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US 2018/0120860 A1Published application
Apparatus that automatically maneuvers a wheelchair relative to a vehicle
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsDavid LONGIN, Mark GIJBELS, Robin CELIS, Gunther CUYPERS
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Abstract
The disclosure relates to a method and an apparatus to automatically maneuver a wheelchair relative to a vehicle. The vehicle has a first sensor arrangement comprising at least one sensor, and the wheelchair has a second sensor arrangement comprising at least one sensor. The automatic maneuver is carried out both on the basis of sensor signals from the first sensor arrangement and on the basis of sensor signals from the second sensor arrangement.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- receiving first sensor signals indicative of a region around a vehicle from a first sensor arrangement of the vehicle having at least one sensor;
- receiving second sensor signals indicative of obstacles within a movement path of a wheelchair from a second sensor arrangement of the wheelchair having at least one sensor;
- and
- automatically maneuvering the wheelchair relative to the region around the vehicle according to the first and second sensor signals.
1 more element
An automatic wheelchair storage apparatus comprising:
- a wheelchair having a wheelchair control module and a wheelchair sensor arrangement configured to provide path data indicative of obstacles along a path;
- and
- a vehicle having a vehicle control module and a vehicle sensor configured to, in response to the path data and vehicle sensor data indicative of a region surrounding the vehicle, automatically maneuver the wheelchair along the path and into a compartment.
A vehicle comprising:
- a trunk defining a compartment;
- a wheelchair having a control module configured to move the wheelchair along a path using a sensor arrangement to avoid obstacles with the path into the compartment;
- and
- a controller configured to, in response to sensor data indicative of a region surrounding the vehicle via a vehicle sensor arrangement, automatically maneuver the wheelchair along the path being defined throughout the region.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.