JP2014176551A - Hand rim and wheel chair - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hand rim which can effectively rotate the main wheel of a wheelchair, and to provide a wheelchair in which the hand rim is installed on the main wheel.SOLUTION: An annular hand rim 400 to be installed on the main wheel for a wheelchair is equipped with an outer peripheral surface 401 in which a plurality of first curved surfaces 402 are formed in a rippled shape continuously in the peripheral direction. The hand rim is characterized in that the radius of curvature R1 of the first curved surfaces 402 and the distance d1 between the centers of adjoining valley parts 402a are so prescribed that, when a seated person operates the hand rim, the thenar of the palm is fitted to the valley parts 402a of the first curved surfaces 402.

Description

  The present invention relates to a hand rim attached to a main wheel of a wheelchair and a wheelchair including the hand rim.

  Conventionally, a wheelchair occupant moves a wheelchair forward or backward by gripping and rotating a hand rim attached to the outside of the main wheel.

  For example, the hand rim (1) of Patent Document 1 (the numbers in () correspond to the reference numerals of Patent Document 1) has an outer shell structure in which the outer shell is formed of a fiber reinforced resin material and has a hollow portion inside. And has an annular shape as a whole and is formed integrally. The hand rim (1) is formed with a nut mounting hole (31) for mounting the insert nut (11), and a flat portion (32) perpendicular to the central axis of the nut mounting hole.

JP 2007-267905 A

  The conventional hand rim as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is formed in an annular shape having no irregularities on the outer periphery and inner periphery thereof, so that when the wheelchair user drives the wheelchair, the hand rim does not slip out of the hand. It was necessary to grip and rotate the hand rim strongly. Therefore, it is difficult for a user with insufficient grip strength to drive the wheelchair for a long time. In particular, elderly people and children with weak grip strength tend to rotate the hand rim with the force of the arm by pressing the palm against the outer surface of the hand rim without grasping the hand rim. In some cases, the wheelchair could not be driven successfully. That is, a hand rim that improves the driving performance of a wheelchair is desired.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a hand rim that can effectively rotate the main wheel of the wheelchair and a wheelchair in which the hand rim is attached to the main wheel. There is to do.

The hand rim according to claim 1 is an annular hand rim attached to a main wheel for a wheelchair,
A plurality of first curved surface portions are provided with an outer peripheral surface formed in a wave shape continuously in the circumferential direction,
The radius of curvature R1 of the first curved surface portion and the center of the adjacent valley portions so that the thumb ball of the palm fits into the valley portion of the first curved surface portion when the occupant operates the hand rim. The distance d1 is determined.

  The hand rim according to claim 2 is the hand rim according to claim 1, wherein a radius of curvature R1 of the first curved surface portion is in a range of 30 to 50 mm, and a trough portion of the adjacent first curved surface portion. The distance d1 along the arc between the centers is in the range of 60 mm to 100 mm.

The hand rim according to claim 3 further comprises an inner peripheral surface in which the plurality of second curved surface portions are continuously formed in a wave shape in the circumferential direction in the hand rim according to claim 1 or 2,
A radius of curvature R2 of the second curved surface portion such that a radius of curvature R1 of the first curved surface portion is larger than a radius of curvature R2 of the second curved surface portion and a finger fits into a valley portion of the second curved surface portion; The distance d2 between the centers of the adjacent valley portions is defined.

  The hand rim according to claim 4 is the hand rim according to claim 3, wherein a curvature radius R2 of the second curved surface portion is in a range of 10 mm to 20 mm, and a center of a valley portion of each second curved surface portion. The distance d2 along the arc between them is in the range of 20 mm to 50 mm.

  The hand rim according to claim 5 is the hand rim according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the central angle α between the valleys of each of the first curved surfaces is the central angle β of the valley of each of the second curved surfaces. It is 1.5 to 3 times.

  A wheelchair according to claim 6 is characterized in that the hand rim according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is attached to the outside of the main wheel.

The wheelchair according to claim 7 is the wheelchair according to claim 6, wherein the hand rim is fixed to the side of the wheel rim of the main wheel with a bolt through a tenter collar,
The extending collar includes an insertion portion that penetrates a through hole formed in a side surface of the wheel rim, an extending portion that engages with an edge of the through hole, and a predetermined length extending from the extending portion, A width-determining part that separates the wheel rim and the hand rim is provided.

  The wheelchair according to claim 8 is the wheelchair according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the tentering collar is changed to a second tentering collar having tentering portions of different lengths, The distance from the hand rim can be adjusted.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a wheelchair occupant operates the hand rim, a palm ball (a so-called belly of the thumb at the base of the thumb) fits into the valley of the first curved surface. A hand rim is formed. Therefore, when the wheelchair user presses the thumb ball against the first curved surface portion and slides it in the rotational direction, the thumb ball hits the mountain portion raised from the valley and the arm force is effective for the rotational force of the hand rim. Can be converted to That is, even an elderly person or a child with weak gripping force can easily rotate the hand rim with the force of the arm by pressing the hand against the outer peripheral surface of the hand rim without gripping the hand rim. Therefore, the hand rim improves the driving performance and barrier-free performance of the wheelchair.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, a general (average) hand size is considered, and the above-mentioned effect is obtained for most wheelchair users. Can be demonstrated.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first or second aspect of the invention, the second curved surface portion is provided so that the wheelchair occupant can firmly hold the hand rim according to the situation. The arc is steeper than one curved surface portion, and is formed into a shape that allows the finger F to be easily fitted. Then, the first curved surface portion and the second curved surface portion formed on the inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the hand rim cooperate to give the seat occupant an exquisite feeling of operation when the hand rim is gripped. That is, when operating the hand rim, the hand rim fits to the outer peripheral surface and the fingers of the hand fit to the inner peripheral surface, so that the hand rim can be gripped more firmly and firmly.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 3, the size of a general (average) hand is taken into consideration, and the above effect is obtained for most wheelchair users. Can be demonstrated.

  According to the fifth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of any of the first to fourth aspects, a general (average) hand size is considered, and a large number of wheelchair users are considered. In contrast, the above-described effects can be exhibited.

  According to invention of Claim 6, the effect in any one of Claim 1 to 5 can be exhibited as a wheelchair. That is, the wheelchair provides improved barrier-free performance and driving performance.

  According to the invention described in claim 7, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 6, the hand rim and the wheel rim can be easily connected.

  According to the invention described in claim 8, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 6 or 7, the distance between the hand rim and the wheel rim can be easily adjusted.

The side view of the wheelchair of one Embodiment of this invention. The front view of the wheelchair of FIG. The top view of the wheelchair of FIG. The side view of the side guard attachment structure of the wheelchair of FIG. (A) AA sectional drawing of the side guard attachment structure of FIG. 4, (b) BB sectional drawing. (A) CC sectional drawing of the side guard attachment structure of FIG. 4, (b) DD sectional drawing. The disassembled perspective view of the side guard attachment structure of FIG. The perspective view of the brake mechanism of the wheelchair of FIG. 1 (the main wheel is not shown). The side view of the brake mechanism of FIG. 8 (the main wheel is not shown). The rear view of the brake mechanism of FIG. 8 (the main wheel is not shown). The figure which shows the wire of the brake mechanism of FIG. It is a figure which shows the brake adjustment mechanism of the brake mechanism of FIG. 8, Comprising: (a) The state which hardened the brake, (b) The state which made the brake soft. FIG. 10 is an exploded view of the brake mechanism of FIG. 9. The perspective view of the footrest support structure of the wheelchair of FIG. (A) Top view of the footrest support structure of FIG. 14, (b) Side view. The exploded view of the footrest support structure of FIG.15 (b). FIG. 17A is a front view and FIG. 17B is a rear view of the sliding frame of the footrest support structure of FIG. 16. The (a) top view and (b) side view of the locking device of the footrest support structure of FIG. It is EE sectional drawing of the footrest support structure of Fig.15 (a), (a) A lock release state, (b) A lock state. It is FF sectional drawing of the footrest support structure of FIG.15 (b), (a) Unlocked state, (b) Locked state. The (a) side view and (b) front view of the hand rim of the wheelchair of FIG. (A) GG sectional drawing of FIG. 21, (b) HH sectional drawing. The elements on larger scale of the hand rim of Fig.21 (a). The figure which shows the attachment structure of the hand rim of FIG. FIG. 25 is a partially enlarged exploded view of the hand rim mounting structure of FIG. 24. The disassembled side view of the hand rim attachment structure of FIG. The exploded front view of the hand rim attachment structure of FIG. FIG. 25 is a schematic view showing a configuration for adjusting the distance between the hand rim and the wheel rim in the hand rim mounting structure of FIG. 24. Schematic which shows the frame structure of the wheelchair of FIG.

  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.

  1, 2, and 3 are a side view, a front view, and a plan view of the wheelchair 10 in which the hand rim 400 of one embodiment is mounted. The wheelchair 10 of one embodiment is demonstrated in detail below with reference to these.

  As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the wheelchair 10 of one Embodiment is comprised by connecting the some pipe-shaped flame | frame made from aluminum. The wheelchair 10 includes a pair of side frames 12 connected to each other, and main wheels 11 are pivotally supported on the outer sides of the side frames. A pair of front wheels are provided in front of the main wheels. The side frame 12 includes a seat frame 13 on which a cloth-like seat sheet S1 is stretched, a back frame 14 on which a cloth-like backrest sheet S2 extending upward from the seat frame 13 is stretched, A leg frame 15 that extends forward from the seat frame 13, a curved armrest support frame 16 that spans between the seat frame 13 and the back frame 14 and is provided with an armrest 23, and a connection above the back frame 14 An upper frame 17 and a lower frame 18 that extends below the back frame 14 and supports the main wheel 11 by an axle 19.

  The wheelchair 10 has a crossbar structure that connects a pair of side frames 12 below the seat frame 13 and is configured to be foldable in the width direction. Further, an upper frame 17 is connected to the back frame 14 so as to be rotatable about a shaft 17a, and the upper frame 17 can be folded backward by operating a back folding lever 17b. Yes. That is, the wheelchair 10 of one embodiment can be folded in the width direction and the back folding direction.

  The wheelchair 10 of this embodiment includes a side guard mounting structure 100 (see FIGS. 4 to 7), a brake mechanism 200 (see FIGS. 8 to 13), and a footrest support structure 300 (see FIGS. 14 to 13) as characteristic mechanisms or structures. 20), a hand rim 400 (see FIGS. 21 to 28) and a frame structure (T-shaped pipe 500) (see FIG. 29). By integrating these mechanisms or structures into the wheelchair, a highly durable wheelchair 10 that is more barrier-free and that can be used for a long period of time with excellent maintainability is provided. Each structure or mechanism will be described in detail below.

(Side guard mounting structure)
Side guard mounting structures 100 are provided on both side frames 12 (the seat frame 13, the back frame 14, and the armrest support frame 16) of the wheelchair 10 of the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a side view of the side guard mounting structure 100 provided on one side frame 12. As shown in FIG. 4, the side guard mounting structure 100 includes a flat side guard 110 attached to the side frame 12 and a first fixed to the side frame 12 (the seat frame 13 and the back frame 14). And second support members 121 and 122.

  In the side guard mounting structure 100, the side guard 110 covers the side of the wheelchair occupant so as to close the space surrounded by the seat frame 13, the back frame 14, and the armrest support frame 16. Is provided. That is, the peripheral edge of the protection plate 111 is curved along the lower edge portion 111 a that extends horizontally along the seat frame 13, the side edge portion 111 b that extends vertically along the back frame 14, and the armrest support frame 16. The upper edge portion 111c extends.

  In addition, a first protrusion 113 extends downward from the lower edge portion 111 a of the main body plate 111, and a second protrusion 114 extends rearward from the side edge portion 111 b of the main body plate 111. These first and second projecting portions 113 and 114 are formed as narrow rectangular long pieces. On the other hand, a U-shaped first support 121 is attached to the outer side surface of the seat frame 13 (that is, the outer side in the width direction of the wheelchair and the opposite side of the seat) with screws, and A U-shaped second support tool 122 is attached to the outer surface of the back frame 14 with screws. The first and second support members 121 and 122 form an enclosed elongated gap between the outer surface of the seat frame 13 and the back frame 14. In other words, a gap is formed between the first and second support members 121 and 122 and the outer surfaces of the seat frame 13 and the back frame 14 so that the first and second protrusions 113 and 114 can be inserted. Forming.

  5A and 5B are cross-sectional views showing a state in which the first and second protrusions 113 and 114 are inserted through the gap. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the first and second protrusions 113 and 114 substantially abut against one or both of the first and second support members 121 and 122 and the outer surface of the frame. That is, the first and second projecting portions 113 and 114 are locked by the first and second support members 121 and 122 so as not to come out outward.

  Two fitting portions 112 are formed on the upper edge portion 111c of the main body plate 111 (in the vicinity of the front end and in the vicinity of the rear end). Furthermore, a curved covering portion 115 extends along the upper edge portion 111 c between the two fitting portions 112. As shown in FIG. 6A, the hollow pipe-shaped armrest support frame 16 is fitted in the fitting portion 112. The fitting portion 112 has a C shape and is formed in a size that matches the outer periphery of the armrest support frame 16. That is, the fitting portion 112 is in close contact with the inner side surface of the armrest support frame 16 (that is, the inner surface in the width direction of the wheelchair and the seat side surface) to hold the armrest support frame 16. The fitting portion 112 is made of an elastically deformable material (hard resin or metal), and firmly holds the armrest support frame 16 by its elastic restoring force. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6B, the covering portion 115 is bent toward the upper surface side of the side frame 12 so that the covering portion 115 is in contact with the inner surface (of the wheelchair) of the armrest support frame 16. ing. That is, the covering portion 115 prevents the occupant from directly touching the metal pipe, thereby improving the comfort of the wheelchair occupant.

  That is, the side guard 110 is firmly fixed so as not to be detached from the side frame 12 at three points of the lower edge portion 111a, the side edge portion 111b, and the upper edge portion 111c. In addition, the side guard 110 of the present embodiment is formed by molding a hard resin, and each part is integrally formed. However, the side guard of the present invention is not limited to this. Each part may be fixed as a separate body, or a material such as a wooden plate or a metal plate may be selected as the material. Moreover, although the support tools 121 and 122 of this embodiment are metal, it is also possible to use other materials, such as resin, similarly. Alternatively, the support is only required to be able to support the protruding portion of the side guard, and may be, for example, a support groove formed in the frame itself.

  FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the side guard mounting structure 100, and the process of mounting the side guard 110 to the side frame 12 will be described with reference to this. As shown in FIG. 7, first, the side guard 110 is gripped from the inside of the armrest support frame 16 (the seat S1 side), and the first protrusion 113 of the lower edge portion 111a of the side guard 110 is connected to the seat frame 13 and the 1 and insert the second protrusion 114 of the side edge 111b into the gap between the back frame 14 and the second support 122 to insert the side guard 110 Temporary support. Next, the covering portion 115 is disposed along the curved surface of the armrest support frame 16. In this state, the fitting portion 112 is pushed into the armrest support frame 16 from the inside to the outside of the wheelchair 10 with the first and second support tools 121 and 122 as fulcrums. As a result, the opening 112a of the C-shaped fitting portion 112 is elastically deformed to open to a width that allows the armrest support frame 16 to pass, and the armrest support frame 16 is fitted into the fitting portion 112. Then, the fitting part 112 is elastically restored to sandwich the armrest support frame 16, whereby the side guard 110 is connected to the side frame 12 and the side guard mounting structure 100 is constructed.

  The effect of the side guard mounting structure 100 of this embodiment is demonstrated.

  In the side guard mounting structure 100 of the present embodiment, the protrusions 113 and 114 extending from the periphery of the side guard 110 are inserted into the support members 121 and 122 formed on the side frame 12 (the seat frame 13 and the back frame 14). The side guard 110 can be easily attached to the side frame 12 by fitting the fitting portion 112 of the side guard 110 to the armrest support frame 16. That is, according to the side guard mounting structure 100, the side guard 110 can be easily and quickly attached to and removed from the side frame 12 without using a tool, thereby facilitating work such as replacement.

  In the side guard mounting structure 100, the fitting portion 112 is fitted to the side frame 12 in a state where the side frame 12 supports the peripheral edge of the side guard 110 with the support members 121 and 122. That is, the side frame 110 and the side frame 12 of the wheelchair 10 are firmly connected at the three points of the fitting portion 112 of the side guard 110 and the protruding portions 113 and 114 (supporting tools 121 and 122). Further, the fitting part 112 of the side guard 110 is fitted inside the side frame 12, and the protruding parts 113, 114 of the side guard 110 are attached to the support members 121, 122 provided outside the side frame 12. It is inserted. That is, the side guard 110 and the side frame 12 are firmly connected so that the fitting portion 112 of the side guard 110 and the protruding portions 113 and 114 sandwich the side frame 12 from inside and outside. That is, in this side guard mounting structure 100, it is possible to counter both the inner and outer forces of the wheelchair 10. Therefore, the side guard mounting structure 100 of the present embodiment achieves both ease of attachment / detachment and connection strength. That is, the side guard mounting structure 100 improves the barrier-free performance and durability performance (maintenance performance) of the wheelchair 10.

(Brake mechanism)
The pair of main wheels 11 of the wheelchair 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is provided with a brake mechanism 200 provided on both sides of the axle so that the rotation of the main wheels 11 can be braked. As shown in FIG. 8, the brake mechanism 200 is attached to the lower frame 18 together with the main wheel 11 by the axle 19. A brake handle 20 extends rearward from the upper end of the upper frame 17 of the wheelchair 10. In the brake mechanism 200, the operation lever 21 provided on the brake handle 20 and the brake mechanism 200 are connected by a wire 210. That is, the wire 210 is stretched between the operation lever 21 and the drum brake mechanism 200, and the wire 210 is pulled by an assistant operating the operation lever 21, and the braking of the main wheel 11 can be controlled. It is. The wire 210 is fixed to the fixed portion of the operation lever 21 by screws or the like or by engagement or fitting means (not shown).

  FIG. 9 is a side view of the brake mechanism 200 viewed from the inside of the wheelchair 10, and FIG. 10 is a rear view of the brake mechanism 200 viewed from the rear of the wheelchair. In these drawings (FIGS. 8-10), the wheel of the main wheel 11 is omitted for convenience of explanation. The brake mechanism 200 includes a general drum brake body 201 that is attached to the hub (or the axle 19) of both the main wheels 11 via a plurality of fixing holes 204. That is, a pair of arc-shaped brake shoes are disposed inside the drum brake body 201, and the rotation of the main wheel 11 is braked by pressing these brake shoes against the inner surface of the drum. The internal structure of the drum brake is common and is not shown here.

  A brake arm 202 and a wire support arm 203 are provided outside the drum brake body 201. The brake arm 202 is pivotally supported on the drum brake main body 201 by a shaft 202b, and the wire support arm 203 is fixed to the drum brake main body 201. The brake arm 202 is a long plate that is pivotally supported by the drum brake body 201 at the base end thereof. The brake arm 202 is refracted to the opposite side of the main wheel 11 and refracted downward in the vicinity of its tip. That is, the front end portion of the brake arm 202 has an L shape (see FIG. 10) in front view (or rear view). A latching groove 202a for latching a latching portion 217 of the wire 210 described later is cut out at the L-shaped tip of the brake arm 202. The engaging groove 202a is formed along the L-shape of the brake arm 202, and its lower side and side are opened. On the other hand, the wire support arm 203 is a long plate body (see FIG. 10) composed of an upper plate and a side plate bent substantially at a right angle, and is fixed to the drum brake body 201 (non-rotatably) at its base end. Has been. On the upper plate of the wire support arm 203, a wire insertion portion 203a into which the wire 210 can be inserted is cut out. The wire insertion portion 203a is cut out in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the wire support arm 203, and one end of the wheelchair 10 on the seat side is opened (see FIG. 8).

  The wire 210 for controlling the brake mechanism 200 is made of stainless steel that is non-stretchable and has sufficient rigidity. As shown in FIG. 11, the wire 210 is provided at a core material 211 that connects the operation lever 21 and the brake arm 202, a tube-shaped coating material 212 that covers the core material 211, and an end of the coating material 212. More than the overhang portion 213, the screw shaft portion 214 connected to the overhang portion (high nut) 213, the brake adjustment nut (brake adjustment portion) 215 screwed to the screw shaft portion 214, and the brake adjustment nut 215 A fixing nut (fixing portion) 216 screwed to the screw shaft portion 214 on the wire tip end side, and a spherical engaging portion 217 projecting radially from the wire tip end are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the wire 210 is connected to the brake arm 202 while being supported by the wire support arm 203. More specifically, the screw shaft portion 214 of the wire 210 passes through the wire insertion portion 203a of the wire support arm 203, and the wire support arm 203 (upper plate) is connected to the braking adjustment nut 215 (upper) and the fixing nut 216 (lower). It is sandwiched between. The brake adjustment nut 215 determines the fixing position of the wire 210 (the length in which the wire 210 extends from the wire support arm 203), and the fixing nut 216 functions to fix the wire 210 to the wire support arm 203. That is, by adjusting the braking adjustment nut 215 and the fixing nut 216 in combination, the effectiveness (operation feeling) of the brake can be adjusted as will be described later.

  On the other hand, a hooking portion 217 at the tip of the wire 210 is hooked in the hooking groove 202a. The engaging portion 217 is a sphere having a diameter larger than the width of the engaging groove 202a, and is engaged with the edge of the engaging groove 202a. The engaging portion 217 is disposed at the corner where the brake arm 202 is bent.

  An urging spring 220 is disposed between the brake arm 202 and the wire support arm 203 so as to contain the wire 210, and the brake arm 202 is pushed downward in cooperation with the wire support arm 203. Yes. That is, the brake arm 202 is urged by the urging spring 220 into a state where it can travel (non-brake state). On the other hand, by operating the operation lever 21 to which the core material 211 of the wire 210 is connected in order to brake the main wheel 11, the core material 211 is pulled upward and resists the urging force of the urging spring 220. The brake arm 202 rotates upward. At this time, the hooking portion 217 of the wire 210 applies a pulling force of the wire to the edge of the hooking groove 202a of the brake arm 202 to pull up the brake arm 202.

  FIGS. 12A and 12B are schematic views showing a form in which the brake adjustment nut 215 is adjusted in order to adjust the effectiveness of the brake. The effectiveness of the brake can be controlled by the length at which the wire 210 (core material 211) extends from the wire support arm 203 by moving the fixing position of the wire 210 up and down relative to the wire support arm 203. The protruding length of the wire 210 can be adjusted by moving the braking adjustment nut 215 to the screw shaft portion 214 along the length direction while the fixing nut 216 is loosened. In the adjustment step, the wire core 211 is greatly bent between the brake arm 202 and the wire support arm 203 as the protruding length of the wire 210 from the wire support arm 203 is longer. Due to this bending allowance, the braking effect is moderated and the operation feeling of the operation lever 21 is softened. Alternatively, depending on the form of the drum brake, the maximum amount of rotation of the brake arm 202 decreases and the braking force becomes weak. On the other hand, as the length of the wire 210 extending from the wire support arm 203 is shorter, the bending of the wire core material 211 between the brake arm 202 and the wire support arm 203 is reduced, so that the operation of the operation lever 21 is transmitted more directly. . That is, the braking effect becomes faster and the operation feeling of the operation lever 21 becomes harder. Alternatively, depending on the form of the drum brake, the maximum amount of rotation of the brake arm 202 increases and the braking force becomes stronger.

  FIG. 12A shows a configuration in which the operation feeling of the operation lever 21 is the softest. As shown in FIG. 12A, in this embodiment, the brake adjustment nut 215 is screwed onto the upper end of the screw shaft portion 214 and is lowered until the overhang portion 213 contacts the brake adjustment nut 215, and the fixing nut 216 is moved to the wire 210. Is fixed. That is, the length of the wire core material 211 extending from the wire support arm 203 is the maximum, and the bending allowance is the largest. On the other hand, FIG. 12B shows a configuration in which the operation feeling of the operation lever 21 is the hardest. As shown in FIG. 12B, in this embodiment, the overhanging portion 213 is separated from the braking adjustment nut 215 to the maximum distance, the fixing nut 216 is screwed to the tip of the screw shaft portion 214, and the wire 210 is connected to the wire support arm 203. It is fixed to. That is, the length of the wire core material 211 extending from the wire support arm 203 is the smallest, and the bending allowance is the smallest. Therefore, the braking adjustment nut 215 can be moved within the range of the length of the screw shaft portion 214, and the effectiveness of the brake can be appropriately adjusted within a predetermined adjustment width.

  FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the brake mechanism 200. To construct the brake mechanism 200, first, the urging spring 220 is extrapolated from the tip of the wire 210, and the core material 211 of the wire 210 is inserted into the engagement groove 202a of the brake arm 202 from the open end thereof. The part 217 is engaged with the lower edge of the engaging groove 202a. Next, the screw shaft portion 214 of the wire 210 is disposed through the wire insertion hole 203a from the open end of the wire insertion hole 203a of the wire support arm 203. At this time, the braking adjustment nut 215 is disposed above the upper plate of the brake arm 202, and the fixing nut 216 is disposed below the upper plate. Then, the wire 210 is fixed to the wire support arm 203 by adjusting the screwing position to the brake adjusting nut 215 screw shaft portion 214 and tightening the fixing nut 216.

  In addition, in the wheelchair 10 of this embodiment, although the drum brake is employ | adopted as the brake mechanism 200, this invention is not limited to this. In other words, other general brake mechanisms can be employed as long as the structure can be operated by rotating the brake arm. For example, a disk brake or a band brake may be employed instead of the drum brake.

  The effect of the brake mechanism 200 of this embodiment is demonstrated.

  In the brake mechanism 200 of the present embodiment, the engaging groove 202a is notched in the brake arm 202, and the engaging portion 217 projects in the radial direction on the wire 210, and the engaging portion 217 is engaged with the engaging groove 202a. Thus, the wire 210 is coupled to the brake arm 202. Therefore, the wire 210 and the brake arm 202 can be easily and reliably coupled to each other by the above engagement relationship, as compared with the conventional fixing method (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-136084) in which the wire is crimped to the brake arm with a bolt. That is, since one step of using a tool for screwing can be omitted (especially for wheelchair users with relatively severe obstacles), the work difficulty of fixing the wire 210 to the brake arm 202 is greatly increased. Improve. Further, even if the wire 210 is hooked on the brake arm 202, the wire is less likely to hurt (compared to crimping by screwing), so the wire 210 is repeatedly applied to the brake arm 202 without cutting the wire tip. Desorption is possible. That is, the brake mechanism 200 improves the barrier-free performance and durability performance (maintenance) of the wheelchair 10.

  Further, the brake adjusting nut 215 and the fixing nut 216 are operated to adjust the distance (that is, the bending allowance) between the wire support arm 203 and the hooking portion 217 of the wire 210 to easily fix the wire 210 to the wire support arm 203. can do. That is, by operating the braking adjustment nut 215 and the fixing nut 216, if the bending allowance of the wire core material 211 between the brake arm 202 and the wire support arm 203 is increased, the force from the operation lever 21 is partially reduced. Therefore, the brake operation can be delayed (or weakened) to soften the brake feeling. On the other hand, if the protrusion length is shortened to reduce the bending allowance of the wire core material 211, the force from the operating lever 21 is transmitted more directly, and the braking effect is increased (or strengthened). Can be hardened. Therefore, according to the brake mechanism 200 of the present embodiment, the effectiveness of the brake can be easily adjusted.

(Footrest support structure)
The leg frame 15 of the wheelchair 10 of this embodiment is provided with a footrest support structure 300 that supports the height of the footrest 22 so as to be adjustable. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the footrest support structure 300. 15A and 15B are a plan view and a side view of the footrest support structure 300, respectively. FIG. 16 is an exploded view of FIG. 15 (b). As shown in FIG. 16, in the footrest support structure 300, a sliding frame 301 that pivotally supports the footrest 22 is inserted into the lower end of the leg frame 15. . Further, the leg frame 15 is provided with a through hole 15 a and a support hole 15 b for fixing and temporarily supporting the sliding frame 301 with the lock device 310. 14 to 15, the lock device 310 is fixed to the outer periphery of the lower end of the leg frame 15, and the sliding frame 301 is fixed at a predetermined position with respect to the leg frame 15.

  FIGS. 17A and 17B show a front view and a rear view of the sliding frame 301. A plurality of adjustment holes 302 are formed at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction from the vicinity of the upper end of the sliding frame 301. The footrest 22 is pivotally supported at the lower end of the sliding frame 301. The footrest 22 can be folded and deformed by rotating toward the leg frame 15 (or the sliding frame 301) when a wheelchair occupant does not use the footrest 22. Further, a fitting groove 303 extending in the longitudinal direction is formed in the outer surface of the sliding frame 301 opposite to the adjustment hole 302.

  18A and 18B are a plan view and a side view of the locking device 310, respectively. The lock device 310 includes a main body 311 attached to the leg frame 15. As shown in FIG. 18A, a mounting hole 319 is formed through substantially the center of the main body portion 311, the leg frame 15 is inserted into the mounting hole 319, and the inner portion of the main body portion 311 is inserted. The peripheral wall 311 a is fitted and fixed to the outer periphery of the leg frame 15. A through hole 311b is formed in the inner peripheral wall 311a. The main body 311 is formed with a horizontal rotation shaft 317 extending in the vertical direction, and the lock lever 312 can be rotated in the horizontal direction (of the wheelchair) around the horizontal rotation shaft 317. Is pivotally supported. Further, the lock lever 312 has an operation portion 312c at the tip. The operation unit 312 c is gripped by a pair of gripping claws 311 c protruding from the outer wall of the main body 311 and is disposed close to the outer surface of the main body 311.

  Further, the base end of the lock lever 312 has a curved surface shape combining arcs having different radii around the rotation shaft 317 in plan view. That is, the base end of the lock lever 312 has a first outer peripheral portion 312a spaced from the rotation shaft 317 by a first distance r1, and a second outer peripheral portion 312b spaced from the rotation shaft 317 by a second distance r2. . When the second distance r2 is greater than the first distance r1 and the lock state is arranged as shown in FIG. 18, the second outer peripheral portion 312b is arranged on the inner peripheral wall 311 side. Moreover, by making these outer peripheral parts 312a and 3b into circular arcs, the mutual switching between the unlocked state and the locked state becomes smooth, and the operational feeling of the lock lever 312 becomes smoother.

  In the main body 311, a pressing member 313 is accommodated in a space between the proximal end of the lock lever 312 and the inner peripheral wall 311 a. The pressing member 313 includes a pressure contact portion 313a that protrudes from the through hole 311b so as to be able to press contact with the sliding frame 301, and an engagement portion 313b that engages with the inner surface of the inner peripheral wall 311a at the edge of the through hole 311b. 18, the second outer peripheral portion 312b of the lock lever 312 presses the engaging portion 313b of the pressing member 313, and the pressing member 313 is protruded from the through hole 311b. Extruding.

 Further, on the opposite side of the lock lever 312, the lock device 310 includes a lock pin 314 that passes through one of the plurality of adjustment holes 302 of the sliding frame 301 and the support hole 15 b formed in the leg frame 15. And a height adjusting lever 315 for operating the lock pin 314 in a penetrating state and a detaching state with respect to the adjusting hole 302 and the support hole 15b. The height adjustment lever 315 is pivotally supported so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction around a vertical rotation shaft 318 extending in the horizontal direction on the main body 311. A torsion spring 316 fixed to the rotation shaft 318 together with the height adjustment lever 315 urges the lock pin 314 coupled to the tip of the height adjustment lever 315 in a direction to fit into the support hole 15b.

  The locking device 310 is configured so that the pressure contact portion 313a of the pressing member 313 can enter the through hole 15 of the leg frame 15 and the lock pin 314 can penetrate the support hole 15b of the leg frame 15. It is fixed at a predetermined position of the leg frame 15. This fixing means can be appropriately selected by those skilled in the art. For example, means such as screwing, fitting, and adhesive are used.

  19 and 20 are cross-sectional views of the footrest support structure 300 in the locked state and the unlocked state. FIG. 19A and FIG. 20A show an unlocked state in which the sliding frame 301 is slidable with respect to the leg frame 15 to adjust the height of the footrest. As shown in FIGS. 19A and 20A, in the unlocked state, the operation portion 312 c of the lock lever 312 is rotated in a direction away from the outer surface of the main body portion 311. The first outer peripheral portion 312a of the lock lever 312 is disposed on the inner peripheral wall 311a side (or the sliding frame 301 side), and the outer surface of the first outer peripheral portion 312a is spaced apart from the rotation shaft 317 by the first distance r1. ing. And inside the main-body part 311, the press member 313 is accommodated freely between the 1st outer peripheral part 312a and the inner peripheral wall 311a. In this state, since the pressing member 313 is not pressed against the sliding frame 301, the sliding frame 301 is not fixed to the leg frame 15. Further, since the height adjustment lever 315 is pushed down to the leg frame 15 side and the lock pin 314 is detached from the adjustment hole 302, the sliding frame 301 slides with respect to the leg frame 15 in this state. Is possible.

  In order to adjust the height of the footrest 22 from the unlocked state of FIG. 19A and FIG. 20A, the lock pin 314 is slid so as to pass through one adjustment hole 302 selected from the plurality of adjustment holes 302. The moving frame 301 is slid up and down. Next, when the hand of the lock lever 312 is released, the lock pin 314 is urged by the torsion spring 316 and is fitted into the desired adjustment hole 302. Then, in a state where the sliding frame 301 is temporarily supported (or temporarily fixed) on the leg frame 15 by the lock pin 314, the lock lever 312 is rotated in the horizontal direction, and the operation portion 312 c of the lock lever 312 is moved to the main body portion 311. The sliding frame 301 can be permanently fixed to the leg frame 15 by the gripping claws 311c.

  FIGS. 19B and 20B show a locked state in which the slide frame 301 is fixed to the leg frame 15 so as not to slide after the footrest is adjusted to a predetermined height. As shown in FIGS. 19B and 20B, in the locked state, the operation portion 312c of the lock lever 312 is in close contact with the outer surface of the main body portion 311 and the second outer peripheral portion 312b of the lock lever 312 is the inner peripheral wall. The outer surface of the second outer peripheral portion 312b is located at the 311a side (or the sliding frame 301 side) and is separated from the rotation shaft 317 by the second distance r2. The second outer peripheral portion 312 b pushes out the engaging portion 313 b of the pressing member 313, and the press contact portion 313 a protrudes through the through hole 311 b of the main body portion 311 and the through hole 15 a of the leg frame 15. In this state, the pressure contact portion 313a of the pressing member 313 is in pressure contact with the fitting groove 303 of the slide frame 301 so that the slide frame 301 cannot rotate with respect to the leg frame 15 and slides. It is fixed impossible.

  In the present embodiment, the sliding frame 301 is inserted into the leg frame 15, but it may be configured in the reverse relationship of inserting the leg frame into the sliding frame. In this case, the locking device 310 is fixed to the outer periphery of the sliding frame, and can be locked by pressing the leg frame against the sliding frame.

  The effect of the footrest support structure 300 of this embodiment is demonstrated.

  In the footrest support structure 300 of this embodiment, when the lock device 310 is unlocked, the pressing member 313 is accommodated in the main body 311 in a floating state, while in the locked state, the second outer peripheral portion 312b of the lock lever 312 is The press contact portion 313 a protrudes from the through hole 15 a of the leg frame 15 in pressure contact with the engaging portion 313 b. In the footrest support structure 300, the wheelchair user operates the lock lever 312, and the base end of the lock lever 312 presses the slide frame 301 against the leg frame 15 of the wheelchair 10 via the pressing member 313. The frame 15 is fixed at a predetermined position. That is, the footrest 22 can be locked at a predetermined height and unlocked to adjust the height of the footrest 22 by a simple turning operation of the lock lever 312. Further, since the pressing member 313 has a fixing mechanism that presses the sliding frame 301 by operating the lock lever 312, the user may tighten the screw more strongly than necessary to perforate the outer wall of the member. Is eliminated.

  Further, by operating the height adjustment lever 315, the lock pin 314 is inserted into or removed from one of the plurality of adjustment holes 302, and the sliding frame 301 is temporarily fixed at a predetermined height, or is slidable. It can be easily changed to the state. Then, the footrest 22 can be fixed at a predetermined height by being permanently fixed with the lock lever 312 while temporarily fixed with the height adjusting lever 315. Further, since the lever operation generally uses the “lion principle”, it does not require a strong force for the operation. Therefore, even the elderly person or a wheelchair user having a relatively severe obstacle can easily operate the lock device 310 with a weak force. That is, the wheelchair user can execute the position adjustment and the fixing operation of the footrest 22 only by a simple lever operation. Therefore, the footrest support structure 300 improves the barrier-free performance and durability performance (repeated operation is possible) of the wheelchair 10.

(Hand rim)
In the wheelchair 10 of the present embodiment, the hand rim 400 is attached to the outside of the both main wheels 11. The wheelchair occupant moves the wheelchair 10 forward or backward by gripping and rotating the hand rim 400 attached to the outside of the pair of main wheels 11. As shown in FIG. 21, the hand rim 400 is formed in an annular shape having a predetermined width and a predetermined thickness. In the hand rim 400, a plurality of first curved surface portions 402 are formed in a wave shape continuously in the circumferential direction, and a plurality of second curved surface portions 404 are formed in a wave shape continuously in the circumferential direction. An inner peripheral surface 403. 22 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line GG and a line H-H in FIG. As shown in FIG. 22A, a bolt hole 405 for fixing the hand rim 400 to the rim of the main wheel 11 with a bolt is formed in the side surface of the hand rim 400 with a predetermined depth. The hand rim 400 was created by molding a synthetic resin. Further, the hand rim 400 is not configured to be hollow as shown in FIG. However, the hand rim can be configured to be hollow for weight reduction.

  As shown in FIGS. 21 and 23, the curvature radius of the first curved surface portion 402 of the outer peripheral surface 401 of the hand rim 400 is larger than the curvature radius of the second curved surface portion 404 of the inner peripheral surface 403. That is, the first curved surface portion 402 on the outer peripheral side has a gentler curved surface than the second curved surface portion 404 on the inner peripheral side. As shown in FIG. 23, in this embodiment, when a wheelchair user grips the hand rim 400, a palm thumb ball (so-called belly of the base of the thumb) H is formed on the valley portion 402 a of the first curved surface portion 402. And the finger F is designed to fit into the trough 404a of the second curved surface 404. That is, the first curved surface portion 402 of the hand rim 400 is gently curved with a curvature close to that of the curved surface of the thumb sphere H, and the thumb sphere H has a valley portion 402a so that the hand does not slip in the circumferential direction of the hand rim 400. It is comprised so that it may fit in. Therefore, when the wheelchair occupant presses the palm (the thumb ball H) against the first curved surface portion 402, the thumb ball H hits the mountain portion 404a, and the arm force is effective for the rotational force of the hand rim 400. Can be converted to That is, the hand rim 400 can be easily rotated without strongly grasping the hand rim 400. On the other hand, the second curved surface portion 404 is formed in a shape that allows the finger F to be easily fitted with an arc that is steeper than the first curved surface portion 402 so that the wheelchair user can firmly hold the hand rim 400 according to the situation. ing.

  In the hand rim 400 of the present embodiment, the diameter D defined as the distance between the intermediate position in the width direction (imaginary line) and the center C is 483 mm and has a thickness of 190 mm. Further, the width w between the peak portion 402b of the first curved portion 402 and the valley portion 404a of the second curved portion 404 (and the width between the valley portion 402a and the peak portion 404b) is 24 mm. And in the said 1st curve part 402, the curvature radius R1 is 40 mm, and the distance (in other words, the center C) between the centers of the adjacent valley part 402a (or peak part 402b) (in other words, The arc length between the centers of the valleys) d1 is 80.7 mm. Twenty first curved portions 402 are continuously provided over the entire circumference. That is, the central angle α between the valley portions 402a (or the peak portions 402b) of the first curved portion 402 is 18 degrees. On the other hand, in the second curved portion 404, the radius of curvature R2 is 15 mm, and the arc distance d2 between the adjacent valley portions 404a (or peak portions 404b) is 36.6 mm. In addition, 40 second curved portions 404 are continuously provided over the entire circumference. That is, the central angle β between the valley portions 404a (or the peak portions 404b) of the second curved portion 404 is 9 degrees.

  The radius of curvature of the first curved surface portion 402 is optimally designed according to the size of the thumb ball H of the wheelchair user's hand, but considers the size of a general (average) hand. In this case, the radius of curvature of the first curved surface portion 402 is preferably in the range of 30 to 50 mm, and the distance between the centers of the adjacent valley portions 402a is preferably in the range of 60 to 100 mm. If it deviates from this range, the thumb ball H does not come into good contact with the valley portion 402a of the first curved surface portion 402 (based on the size of the majority of human hands), or the thumb ball H does not touch the first curved surface. There is a possibility that the drivability of the main wheel 10 may be deteriorated due to, for example, not being hooked well on the peak portion 402b of the portion 402. More preferably, the radius of curvature of the first curved surface portion 402 is in the range of 35 to 45 mm, and the distance between the centers of the adjacent valley portions 402a is in the range of 70 mm to 90 mm. In this range, it is possible to transmit the force to the hand rim 400 more effectively with a Japanese hand having an average size.

  On the other hand, the radius of curvature of the second curved surface portion 404 is optimally designed according to the size of the finger F of the hand of the wheelchair user, but the size of a general (average) hand is taken into consideration. In that case, it is preferably within a range of 10 to 20 mm. In addition, it is preferable that the distance between the centers of the adjacent valley portions 404a is in the range of 20 mm to 50 mm. If it is out of this range, it may become difficult to grip the hand rim 400 without matching the width of the finger F (based on the size of the hand of the majority of people).

  The number of the second curved surface portions 404 is preferably 1.5 to 3 times the number of the first curved surface portions 402. In other words, the central angle α is preferably 1.5 to 3 times the central angle β. This numerical range of 1.5 to 3 times corresponds to the size ratio between the thumb ball H and the finger F when a general (average) hand size is taken into consideration.

  The preferred numerical range described above takes into account the general hand size of children (about elementary school age) to adults, or women and men. For example, the hands are very small or special hands. The size may be changed so as to deviate from the above range according to the user who has a large.

  FIG. 24 shows a state in which the hand rim 400 is attached to the main wheel 11. As shown in FIG. 24, the hand rim 400 is fixed to the wheel rim 11a of the main wheel 11 to which the rim protection unit 420 is fitted on the inner diameter side of the tire 11b with bolts 430. A tentering collar 410 is disposed between the wheel rim 11a (or the rim protection unit 420) of the main wheel 11 and the side surface of the hand rim 400, and the hand rim 400 is separated from the wheel rim 11a by a predetermined width. The bolt 430 passes through the wheel rim 11a, the rim protection unit 420, and the tentering collar 410, and is fastened to a bolt hole 405 formed on the side surface of the hand rim 400 to join the members.

  25 to 27 are exploded views of the hand rim 400 and the main wheel 11 in the hand rim mounting structure of FIG. As shown in FIG. 25, the widening collar 410 includes a penetrating shaft 411 formed with a length capable of penetrating the wheel rim 11a and the rim protection unit 420, an abutting portion 412 projecting from the penetrating shaft 411, and A widening portion 413 extending from the contact portion 412 toward the hand rim 400 and a shaft hole 414 penetrating in the longitudinal direction are provided.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 25 to 27, a process of fixing the hand rim 400 to the wheel rim 11a via the tentering collar 410 will be described. First, the rim protection unit 420 is fitted to the wheel rim 11a. Next, the penetrating shaft 411 of the hand rim 400 is inserted from the hand rim 400 side. At this time, the tip of the through shaft 411 is protruded from the rim protection unit 420, and the contact portion 412 at the base end of the through shaft 411 is fitted into the recess 421 on the outer surface of the rim protection unit 420. Then, the bolt 430 is passed through the shaft hole 414 of the collar 410 through the washer 431, and the tip thereof is screwed into the bolt hole 405 of the hand rim 400. Similarly, the bolts 430 are screwed in all the bolt holes 405 and tightened to fix the hand rim 400 to the rim 11a of the main wheel 11.

  Note that the distance between the hand rim 400 and the main wheel 11 can be easily changed by changing the length of the widening portion 413 of the widening collar 410. In other words, by preparing a plurality of tentering collars 410 having different lengths of the tentering part 413 and selecting an appropriate one from them, the wheelchair user can adjust the hand rim 400 and the main wheel 11 according to their body shapes. The distance can be adjusted easily. For example, as shown in FIG. 28A, the wheel rim 11a and the hand rim 400 can be separated from each other by using a tentering collar 410 'having a long tentering portion 413'. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 28 (b), the wheel rim 11 a and the hand rim 400 can be brought close to each other by using a tentering collar 410 ″ having a short tentering portion 413 ″.

  The effect of the hand rim 400 of this embodiment is demonstrated.

  In the hand rim 400 of this embodiment, when a wheelchair user operates or grips the hand rim 400, a palm thumb ball (so-called belly of the thumb at the base of the thumb) H is formed on the valley portion 402a of the first curved surface portion 402. The finger F is designed to fit into the valley 404a of the second curved surface 404. Therefore, when the wheelchair occupant presses the thumb ball H against the first curved surface portion 402 and slides it in the rotational direction, the thumb ball H hits the mountain portion 402b raised from the valley portion 402a, and the arm force is applied to the hand rim. Can be effectively converted into the rotational force of That is, even an elderly person or a child with weak gripping force can easily rotate the hand rim 400 with the force of the arm by pressing the palm against the outer peripheral surface 401 of the hand rim 400 without grasping the hand rim 400. Further, the second curved surface portion 404 is formed in a shape that is easier to fit the finger F with a sharper arc than the first curved surface portion 402 so that the wheelchair occupant can firmly hold the hand rim 400 according to the situation. Has been. Then, the first curved surface portion 402 and the second curved surface portion 404 formed on the inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the hand rim 400 function in cooperation, and give an exquisite operational feeling to the occupant when the hand rim 400 is gripped. That is, as shown in FIG. 23, when the hand rim 400 is operated, the hand rim 400 fits the outer peripheral surface 402 and each finger of the hand fits the inner peripheral surface 404. I can hold it. Therefore, the hand rim 400 improves the barrier-free performance of the wheelchair 10.

(Frame structure)
The frame of the wheelchair 10 of this embodiment is comprised from the hollow pipe body of the predetermined thickness of aluminum material. As shown in FIG. 29, the aluminum base of the frame is shot blasted to form fine irregularities on the pipe surface. Further, an alumite treatment is performed on the uneven surface to form an alumite film. A process combining these is referred to as a shot alumite process.

  Shot blasting was performed so as to control the surface roughness Ra of the frame surface to 5 to 20 μm. The shot blasting process can be performed by projecting a projection material such as a metal system (for example, a steel sphere) or a ceramic system (for example, alumina or silicon carbide) at a predetermined projection speed. The conditions can be appropriately selected by those skilled in the art. In this embodiment, the projection material is a SUS material, the particle size of the projection material is set to a range of 0.25 mm (0.1 to 0.4 mm), and the projection speed is 80 m / s for about 6 seconds. Shot blasting was performed on a pipe frame having a diameter of 20 mm and a thickness of 1.75 mm.

  Then, an alumite treatment was performed after the shot blast treatment to form an alumite film having a thickness of about 5 to 50 μm. The anodizing process can be executed by a conventional method, and the description thereof is omitted.

  It should be noted that each of the above values is merely an example in the embodiment, and it goes without saying that those skilled in the art can select as appropriate.

  By performing shot blasting on the frame of the wheelchair 10 of the present embodiment, it was possible to obtain knowledge that the structural strength was improved. The test methods and test results are shown below.

  In general, in a wheelchair, it can be said that the most force is applied to the T-shaped pipe 500 that is a joint between the seat frame 13 and the back frame 14 that supports the weight of the occupant. And it was the place where the T-shaped pipe 500 is most easily broken by metal fatigue due to long-term use. Therefore, in the present embodiment, assuming that the user repeatedly gets on and off the wheelchair, by repeatedly applying a load to a test piece similar to the T-shaped pipe 500, and measuring the number of repetitions of the load until breakage. The fatigue strength of the wheelchair 10 was confirmed in a pseudo manner. The test piece was formed so that the pipe shape (20 mm diameter, 1.75 mm thickness), shot blasting conditions, and alumite treatment conditions were substantially the same as the wheelchair 10 frame. In this acceleration test, the vertical pipe of the T-shaped pipe (corresponding to the back frame 14 and 100 mm long) is fixed, and the horizontal pipe (corresponding to the seat frame 15 and 200 mm) is tested by a Minebea Co., Ltd. This was done by repeatedly applying a load of 10 kN to the center. As a comparative example of the test, buffing and alumite treatment (under the same conditions) (hereinafter referred to as buff alumite) assuming a conventional wheelchair (“MATSUNAGA FULL LINE UP CATALLOGE vol. 12-1”, Matsunaga Corporation, page 15) are assumed. The test piece of the T-shaped pipe prepared in (Process) was used. That is, the test pieces of the examples and the reference examples are configured in the same shape as the wheelchair frame of the present embodiment, and are different only in that the shot blasting process and the buffing process are performed.

  The test piece of the T-pipe 500 of the shot anodized treatment of this embodiment was tested a total of 10 times, and the test piece broke with an average number of loadings of about 22,000 times. On the other hand, in the test piece of the T-shaped pipe of the buff alumite treatment of the comparative example, a total of 10 tests were performed, and the test piece broke with an average number of loadings of about 17,000 times. From this test result, the shot anodized wheelchair frame of this embodiment has a repeated fatigue strength of about 1.25 times that of a conventional buffed anodized wheelchair frame.

  Further, as an advantage of the shot alumite treatment, there are fine irregularities on the surface, and scratches and dirt are less noticeable than conventional mirror-surface pipes. Further, since the anodized surface is subjected to an alumite treatment, there is an advantage that the anodized film is less likely to be peeled off than those deposited on a conventional smooth surface. For this reason, the wheelchair 10 of this embodiment has the effect that the deterioration of the external appearance of the wheelchair frame with time can be suppressed by shot anodizing treatment. Therefore, this frame structure improves the durability performance of the wheelchair 10.

  In the wheelchair 10 of the present embodiment, by combining the side guard mounting structure 100, the brake mechanism 200, the footrest support structure 300, the hand rim 400, and the frame structure described above into one wheelchair, these functions cooperate with each other. As a result, the wheelchair as a whole has significantly improved barrier-free performance, comfort performance and durability. However, the wheelchair of the present invention is not limited to the above-described form. That is, it is possible to omit the above-described features, combine them, or extract the idea of the present invention and apply it to other types of wheelchairs (for example, non-folding wheelchairs). .

  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 11a Wheel rim 12 Side frame 13 Seat frame 14 Back frame 15 Leg frame 15a Through hole 15b Support hole 16 Armrest support frame 17 Upper frame 18 Lower frame 20 Brake handle 21 Operation lever 22 Footrest 100 Side guard Mounting structure 110 Side guard 111 Protective plate 111a Lower edge portion 111b Side edge portion 111c Upper edge portion 112 Fitting portion 113 First protrusion 114 Second protrusion 121 First support 122 Second support 200 Brake mechanism 201 Brake body 202 Brake arm 202a Engaging groove 203 Wire support arm 203a Wire insertion part 210 Wire 211 Wire core material 212 Cover material 213 Overhanging part 214 Screw shaft part 215 Brake adjustment nut (brake adjustment part)
216 Fixing nut (fixing part)
217 Engagement part 220 Energizing spring 300 Footrest support structure 301 Sliding frame 302 Adjustment hole 303 Fitting groove 310 Locking device 311 Main body part 311a Inner peripheral wall 311b Holding hole 311c Holding claw 312 Lock lever 312a First outer peripheral part 312b Second outer peripheral part 312c Operation part 313 Pressing member 313a Pressure contact part 313b Engagement part 314 Lock pin 315 Height adjustment lever 316 Torsion spring 317 Horizontal rotation shaft 318 Vertical rotation shaft 400 Hand rim 401 Inner peripheral surface 402 First curved surface portion 403 Outer peripheral surface 404 First 2 curved surface portion 405 bolt hole 410 widening collar 411 penetrating shaft 412 abutting portion 413 widening portion 414 shaft hole 420 rim protection unit 430 bolt

Claims (10)

An annular hand rim attached to a wheelchair main wheel,
A plurality of first curved surface portions are provided with an outer peripheral surface formed in a wave shape continuously in the circumferential direction,
The radius of curvature R1 of the first curved surface portion and the center of the adjacent valley portions so that the thumb ball of the palm fits into the valley portion of the first curved surface portion when the occupant operates the hand rim. A hand rim characterized in that a distance d1 is determined.   The radius of curvature R1 of the first curved surface portion is in the range of 30 to 50 mm, and the distance d1 along the arc between the centers of the valley portions of the adjacent first curved surface portions is in the range of 60 to 100 mm. The hand rim according to claim 1. A plurality of second curved surface portions further comprising an inner peripheral surface formed in a wave shape continuously in the circumferential direction;
A radius of curvature R2 of the second curved surface portion such that a radius of curvature R1 of the first curved surface portion is larger than a radius of curvature R2 of the second curved surface portion and a finger fits into a valley portion of the second curved surface portion; And the distance d2 between the centers of the said adjacent valley part is defined, The hand rim of Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The curvature radius R2 of the second curved surface portion is in the range of 10 mm to 20 mm, and the distance d2 along the arc between the centers of the valley portions of the second curved surface portions is in the range of 20 mm to 50 mm. The hand rim according to claim 3.   5. The center angle α between the valleys of each of the first curved surface portions is 1.5 to 3 times the center angle β of the valley of each of the second curved surface portions. Hand rim.   A wheelchair in which the hand rim according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is attached to the outside of a main wheel. The hand rim is fixed with bolts via a tenter collar on the wheel rim side of the main wheel,
The extending collar includes an insertion portion that penetrates a through hole formed in a side surface of the wheel rim, an extending portion that engages with an edge of the through hole, and a predetermined length extending from the extending portion, The wheelchair according to claim 6, further comprising a widening portion that separates a wheel rim and the hand rim.   The distance between the wheel rim and the hand rim can be adjusted by changing the tentering collar to a second tentering collar having a tentering portion having a different length. Wheelchair as described in A wheelchair according to any one of claims 6 to 8,
A wheelchair characterized in that the frame is made of an aluminum material and the surface of the frame subjected to shot blasting is anodized. A wheelchair according to any one of claims 6 to 9,
A wheelchair brake mechanism for braking the main wheel by operating the wheelchair brake lever;
The brake mechanism is connected to a brake main body, a brake arm pivotally supported by the brake main body and biased in a non-braking direction, the operation lever, and the brake arm. A wire that rotates the brake arm in a braking direction in conjunction with a lever, and a wire support arm that is fixed to the brake body and is spaced apart from the brake arm, and supports the wire.
A hooking groove is cut out in the brake arm, and a hooking portion projects radially from the wire. The hooking portion is hooked in the hooking groove, so that the wire is attached to the brake arm. Combined,
The wire includes a fixing nut for fixing the wire to the wire support arm, and a brake adjustment nut for adjusting a distance between the wire support frame and the hooking portion, and the fixing portion and the brake A wheelchair characterized by sandwiching the wire support arm with a strength adjusting portion.

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