ES1281552U - ELECTRIC WHEELCHAIR THAT HAS MECHANISMS TO RAISE AND LOWER CURBS (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

An electric wheelchair (10) that has a plurality of driving wheels and has mechanisms that allow, through the execution of a series of processes, in a predefined sequence, the transition between a first surface and a second surface, elevated with respect to said first surface, characterized in that it comprises: [a] A first mechanism that controls the front wheels (3) that are integral with an axle (2) so that when said axle rotates, by means of at least one geared motor (1), the wheels rotate eccentrically which allows raising or lowering the front of the chair (10). [b] A second mechanism that controls the rear wheels (6) that are integral with an axle (5) so that when said axle rotates, by means of at least one geared motor (4), the wheels rotate eccentrically which It allows raising or lowering the rear part of the chair (10), while the simultaneous actuation of the first and second mechanisms allows the raising or lowering of the chair (10) keeping it in a horizontal position, without inclinations. [c] A third mechanism that allows at least one sliding piece (8) to slide under the power unit (9) in one direction or the other, protruding from the power unit, in such a way as to allow the chair (10) to rest on the sidewalk while the first or second mechanism operates. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

DESCRIPTION

ELECTRIC WHEELCHAIR THAT HAS MECHANISMS TO RAISE AND

Go down curbs

Field of the invention

The present invention refers to electric wheelchairs that have mechanisms capable of safely and comfortably overcoming curbs. In particular, it refers to lifting mechanisms that allow an electric wheelchair to move between surfaces of different heights, without requiring external help.

Description of the state of the art

The curbs of the sidewalks constitute one of the most difficult architectural barriers to overcome by people with reduced mobility who use a wheelchair, either manual or electric, to get around.

Generally, wheelchairs can easily overcome obstacles of 3-4 cm, but higher heights such as curbs that can reach 14 cm, pose a challenge, even for manual wheelchairs, which require large wheels and a technique that is not available to anyone, resulting in a critical moment that can have disastrous consequences, in the form of dangerous falls.

There are various systems that allow these obstacles to be overcome, for example, by means of pivoting ramps to allow climbing or by means of sets of multiple wheels of different sizes that gradually attack the curb. However, these systems that can be effective in raising the front wheels, require excessively large drive wheels and / or very powerful and heavy motors to raise the rear wheels to a 14 cm curb. Furthermore, there is a danger that the chair will tip over when such an operation is attempted, as a result of tilting when the chair is mounted on the curb.

In the case of electric wheelchairs, the problem is even greater, since the drive wheels are smaller than the manual ones and always require additional systems of small anti-tip wheels.

Most of the existing inventions solve, in one way or another, the rise of the smaller front wheels, trusting the larger size of the rear wheels, the most delicate moment, which in front of a 14 cm curb is quite an adventure .

In the case of the Singleton John M proposal CA1284941C, it uses a guide and lift arm mounted centrally between the front wheels, which performs a pivoting motion as it engages the curb so that it lifts the wheels off the ground.

In the case of the Dudley Albert Edward Frederick GB2111000A proposal, a wheel is included that has its axis of rotation in the plane containing the axes of camber of the front wheels. Normally, the wheel is not in contact with the ground and when it approaches a curb it climbs over it and in doing so raises the front wheels.

In the case of Fry Jeremy Joseph GB2188597A, it uses a pivoting arm fixed to the wheelchair that has a pinion that, when it comes into contact with the curb, couples to another pinion on the wheel so that when turning it raises it over the curb .

In the case of the Hirota Takeo US3905437A, it uses an electrically actuated screw system that raises the rear wheels up to curb level.

In all the cases analyzed, dangerous inclinations occur since, first, the front wheels are raised and later the rear wheels, causing delicate situations.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a lifting system that allows the occupant to overcome the curb of a sidewalk, in a safe, comfortable way and without dangerous inclinations.

Summary of the invention

The present invention refers to an electric wheelchair, which has mechanisms that allow going up and down curbs, in any direction of travel, without inclines or jolts and without the need for external help.

This purpose is achieved with the synchronized operation of three mechanisms, the first of which allows the rotation of the front wheels eccentrically on an integral axis, a second mechanism acts identically on the rear wheels, and the third mechanism consists on at least one sliding piece that slides along the bottom of the group drive of the chair and that serves as support, while the wheels turn by the first or second mechanism to go up or down the curb,

Both the front and rear wheels have an identical mechanism in their operation, being integral with an eccentric axis of rotation with respect to the axis of rotation of the wheels and said axis of rotation is driven by at least one gearmotor, in such a way that when it turns, it makes the wheels turn eccentrically, which means that, if both mechanisms are operated simultaneously and in the opposite direction, the chair can be raised or lowered by a distance equivalent to the eccentricity of the wheels with the axle.

The third mechanism consists of, at least one, sliding piece that slides guided below the drive unit, by means of, at least one, gearmotor and a rack / pinion system, which causes a linear drive with the movement of the sliding piece beyond the lower limit of the chair, until reaching the sidewalk and allowing the chair to rest on it, which in turn will allow the corresponding axis, through the first or second mechanism, to turn the wheels to raise or lower the curb, while if said at least one sliding piece is in contact with the ground, when the gearmotor is operated it will cause the chair to move in one direction or the other.

The synchronized and in the opposite direction, of the first two mechanisms at the times necessary for each wheel axle, both in the raising or lowering situation, allows the chair to be raised without any inclination from the initial level to a higher level in the case of climb a curb or lower in case of descent.

In normal operation, the chair allows by means of the first and second mechanisms to regulate its height with respect to the ground, typically between 5-10 cm when it is in motion. This height is adjustable and modifiable at will, for example to overcome uneven terrain.

A typical event for managing the rise / fall of a curb requires a succession of different processes, which are triggered automatically and in a predefined way when the corresponding order is triggered, although there is also the possibility of executing them manually sequentially or desisting from the process and run it in reverse, if you encounter an unexpected situation.

For each of the mechanisms there are different states or processes that are described below.

The first process does not correspond to any of the three mechanisms but to the control system that verifies that the intended maneuver is feasible.

Process 1.- When arriving in front of a curb and activating the order to go up or down, the first process is activated, in which, by means of the appropriate sensors, it is verified that the height of the curb is acceptable, that the degree of inclination is acceptable and that it has enough battery to guarantee the achievement of the objective.

The first mechanism, which controls the front wheels, has five states or processes:

Process 2.- Corresponds to the normal state of gait in which the chair is at a typical height between 5-10 cm, adjustable at the user's will.

Process 3.- The front wheels rotate eccentrically in a counterclockwise direction so that the height of the front part of the chair changes with respect to the ground, until it exceeds the limit of the curb.

Process 4.- The front wheels rotate eccentrically counterclockwise until they rest on the ground. This process applies only to the download procedure.

Process 5.- The front wheels rotate eccentrically in a clockwise direction until they reach a level approximately 1 cm below the upper limit of the curb.

Process 6.- The front wheels rotate eccentrically in a clockwise direction until the chair descends to ground level.

For its part, the second mechanism that controls the rear wheels also has five states or processes:

Process 7.- Corresponds to the normal state of gait in which the chair is at a typical height between 5-10 cm, adjustable at will of the user.

Process 8.- The rear wheels rotate eccentrically in a clockwise direction so that the height of the rear part of the chair changes with respect to the ground, until it exceeds the limit of the curb.

Process 9.- The rear wheels rotate eccentrically counterclockwise until they rest on the ground. This process applies only to the download procedure.

Process 10.- The rear wheels rotate eccentrically counterclockwise until they reach a level approximately 1 cm below the upper limit of the curb.

Process 11.- The rear wheels rotate eccentrically counterclockwise until the chair descends to ground level.

Finally, the third mechanism that controls the, at least one, sliding piece that slides guided under the power unit, also has four states or processes.

Process 12.- The, at least one, sliding piece moves by means of, at least one, gearmotor and the rack / pinion set, under the bottom of the power unit in front of the front wheels until it surpasses the curb, remaining slightly above it. and it is activated just before the front wheels are raised.

Process 13.- The, at least one, sliding piece moves by means of, at least one, gearmotor and the rack / pinion set, under the bottom of the power unit behind the rear wheels until it surpasses the curb, remaining slightly above it. and it is activated in the moment prior to the raising of the rear wheels in the procedure of climbing back to the curb.

Process 14.- The, at least one, sliding piece that is resting on the ground, moves the chair forward by actuating at least one gearmotor and the rack / pinion set, until the rear wheels pass the curb . This process is activated in the front climb procedure, while in the back-to-curb climb procedure, it acts in the opposite direction until the front wheels reach the curb.

Process 15.- The, at least one, sliding piece that is resting on the ground, moves the chair forward by actuating at least one gearmotor until the front wheels go over the curb. This process is activated in the front lowering procedure.

Process 16.- The, at least one, sliding piece slides by means of, at least one, gearmotor and the rack / pinion set, from any previous position until it is collected centered under the bottom of the power unit that corresponds to the normal state of the march.

The actuation of these processes in a coordinated way in the three mechanisms, allows according to the present invention to define a procedure to safely and comfortably overcome high curbs, as described below, avoiding dangerous slopes that can have serious consequences for the user.

In an upload process, from the front, the following procedure is executed with the determined process sequence.

Process 1.- The sensors determine that the proposed action is feasible.

Process 3 and process 8 simultaneously.- The chair is raised to a level slightly above the curb.

Process 12.- The, at least one, sliding piece slides until it surpasses the curb.

Process 5.- The front wheels are raised to a level of 1 cm below the curb and when raised, the chair rests on the, at least one, sliding piece that contacts the floor of the sidewalk.

The chair moves forward propelled by the rear wheels in such a way that, the front wheels that are 1 cm below the curb, overcome this difference in level, which frees the, at least one, sliding piece from contact with the ground and continues moving until it the wheels hit the curb.

Process 10.- The rear wheels rotate eccentrically counterclockwise until they reach a level approximately 1 cm below the upper limit of the curb.

Process 14.- The chair moves forward until the rear wheels pass the curb.

Process 2 and process 7 simultaneously.- The simultaneous actuation of the first two mechanisms, turning the first counterclockwise and the second clockwise, causes the chair to rise to the driving position and continue on its way.

Process 16.- The, at least one, sliding piece slides until it is collected as corresponds to the normal state of the march.

In a process of climbing with your back to the curb, the following procedure is executed with the determined sequence of processes.

Process 1.- The sensors determine that the proposed action is feasible.

Process 3 and process 8 simultaneously.- The chair is raised to a level slightly above the curb.

Process 13.- The, at least one, sliding piece slides until it surpasses the curb.

Process 10.- The rear wheels rotate eccentrically until they reach a level of 1 cm below the curb limit.

Process 14.- The chair is moved backwards until the rear wheels pass the curb.

The chair moves onto the sidewalk powered by the rear wheels until the front wheels reach the curb.

Process 5.- The front wheels rotate eccentrically until they reach a level of approximately 1 cm below the upper limit of the curb. and the chair rests on the at least one sliding piece.

Process 14.- The, at least one, sliding piece that is resting on the ground, moves the chair backwards by operating the gearmotor until the front wheels go over the curb.

Process 2 and process 7 simultaneously.- The simultaneous actuation of the first two mechanisms, turning the first counterclockwise and the second clockwise, causes the chair to rise to the driving position and continue on its way.

Process 16.- The, at least one, sliding piece slides until it is collected as corresponds to the normal state of the march.

The reverse procedure for going down a curb is as follows:

Process 1.- The sensors determine that the proposed action is feasible.

Process 6 and process 11 simultaneously.- The chair descends to ground level.

Process 15.- The, at least one, sliding piece that is resting on the ground, moves the chair forward until the front wheels go over the curb.

Process 4.- The front wheels rotate eccentrically in a clockwise direction until they rest on the ground.

The chair is powered by the rear wheels until the rear wheels reach the curb

Process 16.- The, at least one, sliding piece that is resting on the ground, moves the chair forward until the rear wheels pass the curb.

Process 9.- The rear wheels rotate eccentrically until they reach ground level.

Process 16.- The, at least one, sliding piece slides until it is collected as corresponds to the normal state of the march.

Process 2 and process 7 simultaneously.- The simultaneous actuation of the first two mechanisms, turning the first anticlockwise and the second clockwise, causes the chair to move into position and continue on its way.

This procedure of sequentially executing a series of predefined processes, which actuate the three mechanisms, allows to go up a curb whether it is faced from the front or from the back to it, while to go down, only the frontal form is allowed For security.

The particularity and main advantage that the invention provides, resides in the fact that at all times, the user is in a horizontal position avoiding the danger of inclinations and abrupt maneuvers, also allowing the ascent both in the frontal direction and with the back to the curb. .

Description of the drawings

To complement the description that is being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part of said description, in which, with an illustrative and non-limiting nature, the following has been represented. following:

Figure 1 shows a top view of the first and second mechanisms that cause the wheels to rotate eccentrically. In this view the chair is in the normal forward position.

Figure 2 shows a side view of the first and second mechanisms activated simultaneously until reaching the height of the curb.

Figure 3 shows a side view of the first and second mechanisms activated simultaneously until reaching ground level prior to lowering the curb.

Figure 4 shows a view of the first and second mechanisms together with the gearmotor and the at least one sliding piece below the bottom of the power unit.

Figure 5 shows a top view of the three mechanisms with the at least one sliding piece that protrudes below the bottom of the powertrain to rest on the curb from a frontal position.

Figure 6 shows a top view of the three mechanisms with the at least one sliding piece that protrudes behind, under the bottom of the power unit to face the curb from a back position.

Figure 7 shows a side view of the chair facing the curb from a frontal position.

Figure 8 shows a side view of the chair that has been raised to the curb height.

Figure 9 shows a side view of the chair in which the third mechanism has made the at least one sliding piece slide until it surpasses the curb and serves as a support.

Figure 10 shows a side view of the chair in which the first mechanism has rotated the front wheels until they are positioned 1 cm below the level of the curb.

Figure 11 shows a side view of the chair in which the rear wheels have advanced the chair until it reaches the curb.

Figure 12 shows a side view of the chair in which the second mechanism has rotated the rear wheels until they are 1 cm below the curb level.

Figure 13 shows a side view of the chair in which the third mechanism has advanced the chair until the rear wheels pass the curb.

Figure 14 shows a side view of the chair in which the first and second mechanisms

1

they have raised the saddle to ride height to continue on their way.

Detailed description of preferred forms of the invention

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the mechanisms and processes necessary to safely approach the curb of a sidewalk are described.

Figures 1 to 3 show the first mechanism that manages the processes that affect the front wheels in which the gearmotor (1) is seen, which drives the eccentric shaft (2) and the wheels (3) and the second mechanism that manages the processes that affect the rear wheels in which the gearmotor (4) is seen, which drives the eccentric shaft (5) and the wheels (6) showing, in Figure 1, in normal running position or rest, in Figure 2, both mechanisms have operated simultaneously raising the chair above the curb level and in Figure 3, both mechanisms have operated simultaneously causing the chair to be lowered to ground level.

Figure 4 shows the third mechanism, made up of the gearmotor (7), which by means of a rack / pinion system slides the at least one sliding piece (8) under the bottom of the power unit (9). While Figure 5 shows the at least one sliding piece (8) that slides forward to rest on the curb (101), in the case of facing it frontally, Figure 6 shows the, at least one, sliding piece (8) that slides in the opposite direction when facing the curb with your back to it.

A preferred embodiment of the procedure to be followed to face a curb head-on is described below and comprises the following steps:

[a] When arriving in front of a curb and activating the order to go up or down, the first process is activated, in which by means of the appropriate sensors, which are not the object of the present invention, it is verified that the height of the curb is acceptable , that the degree of incline is acceptable and that it has enough battery to guarantee the achievement of the objective.

As can be seen in Figure 7, in which an electric wheelchair (10) is shown that is located at a level (100) in front of a curb (101) to access the upper level (102), it is located at a height of about 5-10 cm from the ground.

[b] In Figure 8, by simultaneously executing Processes 3 and 8 described above, the chair (10) is raised to a level slightly higher than the curb (101).

[c] Figure 9 shows how by means of Process 12 the at least one sliding piece (8) has slid under the bottom (9) of the power unit until it exceeds the upper limit of the curb (101), entering the upper level (102).

[d] In Figure 10 it can be seen how by means of Process 5, the front wheels (3) have been raised to a level of 1 cm below the curb (101) and when rising, the chair (10) rests on the at least one sliding piece (8) in the upper level (102).

[e] In this stage, as shown in Figure 11, the chair (10), advances propelled by the rear wheels (6), so that the front wheels (3), which are 1 cm below the curb, overcome this unevenness, which frees the, at least one, sliding piece (8) from contact with the ground (102) and continues to advance until the rear wheels (6) reach the curb (101).

[f] In Figure 12, the chair (10) is shown, in which by means of Process 10, the rear wheels (6) have turned eccentrically counterclockwise until they reach a level of approximately 1 cm below the curb upper limit (101).

[g] Figure 13 shows the chair (10), which through Process 14, has moved forward until the rear wheels (6), pass the curb (101) entering the upper level (102).

[h] And finally, in Figure 14, through Processes 2 and 7, the first two mechanisms acting simultaneously, turning the first anticlockwise and the second clockwise, the chair (10) is raised to the walking position and continues on its way.

In another arrangement of the invention, executing a second procedure, by means of the corresponding processes already described and in a predefined sequence, the chair (10), raises the curb (101), up to the upper level (102), but facing it with its back to the same.

Still in a third arrangement of the invention, by means of a third method, the chair (10) descends frontally from the upper level (102), to the lower level (100), by means of the corresponding sequence of processes.

In all cases, as explained above, the complete procedure is executed automatically, although it can also be done sequentially manually, as well as any of the processes separately, or even in reverse, to reverse the procedure before any unexpected.

Using the procedures described, the user can overcome without effort or dangerous inclinations, any curb up to a height of approximately 12-14 cm according to regulations.

1

Claims (4)

1. An electric wheelchair (10) that has a plurality of driving wheels and has mechanisms that allow, through the execution of a series of processes, in a predefined sequence, the transition between a first surface and a second surface, elevated with respect to said first surface, characterized in that it comprises: [a] A first mechanism that controls the front wheels (3) that are integral with an axle (2) so that when said axle rotates, by means of at least one geared motor (1), the wheels rotate eccentrically which allows raising or lowering the front of the chair (10). [b] A second mechanism that controls the rear wheels (6) that are integral with an axle (5) so that when said axle rotates, by means of at least one geared motor (4), the wheels rotate eccentrically which It allows raising or lowering the rear part of the chair (10), while the simultaneous actuation of the first and second mechanisms allows the raising or lowering of the chair (10) keeping it in a horizontal position, without inclinations. [c] A third mechanism that allows at least one sliding piece (8) to slide under the power unit (9) in one direction or the other, protruding from the power unit, in such a way as to allow the chair (10) to rest on the sidewalk while the first or second mechanism operates. An electric wheelchair (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that in the forward position of said chair, said first axis (2) is behind the axis of rotation of the front wheels. 3. An electric wheelchair (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that in the forward position of said chair, said second axis (5) is in front of the axis of rotation of the rear wheels. An electric wheelchair (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that said sliding part (8) is a rack mechanism.