Wheelchair

• US 5,927,414 A
• Filed: 07/30/1996
• Issued: 07/27/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Hideo, Kitano, Minoru, Tomoshige, Kazuhiro, Kan, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): BOEHLER, ANNE MARIE M
• Application Number:
  US08/688,304
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• Field of Search: 180/19.1, 180/19.2, 180/19.3, 180/6.48, 180/6.5, 180/11, 180/13, 180/65.1, 180/65.8, 180/907
• US Class Current: 180/19.3
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/14 Joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/045 Rear wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/048 Power-assistance activated by pushing on hand rim or on handlebar
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/1008 for gradually slowing down the wheelchair
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/1032 engaging an element of the drive or transmission, e.g. drive belt, electrodynamic brake
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/1037 manipulated by assisting person
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/1054 Large wheels, e.g. higher than the seat portion
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/043 Transmission unit disposed in on near the vehicle wheel, or between the differential gear unit and the wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2007/0046 the motor moving together with the vehicle body, i.e. moving independently from the wheel axle
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2007/0061 the motor axle being parallel to the wheel axle
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 26/02 of initiating means or elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 7/0007 the motor being electric
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/46 Wheel motors, i.e. motor connected to only one wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/84 Wheelchairs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 180/907 Motorized wheelchairs

Abstract

A less heavy and small-sized assisted wheelchair that does not require so much manual labor of an assistant'"'"'s handle operation. The wheelchair D comprises a frame assembly 1, casters 2 and 3, driving wheels 4 and 5, handrims 6 and 7, and a battery portion 11. In the inside of the casing 14 which covers the hub shaft 13 of the driving wheel 4, there are disposed a driving force detector 40 for detecting the human driving force applied to the handrim 6, a motor 21 for auxiliarily driving the driving wheel 4, and a controller 20 for controlling the motor 21 based on the result of the detection by the driving force detector 40. Also, on the upper rear portion of the frame assembly 1, there is disposed a driving force detector 50 for detecting the human driving force applied to the handles 8 and 9 by the assistant. The controller 20 controls and drives the motor 21 in accordance with the amount of human driving force of the assistant detected by the driving force detector 50.

Claims

1. A wheelchair comprising:

a main body having a scat for a user and a driving wheel;

a handle provided in the main body for propelling the main body by a human driving force of an assistant;

a motor for auxiliarily driving the driving wheel by an electric driving force, and a battery for supplying a power to the motor;

a handle driving-force detector for detecting the human driving force applied to the handle; and

a controller for controlling the motor reflecting a result of the detection by the handle driving-force detector, whereby the electric driving force can be added to the driving wheel in accordance with the human driving force applied to the handle; and

the main body includes a changeover switch for changing the operation/non-operation of the motor and the flat land or downward slope traveling/upward slope traveling, based in a judgement of the user or the assistant.

2. A wheelchair according to claim 1, in which the handle is provided as a pair of right and left handles mounted to the upper rear portion of the main body and the handle driving-force detector is provided at the upper rear portion of the main body, the handles being approximately horizontal and pivotable in forward and backward directions so that the handles pivot in a forward or backward direction when the handles are pushed or pulled by the assistant, thereby operating the handle-driving force detector.

3. A wheelchair according to claim 1, in which the handle driving-force detector comprises a pushing-pressure sensor disposed between the handle and the main body, the pushing-pressure sensor detecting the amount of the force pushing the handle forward, and a pulling-pressure sensor disposed between the handle and the main body, the pulling-pressure sensor detecting the amount of the force pulling the handle backward, and the handle driving-force detector being electrically connected to the motor via the controller.

4. A wheelchair according to claim 1, in which, when the operation of the motor and the flat land or downward slope traveling are selected by the changeover switch, the controller controls the motor so as to add an electric driving force at an amount equal to the amount of the detected human driving force when the forward traveling speed is within a first speed range, to add an electric driving force at an amount smaller by a predetermined ratio than the amount of the detected human driving force when the forward traveling speed is within a second speed range which is greater than the first speed range, and to add no electric driving force when the forward traveling speed exceeds the second speed range.

5. A wheelchair according to claim 1, in which, when the operation of the motor and the upward slope traveling are selected by the changeover switch, the controller controls the motor so as to add an electric driving force at an amount larger by a predetermined ratio than the amount of the detected human driving force when the forward traveling speed is within a first speed range, to add an electric driving force at a ratio smaller than the predetermined ratio for the first speed range to the amount of the detected human driving force when the forward traveling speed is within a second speed range which is greater than the first speed range, and to add no electric driving force when the forward traveling speed exceeds the second speed range.

6. A wheelchair comprising:

a main body having a seat for a user and a driving wheel;

a handle provided in the main body for propelling the main body by a human driving force of an assistant;

a motor for auxiliarily driving the driving wheel by an electric driving force, and a battery for supplying a power to the motor;

a handle driving-force detector for detecting the human driving force applied to the handle; and

a controller for controlling the motor reflecting a result of the detection by the handle driving-force detector, whereby the electric driving force can be added to the driving wheel in accordance with the human driving, force applied to the handle;

the handle driving-force detector comprises a pulling-pressure sensor disposed between the handle and the main body, the pulling-pressure sensor detecting the amount of the force pulling the handle backward;

the handle driving-force detector being electrically connected to the motor via the controller; and

the controller further has a function of directing a dynamoelectric breaking to the motor in accordance with a result of the detection by the pulling-pressure sensor.

7. A wheelchair comprising:

a main body having a seat for a user and a driving wheel;

a handle provided in the main body for propelling the main body by a human driving force of an assistant;

a motor for auxiliarily driving the driving wheel by an electric driving force, and a battery for supplying a power to the motor;

a handle driving-force detector for detecting the human driving force applied to the handle; and

a controller for controlling the motor reflecting a result of the detection by the handle driving-force detector whereby the electric driving force can be added to the driving wheel in accordance with the human driving force applied to the handle;

a handrim provided integrally with the driving wheel for driving the driving wheel with the human driving force of the user;

a handrim driving-force detector for detecting the human driving force applied to the handrim; and

the controller further having a function of controlling the motor reflecting a result of the detection by the handrim driving-force detector, whereby the electric driving force can be added to the driving wheel in accordance with the human driving force applied either to the handle or to the handrim.

8. A wheelchair according to claim 7, in which the handrim driving-force detector comprises an elastic body that contracts when a human driving force exceeding a predetermined amount is applied to the handrim and expands otherwise, a converting member for converting the amount of contraction or expansion of the elastic body into a shift amount along the longitudinal direction of a hub shaft of the driving wheel, and a detecting member for generating an electric output change in accordance with the shift amount of the converting member and for detecting the output.

9. A wheelchair according to claim 7, in which a hub shaft of the driving wheel is protected by a disk-like casing divided into right and left portions, one of the divided portions being fixed to the hub shaft to serve as a fixed-side casing member, the inside of the fixed-side casing member including the motor and the controller disposed therein, the other of the divided portions being mounted to the hub shell covering the hub shaft to serve as a rotative-side casing member rotatable with the driving wheel, the inside of the rotative-side casing member including a final decelerating member disposed therein for reducing the rotating speed of the motor to a predetermined value and for rotating to drive the rotative-side casing member, with the inside of the fixed-side casing member and the rotative-side casing member including the handrim driving-force detector disposed therein.

10. A wheelchair comprising:

a main body having a seat for a user and a driving wheel;

a handle provided in the main body for propelling the main body by a human driving force of an assistant;

a motor for auxiliarily driving the driving wheel by an electric driving force, and a battery for supplying a power to the motor;

a handle driving-force detector for detecting the human driving force applied to the handle;

said handle driving-force detector effective to produce a detector signal corresponding to an amount of the human driving force applied to the handle;

a controller for controlling the motor so as to add and remove the electric driving force in proportion to the detector signal, whereby the electric driving force can be added to the driving wheel when the human driving force is applied to the handle;

the handle driving-force detector includes a pulling-pressure sensor disposed between the handle and the main body;

the pulling-pressure sensor detects the amount of the force pulling the handle backward; and

the handle driving-force detector being electrically connected to the motor via the controller, and in which the controller further has a function of directing a dynamoelectric braking to the motor in accordance with a result of the direction by the pulling-pressure sensor.

11. A wheelchair comprising:

a main body having a seat for a user and a driving wheel;

a handle provided in the main body for propelling the main body by a human driving force of an assistant;

a motor for auxiliarily driving the driving wheel by an electric driving force, and a battery for supplying a power to the motor;

a handle driving-force detector for detecting the human driving force applied to the handle;

said handle driving-force detector effective to produce a detector signal corresponding to an amount of the human driving force applied to the handle;

a controller for controlling the motor so as to add and remove the electric driving force in proportion to the detector signal, whereby the electric driving force can be added to the driving wheel when the human driving force is applied to the handle; and

the main body includes a changeover switch for changing the operation/non-operation of the motor and the flat land or downward slope traveling/upward slop traveling, based in a judgement of the user or the assistant.

12. A wheelchair according to claim 11, in which, when the operation of the motor and the flat land or downward slope traveling are selected by the changeover switch, the controller controls the motor so as to add an electric driving force at an amount equal to the amount of the detected human driving force when the forward traveling speed is within a first speed range, to add an electric driving force at an amount smaller by a predetermined ratio than the amount of the detected human driving force when the forward traveling speed is within a second speed range which is greater than the first speed range, and to add no electric driving force when the forward traveling speed exceeds the second speed range.

13. A wheelchair according to claim 11, in which, when the operation of the motor and the upward slope traveling are selected by the changeover switch, the controller controls the motor so as to add an electric driving force at an amount larger by a predetermined ratio than the amount of the detected human driving force when the forward traveling speed is within a first speed range, to add an electric driving force at a ratio smaller than the predetermined ratio for the first speed range to the amount of the detected human driving force when the forward traveling speed is within a second speed range which is greater than the first speed range, and to add no electric driving force when the forward traveling speed exceeds the second speed range.

14. A wheelchair comprising:

a main body having a seat for a user and a driving wheel;

a handle provided in the main body for propelling the main body by a human driving force of an assistant;

a motor for auxiliarily driving the driving wheel by an electric driving force, and a battery for supplying a power to the motor;

a handle driving-force detector for detecting the human driving force applied to the handle;

said handle driving-force detector effective to produce a detector signal corresponding to an amount of the human driving force applied to the handle,

a controller for controlling the motor so as to add and remove the electric driving force in proportion to the detector signal, whereby the electric driving force can be added to the driving wheel when the human driving force is applied to the handle;

a handrim provided integrally with the driving wheel for driving the driving wheel with the human driving force of the user;

a handrim driving-force detector for detecting the human driving force applied to the handrim;

the controller further having a function of controlling the motor reflecting a result of the detection by the handrim driving-force detector, whereby the electric driving force can be added to the driving wheel in accordance with the human driving force applied either to the handle or to the handrim;

the handrim driving-force detector having an elastic body that contracts when a human driving force exceeding a predetermined amount is applied to the handrim and expands otherwise, a converting member for converting the amount of contraction or expansion of the elastic body into a shift amount along the longitudinal direction of a hub shaft of the driving wheel, and a detecting member for generating an electric output change in accordance with the shift amount of the converting member and for detecting the output.

15. A wheelchair comprising:

a main body having a seat for a user and a driving wheel;

a handle provided in the main body for propelling the main body by a human driving force of an assistant;

a motor for auxiliarily driving the driving wheel by an electric driving force, and a battery for supplying a power to the motor;

a handle driving-force detector for detecting the human driving force applied to the handle;

said handle driving-force detector effective to produce a detector signal corresponding to an amount of the human driving force applied to the handle;

a controller for controlling the motor so as to add and remove the electric driving force in proportion to the detector signal, whereby the electric driving force can be added to the driving wheel when the human driving force is applied to the handle,

a handrim provided integrally with the driving wheel for driving the driving wheel with the human driving force of the user;

a handrim driving-force detector for detecting the human driving force applied to the handrim;

the controller further having a function of controlling the motor reflecting a result of the detection by the handrim driving-force detector, whereby the electric driving force can be added to the driving wheel in accordance with the human driving force applied either to the handle or to the handrim;

a hub shaft of the driving wheel is protected by a disk casing divided into right and left portions, one of the divided portions being fixed to the hub shaft to serve as a fixed-side casing member;

the inside of the fixed-side casing member including the motor and the controller disposed therein, the other of the divided portions being mounted to a hub shell covering the hub shaft to serve as a rotative-side casing member rotatable with the driving wheel; and

the inside of the rotative-side casing member including a final decelerating member disposed therein for reducing the rotating speed of the motor to a predetermined value and for rotating to drive the rotative-side casing member, with the inside of the fixed-side casing member and the rotative-side casing member including the handrim driving-force detector disposed therein.