Vehicle control unit and vehicle

• US 7,193,376 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2006
• Issued: 03/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Inventors: Hara, Nobuo, Negoro, Masanori
• Primary Examiner(s): Ro; Bentsu
• Application Number:
  US11/380,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20060186842A1
• Time in Patent Office: 327 Days
• Field of Search: 318/139, 318565-567, 318/580, 318/587, 318430-434, 180180-181, 180218-220
• US Class Current: 318/139
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/0046 with shock absorption or suspension system
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/01 Skateboards A63C17/02 - A63C17/28 take precedence; rolling devices on skis A63C5/035
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/016 with wheels arranged in one track
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/12 with driving mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/10 for automatic control superimposed on human control to limit the acceleration of the vehicle, e.g. to prevent excessive motor current electric devices for safety purposes B60L3/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility

Abstract

A control unit controls a vehicle having a body to allow its user to step on, a power generator arranged to generate power that drives the body, and a load sensor unit arranged to output a load value representing a load that has been applied to the body. The control unit preferably includes a first memory arranged to store a load threshold value, a second memory arranged to store a plurality of data, which respectively correspond to different types of control processing to control the power generator, and a processor arranged to change to a type of control processing among the different types of control processing according to a result of a comparison between the load value and the load threshold value. The processor controls the power generator based on one of the plurality of data corresponding to the type of control processing.

Claims

1. A control unit for controlling a vehicle, the vehicle including a body to allow a user to step on and a load sensor unit arranged to detect a load on the body and output a load value, the control unit comprising:

a processor operatively connected to the load sensor and arranged to determine that the user is on-board according to a result of a comparison between a predetermined step-on-board threshold value and the load value supplied by the load sensor, when the vehicle is stopped; and

a drive controller operatively connected to the processor and the vehicle and arranged to output a signal to make the vehicle start to move based on a result of the determination by the processor.

2. The control unit of claim 1, wherein the processor determines that the user is off-board according to a result of a comparison between a step-off-board threshold value, which is smaller than the step-on-board threshold value, and the load value, when the vehicle is moving and the drive controller outputs a signal to cause the vehicle to decelerate according to the comparison result determined by the processor.

3. The control unit of claim 1, wherein the processor determines that the user is on-board when the load value exceeds the step-on-board threshold value.

4. The control unit of claim 2, wherein the processor determines that the user is off-board when the load value becomes smaller than the step-off-board threshold value.

5. The control unit of claim 2, further comprising a memory operatively connected to the load sensor unit and arranged to store the step-on-board and step-off-board threshold values output by the load sensor unit.

6. The control unit of claim 5, wherein the load sensor unit of the vehicle includes a plurality of sensors disposed at mutually different positions on the body of the vehicle so as to output load values representing loads at the respective positions, the memory stores a plurality of step-on-board threshold values that are defined for the respective sensors, and the processor determines that the user is on-board when each of the load values from respective sensors exceeds an associated one of the step-on-board threshold values.

7. The control unit of claim 5, wherein the load sensor unit of the vehicle includes a plurality of sensors disposed at mutually different positions on the body of the vehicle so as to output load values representing loads at the respective positions, the memory stores a plurality of step-off-board values that are defined for the respective sensors, and the processor determines that the user is off-board when any of the load values from respective sensors becomes smaller than an associated one of step-off-board value.

8. The control unit of claim 2, wherein the vehicle includes a power generator arranged to drive the body, and the drive controller outputs a signal to the power generator to control the power generator so as to make the vehicle start to move and/or decelerate.

9. A vehicle comprising:

a body arranged to allow a user to step on;

a power generator arranged to generate power that drives the body;

a load sensor unit arranged to detect a load on the body and output a load value; and

a control unit operatively connected to the power generator and the load sensor unit and arranged to control the power generator based on a result of a comparison between a predetermined step-on-board threshold value and the load value so as to make the vehicle start to move when the vehicle is stopped.

10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the control unit controls the power generator according to a result of a comparison between a step-off-board threshold value, which is smaller than the step-on-board threshold value, and the load value, when the vehicle is moving.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, further comprising a memory operatively connected to the load sensor unit and arranged to store the step-on-board and step-off-board threshold values.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the load sensor unit includes a plurality of sensors disposed at mutually different positions on the body so as to output load values representing loads at the respective positions, the memory stores a plurality of step-on-board threshold values that are defined for the respective sensors, and the control unit makes the vehicle start to move when each of the load values from respective sensors exceeds an associated one of the step-on-board threshold values.

13. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the load sensor unit includes a plurality of sensors disposed at mutually different positions on the body so as to output load values representing loads at the respective positions, the memory stores a plurality of step-off-board values that are defined for the respective sensors, and the control unit makes the vehicle decelerate when any of the load values from respective sensors becomes smaller than an associated one of step-off-board value.

14. The vehicle of claim 10, further comprising a first wheel and a second wheel that support the body, wherein at least one of the first and second wheels is dynamically coupled to the power generator.

15. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the control unit controls the power generator so as to make the vehicle at least one of start to move and decelerate.

16. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the body has a board shape and is elongated in a direction in which the first and second wheels are arranged.

17. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the power generator drives the body in the direction in which the first and second wheels are arranged.

18. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the vehicle is a skateboard.

19. A control unit for controlling a vehicle, the vehicle including a body to allow a user to step on, and a load sensor unit arranged to detect a load on the body and output a load value, wherein

the control unit is operatively connected to the load sensor unit and the vehicle and is operative to compare a predetermined step-on-board threshold value and the load value output by the load sensor unit, when the vehicle is stopped, and to cause the vehicle to start to move based on a result of the comparison.

20. The control unit of claim 19, wherein the vehicle includes a power generator arranged to generate power that drives the body, the control unit is operatively connected to the power generator, and if a result of a comparison performed by the control unit indicates that the load value exceeds the step-on-board threshold value, the control unit causes the power generator generate power to cause the vehicle to start to move.

21. A control unit for controlling a vehicle, the vehicle including a body to allow a user to step on, and a load sensor unit arranged to detect a load on the body and output a load value,

the control unit being operatively connected to the load sensor unit and the vehicle, and comprising a memory arranged to store a step-on-board value, wherein the control unit causes the vehicle start to move based on a result of a comparison between the step-on-board threshold value read from the memory and the load value output by the load sensor unit, when the vehicle is stopped.