KR20160048260A

KR20160048260A - Wheelchair

Info

Publication number: KR20160048260A
Application number: KR1020140144102A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 이동건; 이승후; 이규창
Original assignee: 경남대학교 산학협력단
Priority date: 2014-10-23
Filing date: 2014-10-23
Publication date: 2016-05-04
Also published as: KR101656450B1

Abstract

Disclosed is a wheelchair having a standing assistance function. The wheelchair includes: a main frame which includes wheels, a handle, and a back support; a seat which is provided to the main frame and is arranged in front of the back support; a lifting means which provided to the main frame and lifts the rear part of the seat. The wheelchair is configured to lift the seat to assist a user to stand up.

Description

Wheelchair {WHEELCHAIR}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a wheelchair, and more particularly, to a wheelchair having a standing assist function.

Recently, the number of patients with degenerative diseases has been increasing with the increase of the elderly population.

In particular, degenerative arthritis, a degenerative disease of the knee, is a disease of more than 80% of the elderly population.

On the other hand, patients suffering from arthritis use wheelchairs more often because of their discomfort.

However, since the seat of the wheelchair according to the prior art is fixed, there is a disadvantage that a lot of stress is applied to the knee and the waist when the arthritic patient stands up in the wheelchair.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve at least some of the problems of the related art as described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a wheelchair which can assist a standing operation by transmitting a force to a user's body when the user stands The purpose.

In order to achieve at least part of the above objects, the present invention provides a main frame comprising a wheel, a handle and a back; A seat disposed on the main frame and disposed in front of the backrest; And a lifting means provided on the main frame for lifting a rear portion of the seat.

In one embodiment, the front end of the seat is rotatably coupled to the main frame in a vertical direction, and the elevating means can apply upward pressure to the rear portion of the seat.

Further, in one embodiment, the elevating means includes a support bar having a front end rotatably coupled to the main frame in a vertical direction, and supporting the seat to the main frame; A lift bar coupled to a rear end of the support bar and capable of being elevated; And an elastic member for lifting the lift bar when the external force is removed through an elastic restoring force.

Further, in one embodiment, the elastic member may be composed of a compression coil spring.

In addition, in one embodiment, the elevating means includes a cylinder having a door capable of air inflow and outflow, a lower end of the lift bar and the elastic member accommodated therein; A piston provided inside the cylinder and coupled to the lift bar; And an opening and closing member for opening and closing the opening and closing port.

Further, in one embodiment, the opening and closing member may be configured to maintain a state of closing the opening and closing port when an external force is removed.

Further, in one embodiment, the opening / closing member may be configured to automatically open the opening / closing port when the lift bar is lowered.

Further, in one embodiment, the main frame may further include an operating handle provided on the main frame for operating the opening and closing member so as to be positioned in front of the seat.

In one embodiment, the main frame includes a left main frame and a right main frame disposed on the left and right sides of the seat, respectively, and connects the left main frame and the right main frame, And a cross member rotatably coupled to the right main frame, wherein one end is connected to the left main frame, the other end is connected to the right main frame, and the center portion is foldable by an external force .

Here, the contact member may be configured to fold the body when the center portion is downwardly pressed by an external force.

Further, in one embodiment, the contact member may have a pressing portion at a central portion thereof.

For example, both ends of the pressing portion may be rotatably coupled to the contact member to form a part of the contact member.

Meanwhile, in another embodiment, the crossbar is connected in an 'X' shape between the left main frame and the right main frame, each of the upper ends of the cross is rotatably coupled to the left main frame and the right main frame, The lower ends of the lower main body and the right main frame can be raised and lowered independently from each other, and one end of the contact member can be connected to the lower left end of the cross member and the other end can be connected to the lower right end of the cross member.

According to an embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration, the seat can be elevated so that the user can assist in standing up.

Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the user can easily fold the body of the wheelchair with a small force by using his / her feet, so that an advantage of ease of use can be obtained.

1 is a perspective view of a seat of a wheelchair in an elevated state according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which the lifting means of the wheelchair shown in Fig. 1 is separated. Fig.
Fig. 3 is a side sectional view showing the operation of the elevating means when the seat of the wheelchair shown in Fig. 1 is lowered. Fig.
Fig. 4 is a side sectional view showing the operation of the elevating means when the seat of the wheelchair shown in Fig. 1 is raised. Fig.
Fig. 5 is a rear view showing a stitching member included in the wheelchair shown in Fig. 1; Fig.
6 is a rear view of the wheelchair shown in Fig. 5 in a folded state; Fig.
7 is a rear view showing a stitching member included in a wheelchair according to another embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a rear view of the wheelchair shown in Fig. 7 in a folded state; Fig.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Furthermore, the singular forms "a", "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 6, a wheelchair according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

1 to 6, a wheelchair 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main frame 110, a wheel 120, a seat 130, a lifting unit 200, a cross bar 160, And the abutting member 170, as shown in Fig.

The main frame 110 is a member constituting the basic framework of the wheelchair 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In one embodiment, the main frame 110 may include a left main frame 110a and a right main frame 110b formed in symmetrical shapes.

The left main frame 110a and the right main frame 110b may be connected to each other through a cross bar 160 to be described later.

The left main frame 110a and the right main frame 110b may be configured such that the body of the wheelchair 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is folded and unfolded by adjusting the distance between the left main frame 110a and the right main frame 110b.

In addition, the main frame 110 may be provided with a bar-shaped moving frame 111, which is coupled to the upper end of the cross bar 160 to be described later and arranged in a horizontal direction.

The moving frame 111 is provided at the upper end of the crosspiece 160 and is separated from the left main frame 110a and the right main frame 110b so that when the wheelchair 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is deployed And may be in contact with the left main frame 110a and the right main frame 110b to serve as stoppers for restricting the rotation of the cross member 160. [

1, a rear upper end of the main frame 110, that is, a rear upper end of each of the left main frame 110a and the right main frame 110b, may be formed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. A handle 112 for pushing the wheelchair 100 may be provided and a backrest 114 may be provided between the left main frame 110a and the right main frame 110b.

In addition, the main frame 110 may be provided with an armrest on which a user can put his / her arm, and a footrest 116 on which a user can put his / her foot on the lower front.

Further, the main frame 110 may be provided with a brake unit 118 capable of braking the wheel 120, which will be described later.

The wheels 120 may be provided on the left main frame 110a and the right main frame 110b, respectively. In an embodiment, the wheel 120 may include a main wheel 120a having a large diameter and a front wheel 120b having a smaller diameter than the main wheel 120a and capable of changing the direction. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

The seat 130 is provided in the main frame 110 and may be disposed in front of the backrest 114. In one embodiment, the seat 130 may be made of cloth or leather so as to be folded together when the wheelchair 100 is folded according to an embodiment of the present invention, but is not limited thereto.

The elevating means 200 is provided on the main frame 110 and can elevate the rear portion of the seat 130 as shown in FIG.

To this end, in one embodiment, the front end of the seat 130 may be rotatably coupled to the main frame 110 in the up-and-down direction, And can be configured to apply pressure.

When the elevating means 200 is operated, the seat 130 may be arranged to be inclined downward to the front of the main frame 110 in a state where the rear portion is raised as shown in FIG.

When the user stands up in the seat 130, the seat 130 may apply a pushing force to the user's hips to help the user stand up.

The lift bar 220, the elastic member 230, the cylinder 240, the piston 245, and the opening / closing member 250 (not shown) ).

The support bar 210 may be a bar shaped member formed to have a length corresponding to the length of the seat 130 and may be coupled to the side or bottom of the seat 130 to support the seat 130 on the main frame 110 have.

In one embodiment, the support bar 210 has a hinge engagement portion 212 at the front end thereof. The hinge engagement portion 212 is coupled to the movement frame 111, And can be configured to be rotatable in the vertical direction.

The support bar 210 may be provided with a pair of support bars 210 to be coupled to the movable frame 111 provided on the left and right sides respectively, So that the seat 130 can be rotatably supported on the main frame 110 in the vertical direction.

The lift bar 220 may be coupled to a rear end of the support bar 210 and may be configured to be movable up and down.

In one embodiment, the lift bar 220 may be configured as a bar-shaped member that is elongated in the vertical direction, and may be configured to be vertically movable.

The lift bar 220 has a connecting protrusion 222 which is fastened to the connecting hole 214 formed in the supporting bar 210 and the connecting protrusion 222 is connected to the connecting hole 214 And can be coupled to the support bar 210 by inserting.

3 and 4, the supporting bar 210 performs a rotating motion and the lifting bar 220 moves up and down in the vertical direction, so that the lifting and lowering operation of the lifting bar 220, It is preferable that the connection hole 214 is formed as a long hole extending in the longitudinal direction of the support bar 210 so that the coupling of the lift bar 220 and the support bar 210 can be maintained during the rotation operation of the support bar 210 .

At this time, the connection protrusion 222 may be slid along the longitudinal direction of the connection hole 214 while being fastened to the connection hole 214 of the elongated shape.

The elastic member 230 can lift the lift bar 220 when an external force is removed through an elastic restoring force.

In one embodiment, the elastic member 230 may be a compression coil spring provided at the lower end of the lift bar 220, but is not limited thereto.

Further, in one embodiment, the elastic member 230 may be disposed in the inner space of the cylinder 240, which will be described later.

The lower end of the cylinder 240 is provided with a door 242 through which air can flow into and out of the inner chamber and the lower end of the lift bar 220, the elastic member 230 and a piston 245 .

Here, the lift bar 220 may be disposed through the upper end of the cylinder 240 through the upper hole of the cylinder 240.

One end of the elastic member 230 may be supported by a piston 245, which will be described later, and the other end may be supported by a bottom of the inner chamber of the cylinder 240.

In one embodiment, the cylinder 240 is preferably provided with an inner chamber of a length such that the entire lift bar 220 can be received so that the lift bar 220 can be elevated to a sufficient height, no.

The piston 245 is provided in the inner chamber of the cylinder 240 and can be coupled to the lower end of the lift bar 220.

The piston 245 may move up and down the lift bar 220 through a movement of reciprocating movement in the inner chamber of the cylinder 240 in agreement with the movement of the lift bar 220.

The opening and closing member 250 can selectively open and close the opening 242 provided in the cylinder 240.

The opening and closing member 250 is provided with an opening 242 for allowing the air existing below the piston 245 to be discharged to the outside of the cylinder 240 when the piston 245 is lowered in accordance with the downward movement of the lift bar 220, ) Can be automatically opened.

To this end, in one embodiment, the opening and closing member 250 may be hinged to the cylinder 240 so as to open and close the opening and closing port 242 while being rotated in the vertical direction.

In this configuration, when the piston 245 is lowered, the opening / closing member 250 can be automatically opened due to the pressure of air existing below the piston 245 to be discharged through the opening / closing port 242.

Further, the opening and closing member 250 may be configured to keep the opening and closing port 242 closed when an external force is removed.

3 and 4, a spring member 252 may be provided to apply an elastic restoring force to the opening and closing member 250 in the direction in which the opening and closing member 250 closes the opening and closing port 242. [ For example, the spring member 252 may be a torsion spring supported by the body of the cylinder 240 and the opening and closing member 250, but is not limited thereto.

The opening and closing member 250 may be provided with a packing member 254 that hermetically seals the opening and closing port 242 to prevent air from flowing into the cylinder 240 through the opening and closing port 242. [

On the other hand, in order to allow the user to open the opening and closing member 250 as needed, the opening and closing member 250 may be provided with an operating lever 256 extended to one side.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the operation lever 256 is pulled in one direction, the opening and closing member 250 may be rotated to open the opening and closing port 242.

In one embodiment, the moving frame 111 of the main frame 110 may be provided with an actuating handle 140 that can actuate the actuating lever 256.

Here, the operating knob 140 may be positioned in front of the seat 130 so that the user can easily operate it.

At this time, the operating knob 140 may be connected to the operating lever 256 through the wire 150. [ The wire 150 may transmit the operating force of the operating knob 140 operated by the user to the operating lever 256.

The user can push the operating knob 140 to one side and pull the operating lever 256 to open the opening and closing member 250. [

On the contrary, when the user places the operating handle 140, the opening / closing member 250 is closed due to the elastic restoring force of the spring member 252, and the operating handle 140 is rotated to the other position and returned to the home position.

The standing assist operation of the wheelchair 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention having such a structure will be described.

3, in a state where the seat 130 is lowered, the lift bar 220 is lowered and the elastic member 230 is in a compressed state.

Here, since the opening / closing port 242 is closed by the opening / closing member 250, the outside air does not flow into the cylinder 240.

At this time, since the piston 245 does not flow into the inner chamber of the cylinder 240, the piston 245 maintains the lowered position, and the elastic member 230 is maintained in a compressed state due to the fixing of the position of the piston 245 .

When the door 242 is closed, the seat 130 does not rise even if the load pressing the seat 130 is removed.

4, when the user operates the operating knob 140 to open the opening and closing member 250, the opening and closing port 242 is opened and the opening and closing port 242 is opened to the inner chamber of the cylinder 240 Air is introduced.

Here, the piston 245 can be raised by the elastic restoring force of the elastic member 230.

At this time, the elastic restoring force of the elastic member 230 is transmitted to the seat 130 while the user stands on the seat 130, so that the seat 130 can exert a force pushing upward on the user's hip.

The resilient restoring force of the elastic member 230 helps the user to stand up, so that the stress applied to the knees and the waist at the time of the user's standing up operation can be reduced.

When the user sits on the seat 130 again while the seat 130 is raised, the lift bar 220 and the piston 245 are lowered by the load.

At this time, due to the lowering of the piston 245, the air existing below the piston 245 in the inner chamber of the cylinder 240 is compressed and the opening / closing member 250 is pushed due to the pressure of the compressed air, Can be opened.

The air is discharged to the outside of the cylinder 240 through the open access port 242 and the elastic member 230 can be compressed.

Then, when the seating of the user is completed and the pressure of the air discharged from the opening / closing port 242 decreases, the opening / closing member 242 is closed due to the elastic restoring force of the spring member 252.

At this time, the operating knob 140 connected to the operating lever 256 via the wire 150 is returned to its original position.

The cross bar 160 connects the left main frame 110a and the right main frame 110b as shown in FIGS. 2, 5 and 6, and connects the left main frame 110a and the right main frame 110b 110b.

In one embodiment, the crossbar 160 may be connected in an "X" shape.

5 and 6, each of the lower ends of the cross bar 160 is rotatably coupled to the left main frame 110a and the right main frame 110b, May be coupled to the frame 111.

6, when the wheelchair 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is folded as shown in FIG. 6, the crosspiece 160 in the shape of an 'X' The moving frame 111 connected to the moving frame 111 is raised.

The contact member 170 is connected to the left main frame 110a at one end thereof and connected to the right main frame 110b at the other end thereof. to be.

In one embodiment, the abutting member 170 may be configured to fold the body when the center portion is downwardly depressed by an external force as shown in Fig.

Such a stapling member 170 may facilitate a user to fold the body of the wheelchair 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

That is, when folding the wheelchair 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the user steps on the middle portion of the contact member 170 to fold the folding member 170, thereby pressing the left main frame 110a with a small force, And the right main frame 110b.

At this time, the abutting member 170 may contact the ground at the center of the abutting member 170 to fix the wheelchair 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention on the ground.

Meanwhile, in one embodiment, the contact member 170 may be provided with a pressing portion 172 at a central portion thereof.

Both ends of the pressing portion 172 are rotatably engaged with the contact member 170 to constitute a part of the contact member.

The pressing portion 172 may be formed of a horizontal bar or a plate having a length to which one foot of the user can be seated.

When the user presses the joining member 170 by using one foot, the pressing portion 172 provides a space having a width such that the user's foot can be received in the folded portion of the joining member 170, So that the user can easily fold the contact member 170.

However, the pressing portion 172 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may be constructed as a stepped structure protruding rearward from the center rotary shaft of the contact member 170. [

7 and 8 are rear views of the wheelchair 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention, showing the opened state and the folded state.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, in another embodiment of the present invention, the crossbar 165 differs from the crossbar 160 included in the embodiment shown in Figures 5 and 6, And may be rotatably coupled to the main frame 110a and the right main frame 110b.

At this time, the lower ends of the crossbar 165 can be separated from the left main frame 110a and the right main frame 110b independently so as to be elevated.

In this structure, when the wheelchair 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention is folded, as shown in FIG. 8, the crosspiece 165 of the 'X' shape is folded in the width direction, The lower end is lowered.

Further, in another embodiment, the abutting member 170 may be connected at one end to the lower left end of the crosspiece 165 and at the other end to the lower right end of the crosspiece 165. [

The user can fold the wheelchair 100 by stepping down the joining member 170 when the wheelchair 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention is folded and at the same time collecting the knob 112 while lifting the knob 112 .

The wheelchair 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention having such a structure is different from the wheelchair 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above with reference to Figs. 1 to 6, The position of the seat 130 is not required to be raised and lowered, and the user can step down with the foot of the contact member 170, thereby easily folding with a small force.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to particular embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims I would like to make it clear.

100: wheelchair 110: main frame
110a: left main frame 110b: right main frame
111: moving frame 120: wheel
130: seat 140: operating handle
150: wire 160, 165: crossbar
170: contact member 172:
200: elevating means 210: supporting bar
212: hinge coupling part 214: connection hole
220: lift bar 222: connecting projection
230: elastic member 240: cylinder
242: opening / closing port 245: piston
250: opening / closing member 252: spring member
254: packing member 256: operating lever

Claims

A main frame having wheels, a handle and a back;
A seat disposed on the main frame and disposed in front of the backrest; And
A lifting means provided on the main frame for lifting a rear portion of the seat;
&Lt; / RTI >

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the seat has a front end rotatably coupled to the main frame in a vertical direction,
Wherein the elevating means applies upward pressure to the rear portion of the seat.

3. The method of claim 2,
The elevating means includes:
A support bar rotatably coupled to the main frame so as to be rotatable in a vertical direction and supporting the seat to the main frame;
A lift bar coupled to a rear end of the support bar and capable of being elevated; And
An elastic member for lifting the lift bar when the external force is removed through an elastic restoring force;
Wherein the wheelchair comprises:

The method of claim 3,
Wherein the elastic member comprises a compression coil spring.

The method of claim 3,
The elevating means includes:
A cylinder having an opening and an outlet through which air can flow in and out, a lower end of the lift bar and the elastic member accommodated therein;
A piston provided inside the cylinder and coupled to the lift bar; And
And an opening and closing member for opening and closing the opening and closing port.

6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the opening / closing member is configured to maintain a state in which the door is closed when an external force is removed.

6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the opening / closing member is configured to automatically open the opening / closing port when the lift bar is lowered.

6. The method of claim 5,
Further comprising an operating handle provided on the main frame so as to be located in front of the seat, the operating handle operating the opening and closing member.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the main frame includes a left main frame and a right main frame disposed on left and right sides of the seat, respectively,
And a cross bar connecting the left main frame and the right main frame and rotatably coupled to the left main frame and the right main frame,
Further comprising: a connecting member, one end of which is connected to the left main frame, the other end of which is connected to the right main frame, and the center of the connecting member is foldable by an external force.

10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the contact member is configured to fold the body when the center portion is downwardly pressed by an external force.

11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the contact member has a pressing portion at a central portion thereof.

12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein both ends of the pressing portion are rotatably coupled to the contact member to constitute a part of the contact member.

10. The method of claim 9,
The cross bar is connected in an 'X' shape between the left main frame and the right main frame, and each of the upper ends of the cross bar is rotatably coupled to the left main frame and the right main frame,
Both lower ends thereof being separated from each other so as to be able to move up and down independently from the left main frame and the right main frame,
Wherein one end of the contact member is connected to a lower left end of the cross bar and the other end is connected to a lower right end of the cross bar.