Abstract: When measurements by sensors are impossible, the angular position of the vehicle is estimated from the conditions including rotation of the drive wheel and the driving torque so that the vehicle may travel in an inverted-pendulum position even in case of a failure of measurements of the vehicular position of angle. To achieve the object, the vehicle has a drive wheel rotatably mounted beneath a vehicular body, and a control unit that controls the vehicular position of angle through control of drive torque imparted to the drive wheel. The control unit has a means to estimate the vehicular angular position with respect to a vertical position from the conditions of rotation of the drive wheel and the driving torque.

Abstract: The gradient of a road surface is estimated with a change in the attitude of a vehicle also taken into consideration. As a result, the gradient of the road surface can be estimated with high accuracy, and this enables the vehicle to stably stop and travel independently of the gradient of the road surface. The vehicle has a drive wheel rotatably mounted on a vehicle body and also has a vehicle control device for controlling the attitude of the vehicle by controlling drive torque applied to the drive wheel. The vehicle control device estimates the gradient of the road surface based on the attitude of the vehicle and corrects the drive torque based on the gradient.

Abstract: A vehicle provides upstanding and tilted (standstill for allowing a user to get on an off the vehicle) positions without movement of the vehicle. In the vehicle, even if the vehicle body tilts, a riding section is moved in the forward-backward direction to bring the vehicle to an orientation where the center of gravity (P) of the vehicle body is on a vertical line (V) passing through ground contact points (S1) or drive wheels (12). This controls the tilt angle of the vehicle body and the position of the riding section (13) so that the center of gravity (P) does not move. Thus, the upright position and the tilted position of the vehicle are achieved without movement of the vehicle (without rotation of the wheels). Further, influences such as an error in parameters and disturbance are compensated for by a balancer that moves in the forward-backward direction.

Abstract: When a vehicle climbs up/down a step, driving torque suitable for the step climbing operation is applied to a driving wheel, and the center of gravity of a vehicle body is moved in an upward direction of the step. Thus, a stable traveling state and stable posture of the vehicle body can be maintained both when climbing up a step and when climbing down a step, whereby an occupant can operate the vehicle safely and comfortably even on a place having steps. In view of this, the vehicle includes: a vehicle body; a driving wheel rotatably attached to the vehicle body; and a vehicle control apparatus for controlling driving torque that is applied to the driving wheel and controlling posture of the vehicle body. When climbing up/down a step on a road, the vehicle control apparatus controls a position of center of gravity of the vehicle body in accordance with the step.

Abstract: A motor vehicle has a body, a wheel rotatably supported and coaxially disposed on the body, and an occupant riding portion supported by the body. The motor vehicle is provided with a body attitude detector for detecting an attitude of the body and a body attitude controller for controlling the body attitude detected by the body attitude detector, wherein, in response to an inertial force or a centrifugal force generated by acceleration, deceleration or a turning motion of the motor vehicle, the occupant riding portion is moved so as to balance the inertial force or the centrifugal force. The motor vehicle further includes an occupant attitude controller for controlling an attitude of the occupant riding portion in accordance with a detection value detected by the body attitude detector.

Abstract: During vehicle operation, drive wheels are constantly monitored to see whether or not slip of drive wheels occurs and when slip is detected, posture control for slip conditions is performed by uncoupling normal posture control for the drive wheels. A balancer (weight body) which is movable in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle is provided, and posture control is performed by moving the balancer backward when the vehicle inclines forward due to slip and moving the balancer forward when the vehicle inclines backward. The detection of slip is through a comparison between the drive wheels circumferential speed V2 and a vehicle running speed V1.

Abstract: Enabled is to lighten the load on a rider and to make the rider senses a turning state at the turning time of a transverse two-wheeled vehicle. A transverse acceleration (a) at a turn controlling time is detected to make a next inclination control in accordance with the magnitude of the acceleration. (a) In the case of an acceleration (a)?a predetermined threshold (a0), the vehicle is left uninclined to prevent the vehicle body from being unnecessarily inclined and rocked against a small centrifugal force, thereby to improve the riding comfortableness. (b) In the case of the acceleration (a)>the threshold (a0), a riding portion is inclined such that the inclination angle ?1 may become the larger as the acceleration (a) becomes the higher. This can reduce the load on the rider against the centrifugal force.

Abstract: The disclosed vehicle has posture control of an inverted pendulum which provides good riding comfort. A balancer target position ?* (calculated value) is determined according to target acceleration ?* indicated by an occupant. Driving thrust SB of a balancer 134 is determined by state feedback control so that a current balance position ? (measured value) becomes closer to the determined balancer target position ?*, and the balancer 134 is driven. An output ?W of a driving wheel actuator 52 is determined from the current balancer position ? (measured value) resulting from driving of the balancer 134. Since a driving torque is determined from an actual position of the balancer 134, stable upright posture control can be implemented even in a transient state which lasts until the balancer 134 reaches the target position.

Abstract: A vehicle provides a greater maximum acceleration/deceleration, while maintaining a pleasant driving, when M is a total vehicle mass, L is a height of center of gravity of the whole vehicle, ? is a maximum displacement amount of a balancer, and m is a mass of the balancer, the balancer mass m or the maximum displacement amount ?, of the balancer is decided so as to satisfy the following expression: (m/M)(?/L)=?. By using the expression 1, the balancer mass m and the maximum displacement amount A, of the balancer can be set to an optimal value against the total vehicle mass M. Thus it is possible to decide the balancer mass m and the maximum displacement amount ? for the maximum acceleration ? of the vehicle.

Abstract: By bending and stretching a link mechanism, both left and right wheels of a vehicle can be inclined toward inside of cornering to generate a camber thrust as a lateral force, i.e. an increase in cornering force. Further, by bending and stretching the link mechanism, the passenger compartment can be inclined in accordance with inclination of a connecting link, and thus the center of gravity of the vehicle can be moved toward its inner wheel during cornering. By preventing lifting of the inner wheel during cornering, cornering performance is improved. Because the passenger compartment is inclined toward the inner wheel during cornering, centrifugal force is less likely to be felt by the occupant.

Abstract: The center of gravity of a vehicle is estimated to obtain, a limit lateral acceleration alim (=aMin, aMax), and the vehicle turns in a target running state (V*, ?*) requested by an occupant provided the lateral acceleration a* does not exceed the limit lateral acceleration alim. On the other hand, if the requested running state (V*, ?*) exceeds the limit lateral acceleration aaim, an ideal target running state (V*, ?*) is limited to an actual target running state (V*˜, ?*˜) so that the lateral acceleration a* equals to the limit lateral acceleration aaim. Because turning speed and turning curvature are not limited more than necessary, it is possible to achieve maximum use of turning performance of the vehicle up to the limit thereof.

Abstract: When measurements by sensors are impossible, the angular position of the vehicle is estimated from the conditions including rotation of the drive wheel and the driving torque so that the vehicle may travel in an inverted-pendulum position even in case of a failure of measurements of the vehicular position of angle. To achieve the object, the vehicle has a drive wheel rotatably mounted beneath a vehicular body, and a control unit that controls the vehicular position of angle through control of drive torque imparted to the drive wheel. The control unit has a means to estimate the vehicular angular position with respect to a vertical position from the conditions of rotation of the drive wheel and the driving torque.

Abstract: Disclosed is a vehicle which makes it possible to control the vehicle traveling state and the vehicle attitude with a high degree of precision, even when the vehicle is traveling quickly, and affords safe and pleasant travel for a range of traveling conditions, by the appropriate correction of the drive torque of a drive wheel in response to the traveling velocity of the vehicle and the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle body. For this purpose, the vehicle comprises a drive wheel rotatably mounted on the vehicle body, and a vehicle control device for controlling the drive torque imparted to the drive wheel to control the attitude of the vehicle. The vehicle control device causes the center of gravity of the vehicle body to move relative to the drive wheel by an amount corresponding to the rotational angular velocity of the drive wheel in the direction of travel of the drive wheel.

Abstract: A vehicle has a drive wheel, a seat, an attitude sensor, a balancer movable relative to the seat, a drive control, an attitude control for controlling the attitude of the seat by moving the balancer and a main controller. The main controller calculates a torque T1 for tilting the seat and a torque T2 for moving the balancer forward, compares T1 with T2max (the maximum torque which can be generated by the balancer), and outputs commands to the drive control and the attitude control. When the calculated torque T1 exceeds T2max, responsive to a command for T2max, the attitude control moves the balancer to generate a reaction torque corresponding to T2max, and the main controller supplies an adjustment torque value T3 for the drive wheel. The drive control controls the drive wheel in accordance with the drive command and the adjustment torque value T3.

Abstract: The gradient of a road surface is estimated with a change in the attitude of a vehicle also taken into consideration. As a result, the gradient of the road surface can be estimated with high accuracy, and this enables the vehicle to stably stop and travel independently of the gradient of the road surface. The vehicle has a drive wheel rotatably mounted on a vehicle body and also has a vehicle control device for controlling the attitude of the vehicle by controlling drive torque applied to the drive wheel. The vehicle control device estimates the gradient of the road surface based on the attitude of the vehicle and corrects the drive torque based on the gradient.

Abstract: When a vehicle climbs up/down a step, driving torque suitable for the step climbing operation is applied to a driving wheel, and the center of gravity of a vehicle body is moved in an upward direction of the step. Thus, a stable traveling state and stable posture of the vehicle body can be maintained both when climbing up a step and when climbing down a step, whereby an occupant can operate the vehicle safely and comfortably even on a place having steps. In view of this, the vehicle includes: a vehicle body; a driving wheel rotatably attached to the vehicle body; and a vehicle control apparatus for controlling driving torque that is applied to the driving wheel and controlling posture of the vehicle body. When climbing up/down a step on a road, the vehicle control apparatus controls a position of center of gravity of the vehicle body in accordance with the step.

Abstract: The disclosed vehicle includes: a drive wheel; a vehicle body rotatably supported at a rotational axis of the drive wheel; a riding section mounted in the vehicle body for movement relative to the vehicle body; and a running controller which controls running while adjusting the center of the vehicle body through rotation of the vehicle body about the rotational axis and movement of the riding section with respect to the vehicle body, based on a target running state.

Abstract: [Task] To perform turning with smaller limiting quantities (larger limiting values). [Means of Solving the Problem] A position of center of gravity of a whole vehicle is estimated, then a limit lateral acceleration alim, aMin, aMax) depending on the position of center of gravity is obtained, and the vehicle turns within a limit in which a lateral acceleration a* obtained from a target running state (V* , ?* ) requested by an occupant does not exceed the limit lateral acceleration alim. That is, if a target running state (V* , ?* ) that does not exceed the limit lateral acceleration alim, has been given (requested) by the occupant, the vehicle turns in the given target running state. On the other hand, if a target running state (V* , ?* ) exceeding the limit lateral acceleration alim, has been given, an ideal target running state (V* , ?* ) is limited to an actual target running state (V* ˜, ?* ˜) so that the lateral acceleration a* equals to the limit lateral acceleration alim.

Abstract: An inverted vehicle in which the angle of tilt of a vehicle body due to acceleration can be reduced by ground engagement members. The vehicle causes assist wheels to engage the ground when acceleration of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined threshold value to accelerate/decelerate the vehicle. The acceleration may be either requested acceleration or actual acceleration. The ground contact points of the assist wheels are set so that higher the acceleration, the farther away the ground contact points are from the ground contact points of the drive wheels, in the direction opposite to the direction of the acceleration. When the acceleration is within a predetermined range, the vehicle body tilts to a corresponding angle, and when the acceleration exceeds the predetermined threshold value, the assist wheels engage the ground to prevent the vehicle body from tilting beyond a predetermined value.

Abstract: A vehicle provides upstanding and tilted (standstill for allowing a user to get on an off the vehicle) positions without movement of the vehicle. In the vehicle, even if the vehicle body tilts, a riding section is moved in the forward-backward direction to bring the vehicle to an orientation where the center of gravity (P) of the vehicle body is on a vertical line (V) passing through ground contact points (S1) or drive wheels (12). This controls the tilt angle of the vehicle body and the position of the riding section (13) so that the center of gravity (P) does not move. Thus, the upright position and the tilted position of the vehicle are achieved without movement of the vehicle (without rotation of the wheels). Further, influences such as an error in parameters and disturbance are compensated for by a balancer that moves in the forward-backward direction.