part 5a can be pivotably fastened to the lower part 5b. Special mounting and fastening means, for example snap-in elements 16, can be provided for the mounting on and fastening of the upper part 5a to the lower part 5b. Alternatively, the handlebar protector 5 can, however, also be produced in one piece. If the communication unit 4 is arranged within the handlebar protector 5 in the case of a one-piece handlebar protector 5, the communication unit 4 can be arranged in the handlebar protector 5 during the production process. However, an openable handlebar protector 5, in which the upper part 5a integrally connected to the lower part 5b is rotatably mounted, is also possible and the interior of the handlebar protector 5 can thereby be made freely accessible.

[0042] The lower part 5b of the handlebar protector 5 can likewise be made from a foamed material, for example as described above. For stability reasons, however, it is preferably provided to make the lower part 5b from a harder material, for example from a hard plastic as described above. This increases the stability of the fastening of the handlebar protector 5 to the handlebars 2. In this embodiment, the recess 6 is arranged in the lower part 5b of the handlebar protector 5. Additionally or alternatively, a further recess can be arranged in the upper part 5a of the handlebar protector 5.

[0043] In the embodiment example of FIGS. 4a to 4d, the upper part 5a of the handlebar protector 5 can, taken by itself, also be regarded as a separate handlebar protector 5. In this case, the communication unit 4 is arranged underneath the handlebar protector 5. The lower part 5b, including the holding device 12, is in this case to be regarded as a holding device for the handlebar protector 5.

[0044] FIG. 5a and FIG. 5b show, in a view from behind and a side view, an exploded view of the essential components of the handlebar protector 5, including the handlebars 2 to which it is fastened. The holding device 12 consists of two elements 12a, which are designed to be arranged on the underside of the handlebars 2 and to fix the handlebars 2 to the frame of the vehicle 1 together with the part 12b of the holding device arranged on the upper side of the handlebars 2. Fastening means 12c, which can be inserted into openings 11 in the part 12b and corresponding openings in the part 12a, are used for this purpose. Lateral drilled holes, which correspond to lateral drilled holes in the lower part 5b of the handlebar protector 5, are also provided in the part 12b. Screws (represented on the right next to the part 12b in FIG. 5b) can be inserted into lateral drilled holes in the part 12b and in the lower part 5b, with the result that the lower part 5b of the handlebar protector 5 is fastened to the part 12b of the holding device 12. In addition, it can be provided to additionally fasten the lower part 5b to the handlebars 2 using zip ties, not represented here. For this purpose, corresponding openings are provided in the lower part 5b.

[0045] The lower part 5b furthermore has snap-in elements 7, which can engage in a corresponding recess of the holder 14 of the communication unit 4. The communication unit 4 is thereby fastened in a recess 6 arranged in the lower part 5b. The upper part 5a of the handlebar protector 5 also has snap-in elements 16, with which it can be detachably and pivotably fastened to the lower part 5b. Here, the snap-in element 16 arranged on the left acts as a pivot and is, in the connected state, mounted in a corresponding groove in the lower part 5b. The snap-in element 16 arranged on the right acts as a snap-in lug and engages, in the connected state, on a protruding edge on the lower part 5b. It can be provided to detachably fasten the lower part 5b to the upper part 5a. It can also be provided to design the lower part 5b to be only pivotable, but not detachable. In this case, the element 16 represented on the right can represent a pivot rotatably mounted in the lower part 5b.

[0046] The screw represented on the right next to the part 12b is inserted into the lateral drilled holes in the part 12b and in the lower part 5b, whereby the lower part 5b of the handlebar protector 5 is fastened to the part 12b of the holding device 12.

[0047] FIG. 6 shows the configuration of a communication unit 4 according to the invention in a schematic representation. The communication unit 4 has a sensor 15 for the acquisition of data relating to the vehicle 1. This can be, for example, a sensor 15 for the acquisition of the GPS data of the vehicle 1, an acceleration sensor and so forth. In particular, the acquisition of GPS signals is made much easier by positioning the sensor 15 in the communication unit 4 on the handlebars 2. The communication unit 4 furthermore has an interface 17, which can transmit data and/or control commands to the vehicle 1 or receive them from the vehicle 1 via a data line 9. The transmission of these data and the control commands can also be effected wirelessly, for example via WLAN or Bluetooth®. The interface 17 can also be designed as a receiving device and/or as a transmitting device.

[0048] The communication unit 4 furthermore has a computing unit 18 and a control device 19. The computing unit 18 serves to process the data acquired by the sensor 15 or the data received by the interface 17. The control device 19 serves to generate control commands, possibly based on the acquired or received data, wherein the control commands are transmitted to the vehicle 1 via the interface 17.

[0049] Furthermore, the communication unit 4 has a display 8 for displaying the functional state of the communication unit 4.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0050] 1 vehicle [0051] 2 handlebars [0052] 3a, 3b handlebar grips [0053] 4 communication unit [0054] 5 handlebar protector [0055] 5a, 5b upper and lower parts of the handlebar protector [0056] 6 recess [0057] 7 snap-in elements [0058] 8 display [0059] 9 power supply line [0060] 10 data line [0061] 11 openings in the holding device [0062] 12 holding device [0063] 12a-12c elements of the holding device [0064] 13 handlebar clamp [0065] 14 holder [0066] 15 sensor [0067] 16 snap-in elements for the holder [0068] 17 interface [0069] 18 computing unit [0070] 19 control device