TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present subject matter generally relates to a straddle-type vehicle. More particularly but not exclusively the present subject matter relates to a side stand switch for said straddle -type vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] Side stand for saddle type two wheeled vehicle is an essential part of a vehicle for parking purpose. The side stand offers stability on one-point contact with the ground and less cumbersome compared to centre stands which requires more effort to open or to retract. The same is especially important to park a large weight vehicle which may not be feasible to be parked with a centre stand merely owing to its high weight & have only a prop-stand configured to park the vehicle.

[0003] The user of the vehicle sometimes forgets to retract the side stand after switching ON the ignition hence a side stand switch helps in indicating the user whether the side stand is open or in closed condition thereby helping in avoiding any impending accident.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] Figure 1 illustrates a left side view of an exemplary two-wheeled vehicle (100).

[0005] Figure 2 illustrates depicts the perspective bottom view of the vehicle ( 100) . [0006] Figure 3 illustrates the side stand (202) in an open position.

[0007] Figure 4 illustrates an exploded view of the side stand switch (201).

[0008] Figure 5 (a) illustrates bottom view of the side stand switch.

[0009] Figure 5 (b) illustrates top view of the side stand switch.

[00010] Figure 6 illustrates a method flow chart to depict the function of the side stand switch and actuating an alarm indication device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION [00011] Side stand switches, in a motorcycle, are provided to indicate the user whether the side stand is in retracted condition or not. The side stand switches are generally electrically configured to the engine control unit of the vehicle so that the starting operation of the vehicle can be controlled on the basis of the position of the side stand switch.

[00012] The side stand switch is generally mounted in the vicinity of the side stand enabling the side stand switch to receive the position of the side stand and then send the received data of the position of the side stand to the engine control unit (ECU).

[00013] Side stand switches are available in various configuration. Among them, a contact type switch or reed-switch is a popular one. The contact type switch comprises of multiple contacts which results in wear and tear due to friction thereby requiring additional plating on the contacts in order to withstand the wear and tear for extended duration of time. But on the contrary, the additional plating done on the contacts of the side stand switch increases the part cost which is not desirable. [00014] Other than the plating of the contacts, the size and presence of multiple parts in the contact type switch makes the working of the side stand switch more complex and also causes a huge constraint in vehicle packaging which further causes trouble to the driver at the time of driving the vehicle as large packaging takes more space near foot rest. Packaging any large or a greater number of components in the footrest area of the areas near to the pivot of the prop-stand (side stand) becomes a challenge owing to the adverse impact or compromise on the ground clearance as well as possibility damage to the switch itself owing to a hit from the ground in form of stones, hump etc. Raising the entire vehicle to package the prop stand switch is a highly undesirable trade-off since it adversely effects seating height, layout space as well as centre of gravity of the vehicle adversely impacting the dynamics of the vehicle.

[00015] Hence, the object of the present subject matter is to provide a non- contact type side stand switch overcoming all the problems cited above as well as problems of known art. Another objective of the present invention is to eliminate the wear and tear of any part inside the side stand switch. A non-contact type side stand switch eliminates the damage done during the rotation of the side stand. [00016] Another embodiment of the present subject matter provides a housing for a side stand switch which encapsulates the side stand switch to protect the side stand switch from any foreign material such as dust or mud splashes to ensure proper functioning of the side stand switch.

[00017] Yet another embodiment of the present subject matter provides components like a rotating member with a wide part and a narrow part. The wide part comprises a pit to accommodate a magnet. The narrow part of the rotating member comprises a locating pip which protrudes in a direction away from the narrow part and in a direction towards the side stand of the vehicle such that the pip gets securely disposed in at least one locating means provided in a pivot portion of the side stand.

[00018] Another embodiment of the present subject matter provides a rotatable axle which rotatably supports a rotating member and diposed within a cavity formed at a center of the rotating member and a stationary member.

[00019] Still another embodiment of the present subject matter provides a sensor which is located adj acent to the rotating member in order to detect the change in the magnetic field of a magnet when the magnet rotates along with the rotation of the side stand. The sensor is separated from the rotating member by an air gap of a predetermined distance.

[00020] Fig. 1 illustrates a left side view of an exemplary two-wheeled vehicle ( 100), in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The vehicle (100) illustrated, has a schematically shown frame member (105). In the present embodiment, the frame member (105) is step-through type includes a head tube (105 A), and a main frame (105B) that extend rearwardly downward from an anterior portion of the head tube (105A). The main frame (105B) extends inclinedly rearward to a rear portion of the vehicle (100).

[00021] The vehicle (100) includes one or more movers that are connected to the frame member (105). In the present implementation, one of the prime movers is an internal combustion (IC) engine (115) mounted to the frame member (105). In the depicted embodiment, the IC engine (115) is mounted to a structural member (135) that is pivoted to the frame member (105). In one embodiment, the structural member (135) is a rigid member made of metal. The vehicle (100) also includes another prime mover, which is an electric motor (120). In a preferred embodiment, the electric motor (120) is hub mounted to one wheel of the vehicle (100). In another embodiment, more than one electric motor is mounted to wheels of the vehicle. In the depicted embodiment, the vehicle (100) includes at least two-wheels and the electric motor (120) is hub mounted to the rear wheel (125) of the vehicle. A front wheel (110) is rotatably supported by the frame member (105) and is connected to a handle bar assembly (130) that enables manoeuvring of the vehicle (100).

[00022] Further, the vehicle (100) includes a high capacity on-board battery

(not shown) that drives the electric motor (120). The high capacity battery may include one or more high capacity battery packs or one or more low capacity cells. The high capacity battery can be disposed at a front portion, a rear portion, or at the centre of the vehicle (100). The high capacity battery is supported by the frame member (105) and the vehicle (100) includes plurality of body panels, mounted to the frame member (105) for covering various components of the vehicle (100). The plurality of panels includes a front panel (140A), a leg shield (140B), an under-seat cover ( 140C), and a left and a right side panel (140D). A glove box may be mounted to a leg shield (140B).

[00023] A floorboard (145) is provided at the step-through portion defined by the main tube (105B). A seat assembly (150) is disposed rearward to the step- through portion and is mounted to the main frame (105B). The seat assembly (150) that is elongated in a longitudinal direction F-R of the vehicle ( 100) enables the user to operate the vehicle in a saddle ride-type posture. One or more suspension(s) connect the wheels (110), (125) to the vehicle (100) and provide comfortable ride. The vehicle (100) comprises of plurality of electrical and electronic components including a headlight (155A), ataillight (155B), a starter motor (not shown), ahom etc. Also, the vehicle (100) includes a master control unit (not shown) that takes control of the overall operation of the vehicle (100) including the function of the IC engine (115), the electric motor (120), charging of the batteries from a magneto/integrated starter generator (ISG), driving of loads by the magneto/ISG, charging of the high capacity batteries by the electric motor operating in generator mode, and any other operations associated with the operation of the vehicle (100) .the vehicle (100) can be a two-wheeled saddle type or a three wheeled vehicle.

[00024] Fig.2 depicts the perspective bottom view of the vehicle (100). A center stand assembly (203) comprising a pair of center stand legs (211a,211b) (with one center stand leg projecting in a left direction and the other in a right side direction) fixedly attached to a pair of center stand base (212a,212b)(center stand base left (212a) and center stand base right (212b) providing flat surface to enable the vehicle to be installed on the ground).The center stand assembly (203) is removably attached to a down tube (not shown) of a main frame (not shown) of the vehicle (100) through a center stand bracket (207) with the pair of center stand legs (21 la, 21 lb) extending equally in both left and right sides of the vehicle (100). The center stand assembly (203) has been provided in a pair of center stand legs (211a,211b), one center stand leg extending in left hand side and the other center stand leg extending in the right-hand side of the vehicle (100). Both the center stand legs (21 la, 21 lb) are being provided with a support using a pair of support plates (208,209) placed securely between center stand legs (211a,211b) and the bracket (207) and occupying the space between the center stand assembly (203) and the bracket (207).

[00025] A side stand (202) has been shown in a retracted position. The side stand (202) as per an embodiment is pivotally mounted on a foot rest assembly (204). However, it may be mounted to any member of the frame assembly in an alternate embodiment. The side stand (202) mounting is enabled on the foot rest assembly (204) by a pivot member (210) such that the pivot member (210) is a threaded device e.g. a screw. The mounting of the side stand (202) on the foot rest assembly (204) of the vehicle allows easy opening and retracting of the side stand (202), which is enabled by providing a elastic element (205) such as a spring. A side stand switch (201) is mounted on the pivot member (210) to detect the position of the side stand (202). [00026] Fig. 3 illustrates the partial lower side view of the vehicle with the side stand (202) in an open position. The side stand (202) is held in an open position with the help of elastic element (205). The two ends of the elastic element (205) forms a hook like structure to hug the projection (306,307) provided on the side stand (202), enabling the side stand (202) to remain in an open position. A hooked projection (304) fixedly attached to the side stand (202) allows the driver to open or retract the side stand (202). A base plate (305) is fixedly attached to the side stand (202) positioned adjacent to the hooked projection (304) of the side stand (202). The base plate (305) firmly holds the side stand (202) on the ground to provide support to the vehicle and thereby prevents the vehicle from falling on the ground.

[00027] The side stand (202) has been mounted on the foot rest assembly (204) with a side stand bracket (308). The foot rest assembly (204) comprises a connecting rod (303) and a foot peg (301) enabling the driver to rest his foot on the foot peg (301). The foot peg (301) is located at an extreme end of the connecting rod (301), facing in a direction away from the vehicle and the rider.

[00028] Fig. 4 illustrates an exploded view of the side stand switch (201). The side stand switch (201) is co-axially configured with the pivot axis of the prop- stand & is housed within a housing (401) which encapsulates components of the side stand switch (201) required for the functioning of the side stand switch (201). The components of the side stand switch (201) within the housing (401) which includes rotating member (406), which is securely and rotatably adapted inside the housing (401) such that a rotatable axle (405) enables the movement of the rotating member (406) in radial fashion. The rotatable axle (405) is positioned within a cavity (413) provided at the center of the rotating member (406) to occupy the cavity (413).

[00029] The rotating member (406) comprises of two sides namely a wide side (416) which is provided with a pit (410), located adjacent to the periphery of the wide side (416) to accommodate one or more magnet (404) inside the pit (410) and a narrow side (417) of the rotating member (406) comprises a locating pip (407) which enables the mounting of the side stand switch (201) onto a pivot member (411) of the side stand (202) and perpendicular to the narrow side (417). The locating pip (407) projects in a direction away from the narrow side (417) of the rotating member (406) and toward the side stand (202). The locating pip (407) is securely adapted into a locating means (412) provided in the pivot member (411) of the side stand (202). The locating pip (407) rotates the rotating member (406) along with said side stand (202). With the rotation of the rotating member (406) the position of the magnet (404) changes with respect to a sensor (402) and the sensor (402) sends the signal to a driver circuit which contains information related to change in magnetic field of the one or more magnet (404) which corresponds to change in the position of the side stand (202).

[00030] The housing (401) and the rotating member (406) are assembled together by a rotatable axle (405) to form a single unit such that the rotatable axle

(405) is operably sandwiched between the housing (401) and the rotating member

(406). The rotatable axle (405) may be of a metal or a plastic material. The rotatable axle (405) functions as a stopper for the rotating member (406) which limits the extent up to which the rotating member (406) can be pushed inside the housing (401) and thereby prevents overtightening problem which is a main factor for development of cracks in the housing (401) of the side stand switch (201). Both the housing (401) and the rotating member (406) are affixed with a low friction metal plate (403a) such as brass to prevent any damage due to rubbing of plastic parts. The rotating member (406) is disposed between grommet member (409) and the the housing (401) such that the grommet member (409) has an interference fit to prevent entry of foreign particles into the side stand switch (201) that may damage the magnet (404).

[00031] A housing seal (408) is disposed from the outer side (414) of the housing (401) in order to hold all the components to be housed inside the housing (401), including the rotating member (406), sensor (402), rotatable axle (405), magnet (404), within the housing (401). The housing (401) is also provided with a housing cavity (415) to allow housing seal (408) to be disposed from the outer side (414) of the housing (401). [00032] The sensor (402) has been configured inside the housing (401) such that the sensor (402) can sense the change in the magnetic field generated by the rotation of one or more magnet (404) when the rotating member (406) accommodating the magnet (404) inside the pit (410) rotates along with the movement of the side stand (202). The sensor (402) is disposed adjacent to the rotating member (406) such that the magnet (404) and the sensor (402) are separated with an air gap and the air gap separating the magnet (404) and the sensor (402) is of a predetermined value D. As per an embodiment, this gap D is in the range of 2mm to 3 mm. The layout positioning of the sensor (402) is so configured such that the magnet (404) is aligned in parallel to the sensor (402) for eliminating the error in detection of the position of the magnet with respect to the sensor (402) location of the magnet (404) which corresponds to the current position of the side stand (202).

[00033] When the side stand (202) is in retracted or in OFF condition then the magnet (404) remains within the sensing zone of the sensor (402) and the sensor (402) does not provides any signal to the driver circuit (not shown) to actuate an alarm indication device such as a hom or an LED light or a beeper. But when the user of the vehicle unretracts or deploys the side stand (202) from OFF condition to an ON condition then the magnet (404) goes out of the sensing zone of the sensor (402). As per an embodiment of the present invention, the sensor (402) for sensing the change in the magnetic field of the magnet (404) during actuation of the side stand (202) is a non-contact type sensor such as a hall sensor.

[00034] Fig. 5 (a) illustrates a bottom perspective view of the side stand switch (201). The bottom view of the side stand switch (201) depicts the locating pip (407) protruding from the rotating member (406) of the side stand switch (201) and the housing seal (408) to seal all the components of the side stand switch (201) within the housing (401). The housing (401) of the side stand switch (201) opens up in a claw like structure and one of them is a cavity (501) which houses the sensor in the housing and also connect the sensors (402) with the engine control unit. [00035] Fig. 5(b) illustrates a top perspective view of the side stand switch (201) with the housing seal (408). [00036] Fig. 6 illustrates a method of functioning of the side stand switch (201) mounted onto the side stand (202). In step 601, the power source such as an engine or a battery, is switched ON. After the power source is ON the sensor (402) continuously detects or monitors the change in the position of the side stand (202), in step 602. Then in step 603, when the vehicle is in ON condition, sensor (402) detects & establishes the change in the position of the magnet (404) disposed inside the pit (410) of the rotating member (406) which corresponds to the change in the position of the side stand (202) & sends a signal to a receiver unit e.g. a display driver circuit or an ECU. Then in step 604, the signal received from the sensor (402) is sent to a driver circuit provided in the vehicle controller and the driver circuit checks whether the side stand is in ON condition or in OFF condition. The driver circuit is electrically connected to the sensor (402) to receive signal and driver circuit sends the received signal from the sensor (402) to the vehicle controller . If the side stand (202) is in ON condition then, in step 605, the driver circuit actuates the alarm indication device. But if the side stand (202) is in an OFF condition, in step 606, then the driver circuit does not actuate any alarm indication device. [00037] The present subject matter can be used as an alarm device where the position of the magnet (404) is detected to actuate the alarm indicating device.