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Academic Editor:Zhenling Liu
Liaoning Province Key Laboratory of Man-Machine Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dalian Jiaotong University, Dalian 116028, China
Received 3 February 2014; Accepted 22 May 2014; 11 June 2014
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
1. Introduction
Individualized wheelchairs refer to those designed according to the special needs of specific people or groups (including the price, structure, function, and material). The wheelchair is an important means of transport for the disabled, and users often need to sit in a wheelchair for a long time. If the wheelchair is not suitable or comfortable, the body will be hurt. For example, too narrow seat not only can make patients feel discomfort, but also compress the nerve and blood vessel, leading to increased incidence of hemorrhoids, while too spacious seat can make patients lean on one side, increasing the stress of this side which may lead to deformation of the trunk. It is often difficult for users to choose suitable wheelchairs in size, function, price, and comfort, and so forth. According to the literature review, few studies are conducted on the wheelchair system design. These studies can be summarized as follows.
(1) Studies on single component: Ding et al. studied the influence of wheels' direction and driving speed on the stability when the electric wheelchair moves backward [1]. DiGiovine et al. studied wheelchair users' vibration with different cushions and backrests [2]. Crane et al. evaluated a new type of adjustable wheelchair seat system from the view of comfort [3]. Stockton and Rithalia researched the wheelchair cushion [4]. Yamagami et al. evaluated the relationship between driving posture and comfort by self-designed driving control system [5]. Requejo et al. studied the influence of rear shock absorber and wheelchair speed on the seat counterforce and head acceleration [6]. Crane et al. studied the on-board wheelchair safety guarantee system [7].
(2) Studies on single function: Ding et al. researched the use of wheelchair on the wheelchair seat electric function in daily life [8]. Ren designed an intelligent wheelchair with standing and lying function [9]. Li studied a real-time voice control...