WO2021046694A1

WO2021046694A1 - Twist controller and electric two-wheeled vehicle having the same

Info

Publication number: WO2021046694A1
Application number: PCT/CN2019/104984
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yi Shi; Dongfang CAO
Original assignee: Neutron Holdings Inc
Current assignee: Neutron Holdings Inc
Priority date: 2019-09-09
Filing date: 2019-09-09
Publication date: 2021-03-18
Anticipated expiration: 2022-03-09
Also published as: CN110958972A

Abstract

A twist controller (150) for a vehicle (100) includes a stator (203), a rotor (205), a control circuit and a seal assembly. The stator (203) includes a through hole (403) through which the stator (203) is sleeved over a handlebar (134) of the vehicle (100). The rotor (205) is rotatably sleeved over the stator (203). The control circuit is configured to output a control signal to a target device mounted on the vehicle (100) based on the relative rotation between the stator (203) and the rotor (205). The seal assembly seals a space between the stator (203) and the rotor (205). Hence, the twist controller (150) having the seal assembly can effectively solve the problem that a conventional rotary controller is easy affected by a foreign matter falling therein, thereby improving the reliability of speed control of the twist controller (150) on a vehicle (100).

Description

TWIST CONTROLLER AND ELECTRIC TWO-WHEELED VEHICLE HAVING THE SAME

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates to an electric two-wheeled vehicle, more particularly to an electric two-wheeled vehicle having the twist controller.

BACKGROUND

Electric two-wheeled vehicles, such as scooters, are a type of popular transportation tools. Electric two-wheeled vehicles have an attractive appearance, and are easy to operate and safe to drive. Generally, the power output of an electric two-wheeled vehicle is controlled by a controller (also known as throttle) mounted on a handlebar. The controller may include a thumb twist, and the power output of the electric two-wheeled vehicle can be controlled by rotating the thumb twist so as to control the speed of the electric two-wheeled vehicle. However, the thumb twist of an existing electric two-wheeled vehicle is usually made of plastic, in which a fixed ring is sleeved over by an outer rotating part. In addition, the outer rotating part may have a sliding friction against the inner fixed ring when rotating, and such a sliding friction may cause significant wear on the thumb twist. As a result, the service life of this type of thumb twist is usually short. Moreover, due to the relatively large gap between the rotating element (s) and the fixed ring, in some cases, such as on the beach, foreign matters (such as sand) may easily enter the gap, which may affect the rotation of the thumb twist, resulting in reduced speed control reliability of the electric two-wheeled vehicle. Since the reliability of the thumb twist is critical to speed control during driving, if the thumb twist gets stuck by a foreign matter, it may cause serious consequences, such as accidents or even casualties.

Therefore, it is important to provide a sand-proof twist controller, and an electric two-wheeled vehicle having such a twist controller.

SUMMARY

The present application provides a vehicle twist controller having a sealing structure and highly reliable speed control, and an electric two-wheeled vehicle having the twist controller.

A first aspect of the present application provides a twist controller for a vehicle, including: a stator including a through hole through which the stator is sleeved over a handlebar of a vehicle; a rotor rotatably sleeved over the stator; a control circuit configured to output a control signal to a target device mounted on the vehicle based on a relative rotation between the stator and the rotor; and a seal assembly sealing a space between the stator and the rotor.

According to some embodiments, the seal assembly includes at least one bearing and at least one sealing cover, the at least one bearing is sleeved over by the rotor, and the at least one sealing cover is sleeved over by the bearing.

According to some embodiments, the sealing cover includes a sleeve having an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface is configured to sleeve over the handlebar, and the outer surface is configured to pass through an inner ring of the bearing; wherein an outer ring surface of the bearing is in contact with an inner surface of the rotor to seal a space between the bearing and the rotor; and the outer surface of the sealing cover is in contact with an inner ring surface of the bearing to seal a space between sleeve and the bearing.

According to some embodiments, the sealing cover includes: a sleeve and a flange disposed on one side of the sleeve; the sleeve has an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface is configured to sleeve over the handlebar, and the outer surface is configured to pass through an inner ring of the bearing; wherein an outer ring surface of the bearing is in contact with an inner surface of the rotor to seal a space between the bearing and the rotor; and the flange is in contact with the bearing to seal a space between the flange and the bearing.

According to some embodiments, the seal assembly includes at least one bearing sleeved over by the rotor.

According to some embodiments, an outer ring surface of the bearing is in contact with an inner surface of the rotor to seal between the bearing and the rotor.

According to some embodiments, an inner ring surface of the bearing is in contact with an outer surface of the handlebar to seal between the bearing and the handlebar.

According to some embodiments, the bearing includes a sealing ring inserted between an outer ring and an inner ring of the bearing to seal a space between outer ring of the bearing and the inner ring of the bearing.

According to some embodiments, the seal assembly includes at least one sealing cover sleeved over by the rotor.

According to some embodiments, the sealing cover includes a sleeve and a flange disposed on one side of the sleeve; the sleeve has an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface is configured to sleeve over the handlebar, and the outer surface is configured to pass through an inner ring of the bearing.

According to some embodiments, the flange is in contact with both the rotor and the stator to seal a space between the rotor and stator.

According to some embodiments, the control circuit includes a rotation sensor, and the rotation sensor includes: a first assembly mounted on the rotor; and a second assembly mounted on the stator, wherein when the rotor rotates relative to the stator, the first assembly makes an arcuate movement relative to the second assembly, the rotation sensor detects the rotation, and outputs a detection signal based on the rotation.

According to some embodiments, one of the first assembly and the second assembly includes a Hall sensor, and the other one of the first assembly and the second assembly includes a magnet.

According to some embodiments, the second assembly is mounted in a through hole on the stator.

According to some embodiments, an inner wall of the through hole on the stator has a protrusion to restrict the stator from rotating relative to the handlebar.

According to some embodiments, the target device includes a power source, the control circuit includes an accelerator circuit, and the control signal is configured to be sent to the power source and control the power source.

A second aspect of the present application provides an electric two-wheeled vehicle, including: a handlebar and a twist controller sleeved over the handlebar, the twist controller includes: a stator including a through hole through which the stator is sleeved over a handlebar of a vehicle; a rotor rotatably sleeved over the stator; a control circuit configured to output a control signal to a target device mounted on the vehicle based on a relative rotation between the stator and the rotor; and a seal assembly sealing a space between the stator and the rotor.

According to some embodiments, the sealing cover includes a sleeve, the sleeve includes an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface configured to sleeve over the handlebar, the outer surface configured to pass through an inner ring of the bearing; wherein an outer ring surface of the bearing is in contact with an inner surface of the rotor to seal a space between the bearing and the rotor; and an outer surface of the sleeve is in contact with an inner ring surface of the bearing to seal the sleeve and the bearing.

According to some embodiments, the sealing cover includes a flange disposed on one side of the sleeve; the flange is in contact with the bearing to seal a space between the flange and the bearing.

Therefore, the embodiments of the present application provide a vehicle twist controller, such as an electric power accelerator of a two-wheeled vehicle. The twist controller adopts a sealing structure to effectively solve the problem that a conventional rotary controller is easy affected by a foreign matter falling therein, thereby improving the reliability of speed control of the vehicle twist controller.

Other features of the present application will be set forth in part in the description which follows. The contents of the following figures and examples will become apparent to those skilled in the art based on the description. The inventive aspects of the present application can be fully explained through practice or using the methods, apparatus, and combinations thereof set forth in the detailed examples described below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of an electric two-wheeled vehicle provided by some embodiments of the present application.

FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded structural view of a twist controller provided by some embodiments of the present application.

FIG. 3 is a schematic assembled structural view of a twist controller provided by some embodiments of the present application.

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural view of a rotor provided by some embodiments of the present application.

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural view of a stator provided by some embodiments of the present application.

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural view of a first sealing cover provided by some embodiments of the present application.

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural view of a second sealing cover provided by some embodiments of the present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description provides specific application scenarios and requirements of the present application in order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the present application. Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments shown, but the broadest scope consistent with the claims.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a” , “an” and “the” may include their plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. When used in this disclosure, the terms “comprises” , “comprising” , “includes” and/or “including” refer to the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used in this disclosure, the term “A on B” means that A is directly adjacent to B (from above or below) , and may also mean that A is indirectly adjacent to B (i.e., there is some element between A and B) ; the term “A in B” means that A is all in B, or it may also mean that A is partially in B.

In view of the following description, these and other features of the present disclosure, as well as operations and functions of related elements of the structure, and the economic efficiency of the combination and manufacture of the components, may be significantly improved. All of these form part of the present disclosure with reference to the drawings. However, it should be clearly understood that the drawings are only for the purpose of illustration and description, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. It is also understood that the drawings are not drawn to scale.

Moreover, while the systems and methods in this disclosure primarily describe designs with electric scooters, it should be understood that this is merely an exemplary embodiment. The systems or methods of the present disclosure may be applied to any other types of vehicles. For example, the systems or methods of the present disclosure may be applied to vehicles operating in different environments, including terrestrial, marine, aerospace, etc., or any combination thereof. The vehicle may include an electric, motorized and/or human-powered scooter, bicycle, moped, motorcycle, self-balancing scooter, motorboat, etc., or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the systems or methods can find an application in, for example, logistics warehouse, military affairs, and the like.

FIG. 1 shows the structure of a vehicle 100 according to some embodiments of the present application. The vehicle 100 may be a human-powered, electric, or gasoline-powered scooter, bicycle, motorcycle, motorboat, and the like. For the convenience of illustration, the present disclosure will be described with reference to an electric scooter.

The electric scooter 100 may include a wheel portion 110, a body portion 120, a steering portion 130, and a brake portion 140. The wheel portion 110 may include at least one front wheel 112, at least one front wheel fender 116, at least one rear wheel 114, and at least one rear wheel fender 118. The front fender 116 may be of a curved shape. When the electric scooter 100 moves on a road, the front wheel fender 116 may block the dirt brought by the front wheel 112 due to rolling. The rear fender 118 may be of a curved shape and may be substantially coaxially aligned with the rear wheel 114. When the electric scooter 100 moves on the road, the rear wheel fender 118 may block the dirt brought by the rear wheel 114 due to rolling.

The body portion 120 may include a body 124, a head tube 126, and a lower tube 128. The body 124 may include a battery compartment to house a battery of the electric scooter 100. An upper surface of the body 124 may serve as a deck 122 for a user/rider stands thereon when riding the electric scooter 100. The body 124 may connect to the lower tube 128 at one side and connect to the rear fender 118 at the other side. The lower tube 128 may connect the body 124 with the head tube 126.

The steering portion 130 may include a headlight 132, a handlebar 134, a steering tube 136, a stem 138, and a fork 139. The headlight 132 may be mounted on the steering tube 136. The handlebar 134 may be located in an upper portion of the steering tube 136, and may be connected to the steering tube 136 through the stem 138. The handlebar 134 and the steering tube 136 may form a substantially T shape. The steering tube 136 may be connected with the fork 139, which further connects to the front wheel 112. Further, the steering tube 136 may be sleeved over by the head tube 126 and may be pivotable within the head tube 126. Accordingly, the user, who is standing on the deck 122, may hold the handlebar 134 and control a moving direction of the electric scooter 100 by pivoting the handlebar 134.

The brake portion 140 may include a brake lever 142, a brake cable 144, a front wheel brake 146, and a rear wheel brake 148. The user may further control the speed of the electric scooter 100 by operating the brake portion 140.

In addition, a twist controller 150 may be provided on the handlebar for controlling the electric two-wheeled vehicle 100 or a target device, such as a power source, mounted on the electric two-wheeled vehicle 100. The twist controller 150 may be mounted on the left handlebar or the right handlebar. For easy operation, it is usually mounted on the right handlebar.

In some embodiments, the twist controller 150 may be a thumb throttle (thumb twist accelerator) and may include a control circuit configured to output a control signal to a target device mounted on the electric two-wheeled vehicle 100, and to control the target device. As an example, the control circuit may be an accelerator circuit that outputs a control signal to a power source mounted on the electric two-wheeled vehicle 100, and the control signal may control the power source. The structure and function of the twist controller 150 are shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 7 and their associated descriptions.

FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded structural view of a twist controller 150 provided by some embodiments of the present application.

The twist controller 150 may include a stator 203, a rotor 205, a control circuit (not shown) and a seal assembly.

The stator 203 may include a through hole 501 as shown in FIG. 5. The handlebar 134 of the two-wheeled electric vehicle 100 may be sleeved over by the stator 203 through the through hole 501, as shown in FIG. 3.

The rotor 205 may include a through hole 403 as shown in FIG. 4. The rotor 205 may rotatably sleeve over the stator 203 as shown in FIG. 3.

The control circuit may be configured to output a control signal to a target device mounted on the electric two-wheeled vehicle 100 based on the relative rotation between the rotor 205 and the stator 203.

The seal assembly may seal a space between the stator 203 and the rotor 205.

Referring to FIG. 4, the rotor 205 may include an inner surface 404 and an outer surface 405. Referring to FIG. 5, the stator 203 may include an inner surface 503 and an outer surface 504. Referring to FIG. 3, when the rotor 205 sleeves over the stator 203, the outer surface 504 of the stator 203 may be in contact with the inner surface 404 of the rotor 205. When the rotor 205 rotates relative to the stator 203, a gap may be formed between the outer surface 504 of the stator 203 and the inner surface 404 of the rotor 205. The space between the stator 203 and the rotor 205 as described above may include the gap. The seal assembly described above may seal the gap to prevent a foreign matter from entering the gap, thereby ensuring that the rotor 205 can freely and flexibly rotate about the stator 203.

Under certain conditions, the seal assembly may include at least one bearing and at least one sealing cover. The bearing may be sleeved over by the rotor 205, and the sealing cover may be sleeved over by the bearing. In one example, the seal assembly may include a bearing and a sealing cover. In another example, the seal assembly may include two bearings and two sealing covers.

The case in which the twist controller 150 includes two bearings and two sealing covers will be described below. However, it is understood that the twist controller 150 including one bearing and one sealing cover may also be obtained based on the same principles.

As shown in FIG. 2, the seal assembly of the twist controller 150 may include a first bearing 202, a second bearing 206, a first sealing cover 201, and a second sealing cover 207. As shown in FIG. 3, the first bearing 202 and the second bearing 206 may be sleeved over by the rotor 205, the first controller cover 201 may be sleeved over by the first bearing 202, and the second sealing cover 207 may be sleeved over by the second bearing 206.

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural view of the first sealing cover 201 provided by some embodiments of the present application. As shown in this figure, the first sealing cover 201 may include a sleeve 601 that includes an inner surface 603 and an outer surface 604. In conjunction with FIG. 3, it can be seen that the inner surface 603 may be configured to sleeve over the handlebar 134. The outer surface 604 may be configured to pass through an inner ring of the first bearing 202. In this case, an outer ring surface of the first bearing 202 may be in close contact with the inner surface 404 of the rotor 205 to achieve a sealing effect; the outer surface 604 of the sleeve 601 may be in close contact with an inner ring surface of the first bearing 202 to achieve a sealing effect.

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural view of the second sealing cover 207 provided by some embodiments of the present application. As shown in this figure, the second sealing cover 207 may include a sleeve 701 that includes an inner surface 702 and an outer surface 703. In conjunction with FIG. 3, it can be seen that the inner surface 702 may be configured to sleeve over the handlebar 134. The outer surface 703 may be configured to pass through an inner ring of the second bearing 206. In this case, an outer ring surface of the second bearing 206 may be in close contact with the inner surface 404 of the rotor 205 to achieve a sealing effect; the outer surface 702 of the sleeve 701 may be in close contact with an inner ring surface of the second bearing 206 to achieve a sealing effect.

By means of the sealing effects described above, the space between the stator 203 and the rotor 205 may be sealed.

Further referring to FIG. 6, in addition to the sleeve 601, the first sealing cover 201 may also include a flange 602 disposed on one side of the sleeve 601. In this case, an outer ring surface of the first bearing 202 may be in close contact with the inner surface 404 of the rotor 205 to achieve a sealing effect; in addition, a surface of the flange 602 facing the sleeve 601 (i.e., the side of the flange 602 in FIG. 6 that faces the B direction in FIG. 3, in other words, the side opposing the left side A of the flange 602) may be in close contact with a side surface of first bearing 202 facing outside of the twist controller 150 (i.e., the side of the first bearing 202 facing the C direction as shown in FIG. 3) to achieve a sealing effect.

Further referring to FIG. 7, in addition to the sleeve 701, the second sealing cover 207 may also include a flange 704 disposed on one side of the sleeve 701. In this case, an outer ring surface of the second bearing 206 may be in close contact with the inner surface 404 of the rotor 205 to achieve a sealing effect; in addition, a surface of the flange 704 facing the sleeve 701 (i.e., the side of the flange 704 facing the C direction as shown in FIG. 3, in other words, the side opposing the right side D of the flange 704) may be in close contact with a side surface of the second bearing 206 facing the outside of the twist controller 150 (i.e., the right side of the second bearing 206 in FIG. 3) to achieve a sealing effect.

By means of the above sealing effects, the space between the stator 203 and the rotor 205 may be sealed. It is understood that, in the above case, the outer surface 604 of the sleeve 601 and the inner ring surface of the first bearing 202 may be in close contact with each other to achieve a sealing effect; or may not be in close contact with each other, and thus do not have a sealing effect. This is because in the case where one surface of the flange 602 facing the sleeve 601 is in close contact with one side surface of the first bearing 202 facing the outside of the twist controller 150, the sealing effect has already been achieved, thus the gap between the outer surface 604 of the sleeve 601 and the inner ring surface of the first bearing 202 has been sealed anyway regardless whether there is a sealing effect between the outer surface of the sleeve and the inner ring surface of the first bearing. Similarly, the outer surface 702 of the sleeve 701 and the inner ring surface of the second bearing 206 may be in close contact with each other to achieve a sealing effect; or they may not be in close contact with each other to achieve a sealing effect.

Under certain conditions, the seal assembly may include at least one bearing, and the bearing is sleeved over by the rotor 205. For example, the seal assembly may include a bearing. As another example, the seal assembly may include two bearings.

The twist controller 150 including two bearings will be described below. However, it is understood that the twist controller 150 including only one bearing may also be obtained based on the same principles.

As shown in FIG. 2, the seal assembly of the twist controller 150 may include a first bearing 202 and a second bearing 205. The first bearing 202 and the second bearing 206 may be sleeved over by the rotor 205, and the handlebar 134 may be sleeved over by the first bearing 202 and the second bearing 206. The outer ring surface of the first bearing 202 may be in close contact with the inner surface 404 of the rotor 205 to achieve a sealing effect; the outer ring surface of the second bearing 206 may be in close contact with the inner surface 404 of the rotor 205 to achieve a sealing effect.

By means of the above sealing effects, the space between the stator 203 and the rotor 205 may be sealed.

In the foregoing case, the seal assembly may not include a first sealing cover 201, and the handlebar 134 is sleeved over by the first bearing 202. In order to prevent a foreign matter from entering the gap between the first bearing 202 and the handlebar 134, the inner ring surface of the first bearing 202 may be in close contact with the outer surface of the handlebar 134 to achieve a sealing effect. Similarly, the seal assembly may not include a second sealing cover 207, and the handlebar is sleeved over by the second bearing 206. Accordingly, in order to prevent a foreign matter from entering the gap between the second bearing 206 and the handlebar 134, the inner ring surface of the second bearing 206 may be in close contact with the outer surface of the handlebar 134 to achieve a sealing effect.

The first bearing 202 and the second bearing 206 may be the same or different. The first bearing 202 and the second bearing 206 may both be ball bearings. The ball bearing may include an inner ring, an outer ring, a ball, a holder and a sealing ring. The sealing ring may be annular and embedded/inserted between the outer ring and the inner ring to achieve a sealing effect on the space between the outer ring and the inner ring.

According to some embodiments, the seal assembly may include at least one sealing cover, and the one sealing cover is sealed over by the rotor 205. For example, the seal assembly may include a controller cover. As another example, the seal assembly may include two sealing covers.

The twist controller 150 including two sealing covers will be described below. It is understood that the twist controller 150 including only one sealing cover may be obtained based on the same principles.

As shown in FIG. 2, the seal assembly of the twist controller 150 may include a first sealing cover 201 and a second sealing cover 207.

Referring to FIG. 6, the first sealing cover 201 includes a sleeve 601 that includes an inner surface 603 and an outer surface 604. It may further include a flange 602 disposed on one side of the sleeve 601. One surface of the flange 602 facing the sleeve 601 (i.e., the side of the flange 602 in FIG. 6 that faces the direction B in FIG. 3) is in close contact with both one side surface of the rotor 205 facing the outside of the twist controller 150 (i.e., the side of the rotor 205 that faces the direction C as shown in FIG. 3) and one side surface of the stator 203 facing the outside of the twist controller 150 (i.e., the side of the stator 203 that faces the direction C as shown in FIG. 3) , so as to achieve a sealing effect.

Referring to FIG. 7, the second sealing cover 207 includes a sleeve 701 that includes an inner surface 702 and an outer surface 703. It may further include a flange 704 disposed on one side of the sleeve 701. One surface of the flange 704 facing the sleeve 701 (i.e., the side of the flange 704 in FIG. 7 that faces the direction C in FIG. 3) is in close contact with both the side surface of the rotor 205 facing the outside of the twist controller 150 (i.e., the side of the rotor 205 facing the direction B as shown in FIG. 3) and the side surface of the stator 203 facing the outside of the twist controller 150 (i.e., the side of the stator 203 facing the direction B as shown in FIG. 3) , so as to achieve a sealing effect.

It is appreciated to those skilled in the art that since the twist controller shown in FIG. 3 includes the first bearing 202 and the second bearing 206, the structural view provided in FIG. 3 may differ from the twist controller 150 described above. In the above description, a side of the rotor 205 facing the outside of the twist controller 150 (i.e., the side of the rotor 205 facing the direction C as shown in FIG. 3) may be aligned with a side of the stator 203 facing the outside of the twist controller 150 (i.e., the side of the stator 203 facing the direction C as shown in FIG. 3) , thus one side of the flange 602 facing the sleeve 601 (i.e., the side of the flange 602 facing the direction B as shown in FIG. 3) may be in close contact with the rotor 205 and the stator 203 to achieve a sealing effect. Similarly, a side of the rotor 205 facing the outside of the twist controller 150 (i.e., the side of the rotor 205 facing the direction B as shown in FIG. 3) may be aligned with a side of the stator 203 facing the outside of the twist controller 150 (i.e., the side of the stator 203 facing the direction B as shown in FIG. 3) , thus one side of the flange 704 facing the sleeve 701 (i.e., the side of the flange 704 facing the direction C as shown in FIG. 3) may be in close contact with the rotor 205 and the stator 203 to achieve a sealing effect. In this way, by means of the foregoing sealing effects, the space between the stator 203 and the rotor 205 may be sealed.

Under certain conditions, the control circuit may include a rotation sensor. The rotation sensor may include a first assembly and a second assembly. The first assembly may be mounted on the rotor 205 and the second assembly may be mounted on the stator 203. When the rotor 205 rotates relative to the stator 203, the first assembly makes an arcuate movement relative to the second assembly, thus the rotation sensor may detect the rotation and output a detection signal based on the rotation. The control circuit may output a control signal based on the detection signal.

One of the first assembly and the second assembly may include a Hall sensor, and the other one may include a magnet. For example, the first assembly may include a Hall sensor and the second assembly may include a magnet. As another example, the first assembly may include a magnet and the second assembly may include a Hall sensor.

As an example, referring to FIG. 5, a magnet 401 may be mounted on the inner surface 404 of the rotor 205. A Hall sensor 502 may be mounted on the inner surface 503 of the stator 203 (i.e., on the inner wall of the through hole 501 or in an protrusion of the inner wall of the through hole 501, which further functions to restrict a relative axial rotation between the stator 203 and the handlebar) .

The stator 203 may be fixed to the handlebar 134 and thus cannot rotate. The rotor 205 is rotatably/pivotably sleeved over the stator 203. When a lever 406 on the rotor 205 is pushed, the rotor 205 may rotate relative to the stator 203, accordingly the magnet 401 on the rotor 205 makes an arcuate movement relative the Hall sensor 502 on the stator 203, thus the distance between the Hall sensor 502 and the magnet 401 on the rotor 205 changes, and the detection signal of the Hall sensor 502 changes. Thus, the control signal output from the control circuit changes.

Referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 5, the twist controller 150 may further include a torsion spring 204. The torsion spring 204 has a ring shape and is sleeved over the stator 203. Two ends of the torsion spring are respectively inserted into a small hole on the stator 203 and a small hole 402 on the rotor 205. When the lever 406 on the rotor 205 is pushed (pushed down or up) , the rotor 205 rotates (e.g., pivot) relative to the stator 203, thus the torsion spring 204 has an elastic force. When stop pushing the lever 406, the rotor 205 will return to its original position due to the elastic force, and the distance between the Hall sensor 502 and the magnet 401 is also restored to its original state, thus the detection signal of the Hall sensor 502 is unchanged.

In the case where the control circuit is an accelerator circuit for controlling a power source of the electric two-wheeled vehicle 100, a control signal output from the control circuit may be configured to be sent to the power source and control the power source. When the lever 406 on the rotor 205 is pushed, the distance between the Hall sensor 502 and the magnet 401 on the rotor 205 changes, thus the detection signal of the Hall sensor 502 changes, and the control signal outputted by the control circuit changes. As a result, the accelerator is adjusted accordingly. When stop pushing the lever 406, the distance between the Hall sensor 502 and the magnet 401 remains the same, thus, the detection signal of the Hall sensor 502 remains the same, and the control signal output by the control circuit remains the same. As a result, the accelerator remains the same (for example, zero) .

It is noted that the second assembly (for example, the Hall sensor 502) may be mounted in the through hole 501 of the stator 203 to restrict the stator 203 from rotating relative to the handlebar 134. As shown in FIG. 3, the handlebar 134 may have a recess 303. Referring to FIG. 5, the Hall sensor 502 may be a protruding structure that may be inserted into the recess 303 to restrict the stator 203 from rotating relative to the handlebar 134.

It is understood that the second assembly (for example, the Hall sensor 502) may not be mounted in the through hole 501 of the stator 203; accordingly the second assembly may not restrict the stator 203 from rotating relative to the handlebar 134. In this case, in order to restrict the stator 203 from rotating relative to the handlebar 134, the inner wall of the through hole on the stator may have a protrusion to restrict the stator 203 from rotating relative to the handlebar 134.

It is understood that the different embodiments of this application may be combined with each other and still fall within the scope of protection required by this application. For example, one embodiment can be applied in another embodiment and still fall within the scope of protection required by this application.

The above description of the twist controller 150 should be understood as that the twist controller 150 may have other components or variants, which are also within the scope of the present application.

For example, referring to FIG. 2, the twist controller 150 may further include an clamping ring 208. The clamping ring 208 has an annular shape with two ends thereof protruding yet disconnected, and the two ends have threaded holes. Referring to FIG. 3, the clamping ring 208 may pass through the handlebar 134 and then is mounted in the flange 704 of the second sealing cover 207. The flange 704 may have a through hole 301 through which a bolt may be inserted into the threaded holes at both ends of the clamping ring 208. In this way, the clamping ring 208 may be secured to the handlebar 134 by a securing bolt so as to secure the entire twist controller 150 to the handlebar 134.

In another example, referring to FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, the stator 203 may further include a limit block 302; the thickness of the rotor 205 may be uneven, for example, the thickness may be different in different parts of the rotor, for example, the

cross-sections

304 and 305 of the rotor may have different thicknesses. In this case, the cross-section 304 may be thicker than the cross-section 305. The stator 203 is fixed, and the limit block 302 on the stator 203 is also fixed. As the rotor 205 rotates, the positions of the cross-section 304 and the cross-section 305 change. When the cross-section 305 moves to the limit block 302, since the cross-section 305 is thin, the inner surface 404 of the rotor 205 corresponding to the cross-section 305 may not collide with the limit block 302, and thus the rotor 205 may rotate freely. When the cross-section 304 moves to the limit block 302, since the cross-section 304 is thicker, the inner surface 404 of the rotor 205 corresponding to the cross-section 304 may collide with the limit block 302, and thus the rotor 205 may not rotate freely. By means of providing the limit block 302 on the stator 203 and setting various cross-sections of the rotor 205 having different thicknesses, the rotation of the rotor 205 may be restricted to a specific angular range, making the electric two-wheeled vehicle 100 safer.

Due to the relative rotation between the stator and the rotor, conventionally, a plastic structure may be adopted, which can reduce the wear caused by the rotational friction through the self-lubricating effect between plastic parts. In the present application, the twist controller is provided with a bearing, which changes the conventional sliding friction to a rolling friction, thereby solving the problem of wear caused by the relative rotation between the stator and the rotor. Accordingly, the twist controller provided in the present application may use more metal parts to increase the structural strength and durability thereof, and the service life of the twist controller is also greatly improved.

In view of the foregoing, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that although not explicitly stated herein, those skilled in the art will understand that the present application is intended to cover various changes, improvements and modifications of the embodiments. These changes, modifications, and improvements are intended to be made by the present disclosure and are within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

In addition, some of the terms in this application have been used to describe embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, “one embodiment” , “an embodiment” and/or “some embodiments” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be emphasized and understood that in various parts of the present disclosure, two or more references to “an embodiment” or “one embodiment” or “an alternate embodiment” are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined as appropriate in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

It should be understood that in the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, to assist in understanding a feature and for the purpose of simplifying the present disclosure, sometimes various features may be combined in a single embodiment, or drawings, description thereof. Alternatively, various features may be described in different embodiments of the present application. However, this is not to say that a combination of these features is necessary, and it is entirely possible for those skilled in the art to understand that a part of these features may be extracted as a separate embodiment. That is to say, the embodiments in the present application can also be understood as the integration of a plurality of secondary embodiments. It is also true that the content of each of the sub-embodiments is less than all of the features of a single previously disclosed embodiment.

In some embodiments, numbers expressing quantities or properties used to describe or define the embodiments of the present application should be understood as being modified by the terms “about, ” “approximate, ” or “substantially” in some instances. For example, “about, ” “approximately” or “substantially” may mean a ±20%change in the described value o unless otherwise stated. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters set forth in the written description and the appended claims are approximations, which may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained in a particular embodiment. In some embodiments, numerical parameters should be interpreted in accordance with the value of the parameters and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Although a number of embodiments of the present application provide a broad range of numerical ranges and parameters that are approximations, the values in the specific examples are as accurate as possible.

Each of the patents, patent applications, patent application publications, and other materials, such as articles, books, instructions, publications, documents, products, etc., cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference, which are applicable to all contents used for all purposes, except for any history of prosecution documents associated therewith, any identical, or any identical prosecution document history, which may be inconsistent or conflicting with this document, or any such subject matter that may have a restrictive effect on the broadest scope of the claims associated with this document now or later. For example, if there is any inconsistent or conflicting in descriptions, definitions, and/or use of a term associated with this document and descriptions, definitions, and/or use of the term associated with any materials, the term in this document shall prevail.

Finally, it should be understood that the embodiments of the application disclosed herein are merely described to illustrate the principles of the embodiments of the application. Other modified embodiments are also within the scope of this application. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed herein are by way of example only and not limitations. Those skilled in the art can adopt alternative configurations to implement the invention in this application in accordance with the embodiments of the present application. Therefore, the embodiments of the present application are not limited to those embodiments that have been precisely described in this disclosure.

Claims

A twist controller for a vehicle, comprising:

a stator including a through hole, through which the stator is sleeved over a handlebar of the vehicle;

a rotor rotatably sleeved over the stator;

a control circuit configured to output a control signal to a target device mounted on the vehicle based on relative rotation between the stator and the rotor; and

a seal assembly sealing a space between the stator and the rotor.
The twist controller according to claim 1, wherein the seal assembly includes:

at least one bearing sleeved over by the rotor; and

at least one sealing cover sleeved over by the bearing.
The twist controller according to claim 2, wherein the sealing cover includes a sleeve having an inner surface and an outer surface,

the inner surface is configured to sleeve over the handlebar, and

the outer surface is configured to pass through an inner ring of the bearing;

wherein an outer ring surface of the bearing is in contact with an inner surface of the rotor to seal a space between the bearing and the rotor; and

the outer surface is in contact with an inner ring surface of the bearing to seal a space between the sleeve and the bearing.
The twist controller according to claim 2, wherein the sealing cover includes:

a sleeve and a flange disposed on one side of the sleeve;

the sleeve has an inner surface and an outer surface,

the inner surface is configured to sleeve over the handlebar, and

the outer surface is configured to pass through an inner ring of the bearing;

wherein an outer ring surface of the bearing is in contact with an inner surface of the rotor to seal a space between the bearing and the rotor;

the flange is in contact with the bearing to seal a space between the flange and the bearing.
The twist controller according to claim 1, wherein the seal assembly includes at least one bearing sleeved over by the rotor.
The twist controller according to claim 5, wherein an outer ring surface of the bearing is in contact with an inner surface of the rotor to seal a space between the bearing and the handlebar.
The twist controller according to claim 6, wherein an inner ring surface of the bearing is in contact with an outer surface of the handlebar to seal a space between the bearing and the handlebar.
The twist controller according to claim 5, wherein the bearing includes a sealing ring inserted between an outer ring and an inner ring of the bearing to seal a space between the outer ring and the inner ring.
The twist controller according to claim 1, wherein the seal assembly includes at least one sealing cover sleeved over by the rotor.
The twist controller according to claim 9, wherein the sealing cover includes a sleeve and a flange disposed on one side of the sleeve;

the sleeve has an inner surface and an outer surface,

the inner surface is configured to sleeve over the handlebar, the outer surface is configured to pass through an inner ring of the bearing.
The twist controller according to claim 10, wherein the flange is in contact with both the rotor and the stator to seal a space between the rotor and the stator.
The twist controller according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit includes a rotation sensor, and the rotation sensor includes:

a first assembly mounted on the rotor; and

a second assembly mounted on the stator,

wherein when the rotor rotates relative to the stator, the first assembly makes an arcuate movement relative to the second assembly, the rotation sensor detects the rotation and outputs a detection signal based on the rotation.
The twist controller according to claim 12, wherein one of the first assembly and the second assembly includes a Hall sensor, and

the other one of the first assembly and the second assembly includes a magnet.
The twist controller according to claim 12, wherein the second assembly is mounted in the through hole on the stator.
The twist controller according to claim 1, wherein an inner wall of the through hole on the stator has a protrusion to restrict the stator from rotating relative to the handlebar.
The twist controller according to claim 1, wherein the target device includes a power source, the control circuit includes an accelerator circuit, wherein the control signal is configured to be sent to the power source and control the power source.
An electric two-wheeled vehicle, comprising:

a handlebar;

a twist controller sleeved over the handlebar, including:

a stator including a through hole, through which the stator is sleeved over a handlebar of a vehicle;

a rotor rotatably sleeved over the stator;

a control circuit configured to output a control signal to a target device mounted on the vehicle based on a relative rotation between the stator and the rotor; and

a seal assembly sealing a space between the stator and the rotor.
The electric two-wheeled vehicle according to claim 17, wherein the seal assembly includes at least one bearing and at least one sealing cover, the at least one bearing is sleeved over by the rotor, and the at least one sealing cover is sleeved over by the bearing.
The electric two-wheeled vehicle according to claim 18, wherein the sealing cover includes a sleeve,

the sleeve includes an inner surface and an outer surface,

the inner surface configured to sleeve over the handlebar,

the outer surface configured to pass through an inner ring of the bearing;

wherein an outer ring surface of the bearing is in contact with an inner surface of the rotor to seal between the bearing and the rotor; and

an outer surface of the sleeve is in contact with an inner ring surface of the bearing to seal between sleeve and the bearing.
The electric two-wheeled vehicle according to claim 19, wherein the sealing cover includes a flange disposed on one side of the sleeve; the flange is in contact with the bearing to seal a space between the flange and the bearing.