Deployable Vehicle Interface Mechanism (DVIM)

The U.S. Department of Transportation is dedicated to improving access and equity in transportation for all Americans. Wheelchair users experience significant costs and barriers to safe transportation in private and public vehicles. Vehicle wheelchair restraints need to provide secure connection of the wheelchair into the vehicle and survive potential crash loads. Existing wheelchair mounts are unique to the particular vendor, and cannot be interchanged. They often project downward or backward, limiting ground clearance or interfering with assistants who might help push the wheelchair. The DOT needs a mount that is lightweight, strong, and stows out of the way when not in use. PSI proposes to develop the Deployable Vehicle Interface Mechanism, a lightweight deployable bracket for attaching a wheelchair to an automated mount inside a passenger vehicle. PSI’s design allows the DVIM to fold up out of the way when not in use, while still meeting crash loads (20g frontal impact, 10g lateral impact with midsize male). The system will be user-operable from the wheelchair, with a simple and intuitive control to fold and deploy the DVIM.