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US 5,746,282 AGranted
Power-assisted cart
AssigneeMatsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
InventorsShigeki Fujiwara, Hideki Yamashita, Hiroshi Maeda
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A power-assisted cart includes a wheeled platform for supporting a load thereon; driving wheels mounted on the wheeled platform for, when driven, moving the wheeled platform; a drive unit for driving the driving wheels; an operating unit which may be in the form of a handle mounted on the wheeled platform for receiving an external force applied thereto when the cart is desired to be moved; a force detector for detecting a magnitude and direction of the external force applied to the operating unit; and a control for generating to the drive unit an output substantially proportional to the external force detected by the force detector.
Claims22
A power-assisted cart comprising:
- a wheeled platform for supporting a load thereon;
- a first driving wheel mounted on the wheeled platform for, when driven, moving the wheeled platform;
- a drive means for driving the first driving wheel;
- an operating member mounted on the wheeled platform for receiving an external force applied thereto when the cart is desired to be moved;
- a force detector for detecting a magnitude and direction of the external force applied to the operating member to thereby detect thrust and yawing forces applied to the power-assisted cart;
- and
- a control means for controlling the drive means to apply a torque to the first driving wheel substantially proportional to the external force detected by the force detector so that the external force, when added to a force resulting from the torque applied to the first driving wheel results in a desired total force being applied to the cart.
4 more elements
A power-assisted cart comprising:
- a wheeled platform for supporting a load thereon;
- a first driving wheel mounted on the wheeled platform for, when driven, moving the wheeled platform;
- a drive means for driving the first driving wheel;
- an operating member mounted on the wheeled platform for receiving an external force applied thereto when the cart is desired to be moved;
- speed detecting means for detecting a traveling speed of the power-assisted cart, wherein the control means corrects the torque based on the traveling speed deteted by the speed detecting means;
- a force detector for detecting a magnitude and direction of the external force applied to the operating member to thereby detect thrust and yawing forces applied to the power-assisted cart;
- and
- a control means for controlling the drive means to apply a torque to the first driving wheel substantially proportional to the external force detected by the force detector, wherein the control means includes a viscosity adding means for decreasing the torque by applying a viscous resistance to the drive means, wherein the viscous resistance is substantially proportional to the traveling speed detected by the speed detecting means.
5 more elements
A power-assisted cart comprising:
- a wheeled platform for supporting a load thereon;
- a first driving wheel mounted on the wheeled platform for, when driven, moving the wheeled platform;
- a drive means for driving the first driving wheel;
- an operating member mounted on the wheeled platform for receiving an external force applied thereto when the cart is desired to be moved;
- speed detecting means for detecting a traveling speed of the power-assisted cart, wherein the control means corrects the torque based on the traveling speed detected by the speed detecting means;
- load detecting means, wherein the control means corrects the torque based on a load value detected by said load detecting means, wherein the load detecting means includes a weight sensor for detecting a weight of a load on the wheeled platform;
- a force detector for detecting a magnitude and direction of the external force applied to the operating member to thereby detect thrust and yawing forces applied to the power-assisted cart;
- and
- a control means for controlling the drive means to apply a torque to the first driving wheel substantially proportional to the external force detected by the force detector, wherein the control means includes a frictional resistance adding means for increasing the torque based on the weight detected by the weight sensor.
6 more elements
A power-assisted cart comprising:
- a wheeled platform for supporting a load thereon;
- a first driving wheel mounted on the wheeled platform for, when driven, moving the wheeled platform;
- a drive means for driving the first driving wheel;
- an operating member mounted on the wheeled platform for receiving an external force applied thereto when the cart is desired to be moved;
- speed detecting means for detecting a traveling speed of the power-assisted cart, wherein the control means corrects the torque based on the traveling speed detected by the speed detecting means;
- inclination detecting means for detecting an inclination of the power-assisted cart;
- a force detector for detecting a magnitude and direction of the external force applied to the operating member to thereby detect thrust and yawing forces applied to the power-assisted cart;
- and
- a control means for controlling the drive means to apply a torque to the first driving wheel substantially proportional to the external force detected by the force detector, wherein the control means corrects the torque based on the detected inclination.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.