A motor vehicle for independent use by an individual in a wheelchair, comprising an open air vehicle body including a floor further comprising a front, a rear, and lateral sides, said floor sized and shaped to receive and retain a wheelchair; a motor; at least one front and at least one rear wheel supporting said vehicle body and floor, each of said front and rear wheels attached rotatably near an underside of a corner of the vehicle body; at least one actuator attaching said floor to said at least one rear wheel, wherein said floor can be lowered to a ground surface and raised to a level floor position; wherein a rear portion of said floor is structured to fold upward to form said rear side and fold downward to be in line with said floor; and a steering control assembly coupled to said at least one front wheel.

A device for securing a mobility device in a mobility vehicle or on a lifting device that is installed in or on a mobility vehicle or trailer. The securing device comprises a docking assembly including a first member fixedly attachable to the vehicle floor and a second member having a top and being vertically adjustably connected with the first member; an alignment rod connectable with the frame of a mobility device; a locking assembly including a tubular receiving member affixed to the top of the second member, having an opening at one end to a receiving passageway that is sized and configured to receive the alignment rod therein and having a top and a bottom and defining a slot in the top and registration opening in the bottom, the locking assembly further including a locking pin assembly mounted to the second member and operable to extend through the registration opening and lockingly engage with the alignment rod; and a guide assembly for aligning the mobility device into position for locking engagement with the receiving member.

A safety restraint adapted for securing a personal mobility vehicle in a transport vehicle, against movement in a direction opposite to the direction of normal motion of the transport vehicle, the safety restraint comprising: a retractor comprising a spool on which an elongate piece of material is wound; the elongate material being configured to be attached at one end to the personal mobility vehicle; a slider bar adapted to be fixed to the transport vehicle; and wherein the retractor is mounted on the slider bar, in a manner which allows the retractor to slide in the direction of normal motion of the transport vehicle, and prevents the retractor moving in the opposite direction on the slider bar.

A base floor part made of plastic or composite material for a replacement floor for enlarging a rear cargo space of a motor vehicle, such as a compact car or an off-road vehicle, on which a wheelchair can be stored, is described. The base floor part may be connected to the vehicle body. The base floor part may include a preformed marking at which a front end portion can be separated to enable coupling with an extension floor part.

A motor coach comprises a front door, a front stairwell, an upper aisleway, upper seats, a side door and a mobility impaired area. The front stairwell leads from the front door. The upper aisleway leads from the front stairwell. The upper aisleway is generally at the level of the top of the upper stairwell. The upper seats are along the upper aisleway. The side door may be lower than or at the same height as the front door, and leads to the mobility impaired area, which is inside and generally at the level of the bottom of the side door. The upper aisleway, upper seats, and mobility impaired area are all together in one unified passenger compartment while separated by differences of location of doors for loading and heights of floors. Numerous advantages flow, including but not limited to the following: loading and unloading times for mobility impaired passengers are substantially improved, especially as compared to typical high floor, wheelchair lift equipped coaches.

There is a system for secure use of a wheelchair in demand response transportation systems comprising a wheelchair restraint comprising a central housing disposed between a vehicle strap and a wheelchair strap, the vehicle strap to secure the wheelchair restraint to the demand response vehicle, further comprising a vehicle strap sensor configured to provide a vehicle strap sensor electrical signal indicating whether the vehicle strap is securely affixed to a wheelchair anchor of a demand response vehicle, the wheelchair strap to secure the wheelchair restraint to the wheelchair, further comprising a wheelchair strap sensor configured to provide a wheelchair strap sensor signal indicating whether the wheelchair strap is securely connected to a wheelchair via the wheelchair strap.

An apparatus is provided for mounting at least one wheelchair securement devices to a pair of spaced-apart vehicle seat mounting structures each secured to and within an occupant transport vehicle and extending in a direction parallel to a direction of travel of the occupant transport vehicle. The apparatus includes an elongated support member extending transversely along a floor of the occupant transport vehicle between the vehicle seat mounting tracks, anchors coupled to opposite ends of the elongated support member and each releasably attachable to a different one of the vehicle seat mounting structures, and at least one wheelchair securement device secured to the elongated support member between the two anchors. In some embodiments, the at least one wheelchair securement device is slidably mounted to the elongated support member and selectively securable to and along the elongated support member between the two anchors.

A unified carrier cargo rack and storage system for a vehicle including a receiver unit installed in the rear of the vehicle and a modular carrier rack, including a transitional carrier bar, a secondary bar and a cargo carrier bar, wherein the cargo carrier bar is further operable to engage and immobilize cargo; are disclosed as are male and female securing mechanisms.

A slope having a main plate for changing position between a low position and a high position, and a control unit for controlling position change of the slope, are included. The control unit includes: a first mounting detection means which detects a state of being mounted or a state of not being mounted by a wheelchair with regard to the main plate; a second mounting detection means which detects a state of being mounted or a state of not being mounted by a wheelchair with regard to a ground side plate; a third mounting detection means which detects a state of being mounted or a state of not being mounted by a wheelchair with regard to a vehicle side plate; and a ground detection means which detects whether the end of the ground side plate at the rear side of a vehicle is in contact with a ground surface.

A wheelchair docking system including a frame having an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion being movable relative to the lower portion between a lowered position and a raised position. A coupler mechanism engages a wheelchair during a docking operation. The system also includes a first latching mechanism being movable between a retracted position and a latching position such that the first latching mechanism is spaced from the coupler mechanism. A second latching mechanism moves the upper portion of the frame between its lowered position and raised position. The first latching mechanism is partially retracted by a wheelchair during the docking operation, and the first latching mechanism is biased to its latching position when the coupler mechanism engages the wheelchair.