JP2014171607A - Electric wheel chair - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric wheel chair which can be easily collapsed when storing or carrying and capable of properly detecting behavior of a car body.SOLUTION: An electric wheel chair 100 includes a seat part 10 which is stretched in car width direction and is collapsable in such a manner as the length in the car width direction is shortened, a pair of drive wheels 20 arranged on both outsides in car width direction of the seat part 10, a pair of drive parts 30 in which the drive wheels 20 are respectively driven by an electric power supplied from a battery 91, and a sensor board 40 on which attitude sensors 31LD, 31RD for obtaining attitude information representing attitude of the car body during travel are mounted, and which is arranged at a position in the direction orthogonal to a rotational axis 26 of the drive wheel 20, on at least one of the pair of drive parts 30.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric wheelchair that can be driven by a motor.

  Conventionally, the electric wheelchair which drives a wheel with a motor has been used. Some of such electric wheelchairs are configured by attaching a motor, a battery, a control box and the like to a non-electric wheelchair (hereinafter referred to as “manual wheelchair”) (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  The moving device described in Patent Document 1 is a power assisting unit that assists an operator's force based on tilt information obtained from a tilt detecting unit that detects a tilt in a moving direction and a tilt in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction. It is provided with the control means which controls. In this moving device, a control box with a built-in inclination detecting means is fixed below the chair portion.

  The personal vehicle control device described in Patent Document 2 includes an operation unit that inputs a traveling speed and a turning angle of a vehicle body. Operation information input to the operation unit, a rate gyroscope, and an accelerometer (hereinafter referred to as “rate”). Traveling control based on the detection results of the left and right wheel sensors.

JP 2000-14714 A JP 2010-193939 A

  Here, it is preferable that the electric wheelchair configured based on the manual wheelchair as described above can fold the chair portion when being stored or carried. However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, since the control box is fixed under the chair part, the chair part and the control box interfere with each other (the control box gets in the way), and the chair part is easy. Can not be folded.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 2 does not describe a position where a rate gyro or the like is disposed. For example, it is conceivable to provide a rate gyro or the like in the vicinity of the armrest where the operation unit is arranged. However, in the vicinity of the armrest, the size and shape of the space change according to the shape of the frame of the vehicle body. For this reason, it is not easy to attach a rate gyro etc. over a plurality of types of vehicle bodies composed of differently shaped frames. For example, a rate gyro may be mounted on the operation unit. However, when a rate gyro or the like is mounted on the operation unit, a load acts on the rate gyro or the like in accordance with the operation of the occupant, which affects detection accuracy. In addition, depending on the type of electric wheelchair, there is a configuration in which the operation unit can be changed in position according to the preference of the occupant, which affects the detection accuracy of a rate gyro or the like.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an electric wheelchair that can be easily folded when stored or carried and can detect the movement of the vehicle body appropriately.

  In order to achieve the above object, the characteristic configuration of the electric wheelchair according to the present invention includes a seat portion that is stretched in the vehicle width direction and can be folded so as to reduce the length in the vehicle width direction, and the vehicle of the seat portion. A pair of drive wheels disposed on both outer sides in the width direction, a pair of drive units that drive each of the drive wheels by electric power supplied from a battery, and a posture that acquires posture information indicating the posture of the vehicle body during traveling A sensor board on which a sensor is mounted and disposed at a position perpendicular to the rotation axis of the drive wheel with respect to at least one of the pair of drive units.

  With such a characteristic configuration, since the sensor board is provided at a position orthogonal to the rotation axis of the drive wheel with respect to the drive unit, the position of the sensor board and the position of the drive unit in the vehicle width direction of the electric wheelchair Can be matched. For this reason, even when the electric wheelchair is folded during storage or carrying, the sensor board does not interfere with each part of the electric wheelchair. Therefore, the electric wheelchair can be easily folded. In general, since the controller for operating the electric wheelchair is disposed in the vicinity of the seat portion, that is, in the vicinity of the drive wheel, it is possible to simply perform mounting and wiring. Furthermore, since the sensor board can be provided in the vicinity of the rotation shaft of the drive wheel, the movement of the vehicle body can be detected with high sensitivity.

  Preferably, the drive unit is covered from above with a box-like case having an opening, and the sensor substrate is included above the opening position on the lower end side of the case.

  In this way, by arranging the sensor board above the lower end of the box-shaped case, even when it is raining or when the road surface is wet and water is splashed by the driving wheel, Rain and water flowing downward can be distributed below the sensor substrate. Therefore, the waterproof effect of the attitude sensor mounted on the sensor substrate can be enhanced.

  In addition, the case includes a first case in which the sensor substrate is included, and a second case that covers a motor that drives the driving wheel of the driving unit, and the first case and the second case It is preferable that the sensor substrate is provided above an engagement surface with which the case is engaged.

  With such a configuration, the waterproof effect of the attitude sensor mounted on the sensor substrate by the first case can be enhanced. For example, even when pebbles or the like are flipped up with the traveling of the electric wheelchair, the motor can be protected because the motor is covered with the second case.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the sensor substrate is suspended from the ceiling of the case.

  Thus, the member for suspending can also be included in a case by making the sensor board | substrate the state suspended by the inner side of the case. Therefore, even when it is raining or when the road surface is wet and water is splashed by the driving wheel, the rain or water does not travel through the member that suspends the sensor board and reaches the sensor board. Therefore, it becomes possible to improve the waterproofness of the attitude sensor mounted on the sensor substrate.

  Further, it is preferable that the sensor substrate is disposed on the rear side in the traveling direction of the drive wheel with respect to the drive unit.

  If it is set as such a structure, a sensor board | substrate and a drive part can be arrange | positioned at the back side of an electric wheelchair. For this reason, it is easy to attach and detach the sensor substrate and the drive unit, and the attachment position does not change greatly even for frames of different shapes. Therefore, since the characteristics of the posture sensor do not change greatly, it can be adapted to a wheelchair having differently shaped frames.

It is a perspective view of an electric wheelchair. It is a side view of an electric wheelchair. It is a figure which shows the state which folded the electric wheelchair. It is a block diagram which shows typically the structure of a control system. It is a figure which shows the mounting form of a drive part and a sensor board | substrate.

  The electric wheelchair according to the present invention is configured such that it can be easily folded, for example, when stored or carried. Hereinafter, the electric wheelchair 100 of this embodiment is demonstrated in detail. 1 is a perspective view of the electric wheelchair 100, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the electric wheelchair 100. FIG. 3 shows a state where the electric wheelchair 100 is folded, and FIG. 4 shows a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a control system for controlling the operation of the electric wheelchair 100. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the electric wheelchair 100 includes a seat portion 10, a drive wheel 20, a drive portion 30, a sensor substrate 40, and an operation box 50.

  The seat portion 10 is stretched in the vehicle width direction and configured to be foldable so as to shorten the length in the vehicle width direction. The vehicle width direction is the width direction of the vehicle body, and corresponds to the X direction shown in FIG. “Tensioned” means being provided to be pulled. Therefore, being stretched in the vehicle width direction means being provided so as to be pulled from both outer sides in the vehicle width direction. Such a seat portion 10 includes a seat portion 11 on which the occupant sits and a back portion 12 on which the occupant sits on the seat portion 11. The seat portion 11 and the back portion 12 are attached to a frame 60 provided on both outer sides in the vehicle width direction constituting the vehicle body. The electric wheelchair 100 can be folded along the vehicle width direction so that it can be easily stored and carried. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 3, the seat portion 10 has a shorter length in the vehicle width direction. Such a sheet | seat part 10 is comprised with the cloth or vinyl etc. which can be folded.

  The electric wheelchair 100 according to the present embodiment is provided with four wheels 25. The four wheels 25 are composed of two casters 21 and two drive wheels 20. The caster 21 is provided on the front side in the traveling direction of the electric wheelchair 100. The traveling direction is a direction when the electric wheelchair 100 travels forward, and corresponds to the Y direction in FIG. The casters 21 are provided as a pair of left and right disposed so as to face each other in the vehicle width direction. In FIG. 1, the left caster 21 is not shown.

  The drive wheel 20 is provided behind the electric wheelchair 100 in the traveling direction. The drive wheel 20 includes a pair of a left drive wheel 20L and a right drive wheel 20R that are disposed so as to face each other along the outer side of the seat portion 10 in the vehicle width direction. Below, when it is not necessary to distinguish, it demonstrates as the "drive wheel 20". The drive wheel 20 is a wheel to which power for running the electric wheelchair 100 is transmitted. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the caster 21 is provided to support the front portion of the electric wheelchair 100 without transmitting power. In addition, the electric wheelchair 100 is provided with overturn prevention bars 61L and 61R extending to the rear of the drive wheel 20 in order to prevent the seat portion 10 from falling over to the rear side in the traveling direction. Below, when it is not necessary to distinguish in particular, it demonstrates as "the fall prevention bar 61". The fall prevention bar 61 serves as a restricting means to prevent the fall from going backward.

  The drive unit 30 drives each of the drive wheels 20 with electric power supplied from the battery 91. The battery 91 is preliminarily charged with electric energy to be a power source of the electric wheelchair 100 and is attached via a holder 92 provided on the back surface of the back portion 12. Each of the drive wheels 20 is a left drive wheel 20L and a right drive wheel 20R. For this reason, the drive part 30 is provided in a pair so that the left drive wheel 20L and the right drive wheel 20R can be driven independently (refer FIG. 4). Driving independently indicates that the left driving wheel 20L and the right driving wheel 20R can be driven at different rotational speeds and different rotational directions. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 4, the drive unit 30 includes a pair of a left drive unit 30L and a right drive unit 30R. Below, when it is not necessary to distinguish in particular, it demonstrates as the "drive part 30".

  The left drive unit 30L includes a motor 32L that outputs a rotational force that rotates the left drive wheel 20L. The right drive unit 30R includes a motor 32R that outputs a rotational force that rotates the right drive wheel 20R. Below, when it is not necessary to distinguish in particular, it demonstrates as the "motor 32". The left drive unit 30L and the right drive unit 30R are each transmitted with the electric energy output from the battery 91, and independently drive the left drive wheel 20L and the right drive wheel 20R.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the operation box 50 includes a joystick 51 and a main controller 52. The joystick 51 is a state in which the neutral state is erected vertically upward. From the state, the occupant of the electric wheelchair 100 can tilt the electric wheelchair 100 in a predetermined direction to guide the electric wheelchair 100 in the inclined direction. it can. Also, the traveling speed is set according to the angle tilted from above. Therefore, the joystick 51 functions as an input device for inputting the passenger's intention.

  The main controller 52 includes a switch operation unit 52A, a power supply unit 52B, a control unit 52C, a display unit 52D, and a communication unit 52E. The switch operation unit 52 </ b> A corresponds to a main power switch of the electric wheelchair 100. Therefore, it is operated when the occupant uses the electric wheelchair 100. In response to this operation, the main controller 52 is energized from the battery 91 via the power supply unit 52B. The power supply unit 52B functions as a converter that converts the output voltage of the battery 91 into a predetermined voltage value. As a result, a voltage having a predetermined voltage value is applied to the main controller 52. The control unit 52C receives a signal corresponding to an occupant input made to the joystick 51. The display unit 52D is a display that displays predetermined information. As described above, it may be displayed to indicate that the main power supply of the electric wheelchair 100 is turned on, or the traveling direction input by the joystick 51 may be displayed. Moreover, it is also possible to light up or blink with an LED or the like instead of the display. The communication unit 52E communicates with each communication unit of sub-controllers 31L and 31R of the drive unit 30 described later. Communication of the drive command which concerns on the traveling control input with the joystick 51 is performed.

  As described above, the drive unit 30 includes a pair of the left drive unit 30L and the right drive unit 30R. The left drive unit 30L drives the left drive wheel 20L, and the right drive unit 30R drives the right drive wheel 20R. Since the basic configuration of the left drive unit 30L and the right drive unit 30R is the same, the following description will be made using the left drive unit 30L. The left drive unit 30L includes a sub controller 31L, a motor 32L, and a rotation speed detection unit 33L.

  The sub-controller 31L includes the functional units of a power supply unit 31LA, a communication unit 31LB, a control unit 31LC, an attitude sensor 31LD, and a motor driver 31LE. The power supply unit 31LA functions as a converter that converts the output voltage of the battery 91 into a predetermined voltage value. As a result, a voltage having a predetermined voltage value is applied to the sub-controller 31L. The communication unit 31LB communicates with the communication unit 52E of the main controller 52. In such communication, a drive command or the like related to travel control input by the joystick 51 is transmitted. The attitude sensor 31LD acquires attitude information indicating the attitude of the vehicle body that is running. The posture of the vehicle body corresponds to the posture of the occupant sitting on the seat portion 10 and corresponds to the posture of the electric wheelchair 100 itself. In the following description, the posture of the vehicle body is assumed to be the posture of the electric wheelchair 100 for easy understanding. The posture information is information indicating the posture of the electric wheelchair 100. Specifically, the pitch indicating the tilt of the electric wheelchair 100 in the front-rear direction, the roll indicating the left-right tilt of the electric wheelchair 100, and the horizontal direction are indicated. This is information defined by the indicated yaw. That is, in FIG. 1, the pitch indicates rotation around the X axis, the roll indicates rotation around the Y axis, and the yaw indicates rotation around the Z axis. Such pitch, roll, and yaw are detected by the attitude sensor 31LD. The attitude sensor 31LD is mounted on the sensor substrate 40L.

  In the present embodiment, the entire sub-controller 31L is mounted on the sensor board 40L. Attitude information that is a detection result of the attitude sensor 31LD is transmitted to the control unit 31LC. The control unit 31LC energizes the motor driver 31LE that drives the motor 32L based on the driving command related to the travel control input via the joystick 51 transmitted via the communication unit 31LB and the posture information, thereby the motor 32L is driven. A rotation speed detection unit 33L that detects the rotation speed of the motor 32L is provided near the motor 32L, and the detection result is transmitted to the control unit 31LC. The control unit 31LC controls the motor 32L based on the rotation speed signal indicating the detection result of the rotation speed detection unit 33L together with the drive command and the attitude information related to the travel control described above.

  Returning to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, the sensor board 40 (a generic name of the sensor board 40 </ b> L and the sensor board 40 </ b> R) is positioned in a direction perpendicular to the rotation shaft 26 of the drive wheel 20 with respect to the pair of drive units 30. Placed in. As described above, a pair of drive units 30 are disposed on both outer sides of the seat unit 10 in the vehicle width direction. That is, the drive unit 30 includes a left drive unit 30L and a right drive unit 30R in the electric wheelchair 100. The drive wheel 20 is also composed of a pair of a left drive wheel 20L and a right drive wheel 20R.

  Therefore, the rotation shaft 26 of the drive wheel 20 corresponds to the left rotation shaft 26L that is the rotation center of the left drive wheel 20L and the right rotation shaft 26R that is the rotation center of the right drive wheel 20R. The left rotation shaft 26 </ b> L and the right rotation shaft 26 </ b> R are each provided so as to face the outside in the vehicle width direction of the electric wheelchair 100. That is, they are provided so as to extend outward along the X direction. For this reason, the direction orthogonal to the rotation shaft 26 means a direction in which the left rotation shaft 26L and the right rotation shaft 26R are orthogonal to each other, and corresponds to the Y direction and the Z direction. Therefore, the sensor substrate 40 is disposed at a position along the Y direction and the Z direction with respect to the left drive unit 30L and the right drive unit 30R.

  In the present embodiment, the sensor substrate 40 is disposed behind the drive unit 30 in the traveling direction of the drive wheels 20. The rear side in the direction of travel of the drive wheel 20 corresponds to the direction of travel of the drive wheel 20 in the Y direction that is the front-rear direction of the electric wheelchair 100. That is, it does not mean the rear side of the drive wheel 20, but means the rear side in the direction in which the drive wheel 20 travels. Accordingly, the rear side in the traveling direction means the rear side of the electric wheelchair 100 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the sensor substrate 40 is disposed behind the drive unit 30.

  The functional unit of the right drive unit 30R will not be described because the left drive unit 30L is changed from the subscript “L” of the functional unit to “R” and the control target is only the motor 32R. .

  FIG. 5 schematically shows the drive unit 30 (right drive unit 30R). As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, the drive unit 30 (right drive unit 30 </ b> R) is covered with an upper case 72, a central case 73, and a lower case 74. The upper case 72 corresponds to a “case” in the present invention. The upper case 72 has a box shape having an opening, and covers the drive unit 30 (right drive unit 30R) from above. That is, the upper case 72 is formed in a box shape having an opening in the vertically downward direction, and covers the drive unit 30 so as to cover from the upper side. The lower case 74 covers the drive unit 30 (right drive unit 30R) from below. An opening 35 is provided at a portion facing the motor 32 (motor 32R). The outside air is sucked and discharged through the opening 35, and the motor 32 (motor 32R) is air-cooled. The central case 73 is provided in the center of the upper case 72 and the lower case 74, and mainly covers the upper side of the motor 32 (motor 32R). The upper case 72 and the central case 73 and the central case 73 and the lower case 74 are fastened and fixed by bolts 36, respectively. In FIG. 5, a part of the upper case 72 is notched for easy understanding.

  In the present embodiment, the upper case 72 includes the sensor substrate 40 above the opening position on the lower end side of the upper case 72. As described above, the upper case 72 is formed in a box shape having an opening on the lower side. Therefore, the opening position on the lower end side of the upper case 72 corresponds to the edge 37 that faces the lower side. The upper case 72 is configured such that the edge portion 37 is positioned below the sensor substrate 40. Therefore, the sensor substrate 40 is provided so as to be wrapped by the upper case 72. Thereby, for example, when it is raining or when water is splashed by the driving wheel 20, even if rain or water enters from the joint between the upper case 72 and the central case 73, the sensor substrate 40 is not rained or watered. It becomes possible to make it difficult to get wet. Therefore, the waterproof effect can be enhanced.

  Here, the upper case 72 described above can be classified as a “first case”, and the central case 73 and the lower case 74 can be classified as a “second case”. In such a case, the sensor case 40 is included in the first case, and the second case is configured to cover the motor 32 that drives the drive wheels 20 of the drive unit 30. As a result, the sensor substrate 40 is provided above the engagement surface where the first case and the second case engage. The engagement surface corresponds to the lower end surface of the first case and the upper end surface of the second case. Since the sensor substrate 40 is provided above the engagement surface, the waterproof effect can be enhanced as described above.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the sensor substrate 40 is arranged by being suspended from the ceiling portion of the upper case 72. The ceiling portion of the upper case 72 is a surface that faces the surface of the upper case 72 that is open among the inner wall surfaces of the upper case 72. The sensor substrate 40 is fastened and fixed through the spacer 90 from such a ceiling portion. In FIG. 5, two sensor substrates 40 are shown. However, the number may be one, or may be three or more.

  As described above, the electric wheelchair 100 can be easily folded as shown in FIG. Therefore, the user's hand is not bothered when storing and carrying.

[Other Embodiments]
In the above embodiment, the sensor substrate 40 has been described as being disposed at a position in a direction orthogonal to the left rotation shaft 26L of the left drive wheel 20L and the right rotation shaft 26R of the right drive wheel 20R. However, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, the sensor substrate 40 may be arranged at a position in a direction orthogonal to either the left rotation shaft 26L of the left drive wheel 20L or the right rotation shaft 26R of the right drive wheel 20R.

  In the above embodiment, the drive unit 30 has been described as being covered from above with the box-shaped upper case 72 having one open side. However, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this. The driving unit 30 can be covered with another case from the side, and the driving unit 30 can be exposed.

  In the above embodiment, the sensor substrate 40 has been described as being included in the upper case 72 above the opening position on the lower end side of the upper case 72. However, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, it is naturally possible to arrange the sensor substrate 40 below the opening position on the lower end side of the upper case 72.

  In the above embodiment, the sensor substrate 40 has been described as being suspended from the ceiling portion of the upper case 72. However, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this. It is possible to configure the sensor substrate 40 to be supported by the side wall of the upper case 72, and naturally, the sensor substrate 40 may be configured to be lifted and supported from below by a spacer or the like.

  In the above embodiment, the sensor substrate 40 has been described as being disposed behind the driving unit 30 in the traveling direction of the driving wheel 20. However, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this. Of course, the sensor substrate 40 may be configured to be disposed on the front side in the traveling direction of the drive wheel 20 with respect to the drive unit 30.

  The present invention can be used for an electric wheelchair that can be driven by a motor.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10: Seat part 20: Drive wheel 26: Rotating shaft 30: Drive part 31LD: Attitude sensor 31RD: Attitude sensor 40: Sensor board 72: Upper case (case)
91: Battery 100: Electric wheelchair

Claims (5)

A seat portion stretched in the vehicle width direction and foldable so as to shorten the length in the vehicle width direction;
A pair of drive wheels disposed on both outer sides in the vehicle width direction of the seat portion;
A pair of drive units for driving each of the drive wheels with electric power supplied from a battery;
A posture sensor that acquires posture information indicating the posture of the vehicle body during traveling is mounted, and the sensor is disposed at a position in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the drive wheel with respect to at least one of the pair of drive units. A substrate,
Electric wheelchair equipped with.   2. The electric wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit is covered from above with a box-shaped case having an opening, and the sensor board is included above an opening position on a lower end side of the case.   The case includes a first case in which the sensor substrate is contained, and a second case that covers a motor that drives the drive wheel of the drive unit, and the first case and the second case The electric wheelchair according to claim 2, wherein the sensor board is provided above an engagement surface that engages with the sensor wheel.   The electric wheelchair according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the sensor substrate is suspended from a ceiling portion of the case.   The electric wheelchair according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sensor board is disposed on a rear side in the traveling direction of the drive wheel with respect to the drive unit.

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