SELF-BALANCING VEHICLE

• US 20090312908A1
• Filed: 05/31/2006
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brinks Westmaas B.V.
• Original Assignee: Brinks Westmaas B.V.
• Inventors: Van Den Brink, Christopher Ralph
• Granted Patent: US 8,249,775 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/38
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/122 Trikes
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/45 Rolling frame vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/104 lateral or transversal with regard to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 9/02 combined with means for inwardly inclining vehicle body on bends
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 5/027 Motorcycles with three wheels specially adapted for disabled riders B62K5/023
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 5/10 with means for inwardly inclining the vehicle body on bends

Abstract

A vehicle includes:

• • at least three wheels, of which at least two wheels are situated on either side of the centre of gravity of the vehicle'"'"'s longitudinal axis and wherein at least one of the wheels has a steering effect on the direction of the vehicle,
  • a frame having a tilting frame section, rotatable in the longitudinal axis relative to the road surface,
  • a steering element mounted so as to rotate relative to the tilting frame section,
  • one or more tilting elements connected to the tilting frame section and the wheels for exerting a tilting movement between the tilting frame section and the road surface,
  • a speed sensor,
  • a steering sensor for determining the force/torque or size of the steering wheel movement for achieving a change in the direction of the steerable wheel or wheels.

Claims

1. A vehicle provided with:

at least three wheels, of which at least two wheels are situated on either side of the centre of gravity of the vehicle'"'"'s longitudinal axis and wherein at least one of the wheels has a steering effect on the direction of the vehicle,

a frame consisting of a tilting frame section, wherein said frame section can rotate in the longitudinal axis relative to the road surface,

a steering means which is mounted so that it can rotate relative to the tilting frame section,

one or more tilting elements which are connected to the tilting frame section and the wheels for exerting a tilting moment and/or tilting movement between the tilting frame section and the road surface,

a speed sensor with which the speed of the vehicle relative to the road surface can be determined,

a steering sensor with which the force/the torque or the size of the steering wheel movement for achieving a change in the direction of the steerable wheel or the steerable wheels can be determined,

characterised in that there is also a lateral acceleration sensor with which the lateral acceleration of the tilting frame section of the vehicle can be determined.

2. A vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that it is also provided with a tilt angle sensor, which is positioned such that it can determine the angle of rotation between tilting frame section and the road surface and/or an orientation unit providing a predetermined horizon orientation.

3. Vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that the lateral acceleration sensor is coupled to the tilting frame section in such a way that it follows the rotational position of the tilting frame section.

4. Vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that the lateral acceleration sensor is mounted within a radius of 30 cm around the rotational axis in the longitudinal direction of the tilting frame section, more preferably within a radius of 20 cm and most preferably within a radius of 10 cm.

5. Vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that it is also provided with at least two air pressure sensors which are positioned laterally on the vehicle.

6. Vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that the speed sensor and/or the steering sensor and/or the lateral acceleration sensor and/or the tilt angle sensor and/or the air pressure sensors contain an electric or electronic sensor.

7. Vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that the steering sensor contains strain gauges.

8. Vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that the lateral acceleration sensor contains an electronic g sensor.

9. Vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that the vehicle is provided with a reversing switch which can establish the direction of travel of the vehicle.

10. Vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that the tilting elements comprise hydraulic components.

11. Vehicle according to claim 10, characterised in that the vehicle is provided with a pressure sensor which can measure the hydraulic pressure of the fluid with which the tilting elements are driven.

12. Vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that the vehicle is provided with a microelectronic circuit for control of the tilting elements.

13. Vehicle according to claim 1 consisting of at least four wheels, wherein the two front wheels form a front wheel unit and the two rear wheels form a rear wheel unit, characterised in that front wheel unit and rear wheel unit are connected by a coupling element in such a way that one wheel unit can transmit the tilting moment to the other wheel unit.

14. Vehicle according to claim 13, characterised in that the coupling element consists of a torsion bar, chain, steel wire or hydraulic line.

15. Vehicle according to claim 14, characterised in that the transmission between the coupling element is such that the two wheel units exhibit a proportional but different tilt deflection compared with the upright situation.

16. Method for the tilt control of a vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that the signal from the steering sensor, the tilt angle sensor and/or the orientation unit signal, the signal from the lateral acceleration sensor and the signal from the speed sensor are used as control signal to control the tilting elements, and/or the control a steering force or moment on the wheel having the steering effect.

17. Method for the tilt control of a tilting vehicle according to claim 12, characterised in that the signal from the speed sensor is used to set the individual contribution of the signal from the lateral acceleration sensor and the signal from the steering sensor, respectively, to the control of the tilting of the vehicle.

18. Method for the tilt control of a tilting vehicle according to claim 13, characterised in that below a speed of 5 km/h the lateral acceleration sensor makes a relative contribution to the control of the tilting of the vehicle of more than 50%.

19. Method for the tilt control of a tilting vehicle according to claim 14, characterised in that the signal from the speed sensor is used to set the individual contribution of the signal from the lateral acceleration sensor, the signal from the steering sensor and the signal from the tilt angle sensor, respectively, to the control of the tilting of the vehicle.

20. Method for the tilt control of a tilting vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that the signal from the tilt angle sensor is also used as a control signal to control the tilting elements.

21. Method for the tilt control of a tilting vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that the signal from the air pressure sensor is also used as a control signal to control the tilting elements.

22. Vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that the lateral acceleration sensor can also register the longitudinal acceleration and this signal is used to detect a fault in the speed sensor.

23. Vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the measurement of tilt angle, lateral acceleration and steering force in combination with other vehicle information is used for signal analysis and fault detection and, in the event of such a fault, to activate giving a warning and/or a fault mode.