JP7583003B2 - Wheelchair fixing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wheelchair fixing device.

Wheelchair fixing devices that can automatically restrain a wheelchair have been known for some time (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2018-102728 A

However, the wheelchair fixing device as described above has a complex mechanism and cannot be used by a wheelchair user alone. In other words, the wheelchair fixing device as described above requires an assistant or other person to operate the device.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a wheelchair fixing device that can be used by a wheelchair user alone.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a wheelchair fixing device of a first aspect of the present invention comprises a base member having a slider that slides in one direction and another direction opposite to the one direction by a driving force from a driving source that is operated by the wheelchair user, a drive shaft that is attached to the slider and extends in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction in a planar view, and a pair of locking arms that are provided on both sides of the base member and can rotate in the vertical direction, have cam hole portions into which both ends of the drive shaft are inserted, and rotate from the upper side to the lower side as the drive shaft moves in the one direction to hold down a fixed bar provided on the wheelchair, and rotate from the lower side to the upper side as the drive shaft moves in the other direction to release the hold down on the fixed bar.
A wheelchair fixing device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the wheelchair fixing device according to the first aspect, wherein the lock arm has a notch into which the fixing bar is fitted.
In addition, a wheelchair fixing device of a third aspect of the present invention is a wheelchair fixing device of the first or second aspect, which is arranged on the lower side of the floor of the vehicle and is configured so that the lock arm can enter and exit through a slit portion formed in the floor.
A wheelchair fixing device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the wheelchair fixing device according to any one of the first to third aspects, further comprising a limit switch for detecting the rotation angle of the lock arm.

According to the first aspect of the invention, the driving force from the driving source driven by the wheelchair user's operation causes the slider to slide in one direction, moving the driving shaft in one direction and causing the lock arm to rotate from the upper side to the lower side and pressing down on the fixed bar provided on the wheelchair. The driving force from the driving source driven by the wheelchair user's operation causes the slider to slide in the other direction, moving the driving shaft in the other direction and causing the lock arm to rotate from the lower side to the upper side and releasing the pressing down on the fixed bar provided on the wheelchair. In other words, the wheelchair user can use the wheelchair fixing device by himself/herself by simply operating the driving source.
According to the second aspect of the invention, the locking arm has a notch that fits into the fixed bar. Therefore, even if the wheelchair is slightly tilted in the width direction in a plan view, the notch of the locking arm fits into the fixed bar, and the wheelchair is pulled into the correct position by the pressing force. This improves the convenience of the wheelchair user.
According to the third aspect of the invention, the wheelchair fixing device is disposed below the floor of the vehicle, and the locking arm is configured to be able to enter and exit through a slit formed in the floor. Therefore, the wheelchair step will not get caught in the locking arm. Also, since the floor can be kept flat when not in use, the locking arm does not get in the way, improving the marketability.
According to the fourth aspect of the invention, a limit switch is provided for detecting the rotation angle of the lock arm, making it possible to detect whether the fixed bar is securely held down by the lock arm.

As described above, according to the present invention, the wheelchair fixing device can be used by the wheelchair user alone.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a wheelchair fixing device according to the present embodiment, separated from a floor. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a wheelchair fixing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a wheelchair fixing device according to an embodiment of the present invention in use;

The following is a detailed description of an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. For ease of explanation, the arrow UP shown in Figures 1 and 3 indicates the upward direction of the vehicle, the arrow FR indicates the forward direction of the vehicle, and the arrow RH indicates the rightward direction of the vehicle. Therefore, in the following description, unless otherwise specified, when directions such as up/down, front/rear, and left/right are mentioned, they refer to up/down, front/rear, and left/right in the vehicle. In addition, the orientation of the wheelchair when boarding the vehicle is the direction of travel of the vehicle, but is not limited to this orientation.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wheelchair fixing device 20 according to this embodiment is disposed on the lower side of the floor 12 of a vehicle 10, such as a public transportation bus. In the wheelchair-only space on this floor 12, a pair of left and right slits 14 are formed, each long in the front-rear direction, from which the tip ends 40F of a pair of left and right lock arms 40 (described later) protrude.

As shown in FIG. 3, the fixed bar 50 of the wheelchair (not shown) that is pressed down and locked by the tips 40F of a pair of left and right lock arms 40 protruding from the floor 12 is cylindrical, for example, with a diameter of 12 mm, and is installed with its axis aligned with the width of the wheelchair at a location 50 mm high near the midpoint between the front and rear wheels of the wheelchair.

As shown in FIG. 2, the wheelchair fixing device 20 includes an electric motor 16 as a driving source that is driven by a wheelchair user (not shown) operating an operating switch (not shown) provided on the vehicle 10. The electric motor 16 is configured to be driven by power supplied from a battery (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 10.

The wheelchair fixing device 20 is equipped with a base member 22 having a slider 30 that slides forward (one direction) and backward (the other direction) opposite to the forward direction (one direction) via a transmission gear 17, a drive gear 18, and a drive rod 28, which will be described later, by the driving force of an electric motor 16.

Specifically, the base member 22 is formed in a roughly U-shape when viewed from the front and rear, with both left and right side portions 24 bent upward and standing upright. The center portion 26 of the base member 22 is raised in a roughly rectangular shape, but its height is lower than the side portions 24. A slider 30 is provided in the center portion 26 of the base member 22 so as to be slidable in the front and rear directions.

That is, a long hole 26A extending in the front-rear direction is formed in the center portion 26 of the base member 22, and the slider 30 is configured to be able to move back and forth (slide) along the long hole 26A. The front end 28B (the other end) of the drive rod 28 (described later) is rotatably attached to the rear end 30F of the slider 30.

A drive gear 18 with its axial direction extending vertically is rotatably provided at the rear end 26F of the center portion 26 of the base member 22. This drive gear 18 meshes with a transmission gear 17 of the electric motor 16, and is adapted to rotate in both forward and reverse directions by the rotational driving force of the electric motor 16.

The rear end 28A (one end) of the drive rod 28 is rotatably attached to the upper surface of the drive gear 18, and the front end 28B of the drive rod 28 is rotatably attached to the rear end 30F of the slider 30. Therefore, when the drive gear 18 rotates in both forward and reverse directions via the transmission gear 17 due to the rotational driving force of the electric motor 16, the slider 30 moves in the forward and backward directions via the drive rod 28.

The slider 30 is also fitted with the center side of a cylindrical drive shaft 34 that extends in a direction (left-right direction) perpendicular to the sliding direction (front-rear direction) in a plan view. That is, both left and right side portions 32 of the slider 30 are bent upward and stand up, and an arc-shaped cutout portion 32A is formed in the center in the front-rear direction. The drive shaft 34 is inserted into the cutout portion 32A and joined and fixed.

In addition, long holes 24A extending in the front-rear direction are formed in the left and right side portions 24 of the base member 22, and both ends 34A of the drive shaft 34 are inserted into the long holes 24A. In addition, flat lock arms 40 are stacked on the outside of the left and right side portions 24 of the base member 22, and the pair of left and right lock arms 40 are supported by the side portions 24 so that they can rotate up and down.

That is, the front upper ends 40B of a pair of left and right lock arms 40 are rotatably provided on the front upper ends 24B of the left and right side portions 24 of the base member 22, and each lock arm 40 can rotate up and down around the front upper end 40B as a rotation fulcrum (the left and right direction is the rotation axis direction). A roughly arc-shaped cutout 40C is formed on the lower side of the tip portion 40F, which is opposite the rotation fulcrum of each lock arm 40, into which the fixed bar 50 of the wheelchair is inserted.

Each lock arm 40 is formed with a cam hole 40A having a predetermined cam shape with the longitudinal direction being the front-rear direction, and both ends 34A of the drive shaft 34 are inserted into the cam hole 40A. In other words, the long hole 24A in both sides 24 of the base member 22 and the cam hole 40A of each lock arm 40 are connected to each other, and both ends 34A of the drive shaft 34 are inserted into the long hole 24A and cam hole 40A that are connected to each other.

A pair of left and right lifting brackets 42 are provided in the recess 25 between the center 26 and both side portions 24 of the base member 22 to constantly lift the tip 40F side of each locking arm 40 upward. Each lifting bracket 42 has a main body portion 44 that holds the tip 40F side of each locking arm 40 in the uppermost position, a fixing portion 46 that is fixed to the side portion 24 of the base member 22, and a coil spring 48 that is installed between the tip 44F side of the main body portion 44 and the tip 46F of the fixing portion 46.

The front end 44B of the main body 44 is rotatably provided relative to the lower front end 24C of the side 24 of the base member 22 and the front end 46B of the fixed part 46. The front end 46B of the fixed part 46 is fixed to the lower front end 24C of the side 24 of the base member 22 at an angle that positions the tip 46F side at the uppermost position.

The tip 44F of the main body 44 is integrally formed with a locking portion 45 that is substantially U-shaped when viewed from the front, and the tip 40F of the locking arm 40 is inserted into the locking portion 45. In other words, each locking arm 40 is supported from below by the locking portion 45 and can be lifted to the uppermost position. Each locking arm 40 can be rotated to the lower position against the biasing force of each coil spring 48.

Specifically, when the slider 30 moves rearward and the drive shaft 34 moves rearward, the cam shape of each cam hole 40A causes the tip 40F of each lock arm 40 to rotate from the upper side to the lower side against the biasing force of the coil spring 48. As a result, the notch 40C of each lock arm 40 fits into the approximate axial center of the fixed bar 50 provided on the wheelchair, and the fixed bar 50 is pressed down by each lock arm 40, locking the wheelchair so that it cannot move.

When the slider 30 moves forward and the drive shaft 34 moves forward, the cam shape of each cam hole 40A causes the tip 40F of each lock arm 40 to rotate from the lower side to the upper side due to the biasing force (restoring force) of the coil spring 48. This releases the lock arms 40 from holding down the fixed bar 50 provided on the wheelchair, and the notch 40C of each lock arm 40 disengages from the fixed bar 50, unlocking the wheelchair so that it can move.

A protrusion 41 that protrudes forward is integrally formed at the front end of each lock arm 40. Each protrusion 41 is configured to be able to move in and out of the gap of the limit switch 36 as each lock arm 40 rotates, and the limit switch 36 is configured to detect the rotation angle of each lock arm 40.

That is, for example, when the tip 40F of each lock arm 40 is in the uppermost position, the protrusion 41 is not inserted into the gap of the limit switch 36, and when the tip 40F of each lock arm 40 rotates downward to lock the fixed bar 50 provided on the wheelchair, it is inserted into the gap of the limit switch 36. This makes it possible to detect whether the fixed bar 50 provided on the wheelchair is securely locked.

The tip 40F of each lock arm 40 may be detected by a limit switch 38. In other words, the limit switch 38 may detect the degree to which the tip 40F of each lock arm 40 is lowered, and detect whether the fixed bar 50 provided on the wheelchair is securely locked.

In any case, if the detection results indicate that the locking by each locking arm 40 is incomplete, it is desirable to configure the vehicle 10 to display this on a display device (not shown) or to sound an alarm. This allows the wheelchair user to recognize that the wheelchair is not completely locked, and allows the locking operation by each locking arm 40 to be repeated.

The following describes the operation of the wheelchair fixing device 20 according to this embodiment, which is configured as described above.

When a wheelchair user gets on the vehicle 10, the wheelchair fixing bar 50 is moved to a position corresponding to the pair of left and right lock arms 40 of the wheelchair fixing device 20. At this time, the wheelchair user operates the operation switch to drive the electric motor 16. That is, the slider 30 is slid rearward via the drive rod 28, and the drive shaft 34 is moved rearward.

As a result, the tip 40F of each locking arm 40 rotates from the upper side to the lower side against the biasing force of the coil spring 48 and sinks into the floor 12, allowing the wheelchair user to move the wheelchair forward without the wheelchair step (not shown) getting caught on the tip 40F of each locking arm 40.

After that, when the wheelchair is stopped at an appropriate position in the wheelchair-only space on the floor 12, the wheelchair user operates the operation switch to drive the electric motor 16 in the reverse direction. This causes the drive gear 18 to rotate in the reverse direction via the transmission gear 17, and the slider 30 to slide forward via the drive rod 28. In other words, the drive shaft 34 moves forward. As a result, the tip 40F of each lock arm 40 rotates from the lower side to the upper side due to the biasing force (restoring force) of the coil spring 48, and protrudes from the floor 12.

After protruding the tip 40F of each lock arm 40 from the floor 12, the wheelchair user moves the wheelchair forward slightly and operates the operation switch to drive the electric motor 16. This causes the drive gear 18 to rotate via the transmission gear 17, and the slider 30 to slide rearward via the drive rod 28. In other words, the drive shaft 34 moves rearward.

As a result, the tip 40F of each lock arm 40 rotates downward against the biasing force of the coil spring 48, and each notch 40C fits into the approximate center of the fixed bar 50 in the axial direction, and each lock arm 40 presses down on the fixed bar 50 from above. In other words, the wheelchair is locked so that it cannot move.

In addition, each locking arm 40 locks by fitting its notch 40C into the approximate center of the axial direction of the fixed bar 50. Therefore, even if the wheelchair is tilted slightly (for example, about 6 degrees) in the width direction in a plan view, the pushing force of each locking arm 40 can drag it to the correct position and lock it securely. This improves convenience for wheelchair users.

On the other hand, when a wheelchair user wants to get off the vehicle 10, the wheelchair user operates the operation switch to drive the electric motor 16 in the reverse direction. This causes the drive gear 18 to rotate in the reverse direction via the transmission gear 17, and the slider 30 to slide forward via the drive rod 28. In other words, the drive shaft 34 moves forward.

As a result, the tip 40F of each lock arm 40 rotates from the lower side to the upper side due to the biasing force (restoring force) of the coil spring 48, the pressure on the fixed bar 50 is released, and each notch 40C comes off the fixed bar 50. In other words, the wheelchair is unlocked so that it can move.

Once the wheelchair lock has been released, the wheelchair user moves the wheelchair backwards. At this time, the tip 40F of each locking arm 40 protrudes from the floor 12, but the wheelchair can move backwards while pushing the tip 40F of each locking arm 40 into the floor 12 using the wheelchair steps. In other words, the wheelchair user can disembark from the vehicle 10 without the wheelchair steps getting caught on the locking arms 40.

In this way, the wheelchair user can use the wheelchair fixing device 20 by himself/herself, simply by operating the operating switch for driving the electric motor 16. In other words, the wheelchair user can lock and unlock the wheelchair by himself/herself when getting on and off the vehicle 10, and can therefore go out without an assistant.

When the wheelchair fixing device 20 is not in use, the tip 40F of each locking arm 40 can be retracted into the floor 12 by operating an operating switch (so that the floor 12 can be kept flat), so that each locking arm 40 does not get in the way, improving marketability. In addition, because the mechanism of the wheelchair fixing device 20 is simplified, it is small and can be manufactured at low cost.

Although the wheelchair fixing device 20 according to this embodiment has been described above with reference to the drawings, the wheelchair fixing device 20 according to this embodiment is not limited to the one shown in the drawings, and can be modified in design as appropriate within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, if the wheelchair step is not caught on the tip 40F of each locking arm 40 when the wheelchair user gets on the vehicle 10, the tip 40F of each locking arm 40 may be protruded from the floor 12 in advance. Also, the electric motor 16 may be configured to be driven by operating a smartphone or the like owned by the wheelchair user.

16 Electric motor (drive source)
20 Wheelchair fixing device 22 Base member 30 Slider 34 Drive shaft 40 Lock arm 40A Cam hole portion 50 Fixing bar

Claims (4)

A base member having a slider that slides in one direction and in another direction opposite to the one direction by a driving force from a driving source that is driven by a wheelchair user operating an operating switch provided in the vehicle or by operating a smartphone owned by the wheelchair user;
A drive shaft attached to the slider and extending in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction in a plan view;
a pair of lock arms provided on both sides of the base member so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, the lock arms having cam holes into which both ends of the drive shaft are inserted, the lock arms rotating from the upper side to the lower side when the drive shaft moves in the one direction to press down on a fixed bar provided on the wheelchair, and rotating from the lower side to the upper side when the drive shaft moves in the other direction to release the pressing down on the fixed bar;
A wheelchair fixing device comprising: 2. The wheelchair fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the lock arm has a notch that fits onto the fixing bar. 3. The wheelchair fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the wheelchair fixing device is disposed below a floor of a vehicle, and the lock arm is configured to be able to enter and exit through a slit formed in the floor. 4. The wheelchair fixing device according to claim 3, further comprising a limit switch for detecting a rotation angle of the lock arm.