Motor control apparatus for a motorized vehicle, and method therefor
OwnerGraham L. Readinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A control arrangement for manually controlling speed and direction of devices such as electric motors typically where these drive the two driving wheels of a wheel chair, the control being achieved by having the radiant energy falling on several detectors, these being responsive to radiant energy falling on them from an emitter and this being controlled by the position of a reflective surface which is coupled to a control arm, the outputs from each detector being compared electronically both to determine whether the motor or motors should drive in a forward or rearward direction and their speed.
Claims12
A control arrangement for electric motors in which a mechanical controller is adapted to be manually used to control both forward and rearward speed of at least one electric motor, said control arrangement comprising:
- means to convert a manually determined position of a controller into an electrically useful signal to control said at least one electric motor, said means including a shift member having various positions and controlled in position by the said controller;
- at least two detectors and a radiant energy emitter associated with each of said detectors, said detectors each being responsive with a proportional electrical output to the level of the radiant energy from the associated emitter reflected from a reflection surface of said shift member, the position of said shift member being detected by said detectors by providing a varying effect to which said detectors are sensitive and will provide a variable output therby, the electrical output signal from each said detector being varied by reason of the varied, relative positions of said shift member with respect to said detectors;
- and
- an electrical circuit for controlling the said at least one electric motor, and said electrical circuit including means to effect a drive signal for said at least one electric motor which is varied to control the speed thereof as a factor of the combination of outputs of said detectors to control both the direction of rotation of the controlled motor in both a forward and rearward direction and the speed thereof.
For an electrically driven wheelchair, a control arrangement for electric drive motors where the wheelchair is of a type including two motors, one driving independently each of two driving wheels of the wheelchair, each electric motor being controllable in speed in both forward and rearward directions whereby to control the direction and speed of the wheelchair, said control arrangement comprising:
- a shift member having a reflection surface;
- four detectors arranged in a symmetrical manner relative to a central position relative to selective range of the reflection surface of said shift member;
- a radiant energy emitter adjoining each said detector, said detector being responsive with a proportional electrical output to the level of radiant energy from the emitter reflected from the reflection surface, the output from each said detector being varied by reason of the varied relative positions of said shift member with respect to said detectors;
- and
- electrical circuit means, said detectors being coupled to said electrical circuit means such that each is predominantly determining a drive quadrant and speed direction, the outputs from said detectors which are oppositely located being combined so that the difference between the outputs is used to determine and control both the speed and direction of rotation of the respective drive motor depending upon the position of said shift member relative to said detectors.
A motor control apparatus for controlling both the direction and speed of a motor, said control comprising:
- a universally mounted manual control member;
- a shift member connected to said control member and disposed for pivotal movement between a neutral position and a displaced position upon movement of said control member;
- a first detector mounted on said apparatus in a first position relative to said control member;
- a second detector mounted on said apparatus in a second position relative to said control member, said second position being opposite in direction to said first position;
- each of said first and second detectors being equally spaced from said shift member when said shift member is in its neutral position;
- each of said first and second detectors having detection means to determine the spacing of each associated detector from said shift member and to generate an electrical output signal representative of said spacing;
- and
- electrical circuit means responsive to the outputs of said detection means for combining said output signals and for producing a drive signal for said motor, wherein said motor is stationary when said shift member is in its neutral position and said motor is operated either in a forward or rearward direction and at a variable speed depending upon the displaced position of said shift member relative to said detectors.
A method of controlling both the direction and speed of at least two motors used to drive a motorized vehicle having a pair of driving wheels, wherein each of said wheels is driven by a separate motor, and which method uses a pair of radiant energy emitters and detectors for each motor spaced from a pivotally mounted shift member operated by a universally mounted control member, and which shift member has a reflection surface disposed for movement between a neutral position and a displaced position, whereby the detectors in each of said pair of detectors generate signals which are combined to generate a drive signal to control the speed and direction of the associated motor;
- said method comprising:
- positioning said detectors, and their adjoining emitters, symmetrically relative to a central range of positions of said shift member, said detectors and emitters being equally spaced from said shift member when said shift member is in its neutral position, and the detectors in each of said pair of detectors being positioned opposite to one another relative to said control member;
- emitting radiant energy from said emitters in the direction toward the reflection surface of said shift member;
- detecting the reflected radiant energy of each emitter by its adjoining detector;
- generating an electrical output signal from each detector representative of the level of radiant energy emitted from its adjoining emitter and reflected from the reflection surface of said shift member;
- and
- combining the electrical output signals from the detectors in each pair of said pairs of detectors and producing a drive signal for controlling the direction and speed of the associated one of said motors to control the direction and speed of said vehicle, wherein said motors are stationary when said shift member is in its neutral position and said motors are operated either in a forward or rearward direction and at a variable speed depending upon the displaced position of said shift member relative to said detectors.
For an electrically driven wheelchair, a control arrangement for electric drive motors where the wheelchair is of a type including two motors, one driving independently each of two driving wheels of the wheelchair, each electric motor being controllable in speed in both forward and rearward directions whereby to control the direction and speed of the wheelchair, said control arrangement comprising:
- a shift member having a reflection surface;
- four detectors arranged in a symmetrical manner relative to a central position relative to selective range of the reflection surface of said shift member;
- a radiant energy emitter adjoining each said detector, said detector being responsive with a proportional electrical output to the level of radiant energy from the emitter reflected from the reflection surface;
- electrical circuit means including pulse generating means responsive to the output signal from each of said detectors to produce a train of pulses, the duration of each pulse being controlled by the level of reflected radiant energy received by the respective detector, said detectors being coupled to said electrical circuit means such that each is predominantly determining a drive quadrant and speed direction, the outputs from said detectors which are oppositely located being combined so that the difference between the outputs is used to determine and control both the speed and direction of rotation of the respective drive motor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.