JP2000024050A - Electric wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make an electric wheelchair easily operable, lighter, and foldable by equipping drive motors to independently drive rear wheels and batteries for those motors and operating parts on a pair of armrests. SOLUTION: The frame 5 to constitute this wheelchair main body is formed foldable at the central part. Motors 10 to independently drive rear wheels 2 and batteries 11 for power supply to right and left motors 10 are mounted respectively on the frame 5. The batteries 11 are constituted of nickel-cadmium cells or lithium secondary cells. Operating parts 12 are equipped on a pair of armrests respectively. Grip switches 15 to turn on/off motors 10 by gripping/ releasing are equipped on in the operating parts 12. Grip switches 15 to turn on/off motors 10 by rotating/returning in a gripping condition are further equipped. By this constitution, the operation can be made easier.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric wheelchair driven by a drive motor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for inpatients who are unable to walk, patients with physical disabilities, elderly people, etc., a manual wheelchair for the user's own driving or an electric wheelchair for the electric driving have been used. Was. In addition, even though it is a manual wheelchair, it is difficult for a person other than a user who has a normal upper body and strong abilities to travel on his own, so that in a hospital or the like, assistance traveling is mainly performed by an assistant.

[0003] Therefore, when a user whose upper body is weak or lacks strength attempts to run on his own without an assistant,
Although there is no other way than to use an electric wheelchair, the following problems have been encountered in a conventional electric wheelchair.

That is, as shown in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-14963, a conventional electric wheelchair has a motor for driving rear wheels and a motor for turning front wheels, and the operations are integrated into one operation unit. Had to be done with several different switches for forward and turning. For this reason, there is a disadvantage that the user or the elderly, whose body and soul are weakly worn, cannot easily operate.

Further, since power is supplied to the motor for driving the rear wheels and the motor for turning the front wheels, the mounted battery is heavy and large, and the whole wheelchair is considerably heavy.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and can be easily operated by a user or an elderly person whose body and soul are weakly worn, and can be driven. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electric wheelchair which is extremely lightweight and foldable with a motor and a battery attached.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a wheelchair having a wheelchair body, a pair of armrests, a rear wheel and a front wheel, and a rear wheel driven by a drive motor. A drive motor that drives the wheels independently of each other is attached to the wheelchair body, and a battery for supplying power is attached to each of the drive motors,
An operation unit is provided on each of the pair of armrests.

A grip switch for electrically connecting the drive motor, the battery, and the operation unit, and for turning on and off the drive motor by gripping and releasing the operation unit of each of the pair of armrests. And a rotary switch for turning on and off the drive motor by turning and returning while gripping.

[0009] Further, the grip switch of the operating portion is such that, regardless of which grip is held, the respective drive motors of the rear wheels rotate at substantially the same rotational speed at the same time, and the rotary switch is located on the rear wheel on the side of whichever is turned. And an electric circuit connecting the drive motor, the battery, and the operation unit so that only the drive motor stops rotating.

[0010] Further, the wheelchair main body is a self-operating or assistance type folding wheelchair.

[0011]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric wheelchair showing one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a wheelchair main body. Reference numeral 2 denotes a rear wheel for driving the wheelchair main body, and rear wheels 2a and 2b are provided on the left and right. Reference numeral 3 denotes a front wheel, and front wheels 3a and 3b are similarly provided on the left and right. 19 is the rear wheel 2
This is a hand rim provided for the user to manually operate the wheelchair when the battery runs out. Reference numeral 4 denotes a pair of armrests provided on the wheelchair main body 1, and armrests 4a and 4b are provided on left and right sides.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a frame constituting a wheelchair main body, which is formed so as to be freely foldable at a central portion. Reference numeral 6 denotes a seat, and 7 denotes a back seat. The seat 6 and the back seat 7 are formed of a woven fabric or a plastic film so that the frame 5 can be folded. Reference numeral 8 denotes a footrest, and 9 denotes a brake means for applying a brake to the rear wheel by electric or manual operation. Reference numeral 21 denotes a pair of hand-held grips provided at the upper end of the frame 5 and gripped when pressed by a caregiver.

FIG. 2 is a view of a side portion of the frame 5 of the wheelchair main body 1 in FIG. 1 as viewed from the center of the folding.

1 and 2, a drive motor 10 for driving the respective wheels 2a and 2b of the rear wheel 2 independently of each other.
And a battery 11 for supplying electric power to the drive motor 10 is attached to the frame 5 of the wheelchair main body 1. The drive motor 10 has left and right drive motors 10a,
10b is provided. Battery 11 is a nickel
It is composed of a cadmium battery or a lithium ion secondary battery.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a shaft rotation force of the drive motor 10 for the rear wheels 2.
It is a motor wheel to tell. Reference numeral 13 denotes a case, which holds the drive motor 10 and the battery 11 is detachably held at a part thereof. The case 13 is provided with left and right cases 13a and 13b. An operating unit 12 is provided on each of the pair of armrests 4. Reference numeral 14 denotes a locking member for fixing the case 13 to the frame 5.

Each operation unit 1 of the pair of armrests 4
2 includes a grip switch 15 for turning the drive motor 10 on and off by gripping and releasing, and a rotation switch 16 for turning the drive motor 10 on and off by turning and returning while gripping. Is provided. The operation unit 12 has left and right operation units 12a and 12b. The grip switch 15 is provided with grip switches 15a and 15b on the left and right, and the rotary switch 16 is provided with rotary switches 16a and 16b on the left and right, respectively.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an electric circuit connecting the drive motor 10, the battery 11, and the operation unit 12. In FIG. 3, the grip switch 15 includes left and right grip switches 15a,
15b, the left and right motors 10a, 10b of the drive motor 10 are simultaneously turned on, and the rotary switch 16
The circuit is configured such that only the drive motor 10a or 10b on the side of the rotation switch 16a or 16b whichever is turned is turned off.

With this configuration, the drive motors 10 of the rear wheels 2 rotate at substantially the same rotational speed almost simultaneously regardless of which of the grip switches 15 is gripped, and the wheelchair moves straight. When the rotation switch 16 is turned, only the drive motor 10 of the rear wheel 2 on the side where the rotation switch 16 is turned stops rotating,
The wheelchair turns right or left.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an electric circuit connecting a drive motor 10, a battery 11, and an operation unit 12 as another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4, the grip switch 15 is
The circuit is configured so that the left and right grip switches 15a, 15b are simultaneously turned on, and the left and right motors 10a, 10b of the drive motor 10 are simultaneously turned on and rotated at substantially the same rotation speed.

The rotation switch 16 has a circuit so that only the drive motor 10a or 10b located on the side of the rotation switch 16a or 16b whichever is turned will reduce the applied voltage and the number of rotations according to the angle of rotation. Is configured.

With this configuration, the drive motors 10 of the rear wheels 2 rotate at substantially the same rotational speed almost simultaneously regardless of which of the grip switches 15 is gripped, and the wheelchair moves straight. When the rotary switch 16 is turned, only the drive motor 10 of the rear wheel 2 on the side of the turn which has been turned decreases the number of rotations of the drive motor according to the switch rotation angle, and the wheelchair turns the switch rotation angle to the right or left. Turns with a turning radius according to.

The example shown in FIG. 4 is suitable for running a wheelchair outdoors because the turning radius can be largely increased.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an electric circuit connecting a drive motor 10, a battery 11, and an operation unit 12 as another embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 5, a drive motor 10 for driving each of the rear wheels 2 independently of each other has an electromagnetic brake 2
3 or electric brake means 9 on each wheel of the rear wheel 2
Is provided. When the rotary switch 16 is turned, only the drive motor 10 for the rear wheel 2 on the side on which the rotary switch 16 is turned off to stop the rotation. The electric circuit is configured such that when the drive motor 10 is switched off, only the electromagnetic brake 23 or the brake means 9 on the side of the drive motor 10 that has been switched off is switched on and the brake is activated. ing.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an electric circuit connecting a drive motor 10, a battery 11, and an operation unit 12 as another embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 6, a grip switch 15 for turning on and off the left and right motors 10a, 10b of the drive motor 10 by gripping and releasing the operating portion 12 of each of the pair of armrests 4 is provided. They are connected as grip switches 15a and 15b.

Further, an outer rotation switch 24 and an inner rotation switch 25 for turning on and off the drive motor 10 by rotating the occupant outside or inside the body of the occupant while gripping the outer rotation switch 24a, left and right. 24
b, provided as inside rotation switches 25a, 25b.

In FIG. 6, when the outer rotary switch 24 on one side of the armrest 4 is rotated outward and the inner rotary switch 25 on the other side of the armrest is rotated inward, the outer rotary switch 24 is turned on. An electric circuit connecting the drive motor 10 with the battery 11 and the operation unit 12 such that the connection polarity of the drive motor 10 on the rotating side with the battery 11 is opposite to the polarity of the drive motor 10 on the other side. Is configured.

For example, in FIG. 6, if the outer rotary switch 24a on one side of the armrest 4 is rotated outward and the inner rotary switch 25b on the other side of the armrest is rotated inward, the outer rotary switch 24a The connection between the drive motor 10a on the side where is rotated and the battery 11 is as shown by the broken line in FIG. 6, and its polarity is opposite to the polarity of the drive motor 10b on the other side shown by the solid line.

With this configuration, the armrest 4
Of the outer rotary switch 24 on one side of the armrest, and the inner rotary switch 25 on the other side of the armrest.
When the vehicle is rotated inward, the two drive motors 10 rotate in opposite directions at substantially the same number of revolutions, so that the wheelchair turns on the spot in the direction of the outer rotary switch 24 turned to the outside of the occupant. Therefore, the turning radius of the wheelchair is the smallest.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an electric wheelchair showing another embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 7, the rear wheel 2 is formed so that the height of the wheel is lower than the seat 6 of the wheelchair body 1, and the rear wheel 2 is not provided with a hand rim. Because such a wheelchair body cannot run on its own,
Since the caregiver runs while gripping and pushing the pair of push grips 21, it is usually called an "assistance wheelchair". On the other hand, a wheelchair body having a hand rim as shown in FIG. 1 is usually called a “self-operating wheelchair”.

The armrest 4 in FIG. 7 is formed so as to be able to be flipped up with the rear portion of the seat 6 of the wheelchair body 1 as a fulcrum. 18 is a hinge forming a fulcrum, and 20 is a hinge.
Is a wing lock portion for receiving and locking one end of the armrest 4 that has been raised after riding. The armrest 4 is provided with armrests 4a and 4b on the left and right, and an operation unit 12 is provided on each of the left and right as operation units 12a and 12b.

A drive motor 10 and a battery (not shown) are housed in a case 13 and attached to the frame 5 of the wheelchair body 1. An electric circuit connecting the drive motor 10, a battery (not shown), and the operation unit 12 has the same configuration as that of FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, or FIG.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an electric wheelchair showing another embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 8, the armrest 4 is attached to the wheelchair main body 1.
The seat 18 has a hinge 18 on the rear side surface of the seat 6 as a fulcrum. The armrest 4 is provided with armrests 4a and 4b on the left and right.

A drive motor 10 and a battery (not shown) are housed in a case 13 and attached to the frame 5 of the wheelchair body 1.

An electric circuit connecting the drive motor 10, a battery (not shown), and the operation unit 12 has the same configuration as that of FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, or FIG. An operating unit 12 is provided on the pair of hand grips 21 at the upper end of the frame 5 which are gripped by a caregiver when the assistant presses the operating unit.
b.

FIG. 9 shows an example in which a grip cover 22 for covering the outside of the operation unit 12 is attached. The grip cover 22 is formed of rubber or synthetic resin having good flexibility. Is coated on the outside. With this configuration, the handgrip switch 15 is not directly exposed, so that there is an advantage that the occupant of the wheelchair does not have a very mechanical feeling. 1, 2, 7, and 8, cords that electrically connect the drive motor 10, the battery 11, and the operation unit 12 are omitted.

In FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6, the circuits connecting the battery 11 and the drive motor 10 are directly turned on and off by the switches 15, 16, 24, and 25 of the operation unit 12. As shown, each switch 1
5, 16, 24 and 25 may be formed by an electromagnetic relay (not shown) with a suction coil, and the operation unit 12 may be configured to turn on and off the suction coil of the relay.

[0041]

According to the present invention, when the occupant is elderly, or when the sight or fingertips are not sufficiently controlled due to illness or some kind of obstacle, the wheelchair can be operated simply by grasping the operation unit installed on the armrest of the wheelchair. Is straight forward and turns in the twisting direction only by twisting, so that it is extremely easy to handle and easy to operate.

Therefore, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to press and push a lot of push buttons as in the related art.

Since the folding type wheelchair is provided with a drive motor, a battery, and an operation unit, there is an advantage that the space required for transporting and storing the wheelchair is extremely small. In addition, there is no motor for steering the front wheels, and the battery is a nickel-cadmium battery or a lithium ion battery.
Since the motor and the battery are light in weight because they are composed of the secondary battery, there is an effect that the overall weight of the electric wheelchair is significantly reduced due to a synergistic effect with the use of the foldable wheelchair.

Further, according to another embodiment of the present invention, since the armrest is formed so as to be able to be lifted up, there is an effect that it is more convenient for a passenger to get on and off and transfer from a bed.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention,
Since the operating section is provided at the upper end of the frame at the pair of hand grips gripped by the assistant when pushing, the assistant can operate the electric wheelchair to move straight or turn. Therefore, the heavy labor of carrying heavy passengers in wheelchairs when the caregiver is an elderly, helpless woman, or
This has the effect of significantly reducing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric wheelchair showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a frame of the wheelchair main body in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an electric circuit diagram connecting a drive motor, a battery, and an operation unit.

FIG. 4 is an electric circuit diagram showing a drive motor, a battery, and an operation unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an electric circuit diagram showing a drive motor, a battery, and an operation unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an electric circuit diagram showing a driving motor, a battery, and an operation unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an electric wheelchair showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an electric wheelchair showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a grip cover that covers the operation unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... wheelchair main body, 2 ... rear wheel, 4 ... armrest, 5 ... frame, 10 ... drive motor, 11 ... battery, 12 ... operation part, 15 ... grip switch, 16 ... rotation switch.

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A wheelchair comprising a wheelchair body, a pair of armrests, a rear wheel and a front wheel, and a rear wheel driven by a drive motor, wherein a drive motor for driving each of the rear wheels independently of each other is provided on the wheelchair body. An electric wheelchair, wherein a battery for mounting and supplying power to the drive motor is provided, and an operation unit is provided on each of the pair of armrests. 2. A grip switch for electrically connecting the drive motor, a battery, and an operation unit, and for turning on and off the drive motor by gripping and releasing the operation unit of each of the pair of armrests. The drive motor is turned on by turning and returning while holding the
The electric wheelchair according to claim 1, further comprising a turning switch that turns off. 3. The grip switch of the operating unit operates the drive motors of the rear wheels almost simultaneously regardless of which grip is held, and the rotary switch is used only for the drive motor of the rear wheel on the side that is turned. 2. The electric wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein an electric circuit connecting the drive motor, the battery, and the operation unit is configured to stop the rotation. 4. The grip switch of the operation unit operates the drive motors of the rear wheels almost simultaneously regardless of which grip is held, and the rotary switch is used only for the drive motor of the rear wheel on the side that is turned. The electric wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein an electric circuit connecting the drive motor, a battery, and an operation unit is configured to reduce the number of rotations according to the turned angle. 5. An electromagnetic brake is provided on a drive motor for driving each of the rear wheels independently of each other, or a brake means is provided on each of the rear wheels, so that the rotary switch is turned to the side on which the rotary switch is turned. An electric circuit connecting the drive motor, the battery, and the operation unit is configured such that when only the drive motor of a certain rear wheel stops rotating, the electromagnetic brake or brake means of the drive motor of the rear wheel is operated. The electric wheelchair according to claim 1, characterized in that: 6. An operating portion of each of the pair of armrests,
A grip switch for turning the drive motor on and off by gripping and releasing, an outer rotation switch and an inner switch for turning the drive motor on and off by rotating to the outside or inside of the occupant's body in a gripped state A rotation switch is provided, and when the outer rotation switch on one side of the armrest is rotated outward and the inner rotation switch on the other side of the armrest is rotated inward, the outer rotation switch is on the side on which the outer rotation switch is rotated. 2. An electric circuit connecting the drive motor, the battery, and the operation unit such that the connection polarity of the drive motor to the battery is opposite to the polarity of the drive motor on the other side. Electric wheelchair. 7. The electric wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein said wheelchair main body is a self-operating or assisting type folding wheelchair. 8. The electric wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein said armrest is formed so as to be able to be flipped up with a rear portion of a seat of a wheelchair body as a fulcrum. 9. The electric wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein said battery is constituted by a nickel-cadmium battery or a lithium ion secondary battery. 10. The electric wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein said operating portion is provided on each of a pair of hand grip portions gripped by a caregiver when pushing.