Patent Application
20200282296
The present disclosure relates to personal mobility vehicles, such as skateboards. In particular, the present disclosure relates to personal mobility vehicles with at least one powered wheel (e.g., a powered front wheel and/or a powered rear wheel) and/or other features.
Many types of personal mobility vehicles exist, such as skateboards, scooters, bicycles, karts, etc. A user can ride such a vehicle to travel from place to place.
A need exists for new and/or improved personal mobility vehicle designs, which may provide a new riding experience or unique functionality. The systems, methods and devices described herein have innovative aspects, no single one of which is indispensable or solely responsible for their desirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of the claims, certain features of some embodiments will now be summarized.
Various powered personal mobility vehicles are described in this disclosure. According to some embodiments, the powered personal mobility vehicle can include a deck configured to support a user. The deck can have a forward portion, a rearward portion, and a neck portion spacing apart the forward portion and the rearward portion. The neck portion can be configured to enable the deck to twist about a longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The vehicle can include a first wheel assembly. The first wheel assembly can include a first swivel wheel connected to the forward portion of the deck. The vehicle can include a second wheel assembly. The second wheel assembly can include a second swivel wheel connected to the rearward portion of the deck. The first and second wheel assemblies can be positioned along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and disposed entirely beneath the deck. The vehicle can include a battery. The battery can be connected to a bottom surface of the forward portion of the deck. A portion of the battery can be positioned directly above a portion of the first swivel wheel when the first and second swivel wheels are on a flat horizontal riding surface. The vehicle can include a motor operably coupled to the battery and configured to drive one of the first and second wheel assemblies.
In some embodiments, the motor can be configured to transfer rotational force to the first swivel wheel and can be disposed entirely within the first swivel wheel.
In some embodiments, at least one of the first swivel wheel and the second swivel wheel can be configured to swivel 360 degrees. In some embodiments, the first wheel assembly can include a limiter configured to limit the degree to which the first swivel wheel can pivot. In some embodiments, the first swivel wheel and the second swivel wheel can be configured to swivel independently.
In some embodiments, the first swivel wheel can be powered and the second swivel wheel can be non-powered. The first and second swivel wheels can have similar diameters.
In some embodiments, the vehicle can include a panel covering a recess in the forward portion of the deck. The panel can be removable to provide access to an upper portion of the first wheel assembly that extends upward into the recess in the deck from beneath the deck.
In some embodiments, the rearward portion of the deck can include a handle. The handle can be an opening that extends through the deck and can be configured to receive a user's hand.
In some embodiments, the neck portion of the deck can include a rotational coupling connected at a first end to the forward portion of the deck and at a second end, opposite the first end, to the rearward portion of the deck.
In some embodiments, the first wheel assembly and the second wheel assembly can each be mounted to the deck at an inclined angle relative to horizontal. The inclined angle can be 40-45 degrees relative to horizontal.
According to some embodiments, the deck can have a forward portion and a rearward portion, the forward portion and the rearward portion spaced apart by a neck portion. The vehicle can include a front wheel assembly connected to the forward portion of the deck. The front wheel assembly can include a powered swivel wheel having a motor and a tire. The motor can be disposed entirely within the tire. The vehicle can include a rear wheel assembly connected to the rearward portion of the deck. The rear wheel assembly can include a non-powered swivel wheel. The front and rear wheel assemblies can be positioned along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. A diameter of the powered swivel wheel of the front wheel assembly can be approximately equal to a diameter of the non-powered swivel wheel of the rear wheel assembly.
In some embodiments, at least one of the powered swivel wheel and the non-powered swivel wheel can be configured to swivel 360 degrees. In some embodiments, the front wheel assembly can include a limiter configured to limit the degree to which the powered swivel wheel can pivot. In some embodiments, the powered swivel wheel and the non-powered swivel wheel can be configured to swivel independently.
In some embodiments, the front wheel assembly and the rear wheel assembly can each be mounted to the deck at an inclined angle relative to horizontal, the inclined angle being 40-45 degrees relative to horizontal.
According to some embodiments, the vehicle can include a first wheel assembly coupled to the deck. The first wheel assembly can include a powered swivel wheel and a first mounting assembly. A motor can be disposed within the powered swivel wheel. The vehicle can include a second wheel assembly coupled to the deck. The second wheel assembly can include a non-powered swivel wheel and a second mounting assembly. The first wheel assembly and the second wheel assembly can be positioned along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. An upper surface of the deck can include a first recess and a second recess. Each of the first and second recesses can include an opening at its base. The first recess can be covered by a first removable panel. The second recess can be covered by a second removable panel. A portion of the first mounting assembly can extend upward from beneath the deck into the opening at the base of the first recess. A portion of the second mounting assembly can extend upward from beneath the deck into the opening at the base of the second recess.
In some embodiments, the first wheel assembly can include a limiter configured to limit the degree to which the powered swivel wheel can pivot.
The foregoing and other features of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only several embodiments in accordance with the disclosure and are not to be considered limiting of its scope, the disclosure will be described with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings.
Embodiments of systems, components and methods of assembly and manufacture will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein like numerals refer to like or similar elements throughout. Although several embodiments, examples and illustrations are disclosed below, the inventions described herein extend beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments, examples and illustrations, and can include other uses of the inventions and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. The terminology used in the description presented herein is not intended to be interpreted in any limited or restrictive manner simply because it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific embodiments of the inventions. In addition, embodiments of the inventions can comprise several novel features and no single feature is solely responsible for its desirable attributes or is essential to practicing the inventions herein described.
Various embodiments of a powered personal mobility vehicle are disclosed. As disclosed in more detail below, the vehicles can include one or more swivel (e.g., caster) wheels, such as a powered front swivel wheel and a non-powered rear swivel wheel. Conventionally, this combination was thought to render the vehicle front-heavy, unstable, difficult to ride, and/or hard to control. This combination was typically thought to be particularly problematic when used on vehicles (e.g., wheeled boards) configured to permit twisting or flexing of the deck. Nevertheless, certain embodiments described herein establish that a vehicle can successfully include a powered front swivel wheel and one or more additional swivel wheels. In spite of the aforementioned and other concerns, such a vehicle can be sufficiently controllable and stable to provide an enjoyable riding experience.
In some embodiments, the front wheel 106 and/or the rear wheel 112 can be powered (i.e., driven by a motor). In some embodiments, the powered wheel (i.e., the driven wheel) can be used to steer the vehicle 100. In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 has two caster (e.g., swivel) wheels. In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 has a front caster wheel and a rear caster wheel. For example, in some variants, the front wheel 106 and/or the rear wheel 112 is a swivel (e.g., caster) wheel. In some embodiments, the front wheel 106 and/or the rear wheel 112 can be a powered swivel wheel. The rear wheel assembly 110 can be configured to rotate 360 degrees. The front wheel assembly 104 can be configured to rotate 360 degrees or can be limited in rotation, such as to rotating less than or equal to about 120 degrees.
In some embodiments, one of the front wheel 106 and the rear wheel 112 is powered and the other of the front wheel 106 and the rear wheel 112 is non-powered. For example, in some embodiments, as illustrated in
In some embodiments, the front wheel assembly 104 and the rear wheel assembly 110 can be mounted at an incline relative to the deck 102. In some variants, the front wheel assembly 104 and the rear wheel assembly 110 are mounted at a similar or the same inclined angle (e.g., 20-50 degrees relative to horizontal, 30-55 degrees relative to horizontal, 40-45 degrees relative to horizontal, etc.). Inclined wheel assemblies 104, 110 can enable the deck 102 to be positioned closer to the riding surface, which can lower the center of gravity of the vehicle 100, increase the user's control over the vehicle 100, and/or facilitate turning of the wheel assemblies 104, 110.
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, the front wheel 106 and the rear wheel 112 can have similar thicknesses. The thickness can be measured in an axial direction. In some embodiments, one of the front wheel 106 and the rear wheel 112 can be thicker than the other of the front wheel 106 and the rear wheel 112 (e.g., to provide space for a motor). For example, in some variants, the powered or driven wheel can be thicker than the non-powered wheel. In some embodiments, the powered or driven wheel is at least about 1.25-3.50 times thicker than the non-powered wheel (e.g., about 1.3 times thicker, about 2.0 times thicker, about 2.25 times thicker, etc.). As shown in
In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 includes more than two wheels (such as three wheels, four wheels, etc.). The wheels can include caster wheels and/or fixed wheels. In some embodiments, some of the wheels can be auxiliary wheels that are offset from the longitudinal axis of the vehicle 100.
In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 can include a motor 136 configured to transfer rotational force to the front wheel 106 and/or the rear wheel 112. In some embodiments, the motor 136 can include a housing enclosing a motor and a transmission assembly. In some embodiments, the motor 136 can be disposed at least partially within the front wheel 106 or the rear wheel 112 (i.e., the driven wheel). In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 can include a motor 136 disposed entirely within the front wheel 106 and/or the rear wheel 112. In some embodiments, the motor 136 and one of the front wheel 106 and the rear wheel 112 (i.e., the driven wheel) can be coupled to a drive arrangement, such as a chain drive, belt drive, or gear drive.
In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 can comprise a power source, such as a battery 150. In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 can comprise a power switch 156 and a charging port 158. The power switch 156 can be configured to be actuated by the user to turn the vehicle 100 on and off. The charging port 158 can be configured to be connected to an external power source to recharge the battery 150.
In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 can be operated using a remote control 160. In some embodiments, the remote control 160 is configured to be stored on the vehicle 100 when not in use. For example, the remote control 160 can be removably secured to a portion of the deck 102 along a perimeter of the deck 102 (e.g., along the perimeter of the deck 102 towards the middle of the vehicle 100, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, the neck portion 124 can be configured to allow the deck 102 to twist or flex about a longitudinal axis of the vehicle 100. For example, in some embodiments, the neck portion 124 can include a rotational coupling 126 connected at a first end to the forward portion 120 and at a second end, opposite the first end, to the rearward portion 122. In some variants, the rotational coupling 126 is a cylindrical member. The rotational coupling 126 can permit rotational movement of the forward portion 120 and the rearward portion 122 relative to one another along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle 100 (e.g., when the user shifts his or her weight on the deck 102). In some embodiments, the rotational coupling 126 can include one or more pivot assemblies. In some embodiments, the rotational coupling 126 can include a biasing element configured to bias the forward portion 120 and the rearward portion 122 into a neutral or aligned relative position.
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, an upper surface of the forward portion 120 and/or an upper surface of the rearward portion 122 can include a removable panel covering a recess in the deck 102. For example, as shown in
In some embodiments, the deck 102 comprises mounts 132 configured to receive portions of the mounting assemblies 108, 114 of the front wheel assembly 104 and the rear wheel assembly 110. For example, as illustrated in
In some variants, removal of the access panels 166A, 166B provides access to the portions of the mounting assemblies 108, 114 of the front wheel assembly 104 and the rear wheel assembly 110 that extend upward from beneath the deck 102 into the recesses 128A, 128B in the deck 102, such as portions of the mounting shafts 118 of the mounting assemblies 108, 114. Being able to access the tops of the mounting shafts 118 of the mounting assemblies 108, 114 can permit fasteners 134 (e.g., nuts) to be connected to the tops of the mounting shafts 118 (e.g., the tops of threaded bolts) as shown in
In some embodiments, the access panels 166A, 166B and the recesses 128A, 128B in the deck 102 have corresponding features or mating features. For example, in some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some variants, the access panel 166A, 166B can include a first mating feature (e.g., a tab 168) configured to mate with a corresponding second mating feature (e.g., a recess in the deck 102). The tab 168 can extend along a longitudinal axis of the access panel 166A, 166B. In some embodiments, as shown in
As illustrated in
In some embodiments, the front wheel assembly 104 and/or the rear wheel assembly 110 can include a cover 148. In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, the front wheel assembly 104 and/or the rear wheel assembly 110 can be configured to swivel 360 degrees about a swivel axis. In some embodiments, rotation of the front wheel 106 and/or the rear wheel 112 can be limited. For example, as shown in
As shown in
In some variants, as shown in
The front wheel assembly 104 can include a traction element 146, such as a tire, configured to couple to the motor 136. In some embodiments, the traction element 146 is coupled to the motor 136 such that at least a portion of an inner surface of the traction element 146 contacts, and is flush with, at least a portion of the outer surface 138 of the motor 136. In some embodiments, the traction element 146 is coupled to a motor 136 having an outer surface 138 with protrusions 140. The traction element 146 can be configured to be thick enough (e.g., in the radial direction) to reduce vibrations or bumpiness during riding that might otherwise be caused by the protrusions 140 on the outer surface 138 of the motor 136. For example, in some embodiments, the traction element 146 can have a thickness of at least about: 5 mm, 7 mm, 10 mm, or 12 mm. In some embodiments, the traction element 146 can have a diameter of at least about: 65 mm, 70 mm, 75 mm, or 80 mm.
In some embodiments, as illustrated in
In some embodiments, as illustrated in
In some embodiments, as illustrated in
In some embodiments, the outer surface 138 includes a plurality of spaced apart recesses 141A extending along the width of the outer surface 138 and/or a plurality of spaced apart recesses 141B extending circumferentially around the periphery of the outer surface 138. The recesses 141A can be circumferentially spaced apart by at least about: 5 mm, 15 mm, 30 mm, or 45 mm. The recesses 141B can be laterally spaced apart by at least about: 5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, or 20 mm. As shown in
In certain embodiments, as illustrated in
In some embodiments, an inner surface of the anti-vibration element 147 includes a plurality of indentations 149 spaced apart along the inner circumference of the anti-vibration element 147. The indentations 149 can be configured to receive the protrusions 140 on the outer surface 138 of the motor 136. When the anti-vibration element 147 is coupled to the outer surface 138 of the motor 136, the anti-vibration element 147 can provide a relatively smooth, continuous surface that the traction element 146 can be disposed on top of. This arrangement can improve the riding experience by reducing vibrations during riding that might otherwise be associated with the protrusions 140 on the outer surface 138 of the motor 136.
In certain embodiments, the vehicle 100 is configured to enable powered and non-powered riding. This can allow a user to choose the method of locomotion, extend riding range, provide use of the vehicle when the battery is depleted, etc. Some conventional powered boards were only configured for powered riding because, for example, they included large motors that applied a substantial amount of resistance to rotation of the motorized wheel when the motor was not driving the wheel, which could inhibit rolling of the wheel and hinder non-powered riding of the vehicle. In certain embodiments of the vehicle 100, the motor 136 applies less resistance, or substantially no resistance, to rotation of the motorized wheel (e.g., the front wheel 106), even when the motor 136 is not driving the motorized wheel. This can facilitate non-powered riding of the vehicle, such as by the user pushing-off the ground or alternately twisting the front and rear portions of the deck about the longitudinal axis of the vehicle to provide locomotive force. As mentioned above, in some embodiments the motor 136 is housed within the front wheel 106 (e.g., the motor 136 is positioned entirely within the inside radius of the traction element 146). Such a small motor can aid in providing less or substantially no resistance to rotation of the wheel 106, even when the motor 136 is not driving the wheel 106. Further, such a configuration can protect and/or obscure the motor 136.
The vehicle 100 can include a controller 152, which can include a processor and a memory. The controller 152 can be operably connected to a battery 150 and the motor 136. For example, an electrical connection, such as wires, can connect the controller 152, motor 136, and battery 150 to enable controlled supply of electrical power from the battery 150 to the motor 136. The wires can extend along a side of the wheel assembly 104 and pass into an axle 144 of the wheel 106 to connect to the motor 136. As mentioned above, the cover 148 can obscure and/or protect the wires. The wires can have sufficient slack or otherwise be configured to enable rotation of the wheel assembly 104. In some variants, the electrical connection comprises mating traces or other electrical contacts in the mount 132 and wheel mounting assembly 108, which can remove the need for external wires. The controller 152 can include a receiver and/or transceiver that can wirelessly communicate with the remote control 160.
In some embodiments, the battery 150 and/or controller 152 are disposed beneath the deck 102. In some variants, the battery 150 and the controller 152 can be disposed in the same housing 154 (
In some embodiments, a portion of the battery 150 and/or a portion of the controller 152 can extend above a portion of the rear wheel 112. In some embodiments, a portion of the battery 150 and/or a portion of the controller 152 can extend above a portion of the front wheel 106. For example, as shown in
In some embodiments, such as in the embodiment of
Certain terminology may be used in the description for the purpose of reference only, and thus are not intended to be limiting. For example, terms such as “above” and “below” refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. Terms such as “front,” “back,” “left,” “right,” “rear,” and “side” describe the orientation and/or location of portions of the components or elements within a consistent but arbitrary frame of reference which is made clear by reference to the text and the associated drawings describing the components or elements under discussion. Moreover, terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” and so on may be used to describe separate components. Such terminology may include the words specifically mentioned above, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import. Throughout the description herein, like numbers refer to like components.
Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or states are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.
Moreover, the following terminology may have been used herein. The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to an item includes reference to one or more items. The term “ones” refers to one, two, or more, and generally applies to the selection of some or all of a quantity. The term “plurality” refers to two or more of an item. The term “about” or “approximately” means that quantities, dimensions, sizes, formulations, parameters, shapes and other characteristics need not be exact, but may be approximated and/or larger or smaller, as desired, reflecting acceptable tolerances, conversion factors, rounding off, measurement error and the like and other factors known to those of skill in the art. The term “substantially” means that the recited characteristic, parameter, or value need not be achieved exactly, but that deviations or variations, including for example, tolerances, measurement error, measurement accuracy limitations and other factors known to those of skill in the art, may occur in amounts that do not preclude the effect the characteristic was intended to provide.
Numerical data may be expressed or presented herein in a range format. It is to be understood that such a range format is used merely for convenience and brevity and thus should be interpreted flexibly to include not only the numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also interpreted to include all of the individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitly recited. As an illustration, a numerical range of “about 1 to 5” should be interpreted to include not only the explicitly recited values of about 1 to about 5, but should also be interpreted to also include individual values and sub-ranges within the indicated range. Thus, included in this numerical range are individual values such as 2, 3 and 4 and sub-ranges such as “about 1 to about 3,” “about 2 to about 4” and “about 3 to about 5,” “1 to 3,” “2 to 4,” “3 to 5,” etc. This same principle applies to ranges reciting only one numerical value (e.g., “greater than about 1”) and should apply regardless of the breadth of the range or the characteristics being described.
A plurality of items may be presented in a common list for convenience. However, these lists should be construed as though each member of the list is individually identified as a separate and unique member. Thus, no individual member of such list should be construed as a de facto equivalent of any other member of the same list solely based on their presentation in a common group without indications to the contrary. Furthermore, where the terms “and” and “or” are used in conjunction with a list of items, they are to be interpreted broadly, in that any one or more of the listed items may be used alone or in combination with other listed items. The term “alternatively” refers to selection of one of two or more alternatives, and is not intended to limit the selection to only those listed alternatives or to only one of the listed alternatives at a time, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
Various illustrative embodiments and examples of powered personal mobility vehicles have been disclosed. Many variations and modifications may be made to the herein-described embodiments, the elements of which are to be understood as being among other acceptable examples. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims. Moreover, any of the steps described herein can be performed simultaneously or in an order different from the steps as ordered herein. Moreover, as should be apparent, the features and attributes of the specific embodiments disclosed herein may be combined in different ways to form additional embodiments, all of which fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
Some embodiments have been described in connection with the accompanying drawings. The figures are drawn to scale, but such scale should not be interpreted to be limiting. Distances, angles, etc. are merely illustrative and do not necessarily bear an exact relationship to actual dimensions and layout of the devices illustrated. Components can be added, removed, and/or rearranged. Further, the disclosure herein of any particular feature, aspect, method, property, characteristic, quality, attribute, element, or the like in connection with various embodiments can be used in all other embodiments set forth herein. Also, any methods described herein may be practiced using any device suitable for performing the recited steps.
In summary, various illustrative embodiments and examples of powered personal mobility vehicles have been disclosed. Although the powered personal mobility vehicles have been disclosed in the context of those embodiments and examples, this disclosure extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or other uses of the embodiments, as well as to certain modifications and equivalents thereof. This disclosure expressly contemplates that various features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined with, or substituted for, one another. Accordingly, the scope of this disclosure should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments described above, but should be determined only by a fair reading of the claims that follow as well as their full scope of equivalents.
This application claims the priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of U.S. Patent Application No. 62/814,450, filed Mar. 6, 2019, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. In addition, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,195,259, 7,600,768, and 9,682,309 are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety herein. The embodiments of the powered personal mobility vehicle described herein can include any of the features described in the aforementioned patents, however such patents should not be used in construing terms related to the powered personal mobility vehicle described herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62814450 | Mar 2019 | US |
