JP2006341709A - Stairlift - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a stairlift capable of minimizing a driving output for a wheel driving system and a rolling mechanism. <P>SOLUTION: This stairlift is rotatably mounted with wheels 3La, 3Lb disposed fore and aft and a wheel support 7L equipped with a motor 8 for driving wheels 3La, 3Lb on the left side of the body 2, while on the right side of the body 2, there are rotatably installed wheels 3Ra, 3Rb disposed fore and aft and a wheel support 7R equipped with the motor 8 for driving wheels 3Ra, 3Rb. The body 2 is constructed to slidably move fore and aft against both of the wheel supports 7L, 7R on the right and left sides by ball screw mechanisms 12, 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a stair lift device having wheels.

Conventionally, various stair lift devices having wheels have been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 10-147243 A

  Among the conventional stair lifting devices, those configured to lift the stair by driving the wheels or rolling the wheel support that supports the wheels, it is necessary to relatively increase their driving output, There are cases where problems such as an increase in the size of a motor to be used, an increase in the capacity of a battery to be mounted, and an increase in the size and weight of the entire stair lifting device may occur.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a stair lifting device that can further reduce the drive output of a driving mechanism used for lifting a stair.

  In the stair lifting device according to the first aspect of the present invention, wheel supports having a plurality of wheels arranged in front and rear and a wheel drive mechanism are provided on both the left and right sides of the main body, respectively, It comprises a rolling mechanism for rolling the wheel support and a slide mechanism for moving the main body part back and forth with respect to each wheel support.

  In the stair lift device according to the invention of claim 2, the main body is relatively slidable in an inter-axle section of two wheels adjacent to each other with respect to each wheel support or in a section wider than that. It was made to become.

  The stair lift device according to the invention of claim 3 is provided with a center-of-gravity moving mechanism for moving the center of gravity of the main body part back and forth with respect to the left and right wheel supports.

  In the stair lifting device according to the invention of claim 4, the center of gravity of the main body is set above the rolling axis of the wheel support.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the main body can be moved back and forth with respect to each wheel support by the slide mechanism, and the stairs are moved up and down just by driving the wheel or the wheel support as in the prior art. As compared with the above, the drive output of the drive mechanism used for raising and lowering the stairs can be further reduced, and as a result, the device configuration can be reduced in size and weight.

  According to the invention of claim 2, the distance between the wheel ground contact point and the rolling axis when the wheel support rolls can be shortened, and the driving output of the rolling mechanism can be further reduced. The apparatus configuration can be reduced in size and weight.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the posture of the stair lift device can be further stabilized when moving up and down the stairs by moving the center of gravity of the main body by the barycentric movement mechanism.

  According to the invention of claim 4, the center of gravity of the main body can be moved by changing the rotation angle of the main body with respect to the wheel support using the rolling mechanism. The posture of the lifting device can be further stabilized.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stair lifting device according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a lower portion of the stair lifting device as viewed from the front, and FIG. 3 is a lower portion (left half) of the stair lifting device. FIG. 4 to FIG. 6 are side views showing a procedure in which the stair lifting device goes up the steps. In FIG. 3, only the left half of the lower part of the stair lifting device is illustrated, and the right half that is symmetrical with the left half of the center line extending in the front-rear direction is not shown.

  A pair of wheels (3La, 3Lb), (3Ra, 3Rb) are arranged in tandem on the elongated wheel supports 7L, 7R extending in the front-rear direction disposed on the left and right sides of the main body 2, respectively. The stair lift device 1 can move in the front-rear direction by rotating the left and right total four wheels 3La, 3Lb, 3Ra, 3Rb. In addition, the shape (diameter, width, etc.) of these wheels 3La, 3Lb, 3Ra, 3Rb is appropriately set according to the size of the steps to be raised and lowered. In the present embodiment, these four wheels 3La, 3Lb, 3Ra, 3Rb are all in the same shape.

  In this embodiment, a wheel drive mechanism that rotates these wheels 3La, 3Lb, 3Ra, 3Rb is provided in each of the wheel supports 7L, 7R.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the wheels 3La and 3Lb are rotatably attached to the wheel support 7L via axle support members 14a and 14b having bearings, and the wheel drive mechanism is attached to the wheel support 7L. The motor 8 is fixed, and the rotation of the output shaft of the motor 8 is transmitted to the one wheel 3La via the gear 15, and the rotation is further transmitted to the other wheel 3Lb via the belt 16. is doing. Further, the support mechanism and the wheel drive mechanism for the right wheel support 7R (not shown) are configured in exactly the same manner as the left wheel support 7L. The left and right motors 8, 8 can be controlled independently by a control device (not shown).

  In the present embodiment, these wheel supports 7L and 7R are supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the main body 2, and a motor is used as a rolling mechanism for rolling the wheel supports 7L and 7R. 4 and 4 are provided.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, motors 4 and 4 are attached to a pair of left and right vertical walls 17 and 17 constituting the main body 2, respectively, and the rotation of the output shaft of the motors 4 and 4 is changed to a belt. 9 and 9 and the shafts (not shown) in the bearing housings 10 and 10 are transmitted to the support members 5 and 5, and the wheel support body with the support members 5 and 5 as the center of rotation is provided to the main body 2. 7L and 7R can be rolled. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the rolling axis C of the wheel support 7L is parallel to the rotation axes Xa and Xb of the wheels 3La and 3Lb, and the wheels 3La and 3Lb are caused by the rolling of the wheel support 7L. Is transposed back and forth. The same applies to the right wheel support 7R. The left and right motors 4 and 4 can be controlled independently and independently by a control device (not shown), and the wheel supports 7L and 7R on the left and right sides of the main body 2 are separately and independently rolled. A dynamic mechanism is built.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, these wheel supports 7L and 7R are supported so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction with respect to the main body 2, and a slide mechanism for sliding the wheel supports 7L and 7R in the front-rear direction. Motors 6 and 6, guide rails 11 and 11, ball screw mechanisms 12 and 12 and the like are provided.

  Specifically, each of the wheel supports 7L and 7R is provided with guide rails 11 and 11 extending in the front-rear direction, and the ball screws 12a and 12a are rotatable along the longitudinal direction (that is, the front-rear direction) of the guide rails 11 and 11. On the other hand, ball nuts 12b and 12b that are moved and guided by the guide rails 11 and 11 are screwed onto the ball screws 12a and 12a. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the motor 6 is fixed to the wheel support 7L, and the rotation of the output shaft of the motor 6 is transmitted to the ball screw 12a via the belt 13 and rotated, thereby the ball nut 12b. As a result, the support member 5 is slid in the front-rear direction relative to the wheel support 7L. The same applies to the right wheel support 7R. The left and right motors 6 and 6 can be controlled separately and independently by a control device (not shown) so that the left and right wheel supports 7L and 7R are separately and independently from the support members 5 and 5 and the main body 2. A slide mechanism that slides back and forth is constructed.

  Here, in each wheel support 7L, 7R, as shown in FIG. 3, the motor 8 for the wheel drive mechanism and the motor 6 for the slide mechanism are distributed in the front-rear direction so as to balance the weight in the front-rear direction. Is preferable. Thereby, the drive output (load) of the motor 4 for the rolling mechanism can be further reduced.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the rolling axis of the support member 5 is supported by the slider mechanism with respect to the inter-axis section between the rotation axis Xa of the wheel 3La and the rotation axis Xb of the wheel 3Lb. A section in which C moves (that is, a section between Ca and Cb) is widened back and forth, and the support members 5 and 5, that is, the main body portion 2 connected to the support members 5 and 5 includes the wheel support 7L, 7R is configured to be relatively slidable in a wide section before and after the section between the axes of two wheels (3La, 3Lb) and (3Ra, 3Rb) adjacent to each other.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the height from the ground contact surface of the rotational axes Xa, Xb of the wheels 3La, 3Lb, 3Ra, 3Rb and the height from the ground contact surface of the rolling shaft C of the wheel supports 7L, 7R are determined. Even if the wheel supports 7L and 7R roll and the wheel arrangement is changed, the drive outputs of the motors 4 and 4 for rolling the wheel supports 7L and 7R are as much as possible. It doesn't change.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, as will be apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2, the center of gravity of the main body 2 is set above the rolling axis C of the wheel supports 7L and 7R, and the main body 2 is moved to the wheel. The center of gravity of the main body 2 can be moved back and forth by inclining around the rolling axis C with respect to the supports 7L and 7R. At this time, the position of the center of gravity of the main body 2 can be appropriately adjusted by the arrangement of components such as the battery 18 and a control circuit (not shown). That is, in this embodiment, the rolling mechanism also functions as a gravity center moving mechanism.

  In the present embodiment, control circuits, drive circuits, wirings, and the like for the motors 6 and 8 provided on the wheel supports 7L and 7R are provided on the upper portions of the wheel supports 7L and 7R (for example, on the guide rail 11). The circuit arrangement | positioning part 20 to accommodate is provided. Since the wheel supports 7L and 7R rotate indefinitely with respect to the main body 2, if a control circuit and a drive circuit are provided on the main body 2 side, the wired connection of the wiring to the motors 6 and 8 of the wheel supports 7L and 7R is possible. It will be difficult. Such a configuration also has the advantage that the dead space above the wheel supports 7L and 7R can be used effectively. However, with respect to the power supply line and the like, the slip ring 19 is provided between the bearing housings 10 and 10 fixed to the main body 2 side and the support members 5 and 5, so that the main body 2 side and the wheel support 7L are provided. , 7R side can be electrically connected.

  The raising / lowering procedure of the level | step difference S by the stair raising / lowering apparatus 1 provided with the above structure is demonstrated, referring FIGS. 4-6. Here, a procedure until the stair lift device 1 located on the lower surface Sd of the step S rises on the upper surface Su that is higher by the height of the wall surface Sw will be described. In FIGS. 4 to 6, the stair lifting device 1 is simply illustrated by only the main body 2 and the wheels 3La, 3Lb, 3Ra, and 3Rb.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), the stair lift device 1 is configured such that the wheels 3La and 3Ra are positioned in front of the wheels 3Lb and 3Rb, and the rotation axes Xa of the wheels 3La and 3Ra are coincident with each other. In the normal posture in which the rotation axes Xb of the wheels 3Lb and 3Rb coincide with each other and proceed from the left side to the right side in FIG. 4, the wheels 3La and 3Ra first come into contact with the wall surface Sw of the step S.

  Here, when it is detected by a predetermined sensor that the stair lift device 1 has come into contact with the wall surface Sw, as shown in FIG. 4B, the control circuit (not shown) is connected to the motor 6 of the slide mechanism. , 6 to move the main body 2 relatively forward with respect to the wheel supports 7L, 7R, and the rolling axis C with the rotational axis Xa of the wheels 3La, 3Ra located on the front side Almost the same or more forward. At this time, the control circuit controls each part (especially the motors 6 and 6 on both the left and right sides) so that only the main body 2 moves forward in a state where the wheel supports 7L and 7R are stationary.

  Next, the motors 4 and 4 of the rolling mechanism are driven, the main body 2 is tilted backward with respect to the wheel supports 7L and 7R, and the center of gravity of the main body 2 is moved slightly rearward. Also in this case, the control circuit controls each part (especially the motors 4 and 4 on both the left and right sides) so that only the main body part 2 tilts backward in a state where the wheel supports 7L and 7R are stationary. By tilting the main body 2 backward as described above, the center of gravity of the main body 2 can be moved rearward, so that the posture of the stair lifting device 1 is more stable even when the main body 2 is disposed on the front side. Can be maintained.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4C, the control circuit drives the motor 4 of the rolling mechanism of one of the left and right wheel supports (7R in the example of FIG. 4), and the wheel support Only 7R is rolled, and the wheel 3Rb located on the rear side is transposed to the front side and placed on the upper surface Su of the step S.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4 (d), the control circuit drives the motors 4 and 4 of the rolling mechanism to tilt the main body 2 forward with respect to the wheel supports 7L and 7R. The center of gravity of the part 2 is moved slightly forward. Also in this case, the control circuit controls each part (especially the motors 4 and 4 on both the left and right sides) so that only the main body part 2 tilts forward in a state where the wheel supports 7L and 7R are stationary.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5E, the control circuit drives the motor 4 of the rolling mechanism of the wheel support 7L that has not yet been rolled, and rolls only the wheel support 7L. Then, the wheel 3Lb located on the rear side is transposed to the front side and placed on the upper surface Su of the step S. By this step, the wheel arrangements of the left and right wheel supports 7L and 7R are changed with respect to the normal posture, and the wheels 3Lb and 3Rb are positioned in front of the wheels 3La and 3Ra.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5 (f), the control circuit drives the motors 6 and 6 of the slide mechanism to move the main body 2 relatively forward with respect to the wheel supports 7L and 7R. The rolling axis C is disposed substantially in front of or in front of the rotational axis Xb of the wheels 3Lb and 3Rb located on the front side. At this time, the control circuit controls each part (especially the motors 6 and 6 on both the left and right sides) so that only the main body part 2 moves forward in a state where the wheel supports 7L and 7R are stationary. By this step, the main body 2 moves on the upper surface Su of the step S.

  Here, in each step of (e) and (f) in FIG. 5, as shown in FIG. 4 (d), the main body 2 is tilted forward to move the center of gravity of the main body 2 forward. Therefore, the posture of the stair lift device 1 can be more stably maintained both when rolling the wheel supports 7L and 7R on both the left and right sides and after rolling.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5G, the control circuit drives the motors 4 and 4 of the rolling mechanism to tilt the main body 2 backward with respect to the wheel supports 7L and 7R. The center of gravity of the part 2 is moved slightly backward. Also in this case, the control circuit controls each part (especially the motors 4 and 4 on both the left and right sides) so that only the main body part 2 tilts backward in a state where the wheel supports 7L and 7R are stationary.

  Next, the control circuit drives the motor 4 of the rolling mechanism of one of the left and right wheel supports (7R in the example of FIG. 4) to roll only the wheel support 7R and is located on the rear side. The wheel 3Ra that has been moved is transposed to the front side and placed on the upper surface Su of the step S. At this time, since the main body 2 is tilted backward in advance to move the center of gravity of the main body 2 backward, when the wheel support 7R is rolled, the posture of the stair lift device 1 is more stably maintained. Can do.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6 (h), the control circuit drives the motors 4 and 4 of the rolling mechanism to tilt the main body 2 forward relative to the wheel supports 7L and 7R. The center of gravity of the part 2 is moved slightly forward. Also in this case, the control circuit controls each part (especially the motors 4 and 4 on both the left and right sides) so that only the main body part 2 tilts forward in a state where the wheel supports 7L and 7R are stationary.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6 (i), the control circuit drives the motor 4 of the rolling mechanism of the wheel support 7L where the wheel 3La remains on the lower surface Sd of the step S, and only the wheel support 7L. And the wheel 3La is transposed to the front side and placed on the upper surface Su of the step S. By this step, the wheels 3La, 3Lb, 3Ra, 3Rb are arranged in a normal posture.

  Here, in this step, as shown in FIG. 6 (h), since the main body 2 is tilted forward and the center of gravity of the main body 2 is moved forward, the wheel support 7L is rolled. During and after rolling, the posture of the stair lift device 1 can be maintained more stably.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6 (j), the control circuit drives the motors 6 and 6 of the slide mechanism to move the main body 2 relatively forward with respect to the wheel supports 7L and 7R. The rolling axis C is disposed at the normal posture, that is, at an intermediate position between the rotational axis Xa of the wheels 3La and 3Ra and the rotational axis Xb of the wheels 3Lb and 3Rb. At this time, the control circuit controls each part (especially the motors 6 and 6 on both the left and right sides) so that only the main body 2 moves forward relative to the wheel supports 7L and 7R.

  Further, the control circuit drives the motors 4 and 4 of the rolling mechanism to tilt the main body 2 backward with respect to the wheel supports 7L and 7R and return it to the angle in the normal posture.

  As described above, the stair lifting device 1 according to the present embodiment uses the slide mechanism and the rolling mechanism to arrange the main body 2 (the center of gravity) at a more appropriate position with respect to the wheel supports 7L and 7R. Therefore, the wheel supports 7L and 7R can be rolled with a relatively small driving output while maintaining the posture more stably, and the step S can be easily and stably overcome.

  In addition, although the case where the step S is one step has been illustrated here, it can be easily understood that the step S can be climbed up by repeating similar steps, and conversely By adjusting the position and posture of the main body 2 with respect to the wheel supports 7L and 7R, the steps in the case of ascending described above are reversed, so that the step S and the stairs where the steps S are continuous can be lowered. This can be easily understood.

  According to the above-described embodiment, the main body 2 can be moved back and forth with respect to the wheel supports 7L and 7R by the slide mechanism, and only the wheel or the wheel support is driven as in the related art. Compared with the method of moving up and down the stairs, the drive output of the motors 8 and 8 of the wheel drive mechanism or the motors 4 and 4 of the rolling mechanism can be reduced, and thus the apparatus configuration can be reduced in size and weight. .

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the main body 2 is wider with respect to the respective wheel supports 7L and 7R between the two wheel shafts adjacent to each other (that is, the section between Xa and Xb) or the front and rear thereof. When rolling the wheel supports 7L and 7R so as to be relatively slidable in the section, the wheel contact point and the rolling axis C can be brought close to the minimum value (that is, the wheel radius). Therefore, the drive output of the motors 4 and 4 (loads on the motors 4 and 4) of the rolling mechanism can be reduced, and as a result, the apparatus configuration of the stair lifting device 1 can be reduced in size and weight.

  Moreover, according to this embodiment, the posture of the stair lift device 1 can be further stabilized when the stair is lifted by moving the center of gravity of the main body 2.

  In particular, according to the present embodiment, since the center of gravity of the main body 2 is disposed above the rolling axis C, the rotation angle of the main body 2 with respect to the wheel supports 7L and 7R is appropriately set using the rolling mechanism. By adjusting, the position of the center of gravity of the main body 2 can be moved, and the posture of the stair lifting device 1 can be more easily stabilized with a simpler structure than when a separate center of gravity moving mechanism is provided. There are advantages.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made.

  For example, three or more wheels may be provided on each wheel support, and the shape and arrangement of the wheels may be changed as appropriate according to the size of the steps and stairs.

  In addition, the driving of the wheel, the rolling of the wheel support, and the sliding of the wheel support with the main body are not limited to those described above, and various methods such as gears, chains, and other moving mechanisms are adopted. can do. The wheels may be driven individually.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the rolling mechanism was utilized as a gravity center moving mechanism, it is not limited to this, For example, the structure which divides | segments a main-body part into several and operates them mutually relatively is provided. May be equal.

  The main body can also be implemented in various forms, such as providing a seat on which a person is seated or providing a loading platform on which a load is placed.

1 is a perspective view of a stair lifting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The perspective view which looked at the lower part of the stair-climbing apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention from the front a little. The top view which shows the left half of the lower part of the stair lifting apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the procedure in which the stair raising / lowering device concerning embodiment of this invention raises a level | step difference (initial stage). The figure which shows the procedure in which the stair raising / lowering apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention raises a level | step difference (continuation of FIG. 4). The figure which shows the procedure in which the stair raising / lowering apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention raises a level | step difference (continuation of FIG. 5).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Stair lift 2 Main part 3La, 3Lb, 3Ra, 3Rb Wheel 4 (Rolling mechanism) Motor 6 (Slide mechanism) Motor 7L, 7R Wheel support 8 (Wheel drive mechanism) Motor C Rolling axis Xa , Xb (Wheel) axis of rotation

Claims (4)

Wheel supports having a plurality of wheels arranged in front and rear and a wheel drive mechanism are respectively provided on the left and right sides of the main body,
A rolling mechanism for rolling each wheel support relative to the main body,
A slide mechanism for moving the main body part back and forth with respect to each wheel support;
A stair lift device comprising:   The main body is configured to be relatively slidable in an inter-axle section of two wheels adjacent to each other with respect to each wheel support or in a wider section before and after the section. Stair lifting device.   3. The stair lift device according to claim 1, further comprising a center of gravity moving mechanism that moves the center of gravity of the main body back and forth with respect to the left and right wheel supports. The stair lift device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the center of gravity of the main body is set above the rolling axis of the wheel support.

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