Transformability(TM): personal mobility with shape-changing wheels

1 . A motorized wheeled device for transporting a person comprising:

a support structure that supports the person who is being transported;

a motor that moves the support structure by rotating at least one wheel;

at least one shape-changing wheel that changes shape to travel more effectively on different surfaces and obstacles;

and at least two rotating members that are part of this shape-changing wheel, wherein these rotating members are rotated by a motor, wherein this rotation can be independent of rotation of the wheel as a whole, wherein rotation of these rotating members into a first configuration causes the perimeter of the wheel to be a first shape, wherein rotation of these rotating members into a second configuration causes the perimeter of the wheel to be a second shape, and wherein the second shape is less circular than the first shape.

2 . The rotating members in claim 1 wherein portions of these rotating members form some or all of the perimeter of the shape-changing wheel in both the first configuration and the second configuration.

3 . The rotating members in claim 1 wherein portions of these rotating members form some or all of the ground (or other travel surface) contacting perimeter of the shape-changing wheel in both the first configuration and the second configuration.

4 . The rotating members in claim 1 wherein these rotating members rotate around one or more axes that are substantially parallel to the axis around which the wheel as a whole rotates.

5 . The rotating members in claim 1 wherein these rotating members rotate around one or more axes that are substantially perpendicular to the axis around which the wheel as a whole rotates.

6 . The rotating members in claim 5 wherein these rotating members rotate around one or more axes that are substantially perpendicular to the axis around which the wheel as a whole rotates, and wherein the axes of these rotating members do not all extend radially outwards, in a spoke-like manner, from the axis around which the wheel as a whole rotates.

7 . The rotating members in claim 1 wherein motorized rotation of these members is manually activated to travel more effectively on different surfaces and obstacles.

8 . The rotating members in claim 1 wherein motorized rotation of these members is automatically activated to travel more effectively on different surfaces and obstacles.

9 . The automatic activation in claim 8 wherein this activation is based on one or more factors selected from the group of factors consisting of: a change in the surfaces or obstacles that the device encounters based on information from a visual sensor; a change in the surfaces or obstacles that the device encounters based on information from an accelerometer; a change in the surfaces or obstacles that the device encounters based on information from an inclinometer; a change in the surfaces or obstacles that the device encounters based on information from infrared emissions; a change in the surfaces or obstacles that the device encounters based on information from acoustic emissions; a change in the surfaces or obstacles that the device encounters based on information from a map, blueprint, or GPS system; a change in the surfaces or obstacles that the device encounters based a change in the rotational speed of one or more wheels; and a change in the surfaces or obstacles that the device encounters based a change in the rotational resistance of one or more wheels.

10 . The first shape in claim 1 wherein this shape enables the device to travel more effectively over a flat, hard, dry surface.

11 . The second shape in claim 1 wherein this shape enables the device to travel more effectively over one or more surfaces or obstacles selected from the group consisting of liquid, ice, snow, soil, mud, vegetation, gravel, rocks, curb, hill, and stairs.

12 . The device in claim 1 wherein use of a gyroscope to maintain stability combined with use of a non-circular second shape enables the device to transport a person up or down stairs.

13 . The support structure in claim 1 wherein this structure supports the person being transported in one or more of the following postures: seated, standing up, and lying down.

14 . The device in claim 1 wherein the upper portion of the shape-changing wheel is covered by a shielding member that protects people from contact with the moving portions of the shape-changing wheel.

15 . The device in claim 1 wherein two or more shape-changing wheels change into different shapes in order to more effectively travel on different surfaces or obstacles.

16 . The device in claim 1 wherein more effective travel is achieved by one or more means selected from the group consisting of: more grasping, hooking, or other engagement of a substantially level, but slippery, surface in order to provide better traction on that surface; more reaching, stepping, or climbing over an obstacle on an otherwise substantially level surface; more grasping, hooking, or other engagement of a higher surface in order to pull the device upwards onto that higher surface, such as more grasping, hooking, or other engagement of successive stair treads to pull the device up a flight of stairs; more grasping, hooking, or other engagement of a lower surface to controllably lower the device downwards onto that lower surface, such as more grasping, hooking, or other engagement of successive stair treads to controllably lower the device down a flight of stairs; and differential changes in the shapes of two or more shape-changing wheels in order to help prevent the device from tipping over when traveling on a laterally-inclined surface, such as an increase in the diameter of perimeter of the downhill wheel of a pair of shape-changing wheels when traveling on a laterally-inclined surface.

17 . The device in claim 1 wherein the shapes of two or more shape-changing wheels are changed differently in order to help prevent the device from tipping over when traveling on a laterally-inclined surface, such as an increase in the diameter of the downhill wheel of a pair of shape-changing wheels when traveling on a laterally-inclined surface.

18 . The device in claim 1 wherein the rotating members have one or more shapes selected from the group consisting of: one part of a two-or-more-part “yin-yang” symbol, tear-drop shape, comma shape, paisley shape, spiral galaxy arm shape, shark fin shape, saw tooth shape, ninja-star tooth shape, quadrilateral gear tooth shape, triangular gear tooth shape, sinusoidal gear tooth shape, peak shape with convex slopes on both sides, peak shape with concave slopes on both sides, and peak shape with convex slope on one side and concave slope on the other side.

19 . A motorized wheeled device for transporting a person comprising:

a support structure that supports the person who is being transported;

a motor that moves the support structure by rotating at least one surface-contacting wheel, wherein the device travels on this surface;

at least one shape-changing wheel that changes shape to travel more effectively on different surfaces and obstacles;

and at least two rotating members that are part of this shape-changing wheel, wherein these rotating members are rotated by a motor, wherein this rotation can be independent of rotation of the wheel as a whole, wherein rotation of these rotating members into a first configuration causes the ground (or other travel surface) contacting perimeter of the wheel to be a first shape that is circular, wherein rotation of these rotating members into a second configuration causes the ground (or other travel surface) contacting perimeter of the wheel to be a second shape that is non-circular, wherein portions of these rotating members form some or all of the ground (or other travel surface) contacting perimeter of the shape-changing wheel in both the first configuration and the second configuration, and wherein these rotating members rotate around one or more axes that are different than the axis around which the wheel as a whole rotates.

20 . A method of increasing the effectiveness of a wheeled device for transporting a person on different surfaces and obstacles comprising:

providing a support structure to support the person;

moving this support structure by rotating at least one wheel with a motor;

changing the shape of at least one wheel to travel more effectively on different surfaces and obstacles;

and rotating at least two members that are part of this shape-changing wheel, wherein these rotating members are rotated by a motor, wherein this rotation can be independent of rotation of the wheel as a whole, wherein rotation of these rotating members into a first configuration causes the perimeter of the wheel to be a first shape, wherein rotation of these, rotating members into a second configuration causes the perimeter of the wheel to be a second shape, and wherein the second shape is less circular than the first shape.