Assist wheel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10912689-B2
Application number	US-201816226852-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2018
Priority date	Oct 5, 2018
Publication date	Feb 9, 2021
Grant date	Feb 9, 2021

Abstract

The disclosure provides an assist wheel including a wheel, a handrim, an elastic component, two contact components, a driving assembly, two film sensors. The wheel is configured to be rotatably disposed on a wheelchair frame. The handrim is disposed on the wheel and rotatable with respect to the wheel. Two opposite ends of the elastic component are respectively connected to the wheel and the handrim. The two contact components are respectively disposed on the wheel and the handrim. The driving assembly is configured to be fixed to the wheelchair frame. The two film sensors are disposed on the driving assembly and respectively pressed by the two film sensors. Each of the two film sensors is configured to generate a sensor value. The controller is configured to receive the sensor values from the two film sensors and signal the driving assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An assist wheel, configured to be fixed to a wheelchair frame, comprising:
a wheel configured to be rotatably disposed on the wheelchair frame;
a handrim disposed on the wheel, wherein the handrim is rotatable with respect to the wheel;
at least one elastic component, wherein two opposite ends of the at least one elastic component are respectively connected to the wheel and the handrim;
a first contact component disposed on the wheel;
a second contact component disposed on the handrim;
a driving assembly configured to be fixed to the wheelchair frame;
a first film sensor and a second film sensor disposed on the driving assembly, wherein the first contact component and the second contact component respectively presses against the first film sensor and the second film sensor, and each of the first film sensor and the second film sensor is configured to generate a sensor value; and
a controller configured to receive the sensor values from the first film sensor and the second film sensor and signal the driving assembly;
wherein, when the handrim is rotated with respect to the wheel, the controller signals the driving assembly to provide an assist torque to the wheel according to the change in the differences between the two sensor values respectively generated by the first film sensor and the second film sensor.

2. The assist wheel according to claim 1 , wherein the wheel comprises a first hub part and a first ring part, the first ring part is connected to the first hub part, the handrim comprises a second hub part and a second ring part, the second ring part is connected to the second hub part, the second hub part is stacked on the first hub part, the at least one elastic component is located between the first hub part and the second hub part, the first contact component is disposed on the first hub part, the second contact component is disposed on the second hub part, and the driving assembly is disposed on a side of the second hub part away from the first hub part.

3. The assist wheel according to claim 2 , wherein each of the first hub part and the second hub part has at least one groove, the at least one groove of the first hub part and the at least one groove of the second hub part form at least one accommodating space therebetween, and the at least one elastic component is disposed in the at least one accommodating space.

4. The assist wheel according to claim 3 , wherein the quantity of the at least one elastic component is plural, the quantity of the at least one groove of the first hub part is plural, the quantity of the at least one groove of the second hub part is plural, the quantity of the at least one accommodating space is plural, the accommodating spaces are formed by the grooves of the first hub part and the grooves of the second hub part, and the elastic components are respectively located in the accommodating spaces.

5. The assist wheel according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one elastic component is a compression spring, and two opposite ends of the at least one elastic component are connected to the first hub part and the second hub part.

6. The assist wheel according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one elastic component is an extension spring, and two opposite ends of the at least one elastic component are fixed to the first hub part and the second hub part.

7. The assist wheel according to claim 2 , wherein the driving assembly has a first surface, a second surface and an annular surface, the first surface faces away from the second hub part, the second surface faces the second hub part, the annular surface is located between and connected to the first surface and the second surface, and the first film sensor and the second film sensor are disposed on the annular surface.

8. The assist wheel according to claim 7 , wherein each of the first contact component and the second contact component comprises a base part and a contact part, one end of the base part of the first contact component is fixed on the first hub part, a part of the base part of the first contact component is located at the periphery of the annular surface of the driving assembly, the contact part of the first contact component is disposed on the base part of the first contact component and extends toward the driving assembly, one end of the base part of the second contact component is fixed on the second hub part, a part of the base part of the second contact component is located at the periphery of the annular surface of the driving assembly, the contact part of the second contact component is disposed on the base part of the second contact component and extends toward the driving assembly, and the contact part of the first contact component and the contact part of the second contact component respectively press against the first film sensor and the second film sensor.

9. The assist wheel according to claim 8 , wherein each of the two contact parts is a spring plunger.

10. The assist wheel according to claim 1 , wherein the driving assembly comprises a casing, a driving component and a power source, the driving component and the power source are located in the casing, the power source is electrically connected to the driving component, the controller is configured to signal the driving component, and the driving component is configured to provide the assist torque to the wheel.

11. The assist wheel according to claim 10 , wherein the handrim is rotatable with respect to the wheel so as to be in an initial state or a relative moving state; when the handrim is in the initial state, both of the handrim and the wheel are stationary, or the handrim is rotated with the wheel via at least one elastic component, the sensor values respectively generated by the first film sensor and the second film sensor have a first value difference therebetween, when the handrim is in the relative moving state, the handrim is rotated with respect to the wheel, and the sensor values respectively generated by the first film sensor and the second film sensor have a second value difference therebetween, the controller obtains an angle value that the handrim is rotated with respect to the wheel according to the change from the second value difference to the first value difference, and the controller signals the driving component to provides the assist torque to the wheel according to the angle value.

12. The assist wheel according to claim 11 , wherein when the handrim is in the relative moving state, the at least one elastic component is deformed by the handrim and the wheel, the controller obtains a deformation of the at least one elastic component according to the angle value that the handrim is rotated with respect to the wheel, and the controller signals the driving component provides the assist torque to the wheel according to the deformation of the at least one elastic component.

13. The assist wheel according to claim 1 , wherein the driving assembly is configured to be detachably fixed to the wheelchair frame.

Assignees

• Ind Tech Res Inst

Inventors

• Hu Chia-Jui
• Huang Zeng-Lung
• Gau Tien-Ho
• Wu Chou-Zong

Classifications

• Y02T10/64

  Electric machine technologies in electromobility · CPC title

• A61G2203/38

  for torque · CPC title

• Y02T10/70

  Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries · CPC title

• B60L3/12

  Recording operating variables {; Monitoring of operating variables} · CPC title

• B60L15/20

  for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed · CPC title