Electric Wheelchair Sensor Clothing Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric wheelchairs equipped with obstacle detection sensors may incorrectly detect users' legs or clothing as obstacles, leading to unnecessary stops, as users are not aware of these detections and struggle to resume travel.
Innovation Solution
A mobile vehicle with sensors that detect distance to objects, a determiner to identify obstructed views by clothing, and a notifier to inform users when their clothing is detected as an obstacle, allowing users to adjust their position and prevent unnecessary stops.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the obstacle detection sensor is disposed at the frontmost portion of the seat surface, then the electric wheelchair can detect obstacles in proximity or in front of the wheelchair, but the sensor may detect the user's legs or clothing as obstacles causing unnecessary stops
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the detection zones of the obstacle detection sensor. The sensor distinguishes between a first detection region (farther from sensor, actual obstacles) and a second detection region (closer to sensor, user's body/clothing). By assigning different meanings to detections in different local regions, the system maintains high detection precision for real obstacles while avoiding false alarms from user contact.
2Reliability
If the obstacle detection sensor detects an object, then the electric wheelchair automatically stops to avoid collision, but the user cannot recognize the cause of stopping and cannot resume travel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by providing visual information to the user through a display device when an obstacle is detected. The display shows the distance to the detected obstacle and provides guidance on how to resume travel. This feedback loop allows the user to understand the cause of stopping and take appropriate action, transforming the black-box automatic stopping into an informative interaction.
3Productivity
If the obstacle detection sensor is disposed at the frontmost portion of the seat surface, then the electric wheelchair can travel to the proximity of obstacles, but the sensor may detect clothing covering the sensor as an obstacle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating distinct detection regions with different functional meanings. The first detection region is designed for detecting actual obstacles that require stopping, while the second detection region accounts for user's clothing or body contact that should not trigger stops. This spatial differentiation of detection zones allows the sensor to maintain high precision for real obstacles while being tolerant of user contact.
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
Enables users to recognize and address clothing or leg detections as obstacles, reducing unnecessary stops and improving the usability of electric wheelchairs in shared spaces.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor that detects the distance to an object
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a moving vehicle which enables a user to easily recognize that the moving vehicle is stopped due to the user's own clothing or the like being determined as an object, thereby enabling the user to cancel the stopped state and return to a moving state. A moving vehicle on which a person rides and which stops moving if the distance to an object is equal to or less than a first predetermined value, said moving vehicle comprising: a sensor (124) for detecting the distance; a determiner (125) for determining, if the distance is equal to or less than a second predetermined value smaller than the first predetermined value, a state in which the field of view of the sensor (124) is blocked due to the clothing covering the sensor (124); and a notifier (128) that, if said state is determined by the determiner (125), issues a notification.