Control of a balancing personal vehicle

• US 6,799,649 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2002
• Issued: 10/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Deka Products Limited Partnership
• Original Assignee: Deka Products Limited Partnership
• Inventors: Heinzmann, John D., Herr, David, Ambrogi, Robert R., Morrell, John B., Heinzmann, Richard Kurt, Kamen, Dean L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Morris, Lesley D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Royal, Jr., Paul
• Application Number:
  US10/166,553
• Publication Number:
  US 20020189870A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 180/21, 180/24.02, 180/7.1, 180/8--, 180/65.8, 180/907, 180/65.1, 180/901, 280/5.26, 280/DIG.10, 280/5.2, 280/5.28, 280/5.32, 280/78, 280/208, 280/209
• US Class Current: 180/8.2
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/14 Joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/04 motor-driven A61G5/06 takes precedence; motor-operated rests A61G5/12; for vehicles with handlebars, equipped with three or more wheels B62K5/003, B62K5/023
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/061 for climbing stairs
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 11/007 Automatic balancing machines with single main ground engaging wheel or coaxial wheels supporting a rider
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/042 in which a parameter or coefficient is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20396 Hand operated

Abstract

A vehicle for transporting a payload over a surface that may be irregular and may include stairs. The vehicle has a support for supporting the payload and a ground contacting element movable with respect to a local axis, where the local axis can be moved with respect to some second axis that has a defined relation with respect to the support. The vehicle also has a motorized drive arrangement for permitting controllable motion of the ground contacting element so as to operate in an operating condition that is unstable with respect to tipping in at least a fore-aft plane when the motorized drive arrangement is not powered. The vehicle also has an input device for receiving an indication from an assistant who is not disposed on the vehicle of a direction of desired motion of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for enabling a payload to ascend and descend stairs, each stair having a riser, the method comprising:

a. providing a device, the device comprising;

i. a support for supporting the payload;

ii. a ground contacting element movable with respect to a local axis, the local axis being movable with respect to a second axis having a defined relation with respect to the support;

iii. a motorized drive arrangement for permitting controllable motion of the ground contacting element with respect to the local axis in such a manner that the local axis moves with respect to the second axis so as to operate in an operating condition that is unstable with respect to tipping in at least a fore-aft plane when the motorized drive arrangement is not powered; and

b. maintaining wheel torque against each riser successively; and

c. changing the relation of the local axis with respect to the support so as to maintain the center of gravity of the device and the payload between specified limits in forward and rearward directions of rotation of the device.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

receiving input from a user command device for governing the controllable motion of the ground-contacting element.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

receiving input from a user for governing the controllable motion of the ground-contacting element based at least upon a position of the center of gravity of the device between the specified limits.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

overriding any input from the user so as to enable control by an assistant.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

controlling the device via a user input disposed remotely from the device.