JP3480195B2 - Clutch operating device 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 clutch operating device for an electric wheelchair.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An example of a conventional electric wheelchair is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, this electric wheelchair a has a seat b on which a passenger sits, a backrest c standing upright behind the seat b, a frame body d supporting the seat b and the backrest c, and a drive motor as a drive source. A drive unit (not shown) mounted on the frame body d, and a pair of left and right rear wheels e supported by the drive unit and driven by the drive unit are provided. A pair of left and right drive units are provided corresponding to the left and right rear wheels e, and each drive unit is provided with clutch means (not shown) for connecting and disconnecting the power transmitted from the drive motor to the rear wheels. There is. Each of the left and right clutch means has its own clutch lever f, and each clutch lever f is connected to the clutch means at the front side of the rear wheel e in a vehicle side view.

A conventional electric wheelchair a constructed in this way
According to this, when the vehicle is moved electrically, the rear wheel e is driven by the power of the drive motor while the clutch means is engaged, and the occupant operates the operation stick g to move the electric wheelchair a in a desired direction. Move at desired speed. On the other hand, when the assistant pushes the electric wheelchair a by hand,
The clutch means is released to allow the rear wheel e to rotate idly, and the electric wheelchair a can be moved under a low load by holding the hand push handle h.

The operation of the clutch means in these cases is performed by the clutch lever f as described above, and the left and right clutch levers f are shared by the passenger and the caregiver.

[0005]

However, in the conventional clutch operating device for the electric wheelchair a, since the clutch lever f is arranged closer to the front side of the rear wheel e in the side view of the vehicle, the occupant can use the clutch lever f. Although it is easy to operate f, when a helper operates it, it is necessary to bend his / her waist and extend his hand forward, which is a problem that the helper has difficulty in operating. Further, since the left and right clutch levers f are arranged on the side surface of the vehicle, it is difficult for the caregiver to simultaneously operate the two left and right clutch levers f, and the left and right clutch levers f must be operated once. Such inconvenience also occurs. Note that, as shown in FIG. 13, an electric wheelchair a in which a clutch lever f is arranged near the upper end of a rear wheel e in a vehicle side view is also known, but in this case, conversely,
Although the convenience of the helper is improved, there is a problem that it is difficult for the passenger to reach the clutch lever f.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an assistant can easily operate the clutch means, and the assistant's clutch operation with respect to each clutch means of the left and right drive units is one. An object of the present invention is to provide a clutch operating device for an electric wheelchair that can be rotated.

[0007]

The present invention has the following constitution in order to achieve the above object. That is, the invention of claim 1 is provided with left and right drive units that individually drive the pair of left and right rear wheels, and each drive unit includes a drive motor and a power transmission that transmits the drive force of the drive motor to the rear wheels. In an electric wheelchair mainly composed of a mechanism, a clutch means for connecting and disconnecting a driving force transmitted to a rear wheel, and a gear case accommodating the power transmission mechanism and the clutch means,
A clutch operating device for an electric wheelchair characterized in that a clutch lever for operating the clutch means is provided in each of the left and right drive units, and the left and right clutch levers are connected by a connecting means at a vehicle rear portion.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the clutch operating device for an electric wheelchair according to the first aspect, characterized in that the connecting means is composed of a belt, and the belt is loosely attached.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the connecting means includes a clutch rod extending in the left-right direction and a rod end that rotatably connects the left and right end portions of the clutch rod and the left and right clutch levers. The clutch operating device for an electric wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein:

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the left and right drive units respectively hold rear wheels rotatably and are suspended by their own cushion units so that they can swing up and down independently of each other. The clutch operating device for an electric wheelchair according to claim 1, 2 or 3.

According to the present invention, the caregiver can simultaneously operate the clutch means of each of the left and right drive units by operating the connecting means at the rear of the vehicle. This allows the caregiver to perform only one clutch operation on the left and right clutch means. Further, when it is urgent to engage the clutch means, the clutch means can be operated quickly and accurately. Even if the left and right drive units are suspended independently of each other, if the connecting means is composed of a slackened belt or a clutch rod having the rod end, the vertical movement of the drive units is restrained by the connecting means. There is no such thing. Therefore, the left and right drive units and the rear wheels can be independently rocked during traveling.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 1 showing the present embodiment.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a structure around a clutch operating device according to the present invention, and a configuration other than the clutch operating device is substantially the same as a conventional general electric wheelchair (for example, refer to an electric wheelchair a shown in FIGS. 12 and 13) The description is omitted because it is the same.

First, the clutch operating device of the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a rear lower portion of a vehicle, and a reference numeral 2 is a frame body that supports a seat, a backrest (not shown), and the like. Further, FIG. 2 is a rear view of the lower rear portion of the vehicle. A battery case 4 is disposed below the frame body 2, and a carrying bar 62 having a substantially U-shape in a plan view, which is gripped when the vehicle is lifted and carried, is provided at a rear lower end portion of the frame body 2 in the left-right direction. It is extended. A pair of left and right rear wheels 6 is provided at a position overlapping the rear lower end portion of the frame body 2 and the rear portion of the battery case 4 in a vehicle side view.
Is rotatably provided. As shown in FIG. 2, the left and right rear wheels 6 are rotatably held by their own drive units 8, and each drive unit 8 drives the rear wheels 6 as shown in FIG. The drive motor 10, a power transmission mechanism 14 for transmitting the driving force of the drive motor 10 to the axle 12 of the rear wheel 6, and a gear case 16 mounted on the frame body 2 and accommodating the power transmission mechanism 14 are mainly used. Composed. Clutch means 18 for connecting and disconnecting the driving force from the drive motor 10 is interposed between the power transmission mechanism 14 and the drive motor 10, and the clutch means 18 is also provided.
Operates by the clutch operating device 20, as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the drive motor 10 has a substantially cylindrical yoke portion 10a, a power take-off shaft 10b projecting outward from the yoke portion 10a, and a bolt 22 at the end of the power take-off shaft 10b. The motor pinion 10c which is fastened,
It mainly comprises a ball bearing 10d that rotatably supports the power takeoff shaft 10b, and a mounting flange 10e that has the ball bearing 10d on its side surface portion and that fixes the drive motor 10 to the gear case 16.

The power transmission mechanism 14 is, as shown in FIG.
A counter gear 24 driven by the motor pinion 10c,
A counter shaft 28 mounted on the inner surface of the gear case 16 via a ball bearing 26 and supporting the counter gear 24, and a slide gear slidably provided on the counter shaft 28 and engageable with and disengageable from the counter gear 24. 30, and the axle 12 by meshing with the slide gear 30.
And a final gear 32 integrally formed with the. The axle 12 is rotatably supported by a ball bearing 34 attached to the inner surface of the gear case 16, and the rear wheel 6 is fastened with a nut 36 to the outer shaft end portion thereof.

The clutch means 18 is, as shown in FIG.
The slide gear 30 and the counter gear 24 are engaged and disengaged, and are composed of a dog portion 18a integrally formed on an inner portion of the slide gear 30 and a dog portion 18b provided on an outer surface of the counter gear 24. The slide gear 30 is constantly urged by the coil spring 38 mounted on the counter shaft 28 in the direction in which the dog portions 18a and 18b mesh with each other.

As shown in FIG. 4, the clutch operating device 20 includes a clutch shaft 40 whose left and right ends are supported by the gear case 16, and a sliding cylinder 42 slidably mounted on the clutch shaft 40. A shift fork 44 that is welded to the outer end of the sliding cylinder 42 and that slides the slide gear 30 in the axial direction by sandwiching the slide gear 30 is provided. The cam follower 4 is attached to the inner end of the sliding cylinder 42.
6 is welded, the clutch shaft 40 rotates integrally with the clutch shaft 40, and the cam follower 46
A clutch cam 48 for sliding the shaft outward is fixed. Further, at the convex width across flats 40 a at the inner end of the clutch shaft 40, the concave width across flats 54 a of the clutch lever 54 integrally provided with the passenger clutch lever 50 and the assistant clutch lever 52 is provided with the nut 56. Alternatively, it is fixed with a split pin or the like.

The clutch lever 54 is, as shown in FIG. 6 (in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the clutch lever 54 on the left side with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle), and as described above, the passenger's clutch lever 50 and the assistant's clutch. The lever 52 and the lever 52 are integrated. The helper clutch lever 52 has a substantially doglegged shape that extends rearward from the concave width across flats 54a, which is the center of rotation, and then bends slightly downward. A through bolt hole 52a is provided.

The helper clutch lever 52 is in a disengaged state of the clutch means 18 (each dog portion 18a, 1 shown in FIG. 5).
8b disengaged state), as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG.
When viewed from the side of the vehicle, it is located at a position separated upward with respect to the upper surface of the yoke portion 10a of the drive motor 10, while the clutch means 1
8 (the dog portions 18a and 18b shown in FIG. 4 are in mesh with each other), as shown by the broken line in FIG. 1, at the position where it abuts the upper surface of the yoke portion 10a of the drive motor 10 in a vehicle side view. is there.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rear ends of the left and right clutch levers 52 for assistants are connected by a belt 60. The belt 60 is attached in a slightly loosened state, and in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle is arranged at a position forward of the carrying bar 62 (inside the vehicle) in a side view of the vehicle.
As shown in FIG. 8A, the belt 60 includes a belt body 60a that connects the left and right caregiver clutch levers 52.
And the line L wrapped around the center of the belt body 60a
And a soft sheet 60b sewn along the. At each end of the belt body 60a, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (a) and (b), two left and right bolt holes 64a formed by eyelet 64 are provided.

As shown in FIG. 9, each end of the belt body 60a is wound around the rear end of the assistant clutch lever 52, and the bolt holes 52a of the assistant clutch lever 52 and eyelets 64 on both sides of the bolt hole 52a. It is fastened by passing the bolt 66 through the bolt hole 64a and tightening it with the nut 68. Further, the color of the seat 60b is set to be different from that of the seat body 60a by, for example, blackening the gray belt body 60a.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the passenger clutch lever 50 includes a shaft portion 50a which extends upward from the front end of the assistant clutch lever 52 and is then bent to the outside of the vehicle in a substantially L-shape. The shaft 50a includes a spherical grip 50c screwed to the upper end of the shaft 50a. The position of the passenger clutch lever 50 indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 indicates the position in the released state of the clutch means 18, and the position of the passenger clutch lever 50 indicated by the solid line in the engaged state of the clutch means 18. Indicates the position.

As shown in FIG. 1, the front end of each gear case 16 is pivotally attached to a support shaft 70 provided on the frame body 2 at the rear side of the battery case 4. On the other hand, the rear end portion of each gear case 16 is, as shown in FIG.
The lower end of the cushion unit 58 is suspended by being fixed to the carrying bar 62 by a bolt 58a.
Is attached to the outer side of the with bolts 58b. Accordingly, the left and right gear cases 16 independently swing around the support shaft 70 while expanding and contracting their own cushion units 58 to cushion the rear wheel 6 up and down.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment having the above structure will be described. First, in the state of the clutch lever 54 shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 1, the cam follower 46 is moved outward by the clutch cam 48 as shown in FIG. 5, and the shift fork 44 causes the spring of the coil spring 38 accordingly. The slide gear 30 is moved toward the vehicle outer side on the counter shaft 28 against the force and the state is maintained. Therefore, the dog portion 18a of the slide gear 30 is disengaged from the dog portion 18b of the counter gear 24, and the transmission of power between the drive motor 10 and the rear wheel 6 is blocked. Therefore,
In this state, the caregiver can push the electric wheelchair with a low load.

When it is desired to engage the clutch means 18 and drive the rear wheel 6 by the drive motor 10 from the released state of the clutch means 18, the caregiver steps on the belt 60 indicated by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. You can lower it to the position indicated by. That is, in this case, since the tension of the belt 60 is simultaneously applied to the left and right caregiver clutch levers 52, in both the left and right drive units 8, as shown in FIG.
The slide gear 30 is restored by the restoring force of the coil spring 38.
Moves inward of the vehicle. Along with that, cam follower 4
6 moves to the clutch cam 48 side by the rotation of the camshaft 40, the dog portion 18a of the slide gear 30 meshes with the dog portion 18b of the counter gear 24, and the clutch means 18 is engaged. At this time, the helper clutch lever 5
As indicated by the broken line in FIG. 1, the second member 2 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the yoke portion 10a of the drive motor 10 and positioned.

When an occupant performs the operation of engaging the clutch means 18, the occupant lever 50 is rotated backward from the position shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 1 to the position shown by the solid line. In this case, the left and right passenger levers 50 are operated separately.

When the clutch means 18 is released from the engaged state, the passenger's clutch lever 50 is used for passengers, and the belt 60 for assistants.
Is performed as follows. That is, the caregiver or the occupant may use the belt 60 or the occupant clutch lever 5
By operating 0 to move it from the position shown by the broken line (or the solid line) in FIG. 1 to the position shown by the chain double-dashed line, the clutch cam 48 is rotated and the cam follower 46 is pushed outward of the vehicle. Then, the sliding cylinder 42 and the shift fork 44 slide in accordance with the movement of the cam follower 46, so that the slide gear 30 moves on the counter shaft 28 toward the vehicle outer side by the shift fork 44. As a result, the dog portion 18a of the slide gear 30 is disengaged from the dog portion 18b of the counter gear 24 and the clutch means 18 is released (see FIG. 5). Also in this releasing operation, the assistant can simultaneously operate the left and right clutch means 18 with the single belt 60.

According to the first embodiment which operates as described above, since the passenger clutch lever 50 and the assistant clutch lever 52 are connected to the clutch means 18, the passenger and the assistant clutch on each side. The lever 54 can be easily operated.

A belt 60 is used by an assistant to operate the clutch.
Since it suffices to step on and lift the foot, the caregiver can simultaneously operate the clutch means 18 of the left and right drive units 8. As a result, the caregiver can easily perform the clutch operation on the left and right clutch means 18 once. In addition, the clutch means 18 is urgently needed.
When it is desired to engage the clutch, the clutch means 18 can be operated quickly and accurately. Further, since the belt 60 is provided so as to be loosened, the vertical movements of the left and right drive units 8 do not restrain each other, and the left and right drive units 8 and the rear wheel 6 can be independently rocked during traveling. it can. Further, since the left and right clutch levers 54 are mechanically separated from each other, they can be independently assembled to the left and right drive units 8, and the drive unit 8 can be easily assembled.

Further, since the soft seat 60b is provided at the center of the belt 60, it is possible to reduce the burden on the caregiver's foot when operating the clutch. Also, sheet 6
Since the color of 0b is changed with respect to the belt main body 60a,
The caregiver operates the central portion of the belt 60. As a result, the left and right clutch levers 54 are actuated at substantially the same time and with substantially the same force, so that the respective clutch means 18 in the left and right drive units 8 can be actuated at the same time. Also, bolts 6 for fixing both ends of the belt 60.
Since 6 is inserted into the bolt hole 64a of the eyelet 64, the extension of the belt 60 due to the expansion of the bolt hole can be prevented. Further, since the belt 60 is arranged in front of the carrying bar 62 (inside the vehicle body), it is possible to prevent the malfunction of the clutch lever 50 when the vehicle is traveling (especially when the vehicle is moving backward).

Further, in the present embodiment, since the yoke portion 10a of the drive motor 10 having high rigidity positions the helper clutch lever 52, even if the helper depresses the belt 60 strongly, the helper clutch lever 52 is positioned. The deformation can be prevented by the yoke portion 10a, and at the same time, a component dedicated to positioning the clutch lever for the helper can be deleted.

Further, since the assistant clutch lever 52 is integrally extended from the base end of each passenger clutch lever 50, the passenger clutch lever 50 and the assistant clutch lever 52 are rotated at the same time. Drive shaft (clutch shaft 4
0), it is not necessary to provide a rotation shaft exclusively for the assistant's clutch lever. Therefore, the entire clutch operating device 20 can be constructed inexpensively and easily.

Next, the second clutch operating device of the present invention
An embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. In the second embodiment, instead of the belt 60 according to the first embodiment, a clutch rod 72 and a pair of left and right rod ends 74 are used as shown in FIG. They are connected to each other, and other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 11, the rod end 74 has a tip end at which the bolt hole 52 of the helper clutch lever 52 is formed.
ball stud 74a inserted into b and fastened with nut 76, and ball portion 74a of this ball stud 74a
Rod end body 7 that holds 1 in a three-dimensionally rotatable manner
4b and a dust cover 74c that covers the sliding surface inside the rod end body 74b. Like the belt 60, the clutch rod 72 extends in the left-right direction at a position forward of the carrying bar 62, and the male screw portions 72a at the left and right ends of the clutch rod 72 have female screws 74b1 of the rod end main body 74b through washers 78. Screwed on and nut 8
It is clamped and fixed by 0.

Also in the second embodiment, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained except for the unique effects of the belt 60. However, in the case of the second embodiment, by rotatably connecting the clutch rod 72 and the helper clutch lever 52 with the rod end 74, the vertical movements of the left and right drive units 8 are restrained from each other. I'm avoiding it. Further, in the case of the second embodiment, by adopting the clutch rod 72 having high rigidity, even if the portion of the clutch rod 72 which is deviated from the central portion to the left and right is operated, the left and right clutch levers 54 have substantially equal operating force. At the same time, there is an advantageous effect that it is easy to join.

The present embodiment is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the belt and the rod are used as the connecting means according to the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other connecting members such as a chain can be used.

[0037]

As described above, according to the present invention, in the clutch operating device for the electric wheelchair, the assistant can easily operate the clutch means, and the assistant's clutch operation for the left and right clutch means is performed once. Can be done with. Further, when it is urgent to engage the clutch means, the clutch means can be operated quickly and accurately. Further, even if the left and right drive units are suspended independently of each other, the left and right drive units and the rear wheels can be independently swung by the slackened belt or the clutch rod having the rod end.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a structure around a left drive unit according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the vehicle rear portion of the electric wheelchair according to the first embodiment as seen from the rear.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the structure around the drive unit according to the first embodiment as seen from the rear.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the structure around the clutch shaft according to the first embodiment as viewed from the rear, showing an engaged state of the clutch.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the structure around the clutch shaft according to the first embodiment as viewed from the rear, showing the released state of the clutch.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the left clutch lever according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a view on arrow A in FIG. 6, and is a bottom view of the clutch lever.

FIG. 8 is a view showing the belt according to the first embodiment,
(A) is a top view, (b) is a BB sectional view in (a).

9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a rear view of the vehicle rear portion of the electric wheelchair according to the second embodiment as seen from the rear.

11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. 10 and exploded.

FIG. 12 is a side view of a conventional electric wheelchair.

FIG. 13 is a side view of another conventional electric wheelchair.

[Explanation of symbols]

6 rear wheels 8 drive units 10 Drive motor 14 Power transmission mechanism 16 gear case 18 Clutch means 20 Clutch operating device 54 Clutch lever 58 Cushion unit 60 belt 72 Clutch rod 74 Rod end

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP-A-8-196571 (JP, A) JP-A-8-196572 (JP, A) JP-A-8-117290 (JP, A) JP-A-9- 48257 (JP, A) JP 10-14987 (JP, A) Actual flat 4-58234 (JP, U) Actual flat 5-86325 (JP, U) Actual flat 1-133007 (JP, U) 57-197925 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A61G 5/04

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A left and right drive unit for independently driving a pair of left and right rear wheels, each drive unit having a drive motor, a power transmission mechanism for transmitting the drive force of the drive motor to the rear wheel, and a rear drive unit. In an electric wheelchair mainly composed of a clutch means for connecting and disconnecting a driving force transmitted to a wheel and a gear case accommodating the power transmission mechanism and the clutch means, a clutch lever for operating the clutch means is driven to the left and right. A clutch operating device for an electric wheelchair, characterized in that the left and right clutch levers are connected to each of the units by connecting means at a rear portion of the vehicle. 2. The clutch operating device for an electric wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the connecting means is composed of a belt, and the belt is loosely attached. 3. The connecting means comprises a clutch rod extending in the left-right direction, and a rod end that rotatably connects the left and right ends of the clutch rod and the left and right clutch levers. The clutch operating device for an electric wheelchair according to claim 1. 4. The left and right drive units respectively hold rear wheels rotatably, are suspended by their own cushion units, and are vertically swingable independently of each other. The clutch operating device for an electric wheelchair according to 2 or 3.