Inverted pendulum type vehicle

• US 8,862,301 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2013
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Araki, Makoto, Shirokura, Shinya, Takenaka, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunn, Alex C
• Application Number:
  US13/890,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20130304290A1
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 19/003 Multidirectional wheels
• 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 17/00 Cycles not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

An inverted pendulum type vehicle includes a control device which sets a target turning angular velocity ωz_cmd to a nonzero value not only when a predetermined steering operation is performed but also at least in an external force application state in which an external force for turning the vehicle about a yaw axis is applied to the vehicle. The control device controls a first actuator device and a second actuator device such that a second moving operation unit has a different velocity from a first moving operation unit in a left-right direction. Such an inverted pendulum type vehicle makes it possible to turn the vehicle easily even in a state in which no steering operation is performed.

Claims

1. An inverted pendulum type vehicle including at least a first moving operation unit operable to move on said floor surface, a first actuator device for driving the first moving operation unit, a base assembled with the first moving operation unit and the first actuator device, and an occupant boarding member assembled to the base so as to be tiltable with respect to a vertical direction, the first moving operation unit being configured to move in all directions including a forward-rearward direction and a left-right direction of an occupant boarded on the occupant boarding member by a driving force of the first actuator device, the inverted pendulum type vehicle comprising:

a second moving operation coupled to one of the first moving operation unit and the base such that an interval is formed between the second moving operation unit and the first moving operation unit in the forward-rearward direction, said second moving operation unit being configured to move on the floor surface in all the directions;

a second actuator device for generating a driving force for making at least the second moving operation unit move in the left-right direction; and

a control device for performing a turning processing for controlling the first actuator device and the second actuator device such that the second moving operation unit has a different velocity from the first moving operation unit in the left-right direction when the occupant boarded on the occupant boarding member performs a predetermined steering operation of steering the inverted pendulum type vehicle for turning the inverted pendulum type vehicle;

wherein;

the control unit determines that the predetermined steering operation was performed based on at least one of a turning command output from a joystick or a tilting of the occupant boarding member for turning, and

the control device performs the turning processing when the predetermined steering operation is performed, and also when at least an external force application state of an external twisting force for turning the inverted pendulum type vehicle about a substantially vertical yaw axis thereof is applied to the inverted pendulum type vehicle.

2. The inverted pendulum type vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising

a turning angular velocity detecting unit for detecting a turning angular velocity of the inverted pendulum type vehicle;

wherein the external force application state includes at least a state of the predetermined steering operation not being performed and magnitude of the turning angular velocity detected by the turning angular velocity detecting unit being equal to or more than a predetermined first value.

3. The inverted pendulum type vehicle according to claim 2,

wherein the control device increases magnitude of a target turning angular velocity, the target turning angular velocity being a turning angular velocity as a target for the inverted pendulum type vehicle in the turning processing, as magnitude of a detected turning angular velocity as the turning angular velocity detected by the turning angular velocity detecting unit is increased in the external force application state;

and

wherein the control device controls the first actuator device and the second actuator device so that an actual turning angular velocity of the inverted pendulum type vehicle becomes the target turning angular velocity.

4. The inverted pendulum type vehicle according to claim 3, wherein when the magnitude of the detected turning angular velocity exceeds a predetermined second value in the external force application state, the control device limits the magnitude of the target turning angular velocity to a predetermined first upper limit value.

5. The inverted pendulum type vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising

a state quantity detecting unit for detecting a state quantity representing the driving force of one of the first actuator device and the second actuator device;

wherein the external force application state includes at least a state of the predetermined steering operation not being performed and magnitude of the state quantity detected by the state quantity detecting unit being equal to or more than a predetermined third value.

6. The inverted pendulum type vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising a state quantity detecting unit for detecting a state quantity representing the driving force of one of the first actuator device and the second actuator device;

wherein the external force application state includes at least a state of the predetermined steering operation not being performed and magnitude of the state quantity detected by the state quantity detecting unit being equal to or more than a predetermined third value.

7. The inverted pendulum type vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the control device increases magnitude of a target turning angular velocity, the target turning angular velocity being a turning angular velocity as a target for the inverted pendulum type vehicle in the turning processing, as magnitude of a detected state quantity as the state quantity detected by the state quantity detecting unit is increased in the external force application state, and

the control device controls the first actuator device and the second actuator device so that an actual turning angular velocity of the inverted pendulum type vehicle becomes the target turning angular velocity.

8. The inverted pendulum type vehicle according to claim 7, wherein when the magnitude of the detected state quantity exceeds a predetermined fourth value in the external force application state, the control device limits the magnitude of the target turning angular velocity to a predetermined second upper limit value.

9. The inverted pendulum type vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control device does not perform the turning processing when one of a target value and an observed value of a moving velocity in at least the forward-rearward direction of the inverted pendulum type vehicle is equal to or more than a predetermined fifth value at least in a state of the predetermined steering operation not being performed and in the external force application state.

10. The inverted pendulum type vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the control device does not perform the turning processing when one of a target value and an observed value of a moving velocity in at least the forward-rearward direction of the inverted pendulum type vehicle is equal to or more than a predetermined fifth value at least in a state of the predetermined steering operation not being performed and in the external force application state.

11. The inverted pendulum type vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the control device does not perform the turning processing when one of a target value and an observed value of a moving velocity in at least the forward-rearward direction of the inverted pendulum type vehicle is equal to or more than a predetermined fifth value at least in a state of the predetermined steering operation not being performed and in the external force application state.

12. The inverted pendulum type vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the control device does not perform the turning processing when one of a target value and an observed value of a moving velocity in at least the forward-rearward direction of the inverted pendulum type vehicle is equal to or more than a predetermined fifth value at least in a state of the predetermined steering operation not being performed and in the external force application state.

13. The inverted pendulum type vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the control device does not perform the turning processing when one of a target value and an observed value of a moving velocity in at least the forward-rearward direction of the inverted pendulum type vehicle is equal to or more than a predetermined fifth value at least in a state of the predetermined steering operation not being performed and in the external force application state.

14. The inverted pendulum type vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the control device does not perform the turning processing when one of a target value and an observed value of a moving velocity in at least the forward-rearward direction of the inverted pendulum type vehicle is equal to or more than a predetermined fifth value at least in a state of the predetermined steering operation not being performed and in the external force application state.

15. The inverted pendulum type vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the control device does not perform the turning processing when one of a target value and an observed value of a moving velocity in at least the forward-rearward direction of the inverted pendulum type vehicle is equal to or more than a predetermined fifth value at least in a state of the predetermined steering operation not being performed and in the external force application state.

16. An inverted pendulum type vehicle, comprising:

a first moving operation unit operable to move on a floor surface;

a first actuator device for driving the first moving operation unit;

a base assembled with the first moving operation unit and the first actuator device;

a second moving operation unit coupled to the first moving operation unit;

a second actuator device for driving the second moving operation unit;

an occupant boarding member assembled to the base so as to be tiltable with respect to a vertical direction; and

a control device for performing a turning processing for controlling the first actuator device and the second actuator device such that the second moving operation unit has a different velocity from the first moving operation unit in the left-right direction when the occupant boarded on the occupant boarding member performs a predetermined steering operation of steering the inverted pendulum type vehicle for turning the inverted pendulum type vehicle;

wherein;

the control unit determines that the predetermined steering operation was performed based on at least one of a turning command output from a joystick or a tilting of the occupant boarding member for turning, and

the control device is operable to perform the turning processing when an external force application state of an external twisting force for turning the inverted pendulum type vehicle about a substantially vertical yaw axis thereof is applied to the inverted pendulum type vehicle.

17. The inverted pendulum type vehicle according to claim 16, wherein the control device is further operable to increase magnitude of a target turning angular velocity, the target turning angular velocity being a turning angular velocity as a target for the inverted pendulum type vehicle in the turning processing, when magnitude of a detected turning angular velocity as the turning angular velocity detected by the turning angular velocity detecting unit is increased in the external force application state.

18. The inverted pendulum type vehicle according to claim 16, further comprising

a current sensor for detecting a state quantity representing the driving force of the first actuator device and the second actuator device;

wherein the external force application state includes at least a state of the predetermined steering operation not being performed and magnitude of the state quantity detected by the current sensor being equal to or more than a predetermined third value.

20. The inverted pendulum device according to claim 16, wherein, the control device determines that the external force application state is applied when the external twisting force is applied for turning the inverted pendulum type vehicle and an immediately previous velocity in a forward-rearward direction was less than a predetermined value.

19. An inverted pendulum type vehicle, comprising:

a first moving operation unit operable to move on a floor surface;

a first actuator device for driving the first moving operation unit;

a base assembled with the first moving operation unit and the first actuator device;

a second moving operation unit coupled to the first moving operation unit;

a second actuator device for driving the second moving operation unit; and

a control device operable to determine that a predetermined steering operation was performed based on at least one of a turning command output from a joystick or a tilting of the base for turning and turn said inverted pendulum type vehicle when either a predetermined steering operation is determined or an external twisting force is applied for turning the inverted pendulum type vehicle about a substantially vertical yaw axis thereof by controlling velocities of said first moving operation unit and said second moving operation unit.