Control of a personal transporter based on user position

摘要

An apparatus controller for prompting a rider to be positioned on a vehicle in such a manner as to reduce lateral instability due to lateral acceleration of the vehicle. The apparatus has an input for receiving specification from the rider of a desired direction of travel, and indicating means for reflecting to the rider a propitious instantaneous body orientation to enhance stability in the face of lateral acceleration. The indicating may include a handlebar that is pivotable with respect to the vehicle and that is driven in response to vehicle turning.

主权项

1. A transporter for transporting a user, the transporter comprising:
a platform supporting the user; at least one wheel; a motorized drive arrangement imparting a torque to the at least one wheel; a plurality of sensors, at least one of the plurality of sensors being a pitch sensor sensing a pitch of at least a portion of the transporter; and a controller executing a control loop, the control loop generating, based at least in part on the sensed pitch, a control signal for controlling the motorized drive arrangement, the control signal specifying, for the motorized drive arrangement, the torque, the controller altering the control signal to pitch the transporter in a direction opposite a current direction of travel of the transporter if a current speed of the transporter exceeds a threshold.