Postural and Driving Control of the Variable-Configuration-Type Parallel Bicycle

The authors have developed a new type of parallel bicycle which can vary its configuration and change locomotion mode according to the working conditions or circumstances. The fundamental components of the vehicle are an inverted-pendulum-type parallel bicycle, a working arm and a controlling arm. By combining the components, three kinds of the configurations can be realized : a parallel bicycle with a working arm and an L-shaped controlling arm, a double-steered wheeler with a controlling arm, and a four-wheeled vehicle with a working arm. This paper describes the control methods of motions obtained with the first-type parallel bicycle with a working arm and an L-shaped controlling arm, and experimental results. The postural and driving control using the controlling arm is very useful and the motion of the working arm is well controlled by it. When an auxiliary wheel is installed at the tip of the working arm and the arm is lowered until it touches the ground, the vehicle is converted into a tri-wheeled car. Conversion from the two-wheeler to the tri-wheeler and the inverse conversion are also successfully attained by the intelligent control method proposed here.