Flywheel Energy Storage Attachment for Manual Wheelchairs
By Kaczmarski, Jarrett; Kuger, Jeremy; Mollendorf, Joseph C.; NSF 2007 Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons With Disabilities, pp. 172-173Publication Date: 2010
Description of an energy storage device used for assisting in the propulsion of a manual wheelchair. The device was designed by engineering students at the State University of New York at Buffalo to reduce long term fatigue of the manual wheelchair user. The addition of a flywheel to the wheelchair’s drive wheels acts as an energy storage device, being charged while the operator is manually spinning the wheelchair and discharged when the energy input is discontinued. The design has two gears, one connected directly to the flywheel and the other to a free-spinning gear with an internal bearing, allowing the operator to switch between power-assisted and manual mode. The flywheel attachment is useful for assisting wheelchair users climbing ramps and going down long hallways, whereas the free gear setting might be used in a crowded situation or where there are no long, straight paths. The gear and flywheel assembly are housed in an enclosure mounted between the rear wheels along with a derailleur and chain system used for gear changing. The derailleur is operated with a six-speed bicycle shifter.
Published by: Creative Learning Press, Inc. (Website:http://www.creativelearningpress.com)
Link to text: http://nsf-pad.bme.uconn.edu/2007/Chapter11,SUNY%20Buffalo.pdf
ISBN: 1-931280-12-6
