Three-Wheel Chassis Lean Control for Wheel Lift Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Three-wheel vehicles, or trikes, are notoriously unstable and have poor turning capabilities due to their inability to lean into turns, leading to safety concerns when cornering at high speeds, as existing solutions like complex sensor systems and front wheel assemblies provide only minor improvements.
Innovation Solution
A novel three-wheel motor vehicle design featuring a chassis with a rotational control shaft, a front wheel assembly with lean control motors and a worm drive gear assembly, and a lean control system that includes sensors and control circuitry to align the chassis with the resultant force, allowing for controlled leaning and improved handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If traditional three-wheel vehicle design is used, then the structure is simple, but the vehicle is unstable and has poor turning capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by enabling the chassis to lean dynamically during turns through a rotational control shaft and lean control motors. The vehicle transitions from a static upright position to a dynamic leaned position, allowing the center of gravity to shift and counteract centrifugal force, thereby improving stability during cornering without requiring a fundamentally complex structural redesign
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical leaning mechanisms (such as those in Terracraft's design with A-Arms and U-shaped contacting surfaces) with an electrically-controlled system using rotational control shafts and lean control motors. This substitution simplifies the mechanical structure while achieving the desired leaning capability through electronic control
2Ease of operation
If complex sensor systems and front wheel assemblies are used to improve cornering, then turning capability is slightly improved, but the system becomes overly complex
Solution Approach 1:
The rotational control shaft serves multiple functions: it controls the leaning of the chassis, manages the orientation of the front wheel assembly, and works in conjunction with the lean control motors to achieve coordinated turning. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate complex systems while improving cornering capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the lean control function with the front wheel assembly by integrating the rotational control shaft that controls both the chassis lean and the front wheel orientation. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate complex sensor systems and leaning mechanisms, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining improved cornering capability
Data Source
AI summary
A three-wheeled vehicle having a front wheel assembly attached to a chassis. The chassis includes a rotational control shaft having a rotational axis that is generally directed in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The rotational control shaft is integrated with or secured to the chassis in a non-rotational manner and passes through the front wheel assembly in a rotationally-free manner, such that the rotational control shaft can rotate about its rotational axis. The front wheel assembly includes one or more lean control motors, which are operably configured to rotate the rotational control shaft about its rotational axis thereby causing the chassis to lean from side to side to improve the handling ability of the vehicle. Some embodiments include a lean control system configured to automatically control the degree of rotation of the chassis.