Control of a personal transporter based on user position

• US 9,529,365 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2015
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• 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:
  US14/619,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20150153734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 685 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 method for controlling a transporter, the transporter having at least one ground-contacting element, a handlebar supported by the at least one ground-contacting element, and a controller operatively communicating with the at least one ground-contacting element, the method comprising:

receiving, by the controller, a desired yaw and a desired yaw rate, the desired yaw and the desired yaw rate being based on a body orientation of a load on the transporter;

computing, by the controller, a desired direction of motion of the transporter based on the received desired yaw and the received desired yaw rate;

receiving, by the controller, a pitch of the transporter;

computing, by the controller, a pitch command signal based on the pitch;

computing, by the controller, a command signal based on the desired direction and the pitch command signal; and

providing, by the controller, the command signal to maintain balance of the transporter and motion in the desired direction.

2. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

computing, by the controller, the command signal based on the body orientation and roll of the transporter sensed by a plurality of sensors in electronic communication with the controller, the command signal modified by a deadband.

3. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

computing, by the controller, the command signal based at least in part on a yaw error value, the yaw error value being the difference between an instantaneous yaw value and the desired yaw.

4. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, by the controller, a lean of the transporter with respect to gravity; and

computing, by the controller, the command signal K(φ

_HB−

φ

_Roll) where K=a constant, φ

_HB=an angle between the handlebar and the ground-contacting element, and φ

_Roll=the received lean.

5. The method as in claim 1 wherein the handlebar comprises an inclined or horizontally mounted pivot handlebar.

6. The method as in claim 1 wherein the handlebar is biased to a central position by at least one damper.

7. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, by the controller, a rotational orientation of the handlebar; and

computing, by the controller, the desired direction based at least in part on the rotational orientation.

8. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

computing, by the controller, a yaw component of the command signal by;

applying a first gain to the yaw component of the command signal at a first range of speeds; and

applying a second gain to the yaw component of the command signal at a second range of speeds.

9. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

filtering, by the controller, a yaw component of the command signal based on a roll rate of the transporter.

10. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

low-pass filtering, by the controller, the desired yaw if a roll rate of the transporter is greater than a pre-selected rate.

11. The method as in claim 10 further comprising:

computing, by the controller, a yaw component of the command signal based on F*(the desired yaw)+(1×

F)*(the filtered desired yaw) where F=a continuously varying signal.

20. The system as in claim 11 wherein the controller further comprises:

receiving a relative height offset of at least one handlebar segment disposed upon the transporter, the desired direction based at least in part on the relative height offset.

12. A system for controlling a transporter, the system comprising:

at least one ground-contacting element;

a handlebar supported by the at least one ground-contracting element; and

a controller operatively communicating with the at least one ground-contacting element, the controller including;

receiving a desired yaw and a desired yaw rate of the transporter, the desired yaw and the desired yaw rate being based on a body orientation of a load on the transporter;

computing a desired direction of motion of the transporter based on the received desired yaw and the received desired yaw rate;

receiving a pitch of the transporter;

computing a pitch command signal based on the pitch;

computing a command signal based on the desired direction and the pitch command signal; and

providing the command signal to maintain balance of the transporter and motion in the desired direction.

13. The system as in claim 12 wherein the controller further includes:

computing, by the controller, the command signal based on the body orientation and roll of the transporter sensed by a plurality of sensors in electronic communication with the controller, the command signal modified by a deadband.

14. The system as in claim 12 wherein the controller further includes:

executing a ramp function reversing a yaw command component of the command signal when the transporter moves in reverse.

15. The system as in claim 12 wherein the controller further includes:

receiving a lean of the transporter with respect to gravity; and

computing the command signal K(φ

_HB−

φ

_Roll) where K=a constant, φ

_HB=an angle between the handlebar and the at least one ground-contacting element, and φ

_Roll=the received lean.

16. The system as in claim 12 wherein the controller further includes:

computing a yaw component of the command signal by

applying a first gain to the yaw component of the command signal at a first range of speeds; and

applying a second gain to the yaw component of the command signal at a second range of speeds.

17. The system as in claim 12 wherein the controller further includes:

receiving, from shaft sensors, the position of the handlebar with respect to vertical, or with respect to a direction fixed with respect to at least a portion of the transporter.

18. The system as in claim 12 wherein the controller further includes:

filtering a yaw component of the command signal based on a roll rate of the transporter.

19. The system as in claim 12 wherein the controller further includes:

low-pass filtering the desired yaw if a roll rate of the transporter is greater than a pre-selected rate.