Motorized Walking Platforms with Closed-Loop Torque Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motorized mobility devices for walking often suffer from stability issues, making them unsuitable for average users who are not accustomed to fast pace movements, and they lack a simple and cost-efficient design.
Innovation Solution
A motorized walking system comprising two wearable platforms with a drive assembly, control circuitry, and a pneumatic/hydraulic braking system, which maintains constant wheel speed and adjusts torque to ensure balance and stability, using a brushless DC motor and planetary gear arrangement for efficient torque distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If motorized mobility devices are used to increase walking speed, then walking speed is improved, but stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The control circuitry continuously monitors wheel rotation speed through feedback from sensors and automatically adjusts motor torque to maintain constant wheel speed. This closed-loop control neutralizes skid forces and prevents speed variations that would compromise stability, allowing the device to achieve both high speed and stability simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the motor torque parameter in response to detected wheel speed variations. When skid forces cause speed changes, the control circuitry adjusts the torque output to compensate, maintaining optimal wheel speed and stability throughout the walking motion.
2Productivity
If complex motorized mobility devices are used to enhance walking speed, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into two independent motorized platforms, one for each foot, each with its own motor, wheels, and control circuitry. This segmentation allows each platform to operate independently, simplifying the overall design compared to a single complex centralized system, while still enabling enhanced walking speed through coordinated operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Each motorized platform is self-contained with its own motor, wheels, and control circuitry, eliminating the need for complex interconnections between feet. The platforms autonomously control their own wheel speed and torque, reducing the complexity of the overall system while maintaining high productivity.
3Power
If heavy motorized components are attached to shoes to provide motorized propulsion, then power is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The motorized components are extracted from the shoe structure and integrated into separate wearable platforms that attach to the user's legs. This extraction allows the platforms to be optimized for power output while minimizing the weight added to the shoe area, achieving high power with reduced overall weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The motorized propulsion system is relocated from a horizontal shoe-mounted configuration to a vertical leg-mounted configuration. This dimensional change allows for larger, more powerful motors without increasing the weight on the user's feet, as the platforms can be positioned higher on the legs where weight distribution is more favorable.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides enhanced walking speed while maintaining natural balance and stability, reducing the overall weight to 2.5 kg or less, allowing users to walk faster without extra effort and improving user experience.
Implementation Method 1
The drive assembly comprises a motor having a motor shaft protruding longitudinally from both sides of the motor
Implementation Method 2
using a brushless DC motor and planetary gear arrangement for efficient torque distribution
Implementation Method 3
A motorized walking system comprising two wearable platforms with a drive assembly, control circuitry, and a pneumatic/hydraulic braking system
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to motorized platforms wearable by a user, for enhancing the speed of walking while maintaining stability and reducing overall weight, due to a simplified structure and relatively modest number of components.