CAR, WALKING APPARATUS, AND METHOD OF DETERMINING SHAPE OF WHEEL

• US 20100193265A1
• Filed: 02/04/2010
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chiba Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Chiba Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Shimizu, Masaharu, Endo, Ken, Shimomura, Masaki, Furuta, Takayuki, Tawara, Tetsuo, Okumura, Yu, Yamato, Hideaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,561,734 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/21
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/14 Vehicles with one wheel only
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/20 angular
• 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: B60L 50/30 using propulsion power stored mechanically, e.g. in fly-wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 57/00 Vehicles characterised by having other propulsion or other ground- engaging means than wheels or endless track, alone or in addition to wheels or endless track sledges B62B; motor sledges B62M
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 1/00 Unicycles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A car having a rotatable wheel, the car being able to run by rotating the wheel, the car having a leg used by the car for walking, and an attitude stabilization section for stabilizing an attitude of the car.

Claims

1-40. -40. (canceled)

41. A car having a wheel that is rotatable about a rotation axis comprising,

an attitude control mechanism for controlling an attitude of the car,

wherein the wheel has a contacting portion that can contact a ground while the car is moving, and that is located lower than the rotation axis,

wherein when an imaginary plane that includes the rotation axis and in which the normal direction is a horizontal direction is a first imaginary plane, an intersection line of the contacting portion and the first imaginary plane is a curved line,

wherein among the points on the curved line are included a first point that satisfies a following first condition and a second point that satisfies a following second condition,

wherein in the first condition, a second imaginary plane includes the first point and is perpendicular to the first imaginary plane, the second imaginary plane in which the normal direction of the second imaginary plane is a tangential direction of the curved line at the first point, being located lower than the center of gravity of the car, and

wherein in the second condition, a third imaginary plane includes the second point and is perpendicular to the first imaginary plane, the third imaginary plane in which the normal direction of the third imaginary plane is a tangential direction of the curved line at the second point, being located upper than the center of gravity of the car.

43. A car according to claim 41,

wherein both ends of the intersection line are adjacent to non-contacting portions that do not contact the ground while the car is moving, and that is provided on the wheel,

wherein a center of the intersection line contacts the ground when the car is in an upright state, and

wherein the intersection line includes a first curved line portion in which all points on the line are the first points and a second curved line portion in which all points on the line are the second points.

44. A car according to claim 43,

wherein the second curved line portion is located at both end portions of the intersection line.

45. A car according to claim 43,

wherein the second curved line portion is located at a center portion of the intersection line.

49. A car according to claim 45,

wherein the attitude control mechanism is a control moment gyro.

50. A car according to claim 41,

wherein the number of the wheel is one.

42. A car having a wheel that is rotatable about a rotation axis comprising,

an attitude control mechanism for controlling an attitude of the car,

wherein the wheel has a contacting portion that can contact a ground while the car is moving, and that is located lower than the rotation axis,

wherein when an imaginary plane that includes the rotation axis and in which the normal direction is a horizontal direction is a first imaginary plane, an intersection line of the contacting portion and the first imaginary plane has a straight line portion and a curved line portion,

wherein among the points on the curved line portion is included a first point that satisfies the following first condition, and

wherein in the first condition, a second imaginary plane includes the first point and is perpendicular to the first imaginary plane, the second imaginary plane in which the normal direction of the second imaginary plane is a tangential direction of the curved line portion at the first point, being located lower than the center of gravity of the car.

46. A car according to claim 42,

wherein both ends of the intersection line are adjacent to non-contacting portions that are provided to the wheel, and that do not contact the ground while the car is moving,

wherein a center of the intersection line contacts the ground when the car is in an upright state, and

wherein the points on the curved line portion are all the first points.

47. A car according to claim 46,

wherein the straight line portion is located at both end portions of the intersection line.

48. A car according to claim 46,

wherein the straight line portion is located at a center portion of the intersection line.

51-62. -62. (canceled)