JP3716626B2 - Armrest structure - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an armrest structure in which an armrest on which a user places his / her arm is supported via an armrest support above both sides of a seat on which a user sits such as a wheelchair and a driver's seat.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In general, in an electric wheelchair, a seat on which a user sits is supported by a seat frame, and armrests on which the user places arms are provided on the left and right upper sides of the seat so as to be supported by the seat frame via armrest supports, respectively. In addition, a controller that is manually operated by the user is attached to the front of one of the left and right armrest supports. And it is comprised so that a user may operate a controller by hand in the state which put the arm on the seat and seated on the seat.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In an electric wheelchair, an armrest is indispensable in order to fix an arm when operating a controller by hand, but an armrest or an armrest support becomes an obstacle when getting on and off by a caregiver. Therefore, conventionally, the armrest and the armrest support have been removed at the time of getting on and off, but there is a problem that the attaching / detaching work is complicated. Also, since the controller is attached to the armrest support, the conventional armrest is shorter than the arm length of the user, and the entire arm cannot be placed on the wrist.
[0004]
In view of such problems, the present invention provides an armrest structure in which an armrest or an armrest support is not obstructed when getting on and off, and the entire arm can be placed on the armrest without hindering the operation of the controller. For the purpose.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a seat on which a user sits is supported by a seat frame, and armrests on which the user puts arms are supported on the seat frame via armrest supports on both sides of the seat. In the armrest structure provided as described above, the armrest support is formed in a downward U-shaped side shape including a support intermediate portion extending in the front-rear direction, a front strut portion facing up and down, and a rear strut portion, and the front end side Is pivotally supported around the rear end so as to move laterally between a use position approaching the seat and a retracted position away from the seat, and the front lower end of the armrest support lower lock pin tapered convex is arranged projecting retracted vertically, disposed of the both side ends of the seat frame for supporting the sheet The front upper surface of the horizontal round pipe-shaped frame horizontal portion which extends in the longitudinal Te has the feature that the long lock hole before and after the lock pin in the position of use engages is provided with an opening upwards Armrest structure.
[0008]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the user gets on and off by turning the armrest support and moving the front end side to the retracted position, the armrest or the armrest support can easily get on and off. can do. When the armrest support is fixed to the seat frame at the use position by engaging a lock pin with a tapered convex bottom at the front and back, the lock pin is attached to the seat frame when the armrest support is rotated. Since it is pushed and actuated, it can be operated easily, and errors during production due to welding of armrest supports, chassis frames, etc. are absorbed, and rattling due to long-term use is eliminated. Even if the accuracy of the part or the like is low, it can be securely fixed at the use position.
[0009]
Further, in the invention described in claim 2, the front lower portion of the armrest support, a stopper which protrudes below the outer softer than the seat frame is provided so as to abut the outer side of the locking hole of the seat frame ing.
According to the invention described in claim 2, it is possible to reduce the number of parts shared with the scan top Per as an end cap, when fixing the armrest support in the position of use, it is possible to prevent rattling Tsukeon it can.
[0010]
Further, in the invention described in claim 3, in one front portion of the armrest support, the mounted controller operated by a user by hand, the controller-side armrest, when the user carrying the arms The armrest on the opposite side of the controller is relatively short so that the front end is located behind the wrist, and the armrest on the opposite side of the controller is relatively long so that the front end is located in front of the wrist when the user puts his arm. Is formed.
According to the invention described in claim 3 , since the user can easily move the wrist with the arm placed on the armrest on the controller side, the controller can be easily operated, and the controller can be operated on the opposite side of the controller. Since the user can grasp the front end portion of the armrest with his / her hand while the arm is placed on the armrest, the body can be easily held during running.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of an electric wheelchair to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. 2 is a perspective view of the seat, the seat frame, the armrest, the armrest support, the seatback, and the seatback frame in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the front end portion of the seat frame and the armrest support in FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the seat frame and the armrest support in FIG. 2, FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the front end portion of the seat frame and the armrest support in FIG. 4, and FIG. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view (a) of a rear end portion of the seat frame and the armrest support and a perspective view (b) of a retaining pin.
[0012]
As shown in FIG. 1, the electric wheelchair to which the embodiment of the present invention is applied is provided with a chassis frame 9 equipped with a pair of left and right front wheels 1 and rear wheels 2 on the chassis frame 9. The seat 11 on which the user sits is supported via the seat frame 13, and the seat back 5 on which the user hits the back is supported via the seat back frame 6 at the rear upper side of the seat 11. A pair of left and right footrests 7 on which the user puts his / her foot is supported via a footrest support 8. As shown in FIG. 2, armrests 21 and 21 on which the user puts his / her arms are supported via armrest supports 23 on the left and right upper sides of the seat 11.
[0013]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the armrest support 23 is composed of a laterally round pipe-shaped support intermediate portion 24 extending in the front-rear direction, a vertically oriented round pipe-shaped front strut portion 25, and a rear strut portion 26. It is formed in the U-shaped side shape opened downward. The armrest support 23 moves the rear strut portion 26 side to the seat frame so that the front strut portion 25 side moves (opens and closes) laterally between a use position where the front strut portion 25 approaches the seat 11 and a retracted position away from the seat 11. 13 is detachably and rotatably supported at the rear portion of the vehicle 13, and is configured such that the front column portion 25 side is fixed to the front lateral portion of the seat frame 13 at the use position.
[0014]
That is, a laterally circular pipe-shaped frame lateral portion 14 extending in the front-rear direction is provided at both side ends of the seat frame 13, and a vertically-oriented vertical round pipe-shaped rear strut is disposed at both lateral rear ends of the seat frame 13. A portion 16 is provided. And the lower end part (supported part) of the rear support | pillar part 26 of the armrest support 23 is formed in a comparatively small diameter, and is inserted in the inner periphery of the rear support | pillar part 16 of the seat frame 13 so that attachment or detachment is possible. . Further, a retaining pin 40 is attached to the inner side of the rear struts 16 and 26.
[0015]
As shown in FIG. 6, the stopper pin 40 is formed into a hairpin-shaped spring-like consisting of a leaf spring portion 41 and the convex portion holding portion 42, the convex portion holding portion 42, the attachment protrusions 4 3 and A retaining projection 44 is provided. The armrest support 23 and the rear struts 16 and 26 of the seat frame 13 are provided with retaining holes 16b and 26b so as to be aligned at the use position. The armrest support 23 is attached to the rear strut 26 of the armrest support 23. The hole 26a is provided above the retaining hole 26b. The retaining pin 40 is mounted with the mounting convex portion 43 engaged with the mounting hole 26a, and the retaining convex portion 44 is engaged with the retaining holes 26b and 16b so that the armrest support 23 is used at the use position. is fixed, when disengaging from the retaining hole 16b pushes the retaining protrusions 4 4 inwardly, and the arm rest support 23 is configured to be able to rotate or detachable to.
[0016]
3-5, the lock pin 30 is mounted on the inner periphery of the lower end portion of the front strut portion 25 of the armrest support 23 so as to be movable up and down and biased downward by a spring 34. Has been. A horizontal bar-shaped knob 31 is provided on the upper horizontal portion of the lock pin 30 so as to protrude from the knob protrusion hole 25a on the side surface of the front support column 25 to the outer peripheral side. The engaging portion 32 having a tapered convex shape (for example, a lower end diameter of 8 mm and an upper end diameter of 12 mm) is provided so as to protrude and retract from the lower end of the front support column 25. A lock hole 14b that is long in the front-rear direction (for example, 10 mm in width and 14 mm in length) is provided on the upper surface of the front portion of the frame lateral portion 14 of the seat frame 13 so as to open upward. The engaging portion 32 of the lock pin 30 is configured to be detachably engaged with the lock hole 14b.
[0017]
Furthermore, a stopper 36 made of a soft material such as a synthetic resin is fixed to the lower end of the front strut portion 25 of the armrest support 23 via a cylindrical fixed portion 37. The protruding contact portion 38 is provided so as to contact the outside of the lock hole 14b of the frame lateral portion 14 of the seat frame 13 at the use position. The seat frame 13, the armrest support 23, etc. are made of steel and are harder than the stopper 36. Further, the scan top par 36 is also used as an end cap of the pipe-shaped armrest support 23, therefore, the number of parts is reduced.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 2, the armrest 21 is fixed to the intermediate support portions 24, 24 of the left and right armrest supports 23, 23 via the bracket 22, and the right (or left) armrest support 23, a joystick controller 3 operated by a user's hand is fixed to the front of the armrest 21 via a bracket 4. The armrest 21 _S on the controller 3 side is formed to be relatively short (for example, 270 mm) so that the front end portion is disposed behind the wrist when the user puts his arm, and the armrest 21 on the opposite side is formed. _L is formed to be relatively long (for example, 380 mm) so that the front end portion is disposed in front of the wrist when the user puts his arm.
[0019]
In the armrest structure configured as described above, when the user gets on and off, the locking projection 44 of the locking pin 40 of the rear strut 16 of the seat frame 13 is pushed by hand to be detached from the locking hole 16b and locked. After lifting the knob 31 of the pin 30 by hand to disengage the engaging portion 32 from the lock hole 14b and releasing the fixed state of the armrest support 23, the armrest support 23 is turned laterally outward by hand to move the front end side. Move to retracted position. Then, since the front and the side of the seat 11 are greatly opened, the armrest 21 or the armrest support 23 can easily get on and off without getting in the way.
[0020]
Then, after the user sits on the seat 11, the armrest support 23 is rotated inwardly by hand to move the front end side of the armrest support 23 from the retracted position to the use position. Then, the tapered convex engaging portion 32 of the lock pin 30 hits the frame lateral portion 14 of the seat frame 13 and the lock pin 30 is pushed upward, and the engaging portion 32 of the lock pin 30 becomes the lock hole 14 b of the seat frame 13. The armrest support 23 is fixed to the use position. Therefore, the armrest support 23 can be easily fixed by simply rotating the armrest support 23 without operating the lock pin 30.
[0021]
Further, when fixing the armrest support 23 in the use position, since the contact portion 38 of the scan top par 36 made of a soft material strikes the frame lateral part 14 of the seat frame 13, a backlash Tsukeon by contact between metals Can be prevented. In addition, since the engaging portion 32 of the lock pin 30 is tapered and the lock hole 14b is long in the front and rear direction, errors in manufacturing due to welding of the armrest support 23, the chassis frame 13 and the like are absorbed, and the backlash due to long-term use. Since the sticking or the like is eliminated, even if the accuracy of the parts or parts is low, it can be surely fixed to the use position, and thus the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
[0022]
Then, while sitting on the seat 11, the user operates the electric wheelchair by placing his arms on the left and right armrests 21 and 21 and moving the joystick of the controller 3 by hand. Since the armrest 21 _S on the side is relatively short, the user can easily move the wrist with the arm placed on the armrest 21 _S , so that the controller 3 can be easily operated. On the other hand, the controller 3 armrest 21 _L opposite relatively long, the arm rest 21 arms can grasp the front end of the armrest 21 _L like by hand in a state carrying the on _L, and the body easily during traveling Can be held.
[0023]
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to an electric wheelchair has been described, but the present invention can be applied to various driver seats other than the electric wheelchair.
[0024]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention , the armrest or the armrest support is obstructed when the user gets on and off by rotating the armrest support and moving the front end side to the retracted position. Without getting on and off.
[0025]
Moreover, by a lower end engaged with the long lock hole before and after the lock pin tapered convex, when fixing to the seat frame armrest support in the position of use, the locking pin seat frame rotates the armrest support Since it is pushed and actuated, it can be operated easily, and errors during production due to welding of armrest supports, chassis frames, etc. are absorbed, and rattling due to long-term use is eliminated. Even if the accuracy of the part or the like is low, it can be securely fixed at the use position.
[0026]
Further, according to the invention described in claim 2, it is possible to reduce the number of parts shared with the scan top Per as an end cap, when fixing the armrest support in the position of use, to prevent backlash Tsukeon be able to.
[0027]
Further, according to the invention described in claim 3 , since the user can easily move the wrist with the arm placed on the armrest on the controller side, the controller can be easily operated, and the controller is opposite to the controller. Since the user can grip the front end of the armrest with his / her hand on the armrest on the side, the body can be easily held during running.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view of an electric wheelchair to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.
2 is a perspective view of a seat, a seat frame, an armrest, an armrest support, a seatback, and a seatback frame in FIG. 1. FIG.
3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a front end portion of the seat frame and armrest support in FIG. 2. FIG.
4 is an exploded perspective view of the seat frame and armrest support in FIG. 2. FIG.
5 is an exploded perspective view of a front end portion of the seat frame and armrest support in FIG. 4. FIG.
6 is an exploded perspective view (a) of a rear lower end portion of the seat frame and armrest support in FIG. 4 and a perspective view (b) of a retaining pin.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Front wheel 2 Rear wheel 3 Joystick controller 4 Bracket 5 Seat back 6 Seat back frame 7 Footrest 8 Footrest support 9 Chassis frame 11 Seat 13 Seat frame 14 Frame lateral part 14b Lock hole 16 Rear support | pillar part 16b Stop hole 21 Armrest 22 Bracket 23 Armrest Support 24 Intermediate support portion 25 Front strut portion 25a Knob protruding hole 26 Rear strut portion 26a Mounting hole 26b Stop hole 30 Lock pin 31 Knob 32 Engaging portion 34 Spring 36 Stopper 37 Fixed portion 38 Contact portion 40 Stop pin 41 Leaf spring Part 42 convex part holding part 43 mounting convex part 44 convex part for retaining

Claims (3)

An armrest structure in which a seat on which a user sits is supported by a seat frame, and armrests on which the user places arms on both sides above the seat are supported by the seat frame via armrest supports, respectively. In
The armrest support is formed in a downward U-shaped side shape including a support intermediate portion extending in the front-rear direction, a front strut portion and a rear strut portion facing up and down, and the use position in which the front end side approaches the seat and the seat Supported so as to be pivotable around the rear end so as to move laterally between the retracted position separated from
At the front lower end of the armrest support, a lock pin having a tapered convex shape at the lower end is provided so as to protrude and retreat up and down,
A lock hole that is long at the front and rear of the lock pin engaged at the use position is formed on the upper surface of the horizontal portion of the horizontal circular pipe-like frame that is disposed on both side ends of the seat frame that supports the seat and extends forward and backward. The armrest structure characterized by being provided with an opening upward. The front lower portion of the armrest support, a stopper which protrudes below the outer softer than the seat frame, according to claim 1, characterized in that provided so as to contact the outside of the locking hole of the seat frame Armrest structure. On one front portion of the armrest support, the extent the user is wearing the controller to operate by hand, the armrest of the controller side, the user is arranged a front end behind the wrist when carrying the arms The armrest on the opposite side of the controller is formed to be relatively long so that the front end portion is disposed in front of the wrist when the user puts his arm. The armrest structure according to claim 1 .

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