JPS59105449A - Foldable mechanism of wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Currently, the frames of commonly used wheelchairs can be expanded and contracted only in the left and right directions, and for convenience of transportation and storage, it is necessary to shorten the frames in two directions: front and back and top and bottom. This is usually done by removing the protruding part, which is complicated and time-consuming to handle.

In a wheelchair equipped with a frame that extends and retracts in the longitudinal direction, this invention bends the back pipe protruding upward and also bends the armrest to shorten the vertical dimension without removing parts, and further shorten the longitudinal dimension. It is intended to also have the function of preserving time.

This invention is based on the diagram, JIS T 9201, -
The explanation is based on the ``Wheelchair Part Names'' in the appendix of ``1977 R Wheelchair''. FIG. 1 shows a wheelchair with desk-type armrests according to the present invention in an unfolded state for use, and FIG. 2 shows its folded state. The frame of this wheelchair is mainly composed of pipe materials, and a front pipe 1 has casters 15 pivoted on its lower part, a leg pipe 13 with a foldable foot plate 14 pivoted on its lower end is fixed to the front, and the upper end is in the middle. The front end of the armrest 3, which has a node 4 at the bottom and can be bent upwardly, is pivotally connected by the pivot point 2, and the front half of the armrests 1 to 3 can be lowered to a horizontal position. A stopper that prevents it from tilting is built in as shown in Figure 3. The rear end of the armrest has pivot point 5
It is pivotally connected to the upper half 6 of the back pipe over which the backless knee io is stretched. The upper half 6 of the back pipe is pivotally connected to the lower half 8 of the back pipe at a node 7, and can be rotated rearward around this point. It is fixed and forms an integral back pipe. The lower half of the back pipe 8 has a tail pipe 19 extending rearward and branching inward at its lower end, and has a wheel 16 pivoted thereon, and has a pivot point 18 at its upper part to provide a seat over which the seat 11 is stretched. The rear end of the pipe 9 is pivotably mounted rearward and downward. As shown in FIG. 14, the rear end of the seat pipe 9 is a T-shaped pipe that is fixed to the lower half 8 of the back pipe and fits into the shaft, with one end extending inward of the wheelchair. In this case, a sleeve f, which is constantly pushed out by a coil spring d, is connected by a pin e in a state where it can move only in the axial direction by the length of its elongated hole. The tip q of the shaft, which pivots the rear end of the opposing right sheet pipe, fits into the sleeve f, and the protrusion of the shaft 0 engages with the diagonal groove of the sleeve f.

FIG. 15 shows another embodiment of this part, in which the movement of the upper half 26 of the back pipe is controlled by a tie rod h near the node 27, which is fitted onto a shaft attached to the lower half 28 of the back pipe. It is connected to a rotatable arm 1, and a coil spring 1 and a sleeve k are attached to the pipe-shaped part of the arm i. The shaft-like protruding end facing this is represented by n, and the protrusion at the tip of the shaft n engages with the diagonal groove in the sleeve, as in the case of FIG. 14. The tip of the upper half of the back pipe 26 is welded to the full profile J, and this is fixed to the lower half of the back pipe 28 by thumbscrews 37, as shown in the actual IM mode shown in FIGS. 1 to 5. is the same as

Returning to Figure 1 again, the cross pipe mechanism that enables longitudinal expansion and contraction connects the front pipe 1 and the lower half 8 of the back pipe, and has a device that stops and holds them in both the extended and shortened states. ing. FIG. 5 shows a rear projection and shows the relative positions of the wheel 16, the upper half 6 of the back pipe, and the lower half 8 of the back pipe.

Figures 6 to 13 show other embodiments, and the constituent members are the same, but there are differences in the structure of the pivot points and nodes, and it is possible to move in the left and right directions. It has become.

First, as shown in Fig. 6, the node 07 is angled outward by θ from a right angle to the center line of the back pipe, and the upper half 06 of the back pipe over which the backrest 01C) is stretched, and the wheel at the bottom. 016 and the lower half 08 having a tail pipe 019 are pivotally connected. This is to avoid this when folding, as will be described later, since the position of the wheels relative to the back pipe is different, as is clear from comparison with Figure 5. However, as for the structure of node 07, other As shown in FIG. 11, two shafts are substantially perpendicular to each other, or as shown in FIG. 12, at least one shaft is supported so that it can slide along a guide, or a bearing may be used. Like the armrest 3, the armrest 03 has a node 04 in the middle, and its front end fits into the front pipe 01 as shown in FIG. It is pivotally connected to a movable joint a. As shown in FIG. 9, the rear end of the armrest 03 is pivotally connected to the upper half of the back pipe 06 by a spherical shaft 05. It may also be pivoted by a shaft or bearing supported for elastic displacement as shown in the figure. FIG. 10 shows a structure in which an eye end O at the rear end of the armrest 1 is fitted into a shaft 95 attached to a back pipe via an elastic body p and a bearing q. In addition, the rear end of the seat pipe 09 over which the sheet 011 is stretched is pivoted by a shaft r to a block S fitted to a shaft t fixed to the lower half part 08 of the back pipe, as shown in FIG. You can also move it.

Next, the effect will be explained. First, fold the footrests 1 to 14 in FIG. 1 to the position 14A in FIG.
Place it in position A. (A letter written after a number indicates the folding process or completed state of the member with that number. The same applies hereinafter.) Cross pipe mechanism 1
2, the frame is shortened to position 12A, and the front pipe 1 is brought to position 1, then the armrest 3 is placed at position 3A. Alternatively, by placing the armrest 3 at the 3A position, it may be possible to shorten the cross pipe machine m12 without moving the front pipe 1 to 1A. After shortening the frame longitudinally and, if possible, also in the horizontal direction, remove the thumbscrew 17 as shown in FIG. After passing through the intermediate stages 6A and 9B, respectively, the armrest 3 hits the stopper at the branching part of the tail pipe 19 as shown in FIG.
It passes through B and is folded to position 3C. At this time, node 4
becomes 4C, and the upper half of the back pipe 6B is folded in to a position where the straight line connected to the pivot point 5B is a little past the node 7. After folding, even if a force acts to pull the front pipe 1 forward, the force will be applied to the back pipe upper half 6B in a straight line direction from the pivot point 5B to the node 4C by the rear half of the armrests 1 to 3C. It moves, but
Since the node 7, which is the center of movement of the back pipe upper half 6B, is located a little behind this straight line, it exerts an effect of folding the back pipe embankment 6B deeper, but it hits the branch of the tail pipe 19. So it doesn't move. Therefore, even if the holding device is omitted when the frame is shortened, there is less chance of J3 unfolding unexpectedly. The moment of force acting on the upper half of the back pipe 6B is between the pivot point 5B and the node 4c.
Since the straight line connecting the lines is proportional to the distance from node 7, if node 7 is very close to this straight line, this moment will be extremely small and will be greater than the frictional force of each rotating part such as node 7 and pivot point 5B. If it is made smaller, the holding device can be omitted when the frame is shortened. In addition, if a stopper is provided to prevent the node 4C from lowering below a certain height, even if the straight line connecting the node 4C and the pivot point 5B does not approach or pass through the node 7, Even if there is a device for stopping and holding the upper half portion 6B of the back pipe in the folded position, this can also be used as a stopping and holding device when the frame is shortened. As shown in FIG. 14, at the rear end of the seat pipe 9, the shaft Q moves relatively in the E direction due to the shortening of the frame in the left-right direction and fits into the sleeve f, which is pushed against the coil spring d. It moves until it hits bin e. After the seat pipe 9 passes through the state of <9A as shown by the arrow,
When folded to position c, the protrusion at the tip of the shaft Q is bitten by the diagonal groove of the sleeve f, which rotates in the direction of the arrow, solidifying and holding both parts together.

In the case of another embodiment of this part not shown in FIG. 15, the rotation of the arrow from 26A to 26B about the node 27 of the upper half of the back pipe 26 is transmitted to the arm i by the tie rod h, and the sleeve k is The process of rotating and connecting the shaft n is exactly the same as in the case of FIG. 14 above.

Further, the operation of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 to 13 will be described. Nodes as above.

Since the axis of 7 is tilted, the upper half of the back pipe 06
When it is folded backwards and downwards by approximately 180 degrees, an angle of approximately 2θ will be created between it and the lower half 08, so that it will fit without hitting the wheels 016. Along with this, the rear half of the armrest 03 is moved to position 030 as shown in Figure 6, and in the process it is moved in a complicated manner, but a spherical shaft is used for pivoting with the upper half of the back pipe 06. So there is no problem. Furthermore, the portion between the armrest o3 and the front pipe 01 is also twisted by an angle ω as shown in FIG. 7, but this also has a rotatable structure as described above, so it operates smoothly. The operation of other parts is the same as the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5. 'In the illustrated example, the rear half of the armrest 3 is finally rotated about 90 degrees and folded with respect to the front half of the armrest 3, but the shape is not limited to this. By appropriately setting the landing point 5, the length of the frame in the front-back direction can be further shortened. Further, the normal type armrest having the same height from front to rear is the same as the desk type armrest shown in the figure except that the height of the front half of the armrest is different.

As is clear from a comparison of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the effects of this invention are as follows: Because it is shortened and folded backwards and downwards to make it lower, the overall height and length of the wheelchair itself can be reduced at the same time. Furthermore, by appropriately setting nodes and pivot points, it is possible to stop and hold the back pipe when it is shortened in the longitudinal direction by simply folding the upper half 6 of the back pipe, without requiring any special equipment or operations. is also a big advantage.

The embodiments shown in Figs. 6 to 12 are similar to the seat pipe shown in Fig. 13, and the same folding method can be applied to a wheelchair with a narrower distance between the two wheels. This greatly reduces the size of the wheelchair, paving the way to greatly expanding the range of motion of the wheelchair. The rear end of the seat pipe is pivoted to the rear of the frame.
There is an advantage that a folding seat can be easily realized on a frame that can be expanded and contracted back and forth without impairing the simplicity of the conventional seat structure, good riding comfort, and high rigidity in the longitudinal direction. In particular, a structure that is pivoted to the back pipe can be used for a frame that expands and contracts from side to side, and a structure that is pivoted to the upper half of the same can be used by simply pulling it up about 90 degrees. It has the effect of automatically folding backwards and downwards. The holding device shown in Figs. 14 and 15 when the frame is shortened in the left and right direction is a seat pipe,
Alternatively, the machine 1 that is linked to the folding operation of the upper half of the back pipe has the advantage that it can be fixed with a simple device without requiring special operations, and can perform multiple functions with simple operations.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a left side view of the wheelchair according to the present invention when it is unfolded. Figure 2 also shows the folded state. Figure 3 is an enlarged, partially cutaway view of the vicinity of pivot point 2, Figure 4 is tailpipe 1
A perspective view from the rear when the upper half 6 of the back pipe near 9 is folded. 16 in the figure represents a wheel, including a tire, rim,
The spokes are omitted and only the hub is shown. Figure 5 is a rear view. FIG. 6 is a rear view of an embodiment different from the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. 7 is a top view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the front end of the armrest 03 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the rear end of the armrest 03 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6. Figure 10 is the 9th
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the part shown in the figure. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the node 07 shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the same portion, different from FIG. 11. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the rear end of the seat pipe 09 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the holding device near the rear end of the seat pipe in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 when the frame is shortened from side to side. FIG. 15 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the portion shown in FIG. 14. Figure 4 Figure $5 System 6 Figure 7 Figure 9 Figure 10 Figure 1/Figure 12 Procedure amendment entry (method) April 4, 1983 Showa 584 - April 20 Commissioner of the Patent Office 1. Indication of the case Patent Application No. 216084 of 1982 2. Title of the invention Wheelchair folding mechanism 3. Person making the amendment Relationship to the case Patent applicant 4. Agent address Residence) Name (Name) )
5, Daily Amendment Order March 29, 1981 6
, Subject of amendment Description 7 Contents of amendment Purification of the attached standard specification @, (no change in content) /l- B, -19ψ, Procedural amendment mouth January 17, 1981 Indication of 1 case 1982 Patent Application No. 216084 2
Title of the invention Wheelchair folding mechanism 3 Relationship to the person who made the amendment Patent applicant 4 Date of the amendment order 5 Subject of the amendment Detailed description of the invention column in the specification Brief description of the drawings column Drawing 6 Amendment Contents As shown in the attached sheet, amendment content 3 for the specification, Detailed explanation of the invention (1) Page 7, line 5, "...attached to the shaft..." is changed to 1...
・Correct to "The device was installed...". (2) Page 7, line 13, ``...as shown'' followed by 1-
The upper end of the front pipe 1 is formed by the front part U of the upper end and the inner wall part V of the front end of the armrest 3. (3) Page 7, line 19 1-...Groove-shaped material...''
...tFi profile...". <4) Page 9, line 11 [...Insert 1i2J after cross pipe mechanism J. (5) After page 10, line 11, "...2 shafts," 1 means that the block 35 is pivotally connected to the bearing 32 formed in a part of the channel member welded to the upper half 36 of the back pipe. The left and right axis 33, this block 35 and the back pipe 1;
There is no problem in inserting the 2-axis shaft 34 with the front-rear shaft 34 to which the half portion 38 is pivotally connected. (6) Page 10, line 13, ``... shaft,'' followed by ``In other words, it slides in an elongated hole on one side of the bearing 42 formed in a part of the groove member welded to the upper half 46 of the back pipe. Attach it to the lower half 48 of the back pipe (insert the pulled shaft 43) so that it slides down. (8) On page 14, line 3, after “...can be done.”, “The upper half of the back pipe 6B is stopped and held by a claw movable in a direction almost perpendicular to the object. , or there are many known mechanisms such as rollers." (9) Page 14, line 16, insert "in the direction of the arrow 1 after "...K". (10) Page 15 After the fourth line “It is a translation.” [No. 11
In both the embodiments shown in FIGS. 6 and 12, the upper half of the back pipe can move not only in the front-back direction but also in the left-right direction, so that they can be housed in the same shape as shown in FIGS. 6 d5 and 7. ” is inserted. (11) Page 16, line 9, 1... ” followed by 1
It also has the effect of being able to shorten it into a neatly organized rectangular shape. ” is inserted. 4. Brief explanation of the drawings (1) Insert the following table before the beginning of the 19th Sadayako. 01 Front pipe 03 Armrest 04 Node 05 Spherical shaft 06 Back pipe upper half 07 Node 08 Back pipe lower half 09 Seat pipe 010 Backrest 011 Seat 016 Wheel 019 Tail pipe 1 Front pipe 2 Pivot point 3 Armrest 4 Node 5 Pivot point 6 Back pipe upper half 7 Node 8 Back pipe lower half 9 Seat pipe 10 Backrest 11 Seat 12 Cross pipe mechanism 13 Leg pipe 14 Foot plate 15 Caster 16 Wheel 17 Thumbscrew 18 Pivot point 19 Tail pipe 26 Back pipe upper part 27 Node 28 Bank vibe lower half 32 support 33 Left-right axis 34 Front-rear axis 35 Block 36 Back vibe upper half 37 Thumbscrew 38 Back pipe lower half 42 Shaft support 43 axis 46 Back pipe upper half 48 Back biput half 95 shaft a Joint b Pin d Coil spring e Bin f Sleeve g Tip of shaft 17 h Tie rod i Arm j Channel member k Sleeve 1 Coil spring n Shaft 0 Eye end p Elastic body q Shaft Bearing r Shaft S Block t Shaft re Upper end front part V Front end inner wall part Fig. 11

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] (1) A wheelchair equipped with a frame longitudinally extending/contracting mechanism and a holding device in an extendable/contracting state, including a front pipe, an armrest having a node in the middle portion that can be bent upwardly to convex, and Three members of a back pipe having a node whose upper half can be bent rearward and downward, or a part equivalent to these, are provided in the middle part, and the front end of the armrest is connected to the upper end of the front pipe, and the rear end is connected to the upper end of the front pipe. A folding mechanism for a wheelchair, which is pivotally connected to the upper half of the back pipe and folds the rear half of the armrest and the upper half of the back pipe into the rear lower part of the frame when the wheelchair is shortened forward and backward. (2) The frame is shortened by including a stopper that prevents the intermediate nodes of the armrests 1 to lower below a predetermined height and a device that holds the upper half of the back pipe in a folded state. A folding mechanism for a wheelchair according to claim (1), which is a time holding device. (3) The frame is folded so that a straight line connecting the node at the middle part of the armrest and the pivot point at the rear end comes very close to the node at the middle part of the back pipe, or slightly passes through this. (4) A folding mechanism for a wheelchair according to claim (2), in which a stop or holding device when the back pipe is shortened can be omitted. A folding mechanism for a wheelchair according to claim (2), wherein the folding mechanism for a wheelchair is provided with a holding device for stopping when the half portion is folded. (5) Seat pipe Tsuruokabe left 71 no 1. A folding wheelchair according to claim (1), in which the wheelchair is pivoted at once and rotated about this pivot point to fold backward and downward together with the upper half of the back pipe. Mechanism (6) The rear end of the sea 1 to the pipe is pivoted directly to the upper or lower half of the back pipe or via a member fixed to these parts, as described in claim (5). (7) The front end of the armrest and the upper end of the front pipe are pivoted in two axes, and the rear end of the armrest 1 and the upper half of the back pipe are pivoted in two directions. The pivot has a structure that allows rotation in three axial directions, and the nodes of the back pipe are structured such that the upper half and the lower half of the back pipe have an angle when projected backward when folded. Claim No. 1 (1)
) The folding mechanism of the wheelchair described in section 2. (8) Freon 1 - A rotatable part is provided on either the upper end of the pipe or the front end of the armrest with the vertical direction as the axis, and this and the remaining members are pivotally connected by the left and right axis. A folding mechanism for a wheelchair according to claim (7). (9) Claim No. (7) in which the rear end of the armrest is pivoted to the upper half of the back pipe by a spherical shaft, an elastically deformable shaft, or a bearing.
Folding mechanism of the wheelchair as described in section. (10) A shaft lowered outward in the left-right direction, or two shafts at approximately right angles, or a shaft supported slidably on at least one side along a guide, or a shaft lower than the upper half of the back pipe by means of a bearing. A folding mechanism for a wheelchair according to claim (7), wherein the two halves are pivotally connected to each other as a node. (11) The rear end of the seat pipe is approximately perpendicular to the center line of the pipe, and in the left and right direction it slides along an axis that is slightly downward from horizontal, or two axes that are approximately at right angles, or at least one side of it slides along the guide. Claim 1 (
6) Folding mechanism of the wheelchair described in section 6). (12) The wheelchair folding mechanism according to claim (1), wherein the consolidation device when the frame is shortened is activated by the folding operation of the seat pipe or released by the unfolding operation. 13) The wheelchair folding mechanism according to claim 12, wherein the consolidation device utilizes a screw, a spiral, or an inclined surface. (14) The consolidation device when the frame is shortened is activated by the folding operation of the upper half of the back pipe, or released by the unfolding operation.
The folding mechanism of the wheelchair described in section 1). (15) The wheelchair folding mechanism according to claim (14), wherein the consolidation device utilizes a screw, a spiral surface, or an inclined surface.