Ramp device

Abstract

The aim is to provide a ramp device that is compact yet easy for wheelchairs and other mobility devices to board and alight, while also possessing excellent strength and rigidity. [Solution] A ramp device having a mounting panel fixed to the vehicle, a main panel rotatably connected to the mounting panel in the front-rear direction, and a sub-panel rotatably connected to the main panel in the front-rear direction, characterized in that, in the deployed state, the support structure abuts the support portion on the sub-panel side against the receiving portion on the main panel side.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a slope device used for a wheelchair or the like to get on and off a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] In order to allow a wheelchair, a cart, or the like to get on and off a vehicle, as shown in Patent Document 1, a slope device that is linearly spanned from behind the cargo compartment of the vehicle body to the ground is known. Although the slope device of the publication becomes somewhat compact when stored by sliding, when a wheelchair or the like gets on and off, it is slid out and spanned on the ground, so it takes up a large amount of space at the boarding and alighting location, and the device is also likely to be large. On the other hand, as shown in Patent Document 2, some vehicles have a large back door that can be freely opened and closed upward and a small tailgate that can be freely opened and closed downward. For example, when loading a wheelchair, the front wheels that are lifted by tilting the wheelchair backward can be placed on the open tailgate. However, if there is a large difference in height between the upper surface of the tailgate and the ground, it is necessary to tilt the wheelchair greatly, and the burden of lifting the rear wheel side to get on the vehicle is likely to increase.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a slope device that is compact, easy to get on and off a wheelchair or the like, and excellent in strength and rigidity.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The ramp device according to the present invention is a ramp device having a mounting panel fixed to the vehicle side, a main panel rotatably connected to the mounting panel in the front-rear direction, and a sub-panel rotatably connected to the main panel in the front-rear direction, characterized in that, in the deployed state, the support structure abuts the support portion on the sub-panel side against the receiving portion on the main panel side.

[0006] In the present invention, it is preferable to support the sub-panel by bringing the base end of the support portion into contact with the tip of the receiving portion at a position lower than the rotation center of the main panel and the sub-panel when in the deployed state. This allows the load to be borne not only at the pivot point of the main and sub-panels, but also at the contact point between the tip of the receiving part and the base of the support part, which are located further down, making it easier to distribute the load.

[0007] In the present invention, the front end of the main panel can be made into a guide section for the front wheels of a wheelchair by making the upper surface of the panel mountain-shaped in the front-to-back direction. Most wheelchairs consist of relatively small front wheels and larger rear wheels. Therefore, you would first move the wheelchair forward to place the front wheels on the top surface of the sub-panel, and then place the rear wheels of the wheelchair onto the sub-panel. In such cases, if the leading edge of the main panel is given a mountain-shaped upper surface, it functions as a guide section that directs the front wheel along its curved surface. However, the mountain-shaped section may also form a continuous inclined section from the leading edge of the main panel towards the sub-panel. Furthermore, in the stored state, the leading edge of the main panel and the base edge of the sub-panel may roughly overlap, and a predetermined gap may be formed between the upper surface of the main panel and the upper surface of the sub-panel. This design allows foreign objects such as stones and gravel to be placed in the gaps when stored, preventing them from getting caught in the panel. When deployed, the wheelchair wheels rotate while in contact with the guide section, making it easier for the wheels to automatically orient themselves in the direction of boarding and alighting, resulting in superior wheelchair maneuverability. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The ramp device according to the present invention is compact, yet can reduce the height difference with the ground, and can easily ensure strength and rigidity by forming a support structure through abutment between the main panel and the sub-panel. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This shows the deployed state of the ramp device according to the present invention. [Figure 2] (a) shows an enlarged view of the unfolded state, and (b) shows an enlarged view of the stored state. [Figure 3] (a) shows the sub-panel in its unfolded state, and (b) shows the sub-panel superimposed on the main panel. [Figure 4] A partial cross-sectional view is shown to illustrate an example of wheelchair boarding and alighting. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The ramp device according to the present invention may, for example, have a mounting panel fixed to the cargo floor side of the vehicle, a main panel that rotates integrally with the tailgate, and a sub-panel that floats above the ground to form a ramp surface. In the deployed state, the sub-panel, which is rotated and deployed from the main panel side, is cantilevered, and in the stored state, the sub-panel is flipped and stored so as to overlap the main panel. As a result, the sub-panels do not touch the ground, making the setup relatively compact even when deployed, while the extended slope surface created by deploying the sub-panels comes closer to the ground. However, in this state where the sub-panel is suspended, the load on the slope surface cannot be supported by the ground, unlike the slope device shown in Patent Document 1. Therefore, by abutting the support portion on the sub-panel against the receiving portion on the main panel or tailgate side to form a support structure when deployed, it becomes easier to ensure strength and rigidity. In other words, the ramp device according to the present invention forms a ramp surface with the sub-panel, which rotates and unfolds from the main panel, floating above the ground. This allows for a compact unfolded state while minimizing the height difference with the ground, and the support structure formed by the abutment between the main panel and the sub-panel makes it easier to ensure strength and rigidity.

[0011] The following describes an example of the structure of the ramp device according to the present invention, based on the figures. Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view in the boarding / alighting direction with a ramp surface, showing the vehicle's back door 2 open upwards and the tailgate 1 open downwards. The ramp device 10 includes a mounting panel 11 fixed to the vehicle, a main panel 21 rotatably connected to the mounting panel in the front-rear direction, and a sub-panel 31 rotatably connected to the main panel 21 in the front-rear direction. Here, the front-to-back direction refers to the direction in which wheelchairs and other objects are boarded and alighted. In this embodiment, boarding and alighting are done from the back door side, so this coincides with the front-to-back direction of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the mounting panel 11 is attached to the cargo floor side, and the main panel 21 rotates integrally with the tailgate 1 which opens downwards. The sub-panel 31 rotates towards the rear from the main panel 21 side and unfolds outwards from the vehicle, thereby forming a ramp surface while floating above the ground F. The deployed sub-panel 31 is inclined such that the tip end is lower towards the ground than the base end that connects to the main panel 21. In the storage state, where the sub-panel 31 is reversed and stacked on top of the main panel 21 when the ramp device is deployed, for example, when the tailgate 1 is closed, the main panel 21 and sub-panel 31, which have moved together with the tailgate, are stored inside the vehicle in a compact state.

[0012] Figure 2(a) shows an enlarged view of the ramp device in its deployed state, and Figure 2(b) shows the sub-panel 31 stored so as to overlap the upper surface of the main panel 21. At the tip of the attachment panel 11, the base end of the main panel 21 is pivotally attached at the attachment-side pivoting portion 12 using a hinge structure or the like. Similarly, at the tip of the main panel 21, the base end of the sub-panel 31 is pivotally attached at the pivoting portion 22. The sub-panel 31 does not contact the ground F or the like in the deployed state and is in a cantilever state. At this time, in addition to being supported by the pivoting portion 22, the support portion 32 provided on the sub-panel 31 contacts the receiving portion 5 on the main panel 21 or tailgate 1 side. Preferably, the support portion 32 is brought into contact with the receiving portion 5 below a position farther from the center of the rotation axis of the pivoting portion 22 to support the sub-panel ३१. The purpose is to prevent the load from concentrating on the pivoting portion 22. The contact portion may be at a position higher or lower than the rotation axis, and it is not necessarily directly below the center of the rotation axis. In this embodiment, rail-shaped support portions 32 extending in the front-rear direction are respectively attached to both the left and right ends of the sub-panel 31. In accordance with the movement of the sub-panel 31 that rotates and deploys, the base end portion 32a of the support portion 32 abuts against the tip portion 5a of the receiving portion 5 in the front-rear direction approximately, thereby forming a support structure. As long as the support portion 32 is located on the base end side of the sub-panel 31 and can contact the receiving portion 5, it does not necessarily have to be rail-shaped. The receiving portion 5 of this embodiment is a separate member disposed between the main panel 21 and the tailgate 1 and has a tip portion 5a that protrudes rearward of the vehicle from the tailgate 1 during deployment. However, for example, a part of the tailgate or the main panel may be the receiving portion.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2(a), the deployed sub-panel 31 may have a gentle curved shape such that the tip side is located below the base end side. On the other hand, the support portion 32 is an example of a substantially straight line shape. The load acting on the slope surface can be borne not only near the pivoting portion 22 but also at the contact portion between the base end portion 32a of the support portion at a position lower than this and the tip portion 5a of the receiving portion, and the load can be propagated to the vehicle body side via the main panel 21, the attachment panel 11, the tailgate 1, etc.

[0014] The main panel 21 and the sub-panel 31 rotate in a reversing direction between the deployed state and the stored state. This embodiment is an example in which each panel is constructed using panel members with a hollow cross-sectional shape, as shown in Figure 3, and each panel has excellent rigidity. There is no limit to the number of hollow sections that can be formed by extrusion molding or other methods. As shown in Figure 3(a), it is preferable that the leading edge of the main panel 21 is a gently sloping inclined portion 23 such that the leading edge is lower when unfolded. In particular, if the inclined section 23 has a gently curved, mountain-like shape on its upper surface, it functions as a guide section that directs the front wheels 3 of the wheelchair forward, as will be described later. In that case, the inclined portion 23 may be provided with a sub-inclined portion 31a on the base end side of the sub-panel 31 via the pivot portion 22, as shown in Figure 3(a). As shown in Figure 3(b), when stored, the inclined portion 23 of the main panel 21 and the base end side (sub-inclined portion 31a) of the sub-panel 31 are in a relationship where they roughly overlap each other. In this roughly overlapping state, a gap S is formed between the upper surface of the sub-panel 31 and the upper surface of the main panel 21. This allows foreign objects such as pebbles and soil to be placed in the gap S, and the sub-panel 31 can be folded while avoiding interference with the main panel 21.

[0015] Figure 4 illustrates an example of wheelchair boarding and alighting using the ramp device 10. The sub-panel 31 has a short front-to-back width of, for example, about 10-30 cm, and forms a slope surface while floating above the ground F, so the deployed state is compact. In this state, the front wheels 3 of the wheelchair can be placed on the upper surface of the sub-panel 31. For example, by tilting the wheelchair backward while keeping the rear wheels 4 in contact with the ground F, the front wheels 3 can be lifted off the ground. As the leading edge of the sub-panel 31 approaches the ground F, the difference in height between the slope surface and the ground F becomes relatively small, eliminating the need to tilt the wheelchair significantly. For example, the front-to-back width and height of each panel may be set such that the front wheel 3 is positioned on the inclined portion 23 of the main panel while the rear wheel 4 is close to the tip of the sub-panel 31. As the front wheels 3 rotate while in contact with the inclined section 23, they face forward in accordance with the movement towards the inside of the vehicle, and the front wheels 3 automatically adjust to a direction that facilitates driving without any adjustment. The front wheels 3 can be positioned along the main panel 21 while the rear wheels 4 are placed on the upper surface of the sub-panel 31. Here, the main panel 21 may have a recess 24 that curves gently downward toward the base end, closer to the inclined portion 23. With the front wheels 3 fitted into the recess 24 and the rear wheels 4 positioned on the sub-panel 31, it is easier to maintain a state where both wheels of the wheelchair are on the slope surface. [Explanation of symbols]

[0016] 1 Tailgate 5 Receiving part 10. Slope device 11 Mounting Panel 21 Main Panel 31 Subpanel 32 Support part

Claims

1. A ramp device comprising a mounting panel fixed to the vehicle, a main panel rotatably connected to the mounting panel in the front-rear direction, and a sub-panel rotatably connected to the main panel in the front-rear direction, characterized in that, in the deployed state, the support structure abuts the support portion on the sub-panel side against the receiving portion on the main panel side.

2. The ramp device according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the deployed state, the base end of the support portion abuts against the tip of the receiving portion at a position lower than the rotation center of the main panel and the sub-panel to support the sub-panel.

3. The ramp device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, in the stored state, the leading edge of the main panel and the base edge of the sub-panel roughly overlap, and a predetermined gap is formed between the upper surface of the main panel and the upper surface of the sub-panel.

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