Description:FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a throttle device for use in electric vehicles and more particularly relates to the electronic throttle device for use in electric vehicles having a ratchet locking feature.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) are in use in greater numbers in the automotive market. Many people are shifting from internal combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles.
An electronic throttle is present in a handlebar of a vehicle. The electronic throttle includes a throttle printed circuit board (PCB) housing, a throttle housing tube and grip assembly. The throttle PCB housing positioned adjacent to proximal end of a twister grip. The throttle PCB housing includes a magnet, a printed circuit board (PCB), and a microcontroller or Hall IC. The magnet is placed around an inner circumference of the throttle housing in tube and configured to move along with twisting of the electronic throttle around a central axis. The magnet generates a magnetic flux around the electronic throttle while moving, corresponding to a rotational angle of the electronic throttle created by twisting of the twister grip. A voltage value is set for each of the magnetic flux that is generated at each rotational angle of the electronic throttle when the magnet operates the hall IC. The PCB located inside the throttle PCB housing includes the Hall sensor. The sensor unit senses the magnetic flux with the corresponding rotational angle of the electronic throttle, and transmits a magnetic flux which is crossing the hall IC. The microcontroller or hall IC is arranged inside the throttle housing and is placed in PCB with few protective circuits. The microcontroller or Hall IC receives the sensed magnetic flux for the corresponding rotational angle of the electronic throttle from the sensor unit, determines a position of the magnetic member based on receiving of the sensed magnetic flux, generates a corresponding voltage value based on the position of the magnetic member in the electronic throttle, and transmits voltage signal to a motor controller to control speed of a motor of the vehicle based on the generated voltage value.
However, in conventional electronic throttle units, there is an existing problem with the throttle tube and housing. Because of the rotation or twisting of the throttle tube, there is a chance that the tube assembly may come out of the housing. This is risky especially if the vehicle is in drive mode or otherwise. Hence, there is a need for an improved electronic throttle for the vehicles and address the aforementioned issue.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a throttle device for use in electric vehicles.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic throttle device for use in electric vehicles having a ratchet locking feature.
Another object of the present invention is to an electronic throttle device for use in vehicles having a ratchet locking feature that prevents the tube assembly of the throttle from coming out of the housing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Before the present invention is described, it is to be understood that present invention is not limited to particular methodologies and materials described, as these may vary as per the person skilled in the art. It is also to be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing the particular embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
The electronic throttle of present invention comprises of plastic handle tube, spring, sensor housing, magnet, and sensor PCB slot. A ratchet lock helps in locking the handle tube with the sensor housing thereby preventing its removal or dislocation in any type of movement or rotation. The ratchet lock is made of two sub parts namely housing side part of ratchet lock and the tube side part of the ratchet lock. The PVC grip is fixed or positioned above the handle tube without any adhesive. The housing part of the ratchet lock is moulded in the sensor housing and the tube side part of the ratchet lock is moulded in the handle tube at the time of manufacturing. The PVC grip is fixed on the top of the handle tube. The throttle PCB sensor housing and the grip assembly are fixed by the spring and ratchet lock.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A complete understanding of the present invention may be made by reference to the following detailed description which is to be taken in conjugation with the accompanying drawing. The accompanying drawing, which is incorporated into and constitutes a part of the specification, illustrates one or more embodiments of the present invention and, together with the detailed description, it serves to explain the principles and implementations of the invention.
FIG. 1 is a comparison drawing illustrating the electronic throttle parts- handle tube and the sensor housing of the electronic throttle device of the present invention (1a) and the conventional electronic throttle 1(b);
FIG.2 is the exploded view of the electronic throttle device;
Fig. 3 is the perspective view of the plastic handle tube with the PVC grip;
FIG.4 is the perspective view of the electronic throttle device to depict the locking subparts;
FIG.5a and FIG. 5b is the perspective view of step 1 and 2 of the assembly of the electronic throttle device;
FIG.6 is the perspective view of step 3 of the assembly of the electronic throttle device;
FIG.7 is the perspective view of step 4 of the assembly of the electronic throttle device and depicting the locking section view of the electronic throttle device; and
FIG. 8a and FIG. 8b are the cross sectional views of the locked throttle device at different rotational positions and FIG. 8c is the side view of the final assembly of the electronic throttle device according to the embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Before the present invention is described, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to particular methodologies described, as these may vary as per the person skilled in the art. It is also to be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing the particular embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Throughout this specification, the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps. The use of the expression “at least” or “at least one” suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the invention to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS:

Sr. No. Description of the part
100 Electronic throttle of the present invention
102 Plastic handle tube
103 Projections on the plastic handle tube
104 Sensor housing
106 Hall sensor PCB slot/location
108 spring
110 Magnet
112 Ratchet lock
114 Housing side part of ratchet lock
116 Tube side part of ratchet lock
118 Spring lock
120 Throttle at 0 degree rotational position
122 Throttle at 70 degree rotational position
124 PVC grip
126 Grooves on the PVC grip
128 End cap of the PVC grip

The present invention describes a throttle device for an electric vehicle. A conventional electronic throttle consists of a plastic handle tube which is twisted or rotated to increase or decrease the speed of the vehicle and a sensor housing. The sensor housing comprises of a sensor, typically Hall sensor and Printed Circuit Board (PCB). The sensor controls the flow of voltage corresponding to the position of the throttle, resulting in the desired speed of the Vehicle motor and operation is based on HALL effect technology.

FIG 1 (a) is the figure representing the parts of the electronic throttle of the present invention. FIG. 1(b) is the figure representing the parts of the conventional electronic throttle. Both the types of electronic throttle have the parts- plastic handle tube and sensor housing. The plastic handle tube has a magnet and the sensor housing has a slot for sensor PCB. However, the plastic handle tube and the sensor housing of the throttle device of present invention (100) have a ratchet lock (112). This ratchet lock (112) is not present in the conventional electronic throttle. The ratchet lock (112) helps in locking the handle tube (102) with the sensor housing (104) thereby preventing its removal or dislocation in any type of movement or rotation.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the electronic throttle device. The electronic throttle of present invention comprises of plastic handle tube (102), spring (108), sensor housing (104), magnet (110), and sensor PCB slot (106). The sensor (106) and magnet (110) are potted in epoxy. The ratchet lock (112) is made of two sub parts namely housing side part of ratchet lock (114) and the tube side part of the ratchet lock (116). FIG. 3 is the perspective view of the plastic handle tube (102) and the PVC grip (124) that is fixed or positioned above the handle tube. There are no adhesives required to join or fix the grip (124) with the handle tube (102). There are projections (103) on the plastic handle tube (102) that are complementary fit with the grooves (126) on the inner surface of the PVC grip (124). These projections (103) on the handle tube (102) lock in the grooves (126) of the PVC grip (124), so that the grip (124) is tightly positioned on the handle tube (102) and it can be easily rotated to increase or decrease the speed of the vehicle. At the end of the PVC grip (124), is a plastic end cap (128). The plastic handle tube (102) and grip locking grooves (126) are designed in such a way that when a rider in the field will try to abuse and apply high twist force on the grip (124), before breakage of the grip stopper, the tube (102) will slip and rotate at lower torque and the throttle device assembly will be safe.

According to the embodiment of the invention, Fig. 4 is the perspective view of the parts of the electronic throttle (100) that clearly depicts the position of the subparts of the ratchet lock (112). The housing part of the ratchet lock (114) is moulded in the sensor housing (104) and the tube side part of the ratchet lock (116) is moulded in the handle tube (102) at the time of manufacturing. The PVC grip (124) is fixed on the top of the handle tube (102). The throttle PCB sensor housing (104) and the grip assembly are fixed by the spring (108) and ratchet lock (112).

According to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 to 7 depict the assembly process of the electronic throttle device (100) of the present invention. Fig-5a illustrates the step-1 of the assembly process. Firstly, the spring (108) is inserted in the plastic handle tube (102) at the open end of the tube. FIG. 5b illustrates the step-2 of the assembly process. The sensor housing (104) with the sensor PCB slot (106) is then inserted from the direction of the spring (108). The spring (108) gets fixed in the position by means of the spring lock (118) in the sensor housing (104).

According to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 illustrates the step-3 of the assembly process. In step -2 after locking the spring (108) in the spring lock (118) in the sensor housing (104), in step-3 the plastic handle tube (102) is rotated clockwise such that the housing part of the ratchet lock (114) and the tube part of ratchet lock (116) match and interlock with each other. FIG. 7 illustrates the sectional views of different locking positions of the subparts of the ratchet lock (114, 116) after the plastic handle tube (102) is rotated clockwise. The housing part of the ratchet lock (114) and the tube part of the ratchet lock (116) fit perfectly into each other and lock the assembly securely and overlap with each other.

According to the embodiment of the invention, FIG. 8 illustrates the positions of the ratchet locks at different rotational positions of the electronic throttle. At 0 degree throttle rotation position (120), the tube side ratchet lock (116) and the housing side ratchet lock (114) are locked together and fitted into each other securely. When the vehicle handle is twisted, the throttle is rotated and the subparts of the lock move away from each other, thereby allowing the throttle to move at 70 degree rotation position (122). The magnet (110) also moves according to the throttle position.

The embodiments herein above and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully revealed the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the scope of the embodiments as described herein.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.
, Claims:We claim,
1. An electronic throttle device (100) for an electric vehicle comprising of plastic handle tube (102), spring (108), sensor housing (104), magnet (110), sensor PCB slot (106) and PVC grip (124)
characterized in that
a ratchet lock (112) locks the handle tube (102) with the sensor housing (104) and the ratchet lock (112) is made of two sub parts namely housing side part of ratchet lock (114) and the tube side part of the ratchet lock (116);
and projections (103) on the plastic handle tube (102) lock in the grooves (126) of the PVC grip (124), so that the grip (124) is tightly positioned on the handle tube (102) and the throttle device (100) can be easily rotated to increase or decrease the speed of the vehicle.
2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor (106) and magnet (110) are potted in epoxy.
3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing part of the ratchet lock (114) is moulded in the sensor housing (104), the tube side part of the ratchet lock (116) is moulded in the handle tube (102), the PVC grip (124) is fixed on the top of the handle tube (102) and the throttle PCB sensor housing (104) and the grip assembly are fixed by the spring (108) and ratchet lock (112).
4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein first the spring (108) is inserted in the plastic handle tube (102) at the open end of the tube and then the sensor housing (104) with the sensor PCB slot (106) is inserted from the direction of the spring (108) and the spring (108) gets fixed in the position by means of the spring lock (118) in the sensor housing (104).
5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein after locking the spring (108) in the spring lock (118) in the sensor housing (104), the plastic handle tube (102) is rotated clockwise.
6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein after clockwise rotation, the housing part of the ratchet lock (114) and the tube part of the ratchet lock (116) fit perfectly into each other and lock the assembly securely and overlap with each other.
7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein at 0 degree throttle rotation position (120), the tube side ratchet lock (116) and the housing side ratchet lock (114) are locked together and fitted into each other securely and when the vehicle handle is twisted, the throttle is rotated and the subparts of the lock move away from each other, thereby allowing the throttle to move at 70 degree rotation position (122) so that the magnet (110) also moves according to the throttle position.
8. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein at the end of the PVC grip (124), is a plastic end cap (128).
9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plastic handle tube (102) and grip locking grooves (126) are designed in such a way that when a rider in the field will try to abuse and apply high twist force on the grip (124), before breakage of the grip stopper, the tube (102) will slip and rotate at lower torque and the throttle device will be safe.