JP2019154770A - Wheelchair for assistance - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a wheelchair for assistance, reducing a load on a helper, securing rectilinearity on a slope way surface with simple operation, and capable of riding over a step.SOLUTION: A wheelchair for assistance which includes: a base frame 1 supporting a seat S; a pair of main wheels 2, a pair of front wheels 3 and a pair of rear wheels 4 mounted on the base frame 1; and a backrest frame 6 connected to the base frame 1 to support a backrest B, and supporting an operation handle 5 is such that: axles 2a,3a each of the main wheels 2, and the front wheels 3 are fixed in a direction orthogonal to a straight advance direction, and on the other hand, an axle 4a each of the rear wheels 4 is provided so as to be rotatable in a horizontal direction; and each of the rear wheels 4 is mounted via repulsive energization means 10, and is always energized elastically in a direction in which the repulsive energization means 10 returns the rear wheels 4 to fixed positions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an assisting wheelchair used for assisting a sick person, an injured person, a disabled person or an elderly person.

  Conventionally, in wheelchairs, it is difficult to go straight on an inclined road surface that is inclined so as to intersect the direction of travel, and it is difficult to get over a step, and these concerns are placed before the main wheel (drive wheel). It is known to be caused by the front wheels arranged.

  That is, the front wheel of a general wheelchair has its axle that can turn in the horizontal direction, and the front wheel turns in the downward direction unintentionally on the inclined road surface as described above, making it difficult to go straight ahead. There is. Further, when overcoming the step, the front wheel may come into contact with the wall surface or the corner of the step and the axle may rotate, making it difficult to smoothly place the front wheel on the step.

  Therefore, various wheelchairs have been developed to solve these concerns.

  In the wheelchairs disclosed in the following Patent Documents 1 to 6, the axle of each front wheel is fixed in a direction orthogonal to the straight traveling direction, that is, each front wheel is rotatably mounted only in the straight traveling direction to solve the above-described problem.

  In addition, the wheelchair disclosed in Patent Document 7 described below eliminates the configuration of providing a front wheel, and instead provides a rear wheel that can turn an axle behind the main wheel, and is originally fixed to be rotatable only in a straight direction. To solve the above-mentioned concerns.

JP 2005-304529 A JP 2004-159709 A JP 2002-355274 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-321209 JP-A-10-216177 Utility Model Registration No. 3191571 JP 2005-224400 A

  However, even if the wheelchairs of Patent Documents 1 to 6 can ensure straight traveling performance on an inclined road surface, it is necessary to release the fixation of the axles of the front wheels when it is desired to freely change the traveling direction. It has a problem that will force it.

  In addition, the wheelchair of Patent Document 7 has a problem that it may fall forward when the occupant moves the center of gravity forward to pick up an object or when the main wheel trips over a step or protrusion. is doing. Therefore, the caregiver must push the wheelchair carefully.

  Furthermore, since the wheelchairs of the above-mentioned patent documents all have the wheel shaft that reaches the step first (the front wheel in Patent Documents 1 to 6 and the main wheel in Patent Document 7) fixed, the wheel is raised on the step. Even if it can be performed smoothly until it is placed on the vehicle, a considerable force is required to place the rear wheel on the step, and there is a problem in that a large burden is imposed on the assistant. In particular, in the case of elderly care, which has become a hot topic in recent years, the assistant is also an elderly person, and this problem becomes significant.

  The present invention has the above-mentioned conventional wheelchair while solving the difficulty of straight traveling on an inclined road surface inclined so as to intersect the traveling direction, which has been a concern for many years, and the difficulty of overcoming a step. To provide an assisting wheelchair that fundamentally solves the problem.

  In short, an assisting wheelchair according to the present invention includes a base frame that supports a seat, a pair of main wheels, a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels attached to the base frame, and the base frame. And a backrest frame that supports the backrest and supports the operation handle, and fixes the axles of the main wheels and the front wheels in a direction orthogonal to the straight traveling direction, and the axles of the rear wheels. A configuration in which the rear wheels are mounted so as to be able to turn in the horizontal direction, and each of the rear wheels is attached via a bullet urging means, and the bullet urging means constantly urges and urges the rear wheels to return to a fixed position. And

  Therefore, when each of the front wheels is in contact with the ground, even if it crosses a sloping road surface, it will go straight without allowing a change of direction, while when it is not in contact with the ground, it can change direction freely, and the switching is performed only with the operation handle. Can do. Further, when overcoming a step, the presence of the rear wheels makes it possible to tilt the base frame greatly backwards, and accordingly, the front wheels can be lifted high, and the above-described The energizing means can assist the assistant.

  Preferably, the rear wheels are attached so as to be in a non-grounded state with the front wheels in contact with the ground, and the rear wheels are grounded and the respective wheels are simply touched down with a slight force. The front wheel is in a non-grounded state, enabling free direction change.

  More preferably, by disposing the grip portion of the operation handle behind the turning center of the axle of the rear wheel, the wheelchair can be tilted backward against the bullet urging means with a small force.

  In addition, by configuring the base frame and / or the backrest frame with solid members, the strength of these frames is improved, and breakage and deformation are effectively prevented.

  Further, a reinforcing frame for preventing the backrest frame from being deformed is interposed between the base frame and the operation handle.

  In addition, if the reinforcing frame is formed of a solid member, the backrest frame can be more reliably reinforced, and the force applied to the operation handle can be reliably transmitted to the elastic urging means. .

  According to the assisting wheelchair according to the present invention, it is possible to move straight without allowing a change of direction only by operating the operation handle, that is, by changing the direction of the force applied to the operation handle, and to change the direction freely. Can be switched. Therefore, the assistant can ensure straightness on the inclined road surface without requiring a complicated operation, and can freely change the direction when appropriate.

  In addition, when overcoming the step, the base frame can be largely tilted backward due to the presence of each rear wheel, and accordingly, each front wheel can be lifted high and easily placed on the step. In addition, the bullet urging means that contracts when the base frame is greatly tilted back accumulates the bullet urging force, and can assist the operation of putting each main wheel on the step with the force.

1 is a side view of an assisting wheelchair according to a first embodiment. It is a top view of the assistance wheelchair which concerns on Example 1. FIG. It is a rear view of the assistance wheelchair which concerns on Example 1. FIG. It is a side view which shows the state which floated the front wheel and rotated the axle of the rear wheel. It is a top view which shows the state which floated the front wheel and rotated the axle of the rear wheel. It is a side view which shows the state which put the front wheel on the level | step difference. It is a side view which shows the state which puts a main wheel on a level | step difference. It is a side view of the assistance wheelchair which concerns on Example 2. FIG. It is a top view of the assistance wheelchair which concerns on Example 2. FIG. It is a rear view of the assistance wheelchair which concerns on Example 2. FIG.

  In the following, preferred embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 show an assisting wheelchair according to the first embodiment, and FIGS. 8 to 10 show an assisting wheelchair according to the second embodiment.

<Basic configuration>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and FIGS. 8 to 10, the assistance wheelchair according to the present invention has a base frame 1 that supports a seat (seat surface) S on which a passenger sits by combining a plurality of frames as a basic configuration. And a pair of main wheels 2, a pair of front wheels 3 and a pair of rear wheels 4 attached to the base frame 1. In addition, a backrest frame 6 that supports the backrest B while being integrated with or separately from the base frame 1 and that supports the operation handle 5 is provided.

<Frame configuration>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and FIGS. 8 to 10, the assisting wheelchair according to the present invention includes an armrest frame 11 that supports the armrest A, a footrest F, in addition to the base frame 1 and the backrest frame 6 described above. And a footrest frame 12 for supporting the frame. These frames are connected to the base frame 1 separately or integrally. Although not specifically shown, it is optional depending on the implementation to attach the armrest A to the backrest frame 6 or the like so as to be pivotable upward so as to be flipped up and omit the armrest frame 11.

  Moreover, in the assisting wheelchair according to the present invention, all frames including the base frame 1 and the backrest frame 6 and the armrest frame 11 and the footrest frame 12 are used as in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. In addition, a metal pipe (hollow member) such as aluminum can be used, and a metal plate such as aluminum is cut to form each frame as in the second embodiment shown in FIGS. be able to. That is, in the assisting wheelchair of the second embodiment, by configuring all the frames described above with solid members, the strength of these frames can be improved, and breakage and deformation can be effectively prevented. In the present invention, it is also possible to configure a part of the frame with a solid member, such as configuring only the base frame 1 with a solid member, or configuring only the backrest frame 6 with a solid member. It is optional.

  In the assisting wheelchair according to the present invention, as will be described later, the base frame 1 is rotated about the axle 2a of each main wheel 2 as the rotation center P1, and the base frame 1 is moved backward. Can tilt. In that case, since the grip portion 5a of the operation handle 5 is the power point of the heel principle, it is desirable to dispose the grip portion 5a as far back as possible, and at least more than the turning center P2 on the axle 4a of each rear wheel 4. It is preferable to arrange the rear side. This is because it does not hinder the caregiver's judgment. In addition, the turning center P2, which is the part that finally receives the force applied to the grip portion 5a, may be pressed by the assistant with the foot so as not to be displaced while the force is applied to the grip portion 5a. This is because the person with the grip 5a on the rear side can easily operate the assistant. However, in the present invention, from the viewpoint of the strength of the backrest frame 6, the enlargement of the entire wheelchair, the distance that allows communication between the occupant and the assistant, and the like, the grip portion 5a of the operation handle 5 is connected to the turning center P2 of the axle 4a. It is not excluded to arrange at the same position or forward.

  When the operation handle 5 is pushed down as described above, a load is applied to the backrest frame 6. Therefore, preferably, like the assisting wheelchair of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 8, a reinforcing frame 13 that prevents deformation of the backrest frame 6 is interposed between the base frame 1 and the operation handle 5. The reinforcing frame 13 can be connected integrally between the base frame 1 and the operation handle 5 or can be connected separately.

  In addition, if the reinforcing frame 13 is also made of a solid member, like the base frame 1 described above, the backrest frame 6 can be more reliably reinforced and the force applied to the operation handle 5 can be increased. This can be reliably transmitted to the bullet urging means 10 described later.

<Wheel configuration>
Each main wheel 2 is attached to the base frame 1 via a support plate 7 and an axle 2 a fixed to the support plate 7. A plurality of axle fixing holes 7a for fixing the axle 2a are formed in the support plate 7 in the front-rear direction, and the mounting position of the main wheel 2 can be adjusted in the front-rear direction by the plurality of axle fixing holes 7a. Yes. This is because the mounting position of the main wheel 2 is adjusted with respect to the position of the center of gravity when the occupant is sitting, so that the base frame 1 can be easily tilted backward.

  Further, each front wheel 3 is attached to the base frame 1 via an axle 3a fixed to a front wheel frame 8 integrally or separately connected to the base frame 1 in front of each main wheel 2 described above. ing.

  In the present invention, the axle 2a of each main wheel 2 and the axle 3a of each front wheel 3 described above are fixed in a direction perpendicular to the straight traveling direction. That is, each main wheel 2 and each front wheel 3 are fixed and attached so as to be rotatable only in the straight direction.

  In addition, the length between the front wheel 3 and the main wheel 2 can be made as short as possible by setting the outer end of each front wheel 3 to the inner side of the inner end of the main wheel 2 located behind each of the front wheels 3. Although not specifically shown, the rear end of the front wheel 3 and the front end of the main wheel 2 can be overlapped. As a result, the overall configuration of the wheelchair can be made compact, the footrest F can be brought close to the seat S, and an occupant such as an elderly person or a disabled person who is difficult to extend hamstrings can take a sitting position in an easy posture. .

  Further, each rear wheel 4 has a rear wheel frame 9 attached to the base frame 1 so as to be pivotable in the approaching direction behind each of the main wheels 2 and the rear wheel frame 9 in the horizontal direction. It is attached to the base frame 1 via an axle 4a provided so as to be turnable. Preferably, each rear wheel 4 is attached so as to be in a non-grounded state with each front wheel 3 and each main wheel 2 being grounded, as in the assistance wheelchair of the second embodiment shown in FIG.

  In addition, an elastic biasing means 10 is interposed between the rear wheel frame 9 and the base frame 1. The bullet urging means 10 constantly urges the rear wheel 4 in a direction to return the rear wheel 4 to a fixed position (attachment position). That is, even if the base frame 1 is tilted rearward and the rear wheel frame 9 approaches the base frame 1 side, the elastic urging force that returns the rear wheel frame 9 to the original position is exhibited. Preferably, a known elastic body such as a coil spring or rubber, or a known damper such as a gas damper can be used as the bullet biasing means 10. The assistance wheelchair of Example 1 shows an example using a gas damper as shown in FIG. 1, and the assistance wheelchair of Example 2 shows an example using a coil spring as shown in FIG. Show.

  The assistance wheelchair according to the present invention is specialized as assistance, omitting the hand rim which is a means for self-propelling from the main wheel 2, or like the second embodiment shown in FIGS. The diameter may be reduced. Further, the diameters of the front wheel 3 and the rear wheel 4 can be adjusted as appropriate.

<How to use>
Finally, a method for using the assisting wheelchair according to the present invention will be described.

  In the assistance wheelchair according to the present invention, at least four main wheels 2 and each front wheel 3 are grounded by the configuration in which each main wheel 2 and each front wheel 3 described above are rotatably attached only in the straight traveling direction. In some cases, it is only allowed to go straight without changing direction. Therefore, if the assistant grasps the grip portion 5a of the operation handle 5 and simply pushes the operation handle 5 forward, the assistant will inevitably go straight. For example, when traveling on an inclined road surface that is inclined so as to intersect the traveling direction. Even if it exists, the stable straightness can be ensured.

  On the other hand, each rear wheel 4 can be freely changed in direction by the configuration in which the axle 4a of each rear wheel 4 described above is attached so as to be turnable in the horizontal direction. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the direction can be easily changed by pressing down the grip 5 a of the operation handle 5 to float each front wheel 3 from the road surface G and unground it. Of course, if the operation handle 5 is pushed down and pushed forward, the assisting wheelchair can move while turning.

  In particular, as in the wheelchair of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 8, if each front wheel 3 and each main wheel 2 are grounded and each rear wheel 4 is attached in advance so as to be in a non-grounded state, it can be operated with a slight force. By simply depressing the grip portion 5a of the handle 5, the rear wheels 4 are grounded and the front wheels 3 are not grounded, allowing free direction change.

  In addition, each rear wheel 4 described above is attached via the bullet urging means 10, and the bullet urging means 10 constantly urges and urges the rear wheels 4 to return to their home positions. If the gripping part 5a of the operation handle 5 is pushed down deeply against the bullet urging means 10, the base frame 1 is supported by the rear wheels 4 as shown in FIG. Since it can be greatly tilted backward, each front wheel 3 can be raised high accordingly. Therefore, each front wheel 3 can be easily and safely placed on the step 14.

  Thus, when the base frame 1 is largely tilted rearward, the base frame 1 and the rear wheel frame 9 approach each other, and the bullet urging means 10 contracts accordingly, and the bullet urging force is increased. store. Then, when each main wheel 2 is placed on the step 14 following each front wheel 3, as shown in FIG. 7, the stored elastic urging force of the elastic urging means 10 causes the operation portion 5a of the operation handle 5 to move. The assistant who pushes up can be assisted.

  As described above, the assisting wheelchair according to the present invention can change straightly without changing direction and change direction freely only by changing the direction of the force applied to the grip 5a of the operation handle 5. Can be switched. Therefore, the assistant can ensure straight traveling on the inclined road surface without requiring a complicated operation, and can freely change the direction when appropriate.

  Further, when overcoming the step, each front wheel 3 can be easily and safely placed on the step 14 by simply applying force to the grip portion 5a of the operation handle 5, and each main wheel 2 following each front wheel 3 can be mounted. The bullet urging means 10 assists the assistant when placing on the step 14. In addition, the bullet urging means that contracts when the base frame is greatly tilted back accumulates the bullet urging force, and can assist the operation of putting each main wheel on the step with the force.

  Therefore, if the assistance wheelchair according to the present invention is used, the burden on the assistant can be greatly reduced. For example, even if the assistant is an elderly person, it can be operated easily and safely.

  Further, in the assisting wheelchair of the first embodiment, if the axle of each front wheel of the existing wheelchair is fixed and the rear wheels 4 are attached to the base frame via the rear wheel frame 9 and the elastic urging means 10, The assisting wheelchair according to the present invention can be configured easily and is economical.

  4 to 6 exemplify the assistance wheelchair according to the first embodiment, the front wheel 3 can be similarly lifted and the main wheels 2 can be stepped 14 in the assistance wheelchair according to the second embodiment. Of course, it can be placed on top.

1 ... Base frame,
2 ... Main wheel, 2a ... Axle 3 ... Front wheel, 3a ... Axle 4 ... Rear wheel, 4a ... Axle 5 ... Operating handle, 5a ... Grip part 6 ... Backrest frame 7 ... Support plate, 7a ... Axle fixing hole 8 ... Front wheel frame 9 ... Rear wheel frame 10 ... Bullet urging means 11 ... Armrest frame 12 ... Footrest frame 13 ... Reinforcement frame 14 ... Step S ... Seat B ... Backrest A ... Armrest F ... Footrest G ... Road surface (ground)
P1: Center frame pivot center P2: Rear wheel axle center.

Claims (6)

  A base frame that supports the seat, a pair of main wheels, a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels attached to the base frame, and a backrest connected to the base frame and an operation handle A backrest frame that fixes the axles of the main wheels and the front wheels in a direction perpendicular to the straight traveling direction, and the axles of the rear wheels are provided so as to be turnable in the horizontal direction, and the rear wheels Is attached via a bullet urging means, and the bullet urging means constantly urges and urges the rear wheel to return to a fixed position.   2. The assisting wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the rear wheels are attached so as to be in a non-grounded state with the front wheels in contact with the ground.   The assisting wheelchair according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the grip portion of the operation handle is disposed rearward from the turning center of the axle of the rear wheel.   The assisting wheelchair according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the base frame and / or the backrest frame is formed of a solid member.   The assisting wheelchair according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a reinforcing frame for preventing deformation of the backrest frame is interposed between the base frame and the operation handle.   The assisting wheelchair according to claim 5, wherein the reinforcing frame is made of a solid member.

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