Electric walking assisting vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11717462-B2
Application number	US-202016868499-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2020
Priority date	May 8, 2019
Publication date	Aug 8, 2023
Grant date	Aug 8, 2023

Abstract

An electric walking assisting vehicle configured such that in accordance with operating amounts acting on an operation part, driving of driving motors is controlled and includes an inclination detector which detects inclination of a vehicle body in a forward-backward direction, and on flat land where inclination is less than a threshold, with an operation origin of the operation part as a center, the driving motors are controlled to generate torque in a forward direction by operation of pushing the operation part forward and to generate torque in a backward direction by operation of pulling the operation part backward, on an uphill road on which the inclination is the threshold value or more, the operation origin is shifted to an pulling operation side, and on a downhill road on which the inclination is the threshold value or more, the operation origin is shifted to a pushing operation side.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electric walking assisting vehicle comprising:
a vehicle body having a forward-backward direction and a width direction;
driving wheels being driven by a driving motor mounted on the vehicle body;
driven wheels provided away from the driving wheels in the forward-backward direction of the vehicle body; and
an operation part provided on an upper portion of the vehicle body so as to enable a user in a standing and walking posture to grip the operation part,
wherein the driving motor is controlled in accordance with an operating amount acting on the operation part,
wherein the driven wheels are constituted of omni wheels or are supported in a steerable manner, the operation part includes left and right operation parts, the driving motor includes left and right driving motors, the driving wheels are operable to be left-and-right-independently driven and thereby turned by the left and right driving motors associated with the left and right operation parts; and
wherein the vehicle comprises an inclination detection part detecting an inclination in the forward-backward direction of the vehicle body,
on flat land on which the inclination is less than a threshold value, with respect to operation origin of the operation part, the driving motor is controlled so as to be caused to generate output torque in a forward direction by operation of pushing the operation part forward and to generate output torque in a backward direction by operation of pulling the operation part backward,
on an uphill road on which the inclination is the threshold value or more, the origin of output torque corresponding to the operation origin is shifted to a pulling operation side, and
on a downhill road on which the inclination is the threshold value or more, the origin of output torque corresponding to the operation origin is shifted to a pushing operation side.

2. The electric walking assisting vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
on the uphill road on which the inclination is the threshold value or more, when a pulling operation amount exceeding an operation amount corresponding to the shifted origin of the output torque acts on the operation part, the driving motor is stopped, and
on the downhill road on which the inclination is the threshold value or more, when a pulling operation amount exceeding the operation origin-acts on the operation part, the driving motor is stopped.

3. The electric walking assisting vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a load sensor detecting a carrying load of the vehicle body, wherein in accordance with a value detected by the load sensor, output of the driving motor is controlled.

4. The electric walking assisting vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the operation part further includes a gripping sensor detecting gripping by a user, and when a value detected by the gripping sensor is less than a predetermined value, driving of the driving motor is stopped.

5. The electric walking assisting vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein when starting to travel from a stop state, when an operating amount acting on the operation part is a predetermined value or more, the driving of the driving motor is started.

6. The electric walking assisting vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein during traveling, when an operating amount acting on the operation part in the backward direction is the predetermined value or more, the driving of the driving motor is stopped.

7. The electric walking assisting vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle body includes a foldable seat and an operation part being operable to be operated by a user seated on the seat, and the electric walking assisting vehicle is operable to be used as a compact electric vehicle.

Assignees

• Suzuki Motor Corp

Inventors

• Raja Gopinath

Classifications

• A61H3/04 Primary

  Wheeled walking aids for patients or disabled persons · CPC title

• A61G5/041

  having a specific drive-type · CPC title

• B60B19/003 Primary

  Multidirectional wheels · CPC title

• B60L3/08

  Means for preventing excessive speed of the vehicle · CPC title

• B60L15/36

  with automatic control superimposed, e.g. to prevent excessive motor current · CPC title