Self-balancing vehicle

• US 8,249,775 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2006
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Brinks Westmaas B.V.
• Original Assignee: Brinks Westmaas B.V.
• Inventors: Van Den Brink, Christopher Ralph
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LI, CE LI
• Application Number:
  US11/916,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20090312908A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,274 Days
• Field of Search: 701 36- 39, 701/41, 280/5, 280/5.502, 280/5.504, 280 5506- 5509, 280/5.51, 280/5.513, 280/5.514, 280/6.15, 280/6.16, 280/91.1, 280/124.1, 280/124.103, 180/210, 180/211, 180/215, 180/233
• US Class Current: 701/38
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/122 Trikes
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/45 Rolling frame vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/104 lateral or transversal with regard to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 9/02 combined with means for inwardly inclining vehicle body on bends
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 5/027 Motorcycles with three wheels specially adapted for disabled riders B62K5/023
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 5/10 with means for inwardly inclining the vehicle body on bends

Abstract

A vehicle includes:

• • at least three wheels, of which at least two wheels are situated on either side of the center of gravity of the vehicle'"'"'s longitudinal axis and wherein at least one of the wheels has a steering effect on the direction of the vehicle,
  • a frame having a tilting frame section, rotatable in the longitudinal axis relative to the road surface,
  • a steering element mounted so as to rotate relative to the tilting frame section,
  • one or more tilting elements connected to the tilting frame section and the wheels for exerting a tilting movement between the tilting frame section and the road surface,
  • a speed sensor,
  • a steering sensor for determining the force/torque or size of the steering wheel movement for achieving a change in the direction of the steerable wheel or wheels.

Claims

1. A vehicle, comprising:

at least three wheels (13, 14), of which at least two wheels are situated on either side of a centre of gravity of a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and at least one of the wheels (13) has a steering effect on a direction of the vehicle;

a frame comprising a tilting frame section (1) configured to rotate around the longitudinal axis relative to a road surface;

means for steering (2) mounted so that the means for steering can rotate relative to the tilting frame section (1);

one or more tilting elements (10) which are connected to the tilting frame section and the wheels for exerting at least one of a tilting moment or tilting movement between the tilting frame section (1) and the road surface;

a speed sensor (7) with which the speed of the vehicle relative to the road surface can be determined;

a steering sensor (4) with which a speed, a force, a torque or a size of a steering wheel movement for achieving a change in a direction of the at least one wheel (13) having the steering effect can be determined; and

a lateral acceleration sensor (8) coupled to the tilting frame section (1) so that the lateral acceleration sensor (8) follows a rotational position of the tilting frame section,

wherein signals of the speed sensor (7), the steering sensor (4) and the lateral acceleration sensor (8) being input into a control unit (9), in which the signals are combined to form a control signal to control at least one of the tilting elements (10), a steering force or moment on the at least one wheel (13) having the steering effect, and

in the control unit (9) an individual contribution from a signal of the lateral acceleration sensor and the signal of the steering sensor to the control signal to control the tilting of the vehicle is determined by the speed signal so that at a forward speed below 5 km/h, the lateral acceleration sensor (8) contributes greater than 50% to the control signal.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is provided with a tilt angle sensor (5), which is positioned such that the tilt angle sensor (5) can determine an angle of rotation between the tilting frame section (1) and at least one of the road surface or an orientation unit providing a predetermined horizon orientation.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the lateral acceleration sensor (8) is mounted within a radius of 30 cm around a rotational axis in a longitudinal direction of the tilting frame section (1).

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is provided with at least two air pressure sensors which are positioned laterally on the vehicle.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the speed sensor, the steering sensor, the lateral acceleration sensor, the tilt angle sensor or the air pressure sensors contain an electric or electronic sensor.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the steering sensor (4) contains strain gauges.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the lateral acceleration sensor (8) contains an electronic g sensor.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is provided with a reversing sensor (6) which can establish a direction of travel of the vehicle.

9. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the tilting elements (10) comprise hydraulic components.

10. The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the vehicle is provided with a pressure sensor which can measure a hydraulic pressure of a fluid with which the tilting elements are driven.

11. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is provided with a microelectronic circuit for control of the tilting elements.

12. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle has at least four wheels (13, 14), wherein two front wheels form a front wheel unit and two rear wheels form a rear wheel unit, and the front wheel unit and the rear wheel unit are connected by a coupling element (18) in such a way that one wheel unit can transmit the tilting moment to the other wheel unit.

13. The vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the coupling element comprises a torsion bar, a chain, a steel wire or a hydraulic line.

14. The vehicle according to claim 13, wherein transmission via the coupling element is such that the two wheel units exhibit a proportional but different tilt deflection compared with an upright situation.

15. A method for tilt control of the vehicle according to claim 1, comprising:

measuring at least one of the speed, the force, the torque or the size of the steering wheel movement and the lateral acceleration;

inputting at least one signal from the measuring into a control unit; and

combining the signals in the control unit to form a control signal, wherein an individual contribution to the control signal is determined by the speed signal in which at the forward speed below 5 km/h the lateral acceleration sensor contributes for more than 50% to the control signal.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein a signal from a tilt angle sensor is used as a control signal to control the tilting elements.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein a signal from an air pressure sensor is also used as a control signal to control the tilting elements.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the lateral acceleration sensor registers longitudinal acceleration and a signal of the longitudinal acceleration is used to detect a fault in the speed sensor.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein the measurement of tilt angle, lateral acceleration and steering force in combination with other vehicle information is used for signal analysis and fault detection and, in the event of detecting the fault, to activate at least one of giving a warning or a fault mode.

20. A vehicle, comprising:

at least three wheels, of which at least two wheels are situated on either side of a centre of gravity of a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and at least one of the wheels has a steering effect on a direction of the vehicle;

a frame comprising a tilting frame section configured to rotate around the longitudinal axis relative to a road surface;

a handlebar mounted so that the handlebar can rotate relative to the tilting frame section;

one or more tilting elements which are connected to the tilting frame section and the wheels for exerting at least one of a tilting moment or tilting movement between the tilting frame section and the road surface;

a speed sensor with which the speed of the vehicle relative to the road surface can be determined;

a steering sensor with which a speed, a force, a torque or a size of a steering wheel movement for achieving a change in a direction of the at least one wheel having the steering effect can be determined; and

a lateral acceleration sensor coupled to the tilting frame section so that the lateral acceleration sensor follows a rotational position of the tilting frame section,

wherein signals of the speed sensor, the steering sensor and the lateral acceleration sensor being input into a control unit, in which the signals are combined to form a control signal to control at least one of the tilting elements, a steering force or moment on the at least one wheel having the steering effect, and

in the control unit an individual contribution from a signal of the lateral acceleration sensor and the signal of the steering sensor to the control signal to control the tilting of the vehicle is determined by the speed signal so that at a forward speed below 5 km/h, the lateral acceleration sensor contributes greater than 50% to the control signal.