Re: Automatic Wheelchair Turntable

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Robert L Bass" <robertlbass@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:sKidnbHSFqcynKPeRVn-rw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Robert,
>
> I'm wondering how mobile your Dad is within the van once the chair is
> inside.  Can he exit the chair, take a side step or two and then sit or
does
> he need to slide from scooter seat to car seat?
>
> The reason I ask is that it may be easier to secure the scooter to the
ramp
> mechanism than to the floor.

That wouldn't be a good idea based on the way the ramp operates and folds.
We're going to get a mating pin for the EZ-lock installed on the scooter and
move the EZ-lock from its current position on the passenger side seat floor
to the area where the scooter travels now, amidships.  The problem now is
that backing up into the van is made considerably more complicated because
Dad has to position the scooter to mate with the EZ-lock device.  I would
probably have to get two mating pins installed - one on the front and one on
the back of the scooter - to enable him to enter either way.

It's beginning to look like the only way certain way to proceed is to put
another ramp or a lift on the door opposite the entry door.  That's going to
be expensive because it involves both installing a folding ramp and a power
unit for the sliding door.

The turntable idea is just about dead because of all the issues that it
raises, especially concerning securing the scooter.  I'd have to mount the
EZ-lock to the turntable (with wiring) and then figure out how to secure the
table to the van floor while in motion.  <sigh>

When parked sideways, using its own internal locking mechanism, it takes an
awful lot of force to move the scooter.  While I don't believe that any
amount of forceful braking would cause significant movement, a front-end
collision certainly could.  That means the scooter has to be locked down
somehow.  The securing straps are too difficult for Dad to use, but I am
reluctant to remove them because there might come a time when the situation
changes and he's no longer a driver but a passenger.

I'm not as worried about the scooter becoming a missile since watching a
recent episode of "Myth Busters" on the Discovery Channel.  They did an
entire show on what types of objects could become lethal missiles in a high
speed crash.

The EZ-lock is probably only going to be useful if he goes in front-first
unless I am able to design a guidance system that can be accurate to within
an inch or two.  I appreciate your offer of material at cost but I've got
more than enough stuff in the junkbox to build something like this.  What I
don't have is the time.  Another option might be to install guide bars on
the floor similar to those found in automatic carwashes where it's important
to line the vehicle up exactly.

--
Bobby G.