Dynamic Wheelchair Seating Components for Impact-Absorbing Motion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional wheelchairs with static seating components are prone to premature failure due to involuntary and violent movements from individuals with medical conditions like cerebral palsy, leading to damage and extended repair processes that are costly and inconvenient.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of dynamic seating components such as flexible footplates, telescoping footrests, and pivotable mechanisms in wheelchairs that absorb energy and allow for adjustable movement, reducing the stress on wheelchair components and accommodating various user movements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional static seating components are used in wheelchairs, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the wheelchair is prone to premature failure due to exaggerated and violent movements from users with medical conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by replacing static seating components with dynamic ones that can move and adapt. The footplate is connected to the footrest via a flexible element allowing pivoting motion, and the footrest can telescope along the seat member. These dynamic components absorb energy from violent movements, preventing damage to the wheelchair structure while accommodating user needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes physical parameters of the seating components, specifically making them flexible rather than rigid. The flexible element connecting the footplate to footrest allows angular movement, and the telescoping mechanism changes the length parameter of the footrest. These parameter changes enable the components to absorb movement energy without compromising structural integrity.
2Strength
If static footrests and footplates are used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but they are bent outward and damaged by extension thrusting forces from users
Solution Approach 1:
The footrest is designed with dynamic capabilities including telescoping along the seat member and pivoting at the footplate connection. This dynamic design allows the footrest to move in response to extension thrusting forces rather than resisting them rigidly, preventing damage while maintaining structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible element and telescoping mechanism provide beforehand cushioning by allowing controlled movement before damage can occur. The system is designed to absorb and dissipate the energy of extension thrusting forces through controlled pivoting and telescoping actions, preventing failure of the footrest and associated components.
3Reliability
If fixed seat-to-back angle is used, then the structure is stable and simple, but excessive wear and tear occurs on the wheelchair from rocking behaviors
Solution Approach 1:
The seating system incorporates dynamic elements including a pivoting footplate connection and telescoping footrest that allow the seat-to-back angle to change within certain limits. This dynamic capability allows users to rock or move without causing excessive wear and tear on fixed structural components, as the flexible connections absorb the movement energy.
4Reliability
If repair processes are followed for damaged wheelchairs, then the wheelchair can be restored, but the process is lengthy and costly taking weeks or months
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic seating components with flexible elements and telescoping mechanisms prevent damage to the wheelchair structure in the first place by absorbing movement energy. This beforehand cushioning effect reduces the frequency and severity of damages requiring repair, thereby reducing the time and cost impact on users.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
These dynamic components minimize the risk of wheelchair breakage, prolong its operational life, and reduce the need for frequent repairs, providing both mechanical and economic benefits while improving user comfort and reducing harmful behaviors.
Implementation Method 1
at least one flexible element secured at a first end to the base plate; a foot plate secured to a second end of the at least one flexible element, such that in a neutral position, the foot plate is substantially parallel to the base plate and such that when a force is applied to the foot plate, the flexible element deflects so as to allow the foot plate to be oriented at an angle to the base plate
Data Source
AI summary
A wheelchair includes a pivotable mechanism. The pivotable mechanism allows for a pivoting movement about an axis defined by an interface between adjacent components. These components may be (a) a seat member and a back member, (b) a seat member and a footrest, (c) a foot rest and a footplate support, (d) a baseplate and a footplate, or (e) a back member and a headrest.