JP2002035047A - Traveling switching device for wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To save a space of a wheelchair. SOLUTION: This device is provided with a sun gear 23 which is regulated in the transmission of rotational force to a solar motor 19 though it is revolve- driven by the motor 19, a planetary gear 32 which is fitted to the gear 23 to be revolved integrally with a manual operation ring 17 around this and which can revolve on its axis around an axis center on the orbit of the revolution a ring gear 30 which is fitted to this to be revolved coaxially with the gear 23 and integrally with a traveling ring 16, a control axis 41 to be revolved between an electrical position and a manual position coaxially with the gear 23 by operation by a switch operation member 43, and a locking means which regulates the revolution of the gear 32 and the ring 17 when the axis 41 is displaced to the electrical position and permits the revolution of the gear 32 and the ring 17 when the axis 41 is displaced to the manual position.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a traveling switching device for switching between electric traveling and manual traveling in a wheelchair.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Some commonly used wheelchairs are provided with an electric motor and a traveling switching device, and can be switched between electric traveling and manual traveling by operating the traveling switching device. Such a wheelchair can be used according to the situation by switching between electric traveling and manual traveling depending on the situation.

The above-mentioned travel switching device for switching between electric operation and manual operation includes a clutch mechanism for transmitting / disconnecting a driving force of an electric motor to traveling wheels and an operation lever for switching the clutch mechanism. The electric lever and the manual operation are switched by the manual operation of the operation lever.

[0004]

In the traveling switching device described above, an operating lever for switching the clutch mechanism is disposed at a position radially away from the traveling wheels.
A structure for transmitting a switching operation force to the clutch mechanism is provided between the operation lever and the traveling wheel. Therefore, these components occupy a large space, making it difficult to save space.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wheelchair traveling switching device capable of saving space.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheelchair provided with an electric motor capable of rotationally driving a traveling wheel and a manually operated wheel capable of rotationally driving the traveling wheel. A device for switching between a traveling mode as a power source and a traveling mode using a manual rotational operation force applied to the manual operation wheel as a driving source, the apparatus being rotationally driven by transmission of rotational force from the electric motor. However, the transmission of the rotational force to the electric motor is restricted, and a sun gear is meshed with the sun gear, and can revolve integrally with the manual operation wheel around the sun gear, and a shaft on a revolving orbit. A planetary gear that can rotate around its center, a ring gear that is meshed with the planetary gear, and that is rotatable concentrically with the sun gear and integrally with the running wheel, and a sun gear that is operated by a switching operation member. A control shaft pivoted between a motorized position and a manual position in the center, and when the control shaft is displaced to the motorized position, regulates the revolution of the planetary gears and the manually operated wheels; and A lock means is provided for allowing rotation of the planetary gears and the manually operated wheels when displaced to the manual position.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the lock means includes a movable stopper provided so as to be able to move radially toward and away from the outer periphery of the control shaft; A concave portion formed on the outer periphery and being a position deviated in a circumferential direction from the movable stopper when the control shaft is at the electric position, and a recess that enables the movable stopper to be fitted when the control shaft is at the manual position; When the movable stopper is at a lock position in contact with the outer periphery of the control shaft, the orbit can be revolved integrally with the planet gear, and the revolution is restricted by locking the movable stopper in the circumferential direction. Is provided with a locking member which is unlocked with the movable stopper when it is at the unlocked position to be fitted with the concave portion and is allowed to revolve. Having.

A third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, is configured such that the movable stopper and the locking member comprise a spherical body rotatably supported.

[0009]

Operation and effect of the invention [Invention of claim 1] When the control shaft is displaced to the electric position by operating the switching operation member, the planetary gear is locked so as not to revolve, so that the sun using the electric motor as a drive source The rotational force of the gear becomes a rotational driving force for the ring gear through the rotation of the planetary gear, and the running wheel rotates integrally with the ring gear, and the wheelchair runs electrically. When the control shaft is displaced to the manual position, the planetary gear is unlocked, so that the planetary gear can revolve around the sun gear by rotating the manually operated wheels. At this time,
The sun gear does not rotate because transmission of rotational force from the sun gear to the electric motor is restricted. Therefore, the planetary gear rotates while engaging with the sun gear while revolving, and the ring gear is rotated by the engagement with the planetary gear, so that the running wheel rotates integrally with the ring gear, and the wheelchair travels manually. According to the present invention, since the rotation center of the switching operation member is disposed concentrically with the traveling wheel, the switching operation member is disposed at a position radially away from the traveling wheel so that the switching operation member and the traveling wheel Space saving can be achieved as compared with the conventional one provided with a means for transmitting the switching operation force between the two.

[0010] When the control shaft is displaced to the electric position, the movable stopper is displaced to the lock position and locked with the locking member, thereby restricting the revolution of the planetary gear.
When the control shaft is displaced to the manual position, the movable stopper is displaced to the unlock position to release the engagement with the engagement member, thereby enabling the planetary gear to revolve. When the control shaft is switched between the electric position and the manual position, the movable stopper and the locking member come into sliding contact with each other, but both the movable stopper and the locking member are rotatably supported. Since the sphere is a sphere, the frictional resistance generated between the movable stopper and the locking member is small, and the operability of the switching operation member is excellent.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is an overall external view of the wheelchair 10 according to the present embodiment. The wheelchair 10 includes a seating portion 13 at the center of a frame 12 and a pair of footrests 14 at a lower front portion thereof. A pair of left and right free wheels 15 are provided behind the footrest 14 so as to be freely turned, and a pair of left and right running wheels 16 are further provided behind the pair. Each traveling wheel 16 is provided with a manual operation wheel 17, and the wheelchair 10 can be manually operated by using a rotational operation force applied to the manual operation wheel 17 as a drive source. The axle of each traveling wheel 16 is connected to a traveling switching device 20 described later.
Is connected to the electric motor 19 through the
It is also possible to drive the vehicle electrically using the electric motor 19 as a drive source.

Next, the travel switching device 20 will be described. FIG. 1 shows a cross section on the left running wheel 16 side. In the same figure, a hollow support shaft 21 is arranged at the center of rotation of the running wheel 16, and an inner (right side in FIG. 1) end portion thereof. Are fixed to the frame 12. A center hole 25a of a planetary case 25 fixed to the center of the arm 33 of the manual operation wheel 17 is fitted to the outer end of the support shaft 21 via a bearing 45 (see FIG. 3). At the center of the support shaft 21, a hollow rotary shaft 22 is supported via a bearing. A sun gear 23 is formed concentrically on the left end of the rotating shaft 22, and a driven gear 24 is similarly concentrically fixed on the right end. The cylindrical wheel shaft 27 of the running wheel 16 is fitted on the rotating shaft 22 via a bearing.

A cup-shaped spoke coupling member 28 is fixed to the outer end of the wheel shaft 27, and a ring gear 30 corresponding to the sun gear 23 is fixed to the inside thereof.
Three planetary gear shafts 31 are implanted on the right end face of the planetary case 25 around the axis of the sun gear 23 at 120 ° angular intervals (see FIG. 2). Each planetary gear shaft 31 supports a respective planetary gear 32, and each planetary gear 32 meshes with the sun gear 23 and the ring gear 30. That is, the planetary gear 32 is meshed with the sun gear 23, can revolve integrally with the manually operated wheel 17 around the sun gear 23, and can rotate around the axis on the orbit. Further, the ring gear 30 is meshed with the planetary gear 32 and is rotatable concentrically with the sun gear 23 and integrally with the traveling wheel 16.

The right end of the support shaft 21 has the driven gear 24
Is fixedly attached to the frame 12, and the electric motor 19 is fixed outside the case cover 36. The electric motor 19 is connected to a battery (not shown) mounted on the wheelchair 10 to supply power. The electric motor 19 has a built-in reduction gear, and its output shaft 38 is connected to the support shaft 21.
It is installed in parallel with. A drive gear 40 is fixed to the output shaft 38 and meshes with the driven gear 24. When the electric motor 19 is started, the driving gear 40 and the driven gear 24
The rotation of the rotating shaft 22 by the meshing of the sun gear 23
Is designed to rotate.

A control shaft 41 is rotatably fitted inside the support shaft 21, and a control lever 43 (a switching operation member which is a component of the present invention) is provided at a right end protruding from the support shaft 21. The ends are fixed. The free end side of the operation lever 43 faces a position where the user can operate while sitting on the seat 13 as shown in FIG. 3 and 4
3 shows a cross section of a portion of the support shaft 21 at the center of the manual operation wheel 17 where the planetary case 25 is fitted. The support shaft 21 is provided with three radial guide holes 46 communicating with the hollow portion from the outer peripheral surface thereof at 120 ° angular intervals, and a steel ball 47 is provided in each guide hole 46.
(Movable stoppers, which are constituent elements of the present invention), are slidably fitted. On the other hand, on the peripheral surface of the control shaft 41, three concave portions 48 into which the steel balls 47 can be fitted are formed at an angular interval of 120 °. When the rotation position of the control shaft 41 is set to a position where each recess 48 does not correspond to each steel ball 47 (see FIG. 3), each steel ball 47 is pushed radially outward by the peripheral surface of the control shaft 41, and a bearing is formed. By inserting between the adjacent bearing balls 50 (locking members, which are constituent elements of the present invention), the rotation of the outer ring 45a of the bearing 45 is prevented. As a result, the planetary case 25 and the manual operation wheel 17 are locked so as not to rotate. The rotational position of the control shaft 41 at this time is
Called the motorized position.

Further, the rotational position of the control shaft 41 is
When the positions 8 correspond to the positions corresponding to the steel balls 47 (see FIG. 4), the steel balls 47 can be fitted into the recesses 48. The rotation of the outer ring 45a of the bearing 45 is not prevented even if the outer ring 45a of the bearing 45 is engaged with the bearing ball 50. Thereby, the planetary case 25 becomes rotatable together with the manual operation wheel 17. The rotational position of the control shaft 41 at this time is called a manual position. The switching between the electric position and the manual position can be performed by the switching operation of the operation lever 43.

The bearing 45, the steel ball 47, the concave portion 48 of the control shaft 41, and the bearing ball 50 constitute locking means, which is a constituent element of the present invention. The control shaft 41 is displaced to the electric position and the steel ball 47 is moved. When it is in the lock position in contact with the outer periphery of the control shaft 41, the bearing ball 50 is locked in the circumferential direction with respect to the steel ball 47, so that the revolution is restricted, and the planet which can revolve integrally with the bearing ball 50. The gear 32 and the manually operated wheels 17 are restricted from revolving. Further, the control shaft 41 is displaced to the manual position and the steel ball 4 is displaced.
When the lock 7 is in the unlocked position where it fits into the recess 48, the engagement between the bearing ball 50 and the steel ball 47 is released, so that the revolution of the planetary gear 32 and the rotation of the manual operation wheel 17 are allowed.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. When the control shaft 41 is set to the manual position by the operation lever 43, the planetary case 25 is rotatable as described above, so that the manual operation wheel 17 can be turned by hand. Since the planetary case 25 is rotatable, the three planetary gear shafts 31 implanted therein are also revolvable together with the manually operated wheels 17. The sun gear 23 with which the planetary gears 32 mesh is connected to the electric motor 19.
Are substantially locked by the gear ratio of the built-in reduction gear, and transmission of rotational force from the sun gear 23 to the electric motor 19 is restricted.

From these facts, when the manually operated wheel 17 is turned by hand, each planetary gear 32 revolves. However, since each planetary gear 32 rotates by meshing with the stopped sun gear 23, each planetary gear 32 rotates. The ring gear 30 is rotated by the engagement with the gear 32. As a result, the traveling wheels 16 are
The wheelchair 10 can be operated manually because it rotates together with the wheelchair 7. On the other hand, when the control shaft 41 is set to the electric position by the operation lever 43, the planetary case 25 is locked so as not to rotate as described above, and the manual operation wheel 17 cannot be turned by hand. Since the planetary case 25 cannot rotate, each planetary gear 32 is in a state where it cannot revolve. Here, when the sun gear 23 is rotated via the rotating shaft 22 by the activation of the electric motor 19, the respective planetary gears 32 rotate but do not revolve, so that the ring gear 30 is rotationally driven by meshing with the respective planetary gears 32. Is done. As a result, the running wheels 16 are driven to rotate, so that the wheelchair 10 can be driven electrically.

According to the present embodiment, since the center of rotation of the operation lever 43 is arranged concentrically with the running wheel 16, space can be saved as compared with the conventional device. Further, a steel ball 47 is used as a movable stopper that constitutes a locking means,
Moreover, since the bearing ball 50 was used as the locking member,
The frictional resistance generated between the movable stopper and the locking member when switching between the electric position and the manual position is small, and there is an advantage that the operability of the operation lever 43 as a switching operation member is excellent.

[Other Embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above with reference to the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) In the above embodiment, the movable stopper (steel ball) is radially displaced with respect to the control axis. However, according to the present invention, the movable stopper is displaced obliquely with respect to the radial direction. You may.

(2) In the above embodiment, both the movable stopper and the locking member (bearing ball) are spherical, but according to the present invention, one or both of the movable stopper and the locking member are spherical. Other shapes may be used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a traveling wheel and a traveling switching device.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 1 (in a manual position).

FIG. 5 is an overall perspective view of a wheelchair according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Wheelchair 16 ... Running wheel 17 ... Manual operation wheel 19 ... Electric motor 20 ... Travel switching device 23 ... Sun gear 30 ... Ring gear 32 ... Planetary gear 41 ... Control shaft 43 ... Operating lever (switching operation member) 47 ... Steel ball ( Movable stopper) 48 ... recess 50 ... bearing ball (locking member)

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hidenori Yamauchi 25th Araco Co., Ltd. 72) Inventor Isamu Shimazu 4-14-24 Imamotocho, Anjo-shi, Aichi F-term (reference) in Universal Industrial Co., Ltd. 5H115 PG06 PU01 RB08 SE08

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An electric motor capable of rotationally driving running wheels,
In a wheelchair provided with a manual operation wheel capable of rotationally driving the traveling wheel, a traveling mode using the electric motor as a driving source, and a traveling mode using a manual rotating operation force applied to the manual operating wheel as a driving source. A sun gear, which is driven to rotate by transmission of torque from the electric motor, and whose transmission of torque to the electric motor is regulated, meshes with the sun gear, and A planetary gear that can revolve integrally with the manual operation wheel around a sun gear and that can rotate around an axis on a revolving orbit; meshing with the planetary gear, concentric with the sun gear and running A ring gear rotatable integrally with the wheel, a control shaft rotated between an electric position and a manual position concentrically with the sun gear by operation of a switching operation member, and the control shaft is moved to the electric position. Locking means for restricting the revolving of the planetary gears and the manually operated wheels when being shifted, and allowing the rotation of the planetary gears and the manually operated wheels when the control shaft is displaced to the manual position. A traveling switching device for a wheelchair. 2. The lock means includes: a movable stopper provided so as to be able to move toward and away from the outer periphery of the control shaft in a radial direction; and a locker formed on the outer periphery of the control shaft, wherein the control shaft is in the electric position. When the control shaft is at the manual position, the concave portion allows the movable stopper to be fitted, and the planetary gear can revolve integrally with the planetary gear. When the movable stopper is at the lock position in contact with the outer periphery of the control shaft, the revolution is restricted by locking the movable stopper in the circumferential direction with respect to the movable stopper, and the movable stopper is at the unlocked position where the movable stopper is fitted with the concave portion. 2. The travel switching device for a wheelchair according to claim 1, further comprising a locking member which is sometimes released from being locked with the movable stopper and is allowed to revolve. . 3. The traveling switching device for a wheelchair according to claim 2, wherein the movable stopper and the locking member are formed of a rotatably supported sphere.