JP3139581B2 - Automatic traveling device for wheelchairs - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic traveling device for a wheelchair, which is removably provided on a wheelchair and automatically drives the wheelchair, and particularly to a new automatic traveling device for a wheelchair which can be easily mounted on the wheelchair. It relates to a traveling device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A wheelchair with an automatic traveling device has been provided in order to reduce the burden on an occupant when the wheelchair travels. Further, for the purpose of facilitating transportation of a wheelchair or the like, an automatic traveling device detachable from a wheelchair has been provided. As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,506,695, this type of automatic traveling apparatus includes an apparatus main body including a battery housing, locking means for detachably locking the apparatus main body to a wheelchair, and a front part of the apparatus main body. And a steering column for steering the traveling wheels.

When mounting the device on a wheelchair, the device is first placed in front of the wheelchair, and then the wheelchair is moved forward to insert the device into the wheelchair. At this time,
When the locking means comes into contact with the front part of the frame of the wheelchair, the locking of the apparatus body is performed by the locking means. On the other hand, at this time, the steering column enters between the legs of the occupant.

[0004]

In the above-described conventional automatic traveling apparatus, as described above, when the apparatus is mounted, the apparatus enters from the front of the wheelchair. Therefore, when the steering column enters, the occupant with a disabled lower limb must open both legs. The burden on the occupants is high. Further, when the device enters the wheelchair from the front of the wheelchair, the locking means abuts on the front portion of the frame to lock the device body, so that a leg support is provided at the front of the wheelchair. In particular, for a wheelchair of a domestic type, it is difficult to enter from the front of the device, and there is a problem that the device cannot be mounted.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and provides an automatic traveling device for a wheelchair which can reduce the burden on an occupant and can be easily mounted on a wheelchair with leg support. It is intended to be.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an automatic traveling device for a wheelchair which is detachably provided on a wheelchair and which automatically drives the wheelchair. A pair of left and right horizontal frames having a rear end fixed to the vertical frame and extending forward, and a rear end fixed to the lower end of the vertical frame and extending forward,
A pair of left and right rails whose front ends are fixed to the horizontal frame, a locking frame provided on the rail, a seat disposed between the horizontal frames, left and right main wheels and left and right auxiliary wheels. A pair of left and right front locking means for entering the notch into the notch of the locking frame and locking it by allowing the wheelchair to move forward relative to the wheelchair; A pair of left and right rear locking means having arm-shaped members that rotate so as to abut against the respective vertical frames and press the rails, and the wheelchair between the left and right main wheels and below the seat. And is detachably mounted from the rear side of the frame.

[0007]

According to the automatic traveling device for a wheelchair according to the present invention,
At the time of mounting on a wheelchair, when the automatic traveling device is advanced forward relative to the wheelchair, the front locking means on the automatic traveling device side enters into the notch of the locking frame on the wheelchair side and locks, Further, by the forward approach, the arm-shaped member of the rear side locking means on the automatic traveling device is rotated so as to contact the vertical frame and press the rail, thereby moving the automatic traveling device to the wheelchair behind the wheelchair. It can be mounted from the side. As a result, not only can the burden on the occupant when the device is mounted be reduced, but also the device can be easily mounted on a wheelchair having a leg support.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 to 29 are views for explaining an automatic traveling device for a wheelchair according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 1 and 2 show a wheelchair to which the device of the embodiment is applied.
FIG. 3 mainly shows the automatic traveling device. In these figures, the wheelchair is shown by a two-dot chain line, and the automatic traveling device is shown by a solid line.

Here, the schematic configuration of the wheelchair 1 will be briefly described. The wheelchair 1 mainly includes a pair of left and right vertical frames 2, a pair of horizontal frames 3, one ends of which are fixed to the vertical frame 2, respectively. Seat 4 disposed between each horizontal frame 3, main wheel 5 and auxiliary wheel (caster) 6
It is composed of A leg support 7 and a footrest 8 are provided on a front portion of the horizontal frame 3. A rail 9 is provided at a lower end of each of the vertical frames 2.
A locking frame 11 for locking the automatic traveling device 10 is provided.

The automatic traveling device 10 mainly includes the traveling wheels 1
2, a motor 13 for driving the running wheels 12, a handle unit 14 for steering the running wheels 12, a battery (for example, a 12V power source) 15 for supplying electric power to the motor 13, 13, a pair of left and right front locking means 17 for locking to the locking frames 11 and a pair of left and right locking means for locking to the vertical frames 2 and the rails 9. And a rear locking means 18. The battery 1
The controller 5 and the controller 16 are housed in a housing 19 (FIG. 3).

Next, FIG. 4 shows details of a traveling drive system composed of the traveling wheels 12 and the motor 13. In FIG. 4, a worm gear 20 is mounted at the tip of the rotating shaft 13a of the motor 13. On the other hand, an output shaft 21 is provided in the left-right direction in the figure. A part of the output shaft 21 and the worm gear 20 are housed in a housing 22.
It is rotatably supported by. The output shaft 2
A serration 24 is formed in a part (left side of FIG. 1) of the device 1, and a worm wheel 25 that meshes with the worm gear 20 is mounted on the serration 24.

A rotary member 26 is rotatably attached to a substantially central portion of the output shaft 21. A flange 26a is formed on the outer periphery of the rotating member 26, and a rim 27 on which the traveling wheel 12 is mounted is fixed to the flange 26a. The rotating member 26 has an opening 26b at one end, and internal teeth 26c are formed on the inner periphery of an end of the rotating member 26 on the side of the opening 26b. On the other hand, the right part on the output shaft 21 is
A gear 28 meshing with 6c is mounted by a slide key 29. Thus, the gear 28 is slidable on the output shaft 21 in the axial direction. Further, the opening recess 26
A coil spring 30 is mounted inside b, and one end of the coil spring 30 is pressed against the rotating member 26 and the other end is pressed against the gear 28. Thus, the gear 28 is constantly urged rightward in the figure.

A slide member 31 is attached to the other end of the output shaft 21 so as to be slidable and rotatable in the axial direction. One end of the slide member 31 is in contact with an end surface 26c of the gear 26, and the other end is in contact with a retaining ring 32 attached to an end of the output shaft 21. In addition, the slide member 3
1, a substantially L-shaped hole 33 as shown in the figure is formed. On the other hand, a pin 34 is implanted in the output shaft 21, and the pin 34 is slidably engaged in the hole 33.

The slide member 31, the pins 34, and the like constitute a clutch mechanism of the main drive system.
FIG. 4 shows a power transmission (clutch ON) state. In order to make the power cut off (clutch OFF), FIG.
From the state, a force in the direction of the arrow is applied to the slide member 31. Then, the gear 28 moves to the left in the figure against the spring force of the coil spring 30, and as a result, the engagement between the internal teeth 26c of the rotating member 26 and the gear 28 is released. As a result, the power is cut off. Then, the slide member 3
1 is rotated counterclockwise when viewed from the right end of the figure.
4 engages with the end portion 33a of the hole 33 and
1 is locked, and the power cutoff state is maintained.

Therefore, if the automatic running of the wheelchair 1 becomes impossible due to, for example, a dead battery while the automatic running apparatus 10 is mounted, the wheelchair 1 is turned off by setting the clutch OFF as described above. It can be run manually. Next, the handle unit 14
Will be described with reference to FIG. 2 and FIGS. 5 to 13.

The handle unit 14 mainly includes
The steering column 40 includes a vertically extending steering column 40, a handle arm 41 having one end fixed to the upper end of the steering column 40, and an occupant operating grip 42 disposed at the other end of the handle arm 41. I have. A push button type operation element 43 for controlling a vehicle speed is attached to the grip section 42, and is electrically connected to the controller 16 (FIG. 2). When the operation element 43 is pressed, the resistance value of the electric resistance variable device (not shown) in the grip portion changes according to the amount of pressing, and the change amount is detected by the controller 16 so that the speed control is performed. It has become.

A switch box 44 (FIG. 2), which is also electrically connected to the controller 16, is attached to the handle arm 41. The switch box 44 is provided with a main switch 45, a forward / backward switching lever 46, and a high / low speed switching lever 47. The high / low speed switching lever 47 maintains the vehicle speed at 4 km / h on the high speed side and 2 km / h on the low speed side. When the forward / reverse switching lever 4b is switched to the reverse side, a buzzer 48 (FIG. 2) provided at the rear of the housing 19 sounds.

The steering column 40 is a substantially crank-shaped member as shown in FIG. 5, and a cam member 50 having a cam surface 50a as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is fixed to a lower portion thereof. A disc-shaped projection 51 is formed on the upper part of the cam member 50, and a notch 51a is formed in the projection 51. Below the cam member 50 of the steering column 40, a male terminal portion 52 is fixed. The male terminal portion 52 includes a plurality of male terminals 53 projecting radially as shown in FIG. 53
Base 54 (FIG. 8) for fixing the base member at predetermined intervals
It is composed of Each of the male terminals 53 is connected to an electric resistance variable device (not shown) of the grip portion by a lead wire 55.
And the switch box 44.
A spring member 61 having a key 60 fixed at one end is mounted in the lower portion of the male terminal 53 of the steering column 40. The key 60 partially projects outward from a hole 62 formed in the steering column 40, and is constantly urged outward by the spring force of a spring member 61. A notch 63 is formed at the lower end of the steering column 40.

On the other hand, a steering column mounting portion 70 (FIGS. 3 and 6) is provided at the front ends of frames 80 and 81 described later. This steering column mounting portion 70
Female terminal 71 to which the male terminal 52 is detachably connected.
And a base 72 fixed to a lower portion thereof. As shown in FIG. 10, the female terminals 71 are arranged radially and have a plurality of female terminals 73 corresponding to the male terminals 53, respectively. As shown in FIG. 11, each of the female terminals 73 is formed of a pair of spring-like metal pieces, and the corresponding male terminals 53 are respectively engaged from above.

As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, through holes 74 and 75 are formed respectively into which the lower portion of the steering column 40 can be inserted, and a key groove 71a into which the key 60 can be engaged from above.
And 72a are formed respectively. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 13, a key groove 71b through which the key 60 can pass in the vertical direction is formed on both sides of the key groove 71a on the bottom wall of the female terminal portion 71. on the other hand,
The base 72 has a circumferential groove 76 through which the key 60 can pass (FIGS. 6 and 12). This groove 76 has holes 7 formed at both ends in the vertical direction.
7 communicates with the key groove 71b (FIG. 1).
3). A pin 78 with which the notch 63 at the lower end of the steering column 40 can be engaged is provided below the base 72.
Is fixed, and a groove portion 72b is formed in the upper portion all around.

Next, the steering column mounting portion 70
7 and FIG.
4 and FIG. Frames 80 and 8 extending in the front-rear direction are provided in front of the accommodation portion 19 (FIG. 3).
1 is provided. At the front end of the frame 80, a support portion 82 that rotatably supports the steering column mounting portion 70 is provided.

At the front end of the frame 81, there is provided a lock mechanism 84 for locking the upper part of the fork 83 of the running wheel 12 in the upright state shown in FIG. The lock mechanism 84 includes an outer ring member 85 fixed to the front end of the frame 81, an inner ring member 86 rotatably supported by the outer ring member 85, a rotating member 87 fixed to a lower portion of the inner ring member 86, A lid member 88 is screwed into the member 86 from above, and a vertically movable rod 89 is inserted through the lid member 88 and the rotating member 87. The rod 89 is constantly urged downward by a coil spring 90 mounted in the inner race member 86.

At the lower part of the rotating member 86, a supporting part 95 for supporting the upper part of the fork 83 is fixed.
7, and a pin 96 is inserted through the upper portion of the fork 83 and the support portion 95. This allows
The fork 83 is rotatably supported by the support 95. In addition, a concave portion 97 is formed in the upper portion of the fork 83 so that the lower portion of the rod 89 can be engaged with and disengaged from the fork 83. The state in which the lower part of the rod 89 is engaged with the recess 97 is a locked state by the lock mechanism 84.

A pulley groove 98 is formed on the outer periphery of the rotating member 87. The pulley groove 98 and the pulley groove 72b of the steering column mounting portion 70 are
A wire 99 (FIG. 7) is wound. The wire 99 is movable in the tube 100 supported by the frames 80 and 81. With this configuration,
When the steering is performed by turning the handle arm 41, the steering column mounting portion 70 rotates via the pin 78,
As a result, the wire 99 moves to rotate the rotating member 87. The rotation of the rotating member 87 causes the traveling wheel 12 to be steered through the fork 83.
At this time, the output shaft 21 together with the traveling wheel 12 is used.
The entire traveling drive system including the motor (FIG. 4) and the motor 13 (FIG. 2) rotates.
As shown in FIG. 2, the motor shaft 13a is disposed substantially vertically and close to the traveling wheels 12, so that the steering system (ie, the traveling drive system and the handle unit 14
The overall moment of inertia is small. Therefore, steering can be easily performed.

Further, on a part of the rotating member 87, projections 101 and 102 projecting upward are formed at a predetermined interval e. On the other hand, when the handle arm 41 is turned, the outer ring member 85 has the protrusions 101 and 102.
Are formed at a predetermined interval with stopper portions 103 and 104 that can abut each other. Thus, the maximum turning angle of the handle arm 41 at the time of turning is determined.

At the center in the axial direction of the rotating member 87, cam members 105 are attached at two positions at a predetermined interval. On the other hand, outside the rotating member 87, the sensor 10
6 are arranged. The sensor 106 is connected to the controller 16 (FIG. 2), and each of the cam members 105 can come into contact with a detection unit. Then, when the handle arm 41 turns and the cam member 105 is detected by the sensor 106, the vehicle speed is set to about の of the vehicle speed at the time of detection of the sensor.

A lock release mechanism 11 for releasing the lock of the lock mechanism 84 is provided beside the lock mechanism 84.
0 is arranged. The lock release mechanism 110 has a rod 111 disposed horizontally between the lock mechanism 84 and the steering column mounting portion 70. The rod 111 is slidably supported by a support member 112 fixed to a bracket 85a fixed to the outer race member 85. In addition, the rod 111
The end 111a on the side of the steering column mounting portion 70 can be inserted vertically through the notch 51a of the cam member 51, and the locking mechanism 8 of the rod 111 is provided.
The fourth end 111b can be inserted into the space e between the two projections 101 and 102 of the rotating member 87.
A link 113 is disposed on the side of the lock mechanism 84, and the bracket 85 is provided on an upper end of the link 113.
The pin 114 fixed to a is inserted. Thus, the link 113 is rotatable around the pin 114. A long hole 113a is formed at a lower portion of the link 113, and a rod end 111b is formed in the long hole 113a.
Are engaged with each other. One end of an arm member 116 is fixed to the upper part of the link 113, and the other end of the arm member 116 is engaged with the head of a rod 89 of the lock mechanism 84.

With this configuration, when the rod 111 approaches the lock mechanism 84, the rod end 111b is inserted into the space e between the projections 101 and 102, and
The link 113 and the arm member 116 rotate around the pin 114 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 15, and the rod 89 moves up. As a result, the lower portion of the rod 89 is disengaged from the concave portion 97 of the upper portion of the fork 83, and the lock of the lock mechanism 84 is released.

Further, as shown in FIG.
11, a lever 160 for a caregiver to release the lock of the lock mechanism 84 is provided. The lever 160 is attached to the support shaft 16 fixed to the bracket 85a.
1 is rotatable. A pin 162 is inserted into a hole formed at one end of the lever 160. On the other hand, a long hole 112a is formed on the upper surface of the support member 112, and the pin 162 is inserted into the long hole 112a and fixed to the rod 111 (see FIG. 15). The other end of the lever 160 is locked with one end of a wire 163. The wire 163 is disposed in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 2), and the other end is locked to a base 164 a of a pedal 164 provided behind the housing 19.

With this configuration, when the caregiver steps on the pedal 164, the lever 160 rotates via the wire 163 and the rod 111 moves. As a result, the locking mechanism 84
Will be unlocked. In addition, the accommodation section 1
A steering column mounting portion 170 having the same configuration as that of the steering column mounting portion 70 is provided on the rear side of the steering wheel 9 (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 17, the steering column mounting portion 170 is provided on the steering column 1 of the handle unit 171 for the caregiver S to operate.
72 is to be attached. A handle arm 173 is fixed to an upper end of the steering column 172, and the handle arm 173 is provided with a grip portion 175 having a vehicle speed control operation element 174.
When both the handle units 14 and 171 are attached and both the operation members 43 and 174 are operated at the same time, one of the operations is given priority.
Alternatively, if the circuit configuration is such that the vehicle cannot travel unless one of the handle units 14 and 171 is removed, inconvenience in operation can be avoided.

Next, details of the mounting portion of the grip portion 42 will be described with reference to FIGS. A support shaft portion 42a that projects downward is formed below the grip portion 42. On the other hand, at the tip of the handle arm 41, there are provided cylindrical members 130 and 131 for rotatably supporting the support shaft 42a, respectively, and the support shaft 42a is provided with one of the cylindrical members. Member, for example, tubular member 1
Mounted in 30. A circlip 132 for retaining is attached to a lower portion of the support shaft portion 42a, and a stopper member 1 is provided to an upper portion of the cylindrical member 130.
33 is fixed by a nut 134. The stopper member 133 has stopper portions 133a and 133b (FIG. 19) arranged at approximately 180 ° intervals. On the other hand, the stoppers 133 are provided below the gripper 42.
a, and a projection 135 that can come into contact with 133b. The protrusion 135 is located between the stoppers 133a and 133b when the wheelchair 1 moves straight (the handle arm 41 is in the state of A in FIG. 19), and turns rightward (see FIG.
State), the stopper 133a abuts on the protrusion 135, and at the time of turning left (the state of FIG. C), the stopper 133b
Abuts on the projection 135. Thereby, the rotation angle amount of the grip portion 42 can be regulated, and the lead wire 55
Can be prevented from being twisted.

Further, as described above, since the grip portion 42 is rotatable, the operator 43 can be arranged at one end of the grip portion 42 in both cases of going straight and turning left and right. . This eliminates the need for the occupant to bend his wrist when turning, so that the occupant with a disability can easily operate the handle arm 41. By appropriately changing the arrangement of the stoppers 133a and 133b when the stopper member 133 is tightened by the nut 134, the operator 43 can be operated with a finger that is easy for the occupant to operate.

Next, the front locking means 1 arranged on the left and right sides
7 and the details of each rear locking means 18 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 20 shows a state before the automatic traveling device 10 is locked to the wheelchair 1.
Each of the front locking means 17 has a band plate 140. The strip 140 has an elongated hole 140a formed therein, and a pin 141 inserted through the elongated hole 140a.
Has been fixed. On the other hand, the locking frame 1 on the wheelchair 1 side
1 is formed with a notch 11a that opens to the rear side (the right side in FIG. 3) of the wheelchair 1, and in this notch 11a, an engaging recess 11b with which a pin 141 can be engaged is formed. ing. Also, the rear end side of the strip 140 (the lower side in FIG. 2).
Is supported by a shaft 142. On the other hand, the accommodation section 19
Is supported by frames 143 and 144 arranged in front and back, and this frame 143 is
2 has an engagement recess 143a that can be slidably engaged. The frame 144 has a similar engagement recess 144a.
have. With this configuration, the vehicle width of the automatic traveling device 10 can be changed. The frame 143 is provided with a bolt 145 for fixing the shaft 142 when setting the vehicle width, and the frame 144 is provided with a similar bolt 146. The front end side (upper side in FIG. 2) of each of the strips 140 is bent inward. This facilitates insertion of the automatic traveling device 10 from the rear side of the wheelchair 1.

Each of the rear locking means 18 has an arm-shaped member 150 which comes into contact with the vertical frame 2 of the wheelchair 1 from behind and also comes into contact with the rail 9 from above. The arm member 150 is supported by a shaft 151, and is rotatable around the axis of the shaft 151. The other end of the shaft 151 is slidably inserted into an engagement recess 144a of the frame 144, and a coil spring 152 is mounted on the shaft 151. Due to the spring force of the coil spring 152, the arm-shaped member 150 is always urged counterclockwise in FIG. A plate 153 is attached to the shaft 151. In addition, each plate 15
3, the front end side is bent inward, similarly to the above-mentioned band plates 140. One end of a stand member 154 is rotatably attached to the rear end side of the plate 153, and the other end of the stand member 154 has
55 are provided. In addition, the stand member 154
Is provided with a plate-shaped overhang portion 156. The overhang portion 156 has a cam hole 15 having a shape as shown in FIG.
6a are formed. On the other hand, the arm-shaped member 150
On the rear end side, a pin 15 engaging with the cam hole 156a is provided.
7 are planted.

With this configuration, before the automatic traveling apparatus 10 is mounted, the stand member 154 is in an upright state.
0), and the bottom of the housing portion 19 is held at a position separated from the road surface. After the mounting, the stand member 154 is in the retracted state (FIGS. 1 and 3), and is stored and held on the upper side. Next, an operation of attaching the automatic traveling device 10 to the wheelchair 1 will be described.

In this case, first, the automatic traveling device 10 is disposed behind the wheelchair 1 with the handle unit 14 removed from the automatic traveling device 10. At this time, as shown in FIG. 20, the stand member 154 of the automatic traveling device 10 is rotating downward, and the auxiliary wheel 155 is in a ground contact state. Further, the lock of the lock mechanism 84 is released by the lock release mechanism 110 (FIG. 15). That is, the lower part of the rod 89 is disengaged from the engagement concave part 97 on the upper part of the fork 83, and the fork 83 is rotated upward around the pin 96,
The running wheel 12 is rising (FIG. 20).

Next, the occupant P manually moves the wheelchair 1 backward. Then, the automatic traveling device 10 enters the lower part of the wheelchair 1, and each arm-shaped member 150 of the automatic traveling device 10 comes into contact with each vertical frame 2 of the wheelchair 1 from the rear side (FIG. 20). At this time, the lower part of each arm-shaped member 150 is in contact with the rail 9 of the wheelchair 1. On the other hand, the steering column mounting portion 70 is located on the front end side of the wheelchair 1.

From this state, the occupant P mounts the handle unit 14. In this case, the steering column 40 is attached to the steering column mounting portion 70 while the handle arm 41 is arranged in the left-right direction as shown in FIG.
Let them enter gradually. Then, FIG. 21 (a), (b),
As shown in (c), the key 60 passes through the key grooves 71a and the grooves 72a of the female terminal 71 and the base 72, and the steering column 40 descends. Then, as shown in FIG.
Is engaged with the pin 78 of the steering column mounting portion 70, the mounting of the handle unit 14 is completed.

Next, with the main wheel 5 locked, the forward / reverse switching lever 46 (FIG. 2) is switched to the forward side.
Then, after turning on the main switch 45, the operator 4
Operate 3 Then, the motor 13 starts and the wheelchair 1
Is stopped, the automatic traveling device 10 starts moving forward.
Thereby, as shown in FIG. 22, the pin 141 of the front locking means 17 enters into the notch 11a of the locking frame 11, and the arm-shaped member 15 of the rear locking means 18
0 rotates clockwise around the axis of the shaft 151. As a result, the pin 157 on the rear end side of the arm-shaped member 150 moves in the cam hole 156a of the overhang portion 156, and rotates the stand member 154 upward through the overhang portion 156. Thereby, the stand member 154 is stored on the upper side, and the auxiliary wheels 1
55 moves upward off the road surface. In this way,
The automatic traveling device 10 is locked by the rear locking means 18.

When the traveling wheel 12 further rotates from this state, in this case, since the movement of the automatic traveling apparatus 10 is restricted by the rear locking means 18, the traveling wheel 12 rolls on the road surface, Along with this, the fork 83 rotates around the pin 96 and gradually shifts to the upright state. As a result, the pin 141 of the front locking means 17 is
In the engaging recess 11b. Thus, the automatic traveling apparatus 10 is locked by the front locking means 17.
When the traveling wheel 12 further rotates, the fork 83 is completely upright (FIG. 23), and the front portion of the wheelchair 1 is jacked up via the locking frame 11. As a result, the storage unit 19 moves further upward, and the minimum ground clearance when using a wheelchair is secured. In addition, the jack-up of the wheelchair 1 causes the casters 6 to rise and move away from the road surface as shown in FIG.

When the fork 83 is in the upright state, the lower part of the rod 89 of the lock mechanism 84 is engaged in the engagement recess 97 on the upper part of the fork 83. This allows
The locked state of the front locking means 17 and the rear locking means 18 is locked. In this case, at the time of mounting on the wheelchair 1, the front locking means 17 is locked to the locking frame 11 from behind the locking frame 11, and the rear locking means 18 is fixed to the rear side of the vertical frame 2. Therefore, the automatic traveling device 10 can be mounted from the rear side of the wheelchair 1 since the automatic traveling device 10 is locked to the vertical frame 2 and the rail 9. This not only reduces the burden on the occupant P when mounting the device, but also facilitates mounting on a domestic-type wheelchair with leg support.

Further, before mounting on the wheelchair 1, since the stand member 154 in the upright position has the accommodation portion 19 positioned above in advance, the jack-up amount for securing the minimum ground height is small. Thus, the energy consumption required for jacking up can be reduced. Furthermore, since the auxiliary wheel 155 is attached to the lower end of the stand member 154, the movement of the automatic traveling device 10 itself and the
4 can be smoothly rotated, and the mounting work can be smoothly performed.

Next, the operation of removing the automatic traveling device 10 will be described. In this case, first, as shown in FIG. 7, the handle arm 41 is made to go straight. At this time,
As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG.
A notch 51a of the projection 51 is arranged below 1a, and a gap e between the projections 101 and 102 is opposed to the end 111b.

From this state, the occupant P grips the steering column 40 and slightly lifts the handle unit 14. Then, the key 60 moves upward in the key groove 72a and is arranged at the position shown in FIGS. Also, the notch 51a of the projection 51 passes through the rod end 111a, and the cam member 50 moves upward (FIGS. 24 to 26).
reference). At this time, the end 111a of the rod 111
The cam surface 50a of the cam member 50 faces.

Next, with the occupant P supporting the steering column 40, as shown in FIG.
Turn 1 At this time, the key 60 is
As shown in FIG. 9, it moves along the circumferential key groove 76 (see FIG. 10), and moves to a position in the key groove 76 that faces the key groove 71b (see FIG. 10) of the female terminal portion 71. When the steering column 40 is moved upward from this state, the key 60 is moved to the key groove 77 (FIG. 13) and the key groove 71.
b, it comes off the steering column 70. Thus, the handle unit 14 is removed.

Also, by turning the handle arm 41,
The cam member 50 rotates, whereby the cam surface 50a comes into contact with the rod end 111a, and the rod 111 is pushed. As a result, the rod end 111b is
The running wheel 12 is inserted in the interval e between the two wheels 102 and locked in a straight running state. On the other hand, the movement of the rod 111 causes the link 113 and the arm member 116 of the unlock mechanism 110 to move.
Rotate around the pin 114, and the rod 89 moves upward against the spring force of the coil spring 90 (FIGS. 28 and 2).
9). As a result, the lower part of the rod 89 is disengaged from the engagement concave part 97 on the upper part of the fork 83. Thus, the lock of the lock mechanism 84 is released. At this time, the clutch mechanism (FIG. 4) of the traveling drive system transmits power (clutch O).
In the state N), the running wheel 12 remains stationary without rolling because the gear ratio between the worm gear 20 and the worm wheel 25 is large. However, if the main wheel 5 is not locked, the wheelchair 1 itself can be moved forward, so that the fork 83 can be easily brought to the posture shown in FIG.

In this case, since the lock of the lock mechanism 84 is released in conjunction with the removal of the handle unit 14, it is not necessary to perform the release of the lock and the removal of the handle unit 14 separately. 10
Can be easily removed. In addition, when the handle unit 14 is removed, the traveling wheel 12 is locked in a straight running state, so that the attaching operation when the automatic traveling device 10 is attached to the wheelchair again becomes easy.

In the above embodiment, the handle unit 14 is detachable so that the automatic traveling device 10 can be easily attached to and detached from the wheelchair 1 from the rear side. It may be a retractable type in addition to the type. An example of this retractable handle unit is shown in FIGS. In the handle unit 200 shown in FIG. 30, the steering column 201 is made of a telescopic member, and can be extended and contracted. At the upper end of the steering column 201, a grip 2 is provided.
02 is attached. This steering column 2
The lower part of the steering column 20 is connected to a column support frame 204 by a connecting pin 203.
1 is rotatable about the connecting pin 203 by approximately 90 °. As a result, the steering column 201
An upright state shown in (a) and a housed state shown in FIG. (B) is a plan view. By adopting such a stored state, mounting and dismounting to and from the wheelchair 1 can be easily performed in the same manner as in the detachable type. Although not shown in FIG. 30, a lock release link mechanism for releasing the lock of the lock mechanism 84 in conjunction with the storage operation of the steering column 201 is provided.

FIG. 31 differs from that shown in FIG. 30 in that connecting pins 205 for connecting the telescopic steering column 201 to the column support frame 204 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper. Therefore, in this case, the steering column 201 is approximately 1
It is rotatable by 80 °, and can take a standing state indicated by a dashed line and a stored state indicated by a two-dot chain line.

In the above embodiment, the handle arm 4
1, one end of which is fixed to the steering column 40, and the occupant P grips and operates the grip portion 42 with one hand.
The handle unit is not limited to this. For example, the center of the handle arm 41 is fixed to the steering column 40, and the handle
2 may be arranged so that the occupant can operate by holding each holding portion 42 with both hands.

In the above embodiment, the wheelchair 1 is jacked up by rotating the running wheel 12, but the jackup structure is not limited to this. For example, the fork 83 is made of a telescopic member. It may be configured to jack up using hydraulic pressure or the like.

[0052]

As described above, according to the automatic traveling device for a wheelchair according to the present invention, the automatic traveling device is engaged with the engaging frame on the wheelchair side by entering the automatic traveling device relatively forward with respect to the wheelchair. Since the front locking means and the rear locking means which rotates so as to contact the vertical frame and press the rail are provided, the device can be mounted on the wheelchair from the rear side of the wheelchair. As a result, not only can the load on the occupant at the time of mounting the device be reduced, but also the device can be easily mounted on a wheelchair having a leg support.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall side view of a wheelchair to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of the apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing details of a mounting portion of a handle unit of the apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of a male terminal portion of the handle unit of the apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line IX-IX of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a view taken along line XX of FIG. 6;

FIG. 11 is a view taken along line XI-XI in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line XII-XII of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII of FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV of FIG. 7;

FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken along line XV-XV in FIG. 7;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged partial view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 17 is a view showing a state in which a handle unit for a caregiver is mounted in the apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an attached state of a grip portion of the handle unit of the embodiment device.

FIG. 19 is a view for explaining the rotation operation of the handle arm of the apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a view for explaining a mounting operation of the apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining a mounting operation of the apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining a mounting operation of the apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a view for explaining a mounting operation of the apparatus in the embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a view for explaining a removal operation of the device of the embodiment.

FIG. 25 is a sectional view taken along line XXV-XXV of FIG. 24;

26 is a sectional view taken along line XXVI-XXVI of FIG. 24.

FIG. 27 is a view for explaining a detaching operation of the device of the embodiment.

FIG. 28 is a sectional view taken along line XXVIII-XXVIII of FIG. 27.

FIG. 29 is a sectional view taken along line XXIX-XXIX of FIG. 27;

FIG. 30 is a schematic structural view of a retractable handle unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 31 is a schematic structural view of a retractable handle unit according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wheelchair 2 Vertical frame 4 Seat 10 Automatic traveling device 11 Locking frame 17 Front locking means 18 Rear locking means

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-60-176648 (JP, A) JP-A-6-86790 (JP, A) JP-A-7-507223 (JP, A) (58) Survey Field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B62D 1/02 A61G 5/00-5/04

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A detachably attached to the wheelchair, the automatic travel apparatus for wheelchair for automatically driving the wheelchair, the wheelchair, a pair of right and left vertical frame extending vertically
And the rear end portion is fixed to the vertical frame and extends forward.
Left and right pair of horizontal frames and the lower end of the vertical frame
The end is fixed and extends forward, and the front end is
A pair of left and right rails fixed to the
Locking frame and the seal provided between the horizontal frames.
And the right and left main wheels and the left and right auxiliary wheels,
By entering the wheelchair relatively forward
Into the notch of the lock frame and lock it
And a pair of left and right front locking means
Press the rails against the vertical frames.
A pair of left and right rear locking hands having a pivoting arm-shaped member
And a step, between the left and right main wheels and of the seat.
Detachable from below the frame to the wheelchair below
An automatic traveling device for a wheelchair, which is mounted on a vehicle.