Control of a balancing personal vehicle
US6443250B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 14, 2000 |
| Grant date | Sep 3, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 14, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB60K7/00
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A vehicle for transporting a payload over a surface that may be irregular and may include stairs. The vehicle has a support for supporting the payload and a ground contacting element movable with respect to a local axis, where the local axis can be moved with respect to some second axis that has a defined relation with respect to the support. The vehicle also has a motorized drive arrangement for permitting controllable motion of the ground contacting element so as to operate in an operating condition that is unstable with respect to tipping in at least a fore-aft plane when the motorized drive arrangement is not powered. The vehicle also has an input device for receiving an indication from an assistant who is not disposed on the vehicle of a direction of desired motion of the vehicle.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.