IE48543B1

IE48543B1 - Wheel chair

Info

Publication number: IE48543B1
Application number: IE1657/79A
Authority: IE
Original assignee: Seenus Nl Bv R Van
Priority date: 1978-08-31
Filing date: 1979-08-30
Publication date: 1985-02-20
Also published as: FR2434616A1; NL7808976A; IT7925332A0; DE2901991A1; CA1140445A; DK320079A; GB2029334B; IT1122528B; LU80853A1; GB2029334A; BE878501A; FR2434616B1

Abstract

A wheel chair or the like comprises a frame 1 having rollers, wheels or like means 2, 3; a seat section 5 including arm, foot, and back rests 6, 7, 8, mounted on said frame; and drive means 4 mounted on said frame for the travelling movement of the wheel chair. According to the invention the seat section along with the arm, foot, and back rests is mounted on the frame for tilting movement relative to said frame, and there are provided adjusting means 10, operable by said drive means, for bringing the seat section into a desired position.

Description

This invention relates to a wheel chair or the like.

For more or less seriously physically handicapped patients, there have been developed certain provisions on wheel chairs which enable the patients to transport themselves without the help of others.

This is more difficult if the patient is very seriously disabled, for example, owing to congenital or acquired damage to the spine or the central nervous system. In addition to having difficulties in walking, such patients are in need of supports at various places, and further requireadaptation of their sitting posture to different activities.

Wheel chairs driven by a motor are well-known. In those cases, however, they have been designed particularly to meet a patient's difficulties in walking, and it is contemplated that practically all other functions can still be performed by the patient.

It is an object of the present invention to make a wheel chair of the last15 mentioned kind more universally applicable, that is to say, to render it - 2 48543 suitable for use by patients having not only a walking handicap, but also other serious conditions involving the loss of normal muscular functions, with particular attention to the patient's sitting posture, adapted to particular activities.

The present invention aims at providing a wheel chair or the like, which is a helpful aid even in cases in which the patient is able virtually exclusively to move the fingers.

According to the invention, there is provided a wheel chair or the like comprising a frame having rollers, wheels or like means; a seat section including arm, foot and back rests, mounted on said frame; and drive means mounted on said frame for the travelling movement of the wheel chair, characterised in that the seat section along with the arm, foot, and back rests is mounted on the frame for tilting movement relative to said frame, and that there is provided jack adjusting means operable by said drive means, for bringing the seat section into a desired position, said adjusting means being mounted between said seat section and said frame, and said back rest being adjustable relative to said seat section.

Accordingly, in addition to causing the wheel chair to move, to stop and to perform other functions connected with the transportation of a patient, the patient is capable of adjusting the seat section to any desired tilted position, using the drive means provided in the frame.

The adjusting means for causing the seat section to tilt relatively to the frame can take various forms. An effective solution is a lifting device disposed between the frame and the seat section, and operable via an operating panel.

A mechanical, pneumatic or hydraulic jack has been found to be very suitable for the purpose.

Further features of the invention will become apparent from the following - 3 48543 description, read with reference to the accompanying drawing, which, highly diagrammatically, illustrates a side view of the wheel chair or the like according to the present invention.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown a wheel chair having a frame 1, preferably made of light and strong tubing. The wheel chair has two large rear wheels 2 provided with pneumatic tyres and two small front wheels or rollers 3, which can act as steering wheels.

Mounted in frame 1 is a drive unit 4, comprising, for example, an electric motor, a battery, conduits, switches and the like, for enabling certain functions.

Mounted on frame 1 is further a seat section 5, equipped with arm rests 6, foot rests 7, and a back rest 8. This seat section subassembly is mounted for tilting movement relative to frame 1 about a shaft 9. In order that seat section 5 may be put into any desired position, a lifting device 10 is provided between seat section 5 and frame 1. This lifting device may be a jack operable mechanically, pneumatically or hydraulically. The actuating command can be given from an operating panel 11, which is conveniently situated within easy reach of the patient's hand. The lowest position of the seat section is shown dotted in the drawing. Any other position, for example, as shown in fully drawn lines, is obtained by sending, via the operating panel, a given actuating pulse to the commanding mechanism.

In the embodiment shown, the wheel chair can be displaced by electric means, and the same source of voltage is here used to provide the power to tilt the seat section.

For heavily handicapped patients, the tiltability of the seat section is not sufficient to meet requirements. Therefore the wheel chair according to the - 4 48 54-3 invention has still other facilities.

The foot rests, for example, are rotatable and slidable relatively to the frame portion 13 at 11 and 12. The angular position of back rest 8 relative to the seat 5 is adjustable through a mechanism comprising a strip 15 with holes therein and a peg plate 14, The back rest has a cushion 16 with adjustable lumbar rests, one of which is shown at 17. An adjustable head rest, of known construction, is shown at 18. For completeness1 sake the back rest is provided with handles, one of which is shown at 19. This provision is necessary to provide for the case when the automatic travel actuating system fails.

Claims

1. A wheel chair or the like comprising a frame having rollers, wheels or like means; a seat section including arm, foot and back rests, mounted on said frame; and drive means mounted on said frame for the travelling movement of the wheel chair, characterised in that the seat section along with the arm, foot, and back rests is mounted on the frame for tilting movement relative to said frame, and that there is provided jack adjusting means operable by said drive means, for bringing tne seat section into a desired position, said adjusting means being mounted between said seat section and said frame, and said back rest being adjustable relative to said seat section.

2. A wheel chair or the like as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said jack adjusting means is operable mechanically, pneumatically or hydraulically.

3. A wheel chair substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.