GB1601602A

GB1601602A - Securing wheel chairs in vehicles

Info

Publication number: GB1601602A
Application number: GB16000/78A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: GKN Sankey Ltd
Current assignee: Sankey Holding Ltd
Priority date: 1978-04-22
Filing date: 1978-04-22
Publication date: 1981-11-04
Also published as: DK164079A; BE875764R; LU81174A1; IT1165197B; FR2423368A1; IT7967841A0; SE7903396L; JPS54142716A; NL7903155A; ZA791880B; DE2916789A1; AU4622579A

Description

(54) SECURING WHEEL CHAIRS IN VEHICLES (71) We, GKN SANKEY LIMITED, a British Company of Hadley Castle Works, Telford, Salop TF1 4RE, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to the combination of an invalids wheel chair and a vehicle for conveying the wheel chair from place to place.

By 'vehicle' we mean to include any device in which the wheel chair can be moved from place to place including, e.g., a motor car or bus, an ambulance, an air or sea vehicle.

During movement of a vehicle conveying a wheel chair, it is necessary that the wheel chair be locked in position therein. In our co-pending application 37954175 serial no. 1 567 751,we have disclosed one form of means for performing such locking, positively to locate the wheel chair if the vehicle be excessively accelerated or decelerated. The present invention provides a modification for such locking means.

According to the invention, we provide the combination of an invalid's wheel chair and a vehicle for conveying said wheel chair, including means for releasably securing the wheel chair in a predetermined position on the floor of the vehicle, such securing means comprising laterally spaced hook means on the floor or on the wheel chair adjacent one end thereof, cross-bar means on the wheel chair adjacent said one end or on the floor respectively, the cross-bar means fitting closely within the hook means when the wheel chair is in said position substantially to prevent vertical relative movement between the wheel chair and the floor, and complementary latching elements respectively on the floor and on the wheel chair adjacent the other end thereof to prevent, when latched with the wheelchair in said position, dis-engagement of the hook means and the cross-bar means and also constituting the sole means substantially to prevent vertical relative movement between the floor and the wheel chair at said other end thereof, there being provided guide portions on either the wheel chair or the floor to guide into interengagement the latching elements as the wheel chair is wheeled into said position on the floor.

The complementary latching elements may comprise a loop or generally 'U' shaped member depending downwardly from a part of the wheel chair to afford an aperture with which a latching member is engageable to hold the latter in the jaw of a lock.

These and other features of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 is a side view of a vehicle with a wheel chair therein.

Figure 2 is a view in the direction of arrow 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the interengaging latching elements shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a hook means of the vehicle.

Referring firstly to Figure 1 of the drawings, there is illustrated a vehicle 10 in which is received an invalid's wheel chair 11. The vehicle has a side door 12 and a rear door 13 which is in two parts including a lower part which can pivot downwardly to afford a ramp up which the wheel chair can be moved into the vehicle.

The wheel chair has a tubular frame 14 which provides support for the occupant and for a pair of relatively large diameter pneumatic tyred wheels 15 rotatable about an axis 16 at the rear of the wheel chair. At the front of the wheel chair, the frame supports for castor swivelling movement a pair of relatively small diameter wheels 17. A crossbar 18 extends transversely of the wheel chair at the rear end thereof, and a tubular member 19 extends forwardly from the cross-bar to a substantially horizontally orientated plate 20 which is also welded to the apex of a generally 'V' shaped subframe member 21 the ends of which are connected to the main frame of the wheel chair.

The floor of the vehicle 10 is provided, in a raised portion which lies between the wheels of the wheel chair when the latter is in position, with two laterally spaced hooks 22 of which the jaw openings face the rear of the vehicle. These hooks engage, when the wheel chair is in the desired position in the vehicle, with the cross-bar 18 and prevent vertical relative movement between the rear of the wheel chair and the vehicle.

On the floor of the vehicle at the front of the wheel chair is positioned a lock 23 which is shown in detail in Figures 2 and 3. This lock comprises a base plate 24 secured to the vehicle floor by fasteners passing through apertures 25, and having a lock body 26 with a rearwardly facing jaw opening 27. A latch member 28 operates within the jaw of the lock and is engageable with a loop 29 secured below the plate 20 of the wheel chair to hold the loop 29 within the jaw of the lock when the latch member 28 extends through the loop 29. The jaw opening 27 is of tapered form to assist in guiding the loop 29 into it when the wheel chair is moved into the vehicle.

The lock 23 is of the anti-burst type used on car doors, and thus, when the latching element, in the form of loop 29, of the wheel chair is engaged therewith, provides a high degree of constraint against vertical and longitudinal movement of the front of the wheel chair within the vehicle. As well as this constraint, the cross-bar at the rear of the wheel chair is held in firm engagement with hooks 22 thereby providing a high degree of constraint of the wheel chair as a whole against relative movement within the vehicle. This is achieved without the use of any additional interengaging formations on the wheel chair and vehicle.

For permitting release of the wheel chair from the vehicle, the latch member 28 of the lock assembly is disengageable by means of a flexible cable assembly 30 of conventional type, operable by a knob 31 situated on the dash board of the vehicle.

There may be provided guide means, in addition to that constituted by the tapered jaw of the lock 23, to assist in guiding the loop 29 of the wheelchair into engagement with the lock.

Further, there may be provided means for assisting engagement of the crossbar at the rear of the wheelchair correctly with the hooks 22 of the vehicle.

The hooks 22 may be so dimensioned and arranged as to cause, as described in relation to the construction of our co-pending application 37954/75 serial no. 1 567 751, an increase in the force with which the rear wheels of the wheelchair engage the floor of the vehicle. This assists retention of the wheelchair in position within the vehicle.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. The combination of an invalid's wheel chair and a vehicle for conveying said wheel chair, including means for releasably securing the wheel chair in a predetermined position on the floor of the vehicle, such securing means comprising laterally spaced hook means on the floor or on the wheel chair adjacent one end thereof, cross-bar means on the wheel chair adjacent said one end or on the floor respectively, the cross-bar means fitting closely within the hook means when the wheel chair is in said position substantially to prevent vertical relative movement between the wheel chair and the floor, and complementary latching elements respectively on the floor and on the wheel chair adjacent the other end thereof to prevent, when latched with the wheel chair in said position, dis-engagement of the hook means and the crossbar means and also constituting the sole means substantially to prevent vertical relative movement between the floor and the wheel chair at said other end thereof, there being provided guide portions on either the wheel chair or the floor to guide into interengagement the latching elements as the wheel chair is wheeled into said position on the floor.

2. A combination according to claim 1 wherein said complementary latching elements comprise a member depending downwardly from a part of the wheel chair and affording an aperture, and a latching member engageable with the aperture of said downwardly depending member to hold the latter in the jaw of a lock secured to the floor of the vehicle.

3. The combination according to claim 2 wherein the jaw of the lock has a tapered opening for guiding the downwardly depending mem ber therein.

4. The combination according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein there is provided means for effecting disengagement of said latching elements from a readily accessible position in the vehicle.

5. The combination substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. wheel chair and the vehicle. On the floor of the vehicle at the front of the wheel chair is positioned a lock 23 which is shown in detail in Figures 2 and 3. This lock comprises a base plate 24 secured to the vehicle floor by fasteners passing through apertures 25, and having a lock body 26 with a rearwardly facing jaw opening 27. A latch member 28 operates within the jaw of the lock and is engageable with a loop 29 secured below the plate 20 of the wheel chair to hold the loop 29 within the jaw of the lock when the latch member 28 extends through the loop 29. The jaw opening 27 is of tapered form to assist in guiding the loop 29 into it when the wheel chair is moved into the vehicle. The lock 23 is of the anti-burst type used on car doors, and thus, when the latching element, in the form of loop 29, of the wheel chair is engaged therewith, provides a high degree of constraint against vertical and longitudinal movement of the front of the wheel chair within the vehicle. As well as this constraint, the cross-bar at the rear of the wheel chair is held in firm engagement with hooks 22 thereby providing a high degree of constraint of the wheel chair as a whole against relative movement within the vehicle. This is achieved without the use of any additional interengaging formations on the wheel chair and vehicle. For permitting release of the wheel chair from the vehicle, the latch member 28 of the lock assembly is disengageable by means of a flexible cable assembly 30 of conventional type, operable by a knob 31 situated on the dash board of the vehicle. There may be provided guide means, in addition to that constituted by the tapered jaw of the lock 23, to assist in guiding the loop 29 of the wheelchair into engagement with the lock. Further, there may be provided means for assisting engagement of the crossbar at the rear of the wheelchair correctly with the hooks 22 of the vehicle. The hooks 22 may be so dimensioned and arranged as to cause, as described in relation to the construction of our co-pending application 37954/75 serial no. 1 567 751, an increase in the force with which the rear wheels of the wheelchair engage the floor of the vehicle. This assists retention of the wheelchair in position within the vehicle. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. The combination of an invalid's wheel chair and a vehicle for conveying said wheel chair, including means for releasably securing the wheel chair in a predetermined position on the floor of the vehicle, such securing means comprising laterally spaced hook means on the floor or on the wheel chair adjacent one end thereof, cross-bar means on the wheel chair adjacent said one end or on the floor respectively, the cross-bar means fitting closely within the hook means when the wheel chair is in said position substantially to prevent vertical relative movement between the wheel chair and the floor, and complementary latching elements respectively on the floor and on the wheel chair adjacent the other end thereof to prevent, when latched with the wheel chair in said position, dis-engagement of the hook means and the crossbar means and also constituting the sole means substantially to prevent vertical relative movement between the floor and the wheel chair at said other end thereof, there being provided guide portions on either the wheel chair or the floor to guide into interengagement the latching elements as the wheel chair is wheeled into said position on the floor.