JP2001017475A - Wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To horizontally hold a seat portion when a wheelchair is stopped and moved on a slope such as a stairway or a sloping road and allow safe and comfortable movement and stop even on the slope by placing a horizontally holding mechanism portion for horizontally holding the seat portion when the seat portion tilts relatively to the horizontal plane. SOLUTION: This wheelchair 10 has a seat portion 12 supported by frames 11, a pair of right and left wheels 13, 14 at the lower end of the frames 11 before and after the seat portion 12, and a horizontally holding mechanism portion 15 for horizontally holding the seat portion 12 when the frames 11 tilt relatively to the horizontal plane. When the wheelchair 10 gets on an escalator, a tilting sensor 17 mounted to the seat portion 12 detects that front wheels 13 of the wheelchair 10 become higher and tilt backward than rear wheels 14, activates a lift device 16 of the horizontally holding mechanism portion 15, makes the rear wheels 14 relatively higher than the frames 11 to correct tilting of the frames 11, and holds the seat portion 12 substantially horizontally.

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 wheelchair for holding a seat in a horizontal state by a moving staircase or an inclined surface of an escalator.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Wheelchairs used by people with disabilities are
As is well known, a seat and a wheel device comprising a seat and a backrest are formed on a rigid frame formed by connecting two side frames arranged at a predetermined interval by a plurality of connecting rods. It is configured with attached.

[0003] The wheel device comprises a front wheel having a relatively small diameter provided at the lower left and right ends of the frame at the front side of the seat portion, and a relatively front wheel provided outside the side frame behind the front wheel. It is composed of a wheel called a self-propelled walking side ring having a large diameter (hereinafter, simply referred to as a rear wheel).

[0004] When using such a wheelchair, a person with a physical disability sits on a seat and turns a hand rim attached to the outside of a self-propelled side ring with his own hand to move the wheelchair. Had a push handle attached to the upper rear of each side frame.

[0005]

By the way, when a physically handicapped person moves on his / her own wheelchair in a wheelchair or by being pushed by a healthy person, if the person is on a flat ground or floor, it is difficult to move the person. Although there is no problem at all, for example, on escalators and slopes, the seat part is greatly inclined with respect to the horizontal plane,
The ride was uncomfortable and uneasy, which was sometimes dangerous.

[0006] This state will be described more specifically by taking an escalator as an example. As is well known, the moving staircase portion is almost horizontal at the stepping in and out end without any step. When the moving path is inclined, the step of each moving step becomes maximum, and when the moving step further approaches the exit, the step becomes smaller again.

When the wheelchair rides on the moving stairs of the escalator, the front wheels and the rear wheels ride on adjacent steps of the moving stairs, respectively, based on the distance between the front and rear wheels. In this case, there is no problem when the wheelchair gets on and off the moving stairs of the escalator. However, when the step is large, there is a difference in height between the front wheels and the rear wheels by the same amount as the step.

[0008] Therefore, the wheelchair on the moving staircase of the escalator starts to incline as the whole of the moving staircase moves from the horizontal state at the entry / exit end of the wheelchair. There has been a problem that a person sitting on the seat tends to fall off the seat, or the whole wheelchair tends to fall in the inclined direction.

[0009] Such a problem of the wheelchair occurs not only in the escalator but also on a slope. In other words, when moving in a wheelchair on a slope, the wheelchair naturally tilts, but at that time, the center of gravity of the person sitting on the seat moves in the tilting direction, so that it becomes very unstable, and the wheelchair together with the tilting direction There is a risk of falling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve such a conventional problem. For example, when stopping or moving on an inclined surface such as a moving staircase or a slope of an escalator, the seat can be horizontally moved. It is an object of the present invention to provide a wheelchair that can be held and prevented from overturning, and can be moved or stopped safely and comfortably even on an inclined surface.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a wheelchair,
In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, the following configuration is provided. That is, the present invention provides a seat portion supported by a frame, and a wheelchair including a pair of left and right wheels attached to the frame before and after the seat portion, when the seat portion is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, the seat portion is leveled. And a horizontal holding mechanism for holding the main body.

<Specific Configuration in the Present Invention> The wheelchair of the present invention is composed of the above-mentioned essential components, but is established even when the components are specifically as follows.
The specific component is characterized in that the horizontal holding mechanism is configured to include a lift device that changes the height of a pair of left and right wheels provided before and after the frame.

The horizontal holding mechanism further includes an inclination sensor attached to the seat and an actuator for operating the lift device. In this case, the lift device can be constituted by a piston-cylinder device including a cylinder portion fixed to the frame and a piston rod that enters and exits from the cylinder portion and has a wheel attached to an end.

The actuator may be constituted by a hydraulic pump and a switching valve device provided in a pressure oil supply piping system, and the actuator selectively supplies the pressure oil into the cylinder portion according to an output signal from the inclination sensor. And discharge to control the expansion and contraction of the piston cylinder device.

Further, in the wheelchair of the present invention, the horizontal holding mechanism described above further includes a swing device for moving the seat back and forth with respect to the frame like a pendulum. . This swing device can be constituted by an arc-shaped guide rail that supports the seat portion slidably with respect to the frame, and a drive device that moves the seat portion back and forth with respect to the frame. When inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, the seat moves like a pendulum along the guide rail to maintain a horizontal state.

Further, in the wheelchair of the present invention, the horizontal holding mechanism provided with the swing device further includes an inclination sensor provided on the seat and an actuator for operating the driving device. In the wheelchair of the present invention described above, it is preferable that the balance weight is attached to the frame so as to be movable back and forth.

<Additional Configuration in the Present Invention> The wheelchair of the present invention is composed of the essential components described above, but is established even when the following components are further added to the components. The additional component is that a road surface end detecting sensor for detecting a downward inclination or break of the road surface is attached to a wheelchair. As an additional component, a vertical surface detection sensor for detecting an obstacle on the road surface is attached to a wheelchair. Such additional components may be used in any suitable combination with the wheelchair of the present invention having the features described above.

The main operation of the wheelchair according to the present invention is as follows. Assuming that the user rides on the escalator to move upstairs of the building, the front wheel and the rear wheel of the wheelchair ride on two adjacent steps of the moving stairs. In this state, the wheelchair is kept stationary because it is fixed by the braking device. Immediately after the wheelchair gets on the escalator, the moving stairs are almost horizontal, but the steps gradually increase as they move upward.

Therefore, the front wheel of the wheelchair is higher than the rear wheel and starts to lean rearward. This inclination is detected by an inclination sensor attached to the seat, and the horizontal holding mechanism is operated. When the horizontal holding mechanism is composed of a lift device composed of a piston cylinder device, the actuator supplies pressure oil to the cylinder portion to push out the piston rod, and the rear wheel attached to the tip of the piston rod Is adjusted to be relatively high with respect to the frame, thereby correcting the inclination of the seat portion.

When the horizontal holding mechanism is constituted by a swing device for moving the seat portion back and forth with respect to the frame like a pendulum, the actuator drives the driving device to move the seat portion rearward. Attraction. Thus, the seat moves like a pendulum along the arc-shaped guide rail to maintain a horizontal state.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a wheelchair according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a wheelchair 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The wheelchair 10 according to the first embodiment includes a seat 12 supported by a frame 11 basically configured in the same manner as a conventional wheelchair. The lower end is provided with a pair of left and right wheels 13 and 14, respectively.

The front wheel 1 provided on the front side of the frame 11
The basic configuration of the wheel 3 and the rear wheel 14 provided on the rear side is substantially the same as the wheel provided in the conventional wheelchair, such as its size and mounting position. This first
The feature of the wheelchair 10 according to the embodiment is that the wheelchair 10 includes a horizontal holding mechanism 15 that holds the seat 12 horizontally when the frame 11 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane.

The horizontal holding mechanism 15 includes a frame 11
A lift device 16 for changing the height of a pair of left and right wheels 13 and 14 provided before and after the vehicle, an inclination sensor 17 attached to the seat portion 12, and an actuator (not shown) for operating the lift device 16. It is configured. The lift device 16 is constituted by a piston cylinder device 18 comprising a cylinder portion 18a fixed to the frame 11, and a piston rod 18b which enters and exits from the cylinder portion 18a and has wheels attached to its ends.

The actuator includes a hydraulic pump and a switching valve device (both not shown) provided in a hydraulic oil supply piping system. The actuator is selectively operated by a piston signal based on an output signal from a tilt sensor 17. The pressurized oil is supplied to and discharged from the cylinder portion 17a of the cylinder device 18 and the cylinder portion 1 of the piston rod 18b is
Control the expansion and contraction from 7a. The actuator is
The invention is not limited to the hydraulic operation type, and may be, for example, a pneumatic operation type or an electric motor.

In the wheelchair 10 according to this embodiment, a fork-like support member 19 is mounted on the axle so as to sandwich the front wheel 13 from both sides. A sensor 20 is attached. As shown in FIG. 1, the road surface end detection sensor 20 is held at a position immediately before the front wheel 13 and on a flat road surface in contact with the front wheel 13 on the ground.

The road surface end detecting sensor 20 detects whether or not a flat road surface exists in the direction in which the wheelchair 10 moves forward. For example, the wheelchair 10 is inserted on a down slope or a step of a down stair. When it is hung, the road surface end detection sensor 2
The value of 0 drops downward, thereby detecting the state of the road surface ahead.

Further, in the wheelchair 10 according to the present embodiment, a fork-like support member 21 is mounted on the axle in a substantially horizontal state so as to sandwich the front wheel 13 from both sides. A surface detection sensor 22 is attached. This vertical plane detection sensor 2
Numeral 2 is for detecting whether or not a vertical surface exists in the forward direction of the wheelchair 10. For example, when the wheelchair 10 approaches the up stairs, the vertical surface detection sensor 22 hits the first vertical surface of the stairs. Touch and detect the presence of an obstacle.

In this manner, the road surface end detection sensor 20
Detects a downward slope or interruption of the road surface, or when the vertical surface detection sensor 22 detects an obstacle present on the road surface, a braking device (not shown) for braking the rear wheel 14 is operated by the detection signal. The wheelchair 10 is forcibly stopped, and when the wheelchair 10 is configured to run by an electric motor, the power supply to the electric motor is also shut off.

In this way, when there is a danger in running the wheelchair 10 due to a change in the road surface, the sensors 20 and 22 detect it and stop the wheelchair 10 automatically. Can be prevented from being thrown out or falling down with the wheelchair, and safe driving can be guaranteed. The braking device is connected to each sensor 2
Needless to say, in order to operate with the detection signals from 0 and 22, the wheelchair 10 is provided with an actuator (not shown) for automatically operating the braking device according to the detection signal.

Next, a method of using the wheelchair 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. If this wheelchair 10 gets on the escalator to move upstairs of the building, the front wheel 1 of the wheelchair 10
3 and the rear wheel 14 are two adjacent step portions 3 of the moving staircase portion 30.
Ride on 0a, 30b. In this state, the wheelchair 10 is kept stopped because it is fixed by a braking device (not shown). Immediately after the wheelchair 10 gets on the escalator, the moving stairs are almost horizontal, but the steps gradually increase with the upward movement.

Therefore, the front wheel 13 of the wheelchair 10 is
It becomes higher than 4 and starts to lean backward. This inclination is detected by an inclination sensor 17 attached to the seat portion 12, and the lift device 16 of the horizontal holding mechanism 15 is operated. That is, the actuator supplies pressure oil to the cylinder portion 18a of the piston cylinder device 18 constituting the rear wheel supporting lift device 16, and pushes out the piston rod 18b as shown in FIG.

As a result, the rear wheel 14 attached to the distal end of the piston rod 18b is relatively high with respect to the frame 11, so that the inclination of the frame 11 is corrected, and as a result, the seat portion 12 becomes substantially horizontal. Will be retained. When the moving staircase 30 of the escalator moves further upward and approaches the exit, the step of the moving staircase 30 gradually decreases. Then, the wheelchair 10 starts to lean forward because the rear wheel 14 is higher than the reference position.

This inclination is detected by an inclination sensor 17 attached to the seat portion 12, and the actuator is supported by a cylinder portion 18 of a piston cylinder device 18 supporting the rear wheel 14.
Then, the pressure oil is drained from a, and the piston rod 18b is pulled back into the cylinder portion 18a. As a result, the rear wheel 14 returns to the reference position with respect to the frame 11, and the inclination of the frame 11 is corrected. As a result, the seat portion 12 is held substantially horizontal.

When the wheelchair 10 gets on the escalator to move downstairs of the building, the operation is substantially the same except that the direction of the wheelchair 10 is reversed from that shown in FIG. That is, the moving staircase 30 of the escalator
As the vehicle moves downward, a step is gradually formed, and the wheelchair 10 starts to lean forward.

This inclination is detected by an inclination sensor 17 attached to the seat section 12, and an actuator is used by a cylinder section 18 of a piston cylinder device 18 supporting the front wheel 13.
The piston rod 30b is pushed out from the cylinder portion 18a by supplying the pressure oil to the wheel a, and the front wheel 13 is raised above the reference position to correct the wheelchair 10 horizontally.

Next, a wheelchair 40 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The wheelchair 40 according to the second embodiment has basically the same configuration as the wheelchair 10 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1. This wheelchair 40 differs from the wheelchair 10 of the first embodiment in the configuration of the horizontal holding mechanism 15.

That is, the horizontal holding mechanism 15 of the wheelchair 40 has a swing device 41 for moving the seat 12 back and forth like a pendulum with respect to the frame 11 as shown in FIG. An arc-shaped guide rail 42 for supporting the seat 12 slidably with respect to the frame 11,
And a driving device (not shown) for moving the same back and forth.

The arc-shaped guide rail 42 is connected to the frame 1
1 are attached to both sides. On the other hand, the seat 12
Is provided with support rollers 43 before and after each side thereof, and these support rollers 43 are slidably mounted on guide rails. Thereby, the seat portion 12
Can move back and forth like a pendulum.

The driving device for moving the seat portion 12 back and forth can be constituted mainly by using a piston cylinder device, an electric motor or the like. Such a drive is
It can be activated in a timely manner by an actuator (not shown) attached to the wheelchair 40. That is, the inclination sensor 17 constituting the horizontal holding mechanism 15
In response to the output signal from the controller, the actuator operates the drive device to move the seat portion 12 forward or rearward.
As a result, the seat portion 12 moves like a pendulum by the arc-shaped guide rail 42 and is inclined with respect to the frame 11.

Next, a method of using the wheelchair 40 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. When the wheelchair 40 gets on the escalator to move upstairs of the building, and the moving staircase 30 moves upward, a step is gradually formed, and as shown in FIG.

This inclination is detected by an inclination sensor 17 attached to the seat portion 12, and the swing device 15 of the horizontal holding mechanism 15 is operated. That is, the driving device is operated such that the actuator pulls the seat portion 12 rearward. As a result, the seat section 12 is
Move backward along the circular arc, and incline with respect to the frame 11.

As a result, while the frame 11 of the wheelchair 10 is inclined backward with respect to the horizontal plane, the
Will be kept substantially horizontal. Although not shown, when the wheelchair 40 gets on the escalator to move downstairs of the building, the actual operation is the same as that of the case shown in FIG. It is.

In the wheelchair 40 of the second embodiment described above, it is preferable that a balance weight (not shown) is attached to the frame 11 so as to be movable back and forth. By attaching the balance weight to the frame 11 in this manner, when the frame 11 is inclined,
If the balance weight is moved to the opposite side to the direction in which the frame 11 is inclined, the center of gravity of the wheelchair 40 can be changed to a stable position, so that the occurrence of falling can be further prevented.

Although not shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 showing the wheelchair 40 according to the second embodiment, the wheelchair 4 is not shown.
In the same manner as in the wheelchair 10 according to the first embodiment, the road surface end detection sensor 2 detects a downward inclination or a break of the road surface.
A vertical plane detection sensor 22 for detecting an obstacle existing on the road surface and the road surface is provided.

[0045]

As described above, according to the wheelchair of the present invention, when the seat is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, the horizontal holding mechanism for holding the seat horizontally is provided. When the vehicle stops or moves on an inclined surface such as a moving staircase or a slope, the seat portion can be held horizontally to prevent the vehicle from overturning, and the vehicle can be safely or comfortably moved or stopped even on an inclined surface.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a configuration explanatory view showing a correction state of a seat portion when the wheelchair of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is inclined by a step of a moving staircase portion when the wheelchair is placed on an upward escalator.

FIG. 3 is a configuration explanatory view showing a correction state of a seat portion when the wheelchair of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is tilted by a step of a moving staircase portion when the wheelchair is put on a downward escalator.

FIG. 4 is a configuration explanatory view schematically showing a wheelchair according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a configuration explanatory view showing a state in which the wheelchair of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is tilted by a step of a moving staircase when the wheelchair is placed on an upward escalator.

FIG. 6 is a configuration explanatory view showing a correction state of a seat portion when the wheelchair of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is inclined by a step of a moving staircase portion when the wheelchair is placed on an escalator in an upward direction.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Wheelchair (1st Embodiment) 11 Frame 12 Seat 13 Front wheel 14 Rear wheel 15 Horizontal holding mechanism 16 Lifting device 17 Inclination sensor 18 Piston cylinder device 18a Cylinder portion 18b Piston portion 19 Fork-like support member 20 Road surface end detection Sensor 21 fork-shaped support member 22 sensor for vertical surface detection 30 moving staircase of escalator 30a step 30b step 40 wheelchair (second embodiment) 41 swing device 42 guide rail

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A wheelchair including a seat portion supported by a frame, and a pair of left and right wheels respectively attached to the frame before and after the seat portion, wherein the seat is inclined when the seat portion is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane. A wheelchair provided with a horizontal holding mechanism for holding the part horizontally. 2. The wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the wheelchair is provided with a road surface end detecting sensor for detecting a downward inclination or break of the road surface. 3. The wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the wheelchair includes a vertical surface detection sensor that detects an obstacle on a road surface. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal holding mechanism includes a lift device that changes the height of a pair of left and right wheels provided before and after the frame.
4. The wheelchair according to any one of to 3 above. 5. The wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal holding mechanism further includes an inclination sensor attached to the seat and an actuator for operating the lift device. 6. The lift device is constituted by a piston cylinder device comprising a cylinder portion fixed to the frame, and a piston rod which enters and exits the cylinder portion and has a wheel attached to an end. The wheelchair according to claim 5, characterized in that: 7. The actuator comprises a switching valve device provided in a hydraulic pump and a pressure oil supply piping system, and the actuator selectively supplies pressure oil into the cylinder section by an output signal from the tilt sensor. The wheelchair according to claim 6, wherein the discharge is performed. 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal holding mechanism includes a swing device for moving the seat part back and forth with respect to the frame like a pendulum. Wheelchair described in Crab. 9. The swing device comprises: an arc-shaped guide rail for slidably supporting the seat with respect to the frame; and a driving device for moving the seat forward and backward with respect to the frame. The wheelchair according to claim 8, wherein when the seat is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, the seat moves like a pendulum along the guide rail to maintain a horizontal state. 5. . 10. The horizontal holding mechanism further comprises an inclination sensor provided on the seat and an actuator for operating the driving device.
Wheelchair described in. 11. The wheelchair according to claim 10, wherein a balance weight is attached to the frame so as to be movable back and forth.