Control device of inverted pendulum type vehicle

• US 8,554,391 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2009
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Takenaka, Toru, Akimoto, Kazushi, Kobashi, Shinichiro, Murakami, Hideo, Uebayashi, Yuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): WONG, YUEN H
• Application Number:
  US13/394,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20120173041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,481 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/69, 735/143.6
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 1/005 Saddles having a seating area with multiple separate weight bearing surfaces
• 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 15/00 Collapsible or foldable cycles
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 23/00 Transmissions characterised by use of other elements; Other transmissions

Abstract

Provided is a control device of an inverted pendulum type vehicle capable of moving the vehicle toward a desired direction easily. In the inverted pendulum type vehicle 1, one end of a cord member C is connected to a seat 3 via an engagement member 4. A tension of the cord member C is detected by a triaxial force sensor. According to the detected tension of the cord member C, a required center-of-gravity velocity generator 74 determines required center-of-gravity velocities Vb_x_aim and Vb_y_aim, and a manipulated variable for control is determined according thereto.

Claims

1. A control device of an inverted pendulum type vehicle having a travelling motion unit capable of moving on a floor surface in all directions including a first direction and a second direction which are orthogonal to each other, an actuator for driving the travelling motion unit, a base body assembled with the travelling motion unit and the actuator, and an object loading part assembled to the base body to be freely tiltable with respect to a vertical direction about two axes of the first direction and the second direction, said control device comprising:

a tension detector configured to detect a tension of a cord member applied to the base body or the object loading part by the cord member having one end connected to the base body or the object loading part, and the other end held by a mobile object external to the vehicle, and

a travelling motion unit controller configured to determine a manipulated variable for control which is configured to define a driving power to be applied to the travelling motion unit according to the tension of the cord member detected by the tension detector, and to control the travelling motion of the travelling motion unit via the actuator according to the determined manipulated variable for control,

wherein the travelling motion unit controller calculates a distance from the base body or the object loading part to the mobile object according to a vertical component and a horizontal component of the tension of the cord member detected by the tension detector, and determines the manipulated variable for control to make the calculated distance equal to a desired distance defined preliminarily.

2. A control device of an inverted pendulum type vehicle having a travelling motion unit capable of moving on a floor surface in all directions including a first direction and a second direction which are orthogonal to each other, an actuator for driving the travelling motion unit, a base body assembled with the travelling motion unit and the actuator, and an object loading part assembled to the base body to be freely tiltable with respect to a vertical direction about two axes of the first direction and the second direction, said control device comprising:

a tension detector configured to detect a tension of a cord member applied to the base body or the object loading part by the cord member having one end connected to the base body or the object loading part, and the other end held by a mobile object external to the vehicle, and

a travelling motion unit controller configured to determine a manipulated variable for control which is configured to define a driving power to be applied to the travelling motion unit according to the tension of the cord member detected by the tension detector, and to control the travelling motion of the travelling motion unit via the actuator according to the determined manipulated variable for control,

wherein the travelling motion unit controller calculates a direction of the mobile object relative to the base body or the object loading part according to an orientation of the horizontal component of the tension of the cord member detected by the tension detector, and determines the manipulated variable for control by using the calculated direction as a desired direction.

3. A control device of an inverted pendulum type vehicle having a travelling motion unit capable of moving on a floor surface in all directions including a first direction and a second direction which are orthogonal to each other, an actuator for driving the travelling motion unit, a base body assembled with the travelling motion unit and the actuator, and an object loading part assembled to the base body to be freely tiltable with respect to a vertical direction about two axes of the first direction and the second direction, said control device comprising:

a tension detector configured to detect a tension of a cord member applied to the base body or the object loading part by the cord member having one end connected to the base body or the object loading part, and the other end held by a mobile object external to the vehicle, and

a travelling motion unit controller configured to determine a manipulated variable for control which is configured to define a driving power to be applied to the travelling motion unit according to the tension of the cord member detected by the tension detector, and to control the travelling motion of the travelling motion unit via the actuator according to the determined manipulated variable for control,

wherein the travelling motion unit controller determines the manipulated variable for control by making a travelling velocity of the vehicle zero when a magnitude of the tension of the cord member detected by the tension detector is equal to or less than a predefined value.