Inverted pendulum mobile vehicle

• US 8,225,891 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2009
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Takenaka, Toru, Hirano, Makoto, Izumi, Hideharu, Kuwabara, Kazuya, Koyama, Taiji, Kobashi, Shinichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): WINNER, TONY H
• Application Number:
  US12/454,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20090288900A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• Field of Search: 180/218, 180/24.03
• US Class Current: 180/7.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/16 Single-axle vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/22 Yaw angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/34 Stabilising upright position of vehicles, e.g. of single axle vehicles
• 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: G05D 2201/0212 Driverless passenger transport vehicle

Abstract

Provided is an inverted pendulum mobile vehicle such as a single-passenger coaxial two-wheel vehicle which is capable of turning with a small turning radius without causing discomfort to a rider or a vehicle occupant or causing a cargo or the like on the vehicle from shifting or falling off from the vehicle. The vehicle comprises a wheel supporting frame (12), a body frame (12) supported by the wheel supporting frame so as to be rotatable around a vertical axial line and carry a rider and or a cargo and a body coupler (52, 78, 70) that couples the body frame relative to the wheel supporting frame in a prescribed dynamic positional relationship. Thereby, even when the wheel supporting frame undergoes a rapid yaw movement either while traveling in a fore-and-aft direction or remaining stationary, the body frame that carries a vehicle occupant or a cargo is allowed to follow the yaw movement of the wheel supporting frame at a slower angular speed and/or acceleration/deceleration so that the vehicle occupant is prevented from experiencing discomfort and the cargo is prevented from shifting on the body frame or falling off from the vehicle.

Claims

1. A mobile vehicle including at least one drive wheel and configured to be able to travel according to a principle of an inverted pendulum, comprising:

a supporting frame rotatably supporting the at least one drive wheel;

a first drive actuator and a second drive actuator for actuating the at least one drive wheel so as to cause the vehicle to travel in a fore-and-aft direction and to turn the vehicle around a vertical axial line;

a body frame supported by the wheel supporting frame so as to be rotatable around a vertical axial line and carry a rider and or a cargo; and

a body coupler that couples the body frame relative to the wheel supporting frame in a prescribed dynamic positional relationship whereby turning of the body frame follows turning of the wheel supporting frame with time delay.

2. The mobile vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the body coupler comprises a yaw actuator that rotatively actuates the body frame relative to the wheel supporting frame, at least one sensor for detecting a dynamic state involving turning of the vehicle and a control device that provides a command signal for the yaw actuator according an output of the at least one sensor.

3. The mobile vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor detects a state of the first and second drive actuators for actuating the at least one drive wheel, and the control device provides a command signal for the yaw actuator so as to cause the body frame to follow a yaw movement of the wheel supporting member in a controlled manner.

4. The mobile vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the body coupler comprises a torsionally resilient member interposed between the body frame and wheel supporting frame.

5. The mobile vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the body frame includes a column which extends upwardly to a grip bar disposed on an upper end of the column and which is adapted to be gripped by a person standing on the wheel supporting frame.

6. A mobile vehicle including a pair of drive wheels which are coaxially disposed relative to each other so as to be rotated in an independent manner, and the vehicle being configured to be able to travel according to a principle of an inverted pendulum, comprising:

a supporting frame rotatably supporting the drive wheels;

a pair of drive actuators that are configured to actuate the corresponding drive wheels individually so as to cause the vehicle to travel in a fore-and-aft direction and to turn the vehicle around a vertical axial line;

a body frame supported by the wheel supporting frame so as to be rotatable around a vertical axial line and carry a rider and or a cargo; and

a body coupler that couples the body frame relative to the wheel supporting frame in a prescribed dynamic positional relationship whereby turning of the body frame follows turning of the wheel supporting frame with time delay.

7. The mobile vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the body frame comprises a pair of steps disposed on either side thereof to support corresponding feet of a rider and a pair of load sensors for detecting loads exerted on the steps by the corresponding feet of the rider, and the vehicle further comprises a control device that causes the drive actuators to actuate the drive wheels in such a way that the vehicle makes a turn to a side of one of the steps on which a greater load is applied than the other.

8. The mobile vehicle according to claim 6, further comprising a roll angle sensor mounted on the body frame and a control device that causes the drive actuators to actuate the drive wheels in such a way that the vehicle makes turn to a side toward which a roll angle of the body frame is detected by the roll angle sensor.

9. The mobile vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the pair of drive wheels are centered beneath the body coupler.