JP4407321B2 - wheelchair - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric wheelchair that typically travels electrically as a moving means for elderly people and the like.

  This type of wheelchair is provided with a seat on the frame, and has front and rear wheels before and after the frame. For example, in the case of an electric type, the rear wheel is rotationally driven by an electric motor. In many cases, an electric motor constituting a drive system and a battery or the like are stored as a power source below the seat. Furthermore, the so-called reclining type electric wheelchair has a configuration in which the tilt angle of the seat back is variable.

  FIG. 9 shows an example of a conventional reclining electric wheelchair 100. In the electric wheelchair 100, the angle of the seat back 102 can be changed by the reclining switch 101. An actuator is disposed under the seat 103 and is configured to move the seat back 102 by its sliding motion. A cloth is stretched between two parallel frames on the seat back 102, and the load from the back of the occupant (user) is received by the tension.

  Further, in the chair having the bed conversion function described in Patent Document 1, the armrest is attached to the side portion close to the seat portion of the backrest via the receiving member so as to be rotatable about the backrest width direction axis, and the receiving member The backrest interlocking stay pivotally attached to the side portion of the seat portion is connected to the front end of the armrest and the armrest is maintained in a substantially horizontal direction. The armrest includes a restraining unit that holds the width direction in a substantially horizontal direction and a vertical direction.

JP 2002-65386 A

  However, in the electric wheelchair 100 shown in FIG. 9, the width of the seat back 102 is narrower than the shoulder width of the occupant, and the shoulder of the occupant protrudes from the seat back 102 as shown in FIG. Therefore, in a state where the seat back 102 is completely turned down (full flat state), when trying to roll over, the shoulder hits the frame of the seat back 102, and for an occupant with weak muscle strength, the arm hangs as shown in FIG. May end up.

  Moreover, even if it exists in the thing of patent document 1, a passenger | crew's shoulder will protrude from a seat back and the same problem may arise. As described above, although a conventional wheelchair can take a sitting posture and a recumbent posture, it is difficult to ensure an appropriate and stable posture, which may cause a physical burden and a feeling of fatigue of the occupant.

  In view of such circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a wheelchair that can always take an appropriate stable and safe sitting and lying posture.

The wheelchair of the present invention has a backrest that supports the upper body in a seated state, a seating portion that supports the buttocks, an armrest that supports the forearm, and a footrest that supports the legs and feet below the knee, and the backrest A wheelchair equipped with a bed conversion function configured to be able to adjust the undulation of the armrest,
The armrest is pivotally supported in the vertical direction rear end portion at the left and right side end portions of the lower close to the seating portion of the seat back, through the chassis frame side and the link mechanism for supporting the seating portion The upper surface of the armrest is connected to the upper surface of the seating portion so that the upper surface of the seating portion is held substantially horizontally with the upper surface of the seating portion. And is configured to be fully flat ,
The upper left and right sides above the mounting portion of the armrest of the seat back, and protrude to the left and right so that the left and right outer width substantially the same width of at least the armrest,
When the bed is converted, the left and right upper portions protruding left and right of the armrest and the backrest are rotatably supported by a rear axle that protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction from the lower portion of the vehicle body, and are positioned outwardly in the vehicle width direction of the seating portion. The left and right rear wheels provided are formed so as to cover from above .

Further, the wheelchair of the present invention has a pair of left and right main frames extending from the front end portion to the rear end portion at the left and right side lower portions of the seating portion, and near the rear end portion of the main frame. A rear wheel is disposed, and an outer peripheral upper edge of the rear wheel having an elastic tire mounted on the outer periphery is positioned above the main frame .

  According to the present invention, the upper left and right upper portions from the mounting portion of the armrest on the backrest are formed so as to protrude substantially the same width as the width on the left and right outer sides of the armrest. The part can be reliably supported. Therefore, it is possible not only to stably and safely take a lying posture even when turning over in a full flat state, but also to take a stable sitting posture even in a sitting state. Therefore, it is possible to realize a so-called “person-friendly” wheelchair that greatly reduces the physical burden and fatigue of the occupant and is excellent in usability.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an electric wheelchair according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIGS. 1-6 is a figure which shows each whole structure which looked at the electric wheelchair 10 in this embodiment from each direction. The electric wheelchair 10 includes a seat cushion (sitting portion) 11 on which an occupant sits, a seat back (backrest) 12, and a footrest (footrest; strictly speaking, it functions on a leg portion and an entire foot portion). These are connected to each other through a link mechanism.

  Moreover, it has a reclining function by the action of this link mechanism, and can take a sitting state (FIGS. 1 to 3) in which the occupant can sit and a full flat state (FIGS. 4 to 6) in which the occupant can take a lying posture. . The seat back 12 and an armrest, which will be described later, are configured so as to be able to adjust the undulation in the sitting state and the full flat state while being interlocked with each other, and converted into a bed specification in the full flat state.

  The seat cushion 11 supports the occupant's buttocks seated in a sitting position and is supported by the chassis frame. The pair of left and right main frames 14 constituting the chassis frame are located below the seat cushion 11 from the front end portion to the rear end portion. It extends over. In each figure, front and rear are indicated by arrows Fr and Rr, respectively, as necessary. The left and right main frames 14 are connected by a plurality of bridge members 15 (pipe materials) and have necessary and sufficient strength and rigidity. The seat cushion 11 is supported on the chassis frame via brackets 16 and 17 erected near the front portion and the rear portion of the main frame 14.

  The main frame 14 has a caster-type front wheel 19 that is inclined to a moderately downwardly forward position and is supported at the front end portion thereof so as to be capable of changing its direction around a support shaft 18. Near the rear end of the main frame 14, there is a rear wheel 20 that can be driven independently by left and right by a power unit described later. The rear wheel 20 is supported so as to be movable up and down by a predetermined stroke relative to the main frame 14 via a suspension arm 21 pivotally supported at an appropriate position near the front of the main frame 14. A suspension spring 22 is inserted between the main frame 14 and the rear wheel 20 to ensure a shock absorber function in the chassis frame.

  The seat back 12 is attached to a gate-shaped or substantially rectangular seat back frame 23 and supports the upper body of the occupant. The seat back frame 23 is connected to the rear end portion of the main frame 14 via a link mechanism 24, and the seat back 12 is in a sitting state and a full flat state by the action of the link mechanism 24 (hereinafter referred to as a reclining mechanism). It becomes possible to rotate between them (FIG. 1, dotted arrow A). A headrest 26 is provided on the upper portion of the seat back 12 via a stay 25, and a handle 27 for pushing is attached at an appropriate height position on the back surface (rear surface) side.

  The reclining mechanism 24 is driven by a reclining drive device 28. The reclining drive device 28 is connected to the reclining mechanism 24 so as to perform a predetermined movement by performing an expansion / contraction operation, and is electrically operated by a drive unit 29 incorporating a drive motor.

  A pair of left and right armrests 30 are arranged at predetermined height positions (positions corresponding to the seated occupant's elbows) on both the left and right sides of the seat back 12. The armrest 30 is pivotally supported by the seat back 12 (seat back frame 23) at its rear end so as to be pivotable in the vertical direction (FIG. 1, dotted arrow B). As shown, it is held almost horizontally and supports the passenger's forearm. The armrest 30 is also connected to the chassis frame side via a link mechanism 31. Specifically, it has a crank-shaped link 31A integrally formed at the rear end portion of the armrest 30 and a link 31B connected to the bracket 17, and the armrest 30 corresponds to or is synchronized with the reclining operation of the seat back 12. It pivots around the pivot and is displaced between the sitting and full flat states.

  A controller 32 for driving the electric wheelchair 10 is disposed on the distal end side of one armrest 30 (right side in this example). The controller 32 controls the driving of a rear wheel driving electric motor, which will be described later, to operate the electric wheelchair 10 to perform the right, left or right turning operation, the operation lever 33 for driving, and other switches 34 necessary for handling. Have In this case, the controller 32 is arranged so that the seated occupant can operate the operation lever 33 and the like comfortably while putting an elbow on the armrest 30. A controller 32 can be provided on the left armrest 30.

  The footrest 13 is attached to the footrest frame 35. The footrest frame 35 is pivotally supported at an appropriate position of the bracket 16 so as to be pivotable in the vertical direction at the upper end portion (FIG. 1, dotted line arrow C), and the bracket 36 attached to the upper end portion (the pivotal support portion) A guide (or stopper) 37 for restricting the moving range is provided. The footrest 13 is pivotally guided by a guide 37 and is held at the front lower position as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 in the sitting position of the electric wheelchair 10, while being substantially at the same height as the seat cushion 11 in the full flat state. And it adjoins horizontally and arrange | positions (FIG. 4, FIG. 5). At the tip of the footrest frame 35, there is a footrest 38 that can be rotated as indicated by an arrow D in FIG.

  Here, the footrest frame 35 is connected to the reclining mechanism 24 provided at the rear end portion of the main frame 14 through the link mechanism 39. The link mechanism 39 extends in the front-rear direction inside the main frame 14 and substantially parallel to the main frame 14. In conjunction with the reclining mechanism 24 being driven by the reclining drive device 28, the link mechanism 39 reciprocates substantially in the front-rear direction, whereby the footrest 13 performs a predetermined rotation operation. That is, in the full flat state, as shown in FIG. 4, the seat cushion 11, the seat back 12, and the footrest 13 are displaced so as to be horizontally arranged in a continuous manner as a whole.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 3 or the like, a power unit 40 that drives each rear wheel 20 is disposed inside the left and right rear wheels 20. As shown also in FIG. 7, the power unit 40 includes an electric motor 41 that is a power source and a gear box 42 that includes a reduction gear train that transmits the power of the electric motor 41 to the rear wheels 20 at a reduced speed. The electric motor 41 has a substantially cylindrical shape and is arranged horizontally. A plurality of gears are accommodated in the casing of the gear box 42, and an electric motor 41 having a rotation shaft or a main shaft 41a as an input shaft for a reduction gear train constituted by them is integrally coupled to the gear box 42.

  In this case, the gear box 42 is disposed inside the rear wheel 20, and has a rear wheel axle 43 protruding outward in the vehicle width direction at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction, and the rear wheel 20 is supported by the rear wheel axle 43. Is done. As can be seen from FIG. 7, the electric motor 41 is attached to the inside of the gear box 42, but is arranged parallel to the rear wheel axle 43 and biased rearward. Thus, by arranging the electric motor 41 so as to be shifted rearward, a space is secured on the front side thereof. The electric motor 41 (rotating shaft 41a) and the rear wheel axle 43 are at the same height position (see FIG. 3B).

  A battery 44 that supplies power to the power unit 40 is disposed below the seat cushion 11. In the present invention, the battery holder 45 is disposed between the gear boxes 42 below the seat cushion 11 (see FIG. 6 and the like), and the battery 44 is removably mounted on the battery holder 45 from the front. ing. In this case, the footrest 13 is supported at the front end of the seat cushion 11 in front of the battery holder 45 so as to be pivotable in the vertical direction. However, when the footrest 13 is pivoted upward (full flat state), the battery holder 45 is supported. The front area of is opened.

  As shown in FIG. 6 and the like, the frame material 46 of the battery holder 45 is suspended from the bridge member 15 laid horizontally between the left and right main frames 14, and the battery mounting tray 47 is supported substantially horizontally by the frame material 46. Is done. The battery holder 45 is formed in a lower region of the seat cushion 11 from the front wheel 19 to the rear wheel 20, and in this example, two box-type batteries 44 can be mounted side by side.

  A battery insertion / removal opening for inserting / removing the battery 44 is opened at the front part of the battery holder 45, and the battery 44 is fixed so that the battery 44 does not move or rattle in the battery holder 45. A battery stopper 48 to be held is attached.

  Moreover, the control unit 49 (refer FIG. 8) which controls the power unit 40 based on operation of the controller 32 attached to the armrest 30 of the seat cushion 11 is provided. The control unit 49 is disposed in the chassis frame using a space between the battery holder 45 and the seat cushion 11. In this case, the control unit 49 can be mounted and supported via a bracket or the like by appropriately using the bridge member 15. A link mechanism 39 that connects the reclining mechanism 24 and the footrest 13 is extended in the front-rear direction on the side of the control unit 49.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the electric drive system of the electric wheelchair 10 in this embodiment. A control signal is input to the control unit 49 by operating the operation lever 33 or the switches 34 of the controller 32. Based on the control signal, the control unit 49 supplies the power of the battery 44 to the left and right power units 40 (L, R) or a drive motor built in the drive unit 29 of the reclining drive device 28. Therefore, the drive control of the electric wheelchair 10 can be performed by the operation of the controller 32.

  Here, particularly in the present invention, the armrest 30 is attached to the left and right sides of the seat back 12 close to the seat cushion 11 at the rear end portion thereof, and is always held substantially horizontally with the seat cushion 11 via the link mechanism described above. Is done. As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the upper left and right upper portions of the seat back 12 project from the mounting portion (the pivotal support portion 50) of the armrest 30 so as to be at least approximately the same width as the width of the left and right outer sides of the armrest 30. A part 51 is formed (FIG. 1, dotted line hatched part).

  The seat back 12 is configured by covering an internal cushioning material with a vinyl cover or the like, but is supported by a board 52 made of, for example, plastic having an appropriate strength on the entire back side. As shown in FIG. 3A, the board 52 is fixed to the seat back frame 23 by a plurality of screws 53 and the like, so that a load applied from the passenger can be received.

  Also, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the left and right protrusions 51 of the armrest 30 and the seat back 12 are formed so as to cover the left and right rear wheels 20 supported on the lower part of the vehicle body from above when in the full flat state. Has been.

  Further, an elastic tire is mounted on the outer periphery of the rear wheel 20, and the outer peripheral upper edge of the tire is higher than the main frame 14 constituting the main part of the chassis frame extending forward and backward at the left and right side lower portions of the vehicle body. It is comprised so that it may be located in (refer FIG. 2 etc.).

  1 to 3, the occupant can sit on the electric wheelchair 10 and operate the controller 32 to drive the power unit 40 and freely control the traveling of the electric wheelchair 10. On the other hand, in the full flat state shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the occupant can take a lying posture. At that time, a wide area is secured on the seat cushion 11, the seat back 12, and the footrest 13 that are horizontally disposed as a whole, and the user can roll over as necessary, thereby realizing excellent usability.

  In the electric wheelchair 10 of the present invention, in particular, the left and right side edge positions of the upper part of the seat back 12 that are provided with protrusions 51 on the left and right upper parts of the seat back 12 and support the upper arm from the shoulder of the occupant in the fully flat state at the time of bed conversion. However, the width is substantially the same as the width of the armrest 30 that supports the forearm portion in a normal sitting state. Thus, in the sitting state, as shown in FIG. 3, the shoulder can be supported so as to completely wrap around the upper arm part, and the shoulder and upper arm part wider than the buttocks and the waist are reliably and stably supported by the protruding part 51. be able to.

  At the same time, when lying on its back or lying down even in a full flat state, a wide area is supported from the shoulder to the upper arm, and further around the forearm, so that these parts of the occupant can be supported reliably and stably as well. Therefore, the fatigue level of the occupant, that is, the user can be significantly reduced. Particularly in the full flat state, as shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to take a recumbent posture stably and safely even if it is turned over.

  In the full flat state, the left and right rear wheels 20 are covered from above by the armrest 30 and the left and right protrusions 51 of the seat back 12. Thereby, for example, even if the occupant's arm hangs down from the bed when turning over, it is prevented from directly hitting a metal part such as a wheel or a frame of the rear wheel 20, and high safety is ensured.

  Further, in that case, the outer peripheral upper edge of the tire of the rear wheel 20 is located above the main frame 14 constituting the main part of the chassis frame extending forward and backward at the left and right sides of the vehicle body. First comes into contact with a soft tire. Therefore, high safety can be ensured also in this respect.

As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated with various embodiment, this invention is not limited only to these embodiment, A change etc. are possible within the scope of the present invention.
Although the case of an electric wheelchair has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention can be effectively applied not only to that case but also to a non-electric wheelchair, and the same effect as the above embodiment can be obtained. it can.

It is a perspective view of the sitting position which shows the whole structure of the electric wheelchair in embodiment of this invention. It is the top view and side view of a seating state which show the whole structure of the electric wheelchair in embodiment of this invention. It is the rear view and front view of the sitting state which show the whole structure of the electric wheelchair in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the full flat state which shows the whole structure of the electric wheelchair in embodiment of this invention. It is the top view and side view of a full flat state which show the whole structure of the electric wheelchair in embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the full flat state which shows the whole structure of the electric wheelchair in embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the periphery of the rear wheel of the electric wheelchair in embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the electric drive system of an electric wheelchair in embodiment of this invention. It is the front view and side view which show the example of the conventional wheelchair. It is a rear view which shows the mode at the time of sitting in the conventional wheelchair. It is a perspective view which shows the mode at the time of a full flat in the conventional wheelchair.

Explanation of symbols

10 Electric wheelchair 11 Seat cushion (sitting seat)
12 Seat back (back)
13 Footrest
14 Main frame 15 Bridge member 16, 17 Bracket 19 Front wheel 20 Rear wheel 23 Seat back frame 24 Link mechanism 26 Headrest 28 Reclining drive device 29 Drive unit 30 Armrest 31 Link mechanism 32 Controller 33 Operation lever 35 Footrest frame 38 Footrest 40 Power unit 41 Electric motor 42 Gear box 43 Rear wheel axle 44 Battery 45 Battery holder 47 Tray 48 Battery stopper 49 Control unit 50 Pivoting part 51 Protruding part 52 Board 53 Screw

Claims (2)

It has a backrest that supports the upper body when seated, a seating section that supports the buttocks, an armrest that supports the forearm, and a footrest that supports the legs and feet below the knee, and the backrest and the armrest can be adjusted up and down A wheelchair equipped with a bed conversion function,
The armrest is pivotally supported in the vertical direction rear end portion at the left and right side end portions of the lower close to the seating portion of the seat back, through the chassis frame side and the link mechanism for supporting the seating portion The upper surface of the armrest is connected to the upper surface of the seating portion so that the upper surface of the seating portion is held substantially horizontally with the upper surface of the seating portion. And is configured to be fully flat ,
The upper left and right sides above the mounting portion of the armrest of the seat back, and protrude to the left and right so that the left and right outer width substantially the same width of at least the armrest,
When the bed is converted, the left and right upper portions protruding left and right of the armrest and the backrest are rotatably supported by a rear axle that protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction from the lower portion of the vehicle body, and are positioned outwardly in the vehicle width direction of the seating portion. A wheelchair characterized in that the left and right rear wheels arranged are covered from above . It has a pair of left and right main frames that extend from the front end to the rear end at the lower left and right sides of the seat, and the rear wheels are arranged near the rear end of the main frame , Wheelchair according to claim 1, the outer peripheral upper edge of the rear wheel with the elastic tire fitted, characterized by being configured so as to be located above said main frame.

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