JPH09313542A - Controlling device for electric wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make the rotating direction of a control handle coincident with the turning direction of an electric wheelchair provided with the control handle and a chair on an under carriage thereof, in case a caregiver operates the control handle for the turning operation. SOLUTION: This electric wheelchair is arranged for enabling a caregiver to operate the control handle by backwardly and rotatably fixing the chair disposed at the rear of the control handle stood on the under carriage. In this case, a control handle shaft 4 is fixed tiltably back and forth and when a gear 5 fixed on the handle shaft 4 is tilted, the gear 5 engages with one of front and rear racks 7, 8 connected to left and right steering rods 17, 18 of a steering control wheel, so as to make the sence of steering in case a sitter on the chair operates the steering with the control handle shaft 4 fixed and tilted toward the chair and in case the caregiver operates the steering with the control handle shaft 4 fixed and tilt opposite to the chair coincident.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an electric wheelchair used by a physically handicapped person, a sick person and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An electric wheelchair in which a chair provided on the rear side of a steering wheel provided on a traveling chassis is pivotally fixed rearward so that a caregiver can carry out the steering operation while holding the steering wheel, , JP-A-2-228963.

[0003]

In the above electric wheelchair,
When an occupant of a chair operates the steering wheel, the steering handle provided on the front side of the chair is turned left and right to turn left and right. When the caregiver operates, the caregiver standing outside the electric wheelchair rotates the control handle to turn, but the direction of rotation of the control handle is the direction of rotation of the passenger. And the opposite. For example, the operation is such that the steering handle is turned to the right when turning left. In this way, when the caregiver operates, the normal turning direction is opposite to the normal turning direction, which is a problem. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a steering wheel structure in which the turning operation of a passenger in a wheelchair and the turning operation of a caregiver are the same.

[0004]

According to the present invention, a chair 3 provided on the rear portion of a steering handle 2 standing on a chassis 1 is pivotally fixed rearward so that a caregiver can operate the steering handle 2. In an electric wheelchair, the steering wheel shaft 4 is fixed to be tilted back and forth, and the gear 5 fixed to the handle shaft 4 is connected to the left and right steering rods 17 and 18 of the steering wheel 6 when tilted. The steering handle shaft 4 meshes with one side and is tilted and fixed to the chair 3 side, and when a passenger of the chair 3 performs a steering operation, and when the chair 3 is tilted and fixed oppositely to the chair 3, a caregiver senses a steering operation. To be the same.

[0005]

When the electric wheelchair constructed as described above is operated by riding on the chair 3, the operation handle shaft 4 is tilted toward the chair 3 and fixed, and the operation is performed while moving forward. A gear 5 fixed to the handle shaft 4 meshes with a rear rack 8 and moves the rack 8 left and right as the handle shaft 4 rotates to change the direction of the steering wheels 6 and turn.
When the caregiver operates, the steering handle shaft 4 is tilted and fixed to the side opposite to the chair 3, and the steering operation is performed while moving backward. At this time, the gear 5 of the handle shaft 4 meshes with the front rack 7 to change the direction of the steering wheel 6 and turn.

As described above, the transmission system for changing the direction of the steering wheel 6 changes depending on the front-back inclination of the steering wheel 2, and the turning direction of the steering wheel 2 and the turning direction of the chassis 1 are the same, so that a caregiver operates the steering wheel. In some cases there is no confusion.

[0007]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This electric wheelchair is provided with a pair of left and right steering wheels 6 and a pair of left and right drive wheels 10 at the lower part of the chassis 1, and a steering handle shaft 4 is erected on the front side of the upper part of the chassis 1 so as to be rotatable forward and backward and fixed. The chair 3 is erected on the front side of the drive wheel 10 so that the chair 3 can be fixed by changing its direction back and forth. The drive motor and the battery are housed in the rear cover 11 on the chassis 1. A foot pedal 12 is provided on the rear part of the chassis 1 so as to be rotatable back and forth, and a wheel 13 is provided below the foot pedal 12. An operation head 14 is provided at the upper end of the steering handle shaft 4, and steering handle bars 15 are provided on the left and right sides.

FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view of the lower portion of the handle shaft 4, in which a gear 5 is attached to the lower end of the handle shaft 4 and racks 7 and 8 are formed at the front and rear so as to mesh with the gear 5 and a steering actuator. 16 is provided so as to be slidable from side to side. The left and right steering rods 17 and 18 of the steering actuator 16 are the arms 2 protruding from the forks 19 and 20 of the left and right steering wheels 6 and 6.
When the steering actuator 16 is connected to the steering wheels 1 and 22 and the steering actuator 16 slides left and right, the steering wheels 6 and 6 turn left and right. Reference numeral 23 is a guide that slidably holds the sliding projection 24 of the steering operation tool 16 therebetween.

When the handle shaft 4 is in the position shown by the solid line in the figure, the steering wheel 6, 6 can be obtained by turning the handle shaft 4 to the right while the occupant located on the right side of the drawing in a state in which the handle shaft 4 is inclined and fixed to the chair 3 side. Also turns to the right and turns right. Also,
When the handle shaft 4 is in the imaginary line position, the handle shaft 4 is placed on the chair 3
When the caregiver located on the left side of the drawing rotates left and right to move the chassis 1 backward while tilting in the opposite direction, the turning direction is the same as the turning direction of the handle shaft 4. Also,
By providing a sensor that detects the front-back inclination of the handle shaft 4,
By switching back and forth or switching the traveling speed, the traveling control of the occupant and the caregiver becomes easy.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged plan sectional view of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a usage state of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing another usage state of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Chassis 2 Steering handle 3 Chair 4 Steering handle shaft 5 Gear 6 Steering wheel 7 Front rack 8 Rear rack 17 Steering rod 18 Steering rod

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A chair (3) provided at a rear portion of a steering handle (2) standing on a chassis (1) is pivotally fixed rearward so that a caregiver can operate the steering handle (2). In an electric wheelchair, the steering wheel shaft (4) is fixed to be tilted forward and backward, and a gear (5) fixed to the handle shaft (4) is tilted so that the left and right steering rods (1) of the steering wheels (6) are tilted.
7) and (18) are engaged with one of the front and rear racks (7) and (8), the steering handle shaft (4) is tilted toward the chair (3) and fixed, and the occupant of the chair (3) steers. A control device for an electric wheelchair, characterized in that the chair (3) is tilted and fixed in an opposite direction to the chair (3) so that the steering feeling is the same when the caregiver performs a steering operation.