Car, walking apparatus, and method of determining shape of wheel

• US 8,561,734 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2010
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chiba Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Chiba Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Furuta, Takayuki, Shimizu, Masaharu, Yamato, Hideaki, Okumura, Yu, Tawara, Tetsuo, Shimomura, Masaki, Endo, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Boehler, Anne Marie
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, MAURICE L
• Application Number:
  US12/700,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20100193265A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,356 Days
• Field of Search: 180 81- 86, 180/13, 180/282, 305/1, 305/19, 701/124
• US Class Current: 180/13
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/14 Vehicles with one wheel only
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/20 angular
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/34 Stabilising upright position of vehicles, e.g. of single axle vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/30 using propulsion power stored mechanically, e.g. in fly-wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 57/00 Vehicles characterised by having other propulsion or other ground- engaging means than wheels or endless track, alone or in addition to wheels or endless track sledges B62B; motor sledges B62M
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 1/00 Unicycles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A car having a rotatable wheel, the car being able to run by rotating the wheel, the car having a leg used by the car for walking, and an attitude stabilization section for stabilizing an attitude of the car.

Claims

1. A car having a wheel that is rotatable about a rotation axis comprising,

an attitude control mechanism for controlling an attitude of the car,

wherein the wheel has a contacting portion that can contact a ground while the car is moving, the contacting portion being located lower than the rotation axis,

wherein an intersection line formed by an intersection of the contacting portion and a first imaginary plane is a curved line, the first imaginary plane being an imaginary plane that includes the rotation axis and in which a direction of a normal thereof is a horizontal direction, the direction of the normal of the first imaginary plane being perpendicular to the rotation axis,

wherein among the points on the curved line are included a first point that satisfies a following first condition and a second point that satisfies a following second condition,

wherein in the first condition, an intersection between a second imaginary plane and a line from a center of gravity of the car to a center of the intersection line is located lower than the center of gravity of the car, the second imaginary plane including the first point and being perpendicular to the first imaginary plane, a direction of a normal of the second imaginary plane being a tangential direction of the curved line at the first point,

wherein in the second condition, an intersection between a third imaginary plane and a line extending from the center of the intersection line through the center of gravity of the car is located higher than the center of gravity of the car, the third imaginary plane including the second point and being perpendicular to the first imaginary plane, a direction of a normal of the third imaginary plane being a tangential direction of the curved line at the second point,

wherein a shape of the contacting portion is configured to allow the attitude of the car to be changed to an inclined state,

wherein both ends of the intersection line are adjacent to non-contacting portions that do not contact the ground while the car is moving, and that is provided on the wheel,

wherein a center of the intersection line contacts the ground when the car is in an upright state,

wherein the intersection line includes a first curved line portion in which all points on the line are the first points and a second curved line portion in which all points on the line are the second points, and

wherein the second curved line portion is located at both end portions of the intersection line.

2. A car having a wheel that is rotatable about a rotation axis comprising,

an attitude control mechanism for controlling an attitude of the car,

wherein the wheel has a contacting portion that can contact a ground while the car is moving, the contacting portion being located lower than the rotation axis,

wherein an intersection line formed by an intersection of the contacting portion and a first imaginary plane is a curved line, the first imaginary plane being an imaginary plane that includes the rotation axis and in which a direction of a normal thereof is a horizontal direction, the direction of the normal of the first imaginary plane being perpendicular to the rotation axis,

wherein among the points on the curved line are included a first point that satisfies a following first condition and a second point that satisfies a following second condition,

wherein in the first condition, an intersection between a second imaginary plane and a line from a center of gravity of the car to a center of the intersection line is located lower than the center of gravity of the car, the second imaginary plane including the first point and being perpendicular to the first imaginary plane, a direction of a normal of the second imaginary plane being a tangential direction of the curved line at the first point,

wherein in the second condition, an intersection between a third imaginary plane and a line extending from the center of the intersection line through the center of gravity of the car is located higher than the center of gravity of the car, the third imaginary plane including the second point and being perpendicular to the first imaginary plane, a direction of a normal of the third imaginary plane being a tangential direction of the curved line at the second point,

wherein a shape of the contacting portion is configured to allow the attitude of the car to be changed to an inclined state, and

wherein the car has only one wheel.