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(11) | EP 0 773 010 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | A wheel chair for carrying disabled people |
| (57) The chair includes a base support (1) as well as a seat base (15), some arm rests
(22), some foot rests (16) and rolling means (3), which are mounted on the ends of
some lower horizontal arms (2) joined to the base support (1). The height of the seat
can be adjusted by means of a hydraulic cylinder (4) located between the base support
(1) and a cross member (9) joined to the framework of the corresponding seat (15).
The height of the arm supports (22) can also be adjusted by means of some telescopic
arms (19-20) which are extended from the bottom until they reach the arm rests (22)
themselves. These telescopic arms (19-20) can be locked at the desired height by means
of some mechanical locking elements (21). The back rest is formed by an articulated
framework of the arm rests (22) whose framework has the corresponding canvas (24)
which make up the back rest itself, while corresponding with the back of the framework
(15) another framework (25) is articulated, finished off at the rear end with handles
(26) for pushing and handling the chair. |
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention has as its object a wheel chair for carrying disabled people, which is made up of rolling means for pulling and movement, as well as hydraulic means for the height adjustment of the seat and also mechanical means which make it possible to adjust the height of the seat's arm rests.
[0002] Also, certain parts and elements of the chair as a whole are foldable so that the seat occupies the minimum amount of space when not in use.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
[0003] Numerous types of chairs for carrying people with physical disabilities so that they can move themselves are known.
[0004] In general, chairs for the disabled or handicapped are based on a general structure or framework which holds the seat, back rest and the corresponding arm rest, and the unit has some wheels at the bottom, and also some foot rests.
[0005] There are also chairs which have motors so that the user can move by himself along horizontal surfaces without the need for external help.
[0006] Now, as regards conventional chairs know as "manual chairs", that is to say those which have to be pushed and driven by another person with the disabled person sitting in them, even with all the components we have mentioned earlier, in the best of the cases they have means for folding the foot rests, but in no known case are there chairs which include simple means which allow the height of the seat or the height of the arm rests to be adjusted, which would mean that the same chair could be adapted to the different body sizes of the disabled persons.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The proposed chair of the type which includes wheels for moving disabled people, a well as foot rests and also handles at the top of the back so that a third person can push and drive the chair, has the peculiarity that the seat is linked to some hydraulic means which make it possible to adjust its height, which in combination with some mechanical means which make it possible to adjust the height of the arm rests allow the chair to be used for any person, whatever the size of his body, as it can always be adapted to the height of this person or user.
[0008] As regards the chair's pull and rolling means, these are made up of a support base with horizontal arms which hold the corresponding wheels at the ends, with a hydraulic cylinder laid out on the base support which sticks out at the top through a cover and which are linked to the corresponding seat, so that the height of the seat can be adjusted through the hydraulic cylinder.
[0009] As regards the rolling means, they are linked to the general reinforcement of the seat, made up of a frame which is extended later, a foldable back rest for holding and pushing the seat unit, and the unit is complemented with telescopic arms provided with mechanical means for adjusting the height of the arm rests, whose telescopic arms also come out of the bottom, corresponding with the sides of the general structure of the chair.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] In order to complement the description we are making and with the aim of helping to provide greater understanding of the characteristics of the invention, in accordance with a preferable example of its practical construction, this description is accompanied by a set of drawings as an integral part of it. The following has been represented as a non limiting representation:
- Figure 1 shows a representation according to a general view of a wheel chair made in accordance with the object of the invention, in which we can see clearly the base support of the rolling means; the tubular framework of the seat with back rest for pushing and traction, as well as the telescopic reinforcement for adjusting the height of the arm rests. In this figure we can also see the rolling means themselves, the foot rests and the hydraulic means which allow the height of the seat to be adjusted.
- Figure 2 shows another view of the same chair represented in the last figure, with the pushing and traction back rest folded onto the framework of the seat.
- Figure 3 shows another view of the same chair unit represented in the last figures, with the framework of the seat in raised position over the base support and with the arm rests folded up.
- Figure 4 shows a couple of details, one corresponding to an elevation and another to a plan, of the lay out of the hydraulic cylinder and its relationship with the seat's framework.
- Figure 5 finally shows another two details corresponding to the telescopic arm rests.
PREFERENTIAL CONSTRUCTION OF THE INVENTION
[0011] As can be seen in the referenced figures, the chair unit consists of a base support (1) made up of bowel provided with some horizontal arms (2), which hold the corresponding rolling elements or wheels (3) as such at the ends. On the aforementioned base support (1) there is a hydraulic cylinder (4), while from the front of the horizontal arms (2) two guide bars (5) project upwards. They carry their respective supports (6) which slide along the guide-bars (5) and their top end is closed by means of a cross member (7) from whose central area an elbow flatbar (8) emerges which on the other end forms a ring through which the hydraulic cylinder (4) passes or comes out. This is fastened to the centre of the cross member (9) joined to the very reinforcement (15) of the seat which we shall look at later.
[0012] The aforementioned hydraulic cylinder (4) mounted on the bowel of the base support (1) is partially covered by a lid (10) with front grooves (11) through which the ends of the transversal bar (12) emerge which is finished off with the respective operating pedals (13), in the elevation direction of the cylinder (4) after opening a hydraulic circuit control key (14).
[0013] In this way the connection is established between the hydraulic cylinder (4) mounted on the base support (1) and the cross member (9) of the seat.
[0014] As for the reinforcement of the seat, it is made up of a tubular framework (15) which is bent approximately on the front half so as to project down, whose lower cross member has some foot rests (16), which can be folded away.
A second cross member (17) parallel to the lower one, which has a couple of handles (18) inside which screw onto the corresponding sliding supports (6), which move upwards and downwards along the guides (5) on being operated by the pedals (13).
[0015] Next to the ends of the lower cross member (17), and corresponding with the front lower part of the framework (15) of the seat, a couple of arms (19) project upwards which have telescopically the same number of arms (20) of lesser contour with the peculiarity that these arms (20) can be locked over the arms (19) by means of respective locking devices (21) which allow the arms (20) to be fixed at the desired height with regard to the arms (19) and therefore achieve the lengthening of this set of arms (19-20) which at its top end support the horizontal arm rests (22) which in turn have the same number of foldable end arms (23) between which the canvas (24) which constitutes the back rest as such, is laid out.
1. A wheel chair for moving disabled people, which is made up of a base support (1),
part of which is a framework (15) of the seat, as well as some telescopic arms formed
in each case by the spans (19-20) and the base support (1) has rolling means (3) at
the bottom. It is characterised because the aforementioned base support (1) is provided
with horizontal lower bars (2) which carry the rolling elements (3) themselves; and
the base support itself (1) is also provided with a hydraulic cylinder (4) which projects
vertically upwards, linked at the top end to the framework itself (15) of the seat;
with the peculiarity that apart from the fact that the respective vertical bars (5)
emerge from the horizontal arms (2) which carry the front wheels (3) to constitute
a slider guide for the respective slide supports (5), the bars (5) are joined at the
top end by means of a transversal flatbar (7), from whose central area emerges an
elbow flatbar (8) towards the back, which at its rear end forms a ring or hole through
which the end of the corresponding hydraulic cylinder (4) passes, thus establishing
the connection between it and the very framework (15) of the seat.
2. A wheel chair for moving disabled people, according to the first claim, which is characterised
because the framework (15) of the seat has folded sides to be projected downwards
in vertical spans, between which a cross member which carries the corresponding foot
rests (16) is located. These can be folded away by rotating them; with the peculiarity
that parallel and inside this lower cross member of the frame (15) there is a second
cross member (17) which is fastened by means of two rods (18) at the ends of which
the sliding supports (6) are laid out, thus
establishing the link between the base support (1) and the hydraulic cylinder (4) itself, so that its plunger is linked to the centre of the transversal plate (9) which belongs to the general structure of the seat and is located above the elbow flatbar (8).
establishing the link between the base support (1) and the hydraulic cylinder (4) itself, so that its plunger is linked to the centre of the transversal plate (9) which belongs to the general structure of the seat and is located above the elbow flatbar (8).
3. A wheel chair for moving disabled people, according to the first and second claims,
which is characterised because the telescopic arms (19-20) are laid out co-laterally
corresponding with the front part and are projected from the area next to the ends
of lower cross member (17) to the area where the arm rests (22) themselves are located,
with the peculiarity that these arms, (19) and (20) are made up of tubular bodies
with a quadrangular contour, one housed inside the other and the arm rests (22) joined
at the end of the upper arm with the lesser section (20); the rear ends of the arm
rests (22) have a foldable support (23) mounted which carries the canvas (24) of the
back rest, with the peculiarity that the length or height of the telescopic arms (19-20)
is limited and can be anchored by means of the corresponding mechanical locking elements
(21) envisaged near to the top end of the spans (19) with greater contour.
4. A wheel chair for moving disabled people, according to the first and third claims,
which is characterised because on the framework (15) of the seat, a second foldable
frame (25) is articulated which has an upper cross member with its ends finished with
projections which form the means of holding and traction for the seat unit.