Motor vehicles – Steering by driving – Independently operable drive motors
Patent
1979-07-26
1981-04-07
Pekar, John A.
Motor vehicles
Steering by driving
Independently operable drive motors
180DIG3, 200DIG2, B62D 1104
Patent
active
042600359
ABSTRACT:
An improved chin controller system, for controlling a motor-driven wheelchair or the like, comprises an elongated control arm which extends unobtrusively to a location adjacent to occupant's chin and there supports an actuator mechanism, designed with very low profile to present minimum obstruction in front of the user-patient's face. The controller unit is designed so that when not in use, the user may readily move the controller to one side. The actuator carried on the control arm is engageable by the underside of the user's chin and may be moved vertically (depressed) to provide proportional speed control of the wheelchair, and laterally (from side-to-side) in a horizontal plane, to provide proportional left/right steering control. The actuator also comprises means enabling the user to select the desired forward or reverse direction of travel for the wheelchair and also to select between different drive torque levels for the drive motors. Control circuitry responds to the movement of the control arm and develops proportionate speed/steering control voltage signals which are processed and interfaced to the drive motors of commercially available powered wheelchair units to control the wheelchair in accordance with the command chin movements of the patient. The proportionate speed/steering command movements of the chin-operated control arm are sensed either optically or by potentiometers mechanically linked to the control arm movements; whereas, the simple two-state switching functions are sensed by microswitches or the like responsive to control arm movement/user actuation. The electronic control circuitry of the chin-operator control system includes suitable interlock provision so that forward/reverse direction selection can be altered only when the wheelchair is at rest and, moreover, the wheelchair steering control is correlated with speed control in order to affectuate smooth turning of the wheelchair.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3934181 (1976-01-01), Rosenthal
patent: 3993154 (1976-11-01), Simmons et al.
patent: 4059786 (1977-11-01), Jones et al.
patent: 4078627 (1978-03-01), Brown et al.
Loveless John H.
Seamone Woodrow
Archibald Robert E.
Pekar John A.
The Johns Hopkins University
LandOfFree
Chin controller system for powered wheelchair does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Chin controller system for powered wheelchair, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Chin controller system for powered wheelchair will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-284518