EP0214838B1

EP0214838B1 - Locating wheelchairs, primarily in vehicles

Info

Publication number: EP0214838B1
Application number: EP86306819A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Robert John Parsons
Original assignee: METRO-CAMMELL WEYMANN Ltd
Current assignee: METRO-CAMMELL WEYMANN LIMITED
Priority date: 1985-09-07
Filing date: 1986-09-03
Publication date: 1989-11-08
Also published as: NO863562L; GB2180507A; NO863562D0; GB2180507B; EP0214838A3; DE3666775D1; DK425786D0; EP0214838A2; GB8522263D0; DK425786A

Description

The invention relates to means for locating a wheelchair, primarily in a moving vehicle, for example a road vehicle, although it might be applicable to other situations.
Many wheelchairs have a brake which can be applied by the occupant, and can be arranged to remain applied without calling for further attention from the occupant. Whilst this prevents most movements of the wheelchair it could tilt or slide with respect to the floor, or the brake could be inadvertently released. It may therefore be desirable to restrain the wheelchair more positively against unexpected movement, especially in a moving vehicle, such as a road vehicle, ship or aircraft.
When a person in a wheelchair is to use a taxi it is usual to transfer that person from the wheelchair to a conventional fixed seat and then fold the chair and stow it separately. This is often inconvenient, indeed very difficult in the case of a severely handicapped person, and there remains the problem of where to stow the empty wheelchair.
It is therefore advantageous, particularly in vehicles, to have a positive locating arrangement which can accommodate wheelchairs of many different specifications, with the occupant remaining in his wheelchair.
All the same there will be occasions when the space in the vehicle is required by an able-bodied passenger and so the locating means should not prevent normal use of the space that a wheelchair would occupy.
Accordingly, it is the aim of the present invention to provide locating means for wheelchairs of differing designs which prevents sudden movement of the chair relative to its supporting surface and which do not obtrude and inconvenience able-bodied people in the vicinity, and which may be used by the occupant of the wheelchair without undue external assistance.
We are aware of German Patent Application No. DE 32 04665 which discloses a wheelchair restraining system in which a wheelchair and its occupant is restrained from movement in a vehicle. The back of the frame of the wheelchair is gripped by two arms extending from two vertical pillars behind the wheelchair. The wheelchair is further restrained by attaching a flexible belt to a mounting component at the rear of the wheelchair frame, the belt extending from a floor- mounting device which can apply tension to the belt. A padded back rest extends from the pillars towards the shoulders and back of the occupant of the wheelchair, and a head rest is mounted on the back rest. A conventional over-the-shoulder seat belt is mounted on one of the pillars and is releasably secured to the mounting component of the wheelchair frame to urge the occupant of the wheelchair against the back of the wheelchair and against the backrest of the restraining system. The seat belt also urges the wheel chair, via its occupant, towards the two arms which hold it away from the pillars. A padded bar can be swung down to one side of the wheelchair to provide lateral support for one shoulder of the occupant of the wheelchair.
According to the invention a wheelchair locating system capable of holding wheels of a wheelchair against a restraining surface comprises a generally flat panel defining the restraining surface, restraining means in the form of one or more extendible flexible members provided with attachment devices by which the wheelchair may be releasably secured to the flexible member or members, a restraining device from which the flexible member or members are extendible, the restraining device comprising resilient retracting means adapted to draw the flexible member or members automatically towards the restraining surface so as to urge the wheels of the wheelchair against the restraining surface, and a locking device which can place the restraining device in a first or second state independently of the position of the flexible member or members, the restraining device in the first state allowing the member or members to be manually extended against the action of the resilient retracting means and in the second state preventing them from extension and thereby holding the wheelchair against the restraining surface.
Preferably tilt-restraining surfaces are provided on each side of the position in which the wheelchair is to be restrained, to prevent the wheelchair sliding sideways.
In a preferred embodiment the restraining means and flexible members comprise a retractable inertia reel belt system modified by the addition of a device for locking the reel at will.
The wheelchair locking system may be such that when in position the wheelchair is partially received within a recess. Preferably the recess is within a substantially vertical structure, and the tilt restraining surfaces may define, at least in part, the recess.
It is preferable to incorporate warning means to indicate whether the system is in the free or locked condition.
An advantage of the preferred embodiment is that the wheelchair can be attached to the locking system entirely by the occupant whilst the is in the wheelchair, and the use of flexible members of webbing like seat belts allows the use of the system with virtually any design of wheelchair.
An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of part of a taxi which incorporates an embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of part of the interior of the vehicle of Figure 1; and
Figure 3 is a schematic side view of part of the inside of the vehicle of Figure 1, showing a wheelchair in place.

A taxi, basically similar to a conventional London taxi, has the usual partition 1 behind the driver but instead of extending straight across it is joggled so that the portion 2 that is not behind the driver is displaced forwards of the remainder; this reduces to some extent the space available for luggage alongside the driver but it allows sufficient floor space in the rear compartment, at least on one side, to accommodate a wheelchair in its erected condition, complete with occupant, between the partition 1. and the rear seat 3, in the recess thus defined.
The wheelchair will normally be placed with its back to the partition 1 as shown, although it could in theory face either way. To locate it in place during travel.we provide a restraining system comprising a reel 4 mounted at the foot of the partition 1, with a belt 5 of flexible webbing projecting through a slot 6 in the partition 1 into the passenger compartment. The belt 5 splits into two portions 7, each terminating in a readily releasable clip 8 capable of being easily clipped by hand onto any convenient part of the structure of a wheelchair. The clips 8 may for example be like the spring shackles used in sailing or the spring Karabiner links used by climbers.
The reel 4 is similar to a conventional inertia reel used for vehicle seat belt restraints, and has the usual recoil spring that is trying to wind the belt up onto the reel, but is modified by the addition of a solenoid-released pawl engaging a ratchet on the reel. When the solenoid is not energised the pawl engages the ratchet and prevents the belt from being extended. When the occupant of a wheelchair is to enter the taxi the driver energises the solenoid by means of a switch 9 on the dashboard, freeing the belt. The occupant of the wheelchair (or another person) can pull the belt out as far as necessary and then manually engage the clips 8 over two suitable laterally spaced parts of the chair. The recoil spring takes up the slack in the belt and pulls the wheelchair against the partition 1. The driver then de-energises the solenoid again and the belt is locked against further extension, so that the wheelchair is securely located.
There is a warning light 10 on the dashboard to remind the driver when the switch 9 is on, i.e. when the belt 5, 7 is unlocked.
At least the left-hand door of the taxi is wide enough to accommodate all the `normal kinds of wheelchair. The wheelchair may be wheeled up a removable ramp, and the occupant can clip the belt 5, 7 onto it while still facing across the taxi if he finds that easier, then he turns it to face the rear and the driver engages the pawl to hold the chair snugly in the recess and against the partition. On reaching the destination the driver closes the switch again to release the belt and allow the occupant to move it away from the partition 1 and disengage the clips.
It will be appreciated that the belt 5 can be left fully retracted in normal use of the taxi, only the ends 7 protruding, so it does not interfere with normal use by able-bodied passengers, and both halves of the partition 1 can carry the usual "jump seats" 11.
There may be sockets or buckles provided at the appropriate points for a separate seat belt (for example of the usual lap-and-diagonal strap type) to be fitted to restrain the occupant of the wheelchair himself. These would, for example, be in the partition 1 and the door pillar, as indicated at 12. instead of being in the partition, it will be appreciated that the restraining system could be in another surface, even the floor, and in each case it acts to hold the wheelchair firmly against that surface. In the arrangement described, the partition, by virtue of its shape, defines a recess with vertical sides, into which the wheelchair enters, and these sides help to prevent the chair tilting sideways as the taxi goes round corners.
The retracting force of the reel 4 could be made much greater than that of an orthodox seat belt reel, so as to be capable of exerting a sufficient pull on the wheelchair to pull it positively into place against the partition. In that case there may be provision for disengaging the retracting force while the belt is being pulled out and attached to the chair. In another modification (especially where the invention is used in a private vehicle rather than a taxi) the locking and unlocking of the reel may be arranged to be controlled by the occupant of the wheelchair rather than by the driver.

Claims

1. A wheelchair locating system capable of holding wheels of a wheelchair against a restraining surface (2), comprising a generally flat panel defining the restraining surface (2) restraining means in the form of one or more extendible flexible members (5, 7) provided with attachment devices (8) by which the wheelchair may be releasably secured to the flexible member or members (5, 7), a restraining device from which the flexible member or members (5, 7) are extendible, the restraining device comprising resilient retracting means adapted to draw the flexible member or members (5, 7) automatically towards the restraining surface (2) as to urge the wheels of the wheelchair against the restraining surface (2), and a locking device which can place the restraining device in a first or second state independently of the position of the flexible member or members (5, 7), the restraining device in the first state allowing the member or members (5, 7) to be manually extended against the action of the resilient retracting means and in the second state preventing them from extension and thereby holding the wheelchair against the restraining surface (2).

2. A wheelchair locating system according to Claim 1 characterised in that the resilient retracting means of the restraining device is a retractable inertia reel (4) and the locking device comprises a pawl co-operating with the reel (4), the arrangement being such that when the restraining device is in the second state the reel (4) is locked by the co-operation of the pawl with the reel (4), and when the restraining device is in the first state the pawl is released and the flexible member or members (5, 7) tensioned automatically by the retracting means.

3. A wheelchair locating system according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 characterised in that it includes warning means (10) to indicate whether the system is in the first or the second state.

4. A wheelchair locating system according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 characterised in that tilt restraining surfaces (1) are provided on each side of the position in which the wheelchair is to be restrained.

5. A wheel chair locating system according to any preceding claim characterised in that the locking device is controlled by a control (9) remote from the restraining device.

6. A wheel chair locating system according to Claim 5 characterised in that the control (9) comprises an electrical switch.

7. A motor vehicle provided with a wheelchair locating system according to any preceding claim.

8. A motor vehicle according to Claim 7 characterised in that a driver's compartment is located forward of a passenger compartment and is separated from it by a transverse partition (1) which is stepped forwards in the region away from the driver to define a recess between the step in the partition and the side wall of the vehicle so that the recess provides a larger space in the passenger compartment in the region away from the driver than is present behind the driver, and in which the wheelchair locating system is arranged so as to locate a wheelchair in the recess.

9. A motor vehicle according to Claim 7 or Claim 8 characterised in that the wheel chair locating system is adapted to locate the wheel chair with the occupant facing rearwards of the vehicle.

10. A motor vehicve according to any one of Claims 7 to 9 characterised in that the locking device is controlled by a control provided adjacent the driving seat of the vehicle.