Manual wheelchair having integrated motor housing and camber tube structure

Abstract

A manual wheelchair has a camber tube that supports manual drive wheels for rotation relative to a wheelchair frame. A pair of drive motors are housed within the camber tube and connect to an axle shaft supported within a wheel hub. The axle shaft has a distal end defining an angle accommodating and torque-transmitting profile that connects to the drive motor. The axle shaft has a proximal end defining a torque transmitting connection with a drive disconnect assembly that selectively permits engagement of the drive motor to the wheel hub. The axle shaft supports a retaining ball and an actuator to permit the drive wheel to be removed from the wheelchair. The drive disconnect assembly permits the motor to be mechanically disconnected from the wheel hub to reduce drag and friction when the wheelchair is operated manually.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.