EP1745767A1

EP1745767A1 - Wheelchair for moving disabled people inside certain public transport vehicles

Info

Publication number: EP1745767A1
Application number: EP06014822A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Berto Vassilli
Original assignee: Vassilli SRL
Current assignee: Vassilli SRL
Priority date: 2005-07-21
Filing date: 2006-07-17
Publication date: 2007-01-24
Also published as: ITPD20050227A1

Abstract

It is about a wheelchair for the moving of the people, not able to walk, inside particular vehicles of the public service who owns the quality to be able to transit also through very narrow spaces, where the usual wheelchairs would not be able to pass, allowing to do the functions of facilitating the positioning of the transported person to the assigned place inside such said vehicles.

Description

It is known that on the vehicles for public service (airoplanes, ferries, trains, busses, etc..) all the inner spaces intended for the travellers for obvious constructive and functional reasons, are designed with the minimum possible and allowed dimensions.
The seat dimension, and their configuration like width of the seat, the height and the space between the armrests, the height of the backrests are made in such a way to accommodate the passenger without any possibility of choice which could compromise the whole asset.
The width of the corridor for the admittance to the seats is planned with the minimum sufficient possible way to transit.
One of the case to take in consideration as an example, is the one of the airbus vehicles. On such vehicles rises the particular narrowness of the passage that increases towards the backside. The design of the above mentioned corridors does not forecast. Absolutely the transit of the wheelchairs for disabled allowing the transported person to reach a sitting place on the above mentioned vehicles.
The reaching of the sitting place for a transported person on such vehicles without a wheelchair would be very uncomfortable because, the person who is not able to walk about, must be completely sustained from the back or from the front by suitable attendants.
The other inconvenient for the transported person, which comes out approaching to the assigned place, is to seat down on the sitting place at the booked place, considering that on the front side and on the back side there is the person who sustains him.
The wheelchairs made in such patent solve the problems for a disabled in walking person to travel by such vehicles.
The lower carrying structure of the wheelchair is made leaving up logic of standard width (usually of at least 52 cm.) where the wheelbase is greater than the width of the corridor delimited by the obstacle of the seat side, which looks towards the passage.
The shorter transit available width along the corridor is determined by the mutual distance of the armrests of the armchairs of the vehicle towards the corridor.
Such smaller width, would interfere with the upper part of the wheelchair of the disabled starting from the seat included, and particularly with the wheelchair' s armrests of the disabled which sticks out from the width of the obstacle of the above mentioned wheelchair.
It must be added that due to the reduced measure of the width of the wheelchair, which also includes the seat, the pelvis of the seated person transported, especially having a certain size, it can also comes over the sides of the seat.
The wheelchair of the patent due to the structure following the patent, can therefore pass along the small corridor of the vehicles allowing the carrying of the disabled person to the raw of the assigned place without any discomfort, but like as he would be on an usual wheelchair.
For the purpose to overthrow the inconvenient of the obstacle of the armchair' s armrest which look on the corridor, such wheelchair of the patent is equipped with a lifting device, which can be made by an electric actuator, or by a foot-lever pump that can be backwards operated or by a manual pump, that acting on a lifting kinetic system, eventually a pantographic or quadrilateral system, lifts the seating with the transported person over the armrest of the armchair of the vehicle.
On such position the tracking shot of the base framing, and the connecting structure with the raised part of the wheelchair maintaining the (that advantageously is considered to be on 32 or 35 cm) smaller than the distance armchair's armrest of the vehicles which prospect on the corridor can pass without obstacles.
Once reached the position to place the transported person on the assigned vehicle of the armchair is to pull down the upper part necessary of the wheelchair including the seating with the person seated on. Once reached the useful position, it must be disengaged and upset backwards the armrest of the wheelchair which looks towards the designated armchair of the vehicle and embracing (from the backside and from the front side) the transported person may be transferred on to the seat of the said armchair of the vehicle.
Once positioned the transported person, it must be lifted again the upper part of the wheelchair, in order to transit along the corridor towards the exit.
The opposite operations must be done when the disable instead of getting on the airbus must get down.
The problem that till today has never been solved even if now this seems to be banal and intuitive is solved with the solution of this patent, which has structurally equipped a wheelchair for such purpose.
What explained before, is clarified by the examination of the enclosed drawing boards, which have to be considered with an exemplifying and not as limitative title.
The Picture 1 shows on a schematic way the wheelchair on the side view, with the seat completely lowered. It is evidenced the lower part which includes the framing wheeled base, the quadrilateral pantographic device which connect the upper structure of the wheelchair (including the seat, the backrest, the armrest, the footrests and their accessories) on the wheeled framing base, and the foot lever pump for the operating of the pantographic device for the adjustment in the height of the upper part.
The picture 2 represent on a schematic way the wheelchair on the side view from the side corresponding to picture 1 with the upper part completely raised.
The picture 3 shows on a schematic way the wheelchair frontally showed on the position lowered of picture 1. It is evidenced the out coming obstacle of the armrests from the wheelchair. As explained previously, the width of the wheelchair (armrests excluded) is limited in comparison to the normal wheelchairs, in order to do not overpass the width of the central corridor between the armchairs on a vehicle. To clarify the picture it does not result the drawing of the pump and the respective foot lever.
The picture 4 represents the detail of the downward actuation functioning of the foot lever, of the lifting pump, of the upper part of the wheelchair.
The picture 5 represents the detail of the upwards functioning of the foot lever of the pump for the lowering of the said upper part of the wheelchair.
The picture 6 shows the detail of the lockage (or of the unclamping) of each wheelchair's armrest of the wheelchair through suitable quick release locking device, applicable (or inapplicable) which joints it with the correspondent part of the backrest.
The picture 7 shows on a sketching way the detail of the anticlockwise rotation of an armrest backwards, to free the side of the wheelchair's seat when the transported person must be transferred on the vehicle-setting armchair.
From the pictures you can see that the wheelchair specifically used for the transit along the corridor of a vehicle, of the person non able to walk, is made by the framing of base 1 wheeled with wheels 2,3 to which is jointed the vertical element 4 which takes fastened to one edge the poles 6, 7 which other opposite edges of said poles result to the vertical fastened mobile element 5 of the quadrilateral pantographic system.
The vertical mobile element 5, jointed to the lower structure 9 supports jointing the entire upper part of the wheelchair where the transported person is located.
During the climbing on the airbus of the disabled (positioned in the wheelchair initially lowered), the operator which grasps the handgrips 12 equipped with emergency and parking brakes 18 at the beginning of the corridor acts by the foot 20 the lever 21 of the pump 22 which by the out coming of the stem 23 lifts the mobile element 5 of the pantographic system 4, 5, 6, 7 jointed to the lower structure 9 and therefore lifts the upper part of the wheelchair (seat 10, backrest, 16, armrests 13, leg rests) 17.
Once reached the height to overthrow the armchair's armrest (non drew) of the armchair (not drew) of the vehicle, goes along the corridor till the place of the armchair assigned to the transported person.
The operator acts by the foot 20 lifting the lever 21 of the pump 22 lowering the upper part of the wheelchair moving the seat 10 of the wheelchair to the desired height to reach the seat of the armchair of the vehicle.
Once pulled out the knob of the pin 24 which locks the armrest 13, which is hinged on the points 14 it is turned backwards in a way to don't create obstacles and once unlocked the transported person from the safety belt 15 it is transferred to the contiguous armchair of the vehicle.
For the descendent from the vehicle of the person not able to walk, the same operations are done for the getting on board on the inverse method.
After what has been explained previously, it appears the relevant utility of the innovation which solves a very heavy problem for the moving of people not able to walk, till now never solved and in addition it avoids possible accidents to the assistants and/or to the attendant, who have to provide for the transport of such persons not able to walk through narrow corridors of different vehicles destined to the public service.
We take to the attention that such wheelchair whose use results especially necessary for the moving in a vehicle, which could be an airbus, could be advantageously used also for other needs that find advantage from a reduced track accompanied by the prerogative of the adjustment in height of the seat as it needs to be used at the raised height.

Claims

Wheelchairs for the moving of people, not able to walk, inside particular vehicles for the public service characterized by the fact that the width of the track of the wheels (2,3) with the relative lower structure (1,4,5,6,7,9,21,22,23) and the width of the upper structure (10,11,12,13,14,15,16,18) (except the armrests (13,13')) is enough to allow the transit through the corridors of vehicles reduced to the minimum necessary for the transit of the persons.
Wheelchair according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that the upper structure (including seat (10), backrest (11,16), leg rests (17), armrests (13) and accessories) is raised to allow the transit of the transported person on the corridors of the vehicle without interfering with the sides of the armchairs or of the parts facing the transit corridor of the vehicle.
Wheelchair according to the previous claim characterized by the fact that the height adjustment of the upper part of the wheelchair is done acting on an articulate quadrilateral pantographic system (4,5,6,7).
Wheelchair according to the previous claim characterized by the fact that the device operate on the pantographic quadrilateral system (4,5,6,7) it is an hydraulic pump (22) operated (20) by a foot lever (21) both for the adjustment in raise and descend.
Wheelchairs following claim 2 or 3 characterized by the fact that the height adjustment of the upper part is obtained by a kinetic mechanism acted by an electric or manual actuator.
Wheelchair for the moving of people, not able to walk, inside particular vehicles of the public service, characterized by the fact of having track lower than the track of a standard wheelchair (usually 52 cm), and advantageously not more than 32 or 35 cm.
Wheelchair according to one or more of the previous claims characterized by the fact that the wheels are included inside the encumber of the seating.
Wheelchair according to one or more of the previous claims characterized by the fact that the front wheels have a bigger diameter than the rear wheels allowing also an easier overthrow of low steps on the floor.