Mobility device control system
AssigneeDEKA Products Limited Partnership
InventorsStewart M. Coulter, Brian G. Gray, Dirk A. van der Merwe, Susan D. Dastous, Daniel F. Pawlowski
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mobility device that can accommodate speed sensitive steering, adaptive speed control, a wide weight range of users, an abrupt change in weight, traction control, active stabilization that can affect the acceleration range of the mobility device and minimize back falls, and enhanced redundancy that can affect the reliability and safety of the mobility device.
Claims21
A method for controlling the speed of a mobility device in real time, the mobility device having at least one sensor, at least one user interface, and drive wheels, the drive wheels having at least one wheel motor drive, the method comprising:
- receiving, by the at least one sensor, terrain data and obstacle data near the mobility device;
- creating a map of the terrain data and the obstacle data in real time;
- identifying at least one collision possible area, if any, in the map, the identified collision possible areas based at least on areas including at least one obstacle from the obstacle data;
- identifying at least one slow-down area, if any, in the map, the identified of the at least one slow-down area based at least on the mapped data and the speed of the mobility device;
- receiving at least one user preference, if any, from the at least one user interface, the at least one user preference associated with desired behavior in the at least one slow-down area, the at least one slow-down area including a plurality of types, each of the plurality of types having a set of characteristics, the size of the at least one slow-down area being based on the speed of the mobility device;
- generating at least one command for the at least one wheel motor drive based at least on the at least one collision possible area, the at least one slow-down area, and the at least one user preference;
- and
- providing the at least one command to the at least one wheel motor drive to control the speed of the mobility device.
A system for controlling the speed of a mobility device in real time, the mobility device having at least one sensor and at least one drive wheel, the at least one drive wheel having at least one wheel motor drive, the system comprising:
- an adaptive speed control processor including
- a terrain/obstacle data receiver receiving, by the at least one sensor, terrain data and obstacle data near the mobility device;
- a mapping processor mapping data in real time, the mapped data based at least on the terrain data and obstacle data;
- a collision-possible processor computing at least one collision possible area based at least on the mapped data;
- a slow-down processor computing at least one slow-down area based at least on the mapped data and the speed of the mobility device;
- a preferences processor receiving at least one user preference with respect to the at least one slow-down area;
- a wheel command processor computing at least one wheel command based at least on the at least one collision possible area, the at least one slow-down area, and the at least one user preference, the wheel command processor providing the at least one wheel command to the at least one wheel motor drive;
- and
- a plurality of types of the at least one slow-down area, each of the plurality of types having a set of characteristics, the size of the at least one slow-down area being based on the speed of the mobility device.
A method for controlling the speed of a mobility device in real time, the mobility device having at least one sensor and drive wheels, the drive wheels having at least one wheel motor drive, the mobility device having a speed, the method comprising:
- receiving terrain data and obstacle detection data;
- mapping terrain and at least one obstacle, if any, in real time based at least on the terrain data and the obstacle detection data;
- determining at least one slow-down area, if any, based at least on the mapped data and the speed;
- receiving at least one user preference, if any, with respect to the at least one slow-down area and a desired direction and a desired speed of the mobility device, the at least one slow-down area including a plurality of types, each of the plurality of types having a set of characteristics, the size of the at least one slow-down area being based on the speed of the mobility device;
- computing at least one wheel command based at least on the at least one slow-down area and the at least one user preference;
- and
- providing the at least one wheel command to the at least one wheel motor drive.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.