A wheelchair arm rest

Abstract

 An electric power driven wheelchair has at its left-hand side a conventional desk arm rest 1 and at its right-hand side an arm rest 2 including a supporting frame 3, a padded, elongate top part 5 slidable longitudinally relative to the frame 3 and a manually operable control device 6 for the power drive. A spring urges the part 5 forwards into a front end position. If the chair is driven forwards into a desk or table top, the part 5 ist pushed rearwards by the desk or table top against the action of the spring until, when the part 5 nears its rearward end position 5', it operates a limit switch to open the power drive circuit.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to a wheelchair armrest.

[0002] Wheelchairs are known having arm rests which each comprise a supporting frame, a skirtguard mounted within the frame, and a padded elongate top part mounted on the top of the frame. To enable the position of the top part along the frame to be adjusted to suit a particular patient, it is known for the top part to be connected to the frame in such a manner that the connection can be released, the top part slid along the frame to a desired position, and the connection re-tightened.

[0003] It is obviously advantageous to the user if a wheelchair can be partly introduced beneath a desk or table top, for example for the purpose of the user writing or taking meals. For this reason desk arm rests are known which have their padded, elongate top parts and the upper portions of their supporting frames set back relative to the fronts of the remainders of their frames. However, the resulting lack of support for their hands and wrists can be uncomfortable for some users, and, moreover, with a power-driven chair, there is no convenient location on or adjacent to the padded, elongate top part for a hand-operated control device for the power drive.

[0004] According to the present invention, there is provided a wheelchair arm rest comprising a top part which extends along the arm rest , a support part which mounts said top part , and means mounting said top part on said support part such that said top part is displaceable longitudinally of said arm rest with respect to said support part, characterised in that said top part is relatively freely movable along said arm rest with respect to said support part and that biassing means urges said top part forwards relative to said support part.

[0005] In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawing, which shows a fragmentary perspective side view of a power-driven wheelchair.

[0006] Referring to the drawing, the wheelchair includes at its left-hand side a conventional desk arm rest 1 indicated mainly in chain lines. At its right-hand side it includes an arm rest 2 comprised of a supporting frame 3, a skirtguard 4, and a padded, elongate, top part 5 which is so mounted on the supporting frame 3 as to be slidable longitudinally of the arm rest 2 relative to the frame 3. A spring (not shown) urges the part 5 forwards into a front end position shown. The part 5 carries near its forward end a manually operable control device 6 in circuitry of the electric power drive of the wheelchair. This device 6 in the position shown is appropriately placed to be comfortably operated by the occupant of the wheelchair. In that position of the device 6, the part 5 projects forward to such an extent that, if it were fixed to the frame 3, it would abut a desk or table top and so prevent the arm rest 2 from protruding beneath the desk or table top in a manner conventional with desk arm rests. However, because it is longitudinally movable relative to the frame 3, it is pushed rearwards relative to the frame 3 against the action of the return spring by the desk or table top towards a rear end position 5 shown in dot-dash lines, the forward end portion of the skirtguard 4 moving beneath the desk or table top. As the part 5 nears its position 5', it operates a switch in the circuitry of the power drive which prevents any further forward driving of the wheelchair but still allows rearward driving thereof.

Claims

1. A wheelchair arm rest comprising a top part (5) which extends along the arm rest (2), a support part (3) which mounts said top part (5), and means mounting said top part (5) on said support part (3) such that said top part (5) is displaceable longitudinally of said arm rest (2) with respect to said support part (3), characterized in that said top part (5) is relatively freely movable along said arm rest (2) with respect to said support part (3) and that biassing means urges said top part (5) forwards relative to said support part (3).

2. An arm rest according to claim 1, characterised in that it further comprises a limit switch which is arranged to be operated, by said top part (5) nearing a rearmost position of said top part (5) relative to said support part (3), for de-energizing a propelling motor of the wheelchair.

3. In a wheelchair, an arm rest according to any preceding claim.

Drawing