Patent Publication Number: US-2022219093-A1

Title: Motion Simulator

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present disclosure relates generally to a motion simulation technique, and more particularly to a motion simulator simulating different motions with a simple structure. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     A motion simulator usually controls the movement of a seat so that a passenger on that seat is moved as well. When the movement of the seat is arranged to match particular visual content, the passenger can be tricked and believe that he is experiencing the motions within the visual content. 
     Steward platform is a common motion simulation platform formed by six telescoping actuators. Although the Steward platform is capable of simulating various motions, the movement of one telescoping actuator is dependent on the movements of other telescoping actuators, making it difficult to control the movement of desired motions. Further, the cost of the Steward platform is expensive since six telescoping actuators are required. 
     Some modifications of the motion simulation platform have been made. For example, in order to reduce the structure complexity, the motion simulation platform may be simplified by reducing the number of actuators to save the cost and reduce the control complexity. However, the simplified motion simulation platform can only offer limited motions, which makes it more difficult to create the desired motions corresponding to the visual content. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the above, the present disclosure provides a motion simulator, and the motion simulator includes a base, a motion platform, a carrying platform, a support assembly and a driver assembly for simulating different motions. 
     In an embodiment, the motion platform is movably connected to the base, the carrying platform includes a carrier arranged on the carrying platform, the support assembly is movably connected to the motion platform and the carrying platform, and the driver assembly drives the motion platform to move relative to the base and drives the actuator to actuate the carrying platform to move relative to the motion platform. The support assembly further includes an actuator and a support tube that are movably connected between the motion platform and the carrying platform, respectively. 
     These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of an exemplary motion simulator in accordance of an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of the exemplary motion simulator in accordance of an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a partial lateral perspective view of a driver assembly of the exemplary motion simulator illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view of an exemplary motion simulator in accordance of an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a top view of the exemplary motion simulator in accordance of an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is a front schematic view of the exemplary motion simulator in accordance of an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 7  is a partial lateral perspective view of a driver assembly of the exemplary motion simulator illustrated in  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 8  is a partial schematic perspective view of a motor assembly of the driver assembly illustrated in  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 9  is a partial schematic perspective view of a first joint of a support assembly in accordance of an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 10  is a partial schematic perspective view of a second joint of a support assembly in accordance of an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 11  is a schematic view of an exemplary motion simulator in accordance of an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 12  is a partial schematic view of a slide slot arranged on a carrying platform in accordance of an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 13  is a lateral schematic view of a support tube having an end proximate to a front end of a carrying platform in accordance of an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 14  is a lateral schematic view of a support tube having an end proximate to a rear end of a carrying platform in accordance of an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 15  is a partial schematic view of a third joint arranged between a support tube and a motion platform in accordance of an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be noted that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers&#39; specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be noted that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure. 
     When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, it should be noted that references to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 , a motion simulator in accordance of an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. The motion simulator includes a base  2 , a motion platform  3 , a carrying platform  4 , a support assembly  5  and a driver assembly  6 . 
     The base  2  is arranged on a horizontal plane. In an embodiment, the base  2  is stably arranged on the horizontal plane through a plurality of horizontal adjustment elements adjustable in height. The motion platform is movably connected to and above the base  2 . 
     In an embodiment, the carrying platform  4  is arranged above and spaced apart from the motion platform  3 . The carrying platform  4  includes a carrier (not shown) arranged thereon for receiving a passenger. In an embodiment, the carrier may be a chair but is not limited thereto. In an embodiment, a front end  41  and a rear end  42  opposite to the front end  41  are defined on the carrying platform  4 . When a passenger sits on the carrier, the passenger faces toward the front end  41  of the carrying platform  4  with the passenger&#39;s back toward the rear end  42  of the carrying platform  4 . 
     The support assembly  5  is movably connected between the motion platform  3  and the carrying platform  4 , and the support assembly  5  includes at least one actuator  51  and at least one support tube  52 . In an embodiment, lower ends of the actuator  51  and the support tube  52  are movably connected to the motion platform, respectively, and upper ends of the actuator  51  and the support tube  52  are movably connected to the carrying platform  4 . 
     The actuator  51  includes a base portion  511  and an extension portion  512 . The base portion  511  has a lower end pivotally connected to the motion platform  3 , and the extension portion  512  has an upper end movably connected to the carrying platform  4 . The extension portion  512  further has a lower end opposite to the upper end and the base portion  511  further has an upper end opposite to the lower end, and the lower end of the extension portion  512  is sleeved within the upper end of the base portion  511  so that the actuator  51  is telescopically extendible. In some embodiments, the actuator can be an oil cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, an electric cylinder or other device capable of transforming energy into a controllable displacement. 
     In an embodiment, the support assembly  5  includes one of the actuator  51  and two of the support tubes  52 , and the actuator  51  is arranged between the two support tubes  52 . Moreover, upper ends of the actuator  51  and the support tubes  52  are pivotally connected to the carrying platform  4 , respectively, to form a first triangular arrangement. Also, lower ends of the actuator  51  and the support tubes  52  are pivotally connected to the motion platform  3 , respectively, to form a second triangular arrangement. In an embodiment, the projection area of the first triangular arrangement is smaller than the projection area of the second triangular arrangement. 
     In an embodiment, the upper end of the actuator  51  is pivotally connected to the carrying platform  4  through a first joint  53 . Therefore, when the extension portion  512  of the actuator  51  moves with respect to the base portion  511  of the actuator  51  to extend or contract the actuator  51 , the carrying platform  4  pivots about the first joint  53  to provide a pitch motion or a roll motion for a passenger sitting on the carrier. 
     The driver assembly  6  includes a motor mounting seat  61  arranged on the motion platform  3 , a first motor assembly  62  arranged on the motor mounting seat  61 , a second motor assembly  63  arranged on the actuator  51 , and a rotary assembly  64  connected to the first motor assembly  62 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the first motor assembly  62  includes a driving motor  621  arranged between the motion platform  3  and the base  2  and an output  622  arranged above the motion platform  3 . Accordingly, the first motor assembly  62  controls the rotation of the motion platform  3  with respect to the base  2 . In an embodiment, the rotary assembly  64  includes a fixed part  641  fixedly connected to the base  2  and a rotary part  642  fixedly connected to the motion platform  3  and being rotatable with respect to the fixed part  641 . The output  622  is driven by the driving motor  621  to rotate, and rotates the rotary part  642  and the motion platform  3  with respect to the fixed part  641  and the base  2  through a transmission assembly  65 . 
     In an embodiment, the fixed part  641  fixedly stands at the center of the base  2  and passes through an opening provided on the motion platform  3 , so that the fixed part  641  protrudes above the opening of the motion platform  3 . The rotary part  642  is connected to the first motor assembly  62  and is driven by the first motor assembly  62  to rotate. The transmission assembly  65  is arranged between the fixed part  641  and the rotary part  642 , such that the first motor assembly  62  controls the motion platform  3  to rotate with respect to the base  2 . In an embodiment, a housing  31  is arranged on the motion platform  3  to cover the fixed part  641 , the rotary part  642  and the transmission assembly  65  in order to avoid accidental contact. In an embodiment, rotation wheels  33  are arranged between the motion platform  3  and the base  2 . Therefore, when the transmission assembly  65  rotates the rotary part  642  along with the motion platform  3  with respect to the fixed part  641  and the base  2 , the rotation wheels provide support during the rotation. 
     In an embodiment, the driver motor  621  is arranged on the lower surface of the motion platform  3  as shown in  FIG. 2 . The output  622  passes through the motion platform  3  to protrude upwardly, and the transmission assembly  65  is arranged between the output  622  and the fixed part  641 . In an embodiment, the transmission assembly  65  is a belt transmission structure, such that the first motor assembly  62  drives the motion platform  3  to rotate horizontally with respect to the base  2 . 
     In an embodiment, the second motor assembly  63  drives the extension portion  512  of the actuator  51  to move with respect to the base portion  511  of the actuator  51 . When the extension portion  512  moves away from the base portion  511 , the actuator  51  as a whole extends. When the extension portion  512  moves toward the base portion  511 , the actuator  51  as a whole contracts. In an embodiment, an upper end of the actuator  51  is proximate to a front end  41  of the carrying platform  4 , such that the actuator  51  controls the front end  41  of the carrying platform  4  to move in a pitch direction with respect to the motion platform  3 . In an embodiment, the two support tubes  52  are oppositely arranged at a rear end  42  of the carrying platform  4 . 
     When the extension portion  512  of the actuator  51  moves away from the base portion  511  to extend the actuator  51 , the height of the front end  41  of the carrying platform  4  can be raised to provide the passenger a motion of flying up. When the extension portion  512  of the actuator  51  moves toward the base portion  511  to contract the actuator  51 , the height of the front end  41  of the carrying platform  4  can be reduced to provide the passenger a motion of diving down. Therefore, the motion simulator can provide a pitch motion for the passenger by controlling the actuator  51 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 , a motion simulator of an embodiment is provided. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the motion simulator includes two actuators  51  and one support tube  52 , and the support tube  52  is arranged between the two actuators  51 . 
     The two actuators  51  are oppositely arranged at a rear end of the carrying platform  4 , and the support tube  52  is arranged at a front end  41  of the carrying platform. In an embodiment, the upper end of the support tube  52  is pivotally connected to the carrying platform  4  through a first joint  53 , and the upper ends of the two actuators  51  are pivotally connected to the carrying platform  4  through a second joint  54 . When the extension portion  512  of the actuator  51  moves with respect to the base portions  511  to extend or contract the actuator  51 , the carrying platform  4  pivots about the first joint  53  to provide a pitch motion or a roll motion for the passenger. 
     When the extension portion  512  of one actuator  51  moves away from the base portion  511  to extend and the extension portion  512  of another one actuator  51  moves toward the base portion  511  to contract, the carrying platform  4  provide a roll motion for the passenger. 
     When the extension portions  512  of the two actuators  51  move away from the respective base portions  511  in unison to extend or move toward the respective base portions  511  in unison to contract, the carrying platform  4  provides a pitch motion for the passenger. 
     In an embodiment, the first joint  53  and the two second joints  54  are arranged under the carrying platform to from a triangular arrangement. In an embodiment, the first joint  53  is arranged proximate to the front end  41  of the carrying platform  4 , and the two second joints  54  are arranged proximate to the rear end  42  of the carrying platform  4 . In an embodiment, pivot structures are arranged at lower ends of the support tube  52  and the two actuators  51 , respectively, such that the support tube  52  and the two actuators  51  are pivotally connected to the motion platform  3 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the pivot structures form a triangular arrangement. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the driver assembly  6  includes a motor mounting seat  61  and a first motor assembly  62 . The motor mounting seat  61  is fixedly arranged on the motion platform  3  and the first motor assembly  62  is hung at the motor mounting seat  61 . 
     In an embodiment, the first motor assembly  62  includes a driving motor  621  hung at the motor mounting seat  61  and an output  622  fixedly connected to the base  2 . The output  622  is driven by the driving motor  621  to rotate so as to rotate the motion platform  3  with respect to the base  2 . 
     It should be noted that in the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the arrangement position of the first motor assembly  62  is no longer between the base  2  and the motion platform  3 , but above the motion platform  3 . Therefore, the distance between the base  2  and the motion platform  3  can be reduced to effectively lower the arrangement height of the motion platform  3 . Consequently, the overall height of the motion simulator is reduced for conveniently loading the passenger. Moreover, the center of gravity of the motion simulator is lowered as well, so that the structure of the motion simulator is more stable and the risk of turning over can be further reduced. Additionally, in an embodiment, the first motor assembly  62  is arranged at a center position of the motion platform  3  to minimize the entire structure of the motion simulator. Also, since the first motor assembly  62  is hung within the motor mounting seat  61 , the first motor assembly  62  is not exposed to avoid accidental contact. With the arrangement mentioned above, the space above the motion platform  3  is used in a more efficient manner and the motion simulator is more compact. 
     In an embodiment, the first motor assembly  62  is a hollow rotary table, and the motion platform  3  has an opening  32  arranged thereon. The output  622  of the hollow rotary table passes through the opening  32  of the motion platform  3  and is fixedly connected to the base  2 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , the upper end of the support tube  52  is pivotally connected to the first joint  53  about a first horizontal axis  71 , and the first joint  53  is pivotally connected to the carrying platform  4  about a second horizontal axis  72 . In an embodiment, the first horizontal axis  71  is substantially perpendicular to the second horizontal axis  72 . When the carrying platform  4  moves about the first horizontal axis  71 , a pitch motion is generated. When the carrying platform  4  moves about the second horizontal axis  72 , a roll motion is generated. 
     Referring to  FIG. 10 , the actuator  51  is connected to a second joint  54 . In an embodiment, the second joint  54  is an universal bearing structure having three degrees of freedom contributed by a first rotation unit  73 , a second rotation unit  74  and a third rotation unit  75 , respectively. In an embodiment, the first rotation unit  73 , the second rotation unit  74  and the third rotation unit  75  rotate about three axes substantially perpendicular to each other, respectively. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 11 and 12 , in an embodiment, a slide slot  43  is arranged under the carrying platform  4  along a front-rear direction of the carrying platform  4 . The slide slot  43  receives the upper end of the support tube  52  so that the upper end of the support tube  52  is slidably arranged in the slide slot  43 . 
     The upper end of the support tube  52  is arranged with a gear  66  and a third motor assembly  67  for driving the gear  66 . The slide slot  43  is arranged with a geared structure  431  corresponding to the gear  66 , such that the third motor assembly  67  controls the upper end of the support tube  52  to move along the slide slot  43 . 
     In an embodiment, the geared structure  431  is a gear rack engageable under the carrying platform  4 . For example, the gear rack can be engaged on a lower surface of the carrying platform  4  proximate to the slide slot  43 . In an embodiment, the geared structure  431  can be gear teeth integrally formed on sidewalls of the slide slot  43 . 
     In an embodiment, the third motor assembly  67  and the first joint  53  are fixed together, and the gear  66  is engaged to the geared structure  431  with a gear connection. Therefore, the third motor assembly  67  controls the movement of the gear  66  on the geared structure  431 , thereby controls the position of the upper end of the support tube  52  under the carrying platform  4 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 13 , the upper end of the support tube  52  is pivotally connected to the first joint  53  about a first horizontal axis, and the first joint  53  is pivotally connected to the carrying platform  4  about a second horizontal axis. The first joint  53  has an extension surface  531  proximate to a pivot connection between the first joint  53  and the carrying platform  4 , and the gear  66  is rotatably arranged between the extension surface  531  and the geared structure  431  of the slide slot  43 . In an embodiment, the extension surface  531  is slidably connected under the carrying platform  4 . Therefore, when the gear  66  is controlled by the third motor assembly  67  to move along the slide slot  43 , the upper end of the actuator  51 , the first joint  53  and the extension surface  531  together slide under the carrying platform  4  in unison. 
     Referring to  FIG. 13 , the extension portions  512  of the two actuators  51  move in unison away from the base portions  511  thereof, respectively, to extend the two actuators  51 . Meanwhile, the upper end of the support tube  52  slides to the front end  41  of the carrying platform  4  along the slide slot  43 . Accordingly, the carrying platform  4  moves upward in a heave direction. In an embodiment, after the motion platform  4  is moved upward, the distance between the upper end of the support tube  52  and the center of the carrying platform  4  is approximately 111.8 mm and the distance between the carrying platform  4  and the motion platform  3  is approximately 496.5 mm. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. 
     Referring to  FIG. 14 , the extension portions  512  of the two actuators  51  move in unison toward the base portions  511  thereof, respectively, to contract. Meanwhile, the upper end of the support tube  52  slides to the rear end  42  of the carrying platform  4  along the slide slot  43 . Accordingly, the carrying platform  4  moves downward in the heave direction. In an embodiment, after the motion platform  4  is moved downward, the distance between the upper end of the support tube  52  and the center of the carrying platform  4  is 79.3 mm and the distance between the carrying platform  4  and the motion platform  3  is 463.2 mm but not limited thereto. 
     It should be noted that the third motor assembly  67  can also control the position of the gear  66  on the geared structure  431  to independently control the height of the front end  41  of the carrying platform  4 . Since the two actuators  51  can control the height of the rear end  42  of the carrying platform  4  and the rolling degree, the motion simulation provides various motion combinations controlled by the third motor assembly  67  and the actuators  51 . 
     Now referring to  FIG. 9  in conjunction with  FIG. 15 , in an embodiment, a third joint  55  is arranged between the support tube  52  and the motion platform  3 . The third joint  55  includes a fixed part  551  fixed on the motion platform  3  and a pivot part  552  connected to the fixed part  551 . The lower end of the support tube  52  is disposed within an arrangement part  521 , and a flange structure  522  is arranged between the lower end of the support tube  52  and the arrangement part  521  to prevent the lower end of the support tube  52  from rotating with respect to the arrangement part  521 . Moreover, another flange structure  522  is arranged between the upper end of the support tube  52  and the first joint  53  to prevent the upper end of the support tube  52  from rotating with respect to the first joint  53 . Therefore, when the two actuators  51  are operated to extend or contract, the lower end of the support tube  52  does not rotate with respect to the arrangement part  521 , such that unnecessary and uncontrollable displacements can be avoided. The support tube  52  is further pivotally connected to the pivot part  552  of the third joint  55  through the arrangement part  521  so that the support tube  52  is pivotable with respect to the motion platform. It should be noted that the third joint  55  may be other pivot structure and is not limited to the embodiment mentioned above. 
     Given the description above, the motion simulator according to the present disclosure provide a simple structure with the support assembly  5  formed by two actuators  51  and one support tube  52  or formed by one actuator  51  and two support tubes  52 . Accordingly, various motions can be simulated with a rather simple structure. In addition, since the motion platform  3  is horizontally rotatable with respect to the base  2 , the yaw motion can be achieved without complicated control mechanism. Since the front end  41  and the rear end  42  of the carrying platform  4  can be controlled to raise or descend concurrently or independently, the motion simulator thus provides convincing roll motion and pitch motion. 
     For example, when the passenger sits on the carrier of the carrying platform  4  and faces forward, the actuator  51  is controlled to provide roll motion and pitch motion, and the rotation of the motion platform  3  with respect to the base  2  is controlled to provide yaw motion. 
     In addition, the third motor assembly  67  controls the position of the gear  66  on the geared structure  431  so as to control the height at the front end  41  of the carrying platform. Therefore, various motions can be achieved by the motion simulator of the present disclosure with a rather simple structure as compared with a traditional Steward platform. 
     It must be noted that the embodiments described above are only embodiments of the present disclosure. All equivalent structures which employ the concepts disclosed in this specification and the appended claims should fall within the scope of the present disclosure. 
     Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.