Method and apparatus for setting speed/response performance parameters of a power driven wheelchair

1. A method of setting values of a multiplicity of performance parameters of a power driven wheelchair into a controller thereof for use by said controller in the operation of said wheelchair by a user, said method comprising the steps of:

grouping the multiplicity of performance parameters of said wheelchair into at least two groups, each group including more than one performance parameter;

for each group,

(a) establishing a corresponding relationship between a selected performance parameter of the group and each of the other performance parameters of the group; and

(b) presetting said established relationships into the controller of said wheelchair;

determining a value for the selected performance parameter of each group based on the user's capabilities of operating said wheelchair;

interfacing with the controller through a display interface of a remote programmer unit to enter said determined value for the selected performance parameter of each group into the controller;

deriving automatically by the controller for each group a value for each of the other performance parameters of the group based on the entered value of the selected performance parameter of the group and the corresponding established relationships of each of the other performance parameters with the selected performance parameter of the group; and

storing the entered and derived values of the performance parameters into the controller for use thereby in the operation of said wheelchair by the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of interfacing includes the steps of:

displaying a menu image of the selected performance parameters of the groups on a display screen of the remote programmer unit;

selecting a group performance parameter from the menu screen image and causing an adjustment image of said selected group performance parameter to be displayed on said display screen;

adjusting said selected group performance parameter to the determined value thereof using the adjustment image on said display screen; and

saving the determined value in a memory of the controller.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of deriving is performed as each group performance parameter is adjusted to the determined value thereof.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the steps of displaying, selecting, adjusting and saving are performed by depressing designated key pads of the remote programmer unit.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of storing includes interfacing with the controller through the display interface of the remote programmer unit to store the entered and derived values of the performance parameters into the controller.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of storing is performed by depressing a designated key pad of the remote programmer unit.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the entered and derived values of the performance parameters are stored in a non-volatile memory of the microcontroller for use by the microcontroller in the operation of the wheelchair by the user.

8. Apparatus for setting values of a multiplicity of performance parameters of a power driven wheelchair for use in the operation of said wheelchair by a user, said apparatus comprising:

a microcontroller;

a memory coupled to said microcontroller for storing parameter values of at least two groupings of the multiplicity of performance parameters of said wheelchair, each grouping including more than one performance parameter and including a selected performance parameter, said memory storing for each group pre-established relationships between the selected performance parameter of the group and each of the other performance parameters of the group;

a remote programmer unit coupled to the microcontroller and including a display interface with the microcontroller for use in entering a value for the selected performance parameter of each group, said microcontroller responsive to the display interface of said remote programmer unit for deriving automatically for each group a value for each of the other performance parameters of the group using the entered value of the selected performance parameter of the group and the stored corresponding established relationships of each of the other performance parameters with the selected performance parameter of the group; and

an alterable non-volatile memory coupled to the microcontroller, said microcontroller operative to store the entered and derived values of the performance parameters into the non-volatile memory for use in the operation of the wheelchair by the user.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the display interface of the remote programmer unit and controller is operative to permit: (1) display of a menu image of the selected performance parameters of the groups on a display screen of the remote programmer unit; (2) selection of a group performance parameter from the menu screen image and display of an adjustment image of said selected group performance parameter on said display screen; (3) adjustment of said selected group performance parameter to the determined value thereof using the adjustment image on said display screen; and (4) saving of the determined value in the memory of the controller.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the controller is operative to derive automatically for each group the values for each of the other performance parameters of the group as each group performance parameter is adjusted to the determined value thereof.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the remote programmer unit includes a set of key pads to interface with the controller, said key pads being correspondingly designated to permit the controller operations of displaying, selecting, adjusting and saving upon depression thereof.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the remote programmer unit includes a designated key pad to interface with the controller to cause the operation of storing the entered and derived values of the performance parameters into the non-volatile memory upon depression thereof.