JPS624138B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a wheelchair brake mechanism suitable for attachment to a wheelchair equipped with omnidirectional wheels.

In recent years, various wheelchairs equipped with omnidirectional wheels have been developed. Generally, in this type of wheelchair,
Steering shafts are provided that extend upward and downward at the left and right positions of the front and rear sides of the vehicle body frame, respectively, and are rotatable about these axes.
At the lower end of each steering shaft is an axle whose axis is perpendicular to the axis of the steering shaft and a wheel is attached to the end, and a wheel that rotates this axle.
A rotary body is provided in which a drive device consisting of a DC motor or the like is housed. On the other hand, a steering mechanism is connected to the upper end of the steering shaft, which rotates the rotating body and wheels integrally by rotating the steering shaft.

A wheelchair equipped with such omnidirectional wheels can immediately start moving in any direction from a stationary state, and can also take various maneuvering modes while traveling. Therefore, it has the advantage of being easy to maneuver, especially when used in a narrow space or when fine adjustment of running and stopping positions is required.

By the way, conventionally, in this type of wheelchair, the brake mechanism of the wheel constitutes the wheel drive device.
It was installed on DC motors, axles, etc.

However, in such a wheelchair, as mentioned above, the DC motor, reduction gear mechanism, bearing, axle, etc. for driving the wheels must all be housed in a rotating body that rotates around the steering shaft. . For this reason, the rotating body in which the brake mechanism is housed has a complicated internal mechanism, which increases the number of causes of failure, and is also large in size. There was a problem.

This invention was made in view of the above circumstances,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a brake mechanism for a wheelchair which does not need to be housed in a rotary body, which allows the rotary body to be made smaller, and which has a simple mechanism.

The present invention will be explained in detail below based on the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the wheelchair brake mechanism of the present invention at one wheel of the wheelchair.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 indicates a body frame of this wheelchair, and a support body 2 is fixed to the side of this body frame 1. As shown in FIG. A steering shaft 3 is provided inside the support body 2 via a bearing. The steering shaft 3 is provided within the support body 2 so as to be rotatable about the axis, with its axis directed in the vertical direction.A rotating body is coupled to the lower end of the steering shaft 3. ing.

The rotary body 4 houses therein a drive device consisting of a DC motor, a planetary gear whose input shaft is coupled to the output shaft of the motor, and an axle coupled to the output shaft of the planetary gear. It is something that Inside the rotating body 4, the axle is rotatable with its axis within a horizontal plane perpendicular to the axis of the steering shaft 3, and a wheel 5 is fixed to the tip of the axle. On the other hand, the upper end of the steering shaft 3 is connected to an output shaft 6a of a steering mechanism 6 fixed to the vehicle body frame 1 via a worm gear.

Thus, the wheels 5 are rotatable relative to the rotary body 4, and furthermore, the wheels 5 are rotatable with respect to the rotary body 4.
The rotating body 4 is integrally rotatable about the axis of the steering shaft 3 by the rotation of the steering shaft 3, and the supporting body 2
is held in

Further, a brake ring 7 is provided outside the support body 2 so as to surround the support body 2. This brake ring 7 is a highly rigid round bar formed into an open ring shape as shown in FIG. 2, and is installed horizontally with its arc center aligned with the axis of the steering shaft 3. There is. The radius of the brake ring 7 is made slightly larger than the radius of rotation of the steering shaft 3 at the center of the outer side of the wheel 5. Further, the arc of this brake ring 7 is made long enough to completely cover the locus of rotation of the wheel 5 from above, and curved portions 7a, 7a bent upward are formed at both ends of the arc. has been done. The upper end surfaces of the bent portions 7a, 7a are joined to the lower end surface of the round bar rack 8.

This round rod rack 8 is provided with its axis directed in the vertical direction, and is held by splines 9, 9 disposed at its upper and lower ends to be vertically movable on the vehicle body frame 1. This round bar rack 8 is provided with a pinion 10 that engages with it, and a rotating shaft 10a of this pinion 10 is connected to a brake operating lever (not shown). Thus, the brake ring 7 is vertically movable via the round rod rack 8 by the rotation of the pinion 10. The lower end of the brake ring 7 strongly presses the outer peripheral surface of the wheel 5 at the lower limit position of the round bar rack 8, and at the upper limit position of the round bar rack 8. , the brake ring 7 is sized and mounted in such a way that it retracts above the wheel 5. and the round bar rack 8, splines 9, 9 and pinion 10.
A brake ring drive device is constructed, and this brake ring drive device and the brake ring 7
A brake mechanism is comprised of these.

In such a brake mechanism for a wheelchair, when a brake operation lever (not shown) is operated to rotate the pinion 10 clockwise in the figure, the round bar rack 8 that engages with the pinion 10 moves downward. do. When the round bar rack 8 descends, the brake ring 7 fixed to its lower part descends toward the outer peripheral surface of the rotating wheel 5. When the pinion 10 is further rotated to lower the round bar rack 8, the lower end of the brake ring 7 comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the rotating wheel 5 near its lower limit, and is subsequently pressed. do. The brake ring 7 applies a braking action to the wheel 5 by the frictional force generated between its lower end and the outer peripheral surface of the wheel 5.

Further, contrary to the above, when the pinion 10 is rotated counterclockwise, the round bar rack 8 is moved upward. Therefore, the brake ring 7 rises away from the outer peripheral surface of the wheel 5, and the braking action is released.

Since such a brake mechanism for a wheelchair is provided outside the wheel 5, there is no need for a brake mechanism inside the rotary body 4. Therefore, the rotary body 4 can be made smaller, which is advantageous in terms of space. Become something. Further, since the brake ring 7 of the brake mechanism is formed into an arc shape that covers the rotation range of the wheel 5, the brake can be operated in all directions of the wheel 5. Furthermore, since this brake mechanism has a simple structure, it is inexpensive and advantageous in terms of maintenance.

In addition, in the explanation of the above-mentioned embodiment, a brake drive device consisting of a round rod rack 8, splines 9, 9, and a pinion 10 was shown, but the brake drive device is not limited to this, and a brake drive device using a worm gear etc. However, any material that can give the brake ring 7 a predetermined rise and fall may be used.

Furthermore, the method of operating the brake ring drive device is not limited to the brake operating lever described above, but may also utilize an electric motor or the like.

As explained above, the wheelchair brake mechanism of the present invention includes an open ring-shaped brake ring having an arc length that covers the rotation range of the wheel, and the brake ring horizontally surrounds the steering shaft from the outside. A brake ring driving device is provided on the vehicle body frame for vertically moving the brake ring toward and away from the outer peripheral surface of the wheel.

Therefore, according to this brake mechanism for a wheelchair, the rotating body to which the wheels are attached can be made smaller, which is advantageous in terms of space. Furthermore, since this brake mechanism has a simple structure, it has advantages such as easy maintenance.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the brake mechanism for a wheelchair according to the present invention, with FIG. 1 being a schematic diagram of the main parts, and FIG. 2 being a schematic plan view showing a brake ring. 1...Vehicle frame, 3...Steering shaft,
5...Wheel, 7...Brake ring, 8...Round bar rack, 9...Subline, 10...Pinion,
10a...Rotation axis.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A wheelchair with omnidirectional wheels, which are provided at the lower end of a steering shaft along the vertical direction of the vehicle body frame, and are rotatable around the axis of the steering shaft and rotatable in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the axis. A brake mechanism that is attached to the
An open ring-shaped brake ring having an arc length that covers the rotation range of the wheel is provided so that the brake ring horizontally surrounds the steering shaft from the outside, and the braking is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the wheel. A brake mechanism for a wheelchair, characterized in that the vehicle body frame is provided with a brake ring drive device that moves the brake ring up and down so as to be able to approach and separate from the top.