Heated handguard for motorbikes or other vehicles with a handlebar

Abstract

The invention relates to a heated handguard for motorbikes or other vehicles with a handlebar, which can be used on both motorbikes and other vehicles (5), which comprises a protective piece (2) attached to the handlebar (5) of the vehicle, with a channel (8) that allows air to pass therethrough between an inlet end (8a) on the front part (2a) of the protective piece (2) and an outlet end (8b) on the rear part (2b) of the protective piece (2), and a heat source (9) that heats the air passing through the channel (8), such that the cold air entering through the front part of the handguard (1) is heated before hitting the rider's hand and fingers holding the handgrip (6) of the handlebar (5). Preferably, the heat source (9) is an electric heating device. Preferably, the temperature of the heat source (9) is adjustable. Preferably, the amount of air passing through the channel can be adjusted in terms of the volume and / or direction of the flow out of the channel.

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] HEATED HAND GUARDS FOR MOTORCYCLES OR OTHER VEHICLES

[0003] WITH HANDLEBAR

[0004] OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The invention, as expressed in the title of this specification, relates to a heated handguard for motorcycles or other vehicles with handlebars that provides, for its intended function, advantages and features, which are described in detail below.

[0006] The object of the present invention lies in a motorcycle handguard, of the type formed by a piece of equipment designed to protect the driver's hands from external elements and possible impacts during driving, which is incorporated at the ends of the handlebars, on the front part of the grips, which has the particularity of comprising means to warm the user's hands that represent an improvement compared to other known systems for this purpose, as it is based on an air circulation system that warms the dorsal part of the hand and fingers, and can also be applicable to other vehicles with handlebars that can incorporate handguards, such as electric bicycles, electric scooters, sidecars, etc.

[0007] FIELD OF APPLICATION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The field of application of the present invention falls within the sector of the industry dedicated to the manufacture of motorcycles and accessories for motorcycles and other vehicles with handlebars, focusing particularly on the field of handguards, while also covering the sector of accessories, apparatus and devices for warming hands for motorcycles or other vehicles with handlebars.

[0009] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0010] As is well known, when riding in low temperatures on vehicles with handlebars, such as motorcycles, where the driver's hands are a part of the body directly exposed to the wind and cold, they may have to endure very low temperatures, even freezing, which poses a very dangerous problem because the fingers can become numb and stiff, making it difficult to operate the vehicle's controls.

[0011] Currently, this is resolved either by parking the vehicle and warming the fingers and hands by rubbing them together or in some other way, or by using heated accessories or devices, since the use of conventional gloves or hand guards is not sufficient to prevent this numbness of the fingers when temperatures are very low.

[0012] Specifically, the solutions that currently exist for this problem are basically the following:

[0013] - Heated grips. These are electric heating devices built into the rubber or plastic handlebar grips of a vehicle. Their disadvantage is that they only heat the part of the hand and fingers that physically contact the grip. They do not heat the outside of the hand or fingers, leaving the outer part exposed to the cold, which can cause frostbite.

[0014] - Heated hand warmers. Also known as "muffs" or "mittens," these are bags or covers that fit around the motorcycle's handlebar grips and feature a heat-insulating material around the entire hand and part of the forearm. They can also be permanently attached to the motorcycle. While this system achieves good results in eliminating the cold from the fingers, it seriously compromises rider safety, as it can limit finger mobility and ease of access to the motorcycle's controls. It also significantly impacts the motorcycle's design.

[0015] Heated gloves. These gloves are similar to traditional gloves, but are equipped with electric heating elements inside. In this case, although they offer greater mobility and dexterity than mittens, which can be beneficial for handling the motorcycle's controls, they do not provide the necessary thermal comfort, as they do not warm the fingers and are somewhat cumbersome and inefficient. Furthermore, since they are independent of the motorcycle, rather than being connected to it, they are powered by batteries, so their life is limited by the lithium batteries they incorporate, which is usually about 3 hours at half power. Another drawback is their high price.

[0016] The objective of the present invention is, therefore, the development of an improved heating system for the hands of motorcycle drivers, or other vehicles with handlebars such as bicycles, scooters, etc., which makes it possible to avoid the described problems of current solutions by taking advantage of an element that is already designed to cover and protect the hands of these vehicles, such as the hand guard, and which is currently only intended as protection by way of a physical barrier against impacts from foreign bodies or against knocks or rubbing against obstacles.

[0017] On the other hand, and as a reference to the current state of the art, it should be noted that, at least on the part of the applicant, the existence of any other heated handguard, or any other invention of similar application, that presents technical, structural and constitutive characteristics equal to or similar to those claimed here, is unknown.

[0018] EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] The heated handguard for motorcycles or other vehicles with handlebars that the invention proposes is configured as an optimal solution to the objectives previously indicated which, at the same time, represents an improvement of the current state of the art, the characterizing details that make it possible and that distinguish it being conveniently included in the final claims that accompany this description.

[0020] Specifically, what the invention proposes, as previously indicated, is a motorcycle handguard which, being of the type comprising a piece of protection against impacts that is incorporated in the ends of the handlebar, on the front part of the same and coinciding with the grips with which the user holds the handlebar to drive the vehicle, in addition to said piece designed to protect the driver's hands from external elements and possible impacts during driving, is distinguished by comprising means to warm the user's hands.To this end, and more specifically, the protection piece, provided with a screen-like shape and provided at its ends, at least one of them, with means for fixing it to the handlebar, incorporates a channel, which defines a channel that allows air to pass through it, and a heat source, such that cold air enters through the front part of the hand guard, penetrating through an inlet end of the channel driven by the movement of the vehicle itself, and after being conducted by the internal geometry of said channel, it is expelled through the outlet at the opposite end, at the rear part of the hand guard, impacting as hot air on the hand and fingers of the driver who is holding the handlebar grip, completely heating the entire hand.

[0021] Preferably, the heat source is an electric heating device inserted between the holes of a grid provided inside the channel, such that the cold air passes through the holes of said grid and is conveniently conducted and heated.

[0022] Thanks to the rigorously calculated geometry of the aforementioned channel of the handguard of the invention and the geometry, the cold air, which impacts against the handguard at a determined speed, regulates the inlet flow and maintains the necessary pressure so that the heat source can convert said cold air into hot air in a controlled manner.

[0023] Optionally, the air flow rate passing through the channel can be regulated, for example, by means of a movable blade that allows the amplitude and / or direction of the flow exiting the channel to be controlled.

[0024] And, also optionally, the heating device is temperature-adjustable, through a thermostat, allowing you to control the temperature to which the air passing through it is heated.

[0025] With this, the hand guard allows you to regulate the air flow that passes through the holes of the heat source, converting the cold incoming air as it passes through, which can be at a temperature of 0 o or even lower, in warm air between 35° and 60°, depending on the pressure generated by the speed of the motorcycle.

[0026] The main advantage of the heated handguard of the invention is that it warms the outside of the hand and fingers, preventing the sensation of cold that other existing products fail to address. By supplying and directing warm air to these areas, the fingers and hands become stiffer, thereby maintaining the vehicle user's ability to operate the controls.

[0027] Furthermore, since the handguard is separated from the grip and does not affect hand mobility and the ability to operate the vehicle's controls, it is a system that increases road safety, greatly improves users' thermal comfort, and eliminates the need to interrupt the journey to warm up fingers and hands.

[0028] Furthermore, it should be noted that the heating device included in the handguard is preferably powered by the vehicle's own electrical energy, for example, through a connector provided for this purpose at one end of the handguard's attachment to the handlebar. However, the inclusion of batteries or accumulators to provide an autonomous electrical supply is not ruled out.

[0029] Finally, as already noted, the handguard is applicable to both motorcycles and other vehicles with handlebars that can incorporate handguards, such as electric bicycles, electric scooters, sidecars, etc. Logically, the described handguard is designed to manufacture two symmetrical units, one on the right, to be placed in front of the grip at the right end of the handlebar, and another on the left, to be placed in front of the grip at the left end of the handlebar.

[0030] DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] To complement the description being made and in order to help better understand the characteristics of the invention, a drawing is attached to this specification, as an integral part thereof, in which the following has been represented for illustrative and non-limiting purposes:

[0032] Figures 1 and 2 show perspective views, front and rear respectively, of an example of the heated handguard for motorcycles or other vehicles with handlebars, object of the invention, represented in the use position incorporated on the end of the handlebar of a vehicle, appreciating its configuration and arrangement; Figures 3 and 4 show perspective views, rear and front respectively, of the example of the heated handguard of the invention shown in the preceding figures, in this case represented independently, appreciating the parts and elements it comprises; Figure 5 shows a rear perspective view of the handguard shown in Figures 3 and 4, in this case from a point of view opposite to that of Figure 3; Figure 6.- Shows a top plan view of the example of the handguard according to the invention shown in the preceding figures; Figure 7 shows a rear elevation view of the example of the handguard according to the invention shown in the preceding figures; and Figures 8 and 9 show respective side, internal, and external elevation views of the example of the handguard according to the invention shown in the preceding figures.

[0033] PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0034] In view of the aforementioned figures, and in accordance with the numbering adopted, one can observe in them a non-limiting embodiment of the heated handguard of the invention, which comprises what is described in detail below.

[0035] Thus, as can be seen in said figures, especially in figures 1 and 2, the hand guard (1) of the invention, applicable to both motorcycles and other vehicles with handlebars, such as electric bicycles, electric scooters, sidecars, or others, comprises, in a known manner:

[0036] - a protection piece (2) having a screen-shaped configuration, normally horizontally elongated and slightly curved-concave, defining a concave area on its front face (2a), oriented towards the front of the vehicle and a convex area on the opposite rear face (2b), and - fixing means (3, 4) at least on one of the lateral ends of the protection piece (2), preferably at both ends, internal (2c) and external (2d), to fix said protection piece (2) to the handlebar (5) of the vehicle, between the distal end of the grip (6) and an intermediate point of said handlebar, such that the protection piece (2) covers the brake lever (7) and other operating controls that the handlebar (5) may have, this protection piece (2) being parallel and separated from the grip (6) at a distance sufficient so as not to interfere with the movement of the hand to act on said controls.

[0037] And, based on said already known configuration, the handguard (1) of the invention is distinguished because, in addition to the above, it also comprises:

[0038] - a channel (8) allowing air to pass through it between an inlet end (8a) in the front part (2a) of the protection piece (2) and an outlet end (8b) in the rear part (2b) of said protection piece (2), and

[0039] - a heat source (9) that heats the air passing through the channel (8) in such a way that the cold air entering through the front part of the hand guard (1) is heated before impacting on the hand and fingers of the driver holding the grip (6) of the handlebar (5).

[0040] Preferably, the heat source (9) is an electric heating device inserted between the holes of the grid (10) inside the channel (8).

[0041] Preferably, the heat source (9) is incorporated in a grid (10) provided inside the channel (8).

[0042] Although not shown in the figures, the electric heating device comprising the heat source (9) is preferably powered by the vehicle's own electrical energy. However, the additional or alternative inclusion of batteries or cells for autonomous electrical supply is not ruled out.

[0043] In any case, optionally, the heat source (9) is temperature adjustable, for example, through a thermostat, to be able to control at will the temperature to which the air passing through it is heated.

[0044] For its part, also optionally, the air flow that passes through the channel (8) is adjustable, for example, through a mobile blade that allows controlling the amplitude and / or the direction of the flow exiting the channel.

[0045] Looking at figures 3 to 9, it can be seen how, in a preferred embodiment, the channel (8) that incorporates the protection piece (2) has a flat oval section configuration, that is, rectangular in shape with short semicircular sides, whose major axis, which covers practically the entire central front area (20) of said protection piece (2), is oriented in coincidence with the longitudinal axis of the grip (6) of the handlebar (5) when the hand guard (1) is fixed to it.

[0046] Furthermore, preferably, the upper edge of the inlet end (8a) of the channel (8) has a plurality of slots (8c) intended to regulate the flow of cold inlet air.

[0047] For its part, preferably, the protection piece (2) has a central front area (20), which when the hand guard (1) is placed on the handlebar (5), is substantially parallel to the grip (6), and two arms (21, 22) that extend at an angle from both sides of the central area (20), at the respective internal (2c) and external (2d) lateral ends of the protection piece (2), said arms being provided, at their respective distal ends, with the fixing means (3, 4) to the handlebar (5).

[0048] Preferably, a first arm (21) at the internal lateral end (2c) of the piece (2) is shorter and has an obtuse angle (a) with the central area (20) of the protection piece (2) and includes a U-shaped anchor as an internal fixing means (3), to fix the protection piece (2) by said internal lateral end (2c) to an intermediate point of the handlebar (5).

[0049] And, preferably, a second arm (22) at the external lateral end (2d) is longer and has a right angle (a') with the central area (20) of the protection piece (2) and includes a circular anchor as an external fixing means (4) to fix the protection piece (2) by said external lateral end (2d) at the distal end of the handlebar grip (6).

[0050] It is worth mentioning that, optionally, the protection piece (2), in the upper part of the central piece (20) has one or two protuberances (23) that extend upwards to expand the protection coverage area of ​​said protection piece (2).

[0051] Finally, and also optionally, the air passing through the channel (8) is driven by a fan.

[0052] Alternatively, and also optionally, the air passing through the channel (8) is decelerated by a turbine that generates electricity. The generated electricity can be used to power, at least partially, the heat source.

[0053] In one embodiment of the invention, the heat source (9) is a channel (8) itself that heats the air that passes through it. For example, the air that passes through the channel (8) increases in temperature thanks to the friction it receives from the channel (8) itself. Having sufficiently described the nature of the present invention, as well as the manner of putting it into practice, it is not considered necessary to elaborate further so that any expert in the field understands its scope and the advantages derived from it.

Claims

CLAIMS 1.- Heated handguard for motorcycles or other vehicles with handlebars, applicable to both motorcycles and other vehicles with handlebars, such as electric bicycles, electric scooters, sidecars, or others, and comprising a protection piece (2) in the form of a screen, with a front face (2a) oriented towards the front of the vehicle and an opposite rear face (2b), and fixing means (3, 4) at one or both ends, internal (2c) and external (2d) sides of the protection piece (2), to fix it to the handlebar (5) of the vehicle, is characterized by comprising: - a channel (8) allowing air to pass through it between an inlet end (8a) in the front part (2a) of the protection piece (2) and an outlet end (8b) in the rear part (2b) of said protection piece (2), and - a heat source (9) that heats the air passing through the channel (8) in such a way that the cold air entering through the front part of the hand guard (1) is heated before impacting on the hand and fingers of the driver holding the grip (6) of the handlebar (5). 2.- Heated handguard for motorcycles or other vehicles with handlebars, according to claim 2, characterized in that the heat source (9) is an electric heating device. 3.- Heated handguard for motorcycles or other vehicles with handlebars, according to claim 2, characterized in that the heat source (9) is incorporated in a grid (10) provided inside the channel (8). 4.- Heated handguard for motorcycles or other vehicles with handlebars, according to any of claims 2-3, characterized in that the electric heating device is powered by the vehicle's own electrical energy. 5.- Heated handguard for motorcycles or other vehicles with handlebars, according to any of claims 2-3, characterized in that the electric heating device includes batteries or cells with an autonomous electrical supply. 6.- Heated handguard for motorcycles or other vehicles with handlebars, according to any of claims 2-5, characterized in that the heat source (9) is of adjustable temperature. 7.- Heated handguard for motorcycles or other vehicles with handlebars, according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the air flow passing through the channel is adjustable in amplitude and / or the direction of the flow exiting the channel. 8.- Heated hand guard for motorcycles or other vehicles with handlebars, according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that the channel (8) has a flat oval section configuration whose major axis covers practically an entire central front area (20) of the protection piece (2) and is oriented in coincidence with the longitudinal axis of the grip (6) of the handlebar (5) when the hand guard (1) is fixed to it. 9.- Heated hand guard for motorcycles or other vehicles with handlebars, according to claim 8, characterized in that the upper edge of the inlet end (8a) of the channel (8) has a plurality of slots (8c) intended to regulate the flow of cold inlet air. 10.- Heated handguard for motorcycles or other vehicles with handlebars, according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the air passing through the channel (8) is driven by a fan. 11.- Heated handguard for motorcycles or other vehicles with handlebars, according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the air passing through the channel (8) is slowed down by a turbine. 12.- Heated handguard for motorcycles or other vehicles with handlebars, according to any of claims 1, 7-11, characterized in that the heat source (9) is a channel (8) that heats the air that passes through it.

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