Abstract
A power-assisted chair is designed to help user motion by means of a pneumatic cylinder. The pneumatic cylinder is connected to the seat by a link mechanism in order to transfer cylinder force to the seat. For minimization of pneumatic pressure of the cylinder, optimum design techniques are applied to the design of the link mechanism. A force transfer ratio between cylinder force and assisted force is maximized by tuning five link parameters. Restrictions for natural movement of the link mechanism are considered. As a result, optimum link parameters are obtained and the force transfer ratio is much increased compared with that of a test chair which was manufactured in the authors' laboratory.
