DESC:FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present subject matter is related, in general to two-wheeled vehicles, and more particularly, but not exclusively to a two-wheeled vehicle comprising a relay.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Electric vehicles are powered by a motor for which power is supplied by a battery. Due to increased demand of range, acceleration and power, battery capacity in the vehicle is to be increased. Conventionally, the battery of the electric vehicles are charged using domestic electricity at home or are charged at external charging stations. Typically, the external charging stations provide high current and thus reduce the time required for charging of the battery.
[0003] However, if there is a sudden power surge at the external charging stations and the current delivered to the battery is very high then the battery may get damaged. In an embodiment, if faulty power supply gets connected to the battery directly then the battery would be damaged. The battery is the costliest part in an electric vehicle and such damage is not desirable. Thus, it is necessary to prevent the battery from variations of current provided by the external charging stations.
[0004] Further, state of the electric vehicles utilize an isolation circuit, such as a relay between the battery and the external charging stations. In an embodiment, one or more relays are utilized to monitor make and break between the charging circuit and the battery. Typically, the one or more relays are used between the battery and the fast charging port.
[0005] Conventionally, the relay is mounted below a seat assembly or on either sides of a utility box. However, with the advent of new technologies and new electric vehicles, the size of the utility box has been increased. Thus, due to space constraints, it is not possible to mount the relay below the seat assembly or on either sides of the utility box. Also, due to the increased number of components in the electric vehicles, compactly mounting the components is a major technical problem.
[0006] Additionally, due to increase in the size of the utility box, the vehicle control unit (VCU) is moved to the rearmost portion of the vehicle. Thus, the distance between the existing position of relay mounting and the new position of the VCU increased which leads to additional wiring requirement. Further, compact packaging of all the electrical components of the electric vehicle is important. Thus, there is a need to mount the relay close to the VCU and a charging port to avoid lengthy wires so as to minimize the losses due to long wires.
[0007] Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of described systems with some aspects of the present disclosure, as set forth in the remainder of the present application and with reference to the drawings.
SUMMARY
[0008] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
[0009] According to embodiments illustrated herein, there is provided a two-wheeled vehicle comprising a rear frame assembly comprising a pillion cross arm located at a rear end portion of the rear frame assembly. The two-wheeled vehicle comprises one or more relays mounted on a bracket in an inclined position. In an embodiment, the bracket is mounted on the pillion cross arm.
[00010] According to embodiments illustrated herein, there is provided a method for mounting one or more relays in a two-wheeled vehicle. The method comprises steps of mounting the one or more relays on a bracket in an inclined position. In an embodiment, the bracket is mounted on a pillion cross arm. In an embodiment, the pillion cross arm is located at a rear end portion of a rear frame assembly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[00011] The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein
[00012] Figure 1 shows a side view of an electric two-wheeled vehicle, incorporating the invention.
[00013] Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a frame structure of the electric two-wheeled vehicle according to the present invention.
[00014] Figure 3 illustrates a rear frame assembly comprising the pillion cross arm and a bracket mounted on the pillion cross arm, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[00015] Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the rear frame assembly illustrating the pillion cross arm, the bracket and the relay, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[00016] Figure 5 depicts the relay mounted in the bracket, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[00017] The present disclosure may be best understood with reference to the detailed figures and description set forth herein. Various embodiments are discussed below with reference to the figures. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed descriptions given herein with respect to the figures are simply for explanatory purposes as the methods and systems may extend beyond the described embodiments. For example, the teachings presented and the needs of a particular application may yield multiple alternative and suitable approaches to implement the functionality of any detail described herein. Therefore, any approach may extend beyond the particular implementation choices in the following embodiments described and shown.
[00018] References to “one embodiment,” “at least one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “one example,” “an example,” “for example,” and so on indicate that the embodiment(s) or example(s) may include a particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation but that not every embodiment or example necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation. Further, repeated use of the phrase “in an embodiment” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.
[00019] The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with different embodiments. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather those embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
[00020] The present invention is illustrated with a scooter type electric vehicle However, a person skilled in the art would appreciate that the present invention is not limited to a scooter type electric vehicle and certain features, aspects and advantages of embodiments of the present invention can be used with other types of two wheelers such as motorcycle type electric vehicle, step thru, and the like. In an embodiment, the scooter type electric vehicle comprises a low floor board type vehicle and the term scooter as used herein should not be inferred to restrict the maximum speed, the displacement amount or the like of the vehicle.
[00021] The object of the present subject matter is to provide a method and a two-wheeled vehicle for mounting a relay. Another aspect of the present subject matter provides a relay mounted in an inclined position on a bracket that is mounted on a pillion cross arm. Yet another aspect of the present subject matter provides a relay located at a rear portion of the two-wheeled vehicle between a battery and charger unit so as to minimize the transmission losses.
[00022] Another aspect of the present subject matter provides a a vehicle control unit (VCU) configured to determine health of an external charging system after connecting the external charging system to the charger port. In an embodiment, the health of the external charging system is classified into one of faulty and faultless. Still another aspect of the present subject matter provides the VCU that is configured to control operation of the one or more relays (9) based on the determination.
[00023] Yet another aspect of the present subject matter provides a relays mounted such that the relays is below a pillion handle which is connected to the pillion handle cross arm. Another aspect of the present subject matter provides the bracket which is mounted on the pillion cross arm at an angle of inclination within a range of 40 degrees to 45 degrees.
[00024] Figure 1 shows a side view of an electric two-wheeled vehicle (1), incorporating the invention.
[00025] With reference to Figure 1, (1) denotes a two-wheeled vehicle, (2) denotes a front wheel, (3) denotes a rear wheel, (4) denotes a battery, (5) denotes a rear frame assembly, (6) denotes a head tube, and (7) denotes a main frame. In an embodiment, the main frame (7) extends along a center of a body of the two-wheeled vehicle (1) from a front portion of the vehicle and extending in a rearwardly direction. The main frame (7) is made up of a metallic pipe. In an embodiment, the two-wheeled vehicle (1) comprises an instrument cluster that houses various displays and indicators that enable a rider to operate the two-wheeled vehicle (1).
[00026] In an embodiment, the main frame (7) is provided under the floor board for a scooter type vehicle. A swing type power unit is coupled to the rear end of the main frame (7) for a scooter type vehicle. A rear wheel (3) is supported on one side of the rear end of the swing type power unit. In an embodiment, the swing type power unit is suspended in the rear of a body frame for a scooter type vehicle.
[00027] The center of the body for a scooter type vehicle forms a low floor board for functioning as a part for putting feet and a under cowl which is located below a rider's seat and covers at least a part of the engine. In an embodiment, the under cowl is made up of metal or resin. The under cowl is hinged to the seat. Further, a utility box opens from the rear end to hinged portion. In an embodiment, the utility box is provided under the seat extending longitudinally of a vehicle body and the inside of the utility box has a large capacity so that a large article, such as a helmet can be housed. Additionally, in a scooter type vehicle, side covers both on left and right sides, cover the utility box and other parts of the vehicle, thereby providing a good appearance to the vehicle.
[00028] Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a frame structure of the electric two-wheeled vehicle according to the present invention.
[00029] With reference to figure 2, (4) denotes the battery, (5) denotes the rear frame assembly, (6) denotes the head tube, (7) denotes the main frame, (8) denotes the bracket, (9) denotes the relay and (10) denotes the pillion cross arm. The rear frame assembly (5) comprises a pillion cross arm (10) located at a rear end portion of the rear frame assembly. The two-wheeled vehicle (1) further comprises one or more relays (9) mounted on a bracket (8) in an inclined position. In an embodiment, the bracket (8) is mounted on the pillion cross arm (10). In an embodiment, the bracket (8) is mounted on the pillion cross arm (10) at an angle of inclination within a range of 40 degrees to 45 degrees. In a preferred embodiment, the angle of inclination is 42.330 degrees.
[00030] In an embodiment, the one or more relays (9) is mounted facing in a downward direction. In an embodiment, the one or more relays (9) is located at a rear portion of the two-wheeled vehicle (1) between a battery (4) and a charger unit to minimize the transmission losses. The battery (4) is disposed under a seat assembly or below a floorboard. The charger unit is disposed in the rear portion of the two-wheeled vehicle (1). In an embodiment, a charger port is disposed above a tail lamp and the charger unit is disposed below the charger port. In an embodiment, the one or more relays (9) is located at the rear portion of the two-wheeled vehicle (1) below a pillion handle cross arm.
[00031] In an embodiment, the one or more relays (9) is mounted near a vehicle control unit (VCU), the charger port and a wiring harness. The location of the charger port is at a rear end of the vehicle and is similar to petrol filling area in vehicle and thus the customer does not find any difficulty as the customer is used to the location in the vehicle. In an embodiment, the one or more relays (9) is mounted such that the one or more relays (9) is below a pillion handle which is connected to the pillion handle cross arm. In an embodiment, the one or more relays (9) links three electrical parts i.e., the battery, the VCU and the charging port. The one or more relays (9) is placed closest to the VCU and the charging port, thereby minimizing the connection wiring harness length.
[00032] The VCU comprises suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that is configured to determine health of an external charging system after connecting the external charging system to the charger port. In an embodiment, the health of the external charging system is classified into one of faulty and faultless. The VCU is configured to control operation of the one or more relays (9) based on the determined health of the external charging system.
[00033] In an embodiment, if the health of the external charging system is faulty then the one or more relays (9) is maintained in open condition and a battery (4) of the vehicle is not charged. In an embodiment, if the health of the external charging system is faultless then the one or more relays (9) is maintained in closed condition and the battery (4) of the vehicle is charged.
[00034] Figure 3 illustrates a rear frame assembly comprising the pillion cross arm and a bracket mounted on the pillion cross arm, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 3 specifically shows a back side view of the rear portion of the rear frame assembly displaying the bracket (8) and a rear portion of the pillion cross arm (10).
[00035] Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the rear frame assembly (5) illustrating the pillion cross arm (10), the bracket (8) and the relay (9), in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in figure 4, the bracket (8) is mounted on the pillion cross arm (10) at an angle of inclination within a range of 40 degrees to 45 degrees. In a preferred embodiment, the angle of inclination is 42.330 degrees. Further, the one or more relays (9) are mounted on the bracket (8) which is installed in the inclined position. Figure 5 depicts the relay 9 mounted in the bracket (8), in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[00036] In an embodiment, the relay (9) may correspond to a fast charging relay (9). The relay (9) may be mounted in a rear side of the rear frame assembly (5). The relay (9) may be located behind a utility box and below a bridge tube of the vehicle (1). In an embodiment, the relay (9) may correspond to a high speed contactor relay. The high speed contactor relay is positioned between the VCU and the battery. The VCU is configured to check health of the power supply and load before closing the circuit and allowing power flow from the battery to the load. In an embodiment, the relay (9) is mounted in the rear frame assembly. In an embodiment, two parallel relays are positioned on a left rail of the rear frame assembly and on either side of the VCU.
[00037] A person with ordinary skills in the art will appreciate that the systems, modules, and sub-modules have been illustrated and explained to serve as examples and should not be considered limiting in any manner. It will be further appreciated that the variants of the above disclosed system elements, modules, and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined to create other different systems or applications.
[00038] The terms “an embodiment”, “embodiment”, “embodiments”, “the embodiment”, “the embodiments”, “one or more embodiments”, “some embodiments”, and “one embodiment” mean “one or more (but not all) embodiments of the invention(s)” unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms “including”, “comprising”, “having” and variations thereof mean “including but not limited to”, unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms “a”, “an” and “the” mean “one or more”, unless expressly specified otherwise.
Advantages
[00039] The disclosed claimed limitations and the disclosure provided herein provides an ideal mounting location of relay to minimise losses as the relay is closer to the charging port and the vehicle control unit and the wire length is also reduced. The claimed relay in conjunction with the VCU further ensure protection of the battery from excess power being supplied to the battery during charging from external charging stations. Further, safety of the customer is ensured as if the battery health is fine however, if the health of the external charging stations is not fine then there is a risk of fire within the battery. Thus, the relay acts a safety component. The claimed invention ensures that durability of the battery is increased because of the safe functioning of the relay. Further, compact packaging of the relay component in the existing layout is achieved by the claimed invention. Additionally, there is ease in access due to location of the relay for replacement and servicing.
[00040] Thus, the disclosed method and system tries to overcome to technical problem of compactly mounting the relay without increasing any space requirement. Additionally, by mounting the relays on a bracket in an inclined position, such that the bracket (8) is mounted on the pillion cross arm (10), the relay is located close to the VCU and a charging port to avoid lengthy wires so as to minimize the losses due to long wires. Thus, the claimed limitations overcome the aforementioned technical problems by mounting the relays on a bracket in an inclined position, such that the bracket (8) is mounted on the pillion cross arm (10).
[00041] In light of the above-mentioned advantages and the technical advancements provided by the disclosed method and system, the claimed steps as discussed above are not routine, conventional, or well understood in the art, as the claimed steps enable the following solutions to the existing problems in conventional technologies. Further, the claimed steps clearly bring an improvement in the functioning of the device itself as the claimed steps provide a technical solution to a technical problem.
[00042] A description of an embodiment with several components in communication with a other does not imply that all such components are required, On the contrary, a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the invention,
[00043] Finally, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter and is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based here on. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention are intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
[00044] While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.
[00045] The present disclosure may be realized in hardware, or a combination of hardware and software. The present disclosure may be realized in a centralized fashion, in at least one computer system, or in a distributed fashion, where different elements may be spread across several interconnected computer systems, a computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein may be suited. A combination of hardware and software may be a general-purpose computer system with a computer program that, when loaded and executed, may control the computer system such that it carries out the methods described herein. The present disclosure may be realized in hardware that comprises a portion of an integrated circuit that also performs other functions.
[00046] A person with ordinary skills in the art will appreciate that the systems, modules, and sub-modules have been illustrated and explained to serve as examples and should not be considered limiting in any manner. It will be further appreciated that the variants of the above disclosed system elements, modules, and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined to create other different systems or applications.
[00047] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any of the aforementioned steps and/or system modules may be suitably replaced, reordered, or removed, and additional steps and/or system modules may be inserted, depending on the needs of a particular application. In addition, the systems of the aforementioned embodiments may be implemented using a wide variety of suitable processes and system modules, and are not limited to any particular computer hardware, software, middleware, firmware, microcode, and the like. The claims can encompass embodiments for hardware and software, or a combination thereof.
[00048] While the present disclosure has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
,CLAIMS:I/We claim:

1. A two-wheeled vehicle (1) comprising:
a head tube (6), a main frame (7), a front wheel (2), a rear wheel (3)
a rear frame assembly (5), the rear frame assembly (5) including a pillion cross arm (10) located at a rear end portion of the rear frame assembly (5);
a bracket (8), the bracket (8) being mounted on the pillion cross arm (10); and
one or more relays (9), the one or more relays (9) being mounted on the bracket (8) in an inclined position, for minimising wiring harness losses and achieving compact layout of the vehicle (1) .

2. The two-wheeled vehicle (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more relays (9) being mounted with its coupling side facing in a downward direction at a predetermined angle of inclination, for achieving ease of access.

3. The two-wheeled vehicle (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more relays (9) being located between a battery (4), the battery (4) being disposed under one of a seat assembly and below a floorboard, and a charger unit (not shown), the charger unit being disposed in the rear portion of the two-wheeled vehicle (1), for minimising wiring transmission losses.

4. The two-wheeled vehicle (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more relays (9) being located below the pillion handle cross arm (10).

5. The two-wheeled vehicle (1) as claimed in claim 1, comprising a charger port (not shown), the charger port being capable of coupling with a charger for charging a battery (4) of the vehicle (1), the charger port being disposed above a tail lamp of the vehicle (1).

6. The two-wheeled vehicle (1) as claimed in claim 5, comprising a vehicle control unit (VCU) configured to:
determine health of an external charging system after connecting the external charging system to the charger port, wherein health of the external charging system being classified into one of faulty and faultless; and
control operation of the one or more relays (9) being based on the determination.

7. The two-wheeled vehicle (1) as claimed in claim 6, wherein when the health of the external charging system being determined as faulty, the one or more relays (9) being maintained in an open condition leading to a battery (4) of the vehicle being not charged, and wherein when the health of the external charging system being determined as faultless, the one or more relays (9) being maintained in a closed condition leading to the battery (4) of the vehicle being charged.

8. The two-wheeled vehicle (1) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the one or more relays (9) being mounted near the VCU, the charger port and a wiring harness.

9. The two-wheeled vehicle (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more relays (9) being disposed below a pillion handle (not shown), the pillion handle being connected to the pillion handle cross arm (10).

10. The two-wheeled vehicle (1) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the predetermined angle of inclination being within a range of 40 degrees to 45 degrees.