JP2013252229A - Parking brake mechanism for wheelchair and wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a parking brake mechanism for a wheelchair and a wheelchair, capable of arbitrarily adjusting a fixed position of an operation lever for performing brake control of the wheelchair by simple and quick operation.SOLUTION: A parking brake mechanism for a wheelchair can regulate rotation of a main wheel of a wheelchair and is provided with: an operation lever having a shaft part and a grip part provided at the distal end of the shaft part; a support part into which the shaft part is fitted to freely move; a fixing means for fixing the shaft part to a prescribed position; and a release means for releasing fixation of the shaft part by the fixing means. The shaft part is slid with respect to the support part in the fixation released state and the shaft part is fixed at a prescribed position by the fixing means, and thereby, a position of the grip part is arbitrarily adjustable.

Description

  The present invention relates to a wheelchair parking brake mechanism and a wheelchair equipped with the parking brake mechanism.

  Conventionally, various parking brake mechanisms that restrict the rotation of the main wheel of a wheelchair have been used so that the wheelchair does not move while the wheelchair is parked or stopped. As the brake mechanism, a tackle brake having a side lever installed on a side portion of a seat that can be operated by a wheelchair occupant is most common.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a wheelchair brake device (100). The wheelchair brake device (100) includes a brake body (10) attached to a frame (14) on both sides of the wheelchair (1), a brake lever (11) operable by a wheelchair occupant, and a wheelchair. A blade-like brake shoe (stopper 12) that contacts the main wheel (7) of (1). When the occupant operates the brake lever (11), the tip of the brake shoe (12) strongly bites into the outer peripheral surface of the main wheel (7), and the rotation of the main wheel (7) is restricted. Further, in this wheelchair brake device (100), the tube (14) of the brake lever (11) is slidably fitted into the lever support (17) of the brake body (10), and the ball (15) or the claw portion By the fixing means (18), the brake lever (11) is supported in an extended state when operated. On the other hand, when the brake lever (11) is not operated, the brake lever (11) can be shortened downward by releasing the engagement by the ball (15) or the claw portion (18). That is, in the wheelchair brake device (100) of Patent Document 1, two forms of an extended state at the time of operation and a shortened state at the time of non-operation can be selected.

JP 2003-159284 A

  However, in the wheelchair parking brake of the prior art as disclosed in Patent Document 1, since only two forms of the brake lever can be selected in the extended state or the shortened state, the body shape of the wheelchair occupant (that is, the length of the hand) Etc.) cannot be easily and quickly changed to a position where the grip portion of the brake lever can be easily operated. Alternatively, it was possible to adjust the position of the grip portion of the brake lever by removing the parking brake itself from the wheelchair and reattaching it. It was also difficult for a seated passenger to perform adjustment work alone. In other words, the brake lever grip cannot be easily adjusted to the optimal position for the occupant, so the seat of the wheelchair occupant and the position of the brake lever grip do not match. It is inevitable that the passenger uses a wheelchair. In this case, since the occupant cannot grasp the grip portion with a natural posture when operating the brake lever, the occupant bends the arm unnaturally in order to grasp the grip portion of the brake lever, or Necessary to twist your body. As described above, there is a problem that the occupant is exhausted more than necessary by taking an unreasonable posture, or that the occupant falls from the wheelchair.

  The present invention has been made to remedy the above-mentioned drawbacks, and its object is to provide parking for a wheelchair in which a fixed position of an operation lever for brake control of the wheelchair can be arbitrarily adjusted by a simple and quick operation. It is to provide a brake mechanism and a wheelchair.

  The wheelchair parking brake mechanism according to claim 1 is a wheelchair parking brake mechanism capable of restricting the rotation of the main wheel of the wheelchair, and includes a shaft portion and a grip portion provided at a tip of the shaft portion. A lever, a support part that is slidably inserted into the shaft part, a fixing means for fixing the shaft part at a predetermined position, and a releasing means for releasing the fixing of the shaft part by the fixing means, The position of the gripping portion can be arbitrarily adjusted by sliding the shaft portion with respect to the support portion in the unlocked state and fixing the shaft portion to a predetermined position by the fixing means.

  A wheelchair brake mechanism according to a second aspect of the present invention is the wheelchair brake mechanism according to the first aspect, wherein the fixing means includes a clamp mechanism attached to the support portion.

  The wheelchair according to claim 3 is characterized in that the wheelchair parking brake according to claim 1 or 2 is installed.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the wheelchair parking brake mechanism of the present invention includes a fixing means for fixing the shaft portion in a predetermined position and a releasing means for releasing the fixing of the shaft portion by the fixing means. ing. Thus, the gripping portion can be easily moved to an arbitrary position by sliding the shaft portion with respect to the support portion in the unlocked state provided in the wheelchair parking brake mechanism and fixing the shaft portion to a predetermined position by the fixing means. And can be adjusted quickly. In other words, the gripping part of the operating lever can be easily adjusted to the optimal position according to the physique of the seated person, so that the seated person can operate the operating lever with a natural posture and brake the wheelchair. It is possible to perform.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the wheelchair parking brake mechanism of the first aspect, the fixing means is a clamp mechanism attached to the support portion, so that the shaft portion of the operation lever is clamped. Thus, the grip portion of the operation lever can be fixed at a predetermined position. Thereby, the parking brake mechanism for wheelchairs can be made into a simple structure. In addition, the operating lever is replaced most frequently over time, but because the clamp-type fixing is used, the structure of the operating lever itself can be simplified and the costs associated with parts replacement can be reduced. it can.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, by providing the wheelchair parking brake mechanism of claim 1 or 2, the above-described effects can be exhibited as a wheelchair. That is, the wheelchair of the present invention can arbitrarily adjust the fixed position of the operation lever for brake control of the wheelchair by the simple and quick operation of the wheelchair parking brake mechanism.

1 is a schematic side view of a wheelchair according to an embodiment of the present invention. The partial expanded side view which shows the parking brake mechanism of the wheelchair of FIG. It is the elements on larger scale which show the parking brake mechanism of the wheelchair of FIG. 1, Comprising: (a) is the restriction | limiting cancellation | release state (non-brake position) of a main wheel, (b) shows a restriction | limiting state (brake position). The (a) side view and (b) top view of the main-body part of FIG. FIG. 5 is an exploded view showing a clamp mechanism and a release operation part of the main body part of FIG. 4. The side view which shows the operation lever of FIG. The (a) side view and (b) top view which show the brake shoe of FIG. The disassembled schematic of the main-body part and brake shoe of the parking brake mechanism of one Embodiment. In the parking brake mechanism of one Embodiment, it is the schematic which shows the operation | movement for adjusting the protrusion width | variety of the contact part of a brake shoe, (a) is an initial state, (b) is the tip of a rotating shaft. The state pulled in the direction, (c) shows the state after adjustment. The side view which shows the aspect of adjustment of the protrusion width of the contact part of a brake shoe, and the fixed position adjustment of an operation lever in the parking brake mechanism of one Embodiment. The side view of the parking brake mechanism of the modification of this invention.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the shape of each figure referred in the following description is a conceptual diagram or a schematic diagram for explaining a suitable shape dimension, and a dimension ratio etc. do not necessarily correspond with an actual dimension ratio. That is, the present invention is not limited to the dimensional ratio in the drawings.

  Hereinafter, the parking brake mechanism 100 according to an embodiment and the wheelchair 10 on which the parking brake mechanism 100 is attached will be described in detail. In the following description, as a general rule, terms indicating directions such as up and down and forward and backward are defined to correspond to the forward and backward traveling direction of the wheelchair and the vertical direction of the wheelchair.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a wheelchair 10 according to an embodiment includes a pair of left and right main wheels 11, a tire 12 that forms the outer periphery of the main wheel 11, a side frame 14 that pivotally supports the main wheel 11, and the side. A parking brake mechanism 100 attached to the part frame 14. The parking brake mechanism 100 is positioned in front of the main wheel 11 of the wheelchair 10 so that a occupant of the wheelchair 10 can operate, and the distance d, so that it can contact the tread surface 12a of the tire 12 during operation. The tire 12 is separated from the tread surface 12a.

  FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the vicinity of the parking brake mechanism 100 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the parking brake mechanism 100 of this embodiment is supported by the main body 110 and the support portion 117 of the main body 110. The control lever 120 and a brake shoe 130 attached to a first arm 111 extending from the main body 110 are provided. The solid lines of the operation brake 120 and the brake shoe 130 in FIG. 2 indicate a restriction release state (non-brake position) in which the rotation of the main wheel 11 of the wheelchair 10 is not restricted, while the broken line restricts the rotation of the main wheel 11 of the wheelchair 10. The regulated state (brake position) is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, in the parking brake mechanism 100, the contact surface 131 of the brake shoe 130 is separated from the tread surface 12a of the tire 12 by a distance d in the restriction release state (non-brake position). . Then, when the operation lever 120 is regulated to the broken line position in FIG. 2, the contact surface 131 is brought into pressure contact with the tread surface 12a from the regulation release position in FIG. 3A (see FIG. 3B). It is displaced to. In the brake position shown in the broken line in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3B, the contact surface 131 and the tread surface 12a are pressed against each other with a strong force, so that a large frictional force is generated and the rotation of the main wheel 11 is restricted. Needless to say, the brake is more effective as the distance between the contact surface 131 and the tread surface 12a is shorter at the restriction release position.

  Next, each component of the parking brake mechanism 100 according to the embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 4A is a side view of the main body 110 of the parking brake mechanism 100. The main body 110 includes a first arm 111 extending from the rear side of the main body 110 downward to the wheelchair, and a second arm 115 extending from the front side of the main body 110 to the front of the wheelchair. The base end of the first arm 111 is pivotally supported inside the main body 110, and the distal end of the first arm 111 is the front and rear of the wheelchair 10 by rotating backward (in the direction of the main wheel 11 of the wheelchair 10) from the illustrated non-brake position. Can be displaced. On the other hand, the second arm 115 is configured to be able to support the operation lever 120, and is pivotally supported by the main body 110 so as to rotate around the rotation shaft 116 when the operation lever 120 is operated.

  The first arm 111 and the second arm 115 are connected to each other inside the main body 110 so as to be interlocked with each other. In the parking brake mechanism 100 of the present embodiment, the second arm 115 rotates clockwise by rotating the operation lever 120 from the restriction release position (solid line in FIG. 2) to the restriction position (broken line in FIG. 2). In conjunction with the rotation of the second arm 115, the first arm 111 rotates counterclockwise, and the tip of the first arm 111 is displaced forward. On the other hand, by rotating the operation lever 120 in the reverse direction from the forwardly displaced state, the first arm 111 is rotated clockwise, and the tip of the first arm 111 is displaced rearward. Further, in the coupling mechanism between the first arm 111 and the second arm 115, the first arm 111 is urged in either the restriction position or the restriction release position, and is locked so as not to rotate at each position. Then, the lock is released by the rotation of the second arm 115 (that is, the operation of the operation lever 120), and the position of the tip of the first arm 111 is changed from the restriction position to the restriction release position, or the restriction release position. To the restricted position. In addition, about the connection structure inside this main-body part 110, it is the same as that of the tackle brake (or parking side brake) of the conventional wheelchair, and it abbreviate | omits to explain in detail. Moreover, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It is good also considering the rotation direction of a 2nd arm (operation brake) as an opposite direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, a rotating shaft 112 that supports the brake shoe 130 rotatably through the opening 131 is projected from the tip of the first arm 111. A fitting portion 113 that fits into a fitting portion 133 of a brake shoe 130 described later is formed on the outer periphery of the rotation shaft 112 on the proximal end side. The fitting portion 113 is fixed to the first arm 111 with a screw and has a fixing hole 113a for fixing the rotating shaft 112 so as not to rotate. Moreover, the outer periphery of the fitting part 113 is processed into the external gear shape which has several teeth, and the said external gear shape respond | corresponds to the internal gear shape of the to-be-fitted part 133 of the brake shoe 130 mentioned later. Further, a spring 114 is disposed around the distal end side of the rotating shaft 112. As will be described later, one end of the spring 114 engages with the protruding portion 112a (the head of the collar or bolt) at the tip of the rotating shaft 112, and the other end engages with the spring engaging portion 134 of the brake shoe 130. Are arranged as follows. The spring 114 is compressed when the brake shoe 130 is moved in the distal direction of the rotating shaft 112 and acts to urge the brake shoe 130 toward the first arm 111.

  In this embodiment, the rotating shaft 112 is a bolt that is fixed to the fixing hole 113a in order to support the brake shoe 130 on the first arm 111. However, the rotating shaft and the bolt may be configured separately. Good. Moreover, the outer periphery (and inner periphery) shape of a fitting part (and to-be-fitted part) is not limited to the said embodiment. For example, the outer peripheral shape of the fitting portion can be a polygon that can be fitted to the fitted portion.

  The second arm 115 is configured to allow the operation lever 120 to move up and down and to be supported and fixed at a predetermined position. The second arm 115 includes a support portion (insertion hole) 117, a clamp mechanism 118, and a release operation portion 119 (release means). With. Hereinafter, a more specific description will be given with reference to FIG. 5 which is an exploded view of these members.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a support part 117 is provided at the tip of the second arm 115, and an insertion hole as a support part through which the shaft part 121 of the operation lever 120 can be inserted vertically penetrates the support part 117. Is formed. A bush 117 a is attached to the support portion 117. An annular clamp mechanism 118 that can hold and support the shaft 121 of the operation lever 120 is disposed in the insertion hole of the support 117. In the present embodiment, the clamp mechanism 118 has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the insertion hole of the support portion 117 and has an inner diameter smaller than the diameter of the shaft portion 121 and is elastically deformable in the outer diameter direction. A cylinder (for example, a ring spring). When the shaft portion 121 is inserted into the clamp mechanism 118, the inner diameter of the shaft portion 121 is elastically deformed and expanded, and the elastic return force acts on the shaft portion 121 as an inward biasing force. To do. Note that the shape of the clamp mechanism 118 in FIG. 5 is only a schematic diagram for explaining the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the illustrated shape.

  A release operation unit 119 configured to be able to release the clamp is connected to the lower end of the clamp mechanism 118 via a washer 117b and a cap 117c. When the release operation portion 119 is operated (more specifically, when it is pushed upward), the protrusion 119a extending outward from the tip of the release operation portion 119 presses the clamp mechanism 118 from below, and the inner diameter of the clamp mechanism 118 Can be deformed so as to expand, and the urging force applied to the shaft 121 can be released. That is, in the state where the release operation portion 119 is pushed upward, the clamp by the clamp mechanism 118 is released, so that the shaft portion 121 of the operation lever 120 can move up and down in the support portion (insertion hole) 117. These components are fixed by being fitted to the support portion 117 or screwed with screws.

  However, the clamping mechanism of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. That is, the clamp mechanism of the present invention can arbitrarily select a clamp state in which the shaft portion of the operation lever is fixed and a non-clamp state in which the shaft portion can freely move by operating the release means, and the grip portion of the operation lever. It is sufficient that the position of can be adjusted arbitrarily. In this embodiment, the clamp mechanism can grip the shaft portion by an elastic biasing force of a ring spring. Instead, for example, a claw (or edge) provided inside the clamp mechanism engages the shaft portion. The shaft portion may be clamped, and the release operation portion may be operated (for example, pushed up) so that the claw is separated from the shaft portion, so that the shaft portion can move freely with respect to the support portion. . Such a shaft clamping method by engagement is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-286079, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. That is, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described in the present specification, and can be configured by adopting a so-called “clamp mechanism” having a structure that can be considered.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the operation lever 120 includes a longitudinal shaft portion 121 arranged to extend up and down of the wheelchair 10, and a grip portion 122 formed at the upper end of the shaft portion 121 and operated by a wheelchair user. And a stopper 123 protruding in the radial direction from the lower end of the shaft portion 121. As described above, the shaft portion 121 of the operation lever 120 has a diameter that can be freely inserted into the support portion 117 of the main body 110 and can be gripped by the clamp mechanism 118. On the other hand, the grip portion 112 and the stopper 123 are formed thicker than the inner diameter of the insertion hole of the support portion 117 so as to prevent the operation lever 120 from coming out of the insertion hole of the support portion 117.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the brake shoe 130 has a substantially oval shape in a side view. The brake shoe 130 includes a contact surface 131 that contacts the tread surface 12a of the tire 12, and an opening 132 that penetrates the side of the brake shoe 130 so that the rotation shaft 112 of the main body 110 can be inserted.

  FIG. 7B shows a plan view of the brake shoe 130. As shown in FIG. 7B, the contact surface 131 is formed on the surface of the wheelchair 10 that faces the main wheel 11, and matches the shape of the tread surface 12 a so as to be in close contact with the tread surface 12 a of the tire 12. The center is curved so as to be recessed in an arc shape. Furthermore, a plurality of protrusions 135 are formed on the contact surface 131 along the width direction (the left-right direction of the wheelchair 10) so as to improve the braking performance.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the opening 132 is formed at a position biased to one side (not the center) of the oval-shaped side view of the brake shoe 130. When the brake shoe 130 rotates about the opening 132 (or the rotation shaft 112), the protrusion width w changes. That is, since the distance r from the center of the opening 132 of the brake shoe 130 to the outer surface (contact surface 131) is not constant at each position of the contact surface 131, the protrusion width w varies depending on the rotation angle. . As will be described later, the larger the protrusion width w with respect to the distance d, that is, the closer the abutment surface 131 is to the tread surface 12a, the greater the pressure contact force of the abutment surface 131 against the tread surface 12a increases. Demonstrate power.

  The opening 132 has an inner diameter that is sufficiently large to allow the rotary shaft 112 to be freely inserted. An inner gear-shaped fitted portion 133 having a plurality of teeth is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the opening 132. The inner diameter and the number of teeth of the internal gear shape correspond to the outer diameter and the number of teeth of the external gear shape of the fitting portion 113 and can be fitted to each other. Furthermore, the inner wall protrudes so that the inner diameter of the spring 114 is narrower than the outer diameter of the spring 114 at approximately the center in the penetrating direction of the opening 132, thereby forming a spring engaging portion 134. As will be described later, the spring 114 is disposed between the projecting portion 112 a at the tip of the rotating shaft 112 and the spring engaging portion 134.

  FIG. 8 is a partially exploded view of the main body 110 and the brake shoe 130. As shown in FIG. 8, a fitting portion 113, a brake shoe 130, and a spring 114 fixed to the first arm 111 are arranged from the first arm 111 side, and a bolt-shaped rotating shaft 112 is attached to this through a collar 112a. The parking brake mechanism 100 is configured by penetrating and screwing into the fixing hole 113 a of the fitting portion 113. In this configuration, the brake shoe 130 can move freely along the rotation shaft 112 that passes through the opening 132 of the brake shoe 130, and the fitting portion 113 on the proximal end side of the rotation shaft 112 is fitted to the brake shoe 130. It can be fitted to the joint 133. Further, the rotating shaft 112 passes through the spring 114, and the spring 114 is sandwiched between the projecting portion 112 a (collar or bolt head) of the rotating shaft 112 and the spring engaging portion 134 of the brake shoe 130. Arranged in a natural length or compressed state. That is, the spring 114 is compressed by the spring engaging portion 134 when the brake shoe 130 is moved in the direction of the distal end of the rotating shaft 112 of the main body 110, and the brake shoe 130 is moved to the main body 110 by the elastic return force. Energize in the direction of drawing. Further, in the fitted state of the fitting part 113 and the fitted part 133, the rotation shaft 112 of the main body part 110 is fixed to the first arm 111 so as not to rotate, so the fitting part 113 locks the brake shoe 130. To do. That is, the parking brake mechanism 100 of the present embodiment is configured to be able to maintain a locked state in which the main body 110 and the brake shoe 130 cannot rotate with each other by the elastic force of the spring 114. That is, the fitting part 113, the to-be-fitted part 133, and the spring 114 function as locking means in conjunction with each other.

  In the present embodiment, the main body 110 and the brake shoe 130 are urged to approach each other by the elastic restoring force of the compressed spring 114, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, both ends of the spring can be fixed to the main body and the brake shoe, respectively, and the spring can be arranged so as to be biased in the direction of approaching each other by the restoring force of the extended spring.

  The above-described constituent members are mainly made of metal or hard resin, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the materials and manufacturing methods.

  9A to 9C are operation schematic diagrams when the protruding width w of the contact surface 131 of the brake shoe 130 is adjusted from the restriction release position in the parking brake mechanism 100 of the present embodiment.

  FIG. 9A shows a state where the contact surface 131 of the brake shoe 130 is disposed at the restriction release position, and the distance between the tire tread surface 12a and the contact surface 131 is d. And the protrusion width w of the contact surface 131 in this restriction release position is defined as 0. When the brake shoe 130 is pulled by hand in the direction of the distal end of the rotary shaft 112 so as to compress the spring 114 from the restriction release position in FIG. 9A, the spring 114 is compressed as shown in FIG. 9B. The brake shoe 130 is separated from the first arm 111, and the fitted portion 133 of the brake shoe 130 is detached from the fitting portion 113 of the main body 110. When the brake shoe 130 is rotated around the rotation shaft 112 in the detached state of FIG. 9B, the contact surface 113 is displaced, and the protrusion width w is changed. At this time, the protrusion width w can be adjusted stepwise by relatively rotating in accordance with the gear pitch. Then, after the brake shoe 130 is rotated to a predetermined protruding width w and then released from the brake shoe 130, the brake shoe 130 is urged to the main body 110 by the elastic return force of the compressed spring 114, and the fitting portion 113 and the fitted part 133 are re-fitted and locked.

  FIG. 9C shows the parking brake mechanism 100 after adjusting the protruding width w. Since the distance between the contact surface 131 and the tread surface 12a is dw, and the contact surface 131 and the tread surface 12a are close to each other, in the state where the brake of FIG. It can be demonstrated. The difference between the maximum protrusion width and the minimum protrusion width of the brake shoe 130 is an adjustment allowance, which is 15 mm in this embodiment. In the above description, the contact surface 131 and the tread surface 12a are adjusted so as to approach each other. However, the contact surface 131 and the tread surface 12a are adjusted to be separated from each other (that is, w <0). May be.

  Further, as shown by a solid line and a broken line in the side view of the wheelchair 10 in FIG. 10, the contact surface 131 and the tread surface are displaced by moving the contact surface 131 facing the tread surface 12a toward the main wheel 11 with the protruding width w. The distance to 12a can be adjusted from d to dw. In addition, when the user of the wheelchair 10 operates the clamp mechanism 118 and the release operation unit 119 of the main body 110 to slide the operation lever 120 in the support unit 117, the operation lever 120 is moved in a range from a solid line to a broken line. It can be fixed at the selected position.

  Hereinafter, the effect of the parking brake mechanism 100 and the wheelchair 10 of one Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.

  In the parking brake mechanism 100 and the wheelchair 10 of the embodiment, the shaft portion 121 of the operation lever 120 is released in a state where the release operation portion 119 formed on the second arm 115 of the main body portion 110 is pushed up to release the clamp by the clamp mechanism 118. Is slid with respect to the support portion (insertion hole) 117 of the main body portion 110, and the shaft portion 121 is fixed at a predetermined position by the clamp mechanism 118 (removing the hand from the release operation portion 119). The position can be adjusted easily and quickly. For this reason, when the occupant of the wheelchair 10 applies the parking brake, the grip portion 122 of the operation lever 120 can be disposed at a position where the occupant can use it most easily. Thereby, the occupant can operate the parking brake without taking an unreasonable posture, and can reduce the risk of falling or the like. Furthermore, when the user of the wheelchair 10 travels without using the parking brake, the operation lever grip 122 can be moved to the lowest position so as not to disturb the occupant of the wheelchair 10. At this time, it is possible to move the gripping part 122 to the lowermost position by freely dropping the operation lever 120 simply by pushing the release operation part 119 upward to release the clamp. Therefore, according to the parking brake mechanism 100 and the wheelchair 10 of the present embodiment, the user (seater and assistant) can easily use the grip portion 122 of the operation lever 120 by simple operation according to the will. Can be arbitrarily adjusted to a good position. In particular, according to the present embodiment, in some cases, it is possible for the occupant to adjust the position alone while sitting on the wheelchair without the assistance of the assistant.

  In addition, when a wheelchair occupant adjusts the position, it is better in terms of operability, durability, and safety to perform the push-up operation of the release operation unit 119 while sitting in a wheelchair than to perform the push-down operation. Yes. For example, consider the case where the occupant performs a push-down operation to release the clamp, and the center of gravity of the occupant tilts to the side of the wheelchair during the push-down operation, and the parking brake mechanism itself has a large portion of the occupant's weight. As a result, there is a risk that the position is shifted or the parking brake mechanism is detached from the side frame, and the brake is unexpectedly released. Alternatively, if the occupant tries to push down the release operation part by tilting the center of gravity to the side, but the release operation part is missed, there is nothing to support the weight of the occupant and the There is a risk of falling from side to side. On the other hand, in the parking brake mechanism 100 and the wheelchair 10 according to the present embodiment, the release operation unit 119 is pushed up, so that the seat occupant moves to the side of the wheelchair 10 while moving the center of gravity to the opposite side. Since the force is applied, it is possible to prevent the weight of the parking brake mechanism 100 as described above from falling or the occupant from falling down. Further, when the seat occupant pushes up the release operation section 119, the center of gravity moves from the side of the wheelchair to the inside, so that the seat occupant can easily return to the original posture after the operation (operation sex). Therefore, the parking brake mechanism 100 and the wheelchair 10 of the present embodiment also take into consideration the durability of the parking brake mechanism 100, the operability of the occupant, and safety in the position adjustment of the grip portion 122 of the operation lever 120. . In addition, although this embodiment has the said effect by having the structure which pushes up the cancellation | release operation part 119, selecting the structure which pushes down a cancellation | release operation part is excluded from the scope of the present invention. It goes without saying that this is not the case.

  Furthermore, in the parking brake mechanism 100 of one embodiment, the outer periphery of the shaft portion 121 of the operation lever 120 is simply fixed by gripping or clamping with the elastic force of the clamp mechanism 118. For this reason, it is not necessary to form additional structures such as a plurality of holes and irregularities in the shaft portion 121 of the operation lever 120. That is, since the operation lever 120 having a high frequency of component replacement for direct operation by the user can be manufactured with a simple structure, the cost associated with component replacement can be further reduced.

  In the parking brake mechanism 100 according to the embodiment, the wheelchair 10 can be more reliably braked by optimally pressing the contact surface 131 of the brake shoe 130 to the tire tread surface 12a. That is, in the parking brake mechanism 100, the contact surface 131 curved in accordance with the shape of the tread surface 12a is in close contact with the tread surface 12a, and the rotation of the main wheel 11 is regulated by the surface friction. The brake can be effectively applied without the sharp part biting into the tire 12 and damaging the tire 12. Further, a user (especially a seated person) of the wheelchair 10 changes the protrusion width w of the contact surface 131 of the brake shoe 130 by a simple operation of pulling and rotating the brake shoe 130 toward the distal end of the rotating shaft 112. Thus, the distance between the contact surface 131 and the tread surface 12a can be effectively adjusted. That is, the position adjusting mechanism includes a rotating shaft 112 that rotatably supports the brake shoe 130, a fitting portion 113 as a locking means, a fitted portion 133, and a spring 114. By the operation of the position adjusting mechanism, By adjusting the protrusion width w of the contact surface 131 toward the main wheel 11 according to the increase or decrease of the tire diameter, a predetermined brake strength can be easily maintained. Furthermore, since the brake shoe 130 and the rotating shaft 112 are maintained in a non-rotatable fitting state by the biasing force of the elastic spring 114, by operating the brake shoe 130 against the biasing force, The locked state can be released. That is, since it is not necessary to use a tool such as a screwdriver for unlocking, the protruding width w of the contact surface 131 of the brake shoe 130 can be adjusted easily and quickly.

  And in the parking brake mechanism 100 of one Embodiment, since the fitting part 113 and the to-be-fitted part 133 have a corresponding relationship of an external gear and an internal gear, the contact surface 131 with respect to a rotation angle is based on the pitch of a gear. The amount of change in the protrusion width w can be quantified. In other words, the protrusion width w can be adjusted stepwise, and the effectiveness of the brake can be finely adjusted in accordance with a decrease in tires or a change in air pressure.

  Although the modification of this invention is demonstrated below, the description is abbreviate | omitted about the structure which is common in the parking brake mechanism 100 of one Embodiment.

(Modification 1)
In the parking brake mechanism 100 of the present embodiment, the clamp mechanism is employed as the fixing means. However, instead of this, a knob screw or a pin can be employed as the fixing means. For example, FIG. 11 shows a parking brake mechanism 100A. The shaft portion 121A of the operation lever 120A is movably inserted into the support portion (insertion hole) 117A. A screw hole 117aA for screwing a knob screw 118A as a fixing means (or releasing means) is formed in the outer surface of the support portion 117A. When the knob screw 118A is screwed into the screw hole 117aA and tightened, the tip of the knob screw 118A comes into contact with the shaft 121A of the operation lever 120A, and the operation lever 120A is fixed at a predetermined position. When the fastening of the knob screw 118A is loosened, the shaft portion 121A can move freely with respect to the support portion (insertion hole) 117A. Although not shown, it is possible to adjust the position of the grip portion 122A of the operation lever 120A in a stepwise manner by drilling holes in the shaft portion 121A at a predetermined interval.

(Modification 2)
Moreover, in the parking brake mechanism 100 of this embodiment, although the brake shoe 130 is employ | adopted as a brake, this invention is not limited to this. For example, it is possible to employ a drum brake as a brake and to attach the operation lever, the fixing means and the releasing means of the present invention so that the drum brake can be operated. Since the operation of the drum brake with the operation lever is described in detail in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-136084, detailed description thereof is omitted. That is, it goes without saying that the parking brake mechanism of the present invention can exert its effect regardless of the brake system.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and can be implemented in various modes as long as they belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Wheelchair 11 Main wheel 12 Tire 12a Tread surface 13 Side frame 100 Parking brake mechanism 110 Main-body part 111 1st arm 112 Rotating shaft 113 Fitting part 114 Spring 115 2nd arm 116 Rotating shaft 117 Support part (insertion hole)
118 Clamp mechanism (fixing means)
118A Knob screw (fixing means and releasing means)
119 Release operation part (release means)
120 Operation lever 121 Shaft part 122 Grip part 123 Stopper 130 Brake shoe 131 Contact surface 132 Opening part 133 Fit part 134 Spring engagement part w Projection width

Claims (3)

A wheelchair parking brake mechanism capable of regulating the rotation of the main wheel of the wheelchair,
An operating lever having a shaft portion and a grip portion provided at the tip of the shaft portion;
A support part for allowing the shaft part to be freely inserted, and
Fixing means for fixing the shaft portion at a predetermined position;
Release means for releasing the fixation of the shaft portion by the fixing means,
The position of the gripping portion can be arbitrarily adjusted by sliding the shaft portion with respect to the support portion in the unlocked state and fixing the shaft portion to a predetermined position by the fixing means. A parking brake mechanism for wheelchairs.   The wheelchair brake mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the fixing unit includes a clamp mechanism attached to the support portion.   A wheelchair comprising the wheelchair parking brake according to claim 1 or 2.

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