# US 10,988,032 B2 · Self-propelled personal transportation device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,988,032 B2 - Document ID: US10988032B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/273,316 - Filed: 2016-09-22 - Published: 2017-10-19 - Granted: 2021-04-27 - Earliest claimed: 2016-04-19 - Assignees: Walnut Technology Limited - Applicants: Walnut Technology Limited - Inventors: Yik Hang Pang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10988032B2 ## CPC - B60L 15/2036: {Electric differentials, e.g. for supporting steering vehicles} - A63C 17/011: {with steering mechanisms} - A63C 17/02: with wheels arranged in two pairs {(for skateboards A63C17/015)} - A63C 17/12: with driving mechanisms - A63C 17/012: {with a truck, i.e. with steering mechanism comprising an inclined geometrical axis to convert lateral tilting of the board in steering of the wheel axis} - A63C 17/015: {with wheels arranged in two pairs} - A63C 2203/12: Electrically powered or heated - B60L 2200/24: Personal mobility vehicles - B60L 2240/12: Speed - B60L 2240/14: Acceleration - B60L 2240/32: Driving direction - B60L 2240/423: Torque - B60L 2250/00: Driver interactions - Y02T 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - A63C: SKATES; SKIS; ROLLER SKATES; DESIGN OR LAYOUT OF COURTS, RINKS OR THE LIKE (water skis B63B32/00, B63B34/00) - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract The present disclosure includes a transportation apparatus. The apparatus comprises: a surface to receive a plurality of forces at a plurality of locations thereon; a plurality of force sensors, attached to the surface, to provide information related to the plurality of forces; a plurality of wheels beneath the surface, each of the plurality of wheels being coupled with a motor; and a controller to: determine, based on the provided information, a first plurality of forces at the plurality of locations; determine, based on the first plurality of forces, a reference distribution associated with the plurality of locations; determine, based on the provided information, a second plurality of forces; determine a target speed and a target direction of the apparatus based on the reference distribution and the second plurality of forces; and provide one or more signals to the motors based on the target speed and the target direction. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for transportation, comprising: a surface to receive a plurality of forces at a plurality of locations on the surface; a plurality of force sensors, attached to the surface, to provide information related to the plurality of forces on the surface; a plurality of wheels beneath the surface, wherein each of the plurality of wheels are coupled with a motor; and a controller configured to: enter an initialization state in which the apparatus is in a stationary state; determine, based on the information provided by the plurality of force sensors, a first plurality of forces at the plurality of locations; determine, based on the first plurality of forces, a reference distribution of forces associated with the plurality of locations in the initialization state; enter a motion state; determine, based on the information provided by the plurality of force sensors, a second plurality of forces at the plurality of locations; determine, based on the second plurality of forces, an updated distribution of forces associated with the plurality of locations in the motion state; determine a relationship between the reference distribution of forces and the updated distribution of forces; determine a target speed of the apparatus based on the relationship; and provide one or more first signals to the motors to cause the apparatus to move at the target speed, wherein the apparatus further comprises a rolling angle measurement device configured to measure a rolling angle of the surface with respect to a horizontal surface; wherein the controller is further configured to determine a differential rotational speed between at least two of the plurality of wheels based on the rolling angle, wherein the rolling angle is determined as the difference between the rolling angle measured by the rolling angle measurement device and the reference rolling angle determined at the initialization state. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller determines, based on the first plurality of forces, whether a user is standing with a first predetermined posture on the surface; wherein the reference distribution of forces is determined based on the first plurality of forces after determining that the user is standing with a predetermined posture on the surface. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is to: determine whether the apparatus is in a stationary state; upon determining that the apparatus is stationary and that the user is not standing with the first predetermined posture on the surface, maintain the stationary state. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is to: determine a threshold of total force based on the first plurality of forces; determine whether a total of the second plurality of forces is below the threshold of total force; and upon determining that the total of the second plurality of force is below the threshold of total force, cause the apparatus to enter or maintain a stationary state. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the surface includes a left portion, a right portion, a front portion, and a rear portion; and wherein the controller is to: determine a target turning direction of the apparatus based on: a first force of the second plurality of forces received on the left portion of the surface, a second force of the second plurality of forces received on the right portion of the surface, a third force of the second plurality of forces received on the front portion of the surface, and a fourth force of the second plurality of forces received on the rear portion of the surface; and provide one or more second signals to the motors based on the target turning direction. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the differential rotational speed based on a distance between the at least two of the plurality of wheels. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a pitch angle measurement device configured to measure a pitch angle of the surface with respect to a horizontal surface; wherein the controller is further configured to determine one or more torques of the motors based on the pitch angle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configure to: determine a target acceleration or a target deceleration based on the reference distribution of forces and the updated distribution of forces; determine an acceleration limit or a deceleration limit based on a current speed of the apparatus; if the target acceleration exceeds the acceleration limit, or if the target deceleration exceeds the deceleration limit, determine a plurality of intermediate steps of updating the current speed to reach the target speed. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of force sensors provides information related to at least four forces at at least four locations on the surface. ### Claim 10 A computer-implemented method for controlling a transportation device, comprising: entering an initialization state in which the transportation device is in a stationary state; receiving, from a plurality of force sensors attached to a surface of the transportation device, information about a first plurality of forces received at a plurality of locations on the surface; determining via a controller, based on the first plurality of forces, a reference distribution of forces associated with the plurality of locations in the initialization state; entering a motion state; receiving, from the plurality of force sensors, information about a second plurality of forces at the plurality of locations; determining, based on the second plurality of forces, an updated distribution of forces associated with the plurality of locations in the motion state; determining a relationship between the reference distribution of forces and the updated distribution of forces; determining, via the controller, a target speed of the transportation device based on the relationship; and providing, via on the controller, one or more first signals to one or more motors of the transportation device to cause the transportation device to move at the target speed, wherein the method further comprises: receiving, from a rolling angle measurement device, a rolling angle of the surface with respect to a horizontal surface; and determining, via the controller, the differential rotational speed based on the rolling angle, wherein the rolling angle is determined as the difference between the rolling angle measured by the rolling angle measurement device and the reference rolling angle determined at the initialization state. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: determining via on the controller, based on the first plurality of forces, whether a user is standing with a first predetermined posture on the surface; wherein the reference distribution of forces is determined based on the first plurality of forces after determining that the user is standing with a predetermined posture on the surface. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: determining, via on the controller, a threshold of total force based on the first plurality of forces; determining, via on the controller, whether a total of the second plurality of forces is below the threshold of total force; upon determining that the total of the second plurality of forces is below the threshold of total force, causing the apparatus to enter or maintain a stationary state. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the surface includes a left portion, a right portion, a front portion, and a rear portion; the method further comprising: determining, via on the controller, a target turning direction of the transportation device based on: a first force of the second plurality of forces received on the left portion of the surface, a second force of the second plurality of forces received on the right portion of the surface, a third force of the second plurality of forces received on the front portion of the surface, and a fourth force of the second plurality of forces received on the rear portion of the surface; and providing one or more second signals to the one or more motors based on the target turning direction. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more second signals generate a differential rotational speed between at least two of the plurality of wheels. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: determining, via on the controller, the differential rotational speed based on a distance between the at least two of the plurality of wheels. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: determining, via on the controller, a target acceleration or a target deceleration based on the reference distribution of forces and the updated distribution of forces; determining, via on the controller, an acceleration limit or a deceleration limit based on a current speed of the apparatus; if the target acceleration exceeds the acceleration limit, or if the target deceleration exceeds the deceleration limit, determining a plurality of intermediate steps of updating the current speed to reach the target speed. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: receiving, from a pitch angle measurement device, a pitch angle of the surface with respect to a horizontal surface; and providing one or more third signals to the one or more motors to update one or more torques of the motors based on the pitch angle. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises receiving, from the plurality of force sensors, information related to at least four forces at at least four locations on the surface.