HK1224170A1 - Wheel chair - Google Patents

Abstract

There are provided a rear wheel (7) rotatably provided in a body (2), a seat (32) disposed on a top surface side of the body (2), a seat link mechanism (33) by which the seat (32) is supported to be movable up and down between a raised position and a lowered position on the top surface side of the body (2), and a brake mechanism (41) which inhibits the rear wheel (7) from rotating in interlock with the seat link mechanism (33), when the seat (32) is raised from the lowered position to the raised position.

Description

Wheel chair

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a wheelchair having a function of assisting a seated user to stand up.

Background

The old people and other users with inflexible hands, feet and waist use more wheelchairs, and when the users are lifted from the state of sitting on the wheelchairs, some users cannot lift by themselves without help, which is quite the same. Furthermore, even if the user is helped, it is preferable to reduce the burden on the user.

Therefore, recently, wheelchairs have been devised in which a seated user can stand up relatively easily.

Specifically, the wheelchair includes a body, and a seat portion on which a user sits is attached to an upper surface side of the body so as to be rotatable and liftable with a front end as a fulcrum. The seat unit is configured to be able to rotate with the front end as a fulcrum by stepping on a pedal provided at a lower portion of the vehicle body in front of or behind the vehicle body, and with the rear end being able to be raised by a link mechanism.

Therefore, when the user stands up, the user or a helper steps on the pedal, and the seat part rises while rotating with the front end as a fulcrum, and pushes up the hip of the user, so that the user can stand up relatively easily.

Prior art documents

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2008-154978

Patent document 2: japanese patent application laid-open No. 2011-056228.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, when the wheelchair having the above-described structure is used, the user sitting in the seat portion stands up, and the user grips the armrest provided in the wheelchair to stand up in order to stably stand up his or her body.

If the user grips the handrail and stands up, the posture of the user can be maintained even if the waist and legs are inconvenient to shake, so that the user can stand up stably.

However, when the user rises from the seat portion, the wheels of the wheelchair are normally in a rotatable state. Therefore, when the user grips the armrest of the wheelchair and rises, the wheelchair may move due to the rotation of the wheel, and in such a case, the posture of the user may be unstable, which is not preferable.

The wheelchair is provided with a foot brake constituted by the pedal as described above. Accordingly, if the user steps on the pedal to brake the wheelchair with the brake while the wheelchair is standing up, the wheelchair can be prevented from moving, and the user can stand up in a stable state while gripping the armrest.

However, if the user does not have help or if the user has to help at the start, the brake may not be used or may be forgotten to be used. When the user grips the armrest and rises, the wheelchair may move, which may result in an unstable posture.

The invention aims to provide a wheelchair which can automatically apply brake to wheels when a user rises from a seat part so that the user can stably rise.

Means for solving the problems

The invention is characterized in that it is provided with

A main body,

A wheel rotatably arranged on the main body,

A seat part arranged on the upper surface side of the main body,

A seat link mechanism for supporting the seat part on the upper surface side of the main body so as to be movable up and down between a raised position and a lowered position, and

and a brake mechanism which is interlocked with the seat link mechanism and prevents the wheel from rotating when the seat portion is raised from the lowered position to the raised position.

Effects of the invention

When the present invention is used, the user can automatically apply the brake to the wheel by interlocking with the rise of the seat part when the user stands up and the seat part rises. Therefore, the wheelchair-moving user can be prevented from being unable to stably stand up when the user stands up.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view showing a wheelchair according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the wheelchair with the seat section lowered and the brake mechanism released.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the brake mechanism of the wheelchair in the state shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a height adjustment mechanism for adjusting the height position of the footrest.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the wheelchair with the seat portion raised and the brake mechanism actuated.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the brake mechanism of the wheelchair in the state shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a side view of the wheelchair with the seat section lowered and the brake mechanism actuated.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of the brake mechanism of the wheelchair in the state shown in fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the brake mechanism showing a state in which the engagement pin provided on the slide link slides on the inclined surface of the pivot link.

Fig. 10 is a side view showing a wheelchair in a state where a seat unit is lowered and braking is released according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the wheelchair with the seat portion raised and the brake actuated.

Fig. 12 is a side view showing a wheelchair in which a seat portion of the embodiment 3 of the present invention is lifted and braked.

Figure 13 is a side elevational view of the wheelchair with the seat portion lowered and in a braked condition.

Fig. 14 is a side view of the wheelchair in a state where the brake is forcibly released when the seat unit is lowered.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1

Fig. 1 to 9 show embodiment 1 of the present invention. Fig. 1 is a front view of the wheelchair 1, and fig. 2 is a side view. The wheelchair 1 includes a body 2 as a main body. The vehicle body 2 is formed by connecting a pair of side frames 3 formed in a rectangular frame shape in parallel at a predetermined interval by a plurality of cross pipes 4.

The vehicle body 2 may be configured to be foldable in the width direction by link coupling, instead of the pair of side frames 3 being coupled by the cross pipe 4. That is, the vehicle body 2 may be configured to be foldable in a width direction into a flat shape.

Front wheels 6 are provided at lower portions of the front end pipes of the pair of side frames 3, and rear wheels 7 are provided in middle portions of the rear end pipes. The front wheels 6 and the rear wheels 7 contact the ground F as a ground surface.

A support arm 8 is rotatably attached to the lower end of the pipe at the front end of the side frame 3 in the horizontal direction. The front wheel 6 is rotatably mounted to the support arm 8. With this, the wheelchair 1 can change the traveling direction by the front wheels 6.

The tubes at the rear ends of the pair of side frames 3 extend upward, and the upper ends thereof are bent rearward. A handle 9 for holding when the wheelchair 1 is operated by the helper is attached to the end of the bent portion of the tube.

A brake lever (not shown) is provided near the handle 9. Thus, when the helper operates the wheelchair 1, the brake lever is simply held, and the brake can be applied to the rear wheel 7.

A canvas 10 as a cloth constituting the backrest portion is detachably stretched between a pair of tubes extending upward at the rear ends of the pair of side frames 3, as shown by a lockline in fig. 1, for example. Instead of the canvas 10, a soft cushion may be provided.

On the upper surfaces of both ends in the width direction of the vehicle body 2, that is, on the upper ends of the pair of side frames 3, handrails 11 each having an L-shaped side surface are provided. That is, the armrest 11 has one end connected to the upper end of the pipe at the front end of the side frame 3 and the other end connected to the middle of the upward extending portion of the pipe at the rear end of the side frame 3.

The pipe at the front end of the side frame 3 and the armrest 11 are integrally formed by the same pipe.

As shown in fig. 2, the 1 st link mechanism 12 as a foot link mechanism is provided on the front end side of the pair of side frames 3, that is, on the front side of the vehicle body 2. The 1 st link mechanism 12 includes a 1 st link 13 having one end pivotally attached to a height direction middle portion of the front end portion of the side frame 3, and a 2 nd link 14 having one end pivotally attached to an upper portion of the 1 st link 13 and having the same length as the 1 st link 13.

The other ends of the 1 st link 13 and the 2 nd link 14 are pivotally attached to a pair of connecting members 15a attached to a fixed tube 21 of a height adjusting mechanism 17, which will be described later, at the same interval as the one ends of the 1 st link 13 and the 2 nd link 14. That is, the 1 st link 13 and the 2 nd link 14 are connected in parallel or substantially parallel.

As shown in fig. 1, footrests 18 are horizontally provided on the respective 1 st and 2 nd links 13 and 14 paired left and right with the height adjustment mechanism 17 interposed therebetween, as described below. The height adjusting mechanism 17 has a fixed cylinder 21 coupled and fixed to the 1 st and 2 nd links 13 and 14 as shown in fig. 4. The fixed cylinder 21 has an open lower end, and a movable cylinder 22 projecting from the lower end is slidably inserted into the fixed cylinder. A height adjustment shaft 24 having a screw portion 24a whose lower end is tightened by a tightening nut 23 is inserted into the movable cylinder 22.

A pressing block 25 having a slant surface 25a formed on the lower surface is eccentrically coupled to the front end of the height adjusting shaft 24. The upper end of the movable tube 22 is formed as a slope 22a corresponding to the slope 25a of the pressing block 25.

When the tightening nut 23 is screwed and the height adjustment shaft 24 is slid downward, the inclined surface 25a of the pressing block 25 slides while being pressed against the inclined surface 22a of the movable cylinder 22, and a part of the outer peripheral surface thereof is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the fixed cylinder 21. With this, the movable tube 22 is supported by the fixed tube 21 so as not to be slidable relative thereto.

In a state where the fastening nut 23 is loosened, if the movable tube 22 is slid to a predetermined protruding length with respect to the fixed tube 21 and the fastening nut 23 is tightened at that position, the movable tube 22 can be fixed by protruding a predetermined length from the lower end of the fixed tube 21. That is, the height adjustment mechanism 17 can set the vertical length dimension formed by the fixed cylinder 21 and the movable cylinder 22.

A support shaft 27 is horizontally attached to the outer peripheral surfaces of the pair of movable cylinders 22 protruding from the lower end of the fixed cylinder 21 and is attached to the front side of the vehicle body 2 in the front-rear direction. The support shaft 27 is rotatably attached to a receiving portion 29 provided at one end portion in the width direction of the footrest 18. With this, the footrest 18 is attached to the vehicle body 2 so as to be rotatable in the width direction as indicated by an arrow r in fig. 1.

That is, as shown in fig. 1, the footrest 18 is rotatable between a horizontal state in which it is tilted inward in the width direction of the vehicle body 2 and a state in which it is rotated outward in the width direction and is substantially vertically raised, and is held in each state.

A plate-like nonslip member 31 made of a material having a large friction coefficient, such as rubber or resin, is bonded to the lower surfaces of the pair of footrests 18 as nonslip means. When the user stands up, as described below, the user's body weight is applied to the feet stepping on the footrests 18, and the 1 st link mechanism 12 is operated by the weight, whereby the pair of footrests 18 are lowered as shown in fig. 5.

The footrests 18 are lowered, and the antiskid members 31 provided on the lower surfaces thereof are pressed against the floor surface F. That is, the footrest 18 is vertically lowered in a horizontal state, and thus the entire lower surface provided with the above-described antiskid member 31 is pressed against the floor surface F.

With this, when the user lowers and raises the footrest 18, the wheelchair 1 can be prevented from shifting with respect to the floor surface F. That is, when the user rises from the wheelchair 1, the wheelchair 1 can be prevented from shifting and causing inconvenience in the posture of the user.

As shown in fig. 5, the height adjusting mechanism 17 is attached to the 1 st and 2 nd links 14 and 15 in a substantially vertical manner with its lower ends slightly inclined forward. Accordingly, when the footrest 18 is lowered, the entire lower surface of the anti-slip member 31 abuts against the floor surface F, and the lower surface of the footrest 18 forms a slope 18 a.

Instead of attaching a plate-like member such as rubber or resin to the lower surface of the footrest 18, the lower surface of the footrest 18 may be formed in a shape having a large friction coefficient such as a concave-convex surface.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, a rectangular seat portion 32 is provided on the upper surface side of the vehicle body 2 so as to be movable in the vertical direction by a 2 nd link mechanism 33 serving as a seat link mechanism. The 2 nd link mechanism 33 includes a 4 th link 34 having one end pivotally attached to the same portion as the one end of the 2 nd link 14 of the 1 st link mechanism 12. The 4 th link 34 is integrally rotatable with the 2 nd link 14.

The 2 nd link 14 and the 4 th link 34 may be integrally formed at one end of the 2 nd link 14 in a state of being bent at a predetermined angle without using separate members, and the 4 th link 34 may be pivotally attached at a boundary portion thereof to a pipe at the front end of the side frame 3.

The other end of the 4 th link 34 extends rearward of the vehicle body 2, and a portion of the seat portion 32 on the front end side is pivotally attached to a side portion of the front end portion in this embodiment. The other end of the 5 th link 35, which has one end pivotally attached to the rear end side of the 4 th link 34 on the upper surface of the vehicle body 2 and is located higher than the one end of the 4 th link 34, is pivotally attached to the side portion on the rear end side of the seat portion 32. The 5 th link 35 is set to have the same length as the 4 th link 34.

Since the 4 th link 34 and the 5 th link 35 rotate in the same direction, the seat 32 is driven in a direction of ascending in a tilted state in which the height from the upper surface of the vehicle body 2 becomes lower toward the front as shown in fig. 5, or in a direction of descending after being changed from the state of ascending to horizontal as shown in fig. 7, according to the rotating direction.

The 1 st link mechanism 12 and the 2 nd link mechanism 33 can be operated by applying an external force.

In this embodiment, the weight of the seat part 32 and the footrest 18 is set such that the seat part 32 can be lowered to the lowering limit by the 2 nd link mechanism 33 and the footrest 18 can be raised to the raising limit by the 1 st link mechanism 12 as shown in fig. 2 in a state where no load (external force acts) is applied to the footrest 18 and the seat part 32.

Therefore, in the state shown in fig. 2, if the footrest 18 is loaded, the footrest 18 can be displaced in the downward direction as shown in fig. 5.

Either one of the 4 th or 5 th links 34 and 35 of the 2 nd link mechanism 33 may be energized in the standing direction, that is, in the direction in which the seat portion 32 is raised, by an energizing means such as a gas spring or a spring.

In this case, when the user sits on the seat portion 32, the seat portion 32 is lowered against the energizing force of the energizing means, and the footrest 18 is raised. When the user is standing up, the seat part 32 pushes up the buttocks of the user by the energizing force of the energizing means. Therefore, the user can be helped to stand up.

The rear wheel 7 can be prevented from rotating by means of a braking mechanism 41, i.e. it can be braked. As shown in fig. 3, the brake mechanism 41 includes a flat plate-like base member 42 provided to hang down in the front-rear direction on the upper side of the front end side of the vehicle body 2. A long guide hole 43 is formed in the lower end portion of the base member 42 along the front-rear direction.

The guide long hole 43 slidably engages with a guide pin 45 provided at a middle portion in the longitudinal direction of the slide link 44. The guide pin 45 has a head portion (not shown) having a diameter larger than the width of the long guide hole 43. Therefore, the guide pin 45 does not come out of the guide long hole 43.

An engagement pin 46 is provided at one end of the slide link 44. The front end of the pivot link 47 engages with the engagement pin 46. The tip end (the other end) of the pivot link 47 is formed on an inclined surface 47 a.

The base member 42 is provided with a mounting member 48 on the distal end side. A base end portion (one end) of the pivot link 47 is attached to the attachment member 48 via a support shaft 48 a. That is, the pivot link 47 is integrally formed with the pivot shaft 48a, and the pivot shaft 48a is rotatably attached to the attachment member 48.

A base end (one end) of a brake link 49 is rotatably attached to the middle of the attachment member 48. The front end of the brake link 49 faces the outer peripheral surface of the rear wheel 7, and a brake member 51 is provided at the front end (the other end).

On the support shaft 48a to which the base end of the pivot link 47 is pivotally attached, one end of the 1 st link 52 is integrally connected, that is, is rotatably connected together with the support shaft 48 a. One end of the 2 nd interlocking link 53 is pivotally attached to a middle portion of the brake link 49. The other end of the 1 st interlocking link 52 is pivotally connected to the other end of the 2 nd interlocking link 53.

The 1 st and 2 nd interlocking links 52 and 53 are bent in an inverted へ shape as shown in fig. 3 when the seat portion 32 is at the lowered position, and are formed in a substantially straight line shape as shown in fig. 6 when the seat portion 32 is at the raised position.

As described above, the seat portion 32 is connected to one end of the 4 th link 34 of the vehicle body 2, and is pivotally mounted to a lower position of the vehicle body 2 lower than one end of the 5 th link 35.

Therefore, since the 4 th link 34 and the 5 th link 35 are in a non-parallel state, when the seat portion 32 is raised as shown in fig. 5 and 6, the seat portion 32 is inclined so as to be lower toward the front.

The 4 th link 34 and the 5 th link 35 may be provided in parallel to raise the seat portion 32 in a horizontal state. That is, the 4 th link 34 and the 5 th link 35 may be pivotally attached at one end and the other end thereof to the same height positions of the vehicle body 2 and the seat 32, respectively, so that the 4 th link 34 and the 5 th link 35 are parallel to each other.

In this way, when the 4 th link 34 and the 5 th link 35 are rotated, the seat portion 32 can be moved up and down in a horizontal state.

The 5 th link 35 is attached to an end portion of the vehicle body 2 by a support shaft 55, and one end of the 1 st transmission link 54 is coupled, and one end of the 1 st transmission link 54 and the 5 th link 35 are coupled to be rotatable integrally with the support shaft 55 by using the same rotation fulcrum.

One end of a 2 nd transfer link 56 is pivotally mounted to the other end of the 1 st transfer link 54. The other end of the 2 nd transfer link 56 is pivotally attached to the other end of the slide link 44. With this, the 1 st transmission link 54 and the 2 nd transmission link 56 constitute a transmission means for transmitting the movement (rotation) of the 5 th link 35 to the slide link 44 when the seat part 32 is raised and lowered.

The base end of the pivot link 47 and one end of the 1 st link 52 are pivotally mounted on a support shaft 48a of the mounting member 48, and the base end of the operating lever 61 is connected to the pivot link 47 so as to be integrally pivotable.

With this, the operating lever 61 can be rotated between a state in which it is substantially vertically raised as shown in fig. 2 and 3 and a state in which it is tilted forward of the vehicle body 2 as shown in fig. 5 and 6.

As shown in fig. 2, in a state where the footrest 18 is raised, the seat portion 32 is at the lowered position, and the operating lever 61 is substantially vertically raised, the 1 st interlocking link 52 and the 2 nd interlocking link 53 are bent in an inverted "へ" shape as shown in an enlarged view of fig. 3. In this state, the brake link 49 is rotated in a state where the brake member 51 provided at the front end portion is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the rear wheel 7.

As shown in fig. 2, when the user sitting on the seat 32 lifts the footrest 18 from the state where the seat 32 is lifted, the footrest 18 is lowered by the operation of the 1 st link mechanism 12 by the load of the user.

When the 1 st link mechanism 12 operates, the 2 nd link mechanism 33 is interlocked with the operation. That is, in conjunction with the rotation of the 2 nd link 14 of the 1 st link mechanism 12, as shown in fig. 3, the 4 th link 34 in the collapsed state rotates in the rising direction as shown in fig. 6, and the 5 th link 35 is linked with the rotation of the 4 th link 34 through the seat portion 32. With this, the seat portion 32 is raised in a tilted state that is lower toward the front as shown in fig. 5 and 6.

When the seat part 32 is raised, the 5 th link 35 is rotated in the rising direction, and the 1 st transmission link 54 is linked with the rotation. That is, the 1 st transmission link 54 is pivoted in the counterclockwise direction indicated by the arrow a in fig. 3 integrally with the 5 th link 35 with the support shaft 55 as a fulcrum.

When the 1 st transmission link 54 rotates, the 2 nd transmission link 56 having one end coupled to the 1 st transmission link 54 moves in the direction of rotation of the 1 st transmission link 54, that is, in the direction indicated by the arrow b in fig. 3. The slide link 44 connected to the 2 nd transfer link 56 is interlocked with the movement.

That is, the slide link 44 slides rearward of the vehicle body 2 while being guided by a guide long hole 43 formed in the base member 42 by a guide pin 45 provided in the middle. Fig. 6 shows a state where the slide link 44 slides.

When the slide link 44 slides, the engagement pin 46 provided at one end of the slide link 44 engages with the tip end portion of the pivot link 47, whereby the pivot link 47 pivots about the pivot shaft 48a in the counterclockwise direction indicated by the arrow c in fig. 3 together with the pivot shaft 48 a.

With this, the 1 st interlocking link 52 and the 2 nd interlocking link 53, which have been bent in the shape of the inverted "へ" as shown in fig. 3, become substantially linear as shown in fig. 6 starting from the support shaft 48 a. As a result, the brake link 49 at the intermediate portion is pivotally attached to one end of the 2 nd interlocking link 53, and the base end pivotally attached to the attachment member 48 is rotated counterclockwise as shown by an arrow d in fig. 6.

As shown in fig. 6, when the brake link 49 is rotated counterclockwise, the brake member 51 provided at the front end thereof presses the outer peripheral surface of the rear wheel 7, and thus the rear wheel 7 cannot be rotated. That is, when the user steps on the footrest 18 and raises the footrest 18 while lowering the footrest 18, the brake of the brake mechanism 41 is automatically operated, so that the vehicle body 2 can be prevented from moving when the user raises the footrest.

When the footrest 18 is stepped on until it abuts against the floor surface F, the anti-slip member 31 provided on the lower surface of the footrest 18 presses against the floor surface F. That is, the footrest 18 vertically lowered in the horizontal state is in contact with the floor surface F uniformly and reliably over the entire lower surface thereof.

Therefore, even if the vehicle body 2 is easily moved by the front wheels 6 and the rear wheels 7 provided on the vehicle body 2, the movement of the vehicle body 2 can be restricted by the anti-skid member 31 pressed against the floor surface F when the user stands up, and the user can stand up in a stable state.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 2 and 3, when the operating lever 61 in the substantially vertical standing state is rotated in the forward direction of the vehicle body 2, i.e., in the counterclockwise direction as shown by the arrow e in fig. 8 in the state where the seat part 32 is lowered, the 1 st interlocking link 52 bent substantially in the shape of the inverted "へ" as shown in fig. 3 is rotated and formed substantially linearly with the 2 nd interlocking link 53.

With this, since the brake link 49 is pressed and rotated by the 2 nd interlocking link 53, the brake member 51 provided at the front end of the brake link 49 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the rear wheel 7 to brake the same.

That is, even if the user keeps sitting on the seat part 32, the brake mechanism 41 can be operated to apply the brake, and the movement of the wheelchair 1 can be prevented.

In a state where the seat part 32 is seated and the brake is applied, the user who sits on the seat part 32 performs an operation of rotating the operating lever 61 in a clockwise direction, which is a direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow e in fig. 8, in order to release the brake applied to the rear wheel 7.

With this, the 1 st and 2 nd interlocking links 52 and 53 in the substantially linear state are bent in the inverted "へ" shape, and thus the state in which the brake is applied by the brake link 49 can be released.

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, when the user seated in the seat part 32 lifts up the footrest 18 while lowering the rear wheel 7 with the brake applied, the 2 nd link mechanism 33 operates to raise the seat part 32.

With this, the 1 st link mechanism 12 and the 2 nd link mechanism 33 operate, and the slide link 44 slides in the direction indicated by the arrow f in fig. 8.

However, the pivot link 47 is pivoted counterclockwise in advance, and the engagement pin 46 provided at one end of the slide link 44 and the tip end portion of the pivot link 47 are separated from each other.

Therefore, even if the slide link 44 slides along the guide long hole 43, the brake link 49 does not rotate. That is, the brake member 51 maintains a state in which the brake is applied.

As shown in fig. 5 and 6, when the user sits down to lower the seat part 32 in a state where the seat part 32 is raised and the brake is applied to the rear wheel 7, the slide link 44 slides in a direction shown by an arrow g in fig. 6.

However, at that time, the engagement pin 46 provided at the distal end portion of the slide link 44 does not press the pivot link 47, and therefore the pivot link 47 does not pivot due to the sliding of the slide link 44.

Therefore, even if the user sits on the raised seat portion 32 and lowers the seat portion 32 in a state where the brake is applied to the rear wheel 7, the brake applied to the rear wheel 7 is not automatically released.

In a state where the seat unit 32 is lowered, the operating lever 61 tilted toward the front side of the vehicle body 2 is turned in a direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow e in fig. 8, that is, in a clockwise direction, that is, in an upright direction, in order to release the brake applied to the rear wheel 7.

With this, the 1 st and 2 nd interlocking links 52 and 53, which have been formed straight, are bent in the shape of an inverted "へ" as shown in fig. 3, and the brake link 49 can be rotated in a direction in which the front end of the brake member 51 is separated from the rear wheel 7, so that braking of the rear wheel 7 can be released.

In this way, if the wheelchair 1 having the above-described configuration is adopted, when the user steps on the footrest 18 and raises the footrest 18 while lowering the footrest, the seat portion 32 is raised in conjunction with the raising of the footrest 18.

When the seat part 32 is raised, the brake mechanism 41 is operated in conjunction with the raising, and the rear wheel 7 of the wheelchair 1 is prevented from rotating. That is, if the user stands up from the wheelchair 1, the brake is automatically applied to the rear wheel 7.

Accordingly, the body can be stabilized after the user stands up from the wheelchair 1 by gripping the armrest 11, and even if the hand gripping the armrest 11 of the wheelchair 1 receives a force, the wheelchair 1 receives an unexpected external force, and the wheelchair 1 does not move, so that the user can maintain a stable standing posture.

Even when the user is seated on the seat unit 32, the brake mechanism 41 can be operated by operating the operating lever 61. Therefore, even when the user is sitting and resting on the seat part 32, if the brake is applied by operating the operating lever 61, the wheelchair 1 can be prevented from moving accidentally.

As shown in fig. 5 and 6, in a state where the seat part 32 is raised and the rear wheel 7 is braked, even if the user sits down and lowers the seat part 32, the brake of the rear wheel 7 is not released.

In order to release the brake of the rear wheel 7 when the user is seated, as shown in fig. 8, the operating lever 61 is manually rotated to a substantially vertical position in a state of being tilted forward of the vehicle body 2 as shown in fig. 3.

With this, the brake link 49 can be rotated to release the braking of the rear wheel 7. That is, even if the user sits on the seat 32, the wheelchair 1 does not move accidentally until the operating lever 61 is operated.

The seat portion 32 can change the rising height of the seat portion 32 by adjusting the length of the movable tube 22 of the height adjusting mechanism 17 protruding from the fixed tube 21. When the height of the seat portion 32 is increased, the sliding distance of the slide link 44 is increased.

As shown in fig. 9, the lower end of the pivot link 47 is formed as an inclined surface 47a even when the sliding distance of the slide link 44 is increased. Therefore, even if the sliding distance of the slide link 44 is increased, the engagement pin 46 provided in the slide link 44 slides along the inclined surface 47a, and thus the seat portion 32 is not prevented from rising. That is, the height of the seat portion 32 can be increased according to the length of the inclined surface 47 a.

Embodiment 2

Fig. 10 and 11 show a wheelchair 1B according to embodiment 2 of the present invention. This embodiment is a modification of the 2 nd link mechanism 33 shown in embodiment 1. The same portions as those in embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

The 2 nd link mechanism 33 of the present embodiment is constituted by 1 interlocking link 63 having one end connected and fixed to the lower surface of the front end side of the seat portion 32 at a predetermined inclination angle. The other end of the interlocking link 63 is integrally attached to one end of the 2 nd link 14, which is pivotally attached to the upper portion of the front end side of the vehicle body 2, of the 1 st link mechanism 12. That is, the interlocking link 63 can be integrally rotated with the 2 nd link 14.

In the present embodiment, the interlocking link 63 is formed separately from the 2 nd link 14, but they may be formed integrally, that is, the 2 nd link 14 and the interlocking link 63 are connected in a bent state to form one unit, and the bent boundary portion is pivotally attached to the front end portion of the side frame 3.

A pressing arm 64 is provided at a position where the 2 nd link 14 and the interlocking link 63 are pivotally attached, so as to be integrally rotatable with the interlocking link 63, and one end thereof is connected. The other end of the pressing arm 64 engages with a coupling pin 65 provided at the tip of the slide link 44.

In embodiment 2, the slide link 44 is formed to be longer than the slide link 44 of embodiment 1 so that the other end of the pressing arm 64 can be engaged with the interlocking pin 65.

In the slide link 44 of embodiment 2, as in embodiment 1, the engagement pin 46 that engages with the front end portion of the pivot link 47 on the rear end side of the interlocking pin 65 and the guide pin 45 that engages with the guide long hole 43 formed in the base member 42 on the rear end side of the engagement pin 46 are provided in this order.

In the wheelchair 1B having such a configuration, as shown in fig. 10, in a state where the seat portion 32 is laid down and the footrest 18 is raised, when the user sits on the seat portion 32 and raises the footrest 18 with his or her feet, the footrest 18 is lowered and the seat portion 32 is interlocked with the lowering.

With this, the seat unit 32 is rotated in a direction of rising rearward with the front end side as a fulcrum as shown in fig. 11. That is, the seat portion 32 is tilted and rotated upward.

When the seat portion 32 is rotated and raised, the pressing arm 64 presses the interlocking pin 65 provided at the front end portion of the slide link 44 with the one end as a fulcrum and the other end rotated rearward as the other end.

With this, since the slide link 44 is slid rearward as shown in fig. 11, the pivot link 47 can be pivoted by the engagement pin 46 provided in the middle of the slide link 44.

When the pivot link 47 pivots, the 1 st interlocking link 52 and the 2 nd interlocking link 53, which have been bent in the shape of the inverted "へ", are formed substantially linearly, and the brake link 49 pivots. When the brake link 49 is rotated, the brake member 51 provided at the front end thereof is pressed against the rear wheel 7.

That is, when the user rises from the seat portion 32 while lowering the footrest 18, the brake is automatically applied to the rear wheel 7.

As shown in fig. 11, when the user sits on the seat part 32 which is rotated and raised, the seat part 32 is rotated in the falling direction together with the interlocking link 63 constituting the 2 nd link mechanism 33. At this time, the 2 nd link mechanism 33 moves up the footrest 18 in conjunction with the rotation of the seat portion 32.

However, the brake link 49 does not interlock with the rise of the seat part 32 and the rise of the footrest 18, and thus the rear wheel 7 remains braked. That is, the state in which the rear wheels 7 are braked is not released only when the user sits on the braked wheelchair 1B. Therefore, even if the user sits on the wheelchair 1B, the wheelchair 1B does not move accidentally.

In order to release the brake to the rear wheel 7, the user sitting on the seat part 32 rotates the operating lever 61 in a state of tilting forward as shown in fig. 11 to a substantially vertical position rearward as shown in fig. 10.

With this, the brake link 49 can be rotated in a direction in which the brake member 51 is separated from the rear wheel 7, and thus the brake of the rear wheel 7 can be released.

At this time, since the pivot link 47 pivots together with the operating lever 61, the slide link 44 slides forward of the vehicle body 2, and the tip thereof abuts against the tip of the pressing arm 64. That is, the state shown in fig. 10 is returned.

As described above, in the wheelchair 1B according to embodiment 2, similarly to embodiment 1, when the user sits on the seat 32 in the raised state and lowers the seat 32, the rear wheel 7 is in a braked state, and the operation lever 61 must be operated to release the braked state.

Thus, the wheelchair 1B can be prevented from moving unexpectedly when the user sits. The user can automatically apply a brake to the rear wheel 7 when the user raises the seat portion 32 while lowering the footrest 18 and then raises the seat portion 32 from the seat portion 32. Therefore, the user does not have to accidentally move the vehicle body 2 while standing up while gripping the vehicle body 2.

Embodiment 3

Fig. 12 to 14 show embodiment 3 of the present invention. The wheelchair 1C according to embodiment 3 is a modification of the wheelchair 1 shown in embodiment 1. In embodiment 3, the same portions as those in embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

In embodiment 1, the footrest 18 is provided on the front end side of the vehicle body 2 so as to be movable in the up-down direction, but in embodiment 3, the footrest 18A is not provided on the front end side of the vehicle body 2 so as to be movable in the up-down direction, but is fixedly provided on the vehicle body 2.

That is, a pair of support members 71 (only one of which is shown) bent into an inverted "L" shape from a pipe material are provided so as to project forward at the front ends of the pair of side frames 3 of the vehicle body 2. The footrest 18A is attached to the lower end of the support member 71.

A connecting pipe 72 is provided on the upper surface of the footrest 18A, and the connecting pipe 72 is inserted and fixed to the lower end of the support member 71. Further, the attachment height of the footrest 18A can be changed by adjusting the insertion length of the connecting tube 72 into the support member 71.

The footrest 18A is used in a state of being horizontally laid down with respect to the width direction of the vehicle body 2, and is rotatable outward in the width direction of the vehicle body 2 when not in use, and can be held in a state of being substantially vertically erected, as in embodiment 1.

The seat portion 32 provided on the upper surface side of the vehicle body 2 is provided so as to be movable up and down by a 2 nd link mechanism 33 as a seat link mechanism having the same structure as that of embodiment 1. That is, the seat unit 32 can be moved up and down between a state of being tilted and raised forward and downward gradually by the 2 nd link mechanism 33 as shown in fig. 12 and a state of being lowered in a horizontal state as shown in fig. 13.

A mounting piece 73 is provided at a portion of the rear end side of the side frame 3 on the lower surface side of the seat portion 32, and a spring 74 as an energizing means is provided between the mounting piece 73 and the 1 st transmission link 54 of the 2 nd link mechanism 33. The 1 st transmission link 54 is energized in the counterclockwise direction indicated by the arrow m in fig. 12 by the spring 74.

The energizing means is not limited to the spring 74, and may be, for example, an air spring, or the like, as long as it can impart elastic energy to the 2 nd link mechanism 33 in the direction in which the seat portion 32 is raised.

When the 1 st transmission link 54 is energized in the direction indicated by the arrow m by the spring 74, the 1 st transmission link 54 is rotated counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow m with one end integrally connected to the 5 th link 35 as a fulcrum as shown in fig. 12 by the energizing force, and therefore the 5 th link 35 is rotated and raised counterclockwise as indicated by n in the drawing, that is, in the standing direction, in conjunction with the rotation.

When the 5 th link 35 is rotated and raised, the seat portion 32 is interlocked with the operation, and the 4 th link 34 is rotated and raised in conjunction with the movement of the seat portion 32.

With this, the seat unit 32 is elastically lifted in a state of being tilted upward at a low forward direction, that is, in a state of being able to be lifted and held against the lowering of the energizing force of the spring 74, as shown in fig. 12, by the energizing force of the spring 74.

That is, in a state where no external force such as a load of the user is applied to the seat part 32, the seat part 32 is elastically supported at the raised position by the energizing force of the spring 74.

When the 1 st transmission link 54 is rotated in the direction of the arrow m by the spring 74, the 1 st transmission link 54 slides the slide link 44 in the direction of the arrow p in fig. 12 from the state shown in fig. 13 via the 2 nd transmission link 56.

With this, the rotating link 47 is rotated counterclockwise as shown by an arrow s in fig. 12 by the engaging pin 46 provided on the slide link 44. If the pivot link 47 pivots in the direction indicated by the arrow s, the 1 st interlocking link 52 pivots in conjunction with the pivot, and therefore the 1 st interlocking link 52 and the 2 nd interlocking link 53, which have been bent in the shape of an inverted "へ" as shown in fig. 13, have been formed substantially linearly as shown in fig. 12.

With this, the brake link 49 pivotally attached to the middle portion of one end of the 2 nd interlocking link 53 pivots about one end as a fulcrum, and the brake member 51 provided at the other end, i.e., the front end portion, is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the rear wheel 7. That is, the brake is applied to the rear wheel 7.

In the wheelchair 1C having such a configuration, when no user sits on the seat portion 32 as shown in fig. 12, the energizing force of the spring 74 rotates the 4 th link 34 and the 5 th link 35 of the 2 nd link mechanism 33 in the vertical direction. With this, the seat portion 32 is raised in a tilted state in which the front direction is lowered.

As shown in fig. 12, when a user sits on the seat part 32 in the raised state, the seat part 32 lowers the 4 th link 34 and the 5 th link 35 of the 2 nd link mechanism 33 while rotating in the tilt direction against the biasing force of the spring 74 by the weight of the user. Fig. 13 shows a state where the seat unit 32 is lowered.

When the seat part 32 descends, the 1 st transmission link 54 rotates clockwise integrally with the 5 th link 35, and thus the slide link 44 slides in the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow p in fig. 12.

At this time, the engagement pin 46 provided at the front end portion of the slide link 44 in the sliding direction is engaged with the pivot link 47, so that the pivot link 47 does not pivot in the sliding direction of the slide link 44. That is, the braking member 51 provided at the front end of the pivot link 47 presses against the outer peripheral surface of the rear wheel 7, and the state of braking the rear wheel 7 is maintained.

When the user sits on the seat portion 32 and then walks the wheelchair 1C, the operating lever 61 in a state of being inclined toward the front of the vehicle body 2 is turned in the backward upright direction as shown in fig. 14, as shown in fig. 13.

With this, the 1 st and 2 nd interlocking links 52 and 53, which have been substantially linear as shown in fig. 13, are bent substantially in the shape of an inverted "へ" as shown in fig. 14, and the brake link 49 is rotated in a direction to separate the brake member 51 provided at the front end from the rear wheel 7. That is, the brake on the rear wheel 7 is released, so that the user can walk the wheelchair 1C.

That is, in the wheelchair 1C having the above-described configuration, the spring 74 energizes the 2 nd link mechanism 33 which vertically movably mounts the seat portion 32 on the upper surface side of the vehicle body 2, and the seat portion 32 is elastically supported at the raised position by the energizing force.

When the seat unit 32 is at the raised position, the brake member 51 provided on the brake link 49 is pressed against the rear wheel 7 to provide a braking state in which the brake applied to the rear wheel 7 is not released even when the seat unit 32 is lowered by the user sitting on the seat unit 32.

Therefore, when the user sits on the seat portion 32, the rear wheel 7 is braked, so that the wheelchair 1C does not move accidentally, and the user can stably sit on the seat portion 32.

Even if the user sits on the seat part 32, the rear wheel 7 is braked as shown in fig. 13. After the user sits on the seat unit 32, the operating lever 61 must be pulled toward the near side to turn in the standing direction as shown in fig. 14 in order to release the brake of the rear wheel 7.

That is, if the user sits on the seat unit 32 and does not perform an operation of releasing the brake of the rear wheel 7, the wheelchair 1C cannot be moved, and thus the wheelchair 1C can be reliably prevented from moving accidentally.

Further, according to embodiment 3, even if the footrest 18 is not vertically moved by the 1 st link mechanism 12 as in embodiment 1, if the user stands up from the seat part 32, the 2 nd link mechanism 33 elastically energized in the upward direction by the spring 74 is operated to automatically apply the brake to the rear wheel 7, so that the structure for applying the brake to the rear wheel 7 can be simplified as compared with embodiment 1.

Since the seat portion 32 is energized in the rising direction by the spring 74, when the user sitting on the seat portion 32 is raised, the seat portion pushes up the hip portion of the user by the restoring force of the spring 74. Therefore, the user can relatively easily stand up from the seat portion.

Description of the symbols

2 … vehicle body, 3 … side frame, 11 … armrest, 12 … 1 st link mechanism (foot link mechanism), 13 … 1 st link, 14 … 2 nd link, 15 … rd 3 link, 17 … height adjusting mechanism, 18 … footrest, 31 … anti-slip member, 32 … seat portion, 33 … nd 2 link mechanism (seat link mechanism), 34 … th 4 link, 35 … th 5 link, 41 … brake mechanism, 44 … slide link, 45 … guide pin, 46 … engaging pin, 47 … rotating link, 49 … brake link, 51 … brake member, 61 … operating lever, 74 … spring (energizing device).

Claims (11)

1. A wheelchair is characterized by comprising

A main body,

A wheel rotatably arranged on the main body,

A seat part arranged on the upper surface side of the main body,

A seat link mechanism for supporting the seat part on the upper surface side of the main body so as to be movable up and down between a raised position and a lowered position, and

and a brake mechanism which is interlocked with the link mechanism for the seat to stop the rotation of the wheel when the seat portion is raised from the lowered position to the raised position.

2. The wheelchair of claim 1,

the brake mechanism includes an operation lever that manually operates a brake applied to the wheel to forcibly release the brake in a state where the seat unit is lowered and the brake is applied to the wheel.

3. The wheelchair of claim 1,

a footrest is provided on the front side of the main body and is driven up and down between a raised position and a ground contact position by a foot link mechanism,

the seat link mechanism is linked to the foot link mechanism, and when the footrest is lowered in a direction of contacting the ground, the seat portion can be driven from a lowered position in a raised direction.

4. The wheelchair of claim 3,

when the footrest is driven in the vertical direction by the foot link mechanism, the entire lower surface can be in contact with the ground.

5. The wheelchair of claim 3,

the leg link mechanism is provided with a height adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting the height of the footrest in the vertical direction.

6. The wheelchair of claim 4,

the lower surface of the footrest is provided with an antiskid device which is used for propping against the ground when contacting the ground.

7. The wheelchair of claim 3,

the foot link mechanism consists of

A 1 st link pivotally mounted at one end thereof to the front surface side of the main body,

A 2 nd link having one end pivotally attached to a position higher than one end of the 1 st link on the front surface side of the body, and a member constituting the height adjusting mechanism having the other ends of the 1 st link and the 2 nd link pivotally attached thereto,

the connecting rod mechanism for the chair seat consists of

A 4 th link having one end coupled to one end of the 2 nd link in conjunction with the rotation of the 2 nd link and the other end pivotally attached to a front end side of the seat portion, and

and a 5 th link having one end pivotally attached to a rear side of the upper surface of the main body with respect to the 4 th link and the other end pivotally attached to a rear end side of the seat portion, wherein when the 4 th link is rotated in conjunction with the 2 nd link of the foot link mechanism, the 4 th link is rotated together with the 4 th link to raise the seat portion.

8. The wheelchair of claim 2,

the foot link mechanism moves the footrest in a direction approaching the front surface of the main body and moves the footrest downward from a raised position to a ground contact position,

the seat link mechanism is configured to be able to move the seat portion forward of the main body and to be able to move the seat portion upward.

9. The wheelchair of claim 3,

the brake mechanism is provided with

A slide link having an engaging member at one end thereof and slidably provided along the front-rear direction of the body,

A rotating link engaged with the engaging member having one end rotatably provided to the body and the other end provided to one end of the slide link and braked in association with the sliding of the slide link,

A brake link having one end rotatably provided on the main body and the other end provided with a brake member for pressing the wheel to prevent the wheel from rotating,

A 1 st interlocking link integrally provided at one end constituting a pivot of the pivot link,

A 2 nd interlocking link having one end pivotally attached to the middle of the brake link and the other end pivotally attached to the other end of the 1 st interlocking link, the rotation of the pivot link being transmitted to the brake link via the 1 st link, and

and a transmission device for transmitting the movement of the seat link mechanism to the brake link through the slide link, the pivot link, and the 1 st and 2 nd interlocking links when the seat link mechanism is operated, rotating the brake link, and pressing the brake member against the wheel.

10. The wheelchair of claim 1,

the chair seat is provided with an energizing device for elastically energizing the seat link mechanism in a direction of raising the seat part.

11. The wheelchair of claim 10,

the energizing device operates the seat link mechanism to raise the seat portion when the load applied to the seat portion is removed.