Coaxial motorcycle

• US 20060231313A1
• Filed: 06/03/2004
• Published: 10/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ishii, Shinji
• Granted Patent: US 7,703,568 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/218
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/12 with driving mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/16 Single-axle vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/24 Personal mobility vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/46 Wheel motors, i.e. motor connected to only one wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/18 lateral
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/20 angular
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/22 Yaw angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/34 Stabilising upright position of vehicles, e.g. of single axle vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 11/007 Automatic balancing machines with single main ground engaging wheel or coaxial wheels supporting a rider
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0891 specially adapted for land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

In a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle, an attitude controller (84) calculates motor torque Tgyr for maintaining a base so that it has a target angle from deviation between base angle command θref serving as attitude command and current base angle θ₀ calculated by using a gyro sensor (13) and an acceleration sensor (14). On the other hand, at a position proportional controller (86R), a differentiator (88R) and a velocity proportional controller (89R), there is performed PD control with respect to deviation between rotation position command Prefr of a motor rotor (92R) for right wheel and current rotation position θr of a motor rotor (92R). A current control amplifier (91R) generates motor current on the basis of added value of motor torque which is the control result and estimated load torque T₁ calculated by using pressure sensors to drive the motor rotor (92R).

Claims

1. A coaxial two-wheeled vehicle comprising a pair of wheels, a wheel axle installed or provided between the pair of wheels, a base supported on the wheel axle so that it can be inclined thereon, a pair of drive motors attached on the base and for driving the pair of respective wheels, and a control unit for sending an operation command to the pair of drive motors,

wherein load detecting means for detecting position and weight of load on the base and angle detecting means for detecting angle about the wheel axle of the base are provided on the base, and

the control unit is composed of a first control mechanism adapted to generate a first torque for canceling torque based on the load, and to generate a second torque for maintaining the base so that it has a predetermined angle in correspondence with angle about the wheel axle of the base, and a second control mechanism independent of the first control mechanism, which is adapted to generate a third torque for performing traveling operation in accordance with position of the load, thus to instruct the pair of respective drive motors to perform operations corresponding to the first to third torques.

2. The coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the load detecting means is plural pressure sensors.

3. The coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as set forth in claim 2,

wherein the base is composed of a supporting table and a movable table, and

the plural pressure sensors are provided at least four corners of the supporting table, and the movable table is mounted thereon.

4. The coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the angle detecting means is a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor.

5. The coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as set forth in claim 1,

wherein swivel detecting means for detecting angle about vertical axis is provided on the base, and

the control unit serves to generate the third torque in accordance with position of the load and angle about the vertical axis.

6. The coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as set forth in claim 1,

wherein weight center of the base is located below the wheel axle.

7. A coaxial two-wheeled vehicle comprising a pair of wheels, a wheel axle installed or provided between the pair of wheels, a base supported on the wheel axle so that it can be inclined thereon, a pair of drive motors for driving the pair of respective wheels, and a control unit for sending an operation command to the pair of drive motors,

wherein load detecting means for detecting position and weight of load on the base is provided on the base, and

the control unit is operative so that in the case where position of the load is within a predetermined stop region, it does not send a traveling command, while in the case where position of the load is not within the stop region, it sends a traveling command corresponding to that position to the pair of respective drive motors.

8. The coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as set forth in claim 7,

wherein the range in a direction perpendicular to the wheel axle of the stop region is within the range in a direction perpendicular to the wheel axle of a ground-contacting region where the pair of wheels are in contact with the road surface.

9. The coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as set forth in claim 7,

wherein angle detecting means for detecting angle about the wheel axle of the base is further provided on the base, and

the control unit is composed of a first control mechanism adapted to generate a first torque for canceling torque based on the load, and to generate a second torque for maintaining the base so that it has a predetermined angle in correspondence with angle about the wheel axle of the base, and a second control mechanism independent of the first control mechanism, which is adapted to generate a third torque for performing traveling operation in accordance with position of the load, thus to instruct the pair of respective drive motors to perform operations corresponding to the first to third torques.

10. The coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as set forth in claim 9,

wherein the load detecting means is plural pressure sensors.

11. The coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as set forth in claim 10,

wherein the base is composed of a supporting table, and a movable table, and

the plural pressure sensors are provided at four corners of at least the supporting table, and the movable table is mounted thereon.

12. The coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as set forth in claim 9,

wherein the angle detecting means is a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor.

13. The coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as set forth in claim 7,

wherein weight center of the base is positioned below the wheel axle.

14. The coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as set forth in claim 7,

wherein image pick-up means for picking up a forward image, and image processing means for processing the image which has been picked up are further provided on the base, and

the control unit sends a traveling command corresponding to processing result of the image processing means to the pair of drive motors.

15. The coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as set forth in claim 14,

wherein the image processing means performs processing for detecting position and distance of an obstacle from the image which has been picked up, and

the control unit sends a traveling command for avoiding the obstacle he pair of respective drive motors.

16. The coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as set forth in claim 14,

wherein the image processing means performs processing for detecting position and distance of a predetermined object from the image which has been picked up, and

the control unit sends a traveling command following the object to the pair of respective drive motors.

17. The coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as set forth in claim 7,

wherein sound collecting means for collecting sound (speech) therearound, and speech (sound) processing means for processing the sound (speech) thus collected are further provided on the base, and

the control unit sends a traveling command corresponding to processing result of the speech (sound) processing means to the pair of respective drive motors.

18. The coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as set forth in claim 17,

wherein the speech (sound) processing means performs processing for detecting sound source position of the sound (speech) thus collected, and

the control unit sends a traveling command for following or avoiding the sound source to the pair of respective drive motors.

19. The coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as set forth in claim 17,

wherein the speech (sound) processing means includes memory means in which noise signals corresponding to traveling velocities are recorded in advance to remove frequency component of a noise signal corresponding to a traveling velocity at the time of sound collection from the sound which has been collected thereafter to perform speech (sound) processing.

20. A coaxial two-wheeled vehicle comprising a pair of wheels, a wheel axle installed or provided between the pair of wheels, a base supported on the wheel axle so that it can be inclined thereon, a pair of drive motors attached on the base and for driving the pair of respective wheels, and a control unit for sending an operation command to the pair of drive motors,

wherein load detecting means for detecting position and weight of load on the base is provided on the base, and

the control unit is operative so that in the case where position of the load is within a predetermined deceleration region, it sends a traveling command for performing deceleration/stop operation to the pair of respective drive motors, while in the case where the position of the load is not within the deceleration region, it sends a traveling command corresponding to that position to the pair of respective drive motors.

21. The coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as set forth in claim 20,

wherein the deceleration region is a region in the vicinity of the boundary of load detectable range by the load detecting means.