Control of Cycling Wheelchair Using Continuously Variable Transmission and Clutch

Abstract

In recent years, the number of elderly people is increasing due to the aged society with a low birth rate. In addition, the lame person is increasing. Therefore, they often use the general wheelchairs which can move without using their legs. However, there is a problem that the muscle of legs is weakened. Therefore, the cycling wheelchair have been developed, which can improve the ADL of users. The cycling wheelchair is optimized for indoor use. To use this cycling wheelchair outdoors, it is necessary to attach some assistive devices such as brake and freewheel. In addition, it is important to be able to move backward and forward. In this research, these functions could be realized by controlling the combination of clutch and continuously variable transmission (CVT). In addition, we confirmed these functions by experiments.