JP2014000264A - Foldable wheelchair with openable seat - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a foldable wheelchair that reduces burdens on both of a wheelchair user and a helper upon using a bathroom, and can be stored in a compact form.SOLUTION: A foldable wheel chair 1 with an openable seat, is provided with: left and right base frames 4 each including wheels 2 and rotation mechanisms 3 therefor; a folding mechanism 5 fixed across the base frames 4 such that a distance therebetween can be changed; a bendable seat frame 12 rotatably connected with the upper portion of the folding mechanism 5 and provided across a space 7 between the left and right base frames 4; armrests 13 standing at front ends 4a of the individual base frames 4; and backrest frames 15 standing at rear ends 4b of the individual base frames 4 and including a flexible member 14 across a gap between the backrest frames 15. The bendable seat frame 12 includes a bending structure 8 to bend the bendable seat frame 12 at a center 7a of the space 7, feeding mechanisms 10 provided on the left and the right sides of a bendable portion 9, and left and right seat bodies 11 mounted on the individual feeding mechanisms 10. Each feeding mechanism 10 causes each seat body 11 to slide across a predetermined interval between the center 7a and an end 7b of the space 7.

Description

  The present invention relates to a seat-opening type folding wheelchair. Specifically, the present invention relates to a folding wheelchair that reduces the burden on both a wheelchair user and a caregiver during use of the toilet and is excellent in storage. It relates to the technology to be provided.

  Many people have to use wheelchairs for various reasons such as illness, injury, and disability. On the other hand, in recent years, the number of people who use wheelchairs is increasing due to a decline in physical functions due to aging. In any case, there are not a few users of wheelchairs, and there is a need for convenience for wheelchair users in various social situations. Among them, the inconvenience of wheelchair users when using the toilet is accompanied by physical pain such as posture maintenance and weight transfer, as well as mental pain when the purpose cannot be achieved without the assistance of a caregiver, The solution is desired.

  Therefore, the following technologies have been proposed as technologies aiming to eliminate various problems when using the toilet. For example, an object is to provide a wheelchair that can be used while an elderly person who dislikes diapers can sit down, the device is simple and safe, the user himself can attach and detach, and the user can take a light sleep. A wheelchair in which a toilet seat of a Western-style toilet is provided in a seat portion of a wheelchair and two fastener clips for attaching a polyethylene bag filth container are bonded to the backside of the toilet (see Patent Document 1) has been proposed.

  In addition, caregivers can move a user to a Western-style toilet while sitting on the toilet without heavy labor such as transferring the user to the toilet with two people. In a wheelchair with a wheel attached to the body that can be seated by the user, the task is to reduce the labor of caregivers and other caregivers in the field of care and nursing. The seat portion is configured to be openable and closable within a predetermined range so that the user can defecate as it is without moving to the toilet seat of the toilet bowl, while forming a large opening into which the Western-style toilet bowl enters the lower portion of the main body. A wheelchair (see Patent Document 2) is also proposed.

JP 2004-344603 A JP 2004-57488 A

  However, the wheelchair in the prior art has some problems. For example, wheelchair users can use the seat opening and thus the toilet without maintaining a position where the user is completely lifted from the seat for a while or without being held hollow by a caregiver. It is a structure that cannot be applied, and depending on the health condition of the wheelchair user, both the user himself and the caregiver are forced to bear a very large burden.

  Alternatively, even if the technology allows the user to sit on the toilet while sitting, the user cannot open the seating surface or remove the closing plate of the opening. Even if he was seated himself, the work by the assistant was always necessary. In this case, it is difficult for the assistant to say that the assistance work is required every time the wheelchair user uses the toilet and the burden is reduced. In addition, the wheelchair user always feels the presence of a helper in a kind of privacy space called a toilet, and the mental pain remains.

  Furthermore, any conventional wheelchair has a structure that cannot be equipped with a folding mechanism because it has a seat opening, and is difficult to apply in situations where the space for storing and handling the wheelchair is limited. It is. For example, in the case of handling such a conventional wheelchair in a hospital facility where a large number of patients are located, there is a concern that even the storage location may be in the first place.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a foldable wheelchair that reduces the burden on both the wheelchair user and the caregiver when using the toilet, and that is excellent in storability.

  The seat opening type folding wheelchair of the present invention that solves the above problems includes a pair of left and right base frames provided with wheels and a rotation mechanism thereof, a folding mechanism that allows the base frames to be telescopically fixed, and the folding mechanism. A frame that is pivotably connected to the upper part of the frame and straddles the space between the pair of left and right base frames, and is provided with a bending structure that bends the frame at the center of the space and a pair of left and right across the bending portion. A bent seat surface frame including a feed mechanism and a pair of left and right seat surfaces that are attached to the feed mechanism and slide in a predetermined section between the center and the end of the space by the feed mechanism, and the base portion An armrest portion standing from a side end of the frame and a backrest frame standing from the left and right rear ends of the base frame and having a flexible member stretched over the inner space thereof.

  Note that, in the above-described seat surface opening type folding wheelchair, the folding mechanism has its end portion rotatably fixed to the lower part of either the left or right base frame and the pivot shaft of the other bent seat surface frame. The members may be passed in a space between the left and right base frames, and the members may be pivotally supported at the intersections in the space.

Further, in the above-described seat surface opening type folding wheelchair, the pair of rotating bodies in which the feeding mechanism in the bent seat frame is pivotally supported at each of the bent portion and the end of the space in the bent seat frame. And a structure including a belt that spans the pair of rotating bodies,
The seat surface body in the bent seat surface frame is made of a flexible member, the seat surface body is fixed to the belt in the pair of rotating bodies, and by the winding operation of the belt by the rotation of the pair of rotating bodies, It is good also as what slides in the predetermined area between the center and the edge part of the said space.

  Further, in the seat surface opening type folding wheelchair described above, each of the rotating bodies in the feeding mechanism may have a collar structure in which an end portion facing the center side of the space has an enlarged diameter.

  Further, in the above-described seat surface opening type folding wheelchair, the bent structure of the bent seat surface frame includes an end portion of a component member of the bent seat surface frame that extends from either the left or right rotation shaft side, and the other. And a rotation restricting structure for restricting the downward rotation of the component members. The end portions of the component members of the bent seat frame extending from the rotation shaft are pivotally supported with respect to each other. It may be provided.

  Further, in the above-described seat surface opening type folding wheelchair, each of the base frames may be provided with a telescopic structure that expands and contracts up and down in stages in correspondence with a plurality of types of toilet toilet heights determined in advance.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while reducing the burden of both the wheelchair user and helper at the time of toilet use, the foldable wheelchair which is excellent also in storage property can be provided.

It is a whole block diagram which shows the seat surface opening type folding wheelchair of this embodiment. It is a side view which shows the seat surface opening type folding wheelchair of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the folding mechanism in the seat surface opening type folding wheelchair of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the fallen example of the armrest part of the seat surface opening type folding wheelchair of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the feed mechanism and rotation restriction | limiting structure of the seat surface opening type folding wheelchair of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the back surface structure of the seat surface opening type folding wheelchair of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the expansion-contraction structure in the seat surface opening type folding wheelchair of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the opening-like body in the seat surface opening type folding wheelchair of this embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a seat surface opening type folding wheelchair 1 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing the seat surface opening type folding wheelchair 1 according to this embodiment. 1 and 2 is a foldable wheelchair that reduces the burden on both the wheelchair user and the caregiver during use of the toilet and has excellent storability. It becomes.

  Such wheelchair 1 has the following configuration. That is, the wheelchair 1 includes a pair of left and right base frames 4 including wheels 2 and a rotation mechanism 3 thereof. The wheel 2 and its rotation mechanism 3 may be the same as those provided in a general wheelchair. The pair of left and right base frames 4 includes a left base frame 4c to which the left wheel 2 and the rotation mechanism 3 are fixed, and a right base frame 4d to which the right wheel 2 and the rotation mechanism 3 are fixed.

  The above-mentioned base frame 4 is provided with an armrest portion 13 erected from each side end 4a. As shown in FIG. 1, the armrest portion 13 has the same outer shape as that of a general wheelchair, and an armrest cushion member 13a and the like are placed on the upper end. However, as illustrated in FIG. 4, it is preferable that the armrest portion 13 is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the side end 4 a of the base frame 4 serving as an attachment location.

  That is, the wheelchair 1 in this case has a function that allows the armrest portion 13 to be tilted outward from the wheelchair. The armrest portion 13 and the side end 4a of the base frame 4 are connected by, for example, an appropriate hinge mechanism or the like, and a hook 13b provided at the rear end of the armrest portion is locked to a backrest frame 15 described later in normal use. It is regulated so that it does not fall. On the other hand, when the wheelchair user wants to move smoothly from the wheelchair 1 to the bed or the like, the above-described hook 13b and the backrest frame 15 are unlocked, and the armrest portion 13 is moved outward, that is, against the bed. It will be.

  In addition, the base frame 4 is provided with a back frame 15 that is erected from the left and right rear ends 4b of the base frame 4 and in which a flexible member 14 is stretched. The above-described flexible member 14 constituting the backrest frame 15 is made of a material such as cloth or vinyl. In addition, a handle 15 a and a brake 15 b for an assistant to operate the wheelchair 1 are provided on the upper portion of the back frame 15. Note that the handle 15a of the present embodiment is different from that of a conventional wheelchair, and has a shape that is appropriately extended outward after being bent once inward of the backrest frame 15 (see FIG. 2).

  In this case, the handle 15a easily protrudes outside the back frame 15, that is, outside the wheelchair 1, and avoids a situation where the handle 15a comes into contact with the other person during traveling (the wheelchair 1 is pushed easily). It is easy to apply force in the direction).

  FIG. 3 is a view showing a folding mechanism in the seat surface opening type folding wheelchair of the present embodiment. Moreover, the wheelchair 1 in this embodiment is provided with the folding mechanism 5 which fixes between each base frame 4 so that expansion and contraction is possible. As shown in FIG. 3, the folding mechanism 5 in the present embodiment is a rod that connects the left and right base frames 4 and the pivot shafts 5x to 5y of the bent seat frame 12 in an X shape. 5a. In FIG. 3, only the folding mechanism 5 and the main part of the structure connected thereto are illustrated for the sake of simplicity of the drawings and description. This rod 5a is composed of two rod-like members combined in a shape that creates a space between the left and right base frames 4, and the rod 5a is inserted and fixed at the crossing point, that is, the fulcrum 5c by bolts or the like. It is free to rotate. In addition, one of the above-described rod bodies 5a has one end rotated, for example, at the lower portion of the right base frame 4d, and the other end rotated by the rotation shaft 5x on the left side of the bent seat frame 12, respectively. The structure is freely fixed. The other of the rods 5a described above is configured such that one end thereof rotates with the right pivot shaft 5y of the bent seat frame 12, and the other end rotates with the lower portion of the left base frame 4c. It has a structure that can be moved freely.

  The wheelchair 1 in the present embodiment includes a bent seat frame 12. The bending seat surface frame 12 is a frame body that is rotatably connected to the upper portion of the folding mechanism 5 described above via rotation shafts 5x and 5y. The bent seat frame 12 has a structure straddling the space 7 between the pair of left and right base frames 4c and 4d, and a bent structure 8 for bending the bent seat frame 12 at the center 7a of the space 7, and a bent portion. A pair of left and right feed mechanisms 10 sandwiching 9 and a pair of left and right seating surfaces that are attached to the feed mechanism 10 and slide by a predetermined section between the center 7a and the end 7b of the space 7 by the feed mechanism 10 11 and the like.

  The bent structure 8 in the bent seat frame 12 includes, for example, an end portion 12b of a component member 12a extending from one rotation shaft 5x and an end portion 12d of a component member 12c extending from the other rotation shaft 5y. The structure is such that it is pivotally supported so as to be pivotable by being inserted and fixed by a structure or the like. Naturally, the other end 12e of the above-described component 12a is fixed to the rotation shaft 5x, and the other end 12f of the component 12c is fixed to the rotation shaft 5y.

  In the bending structure 8 described above, the wheelchair 1 can be rotated between the component members 12a and 12c and the rotation shafts 5x and 5y and between the component members 12a and 12c. When the user is seated on the seat surface body 11 of the bent seat frame 12, there is a concern that the bent structure 8 may be bent in a convex state with the center 7a of the space 7, that is, the bent portion 9 as a vertex. is there. Therefore, as a rotation restricting structure that restricts the downward rotation of the constituent members 12a and 12c, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the shapes of the end portions of the constituent member 12a and the constituent member 12c are L-shaped. It is preferable to employ a structure in which the bolts 8b are inserted as pin structures at the L-shaped tip 8a and further provided with protrusions 8d on the L-shaped root 8c.

  When this structure is adopted, when a user of the wheelchair 1 is seated on the seat surface body 11 and the constituent members 12a and 12c try to rotate downward about the rotation shafts 5x and 5y, respectively, The bent portion 9 sinks downward around the bolt 8b of the L-shaped tip 8a described above, and the L-shaped base 8d rotates around the bolt 8b (in the case of FIG. 5, on the paper surface). Although the counterclockwise direction), the base portion 8d comes into contact with the convex portion 8d described above, and further rotation stops. Although the above-described structure is exemplified as the rotation restricting structure, there is of course no problem even if another structure is adopted.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a pair of pivoted rotating bodies, that is, rollers 20 and 21 are attached to the respective portions around the bent portion 9 and the end portion 7b of the space 7 in each of the structural members 12a and 12b. A belt 25 is stretched around the pair of rollers 20 and 21. A mechanism including the pair of rollers 20 and 21 and the belt 25 is the feed mechanism 10 in the bent seat frame 12. In FIG. 5, only one of the pair of left and right feeding mechanisms 10 is illustrated for the sake of simplicity of the drawings and description.

  Of the rollers 20 and 21 constituting the feed mechanism 10, for example, the shaft body 22 of the roller 21 closer to the end 7 b of the space 7 is provided with a dial 23. The dial 23 rotates the roller 21 and thus the pair of rollers 20 by gripping and turning the user of the wheelchair 1 while sitting on the wheelchair 1. In addition to the case where the dial 23 is directly connected to the shaft body 22 of the roller 21, a case where a predetermined number of gears are arranged between the dial 23 and the shaft body 22 can be assumed. In this case, the dial 23 can be rotated with less force by the predetermined number of gears, and the user of the wheelchair 1 can easily rotate the roller 21 and the pair of rollers 20.

  When the user of the wheelchair 1 turns the dial 23 described above, the roller 21 rotates in accordance with this, and the roller 20 also rotates through the belt 25 stretched over the roller 21. The belt 25 moves between the roller 20 and the roller 21 by the rotation of the rollers 20 and 21, and the seating body 11 fixed to the surface of the belt 25 is constant from the center 7 a to the end 7 b of the space 7. Slide only a predetermined section 30 of the distance. By such sliding movement of the seat surface body 11, an opening 80 is provided at the bent portion 9, and the toilet seat 70 below the seat surface body 11 faces directly below. In addition, the rotation range of the dial 23 described above is limited in advance so that the seat body 11 moves in the predetermined section 30. Moreover, the said seat surface body 11 has comprised the substantially rectangular frame, and the external shape is the same as that of the seat surface shape of a general chair.

  Further, it is preferable that each of the rollers 20 and 21 in the feeding mechanism 10 described above includes a collar structure 26 in which an end portion facing the center side of the space 7 has an enlarged diameter. If such a collar structure 26 is provided, it is possible to effectively prevent the belt 25 stretched around the rollers 20 and 21 from slipping off the roller surface and falling off. In particular, when a user is seated on the seat surface body 11, a load in the vertically lower direction is applied to the belt 25 through the seat surface body 11, but if the above-described collar structure 26 exists, the belt 25 is in the space 7. The movement that shifts toward the center side is limited by the collar structure 26, and the belt 25 can be prevented from falling off the rollers 20 and 21.

  FIG. 6 is a view showing a rear configuration of the seat-opening type folding wheelchair 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 7 shows a telescopic structure 55 in the seat-opening type folding wheelchair 1 according to this embodiment. In FIGS. 6 and 7, only the main part of the target structure is illustrated for simplification of the drawings and description. In the wheelchair 1 described above, the columnar tubes 40 constituting the left base frame 4c and the right base frame 4d are previously divided into an upper columnar tube 40a and a lower columnar tube 40c. Such a columnar tube may be an inner tube, and an end portion of the inner tube may be inserted into the inner space of the other columnar tube serving as an outer tube and overlap each other in a certain section (see FIG. 7).

  By the way, the wheelchair 1 assumed to be used in various places such as a medical facility, a public facility, or a user's home needs to be compatible with the specifications of the toilet provided in each place. Therefore, the columnar tube 40 described above has an insertion hole 41 at a position corresponding to each toilet height of a plurality of types of toilets at the connection portion 45 between the end portions of the inner tube and the outer tube. An insertion pin 42 is inserted through the insertion hole 41. The insertion pin 42 illustrated in the figure is integrated with a fitting material 43 that is fitted with the columnar tube 40 interposed therebetween.

  The insertion pin 42 penetrates the inner tube and the outer tube through the insertion hole 41, and thus fixes the connection position between the upper and lower columnar tubes 40a and 40c. The structure including the upper columnar tube 40 a, the lower columnar tube 40 c, the insertion hole 41, and the insertion pin 42 described above is a stretchable structure 55.

  For example, it is assumed that the toilet bowl height in a certain medical facility is 42 cm, for example. In this case, an assistant or the like disengages the upper columnar tube 40a and the lower columnar tube 40c in advance and moves them up and down as appropriate, and the toilet height is displayed as “42” or the like in the insertion hole 41 described above. The insertion pin 42 is inserted into the object. Then, the height of the seat surface body 11 (the height from the ground contact surface of the wheelchair 1) in this case is adjusted to 43 cm which is higher than the above-mentioned 42 cm by, for example, 1 cm (this value is appropriately changed according to the situation). Therefore, when the wheelchair 1 is arranged so that the toilet 70 is stored in the rear inner space 60 of the wheelchair 1, the wheelchair 1 is accommodated in the above-mentioned rear inner space 60 without colliding with the toilet 70 and the like. Moreover, the height of the seating surface 11 is fixed at a position facing the toilet 70 immediately below. Therefore, the user of the wheelchair 1 turns the dial 23 (while slightly lifting either the left or right side of the buttocks) to slide the seating body 11 from the center 7a of the space 7 toward the end 7b, and the center 7a of the space 7 When the opening 80 is provided, the toilet 70 is exposed immediately below the opening (FIG. 8 and the like).

  Of course, when the wheelchair 1 described above is used in another facility, if the toilet height of the toilet is, for example, 40 cm, the assistant or the like performs the same operation as described above, The insertion pin 42 is inserted into the toilet bowl displayed as “40” or the like, and the height of the seating body 11 is adjusted to a value of 41 cm. In this way, by raising and lowering the height of the seat surface body 11 stepwise by the telescopic structure 55, it becomes possible to flexibly deal with toilets of various specifications. The range of action due to the non-conforming toilet specification will no longer be imposed.

  In addition, the wheelchair 1 of this embodiment can be used not only by applying it to a permanent toilet facility but also by inserting a simple toilet or a portable toilet into the above-described back interior space 60. In this case, a comfortable toilet using the wheelchair 1 can be used even in a moving means such as a vehicle, outdoors, or a temporary structure. In addition, the lower surface of the bent seat frame 12 in the wheelchair 1 and the position of the above-described opening 80 provided in the seat body 11 have appropriate flexibility and do not hinder the movement of the bending structure 8 and the folding mechanism 5 ( If a structure in which water-resistant paper bag-like toilets are set in advance is adopted, the toilet can be used at any time, regardless of the presence of permanent toilet facilities, as in the case of the portable toilet described above. User convenience is improved.

  From the same point of view, in a situation where permanent toilet facilities cannot be used in the event of an earthquake or other disaster, a manhole in sewage or sewage is used urgently, and the manhole opening is immediately below the opening 80 of the wheelchair 1. If the wheelchair 1 is arranged so as to be exposed, the user of the wheelchair 1 can use the toilet at any time even in an emergency such as a disaster.

  Although the best mode for carrying out the present invention has been specifically described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

  According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a wheelchair that can be folded while having a stable and good lifting function.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Seat opening type folding wheelchair 2 Wheel 3 Rotating mechanism 4 Base frame 4a Base frame side end 4b Base frame rear end 4c Left base frame 4d Right base frame 5 Folding mechanism 5x, 5y Rotating shaft 7 Space 7a Space Center 7b End 8 of space Bending structure 8a L-shaped tip 8b Bolt 8c L-shaped root 8d Convex 9 Bending part 10 Feed mechanism 11 Seat surface body 12 Bending seat frame 12a, 12c Constituent members 12b, 12d 12e, 12f Component end 13 Armrest 13a Elbow pad cushion 14 Flexible member 15 Back frame 15a Handle 15b Brake 20, 21 Roller 22 Shaft 23 Dial 25 Belt 26 Collar structure 30 Predetermined section 40 Columnar tube 40a Upper columnar tube 40b Lower end 40c of columnar tube Lower columnar tube 40d Upper end 4 of columnar tube e inner space 41 through hole 42 through the pin 45 end juncture 55 telescopic structure 70 seat 80 opening between the columnar tube

Claims (6)

A pair of left and right base frames with wheels and their rotation mechanism;
A folding mechanism for elastically fixing between the base frames;
A frame that is pivotally connected to the upper part of the folding mechanism and straddles the space between the pair of left and right base frames, and a bending structure that bends the frame at the center of the space; A bent seat frame including a pair of feed mechanisms and a pair of left and right seat surfaces that are attached to the feed mechanism and slide in a predetermined section between the center and the end of the space by the feed mechanism; ,
Armrests erected from the side edges of the base frame;
A backrest frame that is erected from the left and right rear ends of the base frame, and a flexible member is stretched over the inner space thereof;
A foldable wheelchair with an open seat.   The folding mechanism passes a member whose end is rotatably fixed to the lower part of one of the left and right base frames and the rotation shaft of the other bent seat frame in the space between the left and right base frames, The seat surface opening type folding wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the members are pivotally supported at an intersection in the space so as to be rotatable. A pair of rotating bodies pivotally supported at each of the bent portion and the end of the space, and a belt that spans the pair of rotating bodies; Comprising a structure including
The seat surface body in the bent seat surface frame is made of a flexible member, the seat surface body is fixed to the belt in the pair of rotating bodies, and by the winding operation of the belt by the rotation of the pair of rotating bodies, It slides in a predetermined section between the center and the end of the space,
The seat surface opening type folding wheelchair according to claim 1 or 2.   Each of the said rotary bodies in the said feed mechanism is provided with the collar structure where the edge part which faced the center side of the said space expanded, The seat surface opening type folding type | formula of Claim 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. wheelchair.   The bent structure of the bent seat surface frame includes an end portion of a component member of the bent seat surface frame extending from the left or right side of the rotating shaft side, and an end of the bent seat surface frame extending from the other rotating shaft. 5. The structure according to claim 1, further comprising: a rotation restricting structure that restricts rotation of the component member in a downward direction. The seat surface opening type folding wheelchair as described in Crab.   Each of the said base frames is provided with the expansion-contraction structure which expands-contracts up and down in steps corresponding to the toilet bowl height of predetermined multiple types of toilets, The seat surface opening in any one of Claims 1-5 characterized by the above-mentioned. Type folding wheelchair.

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