Claims
- 1. A vehicle for transporting a human body, said vehicle comprised of a dynamic attached system for operation, said vehicle having a center of gravity sensing device singly or in combination for producing signals indicative of the direction and rate of change in the center of gravity position and mass shift of said human body relative to said vehicle, a control system device responsive to said signals by controlling an output to said dynamic attached system to improve one or more ride characteristics of said vehicle.
- 2. The vehicle defined in claim 1 wherein said control system converts said center of gravity and mass shift sensing device inputs singly or in combination into output signals.
- 3. The vehicle defined in claim 1 wherein said center of gravity and mass shift sensing device is selected singly or in combinations thereof from mechanical sensors, accelerometers, strain gauges, gyroscopes (single and multi-axis), capacitive extensiometers, inclinometers, load cells, pressure gauges, rotational, positional, magnetic, optical, laser, sonar, ultrasonic, radio frequency, infrared (IR), velocity, light emitting diodes, magnetic, altimeters, Hall's effect, user input switches, preprogrammed computer programs, voice, transducers, satellite Global Positioning System (GPS), and the like (wired or wireless sensor systems included).
- 4. The vehicle defined in claim 1 wherein said center of gravity and mass shift sensing devices are selectively mounted:
a) on the vehicle, b) on the human body, c) off the vehicle within communication distance for the device by wireless communication, or d) a combination of the above.
- 5. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein said vehicle is selected from a human or/and motor powered (Via electricity, gas, solar, wind, steam, fuel cell, hydrogen, hybrid, gravity, hydraulic, turbine engine, or the like) (single axle, multi-axle, tracked, fixed, suspended by air, or the like) including bicycles, scooters, hovercraft, skis (water and snow), skateboards, mopeds, wheelchairs, tricycles, electric bikes, All Terrain Vehicles (ATV), motorcycles, snowmobiles, snow bikes, go carts, watercraft (jet skis), unicycles, wind sailers (land, water, and ice), exoskeletal conveyances, stationary bicycles, treadmills, other exercise equipment, and the like.
- 6. The invention defined in claim 2 wherein said vehicle having an attached dynamic system, the said attached system receives output signals via mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, and the like means from said control system.
- 7. The invention defined in claim 2 wherein said vehicle having a center of gravity and mass shift sensing means signal output via mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, and the like to said control system.
- 8. The invention defined in claim 2 wherein a said vehicle having a control system connected to the sensing means and processing the center of gravity and mass shift direction and rate of shift inputs to produce corresponding output signals for said dynamically attached system.
- 9. The invention in claim 1 wherein said vehicle having a control system capable of preprogrammed input, sensor input, and manual input.
- 10. The invention in claim 1 wherein said vehicle has an attached dynamic system that includes singly or in multiple front suspension, rear suspension, dual suspension, front brake, rear brake, front drive, rear drive, adjustable frame geometry, safety equipment, data collection, steering control, lean control and power.
- 11. A method for improving one or more ride characteristics of a human body transport vehicle comprising the steps of:
a) sensing the direction of and rate of change in the center of gravity position and mass shift of said human body relative to said vehicle, b) producing output control signals indicative of the direction and rate of change in the center of gravity position and mass shift of said human body relative to said vehicle; and c) controlling one or more physical characteristics of said vehicle in response to said output control signals.
- 12. The method defined in claim 11 wherein said center of gravity position and mass shift sensing is a device selected from mechanical sensors, accelerometers, strain gauges, gyroscopes (single and multi-axis), capacitive extensiometers, inclinometers, load cells, pressure gauges, rotational, positional, magnetic, optical, laser, sonar, ultrasonic, infrared, radio frequency, velocity, light emitting diodes, magnetic, altimeters, Hall's Effect devices, user input switches, preprogrammed computer programs, voice transducers, satellite Global Positioning System (GPS), and the like, and combinations thereof.
- 13. A method for improving the ride characteristics for a vehicle transporting a human body and/or payload comprising the steps of:
a) obtaining from a set of sensors one or more signals denoting the position of the relative center of gravity of said human body and/or payload, b) determining from said relative center of gravity signals a set of estimated absolute center of gravity shift values in relation to the vehicle, c) deriving an output control signal from said set of center of gravity value signals, and d) applying the output control signal to a vehicle adjustment system to affect the ride characteristic.
- 14. The method defined in claim 13 wherein said system actively measures the center of gravity of said human body and/or payload in relation to the vehicle and when said center of gravity shift signals are input into a control system to comprise the estimated values for said output signals, said sensors determine the direction of a center of gravity shift.
- 15. The method defined in claim 14 wherein said sensors are selectively located on the human body and/or payload, or on the vehicle, or on a system external of the vehicle, or a combination thereof.
- 16. A human and/or payload transport vehicle having a ride characteristic adjustment mechanism, sensor apparatus for sensing the center of gravity position and mass shift of said human and/or payload relative to said vehicle and producing signals corresponding thereto and means coupling said signals to said ride adjustment mechanism to adjust the ride characteristic of said vehicle.
- 17. A human and/or payload transport vehicle having a ride characteristic adjustment mechanism, sensor apparatus for sensing the center of gravity position of said human and/or payload relative to said vehicle and producing signals corresponding thereto and means coupling said signals to said ride adjustment mechanism to adjust the ride characteristic of said vehicle.
- 18. A human and/or payload transport vehicle having a ride characteristic adjustment mechanism, sensor apparatus for sensing the mass shift of said human and/or payload relative to said vehicle and producing signals corresponding thereto and means coupling said signals to said ride adjustment mechanism to adjust the ride characteristic of said vehicle.
- 19. A human body transport vehicle comprising:
a) one or more sensors for sensing the direction of and rate of change in the center of gravity position and mass shift of said human body relative to said vehicle, b) signal generator for producing output control signals indicative of the direction and rate of change in the center of gravity position and mass shift of said human body relative to said vehicle; and c) one or more controllers for controlling one or more physical characteristics of said vehicle in response to said output control signals.
- 20. The vehicle defined in claim 19 wherein said one or more sensors is a device selected from mechanical sensors, accelerometers, strain gauges, gyroscopes (single and multi-axis), capacitive extensiometers, inclinometers, load cells, pressure gauges, rotational, positional, magnetic, optical, laser, sonar, ultrasonic, infrared, radio frequency, velocity, light emitting diodes, magnetic, altimeters, Hall's Effect devices, user input switches, preprogrammed computer programs, voice transducers, satellite Global Positioning System (GPS), and the like, and combinations thereof.
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application is the subject of provisional application Serial No. 60/280,851 filed Apr. 3, 2001 entitled SUSPENSION SYSTEM FOR VEHICLES FOR TRANSPORTING A HUMAN BODY.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60280851 |
Apr 2001 |
US |