Traveling Vehicle Weight Shift Steering Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing traveling vehicles with independently driven left and right wheels lack operability, requiring users to adjust to steering, leading to discomfort and inefficiency in navigation and operation.
Innovation Solution
A traveling vehicle equipped with a pair of left and right motors, a weight shift detection sensor, a swinging operation detection sensor, and a controller that allows intuitive operation by enabling weight shifting and handle swinging for directional control, with the handle's fulcrum positioned to minimize inclination differences and provide space for other components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the steering angle is determined based on the difference between the rotation amounts of the left and right control levers, then the traveling vehicle can be steered left or right, but the operability is poor and users need to get used to steering in a desired direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical lever-based steering control with a body movement-based control system. Weight shift detection sensors detect the user's center of gravity movements, and swinging operation detection sensors detect handle movements, substituting the mechanical lever rotation mechanism with sensor-based detection of natural human movements. This improves operability by using intuitive body movements instead of requiring users to learn a non-intuitive lever control system.
2Ease of operation
If the handle's swing fulcrum is positioned at a specific height to minimize inclination differences, then user comfort is improved, but the design constraints increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies precise parameter ranges for the handle's swing fulcrum position: the height of the swing fulcrum must be at most one-half of the height from the leg placing surface to the grip part, and must be higher than the leg placing surface. These parameter constraints optimize the handle's inclination angle to minimize the difference between handle inclination and user body inclination, thereby improving user comfort while providing clear design guidelines.
3Ease of operation
If weight shift detection sensors and swinging operation detection sensors are added to enable intuitive operation, then operability is enhanced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a multi-functional control system where the same sensor suite (weight shift detection sensors and swinging operation detection sensors) serves multiple purposes: detecting forward/backward movement intentions, detecting left/right steering intentions, and potentially detecting other operational commands. This universal sensor system replaces multiple separate control mechanisms, improving operability while managing complexity through functional integration.
Data Source
AI summary
A traveling vehicle including a traveling machine body supported by a pair of left and right driving wheels; a pair of left motor and the right motor configured to independently drive the driving wheels; a riding part disposed behind the traveling machine body and connected to the traveling machine body, and configured to enable riding of a worker; a handle connected to the traveling machine body so as to be swingable left and right with respect to the traveling machine body; a plurality of load sensors for detecting a forward and backward weight shift of the worker who is riding on the riding part; a rotation angle sensor for detecting a leftward and rightward swinging operation amount of the handle; and a controller for controlling operation of the left and right motors based on detection values by the plurality of load sensors and the rotation angle sensor.