WO2011037441A1

WO2011037441A1 - Mechatronic acceleration and braking system for the disabled

Info

Publication number: WO2011037441A1
Application number: PCT/MX2009/000102
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rodolfo GÓMEZ VEGA; Enrique Vega Ortega; Orlando Palma Marrufo
Original assignee: Gomez Vega Rodolfo; Enrique Vega Ortega; Orlando Palma Marrufo
Priority date: 2009-09-25
Filing date: 2009-09-25
Publication date: 2011-03-31

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mechatronic acceleration and braking system for the disabled which enables persons with lower limb disabilities to drive a vehicle with automatic transmission. Said purpose is achieved by means of an electronic control device coupled with the steering wheel of the automobile via a system of mutually sliding rings. Users holding the control device can clench their hand to indicate the desire to brake and slide the button with their thumb to indicate the desire to accelerate; said actions generate analogue signals, which are transmitted by the sliding ring to the electronic closed-loop control system which, by being correctly tuned, proportionally moves the servo-actuated mechanism consisting of a rack, pinion and motors coupled with the two pedals of the automobile.

Description

ACCELERATION AND BRAKE MECATRONIC SYSTEM FOR

DISABLED

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Nowadays many people suffer from some type of lower motor disability. It is known that a reduced leg function implies a low or no power to travel long distances, forcing them to help other people for their transportation or use of public means of transportation conditioned for this purpose. Some systems have been made to solve this problem; However, not all of them completely cover basic needs such as: operational safety, ergonomics, reality, guarantee of implementation in commercial vehicles. Next, the most representative in this field of action are mentioned and analyzed. There is a hand-held, purely mechanical hand control system, which consists of a metal lever, located under the steering wheel at waist level, that the driver will push or pull to accelerate or brake his vehicle as desired. The disadvantages of this is that you only have one hand behind the wheel, since the other is on the lever; This environment is unsafe when: you have to turn the vehicle, make directions such as use of the directional, horn, lights, etc .; In addition, the ergonomics of use, in this design, is affected since reaching the lever, raising and lowering it repeatedly, the effort and posture of the person is affected with the passage of time. There are devices that mounted on the steering wheel of a car provide a controller that can set the vehicle speed as constant. For example, patent No. US2003 / 0230161A1 uses a housing inserted in a vehicle steering wheel supported by two pivots, which using a driver 000102

- 2 - rotating disc sets the cruise speed. The disadvantage of these devices is that they do not allow the brake of the vehicle or a gradual acceleration, making its use impossible for an urban environment. Another solution is patent No. US2003 / 0183438 Al, which using a lever with handlebars on both sides can rotate a vehicle or slow it down depending on the rotation of its handlebars. But it cannot take a U-turn and its implementation in a commercial car is difficult. While it is sensitive to gradual speed changes in its acceleration or braking, it is unsafe to force the driver into strange positions when turning over 20 degrees of the car's steering wheel. Others use a lever inserted in the steering wheel that control secondary functions. US patent 2006 / 0191733A1 Inserts a lever in the steering wheel supported by a clamp, which using electrical contacts connected to a microcomputer determines which contact is activated and for how long, to control functions such as turning on or off high lights, direction lights , wiper washer. Although these devices resolve the use of the hand for usual activities in handling without corrupting safety, they completely lack braking or acceleration control in a vehicle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Field of invention

Servo cars assisted for the disabled Technical Problem

Driving an automatic transmission car for people who totally lack their lower motor limbs. X2009 / 000102

- 3 -

To brake and accelerate without compromising driving integrity. Said driving system must allow the use of only one hand to drive the vehicle and leave the other hand free for common activities such as turning off: Steering lights, high beams, windshield wipers, without losing control of driving. no time

Current systems have the problem of forcing the driver into uncomfortable postures that cause unnatural movements and put the conflict in driving concentration. These postures cause muscle contractures because they are not ergonomic.

Current systems are not easily implemented in commercial cars and are very expensive.

Technical Solution

The Mechatronic Acceleration and Brake System for the Disabled (SIMAFRED) satisfies the need for driving for drivers with lower limb disabilities, implementing a handlebar that adheres to the driver's left hand.

This handlebar contains two potentiometers: The first, when advancing using the thumb, accelerates the vehicle. The second, when the fist is clenched, the vehicle brakes.

The handlebar is embedded in a free-spin ring, this first ring transmits the desired signals to a second ring fixed to the steering wheel. In this way, the left hand remains in constant control of braking and acceleration, while the right hand is free for other needs. A natural posture is maintained without strange movements, at no time a change of hands is required for the control of braking or acceleration since the Free rotation ring allows as many revolutions as necessary without detaching from the handlebars. The right hand assists when it is necessary to turn the steering wheel or to hold it firmly in case of sudden braking.

The actions that should be done by the lower extremities of the driver are done by servo actuators on the brake and acceleration pedals manipulated by an electronic control system that receives the signals from the handlebar.

Its implementation does not depend on the make or model of the car.

Advantages

Operational safety, you always have in your left hand, the acceleration and braking control of the car, which allows you to have better control over the vehicle, even to make turns that require more than a complete turn of the steering wheel without losing at any time the control of the vehicle, the bearing helps to maintain the wrist position so that the hand is kept in the same position. On the other hand, in the other systems there is no possibility of keeping both hands in contact with the vehicle, on the other hand the existing electromechanical acceleration and brake systems are unsafe, since the accelerator and brake cannot be maintained while controlling the steering wheel.

It provides a practical control, it is closer to the daily handling of a vehicle since it does so naturally to daily driving in urban or road conditions. Its use is sensitive to the speed and common reflections of the driver and has redundancy in its electronic control and signal transmission systems. Ergonomics, prevents the crossing of hands or unnatural postures, which cause movements that put the conflict in concentration or for them they jeopardize the integrity of the management; keeping the Left hand glued to the handlebars and giving a steering wheel freedom of more than 720 degrees. This natural turn in handling is achieved using two hoops, one free movement embedded to another fixed behind the wheel.

When an emotion occurs to a spontaneous event, humans tend to close their hands as a reflection of the event, the solution that SIMAFRED proposes is the braking of that muscular tension since the braking is sensitive to the closing of the fist of the left hand.

The right hand is free, to carry out the common actions additional to the driving of a vehicle such as: turning on and off directional lights, radio, high beams, windshield wipers, or failing to keep the steering wheel firm when required and / or when it is necessary to turn the car completely.

Easy implementation and economical. Since it can be implemented in any model and the modifications to it are minimal.

Implementation

The implementation of the SIMAFRED system is viable for any commercial automatic transmission vehicle without the need to make dramatic changes in its structure.

There are only three essential requirements: a) The vehicle must be an automatic transmission b) A steering wheel of 300mm or less is required. If the original steering wheel exceeds 300mm in diameter, a new one of these measures must be adapted, this is because a larger diameter steering wheel, some standards mark 400mm, would hinder the complete rotation of the steering wheel with the driver's legs c) A brief training is required for the driver to use the system.

Modifications to the car are minimal regardless of the model or brand, it only requires a cut of the original 165mm steering wheel and adapt the control device. Adapt the electronic control system either on the car's own computer or, failing that, at the bottom of the seat as an additional system to the car.

On the other hand, a servo system operated on the pedals must be conditioned, or a simpler mechanism that covers the SIMAFRED signals must be added, this will depend on the vehicle model according to its performance.

Applicability in the industry

SIMAFRED not only satisfies the need for driving for the disabled of the lower extremities but could also be used for drivers without this motor disadvantage. Although it is thought so, there is no reason to avoid its common use among the population. With appropriate training SIMAFRED can be used by anyone who wants to.

Description of Drawings

Figure 1 shows the three main elements that constitute the SIMAFRED: steering wheel of a commercial car (1), ring (2) and handlebar (3).

Figure 2 shows the detail of the ring (2) which is formed by three main devices, the union of (4 and 6) form an element that we will call a fixed ring since it is anchored with two screws in (12) to the steering wheel of the car and in (11) the space is observed 000102

- 7 - configured to accommodate it; On the other hand, (5) is named as a sliding ring since it slides freely and without any restrictions within the fixed ring, in addition, to prevent (5) from leaving the latter, there is a guide tab (9), which it is embedded in the slots (15) of (4 and 6).

The sliding ring has two primary functions; the first is to contain the handlebar, which is fixed to the ring by two screws in (7 and 8); the second is to transmit the electrical signals of the sensors, contained in the handlebar, to the fixed ring, the cables of said sensors exit through (8) and are transformed to copper tracks (10).

The elements (4 and 6), which form the fixed ring, are assembled through five screws in (13); furthermore, it can be seen in (16) that (4) conducts only one electrical control signal while (6) conducts two, these signals are taken through collectors shown in figure (3) and are placed in (14), It is clear that there are three devices per signal, that is, the system is redundant. In (16) the cables leaving the collectors are housed, joined according to the signal that corresponds to them and are taken to the center of the steering wheel where they will meet the corresponding electronic control system.

Figure 3 shows the collector, its main function is to obtain the electrical signals of the sensors through the copper tracks, so that at all times (17) it will be in contact with (10) thanks to (18), and to prevent the device from leaving the fixed ring (19) it is screwed into (14). The cable (20) is adhered to the collector with solder and glued on (16).

The handlebar, in general, is shown in Figure 4 where the acceleration button (21), the brake lever (22), the hand adjustment strap (24) and the points where it is fixed to the ring are observed Slider (23) with points (7 and 8). In figure 5, as a detail, we see that the handlebar basically has two sensors, one to accelerate (30) and another to brake (29), these are the ones that transmit the electrical signal to the control system, these signals vary analogically depending on the movements the driver performs.

The lever (22), which is mounted on the upper axis of the handlebar, has the function of slowing the vehicle, when the driver presses the lever, the pulley (25) turns and through the band (27) the movement is transmitted to the pulley (26), and since the latter is attached to a rotational potentiometer it is how we translate a human movement into an electrical signal. The ratio of the pulleys is two to one to amplify the resolution of the electrical signal, that is, by a movement that is generated in the lever, we have two in the potentiometer, to obtain a larger range of electrical operation we benefit the system of control and improve the operational response mode. Once the driver finishes tightening the lever, the spring (28) is responsible for bringing it to its original position, a situation analogous to what actually happens with the pedals.

To accelerate the vehicle, the driver must press the lever (21) with his thumb, which is connected to a linear potentiometer (30). Although the image cannot be seen, there is a spring embedded in (30) that returns the lever to its initial position once the driver has stopped operating it.

Four wires are obtained from both potentiometers, two of them are joined to make one and it is named a reference wire, with this action we have 3 wires left that are made to reach the steering wheel and finally to the electronic control system. Figure 6 shows the servo system operated by the pedals, acceleration (31) and braking (32), of a conventional vehicle; It should be mentioned that both pedals have the same control system. The pedal is anchored to a rack (33), it is placed in a guide system (35), the latter also contains an axis where a pinion (34), a motor (36) and a feedback device (37) are inserted. .

When the handlebar acceleration and / or braking signal arrives at the electronic control system, it energizes the direct current motor (36) which moves the pinion (34) and therefore the rack (33) that its Once you pull the pedal. The feedback sensor (37) sends an error reference to the control circuit at all times creating a closed loop system. When the motor is de-energized (36), the pedals will return to their initial position.

With proper tuning of the electronic control system, any movement of the driver on the handlebars will be reflected proportionally on the acceleration and braking pedals respectively.

Claims

REIVI DICATIONS

1. A modified car driving system, which allows the driver to brake and accelerate, proportionally, safely and to taste, without the need for the lower extremities.

2. An automobile steering wheel of the system of claim 1, which can be used by the driver with one hand, which allows turns of more than 720 degrees of the steering wheel without losing control of the vehicle and vehicle controls at any time. acceleration and brake.

3. A system of recessed hoops on the steering wheel of claim 2, which allows the driver to have both hands on the steering wheel, and regardless of their orientation, can accelerate and brake continuously even by taking a turn regardless of the closed or dangerous of this one.

4. A handlebar that recessed to the ring system claim 3, allows to brake, in a proportional and analogous way, to the action of closing the hand and allows to accelerate, proportionally and analogously, with the action of sliding the thumb.

5. A closed loop electronic control system that, using the handlebar signals of claim 4 and a servo actuation feedback device, performs an analogous system between what the driver wants and what the car performs.

6. A redundancy system to the electronic control system of claim 5 and in the transmission of electrical signals from the steering wheel sensors of claim 2.

7. A database, embedded in the control system of claim 5, which stores historical data and studies people's behavior patterns, anticipates errors, indicates their preventive maintenance.

8. A servo actuation system that, using signals from the electronic control system of claim 5, accelerates and brakes an automatic transmission vehicle, proportionally and analogously, according to handlebar signals of claim 4