CN110338987B - Wheelchair storage device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wheelchair storage device for a vehicle that does not return to a wheelchair when the wheelchair is stored in a vehicle compartment even if a hand is released. A wheelchair storage device for a vehicle is provided with a support mechanism (36) for supporting a wheelchair holding plate (50) so that the wheelchair holding plate (50) can move between a wheelchair storage position and a wheelchair storage position, the support mechanism is provided with rotation parts (50c, 36j), when the wheelchair holding plate (50) moves from the wheelchair placing position to the wheelchair accommodating position, the rotation parts (50c, 36j) rotate in one direction, when the wheelchair holding plate (50) moves from the wheelchair accommodating position to the wheelchair placing position, the rotating parts (50c, 36j) rotate in the other direction, the rotation portions (50c, 36j) are provided with a rotation restricting mechanism (60) that can permit rotation in one direction and prohibit rotation in the other direction, and the rotation restricting mechanism (60) can be switched between a restriction state in which rotation in the other direction is prohibited and a restriction release state in which rotation in the other direction is permitted.

Description

Wheelchair storage device for vehicle

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a wheelchair storage device for a vehicle, which stores a folded wheelchair in a wheelchair storage position in a vehicle compartment.

Background

Patent document 1 describes a technique related to a wheelchair storage device for a vehicle. In the wheelchair storage device of patent document 1, a gas spring is used to reduce an operating force when the wheelchair is placed in the vehicle compartment.

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2000-126235

However, since the gas spring is used to reduce the operating force, when the wheelchair is placed in the vehicle compartment, the wheelchair returns to its original position by its own weight if the hands are released in the middle of the wheelchair.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wheelchair that does not return to its original position even if a hand is released in the middle of storing the wheelchair in a vehicle compartment.

The above technical problem is solved by various inventions. A first aspect of the present invention is a wheelchair storage device for a vehicle, including: a wheelchair holding section for placing a wheelchair; and a support mechanism that supports the wheelchair-holding portion so that the wheelchair-holding portion can move between a wheelchair-placing position outside a vehicle compartment and a wheelchair-accommodating position inside the vehicle compartment, and moves the wheelchair-holding portion between the wheelchair-placing position and the wheelchair-accommodating position by applying a force to the wheelchair-holding portion from the outside, the support mechanism is provided with a rotating portion that rotates in one direction when the wheelchair holding portion moves from the wheelchair placement position to the wheelchair storage position, the rotating portion rotates in the other direction when the wheelchair holding portion moves from the wheelchair accommodating position to the wheelchair storage position, the rotation portion is provided with a rotation restricting mechanism capable of permitting rotation in one direction and prohibiting rotation in the other direction, the rotation restricting mechanism is switchable between a restriction state in which rotation in the other direction is prohibited and a restriction release state in which rotation in the other direction is permitted.

According to the present invention, the rotation portion of the support mechanism is provided with a rotation restriction mechanism capable of allowing rotation in one direction and prohibiting rotation in the other direction. Therefore, when the wheelchair holding portion is moved from the wheelchair placing position to the wheelchair accommodating position, even if the biasing force is stopped in the middle, the wheelchair holding portion does not return in the direction of the wheelchair placing position by the operation of the rotation restricting mechanism. When the wheelchair holding portion is moved from the wheelchair accommodating position to the wheelchair accommodating position, the rotation restricting mechanism is switched to the restriction release state.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the wheelchair holding portion is coupled to the support mechanism in a vertically rotatable state with respect to the support mechanism, the rotation portion is a coupling portion of the support mechanism and the wheelchair holding portion, the wheelchair holding portion is rotated upward when the wheelchair holding portion is moved from the wheelchair accommodating position to the wheelchair accommodating position, the wheelchair holding portion is rotated downward when the wheelchair holding portion is moved from the wheelchair accommodating position to the wheelchair accommodating position, and the rotation restricting mechanism is capable of allowing the wheelchair holding portion to be rotated upward and prohibiting the downward rotation. In this way, the rotation restricting mechanism operates when the wheelchair holding portion is rotated upward to lift the wheelchair, and therefore the wheelchair can be lifted efficiently.

According to the third invention, the rotation restricting mechanism has the ratchet and the pawl.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, when the wheelchair holding portion is moved to the wheelchair-placed position in the restriction-released state of the rotation restriction mechanism, the rotation restriction mechanism is switched to the restriction state by the operation of rotating the rotating portion to the position corresponding to the wheelchair-placed position. Therefore, the rotation restricting mechanism can always be in the restricted state in the state where the wheelchair holding portion is located at the wheelchair placing position.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a wheelchair housing device for a vehicle includes a gear lever provided on a ratchet and a receiving portion provided on a pawl, and when a wheelchair holding portion is moved to a wheelchair-placed position, the gear lever abuts against the receiving portion of the pawl by rotation of the ratchet, and the pawl is thereby rotated to a position where the pawl engages with the ratchet.

According to the present invention, when the wheelchair is accommodated in the vehicle compartment, the wheelchair does not return to the original position even if the hand is released in the middle of the vehicle.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a side view showing a wheelchair storage device according to a first embodiment of the present invention at a wheelchair storage position.

Fig. 2 is a side view showing a wheelchair lifting position of the wheelchair storage apparatus.

Fig. 3 is an overall perspective view of the wheelchair accommodating apparatus as viewed from the rear of the vehicle.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the wheelchair holding plate, the slide base plate, and the rotating table of the wheelchair storage device as viewed from the inside (front) of the compartment.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the wheelchair holding plate, the slide base plate, and the turntable.

Fig. 6 is a side view showing a locked state of the slide lock mechanism.

Fig. 7 is a side view showing an unlocked state of the slide lock mechanism.

Fig. 8 is a side view (wheelchair storage position) showing a vertical pivoting motion of the wheelchair holding plate of the wheelchair storage device with respect to the slide base.

Fig. 9 is a side view (enlarged IX view in fig. 8) showing a rotation restricting mechanism between the slide base plate and the wheelchair retaining plate.

Fig. 10 is a side view (wheelchair lifting position) showing the vertical turning operation of the wheelchair holding plate of the wheelchair storage device with respect to the slide base.

Fig. 11 is a side view showing the rotation restricting mechanism (an enlarged view XI in fig. 10).

Fig. 12 is a side view of the restriction released state of the rotation restriction mechanism.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the rotation restricting mechanism.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the unlocked state of the front wheel locking mechanism of the wheelchair retaining plate as viewed from the rear of the vehicle.

Fig. 15 is a side view showing a lock release state of the front wheel lock mechanism.

Fig. 16 is a side view showing a locked state of the front wheel locking mechanism.

Description of the reference numerals

20

Wheelchair storage device

Rotary table (supporting mechanism)

35.. sliding mechanism (supporting mechanism)

36.. sliding base plate (supporting mechanism)

A left bearing part (rotating part of the supporting mechanism)

A slide lock mechanism (support mechanism)

Wheelchair retaining plate (wheelchair retaining part)

Rotating central shaft (rotating part of support mechanism)

Rotation limiting mechanism

63.

Ratchet tooth

63h

65.. pawl

65e

Detailed Description

(first embodiment)

A wheelchair housing device for a vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to fig. 1 to 16. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the wheelchair storage device 30 of the vehicle 10 according to the present embodiment is used to raise the folded wheelchair 20 to the height of the cabin of the vehicle 10 and store the wheelchair from the rear door opening 12 to a wheelchair storage position in the cabin. Here, the front, rear, left, right, and up and down shown in the drawings correspond to the front, rear, left, right, and up and down of the vehicle 10 having the wheelchair housing apparatus 30.

(outline of wheelchair storage device 30)

As shown in fig. 3, the wheelchair housing device 30 includes: a fixed base 33 provided in the vicinity of the rear door opening 12 in the vehicle compartment; a rotary table 34 provided on the fixed base 33 so as to be horizontally rotatable via a rotation mechanism (not shown); a slide substrate 36 provided on the rotary table 34 via a slide mechanism 35; and a wheelchair holding plate 50 connected to the slide base plate 36 in a state of being rotatable up and down with respect to the slide base plate 36. As shown in fig. 3, the stationary base 33 is formed in a substantially L-shape in plan view by a cross member portion 33w extending in the vehicle width direction along the rear door opening 12 and a side member portion 33y fixed to the upper surface of the left end portion of the cross member portion 33w and extending toward the vehicle front. The front end portion 33f (front end portion) of the side member portion 33y of the fixed base 33 is fixed to the vehicle body by a bolt. In this state, the upper surface 33u of the beam portion 33y of the fixed base 33 is kept substantially horizontal. A rotation mechanism (not shown) for supporting the rotation table 34 to be horizontally rotatable is provided on the upper surface 33u of the beam portion 33y of the fixed base 33. Further, a right-hand stopper portion 34s (see fig. 3) of the turntable 34 is provided on the upper surface 33u of the side member portion 33 y.

(rotating table 34)

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the rotary table 34 includes a disk portion 34e disposed coaxially with the rotation mechanism and a rectangular plate-attached portion 34p protruding from the disk portion 34e toward the front side in the radial direction. The turntable 34 is provided with a pair of slide rails 35r and a slide stopper 35s of the slide mechanism 35. The pair of slide rails 35r extend from the protruding end of the band plate portion 34p in the direction of the circular plate portion 34e along the end edge in the width direction of the band plate portion 34p, and extend linearly to the end of the circular plate portion 34e across the circular plate portion 34 e. A slide stopper 35s is fixed between a pair of slide rails 35r located at the end of the disk portion 34e of the turntable 34.

The slide mechanism 35 has a plurality of slide blocks 35y that fit into the slide rails 35r so as to be slidable along the slide rails 35 r. As shown in fig. 4 and the like, the plurality of slide blocks 35y are obliquely fixed to the left front corner portion of the lower surface of the slide substrate 36 formed in a substantially square shape in plan view. Thereby, the slide base 36 can slide along the pair of slide rails 35 r. Here, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, in a state where the rotary table 34 is horizontally rotated to the right rotation restricting position, the belt plate portion 34p of the rotary table 34 abuts on the right rotation restricting portion 34s, and the rotary table 34 is prohibited from being horizontally rotated to the right. In this state, the front ends of the pair of slide rails 35r located at the projecting end portions of the belt plate portion 34p of the turntable 34 are disposed near the center portion of the rear door opening 12 of the vehicle 10. The pair of slide rails 35r extend obliquely toward the front left in the vehicle cabin from near the center of the rear door opening 12 of the vehicle 10, and the base end portions of the pair of slide rails 35r located at the end portions of the circular plate portion 34e of the rotary table 34 are disposed near the left wall portion of the vehicle cabin.

(sliding base plate 36)

As shown in fig. 4, the slide base plate 36 is a plate having a substantially square shape and supporting a wheelchair holding plate 50 (described later) in a vertically rotatable state. The slide base 36 is disposed such that, in a state where the rotary table 34 is positioned at the right turn restriction position, the front and rear sides of the slide base 36 extend in the vehicle width direction, and the left and right sides extend in the vehicle front-rear direction. That is, in a state where the rotary table 34 is located at the right turn restriction position, the slide base 36 can slide diagonally along the pair of slide rails 35r in a posture in which the front-rear left-right direction coincides with the front-rear left-right direction of the vehicle 10.

As shown in fig. 4, the slide substrate 36 has a flat inverted triangular left wall portion 36f formed on the left side and a fence-like right wall portion 36r formed on the right side. A left bearing 36j is formed at a lower rear end position of the left wall portion 36f of the slide base 36, and a right bearing (reference numeral omitted) is formed at a rear end position of the right wall portion 36r of the slide base 36. The left bearing portion 36j and the right bearing portion (reference numeral omitted) of the slide base plate 36 are coaxially positioned at the same height position, and the rotation center shaft 50c of the wheelchair retaining plate 50 is rotatably supported by the left bearing portion 36j and the right bearing portion (reference numeral omitted). Thus, the wheelchair holding plate 50 is coupled to the slide base plate 36 so as to be vertically rotatable about the rotation center axis 50c. Here, in a state where the rotating table 34 is positioned at the right turn restriction position, the rotation center axis 50c of the wheelchair retaining plate 50 supported by the left bearing portion 36j and the right bearing portion (reference numeral omitted) of the slide base 36 extends in the vehicle width direction. Thereby, the wheelchair holding plate 50 is kept parallel to the rear door opening 12 of the vehicle 10.

(slide lock mechanism 40)

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, a cutout 36k is formed at the left front corner of the slide substrate 36 so as to extend along the sliding direction between the slide blocks 35y of the slide mechanism 35. Further, a hook 43 of the slide lock mechanism 40 is disposed at a position of the notch portion 36k of the slide substrate 36. The slide lock mechanism 40 is a mechanism for prohibiting the slide base 36 from sliding with respect to the turntable 34. When the slide base 36 slides to the vicinity of the central portion of the rear door opening 12 (rear end position) and the wheelchair holding plate 50 rotates vertically with respect to the slide base 36 in a state where the rotary table 34 is positioned at the right turn restriction position, the slide lock mechanism 40 is brought into a slide lock state.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the slide lock mechanism 40 includes a vertical wall-shaped hook support portion 41 provided at a position of the cutout portion 36k of the slide substrate 36 so as to extend in the sliding direction, and a hook 43 overlapping the hook support portion 41 and coupled to the hook support portion 41 in a vertically rotatable state. As shown in fig. 6 and 7, a hook-shaped engaging portion 43k is provided at the tip end of the hook 43, and a load receiving portion 43z is provided at the base end. The position near the base end of the hook 43 is coupled to the hook support 41 of the slide base 36 via the rotation center pin 41p in a vertically rotatable manner. Thereby, the hook 43 rotates in a direction in which the engaging portion 43k is located downward by its own weight (rightward rotation in fig. 6). When the load receiving portion 43z at the base end of the hook 43 is pressed downward by an external force, the hook 43 pivots upward against its own weight (pivots leftward in fig. 6).

As shown in fig. 5, 6, and the like, the slide lock mechanism 40 has a rectangular long hole 45 formed between the pair of slide rails 35r at the protruding end portion of the belt plate portion 34p of the rotary table 34. The elongated square hole 45 is formed to extend along the slide rail 35r, and an engaged portion 45e engaged with the engaging portion 43k of the hook 43 from the upper rear side is formed at a front edge portion (left edge portion in fig. 5 to 7) in the longitudinal direction of the elongated square hole 45. The slide lock mechanism 40 further includes a lock release projection 47, and the lock release projection 47 presses the load receiving portion 43z of the hook 43 downward, and rotates the hook 43 upward against its own weight (leftward rotation in fig. 7) as shown in fig. 7.

As shown in fig. 4, the unlocking protrusion 47 is formed in a substantially door shape and attached to a rear surface side predetermined position of the wheelchair holding plate 50. Then, as shown in fig. 6 and 7, when the wheelchair holding plate 50 is rotated leftward (rotated upward) to a position (described later) to be placed on the slide base plate 36, the lock releasing projection 47 on the back surface side of the wheelchair holding plate 50 presses the load receiving portion 43z of the hook 43 downward. Thereby, the hook 43 is rotated upward against its own weight (rotated leftward in fig. 7), and the engaging portion 43k of the hook 43 is held in a state of being disengaged from the engaged portion 45e of the turntable 34.

That is, as shown in fig. 7, the slide base 36 is held so as to be slidable with respect to the turntable 34 in a state where the wheelchair holding plate 50 is mounted on the slide base 36. However, as shown in fig. 6, when the wheelchair retaining plate 50 starts to rotate rightward (downward) with respect to the slide base plate 36 in a state where the slide base plate 36 has slid to the front end of the slide rail 35r, the unlocking protrusion 47 of the wheelchair retaining plate 50 is disengaged from the load receiving portion 43z of the hook 43. Thereby, the hook 43 is rotated downward (rotated rightward) by its own weight, and the engaging portion 43k of the hook 43 is caught by the engaged portion 45e of the turntable 34. As a result, the slide base 36 is inhibited from sliding forward from the rear end position.

(outline of wheelchair holding plate 50)

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the wheelchair holding plate 50 fixes the left and right front wheels 22 of the wheelchair 20 folded in the width direction, and further holds the wheelchair 20 by supporting the frame front end lower portion 21 at the front end position and the frame central portion 23 located behind the front wheels 22. Here, since the center of gravity G of the wheelchair 20 is located near the center of the rear wheel 27, the frame center portion 23 and the front wheel 22 of the wheelchair 20 are located on the front side of the center of gravity G. Therefore, the wheelchair holding plate 50 supports the front side of the center of gravity G of the wheelchair 20. As shown in fig. 1, 3, and the like, the wheelchair holding plate 50 can be used to place the wheelchair 20 in an upright state. Therefore, the position where the wheelchair holding plate 50 is raised is referred to as a wheelchair placing position of the wheelchair housing device 30.

As shown in fig. 2, the wheelchair holding plate 50 on which the wheelchair 20 is placed can be raised to a position where it is placed on the slide base 36 by rotating it leftward (upward) with respect to the slide base 36 from the wheelchair placing position. Here, the position where the wheelchair holding plate 50 is supported on the slide base plate 36 and held substantially horizontally is referred to as a wheelchair lifting position. Here, as shown in fig. 2, in the wheelchair lifting position, the wheelchair holding plate 50 supports the frame center portion 23 of the wheelchair 20 with the frame center supporting portion 55 of the wheelchair holding plate 50 as a fulcrum. The rotational moment about the fulcrum, which is generated by the center of gravity G of the wheelchair 20, is received by a front wheel locking mechanism 70 (described later) of the wheelchair retaining plate 50 coupled to the front wheel 22 of the wheelchair 20.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the wheelchair holding plate 50 includes a plate body 51 and a plate support portion 53 connected to the slide base plate 36 on the back side of the plate body 51 so as to be vertically rotatable. As shown in fig. 3, the plate main body portion 51 includes a wide front wheel supporting portion 510 and a narrow frame front end supporting portion 514, the front wheel supporting portion 510 is formed in a substantially square shape, and the frame front end supporting portion 514 is located at an upper side of a center of the front wheel supporting portion 510 and is formed in a substantially square shape in a state of being recessed with respect to the front wheel supporting portion 510. A rectangular front wheel insertion portion 512 is formed on both left and right sides of the front wheel support portion 510 of the plate main body portion 51, and a part of the front wheel 22 of the wheelchair 20 is vertically fitted into the front wheel insertion portion 512. The frame front end supporting portion 514 abuts against the frame front end lower portion 21 of the wheelchair 20 in a state where the front wheel 22 of the wheelchair 20 is fitted to the front wheel insertion portion 512 of the front wheel supporting portion 510. As shown in fig. 4, a lock releasing projection 47 of the slide lock mechanism 40 is fixed to a position of a lower left corner portion on the rear surface side of the rack front end support portion 514 of the board main body portion 51.

As shown in fig. 4, a pair of left and right plate support portions 53 are fixed to the rear surface side of the front wheel support portion 510 of the plate main body portion 51 at positions inward in the width direction of the left and right front wheel insertion portions 512. The plate support portion 53 is formed in a substantially regular triangle, and a portion corresponding to one side of the triangle is fixed to the back side of the front wheel support portion 510 via a flange portion by welding or the like. The rotation center axis 50c is fixed to vertically pass through the projecting portions corresponding to the apexes of the triangle of the left and right plate support portions 53. As shown in fig. 4, the left and right plate support portions 53 are sandwiched between the left wall portion 36f and the right wall portion 36r of the slide base 36. As described above, the left and right end portions of the rotation center shaft 50c protruding from the left and right plate support portions 53 are rotatably supported by the left bearing portion 36j and the right bearing portion (reference numeral omitted) of the slide base plate 36.

As shown in fig. 4, a leg plate 516 is provided at the upper center position of the front wheel support portion 510 on the rear surface side of the plate main body portion 51. As shown in fig. 7, when the wheelchair holding plate 50 is rotated upward and loaded on the slide base plate 36, the leg plate 516 abuts on the surface of the slide base plate 36, thereby supporting the wheelchair holding plate 50 substantially horizontally. As shown in fig. 1 to 3, a frame center support portion 55 that supports the frame center portion 23 of the wheelchair 20 is provided on the front side of the plate body portion 51 at the lower end center position of the front wheel support portion 510 so as to protrude at right angles to the front wheel support portion 510. As shown in fig. 3, the frame center support portion 55 is formed in a substantially T-shape by a column portion 55s that is perpendicular to the front wheel support portion 510, and a frame support rod 55u that extends in the left-right direction at the front end of the column portion 55s and supports the frame center portion 23 of the wheelchair 20. Further, the shelf center support portion 55 can be folded to a position substantially overlapping the board main body portion 51.

(rotation restricting mechanism 60)

As shown in fig. 4, a rotation restricting mechanism 60 is provided between the left wall portion 36f of the slide base plate 36 and the left plate support portion 53 of the wheelchair retaining plate 50. The rotation restricting mechanism 60 is a mechanism that prohibits reverse rotation when the wheelchair retaining plate 50 is rotated leftward (rotated upward) with respect to the slide base plate 36 from the wheelchair placing position (see fig. 1) to the wheelchair lifting position (see fig. 2). As shown in fig. 8, 9, and the like, the rotation restricting mechanism 60 includes a fixed gear 63 having ratchet teeth 63w, and a pawl 65 hooked on the ratchet teeth 63w of the fixed gear 63. The fixed gear 63 is coupled to the left end of the rotation center axis 50c of the wheelchair holding plate 50 (plate support portion 53) so as to be coaxial therewith and so as to be relatively non-rotatable. Therefore, when the wheelchair retaining plate 50 rotates about the axis of the rotation center shaft 50c with respect to the slide base plate 36, the fixed gear 63 also rotates integrally with the wheelchair retaining plate 50.

A plurality of ratchet teeth 63w are formed in a range of about 180 ° of the outer peripheral edge of the fixed gear 63. Here, as shown in fig. 8 to 11 and the like, the angle indicating the formation range of the ratchet teeth 63w around the rotation center axis 50c is set to be larger than the angle indicating the formation range of the wheelchair retaining plate 50 around the rotation center axis 50c. The fixed gear 63 is fixed to the left end of the rotation center shaft 50c such that the formation range of the ratchet 63w overlaps the plate support portion 53 of the wheelchair holding plate 50 in the axial direction of the rotation center shaft 50c. As shown in fig. 13 and the like, a gear lever 63h is provided on the back surface (surface facing the plate support portion 53) of the fixed gear 63 so as to protrude radially outward from the outer peripheral edge of the fixed gear 63. The gear lever 63h is positioned at the center in the circumferential direction of the formation range of the ratchet teeth 63w.

The pawl 65 of the rotation restricting mechanism 60 is a pawl that allows the fixed gear 63 (ratchet 63w) in fig. 9 to rotate leftward and prohibits the rotation rightward. As shown in fig. 4, 8, and the like, the pawl 65 is attached to the upper rear end position of the left wall portion 36f of the slide base 36 via a pawl center shaft 65p so as to be rotatable along the left wall portion 36 f. As shown in fig. 9, the ratchet 65 includes a disk portion 65m that rotates around the axis of the ratchet center shaft 65p, and a ratchet body portion 65t that protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the disk portion 65m in a mouth shape. When the pawl main body portion 65t of the pawl 65 is positioned on the front side (left side in fig. 9) with respect to the axial center of the pawl center axis 65p, the pawl 65 is rotated leftward by its own weight. Thereby, the pawl 65 is held by its own weight at an engagement position (left-turn restriction position) at which the tip end of the pawl main body portion 65t engages with the ratchet teeth 63w of the fixed gear 63.

As shown in fig. 9, in a state where the pawl 65 is located at the engagement position (left-turn restriction position), the tip end of the pawl main body portion 65t of the pawl 65 engages with the ratchet teeth 63w on the upper side of the rotation center of the fixed gear 63. Thus, when the fixed gear 63 is rotated leftward, the ratchet teeth 63w easily push up the pawl main body portion 65t of the pawl 65, and thus the pawl main body portion 65t of the pawl 65 is disengaged from the ratchet teeth 63w, thereby allowing the fixed gear 63 to be rotated leftward. In contrast, when the fixed gear 63 is to be rotated rightward, since the ratchet teeth 63w press down the pawl main body portion 65t of the pawl 65 from above, the pawl main body portion 65t of the pawl 65 sinks into the tooth grooves of the ratchet teeth 63w, thereby prohibiting the fixed gear 63 from being rotated rightward.

The pawl 65 is provided with a rear side grip 65h on the side opposite to the pawl body portion 65t with the pawl center axis 65p therebetween. As shown in fig. 12, the pawl 65 is turned rightward about the pawl center axis 65p by gripping the rear handle 65h, whereby the pawl body portion 65t of the pawl 65 can be disengaged from the ratchet teeth 63w of the fixed gear 63. Here, when the pawl main body portion 65t of the pawl 65 is located on the rear side (right side in fig. 12) of the axial center of the pawl center shaft 65p, the pawl 65 tries to rotate rightward by its own weight. Therefore, in a state where the pawl 65 is rotated rightward to release the engagement with the fixed gear 63, the pawl 65 is held at the restriction release position (right-turn restriction position) at which the rotation restricting portion 65s of the rear handle 65h abuts against the left wall portion 36f of the slide base 36 from below by its own weight.

An annular receiving portion 65e is provided between the pawl body portion 65t and the rear side grip 65h on the outer periphery of the circular plate portion 65m of the pawl 65. As shown in fig. 12, in a state where the pawls 65 are located at the restriction release position (right-turn restriction position), the receiving portions 65e are positioned at positions where the gear rods 63h of the fixed gears 63 that turn rightward (turn downward) together with the wheelchair holding plate 50 abut. Thus, when the wheelchair holding plate 50 is rotated rightward (rotated downward) with respect to the slide base plate 36 to the wheelchair resting position (see fig. 1), the gear rod 63h of the fixed gear 63 abuts against the receiving portion 65e of the pawl 65. Thereby, the pawl 65 rotates leftward from the restriction release position (right rotation restriction position), and is held at the engagement position by its own weight.

(front wheel locking mechanism 70)

The wheelchair holding plate 50 is provided with a front wheel locking mechanism 70 for connecting the left and right front wheels 22 of the wheelchair 20 to the front wheel support portion 510 of the plate main body portion 51 at the wheelchair placing position (see fig. 1). As shown in fig. 1, in a state where the left and right rear wheels 27 of the wheelchair 20 are positioned below and the wheelchair 20 is erected, the front wheel locking mechanism 70 couples the left and right front wheels 22 of the wheelchair 20 to the plate main bodies 51 (front wheel supporting portions 510) by the action of inserting a part of the left and right front wheels 22 into the left and right front wheel inserting portions 512 of the plate main bodies 51 (front wheel supporting portions 510). Here, in the upright state (wheelchair placement position) of the wheelchair retaining plate 50, the height dimension of the left and right front wheel insertion portions 512 from the road surface is set to be substantially equal to the height dimension of the front wheels 22 of the upright wheelchair 20. Therefore, when a part of the left and right front wheels 22 is inserted into the left and right front wheel insertion portions 512 of the wheelchair retaining plate 50 (plate main body portion 51), there is no need to lift the wheelchair 20.

As shown in fig. 3, 4, and 14, the front wheel locking mechanism 70 includes a locking member 73 provided on the front surface side of the wheelchair holding plate 50 (plate body 51), a spring member 75, and a support member 77 provided on the back surface side of the plate body 51. The locking member 73 presses the left and right front wheels 22 of the wheelchair 20 from the side opposite to the front wheel insertion portion 512 of the plate body 51, thereby connecting the left and right front wheels 22 to the plate body 51. The locking member 73 is formed in a substantially T-shape by an arm portion 73a connected to the plate body portion 51 of the wheelchair holding plate 50 in a state of being vertically rotatable with respect to the plate body portion 51 of the wheelchair holding plate 50, and a pressing rod 73b fixed substantially horizontally to a tip (a rotatable free end) of the arm portion 73 a.

As shown in fig. 3 and 14, an arm support portion 515 is provided on the front side of the plate body portion 51 (front wheel support portion 510) of the wheelchair holding plate 50, and the arm support portion 515 supports the base end portion of the arm portion 73a of the locking member 73 so as to be vertically rotatable while sandwiching it from the left-right direction. The arm support portion 515 is provided at an intermediate position of the left and right front wheel insertion portions 512 so as to protrude laterally from the surface of the plate body portion 51. A bearing portion 515j (see fig. 15) for rotatably supporting the rotation center axis 73p of the arm portion 73a of the locking member 73 is provided at the top portion of the arm support portion 515.

As shown in fig. 16, the bearing portions 515j of the arm support portion 515 of the plate body 51 are provided at positions substantially coaxial with the left and right front wheels 22 of the wheelchair 20 inserted into the left and right front wheel insertion portions 512 of the plate body 51. Further, the dimension from the rotation center of the arm portion 73a of the locking member 73 to the tip of the arm portion 73a (the boundary with the pressing lever 73 b) is set to a value slightly larger than the radial dimension of the front wheel 22 of the wheelchair 20. Therefore, as shown in fig. 16, when the arm portion 73a of the locking member 73 is turned upward (described later) around the rotation center axis 73p, the pressing lever 73b moves upward along the outer peripheries of the left and right front wheels 22.

Then, in a state where the pressing lever 73b of the locking member 73 is in contact with the front wheel supporting portion 22s of the wheelchair 20, the pressing lever 73b presses the left and right front wheels 22 from the opposite side of the left and right front wheel insertion portions 512. As a result, the left and right front wheels 22 are coupled to the wheelchair retaining plate 50 (plate body portion 51). That is, as shown in fig. 16, the position where the pressing lever 73b of the locking member 73 presses the left and right front wheels 22 of the wheelchair 20 from the opposite side of the left and right front wheel insertion portions 512 (the position where it abuts against the front wheel support portion 22s of the wheelchair 20) is the upper limit position (the locking position) of the locking member 73. As shown in fig. 15, the state in which the locking member 73 is located at the lower rotation restricting position is the lock release position of the locking member 73.

The spring member 75 of the front wheel locking mechanism 70 is an urging means for holding the locking member 73 in the locking position or the unlocking position. A pair of left and right spring members 75 are used, and as shown in fig. 15, one ends of these spring members 75 are hung on fixed spring holders 515y provided on left and right upper side surfaces of the arm support portion 515. The other ends of the spring members 75 are hooked on movable spring brackets 73x provided on the left and right side surfaces of the arm portion 73a of the locking member 73. As shown in fig. 15, the spring member 75 is disposed on the left side of the rotation center of the arm portion 73a of the locking member 73 (bearing portion 515j) in a state where the locking member 73 is located at the lower rotation restricting position (lock releasing position). Therefore, the arm portion 73a is applied with the spring force of the spring member 75 in the rightward turning direction (toward the plate main body portion 51 side), and the locking member 73 is held at the lower turning restriction position (lock release position). When the support member 77 presses the locking member 73 (described later) in the right direction in fig. 15 and the spring member 75 moves to the right with respect to the rotation center of the arm portion 73a of the locking member 73, the arm portion 73a is rotated to the left (rotated upward) in the direction toward the lock position by the elastic force of the spring member 75.

As shown in fig. 16, the support member 77 of the front wheel lock mechanism 70 is pushed forward and turned leftward by the left and right front wheels 22 of the wheelchair 20 inserted into the left and right front wheel insertion portions 512 of the plate body portion 51, and pushes the locking member 73 located at the unlocking position rightward (rearward). As shown in fig. 4, the support member 77 is formed in a substantially T-shape by a square center plate 77c and a front wheel support rod 77b connected to an upper end position of the center plate 77c and extending in the left-right direction. The front wheel support lever 77b is a lever pressed by the left and right front wheels 22 of the wheelchair 20, and extends from a position on the rear side of the left front wheel insertion portion 512 to a position on the rear side of the right front wheel insertion portion 512. The lower end portion of the center plate 77c of the support member 77 is sandwiched and supported by left and right bearing plates 517 provided at the center of the back surface of the wheelchair holding plate 50 (plate body 51) so as to be vertically rotatable. That is, as shown in fig. 15, a rotation center pin (reference numeral omitted) provided at the lower end portion of the center plate 77c of the support member 77 is rotatably supported by bearing portions 517j formed on the left and right bearing plates 517.

Thus, when the left and right front wheels 22 of the wheelchair 20 are inserted into the left and right front wheel insertion portions 512 of the plate body 51, the left and right front wheels 22 press the front wheel support rod 77b of the support member 77 forward (leftward), and the center plate 77c pivots leftward about the bearing portion 517j as shown in fig. 16. As shown in fig. 4 and 15, a curved rod-shaped pressing rod 77p is provided at the center of the lower portion of the central plate 77c of the support member 77 so as to protrude downward and rearward. The pressing rod 77p has a tip portion protruding from a central opening (not shown) of the plate body 51 toward the front surface of the plate body 51. As shown in fig. 15, the front end portion of the pressing lever 77p abuts against the rear surface side of the locking member 73 located at the downward rotation restricting position (lock releasing position) in a state where the front wheel support lever 77b of the support member 77 is not subjected to an external force. Thus, when the left and right front wheels 22 of the wheelchair 20 press the front wheel support rod 77b of the support member 77 forward and the center plate 77c rotates leftward about the bearing 517j, the pressing rod 77p presses the locking member 73 located at the down-rotation restricting position rearward (rightward), as shown in fig. 16. Thereby, the spring member 75 moves to the right with respect to the rotation center of the arm portion 73a of the locking member 73, and the arm portion 73a is rotated upward in the direction of the lock position by the elastic force of the spring member 75.

(operation of wheelchair storage device 30)

As shown in fig. 1, a procedure of accommodating the wheelchair 20 in the cabin of the vehicle 10 from the state where the wheelchair holding plate 50 of the wheelchair housing apparatus 30 is located at the wheelchair accommodating position will be described. Here, as shown in fig. 4 and 5, in a state where the wheelchair holding plate 50 of the wheelchair housing device 30 is located at the wheelchair placement position, the rotating table 34 is held at the right-turn restriction position, and the slide base plate 36 is disposed near the center of the rear door opening 12 of the vehicle 10 at the front end of the pair of slide rails 35 r. As shown in fig. 6, the hook 43 of the slide lock mechanism 40 is hooked on the engaged portion 45e of the rotary table 34 (the rectangular long hole 45), and the slide of the slide base 36 is prohibited. As shown in fig. 8 and 9, the pawl main body portion 65t of the pawl 65 of the rotation restricting mechanism 60 provided between the slide base 36 and the wheelchair holding plate 50 engages with the ratchet 63w of the fixed gear 63.

As shown in fig. 14, the locking member 73 of the front wheel locking mechanism 70 of the wheelchair retaining plate 50 is retained at the down-rotation restricting position (unlocked position) by the elastic force of the spring member 75. As shown in fig. 1, in this state, the folded wheelchair 20 is erected with the right and left rear wheels 27 positioned on the lower side, and the right and left front wheels 22 of the wheelchair 20 are inserted into the right and left front wheel insertion portions 512 of the wheelchair retaining plate 50. Thus, the left and right front wheels 22 of the wheelchair 20 press the front wheel support rods 77b of the support members 77 of the front wheel locking mechanism 70 forward. As a result, as shown in fig. 16, the center plate 77c of the support member 77 rotates leftward about the bearing 517j, and the front end portion of the pressing rod 77p fixed to the center plate 77c presses the locking member 73 located at the unlocking position rearward (rightward).

Thereby, spring member 75 moves to the right with respect to the rotation center of arm 73a of locking member 73 (bearing portion 515j), and arm 73a pivots upward in the direction toward the lock position by the elastic force of spring member 75. The pressing rod 73b fixed to the tip of the arm 73a moves upward along the outer periphery of the left and right front wheels 22 and is hooked to the front wheel support 22s of the wheelchair 20. Thus, the left and right front wheels 22 of the wheelchair 20 are pressed from the opposite side of the front wheel insertion portion 512 of the wheelchair holding plate 50 by the pressing rod 73b of the locking member 73, and are coupled to the wheelchair holding plate 50. As shown in fig. 1, in a state where the left and right front wheels 22 of the wheelchair 20 are inserted into the left and right front wheel insertion portions 512 of the wheelchair retaining plate 50, the frame front end lower portion 21 of the wheelchair 20 abuts against the frame front end supporting portion 514 of the wheelchair retaining plate 50. The frame center portion 23 of the wheelchair 20 abuts against the frame support bar 55u of the frame center support portion 55 of the wheelchair retaining plate 50.

In this state, by applying a lifting force to the wheelchair 20, the wheelchair holding plate 50 is rotated upward (leftward in fig. 1) about the rotation center axis 50c with respect to the slide base plate 36. Here, since the frame front end lower portion 21 of the wheelchair 20 abuts against the frame front end supporting portion 514 of the wheelchair retaining plate 50, even if a lifting force (see white arrow) is applied to the wheelchair 20, the wheelchair 20 does not rotate upward about the front wheel 22 with respect to the wheelchair retaining plate 50 alone. That is, the wheelchair 20 is rotated upward integrally with the wheelchair holding plate 50 in a state where three points, i.e., the frame front end lower portion 21, the front wheel 22, and the frame center portion 23, are supported by the wheelchair holding plate 50.

When the wheelchair holding plate 50 is rotated upward about the rotation center axis 50c with respect to the slide base plate 36, the fixed gear 63 of the rotation restricting mechanism 60 is rotated leftward in fig. 9 integrally with the wheelchair holding plate 50. Therefore, even if the pawl main body portion 65t of the pawl 65 of the rotation restricting mechanism 60 engages with the ratchet teeth 63w of the fixed gear 63, the pawl 650 is pushed up by the ratchet teeth 63w, and the wheelchair retaining plate 50 (the fixed gear 63) is allowed to turn leftward. However, even if the lifting force of the wheelchair 20 is released in the middle, the fixed gear 63 is prohibited from rotating rightward by the rotation restricting mechanism 60, and therefore the wheelchair holding plate 50 does not rotate downward, and the position of the wheelchair holding plate 50 is held.

Then, when the wheelchair holding plate 50 is rotated upward to the wheelchair lifting position as shown in fig. 2, the leg plate 516 of the wheelchair holding plate 50 abuts on the surface of the slide base plate 36 as shown in fig. 7, and the wheelchair holding plate 50 is loaded on the slide base plate 36 in a substantially horizontal state. When the wheelchair holding plate 50 is mounted on the slide base plate 36, the unlocking protrusion 47 on the back side of the wheelchair holding plate 50 presses the load receiving portion 43z of the hook 43 of the slide lock mechanism 40 downward. As a result, as shown in fig. 7, the hook 43 rotates upward (rotates leftward) against its own weight, and the engaging portion 43k of the hook 43 disengages from the engaged portion 43e of the turntable 34. That is, the slide base 36 can slide along the pair of slide rails 35r with respect to the rotary table 34.

Next, the slide base plate 36 supporting the wheelchair 20 and the wheelchair holding plate 50 is slid from the position of the rear door opening 12 in the direction toward the inside of the vehicle compartment along the slide rail 35r on the rotary table 34 (slid in the front-left direction in fig. 3 and 4). Then, the rotary table 34 is horizontally rotated leftward while the slide base 36 is in contact with the slide stopper 35s of the rotary table 34. When the turntable 34 is rotated by about 90 ° to the left from the right rotation restricting position, the front wheels 22 and the rear wheels 27 of the wheelchair 20 are substantially parallel to the rear door opening 12, and a left rotation restricting portion (not shown) starts to function. The position is taken as the accommodating position of the wheelchair.

When the wheelchair 20 located at the storage position is removed from the vehicle 10, the force is applied in a reverse procedure to the above procedure. Here, as shown in fig. 2, when the wheelchair holding plate 50 located at the wheelchair lifting position is turned downward (turned rightward) to the wheelchair resting position (see fig. 1), the rear side handle 65h holding the pawl 65 of the rotation restricting mechanism 60 turns the pawl 65 rightward around the pawl center axis 65p as shown in fig. 12, and the engagement between the ratchet teeth 63w of the fixed gear 63 and the pawl main body portion 65t of the pawl 65 is released. At this time, the rotation restricting portion 65s of the rear handle 65h of the pawl 65 abuts against the left wall portion 36f of the slide base plate 36 from below, so that the pawl 65 is held at the right-turn restricting position shown in fig. 12. In this state, the wheelchair holding plate 50 can be turned downward (rightward) about the rotation center axis 50c with respect to the slide base plate 36.

Then, as shown in fig. 12, in the process of holding the wheelchair 20 and rotating the wheelchair retaining plate 50 downward to the wheelchair placing position shown in fig. 1, the gear lever 63h of the fixed gear 63 that rotates rightward integrally with the wheelchair retaining plate 50 abuts against the receiving portion 65e of the pawl 65. Then, at the stage when the wheelchair retaining plate 50 is rotated downward (rotated rightward) to the wheelchair placing position (see fig. 1), the gear lever 63h of the fixed gear 63 presses the receiving portion 65e of the ratchet 65 to a predetermined position, and the ratchet 65 is rotated leftward. Thereby, the pawl main body portion 65t of the pawl 65 engages with the ratchet teeth 63w of the fixed gear 63. That is, by rotating the wheelchair holding plate 50 downward (rightward) to the wheelchair-resting position (see fig. 1), the pawl body portion 65t of the pawl 65 is automatically engaged with the ratchet teeth 63w of the fixed gear 63. Then, the locking member 73 of the front wheel locking mechanism 70 is rotated downward to the unlocking position against the elastic force of the spring member 75, and the locking member 73 is held at the unlocking position by the elastic force of the spring member 75, whereby the wheelchair 20 is separated from the wheelchair holding plate 50.

(correspondence of the wording of the claims with the wording of the first embodiment)

As described above, the wheelchair holding plate 50 corresponds to the wheelchair holding portion of the present invention. The support mechanism of the present invention corresponds to the turntable 34, the slide mechanism 35, the slide lock mechanism 40, the slide base plate 36, and the like that support the wheelchair holding plate 50 so that the wheelchair holding plate 50 can move from the wheelchair storage position outside the vehicle compartment to the wheelchair storage position inside the vehicle compartment. The connecting portion between the rotation center shaft 50c fixed to the plate support portion 53 of the wheelchair holding plate 50 and the left bearing portion 36j and the right bearing portion (reference numeral omitted) of the slide base plate 36 corresponds to the rotation portion of the support mechanism of the present invention. The state in which the ratchet 63w of the rotation restricting mechanism 60 is engaged with the pawl 65 is the restricted state of the rotation restricting mechanism of the present invention, and the state in which the pawl 65 is disengaged from the ratchet 63w is the restriction released state of the rotation restricting mechanism.

(advantages of the wheelchair storage apparatus 30 of the vehicle 10 of the present embodiment)

According to the wheelchair housing apparatus 30 of the vehicle 10 of the present embodiment, the rotation restricting mechanism 60 that can permit upward rotation (leftward rotation) and prohibit downward rotation (rightward rotation) is provided between the slide base plate 36 and the wheelchair retaining plate 50 (wheelchair retaining portion). Therefore, when the wheelchair holding plate 50 is rotated from the wheelchair-placed position (see fig. 1) to the wheelchair-lifted position (see fig. 2), the wheelchair holding plate 50 does not return in the direction of the wheelchair-placed position by the operation of the rotation restricting mechanism 60 even if the biasing force is stopped in the middle. Therefore, the wheelchair 20 can be lifted efficiently.

When the wheelchair holding plate 50 is rotated downward to the wheelchair-placed position in the restriction-released state of the rotation restriction mechanism 60, the gear lever 63h on the ratchet 63w side abuts against the receiving portion 65e of the pawl 65, and the pawl 65 is rotated to a position where it engages with the ratchet 63w. Therefore, the rotation restricting mechanism 60 can always be in the restricted state in the state where the wheelchair holding plate 50 is located at the wheelchair placing position.

(modification example)

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, the fixed gear 63 (ratchet 63w) of the rotation restricting mechanism 60 is provided on the rotation center shaft 50c that rotates integrally with the wheelchair holding plate 50, and the pawl 65 is provided on the left wall portion 36f of the slide base 36 having the left bearing portion 36j. However, the pawls 65 may be provided on the rotation center shaft 50c that rotates integrally with the wheelchair holding plate 50, and the fixed gear 63 may be provided on the left wall portion 36f of the slide base 36. In the present embodiment, the rotation restricting mechanism 60 is set in the restricted state (the ratchet 65 is engaged with the ratchet 63w) when the wheelchair holding plate 50 is rotated downward to the wheelchair placing position by the gear lever 63h on the ratchet 63w side pressing the receiving portion 65e of the ratchet 65. However, a striker may be provided on the plate support portion 53 of the wheelchair retaining plate 50, and the pawl 65 may be pressed by the striker to engage the ratchet 63w with the pawl 65.

Claims (2)

1. A wheelchair storage device for a vehicle, characterized in that,

comprising:

a wheelchair holding section for placing a wheelchair; and

a support mechanism that supports the wheelchair-holding portion so that the wheelchair-holding portion can move between a wheelchair-placing position outside a vehicle compartment and a wheelchair-accommodating position inside the vehicle compartment,

moving the wheelchair holding portion between the wheelchair placing position and the wheelchair accommodating position by applying a force to the wheelchair holding portion from the outside,

the support mechanism is provided with a rotating portion that rotates in one direction when the wheelchair holding portion moves from the wheelchair accommodating position to the wheelchair accommodating position, and rotates in the other direction when the wheelchair holding portion moves from the wheelchair accommodating position to the wheelchair accommodating position,

the rotation portion is provided with a rotation restricting mechanism capable of permitting rotation in one direction and prohibiting rotation in the other direction,

the rotation restricting mechanism is switchable between a restriction state in which rotation in the other direction is prohibited and a restriction release state in which rotation in the other direction is permitted,

the rotation restricting mechanism has a ratchet and a pawl,

the wheelchair storage device of the vehicle has a gear lever provided on the ratchet and a receiving portion provided on the pawl,

when the wheelchair holding portion is moved to the wheelchair placement position in the restriction-released state of the rotation restriction mechanism, the gear lever abuts against the receiving portion of the pawl by the rotation of the ratchet, whereby the pawl is rotated to a position where the pawl engages with the ratchet, and the rotation restriction mechanism is switched to the restriction state.

2. The wheelchair storage apparatus of a vehicle according to claim 1,

the wheelchair holding portion is coupled to the support mechanism so as to be vertically rotatable with respect to the support mechanism, the rotating portion is a coupling portion between the support mechanism and the wheelchair holding portion,

the wheelchair retaining portion is rotated upward when the wheelchair retaining portion is moved from the wheelchair storage position to the wheelchair storage position, and is rotated downward when the wheelchair retaining portion is moved from the wheelchair storage position to the wheelchair storage position,

the rotation restricting mechanism is capable of allowing the wheelchair holding portion to rotate upward and inhibiting the wheelchair holding portion from rotating downward.

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