E-BOARD ACCELERATION FOOT SUPPORT
An inclined support apparatus, integrated to an E-board, providing a rider stability during acceleration and/or deceleration as the apparatus more effectively compensates the forces from the motorization of the E-board, allowing the rider to distribute more normal force on a rear or front foot. The inclined support apparatus may be removably attached and adjustable to the board. The apparatus comprises a body having a plurality of inclined, contoured sections at the top surface of the body. The inclined sections may include at least a main inclined section along at least a length of the body. The support apparatus may comprise at least one contoured section in the top surface, such as a concave depression, so as to provide the rider a means to better react to longitudinal acceleration forces along the natural shape of the rider's foot and to have a more upright, athletic stance while riding.
This application claims the benefit of priority based upon U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/711,513, filed on Jul. 28, 2018 in the name of the same inventor, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated into the present application by reference.
FIELDThe exemplary embodiment(s) of the present invention relates to the field of electric skateboards (E-boards), and more particularly to providing rider stability while using an E-board. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to an E-board foot support.
BACKGROUNDE-boards are motorized skateboards that give the rider the ability to accelerate and decelerate without the rider needing to kick the ground. It should be noted that while moving longitudinally in a given direction, acceleration can occur in both the positive and negative directions of motion. Deceleration can be used to describe accelerations in the opposite direction relative to the state of motion i.e. braking. Also, acceleration can occur laterally while traveling at a given speed in a curved path. Gas motorized skateboards have been around as early as 1975, but modern E-boards with electric motors originated in the late 1990s as battery technology advanced. E-boards gained widespread awareness among consumers peaking around 2012 but it took up until recent years, 2017-2018, for E-boards to become popularly used and commonly seen in public. The E-board market is still relatively young and continuously growing with several startups flooding the new consumer market. Companies are still busy with marketing the product to the public as a cool, fun, and useful means of transportation around cities and campuses, helping to solve the last-mile dilemma for commuting as well as provide a new sport for pleasure riding. Companies are primarily focused on providing lower cost, higher quality boards with longer riding range, higher power motor outputs, and easier user-interface controls. Also, with recent spike in the use of E-boards in dense urban areas, certain major cities are calling into question the regulation and safety of E-boarders on public streets. Because focus is on other aspects of the E-board performance and compliance, there are many unaddressed design/functional issues regarding E-board rider stability during operation.
The majority of modern electric skateboards have a top speed of 20-25 mph with various speed modes ranging from light eco-cruising to peak motor performance (˜2000+ Watts). E-boards are typically operated with hand-held remote that controls the desired direction mode, forward or backward, and the desired speed with a throttle. Typically, positive throttle will speed the rider up and negative throttle will slow the rider down in whichever their current direction mode is set to. This capability is achieved by the E-board's DC motor being able to expend power from the battery to propel and harness power to the battery in order to brake. The braking functionality is often referred to as regenerative braking which resists the state of motion, converting the kinetic energy of the wheels spinning into useful energy stored back into the battery while consequently decelerating the board.
On a traditional (non-motorized) skateboard, a rider manually uses one of their two feet to kick on or slide against the ground to accelerate or decelerate while keeping the unused foot on top of the board's deck. Because of this traditional method, rider stability on the deck was not an issue because the act of kicking or sliding on the ground required dynamic, coordinated movement of the feet and body. Stability depended on the rider's ability to perform the actions skillfully. With a motorized skateboard, however, the rider does not need to move their feet off the board's deck during motion at constant speed, acceleration or deceleration. Because acceleration and deceleration are controlled by the hand-held remote controls, riders now need to maintain their form and stability with both feet planted on the board's deck while navigating terrain. Therefore, a rider will need to be able to quickly and frequently start and stop throughout the ride since E-Boarding commonly takes place on paved surfaces—i.e. city streets, bike lanes, sidewalks or walking trails—with other motor or foot traffic.
It is common in any skateboard design to use a layer of a grip tape adhered to the top of the deck in order to help the rider's feet stay planted. This grip tape relies on static friction shear force interactions with the bottom of the rider's shoes. For a given combination of two materials, the frictional force is directly proportional to the normal force applied at the material interface.
Due to the high power output of the motors, the rider must lean their body into the direction of desired longitudinal motion in order to react the forces from the E-board's motors. If the rider does not lean enough and/or accelerates or decelerates too quickly, it is not uncommon for the rider's momentum to carry/throw them off the board. However by leaning, the rider must decrease the normal force on their shoe that is opposite to the direction of the lean, thus reducing the static friction threshold on that foot with the grip tape.
For the case of the E-board accelerating straight forward on a flat surface, the rider leans forward, reducing the normal force on their rear foot. The rear foot is also the only foot that uses a normal force to counteract the moments from the board about the rider's body center of gravity (CG). So, when the rider leans forward it is a tradeoff between losing rear foot normal force and increasing their effective moment arm between their rear foot and their CG to react to a given applied moment from the E-board's acceleration. Therefore, the rear foot, in this situation, loses a lot of effectiveness for the rider to stabilize and hold themselves longitudinally on the E-board during acceleration. When riding on a sloped surface (a hill) this problem is exacerbated further requiring the rider to lean forward or compensate their stance's leg angles more than if they were on a flat surface.
Currently, E-boards lack a design that would provide proper foot support and stability during acceleration or deceleration while still providing the same freedom as traditional skateboards with the rider being able to easily move their feet anywhere on, off or along the deck unrestricted.
Common torque blocks for non-motorized longboards are intended to aid a rider in a forward, crouched stance. The torque block is commonly used for highspeed downhill riding at speeds between 40 mph to up to 80 mph. Because of the downhill rider's aggressive speeds, rider stance must also become aggressive with rear foot position. The block rests beneath only the rear foot where the rear foot is parallel to the direction of forward motion allowing the heel to be lifted off the block in the air while the toes/ball of the foot grip the block (similar to the set position of a track runner's foot on a metal starting block). Due to the highspeed downhill longboarding application, a torque block is a simple, straight-cut wedge with a uniform, flat inclined plane.
While foot stops also exist, neither do they solve the problems associated with facilitating the E-boarder's upright stance nor to effectively counter the acceleration and deceleration forces of electric skateboarding. Common foot stops for non-motorized skateboards exist but have various shortcomings and inadequacies. Foot stops are used for high-speed downhill application to aid various extreme maneuvers. The rider does not step on the foot stop, but instead the side of the rider's foot abuts the vertical wall of foot stop. The first intent of the foot stop is for foot location consistency, so the rider easily knows their foot's position and orientation on the deck without having to take their eyes off the road to look at their feet while at speed. The second intent of the foot stop is for providing extra sideways reaction force to prevent (stop) the rider's foot from slipping off the deck because depending on rider skill, the grip tape's friction is not sufficient. Two instances where sideways foot slippage is most likely to occur are during corners and during long-distance-pumping (LDP) motions. In corners, the rider is in a crouched, in low stance often sliding one gloved hand on the pavement for added stabilization and/or using one hand to hold the side of the deck. This causes the rider's legs to be at sharp acute angles to their deck, prone to slippage. In LDP, the rider sharply turns their board while at speed in a “hockey stop” motion, causing their wheels to slide sideways instead of roll. Again, often one gloved hand is placed on the pavement for added stabilization as they pump their board sideways from under their upper body. LDP helps a rider reduce speed on long straightaways and to speed check themselves before corner entry. Foot stops are typically small in size so the rider can keep their feet as close to being over the trucks as possible providing less leverage to pivot the truck's hanger, which is beneficial at high speeds where smooth, minor turns are needed. Since foot stops are intended to abut to the side of the foot for the following aforementioned reasons, such foot stops would not help to facilitate the E-boarders upright stance since they are not intended to rest as an incline beneath the foot during motorized skateboard motion. So ankle roll and corresponding muscle fatigue still occur with foot stops.
There are also standard binding-cups and foot straps which are typically used for off-road (dirt) riding involving jumps or more aggressive riding so that the board is firmly secured beneath the rider's feet at all times. However, since these binding-cups and foot straps go over the top of the rider's feet they restrict the rider's foot to being setup in a fixed location and angle. This limits the rider's ability to change their riding stance (feet, legs, body) while riding. Also, to remove their feet from binding-cups and foot straps, the rider must use their hands to unstrap a buckle or undergo awkward motions to slide their foot back out of the strap/binding cup. This aspect can be very unsafe while riding when the rider needs to quickly bail off the E-board during a fall or trying to avoid a collision.
Therefore, it is desirable to have an inclined/contoured/angled support section that is permanently (requiring destructive force to the board to modify, install or remove) or separately (requiring no destruction to the board to modify, install or remove) integrated to the deck of the E-board for a rider to better react the acceleratory forces at their feet during motion and to facilitate a comfortable upright E-boarder stance during navigation and turning.
SUMMARYEmbodiments of the present invention serve to provide E-board riders stability during acceleration or deceleration, or some combination of the aforementioned scenarios. A rider typically needs to lean forward or backward longitudinally to compensate for induced moments from the motorized board about the rider's center of gravity. The inclined foot support helps the rider in reacting to accelerations by providing a surface that tilts the sole-plane's normal vector of their back or front foot more into the direction of acceleration for improved stance, comfort, and grip. The inclined foot support also helps the rider distribute weight on their feet while going up and down hills because the inclined support naturally becomes a more horizontal surface relative to the sloped surface, which lessens the degree that the ankle must be angled. Going uphill the rear foot benefits while conversely going downhill the front foot benefits with added stability. The primary focus of this inclined support is for compensating the forces from the motorization aspects of the E-board. However, for the case of the E-board accelerating while cornering, the inclined support could be contoured in order to provide a secondary means for better reacting to the lateral acceleration forces at the rider's toes or heels, depending on a left or right corner. This in turn has the advantage of facilitating the rider of the E-board to have an upright, athletic stance with a more desirable ankle angle relative to the lower leg.
Currently, E-board riders typically need to keep both feet flat on the deck while leaning into the direction of acceleration. The accelerations bring their shoe's closer to the grip tape's static frictional force threshold and could result in foot slippage or ankle roll, if too much power is demanded from the motors, and/or poor steering control from being off balance while trying to lean. The angled foot support of the present invention will therefore allow the rider to distribute more normal force on their rear or front foot during longitudinal acceleration or deceleration, respectively.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the inclined support maintains the rider's unrestrictive foot movement on and off the deck easily and also any direction of foot movement relative to the deck at all foot locations of the useable deck area. The inclined support should be integrated to the deck so its useable portion is inboard of the truck mounts (trucks). The inclined support's attachment location is intended to maintain contact of all wheels firmly on the ground while the rider presses against the support during motorized operation (acceleration/deceleration). The inclined support of the present invention is configured for E-board motors that are controlled by a hand controller (not by any foot sensor technology).
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the inclined support apparatus is integrated to a motorized board, providing a rider stability during acceleration and during deceleration on sloped and flat surfaces, configured to receive foot pressure by the rider at a top surface of the support apparatus. According to the embodiment, the support apparatus comprises: a support body having a top surface, a bottom surface, a left side edge, a right side edge, a first edge and a second edge. The first and second edges define a length of the support body and wherein the left side and right side edge define a width of the support body. The support body comprises at least one inclined section at the top surface along the length of the support body, wherein a beginning of the inclined section begins nearer to the first edge and inclines toward the second edge, and at least one concave depression within the inclined section; and wherein the first edge is a leading edge that is positioned closer to a center of the board than the second edge which faces an end of the board. Furthermore, a side view thickness-profile of the board, measured where the inclined support body is integrated to the board's shape, is larger than a side view thickness-profile measured along a majority of a length of the board.
According to preferred embodiments, the inclined support can be removably mountable as a single part, static body which may be conveniently installed using any number of the previously existing holes of that the board uses to attach to the trucks. In an alternative preferred embodiment, the support may have a multi-part, static body design. In an alternative embodiment, the inclined support may have a rider-adjustable body design.
These features, advantages and other embodiments of the present invention are further made apparent, in the remainder of the present document, to those of ordinary skill in the art.
The exemplary aspects of the present invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description given below and from the accompanying drawings of various embodiments of the invention, which, however, should not be taken to limit the invention to the specific embodiments, but are for explanation and understanding only.
The purpose of the following detailed description is to provide an understanding of one or more embodiments of the present invention. Those of ordinary skills in the art will realize that the following detailed description is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Other embodiments will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure and/or description.
Various embodiments of the present invention illustrated in the drawings may not be drawn to scale. Rather, the dimensions of the various features may be expanded or reduced for clarity. In addition, some of the drawings may be simplified for clarity. Thus, the drawings may not depict all of the components of a given apparatus (e.g., device) or method. The same reference indicators will be used throughout the drawings and the following detailed description to refer to the same or like parts.
The dimensions of the inclined support 1 can also be manufactured to suit a rider's preference. In particular, the width 8, length 9, and height 10 of the support 1 can all be varied. As shown in the
The static support may exist in multiple combinations/options as a fixed shape/design for simplicity; however, a rider adjustable inclined section could be designed for the rider to tune their desired angle of support. However, this rider adjustable inclined section may end up being too complicated and over built for most users.
The dimensions of the front inclined support 20 can also be manufactured to suit rider preference. Specifically, the width 28, length 29, and height 30 can all be adjusted. As shown in the
According to embodiments, the width 8, 28 of the support 1, 20 may span the majority or all of the width of the deck to provide the rider with the maximum angled foot holding that their deck offers. The width 8, 28 of the support 1, 20 could be larger than the deck width (overhanging the deck's edge) however this could be a hindrance to the rider while turning and lacking proper support without the deck beneath the inclined material. Due to the thousands of deck shapes, a standard/manufactured support design could have a slight overhang from the deck that is tolerable.
To better illustrate the conventional E-board rider's stances during forward acceleration without use of any inclined support, see
For comparative purposes,
To better illustrate the conventional E-board rider's stance when accelerating uphill, without use of any inclined support, see
For comparative purposes,
For purposes of understanding how the rider would ride the board with inclined supports 1, 20,
The placement of either inclined support 1, 20 along the length of the board deck depends on the deck shape and where the rider prefers to place their feet while riding. In a preferred embodiment, the support 1, 20 is most advantageously placed within the wheelbase, i.e. the rider's feet remain inboard of the trucks 104, 105, as their feet would normally be located while riding without this support. Since causing the rider's foot to be placed outside the truck mounts would cause that foot's reaction force to help pivot the deck about that truck's wheels. Placing the inclined section of the support 1, 20 so that the rider's feet when using this support are on top or outboard of the trucks would also be a potential clearance issue for most E-board's since the support 1, 20 and rider's foot would be directly above or closer to the wheels, thereby it would be more likely for rider's feet to contact the spinning wheels while turning sharply. Alternatively, as some boards do have setups that fully cover the front or rear wheels, the support 1, 20 could be placed on top or outboard of the trucks 104, 105 (but such a setup would be at the riders' discretion due to the undesired wheel clearance, awkward stance position and the wheelie or flipping action induced by reacting their foot outboard of the wheels).
To further illustrate a version of the support with customizable and adjustable longitudinal positioning,
According to embodiments, the top surface may have multiple central planar inclined sections and the cupped portion 33 is a fillet along the edge between the side lip (side edge 21A or 21B) and the central incline planar sections (e.g. main inclined section 49) of the top surface. Other concave shapes are contemplated in other embodiments, as long as no part of the contours of the cupped portion 33 extend higher than the tallest, steepest inclined plane at the top surface.
The inclined component 51 which may resemble a support wedge is removably attachable to the base component 55. The inclined support component 51 portion can be swapped with different incline shapes or removed completely. Such versatility allows the rider to choose between having an incline or to free up the deck space for the rider's foot and ride on a normal deck platform. In this embodiment, the base component 55 and the inclined support component 51, positioned on the rear of the board, are positioned inboard or in front of the rear truck 104.
The inclined supports 1, 20, 35, 36, as well as the primary components of the multi-part support 50 (incline component 51 and base component 55) are each manufactured as a single/static piece, which can be machined, molded or crafted, and can be constructed of metal, plastics, rubber, foam, wood, carbon fiber, fiber glass, fluid filled pockets/vessels or other material composite bodies or combinations thereof. The bottom surface of each of the supports which contact the top surface of the board, while shown as substantially horizontal/flat may also be manufactured/pre-formed with a custom-profiled or curved bottom surface 70 to correspond with a curvature of a board and help preload the inclined support to the deck's top surface.
As described above, the supports comprise single or multi directional sloped incline sections. Any of the surfaces of the inclined supports, may further comprise a gripped surface or include grip tape. As shown in
In another embodiment, the support may be configured for fitting a custom designed deck with specific fastening schemes pre-designed such as extra mounting holes for bolts, T-hats/nuts or threaded inserts for attaching the foot supports to the deck instead of using any of the existing four truck holes on each tail or nose end of the board.
The foot supports of the embodiments shown above are intended as accessories that are removably installed on the original deck of motorized boards. Each of the supports allow the rider to safely and comfortably distribute the rider's reaction forces on their feet to the board's motion. Use of the support relieves riders from excessively leaning or other positions that compensate for the acceleration or which place their ankles in awkward angles. The supports provide the rider stability and control by creating a more horizontal surface to ride upon while on sloped, hill surfaces. For example, improved rider reaction force distribution is obtained via the rear inclined support during acceleration or on uphill climbs and obtained via the front inclined support during deceleration/braking or when going downhill. The supports are non-restrictive as the rider is free to move their foot off any of the supports to the regular portion of the deck whenever desired and easily back onto the support(s) whenever angled support is desired.
It is contemplated that in some embodiments, the supports may comprise other features including electronics, reflectors, lights, speakers, or other typical skating accessories for purposes of rider safety or board protection, night riding enjoyment or other activities. In other embodiments of the present invention, there is an E-board comprising at least one inclined support apparatus; or an E-board comprising two inclined support apparatus. In other embodiments, it is envisioned that the supports may be integrated as accessories for other types of boards used in other motorized boarding activities, for example scootering where the rider desires the angled support during acceleration/deceleration but to still maintain the freedom of foot movement.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from the exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their broader aspects. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of these exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
Claims
1. An inclined support apparatus that is integrated to a motorized board, providing a rider stability during acceleration and during deceleration on sloped and flat surfaces, configured to receive foot pressure by the rider at a top surface of the support apparatus, the support apparatus comprising:
- a support body having a top surface, a bottom surface, a left side edge, a right side edge, a first edge and a second edge, wherein the first and second edges define a length of the support body and wherein the left side edge and right side edge define a width of the support body;
- at least one inclined section at the top surface along the length of the support body, wherein a beginning of the inclined section begins nearer to the first edge and inclines toward the second edge, and at least one concave depression within the inclined section; and
- wherein the first edge is a leading edge that is positioned closer to a center of the board than the second edge which faces an end of the board; and
- wherein a side view thickness-profile of the board, measured where the support body is integrated to a shape of the board, is larger than a side view thickness-profile measured along a majority of a length of the board.
2. The support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one concave depression at the top surface begins at an angle away from a centerline axis which runs through the length of the support body.
3. The support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the top surface comprises a second concave depression laterally opposite the at least one concave depression.
4. The support apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the at least one concave depression and the second concave depression are symmetrically positioned.
5. The support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the support body across the width of the support body is thicker at the right and left side edges than at the center.
6. The support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the support body at the right side edge is different from a thickness of the support body at the left side edge.
7. The support apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the support body is asymmetrical across the length of the support body such that the first edge extends, at a clocking angle, inward toward the second edge from a horizontal axis aligned with an outermost point of the first edge, beginning from the right side edge or the left side edge.
8. The support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bottom surface of the support body that is in contact with a top of the board is pre-formed with a concave surface.
9. The support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a fastening means for removably or permanently securing the support body to the board.
10. The support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support body is manufactured as a static, single piece.
11. The support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support body comprises at least two distinct pieces including a base component for mounting the support body to the board and an inclined support component comprising the top surface, the right side edge, the left side edge and the first edge, wherein the inclined support component is removably attachable to the base component.
12. The support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the support body is formed of metal, plastic, rubber, foam, carbon fiber, fiber glass, fluid filled pockets or vessels or other natural or synthetic material composite bodies or combinations thereof.
13. The support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the top surface of the support body comprises a textured surface providing grip.
14. The support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the top surface terminates at the second edge with a substantially horizontal section.
15. The support apparatus of claim 14, further comprising at least one receiving hole in the substantially horizontal section, through which the support body is attached to the board through holes on the board.
16. The support apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the substantially horizontal section comprises one or more adjustment slots configured to provide locational positioning of the support body before securing the support body to the board.
17. The support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the board is an E-board.
18. An E-board comprising at least one inclined support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support body is located inboard of two trucks of the board, inclusive of directly above the trucks.
19. The E-board of claim 18, wherein the inclined support apparatus further comprises a fastening means for securing the support body to a deck of the board.
20. The E-board of claim 18, wherein the inclined support apparatus further comprises a fastening means for securing the support body to at least one of the two trucks of the board.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 25, 2019
Publication Date: Jan 30, 2020
Inventor: Johnathan Paul Corvello (Emerald Hills, CA)
Application Number: 16/522,589