1999 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Development of a wheelchair capable of going stairs up and down
| Project/Area Number |
10838038
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
リハビリテーション科学
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| Research Institution | Tamagawa University |
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Principal Investigator |
YANAGIHARA Naoto Tamagawa University, Faculty of Engineering, Professor, 工学部, 教授 (20074370)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
SUZUKI Natsuo Tamagawa University, Faculty of Engineering, Assistant Professor, 工学部, 助教授 (80171239)
SUGASAWA Fukashi Tamagawa University, Faculty of Engineering, Associate Professor, 工学部, 助教授 (80297100)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1998 – 1999
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| Keywords | Wheelchair / Stairs / wheels / arm / posture control / steps |
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| Research Abstract |
A wheelchair equipped with two pairs of cross arm, each having 4 wheels at the tips of the arm was developed. As an endless chain connecting 4 sprocket wheels each and all are attached to the 4 rubber wheels coaxially and is driven by an electric motor, the 4 rubber wheels are rotated synchronously. Besides running on a flat surface by wheels, the wheelchair is capable of climbing over stairs using a pair of cross arm, namely when the wheels of which are trapped at the corner of a stair foot, the pair of cross arm is rotated automatically and simultaneously around the shaft of the wheels. In the front part of the wheelchair, a linkage with the smaller cross arms and casters whose configuration maintains the horizontal posture of the wheelchair. The landing wheels are driven or braked by electric motors. Upon a phase of running on a flat surface, each right and left wheel of the cross arms in the rear site is driven by each electric motor. Upon the other phase of ascending/descending stairs, the seat is moved away backward in order to decrease the load subjected to by the linkage, and consequently the center of gravity approaches the wheels to be driven. The configuration of the linkage is adjusted to the inclination error from the horizontal posture. Easy manipulation of the wheelchair by a joystick is realized in order to be open to any kind of users. Only two operating modes should be selected according to the situation: one is traveling mode on a flat surface, and the other mode is ascending or descending stairs. The trial running of the wheelchair ridden on by a person weighing mass of 70 kg confirmed the quick and stable motion of taking 3 seconds going up and 6 seconds going down per a step whose vertical and horizontal aspects are 165 mm and 320 mm, respectively. From the tact time within only several seconds requested to switch over the two operating modes, practical technologies for wheelchairs seem to be realized to go up and down stairs.
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Research Products
(4 results)
