JP2016007404A - wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wheelchair that has excellent operability and gives comfort sitting quality to a user.SOLUTION: A wheelchair 12 includes: seat frames for forming seat surfaces where a user is to be seated; side frames 14 for supporting the seat frames 38(44), 18; and back frames 20(50) where backrest surfaces for supporting his/her back are formed. The width of the back frames 20(50) is larger than the width of the side frames 14. It is preferable that the seat frames 38(44), 18 include: the front seat frames 38(44) for forming a front seat surface to support the thighs of the user; and the rear seat frames 18 for forming a rear seat surface to support the hips of the user. The front seat frames 38(44) are supported by the side frames 14. The width of the rear seat frames 18 is larger than the width of the side frames 14.

Description

  The present invention relates to a wheelchair.

  Japanese Patent No. 4606446 exemplifies a wheelchair provided with a reclining mechanism. Wheelchairs are used by many people who have difficulty walking on their own, such as disabled people, elderly people, and injured people. A wheelchair with a small width in the left-right direction can travel relatively easily in a narrow passage. This wheelchair can be relatively easily handled in a small space. Thus, a wheelchair with a small width in the left-right direction is excellent in operability.

  On the other hand, a wheelchair with a large width in the left-right direction can be comfortably seated by the user. In addition, when attaching a trunk pad or the like that supports the user's torso or head, the attachment adjustment range is expanded. A wheelchair with a large lateral width can be seated in a comfortable posture by the user. Thus, a wheelchair with a large width in the left-right direction is excellent in the ride comfort for the user.

Japanese Patent No. 4606446

  As described above, a wheelchair with a small left-right width is excellent in operability. However, there is room for improvement in the ride quality of the user. Increasing the width of the wheelchair improves the ride comfort for the user, but reduces operability. Similarly, even in a wheelchair having a large lateral width, operability can be improved by reducing the lateral width. However, if the width in the left-right direction is reduced, the ride comfort for the user is reduced. Thus, it is not easy to improve both the operability of the wheelchair and the ride comfort for the user.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a wheelchair that is excellent in operability and excellent in ride comfort for the user.

  The wheelchair according to the present invention includes a seat frame that forms a seat surface on which a user is seated, a side frame that supports the seat frame, and a back frame that is formed with a backrest surface that supports the back. The width of the back frame is larger than the width of the side frame.

  Preferably, in this wheelchair, the seat frame includes a front seat frame that forms a front seat surface that supports a user's thigh, and a rear seat frame that forms a rear seat surface that supports a buttocks of a vehicle used. Yes. The width of the rear seat frame is larger than the width of the side frame.

  Preferably, the width of the rear seat frame is larger than the width of the front seat frame.

  In the wheelchair according to the present invention, since the width of the back frame is made larger than the width of the side frame, the user can sit in an easy posture. On the other hand, since the width of the side frame is reduced, the width of the front portion of the wheelchair is small. Since this front portion is small, this wheelchair is excellent in operability.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a wheelchair according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a part of the frame of the wheelchair of FIG. FIG. 3 is a front view showing a part of the wheelchair frame viewed in the direction of arrow III in FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a part of the wheelchair frame viewed in the direction of arrow IV in FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a part of a wheelchair according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a part of a wheelchair according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments with appropriate reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a wheelchair 12 according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, the arrow X indicates the forward direction in the front-rear direction, the arrow Y indicates the left direction in the left-right direction, and the arrow Z indicates the upward direction in the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wheelchair 12 includes a pair of left and right side frames 14, a cross member pair 16, a pair of left and right rear seat frames 18, a back frame 20, a pair of left and right armrests 22, and a pair of left and right front wheels. 24, a pair of left and right rear wheels 26 and a pair of left and right leg supports 27. This wheelchair 12 is made substantially symmetrical.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the pair of left and right side frames 14 includes an upper pipe 28, a front pipe 30, and a lower pipe 32, respectively. A front portion 28a of the upper pipe 28 extends in the front-rear direction. The rear portion 28b of the upper pipe 28 extends from the front to the rear so as to incline downward from the top. The upper pipe 28 is bent between the front part 28a and the rear part 28b. The front pipe 30 extends in the vertical direction. The upper end of the front pipe 30 is fixed to the front portion 28a. The lower pipe 32 extends in the front-rear direction. The front end of the lower pipe 32 is fixed to the lower part of the front pipe 30. The rear end of the lower pipe 32 is fixed to the rear portion 28 b of the upper pipe 28.

  The cross member pair 16 includes cross members 34 and 36. The cross member 34 includes a front seat pipe 38, a rotating pipe 40, and a connecting pipe 42. The front seat pipe 38 extends in the front-rear direction along the front portion 28 a of the upper pipe 28 of the left side frame 14. The front seat pipe 38 is detachably supported by the upper pipe 28. The rotating pipe 40 extends in the front-rear direction along the lower pipe 32 of the right side frame 14. The rotating pipe 40 is rotatably supported by the lower pipe 32. The connecting pipe 42 extends from the front seat pipe 38 to the rotating pipe 40. The front seat pipe 38, the rotating pipe 40, and the connecting pipe 42 are integrated.

  The cross member 36 includes a front seat pipe 44, a rotating pipe 46, and a connecting pipe 48. The front seat pipe 44 extends in the front-rear direction along the front portion 28 a of the upper pipe 28 of the right side frame 14. The front seat pipe 44 is detachably supported by the upper pipe 28. The rotating pipe 46 extends in the front-rear direction along the lower pipe 32 of the left side frame 14. The rotating pipe 46 is rotatably supported by the lower pipe 32. The connecting pipe 48 extends from the front seat pipe 44 to the rotating pipe 46. The front pipe 44, the rotating pipe 46, and the connecting pipe 48 are integrated.

  The connecting pipe 42 and the connecting pipe 48 of the cross member pair 16 are rotatably connected to each other at the central portion in the longitudinal direction. The cross member 34 and the cross member 36 are rotated relative to each other so that the interval between the left and right side frames 14 can be changed. By providing this cross member pair 16, the space | interval of the right-and-left side frame 14 is narrowed, and it can be folded.

  Each of the left and right rear seat frames 18 extends in the longitudinal direction in the front-rear direction. The front end of the rear seat frame 18 is rotatably connected to the upper end portion of the rear portion 28b of the upper pipe 28. The rear seat frame 18 is rotatable about the left-right direction as a rotation axis. The rear end of the rear seat frame is rotatable about the front end.

  The back frame 20 includes a pair of left and right vertical pipes 50, a pair of left and right handles 52, and a pair of seat mounting portions 54. The pair of left and right vertical pipes 50 extend upward from the rear end of the rear seat frame 18. The vertical pipe 50 is integrated with the rear seat frame 18. The handle 52 extends rearward from the upper part of the vertical pipe 50. The seat attachment portion 54 includes a rod body 54a and a connecting rod 54b. The rod body 54 a extends along the longitudinal direction of the vertical pipe 50. The rod body 54 a is located in front of the back frame 20. The connecting rod 54 b connects and fixes the rod body 54 a to the vertical pipe 50.

  The pair of left and right armrests 22 are rotatably attached to the back frame 20. The armrest 22 is rotatably attached to the back frame 20 behind the vertical pipe 50. The armrest 22 partitions the front seat pipe 38 (44), the rear seat frame 18 and the back frame 20, and the rear wheel 26.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the front wheel 24 is attached below the front pipe 30 of the side frame 14. For example, a so-called caster is used for the front wheel 24. The front wheel 24 is rotatably mounted with the vertical direction as a rotation axis. Since the front wheel 24 is rotatable about the vertical direction as a rotation axis, the direction of the front portion of the wheelchair 12 can be easily changed. The rear wheel 26 is attached to a rear portion 28 b of the upper pipe 28. The rear wheel 26 is located on the outer side in the left-right direction with respect to the side frame 14 (upper pipe 28). The wheelchair 2 travels when the front wheel 24 and the rear wheel 26 are grounded and rolled.

  The leg support 27 includes a footrest 56, a leg pipe 58, a support pipe 60 and an attachment stay 62. In the use posture shown in FIG. 1, the leg pipe 58 extends from the upper part of the front pipe 30 to the front and inclines downward from above. A footrest 56 is attached to the lower part of the leg pipe 58. The lower end of the leg pipe 58 is attached to the outer end in the left-right direction of the footrest 56. The upper end of the support pipe 60 is fixed to the upper part of the leg pipe 58, and the upper part of the support pipe 60 extends in the vertical direction along the front pipe 30. The lower part of the support pipe 60 extends forward from the lower end of the upper part of the support pipe 60. The lower front end is fixed to the lower part of the leg pipe 58. A mounting stay 62 extends from the support pipe 60 to the front pipe 30. This attachment stay 62 is attached to the front pipe 30 so as to be rotatable about the vertical direction as a rotation axis.

  A user's foot is placed on the footrest 56. The leg pipe 58 extends along the user's lower leg. The leg pipe 58 guides the side of the user's lower leg. The leg support 27 prevents the user's leg from protruding outside the wheelchair 12. The leg support 27 is rotatable about the vertical direction as a rotation axis. The leg support 27 can be changed from the use posture shown in FIG. 1 to the retracted posture in which the leg support 27 is rotated outward in the left-right direction and retracted from the front of the wheelchair 12. By adopting this retracted posture, the user can easily get on and off from the front of the wheelchair 12.

  A front seat cloth 68 is bridged between the front seat pipe 38 and the front seat pipe 44 of the cross member pair 16. A rear seat cloth 70 is bridged between the pair of rear seat frames 18. A back cloth 72 is bridged between the pair of vertical pipes 50 (seat attachment portions 54) of the back frame 20. The front cushion 68 supports the thigh of the user who is seated. The front seat pipe 38 and the front seat pipe 44 are the front seat frame of the present invention. The front seat cloth 68 is a front seat surface 74 of the front seat frame. The back cushion 70 supports the user's buttocks. The rear seat cloth 70 is a rear seat surface 76 of the rear seat frame 18. The seat surface 77 of the wheelchair 2 includes a front seat surface 74 and a rear seat surface 76. The seat frame of the wheelchair 2 includes a front seat frame and a rear seat frame 18. The back cloth 72 supports the back of the user. The back cloth 72 is a backrest surface 78 of the back frame 20.

  A one-dot chain line Lb in FIG. 3 indicates an axis of the vertical pipe 50 of the back frame 20. A double-headed arrow Wb indicates the width from the left end of the left vertical pipe 50 to the right end of the right vertical pipe 50. The width Wb indicates the width of the back frame 20.

  An alternate long and short dash line Ls in FIG. 4 indicates the axis of the upper pipe 28 of the side frame 14. A double arrow Ws indicates a width from the left end of the upper left pipe 28 to the right end of the upper right pipe 28. The width Ws indicates the width of the side frame 14. An alternate long and short dash line Lf indicates an axis of the front seat pipe 38 and the front seat pipe 44. A double-headed arrow Wf indicates the width from the left end of the front seat pipe 38 to the right end of the front seat pipe 44. The width Wf indicates the width of the front seat frame. An alternate long and short dash line Lr indicates an axis of the rear seat frame 18. A double arrow Wr indicates a width from the left end of the left rear seat frame 18 to the right end of the right rear seat frame 18. The width Wr indicates the width of the rear seat frame 18.

  In the wheelchair 12, the axis Lr of the rear seat frame 18 is located on the outer side in the left-right direction with respect to the axis Ls of the upper pipe 28 of the side frame 14. The axis Lb of the vertical pipe 50 of the back frame 20 is located on the outer side in the left-right direction with respect to the axis Ls of the upper pipe 28 of the side frame 14. The axis Lf of the front seat pipe 38 and the front seat pipe 44 of the front seat frame is located on the inner side in the left-right direction from the axis Ls of the upper pipe 28 of the side frame 14.

  The width Wb of the back frame 18 is larger than the width Ws of the side frame 14. Since the width Wb of the back frame 18 is larger than the width Ws of the side frame 14, the width of the backrest surface 78 is large. Since the width of the backrest surface 78 is large, the user can sit comfortably. In this wheelchair 12, when the direction is changed, the front wheel 24 side is rotated with the rear wheel 26 side as the rotation center. Since the width Ws of the side frame 14 on the front wheel 24 side is smaller than the width Wb of the back frame 18, handling in a narrow space can be facilitated. In this wheelchair 12, since the width Wf of the front seat frame is made smaller than the width Ws of the side frame 14, handling in a narrow space can be performed more easily. This wheelchair is excellent in operability. The width Wf of the front frame may be the same as the width Ws of the side frame 14.

  In the wheelchair 12, the rear wheel 26 is located on the outermost side in the left-right direction in the left-right direction. The maximum width in the left-right direction of the wheelchair 12 is determined by a pair of left and right rear wheels 26. By setting the width Wb of the back frame 20 to be equal to or less than the maximum width of the wheelchair 12, the width of the passage where the wheelchair 12 can travel is the same as the width of the passage where a conventional wheelchair can travel.

  In the wheelchair 12, the width Wf of the front seat frame is smaller than the width Ws of the side frame 14. The width of the front seat surface 74 that supports the user's thigh is small. Since the width of the front seat surface 74 is small, it is possible to suppress the user's legs from protruding unnaturally outward in the left-right direction. Furthermore, in this wheelchair 12, the front seat cloth 68 is bent by the weight of the user's thigh and guides the thigh. A leg support 27 guides the side surface of the lower leg. The user's lower leg is prevented from spreading to the left and right outside. Thereby, this wheelchair 12 can be more easily handled in a narrow space.

  In this wheelchair 12, the rear seat frame 18 is rotatable with respect to the front seat frame (the front seat pipes 38 and 44). Thereby, when the wheelchair 12 is changed from the sitting posture to the reclining posture, the rear seat frame 18 is inclined to prevent the user's buttocks from shifting. It is suppressed that a user becomes an unnatural posture. The user does not need to sit back after being in the reclining position.

  In the wheelchair 12, the width Wr of the rear seat frame 18 that supports the user's buttocks is larger than the width Ws of the side frame 14. Generally, in the human body, the width of the buttocks is larger than the width of the thigh. The wheelchair 12 allows a user to sit comfortably. The width Wf of the front seat frame is made smaller than the width Ws of the side frame 14 to prevent the user's legs from protruding unnaturally outward in the left-right direction. On the other hand, since the width Ws of the side frame 14 is smaller than the width Wr of the rear seat frame 18, handling in a narrow space can be facilitated. The maximum width in the left-right direction of the wheelchair 12 is determined by a pair of left and right rear wheels 26. By setting the width Wr of the rear seat frame 18 to be equal to or less than the maximum width of the wheelchair 12, the passage width that the wheelchair 12 can travel is the same as the passage width that the conventional wheelchair can travel.

  In the wheelchair 12, the rear seat frame 18 rotates, and therefore is separated from the side frame 14 (upper pipe 28). Thus, no special manufacturing man-hour is required to make the width Wr of the rear seat frame 18 different from the width Ws of the side frame 14. Similarly, no special manufacturing steps are required to make the width Wr of the rear seat frame 18 different from the width Wf of the front seat frames (front seat pipes 38 and 44).

  Like the wheelchair 12, the width Wr of the rear seat frame 18 is preferably larger than the width Ws of the side frame 14, but the width Wr and the width Ws may be the same. The width Wf of the front seat frame (front seat pipes 38 and 44) is preferably smaller than the width Ws of the side frame 14, but the width Wf and the width Ws may be the same. Further, the rear seat frame 18 is preferably rotatable with respect to the front seat frame (the front seat pipes 38 and 44), but the front seat frame and the rear seat frame may be integrated. In other words, a pair of left and right pipes extending forward and backward may constitute a front seat frame and a rear seat frame.

  Although not shown, a trunk pad may be attached to the wheelchair 12. The trunk pad is formed with a recess along the width of the user's torso or shoulder. It is attached to the back cloth 72. The trunk pad guides the user's torso and shoulders. The trunk pad helps maintain the posture of the user. Since the wheelchair 12 has a large width Wb of the back frame 20, it is possible to easily change the size and position of the dent of the trunk pad. This wheelchair 12 is suitable for a wheelchair provided with a trunk pad.

  FIG. 5 is a front view showing a part of a frame of a wheelchair 80 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The wheelchair 80 includes a back frame 82 instead of the back frame 20, and includes a vertical pipe 84 instead of the vertical pipe 50. Other configurations of the wheelchair 80 are the same as those of the wheelchair 12. Here, regarding the configuration of the wheelchair 80, a configuration different from that of the wheelchair 12 will be described. The description of the same configuration as the wheelchair 12 is omitted. Moreover, in this description, about the structure similar to the wheelchair 12, it demonstrates using the same code | symbol.

  In the wheelchair 80, the pair of left and right vertical pipes 84 of the back frame 82 extend upward from the rear end of the rear seat frame 18. A lower end portion of the vertical pipe 84 is attached to the outer side in the left-right direction of the rear end portion of the rear seat frame 18. As shown in FIG. 5, the width Wb of the back frame 82 is larger than the width Wr of the rear seat frame 18.

  In general, the human body has a shoulder width larger than the width of the buttocks. The wheelchair 12 allows a user to sit comfortably. By setting the width Wb of the back frame 82 to be equal to or smaller than the maximum width of the pair of left and right rear wheels 26, the width of the passage where the wheelchair 12 can travel is the same as the width of the passage where the conventional wheelchair can travel. Since the width Wr of the rear seat frame 18 close to the rear wheel 26 is smaller than the width Wb of the back frame 18, the width Wb should be widened to the width of the left and right rear wheels 26 (maximum width in the left-right direction of the wheelchair 12). Can do.

  FIG. 6 is a front view showing a part of a frame of a wheelchair 86 according to still another embodiment of the present invention. The wheelchair 86 includes a back frame 88 instead of the back frame 20, and includes a vertical pipe 90 instead of the vertical pipe 50. Other configurations of the wheelchair 86 are the same as those of the wheelchair 12. Here, regarding the configuration of the wheelchair 86, a configuration different from that of the wheelchair 12 will be described. The description of the same configuration as the wheelchair 12 is omitted. Moreover, in this description, about the structure similar to the wheelchair 12, it demonstrates using the same code | symbol.

  In the wheelchair 86, a pair of left and right vertical pipes 90 of the back frame 88 extend upward from the rear end of the rear seat frame 18. The vertical pipe 90 includes a lower part 90a, an intermediate part 90b, and an upper part 90c. In the front view of FIG. 6, the lower portion 90 a extends upward from the rear end of the rear seat frame 18. The upper part 90c is located on the outer side in the left-right direction from the lower part 90a and extends upward. The intermediate portion 90b extends from the upper end of the lower portion 90a toward the lower end of the upper portion 90c. In other words, the intermediate portion 90b extends obliquely outward from the width direction of the wheelchair 86 toward the upper side.

  In the wheelchair 86, the upper width Wbs of the back frame 88 is made larger than the lower width Wbw. The lower portion 90a is supported by a user's torso with a back cloth laid over it. The upper portion 90c is supported by the user's shoulder by the back cloth being laid across the back. In the back frame 88, the width Wbs for supporting the shoulder portion is made larger than the width Wbw for supporting the body portion.

  In this wheelchair 86, the width Wf of the front seat frame (front seat pipes 38 and 44) is made smaller than the width Ws of the side frame 14. The width Wr of the rear seat frame 18 is larger than the width Ws of the side frame 14. The lower width Wbw of the back frame 88 is larger than the width Ws of the side frame 14. The width Wbw is smaller than the width Wr of the rear seat frame 18. The width Wbw may be the same as or larger than the width Wr. The upper width Wbs of the back frame 88 is made larger than the width Wr of the rear seat frame 18.

  In general, a human body has a shoulder width larger than the width of the torso. The wheelchair 12 allows a user to sit comfortably. On the other hand, since the width Wr of the rear seat frame 18 is made smaller than the width Wbs of the upper part of the back frame 18, it is suppressed that the width of the wheelchair 12 becomes large. By setting the width Wbs of the back frame 82 to be equal to or smaller than the maximum width of the pair of left and right rear wheels 26, the width of the passage where the wheelchair 12 can travel is the same as the width of the passage where the conventional wheelchair can travel.

  In this wheelchair 86, since the width Wbw of the lower portion 90a of the back frame 88 (vertical pipe 90) is made smaller than the width Wbs of the upper portion 90c, the width Wbs can be maximized within a range that does not interfere with the rear wheel 26. it can. In this wheelchair 86, even if the back frame 88 is tilted, the width Wbs can be maximized within a range that does not interfere with the rear wheel 26. This wheelchair 86 is suitable for a wheelchair in a reclining posture. Even if the size of the width Wbs is sufficiently large, the width Wbw and the width Wr of the rear seat frame can be appropriately set. In the wheelchair 86, the width Ws of the side frame 14 can be reduced even if the width Wbs is sufficiently increased. The wheelchair 86 is excellent in operability and user comfort.

  The configuration described above can be widely applied to wheelchairs.

12, 80, 86 ... Wheelchair 14 ... Side frame 16 ... Cross member pair 18 ... Rear seat frame 20, 82, 88 ... Back frame 22 ... Armrest 27 ... Leg support 34, 36 ... Cross member 38, 44 ... Front seat pipe 50, 84, 90 ... Vertical pipe 52 ... Handle 54 ... Seat mounting part 56 ... Footrest 58 ... Leg pipe 60 ... Support pipe 62 ... Mounting stay 68 ... Front seat cloth 70 ... Rear seat cloth 72 ... Back cloth 74 ... Front seat surface 76 ... Rear seat surface 77 ... Seat surface 78 ... Backrest surface

Claims (3)

A seat frame that forms a seating surface on which a user sits, a side frame that supports the seat frame, and a back frame that forms a backrest surface that supports the back;
A wheelchair in which the width of the back frame is larger than the width of the side frame. The seat frame includes a front seat frame that forms a front seat surface that supports a user's thigh, and a rear seat frame that forms a rear seat surface that supports a buttocks of a use vehicle.
This front seat frame is supported by the side frame,
The wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the width of the rear seat frame is larger than the width of the side frame.   The wheelchair according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a width of the rear seat frame is larger than a width of the front seat frame.

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