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US-12627755-B2 - Method of using mobile device as dashboard of motorcycle and motorcycle using the same

US12627755B2US 12627755 B2US12627755 B2US 12627755B2US-12627755-B2

Abstract

A method of using a mobile device as a dashboard of a motorcycle and a motorcycle using the method are provided. The motorcycle includes a body, an electronic control unit (ECU), a protocol converter, and a transceiver. The body includes a steering wheel, and the steering wheel includes a placement space for disposing a mobile device. The ECU is installed in the body and outputs a first signal via a first protocol. The protocol converter is installed in the body and coupled to the ECU. The protocol converter converts the first signal from the first protocol to a second protocol so as to generate a second signal, and the second protocol is different from the first protocol. The transceiver is installed in the body and coupled to the protocol converter. The transceiver transmits the second signal to the mobile device in the placement space.

Inventors

  • Yu Chi Chen
  • Hsien Chung Chen
  • Sheng-Chang Wu

Assignees

  • KINPO ELECTRONICS, INC.

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20230216
Priority Date
20220421

Claims (17)

  1. 1 . A motorcycle using a mobile device as a dashboard, the motorcycle comprising: a body comprising a steering wheel, wherein the steering wheel comprises a placement space for disposing the mobile device; an electronic control unit installed in the body, executed by a processor, to output a first signal via a first protocol; a protocol converter installed in the body and coupled to the electronic control unit, wherein the protocol converter converts the first signal from the first protocol to a second protocol so as to generate a second signal, wherein the second protocol is different from the first protocol, wherein the first protocol is a controller area network (CAN) protocol, wherein the second signal includes information associated with the dashboard, and wherein the information includes a turn signal indicator light, an engine failure light, a neutral indicator light and/or a gear display, an oil change indicator light, a high beam indicator light, speed, RPM, fuel level, time, RPM limit light and mileage; and a transceiver installed in the body and coupled to the protocol converter, wherein the transceiver transmits the second signal to the mobile device in the placement space.
  2. 2 . The motorcycle according to claim 1 , wherein a groove on the steering wheel forms the placement space.
  3. 3 . The motorcycle according to claim 2 , wherein the groove comprises a groove bottom and a sidewall, wherein the motorcycle further comprises: a connector coupled to the transceiver, wherein the connector is provided on the sidewall for connecting to the mobile device in the placement space.
  4. 4 . The motorcycle according to claim 3 , wherein the connector comprises one of a universal serial bus connector and a Lightning connector.
  5. 5 . The motorcycle according to claim 2 , wherein a shock-absorbing element is provided in the groove.
  6. 6 . The motorcycle according to claim 2 , further comprising: a waterproof cover covering the groove.
  7. 7 . The motorcycle according to claim 6 , wherein the waterproof cover is a composite material containing graphene or conductive composite materials for user to operate a touch screen of the mobile device through the waterproof cover.
  8. 8 . The motorcycle according to claim 1 , wherein the motorcycle does not have a dashboard.
  9. 9 . The motorcycle according to claim 1 , wherein the second protocol comprises one of a Wi-Fi protocol, a Bluetooth protocol, and a universal serial bus protocol.
  10. 10 . A method of using a mobile device as a dashboard of a motorcycle, the method comprising: providing a placement space on a steering wheel of the motorcycle for disposing the mobile device; converting a first signal output by a processor executing an electronic control unit of the motorcycle from a first protocol to a second protocol so as to generate a second signal, wherein the second protocol is different from the first protocol, wherein the first protocol is a controller area network (CAN) protocol, wherein the second signal includes information associated with the dashboard, and wherein the information includes a turn signal indicator light, an engine failure light, a neutral indicator light and/or a gear display, an oil change indicator light, a high beam indicator light, speed, RPM, fuel level, time, RPM limit light and mileage; and transmitting the second signal to the mobile device in the placement space.
  11. 11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein a groove on the steering wheel forms the placement space.
  12. 12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the groove comprises a groove bottom and a sidewall, wherein the method further comprises: providing a connector on the sidewall for connecting to the mobile device in the placement space, wherein the connector is coupled to a transceiver.
  13. 13 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the connector comprises one of a universal serial bus connector and a Lightning connector.
  14. 14 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein a shock-absorbing element is provided in the groove.
  15. 15 . The method according to claim 11 , further comprising: covering the groove with a waterproof cover.
  16. 16 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the motorcycle does not have a dashboard.
  17. 17 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the second protocol comprises one of a Wi-Fi protocol, a Bluetooth protocol, and a universal serial bus protocol.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the priority benefit of China application serial no. 202210423070.2, filed on Apr. 21, 2022. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification. BACKGROUND Technical Field The disclosure relates to a method of using a mobile device as a dashboard of a motorcycle and a motorcycle using the method. Description of Related Art At present, most motorcycles in the market use digital dashboards in place of traditional dashboards. A digital dashboard provides more functions such as displaying speed or time in numbers compared to the traditional dashboard. However, the digital dashboard is more expensive, and adopting the digital dashboard may result in an increase in the manufacturing cost of the motorcycle. In addition, when the digital dashboard is damaged, it often costs the consumers a lot of money to replace the entire digital dashboard, which imposes a financial burden on the consumers. SUMMARY The disclosure provides a motorcycle using a mobile device as a dashboard of the motorcycle and a method of using the mobile device as the dashboard of the motorcycle, which reduces production and development costs of the motorcycle. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a motorcycle using a mobile device as a dashboard includes a body, an electronic control unit, a protocol converter, and a transceiver. The body includes a steering wheel, and the steering wheel includes a placement space for disposing the mobile device. The electronic control unit is installed in the body and outputs a first signal via a first protocol. The protocol converter is installed in the body and coupled to the electronic control unit. The protocol converter converts the first signal from the first protocol to a second protocol so as to generate a second signal, and the second protocol is different from the first protocol. The transceiver is installed in the body and coupled to the protocol converter. The transceiver transmits the second signal to the mobile device in the placement space. In an embodiment of the disclosure, a groove on the steering wheel forms the placement space. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the groove includes a groove bottom and a sidewall. The motorcycle further includes a connector coupled to the transceiver, and the connector is provided on the sidewall for connecting to the mobile device in the placement space. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the connector includes one of a universal serial bus connector and a Lightning connector. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the groove includes a groove bottom and a sidewall, and the motorcycle further includes a shock-absorbing element provided in the groove bottom. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the motorcycle further includes a waterproof cover covering the groove. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the motorcycle does not have a dashboard. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the first protocol is a controller area network protocol. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the second protocol includes one of a Wi-Fi protocol, a Bluetooth protocol, and a universal serial bus protocol. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a method of using a mobile device as a dashboard of a motorcycle includes the following. A placement space is provided on a steering wheel of the motorcycle for disposing the mobile device. A first signal output by an electronic control unit of the motorcycle is converted from a first protocol to a second protocol so as to generate a second signal, and the second protocol is different from the first protocol. The second signal is transmitted to the mobile device in the placement space. In an embodiment of the disclosure, a groove on the steering wheel forms the placement space. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the groove includes a groove bottom and a sidewall. The method further includes: providing a connector on the sidewall for connecting to the mobile device in the placement space, and the connector is coupled to a transceiver. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the connector includes one of a universal serial bus connector and a Lightning connector. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the groove includes a groove bottom and a sidewall. The method further includes: providing a shock-absorbing element in the groove bottom. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the method further includes: covering the groove with a waterproof cover. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the motorcycle does not have a dashboard. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the first protocol is a controller area network protocol. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the second protocol includes one of a Wi-Fi protocol, a Bluetooth protocol, and a universal serial bus protocol. Based on the above, the disclosure provides the placement space for disposing the mobile device on the steering wheel of the motorcycle.