WO2019106441A1

WO2019106441A1 - Intelligent installment plan infrastructure for electric/powered wheelchair's controller

Info

Publication number: WO2019106441A1
Application number: PCT/IB2018/050596
Authority: WO
Inventors: Seyyed Vahid HASHEMI NAJAFABADI; Mahdi HABIBI; Hamid SHAKERISARI
Original assignee: Hashemi Najafabadi Seyyed Vahid; Habibi Mahdi; Shakerisari Hamid
Priority date: 2017-12-02
Filing date: 2018-01-31
Publication date: 2019-06-06

Abstract

The technology includes an intelligent mechanism inside the drive and control system of various electric wheelchairs, for identification of user consumption pattern, and management of the credit consumption. In the other words, the controller asks the user to enter activation codes frequently proportional to the usage pattern. If the activation is successful, the user can continue to use the system. The control system provides installment plan infrastructure without need for conventional bank guarantee to ensure payment of installments. In fact, the technology itself is the guarantee for the payment of installments by the customers. In case the customer has paid the installments completely duly, the seller or producer will provide a limited activation code which enables the use of powered wheelchair until the next payment. This process continues long enough for the installments to be finished. Afterwards, the seller provides an unlimited activation code which makes the device permanently usable.

Description

Intelligent Installment Plan Infrastructure for Electric/Powered Wheelchair’s Controller

The technical field of this invention is related to powered wheelchair’s controller and financial technology.

To remove the mentioned problem, no practicable solution using the controlling systems of electric wheelchairs is provided. Some of the sellers limitedly use the guarantee reception method to ensure the remittance of installments, so only the purchasers who can prepare the required guarantee are able to buy the device in installments.

1- General System

The technology includes an intelligent mechanism inside the drive and control system of various electric wheelchairs, for identification of user consumption pattern, and management of the credit consumption. In the other words, the controller asks the user to enter activation codes frequently proportional to the usage pattern. If the activation is successful, the user can continue to use the system. The control system provides installment plan infrastructure without need for conventional bank guarantee to ensure payment of installments.

In fact, the technology itself is the guarantee for the payment of installments by the customers. In case the customer has paid the installments completely duly, the seller or producer will provide a limited activation code which enables the use of powered wheelchair until the next payment.

There is a great number of handicap people all over the world, who essentially need assistive technologies, from simple powered wheelchairs to Hi-Tech intelligent wheelchairs. However, many customers, especially in developing countries, have limited access to these facilities due to lack of financial resources.

Due the high prices of powered wheelchairs, paying the products off in installment is the most favorable financial option to consumers. But, in many cases a valid and credible guarantee may not be offered to the seller or most of the buyers might not be able to provide the desirable guarantee for their purchase in installments. This has led to sellers being reluctant, due to the risk that the clients do not pay their debts, and the potential additional costs and time to get their money from the clients.

Therefore, a method by which the payment of installments is ensured for the sellers and the need for using conventional bank guarantees by the customer is eliminated will be highly welcomed by both parties.

This process continues long enough for the installments to be finished. Afterwards, the seller delivers the customer an unlimited activation code which makes the device permanently usable. As such, the installment sale of this product is simplified in the many countries where the payment system of the customers encounters several weaknesses and problems.

The system warns the user before the due time for activation code approaches. In case the user does not enter the required code in due time, the controller inhibits driving until the relevant code is entered. This sub-system can be defined inside the hardware and software of the wheelchair controller, which makes a new generation of controllers for various assistive devices from generic to intelligent stair climbing powered wheelchairs, and is responsible for a part of the higher control level. It means the designer of wheelchair controller is able to create the installment plan infrastructure by the help of this intelligent sub-system, in case the minimum required features of the controller are provided as below:

- A display to show the activation codes and a way for the user to enter the codes

The activation codes include the numbers, as many as required for the payment of installments, planned into the central processor of the wheelchair controller by the manufacturer. The codes of every device are distinct and impossible to be decoded. The controller system stops working in case wrong codes are repeatedly entered after related warnings.

Based on this technology, the possibility for different set up as desired by the consumer is provided. In other words, in addition to the activation codes for installments management, some special capabilities and advanced control and navigation settings such as selecting the sensitivity level of joystick lever, adjusting the drive acceleration level from smooth to sharp drive, activating or deactivating audible alarm for backward driving and so on can be offered by entering related activation codes, so that the users can easily adjust the desired navigation settings without need for external programmers or referring to service centers.

It must be noted that a wheelchair controller is composed of an electronic module to be installed on the powered wheelchair to drive its motors. It is an interface between the user and wheelchair and usually has a navigation lever called Joystick and often has several keys or input volumes for the general or partial settings of the system.

2- Intelligent identification of usage pattern

The controller must demand the activation codes during approximately each month to ensure payments of installments. Therefore, it is very important to intelligently identify the user consumption pattern.

For instance, the user who lives on the wheelchair and commutes from home to work uses the wheelchair 5 hours a day which makes roughly 150 hours a month, however, the user living on the bed and using the wheelchair only for limited domestic routines might use the wheelchair 1 hour a day which is just 30 hours a month.

Consequently the controller must inspect the real parameters of the user consumption to estimate and frequently update the calculated consumption pattern, so that it can present related messages approximately monthly, to the user.

The frequently notification and activation can be realized in two ways. First, the monthly activation code can be received by adding a back-up battery to the controller and register the date and time. However, this method is not appropriate because it can be damaged or decoded. Meanwhile, the back-up battery might break down or deliberately taken out to cause disorders in the time estimation or not to receive the activation code on time.

The other method applied in this invention is based on the identification of user consumption pattern. This way of notification and activation, stands alone without need for any kind of batteries since they might create disturbance in the calculation of the time to request for the activation codes. Although, this method can be used beside the back-up battery or main battery of the wheelchair and reduce the possibility of disorders of the first way relying on battery existence.

In this method, regarding the various parameters, the user consumption pattern of the electric wheelchair can be estimated within periods of the usage, and the activation codes can be demanded with a good approximation in proportion to the due time for monthly installments. These parameters include the cases that are almost used by all of the users and it has a few exceptions in order to reduce the level of risk and estimation mistakes as much as possible.

1-2) The First Parameter

One of the most significant parameters required in this method is "The average time of driving at each interval the controller is ON". The user which uses the electric wheelchair for a long time (such as the commuter), is averagely on the move for a long time whenever the wheelchair is ON while the user living on the bed uses the wheelchair for a short while.

Therefore, the average time for electric wheelchair driving is considered a key parameter in the identification of usage pattern.

2-2) Second Parameter

The second important parameter is "The average time that the system is standby"; it means, the average time that the user uses the wheelchair but neither drives it nor turns it OFF. This parameter indicates that the user aims to reuse the device and is probably sitting on it but is busy doing sedentary activities.

The users who live dominantly on the powered wheelchair but do not work nor have long commutes, use the wheelchair daily whereas their average driving period is not high at the intervals the controller is ON. As a result, the above parameter is determinative for identifying and separating this group of users from the ones not living on the wheelchair while the average driving of the wheelchair for these two groups of users is almost the same.

For example, a user uses the wheelchair daily and the average time of driving during a week at each driving period is 20 minutes. Another user uses the wheelchair at irregular intervals only for entertainment and getting a fresh air. He/she might not use the wheelchair at all for a week but its average driving period takes 20 minutes. These two users are different from each other only in one parameter and that is the length of time that the first user is sitting still on the wheelchair without driving, while the controller is ON and the second user turns OFF the controller during the week and does not use it.

It must be noted that during the calculation of the second parameter, the charging periods of the wheelchair battery must not be considered for the time estimation of this parameter in order to minimize the estimation mistakes. Because some of the users may keep the controller ON and some other might turn it OFF during charging.

3-2) Combination of parameters and determining the credible equation

Generally, an equation using two main parameters of usage pattern must be applied through which the usage pattern is identified and the "Credit time" prior to the due time for requesting the activation code, is frequently renewed and updated.

"Credit time" means the allowed period of "Time for using the device" after which the controller requests activation code. "Time for using the device" can include the time of driving or the time the device is ON either driving or standby.

In general, to employ these two parameters, the two following methods can be used:

First method:

A Real-Time equation can be developed to update the length of credit time each time the controller turns ON and OFF and the momentary parameters are identified. However, since every user might, in some cases, act out of their usual consumption pattern, this method has a plenty of problems and complications and it might have several mistakes in the accurate estimation of consumption pattern, therefore it is not an efficient method.

Second method:

The other method is to estimate the parameters in the regular and certain periods of using the device (for instance once in 10 hours of driving) and update the length of credit time. This method is both simple and highly efficient. This frequently period is called "Period for updating credit".

Based on the second method, since the period for estimating the parameters is stable and repetitive, the first parameter "average time of driving at each interval the controller is ON" has an inverse relationship with the frequency of the times that controller is ON at the total period of time. It means this parameter is equal to the inverse frequency of system Turn-On. Also, the second parameter "The average time that the system is standby", has a direct relationship with and is equal to the total hours the system is ON (at the standby mode) during the updating period. We call this parameter as "OFF-Used-Hour" per period.

According to the points mentioned above, in this method "updating and renewing credit time" means that identification of usage pattern in this period is performed after the end of each "credit updating period" (for example each 10-hour driving of the device). As the credit time during this period is reduced, extra credit is added to the remaining credit time in case the user has a high usage of the device. This added time must be less than the spent time (10 hours in the above example) in order not to cause infinity of credit time at any mode. Moreover, the operation of updating and adding to the credit must be stopped from the minimum of credit time or less than that to properly and duly inform the user according to the pass of driving time and the ending process of credit deadline. For instance, the estimation of consumption pattern and updating credit time continue until 10 hours before the credit deadline, and then the user is informed, as the credit is decreasing. This time is called "Minimum Credit Time".

However, to determine the coefficients of credit equation as well as the best weight for each of the parameters in the equations, it is better to identify the usage patterns of various users and select the coefficient and weight of each parameter through census and reviewing the different cases of users.

To clarify the points mentioned above, we will consider one operational example for selecting the parameters:

For instance, it can be determined that "Credit updating period" equals to 10 hours of device driving and "Minimum credit time" is 10 hours remaining to the end of credit.

In other words, in the above example, after each 10-hour interval of wheelchair driving which automatically reduces 10 hours of the credit time, if the usage pattern of a "high consuming user" is achieved within this period, extra credit is granted to the user up to 9 hours depending on the level of usage. Therefore, for a very high consuming user, after 10 hours of driving, only one hour is reduced from his/her credit time. On the opposite side, the very low consuming user, after 10 hours of driving, regularly 10 hours is reduced from his/her credit time and the users between these two extremes obtain new credit proportional to their usage pattern.

Fig.1

System diagram 1 and 2

Fig.2

System diagram 3

Fig.3

System flowchart

In the example above, in case the assumed "credit time" after entering each activation code is considered 32 hours, then according to diagram 1, , Figure 1 a very low consuming user can only drive for 32 hours after entering the activation code at each time.

In Diagram 1, Figure 1 the credit time for very low consuming users according to the real usage time of the electric wheelchair is shown.

While in the above example with the same credit equation, a very high consuming user can drive up to 140 hours at each interval by entering the activation code. This is illustrated in diagram 2, Figure 1 (Length of credit time for very high consuming user, according to the real usage time of the electric wheelchair).

In case we want to observe the method of estimating and updating credit time at every 10 hours and compare the very low and very high consuming users, diagram 3 is achieved in Figure 2 (comparative diagram for estimating and updating the credit time for very low and very high consuming users).

In determining a final credit equation as an example equation for this goal (according to the conducted cases), we can act as following at the end of each "Credit Updating Period":

New_Credit_Hours=

{

(25/Turn_ON_Numbers_Per_Period) +

(OFF_Used_Hours/10) +

Remained_Credit_Hours

} Per each Period

In this equation:

Period: Credit updating period = 8 Hours of driving

New_Credit_Hours: New estimated credit time

Remained_Credit_Hours: remained previous credit hours before the end of this period

Turn_ON_Number_Per_Period: Turn ON number of device during the period

OFF_Used_Hours: the number of hours the device is ON while the device is stable/standby during the period

The time of period in this equation is considered 8 hours and according to this period, 25 coefficient, is the suitable sample for estimating the first parameter which is "average time of driving at each controller turn ON" within the last 8 hours and it can be different for the society of consumers.

In this equation it is important that the extra credit (added time) must be less than the period (8 hours in this example).

Meanwhile, in the estimation of the first parameter, the number of consecutive and entertaining turn ON and OFF (without significant driving) which sometimes is done by the users, must be ignored and only the time when the powered wheelchair is driven for at least several seconds must be considered. In the statistical case, it seems that the most suitable time for recognizing the real and functional turn ON and OFF the wheelchair is a threshold between 10 to 30 seconds of driving.

Moreover, the accumulated OFF_Used_Hours must be turned to zero when a new activation code is being applied for the new installment and new credit time.

An example of the general flowchart of this innovative subsystem’s function for instalment plan infrastructure and the applying the limited and unlimited credits, can be considered as below. This flowchart is a simplified example and can be implemented in a wide range and types of hardware of wheelchair controllers in Figure 3.

Claims

The Invention is a solution using the controller of electric/powered wheelchairs to provide an installment plan infrastructure for electric/powered wheelchairs and assistive devices markets.
According to claim 1: Intelligent Installment Plan Infrastructure for Electric / Powered Wheelchair’s Controller comprising: a – Software; b- Hardware
According to claim 2:This sub-system can be defined inside the hardware and software of the controllers of various electric wheelchairs from generic to intelligent stair climbing powered wheelchairs, and is responsible for a part of the higher control level.
According to claim 3: Wheelchair controller is composed of an electronic module to be installed on the powered wheelchair to drive its motors and other applied actuators.
According to claim 3: This intelligent mechanism can be used for identification of user consumption pattern, and management of the credit consumption.
According to claim 5: The controller asks the user to enter activation codes frequently proportional to the usage pattern and if the activation is successful, the user can continue to use the system.
According to claim 6: The controller provides installment plan infrastructure without essential need for conventional bank guarantee to ensure payment of installments.
According to claim 7: If the customer has paid the installments completely duly, the seller or producer will provide a limited activation code which enables the use of powered wheelchair until the next payment.
According to claim 8: When the installments finished, the seller delivers the customer an unlimited activation code, which makes the device permanently usable.
According to claim 7: The system warns the user before the due time for activation code approaches.
According to claim 10: In case the user does not enter the required code in due time, the controller inhibits driving until the relevant code is entered.
According to claim 6: The activation codes include the numbers, as many as required for the payment of installments, planned into the controller by the manufacturer.
According to claim 12: The controller stops working in case wrong codes are repeatedly entered after related warnings.
According to claim 12: The designer of wheelchair controller is able to create the installment plan infrastructure by the help of this intelligent sub-system, in case the minimum required features of the controller are provided.
According to claim 14: The minimum required features are included: a display to show the activation codes and a way for the user to enter the codes.
According to claim 6: This way of notification and activation, stands alone without need for any kind of (backup) batteries.
According to claim 16: This method can also be used beside the back-up battery or main battery of the wheelchair to reduce the possibility of disorders and miscalculation of different ways relying on battery existence.
According to claim 6: The controller calculates the consumption pattern in specific periods of the usage.
According to claim 18: The controller inspects the real parameters of the user consumption to estimate and frequently update the calculated consumption pattern, so that it can present related messages approximately monthly, in proportion to the due time for monthly installments.
According to claim 19: These parameters include the cases that are almost used by all of the users and it has a few exceptions in order to reduce the level of risk and estimation mistakes as much as possible.
According to claim 20: The parameters comprising: a- The average time of driving at each interval the controller is ON; b- The average time that the system is standby
According to claim 21: an equation using two main parameters of usage pattern must be applied through which the usage pattern is identified and the "Credit time" prior to the due time for requesting the activation code, is frequently renewed and updated.
According to claim 22: The general flowchart of this function for instalment plan infrastructure and the applying the limited and unlimited credits, can be considered in Figure 3.
According to claim 12: Based on this technology, in addition to the activation codes for installments management, some special capabilities and advanced control and navigation settings, can be offered by entering related activation codes, so that the users can easily adjust the desired navigation settings without need for external programmers or referring to service centers.
According to claim 24: Different activation codes can be used for selecting the sensitivity level of joystick lever, adjusting the drive acceleration level from smooth to sharp drive, activating or deactivating audible alarm for backward driving and so on.