Patent ID: 8267213
Filing Date: 2012-09-18
Classification: B62K

Abstract:
1. An inverted pendulum type omnidirectional vehicle, comprising: a pair of wheels disposed in parallel; a drive mechanism that individually rotates the pair of wheels about axes of the wheels; a control apparatus that controls the drive mechanism; an auxiliary wheel that is disposed at a position spaced from the wheels in a direction orthogonal to the wheel axes; and a vehicle body to which the pair of wheels are attached and which receives a payload, wherein each of the wheels comprises: a rotation member capable of rotating about the wheel axis; a plurality of free rollers which are disposed around an outer circumference of the rotation member, and each of which is brought into contact with a road surface at a lowest position of the rotation member and is rotatable about a rotation axis diagonal with respect to the wheel axis, and wherein the free rollers on both sides in contact with the road surface at ground contact portions each have the rotation axis extending in parallel with the road surface, and are arranged in an orientation in which a distance between the rotation axes of the free rollers is shorter toward a side of the auxiliary wheel.