JP2000210337A - Self-traveling wheelchair and self-traveling wheelchair with auxiliary motor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a self-traveling wheelchair for the health of the strength of legs in combination with the rehabilitation of the slightly physically handicapped with the mutual stepping operation of both feet. SOLUTION: This wheelchair is composed of a handle part, a driving part, pedal parts, a saddle part, wheel parts arranged with front and rear wheels and a car body frame connecting these parts and the pedal part is composed of two almost triangular crank plates 18 arranged on both the sides of a supporting part while supporting 12A the apexes on the car body frame and making the phases of both these sides mutually different, footrest parts 20 for making one of other apex parts of the crank plates 18 perform vertical operating motion and a driving pole 19 supporting the top end thereof on a crank part 16 of the wheel part. Then, the crank plates 18 are mutually oscillated up and down with the supporting part 12A as a center by vertically operating the footrest parts of the pedal parts, the driving pole 19 supported on the crank plates 18 is reciprocated, the crank part 16 linked to the top end of the driving pole 19 is turned and the front or rear wheel is rotated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a self-propelled wheelchair for managing the health of persons who have difficulty walking for a long time due to illness or aging.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A wheelchair is composed of a small front wheel arranged on the left and right and a large rear wheel arranged on both sides of a seat. In general, the vehicle runs while rotating. Also, there are known amusement park cars and the like, such as an amusement four-wheeled car for children, which runs by alternately depressing a crank member with both feet with leg strength.

[0003]

In a conventional wheelchair, the operation of both hands is performed, and the feet do not move, so that the training of the leg strength is not achieved. Amusement park cars for children have a small body and put a heavy burden on their feet, making it difficult to step on them.
In addition, there is no simple self-propelled wheelchair to assist walking for people who are not difficult to walk but cannot walk long distances due to their illness. In addition, it is difficult to walk on their own due to traffic accidents and aging, and there is a need for a wheelchair for people with mild disabilities who can walk freely on their own as well as rehabilitation for people with leg dysfunction. It is an object of the present invention to provide a stable self-propelled wheelchair that can be walked by simple alternate stepping operations of both feet based on the above problem. Another object of the present invention is to provide a self-propelled wheelchair for leg strength health that also serves as rehabilitation for people with mild disabilities.

[0004]

Means for Solving the Problems The object of the present invention is to provide:
In a self-propelled wheelchair composed of a handle portion, a drive portion, a petal portion, a saddle portion, a wheel portion in which front wheels and rear wheels are arranged, and a vehicle body frame connecting these, a vertex is pivotally supported on the vehicle body frame. Two substantially triangular crank plates arranged on both sides of a shaft support part and having different phases on both sides, and a footrest for performing up-down operation on one of the other apexes of the crank plate The petal portion is formed from a portion and a driving rod pivotally supported at the remaining apex portion and having a tip pivotally supported by the crank portion of the wheel portion. The crank is formed by vertically operating the footrest portion of the petal portion. The plate is alternately swung up and down about the shaft support portion, the drive rod supported by the crank plate is reciprocated, and the crank portion connected to the tip of the drive rod is rotated to rotate the wheel portion. Body frame by rotating the front or rear wheels Achieved by the configuration in which the body to advance backward.

A wheel attached to the vehicle body frame is connected to one front wheel rotatably supported by a lower portion of a handle portion via the drive rod supported by the crank plate of the petal. A rear wheel is formed at both ends of a crank portion, and the rear wheel is rotated through the crank portion by alternate swinging of two crank plates by up and down operation of the footrest portion of the petal portion. This can also be achieved by a configuration in which the entire frame is moved forward and backward.

In a self-propelled wheelchair comprising a handle portion, a drive portion, a petal portion, a saddle portion, a wheel portion on which front wheels and rear wheels are arranged, and a vehicle body frame connecting these wheels, the apex is set to the vehicle body frame. Axial support, arranged on both sides of this axial support portion, and two roughly triangular crank plates with different phases on both sides and one of the other apexes of the crank plate perform up-down operation movement The petal portion is formed from the footrest portion as described above, and a drive rod pivotally supporting the remaining apex portion and having a tip pivotally supported by the crank portion of the wheel portion, and the petal portion of the petal portion is formed. The crank plate is alternately swung up and down around the shaft support portion by an up and down operation to reciprocate the drive rod supported by the crank plate and rotate the crank portion connected to the tip of the drive rod. And rotate the front or rear wheel of the wheel section. An electric motor mounted on a part of the vehicle body frame together with advances retract the entire vehicle body frame by,
A friction wheel is fixed to a rotating shaft of the electric motor, and a peripheral surface of the friction wheel is brought into contact with and separated from an outer peripheral surface of a front wheel or a rear wheel of the wheel portion to rotate the body frame forward and backward. This can also be achieved by a configuration of a self-propelled wheelchair with an auxiliary motor to be controlled.

A hand lever for operating a brake member for controlling rotation of a wheel is disposed at a part of the handle disposed on the vehicle body frame, and a wire connecting the hand lever to the brake member is provided. The above object can be achieved by a configuration in which a lock mechanism that locks the movement of the first member is arranged.

[0008] A switching member for switching the direction of rotation of the rotating shaft is provided on the electric motor for driving the friction wheel which is in pressure contact with the peripheral surface of the front wheel or the rear wheel of the wheel portion. The above object can be achieved by switching the direction of rotation of the front wheel or the rear wheel to move the vehicle body frame forward or backward. Further, a connecting portion between an inclined portion of the vehicle body frame in which a support member to which the handle portion and the front wheel are mounted is freely rotatably fitted and a main body frame to which the petal portion, the saddle portion, and the driving mechanism are mounted. By attaching a hinge to the sloping part, it is possible to make the inclined part foldable so that it can be easily transported and mounted on a public motor vehicle.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The self-propelled wheelchair of the present invention is arranged such that a person sitting on a saddle places a footrest of a petal part under a normal leg position and alternately operates the left and right legs up and down. By moving the footrest up and down, the crank plate of the petal portion pivotally supported by the vehicle body frame is swung, and the drive rod pivotally supported by the crank plate is reciprocated. By the reciprocating motion of the driving rod, the crank portion pivotally supported at the tip is rotated, and the front wheel or the rear wheel is rotated, so that the entire vehicle body can be easily run.

In the state of sitting on the saddle portion, the wheel portion can be driven only by lightly stepping on the left and right feet alternately to raise and lower the footrest portion. Since a friction wheel fixed to the rotating shaft of the electric motor is pressed against the peripheral surface of the wheel of the wheel portion, the entire vehicle body can be run by rotating the friction wheel. Therefore, when the legs are tired by the depressing operation or when climbing a hill, the power switch of the auxiliary motor can be turned on to reduce the load on the legs, and the vehicle can run. In addition, by switching the rotation direction of the electric motor, not only forward movement but also backward movement can be performed.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A self-propelled wheelchair according to the present invention will be described based on an embodiment shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a first embodiment of a self-propelled wheelchair according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a right side view of FIG. FIG. 5 is a front view showing a second embodiment of a self-propelled wheelchair with an auxiliary motor according to the present invention, FIG. 6 is a plan view of FIG. 5, and FIG.
FIG. 8 is an enlarged front view taken along line AA of FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view of a third embodiment of a self-propelled wheelchair with an auxiliary motor according to the present invention.

In the self-propelled wheelchair of the present invention, a front fork 3, which is a support member supporting one front wheel 2, is rotatably fitted into a vehicle body frame 1, and a handle of a handle portion is provided at an upper end of the front fork 3. The column 6 is connected, and a handle 4 operated with both hands is attached to the upper end thereof. The height of the handle 4 is adjusted by moving the handle post 6 up and down and fixed by the adjustment member 5. A brake lever 7 that can be manually handled in parallel with the handle at the end of the handle 4 is supported. A brake wire 9 is stretched between the tip of the brake lever 7 and the brake 8 of the front wheel 2. A lock mechanism 10 for locking the rotation of the brake lever 7 at a predetermined position is provided near the brake lever 7. The lock mechanism 10 includes a stopper substrate 10a attached to the handle 4, a stop lever 10b rotatably supported by the stopper substrate 10a, and a brake lever 7 at the tip of the stopper substrate 10a.
Plate 10c and extension spring 10 that abut against
d.

The body frame 1 has a base portion which is a main body for supporting a crank block 16 of a crank portion disposed between an inclined portion 11 into which the front fork 3 is inserted and a saddle portion 14 and an axle 15A of left and right rear wheels 15. 12 and the base 1
2 and the inclined portion 11 are connected by a hinge 13. A bearing 12 </ b> A that supports the two right and left crank plates 18 of the petal 17 is provided at an intermediate portion of the base 12. The crank plates 18, 18 are supported by bearings 12A with different phases, and footrests 20, 20 are fixed to the apexes of the substantially triangular crank plates 18, 18. Driving rods 19, 19 are pivotally supported at the other apexes of the crank plates 18, 18, and the tips of the driving rods 19, 19 are pivotally supported by a crank block 16 disposed between the axles 15A of the rear wheels 15. I have. By moving the foot rests 20, 20 up and down as shown in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1, the crank plates 18, 18 are swung up and down. To rotate. This swing angle is preferably about 60 degrees.

The saddle portion 14 has a saddle post 14a loosely fitted on the base portion 12, a saddle 14b having an adjustable inclination angle at the tip thereof, and an adjustment for adjusting the height of the saddle 14b (in the direction of the arrow in the drawing). The lever 14c is formed. The saddle post 14a is slidable on the base 12 (the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1), so that the front and rear position can be adjusted (in the direction of the arrow), and fixed by the click member 12a.

Hereinafter, the operation of the self-propelled wheelchair of the present invention will be described based on the embodiment shown in the drawings. In FIG. 1, the occupant grasps the grip 4A of the handle 4 with both hands, places his buttocks on the saddle 14b, and places the left and right foot ends on the foot rests 20, 20 while sitting. Next handle 4
The stopper lever 10b of the lock mechanism 10 is rotated against the elasticity of the tension spring 10c to separate the stopper plate 10c from the abutting portion of the brake lever 7 and the brake 8
From the front wheel 2.

The positions of the foot rests 20, 20 are not at the same height, and when one of the right and left foot rests 20 is lowered in a stepped state, the crank plate 18 is swung about the shaft support 12A. Then, the crank block 16 and the rear wheel 15 are rotated via the driving rod 19 to move forward (to the left in FIG. 2). The body frame 1 moves forward by alternately moving the foot rests 20, 20 by the left and right foot ends. When the vehicle moves backward, the position of the footrest portion 20 is adjusted and depressed, whereby the wheels rotate in the reverse direction and move backward. In the embodiment shown in the drawings of the present invention, the speed is preferably about 4 to 6 km / h. In this embodiment, the size of the wheels is 18 inches for the front wheels and 16 inches for the rear wheels, but this size is adjusted according to the height of the height, the length of the feet, etc. Can be manufactured.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a self-propelled traveling wheelchair with an auxiliary motor according to the present invention is provided with a storage battery 25 serving as a power supply on an axle portion of a rear wheel 15 behind a base portion 12 of a vehicle body frame 1. Is installed. The electric motor 21, the friction wheel 22, and the operating rod 23 driven by the power supply
Is mounted on the vehicle body frame 1, and the peripheral surface of the friction wheel 22 fixed to the rotating shaft 21 </ b> A of the electric motor 21 is pressed against the peripheral surface of the rear wheel 15. An elastic member 22A is provided so as to be stretched between the operation rod 23 and the side wall of the drive box 26, and the friction wheel 22 is constantly urged in a direction away from the peripheral surface of the rear wheel 15. The operating rod 23 is rotatably mounted on the drive box 26 by being pivotally supported on a wall surface. When the operator grips the operating rod 23, the operating rod 23 is pressed against the elasticity of the elastic member 22A in FIG. When it is moved to the solid line position, the peripheral surface of the friction wheel 22 comes into pressure contact with the peripheral surface of the rear wheel 15. A push button 23A for automatically returning to the initial position and a changeover switch 23B for switching the rotation direction of the electric motor 21 are arranged on the operating rod 23. The saddle portion 14 of the body frame 1
Is placed behind the car.

A self-propelled wheelchair with an auxiliary motor according to the present invention will be described. Usually, the operating rod 23 is arranged so that the friction wheel 22 of the electric motor 21 is separated from the peripheral surface of the rear wheel 15. In the case of self-powered driving, as described above, the user sits on the saddle 14b and steps on both feet alternately with the footrests 20, 20, and runs on his own power. Is stopped, the push button 23A of the operating rod 23 is pressed with a fingertip, power is input, the electric motor 21 is rotated, and the operating rod 23 is grasped with a finger and moved from the dotted line position to the solid line position in FIG. Then, the friction wheel 22 of the rotating electric motor 21 is pressed against the peripheral surface of the rear wheel 15, and the rotation of the friction wheel 22 is transmitted to the rear wheel 15 so that the rear wheel 15 rotates and moves forward.

When a danger is felt during running,
When the hand is released, the operating rod 23 is actuated by the elasticity of the elastic member 22A.
Returns to the initial position, the friction wheel 22 separates from the peripheral surface of the rear wheel 15, the power of the electric motor 21 is cut off, and the friction wheel 2
The rotation of 2 stops. The wheelchair stops by fixing the positions of the footrests 20, 20. The rotation of the electric motor 21 is changed by switching the operation lever 23 by the changeover switch 23B, and the friction wheel 22 is rotated in the reverse direction. Thereby, the vehicle body frame 1 moves backward. The traveling speed can be controlled by adjusting the drive output of the electric motor 21, and traveling can be performed at a speed equivalent to that of a general electric wheelchair. For example, safe driving can be performed at 1.5 km / h.

FIG. 8 shows a third embodiment of a self-propelled wheelchair with an auxiliary motor according to the present invention, which will be described. FIG. 8 shows a self-propelled wheelchair with an auxiliary motor that drives the front wheel 2 by an auxiliary motor. A drive box 36 is arranged and mounted above the front wheel 2 in front of the front fork 3 of the handle 4. Since the storage battery 25 of this power supply is heavy, it is mounted on the rear wheel 15 side. An electric motor 31 and a friction wheel 32 shown in FIG. 6 are provided in the drive box 36, and the friction wheel 32 is arranged so as to be pressed against the peripheral surface of the front wheel 2.

The electric motor 31 in the drive box 36 is connected to a foot petal 3 provided near the petal portion 17 of the vehicle body frame 1.
4 is controlled by a push button 33A and a changeover switch 33B of an operation panel 33 arranged on the inclined portion 11. By stepping on the hood petal 34, the friction wheel 32 of the electric motor 31 is brought into contact with the peripheral surface of the front wheel 2 instead of the operation rod 23. At this time, the friction wheel 32 is urged to be pressed against the peripheral surface of the front wheel 2 by an arm rod (not shown) pivotally supported on the side wall of the drive box 36. When the self-propelled wheelchair with the auxiliary motor thus formed is driven by electric power, the hood petal 34 is pressed by the toes. As a result, the push button 33A is operated, power is input, and the electric motor 31 rotates. By further depressing the drive box 36
Is lowered by its own weight or the operation of a wire, and the friction wheel 32 of the electric motor 31 is pressed against the peripheral surface of the front wheel 2 to rotate the front wheel 2.

When the foot is released from the hood petal 34, the power is cut off and the friction wheel 32 separates from the front wheel 2. When the vehicle retreats, the changeover switch 33B of the operation panel 33 is switched to reverse the rotation of the electric motor 31 and move backward.
As described above, according to the third embodiment, the automatic traveling operation can be performed without releasing the hand from the steering wheel on the front side.

As described above, the self-propelled wheelchair of the present invention adjusts the height of the saddle portion 14 and the front and rear position to adjust the position of the foot end even when the leg force is reduced and the stepping force is weak, so that the weak force is applied. The crank plates 18, 18 can be swung. The body frame 1 is formed of an inclined portion 11 for supporting a front fork 3 having a handle 4 and a front wheel 2 and a base portion 12, and these are connected by hinges 13 so that they can be folded and the whole can be folded. It can be small for convenient transportation. Further, the rear wheel 15 can be disassembled by loosening the nut.

[0024]

The self-propelled wheelchair according to the present invention can easily run by simply stepping on both feet alternately while sitting on the saddle portion, so that both legs move, and the drive section is directly connected by the crank plate. It is a rehabilitation exercise for both feet. In particular, since the position of the saddle can be adjusted up, down, up and down, a footrest can be set according to the length of each foot, so that the burden on both feet can be reduced. Further, by mounting a lightweight electric motor, the vehicle can run lightly even when the legs are tired or when climbing a slope.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a first embodiment of a self-propelled wheelchair according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a right side view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic view of a lock mechanism of a handle portion of the self-propelled wheelchair according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of a self-propelled wheelchair with an auxiliary motor according to the present invention.
It is a front view which shows embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged front view taken on line AA of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 shows a third embodiment of a self-propelled wheelchair with an auxiliary motor according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Body frame 2 ... Front wheel 3 ... Front fork 4 ... Handle 5 ... Adjustment member 6 ... Handle post 7 ... Brake lever 8 ... Brake 9 ... Brake wire 10 ... Lock mechanism 11 ... Inclined part 12 ... Base 13 ... Hinge DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 ... Saddle part 15 ... Rear wheel 16 ... Crank block 17 ... Petal part 18 ... Crank plate 19 ... Driving rod 20 ... Foot part 21, 31 ... Electric motor 22, 32 ... Friction wheel 23 ... Operating rod 23A, 33A ... Push Button 23B, 33B ... Changeover switch 24 ... Carrier basket 25 ... Storage battery 26, 36 ... Drive box 34 ... Foot petal

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A self-propelled wheelchair comprising a handle portion, a drive portion, a petal portion, a saddle portion, a wheel portion on which front wheels and rear wheels are arranged, and a vehicle body frame connecting these wheels. Axial support, arranged on both sides of this axial support portion, and two roughly triangular crank plates with different phases on both sides and one of the other apexes of the crank plate perform up-down operation movement The petal portion is formed from the footrest portion as described above, and a drive rod pivotally supporting the remaining apex portion and having a tip pivotally supported by the crank portion of the wheel portion. The crank plate is alternately swung up and down around the shaft support portion by an up and down operation to reciprocate the drive rod supported by the crank plate and rotate the crank portion connected to the tip of the drive rod. And rotate the front or rear wheels of the wheels. Travel under its own power wheelchair, characterized in that so as to forward and backward across the vehicle body frame by. 2. A wheel mounted on the vehicle body frame is connected to one front wheel rotatably supported at a lower portion of a handle portion via the drive rod supported on the crank plate of the petal portion. And rear wheels arranged at both ends of the crank portion, and the rear wheels are rotated through the crank portion by alternate swinging of the two crank plates due to the vertical operation of the footrest portion of the petal portion. 2. The self-propelled wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the entire body frame is moved forward and backward. 3. A brake lever portion for operating a brake member for controlling rotation of a wheel portion is disposed at a part of the handle portion provided on the vehicle body frame, and the brake lever portion is connected to the brake member. The self-propelled wheelchair according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a lock mechanism for locking movement of the wire. 4. A body of the vehicle body frame to which a slanted portion of the vehicle body frame, a petal portion, a saddle portion, and a drive mechanism are mounted, in which a support member to which the handle portion and the front wheel are mounted is freely rotatably fitted. The self-propelled wheelchair according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a hinge is attached to a connecting part between the part and the inclined part so that the inclined part can be folded. 5. A self-propelled wheelchair comprising a handle portion, a drive portion, a petal portion, a saddle portion, a wheel portion on which front wheels and rear wheels are arranged, and a vehicle body frame connecting these wheels. It is pivotally supported and arranged on both sides of the shaft support part, and two roughly triangular crank plates having different phases on both sides and one of the other apexes of the crank plate perform up-down operation movement. The petal portion is formed from the footrest portion as described above, and a drive rod pivotally supporting the remaining apex portion and having a tip pivotally supported by the crank portion of the wheel portion. The crank plate is alternately swung up and down about the shaft support portion by an up and down operation to reciprocate the drive rod supported by the crank plate and rotate the crank portion connected to the tip of the drive rod. And rotate the front or rear wheels of the wheels. By moving the whole body frame forward and backward, an electric motor is mounted on a part of the body frame, and a friction wheel is fixed to a rotating shaft of the electric motor. A self-propelled traveling wheelchair with an auxiliary motor, wherein the forward and backward rotation of the vehicle body frame is controlled by contacting and separating the outer peripheral surface of a wheel or a rear wheel. 6. An electric motor for driving a friction wheel pressed against a peripheral surface of a front wheel or a rear wheel of the wheel portion, and a switching member for switching a rotating direction of a rotating shaft is provided, and the switching member is switched. The self-propelled traveling wheelchair with an auxiliary motor according to claim 5, wherein the direction of rotation of the front wheel or the rear wheel is switched so that the body frame moves forward and backward. 7. A body of the vehicle body frame to which a slanted portion of the vehicle body frame, a petal portion, a saddle portion, and a driving mechanism are rotatably fitted with a support member to which the handle portion and the front wheel are mounted. The self-propelled wheelchair with an auxiliary motor according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the inclined portion is foldable by attaching a hinge to a connecting portion between the portion and the connecting portion.