JP2000342632A - Wheel chair - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wheel chair capable of improving passing property on a lateral side. SOLUTION: In this wheel chair, a drive wheel 11 is attached to a chair part through a connection part, and the drive wheel 11 is provided with a tire 53 and a rail part 12 attached to inner periphery of the tire and has no hub and spoke. The connection part is provided with a support bar 14 connected with the chair part and three pulleys 13a, 13b, 13c which are supported by the support bar 14 and are engaged with the rail part 12 so as to be rollable.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wheelchair, and more particularly to a wheel portion.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a conventional self-propelled manual wheelchair.

[0003] The wheelchair has a structure in which wheels are attached to a chair portion 60, and the wheels have large driving wheels 51 attached to both sides of the chair portion 60 and attached to both front corners. There is a small caster 52. The drive wheel 51 has a structure in which a tire 53 is fixed to a hub 55 by spokes 54. The tire 53 comprises a rubber tube 53b and a metal rim 53a inside the rubber tube 53b, and a hand rim 56 is attached to the rim 53a via a connecting rod 56a.

The chair 60 includes a seat 61, a backrest 62, an armrest 63, a leg support 64,
And a frame 65 formed by connecting them. A grip 65a used when the caregiver pushes the wheelchair is attached to the back side top portion of the frame 65.

The connection of the drive wheels 51 to the chair portion 60 is made by fixing a center shaft 57 extending from the hub 55 to the frame 65. The caster 52 is connected to a shaft 59a provided at the center thereof.
The holding member 59b is attached to the frame 65, and the holding member 59b is fixed to the frame 65.

A brake 58 is attached to a frame 65 of the chair 60, and a brake handle 58a is provided.
By pressing down the brake pad 58b against the tire 53, the rotation of the drive wheel 51 is stopped and the wheelchair is prevented from moving.

When running the wheelchair, the brake handle 58a is raised and the brake pad 58b is moved to the tire 5
3 and separate the drive wheel 5
Row one.

[0008]

When the user of the wheelchair has baggage or the like, the user can place the baggage or the like on the lap, put it in a bag attached to the back of the backrest 62, or use the grip 65a. At present, it is hung on a knee or the like. However, if the luggage is placed on the knee as described above, there is a problem in that the operation of the drive wheel 51 is obstructed, and it is difficult to move. Also, if the bag is put in the bag on the back side of the backrest 62 or the luggage is hung on the grip 65a on the back side, the center of gravity tilts backward,
There is a risk of falling out of balance.

Therefore, a basket is provided just below the seat sheet 61,
It is preferable to put luggage in the basket, because it does not get in the way and the center of gravity becomes stable in the center of the wheelchair, so it is preferable, but in the conventional wheelchair, luggage is put in the basket from the side of the wheelchair. As described above, the drive wheel 51 cannot be inserted because the entire surface of the drive wheel 51 is closed by the spokes 54 and the like. In addition, it is extremely difficult for a user who has a disability in the lower body to put the body into the basket under the seat from the front side (between the legs) or the back side, since the body needs to be extremely bent and rotated.

[0010] In addition, for the user performing the infusion, when the lateral side is closed by the driving wheel, a long infusion tube is used to bypass the lateral side when disposing the infusion tube. Therefore, there is a possibility that the drip tube is entangled.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wheelchair having improved lateral passability.

[0012]

A wheelchair according to the present invention comprises:
A wheelchair in which a driving wheel is attached to a chair portion via a connecting portion, wherein the driving wheel includes a tire and a rail portion attached to an inner periphery of the tire, and has no hub and spokes. The gist is that the connection portion includes a support bar connected to the chair portion, and a plurality of pulleys supported by the support bar and rotatably engaged with the rail portion. .

In the above-described conventional wheelchair, a center shaft 57 extending from a hub 55, which is a rotation shaft of the tire 53, is directly connected to the chair portion 60, and the entire surface of the drive wheel 51 rotates during traveling.

On the other hand, in the wheelchair of the present invention, the driving wheel is attached to the chair by the connecting portion.
Since the drive wheel has a donut shape without a hub and spokes, only the donut-shaped portion rotates during traveling, and the inside thereof does not rotate. That is, when the drive wheel rotates, the pulley of the connecting portion runs on the rail portion on the inner circumference of the tire. At this time, the pulley runs so as to rotate at a position fixed to the chair portion. Therefore, the only part that rotates during wheelchair travel is the donut-shaped part from the outer periphery of the tire to the rail, and the inside does not rotate. Therefore, it is possible to arrange a drip tube and the like through the inner space (hollow portion). If the hollow portion (the inside of the driving wheel) is opened widely as the shape of the support rod connecting the pulley and the chair portion, luggage can be put in and out of the basket provided under the seat sheet through this widely opened space. It is possible to do.

[0015] In addition, in the present invention, it is preferable that three or more pulleys are provided.

Since the load of the chair is applied to the pulleys, for example, when there are two pulleys, there is a concern that the driving wheels will not rotate smoothly due to the stick-slip phenomenon. The rotation of the wheel becomes smooth. The more the number of pulleys, the smoother the rotation.

Further, in the present invention, the pulley is
And two pulleys located below the pulleys each have a rotation angle of 30 ° to 12
Preferably, it is located open at an angle of less than 0 °.

If the three pulleys are arranged equally, they will be located at an opening of 120 °, respectively. However, if the interval between the two pulleys located below is narrowed to be less than 30 ° to less than 120 °, the pulleys will be On the other hand, it can firmly support the load of the chair part which is applied downward. More preferably, the lower limit of the opening angle is 60 ° or more, and the upper limit is 110 ° or less, and most preferably, the opening angle is 90 °.

In addition, in the present invention, it is more preferable that the pulleys are arranged symmetrically with respect to a line inclined more than 0 ° to 20 ° backward from a perpendicular to the ground.

The wheelchair travels exclusively forward,
At that time, the vehicle may collide with an obstacle such as a step between a sidewalk and a road. At this time, if the impact is strong, the support rod supporting the pulley may be deformed or broken. However, if the support rod is arranged at an angle of more than 0 ° to 20 ° rearward as described above, the support rod is positioned obliquely downward and forward. The distance between the two pulleys is reduced, and the pulley is firmly supported in the direction of impact, thereby increasing the impact resistance of the support rod. Therefore, the possibility of deformation and breakage of the support rod is reduced. Still more preferably, the center line is inclined backward by 10 ° or more, and most preferably, the center line is inclined backward by 15 °.

In the present invention, a plurality of holes are provided in the rail portion, and a locking convex portion is provided in the connecting portion or the chair portion, and the locking convex portion is provided in the hole. Preferably, it can be inserted and withdrawn.

In the conventional wheelchair brake, the brake pad is pressed against the tire as described above, and the rotation of the driving wheel is stopped by the frictional force. In this case, the pressing surface of the brake pad is wet by rain or the like. When the brake pads are worn down, the frictional force is reduced, and the braking effect may be deteriorated. In this regard, in the present invention, since the locking convex portion provided on the connecting portion or the chair portion, which is the fixed side of the wheelchair, is inserted into the hole of the rail portion, it is possible to securely stop the brake. There is no saying that the effect of the will worsen. When releasing the brake, the tire can be rotated by extracting the locking projection from the hole in the rail.

In addition, in the present invention, there is provided an attaching / detaching means which can be changed between a state in which the pulley is engaged with and a state in which the pulley is separated from the rail portion, and the pulley is in a separated state. It is preferable that the drive wheel can be detached from the connecting portion.

It is often the case that a wheelchair is loaded on a car and moved. If the wheelchair can be folded or disassembled, the loading space can be reduced. In this regard, in the present invention, as described above, since the rail portion is detachable from the pulley, from the chair portion and the connecting portion,
The drive wheels can be removed, and can be compactly loaded in an automobile or the like.

As the attaching / detaching means, for example, a pulley of the connecting portion is attached to the support rod via an elastic material, and the pulley is pressed against the rail portion by extension of the elastic material to maintain an engaged state. The pulley is separated from the rail by contracting the elastic material.

Further, in the present invention, it is preferable that a luggage placing portion is provided below the seating sheet of the chair portion.

If the baggage or the like is placed on the baggage placing portion below the seat sheet as described above, the baggage or the like does not become an obstacle as described above, and the center of gravity of the wheelchair can be maintained and the balance can be maintained. There is little risk of falling.

[0028]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a wheelchair 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a side view showing a driving wheel and a connecting portion of the wheelchair of the first embodiment, and FIG. 2B is a diagram for explaining an arrangement of pulleys. The same components as those in FIG. 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be avoided.

The driving wheel 11 comprises a tire 53 and a rail portion 12 attached to the inner periphery of the tire 53.
Pulleys 13a, 13b, 13c and the pulley 1
It comprises a support rod 14 attached to each of the rotating shafts 3a, 13b, 13c. The pulleys 13a, 13
b and 13c are rollably engaged with the rail portion 12 therebetween. The support rod 14 is connected and fixed to a frame 65 of the chair 60.

The pulleys 13a, 13b, 13c are
Line SS inclined 15 ° backward from perpendicular AA to the ground
Are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center line, and the lower pulleys 13b and 13c are positioned open at an angle of 90 ° about the rotation center B (FIG. 2B).

When the wheelchair 10 is running, that is, when the drive wheel 11 is rotated by rowing the hand rim 56, the pulley 13
a, 13b, and 13c run on the rail portion 12 such that they rotate. The pulleys 13a, 13b, 13c are supported by the support rods 14 as described above, and since the support rods 14 are fixed to the chair 60, these pulleys 13a, 13b, 13c are fixed.
13b, 13c and the support rod 14 maintain a fixed position form with respect to the chair part 60. That is, the tire 53, the rail portion 12, and the hand rim 56 rotate, but the support rod 14 inside thereof does not rotate and remains at a fixed position.

Therefore, it is possible to insert luggage and the like from the space C vacated inside the drive wheel, and thus a basket or the like can be installed under the seat sheet 61 and used as a luggage storage. In addition, a drip tube or the like can be provided through the space C. In addition, since there is no spoke that rotates the center of the drive wheel, there is little risk of pinching a finger or clothing during operation of the drive wheel.

Next, the brake of the wheelchair according to the first embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the rail portion 12 is provided with a plurality of holes 15, while the support rod 14 is provided with a lock mechanism 16 having a lock convex portion near its pulley 13c. Have been.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view for explaining the lock mechanism 16. Note that the same components as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be avoided.

The locking mechanism 16 has a locking projection 16a which can be taken in and out. When the locking lever 16b is depressed, the locking projection 16a protrudes and is inserted into the hole 15 (FIG. 3 (a)). . The lock mechanism 16 is provided on the support rod 1.
4 and the support rod 14 is fixed to the chair part 60, so that the rotation of the rail part 12 and the tire 53 is prevented by the insertion of the convex part 16a into the hole 15, and the wheelchair 10 is braked. It takes.

The lock mechanism 16 has elastic means so that the projection 16a projects when the lever 16b is depressed. Therefore, when inserting the convex portion 16a into the hole 15, it is not necessary to perform accurate positioning. After the locking lever 16b is tilted at an arbitrary position and the driving wheel 11 is rotated slightly, the convex portion 16a 15 and locks.

In running the wheelchair 10, the locking lever 16b is raised, and the locking projection 16a is pulled out from the hole 15 (FIG. 3B). As a result, the drive wheels 11 (rail 12 and tire 53) can rotate.

It is preferable that the lock mechanism is provided inside the rail portion 12 so that a finger is less likely to be caught in the lock mechanism when the driving wheel 11 is rowed.

Next, means for attaching and detaching the driving wheel 11 from the chair unit 60 will be described.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a driving wheel attaching / detaching means.
It is the figure which looked at the pulley 13a vicinity from the tire inner side surface.

The pulley 13a is attached to the support rod 14 via an elastic member (for example, a coil spring) 17. The pulley 13a is pressed against the rail 12 by the elastic member 17 (arrow D), and the rail 12 Is maintained in the engaged state of the pulley 13a. This engaged state is fixed by being locked by the lever 18 so that the pulley 13a does not easily come off the rail portion 12.

When removing the driving wheel 11 from the chair 60 and the connecting portion, the lever 18 is operated to release the lock, and then the elastic member 17 is contracted to pull the pulley 13a.
Is moved away from the rail portion 12 (arrow E).
Remove 1

Since the driving wheel 11 can be removed in this manner, the wheelchair can be stored compactly. As described above, the operation of removing the drive wheel by pulling down the pulley 13a is simple.

<Embodiments 2 and 3> FIGS. 5A and 5B show a wheelchair according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 5A is a side view, FIG. 5B is a perspective view from the left front side, and FIG. () Is a perspective view from the rear left side. FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams showing a wheelchair according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, wherein FIG. 6A is a side view thereof and FIG.
Is a perspective view from the left front side. The same components as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be avoided.

In the second and third embodiments, the connecting portion of the wheelchair is 3
The pulley 13 includes a single pulley 13 and a short support rod extending from the rotation axis of the pulley 13 (shown in the drawing and sandwiched between the pulley 13 and the frame 65). The frame 65 of the chair unit 60 is disposed near the pulley 13, and the three support rods are connected and fixed to the frame 65, respectively. In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a luggage basket (luggage placement unit) 20 is provided below the seating sheet 61.

As described above, the support rods in Embodiments 2 and 3 are short, and the shape of the frame 65 directly determines the shape of the space inside the drive wheels. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the shape of the frame 65 can be varied to enhance the design. Also, in the second and third embodiments, similarly to the first embodiment, the space C inside the drive wheel can be inserted.
Can easily be loaded and unloaded, and the space C
A tube for infusion can be arranged through the through hole.

As described above, the wheelchair according to the present invention has been specifically described with reference to the drawings showing examples. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the illustrated examples, but may be adapted to the above-mentioned purpose. It is also possible to carry out the present invention with appropriate modifications as far as possible, and all of them are included in the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, a wheelchair provided with four or more pulleys may be used. By connecting the drive wheels using many pulleys, the drive wheels can be rotated more smoothly.

[0050]

As described above, in the wheelchair according to the present invention, only the driving wheel portion rotates in a donut shape, and the space inside the driving wheel remains free, so that the wheelchair can pass through the inner space. Therefore, for example, even in the case where a luggage basket is provided below the seat, the luggage can be easily put in and out of the basket through the drive wheel inner space from the side of the wheelchair. In addition, the luggage can be taken in and out while the wheelchair is running. The method of placing the luggage under the seat sheet in this way does not break the balance of the center of gravity of the wheelchair even if the heavy luggage is placed, so that there is little danger of falling.

As described above, since the passage property on the side of the wheelchair is good, it is possible to arrange a drip tube or the like from the side, so that the tube can be shortened, so that the danger of the tube being entangled is reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a wheelchair according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a side view showing a driving wheel and a connecting portion of the wheelchair according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2B is a diagram for explaining an arrangement of pulleys.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view for explaining a lock mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a drive wheel attaching / detaching means.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a wheelchair according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a wheelchair according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a conventional self-propelled manual wheelchair.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11, 51 Drive wheel 12 Rail portion 13, 13a, 13b, 13c Pulley 14 Support rod 15 hole 16 Lock mechanism 16a Lock convex portion 16b Lock lever 17 Elastic material 18 Lever 52 Caster 53 Tire 53a Rim 53b Rubber tube 54 Spoke 55 hub 56 hand rim 57 center axis 58 brake 58a brake handle 58b brake pad 60 chair 61 seat surface seat 62 backrest 63 armrest 64 leg support 65 frame 65a grip

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A wheelchair having a driving wheel attached to a chair portion via a connecting portion, wherein the driving wheel includes a tire, a rail portion attached to an inner periphery of the tire, and has a hub and spokes. The connecting portion includes a support bar connected to the chair portion, and a plurality of pulleys supported by the support bar and rotatably engaged with the rail portion. A wheelchair characterized by the following. 2. The wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the wheelchair has three or more pulleys. 3. A pulley comprising three pulleys, wherein two of the pulleys located below are open at an angle of 30 ° to less than 120 ° about the rotation center of the drive wheel. Item 3. The wheelchair according to item 2. 4. More than 0 ° to 20 ° backward from a perpendicular to the ground
The wheelchair according to claim 3, wherein the pulleys are arranged symmetrically with respect to the inclined line as a center line. 5. A rail comprising a plurality of holes provided in the rail, and a locking protrusion provided in the connecting portion or the chair, wherein the locking protrusion is inserted into or removed from the hole. The wheelchair according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is possible. 6. A connecting / detaching means which is capable of changing between a state in which the pulley is engaged with the rail and a state in which the pulley is engaged with the rail and a state in which the pulley is separated from the rail. The wheelchair according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the drive wheel can be removed from the wheelchair. 7. The wheelchair according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a luggage placement portion is provided below the seating sheet of the chair portion.