JP2005112620A - Elevator for wheel chair - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an elevator for a wheel chair capable of being easily attached to and detached from stairs and being easily transferred to and installed on stairs having any width and having excellent safety. <P>SOLUTION: This elevator for the wheel chair is provided with two guide parts 2, 2 to be installed at a predetermined interval on stairs 1, a traveling part 3 provided between these guide parts 2 and 2 and elevating and lowering along the guide parts 2, and a control part 4 for controlling running of the traveling part 3. Gears 5, 6 are provided in both end parts of respective guide parts 2, and a chain 7 is stretched between these gears 5. A driving motor 8, a brake 9, and sensors for detecting rotation amount of the gears 5 are connected with the gear 5 on one side. The traveling part 3 is locked in the chain 7. The control part 4 controls the motor 8 to make rotation amount of respective left and right gears 5, 5 the same using signals from both sensors as inputs, detects difference in rotation amount of respective left and right gears 5, 5 when the difference occurs, stops the motor 8, and starts the brake 9. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a lift for a wheelchair that can be easily lifted and lowered by being attached to a staircase.

  Conventionally, when a wheelchair is moved on a staircase having a relatively small number of steps in a care facility or a hospital, an elevator that can be installed on the staircase is sometimes used. As such an elevator, there is one in which a rail is provided on the wall of the staircase or the staircase itself, a pallet is provided along the rail, and a driving motor is attached to the pallet so that the elevator can be moved up and down.

  However, the conventional apparatus is large-scale and has a structure that is not easy to remove once attached. In addition, since a part of the stairs is always occupied, it cannot be installed unless the stairs are wide and it is difficult to install in a residence.

In order to solve such a problem, the present applicant has already provided the apparatus shown in Patent Document 1. In this device, a rail provided with a rack gear is installed on a staircase, and a pallet on which a wheelchair is placed is provided on this rail. The pallet is provided with a driving mechanism and a pinion gear, and is configured to travel by meshing the rack gear and the pinion gear. And when not used as an elevator, the pallet surface can be lowered to the same level as the floor surface, so that it can be installed without substantially reducing the effective width of the stairs.
JP 2002-87735 A

  However, since the above-described elevator is provided with a driving device on the side of the moving pallet, it is inevitably heavy, and at the time of installation or removal, two or more workers hold the pallet and support it on the rail. Need to be made. In addition, since the power must be supplied to the moving pallet, the electrical structure is complicated. In addition, when installed on the stairs, it is also necessary to prevent the elevator from becoming an obstacle when a healthy person uses the stairs by setting the rail width and height within a certain range.

  Therefore, the present applicant distributes the weight of each member as much as possible and simplifies the electrical wiring so that one worker can attach and detach to the stairs, and the rail width and height are also reduced. A structure has been developed in which drive units and other devices are distributed so as to fit within the specified dimensions. The present invention has been made on the basis of the circumstances as described above, and can be easily attached to and detached from the stairs, and can be easily transferred to stairs of various widths, and is compact and excellent in safety. It is an object to provide a lift for a wheelchair.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention includes the following specific matters. Two guide portions 2, 2 to be installed on the staircase 1 at a predetermined interval, a moving portion 3 provided between the guide portions 2, 2 and moving up and down along the guide portion 2, Each of the guide portions 2 is provided with gears 5 and 6 at both ends thereof, and a chain 7 is stretched between the gears 5. The gear 5 is connected to a driving motor 8, a brake 9, and a sensor 10 that detects the amount of rotation of the gear 5, the moving unit 3 is locked to the chain 7, and the control unit 4 When the signals from the sensors 10 and 10 are input and the motor 8 is controlled so that the rotation amounts of the left and right gears 5 and 5 are the same, if there is a difference between the rotation amounts of the left and right gears 5 and 5 Is detected, the motor 8 is stopped and the brake 9 is started. To your.

(Guide part 2)
It is an external rail shape provided along the longitudinal direction of the stairs, and for example, C-shaped steel or the like is used. Moreover, it can be installed so as to respond to changes in the slope angle of the stairs.
(Moving part 3)
It can be formed of a pallet-shaped object on which a wheelchair is placed and a square iron plate or the like whose top surface is non-slip processed. In addition, the guide unit 2 can be detachably provided. Therefore, it is possible to exchange for a different size according to the use situation.
(Control unit 4)
Sequence operation is stored in the microcomputer, and signals from the sensor 10 are monitored to control the rotation speeds of the left and right motors. If there is a difference between the rotation speeds of the left and right motors, the motors It is designed to be safe by stopping.
(Gear 5, 6)
Chains 7 are provided at both ends in the guide portion 2. The gear 5 can be provided with an auxiliary gear for connecting to the motor 8. The auxiliary gear may be a chain gear or a flat gear.
(Motor 8)
As the motor, a DC servo type or an AC servo type is suitable. In addition to a general control method, a vector motor control system that controls the torque and magnetic flux of the motor by feeding back the current and voltage of the drive circuit can be adopted. .
(Brake 9)
Examples include a multi-panel type, a drum brake shoe type, and a disk type. The drive can be exemplified by a servo motor, hydraulic pressure, solenoid plunger, and the like.
(Sensors 10 and 10)
An amount of rotation of the gear 5, that is, a moving distance of the moving unit 3, is detected. An optical rotary encoder in which holes at predetermined intervals are provided in a disk connected to the gear 5, and photo interrupters are provided on both sides of the hole, An electromagnetic rotary encoder can be used.

  In this configuration, the drive mechanism is provided in a distributed manner in the guide portion 2, and the moving portion 3 has no drive mechanism, so that the weight of each member can be dispersed moderately, and the movement that is most difficult to mount is performed. Since the part 3 is extremely light, it can be attached and detached by one person. In addition, if there is a difference in the number of rotations of the left and right motors, the motor can be stopped for safety.

  The control unit 4 according to the present invention receives signals from both sensors 10 and 10 and controls the motor 8 so that the rotation amounts of the left and right gears 5 and 5 are the same. When there is a difference between the rotation amounts of 5 and 5, this is detected, and the motor 8 is stopped and at least one of the motors 8 is rotated to control the rotation amounts of both the gears 5 and 5 to coincide. desirable. In this configuration, after the moving unit 3 is stopped, the position of the moving unit 3 can be returned to the normal position, so that safety and comfort can be further improved.

  The sensors 10 and 10 that detect the rotation amounts of the motor 8, the brake 9, and the gears 5 and 5 can be provided in a housing 21 that is separate from the gears 5 and 5 and the chain 7. With such a configuration, only the motor 8, the brake 9, or the sensors 10, 10 can be attached and detached, and replacement at the time of failure becomes easy. Further, the wheelchair 11 is mounted on the moving part 3, and a stopper 13 formed in a plate shape is hinged to be configured to hold the wheelchair 11. In this configuration, the safety of the wheelchair is further increased. Secured. In addition, by providing them in separate housings, they can be combined as appropriate, and the width and height of the guide portion can be adjusted as appropriate.

  Further, a strain sensor 12 is provided in the moving unit 3, and the output of the strain sensor 12 is input to the control unit. When the moving unit 3 is distorted, the motor 8 is controlled in a direction to reduce the distortion. be able to. A strain sensor can be used as the strain sensor 12. In this configuration, in addition to the case where there is a difference in the rotational speeds of the motors 8 and 8, when the stress is actually applied to the moving unit 3, this is detected and the motors 8 are individually controlled to minimize the distortion. It is possible to return to the optimum state.

  In addition, the elevator for a wheelchair according to the present invention separately forms a first housing containing the motor 8 and the brake 9 and a second housing containing the chain, and the first housing is placed on the second housing. It can be set as the structure arrange | positioned in piles. By setting it as such a structure, it becomes possible to make the rail width | variety of the guide part 2 small, and to ensure the width | variety which can be used as a staircase.

According to the present invention, the guide portion is completely independent on the left and right, and is electrically interlocked by connecting with a connector or the like. Does not require technology. Furthermore, since there is no heavy object such as a drive mechanism in the moving part that is difficult to mount, the mounting work by one person is possible. In this case, even if the width of the moving portion is changed, the left and right guide portions can be installed so as to correspond thereto.
On the other hand, in the configuration where the strain sensor is provided in the moving part, in addition to the case where there is a difference in the rotation speed of the left and right motors, this is detected when the moving part is actually stressed, and each motor is individually detected. Therefore, safety can be further improved.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.
FIG. 1 is a side view of the entire elevator, and the elevator is detachably mounted on the stairs 1. Incidentally, the staircase 1 is preferably a low one of about four steps.
Two rail-shaped guide portions 2 and 2 are installed on the stairs 1 at a predetermined interval. The guide portion 2 is provided with gears 5 and 6 at both ends in a lightweight C-shaped steel body, and a chain 7 is stretched between the gears 5 and 6. Thus, when the gear 5 is rotated, the chain 7 moves and rotates together with the gear 6.

At both ends of the guide portion 2, bases 50 for fixing to the staircase 1 and the floor 1 a are provided. The base 50 has a base 51 in contact with the staircase 1 and the floor 1a. The base 51 is provided with a long hole 52 and a shaft portion 55 that is fixed to the guide portion 2. One end of a rod 53 is slidably fixed to the elongated hole 52 (56). The other end of the rod 53 is fixed to the guide portion 2 (54).
As described above, the base 50 can fix the guide portion 2 at an arbitrary angle by moving the rod 53 within the range of the long hole 52.

A traveling carriage 40 is slidably mounted inside the guide portion 2. Four rollers 41 are rotatably attached to the traveling carriage 40, and the traveling carriage 40 is configured to move without resistance when the rollers 41 travel along the guide portion 2.
The traveling carriage 40 is connected to the chain 7 and can move in the guide portion 2 in conjunction with the chain 7.

The traveling carriage 40 is provided with a plate-like moving part 3 via a shaft 39. The moving unit 3 moves up and down along the guide unit 2 and includes a table 31 made of steel plate. A wheelchair is placed on the table 31. Fixing plates 30 are attached to the left and right ends of one end of the table 31 with bolts 38. The fixing plate 30 is provided with a fixing hole 35 and is fixed to the table 31 via a rod bar 34.

More specifically, rod attachment portions 32 are provided at the left and right ends of the table 31, and one end of the rod bar 34 is provided at the rod attachment portion 32. On the other hand, an adjuster 36 is provided at the other end of the rod bar 34, and the adjuster 36 is provided with a number of holes 37 used for angle adjustment.
The moving part 3 can be fixed to the guide part 2 at an arbitrary angle by fixing one of the holes 37 and the fixing hole 35 with a bolt or the like. Actually, it is preferable to adjust so that the table 31 and the floor 1a are parallel to each other.

As shown in FIG. 7, the wheelchair 11 is mounted on the moving part 3, and stoppers 13 and 13 formed in a plate shape at the front and rear ends of the table 31 are hinged to ensure safety. The stopper 13 can be automatically flipped up and folded. In other words, the stopper 13 on the front end side is provided with an arm portion 13c that is engaged with an auxiliary guide 13b provided on the guide portion 2. When the table 31 reaches the upper end (second floor) of the stairs, the arm portion 13c is guided by the auxiliary guide 13b, the stopper 13 falls forward, and the wheelchair 11 can move forward.
On the other hand, when the table 31 reaches the lower end (first floor) of the stairs, the stopper 13 is urged in the horizontal direction by the push-up bar 13a linked to the stopper 13, and the wheelchair 11 can move forward.
As shown in FIG. 5, the strain sensor 12 is provided on the shaft 39, and the output signal changes when a strain force is applied to the shaft 39.

  A guide body 2 is provided with a housing 21. The housing 21 includes a motor 8, a brake 9, a sensor 10 that detects the amount of rotation of the gear 5, and a control unit 4 that controls the traveling of the moving unit 3. The motor 8 is used for vector motor control that controls the torque and magnetic flux of the motor by feeding back the current and voltage of the drive circuit. The specifications of the motor 8 are 120W type, and the power source is a 24V battery.

  3 and 4, a reduction gear 8a is connected to the motor 8, and a gear 8b is attached to the output of the reduction gear 8a. The gear 8b rotates the brake 9 via a chain 8c. A sensor (rotary encoder) 10 for detecting the amount of rotation is attached to the speed reducer 8a. A gear 9 a is provided at the output of the brake 9, and this gear is connected to a gear 5 a integrated with the gear 5 through a chain 5 b. The brake 9 is electrically controlled for braking force.

  The housing 21 is provided with a power switch 4 b and a lift switch 4 c, which are connected to the control unit 4. The control unit 4 receives signals from the sensors 10 and 10 and controls the motor 8 while monitoring the rotation amounts of the left and right gears 5 and 5 to be the same. As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 4 includes a microcomputer that receives signals from the sensors 10 and 10 and the strain sensors 12 and 12 and a signal from the signal output of the motor 8. And the motor 8 and the brake 9 are controlled via the electric power control part 4a.

  In the embodiment of the invention described above, the weight of the guide portion 2 is about 45 kg, the weight of the moving portion 3 is about 20 kg, the lifting speed is 7.4 m / min, the lifting force 98 kg × 2, and the width of the table 31 is 800 mm. The length of the table 31 is 150 kg. And the moving part 3 can be raised-lowered with the wheelchair 11 put on as shown in FIG.

The operation will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
In the present invention, since the left and right drive mechanisms are independent, in the unlikely event that a speed difference occurs between them, the moving part 3 is bent, and in the worst case, the moving part 3 is inclined and the wheelchair 11 is displaced. May occur. For this reason, it is necessary to drive the moving part 3 with a stable posture at all times.
First, when the lift switch 4c is operated in step 100, the motor 8 is driven in step 101 to move the moving unit 3 in the designated direction. Here, the control unit 4 controls the motor 8 so that the signals from the sensors 10 and 10 are synchronized, that is, the rotation amounts of the left and right gears 5 and 5 are the same (step 102). If the control is smoothly performed, the process proceeds to step 103 and the moving unit 3 stops at the destination.

However, in the unlikely event that an uncorrectable difference occurs, the process proceeds from step A to step 104. In step 104, a control mode is selected. That is, when a difference that cannot be corrected occurs, this is detected and the motor 8 is stopped, and when the difference that cannot be corrected occurs, the motors 8 and 8 are individually finely adjusted to make the moving unit 3 normal. This mode returns to the position and drives again.
When the former mode is selected, the process proceeds from the affirmative branch Y to step 105, and the moving unit 3 is stopped. On the other hand, if the latter mode is selected, the process proceeds to step 106 from the negative branch N, finely adjusts the motors 8 and 8 individually, returns the moving unit 3 to the normal position, and operates again (step 107). Stop (step 103).
At this time, if the distortion sensor 12 is provided, correction based on the distortion of the actual moving unit 3 is possible. However, even if the strain sensor 12 is not provided, it is possible to detect a difference in a rotating part such as a gear and control the motor 8 to rotate in a direction to eliminate this difference.

As described above, according to the present invention, the driving mechanism is provided in a distributed manner in the guide portion 2 and the moving portion 3 has no driving mechanism, so that the weight of each member can be moderately dispersed. Since the moving part 3 which is difficult to attach is extremely light, it can be attached and detached by one person. In addition, if there is a difference in the number of rotations of the left and right motors, the motor can be stopped for safety.
Furthermore, since the drive mechanism can be separated into the left and right guide portions 2, it can be attached with an arbitrary width when attached. For this reason, it is possible to cope with any width of the moving unit 3, and it is easy to change after installation. That is, it is possible to prepare a plurality of types of moving portions 3 in advance and replace them as necessary. Since the moving unit 3 does not have a driving mechanism and is a simple plate-like body, it is possible to easily store a plurality of them and replace them as necessary.

It is a side view which shows the internal structure of the whole apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the internal structure of the guide part in embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the internal structure of the motor periphery in embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the internal structure of the motor periphery in embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the coupling | bond part of the guide part and moving part in embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the internal structure of the state which the moving part in embodiment of this invention moved to the guide part upper part. It is a perspective view which shows the state which put the wheelchair on the apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the apparatus in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the apparatus in embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Stairs 2 Guide part 3 Moving part 4 Control part 5,6 Gear 7 Chain 8 Motor 9 Brake 10 Sensor 11 Wheelchair 12 Strain sensor 13 Stopper 21 Housing

Claims (6)

  Two guide parts to be installed on the stairs at a predetermined interval, a moving part that is provided between these guide parts and moves up and down along the guide part, and a control part that controls the traveling of the moving part, Each of the guide portions is provided with gears at both ends thereof, and a chain is stretched between the gears. One of the gears has a driving motor, a brake, and a rotation amount of the rotating portion. A sensor for detection is connected, the moving unit is locked to the chain, and the control unit inputs signals from both sensors and controls the motor so that the rotation amounts of the left and right gears are the same. In addition, a wheelchair elevator characterized by detecting a difference in rotation amount between the left and right rotating parts and controlling the motor to stop and activate the brake.   Two guide parts to be installed on the stairs at a predetermined interval, a moving part that is provided between these guide parts and moves up and down along the guide part, and a control part that controls the traveling of the moving part, Each of the guide portions is provided with gears at both ends thereof, and a chain is stretched between the gears. One of the gears has a driving motor, a brake, and a rotation amount of the rotating portion. A sensor for detection is connected, the moving unit is locked to the chain, and the control unit receives signals from both sensors and controls the motor so that the rotation amounts of the left and right rotating parts are the same. In addition, control is performed to detect a difference between the rotation amounts of the left and right rotation parts, and to stop the motor and to rotate only at least one of the motors so that the rotation amounts of both gears coincide with each other. Wheelchair elevator according to claim.   The lift for a wheelchair according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the motor, the brake, and the sensor for detecting the rotation amount of the rotating part are provided in a housing separate from the gear and the chain.   4. The moving part according to claim 1, wherein a wheelchair is mounted on the moving part, and a stopper formed in a plate shape is hinged to hold the wheelchair. 5. Wheelchair elevator.   A strain sensor is provided in the moving unit, and an output of the strain sensor is input to the control unit. When distortion occurs in the moving unit, the motor is controlled in a direction in which the distortion is reduced. The elevator for a wheelchair according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   6. The first housing housing the motor and brake and the second housing housing the chain are formed separately, and the first housing is disposed on the second housing. The elevator for wheelchairs in any one.

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