Vehicle ramp device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle slope device capable of preparing and storing a plurality of slope members in a shorter time. [Solution] A vehicle slope device 15 comprises a pair of slope members 16 that are removably attached in a lined-up position inside the vehicle cabin and rotate between a storage position where they are stored upright inside the vehicle cabin and a use position where they are lined up and spanned from the vehicle cabin to the ground 20, mounting portions 17 provided on each of the pair of slope members 16, and a handle 18 that is removably attached to the mounting portions 17 and connects the pair of slope members 16 together at the mounting portions 17.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle slope device having a plurality of slope members. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a wheelchair accessible vehicle, as shown in Patent Document 1. Such a wheelchair accessible vehicle is provided with a locking device at the rear of the floor of the vehicle compartment that locks the leading ends of a pair of slope members onto which the left and right wheels of the wheelchair are placed separately to allow the wheelchair to board and disembark. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-126151 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the above-described wheelchair access vehicle, when preparing a pair of slope members, the slope members must be attached to the locking device one by one in order. This takes time to prepare the pair of slope members. Furthermore, when storing the prepared pair of slope members in the vehicle cabin, the slope members must be removed from the locking device one by one in order and stored in the vehicle cabin. This also takes time to store the pair of slope members. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] Various aspects of the vehicle ramp device for solving the above problems will be described below. [Embodiment 1] A vehicle slope device comprising: a plurality of slope members that are removably attached in a lined-up position within the vehicle cabin and rotate between a storage position where they are stored upright within the vehicle cabin and a use position where they are lined up and spanned from the vehicle cabin to the ground; mounting portions provided on each of the plurality of slope members; and one or more handles that are removably attached to the mounting portions and connect two adjacent slope members together at the mounting portions.

[0006] According to the above configuration, by gripping one or more handles while the multiple slope members are connected together, the multiple slope members can be manually rotated simultaneously between the storage position and the use position. This allows the multiple slope members to be rotated between the storage position and the use position in a shorter time. This allows the multiple slope members to be prepared and stored in a shorter time.

[0007] [Aspect 2] The vehicle ramp device described in [Aspect 1] is characterized in that the handle is attached to the mounting portion so as to be rotatable about an axis extending along the axis that serves as the center of rotation when the slope member rotates.

[0008] According to the above configuration, when gripping the handle and rotating the multiple slope members between the storage position and the use position, the rotation angle of the handle can be changed according to the rotation angle of the multiple slope members, making it easy to grip the handle and rotate the multiple slope members between the storage position and the use position.

[0009] [Aspect 3] The mounting portion has an axle portion and a movable member movably supported by the axle portion, and the movable member is configured to be movable between a mounting position where the handle can be mounted to the mounting portion and a locking position where the handle is locked so that the handle does not come off the mounting portion when mounted to the mounting portion, as described in [Aspect 1] or [Aspect 2].

[0010] According to the above configuration, after the movable member is moved to the mounting position and the handle is attached to the mounting portion, the movable member can be moved to the locking position, thereby maintaining the handle attached to the mounting portion.

[0011] [Aspect 4] The vehicle ramp device described in [Aspect 3] is characterized in that the mounting portion has a biasing member that biases the moving member toward the lock position. According to the above configuration, the movable member can be held in the locked position by the biasing force of the biasing member, so that the handle attached to the attachment portion can be prevented from coming off the attachment portion.

[0012] [Aspect 5] The vehicle ramp device according to any one of [Aspect 1] to [Aspect 4], wherein the slope member is configured to be extendable and contractible. According to the above configuration, when the slope member is not in use, the length of the slope member can be shortened to store the slope member in a compact state inside the vehicle cabin, whereas when the slope member is in use, the length of the slope member can be lengthened to reduce the inclination angle of the slope member relative to the ground. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] The present invention has the advantage that it is possible to prepare and store a plurality of slope members in a shorter time. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic rear view of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle slope device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a mounting portion provided on a slope member. [Figure 4] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a moving member of the mounting portion is moved to a mounting position in order to mount the handle on the mounting portion. FIG. [Figure 5]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the state when the handle is attached to the attachment portion in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a handle is attached to the attachment portion and the movable member is moved to a lock position. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a side view showing the positional relationship between the attachment portion and the handle in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 10 is a rear view showing a state in which the pair of slope members are rotated from the storage position to the use position using the handle. FIG. [Figure 9] 9 is a rear view showing a state in which the pair of slope members in FIG. 8 are extended. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] An embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction correspond to the front-rear direction, left-right direction (vehicle width direction), and up-down direction, with the forward movement of the vehicle 11 being the front side.

[0016] <Vehicle 11> As shown in Fig. 1, a vehicle 11, such as a minivan, has a rear opening 12 that can be opened and closed by a back door 13. The back door 13 is configured to open upward and rotates up and down about an axis extending in the left-right direction to open and close the opening 12. The space behind the rear seats (not shown) in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 11 forms a luggage compartment 14. A vehicle slope device 15 is configured to be detachably attached to the rear end of the floor of the luggage compartment 14.

[0017] <Vehicle ramp device 15> As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle slope device 15 includes a pair (a plurality) of slope members 16, mounting portions 17 provided on each of the pair of slope members 16, and one handle .

[0018] <Slope member 16> 1, 8, and 9, each slope member 16 has a generally rectangular plate shape overall. One end of the long side of each slope member 16 is provided with a connection part 19 that is detachably attached to the rear end of the floor of the luggage compartment 14. The pair of slope members 16 are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction and are detachably attached to the rear end of the floor of the luggage compartment 14 at the connection part 19 so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the left-right direction.

[0019] That is, the pair of slope members 16 rotate between a storage position (position shown in FIG. 1) where they are stored upright in the luggage compartment 14, and a use position (position shown in FIG. 8) where they are lined up in the left-right direction and span from inside the luggage compartment 14 to the ground 20. The slope members 16 have a first slope portion 21 and a second slope portion 22 whose base end in the long side direction is connected to the first slope portion 21 while being overlapped with the first slope portion 21 so as to be slidable in the long side direction.

[0020] The above-mentioned connecting portion 19 is provided at the base end of the first slope portion 21. The first slope portion 21 and the second slope portion 22 have substantially the same shape. The length of the first slope portion 21 in the long side direction is substantially the same as that of the second slope portion 22, and the length of the first slope portion 21 in the short side direction is slightly shorter than that of the second slope portion 22.

[0021] The first slope section 21 has a rectangular plate-shaped first bottom wall 23 and a pair of first side walls 24 erected so as to extend in the long-side direction at both ends of the short-side direction of the first bottom wall 23. The second slope section 22 has a rectangular plate-shaped second bottom wall 25 and a pair of second side walls 26 erected so as to extend in the long-side direction at both ends of the short-side direction of the second bottom wall 25.

[0022] The first slope portion 21 overlaps the second slope portion 22 so as to be disposed inside the second slope portion 22. In this case, the lower surface of the first bottom wall 23 is in sliding contact with the upper surface of the second bottom wall 25, and the outer surfaces of the pair of first side walls 24 are in sliding contact with the inner surfaces of the pair of second side walls 26, respectively.

[0023] The slope member 16 changes its length in the long side direction between a contracted state (the state shown in FIG. 8 ) in which the length in the long side direction is short and an extended state (the state shown in FIG. 9 ) in which the length in the long side direction is long by sliding the second slope portion 22 relative to the first slope portion 21 in the long side direction. In other words, the slope member 16 is configured to be expandable and contractible in the long side direction. In this case, the second slope portion 22 cannot slide beyond the extended state. In other words, the second slope portion 22 is configured not to detach from the first slope portion 21.

[0024] <Mounting part 17> 1 and 3, mounting portions 17 are provided at the tip portions of the inner second side walls 26 of the second slope portions 22 of the pair of slope members 16 so as to face each other in the left-right direction. The mounting portions 17 are made of, for example, metal. The mounting portion 17 has a shaft portion 27 extending in the left-right direction, a moving member 28 that covers a portion of the shaft portion 27 located outside the second side walls 26 and is supported by the shaft portion 27 so as to be movable in the left-right direction, and a compression coil spring 29 as an example of a biasing member that biases the moving member 28.

[0025] A threaded portion 30 is formed on one end of the shaft portion 27. One end of the shaft portion 27 is inserted into a through-hole 31 formed in the second side wall 26 from the outside of the second side wall 26. One end of the shaft portion 27 is fixed to the second side wall 26 by screwing a nut 32 onto the threaded portion 30 from the inside of the second side wall 26.

[0026] The moving member 28 has a cylindrical case 33 that covers the middle part of the shaft 27, an annular knob 34 that covers the end of the shaft 27 opposite to the second side wall 26 side and an opening in the case 33 opposite to the second side wall 26 side, and an annular abutment wall 35 that covers the opening in the case 33 on the second side wall 26 side and abuts against the outer surface of the second side wall 26. The knob 34 and the abutment wall 35 are fixed to the case 33.

[0027] The outer diameter of knob portion 34 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of case 33. The outer diameter of abutment wall 35 is the same as the outer diameter of case 33. Shaft portion 27 is inserted through knob portion 34 and abutment wall 35. The end face of shaft portion 27 opposite to second side wall 26 and the face of knob portion 34 opposite to second side wall 26 are flush with each other.

[0028] An annular contact plate 36 that comes into contact with the knob portion 34 is fixed to the peripheral surface of the shaft portion 27 in a position adjacent to the knob portion 34 inside the case 33. A compression coil spring 29 is disposed between the contact plate 36 and the abutment wall 35 inside the case 33 so as to surround the shaft portion 27. Both ends of the compression coil spring 29 are in contact with the contact plate 36 and the abutment wall 35, respectively.

[0029] 4 and 6, the movable member 28 is configured to be movable between an attachment position (position shown in FIG. 4) where the handle 18 can be attached to the shaft portion 27 of the attachment portion 17, and a lock position (position shown in FIG. 6) where the handle 18 is locked so that the handle 18 attached to the shaft portion 27 of the attachment portion 17 does not come off the shaft portion 27 of the attachment portion 17. A compression coil spring 29 constantly biases the movable member 28 toward the lock position.

[0030] <Handle 18> 1, 2, and 6, the handle 18 is made of a relatively lightweight metal such as aluminum. The handle 18 is detachably attached to the shaft 27 of the attachment portion 17, thereby connecting the second slope portions 22 of a pair of slope members 16, which are two slope members 16 adjacent to each other in the left-right direction, at the attachment portions 17 provided on the pair of slope members 16.

[0031] In this case, the handle 18 is attached to the mounting portion 17 so as to be rotatable about an axis that extends along the axis that serves as the rotation center when the slope member 16 rotates. In other words, the handle 18 is attached to the mounting portion 17 so as to be rotatable about an axis that extends in the left-right direction.

[0032] 2, 6, and 7, the handle 18 has a grip 37 made of, for example, a U-shaped round pipe, and a pair of rectangular mounting plates 38 joined to both ends of the grip 37. The handle 18 has a symmetrical structure. The pair of mounting plates 38 face each other in the left-right direction.

[0033] Both ends of the gripping portion 37 are joined by welding or the like to the front-to-rear center portions of the lower ends of the inner surfaces of a pair of mounting plates 38. A U-shaped notched recess 39 is formed in the front-to-rear center portion of the mounting plate 38, extending from the upper end to the center portion in the up-down direction. The notched recess 39 is configured so that the shaft portion 27 of the mounting portion 17 can be slidably and rotatably inserted therein. A pair of approximately rectangular parallelepiped stoppers 40 are provided on both sides of the notched recess 39 at the upper ends of the inner surfaces of the mounting plates 38, sandwiching it in the front-to-rear direction.

[0034] Notches 41 are formed at the inner ends in the front-to-rear direction at the lower ends of the pair of stoppers 40. The abutment wall 35 of the moving member 28 can be inserted into a predetermined storage space S between the notches 41 of the pair of stoppers 40 and the end of the gripping portion 37. When the abutment wall 35 of the moving member 28 is inserted into the storage space S, that is, when the moving member 28 is in the locked position, the engagement between the abutment wall 35 and the notches 41 of the pair of stoppers 40 prevents the shaft portion 27 of the mounting portion 17 from slipping out of the notch recess 39.

[0035] <Operation of the embodiment> Next, the operation of loading a wheelchair carrying a care-requiring person into the luggage compartment 14 of the vehicle 11 using the vehicle ramp device 15 attached to the rear end of the floor of the luggage compartment 14 of the vehicle 11 will be described.

[0036] As shown in Figure 1, when loading a wheelchair carrying a person requiring care into the luggage compartment 14 of a vehicle 11, first, a pair of mounting plates 38 of the handle 18 are attached to the mounting portions 17 provided on a pair of slope members 16 located in the storage position within the luggage compartment 14.

[0037] That is, when attaching one mounting plate 38 of the handle 18 to one mounting portion 17, first, as shown in Fig. 3, the knob portion 34 is pinched by hand and pulled along the shaft portion 27 in the direction opposite to the second side wall 26 of the second slope portion 22 against the biasing force of the compression coil spring 29. Then, as shown in Fig. 4, the moving member 28 moves to the mounting position. This forms a gap between the abutment wall 35 of the moving member 28 and the outer surface of the second side wall 26.

[0038] Next, as shown in Fig. 5, the mounting plate 38 of the handle 18 is inserted into the gap between the abutment wall 35 of the movable member 28 and the outer surface of the second side wall 26 so that the shaft portion 27 is inserted into the notched recess 39. This brings the abutment wall 35 of the movable member 28 into a state facing the accommodation space S. In this state, when the grip portion 34 is released, the movable member 28 is moved to the locked position by the biasing force of the compression coil spring 29, as shown in Fig. 6.

[0039] In this state, the abutment wall 35 of the moving member 28 is inserted into the accommodation space S, and the abutment wall 35 presses the mounting plate 38 against the outer surface of the second side wall 26 due to the biasing force of the compression coil spring 29. At this time, the abutment wall 35 of the moving member 28 engages with the notched portions 41 of the pair of stoppers 40, preventing the shaft portion 27 of the mounting portion 17 from slipping out of the notched recessed portion 39.

[0040] This completes the attachment of the mounting plate 38 on one side of the handle 18 to the mounting portion 17 on one side. Similarly, the mounting plate 38 on the other side of the handle 18 is attached to the mounting portion 17 on the other side. This causes the second slope portions 22 of the pair of slope members 16 to be connected to each other by the handle 18 at the mounting portion 17, as shown in FIG. 1 .

[0041] Next, when the operator grasps the gripping portion 37 of the handle 18 and pulls the handle 18 rearward, the pair of slope members 16 simultaneously rotate from inside the luggage compartment 14 to the use position where they are suspended over the ground 20, as shown in Figure 8. At this time, the handle 18 rotates relative to the shaft portion 27 according to the rotation angle of the pair of slope members 16, thereby reducing the strain on the operator's wrists and the like. This completes the preparation for use of the pair of slope members 16.

[0042] Next, the caregiver pushes the wheelchair with the care-requiring person on it, and places the left and right wheels of the wheelchair on the pair of slope members 16. Next, the caregiver pushes the wheelchair with the care-requiring person on it up the pair of slope members 16 and moves it into the luggage compartment 14, whereby the wheelchair with the care-requiring person on it is placed in the luggage compartment 14 of the vehicle 11.

[0043] Furthermore, when the handle 18 is further pulled rearward while gripping the gripping portion 37 of the handle 18 from the contracted state shown in Figure 8 in which the pair of slope members 16 are in the use position, the pair of second slope portions 22 simultaneously slide relative to the pair of first slope portions 21 of the pair of slope members 16.

[0044] 9, the pair of slope members 16 are stretched and lengthened, thereby reducing the inclination angle of the pair of slope members 16 with respect to the ground 20. This allows the caregiver to easily move the wheelchair-bound person requiring care from the ground 20 over the pair of slope members 16 into the luggage compartment 14.

[0045] In this case, when the pair of slope members 16 expands and becomes longer, the distance between the pair of second slope portions 22, particularly at the tip ends, tends to widen or narrow. However, in this embodiment, the tip ends of the pair of second slope portions 22 are connected to each other by the handle 18 at the attachment portion 17, so the distance between the pair of second slope portions 22 does not change. This stabilizes the state of the pair of slope members 16.

[0046] After the wheelchair carrying the person in need of care has been placed in the luggage compartment 14 of the vehicle 11, when the handle 18 is pushed forward while gripping the gripping portion 37 of the handle 18, the pair of second slope portions 22 simultaneously slide relative to the pair of first slope portions 21 of the pair of slope members 16. Then, as shown in Fig. 8, the pair of slope members 16 enters a contracted state in which the pair of second slope portions 22 overlap the pair of first slope portions 21.

[0047] Next, while gripping the gripping portion 37 of the handle 18, the handle 18 is lifted to simultaneously rotate the pair of slope members 16 to the storage position within the luggage compartment 14. As a result, the pair of slope members 16 are stored within the luggage compartment 14.

[0048] Furthermore, if it is desired to load luggage into the luggage compartment 14 of the vehicle 11 without placing the wheelchair carrying the person in need of care in the luggage compartment 14, the following procedure can be carried out. That is, the movable members 28 of the mounting portions 17 of the pair of slope members 16 are moved to the mounting position against the biasing force of the compression coil springs 29, and the handles 18 are then removed from the mounting portions 17. Then, the connecting portions 19 of the pair of slope members 16 are removed from the rear ends of the floor surface within the luggage compartment 14.

[0049] In this way, in the vehicle slope device 15 of this embodiment, the pair of slope members 16 can be simultaneously prepared and stored by using the handle 18. Therefore, the pair of slope members 16 can be prepared and stored in a shorter time than when the pair of slope members 16 are prepared and stored separately without using the handle 18.

[0050] <Effects of the embodiment> According to the embodiment described above in detail, the following effects are achieved. (1) The vehicle slope device 15 comprises a pair of slope members 16 that are detachably attached in a lined-up state within the luggage compartment 14 and rotate between a storage position where they are stored upright within the luggage compartment 14 and a use position where they are lined up and span the ground 20 from within the luggage compartment 14; mounting portions 17 provided on each of the pair of slope members 16; and a handle 18 that is detachably attached to the mounting portions 17 and connects the pair of slope members 16 together at the mounting portions 17.

[0051] According to the above configuration, by gripping the handle 18 while the pair of slope members 16 are connected by the single handle 18, the pair of slope members 16 can be manually rotated simultaneously between the storage position and the use position. This allows the pair of slope members 16 to be rotated between the storage position and the use position in a shorter time. This allows the pair of slope members 16 to be prepared and stored in a shorter time.

[0052] (2) In the vehicle slope device 15, the handle 18 is attached to the attachment portion 17 so as to be rotatable about an axis that extends along the axis that serves as the rotation center when the slope member 16 rotates.

[0053] According to the above configuration, when gripping the handle 18 and rotating the pair of slope members 16 between the storage position and the use position, the rotation angle of the handle 18 can be changed according to the rotation angle of the pair of slope members 16. Therefore, the operation of gripping the handle 18 and rotating the pair of slope members 16 between the storage position and the use position can be easily performed.

[0054] (3) In the vehicle ramp device 15, the mounting portion 17 has a shaft portion 27 and a movable member 28 movably supported by the shaft portion 27. The movable member 28 is configured to be movable between a mounting position where the handle 18 can be mounted to the mounting portion 17 and a locking position where the handle 18 is locked so that the handle 18 attached to the mounting portion 17 does not come off the mounting portion 17.

[0055] According to the above configuration, after the handle 18 is attached to the mounting portion 17 with the movable member 28 moved to the mounting position, the handle 18 can be maintained attached to the mounting portion 17 by moving the movable member 28 to the locking position.

[0056] (4) In the vehicle slope device 15, the mounting portion 17 has the compression coil spring 29 that biases the moving member 28 toward the lock position. According to the above configuration, the movable member 28 can be held in the locked position by the biasing force of the compression coil spring 29, so that the handle 18 attached to the attachment portion 17 can be prevented from coming off the attachment portion 17.

[0057] (5) In the vehicle slope device 15, the slope member 16 is configured to be extendable and retractable. According to the above configuration, when the slope member 16 is not in use, the length of the slope member 16 can be shortened, allowing the slope member 16 to be stored in a compact state within the luggage compartment 14. On the other hand, when the slope member 16 is in use, the length of the slope member 16 can be lengthened, allowing the inclination angle of the slope member 16 with respect to the ground 20 to be reduced.

[0058] <Example of change> The above embodiment can be modified as follows: Furthermore, the above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0059] The slope member 16 does not necessarily have to be extendable. That is, the second slope portion 22 may be omitted. In this case, the attachment portion 17 is provided on the first slope portion 21.

[0060] In the mounting portion 17, the compression coil spring 29 may be omitted. Instead of the compression coil spring 29, a magnet may be used as the biasing member. The movable member 28 does not necessarily have to be configured to be movable between the attached position and the locked position while sliding relative to the shaft portion 27. In other words, the movable member 28 may be configured to be movable between the attached position and the locked position while rotating relative to the shaft portion 27 by a screw pair, for example.

[0061] The mounting portion 17 does not necessarily have to include the moving member 28 and the shaft portion 27 . The handle 18 does not necessarily have to be attached to the attachment portion 17 so as to be rotatable.

[0062] The vehicle slope device 15 may be configured to include three or more slope members 16 that are detachably attached in a line within the vehicle cabin, and two or more handles 18. In this case, the three or more slope members 16 are connected by the handles 18 at the attachment portions 17 of two adjacent slope members 16 in the line-up direction.

[0063] The vehicle ramp device 15 may be configured to be removably attached inside the vehicle cabin so that it can be bridged from the vehicle cabin to the ground 20 through a boarding / alighting door that appears when a sliding door on the side of the vehicle 11 is opened.

[0064] The vehicle ramp device 15 is not limited to being used for wheelchairs, but may also be used to load dollies, stretchers, etc. into the vehicle interior. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 11...Vehicle 12...Opening 13...Backdoor 14...Luggage compartment 15...Vehicle ramp device 16...Slope member 17...Mounting part 18...Handle 19...Connection 20...ground 21...First slope section 22...Second slope section 23...First bottom wall 24...First side wall 25...Second bottom wall 26...Second side wall 27...Shaft 28...Moving member 29...Compression coil spring as an example of a biasing member 30...Threaded section 31...Through hole 32...Nut 33…Case 34...Knob 35…Abutment wall 36…Contact plate 37...Gripping part 38...Mounting plate 39...Notched recess 40...Stopper 41...Notch S...Storage space

Claims

1. a plurality of slope members that are detachably attached in a lined-up state within the vehicle interior and that rotate between a storage position where they are stored in an upright state within the vehicle interior and a use position where they are lined up and span from the vehicle interior to the ground; a mounting portion provided on each of the plurality of slope members; One or more handles that are detachably attached to the attachment portions and connect two adjacent slope members to each other at the attachment portions; A vehicle ramp device comprising:

2. 2. The vehicle slope device according to claim 1, wherein the handle is attached to the mounting portion so as to be rotatable about an axis extending along an axis that serves as a rotation center when the slope member rotates.

3. the mounting portion has a shaft portion and a moving member movably supported by the shaft portion, The vehicle slope device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the movable member is configured to be movable between an attachment position where the handle can be attached to the attachment portion and a lock position where the handle is locked so that the handle does not come off the attachment portion when attached to the attachment portion.

4. 4. The vehicle slope device according to claim 3, wherein the mounting portion has a biasing member that biases the moving member toward the lock position.

5. 3. The vehicle ramp device according to claim 1, wherein the slope member is configured to be extendable and contractible.

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