JP2003260087A - Electric foot rest for wheel chair - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To move an electro-driving foot rest of a wheel chair in an upward or downward direction by one lifter device for resting both legs. <P>SOLUTION: A threaded shaft 6 is supported to rotate freely, but, not to move in a vertical direction. A foot rest guide shaft 9 is arranged in parallel with the threaded shaft 6. A foot rest arm 13 is guided by the foot rest guide shaft 9 to be moved up and down. The threaded shaft 6 is rotated by a motor 3. A nut 12 threadably fitted to the threaded shaft 6 is connected to an upper part of the foot rest arm 13 and then one foot rest 19 is connected to a lower end of the foot rest arm 13. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric footrest for a wheelchair.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A footrest is supported on both ends of a front lower portion of a chair provided on a vehicle body in a state of being floated from the ground, and an elevating device is installed on each footrest, and the footrest is appropriately raised and lowered to ground the footrest. An electric footrest for a wheelchair that can be raised and lowered is known (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-94270). This wheelchair electric footrest has left footrests and right footrests on both front lower parts of the wheelchair, so both legs must be kept open at all times, which is unnatural and unnatural. Be stable. Also, you must attach two wheelchair electric footrests to the left and right,
Two sets of raising and lowering devices for raising and lowering the footrest are also required, which is complicated and costly. And in the prior art,
Elevating devices are attached to the extension parts of the side frames on both sides of the wheelchair, and footrests are attached to the extension parts so that the footrests can slide up and down.

[0003]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electric wheelrest for a wheelchair, in which the lifting device is provided as one set to simplify the structure and reduce the cost, and the distance between both feet is set to a desired distance so that the foot is placed on the footrest. The first problem is to be able to place it on any position of
A second problem is to make it possible to easily attach and detach the electric footrest for wheelchairs to and from the wheelchair.

[0004]

According to the present invention, a footrest is connected to the lower end of a footrest arm, and the footrest is lifted and lowered by an electric lifting device. In the electric footrest for a wheelchair, the screw shaft is rotatable and cannot move up and down. Supported by the motor, the screw shaft can be rotated by a motor, a nut is screwed onto the screw shaft, a footrest guide shaft is arranged parallel to the screw shaft, and the footrest guide shaft allows the footrest arm to move up and down. The upper part of the footrest arm is connected to the nut, the lower end of the footrest arm is connected to the rear position of one footrest, and the area of the upper surface of the footrest is large enough to move both feet left and right by a predetermined distance. The first configuration is characterized by being set. The characteristic part of the first configuration corresponds to the lifting device of the present invention. According to the present invention, in the first configuration, the screw shaft is supported by the upper plate via the bearing, the upper part of the footrest guide shaft is fixed to the upper plate, and the footrest arm includes an upper small diameter hole, a step portion and a large diameter hole. A second configuration is that a stepped hole is formed, the footrest guide shaft is inserted into the stepped hole of the footrest arm, and a spring is mounted between the lower end of the footrest guide shaft and the stepped portion of the footrest arm. According to the second aspect of the present invention, the upper end of the tubular screw shaft supporter is fixed between the bearing and the upper plate, and the lower end of the screw shaft is connected to the lower end of the screw shaft supporter through the lower bearing. A third structure is that the screw shaft supporter is supported and provided with a connecting means for a wheelchair. According to the present invention, in the second configuration, a plurality of footrest guide shafts are arranged, a plurality of stepped holes are formed in one footrest arm, and a wheelchair connecting means is provided in the upper plate. There are 4 configurations.

[0005]

1 shows a first embodiment of an electric footrest for wheelchairs according to the present invention. In the description of the present invention, the terms front, rear, left and right are used with reference to a person riding on a wheelchair equipped with an electric wheelchair electric footrest. A wheelchair (not shown) has front vertical frames arranged in the vertical direction at the front end portions on both sides of the seat, and both ends of a horizontally long support plate (coupling means) 1 are fixed to the two front vertical frames. Is configured to. First embodiment
The support plate 1 is connected to the rear wall of the screw shaft supporter 2 of the electric footrest for wheelchairs by welding or the like. Therefore, the left side of FIG. 1 is the front side of the present invention, the right side of FIG. 1 is the rear side of the present invention, the front direction of FIG. 1 is the left side of the present invention, and the rear direction of FIG. It is the right side of this invention.

The cylindrical screw shaft supporter 2 is formed with a vertical slit 21 at the center of the front side wall, and the slit 21 extends from the upper end to the lower end. A circular hole is formed in the center of the upper plate 4, and the upper end of the screw shaft supporter 2 is fitted into the circular hole of the upper plate 4 and fixed by welding or the like. The upper bearing 5 is inserted inside the upper end of the screw shaft supporter 2, and the outer ring of the bearing 5 is supported by a clearance fit in the annular engaging groove inside the upper end of the screw shaft supporter 2. The upper end support portion 6A of the screw shaft 6 is press-fitted into the inner ring of the bearing 5, and the screw shaft 6 is inserted into the inner ring of the bearing 5.
The stepped portion of the screw shaft 6 is brought into contact with the screw shaft 6 to restrict upward movement of the screw shaft 6.

The latter half of the guide holder 7 is fixed to the lower end of the screw shaft supporter 2 by bolts 18, and the outer ring of the lower bearing 8 is fitted into the annular engaging groove inside the lower end of the screw shaft supporter 2 by a clearance fit. It is inserted and placed on the guide holder 7. The lower end support portion 6B of the screw shaft 6 is press-fitted into the inner ring of the bearing 8, the stepped portion of the screw shaft 6 is brought into contact with the inner ring of the bearing 8, and the downward movement of the screw shaft 6 is restricted. In this manner, the screw shaft 6 is rotatably supported by the bearing 5, the screw shaft supporter 2, and the like on the upper plate 4 so as not to move vertically.

A stepped hole 10 having a large diameter on the lower side is formed at a front position of the upper plate 4, and an upper end portion of a footrest guide shaft 9 is fitted in a large diameter portion of the stepped hole 10 to provide a small diameter of the stepped hole 10. The upper end support portion 28 of the footrest guide shaft 9 is inserted through the portion. A nut 20 is screwed into the upper end support portion 28 protruding above the upper plate 4, and the upper end portion of the footrest guide shaft 9 is fixed to the upper plate 4. The connecting portion 16 at the front of the guide holder 7 is brought into contact with the lower end surface of the footrest guide shaft 9, and the bolt 11 is inserted into the insertion hole of the connecting portion 16.
A bolt 11 is screwed into an internal thread at the lower end of the footrest guide shaft 9. As described above, the screw shaft 6 and the footrest guide shaft 9 are arranged in parallel.

The footrest arm 13 has a cylindrical shape, and a stepped hole 23 including an upper small diameter hole 14, a step portion (an annular surface perpendicular to the upper small diameter hole 14) and a large diameter hole 15 is formed in the footrest arm 13. A vertically long slit 22 is formed on the rear wall of the large diameter hole 15, and the slit 22 extends from the upper end to the lower end of the large diameter hole 15. The footrest guide shaft 9 is inserted into the stepped hole 23 of the footrest arm 13, and preferably between the step portion of the footrest arm 13 and the lower end portion of the footrest guide shaft 9 (the upper surface of the connecting portion 16 of the guide holder 7). In spring 29
Is installed. A bush is preferably mounted between the small diameter hole 14 of the footrest arm 13 and the footrest guide shaft 9, and the footrest arm 13 can move up and down in parallel with the footrest guide shaft 9. The connecting portion 16 of the guide holder 7 is inserted into the slit 22 of the footrest arm 13, and the connecting portion 16 can slide in the slit 22 in the vertical direction.

A nut 12 is screwed onto the screw shaft 6 to form a nut 12
One end of the connecting fitting 17 is fixed to the upper end of the footrest arm 13 by a bolt 27. In this way, the upper portion of the footrest arm 13 is connected to the nut 12, and the nut 12 is supported in a non-rotatable and vertically movable state. Depending on the dimensional accuracy of the screw shaft 6 and the footrest guide shaft 9, the nut 12 and the screw shaft 6 may twist and cause malfunction, but this is dealt with by increasing the meshing gap between the nut 12 and the screw shaft 6. be able to. This point is the same in the second embodiment. Further, the connecting fitting 17 is inserted into the slit 21 of the screw shaft supporter 2, and the connecting fitting 17 can slide in the slit 21 in the vertical direction.

The footrest 19 is a rectangle that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from the top, and the area of the upper surface of the footrest 19 is large enough to move both feet left and right by a predetermined distance. The lower end of the footrest arm 13 is fixed to the rear position at the center of the left and right direction of one footrest 19 by welding or the like. The output shaft of the motor 3 is inserted through the hole in the rear portion of the upper plate 4, and the motor 3 is fixed to the upper plate 4 by bolts or the like. The output shaft of the motor 3 is a small gear 25.
Is connected, and the large gear 24 is connected to the upper end supporting portion 6A of the screw shaft 6, and the rotational force of the motor 3 is transmitted to the screw shaft 6 via the small gear 25 and the large gear 24. . The small gear 25, the large gear 24, the upper end support portion 28 of the footrest guide shaft 9, and the like on the upper plate are covered with a cover 26.

When using the wheelchair electric footrest of the present invention, the wheelchair electric footrest is attached to the wheelchair by fixing both ends of the support plate 1 to the two front vertical frames of the wheelchair. The motor 3 is connected to the operation switch on the wheelchair and the battery by wiring.
FIG. 1 shows a state in which the footrest 19 is at an intermediate position in the vertical direction. The spring 29 is set in a compressed state from the beginning when the footrest 19 is at the upper limit position,
The spring 29 suppresses the play between the screw shaft 6 and the nut 12 and the play between the footrest guide shaft 9 and the small diameter hole of the footrest arm 13. When the footrest 19 moves downward, the spring 29 is further compressed and a repulsive force is accumulated in the spring 29. And footrest 19
When is moved upward, the repulsive force accumulated in the spring 29 urges the footrest arm 13 and the footrest 19 upward, and assists the rotation of the motor 3.

The rotating force of the motor 3 is the small gear 25 and the large gear 24.
Is transmitted to the screw shaft 6 via the nut 12, and the nut 12 moves upward or downward according to the rotation of the screw shaft 6, and the footrest arm 13 and the footrest 19 connected to the nut 12 also move upward or downward. When the occupant operates the operation switch, the rotation direction and rotation / stop of the motor 3 are controlled,
The footrest 19 can be stopped and maintained at a position (height) desired by the occupant, for example, at a comfortable position on the body. Footrest 19 for passengers to easily get on and off when getting on or off
The footrest 19 can be stopped at the position (ground contact position or position separated from the ground by a predetermined distance). Also, when the wheelchair is stopped, the footrest 19 can be brought into contact with the ground to operate the brakes.
It is also effective for safety.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In the description of FIG. 2, the same members as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals (or their suffixes A or B), and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified. Also in the second embodiment, both ends of the support plate 1 are fixed to two front vertical frames of a wheelchair (not shown). In FIG. 2, the support plate 1 is fixed to the rear surface of the upper plate 4 with bolts or the like. Therefore, the left side of FIG. 2 is the left side of the present invention, the right side of FIG. 2 is the right side of the present invention, and the front direction of FIG. 2 is the rear side of the present invention.
The direction behind is the front of the present invention.

The electric footrest for a wheelchair shown in FIG. 2 is shown in FIG.
There are two footrest guide shafts 9 (footrest guide shafts 9A and 9B), and two stepped holes 23A and 23B are formed in one footrest arm 33 to form two stepped holes 23.
The feature is that two footrest guide shafts 9A and 9B are inserted into A and 23B, and the screw shaft supporter 2 of FIG. 1 is omitted. The screw shaft 6 and the footrest guide shafts 9A and 9B are connected to the upper plate 4, and the nut 12 is non-rotatably supported inside the stepped hole 31 of the footrest arm 33.

In FIG. 2, a stepped hole having a large diameter on the lower side is formed in the central portion of the upper plate 4, and the outer ring of the bearing 5 is supported by a clearance fit in the large diameter portion of the stepped hole. The upper support portion 6A of the screw shaft 6 is press-fitted into the inner ring of the bearing 5, the upper support portion 6A is inserted through the small diameter portion of the stepped hole, and the step portion of the screw shaft 6 is brought into contact with the lower surface of the inner ring. The upward movement of 6 is restricted. A support plate is in contact with the lower side of the bearing 5, and the support plate is fixed to the upper plate 4 by bolts or the like. A spacer is inserted in the upper support portion 6A, and a large gear 24 is mounted on the upper portion of the spacer. The rotational force of the motor 3 is transmitted to the screw shaft 6 via a small gear and a large gear 24 (not shown). ing.

Insertion holes 34A and 34B are formed at the right and left positions of the stepped hole of the upper plate 4, and the upper end support portions 28A and 28B of the footrest guide shafts 9A and 9B are inserted into the insertion holes 34A and 34B, respectively. Footrest guide shaft 9 on the bottom
The step portions of A and 9B come into contact with each other, and the footrest guide shaft 9
The upward movement of A and 9B is restricted. Top support 28
Nuts 20A and 20B are screwed into male threads of the upper ends of A and 28B, and the upper ends of the footrest guide shafts 9A and 9B are fixed and supported by the upper plate 4.

The footrest arm 33 is formed by forming stepped holes 23A, 23B and a stepped hole 31 in the vertical direction in a rectangular block. As shown in FIG. 2 (b), a stepped hole 31 is formed at the central position, and stepped holes 23A, 23 are provided at the left and right positions of the stepped hole 31.
B is formed. The structure of the stepped holes 23A and 23B is shown in FIG.
Similar to the stepped hole 23, the footrest guide shafts 9A and 9B are inserted into the stepped holes 23A and 23B, respectively. Lower end support portions 30A, 30B of the footrest guide shafts 9A, 9B
Is inserted into the two insertion holes at both ends of the guide holder 7, and the nuts 32A and 32B are attached to the male screws of the lower end support portions 30A and 30B.
Are screwed together, and the guide holder 7 is fixed to the lower ends of the footrest guide shafts 9A and 9B. Stepped holes 23A, 23B
A spring 29 is provided between the step of the footrest and the lower ends of the footrest guide shafts 9A and 9B (both ends of the guide holder 7).
A and 29B are attached.

The stepped hole 31 has a large diameter portion, a medium diameter portion,
There is a small diameter part and a lower large diameter part, and a vertically long nut in the middle diameter part.
12 is mounted, and the lower end of the nut 12 is in contact with the stepped portion between the medium diameter portion and the small diameter portion. The nut 12 is screwed into the screw shaft 6, and a stopper having a dustproof function is fixed to the large diameter portion of the stepped hole 31. Since the vertical movement of the nut 12 in the footrest arm 33 is restricted by the stopper and the step, the nut 12 is not rotatable and is supported in a vertically movable state with respect to the footrest guide shafts 9A and 9B. ing. An annular protrusion is formed at the center of the upper surface of the guide holder 7, and the lower bearing 8 is formed inside the annular protrusion.
Is supported by a clearance fit, and the lower end support portion 6B of the screw shaft 6 is press-fitted into the inner ring of the bearing 8. The rotational movement of the screw shaft 6 is converted into vertical movement of the nut 12, and the vertical movement of the nut 12 is transmitted to the footrest arm 33 and the footrest 19. Screw shaft 6, footrest guide shafts 9A, 9B,
The footrest arms 33 are arranged so as to be parallel to each other. A lower end of a footrest arm 33 is fixed to a rear position at a substantially central portion in the left-right direction of one footrest 19 with a bolt or the like.

The other structure of FIG. 2 is similar to that of FIG. The function of the electric footrest for wheelchairs in Fig. 2 is also shown in Fig. 1.
This is the same as the function of the electric footrest for wheelchairs. Figure 1
Also, in the wheelchair electric footrest of FIG. 2, the screw shaft 6, the footrest guide shaft 9 (9A, 9B), and the footrest arm 13 (33) are arranged in parallel with each other. Therefore, the vertical movement of the nut 12 screwed onto the screw shaft 6 causes the footrest arm 13 (33) and the footrest 19 to move.
The footrest arm 13 (33) and the footrest 19 move in the vertical direction following the rotation of the screw shaft 6. And the footrest guide shaft 9 (9A, 9B)
And the screw shaft 6 are long, the footrest arm 13 (3
3) High rigidity. (In FIG. 1, the lower end of the footrest guide shaft 9 and the lower end of the screw shaft 6 are connected by a guide holder 7, and the footrest guide shaft 9 and the screw shaft 6 are connected by a nut 12, a connecting fitting 17, and a bolt 27. 2 is because the footrest guide shafts 9A and 9B are inserted into the stepped holes 23A and 23B of the footrest arm 33, and the screw shaft 6 is screwed into the nut 12 of the footrest arm 33.) Therefore, the wheelchair occupant Even if the load applied to the footrest 19 changes due to the change in the riding posture, the footrest 19 does not swing and moves vertically (up and down) in a stable state.

[0021]

The electric footrest for wheelchairs according to the first aspect of the present invention has one set of lifting devices for the footrests, so that the structure is simplified and the cost is reduced as compared with the prior art. Further, since the lower end of the footrest arm is connected to the rear position of one footrest and the area of the upper surface of the footrest is set to a size capable of moving both feet left and right by a predetermined distance, the distance between the feet of the wheelchair occupant is desired. With a distance, the foot can rest on any position of the footrest. Since the spring is mounted between the lower end of the footrest guide shaft and the step of the footrest arm, the electric footrest for wheelchairs according to claim 2 has a play between the screw shaft and the nut, and the footrest guide shaft and the footrest arm. The play between and is suppressed. Claims 3 and 4
The wheelchair electric footrest can be easily attached to and detached from the wheelchair using the connecting means.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 (a) is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of an electric footrest for wheelchairs according to the present invention as seen from the side.
1B is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 2 (a) is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the electric footrest for wheelchairs of the present invention as seen from the back side.
2B is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 2A.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Connection means (support plate) 4 Upper plate 6 screw shaft 9 Footrest guide shaft 12 nuts 13 footrest arm 19 footrest 23 Stepped hole 29 spring 33 footrest arm

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Kenji Hayashi             1 Ai 1-1-1, Kyowa-cho, Obu City, Aichi Prefecture             Sankogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tadamasa Osako             1 Ai 1-1-1, Kyowa-cho, Obu City, Aichi Prefecture             Sankogyo Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An electric footrest for wheelchair, wherein a footrest is connected to a lower end of a footrest arm, and the footrest is lifted and lowered by an electric lifting device. In the wheelchair electric footrest, a screw shaft is rotatably supported in a vertically immovable state, and the screw shaft is a motor. The footrest guide shaft is arranged in parallel with the screw shaft, and the footrest arm is vertically movable and guided in parallel with the footrest guide shaft. The upper part of is connected to the nut,
An electric footrest for wheelchairs, characterized in that the lower end of the footrest arm is connected to the rear position of one footrest, and the area of the upper surface of the footrest is large enough to move both feet left and right by a predetermined distance. 2. A screw shaft is supported by an upper plate via a bearing, an upper part of a footrest guide shaft is fixed to the upper plate, and a footrest arm has a stepped hole including an upper small diameter hole, a step portion and a large diameter hole. Formed, the footrest guide shaft is inserted into the stepped hole of the footrest arm,
The electric footrest for wheelchairs according to claim 1, wherein a spring is mounted between a lower end portion of the footrest guide shaft and a step portion of the footrest arm. 3. A cylindrical screw shaft supporter has an upper end fixed between the bearing and the upper plate, and a lower end of the screw shaft is supported by the lower end of the screw shaft supporter through a lower bearing, The electric footrest for wheelchairs according to claim 2, wherein the axle supporter is provided with a connecting means to a wheelchair. 4. The electric wheelchair electric system according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of footrest guide shafts are provided, a plurality of stepped holes are formed in one footrest arm, and a connecting means for a wheelchair is provided in the upper plate. Footrest.