JP3209308B2 - Battery unit detachable structure for electric wheelchair - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a battery unit attaching / detaching structure for an electric wheelchair, and more particularly, to an improvement in a structure for easily attaching / detaching a battery unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An electric wheelchair capable of automatic traveling has been provided in order to reduce the burden on an occupant when traveling in a wheelchair.
Further, an electric wheelchair having a detachable drive unit has been provided for reasons such as facilitating transportation of the wheelchair. An electric wheelchair of this kind is disclosed, for example, in US Pat.
No. 695, a wheelchair body, a drive unit having rotatable running wheels and detachably locked to the wheelchair body, and a steering column mounted on the drive unit for steering the running wheels. It is mainly composed of
Further, a battery for power supply is mounted on the drive unit.

[0003]

In such an electric wheelchair, it is necessary to attach and detach a battery as needed for charging or the like. However, in the above-described conventional wheelchair, the battery is simply housed in the battery housing part provided in the drive unit, so that it is not easy to attach and detach the battery. In addition, since wheelchairs are generally used by people with physical disabilities, there is a strong demand that the battery should be more easily attached and detached.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object to provide a battery unit detachable structure of an electric wheelchair that can easily attach and detach a battery and reduce the burden on an occupant. .

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a battery unit attaching / detaching structure for an electric wheelchair having a battery accommodating portion for detachably accommodating a battery unit.
The battery unit is rotatably provided so as to be able to take a holding state and a holding state when the battery unit is mounted on the battery housing unit and when the battery unit is removed from the battery housing unit. The battery unit and the battery accommodating portion are engaged when rotated to the state, and the engagement between the battery unit and the battery accommodating portion is released when the movable handle is rotated to the gripping state. The battery unit is lowered and accommodated in the battery accommodating portion, so that the battery unit is electrically connected to the vehicle body. By removing the battery unit upward from the battery accommodating portion, the battery unit is electrically disconnected from the vehicle body. Characterized in that the power receiving terminal is provided between the battery unit and the battery housing.

[0006]

According to the present invention, when the battery unit is mounted, the movable handle is held and the battery unit is mounted in the battery housing. By this mounting, the battery unit side and the battery housing part side are electrically connected. And by putting the movable handle in the stored state,
The battery case and the battery accommodating portion are engaged, and the battery case is locked in the mounted state. In this manner, the battery unit can be easily mounted. In addition, when the battery unit is removed, if the movable handle is held, the engagement between the battery unit and the battery accommodating portion is released, so that the battery unit can be easily removed.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 to 3 show an electric wheelchair to which the present embodiment is applied, FIGS. 4 and 5 mainly show a drive unit, and FIGS. 6 to 8 are diagrams for explaining a mounting operation of the drive unit. FIG. 9 is a use state diagram when the electric wheelchair is used together with a caregiver. These figures (FIG. 8)
), The wheelchair body is indicated by a two-dot chain line. 1 and 6 to 8, the entire drive unit is indicated by a solid line, but in other drawings, only the unit body is indicated by a solid line, and the cover is indicated by a two-dot chain line.
FIG. 1 shows a state before the drive unit is mounted, and FIGS.
Indicates a state after the drive unit is mounted.

Here, the schematic structure of the wheelchair main body 1 will be briefly described. The wheelchair main body 1 mainly includes a pair of left and right vertical frames 2 and one end of each of the vertical frames 2.
And a pair of horizontal frames 3 fixed to
The seat 4 includes a seat 4 disposed therebetween, a main wheel 5 and a sub wheel (caster) 6. A leg support 7 and a footrest 8 are provided on a front portion of the horizontal frame 3.

Rails 9 are provided at the lower ends of the vertical frames 2, respectively, and strip-shaped guide members 25, 26 extending in the front-rear direction and parallel to each other are provided between the respective rails 9. Has been established. At the center of each rail 9 in the front-rear direction and the lower part of the vertical frame 2, the guide members 2 are provided.
A pair of holding members 27 and 28 for holding the pair 5 and 26 are provided on each of the left and right sides. These holding members 2
7, 28 are screwed to each rail 9 and the vertical frame 2 so that the positions on the rails 9 and the vertical frame 2 can be changed. These holding members 27,
Since the wheels 28 are attached to the left and right, the wheelchair body 1 can be folded in the width direction. The number of holding members is not limited to the number shown in the present embodiment.

The front ends of the guide members 25 and 26 are attached to the holding members 27 via adjustment screws 30. Similarly, the rear ends of the guide members 25 and 26 are connected via adjustment screws 31. To the holding member 28. By adjusting the amount of tightening of these adjusting screws, the interval (drive unit width) between the guide members 25 and 26 can be adjusted. By providing the width adjusting member on the side of the wheelchair main body 1 as described above, the same drive unit 10 can be applied to the wheelchair main body 1 having various widths. The rear ends of the guide members 25 and 26 are curved outward (see FIG. 8), and a roller 35 is rotatably supported at the front end thereof around a vertical support shaft. The roller 35 is connected to a drive unit 10 described later.
This is for facilitating the insertion of the information, but may be omitted.

Each of the adjusting screws 30 is connected to each of the guide members 2.
The front end portions of the drive units 10 and 5 are inserted through the front end portions of the drive units 10 and 5, respectively, and the pins 20 attached to the front end portions constitute front side locking means for locking the drive unit 10. A locking frame 21 that constitutes a rear locking means for locking the drive unit is provided on the inner surface of the rear end side of each of the guide members 25 and 26. A notch 21a (FIGS. 6 and 7) is formed. The locking frame 21 is connected to the wheelchair main body 1 via the frame 60.
It is screwed on the side.

The drive unit 10 includes a traveling wheel 12 and
A motor 13 for driving the running wheels 12,
, A detachable handle unit 14 for the occupant P to steer, a battery unit 15 for supplying electric power to the motor 13, front locking means 40 for mounting on the wheelchair body 1, and a rear side. Locking means 41, auxiliary wheel 4
5 mainly. The front locking means 4
Reference numeral 0 denotes a substantially L-shaped frame viewed from the side, which is locked by the front locking means 20 on the wheelchair body side. The rear locking means 41 is formed by cutting out the rear locking means 21. 21a
It consists of a pin locked inside.

A cover 46 is mounted on the drive unit 10 from above. The front portion of the cover 46 is formed by parallel portions 47 extending in the front-rear direction and parallel to each other, a front end portion 48 formed by a gentle curved surface, and a curved surface portion 49 connecting the parallel portion 47 and the front end portion 48. A guard 50 made of, for example, rubber is attached to the front portion along the outer peripheral surface (see FIG. 8). This card part 5
0 is a gripping part when a person moves the drive unit 10.

Next, details of a traveling drive system composed of the traveling wheels 12 and the motor 13 are shown in FIGS. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG. 4 (a state diagram with the knob and the dog clutch engaged), FIG. 11 is a view taken along the line XI-XI in FIG. 10, and FIG. Sectional view, FIG. 1
3 is a diagram showing the state in which the knob is turned off and the dog clutch is engaged, and FIG.
3 is a sectional view taken along the line XIV-XIV, FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken along the line XV-XV in FIG. 13, FIG. 16 is a partial view showing a state where the knob is engaged and the dog clutch is off, and FIG. FIG. 18 is a partially cutaway sectional view taken along line XVIII-XVIII in FIG.

In these figures, a worm gear 70 is mounted at the tip of the rotating shaft 13a of the motor 13. On the other hand, an output shaft 71 is provided in a direction intersecting with the rotation shaft 13a. A part of the output shaft 71 and the worm gear 70 are housed in a housing 72,
The output shaft 71 is rotatably supported by a bearing 73 in a housing 72. The housing 72
A worm wheel 75 that meshes with the worm gear 70 is mounted on the output shaft 71. The mechanism for transmitting the rotation of the motor 13 to the output shaft 71 is not limited to the worm gear 70 and the worm wheel 75 described above, and other gear mechanisms may be employed. For example, the motor rotation shaft 13a and the output shaft 71 are arranged in parallel,
A gear mechanism may be configured by mounting spur gears on both shafts.

A rotary member 7 is provided substantially at the center of the output shaft 71.
8 is rotatably mounted. This rotating member 78
A flange 79 is formed at one end, and a rim 80 on which the traveling wheel 12 is mounted is fixed to the flange 79. A spline 81 is formed at the other end of the output shaft 71, and a substantially cylindrical dog member 82 is spline-engaged with the spline 81. The dog member 82
A dog 83 which can be engaged with an engagement hole 77 formed in a bottom wall surface of the rotating member 78 is formed at an end of the rotating member 78 on the side of the rotating member 78. A dog clutch 84 is formed by the dog 83 and the engagement hole 77. When the dog clutch 84 is engaged (see FIGS. 10 and 13), the torque of the motor 13 is reduced by the output shaft 71 and the dog member 82. ,
The power is transmitted to the traveling wheels 12 via the rotating member 78.

A cylindrical casing 85 is fixed to the side surface of the rotating member flange 79 by a screw 86. In the casing 85, a collar 87 is provided on the dog member 82 so as to be slidable in the axial direction, and a snap ring 9 attached to an end of the dog member 82 is provided.
By 0, the axial movement of the collar 87 is restricted. A small-diameter spring 88 and a large-diameter spring 89 are both arranged around the output shaft 71 in the casing 85 in a contracted state. One end of the spring 88 presses against the collar 87 and the other end presses against the side of the dog 83. One end of the spring 89 presses against the collar 87 and the other end presses against the side surface of the flange 79. ing. That is, the spring 88 urges the dog clutch 84 in the engagement direction, and the spring 89 urges the dog clutch 84 in the release direction.

A pressing member 92 having a cylindrical outer peripheral surface and capable of abutting on the collar 87 is inserted into the opening of the casing 85, and the outer peripheral surface of the pressing member 92 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the casing 85. Is in sliding contact. At one end of the holding member 92, a knob 93 for manually rotating the holding member 92 and moving the holding member 92 in the axial direction is screwed and fixed. A spring 9 is provided at the other end of the pressing member 92 on the boss side.
The spring 94 is contracted between the end face on the boss side and the retaining ring attached to the output shaft end. Further, an engagement / disengagement mechanism 95 is provided on the outer peripheral side of the other end of the holding member 92.

As shown in FIG. 15, the engaging and disengaging mechanism 95 includes two radially extending projections 96 formed at approximately 180 ° intervals on the outer peripheral end of the pressing member 92. Each of the projections 96 is formed on a part of the peripheral surface.
An annular groove 97 for moving in the circumferential direction;
And engagement holes 98 and 99 formed at both ends of the first and second projections with which the respective projections 96 can be respectively engaged. As for the positional relationship between the engagement holes 98 and 99 in the axial direction, the engagement hole 98 is located on the inner side of the drawing in FIG. 15 than the engagement hole 99 (see FIG. 18).

With this configuration, the operator can operate the knob 93
By pressing and turning, the pressing member 92 is pressed.
The release permission position (see FIGS. 13 and 17) in which each projection 96 is engaged with each engagement hole 98 (that is, the knob is in a cut-off state) and the dog clutch 81 is in a disengaged state (disengaged state).
Then, each projection 96 is engaged with each engagement hole 99 (that is, in a state of being engaged), and an engagement forced position for forcing the engagement state (engagement state) of the dog clutch 81 (see FIGS. 10 and 16).
And can be taken. Further, since the engagement hole 99 is formed so as to be recessed from the annular groove 97, the projection 96 can be prevented from coming off from the engagement hole 99 when receiving vibration from a road surface during power transmission.

FIG. 10 also shows a state of power transmission (dog clutch engagement). To turn off the power (dog clutch released) from this state, first turn the knob 93 while pushing it in to turn it off (FIG. 13). When the occupant P shakes the wheelchair from this state, the running wheels 12 move back and forth. As a result, the engagement of the dog clutch 84 is released by the spring force of the spring 89 (FIG. 17). This allows
The power is cut off. Therefore, when the automatic running of the wheelchair becomes impossible due to, for example, running out of the battery in a state where the automatic running device 10 is mounted, it is possible to manually run the wheelchair by setting the power cutoff state. it can.

In order to shift from the state shown in FIG. 17 to the power transmission state, the knob 93 is pushed and turned to turn it into the knob-in state (FIG. 16). The dog clutch 84 is engaged by the spring force of the spring 88 (FIG. 10). Thus, the dog clutch 84 can be easily engaged and disengaged only by operating the knob 93.

Next, details of the handle unit 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. The handle unit 14 includes a vertically extending steering column 100 and a handle arm 10 connected to an upper end of the steering column 100 via a connection pipe 110.
1 and a grip 102 for occupant operation disposed at the other end of the handle arm 101.

The steering column 100 has a hole 11
It has a substantially cylindrical pipe 115 on which 5a is formed. The pipe 115 is manufactured by, for example, extrusion molding of aluminum, and has an axially extending groove 115 b for passing the lead wire 113 into the pipe 115. The pipe 115 is provided with an axially extending resin cover plate 116 for covering the groove 115b. In this way, by passing the lead wire 113 through the steering column 100, not only the appearance of the entire wheelchair can be improved, but also troubles such as interference with the legs of the occupant P can be prevented.

The connecting pipe 110 has one end fixed to one end of the handle arm 101 and is inserted into a hole 115 a of the pipe 115. Further, the connection pipe 110 is screwed and fixed to a fixing member 112 fixed in the pipe 115 via a bolt 111 inserted through the pipe 115. The gripper 1
02 is provided with a push-button type operator 103 for controlling the vehicle speed.
4 (FIG. 3) is electrically connected through the lead wire 113. When the operating element 103 is pressed, the resistance value of an electric resistance variable device (not shown) in the grip portion 102 changes according to the amount of pressing, and the amount of the change is detected by the controller 114 to control the speed. It has become.

Further, a switch box 104 which is also electrically connected to the controller 114 is attached to the handle arm 101. The switch box 104 includes a main switch 105, a forward / reverse switching lever 106, and a high / low speed switching lever 107.
Is provided. This high / low speed switching lever 107
The vehicle speed is maintained at 4.5 km / h on the high speed side and 2 km / h on the low speed side. Also,
When the forward / reverse switching lever 106 is switched to the reverse side, a buzzer (not shown) sounds.

The steering column 100 shown in FIG.
And a substantially crank-shaped member as shown in FIG.
Can be prevented from interfering with the operator's leg. At the lower end opening of the steering column 100, an insertion portion 120, which is, for example, a solid round bar made of aluminum, is fixed. A small-diameter portion 121 is formed below the insertion portion 120, and an iron collar 122 is press-fitted into the small-diameter portion 121, for example. In addition, the lower end of the small diameter portion 121 is chamfered largely so that the insertion portion 120 can be easily inserted into the female terminal unit 140 described later.

The insertion portion 120 has a male terminal unit 13.
0 is provided. The male terminal unit 130 includes a sleeve 131 fixed on the insertion portion 120 and a substantially cylindrical case 133 mounted on the sleeve 131.
And A male terminal 132 to which the lead wire 113 is connected is attached to a lower portion of the sleeve 131. The plurality of male terminal portions 132 are provided on the circumference. A guide member 134 for covering the male terminal 132 is slidably inserted into the lower end opening of the case 133. The spring 13 is provided in the case 133.
5 is contracted, and the upper end of the spring 135 is
The lower end of the cover 33 is in pressure contact with the upper end of the cover 134.

At the front end of the frame 141 of the drive unit 10, a female terminal unit 140 for mounting the steering column 100 is provided. The female terminal unit 140 has a base member 141 made of, for example, resin. Stepped holes 141a, 141 are provided in the base member 141.
b and 141c are formed in order from the top, and a chamfer 141d is formed on the upper end of the hole 141a. The hole 141a
Inside, for example, a resin-made guide member 142 is provided with a bolt 143.
The upper end surface 142a of the guide member 142 is an inclined surface that is continuous with the chamfer 141d. As a result, the insertion of the insertion section 120 can be easily performed.

The slide member 144 is provided in the hole 141b.
Are inserted slidably in the vertical direction, and a plurality of female terminal portions 145 corresponding to the male terminal portions 132 are arranged on the circumference of the slide member 144. Each of the female terminal portions 145 is electrically connected to the controller 114 via a lead wire 146 passing through a hole 141e formed on a side portion of the base member 141. The upper end surface 144a of the slide member 144 also has an inclined surface similar to that of the guide member 142. These chamfers 141d,
The female terminal unit 1 is provided by the upper end surfaces 142a and 144a.
Since the upper end opening of the forty is formed in a slash shape, the occupant P can easily confirm the position of the female terminal portion 145.

A plurality of leaf springs 148a are mounted below the slide member 144 in the hole 141b. The upper end of each leaf spring 148a contacts the lower surface of the slide member 144, and the lower end is fixed on the bottom wall of the hole 141b. These leaf springs 148a allow the female terminal portion 145 to move slightly downward when the insertion portion 120 is mounted, thereby allowing the male and female terminals 145 to move.
The shock at the time of connection of the female terminal portion can be absorbed and the connection can be reliably performed. In addition, this makes it possible to prevent the steering column 100 from being easily dislodged even when the steering column 100 slightly moves up and down during actual running after the insertion portion is mounted.

At the lower end of the slide member 144, a rotating member 151 having a pulley portion 150 having a pulley groove 150a formed thereon is fixed. The rotating member 1
A collar 152 is press-fitted into a hole formed at the center of 51, and a roller bearing 153 for facilitating insertion of the small-diameter portion 121 is provided in the collar 152. Further, a pin 154 is fixed to a lower portion of the rotating member 151, and the pin 154 can be engaged with a notch 121b formed at a lower end of the insertion portion small diameter portion 121. Further, a stopper 1 is provided on the outer periphery of the lower portion of the rotating member 151.
56 is screwed and fixed by bolts 157.

On the other hand, a cylindrical stopper member 158 is provided around the rotating member 151. The stopper member 158 is fixed to the front end of a frame 141 (FIG. 25) disposed below the drive unit 10 in the front-rear direction. The rotating member 151 is rotatably supported in the stopper member 158 via a bearing 155.
At the lower end of the stopper member 158, a notch 158a extending in the circumferential direction is formed. Stopper 15
6 is located in the notch 158a,
No. 6 can move in the circumferential direction only in the notch 158a. That is, the cut angle of the handle arm 101 is as shown by the arrow A in FIG.

Incidentally, at the rear of the drive unit 10,
A female terminal unit 200 having the same configuration as the female terminal unit 140 is provided (see FIGS. 2 and 3).
As shown in FIG. 9, the female terminal unit 200 is for attaching a steering column 202 of a handle unit 201 for the caregiver S to operate. A steering arm 203 is provided at an upper end of the steering column 202.
Is attached to the handle arm 203.
A grip portion 205 having a vehicle speed control operator 200 is provided. The two handle units 14 and 2
01 are attached together, and when both operators 103 and 204 are operated at the same time, a circuit that cannot run unless one of the operations is given priority or one of the handle units 14 and 201 is removed. With this configuration, inconvenience in operation is avoided.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 26 to 30, the fork 160 of the traveling wheel 12 is in an upright state (see FIG. 28).
The lock mechanism 170 for locking the lock will be described. The lock mechanism 170 includes a bracket 172 fixed to the front end of a frame 171 disposed in the front-rear direction of the drive unit 10, a rotatable rotating member 173 provided below the bracket 172,
2 and a vertically movable rod 1 inserted through the rotating member 173
74. The rod 174 is constantly urged downward by a spring (not shown) mounted in the bracket 172. An engagement plate 190 having a U-shape in a plan view is attached to the upper end of the rod 174.
Further, a pin 191 is fixed below the engagement plate 190.

A support portion 175 for supporting the upper portion of the fork 160 is provided below the rotating member 173. The upper portion of the fork 160 and the support portion 175 are provided.
A pin 176 is inserted through the hole. Thus, the fork 160 is rotatably supported by the support 175. In addition, a concave portion 177 is formed in the upper portion of the fork 160 so that the lower portion 174a of the rod 174 can removably engage therewith. The state where the rod lower portion 174a is engaged with the concave portion 177 is a locked state by the lock mechanism 170.

A pulley groove 173a is formed on the outer periphery of the rotating member 173. The pulley groove 173a and the pulley groove 150a of the female terminal unit 140 (FIG. 2)
2, FIG. 23) has a wire 178 wound therearound. The wire 178 is movable in the tube 179.

With this configuration, the handle arm 10
When the steering wheel 1 is turned to perform steering, the rotating member 151 rotates via the pin 154 of the female terminal unit 140, and as a result, the wire 178 moves to rotate the rotating member 173 of the lock mechanism 170. The rotation of the rotating member 173 causes the traveling wheel 12 to be steered via the fork 160. At this time, the entire traveling drive system including the output shaft 71 and the motor 13 rotates together with the traveling wheels 12, but in this case, as shown in FIG. And running wheels 12
, The moment of inertia of the entire steering system (ie, the system including the traveling drive system and the handle unit 14) during steering is small. Therefore, steering can be easily performed.

A cam member 181 having two cam portions 181a is provided on a part of the outer periphery of the rotating member 173.
(FIG. 25) is attached. On the other hand, a sensor 182 is arranged on the side of the rotating member 173, and each of the cam portions 181a can come into contact with a detection portion of the sensor 182. When the sensor 182a is detected by the sensor 182 when the operator turns the handle arm 101 largely, the vehicle speed is set to about 1/2 of the vehicle speed at the time of detection of the sensor.

The lock mechanism 170 has an unlock lever 18 for unlocking the lock mechanism 170.
5 are arranged. Support shaft 1 supporting the lever 185
86 is bent downward, and a forked frame 187 is fixed to its lower end. The lower portion 188 of the frame 187 is disposed on both sides of the bracket 172, and is rotatably attached to the bracket 172 by bolts 189 that penetrate the bracket 172. A notch 192 is formed in the upper part of the frame 187 so that the pin 191 of the lock mechanism 170 can be locked.

The locked state by the lock mechanism 170 (FIG. 2)
To release 8), the occupant P raises the lever 185 to the front. Then, the end surface 187 of the frame 187
a gradually pushes up the rod 174, thereby disengaging the lower rod portion 174a from the engagement recess 177 in the upper fork. This unlocked state is maintained by locking the pin 191 in the notch 192 of the frame 187.

Next, a positioning device 180 for positioning the running wheel 12 in the straight traveling state while the fork 160 is inclined (see FIG. 27) will be described with reference to FIGS.
5 will be described. In these figures, a guide member 196 is provided below the bracket 172. The guide member 196 has an engagement recess 197 extending in the front-rear direction (the left-right direction in the drawing).
The opening 197a of the opening 97 becomes wider toward the opening end. A protruding portion 160a is provided on the upper end of the fork 160.
The projection 160a is engaged with the engagement recess 197 along the both side walls in the engagement recess 197 in the inclined state of the traveling wheel 12. As a result, the traveling wheels 12 are locked in the straight traveling state.

Further, after the drive unit 10 is mounted on the wheelchair main body 1, a locking assist mechanism 195 for assisting the locking state by the above-described front locking means 40 (see FIGS. 27 and 30 to 34). Is provided. The auxiliary mechanism 195 has a resin bar 210 disposed in the width direction behind the traveling wheel 12. A plate 212 having one end rotatably supported is provided on a frame 211 disposed on both sides of the bar 210. Both ends of the bar 210 are rotatably supported by the other end of the plate 212. The plate 212
A cam member 213 having a cam surface 213a is mounted thereon. The cam member 213 and the frame 2
11 are connected by a spring 214.

The left and right frames 220 of the drive unit 10
A locking auxiliary member 221 is provided in the hole 220a formed in the hole so as to be able to protrude and retract. A support shaft 222 extending in the width direction of the drive unit 10 is provided on a side surface of the locking assisting member 221.
Is fixed at one end. The other end of the support shaft 222 is bent downward while passing through the plate 212,
The tip 223 is provided on the cam surface 213 of the cam member 213.
a. A spring 224 is mounted around the support shaft 222, and the locking auxiliary member 221 is moved outside the frame 220, that is, inside the front locking means (frame) 40 by the spring force of the spring 224. Is always urged in the direction to protrude.

As shown in FIGS. 27 and 34, when the running wheel 12 is completely inclined before the drive unit is mounted, the running wheel 12 is in pressure contact with the bar 210, and the support shaft tip 223 is It is located on the front side (left side in the figure) of the cam surface 213a. As a result, the locking auxiliary member 2
Reference numeral 21 denotes a state of being immersed in the hole 220a of the frame 220. In this state, the drive unit 10 is mounted on the wheelchair body 1. The attachment is performed by a roller (front side locking means) 20 on the wheelchair body 1 side entering and engaging with the frame 40, and at this time, the locking auxiliary member 221 is immersed in the frame 220. Therefore, the roller 20 smoothly enters.

When the mounting of the drive unit 10 is completed, the running wheel 12 separates from the bar 210 and shifts to an upright state. In this upright state, as shown in FIG.
0 is engaged with the bottom 40 a of the frame 40. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, the cam member 213 rotates around the support shaft 222 by the spring force of the spring 214, and the support shaft tip 223 is moved to the cam surface 21 of the cam member 213.
3a has moved to the rear side (right side in the figure). This allows
The engagement assisting member 221 protrudes into the frame 40. As a result, the roller 20
Are not easily removed from the inside of the frame 40.

One end of a stand member 201 is attached to an auxiliary wheel 45 arranged at the rear end of the drive unit 10 (see FIGS. 4 to 7). The stand member 2
The rear end of the drive unit 10 is maintained at the ground height position when the drive unit is mounted by the 01 and the auxiliary wheels 45. Therefore, unlike the conventional device, it is not necessary to jack up the rear end of the drive unit 10 and only the front end needs to be jacked up, so that the power consumption of the motor 13 can be reduced. The other end of the stand member 201 is rotatably attached to the frame 220 via a pin (rear side locking means) 41. A spring 232 is mounted around the pin 41, and the stand member 201 is constantly urged clockwise in FIG. Further, a locking lever 230 is disposed in front of the stand member 201. A rotatable support shaft 231 arranged in the width direction of the frame 220 is fixed to the locking lever 230. The support shaft 2
A spring 233 is also mounted around the periphery of the lock 31 so that the locking lever 230 is constantly urged clockwise in the figure. When the stand member 201 is in the upright state, the upper end 230a of the locking lever 230 is engaged with the engaging concave portion 201a at the tip of the stand member 201, thereby ensuring that the stand member 201 is in the upright position (FIG. 6). Can be locked.

On the other hand, cam members 235 and 236 (FIGS. 6 and 7) are provided on the side surfaces of the locking frame 21 on the wheelchair main body 1 side. The cam member 235
Abuts on the lower part of the locking lever 230 from the front when the drive unit is mounted, and fixes the locking lever 230 to the support shaft 231.
The cam member 236 similarly contacts the end portion 238 of the stand member 201 when the drive unit is mounted, and the stand member 201 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. It is for turning to. Thus, after the drive unit is mounted, the stand member 201 moves to the flip-up position as shown in FIG.

Next, a mounting portion of the battery unit 148 will be described with reference to FIGS. The battery unit 148 includes a battery main body 250 and a case 251 supporting the battery main body 250. The case 251 has a U-shaped support plate 25 for supporting both sides and a bottom surface of the battery body 250.
2 are provided. In addition, a handle is provided on the case 251.
(Movable handle) 255 is provided. The handle 255
Are rotatably provided on the case 251 via the support shaft 256, and are stored in the case 251 (in a stored state, FIG. 38) and in a standing position (portable for carrying the battery unit 148). Holding state, FIG. 36).

A cam member 258 is attached to the support shaft 256. On the other hand, below the support shaft 256,
Slide plate 26 extending in the front-rear direction (the left-right direction in the figure)
0 is provided. The slide plate 260 has its front end side (left side in the figure) bent upward, and its front end 260a is in contact with the cam member 258. The slide plate 260 is slidably supported in forward and backward directions by stays 261 and 262 extending downward provided on the case 251. The slide plate 260
A spring 263 is disposed below the front side in the front-rear direction.
One end of 63 is locked to the lower part of the slide plate 260, and the other end is locked to the lower part of the stay 262. The slide plate 260 is constantly biased rightward in the figure by the spring force of the spring 263. The case 251 is provided with a power supply terminal 264.

A battery housing 265 for housing the battery unit 148 is provided on the drive unit 10 side. The battery housing 265 has an engagement hole 268 with which the tip 260b of the slide plate 260 can be engaged. The battery housing 26
5 is provided with a power receiving terminal 270 to which the power feeding terminal 264 is connected. In front of the battery housing 265, the battery unit 14 is connected via a lead wire 271.
A controller 114 electrically connected to the controller 8 is provided. A pipe frame 280 is provided at the rear end of the drive unit 10 in the width direction.
80 is convenient when the drive unit 10 is carried separately from the wheelchair main body 1.

When the battery unit 148 is mounted, the grip 255 is gripped in a gripping state, and the battery unit 148 is inserted into the battery housing 265 by being lowered from above (see FIG. 36). At this time, since the handle 255 is rotated upward and is in the upright position, the cam member 258 moves the slide plate 260 to the left in the drawing against the spring force of the spring 263, and the tip of the slide plate 260 260b is retracted to the stay 262 side. That is, at this time, the slide plate 260 is in the disengaged state. This allows the battery unit 148 to be smoothly inserted into the battery housing 265. At this time,
The power supply terminal 264 on the battery unit 148 side is connected to the power receiving terminal 270 on the battery housing 165 side by its own weight.

After the battery unit is mounted, the handle 255 is rotated and housed in the case 251 (see FIG. 38). As the handle 255 rotates, the cam member 258 also rotates,
As a result, the slide plate 260 moves rightward in the figure by the spring force of the spring 263, and the slide plate tip 2
60b is engaged in the engagement hole 268 of the battery housing 265. Thus, the battery unit 148 can be securely locked in the housed state. In this way, the battery unit can be easily mounted. Conversely, when the battery unit 148 is removed, the operation opposite to the above operation may be performed, and thus the attachment and detachment of the battery unit 148 can be easily performed.

Next, the work of mounting the drive unit 10 on the wheelchair body 1 will be described. In this case, first, the drive unit 10 is arranged behind the wheelchair body 1 with the handle unit 14 removed from the drive unit 10. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 1, 5, and 6, the stand member 201 of the drive unit 10 is rotating downward, and the auxiliary wheels 45 are in a ground contact state. Further, as shown in FIG. 27, the rod lower portion 174a of the lock mechanism 170 is disengaged from the engagement concave portion 177 of the upper portion of the fork 160, the fork 160 is in an inclined state, and the running wheel 12 is connected to the bar 210 of the locking auxiliary mechanism 195. (See FIG. 34). When the running wheel 12 is pressed against the bar 210,
As described above, the locking auxiliary member 221 is retracted from the frame (front side locking means) 40 and is immersed in the frame 220. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 27, 34, and 35, the traveling wheels 12 are positioned by the positioning device 180 in the straight traveling state.

Next, the occupant P manually moves the wheelchair body 1 backward. In this case, as described above, the parallel portion 47 and the curved surface portion 49 are provided on the front side of the cover 46 of the drive unit 10 (see FIG. 8). In addition, guide members 25 and 26 for guiding the parallel portion 47 are provided on the wheelchair main body 1 side, and the rear ends of the guide members 25 and 26 are curved outward, and the front ends thereof. Is mounted with a rotatable roller 35. Thereby, even if the drive unit 10 and the wheelchair main body 1 are arranged at positions slightly deviated from each other, the drive unit 10 can enter the wheelchair main body 1 along the guide members 25 and 26, so that the two are automatically moved. The positioning can be performed, and the drive unit 10 can be easily inserted into the wheelchair body 1. As a result, the entire wheelchair can be easily assembled and the burden on the occupant can be reduced.

When the drive unit 10 enters the lower part of the wheelchair main body 1, as shown in FIG. 6, the rollers (front locking means on the wheelchair main body side) 20 are placed in the frame 40 (front locking means on the drive unit side). At the same time, the pin (rear locking means on the drive unit side) 41 enters the notch 21a of the locking frame (rear locking means on the wheelchair body side) 21. On the other hand, the female terminal unit 140 is located on the front end side of the wheelchair body 1.

From this state, the occupant P mounts the handle unit 14. In this case, with the handle arm 101 arranged in the left-right direction as shown in FIG.
The insertion portion 120 of the steering column 100 is gradually inserted into the female terminal unit 140. At this time, the upper end opening of the female terminal unit 140 is chamfered 141d, as described above.
Since the sloping surface 142a and the upper end surface 144a are formed in a slash shape (see FIG. 22), the occupant P is connected to the female terminal 1
45 can be easily confirmed, and the small-diameter portion 121 at the lower portion of the insertion portion enters the opening along the above-described surfaces of the upper end opening of the female terminal unit, so that the insertion portion 120 can be easily inserted. Moreover, in this case, since the large chamfer 121a is formed at the lower end of the small diameter portion 121 below the insertion portion (see FIG. 21), the insertion of the insertion portion 120 can be performed more easily. When the insertion of the insertion section 120 is completed, the insertion section 12
The 0 side male terminal 132 is electrically connected to the female terminal 145. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, both the knob 93 and the dog clutch 84 are in the on state, and the power is transmitted.

Next, with the main wheel 5 locked, the forward / reverse switching lever 106 (FIG. 3) is switched to the forward side. Then, after turning on the main switch 105, the operator 103 is operated. Then, the motor 13 starts up,
The drive unit 10 starts moving forward with the wheelchair body 1 stopped. As a result, the frame 40 moves until it comes into contact with the roller 20 (see the two-dot chain line 20 in FIG. 4), and the pin 41 engages with the notch 21a of the locking frame 21 to lock by the rear locking means. Is performed. On the other hand,
The cam member 235 on the wheelchair main body abuts on the lower part of the locking lever 230 from the front, and rotates the locking lever 230 around the support shaft 231 against the spring force of the spring 233. Further, the cam member 236 abuts on the end portion 238 of the stand member 201, and resists the spring force of the spring 232.
Is rotated around the pin 41, whereby the stand member 2 is rotated.
01 moves to the flip-up position (see FIG. 7).

When the running wheel 12 further rotates from this state, the driving unit 10
Is restricted, the running wheel 12 rolls on the road surface. Then, the fork 160 rotates around the pin 176 to jack up the front end side of the wheelchair main body 1 and gradually transition to the upright state (see FIGS. 30 and 32).

On the other hand, when the traveling wheel 12 separates from the bar 210 of the locking assist mechanism 195, the cam member 213 is rotated by the spring force of the spring 214, whereby the engagement assisting member 221 is rotated.
Project into the frame 40 (see FIG. 33). Running wheel 1
When the fork 160 is further rotated, the fork 160 is in a completely upright state, the rod lower part 174a is engaged in the engaging concave part 177 on the upper part of the fork (see FIG. 28),
0 engages the bottom 40a along the side wall of the frame 40 (see FIG. 7). In this way, the locking by the front locking means is performed, and the locked state is locked. Note that the jack-up of the wheelchair body 1 raises the casters 6 and separates them from the road surface (see FIGS. 2 and 7). Further, since the jack-up is limited to the front side portion of the wheelchair main body 1, the wheelchair main body 1 can be raised slightly forward.

Next, the operation of removing the drive unit 10 will be described. In this case, first, FIGS.
As shown in (2), the handle arm 41 is moved straight.
From this state, the occupant P grasps the steering column 100 and lifts and removes the handle unit 14. next,
The occupant P pulls the lock release lever 185 forward (see FIG. 29). As a result, the engagement between the lower rod portion 174a and the engagement recess 177 in the upper fork is released, and the locked state by the lock mechanism 170 is released.

At this time, if the traveling drive system is in the power transmission (dog clutch engaged) state, the worm gear 70
Since the gear ratio of the worm wheel 75 is large, the running wheel 12 does not roll and remains stationary. However, the main wheel 5
If is not locked, the wheelchair body 1 can be moved forward, so that the fork 160 can be easily rotated to the inclined position (see the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 30).

When the fork 160 is rotated, the upper end 160a of the fork 160 pushes up the lower frame portion 188, so that the unlocked state by the unlock lever 185 is released (see FIG. 30). As a result, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 35, the upper end 160a of the fork is engaged in the engagement recess 197 of the guide member 196, and as a result, the traveling wheel 12 is locked in a straight traveling state.
Thus, the wheelchair main body 1 and the drive unit 10 can be separated.

The opening 197 of the engaging recess 197 is provided.
Since “a” is formed wider toward the opening end, the engagement of the fork upper end 160a with the engagement recess 197 is performed smoothly. Further, since the traveling wheel 12 is locked in the straight traveling state in this way, it is possible to prevent the traveling wheel 12 from interfering with other parts during a jack-up operation when the drive unit is mounted, and to prevent the handle unit 14 Can be easily mounted.

In the above embodiment, the case where the drive unit is automatically attached to the wheelchair body by moving the drive unit has been described. However, in the present invention, the drive unit is moved by the wheelchair occupant or the assistant moving the wheelchair body. Can also be installed. This is because, in the drive unit, the traveling wheels 1
2 can be swung with respect to the drive unit, and the running wheels 12 can be realized by being in the same state as when the brake is operated by the worm mechanism. As a result, when the wheelchair body is moved to the drive unit side, the drive unit is fixed in place by the braking action, and the traveling wheels are brought into a running state by the swinging action.

[0066]

As described above, according to the battery unit detachable structure of the electric wheelchair according to the present invention, the movable handle is rotatably provided on the battery unit, and the movable handle is stored and held. The battery unit is connected to the vehicle body by disengaging the battery unit from the battery housing and the battery unit is lowered to the housing, so that the battery unit can be easily attached and detached. This has the effect of reducing the load on the occupant.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a wheelchair to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied before a drive unit is mounted.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the wheelchair after a drive unit is mounted.

FIG. 3 is a partial plan view of the wheelchair (FIG. 2).

FIG. 4 is an overall side view of the drive unit (FIG. 2).

FIG. 5 is an overall side view of the drive unit (FIG. 1).

FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the mounting operation of the drive unit.

FIG. 9 is a view showing another example of use of the wheelchair.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 4;

FIG. 11 is a view taken along line XI-XI of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a partial sectional view taken along line XII-XII of FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a knob of a traveling drive system of the drive unit.
It is a state figure of a dog clutch ON.

FIG. 14 is a view taken along line XIV-XIV of FIG. 13;

15 is a sectional view taken along line XV-XV in FIG.

FIG. 16 is a state diagram of the traveling drive system with the knob engaged and the dog clutch disengaged.

FIG. 17 is a state diagram of the traveling drive system when the knob is off and the dog clutch is off.

18 is a partially cutaway sectional view taken along line XVIII-XVIII in FIG.

FIG. 19 is an overall view of a handle unit.

20 is a sectional view taken along line XX-XX in FIG.

FIG. 21 is a partial sectional view of FIG. 19;

FIG. 22 is a sectional view of a female terminal unit.

FIG. 23 is a view showing a state in which the handle unit is attached to the female terminal unit.

FIG. 24 is a view taken along line XXIV-XXIV of FIG. 22;

FIG. 25 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 26 is a diagram (a view taken along line XXVI-XXVI in FIG. 28) for explaining the attaching / detaching operation of the drive unit.

FIG. 27 is a diagram for explaining an attaching / detaching operation of the drive unit.

FIG. 28 is a diagram for explaining an attaching / detaching operation of the drive unit.

FIG. 29 is a diagram for explaining the attaching / detaching operation of the drive unit.

FIG. 30 is a diagram for explaining an attaching / detaching operation of the drive unit.

FIG. 31 is a diagram for explaining an attaching / detaching operation of the drive unit.

FIG. 32 is a view for explaining an attaching / detaching operation of the drive unit.

FIG. 33 is a view for explaining an attaching / detaching operation of the drive unit.

FIG. 34 is a diagram for explaining an attaching / detaching operation of the drive unit.

FIG. 35 is an enlarged view of a positioning device.

FIG. 36 is a view for explaining the mounting operation of the battery unit.

FIG. 37 is a plan view of the battery unit mounted state.

FIG. 38 is a side view of FIG. 37.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wheelchair main body 10 Drive unit 148 Battery unit 255 Handle 260b Engagement part (tip of slide plate) 264 Power supply terminal 265 Battery storage part 268 Engaged part (engagement hole) 270 Power reception terminal

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A 50-2015 (JP, U) JP-A 62-81362 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B60K 1 / 00-1/04

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A battery unit detachable structure for an electric wheelchair having a battery accommodating portion for detachably accommodating a battery unit, wherein the battery unit has
When mounting the battery unit in the battery compartment
And movable to be gripped when detached from the battery storage section
The handle is rotatable so that it can be in the gripping state and the storage state.
When the movable handle is rotated to the stored state, the battery unit
The knit and the battery housing are engaged, and the movable handle is
When the battery unit is rotated to the grip state, the battery unit and the battery
An engagement / disengagement mechanism for releasing engagement with the battery housing is provided.
Lower the battery unit and house it in the battery compartment
The battery unit is electrically connected to the vehicle body.
And lift the battery unit upward from the battery housing
Power supply that is de-energized with the vehicle by removing it
Terminal is provided between the battery unit and the battery
A battery unit detachable structure for an electric wheelchair.