2 IN LINE WHEELED VEHICLE FOR PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED

My name is Yash Dhake. I have just completed my second year of Mechanical Engineering from Pune University, Maharashtra, India. I am  19 years old.  The "2 in line wheeled vehicle for physically handicapped" was a part of the Mechfest 2k16, the annual technical fest of PCCOE, Pune. The main objective was to develop a mobility solution for physically handicapped people. The present product developed fulfills this requirement. Whenever a physically handicapped person has to travel for long distance, may be to a different city or to some other place where he has to be dependent on public modes of transport, then it becomes very tedious for such person to travel. So the vehicle developed serves the purpose of transportation of such people with utmost safety. A PATENT of this product is also filed by me. For proposing this concept in the competition Mechfest 2k16, I received a 1st prize at the hands of our Head Of Department, Mr.Sanjay Lakade. The Introductory video for this project is edited by Shubham Sanjay Shevade.  Need for development of solution: 1) According to the prior art it is observed that, currently around 10% of the total world’s population, or roughly 650 million people live with disability. About 23% of these individuals need some sort of specialized assistance or equipment to travel outside the home. According to 2015 Open Doors Organization study, adults with disabilities spend $17.3 billion annually on their travel. 2) Whenever a physically disabled person has to travel for a long distance, he just need to be dependent on his crutches. Moreover there is a problem of crowd when the person is travelling by means of public mode of transport. Such people have a downward inclination by most of the people of the society. So there is a need to develop a transportation solution for physically handicap people. Project Description:  1) This invention deals with proposing a 2 inline wheel vehicle which is Lithium ion battery operated. 2) The vehicle is designed for people with physical disabilities especially for those who have defects in their legs or who are single or double amputee. These people have to depend on their crutches (in some cases they don’t need crutches, but they have defects in their legs). So long distance transportation becomes difficult for these people.  3) The person can use a foldable crutch while he/she is not using the vehicle. A mobile application specially made for the vehicle will always be synced with it. When the user will come near the vehicle, he will press the open door button on his mobile phone. Thus, the rear door (part 1, figure 2) opens and the seat (figure 4) slides on the extension slot (part 2, figure 2) provided at the rear of the vehicle. 4) The seat rotates by 360 degree .While the seat (figure 4) rotates, the back of the seat, to which headrest (part 3, figure 4) is attached, tilts by a few degrees inward which is set according to the width of the cabin.  5) No sooner does the user sit on the seat, than the seat turns around and moves in the cabin and the door closes. The user can place the foldable crutches in the free space of the cabin. The user then will press the start button provided on the handle. The button itself serves the purpose of starting as well as stopping the vehicle.  6)Until now, the 2 in lined wheel vehicle was rested on 2 hydraulic pillars (part 3, figure 2) which gave it stability during standstill position and also when the user was sitting. Now the tyres come in contact with the ground until when the vehicle starts. The wide tyres (part 1, figure 1) ensure stability of the vehicle in dynamic conditions. The vehicle has alloy wheels (part 2, figure 1), due to which there is weight reduction.  7) Also the frame (part 3, figure 1) is made up of aluminum which reduces weight of the vehicle. The vehicle has a windshield made up of Carbon fibre. The vehicle is loaded with gyroscopic sensors which are located in the base unit (part 4, figure 1) of the vehicle. The base unit consists of a microcontroller, a battery, a motor, two pistons for the pillars and other electrical connections. The gyroscopic sensors are active since from when the tyres are in contact with the ground. Initially, the vehicle makes a certain angle with Y-axis. The microcontroller fitted in the base of the vehicle neglects this angle, allows the vehicle to stabilize and the fixes an angle for its reference. This reference angle is changed everytime when the vehicle is turned on. The range of the angles (both positive as well as negative) which the vehicle’s axis makes with the Y-axis is already fed to the microcontroller. This angle is calculated according to the maximum speed of the vehicle. If the speed of vehicle increases, obviously the angle also increases and hence the speed of the vehicle will be restricted only up to that limit. 8) The vehicle will be steered by a different type of steering wheel (part 1, figure 3). The design of the handle is inspired from the steering wheel used in commercial airplanes. The steering wheel has a button (part 3, figure 3) which serves the purpose of starting or stopping the vehicle. The steering wheel has a display (part 2, figure 3) which displays various parameters of the vehicle such as its speed, battery level, etc.  9) Also it has the buttons for audio controls (part 3, figure 3) on the palm rest. The vehicle is equipped with music system, so that the user can enjoy music while driving. The speakers (part 1, figure 4) are placed on the side of the seat.  10) When the user pulls the steering towards himself, the vehicle accelerates and when he pushes it away from him, it decelerates and eventually stops. For turning to his left or right, the user turns the steering wheel in either direction.  11) However to tackle the problem of experiencing a jerk due to sudden acceleration or deceleration, the concept of sliding seating system is introduced in the vehicle. As per the angle sensed by the sensor, the computer in base of the vehicle i.e. below the seat, if its positive 5 degree anticlockwise, i.e. the vehicle is leaning in the front, the microcontroller will send a command and slide the seat accordingly exactly in the reverse direction on the slot provided, thus balancing the vehicle and vice versa. The user will be attached to the seat with the help of a seat belt, and hence the sliding of the seat by a few centimeters won’t affect him/her. The seat gets locked when the vehicle is cruising.  12)Thus the vehicle will be controlled merely by hands only and has nothing to do with legs.