Automatic Displacement Device for Carrier, and Method of Operating the Device

An automatic displacement device for use in a carrier includes at least one weight mount, at least one actuator, and at least one stability regulator. The weight mount can hold at least one heavy object accommodated in the carrier' body. The actuator is coupled to the weight mount. The stability regulator is electrically communicated to the actuator and includes a sensor and a controller. The sensor can measure a state associated with an angle of the carrier's body and output a signal representative of the state. The controller calculates a tilt of the carrier according to the signal outputted from the sensor and is capable of commanding the actuator to move the weight mount in view of the tilt to perform a compensation on the carrier.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an automatic displacement device for use in a carrier and, more particularly, to an automatic displacement device that can move a heavy object accommodated in the carrier.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traffic safety has always been one of the core issues of transportation. Vehicles should guarantee that passengers and cargo thereon to arrive the destination without damages. According to Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) Data, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), rollover is the most hazardous type of single-vehicle accidents and the leading cause of roadside fatalities, which may account for 33.8 percent of roadside fatalities.

Thus, to reduce the risk of traffic accidents and increase driving safety, impacts and rollovers of vehicles should not be ignored. The main cause of rollover accidents is that all torques acting on a vehicle are unbalanced. There are many factors affecting the stability of driving a vehicle, such as the gravity center height of the vehicle, the inertia or velocity of the vehicle when cornering, external forces acting on the vehicle, and road conditions such as radius of curvature, wetness, bank (ramp). To predict vehicle rollover propensity, the static stability factor (SSF) of a vehicle, which is defined as the track width of the vehicle divided by twice the height of the gravity center above the ground, is commonly used. The greater the SSF value, the larger is the critical tilt angle of the vehicle (beyond which the vehicle would roll over onto its side), and the less likely the vehicle is to roll over.

It is difficult for vehicles to achieve traffic safety through weight design. Large transportation equipment, such as buses, trucks, and trailers, is usually designed to have a high gravity center, not to mention ships. For large transportation equipment, when passengers or goods are accommodated, the height of the gravity center of the transportation equipment would become even higher. For small cars, the driver seat is usually designed to have a sufficient height to improve the vision and comfort for the driver, which leads to an increase in the height of gravity center. However, transportation equipment of high gravity center is at risk of rollovers.

In the last few years, there has been a trend of electrification in vehicles. Electric vehicles, which employ electrically driven devices, such as motors, instead of internal combustion engines, are in line with the trend of green travel today. In general, electric vehicles are battery powered, wherein the battery pack, composed of multiple cells, accounts for about 30% of total vehicle weight. Thus, the way of arranging a battery pack in a vehicle can affect the safety of driving the vehicle. For large electric buses, to increase the compartment space for accommodating more passengers, batteries have been considered to be located on the top of a bus. However, this also causes the buses to suffer rollovers easily.

There are several researches on automatic driving technique, as shown inFIG. 1, wherein a distance/velocity sensor94is provided on a vehicle9to detect surrounding objects95, so that warning or automatic braking action can be provided as soon as an obstacle or person close to the vehicle is detected. In addition, a suitable brake force on each wheel of the vehicle can be applied according to the individual wheel. The sensor94can be used to prevent a vehicle from moving faster than a critical velocity, yet in many traffic accidents, there are causes other than the velocity and acceleration of the vehicle itself, for example: external forces applied to the vehicle, road conditions such as accumulated snow or large animals. Also, the sensor94is unable to prevent the vehicle from slipping sideways or tipping. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 95% of vehicle rollover accidents can be ascribed to external factors, such as traffic violations caused by other drivers.

According to the statistics of Taiwan Transport Safety Website Information System, vehicle crashes account for the majority of traffic accidents. It is possible for a vehicle to prevent crashes through measurement of distance and velocity relative to an object, as in ADAS (advanced driver-assistance systems) widely discussed these days. Additionally, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) wireless communication can be implemented to reduce crashes. Theoretically, sensor technology can be collaborated with the brake system and even the power system of an automatic driving vehicle to reduce crashes. However, there is no technology that can avoid crashes completely.

One of the risks that cannot be eliminated is that the vehicle with a sensing function has no time to react, which exists in both manually operated vehicles and automatically controlled vehicles. Once the braking system cannot effectively stop the vehicle, or if the vehicle faces a high-speed oncoming object and not enough space exists therebetween, the passengers, the cargo or even the battery in the vehicle may directly or indirectly be affected by the energy transferred from an impact, and thus suffer damages.

Besides, the use of inter-communication between vehicles (V2V system), or signal exchange between a vehicle and its surrounding objects (V2X system) cannot completely avoid impact accidents. V2V systems require consumers to pay additional costs. Currently, there are not many vehicles installed with V2V systems. Also, many surrounding objects, such as trees on a roadside or elks on a road, are unable to communicate with a vehicle with a V2V system. Therefore, despite the advent of the V2V system, the traffic accidents cannot be eliminated completely.

In view of the foregoing, there is an urgent need to provide a solution that can increase the critical tilt angle of a vehicle to reduce rollover propensity thereof. When a rollover is inevitable, safety measures on the passengers, cargoes, or battery packs on the vehicle can be offered so that damages can be reduced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One object of the present invention is to provide an automatic displacement device for a carrier, which can move a weight mount in the carrier to shift the gravity center of the carrier so as to improve the stability of the carrier.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic displacement device for a carrier, which can move a weight mount in the carrier to shift the gravity center of the carrier so as to increase the critical tilt angle of the carrier.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic displacement device for various carriers, which employs a stability regulator electrically communicated to an actuator that is coupled to a weight mount, so as to enhance the safety of the carrier.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic displacement device for a carrier, which employs a stability regulator electrically communicated to an actuator that is coupled to a weight mount, to reduce the use of emergency braking and to provide comfort for the driver in driving the carrier.

A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic displacement device for a carrier, which makes use of sensors, actuators, weight mounts available from the market, to increase the safety of the carrier yet with economic cost.

A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide a method applied to an automatic displacement device for a carrier, so that an actuator can move a weight mount in the carrier so as to increase the stability and maneuverability and safety of the carrier without relying on networking technology of vehicles or things.

A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide a method applied to an automatic displacement device for a carrier, so that an actuator can move a weight mount in the carrier to provide additional buffer space for the passengers or the battery pack in the carrier, thus reducing damages.

The automatic displacement device of the present invention can be implemented in a carrier having a body that accommodates at least one heavy object. The automatic displacement device comprises at least one weight mount, at least one actuator, and at least one stability regulator. The weight mount can hold the heavy object. The actuator is coupled to the weight mount. The stability regulator is electrically communicated to the actuator and includes a sensor and a controller. The sensor can measure a state associated with an angle of the carrier's body and output a signal representative of the state. The controller calculates a tilt of the carrier according to the signal outputted from the sensor and is capable of commanding the actuator to move the weight mount in view of the tilt to perform a compensation on the carrier.

With the automatic displacement device, the passengers or the battery pack in the carrier, which serves as heavy objects, can be moved together with the weight mount to shift the gravity center of the carrier so that the carrier can perform cornering more easily, thus improving the maneuverability and safety of the carrier. When an impact or rollover is inevitable, the passengers can be moved away from the estimated impact point to provide additional buffer space therefor, and thus to reduce damages without incurring much expense.

The foregoing and other features and advantages of illustrated embodiments of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

The foregoing and other technical contents, features and advantages of the present invention will be illustrated in detail by way of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the exemplary embodiments, same elements will be indicated by similar numerals or labels. In the present invention, a carrier means a piece of transportation equipment, such as a vehicle or a ship, which can take objects therein.

Referring toFIGS. 2 and 3, an automatic displacement device for use in a carrier according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown, wherein the carrier is a small general-purpose car. The automatic displacement device1, which generally includes a weight mount11, an actuator13, and a stability regulator15, is installed in the body or housing91of the car. In this embodiment, the passengers in the car are chosen as heavy objects92. To shift the gravity center of the car in maximum extent, the passenger seats are separated from the driver seat in structural connection. The weight mount11, which refers to the passenger seats, includes a support component111and a buffer component113. The support component111refers to the base portion and the back portion of a seat, which bears the weight of a passenger. The buffer component113refers to the safety belt of a seat. The actuator13can employ a screwed shaft together with sliding rails and brackets (not shown). For example, one end of the screwed shaft is disposed under the support component111, whereas another end of the screwed shaft is connected to the body of the car. As such, the weight mount11can be moved easily to change the gravity center of the car, without causing much friction. Of course, those skilled in the art can understand that other forms of the actuator, such as the one with hydraulic or pneumatic elements, can also be used without hindering implementation of the present invention.

Referring again toFIGS. 2 and 3, the stability regulator15includes a sensor151and a controller153. The controller153is illustrated as a micro-controller of the car. The sensor151includes four force-measuring elements formed of resistances, which can be installed at the shock absorbers of the four wheels. The force measuring element installed at each wheel can send a signal representative of the measured force to the micro-controller via CAN bus. Through the forces measured at the wheels, an angle or weight distribution on the wheels of the car can be measured.

FIG. 4shows a flowchart to illustrate an application of the automatic displacement device according to the first embodiment, wherein the car is about to turn left at a high speed. In step61, the sensor151can output signals each representative of the force measured at one wheel to the controller153. In step63, the controller153calculates the tilt of the car according to the signals outputted from the sensor151. If the velocity or inertia of the car is too high for the tilt, then step65will be executed, wherein the controller153can issue a command to the actuator13to move the weight mount11(i.e. the front and rear passenger seats) towards the left side of the car. As a result, the centripetal forces required for turning the car around the curve of the road can be reduced, thus improving the safety of the car. Of course, the buffer component113can be an object made of foam materials, or an airbag.

In addition, according to the measurement of the loads shared by the wheels, the controller153can issue a command to the actuator13so as to change the location of the passenger seats. Consequently, the gravity center of the carrier's body91can be shifted so as to compensate for the unequal shared load on the wheels or the tilt of the carrier. Therefore, each wheel93can share the same load to avoid uneven wear of tire and to increase the critical tilt angle of the carrier to deter a potential rollover, thus improving stability and comfort in driving the carrier. In particular, with the automatic displacement device of the present invention, the use of emergency braking can be reduced. Even if emergency braking is inevitable, the car can be prevented from going out of the road, thus increasing the safety, stability maneuverability, and comfort of the car. Of course, those skilled in the art can understand that other types of controllers, such as tracking controllers or ABS controllers can also be used or incorporated

Also, the carrier of the present invention is not limited to a small general-purpose car, other transportation equipment, such as trucks, electric cars, buses, and ships, can also employ the automatic displacement device.FIGS. 5 and 6show a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein the carrier9′ is an electric bus. Because the number of passengers and their locations are unknown, the battery pack composed of thousands of cell and having a weight amounted to 30% of the bus, rather than the passengers, is chosen as a heavy object92′.

Generally, if a battery pack is located on top of a bus, the gravity center of the bus will raise, which leads to difficulty in driving the bus and may decrease the safety of the bus. Contrary to the general fact, the battery pack of this embodiment is provided on top of the carrier's body91′. Furthermore, the actuator13′ is configured to include a sliding rail system arranged on a horizontal plane, so that the weight mount11′ together with the battery pack can be moved horizontally in x-direction or y-direction. The support component111′ of the weight mount11′ refers to a cooling box, whereas the buffer component113′ refers to the heat-dissipation resin material, which is put in the cooling box to alleviate the impact effect on the battery pack.

The sensor151′ includes an inertial sensing unit, such as a 3-axis G-sensor (gravitational sensor), installed at the carrier's body91′, which can measure accelerations of the carrier in three directions and output signals representative of the accelerations. The controller153′ can receive the signals outputted from the sensor151′ to calculate a tilt or inclination of the carrier9′, so that a necessary compensation or corrective action on the carrier can be performed. For example, when most passengers are located near the front door (front right corner) of the bus, the stability regulator15′, which includes the sensor151′ and the controller153′, can issue a command to the actuator13′ to move the battery pack towards the rear left corner of the bus, so that the gravity center of the bus can be maintained at its original location, thus facilitating maneuver of the bus and increasing the safety of the bus. Also, each wheel93′ bears substantially the same load, thus increasing the service life of the wheels93′. With the automatic device, the problem of high gravity center resulting from the battery pack placed on top of the bus can be solved. This makes a low-chassis bus feasible, and also makes the space utilization of the bus increase as well.

FIGS. 7 and 8show an application of the second embodiment, wherein the electric bus moves at a high speed and is about to take a right turn. After calculating the tilt of the bus according to the signals provided by the sensor151′, the controller153′ may issue a command to the actuator to move the weight mount11′ on top of the bus's body91′ towards the right side to facilitate the bus turning right. Otherwise, due to the excessive inertia, the bus may go out of the road or even roll over. In addition, when the bus goes uphill or downhill, the weight mount11′ can be moved towards the front end or rear end of the bus to increase the stability of the bus.

The sensor151′ may further include a position determination unit, such as a GPS receiver. In addition, with modern communication technology, the controller153′ can be easily offered an ability to get real-time weather data. Suppose the electric bus runs along a certain route. When the controller is informed that the destination station is going to have snow or sleet, the driver can make preparation in advance to overcome possible troubles.FIG. 9shows a flowchart to illustrate an application of the automatic displacement device according to the second embodiment. In step61′, the sensor151′ is configured to send location data of the carrier9′ as well as accelerations measured by the G-sensor, which are associated an angle of the carrier9′. In step63′, the controller153′ calculates a tilt or inclination of the carrier according to the accelerations from the sensor151′. Also, the controller153′ accesses the road information according to the location data of the carrier9′, and thus can remind the driver of reducing speed if the road information shows a curved road being about to enter. Also, if the controller153′ decides that the road is unable to provide adequate centripetal force for the carrier9′, then step65′ will be executed, wherein the controller153′ can issue a command to the actuator13′ to move the weight mount11′ together with the heavy objects92′ so that the gravity center of the bus can be shifted so that the carrier9′ can take a turn more easily. Therefore, the stability and safety of the carrier9′ can be maintained.

FIGS. 10 through 12show a third embodiment of the present invention, wherein the carrier9″ is a ship, and the automatic displacement device1″ is installed on the body91″ of the ship9″. In this embodiment, the heavy objects92″ refer to the containers of the ship, which are held and protected by the weight mount11″ including the support component111″ and the buffer component113″. The support component111″ is in the form of a platform for carrying the containers, and the buffer component113″ is in the form of spring plates arranged between the containers. The actuator13″ can employ a hydraulically operated rail system to move the containers of the ship. The sensor151″ includes a 3-axis G-sensor unit or a gyroscope.FIG. 12shows a flowchart to illustrate an application of the automatic displacement device according to the third embodiment. In step61″, the sensor151″ is configured to sense a state of the ship (acceleration or angular rate). In step63″, the controller153″ calculates a tilt or inclination of the ship according to the state signal measured by the sensor151″; if the ship is at risk of a rollover in view of the tilt, then step65″ will be executed, wherein the controller153″ can issue a command to the actuator13″ to move the weight mount11′ together with the heavy objects92″ so that the rollover propensity of the ship can be reduced. Therefore, the ship can be prevented from rolling over.

Those skilled in the art can understand that the automatic displacement device of the present invention is not limited to an application for keeping a carrier in equilibrium. Other applications for restraining damages in accidents can also use the automatic displacement device.FIGS. 13 through 15show a fourth embodiment of the present invention, wherein the carrier is an electric recreational car having a body91′″. In addition to the passengers, the battery pack can be chosen as the heavy objects92′″, because batteries, when suffering impacts, are prone to cause short circuits, and even worse such as burning or exploding up.

In this embodiment, the weight mount11′″ includes support components111′″, including passenger seats and a battery suspending device, and buffer components113′″, including safety belts for the passenger seats and spring plates for the battery pack. The weight mount11′″ can be connected to the actuator through bolts or welding.

On the other hand, the safety regulator16′″, which is electrically communicated to the actuator13′″, includes a sensor151′″ and a controller153′″. The sensor151′″ includes a distance/velocity measurement unit165′″ and a position determination unit167′″. The distance/velocity measurement unit165′″ may employ a light emission/return measurement technique, as used in lidar (light wave radar) sensors, which can measure a distance of the carrier9′″ relative to a surrounding object by emitting a beam of light and receiving light reflected by the surrounding objects. The position determination unit167′″ can be a GPS receiver, by which the location of the carrier9′″ can be determined. The controller153′″ can receive all signals sent from the sensor151′″. Of course, those skilled in the art can understand that distance/velocity measurement can also be achieved by other ways, such as radar sensors, without hindering the implementation of the present invention.

FIG. 16shows a flowchart to illustrate an application of the automatic displacement device according to the fourth embodiment. In step71′″, the sensor151′″ measures a velocity of the carrier9′″ (through the lidar sensing unit), and determines a location of the carrier9′″ (through the GPS receiver). In step731′″, the controller153′″ receives the carrier location signal from the GPS receiver, and accesses a piece of road information in the memory unit169′″ associated with the carrier location. In step733′″, the controller153′″ receives the carrier velocity signal from the lidar sensing unit. In step75′″, the controller153′″ decides whether or not the carrier9′″ is at risk of an impact or rollover; if yes, then step77′″ will be executed, wherein the weight mount11′″ together with the passengers and the battery pack will be moved towards the geometric centroid of the carrier's body91′″ so as to provide additional buffer space, thus increasing the protection effect of the buffer component113′″.

FIG. 17 through 19show a fifth embodiment of the present invention, wherein the carrier9′″ is a small truck usually serving in a supply network, and the automatic displacement device1″″ is implemented in the small truck. The actuator13″″ includes a plurality of longitudinal rails and a plurality of transverse rails on the bed of the truck's body91′″. The weight mount11″″ is fixed on the actuator13′″. The weight mount11″″ includes a support component111″″, which refers to a cargo container, and a buffer component113″″, which refers to shock absorbers disposed between goods (heavy object92′″) in the container.

The safety regulator16″″ includes a sensor151″″ and a controller153′″. The sensor151″″ includes a distance/velocity measurement unit165″″, such as a radar sensing unit.FIG. 19shows a flowchart to illustrate an application of the automatic displacement device according to the fifth embodiment. In step71″″, the distance/velocity measurement unit165′″ measures motion states of the carrier9′″, including a distance between the carrier9′″ and a surrounding object, such as a tree, and a velocity of the carrier9′″ relative to the surrounding object. In step75″″, the controller153″″ receives the motion states of the carrier9′″ from the sensor151″″, and decides whether or not the carrier9′″ is at risk of colliding with the surrounding object; if yes, then step77′″ will be executed, wherein the weight mount11″″ together with the heavy objects92′″ thereon will be moved in a direction opposite to the surrounding object so as to provide additional buffer space, thus reducing possible damages. Of course, those skilled in the art can understand that damages in more complicated traffic accidents involving impacts or rollovers can also be reduced by increasing buffer space for objects desired to be protected.

While the invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments above, it should be recognized that the preferred embodiments are given for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention and that various modifications and changes, which will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art, may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.