2172results about "Unicycles" patented technology

An off-road bicycle suspension fork includes a pair of fork leg assemblies, each of the leg assemblies having an upper leg telescopingly engaged with a lower leg. A damping assembly is provided in at least one of the legs and includes a cartridge tube connected to the lower leg and a piston connected to the upper tube by a shaft. The piston is telescopingly engaged with the cartridge tube to define a compression chamber below the piston. A control assembly is located at a top portion of the upper leg and is in communication with the compression chamber via a central passage of the shaft. A reservoir is defined between at least a portion of the lower tube and the cartridge. During compression of the suspension fork, fluid flows from the compression chamber, upward through the central passage of the shaft, through the control assembly and to the reservoir.

A class of transporters for carrying an individual over ground having a surface that may be irregular. Various embodiments have a motorized drive, mounted to the ground-contacting module that causes operation of the transporter in an operating position that is unstable with respect to tipping when the motorized drive arrangement is not powered. Related methods are provided for determining the maximum operating speed of the transporter from measurement of battery parameters and transporter motor current and for limiting the speed of the transporter to maintain stability.

A powered, gyroscopically balanced unicycle device to be used while standing, having leg contact surfaces which are made of a yielding, slightly soft material whose mild friction against the user's legs allows stable, precise control of the device without restraining the legs in any way. In one embodiment a single hubless wheel is driven by a friction drive mechanism which transmits torque from a motor through a drive wheel positioned below the foot platforms and in contact with the inner rim of the wheel. Various structures are provided for supporting the wheel and keeping it in place as it spins; absorbing small vertical movements of the wheel to prevent them from being transmitted to the foot platforms; enabling folding of the foot platforms; and facilitating carrying of the device by hand. Other embodiments are described and shown.

A controller for providing user input of a desired direction of motion or orientation for a transporter. The controller has an input for receiving specification by a user of a value based on a detected body orientation of the user. User-specified input may be conveyed by the user using any of a large variety of input modalities, including: ultrasonic body position sensing; foot force sensing; handlebar lean; active handlebar; mechanical sensing of body position; and linear slide directional input. An apparatus that may include an active handlebar is provided for prompting a rider to be positioned on a vehicle in such a manner as to reduce lateral instability due to lateral acceleration of the vehicle.

The present invention is a bicycle including a bicycle frame and a rear wheel suspension system that is attached to the frame. The rear wheel suspension system includes a rear wheel swingarm and a shock absorber that is engaged to the swingarm to control the motion of a rear wheel of the bicycle. A change in the vertical wheel travel (ΔVWT) of the rear wheel is related to a change in the length of the shock absorber (ΔSL), providing a shock rate (SR) according to the relationship:SR=ΔSL / ΔVWT. The shock rate (SR) changes throughout the vertical wheel travel of the rear wheel, such that the change in the shock rate dSR / dVWT has a change in sign as the rear wheel travels through its vertical wheel travel. The shock rate may at first decrease in value and subsequently increase, or initially increase in value and subsequently decrease throughout the vertical wheel travel of the rear wheel. In various exemplary embodiments the swingarm may be attached to the frame at a single pivot point or through a linkage system.

A bicycle frame assembly having a number of rotatable members configured to absorb shocks and impacts associated with operation of the bicycle. The assembly includes a frame constructed to support a rider and a chain stay having a rearward end that extends toward a wheel hub and a forward end that is pivotably connected to the frame. An absorber is pivotably connected to the forward end of the chain stay and extends to a rocker arm that is pivotably connected to the frame. A seat stay is pivotably connected to a rearward end of the rocker arm and extends to the rearward end of the chain stay. The rearward ends of the seat stay and the chain stay are pivotably connected to rotate about a common axis.

An adjustable-length seat post has a stanchion with first and second openings. The seat post has a sliding tube, a locking device and an energy transmission device. The sliding tube is guided through the first opening into the stanchion and is displaceable along a longitudinal direction of extension of the stanchion. The sliding tube is movable relative to the stanchion. An overlap between stanchion and sliding tube in a first position is greater than in a second position. The locking device can be transferred between a locking position and a releasing position, wherein in the locking position the sliding tube is fixed. The energy transmission device can transmit energy from an external actuating element to be provided to the locking device for releasing or locking. When the sliding tube is in the second position, the energy transmission device arranged guided from an external actuating element to be supplied through the second opening of the stanchion as far as the locking device.

Adjustable height bicycle seat mounting assemblies, bikes using such assemblies, and methods of use are provided. One such adjustable height bicycle seat mounting assembly includes first and second tubes in telescoping arrangement. The first tube is adapted to be coupled to a bicycle frame and the second tube is adapted to be coupled to a bicycle seat. A bulkhead is disposed in one of the first and second tubes. The bulkhead has an orifice therethrough, with a rod extending through the orifice and coupled to a movement device disposed near an end of the second tube. The first and second tubes are axially adjustable relative to one another by regulating a flow of a fluid disposed in the first and second tubes.

An apparatus for controlling a bicycle suspension element includes a suspension parameter controller that provides a suspension parameter controlling signal to control an operating parameter of the bicycle suspension element in response to a bicycle seat position.

There are many inventions described and illustrated herein. In one aspect, there is described a thin film or wafer encapsulated MEMS, and technique of fabricating or manufacturing a thin film or wafer encapsulated MEMS employing anti-stiction techniques. In one embodiment, after encapsulation of the MEMS, an anti-stiction channel is formed thereby providing “access” to the chamber containing some or all of the active members or electrodes of the mechanical structures. Thereafter, an anti-stiction fluid (for example, gas or gas-vapor) is introduced into the chamber via the anti-stiction channel. The anti-stiction fluid may deposit on one, some or all of the active members of the mechanical structures thereby providing an anti-stiction layer (for example, a monolayer coating or self-assembled monolayer) and / or out-gassing molecules on such members or electrodes. After introduction and / or application of the anti-stiction fluid, the anti-stiction channel may be sealed, capped, plugged and / or closed.

A class of transporters for carrying an individual over ground having a surface that may be irregular. Various embodiments have a motorized drive, mounted to the ground-contacting module that causes operation of the transporter in an operating position that is unstable with respect to tipping when the motorized drive arrangement is not powered. Related methods are provided for determining the maximum operating speed of the transporter from measurement of battery parameters and transporter motor current and for limiting the speed of the transporter to maintain stability based on various sets of operationally imposed margins.

In a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle, an attitude controller (84) calculates motor torque Tgyr for maintaining a base so that it has a target angle from deviation between base angle command θref serving as attitude command and current base angle θ0 calculated by using a gyro sensor (13) and an acceleration sensor (14). On the other hand, at a position proportional controller (86R), a differentiator (88R) and a velocity proportional controller (89R), there is performed PD control with respect to deviation between rotation position command Prefr of a motor rotor (92R) for right wheel and current rotation position θr of a motor rotor (92R). A current control amplifier (91R) generates motor current on the basis of added value of motor torque which is the control result and estimated load torque T1 calculated by using pressure sensors to drive the motor rotor (92R).

An adjustable assembly for a bicycle includes a first support having an interior surface and a second support slidably positioned within at least a portion of the first support. One of the first support and the second support is adapted to attach to a first bicycle portion, and the other of the first support and the second support is adapted to attach to a second bicycle portion. Further, the second support comprises an expansion portion configured to be moved between an expanded position and a retracted position. The expansion portion is configured to engage the interior surface of the first support when the expansion portion is in an expanded position. In addition, the first support is configured to be selectively moved relative to the second support when the expansion portion is permitted to assume a retracted position. In some embodiments, the first bicycle portion comprises a bicycle frame and the second bicycle portion comprises a bicycle saddle. In other arrangements, the first bicycle portion comprises a fork assembly and the second bicycle portion comprises a handlebar assembly.

A bicycle suspension control apparatus is basically provided with a power supply sensor and a controller. The power supply sensor detects a power level of a power supply being supplied from the power supply to electrically adjustable front and rear suspensions. The controller is configured to selectively change at least one electrically adjustable suspension parameter of each of the front and rear suspensions. The controller receives a power level signal from the power supply sensor. The controller prohibits changing the electrically adjustable suspension parameter of the rear suspension upon the power supply sensor detecting the power level of the power supply being below a first prescribed power level. The controller permits changing the electrically adjustable suspension parameter of the front suspension upon the power supply sensor detecting the power level of the power supply being below the first prescribed power level.