JP2012143519A - Center-wheel wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a center-wheel wheelchair which secures sanitation during a manual operation, gets over a little level difference, has large stability and allows turning operation to be extremely easily performed.SOLUTION: The center-wheel wheelchair includes: a body frame 1 provided with a sitting seat 2; a pair of main wheels 4 disposed at the lower part in the roughly center centroid direction of the sitting seat 2 of the body frame 1; operation members 6 disposed on the sides of the body frame 1, for driving the pair of main wheels 4; and a plurality of wheel casters 11 provided at the front part of the body frame 1. Each of the pair of main wheels 4 is rotationally driven by the operation member 6 independently at the front and back. Further, at the rear part of the body frame 1, auxiliary wheels 12 are disposed above the ground-contact surface of the pair of main wheels 4.

Description

  The present invention relates to a central wheelchair that can be used while a disabled person or an elderly person with weak legs is seated when moving.

In recent years, wheelchairs, walking cars such as unicycles, walking aids, crutches, and the like are often used as walking aids for people with walking disabilities and elderly people with weak legs. In particular, a walking vehicle such as a wheelchair or a single-wheeled vehicle can easily travel and move because it is seated on a seat and operated by an assistant or operated by its own limbs. For this reason, the present inventor has previously proposed a unicycle vehicle using a unicycle. This technology includes a column having a back plate and a locking piece disposed on the top, a tire holding frame disposed on the bottom of the column and rotatably holding a unicycle, and capable of sliding up and down on the column, and A seat disposed at a position where the center of gravity and the center of gravity of the unicycle substantially coincide with each other, a planar U-shaped foot frame to which one end of the tire holding frame is fixed and casters are attached to the front and rear, and one end of the foot frame A U-shaped side frame that is rotatably supported at the other end and engages with and disengages from a locking piece disposed on the upper portion of the column, and an intermediate portion that is rotatably supported on the side frame and a lower end that is the foot. A handle support frame is provided that includes a handle frame provided with a handle at the upper end that is detachably fixed to the frame. Therefore, traveling operability is improved by a traveling function and a rotation function centering on a unicycle like a wheelchair (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2009-50613 A

  However, in the above-described conventional configuration, since it is a configuration as a walking assist device, naturally, emphasis is placed on moving with a foot, and if a foot cannot be used, a wheelchair is used. In general, a wheelchair is configured by manually driving wheels on both sides of a seat and an auxiliary wheel in front. Therefore, when driving the drive wheels, the tires of the drive wheels make the hands and sleeves dirty and unsanitary, and when turning, the drive wheels are arranged on both sides of the seat, so if there is not enough proficiency, the turning radius is wide In many cases, securing passages and spaces has become a major issue. In that respect, the former walking assist device uses a unicycle, so that it is easy to turn, but the auxiliary wheel must also be grounded on a single plane to ensure stability. For this reason, there is a problem that even a small level difference cannot be overcome. Further, there is no disclosure of a configuration in which a unicycle is used as a wheelchair in a substantially lower center portion of a seat.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems. A central wheelchair that can ensure hygiene during manual operation, can be overcome with a slight level difference, has high stability, and is extremely easy to turn. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to solve the above problems, a central wheelchair according to the present invention includes a main body frame provided with a seat, a pair of main wheels disposed at a lower portion of the main body frame in a substantially central direction of the center of gravity, An operation member for driving the pair of main wheels disposed on a side portion of the main body frame; and a plurality of wheel casters provided on a front portion of the main body frame, wherein each of the pair of main wheels is the operation member. In this configuration, the front and rear can be rotated independently. Therefore, a stable traveling movement like a wheelchair and a turning function centered on the central wheel make the traveling operation extremely good, and have an effect of obtaining a large driving force that concentrates the driving force on the pair of main wheels.

  In the second central wheelchair of the present invention, an auxiliary wheel is arranged at the rear of the main body frame above the ground contact surface of the pair of main wheels. Therefore, even when the wheelchair is tilted rearward when climbing over the step, the auxiliary wheel disposed at the rear contacts the ground, so that a certain level of tilting can be prevented and safety can be ensured. For this reason, the main wheel has the effect of easily overcoming the step.

  Moreover, the 3rd center wheelchair of this invention is set as the structure which used the multi-wheel caster provided in the front part of the main body frame as a 4-wheel caster. Therefore, when the four-wheel caster rotates with a small amount of thrust by manual operation when it hits the step, the step can be overcome. Then, after the left and right four-wheel casters get over the step, the pair of main wheels having a narrow position width installed at the lower part in the direction of the center of gravity of the seat seat of the main body frame has the effect of getting over the step.

  In the fourth central wheelchair of the present invention, an operation member for driving the pair of main wheels is arranged on the side of the main body frame with respect to the pair of main wheels disposed at the lower part of the seat seat in the substantially central center of gravity direction. By disposing, the operation member is separated from the pair of main wheels. Therefore, it has the effect | action that the hand hygiene by a hand contacting with a pair of main wheel at the time of manual operation can be prevented or eliminated.

  The central wheelchair of the present invention has the above-described configuration, so that each of the pair of main wheels disposed at the lower part of the seat seat in the direction of the approximate center of gravity can be rotated and driven independently by a manual operation member. Therefore, it is possible to stably move and move like a wheelchair, and since the turning configuration is centered on the center wheel, the turning operation is extremely easy, and the effect of securing the space for turning is not required. In addition, since the position width of the pair of main wheels is narrow, the turning operation can be performed by operating only one manual operation member, and the effect that the turning can be performed by the operation of only one hand is obtained. . In addition, since the auxiliary wheel is arranged above the ground contact surface of the pair of main wheels at the rear of the main body frame, when the wheelchair tilts backward when overcoming the step, the auxiliary wheel Since the wheel comes in contact with the ground, it is possible to prevent a certain degree of inclination and to secure safety. Further, since the pair of main wheels ride on the step, it is possible to obtain an operational effect such that it becomes easier to get over the step. In addition, because the four-wheel casters are provided at the front of the main body frame, the driving force is concentrated on the pair of main wheels by manual operation, and the four-wheel casters rotate with a small amount of thrust. Can do. In addition, the operation member is disposed on the side of the main body frame, and the pair of main wheels are disposed in the center portion of the seat so that the operation member is separated from the pair of main wheels so that the hand contacts the pair of main wheels during manual operation. Many actions and effects can be obtained, such as preventing or eliminating unsanitary conditions caused by the operation.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a perspective view of the central wheelchair of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view, and FIG. 3 is a side view. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component. In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a body frame made of a metal pipe and formed in the shape of a chair, and a seat seat 2 that can be seated in the center part and a back plate 3 for backrest is provided at the rear part. A pair of main wheels 4 are disposed at the lower portion of the seat 2 in the direction of the center of gravity. Therefore, since the center of gravity of the seated person is positioned substantially at the upper center of the pair of main wheels 4, a very stable traveling configuration can be obtained. The rotation shafts of the pair of main wheels 4 are independently supported by support plates 5 provided on the main body frame 1 as can be seen in FIG. Reference numeral 6 denotes a manual operation wheel provided on both sides of the main body frame 1, and an operation shaft 7 is rotatably supported on the upper portion of the support plate 5 described above. The rotational force of the operating shaft 7 is transmitted between the rotating shaft with the main wheel 4 by the chain 10 (see FIG. 3) between the operating shaft gear 8 and the rotating shaft gear 9, but not limited to this. Or what is necessary is just to comprise so that it may be transmitted by a gear drive. The manual operation wheel 6 is not limited to this, and a bar-shaped operation member driven by a latch gear or the like can also be used. As described above, the central wheelchair of the present invention drives the pair of main wheels 4 with respect to the pair of main wheels 4 disposed at the lower portion of the seat seat 2 in the direction of the center of gravity. The operation wheels 6 are arranged on both sides of the main body frame 1 so that the operation wheels 6 are separated from the pair of main wheels 4. Therefore, when operating the operation wheel 6, since it is far away from the pair of main wheels 4, it is possible to prevent or eliminate unsanitary soiling due to the hands and sleeves coming into contact with the pair of main wheels during manual operation of the operation wheel 6. It has a configuration that can.

  The rotation shaft of the pair of main wheels 4 and the operation shaft 7 of the operation wheel 6 are supported by the support plate 5 so as to be able to rotate forward and reverse independently. Therefore, when moving forward and backward, it is only necessary to rotate the manual operation wheels 6 provided on both sides of the main body frame 1 at the same time, and if the left operation wheel 6 is rotated forward many times, the left main wheel 4 is increased. Since it rotates forward, it rotates in the right direction. The reverse operation may be performed in the left direction. Further, if the left operation wheel 6 is rotated forward while the right main wheel 4 is stopped, the right main wheel 4 is rotated forward in the right direction on the spot with the right main wheel 4 as a fixed point. If it is the opposite, it will turn to the left. Since the distance between the pair of main wheels 4 is extremely narrow, the rotation is almost on the spot, so that it is not necessary to secure a space for the rotation or turning, and the rotation can be performed with only one hand operation. This operation is the same even in the case of reverse rotation. Such an action cannot be achieved by a unicycle, and is an action unique to the present invention.

  Next, a pair of four-wheel casters 11 are provided in front of the main body frame 1 so as to be in horizontal contact with the pair of main wheels 4. Accordingly, the pair of main wheels 4 and the four-wheel casters 11 are kept horizontal and can be wheelchair-driven. A pair of four-wheel casters 11 provided in front of the main body frame 1 are provided so as to be able to get over if there is a slight difference in level. Generally, a three-wheel caster is well known, but a multi-wheel caster is also known. It is disclosed. In the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the central wheelchair described above, a four-wheel caster is used. Four caster wheels having a main wheel diameter of about 50 cm and a diameter of about 11 cm are used, and the height of one side is 28 cm. It has been proved that if the rotational thrust with both hands of the manual operation wheel 6 is about 8 kg, the level difference of about 10 cm can be overcome.

  In the central wheelchair of the present invention, the pair of auxiliary wheels 12 are provided at the rear of the main body frame 1 so as to be above the ground contact surface of the main wheel 4. Although it is not used in normal driving on flat ground, when the wheelchair is tilted backwards when climbing over the step, this auxiliary wheel 12 touches the ground to prevent a certain tilt and falls It is possible to prevent and secure safety, and further, it is configured so that the pair of main wheels 4 ride on the steps. In the figure, a pair of auxiliary wheels 12 are provided, but even if one auxiliary wheel is provided at a substantially central portion of the rear portion of the main body frame 1, the same operation as described above can be obtained.

  In the above-described central wheelchair according to the present invention, the folding step for placing a foot arranged in a normal wheelchair is omitted. Originally, a folding step is provided on both inner sides of the four-wheel caster 11, and a handle for pushing the wheelchair is provided on the upper left and right sides of the back plate 3 of the main body frame 1. It is also possible to provide an elbow rest on the main body frame 1.

  The central wheelchair of the present invention is useful as a wheelchair that can be utilized while a disabled person or an elderly person with weak legs is seated when moving.

The perspective view of the center wheelchair of the present invention Front view of the central wheelchair of the present invention Side view of the central wheelchair of the present invention

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body frame 2 Seat sheet 3 Back plate 4 Main wheel 5 Support plate 6 Operation wheel 7 Operation shaft 8 Operation shaft gear 9 Rotating shaft gear 10 Chain 11 Four-wheel caster 12 Auxiliary wheel

Claims (4)

  A main body frame provided with a seat, a pair of main wheels disposed at a lower portion of the main body frame in a substantially central direction of the center of gravity, and the pair of main wheels disposed on a side portion of the main body frame And a plurality of casters provided at the front portion of the main body frame, and each of the pair of main wheels can be rotated and driven independently by the operation member in the front-rear direction. Central wheelchair to play.   The central wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein an auxiliary wheel is disposed above the grounding surface of the pair of main wheels at a rear portion of the main body frame.   The central wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of wheel casters provided at the front portion of the main body frame is a four wheel caster.   With respect to the pair of main wheels disposed at the lower portion of the seat seat in the direction of the center of gravity, an operation member for driving the pair of main wheels is disposed on a side portion of the main body frame. The central wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the operation member is separated from the center wheelchair.

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