155results about "Handicapped seats" patented technology

A system for facilitating communication between a vehicle and a user includes a vehicle having a rechargeable battery and a communication and control subsystem. The communication and control subsystem is communicatively coupled to the battery to gather and transmit vehicle information, which may include battery information and a vehicle identifier. The system also includes a charging station having a charging station identifier and an electrical coupling between the charging station, a power source, and the vehicle. The electrical coupling is operable to charge the battery and includes a communicative coupling. The control subsystem is operable to receive communications from the user via the communicative coupling.

A four-wheeled vehicle includes a steering mechanism having a bar handle, right and left front wheels, and right and left rear wheels. The vehicle includes a front cover and a windshield disposed in front of the bar handle. The vehicle includes a driver's seat, and a rear passenger seat disposed behind the driver's seat and between the rear wheels. The rear passenger seat is directed forwardly. The vehicle includes a power unit part disposed below the rear passenger seat, and a body cover disposed rearwardly of the driver's seat.

A multi-motion lifting and transferring apparatus and method are disclosed. The multi-motion lifting and transferring apparatus and method may be realized in primarily two versions, the first being referred to as the single linkage arm version, and the second being referred to as the dual linkage arm version. In one particular exemplary embodiment, a multi-motion lifting and transferring apparatus in accordance with the single linkage arm version may be realized as having a first pivot point for rotating an intermediary support member about a first substantially vertical axis, a second pivot point for rotating an electrically or hydraulically powered up/down extension arm about a second substantially vertical axis, and a seat support member for supporting a seat for accommodating at least one person.

The invention relates to a double folding seat for a vehicle, particularly a public transportation vehicle such as a bus or a train, with a bench seat positioned in the direction of travel of the vehicle that has a backrest and a seating surface that can be folded between a home position and a sitting position, with a retaining device for holding a wheelchair or the like that has at least two hooks arranged in extension of the backrest and mounted on a wall supported on a floor of the vehicle, which hooks can be tightened by means of respective tightening members and loosened by respective loosening members, with a safety belt for the wheelchair user and with a covering for the tightening members and loosening members.

A vehicle seat according to the present invention may include a seat cushion that is composed of a stationary cushion portion and a movable cushion portion, in which the movable cushion portion is capable of being tilted so as to be low in a getting in/out side while being raised with respect to the stationary cushion portion, and a cushion tilting mechanism that is disposed under the seat cushion and is configured to tilt the movable cushion portion while raising the same with respect to the stationary cushion portion.

In a swinging apparatus (rotatively moving and swinging apparatus), a swing arm 51 positions a rotatively moving pedestal 45 and a cushion base 51. The swing arm 51 is swung around a driving shaft 60 to swing the cushion base 51, that is, to elevate or lower the cushion base 51 and to move it forward or backward. The cushion base 51 supports a seat portion 30. When the seat is in a forward position in which it is directed toward the front of the vehicle, the swing arm 55 diagonally connects the members 51 and 45 together (Z type). This prevents, in the forward position, the swing arm 55 from extending upward from the cushion base 51 or the rotatively moving pedestal 45 from extending laterally from the seat portion 30. Therefore, the size of the apparatus can be reduced across the width and height.

An articulated seating system supports a user seat using a mounting assembly, a fore-aft slide assembly, a swivel assembly and an extension assembly driven by a drive packet having one or more motors or the like. The seat is moved from a secured drive position (e.g., a standard interior vehicle seat position) to an extension position (wherein the seat faces out of a vehicle doorway) and finally to an access position outside the vehicle, facilitating access for a user having limited mobility, strength, etc. Extendible supporting arms engage and enclose guide rollers to allow stable and precise control of lateral and vertical seat movement. Moving between the drive and extension positions, the seat can move through a narrow transition corridor in the motor vehicle. The motors can operate manually to allow securing the seat in the drive position despite power or other failure.

A compact multi-motion lifting and transferring apparatus and a method of operating same are disclosed. In one particular embodiment, the apparatus may comprise an intermediary support member configured to be rotated about a substantially vertical axis, an electrically or hydraulically powered up/down extension arm, a support member for supporting a seat for accommodating at least one person, and a latching mechanism for securing the seat and seat support mechanism in a fully stowed position suitable for traveling in a vehicle.

An electrically actuated lifting and transferring apparatus for assisting disabled persons when entering and exiting a vehicle is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a horizontal lifting bar disposed longitudinally alongside a seat of the vehicle between the seat and a door opening of the vehicle. The apparatus also comprises an electrical actuator indirectly coupled to the horizontal lifting bar for forcing the horizontal lifting bar between a lowered position directly adjacent and level with the seat and a raised position away from and above the seat. The apparatus further comprises at least one mounting bracket for securing an assembly comprising the horizontal lifting bar and the electrical actuator directly to the seat.

A swivelling assembly comprising a swivel, the swivel comprising a swivel bottom element and a swivel top element rotatable relative thereto; a gear provided with gear teeth along at least a portion thereof, the gear being mounted to the swivel top element; an actuator operatively coupled to the gear teeth for selectively rotating the gear relative to the swivel bottom element; at least one spacer element mounted to the gear and extending away therefrom; and a seat support mounted to the at least one spacer element so as to be spaced apart from the gear, a vehicle seat being mountable to the seat support. The at least one spacer element raises the seat support so that the vehicle seat is above a doorstep when the swivelling assembly is operatively mounted to a vehicle floor and the vehicle seat is operatively mounted to the swivelling assembly.

A vehicle seat lifting unit is provided with a slider and a lift arm assembly that are driven by a drive unit to move a seat with a seat holder between an initial position inside the vehicle occupant compartment and a displaced position outside the vehicle occupant compartment that is lower than the initial position. The lift arm assembly has a pair of arms that cooperate with the slider and the seat holder to form a linkage mechanism. The drive unit moves the slider along the predetermined path between an advance position and a retreat position and causes the first and second arms of the lift arm assembly to selectively swing from backwardly tilted positions to forwardly tilted positions, which in turn selectively shifts the seat between the initial position and the displaced position outside the vehicle occupant compartment that is lower than the initial position.

A vehicle seat includes a seatback, a seat cushion, and a wheelchair fixing device. The seat cushion is switchable to a tip-up state where the seat cushion has been tipped up so as to extend along the seatback. The seat cushion includes a seating surface and a rear surface that is on the opposite side of the seat cushion from the seating surface. The wheelchair fixing device is provided on the rear surface-side. The wheelchair fixing device is configured to fix a wheelchair to the seat cushion.

A seating system has a tiltable seat is coupled to a base, which can be coupled to or part of a motor vehicle or other device. The seat can include a seat bracket coupled to the base by a seat tilt pivot configured to permit limited tilting of the seat relative to the base. The seat also can include a footrest mounted to the seat bracket, a horizontal seat cushion and/or a back support coupled to the seat bracket or cushion. The seat is configured to maintain a user's body in a fixed position during tilting throughout the seat's range of tilt angles. A seat adjustment mechanism allows angular adjustment of the seat relative to the base and locks the seat at a fixed tilt angle relative to the base. In some embodiments the seat tilt pivot, that is the axis about which the seat tilts relative to the base, is located approximately vertically below the center of gravity of a loaded seat, thus reducing the force needed to tilt a loaded seat. By fixing or maintaining the seat tilt pivot nearly or directly vertically beneath the load being pivoted, the loaded seat center of gravity (whether using a static seat tilt pivot or a translating seat tilt pivot), the amount of force needed to control seat tilting through a full range of tilt angles can be limited to forces that a typical user can exert with one or two hands. The seat tilt pivot can be a static seat tilt pivot, where the center of gravity moves in a range of positions above the static seat tilt pivot point, or a translating seat tilt pivot, where the seat tilt pivot point moves generally in concert with the loaded seat center of gravity when a user is seated normally on the seat.