Mobility Scooter Front Wheel Steering for Easy Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobility scooters often present discomfort when users need to step in or out, particularly due to the need to lift feet over the front wheels, which limits easy access.
Innovation Solution
A mobility scooter design featuring a powered front steering mechanism and an electronic controller assembly that allows the front wheels to steer sideways in a boarding mode, creating more clearance by moving them away from the footrest area, combined with a hingeable armrest and rotatable seat base for easy entry and exit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the front wheels are positioned close to the footrest for compact design, then the scooter structure is compact, but the user cannot easily swing their feet on and off the scooter
Solution Approach 1:
The front steering mechanism is made dynamically adjustable between driving position and boarding position. The controller automatically steers the front wheels to a boarding position (away from the footrest) when boarding is detected, and returns to driving position during normal operation. This dynamic repositioning resolves the contradiction by providing both compact configuration during driving and clear access during boarding.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by automatically positioning the front wheels away from the footrest area before the user needs to board. The controller detects boarding intent (via seat weight sensor or mode selection) and proactively steers the wheels to create clearance, so the space is prepared in advance for easy foot placement.
2Ease of operation
If the armrests are fixed in the driving position for structural simplicity, then the seat structure is simple, but the user cannot easily access the scooter
Solution Approach 1:
The armrests are designed with hinge joints allowing them to dynamically swing between a driving position (providing arm support) and a boarding position (protruding outward to create entry space). This dynamic adjustment enables the armrests to serve different functions based on operational mode, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and ease of access.
Solution Approach 2:
The armrests serve multiple functions: providing arm support during driving and creating boarding clearance during entry/exit. By making them movable rather than fixed, a single component structure achieves both purposes, avoiding the need for separate fixed armrests and removable panels.
3Ease of operation
If the seat base is fixed in the forward position for structural simplicity, then the seat structure is simple, but the user cannot easily access the scooter
Solution Approach 1:
The seat base is made rotatable about a vertical axis, allowing it to dynamically swing between a forward driving position and an oblique boarding position. This rotational movement creates additional clearance for foot placement during boarding while maintaining the forward position during normal operation, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and ease of access.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a mobility scooter for individual mobility of a person, comprising a chassis, two front wheels aside the chassis and at least one rear wheel, a seat with a seat base and armrests for the person, a footrest on the chassis that extends between the seat and the front wheels, and an electronic controller assembly, wherein the mobility scooter has a driving mode and a boarding mode, wherein in the driving mode the seat base and the armrests are in the driving position, and wherein in the boarding mode the seat base or at least one of the armrests is in the boarding position, wherein the electronic controller is configured to steer the front wheels in the boarding mode into the sideward steering direction that is opposite to the side to which the seat base or the armrest is swung in the boarding position.