WO2023108135A1

WO2023108135A1 - Push button electric steering

Info

Publication number: WO2023108135A1
Application number: PCT/US2022/081291
Authority: WO
Inventors: Craig Siebert
Original assignee: Ariens Company
Priority date: 2021-12-10
Filing date: 2022-12-09
Publication date: 2023-06-15

Abstract

Systems and methods related to user-actuable steering for a motor-driven vehicle. One example system includes a left side clutch mechanism configured to control torque power provided to a first wheel on a left side of the vehicle, a right side clutch mechanism configured to control torque power provided to a second wheel on a right side of the vehicle, a first user- actuable input associated with the left side clutch mechanism, a second user-actuable input associated with the right side clutch mechanism, and an electronic controller including an electronic processor. The electronic processor is configured to determine a desired turn direction of the vehicle based on an actuation of either of the first user-actuable input or of the second user-actuable input of the vehicle and control the left side clutch mechanism and the right side clutch mechanism according to the actuation.

Description

PUSH BUTTON ELECTRIC STEERING

BACKGROUND

[0001] Snow blowers, and other motor-driven vehicles, are steered by a user through the use of, among other things, handlebars. In some snow blowers, the operator steers by pushing the handlebars to the right or left, causing the snow blower to steer to the left or right, respectively. Some snowblowers are steered by selectively engaging and disengaging power to two drive wheels.

SUMMARY

[0002] Systems and methods described herein relate to operational control of electromagnetic clutches via user-actuable inputs (for example, pushbuttons) for maneuvering a motor-driven vehicle. Utilizing user-actuable inputs instead of traditional steering systems allows for less equipment (e.g., cables, handlebars, etc.) and, thus, provides for a less expensive steering system.

[0003] One example provides a system for operating a motor-driven vehicle. The system includes a left side clutch mechanism configured to control torque power provided to a first wheel on a left side of the vehicle, a right side clutch mechanism configured to control torque power provided to a second wheel on a right side of the vehicle, a first user-actuable input associated with the left side clutch mechanism, a second user-actuable input associated with the right side clutch mechanism, and an electronic controller including an electronic processor. The electronic processor is configured to determine a desired turn direction of the vehicle based on an actuation of either of the first user-actuable input or of the second user-actuable input of the vehicle and control the left side clutch mechanism and the right side clutch mechanism according to the actuation.

[0004] Another example provides a method for operating a motor-driven vehicle including a left side clutch mechanism configured to control torque power provided to a first wheel on a left side of the vehicle, a right side clutch mechanism configured to control torque power provided to a second wheel on a right side of the vehicle, a first user-actuable input associated with the left side clutch mechanism, and a second user-actuable input associated with the right side clutch mechanism. The method includes determining a desired turn direction of the vehicle based on an actuation of either of the first user-actuable input or of the second user-actuable input of the vehicle and controlling the left side clutch mechanism and the right side clutch mechanism according to the actuation.

[0005] Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views, together with the detailed description below, are incorporated in and form part of the specification, and serve to further illustrate embodiments of concepts that include the claimed invention, and explain various principles and advantages of those embodiments.

[0007] FIG. l is a diagram of a system for operating a motor driven vehicle according to some embodiments.

[0008] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the controller of the system of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments.

[0009] FIG. 3 A is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented by the controller of FIG. 2 according to some embodiments.

[0010] FIG. 3B is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented by the controller of FIG. 2 according to some embodiments.

[0011] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a circuit for performing the method of FIGS. 3 A and 3B according to some embodiments.

[0012] Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention. [0013] The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the examples presented herein are not limited in their application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. For example, while the systems and methods described herein are described in terms of a snowblower, it should be understood that such systems and methods may be applied to other systems such as lawnmowers, tractors, and the like. As another example, while systems and methods described herein are described in terms of an electric motor, such systems and methods may also be applied to other kinds of motors, such as internal combustion engines.

[0015] It should be noted that a plurality of hardware and software-based devices, as well as a plurality of different structural components may be utilized to implement the embodiments described herein or portions thereof. In addition, it should be understood that embodiments described herein may include hardware, software, and electronic components or modules that, for purposes of discussion, may be illustrated and described as if the majority of the components were implemented solely in hardware. However, one of ordinary skill in the art, and based on a reading of this detailed description, would recognize that, in at least one embodiment, the electronic based aspects described herein may be implemented in software (stored on non- transitory computer-readable medium) executable by one or more processors. As such, it should be noted that a plurality of hardware and software-based devices, as well as a plurality of different structural components may be used to implement the embodiments described herein. For example, “controller,” “control unit,” “control module,” and “control assembly” described in the specification may include one or more processors, one or more memory modules including non-transitory computer-readable medium, one or more input/output interfaces, and various connections (e.g., a system bus) connecting the components.

[0016] Systems and methods described herein relate to how electromagnetic clutches are engaged and disengaged to produce the desired operation during maneuvering of a motor driven vehicle (such as a snowblower, a lawn mower, or a tractor) using the left and right user-actuable inputs (for example, pushbuttons). FIG. 1 is a diagram of a motor driven vehicle 100 (in the illustrated embodiment, a snowblower). The vehicle 100 includes user-actuable inputs 102A and 102B, a controller 200, and a motor 104. In the illustrated embodiment, and as described herein, the inputs 102 A and 102B are pushbuttons. It should be understood that, in further embodiments, the user-actuable inputs 102 A, 102B may be a different type of user-actuable input such as a switch, a dial, and the like.

[0017] Both inputs 102A and 102B are electrically coupled to a controller 200. In some aspects, the controller 200 is electrically coupled to and configured to control a drive motor (e.g., the electric motor 104), as described herein. In some instances, the vehicle 100 is powered by an internal combustion engine. The controller 200 is configured to control power provided to the electric motor 104 (for example, from an electric storage system such as a battery system, which is not shown). In the embodiment illustrated, the electric motor 104 is positioned in a gearbox 106. The electric motor 104 is coupled to and configured to drive a first wheel 108 A and a second wheel 108B, as described herein. In the illustrated embodiment, the motor 104 is coupled to the first and second wheels 108 A, 108B by a first and a second electromechanical clutch mechanism 110A, HOB, respectively. Each respective electromechanical clutch mechanism 110A, 110B is positioned between the electric motor 104 and the first and second wheels 108 A, 108B, respectively, to assist in freewheeling of the vehicle 100. The controller 200, in particular, is configured to provide clutch outputs to control each clutch mechanism 110A, HOB individually as described herein (in particular, with respect to FIGS. 3 A and 3B). In particular, the controller 200 is configured to, based on an actuation of a particular input 102 A, 102B, by an operator 111 of the vehicle 100, engage the respective clutch mechanism 110A, 110B (i.e. couple the respective clutch mechanism 110A, 110B to the motor 104 via one or more gears (for example, gears 112 A, 112B respectively) of the gearbox 106 to thus drive the respective wheel 108A, 108B) and/or disengage the respective clutch mechanism 110A, HOB (i.e. decouple the respective clutch mechanism 110A, HOB from the motor 104 via the one or more gears 112A, 112B of the gearbox 104, thus not driving the respective wheel 108A, 108B, also known as freewheeling). In some instances, controller 200 is configured to default into freewheel mode (i.e., both clutch mechanisms disengaged). This improves operator comfort because pushing a unit that has an electric motor engaged to a gear reduction can be difficult on the operator. The clutch mechanisms allow it to freewheel whenever they are disengaged.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the controller 200 according to some examples. In addition to the inputs 102A, 102B, the controller 200 is further configured to receive information regarding an operator-selected operational speed of the motor 104 (i.e. a desired driving speed of the wheels 108A, 108B), information regarding a present gear of the motor 104 (i.e. whether the motor 104 is presently in a forward or a reverse gear), and a wheel drive engage setting (i.e., whether the wheels 108 A, 108B are set, via a user input, to be engaged to the motor 104 or not). Each of the operational speed information, present gear information, and wheel drive engage setting is obtained by the controller 200 via a suitable analog or digital selection device (selection devices 207A, 207B, and 207C respectively of FIG. 2). The selection device(s) 207A, 207B, and 207C may be a physical switch, knob, slider, button, or other suitable device providing control input to the controller 200. In some embodiments, one or more of the selection devices 207A, 207B, and 207C may be virtual (for example, a graphical user interface element presented on one or more electronic displays by an electronic control module (ECM), vehicle control module (VCM), or similar electronic control unit, not shown, configured similar to the controller 200). In some embodiments, the selection devices 207A, 207B, and 207C (either physical or virtual) may provide their signals to the controllers 200 via a bus (for example, a CAN bus) or through one or more intervening electronic controllers (for example, a VCM), which are not shown.

[0019] In the example illustrated, the controller 200 includes an electronic processor 202 (e.g., a microprocessor, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or another suitable electronic device), a memory 204 (e.g., a non -transitory, computer-readable storage medium), a communication interface 206, and an input/output interface 208. The electronic processor 202, the memory 204, and the input/output interface 206 communicate over one or more control and/or data buses (for example, a communication bus). The use of control and data buses for the interconnection between and exchange of information among the various modules and components would be apparent to a person skilled in the art in view of the description provided herein. FIG. 2 illustrates only one example embodiment of the controller 200. The controller 200 may include fewer or additional components and may perform functions other than those explicitly described herein.

[0020] In some embodiments, the electronic processor 202 is implemented as a microprocessor with separate memory, for example, the memory 204. In other embodiments, the electronic processor 202 may be implemented as a microcontroller (with memory on the same chip). In other embodiments, the electronic processor 202 may be implemented using multiple processors. In addition, the electronic processor 202 may be implemented partially or entirely as, for example, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and the like and the memory may not be needed or be modified accordingly.

[0021] In the example illustrated, the memory 204 includes non-transitory, computer- readable memory that stores instructions that are received and executed by the electronic processor 202 to carry out functionality of the controller 200 described herein. The memory 204 may include, for example, a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area and the data storage area may include combinations of different types of memory, for example, read-only memory and random-access memory.

[0022] The input/output interface 206 includes one or more input mechanisms such as pushbuttons, knobs, and the like (for example, the inputs 102A, 102B, the operational speed selection device 207 A, the forward and reverse selection device 207B, the wheel drive engage device 207C, and the like). The input/output interface 206 may include one or more output mechanisms (for example, a display, a light, a speaker, and the like, which are not shown), or a combination thereof. The input/output interface 206 receives input from one or more components of the controller 200 and/or the vehicle 100 (for example, input devices actuated by the operator 111 of the vehicle 100) and provides output to one or more components of controller 200. The input/output interface 206 may also include one or more sensors (not shown) utilized by the electronic processor 202 to determine one or more states of one or more components of the vehicle 100. In some instances, the input/output interface 206 is electrically coupled to the first and second electromechanical clutch mechanisms 110A, 110B, and controls (along with the electronic processor 202) the operation of the first and second electromechanical clutch mechanisms as described herein.

[0023] FIG. 3 A illustrates an exemplary method 300A for operating a motor-driven vehicle (e.g., the vehicle 100). It will be appreciated that the method 300A may be modified or performed differently than the specific example provided while still falling within scope of the invention described herein. As an example, the method 300A shown in FIG. 3A is performed by a single controller 200 and, in particular, the electronic processor 202. However, it should be understood that in some embodiments, portions of the method 300 A may be performed by additional electronic processors included in the controller 200. For ease of description, the method 300 is described in terms of a single controller 200, a single motor 104, two wheels 108 A, 108B, and two respective clutch mechanisms 110A, 110B. It should be understood that the method 300 may be applied to systems including multiple controllers, motors, wheels, and clutch mechanisms.

[0024] At block 302 A, the electronic processor 202 determines a desired turn direction of the vehicle 100 based on an actuation of either of the first user-actuable input 102 A and the second user-actuable input 102B of the vehicle 100. At block 302B, the electronic processor 202 controls a left side clutch mechanism (e.g., clutch mechanism 110A of FIG. 1) or a right side mechanism (e.g., clutch mechanism HOB of FIG. 1).

[0025] FIG. 3B is a flowchart illustrating a method 300B for controlling the motor-driven vehicle 100 to operate with user-actuable steering inputs according to some embodiments. At block 306, the electronic processor 202 determines whether the wheel drive engage input is active/in an on-state (determined based on an input from the wheel drive engage device 207C, for example). In response to the wheel engage input not being active, the motor 104 is deactivated or kept deactivated and neither of the clutch mechanisms 110A, HOB are engaged (block 308). In response to the wheel drive engage input being active, the processor 202 determines, at block 310, whether the vehicle 100 is in a forward gear or in a reverse gear (for example, based on an input from the forward/reverse gear selection device 207B). [0026] When the processor 202 determines that the vehicle 100 is in a reverse gear (i.e., is driving or drivable in a reverse direction), the electronic processor 202, at block 312, controls the motor 104 at a reduced speed that is less than a present operational speed setting (for example, determined from an input from the operational speed selection device 207A). The reduced speed may be, for example, approximately half (i.e., 50%) of the present operational speed setting. At block 314, the electronic processor 202 determines whether either of the inputs 102A, 102B have been actuated. At block 313, when neither of the inputs 102 A, 102B have been actuated, the electronic processor 202 engages the first clutch mechanism 110A and the second clutch mechanism 110B to drive the vehicle in a straight line (either in the forward or reverse direction (as determined at block 310).

[0027] In response to the left side input (i.e., the user-actuable input 102A) being actuated, the electronic processor 202 determines that the desired turn direction is to the left and thus engages the second clutch mechanism HOB and disengages the first clutch mechanism 110A (block 316). In other words, the wheel 108B on the right side of the vehicle 100 is driven (in a forward or reverse direction depending on the present gear of the vehicle 100) while the wheel 108A on the left side of the vehicle 100 is not driven and spins freely. This results in the vehicle 100 to turn left as the vehicle 100 moves forward or reverse.

[0028] In response to the right side input (i.e., the user-actuable input 102B) being actuated, the electronic processor 202 determines that the desired turn direction is to the right and thus engages the first clutch mechanism 110A and disengages the second clutch mechanism HOB (block 318). In other words, the wheel 108 A on the left side of the vehicle 100 is driven (in a forward or reverse direction depending on the present gear of the vehicle 100) while the wheel 108B on the right side of the vehicle 100 is not driven and spins freely. This results in the vehicle 100 to turn right as the vehicle 100 moves forward or reverse.

[0029] In instances where the electronic processor 202 determines that neither inputs 102A, 102B are presently actuated, the electronic processor 202 engages both clutch mechanisms 110A, HOB accordingly (at block 313).

[0030] FIG. 4 is an example circuit 400 for implementing the above-described methods 300A, 300B absent the controller 200. In the illustrated example, the circuit 400 includes control switch circuits 402 A and 402B each directly respectively actuated by the respective input 102 A, 102B. Each circuit 402 A and 402B is also configured to receive a respective input 404 (for example, an active high or active low input), for example, from the wheel drive engage device 207C. The circuits 402A, 402B are each configured to provide power to a respective clutch mechanism 110A, 110B in response to an actuation of a respective user-actuable input 102A, 102B as described above and therefore causing the respective wheels 120A, 120B to operate, in reverse, at a speed slower than the present operational speed setting. In some embodiments, the control switch circuits 402A, 402B may further be configured to receive a respective input (for example, an active high or active low input), not shown, for example, from the forward/reverse directional selection device 207B, which indicates whether the vehicle 100 is in a forward or reverse direction. In such embodiments, the circuits 402A, 402B may include one or more electrical components arranged such that the respective output provided to the respective clutch mechanism 110A, 110B is reduced, as described above in regard to step 312 of FIG. 3B.

[0031] In the foregoing specification, specific embodiments have been described. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of present teachings.

[0032] The benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential features or elements of any or all the claims. The invention is defined solely by the appended claims including any amendments made during the pendency of this application and all equivalents of those claims as issued.

[0033] Moreover, in this document, relational terms such as first and second, top and bottom, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has”, “having,” “includes,” “including,” “contains,” “containing,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a nonexclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises, has, includes, contains a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by “comprises . . . a,” “has . . . a,” “includes . . . a,” or “contains . . . a,” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises, has, includes, contains the element. The terms “a” and “an” are defined as one or more unless explicitly stated otherwise herein. The terms “substantially,” “essentially,” “approximately,” “about,” or any other version thereof, are defined as being close to as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, and in one non-limiting embodiment the term is defined to be within 10%, in another embodiment within 5%, in another embodiment within 1% and in another embodiment within 0.5%. The term “coupled” as used herein is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly and not necessarily mechanically. A device or structure that is “configured” in a certain way is configured in at least that way but may also be configured in ways that are not listed.

[0034] It will be appreciated that some embodiments may be comprised of one or more generic or specialized processors (or “processing devices”) such as microprocessors, digital signal processors, customized processors and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and unique stored program instructions (including both software and firmware) that control the one or more processors to implement, in conjunction with certain non-processor circuits, some, most, or all of the functions of the method and/or apparatus described herein. Some or all functions could be implemented by a state machine that has no stored program instructions, or in one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), in which each function or some combinations of certain of the functions are implemented as custom logic. Of course, a combination of the two approaches could be used.

[0035] Moreover, an embodiment can be implemented as a computer-readable storage medium having computer readable code stored thereon for programming a computer (e.g., comprising a processor) to perform a method as described and claimed herein. Examples of such computer-readable storage mediums include, but are not limited to, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory), an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) and a Flash memory. Further, it is expected that one of ordinary skill, notwithstanding possibly significant effort and many design choices motivated by, for example, available time, current technology, and economic considerations, when guided by the concepts and principles disclosed herein will be readily capable of generating such software instructions and programs and ICs with minimal experimentation.

[0036] Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A system for operating a motor-driven vehicle, the system comprising: a left side clutch mechanism configured to control torque power provided to a first wheel on a left side of the vehicle; a right side clutch mechanism configured to control torque power provided to a second wheel on a right side of the vehicle; a first user-actuable input associated with the left side clutch mechanism; a second user-actuable input associated with the right side clutch mechanism; an electronic controller including an electronic processor configured to: determine a desired turn direction of the vehicle based on an actuation of either of the first user-actuable input or of the second user-actuable input of the vehicle; and control the left side clutch mechanism and the right side clutch mechanism according to the actuation.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic controller is further configured to determine the desired turn direction based on whether the vehicle is driving in a forward direction or in a reverse direction.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein controlling the left side clutch mechanism and the right side clutch mechanism includes determining, when the vehicle is being driven in the forward direction, that the desired turn direction is to the right when the second user-actuable input is actuated; and disengaging the right side clutch mechanism and engaging the left side clutch mechanism.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein controlling the left side clutch mechanism and the right side clutch mechanism includes determining, when the vehicle is being driven in the forward direction, that the desired turn direction is to the left when the first user-actuable input is actuated; and disengaging the left side clutch mechanism and engaging the right side clutch mechanism.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein controlling the left side clutch mechanism and the right side clutch mechanism includes determining, when the vehicle is being driven in the reverse direction, that the desired turn direction is to the right when the second user-actuable input is actuated; and disengaging the right side clutch mechanism and engaging the left side clutch mechanism.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein controlling the left side clutch mechanism and the right side clutch mechanism includes determining, when the vehicle is being driven in the reverse direction, that the desired turn direction is to the left when the first user-actuable input is actuated; and disengaging the left side clutch mechanism and engaging the right side clutch mechanism.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein, when the vehicle is being driven in the reverse direction, the electronic controller is further configured to drive a motor of the vehicle at a reduced speed.

8. A method for operating a motor-driven vehicle including a left side clutch mechanism configured to control torque power provided to a first wheel on a left side of the vehicle, a right side clutch mechanism configured to control torque power provided to a second wheel on a right side of the vehicle, a first user-actuable input associated with the left side clutch mechanism, and a second user-actuable input associated with the right side clutch mechanism, the method comprising: determining a desired turn direction of the vehicle based on an actuation of either of the first user-actuable input or of the second user-actuable input of the vehicle; and controlling the left side clutch mechanism and the right side clutch mechanism according to the actuation.

9. The method of claim 8, the method further including determining the desired turn direction based on whether the vehicle is driving in a forward direction or in a reverse direction.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein controlling the left side clutch mechanism and the right side clutch mechanism includes determining, when the vehicle is being driven in the forward direction, that the desired turn direction is to the right when the second user-actuable input is actuated; and disengaging the right side clutch mechanism and engaging the left side clutch mechanism.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein controlling the left side clutch mechanism and the right side clutch mechanism includes determining, when the vehicle is being driven in the forward direction, that the desired turn direction is to the left when the first user-actuable input is actuated; and disengaging the left side clutch mechanism and engaging the right side clutch mechanism.

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12. The method of claim 9, wherein controlling the left side clutch mechanism and the right side clutch mechanism includes determining, when the vehicle is being driven in the reverse direction, that the desired turn direction is to the right when the second user-actuable input is actuated; and disengaging the right side clutch mechanism and engaging the left side clutch mechanism.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein controlling the left side clutch mechanism and the right side clutch mechanism includes determining, when the vehicle is being driven in the reverse direction, that the desired turn direction is to the left when the first user-actuable input is actuated; and disengaging the left side clutch mechanism and engaging the right side clutch mechanism.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein, when the vehicle is being driven in the reverse direction, the electronic controller is further configured to drive a motor of the vehicle at a reduced speed.

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