A novel wheelchair powered by dual rim motors

This paper introduces a new powered wheelchair driven by a pair of rim motors. Each rotor is formed by embedding magnets on the pushrim of traditional manual wheelchairs. Facing the rotor are two one-eighth sectors of stator teeth, allocated symmetrically about the axle. The evacuated arc space of the pushrim allows the driver to operate the wheelchair manually when the power is off. This wheelchair with directly driven wheels is also foldable and of portable weight if its components are designed in light modules. The rim motor, featuring a longer radius, is able to produce higher torque with less power than a hub motor of shorter radius. An optimal design procedure of the rim motor is elaborated, and a prototype wheelchair is demonstrated to be fuel economy and easy to operate. The experimental results also show that the driving range is superior to other commercial products of similar weight and battery power capacity.