Transport vehicle travel device and swivel locking mechanism for transport vehicle travel device

Abstract

To provide a carrier travel device capable of facilitating carrying work when carrying a carrier after removal thereof from the carrier.SOLUTION: A carrier travel device comprises: a lock hole part 24 disposed in either one of a connection base part 8, and a frame part 2 rotated integrally with a handlebar part and a driving wheel; a lock piece support part 41 configured to perform position-switching between an operation position that cause a lock piece part 47 to be inserted into the lock hole part 24 and a standby position that does not cause the insertion; and a lock working operation part 33 configured to cause the lock piece support part 41 to perform the position-switching. The carrier travel device brings the lock piece support part 41 to the operation position to cause the lock piece part 47 to be inserted into the lock hole part 24, so as to bring the frame part 2 and the connection base part 8 into a lock state of disabling rotation thereof, while bringing the lock piece support part 41 to the standby position of enabling rotation thereof.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a carrier traveling device that is connected to a wheelchair or a cart and travels electrically, and a turning lock mechanism for the carrier traveling device.

Background Art

[0002] In the case of a wheelchair or a cart that is manually driven, the burden on the person who drives these is large. In order to reduce this burden, for example, in Patent Document 1, an electric traveling device (drive mechanism in Patent Document 1) that can be connected to a wheelchair has been proposed. Such a conventional traveling device includes a drive wheel rotated by a motor, a battery that supplies power to the motor, and a handle that changes the traveling direction of the drive wheel. By connecting such a traveling device to a wheelchair, the user seated on the wheelchair can operate and move it, so that the burden on the user can be reduced and the wheelchair can be traveled according to the user's own will.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The above-described conventional traveling device generally has a configuration that is detachably connected to a wheelchair and can be removed from the wheelchair and carried. However, since the handle and the drive wheel of the traveling device are rotatably provided, when removed from a wheelchair or the like, the handle or the like is likely to rotate and it is difficult to carry.

[0005] The present invention proposes a carrier traveling device that can easily perform a carrying operation when removed from a carrier such as a wheelchair and carried, and a turning lock mechanism for the carrier traveling device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention relates to a transporter equipped with a passenger compartment capable of carrying a person or object and wheels supporting the passenger compartment, and to a transporter that is detachably connected to the transporter and driven by an operator, comprising a connecting base portion connected to the transporter, and a vertical pivot shaft portion rotatably supported on the connecting base portion, which rotates integrally a drive wheel provided at its lower end and a handle portion provided at its upper end, and the transporter is driven by driving the drive wheel, wherein the transporter is driven by a pivot lock mechanism that converts a pivot frame portion, which is provided to rotate integrally with the pivot shaft portion, between a locked state in which it cannot rotate relative to the connecting base portion and an unlocked state in which it can rotate, and the pivot lock mechanism comprises a lock hole portion provided on one of the connecting base portion and the pivot frame portion and opening so as to face the other, and the connecting base portion and the pivot frame The transporter traveler is characterized by comprising: a lock piece portion provided on the other side of the portion and insertable into the lock hole portion; a lock piece support portion that supports the lock piece portion and changes its position between an operating position for insertion into the lock hole portion and a standby position for non-insertion; and a lock operation unit that changes the lock piece support portion between the operating position and the standby position; further comprising a lock piece support portion that allows the lock piece portion to move back and forth between an advanced position for insertion into the lock hole portion at the operating position and an advanced position for withdrawal from the lock hole portion, and a lock piece biasing means for biasing the lock piece portion in the direction of the advanced position; the lock state is achieved by setting the lock piece support portion to the operating position and inserting the lock piece portion into the lock hole portion, while the unlock state is achieved by setting the lock piece support portion to the standby position.

[0007] In this configuration, by operating the locking mechanism, the locking support is set to the operating position and locked, preventing the handle and drive wheels on the pivot axis from rotating relative to the connecting base. This makes it easier to carry the vehicle when it is detached from the transporter, as the handle and other parts cannot rotate when locked. Furthermore, the locked state also has the advantage of making it easier to store the vehicle in a carrying case or bag. When connected to a transporter, the vehicle can be driven by the operator operating the handle when the vehicle is unlocked. Thus, the configuration of the present invention allows for relatively easy conversion between a locked state and an unlocked state by operating the locking mechanism, and the aforementioned effects and advantages in both the locked and unlocked states can be easily obtained.

[0008] Furthermore, in the configuration of the present invention, the locking piece is disposed on the locking piece support so as to be movable forward and backward and is biased by the locking piece biasing means. By converting the locking piece support to the operating position with the locking piece and the locking hole facing each other, the locking piece is inserted into the locking hole and the device is locked. On the other hand, if the locking piece support is converted to the operating position with the locking piece and the locking hole misaligned, the locking piece cannot be inserted into the locking hole. However, because it is biased by the locking piece biasing means, by rotating the connecting base and the swivel frame relative to each other so that the locking piece and the locking hole face each other, the locking piece is inserted into the locking hole and the device is locked. Thus, even when the locking piece and the locking hole are misaligned, the device can be locked relatively easily.

[0009] In the transporter travel device of the present invention described above, a configuration is proposed in which one of the connecting base portion and the swivel frame portion, which is provided with a locking hole portion, is provided on both sides of the locking hole portion along the rotational direction of the swivel frame portion, and is equipped with an inclined guide surface portion that slopes from the edge of the locking hole portion toward the position where the locking piece portion extends.

[0010] In this configuration, with the locking piece and the locking hole not facing each other, the locking piece support is converted to the operating position, and then the connecting base and the swivel frame are rotated relative to each other. This causes the locking piece to be pressed toward the exit position by the inclined guide surface and guided into the locking hole, where it is inserted. Thus, even when the locking piece and the locking hole are not facing each other, the locking state can be easily achieved.

[0011] Furthermore, the present invention is provided for a transport vehicle travel device that moves the transport vehicle by the drive of the drive wheel, comprising: a connecting base portion that is detachably connected to a transport vehicle capable of carrying a person or object; and a vertical pivot shaft portion that is rotatably supported on the connecting base portion and rotates integrally a drive wheel provided at its lower end and a handle portion provided at its upper end; a lock hole portion provided on one of the swivel frame portion and the connecting base portion, which is provided so as to rotate integrally with the pivot shaft portion and is open to face the other; a lock piece portion provided on the other of the connecting base portion and the swivel frame portion, which is insertable into the lock hole portion; and a lock piece support that supports the lock piece portion and changes its position between an operating position in which it is inserted into the lock hole portion and a standby position in which it is not inserted. The swivel lock mechanism for a transport vehicle travel device comprises a holding portion and a lock operation operation portion for converting the lock piece support portion between the operating position and the standby position, and further comprises a lock piece support portion that is capable of moving the lock piece portion forward to a position in which it is inserted into the lock hole portion at the operating position and a position in which it is withdrawn from the lock hole portion, and a lock piece biasing means for biasing the lock piece portion toward the forward position, and is characterized in that by setting the lock piece support portion to the operating position and inserting the lock piece portion into the lock hole portion, the swivel frame portion is made non-rotatable relative to the connecting base portion, and by setting the lock piece support portion to the standby position, the swivel frame portion is made rotatable relative to the connecting base portion, thereby converting to a locked state.

[0012] In such a configuration, the mechanism may be installed in a transport vehicle travel device that moves transport vehicles such as wheelchairs or trolleys. A transport vehicle travel device equipped with this swivel lock mechanism can achieve the same effects as the transport vehicle travel device of the present invention described above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the transport device of the present invention, the device can be easily carried by locking it, and it can be easily switched between the locked and unlocked states.

[0014] Furthermore, according to the swivel lock mechanism for transport vehicle travel device of the present invention, a transport vehicle travel device equipped with the swivel lock mechanism achieves the same effects as the transport vehicle travel device of the present invention described above. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a side view showing the transport vehicle travel device 1 of the embodiment connected to the wheelchair 101. [Figure 2] (A) A side view and (B) a rear view of the transport vehicle traveling device 1. [Figure 3] This is an enlarged view showing the lower part of the transport vehicle travel device 1, with a portion cut out, illustrating the swivel locking mechanism 21 in its unlocked state. [Figure 4] This is an enlarged view showing the lower part of the transport vehicle travel device 1, with a portion cut out, illustrating the swivel locking mechanism 21 in the locked state. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the locking mechanism 33. [Figure 6] (A) is a bottom view and (B) is a cross-sectional view along line XX of frame section 2. [Figure 7] This is an explanatory diagram showing how the locking piece 47 is guided into the locking hole 24 by the inclined guide surface 26. [Figure 8] This is an explanatory diagram showing how the locking piece 47, which continues from Figure 7, is guided. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] An embodiment embodying the wheelchair according to the present invention will be described in detail below. As shown in FIG. 1, the carrier traveling device 1 of the present embodiment is for a wheelchair 101 that is connected to and used with the wheelchair 101. It is operated by a user sitting on the wheelchair 101 and can electrically drive the wheelchair 101 to travel. The carrier traveling device 1 of the present embodiment can be connected to a wheelchair 101 having a general configuration via a connecting member 91. In the present embodiment, the front-rear, left-right directions are defined as viewed from the user sitting on the wheelchair 101.

[0017] The wheelchair 101 includes a main body frame 102 made of metal pipes and left and right main wheels 103 rotatably supported by the main body frame 102. The main body frame 102 includes a pair of left and right seat frame portions 106 that constitute a seating portion (not shown) on which the user sits, left and right foot frame portions 107 respectively extending downward from the front ends of the respective seat frame portions 106, a pair of left and right base frame portions 108 that support the main wheels 103, and backrest frame portions 109 respectively protruding upward from the rear ends of the respective base frame portions 108.

[0018] The left and right seat frame parts 106 described above are respectively arranged along the front-rear direction, and a cloth-like member (not shown) is spanned between the left and right seat frame parts 106 to form the seating part. A footrest part (not shown) for the user to place their feet is attached to the lower part of the foot frame part 107 so that its height position can be changed. The base frame part 108 described above is provided below the seat frame part 106 and is inclined downward to the front side, and its front end is connected to the lower end of the foot frame part 107. And, an axle part 111 is spanned between the left and right base frame parts 108 and is rotatably supported, and the main wheels 103 are respectively attached to both left and right ends of the axle part 111. Further, a caster 112 is attached to the front end of the base frame part 108. The backrest frame part 109 described above is connected to the rear end of the seat frame part 106 and is located behind the seating part. And, a cloth-like member (not shown) is spanned between the left and right backrest frame parts 109 to form a backrest part (not shown) for supporting the back of the seated user. Incidentally, since such a wheelchair 101 has a general configuration, detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0019] On the other hand, the carrier traveling device 1 is connected to the wheelchair 101 via a connecting member 91 attached to the front part of the wheelchair 101. This connecting member 91 is attached to a front frame part (not shown) spanned between the front ends of the left and right base frame parts 108 described above and is arranged so as to project forward of the wheelchair 101. And, a connecting part 92 that is detachably connected to a connecting base part 8 provided at the lower part of the carrier traveling device 1 is provided at the front end of the connecting member 91. Incidentally, since a conventionally known configuration can be applied to the connecting member 91, detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2, the transport vehicle travel device 1 has a connecting base 8 at its lower part, and a vertically rotating shaft 7 is rotatably supported on the connecting base 8. A frame 2 surrounding the rotating shaft 7 is disposed on the connecting base 8, and the frame 2 is fixed to the rotating shaft 7 so that they can rotate together. A handle 4 operated by the user is connected to the upper end of the rotating shaft 7, and a drive wheel 5 is connected to the lower end of the rotating shaft 7 via a drive wheel support 15. The handle 4 is equipped with steering rods 11, 11 that protrude to the left and right, respectively, and the user rotates the drive wheel 5 in the left and right directions by gripping the left and right steering rods 11, 11 and turning the handle 4 in the left and right directions. In this way, the user can change the direction of travel of the drive wheel 5 by rotating the handle 4.

[0021] The transport vehicle travel device 1 is equipped with a motor (not shown) that rotates the drive wheels 5, and a battery (not shown) that supplies power to the motor is located inside a battery case 3 provided at the rear of the frame 2. Furthermore, a control device (not shown) that controls the power supply from the battery to the motor is provided, and the motor is driven and controlled via this control device when an accelerator (not shown) provided on the steering stick 11 on the right side of the handle 4 is operated. In addition, a brake lever (not shown) is provided on the left side of the steering stick 11, and the brake is activated when this brake lever is operated. The brake is electrically operated, and a conventionally known configuration can be applied.

[0022] In this way, the transport vehicle travel device 1 can be driven by the user by operating the acrylic lever on the handle 4 to electrically rotate the drive wheels 5, and the direction of travel of the drive wheels 5 can be changed by rotating the handle 4. Furthermore, the rotation of the drive wheels 5 can be stopped by operating the brake lever on the handle 4 while traveling.

[0023] The essential parts of the present invention will be described below. The transport vehicle travel device 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a swivel lock mechanism 21 that can switch the swivel shaft 7 between a rotatable unlocked state and a non-rotatable locked state relative to the connecting base 8 connected to the wheelchair 101. Here, the frame 2, handle 4, and drive wheels 5 are provided to rotate integrally with the swivel shaft 7, so they are non-rotatable in the locked state and can rotate integrally with the swivel shaft 7 in the unlocked state.

[0024] As shown in Figure 3, the swivel lock mechanism 21 is provided on the lower part of the frame portion 2 and the connecting base portion 8, and consists of a lock hole portion 24, insertion recesses 25, 25 and inclined guide surfaces 26, 26 provided on the lower part of the frame portion 2, and a mechanism base portion 31, a lock piece support portion 41 and a lock operation portion 33 provided on the connecting base portion 8.

[0025] As shown in Figure 6, the lower part of the frame portion 2 is provided with a downward-opening lock hole portion 24 located directly above the connecting base portion 8 when the drive wheel 5 is facing forward (see Figures 1 and 2). The lock hole portion 24 is sized and shaped to allow the lock piece portion 47, which will be described later, to be inserted and removed. On both the left and right sides of this lock hole portion 24, there are insertion recesses 25, 25 that open downward. The left and right insertion recesses 25, 25 have dimensions in the front-to-back direction and left-to-right direction that are larger than the inner diameter of the lock hole portion 24, and are formed to allow the lock piece portion 47 to be inserted. Each insertion recess 25, 25 is provided with inclined guide surfaces 26, 26 that incline upward from the left and right edges of the lock hole portion 24.

[0026] As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the connecting base portion 8 is provided with the mechanism base portion 31, the lock piece support portion 41, and the lock operation operation portion 33. At the rear of the connecting base portion 8, a pair of left and right mounting sides 28, 28 are provided, facing each other at a predetermined distance in the left-right direction, and a gap is formed between the left and right mounting sides 28, 28 that opens upward (and downward) and to the rear. The mechanism base portion 31 is disposed between these left and right mounting sides 28, 28 and is fixed to the mounting sides 28, 28. The rear portion of the mechanism base portion 31 is positioned to protrude further rearward than the mounting sides 28, 28, and a first operating hole portion 35 that penetrates in the vertical direction is provided at the rear portion. Furthermore, the mechanism base portion 31 is provided with a second operating hole portion 36 that penetrates in the vertical direction at the portion facing the lock hole portion 24 of the frame portion 2 when the drive wheel 5 is facing forward.

[0027] The mechanism base 31 is supported by a lock piece support 41, which includes a fitting rod 42 fitted into the first operating hole 35 so as to be vertically movable and a fitting cylindrical portion 43 fitted into the second operating hole 36 so as to be vertically movable, via a lock operation unit 33 connected to the upper end of the fitting rod 42. The lock piece support 41 includes a base 44 on which the fitting rod 42 and the fitting cylindrical portion 43 are erected front to back, and the base 44 is positioned below the mechanism base 31, with the fitting rod 42 fitted into the first operating hole 35 from below and the fitting cylindrical portion 43 fitted into the second operating hole 36 from below. The upper part of the fitting rod 42 protrudes upward from the first operating hole 35 and is pivotally supported by the lock operation unit 33 which is placed on the front upper surface of the mechanism base 31. The locking operation unit 33 has a pivot shaft 39 located near its left side, and the upper end of the insertion rod portion 42 is pivotally supported by this pivot shaft 39. As shown in Figure 5, when the locking operation unit 33 is tilted in the left-right direction, the insertion rod portion 42 moves vertically within the first operating hole portion 35, and the lock piece support portion 41 moves up and down accordingly. That is, the lock piece support portion 41 is in its lowest position when the locking operation unit 33 is tilted to the left (see Figure 5(A)) and in its highest position when the locking operation unit 33 is tilted to the right (see Figure 5(B)). In this embodiment, the locking operation unit 33 is configured to be held in both the left-tilted and right-tilted positions, respectively.

[0028] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the insertion cylinder portion 43 of the lock piece support portion 41 is cylindrical and is fixed to the base portion 44 by passing through it vertically. The lock piece portion 47 is fitted inside this insertion cylinder portion 43 so as to be able to move up and down, and the lock piece portion 47 is biased upward by a coil spring 48 disposed inside the insertion cylinder portion 43. Here, the upper part of the lock piece portion 47 is provided so as to be insertable from below into the lock hole portion 24 of the frame portion 2, and a male screw portion (not shown) is formed at the lower part, and a nut 49 is screwed onto the lower part which protrudes downward from the base portion 44. This nut 49 sets the upper limit of the extended position in which the lock piece portion 47 can move upward according to the biasing force of the coil spring 48. This extended position is the relative position of the lock piece portion 47 on the lock piece support portion 41, and is set so that the upper end of the lock piece portion 47 does not protrude upward from the upper surface of the connecting base portion 8 when the lock piece support portion 41 is in the lowest position (Figure 3). In this way, the lock piece portion 47 is disposed to be vertically movable relative to the lock piece support portion 41, and can also move downward relative to the extended position against the biasing force of the coil spring 48. Furthermore, since the lock piece portion 47 is disposed on the lock piece support portion 41, it moves up and down integrally with the position change of the lock piece support portion 41 between the lowest and uppermost positions.

[0029] As shown in Figures 3 and 5(A), the swivel lock mechanism 21 of this embodiment is held in the lowest position by tilting the lock operating unit 33 to the left, so that the lock piece support unit 41 is held in the lowest position and the lock piece 47 in the extended position does not protrude from the upper surface of the connecting base unit 8. In this state, the frame unit 2 (swivel shaft unit 7) is rotatable relative to the connecting base unit 8, in other words, the handle unit 4 and the drive wheel 5 are in an unlocked state where they can rotate freely. From this state, as shown in Figures 4 and 5(B), when the lock operating unit 33 is tilted to the right, the lock piece support unit 41 moves from the lowest position to the uppermost position and is held there. At this time, if the lock piece 47 is located directly below the lock hole 24 of the frame unit 2 (with the drive wheel 5 facing forward), the lock piece 47 is inserted into the lock hole 24. As a result, the frame section 2 (swivel shaft section 7) becomes unable to rotate relative to the connecting base section 8, and the handle section 4 and drive wheel 5 become locked in a non-rotating state.

[0030] On the other hand, when the locking operation unit 33 is tilted to the right, if the locking piece 47 is displaced from the position directly below the locking hole 24, the locking piece 47 will be inserted into the insertion recess 25 adjacent to the locking hole 24, for example, as shown in Figure 7(A). In this state, the locking piece 47 can move left and right within the insertion recess 25, and therefore the locking state is not achieved. After this, by rotating the connecting base 8 and the frame 2 relative to each other, the locking piece 47 will be brought closer to the position directly below the locking hole 24, and as shown in Figure 7(B), the locking piece 47 will come into contact with the inclined guide surface 26 of the insertion recess 25, causing it to move downward against the biasing force of the coil spring 48. By further rotation, as shown in Figure 8(A), when the locking piece 47 comes into contact with the edge of the locking hole 24, it will be in a position where it has exited the insertion recess 25 (and the locking hole 24). Then, when the locking piece 47 is positioned directly below the locking hole 24, as shown in Figure 8(B), the locking piece 47 moves upward according to the biasing force of the coil spring 48 and is inserted into the locking hole 24. This results in the locked state. The locked state can also be achieved by rotating the connecting base 8 and the frame 2 relative to each other after tilting the locking operation unit 33 to the right. This is because the locking piece 47 is provided to move back and forth between the extended position and the position where it has retracted from the insertion recess 25 (and the locking hole 24) by the coil spring 48.

[0031] As described above, the transport vehicle 1 equipped with the swivel lock mechanism 21 is used by being connected to the wheelchair 101, and can be electrically driven by a user seated in the wheelchair 101. When connected to the wheelchair 101, the swivel lock mechanism 21 is in the unlocked state, allowing the user to operate the handle 4 to determine the direction of travel. Furthermore, when not in use, the transport vehicle 1 can be detached from the wheelchair 101 for storage or transport. When storing or transporting the vehicle, locking the swivel lock mechanism 21 prevents the handle 4 and drive wheels 5 from rotating, making storage and transport operations easier. In addition, maintaining the locked state while attaching the transport vehicle 1 to the wheelchair 101 makes the attachment process easier. This conversion between the locked and unlocked states can be performed relatively easily by tilting the lock operation unit 33.

[0032] In the embodiment described above, the wheelchair 101 corresponds to the transport body according to the present invention. The seating portion of the wheelchair 101 corresponds to the passenger seat portion according to the present invention, and the main wheel 103 corresponds to the wheel according to the present invention. The user of the wheelchair 101 corresponds to the operator according to the present invention. The frame portion 2 corresponds to the swivel frame portion according to the present invention. The lowest position of the lock piece support portion 41 when the lock operation unit 33 is tilted to the left (see Figure 5(A)) corresponds to the standby position according to the present invention, and the highest position of the lock piece support portion 41 when the lock operation unit 33 is tilted to the right (see Figure 5(B)) corresponds to the operating position according to the present invention. When the lock piece support portion 41 is in the highest position, the position where the lock piece portion 47 has retracted from the insertion recess 25 and the lock hole portion 24 (see Figure 8(A)) corresponds to the retracted position according to the present invention. The coil spring 48 corresponds to the lock piece biasing means according to the present invention.

[0033] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the dimensions and shapes of each part in the embodiments described above can be changed as appropriate. In the embodiment, the connecting base is provided with a mechanism base, a lock support piece, and a lock operation unit that constitute the swivel lock mechanism. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and these components may also be provided on the frame. That is, the frame is provided with the mechanism base, the lock support piece, and the lock operation unit, while the connecting base is provided with a lock hole and an insertion recess (inclined guide surface). Even with such a configuration, the same effects and advantages as in the embodiment described above can be achieved. In this embodiment, the lock piece support is configured to bias the lock piece to the extended position using a coil spring, but it is not limited to a coil spring; for example, a leaf spring or the like can also be used. In this embodiment, the insertion recess is configured to open only downwards. However, the embodiment is not limited to this configuration. The configuration may also include openings on the left and right outer sides (outer walls facing the inclined guide surface), allowing the locking piece to enter the insertion recess through the openings by rotating the connecting base and frame relative to each other. With this configuration, even if the rear of the connecting base and the lower part of the frame are not overlapping (their rotational positions are different), the locking piece can be inserted into the insertion recess and then inserted into the locking hole by operating the locking operation unit to set the locking piece support to the operating position, and then rotating the connecting base and frame relative to each other. In this embodiment, the transport vehicle is connected to the front of the wheelchair, but the configuration is not limited to this, and it is also possible to connect the transport vehicle to the rear of the wheelchair. In this case, the wheelchair caregiver acts as the operator. In the embodiment, a transport vehicle travel device connected to a wheelchair was used as an example, but it can be applied not only to wheelchairs but also to transport vehicle travel devices connected to a trolley. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0034] 1. Transport vehicle travel device 2 Frame section 3. Battery case section 4. Handle section 5 drive wheels 7. Swivel shaft 8. Connecting base section 11 Control stick 15 Drive wheel support 21 Swivel locking mechanism 24 Lock hole section 25 Insertion recess 26 Inclined guide surface section 28 Mounting side 31 Mechanism base 33 Locking mechanism 35 First working hole 36 Second working hole 39 Pivot axis 41 Locking piece support 42 Inset rod part 43 Fitting cylinder part 44 Base 47 Lock piece 48 Coil springs 49 Nuts 91 Connecting member 92 Connecting part 101 Wheelchair 102 Main frame 103 Main wheels 106 Seat frame section 107 Foot frame section 108 Base frame section 109 Backrest frame 111 Axle section 112 Caster

Claims

1. A transport body equipped with a passenger compartment capable of carrying a person or object and wheels supporting the passenger compartment is detachably connected to the transport body, and the transport body is driven by the operator's controls, A connecting base portion connected to the transport body, A vertical pivot shaft is rotatably supported on the aforementioned connecting base portion, and rotates integrally the drive wheel provided at the lower end and the handle portion provided at the upper end. A transport vehicle transport device comprising the drive wheels, which drives the transport vehicle, The swivel frame, which is provided to rotate integrally with the swivel shaft, is equipped with a swivel locking mechanism that converts between a locked state where it cannot rotate relative to the connecting base and an unlocked state where it can rotate. The aforementioned swivel locking mechanism is A locking hole is provided on one of the connecting base portion and the swivel frame portion, and is open to face the other. A locking piece is provided on the other side of the connecting base portion and the swivel frame portion, and is insertable into the locking hole portion, A locking piece support portion that supports the locking piece portion and changes its position between an operating position in which the locking piece portion is inserted into the locking hole portion and a standby position in which it is not inserted, A lock operation unit that converts the lock piece support between the operating position and the standby position. Equipped with, Furthermore, the lock piece support portion is provided so that the lock piece portion can move back and forth between an extended position in which it is inserted into the lock hole portion at the operating position and an extended position in which it is withdrawn from the lock hole portion, and is also provided with a lock piece biasing means for biasing the lock piece portion in the direction of the extended position. The locking state is achieved by inserting the locking piece into the locking hole with the locking piece support portion in the operating position, while the unlocked state is achieved by setting the locking piece support portion in the standby position. A transporter travel device characterized in that one of the connecting base portion and the swivel frame portion, which is provided with the lock hole portion, is provided on both sides of the lock hole portion along the rotational direction of the swivel frame portion and has an inclined guide surface portion that slopes from the edge of the lock hole portion toward the position in which the lock piece portion extends.

2. A connecting base that is detachably connected to a transport vehicle capable of carrying people or objects, A vertical pivot shaft portion is rotatably supported on the aforementioned connecting base portion, A swivel frame portion that rotates integrally with the aforementioned swivel shaft portion and A swivel lock mechanism for a transport vehicle travel device, used in a transport vehicle travel device equipped with the following: A locking hole is provided on one of the swivel frame portion and the connecting base portion, and is open to face the other. A locking piece is provided on the other side of the connecting base portion and the swivel frame portion, and is insertable into the locking hole portion, A locking piece support portion that supports the locking piece portion and changes its position between an operating position in which the locking piece portion is inserted into the locking hole portion and a standby position in which it is not inserted, A lock operation unit that converts the lock piece support between the operating position and the standby position. Equipped with, Furthermore, the lock piece support portion is provided so that the lock piece portion can move back and forth between an extended position in which it is inserted into the lock hole portion at the operating position and an extended position in which it is withdrawn from the lock hole portion, and is also provided with a lock piece biasing means for biasing the lock piece portion in the direction of the extended position. By setting the lock piece support portion to the operating position and inserting the lock piece portion into the lock hole portion, the system converts between a locked state, in which the swivel frame portion is unable to rotate relative to the connecting base portion, and an unlocked state, in which the swivel frame portion is rotatable relative to the connecting base portion, by setting the lock piece support portion to the standby position. A swivel locking mechanism for a transporter travel device, characterized in that one of the connecting base portion and the swivel frame portion, which is provided with the locking hole portion, is provided on both sides of the locking hole portion along the rotational direction of the swivel frame portion, and is provided with inclined guide surfaces that are inclined from the edge of the locking hole portion toward the position in which the locking piece portion extends.

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