Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING
AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE HEADLIGHT
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to electric vehicles having at least one
headlight, and more particularly to a system and method for controlling an
electric
vehicle headlight.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Motorized vehicles with internal combustion engines typically have an
ignition
switch or button. The ignition switch or button activates a starter motor that
starts the
engine. The operator of the vehicle can typically hear that the engine has
started and
that the vehicle is ready to be driven.
[0003] Motorized vehicles may have headlights (also referred to as
"headlamps") to
permit safe use of the vehicles when driving.
[0004] Improvement in headlight control in electric vehicles is desirable.
SUMMARY
[0005] In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of
operating an electric vehicle, the method comprising: responsive to
determining that
the electric vehicle is connected to an external power source, enabling an
operator
interface of the electric vehicle to command a headlight of the electric
vehicle into an
off condition; and responsive to determining that the electric vehicle is
disconnected
from the external power source and that the electric motor of the electric
vehicle is
powered, maintaining the headlight of the electric vehicle in an on condition
and
disabling the operator interface from commanding the headlight of the electric
vehicle
into the off condition.
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[0006] The enabling of the operator interface of the electric vehicle to
command the
headlight of the electric vehicle into the off condition may further be
conditional upon
detecting that the electric motor of the electric vehicle is powered.
[0007] The determining that the electric vehicle is disconnected from the
external
power source may comprise detecting a disconnection of a charging cable from
the
electric vehicle, and the method may further comprise, responsive to the
detecting,
automatically commanding the headlight of the electric vehicle from the off
condition to
the on condition.
[0008] The method may further comprise detecting that a parking brake of the
electric vehicle is disengaged, and the automatic commanding the headlight of
the
electric vehicle from the off condition to the on condition may be conditional
upon the
detecting that the parking brake is disengaged.
[0009] The method may further comprise detecting that a parking brake of the
electric vehicle is engaged, and the enabling of the operator interface of the
electric
vehicle to command the headlight of the electric vehicle into the off
condition may be
conditional upon the detecting that the parking brake is engaged.
[0010] The method may further comprise, responsive to the determining that the
electric vehicle is connected to the external power source, automatically
dimming at
least one other illuminated indicator of the electric vehicle.
[0011] The method may further comprise detecting an absence of operator input
at
the operator interface of the electric vehicle over a predetermined duration,
and the
automatic dimming of the at least one other illuminated indicator of the
electric vehicle
may be conditional upon the detecting.
[0012] The method may further comprise, responsive to the determining that the
electric vehicle is connected to the external power source, enabling the
operator
interface of the electric vehicle to command at least one other illuminated
indicator of
the electric vehicle to a dimmed condition.
[0013] The method may further comprise, responsive to the determining that the
electric vehicle is disconnected from the external power source and that the
electric
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motor of the electric vehicle is powered, enabling the operator interface of
the electric
vehicle to command the headlight between a high beam condition and a low beam
condition.
[0014] The method may further comprise, responsive to the determining that the
electric vehicle is connected to the external power source, enabling the
operator
interface to command the headlights between a high beam condition, a low beam
condition, and an off condition.
[0015] Embodiments may include combinations of the above features.
[0016] In another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method
of
operating an electric vehicle, the method comprising: responsive to
determining that
an accelerator of the electric vehicle is disabled from propelling the
electric vehicle,
enabling an operator interface of the electric vehicle to command a headlight
of the
electric vehicle into an off condition; and responsive to determining that the
accelerator
of the electric vehicle is enabled to propel the electric vehicle, maintaining
the
headlight of the electric vehicle in an on condition and disabling the
operator interface
from commanding the headlight of the electric vehicle into the off condition.
[0017] The method may further comprise detecting a disconnection of the
electric
vehicle from an external power source; and maintaining an illumination
condition of the
headlight regardless of the detecting, wherein the illumination condition is
one of the
on condition and the off condition.
[0018] The method may further comprise detecting that a parking brake of the
electric vehicle is engaged, and the enabling of the operator interface of the
electric
vehicle to command the headlight of the electric vehicle into the off
condition may be
conditional upon the detecting that the parking brake of the electric vehicle
is engaged.
[0019] The method may further comprise, responsive to the determining that the
accelerator of the electric vehicle is disabled from propelling the electric
vehicle,
automatically dimming at least one other illuminated indicator of the electric
vehicle.
[0020] The method may further comprise detecting an absence of operator input
at
the operator interface of the electric vehicle over a predetermined duration,
and the
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automatic dimming of the at least one other illuminated indicator of the
electric vehicle
may be conditional upon the detecting of the absence of operator input at the
operator
interface.
[0021] The method may further comprise, responsive to the determining that the
accelerator of the electric vehicle is disabled from propelling the electric
vehicle,
enabling the operator interface of the electric vehicle to command at least
one other
illuminated indicator of the electric vehicle to a dimmed condition.
[0022] The method may further comprise disabling the accelerator from
propelling
the electric vehicle responsive to detecting an absence of operator input at
the
operator interface over a predetermined duration during which the accelerator
of the
electric vehicle is enabled.
[0023] Embodiments may include combinations of the above features.
[0024] In another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an
electric
vehicle comprising: an electric motor; a headlight; an operator interface; and
a
controller operatively coupled to the electric motor, the headlight, and the
operator
interface, the controller operable to: responsive to determining that the
electric vehicle
is connected to an external power source, enable the operator interface to
command
the headlight into an off condition; and responsive to determining that the
electric
vehicle is disconnected from the external power source and that the electric
motor is
powered, maintain the headlight in an on condition and disable the operator
interface
from commanding the headlight into the off condition.
[0025] In some embodiments of the electric vehicle, the enabling, by the
controller,
of the operator interface of the electric vehicle to command the headlight of
the electric
vehicle into the off condition is further conditional upon detecting, by the
controller, that
the electric motor of the electric vehicle is powered.
[0026] In some embodiments of the electric vehicle, the determining, by the
controller, that the electric vehicle is disconnected from the external power
source
comprises detecting, by the controller, a disconnection of a charging cable
from the
electric vehicle, and the controller is further operable to, responsive to the
detecting,
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automatically command the headlight of the electric vehicle from the off
condition to
the on condition.
[0027] In some embodiments of the electric vehicle, the controller is further
operable
to detect that a parking brake of the electric vehicle is disengaged, and the
automatic
commanding, by the controller, of the headlight of the electric vehicle from
the off
condition to the on condition is conditional upon the detecting, by the
controller, that
the parking brake is disengaged.
[0028] In some embodiments of the electric vehicle, the controller is further
operable
to detect that a parking brake of the electric vehicle is engaged, and the
enabling, by
the controller, of the operator interface of the electric vehicle to command
the headlight
of the electric vehicle into the off condition is conditional upon the
detecting, by the
controller, that the parking brake is engaged.
[0029] In some embodiments of the electric vehicle, the controller is further
operable
to, responsive to the determining, by the controller, that the electric
vehicle is
connected to the external power source, automatically dim at least one other
illuminated indicator of the electric vehicle.
[0030] In some embodiments of the electric vehicle, the controller is further
operable
to detect an absence of operator input at the operator interface of the
electric vehicle
over a predetermined duration, and the automatic dimming, by the controller,
of the at
least one other illuminated indicator of the electric vehicle is conditional
upon the
detecting of the absence of operator input at the operator interface.
[0031] In some embodiments of the electric vehicle, the controller is further
operable
to, responsive to the determining, by the controller, that the electric
vehicle is
connected to the external power source, enable the operator interface of the
electric
vehicle to command at least one other illuminated indicator of the electric
vehicle to a
dimmed condition.
[0032] In some embodiments of the electric vehicle, the controller is further
operable
to, responsive to the determining, by the controller, that the electric
vehicle is
disconnected from the external power source and that the electric motor of the
electric
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vehicle is powered, enable the operator interface of the electric vehicle to
command
the headlight between a high beam condition and a low beam condition.
[0033] In some embodiments of the electric vehicle, the controller is further
operable
to, responsive to the determining, by the controller, that the electric
vehicle is
connected to the external power source, enable the operator interface to
command the
headlights between a high beam condition, a low beam condition, and an off
condition.
[0034] In some embodiments of the electric vehicle, the headlight comprises a
daytime running light.
[0035] Embodiments may include combinations of the above features.
[0036] In another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an
electric
vehicle comprising: an operator interface including an accelerator; a
headlight; and a
controller operatively coupled to the operator interface and the headlight,
the controller
operable to: responsive to determining that the accelerator is disabled from
propelling
the electric vehicle, enable the operator interface to command the headlight
into an off
condition; and responsive to determining that the accelerator is enabled to
propel the
electric vehicle, maintain the headlight in an on condition and disable the
operator
interface from commanding the headlight into the off condition.
[0037] In some embodiments of the electric vehicle, the controller is further
operable
to: detect a disconnection of the electric vehicle from an external power
source; and
maintain an illumination condition of the headlight regardless of the
detecting, wherein
the illumination condition is one of the on condition and the off condition.
[0038] In some embodiments of the electric vehicle, the controller is further
operable
to detect that a parking brake of the electric vehicle is engaged, and the
enabling, by
the controller, of the operator interface of the electric vehicle to command
the headlight
of the electric vehicle into the off condition is conditional upon the
detecting that the
parking brake of the electric vehicle is engaged.
[0039] In some embodiments of the electric vehicle, the controller is further
operable
to, responsive to the determining, by the controller, that the accelerator of
the electric
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vehicle is disabled from propelling the electric vehicle, automatically dim at
least one
other illuminated indicator of the electric vehicle.
[0040] In some embodiments of the electric vehicle, the controller is further
operable
to detect an absence of operator input at the operator interface of the
electric vehicle
over a predetermined duration, and the automatic dimming, by the controller,
of the at
least one other illuminated indicator of the electric vehicle is conditional
upon the
detecting.
[0041] In some embodiments of the electric vehicle, the controller is further
operable
to, responsive to the determining, by the controller, that the accelerator of
the electric
vehicle is disabled from propelling the electric vehicle, enable the operator
interface of
the electric vehicle to command at least one other illuminated indicator of
the electric
vehicle to a dimmed condition.
[0042] In some embodiments of the electric vehicle, the controller is further
operable
to disable the accelerator from propelling the electric vehicle responsive to
detecting,
by the controller, an absence of operator input at the operator interface over
a
predetermined duration during which the accelerator of the electric vehicle is
enabled.
[0043] In some embodiments, the headlight comprises a daytime running light.
[0044] Embodiments may include combinations of the above features.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0045] In the figures which illustrate example embodiments,
[0046] FIG. 1A is a side plan view of an electric vehicle, which in this
example is a
snowmobile, exemplary of an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0047] FIG. 1B is another side plan view of interior portions of the
electric vehicle
embodiment of FIG. 1A;
[0048] FIG. 1C is a perspective view of the mid-bay of the electric vehicle
embodiment of FIG. 1A;
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[0049] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an operator interface of the electric
vehicle
embodiment of FIG. 1A;
[0050] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the interrelationship between some of
the
components of the electric vehicle of FIG. 1A;
[0051] FIG. 4 is a vehicle state diagram of the electric vehicle embodiment of
FIG.
1A;
[0052] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of operation of the electric vehicle of FIG. 1A;
[0053] FIG. 6 is a headlight state diagram of the electric vehicle of FIG. 1A;
[0054] FIG. 7 is a vehicle state diagram of an alternative embodiment of the
electric
vehicle of FIG. 1A;
[0055] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of operation of the alternative embodiment of the
electric
vehicle whose operation is schematically depicted in FIG. 7; and
[0056] FIG. 9 is a headlight state diagram of the alternative embodiment of
the
electric vehicle whose operation is schematically depicted in FIG. 7.
DESCRIPTION
[0057] In this document, any use of the term "exemplary" should be understood
to
mean "an example of" and not necessarily to mean that the example is
preferable or
optimal in some way. The terms "connected" and "coupled" may include both
direct
connection and coupling (where two elements contact one another) and indirect
connection and coupling (where at least one additional element is interposed
between
the two elements). The term "substantially" as used herein may be applied to
modify
any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting
in a
change in the basic function to which it is related.
[0058] The systems and methods described herein may be suitable for electric
off-road
vehicles and electric powersport vehicles. Non-limiting examples of electric
off-
road/powersport vehicles include snowmobiles, motorcycles, watercraft such as
boats
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
and personal watercraft (PWC), all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), and utility task
vehicles
(UTVs) (e.g., side-by-side).
[0059] FIG. 1A illustrates a side plan view of an electric snowmobile 100 (a
form of
electric vehicle), according to an embodiment. FIG. 1B illustrates another
side plan
view of the snowmobile 100 with several body panels and other components
removed
so that the interior of the snowmobile 100 may be viewed. The snowmobile 100
includes a frame 102, which may also be referred to as a "chassis" or "body",
that
provides a load bearing framework for the snowmobile 100. In the illustrated
embodiment, the frame 102 includes a longitudinal tunnel 104, a mid-bay 106
(or
"bulkhead") coupled forward of the tunnel 104, and a front sub-frame 108 (or
"front
brace") coupled forward of the mid-bay 106. In some implementations, the mid-
bay
106 may form part of the front sub-frame 108.
[0060] The snowmobile 100 also includes a rear suspension assembly 110 and a
front
suspension assembly 112 to provide shock absorption and improve ride quality.
The
rear suspension assembly 110 may be coupled to the underside of the tunnel 104
to
facilitate the transfer of loads between the rear suspension assembly 110 and
the
tunnel 104. The rear suspension assembly 110 supports a drive track 114 having
the
form of an endless belt for engaging the ground (e.g., snow) and propelling
the
snowmobile 100. The rear suspension assembly may include, inter alia, one or
more
rails and/or idler wheels for engaging with the drive track 114, and one or
more control
arms and damping elements (e.g., elastic elements such as coil and/or torsion
springs
forming a shock absorber) connecting the rails to the tunnel 104. The front
suspension
assembly 112 includes two suspension legs 116 coupled to the front sub-frame
108
and to respective ground engaging front skis 118 (only one suspension leg 116
and ski
118 are visible in FIGS. 1A and 1B). Each of the suspension legs 116 may
include two
A-frame arms connected to the front sub-frame 108, a damping element (e.g., an
elastic element) connected to the front sub-frame 108, and a spindle
connecting the A-
frame arms and the damping element to a respective one of the skis 118. The
suspension legs 116 transfer loads between the skis 118 and the front sub-
frame 108.
In the illustrated embodiment, the frame 102 also includes an over structure
120
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(shown in FIG. 1B), that may include multiple members (e.g., tubular members)
interconnecting the tunnel 104, the mid-bay 106 and/or the front sub-frame 108
to
provide additional rigidity to the frame 102. However, as discussed elsewhere
herein,
the over structure 120 may be omitted in some embodiments.
[0061] The snowmobile 100 may move along a forward direction of travel 122 and
a
rearward direction of travel 124 (shown in FIG 1A). The forward direction of
travel 122
is the direction along which the snowmobile 100 travels in most instances when
displacing (i.e., when moving). The rearward direction of travel 124 is the
direction
along which the snowmobile 100 displaces (i.e., moves) only occasionally, such
as
when it is reversing. The snowmobile 100 includes a front end 126 and a rear
end 128
defined with respect to the forward direction of travel 122 and the rearward
direction of
travel 124. For example, the front end 126 is positioned ahead of the rear end
128
relative to the forward direction of travel 122. The snowmobile 100 defines a
longitudinal center axis 130 that extends between the front end 126 and the
rear end
128. Two opposing lateral sides of the snowmobile 100 are defined parallel to
the
center axis 130. The positional descriptors "front", "rear" and terms related
thereto are
used in the present disclosure to describe the relative position of components
of the
snowmobile 100. For example, if a first component of the snowmobile 100 is
described
herein as being in front of, or forward of, a second component, then the first
component is closer to the front end 126 than the second component. Similarly,
if a
first component of the snowmobile 100 is described herein as being behind, or
rearward of, a second component, then the first component is closer to the
rear end
128 than the second component. The snowmobile 100 also includes a three-axes
frame of reference that is displaceable with the snowmobile 100, where the Z-
axis is
parallel to the vertical direction, the X-axis is parallel to the center axis
130, and the Y-
axis is parallel to the lateral direction.
[0062] The snowmobile 100 is configured to carry one or more riders, including
a driver
(sometimes referred to as an "operator") and optionally one or more
passengers. In
the illustrated example, the snowmobile 100 includes a straddle seat 140 to
support
the rider(s). Optionally, the straddle seat 140 includes a backrest 142. The
operator of
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the snowmobile 100 may steer the snowmobile 100 using a steering mechanism 144
(e.g., handlebars), which are operatively connected to the skis 118 via a
steering shaft
146 to control the direction of the skis 118. The tunnel 104 may also include
or be
coupled to footrests 148 (also referred to as "running boards"), namely left
and right
footrests each sized for receiving a foot of one or more riders sitting on the
straddle
seat 140. At least one headlight 141 (hereinafter referenced in the singular)
is
disposed at the front of the snowmobile 100 to facilitate safe use of the
snowmobile
100. The headlight 141 may comprise one or more daytime running lights
(hereinafter
referenced in the singular). For example, the headlight 141 may be the daytime
running light, or the headlight 141 may include a daytime running light in
addition to a
separate high beam and/or low beam light.
[0063] Referring to FIG. 1B, the snowmobile 100 is electrically propelled by
an electric
powertrain 150. The powertrain 150 includes an electric battery 152 (also
referred to
as a "battery pack") and an electric motor 170. The battery 152, which in some
embodiments may be a high voltage battery (and may accordingly be referred to
as a
"HV battery"), provides electric power for driving the motor 170. The motor
170, in turn,
is drivingly coupled to the drive track 114 to propel the snowmobile 100
across the
ground.
[0064] The battery 152 may include a battery enclosure 158 that houses one or
more
battery modules 160. The battery enclosure 158 may support the battery modules
160
and protect the battery modules 160 from external impacts, water and/or other
hazards
or debris. Each battery module 160 may contain one or more battery cells, such
as
pouch cells, cylindrical cells and/or prismatic cells, for example. In some
implementations, the battery cells are rechargeable lithium-ion battery cells.
The
battery 152 may also include other components to help facilitate and/or
improve the
operation of the battery 152, including temperature sensors to monitor the
temperature
of the battery cells, voltage sensors to measure the voltage of one or more
battery
cells, current sensors to implement column counting to infer the state of
charge (SOC)
of the battery 152, and/or thermal channels that circulate a thermal fluid to
control the
temperature of the battery cells. In some implementations, the battery 152 may
output
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electric power at a voltage of between 300 and 800 volts, for example. The
snowmobile 100 may also include a charger 162 to convert AC to DC current from
an
external power source to charge the battery 152. The charger 162 may include,
or be
connected to, a charging port 163, e.g., as described in connection with FIG.
2 below.
[0065] In some implementations, the battery 152 may be generally divided into
a
tunnel battery portion 154 and a mid-bay battery portion 156. The tunnel
battery
portion 154 may be positioned above and coupled to the tunnel 104. As
illustrated, the
straddle seat 140 is positioned above the tunnel battery portion 154 and,
optionally,
the straddle seat 140 may be supported by the battery enclosure 158 and/or
internal
structures within the battery 152. The mid-bay battery portion 156 extends
into the
mid-bay 106 and may be coupled to the mid-bay 106 and/or to the front sub-
frame
108. The tunnel battery portion 154 and the mid-bay battery portion 156 may
share a
single battery enclosure 158, or alternatively separate battery enclosures. In
the
illustrated example, the tunnel battery portion 154 and the mid-bay battery
portion 156
each include multiple battery modules 160 that are arranged in a row and/or
stacked
within the battery enclosure 158.
[0066] It should be noted that other shapes, sizes and configurations of the
battery 152
are contemplated. For example, the battery 152 may include multiple batteries
that are
interconnected via electrical cables. In some embodiments, the battery
enclosure 158
may be a structural component of the snowmobile 100 and may form part of the
frame
102. For example, the battery enclosure 158 may be coupled to the front sub-
frame
108 to transfer loads between the front sub-frame 108 and the tunnel 104. The
battery
enclosure 158 may be formed from a fiber composite material (e.g., a carbon
fiber
composite) for additional rigidity. Optionally, in the case that the battery
enclosure 158
is a structural component of the snowmobile 100, the over structure 120 may be
omitted.
[0067] FIG. 1C is a perspective view of the mid-bay 106 of the snowmobile 100.
As
illustrated, the motor 170 is disposed in a lower portion of the mid-bay 106,
below the
mid-bay battery portion 156 and forward of a wall 164 defining a front end of
the tunnel
104. The motor 170 may be mounted to a transmission plate 166 that is
supported
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
between the tunnel 104 and the front sub-frame 108 to help support the motor
170
within the mid-bay 106.
[0068] In the illustrated embodiment, the motor 170 is a permanent magnet
synchronous motor having a rotor 172 and stator 173. The motor 170 also
includes
power electronics module 174 (sometimes referred to as an inverter) to convert
the
direct current (DC) power from the battery 152 to alternating current (AC)
power
having a desired voltage, current and waveform to drive the motor 170. In some
implementations, the power electronics module 174 may include one or more
capacitors to reduce the voltage variations between the high and low DC
voltage
leads, and one or more electric switches (e.g., insulated-gate bipolar
transistors
(IGBTs)) to generate the AC power. In some implementations, the motor 170 has
a
maximum output power of between 90 kW and 135 kW. In other implementations,
the
motor 170 has a maximum output power greater than 135 kW.
[0069] In some implementations, the motor 170 may include sensors configured
to
sense one or more parameters of the motor 170. The sensors may be implemented
in
the rotor 172, the stator 173 and/or the power electronics module 174. The
sensors
may include a position sensor (e.g., an encoder) to measure a position and/or
rotational speed of the rotor 172, and/or a speed sensor (e.g., a revolution
counter) to
measure the rotational speed of the rotor 172. Alternatively or additionally,
the sensors
may include a torque sensor to measure an output torque from the motor 170
and/or a
current sensor (e.g., a Hall effect sensor) to measure an output current from
the power
electronics module 174.
[0070] Other embodiments of the motor 170 are also contemplated. For example,
the
power electronics module 174 may be integrated into the housing or casing of
motor
170, as shown in FIG. 1C. However, the power electronics module 174 may also,
or
instead, be provided externally to the housing or casing of motor 170. In some
embodiments, the motor 170 may be a type other than a permanent magnet
synchronous motor. For example, the motor 170 may instead be a brushless
direct
current motor.
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[0071] The motor 170 may convert the electric power output from the battery
152 into
motive power that is transferred to the drive track 114 via a drive
transmission 178.
The drive transmission 178 engages with a motor drive shaft 180 of the motor
170.
The motor drive shaft 180 may extend laterally through an opening in the
transmission
plate 166. The drive transmission 178 includes a track drive shaft 182 that
extends
laterally across the tunnel 104. The motor drive shaft 180 and the track drive
shaft 182
may extend parallel to each other along transverse axes of the snowmobile 100
and
may be spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal axis 130. In the
illustrated
embodiment, the motor drive shaft 180 is operably coupled to the track drive
shaft 182
via a drive belt 184. Sprockets on the motor drive shaft 180 and the track
drive shaft
182 may engage with lugs on the drive belt 184. A drive belt idler pulley 186
may also
be implemented to maintain tension on the drive belt 184. In other
embodiments,
another form of linkage such as a drive chain, for example, may operatively
connect
the motor drive shaft 180 and the track drive shaft 182.
[0072] In operation, torque from the motor 170 is transferred from the motor
drive shaft
180 to the track drive shaft 182 via the drive belt 184. The track drive shaft
182
includes one or more sprockets (not shown) that engage with lugs on the drive
track
114, thereby allowing the track drive shaft 182 to transfer motive power to
the drive
track 114. It will be understood that the motor 170 may be operated in two
directions
(i.e., rotate clockwise or counter-clockwise), allowing the snowmobile 100 to
travel in
the forward direction of travel 122 and in the rearward direction of travel
124. In some
implementations, the drive track 114 and the snowmobile 100 may be slowed down
via
electrical braking (e.g., regenerative braking) implemented by the motor 170
and/or by
a mechanical brake (e.g., a disc brake) connected to one of the track drive
shaft 182
or the motor drive shaft 180.
[0073] The snowmobile 100 may include a heat exchanger 132 that is coupled to,
or
integrated with, the tunnel 104. The heat exchanger 132 may form part of a
thermal
management system to control the temperature of the battery 152, the motor 170
and
the charger 162, for example. The heat exchanger may include channels to carry
a
thermal fluid along a portion of the tunnel 104. During operation of the
snowmobile
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100, the heat exchanger 132 may be exposed to snow and cold air circulating in
the
tunnel 104 that cools the thermal fluid. The thermal fluid may then be pumped
through
thermal channels in the battery 152, the motor 170 and/or the charger 162, for
example, to cool those components. In some implementations, the thermal
management system of the snowmobile 100 may also include a heater 168 to heat
the
thermal fluid and warm the battery 152. Warming the battery 152 may be useful
if the
snowmobile 100 has been left for an extended period in a cold environment. In
such a
case, the temperature of the battery cells in the battery modules 160 may fall
to a level
where high power is limited from being drawn from the battery 152. Warming the
battery 152 may bring the battery cells back into an efficient operating
regime. In some
implementations, the heater 168 is disposed within the battery enclosure 158.
[0074] Referring again to FIG. 1B, one or more controllers 190 (referred to
hereinafter
in the singular) and an operator interface 134 are part of a control system
for
controlling operation of the snowmobile 100. The operator interface 134 allows
an
operator of the snowmobile 100 to generate user inputs and/or instructions for
the
snowmobile 100. The controller 190 is connected to the operator interface 134
to
receive the instructions therefrom and perform operations to implement those
instructions. In the illustrated embodiment, the operator interface 134 is
partly on the
steering mechanism 144 and partly on body panels and/or the vehicle frame 102,
and
the controller 190 is disposed within the interior of the snowmobile 100, but
this need
not always be the case.
[0075] The operator interface 134 includes an accelerator 136 (also referred
to as a
"throttle") to allow an operator to control the power generated by the
powertrain 150.
For example, the accelerator 136 may include a lever to allow the operator to
selectively generate an accelerator signal. The controller 190 is operatively
connected
to the accelerator 136 and to the motor 170 to receive the accelerator signal
and
produce a corresponding output from the motor 170 to propel the snowmobile
100. In
some implementations, the accelerator signal is mapped to a torque of the
motor 170.
When the controller 190 receives an accelerator signal from the accelerator
136, the
controller 190 maps the accelerator signal to a torque of the motor 170 and
controls
- 15 -
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
the power electronics module 174 to produce that torque using feedback from
sensors
in the motor 50. The mapping of the accelerator signal to an output from the
motor 170
may be based on a performance mode of the snowmobile 100 (e.g., whether the
snowmobile 100 is in a power-saving mode, a normal mode or a high-performance
mode). In some examples, the mapping of the accelerator signal to an output
from the
motor 170 may be based on current operating conditions of the powertrain 150
(e.g.,
temperature of the battery 152 and/or motor 170, state of charge of the
battery 152,
etc.). In still other examples, the mapping of the accelerator signal to an
output from
the motor 170 may be user configurable, such that a user may customize an
accelerator position to motor output mapping.
[0076] In addition to the accelerator 136, the operator interface 134 may
include other
user input devices (e.g., rotary switches, toggle switches, push buttons,
knobs, dials
and soft keys) to control various other functionality of the snowmobile 100.
Among
these user input devices is a headlight control 137 for activating or
deactivating the
headlight 141 depending upon an operating state of the snowmobile 100, as will
be
described. The user input devices of operator interface 134 may be connected
to the
controller 190, which executes the instructions received from the user input
devices.
Non-limiting examples of such user input devices include a brake lever 139 to
implement mechanical and/or electrical braking of the snowmobile 100, a
parking
brake 143 to enhance the mechanical and/or electrical braking, a reverse
option to
propel the snowmobile 100 in the rearward direction of travel 124, a device
204 to
switch the snowmobile 100 between different vehicle states (e.g., "off',
"neutral" and
"drive" states), a device to switch the snowmobile 100 between different
performance
modes, a device to switch between regenerative braking modes (e.g. "off',
"low" and
"high" modes) and a device to activate heating of handgrips of the steering
mechanism. A display screen 138 may also be connected to the controller 190.
The
display screen 138 may be provided forward of the steering mechanism 144, or
in any
other suitable location depending on the design of the snowmobile 100. The
display
screen 138 displays information pertaining to the snowmobile 100 to an
operator. Non-
limiting examples of such information include the current state of the
snowmobile 100,
- 16 -
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
the current performance mode of the snowmobile 100, the speed of the
snowmobile
100, the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 152, the angular speed of the
motor 170,
and the power output from the motor 170. The display screen 138 may include a
liquid
crystal display (LCD) screen, thin-film-transistor (TFT) LCD screen, light-
emitting diode
(LED) or other suitable display device. In some embodiments, display screen
138 may
be touch-sensitive to facilitate operator inputs and thus may be considered
part of the
operator interface 134. An example display screen 138 is shown in FIG. 2,
described
below.
[0077] Referring to FIG. 1B, the controller 190 may also control additional
functionality
of the snowmobile 100. For example, the controller 190 may control a battery
management system (BMS) to monitor the SOC of the battery 152 and manage
charging and discharging of the battery 152. In another example, the
controller 190
may control a thermal management system to manage a temperature of the battery
152, the motor 170 and/or the charger 162 using a thermal fluid cooled by the
heat
exchanger 132 and/or heated by the heater 168. Temperature sensors in the
battery
152 and/or the motor 170 may be connected to the controller 190 to monitor the
temperature of these components.
[0078] The controller 190 includes one or more data processors 192 (referred
hereinafter as "processor 192") and non-transitory machine-readable memory
194.
The memory 194 may store machine-readable instructions which, when executed by
the processor 192, cause the processor 192 to perform any computer-implemented
method or process described herein. The processor 192 may include, for
example,
any type of general-purpose microprocessor or microcontroller, a digital
signal
processing (DSP) processor, an integrated circuit, an application-specific
integrated
circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a reconfigurable
processor,
other suitably programmed or programmable logic circuits, or any combination
thereof.
The memory 194 may include any suitable machine-readable storage medium such
as, for example, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared,
or
semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination
thereof. The
memory 194 may be located internally and/or externally to the controller 190.
- 17 -
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[0079] Although the controller 190 is shown as a single component in FIG. 1B,
this is
only an example. In some implementations, the controller 190 may include
multiple
controllers distributed at various locations in the snowmobile 100. For
example, the
controller 190 may include a vehicle control unit (also referred to as a "body
controller") that is responsible for interpreting the inputs from various
other controllers
in the snowmobile 100. Non-limiting examples of these other controllers
include a
motor controller that is part of the power electronics module 174 and a
battery
management controller that is part of the battery 152. Optionally, separate
battery
management controllers may be implemented in the each of the battery modules
160
to form a distributed battery management system.
[0080] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a top portion of the vehicle 100 of the
snowmobile 100 of FIG. 1A showing operator interface 134. In the present
embodiment, the operator interface 134 is disposed partly upon the handlebars
144
and partly upon body panels and/or the frame 102 of the snowmobile 100.
[0081] In the illustrated embodiment, the portion of the operator interface
134 that is
disposed on the handlebars 144 includes the accelerator 136. In the non-
limiting
embodiment shown, the accelerator 136 comprises an accelerator lever pivotably
mounted to the right handlebar and biased to a deactivated position. In other
embodiments, the accelerator 136 may take the form of a rotatable right
handlebar
grip that is resiliently biased to a deactivated position. The operator
interface 134
further includes a headlight control 137, which is a push button in the
present
embodiment, on the left side of the handlebars 144.
[0082] A parking brake 143 is also disposed on the left side of the handlebars
144. In
the present embodiment, the parking brake 143 is implemented as a mechanical
lever
that locks the brake lever 139 in an engaged (depressed) position using a
detent.
Other controls may also be provided on handlebars 144.
[0083] In the present embodiment, a portion of the operator interface 134
disposed on
the frame 102 includes a receptacle 202 for an operator key (or simply "key").
The key,
which is not expressly depicted, may permit operation of snowmobile 100 upon
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
engagement with the receptacle 202 or when the key is sufficiently proximate
to
snowmobile 100 for example. In some embodiments, key may be part of a radio-
frequency identification (RFID) system of the snowmobile 100. For example, the
key
may include an RFID tag that stores data identifying the key or a specific
operator
associated with the key. When triggered by an electromagnetic interrogation
pulse
from a RFID reader device associated with snowmobile 100 and operatively
connected
to controller 190, such an RFID tag may wirelessly transmit its stored data
for use by
controller 190 to authenticate the key and either permit or prevent the
operation of
snowmobile 100 based on the data.
[0084] The portion of the operator interface 134 on the frame 102 of FIG. 2
further
includes a start button 204. The start button 204 may be a physical push
button and
may be disposed in proximity to receptacle 202. Start button 204 may be
operatively
connected to controller 190 via a start switch (not expressly depicted). When
the
operator key engages with receptacle 202, the start switch may selectively
cause
electrical power to be delivered to controller 190 to cause controller 190 to
be powered
up, i.e., to activate. For example, an initial press of start button 204 may
cause
controller 190 to activate, and one or more subsequent presses of start button
204
may instruct controller 190 to transition snowmobile 100 to one or more
different
operating states, such as "neutral" and "drive", as will be described below.
In some
embodiments, an integrated circuit powered by a low voltage battery of the
snowmobile 100 and exhibiting relatively low power consumption may be
operatively
connected to start button 204 and to controller 190 to detect actuations of
start
button 204 and to accordingly instruct controller 190 to activate. Such an
integrated
circuit may have the form of a system basis chip (SBC) that includes suitable
embedded functions.
[0085] FIG. 2 further depicts the charging port 163, which in this embodiment
is
disposed in frame 102 forward of the straddle seat 140. The charging port 163
may
take the form of a receptacle configured to receive an insertable plug 165 of
a
charging cable 167 electrically coupled to an external power source. When the
plug
165 is inserted into the charging port 163, the vehicle 100 is said to be
"plugged in,"
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
i.e., the electric vehicle 100 is connected to the external power source. The
charging
port 163 may be suitable for receiving a J1772 AC charging plug and/or CCS
Level 1
DC fast charging plug. In the present embodiment, the plug 165 has a handle
shape
and may thus be referred to as a "charge handle." The plug 165 may have other
shapes in other embodiments. In some implementations, the charging port 163
may be
coverable by one or more removable protective flaps, e.g., made of plastic
and/or
rubber, to protect the charging port 163 from water, snow, and other debris.
[0086] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the interrelationship between certain
components of the electric vehicle 100 that are either controlled by the
controller 190
or otherwise associated therewith. The controller 190 is operatively coupled
to the
operator interface 134, which may include the accelerator 136, headlight
control 137
and optionally, the parking brake 143. The controller 190 is further
operatively coupled
to display screen 138 and headlight 141. The controller 190 may thus receive
commands from the accelerator 136, headlight control 137 and optionally the
parking
brake 143.
[0087] One or more low-voltage (LV) batteries 232 (referred hereinafter in the
singular)
may supply electric power to controller 190 and optionally other low-voltage
devices. In
some embodiments, LV battery 232 may include one or more lead-acid batteries.
In
some embodiments, LV battery 232 may be configured to output electric power at
a
voltage of about 12 volts. LV battery 232 may be electrically connectable to
controller
190 either directly or via a suitable DC/DC converter (not depicted).
[0088] The powertrain 150 includes the HV battery 152, the power electronics
module
(PEM) 174, and electric motor 170. HV battery 152 is electrically connectable
to PEM
174 using one or more switches 236, referred to as "contactors" or "contactor
switches," controllable via controller 190. When the switches 236 are closed,
the motor
170 is said to be powered, regardless of whether an accelerator 136 of the
snowmobile 100 is operational (enabled) to control motor 170. In other words,
when
the switches 236 are closed, one or more capacitors within the PEM 174 are
charged.
- 20 -
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
[0089] In the depicted embodiment, operation of motor 170 is controlled by
controller
190 via the power electronics module 174. As noted, the PEM 174 may include
electronic switches (e.g., IGBTs) to provide motor 170 with electric power
having the
desired voltage, current, waveform, and any other suitable characteristics to
implement the desired performance of snowmobile 100 based on operation of
accelerator 136 by the operator indicating a command to propel snowmobile 100.
The
PEM 174 may include an assembly containing power components such as power
semiconductor devices interconnected to perform a power conversion function.
In
some embodiments, power electronics module 174 may include a capacitor and a
power inverter for example. Controller 190 may be configured to control motor
170 to
propel snowmobile 100 based on commands received via accelerator 136 of
operator
interface 134, using PEM 174 and one or more sensors such as a tachometer and
a
torque sensor for example (the latter sensor(s) not being expressly depicted).
[0090] Safety regulations in some jurisdictions may require that snowmobiles
be
equipped with headlights that are on continuously when the engine of the
vehicle is
operating. For snowmobiles with internal combustion engines, the engine may
generally be considered to be operating when it is running, e.g., when its
cylinders are
firing and fuel is being consumed.
[0091] However, in the case of a snowmobile powered by an electric motor, the
motor
may be considered to be operating whenever the motor is electrically connected
to the
HV battery 152 via contactor switch(es) 236. For example, the motor 170 may be
considered to be operating, or powered, whenever one or more capacitors within
the
PEM 174 are powered.
[0092] In one example, the HV battery 152 may be connected to an external
power
supply via contactor switches 236 such that the electric motor 170 is powered
when
the HV battery 152 is being charged by an external power source. In an
alternative
example, the HV battery 152 may be connected to an external power source
without
requiring contractor switches 236 to be closed, such that the motor 170 is not
powered
when the HV battery is connected to an external power source.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
[0093] For safety reasons, it may be desirable for the headlights of the
snowmobile to
be on continuously whenever the electric motor is operational (i.e. powered)
and/or
whenever the accelerator 136 is enabled to propel the snowmobile. If the motor
170 is
powered while the HV battery 152 is being charged from an external power
source,
then the rate of charging may be diminished due to ongoing power consumption
by the
headlights. This may be considered wasteful of electricity. Moreover,
persistently
illuminated headlights during charging (i.e. while the electric vehicle is
connected to an
external power source) might attract undesired attention to the electric
vehicle, which
may be unattended, and may constitute an undesired source of light pollution.
[0094]The present document discloses at least two solutions for controlling
headlight
behavior to promote safety during electric vehicle operation while mitigating
at least
some of the above-referenced concerns. These will be described in turn.
SOLUTION 1: HEADLIGHT DEACTIVATIBLE DURING CHARGING
[0095] In overview, a first solution (solution 1) permits the headlight 141 to
be
deactivated (turned off) while the electric vehicle 100 is charging but not
when the
vehicle is in a neutral or drive state. Headlight deactivatibility is based
upon whether
the electric vehicle 100 is connected to an external source of power. An
example
implementation of solution 1 is depicted in FIGS. 4 to 6.
[0096] FIG. 4 is a vehicle state diagram showing different states of operation
of the
snowmobile 100 of FIG. 1A in an example implementation of solution 1. Each
vehicle
state is depicted as a rounded rectangle. Five states are depicted: OFF state
402;
NEUTRAL state 404; DRIVE state 406; CHARGE state 408; and CHARGE/SLEEP
state 410. These states will be described in turn.
[0097] 1. OFF ¨ In the OFF state 402, the electric motor 170 is unpowered.
Unpowering of the motor 170 is achieved in the present embodiment by the
opening of
the contactor switches 236 to the HV battery 152 (see FIG. 3). In the OFF
state 402,
the controller 190 does not distribute power from HV battery 152 to any major
vehicle
subsystems (e.g., the thermal management system, battery management system,
tractive system, etc.). As earlier noted, the LV battery 232 may be
electrically
- 22 -
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
connected to the controller 190 to permit the controller 190 to monitor for an
"ON"
command from start button 204. In the OFF state 402, the vehicle is in its
lowest
power mode, i.e., consumes the least amount of power. The electric vehicle 100
may
for example be left in the OFF state 402 when it is parked and is not being
charged.
When the vehicle 100 is in the OFF state 402, the headlight 141 is
deactivated, and
the portion of the operator interface 134 on handlebars 144 (including
accelerator 136
and headlight control 137) is disabled.
[009812. NEUTRAL ¨ In the NEUTRAL state 404, the electric motor 170 and the
major
vehicle subsystems (as noted above) are powered. This is achieved in the
present
embodiment by the closing of contactor switches 236 (FIG. 3). The electric
motor 170
is powered in the sense that the closed contactor switches 236 permit the HV
battery
152 to power the capacitors of the PEM 174. The accelerator 136 is disabled,
i.e., is
not operational to propel the vehicle 100. For example, commands from the
accelerator 136 that are generated responsive to operator input may be ignored
by
controller 190. In some embodiments, the controller 190 may cause IGBTs of the
PEM
174 not to switch in the NEUTRAL state 404 to allow free-spinning of the motor
170
(e.g., a zero-torque state). This may for example permit an operator to push
the
electric vehicle 100 manually along the ground with the drive track 114 being
free to
"roll." When the vehicle is in the NEUTRAL state 404, the headlight 141 is non-
deactivatable. In this embodiment, "non-deactivatable" means that the
headlight 141 is
maintained in the on (activated) condition and cannot be turned off, although
it is
possible to toggle between low beam and high beam states (as will be described
below in connection with FIG. 6). The parking brake 143 may be engaged or
disengaged in the NEUTRAL state 404.
[009913. DRIVE ¨ In the DRIVE state 406, the contactor switch(es) 236 is/are
closed,
and the motor 170 and all major vehicle subsystems are accordingly powered (as
in
the NEUTRAL state 404). The accelerator 136 is enabled, i.e., is operational
to propel
the vehicle (in contrast to the disabled status of the accelerator in the
NEUTRAL state
404). Referring to FIG. 3, signals from the accelerator 136 may be received by
the
controller 190 and converted to suitable motor commands to the PEM 174 to
cause
- 23 -
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
motor 170 to spin at a chosen rate. As in the NEUTRAL state 404, the headlight
141 in
the DRIVE state 406 is non-deactivatable, meaning that the headlight 141 is
maintained in the on (activated) condition and cannot be turned off, although
it is
possible to toggle between low beam and high beam conditions. The parking
brake
143 may be engaged or disengaged in the DRIVE state 406 but is typically
disengaged to permit vehicle movement. In some embodiments, the DRIVE state
406
may be considered to encompass driving either forward or in reverse. The
operability
of the headlight 141 when the electric vehicle 100 is being driven in reverse
may
accordingly be identical to the operability of the headlight 141 when the
electric vehicle
100 is being driven forward.
[00100] 4. CHARGE ¨ in the CHARGE state 408 (FIG. 4), the electric vehicle
100
is connected to an external power source. In the present embodiment,
connection to
an external power source may be detected when charge handle 165 is plugged
into
the charging port 163. The contactor switch(es) 236 of electric vehicle 100
(FIG. 3)
may be closed in the CHARGE state 408 to create a conductive path for external
power to reach the HV battery 152 for charging purposes. As such, the motor
170 and
major vehicle subsystems may be powered. Alternatively, a conductive path
between
the external power source and the HV battery 142 may not require the motor 170
to be
powered. In the CHARGE state 408, the accelerator 136 is disabled, as in the
NEUTRAL state 404. This may for example limit a risk of damage to the charging
port
163 due to inadvertent electric vehicle acceleration away from a charging
station
before the charge handle 165 is unplugged. The parking brake 143 may be
engaged
or disengaged. In the CHARGE state 408, the headlight 141 is activateable and
deactivatable. For example, a toggle switch may allow a user to transition the
headlight 141 between low beam, high beam and off conditions. Although,
transitioning the headlight 141 to the off condition may result in a state
transition 438
to the CHARGE/SLEEP state 410.
[00101] 5. CHARGE/SLEEP ¨ the CHARGE/SLEEP state 410 is identical to the
CHARGE state 408 with the exception that the vehicle headlight 141 is
deactivated,
i.e., in the off condition. In some embodiments, dimming of at least one other
- 24 -
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
illuminated indicator of the electric vehicle 100, such as the display screen
138 (e.g.,
see FIG. 2), may also occur automatically upon a state transition to the
CHARGE/SLEEP state 410, either immediately or after a timeout interval without
operator input. Alternatively, an operator interface control to command such
dimming
may become enabled within operator interface 134 upon a state transition into
the
CHARGE/SLEEP state 410. For clarity, the term "SLEEP" within the state name of
state 410 connotes the deactivated headlight 141 and possible dimming of
illuminated
indicator(s) in the operator interface 134. If the operator activates the
headlight 141
while the electric vehicle 100 is in the CHARGE/SLEEP state 410, a state
transition
440 back to the CHARGE state 408 will occur.
[00102] In FIG. 4, transitions between states are denoted by
unidirectional
arrows from the originating state to the destination state. The arrows are
labeled with
the action triggering the state transition. Dashed arrows denote actions
related to
electric vehicle charging, whereas solid arrows denote all other types of
actions.
[00103] From the OFF state 402, the vehicle transitions to the NEUTRAL
state
404. This is done by activating the electric vehicle 100 (state transition
412, FIG. 4). In
the present embodiment, vehicle activation may be performed by pressing start
button
204 (FIG. 2).
[00104] From the NEUTRAL state 404, enabling of the drive system will
result in
a transition into the DRIVE state 406 (state transition 414, FIG. 4). In the
present
embodiment, the drive system may be enabled by once again pressing start
button
204 (FIG. 2).
[00105] From the DRIVE state 406, disabling of the drive system will
result in a
state transition back to the NEUTRAL state 404 (state transition 416, FIG. 4).
In the
present embodiment, the drive system may be disabled by yet again pressing
start
button 204 (FIG. 2).
[00106] From either of the NEUTRAL state 404 or DRIVE state 406, the act
of
connecting the electric vehicle 100 to an external power source will result in
a state
transition to the CHARGE state 408 via state transition 418 or 420,
respectively. In the
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
present embodiment, plugging charge handle 165 into charging port 163 may
trigger
such state transitions.
[00107] From either of the CHARGE state 408 or CHARGE/SLEEP state 410,
the act of disconnecting the electric vehicle 100 from the external power
source will
result in a state transition to the NEUTRAL state 404 via state transition 422
or 424,
respectively. In the present embodiment, unplugging of charge handle 165 from
charging port 163 may trigger such state transitions. In the case of state
transition 424,
the controller 190 may automatically activate the headlight 141 if the
headlight 141
was off (i.e., in a deactivated condition).
[00108] From any of the NEUTRAL state 404, DRIVE state 406, CHARGE state
408, and CHARGE/SLEEP state 410, vehicle deactivation will revert the electric
vehicle 100 back to the OFF state 402 via state transition 426, 428, 430, and
432,
respectively. In the present embodiment, vehicle deactivation may be performed
by
pressing and holding down start button 204 (FIG. 2) for a predetermined hold
interval,
which action may be interpreted by controller 190 as a "Deactivate vehicle"
command.
[00109] From the NEUTRAL state 404 or the DRIVE state 406, elapsing of a
predetermined timeout interval with no operator input from operator interface
134 (e.g.,
from accelerator 136) may revert the electric vehicle 100 back to the OFF
state 402 via
state transition 434 and 436, respectively. In some embodiments, the absence
of
accelerator 136 input over a brief interval may trigger a timeout state
transition from
the DRIVE state 406 to the NEUTRAL state 404 (not expressly depicted) before
enough time has elapsed for state transition 436 to be triggered. Automatic
vehicle
deactivation may help conserve power when the electric vehicle 100 is
unattended,
particularly in view of the non-deactivatability of the headlight 141 in both
of the
NEUTRAL state 404 and the DRIVE state 406. Notably, there is no such automatic
state transition back to the OFF state 402 from either of the CHARGE state 408
or
CHARGE/SLEEP state 410, as such a timeout could undesirably interrupt the
charging
of HV battery 152.
- 26 -
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
[00110] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of operation 500 of the electric vehicle
100 for
rendering the headlight 141 non-deactivatable in predetermined vehicle states.
FIG. 5
will be described in connection with the vehicle state diagram 400 of FIG. 4
and the
headlight state diagram 600 of FIG. 6. The latter state diagram 600 depicts
the
operability of headlight 141 via headlight control 137 (FIG. 2) in various
ones of the
vehicle states of FIG. 4, described above.
[00111] In operation 502 (FIG. 5), responsive to determining that the
electric
vehicle 100 is connected to an external power source, operator interface 134
is
enabled to command the headlight 141 into an off condition. In the present
embodiment, the electric vehicle 100 is considered to be connected to an
external
power source when the charge handle 165 is plugged into the charging port 163
(FIG.
2) with the electric vehicle 100 in the CHARGE state 408 or the CHARGE/SLEEP
state 410 (FIG. 4). The battery management system is able to detect the
presence of
the charging handle 165 within the charging port 163 based on a resistor
included
within the charging handle.
[00112] Referring to the headlight state diagram 600 of FIG. 6, it will
be
appreciated that the drawing conventions are similar to those of vehicle state
diagram
400 of FIG. 4. In FIG. 6, each headlight state is depicted as a circle. Five
headlight
states are depicted: LOW BEAM WITH TIMEOUT state 602; HIGH BEAM WITH
TIMEOUT state 604; OFF state 606; LOW BEAM WITHOUT TIMEOUT state 608; and
HIGH BEAM WITHOUT TIMEOUT state 610. The term "LOW BEAM," "HIGH BEAM,"
or "OFF" forming part of each state name of FIG. 6 indicates a respective
illumination
status of the headlight 141 when in the relevant state.
[00113] When the electric vehicle 100 is in the CHARGE state 408 (FIG.
4), the
headlight 141 will be in either the LOW BEAM WITH TIMEOUT state 602 or the
HIGH
BEAM WITH TIMEOUT state 604 of FIG. 6, depending upon whether the operator has
set the headlight 141 to the low beam brightness or high beam brightness
respectively.
In the present embodiment, the operator may change the headlight brightness
from
low beam to high beam by pressing the headlight control 137 (FIG. 2). Such an
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
operator-initiated change in headlight brightness is represented by state
transition 612
of FIG. 6.
[00114] As suggested by the state names LOW BEAM WITH TIMEOUT and
HIGH BEAM WITH TIMEOUT of FIG. 6, the headlight 141 of the present embodiment
will automatically deactivate or "time out" after a predetermined timeout
interval has
elapsed with no operator input via operator interface 134 in either of states
602 and
604 (i.e., with the vehicle in the CHARGE state 408 of FIG. 4). These
automatic
headlight deactivations are represented in FIG. 6 by state transitions 614 and
616
respectively. It will be appreciated that such automatic headlight
deactivations may
conserve power and thereby improve an efficiency of charging of HV battery
152,
although they are not strictly required. Such automatic headlight
deactivations may
also be considered convenient for the operator, who may simply plug in the
electric
vehicle 100 and leave it unattended, knowing the headlight 141 will deactivate
automatically.
[00115] Referring again to FIG. 5, in operation 502, the operator
interface 134 is
enabled to command the headlight 141 into an off condition. In the present
embodiment, this may be achieved by enabling control logic at controller 190
that will
interpret pressing of the headlight control 137 (FIG. 2) as a "DEACTIVATE
HEADLIGHT" command. If such a headlight deactivation command is subsequently
detected, the headlight 141 will turn off, i.e., will be commanded to the off
condition. In
FIG. 6, such headlight deactivation is represented by state transition 618
from the
HIGH BEAM WITH TIMEOUT state 604 to the OFF state 606. In the present
embodiment, a further pressing of the headlight control 137 will reactivate
the
headlight 141 at the low beam brightness. In FIG. 6, this is represented by
state
transition 620 from the OFF state 606 to the LOW BEAM WITH TIMEOUT state 602.
In the present embodiment, the operator may toggle the headlight 141 between
low
beam, high beam and off conditions by repeatedly pressing the headlight
control 137
(FIG. 2), as represented by state transitions 612, 618 and 620 of FIG. 6.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
[00116] In some embodiments, enabling the operator interface 134 to
command
the headlight to an off condition in operation 502 may further be conditional
upon
detecting that the electric motor of the electric vehicle is powered.
[00117] Referring again to FIG. 5, in operation 504, responsive to
determining
that the electric vehicle 100 is disconnected from the external power source
and that
the electric motor 170 of the electric vehicle 100 is powered, the headlight
141 is
maintained in an on condition, and the operator interface 134 is disabled from
commanding the headlight 141 into the off condition. In the present
embodiment, the
condition of operation 504 will be met when the charge handle 165 is not
plugged into
the charging port 163 (FIG. 2) and the electric vehicle 100 is in the NEUTRAL
state
404 or the DRIVE state 406 (FIG. 4). In that case, the headlight 141 will
either be in
the LOW BEAM WITHOUT TIMEOUT state 608 or the HIGH BEAM WITHOUT
TIMEOUT state 610 of FIG. 6, depending upon whether the operator has set the
headlight 141 to the low beam brightness or high beam brightness respectively.
In the
present embodiment, the operator may toggle the headlight brightness between
low
beam and high beam by repeatedly pressing the headlight control 137 (FIG. 2),
as
represented by state transitions 622 and 624 of FIG. 6.
[00118] The disabling of the operator interface 134 from commanding
headlight
deactivation in operation 504 (FIG. 5) may for example be achieved by
disabling
control logic at controller 190 from accepting or acting upon any "DEACTIVATE
HEADLIGHT" command from headlight control 137 (FIG. 2). It will be appreciated
that
such disabling of headlight deactivation may promote safety by preventing the
headlight 141 from being turned off while the electric vehicle motor is
powered and the
electric vehicle 100 is not effectively "tethered in place" by a charge cable
167. For
safety reasons, and as suggested by the name of each of the LOW BEAM WITHOUT
TIMEOUT state 608 and the HIGH BEAM WITHOUT TIMEOUT state 610 of FIG. 6,
there is no automatic transition to an off condition of the headlight 141
after a timeout
interval from either of those two states.
[00119] From the LOW BEAM WITHOUT TIMEOUT state 608 or the HIGH
BEAM WITHOUT TIMEOUT state 610, the act of connecting the electric vehicle 100
to
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
an external power source will result in a state transition 626 to the LOW BEAM
WITH
TIMEOUT state 602 or a state transition 628 to the HIGH BEAM WITH TIMEOUT
state
604, respectively. Conversely, from the LOW BEAM WITH TIMEOUT state 602 or the
HIGH BEAM WITH TIMEOUT state 604, the act of disconnecting the electric
vehicle
100 from the external power source will result in a state transition 630 to
the LOW
BEAM WITHOUT TIMEOUT state 608 or a state transition 632 to the HIGH BEAM
WITHOUT TIMEOUT state 610, respectively. In some embodiments, disconnecting
the electric vehicle 100 from an external power source with the headlight 141
off (i.e.,
in the OFF state 606 of FIG. 6) will automatically turn the headlight 141 on
(e.g., will
trigger a state transition 634 to the LOW BEAM WITHOUT TIMEOUT state 608).
[00120] Table 1 below summarizes the solution 1 approach for rendering
headlight 141 deactivatable and non-deactivatable in the depicted embodiment.
VEHICLE STATE MOTOR STATE CHARGER STATE HEADLIGHT STATE
OFF Unpowered Unplugged Off
NEUTRAL Powered Unplugged On; Non-deactivatable
DRIVE Powered Unplugged On; Non-deactivatable
CHARGE Powered or Plugged in On; Deactivatable
Unpowered
CHARGE/SLEEP Powered or Plugged in Off; Deactivatable
Unpowered
Table 1: Vehicle and Headlight States ¨ Solution 1
[00121] Optionally, for an added level of redundancy in some embodiments,
it
may also be required for the parking brake 143 of the electric vehicle 100 to
be
engaged for the headlight 141 to be deactivatable. For example, when the
electric
vehicle 100 is in the CHARGE state 408 of FIG. 4, the state transition 438 to
the
CHARGE/SLEEP state 410 may be prevented unless the parking brake 143 is
engaged.
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SOLUTION 2: HEADLIGHT DEACTIVATABLE WHEN ACCELERATOR DISABLED
[00122] In overview, a second solution (solution 2) permits an electric
vehicle
headlight to be deactivated when the accelerator of the electric vehicle is
disabled (not
operational to propel the vehicle) but not when the accelerator is enabled
(operational
to propel the vehicle). An implementation of solution 2 is depicted in FIGS. 7
to 9.
[00123] FIG. 7 is a vehicle state diagram showing multiple states of
operation of
the snowmobile 100 of FIG. 1A for solution 2. The drawing conventions of FIG.
7
match those of FIG. 4, as described above. Six states are depicted: OFF state
702;
NEUTRAL state 704; NEUTRAL/SLEEP state 705; DRIVE state 706; CHARGE state
708; and CHARGE/SLEEP state 710. These states will be described in turn.
[00124] 1. OFF ¨ the OFF state 702 of FIG. 7 is similar to the OFF state
402 of
FIG. 4. In the OFF state 702, the electric motor 170 and the major vehicle
subsystems
are unpowered. When the vehicle 100 is in the OFF state 702, the headlight 141
is
deactivated, and the portion of the operator interface 134 on handlebars 144
(including
accelerator 136 and headlight control 137) is unpowered and thus disabled.
[00125] 2. NEUTRAL ¨ in certain respects, the NEUTRAL state 702 of FIG. 7
is
similar to the NEUTRAL state 404 of FIG. 4. For example, the contactor
switch(es) 236
is/are closed and the electric motor 170 and the major vehicle subsystems are
powered. The accelerator 136 is disabled i.e., is not operational to propel
the vehicle
100. For example, commands from the accelerator 136 that are generated
responsive
to operator input may be ignored by controller 190. In some embodiments, the
PEM
174 may be controlled by controller 190 so that the drive track 114 may be
freely
rolled. However, the NEUTRAL state 704 of FIG. 7 differs from the NEUTRAL
state
404 of FIG. 4 in that the headlight 141 deactivatable in state 704. More
specifically,
since headlight deactivatability in solution 2 is based on accelerator
enabled/disabled
status, the disablement of the accelerator 136 in NEUTRAL state 704 means that
the
headlight 141 is deactivatable in that state. Thus, the controller 190 may
accept and
act upon a headlight deactivation command from the headlight control 137 of
operator
interface 134 (e.g., as in the CHARGE state 408 of FIG. 4), resulting in a
state
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
transition 712 to the NEUTRAL/SLEEP state 504 (described below). The parking
brake 143 may be engaged or disengaged in the NEUTRAL state 704.
[00126] 3. NEUTRAL/SLEEP ¨ the NEUTRAL/SLEEP state 705 has no
counterpart in the vehicle state diagram 400 of FIG. 4. The NEUTRAL/SLEEP
state
705 is identical to the above-described NEUTRAL state 704 with the exception
that the
vehicle headlight 141 is deactivated, i.e., in the off condition (the term
"SLEEP" in the
state name connotes the deactivated headlight). In some embodiments, dimming
of at
least one other illuminated indicator of the electric vehicle 100, such as the
display
screen 138 (FIG. 2), may occur automatically upon a state transition to the
NEUTRAL/SLEEP state 705, either immediately or after a timeout interval with
no
operator input. Alternatively, an operator interface control to command such
dimming
may become enabled within operator interface 134 upon a state transition into
the
NEUTRAL/SLEEP state 705. If the operator activates the headlight 141 while the
electric vehicle 100 is in the NEUTRAL/SLEEP state 705, a state transition 714
back
to the NEUTRAL state 704 will occur.
[00127] 4. DRIVE ¨ the DRIVE state 706 of FIG. 7 is similar to the DRIVE
state
406 of FIG. 4. In the DRIVE state 706, the contactor switch(es) 236 is/are
closed, and
the motor 170 and all major vehicle subsystems are accordingly powered. The
accelerator 136 is enabled, i.e., is operational to propel the vehicle as
described above
for DRIVE state 406 of solution 1. The headlight 141 is non-deactivatable when
the
electric vehicle 100 is in the DRIVE state 706. In this embodiment, "non-
deactivatable"
means that the headlight 141 is maintained in the on (activated) condition and
cannot
be turned off, although it is possible to toggle between low beam and high
beam states
(as will be described below in connection with FIG. 9). The parking brake 143
may be
engaged or disengaged in the DRIVE state 706 but is typically disengaged to
permit
vehicle movement. In some embodiments, the DRIVE state 706 may be considered
to
encompass driving either forward or in reverse. The operability of the
headlight 141
when the electric vehicle 100 is being driven in reverse may accordingly be
identical to
the operability of the headlight 141 when the electric vehicle 100 is being
driven
forward.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
[00128] 5. CHARGE ¨ the CHARGE state 708 of FIG. 7 is similar to the
CHARGE state 408 of FIG. 4. In the CHARGE state 708, the electric vehicle 100
is
connected to an external power source. The contactor switches 236 of electric
vehicle
100 (FIG. 3) may be closed to create a conductive path for external power to
reach the
HV battery 152 for charging purposes. As such, the motor 170 and major vehicle
subsystems may be powered. Alternatively, a conductive path between the
external
power source and the HV battery 142 may not require the motor 170 to be
powered.
The accelerator 136 is disabled for similar reasons as mentioned above for
CHARGE
state 408 of FIG. 4. The parking brake 143 may be engaged or disengaged. The
headlight 141 is on and deactivatable, although headlight deactivation will
result in a
state transition 716 to the CHARGE/SLEEP state 710.
[00129] 6. CHARGE/SLEEP ¨ in many respects, the CHARGE/SLEEP state 710
of FIG. 7 is similar to the CHARGE/SLEEP state 410 of FIG. 4. For example, the
electric vehicle 100 is connected to an external power source, and the vehicle
headlight 141 is deactivated, i.e., in the off condition. In some embodiments,
dimming
of at least one other illuminated indicator of the electric vehicle 100, such
as the
display screen 138 (FIG. 2), may occur automatically upon a state transition
to the
CHARGE/SLEEP state 710, either immediately or after a predetermined timeout
interval of no operator input via operator interface 134. Alternatively, an
operator
interface control to command such dimming may become enabled within operator
interface 134 upon a state transition into the CHARGE/SLEEP state 710. If the
operator activates the headlight 141 while the electric vehicle 100 is in the
CHARGE/SLEEP state 710, a state transition 718 back to the CHARGE state 708
will
occur. A difference from the CHARGE/SLEEP state 410 of FIG. 4 is that
unplugging
the charge handle 165 will result in a state transition 734 to the
NEUTRAL/SLEEP
state 705 rather than the NEUTRAL state 704.
[00130] Other state transitions depicted in state diagram 700 include the
following. From the OFF state 702, it is only possible to transition to the
NEUTRAL
state 704. This is done by activating the electric vehicle 100 (state
transition 720, FIG.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
7). In the present embodiment, vehicle activation may be performed by pressing
start
button 204 (FIG. 2).
[00131] From the NEUTRAL state 704, enabling of the drive system will
result in
a transition into the DRIVE state 706 (state transition 722, FIG. 7). In the
present
embodiment, the drive system may be enabled by once again pressing start
button
204 (FIG. 2).
[00132] From the DRIVE state 706, disabling of the drive system will
result in a
state transition back to the NEUTRAL state 704 (state transition 724, FIG. 7).
In the
present embodiment, the drive system may be disabled by yet again pressing
start
button 204 (FIG. 2).
[00133] State transitions resulting from connecting the electric vehicle
100 to an
external power source are as follows. From either of the NEUTRAL state 704 or
DRIVE state 706, connection to an external power source will result in a state
transition to the CHARGE state 708 via state transition 726 or 728,
respectively. From
the NEUTRAL/SLEEP state 705, a state transition 730 to the CHARGE/SLEEP state
710 will occur. In each case, headlight activation status (on or off) is
preserved as
between the source and destination states.
[00134] State transitions resulting from disconnecting the electric
vehicle 100
from an external power source are as follows. From the CHARGE state 708, the
disconnection from the external power source will result in a state transition
732 to the
NEUTRAL state 704. From the CHARGE/SLEEP state 710, a state transition 734 to
the NEUTRAL/SLEEP state 705 will occur (as noted above). Again, in each case,
headlight activation status is preserved as between the source and destination
states.
In other words, the electric vehicle 100, upon disconnection from an external
power
source, will maintain an illumination condition of the headlight (on or off)
the same
between the source and destination states.
[00135] From any of the NEUTRAL state 704, NEUTRAL/SLEEP state 705,
DRIVE state 706, CHARGE state 708, and CHARGE/SLEEP state 710, vehicle
deactivation will revert the electric vehicle 100 back to the OFF state 702
via state
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
transition 736, 738, 740, 742, and 744, respectively. In the present
embodiment,
vehicle deactivation may be performed by pressing and holding down start
button 204
(FIG. 2) for a predetermined hold interval.
[00136] From the NEUTRAL state 704, NEUTRAL/SLEEP state 705, and DRIVE
state 706, elapsing of a predetermined timeout interval with no operator input
from
operator interface 134 (e.g., from the accelerator 136) may revert the
electric vehicle
100 back to the OFF state 702 via state transition 746, 748, and 750,
respectively. In
some embodiments, the absence of accelerator 136 input over a brief interval
may
trigger a timeout state transition from the DRIVE state 706 to the NEUTRAL
state 704
(not expressly depicted) before enough time has elapsed for state transition
750 to be
triggered. Notably, there is no timeout back to the OFF state 702 from either
of the
CHARGE state 708 or CHARGE/SLEEP state 710, as such a timeout could
undesirably interrupt the charging of HV battery 152.
[00137] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of operation 800 of the electric vehicle
100 for
rendering the headlight 141 of electric vehicle 100 non-deactivatable in
predetermined
vehicle states. FIG. 8 will be described in connection with the vehicle state
diagram
700 of FIG. 7 and the headlight state diagram 900 of FIG. 9. The latter state
diagram
900 depicts the operability of headlight 141 via headlight control 137 (FIG.
2) in
various ones of the vehicle states of FIG. 7, as described below.
[00138] In operation 802 (FIG. 8), responsive to determining that the
accelerator
136 is disabled from propelling the electric vehicle 100, operator interface
134 is
enabled to command the headlight 141 into an off condition. In the present
embodiment, the accelerator 136 is considered to be disabled when the electric
vehicle 100 is in the NEUTRAL state 704 or the CHARGE state 710 for example
(FIG.
7).
[00139] Referring to FIG. 9, the drawing conventions of the headlight
state
diagram 900 are similar to those of state diagram 600 of FIG. 6 with the
exception that
dashed lines denote actions relating to accelerator enabling/disabling rather
than
charger connection/disconnection. In FIG. 9, the same five headlight states as
in FIG.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
6 are depicted (correspondingly renumbered): LOW BEAM WITH TIMEOUT state 902;
HIGH BEAM WITH TIMEOUT state 904; OFF state 906; LOW BEAM WITHOUT
TIMEOUT state 908; and HIGH BEAM WITHOUT TIMEOUT state 910.
[00140] When the electric vehicle 100 is in the NEUTRAL state 704 or the
CHARGE state 708 of FIG. 7 (the accelerator being disabled in both states),
the
headlight 141 will be in either the LOW BEAM WITH TIMEOUT state 902 or the
HIGH
BEAM WITH TIMEOUT state 904 of FIG. 9, depending upon whether the operator has
set the headlight 141 to the low beam brightness or high beam brightness
respectively.
In the present embodiment, the operator may change the headlight brightness
from
low beam to high beam by pressing the headlight control 137 (FIG. 2). This
change is
represented by state transition 912 of FIG. 9.
[00141] After a predetermined timeout interval has elapsed in either of
LOW
BEAM WITH TIMEOUT state 902 or the HIGH BEAM WITH TIMEOUT state 904 with
no operator input, the headlight 141 of the present embodiment will
automatically
deactivate. These automatic headlight deactivations are represented in FIG. 9
by state
transitions 914 and 916 respectively. It will be appreciated that such
automatic
headlight deactivations may conserve power but are not strictly required.
[00142] Referring again to FIG. 8, in operation 802, the operator
interface 134 is
enabled to command the headlight 141 into an off condition. This may be done
as
described above in the context of operation 502 of FIG. 5. If a headlight
deactivation
command is subsequently detected, the headlight 141 will turn off. In FIG. 9,
such
headlight deactivation is represented by state transition 918 from the HIGH
BEAM
WITH TIMEOUT state 904 to the OFF state 906. A further pressing of the
headlight
control 137 of the present embodiment will reactivate the headlight 141 at the
low
beam brightness. In FIG. 9, this is represented by state transition 920 from
the OFF
state 906 to the LOW BEAM WITH TIMEOUT state 902.
[00143] Referring again to FIG. 8, in operation 804, responsive to
determining
that the accelerator 136 is enabled to propel the electric vehicle 100, the
headlight 141
is maintained in an on condition, and the operator interface 134 is disabled
from
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
commanding the headlight 141 of the electric vehicle into the off condition.
In the
present embodiment, the condition of operation 804 will be met when the
electric
vehicle 100 is in the DRIVE state 706 (FIG. 7). In that case, the headlight
141 will
either be in the LOW BEAM WITHOUT TIMEOUT state 908 or the HIGH BEAM
WITHOUT TIMEOUT state 910 of FIG. 9, depending upon whether the operator has
set the headlight 141 to the low beam brightness or high beam brightness
respectively.
In the present embodiment, the operator may toggle the headlight brightness
between
low beam and high beam by repeatedly pressing the headlight control 137 (FIG.
2), as
represented by state transitions 922 and 924 of FIG. 9 but may not deactivate
the
headlight 141.
[00144] The disabling of the operator interface 134 from commanding
headlight
deactivation in operation 804 (FIG. 8) may be achieved as described above in
connection with operation 504 of FIG. 5. For safety reasons, there is no
automatic
transition to an off condition of the headlight 141 after a timeout interval
from either of
the LOW BEAM WITHOUT TIMEOUT state 908 or the HIGH BEAM WITHOUT
TIMEOUT state 910.
[00145] From the LOW BEAM WITHOUT TIMEOUT state 908 or the HIGH
BEAM WITHOUT TIMEOUT state 910, the act of disabling the accelerator 136 will
result in a state transition 926 to the LOW BEAM WITH TIMEOUT state 902 or a
state
transition 928 to the HIGH BEAM WITH TIMEOUT state 904, respectively.
Conversely,
from the LOW BEAM WITH TIMEOUT state 902 or the HIGH BEAM WITH TIMEOUT
state 904, the act of enabling the accelerator 136 will result in a state
transition 930 to
the LOW BEAM WITHOUT TIMEOUT state 908 or a state transition 932 to the HIGH
BEAM WITHOUT TIMEOUT state 910, respectively.
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[00146] Table 2 below summarizes the solution 2 approach for rendering the
headlight activatable and deactivatable in the depicted embodiment.
VEHICLE STATE ACCELERATOR STATE HEADLIGHT STATE
OFF Disabled Off
NEUTRAL Disabled On; Deactivatable
NEUTRAL/SLEEP Disabled Off; Deactivatable
DRIVE Enabled On; Non-deactivatable
CHARGE Disabled On; Deactivatable
CHARGE/SLEEP Disabled Off; Deactivatable
Table 2: Vehicle and Headlight States ¨ Solution 2
[00147] Optionally, for an added level of redundancy in some embodiments,
it
may also be required for the parking brake 143 of the electric vehicle 100 to
be
engaged for the headlight 141 to be deactivatable. For example, when the
electric
vehicle 100 is in the CHARGE state 708 of FIG. 7, the state transition 438 to
the
CHARGE/SLEEP state 710 may be prevented unless the parking brake is engaged.
[00148] Various alternative embodiments are possible.
[00149] Systems and methods are described and shown in the present
disclosure in relation to a snowmobile 100, but the present disclosure may
also be
applied to other types of electric vehicles, including other types of off-road
and
powersport vehicles.
[00150] The headlight control 137 need not be a single button as depicted
in FIG.
2. In some embodiments, the headlight control may have separate "OFF" input
device
for deactivating the headlight. In such embodiments, the "OFF" input device
may be
disabled whenever the electric vehicle 100 is in a vehicle state in which the
headlight
is non-deactivatable.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-12-02
[00151] In each of the above-described embodiments, the headlight of the
electric vehicle may be commanded to either of a "LOW BEAM" or "HIGH BEAM"
illumination status when in the on condition. In alternative electric vehicle
embodiments, the headlight may be commanded to more than two illumination
statuses, or may have only one default illumination status, when in the on
condition.
[00152] At least some embodiments described herein incorporate an electro-
mechanical start button 204 that is activated by pressing, e.g., to start the
electric
vehicle 100 and to cycle between "OFF," "NEUTRAL," and "DRIVE" states.
Similarly,
embodiments described above may incorporate a headlight control 137 that is a
button
activatable by pressing. It will be appreciated that alternative embodiments
may
substitute other user input mechanisms that are not strictly buttons and are
not
necessarily activated by pressing, e.g., knobs that are rotated or
touchscreens that are
tapped. Any reference to "pressing" of a "start button" or "headlight control"
should
accordingly be understood to encompass suitable activation of whatever user
input
mechanism may be utilized in the embodiment in question.
[00153] The embodiments described in this document provide non-limiting
examples of possible implementations of the present technology. Upon review of
the
present disclosure, a person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that
changes may
be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the scope
of the
present technology.
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