Motor vehicles – Special wheel base – Having only three wheels
Patent
1996-12-10
1999-07-27
Mai, Lanna
Motor vehicles
Special wheel base
Having only three wheels
280124103, B62D 6108
Patent
active
059274247
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a self-balancing vehicle with at least three wheels resting on the ground, at least two of which wheels are arranged on either side of the center of gravity with respect to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and at least one of which wheels is directionally controllable, and wherein at least one section of the vehicle is tiltable about the longitudinal axis of the vehicle for the purpose of producing and/or maintaining a change in direction of the directionally controllable wheel during travel, a control element for controlling the at least one directionally controllable wheel, and a power-assisted tilt element for tilting said vehicle section about the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.
A four-wheeled motor vehicle having a rear part which can tilt around a longitudinal axis with respect to a front part is described in EP-A-0592377. To this end a mechanical transmission links the axis of the front steering unit, which may be handle bars, to a tilt unit. A servo-mechanism of the hydraulic type may be controlled by the front steering unit. Two servo-control actuators are operated in opposite directions by a servo distributor subordinate to the front steering unit to provide the inclination of the chassis in both directions. The known vehicle has as a disadvantage that at a given angular position of the steering unit, a fixed inclination is imparted. No accommodation for drivers of varying weight is possible. Furthermore, driving speeds are not taken into account. Turning the steering units in a stationary position will cause the same inclination as turning the steering unit while driving at relatively high speed.
The aim of the invention is to provide a control system with which the tilting of the vehicle or a section of the vehicle towards the inside of the bend can be achieved efficiently, such that good stability can be ensured under all driving conditions, in particular at speeds higher than those which are customary when driving the vehicle into or out of a parking space.
To this end, the vehicle according to the invention is characterized in that the vehicle is self-balancing and comprises a sensor connected to the directionally controllable wheel for registering the magnitude and the direction of the load which is to be applied to the directionally controllable wheel for the purpose of producing and/or maintaining a change in direction thereof during travel, the sensor being connected to the tilt element to produce a tilt as a function of the registration by the sensor.
The steering force/the steering torque is measured, as it has been found that these load parameters give the best results. A force/torque of this type is generated automatically when the directionally controllable wheel has a certain castor, whilst the angle of tilt does not correspond to the driving speed and the bend radius intended by turning the steering wheel. By making use of this knowledge, the degree of tilt can be controlled by measurement of the said force/torque. In comparison with, for example, the known use of acceleration sensors, particularly natural direct driving characteristics are obtained by means of the present invention, so that the vehicle can also be operated by inexperienced persons.
From EP-A-153521 a vehicle body tilting system is known in which a hydraulic ram is connected to a spool type control valve. The control valve is actuated by the steering mechanism to quickly initiate a tilting movement upon turning of the steering mechanism. The control valve is also connected to a pendulum which progresses the tilting movement until the normally upright axis of the vehicle body is in line with the resultant vector of gravity and the centripetal acceleration.
A tilting system of this kind is relatively complex, has a certain lag and may be liable to malfunctioning in case the swinging motion of the pendulum is obstructed.
The use of a simultaneously tiltable directionally controllable wheel is to be preferred, by which means a particularly simple control sys
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Kroonen Hendrik Marinus
Van Den Brink Anthonie
Van Den Brink Christopher Ralph
Brinks Westmaas B.V.
Lerner Avraham H.
Mai Lanna
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