JPH07313554A - Wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To hold a stable posture without the help of a carer by providing a moving means to move a pair of rear wheels by a prescribed distance to the rear side when a chair part is inclined to the rear side as well as to move the pair of rear wheels to a former position when the chair part is raised up by interlocking with the chair part. CONSTITUTION:This wheelchair is provided with a chair part 1 which can be inclined to the rear side in a condition where a waist part, a back part or the like of a seated user are supported in a prescribed posture, a frame 2 composed of a combination structure of round pipes to support the chair part 1, a pair of rear wheels 3 arranged on both sides of the frame 2 and a pair of front wheels 4 arranged on the front side. By interlocking with the chair part 1, a slide part 7 as a moving means moves the pair of rear wheels 3 in the arrow B direction by a prescribed distance to the rear side when the chair part 1 is inclined to the arrow A directional rear side, and returns the pair of rear wheels 3 up to a former position by moving them in the arrow D direction to the front side when the chair part 1 is raised back upward to the arrow C directional front side.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wheelchair for a physically handicapped person having a relatively light weight or an elderly person who has weak legs and waists, which needs to support a sitting posture, and particularly for a child with a disorder such as spinal deformity. The present invention relates to a wheelchair suitable for use.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a general structure of a wheelchair is a seat,
A chair portion including armrests and legrests provided on both sides of a backrest and a seat, a pair of rear wheels arranged on both sides of a frame supporting the chair portion, and a pair of front wheels arranged in front of the rear wheels. And a handle for the caregiver attached to the back side of the backrest.

In such a wheelchair, since the seat and the backrest are separate bodies and are formed substantially flat, for example, a sitting posture should be maintained for a severely disabled person with a deformed spine. As an alternative chair, it is formed into a curved surface along the body, and the waist and back are supported by multiple parts so that the seated posture can be maintained without imposing a burden on the user. Chairs are available.

Since such a chair having a one-piece structure fits the body, if the user keeps the same posture for a long time, too much pressure is applied to the same site, which may cause pressure ulcer. In order to prevent such a situation, a wheelchair has been studied which can change its posture in a timely manner by tilting a chair having an integrated structure to the rear side to some extent.

[0005]

However, in such a wheelchair, the center of gravity moves rearward from the axle position of the rear wheel as the chair having the integral structure is tilted rearward, which makes the wheelchair unstable. This poses a risk that it may be easy to fall backward, and in addition, when the chair is tilted, the caregiver must necessarily hold the handle to support it, which has not been realized.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems of the conventional wheelchair, and the center of gravity moves to the rear side as the chair is tilted to the rear side, so that a stable posture can be obtained without the assistance of the caregiver. The purpose is to provide a wheelchair that can be kept.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a chair capable of supporting a seated user in a predetermined posture by wrapping a waist, a back, etc., and tilting backward while the user is in a supported state. Section and this chair section,
And a moving means for moving the pair of rear wheels to a rear side by a predetermined distance when the chair portion is tilted rearward, and for moving the pair of rear wheels to the original position when the chair portion is raised. It is a wheelchair.

As an example of the moving means in the present invention, it is composed of a slide portion which can slide in the front-rear direction while the axle of the rear wheel is pivotally supported, and a transmission portion which transmits the movement of the chair portion to the slide portion. You can As another example of the moving means in the present invention, a slide portion that can slide in the front-rear direction in a state where the axle of the rear wheel is pivotally supported, and a detecting means that detects the amount of change in the tilted angle of the chair portion, It can be configured by a driving unit that moves the slide portion to the rear side according to the detected change amount.

Further, in the present invention, it is preferable to further include posture holding means for fixing or releasing the fixing of the chair portion at an arbitrary inclination angle in the inclination range.

[0010]

According to the present invention, when the chair portion is tilted rearward, the pair of rear wheels move backward a predetermined distance in conjunction with the chair portion, and vice versa. In this case, the pair of rear wheels work together with the chair so that the rear wheels move to their original positions. With this, the center of gravity moves to the rear side even when the chair portion is tilted to the rear side, so that the wheelchair can be prevented from falling.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, in the same figure, in order to clarify the configuration, a state in which the chair portion and the rear wheel on the front side are removed is shown. The wheelchair shown in FIG. 1 has a waist of a seated user,
A chair part 1 that can be tilted rearward while supporting the back part and the like in a predetermined posture, a frame 2 that is a combination structure of round pipes that supports the chair part 1, and is arranged on both sides of the frame 2. The pair of rear wheels 3, the pair of front wheels 4 arranged on the front side of the rear wheels 3, and the chair portion 1 interlock with each other, and when the chair portion 1 is tilted rearward (in the direction of arrow A), When the rear wheel 3 is moved a predetermined distance to the rear side (direction of arrow B) and the chair portion 1 is returned to the front side (direction of arrow C) and raised, the pair of rear wheels 3 is moved to the front side (direction of arrow D). And means for returning to the original position. The predetermined distance may be at least a distance obtained by subtracting the initial center-of-gravity position from the center-of-gravity position changed by tilting the chair portion, but is set to a value multiplied by a safety factor so that the wheelchair cannot fall. It is preferable.

The structure of each unit will be described in detail below.
The chair portion 1 is adapted to be attached along a support member 5 fixed to a chair portion frame 2a made of an inverted L-shaped round pipe, and the chair portion frame 2a to which the chair portion 1 is attached is , Is connected via a fulcrum portion 6 to the frame 2 assembled so as to form a ladder shape when seen in a plan view. A pair of front wheels 4 are attached to the front end of the frame 2, and a pair of rear wheels 3 are attached to the rear end.

The rear wheel 3 is attached to a slide portion 7 which slides along a sub-frame 2b made of a round pipe arranged in parallel with the frame 2 and below the rear wheel 3. The frame 2 and the sub-frame 2b are fixed via spacers 2c arranged at both ends. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the slide portion 7 includes a bearing portion 7a formed of a square pipe that pivotally supports the axle 3a of the rear wheel 3,
It is integrally configured with a bearing moving portion 7b made of a round pipe having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the subframe 2b. The range in which the slide portion 7 can move is defined by the two spacers 2c. Further, the bearing portion 7a is provided with a plurality of through holes 7c for adjusting the mounting positions of the rear wheels.

The slide portions 7 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the pair of rear wheels 3, and both slide members 7 are linked by a connecting member 8 made of a square pipe so that they interlock with each other. Has become. further,
An arcuate convex piece 8a is obliquely attached upward on the rear side wall of the connecting member 8, and the tip of the convex piece 8a is
It is connected to the horizontal part of the chair part frame 2a via a rod 9 as a transmission part. However, both connecting portions do not restrain the movement of the rod 9. Also, the rod 9 has an adjusting knob 9 whose length can be adjusted.
a is provided.

Further, in FIG. 3 (right side view of FIG. 1),
The two left and right chair frames 2a are three connecting members 10a, 10b and 10 made of square pipes arranged in parallel.
The connection members 11a and 11b (in the figure, the rear connection member 1) are connected in a ladder shape by c, and the two left and right frames 2 are also circular pipes arranged in parallel.
Only 1b is shown). The connecting member 10b and the connecting member 11b are connected to each other by a telescopic device 12 with a clamp as a posture holding means. This telescopic device includes an outer tube 12a, a sliding rod 12b that slides in the outer tube 12a, and a band-type clamp 12c that tightens the sliding rod 12b using a band arranged on the outer periphery of the sliding rod 12b. Composed, chair part frame 2a
Can be fixed or released at any angle within the swing range. In addition, both ends of the expansion / contraction device 12 with a clamp are connected using bolts / nuts so as not to restrict the expansion / contraction operation.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fixing and releasing of the fixing by the band type clamp 12c can be operated by an operating lever 12e connected by a cable 12d. The operation lever 12e is provided on the handle 13 that is integrally formed with the chair frame 2a. Therefore, the caregiver can operate with one hand.

Next, the operation of this embodiment having the above configuration will be described. First, in FIG. 1, the operation lever 12e is grasped and the fixation by the band type clamp 12c is released.
Then, the handle 13 is tilted in the direction of arrow A. By tilting the chair portion frame 2a together with the handle 13, as shown in FIG. 2, the horizontal portion of the chair portion frame 2a descends in the arrow direction with the fulcrum portion 6 as a fulcrum, and when the horizontal portion descends, the inclination angle of the rod 9 decreases. Is gradually reduced, and a force in the direction of the arrow acts, and then a force in the direction of the arrow acts, the connecting member 8 moves in the direction of the arrow via the protruding piece 8a, and the slide member fixed to the connecting member 8 slides. The part 7 is slid in the arrow direction.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the chair frame 2a is tilted rearward and the rear wheels 3 slide. The arrow P ₁ in the figure indicates the axle center position of the rear wheel 3 before the chair portion 1 is tilted, and the arrow P ₂ indicates the axle center position of the rear wheel 3 after the chair portion 1 is tilted. In this way, since the pair of rear wheels 3 also move the center of gravity in conjunction with the rear side in conjunction with the operation of tilting the chair portion 1, it is possible to reliably prevent the wheelchair from falling. In addition, if the band type clamp 12c is released from the fixed state and the operation reverse to the above operation is performed, the chair portion 1
Can be returned to the original state.

The posture holding means of the present invention is not limited to the band type clamp of the embodiment, and any mechanism can be used as long as it can be locked in a telescopic manner. Also,
The slide portion of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and any mechanism can be used as long as it can move the pair of rear wheels in the front-rear direction. Further, the moving means of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the sliding portion that can slide in the front-rear direction while the axle of the rear wheel is pivotally supported and the detection that detects the amount of change in the angle at which the chair portion swings. It can also be configured by an operating transformer as a means and a drive motor as a drive means for moving the slide portion according to the detected amount of change in the angle. In this case, there is an effect that the operation of tilting the handle is reduced.

[0020]

As is apparent from the above description, since the wheelchair of the present invention has a structure in which the center of gravity moves to the rear side as the chair is tilted to the rear side, the chair is tilted to change its posture. This has the advantage that a stable posture can be maintained without the assistance of a caregiver.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a state in which a chair according to an embodiment of the present invention is raised.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of an essential part showing a configuration of a slide part according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part showing a configuration of a posture holding unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a state in which the chair according to the embodiment is laid down.
FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 chair part 2 frame 2a chair part frame 3 rear wheel 4 front wheel 5 support member 6 fulcrum part 7 slide part 8 connecting member 9 rod

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A waist part, a back part, etc. are wrapped so that
While supporting the seated user in a predetermined posture,
A chair part that can be tilted rearward in a supported state, interlocking with the chair part, and when the chair part is tilted rearward, move the pair of rear wheels rearward for a predetermined distance, and A wheelchair comprising: a moving unit that moves the pair of rear wheels to their original positions when the chair is raised. 2. The moving means includes a slide portion that can slide in the front-rear direction while the axle of the rear wheel is pivotally supported, and a transmission portion that transmits the movement of the chair portion to the slide portion. The wheelchair according to claim 1. 3. The moving means includes a slide portion that can slide in the front-rear direction while the axle of the rear wheel is pivotally supported, and a detecting means that detects a change amount of an angle at which the chair portion is tilted. The wheelchair according to claim 1, comprising drive means for moving the slide portion rearward in accordance with the detected amount of change. 4. The wheelchair according to claim 1, further comprising posture holding means capable of fixing or releasing the fixing of the chair portion at an arbitrary angle within the inclination range.