車いす用段差乗越え補助キャスタ

―段差検出方法の改良―

抄録

We have proposed the assistive caster unit for step climbing for manual wheelchair users so far. This caster unit is composed by two functions: The lock function which fixes the caster rotation in case of step climbing, and The assistive plates which have same climbing ability as large wheel imaginary in the confined space between footrest and main wheel. By these two functions, the user can climb a step with small driving force not only frontal approach but also oblique approach to a step. In particular, this paper reports the improvement of the step detection mechanism activating the lock function.