The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 22, 1998
Filed:
Jan. 13, 1997
Jerry Jones, Mill Valley, CA (US);
Other;
Abstract
In order to determine the direction and degree of bank of a motorcycle, a flywheel or other weight balanced at its center of mass is mounted on the motorcycle so that it is free to rotate about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the motorcycle. As the vehicle banks, the flywheel will tend to maintain its position, and the angle of bank can be ascertained by measuring the direction and degree of rotation between the plane of the motorcycle and the flywheel. Measurement of flywheel rotation is obtained by means of an electromagnetic or electro-optical scanner. This device may be used to control headlight beam rotation about the beam axis, thereby keeping the horizontal cutoff of the rectangular beam cross-section parallel to the horizon at all times. Because of friction and vibration, however, the flywheel position may drift relative to the horizon, rendering the angle measurement inaccurate. Therefore it is necessary for the operator to correct for flywheel drift periodically by stopping flywheel rotation when the vehicle is upright or normal to the road surface. This driver input also resets the headlight beam to its normal position. For daytime use, the headlight beam may be locked in its normal position.