TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a hand-push movable carrier, and in particular, to an electric-assisted hand-push movable carrier and a wheel control method.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Conventional strollers are driven by manpower. In principle, the user can push the stroller on a flat road easily. However, when going uphill and downhill, the user has to push hard. When the stroller has a relatively heavy load, the user needs to push it harder. At present, there are electric-assisted strollers on the market, which can reduce the burden of user to push the stroller. However, a conventional electric-assisted stroller generally only provides assistance according to a preset value or a user's operation, and does not, in principle, actively provide assistance according to actual motion of the stroller.

SUMMARY

[0003] According to some embodiments, a hand-push movable carrier and a wheel control method are provided.

[0004] The hand-push movable carrier includes a frame, a wheel group, a first motor, a first wheel speed sensor and a control module. The wheel group includes a first wheel pivotally connected to the frame. The motor is mounted on the frame and coupled to the first wheel. The first wheel speed sensor is coupled to the first wheel and configured to output a first signal according to a rotation speed of the first wheel. The control module is communicatively connected to the first motor and the first wheel speed sensor, and configured to control the first motor according to the first signal to rotate the first wheel at a constant speed or a variable speed.

[0005] A hand-push movable carrier includes a frame, a wheel group, a third motor and a control module. The wheel group includes a first wheel, a second wheel and a rotating shaft. The first wheel and the second wheel are pivotally connected to the frame, and the rotating shaft connects the first wheel and the second wheel. The third motor is mounted on the frame and coupled to the rotating shaft. A control module is communicatively connected to the third motor, and capable of controlling the third motor to drive the first wheel and the second wheel via the shaft to rotate synchronously. [0006] The wheel control method is implemented in a hand-push movable carrier including a frame, a wheel group, a first motor, a first wheel speed sensor and a control module. The wheel group includes a first wheel pivotally connected to the frame. The first motor is mounted on the frame and coupled to the first wheel. The first wheel speed sensor is coupled to the first wheel. The control module is communicatively connected to the first motor and the first wheel speed sensor. The wheel control method includes the following steps: outputting, by the first wheel speed sensor, a first signal according to a rotation speed of the first wheel; and controlling, by the control module, the first motor according to the first signal to rotate the first wheel at a constant speed or a variable speed.

[0007] The advantages and spirit of the present disclosure can be further understood from the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] In order to illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure more clearly, the accompanying drawings required in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and for those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can also be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a hand-push movable carrier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] FIG. 2 is the schematic diagram illustrating the hand-push movable carrier shown in FIG. 1. [0011] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a hand-push movable carrier according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a wheel control method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] Among them, the reference numerals are described as follows:

1, 4: hand-push movable carrier

10: control circuit

102: first motor

104: second motor

105: third motor

106: first wheel speed sensor

108: second wheel speed sensor

110: control module

112, 113: presence sensor

114: input interface

116: communication module

12: frame

122: push handle

14: front wheel group

16: rear wheel group

16a: first wheel

16b: second wheel

16c: rotating shaft

18: power source

3: external mobile device

S 1 : first signal

S2: second signal

S3: third signal

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a hand-push movable carrier 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes a frame 12, a front wheel group 14 and a rear wheel group 16. The front wheel group 14 is mounted on a front side of the frame 12. The front wheel group 14 includes two wheels pivotally connected to both sides of the frame 12 respectively. The rear wheel group 16 is mounted on a rear side of the frame 12. The rear wheel group 16 includes a first wheel 16a and a second wheel 16b pivotally connected to both sides of the frame 12 respectively. The hand-push movable carrier 1 is capable of traveling on the ground via the front wheel group 14 and the rear wheel group 16, and the frame 12 has a push handle 122 for the user to push the hand-push movable carrier 1.

[0015] In this embodiment, the hand-push movable carrier 1 further includes a control circuit 10. The control circuit 10 includes a first motor 102, a second motor 104, a first wheel speed sensor 106, a second wheel speed sensor 108 and a control module 110. The first motor 102 is mounted on the frame 12 and coupled to the first wheel 16a. The second motor 104 is mounted on the frame 12 and coupled to the second wheel 16b. The first wheel speed sensor 106 is coupled to the first wheel 16a and configured to output a first signal SI according to a rotation speed of the first wheel 16a. The second wheel speed sensor 108 is coupled to the second wheel 16b and configured to output a second signal S2 according to the rotation speed of the second wheel 16b. The control module 110 is communicatively connected to the first motor 102, the second motor 104, the first wheel speed sensor 106 and the second wheel speed sensor 108. The control module 110 is capable of controlling operation of the first motor 102 and the second motor 104 to change a rotation state (e.g. rotation speed, acceleration, deceleration, stop) of the first wheel 16a and a rotation state of the second wheel 16b, such that the control module 110 provides the user with push assistance, and the user may also move the hand-push movable carrier 1 independently. The first wheel speed sensor 106 and the second wheel speed sensor 108 may be general sensors capable of detecting rotation speed, and will not be described in detail. Therefore, the control module 110 is capable of sensing the rotation state of the first wheel 16a and the rotation state of the second wheel 16b via the first wheel speed sensor 106 and the second wheel speed sensor 108. In practice, the control module 110 is capable of controlling the first motor 102 according to the first signal SI to rotate the first wheel 16a at a constant speed or a variable speed. Similarly, the control module 110 is capable of controlling the second motor 104 according to the second signal S2 to rotate the second wheel 16b rotate at a constant or variable speed. As such, the control module 110 is capable of controlling the first motor 102 and the second motor 104 according to the first signal SI and the second signal S2 to enable the first wheel 16a and the second wheel 16b to stop or rotate at a same speed or at different speeds (including rotating in opposite directions), and then the hand-push movable carrier 1 is capable of being moved forward, backward, and turned.

[0016] In addition, in practical applications, the hand-push movable carrier 1 may be, but not limited to, an electric stroller. In this embodiment, the hand-push movable carrier 1 uses a same power source 18 (such as a rechargeable battery electrically connected to the control module 110, the first motor 102, the second motor 104, the first wheel speed sensor 106 and the second wheel speed sensor 108) to provide power to the control module 110, the first motor 102, the second motor 104, the first wheel speed sensor 106 and the second wheel speed sensor 108 for their operation, but it is not limited thereto in practice. For example, the control module 110, the first motor 102, the second motor 104, the first wheel speed sensor 106 and the second wheel speed sensor 108 are powered by their respective power sources. In this embodiment, the control module 110 and the power source 18 are arranged at a lower portion of the frame 12. In addition, the communicative connection between the control module 110 and the first motor 102, the second motor 104, the first wheel speed sensor 106 and the second wheel speed sensor 108 may be a wired or wireless (e.g., Wi-Fi technology, Bluetooth technology or other short-range communication technology) connection. In addition, the first motor 102 and the second motor 104 may be in- wheel motors integrated with hubs of the first wheel 16a and the second wheel 16b. However, the implementation is not limited thereto. For example, the first motor 102 may be connected to the first wheel 16a via other transmission mechanisms (e.g., a chain, a belt, etc.). In addition, the in- wheel motor may integrate an electronic brake, such that the control module 16 is capable of controlling the first motor 102 and the second motor 104 to perform braking on the first wheel 16a and the second wheel 16b. In practice, the electronic brake can also be independent of the motor and controlled by the control module 110 to directly perform braking on the wheels. In addition, the aforementioned in-wheel motor may be an existing in-wheel motor on the market, and the working principle and structural details will not be further described. In practice, the aforementioned electronic brake may be an electronically controlled drum brake or a disc brake, which will not be described in detail. In addition, in practice, the control module 110 may be implemented by hardware (e.g., including a circuit board on which a processing chip, a communication chip, a connection interface, and other required electronic components are carried), software, or a combination thereof, which is not described in detail.

[0017] In this embodiment, the control circuit 10 further includes a presence sensor 112 mounted on the frame 12 and communicatively connected to the control module 110. The control module 110 receives a third signal S3 from the presence sensor 112, and determines whether the user of the hand-push movable carrier 1 is present according to the third signal S3. The control module 110 controls the first motor 102 and the second motor 104 according to a trigger state of the presence sensor 112, the first signal SI and the second signal S2 to rotate or stop the first wheel 16a and the second wheel 16b. Similarly, the communicative connection may be a wired or wireless (e.g., Wi-Fi technology, Bluetooth technology or other short-range communication technology) connection. In a case of wired connection, the control module 110 may provide power required by operation of the presence sensor 112 to the presence sensor 112 through a wire. In a case of wireless connection, the presence sensor 112 may be provided with a battery to obtain the required power during operation. In this embodiment, the presence sensor 112 is arranged on the push handle 122 of the frame 12. In practice, the push handle 122 may be held by the user everywhere to push the hand-push movable carrier 1, such that a plurality of presence sensors 112 may be used to increase the sensing area. When the user holds the push handle 122, the user will trigger the presence sensor 112. In other words, the control module 110 is capable of determining whether the user is present (that is, equivalent to whether the user is holding the push handle 122) via the presence sensor 112. The presence sensor 112 may be a sensor generally capable of detecting contact (such as, but not limited to, capacitor), which will not be described in detail. In addition, the presence sensor 112 may also incorporate a fingerprint recognition function (for example, using an image sensor), such that the hand-push movable carrier 1 has a certain degree of anti-theft and anti- misoperation functions, so as to avoid an accident caused by accidental push of the hand-push movable carrier 1.

[0018] In the practical application of the hand-push movable carrier 1, when the control module determines that the presence sensor 112 is triggered (that is, the control module 110 determines that the user is present according to the third signal S3) and the control module 110 determines based on the first signal SI that the first wheel 16a is accelerated, the control module 110 controls the first motor 102 to drive the first wheel 16a to rotate at a constant speed. Similarly, when the presence sensor 112 is triggered and the control module 110 determines based on the second signal S2 that the second wheel 16b is accelerated, the control module 110 controls the second motor 104 to enable the second wheel 16b to move at a constant speed. This control mechanism can prevent dangers that may be caused by accidentally acceleration (e.g., when going downhill) of the hand-push movable carrier 1 when the user pushes the hand-push movable carrier 1 (that is, drives the hand-push movable carrier 1 to move, including moving forward or backward or rotating). After that, when the presence sensor 112 is not triggered (that is, the control module 110 determines based on the third signal S3 that the user is not present) or the control module 110 determines based on the first signal SI and the second signal S2 that the first wheel 16a and the second wheel 16b are decelerated or stopped, the control module 110 turns off the first motor 102 and the second motor 104 or controls the first motor 102 and the second motor 104 to perform braking on the first wheel 16a and the second wheel 16b. For example, when the moving hand-push movable carrier 1 is out of the control of the user, the hand-push movable carrier 1 may be intervened and controlled by the first motor 102, the second motor 104 and/or the control module 110. For example, the electronics brake may be controlled to stop the hand-push movable carrier 1 to avoid possible dangers caused by loss of control. For another example, when the hand-push movable carrier 1 has been stopped, the hand-push movable carrier 1 is capable of actively keeping the stop state, so as to avoid possible dangers caused by the hand-push movable carrier 1 being pushed accidentally.

[0019] In addition, in this embodiment, the control circuit 10 further includes an input interface 114 arranged on the frame 12 and communicatively connected to the control module 110. Similarly, the communication connection may be a wired or wireless (e.g., Wi-Fi technology, Bluetooth technology or other short-range communication technology) connection. In a case of wired connection, the control module 110 may provide the power required by operation of the input interface 114 to the input interface 114 via the wire. In a case of wireless connection, the input interface 114 may be provided with a battery to obtain the required power during operation. In this embodiment, the input interface 114 is arranged on the push handle 122 of the frame 12 to facilitate the user's operation. In practice, the input interface 114 may be a physical interface (e.g., a touch panel, a physical button, etc.), a virtual interface (e.g., a projected button), or a combination thereof. The control module 110 receives the speed setting input by the user via the input interface 114 (for example, the speed setting is input by the user and stored in the control module 110 in advance), and controls the first motor 102 and the second motor 104 to drive the first wheel 16a and the second wheel 16b to rotate according to the speed setting, such that the hand-push movable carrier 1 moves according to the speed setting.

[0020] In addition, in this embodiment, the control circuit 10 further includes a communication module 116 electrically connected to the control module 110 and communicatively connected to an external mobile device 3 (e.g., a mobile phone, a tablet, etc.). The control module 110 receives the speed setting from the external mobile device 3 and controls the first motor 102 and the second motor 104 to drive the first wheel 16a and the second wheel 16b to rotate according to the speed setting. In practice, a corresponding mobile application may run on the external mobile device 3 to provide an input interface for user input. Similarly, the speed setting may also be input by the user and stored in the mobile application in advance. When the external mobile device 3 executes the mobile application and creates a communicative connection to the control module 110 of the hand-push movable carrier 1, the external mobile device 3 transmits the speed setting to the control module 110. In addition, the aforementioned communication connection may be a wired or wireless (e.g., Wi-Fi technology, Bluetooth technology or other short-range communication technology) connection. In a case of wired connection, the control module 110 is connected to the external mobile device 3 via a connection interface (e.g., a USB interface) and a connection cable.

[0021] In addition, in this embodiment, the presence sensor 112 (arranged on the push handle 122 of the frame 12) is a contact sensor, and the user needs to touch to trigger the presence sensor 112, but it is not limited thereto in practice. For example, a user presence sensor 113 (shown in dotted line in FIG. 2) is arranged on a rear side of the frame 12, which may be a non-contact sensor (such as but not limited to an infrared sensor, an image sensor, etc.), such that the user is capable of triggering the presence sensor 113 without touching the presence sensor 113. In practical applications, when the user pushes the hand-push movable carrier 1, the user is usually present on a rear side of the frame 12, such that the control module 110 is capable of receiving a signal from the presence sensor 113 (equivalent to the aforementioned third signal S3) to determine whether the user is present according to this signal, which is used as the basis for controlling the first motor 102 and the second motor 104 (as described above). In addition, this structural configuration is also applicable to the use situation of the walk- behind hand-push movable carrier 1. For example, when the user is walking, the control module 110 of the hand-push movable carrier 1 controls the first motor 102 and the second motor 104 to drive the first wheel 16a and the second wheel 16b to move according to the aforementioned speed setting, and the hand-push movable carrier 1 is followed by the user. In practice, the presence sensor 113 may be arranged at a lower portion of the rear side of the frame 12 (e.g., arranged on the bracket at the lower portion of the frame 12 together with the control module 110 and the power supply 18) to sense the user's feet (that is, the user's foot following state). In addition, in practice, either or both of the presence sensors 112 and 113 may be mounted on the hand-push movable carrier 1.

[0022] In addition, in the hand-push movable carrier 1, the first wheel 16a and the second wheel 16b are a rear wheel group 16 of the hand-push movable carrier 1 and are non-steering wheels, and are pivotally connected to the rear legs of the frame 12, but not limited thereto in practice. For example, the first motor 102 and the second motor 104 may be modified to drive a front wheel group 14 of the hand-push movable carrier 1, and may also control the rotation of the wheels of the front wheel group 14 (e.g., constant speed, variable speed, deceleration, brake, etc.). As another example, the rear wheel group 16 may be designed to be a steerable wheel group.

[0023] In addition, in the hand-push movable carrier 1, the first wheel 16a and the second wheel 16b are driven by the first motor 102 and the second motor 104 respectively, but the implementation is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the hand-push movable carrier 4 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure has similar configuration as the hand-push movable carrier 1, such that the hand-push movable carrier 4 continues to use the reference numerals used in the hand-push movable carrier 1. For other descriptions of the hand-push movable carrier 4, please refer to the relevant descriptions and accompanying drawings of the hand-push movable carrier 1 and the variations thereof. The main difference between the hand-push movable carrier 4 and the hand-push movable carrier 1 is that the handpush movable carrier 4 includes a rotating shaft 16c connecting the first wheel 16a and the second wheel 16b, and the hand-push movable carrier 4 adopts a single third motor 105 to drive the first wheel 16a and the second wheel 16b. The third motor 105 is connected to the shaft 16c (for example, via a gear train, a chain, a differential mechanism or other mechanisms) and communicatively connected to the control module 110. The control module 110 is capable of controlling the third motor 105 to drive the first wheel 16a and the second wheel 16b via the shaft 16c to rotate synchronously (e.g., for acceleration, deceleration, etc.).

[0024] Referring to FIG. 4, the wheel control method according to the present disclosure is applied to a hand-push movable carrier. In order to simplify the description, the above hand-push movable carrier 1 is used as an example for description. For the description of each component of the hand-push movable carrier 1 and actions thereof, please refer to the relevant descriptions above, and will not be repeated. In principle, the first wheel speed sensor 106 outputs a first signal S 1 according to the rotation speed of the first wheel 16a, and the second wheel speed sensor 108 outputs a second signal S2 according to the rotation speed of the second wheel 16b. The control module 110 controls the first motor 102 and the second motor 104 according to the first signal SI and the second signal S2 respectively, such that the first wheel 16a and the second wheel 16b rotate at a constant speed or a variable speed respectively, and the first wheel 16a and the second wheel 16b rotate at a same speed or different speeds. In practical applications, the wheel control method may also consider whether the user is present (determined by the trigger state of the presence sensors 112 and 113), so as to rotate or stop the first wheel 16a and the second wheel 16b. As shown in step S102, whether the presence sensors 112 and 113 are triggered is determined. If the determination is negative, the control module turns off the first motor 102 and the second motor 104 or controls the first motor 102 and the second motor 104 to stop the first wheel 16a and the second wheel 16b, as shown in step S104. If the determination is positive, different controls can be performed according to different situations. For example, when the control module 110 determines based on the first signal SI or the second signal S2 that the first wheel 16a or the second wheel 16b is accelerated, the control module 110 controls the first motor 102 or the second motor 104 to rotate the first wheel 16a or the second wheel 16b at a uniform speed, as shown in step S106. For another example, when the control module 110 determines based on the first signal SI or the second signal S2 that the first wheel 16a or the second wheel 16b is decelerated or stopped, the control module 110 turns off the first motor 102 or the second motor 104, or controls the first motor 102 or the second motor 104 to perform braking on the first wheel 16a or the second wheel 16b, as shown in step S108. For another example, in the use situation of following, the control module 110 controls the first motor 102 or the second motor 104 according to the speed setting to drive the first wheel 16a or the second wheel 16b to rotate, as shown in step SI 10.

[0025] As described above, according to the hand-push movable carrier 1 or 4 and the wheel control method of the present disclosure, the presence of the user is considered, so as to increase the correctness of the operation of the motors 102, 104 and 105, and avoid the dangers caused by wrong operation and improve the effect of pushing assistance. For example, when the user fails to control the hand-push movable carrier 1 or 4, the operation of the motors 102, 104 and 105 can be actively stopped, or the motors 102, 104 and 105 can keep the braking of the first wheel 16a and the second wheel 16b, thereby avoiding dangers that the hand-push movable carrier 1 or 4 may run out of control due to the motors 102, 104 and 105 still driving the wheels 16a and 16b, or the stationary hand-push movable carrier 1 or 4 being accidentally pushed. In addition, the hand-push movable carrier 1 or 4 and the wheel control method may further control the operation of the motors 102, 104 and 105 by considering the presence or absence of the user and the state of the wheels 16a and 16b simultaneously, which prevents the occurrence of dangers. For example, even if the user is present, if the hand-push movable carrier 1 or 4 accelerates accidentally (for example, when going downhill), the wheel speed can still be actively controlled (for example, at a constant speed), so as to avoid the possible dangers caused by acceleration (for example, when the user is unable to effectively control the hand-push movable carrier 1 or 4 if the hand-push movable carrier 1 or 4 is excessively accelerated). For another example, even if the user is present and the hand-push movable carrier 1 or 4 is in a stationary state, the hand-push movable carrier 1 or 4 can actively keep the stop state, so as to prevent the possible dangers caused by the hand-push movable carrier 1 or 4 being pushed accidentally.

[0026] The aforementioned descriptions are only preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. For those skilled in the art, the present disclosure may have various modifications and changes. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present disclosure shall be included within the protection scope of the present disclosure.