Systems and methods for adjusting the position of a wheelchair occupant

• US 9,694,717 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2016
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Leuthardt, Eric C., Lord, Richard T., Kare, Jordin T., Tegreene, Clarence T., Lord, Robert W., Wood, Jr., Lowell L., Hyde, Roderick A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, John R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ziaeianmehdizadeh, Navid
• Application Number:
  US15/333,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20170036564A1
• Time in Patent Office: 252 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2200/34 sitting
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/14 Joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/30 characterised by sensor means
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/04 motor-driven A61G5/06 takes precedence; motor-operated rests A61G5/12; for vehicles with handlebars, equipped with three or more wheels B62K5/003, B62K5/023
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/043 Mid wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/1056 Arrangements for adjusting the seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0244 with logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0268 using sensors or detectors for adapting the seat or seat part, e.g. to the position of an occupant

Abstract

A system for adjusting a position of a wheelchair occupant includes a sensor configured to generate sensor data based on the position of the occupant, an adjustment system coupled to a support point on the wheelchair and configured to be coupled to a support point on the occupant'"'"'s clothing, and a processing circuit. The adjustment system is configured to extend and retract at least one adjustment element to adjust the position of the occupant, and the processing circuit is configured to determine the position of the occupant in the wheelchair based on the sensor data and adjust the adjustment element based on the determined position of the occupant.

Claims

1. A system for adjusting a position of a wheelchair occupant, comprising:

a sensor configured to generate sensor data based on the position of the occupant;

an adjustment system coupled to a support point on the wheelchair and configured to be coupled to a support point on the occupant'"'"'s clothing, wherein the adjustment system is configured to extend and retract at least one adjustment element to adjust the position of the occupant; and

a processing circuit configured to;

determine the position of the occupant in the wheelchair based on the sensor data; and

adjust the adjustment element based on the determined position of the occupant and based on an inertial force of at least one of the wheelchair occupant and the wheelchair.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the position of the occupant includes comparing the position to a defined position in order to determine a misalignment of the occupant, and wherein the defined position is based on a biometric of the wheelchair occupant.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein adjusting the adjustment element is further based on a user command.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to determine a new position of the occupant, and wherein the adjustment element is adjusted in order to move the occupant to the new position.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the new position is determined in order to counteract a displaced occupant.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the new position is determined in order to prevent an occupant from being displaced.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein adjusting the adjustment element is based on at least one of an allowed range based on a user setting, a defined tension based on a user setting, and a tensile limit based on a user setting.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the adjustment element is adjusted independently of adjusting an additional adjustment element.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the adjustment element is adjusted in conjunction with adjusting an additional adjustment element.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the adjustment element includes an electronically controlled fastener, and wherein the processing circuit is further configured to at least one of control the fastener to connect the adjustment element and control the fastener to disconnect the adjustment element.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor includes a camera, wherein the camera is at least one of a wide-field-of-view camera and an infrared camera.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is configured to determine the position of the wheelchair occupant by implementing a body detection algorithm on the sensor data.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is at least one of integrated into the wheelchair, coupled to the occupant, and external to the wheelchair.

14. A method of adjusting a position of a wheelchair occupant, comprising:

connecting an adjustable elongate material to clothing of the occupant, wherein the elongate material is coupled to a support point on the wheelchair and configured to be coupled to a support point on the occupant'"'"'s clothing, and wherein the elongate material is configured to selectively extend and retract to adjust the position of the occupant;

generating sensor data with a sensor, wherein the sensor data is based on the position of the occupant;

determining the position of the occupant in the wheelchair based on the sensor data; and

adjusting the elongate material based on the determined position of the occupant and based on an inertial force of at least one of the wheelchair occupant and the wheelchair.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein adjusting the elongate material is further based on a user command.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining a new position of the occupant, and wherein the elongate material is adjusted in order to move the occupant to the new position.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the new position is determined to counteract a displaced occupant.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the new position is determined to prevent an occupant from being displaced.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the elongate material is adjusted independently of adjusting an additional elongate material.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the elongate material is adjusted in conjunction with adjusting an additional elongate material.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the sensor includes an optical sensor system configured to generate information related to objects crossing an optical path of the optical sensor system, and wherein the sensor data includes the generated information.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the sensor includes a capacitive sensor configured to generate touch data at a particular location on the wheelchair and wherein the sensor data includes the touch data.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein the sensor includes an elongate material sensor configured to measure a length of an extended or retracted portion of the elongate material.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the sensor includes an elongate material sensor configured to measure a direction of an extended or retracted portion of the elongate material.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions forming a program executable by a processing circuit to adjust a position of a wheelchair occupant, the instructions comprising:

instructions for receiving sensor data from a sensor, wherein the sensor data is based on the position of the occupant;

instructions for determining the position of the occupant in the wheelchair based on the sensor data; and

instructions for controlling an adjustment system to adjust an adjustment element based on the determined position of the occupant and based on an inertial force of one of the occupant and the wheelchair, wherein the adjustment system is coupled to a support point on the wheelchair and configured to be coupled to a support point on the occupant'"'"'s clothing, and wherein the adjustment system is configured to extend and retract at least one adjustment element to adjust the position of the occupant.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the adjustment system includes a controllable motor-driven reel configured to extend and retract the adjustment element.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the motor-driven reel is further configured to be coupled to the wheelchair support point.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the motor-driven reel is further configured to be coupled to the clothing support point.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the adjustment element is configured to automatically disconnect, without human intervention, from the occupant.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the adjustment element automatically disconnects from the occupant in response to determining that the wheelchair is station for a threshold period of time.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the adjustment element automatically disconnects from the occupant in response to determining that the wheelchair arrives at a particular destination.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, further comprising instructions for comparing the position of the occupant to dimension of the wheelchair.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein dimensions of the wheelchair are based on a model of the wheelchair.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the model of the wheelchair is pre-stored or predetermined by the processing circuit.

35. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, where controlling the adjustment system is further based on a motion of the wheelchair, and wherein the motion is a predicted motion based on a map indicating at least one of a pathway, a doorway, and an obstacle.