Electric Vehicle Throttle Lever Tactile Startability Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric vehicles lack a convenient method for drivers to determine if the vehicle is ready to start without visually checking the display section, as previous solutions fail to indicate the completion or incompleteness of preparation operations.
Innovation Solution
An electric vehicle with a steering device featuring first and second gripping members, a throttle, a brake lever, an adjustment lever with a position sensor, and a controller that manages the electric motor's activation based on the adjustment lever's state, allowing drivers to recognize startability through tactile means.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a display section is used to indicate vehicle startability, then information can be provided to the driver, but the driver must visually check the display which reduces convenience
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the information feedback into two separate channels: visual feedback through a display section and tactile feedback through operation members (throttle, brake lever, adjustment lever). This segmentation allows the driver to receive startability information through multiple senses, specifically enabling tactile confirmation through the operational state of control members without requiring visual attention to a display screen.
2Speed
If the electric motor is activated immediately upon throttle operation, then the vehicle responds quickly, but the driver cannot distinguish between preparation completion and incomplete states
Solution Approach 1:
The invention implements preliminary actions before motor activation: the controller determines whether preparation operations are complete, and based on this determination, it either activates the motor immediately or maintains it in a non-activated state. This preliminary check and conditional activation allows the system to prepare in advance and provide clear tactile feedback through the throttle's operational state, distinguishing between ready and not-ready conditions without delaying the actual motor response when ready.
3Ease of operation
If multiple operation members are provided for control, then the vehicle can be operated with both hands on the steering device, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention makes the operation members universal by enabling them to serve multiple functions: the throttle and brake lever can be operated with either hand, and their operational states serve dual purposes of both controlling vehicle functions and indicating preparation completion status. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate indicator mechanisms, as the control members themselves provide both control and status feedback, thereby managing complexity while enhancing ease of operation.
Data Source
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AI summary
A control system 33 includes an electric motor 18, an electric storage device 20, a throttle grip 5a, a brake lever 24, a controller 16, and an acceleration/deceleration adjustment lever 27. The controller 16 supplies electric power from the electric storage device 20 to the electric motor 18 in response to an acceleration command input by the throttle grip 5a when the acceleration/deceleration adjustment lever 27 is placed in a location closer to a driver than a cut-off position to cause the electric motor 18 to activate the rear wheel 3, and cuts off electric power supplied to the electric motor 18 irrespective of an operation of the throttle grip 5a in a state in which the acceleration/deceleration adjustment lever 17 has been operated and placed in the cut-off position.