JP5324983B2 - Drive device and caster-equipped indoor mobile device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a driving device which is not complicated in a structure and compact, can be simply and easily installed to an indoor moving body with casters, can be easily motorized, can carrying out stable travelling with safe feeling when starting, and by which rectilinear progressing property and turning property when travelling can be enhanced, and an indoor moving device with casters equipped with the same. <P>SOLUTION: Driving wheels 10 oscillatable in a vertical direction by turning around supporting shafts 14 in a fore and aft direction are independently suspended in both right and left sides in a center part in the fore and aft directions of the lower surface of a chassis 1 respectively, coil springs 15 capable of always biasing both the driving wheels to the grounding direction onto an indoor floor surface are independently arranged in both the driving wheels 10, 10 respectively, and both the driving wheels 10, 10 are arranged so as to face each other in a truncated chevron shape in a front view in a grounding state to a horizontal indoor floor surface F. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention particularly relates to an indoor movable body with a caster for posture maintenance, rehabilitation, play or work for use by persons with physical disabilities (including children with physical disabilities under 18 years old) indoors in a disabled person facility, For example, the present invention relates to a drive device which is attached to a wheelchair or a carriage equipped with a cushion chair and used for electrification so as to be able to run on an indoor floor and an indoor moving device with a caster provided with the drive device.

When a physically handicapped person with severe disability moves indoors, such as a facility for the disabled, or performs rehabilitation, play, or work smoothly, for posture maintenance, rehabilitation, play, or work, respectively Wheelchairs are used as adapted indoor mobiles with casters, for example for posture maintenance.
Such a wheelchair requires the assistance of an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, or a guardian for pushing.

Therefore, conventionally, in order to improve the independence of the physically handicapped and improve the quality of daily life, the handicapped person can move by maneuvering while in the sitting position. A type of indoor or outdoor electric wheelchair has been developed (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

However, the electric wheelchair described in Patent Document 1 has a double-link suspension mechanism that is independently suspended so as to be vertically movable, and is provided on the lower surface of the rear portion of the vehicle body frame in an existing wheelchair having a pair of left and right wheels. A drive block is mounted so as to straddle the left and right rear wheels, and the drive force of the drive motor provided in the drive block is configured to be transmitted to the left and right rear wheels by a drive transmission mechanism. .
Therefore, the structure of the drive transmission mechanism to the left and right rear wheels is complicated, and not only can it be easily and inexpensively attached to the vehicle body frame, but also because the center of the rear wheels is the turning center when turning, The range is large and the turning performance is poor.
In addition, since the position of the center of gravity when a physically handicapped person is seated is high, there is a risk that the person will easily fall over.

  In addition, the electric wheelchair described in Patent Document 2 is provided with front and rear wheels made up of a pair of left and right casters that are suspended independently of each other by a suspension mechanism on the lower surface of the body frame, A pair of left and right middle wheels are provided in the center of the direction, and these left and right middle wheels are independently suspended by a double link type suspension mechanism so as to be movable up and down, and driven by a wheel-in motor type with a built-in drive motor. It has a 6-wheel structure.

However, the electric wheelchair described in Patent Document 2 has a very large diameter as compared with both front and rear wheels made of casters, so that the overall height of the chair is high, The position of the center of gravity in the posture also becomes high, running is unstable, and it is easy to fall.
In addition, when considering indoor use such as a facility for persons with disabilities, the mechanism itself is sturdy and complicated, which increases the cost.

In addition, the carriage is supported by both front and rear wheels made of a pair of left and right casters, and a pair of left and right drive wheels having the same diameter as the casters are suspended independently from each other at substantially the center in the front and rear direction. A conveyance vehicle is publicly known (refer to patent documents 3).

The electric transport vehicle described in Patent Document 3, for example, when a posture holding body such as a cushion chair is mounted on a chassis, the position of the center of gravity in the sitting posture is low, and the running is stable. Suitable for use.
However, since the left and right drive wheels are provided to be suspended independently from each other with a swing plate that swings in the vertical direction by rotating around the support shaft in the left and right direction, Due to the inertia that acts at the time of starting, a force that pushes the driving wheel downward or upward acts, so that the movement at the time of starting becomes unstable, giving anxiety to a physically handicapped person.

By the way, for elementary and middle-aged children and children with severe disabilities and those with severe disabilities, due to restrictions on their degree of disability and operational abilities, is not.
Persons with disabilities and children with disabilities who cannot use such regular electric wheelchairs are very difficult to hold their own posture due to body deformation or functional disorder. There is always a posture holding device such as a cushion chair that can be held, and a drive device that can easily and inexpensively drive this posture holding device is desired.

JP 2001-346835 A JP 2007-061342 A JP-A-9-169271

  In view of the above situation, the present invention is not complicated in structure, is compact, can be easily and easily attached to an indoor moving body with casters, and can be electrically driven at low cost. It is an object of the present invention to provide a drive device capable of performing stable traveling with a sense of security and preferably improving straightness and turning performance during traveling, and an indoor moving device with casters provided with the drive device. .

  The above-described problems are solved by the invention having the following configuration, as described in each claim in the section “Claims”.

(1) Drive for attaching to the underside of an indoor mobile body with casters for posture maintenance, rehabilitation, play or work used by people with physical disabilities so that it can be electrically driven on the indoor floor. A drive wheel that can swing in the vertical direction by rotating about a support shaft in the front-rear direction on both left and right sides of the middle part in the front-rear direction on the lower surface of the chassis is independently suspended. At the same time, each of the drive wheels is provided with an urging means capable of always urging toward the grounding direction on the indoor floor so as to be located outside the drive wheels .

(2) In the above item (1), by providing a pair of left and right support shafts facing in the front-rear direction at the center of the support member facing in the left-right direction that can be attached to the underside of the chassis, A swing plate that swings in the vertical direction is attached so as to extend outward from the support shaft in the left-right direction, and drive wheels that are driven to rotate by an electric motor at the free ends of the swing plates, respectively. An urging means that is provided independently and constantly urges each driving wheel toward the grounding direction is interposed between the support member and the swinging plate.

( 3 ) In the above item (1) or (2) , the drive wheel can be adjusted to be movable in the left-right direction.

( 4 ) In any one of the above items (1) to ( 3 ), the vertical swing range of the drive wheel can be adjusted between the upper limit position and the lower limit position.

( 5 ) With a caster provided with the drive device according to the above (1) to ( 4 ) on the lower surface of the chassis of an indoor moving body with a caster for posture maintenance, rehabilitation, play or work used by a physically handicapped person In the indoor movement device, the driving wheels of the driving device are arranged so as to be opposed to each other in a C shape when viewed from the front in a grounded state on a horizontal indoor floor surface.

( 6 ) In the above item ( 5 ), an auxiliary caster that can be lowered is provided on the lower surface of the chassis, and the left and right drive wheels can be separated from the indoor floor surface by the lowering operation of the auxiliary caster. Like that.
The specific contents of the invention are as follows.

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.
(A) According to the invention described in claim 1, on both the left and right sides of the middle portion in the front-rear direction on the lower surface of the chassis, the drive wheels that can swing in the up-down direction by rotating about the support shaft in the front-rear direction are supported. Since each is suspended independently, the structure is not complicated, it is compact, and it can be easily and easily attached to an indoor moving body with casters, and the drive wheels act as inertia when starting up when moving forward or backward Therefore, the force that pushes the drive wheel downward or upward does not act, the movement at the start is stable, and the vehicle can travel with a sense of security at the start.
In addition, since the left and right drive wheels can be always urged toward the grounding direction on the indoor floor surface by independent urging means, the followability to unevenness on the indoor floor surface is improved. And stable running. Further, since the urging means is provided so as to be located outside the drive wheel, the vertical expansion / contraction range of the urging means becomes long, and the vertical swing range of the swing plate is increased. As a result, the adjustment range of the followability of the drive wheel can be increased with respect to the unevenness on the indoor floor surface.

(B) According to the invention described in claim 2, a pair of left and right support shafts facing in the front-rear direction are provided at the center portion of the support member facing in the left-right direction that can be attached to the underside of the chassis, and the support shafts are rotated around the support shaft Accordingly, swing plates that swing in the vertical direction are attached to the support shafts so as to extend outward in the left-right direction, and drive wheels that are driven to rotate by an electric motor are provided at the free ends of the swing plates. Since the urging means for independently urging each driving wheel toward the grounding direction is interposed between the support member and the swing plate, the structure of the entire apparatus is not complicated. A compact configuration can be obtained.

( C ) According to the invention described in claim 3 , since the drive wheels can be adjusted so as to be movable in the left-right direction, if the left and right drive wheels are moved and adjusted in a direction away from each other, they can be adjusted. The turning speed of the indoor moving body with casters can be lowered, and the turning speed of the indoor moving body with casters can be increased by adjusting the movement toward the inside toward each other.

( D ) According to the invention of claim 4 , since the vertical swing range of the drive wheel can be adjusted between the upper limit position and the lower limit position, depending on the degree of unevenness of the indoor floor surface, The swing range of the left and right drive wheels can be adjusted.

( E ) According to the invention described in claim 5 , since the drive wheels of the drive device are arranged so as to be opposed to each other in a C-shape when viewed from the front in a grounded state to a horizontal indoor floor surface, Due to the camber effect, it is possible to improve the straightness and the turning performance, and it is possible to stably travel even if the indoor floor surface is inclined.

( F ) According to the invention described in claim 6 , the auxiliary caster which can be lowered is provided on the lower surface of the chassis, and the left and right drive wheels are separated from the indoor floor surface by the downward operation of the auxiliary caster. Therefore, the indoor movable body with a caster is released from the braking action by the reduction gear drive system of the electric motor, and can be moved smoothly for hand pushing.

It is a perspective view of the indoor moving apparatus with a caster provided with the drive device of one embodiment in the present invention. (Example) Similarly, it is a side view. It is the perspective view which looked up at the drive device from the lower part. It is a front view longitudinal cross-sectional view of a drive device. Similarly, it is a side view of a drive device. It is a principal part expanded sectional view which shows the behavior of the riding state to the projection part on the indoor floor surface of a driving wheel. It is a principal part expanded sectional view which shows the behavior of the fall state to the recessed part on the indoor floor surface of a driving wheel. It is a side view which shows the floating state of the indoor mobile body with a caster at the time of hand pushing use.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an indoor moving apparatus with casters provided with a driving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
In this embodiment, as an indoor movable body with a caster, an example in which a cushion chair for posture maintenance used by a physically handicapped person is mounted on a chassis with a caster will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the indoor moving apparatus with casters of the present invention is a front wheel comprising a chassis 1 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view and a pair of left and right casters attached to front and rear lower corners of the chassis 1. 2 and 2 and rear wheels 3 and 3 and a cushion chair 4 assembled on the chassis 1 and receiving almost all loads by the front wheels 2 and 2 and rear wheels 3 and 3, It is possible to move on F.
The height H between the lower surface of the chassis 1 and the indoor floor surface F has a low center of gravity of about 90 to 120 mm, for example, and the lower surface of the chassis 1 has a space between the front wheel 2 and the rear wheel 3. A drive device 5 to be described later is detachably attached to an intermediate portion substantially corresponding to the position of the center of gravity.

  3 is a perspective view of the drive device as viewed from below, FIG. 4 is a front sectional view of the drive device, and FIG. 5 is a side view of the drive device.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the driving device 5 includes a top plate 6 a that can be attached to the bottom surface of the chassis 1 and a U-shaped support member 6 that has a U-shaped support member 6 that includes a front surface plate 6 a and front and rear side plates 6 b and 6 b. A pair of left and right oscillating plates 7, 7 disposed in a loosely fitted state on both left and right sides in the U-shaped space of the support member 6, and an inverted L shape at the free ends of these left and right oscillating plates 7. A pair of left and right electric motors 9, 9 each of which is attached with a bracket 8, which uses a battery (not shown) as a power source, and left and right 1 which are independently driven to rotate by being attached to drive shafts 9 a of these left and right electric motors 9. A pair of drive wheels 10 and 10 is provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the left and right electric motors 9 are stopped by a plurality of operation buttons 13 provided on an operation panel 12 attached with a support rod 11 erected on the front end central portion 1a of the chassis 1. A push button is appropriately operated in accordance with forward, backward, right turn, left turn, etc., and drive control is performed by rotating forward and backward independently from each other via a controller (not shown).

The swing plate 7 has one end portion 7a located inside thereof pivotally supported by a support shaft 14 provided between both side plates 6b, 6b in the front-rear direction of the support member 6, and from the support shaft 14 to the outside in the left-right direction. The other end portion 7b in the free end state on the outer side thereof is extended in an L shape in a front view toward the outer side.
That is, the other end portion 7b of the swing plate 7 is swingable in the vertical direction by rotating about the support shaft 14 facing in the front-rear direction.
Here, “the swing plate 7 is swingable in the vertical direction” means that the swing plate 7 rotates as if it swings in the vertical direction within a predetermined range with the support shaft 14 as a fulcrum. It means that it is possible, and the rotation does not mean that it is necessary to swing separately.

A gap a is formed between the upper surface of the swing plate 7 and the upper surface plate 6 a of the support member 6, and the coil spring 15 is L-shaped in front view on the support member 6 and the swing plate 7. The left and right drive wheels 10 are independently suspended by the support member 6, the swing plate 7, the support shaft 14, and the coil spring 15. The entire apparatus is unitized. .

  The coil spring 15 is disposed on the outer side of the drive wheel 10 and is wound around a bolt shaft 16 having an upper end portion 16a supported on the lower surface of the upper surface plate 6a of the support member 6, and It can follow the up-and-down movement of the rocking plate 7 so as to expand and contract.

The lower end portion 16b of the bolt shaft 16 passes through a long hole 7c formed in the other end portion 7b of the swing plate 7 and extends in the left-right direction so as to protrude to the lower surface of the swing plate 7, and the lower end portion A pair of upper and lower nuts 17 and 17 are screwed to 16b so that the screwing directions are opposite to each other.

That is, the swing plate 7 adjusts the distance between the upper surface of the swing plate 7 by the bolt shaft 16 and the lower surface of the upper surface plate 6a by the bolt shaft 16 by adjusting the nuts 17 to be screwed in the forward and reverse directions. It can be done.
As a result, the swing range of the swing plate 7 that swings in the vertical direction can be adjusted by rotating about the support shaft 14 facing in the front-rear direction, and the lower limit position thereof can be adjusted. It has become.

A pair of left and right adjustment bolts 18, 18 are fastened to the left and right sides of the upper surface plate 6 a of the support member 6 with nuts 19 so that the lower ends thereof can face the upper surface of the swing plate 7. By adjusting the left and right adjustment bolts 18 by screwing, the distance between the lower end of the adjustment bolts 18 and the upper surface of the swing plate 7 is adjusted, whereby the upper limit position of the swing plate 7 can be adjusted. Yes.

As shown in FIG. 4, the spring force of the coil spring 15 is horizontal when the left and right drive wheels 10 are seated on a person with a physical disability and are loaded together with the left and right front and rear wheels 2 and 3. In the ground contact state with the indoor floor surface F, the rotation center axes O1 and O2 are inclined with respect to the horizontal indoor floor surface F so as to always be opposed to each other in a C shape in front view. By setting so that the upward inclined state is maintained at the angles θ1 and θ2, the left and right drive wheels 10 can always be urged toward the grounding direction to the indoor floor surface F. .

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part showing the behavior of the driving wheel on the protrusion on the indoor floor surface, and FIG. 7 shows the behavior of the driving wheel in the depression state on the indoor floor surface. It is a principal part expanded sectional view which shows this.

That is, the coil spring 15 elastically contacts the drive wheel 10 on the indoor floor surface F, and the protrusion from which the drive wheel 10 projects on the indoor floor surface F as shown in FIG. When riding on the object 20A, the rocking plate 7 resists the spring force of the coil spring 15 so that the upward movement of the drive wheel 10 can be allowed according to the protrusion height of the protrusion 20A. Swings upward.
Further, as shown in FIG. 7, when the drive wheel 10 falls into the recessed portion 20B that is depressed on the running of the indoor floor surface F, the drive wheel 10 moves downward according to the depth of the recessed portion 20B. The swing plate 7 swings downward by the spring force of the coil spring 15.
As a result, the unevenness of the indoor floor surface F during traveling is absorbed, and a shock absorbing function is provided so that an impact is not transmitted to the cushion chair 4 side on the chassis 1.

  The bracket 8 to which the left and right electric motors 9 are attached is fastened to the lower surface of the swing plate 7 by fastening bolts 21 and nuts 22, and the swing plate 7 is in contact with the upper surface of the bracket 8. In the surface, a long hole 23 extending in the left-right direction is formed. By loosening the fastening bolt 21 and the nut 22, the bracket 8, that is, the drive wheel 10 attached to the drive shaft 9 a of the electric motor 9 is left and right. It can be adjusted to move in the direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an auxiliary caster 24 is provided at the rear end central portion 1 b in the left-right direction of the chassis 1, and the auxiliary caster 24 can be lowered by a stepping-down operation of the pedal 25. It has become.

  FIG. 8 is a side view showing the floating state of the indoor moving body with casters when the hand is pushed.

That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the auxiliary caster 24 is lowered by a step-down operation of the pedal 25 to be grounded on the indoor floor surface F, and the rear end of the chassis 1 is relatively lifted. In addition, the left and right drive wheels 10 and 10 in the drive device 5 attached to the lower surface of the chassis 1 can be separated from the indoor floor surface F.
As a result, when the chassis 1 is moved, it is released from the braking action by the reduction gear system of the electric motor 9 and can be smoothly moved for hand pushing.

1 chassis (indoor mobile body)
1a Front end center portion 1b Rear end center portion 2 Front wheel (caster)
3 Rear wheels (casters)
4 Cushion chair 5 Driving device 6 Support member 6a Upper surface plate 6b Side surface plate 7 Oscillating plate 7a One end portion 7b Other end portion 7c Long hole 8 Bracket 9 Electric motor 9a Driving shaft 10 Driving wheel 11 Support rod 12 Operation panel 13 Operation button 14 Support shaft 15 Coil spring (biasing body)
16 Bolt shaft 16a Upper end portion 16b Lower end portion 17 Nut 18 Adjustment bolt 19 Nut 20A Protrusion 20B Recessed portion 21 Fastening bolt 22 Nut 23 Long hole a Clearance F Indoor floor surface H Height O1 between the lower surface of the chassis and the indoor floor surface , O2 Center axis of rotation of left and right drive wheels θ1, θ2 Inclination angle with respect to horizontal indoor floor

Claims (6)

Attached to the underside of an indoor mobile body with casters (2, 3) for posture maintenance, rehabilitation, play or work used by people with physical disabilities (1 ) , and self-propelled on the indoor floor (F) A drive device (5) for electrification possible,
Drive wheels (10) that can be swung in the vertical direction by rotating about the support shaft (14) in the front-rear direction on the left and right sides in the middle part in the front-rear direction on the lower surface of the chassis (1 ) are independent of each other. The driving wheels (10) are provided with urging means (15) capable of always urging both the driving wheels (10) toward the grounding direction on the indoor floor surface (F ). A drive device characterized by being provided independently so as to be located on the outer side . A pair of left and right support shafts (14) facing in the front-rear direction are provided in the center of the support member (6) facing in the left-right direction that can be attached to the lower surface of the chassis (1), and the support shaft (14) is rotated around the support shaft (14). The swing plate (7) that swings in the vertical direction is attached by extending from the support shaft (14) toward the outside in the left-right direction, and the free end of each swing plate (7) is electrically driven. A driving wheel (10) that is rotationally driven by a motor (9) is provided independently, and biasing means (15) that constantly biases each driving wheel (10) toward the grounding direction is provided with a support member ( 6. The drive device according to claim 1, wherein the drive device is interposed between 6) and the swing plate (7) . The drive device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the drive wheel (10) can be adjusted so as to be movable in the left-right direction. The drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the swing range of the drive wheel (10) in the vertical direction can be adjusted between an upper limit position and a lower limit position. Claim 1 of the driving device according to 4, crippled person for attitude holding used, for rehabilitation, amusement or casters indoor mobile undercarriage for a work (1) casters (2 provided on the lower surface, 3) An indoor mobile device with
The drive wheel (10 ) of the drive device (5) is disposed so as to be opposed to each other in a C-shape when viewed from the front when in contact with the horizontal indoor floor surface (F) . Mobile equipment. An auxiliary caster (24) that can be lowered is provided on the lower surface of the chassis (1) , and the left and right drive wheels (10) are separated from the indoor floor (F) by lowering the auxiliary caster. The indoor moving apparatus with a caster according to claim 5 , wherein the indoor moving apparatus has a caster.

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