Ball-Mounted Vehicle Control via Orthogonal Subsystems

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional personal transportation vehicles like Segways are limited in their ability to move sideways due to their two-wheeled design, making them unsuitable for navigating narrow spaces, and existing spherical wheel systems are not adapted for managing the dynamic forces involved with a human driver, leading to slow reaction times and potential instability.

Innovation Solution

A method for managing the movement of a ball-mounted vehicle using sensors to measure parameters related to its position and processing them in orthogonal subsystems to calculate control information, allowing the vehicle to maintain equilibrium and move in all directions rapidly, with a control module that processes data in parallel and synchronized manner to actuate mechanisms for stable movement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a two-wheeled design like Segway is used, then the vehicle structure is simple and easy to control, but the vehicle cannot move sideways and requires curvilinear paths for turning

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevehicle maneuverabilityVSAvoiddirectional movement capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces conventional wheeled support with a spherical support mechanism, allowing the vehicle to move in any direction on a horizontal plane without requiring curvilinear paths. The sphere enables direct lateral and longitudinal movement while maintaining stability through active control of the sphere's orientation and position.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

2Adaptability or versatility

If a spherical wheel system is used for omnidirectional movement, then the vehicle can move in all directions, but the reaction time is too slow and causes instability with a driver aboard

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedirectional movement capabilityVSAvoidsystem stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The control system is divided into two independent but synchronized subsystems: a first subsystem processing parameters along a first axis and a second subsystem processing parameters along a second axis orthogonal to the first. This segmentation allows parallel processing of orthogonal movement components, significantly reducing calculation time and enabling rapid response to driver inputs while maintaining system stability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements dynamic balance control by continuously measuring parameters related to vehicle position and movement, processing these measurements through orthogonal subsystems, and actively adjusting the spherical support to counteract external stresses and maintain equilibrium during omnidirectional movement.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Reliability

If orthogonal subsystems process parameters in parallel and synchronized manner, then the reaction time is reduced and stability is improved, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem stabilityVSAvoidcontrol system structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3353043B1Vehicle on spherical support and method for managing the movement of said vehicle

Publication Date: 2019.12.18 UNIV DEGLI STUDI DI TRIESTE

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AI summary

The present invention relates to a method for managing the movement of a ball- mounted vehicle (10) and to a vehicle (10) which implements such a method, comprising the steps of measuring at least one parameter (101 ), related to the position of the vehicle (10) with respect to the ground (S), processing the measurement of said parameter (102) in a first subsystem which represents the pattern of the vehicle (10) along the vertical plane yz which divides the vehicle (10) into its front and rear halves and in a second subsystem which represents the pattern of the vehicle (10) along the vertical plane xz, orthogonal to plane yz, which divides the vehicle (10) into its right and left halves, estimating a dynamic state (103) of the vehicle (10) and calculating control information (104) and actuating at least one mechanism (20) in response to the calculation of the control information (104) to maintain the vehicle (10) in an equilibrium state, characterized in that the processing of the measurement of the parameter (102) in the first and in the second subsystems takes place in a parallel and synchronized manner.