GB2508796A

GB2508796A - Ventilation system for a mobility scooter having a protective canopy

Info

Publication number: GB2508796A
Application number: GB201217605A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Michael Davies
Original assignee: Mark S Mobility Services & Repair Ltd
Current assignee: Mark S Mobility Services & Repair Ltd
Priority date: 2012-10-02
Filing date: 2012-10-02
Publication date: 2014-06-18
Anticipated expiration: 2032-10-02
Also published as: GB201217605D0; GB2508796B

Abstract

A ventilation system is provided for a mobility scooter having a rigid cover or flexible protective canopy 16 including a flexible material cover supported by a frame. The ventilation system includes an electric fan 32 having an outlet configured to direct an air flow within the canopy, particularly against the inside of the front panel (windscreen) of the canopy 16. The fan 32 may be attached to a cross-member 36 of the canopy frame by a bracket 34 having disconnectable front and rear portions. The power supply for the fan 32 may be a battery 38 provided with a protective cover 40 which is attachable to the seat column eg by hook and eye fabric 42. The fan may have an electrical heating element. The ventilation system may be easily retrofitted to any existing scooter having a canopy.

Description

A VENTILATION SYSTEM FOR A MOBILITY SCOOTER HAVING A CANOPY

The present invention relates to a ventilation system for a mobility scooter having a s canopy, and in particular a system for demisting and/or healing a scooter canopy.

Mobility scooters are power operated sit-on motor scooters primarily aimed at providing day-to-day travel assistance to people with mobility problems. Typically a mobility scooter includes a seat supported over three, four or now five wheels, A foot plate is provided to support the operator's feet, and the scooter is operated via a set of handlebars which turn the steerable wheels as well as including the power controls and brakes. Power for a mobility scooter is provided by a battery stored on board the scooter and is charged via an onboard or separate battery charger unit from standard electric power, Mobility scooters are in typically more affordable than alternatives such as powered wheelchairs, and have increased significantly in popularity in recent years.

As with other powered, sit-on motor vehicles, mobility scooters are open to the elements.

An operator may wear suitable waterproof clothing to protect them from the wind and the rain when operating the scooter. However, this is not always a practical solution and therefore mobility scooter canopies are provided to cover the scooter and provide protection from the elements. Canopies generally comprise a rigid frame secured to the body of the scooter, and a water proof sheet cover having at least a transparent front panel and side panels to ensure operator visibility.

A common problem with mobility scooter canopies is that transparent front windshield panel and side window panels are prone to misting' due to the condensation of water vapour on their interior surfaces, which can lead to significant visibility problems.

Temperature regulation is also problematic for mobility scooter canopies. In wanner weather the transparent sheeting creates a greenhouse effect leading to overheating. In colder weather the canopy is insufficient to provide any significant thermal insulation and as such the occupant, who is seated and substantially inactive, can become uncomfortably cold. Feeling the cold on a mobility scooter is a particular problem for elderly andlor frail users leading to potential health issues.

While the problems of misting and temperature regulation have been addressed in enclosed vehicles such as cars, no solution exists to address similar problems in open' vehicles such as mobility scooters.

It is therefore desirable to provide a means for dc-misting system and regulating the temperature for a mobility scooter having a canopy which addresses the above described problems and/or which offers improvements generally.

According to the present invention there is provided a ventilation system for a mobility scooter having a canopy as described in the accompanying claims.

In an embodiment of the invention there is provided a ventilation system for a mobility scooter having a protective canopy including a flexible material cover supported by a frame. The system comprises an electric fan having an outlet configured to direct an air flow within the canopy of a mobility scooter; a bracket configured to mount the fan to the frame of the canopy; a battery for supplying electrical power to the fan; and connection means for securing the battery to the body of the mobility scooter. As such the ventilation system may be easily retrofitted to any existing scooter having a canopy. Mobility scooters are not provided with external power conncctions to permit thc connection of cxternal devices to the drive battery. the system of the claimed invention is provided with its own power supply and as such can operate independently of the scooter power supply. The secondary dedicated power supply has the further advantage of ensuring that the power supply for the electric motor is not able to be run down if the fan is accidentally left running for a long period of time.

The system may further comprise a case for containing the battery, with the connection means being arranged to secure the case to the body of the scooter. The ease protects the battery from the elements as well as providing a convenient means of attaching the securing means to the battery.

The securing means is preferably a hook and eye fastening material having a first section securable to the body of the scooter and a corresponding second seolion secured to the battery case and being arranged to removably secure the case to the scooter body.

Alternatively a strap or other securing means may be provided to secure the battery to the body. The Velro (RTM) securing means enables the battery and its case to be easily positioned against the scooter body as well as being quickly and easily detached when required.

Thc case may be a bag formed of a flcxible material and having at least one handle to enable the bag to be carried to transport the battery. In this way the battery may be easily carried away fro the scooter for charging or storage.

The bracket preferably comprises clamping means configured to releasably clamp the fan to the frame of the canopy such that the fan may be easily secured in posilion and removed when the canopy is attached to and removed from the scooter respectively. The releasable clamp of the bracket allows the fan to be quickly and easily attached to the canopy frame and detached when not required.

The bracket is removably connected to the fan such that fan may be removed from the bracket while the bracket is retained on the frame of the canopy.

The fan preferaNy includes an electric heating element arranged to heat the airflow from the fan.

The fan may include control means for adjusting the heating element to vary the temperature of the airflow.

The bracket preferably includes a mounting section for securing to the fan and a clamping section for securing to the canopy frame and the mounting section is movable relative to the clamping section to permit adjustment of the fan position relative to the framne to vary the airflow direction.

The fan is preferably movable between a first position in which it is arranged to direct airflow against the windscreen of the canopy and a second position in which it is arranged to direct airflow substantially toward the scooter operator.

The present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the following illustrative figures in which: Figure 1 shows a mobility scooter having a canopy and a ventilation system according to an embodiment of the invention; 14) and Figure 2 shows the mobility scooter of Figure 1 with the battery pack removed exposing the securing ship.

Referring to Figure 1, a mobility scooter I comprises a body 2 including a base 4 supporting a seal 6. An enclosure 8 is located beneath the seat 6 which houses a battery and motor which provide the motive force for the scooter 1. The electric motor is connected via a drive train to a rear axle for transferring rotational drive to the rear wheels 10. A front axle supports a pair of front wheels 12, although a single front wheel may be provided. A handlebar 14 is linked to the front axle via a steering column for steering the scooter 1.

A canopy 16 includcs a frame 18 formed from a plurality of clongate mctallic tubes. Two opposing side frame sections 20 are interconnected by a plurality of cross members 22. A cover 24 formed from a flexible impermeable material is shaped to conform to the shape of the frame and covers and is supported by the frame 18. The cover includes a front panel 26 at least partially formed from a transparent material defining a windscreen. Movable side panels (not shown) define doors for canopy 16.

Due to the enclosed nature of the canopy 16 and the impermeability of the material from which the cover the 26, moisture within the canopy 16 generated from respiration and perspiration of the occupant, as well as naturally present moisture in atmosphere can condense on the inner surface of the canopy in certain atmospheric conditions, Condensation forming on the inner surface of the front panel 26 obscures the windscreen leading to poor visibility for the operator. A climate control system 30 is therefore provided to address the problem of condensation leading to misting of the windscreen.

The climate control system 30 includes an electric fan 32 which is configured to direct an airflow against the inner surface of the windscreen, The fan 32 includes a bracket 34 having a front portion connected to the fan body and a rear portion which is at least partially disconnectable from the front section. The front and rear bracket sections connect to each other to form a clamp for clamping the fan 32 to a front cross member 36 of the frame below the windscreen. !0

A power supply unit 38 is provided in the form of a battery pack. The battery pack may include a standard car battery or any other suitable electric supply unit. The battery 38 is provided with a protective cover 40 or case to house and contain the battery, and enable the battery to be easily carried to and from the scooter 1. The battery 38 is preferably located on the footplate at the seat column defining the motor enclosure. Securing means 42 is provide to secure the battery pack 38 to the seat column. The securing means is preferably hook and eye securing fabric such as Velcro (RTM) with a first strip being adhered to the steering column and a corresponding strip being secured to the battery cover, The first strip includes an adhesive layer with a removable release sheet that is removed at the point of use to allow the strip to be adhered to the body or other part of the scooter with the Velcro (RTM) layer facing outwardly. In this way the battery is able to be removed from it location for charging or replacement. A power cable connects the battery pack 38 to the fan 32.

In a further embodiment the fan 32 is provided with an electrical heating element. The heating element may be utilised to boost the demisting action of the fan 32. In addition, the heating element may be used to increase the temperature within the canopy in cold conditions.

In a preferred embodiment the climate control kit comprises: 1) Fanlheaterldimister 32 (width I 10mm X 125mm X 35mm) with 1 x Anderson fittings 2) Battery 38 12v X lSah (Sealed lead acid with 18 hour amp battery) (180mm X 70mm X 165mm) with 1 x Anderson fittings 3) Cany bag 42 with Velcro (RTM) stitched thereto (slightly bigger than battery) 4) Charger 12v 4amp (135mm X 72mm X 42mm) with 1 x Anderson fitting 5) Wires lengths custom to scooter to provide power to the fan 32 6) Bolts and nuts to fit (8mm nuts x 2) (20mm bolts x 2) to fit bracket 7) Three times fixing mechanism a) I x velcro kit (100mm X 50mm) b) 1 x mounting kit with two differently sized brackets for different sized cross bars -1 (63mm X 20mm); 2 (55mm X 33mm) c) Slide mount for fan/heater/clernister (105mm X 60mm) Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

It will be apprcciatcd that in further embodiments various modifications to the specific anangements described above and shown in the drawings may be made. For example, while the invention is described as suitable for use with a canopy having a flexible material sheet supported by a frame, it could also be used with a mobility scooter having any other protective cover such as a rigid fibre glass or plastic cover, and reference to the invention being suitable for use with a canopy should be interpreted as encompassing all types of cover including both rigid and flexible covers as described above but without limitation to these specific examples.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A ventilation system for a mobility scooter having a protective canopy including a flexible material cover supported by a frame, the system comprisii..g: S an electric fan having an outlet configured to direct an air flow within the canopy of a mobility scooter; a bracket configured to mount the fan within the confines of the canopy; a power supply unit for supplying electrical power to the Jim; connection means for securing the power supply unit to the body of the mobility scooter.
2. A ventilation system for a mobility scooter according to claim I further comprising a case for containing the power supply unit, wherein the connection means is arranged to sccurc thc case to the body of the scooter.
3. A ventilation system for a mobility scooter according to claim 2 wherein the securing means is a hock and eye fastening material having a first section securable to the body of the scooter and a corresponding second section secured to the power supply unit case and being arranged to removably secure the case to the scooter body.
4. A ventilation system for a mobility scooter according to claim 3 wherein the case is a bag fomied of a flexible material and having at least one handle to enable the bag to be carried to transport the power supply unit,
5. A ventilation system for a mobility scooter according to any preceding claim wherein the bracket comprises clamping means configured to releasably clamp the fan to the frame of the canopy such that the fan may be easily secured in position and removed when the canopy is attached to and removed from the scooter respectively.
6. A ventilation system for a mobility scooter according to any preceding claim wherein the bracket is removably connected to the fan such that fan may be removed from the bracket while the bracket is retained on the frame of the canopy.
7. A ventilation system for a mobility scooter according to any preceding claim wherein the fan includes an electric heating element arranged to heat the airflow from the fan.
8. A ventilation system for a mobility scooter according to claim 7 wherein the fan includes control means for adjusting the heating element to vary the temperature of the airflow,
9. A ventilation system for a mobility scooter according to any preceding claim wherein the bracket includes a mounting section for securing to the fan and a clamping section for securing to the canopy frame and the mounting section is movable relative to the clamping section to permit adjustment of thc fan position relative to the frame to vary the airflow direction.
10. A ventilation system for a mobility scooter according to claim 8 wherein the fan is movable between a first position in which it is arranged to direct airflow against the windscreen of the canopy and a second position in which it is arranged to direct airflow substantially toward the scooter operator.
Il. A ventilation system for a mobility scooter according to any preceding claim wherein the bracket is configured to secure to a frame supporting the canopy.
12, A ventilation system for a mobility scooter according to any prcccding claim wherein the bracket is configured to secure to a tubular frame.
13. A ventilation system for a mobility scooter according to any preceding claim wherein the power supply unit is a battery.
14. A kit for providing a ventilation system for a mobility scooter comprising: an electric fan; a bracket for securing the fan in a fixed location within the canopy of a mobility scooter; electric connection means for connecting the fan to a power supply unit; a case for containing a power supply unit having a First securing means connected thereto; and a second securing means configured to be secured to a mobility scooter and to releasably secure to the first connection means to permit releasable S connection of the power supply case to the mobility scooler.
15. A kit according to claim 14 wherein the case is a flexible material bag configured to receive an electric battery unit,
16. A kit according to claim 14 or 15 wherein the first and second securing means comprise a hook and eye fastener and the second securing means includes an adhesive layer for adhering the second securing means to the mobility scooter.18. A vcntilation system for a mobility scooter substantially as hereinhefore described with reference to, and/or as shown in figures 1 and 2.19. A mobility scooter comprising a canopy and a ventilation system according to any preceding claim, and/or as shown in figures 1 and 2.