Development on Electric Wheelchair with Four Wheel Drive to Use on Snowy Road

不仅是残疾人，居住在日本最北端岛屿北海道的老年人也希望在大雪和低温的冬季参加户外活动。这些人中的大多数冒险到户外购物或去医院，即使在恶劣的条件下。轮椅一般用于户外运输。然而，在冬天使用轮椅有很多问题；冰雪覆盖的道路非常滑，脚轮很容易埋在雪里，而把手太冷而无法处理。因此，冬季户外使用的合适轮椅是非常需要的。我们正在开发一种有四个驱动轮的电动轮椅，以便在冬天有效地在户外使用。在这项工作中，测试了前轮驱动、后轮驱动和四轮驱动三种类型的电动轮椅在结冰路面、积雪路面和室内地板上的驾驶性能。此外，提出了模拟雪地条件下电动轮椅驾驶性能的计算方法。

Not only handicapped people but also elderly people living in Hokkaido, the northernmost island in Japan, desire to participate in outdoor activities during a winter season that is characterized by heavy snow and low temperatures. Most of these people venture outdoors to go shopping or to hospitals, even under severe conditions. A wheelchair is generally used for outdoor transport. There are, however, many problems with using a wheelchair during the winter ; roads covered with snow and ice are very slippery, casters are easily burid in snow, and handrims are too cold to handle. Therefore, an appropriate wheelchair for outdoor use during the winter season is greatly desired. We are developing an electric wheelchair with four drived wheels to be effective for outdoor use during the winter. In this work, three types of electric wheelchairs with front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive and four wheels were tested for drivability on icy roads, snow-covered roads, and indoor floors. In addition, computational methods were proposed to simulate the drivability of electric wheelchairs under snowy conditions.