GB2176154A - Improvements relating to wheelchair restraints - Google Patents

Abstract

A wheelchair restraint has a frame (7) which can be folded against a wall (1) or hinged out and anchored to the floor (2) with a bracing strut between the back of the frame and the wall. The assembly may be adjustable parallel to the wall by a mounting (4) slidable on a wall rail (3), the floor being provided with another rail (20) by which to anchor the base (19) of the frame. A wheelchair backed against the support can be held captive by automatic catch devices and a seat belt (60) can hold the wheelchair occupant to the frame, relieving the wheelchair of the strain. The frame may have an upholstered back rest (10) and a fold-down flap (13) to serve as a seat when not in use as a restraint. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to wheelchair restraints This invention relates to wheelchair restraints.

It is an obvious convenience for a person confined to a wheelchair to remain in it when travelling, rather than have to transfer to a car, train or aircraft seat.

Many vehicles now make provision for handicapped people, and in a car or van, for example, adapted for such passengers there is usually some means for securing a wheelchair in position. These may be clamps which hook onto floor fittings.

However, this is not particularly safe, and any accident or violent braking can put the wheel chair occupant at greater risk than an ordinary passenger with a seat belt. A wheelchair is strong enough for its normal load and locomotion, but for obvious reasons it is made as light as possible. If the user is strapped into it, as would normally be the case when driving, and is thrown forwards, the chair frame may well not withstand the sudden strain and distort or even break.

There is therefore a need for some means of relieving the chair of this hazard and for providing an alternative anchorage. Some have been proposed, but generally they have been too bulky and complex, or have required special adaptation of the vehicle.

According to the present invention there is provided a wheelchair restraint comprising a wall mounting, a floor fixture, a frame hinged on the mounting and movable between a stowed position against the wall and an operational position providing a backing to which a wheelchair alongside the wall can be secured, and means on the base ofthe frame for locking the latter to the floor fixture.

Preferably, the wall mounting includes a fixed rail and a member adjustable therealong, the frame being hinged to this member. A brace may be provided to act between the rear of the frame and the wall mounting, and this will conveniently be retractable to a stowed position and lockable in an extended bracing position. When the adjustable member is provided, the brace will be coupled to it.

Preferably it will be telescopic, although it could be some form of folding linkage.

The base locking means conveniently is a pedal operated catch. When there is a fixed wall rail and adjustable member,thefloorfixture may be another rail parallel to the fixed wall rail and having a series of detents with each of which a catch can co-operate.

A wheelchair backed against the restraint will be secured to it, and there are many different ways of doing this. However, preferably there will be an automatic device that will engage and hold a wheelchair as it is moved into position, and one which can be easily released.

In the preferred form, there are catch means for gripping the frame of a wheelchair backed against the frame of the restraint. There may be pedal operated means for vertically adjusting the catch means, to suit varieties of wheelchair. Generally, the catch means will be positioned for engaging vertical members of the wheelchair framing at the rear thereof, below the seat and inboard of the wheels.

They may be laterally sprung with leading guide means to accommodate to different positions and spacings of the vertical members. The catch means also may be on spring-loaded ratchet devices which project to the maximum forward position on release, a wheelchair engaging the catch devices and reversing against the frame causing the ratchet devices to retract and lock. The catch means will preferably be self-locking when fully engaged, and a single control may be provided for releasing the ratchet devices and catch means simultaneously.

The frame will generally carry a seat belt to embrace the upper body of a wheelchair user. Thus, while the chair itself is held by the catch devices, the user is not relying on the strength of the wheelchair to hold him should there be an accident but is firmly held by the restraint, which can be very much more rigid and substantial.

The upper part of the frame will generally be upholstered to provide back support additional to that of a wheelchair. The frame may carry a pivoted flap movable substantially into alignment with the frame for use with a wheelchair or into a substantially horizontal position to form a seat, and this seat may be upholstered on both sides. The seat will generally be usable with the restraint in either the stowed or operational position.

Four a better understanding of the invention one embodiment will now be described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which; Figure 1 is a perspective view from the front and one side of a wheelchair restraint in an operational position and adapted as a seat, some details being omitted for clarity.

Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the upper part of the restraint, Figure 3 is a plan view of a sub-frame with catch devices removed.

Figure 4 is a vertical section on the line IV-IV of Figure 3, and Figure 5 is a plan view of a catch device on one side of the sub-frame.

The restraint is fitted in a vehicle with a side wall 1 and a floor 2. A horizontal guide 3 is fixed to the inside of the wall 1 some distance above the floor 2 and holds a slider 4 captive but longitudinally adjustable. It can be set in a desired position by a spring loaded catch 5 engaging one of a series of detents 6 in the guide 3.

A rectangular frame 7 of tubular steel, the longer sides 8 upright, is spanned by a cross bar 9 at the level of the guide 3. Above this the frame inclines slightly backwards, and is upholstered with a back rest 10 surmounted by a head rest 11. The back rest in fact only extends fully down to about shoulder height for a person seated in a wheelchair, and then there are two legs 12 covering the frame sides down to seat level. Here there is a flap 13 hinged transversely to the frame. It comprises a rigid panel 14 with upholstery 15 and 16 on opposite sides. In the position shown with the flap folded down substantially horizontally, it forms a seat, and it can be used as such when there is no wheelchair to restrain.

For use with a wheelchair the flap 13 is hinged up into the space 17 between the sides 8, the upholstery 16 then becoming flush with the back rest 10.

The sides 8 of the frame at their lower ends seat in sockets 18 of a base 19. This can be locked to a rail 20 fixed to the floor and extending parallel to the guide 3. It has longitudinal slots 21 at a spacing corresponding to that of the detents 6, and a catch 22 on the underside of the base can project down through any one of them when a pedal 23, which is fixed to the catch, is in the full line position, swung to the rightwhen facing forwards. When the pedal is swung to the left (the dotted line position) the catch will engage under the sides of the slot, thus holding the frame down to the floor. The pedal provides an easy visual check that the frame is secure, and it is a simple kick operation to engage or disengage the catch.

The slider 4 has a clevis 24 at its forward end between which there is a boss 25 which can pivot about a vertical axis. Two arms 26, one over the other, extend horizontally from this boss and are secured to the rear of the frame 7, outside the upholstery, substantially at the height of the cross bar 9.

The rear end of the slider 4 is coupled to an intermediate point between the arms 26 by a telescopic linkage 27. In the stowed position of the restraint, the frame 7 is folded against the wall 1, the linkage 27 telescoping to its shortest length while the base 19, or rather the catch underneath, rests on the floor 2. To bring the restraint into use, the frame 7 is swung out from the wall pivoting about the clevis 24 and the linkage 27 extending. When it achieves its final position transverse to the longitudinal direction, a spring loaded plunger 28 on the inner member of the linkage is released to engage a detent in the outer member and lock the linkage into a rigid bracing bar angled out from the wall. The detents 6 in the guide 3 will be positionally related to the slots 21 in the rail 20 so that the catch underneath the base 19 will be able to engage.

At the lower end of the main frame 7 there is a subframe 29 of generally rectangular form in plan, the longer sides 30,31 being horizontal and transverse to the anchorage, with one 30 in front of the main frame and the other 31 just behind, where it is pivoted to the rear of the sockets 18. The subframe 29 is spring loaded (not shown) to pivot upwardly, but a restraint is imposed by a clamp 32 anchored to the base. This has a ratchet 33 and a release lever 34 and is derived from our 'Quiklok' clamp already in wide use for restraining wheelchairs. A pedal 35 spanning the horizontal members 30,31 of the subframe can be used to press the latter downwards, the pawl "clicking" over the ratchet 33 of the clamp 32, which will hold it at a selected depressed position. Foot action on the release lever 34 will disengage the pawl from the ratchet 33 and the subframe 29 will swing up again.This adjustment allows catch devices to be described below to engage the frame of a wheelchair at selected heights.

Figure 5 shows the mechanism which is engaged by and holds the lower part of the frame of a wheelchair. On each side of the swinging subframe 29 there is an arm 36 pivoted at its rear end and projecting forwardly of the subframe. It is biased towards a central position by a spring device 37 consisting of two springs 38, 39 on a lateral rod 40 extending through a fixture 41 on the forward cross bar 30 of the subframe 39. One spring 38 is captive on the rod between the fixture and the pivoted arm 36 and the other 39 between the fixture and an abutment on the end of the lateral rod 40. This gives the pivoted arm 36 scope to move laterally to accommodate to various widths of wheelchair and to make engagement easy, without extreme accuracy of placement of the wheelchair.

The pivoted arm 36 carries a catch device 42 by means of a stem 43 slidable along the arm and guided through a housing 44. The upperface of this stem is formed with ratchet teeth 45, and a releasable pawl mechanism 46 mounted on the housing 44 co-operates with those teeth to resist forward motion, but allowing rearward motion against a spring 47. The pawl mechanism 46 is releasable through a cable 48 and, when freed, the catch device 42 will shoot forward.

The catch device 42 itself comprises two generally U-shaped members 49, 50, the larger one 49 being fixed to or integral with the stem 43 and being open forwardly. Its inner limb 51 is longer than the outer one 52 and curves towards the centre line of the whole assembly. It serves as a guide so that a wheelchair being reversed into the restraint will not have to be exactly positioned; the long limb 51 will engage a vertical of the frame even if laterally off-set to a limited extent and move the pivoted arm 36 into alignment. The other U-shaped member 50 is a keep and is mounted on top of the guide member 49 and can swing between the full and dotted line positions about a pivot 53. In the full line position, to which it is biased by a spring (not shown), its U is open forwardly and outwardly and conceals the bight of the other U.It is in this position prior to the engagement of a wheelchair, and it is prevented from swinging too far by a stop pin 54 on the guide member 49. In the dotted line position the keep 50 has been swung around by a vertical member 55 of the wheelchair framing engaging one arm of the U.

The keep is then held by a spring-loaded plunger 56 entering a detent 57, thus trapping the wheelchair frame. This plunger 56 is withdrawable through a cable 58, simultaneously with the release of the pawl mechanism 46. Thus, when this occurs, the catch device 42 is urged forward at the same time as the entrapment of the wheelchair frame is removed by the keep 49 swinging back against the stop pin 54.

The wheelchair is then free and substantially clear of the restraint.

The cables for releasing the pawl mechanisms 46 and the keeps 50 all lead to a common control 59 on the side of the restaint remote from the wall 1 when it is set up as in Figure 1. Thus, both sides are released simultaneously and it is possible for the occupant of the wheelchair to do this himself.

When a wheelchair is backed into position, the catch devices 42 engage and are "clicked" back as far as possible, until the back of the wheelchair is firmly against the rest 10. A seat belt 60 is provided, this being a single band on an inertia reel mounted on the inside of the restraint adjacent the wall 1. A catch 61 on a short hinged arm 62 is carried by the outside of the frame and a clip 63 on the belt can be pulled out and engaged in this catch by the occupant of the chair, this forming a lap belt and a diagonal from over the right shoulder. To make this belt readily accessible, a support 64 is upstanding from the arms 26 to hold the clip 63 on the belt clear of the side of the frame and easily reachable by someone in the wheelchair.

The telescopic brace 27 may have alternatives, such as a toggle linkage which folds against the slider and snaps into an over-centre, bracing condition when the frame 7 is swung out. Alternatively, there may be some form of removable strut between the arms 26 and the floor rail 21. However, all these forms of brace have the disadvantages of restricting the space behind the restraint and being an inconvenience to the occupier of another seat or wheelchair to the rear. Therefore, the brace may be made shorter than illustrated, although the short it becomes, the more substantial the arms 26 will have to be.

It may even be eliminated altogether if the clevis 24 and boss 25 incorporate a locking device and are made massive enough.

A wheelchair user can largely set up the restraint and secure himself and his chair to it unaided. He can also release himself without help. However, the floor locking by pedal 23 and the height adjustment by pedal 35 may be beyond him. It will be understood that provision can be made for making these controls more accessible so that they can be operated by hand from a wheelchair.

Claims (20)

1. A wheelchair restraint comprising a wall mounting, a floor fixture, a frame hinged on the mounting and movable between a stowed position against the wall and an operational position providing a backing to which a wheelchair alongside the wall can be secured, and means on the base ofthe frame for locking the latter to the floor fixture.

2. A restraint as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the wall mounting includes a fixed rail and a member adjustable therealong, the frame being hinged to this member.

3. A restraint as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, where a brace is provided to act between the rear of the frame and the wall mounting.

4. A restraint as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the brace is retractable to a stowed position and lockable in an extended, bracing position.

5. A restraint as claimed in Claim 3 or 4 as appendent to Claim 2, wherein the brace is coupled to said adjustable member.

6. A restraint as claimed in Claim 3,4 or 5, wherein the brace is telescopic.

7. A restraint as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the base locking means is a pedal operated catch.

8. A restraint as claimed in Claim 7 as appendent to Claim 2, wherein the floor fixture is a rail parallel to the fixed wall rail and has a series of detents with each of which the catch can co-operate.

9. A restraint as claimed in any preceding claim, including catch means for gripping the frame of a wheelchair backed against the frame of the restraint.

10. A restraint as claimed in Claim 9, wherein there are pedal operated means for vertically adjusting the catch means.

11. A restraint as claimed in Claim 9 or 10, wherein the catch means are positioned for engaging vertical members of the wheelchair framing at the rearthereof, below the seat and inboard of the wheels.

12. A restraint as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the catch means are laterally sprung with leading guide means to accommodate to different positions and spacings of the vertical members.

13. A restraint as claimed in any one of Claims 9 to 12, wherein the catch means are on spring-loaded ratchet devices which project to a maximum forward position on release, a wheelchair engaging the catch devices and reversing against the frame causing the ratchet devices to retract and lock.

14. A restraint as claimed in any one of Claims 9 to 13, wherein the catch means are self-locking when fully engaged.

15. A restraint as claimed in Claim 14 as appendent to Claim 13, wherein a single control is provided for releasing the ratchet devices and catch means simultaneously.

16. A restraint as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the frame carries a seat belt to embrace the upper body of a wheelchair user.

17. A restraint as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the upper part of the frame is upholstered to provide back support additional to that of a wheelchair.

18. A restraint as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the frame carries a pivoted flap movable substantially into alignment with the frame for use with a wheelchair or into a substantially horizontal position to form a seat.

19. A restraint as claimed in Claim 18 as appendent to 17, wherein the flap is upholstered on both sides.

20. Awheelchair restraint substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.