Getting-on / off support device

Abstract

To provide a getting-on / off support device for a wheelchair user which unnecessitates fine adjustment of a parking position while suppressing reduction of the number of getting-on possible persons, a weight increase of a vehicle, and a price rise.SOLUTION: A getting-on / off support device comprises: a lift 2 including a base 21 on which a wheelchair 4 is placed, a lifting mechanism 22 for lifting / lowering the base 21, and a lift-side bridge 23 to be extendable toward a vehicle 3 from the base 21; and a vehicle-side bridge 31 extendable toward the lift-side bridge 23 from the vehicle 3. The vehicle-side bridge 31 has a width to enable passing of the wheelchair 4. The lift-side bridge 23 has a width larger than that of the vehicle-side bridge 31. At least one of the lift-side bridge 23 and the vehicle-side bridge 31 can change an extension distance. The passing of the wheelchair 4 is enabled on the base 21, the lift-side bridge 23, and the vehicle-side bridge 31. Thus, a wheelchair user 5 is supported in getting-on the vehicle 3 from a building 1 and in getting-off from the vehicle 3 to the building 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an assistance device for getting on and off a horizontally movable device such as a wheelchair. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a step-eliminating elevator that can lower a wheelchair from the floor of a building to the ground by comprising a base on which a wheelchair can be placed, a lifting mechanism that can raise and lower the base from the height of the building floor to the ground, and a moving mechanism that can move the base horizontally at the height of the building floor.

[0003] Patent document 2 discloses a vehicle-integrated building in which a connecting device that can expand and contract horizontally from the building floor is installed in a garage inside the building, and extends toward the vehicle, connecting the building floor to the vehicle floor to allow wheelchair access. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-114491 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2022-68437 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When a step-eliminating elevator capable of raising and lowering a pedestal on which a horizontally moving device such as a wheelchair can be placed from the height of the building floor to the height of the vehicle floor is installed at the entrance of a building, the horizontal gap between the pedestal and the vehicle can be filled by extending a bridge from the pedestal to the floor of the vehicle. However, when a bridge through which a wheelchair can pass is extended from the pedestal and inserted into the opening of a sliding door on the side of the vehicle, the opening width of a sliding door provided on the side of a typical minivan or the like is about 700 to 800 mm, while the width between the tires of a wheelchair is about 640 mm, so if the parking position is shifted by several centimeters in the front-rear direction, the bridge cannot be inserted into the opening of the sliding door when extended, and the bridge may collide with the sliding door or exterior of the vehicle. Therefore, when a bridge extending from the pedestal to the vehicle is provided in the step-eliminating elevator, fine adjustment of the parking position is required to avoid colliding with the vehicle when the bridge is extended.

[0006] On the other hand, if a bridge extending from the vehicle to the base of the elevator for eliminating the step is provided on the vehicle, the bridge can be extended so as not to collide with the vehicle regardless of the parking position. However, when extending the bridge from the vehicle, for example, if the distance between the vehicle and the elevator for eliminating the step is 500 mm, the overlapping allowance to the elevator for eliminating the step is 100 mm, and the overlapping allowance to prevent the vehicle from slipping out is 100 mm, a bridge with a length of 700 mm is required. Therefore, in order to store the bridge body and the slide mechanism in the vehicle, it is necessary to remove all the second seats, which reduces the passenger capacity, increases the weight of the vehicle, worsens fuel efficiency, and increases the purchase price of the vehicle. Furthermore, if a bridge with a length of 700 mm is provided on the vehicle, the parking position needs to be fine-tuned so that the distance between the vehicle and the elevator for eliminating the step is 500 mm or less.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an entry / exit assistance device for a horizontal plane moving device that does not require fine adjustment of the parking position, while suppressing a reduction in passenger capacity and an increase in the weight and cost of the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The boarding and alighting assistance device of the present invention is an boarding and alighting assistance device that assists in boarding and alighting of a horizontal plane moving device, and is installed at the entrance / exit of a building, and comprises a lift having a base on which the horizontal plane moving device can be placed, a lifting mechanism that can raise and lower the base, and a lift side bridge that can be extended from the base toward a vehicle, and a vehicle side bridge that can be extended from the vehicle toward the lift side bridge, wherein the vehicle side bridge has a width that allows the horizontal plane moving device to pass, the lift side bridge has a width greater than that of the vehicle side bridge, and at least one of the lift side bridge and the vehicle side bridge has an extension distance that can be changed, and by allowing the horizontal plane moving device to pass over the base, the lift side bridge, and the vehicle side bridge, the boarding and alighting assistance device assists in boarding and alighting of the horizontal plane moving device from the building to the vehicle and from the vehicle to the building.

[0009] In one aspect of the boarding / alighting assistance device according to the present invention, both the lift side bridge and the vehicle side bridge may be slidable in a horizontal direction.

[0010] In one aspect of the boarding / alighting assistance device according to the present invention, one of the lift side bridge and the vehicle side bridge may be slidable horizontally, and the other may move from a stored position to an extended position by rotation.

[0011] In one aspect of the boarding and alighting assistance device of the present invention, the horizontal plane movement device may be a wheelchair, and the wheelchair may pass through the base, the lift side bridge, and the vehicle side bridge, and be moved closer to a seat installed inside the vehicle, thereby assisting a wheelchair user in transferring between the wheelchair and the seat.

[0012] In one aspect of the boarding and alighting assistance device according to the present invention, the horizontal plane movement device may be a wheelchair, and the wheelchair may be capable of being loaded inside the vehicle while a wheelchair user remains seated in the wheelchair. Effect of the Invention

[0013] The present invention can provide an entry / exit assistance device for a horizontal plane moving device that does not require fine adjustment of the parking position, while suppressing a reduction in the number of passengers that can ride and an increase in the weight and price of the vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view of the boarding / alighting assistance device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a top view of the boarding / alighting assistance device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a lift of the boarding / alighting assistance device of the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a top view of the boarding / exiting assistance device when the parking position is shifted backward. FIG. [Diagram 5] 1 is a top view of the boarding / exiting assistance device when the parking position is shifted to the right. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, the boarding / exiting assistance device 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5. The arrows FR, UP, and RH shown in the following drawings indicate the forward direction (traveling direction), upward direction, and rightward direction of the vehicle, respectively. The opposite directions of the arrows FR, UP, and RH indicate the rearward direction, downward direction, and leftward direction of the vehicle, respectively. Hereinafter, when the directions of front / rear, left / right, and up / down are simply used in the description, they refer to front / rear in the front / rear direction of the vehicle, left / right in the left / right direction of the vehicle (vehicle width direction), and up / down in the up / down direction of the vehicle, unless otherwise specified.

[0016] Fig. 1 is a front view of the boarding / alighting support device 10. Fig. 2 is a top view of the boarding / alighting support device 10. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the boarding / alighting support device 10 includes a lift 2 installed at an entrance of a building 1, and a vehicle-side bridge 31 provided on a vehicle 3.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, a sliding door 32 is provided on the left side of the vehicle 3. The sliding door 32 can be used as an entrance / exit for passengers seated on a second seat (not shown) provided inside the vehicle 3. The second seat may be a bench seat on which multiple passengers can sit, or a one-seater seat provided on both the left and right sides or only on the right side. When the second seat is a bench seat, the left side of the second seat is disposed near the opening of the sliding door 32. When one-seater seats are provided on both the left and right sides as the second seat, the left second seat is disposed near the opening of the sliding door 32. When a one-seater seat is provided only on the right side as the second seat, the wheelchair 4, which is a horizontal plane moving device, can be placed on the left side of the second seat.

[0018] The lift 2 is a step-eliminating elevator that can eliminate the step between the floor 11 of the building 1 and the floor 33 of the vehicle 3. The lift 2 is installed outside the building 1 adjacent to the entrance of the building 1. In Figs. 1 and 2, the lift 2 is installed adjacent to the bay window 12. As shown in Fig. 1, the lift 2 includes a base 21 on which a wheelchair 4 can be placed, a lifting mechanism 22 that can raise and lower the base 21, and a lift-side bridge 23 that can be extended from the base 21 toward the vehicle 3. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the lift 2. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the lifting mechanism 22 of the lift 2 includes a shaft 22a that crosses in an X-shape to support the base 21, and a hydraulic cylinder 22b that moves the shaft 22a. The lifting mechanism 22 can raise the base 21 to the height of the floor 11 of the building 1 shown in Fig. 1. The lifting mechanism 22 can then lower the base 21 to a height where the tip portion of the lift side bridge 23 extended toward the vehicle 3 is connected so as to overlap the vehicle side bridge 31, as shown in Figure 1.

[0019] The lift 2 is equipped with a linear actuator 24 that can slide the lift-side bridge 23 horizontally toward the vehicle 3. The linear actuator 24 can adjust the extension distance of the lift-side bridge 23 according to the distance between the base 21 and the vehicle 3. There is a step between the base 21 and the lift-side bridge 23. The lift 2 is provided with a slope 25 so that the wheelchair 4 can smoothly get over this step.

[0020] The vehicle-side bridge 31 provided on the vehicle 3 can be extended from the opening of the sliding door 32 toward the lift-side bridge 23 by sliding horizontally from the storage position shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1 to the extended position shown by the solid line with the sliding door 32 on the side of the vehicle 3 open. The vehicle-side bridge 31 has a width that allows the wheelchair 4 to pass through. The vehicle-side bridge 31 may be structured to extend toward the lift-side bridge 23 by rotating around one end as a rotation axis, rather than sliding horizontally. In this case, the vehicle-side bridge 31 can be extended from the opening of the sliding door 32 toward the lift-side bridge 23 by rotating the vehicle-side bridge 31 from the storage position shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1 to the extended position shown by the solid line.

[0021] In the boarding / alighting assistance device 10, the lift-side bridge 23 is extended toward the vehicle 3, and the vehicle-side bridge 31 is extended toward the lift-side bridge 23, and the base 21 is lowered by the lifting mechanism 22, so that the tip portion of the lift-side bridge 23 can be connected to overlap the vehicle-side bridge 31 as shown in FIG. 1. In this state in which the lift-side bridge 23 is connected to the vehicle-side bridge 31, the wheelchair 4 can pass through the lift-side bridge 23 and the vehicle-side bridge 31. Therefore, when a second seat is arranged near the opening of the sliding door 32 of the vehicle 3, the wheelchair 4 can approach the vicinity of the second seat by passing from the base 21 through the lift-side bridge 23 and the vehicle-side bridge 31. In addition, when the vehicle 3 is provided with a single-seater seat on the right side only as a second seat, the wheelchair 4 passes from the base 21 over the lift side bridge 23 and the vehicle side bridge 31, allowing the wheelchair user 5 to enter the interior of the vehicle 3 through the opening of the sliding door 32 while remaining seated in the wheelchair 4.

[0022] When a second seat is arranged near the opening of the sliding door 32 of the vehicle 3, the wheelchair user 5 gets into the vehicle 3 from the building 1 in the following procedure. First, with the vehicle 3 parked as shown in FIG. 2, the wheelchair user 5 or a caregiver operates a remote controller, an operation panel, etc. to operate the lifting mechanism 22 so that the base 21 of the lift 2 is at the same height as the floor 11 of the building 1, and moves the wheelchair 4 from the floor 11 of the building 1 to the base 21. Next, the wheelchair user 5 or a caregiver operates a remote controller, an operation panel, etc. to issue a connection command, so that the lift side bridge 23 is extended toward the vehicle 3, the sliding door 32 opens, the vehicle side bridge 31 is extended toward the lift side bridge 23, and the base 21 is lowered to a height where the tip of the lift side bridge 23 is connected so as to overlap the vehicle side bridge 31 as shown in FIG. 1. Then, with the lift-side bridge 23 connected to the vehicle-side bridge 31, the wheelchair 4 passes over the lift-side bridge 23 and the vehicle-side bridge 31 and approaches the second seat of the vehicle 3. Then, with the wheelchair 4 approaching the second seat of the vehicle 3, the wheelchair user 5 uses his / her own strength or receives help from a caregiver to move from the wheelchair 4 to the second seat of the vehicle 3.

[0023] Conversely, when the wheelchair user 5 gets off from the vehicle 3 to the building 1, first, the wheelchair 4 is placed on the base 21 with the vehicle 3 parked as shown in FIG. 2. Next, the wheelchair user 5 or the caregiver issues a connection command by operating a remote controller or an operation panel, etc., so that the lift side bridge 23 is extended toward the vehicle 3, the slide door 32 opens, the vehicle side bridge 31 is extended toward the lift side bridge 23, and the base 21 is lowered to a height where the tip of the lift side bridge 23 is connected to the vehicle side bridge 31 so as to overlap with the vehicle side bridge 31 as shown in FIG. 1. Then, with the lift side bridge 23 connected to the vehicle side bridge 31, the wheelchair 4 passes through the lift side bridge 23 and the vehicle side bridge 31 and approaches the second seat of the vehicle 3. Then, with the wheelchair 4 approaching the second seat of the vehicle 3, the wheelchair user 5 uses his / her own strength or borrows the help of the caregiver to move from the second seat to the wheelchair 4. Thereafter, with the wheelchair user 5 sitting in the wheelchair 4, the wheelchair 4 passes over the vehicle side bridge 31 and the lift side bridge 23 and moves onto the pedestal 21. Then, the wheelchair user 5 or a caregiver operates a remote controller, an operation panel, or the like to operate the lifting mechanism 22 so that the pedestal 21 of the lift 2 is at the same height as the floor 11 of the building 1, and then moves the wheelchair 4 from the pedestal 21 to the floor 11 of the building 1.

[0024] When the second seat is located near the opening of the sliding door 32 of the vehicle 3, the boarding / alighting assistance device 10 enables the wheelchair 4 to pass over the base 21, the lift-side bridge 23, and the vehicle-side bridge 31 in this manner, thereby assisting the wheelchair 4 in getting on from the building 1 to the vehicle 3 and getting off from the vehicle 3 to the building 1, and can move the wheelchair 4 closer to the second seat of the vehicle 3. By moving the wheelchair 4 closer to the second seat of the vehicle 3 in this manner, the boarding / alighting assistance device 10 can assist the wheelchair user 5 in changing seats between the wheelchair 4 and the second seat of the vehicle 3, and can assist the wheelchair user 5 in getting on from the building 1 to the vehicle 3 and getting off from the vehicle 3 to the building 1.

[0025] In the case where the vehicle 3 is provided with a single-seater seat only on the right side as a second seat, the wheelchair user 5 gets into the vehicle 3 from the building 1 in the following procedure. First, with the vehicle 3 parked as shown in FIG. 2, the wheelchair user 5 or a caregiver operates a remote controller, an operation panel, etc. to operate the lifting mechanism 22 so that the base 21 of the lift 2 is at the same height as the floor 11 of the building 1, and moves the wheelchair 4 from the floor 11 of the building 1 to the base 21. Next, the wheelchair user 5 or a caregiver operates a remote controller, an operation panel, etc. to give a connection command, so that the lift-side bridge 23 is extended toward the vehicle 3, the sliding door 32 opens, the vehicle-side bridge 31 is extended toward the lift-side bridge 23, and the base 21 is lowered to a height where the tip of the lift-side bridge 23 is connected so as to overlap the vehicle-side bridge 31 as shown in FIG. 1. Then, with the lift side bridge 23 connected to the vehicle side bridge 31, the wheelchair 4 passes over the lift side bridge 23 and the vehicle side bridge 31, allowing the wheelchair user 5 to enter the interior of the vehicle 3 through the opening of the sliding door 32 while remaining seated in the wheelchair 4.

[0026] Conversely, when the wheelchair user 5 gets off from the vehicle 3 to the building 1, first, the vehicle 3 is parked as shown in Fig. 2, and the wheelchair user 5 or a caregiver issues a connection command by operating a remote controller or an operation panel, etc., so that the lift-side bridge 23 extends toward the vehicle 3, the sliding door 32 opens, the vehicle-side bridge 31 extends toward the lift-side bridge 23, and the pedestal 21 descends to a height where the tip of the lift-side bridge 23 is connected to the vehicle-side bridge 31 so as to overlap with the vehicle-side bridge 31, as shown in Fig. 1. Then, with the lift-side bridge 23 connected to the vehicle-side bridge 31, the wheelchair user 5 gets off from the opening of the sliding door 32 while still seated in the wheelchair 4, and moves to the pedestal 21 through the vehicle-side bridge 31 and the lift-side bridge 23. Then, the wheelchair user 5 or a caregiver operates a remote controller or an operation panel, etc. to operate the lifting mechanism 22 so that the base 21 of the lift 2 is at the same height as the floor 11 of the building 1, and then moves the wheelchair 4 from the base 21 to the floor 11 of the building 1.

[0027] When the vehicle 3 is provided with a single-seater seat only on the right side as a second seat, the boarding / alighting assistance device 10 enables the wheelchair 4 to pass through the base 21, the lift-side bridge 23, and the vehicle-side bridge 31 in this manner, thereby assisting the wheelchair user 5 in getting on and off the wheelchair 4 from the building 1 to the vehicle 3 and from the vehicle 3 to the building 1 while remaining seated in the wheelchair 4. Note that when the vehicle 3 is provided with a single-seater seat only on the right side as a second seat, the wheelchair 4 can be loaded into the vehicle 3 while the wheelchair user 5 remains seated in the wheelchair 4, and therefore, unlike when the second seat is located near the opening of the sliding door 32 of the vehicle 3, there is no need for the wheelchair user 5 to change seats between the wheelchair 4 and the second seat of the vehicle 3.

[0028] Next, the fact that the boarding / alighting assistance device 10 can eliminate the need for fine adjustment of the parking position of the vehicle 3 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the lift-side bridge 23 has a width larger than the width of the vehicle-side bridge 31. Therefore, the boarding / alighting assistance device 10 can accommodate a shift in the front-rear direction of the parking position. FIG. 4 is a top view of the boarding / alighting assistance device 10 when the parking position is shifted backward from the parking position shown in FIG. 2. Even if the parking position is shifted backward as shown in FIG. 4, the width of the lift-side bridge 23 is sufficiently larger than the width of the vehicle-side bridge 31, so that the rear end portion of the lift-side bridge 23 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle can be connected to overlap the vehicle-side bridge 31, allowing the wheelchair 4 to pass through the lift-side bridge 23 and the vehicle-side bridge 31. And, when the parking position is shifted forward, contrary to the state shown in FIG. 4, the front end portion of the lift-side bridge 23 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle can be connected to overlap the vehicle-side bridge 31, allowing the wheelchair 4 to pass through the lift-side bridge 23 and the vehicle-side bridge 31. In this way, even if there is a forward-backward shift in the parking position of the vehicle 3, the boarding and alighting assistance device 10 can connect the tip portion of the lift side bridge 23 so that it overlaps the vehicle side bridge 31, eliminating the need for fine-tuning the parking position in the forward-backward direction.

[0029] In addition, since the boarding / alighting assistance device 10 can adjust the extension distance of the lift-side bridge 23, it can respond to the left-right shift of the parking position. Fig. 5 is a top view of the boarding / alighting assistance device 10 when the parking position is shifted to the right from the parking position shown in Fig. 2. When the parking position is shifted to the right as shown in Fig. 5 and the distance from the base 21 to the vehicle 3 is increased, the extension distance of the lift-side bridge 23 is made longer than that shown in Fig. 2, so that the tip portion of the lift-side bridge 23 is connected so as to overlap with the vehicle-side bridge 31, and the wheelchair 4 can pass through the lift-side bridge 23 and the vehicle-side bridge 31. Therefore, the boarding / alighting assistance device 10 can eliminate the need for fine adjustment of the parking position in the left-right direction.

[0030] Furthermore, since the boarding / disembarking assistance device 10 has a structure in which the lift-side bridge 23 is extended from the base 21 toward the vehicle 3 and the vehicle-side bridge 31 is extended toward the lift-side bridge 23, and thus the length of the vehicle-side bridge 31 in the extension direction can be shortened. Therefore, even if the vehicle-side bridge 31 is mounted on the vehicle 3, a second seat can be installed on the vehicle 3, and compared to the case where a bridge extending from the vehicle 3 to the base 21 is provided on the vehicle 3, the increase in weight due to the addition of the vehicle-side bridge 31 can be suppressed. In addition, although the vehicle 3 needs to add the vehicle-side bridge 31 to a standard specification vehicle that does not support boarding / disembarking assistance for wheelchair users 5, the second seat of the standard specification vehicle can be used, so that the price increase can be suppressed. Therefore, the boarding / disembarking assistance device 10 can support the wheelchair users 5 to board the vehicle 3 from the building 1 and disembark from the vehicle 3 to the building 1 while suppressing the reduction in the passenger capacity and the increase in the weight and price of the vehicle 3.

[0031] <Supplementary explanation of the embodiment> The boarding and alighting assistance device of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned form, and can be implemented in various forms within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure. For example, the boarding and alighting assistance device may be implemented in a form in which a wheelchair is boarded and alighted from an opening of a door at the rear of the vehicle, rather than a form in which a wheelchair is boarded and alighted from an opening of a sliding door on the side of the vehicle. Also, the boarding and alighting assistance device may be implemented in a form that supports boarding and alighting of a horizontally moving device other than a wheelchair, such as a cart for transporting heavy objects or a self-propelled robot. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1 Building, 2 Lift, 3 Vehicle, 4 Wheelchair, 5 Wheelchair user, 10 Boarding and alighting assistance device, 11 Bed, 12 Swing window, 21 Base, 22 Lifting mechanism, 22a Shaft, 22b Hydraulic cylinder, 23 Lift side bridge, 24 Linear actuator, 25 Ramp, 31 Vehicle side bridge, 32 Sliding door, 33 Bed.

Claims

1. A boarding and alighting assistance device that assists boarding and alighting from a horizontal plane moving device, A lift is installed at an entrance of a building and includes a base on which the horizontal plane moving device can be placed, a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the base, and a lift-side bridge that can be extended from the base toward a vehicle; A vehicle side bridge extendable from the vehicle toward the lift side bridge, The vehicle side bridge has a width allowing the horizontal plane moving device to pass through, The lift side bridge has a width greater than that of the vehicle side bridge; At least one of the lift side bridge and the vehicle side bridge is capable of changing an extension distance, A boarding and alighting assistance device characterized by assisting the horizontal plane moving device in boarding from the building to the vehicle and disembarking from the vehicle to the building by enabling the horizontal plane moving device to pass over the base, the lift side bridge, and the vehicle side bridge.

2. The boarding and alighting assistance device according to claim 1, A boarding and alighting assistance device, characterized in that both the lift side bridge and the vehicle side bridge are capable of sliding horizontally.

3. The boarding and alighting assistance device according to claim 1, A boarding and alighting assistance device characterized in that one of the lift side bridge and the vehicle side bridge is slidable horizontally, and the other is moved from a stored position to an extended position by rotation.

4. The boarding and alighting assistance device according to claim 1, The horizontal plane movement device is a wheelchair, A boarding and alighting assistance device characterized by assisting a wheelchair user in transferring between the wheelchair and the seat by passing through the base, the lift side bridge and the vehicle side bridge and bringing the wheelchair closer to a seat installed inside the vehicle.

5. The boarding and alighting assistance device according to claim 1, The horizontal plane movement device is a wheelchair, 1. A boarding and alighting assistance device, characterized in that the wheelchair can be loaded into the interior of the vehicle while a wheelchair user remains seated in the wheelchair.

Images