JP2796620B2 - Folding wheelchair - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a foldable wheelchair, and more particularly to improvement of operability and transportability of a wheelchair.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the following description, "user" refers to a person who needs to use a wheelchair to travel between two points, such as a sick patient, the elderly or a disabled person. Things. The “longitudinal direction” refers to a horizontal direction extending in the front-rear direction of the wheelchair, and the “width direction” refers to a horizontal direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.

A conventional wheelchair has a pair of main frames separated in the width direction by two or more transverse bars. The rear side of the wheelchair is closed by a backrest that extends between the upright columns of the main frame. A pair of main wheels is mounted on both sides of the main frame. A pair of casters is mounted on the main frame at the front side of the main wheels. Further, a pair of footrests are attached in parallel at the front lower end of the main frame and project forward.

In order to move a wheelchair, a user rotates a main wheel using a hand rim attached to the main wheel. Alternatively, the assistant may push the wheelchair using a handgrip attached to the backrest.

[0005]

In any case, the conventional wheelchair has many practical inconveniences due to its fixed structure and the presence of main wheels.

First of all, it is almost impossible to bring the wheelchair very close to the user lying on the bed, because of the fixedly extending transverse bar between the two main frames. Impossible. Therefore, in order to transfer the user between the wheelchair and the bed, two or three assistants must carry the user manually. This manual transfer not only places a great burden on the caregiver, but also imposes great pains on the user depending on the physical condition of the user.

Also, because of the large main wheels protruding from the side of the main frame, a wheelchair can only pass through a specially designed toilet or bathroom door. Again, help from two or more caregivers is required.

Further, since there are structurally fixed accessories such as footrests, wheelchairs are very difficult to handle and, as a result, transportability is very poor.

A first object of the present invention is to enable a wheelchair to be brought very close to a user lying on a bed.

Another object of the present invention is to enable a wheelchair to easily pass through a door which is not specially designed.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a wheelchair suitable for transportation.

[0012]

In order to achieve these objects, in the wheelchair of the present invention, a pair of main frames extend in the longitudinal direction of the wheelchair, and the backrest extends in the width direction. These main frames are detachably connected at the rear upper end, and a pair of lifter shafts of the lifter unit are rotatable, and a lifter arm is attached to each lifter shaft to manually rotate the lifter shaft. The seat plate of the seat unit is detachably hung on these lifter shafts, the main wheels are detachably attached to each main frame, and the foot unit is attached to the front lower end of the main frame. A pair of footrests are united along a central hinge extending in the longitudinal direction, and a pair of caster units are attached to the rear lower end of the main frame. , Casters each caster unit is adapted to be lifted from the floor by the jack lever.

[0013]

The back of the wheelchair is opened by rotating the backrest backward. By releasing the upper and lower locks, the entire main wheel unit can be removed from the main frame. By operating the lifter unit, the seat plate can be moved up and down. By folding the foot unit, the entire wheelchair can be folded flat. By operating the jack lever, the entire wheelchair can take off and land on the floor.

[0014]

1 to 4 show a basic embodiment of a foldable wheelchair according to the present invention. The main components of the wheelchair include a pair of main frames 1 extending in the longitudinal direction, a backrest 6 for detachably connecting the main frames 1 at the rear upper end, a seat unit 2 having a seat plate 21, a main frame. 1, a lifter unit 3 from which the seat plate 21 is detachably suspended, a pair of main wheel units 4 from which the main wheel 43 is detachably attached to the main frame 1, and a folding unit attached to the front lower end of the main frame 1. There are a possible foot unit 7 and a pair of caster units 8 assembled at the rear lower end of the main frame 1 and the like.

As is apparent from FIG. 2, each main frame 1 has a horizontal upper frame 11 and a horizontal lower frame 12.
And a front frame 13 having a vertical shape, and these frames are all connected integrally. The rear side of the main frame 1 is open. This rear open structure of the main frame 1 is very important for the user to be very close to the lying bed. Near the rear end of the upper frame 11, an armrest stand 14 and an upper lock 15 for the main wheel unit 4 are provided. On the upper frame 11 and further on the rear side, a backrest stand 17 is provided.
Is provided. Similarly, near the rear end of the lower frame 12, a lower lock 16 for the main wheel unit 4 is provided.

The lifter unit 3 has a pair of lifter shafts 3.
1 and each lifter shaft extends parallel to the corresponding upper frame 11 of the main frame 1. More specifically, each lifter shaft 31 is connected to the corresponding upper frame 11.
Through a plurality of bosses 32 loosely fitted to the upper frame 11
Supported by In other words, the lifter shaft 31 can rotate about the corresponding axis of the upper frame 11. A lifter arm 33 is provided at the front end of each lifter shaft so as to be connected in the radial direction. That is, when the lifter arm 33 is manually swung in a vertical plane orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, the lifter shaft 31 rotates about the axis of the upper frame 11. At the ends of the pair of filter arms 33, a buckle 34 for connecting the two at their ends is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the seat unit 2 preferably has a flat seat plate 21 having a through hole in the center. The seat plate 21 is connected to a lifter shaft 31 of the lifter unit 3 via a suspension belt 22 near four corners. A buckle 23 is provided at an intermediate portion of each suspension belt 23, and the seat plate 21 can be removed from the lifter unit 3 by removing these buckles 23. Here, when the seat plate 21 is in the lowered position without being lifted by the lifter unit 3,
The entire system is set up so that it is located at the height of a normal Western style toilet.

Each main wheel unit 4 has a rim shaft 41 (see FIG. 5). A main wheel bracket 42 extending forward is provided at an intermediate portion of the rim shaft 41.
I support. Below the main wheel bracket 42,
A lock sleeve 44 is loosely fitted on the rim shaft 41. A lock pin 45 extending forward is provided at a lower end of the rim shaft 41. The rim shaft 41 is detachably attached to the rear end of the upper frame 11 of the main frame 1 with the help of the upper lock 15 at the upper end. Further, the lower lock 16 and the lock pin 4
The main frame 1 is detachably attached to the rear end of the lower frame 12 with the help of the lock sleeve 5 and the lock sleeve 44. Therefore, when the lock is released at the upper and lower ends, the rim shaft 41 can be removed together with the main wheel 43 from the corresponding main frame 1.

On each main frame 1, an armrest 5 is supported at the rear end thereof on a backrest stand 14 on the upper frame 11. The armrest covers the upper frame 11 and the boss 32 when in the lowered position.
When the armrest 5 is raised, the lifter shaft 31 can be freely rotated about the corresponding upper frame 11.

A curved backrest 6 extends between the rear upper ends of the main frame 1. More specifically, the backrest 6 is attached at one end to a backrest stand 17 on one upper frame 11 so as to be rotatable in a horizontal direction. The other end of the backrest 6 is detachably attached to a backrest stand 17 on the other upper frame 11 with the help of a lock sleeve 61. Lock sleeve 6
When 1 is in the lowered position, the backrest 6 is fixed to the two main frames 1 and defines a widthwise interval between the main frames 1. When the lock sleeve 61 is raised,
The backrest 6 is rotatable about one end, and the other end is separated from the corresponding rear end of the upper frame 11.

The foot unit 7 includes a pair of parallel side plates 71.
These side plates extend forward from the front end of the lower frame 12 of the main frame 1. Each side plate 71
Is connected to the footrest plate 72 via a side hinge 74 extending in the longitudinal direction. The two footrests 72 are connected to each other via a central hinge 73 extending parallel to the side hinge 74. On one side plate 71, a transverse lock arm 75 is journalled at one end. The other end of the lock arm 75 is detachably fixed to the other side plate 71 with the help of a lock handle 76 and a lock hole 77 in the side plate 71. Lock arm 75 is operating position (closed position)
, The footrest plate 72 is held flat. When the lock arm 75 swings to the open position as shown in FIG. 3, the footrest plate 72 can be folded along the hinges 73 and 74. The front wheel 7 is located below the side plate 71.
8 is attached.

FIG. 6 shows the caster unit 8 in detail. The caster unit 8 is fixed to the lower side of the rear end of each lower frame 12 via a forked caster frame 85, and the caster frame straddles both sides of the caster 81. The casters 81 are rotatably provided on a transverse caster shaft 82 fixed and supported by a caster frame 85. The forked stand 83 is rotatably provided on the caster shaft 82 so as to straddle the caster frame 85. A jack lever 89 is provided on the caster shaft 82 so as to be swingable, and a base end thereof is engaged with a stand 83. A tension spring 88 is interposed between a pin 86 on the caster frame 85 and a pin 87 on the stand 83. The jack lever 89 is normally urged to swing upward by the action of the tension spring 88, and the caster 81 is positioned on the floor. The stand 83 is held above the floor. Jack lever 89 against the action of tension spring 88
Is manually pivoted downward, the stand 83 is positioned on the floor, and the casters 81 are lifted from the floor. At this time (that is, when the stand 83 is positioned on the floor), the stand 83
Is set. That is, the main wheel 43 is held at a raised position suitable for removal from the main frame 1.

Next, the operation of the wheelchair having the above configuration will be described. To transfer the user from the bed to the wheelchair, the main wheel 43 must first be removed from the main frame 1. For this purpose, the assistant pushes down the jack lever 89 to lift the main wheel 43 from the floor. Next, the upper and lower locks 15 and 16 on the main frame 1 are loosened, and the rim shaft 41 together with the main wheel 43 is removed from the main frame 1 (see FIG. 7). Then, the jack lever 89 is pushed up so that the caster 81 lands on the floor.

In this state, the buckles 23 of the four suspension belts 22 are removed, and the seat plate 21 is removed from the main frame 1. After the lock sleeve 61 is moved upward to release one end of the backrest 6, the backrest is swung to the rear open position with respect to the backrest stand 17 holding the other end (upper end in FIG. 3). In this state, the interval between the pair of main frames 1 can be changed.

The user inserts the seat plate 21 under the buttocks of the user lying on the bed, raises the user's body, and extends his legs forward. Then rotate the body about 90 degrees and let the legs hang down from the bed to face the wheelchair.

Next, the wheelchair is moved toward the bed (retreat) until the upper frame 11 is positioned on both sides of the user sitting on the bed. Since the rim shaft 41 has already been removed from the main frame 1 and the backrest 6 has already swung to the open position, nothing prevents this backward movement of the wheelchair. In this state, the lower frame 12 is located below the bed. By swinging the backrest 6 to the front closed position, the rear ends of the upper frame 11 are connected to each other. The user's foot is placed on the footrest plate 72.

The armrest 5 is swung upward for each armrest stand 14, and the seat plate 21 is connected to the lifter shaft 31 via the suspension belt 22. In this state, the lifter arm 33 is swung upward, and the ends are connected to each other by the buckle 34. The swing of the lifter arm causes the lifter shaft 31 to rotate about the axis of the upper frame 11. Then, the seat plate 21 is lifted (takes off) from the bed with the user placed thereon. The caregiver does not need to use great force to lift the user from the bed. This is because this work uses the lever principle of the lifter arm.

In this state, the wheelchair is moved forward away from the bed. The lifter arms 33 are detached from each other and are swung downward to rotate the lifter shaft 31 in the opposite direction to the front. This returns the seat plate 21 to its normal height. This height is set to be equal to the height of a normal Western style toilet as described above.

In this state, the user can go to the toilet himself or with the help of an assistant. Since the main wheel 43 has already been removed from the main frame 1, the wheelchair can pass through the normal-sized door upon arrival at the toilet without any problem. Since the normal height of the seat plate 21 is set as described above,
1 will be located directly above the toilet bowl.

The folding of the wheelchair is performed in the following procedure. First, the lock handle 76 of the foot unit 7 is loosened, and the lock arm 75 is swung to the open position away from the footrest plate 72. Then, the backrest 6 is unlocked, and the backrest stand 17 on the main frame 1 is swung to the open position. Finally, for the hinges 73 and 74,
Fold 2 If necessary, the main wheel unit 4 may be removed as shown in FIG.

The assembly of the wheelchair is performed in the following procedure. First, the foot plate 72 is opened about the hinges 73 and 74, and the main frames are separated from each other. Backrest 6
Swings to the closed position and locks to the main frame 1. Then, the posture of the foot rest plate 72 is fixed by swinging the lock arm 75 to the closed position, and the jack lever 89 is pushed down to lift the caster 81 from the floor (see FIG. 7). Finally, the main wheel unit 4 is attached to each main frame 1, and the jack lever 89 is pushed up to move the caster 81 and the main wheel 4
3 and land on the floor.

The bathing (shower) of the user is performed in the following procedure. After removing the main wheel unit 4, the user goes to the shower room with a wheelchair by himself or with the help of an assistant. However, the main wheel unit 4 may be removed after arriving at the shower room. Since the wheelchair unit 4 is in a narrow state with the main wheel unit 4 removed, the wheelchair can pass through a door of a normal size in the shower room without any problem. Then, the round chair is placed under the seat plate 21 of the wheelchair, and the lifter arm 33 of the lifter unit 3 is swung downward. Then, the seat plate 21 lands on the round chair. Next, the seat plate 21 is removed from the lifter unit 3, and the wheelchair is pulled out of the shower room. Then, the user can perform a shower while sitting on the round chair via the seat plate 21.

[0033]

According to the present invention, the wheelchair can be very close to the user lying on the bed because of the structure that can open the rear. Because the main wheel unit is removable, the wheelchair can pass through various doors of normal size without problems. In addition, since the structure is such that it can be folded flat, it is very easy to carry the wheelchair. Since the lever principle is used for the lifter unit, a large force is not required to lift the user from the bed.
Since the jack lever system that can be operated with the foot is used, attachment and detachment of the main wheel unit becomes extremely easy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a foldable wheelchair according to the present invention in an assembled state.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the wheelchair.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the wheelchair.

FIG. 4 is a partial front view of the wheelchair.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of a main wheel unit used in the wheelchair.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view of a caster unit used in the wheelchair.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the wheelchair in a partially disassembled state.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the wheelchair in a completely disassembled state.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main frame 14 Armrest stand 17 Backrest stand 2 Seat unit 21 Seat plate 22 Hanging belt 3 Lifter unit 31 Lifter shaft 33 Lifter arm 4 Main wheel unit 41 Rim shaft 43 Main wheel 5 Armrest 6 Backrest 7 Foot unit 71 Side plate 72 Foot plate 73 Central hinge 74 Side hinge 75 Lock arm 78 Front wheel 8 Caster unit 81 Caster 88 Tension spring 89 Jack lever

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. Each 1 extends in the longitudinal direction of the wheelchair.
A pair of main frames, a swinging backrest extending in the width direction of the wheelchair and detachably connecting the main frames at a rear upper end, and a pair of lifter shafts rotatably supported by each main frame. A lifter unit including a lifter arm assembled to the lifter shaft and rotating the lifter shaft, and a seat unit including a seat plate suspended by the lifter shaft to move up and down by rotation of the lifter shaft, A pair of main wheel units each including a main wheel detachably mounted on the main frame, and a pair of main wheel units mounted on a front lower end of the main frame and combined along a longitudinally extending central hinge; A foot unit comprising a pair of footrests, and a caster mounted on the rear lower end of the main frame and Folding wheel chair, characterized in that it comprises a pair of caster unit comprising a jack lever for lifting. 2. The wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein each main frame comprises an upper frame, a lower frame, and a front frame connecting the upper and lower frames at a front end. 3. The wheelchair according to claim 2, wherein each lifter shaft is assembled parallel to the upper frame via at least one boss loosely fitted to the corresponding upper frame. 4. Each main wheel unit has a rim shaft removably attached to upper and lower frames at both ends,
The wheelchair according to claim 2, wherein the main wheel is supported by the rim shaft. 5. A foot unit having a pair of spaced side plates extending forward from a front frame, wherein each foot plate is connected to a corresponding side plate via a side hinge. The wheelchair according to claim 2, wherein 6. Each caster unit has a caster frame assembled to a lower frame, and the caster is supported by the caster frame via a rotatable caster shaft, and a jack lever is provided at a base end of the caster shaft. And a stand near the base end, wherein a tension spring is interposed between the first pin on the caster frame and the second pin on the stand. Wheelchair described in.