JP2012085854A - Level difference ascending/descending device and electric wheelchair using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a level difference ascending/descending device capable of smoothly ascending/descending the level difference of stairs or the like in spite of an inexpensive and simple structure, and an electric wheelchair of high mobility combining a function of surely and stably ascending/descending the stairs without a caregiver by using the level difference ascending/descending device, and a function of smoothly traveling the flat ground surface by easily passing a protrusion, a ditch, or the like existing on the flat ground surface, in a state of crossing over it.SOLUTION: The level difference ascending/descending device includes a lateral pair of turning arms (10) each including traveling wheels (11) mounted to the end parts of a plurality of mounting arm pieces (10a) radially extending at equal spaces from the center part and having the same length; turning arm turning gears (12) and turning drive sources (13) for turning the respective turning arms (10); and rotating drive sources (17) for rotating the traveling wheels (11). The electric wheelchair is constituted by arranging the level difference ascending/descending device used as a main mechanism (8), and an auxiliary mechanism (9) constituted by simplifying the level difference ascending/descending device, in front and in the rear.

Description

  The present invention is a step lifting device that can easily move up and down steps such as stairs, and a function that makes it easy to move up and down stairs without using an assistant, even if there are ridges or grooves on the flat ground. The present invention relates to an electric wheelchair that has a function of passing in a state of straddling and stably traveling and moving on the flat ground.

  In Japan, the aging society has progressed in recent years, and the number of users has been increasing year by year due to the start of a wheelchair welfare loan business through nursing care insurance. In addition, the amendment of the Long-term Care Insurance Act in April 2009 has made it possible to lend portable stair lifts, and to raise and lower staircases with the help of assistants, increasing the number of users. The use of such welfare tools has greatly expanded the range of action of people such as the elderly and the physically disabled, and the quality of life (QOL) has gradually increased. However, since all existing wheelchairs require the assistance of a caregiver, the actual situation is that elderly people, physically handicapped persons, etc. cannot spend a completely independent life by using wheelchairs.

  Therefore, in order to expand the range of life for the elderly and the physically handicapped indoors and outdoors, and to be able to lead a more independent life, only the operation of people who are climbing up and down stairs or passing through steps or grooves The emergence of an electric wheelchair that can be easily and reliably performed is expected. In order to achieve such an object, the main caterpillar that extends obliquely rearward from the position of the front wheel mechanism in addition to the front wheel mechanism and the rear wheel that are provided on the main body frame for traveling on the flat ground. A stair-climbing wheelchair having a mechanism, a sub-caterpillar mechanism disposed in front of the main caterpillar mechanism, and a rear wheel telescopic mechanism has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Conventionally, there is also known a wheelchair in which a step-over wheel having a small wheel provided at the tip of a large number (for example, eight) of shafts extending radially at equal intervals from the central portion is attached to the front side of the main wheel. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2).

JP-A-1-171549 JP 2008-254716 A

  However, since the stair-climbing wheelchair of Patent Document 1 moves up and down the stairs by the main caterpillar mechanism and the sub-caterpillar mechanism, it is necessary to ensure a high frictional force against the corners of the stairs. Since the unevenness that can secure the coefficient must be provided, there is a risk that the corner portion of the staircase may be damaged or slipped when the staircase with a large inclination angle is raised or lowered. Moreover, in this stair climbing wheelchair, by driving and controlling the rear wheel telescopic mechanism and the rear wheel slide mechanism, both the caterpillar mechanisms are floated above the flat ground and driven by the front and rear wheels when traveling on a flat ground. When switching to the wheel running mode, on the other hand, when moving up and down the stairs, it is necessary to switch to the stair climbing mode in which only the two caterpillar mechanisms are in contact with the corners of the staircase. Furthermore, this stair climbing wheelchair needs to be provided with a number of mechanisms such as a main caterpillar mechanism, a sub-caterpillar mechanism, a rear wheel extension mechanism, and a rear wheel slide mechanism. Instead, there is a possibility of frequent failures. On the other hand, the wheelchair of Patent Document 2 can only get over a convex object having a width of about 10 mm when traveling outdoors and cannot move up and down stairs.

  The present invention relates to a step elevating device capable of smoothly raising and lowering steps such as stairs while having an inexpensive and simple structure, a function capable of ascending and descending stairs reliably and stably without assistance by using this, and a flat ground An object is to provide a highly maneuverable electric wheelchair that has a function of easily passing and moving on a flat ground even if there are ridges, grooves, etc. .

  In order to achieve the above object, a step lifting device according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a pair of right and left traveling units having the same configuration in the traveling direction, and the left and right traveling units are radially spaced from the center. A rotating arm integrally formed with at least three mounting arm pieces having the same length, and a plurality of traveling wheels of the same diameter that are rotatably attached to the distal ends of the mounting arm pieces, An arm rotation gear fixed to the central portion of the rotation arm, a rotation transmission gear fixed to both ends of a single rotation shaft and meshed with the left and right arm rotation gears, and rotating about the rotation shaft A rotation drive source that applies force to rotate the left and right rotation arms in the same direction at the same rotation speed via the left and right rotation transmission gears and the arm rotation gear; Each run And a rotation drive source for rotating at the same speed the wheels in the same direction, the left and right of the travel units are connected to each other through a support that the rotary shaft is mounted rotatably.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the step lifting apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the rotating arm is formed by integrally forming the three attachment arm pieces at equal intervals of 120 °, and the rotational drive source is a pair of right and left. The rotation transmission shafts that are provided and rotated by the respective rotation driving sources pass through the central portions of the left and right rotating arms via bearings embedded in the central portions of the left and right arm rotating gears, respectively. Are rotatably supported by the three mounting arm pieces of the left and right rotating arms and individually meshed with the respective driving gears respectively fixed to the left and right ends of the rotation transmission shaft. A rotation transmission mechanism that includes three passive gears and transmits the rotational force of the passive gears to the traveling wheels is provided on each of the mounting arm pieces.

  An electric wheelchair using the step lifting device of the invention according to claim 3 is provided with a main mechanism and an auxiliary mechanism having the same configuration as that of the step lifting device of the invention according to claim 1 or 2 arranged at the front and rear, and the auxiliary The mechanism includes an auxiliary turning arm integrally formed with at least three mounting arm pieces extending radially from the central portion at equal intervals and having the same length, and is rotatably attached to the tip of each mounting arm piece. A plurality of auxiliary traveling wheels having the same diameter, an auxiliary arm rotation gear fixed to the center of the auxiliary rotation arm, an auxiliary rotation transmission gear meshing with the auxiliary arm rotation gear, and the auxiliary rotation transmission An auxiliary rotation drive source that applies a rotational force to the rotation shaft to which the gears are fixed to rotate the auxiliary rotation arm via the auxiliary rotation transmission gear and the auxiliary arm rotation gear, and each auxiliary travel A vehicle body plate portion, which is constituted by an auxiliary rotation drive source that rotates the wheels in the same direction and at the same speed, and the body frame of the wheelchair is attached to and supported by the rotation shaft of the main mechanism via a bearing box, and a back plate portion And a seat plate supported by the tip of the chassis plate, left and right side plates fixed to the seat plate and the back plate, and extending from the chassis plate toward the auxiliary mechanism. And an auxiliary plate part that is attached to and supported by the rotating shaft of the auxiliary mechanism via a bearing box, and is configured to support the rotation drive source and the rotation drive source of the main mechanism and the auxiliary rotation drive source and the auxiliary rotation. A control unit that controls the rotation of the drive source, an operation unit that performs control by the control unit by manual operation, and a battery that supplies drive power are provided.

The electric wheelchair using the step lifting device of the invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 3, wherein when the sensor is close to a step such as a staircase, the height and depth of the step are recognized and detected, Providing a detecting means having a proximity sensor for detecting that any of the traveling wheels or the auxiliary traveling wheel is in contact with the step surface when the rotating arm and the auxiliary rotating arm are rotated,
The control unit controls the rotation angle of each of the rotation drive source and the rotation drive source of the main mechanism and the auxiliary rotation drive source and the auxiliary rotation drive source based on a detection signal from the detection means.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric wheelchair using the step lifting device according to the fourth aspect, wherein the control unit is configured to detect whether the turning arm or the auxiliary turning arm is based on a detection signal from the detection means. When the rotational drive source of the main mechanism or the auxiliary rotational drive source of the auxiliary mechanism is rotationally driven so as to rotate in the direction of rising relative to the step, the traveling wheel of the main mechanism or the auxiliary traveling of the auxiliary mechanism The rotational drive source of the main mechanism or the auxiliary rotational drive source of the auxiliary mechanism is controlled so that the wheel travels a predetermined distance in a direction away from the step.

  An electric wheelchair using the step lifting device of the invention according to claim 6 is provided with a main mechanism and an auxiliary mechanism having the same configuration as that of the step lifting device according to claim 1 or 2 arranged at the front and rear, and the auxiliary mechanism Are attached to the auxiliary rotating arm integrally formed with at least three mounting arm pieces extending radially from the central portion at equal intervals, and rotatably attached to the tip end portions of the mounting arm pieces, respectively. A plurality of auxiliary traveling wheels having the same diameter, an auxiliary arm rotation gear fixed to the center of the auxiliary rotation arm, an auxiliary rotation transmission gear meshing with the auxiliary arm rotation gear, and the auxiliary rotation transmission gear Auxiliary rotation drive source that applies a rotational force to the rotation shaft to which the auxiliary rotation is fixed to rotate the auxiliary rotation arm via the auxiliary rotation transmission gear and the auxiliary arm rotation gear, and the auxiliary traveling wheels are the same. The wheelchair body frame is arranged in the vertical direction with the lower end of each of the wheelchair body frame and the auxiliary mechanism rotatably supported by the auxiliary mechanism. The main leg frame and the auxiliary leg frame, and the upper ends of the main leg frame and the auxiliary leg frame are rotatably attached to the main leg frame and the auxiliary leg frame. And a telescopic connecting member positioned below the seat plate and having both ends rotatably connected to the main leg frame and the auxiliary leg frame. The rotation drive source, the rotation drive source, and the auxiliary rotation drive source and the auxiliary rotation drive source are controlled to rotate, and the telescopic coupling member is expanded and contracted to extend the main leg frame and the auxiliary leg. A control unit that controls the frame to change the distance between the main mechanism and the auxiliary mechanism by swinging the lower side with a connection part with the seating surface plate as a fulcrum, and the control by the control unit is performed manually. An operation unit for performing the operation and a battery for supplying driving power are provided.

  According to the step lifting device according to the first aspect, when traveling on a flat ground such as a general road, two traveling wheels that land on the flat ground among the plurality of left and right traveling wheels are rotationally driven by the rotational drive source. Can travel smoothly. On the other hand, when raising or lowering a step such as a staircase, the turning arm is turned by a turning drive source so that the traveling wheel located above is turned by the turning of the mounting arm piece to which it is attached. After climbing on the surface and traveling and moving from this state until the landing wheel comes into contact with the step surface, the rotating arm is further rotated, so that the next traveling wheel also rides on the step surface. By repeating this operation, the stairs can be climbed stably. Moreover, when a convex part and a groove | channel exist in a flat ground, a traveling wheel can pass in the state straddling a convex part and a groove | channel by rotating a rotation arm.

According to the step lifting device according to the second aspect, since the three mounting arm pieces are provided at equal intervals of 120 ° on the rotating arm, it is higher than the case of having four or more mounting arm pieces. Even a staircase having a step can be easily moved up and down. In addition, since the traveling wheels of the left and right traveling units are independently rotationally driven by individual rotational drive sources, they can also turn and move up and down the spiral staircase. In addition, a rotation transmission shaft that transmits the rotation of the rotation drive source to the traveling wheels is rotatably supported at the center portion of the rotating arm via bearings embedded in the center portions of the left and right arm driving gears. Therefore, the traveling wheel and the rotating arm can be independently driven, and it is possible to immediately and easily cope with the traveling movement of the flat ground and the raising and lowering of the stairs.

  According to the electric wheelchair using the step lifting device according to claim 3, the vehicle body frame is supported on the rotating shaft of the main mechanism having the same configuration as the step lifting device of the present invention via a bearing box, and The electric wheelchair having a simple and inexpensive structure is obtained by assisting by an auxiliary mechanism having substantially the same configuration as one of the traveling units of the step lifting device. When traveling on flat ground, the two traveling wheels and the auxiliary traveling wheels that land on the flat ground among the plurality of traveling wheels in the main mechanism and the auxiliary mechanism are smoothly driven by the rotational drive source. It can travel and move. On the other hand, when moving up and down a step such as a staircase, the traveling wheel positioned above is obtained by rotating the rotating arm and the auxiliary rotating arm by the respective rotation driving sources of the main mechanism and the auxiliary mechanism. However, when the auxiliary mounting arm or the mounting arm piece to which it is mounted rides on the step surface and travels until the traveling wheel that has landed contacts the step surface, the rotating arm or auxiliary When the moving arm is further rotated, the next traveling wheel also rides on the step surface. By repeating this operation, the stairs can be climbed stably.

  This electric wheelchair does not include a caterpillar mechanism unlike a conventional wheelchair, and has a structure that can rotate the traveling wheel and the auxiliary traveling wheel and the rotation of the rotating arm and the auxiliary rotating arm independently of each other. Therefore, the stairs can be raised and lowered without contacting the corners of the stairs, so that the stairs can be raised and lowered easily and reliably without fear of damaging or slipping the corners of the stairs. Further, without changing the arrangement of the mechanism, the stairs can be lifted as they are from the running state, and when the stairs are moved up and down, the stairs can be shifted to the running state as it is, which is extremely excellent in mobility. In other words, this electric wheelchair is different from a conventional electric wheelchair that switches between a wheel traveling mode that travels with traveling wheels and a stair climbing mode that moves up and down stairs with a caterpillar. Without performing, the rotating arm simply rotates in the state as it is, and has high maneuverability.

  According to the electric wheelchair using the step lifting device according to claim 4, when the turning arm or the auxiliary turning arm is turned when the stairs are raised or lowered, the traveling wheel or the auxiliary attachment of the mounting arm piece located above is provided. By detecting that the auxiliary traveling wheel of the arm piece is in contact with the step surface by the detecting means and stopping the rotation of the rotating arm or the auxiliary rotating arm, it is possible to move up and down the stairs stably. Further, when the height of the step detected by the detection means is greater than or equal to a set value when approaching the stairs, the elevation can be stopped.

  According to the electric wheelchair using the step lifting device according to claim 5, the landing traveling wheel or the auxiliary traveling wheel quickly crawls below the center portion of the rotating arm or auxiliary rotating arm. Therefore, the rotational torque of each of the rotating arm or the auxiliary rotating arm is reversed corresponding to the moving distance from the step of the traveling wheel or the auxiliary traveling wheel in the separation direction. Since the torque is reduced by an amount corresponding to the torque, the turning-up operation of the turning arm or the auxiliary turning arm is facilitated by the reduced amount.

  According to the electric wheelchair using the step lifting device according to the sixth aspect, when the stairs are raised and lowered, for example, the telescopic connecting member is extended, so that the main leg frame and the auxiliary leg frame are respectively connected to each other at the lower part. Since it is swung in the separating direction and has an eight-shaped relative positional relationship, the distance between the main mechanism and the auxiliary mechanism that supports the main leg frame and the auxiliary leg frame is increased accordingly. The body frame is lowered by that amount, the center of gravity of the wheelchair is lowered, and the approach angle of the wheelchair with respect to the stairs is reduced, so that the passenger can feel secure.

It is the partially broken top view which shows the electric wheelchair using the level | step difference raising / lowering apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of an electric wheelchair same as the above. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a right traveling unit portion in the main mechanism of FIG. 1. It is an expanded sectional view which shows the support structure of the vehicle body frame of an electric wheelchair same as the above. It is a block diagram which shows the electric system of an electric wheelchair same as the above. It is explanatory drawing which shows the first half operation | movement when an electric wheelchair same as the above passes along a protruding item | line part at the time of advance driving | running | working. It is explanatory drawing which shows the latter half operation | movement when an electric wheelchair same as the above passes along a protruding item | line part at the time of advance driving | running | working. It is explanatory drawing which shows in order the first half operation | movement when an electric wheelchair same as the above climbs stairs. It is explanatory drawing which shows the latter half operation | movement in order when an electric wheelchair same as the above climbs stairs. It is a flowchart which shows the control processing of a control part when an electric wheelchair same as the above goes up the stairs. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which performs turning operation | movement of an electric wheelchair same as the above. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state in which the same electric wheelchair ascends the spiral staircase. It is the partially broken top view which shows the electric wheelchair using the level | step difference raising / lowering apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic side view of an electric wheelchair same as the above. It is a schematic side view which shows the state which raises / lowers the stairs of an electric wheelchair same as the above.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are a partially broken plan view and side view showing an electric wheelchair using the step lifting device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. A body frame 1 of the electric wheelchair includes a chassis plate portion 2 supported by a main mechanism 8 described later, an auxiliary plate portion 7 extending rearward from the chassis plate portion 2 and supported by an auxiliary mechanism described later, and a chassis. A support plate 6 erected on the plate part 2 in a vertical arrangement, an auxiliary support plate 16 erected on the auxiliary plate part 7 in a vertical arrangement, a horizontal support part of the auxiliary support plate 16, and an upper end of the support plate 6. A seat plate 4 supported by the front end of the chassis plate 2, a back plate 3 supported by the support of the auxiliary support plate 16 and the rear end of the seat plate 4, and fixed to the back plate 3 And left and right side plate portions 5 supported on the upper surface of the chassis plate portion 2. The seat surface plate part 4 extends obliquely forward and downward from the front end, and a footrest plate 4a is provided at the lower end part thereof. The body frame 1 is supported mainly by the front main mechanism 8 and is supplementarily supported by the rear auxiliary mechanism 9.

The main mechanism 8 is a step lifting device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and the auxiliary mechanism 9 is a modification of the step lifting device. That is, the main mechanism 8 is composed of a pair of left and right traveling units 8A and 8B, and each of the traveling units 8A and 8B is integrally formed with three mounting arm pieces 10a extending radially from the center at equal intervals of 120 °. The main rotation arm 10 formed, the main traveling wheel 11 rotatably attached to the vicinity of the tip of each of the three attachment arm pieces 10a, and the main rotation fixed to the inner side of the central portion of the main rotation arm 10 The arm rotation gear 12, a single main rotation arm rotation motor 13 commonly used for rotation of the left and right main rotation arms 10, and the main rotation arm rotation motor 13 extend to the left and right sides. A rotation transmission gear 14 fixed to the tip of each of the two motor shafts 13a and meshed with the main rotation arm rotation gear 12, a left and right main wheel rotation motor 17, and the main wheel rotation mode. A motor gear 17 fixed to the leading end of each motor shaft 17a that is led through the main rotating arm 12 and the main rotating arm 10 and a motor gear 18 that is respectively engaged with the motor gear 18 and that is meshed with three motor gears 17a. Three passive gears 19 rotatably attached to the root portion of the mounting arm piece 10a, three driving pulleys 20 fixed coaxially to the respective passive gears 19, and coaxial with the three traveling wheels 11 And three timing belts 22 wound around each of the three pairs of the driving pulley 20 and the passive pulley 21 which are opposed to each other. In FIG. 1, illustration of the main traveling wheel 11, the passive pulley 21 and the timing belt 22 of the mounting arm piece 10 a extending vertically is omitted in order to avoid difficulty in understanding due to the complexity of the illustration.

  Therefore, in the left and right traveling units 8A and 8B of the main mechanism 8, the rotation of the main wheel rotation motor 17 is transmitted to the three passive gears 19 via the driving gear 18, and rotates integrally with each of the three passive gears 19. The rotations of the three driving side timing pulleys 20 are transmitted to the corresponding passive side pulleys 21 through the rotation of the timing belt 22, and the three main traveling wheels 11 fixed coaxially to the passive side pulleys 21 are simultaneously It is rotated at the same rotational speed in the same direction. On the other hand, the rotation of the main rotation arm rotation motor 13 is transmitted to the main rotation gear 12 via the rotation transmission gear 14, so that the main rotation arm 10 to which the main rotation gear 12 is fixed rotates. Move. In the traveling units 8A and 8B and the auxiliary mechanism 9 of the main mechanism, the main rotating arm 10 and the auxiliary rotating arm 23 have the same shape, and the main traveling wheel 11 and the auxiliary traveling wheel 24 both have the same diameter. And it is attached to the same position in attachment arm piece 10a, 23a.

  The auxiliary mechanism 9 has a configuration in which substantially the same configuration as that of the right traveling unit 8A in the main mechanism 8 is arranged at the center of the vehicle body frame 1 in the vehicle width direction. That is, the auxiliary mechanism 9 includes an auxiliary rotating arm 23 having the same shape as the main rotating arm 10 and three auxiliary traveling wheels 24 that are rotatably attached to the three attachment arm pieces 23 a of the auxiliary rotating arm 23. And an auxiliary rotation arm rotation gear 27 fixed to the center of the auxiliary rotation arm 23, and an auxiliary rotation arm rotation gear fixed to the tip of each motor shaft 28a of the auxiliary rotation arm rotation motor 28. A gear 27, an auxiliary rotation transmission gear 29 meshed with the auxiliary rotation arm rotation gear 27, an auxiliary wheel rotation motor 30, and an auxiliary rotation arm rotation gear on the motor shaft 30 a of the wheel rotation motor 30. 27 and the auxiliary rotating arm 23, respectively, and a driving gear 31 fixed to a tip portion led out and the three mounting arm pieces 23 meshing with the driving gear 31. Three passive gears 32 that are rotatably attached to the root portion of the motor, three driving pulleys 33 that are coaxially fixed to the respective passive gears 32, and three auxiliary traveling wheels 24 that are coaxially fixed. A passive pulley 34 and three timing belts 37 wound around each of three opposing driving pulleys 33 and passive pulleys 34 are configured. Accordingly, the rotations of the auxiliary wheel rotating motor 30 and the auxiliary rotating arm rotating motor 28 of the auxiliary mechanism 9 are transmitted to the auxiliary traveling wheel 24 and the auxiliary rotating arm 23 by the same action as the main mechanism 8, respectively.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the right traveling unit 8A portion in the main mechanism 8 of FIG. 1. In FIG. 3, the main rotation is performed with the bearing 38 embedded in the center of the main rotating arm rotating gear 12. The motor shaft 17 a of the main wheel rotating motor 17 is fixed to the moving arm 10 and penetrates through the bearing 38 and the insertion hole 10 b of the main rotating arm 10. A driving gear 18 is fixed to the tip of the motor shaft 17a. Therefore, the driving gear 18 and the passive gear 19 that rotate the main traveling wheel 11 and the main rotating arm rotating gear 12 are configured to be able to rotate independently of each other. Although not shown in the auxiliary mechanism 9, as in the main mechanism 8, the driving gear 31 and the passive gear 32 that rotate the auxiliary traveling wheel 24 and the auxiliary rotating arm rotating gear 27 are independent of each other. It is configured to be able to rotate.

As shown in FIG. 4, the motor shafts 17 a of the left and right main wheel rotation motors 17 of the main mechanism 7 pass through a pillow type unit bearing box 39 fixed to the chassis plate part 2 of the vehicle body frame 1. It is fixed to the chassis plate part 2. Accordingly, the vehicle body plate portion 2 of the body frame 1 has a main rotation on both the left and right sides via the motor shafts 17a and 17a of the two main wheel rotation motors 17 and 17 with a pair of left and right pillow type unit bearing boxes 39 interposed therebetween. It is supported in a state where it is bridged over the arms 10 and 10. Further, the motor shaft 13a of the main turning arm turning motor 13 shown in FIG. 3 is fixed to the support plate 6 so as to penetrate the pillow type unit bearing box 40 fixed to the support plate 6 of the vehicle body frame 1. .

  The above-described configuration is simplified and shown only in principle in order to avoid difficulty in comprehension due to the complexity of the illustration, and the rotation transmission gears 14 and the motor shafts 13a and 17a of the motors 13 and 17, respectively. The driving gear 18, the auxiliary rotating gear 29, and the driving gear are fixed, and the rotation transmission gear 14 and the driving gear 18 are directly rotated by the motors 13 and 17, respectively. However, in practical use, a passive gear is fixed to the rotation support shaft to which the rotation transmission gear 14 is fixed, and the transmission gear fixed to the motor shaft 13a of the main rotation arm rotation motor 13 is meshed with the passive gear. Of course, a configuration or the like is adopted. The same applies to the support and rotation transmission of the driving gear 18. In that case, if an L-shaped gearbox with a bevel gear is used, the motor can be placed in the direction of the wheelchair, and the motor, gears, etc. are placed in a small space short in the vehicle width direction. can do.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the auxiliary plate portion 7 of the auxiliary mechanism 9 is supported by the auxiliary rotating arm 23 via the motor shaft 30 a of the auxiliary wheel rotating motor 30 through a pillow type unit bearing box 41. The auxiliary rotating arm rotating motor 28 is fixed to the auxiliary plate portion 7, and the motor shaft 28a of the auxiliary rotating arm rotating motor 28 is rotatably supported by the pillow type unit bearing box 42. A rotation transmission gear 29 fixed to the tip of the shaft 28a is meshed with the auxiliary rotation arm rotation gear 27.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle body frame 1 is driven through the control box 43 and the motors 13, 17, 28, and 30 in the space below the seat plate 4. A battery 44 for supplying electric power is mounted on the chassis board 2. An operation panel 47 operated by a boarding vehicle seated on the seat plate 4 is provided at the upper front end of the side plate 5 in the body frame 1.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the electric system of the electric wheelchair. In the figure, the control box 43 receives a required control signal based on a command signal input by operating the operation panel 47, and each motor 13, 17, A control unit 53 comprising a microcomputer for outputting to the 28 and 30 motor drive circuits 48 to 52 is provided. The operation panel 47 is provided with a plurality of operation buttons such as a forward travel button, a reverse travel button, an ascending button, a descending button, a turning button, a spiral ascending button, a spiral descending button, and a stop button. . A control program executed by the control unit 53 when each of these buttons is operated is stored in the ROM 54 in advance, and data read when the control unit 53 executes the control program is stored in the RAM 57 in advance. The main mechanism 8 and the auxiliary mechanism 9 are provided with detecting means 58 and 59, respectively. These detection means 58 and 59 are either in the case where the main traveling wheel 11 or the auxiliary traveling wheel 24 comes into contact with any obstacle during traveling, or as the main rotating arm 10 or the auxiliary rotating arm 23 rotates. When the main traveling wheel 11 and the auxiliary traveling wheel 24 land on a stepped surface or a flat ground, a proximity sensor that detects this and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 53, and detects the height and depth of a step such as stairs. A recognition sensor is provided.

Next, the operation of the electric wheelchair during forward travel will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 6A, when the forward travel button on the operation panel 47 of FIG. 5 is operated, the control unit 53 causes the main traveling wheels 11 and the auxiliary traveling wheels 24 to move in the positive directions indicated by arrows. The main wheel running rotation motor 17 and the auxiliary wheel rotation motor 30 are rotationally controlled to rotate. At this time, the main rotating arm rotating motor 13 and the auxiliary rotating arm rotating motor 28 are maintained in a stopped state. As a result, the main mechanism 8 travels with the two main traveling wheels 11, 11 out of the three of the left and right traveling units 8 </ b> A, 8 </ b> B landed on the traveling path, whereby the seat plate portion of the vehicle body frame 1. 4 is kept horizontal, and the auxiliary mechanism 9 also travels in a state where two of the three auxiliary traveling wheels 24, 24 land on the traveling path, so that the auxiliary plate portion 7 of the body frame 1 is moved. The electric wheelchair moves forward while being kept horizontal. During this forward traveling, most of the weight of the vehicle body frame 1 is loaded on the main mechanism 8, and the auxiliary mechanism 9 only supports the rear part of the vehicle body frame 1 lightly via the auxiliary support plate 16. During reverse travel, each main traveling wheel 11 and each auxiliary traveling wheel 24 only rotate in the direction opposite to the arrow in the figure, and most of the weight of the body frame 1 is loaded on the main mechanism 8, and the auxiliary mechanism 9 However, the rear portion of the vehicle body frame 1 is only lightly supported via the auxiliary support plate 16.

  When the electric wheelchair is traveling forward, as shown in FIG. 6A, for example, when a rail-shaped protruding portion 60 is present on the traveling path, the front side of the left and right traveling units 8 </ b> A and 8 </ b> B of the main mechanism 8. A detection signal is input to the control unit 53 from the detection means 58 of the main mechanism 8 when the main traveling wheel 11 comes into contact with the ridge 60. Thereby, the control part 53 controls as follows by reading a required control program from ROM54 and executing it. That is, the control unit 53 stops the rotation of the main wheel rotation motors 17 and 17 and the auxiliary wheel rotation motor 30 when a detection signal is input from the detection unit 57 of the main mechanism 8, and then FIG. ), The main rotating arm rotating motor 13 is controlled to rotate so that the main rotating arm 10 rotates in the positive direction indicated by the arrow, and the auxiliary traveling wheel 24 is rotated in the positive direction indicated by the arrow. The auxiliary wheel rotating motor 30 is rotationally controlled. As a result, the main mechanism 8 moves so that the main traveling wheel 11 existing above moves across the ridge 60 due to the rotation of the main rotation arm 10, so Landing on the ground, the auxiliary mechanism 9 moves forward by a distance that the main mechanism 8 moves forward by the rotation of the main rotating arm 10.

  Detected from the main mechanism 8 when the main traveling wheel 11 located above moves so as to straddle the ridge 60 by the rotation of the main rotation arm 10 and land on the flat ground in front of the ridge 60. A signal is output to the control unit 53. The control unit 53 stops the rotation of the main rotation arm rotation motor 13 at the time when the detection signal is input, and then continues the rotation of the auxiliary wheel rotation motor 30 to advance it. When the main traveling wheel 11 on the rear side of the main mechanism 8 comes into contact with the ridge 60 and a detection signal is input from the main mechanism 8, the rotation of the auxiliary wheel rotating motor 30 is stopped.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 7C, the control unit 53 controls the rotation of the main rotation arm rotation motor 13 so that the main rotation arm 10 rotates in the positive direction indicated by the arrow, and also performs auxiliary rotation. The auxiliary rotating arm rotating motor 28 is controlled to rotate so that the moving arm 23 rotates in the positive direction indicated by the arrow. Thereby, in the main mechanism 8, the main traveling wheel 11 located above moves so as to straddle the ridge 60 by the rotation of the main rotation arm 10, and the flat ground in the forward direction of the ridge 60. And land on the ridge 60. On the other hand, in the auxiliary mechanism 9, the auxiliary traveling wheel 24, which has been positioned above, moves so as to straddle the ridge 60 by the rotation of the auxiliary rotation arm 10, and lands on the flat ground in front of the ridge 60. As a result, a detection signal is output from the auxiliary mechanism 9 to the control unit 53, so that the rotation of the auxiliary rotation arm rotation motor 28 is stopped.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7 (d), the control unit 53 controls the rotation of the auxiliary rotation arm rotation motor 28 so that the auxiliary rotation arm 23 rotates in the positive direction indicated by the arrow, and the main traveling wheel. The main wheel rotation motor 17 is controlled to rotate so that 11 rotates in the positive direction indicated by the arrow. As a result, in the auxiliary mechanism 9, the auxiliary traveling wheel 24 located above moves so as to straddle the protruding ridge 60 by the rotation of the auxiliary rotating arm 23, and the flat ground in the forward direction of the protruding ridge 60. The auxiliary mechanism 9 also passes through the ridge 60. Note that even when the groove 61 indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 6A is present, it can pass through the groove 61 without hindrance by the same operation as described above. Thus, this electric wheelchair includes a mechanism that can rotate the main traveling wheel 11 and the auxiliary traveling wheel 24 and the main rotating arm 10 and the auxiliary rotating arm 23 independently of each other. The ridges 60 and the grooves 61 that are impossible with a conventional wheelchair equipped with a caterpillar mechanism can easily get over and pass and smoothly travel.

  Next, the operation of ascending the stairs of the electric wheelchair will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 8, when approaching the stairs 62, the electric wheelchair is turned as described later in FIG. The wheel 11 and the auxiliary traveling wheel 24 are rotated in the opposite directions as indicated by arrows, and the movement is stopped when the rear auxiliary traveling wheel 24 comes into contact with the step surface 63 of the stairs 62. In this state, the wheelchair is stopped. When the ascending button of the operation panel 47 is operated by the passenger, the control unit 53 reads the ascending control program as shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10, when the control unit 53 determines that the ascending button has been operated (step S1), the step height detection signal output from the detection means 59 of the auxiliary mechanism 9 on the rear side. Is determined to be greater than or equal to a predetermined value (step S2). When the control unit 53 determines that the step height is equal to or less than the set value, the auxiliary rotation arm rotation motor 28 is rotated so that the auxiliary rotation arm 23 rotates in the reverse direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. Rotation control of the main rotation arm rotation motor 13 is performed so that the main rotation arm 10 rotates in the opposite direction by an angle of 125 °. As a result, the main turning arm 10 is arranged such that the mounting arm piece 10a positioned in the vertical direction is slightly inclined rearward, and only one main traveling wheel 11 of each of the left and right traveling units 8A and 8B is landed. Regardless of the state, the weight of the body frame 1 can be stably supported. The 125 ° rotation angle is based on the fact that in this embodiment, the main mechanism 8 and the auxiliary mechanism 9 have the main rotation arm 10 and the auxiliary rotation arm has three attachment arm pieces 10a and 23a. The setting is such that the mounting arm piece 10a positioned in the vertical direction with the rotation is inclined toward the ascending direction by an angle of 5 °. If the rotation angle is set to 130 °, the arrangement is inclined toward the ascending direction by an angle of 10 °, and may be set in this way.

  When the main rotation arm 10 and the auxiliary rotation arm 23 are rotated, the control unit 53 causes the main rotation arm 10 and the auxiliary rotation arm 23 to be in a Y-shape in a side view, that is, the main rotation arm. The main wheel rotating motor 17 is rotated so that the main traveling wheel 11 and the auxiliary traveling wheel 24 rotate in the forward direction at a predetermined rotational speed until the 10 and the auxiliary rotating arm 23 rotate by an angle of 120 °. The auxiliary wheel rotating motor 30 is controlled to rotate (step S3). The aforementioned predetermined rotational speed is a speed at which the main traveling wheel 11 and the auxiliary traveling wheel 24 can travel so that the rotational operation of the main rotational arm 10 and the auxiliary rotational arm 23 can be induced. The main traveling wheel 11 and the auxiliary traveling wheel 24 in the landing state of the main mechanism 8 and the auxiliary mechanism 9 slightly move forward. For this reason, the respective turning torques of the main turning arm 10 and the auxiliary turning arm 23 are reduced by the amount of torque that the main traveling wheel 11 and the auxiliary traveling wheel 24 have moved forward. The kicking-up operation of the arm 10 and the auxiliary turning arm 23 becomes easy.

  Next, the control unit 53 receives the detection signal from the detection means 59 of the auxiliary mechanism 9 when the auxiliary traveling wheel 24 moved along with the rotation of the auxiliary rotation arm 23 comes into contact with the step surface 63. Wait (step S4). As shown in FIG. 8B, when the auxiliary traveling wheel 24 to be moved comes into contact with the step surface 63, the vehicle body frame 1 is inclined to the ascending direction and does not give anxiety to the rider. .

When it is determined that the detection signal is input from the detection unit 59 of the auxiliary mechanism 9 (step S3), the control unit 53 is positioned in the vertical direction of the auxiliary rotation arm 23 as shown in FIG. 8C. The auxiliary turning arm turning motor 28 is controlled to rotate so that the mounting arm piece 23a to be placed is vertically arranged (step S5). Thereby, the auxiliary | assistant rotation arm 23 positions the upper two auxiliary traveling wheels 24 and 24 in the substantially same height.

  Subsequently, the control unit 53 controls the main wheels so that the main traveling wheels 11 and the auxiliary traveling wheels 24 rotate in the opposite directions while the main rotating arm 10 and the auxiliary rotating arm 23 are maintained at the positions shown in FIG. The rotation motor 17 and the auxiliary wheel rotation motor 30 are controlled to rotate (step S6). As a result, the electric wheelchair is moved in the ascending direction while maintaining the state of FIG. 8C, so that the control unit 53 causes the main traveling wheel 11 in the landing state of the main mechanism 8 to be the step surface 63 of the stairs 62. And waits for a detection signal to be input from the main mechanism 8 (step S7).

  As shown in FIG. 9 (d), the main traveling wheel 11 in the landing state in the main mechanism 8 moving in the ascending direction abuts on the step surface 63 of the staircase 62, and the detection signal is sent from the detection means 58 of the main mechanism 8. When input is made to the control unit 53, the control unit 53 stops the rotation of the main wheel rotation motor 17 and the auxiliary wheel rotation motor 30, respectively. At this time, the auxiliary traveling wheel 24 on the lower front side (left side in the figure) of the auxiliary mechanism 9 is kept at the same height as the auxiliary traveling wheel 24 on the rear side that has already landed on the step surface 63 of the stairs 62. Since the main traveling wheel 11 in the landing state of the main mechanism 8 comes into contact with the step surface 63 of the stairs 62, it rides on the stairs surface of the stairs 62. That is, the rear side auxiliary mechanism 9 is completely on the step surface 63 of the staircase 62.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9 (e), the control unit 53 rotates the main rotating arm rotating motor 13 at a low speed so that the main rotating arm 10 rotates in the reverse direction at a low speed, and also the main traveling wheel. The main wheel rotating motor 17 and the auxiliary wheel rotating motor 39 are rotated at a low speed so that both the motor 11 and the auxiliary traveling wheel 24 rotate at a low speed. Thereby, as the auxiliary traveling wheel 24 rotates at a low speed and the auxiliary mechanism 9 moves in the ascending direction, the main mechanism 8 is also moved in the ascending direction, so that it contacts the step surface 63 of the main mechanism 8. Since the main rotating arm 10 is rotated in the opposite direction at the same time as the lower main traveling wheel 11 is pressed against the step surface 63 and is rotated in the reverse direction, the main traveling wheel 11 below the main mechanism 8 is rotated. Is gradually raised while climbing up the step surface 63 by rotating in the opposite direction while being pressed against the step surface 63.

  As shown in FIG. 9 (f), when the main traveling wheel 11 located below the main mechanism 8 climbs the step surface 63 and rides on the staircase surface, the other lower main traveling wheel 11 is The main turning arm 10 abuts on the step surface 63 by turning in the opposite direction. As a result, when the control unit 53 determines that the detection signal is input from the detection unit 58 of the main mechanism 8 (step S9), the control unit 53 determines that the entire wheelchair has ridden on the first step surface of the staircase 62. Returning to step S3, the same control is repeated. When the electric wheelchair completely goes up the stairs and the passenger operates the ascending button again, the control unit 53 determines that the input is an end (step S10) and ends the control. In addition, when going down the stairs 62, the control opposite to the above is performed. In step S2, if the control unit 53 determines that the step height is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it is dangerous for the wheelchair occupant to raise and lower the stairs 62 by sounding the alarm 15 shown in FIG. Notifying that there is, the lifting operation is stopped (step S11).

As described above, this electric wheelchair does not include a caterpillar mechanism like a conventional wheelchair, and rotates the main traveling wheel 11 and the auxiliary traveling wheel 24 and the main rotating arm 10 and the auxiliary rotating arm 23. Since it has a structure that can be performed independently of each other, the stairs 63 can be lifted and lowered without contacting the corners of the stairs 63, so there is no risk of scratching or slipping the corners of the stairs 62, and The stairs 62 can be moved up and down reliably. Further, since the stairs 62 can be ascended from the reverse traveling state, and the state can be shifted to the traveling state as it is after the stairs 63 are lifted and lowered, the mobility is extremely excellent. Therefore, this electric wheelchair can be moved and moved freely outdoors by moving up and down the stairs from home, for example, for a person living in a housing complex such as a housing complex where no elevator is installed. Can be used.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the electric wheelchair is controlled so as to be able to move up and down the stairs 62 while keeping the seat plate portion 4 in a substantially horizontal position, and the main rotating arm of the main mechanism 8. 10 and the main traveling wheel 11, the auxiliary turning arm 23 of the auxiliary mechanism 9 and the auxiliary traveling wheel 24 are set to have the same length and the same diameter, respectively, so that they move backward as exemplified in this embodiment. In addition to ascending and descending the stairs in the direction, it is also possible to ascend and descend the stairs in the direction of forward movement.

  In this electric wheelchair, the main traveling wheels 11 and 11 of the left and right traveling units 8A and 8B of the main mechanism 8 are rotated independently of each other by the main wheel rotating motors 17 and 17, respectively. By rotating one of the main traveling wheels 11 and 11 of both traveling units 8A and 8B at a low speed and rotating the other at a high speed, the vehicle can be turned as shown in FIG. Further, by rotating the main traveling wheels 11, 11 of the left and right traveling units 8A, 8B at different rotational speeds, the spiral staircase 64 as shown in FIG. 12 can be easily moved up and down.

  FIGS. 13 and 14 are a partially broken plan view and schematic side view showing an electric wheelchair according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In these drawings, the same or corresponding parts as those of the first embodiment are shown. Are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. The electric wheelchair of the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment only in the following configuration. In the first embodiment, the main mechanism 8 and the auxiliary mechanism 9 are connected to each other at a fixed interval by the chassis plate part 2 and the auxiliary plate part 7 connected to each other of the body frame 1. Instead of the configuration, in the second embodiment, a vehicle body frame 65 that can change the distance between the main mechanism 8 and the auxiliary mechanism 9 is provided. That is, the motor shafts 17a and 17a of the two main wheel rotating motors 17 and 17 of the main mechanism 8 are connected to each other by the bearing joint 67 so that they can be rotated independently of each other. A main leg frame 69 positioned in the vertical direction is rotatably supported on the motor shafts 17a and 17a via bearings 68 and 68, respectively. As shown in FIG. 14, the upper ends of the two main leg frames 69 and 69 are rotatably connected to a support base plate 71 via a passive joint 70.

  On the other hand, the auxiliary mechanism 9 causes the motor shaft 30 of the auxiliary wheel rotating motor 30 to protrude from the driving gear 31, and the auxiliary leg frame positioned in the vertical direction on both sides of the auxiliary rotating arm 23 of the motor shaft 30. 72 and 72 are rotatably supported via bearings 73 and 73. As shown in FIG. 14, the upper ends of the two auxiliary leg frames 72 and 72 are rotatably connected to the support base plate 71 via a passive joint 74.

  At both intermediate portions of the main leg frame 69 and the auxiliary leg frame 72, both ends of an expansion / contraction connection member 77 that is driven to expand / contract under the control of the control unit 53 are rotatable via passive joints 78 and 79. It is connected. For the expansion / contraction connection member 77, for example, a known configuration including a screw shaft and a screw nut can be employed. Further, a connecting portion between the seat plate portion 80 and the back plate portion 81 is rotatably mounted on the upper surface portion of the support base portion 71 of the vehicle body frame 65 via a rotary connection mechanism 82. A push-up mechanism 83 that pushes the seat plate 80 upward is attached to the portion 71. Further, the support base 71 is provided with a steering mechanism 84 that rotates the auxiliary leg frame 72.

The electric wheelchair according to the second embodiment travels on the flat ground in the state shown in FIG. 14 in the same manner as the wheelchair according to the first embodiment. The telescopic connecting member 77 is controlled to extend by the control unit 53. The extension length of the telescopic connection member 77 at this time is set and controlled by the control unit 53 based on the height of the step surface 63 of the staircase 62 recognized by the detection means 59 of the auxiliary mechanism. As a result, the main leg frame 69 and the auxiliary leg frame 72 are swung in the direction in which their lower portions are separated from each other with the passive joints 70 and 74 at the upper ends as fulcrums, and have an eight-character relative positional relationship. Therefore, the support base 71 of the body frame 65 is lowered by a distance that the main leg frame 69 and the auxiliary leg frame 72 are separated from each other, and the center of gravity of the body frame 65, that is, the body center of gravity of the entire wheelchair is lowered. The elevation angle of the wheelchair with respect to the stairs, that is, the approach angle of the wheelchair with respect to the stairs becomes small. This significantly improves the stability of the wheelchair when ascending and descending the stairs, and lowers the center of gravity of the body of the wheelchair and reduces the approach angle to the stairs for passengers sitting on the seat surface plate 80. Can give you a sense of security.

  At this time, the push-up mechanism 83 is controlled by the control unit 53 to push up the seat plate 80 so that the seat plate 80 is substantially horizontal with respect to the entire body frame 65. Therefore, in the electric wheelchair according to the second embodiment, the rotation angle of the main rotation arm 10 and the auxiliary rotation arm 23 is finely adjusted as in the first embodiment in order that the seating surface plate 80 is maintained in a substantially horizontal state. There is an advantage that does not need to be controlled. Further, when turning in FIG. 11 or when moving up and down the spiral staircase 64 in FIG. 12, the control unit 53 controls the steering mechanism unit 84 to direct the auxiliary traveling wheel 24 in the traveling direction. Ascending / descending operation becomes easier.

  The present invention is not limited to the contents shown in the above embodiment, and various additions, modifications, or deletions are possible within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention. It is included within the scope of the present invention. For example, it is preferable that the operation panel 47 has a configuration that can be operated not only by a passenger but also by a caregiver. Further, at the time of ascending / descending the stairs, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which only the seat plate portion of the body frame is rotated so as to be oriented in a direction orthogonal to the ascending / descending direction. Further, the main turning arm 10 and the auxiliary turning arm 23 may each have a shape having four mounting arm pieces 10a and 23a.

  The electric wheelchair using the step lifting device according to the present invention is particularly suitable for a person living in a housing complex such as a housing complex where no elephant is installed. It can be suitably used for an application for going to the destination.

1 body frame 2 chassis base (support)
3 Back plate portion 4 Seat surface plate portion 5 Side plate portion 7 Auxiliary plate portion 8 Main mechanism (step elevation device)
8A, 8B Traveling unit 9 Auxiliary mechanism 10 Main rotating arm (rotating arm)
10a Mounting arm piece 11 Main traveling wheel (traveling wheel)
12 Main rotation arm rotation gear (arm rotation gear)
13a Motor shaft (rotary shaft)
13 Main rotation arm rotation motor (rotation drive source)
14 Rotation transmission gear 17 Main wheel rotation motor (rotation drive source)
17a Motor shaft (rotation transmission shaft)
18 Driving gear 19 Passive gear 22 Timing belt (rotation transmission mechanism)
23 auxiliary rotation arm 23a mounting arm piece 24 auxiliary traveling wheel 27 auxiliary rotation arm rotation gear (auxiliary arm rotation gear)
28 Auxiliary rotation arm rotation motor (auxiliary rotation drive source)
29 Auxiliary rotation transmission gear 30 Auxiliary wheel rotation motor (auxiliary rotation drive source)
30a Motor shaft (rotating shaft)
32 Passive gear (rotation transmission mechanism)
33 Driving pulley (rotation transmission mechanism)
34 Passive pulley (rotation transmission mechanism)
38 Bearing 40 Bearing box 41 Bearing box 44 Battery 47 Operation panel (operation part)
53 Control part 58, 59 Detection means 65 Body frame 69 Main leg frame 72 Auxiliary leg part frame 77 Telescopic connecting member 80 Seat surface plate part

Claims (6)

A pair of left and right traveling units with the same configuration is provided in the traveling direction,
The left and right traveling units are
A rotating arm integrally formed with at least three mounting arm pieces extending radially from the central portion at equal intervals and having the same length;
A plurality of traveling wheels of the same diameter that are rotatably attached to the tip of each mounting arm piece;
An arm rotation gear fixed to the central portion of the rotation arm, a rotation transmission gear fixed to both ends of a single rotation shaft and meshed with the left and right arm rotation gears, and
A rotation drive source that applies a rotational force to the rotation shaft to rotate the left and right rotation arms in the same direction at the same rotation speed via the left and right rotation transmission gears and arm rotation gears;
A rotation drive source for rotating the traveling wheels of the left and right rotating arms in the same direction at the same speed,
The step elevating device characterized in that the left and right traveling units are connected to each other via a support body on which the rotating shaft is rotatably mounted. In the level | step difference raising / lowering apparatus of Claim 1,
In the rotating arm, the three attachment arm pieces are integrally formed at equal intervals of 120 °,
A pair of left and right rotation drive sources are provided, and rotation transmission shafts driven to rotate by the respective rotation drive sources rotate the left and right through bearings embedded in the center of the left and right arm rotation gears, respectively. It is supported rotatably in the center of the arm in a penetrating state,
Three passive gears that are rotatably provided on the three attachment arm pieces of the left and right pivot arms and individually mesh with the driving gears respectively fixed to the left and right ends of the rotation transmission shaft,
A step lifting device, wherein each mounting arm piece is provided with a rotation transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotational force of the passive gear to the traveling wheel. A main mechanism and an auxiliary mechanism having the same configuration as that of the step lifting device according to claim 1 or 2 are provided in the front-rear direction.
The auxiliary mechanism is
An auxiliary turning arm integrally formed with at least three mounting arm pieces extending radially from the center at equal intervals and having the same length;
A plurality of auxiliary traveling wheels of the same diameter that are rotatably attached to the tip of each mounting arm piece, and
An auxiliary rotation arm rotation gear fixed to the center of the auxiliary rotation arm;
An auxiliary rotation transmission gear meshing with the auxiliary rotation arm rotation gear;
An auxiliary rotation drive source that applies a rotational force to the rotation shaft to which the auxiliary rotation transmission gear is fixed and rotates the auxiliary rotation arm via the auxiliary rotation transmission gear and the auxiliary rotation arm rotation gear;
An auxiliary rotational drive source that rotates the auxiliary traveling wheels in the same direction at the same speed,
A body frame of a wheelchair is attached to and supported by a rotating shaft of the main mechanism via a bearing box, a seat plate portion supported by a back plate portion and a tip portion of the chassis plate portion, Left and right side plate portions fixed to the seat surface plate portion and the back plate portion, and extends from the chassis plate portion toward the auxiliary mechanism portion, and is attached to and supported by the rotating shaft of the auxiliary mechanism via a bearing box. Auxiliary plate part,
A control unit that controls rotation of the rotation drive source and rotation drive source of the main mechanism, the auxiliary rotation drive source and auxiliary rotation drive source, an operation unit that performs control by the control unit by manual operation, and drive power An electric wheelchair comprising a battery to be supplied. In the electric wheelchair according to claim 3,
A sensor for recognizing and detecting the step height and depth of the step when approaching a step such as a staircase, and either the traveling wheel or the auxiliary traveling when the rotating arm and the auxiliary rotating arm are rotated Providing a detection means having a proximity sensor for detecting that the wheel is in contact with the step surface,
The control unit controls the rotation angle of each of the rotation drive source and the rotation drive source of the main mechanism and the auxiliary rotation drive source and the auxiliary rotation drive source based on a detection signal from the detection means. Electric wheelchair. The electric wheelchair according to claim 4,
Based on the detection signal from the detection means, the control unit rotates the rotation drive source of the main mechanism or the auxiliary mechanism so that the rotation arm or the auxiliary rotation arm rotates in a direction rising with respect to the step. When the auxiliary rotation drive source of the main mechanism is rotationally driven, the rotation drive source of the main mechanism so that the traveling wheel of the main mechanism or the auxiliary traveling wheel of the auxiliary mechanism travels a predetermined distance in a direction away from the step. Or the electric wheelchair characterized by controlling the auxiliary rotation drive source of the auxiliary mechanism. A main mechanism and an auxiliary mechanism having the same configuration as that of the step lifting device according to claim 1 or 2 are provided in the front-rear direction.
The auxiliary mechanism is
An auxiliary turning arm integrally formed with at least three mounting arm pieces extending radially from the center at equal intervals and having the same length;
A plurality of auxiliary traveling wheels of the same diameter, each rotatably attached to the tip of each of the rotating arm pieces;
An auxiliary rotation arm rotation gear fixed to the center of the auxiliary rotation arm;
An auxiliary rotation transmission gear meshing with the auxiliary rotation arm rotation gear;
An auxiliary rotation drive source that applies a rotational force to the rotation shaft to which the auxiliary rotation transmission gear is fixed and rotates the auxiliary rotation arm via the auxiliary rotation transmission gear and the auxiliary rotation arm rotation gear;
An auxiliary rotational drive source that rotates the auxiliary traveling wheels in the same direction at the same speed,
A body frame of a wheelchair includes a main leg frame and an auxiliary leg frame arranged in a vertical direction with respective lower ends thereof rotatably supported by the rotation shaft of the main mechanism and the auxiliary mechanism, and the main legs. The upper end of each of the body frame and the auxiliary leg frame is pivotally attached and is supported by the main leg frame and the auxiliary leg frame, and is positioned below the seat plate. The both end portions are configured to be connected to the main leg frame and the auxiliary leg frame so as to be freely rotatable, and an elastic connecting member.
The rotation drive source and rotation drive source of the main mechanism and the auxiliary rotation drive source and auxiliary rotation drive source are controlled to rotate, and the telescopic connecting member is expanded and contracted to move the main leg frame and the auxiliary leg frame. A control unit for controlling the distance between the main mechanism and the auxiliary mechanism by swinging the lower side with a connection part with the seating surface plate as a fulcrum, and an operation for performing control by the control unit by manual operation An electric wheelchair characterized by comprising a unit and a battery for supplying driving power.