Patent Application
20170088225
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric balance two-wheeled vehicle, of which two platforms for carrying people can rotate relative to each other to drive.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electric balance vehicle is also known as a somatosensory vehicle or a sensor controlled vehicle. The operating principle thereof is mainly established on a basic principle called “dynamic stabilization”, the change of car attitudes is detected by a gyroscope and an acceleration sensor inside the vehicle body, and a motor is accurately driven by a servo control system to adjust correspondingly, in order to keep the balance of the system.
The existing electric balance vehicle generally has an operating rod. A user stands on a foot platform of the balance vehicle to operate the operating rod so as to advance, retreat, and stop, and this control is also known as “manual control”. The foot platform of the existing balance vehicle is generally a flat plate, and the foot platform is always kept in a horizontal state during use and cannot rotate relatively. Therefore, the user cannot control the balance vehicle merely through the feet.
In order to overcome at least one defect in the prior art, the present invention provides an electric balance vehicle.
To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides an electric balance vehicle including a top cover, a bottom cover, an inner cover, a rotating mechanism, two wheels, two hub motors, a plurality of sensors, a power supply, and a controller. The top cover includes a first top cover and a second top cover disposed symmetrically and rotatable relative to each other. The bottom cover is fixed to the top cover, and the bottom cover includes a first bottom cover and a second bottom cover disposed symmetrically and rotatable relative to each other. The inner cover is fixed between the top cover and the bottom cover, and the inner cover includes a first inner cover and a second inner cover disposed symmetrically and rotatable relative to each other. The rotating mechanism is fixed between the first inner cover and the second inner cover. The two wheels are rotatably fixed at two sides of the inner cover, respectively.
The two hub motors are fixed in the two wheels, respectively. The plurality of sensors is disposed between the bottom cover and the inner cover, respectively. The power supply is fixed between the first bottom cover and the first inner cover. The controller is fixed between the second bottom cover and the second inner cover. The controller is electrically connected with the plurality of sensors, the power supply, and the hub motors, and the controller controls the hub motors to drive the corresponding wheels to rotate according to sensing signals transmitted by the sensors.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the electric balance vehicle may further include two pedals fixed to the top cover and the inner cover.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the pedals may have mutually separated friction strips disposed on upper surfaces of the pedals.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the first top cover and the second top cover may have hollow spaces, respectively, the first inner cover and the second inner cover may have recesses at positions corresponding to the hollow spaces, respectively, and the hollow spaces may be combined with the recesses to form pedal cavities for containing the pedals.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the rotating mechanism may include two bearings, a shaft sleeve, and two snap springs, the two bearings may be fixed to the first inner cover and the second inner cover, respectively, and the shaft sleeve may be fixed inside the two bearings and may be fixed to the inner cover via the two snap springs.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the inner cover may have a cylindrical barrel, and the bearings and the shaft sleeve may be installed in the barrel via the snap springs.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the electric balance vehicle may further include a decorative lamp disposed at the bottom cover.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the top cover may further include two indicating screens electrically connected with the controller. One indicating screen may display a remaining capacity of the power supply, and the other indicating screen may display a working state of the electric balance vehicle.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the sensor may include a gyroscope, an acceleration sensor, and an inductive switch, the inductive switch may sense whether a user stands on the electric balance vehicle so as to be on or off, the controller may receive the sensing signal of the inductive switch to control the hub motors to work or to stop, and the controller may receive the sensing signals of the acceleration sensor and the gyroscope to control the hub motors to change a state or to keep the state.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the inductive switch may be an infrared photoelectric sensor.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the electric balance vehicle may further include a charging interface disposed at the bottom cover.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the electric balance vehicle may further include an interface cover covering the charging interface.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the electric balance vehicle may further include a limiting shaft disposed between the first inner cover and the second inner cover, and the length of the limiting shaft in the second inner cover may be larger than the length of the limiting shaft in the first inner cover.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the top cover may have two arc-shaped projections, and the two arc-shaped projections may be located above the two wheels and may cover a part of the wheels, respectively.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the width of the arc-shaped projections may be larger than the width of the wheels.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the top cover and the bottom cover may be made of plastic, and the inner cover may be made of aluminum alloy.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the electric balance vehicle may further include a remote controller, and the controller may receive a control signal sent by the remote controller.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the controller may have a storage unit and a correction unit, the storage unit may store an initial balance state of the electric balance vehicle, and the correction unit may correct a current balance state of the electric balance vehicle.
In summary, according to the invention, the inner cover is uniquely disposed between the top cover and the bottom cover of the electric balance vehicle, such that the entire structure of the electric balance vehicle is firmer, and electronic elements inside the vehicle body are protected at the same time. Further, a space for fixing the electronic elements is formed between the inner cover and the bottom cover, such that the electronic elements are installed more compactly. The power supply and the controller are disposed in two parts of the vehicle body, respectively. Therefore, one power supply and one controller can control the two hub motors simultaneously, the assembly is easier, the wiring is more convenient, and more space is saved. Meanwhile, the weights on both sides of the vehicle body are better balanced thus to improve the self-balance of the vehicle body. According to the present invention, the wheels are located at the left and right edges of the vehicle body. Thus, the wheels with larger sizes can be used. Compared with the existing balance vehicle with wheels installed at the bottom of the bottom cover, the electric balance vehicle has considerable movement distance and speed advantages. Further, the hub motors are adopted in the present invention, and the motors are directly installed in the wheels. Accordingly, the structure of the electric balance vehicle is more compact. Compared with the balance vehicle singly installed with a motor, more space is saved and the entire device is more compact.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings.
Please refer to
The top cover 1 includes a first top cover 11 and a second top cover 12, and the first top cover 11 and the second top cover 12 are disposed symmetrically and rotatable relative to each other. When the electric balance vehicle 100 is in a using state, the top cover 1 is located at the top. The first top cover 11 may be a left top cover, and the second top cover 12 may be a right top cover. However, the invention is not limited thereto. When the electric balance vehicle 100 is rotated 180 degrees horizontally, the first top cover 11 becomes the right top cover, and the second top cover 12 becomes the left top cover.
The shapes of the first top cover 11 and the second top cover 12 are basically the same, and the first top cover 11 and the second top cover 12 can rotate relative to each other under the action of the rotating mechanism 60. The inward parts of the first top cover 11 and the second top cover 12 are connected to form an X shape, and two indicating screens 13 are disposed at the inner ends. The indicating screens 13 are electrically connected with the controller 82, wherein one of the indicating screens 13 can display a remaining capacity of the power supply 81, and the other indicating screen 13 can display a working state of the electric balance vehicle 100. In actual application, a transparent outer cover 14 is disposed on each indicating screen 13 for protecting the indicating screen 13 and facilitating reading for a user. The indicating screen 13 displaying the working state can display different icons (for example, a battery icon and the like) according to different modes of the electric balance vehicle 100, for example, a low speed mode, a high speed mode, a normal system state, a locked state and the like, thereby enabling the user to intuitively and clearly understand the working state of the electric balance vehicle 100.
In the embodiment, outward parts of the first top cover 11 and the second top cover 12 have arc-shaped projections 15, respectively, and the two arc-shaped projections 15 are located above the two wheels 50 and cover a part of the wheels 50, respectively. In the first embodiment, the width W1 of each of the arc-shaped projections 15 is larger than the width W2 of each of the wheels 50. The arc-shaped projections 15 completely cover the tops of the wheels 50. Due to this arrangement, the arc-shaped projections 15 can effectively block muddy water splashed when the wheels 50 walk. Meanwhile, a hanging object (for example, an overlong waistband of the clothes of the user) is prevented from being accidentally rolled into the wheels in a moving process to cause possible injury of the user, so that the safety of the electric balance vehicle 100 is improved. However, the invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the arc-shaped projections 15 can be designed to be narrow at two ends and wide in the middle.
The bottom cover 3 is fixed to the top cover 1. In actual application, the top cover 1 and the bottom cover 3 can be fixed together by screws. In the present invention, the top cover 1, the inner cover 2, and the bottom cover 3 jointly form the framework of the electric balance vehicle 100, and after the top cover 1 and the bottom cover 3 are fixed together, the inner cover 2 is covered inside the vehicle body and is not exposed. When the electric balance vehicle 100 is in the using state, the bottom cover 3 is located at the bottom.
The bottom cover 3 includes a first bottom cover 31 and a second bottom cover 32, and the first bottom cover 31 and the second bottom cover 32 are disposed symmetrically and rotatable relative to each other. The shapes of the first bottom cover 31 and the second bottom cover 32 are basically the same, and the first bottom cover 31 and the second bottom cover 32 can rotate relative to each other under the action of the rotating mechanism 60. The inward parts of the first bottom cover 31 and the second bottom cover 32 are connected to form an X shape. Similarly, the first bottom cover 31 may be a left bottom cover, and the second bottom cover 32 may be a right bottom cover. When the electric balance vehicle 100 is rotated 180 degrees horizontally, the first bottom cover 31 becomes the right bottom cover, and the second bottom cover 32 becomes the left bottom cover.
In the embodiment, the bottom cover 3 has two decorative lamps 33 for increasing the beautiful appearance and playing an illumination role at the same time. The shells of the decorative lamps 33 may be transparent for transmitting light. In actual application, the decorative lamps 33 may be electrically connected with the controller 82, so that the decorative lamps 33 can reflect a driving state of the electric balance vehicle 100 to remind surrounding people, thereby improving the using safety. For example, when the electric balance vehicle 100 advances, the decorative lamps 33 may stay lit; when the electric balance vehicle 100 retreats, the decorative lamps 33 may flash; when the electric balance vehicle 100 turns left, the decorative lamp 33 at the left side may flash or stay lit, and the decorative lamp 33 at the right side may be off; when the electric balance vehicle 100 turns right, the decorative lamp 33 at the right side may flash or stay lit, and the decorative lamp 33 at the left side may be off. The lighting states of the decorative lamps 33 are not limited in the invention.
The inner cover 2 is fixed between the top cover 1 and the bottom cover 3.
The inner cover 2 includes a first inner cover 21 and a second inner cover 22, and the first inner cover 21 and the second inner cover 22 are disposed symmetrically and rotatable relative to each other. The shapes of the first inner cover 21 and the second inner cover 22 are basically the same, and the first inner cover 21 and the second inner cover 22 can rotate relative to each other under the action of the rotating mechanism 60. The rotating mechanism 60 may be installed in the middle of the inner cover 2, and the longitudinally installed hub motors 4 are fixed to the left and right edges. In the embodiment, the first inner cover 21 and the second inner cover 22 are interconnected to form an entirety. However, the invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the first inner cover 21 and the second inner cover 22 may be mutually separated and independent components. Similarly, the first inner cover 21 may be a left inner cover, and the second inner cover 22 may be a right inner cover. When the electric balance vehicle 100 is rotated 180 degrees horizontally, the first inner cover 21 becomes the right inner cover, and the second inner cover 22 becomes the left right cover.
In the embodiment, the electric balance vehicle 100 further includes two pedals 5, and the pedals 5 are fixed to the top cover 1 and the inner cover 2. To enable the user to stand more stably in the moving process, mutually separated friction strips 51 are disposed on the upper surface of each pedal 5 of the balance vehicle 100 in the embodiment to increase the friction force.
To fix the pedals 5 and reduce the volume of the balance vehicle 100, the first top cover 11 and the second top cover 12 have hollow spaces 16, respectively, the first inner cover 21 and the second inner cover 22 have recesses 23 at positions corresponding to the hollow spaces 16, respectively, and the hollow spaces 16and the recesses 23 are mutually combined to form pedal cavities (not shown in
When in use, the pedals 5 directly carry the user. The inner cover 2 is used as the internal framework of the entire balance vehicle 100 to indirectly bear the weight of the user transferred by the pedals 5, thereby preventing electronic elements between the inner cover 2 and the bottom cover 3 from being extruded by the weight of the user.
Therefore, the entire electric balance vehicle 100 is firmer and stronger, and the electronic elements therein are protected, such that the balance vehicle 100 operates more stably and has longer service life. Preferably, the inner cover 2 is made of aluminum alloy. Thus, the strength is higher, and the structure is more stable. The top cover 1 and the bottom cover 3 are made of plastic, so that the weight of the entire vehicle body is reduced, the processes, such as spray coating, coloring and so on, are conveniently carried out on the appearance of the vehicle body, and antifouling and waterproof functions are achieved. Since the conventional electric balance vehicle does not include the inner cover 2, the internal electronic elements directly bear the weight of the user, and due to the shaking generated during the driving process of the conventional balance vehicle, an automatic power off situation is easy to occur, and the user is easy to fall down during driving. The electric balance vehicle 100 in the present invention has solved this technical problem.
The rotating mechanism 60 is fixed between the first inner cover 21 and the second inner cover 22. In the first embodiment, the rotating mechanism 60 includes two bearings 61, a shaft sleeve 62, and two snap springs 63. The two bearings 61 are fixed to the inner ends of the first inner cover 21 and the second inner cover 22, respectively. The shaft sleeve 62 is fixed inside the two bearings 61 and is fixed to the inner cover 2 via the two snap springs 63. Thus, the left and right inner covers of the inner cover 2 can rotate under the cooperation of the rotating mechanism 60. Due to the arrangement of the rotating mechanism 60, the two parts of the vehicle body of the electric balance vehicle 100 can rotate freely and relatively.
To install the rotating mechanism 60, a cylindrical barrel 24 may be designed at the inward ends of the first inner cover 21 and the second inner cover 22, and the bearings 61 and the shaft sleeve 62 are installed in the barrel 24 via the snap springs 63 from outside to inside. In order to limit an overlarge relative rotation angle between the first inner cover 21 and the second inner cover 22, the electric balance vehicle 100 further includes a limiting shaft 7, and the length of the limiting shaft 7 in the second inner cover 22 is larger than the length of the limiting shaft 7 in the first inner cover 21. In the embodiment, the limiting shaft 7 is located between the inward ends of the first inner cover 21 and the second inner cover 22.
The two wheels 50 are rotatably fixed at two sides of the inner cover 2, respectively, and the two hub motors 4 are fixed in the two wheels 50, respectively. The hub motor 4 is also called in-wheel motor, wherein power, transmission, and braking devices are incorporated into a hub, so that a large quantity of transmission components can be omitted, the structure of the balance vehicle can be simpler, a better space utilization rate can be obtained, and the transmission efficiency can be improved at the same time. Since the hub motor 4have the characteristic of independently driving a single wheel, differential steering similar to a crawler-type vehicle can be achieved by different rotating speeds and even by inversion of the left and right wheels 50, so that the turning radius of the vehicle can be greatly reduced, and in-situ steering can be nearly achieved under a particular condition.
The plurality of sensors 80 are disposed between the bottom cover 3 and the inner cover 2. In detail, a half of the sensors 80 are disposed between the first bottom cover 31 and the first inner cover 21, and the other half of the sensors 80are disposed between the second bottom cover 32 and the second inner cover 22. The power supply 81 is fixed between the first bottom cover 31 and the first inner cover 21. The controller 82 is fixed between the second bottom cover 32 and the second inner cover 22. In the present invention, only one power supply 81 and one controller 82 are required to simultaneously control the two hub motors 4, so that the assembling is easier, the wiring is more convenient, and the repairing of the sold electric balance vehicle 100 returned to the factory is more convenient. Moreover, the power supply 81 and the controller 82 are disposed in two half parts of the vehicle body, respectively. Thus, more space is saved, and the structure of the entire vehicle body is more compact. An electric wire connecting the power supply 81 and the controller 82 and the electric wires connecting the controller 82 and the hub motors 4 can penetrate through the joint of the two half parts of the vehicle body, that is the electric wires penetrate from the left half part (or the right half part) of the vehicle body to the right half part (or the left half part).
In the embodiment, the sensors 80 include a gyroscope 83, an inductive switch 84, and an acceleration sensor 85. In actual application, to modularize the internal elements of the entire device, the acceleration sensor 85 and the gyroscope 83 are disposed on the same circuit board. Due to a visual angle, only the front surface of the circuit board can be seen in
The inductive switch 84 senses whether the user stands on the electric balance vehicle 100 so as to be on or off, the controller 82 receives the sensing signal (i.e., the on or off signal) of the inductive switch 84 to control the hub motors 4 to work or to stop, and the controller 82 receives the sensing signals of the acceleration sensor 85 and the gyroscope 83 to control the hub motors 4 to change the state or to keep the state. In the first embodiment, the inductive switch 84 is an infrared photoelectric sensor. However, the invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the inductive switch 84 may be a microwave inductive switch, an ultrasonic inductive switch, or any other inductive switches capable of achieving the same function. In the embodiment, the electric balance vehicle 100 further includes a blocking element 86. When the user stamps on the pedals 5, the blocking element 86 will block an infrared induction area of the infrared photoelectric sensor, and thus the infrared photoelectric sensor is started. The controller 82 receives a starting signal sent by the inductive switch 84, thereby driving the hub motors 4 to work.
The wheels of the balance vehicle in the prior art start rotating automatically once the balance vehicle is enabled, so that the user cannot easily stand on the balance vehicle. When the user gets off from the balance vehicle, the wheels do not stop rotating, and the entire wheels stop rotating only after the power switch is turned off. Thus, a very huge potential risk exists, and the using is very inconvenient. When the electric balance vehicle 100 in the embodiment is enabled, the hub motors 4 do not work, while the wheels 50 are driven by sensing whether the user stands on the pedals 5, thereby avoiding the blind rotating situation of the balance vehicle in the prior art and greatly improving the using safety. On the other hand, the electric balance vehicle 100 in the embodiment achieves automatic balance after sensing the stamping instead of balancing once the power supply is turned on, so that the safety of the vehicle body can be guaranteed, the rotation of the vehicle body is little to avoid the problem in the prior art that automatic balance is achieved once the power supply is turned on to cause a wrong balance point of the vehicle body and the vehicle body rotates to result in unbalance of the user.
The acceleration sensor 85 and the gyroscope 83 detect the motion state of the balance vehicle 100 together, for example, the acceleration, the angular speed and the like of the balance vehicle 100. The controller 82 drives the hub motors 4 according to the sensing signals transmitted by the acceleration sensor 85 and the gyroscope 83, thereby determining to change the direction or the speed of the balance vehicle 100 or not. The detection technology of the acceleration sensor 85 and the gyroscope 83 is conventional and will not be described herein for a concise purpose.
In the embodiment, the electric balance vehicle 100 further includes a U-shaped fixing element 9. The sensors 80 and the blocking element 86 are fixed to the U-shaped fixing element 9, in order to achieve modularized installation of the electronic elements of the entire device to facilitate the assembly, wiring and the subsequent maintenance.
In practice, the user drives a part or two parts of the vehicle body to twist by forces of the feet, in order to drive the sensors 80 to send the sensing signals to the controller 82. The controller 82 drives the hub motors 4 to operate according to an internal control program, to enable the user to turn, advance or retreat, so that “foot control” is achieved, the use is more convenient, and the control is more flexible.
How the controller 82 in the present invention controls the balance vehicle to achieve a self-balancing state and controls the wheels 50 to advance, retreat or turn belongs to the prior art, and will not be described herein for a concise purpose. Specific reference can refer to currently disclosed balance vehicle control methods and control technologies adopted by balance vehicle production enterprises. For example, the Chinese patent application No. 201320050547.3, entitled BALANCE CONTROL DEVICE FOR INTELLIGENT BALANCING VEHICLE AND INTELLIGENT BALANCING VEHICLE, wherein the control device may be the controller 82 in the embodiment. Or, for example, the Chinese patent application No. 201220367045.9, entitled CIRCUIT CONTROL DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING BALANCING VEHICLE MOTOR BY USING CPLD. Certainly, in actual application, other control devices and control methods can also be selected, for example, the control method described in the Chinese patent application No. 201310516158.X, entitled CONTROL METHOD FOR TWO-WHEELED SELF-BALANCING VEHICLE.
In the embodiment, the electric balance vehicle 100 further includes a charging interface 87, and the charging interface 87 is disposed at the bottom cover 3. Specifically, the charging interface 87 is disposed at the outer side of the bottom cover 3 for charging the power supply 81 conveniently.
In the embodiment, the controller 82 has a storage unit 821 and a correction unit 822, the storage unit 821 stores an initial balance state of the electric balance vehicle 100, and the correction unit 822 corrects a current balance state of the electric balance vehicle 100. Specifically, after the electric balance vehicle 100 is delivered out of the factory, the data when the vehicle body is placed horizontally is recorded in the storage unit 821. After the electric balance vehicle 100 is used for a period of time, due to external environments, such as temperature and so on, and using situations such as shaking, the sensors 80 of the electric balance vehicle 100 may deviate to a certain extent, so that the horizontal reference value of the electric balance vehicle 100 will change correspondingly. At that time, if the horizontal data adopted when leaving the factory is still adopted, the electric balance vehicle 100 is controlled inaccurately. After long term use, accidents may happen. A correction program is stored in the correction unit 822 in the embodiment. When the correction program is operated, the electric balance vehicle 100 detects the real-time conditions of the sensors 80 and judges and compares the real-time conditions with the initial horizontal data, so as to determine whether to overwrite the original data for resetting. By setting the correction program, the control accuracy and the service life of the electric balance vehicle 100 are greatly improved, and the problem in the prior art that the flexibility and the accuracy of the balance vehicle decline after the balance vehicle is used for a period of time is solved.
In summary, according to the invention, the inner cover is uniquely disposed between the top cover and the bottom cover of the electric balance vehicle, such that the entire structure of the electric balance vehicle is firmer, and the electronic elements inside the vehicle body are protected at the same time. Further, the space for fixing the electronic elements is formed between the inner cover and the bottom cover, such that the electronic elements are installed more compactly. The power supply and the controller are disposed in two parts of the vehicle body, respectively. Therefore, one power supply and one controller can control the two hub motors simultaneously, the assembly is easier, the wiring is more convenient, and more space is saved. Meanwhile, the weights on both sides of the vehicle body are better balanced thus to improve the self-balance of the vehicle body. According to the present invention, the wheels are located at the left and right edges of the vehicle body. Thus, the wheels with larger sizes can be used. Compared with the existing balance vehicle with wheels installed at the bottom of the bottom cover, the electric balance vehicle has considerable movement distance and speed advantages. Further, the hub motors are adopted in the present invention, and the motors are directly installed in the wheels. Accordingly, the structure of the electric balance vehicle is more compact. Compared with the balance vehicle singly installed with a motor, more space is saved and the entire device is more compact.
Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, the disclosure is not for limiting the scope of the invention. Persons having ordinary skill in the art may make various modifications and changes without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred embodiments described above.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201410262353.9 | Jun 2014 | CN | national |
This application claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. §119 from China Patent Application No. 201410262353.9, filed on Jun. 13, 2014 in the China Intellectual Property Office, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference. This application is a continuation under 35 U.S.C. §120 of international patent application PCT/CN2014/092849 filed Dec. 2, 2014.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/CN2014/092849 | Dec 2014 | US |
| Child | 15373478 | US |
