JPH0215495Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] <Industrial field of application> This invention relates to a steering device for operating two front wheels arranged on the left and right sides of the front of the wheelchair in a road racing wheelchair used for marathons, etc. .

<Prior Art> Conventionally, as a steering device for operating the left and right front wheels of this type of road racing wheelchair, there has been one shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.

In this steering device, the front wheels WF, which are disposed perpendicularly to the contact surfaces B on both left and right sides, have their axles S fixed to the lower portions of substantially U-shaped shaft fixing devices 7, 7, respectively. 7 is fixed with a handle shaft 5 which is perpendicular to the ground plane B and has a handle portion 5a on the upper part, and this handle shaft 5
were rotatably held in sleeves 6, 6 fixed to both left and right sides of the front portion of the frame 2. Note that each front wheel WF is configured to be rotatable with respect to an axle S via a radial bearing at its boss portion, and the rear wheels WR are also configured in the same manner, with the axle S being connected to the frame 2. It is fixed to shaft fixtures 3, 3 fixed to the shaft fixtures 7, 3, and connecting rods 8, 8 are protruded from the lower portions of the opposing inner surfaces of the shaft fixtures 7, 7, respectively.
A link rod 9 was pivotally attached to the tips of these connecting rods 8, 8, and the two front wheels WF were formed to face in the same direction. Further, 4 is a sheet.

When operating the wheelchair 1 to turn leftward, for example, by rotating one handle portion 5a to the left, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 9, the handle shaft 5 is rotated in the same direction. Rotate to shaft fixing tool 7
were rotated in the same direction, and together with the action of the link rod 9, the two front wheels WF turned to the left, causing the wheelchair 1 to turn to the left.

<Problems to be solved by the invention> However, in the conventional steering device of the wheelchair 1, the handle shaft 5 is broken perpendicularly to the ground plane B, and when the handle part 5a is rotated, the front wheel WF also rotates perpendicular to the contact surface B, and the contact surface B is the same as when the front wheel WF is moving straight.
Since the curve is perpendicular to the curve, if you turn a curve at high speed after going down a hill, you have to slow down the speed of the wheelchair 1 to avoid the risk of falling. It was unable to turn well, which was a disadvantage in this type of road race. By the way, in road races using wheelchairs, the key to improving your time is to take advantage of the speed you run down the hill without slowing down.

In addition, in the conventional wheelchair 1, a substantially U-shaped shaft fixture 7 is disposed above the front wheel WF, and the diameter of the front wheel WF is determined by the size of this shaft fixture 7. Even if I tried to use the WF, I could not do it without replacing the shaft fixture 7 that fixed the handle shaft 5.

Furthermore, in the conventional wheelchair 1, the front wheel WF is connected to the shaft fixture 7 via the axle S, the shaft fixture 7 is connected at its upper part to the handle shaft 5, and the handle shaft 5 is fixed to the frame 2. Sleeve 6
front wheel WF and frame 2.
Since the vertical distance from the front wheel WF to the contact surface S remains unchanged, either the left or right of the front wheel WF is connected to the contact surface S.
When the wheelchair 1 runs over an obstacle, etc., the front wheel WF that runs over it causes the frame 2 to tilt in the left-right direction of the wheelchair 1, causing one of the rear wheels WR to rise above the contact surface S, causing the wheelchair 1 to become unstable and fall. It was in a state.

This idea solves the above problems,
When turning a curve, the front wheels can be tilted in the direction of the turn, allowing the vehicle to take turns smoothly even at high speeds.Furthermore, the front wheels can be easily replaced from small diameter ones to larger diameter ones. To provide a steering device for a road racing wheelchair, which allows the wheelchair to run in a stable state without causing one of the rear wheels to lift even if either the right or left front wheels run over an obstacle on the ground surface. The purpose is to

<Means for Solving the Problems> The steering device according to this invention is a steering device for operating two front wheels on both the left and right sides of the front part of a wheelchair for road racing, and has a handle part on the upper part and a handle part on the lower part. A handle shaft is equipped with a pivoting part that protrudes in the front-rear direction, and is rotatably supported in an arrangement direction that tilts rearward in the front-rear direction of the wheelchair relative to the center of the front part of the frame, and the front wheels on both the left and right sides. Two left and right connecting rods are rotatably pivoted from the inside and stand facing each other so as to be parallel to each other, and the upper and lower ends of the two left and right connecting rods are arranged in the left-right direction of the wheelchair. It is provided with two upper and lower swing axes that form a parallelogram-shaped link part with the two left and right connecting rods, and furthermore, the two upper and lower swing axes are respectively aligned with the rotating part of the handle shaft on the forming plane of the link part. The above-mentioned problems are solved by connecting them so that they can swing along the top.

<Operations and effects of the invention> In the steering device for a road racing wheelchair according to this invention, the steering device of the wheelchair for road racing according to the invention has two connecting rods on the left and right sides, and two swing shafts arranged on the upper and lower sides of the wheelchair in the left-right direction. A link part is formed, two left and right front wheels are pivoted on two connecting rods, respectively, and two swing axes are tilted rearward in the front-rear direction of the wheelchair and pivoted on the center of the front part of the frame. When you operate the handle part and turn the handle shaft, the handle shaft is tilted in the front and rear direction of the wheelchair, and the handle shaft rotates in the rotating part of the wheelchair. The two connected upper and lower swing axes rotate with the lower swing axis being shifted from the upper swing axis in the direction of turning the handle axis, and the link part along with the upper and lower two swing axes rotates. The two left and right connecting rods that form the wheel rotate at an angle in the direction in which the handlebar shaft is turned, and the front wheels, which are pivoted on the two left and right connecting rods, are tilted in the direction in which the handlebar shaft is turned. can be directed. Therefore, by operating the handle part and turning the handle shaft, the front wheels can be tilted and directed in the direction of the turn, allowing the vehicle to take turns smoothly even at high speeds without slowing down.

In addition, the left and right front wheels are pivoted from the inside to the two left and right connecting rods that form a link and stand facing each other so that they are parallel to each other, and are not interfered with by other members. They can be easily replaced with wheels of a different diameter, for example, by replacing them with wheels with a larger diameter and narrower diameter, the frictional resistance with the ground surface will be lowered, making it easier to run at high speeds.

Further, in the steering device according to this invention, the two left and right front wheels are connected to two left and right connecting rods that respectively form parallelogram-shaped link portions and are erected facing each other so as to be parallel to each other. The other two upper and lower swing axes forming the frame are each swingably connected to a turning section provided on a handle shaft that is pivotally supported in the center of the front part of the frame, and one front wheel is on the ground plane. Even if you run over an obstacle, the vertical swing axis will continue to swing relative to the rotating part.
This is dealt with by moving one of the connecting rods upwards,
By simply lifting the front part of the frame upwards, the frame does not tilt in the left-right direction of the wheelchair, which prevents one of the rear wheels from lifting as in the conventional case, allowing stable driving.

<Example> An example of this invention will be described below based on the drawings.

The road racing wheelchair 11 of the embodiment has the second,
As shown in FIG. 3, the frame 12 consists of two upper and lower substantially U-shaped upper and lower frames 12a and 12b,
The upper and lower frames 12a and 12b are connected at the rear,
Shaft fixtures 13 are disposed on both the left and right sides of the connection part, and wheels S that enable rotation of the rear wheel WR are fixed to the shaft fixtures 13 and 13, respectively, via radial bearings similar to conventional ones. There is. In addition,
14 is a sheet.

Sleeves 16a, 16b are fixed to the center portions of the front portions of the upper and lower frames 12a, 12b, respectively, and these sleeves 16a, 16b have approximately 100 mm diameter portions extending rearward in the front and back direction of the wheelchair 11, as shown in FIG.
A handle shaft 15 inclined at 20 degrees is rotatably held.

A handle portion 15a that is bent and connected in a substantially annular shape is formed at the upper portion of the handle shaft 15, and a loop portion 15b that protrudes rearward in the front-rear direction of the wheelchair 11 is formed at the lower portion of the handle shaft 15.

In the rotation part 15b, the handle shaft 15 is connected between the upper part of the sleeve 16a and the sleeves 16a and 16b.
Cylindrical bodies 17 and 18, which are fixed by welding or riveting on the outer periphery, are connected by four reinforcing pipes 19 in a direction perpendicular to the handle shaft 15, respectively.
Each sleeve 20a, 20b, 21a, 21
b is arranged, and rotatable swing shafts 22 and 23 are arranged in the sleeves 20a and 20b and the sleeves 21a and 21b, respectively. In addition, 24 is a lid body, and 25 is a bushing.

The swing shaft 2 between the sleeves 20a and 20b
2 outer periphery and the swing shaft 2 between the sleeves 21a and 21b.
Sleeves 26 and 27 that are rotatable with respect to the respective swing shafts 22 and 23 are mounted on the outer peripheries of the three sleeves.
Up and down swing shafts 28 and 29 are fixed to each of the sleeves 26 and 27, and are perpendicular to the respective sleeves 26 and 27 and parallel to each other in an arrangement direction parallel to the direction of inclination of the handle shaft 15. (See Figures 1 and 4).

Connecting rods 30 and 31 are pivoted on the left and right sides of the vertical swing shafts 28 and 29, respectively, and are arranged parallel to each other and parallel to the handle shaft 15. Connecting rod 3
0 and 31 form a parallelogram link portion R.

The left and right connecting rods 30, 31 are provided with a plurality of installation holes 30a, 31a at predetermined positions, respectively, and the left and right front wheels WF of the wheelchair 11 are connected to the axle S through the predetermined installation holes 30a in the connecting rods 30, 31, respectively. , 31a via nuts 32. In addition, like the rear wheel WR, these front wheels WF are also connected to the axle S via radial bearings at the boss part.
It is formed to be rotatable relative to the

Next, the operating mode of this wheelchair 11 will be described.

First, when it is desired to turn the wheelchair 11 to the left, the handle portion 15a is operated and turned counterclockwise so as to turn the wheelchair 11 to the left. Then, the handle shaft 15 turns the swinging part 15b counterclockwise, and initially, the swinging part 15b turns the wheelchair 1 as shown in FIG.
1 From the state facing forward and backward, turn the handle axis 1
5 is inclined backward in the front-rear direction of the wheelchair 11, as shown in FIG.
Vertical swing shafts 28 and 29 are swingably connected to the swing portion 15b via sleeves 26 and 27 that are rotatably disposed around the swing shafts 22 and 23 in the swing portion 5b. It faces leftward with the lower swing axis 29 being shifted forward from the upper swing axis 28. The two left and right connecting rods 30 and 31 forming the link portion R together with the vertical swing shafts 28 and 29, as the vertical swing shafts 28 and 29 rotate in a shifted state,
The front wheel WF, which is pivoted on the two left and right connecting rods 30 and 31, is tilted in the direction in which the handle shaft 15 is turned, as shown in Fig. 7. You can direct it. Of course, if the handle portion 15a is operated to rotate the handle shaft 15 in the opposite direction, the front wheel WF will be rotated to the handle shaft 1 by the same action as described above.
It can be tilted and directed in the direction of turning 5.

Therefore, in the steering device of the embodiment,
By operating the handle part 15a and turning the handle shaft 15, the front wheels WF can be tilted and directed in the direction of rotation, so when going down a hill and turning a curve at high speed, the vehicle can smoothly curve without decelerating. It is possible to reduce time loss in road races.

Also, the front wheel WF of either the left or right is in contact with the ground B.
If you run over an obstacle above, for example, the right front wheel
When the WF runs over an obstacle P on the ground plane B, as shown in Fig. 8, the connecting rods 30 and 31 on which the front wheels WF are pivoted, together with the vertical swing axes 28 and 29, form a parallelogram. The vertical swing shafts 28 and 29 form a link portion R with respect to the two swing shafts 22 and 23 of the rotating portion 15b protruding from the handle shaft 15.
9, the right front wheel
Even if the right connecting rod 31 rises upward with WF, the vertical swing shafts 28 and 29 will swing relative to the swing shafts 22 and 23 of the swing section 15b, without tilting the swing section 15b. You can deal with it by just lifting it up a little. As the rotating portion 15b rises without inclination, the handle shaft 15
is slightly raised and the frame 1 is connected to the handle shaft 15 via the sleeves 16a and 16b.
2a and 12b only lift up slightly without tilting, and because the wheelchair 1 does not tilt in the left-right direction like in the past, one of the rear wheels WR does not lift up, and both the front wheel WF and the rear wheel WR are in contact with the ground. This means that stable driving is possible. Of course, the same thing will happen even if the left side of the front wheel WF runs over an obstacle P on the ground contact surface B. Furthermore, the above-mentioned action will also occur if, for example, one of the rear wheels WR runs over the obstacle P, causing the frames 12a, 12b to become wheelchair-bound. This means that even if the vehicle is tilted in the left-right direction of the vehicle, both of the two front wheels WF can remain on the contact surface B, which means that running stability is significantly improved compared to conventional vehicles.

In addition, in the steering device of the embodiment, the left and right front wheels WF together form a link portion R and are provided with two left and right connecting rods 30 erected so as to be parallel to each other.
31 from the inside, and since they are not interfered with by other members, they can be easily replaced with ones of different diameters.

In the steering device of the embodiment, the rotating portion 15b protruding from the hand shaft 15 was shown as projecting rearward in the front-rear direction of the wheelchair 11, but of course, the rotating portion 15b extends beyond the front-rear direction of the wheelchair 11. A similar effect can be achieved even with a device that protrudes forward.

Further, in the steering device of the embodiment, the connecting rods 30 and 31 in the link portion are arranged parallel to the handle shaft 15, but of course the vertical swing shafts 28 and 29 swing with respect to the turning portion 15b. As long as it is movably connected and stands vertically with respect to the ground plane B, the same effect can be achieved even if it is not parallel to the handle shaft 15.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a steering device showing an embodiment of this invention, Figure 2 is a plan view of a wheelchair in which the embodiment is used, and Figure 3 is a wheelchair in which the embodiment is used with the front and rear wheels removed. 4 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the rotating part and link part of the same embodiment, and shows the wheelchair moving straight, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the same embodiment. FIG. 7 is a front view of the link section and front wheels when the wheelchair is in a state where the wheelchair is turning to the left; FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the turning section and the link section in a state in which the wheelchair turns to the left; FIG. 8 shows that one of the front wheels is disabled. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a conventional wheelchair, and FIG. 10 is a side view of the conventional wheelchair with front and rear wheels removed. 1,11... (road race) wheelchair, 2,
12...Frame, (12a...Top frame, 1
2b... lower frame) 5, 15... handle shaft,
5a, 15a...Handle part, 15b...Swivel part, 26, 27...Sleeve, 28...Upper swing axis, 29...Lower swing axis, 30...Left connecting rod, 31...Right connecting rod, WF ...Front wheel, S...axle, R...link part.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A steering device for operating two front wheels on the left and right sides of the front of a road racing wheelchair, comprising a handle portion at the top and a turning portion protruding in the front and rear direction of the wheelchair at the bottom, and comprising a steering wheel at the center of the front part of the frame. A handle shaft is rotatably supported in an arrangement direction that is inclined rearward in the forward and backward direction of the wheelchair, and the front wheels on both left and right sides are rotatably supported from the inside so that they are parallel to each other. A parallelogram-shaped link portion is formed by two left and right connecting rods that are erected facing each other, and two left and right connecting rods that are arranged in the left and right direction of the wheelchair so as to connect the upper and lower ends of the two left and right connecting rods to each other. and two upper and lower swing axes forming an upper and lower swing shaft, and each of the two upper and lower swing shafts is connected to the rotating portion of the handle shaft so as to be swingable along a forming plane of the link portion. A steering device for a road racing wheelchair, characterized by comprising: