Wheelchair location sensing device for a wheelchair accessible vehicle
AssigneeValeda Company, LLC
InventorsEdgardo Cardona, Patrick Girardin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Provided herein is a controller configured to determine the position, direction, or speed of a wheelchair during ingress or egress in a wheelchair accessible vehicle. The controller may receive input from any combination of sensors configured to provide signals indicative of the wheelchair position, direction, or speed, such as cameras, light curtains, and floor pressure sensors. The controller can be configured to sense and correct unsafe conditions, such as the wheelchair approaching an edge of a ramp, and to sense when the wheelchair has reached a final securement position and/or has departed the vehicle.
Claims20
A system for tracking ingress and egress of a wheelchair into and out of a wheelchair accessible vehicle, comprising:
- a controller;
- one or more sensors configured to output at least one signal indicative of at least one of a location, a direction, and a speed of the wheelchair along at least two axes;
- the controller being programmed to track at least one of the location, the direction, and the speed of the wheelchair along the at least two axes based on the at least one signal.
A wheelchair accessible vehicle comprising:
- a wheelchair access device permitting ingress and egress of a wheelchair into and out of the wheelchair accessible vehicle;
- a wheelchair securement system for securing the wheelchair during transit;
- one or more sensors configured to output at least one signal indicative of at least one of a location, a direction, and a speed of the wheelchair along at least two axes;
- and,
- a controller being programmed to track at least one of the location, the direction, and the speed of the wheelchair along the at least two axes based on the at least one signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.