Two-wheeled self-balancing electrombile

[0019] Refer to figure 1 , This is a side perspective view of an embodiment of a two-wheel self-balancing electric vehicle proposed by the present invention. The two-wheeled self-balancing electric vehicle 100 in the figure consists of two wheels, a first wheel 110 and a second wheel 111; two wheel frames, a first wheel frame 120 and a second wheel frame 121, each wheel is connected to one The wheel frame is connected; a connecting mechanism 130, one end of which is connected to the first wheel frame 120, and the other end to the second wheel frame 121; two footboards 140, which are located between the two wheels 110 and 111, It is used for standing on both feet of a cyclist; and a handle 133, which is connected to the connecting mechanism 130 for carrying the electric bicycle 100. In the figure, 132 is a hinge, and 150 is a legrest, which will be described below.

[0020] The wheels 110 and 111 are arranged side by side, mirror-symmetrically, and basically parallel. They do not have a common axle, so they can rotate independently, and each can rotate at different speeds and/or in different directions. (By the way, the central axis of the wheel refers to the central axis perpendicular to the plane of rotation of the wheel. The axle of the wheel refers to the central axis of the entity perpendicular to the plane of rotation of the wheel.) The size of the wheel has a wide range of options. figure 1 The wheel shown is larger, and its diameter is about the same as the length of an adult's calf. The two wheels 110 and 111 are respectively mated with the wheel frames 120 and 121. The first wheel frame 120 and the second wheel frame 121 have the same structure. They can adopt various possible shapes, as long as they do not interfere with the wheels 110 and 111 and The connection between the connection mechanisms 130. In this embodiment, the wheel frames 120 and 121 are in the shape of a shell, which covers the wheels 110 and 111 and partially seals them. The basic function of the wheel frame is to connect the wheels 110 and 111 with the connecting mechanism 130. In addition, the wheel frames 120 and 121 have other purposes such as: supporting and guiding the wheels 110 and 111, protecting the wheels 110 and 111 from rain and dust, and preventing the wheels 110 and 111 from contacting the human body or clothes.

[0021] From figure 1 It can be seen from the above that the present invention designs the two wheels to have a slight negative inclination angle. As we all know, looking at the wheel from the front of the car, the angle between the wheel and the vertical line is called the camber. If the upper end of the wheel is inclined inward, it will be in the shape of an [eight], which is called a negative camber. This will help the cyclist overcome the centrifugal force when turning and the cyclist will firmly contact the calf and the legrest.

[0022] The connecting mechanism 130 is usually arranged horizontally, one end of the mechanism is mated with the wheel frame 120 and the other end is mated with the wheel frame 121. The connecting mechanism 130 is composed of three slender connecting rods 131, two of which are located on the same horizontal plane, and the position of the third one is lower than the above-mentioned horizontal plane. (In fact, the number and configuration of connecting rods can be designed separately, as long as there are at least two connecting rods, which are at different heights relative to the riding road.) The three connecting rods 131 are parallel to each other. The roots are rotatably mated with the wheel frames 120 and 121. Compared with the connection mechanism 130, this kind of rotatable connection enables the wheels 110 and 111 to be tilted side by side without seriously disturbing the horizontal configuration of the connection mechanism 130. Among the multiple connecting rods, at least two connecting rods 131 at different heights are used to connect the wheels 110 and 111 to each other. The two wheels 110 and 111 must be tilted in the same direction at the same time, and they are usually The angle of inclination is similar. (If the two wheels are parallel to each other, their respective angle values ​​are always basically the same. If the two wheels are arched to each other, their respective angle values ​​are basically not equal Yes, but usually they are similar.) These characteristics of the connecting mechanism 130 are very important, so that the wheels 110 and 111 have the ability to tilt or tilt toward the turning direction, thus providing greater stability to the turning process and reducing Possibility of overturning.

[0023] figure 2 Illustrated above figure 1 The situation of the two-wheeled self-balancing electric vehicle 100 when turning left. In order to make the car turn to the left side of the direction in which the car is advancing, the cyclist initially leans to the left, forcing the wheels 110 and 111 to lean to the left in unison. The wheel roll referred to here refers to the angle between the center axis of the wheel and the horizontal line, and the center axis of the wheel does not remain level. This is called the wheel roll. Leaning to the left or right is relative to the direction of travel. (The tilting action of the wheel can activate the tilt detection unit in the electronic control system.) During the tilting process of each wheel, the angle change that occurs is on a vertical plane perpendicular to the direction of travel. The three connecting rods 131 rotatably connected to the two wheel frames 120 and 121 have basically no change in the horizontal angle, that is, the connecting rods 131 that basically remain in the horizontal position but are located at different levels, they are opposite to each other The level is changed. Just like figure 2 As shown, the upper two connecting rods, relative to the lower connecting rod, have only shifted more to the left. Therefore, when the wheels 110 and 111 are tilted in the turning direction, the connecting mechanism 130 can still maintain a normal horizontal position. The two footboards 140 rigidly connected to the upper two connecting rods 131 also maintain the usual horizontal position. For cyclists, these features increase safety and comfort. In addition, the horizontal movement of the three connecting rods 131 only causes the horizontal and vertical positions of the two footboards 140 to shift slightly, so that the rider can move his center of gravity laterally more stably and comfortably.

[0024] It should be pointed out that the footboard should have at least one load bearing surface. The footboard shown in these figures is a specific example that can usually carry people or objects, and usually has two load-bearing surfaces. Obviously, the footboard can be designed in various shapes and sizes, and can be matched with the connecting mechanism or with the wheel frame.

[0025] It should also be pointed out that, regardless of whether the wheel is tilted or not, the connecting mechanism proposed in the present invention enables the footboard to always maintain a basically horizontal state.

[0026] image 3 Illustrated above figure 1 The two-wheeled self-balancing electric vehicle 100 is partially folded. In order to facilitate carrying and storage, the present invention proposes a method of bringing the two wheels of the two-wheeled electric vehicle 100 close together, and compressing and converting from the use form to the folded form. The folded configuration refers to the distance between the two wheels, which is much smaller than the non-folded configuration (used state). In this example, the folding function is realized by the folding connection mechanism 130. Specifically, each connecting rod 131 has a hinge 132. In this example, each hinge 132 is located in the middle of its corresponding connecting rod 131, but generally speaking, it is enough to install the hinge 132 to fold the entire connecting mechanism 130.

[0027] There is also a handle 133, which can be connected to one or more of the rods 131 to match. In the illustrated example, the handle 133 is located in the middle of the connecting mechanism 130, and is approximately on the same vertical plane as the hinge 132. When the handle 133 is pulled up, it is pulled to the hinge 132. The hinge 132 is connected to the two wheels 110 and 111 with considerable weight, so that the connecting mechanism 130 is folded, such as image 3 As shown, the two wheels 110 and 111 can finally be brought together. Then, the handle 133 can be used to carry the folded car.

[0028] In order to be convenient to carry by hand, the handle 133 can be further designed to be elongated and extended, such as Figure 4 As shown, when the connecting mechanism 130 is fully folded, the handle 133 shown in the figure is stretched to a place slightly larger than the outer diameter of the wheel. The function of the handle 133 is realized by a slide bar 151. One end of the slide bar 151 is rigidly connected to the handle 133, and the other end is connected to the connecting rod 131, so the setting of the slide bar 151 makes the handle 133 It can move vertically relative to the connection point of the connection mechanism 130 and move to a certain position away from the connection mechanism 130. When the handle 133 is pulled upward, the handle 133 is first slid to a fully extendable position, and the force of further pulling upward can make the connecting mechanism 130 into the above-mentioned folded configuration. The configuration of the handle 133 and the sliding rod 151 should be properly arranged. When the connecting mechanism 130 is fully folded, the handle 133 must extend beyond the edges of the wheels 110, 111 and/or the wheel frames 120, 121, so that the electric vehicle 100 can be carried by hand. Time without touching the wheels and wheel frame. This function not only provides greater comfort for people's carrying, but also makes the two folded wheels closer together.

[0029] It should be pointed out that there are many ways to make the hand go beyond the edge of the wheel and the wheel frame. In addition to the specific sliding mechanism mentioned above, it can also be achieved in other possible ways.

[0030] In order to achieve the best stability, it is best for the rider to firmly touch his calf against the wheel frame 120 and 121 when standing. The design of multi-point contact between the rider and the vehicle proposed in the present invention makes it easy for the rider to keep his feet and calves in proper positions. Therefore, two legrest plates 150 are further provided on the vehicle 100, which are respectively arranged on the wheel frames 120 and 121. The legrest 150 is attached to the inner side of the wheel frames 120 and 121, and its position and height should be set so that when each foot of the rider stands on its respective footboard, the outer sides of the two lower legs can be with each other. The respective leg plates 150 touch each other. The legrest 150 can be made of soft and bendable materials, such as woven materials or other suitable materials. The legrest 150 should provide a certain amount of friction to help the rider touch his calf stably On the wheel frames 120 and 121. The legrest 150 can be further designed as a slightly concave curved surface, the longitudinal axis of the curved surface is roughly perpendicular to the footboard 140, and the shape of the curved surface should roughly fit the shape of the rider's calf.

[0031] Figure 5 It is a side perspective view of another embodiment according to the present invention, showing a footboard whose shape is different from the aforementioned footboard. As can be seen from the figure, the two-wheeled self-balancing electric vehicle 200 is composed of wheels 210 and 211, wheel frames 220 and 221, a connecting mechanism 230 with a connecting rod 231, and a legrest 250. They have basically the same functions as the corresponding components in the electric vehicle 100 in the foregoing example. However, in this example, no handle is provided, and the folding method of the connecting mechanism 230 is not included. The feature of this example is that each of the two footboards 240 on the vehicle 200 are rigidly mated to the inner surfaces of the wheel frames 220 and 221. These footboards 240 may be independent parts rigidly connected to the wheel frames 220 and 221, or may be non-independent parts integrally molded on the respective wheel frames 220 or 221 with the same material as the wheel frames.

[0032] Image 6 A partial perspective view of the handlebar 333 on the two-wheeled self-balancing electric vehicle 300 is drawn. It can be seen from the figure that only a part of the wheel 311, the wheel frame 321, the connecting mechanism 330, the pedal 340 and other components of the car 300 are drawn. The two-wheeled vehicle 300 has the same functions as the two-wheeled vehicle 100 and further includes a bias reset block 354 and a locking mechanism 350 with respect to the handle 333. The handle 333 is rigidly mated with the slide bar 351, and the slide bar 351 can slide in a direction substantially perpendicular to the connecting mechanism 330. Therefore, the handle 333 can be moved in the same manner as the aforementioned electric vehicle 100. The sliding rod 351 is slid and pulled out to raise the handle 333. The bias reset block 354 is made of an elastic material such as rubber, and it is firmly attached to the handle 333 or the connecting mechanism 330, so that the bias reset block 354 is pressed against a certain part of the handle 333. Between the part and a certain part on the connecting mechanism 330. In this example, as shown in the figure, the bias reset block 354 has a rectangular block shape and is firmly attached to the bottom of one end of the handle 333. When in a folded configuration (e.g. image 3 versus Figure 4 When the car 300 shown) is conventionally erected on the road, pressing down on the handle 333 forcefully can transform the car 300 from the folded configuration to the unfolded non-folding configuration. At the beginning, the handle 333 is in the fully extended position. When the handle 333 is pushed down forcefully, the handle 333 first slides down with the slide bar 351, and then further pushes down. The connecting mechanism 330 originally in the folded configuration can be unfolded until all the connecting rods 331 are substantially straight, and the bias reset block 354 is pressed by both the handle 333 and a connecting rod 331 at the same time. After the car 300 is fully deployed into a working configuration, the locking mechanism 350 will lock the above-mentioned components at various positions that enable the car 300 to be fully deployed.

[0033] The locking mechanism 350 of this example has a lock head 352 which can be engaged with the locking tongue 353, and when it is engaged, can prevent the unfolded connecting mechanism 330 from returning to the folded configuration. (If there is no locking mechanism 350, the connecting mechanism 330 may tend to fold due to the elasticity of the biased reset block 354 or other reasons.) When the wheel tilts during a turn, as mentioned above, several connecting rods 331 will move horizontally relative to each other. At this time, relative to the upper two connecting rods 331, the handle 333 stays at the same position, the lock tongue 353 is set on the lower connecting rod 331, and the lock head 352 is also held with the lock tongue 353. In meshing state. The final resultant force is generated on the sliding rod 351, which causes the bias reset block 354 to compress and deform. Because of its elasticity, it tends to restore its original shape, and therefore tends to restore the entire connecting mechanism to the middle, non-turning position. Location. This position is that the two wheels of the car are basically neither to the left nor to the right, and are basically mirror-symmetric to each other. The function of the bias reset block 354 is to prevent the two wheels from tilting when the car 300 is not subjected to external force in the left-right direction.

[0034] The lock head 352 is engaged with the lock tongue 353, and there are many ways to loosen after locking, which are well known in the industry. One simple method is to set the lock tongue 353 as an elastic part, press the lock tongue 353 by hand, the lock head 352 can be released, and then pull the handle 333 to change the working state of the car. In the folded state.

[0035] Figure 7 Another example is proposed. The two-wheeled self-balancing electric vehicle 400 in the figure is similar to the above example except that the two pedals 440 are arranged on the outside of the two wheels 410 and 411. 420 and 421 are wheel frames. 431 is the connecting rod in the connecting mechanism 430, and the connecting mechanism 430 also allows the two vehicles to be switched between the folded form and the non-folded form.

[0036] The two-wheeled vehicle proposed by the present invention is provided with two electric motors, each wheel is driven by an electric motor, the first motor drives the first wheel, and the second motor drives the second wheel. In the example proposed by the present invention, these motors are all covered in their respective wheel frames without being exposed to the outside. The electric motor is controlled by an electronic control system, which enables the car to achieve automatic front-to-back balance on the longitudinal plane. An electronic control system can control the motors on the two wheels, or each wheel can have its own independent electronic control system to control its own motors. The electronic control system (using gyro sensors, accelerometers, or other means known in the industry) can detect the forward or backward tilt of the car, and according to the detected signal, the motor will respond appropriately to accelerate or decelerate to make the car The footboard maintains a balanced front and rear position. Therefore, the electronic control system enables the rider standing on the footboard between the two wheels to direct the forward and backward of the car by moving the center of gravity. If he moves its center of gravity forward or backward, the car will accelerate in the direction of the moving center of gravity. If the center of gravity is moved in the opposite direction of the car, the car will decelerate.

[0037] As mentioned above, if the cyclist wants to turn the car, he can move the center of gravity sideways in the direction of the turn, so the wheel changes, and the cyclist’s leg rests on the legrest, keeping it with the car Contact, the relative position of the connecting rods changes in the horizontal direction. The electronic control system includes the function of detecting one or more of the above changes. For example, an electronic control system (through gyroscopes, accelerometers, etc.) can detect changes in the tilt of one or two wheels to the side. Then, the electronic control system adjusts the respective speed and/or direction of one or two wheels. The difference in speed between the two wheels causes the car to turn in the direction of the cyclist's center of gravity. The steering control of the car and the front and rear balance control of the car, combined, provide a simple and intuitive operation method for the rider to use the two-wheeled vehicle proposed by the present invention.

[0038] The motor drives the wheels through a transmission mechanism. There are various types of transmission mechanisms, and gear transmission is more commonly used. In the example of the present invention, a friction transmission mechanism that is generally less used is used. For example, each motor drives a rotating, cylindrical part whose diameter is smaller than the diameter of the wheel. Put it in contact with the inner edge of the wheel. The motor drives the cylindrical part. Using friction, the cylindrical part drives the wheel. Rotate. The surface of the rotating cylindrical part and the inner edge of the wheel must be pressed tightly to transmit the torque of the motor to the wheel. The friction transmission mechanism can be connected to a wheel without a hub. The weight of this arrangement is much lighter than that of a wheel with a central hub, so the portability of the car is also enhanced.

[0039] In summary, the present invention proposes a new type of two-wheeled self-balancing electric vehicle, which is characterized by two wheels that are arranged side by side and can rotate independently. There is a connecting mechanism to connect the two wheels, and the connecting mechanism can make the two wheels incline to the left or right in unison. The inclination of the two wheels enables the car to turn. When the two wheels tilt, the connecting mechanism can still keep the footboard in a horizontal position. Each wheel is driven by an electric motor, and is also equipped with an electronic control system that enables the footboard of the car to maintain a horizontal balance in the front and rear directions. The cyclist tilts his center of gravity forward, backward, or on both sides, and he can directly move the bicycle in the direction of leaning. In addition, the present invention further provides some designs that improve the stability and portability of the vehicle.

[0040] Although the various embodiments described above contain many specific details, they should not constitute a limitation on the scope of the embodiments, and should not be limited to the illustrations of these specific solutions currently proposed. Therefore, the coverage of these embodiments should be determined by the appended claims and their corresponding documents, rather than by the examples given above. In addition, it should be understood that the present invention can be further modified. This patent is intended to cover various changes, uses or improvements made according to the principles of the present invention; it also covers deviations from the known schemes or implementations disclosed in the present invention, but still subordinate to the technology of the present invention and its applications The scope of the principle.