Traveling apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10640166-B2
Application number	US-201715632489-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 26, 2017
Priority date	Aug 12, 2016
Publication date	May 5, 2020
Grant date	May 5, 2020

Abstract

Provided is a traveling apparatus including at least, with respect to a traveling direction, a front wheel and a rear wheel and on which a user rides when traveling. The traveling apparatus includes a driving unit configured to drive at least one of the front wheel and the rear wheel, an adjusting mechanism including a rotation part configured to rotate a front wheel supporting member and a rear wheel supporting member in relation to each other, the adjusting mechanism being configured to adjust a wheel base length between the front wheel and the rear wheel by an action of the user being transmitted, thereby changing an angle formed by the front wheel supporting member and the rear wheel supporting member, and a control unit configured to control the driving unit based on a parameter, the parameter changing in conjunction with the wheel base length.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A traveling apparatus including at least, with respect to a traveling direction, a front wheel and a rear wheel and on which a user rides when traveling, the traveling apparatus comprising:
a front wheel supporting member configured to rotatably support the front wheel;
a rear wheel supporting member configured to rotatably support the rear wheel;
a driving unit configured to drive at least one of the front wheel and the rear wheel;
an adjusting mechanism including a rotation part configured to rotate the front wheel supporting member and the rear wheel supporting member in relation to each other, the adjusting mechanism being configured to adjust a wheel base length between the front wheel and the rear wheel by force generated from an action of the user being transmitted to the front wheel supporting member and the rear wheel supporting member, thereby changing an angle formed by the front wheel supporting member and the rear wheel supporting member; and
a control unit configured to control the driving unit based on the angle changing in conjunction with the wheel base length so that a speed of the traveling apparatus varies continuously or in a stepwise fashion in accordance with a continuous change of the angle.

2. The traveling apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a handlebar part configured to rotate the front wheel in a rotating direction and be capable of being swung around a swing axis, the swing axis being parallel to a rotation axis of the rotation part, wherein the adjusting mechanism changes the angle formed by the front wheel supporting member and the rear wheel supporting member by an action of the user to swing the handlebar part around the swing axis.

3. The traveling apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the adjusting mechanism includes a reversing mechanism that, when the user swings the handlebar part in one direction with respect to the swing axis, rotates the front wheel supporting member in another direction opposite to the one direction with respect to the rotation axis.

4. The traveling apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the handlebar part is fixed to the front wheel supporting member, and the swing axis is the same as the rotation axis of the rotation part.

5. The traveling apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a front contacting part configured to receive a weight of one of the user's feet generated by the action and transmit it to the front wheel supporting member; and
a rear contacting part configured to receive a weight of another one of the user's feet generated by the action and transmit it to the rear wheel supporting member.

6. The traveling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit controls the driving unit so that the amount of a change in the speed for the amount of a change of the angle may be configured to be small in a low-speed region, while the amount of a change in the speed for the amount of a change of the angle may be configured to be large in a high-speed region.

7. The traveling apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a coupling member coupled to the front wheel supporting member so that the coupling member receives a weight generated by the action from a back part of the user and transmits it to the front wheel supporting member.

8. The traveling apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a seating part coupled to the rear wheel supporting member and configured to allow the user to sit thereon;
a pushing part coupled to the front wheel supporting member and configured to receive a weight of the user's foot generated by the action, and push the front wheel supporting member.

9. The traveling apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a coupling part coupled to the front wheel supporting member and configured to receive a weight from the user's back part, and
a handlebar part coupled to the rear wheel supporting member and configured to allow the user to grip the handlebar part.

10. The traveling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the rotation part is a hinge, and
the adjusting mechanism includes a biasing member that biases the front wheel supporting member and the rear wheel supporting member in a direction to reduce the angle formed by the front wheel supporting member and the rear wheel supporting member.

11. The traveling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the rotation part is an elastic member including one end connected to the front wheel supporting member and another end connected to the rear wheel supporting member, and
the elastic member biases the front wheel supporting member and the rear wheel supporting member in a direction to reduce the angle formed by the front wheel supporting member and the rear wheel supporting member.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kama Takeshi
• Kakuchi Makoto
• Mori Makoto
• Aoki Eisuke

Classifications

• B62K2204/00

  Adaptations for driving cycles by electric motor · CPC title

• B62K25/02

  for mounting axles rigidly on cycle frame or fork, e.g. adjustably · CPC title

• B62K5/06

  Frames for tricycles · CPC title

• B60K7/0007

  the motor being electric · CPC title

• B62K5/027 Primary

  Motorcycles with three wheels (specially adapted for disabled riders B62K5/023) · CPC title