Invacare Corporation

Kesselbohmer Produktions Gmbh + Co., Kg

Invacare International Sarl

Thomas Strothmann

Joseph B Richey, Iii

Neal Joseph Curran

Theodore D Wakefield, Ii

Robert Bekoscke

Michael Köder

Thomas Tuckowski

Nirav Pandya

John Jindra

Theodore D Wakefield

Michael Buitmann

George H Waterman

Theodore D Wakefield Ii

Joseph B Ii Richey

Theodore D Wakefiled

George Waterman

Norbert Mesch

Theodore D Wakefiled Ii

A motor and brake assembly includes a mounting member. A stator winding assembly, a brake assembly, a hub, and a rotor magnet assembly. The stator winding assembly is mounted to the mounting member. The brake assembly is operably connected to the mounting member. The hub is rotatably coupled to the mounting member. The rotor magnet assembly is mounted to an inside of a radially outer wall of the hub. The brake assembly is operable to move a component of the brake assembly between an engaged position where the component engages the inside of the radially outer hub wall and a disengaged position where the component is spaced apart from the inside of the radially outer hub wall.

Electric motor and brake assembly

A respiratory system and method includes a filling unit for filling a portable bottle of respiratory gas and a conserver for mounting on such a bottle. A battery on the conserver may be recharged when the bottle is placed on the filing unit. The conserver may include electric timing circuitry operative to control the timing of pulsed flow of respiratory gas from the conserver, and an external electrical coupler to enable adjustment of the timing of the pulsed flow. The conserver may include at least one sensor operative to sense the reversal of flow between exhalation and inhalation, the conserver being operative to commence a respiratory gas delivery pulse in response to the sensing of the reversal of flow.

Electronic oxygen conserver and filling unit

A motorized wheelchair includes left and right drive wheels, left and right motors, rate-of-turn sensor, first and second speed sensors, and controller arranged to combine signals from the sensors in a manner that detects drift. Alternatively, the motorized wheelchair includes left and right drive wheels, left and right motors, first and second rate-of-turn sensors, and controller arranged to combine signals from the sensors in a manner that compensates for voltage offset errors. In another arrangement, the motorized wheelchair includes left and right drive wheels, left and right motors, first and second rate-of-turn sensors, input device, and controller arranged to combine signals from the sensors and input device in a manner that controls the motors using an integrated turn rate error. Several methods for controlling each wheelchair configuration are also provided. These methods process signals associated with desired, expected, or actual turn rate to determine if the wheelchair is off course.

Motorized wheelchair

Systems and methods for adjusting a desired pressure in a positive airway pressure (PAP) device are provided. In one embodiment, the method includes: a) providing breathing gas under positive pressure to a patient via a PAP device based on current desired pressure, b) monitoring a characteristic of the breathing gas, patient, or PAP device indicative of respiration, c) creating a breathing cycle signal having a first level associated with inhalation and a second level associated with exhalation, the signal being based on the monitored respiration characteristic, d) performing an abnormal breathing check based on the monitored respiration characteristic and the breathing cycle signal, and e) if abnormal breathing is detected, increasing the current desired pressure until a maximum desired pressure is reached, otherwise, decreasing the current desired pressure until a minimum desired pressure is reached. Several embodiments of an apparatus associated with the method are also provided.

Method and apparatus for adjusting desired pressure in positive airway pressure devices

This invention relates to a device and a method for recognizing collision of automatically moveable parts of furniture with obstacles by detecting a change in bend or a change in acceleration. This is carried out by a device for recognizing collisions of automatically moveable parts of furniture with obstacles, comprising a piece of furniture with at least one moveable part (), wherein this part is a adapted to be moved relatively to the rest of the furniture in a non-manual manner, an automatic driving mechanism adapted to move the moveable part, a controller adapted to control the automatic driving mechanism, and a sensor () adapted to detect a collision with an obstacle during the movement of the moveable part and to transmit the collision to the controller, wherein the sensor is adapted to detect a change in bend or a change in acceleration of the moveable part.

Device and method for detection of collisions in furniture

A multi pole electrical machine includes an armature and a stator. The armature is movable in a direction of armature motion with regard to said stator and includes armature pole pairs. These armature pole pairs follow each other in the direction of armature motion. Each armature pole pair corresponds to one magnetic period. The stator includes a differing fixed number of stator poles per armature pole pair to reduce a cogging force of the electrical machine. An arrangement of the stator poles, with regard to both electrical and magnetic aspects, includes at least two identical sub-arrangements of stator poles. These sub-arrangements of stator poles follow each other in the direction of armature motion. Each of the sub-arrangements of stator poles is associated with one or more armature pole pairs and includes more than three of stator poles.

Multi pole electrical machine with reduced cogging force

A system and method of controlling a multi-wheel drive vehicle is provided. The invention is preferably applicable to the steering of such a vehicle and determines the individual velocities for each wheel drive. In this regard, the invention includes two general steps. The first step includes determining the distance of each wheel drive and a vehicle velocity reference point from a turning reference point. The second step includes ratioing each wheel drive's distance from the turning reference point with the vehicle velocity reference point's distance from the turning reference point. The ratios are then applied to a vehicle velocity associated with the vehicle velocity reference point to determine the velocity of each respective wheel drive. Once determined, the velocities are output to each wheel drive.

System and method for steering a multi-wheel drive vehicle

A drive motor assembly for a power driven wheelchair comprises: a stator housing for containing field coils of a stator of the motor assembly; at least one sensor disposed in the stator housing for sensing rotation of the motor; a memory storing motor error parameter data including data of errors of the at least one sensor, the memory being embedded in the stator housing; and a connection for accessing the error parameter data of the memory from the stator housing. The motor error parameter data may be accessed from the embedded memory of the drive motor by a programmed motor controller for use in controlling the drive motor. Also, the motor error parameter data may be embedded in the drive motor by the steps of: controlling the motor through at least one predetermined drive pattern; sensing motor rotation during the drive pattern and generating signals representative thereof; deriving error parameter data of the drive motor from the generated signals; programming a memory with the derived error parameter data; and embedding the memory in the drive motor.

Method and apparatus for embedding motor error parameter data in a drive motor of a power driven wheelchair

An electric motor drive controller for an electric vehicle driven by a motor with permanent excitation and powered by an energy source comprises: a power control stage coupleable to the motor for generating a drive signal at a voltage to control the motor at a desired speed; a voltage control circuit connectable between the energy source and the power control stage for controlling the voltage of the drive signal at a first voltage potential in one operating mode and at a voltage potential greater than the first voltage potential in another operating mode; and a mode controller for controlling the operating modes of the voltage control circuit based on properties of the drive signal.

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Wallenhorst, Germany

Thomas Strothmann