| Volume 25 Issue 9 - Publication Date: 1 September 2006 |
| Special Issue on CLAWAR 2004 |
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| Kinematic Model of a New Staircase
Climbing Wheelchair and its Experimental Validation |
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| R. Morales, V. Feliu,
A. González, and P. Pintado School of Industrial
Engineering, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain |
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| This paper describes the mechanical
devices, the movements and the associated kinematic models of a novel wheelchair
prototype capable of climbing staircases. The key feature of the mechanical
design is the use of two decoupled mechanisms in each axle, one used to
negotiate steps, and the other to position the axle with respect to the
chair to accommodate the overall slope. This decoupling makes possible many
different climbing strategies, the overall mechanism being extraordinarily
versatile from a control point of view. Kinematic models have been developed
for the different mechanical configurations that appear during all the ascend/descend
processes. These models are required to control the actuators of the wheelchair
in such a way that its centre of mass is able to follow arbitrary spatial
trajectories. This is very important as one has to design very smooth spatial
trajectories, keeping a near null inclination of the seat all the time in
order to guarantee the comfort of the passenger, usually a handicapped or
injured person. A real prototype is presented, and experimental results
are reported that show the efficiency of the mechanism and the accuracy
of the kinematic models developed. |
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| Multimedia Key |
= Video |
 = Data |
= Code |
= Image |
|
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|
Extension |
Type |
Description |
| 1 |
|
Example
1: Simulation of climbing process (rear view). The video shows
a simulation of all the task that the wheelchair must perform to climb
the stair. (13.8 MB) |
| 2 |
|
Example
2: Simulation of climbing process (side view). The video shows
a simulation of all the task that the wheelchair must perform to climb
the stair. (13.8 MB) |
| 3 |
|
Example
3: Video showing the wheelchair movement of the system to arbitrarily
position both axles with respect to the frame to accommodate the overall
slope. (5.1 MB) |
| 4 |
|
Example
4: Video showing the part of the wheelchair corresponding to the
device that makes the axle climb one step at a time while allowing
the wheel to move around the step without interfering with it (rear
rack). (8.3 MB) |
| 5 |
|
Example
5: Video showing the part of the wheelchair corresponding to the
device that makes the axle climb one step at a time while allowing
the wheel to move around the step without interfering with it (front
rack). (8.0 MB) |
| 6 |
|
Example
6: Experimental stair climbing process. The video shows a climbing
stair experiment with the real prototype. (35.5 MB) |
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