DESC:TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present subject matter, in general, relates to a straddle type vehicle, and, in particular relates, to an alert indication mechanism for the straddle type vehicle.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Generally, while riding a two wheeled straddle type safety of the rider is a major concern. Therefore, the alert indications such as turn signal indicators, break indicators are provided with the vehicle to ensure safety of the vehicle. In situations of less visibility specially in fog, dark or any other less visibility situations, where the vehicle user is required to make others on the road aware of his proximity, proximity indicators becomes important. Generally, from rear side it is easy to locate the vehicle-in-front due to tail light, but if vehicles are approaching from sides where rear lights are not visible it becomes difficult to be aware of the vehicle from a side view specially in less visibility situations.
[0003] In addition, in some cases the hazard indicators, provided for hazard conditions such as fog, is disposed either near the turn signal lamp, the tail lamp, or any other indicator. There is a possibility of mistaking the hazard indicator with any of those indicator units, as the neighboring or the immediate approaching rider are mostly going along with the vehicle and the rear indicator signal may not be clearly noticeable or visible to them. This may also lead to a unsafe condition for riders of both vehicles.
[0004] Therefore, a side alert mechanism is required to solve one or more above mentioned problems.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures.
[0006] Fig. 1 illustrates a straddle type vehicle in accordance with the embodiments of the invention.
[0007] Fig. 2 illustrates an indicating unit of an alert indication mechanism mounted on a transmission assembly of the straddle type vehicle of Fig. 1, in accordance with the embodiments of the invention.
[0008] Fig. 3 illustrates a block diagram for an exemplary embodiment of the alert indication unit, in accordance with the embodiments on the invention.
[0009] Fig. 4 illustrates a block diagram for another exemplary embodiment of the alert indication unit of Fig. 3, in accordance with the embodiments on the invention.
DESCRIPTION
[00010] The following specification describes an alert indication mechanism for a straddle type vehicle. However, the following description does not limit the scope of the invention. The scope of the invention shall entirely depend on the scope of the claims.
[00011] In summary the present subject matter provides an alert indication mechanism in a straddle type vehicle. The mentioned alert indication mechanism includes a user interface unit, an indicator unit, a power source, and a control unit. One of the objectives of the present subject matter is to provide the indication mechanism for the situations such as less visibility for example in fog or any other situation where the vehicle user is required to make others on the road aware of his proximity. The provided summary discloses the exemplary embodiments of the disclosed invention and does not limit the scope of the invention. The scope of the invention will be defined solely by the claims.
[00012] It is an objective of the present invention to provide an alert indication mechanism for a straddle type vehicle that includes a user interface unit, an indicator unit, and a power source. The user interface unit is disposed at one or more locations of the straddle type vehicle. For example, the user interface unit is disposed at a handle bar assembly of the straddle type vehicle in a front portion. The indicator unit is disposed at a predefined location on one or more sides of the vehicle, the predefined location defined by a quadrangle formed below a seat. The power source disposed at one or more locations of the straddle type vehicle, the power source being adapted to provide power input to the indicator unit.
[00013] It is an objective of the present invention to provide the indicator unit at the predefined location defined by the quadrangle is formed by a substantially horizontal imaginary line passing through the seat in longitudinal direction , a first imaginary vertical line extending below a front portion of the seat, a second imaginary line connecting a rear portion of the seat to an axle of a rear wheel of the straddle type vehicle, and a third imaginary line connecting the imaginary line and the imaginary line on the ground level.
[00014] It is an objective of the present invention to provide the alert indication mechanism that includes a control unit disposed at one or more locations of the straddle type vehicle. The control unit is adapted to be communicatively connected to one or more of the indicator unit, the user interface unit, and the power source. The control unit generates a predefined activation signal for the indicator unit. The control unit regulates power flow to the indicator unit from the power source for regular intervals to generate the predefined signal.
[00015] It is another objective of the present invention that the predefined signal pattern is variable based on a traction speed of the straddle type vehicle, and may include an audio indicator, a visual indicator, and an audio-visual indicator. The alert indication unit is disposed substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the straddle type vehicle and is of a predetermined length substantially more than the distance between human eyes. Said predetermined length of the alert indication unit includes a continuous length or a split length.
[00016] Referring to Fig. 1, different embodiments of the straddle type vehicle (hereinafter vehicle) (100) are shown. The vehicle (100) includes a front wheel (101), a front panel assembly (102), a front suspension system (103), a handle bar assembly (104), a frame structure (105), a power unit (not shown), a seat (106), a transmission system (107), a rear wheel (108), a rear suspension system (109), a rear panel assembly (110), and an alert indication mechanism (111). The front wheel (111), the front panel assembly (102), the front suspension system (103), the handle bar assembly (104), front portion (not shown) of the frame structure (105), and the power unit (not shown) are disposed on a front portion F of the vehicle 100. The seat (106), the transmission system (107), the rear wheel (108), the rear suspension system (109), and the rear panel assembly (110) are disposed on a rear portion (R) of the vehicle (100). The alert indication mechanism (111) is disposed at one or more locations of the vehicle (100). Exemplary embodiments and details of the alert indication mechanism (111) are provided as follows.
[00017] Referring to Fig. 2 and Fig 3, the alert indication mechanism (111) includes a user interface unit (112), the indicator unit (113), and the power source (114). In an embodiment, the user interface unit (112) is a manual unit, which is to be used by the user to activate the alert indication mechanism (111). For example, the user interface unit may be a switch or the like. The user interface unit is mounted on the front portion of the vehicle for ease of access for the user. For example, the user interface unit may be mounted on the handle bar assembly. In another embodiment, the user interface unit (112) can be a sensing unit or the like that takes signals from the user or automatically detects the visibility level in the surrounding of the vehicle (100). Such user interface unit (112) can be mounted at one or more locations of the vehicle (100)
[00018] The indicator unit (113) is attached to the side of the vehicle (100) & substantially below a rider seating plane (106S) of the seat (106). As the essential problem to be resolved is to make the vehicle (100) easily identifiable through alert indication mechanism (111), the indicator unit (113) is disposed in a quadrangle (Q) formed below the seat (106). The quadrangle (Q) is formed by a first imaginary vertical line (115) extending below a front portion (106F) of the seat (106) till a ground level (G), a substantially horizontal imaginary line (106I) passing through the seat (106) in longitudinal direction,, a second imaginary line (116) connecting a rear portion (106R) of the seat (106) to an axle (108C) of the rear wheel (108) till the ground level (G), and a third imaginary line (117) connecting the first imaginary vertical line (115) and the second imaginary line (116) on the ground level (G).
[00019] In another embodiment, the indicator unit (113) may be disposed in a quadrangle (not shown) formed by the rider contact point on the seat (106), the knee joint of the rider, the point on the ground where the vertical line from the seat contact point intersects the ground level (G) & the contact point of the rear wheel with the ground level (G).
[00020] The above mentioned quadrangle (Q) forms an effective solution to achieve the objective of maximizing the visibility of the vehicle (100) on either side & thereby ensures safety of the vehicle (100) during riding in less visibility situations. For example, the indicator unit (113) disposed on the transmission system (107) is easily visible and identifiable to approaching vehicle riders from side as well as rear, thereby ensure the security of both riders.
[00021] Additionally, owing to this specific disposition of the alert indication mechanism (111), in case of an audio-visual indication, this helps in effective differentiation of the alert from other vehicle alerts like turn signal, etc. by utilizing the binaural hearing ability of human beings. In one embodiment, the indicator unit (113) is attached to the transmission unit cover of the vehicle as the indication for a neighboring or an immediate approaching vehicle can be distinct and feasible at this location. In some cases, where the indication unit (113), especially in hazard conditions such as fog, is disposed near to the turn signal lamp, the tail lamp, or any other indicator, there is a possibility of mistaking the hazard indicator with any of those indicator units, as the neighboring or the immediate approaching rider are mostly going along with the vehicle and the rear indicator signal may not be clearly noticeable or visible to them. In different embodiments, the indicator unit (113) may include an audio indicator, a visual indicator, an audio-visual indicator, and the like. In a preferred embodiment, the visual indicator unit is mounted on the visible side of the transmission system (107).
[00022] In and embodiment, the alert indication mechanism includes a control unit (118). The control unit (118) is communicatively connected to the user interface unit (112) such that the activation of the user interface unit (112) initiates the control unit (118). The communication between the control unit (118) and the user interface unit (112) may include a wireless communication, a wired communication, and the like.
[00023] The indicator unit (113) is also connected to the power source (114), which is supplying required power to the indicator unit (113) directly upon initiation of the user interface unit (112). In another embodiment, upon initiation of the user interface unit (112), the control unit (118) generates a predefined signal for the indicator unit (113). The control unit (118) limits power flow to the indicator unit (113) from the power source (114) for regular intervals to generate the predefined signal. As a result, the illumination unit (113) appears to be flickering or being illuminated in a pattern that attracts the immediate attention of the neighboring rider. The illumination intensity of the indicator unit (113) may include any visible high intensity light such as a red illumination or a fluorescent illumination, or the like suitable for the requirement of the vehicle (100). In another embodiment, the pattern of the illumination & / or the audio-visual signal is configured to change based on the speed of the vehicle (100) e.g. the pattern or the intensity of the signal may provide additional information about the speed of travel of the vehicle thereby further enhancing the safety of the vehicle (100). It is another aspect of the present invention to have the visual alert indicator in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle & of predetermined length x such that x is substantially more than the distance between human eyes i.e. 60 mm. This become important especially when the distance between the vehicle (100) & the pedestrian or rider to be alerted is less than 6 meters which is the minimum distance for the lens of human eye to achieve flatness. In another embodiment, the visual alert system may be split into two halves separated by predetermined distance.
[00024] In another embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, the control unit (118) is communicating to the power source (114) and the power source (114) is further connected to indicator unit (113). Upon initiation of the user interface unit (112), the control unit (118) is activated to generate the predefined signal. The generated predefined signal initiates the power flow from the power source (114) to the indicator unit (113). In this particular embodiment, the power flow from the power source (112) to the indicator unit (113) will only start after the generation of the predefined signal. In an embodiment, the power source (113) may be same as that of power unit (not shown) of the vehicle (100) such as in electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles. The exemplary embodiments and the description provided in the present specification do not limit the scope of the invention and the scope of the invention shall entirely depend on the claims.
[00025] LIST OF REFERENCES
100 Vehicle
101 Front wheel of 100
102 Front panel assembly of 100
103 Front suspension system of 100
104 Handle bar assembly of 100
105 Frame structure of 100
106 Seat of 100
106S Rider seating plane of 106
106F Front portion of 106
106R Rear portion of 106
106I Horizontal imaginary line (106I) passing through 106
107 Transmission system of 100
108 Rear wheel of 100
108C Axle of 108
109 Rear suspension system of 100
110 Rear panel assembly of 100
111 Alert indication mechanism of 100
112 User interface unit of 111
113 Indicator unit of 111
114 Power source of 111
115 First imaginary vertical line
116 Second imaginary line
117 Third imaginary line
118 Control unit of 111
G Ground level
Q Quadrangle form by 106, 115, 116, and 117
,CLAIMS:WE CLAIM:
1) An alert indication mechanism (111) for a straddle type vehicle (100), the alert indication mechanism (111) comprising:
an user interface unit (112) disposed at one or more locations of the straddle type vehicle (100);
an indicator unit (111) disposed at a predefined location on one or more sides of the straddle type vehicle (100), the predefined location defined by a quadrangle (Q) formed below a seat (106) of the straddle type vehicle (100); and
a power source (114) disposed at one or more locations of the straddle type vehicle (100), the power source (114) being adapted to provide power input to the indicator unit (111).
2) The alert indication mechanism (111), as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user interface unit (112) is disposed on a handle bar assembly (104) in a front portion (F) of the straddle type vehicle (100).
3) The alert indication mechanism (111) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the quadrangle (Q) is formed by a substantially horizontal imaginary line (106I) passing through the seat (106) in longitudinal direction, a first imaginary vertical line (115) extending below from the front most portion (106F) of the seat (106), a second imaginary line (116) connecting a rearmost portion (106R) of the seat (106) to an axle (108C) of a rear wheel (108) of the straddle type vehicle (100), and a third imaginary line (117) connecting the first vertical imaginary line (115) and the second imaginary line (116) on the ground level (G).
4) The alert indication mechanism (111) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the alert indication mechanism (111) includes a control unit (118) disposed at one or more locations of the straddle type vehicle (100), the control unit (118) being adapted to be communicatively connected to one or more of the indicator unit (113), the user interface unit (112), and the power source (114).
5) The alert indication mechanism (111) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the control unit (118) generates a predefined signal pattern for the indicator unit (113).
6) The alert indication mechanism (111) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the control unit (118) regulates power flow to the indicator unit (113) from the power source (114) for regular intervals to generate the predefined signal pattern.
7) The alert indication mechanism (111), as claimed in claim 4 and claim 5, wherein the predefined signal pattern is variable based on a traction speed of the straddle type vehicle (100).
8) The alert indication mechanism (111), as claimed in claim 1, the indicator unit (113) includes one or more of an audio indicator, a visual indicator, and an audio-visual indicator.
9) The alert indication mechanism (111), as claimed in claim 7, wherein the indicator unit (113) is disposed substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis A-A’ of the straddle type vehicle (100).
10) The alert indication mechanism (111), as claimed in claim 8, wherein the indicator unit (113) is of a predetermined length substantially more than the distance between human eyes, the predetermined length of the indicator unit (113) includes a continuous length or a split length.