JP2013009849A - Position control mechanism provided for wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a position control mechanism whose structure can be simplified and which can improve moving operability of a wheelchair travelling on a road surface inclining sideways.SOLUTION: The position control mechanism 10 controls the inclined position of the wheelchair 100 so that it may be horizontal on the road surface inclining sideways rightward or leftward with respect to the direction of its travel. The mechanism 10 includes: a tilt angle sensor 11 which detects the road surface inclining sideways; and a wheel up-and-down moving mechanism 12 which moves wheels 120 of the wheelchair 100 up and down on the basis of the tilt angle detected by the tilt angle sensor 11. The mechanism 10 is provided with: a motor 13a which is the power of moving the wheels 120 up and down; several trapezoidal threads 13b which rotate along with driving of the motor 13a; and a moving plate 13d which connects the trapezoidal threads 13b and moves up and down along with the rotation of the trapezoidal threads 13b in an up-and-down moving base 13 which is arranged in either one of the right and left frames 110 of the wheelchair 100.

Description

  The present invention relates to a posture control mechanism provided in a wheelchair, and relates to a mechanism for horizontally controlling a laterally inclined posture on a laterally inclined road surface inclined leftward or rightward with respect to the traveling direction of the wheelchair.

  Conventionally, as a mechanism for horizontally controlling the posture on a laterally inclined road surface that is inclined to the left or right with respect to the traveling direction of the wheelchair, for example, a wheelchair seat horizontal holding device described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed. This seat leveling device is provided between a base frame supported by front wheels and rear wheels and a seat frame for fixing the seat, and is electrically and automatically controlled by an inclination angle detection sensor in the front-rear direction and the lateral direction. The horizontal holding means is composed of an upper open U-shaped shaft support part provided with a bearing part and a lower open part provided with a bearing part that is phase-shifted by 90 degrees with the bearing part. Through a shaft support integrated with a U-shaped shaft support, a shaft support is provided in the center of the base frame on each bearing, and a shaft is provided in the center of the seat frame mounted thereon. The support is pivotally supported in a three-dimensionally intersecting state with the pivot shaft in the center, and the string-like object is tension-fixed in the vicinity of the lower part of the bearing part of the shaft support body, and the string-like object is provided on the base frame, In addition, a string-like object is tension-fixed to both swinging side portions of the seat frame, and the string-like object is provided on the shaft support. Back and forth in the tensioning directions by pull stage is always held horizontally the seat of the wheelchair to automatically control the inclination angle of the seat frame.

JP 2002-263144 A

  Since the posture control device described above (the seat level holding device described in Patent Document 1) holds the wheelchair seat horizontally, elements such as a shaft support and a traction means are engaged in a complicated manner. I think that it is difficult to prepare for the wheelchair currently used. In addition, a wheelchair equipped with this posture control device can hold the seat surface horizontally when traveling on an inclined surface that is inclined to the left or right side with respect to the traveling direction of the wheelchair. It is a state where the sum of the weight of the wheelchair and the weight of the occupant is concentrated on the wheel, and it is not easy for the occupant or the assistant to perform the moving operation.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a posture control mechanism that can simplify the structure and improve the operability of a wheelchair traveling on a laterally inclined road surface. Objective.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the wheel angle of the wheelchair is moved up and down based on the inclination angle detection sensor that detects a laterally inclined road surface that is inclined to the left or right side with respect to the traveling direction of the wheelchair, and the inclination angle of the inclination angle detection sensor. A posture control mechanism configured with a wheel vertical movement mechanism, a motor serving as power for moving the wheel up and down inside the vertical movement base provided in either the left or right frame of the wheelchair; Technical features include a plurality of trapezoidal screws that rotate as the motor is driven, and a moving plate that connects the trapezoidal screws and moves up and down as the trapezoidal screws rotate.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the structure of the posture control mechanism can be simplified because there are few components and it can be assembled to either the left side or the right side of the wheelchair. Moreover, since it becomes possible to apply a load equally to the left and right wheels by the attitude control mechanism, the mobility operability can be improved in a wheelchair traveling on a laterally inclined road surface.

The front view of the wheelchair provided with the attitude | position control mechanism of this invention is shown. It is a figure which shows the structure of the up-down action mechanism of this invention. It shows a wheelchair that travels while being controlled by the attitude control mechanism, and (a) a state of traveling on an inclined surface inclined to the left side (b) a state of traveling on a flat road (c) a state of traveling on an inclined surface inclined to the right side. Show. It is a figure which shows the structure of the up-and-down action mechanism in connection with Example 2.

Example 1
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The posture control mechanism 10 of the present invention is a mechanism for horizontally controlling a laterally inclined posture on a laterally inclined road surface inclined leftward or rightward with respect to the traveling direction of a wheelchair 100 having a pair of left and right wheels. As shown, an inclination angle detection sensor 11 that detects an inclination angle of a laterally inclined road surface, and either one of the left and right wheels of the wheelchair 100 is operated up and down based on information on the inclination angle of the inclination angle detection sensor 11. It is comprised with the wheel up-and-down action mechanism 12. Here, the laterally inclined road surface is a road surface that is inclined to the left side or the right side with respect to the traveling direction of the wheelchair 100 and is not inclined with respect to the front-rear direction of the traveling direction of the wheelchair 100.

First, the wheelchair 100 provided with the attitude | position control apparatus 10 is demonstrated.
As shown in FIG. 1, the wheelchair 100 includes a frame 110 that supports an occupant, wheels 120 disposed on the left and right of the frame 110, a braking mechanism 130 that brakes the wheels 120, and an attitude control device 10 that will be described later. The battery 140 is a power source.

  The frame 110 supports an occupant seated in the wheelchair 100, and includes a seat surface 111 on which the occupant can be seated, and a footrest 113 and a legrest 112 (not shown) that hold an occupant's legs seated on the seat surface 111. And a backrest 114 serving as a backrest for a passenger sitting on the seating surface 111, and an operation unit 115 (not shown) for allowing the assistant to move the wheelchair 100. Here, the operation unit 115 enables operation of a braking brake 131 of a braking mechanism 130 described later.

The wheels 120 are arranged on the left and right of the frame 110, and the wheelchair 100 is attached to a pair of left and right front wheels (hereinafter referred to as casters 121) that can be rotated about a vertical axis and a passenger seated on the seat surface 111. It consists of a pair of left and right rear wheels (hereinafter referred to as drive wheels 122) assembled so as to be able to move forward and backward.

  The braking mechanism 130 (not shown) is a mechanism that brakes the driving wheel 122 of the wheel 120, and a braking brake 131 that brakes the driving wheel 122 and a stop brake that prevents the driving wheel 122 from rotating unexpectedly. 132. The brake brake 131 has a general drum brake structure, and a brake operation is performed by the operation unit 115. Here, the stop brake 132 has a structure different from that of the brake brake 131 and stops the drive wheel 122 by a stopper pressing the drive wheel 122 by operating a lever. The wheelchair 100 is stopped mainly on an inclined surface. This is used when the passenger is to get on or off the wheelchair 100.

  The battery 140 serves as a power source for the wheel up-and-down operation mechanism 12 of the attitude control mechanism 10 to be described later, and can be a battery using lithium ions or a generator capable of obtaining power. good.

  In the present embodiment, the wheelchair 100 described above is driven by the human power of an occupant or an assistant, and is different from the electric wheelchair that drives the wheel 120 based on the electric power of the battery 140. When the electric wheelchair that drives the wheel 120 based on the electric power of the battery 140 includes the attitude control mechanism 10 described later, the battery 140 that drives the wheel 120 and the battery 140 that operates the attitude control mechanism 10 are shared. May be.

Next, the posture control mechanism 10 provided in the wheelchair 100 will be described.
An inclination angle detection sensor 11 constituting the posture control mechanism 10 is a sensor that detects an inclination angle of a laterally inclined road surface that is inclined leftward or rightward with respect to the traveling direction of the wheelchair 100. As shown in FIG. Is provided on the back side of the seating surface 111 on which is seated. The inclination angle detection sensor 11 may be any sensor such as an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, or a parallel sensor as long as the inclination angle of the laterally inclined road surface can be detected.

  The wheel up-and-down operation mechanism 12 constituting the posture control mechanism 10 is a device that vertically operates the wheel 122 assembled to the wheelchair 100, and is an occupant seated on the seat surface 111 of the wheelchair 100 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. On the other hand, the vertical operation base 13 is provided on either the left or right frame 110. The vertical operation base 13 includes a motor 13a serving as power for vertically operating the drive wheel 122b on the side where the wheel vertical operation mechanism 12 is provided, a plurality of trapezoidal screws 13b that rotate as the motor 13a is driven, The moving plate 13d moves upward or downward as the trapezoidal screw 13b rotates.

  The vertical operation base 13 enables the wheel vertical operation mechanism 12 to be assembled to the frame 110, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, either the left side or the right side of the occupant seated on the seat surface 111. One frame 110 is assembled so as to be movable up and down.

  The motor 13a is a power source that vertically moves the drive wheel 122b on the side where the wheel vertical operation mechanism 12 is assembled. As shown in FIG. It drives based on the electric power of the battery 140 with which the wheelchair 100 is equipped, operates the driving wheel 122b upward by rotating forward, and operates the driving wheel 122b downward by rotating backward. In this embodiment, the motor 13a rotates in the forward direction to actuate the driving wheel 122b in the upward direction and rotates in the reverse direction to actuate the driving wheel 122b in the downward direction. A structure may be employed in which the driving wheel 122b is operated in the upward direction by operating in the direction and reversely rotating.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the trapezoidal screw 13b is connected to the drive shaft of the motor 13a via a gear box so that the trapezoidal screw 13b can be rotated as the motor 13a is driven. Each of the trapezoidal screws 13b is arranged so as to be parallel to the side surface of the vertical operation base 13 one each forward and rearward with respect to the traveling direction of the wheelchair 100 inside the vertical operation base 13, and is provided with a nut 13c at substantially the center. . The nut 13c is provided so as to be inserted into the trapezoidal screw 13b and moves up and down as the trapezoidal screw 13b rotates. Here, the nut 13c is located at the approximate center of the trapezoidal screw 13b, which is the standard position of the wheel vertical operation mechanism 12, and when the inclination angle detection sensor 11 detects a laterally inclined road surface inclined to the left or right side, Move to.

  The moving plate 13d changes the load applied to the drive wheel 122b on the side where the wheel up-and-down operation mechanism 12 is assembled, and is provided so as to connect the nuts 13c provided to the two trapezoidal screws 13b as shown in FIG. As the nuts 13c move, they move up and down. The moving plate 13d is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and the axle of the drive wheel 122b can be inserted in the substantially center.

  Next, a procedure in which the posture control mechanism 10 provided in the wheelchair 100 moves the wheel 120 up and down will be described.

  The wheelchair 100 detects the lateral inclination angle of the road surface traveling by the inclination angle detection sensor 11. As shown in FIG. 3B, the inclination angle detection sensor 11 does not cause the wheel up-and-down operation mechanism 12 when the lateral inclination angle of the road surface is 0 degree. This is a state in which the wheelchair 100 is traveling on a flat road, and the vertical load of the weight of the wheelchair 100 and the weight of the occupant is equally applied to the left and right wheels 122. It can be done easily. Here, the wheel up-and-down operation mechanism 12 of the wheelchair 100 traveling on a flat road is in a state in which the moving plate 13d is disposed substantially at the center of the trapezoidal screw 13b, and moves when the inclination angle detection sensor 11 detects a laterally inclined road surface. The plate 13d is disposed at a position where it can move up and down.

  However, when the road surface is tilted to the left with respect to the traveling direction of the wheelchair 100, a downward component force perpendicular to the laterally inclined road surface and the laterally inclined road surface with respect to the vertical load of the sum of the weight of the wheelchair 100 and the weight of the occupant A component force is generated in a parallel low direction (left side). Thereby, since the load applied to the wheel 120 of the wheelchair 100 is unbalanced on the left and right, it is difficult to move the wheelchair 100.

  Here, the inclination angle detection sensor 11 operates the wheel vertical operation mechanism 12 when detecting the inclination angle of the laterally inclined road surface. At this time, the wheel up-and-down operation mechanism 12 rotates the trapezoidal screw 13b by driving the motor 13a to rotate forward based on the information on the inclination angle of the inclination angle detection sensor 11. Then, in the moving plate 13d, a nut 13c that moves as the trapezoidal screw 13b rotates moves upward from a substantially central position of the trapezoidal screw 13b. Accordingly, the vertical operation base 13 operates so that the sum of the weight of the wheelchair 100 applied to the left and right drive wheels 122 and the weight of the occupant is equalized. Here, when the vertical operation base 13 is operated so as to equalize the load applied to the left and right drive wheels 122, the seat surface 111 of the wheelchair 100 is in a horizontal state. (See FIGS. 2 and 3a)

  When the wheel vertical operation mechanism 12 makes the seat surface 111 horizontal, the load applied to the left and right wheels 120 becomes equal, so when the road surface is inclined to the left with respect to the traveling direction of the wheelchair 100, The moving operation of the wheelchair 100 can be made relatively easy.

Next, a case where the road surface is inclined to the right with respect to the traveling direction of the wheelchair 100 will be described.
When the road surface is tilted to the right with respect to the traveling direction of the wheelchair 100, the vertical component of the sum of the weight of the wheelchair 100 and the weight of the occupant is parallel to the laterally inclined road surface and the downward component perpendicular to the laterally inclined road surface. A component force is generated in the lower direction (right side). Thereby, since the load applied to the wheel 120 of the wheelchair 100 is unbalanced on the left and right, it is difficult to move the wheelchair 100.

  Here, the inclination angle detection sensor 11 operates the wheel vertical operation mechanism 12 when detecting the inclination angle of the laterally inclined road surface. At this time, the wheel up-and-down operation mechanism 12 rotates the trapezoidal screw 13b by driving the motor 13a to rotate forward based on the information on the inclination angle of the inclination angle detection sensor 11. Then, in the moving plate 13d, a nut 13c that moves as the trapezoidal screw 13b rotates moves upward from a substantially central position of the trapezoidal screw 13b. Accordingly, the vertical operation base 13 operates so that the sum of the weight of the wheelchair 100 applied to the left and right drive wheels 122 and the weight of the occupant is equalized. Here, when the vertical operation base 13 is operated so as to equalize the load applied to the left and right drive wheels 122, the seat surface 111 of the wheelchair 100 is in a horizontal state. (See FIGS. 2 and 3c)

  When the wheel vertical operation mechanism 12 makes the seat surface 111 horizontal, the load applied to the left and right wheels 120 becomes equal, so when the road surface is inclined to the left with respect to the traveling direction of the wheelchair 100, The moving operation of the wheelchair 100 can be made relatively easy.

(Example 2)
The wheel vertical operation mechanism 12 of the posture control mechanism 10 of the present invention includes a motor 13a that is a power source for vertically operating a drive wheel 122b on the side where the wheel vertical operation mechanism 12 is assembled, and a motor 13a. A plurality of rack and pinion mechanisms 14 including a pinion gear 14 a that rotates with driving and a rack 14 b that converts the rotation of the pinion gear 14 a into a vertical motion, and a fixing portion that fixes the rack and pinion mechanism 14 to the vertical operation base 13. 15 and a moving plate 13d that moves up and down as the rack 14b of the rack and pinion mechanism 14 moves up and down may be used.

  The rack and pinion mechanism 14 includes a gear 14a that rotates as the motor 13a is driven, and a rack 14b that moves up and down as the gear 14a rotates. The rack-and-pinion mechanism 14 is arranged so as to be parallel to the side surface of the vertical operation base 13 one each forward and backward with respect to the traveling direction of the wheelchair 100 inside the vertical operation base 13. Are connected by a moving plate 13d. Here, when the gear 14a is located at the approximate center of the rack 14b is the standard position of the wheel vertical operation mechanism 12, the rack 14b is detected when the inclination angle detection sensor 11 detects a laterally inclined road surface inclined left or right. Move up and down.

The operation procedure of the wheel vertical operation mechanism 12 described above is such that when the inclination angle detection sensor 11 detects a laterally inclined road surface inclined to the left side or the right side, the motor 13a rotates forward based on information on the inclination angle of the inclination angle detection sensor 11. Or reverse rotation. Accordingly, the gear 14a rotates in the same direction as the driving direction of the motor 13a and moves the rack 14b up and down, whereby the moving plate 13d moves up and down. As a result, the vertical operation base 13 of the wheel vertical mechanism 12 operates so that the total load of the weight of the wheelchair 100 and the weight of the occupant applied to the left and right drive wheels 122 is equalized. It can be done relatively easily.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Posture control mechanism 11 Inclination angle detection sensor 12 Wheel vertical motion mechanism 13 Vertical motion base 13a Motor 13b Trapezoid screw 13c Nut 13d Moving plate 14 Rack and pinion mechanism 14a Gear 14b Rack 15 Fixed part 100 Wheelchair 110 Frame 111 Seat surface 120 Wheel 121 Front wheel (caster)
122 Rear wheel (drive wheel)
130 Brake mechanism 140 Battery

Claims (1)

A posture control mechanism for horizontally controlling a laterally inclined posture on a laterally inclined road surface inclined to the left or right side with respect to a traveling direction of a wheelchair having a pair of left and right wheels,
An inclination angle detection sensor for detecting an inclination angle of the laterally inclined road surface;
Based on the information on the inclination angle of the inclination angle detection sensor, it is composed of a wheel up-and-down operation mechanism that moves up and down either the left or right wheel of the wheelchair.
The wheel up-and-down operation mechanism is provided inside the up-and-down operation base provided on either the left or right frame of the wheelchair.
A motor to be a power for moving up and down the wheel of the wheelchair;
A plurality of trapezoidal screws that rotate as the motor is driven;
An attitude control mechanism comprising a moving plate that connects the trapezoidal screws and moves up and down as the trapezoidal screws rotate.

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