JP2007222562A - Vehicle body frame - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle body frame capable of allowing a user to have comfortable riding quality and raising energy usage efficiency. <P>SOLUTION: A link structure is constituted with the use of a front wheel frame 22 where a front wheel 282 is attached to the lower front side, a driving wheel frame 23 to which a driving wheel 242 with a motor is attached, and a rear wheel frame 21 where a seat is attached to the upper part and a rear wheel 292 is attached to the lower rear side, which are arranged from a front part to a rear part and respectively vertically turnable. The front wheel 282, the driving wheel 242, and the rear wheel 292 are normally grounded on the same plane. When a vehicle travels over an obstacle, a whole vehicle body travels over from the front part to the rear part step by step with the use of the vehicle body frame. The driving wheel frame 23 directly receives the load of the rear wheel frame 21 without the interposition of the front wheel frame 22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle body frame, and more particularly to a vehicle body frame of an electric wheelchair.

  Wheelchairs are an essential part of daily life for people who are inconvenient due to physical disabilities. Among them, an electric wheelchair that does not require other people to push it and that does not require the passenger to turn the wheel by himself / herself is considered more convenient. However, in the current situation where road maintenance that is kind to inconvenient people is still insufficient, the electric wheelchair needs a function to get over obstacles such as stairs and steps.

  However, the vertical vibration when the electric wheelchair gets over an obstacle may cause injury to a passenger who uses the electric wheelchair because of inconvenient behavior. Therefore, when designing the body frame of an electric wheelchair, it is an important issue to reduce the vertical vibration transmitted to the passenger and to make it feel comfortable.

  FIG. 7 is a side view of a body frame of a conventional electric wheelchair given as an example. As shown in the figure, the vehicle body frame 1 is composed of a front wheel frame 11, a rear wheel frame 12, and a drive wheel unit 15, to which spring means 16 is further attached.

  The front wheel frame 11 includes a rod-shaped main link 112, a front wheel connector 113 pivotally connected to one front end of the main link 112, a rear connector 114 pivoted to one rear end of the main link 112, and a front wheel connector 113. The front wheel 115 attached and the main link 112 are spaced from each other below the main link 112 and both ends thereof are near the center of the front wheel connector 113 of the front wheel frame 11 and the front connector 123 of the rear wheel frame 12 described later. It has an interlocking link 131 that is pivoted near the center.

  The rear wheel frame 12 is located above the main link 112 and has a substantially straight rod-shaped installation link 122 on which a seat can be installed, a front connector 123 extending downward from one front end of the installation link 122, and an installation link 122. The rear wheel connector 124 extends obliquely downward from the rear end of the rear wheel, and the rear wheel 125 is mounted below the rear wheel connector 124.

  The drive wheel unit 15 has a diameter larger than the diameter of the front and rear wheels 115 and 125, and drives the drive wheel 141 and the drive wheel 141 attached to the rear connector 114 of the front wheel frame 11 so that it can rotate. And an electric motor 151 attached to the rear connector 114 so that it can be rotated and operated by a passenger.

  Both ends of the spring means 16 are connected to one end in front of the main link 112 of the front wheel frame 11 and one end under the front connector 123 of the rear wheel frame 12, respectively. A spring 161 that pulls one end under the front connector 123 and both ends thereof are connected to the rear connector 114 of the front wheel frame 11 and the vicinity of the center of the installation link 122 of the rear wheel frame 12, respectively. And a spring 162 that draws near the center of the installation link 122 of the ring frame 12.

  When the electric wheelchair having the vehicle body frame 1 is traveling on a horizontal plane, the main link 112 in the front wheel frame 11, the installation link 122 in the rear wheel frame 12, and the interlocking link 131 are arranged substantially horizontally. It has become. The front and rear wheels 115 and 125 and the drive wheel 141 are held on the same horizontal plane by the drive wheel unit 15 and the spring 161 in the spring means 16 so as to ensure a peaceful running.

  8 and 9 are explanatory views when the electric wheelchair having the vehicle body frame 1 of this conventional electric wheelchair gets over the step. As shown in FIG. 8, the front wheel 115 and the front wheel connector 113 are moved upward, and the front wheel frame 11 is in a posture in which the front front wheel connector 113 is higher and the rear rear connector 114 is lower. At this time, since the springs 161 and 162 are pulled, the relative angle between the interlocking link 131 and the rear wheel frame 12 also changes. Subsequently, when the driving wheel 141 contacts the step, the driving wheel 141 is pulled up by the elastic recovery force of the spring 161 in the vehicle body frame 1 of the conventional electric wheelchair as shown in FIG. Also, the springs 161 and 162 are moved in different directions from both ends of the elastic recovery force of each of the springs 161 and 162, so that the front of the springs 161 and 162 gets higher and gets over the step.

  However, since the driving wheel unit in the body frame 1 of the conventional electric wheelchair is configured to receive the load from the rear wheel frame 12 via the front wheel frame 11, the elastic recovery of the springs 161 and 162 is achieved. All power cannot be used to overcome the obstacles. That is, since the driving wheel unit 15 supports the load due to the weight of the passenger via the front wheel frame 11, the rotational energy given to the front wheel frame 11 by the action of the springs 161 and 162 when the obstacle is overcome also vertically vibrates. It is given to the passenger riding on the seat on the rear wheel frame 12 as follows.

  Further, when overcoming obstacles, the energy for raising the rear wheel frame 12, the drive wheel 141, and the passenger riding on the seat upward is all output by the driving means, and thus overcoming the obstacle. As shown in FIG. 10, it takes a long time to sufficiently output the energy required for this.

  In other words, raising the passenger upwards not only causes discomfort to the passenger, but also may cause injury, and it takes time to output, so it seems that the energy used for that was wasted It is.

Therefore, it is necessary to further improve the body frame 1 having these problems.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a body frame of an electric wheelchair that solves the above-described problems, makes passenger riding more peaceful, and improves energy use efficiency.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention extends from the front to the rear and has a front wheel frame to which a front wheel is attached on the lower front side thereof, a drive wheel frame to which a motorized drive wheel is attached, and a drive wheel frame on the front wheel frame. The seat and the rear wheel frame to which the rear wheels are respectively attached on the lower rear side constitute a link structure that can be rotated up and down, and the front wheels, the drive wheels, and the rear wheels are always on the same plane. A vehicle body frame that allows the entire vehicle body to step over from the front to the rear when overcoming obstacles, the drive wheel frame being interposed via the front wheel frame. The vehicle body frame is characterized in that it directly receives the load of the rear wheel frame, in particular, an installation link on which a seat is mounted, and the installation frame. A rear wheel frame having an extended link extending obliquely forward and downward from the link, and a first pivot link extending directly downward from the extended link, the rear wheel being attached to the lower rear side; A front wheel mounting frame on which a front wheel is mounted, an upper link having one end pivotally connected to the front wheel mounting frame, and one end at a position below a pivotal portion between the upper link and the front wheel mounting frame. A lower link that is pivoted, a restriction link that extends obliquely and rearward from near the center of the lower link, and both ends near the center of the restriction link and behind the restriction link of the lower link And a front wheel frame having a second pivot link pivotally pivotable with the first pivot link near its center and from the front to the rear to hold the motorized drive wheel WD arranged diagonally A wheel holding link, a link link whose both ends are pivotally connected to the pivotal portion of the first pivotal link and the second pivotal link and the front end portion of the drive wheel retaining link, respectively. The drive wheel frame has end portions each having a rear end portion of the upper link, a rear end portion of the lower link, and a fork-shaped link pivotally connected to the rear end portion of the drive wheel holding link. In addition, when the front wheel, the drive wheel, and the rear wheel are always in contact with each other on the same plane and get over the obstacle, the entire vehicle body can get over from the front to the rear step by step. Provide the body frame.

  The present invention can provide a body frame of an electric wheelchair that makes riding more peaceful, improves energy use efficiency, and shortens the time required to get over obstacles.

  FIG. 1 is a side view of a vehicle body frame 2 cited as an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in the figure, the vehicle body frame 2 includes a rear wheel frame 21, a front wheel frame 22, and a drive wheel frame 23.

  The rear wheel frame 21 has an installation link 211 on which a seat is mounted, an extension link 212 extending obliquely forward and downward from the installation link 11, and a first pivot link extending downward from the extension link 212. 213, and a rear wheel 292 is attached below the rear side.

  The front wheel frame 22 includes a front wheel mounting frame 281 to which a front wheel 282 is attached, an upper link 221 having one end pivotally connected to the front wheel mounting frame 282, and a pivotal portion 31 between the upper link 221 and the front wheel mounting frame 281. A lower link 231 (first portion) whose front end is pivotally connected to the lower pivotal portion 32, and extends obliquely downward and rearward from near the center of the lower link 231. The limit link 232 (second portion) and the second pivot link 233 (third portion) whose both ends are connected to positions near the center of the limit link 232 and behind the limit link 232 of the lower link 231, respectively. ing.

  Further, the front wheel frame 22 is pivotally connected to the rear wheel frame 21 by a central pivot portion 30 installed near the center of the second pivot link 233 so as to be relatively rotatable. Further, the first spring means 271 constituted by a tension coil spring is arranged near the center of the limit link 232 in the front wheel frame 22 and the rear wheel so that the lower link 231 is pulled when the lower link 231 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise. It spans between the lower end side of the first pivot link 213 in the frame 21.

  The drive wheel frame 23 has a drive wheel holding link 241 that is disposed obliquely from the front to the rear upper side to hold the drive wheel 242, one end of which is pivotally connected to the central pivot 30, and the other end is pivotally connected. The connecting link 214 pivotally connected to the front end portion of the drive wheel holding link 241 at the portion 33, and the three end portions thereof as the pivot portions 34, 35, and 36 in turn, respectively, the rear end portion and the lower link of the upper link 221 And a fork-shaped link 25 pivotally connected to the rear end portion of the drive wheel holding link 241.

  A motor 243 is attached to the drive wheel holding link 241 as shown. The connecting link 214 is pivoted at the central pivot 30 so that it can rotate with respect to the first pivot link 213 and the second pivot link 233, and an abutment 215 protruding from near the center is provided. Is formed. The contact portion 215 is disposed so as to be able to contact the second pivot link 233 and the limit link 232 by relative rotation between the connection link 214 and the second pivot link 233.

  Further, a second spring means 261 formed of a tension coil spring is stretched between the pivotal portion 36 and the vicinity of the center of the installation portion 211 in the rear wheel frame 21.

  Note that the vehicle body frame 2 is arranged and configured so that the front wheel 282, the drive wheel 241 and the rear wheel 292 are in contact with each other on the same plane at all times, that is, when traveling or stopping on a horizontal plane.

  The vehicle body frame 2 configured as described above is characterized in that the driving wheel frame 23 receives the load of the rear wheel frame 21 directly through the connecting link 214 without passing through the front wheel frame 22. is there.

  Next, the operation of the vehicle body frame 2 of the present embodiment configured as described above over an obstacle will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

  2 and 3 are explanatory views taken as examples of overcoming a step, where thick lines abbreviate the links of the body frame 2, black circles indicate pivotal portions, and white circles cannot normally rotate. Shows a strong bond.

  FIG. 2 shows the first stage over the step, that is, the state where only the front wheel is riding on the step. As shown in the drawing, at this time, the upper link 221 and the lower link 231 have an oblique posture in which the front end pivot portions 31 and 32 are higher and the rear end pivot portions 34 and 35 are lower. This attitude is due to the front wheel frame 22 and the drive wheel frame 23 rotating clockwise with respect to the rear wheel frame 21 about the central pivot 30 and simultaneously with the first spring means 271 and The second spring means 261 is tensioned. Also, since the second spring means 261 has one end hung on the pivot part 36 that is further away from the central pivot part 30, the length of the second spring means 261 being pulled is the tension of the first spring means 271. The applied potential energy is greater than that of the first spring means 271.

  Subsequently, when the driving wheel 242 comes into contact with the step, the driving wheel holding link 241 and the driving wheel 242 are pulled up by the elastic recovery force of the first spring means 271 and ride on the step, as shown in FIG. Thus, the rear wheel link 21 is also lifted by the elastic recovery force of the second spring means 261.

  Here, since the driving wheel frame 23 receives the load of the rear wheel frame 21 directly through the connection link 214 without passing through the front wheel frame 22, each spring means 261, 271 is pulled and Since the rotation of the upper and lower links 221 and 231 in the front wheel frame 22 due to the recovery has almost no influence on the rear wheel frame 21, it helps to eliminate the vertical vibration given to the passenger.

  Furthermore, since the potential energy given to the second spring means 261 is less than that of the first spring means 271, the raised height is shorter, that is, the vertical vibration energy given to the passenger by the second spring means 261 is also less. It was.

  In addition, in the case of crossing a downward step as shown in FIG. 4, the upper and lower two links 221 and 231 in the front wheel frame 22 rotate counterclockwise. As a result, the fork-shaped link 25 rotates in the clockwise direction, and the second spring means 261 having one end pivotally connected to the pivot 36 is pulled. Further, the first spring means 271 whose both ends are spanned by the first pivot link 213 and the restriction link 232 are also pulled. Further, the contact portion 215 formed on the connecting link 214 comes into contact with the limit link 232, thereby limiting the amount of rotation of the upper and lower links 221 and 231. As a result, sudden vibrations applied to the rear wheel frame 21 and the passenger can be reduced even when the step is lowered downward.

5, 6, and 10 together, when the driving means (motor) having the same input torque analysis diagram shown in FIG. 6 is attached, the vehicle body frame 2 of the present invention performs the operation. Compared to the conventional method mentioned in the background art, the step over the top (Fig. 5) shortens the time required to sufficiently output the energy required to overcome the step by about 1.5 seconds. I understand.

The vehicle body frame of the present invention configured as described above provides a vehicle body frame for an electric wheelchair that makes the rider's ride more peaceful, improves energy use efficiency, and shortens the time required to get over obstacles such as steps. be able to.

The side view of the vehicle body frame 2 mentioned as embodiment. Explanatory drawing when this vehicle body frame gets over a level | step difference. Explanatory drawing when this vehicle body frame gets over a level | step difference. Explanatory drawing when this vehicle body frame gets over a level | step difference. The graph which shows time until this vehicle body frame gets over a level | step difference. The input torque analysis figure of the drive means employ | adopted in order to compare this invention and a prior art example. The side view of the vehicle body frame of the conventional electric wheelchair. Explanatory drawing when this conventional vehicle body frame gets over a level | step difference. Explanatory drawing when this conventional vehicle body frame gets over a level | step difference. The graph which shows time until this conventional vehicle body frame gets over a level | step difference.

Explanation of symbols

2 Body frame 21 Rear wheel frame 22 Front wheel frame 23 Drive wheel frame 25 Fork-shaped link 30 Central pivot part 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 Pivot part 211 Installation link 212 Extension link 213 First pivotal link 214 Connecting link 215 Contact portion 221 Upper link 231 Lower link (first portion)
232 Restricted link (second part)
233 Second pivot link (third part)
241 Driving wheel holding link 242 Driving wheel 243 Motor 261 Second spring means 271 First spring means 281 Front wheel mounting frame 282 Front wheel 292 Rear wheel

Claims (11)

A front wheel frame (22) that extends from the front to the rear and has a front wheel (282) attached to the lower front side thereof, and a drive wheel frame (23) to which a drive wheel (242) with a motor (243) is attached. The rear wheel frame (21) on which the seat is mounted and the rear wheel (292) is respectively mounted on the lower rear side constitutes a link structure that can be pivoted up and down, and the front wheel, It is a body frame (2) in which the driving wheel and the rear wheel are grounded on the same plane and the entire vehicle body can be stepped over from the front to the rear when overcoming obstacles. And
The vehicle body frame, wherein the drive wheel frame is adapted to receive the load of the rear wheel frame directly without passing through the front wheel frame.   The link structure between the front wheel frame (22) and the rear wheel frame (21) displaces the front end portion of the front wheel frame and the rear end portion of the rear wheel frame upward, respectively. When the end portion and the front end portion of the rear wheel frame are respectively displaced downward, and the front end portion of the rear wheel frame is extended directly below, the rear end portion of the front wheel frame is pivotably pivoted up and down. The body frame according to claim 1, wherein the body frame is in contact with the body frame.   Between the front end side of the pivotal portion of the front wheel frame (22) with the rear wheel frame (21) at the rear end portion and the front end side of the pivotal portion of the front end portion of the rear wheel frame, 3. The vehicle body frame according to claim 2, wherein the spring means (271) is stretched over the body frame.   The rear end portion of the front wheel frame (22) is always a first portion (231) that extends rearward, and a second portion that protrudes in the middle of the extension of the first portion and is bent backward and downward. A portion (232) and a third portion (233) that rises rearward and upward and is connected to the first portion in the middle of extending the second portion, and a rear end portion of the front wheel frame and the rear portion 4. The vehicle body frame according to claim 3, wherein the third frame is pivotally connected to the front end portion of the wheel frame (21). The front wheel frame (22) has a front end (282) whose upper end (282) is pivotally connected to a front wheel mounting frame (281) for holding the front wheel (282), and is always extended rearward to become a rear end. Two links (221, 231), and the lower link is the first part,
The drive wheel frame (23) has a drive wheel holding link (241) disposed obliquely from the front to the rear upper side to hold the drive wheel (242) with a motor (243), and both ends thereof are respectively A pivot (30) between the rear end of the front wheel frame and the front end of the rear wheel frame (21) and a connecting link (214) pivoted to the front end (33) of the drive wheel holding link; The three end portions are the rear end portion (34) of the upper link (221), the rear end portion (35) of the lower link (231) and the rear end portion (36) of the drive wheel holding link (36). ) And a fork-shaped link (25) pivoted,
The second spring means (261) is stretched between a pivot (36) of the fork-shaped link with the drive wheel holding link and near the center of the rear wheel frame. 4. The vehicle body frame according to 4.   The third part (233) and the second part of the front wheel frame project from the connecting link (214) and rotate up and down of the link structure between the front wheel frame (22) and the rear wheel frame (21). The vehicle body frame according to claim 5, wherein a contact portion (215) that can be restricted by contact with (232) is formed. An installation link (211) on which a seat is mounted, an extension link (212) that extends obliquely forward and downward from the installation link, and a first pivot that extends directly below the extension link A rear wheel frame (21) having a link (213) and a rear wheel (292) attached to the lower rear side;
A front wheel mounting frame (281) on which a front wheel (282) is mounted below, an upper link (221) having one end pivotally connected to the front wheel mounting frame, and a pivotal portion of the upper link and the front wheel mounting frame (21) a lower link (231) whose one end is pivotally connected to a position below (21), a restriction link (232) extending obliquely and rearward from near the center of the lower link, and both ends thereof Is connected to the vicinity of the center of the limit link and the rear of the limit link of the lower link, and is pivotally connected to the first link link (213) near the center of the second link link (233). A front wheel frame (22) having
A drive wheel holding link (241) disposed obliquely from the front to the rear upper side to hold the drive wheel (242) with the motor (243), and both ends thereof are the first pivot link and the first link, respectively. A pivot link (30) with two pivot links and a link link (214) pivoted with the front end (33) of the drive wheel holding link, and the three ends thereof are the rear ends of the upper link, respectively. A drive wheel frame having a portion (34), a rear end portion (35) of the lower link, and a rear end portion (36) of the drive wheel holding link and a fork-shaped link (25) Consists of
In addition, the front wheel, the drive wheel, and the rear wheel are always in contact with each other on the same plane, and when getting over obstacles, the entire vehicle body can step over from the front to the rear. Body frame.   Projecting from the connection link (214), the rotation of the front wheel frame (22) and the rear wheel frame (21) is restricted by the restriction link (232) and the second pivot link (233) in the front wheel frame. The vehicle body frame according to claim 7, wherein a contact portion (215) that can be limited by contact with the vehicle body is formed.   Second spring means (between the fork-shaped link (25) and the drive wheel holding link (241) at a pivotal portion (36) and near the center of the installation link (211) in the rear wheel frame (21). The vehicle body frame according to claim 8, wherein 261) is stretched.   A first spring means (271) is provided between the vicinity of the center of the restriction link (232) in the front wheel frame (22) and the lower end side of the first pivot link (213) in the rear wheel frame (21). The vehicle body frame according to claim 9, wherein   The vehicle body frame according to claim 8, wherein both the front wheel (282) and the rear wheel (292) are attached so as to be turnable in the left-right direction, and the traveling direction of the vehicle body can be changed.

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