WO2018044297A1

WO2018044297A1 - Wheelchair with weather shield

Info

Publication number: WO2018044297A1
Application number: PCT/US2016/049718
Authority: WO
Inventors: Anthony Richard Walser
Original assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
Current assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
Priority date: 2016-08-31
Filing date: 2016-08-31
Publication date: 2018-03-08
Anticipated expiration: 2019-02-28

Abstract

Wheelchairs with weather shields are described herein. An example apparatus includes a wheelchair, a weather shield, and telescoping arms operatively coupled to the wheelchair and the weather shield to position the weather shield relative to the wheelchair.

Description

WHEELCHAIR WITH WEATHER SHIELD

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0001] This disclosure relates generally to wheelchairs and, more particularly, to a wheelchair with a weather shield.

BACKGROUND

[0002] There is an increasing need for vehicles that enable a person who is in a wheelchair to easily enter and exit the vehicle. Currently, many systems to help people in wheelchairs enter and exit vehicles include complicated lift or ramp systems that often require assistance of a second person. As more and more people are requiring wheelchairs for mobility, wheelchairs need to be able to enter and exit vehicles easily, as well as provide functionality and comfort to the occupant outside of the vehicle.

SUMMARY

[0003] An example apparatus includes a wheelchair, a weather shield, and telescoping arms operatively coupled to the wheelchair and the weather shield to position the weather shield relative to the wheelchair.

[0004] Another example apparatus includes a wheelchair for a driver of a vehicle, an arm coupled to the wheelchair, and a navigation device coupled to the arm.

[0005] Yet another example apparatus includes a vehicle without a seat in a driver area, a track in a floor of the driver area to secure a wheelchair, a charging device positioned adjacent to the driver area to charge the wheelchair, and a ramp positioned adjacent to the driver area to extend from the driver area when a driver-side door is open.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] FIG. 1 represents an example vehicle within which an example apparatus may be implemented. [0007] FIGS. 2A-2C depict example hook or latch systems that may be implemented to secure the wheelchair to the floor of the vehicle.

[0008] FIGS. 3-6 depict example implementations the example apparatus described herein.

[0009] The figures are not to scale. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawing(s) and accompanying written description to refer to the same or like parts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0001] The apparatus described herein may be used to improve the mobility of people with limited mobility. Specifically, the apparatus described herein includes a wheelchair that may be used in place of a driver's seat in a vehicle. A seat base and seat back of the example wheelchair may be similar to that of a vehicle seat to provide a comfortable seat for the occupant of the example wheelchair.

[0002] The example vehicle may include a ramp positioned adjacent to the driver's door to enable the wheelchair to enter and exit the vehicle. The example wheelchair may include wheels that are capable of executing zero radius turns so that no additional seats (other than the driver's seat) are removed from the vehicle to accommodate the wheelchair. The wheelchair may be secured to the floor of the vehicle using a latch system. A steering wheel of the vehicle is movable to enable the wheelchair to easily enter and exit the vehicle while enabling an occupant of the wheelchair to operate the vehicle with the steering wheel at a comfortable distance. Alternatively, other steering mechanisms may be implemented (e.g., a steering joystick).

[0003] The example wheelchair includes additional features to increase protection of or ease of use by the occupant of the wheelchair. For example, the wheelchair includes a weather shield that may be deployed automatically to protect the occupant from various weather conditions. The wheelchair may also include mirrors and/or a navigation system coupled to moveable arms on the wheelchair to enable the occupant to easily maneuver the wheelchair and/or travel between locations. The wheels of the example wheelchair may be tracked wheels to traverse different environments and more easily travel over small height differences of the ground. Further, the tracked wheels are operative to rotate or move in opposing directions to enable the occupant to turn the wheelchair with a substantially zero radius turn.

[0004] FIG. 1 represents an example vehicle 102 within which an example wheelchair 104 may be implemented. The illustrated vehicle 102 in FIG. 1 is a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), but may also be a van, minivan, sedan, or any other vehicle adaptable to include a ramp 106 for the wheelchair 104. The example vehicle 102 described herein does not include a driver's seat. Instead, the wheelchair 104 can be used as the driver's seat when the occupant of the wheelchair 104 is driving the vehicle 102. The wheelchair 104 may be an electric wheelchair 104 that is charged by the vehicle 102 when the wheelchair 104 is positioned in the vehicle 102. For example, the vehicle 102 may include a designated charging cable (e.g., the charging cable 218 of FIGS. 2A-2C) or other charging mechanism for the wheelchair 104. The vehicle 102 may be operative to charge the wheelchair 104 when the vehicle 102 is in operation.

[0005] The example ramp 106 illustrated herein is positioned adjacent to the driver's door. The ramp 106 may be deployed from the vehicle 102 using a button or switch actuated by the occupant of the wheelchair. The example button or switch may be located on a dashboard or other panel of the vehicle 102. Alternatively, the ramp 106 may be manually operated. The ramp 106 may be folded adjacent to the driver's door on an interior of the vehicle 102 when not deployed. Alternatively, the ramp 106 may be stored under a floor 118 on which the wheelchair 104 is positioned or on the underside and exterior of the vehicle 102. The example ramp 106 may include a first portion 110 to extend over any footboards 112 located on the exterior of the vehicle 102. The first portion 110 may be substantially flat (e.g., substantially parallel to the pavement 114) to enable the wheelchair 104 to traverse the footboard(s) 112. A second portion 116 of the ramp 106 is coupled to the first portion 110 and is angled from an edge of the first portion 110 to the pavement 112 in a manner that is compliant with any applicable guidelines. In some examples, the vehicle 102 does not include footboards 112 and, thus, the ramp 106 may include only the second portion 116.

[0006] The example wheelchair 104 is capable of entering and exiting the vehicle 102 via the ramp 106. The wheelchair 104 is capable of zero radius turning to enable the operator to turn or rotate the wheelchair 104 as needed when entering and exiting the vehicle 102. For example, if the wheelchair 104 enters the vehicle 102 by moving in a forward direction up the ramp 106 (e.g., perpendicular to a forward direction of the vehicle 102), the operator may turn the wheelchair 104 to face the forward direction of the vehicle 102 within the space provided for the wheelchair 104. Thus, no additional seats are removed from the vehicle 102 to enable the wheelchair 104 to fit in and move around within the vehicle 102. Further, no additional mechanisms to rotate the wheelchair 104 need to be integrated into the floor of the vehicle 102, thus simplifying alterations made to the vehicle 102 to enable accessibility of the example wheelchair 104.

[0007] To enable the wheelchair 104 to be positioned in place of a typical driver's seat, the floor 118 and a side sill of the vehicle 102 are 3-4 inches lower (compared to a vehicle with a driver's seat) in the area in which the wheelchair 104 is to be positioned. The lower floor 118 accounts for wheels (e.g., the wheels 202 of FIG. 2) and/or other components that may be located on a base of the wheelchair 104 so that the wheelchair 104 is not raised significantly above a height of a typical driver's seat. Additionally, a steering wheel 120 may be movable closer to and further from the area in which the wheelchair 104 is positioned. For example, the steering wheel 120 may be moveable away from the wheelchair 104 to enable the operator to more easily enter and exit the vehicle 102. The steering wheel 120 may be moved toward the wheelchair 104 when the wheelchair 104 is positioned to enable the occupant to drive the vehicle 102. The steering wheel 120 may move automatically based on the position of the vehicle 102 and/or the gear in which the vehicle 102 is operating, may be moved when a button or switch is actuated, and/or may be moved manually by the operator.

[0008] FIGS. 2A-2C depict example hook or latch systems 200 that may be implemented to secure the wheelchair 104 to the floor 118 of the vehicle 102. As shown in FIG. 2A, in some examples, a hook 202 or other type of fastener is coupled to the wheelchair 104. The example hook 202 may be coupled to the wheelchair 104 by a bar 204 that is extendable from a bottom 206 of the wheelchair. The example hook 202 may be coupled to a groove or channel 208 in the floor 118 capable of securing the hook 202. In some such examples, the channel 208 may be shaped and/or positioned such that the hook 202 may swivel downward from a contact point 210 of the wheelchair 104 to fit into the channel 208. In some examples, one or more sensors may be operative to detect when the hook 202 of the wheelchair 104 is lowered into the channel 208 and may move a portion of the channel 208, (e.g., a cover, a second hook, etc.) to secure the hook 202 within the channel 208.

[0009] As shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, in alternative examples, one or more hooks 212 may be coupled to the floor 118 of the vehicle 102 and operative to couple to a component of the wheelchair 104 (e.g., the wheels 302 of FIG. 3) to secure the wheelchair 104 to the floor 118. The example hooks 212 may rotate in a first direction about a pivot point 214 to contact the component of the wheelchair 104 and rotate in a second direction about the pivot point 214 to fit in a designated groove 216 of the floor. In some examples, the latch system 200 implemented to secure the wheelchair 104 may include both the example hook 202 coupled to the wheelchair 104 of FIG. 2A and the example hooks 212 coupled to the floor 118 of FIGS. 2B and 2C.

[0010] A charging cable 218 may be used to enable the occupant to charge the wheelchair 104. Alternatively, the wheelchair 104 may be charged using inductive charging. In some examples, one or more of the hooks 202, 210 of the latch systems 200 may be operative to facilitate charging the wheelchair 104. For example, the channel 208 may be operative to transfer power to the wheelchair 104 when the hook 202 makes contact with the channel 208. Additionally, the latch system 200 may automatically lock and release when a button or other switch is actuated by the occupant. Alternatively, the latch system 200 may automatically lock when the vehicle 102 is in any gear other than park, and automatically release when the vehicle 102 is parked.

[0011] FIGS. 3-6 depict the example wheelchair 104 in more detail. The example wheelchair 104 is an electric wheelchair that includes one or more sets of wheels 302. The example sets of wheels 302 are tracked wheels. That is, a track 304 is wound around each set of wheels 302 (e.g., three wheels) so that as the wheels 302 are turned, the track 304 is advanced in one direction or the other. The tracked wheels 302 enable the example wheelchair 104 to better traverse uneven ground. In the illustrated example, the wheelchair 104 includes two sets of wheels 302 disposed on each side of the wheelchair 104 for a total of four sets of wheels 302. The wheels 302 are operative to rotate in opposite directions to facilitate zero radius turning of the wheelchair 104.

[0012] As shown in FIGS. 3-6, the wheelchair 104 may include mirrors 306 on one or both sides of the wheelchair 104. The mirrors 306 may be attached to arms 308 that are moveable between a first and a second position. In the first position, the arms 308 may be substantially in front of the occupant of the wheelchair 104, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In the second position, the arms 308 are adjacent to a seat back 310 of the wheelchair 104, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The arms 308 may include a first portion 312 and a second portion 314. The first portion 312 is coupled to and substantially parallel to a seat base 316 and the second portion 314 is substantially parallel to the seat back 310. The example arms 308 may be coupled to the seat base 316 and swivel about a pivot point 318 on the seat base 316. The arms 308 are operative to swivel between a first position in which the arms are substantially behind the occupant and a second position in which the arms 308 are substantially in front of the occupant. In some examples, the first portion 312 may be movable or rotatable relative to the second portion 314 to move the mirrors 306 further from or closer to the occupant and/or to the left or right of the occupant. Additionally, the first portion 312 may be height- adjustable to enable the occupant to position the mirrors 306.

[0013] In some examples, a navigation device 320 may also be coupled to one of the arms 308, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The navigation device 320 and/or the mirrors 306 may be removable from the arms 308. For example, in FIGS. 5 and 6, the navigation device 320 is removed from the arms 308. The example navigation device 320 may be in communication with a navigation system of the vehicle 102. Additionally or alternatively, the navigation device 320 may be in communication with a cellular device (e.g., a cell phone, smart phone, etc.) of the occupant to obtain a GPS signal of the wheelchair 104 when the wheelchair 104 is not in proximity to the vehicle 102. In some examples, the navigation device 320 is a tablet and may receive a cellular signal from a cellular tower. The navigation device 320 is operative to provide navigation assistance using cellular data received from any one of the vehicle 102, the cellular device of the occupant, or the cellular signal from the cellular tower. The navigation device 320 may be operative to communicate with the cellular device or the navigation system of the vehicle 102 using Bluetooth or any other suitable wireless communication protocol. [0014] The example wheelchair 104 may also include a weather shield 322 deployable from a storage area adjacent to and/or coupled to a headrest 324 of the wheelchair 104, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The example storage area may include a roller 326 on which the weather shield 322 is rolled for storage when not in use, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The example weather shield 322 may be coupled to the roller via a rear 328 edge of the weather shield 322. In some examples, the storage area or roller 326 may be enclosed. The weather shield 322 may be deployed using telescoping arms 330 coupled to the seat back to position the weather shield 322 relative to the wheelchair 104. The telescoping arms 330 may be automatically deployed using a button 332 on an arm rest 334 of the wheelchair 104 or other controller (e.g., a smart phone) operative to position the weather shield 322 using the telescoping arms 330. Alternatively, the weather shield 322 may be manually moved between a storage position and a deployed positon. The weather shield 322 may be an opaque, waterproof material to protect the occupant from sun, rain, or other inclement weather.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 4, in some examples, the weather shield 322 includes a front flap 402 coupled to a front edge 404 of the weather shield 322. The front flap 402 may be rolled and unrolled manually by the occupant or another person. The front flap 402 may include a fastener 406 to secure the flap in a rolled position adjacent to the front edge 404 of the weather shield 322, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. In FIG. 6, both the weather shield 322 and the front flap 404 are shown in the rolled, storage positions. The front flap 402 is a transparent, waterproof material to enable the occupant to operate the wheelchair 104 when the front flap 402 is unrolled. The front flap 402 is operative to protect the occupant from rain and other inclement weather when unrolled.

[0016] From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the above disclosed apparatus is a wheelchair that can improve the mobility of persons with limited mobility. [0017] Although certain example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture have been disclosed herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope of the claims of this patent.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:

a wheelchair;

a weather shield; and

telescoping arms operatively coupled to the wheelchair and the weather shield to position the weather shield relative to the wheelchair.

2. The apparatus as described in claim 1 further including a storage area adjacent to a headrest to store the weather shield.

3. The apparatus as described in claim 1 further including a controller to deploy the telescoping arms and retract the weather shield.

4. The apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein the weather shield includes a first portion and a second portion, the first portion to extend forward from a headrest of the wheelchair and above an occupant of the wheelchair, the second portion coupled to a first edge of the first portion, the second portion to extend downward from the first edge in front of the occupant.

5. The apparatus as described in claim 4, wherein a second edge of the first portion is coupled to a roller.

6. The apparatus as described in claim 5, wherein the telescoping arms are coupled to the first portion adjacent to the first edge, the first portion to be stored on the roller, the second portion to be rolled adjacent to the first edge of the first portion.

7. The apparatus as described in claim 6, wherein the second portion is secured in a rolled orientation via a fastener.

8. The apparatus as described in claim 4, wherein the first portion of the weather shield is opaque and water resistant.

9. The apparatus as described in claim 4, wherein the second portion of the weather shield is transparent.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a wheelchair for a driver of a vehicle;

an arm coupled to the wheelchair; and

a navigation device coupled to the arm.

11. The apparatus as described in claim 10, wherein the arm is to swivel between a first position in which the arm is substantially behind an occupant, and a second position in which the arm is substantially in front of the occupant.

12. The apparatus as described in claim 10 further including a mirror coupled to the arm.

13. The apparatus as described in claim 10, wherein the arm includes a first portion coupled to a seat base of the wheelchair parallel with the seat base, and a second portion to extend substantially perpendicularly from the first portion and substantially parallel to a seat back of the wheelchair.

14. The apparatus as described in claim 13, wherein the navigation device is coupled to the second portion of the arm.

15. The apparatus as described in claim 10, wherein the navigation device is to be communicatively coupled to a vehicle navigation system.

16. The apparatus as described in claim 10, wherein the navigation device is to be communicatively coupled to a cellular device.

17. The apparatus as described in claim 10 further including a second arm operatively coupled to a side of the wheelchair opposite to the arm, the second arm movable between a first position and a second position, the second arm including a first portion coupled to a seat base and a second portion extending perpendicularly from the first portion, wherein the second portion includes a mirror.

18. An apparatus including:

a vehicle without a seat in a driver area;

a track in a floor of the driver area to secure a wheelchair;

a charging device positioned adjacent to the driver area to charge the wheelchair; and a ramp positioned adjacent to the driver area to extend from the driver area when a driver-side door is open.

19. The apparatus as defined in claim 18 further including a steering wheel positioned adj acent to the driver area and movable forward and backward relative to the wheelchair.

20. The apparatus as defined in claim 18 further including an input device to receive an input from a person to deploy the ramp from a ramp storage compartment disposed within the vehicle adjacent to the driver-side door.