Drive control apparatus and method and two-wheeled vehicle

• US 7,200,482 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2003
• Issued: 04/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Research Foundation for The State University of New York (State University of New York), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kawarasaki, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CUONG H
• Application Number:
  US10/743,943
• Publication Number:
  US 20040178008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• Field of Search: 701/97, 701/110, 701/114, 701/71, 701/76, 701/93, 701/51, 180/170, 180/218, 180/7.1, 180/21, 318/3, 318/55, 477/906
• US Class Current: 701/97
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/16 Single-axle vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/34 Stabilising upright position of vehicles, e.g. of single axle vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0061 relating to electrical machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0092 with use of redundant elements for safety purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• 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 1/0891 specially adapted for land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 477/906 Means detecting or ameliorating the effects of malfunction or potential malfunction

Abstract

A drive control apparatus able to hold an autonomously stabilized posture by a small size configuration by independently detecting abnormalities in a drive system of a first motor and a drive system of a second motor at controllers, outputting the results to majority decision circuits, and having the majority decision circuits turn switches on/off by majority decision based on the results.

Claims

1. A two-wheeled vehicle comprising:

a first wheel and a second wheel configured to rotate about shafts orthogonal to a direction of progression,

a first drive mechanism configured to drive said first wheel,

a second drive mechanism configured to drive said second wheel,

an abnormality detecting mechanism configured to detect operational abnormalities of said first drive mechanism and said second drive mechanism by an odd number of at least three independent detection systems,

a majority decision mechanism configured to detect abnormalities in said first drive mechanism and said second drive mechanism by majority decision based on detection results of detection of operational abnormalities by said abnormality detecting mechanism by said odd number of independent detection systems, and

a drive stopping mechanism configured to stop a drive action of at least one of said first drive mechanism and said second drive mechanism when an abnormality is detected by said majority decision mechanism.

2. The two wheel vehicle as set forth in claim 1, further having an alarm outputting mechanism configured to output an alarm when an abnormality is detected by said majority decision mechanism.

3. The two wheel vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said first drive mechanism and said second drive mechanism generate a first drive signal for driving said first wheel and a second drive signal for driving said second wheel based on at least one of a state of said vehicle and a control instruction,

said drive control apparatus further has a third drive mechanism configured to generate a third drive signal for judgment of abnormalities corresponding to said first drive signal and said second drive signal based on at least one of the state of said vehicle and said control instruction, and

said abnormality detecting mechanism is configured to detect operational abnormalities of said first drive mechanism and said second drive mechanism based on matching of said first drive signal, said second drive signal, and said third drive signal at each of said independent detection systems.

4. The two wheel vehicle as set forth in claim 3, wherein:

said first drive mechanism and said second drive mechanism generate said first drive signal and said second drive signal so that a designated difference corresponding to a rotational speed of said vehicle arises in drive forces given to said first wheel and said second wheel, and

said abnormality detecting mechanism being configured to detect operational abnormalities in said first drive mechanism and said second drive mechanism based on coincidence and noncoincidence between said first drive signal and said second drive signal minus effects due to said difference and said third drive signal.

5. A two-wheeled vehicle having:

a first wheel and a second wheel configured to rotate about shafts orthogonal to a direction of progression;

a first drive means for driving said first wheel;

a second drive means for driving said second wheel;

an abnormality detecting means for detecting operational abnormalities of said first drive means and said second drive means by an odd number of at least three independent detection systems;

a majority decision means for detecting abnormalities in said first drive means and said second drive means by majority decision based on detection results of detection of operational abnormalities by said abnormality detecting means by said odd number of detection systems; and

a drive stopping means for stopping said drive action of a wheel by a drive means for which an abnormality is detected by said majority decision means among said first drive means and said second drive means.

6. The two wheel vehicle as set forth in claim 5, wherein:

said first drive means and said second drive means generate a first drive signal for driving said first wheel and a second drive signal for driving said second wheel based on the state of said vehicle or an instruction;

said drive control apparatus further has a third drive means for generating a third drive signal for judgment of abnormalities corresponding to said first drive signal and said second drive signal based on at least one of a state of said vehicle and a control instruction; and

said abnormality detecting means detects operational abnormalities of said first drive means and said second drive means based on matching of said first drive signal, said second drive signal, and said third drive signal at each of said independent systems.

7. The two wheel vehicle as set forth in claim 6, wherein:

said first drive means and said second drive means generate said first drive signal and said second drive signal so that a designated difference corresponding to a rotational speed of said vehicle arises in drive forces given to said first wheel and said second wheel; and

said abnormality detecting means detects operational abnormalities in said first drive means and said second drive means based on coincidence and noncoincidence between said first drive signal and said second drive signal minus effects due to said difference and said third drive signal.

8. The two wheel vehicle as set forth in claim 5, further having an alarm outputting means for outputting an alarm when an abnormality is detected by said majority decision means.