JP2022111997A - wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

To disclose one example of a wheelchair capable of restricting a footrest from being largely displaced when the weight of a sitting person acts on the footrest.SOLUTION: A wheelchair 1 includes a restriction part 58 for restricting a second connection center O2 from separating with respect to a consideration line Lo by over a predetermined dimension. Thus, even when a large load acts on a footrest 4A in a state where the footrest 4A is located at a use position, the footrest 4A can be restricted from largely deviating from the use position toward a retreat position. Furthermore, when the weight of a sitting person acts on the footrest 4A, the footrest 4A is restricted from being largely displaced in the wheelchair 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates to a wheelchair with a seat and a plurality of wheels.

For example, in the wheelchair disclosed in Patent Document 1, the footrest is configured to be vertically displaceable with respect to the chair via an arm.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-20280

A footrest is a part for supporting the legs of the occupant. Therefore, the present disclosure discloses an example of a wheelchair capable of restricting a large displacement of the footrest when, for example, the weight of the seated person acts on the footrest.

A wheelchair comprising a chair (2) on which a user can sit and a plurality of wheels (3A to 3D) provided on the chair (2) shall have at least one of the following constituent requirements, for example: is desirable.

That is, the constituent elements include a footrest (4A) for supporting the legs of a seated person, and a support arm that supports the footrest (4A) so as to be displaceable between a use position and a retracted position deviated from the use position. (51A), a support arm (51A) swingably connected to the chair (2); a first link (52) that transmits power to the chair (2), the first link (52) being swingably connected to the chair (2), and one end side being swingably connected to the first link (52) When a load is applied to the footrest (4A) in a state where the second link (53), the other end of which is swingably connected to the support arm (51A), and the footrest (4A) are in the use position. , and a restricting portion (58) that restricts the separation of the second connection center (O2) from the line of thought (Lo) beyond a predetermined dimension.

Further, when the second connection center (O2) separates from the line of thought (Lo), the footrest (4A) is displaced toward the retracted position. When the second connection center (O2) is located in one side area (hereinafter referred to as the use area) with respect to the thought line (Lo) and the footrest (4A) is in the retracted position, the second connection center ( O2) is located in the area on the other side with respect to the line of thought (Lo).

The first connection center (O1) refers to the connection center between the first link (52) and the chair (2). The second connection center (O2) refers to the connection center between the first link (52) and the second link (53). The third connection center (O3) refers to the connection center between the second link (53) and the support arm (51A). The thought line (Lo) is an imaginary straight line passing through the first connection center (O1) and the third connection center (O3).

Thereby, in the wheelchair, when the second connection center (O2) is positioned on the thought line (Lo), that is, when the second connection center (O2) coincides with the thought point (dead point), the footrest ( 4A) is the farthest position from the retracted position (hereinafter referred to as the farthest position). Then, when the second connection center (O2) is separated from the thought line (Lo) so as to enter the use area, the footrest (4A) becomes the use position.

In other words, the use position of the wheelchair is shifted from the farthest position toward the retracted position. Therefore, when a large load acts on the footrest (4A) while the footrest (4A) is in the use position, the second connection center (O2) moves away from the line of thought (Lo), and the footrest (4A) moves away from the line of thought (Lo). 4A) is approaching the retracted position.

On the other hand, the wheelchair has a restricting part (58) that restricts the second connecting center (O2) from being separated from the line of thought (Lo) by exceeding a predetermined dimension.

Therefore, even if a large load acts on the footrest (4A) while the footrest (4A) is in the use position, the footrest (4A) can be prevented from deviating significantly from the use position toward the retracted position. Furthermore, according to the wheelchair, when the weight of the seated person acts on the footrest (4A), the footrest (4A) is restricted from being largely displaced.

Incidentally, the symbols in each parenthesis above are examples showing the correspondence with the specific configurations and the like described in the embodiments described later, and the present disclosure is not limited to the specific configurations and the like indicated by the symbols in the parentheses. .

It is a figure showing a wheelchair concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a figure showing a wheelchair concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a figure showing a wheelchair concerning a 1st embodiment. FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory view of the support mechanism; FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory view of the support mechanism; FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory view of the support mechanism; 1 is a side view of a wheelchair according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a side view of a wheelchair according to a first embodiment; FIG. 9A to 9C are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the support mechanism. It is a figure which shows the 1st control lever which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the 1st control lever which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

The following "embodiment of the invention" shows an example of an embodiment belonging to the technical scope of the present disclosure. In other words, the matters specifying the invention described in the claims are not limited to the specific configurations, structures, etc. shown in the following embodiments.

It should be noted that arrows and oblique lines indicating directions in each drawing are provided to facilitate understanding of the relationship between the drawings and the shape of each member or portion. Accordingly, the inventions shown in this disclosure are not limited to the orientations attached to each figure. Figures with hatching are not necessarily cross-sectional views.

At least one member or portion described with at least a reference numeral is provided unless otherwise specified as "one" or the like. In other words, two or more members may be provided unless there is a notice such as "one". The wheelchairs shown in this disclosure comprise at least components such as the members or parts labeled and described, as well as the structural parts shown.

(First embodiment)
<1. Overview of Wheelchair>
In this embodiment, an example of the wheelchair according to the present disclosure is applied to a foldable wheelchair. The wheelchair 1 includes at least a chair 2, a plurality of wheels 3A to 3D, two footrests 4A and 4B, and two support mechanisms 5A and 5B, as shown in FIG.

The chair part 2 is a part on which a user can sit. The chair portion 2 includes a frame, a seat cloth 2A, and the like. The frame is made up of multiple metal pipes. The seat cloth 2A is attached to the frame to form a seat surface such as a seat surface.

A plurality of wheels 3A to 3D are attached to the frame and support the chair 2 movably. The wheels 3A and 3B constitute drive wheels and support most of the load acting on the chair portion 2. As shown in FIG. The wheels 3C and 3D maintain the posture of the chair 2 and assist the steering of the wheelchair 1 (change of direction).

The footrests 4A, 4B are footrests for supporting the legs of the seated person. The footrest 4A is movably supported by a support mechanism 5A. The footrest 4B is movably supported by a support mechanism 5B.

Specifically, the support mechanisms 5A and 5B support the footrests 4A and 4B so as to be displaceable between the use position (see FIG. 2) and the retracted position (FIG. 3) deviated from the use position. The use position according to this embodiment is located above the retracted position. The retracted position according to the present embodiment is a position where the footrests 4A and 4B can touch the floor or the ground.

Note that the footrests 4A, 4B and the support mechanisms 5A, 5B are configured substantially symmetrical with respect to the center of the wheelchair 1 in the left-right direction. The support mechanism 5A and the support mechanism 5B can operate independently of each other. The following description is mainly about the support mechanism 5A.

<2. Support Mechanism>
<2.1 Configuration of Support Mechanism>
As shown in FIG. 4, the support mechanism 5A has at least one (two in this embodiment) support arms 51A and 51B, a first link 52, a second link 53, a base portion 54, and the like. configured as follows.

The base portion 54 is provided on the frame of the chair portion 2 and is a portion that supports the load acting on the support arms 51A and 51B. The support arms 51A and 51B are members that support the footrest 4A so as to be displaceable between the use position and the retracted position, and are connected to the base portion 54 so as to be swingable.

Specifically, one end of the support arm 51A (hereinafter referred to as the first support arm 51A) is rotatably connected to the base portion 54. As shown in FIG. The other end side of the first support arm 51A is rotatably connected to the front end side shaft portion 4C of the footrest 4A.

One end of the support arm 51B (hereinafter referred to as the second support arm 51B) is rotatably connected to the base portion 54 at a position shifted rearward and downward from the first support arm 51A. The other end side of the second support arm 51B is rotatably connected to the rear end side shaft portion 4D of the footrest 4A.

Thereby, the base portion 54, the first support arm 51A, the second support arm 51B, and the footrest 4A constitute a four-bar link mechanism. Therefore, when at least one of the first support arm 51A and the second support arm 51B swings, the footrest 4A swings accordingly (see FIGS. 4 to 6).

The first link 52 applies an operating force to the drive arm for swinging and displacing one of the first support arm 51A and the second support arm 51B (the support arm is hereinafter referred to as the drive arm). It is a member that transmits. The drive arm according to this embodiment is the first support arm 51A.

One end side of the first link 52 is swingably connected to the chair portion 2 (the base portion 54 in this embodiment). The second link 53 is a member having one end swingably connected to the first link 52 and the other end swingably connected to the drive arm, that is, the first support arm 51A.

An operation link 55 is provided on the opposite side of the first link 52 across the joint with the second link 53 . The operating link 55 is a member for inputting an operating force to the first link 52 . That is, the first link 52 functions as a driving link. In addition, in this embodiment, the operating link 55 and the first link 52 swing integrally.

A first operating lever 56 and a second operating lever 57 are directly or indirectly connected to the operating link 55, as shown in FIG. The first operating lever 56 and the second operating lever 57 are members operated by the user.

The first operating lever 56 is arranged on the front side of the chair portion 2 (in this embodiment, on the front side of the wheels 3A). The second operating lever 57 is arranged on the rear side of the chair portion 2 . An operating force is input to the first link 52 when any of the operating levers is operated.

The first operating lever 56 according to the present embodiment is directly fixed to the operating link 55 with fasteners such as bolts 56A (see FIG. 2). Therefore, the user can easily attach/detach the first operating lever 56 to/from the operating link 55 by attaching/detaching the bolt 56A (see FIG. 8).

As shown in FIG. 8, the second operating lever 57 according to this embodiment is indirectly connected to the operating link 55 via a push-pull wire type wire device. The user can operate the first link 52 with the second operating lever 57 even when the first operating lever 56 is removed.

<2.2 Details of Support Mechanism>
<Definition of terms (see FIG. 9A)>
First connection center O1: Connection center between first link 52 and chair portion 2 Second connection center O2: Connection center between first link 52 and second link Third connection center O3: Second link and support arm 51A Connection center of thought line Lo: virtual straight line passing through the first connection center O1 and the third connection center O3 <Operation of the support mechanism>
When the drive link, that is, the first link 52 swings, the first support arm 51A swings as shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C. At this time, when the second connection center O2 is separated from the thought line Lo, the footrest 4A is displaced toward the retracted position. Note that when the second connection center O2 is displaced to the retracted position side with respect to the thinking line Lo, that is, to the lower side with respect to the thinking line Lo, the footrest 4A is also displaced toward the retracted position side.

When the footrest 4A is in the use position, the second connection center O2 is positioned on one side (upper side in this embodiment) of the idea line Lo, that is, in the use area, and the footrest 4A is retracted. In the position state, the second connection center O2 is located in the area on the other side (lower side in this embodiment) with respect to the idea line Lo.

By the way, when the footrest 4A is in the use position and a load acts on the footrest 4A, the second connection center O2 is displaced from the current position in a direction further away from the thought line Lo (upward in this embodiment). try to.

In other words, when the footrest 4A is in the use position, the second connection center O2 is positioned on one side of the thought line Lo. When a load acts on the footrest 4A, the second connection center O2 tends to move further away from the thought line Lo, so the footrest 4A tends to displace toward the retracted position.

Therefore, in the support mechanism 5A according to the present embodiment, the restricting portion 58 is provided. The restriction part 58 prevents the second connection center O2 from being separated from the thought line Lo by exceeding a predetermined dimension when a load is applied to the footrest 4A in the use position. regulate.

Specifically, the restricting portion 58 contacts at least one of the first link 52 and the second link 53 (in this embodiment, the first link 52), so that the second connection center O2 is aligned with the idea line Lo. It is regulated to be spaced apart beyond a predetermined dimension.

The regulating portion 58 according to the present embodiment is provided at a portion of the first support arm 51A that is adjacent to the base portion 54 . The use position according to the present embodiment is a state in which the restricting portion 58 and the first link 52 are in contact, that is, a position in which displacement of the first link 52 is restricted.

Incidentally, when the second connection center O2 is at the thinking (neutral) position, that is, when the second connecting center O2 coincides with the thinking point (dead point) as shown in FIG. the highest position. Therefore, the use position according to the present embodiment is a position slightly shifted toward the retracted position from the highest position.

<3. Features of the wheelchair according to the present embodiment (see FIGS. 9A to 9C)>
In the wheelchair 1 according to this embodiment, when the second connection center O2 is positioned on the thought line Lo, that is, when the second connection center O2 coincides with the thought point, the footrest 4A is positioned at the farthest distance from the retracted position. (hereinafter referred to as the farthest position). Then, when the second connection center O2 is separated from the thought line Lo so as to enter the use area, the footrest 4A becomes the use position.

That is, the use position of the wheelchair 1 is shifted from the farthest position toward the retracted position. Therefore, when a large load acts on the footrest 4A while the footrest 4A is in the use position, the second connection center O2 separates from the thought line Lo and the footrest 4A approaches the retracted position.

On the other hand, the wheelchair 1 is provided with the restricting portion 58 that restricts the separation of the second connection center O2 from the imaginary line Lo beyond a predetermined dimension.

Therefore, even if a large load acts on the footrest 4A while the footrest 4A is in the use position, the footrest 4A can be prevented from deviating significantly from the use position toward the retracted position. Furthermore, according to the wheelchair 1, when the weight of the seated person acts on the footrest 4A, the footrest 4A is restricted from being largely displaced.

In this embodiment, the displacement of the footrest 4A is not restricted by restricting the operation of the first operating lever 56 or the second operating lever 57 (wire device). Therefore, for example, the wheelchair 1 is superior in terms of safety and reliability as compared with a configuration in which a wire device is provided with a restricting mechanism.

By contacting at least one of the first link 52 and the second link 53, the restricting portion 58 restricts the separation of the second connection center O2 from the imaginary line Lo beyond a predetermined dimension. . As a result, according to the wheelchair 1, the footrest 4A is reliably prevented from being largely displaced.

A second operating lever 57 for operating the first link 52 is provided on the rear side of the chair portion 2 . As a result, the assistant who assists from behind the wheelchair 1 can displace the footrest 4A without moving to the front side of the wheelchair 1 .

A first operating lever 56 provided on the front side of the chair portion 2 is detachable. Thereby, when the first operating lever 56 is unnecessary, the first operating lever 56 can be removed.

(Second embodiment)
This embodiment is an example in which a retractable operating lever 59 is used as the first operating lever 56, as shown in FIG. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, the operating lever 59 includes an outer pipe 59A, an inner pipe 59B, a locking device 59C, and the like.

The outer pipe 59A is fixed to the operating link 55. As shown in FIG. The inner pipe 59B is slidably inserted into the outer pipe 59A. The locking device 59C is provided on the outer pipe 59A and restricts the sliding displacement of the inner pipe 59B with respect to the outer pipe 59A.

That is, the locking device 59C has a plunger (in this embodiment, a steel ball) 59E, a spring 59F, a holder portion 59G, and the like. The plunger 59E is a member that can be fitted into a hole or recess (hole 59D in this embodiment) provided on the outer circumference of the inner pipe 59B.

The spring 59F is an elastic body that presses the plunger 59E toward the inner pipe. The holder portion 59G displaceably holds the plunger 59E. As a result, when the inner pipe 59B slides and the position of the plunger 59E coincides with the position of the hole 59D, the plunger 59E fits into the hole 59D, thereby restricting the displacement of the inner pipe 59B.

When the force for sliding the inner pipe 59B increases, the plunger 59E is separated from the hole 59D, so the force restricting the sliding displacement of the inner pipe 59B decreases, and the inner pipe 59B becomes easily slidable.

In addition, the inner periphery of the outer pipe 59A and the outer periphery of the inner pipe 59B are provided with grooves and grooves that are slidably fitted to each other. As a result, the inner pipe 59B is restricted from rotating around the central axis of the outer pipe 59B. Therefore, when the inner pipe 59B slides, the plunger 59E can be reliably fitted into the hole 59D.

In this embodiment, when the footrests 4A and 4B are in the retracted positions (see FIG. 3), that is, when the user gets on and off the chair 2, the first operating lever 56 (hereinafter referred to as the operating lever 59). ) is positioned forward relative to the position of use.

For this reason, when the user gets on and off the chair portion 2, there is a risk that the operation lever 59 will become an obstacle and the ease of getting on and off will deteriorate. However, since the operating lever 59 according to the present embodiment is telescopic, the user can retract the operating lever 59 when getting on and off the vehicle.

As a result, it is possible to prevent the operation lever 59 from becoming an obstacle when getting in and out of the vehicle. When the user operates the operating lever 59, if the operating lever 59 is in a stretched state, the operating force of the operating lever 59 is reduced.

That is, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the operation force from becoming excessively large when operating the first operation lever 56 (the operation lever 59) while suppressing deterioration in getting on and off.

(Other embodiments)
The second control lever 57 according to the above embodiment was connected to the control link 55 via a push-pull wire type wire device. However, the present disclosure is not so limited. That is, the disclosure relates to, for example, a link device in which the second operating lever 57 is configured by a connecting rod or the like, a wire device having two pull wires, a wire device having one pull wire and a return spring, or the like. There may be.

The operating link 55 according to the above-described embodiment is configured to receive the manual operating force of the first operating lever 56 or the second operating lever 57 . However, the present disclosure is not so limited. That is, the disclosure may be, for example, a configuration in which an operation force is input by an electric actuator such as an electric motor.

In the above-described embodiment, the footrest 4A is displaced toward the retracted position when the second connection center O2 is displaced downward with respect to the thought line Lo. However, the present disclosure is not so limited. That is, the disclosure may be configured such that, for example, the footrest 4A is displaced toward the retracted position when the second connection center O2 is displaced downward with respect to the imaginary line Lo.

The restricting portion 58 according to the above embodiment restricts the separation of the second connection center O2 by contacting at least one of the first link 52 and the second link 53 . However, the present disclosure is not so limited. That is, the disclosure may be configured such that, for example, the first link 52 or the second link 53 is provided with a contacted portion, and the restricting portion 58 contacts the contacted portion.

The restricting portion 58 according to the above-described embodiment is provided at a portion of the first support arm 51A that is adjacent to the base portion 54 . However, the present disclosure is not so limited. That is, the disclosure may be, for example, a configuration in which the base portion 54 is provided with the restricting portion 58 .

The support mechanisms 5A and 5B according to the above-described embodiments are configured to support the footrests 4A and 4B so as to be displaceable in the vertical direction. However, the present disclosure is not so limited. That is, the disclosure may be, for example, support mechanisms 5A, 5B that support footrests 4A, 4B in a horizontally displaceable manner.

Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments as long as it conforms to the gist of the disclosure described in the above-described embodiments. Therefore, in the configuration in which at least two of the above-described embodiments are combined, or in the above-described embodiments, any one of the illustrated constituent elements or the constituent elements described with reference numerals is abolished. It may be a configuration that is

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Wheelchair 2... Chair part 3A-3D... Wheel 4A, 4B... Footrest 5A, 5B... Support mechanism 13C... First control lever 51A, 51B... Support arm 52... First link 53... Second link 54... Base part 55... Operation link 56... First operation lever 57... Second operation lever 58... Regulating portion

Claims (5)

A wheelchair comprising a chair on which a user can sit and a plurality of wheels provided on the chair,
a footrest for supporting the legs of the occupant;
a support arm that supports the footrest so as to be displaceable between a use position and a retracted position deviated from the use position, the support arm being swingably connected to the chair;
a first link that transmits an operating force for swinging the support arm to the support arm, the first link being swingably connected to the chair;
a second link having one end swingably connected to the first link and the other end swingably connected to the support arm;
A connection center between the first link and the chair portion is defined as a first connection center, a connection center between the first link and the second link is defined as a second connection center, and a connection between the second link and the support arm is defined. When the center is the third connection center and the imaginary straight line passing through the first connection center and the third connection center is the thought line,
When the second connection center is separated from the thought line, the footrest is configured to be displaced toward the retracted position,
When the footrest is at the use position, the second connection center is positioned on one side of the thought line, and when the footrest is at the retracted position, the second connection center is Located in the area on the other side with respect to the thought line,
Furthermore, when the footrest is in the use position and a load is applied to the footrest, the second connection center is prevented from being separated from the thought line by more than a predetermined dimension. Wheelchair with parts. The restricting portion restricts the separation of the second connection center from the thought line beyond a predetermined dimension by contacting at least one of the first link and the second link. Wheelchair according to claim 1. The wheelchair according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an operation portion for operating the first link is provided on the rear side of the chair portion. The wheelchair according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a detachable operation lever for operating the first link is provided on the front side of the chair portion. 4. The wheelchair according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a retractable operation lever for operating the first link is provided on the front side of the chair portion.

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