GB2102743A - Safety devices for wheelchairs - Google Patents

Abstract

The device comprises an upright structure 11, 12 having end pegs 13, 14 for engagement in sockets in a bus roof and floor. The structure mounts a headrest 30 and a lap belt 28 for the chair occupant. The chair includes a belt 25 for holding the chair to the structure. Clamps 23 may additionally hold the chair to the floor and the structure has side parts 18 engaging outwardly and above the chair members 21 for resisting tilting and upward movement of the chair. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to safety devices This invention relates to safety devices.

According to this invention a safety device for use with a wheelchair comprises a structure upwardly extending in use, means for operatively connecting the structure to an occupant of the wheelchair, and a headrest mounted on the structure for the occupant, said structure being adapted for engagement with a support for holding the structure against movement.

The operative connecting means may operatively connect the structure and the wheelchair.

The device may include means engageable with the wheelchair for resisting sideways and upwards movement of the chair.

The engageable means may comprise a crossmember whose end portions can engage fore and aft extending members of the chair.

The end portions may extend downwards in use.

The structure may comprise side members.

The side members may comprise a peg at each end. The lower pegs may be spring-loaded.

There may be means for adjusting the pegs.

The safety device may include a back rest for a person in the chair. The back rest and headrest may form a detachable unit.

The headrest may be adjustable up and down.

The device may include a seat belt for an occupant of the chair, for example a lap seat belt The invention also includes a combination of a device as above with a wheelchair. The chair may include means for securing the chair to the device.

The chair may include an elongate member, including a quick-release coupling, for embracing the safety device to resist relative separation movement of the chair and device. By these means, forward movement of the chair is prevented.

The invention also includes a vehicle having such a device and a vehicle having such a combination.

Clamps may be provided for engaging the chair to resist up and down, and fore and aft, movement of the chair in relation to the vehicle and to the device.

The vehicle may have a rear-wardly facing door, a portion of the vehicle floor in front of the door being provided with means for raising and lowering.

The invention may be performed in various ways and some specific embodiments with possible mod ifications will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure lisa side elevation of a bus incorporating a safety device of Figure 4; Figure 2 is a plan view of the bus interior; Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the bus; Figure 4 is a side elevation of a safety device; Figure 5 is a front elevation of the safety device; Figure 6 is a front view of another device: Figure 7 is a rear view of a modified device; Figure 8 is a front view of a support; and Figure 9 is a plan view of part of Fig. 7 on an enlarged scale on the line A-A of Fig. 7.

Referring firstly to Figures4 and 5, a safety device 10 has two parallel upwardly extending side members 11,12 each having attheirtop end a fixed locating peg 13 and at their bottom end a downwardly spring biassed locating peg 14. The peg 14 can be raised against the action of the bias spring by lifting a collar 14a and can be locked in the raised position by rotating the collar. The side members 11, 12 are fixed to an upper cross-member 15, intermediate cross-member 16 referred to later and a lower cross-member 17 in the form of an anti-tilt and side restraint rail which extends beyond the sides 11,12 and has downwardly extending end portions 18. The safety device is intended for holding and restraining a wheelchair (and occupant) shown chain dotted at 19.The wheelchair has a collapsible frame having two upright side members 20 (only one shown) each ending in a handle 20a and two, lower horizontal forwardly extending side members 21 (only one shown).

In use, the rear portions of the side members 21 respectively engage the inner surfaces 22 of the end portions 18 of the anti-tilt rail 17 to resist lateral movement of the wheelchair and the lower surface 22a of rail 17 to resist tilting and upward movement Front portions of the side members 21 are held by Unwin hook clamps 23. In these a key-hole slot 23a is formed in a plate, the lower end 23b of a two part rod is received in a narrow part of the slot 23a, and the top 23c of the rod extends sideways and is hooked over the side member 21. The two parts 23b, 23c of the rod are ratcheted together to enable the length of the rod to be adjusted. A quick release handle can be operated to release the hook. Such clamps can be obtained from C. N. Unwin Limited of Yeovil.

The wheelchair has a foldable lower cross member 9 which engages the side members 11,12 (see Fig. 4). The wheelchair is provided with a twopiece securing strap 24, the pieces being respectively machine attached (e.g. by stitching or special clamp) to the side members 20, and provided with a quick release over-centre tensioning coupling buckle and locking device 25 with a quick release action, so that the strap 24 is adjustable in length. The strap 24 extends round the safety device with the buckle 25 at the rear. A steel backrest 26, contoured to a user's back, with resilient cover 27, is fixed to the side members 11, 12 and in use is located between the side members 20 of the wheelchair. The backrest 26 forms the cross member 16.A two-piece lap seat belt 28 with adjustable buckle 29 is secured to the backrest 26 for encircling an occupant of the wheelchair.

A padded headrest 30 is adjustable up and down on members 31 extending between the upper and intermediate cross-members 15,16.

Referring now to Figures 1 to 3, a bus 40 has an internal floor 41 and an offset rear door 42 which, as can be seen in Figure 2, can be opened 180 (see 42a) within the width of the bus body 43. The bus has double seats 44 and single seats 45. The three rear double seats can be removed to accommodate two safety devices, or the two rear double seats can be removed to accommodate one safety device. The fixed locating pegs 13 extend into sockets in a plate 13a in the bus roof 46 and the bottom locating pegs 14 extend into sockets 23 in a plate in the bus floor 41, see Fig. 1. The bus floor47 in front of the rear door 42 can be raised and lowered by an electrohydraulic system indicated diagrammatically at48 and driven from an electro-hydraulic power pack.

The floor portion 47 can also be raised and lowered manually. Thus the rear door can be opened, the floor portion 47 lowered, a wheelchair moved onto the floor 47 which is then raised enabling the chair to be manoeuvred into position in engagement with the safety device (Figs. 4, 5). The chair and occupant are then restrained against forward, rearward and sideways forces. In accident conditions, for example, the occupant may experience forces up to 900 kilograms.

The safety device could be installed or used in vehicles other than that shown.

In use, the bus seats are removed, the safety device(s) is installed, the wheelchair is then brought into position, the buckle 25 is fastened to hold the chair in relation to the device, the Unwin clamps (if used) arethen placed in positiOn, and the lap belt fastened. In this condition, the wheelchair is prevented from moving in any direction. The wheelchair is secured to the safety device, and the occupant is also secured to the safety device by means of the lap belt, which holds the occupant in the chair but itself is part of the safety device.

In modified arrangements, the headrest 30 can also be adjusted fore and aft; a full harness is provided (including two shoulder straps fastened to a lap belt); the rail 17 is adjustable to vary the distance between hook portions 18 so as to accommodate chairs of different widths; the rail 17 is adjustable up and down to accommodate chairs of different sizes.

The lengths of the side members 11,12 can be adjustable; for example the pegs 13 can be part of a collar attached by a threaded set screw, with removable spacers between the collar and the side member.

The device can be a kit of parts, with the cross members being separable from the side members 11,12. The side members 11,12 could be removably connected differently to the floor and roof. For example, the pegs 13 could be omitted and the upper ends of the side members be received in sockets in the roof.

In the arrangement of Fig. 6 the side members 50 are inclined towards each other as they extend upwardly. In this case the top sockets 23 are adjacent; the bottom pegs are fixed to the side members, and the top pegs 13 are axially adjustable by virtue of a threaded connection via rotatable collars 51. The top pegs can thus be located in the keyhole slots and the collars 51 rotated to move the pegs upwards to hoid the members firmly in place. The headrest 52 is connected to the back rest 53 and a lap belt 54 has two side portions 54a extending respectively from anchorages on the rear of the back rest and connect able by adjustable buckle 55. Shoulder straps 56 extend respectively from the portions 54a and are connectable to a rear anchorage 57. An L-shaped bracket 58 is rotatable on a side member via sleeve 59.The wheelchair is brought int3 position with the bracket acting as arm 18. When the wheelchair is removed, the bracket can be rotated to a parked position. A similar bracket is provided at the other side.

A preferred modified arrangement is shown in Figs 7, 9 intended to restrain the occupant against a forwards force of up to 900 kgms and the chair against a force of up to 900 kgms in any direction. The upright supports 50 are provided as before. An integral head and back rest 60 includes a thick flat plywood support 61 having upper shallow channel-section metal strengthener 62 and lower corrugated metal strengthener 63 fixed thereto. Two U-section or top-hat members 64 are fixed to the rear of the support 61 adjacent and generally parallel to the respective supports 50 and have outward flanges 65 at the free ends of their limbs.At the top a channel-section plate 66 is secured by bolts 67 to the bases of the members 64 and has upper lateral flanges between the support 61 and the supports 64 and a crossmember 68 to the rear of the supports 64, with confronting resilient pads on the cross-member 68 and flanges to engage the supports 64. At the bottom, a cross-member 69 is fixed to the rear face of the support 61 and bolts 70 extend respectively through the cross-member 69, through apertures in the bases of member 64 and a channel-section cross-member 71.

An unthreaded portion 72 of the bolt gives a measure of fore and aft clearance so that on loosening of wing-nuts 73 the structure 61 can be lowered and detached from supports 50.

Upward movement enables assembly of structure 61 to uprights 50. A helical spring 74 biases plates 69,71 apart. A double lock nut 75 prevents plate 71 becoming detached even if the bolt thread becomes stripped. Confronting resilient pads 75a are provided on flange 65 and member 71 to embrace the supports 50.

A safety harness 76 is similar two that of Fig. 6 and includes buckle socket 77 similarto socket 55, fixed to plate 78 fixed to supports 64 shoulder harness 56 and lap belt 54 secured to plate 78 at 79. The harness holds the occupant in the chair and holds the occupant and the chair to the remainder of the safety device. The wheel-chair frame members 21 are held by Unwin clamps 23 similarly to Fig. 4, the chair wheels being indicated at 80. The handles 20a are located over an outwardly inclined portion 81 of the support 61. A padded headrest and a padded backrest are provided on the part of support 61 and may be upholstered as a unit with the support 61. With this arrangement, bending force on the supports 50 are moved to the regions of plates 71,66 nearerthe bus floor and roof thus reducing any tendency of the members 50 to bend.

In amodification the shoulder harness 56 is replaced by a single diagonal shoulder belt securable to buckle 77 and a buckle socket on portion 54a at the front In Fig. 8 the device has a unitary upright structure 90 replacing the separate side members and pro vided with upper and lower locating pegs. A head and back rest and harness are provided but not shown.

Claims (22)

1. A safety device for use with a wheelchair comprising a structure upwardly extending in use, means for operatively connecting the structure to an occupant of the wheelchair, and a headrest mounted on the structure for the occupant, said structure being adapted for engagement with a support for holding the structure against movement

2. A safety device as claimed in Claim 1, in which the operative connecting means operationally connects the structure and the wheelchair.

3. A safety device as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which said connecting means comprises means engageable with the wheelchair for resisting sideways and upwards movement of the wheelchair.

4. A safety means as claimed in claim 3, in which the engageable means comprises a cross-member whose end portions can engage fore and aft extending members of the wheelchair.

5. A safety device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which said structure comprises side members.

6. A safety device as claimed in claim 5, in which the side members have a peg at each end.

7. A safety device as claimed in claim 6, including means for adjusting the peg at one end of each side member.

8. Asafety device as claimed in any preceding claim, including a back rest.

9. A safety device as claimed in Claim 8, in which the backrest and headrest form a detachable unit.

10. Asafety device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the operatively connecting means comprises a seat belt for the occupant.

11. A safety device as claimed in claim 10 and claim 9, in which the seat belt is attached to said unit.

12. A safety device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, in which the headrest is adjustable up and down.

13. A safety device for a wheelchair substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, or Fig. 6, or Figs. 7 and 9, or Fig. 8, of the accompanying drawings.

14. In combination a wheelchair and a safety device as claimed in any preceding claim.

15. In combination a wheelchair and a safety device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7 or claim 12, the chair including means for securing the chair to the device.

16. A combination as claimed in claim 15, in which the chair includes an elongate member, including a quick-release coupling, for embracing the safety device to resist relative separation movement of the chair and device.

17. A combination of a wheelchair and a safety device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5, or Fig. 6, or Figs. 7 and 9, or Fig. 8, or the accompanying drawings.

18. A vehicle including a safety device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13.

19. A vehicle including a combination as claimed in any of claims 14to 17.

20. Avehicle as claimed in claim 19, including clamps for engaging the chairto resist up and down, and fore and aft, movement of the chair in relation to the vehicle.

21. A vehicle as claimed in claim 18 or claim 19 or claim 20, said structure being adapted to engage in a vehicle floor and roof.

22. Vehicle as claimed in any of claims 1 to 21, the vehicle having a rearwardly facing door, a portion of the vehicle floor in front of the door being provided with means for raising and lowering.