Motorised vehicle with controlled inclination

• US 8,818,700 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2014
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daniel Moulene, Thierry Moulene
• Original Assignee: Daniel Moulene, Thierry Moulene
• Inventors: Moulene, Daniel, Moulene, Thierry
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan K
• Application Number:
  US14/188,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20140172286A1
• Time in Patent Office: 183 Days
• US Class Current: 701/124
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2200/144 with two lateral arms forming a parallelogram
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/45 Rolling frame vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 3/20 all arms being rigid
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 5/01 Motorcycles with four or more wheels specially adapted for disabled riders B62K5/003
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 5/10 with means for inwardly inclining the vehicle body on bends
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0891 specially adapted for land vehicles

Abstract

The motor vehicle of the invention is provided with at least three wheels and includes a driving cab capable of accommodating a single person in the width direction. The motor vehicle comprises a bend-balancing means that acts by the inclination of at least the portion of the chassis that bears the driving cab. According to the invention, the vehicle is also provided with speed, acceleration and/or inclination sensors, and the balancing means are automatically controlled when the information supplied by the sensors is lower than a main predetermined threshold. The invention also provides that the automatic control of the balancing means is deactivated when the information provided by the sensors is higher than said main threshold.

Claims

1. A motorized vehicle with three wheels or more, the motorized vehicle comprising:

a balancing device configured to set the vehicle in a balanced position, such that the vehicle stands at equilibrium, by moving at least a chassis part thereof,

wherein the balancing device comprises;

a manual balancing device that is at the disposition of a driver of the vehicle and that is configured to move the movable chassis part of the vehicle towards equilibrium, and

an automatic balancing device configured to automatically balance the vehicle such that the vehicle is brought upright in a vertical position, even if the vehicle is not on horizontal ground, when the vehicle is traveling at low speeds or when the vehicle is stopped, the automatic balancing device comprising an actuator that automatically controls the movement of the movable chassis part of the vehicle;

a switching device configured to transfer between the manual balancing device and the automatic balancing device by alternatively activating either the manual balancing device or the automatic balancing device; and

a blocking device configured to block the vehicle in the upright vertical position when the vehicle is stopped, the blocking device being deactivated when the vehicle starts running from a resting position so that the automatic balancing device is activated in an operative state of the vehicle until the switching device commands communication and thereby deactivates the automatic balancing device and actives the manual balancing device at the disposition of the driver of the vehicle,

wherein the switching device is configured to deactivate the manual balancing device and activate the automatic balancing device when the vehicle slows down, and the blocking device is configured to block the vehicle in the upright vertical position set by the automatic balancing device.

2. The motorized vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a mechanical device automatically controls the switching device.

3. The motorized vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor device configured to provide information based on a current speed, acceleration and/or inclination of the vehicle,

wherein the automatic balancing device is in an activated state (1) when the vehicle starts running and thus remains in the activated state until the information provided by the sensor device reaches a main threshold value, and (2) when the vehicle is in motion and the information provided by the sensor device is higher than a main descending threshold value,

whereas when the vehicle is decreasing in speed and the information reaches the main descending threshold value, the switching device deactivates the manual balancing device and activates the automatic balancing device for as long as the information is lower than the main descending threshold value and until the vehicle stops running.

4. The motorized vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the automatic balancing device is configured to move the vehicle to an upright balanced position at an ideal inclination thereof when the vehicle is running at low speed and before the switching device is activated to transfer between the manual balancing device and the automatic balancing device, the ideal inclination being such that a resultant of forces applied to the centre of gravity of an inclinable part of the vehicle passes through a longitudinal symmetry axis of a sustentation polygon of the vehicle.

5. The motorized vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising an assistance device configured to assist the driver of the vehicle when operating the manual balancing device.

6. The motorized vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising an activation device configured to automatically activate the automatic balancing device when the vehicle is in reverse so that the automatic balancing device positions the vehicle back to the upright vertical position.

7. A vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a manual vertical position switch configured to command the automatic balancing device to position the vehicle vertically.