Two-wheel self-balancing vehicle with independently movable foot placement sections

Abstract

A two-wheel, self-balancing personal vehicle having independently movable foot placement sections. The foot placement sections have an associated wheel, sensor and motor and are independently self-balancing which gives the user independent control over the movement of each platform section by the magnitude and direction of tilt a user induces in a given platform section. Various embodiments are disclosed including those with a continuous housing, discrete platform sections and/or tapering platform sections.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A two-wheel, self-balancing vehicle device, comprising:
 a first foot placement section and a second foot placement section that are coupled to one another and are independently movable with respect to one another;   a first wheel associated with the first foot placement section and a second wheel associated with the second foot placement section, the first and second wheels being spaced apart and substantially parallel to one another;   a first position sensor and a first drive motor configured to drive the first wheel, a second position sensor and a second drive motor configured to drive the second wheel; and   control logic that drives the first wheel toward self-balancing the first foot placement section in response to position data from the first sensor and that drives the second wheel toward self-balancing the second foot placement section in response to position data from the second foot placement section.   
     
     
       2. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the first foot placement section and the second foot placement section are rotatably coupled to one another. 
     
     
       3. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the first foot placement section and the second foot placement section are positioned substantially linearly between the first and second wheel. 
     
     
       4. The device of  claim 1 , wherein said first and second foot placement sections are mounted to a frame that is sufficiently flexible that the first and second foot placement platforms can move independently with respect to one another under the weight of a user. 
     
     
       5. The device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a first housing section on which the first foot placement section is provided, the first housing section housing the first sensor and first drive motor; and   a second housing section on which the second foot placement section is provided, the second housing section housing the second sensor and second drive motor.   
     
     
       6. The device of  claim 5 , wherein the control logic include a first control logic controlling the first drive motor located in the first housing section and a second control logic controlling the second drive motor located in the second housing section. 
     
     
       7. The device of  claim 5 , wherein the first drive wheel extends from the first housing section on an end substantially opposite where the first housing section is coupled to the second housing section, and the second drive wheel extends from the second housing section on an end substantially opposite where the second housing section is coupled to the first housing section. 
     
     
       8. The device of  claim 1 , further comprising a platform sensor provided at at least one of the first and second foot placement sections that detects when a user is standing on that foot placement section. 
     
     
       9. The device of  claim 1 , further comprising a bias mechanism for returning the two independently movable first and second foot placement sections toward alignment in the absence of a force by a user displacing the two foot placement sections from alignment. 
     
     
       10. A two-wheel, self-balancing vehicle device, comprising:
 a first foot placement section and a second foot placement section that are rotatably coupled to one another;   a first wheel associated with the first foot placement section and a second wheel associated with the second foot placement section, the first and second wheels being spaced apart and substantially parallel to one another;   a first position sensor configured to sense the position of the first foot placement section;   a first drive motor configured to drive the first wheel;   a second position sensor configured to sense the position of the second foot placement section; and   a second drive motor configured to drive the second wheel,   wherein the device excludes a steering structure that ascends upward from the foot placement sections, and wherein the first foot placement section is coupled to the second foot placement section such that the first foot placement section can rotate forward while the second foot placement section can rotate backward.    
     
     
       11. A two-wheel, self-balancing vehicle device, comprising:
 a first foot placement section and a second foot placement section that are rotatably coupled to one another;   a first wheel associated with the first foot placement section and a second wheel associated with the second foot placement section, the first and second wheels being spaced apart and substantially parallel to one another;   a first position sensor configured to sense the position of the first foot placement section;   a first drive motor configured to drive the first wheel;   a second position sensor configured to sense the position of the second foot placement section; and   a second drive motor configured to drive the second wheel,   wherein the device excludes a steering structure that ascends upward from the foot placement sections, and wherein the first foot placement section is coupled to the second foot placement section such that the first foot placement section can rotate in the same direction as, and more steeply than, the second foot placement section.    
     
     
       12. A two-wheel, self-balancing vehicle device, comprising:
 a first foot placement section and a second foot placement section that are rotatably coupled to one another;   a first wheel associated with the first foot placement section and a second wheel associated with the second foot placement section, the first and second wheels being spaced apart and substantially parallel to one another;   a first position sensor configured to sense the position of the first foot placement section;   a first drive motor configured to drive the first wheel;   a second position sensor configured to sense the position of the second foot placement section; and   a second drive motor configured to drive the second wheel,   wherein the device excludes a steering structure that ascends upward from the foot placement sections, and wherein the vehicle is configured to move in a forward direction and a rearward direction, and wherein the first foot placement section is configured to rotate in the forward direction and the second foot placement section is configured to rotate in the rearward direction.    
     
     
       13. A two-wheel, self-balancing vehicle device, comprising:
 a first foot placement section and a second foot placement section that are rotatably coupled to one another;   a first wheel associated with the first foot placement section and a second wheel associated with the second foot placement section, the first and second wheels being spaced apart and substantially parallel to one another;   a processor; and   a first position sensor associated with the first foot placement section and a first motor configured to drive the first wheel, and a second position sensor associated with the second foot placement section and a second motor configured to drive the second wheel,   wherein tilting the first foot placement section forward results in the first wheel being driven forward, and tilting the first foot placement section more steeply forward than the second foot placement section is tilted forward results in the first wheel being driven faster forward than the second wheel, and wherein tilting the first foot placement section forward while tilting the second foot placement section backward results in the wheels being driven in opposite directions.