JPH0536416Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] [Industrial application field]

This invention relates to a foldable wheelchair.

[Conventional technology]

Traditionally, wheelchairs that are pushed by a caregiver have front wheels that rotate freely around a vertical axis and relatively small rear wheels, and when not in use, the front wheels and rear wheels are folded close together. . FIG. 6 is a side view showing an example of such a wheelchair. This wheelchair 100 has a seat frame 101
A pair of arm pipes 102 are arranged above and parallel to the seat frame 101. The rear end of the seat frame 101 and a pair of arm pipes 1
A back frame 103 is pivotally attached to the rear end of the seat frame 101 and a pair of arm pipes 102, and a front frame 106 with a pair of front wheels 105 attached is pivotally attached to the front end of the seat frame 101 and the pair of arm pipes 102, respectively. It is worn. In addition, front frame 1
A footrest 107 is provided at the lower end of the footrest 106, which is rotatable upward from the inside of the footrest 107 about a pair of pipes that protrude parallel to the front. Further, a rear frame 109 with a pair of rear wheels 108 attached thereto is pivotally attached to the middle part of the arm pipe 102, and a seat support pin 110 is provided in the middle part of the rear frame 109.
0 is formed to engage with and support the lower surface of the seat frame 101. The seat support pin 110 is engaged with a locking mechanism 111 provided at the rear end of the seat frame 101 to fix the seat frame 101 and the rear frame 109. This seat frame 101 and arm pipe 10
2, back frame 103 and front frame 10
6 forms a four-bar linkage mechanism. In use, the seat frame 101 is unlocked by operating the lock mechanism 111, and the arm pipe 1
02 or by rotating the front end of the seat frame 101 upward, the four-bar link mechanism is transformed into a flat parallelogram, the front frame 106 is brought closer to the rear frame 109, and a folding operation is performed. FIG. 7 shows the wheelchair 100 folded.

[Problem that the idea aims to solve]

However, in a wheelchair with a conventional structure like this, when folding the wheelchair, the locking mechanism is released at the rear end of the seat frame, and then the user transfers his/her hand to the front end of the arm pipe and rotates it upward. It required manipulation. Additionally, as the seat frame rotates in the folding direction, the engagement point between the seat frame and the rear frame moves forward, so unless you hold the rear frame firmly against the floor with your feet, folding cannot be done smoothly. There was a problem. Another problem was that when folded, the footrest protruded in front of the folded front frame, making it bulky and unable to be folded into a small size. This invention was developed in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a wheelchair that can be easily folded and folded into a compact size.

[Means to solve the problem]

This invention was made to achieve the above object, and the wheelchair of the first invention is a foldable wheelchair in which each pair of front wheels and rear wheels are close to each other, and a seat frame supporting the seat and a seat frame supporting the seat are used. , a back frame pivotally connected to the rear end of the seat frame, a pair of arm pipes arranged above the seat frame and each having a rear end pivotally connected to the back frame, and a footrest. and a front frame having a seat support pin that supports the lower surface of the seat frame, to which the pair of front wheels is attached, and whose upper end is pivotally connected to the front end of the pair of arm pipes, and whose rear end is attached to the seat frame. a pair of link bars having front ends pivoted to the middle part of the front frame; A rear frame is pivotally connected to the rear of the link bar pivot portion of the seat frame, and a lock lever is provided at the front end of the seat frame and is engageable with the seat support pin, so that the front frame can be fixed. This wheelchair is characterized by being equipped with a locking mechanism. The wheelchair of the second invention is a foldable wheelchair, and has a step portion and support portions that are bent and parallel to each other at both ends of the step portion, and each end of the support portion is pivoted to the lower end of the front frame of the wheelchair. a sub-step member having a sub-step member attached thereto; a sub-step member having a sub-step part and support parts bent and parallel to each other at both ends of the sub-step part, the ends of the support parts being pivotally connected to the central part of the step member; A foot having a stopper provided in the middle of the support portion of the step member, which engages with the front frame when the step member rotates, and which can engage with the auxiliary step member when the auxiliary step member rotates. This wheelchair is characterized by being equipped with a seat.

[Effect]

This idea is structured as described above,
The seat frame, the back frame, the arm pipe, the upper part of the front frame, and the rear frame form a five-bar link mechanism. When in use, the seat support pin of the front frame engages with the lower surface of the seat frame to define the seat angle, and the locking mechanism engages with the seat support pin to fix the five-bar linkage mechanism. At this time, the link bar is parallel to the seat frame. To fold the wheelchair, release the locking mechanism and lift the front end of the seat frame. As the front end of the seat frame rises, the rear end of the link bar rises, and the tip of the link bar moves rearward accordingly. As a result, the lower end of the front frame is pulled rearward, the back frame is lowered, and the front end of the arm pipe is raised and approaches the seat frame. Then, the seat frame and the back frame are brought into close contact with each other, and the rear frame and the arm pipe form the same plane with them, respectively, and the front frame is in the folded state closest to the rear frame. When the footrest is rotated forward, the stopper engages with the front frame and the step portion extends forward, and when the sub-step member is rotated backward, its support portion engages with the stopper. The auxiliary step portion extends rearward to form a state of use. Further, by rotating the sub-step member forward and rotating the step member backward, the stopper is engaged with the front frame, and both step members are retracted from the front frame to form a folded state.

【Example】

An embodiment of this invention will be described below based on the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of a wheelchair according to an embodiment of this invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view. In the figure, 1 is a wheelchair, and the wheelchair 1 includes a seat frame 10, a back frame 20 pivotally connected to the rear end of the seat frame 10, and a back frame 20 disposed above the seat frame 10, each of which has a rear end attached to the back. A pair of arm pipes 30 pivotally attached to the frame 20
, a front frame 40 having a footrest 50 and a seat support pin 42 to which a pair of front wheels 2 are attached, and whose upper end is pivoted to the front end of a pair of arm pipes 30, and whose rear end is attached to the middle of the seat frame 10. A pair of link bars 45 are pivotally connected and have their front ends pivotally connected to the middle part of the front frame 40, and a pair of rear wheels 3 are attached, and their upper ends are pivotally connected to the upper end part of the front frame 40, and their middle part is attached to the seat frame. Rear frame 6 pivoted to 10
0 and a lock mechanism 70 provided at the front end of the seat frame 10 and engaged with the seat support pin 42. The seat frame 10 is made of a pipe member bent into a U-shape, and has a frame shape with a horizontal bar 11 fixed to the front part. A seat 12 is attached to the upper surface of this seat frame 10. The lower end of the back frame 20 is pivotally attached to the rear end of the seat frame 10 by a shaft 23, and a backrest 22 is attached at a predetermined position. Further, a rear brake lever 26 for the caregiver is provided at a predetermined position. The pair of arm pipes 30 are connected to the seat frame 1
0, and their rear ends are pivotally connected to the back frame 20 by shafts 33. This arm pipe 30 has an arm pad 3.
2 is installed. The front frame 40 has a pair of front pipes 41 arranged opposite to each other on the left and right, and has a horizontal crosspiece 4.
2 is integrally formed into a frame shape. The lower end of the front frame 40 is equipped with a footrest 50, which will be described later, and a pair of seat support pins 4 are provided at a predetermined central position in the longitudinal direction to abut and support the lower surface of the seat frame 10 during use.
3 protrudes inward. Also,
A pair of front wheels 2 made of caster wheels are attached to the lower end of the front frame 40. The upper end portions of the front frame 40 are pivotally attached to the front end portions of the pair of arm pipes 30 by shafts 44, respectively. In the embodiment, the pair of link bars 45 are each made of a linear member, and are arranged symmetrically on the left and right sides of the seat frame 10. The rear end of this link bar 45 is located at the middle of the seat frame 10 in the front and back direction.
It is pivotally connected by a shaft 46, and its front end is pivotally connected to the middle part of the front frame 40, specifically, directly above the seat support pin 43, by a shaft 47. The footrest 50 is composed of a step member 51, a sub-step member 55, and a stopper 59. In the embodiment, the step member 51 is bent into a deformed U-shape and has parallel support portions 53, 53 and a continuous step portion 52 therebetween. The sub-step member 55 is formed in a similar shape to the step member 51 and slightly smaller in size, and has parallel support parts 57, 57 and a continuous sub-step part 5 therebetween.
6. This sub-step member 55 is
The step member 51 is pivotally mounted at predetermined positions on both support portions 53 by a shaft 58. The stopper 59 is made of a rod-like member and is fixed to a predetermined position of the support portions 53 of the step member 51 so as to be perpendicular to each other and with both ends protruding outward and inward from the support portion 53. The step member 51 of the footrest 50 is pivotally attached to the lower end of the front arm 40 by a shaft 54. As a result, the step member 51 rotates about an axis in the horizontal direction relative to the front arm 40, and the rotation is defined by the contact between the stopper 59 and the front arm 40. Further, the sub-step member 55 rotates about an axis in the horizontal direction with respect to the step member 51, and the rotation thereof is defined by the contact between the support portion 57 and the stopper 59. The rear frame 60 has a pair of rear pipes 61 arranged opposite to each other on the left and right sides, and is integrally formed into a frame shape with horizontal bars 62. A pair of rear wheels 3 are attached to the lower end of the rear frame 60. The upper end of the rear frame 60 is connected to the upper end of the front frame 40, specifically, a shaft 63 is located slightly below the pivot point of the shaft 44.
It is pivoted by. Also, rear frame 60
The middle part of the seat frame 10, specifically, the middle part of the shaft 23 and the shaft 46, the shaft 6
It is pivoted by 4. This rear frame 60 is equipped with a brake mechanism 65, and is configured to brake rotation of the rear wheel 3 by operating a side brake lever 66 or a rear brake lever 26 connected by a brake wire 68. The lock mechanism 70 includes a pair of lock levers 71 and a release bar 74, and is disposed at the front end of the seat frame 10. The lock lever 71 has an engaging pawl 72 that engages with the seat support pin 43 when the chair is in use, and one end is pivotally connected to the seat frame 10 by a shaft 73. The lock levers 71, 71 are connected by a release bar 74, and their own weight causes the lock lever 71 to rotate downward, allowing the engagement pawl 72 to engage with the seat support pin 43. The engagement with the seat support pin 43 is released by operating the release lever 74 upward. Next, the folding operation of the wheelchair configured as described above will be explained. FIG. 1 shows the wheelchair 1 in use, with the seat frame 10 and the pair of arm pipes 30 being parallel, and the back frame 20 being in a substantially upright state. Further, the lower end of the front frame 40 extends forward, and the lower end of the rear frame 60 extends rearward, and the seat support pin 43 supports the lower surface of the seat frame 10,
0,60 supports the seat frame 10 in a substantially horizontal state. At this time, the link bar 45 is parallel to the seat frame 10 in a state where no tensile force is applied. Further, the lock lever 71 of the lock mechanism 70 engages with the seat support pin 43 to keep the wheelchair 1 in a fixed state of use. In addition, the footrest 50 rotates the step member 51 forward to move the stopper 59 onto the front frame 40.
The step part 52 is caused to extend forward by engaging with one part, and the sub-step member 55 is rotated rearward to engage the support part 57 with the stopper 59 and the sub-step part 56 is caused to extend rearward. to form a footrest. To fold the wheelchair 1, operate the release bar 74 of the lock mechanism 70 to release the seat support pin 4.
At the same time as releasing the lock 3, lift the front end of the seat frame 10. As a result, the seat frame 10 rotates about the shaft 64, and the lock lever 71 and the lower surface of the seat frame 10 separate from the seat support pin 43. As the seat frame 10 rotates, the shaft 46 rises, the rear end of the link bar 45 rises, and the front end moves rearward, drawing the front frame 40 rearward. Further, the back frame 20 is lowered by the amount of rotation of the seat frame 10, and accordingly, the rear end of the arm pipe 30 is lowered and the front end thereof is raised.
Along with these movements, the rear frame 60 shifts slightly to an upright state (see FIG. 3). When the seat frame 10 is further rotated to approach the back frame 20, the seat frame 10 becomes upright, the rear end of the link bar 45 further rises, and its front end further draws the front frame 40 closer. As a result, the back frame 20 is lowered, and the arm pipe 30 and rear frame 60 are in a substantially upright state. Then, the seat frame 10 and the back frame 2
By overlapping 0 and 0, seat frame 1
0, the back frame 20, the arm pipe 30, and the rear frame 60 are close to each other in parallel, and the front frame 40 is closest to the rear frame 60. At this time, the lower end portion of the front frame 40 and the pair of front wheels 2 are accommodated within the inner space of the pair of rear wheels 3 to form a folded state. Further, the footrest 50 rotates the sub-step member 55 forward and the step member 51 backward, causing the stopper 59 to engage with other parts of the front frame 40. As a result, both step members 5
1 and 55 are stored in a position retracted to the rear of the front frame 40, and are in a folded state (see FIG. 5). In addition, by folding only the footrest 50 when the wheelchair 1 is in use, the protrusion of the front surface of the wheelchair 1 can be reduced, making it easier to get on and off the wheelchair. The folded wheelchair 1 can also be placed horizontally with the lower end of the rear frame 60 and the upper end of the back frame 20 in contact with the floor. On the other hand, the folded wheelchair 1 is put into use by separating the seat frame 10 from the back frame 20 and bringing the seat frame 10 into a substantially horizontal state. At this time, the seat frame 10 comes into contact with the seat support pin 43, and the seat support pin 43 is locked by the lock lever 71. Note that this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned explanation and illustrated examples, and its embodiments can be modified within a range that does not depart from the technical idea of this invention. For example, a flexible member such as a pad may be attached to the step member and sub-step member of the footrest.

[Effect of the idea]

The wheelchair of this invention has the above-mentioned configuration, and when folding, the seat frame can be operated in the folding direction by extending the release operation of the lock mechanism, and the seat frame can be moved in the folding direction. Since the front frame is pulled rearward via the link bar, it can be folded without requiring any other auxiliary operations. Further, since the footrest is folded by rotating the step member and the auxiliary step member rearward, the footrest does not protrude from the front frame when the wheelchair is folded, and can be folded into an extremely compact size. In addition, by folding only the footrests when the wheelchair is in use, the footwell at the front of the wheelchair can be made wider, making it easier to get on and off the wheelchair.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the state of use of this invention.

FIG. 2 is also a front view.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the folding operation process.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the wheelchair in a folded state.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view illustrating the operation of the footrest.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing an example of a conventional wheelchair.

FIG. 7 is a side view similarly showing the folded state. Explanation of symbols, 1... Wheelchair, 10... Seat frame, 20... Back frame, 30... Arm pipe, 40... Front frame, 43... Seat support pin, 45... Link bar, 50... Feet Placement, 51...Step member, 55...Substep member, 59...Stopper, 60...Rear frame, 70...Lock mechanism.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) A wheelchair in which each pair of front wheels and rear wheels can be folded close to each other, comprising: a seat frame that supports a seat; and a seat frame that is pivotally connected to the rear end of the seat frame. a back frame; a pair of arm pipes disposed above the seat frame and each having a rear end pivotally connected to the back frame; and a seat support pin supporting a footrest and a lower surface of the seat frame. a front frame to which the pair of front wheels is attached and whose upper end portions are pivotally connected to the front end portions of the pair of arm pipes; a rear end portion of each of which is pivotally connected to the middle portion of the seat frame, and a front end portion of which is attached to the front frame; a pair of link bars pivotally connected to the middle part; and the pair of rear wheels are attached, the upper end part is pivotally connected to the upper end part of the front frame, and the middle part is pivotally connected to the rear of the link bar pivot part of the seat frame. and a locking mechanism provided at the front end of the seat frame and having a lock lever that can engage with the seat support pin so as to be able to fix the front frame. wheelchair. (2) A foldable wheelchair comprising a step portion and support portions bent and parallel to each other at both ends of the step portion, the ends of the support portions being pivotally connected to the lower end of the front frame of the wheelchair. and a sub-step member having a sub-step member and support parts bent and parallel to each other at both ends of the sub-step part, the ends of the support parts being pivotally connected to the middle part of the step member, respectively, and supporting the step member. A footrest is provided in the middle of the footrest, and has a stopper that engages with the front frame when the step member rotates and can engage with the auxiliary step member when the auxiliary step member rotates. A wheelchair featuring