JPS6349654B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a vehicle shifter that is installed in a coach-type automobile or the like and that automatically raises and lowers a wheelchair so that a handicapped person can get in and out of the vehicle while sitting in the wheelchair.

Conventionally, automobiles equipped with this type of vehicle shifter are not configured so that a disabled person sitting in a wheelchair can operate the lifter alone to get in and out of the vehicle interior, and only a caregiver for the disabled person can move the vehicle. After manually opening the door of the vehicle, the user operated a switch on the lifter and assisted the wheelchair to get on and off the platform of the lifter, allowing the disabled person to move up and down the vehicle along with the wheelchair. That is, conventional lifters for raising and lowering wheelchairs are designed on the premise that a disabled person must be assisted by a caregiver when getting on and off the wheelchair, and therefore it is difficult to get on and off the wheelchair without the assistance of a caregiver.

However, depending on the degree of disability, some people with disabilities may not require a constant attendant, and even if a disabled person is able to drive a car on his own, he must always use the lifter equipped with the car without the assistance of a caregiver. It would be extremely inconvenient if you could not get into or out of a car using it.

The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and its purpose is to enable a disabled person to easily operate a lifter by himself and get on and off a car. The automatic opening/closing of the door and the automatic unfolding/folding of the lifter can be performed automatically with a single operation of a single switch.・In order to prevent equipment damage and ensure safety due to interference between folding and lifting, i.e., the lifter switch being turned on while the door is closed, and the lifter being raised and lowered while the lifter is unfolding and folding, The safety of equipment and personnel is ensured by configuring the lifter so that it will not operate even if the lifter switch is turned on, and by configuring the lifter so that it cannot be raised or lowered while it is being expanded or folded. purpose.

The present invention will be explained below based on the drawings.

First, the schematic structure and operation of a vehicle shifter according to the present invention will be explained using FIG. 1. In the figure, 1 is the body of a coach-type automobile, and 2 is a back door provided at the rear of the vehicle body 1. The back door 2 is configured to be opened and closed by a door opening/closing cylinder 3. Reference numerals 4 and 4 refer to columns erected on the floor 5 at the rear of the vehicle; 6a and 6b indicate lift arms swingably attached to the lower part of the column 4; Lifting cylinder installed (described later)
is swayed by. And this lift arm 6
A platform 8 held by a holding frame 7 is attached to the tips of a and 6b in a horizontal position. This platform 8 is made of mesh to reduce weight, prevent slippage, and provide rear visibility.
There are handrails 9,9 made of metal pipes on both sides of the
A lift switch 10 for raising and lowering the lift, which is operated by a handicapped person who has moved on the platform 8, is provided on the upper part of the handrails 9, 9, respectively. Further, a wheel stopper plate 8a is provided at the tip of the platform 8 and is rotatable in the vertical direction, and while the platform 8 is being raised or lowered, the wheel stopper plate 8a is rotated upward and placed on the tower. Supports the wheels of a wheelchair to prevent it from falling. Further, the platform 8 is configured to be foldable by an opening/closing cylinder 11 in order to prevent interference with a door or the like during storage and to enable compact storage.

The back door 2 has a safety window 12a at the bottom of the door so that you can check the safety of the rear of the vehicle when operating the lifter from inside the vehicle and exiting the vehicle.
- 12c are provided, and tape switches 13a to 13 are provided to immediately stop opening of the back door 2 when it comes into contact with a rear obstacle such as a car parked at the rear when the back door 2 is automatically opened.
e is provided on the panel part of the door.

Reference numerals 15 and 16 denote a door switch and a lift switch provided on the rear outside of the vehicle body 1. When a disabled person sitting in a wheelchair opens the opening/closing lid 17 and first operates the door switch 15 to the open side, the back door is opened by the door opening/closing cylinder 3. 2 is automatically rotated upward and opened, and then the platform 8 of the lifter stored in a folded state inside the vehicle body is extended by the opening/closing cylinder 11 to assume a horizontal position and is flush with the vehicle body floor 5. form. Next, when the lift switch 16 is operated to the lowering side, the platform 8 is lowered in a horizontal position by the lift cylinder and is brought into contact with the ground, resulting in the state shown in FIG. Then, when the disabled person moves onto the platform 8 in a wheelchair and operates the lift switch 10 provided on the handrail 9 to the upward side, the platform 8 begins to rise, and when it rises a little, the wheel stopper plate 8a at the tip rotates to stop the wheels of the wheelchair, and when it rises further in a horizontal position and reaches the same height as the floor 5, it automatically stops. Then, the wheelchair is moved from the platform 8 to the vehicle floor 5, and then moved to the front of the vehicle, and then the door switch 15 installed inside the vehicle is turned on.
is operated to the closing side, the platform 8 is folded by the opening/closing cylinder 11 and stored in the vehicle body, and then the back door 2 is closed by the door opening/closing cylinder 3.

Although not shown, in consideration of the fact that there may be obstacles near the door switch 15 etc. on the outside of the vehicle body and the operation may not be possible, the door switch 15, etc. on the outside of the vehicle body may not be operated.
A door switch and lift switch are also installed on the side of the vehicle. However, since this switch may be operated on public roads, for safety reasons, it is a remote control switch, which can be pulled out from the side of the vehicle and moved to the rear of the vehicle so that it can be operated from behind the vehicle. .

Next, the specific structure of the lifter will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. Figure 2 shows the lifter platform 8 stretched out so that it is flush with the car body floor 5. 4 is a column fixed on the car body floor, and within this column 4 is a lifting cylinder 21. The upper end of the elevating cylinder 21 is rotatably connected to the support 4 by a pin 22, and the tip of the rod 21a of the elevating cylinder 21 is pivotally supported to the lower part of the support 4 by a shaft 23. It is connected to the link 24 via a pin 25. Then, the lift arm 6 is attached to this shaft 23.
The lower end of the lift arm 6b is fixed to the lower end of the lift arm 6b so that it can rotate together with the shaft 23, and the lower end of the lift arm 6b is rotatably attached to the lower end of the support column 4 by a pin 26. Pins 27 and 28, whose upper ends are pivotally connected to the holding frame 7, are arranged so as to be at the vertices of a parallelogram with the pins 25 and 26, and the lift cylinder 21 is contracted to rotate the link 24. and lift arm 6
a and 6b are rotated while maintaining the virtual parallelogram, and the platform 8 held by the holding frame 7 is moved downward while maintaining the horizontal posture.

Reference numeral 30 denotes an auxiliary plate rotatably attached to the pin 26. This auxiliary plate 30 has the same width as the platform 8, and when the platform 8 is expanded as shown in FIG. It is rotated by a torsion spring (not shown) engaged with the pin 26 and placed in a horizontal position, which fills the gap between the vehicle body floor 5 and the platform 8 to facilitate smooth movement of the wheelchair. Further, an actuating plate 31 is fixed to one side of this auxiliary plate 30, and this actuating plate 31
The end face 31a of the holding frame 7 is always in contact with a roller 32 attached to the lower part of the holding frame 7.

Further, 34 is a lock cylinder pivotally connected to one of the pillars 4 by a pin 35, and 36 is a rotation shaft supported by a bearing 37 fixed to the lower part of the pillar 4 and disposed in the width direction of the vehicle body. The tip of the rod 34a of the lock cylinder 34 is rotatably connected to a link 38 fixed to one end of the rotation shaft 36, and is fixed to both ends of the rotation shaft 36 by the expansion and contraction of the lock cylinder 34. ing. A back lock hook 40 fixed to the center of the lock lever 39 and the rotation shaft 36 is adapted to be rotated.

On the other hand, the platform 8 is divided at the hinge 41 in the center in addition to the wheel stopper plate 8a at the tip, and is divided into a bent part 8b and a base part 8c. A platform opening/closing cylinder 11 is mounted between the bent portion 8b and the holding frame 7 so as to be rotatable.
is interposed. Furthermore, flanges 43 are fixedly installed on both sides of the tip of the bent portion 8b.
A support shaft 44 is rotatably suspended horizontally between the support shafts 44, and the wheel stopper plate 8a is fixed to the support shaft 44, and a torsion coil spring is fitted to the support shaft 44. The wheel stopper plate 8a is always biased clockwise (in the direction of arrow A). Further, a link 45 is fixed to the end of the support shaft 44, and a link 46 is rotatably supported on the flange 43 in parallel with the link 45 by a pin 47.
The operating rod 48 is connected to pins 49 and 50 at the tips of 5 and 46.
A roller 51 is attached to the lower end of the operating rod 48, and projects downward from the platform 8 when the platform is raised. 52 is the bent portion 8b
A V-shaped stopper is rotatably attached to the side wall of the machine by a pin 53, and this stopper 52 is always biased clockwise by a torsion spring 54.
When the platform is raised, the tip of the locking piece 52a comes into contact with the operating rod 48 to prevent rotation of the wheel stopper plate 8a, and the tip of the operating piece 52b projects downward from the platform 8. A roller 55 is also attached to the tip of this actuating piece 52b.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be explained.

When the lift switch is operated in the descending direction from the state shown in FIG. The form 8 is lowered in a horizontal position. Immediately before the platform 8 touches the ground, the supply of hydraulic pressure is stopped, and the platform 8 then descends under its own weight. First, the operating piece 52b of the stopper 52 hits the ground and rotates.
The locking piece 52a comes off the operating rod 48, and then the operating rod 48 hits the ground and is pushed upward by the load of the platform, and as shown in FIG. 4, the wheel stopper plate 8a resists the torsion coil spring. The platform 8 is rotated horizontally and the entire platform 8 is in contact with the ground. Then, when the lift switch is operated to the upward side, the lift cylinder is extended and the platform 8 begins to rise, the wheel stopper plate 8a is erected by the torsion coil spring, and the stopper 52 is rotated by the torsion spring 54. Then, the operating rod 48 is engaged and the wheel stopper plate 8a is locked. Furthermore, when the platform 8 reaches the same height as the vehicle floor, the lifting cylinder 21 is stopped. Then, when the door switch is operated in the closing direction, the opening/closing cylinder 11 is contracted, first the bent part 8b is rotated around the hinge 41 as shown by the imaginary line B in FIG. When contracted, the base portion 8c of the platform 8 is rotated counterclockwise about the pin 42, and the entire platform 8 is folded up as shown by the imaginary line C in FIG. When it reaches this point, the contraction of the opening/closing cylinder 11 is automatically stopped, and then the lifting cylinder 21 is extended, and the holding frame 7 and the platform 8 are pushed one step further into the vehicle body, as shown by the solid line in FIG. and stored. At this time, the roller 32 at the bottom of the holding frame 7 pushes the actuating plate 31 and the auxiliary plate 30
Rotate counterclockwise and store them into the vehicle body at the same time. If the door switches 15 and 19 are continued to be operated after this operation, the back door 2 will be closed, and after this closing, the lock cylinder 34 will contract and rotate the lock lever 39 and the hook 40 via the link 38. is holding frame 7
The hook 40 contacts the lower part of the back door 2 to lock the lifter, and the hook 40 is inserted into the recess 59 provided at the lower end of the back door 2.
(see FIG. 1) to lock the door 2.

Next, a sequence control system using a hydraulic circuit including hydraulic cylinders for operating the lifter and back door, and an electromagnetic switching valve for supplying hydraulic pressure to each hydraulic cylinder will be described. The switches used in this control system are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 in addition to the monolever switches 10, 15, 16, 18, and 19 that are provided inside and outside the vehicle in the above embodiment and are operated directly by passengers getting on and off the vehicle. There are microswitches a to m provided at positions as shown.

That is, as shown in FIG.
Two cams 5 are installed at the end of the shaft 23 that drives the
7 and 58 are fixed, and corresponding to the cams 57 and 58, the micro switch a which is activated by the cam to stop the lifting cylinder 21 just before the platform 8 touches the ground, and the lifter are pulled out as shown in FIG. microswitch b which is actuated to actuate the platform opening/closing cylinder 11 and expand the platform 8; microswitch d which is actuated just before the platform 8 rises to be at the same height as the floor; A micro switch c that is activated when the heights are the same is provided. Further, on the pillar 4, there is a micro switch g that detects when the platform 8 is retracted, a micro switch i that detects when the hook 40 releases the back door 2 by the lock cylinder 34, and a micro switch i that detects when the back door 2 is locked. A micro switch is provided. Microswitches e and m are provided on the holding frame 7 and detect the folded and unfolded states of the platform. Furthermore, a micro switch f for detecting the open state of the back door 2 and a micro switch k for detecting the closed state of the back door 2 are provided at the rear of the vehicle body 1 at the positions shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 shows the control system for the back door and parallel link type lifter. Reference numerals 61 to 64 each indicate a three-port electromagnetic switching device, and the switching valve 61 has a pilot check valve 61A to switch the driving direction of the lock cylinder 34 of the back door 2, and the switching valve 62 has a pilot check valve 61A and a throttle valve. The switching valve 63 has check valves 63A, 63B, throttle valves 63C, 63D, and a pilot check valve 63E to switch the drive direction of the opening/closing cylinder 3 of the backdoor 2. The switching valve 64 has a check valve 64A, a throttle valve 64B, and a pilot check valve 64C, and switches the driving direction of the platform lifting cylinder 21. Hydraulic pressure is supplied to these switching valves 61-64 by a power unit 65 consisting of a pump 65A, a driving electric motor 65B, and the like.

The switching valves 61 to 64 are supplied with power to the respective switching solenoids, and the micro switches a to m are used as control elements to operate the door switch 15 for opening/closing the back door and the platform opening/closing operation, and the lift switch 16 for lifting/lowering the platform. It will be done accordingly. These switches 15 and 16 are shown as being mounted on the left side outside the vehicle, but there are also switches 18 and 19 provided inside the vehicle interior, switches 10 and 10 provided on the platform handrail 9, and a remote control switch stored on the right side outside the vehicle. are connected in parallel to each switch.

The microswitches a to m are in the switching state or the open/close state shown in the figure when the platform is stored in the vehicle interior and the back door 2 is closed and locked. When the door switch 15 for opening/closing the back door and the platform is operated to open the back door, the micro switch i forms an energizing path to the solenoid 61B for unlocking the switching valve 61 to unlock the back door. In response to the completion of release, the switching valve 62 is switched to form an energizing path to the door opening/closing solenoid 62F. Micro switch f closes at the back door opening completion position to form an energizing path to micro switch b, and micro switch b forms an energizing path to the platform lowering solenoid 64D when the platform is retracted. 8 is pulled out of the vehicle, and in response to the completion of this drawing, the energization path is switched to the platform opening (deployment) solenoid 63F, and the platform 8 is deployed. Therefore, by continuing to operate the door switch 15 for opening/closing the back door and opening/closing the platform, a series of steps from unlocking the back door 2 to opening the back door, lowering it to pull out the platform, and deploying the platform can be performed. Control is performed automatically, and switching control is performed by microswitches i, b, and f to ensure that this series of controls is performed reliably.

The micro switch m closes in response to the completion of deployment of the platform 8, and forms an energizing path to the lowering solenoid 64D when the lift switch 16 for lifting and lowering the platform is operated to lower the platform. The lowering operation of the tutoform is inhibited until its expansion is completed. When the lift switch 16 for lifting and lowering the platform is operated to the lowering side, the micro switch a opens in response to the lowering of the platform to the position immediately before landing, and relays the energization path to the electric motor 65B of the power unit 65. The return of _R1 causes the bond to break, allowing the platform to descend freely due to its own weight.

The micro switch C forms an energizing path to the ascending solenoid 64E of the selector valve 64 when the platform is deployed and in the landing state, and the platform 8 is operated on the upward side by the switch 16. The circuit opens in response to the situation where it is in line with the vehicle floor. Therefore, when the platform is raised, the microswitch C automatically stops the raising of the platform 8 when the platform rises to the floor of the vehicle body.

The microswitch d closes just before the platform 8 rises to the floor of the vehicle body, and remains open until the platform 8 rises to the floor of the vehicle body, thereby inhibiting the folding operation of the platform 8. After the micro switch d closes, the micro switch e closes the door switch 15 for opening/closing the back door and opening/closing the platform.
Through this, an energizing path is formed to the platform closing solenoid 63G of the switching valve 63, and in response to the completion of folding of the platform 8, the energizing path is switched to the platform lifting solenoid 64E of the switching valve 64. Therefore, when the switch 15 is operated to close the back door, the platform is folded and retracted into the vehicle interior automatically by switching the micro switch e.

The micro switch G closes in response to the completion of retraction of the platform 8 into the vehicle interior, and by continuing to operate the door switch 15 for opening/closing the back door and the platform opening/closing operation to the closing side, the solenoid 2G for closing the back door of the switching valve 62 is activated. form a current carrying path,
Make the back door 2 close. The micro switch k closes in response to the completion of closing of the back door 2, and forms an energizing path to the locking solenoid 61C of the switching valve 61, thereby locking the back door 2. Therefore, after the platform 8 has been raised to the vehicle floor, by continuing to operate the door switch 15 for opening/closing the back door and opening/closing the platform, the platform can be folded and pulled into the vehicle interior. A series of controls for closing and locking the back door are automatically performed.

The lift switch 16 for raising and lowering the platform, the door switch 15 for opening and closing the back door, and the door switch 15 for opening and closing the platform have auxiliary contacts that are linked to their respective operations. By interlocking the opening and closing operations of the control relay _R1 in No. 5, when each operation is stopped midway, the control of the back door and platform is interrupted and that state is maintained.

In addition, when the back door 2 hits an obstacle during the opening operation of the back door 2, the auxiliary relay _R2 is energized by closing the tape switch h, and each switch 15,1
6, to prevent overloading of the mechanism and to ensure safety if there is a human obstacle.

Further, when the back door is completely closed, the micro switch j is opened to switch the room lamp 66 provided in the vehicle interior from lighting to off, and by turning off the lamp 66, it is possible to confirm the closed state of the back door. In addition, the main switch 6 of the control device is located near the driver's seat.
7 and switches 15, 16, 18, 1 outside the vehicle.
9 and a remote control switch are made meaningless by opening the main switch 67, and erroneous operations are prevented while driving.

With this control device, when moving from the passenger compartment to the outside of the vehicle, the switch 19 in the passenger compartment automatically opens the back door, pulls out the platform, and deploys it. After moving to platform 8, press the lift switch 10 on the side of the platform.
can be operated to the lowering side to descend to the ground and pass through the footboard 8a of the car stop device to get down to the ground.

Conversely, in order to move from outside the vehicle to inside the vehicle, if the platform 8 is on the ground, first step onto the platform, raise the platform, then enter the vehicle interior, and then switch the vehicle interior switch 19. When the back door 2 is closed, the platform can be taken out using the switches 15 and 16 outside the vehicle or the remote control switch. After that, you can board the vehicle using the same procedure as the boarding operation described above.

As explained above, the present invention provides a door that is automatically driven to open and close by a door opening/closing cylinder serving as an opening/closing drive unit, and a door that is disposed at an opening of the vehicle body that is opened and closed by the door, and is raised and lowered by a lifting cylinder serving as a lifting drive unit. It is equipped with a foldable platform and a platform opening/closing cylinder serving as a folding drive means for this platform, and the door opening/closing drive means and the platform folding drive means are sequentially driven by one operation of one switch. Since the platform lifter is configured to be driven by a separate switch operation from the above-mentioned switch, a disabled person can operate the lifter alone to get in and out of the car. The switch operation for raising and lowering the platform and the switch operation for opening/closing the platform and the back door are simplified to one operation/one switch operation for disabled persons to easily operate the lifter. There is.

Furthermore, the respective drives of the door opening/closing driving means, the platform opening/closing driving means, and the platform lifting/lowering driving means are linked to each other and are inhibited from entering the next control unless one control is completed. Automated platform opening/closing and lifting/lowering prevents mechanical damage and prevents personal injury.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the rear part of a coach-type automobile equipped with a vehicle shifter according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing an embodiment of the vehicle lifter according to the present invention when the platform is unfolded. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the platform when it is folded, Figure 4 is a side view of the platform when it is in contact with the ground, showing the action of the wheel stopper at the tip of the platform, and Figure 5 is a side view of the micro switch installed on the lifter. Side view showing the mounting position, No. 6
The figure is a side view of an automobile equipped with this lifter, and FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a door and lifter control device. 2... Door (back door), 3... Opening/closing drive means (door opening/closing cylinder), 8... Platform, 1
0,16,18...lift switch, 15,19...
Door switch, 21... Lifting drive means (lifting cylinder), 34... Folding drive means (opening/closing cylinder).

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A door that is driven to open and close by an opening and closing drive means;
A platform is disposed in the vehicle body opening that is opened and closed by the door, and is unfolded or folded by a folding drive means, and is driven up and down from the vehicle body floor to the ground by a lifting drive means, and the opening and closing means and the folding drive means. 1 of the first switch
A vehicular lifter comprising: a control circuit means for sequentially driving the lifting drive means according to an operation; and a control device having a control circuit means for driving the lifting drive means by a second switch. 2. The patent characterized in that the control device is equipped with a circuit means for driving the opening/closing of the door or the expansion/folding of the platform, and the raising/lowering of the platform, and for not driving one of the platforms while the other is being driven. A vehicle lifter according to claim 1.