Home care equipment system
View Patent ↗A system for assisting a person of limited mobility in moving from room to room within a home and performing essential daily activities includes a personal mobility device which includes transfer drivers which engage a transfer system to transition from a first elevation to a second elevation.
1. A personal mobility device for transferring a person along a transfer guide, the personal mobility device comprising
a frame,
a plurality of wheels coupled to the frame, wherein at least one of the wheels of the personal mobility system is a drive roller driven in a plurality of directions by a plurality of drive motors,
a seat supported on the frame,
a transfer driver coupled to the frame and configured to engage the transfer guide, and
a motor configured to power the transfer driver to move the personal mobility device along the transfer guide.
2. The personal mobility device of claim 1 , wherein the transfer driver has external teeth that engage complementary internal teeth in the transfer guide.
3. The personal mobility device of claim 1 , wherein the personal mobility device further comprises a battery to supply power to the motor.
4. The personal mobility device of claim 1 , wherein the transfer driver moves between a use position wherein the transfer driver extends outboard of the seat and a storage position wherein the transfer driver is retracted within the horizontal boundaries of the seat.
5. The personal mobility device of claim 1 , further comprising user inputs which control operation of the transfer driver.
6. The personal mobility device of claim 1 , wherein the seat comprises a first portion having an upwardly facing surface for supporting the buttocks of a person supported on the seat and a second portion pivotably coupled to the first portion and positioned to support the back of the person.
7. The personal mobility device of claim 6 , further comprising an armrest pivotably coupled to the second portion, the armrest pivotable about a first horizontal axis and a second vertical axis.
8. A personal mobility device comprising
a lower frame,
a seat supported on the lower frame,
a plurality of legs with at least one leg pivotably coupled to the lower frame and pivotable about a generally vertical axis relative to one of the other legs to vary a spacing therebetween,
a drive wheel coupled to the at least one leg, and
a transfer driver coupled to the lower frame configured to engage a transfer guide, and
a motor configured to power the transfer driver to move the personal mobility device along the transfer guide.
9. The personal mobility device of claim 8 , wherein the at least one leg is pivotable between a first position wherein the leg extends horizontally outboard of the seat and a second position wherein the leg extends rearward of the seat.
10. The personal mobility device of claim 8 , wherein the-frame is extensible to change the vertical position of the seat relative to the ground underlying the seat.
11. The personal mobility device of claim 8 , wherein the device further comprises a footrest pivotably coupled to the lower frame.
12. The personal mobility device of claim 8 , wherein the transfer driver moves between a use position wherein the transfer driver extends outboard of the seat and a storage position wherein the transfer driver is retracted within the horizontal boundaries of the seat.
13. The personal mobility device of claim 8 , further comprising user inputs which control operation of the transfer driver.
14. A transfer system for transferring an individual from a first elevation to a second elevation, the transfer system comprising
a personal mobility device including a lower frame, wheels coupled to the lower frame, a seat supported on the lower frame, a transfer driver coupled the lower frame, wherein the transfer driver moves between a use position extending outboard of the seat and a storage position wherein the transfer driver is retracted within the horizontal boundaries of the seat, and
a transfer guide having a first horizontal portion configured to receive or release the transfer driver, an elevation portion coupled to the first horizontal portion and oriented to direct the personal mobility device to a second horizontal portion coupled to the elevation portion and at a different elevation from the first horizontal portion, the second horizontal portion configured to receive or release the transfer driver.
15. The transfer system of claim 14 , wherein the transfer driver has external teeth configured to intermesh with internal teeth in the transfer guide.
16. The transfer system of claim 14 , wherein the transfer driver comprises a plurality of vertically spaced transfer drivers and the transfer guide comprises a plurality of transfer guides configured to receive or release the vertically spaced transfer drivers to maintain the personal mobility device at a substantially constant orientation with respect to horizontal during the transfer between a first elevation and a second elevation.
17. The transfer system of claim 16 , wherein the transfer driver has external teeth configured to intermesh with internal teeth in the transfer guide.
18. The transfer system of claim 16 , wherein the personal mobility device further comprises a motor configured to power the transfer driver to move the personal mobility device along the transfer guide.
19. The transfer system of claim 18 , wherein one of the wheels of the personal mobility system is a drive roller driven in a plurality of directions by a plurality of drive motors to facilitate movement of the personal mobility device.
20. A personal mobility device comprising
a frame,
a seat supported on the frame,
a plurality of legs with at least one leg pivotably coupled to the frame, wherein the plurality of legs includes the at least one leg and a second leg pivotably coupled to the frame about the generally vertical axis so that the at least one leg can move relative to the second leg to vary a spacing therebetween, and
a plurality of wheels coupled to the legs, wherein at least one of the wheels of the personal mobility system is a drive roller driven in a plurality of directions by a plurality of drive motors.
21. The personal mobility device of claim 20 , wherein the personal mobility device further includes a transfer driver coupled to the frame and moves between a use position extending outboard of the seat and a storage position wherein the transfer driver is retracted within the horizontal boundaries of the seat.
22. A personal mobility device comprising
a frame,
a seat supported on the frame,
a plurality of legs with at least one leg pivotably coupled to the frame,
a plurality of wheels coupled to the legs, wherein at least one of the wheels of the personal mobility system is a drive roller driven in a plurality of directions by a plurality of drive motors, and
a transfer driver coupled to the frame and movable between a use position extending outboard of the seat and a storage position wherein the transfer driver is retracted within the horizontal boundaries of the seat.