JP2001025488A - Three-wheel type motor-driven cart for physically handicapped and aged persons - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a three-wheel type motor-driven cart in which the handicapped or the aged can get on/off easily and operates it easily and conveniently, comfort is kept by removing the unpleasantness a user felt previously when the cart turns, and which helps to prevent an accident by making a view angle stable by making eye points stable. SOLUTION: Rollers 17 and 18 protrude from the rear face of the front part 10 of a cart. These rollers 17 and 18 are housed in a guide rail 16 in the rear part 11 so as to slide right and left. The guide rail 16 has a shape for guiding the rollers 17 and 18 so as to form a circular arc centered at the head of a user and a front wheel 12. Accordingly, if a ground is a slope, a guide roller moves so that the center of an axial of a seat is vertical by the weight of the user, and the seat becomes horizontal. Thus, when the cart turns, the guide roller moves in a direction of centrifugal force, and the position of the head (eye point) is stable. Moreover, unpleasantness which the user feels previously can be removed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a three-wheeled electric cart for the physically handicapped and the elderly.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A wheelchair for a physically handicapped person equipped with an electric motor has been frequently used as a moving means for a physically handicapped person and an elderly person to smoothly carry out daily life. Electric carts for the physically handicapped and the elderly (hereinafter referred to as electric carts)
By using, it is easy to pass on slopes and roads, and shopping can be done without human assistance. However, very few existing buildings and road structures are adapted to wheelchairs. It is desired that all roads and buildings be improved as soon as possible so that they can move comfortably in a general wheelchair.

The demand for electric carts, which are means of transportation for the physically handicapped and the elderly, has been increasing more and more just before the aging society. In order for the electric cart to be useful as a welfare device for the physically handicapped and the elderly, the following points must be satisfied. 1) Being able to use even people with extremely poor physical functions. 2) All buildings and roads must have a structure suitable for running electric carts.

[0004] The operation of the three-wheeled electric cart is generally limited to the physically handicapped and the elderly, so that even a modest thing that does nothing to a healthy person may lead to a major accident. Nevertheless, Japan is facing a declining birthrate and aging society, so even in the future, even the elderly must do as much personal life as possible without the help of others. The same goes for physically challenged people. In a conventional three-wheeled electric cart, when the vehicle body is tilted due to a handlebar operation, unevenness or inclination of a road surface, an eye point is simultaneously converted. As a result, the risk increases because the driver's viewing angle also differs from before. In addition, when the steering wheel is suddenly operated, the pressure on the body caused by the twist between the centrifugal force direction generated in the upper body of the driver and the traveling direction of the electric cart becomes a burden on those with reduced functions and discomfort Accompanied by

FIG. 6 is a front view showing an example of a conventional three-wheeled electric cart. This three-wheeled electric cart has devices integrated in one place so that physically handicapped or elderly people with reduced physical function can safely carry out all operations related to running at hand. However, there are problems in the following points. 1) The seat 31 can be rotated left and right in the horizontal direction, and the direction of rotation of the seat is changed when getting on and off. However, if the three-wheel electric cart is inclined, it is inconvenient and dangerous. 2) When the handlebar 32 is operated, an angle difference occurs between the traveling direction of the three-wheeled electric cart and the direction of the eye point.
That is, at the same time as the eye point is changed by the operation of the handlebar, the viewing angle is different from before, and the danger increases.

[0006] 3) Since the three-wheeled electric cart serves as a human walking aid, it must run at a low speed similar to the walking speed. The maximum speed is 6km / h. In addition, since conventional three-wheeled electric carts are not equipped with a shock absorber by springs, all loads other than reduced by cushioning of seats and tires are added to driving disabled and elderly people, It becomes a considerable burden. Furthermore, since the shock absorber is not attached, when the vehicle body is tilted due to unevenness and inclination of the road surface, the eye point changes at the same time, so that the driver cannot accurately obtain visual information of the surroundings. 4) If a sudden handlebar operation is performed, the body does not roll because the shock absorber is not installed,
The pressure on the body resulting from the twist between the direction of centrifugal force generated in the upper body of the driver and the direction of travel of the three-wheeled electric cart is a significant burden for those with reduced functions.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to enable a physically handicapped person or an elderly person to easily get in and out of the vehicle and to operate it easily, and at the time of turning of a vehicle to discomfort that a driver has conventionally felt. By removing it, the comfort is maintained, and by making the eye point unchanged, the viewing angle also becomes unchanged,
An object of the present invention is to provide a three-wheeled electric cart that helps prevent accidents.

[0008]

To achieve the above object, a three-wheeled electric cart according to the present invention is a three-wheeled electric cart, which has a steering wheel, a front wheel, and a front part of a vehicle which supports a seat by a rotating shaft. A pair of guide rollers provided on a rear surface of the front portion of the vehicle, an arc is drawn around a front wheel position on a front surface of the rear portion of the vehicle, and a driver is provided on the seat. A guide rail that guides the guide roller so as to draw an arc around the approximate head position of the vehicle, accommodates the guide roller in the guide rail, connects the vehicle front part and the vehicle rear part, and In the guide rail, the guide roller is moved to a position where the rotation axis of the seat becomes vertical and the seat surface becomes horizontal, and the guide roller moves in the centrifugal force direction in the guide rail when turning left and right. And it is configured to hold substantially constant position the point of sight of the driver as well as mitigating the moved the load exerted on the driver. Further, in the above configuration, in the above configuration, at least one buffer roller is provided on a rear surface of the vehicle front portion, and in a connection state between the vehicle front portion and the vehicle rear portion, the buffer roller is pressed against a front surface of the vehicle rear portion, The buffer roller is configured to roll on the front surface of the rear portion of the vehicle when the guide roller moves.

According to the above configuration, even when the vehicle body is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, the driver's seat can always get on and off while maintaining the vertical axis with respect to the horizontal plane. When turning, the seat position moves slightly in the direction of centrifugal force, so that the load on the body is reduced and the movement of the eye point can be kept unchanged. Even if the unevenness or inclination of the road surface changes, the eye point does not change, so that the viewing angle also changes.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation principle of the three-wheeled electric cart according to the present invention.
The guide rail 5 is configured to draw an arc around the position of the front wheel 7 and the position of the head 2 of the driver 1. The guide rail 5 is attached to the rear part of the vehicle including the rear wheels (see FIG. 2).

A guide roller provided at the front of the vehicle (see FIG. 2) including the steering wheel 3, the front wheel 7, and the seat slides left and right in the guide rail 5. For this reason, when the contact surface is inclined, the guide roller moves due to the load of the driver, and the seat is kept horizontal,
Since the seat swings right and left when turning, the position of the head 2 is kept constant.

FIG. 2 is a view showing an embodiment of a three-wheeled electric cart according to the present invention, wherein (a) is a plan view and (b) is a front view. The vehicle front 10 includes a steering wheel 19, a front wheel 12, a footrest 26, a seat 20, and a backrest 15.
A battery 21 is built in the front part 10 of the vehicle. The seat 20 is supported on the upper surface of the vehicle front portion 10 by a rotating shaft 20a, and is rotatable by 90 degrees left and right around the rotating shaft 20a to facilitate getting on and off.
Guide rollers 17, 18 supported by shafts 17a, 18a respectively protrude from the rear surface of the vehicle front part 10.

The rear portion 11 of the vehicle includes rear wheels 13, 14 and an electric drive unit (not shown). A guide rail 16 is provided on the front surface of the rear portion 11 of the vehicle.
Guide rollers 17 and 18 are accommodated in the guide rail 16 so as to be slidable right and left. Since the guide rail 16 and the guide rollers 17 and 18 receive a compressive load and a tensile load applied to the connecting mechanism during traveling, the guide rail 16 and the guide rollers 17 and 18 need to be strong enough to withstand the load. The compression and pulling load generated between the guide rollers 17 and 18 of the connecting mechanism and the guide rail 16 is adjusted to be at the center of the connecting portion, thereby suppressing unnecessary load fluctuation. In addition, a thick rubber plate is used to mount the hosing of the drive shaft of this electric cart, widening the tire size and lowering the set air pressure. Absorbed to prevent transmission.

FIG. 3 is a plan view for explaining the relationship between the front part of the vehicle and the rear part of the vehicle during a right turn and a left turn. This figure focuses on horizontal movement. At the time of turning right, the guide rollers 17, 18 move leftward in the guide rail 16 due to centrifugal force, thereby reducing the centrifugal force and suppressing the movement of the head. At the time of turning left, the guide rollers 17 and 18 similarly move rightward to reduce the centrifugal force and to suppress the movement of the head. In the vertical direction, when the vehicle turns left and right, it moves in the same way to reduce the centrifugal force and to suppress the movement of the head.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are views for explaining a roller-side mechanism on the vehicle front side and a guide rail mechanism on the vehicle rear side of the connecting mechanism for the front and rear portions of the vehicle. In FIG. 4, the rear wall of the vehicle front part 10 has a curved surface substantially equal to the curved surface of the guide rail, and the shafts 17a, 1
8a is planted. Guide rollers 17, 18 are attached to the ends of the shafts 17a, 18a, with their side surfaces not being parallel to the rear wall 10a of the vehicle but having a slight inclination. In addition, shafts 22a, 23a, 24a are implanted between the guide rollers 17, 18, and buffer rollers 22, 23, 24, and 25 are attached to the ends thereof. The rotating surfaces (circumferential surfaces) of the buffer rollers 22, 23, 24 and 25 are parallel to the rear wall of the front part of the vehicle.

In FIG. 5, a guide rail 16 provided on the front surface of the rear portion 11 of the vehicle includes a lower guide rail 16a and an upper guide rail 16b having an L-shaped cross section. The guide rail 16 has a shape that draws an arc around the driver's head with respect to the vertical plane, and also draws an arc around the front wheel with respect to the horizontal plane. Lower guide rail 16a, upper guide rail 16b
The guide rollers 17 and 18 are accommodated between them, and the respective guide rollers 17 and 18 slide in contact with the lower guide rail upper surface 16c and the upper guide rail bottom surface 16d. As shown in FIG. 2B, the side surfaces of the guide rollers 17 and 18 are perpendicular to a line extending from the center of the guide roller to the ground point of the front wheel 12. Therefore, the guide roller 1
7 and 18 slide in the guide rail 16 while being slightly inclined with respect to the vertical direction. Also, the buffer rollers 22, 23,
24 and 25 rotate in contact with the front wall 11a of the rear part 11 of the vehicle.

When the electric cart turns, the guide rollers 17, 18 slide in the guide rail 16 by centrifugal force in the direction opposite to the turning direction, and at the same time, the front wall 1 of the rear portion 11 of the vehicle.
Buffer rollers 22, 23, 24 and 2 abutting on 1a
5 also rotates in the same direction while absorbing the pressure of the load between the front part and the rear part of the vehicle. For this reason, since the driver's viewpoint (head) is always at the center of the radius of movement of the arc on the guide rail, the field of view does not change even if the vehicle turns. In addition, even when the vehicle stops at a position inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, the guide rollers 17 and 1 are driven by the load of the driver.
Numeral 8 moves in a direction inclined in the guide rail, stands still with a load applied vertically downward, and can get on and off with the seat horizontal. Furthermore, the vehicle is a front part and a rear part, and the front part is a mechanism that freely moves with respect to the rear part within a certain range, so that the vehicle rear part can smoothly follow the vehicle front part with the coupling mechanism in between. it can.

[0018]

As described above, the present invention comprises a vehicle front having a steering wheel and a front wheel and supporting a seat on a rotating shaft, and a vehicle rear having an electrically driven rear wheel. In addition to providing a pair of guide rollers on the rear surface, draw an arc around the front wheel position on the front of the rear of the vehicle, and
A guide rail is provided on the seat to guide the guide roller so as to draw an arc around the approximate head position of the driver, the guide rail accommodates the guide roller, connects the front part and the rear part of the vehicle, and makes contact with the ground. On the surface, the guide roller is moved to a position where the rotation axis of the seat is vertical in the guide rail and the seat surface is horizontal, and the driver moves the guide roller in the direction of centrifugal force in the guide rail when turning left and right. And the driver's viewpoint is kept at a substantially constant position. Therefore, in the conventional structure, the driver's upper body that does not touch the seat has left and right swings. However, according to the present invention, the positional relationship between the seat and the upper body can be maintained substantially constant, and The elderly and the elderly can easily get on and off, operate easily, and maintain comfort.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view for explaining the operation principle of a three-wheeled electric cart according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing an embodiment of a three-wheeled electric cart according to the present invention, wherein (a) is a plan view and (b) is a front view.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a relationship between a vehicle front part and a vehicle rear part during a right turn and a left turn.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a roller-side mechanism on a vehicle front side of a connection mechanism for connecting the vehicle to a front portion and a rear portion.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a guide rail mechanism on a vehicle rear side of a coupling mechanism for connecting the vehicle with a front portion and a rear portion.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing an example of a conventional three-wheeled electric cart.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Driver 2 ... Head 3 ... Steering wheel 4 ... Rear wheel 5, 16 ... Guide rail 7 ... Front wheel 10 ... Vehicle front part 11 ... Vehicle rear part 12 ... Front wheel 13, 14 ... Rear wheel 15 ... Back support 17, 18 ... Guide roller 19 ... Handle 20 ... Seat 21 ... Battery 22-25 ... Buffer roller

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A three-wheeled electric cart having a handlebar and a front wheel, a front part of a vehicle supporting a seat on a rotating shaft,
A pair of guide rollers provided on a rear surface of the front portion of the vehicle, an arc is drawn around a front wheel position on a front surface of the rear portion of the vehicle, and a driver is provided on the seat. A guide rail that guides the guide roller so as to draw an arc around the approximate head position of the vehicle, accommodates the guide roller in the guide rail, connects the vehicle front part and the vehicle rear part, and In the guide rail, the guide roller is moved to a position where the seat rotation axis is vertical and the seat surface is horizontal, and at the time of turning left and right, the guide roller is moved in the direction of centrifugal force in the guide rail to provide the driver with A three-wheeled electric cart for the physically handicapped and the elderly, wherein the load is reduced and the driver's viewpoint is maintained at a substantially constant position. 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein one or more shock absorbing rollers are provided on a rear surface of the vehicle front portion, and when the vehicle front portion and the vehicle rear portion are connected to each other, the shock absorbing roller presses against the front surface of the vehicle rear portion to move the guide roller. The three-wheeled electric cart for the physically handicapped and the elderly according to claim 1, wherein the shock-absorbing roller rolls on the front surface of the rear part of the vehicle.