Rescue carriage for person having difficulty in evacuation

Abstract

To provide a rescue carriage for rescue of a person having difficulty in evacuation, which is carried by a single carrying person from a room and is lowered from upstairs to downstairs using a stairway, and can reduce a carrying burden applied to a rescuer.SOLUTION: A rescue carriage is configured such that: a seat is provided inside a rectangular box body whose upper part is opened; a sliding body is provided which is constituted of a front sledge made of a plate-like sliding material elongated in a longer direction of a lower surface of a floor surface part of the box body and a rear sledge made of a friction material; an inclined part is provided by upwardly inclining a rear end part of the floor surface part toward a rear side and the rear sledge is extended up to the inclined part; wheels are provided at the front right and left sides of the floor surface part by being projected from a lower surface of a front surface part of the box body and a lower surface of the front sledge; auxiliary wheels arrayed in a longitudinal direction and swinging through a fulcrum shaft are provided at the rear right and left sides of the box body by being projected from a lower surface of the rear sledge; an upper handle is provided at an upper part of a rear side of the box body; and a lower handle is provided below the upper handle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rescue cart for people who are unable to evacuate on their own (hereinafter referred to as the "rescue cart") that rescues people who have difficulty evacuating from a room by themselves and carries them down the stairs from the upper floor to the lower floor. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, when a fire or earthquake occurs in a multi-story building such as an apartment building or hospital and the elevators stop working, it is extremely difficult for a small number of rescuers (people who can rescue those in need of rescue) to quickly rescue those who have difficulty evacuating on their own and require rescue, such as elderly people or patients with mobility issues, and carry them down the stairs from the upper floor to the lower floor.

[0003] In order to solve the above problems, the present applicant previously proposed a rescue trolley for people with difficulty in evacuating (see Patent Document 1).

[0004] This rescue trolley has a seat inside a rectangular box with an open top, a sliding body consisting of a front sled made of a long plate-shaped sliding material in the longitudinal direction of the underside of the floor of the box, and a rear sled made of friction material, wheels are provided on the left and right sides of the lower tip of the box, and an upper handle and a lower handle are provided at the rear of the box. With the above configuration, when transporting a person in need of rescue on flat ground, the rear of the rescue trolley is lifted by holding the lower handle and the person in need of rescue is transported using the wheels, and when transporting up stairs, the trolley is held by the upper handle and pushed forward, and the front sled's sliding material causes it to slide over the nosing of the stairs, and when the upper handle is pressed downward, the rear sled's friction material is pressed against the nosing, applying the brakes and stopping the trolley.

[0005] In addition to the rescue cart, an emergency evacuation transport vehicle is known that is equipped with a crawler device for descending stairs on the left and right sides of the vehicle body, running wheels that protrude from the contact surface of the crawler device and run on flat ground, a cloth material arranged to straddle the vehicle body, a braking mechanism provided on the crawler device, and a stand material used by patients when getting on and off (see Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-195459 A [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-262256 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] A prototype of the rescue cart described in JP 2009-195459 A was manufactured and brought to a nursing home and a high-rise building for test driving experiments. As a result, the following requests were heard. 1. When placing the person in need of rescue onto the rescue trolley and lifting the rear of the trolley by using the lower handle, the weight of the person in need of rescue is placed on the rescuer's arms, causing strain. 2. When starting to lower the stroller down the stairs, it is necessary to stop the stroller and transfer the handle from the lower to the upper handle, which requires skilled operation.

[0008] In addition, the emergency evacuation transport vehicle described in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Publication No. 9-262256 is as follows: The front floor does not have a flat section with a floorboard attached, and the cloth material is attached so that it spans the front and rear of the vehicle. This makes it difficult to transfer a bedridden person from their bed to the vehicle as their feet cannot fit onto the front floor. In addition, the crawler mechanism makes the vehicle heavy, making it a burden to carry to the rescue site. Furthermore, the structure is complex, with a damper that regulates the speed at which it descends stairs and a lifting mechanism for the tandem wheels. To meet the demands from the field as described above, the present invention aims to provide a rescue cart that can transport both the rescuer and the person in need of rescue safely and without anxiety with less force, can be easily carried to the rescue site, and has a simple structure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a seat provided inside a rectangular box with an open top, a sliding body provided consisting of a sliding plate made of a long sliding material (e.g., nylon, plastic, metal, leather, etc.) in the longitudinal direction of the underside of the floor of the box, and a rear sled made of a friction material (e.g., rubber, urethane resin, etc.), the rear end of the floor is inclined upward toward the rear to provide an inclined section and the rear sled is extended to the inclined section, wheels are provided on the front left and right sides of the floor so as to protrude from the front part of the box and the underside of the front sled, auxiliary wheels arranged in a front-to-rear direction and swinging via a fulcrum shaft are provided on the front and rear left and right sides of the box so as to protrude from the undersides of the front sled and rear sled, an upper handle is provided on the rear upper part of the box, and a lower handle is provided below the upper handle.

[0010] Furthermore, the front portion of the box body is formed as a footrest, and the left and right side portions are gradually made higher toward the rear so as to sandwich the seat, making it easy to place the person in need of rescue on board and ensuring stability when the person in need of rescue sits down.

[0011] In addition, a flat front floor portion with a floor plate attached is provided between the front portion and the seat, and a belt for securing the person in need of rescue is attached to the center of the box body.

[0012] The box body may be constructed of a frame made of stainless steel, iron, aluminum, magnesium, titanium, or other pipe material and plate material joined together, or it may be a frame made of joined pieces of wood or a frame integrally molded from resin.

[0013] The box body is constructed of an upper frame and a lower frame, a connecting shaft is provided above the back surface of the front part of the lower frame to connect the front part of the upper frame so that it can rotate freely, a folding mechanism is provided at the part connecting the rear parts of the upper frame and the lower frame, and the seat is made of fabric such as canvas or vinyl sheeting, making the box body foldable.

[0014] In addition, a parking device consisting of a roller arm that swings up and down with a roller attached to the tip, and a friction belt made of a band-shaped material with friction and elasticity (e.g., rubber, urethane resin, etc.) that is moved in and out by the roller is attached to the floor surface portion where the front sled of the box body is attached.

[0015] A brake lever with a lock attached to the roller arm and the upper handle is connected by a brake wire, a spring is attached to the side opposite the brake wire, and the swinging arm is constantly swung upward by the spring to retract the friction band from the surface of the front sled and move.When loading a person in need of rescue, the brake lever with a lock is pulled to swing the roller arm downward, causing the friction band to protrude from the surface of the front sled and preventing the cart from moving.

[0016] With the above configuration, the person in need of rescue is placed on the rescue cart and, holding the upper handle, transported along flat surfaces such as room corridors or staircase landings using the front wheels and rear auxiliary wheels.

[0017] When transporting stairs, hold the upper handle, turn toward the stairs at a right angle, and continue pushing. The sliding material on the front sled will cause it to slide along the nosing of the stairs. If you want to stop it midway, press the handle downward, and the friction material on the rear sled will press against the nosing, applying the brakes and bringing it to a halt.

[0018] If it is lowered further, the front wheels will touch the landing, and if it is pushed further, the weight on the rear sled will increase and it will stop, so lift the lower handle to move it forward, and push it until the inclined part of the rear sled touches the nosing of the step and the front and rear training wheels touch the ground, and once it touches the landing, it will use the training wheels to move forward, change direction at a right angle toward the next stair, and descend the stairs. Effect of the Invention

[0019] As described above, the rescue cart of the present invention is equipped with wheels and auxiliary wheels, so that the rescue cart carrying the person in need of rescue can be transported without having to be lifted, thereby reducing the burden on the rescuer.

[0020] In addition, the friction band is constantly protruding from the surface of the front sled by a spring, so the rescue cart does not move when loading and transferring the person in need of rescue, allowing the person to be loaded and transferred safely. Also, if the brake lever is released while the cart is being lowered down the stairs, the cart can be automatically stopped.

[0021] It has a simple and inexpensive structure, eliminating the need for a damper to regulate the speed at which the wheelchair descends the stairs or a mechanism for extending and retracting the second tandem wheel. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view of a rescue trolley showing an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] Top view of the rescue trolley [Diagram 3] Rear view of the rescue trolley [Figure 4] A side view of the rescue trolley in a folded and stored state. [Diagram 5] Side cross-sectional view of the folding lock mechanism in a closed state [Figure 6] Cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in Fig. 1 [Figure 7] Cross-sectional view of arrows B-B in Figure 6 [Figure 8] Operation diagram of the auxiliary wheels passing through the nosing [Figure 9] C-C cross-sectional view of the temporary suspension mechanism with the brake arm returned to its original position [Figure 10] C-C cross-sectional view of the temporary suspension mechanism with the brake arm extended [Figure 11] D-D cross-sectional view of the temporary stop mechanism with the brake arm returned to its original position [Figure 12] A diagram of the rescue trolley being transported on flat ground using its auxiliary wheels. [Figure 13] This is a diagram showing the state when the rescue trolley approaches the landing and comes to a temporary halt when the friction band comes into contact with the step nose y. [Figure 14] The rescue trolley is tilted forward toward the stairs. [Figure 15]A diagram of the rescue trolley sliding down the stairs using its sliding body. [Figure 16] This diagram shows the state when the wheel lands on the landing and the handle is switched from the upper to the lower and pushed. [Figure 17] The training wheels have landed on the landing and are being pushed by the lower handle. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THEINVENTION

[0023] BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described based on the embodiments with reference to the drawings.

[0024] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, this rescue trolley is a rectangular box with an open top, and is composed of a lower frame 1, an upper frame 2, an upper connecting frame 3, and a lower connecting frame 4, which are formed by joining pipes and plates made of stainless steel, iron, aluminum, magnesium, titanium, etc., with the front part of the lower frame 1 raised upward to form a front part 1a which serves as a footrest, and the rear part is inclined diagonally upward to form an inclined part 1b, and a long, plate-shaped sled 5 is attached to the underside of the lower frame 1.

[0025] A pair of left and right wheels 6 are attached to the lower front side of the lower frame 1 via axles 6a so as to protrude from the front surface of the front portion 1a and be flush with the lower surface of the sled 5.

[0026] The upper connecting frame 3 is formed in an inverted U-shape, with an upper handle 3a at the portion corresponding to the horizontal axis of the U-shape and lower handles 3b at the portions corresponding to both vertical axes.

[0027] In addition, a front connecting shaft 2a is provided on the upper back surface of the front portion 1a of the lower frame 1 to rotatably connect the front end of the upper frame 2, forming a rectangular box shape with the rear of the upper frame 2 gradually becoming higher. A rear connecting shaft 2b is provided at the rear end of the upper frame 2 to rotatably connect it to the lower portion of the upper connecting frame 3, and a lower connecting shaft 4a is provided at the rear of the lower frame 1 to rotatably connect the lower end of the lower connecting frame 4.

[0028] The sled 5 is made up of one front sled 5a, the front half of which is made of a sliding material such as nylon, plastic, leather or metal, two rear sleds 5b, the rear half of which is made of a friction material such as rubber or urethane resin, and a protector 5c which connects the front sled 5a and the rear sled 5b and protects the tip of the rear sled 5b. The tip of the front sled 5a is smoothly bent along the slope of the front part 1a, and the rear end of the rear sled 5b is sloped diagonally upward along the slope 1b to form an inclined sled 5d, which is attached to the back surface of the lower frame 1 with adhesive or screws, etc.

[0029] Moreover, the sled 5 may have one front sled 5a and two rear sleds 5b as in this embodiment, or may have two front sleds 5a and two rear sleds 5b.

[0030] In addition, a U-shaped rotating support frame 7 is attached to the upper front part of the upper frame 2 so as to be freely rotatable via a connecting shaft 7b, and a protrusion 2c is provided in front of the upper frame 2 to receive the parts corresponding to both vertical axes of the U-shape and regulate the rotation angle.

[0031] A seat 8 made of fabric is placed on the upper part of the lower frame 1 so as to be sandwiched between the left and right upper frames 2, and the front part of the seat 8 is wrapped around the part corresponding to the horizontal axis of the rotating support frame 7 via cushion material 7a. Also, a support frame 3c bent into a U-shape is attached to the upper connecting frame 3, and the rear end part of the seat 8 is wrapped around it via cylindrical cushion material 3d. Incidentally, the support material 3c may be straight instead of being bent into a U-shape.

[0032] By attaching the rotating support frame 7, the seat surface of the seat 8 becomes wider, allowing a stable seating experience, and the height can be reduced when the box body is folded.

[0033] In addition, a seat belt 9 for securing the person in need of rescue is attached to the middle part of the upper frame 2. The seat belt 9 is divided into a left belt 9a and a right belt 9b, and can be attached and detached with a single touch using hook-and-loop fasteners (not shown) attached to the front and back of the left and right ends.

[0034] A folding lock mechanism 10 is provided between the upper connecting frame 3 and the lower connecting frame 4. When the upper connecting frame 3 is tilted forward, the lower connecting frame 4 bends backward, and the upper frame 2 rotates around the front connecting shaft 2a, tilting the rotating support frame 7 backward, allowing the box body to be folded as shown in Figure 4.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 5, the folding lock mechanism 10 is composed of upper member 10b and lower member 10c connected by connecting shaft 10a, lever 10d attached to the lower member 10c side, lock pin 10e that interlocks with lever 10d, and spring 10g that pushes out lock pin 10e and inserts it into pin hole 10f of upper member 10b. When folding for storage, lever 10d is pressed to remove lock pin 10e, and upper member 10b and lower member 10c are folded by bending. When ready for use, upper member 10b and lower member 10c are rotated in the opening direction, and lock pin 10e is inserted into pin hole 10f by spring 10g, so that upper connecting frame 3 and lower connecting frame 4 are fixed in a straight line.

[0036] In addition, auxiliary wheel mechanisms 11 are attached to the lower frame 1 at four locations in total: the front left and right and the rear left and right.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 7, the auxiliary wheel mechanism 11 supports a swingable frame 11b by a support shaft 11a so that the swingable frame 11b can swing up and down freely, and provides auxiliary wheels 11d protruding from the lower surface of the sliding body 5 within the swingable frame 11b via a rotating shaft 11c.

[0038] When traveling on flat ground, the auxiliary wheels 11 protrude from the underside of the sliding bodies 5 and contact the floor, allowing the robot to be pushed with a light force to travel. When traveling up stairs, as shown in FIG. 8, the auxiliary wheels 11d swing back and forth around the support shafts 11a and retract from the stair nosing y, causing the sliding bodies 5 to contact the stair nosing y and generate a frictional force, allowing the robot to travel up the stairs by pushing with a force greater than the frictional force.

[0039] In addition, a stopping mechanism 12 is attached to the left and right front parts of the lower frame 1 as shown in Figures 6 and 9 to 11 to prevent the trolley from moving when loading the person in need of rescue and to be used when it becomes necessary to stop temporarily while traveling up stairs.

[0040] As shown in Figures 6 and 9, the stopping mechanism 12 has left and right brake frames 12a, 12b attached to the left and right front parts of the lower frame 1 to which the front sled 5a is attached, brake arms 12d with friction materials 12c attached to their tips provided inside the brake frames 12a, 12b, the left and right brake arms 12d connected by a rotating shaft 12e, a hook 12f attached to one end of the rotating shaft 12e, one end of a spring 12g that returns the brake arm 12d in a direction that causes it to protrude is hooked to the top of the hook 12f, and the other end is hooked to a part of the lower frame 1. The wire of the wire cable 12h is fastened to the bottom of the hook 12f with a stopper 12i and connected to a locking brake lever 12j (shown in Figures 1 and 3) attached to the upper handle 3a. By pulling the brake lever 12j, the brake arm 12d is swung upward and the friction material 12c is retracted from the underside of the front sled 5a to allow the trolley to move, and by returning the brake lever 12j, the friction material 12c is protruded from the underside of the front sled 5a to prevent the trolley from moving when the person in need of rescue is placed onto the trolley.

[0041] When starting to descend the stairs, the brake lever 12j is pulled, and the upper handle 3a is held and pushed forward while descending the stairs, and when it is desired to stop midway, the upper handle 3a is pushed downward to stop the elevator, and the brake lever 12j is returned to its original position to protrude the brake arm 11d by the spring 12g, thereby maintaining the stopped state.

[0042] In this embodiment, the brake lever 12j is attached to the right side, but it may be attached to the left side or to both the left and right sides. When attached to both the left and right sides, the rotating shaft 12e becomes unnecessary.

[0043] A method of using the embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 and 10 to 14.

[0044] As described above, the daily rescue trolley is folded and stored by pressing the lever 10d of the folding lock mechanism 10 to remove the lock pin 10e, and pulling back and folding the upper connecting frame 3 and the lower connecting frame 4 as shown in FIG.

[0045] In the event of an emergency, the seat belt is carried from the storage location to the person in need of rescue, and when the upper connecting frame 3 is lifted up by holding the upper handle 3a, the lock pin 10e of the folding lock mechanism 10 enters the pin hole 10f by the force of the spring 10g, and the folding lock mechanism 10 is fixed in the open position, and the rotating support frame 7 is rotated forward until its underside hits the protrusion 2c, and the seat 8 is assembled.

[0046] Next, one foot is placed on the front floor portion 1c, and the rescuer is slid from the bed while holding the person in his / her arms, and the cart is moved toward the stairs using the auxiliary wheel mechanism 11.

[0047] When the rescue cart approaches the stairs, it turns perpendicular to the stairs and enters the stairs, and begins to slide down the stairs using the front sled 5a. When the tip of the rear sled 5b hits the step nosing y, it stops temporarily in the position shown in Figure 11.

[0048] If the rescue cart is pushed further while stopped, it will tilt forward and the front sled 5a will come into contact with the nosing y. The front sled 5a's sliding material will cause it to slide down the stairs. When it is pushed downward, the friction material of the rear sled 5b will apply the brakes, and the cart will be lowered while adjusting its speed by repeating sliding and braking as shown in Figure 13.

[0049] When an obstacle is encountered ahead on the way up the stairs and it becomes necessary to remove it, for example, and the rescue trolley needs to be stopped temporarily to move away from the rescue trolley, the brake lever 12j can be pulled and the brake arm 12d kept projecting from the underside of the rear sled, thereby enabling the rescue trolley to be stopped continuously.

[0050] Then, after the wheel 6 has landed on the landing z, the push is continued until the auxiliary wheel 11d also landed. If the push is continued after the wheel has landed, the inclined sled 5d at the rear end of the sliding body 5 will come into contact with the nose of the second step from the bottom, and if the push is continued further, the sled 5b will come into contact with the nose of the first step from the bottom, as shown in Figure 14.

[0051] In this state, the load shifts backwards and the force on the sled 5b increases, so that the sled will not move even if pushed in this state. Therefore, as shown in Figure 15, hold the handle 3b, lift it upward, and push it forward until the wheels 10 touch the landing.

[0052] Once the wheel is completely in place, change direction at a right angle, then change direction again at a right angle to enter the next staircase, and repeat the same movements as above to descend the staircase. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1 Lower Frame 1a Front part 1b Inclined section 1c Front floor section 2 Upper Frame 2a Front connection shaft 2b Rear connection shaft 3 Upper connecting frame 3a Upper handle 3b Lower handle 3c Support frame 3d cushioning 4 Lower connecting frame 4a Lower connection shaft 5 Sledding 5a Front sled 5b Rear sled 5c Protector 5d Inclined sled 6 wheels 6a axle 7 Rotating support frame 7a Cushioning material 8 seats 9. Seatbelts 9a Left seat belt 9b Right seat belt 10 Folding mechanism 11a Front auxiliary wheel mechanism 11b Rear auxiliary wheel mechanism 11 Support shaft 11b Swing frame 11c Rotation axis 12 Stopping mechanism 12a Right brake frame 12b Left brake frame 12c Friction material 12d Brake arm 12e Rotation axis 12f Hook 12g spring 12h Brake cable 12i clasp 12j brake lever y Nosing z Landing

Claims

1. A rescue cart for people unable to evacuate, comprising a seat inside a rectangular box with an open top, a sliding body consisting of a front sled made of a long, plate-shaped sliding material extending in the longitudinal direction of the underside of the floor of the box, and a rear sled made of a friction material, wheels are provided on the left and right below the tip of the box, auxiliary wheels are arranged on the front left and right and rear left and right of the box and swing via a fulcrum axis, and upper and lower handles are provided at the rear of the box.

2. 2. The rescue dolly for persons in difficulty in evacuation according to claim 1, wherein a rear end of the rear sled is inclined upward and rearward to provide an inclined portion.

3. 3. A rescue cart for persons unable to evacuate as described in any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that a temporary stop mechanism is provided on the floor of the box body, with the underside of the friction band protruding from the surface of the front sled, the temporary stop mechanism comprising: frames attached to the left and right front sides of the floor of the box body; band-shaped, stretchable friction bands attached to the lower part of the frames; brake arms with rollers attached to their tips are rotatably attached inside the left and right frames, the left and right brake arms are connected by a rotating shaft; and the rotating shaft and a brake lever attached to an upper handle are connected by a wire cable.

Images