JPH09215712A - Footrest for wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a footrest on which feet can be mounted even after being retracted by performing turning between a normal state where a foot mounting plate is position-fixed almost horizontally in front of an attachment part and the user of a wheelchair can mount the feet and a retracting state. SOLUTION: Shifting from the normal state of the retracting state is performed by lifting the foot mounting plate 12 slightly upwards while keeping a horizontal state and turning a turning shaft 15 in the state of being released from a position fixing part 18 and displaced to a free turning part 19. In such a manner, since a bearing hole 17 provided on a turning base part 13 is in a composite shape provided with the position fixing part 18 for fitting the turning shaft 15 on a lower part and the free turning part 19 of a size for not obstruction the turning of the turning shaft 15 on an upper part, while controlling the turning of the foot mounting plate 12, it is freely turned as needed. Thus, even in the case of retracting the foot mounting plate so as to secure the mobility of a wheelchair, a place where the user mount the feed is secured.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a movable wheelchair footrest (hereinafter abbreviated as a footrest) attached to a frame of a wheelchair.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a wheelchair is provided with a footrest, and most of them are movable so that a user can easily get in and out of the wheelchair, and can be retracted from the front of the wheelchair as needed. For example, in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 5-46739, "Footrest Member in Wheelchair," the pivot axis of the footrest plate, which has traditionally only been opened in the left-right direction, can be further retracted in the front-back direction, so that the wheelchair can be used when the user gets on and off. A footrest has been proposed that allows a wider space around the front leg to be secured.

[0003]

As described above, the movable and retractable footrest not only secures the space around the foot when the user gets on and off, but also shortens the total length of the wheelchair if necessary. It is required in order to improve the maneuverability, that is, to improve maneuverability. However, when the footrest is retracted in order to improve the mobility of the wheelchair, there is naturally no place to put the foot on the footrest, which often imposes a burden on the user.

For example, in a wheelchair used around water, the footrest is evacuated, and the entire length is shortened to move in the toilet room or the like. There was a problem that the legs were forcibly put on the floor or floated in the air, imposing a considerable burden. Therefore, we decided to make repeated studies to develop a footrest that can be evacuated for the purpose of helping the user get on and off and improving the mobility of the wheelchair, while allowing the foot to rest on it even after the evacuation.

[0005]

What has been developed as a result of the study is that in a movable footrest to be mounted on a frame of a wheelchair, a mounting portion provided on a footrest plate is pivotally attached to a rotating base fixed to the frame. This footrest plate is fixed in a position forward and substantially horizontal from the mounting portion so that the user of the wheelchair can put his foot on it. A footrest for a wheelchair characterized by being rotatable between a retracted state in which a foot can be placed. The foot rest rotates in the front-rear direction of the wheelchair, and in the case of the left and right separation type, the notch (or It is preferable to have a shape having a portion having a narrow front-rear width). The cutout portion serves as a positioning member that secures a foothold for the user to get on and off in the normal state and contacts the toilet bowl in the retracted state to determine the entry position of the wheelchair.

The attachment of the mounting portion to the rotating base is realized by inserting a substantially polygonal rotating shaft provided on one side into a bearing hole provided on the other side, and the bearing hole is formed on the rotating shaft. Has a cross-sectional shape in which a substantially polygonal position-fixing part that fits together and regulates the rotation of the rotation shaft and a free rotation part having a size that does not prevent the rotation of the rotation shaft are arranged vertically. . For example, when inserting a rotary shaft protruding left and right from the mounting portion of the footrest plate into a bearing hole provided in the rotary base, the rotary shaft has a substantially square cross section with corners formed into arcs, and the bearing is In the hole, a position fixing portion having a substantially square cross section having substantially the same size as that of the rotation shaft is provided downward, and a free rotation portion having a substantially circular cross section having a size such that the substantially square shape is not inscribed is provided upward. It is advisable to arrange the composite shape.

In the footrest of the present invention, in a normal state, the footrest plate is projected forward from the frame of the wheelchair and the foot is placed on the surface, and in the retracted state, the footrest plate is rotated 180 degrees and turned over to turn the wheelchair. You can fix the position in the frame and put your foot on the back. As a result, it is said that "the user puts his / her feet on", which is the original purpose in either the normal state or the sheltered state, while being provided for the user's boarding / alighting flights and responding to the demand for shortening the overall length of the wheelchair to improve mobility. It fulfills its function. If the mounting portion pivotally attached to the rotating base is provided at a position slightly forward of the rear edge of the footrest plate in the normal state, the rear edge of the footrest plate located in the front of the footrest plate in the retracted state. Can be projected slightly forward of the mounting portion, and it becomes easy to place the foot on the footrest plate in the retracted state.

In the case where the rotary shaft provided on the mounting portion of the footrest plate is inserted into the bearing hole of the rotary base, the rotary shaft having a substantially polygonal shape is displaced downward in the normal state or the retracted state. ,
The rotation is regulated by fitting into the position fixing portion of the bearing hole provided in the rotation base. Then, by lifting the entire footrest plate upward from the rotation restricted state and displacing the rotation shaft from the position fixing portion of the bearing hole to the free rotation portion, the normal state to the retracted state (or On the contrary, it can be easily rotated.

Regarding the positional relationship between the rotary shaft and the bearing hole, contrary to the above, a bearing hole may be provided in the mounting portion of the footrest plate and a rotary shaft may be provided in the rotary base portion. In this case, in the normal state or in the retracted state, the footrest plate must be displaced downward to regulate the rotation, so that the cross-sectional shape of the bearing hole provided in the footrest plate is opposite to that described above, That is, it has a position fixing part in the upper part and a free rotating part in the lower part. However, change this footrest plate from the normal state to the retracted state.
In order to rotate (or vice versa), the footrest plate is lifted up and the relative position of the rotating shaft fitted to the position fixing portion is moved to the free rotating portion, so the procedure is explained above. It is the same as I did.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wheelchair 2 for water use equipped with a footrest 1 of the present invention.
The wheelchair 2 has left and right frames 3 and 4 made of steel pipes,
Below the front edge, the front frame 5 and the reinforcing frame 6 which are the mounting bases of the footrest 1 are connected, and above the rear edge, the push handle 7 is connected. The seat portion 9 having the opening portion 8 at the center is provided with the left and right frames 3,
It is installed in the horizontal part provided in the middle of 4, and there is a space below. As a result, the wheelchair 2 can be advanced until the seat 9 reaches the toilet (especially a Western-style toilet, not shown), and the user can wear the seat 9 while sitting on the toilet 8. Can be done. In order to improve mobility of the wheelchair 2, the wheelchair 2 of this example is required to be mounted on the four corners of the front edge frame 5 and the base frame 20 in order to improve the mobility of the wheelchair 2 by mounting the caster 10 with a turning control mechanism and a braking mechanism. An armrest 11 that can be rotated upward and retracted in accordance with the above is provided.

2 to 6 are side views or plan views showing a procedure for shifting the footrest 1 of the present invention from a normal state to a retracted state, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the normal state (partially cut away). 3 is a plan view of the normal state, FIG. 4 is a side view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a transition from the normal state to the retracted state, and FIG.
2 is a side view corresponding to FIG. 2 in the retracted state, and FIG. 6 is a plan view in the retracted state.

The structure of the footrest 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. Footrest 1 of this example
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, includes a footrest plate 12 that rotates in the front-rear direction of the wheelchair and a rotation base 13 that serves as the center of rotation. The footrest plate 12 has a notch at the center of the front edge. Left and right integrated type with a horizontal cross section having a substantially concave shape provided with a portion 14, and a substantially quadrangular prism-shaped rotation shaft 15 penetrates through the mounting portion 16 to project both ends, and the rotation base 13 is the front edge frame 5 of the wheelchair 2. Are fixed to each other by fitting and screwing, and both ends of the rotating shaft 15 are inserted into the bearing holes 18 to rotatably mount the footrest plate 12 to the rotating base 13. The notch 14 of the footrest plate 12 allows the user to stand on a position closer to the wheelchair 2 and put his / her foot on the footrest plate 12 with a minimum load when getting on / off the vehicle. In addition, when the footrest plate is in the retracted state, it also functions as a positioning member when the wheelchair enters the toilet.

In the normal state, as shown in FIG. 2 or 3, the footrest plate 12 is in a front and substantially horizontal state from the rotary shaft 15, and the rotary shaft 15 having both ends projected from the mounting portion 16 is Bearing hole 17
Since it is fitted to the position fixing portion 18 located below the lower part, the footrest plate 12 is in a state of restricted rotation in both up and down directions. However, since the structural strength against the force applied when the foot is placed on the footrest plate 12 is insufficient only by fitting the rotary shaft 15 to the position fixing portion 18, in the present example, the footrest plate is used. 12 The rear end face is brought into contact with and supported by the front face of the rotating base 13. The contact between the rear end surface of the footrest plate 12 and the front surface of the rotation base 13 also has a function of restricting the downward rotation of the footrest plate 12.

From the normal state to the retracted state, as shown in FIG. 4, the footrest plate 12 is lifted slightly upward in the horizontal state to release the rotary shaft 15 from the position fixing portion 18. It is possible to make a transition by rotating the free rotating portion 19 in a displaced state. As described above, the bearing hole 17 provided in the rotation base portion 13 has the position fixing portion 18 into which the rotation shaft 15 fits downward, and the free rotation portion having a size that does not hinder the rotation of the rotation shaft 15.
Since it has a compound shape with 19 on the upper side, in the normal state (and the retracted state described later), it realizes an assembly configuration that can freely rotate as necessary while restricting the rotation of the footrest plate 12. You can do it. In this example, the cross-sectional shape of the free-rotating portion is a circle having a size such that the substantially quadrangular prism-shaped rotating shaft does not inscribe, but any shape that does not interfere with the rotation of the rotating shaft can be used. For example, it may have a substantially polygonal shape.

As shown in FIG. 5 or 6, the footrest plate 12 which has finished pivoting to the retracted state again mounts the pivot shaft 15 on the bearing hole 17 as shown in FIG.
The position is fixed to the position fixing portion 18 and its rotation is restricted. In the conventional footrest, the footrest plate in the retracted state normally stands up, and the foot cannot be placed, but in the footrest 1 of the present invention, as shown by the phantom line (two-dot chain line) in FIG. Even in the retracted state, the foot can be sufficiently placed by keeping the footrest plate 12 rearward and substantially horizontal to the pivot shaft 15. In this retracted state, the footrest plate turned over
The lower surface of 12 is mainly supported by the reinforcing frame 6 from below, so that the structural strength required for the force applied when the foot is placed on the footrest plate 12 is secured. In addition,
In this retracted state, the notch 14 formed in the footrest plate 12 abuts on a constricted part (not shown) of the toilet bowl that makes the wheelchair 2 approach, and thus also functions as a positioning member in the approach.

[0016]

With the footrest of the present invention, for example, even when the footrest plate is retracted in order to secure the mobility of the wheelchair by shortening the overall length to enter the toilet, the place where the user places the foot Will be secured. In addition, especially when considering a footrest plate that rotates independently on the left and right, it is of course possible to rotate each side to give consideration to the getting on and off of the user,
Since the foot can be placed on the retracted one-side footrest plate in the retracted state, a safer boarding / alighting operation for the user can be realized.

Further, in both the normal state and the retracted state, since sufficient rotation control is performed, there is no fear that the footrest plate will unexpectedly rotate due to a collision with an obstacle, etc. There is no need to worry about the user. Moreover, the footrest plate can be easily rotated if necessary, and not only when the caregiver rotates the footrest plate, but also in some cases, the user of the wheelchair can easily operate the footrest plate. The present invention has the feature that it is possible and extremely easy to handle.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wheelchair for water use including a footrest of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the footrest in a normal state.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the footrest in the normal state.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the footrest showing a transition from a normal state to a retracted state.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the footrest in a retracted state.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the footrest in the retracted state.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Footrest 2 Wheelchair for water 5 Front edge frame 6 Reinforcement frame 12 Footrest plate 13 Rotating base 14 Notch 15 Rotating shaft 16 Mounting part 17 Bearing hole 18 Position fixing part 19 Free rotating part

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Atsuro Takeuchi 2-1-1 Nakajima, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture Totoki Equipment Co., Ltd. (72) Takashi Yamazawa, 2 Nakajima, Kitakyushu-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka No. 1-1 No. 1 Totoki Equipment Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Akiho Matsumoto 500 Akahama, Soja City, Okayama Prefecture OEM Equipment Co., Ltd. Okayamamoto Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A movable footrest to be mounted on a frame of a wheelchair, wherein a mounting portion provided on a footrest plate is pivotally attached to a rotating base fixed to the frame, and the footrest plate is attached from the mounting portion. Between the normal state in which the user of the wheelchair can position his / her feet forward and substantially horizontal, and the retracted state in which the user of the wheelchair can position his / her feet backward and substantially horizontal from the mounting part. A wheelchair footrest characterized by being rotatable. 2. The footrest for a wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the footrest plate has a notch portion at the center of the front edge. 3. The mounting of the mounting portion to the rotation base according to claim 1 is realized by inserting a substantially polygonal rotation shaft provided on one side into a bearing hole provided on the other side. A substantially polygonal position fixing portion having a hole that fits the rotation shaft to restrict rotation of the rotation shaft and a free rotation portion having a size that does not hinder the rotation of the rotation shaft are vertically arranged. A footrest for wheelchairs, which is characterized by the arranged cross-sectional shape.