Motor amplifier and control for a personal transporter
AssigneeDEKA Products Limited Partnership
InventorsJohn David Heinzmann, John B. Morrell, George B. Yundt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for controlling a motorized balancing transporter that has two wheels in contact with the ground in normal operation. A signal substantially proportional to the shaft velocity is produced, and, at a rate less than 200 times per second, a voltage is calculated based at least on the shaft velocity signal and a specified transporter velocity and a voltage is applied to the motor based on the calculated voltage. A method is also provided for yaw control of the motorized balancing transporter that includes calculating a command to a motor amplifier based on balancing requirements of the transporter and augmenting the command to the motor amplifier based on a specified direction of motion.
Claims7
A method for controlling an electrical motor in a balancing transporter, the transporter having precisely two wheels in contact with the ground in normal operation and having a balancing controller characterized by a frame rate, the electric motor driving a shaft for coupling power to one of the precisely two wheels, the shaft characterized by an instantaneous shaft velocity, the method comprising:
- (a) controlling the output of the power stage by means of an inner loop characterized by a first bandwidth;
- (b) producing a signal substantially proportional to the shaft velocity in response to the output of the power stage;
- (c) calculating, at a rate equal to the frame rate and less than one third of the first bandwidth, a voltage command signal based at least on the shaft velocity signal and a specified transporter velocity;
- and
- (d) controlling a voltage applied to the motor based on the voltage command signal.
A velocity controller for a balancing personal transporter, the velocity controller comprising:
- (a) a motor having a shaft for driving a wheel of the balancing personal vehicle;
- (b) a motor amplifier for supplying power to the motor, the amplifier controlled at a rate characterized by an inner loop bandwidth;
- (c) a shaft feedback sensor for measuring angular velocity of the shaft and providing a shaft velocity signal;
- (d) a user input for receiving specification of a commanded vehicle velocity;
- (e) a controller for calculating, at a rate less than one third of the inner loop bandwidth, a voltage command signal based at least on the shaft velocity signal and the commanded transporter velocity;
- and
- (f) an amplifier for applying a voltage based on the voltage command signal across the motor.
A method for controlling the yaw of a motorized balancing transporter having precisely two laterally disposed wheels, each wheel being actuated by a motor, each motor being driven by a motor amplifier, the method comprising:
- (a) calculating a command to a motor amplifier based on balancing requirements of the transporter;
- (b) augmenting the command to the motor amplifier based on a specified direction of motion;
- (c) generating an amplifier output based in part on the augmented command;
- (d) sensing the amplifier output;
- (e) modifying the command based on the amplifier output;
- and
- (f) applying the amplifier output to a wheel motor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.