JP2007117113A - Wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wheelchair allowing persons having severe physical disorder such as dysphagia and respiratory disturbance to easily take an optimal posture by inclining the whole seat body into the front/rear and the left/right or rotationally tuning it around a vertical axis. <P>SOLUTION: This wheelchair 1 is provided with a car body frame 2 having wheels 3a and 3b, a seat frame 7 supported on the car body frame 2 via a support joint part 6 rotationally formed around at least two axes, and an attitude suport fixing part 15 disposed between the car body frame 2 and the seat frame 7 and supporting and fixing the seat frame 7 in an arbitrary attitude within a movable range. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a wheelchair in which a passenger can take a comfortable posture.

Conventionally, some persons who have severe physical disabilities have difficulty even sitting in a wheelchair in a normal posture (a posture in which the upper body is substantially vertical and the waist and knees are bent at a substantially right angle). For example, a person with dysphagia cannot swallow smoothly in a normal posture. In addition, a person with respiratory disorder such as a patient with muscular dystrophy cannot maintain a good respiratory state in a normal posture. Therefore, a person with such a physical disability needs to take a posture capable of smooth swallowing and good breathing at all times or according to the situation such as during a meal.
Accordingly, a reclining wheelchair as shown in Patent Document 1 has been developed as a wheelchair that can tilt the posture of the passenger.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-62015

However, the above conventional techniques have the following problems.
(1) In the reclining wheelchair of Patent Document 1, the posture of the upper body of the occupant can be tilted only in the front-rear direction by adjusting the front-back inclination of the seat back, but only the seat or the seat The backrest cannot be tilted back and forth, right and left, and for example, the seat cannot be tilted forward by more than about 10 °, so it is suitable for persons with severe physical disabilities such as dysphagia and breathing disorders. There was a problem that it was insufficient.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and the entire seat can be tilted back and forth, left and right, or can be rotated around a vertical axis, for those who have severe physical disabilities such as dysphagia and respiratory disorder. An object is to provide a wheelchair capable of easily taking a suitable posture.

In order to solve the above problems, the wheelchair of the present invention has the following configuration.
The wheelchair according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a vehicle body frame including wheels, a seat frame supported on the vehicle body frame via a support joint portion formed to be rotatable about at least two axes, And a posture support fixing portion that is disposed between the vehicle body frame and the seat frame and supports and fixes the seat frame in an arbitrary posture within a movable range.

This configuration has the following effects.
(1) The seat frame can be arbitrarily tilted within a predetermined movable range around two axes around the support joint portion, that is, in a predetermined movable range, and can be fixed by the posture support fixing portion in the tilted state, A posture suitable for the passenger, for example, a posture easy to swallow if having a dysphagia, a posture capable of maintaining a good breathing state, etc. can be easily taken if a person has a respiratory disorder.
(2) The entire seat can be easily changed to a desired inclination on the spot by a simple operation in accordance with a physical disability or usage state (such as during a meal) of the passenger.
(3) The seat frame can be tilted while a physically handicapped person or the like is seated on the seat, and adjustment can be performed while searching for a tilt that can take a suitable posture for the person.
(4) It is possible to adjust the tilt of the seat frame in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction at the same time by one operation or individually by several operations.

Here, as the support joint portion, a universal joint or a hook joint that is rotatable about two axes (x axis and y axis) on the horizontal plane, or about the vertical axis (z axis) in addition to the two axes on the horizontal plane. A ball joint or the like that is rotatable, that is, rotatable about three axes is used. Note that a universal joint arranged so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis may be used to be rotatable about three axes. The pivot shafts such as the two or three axes of the support joint portion may be formed so as not to intersect each other, but preferably formed so as to intersect at one point. This is because the tilting operation to the left diagonally forward or right diagonally backward can be performed smoothly.
As the posture support fixing portion, two or more links disposed in parallel between the vehicle body frame and the seat frame are used. As the link, an elastic cylinder part such as a gas damper or an oil damper or an arm having one or more joints is used, and an expansion or contraction of a mechanical lock mechanism or a holding brake for fixing the expansion and contraction of the cylinder part or the rotation of the joint. What has a fixing means, a rotation fixing means, etc. is used.
The seat frame can be provided with an armrest for placing an elbow or the like on both sides of the seat and a footrest for placing a foot on the front of the seat. In addition, an angle adjusting unit that adjusts the angle of the armrest or the footrest can be provided. Accordingly, the angle of the armrest and the footrest can be adjusted at the same time when the seat frame is tilted, and a suitable posture can be taken surely and easily.

  The wheelchair according to claim 2 of the present invention has a configuration in which the support joint portion is a ball joint in the invention according to claim 1.

With this configuration, in addition to the operation of the first aspect, the following operation is provided.
(1) The ball joint can sufficiently withstand vertical loads such as the weight of the seat frame and the weight of the occupant, and is excellent in durability and can smoothly change the inclination even when the load is large.
(2) Not only the tilt in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, but also the rotation around the vertical axis, and the movable range is wide and can correspond to various postures.

  A wheelchair according to a third aspect of the present invention is the wheelchair according to the first or second aspect, wherein the column portion is erected on the body frame and supports the seat frame, and the upper end portion or the lower end portion of the strut portion or And the support joint portion disposed in the intermediate portion.

With this configuration, in addition to the operation of the first or second aspect, the following operation is provided.
(1) By providing the column portion having a predetermined length, the seat surface of the seat can be formed at a predetermined height, and sufficient space is provided for providing the posture support fixing portion between the vehicle body frame and the seat frame. Can be formed.

Here, it is preferable that the support joint portion is provided at the upper end portion of the column portion and is provided at a position close to the seat surface of the seat. This is because when the seat frame is tilted, it is excellent in stability especially when the seat frame is tilted while sitting.
By providing height adjusting means using a rack pinion, a screw mechanism, a gas damper, or the like on the support column, it is possible to adjust the height of the seat frame or the like of the seat frame in accordance with the passenger or the like.

  A wheelchair according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the wheelchair according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the support joint portion is disposed on a vertical line passing through the approximate center of gravity of the seat frame. have.

With this configuration, in addition to the operation of any one of claims 1 to 3, the following operation is provided.
(1) When the seat frame is tilted while the passenger is sitting on the seat, the seat frame is suddenly tilted suddenly due to the weight of the passenger when the seat frame is fixed by the posture support fixing portion. Can be prevented.
(2) The operation of tilting the seat frame by pushing or pulling a handle or the like fixed to the seat frame by an assistant or the like can be performed smoothly with little effort.

  Here, the support joint portion may be provided in front of the center of gravity of the seat frame. Even when the seat frame is released from being fixed, even if it leans suddenly due to weight or the like, the backrest portion is tilted rearward, so that the passenger can be prevented from being thrown out of the seat.

  The wheelchair according to claim 5 of the present invention is the wheelchair according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the wheelchair includes a manual release lever for manually releasing support and fixing by the posture support and fixing portion. Have.

With this configuration, in addition to the operation of any one of claims 1 to 4, the following operation is provided.
(1) By simply operating the manual release lever, the seat frame can be fixed and released by posture support and fixation, and the operation of tilting the seat frame can be performed smoothly with little effort.

  A wheelchair according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the wheelchair according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the posture support fixing portion is rotatable at one end and the other end around at least two axes. At least two extendable cylinder parts respectively connected to the vehicle body frame and the seat frame via a coupling joint part formed on each of the cylinder parts, and each of the cylinder parts is provided with an extension and fixing means. ing.

With this configuration, in addition to the operation of any one of claims 1 to 5, the following operation is provided.
(1) The seat frame can be tilted by expanding and contracting each cylinder part, and can be firmly fixed in a tilted state simply by fixing the expansion and contraction of each cylinder part.

Here, a universal joint, a ball joint, a hook joint, or the like is used as the coupling joint portion.
Since at least two cylinder parts are provided, when a support joint part that can rotate about two axes is used, the seat frame can be securely fixed in a desired posture. When a support joint that can rotate about three axes is used, the seat frame can be reliably fixed in a desired posture by using three or more cylinders.
As the expansion / contraction fixing means, a mechanical lock, a holding brake, or the like that is integrally disposed in each cylinder portion is used. Each expansion / contraction fixing means can be fixed and released at the same time using the above-described manual release lever or the like, and the expansion / contraction can be fixed and released at the same time for all the cylinder portions. Thereby, the tilt adjustment operation of the seat frame can be performed smoothly.
The cylinder part is preferably used because the cylinder parts are not parallel to each other and the end parts are not at the same point, and the number of cylinder parts is small and the degree of freedom is high and the stability is excellent. In addition, when arrange | positioning a cylinder part symmetrically, at least 1 or more cylinder parts which are not parallel with respect to a pair of symmetrical cylinder parts are provided.

  A wheelchair according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the wheelchair according to the sixth aspect, wherein the support joint portion is formed to be rotatable about three axes, and the posture support fixing portion includes at least three cylinder portions. It has the composition provided with.

With this configuration, in addition to the operation of the sixth aspect, the following operation is provided.
(1) Even when a ball joint or the like that is rotatable about three axes is used as the support joint, the seat frame is tilted in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction by using at least three cylinders, It can be rotated around the vertical axis and can be securely fixed in a desired posture.

  A wheelchair according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the wheelchair according to the sixth or seventh aspect, wherein the cylinder portion is arranged symmetrically via the support joint portion.

With this configuration, in addition to the operation of the sixth or seventh aspect, the following operation is provided.
(1) Since the cylinder portions are disposed symmetrically, the seat frame can be stably supported and fixed.

As described above, according to the wheelchair of the present invention, the following advantageous effects can be obtained.
According to the invention of claim 1,
(1) The seat frame can be arbitrarily tilted within a predetermined movable range around the two axes centering on the support joint, and can be fixed by the posture support fixing portion in the tilted state, and dysphagia or breathing It is possible to provide a wheelchair capable of taking a posture suitable for a severely handicapped person such as a disability.
(2) Providing a wheelchair with excellent simplicity that can easily change the entire seat to the desired tilt on the spot with a simple operation according to the physical disabilities and use conditions of the passenger (during meals, etc.) can do.
(3) It is possible to provide a wheelchair with easy tilt adjustment that can be adjusted while tilting the seat frame in a state where a physically handicapped person or the like is seated on the seat and searching for a tilt that allows the person to take a suitable posture.
(4) To provide a wheelchair with excellent operability and easy tilt adjustment that can be adjusted at the same time by one operation or several individual operations to adjust the tilt in the front-rear and left-right directions of the seat frame. it can.

According to invention of Claim 2, in addition to the effect of Claim 1,
(1) To provide a wheelchair that can sufficiently withstand a vertical load such as a weight of a seat frame and a passenger's weight by a ball joint, and has excellent durability and can change a tilt smoothly even when the load is large. it can.
(2) A wheelchair that can be rotated not only in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction but also around the vertical axis, has a wide range of movement, can be used in various postures, and is easy to get on and off from the seat. Can be provided.

According to invention of Claim 3, in addition to the effect of Claim 1 or 2,
(1) By providing the column portion having a predetermined length, the seat surface of the seat can be formed at a predetermined height, and sufficient space is provided for providing the posture support fixing portion between the vehicle body frame and the seat frame. It is possible to provide a wheelchair that can be formed and the posture support fixing portion can be arranged without difficulty.

According to invention of Claim 4, in addition to the effect of any one of Claims 1 to 3,
(1) To provide a wheelchair excellent in stability and safety that can prevent the seat frame from inclining suddenly due to the weight of the occupant when the seat frame is fixed by the posture support fixing portion. Can do.
(2) It is possible to provide a wheelchair excellent in operability that can smoothly perform the operation of tilting the seat frame with little effort.

According to the invention of claim 5, in addition to the effect of any one of claims 1 to 4,
(1) By simply operating the manual release lever, the seat frame can be fixed and released by posture support and fixation, and a wheelchair that can smoothly perform the operation of tilting the seat frame with little effort can be provided. .

According to invention of Claim 6, in addition to the effect of any one of Claims 1 to 5,
(1) It is possible to provide a wheelchair that can tilt the seat frame by expanding and contracting each cylinder part, and can be firmly fixed in a tilted state only by fixing the expansion and contraction of each cylinder part. .

According to invention of Claim 7, in addition to the effect of Claim 6,
(1) Provided is a wheelchair that can be securely fixed in a desired posture by using at least three cylinder parts even when a ball joint or the like that is rotatable about three axes is used as a support joint part. be able to.

According to invention of Claim 8, in addition to the effect of Claim 6 or 7,
(1) Since the cylinder portions are disposed symmetrically, it is possible to provide a wheelchair excellent in stability that can stably support and fix the seat frame.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a side view of the main part of the wheelchair in the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. In FIG. 2, the seat portion is indicated by a broken line and the backrest portion is not shown for easy understanding.
In the figure, 1 is a wheelchair in the first embodiment, and 2 is a body frame. The vehicle body frame 2 is formed by connecting a substantially central portion and a rear portion of a pair of side frame members 2a made of a round steel rod or the like with a central connecting member 2b made of a round steel rod or the like and a rear connecting member 2c. 3a and 3b are front wheels and rear wheels (wheels) disposed before and after each side frame member 2a of the body frame, and 4 is a rear wheel stopper attached to the rear wheel 3b. When the lever 4a is tilted, the stopper The body 4b can be pressed against the rear wheel 3b to stop the rotation. Reference numeral 5 denotes a columnar column portion standing and fixed at the central portion of the central connecting member 2b, and 6 is a ball disposed on the vertical line passing through the approximate center of gravity of a seat frame, which will be described later, disposed on the upper end portion of the column portion 5. A support joint portion made of a joint, 6a is a sphere portion of the support joint portion 6, 6b is a fitting portion having a spherical inner surface and fitted to the sphere portion 6a, and 7 is a support portion 6 through the support joint portion 6. It is a substantially L-shaped seat frame supported and fixed at the upper end. The seat frame 7 includes a pair of L-shaped side frame members 7a made of round steel pipes and a predetermined portion of a pair of back frame members 7b, an upper horizontal member 7c made of a round steel bar, a lower horizontal member 7d, and others. Are connected by a horizontal member (not shown), a joint fixing plate 7e (see FIG. 2), or the like. 8 is a seat having a seat portion 8a disposed on the seat surface of the seat frame 7 and a backrest portion 8b disposed on the backrest surface. The seat portion 8a has a cushion disposed on the upper surface of the plate-like support. The backrest 8b is formed by stretching a cushion between the backrest frame members 7b.

  In the figure, 9 is an armrest frame pivotally attached to a predetermined height of the back frame member 7b of the seat frame 7, 10 is an armrest fixed to the armrest frame 9, and 11 is an armrest angle variable mechanism. The armrest angle varying mechanism 11 has a fixed shaft 11b protruding from an end of an armrest frame 9 that rotates about a support shaft 11a. The fixed shaft 11b is inserted into a fixed hole 11d formed in a semicircular plate 11c. By inserting, the armrest 10 can be fixed at a predetermined angle. 12 is a footrest frame pivotally attached to the front end of the seat frame 7, 13 is a footrest disposed at the tip of the footrest frame 12, and 14 is a footrest angle variable mechanism. The variable footrest angle mechanism 14 has a locking body 14c that is pivotally attached to a pivot shaft 14b at a position away from the pivot 14a of the footrest frame 12 that pivots about the pivot shaft 14a. The footrest frame 12 is fixed at a predetermined angle and a predetermined position of the footrest 13 by locking a predetermined concave groove portion 14d of the plurality of concave groove portions 14d arranged in parallel to the body 14c to the locking pin 14e. be able to.

  In the figure, reference numeral 15 denotes a posture support and fixing portion, which is a total of four cylinder portions including a pair of inner cylinder portions 16a and 16b disposed symmetrically and a pair of outer cylinder portions 17a and 17b disposed symmetrically. And both end portions thereof are connected to a vehicle body frame 2 and a seat frame 7 to be described later. The coupling joint portion includes a piston-side coupling joint portion 18 and a cylinder-side coupling joint portion 19, and the upper end portions (end portions of the pistons) of the inner cylinder portions 16 a and 16 b are connected to the seat frame 7 via the piston-side coupling joint portion 18. The lower horizontal member 7 d is coupled to the lower connecting member 7 d, and the lower end portion (cylinder end portion) is coupled to the central coupling member 2 b of the vehicle body frame 2 via the cylinder side coupling joint portion 19. The upper end portions (end portions of the pistons) of the outer cylinder portions 17a and 17b are coupled to the L-shaped side frame member 7a of the seat frame 7 via the piston side coupling joint portion 18, and the lower end portions (end portions of the cylinders) are cylinders. It is coupled to the vicinity of the rear end portion of the side frame member 2 a of the vehicle body frame 2 via the side coupling joint portion 19. Details of the piston side coupling joint 18 and the cylinder side coupling joint 19 will be described later.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the manual release lever and the telescopic fixing portion.
In the figure, 21 is a pair of manual release levers fixed to the upper horizontal member 7c of the seat frame 7, 22 is a telescopic fixing for fixing the piston 23b disposed in the cylinder 23a of the cylinder portions 16a, 16b, 17a, 17b. Reference numeral 24 denotes a wire connected from the manual release lever 21 to the movable part 25 of the telescopic fixing part 22, and reference numeral 26 denotes a wire tube. In the first embodiment, a case in which cylinder portions 16a and 16b having the expansion / contraction fixing portion 22, so-called mechanical locks are used will be described.
When the manual release lever 21 is not gripped, the lock (mechanical lock mechanism) is always operating, and for example, the movement of the piston 23b is fixed by using the torsional force of a coil spring (not shown) disposed in the cylinder 23a. When the wire 24 is pulled by grasping the manual release lever 21 in the direction of the arrow, the movable portion 25 is moved to increase the inner diameter of the coil spring, the piston 23b is unlocked, and the cylinder portions 16a, 16b, 17a, 17b freely expands and contracts. In addition, by using a mechanical lock, the responsiveness of locking and unlocking is excellent, the operability is excellent, and it is possible to lock firmly and securely, so that the stability and safety are excellent. In addition, as the expansion-contraction fixing | fixed part 22, it is not restricted to this, The holding brake by a frictional force can be used. Also in this case, the manual release lever 21 is always locked without being gripped, and the lock is released when the manual release lever 21 is gripped.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the main part of the cylinder side coupling joint, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the main part of the piston side coupling joint.
In FIG. 4A, 31 is a substantially U-shaped cylinder fixing member that is fixed to the lower end of the cylinder 23a by welding or the like, and 32 is an approximately C shape that is fixed to the central connecting member 2b or the like of the vehicle body frame 2 by welding or the like. A frame-shaped frame fixing member, 33 is a connecting rotating member, 34 is a first rotating shaft that pivotally attaches one end of the connecting rotating member 33 between opposing walls of the cylinder fixing member 31, and 35 is a connecting rotating member. This is a second rotation shaft that pivotally attaches the other end of 33 between the opposing walls of the frame fixing member 32.
In FIG. 4B, 36 is a substantially U-shaped piston fixing member fixed to the upper end of the piston 23b by screwing with a nut or the like, and 37 is fixed to the lower horizontal member 7d of the seat frame 7 by welding or the like. A substantially U-shaped frame fixing member; 38, a connecting rotary member; 39, a third rotating shaft for pivotally attaching one end of the connecting rotary member 38 between opposing walls of the piston fixing member 36; This is a fourth rotation shaft that pivotally attaches the other end of the connecting rotation member 38 between the opposing walls of the frame fixing member 37.
The first rotation shaft 34 and the second rotation shaft 35, and the third rotation shaft 39 and the fourth rotation shaft 40 are arranged at twisted positions that do not cross each other.

About the wheelchair 1 in this Embodiment 1 comprised as mentioned above, the usage method is demonstrated using FIG. 1 thru | or FIG.
First, a disabled person or the like is seated on the seat 8 a of the seat 8, the elbow and the lower arm are placed on the armrest 10, and the foot is placed on the footrest 13. Next, the rear wheel 3 b is fixed by the left and right rear wheel stoppers 4. A caregiver or the like grips a pair of manual release levers 21 fixed to the upper horizontal member 7 c of the seat frame 7 at the rear part of the wheelchair 1. Thereby, the expansion and contraction fixing portions 22 of all the cylinder portions 16a, 16b, 17a, and 17b are released, and the seat frame 7 is tiltable with respect to the vehicle body frame 2 in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction around the support joint portion 6. And it becomes freely rotatable in the direction around the axis of the column part 5. Caregivers and the like hold the upper horizontal member 7 together with the manual release lever 21 and push or pull the seat frame 7 to adjust the inclination etc. to a suitable inclination etc. while checking the state of the physically handicapped etc. To do. After the adjustment, when the hand is released from the manual release lever 21, the expansion / contraction fixing portions 22 of all the cylinder portions 16a, 16b, 17a, 17b are operated, and the seat frame 7 is fixed with the adjusted inclination. Next, the angle and position of the armrest 10 and the footrest 13 are changed in accordance with the posture of the occupant in accordance with the inclination of the seat frame 7 and the like.

As described above, the wheelchair according to the first embodiment is configured, and thus has the following effects.
(1) A vehicle body frame 2 including a front wheel 3a and a rear wheel 3b, a seat frame 7 supported on the vehicle body frame via a support joint portion 6 formed to be rotatable about at least two axes, and a vehicle body frame 2 and a posture support fixing portion 15 arranged between the seat frame 7 and the seat frame 7 to support and fix the seat frame 7 in an arbitrary posture within a movable range. Therefore, the seat frame 7 is centered on the support joint portion 6. It can be arbitrarily tilted around the three axes, that is, forward, backward, left and right within a predetermined movable range, can be rotated around the vertical axis, and is fixed by the posture support fixing portion 15 in the tilted and rotated state. It is possible to comfortably take a posture suitable for the passenger, for example, a posture that makes it easy to swallow if it has dysphagia, a posture that can maintain a good breathing state if it has a respiratory disorder, etc. It can be.
(2) Since the plurality of cylinder portions 16a, 16b, 17a, 17b of the posture support fixing portion 15 are provided with the expansion / contraction fixing portions 22 (extension / contraction fixing means) that are released by the operation of the manual release lever 21, the passenger has The entire seat 8 can be easily changed and fixed to a desired inclination on the spot by a simple operation in accordance with a physical disorder such as a dysphagia or a respiratory disorder or a use state (during meals, etc.).
(3) The seat frame 7 can be tilted in a state where a disabled person or the like is seated on the seat 8 and can be adjusted while searching for an inclination that can take a suitable posture for the person. The tilt can be adjusted at the same time by one operation, the target posture can be tilted linearly by one operation, and can be individually performed several times, so that the operability is excellent.
(4) Since the support joint portion 6 includes a ball joint that is rotatable about three axes (x axis, y axis, and z axis), the load in the vertical direction such as the weight of the seat frame 7 and the weight of the passenger It can endure enough, can be changed smoothly and tilted smoothly, and can be rotated around the vertical axis in addition to the tilt in the front and rear direction and the left and right direction, and has a wide range of motion and various postures It can correspond to.
(5) Since the column portion 5 is provided, the seat portion 8a of the seat 8 can be formed at a predetermined height, and the cylinder portion 16a of the posture support fixing portion 15 between the vehicle body frame 2 and the seat frame 7 Sufficient space for providing 16b, 17a, 17b can be formed.
(6) Since the support joint portion 6 is disposed on a vertical line passing through the approximate center of gravity of the seat frame 7, the posture support is fixed when the passenger performs an operation of tilting the seat frame 7 while sitting on the seat 8. When the fixing of the seat frame 7 by the portion 15 is released, it is possible to prevent the seat frame 7 from being suddenly inclined due to the weight of the passenger or the like. In addition, an operation in which the assistant tilts the seat frame 7 by pushing or pulling the upper horizontal member 7c or the like fixed to the seat frame 7 can be smoothly performed with little effort.
(7) Since the four cylinder parts 16a, 16b, 17a, and 17b arranged symmetrically are provided, the seat frame 7 can be tilted in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction and rotated about the vertical axis. The seat frame 7 can be stably supported and fixed in a desired posture.
(8) Since the inner cylinder parts 16a and 16b and the outer cylinder parts 17a and 17b are arranged symmetrically and arranged in an X shape at an angle of about 90 ° when viewed from the side, stability is ensured. In addition, it is possible to prevent the cylinder portions from interfering with the tilting or turning of the seat 8 while taking a wide movable range. Moreover, since cylinder part 16a, 16b, 17a, 17b is arrange | positioned at the rear part side of the support | pillar part 5 and the support coupling part 6, a passenger's leg etc. contact cylinder part 16a, 16b, 17a, 17b. Can be prevented and excellent in safety.
(9) Since the armrest 10 and the footrest 13 are provided, and the armrest angle variable mechanism 11 and the footrest angle variable mechanism 14 are provided, the angle and position of the armrest 10 and the footrest 13 can be adjusted at the same time when the seat frame 7 is tilted. It is possible to make the occupant take a suitable posture with certainty and ease.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 5A is a front view of an essential part of a support portion of a wheelchair in the second embodiment, and FIG. 5B is a perspective view of an essential part of a support joint part.
In the figure, reference numeral 41 denotes a support column portion composed of an upper support column portion 41 a and a lower support column portion 41 b erected between the center connecting member 2 b of the vehicle body frame and the joint fixing plate 7 e of the seat frame, and 42 is an intermediate portion of the support column portion 41. A support joint portion formed of a universal joint disposed in the portion; 43, a cubic connection body of the support joint portion 42; 44a, an x-axis rotation shaft that pivotally attaches the lower end portion of the upper support portion 41a to the connection body 43; Reference numeral 44b denotes a y-axis rotation shaft that pivotally attaches the upper end portion of the lower support column portion 41b to the connecting body 43. The x-axis rotation shaft 44 a and the y-axis rotation shaft 44 b are disposed so as to be orthogonal to each other at the center of the coupling body 43.

  The wheelchair in the second embodiment configured as described above is different from the first embodiment in that a support joint portion 42 made of a universal joint is provided instead of the support joint portion 6 made of a ball joint. Due to this difference, in addition to the operation of the first embodiment, the seat frame has a predetermined movable range around two axes around the x-axis rotation shaft 44a and the y-axis rotation shaft 44b of the support joint portion, that is, in the front / rear and left / right directions. And can be arbitrarily tilted.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 6 is a side view of a main part of the wheelchair in the third embodiment.
In the figure, 2 is a body frame, 5 is a support column, 6 is a support joint, 8 is a seat, 10 is an armrest, 11 is an armrest angle variable mechanism, 13 is a footrest, 14 is a footrest angle variable mechanism, and 15 is a posture support fixing. , 16a is an inner cylinder part, 17a is an outer cylinder part, 18 is a piston side coupling joint part, and 19 is a cylinder side coupling joint part. These are the same as those described in the first embodiment, and are the same. The description will be omitted. 51 is a wheelchair in the third embodiment, 52 is a seat frame composed of a seat frame member 52a and a back frame member 52b, and 53 is fixed to the rear side of the seat 8a of the seat frame member 52a and is a back frame member 52b. The backrest shaft support portion 54 is attached to the lower end portion thereof, and 54 is a backrest cylinder portion for tilting the backrest portion 8b. The upper end portion (end portion of the piston) of the backrest cylinder portion 54 is pivotally attached to the back surface of the backrest frame member 52b, and the lower end portion (end portion of the cylinder) is pivotally attached to the rear end portion of the seat portion frame member 52a. .
Unlike the first embodiment, the upper end portion of the inner cylinder portion 16a is attached to a horizontal member 52c of the seat portion frame member 52a or a seat plate fixed to the seat portion frame member 52a via the piston side coupling joint portion 18. Are combined.
The backrest cylinder portion 54 is the same as the inner cylinder portion 16 and the outer cylinder portion 17a. The backrest cylinder portion 54 includes the expansion / contraction fixing portion 22 shown in FIG. 3, and is expanded and contracted and locked by a manual release lever (not shown) to tilt the backrest portion 8b. It can be fixed at a predetermined inclination angle. Note that the tilting means of the backrest 8b is not limited to this, and various means such as a reclining mechanism using a ratchet can be used.

  As described above, since the wheelchair 51 according to the third embodiment is configured, in addition to the operation of the first embodiment, the seat 8 can be tilted back and forth and left and right, and can be rotated around the vertical axis. Since 8b can be tilted back and forth (reclined), it can respond widely to various physical disabilities and conditions possessed by the person on board, has the effect of being easy to care for and excellent in usability.

  As described above, the present invention relates to a wheelchair, and in particular, according to the present invention, the entire seat can be tilted forward / backward / left / right or rotated around a vertical axis, and severe physical disabilities such as dysphagia and respiratory disorder can be prevented. It is possible to provide a wheelchair capable of easily taking a posture suitable for a person who has the person.

Side view of the main part of the wheelchair in the first embodiment 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of a manual release lever and an expansion-contraction fixed part. (A) Perspective view of the main part of the cylinder side coupling joint (b) Perspective view of the main part of the piston side coupling joint (A) Main part front view of the support | pillar part of the wheelchair in Embodiment 2 (b) The principal part perspective view of a support coupling part Side view of main part of wheelchair in embodiment 3

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wheelchair 2 Body frame 2a Side frame member 2b Center connection member 2c Rear connection member 3a Front wheel (wheel)
3b Rear wheel (wheel)
4 Rear wheel stopper 4a Lever 4b Stopper body 5 Supporting part 6 Support joint part 6a Spherical body part 6b Fitting part 7 Seat frame 7a L-shaped side frame member 7b Back frame member 7c Upper horizontal member 7d Lower horizontal member 7e Joint fixing Plate 8 Seat 8a Seat portion 8b Backrest portion 9 Armrest frame 10 Armrest 11 Armrest angle variable mechanism 11a Support shaft 11b Fixed shaft 11c Semi-disc 11d Fixed hole 12 Footrest frame 13 Footrest 14 Footrest angle variable mechanism 14a Support shaft 14c Rotating shaft 14b Locking body 14d Concave groove 14e Locking pin 14e
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Posture support fixing | fixed part 16a, 16b Inner cylinder part 17a, 17b Outer cylinder part 18 Piston side coupling joint part 19 Cylinder side coupling joint part 21 Manual release lever 22 Telescopic fixing part 23a Cylinder 23b Piston 24 Wire 25 Movable part 26 Wire tube 31 Cylinder fixing member 32 Frame fixing member 33 Linking rotation member 34 First rotation shaft 35 Second rotation shaft 36 Piston fixing member 37 Frame fixing member 38 Connection rotation member 39 Third rotation shaft 40 Fourth Rotating shaft 41 Column portion 41a Upper column portion 41b Lower column portion 42 Support joint portion 43 Connecting body 44a X-axis rotation shaft 44b Y-axis rotation shaft 51 Wheelchair 52 Seat frame 52a Seat frame member 52b Backrest frame member 52c Horizontal support Member 53 Back shaft support 54 Back seat Sunda part

Claims (8)

  A vehicle body frame provided with wheels, a seat frame supported on the vehicle body frame via a support joint formed to be rotatable about at least two axes, and disposed between the vehicle body frame and the seat frame And a posture support fixing portion for supporting and fixing the seat frame in an arbitrary posture within a movable range.   The wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the support joint portion is a ball joint.   And a support joint provided on an upper end portion, a lower end portion, or an intermediate portion of the support portion. Item 1. The wheelchair according to item 1 or 2.   The wheelchair according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the support joint portion is disposed on a vertical line passing through a substantially center of gravity of the seat frame.   The wheelchair according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a manual release lever for manually releasing support and fixing by the posture support and fixing portion.   The posture support fixing part has at least two retractable parts coupled to the vehicle body frame and the seat frame via a coupling joint part in which one end part and the other end part are formed to be rotatable about at least two axes. The wheelchair according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a cylinder portion, wherein each of the cylinder portions is provided with an expansion and contraction fixing means.   The wheelchair according to claim 6, wherein the support joint portion is formed to be rotatable about three axes, and the posture support fixing portion includes at least three cylinder portions. The wheelchair according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the cylinder part is arranged symmetrically via the support joint part.

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