Motion control of a transporter (US8322477)

2006-06-20	US2006000471241
2003-07-11	US2003000617608
1999-06-04	US1999000325976
1995-06-07	US1995000479901
1995-02-03	US1995000384705
1994-05-27	US1994000250693
1993-02-24	US1993000021789
2002-07-12	US2002000395299P

Abstract:

A transporter for transporting a subject over a surface that may be irregular. The transporter includes a support platform for supporting a load, the loaded support platform defining fore-aft and lateral planes and characterized by a load distribution. A plurality of ground contacting elements are coupled to the support platform. At least one of the plurality of ground contacting elements is driven by a motorized drive arrangement. A sensor module generates a signal indicative of the load distribution of the loaded support platform. Based at least on the load distribution, a controller commands the motorized drive arrangement.

Attorney, Agent or Firm:

McCormick, Paulding & Huber LLP ;

Primary / Asst. Examiners:

Boehler, Anne Marie M;

INPADOC Legal Status:

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Related Applications:

Application Number	Filed	Pub. Date	Title
US2003000617608	2003-07-11	2006-08-15	Motion control of a transporter
US1999000325976	1999-06-04	2008-05-13	Personal mobility vehicles and methods
US1995000479901	1995-06-07	1999-11-02	Transportation vehicles with stability enhancement using CG modification
US1995000384705	1995-02-03	1999-10-26	Transportation vehicles and methods
US1994000250693	1994-05-27	1997-12-30	Human transporter
US1993000021789	1993-02-24


	Parent Case:			CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/617,608, filed Jul. 11, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,090,040 entitled “Motion Control of a Transporter”, which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/395,299, filed Jul. 12, 2002, entitled “Control of a Transporter Based on Disposition of the Center of Gravity.” Additionally, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/617,608 is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/325,976, filed Jun. 4, 1999, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,370,713, which is, in turn, a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/479,901, filed Jun. 7, 1995, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,225, itself a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/384,705, filed Feb. 3, 1995, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,091, itself a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/250,693, filed May 27, 1994, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,965, itself a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/021,789, filed Feb. 24, 1993 and now abandoned. All of these prior applications are incorporated herein by reference.
	Family:			Show 321 known family members
	First Claim: Show all 16 claims			1. A transporter comprising: a first support platform for supporting a load, the first support platform defining fore-aft and lateral planes; a plurality of ground contacting elements coupled to the first support platform such that the first support platform is statically stable with respect to tipping and tilting in the fore-aft plane; a handlebar attached to the first support platform; a second support platform for supporting a user in a standing position and having a load distribution, the second support platform tiltably coupled to the first support platform such that the second support platform can tilt in at least the fore-aft plane; a motorized drive arrangement for driving at least one of the plurality of ground contacting elements; a sensor module for generating a signal indicative of a load distribution of the second support platform based upon the tilt of the second support platform; and a controller for commanding the motorized drive arrangement based on the load distribution; wherein the controller commands the motorized drive arrangement so as to cause an acceleration of the transporter, the transporter further including an indicator for providing an indication based on the acceleration, the indication apprehensible externally.
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U.S. References:

Go to Result Set: All U.S. references | No patents reference this one | Backward references (134) | Citation Link

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* some details unavailable

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