Operators Manual. Customized Tilt-in-Space Wheelchair for Abby Miller. By: Katie Guineau, Julia Olczyk, Ben Marcus Team 11

Transcription

1 Operators Manual Customized Tilt-in-Space Wheelchair for Abby Miller By: Katie Guineau, Julia Olczyk, Ben Marcus Team 11 Abby Miller and the Miller Family Clinton, Illinois (217)

2 Safety Instructions Please make sure to read through all safety instructions prior to using this wheelchair. If you fail to follow the safety guidelines a tip-over, fall or loss of control may occur and cause serious injury to the user and operator of the chair. Adults or authorized persons are responsible for operation and propulsion of the chair. Adult supervision is required when the wheelchair is in use to reduce the risk of injury Take time to become familiar with the chair controls before using it This product is intended for indoor and outdoor use on paved and gravel surfaces. Off-road use is prohibited The wheelchair is intended for users under 150lb and under 5 5 in height, if a user does not fit comfortably they should not try to use the wheelchair. All safety harnesses and belts must be fastened when sitting in the chair When tilting the chair do not exceed an angle beyond the strength and comfort of the operator and user. When getting on a sidewalk use curb cuts or driveways as a means of entry, attempting to go over a curb can cause the wheelchair to tip if not handled correctly. Do not use this chair on stairs Exercise extreme caution when operating the wheelchair in crowded areas as to not cause harm to others. Keep hands and fingers clear of the wheels as they can get caught in the spokes and cause injury Make sure to do a safety check prior to uses to make sure the wheelchair is in proper working order. Do not use this chair UNLESS you are sure that both quick-release rear axles are locked. An unlocked axle may come off during use and cause a fall

3 An axle is not locked until the quick-release button pops out fully. An unlocked axle may come off during use, resulting in a fall, tip-over or loss of control and cause severe injury to the rider or others. Tilt Safety o Always verify that the arms of the rider are stable on the armrests or within the armrests. o Always verify that the legs of the rider are stable on the footrest/leg rest. o Never place hands, feet or foreign objects into the tilt mechanism. o Never push or propel the chair with the seat tilted in a forward position. o Never add chair accessories that are not specifically designed for the IRIS. o Never exceed a tilted position that aligns the backrest parallel to the ground

4 Parts and Accessories Wheelchair Front View - 3 -

5 Side View Rear View - 4 -

6 Casters and Front Wheels Tires and Rims - 5 -

7 Foot Rest Seat Back - 6 -

8 Seat Back + Padding Hand Pump - 7 -

9 Seat Plate Seat Base Padding - 8 -

10 Armrests Headrest - 9 -

11 Brakes Tilt-in-space Chassis

12 Rear Handlebars Harness and Seatbelt

13 Cup Holders

14 Features Uniform footplate Adjustable Bladders X-Strap restraint Airplane Lap Belt Adjustable Headrest Additional Padding Wedged Seat Base Solid Urethane Tires Quick Release Rims

15 Table of Contents Custom Tilt-in-Space Wheelchair Important Safety Information. 1 Parts and Accessories 3 Features 13 Table of Contents Introduction 1.1. General Overview How to use the Wheelchair Maintenance Technical Description 3.1. Seat Plate, Footplate Seat Cushion Wheels and Tires Armrests Harness and Seatbelt,, Seat Back.. 23 Troubleshooting

16 1 Introduction 1.1 Basic overview of the wheelchair A customized, more comfortable tilt-in-space wheelchair was designed for Abby Miller, a 17-year-old female with cerebral palsy. Her current Quickie wheelchair does not offer her the comfort or features that she needs for support or safety. Her family expressed many new modifications that they would like to her wheelchair and her father, Scott, has previously attempted to adjust the chair himself with little success. The custom chair that was built for Abby was based off a Quickie tilt-in-space frame custom modified to address the issues that the family has with her current chair. This chair has added safety features and more versatile use than her current chair. The entire wheelchair frame was widened to accommodate Abby better. The seat back is customized with inflatable bladders that are fully adjustable to fit Abby s ever-changing body. A uniform footrest was fabricated to allow for more safety and piece of mind for her parents when pushing her. With the modifications made to the donated wheelchair a safer more comfortable chair was developed and produced for Abby and her family. 1.2 Step by step instructions on how to use it When using the wheelchair make sure to fasten all harnesses and belts to prevent injury during use Make sure the chair rolls easily and that all parts work smoothly. Check for noise, vibration, or a change in ease of use. (They may indicate, loose fasteners or damage to your chair). Repair any problem. Your authorized supplier can help you find and correct the problem

17 Check to see that both quick-release rear axles are locked. When locked, the axle button will pop out fully. If not locked, the wheel may come off and cause you to fall. To tilt the chair back: o Depressing both triggers at the same time disengages the locking mechanism and allows the seat and back to rotate in space. Releasing the triggers positively locks the rockers in place. o The approximate degree of tilt the seat is at can be seen on the tilt indicator o To lock out the tilting function, insert the lock- ing pin into the trigger holder. To engage the breaks, press the break lever forward for each tire until the tires are restricted from movement To adjust the back support, depress the pumps located at the rear of the chair until the desired support is achieved, to deflate the bladders turn the valve to release air from the bladders 2 Maintenance Regular cleaning of the chair is required for proper functioning of the tilt-inspace mechanism The wheelchair is to be checked periodically for safety Axles & Axle Sleeves: o Check axles and axle sleeves every six months to make sure they are tight. Loose sleeves will damage the axle plate and will affect performance. CLEANING o Paint Finish o Clean the painted surfaces with mild soap at least once a month. o Protect the paint with a coat of non-abrasive auto wax every three months. Axles and Moving Parts o Clean around axles and moving parts WEEKLY with a slightly damp (not

18 wet) cloth. o Wipe off or blow away any fluff, dust or dirt on axles or moving parts. o NOTE You do not need to grease or oil the chair. STORAGE TIPS o Store your chair in a clean, dry area. If you fail to do so, parts may rust or corrode. o Before using your chair, make sure it is in proper working order. Inspect and service all items on the Maintenance Chart

19 Technical Description Seat Plate The seat plate is made to the same dimensions as the original chair, with the exception of the width. The original chair had to be widened by a total of 4 inches to accommodate for Abbey's dimensions. The same mounting hole locations were used in order to save an reuse the original hardware. The seat plate was precision milled on a computerized milling machine. This allowed for the mounting holes and width to be spot on, and have it easily mounted on the chair. It is made from an aluminum alloy and is powder coated with a wrinkle black surface which will provide grip for the velcro that the seat cushion attaches to

20 Foot Plate The foot plate has a unique design in that it is a single foot rest, unlike the conventional dual footrest. This will prevent the Abby's feet from falling in between the footrests. It is modeled on the conventional footrest and has the same mounting holes and adjustability. It is made from the same aluminum as the foot plate, and has the same wrinkle back powder coat finish to give some extra grip. It is attached to the original mounting hardware, which allows for customization of the height and the angle

21 Seat Cushion The seat cushion is a 17 inch wide wedge cushion. The wedge will help keep Abby sitting in her chair better. The cover to the cushion has velcro sewed on the bottom to attach it to the seat plate and prevent it from moving when Abbey gets in and out of the chair. Wheels and Tires The wheels are a universal Quickie 24 inch wheel with their unique quick release axle which allows for a quick change or removal for transportation. The tires are a solid urethane tubeless tire. This type of tire lasts longer and can run smoother

22 Armrests The armrest mechanism is universal quickie adjustable armrest. It attaches to the frame of the wheelchair using its clamp design, which can conform to fit a variety of different size tubing. The armrest is also height adjustable by pulling the tab under the armrest pad. The whole assembly can also be removed from the clamp on the frame by pulling the trigger on the vertical bar and pulling the armrest out. New

23 and longer armrest pads were used on these assemblies and can also be adjusted forward and back by altering some screws on the underside. Strap and Seatbelt An x strap made of neoprene is used for its comfort and flexibility. DOT approved motorcycle helmet clips are used on the strap. The clips are very strong utilizing a metal clip encased in a nylon case. They are very easy to use and have convenient tabs to release the clip. the strap is attached to the back of the wheelchair using special brackets. The seatbelt used is an airplane style seatbelt with the lift to release clip. This metal clip is very sturdy and very easy to operate and adjust. The

24 belt is also padded for comfort. The seatbelt is wrapped around the base of each of the handlebars, using a simple nut and bolt to hold it in place. Seat Back The seat back is a Jay J2 back. It has curvature to help it to keep Abbey in her chair. Since this back was not intended for a Quickie wheelchair, some modification to the mounting brackets had to be done. The top brackets were not wide enough so

25 longer screws and washers were used to extend each bracket out about 3/4 inches. This bracket allows for a quick release option, by pushing down on the tab attached to the tubing on the vertical handlebars. The bottom brackets original to the back could not be used, so the original quickie brackets were modified and a spacer was placed between the back and the bracket. A nut and bolt hold the whole thing together. The padding for the back was also modified to add comfort. A 2 inch memory foam

26 pad was added on top of the thin original pad. It does not need to be physically attached to the original padding because the slip on cover keeps the whole thing together, and it also allows for Abby's parents to reposition the pad in case it becomes shifted over time. Another feature unique to this wheelchair back is the two inflatable bladders that are located between the original pad and the memory foam pad on both the left and right sides of the back. Holes were cut in the original pad to allow for the tubes to be routed out the back. The pumps are attached to the back via velcor and are easily accessible to the person pushing the wheelchair. The pumps acts like a blood pressure pump and has a screw release valve to let air out of the bladder

27 Troubleshooting Tilt In Space If the tilt in space mechanism starts to not be as fluid as normal, the pulley lines might be loose and not working properly. There are some nuts on the handles and the base where the tilting occurs. These can be tightened or loosed, just like bicycle brakes, until the mechanism works properly. Seat Back If the seatback cushioning ever becomes lumpy or shifted, it can easily be fixed. It can easily be removed by pulling it off the two pumps from the hoses and the back because it is held on by velcro. Once removed, there is a zipper on the lower back of the back cover. Unzip the cover and use your hands to move the foam padding into the desired location. Once finished the user can zip the cover up and reattach it to the back on the chair. While putting the back on make sure to thread the tubes through the holes and reattach the two pumps. Footrest If the footrest becomes too low or the angle is change due to excessive use, there are a few screws that can be loosened and then retightened to achieve the desired height and angle. Set screws are located on the inside and outside of the purple part of the footrest. These change the height of the entire assembly. The bolts on the outside of the mounting plate can change the angle at which the footrest sits