JP2000217866A - Wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate the need for greatly remodeling a passenger car and the like and to greatly reduce a helper's burden by enabling a wheelchair user to be transferred to a fixed position, together with a wheelchair. SOLUTION: Leg parts are collapsible under pressure so as to become generally parallel to a seat member 2, and the seat member 2 can be fixed in a fixed position with the leg parts collapsed. The seat member 2 with a wheelchair user seated thereon is pressed toward the fixed position and thereby the legs parts 3 collapse automatically so that the wheelchair user can be transferred to the fixed position. During transfer, load can be supported by a floor at the fixed position and the leg parts 7, so that a helper's burden is reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wheelchair capable of easily transferring a wheelchair user to a seat position of an automobile together with a wheelchair seat.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A privately-owned passenger car is a very convenient vehicle that can be easily accessed at any time, and is essential for many people in modern society. In particular, for disabled and elderly people, passenger cars are not only necessary for going to hospitals,
The freedom to widen the radius of action and go wherever you want will be a pleasure and encourage their participation in society.

[0003] By the way, in the case of a disabled person or an elderly person who needs a wheelchair because it is difficult to move his / her body freely, it is difficult to get on and off between the wheelchair and the passenger car by himself, so a caregiver is required. And However, to move a wheelchair user from a wheelchair to a passenger car seat or vice versa, the caregiver must hold and move the wheelchair user. Therefore, depending on the weight of the wheelchair user or the degree of disability, holding and moving the wheelchair user physically places a heavy burden on the caregiver. Also, even from a wheelchair user's perspective, they may feel pain, anxiety or discomfort when being held.

[0004] Furthermore, since caregivers are often relatives of wheelchair users and may be women or elderly people with weak physical strength, it is extremely difficult for caregivers to move wheelchair users from wheelchairs to other places. It is hard work. Therefore, a passenger car modified to facilitate the movement of a wheelchair user is known. For example, a device is known in which a seat of a passenger car is rotatable, the seat is rotated to a position where a wheelchair user can easily get on and off, and the seat is fixed at a proper position when moving in the passenger car. . According to this device, it is relatively easy for a wheelchair user to get on and off the seat of the passenger car.

There is also known a wagon or the like in which a seat is removed from the rear and a wheelchair can be fixed thereto. According to such a passenger car, the wheelchair user can get on and off the passenger car together with the wheelchair using the lift device or the like, so that the nursing care of holding and transporting is unnecessary, and the burden on the caregiver is greatly reduced.

[0006]

However, even with an apparatus in which the seat of a passenger car is rotatable, care for the caregiver holding and transporting the wheelchair user still remains.
It is difficult to significantly reduce the burden on caregivers. Further, when transferring the vehicle to a wagon with a seat removed from the rear, it is limited to a vehicle equipped with a lift device, and there is a problem that a modification equipped with a lift device is expensive. If the lift device is not used, the wheelchair must be lifted and fixed to the wagon, and the work must be performed once the wheelchair user has dropped from the wheelchair. Therefore, it is necessary for the caregiver to hold the wheelchair user.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and enables a wheelchair user to be transported to a fixed position together with a wheelchair, thereby eliminating the need for a major modification of a passenger car and increasing the burden on a caregiver. The purpose is to reduce.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheelchair comprising a seat member and a leg supporting the seat member and having a wheel rotatably held at a lower end thereof. The leg portion is configured to be foldable so as to be substantially parallel to the sheet member by pressing, and the sheet member can be fixed to a fixed position in a state where the leg portion is folded.

A wheelchair according to a second aspect of the present invention is the wheelchair according to the first aspect, further comprising an urging member for urging the leg in a direction in which the leg is opened in a normal state, wherein the urging member applies a pressing force. The seat member is fixed to the fixed position in a state where the leg portion is folded and the urging force of the urging member is stored by exceeding the urging force. A feature of the wheelchair according to claim 3 is that, in the wheelchair according to claim 1, the legs are formed of two pairs of left and right or front and rear leg elements, and upper ends of the pair of leg elements are identical to the seat member. And can swing substantially parallel to the pressing direction.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A case where a wheelchair user is transferred from a wheelchair to a fixed position using a wheelchair of the present invention will be described. First, the wheelchair where the wheelchair user sits is moved to the fixed position. This movement is easy for the caregiver since the wheelchair is normally moved by the wheels of the legs.

The fixed position is generally higher than the ground, such as the floor of an automobile, and it is desirable that the lower surface of the wheelchair seat member and the surface of the fixed position are substantially flush with each other. With this configuration, when the wheelchair is moved, the leg abuts on the lower portion of the fixed position. If the fixed position is the floor of the vehicle, the leg portion abuts on a step or a bumper of the vehicle. When the wheelchair is further pressed, the legs are deformed so as to be folded, and a part of the seat member is placed on the fixed position. By further pressing it, the legs are further folded and become substantially parallel to the sheet member, and the entire sheet member is placed at the fixed position.

That is, the load on the wheelchair user and the wheelchair is:
In the early stage of the transfer, the legs are all received, and when the legs are slightly folded, the legs receive most of the load and the fixed position receives a part thereof. When the wheel of the leg is separated from the ground, the load is received by the fixed position and the lifting force of the caregiver, and finally the load is all received at the fixed position. Therefore, the burden on the caregiver at the time of transfer is reduced as compared with the conventional case.

Usually, a pair of legs is provided in front, rear, left and right, respectively. However, it is preferable that the timing to be folded by some of the legs is delayed from that of the other legs.
With this configuration, the ratio of the time during which the load is received by the legs to the total transfer time can be increased, so that the burden on the caregiver can be further reduced. This delay mechanism
Known mechanisms such as a link mechanism and a cam mechanism can be used.

For example, it is preferable that the upper ends of the pair of legs of the two pairs of legs are pivotally supported at the same point on the sheet member so as to be swingable in the direction of pressing. With this configuration, when the leg is folded from the opened state when the wheelchair is used, the locus of the lower end of the pressed leg is an arc, so that the lower end of the leg, that is, the wheel is folded while securely contacting the ground. be able to.
Therefore, the ratio of the time during which the load is applied to the legs to the total transfer time can be increased, and the burden on the caregiver can be reduced.

It is preferable that a rolling member for facilitating the transfer of the sheet member is provided on at least one of the lower portion, the leg portion, and the surface of the fixed position of the sheet member. This facilitates the transfer of the wheelchair to the fixed position, and can further reduce the burden on the caregiver. It is desirable to provide a lock device at the fixed position for restricting the relative movement of the wheelchair. The lock device may be configured to restrict movement in a plurality of directions by itself, or may be restricted by using a plurality of lock devices.

Next, when lowering the wheelchair from the fixed position, the locking device is unlocked and the wheelchair is pulled out from the fixed position. At this time, if the above-mentioned rolling member is provided, the drawer can be easily performed. Then, the legs can be released from folding and the legs can be opened to be used as a wheelchair. Further, the wheelchair user may be lowered with the wheelchair while sitting on the seat member, or the wheelchair user may be lowered first and then the wheelchair may be lowered.

It is particularly preferable that an urging member is provided for urging the leg in the direction in which the leg is opened in a normal state, and the seat member is fixed to the fixed position in a state where the urging force of the urging member is stored. desirable. With this configuration, when the wheelchair is pulled out of the fixed position, the leg is automatically lowered from the folded state and the leg is opened by the urging force of the urging member. It is possible to receive at. Therefore, the burden on the caregiver can be greatly reduced. Then, since the wheelchair user can pull out while sitting on the seat member, no burden is imposed on the wheelchair user. As the urging member, the own weight of the leg, a spring, or the like can be used.

Although the folding structure of the leg is not particularly limited, it is desirable that the leg is configured to be folded by a force for pushing the wheelchair toward the fixed position. For example, when pushing the wheelchair forward, if the leg is pivotally supported on the seat member so that it can swing backward, the leg can be further pushed by the force to push the wheelchair after contacting the step or bumper. Can be folded. In this case, it is preferable that the pair of legs on the front side be folded first, and then the pair of legs on the rear side be folded. This increases the time during which the load during the transfer can be received by the fixed position and the leg on the rear side, so that the burden on the caregiver can be reduced. It is also preferable to provide a link mechanism that allows the legs to be folded together with the rolling of the rolling member.

The position to be fixed is not particularly limited, for example, a portion where a seat of a moving body such as a car, a train, an airplane or a ship is provided, or a portion where a seat is provided in a theater, a concert hall, a movie theater or the like. As the seat member, a conventional wheelchair seat may be used, but it is desirable to use a seat member having excellent sitting comfort and holding properties, such as a passenger car seat, so that the passenger car seat can be modified and used. is there.

It is desirable that a foot plate is provided at the front of the seat member so as to be able to advance and retreat. In this way, the footrest can be pulled out and the leg of the wheelchair user can be placed on it, so that it is possible to prevent the leg from interfering with the fixed position or the like at the time of transport, and safety is improved. improves.

[0021]

In this embodiment, the rear floor of a wagon is taken as an example of a fixed position, and the present invention is used when a wheelchair user is transported together with a wheelchair. 1 and 2 show a wheelchair according to the present embodiment. This wheelchair includes an inverted box-shaped pedestal 1 formed of a lightweight metal such as an aluminum alloy and having a substantially U-shaped cross section, a seat 2 fixed to the pedestal 1 also serving as a seat for a passenger car, and one end portion of the pedestal. And a pair of front, rear, left and right legs 3 supported by the first leg 1.

A pair of front and rear rollers 10 are rotatably supported on both left and right sides of the base 1, respectively. Further, two pipes 11 protruding forward from the pedestal 1 are provided, and a footrest member 12 is provided at a tip of each of the pipes 11. The seat 2 is fixed to the upper surface of the pedestal 1.
The seat 2 has a headrest 20 at an upper portion and is formed to have the same quality as a passenger seat of a general ordinary passenger car. Further, a footrest 21 is provided at the lower part of the seat 2 so as to be able to enter and exit.

As shown in FIG. 2, the leg 3 is composed of a pair of left and right front legs 30 and a pair of right and left rear legs 31. Have been. Wheels 32 are rotatably held at the other ends of the front leg 30 and the rear leg 31, respectively. Also the front legs 30
A stopper 33 having a claw portion 34 at its tip is rotatably supported at an intermediate portion, and the claw portion 34 is disposed on the surface of the rear leg 31 in a state where the front leg 30 and the rear leg 31 are opened in a symmetrical shape in the front-rear direction. By engaging the projection 35 formed on the front leg 30 from above, further opening of the front leg 30 and the rear leg 31 is regulated. The claw portion 34 is formed with a tapered surface 34a,
The front leg 30 and the rear leg 31 are swingable so as to close each other by being guided by the tapered surface 34a and being disengaged from the claw portion 34.

One end of a front arm 36 projecting forward is pivotally supported slightly above the middle portion of the front leg 30, and a rear arm 37 projecting rearward slightly above the middle portion of the rear leg 31.
Is pivotally supported at one end. A front groove 13 and a rear groove 14 are formed on the left and right side surfaces of the pedestal 1 so as to extend in the horizontal direction. The other end of the forearm 36 is slidably engaged with the front groove 13. , The other end of the rear arm 37 is slidably engaged.

A front spring 15 is disposed in front of the front groove 13, and a rear spring 16 is disposed in front of the rear groove 14.
Is arranged. The front end of the front spring 15 is fixed to the side surface of the pedestal 1, and the rear end of the front spring 15 is
Is swingably held at the other end. The front end of the rear spring 16 is fixed to the side surface of the pedestal 1, and the rear end of the rear spring 16 is swingably held by the other end of the rear arm 37.

When the front leg 30 swings backward by a predetermined angle and the front leg 30 comes into contact with the rear leg 31 or the rear arm 37, thereafter, when the front leg 30 swings, the front leg 30 is pressed by the front leg 30 and the rear leg 3 is moved.
1 is also configured to swing backward. FIG. 3 shows the transfer unit 4 provided on the rear floor of the wagon vehicle according to the present embodiment. The transfer unit 4 includes a pair of left and right rails 41 fixed to the vehicle body floor 40 and extending in parallel in the front-rear direction.
A fixing portion 42 formed between the rails 41 and having a height higher than that of the rail 41.
And a stopper plate 43 formed at the front end of the rail 41 and higher than the fixed portion 42, and a concave portion 44 is provided at the rear end of the fixed portion 42. A claw member 45 is provided in the concave portion 44.
Are held in the recessed portion 44 in a state where the claw member 45 is tilted, and when the claw member 45 is raised, the fixing portion 42 is held.
Is configured to protrude upward from the surface of the. As shown in FIG. 4, a ring portion 17 with which an upright claw member 45 can be engaged is formed at a lower portion of the pedestal 1 so as to protrude downward.

The operation of the wheelchair of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described below. Here, a case where the wheelchair user is transported together with the wheelchair to the transporting unit 4 provided at the rear of the wagon vehicle will be described. In normal use of the wheelchair,
The front end of the forearm 36 of the leg 3 is biased by the front spring 15 so as to be locked to the front end of the front groove 13, and the front end of the rear arm 37 is locked to the front end of the rear groove 14 by the rear spring 16. When the claw portion 34 of the stopper 33 engages with the projection 35, the front leg 30 and the rear leg 31 are further restricted from being opened, so that they can be carried by the wheels 32 and used as a wheelchair.

When the wheelchair user and the wheelchair are to be put on the wagon, the wheelchair in which the wheelchair user is seated is transported to the rear of the wagon, and the rear door of the wagon is opened. Next, the footrest 21 is pulled out from the seat 2 and both feet of the wheelchair user are put on the footrest. Then, the user pushes the wheelchair and makes it contact the bumper 46 as shown in FIG. In this state, the pedestal 1 is almost at the height of the floor 40 of the wagon, and the position is adjusted so that the pair of front rollers 10 ride on the tip of the rail 41.

When the wheelchair is further pressed toward the bumper 46, the forearm 36 is pressed by the bumper 46, whereby the front leg 30 swings so as to approach the rear leg 31. Deviates from 35. When the wheelchair is further pushed forward, the front legs 3
The zero wheel 32 swings while drawing an arc-shaped trajectory. Further, the spring force is gradually stored in the front spring 15. Therefore, the wheels 3 of the front leg 30 are moved from the open position to the vertical position from the open position to the open position of the rear leg 31.
2, the load is received by the pair of front rollers 10 and the front leg 30 and the rear leg 31 as shown in FIG. 6, and the help of the spring force of the front spring 15 is added. The physical burden is minimal.

When the wheelchair is further pushed forward, the front leg 30 swings further rearward by the bumper 46, and the forearm 36
Moves in the front groove 13 and the spring force is further accumulated in the front spring 15. Subsequently, when the front leg 30 further swings, the forearm 36 comes into contact with the rear arm 37 and presses the rear arm 37 backward. As a result, both the front leg 30 and the rear leg 31 swing rearward, and the four wheels 32 are separated from the ground. At that time the pedestal 1 is mostly on the wagon floor 40,
Since most of the load is received on the floor 40, the physical burden on the caregiver is light.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the front leg 30 and the rear leg 31 swing further rearward to become substantially horizontal, and after the rear roller 10 rides on the rail 41, the fixing portion 42
, The leg 3 is located at a position along the surface of the fixing portion 42. Then, the roller 10 rolls on the rail 41, and the forward movement of the pedestal 1 is restricted at a position where the front roller 10 abuts on the stopper plate 43 as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG.
, The rearward movement of the pedestal 1 is regulated, so that the wheelchair user and the wheelchair can be stably held on the floor 40 of the wagon car.

At this point, the moving end of the forearm 36 is at the rear end of the front groove 13 and the moving end of the rear arm 37 is at the rear end of the rear groove 14. Spring force is stored. When the wheelchair user is taken off the wagon, first, the claw member 45 and the ring 17
Is released, and the wheelchair is moved backward while the roller 10 is rolled by the guide of the rail 41. When the wheel 32 of the leg 3 separates from the surface of the fixed portion 42, the forearm 36 and the rear arm 37 are pulled forward by the spring force accumulated in the front spring 15 and the rear spring 16, and the front leg 30
Then, the rear leg 31 gradually swings forward and its tip descends.

As the wheelchair is pulled out from the rear of the wagon, the leg 3 automatically swings and the tip is lowered. After the wheels 32 have landed, the load is
Since it can be received by 0 and the leg 3, the physical burden on the caregiver is reduced. As the leg 3 is opened, the stopper 33 comes into sliding contact with the projection 35, and the projection 35 is
The legs are regulated by engaging with the claw portions 34 and guided, and the use as a wheelchair becomes possible.

[0034]

According to the wheelchair of the present invention, the burden on the caregiver when transferring a wheelchair user to a car or the like is greatly reduced. Further, since the wheelchair user is transported while sitting on the seat, there is no discomfort or pain for the wheelchair user. Further, since it is only necessary to provide a rail and a lock device in the transfer section, the cost of remodeling an automobile or the like can be greatly reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wheelchair according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a main part of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a fixed position to which the wheelchair of one embodiment of the present invention is fixed.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of a fixed position where a wheelchair is fixed to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of the wheelchair according to the embodiment of the present invention and showing a state at the beginning of transfer.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the wheelchair according to the embodiment of the present invention and showing a state in a middle stage of the transfer.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the wheelchair according to the embodiment of the present invention and showing a state at the end of transfer.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the wheelchair according to the embodiment of the present invention and showing a transfer completed state.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: trolley 2: seat
3: Leg 4: Transfer unit (fixed position) 10: Roller 1
5: Front spring 16: Rear spring 30: Front leg
31: Rear leg 32: Wheel 33: Stopper

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A seat member and a leg supporting the seat member and having a wheel rotatably held at a lower end thereof, the leg being substantially parallel to the seat member by being pressed from one direction. The seat member is configured to be foldable as described above, and the seat member can be fixed to a fixed position in a state where the leg portion is folded. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an urging member for urging the leg in a direction in which the leg is opened in a normal state, wherein the leg is folded when the pressing force exceeds the urging force of the urging member. The wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the seat member is fixed to the fixed position in a state where the urging force of the urging member is stored. 3. The leg portion is composed of two pairs of leg elements left and right or front and rear, and upper ends of the pair of leg elements are pivotally supported by the sheet members at the same points, and swing substantially parallel to the pressing direction. The wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the wheelchair is movable.