Transportation vehicles and methods
US5971091A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 3, 1995 |
| Grant date | Oct 26, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 3, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S180/907
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
There is provided, in a preferred embodiment, a transportation vehicle for transporting an individual over ground having a surface that may be irregular. This embodiment has a support for supporting the subject. A ground-contacting module, movably attached to the support, serves to suspend the subject in the support over the surface. The orientation of the ground-contacting module defines fore-aft and lateral planes intersecting one another at a vertical. The support and the ground-contacting module are components of an assembly. A motorized drive, mounted to the assembly and coupled to the ground-contacting module, causes locomotion of the assembly and the subject therewith over the surface. Finally, the embodiment has a control loop, in which the motorized drive is included, for dynamically enhancing stability in the fore-aft plane by operation of the motorized drive in connection with the ground-contacting module. The ground contacting module may be realized as a pair of ground-contacting members, laterally disposed with respect to one another. The ground-contacting members may be wheels. Alternatively, each ground-contacting member may include a duster of wheels. In another emb…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.