MOTORISED MOBILITY DEVICE

Abstract

A motorised mobility device including: a wheeled base; a saddle seat; and an adjustable support extending between the wheeled base and the saddle seat. The adjustable support is adjustable to raise the saddle seat from a sitting position to a standing position

Claims

1. A motorised mobility device comprising: a wheeled base; a saddle seat; and an adjustable support extending between the wheeled base and the saddle seat, wherein the adjustable support is adjustable to raise the saddle seat from a sitting position to a standing position

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the adjustable support extends substantially vertically from the wheeled base.

3. The device according to claim 1 wherein the adjustable support is axially extendable between a retracted configuration in the sitting position to an extended configuration in the standing position.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the adjustable support is a hydraulic piston or pneumatic piston.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the hydraulic piston or pneumatic piston comprises a multi-stage telescoping piston cylinder.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the wheeled base comprises two independently driven drive wheels.

7. The device according to claim 1 wherein the wheeled base comprises one or more sensors selected from one or more accelerometer, one or more gyroscope, one or more yaw or tilt sensor and combinations thereof.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the saddle seat is fixed in two dimensions relative to the wheeled base.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the saddle seat comprises a central portion for engagement between a user thighs.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device is detachable into two or more parts.

11. A method of using a motorised mobility device comprising providing a mobility device according to claim 1 and adjusting the axial length of the adjustable support to raise the saddle seat from the sitting position to the standing position.

12. The method according to claim 11 comprising independently controlling the speed and/or direction of drive wheels provided on the wheeled base.

13. The method according to claim 11 comprising monitoring the positional state of the wheeled base using one or more sensors selected from one or more accelerometer, one or more gyroscope, one or more yaw or tilt sensor and combinations thereof.

14. The method according to claim 13 further comprising providing input data to a CPU from the sensor(s) and providing an output signal to control speed and/or direction of rotation of the drive wheels.

15. The method according to claim 11 comprises adjusting the axial length of the adjustable support such that the saddle seat moves in a single (vertical) dimension.

16. The device according to claim 1, wherein the adjustable support comprises an electric drive.

17. The device according to claim 1, wherein in the sitting position, in use, a user is seated on the saddle seat and in the standing position, in use, the user is seated on the saddle seat.

18. The device according to claim 1, wherein the adjustable support extends no further than between the wheeled base and the saddle seat.

19. The device according to claim 1, wherein the lower side of the saddle seat is mounted on the adjustable support, the lower side of the saddle seat being opposite to the side of the saddle seat for sitting on.

20. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device is an electric wheelchair for a mobility impaired user.

Description

SUMMARY OF THE FIGURES

[0058] Embodiments and experiments illustrating the principles will now be discussed with reference to the accompanying figures in which:

[0059] FIG. 1 illustrates a first example of a motorised mobility device; and

[0060] FIG. 2 illustrates a second example of a motorised mobility device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] Aspects and embodiments will now be discussed with reference to the accompanying figure.

[0062] Further embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0063] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a motorised mobility device 10 shown in the standing position.

[0064] The mobility device 10 has a wheeled base 11, comprising two laterally-attached drive wheels 12. The wheeled base 11 further comprises a castor-type stabiliser wheel 14, located on a forward edge of the wheeled base between the drive wheels 12. The drive wheels 12 are around 50 cm in diameter and the stabiliser wheel 14 is around 10 cm in diameter.

[0065] An adjustable support 15 is mounted on the wheeled base 11. The adjustable support 15 extends substantially vertically from the wheeled base 11. The adjustable support 15 comprises a multi-stage telescoping cylinder piston. The first piston stage 15a, closest to the wheeled base 11, has the largest outer diameter. The adjacent piston stage 15b in the series has an outer diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the first piston stage 15a. The subsequent stages of the piston are arranged similarly in sequence. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the adjustable support 15 is in the standing position where the telescoping cylinder piston is extended. The adjustable support 15 is able to collapse/retract to the sitting position, with the cylinder stages 15a, 15b etc. nested within each other.

[0066] A saddle seat 16 is attached to the top of the adjustable support 15, at the distal end from the wheeled base 11. The saddle seat 16 comprises a central portion 16a with laterally opposing downwardly-extending flank portions 17, a raised, rounded nose portion 18, and an upwardly-depending rear portion 19.

[0067] Extending from the rear of the saddle seat 16, there is a back support 20 for providing body support to a user when seated on the saddle seat 16.

[0068] User controls 21 are arranged at the distal end of an arm-rest 22 extending from the back support 20. The controls 21 are within manual reach of a user. The controls 21 allow the user to provide inputs to a CPU (not shown) to control the drive wheels 12 and to adjust the height of the saddle seat 16 by expanding or collapsing the adjustable support 15.

[0069] The user mounts the saddle seat 16 in the sitting position with the adjustable support 15 in its retracted position. The user control 21 are used to extend the adjustable support to increase its axial length. Thus the saddle seat 16 is vertically raised (without any lateral/horizontal movement) to the standing position. In this position, the user's legs will extend substantially vertically downwards either side of the flank portions 19 of the saddle seat 16 thus giving the appearance that the user is standing unaided.

[0070] In fact, the saddle seat will provide the necessary support. Movement of the device 10 is effected by rotation of the drive wheels 12 controlled by the user controls 21 via the CPU. Rotation of the device is effected by driving one drive wheel faster than the other (indeed, one wheel may be kept static and only one wheel may be driven). The independent control the speedo/direction of the drive wheels 12 rotation also helps ensure that the device maintains stability. Gyroscope sensors provided in the wheeled based 13 will provide signals to the drive wheel 12 motors via the CPU to ensure stability is maintained.

[0071] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an alternative motorised mobility device 30 shown in the standing position. For brevity similar features are not described again. The motorised mobility device 30 has a wheeled base 31 stabilised between drive wheels 21 and stabiliser wheels 34 rather than a Segway™-style wheeled base 11 as illustrated on the motorised mobility device 10 of FIG. 1.

[0072] The two stabiliser wheels 34 are each located on respective extension arms 35. The drive wheels 32 are around 50 cm in diameter and the stabiliser wheels 34 are around 10 cm in diameter.

[0073] The two extension arms 35 extend from the wheeled base 31 forward of the drive wheels 32.

[0074] A footrest 41 depends from the extension arms 35 and extends laterally between the stabiliser wheels 34.

[0075] The mobility device 30 is provided with an adjustable support 36 mounted on the wheeled base 31. The adjustable support 36 extends substantially vertically from the wheeled base 31. The adjustable support 36 comprises a multi-stage telescoping cylinder piston. The first piston stage 36a, closest to the wheeled base 31, has the smallest outer diameter. A second piston stage 36b in the series has an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the first piston stage 36a. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the adjustable support 36 is in the standing position where the telescoping cylinder piston is extended. The adjustable support 36 is able to collapse/retract to the sitting position, with the cylinder stages 36a, 36b nested within each other.

[0076] The mobility device 30 is further provided with a saddle seat. This saddle seat comprises a central portion 16a and a rounded nose portion 18. There are two cantilevered rear portion arms 19′ on which the user can rest their buttocks with their legs hanging down either side of the central portion 16a. The rear portion arms 19′ each have a forward edge which form downwardly-extending flank portions 17′ against which the rear of the user's thighs can rest/engage.

[0077] The mobility device is also provided with first and second arm rests 37, 38. The arms 37, 38 are attached to the top of the adjustable support 36 and extend around the saddle seat 16 so that rest portions are arranged laterally from and above the level of the saddle seat 16. The first arm rest 37 is provided with a joystick 39 to control motion of the motorised mobility device, and the second arm rest 38 is provided with buttons (not shown) to control the adjustable support 36. The saddle seat 16 is further provided with a back rest 20, as illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0078] The mobility device 30 is detachable into two parts. A locking/unlocking mechanism 40 is provided between the adjustable support 36 and the arms 37, 38 and saddle seat 16 to allow the saddle seat 16 and arms 37, 38 to be detached from the adjustable support 36.

[0079] Many equivalent modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art when given this disclosure. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiment set forth above is considered to be illustrative and not limiting. Various changes to the described embodiment may be made.

[0080] Any section headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting the subject matter described.

[0081] Throughout this specification, including the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word “comprise” and “include”, and variations such as “comprises”, “comprising”, and “including” will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

[0082] It must be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” one particular value, and/or to “about” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by the use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment. The term “about” in relation to a numerical value is optional and means for example +/−10%.