Control of a personal transporter based on user position

• US 8,830,048 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2013
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Deka Products Limited Partnership
• Original Assignee: Deka Products Limited Partnership
• Inventors: Kamen, Dean, Ambrogi, Robert R., Dattolo, James J., Duggan, Robert J., Field, J. Douglas, Heinzmann, Richard Kurt, McCambridge, Matthew M., Morrell, John B., Piedmonte, Michael D., Rosasco, Richard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US13/857,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20130226383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 522 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/441, 340/936, 340/439, 701/93, 701/117, 701/119, 180/170, 246/182.R
• US Class Current: 340/439
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/01 Skateboards A63C17/02 - A63C17/28 take precedence; rolling devices on skis A63C5/035
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/08 single-wheel type with single axis
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/12 with driving mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/16 Single-axle vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/24 Personal mobility vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/46 Wheel motors, i.e. motor connected to only one wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/18 lateral
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/22 Yaw angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/22 by presence detection
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/24 by lever actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/34 Stabilising upright position of vehicles, e.g. of single axle vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 37/00 Stabilising vehicle bodies without controlling suspension arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 51/002 comprising safety arrangements safety devices for vehicle propulsion unit control B60K28/00
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 51/02 the driver standing in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 61/00 Motor vehicles or trailers, characterised by the arrangement or number of wheels, not otherwise provided for, e.g. four wheels in diamond pattern
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 45/4151 for sensing lateral inclination of the cycle
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 45/4152 for sensing longitudinal inclination of the cycle
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 3/002 : without a seat, i.e. the rider operating the vehicle in a standing position, e.g. non-motorized scooters; non-motorized scooters with skis or runners
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 : with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0223 : involving speed control of the vehicle vehicle fittings for automatically controlling, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0891 : specially adapted for land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 : Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

An apparatus controller for prompting a rider to be positioned on a vehicle in such a manner as to reduce lateral instability due to lateral acceleration of the vehicle. The apparatus has an input for receiving specification from the rider of a desired direction of travel, and indicating means for reflecting to the rider a propitious instantaneous body orientation to enhance stability in the face of lateral acceleration. The indicating may include a handlebar that is pivotable with respect to the vehicle and that is driven in response to vehicle turning.

Claims

1. A transporter comprising:

a user support assembly for supporting a user;

at least two laterally disposed primary ground contacting wheels coupled to the user support assembly;

a motorized drive assembly for applying torque to the at least two laterally disposed ground contacting wheels;

at least one sensor for sensing the pitch of the user support assembly;

a yaw input mechanism comprising a user support element moveably coupled to the user support assembly and adapted to receive specification by the user of a desired yaw, the desired yaw being based at least in part on the orientation of the user support element; and

a control loop coupled to the motorized drive assembly for determining a torque to be applied to the at least two primary ground contacting wheels, the torque depending at least in part on the pitch of the user support assembly and the desired yaw indicated by the yaw indication mechanism.

2. The transporter according to claim 1, wherein the user support element is a handlebar.

3. The transporter according to claim 1, wherein the user support element is a knee position detector.

4. The transporter according to claim 1, wherein the user support element is adapted to received specification by the user of a desired yaw and a desired yaw rate.

5. The transporter according to claim 4, the torque depending at least in part on the pitch of the user support assembly, the desired yaw, and the desired yaw rate.

6. The transporter according to claim 1, wherein the user support element is pivotably coupled to the user support assembly.

7. The transporter according to claim 6, wherein the user support element is disposed in a plane transverse to an axis characterizing rotation of the two laterally disposed wheels.

8. The transporter according to claim 7, wherein the orientation of the user support element is determined by a relative angle of the yaw indication mechanism and a fiducial reference associated with the user support assembly.

9. The transporter according to claim 8, wherein the user support element is a handlebar.

10. The transporter according to claim 8, wherein the user support element is a knee position detector.

11. The transporter according to claim 8, wherein the user support element is adapted to received specification by the user of a desired yaw and a desired yaw rater.

12. The transporter according to claim 8, the torque depending at least in part on the pitch of the user support assembly, the desired yaw, and the desired yaw rate.

13. The transporter according to claim 1, wherein the transporter characterized by a roll angle and the yaw input is roll compensated.

14. The transporter according to claim 13, wherein the yaw input is roll compensated according to the equation:

{dot over (ψ

)}_cmd=K(φ

_HB−

φ

_Roll)

wherein;

K is a constant;

φ

_HB is the yaw input;

φ

Roll is the chassis lean with respect to gravity; and

{dot over (ψ

)}_cmd is the yaw command used by the control loop.

15. The transporter according to claim 13, wherein the yaw input is roll compensated by applying a fixed gain to the yaw input at a predetermined range of speeds.

16. The transporter according to claim 13, wherein the yaw input is roll compensated by applying a scaled gain to the yaw input at a predetermined range of speeds.

17. The transporter according to claim 13, wherein the yaw input is roll compensated by applying a fixed gain to the yaw input at a first predetermined range of speeds and the yaw input is roll compensated by applying a scaled gain to the yaw input at a second predetermined range of speeds.

18. The transporter according to claim 1, wherein the yaw input is filtered based at least in part on the rate or roll of the user support assembly.

19. The transporter according to claim 1, wherein the yaw indication mechanism is disabled when the user is mounting or dismounting the transporter.

20. The transporter according to claim 1, wherein the yaw indication mechanism is desensitized when the transporter is reversing.