MECHANICAL RAMP ATTACHMENT FOR WHEELCHAIRS TO CLIMB ELEVATED SURFACES

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
One-fifth of the estimated global population, that is between 110 million and 190
million people, experience significant disabilities. Disabilities of various parts such
as eye, ear, hand, leg etc. Limb disability is one of the disabilities which are caused
due to various reasons such as deformation by birth, war, disorders such as diabetes.
Lower limb of sports person also suffers huge blows while playing and are always
at the risk of suffering severe injuries. These injures sometimes may be a permanent
disability.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Fact sheet on wheelchairs,

about 650 million people or 10% of the world’s population suffer from some form
of disability. Out of this pool, a further 10% are estimated to require a wheelchair.
Wheelchairs greatly help improve the mobility of people with motor disabilities as
they provide a method for them to move around independently or with the help of
an assistant.

The manual wheelchairs are widely used because of its availability and economic
factors even if it faces the limitation of accessing curbs and stairs. Some of the
advanced electronic wheelchairs having the climbing feature but those wheelchairs
are not affordable to common people and not suitable for daily usage in rough
terrains. Many assisting mechanisms have been developed to enable the manual
wheel chair to climb the curbs and having so many limitations and complexities.
There are some curb assistive mechanisms like powered curb climbers, track based
climbers, wheel cluster based and dual wheel cluster based stair or curb climbers
exists and various works published on these recent advances. Track based stair
climbers is one of the common one among these advances that facilitates
autonomous stair climbing and suitable to most outdoor and indoor usage.

The handicapped are forced to either stay at home, or ask for the constant assistance
of passers-by in order to climb or descend footpaths.

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1.1 WHEELCHAIR
1.1.1 HISTORY
The first records of wheeled seats being used for transporting disabled people date
to three centuries later in China; the Chinese used early wheelbarrows to move
people as well as heavy objects. A distinction between the two functions was not
made for another several hundred years, around 525 AD, when images of wheeled
chairs made specifically to carry people begin to occur in Chinese art.

Wheelchair is used by people who have difficulty in mobility. Generally people who
use are,
Lower limb disabled people
Patients at the hospitals
Elderly people.

1.1.2 TYPES OF WHEELCHAIR

There are many types of wheelchairs available in the market like manual or powered
wheelchair and the choice of wheelchair depends upon the physical and mental
ability of the user. General types of wheelchairs are,

1.1.2.1 Manual self-propelled wheelchair

A self-propelled manual wheelchair incorporates a frame, seat, one or two footplates
(footrests) and four wheels: usually two caster wheels at the front and two large
wheels at the back as seen in Figure 1.1. There will generally also be a separate seat
cushion. The larger rear wheels usually have push-rims of slightly smaller diameter
projecting just beyond the tyre; these allow the user to manoeuvre the chair by
pushing on them without requiring them to grasp the tyres.

Figure 1.1: Manual self-propelled wheelchair

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1.1.2.2 Manual attendant-propelled wheelchairs

An attendant-propelled wheelchair is generally similar to a self-propelled manual
wheelchair, but with small diameter wheels at both front and rear as seen in Figure
1.2. The chair is manoeuvred and controlled by a person standing at the rear and
pushing on handles incorporated into the frame. Braking is supplied directly by the
attendant who will usually also be provided with a foot- or hand-operated parking
brake.

Figure 1.2: Manual attendant-propelled wheelchair

1.1.2.3 Powered wheelchairs
An electric-powered wheelchair, commonly called a "power chair" is a wheelchair
which additionally incorporates batteries and electric motors into the frame and that
is controlled by either the user or an attendant, most commonly via a small joystick
mounted on the armrest, or on the upper rear of the frame as seen in Figure 1.3.

Figure 1.3: Powered wheelchair

1.1.2.4 Single-arm drive wheelchairs

One-arm or single arm drive enables a user to self-propel a manual wheelchair using
only a single arm as seen in Figure1.4. The large wheel on the same side as the arm
to be used is fitted with two concentric handrims, one of smaller diameter than the

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other. On most models the outer, smaller rim, is connected to the wheel on the
opposite side by an inner concentric axle. When both handrims are grasped together,
the chair may be propelled forward or backward in a straight line. When either
hand-rim is moved independently, only a single wheel is used and the chair will turn
left or right in response to the hand-rim.

Figure 1.4: Single arm drive wheelchair

1.2 STAIRS
A stairway, staircase, stairwell, flight of stairs, or simply stairs is a construction
designed to bridge a large vertical distance by dividing it into smaller vertical
distances, called steps. Stairs may be straight, round, or may consist of two or more
straight pieces connected at angles. The standard step terminologies are as shown in
the Figure 1.5.

1.2.1 STANDARD STAIR SIZE

Figure 1.5: Standard stair size

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The standard stair size is shown in fig1.5. The stairs are constructed in every
building based on,
The average foot size of an adult for tread length i.e., 25.4 cm.
The riser height is based on the way the foot comes while coming down the stairs,
the recommended height is 19.7 cm.

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CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE SURVEY
After conducting an intensive literature review, it was found that wheelchairs with
stair climbing capacities can be categorized into two types; the battery powered and
the manual powered. Although there are plenty of powered wheelchairs available in
the market place, there are limited scholarly reviews published on manual or battery
powered wheelchairs. Instead, patent certificates, wheelchair descriptions, and
operation manuals are available. Indeed, no peer reviewed literature was found for
manual wheelchairs. Some researchers have built scale models or full size
prototypes of their designs but little documentation has been published on this type
of wheelchairs.

2.1 MANUAL WHEELCHAIRS WITH STAIR-CLIMBING

CAPABILITIES
In 1962, Ernesto Blanco, while working at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT), designed a self-propelled stair-climbing wheelchair [1], but a full scale
prototype was never built. However, a small model of Blanco’s design was built to
showcase how his wheelchair would perform rolling in flat ground as well as how it
would climb and descend stairs. Fig. 2.1 shows a picture of Blanco’s wheelchair
model climbing a staircase. Although no peer reviewed literature was published on
Blanco’s wheelchair, the mechanism can be examined from the description given in
MIT’s website and picture of the model.

Figure 2.1 Ernesto Blanco's Wheelchair Climbing a Staircase [1]

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The spokes that extend outward away from the drive wheels are loaded with
springs. The spokes are spaced in such a way that, as the wheelchair rolls on flat
terrain; they are completely compressed inward, allowing the wheelchair to roll
entirely on its drive wheels. While climbing or descending a staircase, the spokes
project outward away from the drive wheels to engage the top edges of the steps.
Another manual stair-climbing wheelchair found is The Manuscale shown in Fig
2.2. Here, again, little literature has been published on this wheelchair, from which
the following observations are made. The Manuscale moves on the drive and
turning wheels as a typical manual wheelchair. Before climbing, the wheelchair is
backed in reverse just in front of the staircase. The user then pulls on a handle bar
which reclines the seat, drops the climbing sprockets to the floor, and lifts the drive
and turning wheels from the floor. In this position, the wheelchair drive wheels are
now connected to the climbing sprockets by a series of chains and drive sprockets,
such that, as the user pulls to turn the drive wheels, the chains drive the climbing
sprockets. As the sprockets move backward, they drop on the top of the first step
and lifts the wheelchair up. The user continues to pull on the drive wheels to
continue climbing the remaining steps.

Figure 2.2 Manuscale Wheelchair [2]

Although Manuscale is capable of climbing stairs, the climb is rather

uncomfortable. The climbing sprockets with only four spokes are spaced far apart
from each other and thus slam the user each time the sprocket turns 90 degrees.
Considering the number of turns needed to climb an average staircase, slamming the
user and chair every quarter of a turn is not desirable for the user or the wheelchair.

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2.2 POWER WHEELCHAIRS WITH STAIR-CLIMBING

CAPABILITIES
Power stair-climbing wheelchairs can be categorize in three types. The first type of
powered wheelchairs with stair-climbing capabilities uses wheels or clusters of
wheels to climb steps. The second type involves wheelchairs that use leg-like
members to climb one step at the time. The third type, involves wheelchairs that use
a rubber track or some type of crawler to climb. The following discussion centres on
research of products available in today’s marketplace as well as scholarly published
literature.

2.2.1 WHEELCHAIRS THAT USE WHEELS OR WHEEL

CLUSTERS TO CLIMB
The first type of wheelchairs use wheels or clusters of wheels to climb. Fig. 2.3
shows the TGR Scoiattolo 2000 Wheelchair [6]. This wheelchair is capable of
carrying a paraplegic person upstairs with the help of an assistant. An assistant
refers to an adult individual who assists the user (paraplegic user) to climb or
descend the staircase. The TRG Scoiattolo 2000 Wheelchair is equipped with a set
of batteries and motors used to ascend and descent stairs.

Figure 2.3 TGR Scoiattolo 2000 Wheelchair [3]

The Independence iBOT 4000 Mobility System is a wheelchair that utilizes clusters
of wheels to climb stairs as shown in figure 2.4 [4]. This system manufactured by
Independence Technology, a Johnson & Johnson Company, is a wheelchair that can

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assist paraplegic patients in moving on flat terrain as well as climbing steps without
the need of an assistant. The iBOT can maneuver flat terrain rolling on its four
wheels, a function intended to be used primarly in outdoor environments. In this
function, the iBOT is capable of moving through soft or unstable terrain such as
grass, gravel, dirt, and beach sand. In addition, when the wheelchair moves over a
curve or incline, the cluster rotates proportionally to maintain a level seat and
maximize the tipping over factor of safety as described in [4].

Figure 2.4 Independence iBOT 4000 Mobility System

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CHAPTER 3
METHODLOGY
3.1 DESCRIPTION
ANALYSIS OF WHEELCHAIR
CONSTRUCTION

CONSTRUCTION OVERVIEW

WEIGHT CONSIDERATION

CONSTRUCTION DIMENSION

WORKING PRINCIPLE

3.1.1. Analysis of wheelchair construction

Figure 3.1 Typical hand driven wheelchair with annotated components

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Before designing the system according to the requirements, it is imperative to

understand the basic construction and operation mechanism of wheelchairs. Most
wheelchairs have the same chassis. It consists of two large rear wheels mounted on
a metal frame, with two smaller front castor wheels below a foot rest. Wheelchairs
also typically have hand rims installed on the rear wheels, which allow the user to
drive the chair without external help. Handles are also provided at the back of the
chair in case an assistant is to help wheel the person. Fig. 3.1 indicates these
components on a typical wheelchair.

From the diagram, it is apparent that wheelchairs are complex mechanical machines,
and any solution that is designed must accommodate for the limited space available.
With most manual wheelchairs weighing between 15 and 18 kg, it is also essential
that the designed system be light weight in order to ensure that the wheelchair user
is not burdened by the extra weight of the system. To this end, it can be seen that
there are two major locations within the wheelchair chassis where a system can be
attached. The first location is along the armrests. Wheelchairs typically have the
armrests mounted a few centimeters above the hand rims, with the outer edge of the
armrest aligned with the inner edge of the rear wheels. As a result, there is space to
place an attachment parallel to arm rest above the wheel. The second potential
location lies below the undercarriage of the wheelchair. There is space to
accommodate a device below the seat, attached to the tipping levers (annotation 14
in Fig.3.1) or the crossbars (annotation 15). Placing the system here could allow for
usage of unutilized space, but the design would have to be carefully fitted in order
to ensure that there is no obstruction to the movement or functionality of the
wheelchair.

3.1.2. Construction Overview

The implementation suggested in this paper consists of a carry-on ramp attachment

that stays attached to wheelchairs and uses a mechanism (Fig. 2) to deploy an
inclined plane in front of the wheelchair, thus creating a sloped surface between the
road and the pavement. It consists of the following primary components.

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Organic Matrix Composites

Figure 3.2 Side view line diagram of proposed mechanism

Swivel Joints: Swivel joints allow for complete movement of control rods,
horizontally and vertically, along the connector rails. They also contain locking
mechanisms to allow control rods to remain locked when not used which is showed
in the Fig.3.3.

Figure 3.3 Swivel Mechanism

Figure 3.4 3D Render of Mechanism with arrows to indicate allowed movements

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Mini Ramps: The mechanism uses two ramps as inclined planes that facilitate
movement of the wheelchair from the ground to the footpath. During normal
operation, these ramps resemble footrests, and lie hidden below the wheelchairs
existing footrests. When the wheelchair user wishes to deploy the ramp, the control
rods (explained next) bring them to the ground level.

Control Rods: The control rods are long aluminium rods that are connected to the
mini ramps on one end and are free for the person to move at the other. They pass
diagonally through the swivel joint and are free to move horizontally along the
connector rails. The rods are held in one place by locks, but are free to slide
vertically during ramp deployment.

Connector Rails: Connector rails are attached the handle rails and act as the
movement surface for the control rods which are mounted on the swivel joints.
There is one connector rail on each side of the wheelchair.

3.1.3. Weight Considerations

The construction of the wheelchair attachment had to be such that the weight of the
wheelchair was increased by only a marginal amount, and yet the strength of the
structure was not compromised. Taking these requirements into account and
considering the usual material choices for wheelchairs, three materials were
narrowed down to: aluminium, steel and titanium.

Table 1 Densities of various materials considered for attachment

Material Density/ gcm-3 Tensile Yield/ MPa
6061-T6 Aluminium Alloy 2.70 276
Ti-6Al-4V Grade 5 Titanium Alloy 4.42 1100
High Strength Low Alloy Steel (HSLA) 7.90 300

All three materials are used in industrial applications for high load applications
(6061-T6Nand Ti-6A1-4V are used for aircrafts, while HSLA is commonly used in
heavy machinery). As can be seen, HSLA has a density far higher than both
Aluminium and Titanium, which a marginal difference in strength compared to

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6061-T6. When comparing 6061-T6 and Ti-6A1-4V, it is clear that the Titanium
alloy has a far greater Tensile Yield Strength, but it also has a higher density. Such a
high tensile strength is not needed for a wheelchair design, as the load carried by the
attachment is fairly small (typical weight of the wheelchair and the adult user is
about 800N). Therefore, looking at the high cost of Titanium relative to Aluminium,
it was decided to use Aluminium Alloy 6061-T6 for the construction of the
mechanism.

3.1.4. Construction Dimensions

According to the US Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) the design standards for
wheelchair prescribed
Wheelchair Width: 107cm
Armrest Height : 76cm (Above ground)
Handrails : 92cm

As per above standard Dimension mentioned by ADA the below dimension is Concluded for
Ramp Mechanism is.

Connector Rail:
Length: 110cm
Width: 5cm
Cavity: 3cm

Control Rod:
Length: 150cm
Diameter: 2cm

According to the Institute for Transport & Development Policy the footpath should have
Width: 1.8m
Height: 150mm
The Ramp should be considered,
Height: 10cm
Length: 100cm

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3.1.5. WORKING PRINCIPLE

Figure 3.5. WHEELCHAIR WITH RAMP ATTACHED

Figure 3.6. WHEELCHAIR CLIMBING ELEVATED SURFACE

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Figure 3.7. WHEELCHAIR CLIMBED THE FOOTHPATH OR ELEVATED SURFACE

The wheelchair attachment was designed such that the operation is intuitive and
easy for the wheelchair user. The following is the procedure to climb up a footpath
using the mechanical ramp attachment delineated in this paper:
The handicapped person arrives at a pavement they wish to climb`
1.They unlock the swivel joints (and therefore the control rods) by flipping
the plastic locks on each side open.
2. To deploy the ramp, they push the control rods and align the ramps with
the step.
3. They now roll the hind wheels of the wheelchair over the ramps and climb
onto the footpath. As they do so, the control rod slips back along the
connector rail
4. Once the wheelchair is completely on the footpath, they rotate the control
rods to flip the direction of the mini ramps. They then pull the rods back
to the front of the wheelchair, pulling the ramps along.
5. They adjust the rods until the ramps are flush under the foot rests. Then
they lock the swivel joints.
With these six steps, the wheelchair user can ascend and descend steps with ease.
The steps for this procedure can be seen in Figure.

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CHAPTER 4

4.1 ADVANTAGES AND APPLICATIONS

4.1.1 ADVANTAGES

 The wheelchair can be used to climb up or climb down the stairs.

 The wheelchair can climb stairs up to 7 inches in rise.
 The operation of the wheelchair is easy.
 The wheelchair is economical compared to the products in the existing
market.
 Remove the difficulty of disabled people to move around.

4.1.2 APPLICATIONS

 Hospitals and public places

 Institutions and office
 Industries
 Home

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CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSION
It proposed an economic way of improving the capabilities of manual wheelchair
that eliminates the difficulty of climbing over elevated surfaces. The design can be
implemented with less production cost and can be included to the existing designs.
This climbing aid need to be undergoing various field tests and analysis to
improvise the stability and durability.
The design of typical manual wheelchairs, and identified potential places where a
mechanical attachment could be added to allow independent movement of a
wheelchair on footpaths. Two locations were identified, and it was decided that the
safest location would be along the armrests of the wheelchair. Following this, a
basic line diagram was developed that illustrated the construction of the attachment
and explained the various components of the proposed mechanism. To aid in the
understanding of the modes of operation, a 3D model was also supplied.

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REFERENCES
[1] M. A. (2006, Oct. 01). Professor Ernesto Blanco: A Lesson in Creative
Engineering.Available:http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/professor_ernesto_blan

[2]Manuscale.(2013,Oct.01).’United Spinal' Techguide. Available:

http://www.usatechguide.org/itemreview.php?itemid=1612

[3] S. Sharma. (2012,Oct.01). Vardaan: stair climbing wheelchair. Available:

http://www.techpedia.in/award/project-detail/VARDAAN-A-Convertible-Manual-Stair-
Climbing-Wheelchair

[4] Fact Sheet on Wheelchairs. WHO, 2010, Fact Sheet on Wheelchairs,

www.searo.who.int/entity/disabilities_injury_rehabilitation/wheelchair_factsheet.pd

[5] Jindal, Sminu. “Mumbai is no city for disabled people.” Mid-day, 28 Jan. 2017.

[6] Dudgeon, Brian J, et al. “Wheelchair Selection.” Occupational Therapy for

Physical Dysfunction, 7th Ed, Jan. 2014, pp. 495–579.

[7] “How Much Does a Manual Wheelchair Weigh?” Karman Healthcare,

www.karmanhealthcare.com/how-much-does-a-manual-wheelchair-weigh/.

[8] “6061 Aluminum: Datasheet.” Gabrian, 12 Feb. 2019, www.gabrian.com/6061-

aluminumproperties/.

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