JP5769258B2 - Carriage and wheelchair that can move up and down stairs while holding the loading platform and seating surface horizontally - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

The present invention relates to a carriage and a wheelchair that can move up and down while holding the loading platform and the seating surface of the wheelchair horizontally regardless of the inclination angle of the stairs or the slope.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-284049 “Keeps the wheelchair's seat and bed horizontally, as a prior art of a cart that can keep the bed and wheelchair horizontal regardless of the inclination angle of the stairs or slope. There is a transport vehicle that can travel on flat ground and can be moved up and down stairs and its travel method.

Problems to be solved by the invention

A transport cart that travels on stairs using crawlers, sleds, idler boards, etc. has the disadvantage that it is difficult to change direction when traveling on flat ground and damages the ground plane. Therefore, as one type of current stair climbing cart, there is a type that uses a caster under the loading platform when traveling on flat ground, and can change the direction freely. is there. There is another type in which a plurality of wheels such as three, four, six, etc. are arranged in a satellite pattern around the central rotation axis of the caster to move up and down the stairs. However, in either case, the problem that the loading platform tilts cannot be solved. In the former case, the grounding point of the carriage when traveling on flat ground, and in the latter case when raising and lowering the stairs is two points on the left and right wheels, so the loading platform is small compared to the size of the carriage, and the operator falls the load. As a result, there was a drawback that a balance operation was required.

The transport cart disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-284049 can move up and down stairs while keeping the loading platform and wheelchair horizontal, but requires a driving device, and has a configuration with a parallel crank mechanism and four front and rear left and right crawlers attached thereto. It is complicated and requires many parts.

According to the present invention, (1), it is possible to continuously switch between flat ground traveling and staircase slope traveling while maintaining the level of the loading platform, and (2) stable operation that always keeps four or more points on the front, rear, left, and right. The purpose is to provide a transport cart and a wheelchair characterized in that it can be transported, (3), can be used with or without power, has few parts, and can be commercialized at low production costs. .

Means for solving the problem

The lower part of the handle 1 is pivoted at the rear end of the loading platform 8 (14). The rear end portion of the sliding arm 5 is pivoted at the lower end of the handle (15). The center of the sliding arm and the end of the support arm 6 are pivoted (16). The other end of the support arm and the front of the loading platform are pivoted (17). The four parts of the handle, sliding arm, support arm, and cargo bed are pivotally linked. The dimensional ratio of these four parts is that when the handle and the loading platform cross at a right angle, the sliding arm is slightly upward facing forward, not grounded, and below the support arm. Set so that only 4 is grounded. The sliding arm is grounded by the handle operation, and the loading platform is pushed up through the support arm so that the tilt angle of the loading platform can be adjusted.

A handle sliding portion 3 having a sliding function is provided in a lower portion of the handle. Install the rear wheel at the lower end of the handle. At this time, the rear wheel is installed at the front of the lower end of the handle so that the rear wheel is located on the upper part of the sliding arm and does not come into contact when the sliding arm is grounded (4 in FIG . 1 and 4 in FIG. 2 ). .

At least one of the front wheel and the rear wheel is a freely changeable wheel.

In the cart of claim 1, since the seat height is low unlike the wheelchair, the inner angle of the pivotal portion C increases to nearly 180 °. In addition, the sliding arm receives a force from below due to the unevenness of the sliding surface, and the internal angle of the pivotal portion C is likely to be 180 ° or more. Since the link mechanism of the four parts of the handle, the sliding arm, the support arm, and the loading platform will not work when the internal angle of the pivot part C exceeds 180 °, the staircase using the sliding arm and the handle sliding part from the flat running using the wheels Cannot move to slope driving. In order to prevent this, the arm stop 9 is installed, the inner angles of the support arm and the sliding arm are held below 180 °, and the folding inside is locked.

A brake device and a handle lock 13 for arbitrarily fixing the inclination angle of the handle and the loading platform are installed at the pivot portion of the handle and the loading platform.

With the above configuration, when traveling on flat ground, the front and rear wheels can be moved back and forth, and the direction can be freely changed.When traveling on stairs and slopes, the platform, handle, sliding arm, and support arm link The mechanism is used to hold the loading platform horizontally, and using the sliding arm and the handle sliding part, the ascending travels backward and the descending travels forward.

Method of operation

Explain the case of going up the stairs. The dolly goes backwards. When the handle sliding part 3 hits the first step of the staircase ( FIG. 5- a), the handle lock is released, and the handle angle is adjusted with the step end of the staircase as a fulcrum ( FIG. 5-- b). When the handle is pulled up and the sliding arm leaves the flat ground, the level of the loading platform is confirmed and the handle is locked ( FIG. 5- c). When the sliding arm reaches the upper flat ground, the handle lock is released ( FIG. 5- d), and the sliding arm is pulled up along the end of the final stage ( FIG. 5- e). When the front wheels are on the upper flat ground, raise the handle vertically to lock the handle, and move on to flat ground.

Explain the case of going down the stairs. The dolly goes forward. ( Fig. 5 advances to e, d, c, b, and a.) The handle lock is released on the upper flat ground, and once the carriage has entered the stairs, the carriage is stopped once, and the tip of the sliding arm is operated by the handle. Connect the handle to the end of the second step and lock the handle. When the dolly lands on the lower flat ground, the handle lock is released when the tip of the sliding arm reaches the lower flat ground, and the rear wheel is softened while the steering arm and handle sliding section are slid to raise the handle vertically. Land.

A case will be described in which the carriage travels on a flat ground while moving forward and crosses a step. The steps down are the same as going down the stairs, and you can keep moving forward. Even when climbing to a high level, if you go backwards in the same way as the stairs, you can get on while holding the loading platform horizontally.

However, it is not necessary to stick to the level of the loading platform, and it shows how to get on while moving forward. If you are driving on flat ground and reach a high step ( Fig. 6- a), release the handle lock and slide the sliding arm ( Fig. 6- b), place the front wheel on the step, and move the handle at this point. At right angles to the loading platform ( FIG. 6- c), slide the sliding arm to push the carriage forward and place the rear wheel on the step ( FIG. 6- d).

As mentioned above, the carriage always supports the gravity of the load with four wheels or two sliding arms, both when traveling on flat ground and when going up and down stairs and slopes, so the operator can move in the traveling direction of the truck without considering the balance of the load. It can be transported simply by applying force. Since the operation is only the adjustment of the handle angle and the switching of the handle lock at the handle, continuous operation is possible.

Also, when adjusting the handle angle to keep the load carrier level, the four-part linkage mechanism of the load carrier, handle, sliding arm, and support arm plays a role of lever, so the operator can handle the weight of the load several minutes. Can be operated with a single force.

In addition to the structure of the cart of claim 1, the cart of claim 2 can be made to be able to remove the pivoting portion 17 of the loading platform and the support arm, and the handle and the pivoting portion 14 of the loading platform can be made independent of the backrest so that the backrest can be bent forward. Is attached to the lower end of the backrest. Further, by arranging the parts constituting the link so as not to overlap each other, the cart can be stored compactly. ( Fig. 7 )

The wheelchair of claim 3 has the same configuration and operation method as the cart of claim 1, but has a configuration in which safety is emphasized by using a sliding arm as a crawler and installing a braking device. (Fig. 9)

Effect of the invention

Since the stairs and slope can be raised and lowered while keeping the loading platform horizontal, it is also possible to transport loads that are difficult to bind with ropes, piled loads, fluid in containers without lids, etc. It is also possible to use a cart on which a general care wheelchair is placed, or a wheelchair mechanism.

Since the link mechanism for adjusting the angle of the loading platform and the seating surface of the wheelchair is integrated with the loading platform, the seating surface, the handle, and the sliding arm, the number of parts is small, and it can be manufactured at low cost.

The side view at the time of plane driving | running | working of the trolley | bogie of this invention. The side view at the time of the stairs and slope raising / lowering of the trolley | bogie of this invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line aa in FIG. 1 . A top view of the bottom of the loading platform. The operation | movement figure at the time of stairs raising / lowering. Operation diagram when getting over a step while traveling forward on a plane. The side view when the cart of Claim 2 is stored. Conceptual diagram of a car board. (A) is a looking up view. (B) is a side view. The conceptual diagram of the wheelchair of Claim 3. (A) is a side view at the time of flat ground driving | running | working. (B) is a side view at the time of stairs and slope going up and down. (C) is the figure which looked at (a) from the back. (A) is the dimension ratio of the link of FIG. (B) shows the approximate value of the maximum inclination angle of the staircase slope that can be moved up and down with the seating surface horizontal at this dimensional ratio.

(Part 1)
In the cart shown in FIGS . 1 to 6 , the dimensional ratio of DA: AB: BC: CD is approximately 60: 20: 26.5: 34 (however, upper and lower of A and D). Although the difference is shown as 10), in this case, the maximum inclination angle of the staircase slope that can adjust the loading platform horizontally is about 45 °. Since the inclination angle of the stairs of public buildings is almost designed to be less than 40 °, the stairs of public facilities can be almost covered. This dimensional ratio can be changed according to the height, length, and required inclination angle of the loading platform according to the purpose of use of the carriage.

(Part 2)
Dimensional ratio wheelchair link shown in FIG. 9 shows in FIG. However, D ′ in FIG. 10 is a point where ∠DD′A = 90 °. With this dimensional ratio, the seating surface can be kept horizontal up to a staircase or slope with an inclination angle of about 55 °.

(Part 3)
In the sliding arm and the sliding portion of the lower part of the handle shown in claim 1 and claim 2, the crawler, a sled using a sliding material, and a caster board in which a plurality of rows of casters arranged in a bead shape are arranged so that the casters are displaced ( FIG. 8 ) can be used.

(Part 4)
When a crawler is used as a sliding arm in the transport carriage according to claim 1 or 2, a braking device that enables a decelerating traveling on a descending staircase is installed on the main wheel at the rear of the crawler so that a stable and safe staircase traveling is performed. It can be so.

(Part 5)
3. The transport cart according to claim 1, wherein a sliding portion under the handle is omitted, and the transport cart adopts only a step-over function when the link mechanism travels on a plane.

(Part 6)
3. The carriage according to claim 1, wherein the handle is made to be extendable and a lever function for adjusting the tilt angle of the cargo bed can be amplified.

(Part 7)
4. The carriage and the wheelchair according to claim 1 and claim 3, wherein a drive device that can be switched by a gear operation is installed on a crawler and a rear wheel, and a hydraulic cylinder is provided for a handle operation to be self-propelled.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Handle, 2 ... Handle belly board, 3 ... Handle sliding part, 4 ... Rear wheel, 5 ... Sliding arm, 6 ... Support arm, 7 ... Front wheel, 8・ ・ ・ Loading platform, 9 ・ ・ ・ Arm stop, 10 ・ ・ ・ Back belly plate, 11 ・ ・ ・ Handle lock operation part, 12 ・ ・ ・ Backrest, 13 ・ ・ ・ Handle lock, 14 ・ ・ ・ Handle and loading platform Pivoting part A, 15... Pivoting part B of handle and sliding arm, 16... Pivoting part C of sliding arm and support arm, 17... .... Stairs, 19 ... flat ground, 20 ... step, 21 ... brake lever, 22 ... brake wire, 23 ... seat, 24 ... brake

Claims (3)

The lower part of the handle is pivoted at the rear end of the loading platform (this is referred to as pivot part A). The rear end portion of the sliding arm is pivoted at the lower end of the handle (this is referred to as pivot portion B). The center portion of the sliding arm and the end portion of the support arm are pivoted (this is referred to as pivotal portion C). The other end of the support arm and the front of the loading platform are pivoted. The four parts of the handle, the sliding arm, the support arm, and the loading platform are pivotally linked. In these four parts, when the handle and the loading platform cross at a right angle, the sliding arm is slightly upward facing forward, not grounded, and below the support arm, and only the front and rear wheels are grounded. Set to be in the state. That is, when the inner angle with the pivot A as the apex is 90 °, the inner angle of the pivot B is less than 90 °, and the inner angle of the pivot C is less than 180 °.
The sliding arm is grounded by the handle operation, and the loading platform is pushed up through the support arm so that the tilt angle of the loading platform can be adjusted.
A handle sliding portion having a sliding function is provided in a lower portion of the handle.
Install the rear wheel at the lower end of the handle. At this time, the rear wheel is installed at the front of the lower end of the handle so that when the sliding arm is grounded, the rear wheel is positioned above the sliding arm so as not to ground.
At least one of the front wheel and the rear wheel is a freely changeable wheel.
A brake device (handle lock) for arbitrarily fixing the inclination angle of the handle and the loading platform is installed at the pivot portion of the handle and the loading platform.
A backrest is erected separately from the handle at the rear of the loading platform. The backrest should be fixed to the loading platform except during storage.
With the above configuration, when traveling on flat ground, the front and rear wheels can be moved back and forth, and the direction can be changed freely. When traveling on stairs and slopes, use the link mechanism of the loading platform, handle, sliding arm, and support arm. A transport cart characterized by holding the loading platform horizontally and using a sliding arm and a handle sliding portion so that the vehicle can travel backward in the up direction and forward in the down direction. In the transport carriage according to claim 1, the pivotal portion of the support arm and the loading platform can be removed,
The back can be bent forward. A transport cart that allows compact storage by tilting the backrest and handle to the top of the loading platform and rotating the sliding arm and support arm to the top of the loading platform. The lower part of the handle is pivoted at the rear end of the seating surface. The rear end of the sliding arm is pivoted at the lower end of the handle. The center of the sliding arm and the end of the support arm are pivoted. The other end of the support arm and the front part of the seat are pivoted. The four parts of the steering wheel, sliding arm, support arm, and seating surface are linked in a freely rotatable manner. When these four parts cross the handle and the seat at right angles, the sliding arm is slightly upward facing forward, not grounded, and below the support arm, and only the front and rear wheels are grounded. Set to be in the state. That is, when the seating surface and the handle intersect at a right angle, the inner angle of the sliding arm and the handle is set to be less than 90 °, and the inner angle of the sliding arm and the support arm is set to be less than 180 °.
The sliding arm is grounded by the steering wheel operation, and the seat surface is pushed up via the support arm, so that the inclination angle of the seat surface can be adjusted.
A handle sliding portion having a sliding function is provided in a lower portion of the handle.
Install the rear wheel at the lower end of the handle. At this time, the rear wheel is installed at the front of the lower end of the handle so that when the sliding arm is grounded, the rear wheel is positioned above the sliding arm so as not to ground.
The front wheels shall be freely changeable.
A brake device (handle lock) for arbitrarily fixing the inclination angle of the handle and the seat surface is installed at the pivot portion of the handle and the seat surface. The sliding arm is a crawler, and a braking device is attached to the crawler to keep safety when going up and down stairs.
With the above configuration, when traveling on flat ground, the front and rear wheels can be moved back and forth, and the direction can be changed freely. When traveling on stairs and slopes, the link mechanism of the seat, handle, sliding arm, and support arm is used. The wheelchair is characterized in that the seating surface is held horizontally, and it is possible to run backward in the upward direction and forward in the downward direction using the sliding arm and the handle sliding portion.

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