Tilt Control for Gyro-Stabilized Two-Wheeled Vehicles

Abstract

Fully enclosed motorcycles could form the basis for extremely fuel and space efficient vehicles, but their inherent instability upon encountering even a momentary loss of traction renders them unsuitable for general use. It will be shown that a relatively simple tilt control system using a gyroscope to provide a tilt control moment is capable of stabilizing the vehicle at still stand or at speed on a very low traction surface. Furthermore, the system can achieve a coordinated turn on high traction surfaces. Since the gyro is an energy storage device, it can be used also in a hybrid system to provide extra power for acceleration and to recover some energy during braking. This relatively old idea should be reconsidered in light of the improved electromechanical devices, which have been developed recently for hybrid electric vehicles.