Wheelchair Auxiliary Drive Coupling for Secure Release and Maneuvering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing auxiliary drive devices for wheelchairs face challenges in ensuring safe and secure coupling, easy uncoupling, and maintaining maneuverability, especially when navigating obstacles and curves.
Innovation Solution
An auxiliary drive device with a freely pivotable drive wheel and a coupling mechanism featuring a locking element that allows for positive-locking engagement, enabling easy coupling and uncoupling, and a steering shaft that adjusts to the wheelchair's axis for self-aligning during operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a coupling mechanism is designed to ensure safe and secure coupling, then coupling reliability is improved, but coupling complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling mechanism is divided into separate functional components: a locking element for secure engagement, a handle for operation, and a coupling body for mounting. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while simplifying the overall assembly and maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking element is designed to automatically engage and lock the auxiliary drive device to the wheelchair frame when brought together, eliminating the need for complex manual alignment procedures. The spring-loaded mechanism self-actuates to ensure positive locking.
2Reliability
If a locking element is designed for positive-locking engagement, then coupling security is improved, but ease of uncoupling deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The locking element transitions between two dynamic states: a locked position where it engages positively with the coupling mechanism, and an unlocked position where it disengages. The spring-loaded design allows automatic return to the locked state after uncoupling, maintaining security while enabling easy operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring force to maintain locking and release by removing force, the mechanism is inverted: the locking element uses spring force to maintain engagement, and external force applied via the handle overcomes this spring force to release the lock. This inversion simplifies the uncoupling operation.
3Weight of moving object
If the auxiliary drive device is made lightweight for easy transport, then ease of transport is improved, but structural strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling mechanism uses spring-loaded locking elements that change the force parameters dynamically. The spring force provides sufficient locking strength during operation while adding minimal weight compared to rigid mechanical locks. The elastic properties of the spring allow strength-to-weight optimization.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than using heavy rigid locking mechanisms, the patent employs dynamic spring-loaded elements that provide adequate locking force through elastic deformation. This dynamic approach reduces weight while maintaining structural integrity during the coupling and uncoupling operations.
Data Source
AI summary
An auxiliary drive device for a wheelchair has at least one freely pivotable electrically driven drive wheel and a coupling mechanism for coupling the auxiliary drive device to the wheelchair. The coupling mechanism includes a movable locking element which is movably supported in the coupling mechanism. The movable locking element can be in a locking position in which it causes locking in a positive-locking manner so that the auxiliary drive device is coupled to the wheelchair and, by operation of a handle, the locking element can be moved in a release position in which uncoupling of the auxiliary drive device from the wheelchair is possible.