Vehicle

• US 8,640,807 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2010
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Takenaka, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): ENGLISH, JAMES A
• Application Number:
  US12/887,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20110067939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,231 Days
• Field of Search: 180/7.1, 180/21, 180218-220, 180/224, 701/37, 701/124, 280 63- 64
• US Class Current: 180/218
• 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

Abstract

An inverted pendulum type vehicle provided with a body, a pair of wheels and that is attached to the pertinent body and that is arranged in parallel, drive mechanisms and that separately rotate the pertinent pair of wheels and around wheel axes, and a control member that controls the drive mechanisms and, wherein: the body is provided with a base to which the pair of wheels and is attached, a column disposed upright from the base, and a load-supporting part that is attached to the column and that sustains a payload; the column is joined to the base via a shaft that extends in a non-parallel direction relative to the wheel axes, and is provided so as to be capable of sliding around the shaft; and the shaft is provided with an actuator which imparts torque to the column that slides around the shaft with an orientation that is the reverse of the sliding direction of the column.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a body;

a pair of wheels that is attached to the body, and that is arranged in parallel;

drive mechanisms that separately rotate the pair of wheels around wheel axes;

and a control member that controls the drive mechanisms, wherein;

the body is provided with a base to which the pair of wheels is attached, and a column disposed upright from the base for sustaining a payload with a load-supporting part that is attached thereon;

the column is joined to the base via a shaft that extends in a non-parallel direction relative to the wheel axes, and is provided so as to be capable of sliding around the shaft; and

the shaft is provided with an actuator, wherein

the actuator is configured to impart torque to the column with an orientation that is the reverse of the sliding direction of the column; and

the torque corresponds to a moment (mghθ

), where mg is a load, h is a distance from a central axial line of the shaft to a traveling surface of the wheels, and θ

is an angle of the sliding of the column.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein:

an inclination sensor is provided which measures the angle of inclination of the column;

and the actuator is controlled according to the angle of inclination outputted from the inclination sensor.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

a load sensor is provided which measures the payload;

and the actuator is controlled according to the load amount outputted from the load sensor.