Patent Application
20210212871
The present invention relates to a folding electric wheelchair, and specially to a folding electric wheelchair that is lightweight and portable for transportation, travel friendly, an electronic driving system that is sealed to be weatherproof, able to drive over many different types of terrain and slope grades with a bump-dampening and terrain vibration system, and ergonomically contoured seating for all day comfort.
The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant:
The electric wheelchair is known in prior art as a way to transport people with a physical disability. Traditional electric wheelchairs use electric motors and batteries which tend to be very heavy and not portable. These types of electric wheelchairs are so heavy, weighing on average around 300 lbs. that trying to transport the wheelchair requires additional equipment: a handicapped van, hauling trailer, hydraulic lift, or the user must pay for medical transportation.
This type of electric wheelchair is not allowed on airplanes by the FAA, and many public transportation buses do not have ramps to allow these large wheelchairs to drive into the bus. If the wheelchair is on a bus, the frame must be made of a strong material so the chair can be strapped or hooked to the floorboard of the bus. That way, if the bus stops suddenly the wheelchair does not move or get thrown towards the front of the bus. Subways are just as difficult to drive an electric wheelchair on to. Subway stations are underground and usually have a staircase to walk down to the platform itself. Some subway stations have elevators but are not always in working condition. For a person with physical disabilities needing to use an electric wheelchair to get around, leaving your home can be extremely difficult especially if that person does not have any assistance from a healthy able-bodied person or caregiver.
Another obstacle when using an electric wheelchair is weather. These types of wheelchairs have electrical components that cannot get wet or they will short circuit and stop operating leaving the disabled person stranded. When a person schedules a doctor's appointment at a future date, it is difficult to determine what the weather will be that day. Many days a person using an electric wheelchair starts out with a beautiful sunny day, and they end up stranded once it starts raining or after the rain stops the concrete and asphalt are still wet or even flooded with water.
Another obstacle when using an electric wheelchair is terrain. The ADA sets guidelines to ensure public areas are built to handle wheelchairs, but not all areas follow those guidelines. For example, a handicap ramp must not be steeper than a 12-degree slope, concrete sidewalks must be 3 feet wide, and ramps must be available to transition over a curb from a parking lot to a sidewalk. Unfortunately, not everywhere a disabled person goes is handicap accessible. Sidewalks end and many slopes like parking garages, crosswalks, gangways to airplanes or cruise ships are steeper than a 12-degree slope. Rocks, dirt, grass, gravel are all types of terrain that are obstacles for electric wheelchairs. This type of electric wheelchair has small smooth tread wheels, and has a very low ground clearance, which limits its driving to flat smooth surfaces like concrete and asphalt.
Comfortable seating is the final obstacle when using an electric wheelchair. Traditional seat cushions on electric wheelchairs are flat pieces of foam. This prior design shape is not comfortable to sit in all day long. The seat cushion begins to dig into the back of the legs, causing pain, stiffness and circulation problems. When a disabled person uses an electric wheelchair, the user is in a seated position for extended periods of time without the ability to stand up and stretch their legs. A comfortable ride does not stop with the seat design. Since the seat is attached to the frame of the wheelchair the user can feel each and every bump that the wheelchair drives over. These bumps or terrain vibrations filter up through the frame construction and seat design to the disabled user. Wheelchairs do not have shocks, or independent suspension like automobiles, so the supporting frame shape and construction handle the bump-dampening and terrain vibration system.
A different type of electric wheelchair is needed for people with physical disabilities. These people need increased mobility, independence from caregivers or other medical transportation devices, and freedom to travel outside of their home. The electric wheelchair must be lightweight enough to lift without assistance, and portable enough to fit inside a very small storage space. It must also have weatherproof capabilities to drive in the rain, snow, mud, and puddles. The wheels must be oversized, off-road wheels with aggressive tread to drive over rocks, dirt, gravel, and grass. This same electric wheelchair must be able to climb surfaces steeper than most 12-degree ramps, by positioning the person safely within its structure. Lastly, the seat, must be ergonomically contoured to provide the person with all day comfort.
At the age of 26, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. By the time I was in my late 30s the disease had crippled me to the point that I could no longer stand or walk, and I was forced to be permanently confined to a wheelchair. I had no choice but to rely on caregivers to help me meet my most basic needs: eating, drinking, bathing, dressing, and even going to the bathroom.
I was shocked that there were so few choices when it comes to mobility devices. Since my Rheumatoid Arthritis fingers were crippled, I could not push the wheels of the manual chair, so I needed the wheelchair to be electric! I started working on designing a folding electric wheelchair for myself. I wanted a wheelchair that would fold up similar to a traditional manual wheelchair and fit in the back of any size car.
I also wanted an electric wheelchair that could be driven in any type of weather. Since I was disabled every single day, I did not want to be limited to only going outside my home, or going to doctor's appointment, or having fun with friends, when it was sunny outside.
I enjoy traveling, going on cruises, flying to other parts of the world to experience different cultures. Just because I had limitations in walking, I wanted a chair to help me “Keep Going”. I was all too familiar with using the manual push wheelchairs at the airport. I had experienced on numerous occasions, missing connecting flights because the airport wheelchair pusher person did not feel like “rushing” me to the next gate.
A folding electric wheelchair includes 15 individual frame pieces connected with different sized bolts and nuts, two front caster wheels attached to the frame that allows the chair to steer in any direction, a pair of weatherproof electric motors with an all-terrain aggressive oversized rear wheel are attached to the end of each battery sleeve. The power for the electric wheelchair comes from two lithium-ion batteries which slide inside each hollow frame battery sleeve on the right and left sides under the seat base frame, and footrest with a padded grip plate to hold the user's feet while operating. The main supporting frame pieces are fabricated out of an oval shaped tubing material to enhance bump-dampening or terrain vibrations while driving over rough terrain, i.e. cobblestones, pavers, bricks, curbs, gravel, and rocks.
An ergonomically contoured seat base frame and backrest frame also attach the sculpted seat and backrest cushions which provide comfortable seating for all day use.
The wheelchair has two curved armrests that are attached to the contoured backrest frame on each side of the seat and pivot up to be flush with the backrest frame so the user can transfer in and out of the chair. These armrests also pivot up when the entire unit is in the folded position for storage or travel.
A weatherproof joystick controller slides into either the right or left armrest to help steer and drive the wheelchair. The joystick is held into the armrest by a thumbscrew which can be loosened and or tightened with the user's fingers, no tools needed. This allows for easy removal of the joystick whenever needed.
A small weatherproof computer known as the CPU connects all electronics and operates all drive functions of the wheelchair.
Accordingly, several advantages of one or more aspects are as follows: to provide the user an electronic driving system that is sealed to be weatherproof, able to drive over different terrain types and slope grades on any given day whether it's raining or sunny, ergonomically contoured seating, lightweight and portable for transportation, travel-friendly, compact in overall size when in the folded position to fit into a small space for storage. Other advantages of one or more aspects will be apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing descriptions.
Referring now to
The user of the folding electric wheelchair sits on 36 which is bolted onto 34 by four screws into the two crossbeam supports of 34. The crossbeams are made out of a rounded tube and are welded to the oval tube shape of 34. The material of 34 can consist of other types of tubular material, and the tube has an oval shape. Having the tubular material be an oval shape provides the bump-dampening and terrain vibration system for the folding electric wheelchair. The oval tube shape of 34 connects to 50 by way of 38.
The oval shaped specific embodiment is 50. The material of 50 can consist of other types of tubular material, and the tube has an oval shape. Having the tubular material be an oval shape provides the bump-dampening and terrain vibration system for the folding electric wheelchair. This support frame piece holds two folding hinge joints of 38 and 46. The end of 42 connects to 50 using 46, this allows 42 to be raised or pushed up out of the way so the user can transfer in and out of the embodiment. This specific embodiment of 46 allows the wheelchair to fold up.
Referring now to
Referring now to
The user of the folding electric wheelchair sits on 36 which is bolted onto 34 by four screws into the two crossbeam supports of 34. The crossbeams are made out of a rounded tube and are welded to the oval tube shape of 34. The material of 34 can consist of other types of tubular material, and the tube has an oval shape. Having the tubular material be an oval shape provides the bump-dampening and terrain vibration system for the folding electric wheelchair. The oval tube shape of 34 connects to 50 by way of 40.
The oval shaped specific embodiment is 50. The material of 50 can consist of other types of tubular material, and the tube has an oval shape. Having the tubular material be an oval shape provides the bump-dampening and terrain vibration system for the folding electric wheelchair. This support frame piece holds two folding hinge joints of 40 and 48. The end of 42 connects to 50 using 48, this allows 42 to be raised or pushed up out of the way so the user can transfer in and out of the wheelchair. This specific embodiment of 48 allows the wheelchair to fold up.
Referring now to
The lower seating area 36 is ergonomically contoured which provides comfortable seating for the user. The front edge of 36 curves downward towards the ground and away from the backside of the user's legs. This specific embodiment of 36 does not dig into the back of the user's legs which can cause pain, stiffness or circulation problems as prior art. The specific embodiment of 36 is made out of a breathable and washable material. The base of 36 is a solid material and is bolted onto 34 by four screws into the two crossbeams supports of 34. The inside of 36 is made of foam which is glued to the solid, ergonomic contoured base of 36.
The legs of the user are placed on 16. The top portion of 16 holds 18 which is strapped onto 16 using three connection straps that wrap around the round tube frame shape of 16. These three connection straps are then screwed into 18 to secure it in place. To assist the user with extra leg support 72 is a specific embodiment that can stay on or be easily removed from the folding electric wheelchair. The design of 72 attaches to the right side of the embodiment by 22 and stretches across to attach to the left side by 24.
Referring now to
Also attached to the bottom crossbeam of 50 is two sets of 54. One set is welded onto the left side of 56 and the other is welded onto the right side. There are two set of 54 that assist the embodiment with bump-dampening and terrain vibration. When the user drives over rough terrain, a few examples are: cobblestones, pavers, bricks, curbs, gravel, and rocks. Each 54 absorbs those bumps so they do not filter up to the user sitting on 36. The material that 54 is made out of can range in different sizes and tension strength.
To move the folding electric wheelchair, the embodiment has two motors. The first specific embodiment is 68. The second specific embodiment is 70. Both 68 and 70 are sealed inside a weatherproof metal housing, with brushless electronic internal drive components and can vary in wattage depending on the desired speed and weight capacity of the user. Both 68 and 70 have electromagnetic brakes, to assist the user in stopping or slowing down. Each specific embodiment of 68 and 70 has a manual drive function, so the user can be pushed. No power is needed to roll the embodiment in manual mode.
Referring now to
While the user is seated position on 36, they place their feet rest on top of 18. This specific embodiment can be made out of different materials that provide traction and grip on the top surface. When driving the embodiment in wet weather 18 helps hold the user's feet securely in place by the circle traction pattern. The circle traction pattern can range in different sizes or pattern shapes, as long as that pattern covers the entire surface of 18.
Referring now to
The main electronic operation for driving the embodiment is handled by 62. This specific embodiment is sealed inside a weatherproof case which is then secured by bolting to 60. The electronic power for 62 is provided by turning on 44, which is remotely connected to 68 and 70. The electronic driving system for the embodiment consists of the following sealed weatherproof specific embodiments: 62, 44, 66, 68 and 70.
Referring now to
The embodiment has a total of four wheels: two smaller sized 14 and two larger sized 12. The overall size and dimensions of 12 and 14 can vary. Both 12 and 14 are made of solid rubber so the user can drive over sharp objects without getting a flat tire. The solid rubber wheels also assist in the bump-dampening and terrain vibration system on the embodiment. Both 12 and 14 have an aggressive off-road tire tread to assist the user in driving over many different types of terrain.
The manner of how the embodiment operates to fold and unfold consists of eight specific hinge joint embodiments. The manner of how the embodiment operates to fold. First, push up on or raise up 42 which is attached to hinge joint 46. Next operating step to folding up the embodiment is to push up on or raise up 42 which is attached to hinge joint 48. Move yourself around to the back view of the embodiment (not shown here but shown in
The manner of how the embodiment operates to unfold. Stand the embodiment upright (not shown here but shown in
Accordingly, the reader will see that several advantages of one or more aspects are as follows: to provide the user an electronic driving system that is sealed to be weatherproof, able to drive over different terrain types and slope grades on any given day whether it's raining or sunny, ergonomically contoured seating, lightweight and portable for transportation, travel-friendly, compact in overall size when in the folded position to fit into a small space for storage. Furthermore, the folding electric wheelchair has additional advantages in that:
Although the description above contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiment but as merely providing illustrations of independence and freedom the user would gain from said embodiment.
Thus, the scope of the embodiment should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents rather than by the examples given.
