JP3972073B2 - Brake device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a brake device capable of operating a manual wheelchair or bicycle wheel driven by human power with a light force, and in particular, controlling the movement of a rotating wheel, fixing a stationary wheel, The present invention relates to a brake device capable of various controls such as rotating a wheel in only one direction.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a brake device that controls the rotation of a wheel of a manual wheelchair or bicycle that is powered by human power includes a braking brake device that controls the movement of a rotating wheel and a parking brake that fixes the movement of a stationary wheel. There was a device. The former brake device generally controls a brake plate made of a material having a high friction coefficient against a rotating wheel or the like by manually pushing it. In the latter brake device, the brake plate is pressed against the tire of a stationary wheel by a spring force to fix it.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the conventional brake device as described above, although the force required to operate the brake device is increased to some extent by the lever principle, considerable human power is required to give a large braking force. It is not so much a problem for normal healthy people, but elderly people who are riding bicycles, elderly people or people with disabilities who use manual wheelchairs, and caregivers who push wheelchairs for nursing care, etc. However, there is a problem that the force for operating the brake is insufficient and it is difficult to reliably apply the brake.
[0004]
In addition, for elderly people with intellectual disabilities who forget to apply the brake device when standing up from a wheelchair, a device that automatically applies the wheelchair brake when starting up is required. Since it is necessary to apply a brake using mechanical energy such as a spring or electric energy such as a battery, there is a problem that a sufficient braking force cannot be obtained even when applied to a conventional brake device.
[0005]
An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems of the prior art and to provide a brake device that can operate a brake with a light force. It is another object of the present invention to provide a brake device that can implement a brake brake, a parking brake, and a one-way brake with a single brake device.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The brake device of the present invention discharges liquid by a pump connected to a rotating shaft of a wheel, forms a liquid circulation circuit in which the discharged liquid circulates again to the suction port of the pump, and places a valve in the middle of the liquid circulation circuit. And a braking force is applied to the rotation of the wheel by controlling the flow rate of the liquid passing through the valve.
[0007]
In the present invention, as a pump, a pump having a function of causing no liquid leakage between the suction side and the discharge side in a stationary state at an arbitrary rotation position and reversing the flow of the liquid depending on the rotation direction is used. By controlling the flow rate of the liquid on the discharge side of the pump by a valve, it acts to give a braking force to the rotation of the pump.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a hydraulic circuit diagram for explaining the principle of the present invention. The rotating shaft of the pump 1 is connected to a wheel for applying a braking force. As described above, the pump 1 uses a pump having a function such that there is no liquid leakage between the suction side and the discharge side in a stationary state at an arbitrary rotation position, and the flow of the liquid is reversed depending on the rotation direction. For example, an orbit (registered trademark) motor (described later) which is a commercially available hydraulic motor can be used as the pump 1.
[0009]
The discharge port 7 through which the liquid is discharged during normal rotation of the wheel is connected to the valve 2 via the pipe 3, and the other port of the valve 2 is the discharge port 6 through which the liquid is discharged through the pipe 4 when the pump 1 is reversed. And a liquid circulation circuit is formed.
[0010]
Since the liquid discharged from the pump 1 circulates when the valve 2 is opened, the wheel can freely rotate in the forward direction or the reverse direction. If a braking force is applied to the wheel during normal rotation, the braking force may be applied to the rotation of the pump 1. Therefore, when the lever 2 of the valve 2 is operated and the valve 2 is completely closed, the pressure inside the pipe 3 rapidly increases. Then, since this pressure acts as a reaction force on the rotor of the pump 1, the reaction force acting on the rotor of the pump 1 increases as the pressure value increases. As a result, the pump 1 stops rotating and consequently the wheels connected to the pump The rotation stops. Similarly, when the pump 1 rotates in the reverse direction, the internal pressure of the pipe 4 rises and the rotation stops.
[0011]
If the valve 2 is not completely closed but only partially closed, the flow rate of the circulating liquid is limited, so that the liquid pressure on the discharge side increases according to the opening amount of the valve and The force will brake the rotation of the hydraulic pump. That is, by controlling the valve opening amount with the lever 5, the braking amount of the brake can be controlled.
[0012]
FIG. 2 is a hydraulic circuit diagram when the present invention is applied to a wheelchair. Pumps 10 are directly connected to the left and right wheels, and the hydraulic circuits of the respective pumps 10 are independent. In this embodiment, a pair of bidirectional interlocking valves 11 are used, and the operation parts 12 and 13 of the respective valves are connected to the same shaft, and the shafts are rotated by levers so that a pair of These valves are simultaneously opened / closed or flow controlled.
[0013]
The two outlets of the pump 10 are connected to the bidirectional interlocking valve 11 via pipes 16 and 17, respectively. The other two ports of the interlock valve 11 are connected to a container 14 for storing the liquid 15 via pipes 18 and 19. The container 14 has functions such as replenishment and replacement of the liquid 15, removal of air mixed in the liquid circulation circuit, and removal of dust.
[0014]
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a structural example of a hydraulic motor that can be employed as the pump 10 of the present invention. As described above, this motor is manufactured by Eaton Corporation in the US and is commercially available as an Orbit (registered trademark) motor. This motor is composed of a drive unit (cross-sectional view on the left side in FIG. 3) composed of a star-shaped rotor 31 and a ring 30, and a valve unit (cross-sectional view on the right side in FIG. 3) having an output shaft 36 having a rotary valve function. The eccentric rotor 31 and the output shaft 36 are connected by a shaft 32 having a free joint function. Accordingly, the rotation of the rotor 31 and the rotation of the output shaft 36 are synchronized.
[0015]
The drive unit includes a ring 30 having seven grooves and a rotor 31 having six projections. Each projection of the rotor 31 rotates eccentrically while contacting the inner surface of the ring 30. A liquid flow path 33 is formed between the output port of the rotary valve and each groove of the ring 30.
[0016]
When the motor operates as a pump, the rotor 31 rotates while revolving according to the forward rotation (or reverse rotation) of the output shaft 36. Then, the capacity of the gap between the ring 30 and the rotor 31 is increased or decreased independently. When the capacity is increased, the rotary valve is connected to the reverse-side discharge port 40 (6), so the liquid is sucked. Further, when the capacity is reduced, the rotary valve is connected to the forward-side discharge port 39 (7) to discharge the liquid. In the case of reverse rotation, the liquid flow is reversed.
[0017]
4 and 5 are a side view and a rear view of a wheelchair to which the present invention is applied. Each of the two pumps 10 is directly connected to the shaft of the wheel 21 of the wheelchair. Two bidirectional interlocking valves 11 are respectively fixed to the left and right side frames of the wheelchair so that each operation lever 20 can be operated by the left and right hands. The two-way interlocking valve 11 and the pump 10 and the two-way interlocking valve 11 and the container 14 are connected by two pipes 16, 17, 18, 19 respectively to form a hydraulic circuit as shown in FIG. ing. The reason why the right and left brake devices are independent is that the wheelchair can be folded and the width can be reduced by lifting the seat portion of the wheelchair.
[0018]
Now, when the wheelchair user is sitting on the seat and moving the wheelchair, the interlocking valve 11 is in the open state, and the position of the lever 20 is rotated 90 degrees inward from the state of FIGS. To be in position. This means that when the lever is in this position, it interferes with the stand-up, so that when the stand-up is started, the lever must be opened to the left and right to apply the brake, thus preventing forgetting to apply the brake. Here, when a wheelchair user applies a wheelchair brake device in order to stand up from the wheelchair, the lever 20 is rotated 90 degrees horizontally outward as shown in FIGS. Then, the valve 11 is closed and a large braking force is applied to the pump 10. At this time, since the force for applying the brake only needs to rotate the lever 20 by 90 degrees, the brake device can be operated with a very small force.
[0019]
Although the first embodiment has been described above, the following modifications are also conceivable. 6 (a) is a hydraulic circuit diagram in the second embodiment, where only one hydraulic circuit diagram is shown, which is another one in addition to the first embodiment. Two bidirectional interlocking valves 50 are connected in series.This braking device generates braking force even if the bidirectional interlocking valve 11 is closed or the bidirectional interlocking valve 50 is closed. Therefore, it is easy to operate the brake.
[0020]
Such a brake device is effective when the handicapped person uses the handicapped wheelchair for movement or the helper uses it for assistance. For example, when a caregiver pushes a disabled person sitting in a wheelchair from behind the wheelchair to go out for a long distance, it is dangerous if the caregiver does not proceed while applying a braking brake when going down a slope. For this purpose, a brake operating device is required behind the wheelchair. On the other hand, when the disabled person himself / herself moves to the toilet or the like by himself / herself, the disabled person himself / herself must stand up with the wheelchair brake applied in the toilet, and the brake operating device must be in front of the wheelchair.
[0021]
In other words, the configuration as in the second embodiment is a very convenient brake device when two operators operate separately on one wheelchair, one as a parking brake and the other as a braking brake. Yes, it can be easily realized by using a hydraulic pump.
[0022]
FIG. 6B shows a third embodiment of the brake device in which a check valve 52 and a bidirectional valve 51 connected in parallel to the discharge port side during reverse rotation are connected in series in addition to the pair of bidirectional interlocking valves 11. It is a hydraulic circuit diagram of an example. In this case, the braking effect can be obtained by opening and closing the pair of bidirectional interlocking valves 11, but in addition to this, the check valve 52 can be used as long as the pump 10 rotates in the forward direction even when the bidirectional valve 51 is closed. Since the liquid circulates through, no braking force is generated. However, when the pump 10 is rotated in the reverse direction, the check valve 52 prevents the circulation of the liquid, so that a large braking force is generated against the rotation in the reverse direction.
[0023]
Such a brake device is useful, for example, when a wheelchair user climbs a slope with a wheelchair. The wheelchair user closes the two-way valve just before the slope and starts climbing the slope. Then, although the wheel of the wheelchair rotates without resistance in the forward direction, it receives a large braking force when trying to rotate in reverse. In other words, even if the vehicle is paused while climbing a hill, the wheelchair will not rotate backward due to the influence of gravity and go down the hill. As a result, it becomes possible for wheelchair users to move forward little by little while considering their physical fatigue while resting on the way of climbing a hill, and it is extremely useful as a brake device used by persons with disabilities.
[0024]
FIG. 6C is a hydraulic circuit diagram of the fourth embodiment. In this embodiment, check valves 54 and 55 are connected in parallel to the bidirectional interlocking valve 11 (53) of the brake device (FIG. 2) of the first embodiment. In the circuit of the first embodiment, since the valve on the suction side is also closed, if the valve on the discharge side is not completely closed, the liquid flows out from the pump 10 and is in a vacuum state on the suction side of the pump 10. There was a risk of air contamination and the like. In the fourth embodiment, in order to solve this problem, the suction side of the pump 10 is configured such that liquid flows in from the container 14 via the check valve 54 or 55 to prevent the generation of a vacuum state. To prevent.
[0025]
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the fifth embodiment. The brake device of the first embodiment operates separately for the left and right wheels, but the operation is troublesome. Therefore, the interlocking valves 60 and 61 are placed near the left and right pumps 10, and the lever 70 for applying the brake and the levers 62 and 63 of the interlocking valve are connected by the flexible wires 68 and 69. , 67, and the left and right interlocking valves 60, 61 are simultaneously opened and closed with one lever 70. Note that the levers 62 and 63 are returned to the open position by the force of the springs 64 and 65 during non-braking.
[0026]
With such a configuration, the wheelchair can be folded, and both wheels can be braked with a single lever. In addition, since the liquid circulates when the wheelchair is traveling, if the distance between the pump and the valve is long, the fluid resistance increases and the load for traveling becomes heavy. However, in the fifth embodiment, the valve or the valve and the liquid container can be installed in the vicinity of the pump or integrated with the pump, and an increase in load during traveling can be suppressed to a minimum.
[0027]
Although the embodiments have been described above, the following modifications are also conceivable. As described above, if the pump has a function such that there is no liquid leakage between the suction side and the discharge side in a stationary state at an arbitrary rotational position as described above, and the flow of the liquid is reversed depending on the rotation direction, for example, Any type of pump such as a gear pump can be used. Note that the present invention can also be applied to a pump in which liquid always flows out from a predetermined discharge port regardless of the rotation direction of the shaft of the pump. In this case, it is only necessary to provide a valve on the discharge port side.
[0028]
Although an example in which the pump is directly connected to the wheel shaft has been disclosed, the pump may be connected via a chain, a belt, a gear, or the like. In this case, if the gear ratio, etc. is determined so that the number of rotations of the pump increases with respect to the rotation of the axle, the braking force will increase, but the load during driving will also increase. To decide.
[0029]
The container for storing the liquid may be provided in the vicinity of or integrated with the interlocking valve, for example. When braking during driving, the liquid temperature rises due to the energy of braking. Therefore, adopt a structure or material with a heat dissipation effect for the container or pump, or bond the pipe to the frame of the wheelchair and attach the frame to the heat sink. You may take measures such as using as
Although an example in which the present invention is applied to a wheelchair has been disclosed as an embodiment, the present invention includes a vehicle that travels by human power such as a wheelchair, a bicycle, and a tricycle, an arbitrary powered vehicle, and an arbitrary device having a rotating shaft other than the vehicle. The present invention can be applied as a brake device that applies braking to the rotating shaft.
[0030]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the present invention, the liquid is circulated by the pump, and the flow rate of the liquid is controlled by the valve, thereby acting to give a braking force to the shaft of the pump. Therefore, the brake device of the present invention can operate the brake with a light force, and further has an effect that the brake brake, the parking brake, and the one-way brake can be realized by one brake device.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a hydraulic circuit diagram for explaining the principle of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a hydraulic circuit diagram when the present invention is applied to a wheelchair.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a hydraulic motor that can be employed as a pump.
FIG. 4 is a side view of a wheelchair to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 5 is a rear view of a wheelchair to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 6 is a hydraulic circuit diagram in the second, third, and fourth embodiments.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a fifth embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 10 ... Pump, 2 ... Valve, 3, 4 ... Pipe, 5 ... Control lever, 6 ... Outlet at the time of reverse rotation, 7 ... Outlet at the time of forward rotation, 11 ... Bidirectional interlocking valve, 14 ... Container, 15 ... Liquid (Oil), 16, 17, 18, 19 ... pipe

Claims (3)

Two liquid pumps fixed to the left and right frames of the wheelchair and respectively connected to the rotating shafts of the left and right wheels;
Two liquid circulation circuits fixed to the left and right frames of the wheelchair, respectively, for circulating the liquid discharged from the liquid pump to the suction port of the liquid pump;
Two containers for storing liquids respectively provided in the two liquid circulation circuits;
In order to give a braking force to the rotation of the wheel by controlling the flow rate of the liquid passing therethrough, two pipes of the liquid circulation circuit which are respectively fixed to the left and right frames of the wheelchair and connect the container and the liquid pump. A pair of bidirectional interlocking valves provided in the middle;
It is attached to the bidirectional interlocking valve so that the brake is applied when it rotates in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the wheelchair, and the brake is released when it rotates to a position parallel to the traveling direction of the wheelchair. Control lever,
A wheelchair brake device characterized by comprising: The bidirectional interlocking valve is fixed to the front part of the left and right frames of the wheelchair,
Furthermore, in order to give a braking force to the rotation of the wheel by controlling the flow rate of the liquid passing therethrough, two liquid circulation circuits fixed to the rear of the left and right frames of the wheelchair and connecting the container and the liquid pump. A pair of second bidirectional interlocking valves provided in the middle of the pipe
The wheelchair brake device according to claim 1 . Furthermore, in order to give a braking force only in one direction of rotation of the wheel by controlling the flow rate of the liquid passing therethrough, a bidirectional valve connected in parallel with a check valve is provided in the middle of the liquid circulation circuit. The wheelchair brake device according to claim 1, further comprising a wheelchair brake device.

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