JP2984237B2 - Stair lift - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stair climbing device for assisting climbing and descending a stair.

[0002]

[Prior Art] Elderly people and physically handicapped people,
Persons who can walk slowly with sliding feet but have difficulty climbing and descending steps are difficult to climb and descend on stairs. For such people, escalators are provided on stairs in public facilities such as train stations.

[0003]

However, installing an escalator on an existing staircase where no escalator is installed requires a cost and time for installation work, and cannot be easily installed. In addition, since the escalator constantly steps, there is a problem that it is difficult for an elderly person or the like to grasp the timing, and it is difficult to jump to the step quickly.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a stair climbing device which can be easily installed on existing stairs at low cost and assists in climbing and descending the stairs.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided a base mounted on a tread of a stair, and a lift provided in parallel with the base and raised and lowered in a direction approaching / separating from the base. Lifting and lowering drive means for driving the lifting and lowering table in parallel with the base,
A detection unit provided on the lift table for detecting that a user gets on the lift table; and a control unit for controlling a lifting operation of a lift drive unit in response to an output from the detection unit. This is a stair climbing device.

According to the present invention, when the user gets on the elevator, this is detected by the detector, and the controller controls the elevator driver in response to the output of the detector to raise or lower the elevator. Lower it. Such a stair lifting device (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as a lifting device) is installed on each step of the stairs, and when the user climbs the stairs, the user moves the user to the lower stage of the stair lifting device. When the passenger gets on the platform, the control means raises the platform up to the same height as the platform of the upper stair lifting device. Then, since the elevating platform of the lower elevating device and the elevating platform of the upper elevating device are at the same height, the user can transfer to the upper elevating device only by moving forward. Thereafter, the elevating platform of the elevating device that has been transferred is further raised to the elevating platform of the upper elevating device, and the user moves on to the elevating device of the further upper stage. By repeating such an operation, the user can climb the stairs only by walking forward without climbing the step.

[0007] When descending the stairs, the stair lifting device installed at the lower stage of the stage where the user is located is raised to the stage where the user is located. Thereafter, when the user moves on to the elevating platform of the elevating device, the elevating platform is lowered, and the elevating platform of the elevating device installed at a lower stage than the stage to which the user has moved is raised. Then, when the elevating platform to which the user has moved is lowered, the height of the elevating platform at the lower stage is further increased, and the user can move on to the elevating device at the lower stage only by moving forward. By repeating such an operation, even an elderly person can easily go down the stairs simply by walking forward.

[0008] Also, unlike the escalator, the elevator for stairs of the present invention can move slowly because the elevator is stopped when moving, and is safe even for elderly people. In addition, since the elevator is moved up and down in a state parallel to the base, that is, in a horizontal state, it is possible to prevent the user from wobbling while the elevator is being moved up and down.

[0009] Further, according to the present invention, the detecting means has a pair of detecting sensors for individually detecting that both feet of the user are mounted on the lifting platform.

According to the present invention, since the detecting means has a pair of detection sensors for individually detecting whether or not both feet of the user are mounted, when the two feet of the user are securely mounted on the lift table, The control means raises and lowers the lift platform by the lift drive means, so that the user moves on the lift platform,
For example, it is possible to prevent the elevator from going up or down while only one foot is on the elevator, thereby improving safety.

[0011]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a stair elevating device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof. In FIG. 1, the base 2 and the lift 3 are shown in cross section. The stair lifting device 1 includes a base 2 placed on a step board of a stair, a lift 3 that moves up and down in a direction approaching / separating from the base 2, and a lifting drive unit that drives the lift 3 to move up and down. 7, a detecting means 11 for detecting that a user has got on the lift 3, and a control means 20 for controlling a lifting operation of the lifting drive means 7 in response to a detection output of the detecting means 11. Is done.

The lifting drive means 7 is connected to the base 2 and the lifting base 3, and a link mechanism 5 for guiding the lifting base 3 up and down in parallel with the base 2, the base 2 and the lifting base And an elevation drive source 6 interposed between the elevation drive unit 3 and the elevation drive unit 6 for vertically moving the elevation platform 3 up and down.
And The lifting drive source 6 includes a bellows-shaped airbag 15.
A flexible hose 8 is connected to the airbag 15, and air is supplied from an air pressure source such as a compressor 14 via a switching valve 13, so that the airbag 15 expands in a vertical direction. Then, the lift 3 is driven to move upward in a direction away from the base 2. Further, the switching valve 13 is switched,
By discharging the air in the airbag 15 to the outside, the airbag 15 contracts in a direction in which the base 2 and the lift 3 approach each other, and the lift 3 descends. Further, a tension spring 16 is interposed in the airbag 15 from the base 2 to the lift base 3, and the lift base 3 at the raised position is spring-loaded by the tension spring 16 in a direction in which the lift base 3 and the base 2 approach each other. Be inspired. Such a switching valve 13 is provided by the control means 2.
0 is electrically controlled.

The switching valve 13 is a four-position solenoid switching valve,
When the control valve 20 switches the switching valve 13 to the first position 21, the compressor 14 communicates with the airbag 15, and air pressure is supplied into the airbag 15. Switching valve 1
When the switch 3 is switched to the second position 22, the communication between the airbag 15 and the air pressure source 14 is interrupted, and the raising and lowering operation of the lift 3 is stopped. When the switching valve 13 is switched to the third position 23, the air in the airbag 15 is opened to the atmosphere through the throttle, and when the switching valve 13 is switched to the fourth position 24, the air in the airbag 15 closes the throttle. Open to the atmosphere without any intervention.

Therefore, when the elevator 3 is lowered, the switching valve 13 is switched to the third position 23 when the user is on the elevator 3, so that the weight of the user and the spring force of the tension spring 16 are adjusted. As a result, the air in the airbag 15 is discharged to the outside through the throttle at the third position, and the lift 3 is slowly lowered. When lowering the elevator 3 when the user is not on the elevator 3, the switching valve 13 is switched to the fourth position 24. Then, the lift 3 is pushed down by the spring force of the tension spring 16, and the air in the airbag 15 is discharged to the outside without passing through the throttle, and the lift 3 can be lowered smoothly.

As shown in FIG. 2, a first switch such as a piezoelectric sensor or a sheet switch having a pair of thin electrodes is provided on the lift 3 at positions where both feet of the user are mounted.
And second detection sensors 9 and 10. The detection means 11 is constituted by the first and second detection sensors 9 and 10. On the upper surface of each of the detection sensors 9 and 10, footprints 9a and 10a indicating the mounting positions of the left and right feet are shown, and each detection sensor detects that a user's foot is mounted on these footprints 9a and 10a. 9 and 10 individually detect and output a detection signal to the control means 20. The control means 20 controls the first
When the detection signal is input from both the second detection sensor 9 and the second detection sensor 10, it is determined that the user has got on the base 3. Therefore, even if the user puts only the right foot on the lift 3, for example, the control unit 22 only receives a detection signal from the second detection sensor 10 alone. Do not judge that you got on. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the elevator 3 from moving up and down while the user places only one foot on the elevator 3.

The size of the stair-lifting device 1 is 1
For example, the width L1 is selected so that one person can ride on it, for example, and the width L1 is selected to be about 40 cm. The depth L2 is selected, for example, to be about L2 = 24 cm in accordance with the depth of the stairs to be installed. The height H1 when the lift 3 is lowered is selected to be, for example, about 6 cm, and the height H2 when the lift 3 is raised is selected according to the height of one step of the stairs to be installed. The height of one stair is H3
= 20cm, height when ascending H2 = H1 +
H3 is selected to be about 26 cm. The diameter D of the airbag 15 is selected to be about 10 cm, the height when the airbag 15 is extended is selected to be about 28 cm, and the height when the airbag 15 is deflated is 6 c.
m. Since such an airbag 15 is provided from the center of the base 2 to the center of the lift 3, the lift 3 can be moved up and down stably.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 1, and FIG. It is sectional drawing seen from the surface line VV. 3 to 5 show a part of the state when the elevating platform 3 is lowered in a simplified manner. The link mechanism 5 is located on the near side of the stair elevating device 1 (left side in FIG. 3).
, And third and fourth links 32 and 33 disposed at the back (right side in FIG. 3) of the elevating device 1, and the first and second links are provided. 30 and 31 are connected to each other at the center so as to be angularly displaceable, and similarly, the third and fourth links 32 and 33 are connected to each other at the center so as to be angularly displaceable. One end of the first link 30 and one end of the third link 32 are connected by a first shaft 34 extending in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 3), and one end of the first shaft 34 is supported by a support member 36. The first shaft 34 is supported so as to be angularly displaceable about the axis thereof, and the support member 36 is fixed to the base 2 with bolts. Similarly, the other end of the first shaft 34 is supported by a support member 37 so as to be angularly displaceable about the axis of the first shaft 34, and is fixed to the base 2 by bolts.

One end of the second link 31 and the fourth link 33
Is connected to a second shaft 35 extending in the front-rear direction. One end of the second shaft 35 is connected to the support member 38 by the second shaft 35.
, And is fixed to the lift 3 by bolts. Similarly, the other end of the second shaft 35 is supported by the support member 39 so as to be angularly displaceable about the axis of the second shaft 35, and is fixed to the base 2 with bolts.

The first link 30 and the second link 31
As shown in FIG. 4, they intersect at the center and are connected to each other via spacers 40 by bolts 43 and nuts 42 so as to be angularly displaceable. Similarly, the third link 32 and the fourth link 33 are also connected at their central portions via spacers 41 by bolts 45 and nuts 44 so as to be angularly displaceable. An elevating drive source 6 is provided between the first and second links 30, 31 and the third and fourth links 32, 33.
Is arranged.

As shown in FIG. 5, the other end of the first link 30 and the other end of the third link 32 are connected by a third shaft 50 extending in the front-rear direction. Are provided with ball bearings 52, 54 rotatable about the axis of the third shaft 50, respectively. 2nd link 31
And the other end of the fourth link 33 are connected by a fourth shaft 51 extending in the front-rear direction. Balls rotatably around the axis of the fourth shaft 51 are provided at both ends of the fourth shaft 51, respectively. Bearings 53 and 55 are provided. The outer peripheral surfaces of the ball bearings 52 and 54 provided on the third shaft 50 are respectively in contact with the inner surface of the elevating platform 3. Contact the inner surface.

Therefore, when the elevator 3 is lifted in the direction away from the base 2 by the elevator drive source 6, the first shaft 3
The fourth and fourth shafts 51 and the second and third shafts 35 and 50 slide in directions approaching each other. At this time, each of the ball bearings 52 and 54 provided on the third shaft 50 slides in a state where the outer peripheral surface thereof is in contact with the inner surface of the lift 3, and the ball bearings 53 and 5 provided on the fourth shaft 51.
5 also slides with its outer peripheral surface in contact with the inner surface of the base 2. The links 30 to 33 are selected to have the same length, and are connected to each other so as to be angularly displaceable at the center. Therefore, when the lifting platform 3 is raised by the lifting drive source 6, the lifting platform 3 is smoothly raised by the link mechanism 5 in a state parallel to the base 2.

Further, a sensor for detecting the distance between the first shaft 34 and the fourth shaft 51 is provided, and the sensor detects whether the elevating platform 3 has moved down to the lowest position or to a predetermined ascending position. The control means 20 may control the switching valve 13 to switch to the second position 22 according to the detection signal.

Further, a stopper (not shown) for restricting the first shaft 34 and the fourth shaft 51 from approaching a predetermined distance is provided, and by adjusting the stopper, the height H2 when the base 2 is raised. May be adjusted.

FIG. 6 is a simplified schematic diagram showing a use state of the stair climbing device 1. In FIG. 6, the number of steps 60 is three for convenience, but may be more or less. The stair lifting / lowering device 1 is, for example, from the lowest step board (the floor surface of the first floor 58 in this embodiment) 61 a of the stairs 60 provided from the first floor 58 to the second floor 59, from the uppermost step (from the floor surface of the second floor 59). Step plate 6 on the lower stairs 60)
It is installed on each of the treads 61a to 61c over 1c. In addition, a detection panel 62 including the detection means 11 is provided on the second floor, which is the upper stage of the uppermost tread plate 61c. The detection panel 62 has first and second detection sensors 9 and 10 similarly to the base 2 of the elevating device 1, and controls by individually detecting that both feet of the user are on the detection panel 62. A detection signal is input to the means 20. Indicators 63 and 64 are provided on the first and second floor walls, respectively, to indicate that the stair elevating device is currently in use, and are connected to the control means 20, respectively. A handrail 65 is provided on the wall surface from the first floor to the second floor.

The above-described stair-lift devices 1a to 1c
, The elevator 3 is held in a lowered state, and the compressor 14 is started by turning on the main power supply during use. When the user gets on the elevating platform 3 of the elevating device 1a installed at the lowest level, the control means 20 judges that the user goes up from the first floor to the second floor, and other users from the second floor at the same time. The character “in use” is displayed on the display 64 so as not to come off. At this time, an announcement such as "currently in use. Please wait for a while."

The lowermost lifting device 1 is detected by the detecting means 11.
When it is detected that the user has stepped on the base 2, the base 2 is raised by the lifting drive means 7. When the lifting / lowering device 1a rises to the height of the base 2 of the second-stage lifting / lowering device 1, the control means 20 switches the switching valve 13 to the second position 22 to stop the lifting of the lifting / lowering device 1. Thereafter, the user moves forward and transfers to the second-stage elevating device 1b. The control means 20 raises the second-stage elevating device 1b after confirming that the user has moved onto the elevating platform 3 of the second-stage elevating device 1 without fail. The confirmation at this time not only confirms that the detection sensors 9 and 10 of the second-stage elevating device 1b are turned on, but also detects the detecting means 1 of the first-stage elevating device 1a.
By confirming that each of the detection sensors 9 and 10 is turned off, it may be determined that the user has moved from the first-stage elevating device 1a to the second-stage elevating device 1b. . In addition, when the user lifts the second stage
When the vehicle shifts to b, the first-stage lifting / lowering device 1a lowers the control valve 20 by switching the switching valve 13 to the fourth position.

As described above, by sequentially controlling the lifting devices 1a to 1c, the user can climb from the first floor to the second floor only by moving forward without climbing a step. And 2
When the user rides on the detection panel 62 placed on the floor of the floor, the detection means 11 controls the control means 20 so that the user
It is determined that the user has climbed from the floor to the second floor,
Cancel the display of.

Conversely, when the user gets on the detection panel 62 on the second floor, the control means 20 determines that the user is going down from the second floor to the first floor, and the display 63 on the first floor indicates "in use". Is displayed, and the elevating device 1c at the top is raised by the elevating drive means 7. When the lifting / lowering device 1c moves up and the user surely moves from the detection panel 62 to the lifting / lowering device 1c, the control means 20 switches the switching valve 13 to the third position 23 to lower the lifting / lowering device 1c, The lifting device 1b is driven to rise. In this way, by sequentially moving the lifting devices 1a to 1c up and down, the user on the second floor can go down to the first floor only by moving forward.
When the lifting / lowering device 1a installed at the lowermost stage descends, the control means 20 determines that the user has descended to the first floor, and cancels the display of "in use" displayed on the display 63 on the first floor.

In this embodiment, the lifting drive means 7 includes a link mechanism 5 for guiding the lifting platform 3 in parallel with the base 2,
The lift drive source 6 has a bellows-shaped airbag 15 that drives the lift 3 to move up and down with respect to the base 2. Instead of the airbag 15, a ram cylinder having a piston rod that expands and contracts in multiple stages is used. The lifting table 3 may be configured to be driven up and down.

Further, instead of directly driving the lift 3 to move up and down, an air cylinder is interposed between the first shaft 34 and the fourth shaft 51 of the link mechanism 5, and the air cylinder is extended / retracted to link. First shaft 34 and fourth shaft 5 of mechanism 5
1 may be displaced toward and away from each other, whereby the lift 3 may be moved up and down. Further, a hydraulic cylinder may be provided instead of such an air cylinder. Alternatively, one end of a screw shaft rotatable around the axis is connected to the fourth shaft 51, a nut screwed to the screw shaft is fixed on the base 2, and the screw shaft is driven to rotate about the axis. The first shaft 34 and the fourth shaft 51 may be displaced toward and away from each other, thereby driving the lift 3 to move up and down. The lifting drive source having such a screw structure can be suitably realized by a ball screw. Further, the fourth shaft 5
1 is connected to one end of a rack, and a pinion meshing with the rack is rotationally driven by a motor fixed to the base 2, whereby the first shaft 34 and the fourth shaft 51 are displaced toward and away from each other to move up and down. The table 3 may be driven up and down.

In this embodiment, the link mechanism 5 is used as a means for guiding the lift 3 in parallel with the base 2.
Instead of this, for example, a pair of guide rails extending upward along a riser between the treads of the upper stairs are fixed to the base 2, and extend downward along the riser between the lower treads. A pair of guide rails may be fixed to the lift 3 and the base 2 and the lift 3 may be guided along these guide rails so as to be able to approach / separate in a mutually parallel state. The above-described airbag or ram cylinder can be suitably implemented as the lifting drive source of the guide means having such a configuration.

Such a stair-lift device 1 can be used not only for assisting people to go up and down, but also for raising and lowering luggage and wheelchairs. When the stair-lift device 1 is installed at a station or the like, for example, when there are many people coming and going, such as during rush hour, the main power supply is turned off, and the stair-lift device 1 is turned off.
Can be held down and used as a normal staircase.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, when a user rides on the elevator of the lower stairs, the control means controls the elevator and the elevator of the upper stairs. When the elevator is raised to the same height, the elevator of the lower elevator and the elevator of the upper elevator have the same height, so that the user can move on to the upper elevator just by moving forward. Thereafter, the lift of the lift device that has been transferred is raised further to the lift of the upper lift device, and the user transfers to the lift device of the further upper stage. By repeating such an operation, the user can climb the stairs only by walking forward without climbing the step.

When descending the stairs, the stair elevating device installed below the step where the user is located is raised to the step where the user is located. Thereafter, when the user moves on to the elevating platform of the elevating device, the elevating platform is lowered, and the elevating platform of the elevating device installed at a lower stage than the stage to which the user has moved is raised. Then, when the elevating platform to which the user has moved is lowered, the height becomes the same as that of the lower elevating platform, and the user can move on to the lower elevating device only by moving forward. By repeating such an operation, even an elderly person can easily go down the stairs simply by walking forward.

Also, unlike the escalator, the stair climbing device of the present invention can be moved slowly because the climbing platform is stopped when moving, and is safe even for elderly people. In addition, since the elevator is moved up and down in a state parallel to the base, that is, in a horizontal state, it is possible to prevent the user from wobbling while the elevator is being moved up and down.

Further, according to the present invention, since the detecting means has a pair of detection sensors for individually detecting whether or not both feet of the user are mounted, both feet of the user are securely mounted on the elevator. When the control means raises and lowers the elevator by the elevator drive means, it is prevented that the elevator moves up or down while the user is moving on the elevator, for example, with only one foot on the elevator. , Safety is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a stair climbing device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the stair elevating device 1. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a use state of the stair lifting device 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 stair lifting device 2 base 3 lifting table 5 link mechanism 6 lifting drive source 7 lifting drive means 8 hose 9 first detection sensor 10 second detection sensor 11 detection means 13 switching valve 15 airbag 20 control means

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A base mounted on a tread of a stair, a lift provided in parallel with the base and moving up and down in a direction approaching / separating from the base, and a lift serving as a base Elevating drive means for driving up and down in a parallel state; detecting means provided on the elevating table for detecting that a user has got on the elevating table; elevating drive in response to an output from the detecting means Control means for controlling the elevating operation of the means. 2. The stair climbing and lowering device according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means has a pair of detection sensors for individually detecting that both feet of the user are mounted on the elevator.