JPH09285501A - Motorized wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To assist power of driving wheels by motors in moving of a wheelchair main body by a nursing person as well as in rotating operation of hand rims. SOLUTION: A device is provided with a wheelchair main body having a right and a left driving wheels, and hand rims fixed on the respective driving wheels, motors separately provided for the respective driving wheels of the wheelchair main body, a multi-stage speed reducer 41 connected to the motors, and a driving force transmission mechanism comprising a clutch mover 38, a clutch gear 45, a follower ring 47, an output rotation shaft 36, a pinion gear 35, and a gear 34 for transmitting rotation torque of the multi-stage speed reducer 41 to each driving wheel. It is also provided with acceleration sensors for respectively detecting right and left acceleration of the wheelchair main body, and a motor control circuit to drive the motors respectively in response to acceleration detection action of the acceleration sensors.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an improvement of an electric wheelchair.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, as an electric wheelchair, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
The ones described in JP-A-15468 and JP-A-6-86790 are known. In the one disclosed in JP-A-3-15468, a pair of driving wheels attached to the left and right of the wheelchair body is connected to a pair of hand rims via torque detecting means, and an operating torque input via the hand rim is applied. The torque is detected by the torque detection means, and the drive motor for driving the drive wheels is controlled based on the detected value. Specifically, when the hand rim is operated with the drive wheels stopped, the torsion bar is twisted and a relative rotation angle is generated between the input shaft and the output shaft, and the twist of the torsion bar is detected by the strain gauge, It is detected as an operation torque via a sensor. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-86790, a drive motor is attached to a general wheelchair structure by fixing metal fittings for hooking a pedestal for motor attachment. Then, a small wheel is attached to the shaft tip of this drive motor, the outer peripheral surface of this wheel is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the drive wheel of the wheelchair body, and the drive motor is driven by operating the control lever of the operation panel box to move the wheelchair. It is operated electrically and is released by releasing the contact of the small wheel with the driving wheel.

[0003]

Problems to be Solved by the Invention
According to the publication, the torque detecting means detects the operating torque input through the hand rim to control the drive motor. Therefore, if the caregiver only pushes the wheelchair, the rotation of the hand rim and the drive wheel is deviated. Since the phenomenon of torsion of the torsion bar due to the above does not occur, the drive motor is not operated and power is not assisted. Therefore, when the caregiver pushes a wheelchair to climb a slope, there is a problem that the power assistance is not performed and the caregiver's burden is not reduced. In addition, since the electric mechanism cannot be easily removed from the wheelchair body, for example, when moving the vehicle, the electric mechanism must be mounted on the car and moved. Was difficult to move. There is also a problem that the mechanism of the torque detecting means is complicated and expensive.

In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-86790, when driving by an electric drive, it is necessary to adjust the traveling speed and change the direction by operating the control lever, which requires a long time to learn the operation. There was a problem that it took time and it was difficult to drive.

Therefore, the invention according to claims 1 to 3 provides an electric wheelchair capable of assisting the driving wheels by operating the motor even when the caregiver pushes and moves the wheelchair body, as well as the rotating operation of the hand rim.

Further, according to the invention described in claims 4 and 5, even if the caregiver pushes and moves the wheelchair main body, the motor can be operated to assist the driving wheels even if the caregiver pushes the wheelchair body. (EN) Provided is an electric wheelchair that operates a motor even when climbing to ensure power assistance to driving wheels.

Further, according to the sixth and seventh aspects of the invention, not only the operation of rotating the hand rim but also the caregiver pushing and moving the wheelchair body can operate the motor to assist the drive wheels, and also the slope. Even when climbing, the motor is operated to ensure power assistance to the drive wheels, and when going down a slope, the power assistance to the drive wheels is stopped and reverse rotation torque is generated in the motor to output the output shaft. (EN) Provided is an electric wheelchair capable of applying a brake so that the rotation does not exceed a certain speed and improving safety.

Further, according to the invention described in claims 8 and 9, even if the caregiver pushes and moves the wheelchair main body, the motor can be operated to assist the driving wheels by rotating the hand rim. (EN) Provided is an electric wheelchair that can be easily attached to and removed from a wheelchair body.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A wheelchair body in which drive wheels are provided on the left and right sides and a hand rim is fixed to each of the drive wheels, a pair of motors individually provided corresponding to the drive wheels of the wheelchair body, and a pair of motors connected to the motors. , A pair of driving force transmission mechanisms for transmitting the rotational torque of each of the multistage reduction gears to the respective drive wheels, and a pair of acceleration sensors for detecting the left and right forward acceleration of the wheelchair body, respectively. And a pair of motor control means for driving each motor in response to the acceleration detection operation of each acceleration sensor.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electric wheelchair according to the first aspect, the pair of drive force transmission mechanisms includes an output rotary shaft for transmitting the drive force to the drive wheels, and a rotary torque of the multistage reduction gear. And a clutch mechanism for transmitting and stopping transmission to the output rotary shaft.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electric wheelchair according to the second aspect, the clutch mechanism is engaged with the output rotation shaft at a threaded slope and is axially moved so that the engagement state is strengthened by rotation in one direction. Moves and makes frictional contact with the final output stage of the multi-stage reduction gear, and holds this frictional contact, and moves in the axial direction so that the engagement state is weakened by stopping rotation and cancels the frictional contact with the final output stage of the multi-stage reduction gear. And a clutch mover drive mechanism that drives the clutch mover to rotate in one direction by transmitting the rotational torque from the multi-stage reducer and stops the rotational drive of the clutch mover by stopping transmission of the rotational torque from the multi-stage reducer. I am configuring.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a wheelchair main body is provided with drive wheels on the left and right sides and a hand rim is fixed to each of the drive wheels, and a pair of wheelchair bodies are provided individually corresponding to the drive wheels. The motor, a pair of multi-stage reduction gears connected to each motor, a pair of driving force transmission mechanism that transmits the rotational torque of each multi-stage reduction gear to each drive wheel, and the left and right forward acceleration of the wheelchair body A pair of acceleration sensors for detecting each, a road surface gradient sensor for detecting a road surface gradient on which the wheelchair body travels, and each motor in response to an uphill slope detection by the road surface gradient sensor and an acceleration detection operation of each acceleration sensor. It is provided with a pair of motor control means.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the electric wheelchair according to the fourth aspect, the pair of drive force transmission mechanisms includes an output rotary shaft for transmitting the drive force to the drive wheels and an output of the rotational torque of the multistage speed reducer. And a clutch mechanism for transmitting and stopping transmission to and from the rotating shaft.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a wheelchair body is provided with drive wheels on the left and right sides and a hand rim is fixed to each of the drive wheels, and a pair of wheelchair bodies are provided individually corresponding to the drive wheels. The motor, a pair of multi-stage reduction gears connected to each motor, a pair of driving force transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotation torque of each multi-stage reduction gear to each drive wheel via an output rotation shaft, and a wheelchair main body A pair of acceleration sensors for detecting left and right forward accelerations, a road surface gradient sensor for detecting a road surface gradient on which the wheelchair body travels, and an upslope detection by the road surface gradient sensor and an acceleration detection operation of each acceleration sensor. A pair of motor control means that drives each motor and stops the drive of each motor in response to the downward slope detection by the road surface slope sensor, and a lower surface by the road surface slope sensor when the wheelchair body is running. Each drive wheel in response to the gradient detected by the output rotation axis is obtained and a brake means for connecting to the multi-stage reduction gear.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the electric wheelchair according to the sixth aspect, the pair of drive force transmission mechanisms includes an output rotary shaft for transmitting the drive force to the drive wheels and an output of the rotational torque of the multistage speed reducer. A first clutch mechanism for transmitting and stopping transmission to and from the rotary shaft, and the braking means includes a second clutch mechanism for transmitting the rotation of the output rotary shaft to the multi-stage speed reducer via the brake plate.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, a wheelchair main body is provided with drive wheels on the left and right sides and a hand rim is fixed to each of the drive wheels, and each drive wheel is attached to a fixed portion of the hand rim for each drive wheel of the wheelchair main body. Fixed along 1
A pair of gears, a pair of motors individually provided corresponding to the respective drive wheels of the wheelchair body, a pair of multistage reduction gears connected to the respective motors, and rotational torques of the respective multistage reduction gears respectively driven. A pair of driving force transmission mechanisms for transmitting to the wheels, a pair of acceleration sensors for detecting left and right forward accelerations of the wheelchair body, and each motor in response to the acceleration detection operation of each acceleration sensor. The pair of driving force transmission mechanisms includes a pair of motor control means, a pinion gear meshing with a gear, an output rotary shaft having the pinion gear fixed to a tip portion, and a rotary torque output rotary shaft of the multistage reduction gear. A clutch mechanism for transmitting and stopping transmission is provided.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the electric wheelchair according to the eighth aspect, the pinion gear is located on the front side of the drive wheel and meshes with the gear.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of an electric wheelchair. The wheelchair body 1 is constructed by fixing one end of front pipes 3, 3 arranged substantially vertically to the tip ends of the left and right base pipes 2, 2 arranged horizontally. One end of the back pipes 4 and 4 arranged vertically is fixed. The other ends of the front pipes 3, 3 are bent backward from the middle to form arm pipes 5, 5 and the back pipe 4,
It is fixed to the middle part of 4. Then, elbow pads 6, 6 are mounted on the arm pipes 5, 5. The caster wheels 7, 7 serving as front wheels are fixed to one ends of the front pipes 3, 3 so as to be rotatable in directions.

The other ends of the back pipes 4 and 4 are slightly bent rearward and grip members 8 are attached.
Hubs 9 and 9 are attached to one end sides of the back pipes 4 and 4, and drive wheels 10 and 10 are rotatably attached to the hubs 9 and 9. The hand rims 11, 11 are fixed to the rims of the drive wheels 10, 10. One end of each of the side pipes 12, 12 is fixed to an intermediate portion between the front pipes 3, 3 and the back pipes 4, 4, and the side pipes 12,
The other end side of 12 is bent downward, a leg belt 13 is attached in the middle of this bent portion, and foot plates 14 and 14 are attached to the tip of this bent portion.

The front pipes 3, 3 and the back pipes 4, 4 are similarly mounted on the side pipes 12, 12 fixed to the intermediate portions of the front pipes 3, 3 and the back pipes 4, 4.
The seat fixing pipes 15 and 15 fixed to the intermediate portion of the seat are fixed between the fixing pipes 15 and 15.
Is stuck. Then, skirt guards 17 and 17 are attached between the front pipes 3 and 3 and the back pipes 4 and 4 on both sides of the seat 16 and the seat 1
A back sheet 18 is attached between back pipes 4 and 4 at the rear of 6.

The base pipes 2 and 2 and the side pipe 1
Cross pipe 1 with X-shaped cross in the middle of 2,12
9 is fixed. The cross pipe 19 forms a link mechanism for freely rotating the cross portion so that the wheelchair body 1 can be folded. Between the front pipes 3, 3 and the side pipes 12, 12, the brake lever 20,
The manual brake mechanisms 21 and 21 provided with 20 are attached, and the brake shoes 22 of the manual brake mechanisms 21 and 21,
22 by operating the brake lever 20
It is designed to come into contact with and separate from 10.

FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of the wheelchair body 1 cut at a position slightly above the hubs 9 and viewed from above. A pair of bases are provided at a predetermined interval between the base pipes 2 and 2. The plates 23 and 24 are fixed in parallel. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, both ends of the base plates 23 and 24 are bent downward and the base pipes 2 and 2 are sandwiched between the bent portions and the contact members 27 and 27. The bent portions and the contact members 27, 27 on both sides of 2 are attached to the bolt 25 and the nut 26.
To secure it. This allows the base plate 23,
The position of 24 is set higher than the height of the base pipes 2, 2.

The base plates 23, 24 are formed in a concave shape at the center, and a connecting plate 28 is fitted in the concave portion and fixed by screws. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, a box 29 accommodating the battery and the control circuit is placed and fixed on the connecting plate 28. Further, the base plate 2
Motors 30, 30 are mounted on both sides of 3, 24, and geared cases 31, 32 accommodating a multi-stage speed reducer, a clutch mechanism, etc. are placed and fixed.

As shown in FIG. 4, one-quarter circle divided gear 33 having teeth toward the center is connected by screws using four connection screw holes 33a, and a circular shape having teeth on the inner peripheral side. Gear 3
4, 34 are fixed to the rims of the drive wheels 10, 10. That is, each split gear 33 has a rim fixing screw hole 3
3b is used to integrally fix with the hand rim 11 to the rims of the drive wheels 10, 10 with screws. As shown in FIG. 6, the configuration of the geared cases 31 and 32 is such that an output rotary shaft 36 having a pinion gear 35 meshing with the gears 34 and 34 fixed to the tip thereof is rotatably provided on the case outer frames 37 and 37. There is. The gear 3 of the pinion gear 35
The positions where the driving wheels 10 and 10 mesh with each other are on the front side of the drive wheels 10 and 10 and at the same height as the hubs 9 and 9.

A cylindrical portion 38 is provided at the center of the output rotary shaft 36.
a and the torque transmission plate 38b on the outer circumference of the cylindrical portion 38a.
The cylindrical portion 38a of the clutch mover 38 and the fixed sleeve 39 are fitted together. The final stage gear 42 of the multistage reduction gear 41 is rotatably fitted to one end of the cylindrical portion 38a of the clutch mover 38 with a thrust receiver 40 interposed therebetween. The outer peripheral surface of the output rotating shaft 36 and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 38a of the clutch mover 38 are formed with screw-shaped inclined surfaces having a predetermined length that engage with each other, and the clutch mover 38 advances the wheelchair body 1. When the clutch mover 38 is rotated in the direction, the clutch mover 38 moves to the final gear 42 side, and the engagement of the screw-shaped slope is strengthened.
The output rotary shaft 36 and the output rotary shaft 36 rotate together.

The final stage gear 42 meshes with the pinion gear 43 at the preceding stage. A first clutch shoe 44 made of a friction material is fixed to the outer peripheral portion of the torque transmission plate 38b of the clutch mover 38, and when the clutch mover 38 moves to the final gear 42 side, the clutch shoe 44 is attached to the final gear 42. The taper surface 42a formed in the above is pressed.

A clutch gear 45 is rotatably provided on the other end side of the cylindrical portion 38a of the clutch mover 38, and the clutch gear 45 is meshed with a front stage reduction gear 46 fixed coaxially with the pinion gear 43. . A driven ring 47 is fitted to the clutch gear 45, and a weight plate 49 having an engaging claw 48 at its tip is provided between the driven ring 47 and the clutch gear 45. That is, the weight plate 49 is fixed to the side surface of the clutch gear 45 via the spring, and when the clutch gear 45 rotates, the weight plate 4 is rotated.
9 is moved outward by the centrifugal force against the spring force of the spring, and the engaging claw 48 of the weight plate 49 moves the driven ring 47.
The driven ring 47 is rotated integrally with the clutch gear 45 by being locked to the locking portion. Conversely, when the rotation of the clutch gear 45 stops, the weight plate 4
9 is moved inward by the spring force of the spring and the engaging claw 4
The locked state of the driven ring 47 by 8 is immediately released.

The torque transmission plate 3 of the clutch mover 38.
In the vicinity of the tip portion of 8b, a separation button 5 is provided via a leaf spring 50.
1 is fixed, and when the motor 30 is stopped, the separation button 5
The clutch mover 38 is separated from the final stage gear 42 by setting the number 1 to 1. Further, a second clutch shoe 53 made of a friction material is fixed near the tip of the torque transmission plate 38b of the clutch mover 38 via a leaf spring 52,
The second clutch shoe 53 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the driven ring 47. The clutch gear 45, the driven ring 47, the weight plate 49, and the second clutch shoe 53 constitute a clutch mover drive mechanism, and the clutch mover drive mechanism and the clutch mover 38 constitute a first clutch mechanism. . The first clutch mechanism, the output rotary shaft 36, the pinion gear 35, and the gear 34 including the split gear 33 constitute a driving force transmission mechanism.

A slider 54 that slides in the axial direction of the output rotary shaft 36 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the fixed sleeve 39, one end of a brake plate 55 is fixed to this slider 54, and the other end of the brake plate 55 is attached to the tip. Brake plate projections 56 having irregularities are attached. A separation spring 58 is provided between the slider 54 and a disc-shaped locking member 57 fixed to the output rotary shaft 36. On the side surface of the clutch gear 45 facing the brake protrusion 56, a clutch gear protrusion 59 having an uneven end is attached. Then, when the motor 30 is stopped, the brake plate 55 is moved to the clutch gear 45 side against the spring force of the separation spring 58 by the operation of the electromagnetic solenoid 60 to bring the brake protrusion 56 into pressure contact with the clutch gear protrusion 59 and output. The rotation of the rotary shaft 36 is transmitted to the clutch gear 45. When the operation of the electromagnetic solenoid 60 is stopped, the separation spring 5
The spring force of 8 causes the brake plate 55 to separate from the clutch gear 45 side, and the brake protrusion 56 to separate from the clutch gear protrusion 59.

The slider 54, the brake plate 55, the brake protrusion 56, the locking member 57, the separation spring 58, the clutch gear protrusion 59, and the electromagnetic solenoid 60 constitute a second clutch mechanism. The output rotation shaft 36 also fixes a disc-shaped rotation detection gear 61, and the rotation detection gear 6
The tooth end of No. 1 is detected by a magnetoresistive element 63 fixed to a holder 62 attached to the inner wall of the case outer frame 37 to detect the rotation direction and rotation speed of the output rotation shaft 36.

Displacement amount sensors 64 having the construction shown in FIG. 7 are incorporated in the geared cases 31 and 32, respectively. This displacement amount sensor 64 is shown in (a) in side view,
As shown in the sectional view taken along the line A-A in (b), the case 65
The inner ring of a miniature bearing 66 having a rotatable outer ring is rotatably supported in the upper center of the inside, and one end of a plate-like member 67 is integrally fixed to the outer ring of the miniature bearing 66. The end extends to the vicinity of the bottom of the case 65 and is made slightly wider to be a free end. And
Photosensors 68 and 69 are arranged at each end of the bottom of the case 65. The photosensors 68 and 69 are light emitting diodes and phototransistors which are arranged to face each other with a predetermined gap.

The displacement amount sensor 64 is a photo sensor 69.
The side of the wheelchair body 1 is in front of the case 6
The back surface 65a of No. 5 is vertically fixed to the inner walls of the geared cases 31, 32. The displacement sensor 64 is used for the wheelchair body 1
Is stopped on a flat surface, the free end of the plate member 67 is vertically lowered, and at this time, the photo sensors 68, 6
No light is blocked by the plate-shaped member 67, and each photo transistor 9 is turned on by the light from the light emitting diode.

When the wheelchair body 1 moves forward to generate acceleration or climbs a slope, the free end of the plate-like member 67 rotates backward, and when the physical displacement amount exceeds a certain amount,
In the photo sensor 68, light is blocked by the plate member 67,
The phototransistor cannot receive light from the light emitting diode and is turned off. When the wheelchair body 1 goes down a slope, the free end of the plate-shaped member 67 rotates forward, and when the physical displacement amount exceeds a certain amount, the photo sensor 69 blocks light from the plate-shaped member 67 and The transistor cannot receive the light from the light emitting diode and is turned off.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a control circuit incorporated in the box 29, which is a CP constituting the control unit main body.
U (central processing unit) 71 and I / O ports 72, 73,
74 are provided. Then, the CPU 71 causes the I / O
A displacement amount sensor circuit including a displacement amount sensor 64 in the geared case 31 while receiving detection signals of a rotation speed and a rotation direction from a rotation sensor circuit 75 including a magnetoresistive element 63 in the geared case 31 via a port 72. 7
A signal for detecting the displacement amount associated with the acceleration or the climbing slope of the road surface is taken in from 6, and when the rotation speed is equal to or more than a predetermined constant value and the displacement amount is equal to or more than the predetermined constant amount, the I / O port 72 is used. And supplies a motor drive signal to the motor control circuit 77. The motor control circuit 77
Is the geared case 31 when the motor drive signal is input.
The side motor 30 is drive-controlled.

Further, the CPU 71 uses the I / O port 7
3 through the magnetoresistive element 6 in the geared case 32.
The detection signals of the rotation speed and the rotation direction are fetched from the rotation sensor circuit 78 including 3 and the displacement amount sensor circuit 79 including the displacement amount sensor 64 in the geared case 32 detects the displacement amount due to the acceleration or the climbing gradient of the road surface. When a signal is taken in and the rotation speed is equal to or greater than a preset constant value and the displacement amount is equal to or greater than a preset fixed amount, the I / O port 7
A motor drive signal is supplied to the motor control circuit 80 via the circuit 3. The motor control circuit 80 drives and controls the motor 30 on the geared case 32 side by inputting a motor drive signal.

Further, the CPU 71 uses the I / O port 7
The detection signal of the rotation speed and the rotation direction is fetched from the rotation sensor circuit 75 through the displacement sensor circuit 7
6, the detection signal of the displacement amount due to the downward slope of the road surface is taken in, or the rotation sensor circuit 78 is supplied through the I / O port 73.
From the displacement amount sensor circuit 79 and the displacement amount detection signal from the displacement amount sensor circuit 79. When the rotation velocity at this time is equal to or greater than a preset constant value, the motor control is performed. Circuit 7
The supply of the motor drive signal to 7, 80 is stopped. Then, in this state, the switch 81 is connected via the I / O port 74.
When the operation signal is taken in, the electromagnetic solenoid circuit 82 is controlled via the I / O port 74, and the electromagnetic solenoid 60 provided in the electromagnetic solenoid circuit 82 is driven. It should be noted that the switch 81 may be installed, for example, at the mounting position of the grip members 8, 8 or the arm pipes 5, 5
It is installed in the part of.

The motor control circuits 77, 80
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, an NPN transistor Tr1 is connected between the + e1 terminal and the ground via a resistor R1, and the collector of the transistor Tr1 is connected via a resistor R2 to the inverting input of the differential amplifier AM. It is connected to the terminal (-).
The non-inverting input terminal (+) of the differential amplifier AM grounds the resistors R3 and R4 in series and the resistors R5 and R6 in series. The resistor R3
, R4 is connected to the + e2 terminal via a resistor R7.

The output terminal of the differential amplifier AM is a resistor R8.
Is connected to the base of the NPN transistor Tr2 through the resistor R8 and the resistor R8 and the resistor R9, and is also connected to its own non-inverting input terminal (+). The transistor Tr2
Has a collector connected to the + E terminal via the motor 30, an emitter grounded via a resistor R10 and a reverse input terminal (-) of the comparator CM via a resistor R11. The comparator CM has a non-inverting input terminal
The (+) is grounded via a resistor R12 and a resistor R13 in series. The connection point of the resistors R12 and R13 is added via the resistor R14
It is connected to the e2 terminal. In addition, the comparator CM
Connects the output terminal to its own inverting input terminal (-) through a resistor R15 and a resistor R16 in series, and
And a resistor R17 are connected in series to the connection point of the resistors R5 and R6.

The motor control circuits 77, 80
Is designed to detect and limit the starting current in order to prevent the risk of sudden start and protect the battery. That is, the resistor R10 and the comparator CM connected in series with the transistor Tr2 control the current so that an overcurrent does not flow at the time of starting. Specifically, when the terminal voltage of the resistor R10 rises too much due to an increase in current, the output of the comparator CM goes low, which causes the output of the differential amplifier AM to go low, turning off the transistor Tr2 and turning on the resistor. R10
The output of the comparator CM goes to a high level when the terminal voltage of the above-mentioned drops, so that the output of the differential amplifier AM goes to a high level and the transistor Tr2 is turned on. This prevents an excessive acceleration from being applied at the start of forward movement and an overcurrent from flowing to the battery.

The motor control circuits 77, 80
When the transistor Tr1 is turned on by the motor drive signal, the output level of the differential amplifier AM becomes high level and the transistor Tr2 is turned on.
Is rotated. When the motor drive signal is stopped and the transistor Tr1 is turned off, the output level of the differential amplifier AM becomes low level and the transistor Tr2 is turned off, thereby stopping the rotation operation of the motor 30.

In such a structure, the driving wheel 1 is previously prepared.
Gears 34 and 34, in which four split gears 33 are connected to the rims 0 and 10, respectively, are fixed. Then, a connecting plate 28 is fixed to the base plates 23 and 24 in advance, and a box 29 in which a battery and a control circuit are housed in the connecting plate 28.
With the base plate 23, 24 fixed to the base pipes 2, 2 of a general manual wheelchair, the contact members 27, 24 are fixed.
Tighten with bolts 25 and nuts 26 using 27. Further, the motor 3 is provided on both sides of the base plates 23 and 24.
0 and 30 are mounted and geared cases 31 and 32 accommodating a multi-stage speed reducer, a clutch mechanism and the like are placed and fixed. At this time, the pinion gear 35 fixed to the output rotary shaft 36 meshes with the gears 34, 34 on the front side of the drive wheels 10, 10. In this way, it can be easily attached to a general manual wheelchair.

On the contrary, the geared cases 31 and 32 fixed to both sides of the base plates 23 and 24 are removed, and the base plates 23 and 24 fixed to the base pipes 2 and 2 with the bolts 25 and the nuts 26 are further removed. Remove. As a result, the box 29 accommodating the battery and the control circuit can be removed together, so that the electric mechanism can be easily removed from the wheelchair body 1. In this way, the wheelchair body 1 can be easily folded, so that it can be easily moved by car.

The base pipes 2 and 2 of the wheelchair body 1
The base plates 23 and 24 are fixed to the base plate 23. However, since the central portions of the base plates 23 and 24 are higher than the heights of the base pipes 2 and 2, the caregiver goes down the slope with the wheelchair facing backward. Base plate 2 when climbing or climbing steps
The box 29 and the geared cases 31 and 32 placed on the units 3 and 24 do not interfere.

When a person on a wheelchair rotates the hand rim 11 to move the wheelchair body 1 forward or a caregiver grips the grip members 8 and 8 to move the wheelchair body 1 forward, the geared cases 31 and 32 are removed. The displacement amount sensor 64 detects the acceleration and the displacement amount detection signals from the displacement amount sensor circuits 76 and 79 are taken into the CPU 71. Further, as the wheelchair body 1 moves forward, the gears 34, 3 of the drive wheels 10, 10 are moved.
The pinion gear 35 meshing with 4 rotates, and the output rotation shaft 36 rotates. As a result, the magnetic resistance element 63 detects the rotation direction and rotation speed of the output rotation shaft 36, and the rotation speed and rotation direction detection signals from the rotation sensor circuits 75 and 78 are taken into the CPU 71.

The CPU 71 detects from the detection signal that the left and right drive wheels 10, 10 have started to rotate in the forward direction and supplies a motor drive signal to the motor control circuits 77, 80. As a result, the motor control circuit 7
7, 80 starts driving the motors 30, 30.

When the motors 30, 30 operate, the pinion gear 43, the front reduction gear 46, and the final reduction gear 42 of the multistage reduction gear 41 also rotate, and the front reduction gear 46 rotates the clutch gear 45. Initially, only small torque is transmitted to the output rotary shaft 36 due to the contact friction between the separation button 51 and the final stage gear 42 and the rotational friction between the thrust receiver 40 and the final stage gear 42. When the rotation speed rises above a certain value, the weight plate 49 moves outward against the spring force of the spring due to the centrifugal force due to the rotation of the clutch gear 45, and the engaging claw 48 of the weight plate 49 causes the driven ring 47 to move. Driven ring 4 locked to the locking part of
7 rotates together with the clutch gear 45.

When the driven ring 47 rotates, the clutch mover 38, which is in frictional contact with the outer peripheral surface of the driven ring 47 via the second clutch shoe 53, starts to rotate. Clutch mover 3
When 8 rotates, the clutch mover 38 moves to the final gear 42 side along the threaded slope formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 38a of the clutch mover 38 and the outer peripheral surface of the output rotary shaft 36, and the clutch mover 38 moves. The engagement force between 38 and the output rotary shaft 36 is increased. As a result, the first clutch shoe 44 of the clutch mover 38 presses against the tapered surface 42a formed on the final stage gear 42 and maintains that state.
Thus, the final stage gear 42 and the clutch mover 38 are integrated, and the rotational torque is directly transmitted from the final stage gear 42 to the clutch mover 38, whereby the output rotary shaft 36 passes through the clutch mover 38 to the final stage. Gear 42
The rotation torque is given from. The output rotary shaft 36
Is transmitted to the left and right drive wheels 10, 10 via the pinion gears 35, 35 and gears 34, 34. Thus, using the motors 30, 30 as drive sources, the drive wheels 10, 10
Will be rotated.

At this time, the driven ring 47 becomes the clutch gear 4
Since it rotates integrally with the clutch mover 38, it rotates at a speed faster than the clutch mover 38, and the second clutch shoe 53 and the driven ring 47 are in a sliding friction state, but the torque due to the friction is effectively used to drive the clutch mover 38. The loss is only heat loss proportional to the frictional force and the peripheral speed, and the loss is much smaller than that when using an electromagnetic clutch or the like. Thus, not only does the person on the wheelchair rotate the hand rim 11 to move the wheelchair body 1 forward, but also when the caregiver grips the grip members 8 to move the wheelchair body 1 forward, the motor 30, The 30 can be reliably started.

When climbing a slope, the displacement sensor 64
Detects the climbing slope of the road surface and rotates the free end of the plate-shaped member 67 rearward. In this case, therefore, the detection signal of the displacement amount is fetched by the CPU 71 even if a slight acceleration is applied.
Therefore, if the magnetic resistance element 63 only detects the rotation direction and the rotation speed of the output rotation shaft 36, the CPU 71 supplies the motor drive signal to the motor control circuits 77 and 80. That is, when climbing a hill, the motor 30,
30 can be activated. Therefore, when the caregiver pushes the wheelchair main body 1 to climb a slope, quick and reliable power assistance can be provided.

When going down a slope, the displacement amount sensor 64
Detects the downward slope of the road surface and rotates the free end of the plate member 67 forward. Therefore, the CPU 71 fetches the detection signal of the displacement amount associated with the downward slope detection from the displacement amount sensor circuits 76 and 79. Further, the CPU 71 is a rotation sensor circuit 75,
The detection signals of the rotation speed and the rotation direction are fetched from 78.
If the rotation speed is equal to or higher than a preset constant value, C
The PU 71 stops the supply of the motor drive signal to the motor control circuits 77 and 80. Therefore, if the rotational speed of the drive wheels 10, 10 becomes a certain value or more while going down a slope, the power assist by the motors 30, 30 is surely stopped.

In this state, when a person on the wheelchair or a caregiver operates the switch 81, the CPU 71 controls the electromagnetic solenoid circuit 82 to drive the electromagnetic solenoid 60. As a result, the brake plate 55 causes the separation spring 5 to
The brake protrusion 56 is pressed against the clutch gear protrusion 59 by moving toward the clutch gear 45 side against the spring force of 8, and the rotation of the output rotary shaft 36 is transmitted to the clutch gear 45. That is, the rotational torque of the output rotary shaft 36 is equal to the multistage reduction gear 41.
Is transmitted to the output rotary shaft 36, and a large load is applied to the output rotary shaft 36 to generate a braking action. Thus, when going down a slope, operating the switch 81 can prevent the wheelchair from accelerating and ensure safety. In this case,
If the reverse voltage is applied to the motors 30 at the same time, the braking action can be further increased and the safety can be further improved.

When the switch 81 is operated again, the CPU 71
Cancels the drive state of the electromagnetic solenoid 60. As a result, the spring force of the separation spring 58 moves the brake plate 55 in the direction away from the clutch gear 45, and the brake protrusion 5
6 is separated from the clutch gear protrusion 59. In this way, the braking action is released.

In this embodiment, the motor 30,
As a condition for driving 30, the rotation sensor circuits 75, 78
The detection signals of the rotation speed and the rotation direction are acquired from the displacement sensor circuits 76 and 79, and the detection signals of the displacement amount associated with the acceleration and the climbing gradient of the road surface are also acquired from the displacement amount sensor circuits 76 and 79. Although the condition is that the amount is equal to or greater than a preset fixed amount, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this, and the rotation sensor circuits 75 and 78 are omitted, and the displacement amount detected by the displacement sensor circuits 76 and 79 is a fixed amount. The condition may be set only in the above cases.

Further, in the present embodiment, the displacement amount sensor 64 capable of commonly detecting the acceleration and the road surface gradient is used, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the acceleration detection and the road surface gradient detection are performed by separate sensors. May be
Further, in this embodiment, the motor control circuit 7
As the reference numerals 7 and 80, those in which the motors 30 and 30 are driven and controlled when the rotation speed is equal to or higher than a preset constant value and the displacement amount is equal to or higher than a preset constant amount are not necessarily limited thereto. As the displacement sensor 64, a sensor capable of finely detecting the magnitude of the acceleration and the magnitude of the road surface gradient is used, and a sensor for PWM (pulse width modulation) control of the motors 30, 30 depending on the magnitude of the acceleration and the road surface gradient may be used. For example, the driving torque of the motors 30, 30 can be varied depending on the magnitude of the force that moves the wheelchair body 1, and, for example, control can be performed such that the auxiliary power increases as the human power increases.

[0055]

As described above, according to the first to third aspects of the present invention, not only the operation of rotating the hand rim but also the caregiver pushing and moving the wheelchair body can operate the motor to assist the drive wheels.

In addition, according to the invention described in claims 4 and 5, not only the operation of rotating the hand rim but also the caregiver pushing and moving the wheelchair body can operate the motor to assist the drive wheels, and Even when climbing a slope, the motor can be operated to ensure power assistance to the drive wheels.

According to the sixth and seventh aspects of the present invention, not only the hand rim is rotated but also the caregiver pushes and moves the wheelchair body to operate the motor to assist the drive wheels, and Even when climbing a slope, the motor can be operated to ensure the power assistance to the drive wheels, and when going down a slope, the power assistance to the drive wheels is stopped and a reverse torque is generated in the motor to rotate the output. The brake can be applied so that the rotation of the shaft does not exceed a certain speed, improving safety.

Further, according to the inventions of claims 8 and 9, even if the caregiver pushes and moves the wheelchair main body, the motor can be operated to assist the drive wheels by rotating the hand rim, and in addition, it can be electrically driven. The mechanism can be easily attached to and removed from the wheelchair body.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an electric wheelchair showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of the wheelchair main body according to the first embodiment with an upper portion cut off.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a mounted state of a base plate in the same embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a split gear according to the same embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a partial plan view showing a state in which the box and the geared case are attached to the wheelchair body and the upper portion is cut in the same embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the geared case according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of a displacement amount sensor according to the same embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a control circuit according to the same embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a circuit configuration diagram of a motor control circuit according to the same embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Wheelchair body 10 ... Drive wheel 11 ... Hand rim 23, 24 ... Base plate 29 ... Box accommodating battery and control circuit 30 ... Motor 31, 32 ... Geared case 34 ... Gear 35 ... Pinion gear 36 ... Output rotary shaft 38 ... Clutch Mover 41 ... Multi-stage speed reducer 42 ... Final stage gear 45 ... Clutch gear 64 ... Displacement amount sensor 71 ... CPU (central processing unit) 75, 78 ... Rotation sensor circuit 76, 79 ... Displacement amount sensor circuit 77, 80 ... Motor control circuit

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A wheelchair body in which drive wheels are provided on the left and right sides, and a hand rim is fixed to each of the drive wheels, a pair of motors individually provided corresponding to the drive wheels of the wheelchair body, and each motor. A pair of multi-stage reduction gears connected to each other, a pair of driving force transmission mechanisms for transmitting the rotational torque of each multi-stage reduction gear to each drive wheel, and 1 for detecting left and right forward acceleration of the wheelchair body, respectively. An electric wheelchair comprising a pair of acceleration sensors and a pair of motor control means for driving the respective motors in response to an acceleration detection operation of each acceleration sensor. 2. The pair of driving force transmitting mechanisms includes an output rotary shaft for transmitting the driving force to the drive wheels, and a clutch mechanism for transmitting and stopping the rotational torque of the multistage reduction gear to the output rotary shaft. The electric wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein 3. The clutch mechanism engages with the output rotary shaft on a threaded slope, moves in the axial direction so that the engaged state is strengthened by rotation in one direction, and makes frictional contact with the final output stage of the multi-stage speed reducer. A clutch mover that holds this frictional contact and moves in the axial direction so as to weaken the engagement state by stopping rotation and releases the frictional contact to the final output stage of the multistage reduction gear, and the rotational torque from the multistage reduction gear And a clutch mover drive mechanism that stops the rotational drive of the clutch mover by stopping the transmission of the rotational torque from the multi-stage speed reducer. The electric wheelchair described in 2. 4. A wheelchair body in which drive wheels are respectively provided on the left and right sides and a hand rim is fixed to each of the drive wheels, a pair of motors individually provided corresponding to the drive wheels of the wheelchair body, and each motor. A pair of multi-stage reduction gears connected to each other, a pair of driving force transmission mechanisms for transmitting the rotational torque of each multi-stage reduction gear to each drive wheel, and 1 for detecting left and right forward acceleration of the wheelchair body, respectively. A pair of acceleration sensors, a road surface gradient sensor that detects a road surface gradient on which the wheelchair body travels, and drives the motors in response to upward slope detection by the road surface gradient sensor and acceleration detection operations of the acceleration sensors. An electric wheelchair comprising a pair of motor control means. 5. The pair of driving force transmitting mechanisms includes an output rotary shaft for transmitting the driving force to the drive wheels, and a clutch mechanism for transmitting and stopping the rotational torque of the multistage reduction gear to the output rotary shaft. The electric wheelchair according to claim 4, wherein 6. A wheelchair main body in which drive wheels are respectively provided on the left and right sides and a hand rim is fixed to each of the drive wheels, a pair of motors individually provided corresponding to each drive wheel of the wheelchair main body, and each motor. A pair of multi-stage reduction gears, a pair of driving force transmission mechanisms for transmitting the rotational torque of each multi-stage reduction gear to each of the drive wheels via an output rotary shaft, and a left and right forward acceleration of the wheelchair body. To detect each 1
A pair of acceleration sensors, a road surface gradient sensor that detects a road surface gradient on which the wheelchair body travels, and drives the motors in response to an uphill slope detection by the road surface gradient sensor and an acceleration detection operation of each acceleration sensor, A pair of motor control means for stopping the drive of each of the motors in response to the downward slope detection by the road surface slope sensor, and each of the drives in response to the downward slope detection by the road surface slope sensor when the wheelchair body is running. An electric wheelchair comprising: a brake unit connecting wheels to the multi-stage speed reducer via the output rotation shaft. 7. A pair of driving force transmitting mechanisms, an output rotating shaft for transmitting driving force to driving wheels, and a first clutch mechanism for transmitting and stopping transmission of rotational torque of a multistage speed reducer to the output rotating shaft. 7. The electric wheelchair according to claim 6, further comprising a second clutch mechanism for transmitting the rotation of the output rotary shaft to the multi-stage speed reducer via a brake plate. 8. A wheelchair body in which drive wheels are provided on the left and right, and a hand rim is fixed to each of the drive wheels, and a wheel rim is fixed to a fixed portion of the hand rim for each of the drive wheels. A pair of gears, a pair of motors individually provided corresponding to the drive wheels of the wheelchair body, a pair of multi-stage reduction gears connected to the respective motors, and a rotation torque of each multi-stage reduction gear are described above. A pair of driving force transmission mechanisms for transmitting to each drive wheel, a pair of acceleration sensors for detecting left and right forward acceleration of the wheelchair body, and a pair of acceleration sensors for responding to an acceleration detection operation of each acceleration sensor. A pair of motor control means for driving a motor, wherein the pair of driving force transmission mechanisms includes a pinion gear meshing with the gear, an output rotary shaft having the pinion gear fixed to a tip portion, and a multistage An electric wheelchair provided with a clutch mechanism for transmitting and stopping transmission of rotation torque of a reduction gear to the output rotation shaft. 9. The electric wheelchair according to claim 8, wherein the pinion gear is located in front of the drive wheel and meshes with the gear.