TRANSPORTATION VEHICULES AND METHODS

• Main Authors: SKOSKIEWICZ, ANDRZEJ, KAMEN, DEAN, L, AMBROGI, ROBERT, R, HEINZMANN, RICHARD, KURT, KRISTAL, PHYLLIS, K, KEY, BRIAN, R, DUGGAN, ROBERT, J
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 19.11.1997
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS INVEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OFTRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GASEXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS, IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; AXLES FOR WHEELS OR CASTORS; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL; CASTORS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES; CYCLE AXLE SUSPENSIONS; CYCLE FRAMES; CYCLE SIDE-CARS, FORECARS, OR THE LIKE; CYCLE STEERING DEVICES; CYCLES; FUNERAL DEVICES; HAND TOOLS; HAND-PROPELLED VEHICLES, e.g. HAND CARTS, PERAMBULATORS; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; INCREASING WHEEL ADHESION; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS; MANIPULATORS; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; MOTOR VEHICLES; OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OFVEHICLES; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; RIDER-OPERATED TERMINAL CONTROLS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FORCYCLES; SLEDGES; TRAILERS; TRANSPORT OR ACCOMODATION FOR PATIENTS; TRANSPORTING; VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES; VEHICLE WHEELS; VEHICLES IN GENERAL

There is provided, in a preferred embodiment, a transportation vehicle for transporting an individual over ground having a surface that may be irregular. This embodiment has a support for supporting the subject. A. ground-contacting module, movably attached to the support, serves to suspend the subject in the support over the surface. The orientation of the ground-contacting module defines fore-aft and lateral planes intersecting one another at a vertical. The support and the ground-contacting module are components of an assembly. A motorized drive, mounted to the assembly and coupled to the ground-contacting module, causes locomotion of the assembly and the subject therewith over the surface. Finally, the embodiment has a control loop, in which the motorized drive is included, for dynamically enhancing stability in the fore-aft plane by operation of the motorized drive in connection with the ground-contacting module. Included in the control loop is a directional control, letting the vehicle move, lean and turn in response to an indication of the subject, e.g. that of leaning the vehicle. The ground contacting module may be realized as a pair of ground-contacting members, laterally disposed with respect to one another. The ground-contacting members may be wheels, a duster of wheels, or includes rotatably mounted arcuate element pairs.