WO1992004002A1

WO1992004002A1 - Aircraft boarding chair

Info

Publication number: WO1992004002A1
Application number: PCT/CA1991/000310
Authority: WO
Inventors: Norman Dennis Eryou; Douglas Frank Eryou; David A. Hauch; Michael Edward Wiklund; Brian Philips; Marc Harrison
Original assignee: Just Mobility Consulting & Design Ltd.
Priority date: 1990-09-07
Filing date: 1991-09-09
Publication date: 1992-03-19
Also published as: AU8398191A

Abstract

A wheeled chair (10) for assisting passengers, most typically disabled or handicapped persons into and out of passenger vehicles. The boarding chair (10) is sufficiently narrow to pass down the aisle of a passenger vehicle, such as an aircraft. It has a seat (12) that is movable up and down to match the elevation of another seat from or to which a passenger is to be moved, or to match the elevation of an armrest over which a passenger is to be moved. Lifting handles (15A, 17) are provided for carrying the chair (10) and a person seated therein up and down stairs. Outriggers (40) are provided for extension and added stability when the chair is not used in a narrow aisle, and means is provided for selectively locking the rear caster wheels (20) against both pivoting and rotation and against pivoting only, with the caster wheels (20) locked in a straight forward position.

Description

AIRCRAFT BOARDING CHAIR Background of the Invention The present invention is a wheeled chair for assisting passengers, most typically disabled or handicapped persons, into and out of passenger vehicles, such as airplanes and buses, including up and down steps.

Traditional wheel chairs are too wide for use in the aisle of aircraft and buses. Prior art patents such as Fanslau et al. (U.S. 4,527,829) and Jensen et al (U.S. 4,678,202) have addressed this problem with wheeled chairs of narrow width to permit use in the aisle of an aircraft and buses, but neither Fanslau et al. nor Jensen et al. has addressed the problem of lifting the chair and passenger up and down steps, braking the chair against movement on its wheels or the lack of stability due to the narrowness of the chair and the shortness of the axle distance between wheels.

The present invention addresses each of these problems and has as its object to provide a narrow width wheeled chair for use in the aisle of a passenger vehicle in which the seat is elevatable, the wheels may be locked against rotational and pivotal movement, outriggers may be deployed for increased stability when not in use in the narrow confines of a passenger vehicle aisle, and in which each of the foregoing functions can be executed by an operator or person assisting the passenger from the rear of the chair.

Summary of the Invention

The aircraft boarding chair of the present invention includes a base, a generally horizontal seat mounted to the base for vertical movement, a generally vertical backrest, front and rear caster wheels, wherein the components together have a width sufficiently narrow to pass down the aisle of an aircraft or other passenger vehicle and the side-to-side distance and front to rear distance between caster wheels is sufficiently large for stability when a passenger is seated in the chair, and means operable from the rear of the chair for raising and lowering the seat with respect to the base. Lifting handles are provided at the front and rear of the chair for lifting the chair with a passenger seated therein up and down steps. Outriggers are provided for extension beyond the width of the chair on each side for increased stability when the chair is used outside the confines of a passenger vehicle aisle. Means is also provided for locking the rear caster wheels against rotation and pivotal movement, and against pivotal movement with the caster wheel free to rotate but locked in a straight forward position.

Description of Drawings The preferred embodiment of the aircraft boarding chair of the present invention is shown in the drawings in which: Figure 1 is a left rear perspective view of the aircraft boarding chair with the outriggers extended;

Figure 2 is a left side perspective view of the aircraft boarding chair with the outriggers retracted and showing a passenger seated therein and personnel lifting the chair for movement up or down steps;

Figure 3 is a side view of the boarding chair of Figures 1 and 3 with the backrest lifting handle retracted, the headrest retracted and with the outriggers extended;

Figure 4 is a front view of the chair of Figures 1-3, but with the outriggers retracted;

Figure 5 is a rear view of the chair of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a top view of the chair of Figure 3;

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7-

7 of Figure 5, with the outriggers retracted, and shows the swing mounting of the outriggers and the gears and linkage for moving or swinging them from the retracted to the extended position, and vice versa;

Figure 8 is a sectional view of the outriggers taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 5; Figure 9 is a partial rear perspective view showing the foot pedal for locking and releasing the rear caster wheels; and

Figure 10 is a partial sectional view of the upper axle area of the rear caster wheels taken on the line 10- 10 of Figure 8.

Description of Preferred Embodiment General Design and Major Component Description The general design and construction of the present invention, including the major components, can be understood with reference to the Figures 1-6. The aircraft boarding chair 10 of the present invention includes a base 11, seat 12 and backrest 13, which is mounted on tubular members 14, which are rigidly mounted to and extend upwardly from base 11. Tubular member 15 extends forwardly from base 11 and provides a lifting handle 15A and a frame for mounting footrest 16. Tubular member 17 is pivotally mounted on the back of backrest 13 on tubular members 14 to provide a rear lifting handle when moved into the position shown in Figure 2. A pair of push handles 18 is mounted perpendicularly to the plane of lift handle 17 to extend rearwardly from tubular members 14 when lift handle 17 is in its retracted position, as shown in Figures 1, 3 and 5. A pair of rear caster wheels 20 is mounted to the rear of base 11 and a pair of double forward caster wheels 21 is mounted to the front of base 11 on tubular members 15. Forward and rear caster wheels 21 and 20 support chair 10 on a support surface, S, for conventional wheeled movement.

A headrest 24 is pivotally mounted to the rear of backrest 13 on tubular members 25 for pivotal movement from the extended position of Figures 1 and 2 to the retracted position of Figures 3-5. Seat belt 36 and shoulder harness 37 are mounted to seat 12 and backrest 13, respectively, to secure the person being assisted into the chair.

Seat 12 is movable upwardly and downwardly on threaded pedestal 30 by cranking hand crank 31.

A pair of outriggers 40 is provided for added stability of the invention when in use outside the narrow confines of the aisle of an aircraft or vehicle.

Outriggers 40 include outrigger caster wheels 41.

Outrigger actuating lever 42, with its linkage to outrigger 40, moves outrigger 40 from the retracted position of Figures 2, 7 and 8 to the extended position of Figures 1, 3, 5 and 6.

Foot pedal 50 is provided for movement into one of three positions which (1) locks rear caster wheels 20 against both rotational and pivotal movement, (2) locks rear caster wheels 20 against pivotal movement with the axis of rotation of the caster wheel perpendicular to the front to rear axis of the chair (for straight ahead or rearward movement) or (3) frees caster wheels 20 for unrestricted rotational and pivotal movement. Detailed Description of Components

Seat 12 is padded and is mounted on threaded pedestal 30 of mechanical actuator 32, which is in turn mounted to base 11. Mechanical actuator 32 is actuated by hand crank 31, connected to actuator 32 by shaft 33. Actuator 32 converts the rotary input of shaft 33 into reciprocal movement of pedestal 30 to provide for up and down adjustment of seat 12 over an eight inch range or stroke. Actuator 32 is mounted on base 11 so that seat 12 is preferably 18" - 26" above support surface, S, for optimum relationship with the seat and armrest elevation of aircraft and other passenger vehicles. A suitable mechanical actuator is available as Model No. 2501 from Duff-Norton Company, Charlotte, NC 28241. It should be noted that vertical adjustment of seat 12 is independent of vertical movement of backrest 13 and provides for optimum conditions for transfer of passengers from the boarding chair to the passenger vehicle seat, and vice versa. With reference to Figure 3, headrest 24 is mounted on tubular members 25, which are pivotally mounted to brackets 26 by pins 27. Brackets 26 are secured to tubular members 14. Headrest 24 is thus movable from a retracted or stowaway position, shown in solid lines in Figure 3, to an extended or in-use position, shown in phantom lines in Figure 3. A clip (not shown) , slidably mounted on one of the tubular members 25, overlaps cross member 28 to lock headrest 24 in its extended or in-use position. Headrest

EET 24 is particularly useful when boarding chair 10 is tilted back and lifted as shown in Figure 2.

Like headrest 24, rear lifting arm 17 is also pivotally mounted to tubular members 14 of backrest 13 at pins 27 of brackets 26. Push handles 18 are mounted to gusset plates 34 and extend perpendicularly to the plane defined by lifting handle 17. Thus, push handles 18 extend rearwardly when lifting handle 17 is in the retracted position shown in Figure 3, for use in pushing the boarding chair. Push handles 18 engage tubular members 14 when lifting handle 17 is pivoted into the extended or lifting position shown in Figure 2, thereby stopping lifting handle 17 in the position shown in Figure 2. Hand grips on push handles 18 serve to cushion the engagement between push handles 18 and tubular members 14 when lift handle 17 is in use as shown in Figure 2, as well as serving to provide a hand cushion when in the in-use position as shown in Figure 3.

The detailed design of the outriggers 40, including the outrigger actuating linkage, is shown in

Figures 3, 5, 7 and 8. Outriggers 40, include outrigger caster wheels 41, which are mounted on outrigger arms 43.

The end of outrigger arms 43 on opposite caster wheels 41 is fixed to shaft 44, which is journaled at bearings 45 mounted to base 11 for axial rotational movement with respect to base 11. It should be noted that shafts 44 of outrigger 40 are disposed with their longitudinal axis tilted rearwardly five degrees from vertical, resulting in outrigger arms 43 (perpendicular to the axis of shafts 44) being tilted upwardly five degrees from horizontal when in the retracted position shown in Figures 7 and 8, for a purpose explained below. Spur gears 46 are keyed to shafts

44 and are in engagement so that rotation of one gear 46 causes rotation of the other gear 46 in the opposite direction. Link 47 extends from one spur gear 46 rearwardly and connects with over-center reciprocating linkage 48, mounted to base 11, which is actuated by lever arm 42 from the rear of boarding chair 10. Over-center linkage 48 provides a stroke of one and one-half inches when handle 42 is moved between the up and down positions shown in Figure 7, to thereby rotate spur gears 46 through approximately 90°, thereby rotating shafts 44 in opposite directions to swing outrigger arms 43 outwardly or inwardly 90° between the retracted position of Figures 7 and 8 and the extended position of Figures 1, 3, 5 and 6. A suitable over-center, reciprocating motion linkage with the required stroke in the range of one and one-half inches is available as Model No. CL-350-TPC from Carr Lane Manufacturing Co. , St. Louis, MO 63119.

In the extended position, outrigger arms 43 extend 90° from the front-to-rear vertical plane of symmetry of boarding chair 10, and outrigger caster wheels 41 are disposed in a plane common to rear caster wheels 20 and front caster wheels 21, with all of the caster wheels engaging support surface, S. When swung forwardly, however, outrigger caster wheels 41 move upwardly with respect to and disengage support surface, S, into the retracted position shown in Figure 7, due to the five degree tilt of the axis of shafts 44. When outriggers 40 are retracted, chair 10 is supported only by front and rear caster wheels 21 and 20. A five degree tilt has been found to be preferable, but a tilt in the range of 2°-10° is suitable to achieve elevation of outrigger wheels 41 above the support surface, S.

Rear caster wheels 20 may be selectively set or locked into one of three positions by movement of foot pedal 50, which is mounted to hex shaft 51, best seen in Figure 10. Movement of foot pedal 50 rotates hex shaft 51 about its axis into one of three positions (shown in Figure 10) which lock rear caster wheels 20 against both rotation and pivotal movement, leave rear caster wheels 20 free to both rotate and pivot, or lock rear caster wheels 20 in a straight ahead (or rearward) position, with the axis of the wheels perpendicular to the front to rear vertical plane of symmetry of boarding chair 10, and with the wheels free to rotate. A suitable caster wheel for

SUBSTITUTE SHEET this purpose is available as Model No. 2474 from American

Tente Casters, Inc. Erlanger, NY 41018.

Operation

In operation, a passenger to be assisted is seated in boarding chair 10 and seat belt 36 and shoulder harness 37 are secured. Outriggers 40 may be in the extended or retracted position. When moving the passenger up or down stairs, outriggers 40 are retracted by movement of hand lever 42, rear lift handle 17 is extended, as shown in Figure 2, and the chair is lifted by use of lifting handles 15A and 17. Headrest 24 should be in its upright position. Chair 10 may be pushed down the aisle of an aircraft or other passenger vehicle with outriggers 40 in their retracted position and with rear lift handle 17 in its retracted position and with push handles 18 extended as shown in Figures 1 and 3. When moving a passenger from chair 10 into the seat of the aircraft or vehicle, handcrank 31 is cranked to adjust the elevation of seat 12 to a level matching the level of the seat of the passenger vehicle or the level of an armrest over which the passenger must be moved. Seat belt 36 and shoulder harness 37 are released. Headrest 24 may be retracted into the position of Figure 5 to allow a person assisting the passenger from chair 10 to bend over the rear of chair 10 and grasp the passenger beneath his or her armpits and lift and move the passenger into the passenger vehicle seat.

When pushing boarding chair 10 down the aisle, rear caster wheels 20 can be locked against pivotal movement in the straight ahead position. When lateral movement of chair 10 is desired, rear caster wheels 20 may be set to be both free to rotate and pivot. If boarding chair 10 is to remain stationery, rear caster wheels 20 may be locked against both rotation and pivotal movement.

The present invention thus provides a convenient and safe means for moving disabled or handicapped persons up and down steps, through the aisle of a passenger vehicle and into and out of passenger vehicle seats with all adjustments being made from the rear of the chair. TE SHEET Having thus described the invention the following is claimed.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET

Claims

Claims 1. An aircraft boarding chair which comprises:

(a) a base;

(b) a generally horizontal seat mounted to the base for vertical movement with respect to the base;

(c) a generally vertical backrest mounted to the base rearwardly of and in close proximity to the seat;

(d) front and rear caster wheels mounted to the base for mobile support of the base; (e) wherein the width of the chair is sufficiently narrow to pass down the aisle of an aircraft or other passenger vehicle and the side-to-side and front- to-rear distance between caster wheels is sufficiently large for stability when a person is seated in the chair; and

(f) means operable from the rear of the chair for raising and lowering the seat with respect to the base.

2. The aircraft boarding chair of claim 1 wherein the seat is mounted on a centrally located pedestal and the means for raising and lowering the seat comprises means for axially moving the pedestal with respect to the base.

3. The aircraft boarding chair of claim 2 wherein the means for axially moving the pedestal with respect to the base includes a hand crank extending rearwardly of the chair.

4. The aircraft boarding chair of claim 1 and a front lifting handle extending from the base forwardly of and in proximity to the front caster wheels, and a rear lifting handle extending from the backrest rearwardly of the rear caster wheels and in proximity to the top of the backrest.

5. The aircraft boarding chair of claim 4 wherein the front and rear lifting handles are formed from U-shaped tubular members, the legs of which extend from the base and backrest, respectively.

6. The aircraft boarding chair of claim 5 wherein the rear lifting handle is mounted to the backrest for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis in proximity to the plane of the backrest from a retracted position extending parallel and in close proximity to the backrest to an extended position for lifting extending perpendicularly to the backrest, and a pair of push handles is mounted to the rear lifting handle perpendicularly to the axis of the legs of the tubular members of the rear lifting handle for engagement with the backrest when the rear lifting handle is moved from the retracted to the extended position.

7. The aircraft boarding chair of claim 1 and outrigger members mounted to the base and movable from a retracted position disposed within the width of the chair to an extended position extending beyond the width of the chair on each side thereof between the front and rear caster wheels, and caster wheels disposed on the outrigger members for engaging the supporting surface when the outrigger members are extended.

8. The aircraft boarding chair of claim 7 wherein the outrigger members are pivotally mounted to the base for movement about a substantially vertical axis centrally located within the base.

9. The aircraft boarding chair of claim 8 wherein the outrigger members are pivotally mounted to the base for movement between the retracted and extended position by pivotal movement about an axis inclined in the range of 2°- 10° from vertical, to thereby cause the caster wheels to engage the support surface when the outrigger members are extended and to be lifted above the support surface when the outrigger members are retracted.

10. The aircraft boarding chair of claim 7 and means operable from the rear of the chair for moving the outrigger members from the retracted to the extended position and vice versa.

11. The aircraft boarding chair of claim 1 and means for selectively locking the rear caster wheels against pivotal movement and against both pivotal and rotational movement.

12. The aircraft boarding chair of claim 4 and means for selectively locking the rear caster wheels against

SUBSTITUTE SHEET pivotal movement and against both pivotal and rotational movement.

13. The aircraft boarding chair of claim 7 and means for selectively locking the rear caster wheels against pivotal movement and against both pivotal and rotational movement.