Human powered and electricity balanced personal vehicle

• US 8,162,089 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2010
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Tsing Hua University
• Original Assignee: National Tsing Hua University
• Inventors: Shaw, De-In
• Primary Examiner(s): Winner, Tony
• Application Number:
  US12/873,444
• Publication Number:
  US 20110221160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 180/210, 180/215, 180/216, 180/217, 1802051-209
• US Class Current: 180/206.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/16 Single-axle vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/46 Wheel motors, i.e. motor connected to only one wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/34 Stabilising upright position of vehicles, e.g. of single axle vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/52 characterised by DC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/12 for vehicles propelled by dc motors
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 11/007 Automatic balancing machines with single main ground engaging wheel or coaxial wheels supporting a rider
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

The present invention discloses a human powered and electricity balanced personal vehicle, which comprises: a main body for bearing a driver; a set of powered wheels being two coaxial wheels; a manpower inputting device being provided for the driver to input manpower into the personal vehicle; an electricity converting device for converting electricity to power and inputting the power into the personal vehicle; a transmission device for receiving the manpower inputted by the manpower inputting device and the power inputted by the electricity converting device, and inputting mixed power of the manpower and power into the powered wheels; an operation device being provided for the driver to control the moving state of the personal vehicle; a plurality of vehicle movement detecting devices for detecting the moving state of the personal vehicle and the operating condition of the driver; and a control unit for receiving and analyzing the signals of the plurality of vehicle movement detecting devices and controlling the electrical output of the electricity converting device.

Claims

1. A human powered and electricity balanced personal vehicle comprising:

a main body for bearing a driver;

a set of powered wheels being connected with the main body and being two coaxial wheels;

a manpower inputting device being connected with the main body and provided for a driver to input a manpower into the personal vehicle;

an electricity converting device being disposed in the main body, wherein the electricity converting device can convert electricity to a motorized power and input the motorized power into the personal vehicle;

a transmission device being disposed in the main body, wherein the transmission device can receive mixed input power from the manpower and the motorized power to the powered wheels;

an operation device being connected with the main body and provided for the driver to control a moving state of the personal vehicle;

a plurality of vehicle movement detecting devices detecting the moving state of the personal vehicle and an operating condition of the driver; and

a control unit being disposed in the main body and connected with the plurality of vehicle movement detecting devices and the electricity converting device, wherein the control unit can receive and analyze the signals of the plurality of vehicle movement detecting devices and control an electrical output of the electricity converting device.

2. The human powered and electricity balanced personal vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary wheel which is connected with the operation device through an auxiliary wheel operating mechanism.

3. The human powered and electricity balanced personal vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the manpower inputting device comprises:

at least one pedal for the driver to input manpower;

at least one crank being connected with the pedal;

a fluted disc being connected with the crank; and

a roller chain being connected with the first fluted disc and the transmission device.

4. The human powered and electricity balanced personal vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the electricity converting device comprises:

at least one battery;

at least one motor driver being connected with the battery, wherein the motor driver can start a charging function when receiving a braking signal; and

at least one motor being connected with the motor driver and the transmission device, wherein the motor can be driven by the motor driver and transmit the power to the transmission device.

5. The human powered and electricity balanced personal vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the operation device is provided with a brake controlling element.

6. The human powered and electricity balanced personal vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of vehicle movement detecting devices comprises:

at least one electrical detecting element being a gyroscope and disposed in the main body, wherein the gyroscope can detect an angular magnitude, an angular velocity, a velocity, and an acceleration of the personal vehicle relative to the ground;

an encoder being disposed in the operation device and for detecting an angular magnitude of the driver turning the operation device; and

at least one torsion detecting element being disposed in the manpower inputting device and for detecting a torsion input by the driver.

7. The human powered and electricity balanced personal vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the transmission device comprises:

a fluted disc being connected with the manpower inputting device;

a transmission shaft being connected with the second fluted disc;

two first gear wheels being connected with the two ends of the transmission shaft respectively;

two second gear wheels being connected with the electricity converting device respectively; and

two planetary gear sets being connected with the two first gear wheels, the two second gear wheels and the two powered wheels respectively, wherein the two planetary gear sets can receive the manpower transmitted by the two first gear wheels and the power transmitted by the two second gear wheels, and outputting the mixture of the manpower and the power to each powered wheel.

8. The human powered and electricity balanced personal vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a power switch being disposed on the operation device for switching between the manpower and motorized power.

9. The human powered and electricity balanced personal vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle may be ridden by manpower alone.