CN100431906C - coaxial two-wheeled vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle, which can stably run by a rider in a riding state with a high gravity center, and the upper part of the body of the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle cannot sway left and right. The coaxial two-wheeled vehicle includes: a pedal for a driver to ride; a vehicle body that supports the pedal so as to be capable of changing a posture in a rolling direction rotating about a rolling axis as a center when a traveling direction is set as the rolling axis; a pair of wheels that are located on both sides of the same axis in a direction perpendicular to a traveling direction of the vehicle body and that are rotatably supported by the vehicle body; a pair of wheel driving devices for individually driving and rotating the pair of wheels; and a handle for directly changing the posture of the pedal or indirectly changing the posture through the vehicle body.

Description

coaxial two-wheeled vehicle

technical field

The present invention relates to a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle, which includes two wheels located on the center line of the same shaft. The present invention particularly relates to a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle, which can travel freely with people riding on it.

Background technique

One such coaxial two-wheeled vehicle in the prior art has been disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. In Patent Document 1, a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle including wheels located at both ends of the same axle is introduced. The coaxial two-wheeled vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1 is "a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle constructed with a pair of wheels; a wheel shaft is provided between the pair of wheels; a base; a pair of driving motors mounted on the base to drive each wheel; and a controller capable of issuing operation instructions to the pair of driving motors, wherein an acceleration detector is provided on the base to detect acceleration, and when the absolute value of the acceleration detected by the acceleration detector reaches or exceeds a threshold value during running, the controller issues an operation command to decelerate each of the pair of drive motors."

According to the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle with the above-mentioned structure in Patent Document 1, the desired effect is "when, for example, running on a step, because there is an acceleration detector capable of detecting acceleration in the vertical direction and when the acceleration is detected during driving, When the absolute value of the acceleration detected by the sensor reaches or exceeds a predetermined threshold, an operation command to decelerate has been sent to each of the pair of drive motors, so it can drive safely when encountering steps and the like.”

In addition, as another coaxial two-wheeled vehicle in the prior art, it is disclosed in Patent Document 2, for example. In Patent Document 2, a method capable of controlling the attitude of a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle is introduced. In the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle in Patent Document 2, the attitude control method is "in a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle with a pair of wheels; an axle is provided between the pair of wheels; a vehicle body is rotatable A wheel drive motor is installed on the car body; a control computer can issue operation instructions to the drive motor; there is also an angle detector to detect the inclination angle of the car body, and the angle detector detects The tilt angle of the vehicle body is sampled at very short time intervals, and is calculated by substituting the sampled value into the control input calculation equation in the control computer, wherein the sample tilt angle of the vehicle body is used as a state variable, and Using the feedback gain as a coefficient, the control torque for the wheel drive motor is calculated according to the calculation equation; the control computer sends a command to the wheel drive motor to perform the same operation as the calculation of the control torque."

According to the attitude control method in the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle having the above-mentioned structure of Patent Document 2, the desired effect is "when the vehicle is tilted, the wheels immediately move in the tilting direction of the vehicle body, and the vehicle body is successfully reset , because the calculation is performed by substituting the sampled value into the advance input and setting in the control input calculation equation in the control computer, wherein the sampled tilt angle of the vehicle body and the feedback gain are used as coefficients; the calculation is based on the calculation equation for control torque of the wheel drive motor; and performing feedback control of the wheel drive motor based on the calculation result."

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2005-6436

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. S63-305082

However, in the coaxial two-wheeled vehicles described in the aforementioned Patent Documents 1 and 2, a handle is fixed to a pedal (riding member) on which a person rides, and a support member supporting the wheel is fixed in a freely rotatable manner. On the pedal with the upper surface of the pedal (riding surface) parallel to the running surface (road). Therefore, when the center of gravity is at a relatively high position, for example, when the rider is in a standing posture, the upper body of the rider becomes unstable. Due to gravity, or due to centrifugal force when turning, the rider will shake from side to side and become unstable, and when the centrifugal force is too large, the car body is likely to flip sideways.

The detailed content of this aspect will be introduced in detail below by accompanying drawings 1 to 3 . 1A to 1C are explanatory diagrams respectively showing a conventional coaxial two-wheeled vehicle viewed from the front side of the vehicle. In FIGS. 1A to 1C, reference numeral 1 denotes the entirety of a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle, in which a vehicle body 2 serving as a pedal is provided. Rotatable left and right wheels 3L and 3R are provided on both sides in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle body 2 . In addition, reference numeral 4 denotes a rider (for example, a man) riding on the vehicle body 2, reference numeral G denotes the center of gravity of the rider 4, and reference numeral W denotes the weight of the rider 4 ( load).

FIG. 1A shows a state where a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle 1 is running straight on a flat road without the influence of lateral force and centrifugal force. In this case, the center of gravity G of the rider 4 is located substantially above the center of the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle 1 , and the load W acts vertically on the approximate center of the vehicle body 2 . Therefore, substantially the same load acts on the left and right wheels 3L and 3R, and the reaction forces at the ground contact points TL and TR where the wheels 3L and 3R contact the road surface E are substantially the same.

FIG. 1B shows a state where the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle 1 is turning on a flat road surface E. As shown in FIG. In this case, a centrifugal force (lateral force) F acts on the rider 4 from the right wheel 3R side, and due to the centrifugal force F, the gravity vector W of the load W deviates by an angle θ. When the ground contact point R formed by the intersection of the extension of the gravity vector W and the road surface E is located inside the ground contact point TL of the left wheel 3L, the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle 1 can steer stably. However, when the ground contact point R is outside the ground contact point TL as shown in FIG. 1B, running stability is impaired because the left and right wheels 3L and 3R cannot withstand the centrifugal force F. It will flip over (fall sideways) as shown in Figure 1C.

The degree of difficulty in causing the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle 1 to turn over largely depends on the height of the center of gravity G of the rider 4 . Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining this phenomenon. When the center of gravity G of the rider 4 is low, the allowable inclination angle of the gravity vector W of the center of gravity G is the angle θ shown in FIG. 2 . However, when the center of gravity G of the rider 4 is high and shifted to the center of gravity G1, the inclination angle of the center of gravity G1 becomes an angle θ1 smaller than the angle θ (θ1<θ), because the center of the vehicle body 2 to the left and right wheels 3L The distance from the ground contact points TL and TR of 3R remains constant.

From the above, it can be understood that the degree of difficulty causing the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle 1 to overturn is represented by the product of the height of the center of gravity G and the centrifugal force F. Specifically, assuming that the ground contact point R of the gravity vector W corresponds to the ground contact point TL of the left wheel 3L when the centrifugal force F acts on the center of gravity G, F*H=S (Formula 1) is obtained. Similarly, assuming that the ground contact point R of the gravity vector W1 corresponds to the ground contact point TL of the left wheel 3L when the centrifugal force F acts on the center of gravity G1, F1*H1=S is obtained (Formula 2). Therefore, F*H=F1*H1. Here, since H<H1, F>F1. Therefore, when the position of the center of gravity is higher, the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle 1 may overturn even if the centrifugal force is so much smaller.

Such overturning of the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle 1 can be avoided by the structure shown in FIG. 3 . FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the vehicle body 2 tilting toward the road surface E on the right wheel 3R when the centrifugal force F acts. When the vehicle body 2 is thus tilted to the side where the centrifugal force F acts, the overturning of the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle 1 can be prevented and stable steering is possible, because the ground contact point R of the gravity vector W1 is changed to the ground of the left wheel 3L Inner side of the contact point TL.

Contents of the invention

In prior art coaxial two-wheeled vehicles, the upper surface (riding surface) of the pedals is continuous and parallel to the running surface (road surface), due to gravity when driving on an inclined road surface, and when turning and riding When the rider is in a standing state, when the center of gravity is high, the upper body of the rider will shake from side to side and become unstable due to the centrifugal force, and the vehicle will turn over when such force becomes too large.

A coaxial two-wheeled vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention has pedals for a driver to ride on; a vehicle body that supports the pedals so as to be able to center around the The posture is changed in the left and right rolling direction of the rolling axis of the rotation; a pair of wheels, the pair of wheels are located on the same axis on both sides in the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle body and are rotatably supported by the vehicle body; Wheel drives for individually driving and rotating said pair of wheels: and handles for directly changing the attitude of said pedals or indirectly through said vehicle body.

According to the embodiment of the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle of the present invention, when turning or transforming the gravity vector of the rider's center of gravity and the ground contact point or the inside of the ground contact point of the wheel, the posture of the pedals can be changed to prevent coaxial The overturning of a two-wheeled vehicle, resulting in stable steering.

Description of drawings

1A to 1C are schematic diagrams representing the relationship between a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle and centrifugal force, wherein Fig. 1A represents a state in which the centrifugal force does not act, Fig. 1B represents a state in which the centrifugal force acts, and Fig. 1C represents that the vehicle is The state of turning over by centrifugal force;

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the relationship between the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle, the centrifugal force and the height of the rider's center of gravity;

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of measures for suppressing centrifugal force acting on a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle;

4A and 4B are schematic diagrams showing a first embodiment of a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 4A is a front view, and FIG. 4B is a side view;

Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing enlargedly a relevant part of the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle shown in Fig. 4A;

Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing enlargedly a relevant portion of the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle shown in Fig. 4B;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the D-D line portion in the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle of Fig. 4A, showing a state in which one wheel is running on steps;

Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle of Fig. 4A, showing a state of steering on a flat road;

Fig. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle of Fig. 4A, showing a state of straight-line travel on an inclined road surface;

Fig. 11 is a schematic block diagram of the controller structure of the first embodiment of the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle according to the present invention;

12A to 12C are explanatory diagrams illustrating the driving state of the first embodiment of the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 12A shows straight running on a flat road; FIG. 12B turns on a flat road; FIG. 12C driving in a straight line on a sloping road;

13A and 13B are schematic diagrams of a second embodiment of a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 13A is a front view, and FIG. 13B is a side view;

14A and 14B are explanatory diagrams showing enlarged representations of a relevant portion of the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle shown in FIG. 13A , wherein FIG. 14A is a straight-line driving state, and FIG. 14B is a steering state;

15A and 15B are schematic diagrams of a third embodiment of a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 15A is a front view, and FIG. 15B is a side view;

16A and 16B are explanatory diagrams showing enlarged representations of a relevant portion of the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle shown in FIG. 15A, wherein FIG. 16A is a straight running state and FIG. 16B is a turning state.

Detailed ways

A coaxial two-wheeled vehicle capable of stably turning without causing rollover may adopt a simplified structure in which the pedals are inclined toward the inner side of the turning direction.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 4 to 16 show an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, accompanying drawing 4A to 4B are the front view and the side view showing the first embodiment of the coaxial two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention; Fig. 5 is an enlarged explanatory diagram of a relevant part in Fig. 4A; Fig. 6 is Fig. 4B is an enlarged explanatory diagram of a relevant part; Fig. 7 is a sectional view of line D-D in Fig. 5; Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of the operation of the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle according to the first embodiment; similarly, Figs. 9 and 10 are An explanatory schematic diagram of a relevant part, illustrating an operation; FIG. 11 is a block diagram for explaining a circuit of a controller of a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIGS. 13A and 13B are a front view and a side view of a second embodiment of a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle according to the present invention; FIGS. An operation of the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle of the embodiment; FIGS. 15A and 15B are a front view and a side view of a third embodiment of the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle according to the present invention; FIGS. 16A and 16B are explanatory diagrams of a relevant part A schematic diagram illustrating an operation of a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Figures 4A and 4B, Figures 5 and 6, the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle 10 of the first embodiment of the present invention includes: two separate pedals 11L and 11R, showing a specific implementation of the rider's pedals For example, a vehicle body 12 respectively supporting these divided pedals 11L and 11R, which can change the attitude in the rolling direction X, a pair of wheels 13L and 13R rotatably supported by the vehicle body 12, a pair of wheel driving parts 14L and 14R, Showing a specific example of the wheel driving device that can drive and rotate the pair of wheels 13L and 13R, a handle 15 can indirectly change the attitude of the two divided pedals 11L and 11R through the vehicle body 12 or the like.

The two divided steps 11L and 11R are steps for the rider to ride by placing one foot on each step, and they are made of a pair of flat plates having a size equal to or slightly larger than human feet. The vehicle body 12 has a parallel connection mechanism in which a vehicle body upper part 16 and a vehicle body lower part 17 are arranged parallel to each other up and down, and a pair of side parts 18L and 18R are arranged parallel to each other left and right and are rotatably connected to the vehicle body on the upper part 16 and the lower part 17 of the vehicle body. A pair of coil springs 19L and 19R are located between the vehicle body upper part 16 and the vehicle body lower part 17 of the parallel connection mechanism. 16 and the lower body part 17 are at a perpendicular angle to the pair of side parts 18L and 18R.

As shown in part in FIG. 7, the vehicle body upper part 16 and the vehicle body lower part 17 have substantially quadrangular underframe members 16a and 17a, bearing members 16b and 17b, and a pair of spring support members 16c, 16c and 17c, 17c. The lower parts of the frame parts are open, the bearing parts protrude longitudinally at the four corners of each chassis part 16a and 17a, and each spring support part protrudes toward the side of the other part respectively. The upper part 16 of the vehicle body and the lower part 17 of the vehicle body have the same length in the left-right direction, that is, the width direction of the vehicle. When the two parts 16, 17 overlap, the bearing parts 16b and 17b also overlap each other.

In the vehicle body upper part 16, there are bearing holes at three positions in the middle and both ends in the longitudinal direction, that is, in the left-right direction (a total of six positions in the front and rear sides). Similarly, in the vehicle body lower part 17, there are bearing holes at three positions in the middle and both ends in the longitudinal direction, that is, the left and right directions (there are two positions at both ends on the rear side, so there are five positions in total). The end bearing holes at both ends of the vehicle body upper part 16 and at both ends of the vehicle body lower part 17 are spaced apart from each other, and a pair of side faces are provided between the left and right bearing parts 16b, 16b and 17b, 17b having these bearing holes at the ends. Parts 18L and 18R.

The pair of side members 18L and 18R are made of flat members whose width is slidably installed between the pair of bearing members 16b, 16b located in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body upper member 16, and between the front and rear of the vehicle body upper member 17. Between the pair of bearing members 17b, 17b in the direction, and the pair of side members are located on the left and right sides of the upper body member 16 and the lower body member 17, with planar portions projecting upward and downward. Also, bearing holes corresponding to the pair of bearing holes of the vehicle body upper member 16 and the pair of bearing holes of the vehicle body lower member 17 are provided at four positions on both sides of each of the side members 18L and 18R.

In the upper four bearing holes of the eight bearing holes of the pair of side members 18L and 18R, upper rotation support pins 21L and 21R are rotatably inserted, respectively, and pass through the four bearing holes located on the vehicle body upper member 16. Position the bearing hole on the bearing portion 16b. Similarly, in the lower four bearing holes of the eight bearing holes of the pair of side members 18L and 18R, lower rotation support pins 22L and 22R are rotatably inserted, respectively, which pass through the lower part of the vehicle body. 17 bearing holes of the bearing portion 17b at four positions. Therefore, the vehicle body upper member 16, the vehicle body lower member 17, and the left and right side members 18L and 18R constitute a parallel connection mechanism.

Wheel drive members 14L and 14R are attached to each outer surface of the pair of side members 18L and 18R, respectively. Each of the wheel driving parts 14L and 14R may include an electric motor, a reduction gear set connected to a rotation shaft of the electric motor for transmitting power, for example. Each of the wheel driving members 14L and 14R has a fixed member respectively fixed on the side members 18L and 18R and a rotatable member supported by the fixed member in a freely rotatable manner, and the wheel pairs 13L and 13R are respectively connected to on rotatable parts. In this way, the wheel pair 13L and 13R supported by the side member pair 18L and 18R through the wheel drive member pair 14L and 14R has a rotation center. When driving on a flat road, the rotation centers of the two wheels are basically at the same axis center. on-line.

Also, upper end portions of the pair of side members 18L and 18R protrude substantially upward from the upper surface of the vehicle body upper member 16 , and the above-mentioned divided steps 11L and 11R are attached to the upper surface, respectively. The pair of divided pedals 11L and 11R extend horizontally at the same height with a predetermined gap therebetween in the left-right direction, ie, the axle direction. The distance between the pair of divided steps 11L and 11R is the distance between the two feet of a man standing naturally.

The pair of spring supporting members 17c, 17c of the vehicle body lower member 17 has a predetermined gap in the left-right direction of the central portion. The pair of spring support members 16c, 16c of the vehicle body upper part 16 is located at a position corresponding to the pair of spring support members 17c, 17c. Also, the coil springs 19L and 19R having an appropriate elastic force are in a sufficiently compressed state between the mutually corresponding spring support members 16c and 17c. Here, although not shown in the drawings, it is preferable that each of the spring supporting members 16c and 17c has a spring supporting protrusion to support each end of the coil springs 19L and 19R, so that the coil springs 19L and 19R can be prevented from 19R falls off.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, a handle bracket 24 is connected to the center portions of the vehicle body upper member 16 and the vehicle body lower member 17 in the left-right direction. The handle bracket 24 is made of a saddle that straddles the vehicle body upper part 16 in the front-rear direction, and has a lower front surface portion 24a extending toward the vehicle body lower part 17 at the front. The rear portion has a lower rear surface portion 24b extending toward the upper body member 16 . Also, on the upper surface of the handle holder 24 there is a mounting portion 24c for fixing and supporting a handle 15. As shown in FIG. In the front surface portion 24a of the handle bracket 24, there are bearing holes at positions corresponding to the center bearing holes of the vehicle body upper member 16 and the center bearing holes of the vehicle body lower member 17. As shown in FIG. Also, in the rear surface portion 24b, there is a bearing hole at a position corresponding to the rear center bearing hole of the vehicle body upper member 16. As shown in FIG.

In the upper center bearing hole of the front surface portion 24a of the handle bracket 24 is rotatably mounted an upper front rotary support shaft 25 . Also, an upper rear rotation support shaft 26 is rotatably mounted in the center bearing hole of the rear surface portion 24b. The shaft centerlines of the upper front rotation support shaft 25 and the upper rear rotation support shaft 26 are set on the same axis to correspond to each other. A shaft tip portion of the upper front rotary support shaft 25 is inserted into a hole in the front surface of the vehicle body upper 16 and fixed by a fixing bolt 27 passing through the front surface of the vehicle body upper 16 . Similarly, a shaft tip portion of the upper rear rotary support shaft 26 is inserted into a hole in the rear surface of the vehicle body upper 16 and fixed by a fixing bolt 28 passing through the rear surface of the vehicle body upper 16 .

A lower front steering support shaft 29 is inserted into the lower center bearing hole of the front surface portion 24 a of the handle bracket 24 . The handle bracket 24 rotates in the rolling direction X along with the lower front steering support shaft 29 as the center of rotation. In order to allow the handle bracket 24 to rotate within a predetermined range, recesses 16d and 17d are formed on the front surfaces of the upper body member 16 and the lower body member 17 to avoid contact with the handle bracket 24 . Also, an angle detecting sensor 31 is connected to the upper front steering support shaft 25 to detect the operation amount (rotation amount) of the handle 15 by the rotation amount (steering angle) of the handle bracket 24 in the rolling direction X.

The angle detection sensor 31 includes a shaft portion 31a fixed to the upper front steering support shaft 25 and a detection portion 31b for detecting a relative rotational angular displacement of the shaft portion 31a. The detecting portion 31b is fixed to one end of the fixing plate 32 , and the other end of the fixing plate is fixed to the front surface portion 24a of the handle bracket 24 by a fixing bolt 33 . For example, a potentiometer, a sensor with a variable capacitor structure, etc. can be used as the angle detection sensor 31 . In this angle detection sensor 31, the inclination angle of the handle bracket 24 toward the vehicle body upper 16 can be detected by a change in resistance value caused by a rotational displacement generated between the shaft portion 31a and the detection portion 31b.

The lower end portion of the handle 15 is fixed to the mounting portion 24c of the handle bracket 24 . The handle 15 is structured to have a handle post 35 mounted and fixed on the mounting portion 24c and a handle bar 36 at the upper end of the handle post 35 . The handle post 35 is connected to the vehicle body 12 with a slight forward inclination, and its upper end extends upward. The handle bar 36 is U-shaped with protrusions at both ends facing up toward the upper end of the handle bar 36 and connected to an integrally formed middle portion.

Also, a steering ring 37 capable of controlling the driving of the pair of wheel driving parts 14L and 14R is connected to the upper end of a boss of the handle bar 36 . The steering ring 37 is used to control the steering action of the vehicle through manual operation, and forms an accelerator ring for the steering action. When the steering ring 37 is turned in the direction in which the driver wants to turn, a signal corresponding to the amount of operation is output to the controller to be described below, and the controller thus controls the driving of the pair of wheel drive parts 14L and 14R. Force, just produces rotational speed difference between left and right wheels 13L and 13R, so just can turn at desired speed.

As shown in FIG. 7, on the upper surface of the handle bracket 24 as the base portion of the handle 15, there is a power storage unit 39, which can accommodate a battery 38 as a specific embodiment of the power supply, a controller, other electronic devices and Electronics, etc., batteries are used to power the pair of wheel drive components 14L and 14R. The power storage unit 39 in this embodiment has a box structure that can accommodate many batteries 38 . However, the power source is not limited to the battery 38 in this embodiment, but also includes portable storage batteries, fuel cells, and other types of power sources. The power storage unit 39 is covered by a power cover 41 so that rainwater, dust, etc. do not enter.

In the chassis portion 16a of the vehicle body upper part 16 are provided driving circuits 44L and 44R for driving the wheel driving parts 14L and 14R and the like. And there is an attitude sensor part 45 and a controller 46 in the vehicle body lower part 17, the attitude sensor part 45 is used for detecting the attitude of the vehicle body 12, the attitude of the handle 15, etc., and outputs a detection signal, and the controller 46 outputs Control signals to drive and control wheel drive components such as 14L and 14R. The controller 46 executes a predetermined algorithm program based on the detection signal of the attitude sensor unit 45, the detection signal of the angle sensor 31, etc., and the necessary control signals are output to the wheel drive unit pair 14L and 14R and other components.

As shown in FIG. 11 , the controller 46 has an arithmetic circuit 47 including a microcomputer (CPU), a storage device 48 including a program memory, a data memory, other such as RAM or ROM memory, and the like. The battery 38 and the pair of wheel drive circuits 44L and 44R are connected to the controller 46 and also through an emergency brake switch 49 . A pair of wheel drive circuits 44L and 44R individually control the rotation speed, rotation direction, wheel pair 13L and 13R, etc., and the wheel drive component pair 14L and 14R are individually connected on the circuit.

A detection signal obtained by the angle detection sensor 31 detecting the inclination angle of the handle 15 , a signal corresponding to the steering operation amount of the steering ring 37 , and a detection signal of the attitude sensor unit 45 are supplied to the controller 46 . The attitude sensor unit 45 is used to detect angular velocity and acceleration when the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle 10 is running, and to control the angular velocity and running acceleration, and includes, for example, a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor.

The gyro sensor detects angular velocity, which is related to the pitch axis (corresponding to the axis of the wheel pair 13L and 13R) 51, the rotation axis (through the center of the vehicle body 12 and parallel to the direction of travel of the vehicle) 52, and the yaw axis of the vehicle body 12 ( passing through the center of the vehicle body 12 and perpendicular to the road surface on which the vehicle travels) is related to at least one of them. Also, when the vehicle body 12 is represented by the above-mentioned three axes, the acceleration sensor of the attitude sensor section 45 detects acceleration relative to at least one of the above-mentioned three axes (X axis, Y axis, and Z axis).

The coaxial two-wheeled vehicle 10 having the above-described structure can run, for example, in the following manner. 4A and 4B show the state of the vehicle when running straight on a flat road surface E. In this state, an axis centerline CL as the center of the handle 15 is perpendicular to the running road surface E as viewed from the front. In addition, the left and right divided steps 11L and 11R are horizontally maintained at the same height.

FIG. 8 shows that one wheel (the left wheel 13L in this embodiment) of a vehicle traveling straight on a flat road surface E travels onto the step K. FIG. In this case, with the handle 15 held vertically by the rider, the vehicle can run in a state in which the pedals 11L and 11R are separated to the left and right and kept horizontal. Therefore, even if the center of gravity of the rider riding in a standing position is high, the step K of the road surface E can be absorbed by the change in the height direction of the left and right separate pedals 11L and 11R, so that the rider can rest on his body. Stable driving without the upper part shaking from side to side.

FIG. 9 shows the state of turning on a flat road surface E. As shown in FIG. In this case, the rider tilts the handle 15 with his/her upper body tilted toward the steering center side (inside) so that the left and right divided pedals 11L and 11R and the left and right wheels 13L and 13R are inclined parallel to the handle 15 , the entire vehicle including the rider can easily counteract the centrifugal force.

Moreover, FIG. 10 shows the state of traveling on an inclined road surface (inclined road surface M), and the traveling direction is perpendicular to the inclined direction. In this case, similar to the state in which the road surface changes in the rotation axis direction (that is, the left-right direction with respect to the traveling direction) when traveling on the step K, the rider keeps the handle 15 vertical and can separate the pedal 11L and the pedal 11L from the left and right. 11R keeps driving in a horizontal state. Therefore, even if the center of gravity of the rider riding in a standing posture is high, the sloped road surface M can be absorbed by the change in the height direction of the left and right separate pedals 11L and 11R, so the rider can have no stress on the upper part of his body. Steady drive and travel with side to side shakes.

Next, a method of steering the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle 10 will be described. FIG. 12A shows a state where the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle 10 is running straight on a flat road surface E. As shown in FIG. FIG. 12B shows a state of turning left on a flat road surface E. FIG. Moreover, FIG. 12C shows the state of running straight on the inclined road surface M (including running on a step K).

When the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle 10 is turning, basically adopt the following two ways: a kind of is the method that only determines the amount of steering (steering speed, turning radius, etc.) The method of tilting and the rider rotating the steering ring 37 (accelerating the steering speed) to determine the amount of steering.

First, a method of determining the amount of steering only by the inclination of the handle 15 to perform steering will be described. As shown in FIG. 9 , in this case, the amount of steering operation is determined based on the handle actual inclination angle θh between the handle 15 and the axis V of gravity. Depending on the amount of steering and the vehicle speed, a rotational speed difference is generated between the left and right wheels 13L and 13R, so that a turning radius at which a predetermined centrifugal force can be generated can be obtained for steering. In this case, the handle actual inclination angle θh can be detected as follows.

The first example is that the attitude sensor unit 45 is connected to the handle 15 or to one of the pair of left and right divided pedals 11L and 11R parallel to the handle 15, so that the inclination angle of the handle 15 can be detected directly.

The second example is that the attitude sensor unit 45 is attached to the vehicle body lower unit 17 as shown in FIG. 7 . In this case, a position sensor is used to detect the relative angle between the handle 15 and the lower body part 17 or the relative angle between the handle 15 and the upper body part 16 . In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the angle sensor 31 in the vehicle body upper part 16 corresponds to a position sensor, and a potentiometer or the like can be used as the angle detection sensor 31, for example. The output of the angle detection sensor 31 and the output of the attitude sensor part 45 can be used to calculate the difference between "the vehicle inclination angle θg formed with the gravity axis V" and the "handle relative inclination angle θp of the handle 15 with respect to the vehicle body", and Detect the handle actual inclination angle θh (θp-θg=θh) of the handle 15, "vehicle inclination angle θg formed with the gravity axis V" is the output of the attitude sensor part 45 in the vehicle body 12 relative to the gravity axis V, "handle 15 is the output of the angle detection sensor 31 relative to the handlebar relative inclination angle θp" with respect to the vehicle body.

For example, when the handlebar relative inclination angle θp as the output of the angle detection sensor 31 coincides with the vehicle inclination angle θg as the output of the attitude sensor part 45, the handlebar 15 is vertical and the vehicle is in a straight running state regardless of the road condition ( flat road surface, inclined road surface M, step K, etc.), as shown in Figure 12A and Figure 10 and Figure 12C. On the other hand, when the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle 10 turns as shown in FIG. The value of is the actual inclination angle θh of the handle formed with the gravity axis V, and the steering operation amount is determined according to the actual inclination angle θh of the handle.

Next, a method of determining the amount of steering according to the inclination angle of the driver's rotation of the steering ring 37 and the handle 15 will be described. In the case of almost no centrifugal force (for example, centrifugal force of 0.1G or less), such as low-speed steering, super-pivotal brake steering (super-pivotal brake tum), etc., the rider can use the handlebar 15 tilt and The steering ring is thus selectively operated according to the traveling speed, since in such a case, operability is improved by manually rotating the steering ring 37 at the top end of the handle bar 36 instead of tilting the handle. In this case, according to the steering operation of the steering operation ring 37, the method of determining the amount of steering and turning only by the inclination of the handle 15 is added to the amount of operation, so that in the state where the two are combined and used The amount of operation at the time of steering can be controlled.

First, when the steering ring 37 of the handle bar 36 is manually rotated, the amount of operation of the steering ring 37 is detected by a position detection sensor made of a potentiometer or the like, and the detection signal is sent to the controller 46 . Then, the controller 46 outputs a control signal to the left and right wheel driving parts 14L and 14R, so that a turning radius capable of producing a predetermined centrifugal force (for example, 0.2G) according to the vehicle speed can be obtained, and a predetermined rotational speed difference is given to the left and right wheels 13L and 13R .

Here, the rider tilts the handlebar 15 toward the steering center when a sharper turn is yet to be made. Then, the amount of inclination of the handle 15 is detected by the angle detection sensor 31 as described above, and the attitude of the vehicle is detected by the attitude sensor unit 45, so that the wheel control amount corresponding to the amount of inclination of the handle 15 is calculated. The wheel control amount obtained by the amount of inclination of the handlebar 15 is added to the wheel control amount by the steering operation of the steering ring 37 . As a result, the controller 46 outputs a control signal to the left and right wheel driving parts 14L and 14R, thus changing the rotational speed difference of the left and right wheels 13L and 13R to obtain a turning radius capable of generating a predetermined centrifugal force (for example, 0.4G). Therefore, even if the steering speed is fast, stable steering can be performed without the upper body of the rider in the standing position shaking from side to side.

In the first embodiment, the pedals are divided into left and right two, because when using such separated two pedals 11L and 11R, the following advantages can be obtained. On the step K shown, but the wheel on that side just can rely on very little driving force and just travel on the step K, at this moment the rider just moves the center of gravity to the following wheel side (non-traveling side). Then, the center of gravity moves to the side of the driving wheel, and then the lower wheel (non-traveling side) travels to the step, so that the rider feels as if he is climbing the step with his feet, so the vehicle can travel to the step K with little driving force. .

13A and 13B and FIGS. 14A and 14B are schematic diagrams showing a second embodiment of a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle according to the present invention. A coaxial two-wheeled vehicle 60 as a second embodiment includes: a vehicle body 62 with a chassis, two separate pedals 61L and 61R independently supported by the vehicle body 62 in a freely steerable manner, and a rotatable The connecting member 68 that connects the two separate pedals 61L, 61R and a handle bracket 64 in a similar manner. In this second embodiment, the same reference numerals denote the same parts as those in the above-mentioned first embodiment, so repeated descriptions are omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B and FIGS. 14A and 14B, the vehicle body 62 serves as a chassis, and the left and right wheel drive members 14L and 14R are respectively connected to mounting portions 62L and 62R on both sides in the left and right direction, that is, in the vehicle body width direction. Further, left and right wheels 13L and 13R are rotatably supported by drive members 14L and 14R, respectively. Also, a handle support member 65 is located in the middle of the upper portion of the vehicle body 62, and pedal support members 65L and 65R are located on both sides of the upper portion. Bearing holes are respectively located on the handle support member 65 in the middle and the pedal support members 65L and 65R on both sides, passing through the front-rear direction in which the vehicle travels.

The three bearing holes on the handle supporting part 65 and the pedal supporting parts 65R and 65R of the vehicle body 62 are at the same height, and the handle bracket 64 is rotatably supported by a handle supporting part 65 through a rotating support shaft 66, and the left and right pedals are separated. 61L and 61R are rotatably supported by pedal support members 65L and 65R via upper rotation support pins 67L and 67R. Each of the pedals 61L and 61R has an arm portion 61a projecting in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the pedal on which the foot is placed. In each arm portion 61a, bearing holes are respectively provided at the base and tip portions, and the above-mentioned upper rotation support pins 67L and 67R are freely rotatably inserted into the bearing holes of the base.

In addition, both ends of the connecting member 68 connecting the arm portions 61a of the left and right divided pedals 61L and 61R are rotatably connected through lower rotation support pins 69L and 69R into bearing holes at the top end portions of the respective arm portions 61a. Furthermore, the handle bracket 64 is freely rotatably connected to the central portion in the axial direction of the connecting member 68 through a rotating connecting pin 71 . Accordingly, there are two bearing holes on the handle bracket 64 spaced apart by the same distance as the two bearing holes in each arm portion 61a. Therefore, the handle bracket 64, the left and right divided pedals 61L and 61R, and the connecting member 68 constitute a parallel connecting structure. The structure other than the above structure is similar to the above first embodiment.

Thus, when the rider tilts the handle 15 or the split pedals 61L and 61R, the left and right split pedals 61L and 61R or the handle 15 are simultaneously tilted in the same direction. Fig. 14A is a schematic diagram showing an initial state in which the handle 15 is in a vertical position. FIG. 14B is a schematic view showing a state where the handlebar 15 and the left and right divided pedals 61L and 61R are tilted. At this time, the upper surfaces of the left and right divided pedals 61L and 61R are in a state of being inclined toward the road surface by the amount of inclination of the handle 15 . Effects similar to those of the above-described first embodiment can also be obtained by the structure of the above-described coaxial two-wheeled vehicle 60 .

15A and 15B and FIGS. 16A and 16B are schematic diagrams showing a third embodiment of a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle according to the present invention. A coaxial two-wheeled vehicle 80 as a third embodiment includes: a vehicle body 82 with a chassis, a pedal 81 supported by the vehicle body 82 so that the posture can be freely changed, and a handle 15 integrally fixed to the pedal 81 . In the present third embodiment, the same reference numerals denote the same parts as those in the above-mentioned first embodiment, and thus repeated explanations are omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B and FIGS. 16A and 16B, the vehicle body 82 is used as a chassis, and the left and right wheel drive members 14L and 14R are respectively connected to mounting portions 82L and 82R on both sides in the left and right direction, that is, in the width direction of the vehicle body, and , the left and right wheels 13L and 13R are rotatably supported by driving members 14L and 14R, respectively. A pedal support member 85 is located in the upper middle of the vehicle body 82 . In this pedal support member 85, there is a bearing hole passing through the front-rear direction in which the vehicle travels.

The pedal 81 is a plate having a size substantially covering the range from the vehicle body 82 to the left and right wheels 13L and 13R. A bracket member 84 is integrally located in the middle portion of the lower surface of the pedal 81 in the left-right direction. The bracket member 84 is formed with two protrusions spaced apart by a predetermined distance in the front-rear direction. And the pedal support member 85 of the vehicle body 82 is installed between the two protrusions. The front and rear of the bracket member 84 and the pedal support member 85 are freely rotatably supported by two rotation support shafts 86 on the same shaft center line.

Moreover, four coil springs 87 are disposed between the pedal 81 and the vehicle body 82 , and the coil springs are a specific example of elastic components for keeping the pedal 81 horizontal relative to the vehicle body 82 . The four coil springs 87 are respectively arranged at predetermined intervals at symmetrical positions in the front, rear, left, and right directions. In order to achieve this purpose, four spring support members 88 for supporting the upper end of the coil spring 87 are located at four positions on the lower surface of the pedal 81, and four spring support members 89 for supporting the lower end of the coil spring 87 are located on the vehicle body 82. at four locations on the surface.

Thus, when the rider tilts one of the handlebar 15 and pedal 81, the other integrally formed part also tilts integrally in the same direction. Fig. 16A is a schematic diagram of the initial state of the handle 15 in the vertical position. Moreover, FIG. 16B is a schematic diagram of the tilted state of the handle 15 and the pedal 81 . At this time, the upper surface of the pedal 81 is inclined toward the road surface E by the amount of inclination of the handlebar 15 . Effects similar to those of the first and second embodiments described above can also be obtained by the structure of the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle 80 described above. It should be noted that, needless to say, the elastic member is not limited to the coil spring 87 shown in this embodiment, and a leaf spring, rubber-like elastic body, etc. may also be used.

So far, according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the steering can be performed by tilting the pedal and the handlebar in the direction of the rolling axis on the inner side of the steering, the rider can steer the vehicle stably and travel against the centrifugal force even at a high center of gravity position such as a standing position . In this case, by connecting the shaft and the wheel to the pedal member, a camber angle can also be created on the inner side where the wheel turns, so that the lateral force acting on the tire can be reduced and a stable tire grip.

Moreover, when in the case of the first embodiment of the present invention, when the road surface changes along the direction of the rolling axis (left and right directions perpendicular to the direction of travel of the vehicle), for example, when driving on an inclined road surface and one wheel travels on steps, the The split pedal can be kept horizontal without tilting left and right, so such a road surface change can be absorbed by the height change caused by the up and down change of the split pedal, even if the rider's center of gravity is high when riding in a standing posture such as riding The occupant can also drive and travel stably without shaking the upper part of his body from side to side. Also, when traveling on a step in an inclined direction, the rider can climb the step with little driving force by switching the center of gravity on the left and right feet, similar to climbing the stairs with the feet.

Also, according to embodiments of the present invention, the coaxial two-wheeled vehicle may have a raised floor area for accommodating an average adult (about 400mm or less in width and about 250mm or less in length). Therefore, since the width of the vehicle is the same as the space occupied by one pedestrian, the vehicle can run smoothly without being an obstacle to other pedestrians even in crowded areas such as sidewalks.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment in which, for example, the holding part of the handle is U-shaped, the holding part can be straight, elliptical or circular, and handles of other shapes can also be used. Accordingly, many modifications may be made without departing from the scope and principles of the invention.

Those skilled in the art can understand that many modifications, combinations, small combinations and changes can be made according to design requirements and other factors, as long as they are all within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (8)

1. A coaxial two-wheeled vehicle, comprising: pedals for riders to ride on; a vehicle body that supports the pedal so as to be able to change the attitude of the pedal in a left-right rolling direction that rotates around the roll axis as a center when the traveling direction is set as the roll axis; a pair of wheels, the pair of wheels are located on both sides of the same axis in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle body and are rotatably supported by the vehicle body; a pair of wheel drives for individually driving and rotating the pair of wheels; and A handle for directly changing the attitude of the pedals or indirectly changing the attitude through the vehicle body. 2. A coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 1, Wherein, the vehicle body includes a parallel connection mechanism, which has a vehicle body upper part and a vehicle body lower part arranged parallel to each other up and down, and a pair of side parts. way connected to the upper part of the car body and the lower part of the car body, The pedals are divided into two so as to provide two separate pedals, the two pedals are individually fixed to the pair of side members, and the pair of wheels are driven by the pair of wheels through the pair of wheel drive members. Side part supports. 3. A coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 1, Wherein, the pedal is divided into two to provide two separate pedals, the two pedals are independently supported by the vehicle body in a rotatable manner, and the two separate pedals are connected by a connecting member so as to be rotatable , and the handle is rotatably connected to the middle part of the connecting piece, so that the two separate pedals can be rotated synchronously with the operation of the handle. 4. A coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 1, Wherein, the handle is fixed to the pedal, and the posture of the pedal can be changed by operating the handle. 5. A coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 2, Wherein, the elastic member is located between the upper part of the vehicle body and the lower part of the vehicle body. The angle formed by the parts remains perpendicular. 6. A coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 4 above, Wherein, an elastic member generating elastic force to keep the pedal parallel to the vehicle body is located between the pedal and the vehicle body. 7. The coaxial two-wheeled vehicle of claim 1, further comprising: an attitude detection device for detecting the angle between the pedal or the handle and the gravity axis, and outputting the detection signal, Wherein, the driving of the pair of wheel driving devices is controlled according to the detection signal of the attitude detection device, so as to provide a predetermined centrifugal force. 8. A coaxial two-wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 1, Wherein, according to the control signal output to the pair of wheel drive devices, the posture of the pedals is changed so as to cancel the centrifugal force applied to the rider.

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