CN110536669B

CN110536669B - Chair for nursing

Info

Publication number: CN110536669B
Application number: CN201880024893.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 土桥悦子; 菅原慎也
Original assignee: Tohashi Manufacturing Co ltd
Current assignee: Tohashi Manufacturing Co ltd
Priority date: 2017-09-11
Filing date: 2018-03-13
Publication date: 2021-12-24
Anticipated expiration: 2038-03-13
Also published as: JP6273397B1; KR102401426B1; JP2019047938A; CN110536669A; KR20200045988A; WO2019049401A1

Abstract

Provided is a wheelchair having a link mechanism which is interlocked with an inclination adjustment mechanism and performs an operation of increasing the opening angle of a back surface and a seat surface and sinking the rear portion of the seat surface, thereby preventing the back of a seated person from shifting and maintaining a comfortable posture. The wheelchair is configured such that the rear end of a seat frame (5) is rotatably connected to a rear frame (4), the lower end of the rear frame (4) is vertically movably supported by a main body frame (1) via a connecting frame (14), the piston tip of a gas spring (10) having a mechanism for locking the forward and backward movement of a piston is connected to the rear frame (4) and a rotation fulcrum (16) of the connecting frame (14), and the lower end of the rear frame (4) can be fixedly supported by the locking mechanism.

Description

Chair for nursing

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a chair for nursing care, and more particularly, to a chair that can be easily moved between a chair and a bed by tilting a seat surface or an elbow rest at an appropriate angle during tilt adjustment.

Background

In recent years, with the progress of our country's aging, the number of users of nursing chairs has increased rapidly. A nursing chair requires various functions. In order to meet this demand, various efforts have been made each year to apply a large number of patent applications.

The most commonly required functions of the nursing chair are a reclining function of tilting a backrest and a function of easily transferring a seated person between the chair and a bed. In general, a tilt angle adjusting function of a chair such as a wheelchair includes a tilt angle adjusting system for tilting only a backrest without tilting a seat surface and a tilt system for tilting the backrest while maintaining an angle between the seat surface and the backrest.

In the reclining method, there is a risk that the buttocks of the sitting person slide forward during the reclining operation, and there is a problem that "back shift" in which the back of the sitting person and the surface of the backrest are easily shifted and clothes are easily curled up. On the other hand, in the reclining system, since the legs are bent when the backrest is reclined, the burden on the knees or the waist is increased, and the chair is liable to fall backward. In addition, there is a problem that it is difficult to completely tilt (full reciling).

Therefore, in the inclination adjustment, a function of sinking the rear portion of the seat surface downward is required to prevent the back deviation while increasing the opening angle between the back rest and the seat surface. Conventionally, various proposals have been made for preventing back shift during tilt adjustment (for example,

patent documents

1, 2, and 3).

Among them, patent document 1 discloses "a wheelchair having both a function of integrally rotating a back portion and a seat portion and a function of varying an inclination angle of the back portion with respect to the seat portion". However, in this system, a mechanism and a drive mechanism (actuator) for realizing two independent functions are required, and the structure of the lower portion of the wheelchair is complicated and the cost is high, and the weight of the wheelchair is increased, which is not preferable.

Therefore, it is necessary to interlock the operation of increasing the opening angle of the backrest and the seat surface and the operation of sinking the rear portion of the seat surface downward by a mechanical link mechanism at the time of reclining so that reclining can be performed by one actuator. As an example of using this link mechanism, patent document 3 discloses a "seat-changeable chair device".

The details of the structure of the chair apparatus are omitted, but the link mechanism of patent document 3 cannot increase the stroke of sinking the rear portion of the seat face downward. Therefore, it is difficult to completely solve the problem that the hip slides forward and the back is deviated when the reclining angle is increased. Therefore, the chair device of patent document 3 is provided with a mechanism capable of selectively switching between a reclining position at which the relative tilt angle between the back surface and the seat surface can be changed and a tilt position at which the tilt angle is fixed at a predetermined angle.

Patent document 4 discloses an armrest for an adjustable-inclination wheelchair that can open the side of the wheelchair following the adjustment of the inclination of the wheelchair. Here, the reclining mechanism disclosed in patent document 4 pivotally connects the lower end portion of the link frame 7 to the vehicle body frame 2 (a first pivotal connection point), pivotally connects the back frame 6 to the lumbar support frame 5 (a third pivotal connection point), and pivotally connects the lumbar support frame 5 to the vehicle body frame 2 in a swingable manner (a fourth pivotal connection point). The link frame 7 is pivotally connected to the back frame 6 (second pivot connection point). Here, the fourth pivot connection point is pivotally connected to the vehicle body frame 2 so as to be swingable rearward than the center point in the front-rear direction of the lumbar support frame 5. Therefore, when the back frame 6 is tilted rearward, as seen from fig. 3 and 6 of patent document 4, the back frame is inclined so as to be largely lifted forward about the fourth pivot connecting point, and hardly sinks rearward. Therefore, a "back shift" occurs in which the back of the wheelchair occupant is shifted from the surface of the backrest, and the wheelchair becomes unstable (the center of gravity is raised or the wheelchair is liable to tip over), and the user feels uneasy to slip off the wheelchair. In the cited document 4, the rear wheels are several times larger than the front wheels in order to prevent the wheelchair from tipping over due to the high center of gravity.

Next, in order to facilitate the transfer between the bed and the chair by the care-receiver, a function of bringing the side surface of the chair into close contact with the side surface of the bed and a function of removing or moving one of the toggle rests in order to avoid interference with the toggle rest at the time of the transfer are required. The cited document 4 discloses an elbow rest capable of opening the side of a wheelchair. However, the armrest disclosed in reference 4 has a completely parallelogram structure because it has a four-joint structure, and the elbow rest surface and the seat surface must always be parallel. Therefore, when the backrest is lowered backward, a part of the weight of the wrist must be received by the shoulder. As can be seen from fig. 7 of patent document 4, the elbow rests protrude largely from the backrest, and the protruding portions may interfere with the caregiver.

Patent document 5 discloses a nursing chair in which a pair of rotatable caster rear wheels are disposed behind a main wheel of a wheelchair, and a caregiver steps on a pedal to lift the main wheel and move the wheelchair laterally. However, nursing wheelchairs and beds in which a main wheel is not required to be installed when a seated person is not required to walk by himself or herself, and all four wheels are configured by rotatable casters, have been widely used.

As an example of a mechanism for moving an elbow rest of a wheelchair at the time of transfer, patent document 6 discloses an "elbow rest push-down type armrest of a wheelchair". The armrest (elbow rest) comprises: an elbow support tube, the rear end of which is rotatably connected with a fulcrum shaft of the back frame, and a notch with a specified width is formed in the whole length range of the lower surface of the elbow support tube; a block-shaped sliding member which can slide back and forth in the pipe along the slit; and a connecting member, one end of which is rotatably connected with the lower end shaft of the sliding member, and the other end of which is rotatably connected with the specified position shaft of the main body frame. The front portion of the elbow rest is bent downward by pressing down the connecting member. However, the armrest is not limited to a very specific structure and the elbow rest has a problem in that the elbow rest cannot be moved as a whole because the rear portion of the elbow rest is connected to the back frame shaft.

Prior art documents

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2002-102291

Patent document 2: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2004-160055

Patent document 3: japanese Kokai publication No. 2007-190359

Patent document 4: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2005-328980

Patent document 5: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2005-34189

Patent document 6: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2011-125478

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In view of the above-described problems of the prior art, the present invention aims to provide the following solutions to the technical problems.

A first aspect of the present invention to solve the problem lies in providing a link mechanism that can perform two operations by a single actuator by linking an operation of increasing an opening angle of a back surface and a seat surface with an operation of tilting the seat surface by a mechanical link mechanism at the time of tilt adjustment, and that can perform tilt adjustment that can avoid back offset even if a tilt angle of the tilt adjustment is increased by making a sinking stroke of a rear portion of the seat surface sufficiently large.

A second aspect of the present invention to solve the problem is to provide a link mechanism for a simple elbow rest support capable of tilting an elbow rest substantially parallel to a seat surface in conjunction with tilting of the seat surface. A third aspect of the present invention to solve the problem is to provide a moving mechanism for an elbow rest, which is capable of moving the elbow rest so as not to interfere with the sitting person's boarding and alighting in the elbow rest having the link mechanism. Also, a backrest (back frame) capable of alleviating back pain of a caregiver suffering from a severe hunchback is provided.

Means for solving the problems

A first aspect of the present invention to solve the above problems is a nursing chair including: a main body frame (1) having a pair of leg portions at the front and rear; a back frame (4) and a seat frame (5) which are supported by the main body frame so as to be capable of tilting; and a spring mechanism (10) that biases the tilting movement of the back frame, the spring mechanism being characterized by comprising: a first rotation fulcrum (15) that rotatably connects one end of a pair of connection frames (14) to the main body frame (1), the pair of connection frames (14) connecting a lower portion of the main body frame (1) to a lower portion of the back frame (4); a second pivot point (16) that pivotally connects the other end of the connecting frame (14), the lower portion of the rear frame (4), and the distal end of the drive lever of the spring mechanism (10) via a cross bar (45), the cross bar (45) being connected at an intermediate portion to the distal end of the drive lever of the spring mechanism (10) and connecting the pair of connecting frames; a third pivot point (17) that pivotably couples the rear surface frame (4) and the seat surface frame (5) coupled to the second pivot point (16); and a fourth pivot fulcrum that is pivotably coupled to the other end portion of a mounting device, one end portion of the mounting device being fixed to the front wheel side of the center point of the seat cushion frame (5) in the front-rear direction, and the other end portion of the mounting device being mounted to the front wheel side of the main body frame (1) that is lower in height than the seat cushion frame (5).

In the chair for nursing care described above, the spring mechanism is preferably constituted by a gas spring. In the chair for nursing care of the above invention, it is preferable that the front wheel and the rear wheel are constituted by caster wheels rotatably attached to the leg portions of the main body frame. Preferably, the back frame is configured such that the bent spine portion of the care recipient does not abut against the components of the back frame. Preferably, the spring mechanism is configured to bias the rear frame forward by an internal pressure of the piston rod pressing into the gas chamber when the rear frame is lowered backward, and to assist the rear frame in the forward tilting movement by a reaction force of a spring fitted around the piston rod when the rear frame is returned forward. Thereby, anyone can easily perform the reclining operation.

A second aspect of the present invention is a nursing chair including: a main body frame (1) having a pair of leg portions at the front and rear; a back frame (4) and a seat frame (5) which are supported by the main body frame (1) so as to be capable of tilting; a gas spring (10) for applying force to the back frame (4) in a tilting manner; a first rotation fulcrum (15) which rotatably connects one end of a pair of connection frames (14) to the main body frame (1), the pair of connection frames (14) connecting the lower part of the rear leg of the main body frame (1) to the lower part of the back frame (4); a second pivot point (16) which is pivotably coupled to both end portions of a cross bar (45), the cross bar (45) being coupled to the other end portion of the coupling frame (14), a lower portion of the rear frame (4), and a distal end portion of the drive rod of the gas spring (10) and being coupled between the pair of coupling frames; a third pivot point (17) that pivotably couples the rear surface frame (4) and the seat surface frame (5) coupled to the second pivot point (16); and a fourth pivot fulcrum (18) pivotally coupled to the other end portion of a mounting device, wherein one end portion of the mounting device is fixed to a front portion on a front wheel side of the seat cushion frame (5), and the other end portion of the mounting device is attached to a front portion of the main body frame (1),

the nursing chair is provided with an elbow rest frame (6), and the elbow rest frame (6) comprises: a body arm (61); a support member (62) coupled to one end of the body arm (61); and a lock pin (64) detachably inserted in a through hole penetrating the body arm (61) and the support member (62),

the elbow rest frame (6) is provided with:

a mounting pivot (51) for rotatably mounting one end of the support member (62) and the rear frame (4);

a hinge fulcrum (63) that rotatably connects the other end of the support member (62) and the main body arm (61);

a connecting pivot point (52) that rotatably connects the other end of the long piece (54) of the elbow rest support frame (7) to the other end of the main body arm (61), the elbow rest support frame (7) being configured such that the long piece (54) and the short piece (55) are bendable at their one ends by a hinge pivot point (53); and

and a fourth pivot point (18) that pivotally connects the other end of the short piece (55) to the front-wheel-side distal end portion of the main body frame (1).

Effects of the invention

According to the above invention of the present application, it is possible to provide a link mechanism that can perform two operations with one actuator by interlocking the operation of increasing the opening angle of the back surface and the seat surface and the operation of tilting the seat surface at the time of tilt adjustment with a relatively simple configuration. According to this link mechanism, the sinking stroke of the rear portion of the seat face at the time of tilt adjustment can be made sufficiently large, so that back shifting does not occur even if the tilt angle of tilt adjustment is increased, and a comfortable lumbar support posture can be maintained.

The link mechanism for reclining described above can be applied not only to chairs or wheelchairs but also to reclining mechanisms for chairs of various applications.

Further, according to the above invention of the present application, it is possible to provide a link mechanism of an elbow rest that is simple and convenient and can tilt the elbow rest substantially in parallel with the seat surface in association with the tilting of the seat surface at the time of the tilt adjustment. According to this link mechanism, the inclination of the elbow rest can be changed to an appropriate state without any operation by the occupant at the time of the reclining.

The toggle link mechanism can be applied not only to chairs and wheelchairs but also to reclining chairs for various purposes.

Further, according to the present invention, in the elbow rest having the link mechanism, the elbow rest can be held at a predetermined height when a user of the chair sits on the seat, and the elbow rest can be moved to the vicinity of the seat surface or below the seat surface by a simple operation of the user when the chair is lifted, so that the elbow rest can be prevented from interfering with the lifting of the chair or the transfer between the chair and the bed.

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of examples. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a nursing chair according to an embodiment of the present invention in a state where a backrest is upright. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the chair in a state in which the reclining is performed. In the chair described below, casters are attached to the legs. Therefore, in the following description, a nursing chair according to an embodiment of the present invention is referred to as a wheelchair.

As can be seen, the wheelchair includes a main body frame 1 having front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3 mounted on leg portions 1a thereof, a back frame 4, a seat frame 5, an elbow rest frame 6, an elbow rest support frame 7, a headrest frame 8, a footrest frame 9, a gas spring 10, a side guard 11, a lock release lever 12, and the like. In the present specification, the front is the front direction of the seated person, and the rear is the rear direction of the seated person.

The headrest frame 8 supports the head of the seated person during reclining, and is attached to the upper portion of the back frame 4 in an extendable and retractable manner. The footrest frame 9 supports the legs during sitting and reclining, and is attached to the upper front end of the main body frame 1 so as to be capable of tilting.

The side guards 11 are used to protect the driving part of the seat bottom and prevent accidents, and are formed of covers attached to both side surfaces of the main body frame 1. The headrest frame 8, the footrest frame 9, the side guards 11, and the like are the same as those widely used in conventional wheelchairs, and therefore, detailed description thereof is omitted.

A seat cushion 13 is attached to the seat frame 5, and a back cushion (not shown) is attached to the back frame 4. The rear frame 4 is configured to maintain a predetermined strength without disposing a frame forming member in the center portion thereof. This is to alleviate back pain caused by abutment of the bent spine portion of the (serious) care recipient with the frame component. In the wheelchair of the present embodiment, the main wheels having a large diameter are not used, and the rear wheels are also configured by the same caster as the front wheels. This is due to the fact that the sitting person is supposed to walk by himself, and the hand-pushing movement of the nursing staff is assumed.

In the present embodiment, the front wheels 2 and the rear wheels 3 are each constituted by caster wheels rotatably attached to the leg portions of the main body frame 1. By being structured in this way, the following advantages are provided. That is, since both the front and rear wheels can be driven in any direction, the side surface of the wheelchair can be easily brought into close contact with the side surface of the bed in a narrow place, and the caregiver can easily get on and off the wheelchair and transfer to the bed because the main wheels are not provided.

The lock release lever 12 is used to lock the operation of the piston of the gas spring 10 during the adjustment of the tilt angle, and will be described in detail later.

In the present embodiment, the main body frame 1 is configured by joining the leg frame 1a and the upper frame 1b, but this configuration is not required, and both may be integrally manufactured. Hereinafter, both will be referred to as a main body frame 1 as a single body.

A first feature of the present invention is a tilt angle adjusting support mechanism. This will be explained below. Fig. 3 is a side view showing only the wheelchair frame of the present embodiment, and fig. 3 (a) shows a state of standing upright, and fig. 3 (b) shows a state of reclining.

As can be seen from these figures, the lower end of the band plate-shaped coupling frame 14 is rotatably supported by a first pivot 15 provided at the lower portion of the main body frame 1, and a second pivot 16 is provided at the upper end of the coupling frame 14. At the second pivot 16, the lower portion of the back frame 4 and the distal end portion of the piston rod 37 of the air spring 10 are pivotably coupled to the coupling frame 14 via a cross bar 45 (see fig. 7 and 8).

A coil spring 47 is fitted around the outer periphery of the piston rod 37. When the rear frame 4 is lowered backward, the piston rod 37 is pushed into the gas chamber 32, but the rear frame 4 is tilted forward by the internal pressure of the gas chamber 32. That is, the rapid tilting movement of the back frame 4 can be alleviated, and the feeling of comfort of the seated person can be improved. When the rear frame 4 is returned forward, the reaction force of the coil spring 47 fitted around the piston rod 37 assists the rear frame 4 to tilt forward. Thereby, anyone can easily operate the reclining function.

A third pivot point 17 is provided at a predetermined position above the second pivot point 16 of the rear frame 4, and the rear end of the seat cushion frame 5 is pivotably coupled to the rear frame 4. Further, a fourth pivot point 18 is provided on a mounting device 19 at the front end of the seat frame 5, and the seat frame 5 is rotatably supported on the main body frame 1.

In the present specification, the pivot and the hinge pivot described later are connection points of two members, one of the members is formed with a cylindrical projection as a pivot, the other member is formed with a through hole or an insertion hole, and the two members are rotatably fitted to each other, and the pivot may be provided in either member.

The first pivot point 15 and the fourth pivot point 18 are fixed pivot points fixed to the main body frame 1, and the second pivot point 16 and the third pivot point 17 are movable pivot points that are not fixed. The piston 37 of the gas spring 10 connected to the second pivot 16 via the cross bar 45 (see fig. 8) has a lock mechanism for restricting the forward and backward movement thereof, and when the lock mechanism is operated, the forward and backward and vertical movements of the second pivot are restricted to become a quasi-fixed pivot. When the lock mechanism is released, the second pivot point 16 becomes a movable point that can move up and down, back and forth.

The rear frame 4 is supported by the second pivot point 16 and the third pivot point 17, and when the piston rod 37 of the gas spring 10 is locked, the vertical movement of the lower end of the rear frame 4 and, accordingly, the tilting movement of the rear frame 4 are restricted, and the rear frame 4 is free to tilt from the time the lock mechanism is released.

On the other hand, since the seat cushion frame 5 is rotatably supported by the rear frame 4 via the third pivot point 17, the opening angle θ of the rear frame 4 increases when the rear frame is tilted, and the rear end of the seat cushion frame 5 also moves downward when the third pivot point 17 moves downward. However, since the front end of the seat cushion frame 5 is fixed by the fourth pivot point 18, only the rear portion of the seat cushion sinks downward.

As described above, the present invention is characterized in that the body frame 1, the back frame 4, the seat frame 5, and the piston rod 37 of the gas spring 10 are coupled to each other at four pivot points, whereby the operation of increasing the opening angle between the back surface and the seat surface and the operation of sinking the rear portion of the seat surface can be simultaneously performed in conjunction with the tilt angle adjustment.

In the present invention, the rear frame 4 is coupled to the main body frame 1 via the coupling frame 14. Thereby, the second pivot 16 moves forward and moves downward during the reclining. Therefore, the lower end of the rear frame 4 is lowered downward, and the third pivot point 17 is also lowered downward. Therefore, an effect of increasing the stroke of the rear end of the seat cushion frame 5 sinking downward can be obtained.

On the other hand, when the lower portion of the rear frame 4 is directly (rotatably) attached to the main body frame 1, the rear frame 4 does not descend downward during the reclining. As described above, one of the features of the present invention is that the rear end sinking stroke of the seat face at the time of the reclining is increased by connecting the back frame to the main body using the connecting frame 14.

In addition, another feature of the present invention is that a fourth pivot point 18 is provided at the front end portion on the front wheel side of the main body frame 1, and the pivot point 18 is coupled to the front end portion of the seat cushion frame 5 by a mounting device 19.

Fig. 4 to 6 are views showing only the tilt angle adjusting structure of the wheelchair of the present embodiment in a skeleton. The difference in the height of the hip part from the height of the knee part from the height of the hip part is large according to the difference in the fourth rotation fulcrum 18. Fig. 4 (a) shows a state in which the rear frame 4 is substantially upright, and the fourth pivot point 18 is provided on the rear side of the center point of the seat cushion frame in the front-rear direction.

In fig. 4 (b), the fourth pivot point 18 is provided on the front side of the center point of the seat cushion frame in the front-rear direction. In addition, in fig. 4 (b), the seat frame 5 and the fourth pivot point 18 are connected with a mounting device 19.

Fig. 5 is a view showing a difference in the sinking depth of the hip part and the jumping height of the knee part of the seat frame 5 when the rear frame 4 is lowered slightly rearward. Comparing fig. 5 (a) and 5 (b), in fig. 5 (b) (the fourth pivot point 18 is located on the front end side of the seat surface), the sinking of the hip portion is large and the jumping height of the knee portion is small.

Fig. 6 is a view showing the difference in the sinking depth of the hip part and the jumping height of the knee part of the seat frame 5 when the back frame 4 is fully tilted. If the fourth pivot point 18 is provided on the rear side of the center point of the seat cushion frame in the front-rear direction, the knee portion largely jumps up against the sinking of the hip portion as shown in fig. 6 (a). On the other hand, if the fourth pivot point 18 is provided on the front side of the center point of the seat cushion frame in the front-rear direction, as shown in fig. 6 (b), the knee portion will jump less than the hip portion will sink. Further, as shown in fig. 6 (b), by connecting the fourth rotation fulcrum 18 and the seat face with the mounting device 19, so that the hip portion is shifted to the rear side by a distance corresponding to the length and the rotation angle of the mounting device 19, the seated person can obtain a comfortable feeling of comfort.

That is, if the fourth pivot point 18 is located rearward of the center point of the seat cushion frame 5 in the front-rear direction, the knee jump is larger than the hip fall, and the wheelchair becomes unstable. Therefore, the seated person feels uneasy about the back shift or the chair falling over. On the other hand, if the fourth pivot point 18 is located forward of the center point of the seat cushion frame 5 in the front-rear direction and the fourth pivot point 18 and the seat cushion frame 5 are connected by a mounting device having a certain length, the hip portion is lowered appropriately, and the knee jump is reduced with respect to the sinking of the hip portion. As a result, the seated person can sufficiently obtain a comfortable feeling of comfort at the time of reclining.

As described above, the fourth pivot point 18 is preferably provided on the front side as much as possible, but if the fourth pivot point 18 is provided at the front side of the knees, the knees will also be lowered as the hips are lowered when the rear frame 4 is lowered downward, and it is difficult to obtain the relaxation effect. Further, if the fourth pivot point 18 is provided at a position higher than the seat cushion frame 5, the rear frame 4 moves forward while being lowered when being lowered, and thus the comfort and relaxation effect cannot be obtained. That is, the fourth pivot point 18 is preferably provided at a position that is located on the front side as far as possible from the center point of the seat cushion frame 5 in the front-rear direction, on the rear side of the knees of the seated person, and below the seat cushion frame 5.

In the wheelchair of the present embodiment, a locking mechanism of the gas spring 10 is indispensable for stably maintaining the tilt movement state of the tilt adjustment. This locking mechanism is described in some detail below.

Fig. 7 is an explanatory view of a locking mechanism of a gas spring used in the present embodiment, fig. 7 (a) is a side view, and fig. 7 (b) is a cross-sectional view of a cylinder portion.

As shown in fig. 7 (b), the interior of the cylinder 30 is partitioned into a gas chamber 32 on the back side and a liquid chamber 33 on the front side by a free piston 31 which moves back and forth by the fluid pressure. Liquid chamber 33 is divided into first liquid chamber 33a and second liquid chamber 33b by piston head 34 sliding back and forth inside liquid chamber 33.

A flow passage 35 and a check valve 36 for opening and closing the flow passage are provided inside the piston head 34. A circular tubular piston rod 37 for driving the piston head 34 is disposed at the center of the cylinder 30, and an inner push rod 38 is slidably inserted through the piston rod 37. The push rod 38 has a function of opening the check valve 36 at a rear end portion thereof, and a lock release pin 39 at a front end portion thereof. A seal 40 is disposed near the front end of the second liquid chamber 33b to prevent oil from flowing out. The coil spring 47 is fitted around the outer periphery of the piston rod 37 in a state where its end is fixed to an end of the cylinder 30 or the like. The coil spring 47 expands and contracts with expansion and contraction of the piston rod 37, and assists the back frame 4 to tilt forward.

Since the oil in the liquid chamber is a non-compressible fluid, in a state where the check valve 36 is closed, no oil flows between the first liquid chamber 33a and the second liquid chamber 33b, and therefore the piston head 34 cannot move back and forth, and the piston rod 37 is in a locked state. By pushing the lock release pin 39 in, the check valve 36 is opened, oil can flow, and the piston rod 37 can move forward and backward freely.

During the tilt angle adjustment, the piston rod 37 is pushed in and the internal pressure of the gas chamber 32 rises. When the pushing operation is stopped, the check valve 36 is closed by the internal pressure of the gas chamber 32, and the piston rod 37 is locked at this position.

A method of releasing the lock will be described with reference to fig. 7 (a). A lock release bracket 42 rotatably supported by the support shaft 41 is disposed in front of the cylinder 30. The lock release bracket 42 is pulled by the wire 43 and rotated clockwise, so that the lock release pin 39 is pushed in, and the check valve 36 is opened.

The wire 43 is inserted into the protective tube 44 and connected to the lock release lever 12. In the present embodiment, the lock release lever 12 is attached to a lower portion of one side surface of the side guard 11, and can be released from the lock by the operation of the caregiver of the wheelchair.

In the wheelchair of the present embodiment, the piston rod 37 can be locked at any angle of inclination adjustment, and the inclination angle of inclination adjustment is kept constant as long as the caregiver does not release the locking. It is noted that gas springs having this function are generally commercially available.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the mounting structure of the top end of the piston rod of the gas spring in the present embodiment.

A piston rod 37 projects from the center of the cylinder 30 of the gas spring. The lock release bracket 42 is disposed so as to abut against the distal end of the piston rod 37. As shown in fig. 7 (a), the lock release bracket 42 is configured to be pulled by the wire 43 to press the lock release pin 39 in order to release the lock of the piston rod 37.

As seen from fig. 8, a pair of cross bars 45 are attached to the left and right sides of the lock release bracket 42 so as to be orthogonal to the piston rod 37. The distal ends of the left and right lateral rods 45 are cylindrical shafts which are rotatably fitted into the through-holes of the rear frame 4 and the through-holes 46 of the coupling frame 14 on both left and right sides of the latch release bracket 42, respectively, to form the second pivot points 16.

When the second pivot 16 moves forward and backward during the reclining, the lock release bracket coupled to the crossbar 45 also moves forward and backward (rotates about the support shaft 41), and the piston rod 37 moves forward and backward along with this. Conversely, when the piston rod 37 moves forward and backward, the second pivot 16 also moves forward and backward.

Since the upper portions of the vertical frames on both the left and right sides of the rear frame 4 are constrained by the horizontal frame and are inclined in an interlocking manner, the movement of the left and right pivot points 16 can be controlled by one piston rod 37.

That is, by adopting the configuration of fig. 8, it can be seen that the distal end of the piston rod 37 is pivotably coupled to the left and right second pivot points 16 via the crossbar 45.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a relationship between an operation force required for returning the rear frame 4 and reaction forces of the coil spring 47 and the gas spring 10. The horizontal axis represents the angle of the rear frame 4 (tilt angle), and the vertical axis represents the operating force required to return the rear frame 4, which has been lowered backward, to the front. Without the reaction force of the coil spring 47, an operation force of about 600N is required to return from the fully inclined state to the initial state. On the other hand, if the reaction force of the coil spring 47 is used, the maximum is about 180N, and anyone can easily return the back frame 4 to the initial state.

A second feature of the present invention is a support mechanism for an elbow rest. This will be explained below. Fig. 10 is a side view showing a frame of an elbow rest in the wheelchair according to the present embodiment, fig. 10 (a) shows a state of standing upright, and fig. 10 (b) shows a state of tilt adjustment.

The elbow rests are formed by an elbow rest frame 6 and an elbow rest support frame 7. The rear end (end on the rear side in the traveling direction) of the toggle frame 6 is rotatably supported by a mounting pivot point 51(a) provided in the rear frame 4. The front end of the elbow rest frame 6 is rotatably supported by a connecting pivot point 52(B) provided at the upper end of the elbow rest support frame 7.

On the other hand, the elbow rest support frame 7 is configured to be bendable by a hinge joint provided near or below the center in the longitudinal direction thereof, and the lower end of the elbow rest support frame 7 is rotatably supported near the front end of the seat face frame 5. In the present embodiment, the elbow rest support frame 7 is divided into an upper long piece 54 and a lower short piece 55, which are connected to each other so as to be bendable via the hinge support 53 (C).

The lower end of the tab 55 is rotatably supported by a fourth pivot point 18 provided at a lower portion of the mounting device 19 near the front end of the seat frame 5. In the case where no external force for bending the elbow rest support frame 7 is applied, the short piece 55 is held at a constant angle with respect to the horizontal, and is held so as to be hardly rotated, and only the long piece 54 is rotationally inclined at the hinge fulcrum 53 (C).

In such a configuration, a quadrilateral link mechanism is formed with the four rear frame 4, the seat frame 5, the elbow rest frame 6, and the elbow rest support frame 7 as arms, and with the mutual pivot points (denoted by reference numeral A, B, C, D) as nodes.

The present invention is characterized in that the opposing sides (the sheet AB and the sheet CD, and the sheet AD and the sheet BC) of the quadrilateral having the four nodes of the link mechanism as vertices are substantially the same length. Thus, based on the principle of the parallelogram, the effect that the seat frame 5 and the elbow rest frame 6 are substantially parallel can be obtained regardless of the change in the angle of the tilt adjustment (the opening angle between the tab AB and the tab AD). That is, the second gist of the present invention is that the seated person can change the tilt of the elbow rest to an appropriate state without any operation at the time of the reclining.

A third feature of the present invention relates to a mechanism for moving an elbow rest, which can avoid interference by changing the position of the elbow rest when a wheelchair user rides on or off or transfers. In order to achieve the above object, in the wheelchair of the present invention, the elbow rest frame 6 and the elbow rest support frame 7 are divided into two parts, respectively, and are connected to each other so as to be bendable by using a hinge joint, and the mounting points of the two parts are rotatable. The moving mechanism is explained below.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the structure of the elbow rest frame in the present embodiment, fig. 11 (a) shows an extended state, and fig. 11 (b) shows a bent state. The elbow rest frame 6 is composed of a main body arm 61 and a support member 62. A hinge support 63 is provided near the center of the body arm 61 in the longitudinal direction, and a lock pin 64 and a through hole (not shown) through which the lock pin 64 passes are provided at the rear end thereof. The front end is connected to the elbow rest support frame 7.

One end (rear end) of the support member 62 is pivotably fixed by a mounting pivot point 51 provided on the rear frame 4, and the other end (front end) is pivotably coupled to the main body arm 61 by a hinge pivot point 63.

In a normal sitting state, as shown in fig. 11 (a), the lock pin 64 is inserted into an insertion hole (not shown) provided in the vicinity of the base of the support member 62, and the entire toggle bracket frame 6 is held at a predetermined height in a state where the body arm 61 is parallel to the support member 62.

When the lock pin 64 is removed during the movement or the transition, as shown in fig. 11 (b), the distal end side of the support member 62 is bent downward at 90 ° about the attachment pivot point 51. Thereby, the rear end of the body arm 61 is lowered to the vicinity of the height of the seat cushion frame.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing the structure of the elbow rest support frame in the present embodiment, and fig. 12 (a) shows an extended state and fig. 12 (b) shows a bent state. The elbow rest support frame 7 is composed of a long piece 54 and a short piece 55, which are connected to each other by a hinge support 53 so as to be bendable.

The upper end of the long piece 54 is rotatably supported by a coupling pivot 52 at the tip end of the body arm 61 of the toggle frame 6, and the lower end of the short piece 55 is rotatably supported by a fourth pivot at the upper part of the body frame 1. As shown in fig. 12 (b), when the hinge joint is bent, the front end of the body arm 61 is lowered to the vicinity of the body frame 1.

In the elbow rest support frame of the present embodiment, the opening angle between the long piece 54 and the short piece 55 is not limited to about 120 ° or more, but the long piece 54 and the short piece 55 may be formed linearly (opening angle 180 °).

Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing a state of mounting the elbow rest in the present embodiment, and fig. 13 (a) shows a state before the elbow rest is moved, and fig. 13 (b) shows a state after the movement. As shown in fig. 13 (a), in a state before the toggle rest moves (normal sitting), the rear end of the main body arm 61 is fixed to the vicinity of the rear surface frame by the lock pin 64, and the support member 62 is in a state of protruding forward.

Further, the front end of the body arm 61 is supported by the upright elbow rest support frame 7 so as to pull the hinge support 53. Thus, the body arm 61 is kept substantially horizontal at a predetermined height near the elbow of the seated person.

As shown in fig. 13 (b), in a state after the movement of the toggle rest (during the ascending/descending or the transition), the lock pin 64 is pulled out, the front end of the support member 62 hangs downward, and the rear end of the body arm 61 descends downward. The toggle rest support frame 7 is bent by the hinge support 53, and the front end of the main body arm 61 is also lowered to the vicinity of the seat cushion frame 5 and is held substantially horizontally at this position.

That is, the toggle rest can be moved to a position where the locking pin 64 is not prevented from moving up and down by only slightly pressing the body arm 61. On the other hand, when the toggle holder is returned, the body arm 61 is slightly lifted and the lock pin 64 is inserted, so that the body arm 61 is fixed at the original position.

In the present embodiment, the locking mechanism of the body arm uses the locking pin and the through hole and the insertion hole corresponding thereto, but the locking mechanism is not necessarily limited to this method. The insertion hole of the lock pin is provided near the root of the support member 62, but may be provided on the side surface of the rear frame 4.

As described above, the reclining support mechanism, the elbow rest support mechanism, and the elbow rest movement mechanism according to the present invention can be widely applied not only to wheelchairs but also to reclining apparatuses for various purposes.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a nursing chair according to an embodiment of the present invention in a state where a backrest is upright.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the wheelchair of the present embodiment in a state after the reclining.

Fig. 3 is a side view showing the wheelchair frame of the present embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing only the reclining structure of the wheelchair according to the present embodiment in a skeleton.

Fig. 5 is a view showing a difference in the sinking depth of the hip part and the jumping height of the knee part of the seat frame 5 when the rear frame 4 is lowered slightly rearward.

Fig. 6 is a view showing the difference in the sinking depth of the hip part and the jumping height of the knee part of the seat frame 5 when the back frame 4 is fully tilted.

Fig. 7 is an explanatory view of a locking mechanism of the gas spring used in the present embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a relationship between an operation force required for returning the rear frame 4 and reaction forces of the coil spring 47 and the gas spring 10.

Fig. 10 is a side view showing a skeleton of an elbow rest in the wheelchair of the present embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the structure of the elbow rest frame in the present embodiment.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing the structure of the elbow rest support frame in the present embodiment.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing a state of attachment of the elbow rest in the present embodiment.

Description of the reference numerals

1: main body frame, 1 a: leg frame, 1 b: upper frame, 2: front wheel, 3: rear wheel, 4: back frame, 5: seat cushion frame, 6: elbow rest frame, 7: elbow rest support frame, 8: headrest frame, 9: footrest frame, 10: gas spring, 11: side guard plate, 12: lock release lever, 13: seat cushion, 14: connecting frame, 15: first rotation fulcrum, 16: second pivot, 17: third pivot point, 18: fourth pivot point, 19: mounting device, 30: cylinder, 31: free piston, 32: gas chamber, 33: liquid chamber, 33 a: first liquid chamber, 33 b: second liquid chamber, 34: piston head, 35: oil flow path, 36: check valve, 37: piston rod, 38: push rod, 39: lock release pin, 40: seal, 41: support shaft, 42: lock release bracket, 43: wire rod, 44: protective tube, 45: cross bar, 46: through-hole, 51: mounting pivot, 52: connection pivot, 53: hinge fulcrum, 54: long piece, 55: short piece, 61: body arm, 62: support member, 63: hinge fulcrum, 64: and a locking pin.

Claims

1. A chair for nursing care, comprising:

a main body frame provided with a pair of leg portions at front and rear;

a back frame and a seat frame supported by the main body frame so as to be capable of tilting; and

a spring mechanism for applying force to the tilting movement of the back frame,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the chair for nursing comprises:

a first rotation fulcrum that rotatably couples one end portions of a pair of coupling frames that couple a lower portion of the main body frame and a lower portion of the back frame to the main body frame;

a second pivot supporting point that pivotally connects the other end portion of the connecting frame, the lower portion of the rear frame, and the distal end portion of the drive lever of the spring mechanism via a cross bar that is connected at an intermediate portion to the distal end portion of the drive lever of the spring mechanism and that connects the pair of connecting frames;

a third pivot point that pivotably couples the rear surface frame and the seat surface frame coupled to the second pivot point; and

and a fourth pivot fulcrum that is pivotably coupled to another end portion of a mounting device, the one end portion of the mounting device being fixed to a front wheel side of a center point in the front-rear direction of the seat surface frame and to a rear side of knees of the seated person, the another end portion of the mounting device being mounted to a front wheel side of the main body frame that is lower in height than the seat surface frame.

2. The nursing chair of claim 1,

casters are rotatably mounted on the leg portions.

3. The chair for nursing according to claim 1 or 2,

the back frame is configured such that a bent spine portion of a care recipient does not abut against a component of the back frame.

4. The nursing chair according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the spring mechanism biases the back frame to tilt forward by an internal pressure generated by the piston rod being pushed into the gas chamber when the back frame is lowered backward, and assists the back frame to tilt forward by a reaction force of a spring fitted around the piston rod when the back frame is returned forward.

5. A chair for nursing care, comprising:

a main body frame provided with a pair of leg portions at front and rear;

a back frame and a seat frame supported by the main body frame so as to be capable of tilting;

a gas spring for applying force to the tilting movement of the back frame;

a first rotation fulcrum that rotatably couples one end portions of a pair of coupling frames that couple lower portions of rear legs of the main body frame and lower portions of the rear face frame to the main body frame;

a second pivot fulcrum rotatably coupled to both end portions of a cross bar coupled to the other end portion of the coupling frame, a lower portion of the rear frame, and a top end portion of the drive rod of the gas spring and coupled between the pair of coupling frames;

a fourth pivot fulcrum rotatably coupled to the other end portion of a mounting device, one end portion of the mounting device being fixed to a front portion of the seat cushion frame on a front wheel side, the other end portion of the mounting device being attached to a front portion of the main body frame,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the chair for nursing comprises an elbow rest frame, and the elbow rest frame comprises: a body arm; a support member coupled to one end of the body arm; and a lock pin detachably inserted in a through hole penetrating the body arm and the support member,

the elbow rest frame is provided with:

a mounting pivot point for rotatably mounting one end portion of the support member and the rear frame;

a hinge fulcrum that rotatably connects the other end portion of the support member and the main body arm portion;

a connecting pivot point for connecting the other end of the long piece of the elbow rest support frame and the other end of the main body arm in a rotatable manner, wherein the elbow rest support frame is configured such that the long piece and the short piece can be bent at the respective one ends thereof by means of the hinge pivot point; and

and a fourth pivot supporting point that pivotably couples the other end portion of the short piece and a front-wheel-side distal end portion of the main body frame.