Control of a personal transporter based on user position

• US 9,429,955 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2015
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deka Products Limited Partnership
• Original Assignee: Deka Products Limited Partnership
• Inventors: Field, J. Douglas, Kamen, Dean, Ambrogi, Robert R., Dattolo, James J., Duggan, Robert J., Heinzmann, Richard Kurt, McCambridge, Matthew M., Morrell, John B., Piedmonte, Michael D., Rosasco, Richard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US14/621,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20150160656A1
• Time in Patent Office: 564 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: 1/1
• 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 ground contacting module including a platform, two wheels, and a motorized drive imparting torque to the two wheels, the ground contacting module being unstable with respect to tipping in a fore-aft plane of the transporter;

a plurality of sensors;

a control shaft pivotally coupled to the ground contacting module at a pivot, the control shaft generating a yaw input signal, the yaw input signal based at least in part upon an orientation of the control shaft; and

a controller computing an amount of torque to maintain balance of the transporter, the controller modifying the yaw input signal based on a velocity of the transporter, the amount of torque based at least in part upon the modified yaw input signal and a pitch of the transporter sensed by at least one of the plurality of sensors;

wherein the motorized drive arrangement supplies the amount of torque to the two wheels.

2. The transporter of claim 1, wherein the orientation comprises a pivotal orientation with respect to an axis of the pivot.

3. The transporter of claim 1, wherein the controller modifies the yaw input signal as the velocity of the transporter increases.

4. The transporter of claim 1, wherein the controller dampens the yaw input signal as the velocity of the transporter increases.

5. The transporter of claim 1, wherein the controller modifies the yaw input signal in proportion to a square of the velocity of the transporter.

6. The transporter of claim 1, wherein the controller modifies the yaw input signal based on a nonlinear relationship between the yaw input signal and the velocity of the transporter.

7. The transporter of claim 1, wherein the controller modifies the yaw input signal based on a ramp function when the transporter is traveling in reverse.

8. The transporter of claim 1, wherein the controller modifies the yaw input signal to reverse the direction of turning specified by the yaw input signal when the transporter is traveling in reverse.

9. The transporter of claim 1, wherein the controller low pass filters the yaw input signal.

10. The transporter of claim 1, wherein the controller modifies the yaw input signal based on data from one or more of the plurality of sensors.

11. A method for controlling a transporter, the transporter including a ground contacting module having a platform, two wheels, a motorized drive for imparting torque to the two wheels, a plurality of sensors, a controller, and a control shaft pivotally coupled to the ground contacting module at a pivot, the ground contacting module unstable with respect to tipping in a fore-aft plane of the transporter, the method comprising:

generating a yaw input signal based at least in part on the orientation of the control shaft;

modifying, by the controller, the yaw input signal to a modified yaw input signal based on a velocity of the transporter;

computing an amount of torque to maintain balance of the transporter, the amount of torque based at least in part upon the modified yaw input signal and a pitch sensed by at least one of the plurality of sensors; and

supplying, by the motorized drive arrangement, the amount of torque to the two wheels.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the orientation comprises a pivotal orientation with respect to an axis of the pivot.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein modifying the yaw input signal comprises modifying the yaw input signal as the velocity of the transporter increases.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein modifying the yaw input signal comprises dampening the yaw input signal as the velocity of the transporter increases.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein modifying the yaw input signal comprises modifying the yaw input signal in proportion to a square of the velocity of the transporter.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein modifying the yaw input signal comprises modifying the yaw input signal based on a nonlinear relationship between the yaw input signal and the velocity of the transporter.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein modifying the yaw input signal comprises applying a ramp function to the yaw input signal when the transporter is traveling in reverse.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein modifying the yaw input signal comprises reversing the direction of turning specified by the yaw input signal when the transporter is traveling in reverse.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

low pass filtering, by the controller, the yaw input signal.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

modifying, by the controller, the yaw input signal based on data from one or more of the plurality of sensors.