JP3444582B2 - Electric wheelchair - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an electric wheelchair.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an electric wheelchair, drive wheels are rotatably attached to a wheelchair body, and the drive wheels are rotationally driven by a drive unit provided in the wheelchair body. What makes me known is. An electric wheelchair of this kind is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-1501.
No. 79 is disclosed. This electric wheelchair is shown in FIG.
As also shown in FIG. 1, the axle 1 fixed to the wheelchair body 101
02, a drive wheel 103 is rotatably attached via a bearing 103a, and a ring gear 104 is provided along the inner periphery of the hub 103b of the drive wheel 103 so as to be rotatable integrally with the hub 103b. A drive unit X for rotationally driving the drive wheels 102 is attached to the side frame of the wheelchair body 101. The drive unit X includes a motor 105 and a motor 10
And a speed reducer 107 for transmitting the driving force of No. 5 to the driving wheels 103 via the output unit 106.

The output unit 106 is composed of an output shaft 106a provided in parallel with the axle 102 and an output gear 106b provided at the tip of the output shaft 106a.
The output gear 106b is meshed with the ring gear 104 so as to be inscribed therein.
The driving force can be transmitted to the drive wheels 103 via the speed reducer 107 and the output unit 106.
The output unit 106 is provided with a clutch 108 for transmitting or disconnecting the driving force of the motor 105 to or from the output gear 106b, if necessary.

In the electric wheelchair, it is necessary to set the axle position to different positions according to the specifications. More specifically, in order to change the height of the wheelchair main body according to the usage state and usability, it is necessary to appropriately set the axle positions of the drive wheels and the caster wheels. In addition, if it is a self-propelled type that allows the user to manually rotate the drive wheel, for example, if it is a care type that uses a 22-inch drive wheel and a caregiver pushes a wheelchair. For example, a 16-inch drive wheel is used, but in this case, in order to maintain the wheelchair body at a constant height, it is necessary to appropriately set the axle position.

However, the above conventional electric wheelchair is
With respect to the axle 102, the motor shaft 105a and the output shaft 10
Since 6a are arranged in parallel, when changing the position of the axle 102, it is necessary to change the mounting position of the drive unit X as well. Therefore, there is a problem that the design of the wheelchair body needs to be changed, and the axle position cannot be easily changed.

An electric wheelchair in which the output shaft of the output unit is arranged on the axis of the axle has been proposed (for example, USP).
5,186,269, USP 5,161,630
In each case, the motor is arranged in a state of being eccentric with respect to the axle, so that the area occupied by the side surface of the wheelchair becomes large. For this reason, there is a problem that the motor and the frame forming the wheelchair body are likely to interfere with each other, and the axle position cannot be set to a position corresponding to the specifications. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electric wheelchair that can easily set an axle position according to specifications for the same wheelchair body.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems An electric wheelchair of the present invention for achieving the above object, an electric wheelchair and a driving portion unit that drives and the axle provided on the wheelchair body, in a wheelchair body The drive unit provided is mounted on the side frame of the wheelchair body via the mounting base.
Inside the non-rotating fixed casing that can be attached ,
A speed reducer driving force of the motor is inputted, and an output unit for transmitting an output of the reduction gear to the axle, single said axle
By arranging a bearing that is rotatably supported at a location concentrically around an axis passing through the center of rotation of the axle .
It is characterized by being configured .

According to the electric wheelchair having the above structure, the axle of the drive wheel is attached to the side frame of the wheelchair body via the mounting base.
Mounted in a non-rotating fixed casing that can be mounted on
Can be rotatably supported at a single location .
Therefore, the axle position can be set to a desired position simply by changing the mounting position of the casing with respect to the wheelchair body. In addition, since the motor, speed reducer, output shaft, etc. of the drive unit are arranged concentrically around the axis passing through the center of rotation of the axle, the area of the drive unit viewed from the side of the wheelchair body can be reduced. can do. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the drive unit unit from interfering with the side frame, and thus it is possible to set the axle at a desired position according to the specifications without any trouble.

The motor is preferably a thin flat plate motor, and the speed reducer is preferably a planetary gear type speed reducer. As a result, the thickness of the drive unit unit in the vehicle width direction can be reduced, so that it is possible to effectively suppress the drive unit unit from interfering with a member forming the wheelchair body.

On the wheelchair body side of the casing, it is preferable to set the thickness in the vehicle width direction to be substantially the same as that of the side surface constituting member of the wheelchair body and insert the side frame. In this case, the electric motor of the present invention is used. Even when the wheelchair is applied to a foldable type, it does not hinder the folding.

In the above electric wheelchair, it is preferable that an axle is integrally formed on the output portion and the drive wheels are detachably attached to the axle. In this case, the axle is detachable on the output portion side. Since it is not necessary to provide means for this, the drive unit can be downsized accordingly.

The side frame of the wheelchair body or the mounting base of the casing is preferably provided with mounting position adjusting means for adjusting the mounting position of the drive unit unit with respect to the wheelchair body. In this case, the wheelchair is assembled. Even afterward, the axle position can be set to a desired position according to the specifications.

In another electric wheelchair of the present invention, the drive unit includes a motor, a speed reducer into which a driving force of the motor is input, and an output of the speed reducer, which is provided in a casing having a mounting base. An output part for transmitting to the axle and a bearing for rotatably supporting the axle are provided, and
The drive unit is detachably attached to the side frame of the wheelchair body via the mounting base of the casing, and the mounting position of the drive unit with respect to the wheelchair body is adjusted to the side frame of the wheelchair body or the mounting base of the casing. It is characterized in that a mounting position adjusting means is provided.

Also in this electric wheelchair, the axle of the drive wheel can be rotatably supported by the casing of the drive unit via the bearing. Therefore, simply by changing the mounting position of the casing to the wheelchair body,
The axle position can be set to the desired position. Moreover,
By the mounting position adjusting means, the axle position can be set to a desired position according to the specifications even after the wheelchair is assembled.

It is preferable that the mounting position adjusting means can adjust the mounting position of the drive unit unit substantially only in the vertical direction. In this case, the axle position can be set without changing the center of gravity position. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the operability of the wheelchair from changing with the setting of the axle position.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 2 is a side view showing one embodiment of the electric wheelchair of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a rear view. This electric wheelchair is of a type in which a driving force corresponding to a pressing force applied to a wheelchair body 1 by a caregiver is applied to a pair of driving wheels 2 as auxiliary power to drive the driving wheels 2 to rotate.

The pair of drive wheels 2 are attached to both sides of the rear portion of the wheelchair body 1 via drive unit units U provided in correspondence with each other. In addition, caster wheels 3 are provided on both sides of the front portion of the wheelchair body 1. The wheelchair body 1 includes a pair of left and right side frames 10 formed of a metal pipe. The side frame 10 includes a back pipe 11 that is erected on the rear portion of the wheelchair body 1, a rear end portion of the arm pipe 12 that is joined to the back pipe 11 and extends forward with a slight upward inclination, and the arm pipe. A front pipe 13 extending obliquely downward from a front end portion of 12 and the back pipe 1
Seat pipe 14 for connecting 1 and the front pipe 13
A leg pipe 15 extending obliquely downward from the front end of the seat pipe 14, a base pipe 16 arranged below the seat pipe 14 and extending substantially parallel to the seat pipe 14, the seat pipe 14 and the base pipe. 16 and the caster bracket 17 extending downward from the vicinity of the lower end of the front pipe 13 and the seat pipe 14 and the base pipe 16 in the rear part of the wheelchair body 1, and the drive unit U is attached to the caster bracket 17. The pair of mounting brackets 18 are formed. The wheelchair body 1 is foldable by connecting the pair of left and right side frames 10 by an X-shaped crossbar 10a whose central portion is pivotally fixed.

The pair of mounting brackets 18 are erected parallel to each other, and the driving unit U is attached to the mounting brackets 18 by bolts B at their respective intermediate portions.
A bolt insertion hole 19 for attaching to is formed.
Two bolt insertion holes 19 are provided for each of the mounting brackets 18 in a substantially vertical direction with a predetermined space therebetween.
The plurality of bolt insertion holes 19 constitute a mounting position adjusting means for adjusting the mounting position of the drive unit U. In the figure, the upper bolt insertion hole 19
The 22-inch drive wheel 2 to which the hand rim H is fixed can be attached by bolting the drive unit U using the (see FIG. 3), and the lower bolt insertion hole 1
By bolting the drive unit U with 9, the 16-inch drive wheel 2 can be attached at the same vehicle height as when the 22-inch drive wheel 2 is attached (see FIG. 4).

A seat S1 for seating an occupant is stretched between the left and right sides of the seat pipe 14, and a backrest seat S2 is stretched between the left and right sides of the back pipe 11. In addition, a foot plate F for placing a foot of an occupant is provided on a lower end portion of the leg pipe 15, and an armrest (elbow pad) A is provided on an upper surface of the arm pipe 12.
L is attached to each of the seat pipes 14
A parking brake P is attached to the. The parking brake P is attached to the back pipe 11 when the drive wheel 2 has a small diameter (see the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 2). A battery BA is built in the armrest AL.

The front pipe 13 and the back pipe 1
1, a plate-like side pad 4 is provided, and a control board SB for controlling the drive of the drive unit U is attached to the side pad 4. Further, a grip G grasped by a caregiver is provided on the upper portion of the back pipe 11, and a detection means (not shown) detects a pressing force applied to the grip G, and a driving force corresponding to the pressing force, The drive unit U is configured to apply the auxiliary power to the pair of drive wheels 2.

The drive unit U, as shown in FIG.
Inside the casing 51, the motor 52 and the motor 5
The reduction gear 53 to which the driving force of 2 is input, and the reduction gear 53
An output unit 54 that outputs the driving force of the motor 52 via
A bearing 55 that rotatably supports the axle 21 of the drive wheel 2 is provided. The casing 51 is a motor 52.
A first case 51a having a cylindrical shape with a bottom and serving as a housing of
The second case 51b is attached to the opening side of the first case 51a and has the speed reducer 53, the output shaft 54 and the bearing 55 built therein. First of the second case 51b
As shown in FIG. 5, a flange-shaped mounting base 51c having a bolt insertion hole 51d is formed on the outer periphery of the end portion on the case 51a side.
Is provided, and the drive unit U is configured such that the first case 51a is inserted between the pair of mounting brackets 18 and the mounting base 51c is brought into contact with the outer surface of the mounting bracket 18, B is the above mounting base 51c
It is attached to the wheelchair body 1 by inserting the bolt insertion hole 51d on the side and the bolt insertion hole 19 on the side of the mounting bracket 18 and screwing the cap nut N at the tip of the bolt B.

The motor 52 is composed of a thin flat plate motor, and is provided concentrically with the axis L passing through the rotation center of the axle 21 of the drive wheel 2 as a whole. In this way, by adopting a thin motor 52, the thickness of the casing 51 on the wheelchair body 1 side, that is, the thickness W of the first case 51a, is set to the side frame 10 or the side pad 4 of the wheelchair body 1. The thickness can be set to be almost the same as that of the side surface constituting member. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the first case 51a from significantly protruding from the mounting bracket 18 inward in the vehicle width direction, and when the wheelchair body 1 is folded,
By the interference between the left and right casings 51,
It is possible to prevent the disadvantage that the folding is hindered.

The speed reducer 53 is provided concentrically with the axis L passing through the center of rotation of the axle shaft 21 while facing the motor 52. This reduction gear 53 has a plurality of planet gears 53b arranged around a sun gear 53a connected to a rotation shaft 52a of a motor 52, and each planet gear 53b meshes with a ring gear 53c in an inscribed state. The casing 52 is made up of a rotary type speed reducer, and the whole thickness of the casing 51 in the vehicle width direction is made thin in combination with the fact that the motor 52 is made up of a thin flat plate motor. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the casing 51 from interfering with other members such as the seat S1, and it becomes easy to set the mounting position of the drive unit U on the wheelchair body 1.

The output part 54 is provided at one end of the output shaft 54a.
A disc-shaped flange portion 54b is integrally formed,
The flange portion 54b is connected to a support shaft 53d of each planet gear 53b so that the output shaft 54a can rotate integrally with each planet gear 53b of the speed reducer 53. This output unit 54
Are concentric with the axis L passing through the center of rotation of the axle 21. The bearing 55 is constituted by a double-row ball bearing in the case of the figure, and this bearing 55 is also provided concentrically with the axis L passing through the rotation center of the axle 21.

The axle shaft 21 is integrally formed concentrically with the output shaft 54a, and the casing 5 is provided via the bearing 55.
1 is rotatably supported. The tip end side of the axle 21 is fitted to the hub 22 of the drive wheel 2 and
Is detachably attached to the axle 21 by a male screw 21a provided at the tip of the axle 21 and a nut N1 screwed to the male screw 21a. Thus, the axle 2
Since the drive wheel 2 is detachable on the first side, the drive unit U can be downsized as compared with the case where a mechanism that allows the drive wheel 2 to be attached and detached on the drive unit U side is configured. In addition, the wheelchair body 1 of the hub 22 of the drive wheel 2
The end surface on the side is brought into contact with a tapered flat surface 21b formed on the stepped portion of the axle 21 so as to be integrally rotatable with the axle 21.

In the electric wheelchair having the above structure, the axle 21 of the drive wheel 2 is attached to the wheelchair body 1 via the casing 51 of the drive unit U, so that the casing 51 is attached to the attachment bracket 18 of the wheelchair body 1. The position of the axle 21 can be easily set to a desired position simply by changing the position. Moreover, since the motor 52, the speed reducer 53, the output unit 54, etc. of the drive unit U are arranged concentrically around the axis L passing through the rotation center of the axle 21, the wheelchair body 1 is viewed from the side. Drive unit U
The area of can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the drive unit U from interfering with the side frame 10,
The axle 21 can be set at a desired position according to the specifications without any trouble.

In particular, in the above embodiment, since the mounting bracket 18 is provided with the plurality of bolt insertion holes 19 as the mounting position adjusting means, even after the electric wheelchair is assembled, the position of the axle 21 is set to the specification. The desired position can be easily set. Further, since the mounting position adjusting means can adjust the mounting position of the drive unit U substantially only in the vertical direction, the position of the axle 21 is set without changing the center of gravity position of the wheelchair body 1. can do. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the operability of the wheelchair from changing with the setting of the position of the axle 21.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing another embodiment of the electric wheelchair of the present invention. This embodiment mainly differs from the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in that the output unit 54 and the axle 2 are
1 is a separate body, and the axle 21 is a hub 2 for the drive wheels 2.
It is a point integrated into 2. The output section 54 is a short cylindrical output shaft 54a having a ring gear 54e formed on the inner circumference.
And the planetary gears 53 formed integrally with the output shaft 54a.
disc-shaped flange portion 54b connected to the support shaft 53d of b
And one end of the axle 21 is meshed with the ring gear 54e of the output shaft 54a.

The axle 21 is provided with a lock mechanism 6 for detachably attaching the axle 21 to the drive unit U. The lock mechanism 6 includes a spool 61 which is slidably inserted through the inside of the axle 21, a coil spring 62 which constantly urges the spool 61 in a direction away from the output shaft 54a, and a radial direction at the tip of the axle 21. A plurality of ball holes 63 penetratingly formed, a cam ball 64 introduced into each ball hole 63 in a state of partially projecting from the outer peripheral surface of the axle 21, and an inscribed in the cam ball 64 and larger than the spool 61. A cam shaft 65 having a diameter and a knob 66 for sliding the spool 61 against the biasing force of the coil spring 62 are provided.

According to the lock mechanism 6, the cam ball 65 is inscribed in the cam ball 64, and the cam ball 6
4 can be locked to the end portion of the inner ring 55a of the bearing 55 to prevent the axle 21 from coming off the drive unit U. Further, by pressing the knob 66 toward the speed reducer 53 and separating the cam shaft 65 from the cam ball 64, the cam ball 64 is retracted from the outer peripheral surface of the axle 21, and the cam ball 64 and the inner ring 55a of the bearing 55 are separated from each other. The locked state can be released, whereby the drive wheel 2 can be removed from the drive unit U together with the axle 21. Also in this embodiment, the same operational effects as those of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 can be obtained.

The electric wheelchair according to the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and for example, the mounting bracket 1
8 has a bolt insertion hole 19 as a mounting position adjusting means.
May be further added, and in this case, the adjustment of the attachment position of the axle 21 can be further diversified (see FIG. 7). Further, a plurality of bolt insertion holes as mounting position adjusting means are provided on the side of the mounting base 51c of the casing 51, the positions being vertically displaced, and a plurality of bolt insertion holes 19 are provided on the side of the mounting bracket 18 instead of the bolt insertion holes 19. A nut for screwing B is buried, a motor other than the flat plate motor is used as the motor 52, and a worm type speed reducer other than the planetary gear type is used as the speed reducer. Design changes can be made. further,
The present invention can be implemented by being applied to an electric wheelchair other than the above-mentioned folding type.

[0032]

As described above, according to the electric wheelchair according to the first aspect, the side frame of the wheelchair body is mounted via the mounting base.
Shaft mounted in a non-rotating fixed casing that can be mounted on the
Since the axle of the drive wheel is rotatably supported at the single point by the bridge, it is possible to change the axle position according to the height position of the drive wheel and the diameter of the drive wheel simply by changing the mounting position of the casing to the wheelchair body. The position can be set. Therefore, it is not necessary to change the design of the wheelchair main body to set the axle position, and it is possible to easily deal with the setting of the axle position. Moreover, the motor, speed reducer, output shaft, etc. of the drive unit are arranged concentrically around the axis passing through the center of rotation of the axle to reduce the area of the drive unit when viewed from the side of the wheelchair body. As a result, the drive unit can be prevented from interfering with each frame forming the wheelchair body, and the axle can be set to a desired position according to the specifications without any trouble.

According to the electric wheelchair of the second aspect of the present invention, the motor is a thin flat plate motor, and the speed reducer is a planetary gear type speed reducer. Since it is thin, it is possible to more effectively prevent the drive unit unit from interfering with other members.
Therefore, the axle position can be set more easily according to the specifications.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the wheelchair body side of the casing is inserted through the side frame, and the thickness of the casing on the wheelchair body side in the vehicle width direction is substantially equal to that of the side surface constituting member of the wheelchair body. Since the same thickness is set, when the wheelchair body is foldable, it can be folded without any trouble.

According to the electric wheelchair of the fourth aspect, since the axle is integrally formed on the output portion and the wheel is detachably attached to the axle, the axle can be detached on the output side. It is not necessary to provide such means, and the drive unit can be downsized accordingly.

According to the electric wheelchair of the fifth aspect, the side frame of the wheelchair body or the mounting base of the casing is provided with the mounting position adjusting means for adjusting the mounting position of the drive unit unit with respect to the wheelchair body. Even after assembling, the axle position can be set to a desired position according to the specifications.

According to the electric wheelchair of the sixth aspect, since the axle of the drive wheel is rotatably supported by the casing of the drive unit, the drive wheel is simply changed by changing the mounting position of the casing to the wheelchair body. The axle position can be easily set according to the height position of the vehicle and the diameter of the driving wheel. Moreover, the mounting position adjusting means can set the axle position to a desired position according to the specifications even after the wheelchair is assembled.

According to the electric wheelchair of the seventh aspect, since the mounting position of the drive unit can be adjusted substantially only in the direction, the axle position can be set without changing the center of gravity position. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the operability of the wheelchair from varying with the setting of the axle position.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing an embodiment of an electric wheelchair of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the entire electric wheelchair of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the same.

FIG. 4 is a rear view showing a state in which the axle position is changed.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a mounting state of a drive unit.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part showing another embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a main-portion cross-sectional view showing still another embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 wheelchair body 10 side frame 19 Bolt insertion hole (mounting position adjusting means) 2 drive wheels 21 axles 51c mounting base 51 casing 52 motor 53 reducer 54 Output section 55 bearings U drive unit L axis

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── --- Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-5-261132 (JP, A) JP-A-9-308651 (JP, A) Actual development Sho-48-108353 (JP, U) (58) Investigation Field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A61G 5/04

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] And 1. A removable drive wheel which rotates with the axle, an electric wheelchair and a driving portion unit that drives and the axle provided on the wheelchair body, said driving section unit provided in the wheel chair body , Non-rotatable that can be attached to the side frame of the wheelchair body via the mounting base
A motor, a speed reducer to which the driving force of the motor is input, an output unit for transmitting the output of the speed reducer to the axle, and an axle rotatably supported at a single location inside a roller-fixed casing. Bearings that are arranged in a concentric manner around an axis passing through the center of rotation of the axle.
Electric wheelchair, characterized in that is. 2. The electric wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the motor is a thin flat plate motor, and the speed reducer is a planetary gear type speed reducer. 3. The wheelchair body side of the casing is inserted through the side frame, and the thickness of the casing in the vehicle width direction on the wheelchair body side is set to be substantially the same as the side face constituent member of the wheelchair body. The electric wheelchair according to item 1. 4. The electric wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein an axle is integrally formed with the output portion, and drive wheels are detachably attached to the axle. 5. The electric wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the side frame of the wheelchair main body or the mounting base of the casing is provided with mounting position adjusting means for adjusting the mounting position of the drive unit with respect to the wheelchair main body. 6. A drive wheel which rotates with the axle, an electric wheelchair and a driving portion unit that drives and the axle provided in the wheel chair body, the driving unit unit, the interior of the casing having a mounting base A motor, a speed reducer to which the driving force of the motor is input, an output unit that transmits the output of the speed reducer to the axle, and a bearing that rotatably supports the axle, and The drive unit is detachably attached to the side frame of the wheelchair main body through the mounting base of the casing, and the mounting position of the drive unit relative to the wheelchair main body is adjusted on the side frame of the wheelchair main body or the mounting base of the casing. An electric wheelchair having a mounting position adjusting means. 7. The electric wheelchair according to claim 6, wherein the mounting position adjusting means can adjust the mounting position of the drive unit only in the substantially vertical direction.