US Patent:
20100013420, Jan 21, 2010
Inventors:
Mark W. Fischer - Racine WI, US
Richard Parisey - Hartford WI, US
Jay M. Klubertanz - Hartford WI, US
Steven P. Pertzsch - Oconomowoc WI, US
Assignee:
HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY GROUP, INC. - Milwaukee WI
International Classification:
H02P 5/00
Abstract:
A vehicle comprising a rotatable wheel (e.g., three rotatable wheels), a forward drive mechanism including a forward drive motor (e.g., an internal combustion engine), and a reverse drive mechanism. The reverse drive mechanism includes a reverse drive motor (e.g., an electric motor) adapted to move the chassis in the rearward direction, and a reverse drive control programmed to inhibit operation of the reverse drive mechanism when the forward drive motor is off. In one embodiment, the vehicle includes a battery for operating the reverse drive motor, and the reverse drive control is programmed to inhibit operation of the motor when a characteristic of the battery (e.g., an output voltage) falls below a threshold. The vehicle can further include a temperature sensor for the reverse drive motor. In this embodiment, the reverse drive control is programmed to inhibit operation of the reverse drive motor when the temperature of the motor exceeds a threshold.
