JP2013172785A - Wheelchair carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To carry a wheelchair with a care receiver sitting thereon.SOLUTION: A wheelchair carrier 10 includes a guide rail 30, a moving body 40, a holding mechanism 50, a lifting mechanism 60, and a control portion 70. The moving body 40 has a drive portion 80 travelling along the guide rail 30, and is guided by the guide rail 30 and moved from a first floor to a second floor or from the second floor to the first floor. The holding mechanism 50 includes: a lower side holding portion 50A for supporting a frame 22 of a wheelchair 20 from a lower part; and an upper side holding portion 50B supported turnably in the vertical direction and turned downwards, for pressing the frame 22 of the wheelchair 20 from the upper part to the lower part. The upper side holding portion 50B is supported turnably in the vertical direction by a support portion 92 of a vertical base 90 projecting above the moving body 40. The wheelchair 20 is held from the vertical direction by the lower side holding portion 50A and the upper side holding portion 50B and held in a stable state without backlash.

Description

  The present invention relates to a wheelchair transport device, and more particularly to a wheelchair transport device configured to transport a wheelchair safely and smoothly.

  As a cared person using a wheelchair, there are many people who cannot walk alone and cannot move from a bed to a wheelchair or move from a wheelchair to a bed without a caregiver.

  For example, in a facility equipped with an elevator such as a hospital, it is possible to move to an upper or lower floor while riding on the elevator while sitting in a wheelchair. However, in places where there is no elevator, the stairs are used to move to another floor, and it may be impossible for cared caregivers who are difficult to walk independently to use the stairs.

  As an apparatus that enables movement of a cared person in a wheelchair in a place having only a staircase, it is considered to install a transfer apparatus that moves along the wall surface of the staircase (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ).

JP 2001-253666 A

  In the transfer apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a chair is provided on a moving body that moves along a guide rail fixed to a wall surface of a staircase space, and a cared person of a wheelchair is seated on the chair of the moving body. It is configured to transport to the upper floor or the lower floor.

  However, this transport device requires a caregiver to move a cared person who is difficult to walk from the wheelchair to a moving chair, and after moving to another floor, the carer needs to move again to the wheelchair. There was a problem that the burden on the person was heavy.

  In addition, since the caregiver needs to go up or down the stairs with the wheelchair while the care recipient is being transported, the burden on the caregiver is large.

  In addition, in the case of a cared person who moves by rotating the wheel of a wheelchair alone even if there is no caregiver, even if there is a transport device in the staircase space, there is no person to carry the wheelchair to the exit of the staircase There was a problem that I could not.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a wheelchair transport apparatus that solves the above-described problems.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following means.
(1) The present invention is a wheelchair transport device for transporting a wheelchair along stairs,
A guide rail having an inclination angle corresponding to the step shape of the stairs;
A moving body that moves along the guide rail;
A drive unit for moving the moving body;
An operation unit for operating the drive unit;
A holding mechanism connected to the moving body and holding the wheelchair;
A control unit for controlling a driving force by the driving unit in accordance with an operation of the operation unit;
It is provided with.
(2) The holding mechanism of the present invention includes:
A lower holding portion for supporting the wheelchair frame from below;
An upper holding portion that is supported so as to be pivotable in the vertical direction, pivots downward and presses the frame of the wheelchair downward from above;
It is characterized by having.
(3) The present invention provides a first wheelchair detection sensor that is provided in the lower holding portion and outputs a first detection signal when the wheelchair arrives at a predetermined holdable position;
A second wheelchair detection sensor that is provided in the upper holding portion and outputs a second detection signal when the upper holding portion is in a state of pressing the wheelchair downward;
When the first and second detection signals are output from the first and second wheelchair detection sensors, the wheelchair is lifted from the floor, and when the moved moving body stops, the wheelchair is lowered to the floor. Elevating control means;
It is characterized by having.
(4) The holding mechanism of the present invention includes a spring mechanism that presses the upper holding member to a retracted position where the upper holding member is separated from the frame of the wheelchair or a contact position where the upper holding member contacts the frame of the wheelchair. It is characterized by.
(5) The holding mechanism of the present invention is connected to the movable body so as to be rotatable so as to keep the wheelchair in a horizontal state when the movable body moves the inclined portion of the guide rail. Features.
(6) The upper holding portion according to the present invention is characterized in that the upper holding portion rotates to a holding position for pressing the wheelchair downward and allows an input operation by the operation portion.
(7) The mobile body according to the present invention includes:
A moving base formed extending in the vertical direction;
A plurality of wheels in sliding contact with the guide rail;
A drive motor for driving the plurality of wheels supported by the moving base;
A support arm fixed to the moving base and supporting the plurality of wheels;
It is characterized by having.

  According to the present invention, since it is possible to hold the wheelchair in a state where the cared person is sitting and carry it along with the moving body, the burden on the carer can be reduced and the cared person even when there is no carer. It is possible to operate the wheelchair safely and smoothly in the stair space by operating alone.

It is a side view which shows one Example of the wheelchair conveying apparatus by this invention. It is side sectional drawing which shows the structure of the raising / lowering mechanism of a wheelchair conveying apparatus. It is a sectional side view which shows the raising operation | movement of the raising / lowering mechanism connected with the moving body. It is a sectional side view which shows the structure of the drive part of a moving body. It is the figure which looked at the structure of the drive part of a moving body from the front. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the relationship between the wheel of the drive part of a moving body, and a guide rail. It is a figure which shows a mode that the drive part of a moving body passes the entrance side curve of a guide rail. It is a figure which shows a mode that the drive part of a moving body passes the inclination part of a guide rail. It is a figure which shows a mode that the drive part of a moving body passes the exit side curve of a guide rail. It is a side view which shows the process in which a wheelchair is hold | maintained to the holding mechanism of a moving body. It is a side view which shows the process in which a wheelchair is raised with the raising / lowering mechanism of a moving body. It is a front view which shows the retreat state which the upper side holding part displaced upwards. It is a front view which shows the holding state which the upper side holding part displaced below. It is a block diagram which shows each control apparatus. It is a figure which shows an operation part. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the control processing which a control part performs.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Configuration of wheelchair transport device]
FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of a wheelchair conveying apparatus according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the wheelchair transport device 10 is provided in a staircase space and configured to transport the wheelchair 20 while the care recipient H is sitting along the stairs.

  The wheelchair transport device 10 includes a guide rail 30, a moving body 40, a holding mechanism 50, an elevating mechanism 60, and a control unit 70. The guide rail 30 has a lower end provided at the entrance of the staircase (for example, below the first floor staircase) and an upper end provided at the exit of the staircase (for example, above the second floor staircase). Is provided on the wall surface of the staircase. The guide rail 30 has an H-shaped cross section, and guides the movement of the moving body 40 when the wheels contact the upper and lower surfaces of the horizontal portion.

  Moreover, the moving body 40 has a drive unit 80 (details will be described later) that travel along the guide rail 30 and is guided by the guide rail 30 to move from the lower floor to the upper floor or from the upper floor to the lower floor. Moving.

  The holding mechanism 50 is connected to the moving body 40 and holds the wheelchair 20 in the process in which the moving body 40 moves from the staircase entrance to the stairway exit. The holding mechanism 50 is supported by a lower holding portion 50A that supports the frame 22 of the wheelchair 20 from below and an upper holding that is supported so as to be pivotable in the vertical direction and pivots downward and presses the frame 22 of the wheelchair 20 from above. Part 50B.

  The lower holding portion 50A is formed to extend in the horizontal direction forward from the moving body 40, and a stopper 51 that abuts against the front end of the frame 22 of the wheelchair 20 protrudes from the tip. Further, the lower holding portion 50A includes a first wheelchair detection sensor 52A that detects that the seat portion 24 of the wheelchair 20 has moved to the holdable position on the upper surface side. The first wheelchair detection sensor 52 </ b> A includes, for example, a reflective optical sensor and outputs a first detection signal by facing the lower surface of the seat portion 24 of the wheelchair 20.

  The upper holding portion 50B is supported by the support portion 92 of the vertical base 90 that protrudes from the upper portion of the moving body 40 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. Further, the upper holding portion 50B is in a retracted position rotated upward before the wheelchair 20 arrives, and after the lower side of the seat portion 24 of the wheelchair 20 arrives at a holdable position held by the lower holding portion 50A, It is turned downward and displaced to a contact position that contacts the armrest 26 of the wheelchair 20.

  Therefore, the wheelchair 20 is held in a stable state without rattling by being sandwiched by the lower holding portion 50A and the upper holding portion 50B from the vertical direction. Further, the upper holding portion 50B can be displaced to a contact position where it comes into contact with the armrest 26 of the wheelchair 20, and the upper body (chest) of the care receiver H can be prevented from dropping forward.

  A second wheelchair detection sensor 52B that outputs a second detection signal when the wheelchair 10 is displaced to a contact position where the wheelchair 10 is pressed downward is attached to the upper holding portion 50B. The control unit 70 is attached to the front surface of the moving body 40. The control unit 70 receives the first and second detection signals from the first and second wheelchair detection sensors 52A and 52B, and controls the lifting mechanism 60 and the driving unit 80. Control means for controlling (details will be described later). Therefore, the control means of the control unit 70 is programmed so that control of the elevating mechanism 60 and the drive unit 80 cannot be started when a detection signal from any one of the first and second wheelchair detection sensors 52A and 52B is not input. ing.

  Furthermore, an operation unit 100 is attached in the middle of the longitudinal direction (horizontal direction) of the upper holding unit 50B. The operation unit 100 is provided with each operation switch for driving (moving) or stopping the drive unit 80. When the upper holding unit 50B is rotated to a contact position that holds the wheelchair 20 from above, an input operation is performed. It becomes possible. Accordingly, when the upper holding portion 50B is lowered to the contact position, the wheelchair 10 and the cared person H can be prevented from falling off, and the operation unit 100 can drive and stop the moving body 40.

The upper holding portion 50B is pressed to the retracted position rotated upward by the pressing force of the spring mechanism 110, and rotates downward when the wheelchair 10 moves in the front-rear direction with respect to the lower holding portion 50A. Is prevented.
[Configuration of Elevating Mechanism 60]
FIG. 2A is a side sectional view showing the configuration of the lifting mechanism of the wheelchair transport device. As shown in FIG. 2A, the lifting mechanism 60 is a mechanism that lifts and lowers the wheelchair 20 held by the holding mechanism 50. Later, the wheelchair 20 is lowered to the floor. Thereby, since the tire separates from the floor surface in the transport process in which the wheelchair 20 is transported through the stair space, the transport operation can be performed smoothly.

  The elevating mechanism 60 includes a pair of elevating motors 62 fixed to the vertical base 90 provided with the holding mechanism 50, a feed screw 64 that is rotationally driven by the elevating motor 62, and a female screw into which the feed screw 64 is screwed. Part 66. The female thread portion 66 is fixed to a support base 120 that supports the back side of the vertical base 90 erected in the vertical direction so as to be movable up and down.

  The support base 120 is formed so as to extend in the vertical direction, and is attached to the rotation shaft 140 provided on the front surface of the moving base 130 so as to be swingable in the left-right direction. The rotation shaft 140 includes a shaft portion 142 fixed to the support base 120 and a flange portion 144 having a larger diameter than the shaft portion 142. The flange portion 144 is supported by the bearing 150 so as to be rotatable about an axis. Further, the support base 120 is prevented from falling off by the presser member 160 fixed to the back side with respect to the flange portion 144.

  That is, the rotation shaft 140, the shaft portion 142, the flange portion 144, the bearing 150, and the pressing member 160 constitute a rotation mechanism 170 that rotatably supports the vertical base 90 and the support base 120. The direction of the wheelchair 20 held by the support base 120 by the rotating mechanism 170 is adjusted so that the care receiver H does not take an unreasonable posture while maintaining the horizontal state even when the inclined portion is conveyed.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the elevating mechanism 60 configured as described above drives the elevating motor 62 to rotate the feed screw 64 to rotate the female screw portion 66 and the elevating motor 62 in the vertical direction. The support base 120 is moved up and down by adjusting the distance. Since the support base 120 includes the lower holding portion 50 </ b> A and the upper holding portion 50 </ b> B that hold the wheelchair 20, the support base 120 slides in the vertical direction together with the wheelchair 20 by the lifting and lowering operation of the lifting mechanism 60.
[Configuration of Driving Unit 80 of Moving Body 40]
FIG. 3A is a side sectional view showing a configuration of a driving unit of the moving body. FIG. 3B is a front view of the configuration of the driving unit of the moving body. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the driving unit 80 of the moving body 40 is attached to the back side of the moving base 130. A control unit 70 is attached to the front side of the moving base 130.

  The drive unit 80 and the guide rail 30 are housed inside the housing 180, and the right side portion 31 of the guide rail 30 that protrudes from the rear side opening 182 of the housing 180 has a plurality of bolts (not shown) on the wall surface W of the staircase. ). Since the cross section of the guide rail 30 is H-shaped, the upper surface and the lower surface of the flat portion 33 mounted between the right side portion 31 and the left side portion 32 serve as wheel running surfaces.

  In the driving unit 80, an upper surface side driving mechanism 80A and a lower surface side driving mechanism 80B are arranged vertically symmetrically. Each drive mechanism 80A, 80B has four wheels 190, a traveling motor 200, a support arm 210, and a worm gear mechanism 220, respectively. The wheels 190 are arranged symmetrically in the vertical direction, and are supported by the support arm 210 so as to be in sliding contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the flat portion 33 of the guide rail 130. The support arm 210 is formed in an L shape when viewed from the side, and has one end fixed to the back surface of the moving base 130 and the other end supporting a connecting portion 192 that connects the pair of wheels 190. Therefore, the support arm 210 supports the wheels 190 so that the distance in the traveling direction is constant.

  A pair of traveling motors 200 are disposed on the back surface of the moving base 130 for the upper surface side and the lower surface side, and are attached in a lateral direction perpendicular to the axles of the plurality of wheels 190. Further, each traveling motor 200 is controlled to simultaneously generate rotational driving force in the same direction, and each rotational driving force is transmitted to each wheel 190 via the worm gear mechanism 220. The worm gear mechanism 220 includes a worm 222 coupled to the motor rotation shaft 202 and a gear 224 that meshes with the worm 222. The tip of the motor rotating shaft 202 is rotatably supported by a bearing 204.

  The gear 224 is in sliding contact with the outer periphery of each wheel 190 at an intermediate position between a pair of wheels 190 whose one outer periphery meshes with the worm 222 and whose opposite (other) outer periphery is disposed forward and backward. Therefore, the rotational driving force can be transmitted to the wheel 190 in which the teeth of the gear 224 are arranged forward and backward.

  As shown in FIG. 3C, meshing portions 194 in which concave portions and convex portions are alternately formed at a constant pitch corresponding to each tooth of the gear 224 are formed on the outer periphery of each wheel 190. In addition, on the upper surface and the lower surface of the flat portion 33 of the guide rail 30, a rack 34 in which concave portions and convex portions are alternately formed at a constant pitch is formed. Each of the wheels 190 can reliably travel on the inclined portion by the meshing portion 194 formed on the outer periphery meshing with the gear 224 and the rack 34 of the guide rail 30.

  Further, each wheel 190 is pressed against the upper and lower surfaces of the guide rail 30 by the support arm 210 with a constant pressing force, and the state where the meshing portion 194 always meshes with the rack 34 of the guide rail 30 is maintained.

  Since each drive mechanism 80A, 80B is provided with the worm gear mechanism 220 in the drive force transmission path between the traveling motor 200 and each wheel 190, for example, even when a power failure occurs, the worm 222 is connected to each wheel 190. , And the moving body 40 can be stopped on the spot. Therefore, even if the rotational driving force from the traveling motor 200 decreases for some reason during the movement of the moving body 40, the moving body 40 is prevented from moving (falling) downward in the stairs. Therefore, when the cared person H moves in the stair space together with the moving body 40 while sitting on the wheelchair 20, the safety of the cared person H can be ensured even when the drive motor 20 is in a stopped state (control disabled state). it can.

Note that the configuration of the drive unit 80 is not limited to that using an electric motor as in the present embodiment. For example, an actuator using air pressure or hydraulic pressure may be used as a drive source.
[Driving operation of the driving unit 80]
FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating a state where the driving unit of the moving body passes through the entrance-side curve of the guide rail. FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating a state where the driving unit of the moving body passes through the inclined portion of the guide rail. FIG. 4C is a diagram illustrating a state where the driving unit of the moving body passes through the exit-side curve of the guide rail.

  Here, the drive operation by the drive unit 80 will be described when the moving body 40 moves from the lower floor to the upper floor. As shown in FIG. 4A, the guide rail 30 passes through an entrance-side curve 30A that curves upward in the process from the horizontal portion of the staircase entrance (lower floor) toward the inclined portion parallel to the stairs. The entrance-side curve 30A has a radius of curvature that continues to the inclined portion at an angle θ1 with respect to the horizontal.

  When the moving body 40 travels on the entrance-side curve 30A, the wheel 190 that is the front wheel in the traveling direction among the wheels 190 rolls on a curved surface corresponding to the curvature radius of the entrance-side curve 30A, and the rear wheel in the traveling direction. The wheel 190 to be rolled rolls in the horizontal portion of the entrance side of the entrance side curve 30A. And the front wheel of the advancing direction among each wheel 190 reaches the exit of the entrance side curve 30A, and the rear wheel reaches the entrance of the entrance side curve 30A. Accordingly, even if the guide rail 30 is temporarily lifted due to the curvature radius of the entrance-side curve 30A of the wheel 190 serving as the front wheel, the meshing portion 194 of the wheel 190 serving as the rear wheel is connected to the rack 34 of the guide rail 30. The driving force can be transmitted to the guide rail 30 by meshing with the guide rail 30.

  In the drive unit 80, since the upper surface side drive mechanism 80A and the lower surface side drive mechanism 80B are arranged vertically symmetrically, the wheels 190 of the upper surface side drive mechanism 80A and the lower surface side drive mechanism 80B are connected to the guide rail 30. The vehicle travels with its upper and lower surfaces sandwiched from above and below. When the wheels 190 of the upper surface side driving mechanism 80A and the lower surface side driving mechanism 80B travel on the entrance-side curve 30A, the positions where the upper wheels 190 are in contact with the flat surface portion 33 of the guide rail 30 are the center line in the vertical direction. The positions of the lower wheels 190 that are in contact with the flat portion 33 of the guide rail 30 are displaced to the inner side of the center line in the vertical direction. And since each wheel 190 is hold | maintained by the support arm 210, it drive | works stably, maintaining the state which always contacted the upper and lower surfaces of the entrance side curve 30A.

  Furthermore, the moving base 130 rotates with respect to the support base 120 according to a change in the inclination angle of the guide rail 30 during the traveling process of the entrance-side curve 30A. As shown in FIG. 2A, the support base 120 is rotatably connected to the moving base 130 by the rotating shaft 140 of the rotating mechanism 170, so that the supporting base 120 is vertical regardless of the inclination angle of the moving base 130. Maintain state.

  Therefore, the drive unit 80 is configured so that each wheel 190 of the upper surface side drive mechanism 80A and the lower surface side drive mechanism 80B smoothly travels along the entrance side curve 30A and corresponds to the curvature radius of the entrance side curve 30A together with the moving base 130. It is displaced in a state of being inclined at an inclination angle θ1. On the other hand, the wheelchair 20 held by the support base 120 passes through the entrance-side curve 30A because the support base 120 is rotatably connected to the moving base 130 by the rotation shaft 140 of the rotation mechanism 170. Sometimes it is transported in a horizontal state without tilting.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, when the moving body 40 that has passed through the entrance-side curve 30A travels on the guide rail 30 at an angle θ2 (inclination angle with respect to the horizontal) parallel to the inclination of the stairs, the upper surface side drive mechanism 80A and the lower surface Each wheel 190 of the side drive mechanism 80B can reliably travel without slipping even at an inclined portion because the meshing portion 194 formed on the outer periphery meshes with the gear 224 and the rack 34 of the guide rail 30.

  The wheelchair 20 held by the support base 120 is transported in a horizontal state regardless of the inclination angle of the stairs because the support base 120 is rotatably connected to the moving base 130 by the rotation shaft 140. Is done. Furthermore, when the wheelchair 20 is transported at an inclination angle along the stairs, for example, even when vibration due to an earthquake occurs, the cared person sitting in the wheelchair 20 is held by the upper holding portion 50B. Accidental fall is prevented.

  As shown in FIG. 4C, when the moving body 40 reaches the vicinity of the exit of the staircase (near the upper floor), it passes through an exit-side curve 30B that curves in a horizontal direction from an inclined portion parallel to the staircase. The exit-side curve 30B has a radius of curvature that continues to a horizontal portion at an angle θ3 with respect to the inclination of the staircase.

  When the moving body 40 travels on the exit-side curve 30B, the wheel that is the front wheel in the traveling direction among the wheels 190 rolls on the curved surface according to the curvature radius of the exit-side curve 30B, and the rear wheel in the traveling direction The wheel which rolls rolls the inclination part of the entrance of the exit side curve 30B. And the front wheel of the advancing direction among each wheel 190 reaches the exit of the exit side curve 30B, and the rear wheel reaches the entrance of the exit side curve 30B.

  Therefore, even if the wheel 190 serving as the front wheel temporarily floats from the guide rail 30 due to the curvature radius of the exit-side curve 30B, the meshing portion 194 of the wheel 190 serving as the rear wheel is the flat portion of the guide rail 30. The driving force can be transmitted to the guide rail 30 by meshing with a rack 34 provided at 33.

  Further, when passing through the exit-side curve 30B, the positions of the upper wheels 190 that are in contact with the flat portion 33 of the guide rail 30 are displaced to the inside of the vertical center line, and the lower wheels 190 are moved to the guide rail 30. The position in contact with the flat portion 33 is displaced outside the center line in the vertical direction. Since each wheel 190 is held by the support arm 210, the driving force can be stably transmitted to the upper and lower surfaces of the outlet side curve 30B. In addition, the wheelchair 20 held by the support base 120 passes through the exit-side curve 30B because the support base 120 is rotatably connected to the moving base 130 by the rotation shaft 140 of the rotation mechanism 170. Sometimes it is transported in a horizontal state without tilting.

In this way, the moving body 40 can travel stably along the guide rail 30 and the wheelchair 20 remains in a horizontal state until it reaches the horizontal portion of the upper staircase exit from the lower floor stairway entrance. Can be transported.
[Holding operation of wheelchair 20 by holding mechanism 50]
FIG. 5A is a side view showing a process of holding the wheelchair in the holding mechanism of the moving body. FIG. 5B is a side view showing a process of raising the wheelchair by the lifting mechanism of the moving body. FIG. 6A is a front view showing a retracted state in which the upper holding portion is displaced upward. FIG. 6B is a front view showing a holding state in which the upper holding portion is displaced downward.

  As shown in FIGS. 5A and 6A, the lower holding portion 50 </ b> A of the holding mechanism 50 is relatively seated on the wheelchair 20 by moving the floor so that the wheelchair 20 approaches the moving body 40 from the back side. It faces the lower surface of the part 24.

  The back surface of the wheelchair 20 abuts on the vertical base 90 connected to the moving body 40, and the first wheelchair detection sensor 52 </ b> A provided in the lower holding portion 50 </ b> A faces the lower surface of the seat portion 24 of the wheelchair 20. Therefore, the first wheelchair detection sensor 52 </ b> A outputs the detection signal to the control unit 70 while the rear surface of the wheelchair 20 moves backward to a position where it abuts on the vertical base 90.

  The upper holding portion 50B includes an arm portion 54B that is rotatably supported by the bearing 94 of the pair of support portions 92 of the vertical base 90, and a cylindrical cushion portion 56B that is supported by the arm portion 54B.

  The upper end of the coil spring 112 is hooked on the proximal end portion of the arm portion 54B. The lower end of the coil spring 112 is hooked on the upper part of the vertical base 90. Therefore, when the wheelchair 20 is attached, the upper holding portion 50B is held at a retracted position (indicated by a solid line in FIG. 5A) rotated upward by the coil spring 112 of the spring mechanism 110.

  The cushion part 56B is formed of a cushioning material (elastic material) such as a low-resilience urethane foam having elasticity so as to relieve an impact when the upper body of the care receiver H is shaken in the front-rear direction. Further, when the wheelchair 20 is transported, the cushion portion 56B is lowered to a contact position (indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 5A) that contacts the armrest 26 of the wheelchair 20 and is placed on the front side of the care receiver H. Therefore, it is provided so that the upper body of the cared person H can be prevented from shaking when the cared person H grasps it with both hands.

  As shown in FIGS. 5B and 6B, after the lower side of the seat portion 24 of the wheelchair 20 arrives at a holdable position held by the lower holding portion 50A, the upper holding portion 50B is rotated downward. Accordingly, the upper holding portion 50B is lowered to a contact position (indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 5A) that contacts the armrest 26 of the wheelchair 20.

  When the neutral point of the spring force of the coil spring 112 is passed while the upper holding portion 50B is rotated downward, the spring force of the coil spring 112 acts in a direction of pressing the upper holding portion 50B downward.

  Therefore, the wheelchair 20 can be held by the spring force of the coil spring 112 when the upper holding portion 50 </ b> B reaches a contact position where the upper holding portion 50 </ b> B contacts the armrest 26 of the wheelchair 20. Therefore, in the process of transporting the wheelchair 20, the upper holding portion 50B presses the armrest 26 of the wheelchair 20 downward to hold the wheelchair 20 in a stable state without rattling.

  Further, when the upper holding portion 50B is lowered to the contact position, the operation portion 100 is arranged in front of the care receiver H, and an input operation of the operation portion 100 for operating the drive portion 80 is possible.

  The control unit 70 drives the elevating motor 62 of the elevating mechanism 60 to raise the lower holding unit 50A on condition that both detection signals from the first and second wheelchair detection sensors 52A and 52B are input. Accordingly, the lower holding portion 50A abuts on the lower surface of the seat portion 24 of the wheelchair 20, and lifts the wheelchair 20 upward. The wheelchair 20 is raised while the cared person H is sitting by the lower holding part 50A and the upper holding part 50B, and the tire is held at a position away from the floor surface.

  Further, the stopper 51 provided at the tip of the lower holding portion 50 </ b> A abuts against the front end of the frame 22 of the wheelchair 20 to prevent the wheelchair 20 from moving forward.

  In addition, the cared person H moves down the upper holding portion 50B and comes into contact with the armrest 26 of the wheelchair 20, and enters the space surrounded by the cushion portion 56B and the left and right arm portions 54B. Therefore, the cared person H is prevented from falling forward by gripping the front cushion portion 56B, and is prevented from falling in the left-right direction by the arm portions 54B arranged on the left and right sides. Therefore, the wheelchair 20 is lifted while being held by the lower holding portion 50A and the upper holding portion 50B, and the cared person H in a sitting state is also held by the upper holding portion 50B.

  In this embodiment, the upper holding portion 50B is moved up and down by manual operation. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the motor is driven when the first wheelchair detection sensor 52A outputs the first detection signal. The upper holding portion 50B may be automatically rotated.

  Moreover, according to the wheelchair transport apparatus 10, since the wheelchair 20 is reliably fixed to the moving body 40 via the holding mechanism 50, the wheelchair 20 can be moved up and down in a stable state. In addition, the holding mechanism 50 does not take up space when not in use, and the configuration of the entire apparatus is simpler than that of an elevator system that lifts and lowers a wheelchair mounting table that can be mounted on a wheelchair along the slope of the stairs.

Furthermore, the wheelchair transport device 10 has a structure in which guide rails 30 are provided on the wall surface of the stairs. However, the stairs that other pedestrians walk are provided with special equipment such as the above-described elevator-type wheelchair mounting table. Since it is not necessary to arrange the pedestrian, it will not interfere with the walking of other pedestrians when not in use.
[Configuration of each control device]
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing each control device. As shown in FIG. 7, the first wheelchair detection sensor 52A, the second wheelchair detection sensor 52B, the lifting motor 62, the traveling motor 200, the up / down / left / right movement switch 230, the stop switch 240, the upper floor limit switch 250, the lower floor A limit switch 260 is connected to the control unit 70 via the input / output interface 270. The upper floor limit switch 250 and the lower floor limit switch 260 are respectively attached to the end portions of the stairway entrance and the stairway exit of the guide rail 30.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the operation unit 100 displays the up / down / left / right movement switch 230 and the stop switch 240 on the touch panel 102. The up / down / left / right movement switch 230 includes an upward switch 232, a downward switch 234, a left switch 236, and a right switch 238. Each switch displayed on the touch panel 102 of the operation unit 100 is a manual operation switch for the care recipient himself to perform an input operation.

  In addition, the moving body 40 is automatically stopped by detection signals from the upper floor limit switch 250 and the lower floor limit switch 260 provided at both ends of the guide rail 30, and the care receiver H turns on the stop switch 240. It can be stopped at any position by operation.

  The control unit 70 is composed of a microcomputer, and includes a lift control means 70A and a travel control means 70B. When the first and second detection signals from the first and second wheelchair detection sensors 52A and 52B are input together, the lift control means 70A drives the lift motor 62 to move the lower holding portion 50A up and down. It consists of a program. When the left switch 236 or the right switch 238 is turned on, the traveling control means 70B starts to move the moving body 40 by driving the traveling motor 200, and after the movement starts, the upper floor limit switch 250 or the lower floor When the limit switch 260 outputs a detection signal for detecting the moving body 40, the traveling motor 200 is automatically stopped.

In addition, the touch panel 102 of the operation unit 100 displays the up / down / left / right movement switch 230 and the stop switch 240 during movement, and displays an operation procedure, precautions, and the like in the standby state during the stop.
[Control Processing of Control Unit 70]
FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a control process executed by the control unit. As shown in FIG. 9, in S <b> 11, it is checked whether or not the first wheelchair detection sensor 52 </ b> A has detected the wheelchair 20. In S11, when the seat part 24 of the wheelchair 20 moves above the lower holding part 52A and the first wheelchair detection sensor 52A outputs the first detection signal as shown in FIGS. 5A and 6A (in the case of YES) ), Go to S12.

  In S12, it is checked whether the second wheelchair detection sensor 52B has detected the wheelchair 20 or not. In S12, as shown in FIG. 4B and FIG. 5B, the caregiver or care receiver H rotates the upper holding portion 52 downward, and the second wheelchair detection sensor 52B outputs the second detection signal (YES). Case), the process proceeds to S13.

  In S13, since the first and second detection signals are output from the first and second wheelchair detection sensors 52A and 52B, it is determined that the wheelchair 20 is held by the lower holding portion 52A and the upper holding portion 52B. The motor 62 is driven. Accordingly, the lower holding portion 52A lifts the seat portion 24 of the wheelchair 20 and raises it to a predetermined height position (a height at which the tire is separated from the floor surface).

  In next S14, it is checked whether or not the left switch 236 or the right switch 238 of the operation unit 100 is turned on by the operation of the care recipient H. In S14, when the care receiver H is not operated to turn on either the left switch 236 or the right switch 238 of the operation unit 100 (in the case of NO), the process proceeds to S15, and the lower switch 234 of the operation unit 100 is turned on. Check if it has been operated. In S15, when the downward switch 234 is not turned on (in the case of NO), the process returns to the process of S14 and enters a standby state in which the processes of S14 and S15 are repeated.

  In S14, when the care receiver H operates either the left switch 236 or the right switch 238 of the operation unit 100 to be turned on (in the case of YES), the process proceeds to S16 and the travel motor 200 of the drive unit 80 is performed. Is driven in the rotation direction corresponding to the traveling direction. As a result, the driving force of the traveling motor 200 is transmitted to each wheel 190 of the driving unit 80 via the worm gear mechanism 220. As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C and FIGS. 4A to 4C, the meshing portion 194 of each wheel 190 meshes with the rack 34 provided on the flat portion 33 of the guide rail 30. Is transmitted to the guide rail 30. Therefore, the moving body 40 travels along the guide rail 30 while holding the wheelchair 20.

  In the state where the moving body 40 is moving along the guide rail 30 in S16, the detection signal for detecting the moving body 40 by the upper floor limit switch 250 provided at the end of the upper floor of the guide rail 30 in S17. Is checked. In S17, when upper floor limit switch 250 is off (in the case of NO), the process proceeds to S18, and it is checked whether stop switch 240 of operation unit 100 is on.

  In S18, when the stop switch 240 of the operation unit 100 is OFF (in the case of NO), the process returns to S16, and the traveling of the moving body 40 by driving each wheel 190 is continued. In S18, when the stop switch 240 is ON (in the case of YES), the process proceeds to S19, and the traveling motor 200 is stopped. In this case, the moving body 40 is stopped at an arbitrary position in the middle of the guide rail 30 along the stairs, and this is continued until the care receiver H operates either the left switch 236 or the right switch 238 to turn on. Stop at the stop position. As shown in FIG. 3B, the drive unit 80 includes a meshing portion formed on the outer periphery of each wheel 190 by the worm 222 preventing the rotation of each wheel 190 and stopping the moving body 40 on the spot. Since 194 meshes with the rack 34 of the guide rail 30, the stopped state can be maintained even in the inclined portion. Thereafter, the process returns to S14, and the control process after S14 is executed. Therefore, after temporarily stopping, in S14 described above, the care receiver H operates either the left switch 236 or the right switch 238 of the operation unit 100 to turn on, so that in S16, the drive unit 80 The traveling motor 200 can be driven in the rotational direction corresponding to the traveling direction to move the moving body 40 along the guide rail 30 to the upper floor or the lower floor.

  In S17, when the upper floor limit switch 250 is ON (in the case of YES), since the moving body 40 has passed the stairs and has reached the upper floor, the process proceeds to S20, and the driving of the traveling motor 200 is stopped. The conveyance of the wheelchair 20 by the moving body 40 is stopped. When moving the moving body 40 to the lower floor, when the lower floor limit switch 260 is turned on in S17, the process proceeds to S20, the driving of the traveling motor 200 is stopped, and the wheelchair 20 is transported by the moving body 40. Stop.

  In the next S21, the elevating motor 62 is driven to lower the lower holding portion 50A (see FIG. 5A). Thereby, the wheelchair 20 lifted by the lower holding portion 50A is lowered and the tire comes into contact with the floor of the upper floor. Further, when the lower holding portion 50A is lowered, the lower holding portion 50A is lowered below the seat portion 24 of the wheelchair 20 to release the holding on the wheelchair 20.

  Thereafter, the caregiver or the cared person rotates the upper holding portion 50B upward to release the holding by the upper holding portion 50B. Since the upper holding portion 50B passes through the neutral point of the spring force of the coil spring 112 of the spring mechanism 110, the upper holding portion 50B is pulled rearward by the spring force, and as shown by the solid line in FIG. Is held in the retracted position rotated upward. Thereby, the 2nd wheelchair detection sensor 52B provided in the upper side holding | maintenance part 50B switches to OFF.

  In next S22, it is checked whether or not the second wheelchair detection sensor 52B is turned off. In S22, when the second wheelchair detection sensor 52B is ON (in the case of NO), the process proceeds to S26, and it is checked whether or not a predetermined standby time (for example, 60 seconds) set in advance has elapsed. In S22, when the second wheelchair detection sensor 52B is turned off (in the case of YES), it is determined that the holding by the upper holding unit 50B is released, and the process proceeds to S23. In S23, it is checked whether or not the first wheelchair detection sensor 52A is turned off. In S23, when the wheelchair 20 moves forward and is separated from the lower holding portion 50A and the first wheelchair detection sensor 52A is turned off (see FIG. 1), it is determined that the holding by the lower holding portion 50A is released. This control process is terminated.

  In S15, when the care receiver H operates the down switch 234 of the operation unit 100 to turn on to stop the transportation of the stairs (in the case of YES), the process proceeds to S24, and the lowering motor 62 is driven to move down. The side holding part 50A is lowered. Thereby, the wheelchair 20 lifted by the lower holding portion 50A is lowered and the tire comes into contact with the floor of the upper floor. Further, when the lower holding portion 50A is lowered, the lower holding portion 50A is lowered below the seat portion 24 of the wheelchair 20 to release the holding on the wheelchair 20 (see FIG. 5A).

  In the next S25, it is checked whether or not the upward switch 232 of the operation unit 100 has been turned on. In S25, when the care recipient H changes his mind and the upper switch 232 of the operation unit 100 is turned on (in the case of YES), the process returns to S13, and the control processes after S13 are executed. Moreover, in S25, when the care receiver H does not operate the upper switch 232 of the operation unit 100 to be turned on (in the case of NO), the processing of S22 and S23 is performed, and the transport of the wheelchair 20 is stopped.

  In S26, when the predetermined time has not elapsed (in the case of NO), the process returns to the control process of S22, and the control processes of S22 and S23 are executed. In S26, when a predetermined waiting time has elapsed (in the case of YES), it is determined that the care receiver H wants to carry the vehicle, and the process returns to the control process of S13, and the control process after S13 is performed. Run.

  Thus, according to the wheelchair transport apparatus 10, the wheelchair 20 with the cared person H sitting can be held by the holding mechanism 50 of the moving body 40 and the stair space can be automatically transported. While being able to reduce, even if there is no caregiver, it can move to the upper floor or the lower floor without any trouble by the operation of the care recipient H alone.

  In addition, although the said Example demonstrated the case where a wheelchair conveying apparatus was installed in staircase space, of course, this invention is applicable also to the place where the step-shaped level | step difference was provided, for example.

  Moreover, in the said Example, although the cross-sectional shape of the guide rail 30 mentioned the H-shaped thing as an example, it is not restricted to this, For example, what is necessary is just non-circle, such as an ellipse or a rectangle.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Wheelchair conveying apparatus 20 Wheelchair 22 Frame 24 Seat part 26 Armrest 30 Guide rail 30A Entrance side curve 30B Exit side curve 34 Rack 40 Moving body 50 Holding mechanism 50A Lower side holding part 50B Upper side holding part 52A 1st wheelchair detection sensor 52B 2nd Wheelchair detection sensor 54B Arm part 56B Cushion part 60 Elevating mechanism 62 Elevating motor 64 Feed screw 66 Female screw part 70 Control part 70A Elevating control means 70B Traveling control means 80 Driving part 80A Upper surface side driving mechanism 80B Lower surface side driving mechanism 90 Vertical Base 92 Support unit 100 Operation unit 102 Touch panel 110 Spring mechanism 112 Coil spring 120 Support base 130 Moving base 140 Rotating shaft 150 Bearing 170 Rotating mechanism 180 Housing 190 Wheel 194 Engagement unit 200 Driving motor 202 Motor rotation Shaft 210 Support arm 220 Worm gear mechanism 222 Worm 224 Gear 230 Up / down / left / right movement switch 232 Up switch 234 Down switch 236 Left switch 238 Right switch 240 Stop switch 250 Upper floor limit switch 260 Lower floor limit switch

Claims (7)

A wheelchair transport device for transporting a wheelchair along stairs,
A guide rail having an inclination angle corresponding to the step shape of the stairs;
A moving body that moves along the guide rail;
A drive unit for moving the moving body;
An operation unit for operating the drive unit;
A holding mechanism connected to the moving body and holding the wheelchair;
A control unit for controlling a driving force by the driving unit in accordance with an operation of the operation unit;
A wheelchair conveying device comprising: The holding mechanism is
A lower holding portion for supporting the wheelchair frame from below;
An upper holding portion that is supported so as to be pivotable in the vertical direction, pivots downward and presses the frame of the wheelchair downward from above;
The wheelchair transport device according to claim 1, wherein the wheelchair transport device is provided. A first wheelchair detection sensor that is provided in the lower holding portion and outputs a first detection signal when the wheelchair arrives at a predetermined holdable position;
A second wheelchair detection sensor that is provided in the upper holding portion and outputs a second detection signal when the upper holding portion is in a state of pressing the wheelchair downward;
When the first and second detection signals are output from the first and second wheelchair detection sensors, the wheelchair is lifted from the floor, and when the moved moving body stops, the wheelchair is lowered to the floor. Elevating control means;
The wheelchair transport device according to claim 2, wherein the wheelchair transport device is provided.   The holding mechanism includes a spring mechanism that presses the upper holding member to a retracted position where the upper holding member is separated from a frame of the wheelchair or a contact position where the upper holding member contacts the frame of the wheelchair. The wheelchair conveyance apparatus in any one of 1 thru | or 3.   2. A rotation mechanism connected to the movable body so as to be rotatable so as to keep the wheelchair in a horizontal state when the movable body moves on the inclined portion of the guide rail. The wheelchair conveyance apparatus in any one of thru | or 4.   The wheelchair transport device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the upper holding portion rotates to a holding position for pressing the wheelchair downward and allows an input operation by the operation portion. The moving body is
A moving base formed extending in the vertical direction;
A plurality of wheels in sliding contact with the guide rail;
A drive motor for driving the plurality of wheels supported by the moving base;
A support arm fixed to the moving base and supporting the plurality of wheels;
The wheelchair transport device according to claim 1, wherein the wheelchair transport device is provided.

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