JP2005112279A - Wheel mounting structure of wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wheel mounting structure of a wheelchair simplified in constitution and excellent in controllability. <P>SOLUTION: A hub cylinder 11 of a wheel 10 is fitted on left and right axles 121 respectively axially supported free to rotate left and right on a car body frame integrally to rotate and is mounted free to connect and disconnect with a positioning member 17 to regulate movement of the wheel 10 in the axial direction by engaging it with a projected end part 121b of the axle 121 projected on the outside in the axial direction by the hub cylinder 11 free to engage and disengage. A hub cover 15 to cover an outside end part of the axle 121 is mounted on the outside in the axial direction of the hub cylinder 11, a window hole or cutout part 15b furnished with at least two facing surfaces extending in the circumferential direction is provided at positions facing against each other with a rotating center of the axle 121 between them, and an operation part 17c to operate the positioning member 17 is made to face against the window hole 15b of the hub cover 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a wheelchair wheel mounting structure in which left and right wheels can be detachably mounted on an axle supported by a body frame.

  In a general manual wheelchair, large-diameter wheels (rear wheels) are supported on the left and right sides of the body frame. As a conventional rear wheel fixing method, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, the rear wheel 200 is fixed to an axle by a nut 201.

  A so-called simple electric wheelchair has an electric drive unit incorporated in the left and right wheels, and is configured to be able to run on its own by its driving force. The general configuration excluding the electric drive unit is substantially the same as that of a general manual type wheelchair, and is a relatively simple configuration, so that it is lightweight and can be folded. Recently, in consideration of convenience during transportation, it is known that a wheel is detachably attached to a vehicle body frame so that it can be stored compactly in a passenger car or the like.

  As a conventionally known wheel attachment / detachment structure, for example, in the one described in Patent Document 1, a locking body is idled in a holding hole provided in an inward extension portion of a sleeve fixed to a frame, A hub shaft having an engaging groove with which a locking body engages on the outer periphery of the inner portion and rotatably supporting the hub at the outer end is inserted into the sleeve.

  Moreover, in the thing of patent document 2, although this example is a wheel apparatus for baby strollers, the several hook which engages the one end part of insertion to the center hole of a wheel rim is provided around the one end part. The other end portion has a shaft tube provided with a flange and two presser plates extending laterally from the flange.

  Moreover, in the thing of patent document 3, the wheel is attached or detached with respect to a vehicle body frame by operation of the lever provided in the axial direction outer end part of the rod so that it can tilt freely.

JP-A-62-82958 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-61507 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-43240

However, in the conventional wheel mounting or attaching / detaching structure, for example, in the case of the electric wheelchair described in Patent Document 1, the hub becomes large in diameter, so that the attaching / detaching operation cannot be substantially performed with one hand.
Further, although the structure described in Patent Document 2 has a simple structure, the wheel cannot be removed with one hand because of the structure.
Further, the one described in Patent Document 3 can be operated with one hand, but has a problem that the structure becomes complicated.

  In view of such circumstances, the present invention has an object to provide a wheel mounting structure for a wheelchair that is simplified in configuration and excellent in operability and the like.

  The wheel mounting structure for a wheelchair according to the present invention is the wheel mounting structure for a wheelchair in which left and right wheels are detachably mounted on an axle supported by the body frame, and the wheel mounting structure is rotatably supported on the left and right of the body frame, respectively. The wheel hub cylinder is fitted to the left and right axles in a rotationally integrated manner, and is engaged with the projecting end of the axle projecting axially outward from the hub cylinder so that the wheel can move in the axial direction. A hub cover that covers the projecting end of the axle is attached to the outside of the hub cylinder in the axial direction, and the hub cover has a circular shape at a position facing the center of rotation of the axle. A window hole or notch having at least two opposing surfaces extending in the circumferential direction is provided, and an operation unit for operating the positioning member faces the window hole or notch of the hub cover. Characterized in that was.

  In the wheel mounting structure for a wheelchair according to the present invention, the positioning member engages with a circumferential groove provided at a position corresponding to an axially outer end surface of the hub cylinder at the protruding end portion of the axle. A stopper lever provided with an engaging portion for fixing the operation lever and the operation portion is pivotally supported on a support shaft provided on the hub cover in parallel to the axle, and the operation portion of the stopper lever is provided on the hub cover. It is characterized by being arranged so as to be swingable along the hole or notch.

  In the wheelchair wheel mounting structure of the present invention, the stopper lever of the positioning member is provided with a biasing means for constantly biasing the engaging portion in a direction in which the engaging portion is engaged with the circumferential groove of the axle. The protruding end portion of the axle is formed in a tapered shape.

  Further, in the wheel mounting structure for a wheelchair according to the present invention, the positioning member includes a plurality of stopper levers, and an operation direction for releasing the engagement with the axle is set in the same direction around the axle. To do.

  In the wheel mounting structure for a wheelchair according to the present invention, the operation portion of the positioning member is disposed in a recess of the window hole or the notch portion of the hub cover.

  In the wheel mounting structure for a wheelchair according to the present invention, for example, when removing the wheel, the engagement between the stopper lever and the axle is released by rotating the operation part facing the window hole or notch of the hub cover. . Although this operation can be easily performed with one hand, the wheel can be gripped as it is by placing the finger of the hand operated simultaneously with this operation on the window hole of the hub cover. Subsequently, the wheel can be easily and accurately removed by gripping the wheel and pulling it outward in the axial direction.

  According to the present invention, while having a relatively simple configuration, there is an advantage that the wheel can be easily and accurately attached and removed by one-hand operation, is excellent in operability, is extremely easy to use, and is improved in handleability.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a wheel mounting structure for a wheelchair according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a left side view showing an embodiment of an electric wheelchair to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a rear (rear) view of the electric wheelchair. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wheelchair 100 includes a pair of left and right frames 101L and 101R (body frame) in which steel pipes, aluminum pipes and the like are combined, for example. The wheelchair 100 is configured to be foldable inward in the vehicle width direction by the cross member 102 installed on the wheelchair.

  A seating portion 103 for a passenger (not shown) is installed between the left and right frames 101L and 101R. In addition, a backrest 104 is installed between the left and right frames 101L and 101R on the rear upper side of the seat 103. Furthermore, a pair of armrests 105 are provided on the upper left and right sides of the seating portion 103. A pair of left and right helper (not shown) push handles 106 are provided at the upper rear of the backrest 104.

  A pair of left and right rear wheels 10L, 10R are pivotally mounted as drive wheels on the lower rear portions of the frames 101L, 101R. The mounting structure of the rear wheels 10L and 10R will be described later. In addition, hand rims for the passenger to manually drive the rear wheels 10L, 10R are provided outside the rear wheels 10L, 10R. On the other hand, a pair of left and right caster-type front wheels 108 are provided as steering wheels via support arms 107 at the lower front portions of the frames 101L and 101R, and a pair of foldable left and right footrests 109 are provided in front of the front wheels 108. It is done.

  Inside the left and right rear wheels 10L, 10R, power units 111L, 111R having electric motors 110L, 110R for driving the rear wheels are mounted on the rear wheels 10L, 10R, respectively. Further, between the left and right frames 101L and 101R, behind the backrest 104, above one power unit, in this embodiment, above the right rear wheel 10R power unit 111R, there is an electric motor drive battery 112 storage portion 113 and an electric motor. A control device 114 for the motors 110L and 110R is provided, and a battery 112, which is an electrical component, is detachably attached to the storage portion 113 of the battery 112.

  A brake device 115 is provided for each of the rear wheels 10L and 10R on the side of the left and right frames 101L and 101R and in front of the left and right rear wheels 10L and 10R. Further, for example, the front wheel 108 of the wheelchair 100 may be lifted upward when climbing over a level difference. In this case, in order to prevent the wheelchair 100 from tilting greatly toward the rear, A pair of left and right auxiliary wheels 116 extend rearward and obliquely downward via a stay 117.

  On the other hand, for example, a controller case 118 is detachably attached to the front portion of the right frame 101R via another stay 119. On the upper surface of the controller case 118, for example, a joystick lever 120 that allows the passenger to control the traveling direction and traveling speed of the wheelchair 100 is provided in an upright state, and the remaining amount of the battery 112, the travelable time, etc. are displayed. A display is also provided.

  Here, the left and right power units 111L and 111R have symmetrical shapes and layouts and are structurally identical. Hereinafter, description will be given using the left power unit 111L.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the power unit 111L transmits the electric motor 110L in a separable casing made of, for example, aluminum die cast, and the rotational driving force of the electric motor 110L to the rear wheel 10L, and supports the rear wheel 10L. The rear wheel shaft 121 (axle), the reduction gear mechanism 122 provided between the electric motor 110L and the rear wheel shaft 121, the electric motor 110L and the rear wheel shaft 121, and the electric motor 110L and the rear wheel shaft 121. It is equipped with a clutch mechanism that connects and disconnects.

  The electric motor 110L is arranged so that the output shaft 123 thereof is parallel to the rear wheel shaft 121 as shown in FIG. 4, and is protruded from the power unit 111L toward the inside of the wheelchair 100 as shown in FIG. Arranged.

  On the other hand, the driven gear 125 of the first reduction gear shaft 124 arranged in parallel with the output shaft 123 is operatively connected to the end portion of the output shaft 123 of the electric motor 110L protruding to the rear wheel side in FIG. In addition, a drive gear 126 of the first reduction gear shaft 124 is operatively connected to a driven gear 128 of a second reduction gear shaft 127 arranged in parallel with the first reduction gear shaft 124. Further, the drive gear 129 of the second reduction gear shaft 127 is operatively connected to the driven gear 130 of the rear wheel shaft 121 arranged in parallel with the second reduction gear shaft 127.

  The drive gear 129 of the second reduction gear shaft 127 is slidable in the axial direction of the second reduction gear shaft 127. Then, a clutch mechanism that connects / disconnects the connection between the electric motor 110L and the rear wheel shaft 121 by being connected to or disconnected from the driven gear 130 provided integrally with the second reduction gear shaft 127 in a rotating manner.

  The operation of the clutch mechanism is performed by a clutch lever 131 that is an operation means of the clutch mechanism and is fixed to a clutch shaft that protrudes inward in the width direction of the wheelchair 100 from the power unit 111L. The clutch lever 131 is provided in each of the left and right power units 111L and 111R.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the rear wheel 10 </ b> L is attached to the rear wheel shaft 121 that protrudes from the power unit 111 </ b> L toward the outer side in the width direction of the wheelchair 100 (see arrow OUT). The rear wheel 10L includes a hub cylinder 11, a tire 12, spokes stretched between the rim of the tire 12 and the hub cylinder 11, and a hand rim 14 attached to the rim of the tire 12 (see FIG. 1). A hub cover 15 that covers the protruding end portion of the rear wheel shaft 121 is attached to the outer side of the hub cylinder 11 in the axle direction.

  Now, in the wheel mounting structure of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, the hub cylinder 11 is formed in a generally bowl shape covering the power unit 111L from the outside, and has a boss portion 11a protruding from the inner central portion thereof. The rear wheel shaft 121 is attached to the shaft. In this case, in particular, a spline 121a is formed on the rear wheel shaft 121 that is the output shaft of the power unit 111L. A sleeve 16 having a spline 16 a that engages with the spline 121 a of the rear wheel shaft 121 is fixed to the boss portion 11 a of the hub cylinder 11. Accordingly, the hub cylinder 11 is fitted to the rear wheel shaft 121 through the spline 16a and the spline 121a so as to rotate together, and can be inserted / removed in the axle direction. Note that the tip of the protruding end 121b of the rear wheel shaft 121 protruding outward in the axial direction from the hub cylinder 11 is provided with a taper 121c that is appropriately tapered.

  The hub cylinder 11 is attached to the rear wheel shaft 121 as shown in FIG. A stopper lever 17 functioning as a positioning member is detachably engaged with the protruding end 121b of the rear wheel shaft 121, thereby restricting movement of the rear wheel 10L in the axial direction. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, it has a pair of stopper lever 17 arrange | positioned around the rear-wheel axis | shaft 121. As shown in FIG. The stopper lever 17 is supported inside the hub cover 15 as will be described later.

  Here, the hub cover 15 is fastened and fixed to the outer side of the hub cylinder 11 concentrically by bolts 18. In this example, as shown in FIG. 5, four bolt fastening portions 15 a are formed along the circumferential direction of the hub cover 15. The hub cover 15 is provided with a window hole (or notch) 15b having at least two opposing surfaces extending in the circumferential direction at positions facing each other across the rotation center of the rear wheel shaft 121. The size and the like of the window hole 15b are set such that at least several fingers can be inserted and hung. Further, a boss portion 15 c for supporting the stopper lever 17 protrudes from the inside of the hub cover 15 at a position facing the rotation center of the rear wheel shaft 121.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the stopper lever 17 is formed in a step shape in the illustrated example, and a pin hole 17 a into which the support pin 19 is fitted, and an axially outer end surface of the hub cylinder 11 at the protruding end portion 121 b of the rear wheel shaft 121. Are provided with an engaging portion 17b that engages with a circumferential groove 121d provided at a position corresponding to, and that fixes the rear wheel shaft 121, and an operating portion 17c for rotating around the support pin 19. The plate thickness of the stopper lever 17 is set slightly thinner than the width of the circumferential groove 121d of the protruding end 121b.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the support pin 19 is fitted into the screw portion 19 a that is screwed to the boss portion 15 c of the hub cover 15, the flange portion 19 b that is in contact with the end surface of the boss portion 15 c, and the pin hole 17 a of the stopper lever 17. And a shaft portion 19c.

  The stopper lever 17 is swingably supported by the hub cover 15 via the support pins 19 provided on the hub cover 15 in parallel with the rear wheel shaft 121 as described above. In this case, the operation portion 17c of the stopper lever 17 is disposed so as to face the window hole 15b of the hub cover 15, and when the stopper lever 17 swings around the support pin 19, the operation portion 17c and the window hole 15b are mutually connected. To avoid interference. The operation portion 17c is disposed in the recess of the window hole 15b, that is, disposed without protruding to the outside of the hub cover 15.

  The stopper lever 17 is provided with an urging means for constantly urging the engaging portion 17b in a direction to engage the circumferential groove 121d of the rear wheel shaft 121, in this example, a torsion coil spring 20. As shown in FIG. 4, one end 20 a of the torsion coil spring 20 wound around the boss portion 15 c of the hub cover 15 is hooked at an appropriate position of the stopper lever 17. On the other hand, a protrusion 15d for hooking the other end 20b of the torsion coil spring 20 is provided inside the hub cover 15, and the engaging portion 17b of the stopper lever 17 is normally connected to the rear wheel shaft by the elasticity of the torsion coil spring 20. Engage with the circumferential groove 121 d of 121.

  In the above configuration, the left and right rear wheels 10L and 10R are normally disposed on both sides of the wheelchair 100 as shown in FIGS. At this time, the hub cylinder 11 attached to the rear wheel shaft 121 moves in the axial direction of the rear wheel shaft 121 by engaging the stopper lever 17 with the protruding end portion 121b of the rear wheel shaft 121 as shown in FIGS. Is restricted, that is, the rear wheels 10L and 10R are properly attached.

  For example, when removing the rear wheels 10L and 10R, the operation portions 17c of the stopper levers 17 facing the window holes 15b of the hub cover 15 as shown in FIG. The finger of the other hand is hooked on and turned clockwise CW in the figure against the elasticity of the torsion coil spring 20. When the stopper lever 17 swings around the support pin 19, the engagement between the engaging portion 17 b of the stopper lever 17 and the circumferential groove 121 d of the rear wheel shaft 121 is released. In this case, since the operation direction for releasing the engagement by the pair of stopper levers 17 is set in the same direction with the rear wheel shaft 121 as the center, it can be easily performed with one hand.

  As described above, when the stopper lever 17 is rotated, the rear wheels 10L and 10R can be gripped as they are by inserting the finger of the operating hand into the window hole 17b of the hub cover 17 and hooking it. Subsequently, the rear wheels 10L and 10R can be easily and accurately removed by gripping and pulling the rear wheels 10L and 10R outward in the axial direction.

  On the other hand, when attaching the rear wheels 10L and 10R to the wheelchair 100, the other hand holds the window hole 17b portion of the hub cover 17 while supporting the wheelchair 100 so that the wheelchair 100 does not fall down. Then, by pressing the rear wheels 10L and 10R, the protruding end portion 121b of the rear wheel shaft 121 passes through the spline 121a provided on the boss portion 11a of the hub cylinder 11. The protruding end 121b contacts the engaging portion 17b of the stopper lever 17, and in this case, the taper 121c of the protruding end 121b enters the gap between the engaging portions 17b and widens the gap. Further, when the taper 121c portion has passed over the engaging portion 17b, the engaging portion 17b of the stopper lever 17 and the circumferential groove 121d of the rear wheel shaft 121 are automatically engaged by the elasticity of the torsion coil spring 20. As described above, even when the rear wheels 10L and 10R are attached to the wheelchair 100, the rear wheels 10L and 10R can be easily and appropriately attached.

  In the wheel mounting structure of the present invention, the rear wheels 10L, 10R and the rear wheel shaft 121 are coupled together in a rotating manner, so that the positioning member can be integrally disposed on the rear wheels 10L, 10R side, thereby making the structure It can be simplified.

  Further, a window hole 17b is extended along the circumferential direction in the hub cover 17 provided at the center of rotation of the rear wheels 10L and 10R, and the rear wheels 10L and 10R are held with one hand by grasping the window hole 17b portion. be able to. Thus, since the rear wheels 10L and 10R can be detached and attached with one hand, it is extremely excellent in handleability or usability. Further, at this time, since the operating portion 17c of the stopper lever 17 faces the window hole 15b of the hub cover 15, the disengagement operation by the positioning member and the subsequent gripping operation can be smoothly performed as a series of operations without changing the hand. It can be done quickly.

  In this case, since the positioning member is arranged on the side of the hub cover 15 that is separate from the rear wheels 10L and 10R, the number of replacement parts on the rear wheels 10L and 10R itself can be reduced. This makes it possible to easily change the specifications such as the presence / absence of the detachable device of the present invention according to the user's request.

  Further, there is a biasing means for constantly biasing the stopper lever 17 in the direction in which the stopper lever 17 is engaged with the rear wheel shaft 121, and the protruding end portion 121 b of the rear wheel shaft 121 has a taper 121 c. With this structure, particularly when the rear wheels 10L and 10R are mounted, the positioning member is automatically engaged with the rear wheel shaft 121 without any operation of the stopper lever 17, and the rear wheels 10L and 10R are locked in an appropriate mounting state. Can do.

  Further, a plurality of stopper levers 17 are provided, and their operating directions are set in the same direction around the rear wheel shaft 121. Since a plurality of stopper levers 17 are engaged from both sides of the rear wheel shaft 121, a reliable and proper positioning function is exhibited, and a series of operations can be smoothly performed as a whole while having a plurality of such levers. Excellent in properties.

  Further, the operation portion 17 c of the stopper lever 17 is disposed in a recess of the window hole 15 b of the hub cover 15. Thus, since the operation part 17c is arranged without protruding outside the hub cover 15, the positioning function by the stopper lever 17 is not obstructed by contacting with surrounding obstacles or the like while the wheelchair 100 is traveling, and is high. Guarantee safety.

As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated with various embodiment, this invention is not limited only to these embodiment, A change etc. are possible within the scope of the present invention.
For example, although the example of the wheelchair 100 has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention can be effectively applied to a mounting structure of a rotating shaft and a rotating member that is detachably attached to the rotating shaft.

It is a side view of the wheelchair concerning the example of application of the present invention. It is a rear view of the wheelchair concerning the example of application of the present invention. It is a front view which shows the wheel mounting structure of the wheelchair of this invention. It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the hub cover which concerns on the wheel attachment structure of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the stopper lever which concerns on the wheel attachment structure of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the support pin which concerns on the wheel attachment structure of this invention. It is a front view which shows the effect | action in the wheel mounting structure of the wheelchair of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the wheel of the conventional wheelchair.

Explanation of symbols

10L, 10R Rear wheel 11 Hub cylinder 12 Tire 13 Spoke 14 Hand rim 15 Hub cover 16 Sleeve 17 Stopper lever 19 Support pin 20 Torsion coil spring 100 Wheelchair

Claims (5)

In a wheelchair wheel mounting structure in which left and right wheels are detachably mounted on an axle supported by a body frame,
A wheel hub cylinder is fitted to the left and right axles rotatably supported on the left and right sides of the vehicle body frame so as to rotate together, and is engaged with a protruding end portion of the axle that protrudes axially outward from the hub cylinder. Removably attached with a positioning member that removably engages and restricts movement of the wheel in the axial direction,
A hub cover that covers the protruding end portion of the axle is attached to the outside of the hub cylinder in the axial direction, and the hub cover has at least two opposing surfaces extending in a circumferential direction at positions facing each other across the rotation center of the axle. A window hole or notch is provided,
A wheel mounting structure for a wheelchair, characterized in that an operation portion for operating the positioning member faces the window hole or notch portion of the hub cover.   The positioning member includes an engaging portion that engages with a circumferential groove provided at a position corresponding to an axially outer end surface of the hub cylinder at the protruding end portion of the axle and fixes the wheel. The stopper lever is pivotally supported on a support shaft provided in the hub cover in parallel with the axle, and the operation portion of the stopper lever is swingable along the window hole or notch provided in the hub cover. The wheel mounting structure for a wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the wheel mounting structure is provided.   The stopper lever of the positioning member is provided with urging means for constantly urging the engaging portion in a direction in which the engaging portion is engaged with the circumferential groove of the axle, and the protruding end portion of the axle is tapered. The wheel mounting structure for a wheelchair according to claim 2, wherein the wheel mounting structure is formed as follows.   The wheel of the wheelchair according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the positioning member includes a plurality of stopper levers, and an operation direction for releasing the engagement with the axle is set in the same direction around the axle. Mounting structure.   The wheel mounting structure for a wheelchair according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the operation portion of the positioning member is disposed in a recess of the window hole or notch portion of the hub cover. .

Images