JP2005212661A - Thumb throttle device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thumb throttle device enabling a good operation regardless of an operating opening area of a throttle. <P>SOLUTION: This device comprises a throttle ring 302 integrated with a thumb throttle lever 303, a thumb throttle body 301 rotatably supporting the throttle ring 302 along its outer periphery inside a grip part 77 of a handle bar 35, a converting part converting a rotation angle of the throttle ring 302 into a displacement volume along an axial direction of the handle bar 35, and a stroke sensor accommodated in the thumb throttle body 301 and sensing the displacement volume. A rotation shaft X1 of the thumb throttle lever is in parallel to a central shaft X2 of the handle bar, and a distance L along the handle bar 35 between a trajectory of the thumb throttle lever 303 and the grip part 77 at a full throttle closed position is made shorter than that at a full throttle opening position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a thumb throttle device that adjusts the throttle opening of a saddle-ride type vehicle by operating a thumb.

  The throttle opening of a saddle-ride type vehicle such as a two-wheeled vehicle, a three-wheeled vehicle, or a rough terrain vehicle (ATV) is often adjusted by a throttle grip provided at an end portion of a steering handlebar. On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses a thumb throttle device including a thumb throttle lever.

20 and 21 are a perspective view and a top view of the above-described conventional thumb throttle device. A throttle case 503 is provided inside a handle grip 502 provided at the right end of the handle bar 501, and the throttle case 503 has a thumb. One end of the throttle lever 504 is pivotally supported by the rotation shaft 505. In such a thumb throttle device, unlike the conventional throttle grip device for rotating the grip 502, the throttle opening is adjusted by operating the thumb throttle lever 504 with the thumb.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-37492

  In the conventional thumb throttle device, the rotation shaft 505 of the thumb throttle lever 504 is orthogonal to the axial direction of the handle bar 501. For this reason, the operation end of the thumb throttle lever 504 at the time of throttle operation, that is, the movement of the thumb may increase along the axial direction of the handle bar 501.

  Furthermore, in the conventional structure in which one end of the rod-shaped thumb throttle lever 504 is pivotally supported and the other end is operated with the thumb, the occupied volume of the entire thumb throttle device including the operation range of the thumb throttle lever 504 becomes large. The degree of design freedom may be limited.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a thumb throttle device that has a small amount of thumb movement during throttle operation and a small occupied volume.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention is characterized in that the following means are provided in a thumb throttle device that is provided with a thumb throttle lever and is attached to a handlebar.
(1) Provide a thumb throttle body that supports the thumb throttle lever on the inner side of the grip portion of the handle bar, and the thumb throttle body supports the thumb throttle lever to freely rotate the handle bar in the circumferential direction. Features.
(2) The rotation axis of the thumb throttle lever and the axis of the handlebar were made parallel.
(3) The rotation axis of the thumb throttle lever and the axis of the handlebar are made non-parallel.
(4) The distance along the handlebar between the track of the thumb throttle lever and the grip is made shorter at the throttle fully closed position than at the throttle fully open position.
(5) The distance along the handlebar between the track of the thumb throttle lever and the grip section is longer at the throttle fully closed position than at the throttle fully opened position.
(6) In the thumb throttle structure in which the handle bar constitutes the pivot shaft of the thumb throttle lever, a thumb throttle body for attaching the thumb throttle lever to the handle bar is provided, and the pivot center of the thumb throttle lever is the center of the handle bar. It is arranged on the axis.

According to the present invention, the following effects are achieved.
(1) According to the first aspect of the present invention, the thumb throttle lever is rotated in the circumferential direction of the handle bar according to the throttle operation, so that the movement of the thumb along the handle bar can be reduced. Further, the total volume of the thumb throttle device including the operating range of the thumb throttle lever can be reduced.
(2) According to the invention of claim 2, since the rotation axis of the throttle ring and the axis of the handle bar are parallel, the amount of movement of the thumb along the handle bar during throttle operation can be reduced.
(3) According to the invention of claim 3, since the rotation axis of the throttle ring and the axis of the handlebar are not parallel, the amount of movement of the thumb along the handlebar can be arbitrarily adjusted during the throttle operation.
(4) According to the invention of claim 4, the amount of movement of the thumb along the handlebar can be further reduced during the throttle operation.
(5) According to the invention of claim 5, the amount of movement of the thumb along the handlebar can be increased when the throttle is operated.
(6) According to the invention of claim 6, since the thumb throttle lever is rotated in the circumferential direction of the handle bar in accordance with the throttle operation, the movement of the thumb along the handle bar can be reduced. Further, the occupied volume of the entire thumb throttle device including the operation range of the thumb throttle lever can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of an electric vehicle to which a thumb throttle device of the present invention is applied.

  The electric vehicle 10 includes a handle shaft 12 rotatably attached to the front portion of the body frame 11, a handle 13 attached to the upper portion of the handle shaft 12, a front fork 14 attached to the lower portion of the handle shaft 12, A front wheel 16 attached to the lower end of the front fork 14, a floor step 17 provided at the center of the vehicle body frame 11, and batteries 18 and 18 disposed below the floor step 17 (only the reference numeral 18 on the front side is shown. ), A swing type power unit 22 attached to the lower part of the seat post 21 constituting the rear part of the body frame 11 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction, and a rear wheel 23 as a drive wheel attached to the rear part of the power unit 22; The rear cushion unit passed to the upper part of the power unit 22 and the seat post 21 side. 24, a charging / voltage converting device 25 attached to an intermediate portion of the seat post 21, a tail lamp 26 disposed behind the charging / voltage converting device 25, and a seat 27 attached to an upper end portion of the seat post 21. The head lamp 41 and the main switch 42 attached to the front portion of the vehicle body frame 11, the front fender 43 covering the upper portion of the front wheel 16, the under cover 44 covering the lower portion of the floor step 17, the side stand 47, and the rear wheel 23 The rear fender 48 that covers the upper part of the main body and the license plate 51 attached to the lower part of the tail lamp 26 are the main components. The helmet is stored below the seat 27.

  The vehicle body frame 11 includes a head pipe 31 that rotatably supports the handle shaft 12 at a front portion. The handle 13 includes an arm 33 attached to the upper end of the handle shaft 12, a handle support member 34 extending upward from the arm 33, and a handle bar 35 attached to the upper end of the handle support member 34. By providing the member 34, the head pipe 31 can be disposed at a low position, the body frame 11 can be reduced in size, and the weight of the body frame 11 can be reduced. The battery 18 is obtained by wrapping a plurality of cylindrical battery cells with a resin shrink pack (packaging material that is shrunk by heat and wrapped).

  FIG. 2 is a side view showing a vehicle body frame structure of the electric vehicle 10. The vehicle body frame 11 includes the head pipe 31 described above, a down pipe 61 extending straight downward from the head pipe 31, and the down pipe 61. A pair of left and right lower pipes 62, 62 extending downward, rearward and upward from the pipe 61, a seat post 21 attached to the lower pipes 62, 62, and a seat frame extending rearward from the upper end of the seat post 21 63, an intermediate frame 64 extending rearward from the intermediate portion of the seat post 21, reinforcing members 66, 66, 67, 67, 68, 68 (only front side reference numerals 66, 67, 68 are shown), and the power unit 22 A power unit support member 71 attached to the lower end of the seat post 21 in order to attach the swing shaft (see FIG. 1). It constituted by.

  Thus, by forming the head pipe 31, the down pipe 61, the lower pipe 62, and the seat post 21 of the vehicle body frame 11 in a substantially square shape, as shown in FIG. In addition, while supporting the seat 27 and supporting the floor step 17 at the bottom of the square shape, the battery 18 can be accommodated and the vehicle body frame 11 can be made the simplest while having a function necessary for the electric vehicle 10.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view of the electric vehicle 10, and lower pipes 62, 62 of the vehicle body frame 11 are disposed below the substantially rectangular floor step 17, and the batteries 18, 18 are interposed between the lower pipes 62, 62. Are arranged side by side. Blinkers 78 and 78 are provided on the left and right of the tail lamp 26. A thumb throttle device 300 for adjusting the output of the electric motor is attached to the handle bar 35 inside the handle grip 77. The configuration of the thumb throttle device 300 will be described in detail later.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view of the vehicle body frame 11, and the edge of the helmet 52 (see FIG. 1) is hung on the inside of the seat frame 63 by making the seat frame 63 circular, elliptical, or a shape close to these. This shows that the helmet 52 can be held by the seat frame 63. In addition, 81 ... (... represents a plurality. The same applies hereinafter) is a first bracket 82 attached to the lower pipes 62, 62 for fixing the floor step 17 (see FIG. 3) to the lower pipes 62, 62. ... Are second brackets attached to the lower pipes 62 and 62 in order to fix the floor step 17 and the under cover 44 (see FIG. 1) to the lower pipes 62 and 62.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the front portion and the floor step of the vehicle body frame 11. The second brackets 82 and 82 are attached to the lower pipes 62 and 62 of the vehicle body frame 11, and the upper portions of the second brackets 82 and 82 are attached. The floor step 17 is attached, and the side surfaces 44a and 44a of the under cover 44 are attached to the side portions of the second brackets 82 and 82, respectively. Reference numeral 44 b denotes a bottom surface of the under cover 44.

  Thus, the under cover 44 is a member formed in a bathtub shape, and forms a sealed space 85 with the floor step 17, and the batteries 18 and 18 are stored in the sealed space 85. It is possible to prevent the batteries 18 and 18 from being exposed to dust or the like.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a battery mounted on the electric vehicle 10, and an arrow in the figure indicates the front of the vehicle (the same applies hereinafter).

  The battery 18 is formed by stacking a plurality of cylindrical nickel-metal hydride battery cells 18a, and wrapping them in the above-described shrink pack 18b. The battery 18 is stored in the battery case 88 below the floor step 17. Be placed. In addition, 91 is a winker relay attached to one lower pipe 62 via a bracket 92, and 93... Are attachment portions provided on the floor step 17 for attaching the floor step 17 to the second bracket 82.

  FIG. 7 is a first side view of the power unit, and shows a view of the power unit 22 as viewed from the side opposite to the rear wheel 23 (see FIG. 1).

  The power unit 22 houses the electric motor 100 in the latter half part, connects the output shaft 101 of the electric motor 100 to the axle 102 of the rear wheel 23 (see FIG. 1), and controls the electric power supplied to the electric motor 100 in the front half part. That is, a power control unit 103 that controls driving of the electric motor 100 and a smoothing capacitor 104 attached to the power control unit 103 are attached. The power transmission method in the power unit 22 is a reduction type in which the output from the electric motor 100 is transmitted to the rear wheels 23 through a speed reduction mechanism. The power control unit 103 is configured by a switching member such as a power FET.

  Here, 106 is a brake arm constituting a drum brake for braking the rear wheel 23, 107 is an adjusting member attached to the tip of the brake arm 106, 108 is connected to the adjusting member 107 and is connected to a brake lever (not shown). A connected wire 111 is an outer cable that movably accommodates the wire 108. When the brake lever is grasped, the brake arm 106 is swung via the wire 108 and the adjusting member 107, and the brake serves as a rotating shaft of the brake arm 106. A cam member provided at the tip of the shaft 109 rotates, and the brake shoe is pressed against the brake drum by the cam member to brake the rear wheel 23. The adjustment member 107 is a member that adjusts the initial angle of the brake arm 106.

  In the present embodiment, the output shaft 101 of the electric motor 100 is arranged so as to be offset obliquely rearward above the axle 102. By arranging the output shaft 101 and the axle 102 in this way, the length of the vehicle body in the front-rear direction can be shortened, and the vehicle body can be downsized. Further, the output shaft 101 may be disposed obliquely in front of the axle 102.

  8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 8-8 in FIG. 7. The power unit 22 includes a unit case 121 that houses the electric motor 100, a drum brake device 122 attached to the side surface of the unit case 121, and the drum brake device. And the aforementioned axle 102 attached to 122. The unit case 121 is divided into two parts consisting of a case main body 125 on the rear wheel 23 side and a case cover 127 attached to the opening side of the case main body 125 with bolts 126 (only one is shown in the figure). This is a member.

  The electric motor 100 is attached to the stator 131 attached to the case main body 125, the output shaft 101 rotatably attached to the unit case 121 via bearings 132 and 132, and attached to the output shaft 101 by spline coupling. The outer rotor is composed of the rotor 134. Reference numeral 137 denotes a tooth portion formed at the tip of the output shaft 101, and reference numeral 138 denotes a dust seal.

  The drum brake device 122 is a device attached to the inner side surface 125 a of the case main body 125 with bolts 144... And a base portion 146 that rotatably supports the axle 102 with bearings 145 and 145 together with the case main body 125, and the base portion 146. The above-described brake shaft 109 that is rotatably attached and has a brake arm 106 attached to one end thereof, a cam member (not shown) attached to the other end of the brake shaft 109, and pressed by the rotation of the cam member The brake shoe 151 is opened radially outward, the cup-shaped brake drum 152 is applied to the inner surface of the brake shoe 151, and the brake arm 106 described above.

  The axle 102 is a member formed with a tooth portion 155 that meshes with the tooth portion 137 of the output shaft 101 and a male spline 156 for coupling the rear wheel 23. Reference numeral 157 denotes a dust seal provided between the base 146 and the axle 102. The output shaft 101 provided with the tooth portion 137 and the axle 102 provided with the tooth portion 155 are members constituting the speed reduction mechanism 158.

  The rear wheel 23 includes a wheel portion 161 attached to the axle 102 and a tire 162 attached to the outer peripheral portion of the wheel portion 161. The wheel portion 161 includes the above-described brake drum 152 including a boss portion 166 and a cup-shaped drum portion 167 that form a female spline 165 coupled to the male spline 156 of the axle 102, and an outer peripheral surface 152 a of the brake drum 152. The disc portion 168 is attached, and a rim portion 171 attached to the outer peripheral portion of the disc portion 168. Reference numerals 173 and 174 denote washers and nuts for attaching the rear wheel 23 to the axle 102.

  The configuration of the power unit 22 shown in FIG. 8 will be described in more detail. The wheel portion 16 is a member configured such that its center side (that is, the drum portion 167 side) protrudes from the center of the rear wheel 23 in the vehicle width direction to the side opposite to the electric motor 100. That is, the boss portion 166 serving as the rotation center portion of the rear wheel 23 is in an offset state.

  Further, the reduction mechanism 158 provided between the electric motor 100 and the rear wheel 23 is disposed in the wheel portion 161 offset as described above, so that a so-called reduction type power unit 22 is adopted. In addition, the protruding amount of the power unit 22 with respect to the rear wheel 23 toward the side of the vehicle body can be reduced. Therefore, the power unit 22 and the rear wheel 23, which are heavy objects, can be disposed substantially at the center in the vehicle width direction.

  Next, power transmission from the electric motor 100 to the rear wheel 23 will be described. A drive current is supplied to the stator 131 under the control of the power control unit 103. The drive current is controlled by, for example, PWM (Pulse Wide Modulation) control.

  The PWM control is a method of controlling the rotation speed (and torque) of the electric motor 100 by applying a voltage to the electric motor 100 in a pulse shape and changing the ratio (duty ratio) between the ON and OFF intervals of the pulse.

  By the PWM control described above, the rotor 134 is rotated by the rotating magnetic field generated around the stator 131, and the output shaft 101 is rotated accordingly. The power from the output shaft 101 is decelerated via the tooth portion 137 and the tooth portion 155 and transmitted to the axle 102. Thus, the power from the electric motor 100 is decelerated and transmitted to the rear wheel 23.

  In this embodiment, the speed reduction mechanism using the output shaft 101 and the axle 102 is fixed, but the speed reduction ratio is fixed. However, the power from the electric motor 100 is shifted by another transmission to the rear wheel 23. It may be transmitted. As such a speed reduction mechanism, for example, a continuously variable transmission may be used.

  Furthermore, the electric vehicle according to the present embodiment also has a regenerative charging mechanism. That is, when the electric vehicle 10 is decelerated by applying a drum brake device, a front brake, an engine brake or the like, the electric motor 100 is driven as a generator, and the rotational force transmitted from the rear wheel 23 to the electric motor 100 during the deceleration is electrically generated. It is converted into energy and stored in the batteries 18 and 18.

  FIG. 9 is a rear side view (partially sectional view) of the electric vehicle 10, and the helmet support member 216 attached to the seat post 21 and the seat frame 63 are used to hang the edge of the helmet 52 whose outer surface is substantially hemispherical. The curled charging cord 218 connected to the charging / voltage converting device 25 is accommodated in the hollow portion 217 of the seat post 21, and the seat 27 is disposed above the opening portion 221 where the hollow portion 217 opens to the outside and the helmet 52. Indicates that it was covered with

  The helmet 52 is composed of an outer shell member 223 and a cushioning material 224 provided in the outer shell member 223. The helmet 52 is obtained by expanding the edge 52a of the helmet 52. The helmet support member 216 and the seat frame described above are used. 63.

  Here, 225 is a plug of the charging cord 218, 226 is a cap fitted to the plug 225, 227 is an edge member attached to the upper end portion of the seat post 21, and 228 is a seat hinge for attaching the seat 27 to the seat frame 63 so as to be opened and closed. Reference numeral 231 denotes a seat cushion material, 232 denotes a seat bottom plate, and 233 denotes a tray that detachably attaches to the seat bottom plate 232 to store documents and the like.

  As described above, the space under the seat 27 is the article storage space 234 for storing the helmet 52 as an article, and this storage space 234 is an open space that does not have a partition wall that is separated from the outside.

  By arranging such an article storage space 234 directly below the seat 27, the helmet 52 does not get wet even if it rains, and it is not necessary to provide special rain avoidance.

  Moreover, since the helmet 52 is stored under the seat 27 even though the lower side of the seat 27 of the electric vehicle 10 according to the present embodiment is a bare space, the helmet 52 is at a glance under the seat 27 at first glance. A novel impression that cannot be seen when the vehicle is housed can be given, and the attractiveness of the electric vehicle 10 can be enhanced.

  The charging / voltage converting device 25 includes vehicle body side mounting portions 236 and 236 (only a minus sign 236 is shown) and vehicle body side attaching portions 237 and 237 (only one symbol 237 is shown) toward the vehicle body frame 11. The vehicle body side attachment portions 236 and 236 are attached to the reinforcing member 68, and the vehicle body side attachment members 237 and 237 are attached to the side surface of the intermediate frame 64 so as to be in close contact with the seat post 21. 5th fins 238 ... are provided.

  Thus, since the charging / voltage converting device 25 is attached to the vehicle body frame 11 in an exposed state, the charging / voltage converting device 25 is compared with the case where the charging / voltage converting device 25 is disposed in the vehicle body cover as in the prior art. It can cool more effectively. That is, since the charging / voltage converting device 25 is arranged in the bare space under the sheet 27, the heat generated in the charging / voltage converting device 25 can be released to the atmosphere as it is, and the heat dissipation can be further improved.

  Here, 241 and 242 are terminals for connecting the conductive wires 243 and 243 extending from the tail lamp 26, and 244 is a lamp mounting portion provided integrally with the tail lamp 26 in order to attach the tail lamp 26 to the intermediate frame 64. Reference numeral 246 denotes a cushion upper end attaching portion provided on the reinforcing member 68 for attaching the upper end of the rear cushion unit 24 (see FIG. 1).

  That is, since the charging / voltage conversion device 25 and the tail lamp 26 are provided substantially integrally, the connection distance between the charging / voltage conversion device 25 and the tail lamp 26 can be shortened. In addition, since the charging / voltage conversion device 25 and the tail lamp 26 can be easily covered with the same cover, the manufacturing cost and the like can be reduced when such a cover is provided.

  FIG. 10 is a view of the thumb throttle device 300 according to the first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the rear of the vehicle body, and the upper portion in the drawing corresponds to the upper portion of the vehicle body. FIG. 11 is a right side view of FIG.

  The thumb throttle device 300 includes a thumb throttle body 301 that is a combined body of the thumb throttle body halves 301a and 301b attached to the handle bar 35 on the inner side of the handle grip 77, and the thumb throttle body 301. A throttle ring 302 supported to freely rotate in the circumferential direction, and a thumb throttle lever 303 provided integrally with the throttle ring 302 and rotated in the circumferential direction of the handlebar 35 by being operated with the thumb of the driver. Is the main structure.

  12 and 13 are a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 11 and a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 10, respectively, and the same reference numerals as those described above represent the same or equivalent parts.

  The thumb throttle body half 301b is inserted and fixed to the handle bar 35, and the throttle ring 302 is inserted into a small-diameter first flange portion 308 formed on the thumb throttle body half 301a side. A second flange portion 309 having a smaller diameter than that of the first flange portion 308 is formed on the outer side of the first flange portion 308, and the outer diameter of the second flange portion 309 is larger than that of the first flange portion 308. A thumb throttle body half 301 a is inserted therethrough, and both are locked to each other by a screw 310.

  The throttle ring 302 is supported by the first flange portion 308 so that its displacement along the axial direction of the handle bar 35 is restricted by the opposing surfaces of the thumb throttle body halves 301a and 301b. One end of a return spring 305 is engaged with the thumb throttle body half 301b. The other end of the return spring 305 is locked to the throttle ring 302. An inclined surface 311 whose height is displaced along the circumferential direction is formed on the end surface of the throttle ring 302 on the side of the thumb throttle body half 301a. A stroke sensor 306 is supported on the half throttle body half 301a by a support member (not shown). The stroke sensor 306 is disposed to face the inclined surface 311 of the throttle ring 302, and the operation element 307 is in contact with the inclined surface 311.

  In such a configuration, when the throttle is fully closed, the thumb throttle lever 303 is positioned at the lowest point as shown in FIG. Here, when the driver pushes the thumb throttle lever 303 forward with a thumb as a throttle opening operation, the throttle ring 302 rotates against the spring force of the return spring 305. When the throttle ring 302 rotates, the inclined surface 311 is displaced in the axial direction of the handle bar 35, so that the rotation angle of the throttle ring 302 can be detected as the displacement amount of the operation element 307 of the stroke sensor 306.

  According to the present embodiment, the movement direction of the thumb of the driver during the throttle operation is the circumferential direction of the handle bar 35, so that the amount of movement of the handle bar 35 in the axial direction can be reduced.

  Thus, in the first embodiment described above, the thumb throttle lever 303 rotates with the central axis of the handle bar 35 as a virtual rotation axis, while the right hand holds the handle grip 77. As shown in FIG. 14, the thumb 334 moves circularly with the joint 335 at the base portion as a fulcrum.

  On the other hand, in the second embodiment of the present invention described below, the driver does not have to extend the thumb even if the thumb 334 moves circularly with the joint 335 as a fulcrum during the throttle operation.

  FIG. 15 is a view of the thumb throttle device 300 according to the second embodiment of the present invention viewed from above the vehicle body, and the upper portion in the drawing corresponds to the front of the vehicle body. FIG. 16 is a view of the thumb throttle device 300 viewed from the rear of the vehicle body, and the upper side in the drawing corresponds to the upper side of the vehicle body.

  In the present embodiment, the virtual rotation axis X1 of the throttle ring 302 and the thumb throttle lever 303 and the center axis X2 of the handle bar 35 are non-parallel, and the angle θ between them is the reference position P of the handle grip 77 and the thumb. The distance L along the handlebar with respect to the track of the throttle lever 303 is set so as to become shorter as the thumb throttle lever 303 is rotated from the throttle fully closed position to the fully open position, as shown in FIG. ing.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the virtual rotation axis X1 of the throttle ring 302 and the center axis X2 of the handle bar 35 are non-parallel, and the angle θ between them is determined by the track of the handle grip 77 and the thumb throttle lever 303. Is set to be shorter as the thumb throttle lever 303 rotates from the throttle fully closed position to the fully open position. Therefore, even when the driver's thumb moves with the joint at the base portion as a fulcrum when operating the throttle, the distance between the thumb and the thumb throttle lever 303 is kept substantially constant. As a result, the throttle opening, that is, the operation of the thumb throttle lever 303 can be set more appropriately.

  FIG. 18 is a view of the thumb throttle device 300 according to the third embodiment of the present invention viewed from above the vehicle body, and the upper portion in the drawing corresponds to the front of the vehicle body.

  In the present embodiment as well, the virtual rotation axis X1 of the throttle ring 302 and the thumb throttle lever 303 and the center axis X2 of the handle bar 35 are not parallel to each other, as in the second embodiment described above. The distance L along the handlebar between the reference position P of the handle grip 77 and the orbit of the thumb throttle lever 303 is that the thumb throttle lever 303 is moved from the throttle fully closed position to the fully open position as shown in FIG. In contrast to the second embodiment, the length is set to be longer as it is rotated.

  According to the present embodiment, when the throttle is opened, it is necessary to rotate the thumb while actively extending the joint and using the joint as a fulcrum, so that the driver is strongly aware of the throttle opening operation. Further, an appropriate operation can be set by combining the second embodiment and the third embodiment.

It is a side view of the electric vehicle to which the thumb throttle device of the present invention is applied. It is a side view which shows the vehicle body frame of an electric vehicle. It is a top view of an electric vehicle. It is a top view which shows the vehicle body frame of an electric vehicle. It is sectional drawing which shows the front part and floor step of a vehicle body frame. It is sectional drawing of the battery mounted in the electric vehicle. It is a 1st side view of a power unit. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 in FIG. 7. It is a rear part side view (partial side view) of an electric vehicle. It is the figure which looked at the thumb throttle apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention from the vehicle body back. It is the figure which anticipated the thumb throttle apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention from the vehicle body side surface. It is the BB sectional drawing of FIG. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the change from 1st Embodiment of the thumb throttle apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which looked at the thumb throttle apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention from vehicle body upper direction. It is the figure which looked at the thumb throttle apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention from vehicle body back. It is the figure which showed the relationship between the distance L of the thumb throttle lever of the thumb throttle apparatus and handle grip which concern on 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and a throttle opening. It is the figure which looked at the thumb throttle apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention from vehicle body back. It is the figure which showed the relationship between the distance L of the thumb throttle lever and the handlebar grip of the thumb throttle apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention, and throttle opening. It is a perspective view of the conventional thumb throttle device. It is a top view of the conventional thumb throttle device.

Explanation of symbols

  35 ... handle bar, 77 ... handle grip, 300 ... thumb throttle device, 301 ... thumb throttle body, 302 ... throttle ring, 303 ... thumb throttle lever, 305 ... return spring, 306 ... stroke sensor, 307 ... stroke sensor operator 308 ... first flange portion 309 ... second flange portion 311 ... inclined surface

Claims (6)

In the thumb throttle device equipped with the thumb throttle lever and attached to the handlebar,
A thumb throttle body that supports the thumb throttle lever on the inner side of the grip portion of the handlebar;
The thumb throttle device is characterized in that the thumb throttle lever supports the thumb throttle lever so as to freely rotate the handlebar in the circumferential direction. 2. The thumb throttle device according to claim 1, wherein a rotation axis of the thumb throttle lever and an axis of the handle bar are parallel to each other. 2. The thumb throttle device according to claim 1, wherein a rotation axis of the thumb throttle lever and an axis of the handle bar are non-parallel. 4. The thumb throttle device according to claim 3, wherein a distance along the handlebar between the track of the thumb throttle lever and the grip portion is shorter in the throttle fully closed position than in the throttle fully opened position. 4. The thumb throttle device according to claim 3, wherein a distance along the handlebar between the track of the thumb throttle lever and the grip portion is longer in the throttle fully closed position than in the throttle fully opened position. In the thumb throttle structure where the handle bar constitutes the rotation axis of the thumb throttle lever,
A thumb throttle body for attaching the thumb throttle lever to the handlebar;
A thumb throttle device, wherein the center of rotation of the thumb throttle lever is on the axis of the handlebar.

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