Wheelchair travel direction control mechanism and wheelchair

Abstract

To provide a technique which allows a user to freely change an advance direction of a wheelchair.SOLUTION: There is provided a wheelchair advance direction operation mechanism for a wheelchair which has: a pair of wheels which is fitted to a right part and a left part of a seat part; and a pair of casters which is rotatable in a lateral direction on a front side of the pair of wheels. The wheelchair advance direction operation mechanism comprises: a rotary shaft which is provided in a vertical direction above at least one of the casters, and whose lower end is coupled to the casters and axially rotates in an integrated state to rotation of the caster in the lateral direction; a direction operation bar which is coupled to a side face of the rotary shaft, and rotates in a circumferential direction of the rotary shaft in an integrated state to axial rotation of the rotary shaft; a mounting fixture which is fitted to the leg part of a user of the wheelchair; and a coupling bar whose one end is rotatably coupled to the mounting fixture, and the other end is rotatably coupled to the direction operation bar, in the wheelchair advance direction operation mechanism, by laterally moving the leg part of the user, a direction of the casters can be changed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wheelchair travel direction control mechanism and a wheelchair. [Background technology]

[0002] In general, a wheelchair can change its traveling direction by a user separately operating the left and right wheels. In response to this, there has been a demand for a user who is disabled in the right or left half of the body to be able to change the traveling direction of the wheelchair by himself / herself with only one hand. In response to this demand, for example, in the technology of the following Patent Document 1, two hand rims are provided on the outside of each of the left and right wheels, which can be used to manually operate each of the left and right wheels. According to the technology of Patent Document 1, the user can operate each of the left and right wheels by operating the two hand rims on one side with only one hand. In addition, in the following Patent Document 2, a foot plate connected to the caster is provided, so that the user can operate the traveling direction of the wheelchair with the foot placed on the foot plate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6288746 [Patent Document 2] JP 2018-33904 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the technology of Patent Document 1 requires the wheelchair to add a gear mechanism that connects the two hand rims and the left and right wheels, which may complicate the configuration and increase manufacturing costs. In addition, in the technology of Patent Document 2, if the foot does not operate the footboard properly due to the foot slipping on the footboard, the direction of the casters may not be fixed, and the direction of travel may become unstable. In addition, it may take time for the user to get used to operating the footboard.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a wheelchair operating mechanism that allows a wheelchair user to freely change the direction of travel of the wheelchair even if one of the users has a disability in one arm. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] As a means for achieving this, the present invention provides a wheelchair travel direction operation mechanism that includes a pair of wheels attached to the left and right of a seat, and a pair of casters that are provided in front of the pair of wheels and can rotate left and right, and that includes a rotating shaft that is disposed vertically above at least one of the pair of casters and has a lower end connected to the caster and rotates around its axis integrally with the left and right rotation of the caster, a direction operation bar that is connected to a side of the rotating shaft and rotates in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft integrally with the axial rotation of the rotating shaft, a mounting device that is attached to the legs of a user of the wheelchair, and a connecting bar that has one end rotatably connected to the mounting device and the other end rotatably connected to the direction operation bar. The travel direction operation mechanism is characterized in that the direction of the casters can be changed by operating the legs of the user left and right.

[0007] The travel direction operation mechanism further includes a holding member having an insertion hole through which the rotating shaft is inserted so as to be rotatable about its axis, and fixed to a vertical frame to which the casters are connected.

[0008] The caster and the vertical frame are connected via a caster connection portion protrudingly formed on the lower end of the vertical frame, and the rotating shaft is connected to the upper end of the caster connection portion via a joint member that can be engaged with the upper end of the caster.

[0009] Furthermore, according to the present invention, there is provided a wheelchair equipped with the above-mentioned traveling direction operation mechanism. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the travel direction operation mechanism of the present invention, it is possible to change the direction of the casters of the wheelchair according to the left and right movements of the user's legs. Therefore, for example, even if the user is disabled in one arm and can only operate one wheel, the travel direction of the wheelchair can be freely changed by operating the user's legs. Furthermore, according to the travel direction operation mechanism of the present invention, since the attachment connected to the rotating shaft is attached to the user's legs, the movement of the user's legs is more reliably transmitted to the casters. Therefore, the direction of the casters can be changed with high precision according to the operation of the user's legs, and the maneuverability of the travel direction of the wheelchair can be improved. In addition, since the travel direction operation mechanism of the wheelchair can be realized with a simple configuration including a rotating shaft, a direction operation bar, an attachment, and a connecting bar, it can be easily installed in the wheelchair.

[0011] By fixing the pivot shaft to the vertical frame via the holding member, it is possible to prevent the pivot shaft from wobbling and shifting out of position, and therefore to prevent the directional control of the casters from becoming unstable due to an unstable installation position of the pivot shaft.

[0012] By using the joint member, the pivot shaft can be easily connected to the caster, which makes it easier to install the travel direction control mechanism on the wheelchair. Also, by making the joint member shaped so that it can be fitted to the upper end of the caster of an existing wheelchair, it becomes possible to easily retrofit the travel direction control mechanism to various existing wheelchairs.

[0013] A wheelchair equipped with a traveling direction control mechanism allows a user to freely change the traveling direction of the wheelchair by operating his / her own legs. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a wheelchair according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a travel direction operation mechanism according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of a travel direction operation mechanism in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view of a wheelchair according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] 1. First embodiment: 1 is a schematic perspective view of a wheelchair 10 in a first embodiment. The wheelchair 10 includes a seat 11 on which a user 100 sits, a backrest 12 erected behind the seat 11, a pair of armrests 13 provided on the left and right sides of the seat 11 and the backrest 12, and a pair of footrests 14 provided in front of and below the seat 11. In the following description, the terms "left," "right," "front," "rear," "upper," and "lower" refer to directions based on the user 100 seated in the wheelchair 10.

[0016] The wheelchair 10 further includes a pair of wheels 15 attached to the left and right sides of the seat portion 11, and a pair of casters 16. Each wheel 15 is also called a drive wheel. A hand rim 17 is attached to each wheel 15, which the user 100 grasps in order to rotate the wheel 15. The casters 16 are provided in front of each of the pair of wheels 15. Each caster 16 is also called a swivel wheel, and is attached so that it can rotate left and right.

[0017] Wheelchair 10 further includes a pair of grips 18 on the rear surface of backrest 12 that a caregiver grasps when operating wheelchair 10. In wheelchair 10, seat 11, backrest 12, pair of armrests 13, pair of legrests 14, pair of wheels 15, pair of casters 16, and pair of grips 18 are connected by a frame 20 that constitutes the skeleton of wheelchair 10. Frame 20 is formed of metal pipe members.

[0018] The frame 20 includes a pair of vertical frames 24, the lower ends of which are connected to the casters 16. Each vertical frame 24 is disposed in the up-down direction in front of the seat portion 11. In this embodiment, the vertical frames 24 are provided integrally with side frames 23 that support the armrest portions 13. The side frames 23 extend forward from the left and right side end faces of the backrest portion 12, and the vertical frames 24 are configured as portions that are curved downward from the tips of the side frames 23. The casters 16 are connected to each vertical frame 24 via caster connectors 29 formed at positions protruding forward from the lower ends of the vertical frames 24. The configuration of the caster connectors 29 will be described later.

[0019] The wheelchair 10 includes a traveling direction operation mechanism 30 that the user 100 uses to change the traveling direction of the wheelchair 10. The traveling direction operation mechanism 30 is attached to one of the pair of vertical frames 24. The traveling direction operation mechanism 30 allows the user 100 to change the traveling direction of the wheelchair 10 by operating only one leg 101 while remaining seated on the seat unit 11. FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which the traveling direction operation mechanism 30 is attached to the left vertical frame 24 so that the user 100 can operate it with his / her left leg. Note that the traveling direction operation mechanism 30 does not have to be attached to the left vertical frame 24, and may be attached to the right vertical frame 24 so that the user 100 can operate it with his / her right leg.

[0020] 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the travel direction operation mechanism 30. The travel direction operation mechanism 30 includes a rotating shaft 31, a joint member 32, a holding member 33, a direction operation bar 34, a mounting fixture 35, and a connecting bar 36. As shown in FIG. 1, the rotating shaft 31 is disposed in the vertical direction above the casters 16. In this embodiment, the rotating shaft 31 is configured by a columnar member having a length approximately equal to that of the vertical frame 24. The lower end of the rotating shaft 31 is connected to the upper end of the caster 16. More specifically, the lower end of the rotating shaft 31 is connected via the joint member 32 to the upper end of the caster connector 29 to which the caster 19 is attached.

[0021] 2, the caster connecting portion 29 includes a cylindrical portion 40, a connecting shaft portion 41, and a caster holding portion 42. The cylindrical portion 40 is disposed in parallel with the lower end portion of the vertical frame 24, and is connected and fixed to the lower end portion of the vertical frame 24.

[0022] The connecting shaft portion 41 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 40 in a state in which it can rotate about its axis. "Axial rotation" means a rotational movement in the circumferential direction of the axis. The upper end of the connecting shaft portion 41 protrudes outward from the upper end of the cylindrical portion 40. The upper end of the connecting shaft portion 41 includes a threaded portion 43 that screws into a screw hole provided in the joint member 32, and a mating portion 44 that is provided at the lower end of the threaded portion 43 and into which the joint member 32 fits. In this embodiment, the mating portion 44 is formed by a nut fixed to the threaded portion 43.

[0023] The caster holding part 42 is installed above the caster 16, and its left and right side ends hold the axle, which is the central axis of the caster 16. The lower end of the connecting shaft part 41 is connected to the center of the upper surface of the caster holding part 42. The connecting shaft part 41 rotates left and right together with the caster holding part 42 and the caster 16, and functions as a central shaft when the caster 16 rotates to change its direction left and right.

[0024] The joint member 32 is configured to be engageable with the upper end of the caster 16. A lower end surface of the joint member 32 is provided with an engagement portion 45, which is a hole into which an engaged portion 44 provided at the upper end of the caster 16 engages. The joint member 32 is also configured to be engageable with the lower end of the rotating shaft 31. A top end surface of the joint member 32 is provided with an upper end hole 47 that fits into a prismatic connecting portion 46 provided at the lower end of the rotating shaft 31. The rotating shaft 31 is connected to the upper end of the caster connecting portion 29 via the joint member 32, and thus rotates about its axis in unison with the rotation of the caster 16 in the left-right direction.

[0025] The holding member 33 is fixed to the vertical frame 24 and holds the rotating shaft 31. In this embodiment, the holding member 33 is fixed to the upper end of the vertical frame 24 as shown in FIG. 1. The holding member 33 has a first portion 55 having a through hole 50 through which the rotating shaft 31 is inserted in a state in which the rotating shaft 31 can freely rotate, and a second portion 56 connected to the first portion 55 in a state in which the first portion 55 and the vertical frame 24 are sandwiched between them. The first portion 55 and the second portion 56 each have a semicircular recessed portion 57 that forms a through hole through which the vertical frame 24 is inserted. The holding member 33 is fixed to the vertical frame 24 by connecting the first portion 55 and the second portion 56 with screws, sandwiching the vertical frame 24 between them.

[0026] The direction operation bar 34 is connected to the side of the rotating shaft 31 and rotates in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft 31 together with the axial rotation of the rotating shaft 31. As a result, when the direction operation bar 34 rotates left or right, the rotating shaft 31 and the connecting shaft portion 41 of the caster connecting portion 29 rotate accordingly, and the left-right direction of the caster 16 is changed.

[0027] In this embodiment, the direction operation bar 34 has an insertion hole 58 at its base end, through which the rotating shaft 31 is inserted. The direction operation bar 34 is fixed to the rotating shaft 31 with a screw or the like. It is preferable that the position at which the direction operation bar 34 is fixed on the rotating shaft 31 is configured to be adjustable to match the height position of the knees 102 of the user 100 when seated on the seat portion 11.

[0028] The cross-sectional shape of the rotating shaft 31 and the opening shape of the insertion hole 58 are not particularly limited. The rotating shaft 31 may have a polygonal shape, and the insertion hole 58 may also have a polygonal shape that can be fitted to the rotating shaft 31. This configuration is preferable because the fitting of the insertion hole 58 of the direction operation bar 34 with the rotating shaft 31 allows the rotation angle of the direction operation bar 34 and the rotation angle of the caster 16 to match with greater accuracy.

[0029] 1, the wearing device 35 is attached to a leg 101 of a user 100. In this embodiment, the wearing device 35 is attached to a knee portion 102 of the leg 101. The wearing device 35 includes a wearing frame member 60, a first supporter 64, and a second supporter 65.

[0030] The mounting frame member 60 has a pair of side frame parts 61 arranged to sandwich the leg part 101 in the left-right direction, and a connecting frame part 62 bent in a U-shape with both ends connected to each side frame 61. As shown in Fig. 1, the pair of side frame parts 61 are arranged along the thigh part of the leg part 101 so that the tip sides sandwich the knee part 102 of the leg part 101. In addition, the connecting frame 62 is installed so as to straddle the upper part of the leg part 101.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 2, the first supporter 64 is made of a tubular fiber material. As shown in Fig. 1, the leg 101 of the user 100 is inserted into the tube of the first supporter 64. As shown in Fig. 2, the second supporter 65 is made of a sheet-like fiber material. As shown in Fig. 1, the second supporter 65 is disposed so as to cover the underside of the leg 101 from above the first supporter 64.

[0032] The wearing device 35 is fixed to the leg 101 by wrapping bands (not shown) around the first supporter 64 and the second supporter 65 with each side frame 61 of the wearing frame member 60 sandwiched between them. In the wearing device 35, the first supporter 64 protects the leg 101 of the user 100 from direct contact with the wearing frame member 60. The second supporter 65 enhances the supportability of the wearing frame member 60 with respect to the leg 101. In other embodiments, at least one of the first supporter 64 and the second supporter 65 may be omitted. In other embodiments, the supporters 64 and 65 may be integrated with the wearing frame member 60 so that a band is not required.

[0033] The connecting bar 36 connects the direction operation bar 34 and the mounting fixture 35. One end of the connecting bar 36 is rotatably connected to the mounting fixture 35, and the other end is rotatably connected to the direction operation bar 34. In this embodiment, one end of the connecting bar 36 is connected to the connecting frame 62 of the mounting frame member 60. The other end of the connecting bar 36 is connected to the tip of the direction operation bar 34. In the travel direction operation mechanism 30, such a link mechanism converts the movement of the user 100 moving the leg 101 left and right into axial rotation of the rotating shaft 31, and is transmitted as an operation to change the direction of the caster 16.

[0034] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a change in the direction of the caster 16 due to the operation of the leg 101 of the user 100. When the user 100 moves the knee 102 to the right from the state in which the caster 16 faces forward as shown in the center of FIG. 3, the mounting frame member 60 of the wearing device 35 moves to the right together with the knee 102, as shown on the right side of FIG. 3. Then, the linear movement of the wearing device 35 to the right is converted into a clockwise rotation of the direction operation bar 34 and the rotation shaft 31 via the connecting bar 36 and transmitted, and the caster 16 faces to the right at a rotation angle according to the amount of movement of the knee 102. Conversely, when the user 100 moves the knee 102 of the leg 101 to the left from the state in which the caster 16 faces forward as shown in the center of FIG. 3, the mounting frame member 60 of the wearing device 35 moves to the left together with the knee 102, as shown on the left side of FIG. 3. Then, the linear movement of the attachment 35 to the left is converted and transmitted via the connecting bar 36 into a counterclockwise rotation of the direction control bar 34 and the rotating shaft 31, causing the caster 16 to face left at a rotation angle according to the amount of movement of the knee portion 102. The user 100 can move the wheelchair 10 in the intended direction by rotating at least one of the wheels 15 while changing the direction of the caster 16 by operating the leg portion 101 via the traveling direction operation mechanism 30.

[0035] As described above, according to the travel direction operation mechanism 30 of this embodiment and the wheelchair 10 equipped with the travel direction operation mechanism 30, the user 100 can change the direction of the casters 16 of the wheelchair 10 by moving the leg 101 left and right. Therefore, for example, even if the user 100 is disabled in one arm and can only operate one wheel 15, the travel direction of the wheelchair 10 can be freely changed by operating the leg 101 of the user 100.

[0036] Moreover, according to the traveling direction operation mechanism 30 of this embodiment, since the attachment 35 connected to the rotating shaft 31 is attached to the leg 101 of the user 100, the movement of the leg 101 of the user 100 is more reliably transmitted to the caster 16. Therefore, the direction of the caster 16 can be changed with high precision according to the operation of the leg 101 of the user 100, and the maneuverability of the traveling direction of the wheelchair is improved. The operation of the direction of the caster 16 is more faithfully reflected. In addition, since the traveling direction operation mechanism 30 of this embodiment can be realized with a simple configuration including the rotating shaft 31, the direction operation bar 34, the attachment 35, and the connecting bar 36, it can be easily implemented in the wheelchair 10.

[0037] According to the travel direction operation mechanism 30 of this embodiment, the rotating shaft 31 is fixed to the vertical frame 24 via the holding member 33. This prevents the rotating shaft 31 from wobbling and shifting out of position, thereby preventing the installation posture of the rotating shaft 31 from becoming unstable, thereby preventing the directional control of the casters 16 from becoming unstable.

[0038] According to the travel direction operation mechanism 30 of this embodiment, the rotating shaft 31 can be easily connected to the caster 16 by using the joint member 32 configured to be engageable with the upper end of the caster 16. This makes it even easier to install the travel direction operation mechanism 30 on the wheelchair 10. In addition, if the joint member 32 is used, the travel direction operation mechanism 30 can be easily retrofitted to various existing wheelchairs by fabricating the joint member 32 in a shape that can be engaged with the upper end of the caster.

[0039] 2. Second embodiment: 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of a wheelchair 10A equipped with a traveling direction operation mechanism 30A of the second embodiment. The traveling direction operation mechanism 30A of the second embodiment is substantially the same as the traveling direction operation mechanism 30 of the first embodiment, except that the traveling direction operation mechanism 30A of the second embodiment is equipped with a harness 35A modified so as to be attachable to the shin 103 of the leg 101 of the user 100, instead of the harness 35 of the first embodiment. Moreover, the wheelchair 10A of the second embodiment is substantially the same as the wheelchair 10 described in the first embodiment, except that the traveling direction operation mechanism 30A of the second embodiment is equipped instead of the traveling direction operation mechanism 30 of the first embodiment.

[0040] In the travel direction operation mechanism 30A of the second embodiment, the mounting frame member 60A of the mounting fixture 35A corresponds to a configuration in which the pair of side frame portions 61 are omitted from the mounting frame member 60 of the first embodiment. The mounting frame member 60A is configured of a frame bent in a U-shape, similar to the connecting frame portion 62 described in the first embodiment. The mounting frame member 60A is disposed so as to sandwich the shin portion 103 at both ends, and both ends are fixed to the shin portion 103 by supporters 66 made of a tubular fiber member through which the shin portion 103 is inserted. The direction operation bar 34 and the connecting bar 36 are attached to the rotation shaft 31 at a height position that matches the position of the mounting fixture 35A.

[0041] According to the travel direction operation mechanism 30A of the second embodiment, the user 100 can freely change the direction of the casters 16 by moving the leg portion 103 left and right. In addition, according to the travel direction operation mechanism 30A of the second embodiment and the wheelchair 10A equipped with the same, various operational effects similar to those described in the first embodiment can be achieved.

[0042] 3. Other embodiments: The configuration of each of the above-mentioned embodiments can be modified, for example, as follows. In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the holding member 33 may be omitted. Also, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the rotating shaft 31 may be connected to the caster 16 without the joint member 32. For example, the rotating shaft 31 may be integrated with the connecting shaft portion 41 of the caster connecting portion 29, thereby being connected to the caster 16. In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the traveling direction operation mechanism 30, 30A may be configured so that the attachment 35, 35A is attached to the thigh of the leg 101 or to the part of the foot between the ankle and the toe. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 10, 10A...wheelchair, 11...seat portion, 12...backrest portion, 13...armrest portion, 14...footrest portion, 15...wheel, 16...caster, 17...hand rim, 18...grip, 20...frame, 23...side frame, 24...vertical frame, 29...caster connecting portion, 30, 30A...travel direction control mechanism, 31...rotating shaft, 32...joint member, 33...holding member, 34...direction control bar, 35, 35A...mounting device, 36...connecting bar, 40...tubular portion, 41...connecting shaft portion, 42...caster holding portion, 43...screw portion, 44...engaged portion, 45...engaged portion, 46...connecting portion, 47...upper end hole portion, 50...through hole, 55...first portion, 56...second portion, 57...recessed portion, 58...insertion hole, 60, 60A...mounting frame member, 61...side frame portion, 62...connecting frame portion, 64...first supporter, 65...second supporter, 66...supporting supporter, 100...user, 101...leg, 102...knee portion, 103...shin portion

Claims

1. A wheelchair travel direction control mechanism including a pair of wheels attached to the left and right sides of a seat and a pair of casters provided in front of the pair of wheels so as to be rotatable in the left and right directions, a rotating shaft that is disposed in the vertical direction above at least one of the pair of casters, the lower end of which is connected to the caster, and the rotating shaft rotates integrally with the rotation of the caster in the left-right direction; A direction operation bar that is connected to a side surface of the rotating shaft and rotates in a circumferential direction of the rotating shaft integrally with the axial rotation of the rotating shaft; A wearing device that is worn on the knees or shins of a user of the wheelchair; a connecting bar having one end rotatably connected to the mounting tool and the other end rotatably connected to the direction operation bar; A wheelchair travel direction control mechanism that enables the direction of the casters to be changed by moving the user's knees or shins left and right.

2. 2. The wheelchair travel direction control mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a holding member having an insertion hole through which the rotating shaft is inserted so as to be rotatable about its axis, the holding member being fixed to a vertical frame to which the caster is connected.

3. The casters and the vertical frames are connected via caster connectors formed to protrude from the lower ends of the vertical frames, 3. The wheelchair travel direction control mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the rotating shaft is connected to an upper end of the caster connecting portion via a joint member that can be fitted to an upper end of the caster.

4. A wheelchair comprising the travel direction operation mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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