Control system with customizable menu structure for personal mobility vehicle

• US 7,310,776 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2007
• Issued: 12/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sunrise Medical Us LLC (Sunrise Medical Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Sunrise Medical Hhg Incorporated (Sunrise Medical Incorporated)
• Inventors: Mansell, Wayne T., Greig, Mark E., Tasker, Peter J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bautista, X. L.
• Application Number:
  US11/648,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20070130522A1
• Time in Patent Office: 350 Days
• Field of Search: 715/700, 715/769, 715744-747, 715762-765, 715/810, 715/811, 715/835, 715/846, 715/847, 715/865, 715/961, 715/965, 715/970, 345/905, 701/1, 701/22, 701/38, 180/409, 180/907, 280/29, 280/250.1, 700/17, 700/83
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

A control system for a personal mobility vehicle has a menu structure that can be ordered so that commonly used areas of the menu are grouped together, thus avoiding the need to frequently navigate through seldom-used portions of a standard menu structure.

Claims

1. A wheelchair comprising:

a chassis;

a seat system for supporting a user;

one or more wheels supporting the chassis for movement in relation to a supporting surface;

a battery supported in relation to the chassis;

a wiring assembly supplying power to at least one electronic component of the wheelchair;

control system for controlling the electronic component of the wheelchair, the control system comprising a menu structure programmed in machine code, the menu structure including a menu tree having at least one main menu and at least one sub-menu, the sub-menu having at least one menu selection item, the control system being configured so that the menu selection item can be copied or moved to the main menu without altering the machine code so that the menu selection item can be selected without navigating to the sub-menu.

2. The wheelchair of claim 1, wherein the menu selection item is selectively in the form of text, an icon or a combination thereof.

3. The wheelchair of claim 2, wherein the control system is structured so that the text can be changed or replaced with new text.

4. The wheelchair of claim 1, further comprising a connector for attaching an external device to the control system, the external device being structured to configure the menu structure.

5. The wheelchair of claim 1, wherein the at least one menu selection item includes more than one menu selection item, the control system further comprising an auto-scan feature that automatically scrolls through the menu structure pausing at each menu selection item to allow the user to select that item.

6. A power wheelchair comprising:

a chassis;

a seat system for supporting a user in relation to the chassis;

one or more wheels supporting the chassis for movement in relation to a supporting surface; and

an electronic display displaying a menu structure having a main menu and a dynamic user menu, the main menu having one or more menu selection items for controlling a component or function of the wheelchair, the menu structure being configured so that at least one of the one or more menu selections items can be copied or moved to the dynamic user menu.

7. The power wheelchair of claim 6, wherein the one or more menu selection items are selectively in the form of text, an icon or a combination thereof.

8. The power wheelchair of claim 7, wherein the control system is structured so that the text can be changed or replaced with new text.

9. The power wheelchair of claim 6, further comprising a connector for attaching an external device to the control system, the external device being structured to configure the menu structure.

10. The power wheelchair of claim 6, wherein the one or more menu selection items includes more than one menu selection item, the display further comprising an auto-scan feature that automatically scrolls through the menu structure pausing at each menu selection item to allow the user to select that item.

11. A wheelchair comprising:

a chassis;

a seat system for supporting a user in relation to the chassis;

one or more wheels supporting the chassis for movement in relation to a supporting surface;

an electronic control system for controlling a component or function of the wheelchair; and

a display interfacing a user with the electronic control system, the display having a menu structure having a menu selection item located therein, the menu selection item being selectable to effect control of the component or function by the electronic control system, the menu structure being configured so that the manner in which the menu selection item is accessed by a user can be readily changed.

12. The wheelchair of claim 11, wherein the component is one of a motor, an actuator or an environmental control module.

13. The wheelchair of claim 11, wherein the menu selection item is selectively in the form of text, an icon or a combination thereof.

14. The wheelchair of claim 11, wherein a personal computer is connected to the control system, the personal computer having menu editing software configured to change the manner in which the menu selection item is accessed by a user.

15. The wheelchair of claim 11, wherein a handheld device is connected to the control system, the handheld device having menu editing software configured to change the manner in which the menu selection item is accessed by a user.

16. The wheelchair of claim 11, wherein the menu selection item is one of a plurality of menu selection items, the control system further comprising an auto-scan feature that automatically scrolls through the menu structure pausing at each menu selection item to allow the user to select that item.

17. A power wheelchair comprising;

a chassis;

a seat system for supporting a user in relation to the chassis;

one or more wheels supporting the chassis for movement in relation to a supporting surface; and

an electronic display displaying a menu structure having a fixed menu and a dynamic user menu, the fixed menu having one or more static menu selection items for controlling a component or function of the wheelchair, the dynamic user menu comprising one or more shortcuts that control the component or function without navigating to and selecting the static menu selection item in the main menu.

18. The wheelchair of claim 17, further comprising a programmer connected to the wheelchair for adding shortcuts to or removing shortcuts from the dynamic user menu.

19. The wheelchair of claim 17, wherein the one or more static menu selection items is more than one static menu selection item, and wherein the one or more shortcuts is more than one shortcut the control system further comprising an auto-scan feature that automatically scrolls through the menu structure pausing at each menu selection item or shortcut to allow the user to select that item or shortcut.

20. A wheelchair comprising:

a chassis supported for movement relative to a supporting surface;

a seat supported in relation to the chassis for supporting a user;

at least one module supported in relation to the chassis for performing a function;

an input device supported in relation to the seat for controlling the module; and

a control system including a display having a menu with one or more menu selection items, the controller being responsive to the input device for selectively operating the module, the controller being structured so that the arrangement of menu selection items can be selectively changed.

21. A power wheelchair comprising:

a seat;

at least one output device;

at least one drive wheel supporting the seat and output device in relation to a supporting surface; and

a control system that controls the output device, the control system comprising;

an input device; and

a display upon which a menu structure is viewed, the menu structure having an arrangement of menu selection items, at least one of which controls the output device responsive to input from the input device, the control system being configured so that the arrangement of menu selection items in the menu structure can be selectively changed.

22. A wheelchair comprising:

a chassis;

wheels supporting the chassis for movement in relation to a supporting surface;

a seat supported in relation to the chassis;

at least one module supported in relation to the chassis for performing a function;

an input supported in relation to the seat for controlling the module;

a control system including a display having a menu with one or more menu selection items, the control system being responsive to the input for selectively operating the module; and

a dongle connected to a port of the control system;

a program module connected to the control system through the dongle, the program module having a software application that performs menu editing for changing the arrangement of the menu selection items.

23. A wheelchair comprising:

a chassis;

wheels supporting the chassis for movement in relation to a supporting surface;

a seat supported in relation to the chassis;

at least one module supported in relation to the chassis for performing a function;

a control system including a display having a menu structure including a top menu and one or more sub-menus with one or more menu selection items, the control system being responsive to the selection of a menu selection item by a first input for operating the module, the control system being responsive to a second input for moving or copying a favorite menu selection item from the sub-menu to the top menu.

24. The wheelchair to claim 23, wherein the second input is a favorites button on a user interface.

25. A wheelchair comprising:

a chassis;

wheels supporting the chassis for movement in relation to a supporting surface;

a seat supported in relation to the chassis;

a control system for controlling modules or functions of the wheelchair, the control system having a menu structure and being configured to allow the menu to be modified by scrolling a list and making a selection, dragging and dropping a selection into a field, typing a selection into a field, navigating from one level of the menu structure to another to make a selection, or setting a value for a parameter.

26. A wheelchair comprising:

a chassis;

wheels supporting the chassis for movement in relation to a supporting surface;

a seat supported in relation to the chassis;

a control system for controlling modules or functions of the wheelchair, the control system having a menu structure with menu selection items and being configured to track menu selection items most frequently used by the user and move or copy the most frequently used menu selection items into a higher level of the menu structure.

27. The wheelchair of claim 26, wherein the control system is further configured to copy or move the most frequently used menu selection hems to a main menu.

28. The wheelchair of claim 26, wherein the control system is further configured to copy or move the most frequently used menu selection items to a dynamic user menu.

29. The wheelchair of claim 26, wherein the control system is further configured to copy or move less frequently used menu selection items to a sub-menu level and to copy or move the least frequently used menu selection items to a lowest level of the menu.