Mobility vehicle and method of controlling the same

A mobility vehicle comprising:

• a body part;
• support frames configured to support the body part and pivot about a first rotation axis relative to the body part;
• movement parts respectively connected to the support frames, wherein the movement parts are configured to move the body part and the support frames, and wherein the movement parts comprise front wheels and rear wheels respectively connected to the support frames;
• a drive part configured to provide power for rotating the support frames;
• and
• a controller configured to control motions of the support frames to adjust a horizontal width of the mobility vehicle,
• wherein the controller is configured to control the movement parts so that speeds of the front and rear wheels are different from one another in response to any one of a contraction signal and an expansion signal being provided, and
• wherein the contraction signal indicates that the horizontal width of the mobility vehicle is to be decreased, and the expansion signal indicates that the horizontal width of the mobility vehicle is to be increased.

A method of controlling a mobility vehicle, wherein the mobility vehicle comprises:

• a body part;
• support frames configured to support the body part and pivot about a first rotation axis relative to the body part;
• movement parts respectively connected to the support frames, wherein the movement parts are configured to move the body part and the support frames, and wherein the movement parts comprise front wheels and rear wheels respectively connected to the support frames;
• and
• a controller configured to control motions of the support frames,
• wherein the support frames comprise:
• (i) a first support frame extending in a first direction, wherein the first support frame has a first central portion, wherein the first support frame comprises:
• a first-first frame region including a first-first end of the first support frame and extending from the first central portion of the first support frame to a first-first side of the first support frame based on the first direction, and
• a first-second frame region including a first-second end of the first support frame and extending from the first central portion of the first support frame to a first-second side of the first support frame based on the first direction;
• and
• (ii) a second support frame having a second central portion disposed to intersect the first central portion of the first support frame, wherein the second support frame extends in a second direction intersecting the first direction, wherein the second support frame comprises:
• a second-first frame region including a second-first end of the second support frame and extending from the second central portion of the second support frame to a second-first side of the second support frame based on the second direction, and
• a second-second frame region including a second-second end of the second support frame and extending from the second central portion of the second support frame to a second-second side of the second support frame based on the second direction;
• and
• wherein the first-first frame region, the second-first frame region, the first-second frame region, and the second-second frame region are disposed along a circumferential direction, and
• wherein the method comprises:
• receiving a contraction signal indicating that a horizontal width of the mobility vehicle is to be decreased;
• controlling motions of the support frames so that the first-first end of the first-first frame region and the second-first end of the second-first frame region become closer to each other in response to the contraction signal being received;
• receiving an expansion signal indicating that the horizontal width of the mobility vehicle is to be increased;
• controlling motions of the support frames so that the first-first end of the first-first frame region and the second-first end of the second-first frame region become more distant from each other in response to the expansion signal being received;
• detecting an object motion of an external object in a peripheral region of the mobility vehicle;
• providing an avoidance signal to the controller, wherein the avoidance signal indicates that the mobility vehicle is to avoid the external object in response to the object motion of the external object in the peripheral region being detected;
• and
• orienting a long-distance wheel in a first rolling direction intersecting a second rolling direction of a short-distance wheel in response to the avoidance signal being provided to the controller, wherein any one of the front wheels and the rear wheels that is positioned closest to the external object is a short-distance wheel, and wherein any other one of the front wheels and the rear wheels that is positioned farthest from the external object is a long-distance wheel.