IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,450,028
Granted Patent B2
US 10,450,028 · App. 15/675,871 · Granted Oct 22, 2019

Traveling apparatus

Inventors: Takeshi Kama (Nagakute, JP); Makoto Kakuchi (Toyota, JP); Makoto Mori (Nagakute, JP)
Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
B62K11/14B62K3/002B62K5/027B62K15/006B62K19/18B62K21/00B62K2204/00Y02T10/7258
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,450,028
App. No.
15/675,871
Granted
Oct 22, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided is a traveling apparatus including a front wheel steered by an operation by a user and two rear wheels that are rotationally driven independently from each other disposed along a traveling direction and on which the user rides when traveling, the traveling apparatus including: a front wheel supporting member; a rear wheel supporting member; an adjusting mechanism configured to adjust a wheel base length between the front wheel and the rear wheels by changing, by the user, a relative position of the front wheel supporting member and the rear wheel supporting member; and a controller configured to control a rotational speed of each of the rear wheels based on the wheel base length and a steering angle of the front wheel in such a way that a moving track of the front wheel and moving tracks of the rear wheels draw a concentric arc.

Claims (8)

1. A traveling apparatus comprising a front wheel steered by an operation by a user and two rear wheels that are rotationally driven independently from each other disposed along a traveling direction and on which the user rides when traveling, the traveling apparatus comprising:

a front wheel supporting member configured to rotatably support the front wheel;

a rear wheel supporting member configured to rotatably support the rear wheels;

an adjusting mechanism configured to adjust a wheel base length between the front wheel and the rear wheels by changing, by the user, a relative position of the front wheel supporting member and the rear wheel supporting member; and

a controller configured to control a rotational speed of each of the rear wheels based on the wheel base length and a steering angle of the front wheel in such a way that a moving track of the front wheel and moving tracks of the rear wheels draw a concentric arc,

wherein the controller controls, when a turning angle of the traveling apparatus defined by the wheel base length and the steering angle is constant, the rotational speed of each of the rear wheels based on a target speed that is set in such a way that a first target speed associated with a first wheel base length does not exceed a second target speed associated with a second wheel base length longer than the first wheel base length.

2. The traveling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller controls, when the wheel base length is constant, the rotational speed of each of the rear wheels based on a target speed that is set in such a way that a third target speed associated with a first turning angle does not exceed a fourth target speed associated with a second turning angle smaller than the first turning angle.

3. The traveling apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising a handlebar unit that changes, when the user tilts the handlebar unit along the traveling direction, a relative position between the front wheel supporting member and the rear wheel supporting member since a force of an operation by the user is sent to the adjusting mechanism and changes, when the user turns the handlebar unit, the steering angle since a force of the operation by the user is sent to the front wheel supporting member.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 14, 2017
From: KAMA, TAKESHI; KAKUCHI, MAKOTO; MORI, MAKOTO
To: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 043279/0912 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2016-175062 · Sep 7, 2016 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20180065701A1 · Mar 8, 2018
Cited By (2)
US 12,214,818 US 12,325,484