Vehicle steering system

Inactive Publication Date: 2018-07-05
SPHERO
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The technology described in this patent relates to an apparatus and method for controlling a vehicle with front and rear wheels. The apparatus includes a chassis, rear wheels, and front wheel sets with motors and linkages that move the front wheels in different directions. The linkage actuator can move the front wheels in a different range of motion than the rear wheels. The method involves applying a force to the ground surface to move the vehicle in a default direction, turning the front wheels in a wheel direction away from the curve, and applying a second force to move the vehicle in the general direction of the curve. The method also includes controlling the vehicle's center of gravity and elevating a portion of the vehicle to change its direction of turn. The technology allows for precise control of the vehicle's movement and improved stability when driving through curves.

Problems solved by technology

These toy vehicles may mimic basic driving functionality and performance of large-scale vehicles, but typically cannot perform more advanced driving maneuvers such as circular spins (so called “doughnuts”), or j-shaped turns (commonly referred to as “drifts”).
Such maneuvers typically require high-powered, rear wheel drive systems that cannot be incorporated into a toy.

Method used

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Examples

Experimental program
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Embodiment Construction

[0021]FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a toy vehicle 100 that includes a housing or body 102, and a plurality of wheels. Two motor-driven front wheels 202 control speed and direction of the vehicle 100, while two passive rear wheels 204 support a rear portion of the vehicle 100. In general, the front wheels 202 display a higher coefficient of friction that the rear wheels 204, for reasons described in more detail below. The front wheels 202 may be made of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) which displays a high coefficient of friction. The rear wheels 204 may be made from ABS or similar hard elastomers displaying a high durometer and low coefficient of friction.

[0022]A controller 104 may be centrally-located on the chassis 200, and may include a control module that sends control signals to various motors or actuators (as described below) as required or desired for operation of the vehicle 100. Wiring may connect the controller and / or control module to the various motors and actuat...

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PUM

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Abstract

An apparatus has a chassis that has a pair of rear wheels that passively rotate and a pair of front wheel sets. Each pair of front wheel sets has an upright with an affixed motor. A front wheel is fixed relative to the upright and engages with the motor. A linkage connects the chassis to each of the uprights and is configured to move the uprights in a first range of motion. A linkage actuator actuates the linkage.

Description

INTRODUCTION[0001]Toy vehicles, such as remote-controlled cars, trucks, and the like, may be used for racing or general entertainment purposes. These toy vehicles may mimic basic driving functionality and performance of large-scale vehicles, but typically cannot perform more advanced driving maneuvers such as circular spins (so called “doughnuts”), or j-shaped turns (commonly referred to as “drifts”). Such maneuvers typically require high-powered, rear wheel drive systems that cannot be incorporated into a toy.SUMMARY[0002]In one aspect, the technology relates to an apparatus having: a chassis; a pair of rear wheels passively rotatably coupled to the chassis; a pair of front wheel sets, wherein each pair of front wheel sets include: an upright; a motor fixed to the upright; and a front wheel fixed relative to the upright and engaged with the motor; a linkage coupling the chassis to each of the uprights of the pair of front wheel sets, wherein the linkage is configured to move the up...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): A63H17/395A63H17/00A63H17/26A63H29/22A63H30/04
CPCA63H17/395A63H17/004A63H30/04A63H29/22A63H17/262
InventorWEBSTER, DOUGMACGREGOR, ROSSLUITEL, PRASHANTGODBY, COLIN
OwnerSPHERO