JPS6397161A - Wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a folding structure for a wheelchair, and particularly to a folding structure as viewed from the side of the wheelchair.

[Prior Art] A wheelchair generally includes a pair of side frames arranged on both sides of a seat, a pair of main wheels arranged outside each side frame,
It includes a pair of auxiliary wheels arranged at the front lower end of each side frame, and a pair of push rods rising upward from the rear end of each side frame.

When using such a wheelchair to seat a physically disabled person, etc. in a seat in another vehicle such as a passenger car,
Either it becomes unnecessary or it must be transported on a vehicle in order to use it again at the desired location.
It is desirable that the wheelchair be able to be folded compactly.

In conventional foldable wheelchairs, for example, the seat and backrest of the seat are made of thick cloth, and the flexibility of such cloth is utilized to bring the pair of side frames closer to each other. However, it was only possible to fold in the so-called width direction.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] When looking at the form of the wheelchair seen from the side, firstly, in order to maintain a stable posture of the wheelchair, the main wheels should be positioned as far back as possible, and there should be a gap between them and the auxiliary wheels. We try to keep the wheelbase as long as possible. Therefore, the main wheels protrude relatively largely rearward from the side frames.

In addition, the push rod may also serve as a member for holding the backrest of the seat, and the push rod may also serve as a member for holding the backrest of the seat.
It is in a state where it protrudes relatively high towards the direction.

Therefore, as mentioned above, even if folding is performed in the so-called width direction, the positional relationship of the main wheels and push rods with respect to the side frame remains unchanged, and the main wheels and push rods protruding from the side frames are, for example, in the trunk of a passenger car. When storing a wheelchair in a folded state, it could become an obstacle.

Therefore, the present invention focuses on the shape of the wheelchair when viewed from the side, and provides a wheelchair equipped with a folding mechanism that can be made compact in such a side view.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention includes a pair of side frames arranged on both sides of a seat;
A pair of main wheels arranged on the outside of each of the side frames, a pair of auxiliary wheels arranged at the lower front end of each of the side frames, and a pair of auxiliary wheels arranged rising from the rear end of each of the side frames to one side. 1
The present invention is a wheelchair equipped with a pair of push bars, and the above-mentioned technical problem is solved as follows.

First, each of the push rods is provided so as to be rotatable rearward and downward with respect to each of the side frames.

Further, a pair of fixing brackets protruding forward is provided at the rear end of each side frame.

A pair of wheel mounting brackets are rotatably connected to the front end of each fixed bracket. This wheel mounting bracket displaces its tip in the front-rear direction in the connected state. Further, the end of rearward displacement of the tip end of the wheel mounting bracket is defined by the wheel mounting bracket coming into contact with the side frame.

The axle of each main wheel is held at the tip of the wheel mounting bracket.

Each push rod and each wheel attachment bracket are connected to each other by an interlocking rod so that when each push rod rotates rearward and downward, each wheel attachment bracket rotates so as to displace its tip forward. Rotatably connected.

[Function] When the wheelchair according to the present invention is to be folded, each push bar is rotated rearward and downward with respect to each side frame. This rotational movement of each push rod is transmitted to each wheel mounting bracket via each interlocking rod. Each wheel mounting bracket is rotated by the action of the interlocking rod as described above so as to displace the tip end thereof forward. Therefore, each main wheel whose axle is held at the tip of each wheel mounting bracket is displaced forward. Simply put, when the push rod is pushed backwards and downwards, the main wheels are displaced forward.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the main wheels, which protrude relatively far rearward with respect to the side frame when the wheelchair is in the open state, now extend almost horizontally to the side frame when the wheelchair is folded. , and the degree of rearward protrusion relative to the side frame is reduced. Furthermore, the push rod, which protrudes relatively high upward from the rear end of the side frame when the wheelchair is open, is directed downward and substantially along the rear end of the side frame when the wheelchair is folded. . Therefore, when viewed from the side, the folded wheelchair does not have any members that largely protrude from the side frame, and therefore a compact folded state can be realized.

It should be noted that the so-called folding mechanism in the width direction, which is provided in conventional wheelchairs, is provided independently from the folding mechanism in the form seen from the side direction according to the present invention, and therefore, the folding mechanism in the width direction If the wheelchair according to the present invention is desired to be folded in the width direction, such a folding mechanism in the width direction can be easily added to the wheelchair according to the present invention.

Further, according to the present invention, the operation of tilting the push rod rearward and downward and the operation of displacing the main wheel forward are linked by the interlocking rod, so the folding operation is easy. Conversely, when changing from the folded state to the open state, the action of raising the push rod upward and the action of displacing the main wheels rearward are linked to each other, so the opening operation is difficult. is also easy.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a view showing the main components of a wheelchair according to an embodiment of the present invention from the right side.

FIG. 1 shows the wheelchair in an open position.

As shown in FIG. 1, this wheelchair first includes a pair of side frames 1 placed on both sides of a seat. Note that the seat is not directly related to the gist of this invention, so
Although detailed illustrations are omitted, elements related to the illustrated seat are indicated by chain double-dashed lines. For example, a footrest 2 and a seat 3 are shown.

A pair of main wheels 4 are arranged on the outside of each side frame 1.

Regarding the main wheel 4, in order to avoid complication of the drawing, only a part is shown with a solid line, and most of the outline is shown with a dashed line. It is composed of

Moreover, a pair of auxiliary wheels 5 are arranged at the lower front end of each side frame 1. The auxiliary wheels 5 preferably consist of turnable casters with a rotating yoke 6.

Further, a pair of push rods 7 are provided rising upward from the rear end of each side frame 1.

The configuration described above is substantially the same as that of a conventional wheelchair.

FIG. 2 shows the wheelchair shown in FIG. 1 in a folded state. Further, FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the connecting portion between the side frame 1 and the push rod 7 shown in FIG. 1, with a portion thereof in cross section.

As can be seen by comparing Figures 1 and 2, each push rod 7
is provided so as to be rotatable rearward and downward with respect to each side frame 1. That is, in this embodiment, a push rod mounting bracket 9 that projects rearward is fixed to a vertical rod 8 at the rear end of the side frame 1, and the tip of the push rod mounting bracket 9 and the lower end of the push rod 7 are connected to the pin 10. connected by.

Further, a pair of fixing brackets 11 protruding forward is provided on the vertical bar 8 at the rear end of each side frame 1. A wheel mounting bracket 12 is rotatably connected to the front end of each fixed bracket 11 via, for example, a pin 13.

As can be seen by comparing FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the wheel mounting bracket 12 is rotatable so as to displace its tip in the front-rear direction. In addition, the wheel mounting bracket 12
A portion for receiving the vertical rod 8 is formed at the tip thereof, and an abutment surface 14 that can come into contact with the vertical rod 8 is formed in this portion. In FIG. 1, the abutment surface 14 abuts the vertical bar 8, which defines the end of the rearward displacement of the tip of the wheel mounting bracket 12.

The axle 15 of each main wheel 4 described above is held at the tip of the wheel mounting bracket 12.

Further, each push rod 7 and each wheel mounting bracket 12 are connected to each other by an interlocking rod 16 so as to be rotatable. That is, one end of the interlocking rod 16 is rotatably connected to the push rod 7 via the pin 17. Interlocking rod 16
The other end of the wheel mounting bracket 1 is connected to the wheel mounting bracket 1 via a pin 18.
It is rotatably connected to a connecting piece 19 that extends integrally from 2. In addition, as can be seen from FIG.
It is located inside the wheelchair from the surface where 1 is located. The interlocking rod 1B acts on each wheel mounting bracket 12 so that when the push rod 7 rotates rearward and downward, each wheel mounting bracket 12 displaces its distal end portion forward. In the illustrated embodiment, the interlocking rod 16 has an L-shaped bent shape as a whole, but this prevents interference with other elements within the movement range of the interlocking rod 16. If this is not necessary, it may be constructed from a straight rod.

In this embodiment, a reclining adjustment mechanism for the backrest of the seat is provided by utilizing the structure of the push rod 7 that can be rotated rearward and downward as described above.

Therefore, the backrest part (not shown) forming part of the seat
is formed by being passed between a pair of push rods 7.

An adjustment fitting 20, which forms part of the reclining adjustment mechanism, is attached using a vertical bar 8 at the rear end of the side frame 1. The upper end edge of the adjustment fitting 20 extends in an arc shape, and a plurality of, for example, three, recesses 21, 22, and 23 are provided therein. On the other hand, the push rod 7 is provided with a sleeve 24 slidable in the direction in which the push rod 7 extends. An engagement pin 25 is held in the sleeve 24, and this engagement pin 25 is
It protrudes from the sleeve 24 so as to be able to engage in the aforementioned recesses 21, 22, 23.

The relationship between sleeve 24 and push rod 7 is best shown in FIG. The push rod 7 is composed of a hollow pipe, and a compression spring 26, for example, is disposed inside the push rod 7. Each end of the compression spring 26 has a pair of spring supports held by blocks 27 and 28. One spring receiver is fixed to the block 27 by a push rod 7 and a pin 29 passing through the block 27. The other spring receiver is held in the block 28 in a state where the above-mentioned engagement pin 25 is exposed. and,
The engagement pin 25 is received in an elongated hole 30 provided in the push rod 7, so that the engagement pin 25, the spring receiver block 28, and the sleeve 24 can be displaced together in the direction in which the push rod 7 extends. It is. In such a displacement, the compression spring 26 always biases the sleeve 24 and the engagement pin 25 via the spring receiver block 28 so as to displace it downward in FIG. 3.

Next, the folding operation of the chair r- described in this embodiment will be explained, including the operation of the reclining adjustment mechanism as described above.

First, in the open state shown in FIG. 1, the engagement pin 25 is fitted into the forwardmost four parts 21 of the adjustment fitting 20, and the push rod 7 is maintained in the most upright state. . That is, the backrest portion (not shown) is kept in its most upright position.

If you want to change the inclination angle of the backrest from the above state, first hold the sleeve 24 and push it with the push rod 7.
2 along the groove 2, and the engaging pin 25 is inserted into the recess 2.
It is said that the state has escaped from 1.

Then, the push rod 7 is rotated about the pin 10, and its inclination angle is changed. If you want to make the inclination angle of the backrest part the largest, you can release your hand from the sleeve 24 when the engagement pin 25 is aligned with the rearmost recess 23. If you want to make the inclination angle in the middle, you can release the sleeve 24. When the engagement pins 25 are aligned with the recesses 22, it is sufficient to release the sleeve 24.

By changing the number and distribution density of recesses provided in the adjustment fitting 20, even more diverse reclining adjustments are possible.

Note that during such reclining adjustment, the inclination angle of the push rod 7 does not change much, so the main wheels 4
The amount of displacement can be almost ignored.

As shown in FIG. 1, when folding the open wheelchair, the sleeve 24 is pulled up and the engagement pin 2
5 does not fit into any of the recesses 21, 22, and 23. Then, the push rod 7 is rotated rearward and downward, so that it faces downward as shown in FIG. In response, the interlocking rod 16 acts to rotate the wheel mounting bracket 12, and the axle 15 held therein is displaced forward. This amount of displacement of the axle 15 is indicated by A'' in FIG.

As is clear from FIG. 2 showing the folded state, when the wheelchair is viewed from the side, the main wheels 4 are substantially lined up on the sides of the side frame 1 and do not protrude rearward very much. has been done. The push rod 7 is directed downward while substantially following the vertical rod 8 of the side frame 1, and is housed in the space formed between the pair of main wheels 4.

Although not directly related to the gist of the present invention, in addition to being foldable in a form seen from the side, such as in a double row, the wheelchair can also be folded in the so-called width direction. good. This operation is performed completely independently, for example, the footrest 2 is folded in the width direction and the seat part 3 is folded in the width direction. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, if the footrest 2 is operated to face vertically at the front end of the side frame 1, a more compact folded state can be realized.

To change from the folded state shown in FIG. 2 to the open state shown in FIG. 1, the push rod 7 can be lifted rearward and upward. Accordingly, the interlocking rod 16 is connected to the wheel mounting bracket 1.
2 is rotated so as to approach the vertical bar 8, and when the push bar 7 is in the upright state, the wheel mounting bracket 12
The abutment surface 14 of the main wheel 4 abuts against the vertical bar 8, and the end of the rearward displacement of the main wheel 4 is defined. Then, lift up the engagement pin 25 through the sleeve 24, and
, 22, 23, you can release your hand from the sleeve 24. This maintains the open state as shown in FIG. 1, for example.

Although this opening operation is not directly related to the present invention, (a) the folding mechanism in the width direction is activated to widen the distance between the pair of side frames 1. Accordingly, for example, the seat 3 is formed as desired and
The footrest 2 is expanded in the width direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the footrest 2 may be rotated so as to protrude forward from the side frame 1.

Although the present invention has been described above in connection with the illustrated embodiments, the reclining adjustment mechanism does not necessarily have to be provided, for example. The illustrated reclining adjustment mechanism also functions to more reliably maintain the upright state of the push rod 7, but if you wish to perform only this function, for example, the reclining adjustment mechanism Metal fittings 2o
It is sufficient that only one recess, for example the recess 21, is provided in the recess.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows the main components of a wheelchair according to an embodiment of the present invention from the right side, showing the wheelchair in an open state. FIG. 2 shows the wheelchair shown in FIG. 1 in a folded state from the right side. FIG. 3 is an enlarged partially cross-sectional view of the attachment portion of the push rod 7 shown in FIG. 1 to the side frame 1. FIG. In the figure, 1 is a side frame, 4 is a main wheel, 5 is an auxiliary wheel,
7 is a push rod, 8 is a vertical rod (rear end of the side frame), 9 is a push rod mounting bracket, 10, 13, 17° 18 is a pin, 11 is a fixed bracket l-112 is a wheel mounting bracket, 14 is a contact surface, 15 is the axle, 16 is the interlocking rod, 20 is the adjustment fitting (
Reclining adjustment mechanism), 21, 22, 23 are four parts,
25 is an engagement pin, and A is a displacement amount. Figure 2, / Figure 3

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A pair of side frames placed on both sides of the seat, a pair of main wheels placed on the outside of each side frame, and a pair of auxiliary wheels placed at the lower front end of each side frame. and a pair of push bars that are provided upwardly from the rear ends of each of the side frames, each of the push bars being provided so as to be rotatable rearwardly and downwardly with respect to each of the side frames. A pair of fixing brackets protruding forward are provided at the rear ends of each of the side frames, and a pair of wheel mounting brackets are provided at the front ends of each of the fixing brackets, with the tips of the brackets extending forward and backward. The main wheels are rotatably connected so as to be displaced and the end of rearward displacement is defined by contact with each of the side frames, and the axle of each of the main wheels is held at the tip of each of the wheel mounting brackets. , each of the push rods and each of the wheel attachment brackets are interlocked so that when each of the push rods rotates rearward and downward, each of the wheel attachment brackets rotates to displace its front end forward. A wheelchair, characterized in that the wheelchairs are rotatably connected to each other by a rod. (2) A backrest portion forming a part of the seat is formed between the pair of push bars, and during the rotation of each push bar from the upwardly raised state to the rearward and downward direction, each of the push bars is The wheelchair according to claim 1, further comprising a reclining adjustment mechanism for fixing a plurality of inclination angles taken by the push rod.