JP2006141772A - Footrest of wheelchair, and wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a footrest for a wheelchair which is small in turning radius, simple in operation, excellent in design and small in size and to provide the wheelchair using the foot restreof. <P>SOLUTION: A fixing member through which a bar member supporting a foot plate is extended rotatably is inserted to the main frame of the wheelchair so as to rotate the foot plate with the bar member as a shaft to be arranged outside of the main frame. stopper structure is provided at the bar member and the fixing member to switch them to a normal using position and a footrest refuge position. The foot plate can be folded and is provided with a height adjustment mechanism of the footrest. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a footrest and a wheelchair for a wheelchair, and more particularly to a footrest and a wheelchair that are pivotable with respect to a main frame and retracted to the outside of a side frame.

Wheelchairs are widely used as a means of transportation for people with disabilities, and various devices have been devised to adapt to the needs of users. Among these, there is a structure in which the foot plate of the wheelchair is flipped up so that it does not get in the way when the wheelchair is folded or moved. In addition, there is a wheelchair in which a frame unit for supporting the foot plate is attached to the main frame with a hinge-type joint member so that the foot plate and the supporting frame unit can be integrally expanded outward with respect to the main frame. (For example, Non-Patent Document 1). In the footrest described in this document, when the band connecting the footrests on both sides is cut and the pin of the joint member is pulled and the footrest part is pushed outward, the footplate and the support frame unit rotate integrally, and the main frame It has a structure to evacuate outside.
“Super Lightweight series wheelchairs”, [online], Nick Co., Ltd. [searched November 16, 2004], Internet <URL: http://www.nick-corp.com/karugamo.htm>

  However, the wheelchair has a problem that the frame unit for supporting the foot plate protrudes forward and is bulky, has a large turning radius, and it is difficult to rotate the footrest to the outside of the main frame in a narrow place. In addition, the hinge-type joint member that connects the support frame unit and the main frame also has a complicated structure, and it is necessary to operate with both hands, which is troublesome and has a problem that the appearance is not clean. In addition, the footrest retracting mechanism is heavy, which hinders weight reduction of the entire wheelchair.

  In view of such problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a footrest of a wheelchair that has a small turning radius, is easy to operate, is excellent in design, and achieves weight reduction, and a wheelchair using the same.

  A footrest according to the present invention includes a cylindrical fixing member fixed to a main frame of a wheelchair, a rod-like member rotatably inserted in the fixing member, and a foot plate attached to a lower end portion of the rod-like member And the foot plate can be arranged outside the main frame of the wheelchair by rotating the rod-shaped member.

  The footrest according to the present invention is provided with a protrusion on the side wall of the upper end portion of the rod-shaped member, two engagement grooves are provided at opposite positions on the upper end surface of the fixing member, and the position of the protrusion is rotated by rotating the rod-shaped member. By switching between the two engaging grooves, the foot plate is switched between a normal use position and a retracted position outside the main frame.

  In this footrest, it is effective that the rod-like member is urged in a direction in which the protrusion is always fitted in the engaging groove of the fixing member.

  In addition, it is effective that a part or all of the upper end surface of the fixing member is inclined toward one of the engagement grooves.

  Furthermore, it is desirable that the foot plate is foldably attached to a lower end portion of the rod-shaped member.

  Further, the fixing member has an outer diameter that can be inserted into a pipe constituting the front end portion of the main frame of the wheelchair, and includes a plurality of screw grooves that are drilled side by side in the extending direction, and is a screw that is fixed to the main frame It is effective that the height of the foot plate suitable for the wheelchair user can be fixed by appropriately selecting the groove.

  A rod-shaped member that supports the foot plate is rotatably mounted, and the foot plate is rotated around the shaft so that it can be directed to the outside of the main frame. The turning radius is smaller than that, and the footrest can be easily retracted outside the main frame even in a narrow space. Further, since the foot plate can be retracted to the outside with a simple configuration, the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the weight can be reduced.

  Further, if the fixing member and the rod-shaped member are positioned by the protrusion and the engaging groove, the foot plate can be easily held at the normal use position and the retracted position outside the main frame, and the foot plate can be used during use. The plate does not rotate. Further, in this case, if the rod-like member is urged in such a direction that the protrusion always fits in the engaging groove of the fixing member, the positioning of the foot plate can be ensured. Furthermore, if a part or all of the upper end surface of the fixing member is inclined toward one of the engagement grooves, the protrusions easily fall into the engagement groove, and the normal use position of the foot plate Switching to the retreat position is simple and easy.

  In addition, if the foot plate is attached to the lower end portion of the rod-like member so as to be foldable, the foot plate can be folded and rotated to reduce the turning radius and to be retracted outside the main frame. Sometimes it is not bulky.

  Furthermore, when the fixing member is inserted into the front end of the main frame and fixed, and one of the plurality of screw grooves provided in the fixing member can be selected and fixed to the main frame, the length of the foot of the wheelchair user can be reduced. The foot plate can be made to the optimum height according to the above, and the appearance quality can be improved with a simple design.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a wheelchair according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, only a main frame, a footrest, etc. are shown, and wheels, seats, casters, etc. are omitted. As shown in the figure, the wheelchair 1 includes a pair of main frames 2a and 2b on both sides. The main frame 2 is entirely or partly constituted by a cylindrical metal pipe, and a part of the footrests 3a and 3b is inserted and fixed to the front end portion thereof. The wheelchair 1 can be folded compactly by folding the footrests 3a and 3b and bringing the main frames 2a and 2b close to each other. Since the folding wheelchair itself is well known, a detailed description of its function is omitted. As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of screw holes 5 are provided in a portion of the main frame 2 where the footrest 3 is inserted, and one of them is selected and fixed to a screw groove 18 of the fixing member 11 described later. Thus, the height of the foot plate 11 can be determined according to the user.

  In FIG. 2, the structure of the footrest 3 is shown. The footrest 3 includes a cylindrical fixing member 11 to be inserted into the main frame 2, a rod-shaped member 12 having an upper end penetrating the fixing member 11, and a foot plate 13 attached to the lower end portion of the rod-shaped member 12. It has. There is a step 12 a in the middle part of the rod-shaped member 12, and the upper thin part is rotatably inserted in the fixing member 11. A protrusion 15 made of a bolt is provided on the upper end of the rod-shaped member 11 so that the rod-shaped member 12 does not fall out of the fixed member 11. A spring 20 is disposed between the lower end portion of the fixing member 11 and the step 12a of the rod-like member 12, and the rod-like member 12 is always urged downward. The strength of the spring 20 is such that the wheelchair user contracts when the bar-shaped member 12 is pushed from below with one hand.

  The foot plate 13 is connected to the rod-shaped member 12 by a connecting member 14 having a rotating shaft 14a and an abutting surface 14b. The abutting surface 14b abuts on the rod-shaped member 12 and the foot plate 13 is generally horizontal. It is configured to be rotatable between a use position and a position in which the foot plate 11 is substantially perpendicular to the rod-shaped member 12.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the fixing member 11. 3A is a front view, FIG. 3B is a side view, and FIG. 3C is an elevation view. The fixing member 11 is a cylindrical metal member, and has an outer diameter that is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the main frame 2 and an inner diameter that allows the upper side to be inserted from the step 12 a of the rod-shaped member 12. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3C, the upper end surface of the fixing member 11 is provided with engaging grooves 16a and 16b having the same depth at opposing positions, and the engaging groove 16 has a rod-like shape. The protrusion 15 of the member 12 is configured to be accommodated. Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, an inclination 17 is provided on a part of the upper end surface of the fixing member 11 toward the one engaging groove 16a. That is, the engaging groove 16 a is disposed at the lowermost part of the inclination 17, and the protrusion 15 of the rod-like member 12 is configured to easily fall into the engaging groove 16 a along the inclination 17. The inclination 17 of the present embodiment is designed to be about 27 ° with respect to the orthogonal direction of the fixing member 11. Further, as shown in FIG. 3A, the fixing member 11 is provided with a plurality of screw grooves 18 in the extending direction, and one or more screw grooves 18 are selected and fixed to the main frame 2. It is the composition to do. The screw grooves 18 are provided symmetrically on both sides of the fixing member 11, and the interval between the adjacent screw grooves is about 10 mm.

  FIG. 4 is a side view showing a variation of the rod-shaped member 12. In the example shown in FIG. 4A, the upper and lower sides sandwiching the step 12a are integrally formed. On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 4B, the rod-shaped member 12 is composed of two members 12b and 12c, and a member 12b made of a thin metal rod is replaced with a hole provided on the upper end surface of the member 12c made of a thick metal rod. It is inserted into and fixed with bolts from the side. Which embodiment is selected can be determined in consideration of manufacturing difficulty and cost. A screw hole is provided in the side wall of the upper end portion of the rod-shaped member 12, and a projection 15 is formed by screwing a bolt into this. The protrusion 15 is provided only on one side of the rod-shaped member 12, but may be provided on the opposite side. The length and diameter of the fixing member 11 and the rod-shaped member 12 are appropriately determined according to the size of the wheelchair to be applied, the frame diameter, and the like. In one embodiment, the rod-shaped member 12 has a length of about 20 cm from the upper end to the step 12a. The length of the fixing member 11 is about 7 to 8 cm. With this configuration, the rod-shaped member 12 is slidably and rotatably held by the fixed member 11.

  An operation method of the footrest 3 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 shows only the operation of the footrest 3a on the left foot side. FIG. 5A shows a normal use state in which the foot plate 13 is lowered. In this state, the contact surface 14b of the connecting member 14 is in contact with the lower end portion of the rod-shaped member 12, and the foot plate 13 is held with the surface facing upward. Further, the rod-like member 12 supports the foot plate 13 inward, and in this state, the protrusion 15 of the rod-like member 12 is fitted in one engagement groove 16a of the fixing member 11, and the rod-like member 12 rotates. There is nothing. The spring 20 urges the rod-like member 12 downward in a relatively extended state so that the protrusion 15 does not easily come off from the engaging groove 16.

  In order to retract the footrest 3 from this state, the foot plate 13 is first lifted and folded as shown in FIG. Next, as shown in FIG.5 (c), the lower end part of the rod-shaped member 12 or the vicinity of the connection member 14 is pushed by hand from the lower side, and the rod-shaped member 12 is slid up. As a result, the spring 20 contracts and the bar-shaped member 12 moves upward, the projection 15 comes out of the engaging groove 16a, and the bar-shaped member 12 becomes rotatable. From this state, as shown in FIG. 5D, the rod-shaped member 12 is rotated 180 degrees so that the foot plate 13 faces outward, and the hand is released. As described above, another engaging groove 16b is provided on the opposite side of the engaging groove 16a on the upper end surface of the fixing member 11, and the protrusion 15 of the rod-shaped member 12 is fitted into this engaging groove 16b, and FIG. ), The rod-shaped member 12 is held by the spring 20 in a lowered state. Since the protrusion 15 is fitted in the engagement groove 16b, the rod-shaped member 12 does not rotate.

  The fixing member 11 is fixed in the main frame 2, and the foot plate 11 is retracted outside the main frame 2 by sliding and rotating the rod-like member 11 held by the fixing member 11 as described above. Can do. If the footrest 3 is in the retracted state in this way, it does not get in the way when the foot is moved, and the wheelchair 1 becomes closer to the bed, chair, etc., so that it is easy to transfer.

  Further, if the foot plate 11 is rotated in the folded state, the radius of rotation becomes smaller than the front and rear width of the foot plate 13, and the foot plate 11 can be retracted without difficulty even in a narrow place. In one embodiment, the turning radius of the footrest 3 is 9.5 cm. Further, in order to place the footrest 3 in the retracted state, it is only necessary to push and rotate the rod-like member 12 from the lower side, and it can be operated easily and safely with one hand. Further, since the footrest is retracted by the interposing structure of the fixing member 11 and the rod-shaped member 12, manufacture is easy and the cost can be reduced, and the weight of the retracting unit is reduced to achieve the weight reduction of the entire wheelchair. Can do. Further, since the fixing member 11 and the spring 20 are disposed in the pipe of the main frame 2, they are not visible from the outside, and the aesthetic quality of the wheelchair 1 can be improved as a clean design.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented as various other examples. For example, only one or three or more engaging grooves 16 of the fixing member 11 may be provided, and the protrusions 15 and the engaging grooves 16 may use different locking structures. Further, the spring 20 is not an essential element, and the protrusion 15 may fall into the engagement groove 16 due to the weight of the rod-shaped member 12 and the foot plate 13. Further, the connection structure of the foot plate 11 and the rod-shaped member 12 may be another connection structure as long as it can rotate between the state in which the foot plate 11 is lowered and the folded state. The structure fixed to the rod-shaped member 12 in the lowered state may be used. The fine dimensions and shape of each member can be changed within a range not exceeding the object of the present invention in accordance with the use environment such as the use, size, and shape of the wheelchair to be applied.

  Although the footrest of the present invention can be applied to all types of wheelchairs, it can be suitably used particularly for folding wheelchairs.

It is a schematic perspective view which shows the whole structure of the wheelchair of this invention. It is a front which shows the composition of the footrest of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a fixing member 11. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a rod-shaped member 12. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of a footrest.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wheelchair 2 Main frame 3 Footrest 11 Fixing member 12 Bar-shaped member 13 Foot plate 14 Connecting member 15 Protrusion 16 Engaging groove 20 Spring

Claims (7)

  A footrest of a wheelchair, a cylindrical fixing member fixed to the main frame of the wheelchair, a rod-like member rotatably inserted in the fixing member, and a foot plate attached to a lower end portion of the rod-like member A footrest for a wheelchair, characterized in that the foot plate can be arranged outside the main frame of the wheelchair by rotating the rod-shaped member.   2. The footrest according to claim 1, wherein a protrusion is provided on a side wall of an upper end portion of the rod-shaped member, two engagement grooves are provided at opposing positions on an upper end surface of the fixing member, and the rod-shaped member is rotated. A footrest for a wheelchair, wherein the foot plate is switched between a normal use position and a retracted position outside the main frame by switching the position of the protrusion between the two engaging grooves.   The footrest according to claim 2, wherein the bar-like member is urged in a direction in which the protrusion always fits in an engagement groove of the fixing member.   The footrest according to claim 2 or 3, wherein an inclination is provided in part or all of the upper end surface of the fixing member toward one of the engagement grooves.   The footrest according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the foot plate is foldably attached to a lower end portion of the rod-like member.   The footrest according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the fixing member has an outer diameter that can be inserted into a pipe constituting a main frame front end portion of the wheelchair, and a plurality of holes formed side by side in the extending direction thereof. The footrest can be fixed at a height of a foot plate suitable for a wheelchair user by appropriately selecting a screw groove to be fixed to the main frame. A wheelchair comprising the footrest according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

Images