Development of Power-Assist Device for a Manual Wheelchair Using Cycloidal Reducer

Abstract

This paper presents the design process and driving performance test results of a power-assist module to which a cycloidal reducer is applied in order to convert a manual wheelchair into an electric wheelchair. The types of electrification modules currently used to electrify manual wheelchairs include front-mounted, rear-mounted, and powered wheels. These assist devices are either difficult to carry and transport independently or require excellent hand dexterity to operate. To overcome this problem, a cycloidal reducer with no pin roller, and a novel cycloidal curve were designed to develop a small and easy-to-handle power-assist module that was tested by installing this reducer to a manual wheelchair. As a result of the test, the maximum speed of the wheelchair was 6 km/h, the maximum slope that this wheelchair can climb is 20%, and 0.358 Ah was consumed while the wheelchair moved 360 m in the current consumption test. This showed that it is possible to develop a small-sized power-assist module. In addition, the user can easily electrify the manual wheelchair by adding a small weight without replacing the manual wheel. The power-assist module consists of a DC servo motor, cycloidal reducer, battery, and joystick.