Vehicle

• US 20100030397A1
• Filed: 06/23/2006
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushikikaisha Equos Research
• Original Assignee: Kabushikikaisha Equos Research
• Inventors: Tachibana, Takumi, Sakakibara, Fumihiko, Miki, Nobuaki, Horiguchi, Munehisa
• Granted Patent: US 8,073,575 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2009 for braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/32 Control or regulation of multiple-unit electrically-propelled vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/16 Single-axle vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/34 Wheel chairs
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/20 by driver identification
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/34 Stabilising upright position of vehicles, e.g. of single axle vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 1/00 Unicycles
• 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 1/0295 by at least one leading vehicle of the fleet
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24967 Absolute thicknesses specified

Abstract

To provide a vehicle which can move independently as an own independent vehicle and can run integrally in linkage with another vehicle. A plurality of single-seat vehicles which can move independently are combined and they move integrally while a predetermined formation is maintained through linkage among respective vehicles. One of all the vehicles moving in linkage serves as a host vehicle and an occupant in the host vehicle becomes a driver in the linkage moving. A host vehicle 1 runs with speed/direction according to running operation conducted by an occupant. Simultaneously therewith, the host vehicle 1 instructs following vehicles 2 to 4 to synchronize (follow) the host vehicle. The host vehicle 1 transmits a speed, a direction, and a relative position to the host vehicle to the following vehicles 2 to 4 as moving information in order to synchronize the following vehicles with the host vehicle (maintain linkage relationship). The following vehicles 2 to 4 move based upon a follow-up instruction and feed status information including speeds and directions of the following vehicles, and their own positions back to the host vehicle 1 as own vehicle information.

Claims

1. A vehicle which conducts linkage moving where a following vehicle moves using moving information of a leading vehicle while maintaining a connected formation and independent moving where an own vehicle moves singly, comprising:

running operation means for conducting running operation;

moving information transmitting means for transmitting, to the following vehicle, moving information based upon a moving demand according to the running operation in the linkage moving; and

driving means for driving the own vehicle based upon the moving demand according to the running operation.

2. A vehicle which conducts linkage moving where a following vehicle moves using moving information of a leading vehicle while maintaining a connected state and independent moving where an own vehicle moves singly, comprising:

running operation means for conducting running operation;

moving information receiving means for receiving moving information transmitted from the leading vehicle; and

driving means for driving the own vehicle based upon the received moving information in linkage moving and driving the own vehicle based upon a moving demand according to the running operation in independent moving.

3. A vehicle, comprising:

moving selecting means for selecting either one of leading moving serving as a leading vehicle in linkage moving where an own vehicle moves integrally in a linkage manner with another vehicle and following moving serving as a following vehicle in the linkage moving;

running operation means for conducting running operation;

moving information transmitting and receiving means for transmitting moving information based upon a moving demand according to the running operation to the following vehicle in the leading moving and receiving moving information transmitted from the leading vehicle in the following moving; and

driving means for driving the own vehicle based upon a moving demand according to the running operation in the leading moving and driving the own vehicle based upon the received moving information in the following moving.

4. The vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising

moving formation determining means for determining a moving formation and a arrangement relationship between a leading vehicle and a following vehicle in the linkage moving, and

moving information preparing means for preparing moving information for each following vehicle based upon a moving demand according to the running operation and the determined arrangement relationship with each following vehicle in the leading moving, wherein

the moving information transmitting and receiving means transmits moving information prepared by the moving information preparing means to each following vehicle.

5. The vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising

moving formation determining means for determining a moving formation and a arrangement relationship between a leading vehicle and a following vehicle in the linkage moving,

moving formation transmitting and receiving means for transmitting the determined moving formation and arrangement relationship to each following vehicle in the leading moving and receiving a moving formation and a arrangement relationship transmitted from the leading vehicle in the following moving, and

moving detecting means for detecting a moving speed and a moving direction of the own vehicle, wherein

the moving information transmitting and receiving means transmits the detected moving speed and moving direction of the own vehicle to the following vehicle as moving information in the leading moving, and

the driving means controls driving of the own vehicle based upon a moving formation and a arrangement relationship of the own vehicle, and a moving speed and a moving direction of the leading vehicle in the following moving.

6. The vehicle according to claim 3, comprising

moving procedure storing means where a moving procedure where each vehicle moves at a changing time from a specific moving formation to another moving formation is stored, and

moving formation changing means for performing determination about necessity of change from a moving formation in current moving to another moving formation to determine a moving formation after changed, wherein

the moving formation transmitting and receiving means sequentially transmits arrangement relationships after changed to the respective following vehicles according to the moving procedure for performing change from a current moving formation to the determined moving formation after changed in the leading moving, and

the driving means drives the own vehicle such that the own vehicle moves to satisfy the arrangement relationship after changed received from the leading vehicle in the following moving.

7. The vehicle according to claim 6, further comprising

road width information acquiring means for acquiring road width information, wherein

the moving formation changing means makes determination about necessity of moving formation change and a moving formation after changed based upon at least one of a moving speed of the own vehicle and the acquired road width information.

8. The vehicle according to claim 7, further comprising:

one or plural driving wheels which are driven by the driving means and are disposed on one shaft;

a boarding portion disposed above the driving wheels;

an attitude sensing sensor sensing an attitude of the boarding portion; and

attitude control means for performing attitude control of the boarding portion so as to hold balance in a longitudinal direction regarding a driving direction of the driving wheels according to the sensed attitude of the boarding portion.

9. The vehicle according to claim 4, comprising

moving procedure storing means where a moving procedure where each vehicle moves at a changing time from a specific moving formation to another moving formation is stored, and

moving formation changing means for performing determination about necessity of change from a moving formation in current moving to another moving formation to determine a moving formation after changed, wherein

the moving formation transmitting and receiving means sequentially transmits arrangement relationships after changed to the respective following vehicles according to the moving procedure for performing change from a current moving formation to the determined moving formation after changed in the leading moving, and

the driving means drives the own vehicle such that the own vehicle moves to satisfy the arrangement relationship after changed received from the leading vehicle in the following moving.

10. The vehicle according to claim 9, further comprising

road width information acquiring means for acquiring road width information, wherein

the moving formation changing means makes determination about necessity of moving formation change and a moving formation after changed based upon at least one of a moving speed of the own vehicle and the acquired road width information.

11. The vehicle according to claim 3, comprising:

one or plural driving wheels which are driven by the driving means and are disposed on one shaft;

a boarding portion disposed above the driving wheels;

an attitude sensing sensor sensing an attitude of the boarding portion; and

attitude control means for performing attitude control of the boarding portion so as to hold balance in a longitudinal direction regarding a driving direction of the driving wheels according to the sensed attitude of the boarding portion.

12. The vehicle according to claim 4, comprising:

one or plural driving wheels which are driven by the driving means and are disposed on one shaft;

a boarding portion disposed above the driving wheels;

an attitude sensing sensor sensing an attitude of the boarding portion; and

attitude control means for performing attitude control of the boarding portion so as to hold balance in a longitudinal direction regarding a driving direction of the driving wheels according to the sensed attitude of the boarding portion.

13. The vehicle according to claim 5, comprising:

one or plural driving wheels which are driven by the driving means and are disposed on one shaft;

a boarding portion disposed above the driving wheels;

an attitude sensing sensor sensing an attitude of the boarding portion; and

attitude control means for performing attitude control of the boarding portion so as to hold balance in a longitudinal direction regarding a driving direction of the driving wheels according to the sensed attitude of the boarding portion.

14. The vehicle according to claim 6, comprising:

one or plural driving wheels which are driven by the driving means and are disposed on one shaft;

a boarding portion disposed above the driving wheels;

an attitude sensing sensor sensing an attitude of the boarding portion; and

attitude control means for performing attitude control of the boarding portion so as to hold balance in a longitudinal direction regarding a driving direction of the driving wheels according to the sensed attitude of the boarding portion.

15. The vehicle according to claim 9, comprising:

one or plural driving wheels which are driven by the driving means and are disposed on one shaft;

a boarding portion disposed above the driving wheels;

an attitude sensing sensor sensing an attitude of the boarding portion; and

attitude control means for performing attitude control of the boarding portion so as to hold balance in a longitudinal direction regarding a driving direction of the driving wheels according to the sensed attitude of the boarding portion.

16. The vehicle according to claim 10, comprising:

one or plural driving wheels which are driven by the driving means and are disposed on one shaft;

a boarding portion disposed above the driving wheels;

an attitude sensing sensor sensing an attitude of the boarding portion; and

attitude control means for performing attitude control of the boarding portion so as to hold balance in a longitudinal direction regarding a driving direction of the driving wheels according to the sensed attitude of the boarding portion.