A new manual wheelchair propulsion system with self-locking capability on ramps
<p>A wheelchair user faces many difficulties in their everyday attempts to use ramps, especially those of some length. The present work describes the design and build of a propulsion system for manual wheelchairs for use in ascending or descending long ramps. The design is characterized by...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2018-11-01
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| Series: | Mechanical Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://www.mech-sci.net/9/359/2018/ms-9-359-2018.pdf |
| Summary: | <p>A wheelchair user faces many difficulties in their
everyday attempts to use ramps, especially those of some length. The present
work describes the design and build of a propulsion system for manual
wheelchairs for use in ascending or descending long ramps. The design is
characterized by a self-locking mechanism that activates automatically to
brake the chair when the user stops pushing. The system consists of a
planetary transmission with a self-locking capacity coupled to a push rim
with which the user moves the system. Different transmission ratios are
proposed, adapted to the slope and to the user's physical capacity (measured
as the power the user can apply over ample time periods). The design is
shown to be viable in terms of resistance, and approximate dimensions are
established for the height and width of the propulsion system. Also, a
prototype was built in order to test the self-locking system on ramps.</p> |
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| ISSN: | 2191-9151 2191-916X |