Mobile carriage

• US 7,152,882 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2003
• Issued: 12/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Oda, Atsushi, Murakami, Seiji, Tokumaru, Tomoyoshi, Kakutani, Kazushige, Tojo, Naoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Christopher P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): AVERY, BRIDGET D
• Application Number:
  US10/397,195
• Publication Number:
  US 20030184071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 280/758, 280/759, 280/755, 280/5.2, 280/304.1, 280/DIG.10, 280/250.1, 280/656, 180/8.1, 180/8.2, 180/8.3, 180/8.5, 180/8.6, 180/8.7, 180/907, 180/9.32, 180/24.02
• US Class Current: 280/758
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 57/04 having other than ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. having propellers arrangement of jet-propulsion units B60K
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 180/907 Motorized wheelchairs

Abstract

The invention provides a mobile carriage which is adapted to shift the center of gravity efficiently by utilizing the weight of wheel rotating means, power source means and control means to thereby increase the weight of a weight portion and reduce the increase in the weight of the entire carriage, the carriage comprising a base frame, a front wheel and a rear wheel which are disposed under the base frame, wheel rotating means coupled to the front wheel and the rear wheel for rotatingly driving the wheels, power source means for the wheel rotating means, center-of-gravity shifting means having a weight portion disposed above the base frame and a mechanism for moving the weight portion relative to the base frame to shift the position of the center of gravity of the base frame by moving the weight portion by the moving mechanism, and control means for controlling the wheel rotating means and the moving mechanism, the carriage being characterized in that at least one of the wheel rotating means, the power source means and the control means is utilized as the weight portion of the center-of-gravity shifting means.

Claims

1. A mobile carriage comprising:

a base frame,

a front wheel and a rear wheel disposed under the base frame,

wheel rotating means coupled to the front wheel and the rear wheel for rotatingly driving the wheels,

power source means for the wheel rotating means,

center-of-gravity shifting means having a weight portion disposed above and moveable relative to the base frame and a mechanism for moving the weight portion relative to the base frame to shift the position of the center of gravity of the base frame by moving the weight portion by the mechanism for moving, said weight portion being connected to said base frame by at least one rod pivotably connected at one end to said base frame and pivotably connected at the other end to said weight portion,

control means for controlling the wheel rotating means and the mechanism for moving, and

at least one of the wheel rotating means, the power source means and the control means being utilized as the weight portion of the center-of-gravity shifting means.

2. The mobile carnage according to claim 1 wherein the moving mechanism moves the weight portion forward or rearward, and leftward or rightward relative to the base frame.

3. The mobile carriage according to claim 1 wherein the moving mechanism rotates the weight portion in a horizontal plane relative to the base frame.

4. The mobile carriage according to claim 1 wherein when the front wheel is to be moved over a difference in level, the moving mechanism operates to move the weight portion forward at an accelerated rate relative to the base frame, so as to cause the front wheel to move over the difference in level by an inertial force due to the movement of the weight portion.

5. The mobile carriage according to claim 1 wherein when the rear wheel is to be moved over a difference in level, the moving mechanism operates to move the weight portion rearward at an accelerated rate relative to the base frame, so as to cause the rear wheel to move over the difference in level by an inertial force due to the movement of the weight portion.

6. The mobile carriage according to claim 1 which comprises a load sensor for detecting the load acting on each of the wheels, and the moving mechanism controls the position of the center of gravity of the entire base frame based on the output value of the load sensor.

7. The mobile carriage according to claim 1 wherein each of the wheels is movable forward or rearward relative to the base frame, and the position of the center of gravity of the base frame is shifted by moving the wheel forward or rearward relative to the base frame.

8. The mobile carriage according to claim 1 which has a horizontal support portion for holding the weight portion horizontal, and the weight portion is coupled to the moving mechanism by the horizontal support portion.

9. The mobile carriage according to claim 1 wherein the weight portion is moved rearwardly of the base frame by the moving mechanism to raise the front wheel in the air and cause the front wheel to move over a ditch or a difference in level.

10. The mobile carriage according to claim 1 wherein the weight portion is moved forwardly of the base frame by the moving mechanism to raise the rear wheel in the air and cause the rear wheel to move over a ditch or a difference in level.

11. The mobile carriage according to claim 1 wherein when the front wheel is to be moved over a difference in level, the moving mechanism operates to rotate in a horizontal plane the weight portion forward at an accelerated rate relative to the base frame, so as to cause the front wheel to move over the difference in level by an inertial force due to the rotation of the weight portion.

12. The mobile carriage according to claim 1 wherein when the rear wheel is to be moved over a difference in level, the moving mechanism operates to rotate in a horizontal plane the weight portion rearward at an accelerated rate relative to the base frame, so as to cause the rear wheel to move over the difference in level by an inertial force due to the rotation rotation of the weight portion.

13. The mobile carriage according to claim 9 wherein the weight portion is returned to the position of the center of gravity of the entire base frame by the moving mechanism after the front wheel or the rear wheel is moved over the ditch or the difference in level.

14. The mobile carriage according to claim 10 wherein the weight portion is returned to the position of the center of gravity of the entire base frame by the moving mechanism after the front wheel or the rear wheel is moved over the ditch or the difference in level.