Control of a personal transporter based on user position

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9459627-B2
Application number	US-201514621671-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 13, 2015
Priority date	Sep 13, 2004
Publication date	Oct 4, 2016
Grant date	Oct 4, 2016

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A transporter comprising:
a ground contacting module including a platform, two wheels, and a motorized drive imparting torque to the two wheels, the ground contacting module being unstable with respect to tipping in a fore-aft plane of the transporter;
a plurality of sensors;
a control shaft pivotally coupled to the ground contacting module at a pivot, the control shaft generating a yaw input signal, the yaw input signal based at least in part upon an orientation of the control shaft; and
a controller computing an amount of torque to maintain balance of the transporter, the controller modifying the yaw input signal based on data from at least one of the plurality of sensors, the amount of torque based at least in part upon the modified yaw input signal and a pitch sensed by at least one of the plurality of sensors;
wherein the motorized drive arrangement supplies the amount of torque to the two wheels.

2. The transporter of claim 1 , wherein the controller modifies the yaw input signal based at least in part on roll data from at least one of the plurality of sensors.

3. The transporter of claim 1 , wherein the controller modifies the yaw input signal based on an angle between the control shaft and vertical with respect to gravity, the angle determined based on data from at least one of the plurality of sensors.

4. The transporter of claim 1 , wherein the controller modifies the yaw input signal based at least on a filtered roll rate signal and a low pass filtered version of the yaw input signal, the filtered roll rate signal based on data from at least one of the plurality of sensors.

5. The transporter of claim 1 , wherein the controller modifies the yaw input signal based on a roll compensation algorithm.

6. The transporter of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors comprises at least one roll sensor.

7. The transporter of claim 1 , wherein the orientation comprises a pivotal orientation of the control shaft about or substantially parallel to a roll axis of the transporter.

8. The transporter of claim 1 , wherein the controller modifies the amount of torque based on a velocity of the transporter.

9. A method for controlling a transporter, the transporter including a ground contacting module having a platform, two wheels, a motorized drive for imparting torque to the two wheels, a plurality of sensors, a controller, and a control shaft pivotally coupled to the ground contacting module at a pivot, the ground contacting module unstable with respect to tipping in a fore-aft plane of the transporter, the method comprising:
generating a yaw input signal based at least in part on the orientation of the control shaft;
modifying, by the controller, the yaw input signal to a modified yaw input signal based on a data from at least one of the plurality of sensors;
computing an amount of torque to maintain balance of the transporter, the amount of torque based at least in part upon the modified yaw input signal and a pitch sensed by at least one of the plurality of sensors; and
supplying, by the motorized drive arrangement, the amount of torque to the two wheels.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the modified yaw input signal is based at least in part on roll data from at least one of the plurality of sensors.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the modified yaw input signal is based at least in part on an angle between the control shaft and vertical with respect to gravity.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the angle is determined at least in part on data from one or more of the plurality of sensors.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein modifying the yaw input signal is based at least on a filtered roll rate signal and a low pass filtered version of the yaw input signal, the filtered roll rate signal based at least on data from the plurality of sensors.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein modifying the yaw input signal comprises applying a roll compensation algorithm to the yaw input signal.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of sensors comprises at least one roll sensor.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein the orientation is based at least on a pivotal orientation of the control shaft about or substantially parallel to a roll axis of the transporter.

17. The method of claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises modifying, by the controller, yaw input signal based on a velocity of the transporter.

18. A transporter comprising:
a ground contacting module including a platform, two wheels, and a motorized drive imparting torque to the two wheels, the ground contacting module being unstable with respect to tipping in a fore-aft plane of the transporter;
a plurality of sensors;
a control shaft pivotally coupled to the ground contacting module at a pivot, the control shaft generating a yaw input signal, the yaw input signal based at least in part upon an orientation of the control shaft; and
a controller computing an amount of torque to maintain balance of the transporter, the controller modifying the yaw input signal based on a velocity of the transporter and roll data from at least one of the plurality of sensors, the amount of torque based at least in part upon the modified yaw input signal and a pitch sensed by at least one of the plurality of sensors;
wherein the motorized drive arrangement supplies the amount of torque to the two wheels.

19. The transporter of claim 18 , wherein the controller modifies the yaw input signal as the velocity of the transporter increases.

20. The transporter of claim 18 , wherein the controller modifies the yaw input signal based on an angle between the control shaft and vertical with respect to gravity, the angle determined based on data from at least one of the plurality of sensors.

Assignees

• Deka Products Lp
• Deka Products Ltd Partership

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

Classifications

• B62J45/4151

  for sensing lateral inclination of the cycle · CPC title

• B62J45/4152

  for sensing longitudinal inclination of the cycle · CPC title

• B60L2200/24

  Personal mobility vehicles · CPC title

• B60L2240/18

  lateral · CPC title

• Y02T10/72

  Electric energy management in electromobility · CPC title