JP7341929B2 - Footrests and chairs for people with disabilities in the ability to maintain a sitting position - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a footrest and a chair equipped with the footrest. More particularly, the present invention relates to a footrest and a chair equipped with a footrest for persons, especially children, who are impaired in their ability to maintain the posture of their legs on their own.

Conventionally, wheelchairs equipped with leg rests that stabilize the feet by applying pads to the calves have been proposed for people who have difficulty maintaining a sitting posture on their own, such as people with leg disorders. (Patent Document 1).

In this wheelchair, the footrest on which the feet are placed has a structure that allows it to be rotated around an axis of rotation so that it stands up or lies down horizontally.When the footrest is used, it is folded down to make it horizontal, and when it is not in use, it is placed upright. Care has been taken to ensure that it does not get in the way.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-57562

However, for people who are unable to maintain a sitting position on their own, especially children with leg disorders, supporting the legs alone may not be sufficient to stabilize the feet. Yes, it may be necessary to adjust the height and angle of the footrest. For example, it is necessary to finely adjust the height of the footrest and the angle of the footrest depending on the condition of the child's ankles, depending on the degree of the child's disability.

Moreover, separate operations for height adjustment and angle adjustment would make the adjustment operations cumbersome, so it is desirable to be able to perform them at the same time.

The present invention meets such demands and aims to provide a footrest whose height and angle can be adjusted at the same time, and a chair equipped with the footrest.

A footrest for achieving this purpose includes a footrest having a pivot as the center of rotation and an angle adjustment hole consisting of a plurality of holes or elongated holes arranged on an arc centered on the pivot, and a footrest. a footrest support frame having a guide hole made of an elongated hole that slidably supports the pivot of the stand, and a height adjustment hole made of a plurality of holes or elongated holes arranged parallel to the guide hole; At a location where the angle adjustment hole of the footrest and the height adjustment hole of the footrest support frame match, a fastening screw is provided to fix the position by passing through both holes and connecting them.

Further, in the footrest of the present invention, the footrest support frame is provided with a fixed frame via a hinge part, and the footrest support frame is rotated with respect to the fixed frame so that it is fixed at a selected angle. It is preferable.

Here, the hinge portion penetrates through the first member attached to the footrest support frame, the second member attached to the fixed frame, and the first member and the second member so that they are connected to each other. The first member and the second member have a plurality of through holes for positioning in the circumferential direction at mutually different pitches around the connecting means. The first member and the second member are connected by penetrating the first member and the second member at the positions of the respective positioning through holes of the first member and the second member. It is preferable to include positioning fastening means that connects the two in the rotational direction so that they cannot rotate with respect to each other.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the chair of the present invention includes a footrest according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

According to the footrest according to the first aspect, the height and angle can be adjusted at the same time.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment in which the footrest and chair for people with disabilities in the ability to maintain a sitting posture according to the present invention are applied to a dining chair for children with disabilities. It is a perspective view showing the state where the footrest of the dining chair is raised. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the footrest according to the present invention, seen from above and behind. It is a perspective view of the same footrest seen from the rear and below. It is an exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of the hinge part of the same footrest. It is an exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of a footrest and a footrest support frame of the same footrest. It is an explanatory view showing one embodiment of angle adjustment of the footrest of the same footrest, (A) shows a horizontal state, (B) shows an elevation angle, and (C) shows a depression angle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The configuration of the present invention will be described in detail below based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an embodiment in which the footrest and chair for people with disabilities in the ability to maintain a sitting posture according to the present invention are applied to a dining chair for children with disabilities.

The children's dining chair according to this embodiment includes, for example, an adduction prevention pad 2 that prevents knee contact due to tension in the adductor muscles of the hip joint, a pelvis pad 3 that holds the pelvis, and a footrest 5 that serves as a footrest. It is particularly useful for children who require assistance in preparing and maintaining a sitting position.

Here, the leg portions 6 and the elbow rests 7 have an extendable support structure, for example, a telescoping structure (telescopic structure), and the heights of the seat 8 and the elbow rests 7 can be adjusted. Further, the pair of pelvis pads 3 that hold the pelvis are also movable in the left-right direction by a slide mechanism (not shown), so that the width for holding the pelvis can be adjusted. Note that the reference numeral 9 in the figure is a cover.

Further, the leg portions 6 and the elbow rests 7 have an extendable support structure, for example, a telescoping structure (telescopic structure), and the heights of the seat 8 and the elbow rests 7 can be adjusted. The legs are telescopic and can be adjusted in height. In addition, the legs and elbow rests have a telescoping structure (telescopic structure), allowing for height adjustment. Further, a pair of pelvis pads that hold the pelvis are movable in the left and right direction, and the width of the pads to be held can be adjusted.

In the case of the present embodiment, the footrest 5 includes a footrest support frame 10 that is attached so as to be suspended from a seat support frame (not shown) under the seat, and the footrest support frame 10, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6. and a footrest 31 supported so that its height and angle can be adjusted.

The footrest 5 of this embodiment includes a footrest 31 having a pivot 39 serving as a rotation center and an angle adjustment hole 35 consisting of a plurality of holes or elongated holes arranged on an arc centered on the pivot 39; A guide hole 27 consisting of an elongated hole that slidably supports the pivot 39 of the footrest 31, and height adjustment holes 28 and 29 consisting of a plurality of holes or elongated holes arranged parallel to the guide hole 27. Both holes 35, 28, and 29 are connected to the footrest support frame 12 having the same diameter, and the angle adjustment holes 35 of the footrest 31 match the height position adjustment holes 28, 29 of the footrest support frame 12. A fastening screw 33 that can be turned by hand is provided to fix the position by passing through and connecting the screw.

The footrest support frame 10 includes, for example, a fixed frame 11 that is attached to the frame of the chair body (not shown), a footrest support frame 12 that suspends the footrest 31, and the fixed frame 11 and the footrest support frame 12. It has a hinge part 13 which is rotatably connected and fixed at an arbitrary angle, and the fixed frame 12, in other words, the footrest support frame 12 is rotated with respect to the frame of the chair body and fixed at a selected angle. It is preferable that the

In the case of this embodiment, square pipes, for example, are used as the fixed frame 11 and the footrest support frame 12. In addition, a square pipe is also used for the frame (not shown) placed under the seat 8 of the chair, and a tightening screw (not shown) is provided at one corner of the frame. It is designed to be fixed by screwing it in place (in the front-rear direction of the chair and at the point where the amount of protrusion from the front edge of the seat is required). Since the tightening screw presses and fixes the corner portion of the fixed pipe 11 made of a square pipe, it can be tightened with a strong force without being easily crushed.

In the case of this embodiment, the guide hole 27 and the height position adjustment hole 28 are provided in a guide plate 26 that is formed separately from the footrest support frame 12, and are used to support the footrest. By attaching it to the frame 12, it is integrated with the footrest support frame 12. The guide plate 26 is fixed to the footrest support frame 12 by fastening means 30 at two locations, for example near the upper end and near the lower end. Although screws are used as the fastening means 30 in this embodiment, rivets or welding may be used as the case may be. Of course, the guide hole 27 and the height adjustment hole 28 may be provided integrally with the footrest support frame 12 itself in advance. In this case, the height adjustment hole 28 and the height adjustment hole 29 are the same.

In the case of the present embodiment, the footrest 31 is formed of, for example, a synthetic resin shell into an appropriate shape, and is supported by a footrest support arm 32 . As shown in FIG. 6, for example, the footrest 31 is fixed to the footrest support arm 32 by fastening the footrest support arm 32 from below with a fastening bolt or the like. The footrest support arm 32 is provided with a screw hole 38 for attaching a pivot 39 serving as a center of rotation, and an angle adjustment hole 35 that allows the fixed angle to be adjusted within a certain range. This footrest support arm 32 is arranged inside the left and right footrest support frames 12, and is connected to the guide hole 27 of the footrest support frame 12 and the height adjustment holes 28, 29 by means of a pivot 39 and a fastening screw 33. It is fixed by being supported or connected to. Here, when changing the angle of the footrest 31 at the same height, the positions of the holes 28 and 29 and the position of the pivot 39 for fixing the footrest support arm 32 to the footrest support frame 12 will be explained. The relationship is constant. In the case of this embodiment, the pivot 39 is composed of, for example, a fixing screw and a cylindrical collar, and by screwing a screw passed through a hole in the center of the collar into the screw hole 38, the footrest support arm can be assembled. 32 is rotatably supported. This collar passes through a guide hole 27 of the footrest support frame 12, and is supported so as to be slidable in the vertical direction along the guide hole 27.

The angle adjustment hole 35 is composed of a plurality of holes or elongated holes arranged on an arc centered on the pivot 39 (in other words, the screw hole 38) serving as the center of rotation. In the case of this embodiment, the angle adjustment hole 35 is configured by a plurality of holes, for example, five holes, arranged at equal intervals on an arc centered on the screw hole 38. An arc-shaped reinforcing rib 37 surrounding the angle adjusting hole 35 is formed around the angle adjusting hole 35, which is made up of a group of holes. A groove 36 is formed into which the groove 36 fits. On the other hand, a fastening screw (bolt) 33 having a rectangular seat portion 33a formed under the head is used. Therefore, by fitting the rectangular seat portion 33a of the fastening screw 33 into the groove 36, the bolt becomes unable to rotate.

Therefore, the fastening screw 33 inserted into the angle adjustment hole 35 is passed through any through hole 28 of the guide plate 26 and the through hole 29 of the footrest support frame 12, and then the screw of the grip 34 is inserted into the screw portion that protrudes outside. The bolt 33 can be tightened simply by screwing into the hole and turning, and the footrest support arm 32 of the footrest 31 and the footrest support frame 12 can be connected and fixed. In this embodiment, the angle adjustment hole 35 is composed of five holes arranged on an arc, but is not particularly limited to this, and may be one elongated hole that covers these ranges. . Even in this case, it is also possible to fix the angle of the footrest 31 by the tightening force of the fastening screws 33. Further, in the case of the present embodiment, the height position adjustment holes 28 and 29 are a set of a large number of holes opened at a constant pitch, but are not particularly limited to this, and may be one elongated hole depending on the case. A large force is required when tightening two members at the center of rotation, but in the case of this embodiment, a large tightening force is not required because the two members are fixed at a position away from the pivot 39, which is the center of rotation. Therefore, even if the holes 28 and 29 are not engaged with the fastening screws 33, it is possible to fix them by the frictional force of tightening.

It is preferable that the fixed frame 11 and the footrest support frame 12 are configured such that the angle of the footrest support frame 12, that is, the angle with respect to the perpendicular line, can be adjusted by the hinge portion 13. Here, the hinge part 13 is not limited to a specific mechanism as long as it is a mechanism that can adjust the angle of the footrest support frame 12, but the hinge part 13 is a first member attached to the footrest support frame 12. , has a second member attached to the fixed frame 11, and a connecting means that penetrates the first member and the second member and connects the first member and the second member rotatably to each other and serves as a rotation center, and the first member A plurality of through holes for positioning are provided in the member and the second member in the circumferential direction at mutually different pitches around the connecting means. a positioning fastening means that penetrates the first member and the second member at the locations where the through holes match and connects the first member and the second member in the rotational direction so that they cannot rotate with respect to each other; It is preferable that the joint be a so-called hinge type joint.

In the case of this embodiment, the hinge part 13 is, for example, a cylinder as a second member fixed to one end (the front end in FIG. 5) of the fixed frame 11 by welding or the like, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5. 14, a pair of disks 15 as a first member fixed to the top of the footrest support frame 12 by welding or the like so as to be arranged on both sides of the cylinder 14, and these pair of disks 15 and the cylinder 14. A place where a fastening screw 17 serving as a connecting means for penetrating and connecting the disk 15 and the cylinder 14 is aligned with a plurality of positioning through holes 21 and 24 arranged annularly at different pitches in the disk 15 and the cylinder 14, respectively. It is comprised of a fastening screw 19 and a grip 18 that penetrate through the disk 15 and the cylinder 14 and connect the disk 15 and the cylinder 14 so that they cannot rotate with each other. The pair of disks 15 have a U-shape whose bottoms are connected by a bottom plate 16, and the bottom plate 16 is fixed to the upper end of the footrest support frame 12 by welding or the like.

In the case of the present embodiment, the cylinder 14 has one central through hole 24 through which the fastening screw 19 passes, and four through holes arranged around the central through hole 24 at regular intervals, for example, every 90 degrees, on the same circumference. 20. On the other hand, the pair of disks 15 sandwiching the cylinder 14 are provided with a through hole 22 or screw hole 23 at one central location through which a fastening screw 17 is passed, and holes are formed on the same circumference at regular intervals, for example, every 60 degrees, around the through hole 22 or screw hole 23. Five through holes 21 are arranged.

The cylinder 14 and a pair of disks 15 arranged on both sides of the cylinder 14 are rotatably connected to each other by a fastening screw 17 that passes through the central through holes 22 and 24 and is screwed into the screw hole 23. The fastening screws 19 passing through the central through holes 22 and 24 and the through holes 21 and 20 arranged around the screw hole 23 are tightened by the grip 18 to fix each other to each other. That is, the through-holes 21 of the disk 15 and the through-holes 20 of the cylinder 14 have different pitches from each other, and are provided so that the fastening screws 19 are passed through and fixed where the through-holes 21 and 20 of both are aligned. ing.

Therefore, the combination of the five through holes 21 penetrated through the pair of outer disks 15 and the four through holes 20 of the central cylinder 14 creates a gap between the fixed frame 11 and the footrest support frame 12. The angle can be switched in 5 steps at 20° intervals. That is, the matching angle (connecting position) changes depending on which holes of the two pitches are combined. In this case, in the member with a larger number of holes to be drilled, such as the disk 15, the through holes 21 can be arranged so that they do not overlap, so the diameters of the cylinder 14 of the hinge part 13 and the disk 15 are made smaller (the same When changing the angle, it is necessary to space the holes of one type apart so that they do not overlap, which ultimately increases the diameter of the syringe and the disk.) Compactness is possible.

The overall angle of the footrest 5 is adjusted by changing the combination of the holes 20 and 21 of the two types of pitches in the hinge portion 13 and changing the matching angle (connecting position). By adjusting the angle (back and forth direction) of the footrest support frame 12 with respect to the seat surface at the hinge portion 13, that is, changing the inclination, it becomes possible to adjust the position of the footrest 31 in the front and rear direction. In other words, the total amount of insertion and removal of the footrest 5 can be adjusted.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, by adjusting the angle of the footrest 31 itself (partial angle adjustment), the angle of the footrest 31 can be changed as appropriate depending on a disability such as ankle stiffness. At the same time, the height of the footrest 31 can be adjusted. Height and angle can be changed at the same time in one process/operation. A pivot 39, which is the center of rotation of the footrest 31, is not fixed and slides through the guide hole 27.

Note that the footrest support frame 12 of this embodiment supports both left and right ends of the footrest 31, and is connected by an upper horizontal rod 40 and a lower horizontal rod 41 arranged between them. Further, the reference numeral 42 in the figure is a caster.

According to the footrest 5 configured as described above, the height and angle of the footrest 31 can be adjusted to a height necessary for stabilizing the legs of a child with a leg disease by placing them on the feet as follows. It can be fixed after adjusting the position in the front and back direction as necessary.

First, when adjusting the height or angle of the footrest 31, the grip 34 is turned to loosen the fastening screw 33. Then, after removing the grip 34, the fastening screws 33 are removed from the holes 28, 29 of the footrest support frame 12 and the angle adjustment hole 35 of the footrest support arm 32. The connection with the platform support frame 12 is released. Then, the footrest 31 and the footrest support arm 32 are raised and lowered along the guide hole 27 of the footrest support frame 12 to a required height. Here, the pivot 39, which is the rotation center of the footrest support arm 32 of the footrest 31, is moved in the vertical direction along the guide hole 27 while being engaged with the guide hole 27 of the footrest support frame 12. be able to.

In addition, the footrest 5 can change the angle of the footrest support frame 12 itself with respect to the vertical line by adjusting the angle of the hinge part 13. You can also adjust the amount of inflow and outflow. For example, the footrest 31 is pushed forward when the footrest support frame 12 is tilted forward, and is pulled into the inside of the chair when the footrest support frame 12 is tilted backward.

By swinging the footrest 31 up or down about the pivot 39, the footrest 31 can be adjusted within the range of the hole array (angle adjustment holes 35) arranged in an arc shape on the footrest support arm 32. It is possible to adjust the angle upward and downward. Further, by adjusting the hinge portion 13, the footrest support frame 12 itself can be swung back and forth, and the footrest 31 can be protruded or retracted forward of the seat 8.

If it is necessary to change the angle of the footrest support frame 12, the grip 18 of the hinge portion 13 is removed from the fastening screw 19, and then the fastening screw 19 is pulled out from the cylinder 14 and disk 15. Then, the disk 15 fixed to the top of the footrest support frame 12 is relatively rotated around the central connecting screw 17 to adjust it to any desired angle. At this time, the angle between the fixed frame 11 and the footrest support frame 12 is fixed by passing the fastening screw 19 through the position where the through hole 21 of the disk and the through hole 20 of the cylinder 14 match.

On the other hand, when adjusting the angle of the footrest 31, the pivot 39 of the footrest support arm 32 remains engaged with the guide hole 27 of the footrest support frame 12. The angle of the footrest 31 can be changed by rotating the footrest support arm 32 at the center. Therefore, the footrest 31 is adjusted to have the required angle of elevation and depression, and the footrest is aligned with the height adjustment holes 29 and 28 of the footrest support frame 12 until the required angle is obtained. After inserting the fastening screw 33 into the angle adjustment hole 35 of the platform support arm 32, the footrest support arm 32 and the footrest support frame 12 are connected. At this time, since the bottom of the head of the fastening screw 33 is a rectangular seat surface 33a, it fits into the groove 36 surrounded by the rib 37 around the angle adjustment hole 35, making it unrotatable, and gripping from one side. The fastening screw 33 can be tightened simply by rotating 34. Therefore, by tightening and removing the fastening screw 33 using the grip 34, the hoodrest can be moved up and down and the angle can be adjusted without using any tools. Moreover, since the footrest 31 can be tilted above (elevation angle) or below (depression angle) from the horizontal line with the pivot 39 as the center (fulcrum), the inclination of the footrest 31 can be changed depending on the obstacle. More detailed adjustments can be made according to the degree of

Note that although the above-described embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example was given in which the footrest was used to support the legs of a chair for a handicapped child, but the use is not limited to this, and for example, the footrest can be used as a footrest in a wheelchair. You can do it like this. In this case, the means for attaching the fixed frame portion to the frame of the wheelchair is not particularly limited.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the footrest 31 is supported at both ends by the pair of left and right footrest support frames 12; however, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, one foot placed in the center The footrest may have a structure in which the central portion of the footrest is supported by the support frame.

Further, in the above embodiment, the adduction prevention pad 2, the pelvis pad 3, the elbow rest 7, etc. are provided, but these are not essential in the present invention. Further, in the chair of the above-described embodiment, the legs 6 have a telescoping structure (telescopic structure), and the height can be adjusted. It's not required. However, people with disabilities, especially children, may have various disabilities not only in their legs, so the adduction prevention pad 2, pelvis pad 3, elbow pad 7, and extendable leg 6 and casters 42, and further preferably includes a headrest that supports the head and a trunk pad that supports the thoracic vertebrae (not shown).

In addition, in the above embodiment, an example is given in which the chair is applied as a special chair useful for people who need assistance in maintaining a sitting position, but the application is not necessarily limited to special chairs, and is usually used. Needless to say, the present invention can also be applied to a child's chair or an adult's chair requiring assistance.

1 Chair 2 Adduction prevention pad 3 Pelvis pad 4 Backrest 5 Footrest 6 Legs 7 Elbow rests 8 Seat 9 Leg cover 10 Footrest support frame 11 Fixed frame 12 Footrest support frame 13 Hinge 14 Cylinder 15 Disc 16 Connection plate 17 Connection screw 18 Grip 19 Fixing pin 20 Through hole (cylinder)
21 Through hole (disc)
22 Central hole 23 Central screw hole 24 Central through hole 25 Square hole 26 Plate 27 Guide hole 28 Height adjustment hole (of the plate)
29 Height adjustment hole (of footrest support frame)
30 Rivet (connection bolt)
31 Footrest 32 Footrest support arm 33 Fastening screw 34 Grip 35 Angle adjustment hole 36 Square seating surface 37 Reinforcement rib 38 Screw hole for attaching the pivot 39 Pivot 40 Upper transverse bar 41 Lower transverse bar 42 Caster

Claims (4)

A footrest having a pivot as a rotation center and an angle adjustment hole consisting of a plurality of holes or elongated holes arranged on an arc centered on the pivot;
A footrest having a guide hole made of an elongated hole that slidably supports the pivot shaft of the footrest, and a height adjustment hole made of a plurality of holes or elongated holes arranged parallel to the guide hole. a support frame;
A fastening screw is provided at a location where the angle adjustment hole of the footrest and the height adjustment hole of the footrest support frame match, and fixes the position by passing through both holes and connecting them. A footrest that is characterized by 2. The footrest support frame is provided with a fixed frame via a hinge portion, and the footrest support frame is rotated relative to the fixed frame and fixed at a selected angle. footrest. The hinge portion extends through a first member attached to the footrest support frame, a second member attached to the fixed frame, and the first member and the second member. and a connecting means that is rotatably connected to each other and serves as a rotation center,
A plurality of positioning through holes are provided in the first member and the second member in the circumferential direction at mutually different pitches around the connecting means, and the first member and the second member The first member and the second member are connected in the rotational direction by passing through the first member and the second member at the positions of the through holes for positioning each of the members. 3. The footrest according to claim 2, further comprising positioning fastening means for making the footrests mutually unrotatable. A chair comprising a footrest according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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