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Design and Improve Energy Efficiency and Functionalities of Electrical Wheelchairs

Guan, Dewei
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1369437973

Abstract Details

2013, Master of Science in Engineering (MSEgr), Wright State University, Mechanical Engineering.
There are millions of people who have lost their abilities to walk and wheelchairs offer the ONLY opportunities for their interactions with people and environments outside their houses. These individuals are becoming more and more eager to adapt modern technologies on their wheelchairs to improve quality of social life and the life of freedom. However, most available electric wheelchairs, driven by traditional lead-acid batteries and gear motors, are heavy and bulky in design with low energy efficiency, limited travel radius, and scarce communication/navigation functionalities. This project is to design and prototype an electric wheelchair that is lighter, more flexible in mobility, and more energy-efficient. It will use light-weight high power density Li-ion batteries and be driven by the light and energy-efficient direct drive hub motors. It will be also designed to readily integrate with high-tech accessories for increased independence, connectivity, and useful mobility for disabled individuals. This research is focused on the following four tasks: 1) installing and testing Li-ion battery performances to prolong the wheelchair running time per charge; 2) installing and testing direct-drive hub motor to reduce the weight and energy loss; 3) designing a dynamometer based on eddy current theory to determine the efficiency of electrical motor; and 4) designing several functional components/accessories, such as iPad holder, automated battery release drawer, and wheel-extend mechanism to improve consumers’ onboard independence and convenience
Hong Huang, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Junghsen Lieh, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Ha-Rok Bae, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
128 p.
Mechanical Engineering
Electric Wheelchair; Lead acid Battery; Lithium Ion Battery; Gear Motor; Hub Motor

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Guan, D. (2013). Design and Improve Energy Efficiency and Functionalities of Electrical Wheelchairs [Master's thesis, Wright State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1369437973

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Guan, Dewei. Design and Improve Energy Efficiency and Functionalities of Electrical Wheelchairs. 2013. Wright State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1369437973.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Guan, Dewei. "Design and Improve Energy Efficiency and Functionalities of Electrical Wheelchairs." Master's thesis, Wright State University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1369437973

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

wright1369437973
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© 2013, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License Design and Improve Energy Efficiency and Functionalities of Electrical Wheelchairs by Dewei Guan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by Wright State University and OhioLINK.