JPH09573A - Portable wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To collapse a wheelchair into an extremely compact size via contraction thereof along both longitudinal and vertical directions by moving the upper end of a front frame in a rear upper direction and the rear end of a seat frame in a forward upper direction via forward inclination of a back frame, and at the same time, pulling forward the rear end of the back frame and downward the front end of the seat frame. CONSTITUTION: When a back frame 30 is inclined forward, a turning base plate 20 turns in a counterclockwise direction, and a joint section 25 moves to a position behind a turning shaft 21. Also, a shaft 48 moves to a forward position slantwise above the shaft 21. Furthermore, the joint section 54 and shaft 58 of a front frame 50 move toward the base plate 20, and pull the front end of a seat frame 47 toward the frame 50 via a support bar 60. At the same time, the rear end of a back frame 10 is pulled toward the frame 50. When the frame 30 is further inclined, a collapsed state can be obtained with the inverted back frame 30, the downward directed seat frame 47, and the upright front and rear frames 50 and 10 superposed on top of each other approximately in parallel, in order from a front section.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable wheelchair that can be folded into a small size.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a wheelchair pushed by a helper is
For example, a front wheel that can freely turn around a vertical axis and a small-diameter rear wheel are provided, and when not in use, the front wheel and the rear wheel are folded close to each other.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing an example of such a wheelchair. This wheelchair 100 has a seat frame 101.
A pair of arm pipes 102 are arranged in parallel above the seat frame 101. The rear end of the seat frame 101 and the rear end of the pair of arm pipes 102 are pivotally attached to the back frame 103, respectively.
The front end portion of No. 1 and the front end portions of the pair of arm pipes 102 are pivotally attached to the front frame 106 to which the pair of front wheels 105 are attached. In addition, at the lower end of the front frame 106, a pair of pipes projecting in parallel forward are used as axes.
Foot rests 107 that are each rotatable upward are provided.

Further, a rear frame 109 having a pair of rear wheels 108 attached thereto is pivotally mounted in the middle of the arm pipe 102, and a seat support pin 110 is provided in the middle of the rear frame 109 to provide a seat frame. It is formed so as to support the lower surface of 101. The seat support pin 110 is configured to engage with a lock mechanism 111 provided at the rear end of the seat frame 101 to fix the space between the seat frame 101 and the rear frame 109.

This seat frame 101 and arm pipe 1
02, the back frame 103, and the front frame 106,
A 4-bar linkage is formed and is in use (see Fig. 9)
At this time, the lock mechanism 111 is released to release the seat frame 1
The front end of 01 is rotated upward, the four-bar linkage is moved to a flat parallelogram, the front frame 106 is brought close to the rear frame 109, and a folding operation is performed (FIG. 10 shows a folding operation). Shown wheelchair 100).

[0006]

However, in such a conventional wheelchair, the wheelchair 100 in the folded state is used.
(H2) is a dimension in which the rear frame 109 and the arm pipe 102 are continuously extended. This height (h
2) is almost the same as the height (h1) of the wheelchair 100 in use, and when folded, the front wheels and the rear wheels are close to each other, and although it is small in the front-rear direction, it does not become small in the height direction. ,
The wheelchair itself was difficult to store and carry.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a portable wheelchair that can be folded in an extremely small size by contracting in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction.

[0008]

The present invention has been made to achieve the above object, and a portable wheelchair of the present invention is a portable wheelchair in which a pair of front wheels and rear wheels can be folded close to each other. And a pair of left and right rear frames provided with a pair of rear wheels, and a left and right pair of left and right pivotally mounted upper ends of the rear frames and rotatable about the pivot shafts. A rotating board, a back frame whose lower end is fixed to the pair of rotating boards, a use position pivotally attached to the back frame and extending forward, and a folding position substantially parallel to the back frame. With a movable armrest,
A seat frame whose rear end is pivotally attached to the pair of rotating substrates; a front frame having a pair of front wheels whose upper end is pivotally attached to the pair of rotating substrates; and one end of which is the rear portion. A connecting bar pivotally attached to the frame and the other end pivotally attached to the front frame; a support bar one end pivotally attached to the seat frame and the other end pivotally attached to the front frame; A portable wheelchair, comprising: a lock mechanism attached to a base plate and engaged with the rear frame so as to fix the use position thereof.

Further, the back frame is provided with a pair of handles which can be rotated via a handle mounting base having an engaging groove, and a ridge provided on the handle engages with the engaging groove to provide a use position. It is desirable to be formed so as to be able to hold.

Further, it is preferable that the armrest is formed in a substantially U-shaped projection on a horizontal plane and is pivotally attached to the back frame so that the left and right arm rests are integrally rotatable.

[0011]

The present invention is configured as described above, and when the back frame is tilted forward in the use state, the rotary substrate rotates about the rotary shaft portion.

Due to the rotation of the rotating substrate, the upper end of the front frame moves rearward and upward, and the rear end of the seat frame moves forward and upward. As the front frame moves, the connecting bar draws the rear end of the rear frame forward, the support bar draws the front end of the seat frame downward, and both frames come close to the front frame.

By further tilting the back frame forward, the back frame is almost inverted and overlaps the seat frame, and the upper end of the front frame moves to the highest position, and the back frame, seat frame, front frame, and rear frame are moved. Frame
They fold almost parallel to each other to form a folded state.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In the figure, the portable wheelchair indicated by reference numeral 1 is
A rear frame 10 having a pair of rear wheels 13, a pair of rotating substrates 20 having upper ends of the rear frame 10 pivotally attached to a rotating shaft portion 21, and lower ends thereof fixed to the pair of rotating substrates 20. A back frame 30, a armrest 45 pivotally attached to the back frame 30, a seat frame 47 whose rear end is pivotally attached to the pair of rotating base plates 20, and a pair of rotating base plates 20. A front frame 50 pivotally attached to the rear frame 10, a connecting bar 56 having one end pivotally attached to the rear frame 10 and the other end pivotally attached to the front frame 50, and one end a seat frame 47.
A support bar 60, the other end of which is pivotally attached to the front frame 50, and a lock mechanism 65 attached to the rotating substrate 20.
And the back frame 30 is configured with a pair of handles 38.

The rear frame 10 is formed in a U-shaped frame by a pair of rear pipes (not shown in the figure) and left and right members arranged to face each other on the left and right sides. Rear frame 1
A pair of rear wheels 13 having a relatively small diameter is attached to the lower end portion of 0, and the upper end portion of the rear frame 10 is pivotally attached to a rotating shaft portion 21 of the rotating base plate 20 by a shaft 15. Note that reference numeral 1
A brake 4 controls the rotation of the rear wheel 13.

In the embodiment, the rotating substrate 20 is made of a deformed polygonal metal plate material which is long in the vertical direction as shown in FIG.
A rotary shaft portion 21 that pivotally connects the upper end portion of the rear frame 10 is formed at a predetermined position.

A stopper 23 for defining the use position of the rear frame 10 is provided on the rotary board 20 slightly below the rotary shaft 21 so as to project therefrom. 5
A fixed portion 24 is formed on the upper right hand side, and a pivotal portion 25 is provided below the rotary shaft portion 21. A rear end of the seat frame 47 is pivotally attached by a shaft 48 slightly above the rear side of the rotary shaft 21, and a lock mechanism 65 is provided between the stopper 23 and the pivot hole 25. There is. Further, the pair of rotating substrates 20 are symmetrically opposed to each other and integrally provided by the horizontal board 27.

The back frame 30 is formed in a substantially U-shaped frame shape by a pair of back pipes and a horizontal shaft 33 which are arranged to face each other on the left and right sides. A lower end portion of the back frame 30 is fixed to the fixing portion 24 of the rotating substrate 20, and a pair of handles 40 is attached to the upper end portion thereof via a pair of handle mounting bases 34. Further, at a predetermined position of the back frame 30, a stopper 32 that defines the use position of the armrest 44 is provided in a protruding manner.

As shown in FIG. 6, the handle mount 34 is provided at the upper end of the back frame 30 so as to project rearward, has an engaging groove 35 extending substantially vertically therein, and has an axis line extending in the left-right direction. Is provided with a through hole 36.

The handle 38 is made of a tubular member, and a ridge 40 which fits into the engaging groove 35 is formed inside the base 39, and a female screw 41 having an axis line in the left-right direction is threaded. There is. This handle 38 is provided with the ridge 40 in the engaging groove 3
5, the fixing screw 42 penetrates the through hole 36, and is tightly fixed to the female screw 41 and fixed to the back frame 30.

The armrest 44 is formed in a substantially U shape in a plan view, and has armrests 45 provided at opposite ends thereof, and is pivotally attached to the back frame 30 by shafts 46 and 46. And the armrest 45 is the stopper 3
2, a use position in which the armrest 45 extends forward,
The armrest 45 is formed so as to integrally rotate left and right between a folding position in which the armrest 45 extends substantially parallel to the back frame 30.

The seat frame 47 is formed in a substantially U shape, and its rear end is pivotally attached to the pair of rotating base plates 20 by a shaft 48. This seat frame 47 and back frame 3
At 0, a seat 49 which is made of a thick cloth material and forms a seat portion and a backrest portion is stretched.

The front frame 50 has a shaft 51 at the upper end, forms a foot rest 52 at the lower end, and has a pair of front wheels 55 made of caster wheels attached thereto.
The front frame 50 has a pair of left and right pivot parts 54 having a horizontal axis in its middle part, and both ends of the shaft 51 are pivotally attached to the pivot parts 25 of the rotating base plate 20 facing each other. There is. It should be noted that the foot rest 52 has a plurality of horizontal joints 5.
3 are attached.

The connecting bar 56 is made of a linear member, one end of which is pivotally attached to the lower end of the rear frame 10 by a shaft 57,
The other end is pivotally attached to the vicinity of the pivotal attachment portion 54 of the front frame 50 by a shaft 58, and a pair of connecting bars 56 are provided facing left and right.

The support bar 60 has an inverted T-shape having a horizontal shaft portion 61.
The horizontal shaft portion 61 has both ends pivotally attached to the pivotal attachment portion 54 of the front frame 50 and an inverted T-shape.
The tip of the character is pivotally attached to the front end of the seat frame 47 by a shaft 62.

In the embodiment, the lock mechanism 65 is formed to include a pair of lock pins 66 attached to the rotary substrate 20 and biased to project laterally. Lock pin 6
The distal end of 6 is formed so as to project from the rotary substrate 20 and fit into a lock hole (not shown) of the rear frame 10 in the use position to lock the use position.
Then, the lock pin 66 is configured to be operated by a release handle 67 made of a string or the like to release the engagement with the rear frame 10 and unlock the use position.

Next, the folding operation of the portable wheelchair constructed as above will be described.

FIG. 1 shows a side surface of the portable wheelchair 1 in a use state. The seat frame 47 and the armrest 44 are
Parallel to each other in a substantially horizontal state, the back frame 30 is in a substantially upright state, and the handle 38 has the protrusion 40 engaged with the engagement groove 35 and extends rearward to be fixed.

The rear frame 10 has a stopper 23.
And is locked by the locking mechanism 65, the lower end portion of the front frame 50 projects forward and obliquely downward from the rotating substrate 20, and the connecting bar 56 is located between the rear frame 10 and the front frame 50. Are connected at the opening angle of the used state to hold the used position. At this time, the pivot portion 54 and the shaft 58 are located in front of the line connecting the shaft 57 and the shaft 62.

Further, the rotary substrate 20 has its length extending in the vertical direction, the pivot portion 25 is located below the rotary shaft portion 21, and the shaft 48 is located slightly above the rear side of the rotary shaft portion 21. positioned.

To bring the portable wheelchair 1 into the folded state,
First, the fixing screw 42 is operated to loosen the fixing of the handle 38, and the engagement between the ridge 40 and the engaging groove 35 is released to bring the handle 38 to the folding position parallel to the back frame 30. Further, the front end portion of the armrest 44 is lifted to bring the armrest 45 into the folding position parallel to the back pipe 31.

Then, the release handle 67 is operated to release the use position lock of the rear frame 10, and the back frame 30 is tilted forward. At this time, the rotating substrate 20 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 1 about the rotating shaft portion 21,
Along with this, the pivot portion 25 (the shaft 5 of the front frame 50)
1) moves rearward of the rotating shaft portion 21, and the shaft 48 (rear end portion of the seat frame 47) moves diagonally above and forward of the rotating shaft portion 21.

Then, the pivot portion 54 of the front frame 50,
The shaft 58 passes through the line connecting the shaft 57 and the shaft 62 and moves in the direction of the rotating substrate 20, pulling the front end of the seat frame 47 to the front frame 50 via the support bar 60 and connecting bar. The rear end of the rear frame 10 is pulled toward the front frame 50 via 56 (see FIG. 7).

Further, when the back frame 30 is tilted, the back frame 30 is turned upside down and overlaps with the seat frame 47, and the rotating substrate 20 is rotated,
The pivot portion 25 moves above the rotary shaft portion 21, and the shaft 48 moves diagonally below and forward of the rotary shaft portion 21. As a result, the pivot portion 25 of the rotating substrate 20 reaches the highest position, and the inverted back frame 30, the downward seat frame 47, the upright front frame 50, and the upright rear frame 10 are arranged in this order from the front side. The folded state is almost parallel and overlapped (see FIG. 8).

That is, the height H2 of the portable wheelchair 1 in the folded state corresponds to the length of the front frame 50, and in the embodiment, it is almost 2 times the height H1 in the used state.
It was miniaturized to / 3. As a result, a wheelchair for a user with a height of about 170 cm could be formed within 115 cm in which the sum of the three sides of length, width and depth can be carried in an aircraft. In the folded state, the shaft 51 or the side shaft 27 can be used as a carrying handle.

In the folded portable wheelchair 1, the back frame 30 is separated from the seat frame 47, and the back frame 30 is rotated to a substantially upright state, whereby the rotating base plate 2 is formed.
Through 0, the seat frame 47, the front frame 50, and the rear frame 10 are moved to the use position in the opposite manner to the above.
At this time, the rear frame 10 is locked in the use position by the lock mechanism 65, and the connection bar 56 and the support bar 60 are
Supports the space between the rear frame 10, the seat frame 47 and the front frame 50 in use. Then, the armrest 44 is rotated horizontally, and the handle 38 is fixed in the horizontal state to be in use.

[0038]

As described above, the portable wheelchair of the present invention has the above-described structure, and when folded, the height (dimension in the vertical direction) of the wheelchair is equal to the length of the front frame. The height can be reduced to about ⅔ of the height in use. Therefore, the height of the wheelchair can be reduced along with the reduction of the dimension in the front-rear direction, and the wheelchair can be folded into an extremely small size.

Further, since the front frame, the rear frame, and the seat frame are foldable together by the turning operation of the back frame through the turning board, the fold operation can be performed with one hand. The compact size in the height direction facilitates storage and transportation, and also has the effect of being extremely easy to handle.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a portable wheelchair according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the same.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the same.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a rotating substrate.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a handle.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the process of folding.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the portable wheelchair in a folded state.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing an example of a conventional wheelchair.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing the same folded state.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Portable Wheelchair 10 Rear Frame 13 Rear Wheel 20 Rotating Substrate 21 Rotating Shaft Section 30 Back Frame 34 Handle Mounting Base 35 Engagement Groove 38 Handle 40 Protrusion 44 Armrest 47 Seat Frame 50 Front Frame 55 Front Wheel 56 Connecting Bar 60 Support bar 65 Lock pin

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A portable wheelchair in which each pair of front wheels and rear wheels can be folded close to each other, wherein a rear frame having a pair of rear wheels, and an upper end portion of the rear frame pivotally mounted on a rotating shaft portion. And a pair of left and right rotating substrates that are attached so as to be rotatable around their rotating shafts, a back frame whose lower ends are fixed to the pair of rotating substrates, and pivotally attached to the back frame. An armrest that is rotatable between a use position that extends forward and a folding position that is substantially parallel to the back frame; a seat frame whose rear end is pivotally attached to the pair of rotation base plates; A front frame having front wheels, the upper end of which is pivotally attached to the pair of rotary substrates; one end of which is pivotally attached to the rear frame; the other end of which is pivotally attached to the front frame; The front frame is pivotally attached to the seat frame and the other end is the front frame. A portable wheelchair comprising: a pivotally mounted support bar; and a lock mechanism that is attached to the rotating base plate and is engaged with the rear frame so as to fix its use position. . 2. The portable wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the back frame is provided with a pair of handles rotatable via a handle mount having an engaging groove, and a protrusion provided on the handles. A portable wheelchair characterized in that a strip is formed so as to be engaged with the engagement groove so as to be able to hold a use position. 3. The portable wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the armrest is formed to have a substantially U-shaped projection on a horizontal plane, and the armrest is pivotally attached to a back frame so that left and right arm supports are provided. A portable wheelchair characterized by being integrally rotatable.