Wheelchair Restraint Latch With Guide Surfaces for Easy Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wheelchair restraint mechanisms using strikers and latches require precise alignment, which can be challenging when either component is not visible, leading to potential failure in restraining the wheelchair.
Innovation Solution
A wheelchair restraint mechanism featuring an engagement target portion with a rod-shaped striker and an engagement portion comprising a housing member, a latch, and a guide member with decreasingly spaced guide surfaces, facilitating easy alignment and stable restraint of the wheelchair.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a striker and latch mechanism is used for wheelchair restraint, then the restraint function is achieved, but precise alignment between striker and latch becomes difficult when either component is not visible
Solution Approach 1:
A guide member is introduced as an intermediary component between the striker and latch. The guide member includes guide surfaces that direct the striker into proper alignment with the latch during the engagement process, eliminating the need for direct visual alignment between the striker and latch while maintaining reliable restraint function
Solution Approach 2:
The guide surfaces on the guide member perform preliminary alignment action before the striker reaches the latch. By providing a tapered or angled guide surface, the striker is automatically directed into the correct position as it approaches, ensuring proper alignment occurs automatically before the final engagement moment
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a wheelchair restraint mechanism that renders easy alignment between a striker and a latch. One mode of the present disclosure is a wheelchair restraint mechanism for restraining a wheelchair to a restraining member installed on a vehicle. The wheelchair restraint mechanism includes an engagement target portion and an engagement portion. The engagement target portion includes a striker having a rod shape extending in up-down directions. The engagement portion includes: a housing member to house the striker; a latch to limit separation of the striker from the housing member; and a guide member to guide the striker towards the housing member. The guide member includes a first guide surface and a second guide surface, which face each other in width directions of the wheelchair and have a distance therebetween decreasing towards the housing member.