JP2003000653A - Electromotive wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electromotive wheelchair which reduces the burden of the handicapped person and a care-giver by enabling the handicapped person to make mutual transfer between the wheelchair and other objects without assistance, and minimizing a change of a posture of the handicapped person. SOLUTION: A carriage 1 including a motor-driven wheel 7 having at least one driving mechanism 17 is provided with a seat 2 and at least a backrest 4 or an armrest 3 installed on an upper surface of the carriage 1. The backrest 4 or the armrest 3 is provided with a vertical moving means capable of moving upward and downward to the seat 2, and in a lowering position by this vertical moving means, the upper face of the armrest 3 or the backrest 4 is almost flat with or lower than the seat 2, realizing a barrier-free structure.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is used indoors by an elderly person, a person who has difficulty in walking due to an obstacle in the waist or lower limbs, or a person with a handicap who cannot use a self-driving wheelchair. It concerns an electric wheelchair.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Electric wheelchairs have obstacles in the upper and lower limbs,
People who cannot run or operate their own wheelchairs use an electric wheelchair that does not require the power of their hands and can be operated with a simple push-button type operation in order to lead a daily independent life. However, in the conventional electric wheelchair, the backrest and the armrest have a fixed and immobile structure because of the structure of the electric wheelchair, and the disabled person is configured to sit while being surrounded by the backrest and the armrest. There is.

Therefore, transferring from an electric wheelchair to a target means such as a bed, a toilet seat, or a bathtub for bathing, or conversely, transferring from the target means to a wheelchair is a very difficult task. There is.

[0004]

As described above, since the electric wheelchair has the armrest and the backrest at a position higher than the seat, the direction in which the handicapped person moves is from the released direction without the armrest and the backrest. The transfer from the electric wheelchair to the target means such as bed, toilet seat, bathtub for bathing, etc., or conversely, transfer from the target means to the electric wheelchair is a very difficult task. Has become.

In this transfer, it depends on the degree of disability of the disabled person. However, when the disabled person can move the upper body, the movement of the upper body alone is enough to control the position of the armchair of the wheelchair or the target means. It is carried by a handrail provided on a wall surface or the like to support the weight and transfer, and in the case of a more severely handicapped person, the transfer is carried out by holding a carer. As described above, the conventional electric wheelchair does not have a structure that facilitates transfer.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and enables barrier-free transfer between an electric wheelchair and a target means, and further, in order to reduce the burden on a caregiver, transfer and drive by themselves. The purpose is to enable an electric wheelchair.

[0007]

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a seat and at least a backrest or an armrest on the upper surface of a trolley having at least drive wheels and capable of traveling and steering. On the other hand, the backrest or the armrest is provided with an elevating means capable of ascending and descending, and the upper surface of the armrest or the backrest is substantially flat with respect to the seat or is lower than the seat in the lowered state by the elevating means. To provide an electric wheelchair.

The dolly is formed in a minimum shape that can be easily moved in and out of a toilet or bathroom of a house, and when the upper surface of the armrest or backrest is substantially flat with respect to the seat or lower than the seat, it is from all directions. Can be transferred. Further, the drive wheels are fixedly arranged on both left and right sides of the carriage, and each has a drive mechanism and can rotate independently. Further, the elevating means is provided by hanging a rod-shaped portion on the lower surface of the armrest or the backrest, and providing the carriage with a guide hole through which the rod-shaped portion is vertically movable.

A backrest and an armrest, which are generally provided at a high position with respect to the seat, are provided so as to be able to move up and down with respect to the seat, so that when a person with a disability himself or a caregiver transfers a wheelchair to a target hand role. The backrest or armrest is lowered to keep the upper surface of the seat almost flat or lower than the seat so that there is no obstacle, and the posture of the handicapped person is not changed significantly and the turntable is used. Therefore, it is easy to transfer in all directions, and it is possible to stand up and drive electrically.

In this way, there is no obstacle during transfer between the electric wheelchair and the target means, and it is possible to easily move on the same flat plane. Also, a person with a disability such as a severely disabled person who cannot change the orientation of his / her body by himself / herself can easily change the orientation by the rotation operation of the turntable embedded in the seat.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. The present invention includes a carriage 1, a seat 2 supported on the upper surface thereof, and armrests 3 provided on both sides of the seat 2.
A backrest 4 provided between the armrests 3, a steering panel 19 and a switch handle 20 detachably connected to the vicinity of the armrests 3.

The dolly 1 is formed in the smallest shape that can be easily moved in and out of a toilet or bathroom of a house. As shown in FIG. 10, the seat 2 preferably has a turntable 21 in which a substantially central portion thereof is divided and formed in a disc shape and is embedded, and which rotates. The armrest 3 is formed by a U-shaped frame 5, and the backrest 4 is detachably constructed. Backrest 4 in Figure 11
The leg 22 is provided in a, and the through hole 23 with which the leg 22 engages is provided in the U-shaped frame 5 so as to be detachable.

On the lower surface of the truck 1, a total of four cylindrical legs 6 are erected at the front and rear corners thereof, and drive wheels 7 and running wheels 7a are provided on the lower end side thereof. The dolly 1 is configured to be movable. The drive wheel 7 includes a drive mechanism 17, and a storage battery 18 that supplies power to the drive mechanism 17 is mounted inside the trolley 1. Depending on the case, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the trolley 1 is provided with a foot rest 25 on which the caregiver's foot is placed, and the foot rest 25 is mounted on the trolley 1.
It is configured so that it can be pulled in or pulled out from the trolley 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, for example, the drive mechanism of the drive wheel 7 is formed by connecting a bearing body 60 having a U-shaped cross section to the lower end portion of the leg portion 6 and connecting the drive body to the bearing body 60 via a shaft 61. 7
Is rotatably supported, a worm gear 62 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 61, and a worm 63 meshing with the worm gear 62 is rotatably mounted on the output shaft of the decelerator. The drive wheel 7 can be independently rotated. The bearings 60 are fixed to the carriage 1 such that the left and right bearings are aligned parallel to each other in the front-rear direction, so that the carriage 1 can move forward and backward, and the left or right drive wheel 7 can be independently driven.

Therefore, the steerability can be secured by rotating the left and right drive wheels 7, 7 independently, and the straightness in the front-rear direction can be secured by rotating the drive wheels 7, 7 at the same speed at the same time. That is. As shown in FIG. 1, such a steering operation is performed by tilting the switch handle 20 of the steering panel 19 provided at the tip of the U-shaped frame 5 so as to be attachable / detachable back and forth and left and right. .

When the switch handle 20 is tilted back and forth and left and right, electrical switching is performed through a switch mechanism provided in the steering panel 19. The steering panel 19, the drive source 64, and the storage battery 18 are electrically connected by wiring such as a flexible cord (not shown).

FIG. 3 shows another example of the drive mechanism, in which a shaft 70 connecting the drive wheels 7, 7 is connected to a housing 71.
A gear 73 meshing with a gear of a drive source 72 of an electric motor with a speed reducer provided in a housing 71 is fixed to a shaft 70, and the housing 71 is connected and fixed to a central portion of a lower surface of a steering gear 74 to operate the gear. A cylindrical body 75 centered on the center of the upper surface of the direction gear 74 is connected and fixed to the upper surface, a slider 76 is provided on the upper surface of the cylindrical body 75, and the slider 76 is fixed to the inner front central lower surface of the carriage 1.

A gear 77 meshing with the steering gear 74
Drive source 78 such as an electric motor having the output shaft of the reduction gear attached
Is fixed to the inner lower surface of the carriage 1. Since the steering gear 74 can rotate about the center of the cylindrical body 75 via the slider 76, the steering can be performed by the forward and reverse rotation of the gear 77. The dolly 1 and the steering gear 74 may be connected by a shaft passing through the axial core of the cylindrical body 75, and they may be rotatably and inseparably connected.

The traveling wheel 7a is provided with rolling direction changing means 12 capable of changing the rolling direction of the running wheel 7a to any direction. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the rolling direction changing means 12 is configured such that a bearing body 13 that axially supports the traveling wheel 7a is rotatable with respect to the leg portion 6 by a ball bearing 14. 13 rotates with respect to the leg 6 and the traveling wheels 7
It is a caster that is provided so that the rolling direction of a can be changed in any direction, and allows the wheelchair to move in a desired direction.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a bar-shaped portion 8 is formed on the lower surface of the U-shaped frame 5 so as to hang down.
The offering 8 is a first rod 8 provided so as to be inserted into the cylindrical leg 6 through the opening 9 of the seat support frame 1.
A and the second rod-shaped portion 8 inserted into the guide hole 10 of the carriage 1.
B, and these two types of rod-shaped portions 8A and 8B are provided on the left and right sides, respectively, to constitute an elevating means. The first rod-shaped portion 8A has a cylindrical leg portion 6 through the guide hole 9 of the carriage 1.
The backrest 4 and the armrest 3 are lowered so that the first rod-shaped portion 8A is lowered. The second rod-shaped portion 8B can be projected and retracted inside the truck 1 through the guide hole 10 of the truck 1.

The armrest 3 and the backrest 4 fixed to the U-shaped frame 5 are guided by these rod-shaped portions 8 and can be vertically moved relative to the seat 2 by manual or electric means. When performing the raising / lowering operation manually, an engaging means (not shown) is provided and the engaging means can be locked and released by an operating portion (not shown). The U-shaped frame 5 may be fixed to the carriage 1 by locking the engaging means at the position.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the rod-shaped portion 8B is provided with engaging means composed of a rotating cam 51 having a claw portion 50,
It is provided so that it can be engaged with the upper end corner portion of the guide hole 10 of the carriage 1. The cam 51 is rotatably supported by the shaft 52 on the rod-shaped portion 8B,
The claw portion 50 is urged toward the outside of the rod-shaped portion 8B by the spring 53 provided coaxially to the claw portion 2 to maintain the claw portion 50 in the locked state. Then, the rotating cam 51 and the operating portion 54 are connected by a wire 55, and the pulling of the wire 55 causes the cam 51 to rotate against the biasing force of the spring 53, causing the claw portion 50 to move inward of the rod portion 8B. It is configured so that it can be pulled down to release the engagement, and the descending operation can be performed.

When the electric means such as a motor (not shown) is used, the elevating means is driven by using, for example, a rack and a pinion or a worm gear device. It suffices if the armrest 3 is configured to stop at the raised position or the lowered position. Further, this operation unit is not limited to manual operation and electric operation, and is preferably provided on the armrest 3 when it is used by a cared person who can move the upper body, and when it is used by a disabled person who needs full care. It is desirable that it be provided near the backrest 4, which is easy for the caregiver to operate.

As shown in FIG. 4, these rod-shaped portions 8 support a U-shaped frame 5 provided with an armrest 3 and a backrest 4, and serve as guides for raising and lowering the U-shaped frame 5 in a substantially horizontal state. Plays the role of. With this configuration, when the U-shaped frame 5 is in the lowered state, the upper surfaces of the armrest 3 and the backrest 4 are substantially flat with respect to the seat or lower than the seat, as shown in FIG. The backrest 4 is configured to be detachable from the U-shaped frame 5 and removed. Moreover, as shown in FIG.
When A and the second rod-shaped portion 8B descend, they may slide on the traveling wheels 7a and the driving wheels 7 and have an anchor or outrigger function for preventing the bogie 1 from wobbling by contacting the lower end with the floor surface or the like. Good.

7 and 8 show another embodiment of the present invention, in which the armrest 3 and the backrest 4 on the carriage 1 can appear in and retract from the carriage 1, which is an electric wheelchair having the same functions as those of the above embodiments. The drive unit of this electric wheelchair is located under the seat 2, and includes a drive wheel 70, a motor 71, a speed reducer 72, a vibration damper 73, a battery 74, and a charging unit 75. The four drive wheels 70 are driven by independent motors 71 via corresponding speed reducers 72. The drive wheel 70 has a large number of spindle-shaped rollers 76.
6 is an angle α with the axial direction of the axle in which the axial direction in which it rotates
And the angle formed by the axial direction of the axle and the axial direction of the rollers distributed around the drive wheels adjacent to each other in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction is the same but opposite. It is characterized by that. In this embodiment, the carriage 1 can move forward and backward as well as left and right, and the details thereof are disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 50-500049. FIG. 9 shows an example in which the present invention is applied to another embodiment disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 10-500049.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 12, when a person with a disability himself / herself or the caregiver assists in transferring from a wheelchair to a bed, a toilet seat, a bathtub for bathing, etc., as shown in FIG. Since there is no transfer obstacle around the seat 2 when moving from 24 to the seat 2, a smooth lateral movement between the seat 2 and the bed 24 is possible,
Transfer is easy in all directions without significantly changing the posture of the disabled. Further, in this case, the armrest 3 and the backrest 4 move downward rather than in a direction that widens in the width direction, which is suitable for performing a transfer operation in a narrow space.

In the above-described embodiment, the armrest 3 and the backrest 4 are lifted up and down together by using the U-shaped frame 5, but the U-shaped frame 5 is not particularly used.
The armrest 3 and the backrest 4 may be provided separately, and either the armrest 8 or the backrest 4 may be provided.

[0028]

According to the present invention, a seat and at least a backrest or an armrest are provided on the upper surface of a trolley having at least drive wheels and capable of traveling and steering, and the backrest or the armrest can be moved up and down with respect to the seat. Since the upper and lower parts of the armrest or the backrest are configured to be substantially flat with respect to the seat or lower than the seat in a lowered state by the elevating means, the person with a disability himself or the caregiver's assistance When transferring from a wheelchair to the target means, it is made barrier-free by lowering the backrest or armrest so that their upper surfaces are almost flat with respect to the seat or lower than the seat,
Since there is nothing that can hinder the movement of the transfer, the transfer is easy in all directions without significantly changing the posture of the disabled person.

Further, the trolley is formed in the smallest shape that can be easily moved back and forth to the toilet or bathroom of the house, and the drive wheels are fixedly arranged on both left and right sides of the trolley, and each has a drive mechanism. Since the electric wheelchair is independently rotatable, the disabled person can steer himself in any direction in the room and travel to any place.

Thus, the posture of the handicapped person can be reduced and the electric wheelchair and the object means can be easily transferred to each other. Moreover, since the electric vehicle can be driven and steered, the caregiver is not affected. The person himself / herself can take voluntary actions, and the burden on the caregiver can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the main parts of the drive mechanism in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional front view of essential parts showing another example of the drive mechanism in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway side view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway side view showing the operation of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of an essential part of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a front view of another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an essential part showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an essential part showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an essential part showing a usage example of an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... carriage 2 ... seat 3 ... Armrest 4 ... back 5 ... U-shaped frame 6 ... legs 7 ... Drive wheel 7a ... running wheels 8 ... Rod-shaped part 8A ... first rod-shaped portion 8B ... second rod-shaped portion 9, 10 ... Guide hole 12 ... Rolling direction changing means 13,60 ... Bearing body 14 ... Ball bearing 15 ... Hollow part 17 ... Drive mechanism 18 ... Storage battery 19 ... Steering panel 20 ... Switch handle

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A seat and at least a backrest or an armrest are provided on an upper surface of a trolley which is provided with at least drive wheels and can be steered, and an elevating means capable of ascending / descending the backrest or the armrest with respect to the seat. An electric wheelchair characterized in that the upper surface of the armrest or the backrest is substantially flat with respect to the seat or lower than the seat in the lowered state by the elevating means. 2. The dolly is formed in a minimum shape that can be easily moved in and out of a toilet or bathroom of a house, and when the upper surface of the armrest or backrest is substantially flat with respect to the seat or lower than the seat, it is omnidirectional. The electric wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the electric wheelchair can be transferred from the vehicle. 3. The electric wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the drive wheels are fixedly arranged on both left and right sides of the carriage, and each has a drive mechanism and is rotatable independently. 4. The electric wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the seat has a rotatable turntable substantially in the center thereof. 5. The elevating means is provided by hanging a rod-shaped portion on the lower surface of the armrest or the backrest, and providing a guide hole in the carriage for engaging the rod-shaped portion so as to be able to move up and down. The electric wheelchair according to item 1.