Three-wheeled tilting vehicle
AssigneeSway Motorsports LLC
InventorsKyle Jonathan Doerksen, Joseph Wilcox
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tiltable vehicle is configured to transform between an autonomous mode and a rideable mode by pivoting the handlebars and steering column of the vehicle about a pitch axis. In the autonomous mode, the steering column is folded back toward the chassis and a tiltable chassis of the vehicle is prevented from tilting. In the rideable mode, the steering column is unfolded and the chassis is free to tilt. In some examples, a tiltable vehicle includes features beneficial for vehicle-sharing, such as parking devices or a basket. These features may be included on any suitable vehicle and are not limited to use on transforming vehicles.
Claims20
A convertible, tilting vehicle, comprising:
- a pair of front wheels coupled to a tiltable chassis by a first mechanical linkage, wherein the pair of front wheels and the chassis are configured to tilt in unison with respect to a roll axis of the chassis;
- a steering actuator operatively coupled to the pair of front wheels by a steering linkage and configured to selectively steer the front wheels;
- a single rear wheel coupled to the chassis;
- a motor coupled to the rear wheel and configured to drive the rear wheel to propel the vehicle;
- and
- a rider support platform transitionable between:
- (a) a first mode, in which the rider support platform is configured to support a rider thereon and to steer the vehicle in response to rider input, and
- (b) a second mode, in which a portion of the rider support platform is displaced to a rider-unusable position;
- wherein, in automatic response to a transition from the first mode to the second mode, an electronic controller of the vehicle is configured to steer the vehicle autonomously and a tilt-lock mechanism is configured to limit tilting of the tiltable chassis.
A three-wheeled vehicle, comprising:
- a pair of front wheels coupled to a tiltable chassis by a tilt linkage, such that the pair of front wheels and the chassis are configured to tilt in unison with respect to a roll axis of the chassis;
- a single rear wheel coupled to the chassis, the rear wheel comprising a hub motor configured to drive the rear wheel to propel the vehicle;
- and
- a rider support platform having a handlebar assembly and a seat, wherein the rider support platform is configured to transition between:
- (a) a first mode, in which the rider support platform is configured to support a rider thereon and to steer the vehicle in response to rider input, and
- (b) a second mode, in which the handlebar assembly is pivoted rearward toward the seat such that a rider is prevented from mounting the vehicle;
- wherein, in automatic response to a transition from the first mode to the second mode, an electronic controller of the vehicle is configured to steer the vehicle autonomously.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.