MANUAL WHEELCHAIR FOR CHILDREN WITH MOBILITY IMPAIRMENTS

Abstract

 A manual vehicle for children, having a body with a seat mounted thereon, moving on wheels, equipped with a footrest, characterised in that the body consists of: a movable seat (1), a main base (2), an extendable footrest (3), a rear base (4) and a connector (5), the seat (1) being mounted on the main base (2) and the rear base (4a), wherein an extendable footrest (3) with a swivel wheel (8) are mounted to the main base (2) and the seat (1) is mounted to the rear base (2) having swivel wheels (8) though a connector (5), whereby the seat (1), the main base (2), the footrest (3) and the rear base (4) have mounting holes (1b, 2a, 3a, 4a) for a set screw (12), and a wheel (7) is mounted on each axle (6) and each wheel is connected to the main base (2) through screws (13) screwed into threaded bushings (10).

Description

[0001] The object of the invention is a manual vehicle for children with motor disabilities of the lower limbs from the age of about 9 months (able to sit independently) to about 4 years.

[0002] A mobile children's chair is known from patent specification US8496261. The mobile chair provides great manoeuvrability and is particularly useful for people with disabilities who need a very stable and manoeuvrable wheelchair. The chair includes a seat positioned between the first and second wheel of the first wheel set, with the axial dimension of the spacing between the first and second wheel being greater than the height of the axle. The mobile chair is adapted to rotate around the first wheel set axis to allow the user to rotate freely forward when seated in the chair, with the rotation being limited in both axial directions.

[0003] A mobile children's chair is also known from patent specification US 8720926.

[0004] The essence of the invention is a manual vehicle for children, having a body with a seat mounted thereon, moving on wheels, equipped with a footrest, characterised in that the body consists of: a movable seat, a main base, an extendable footrest, a rear base and a connector, the seat being mounted on the main base and the rear base, wherein an extendable footrest with a swivel wheel are mounted to the main base and the seat is mounted to the rear base having swivel wheels through a connector, whereby the seat, the main base, the footrest and the rear base have mounting holes for a set screw, and a wheel is mounted on each axle, and each wheel is connected to the main base through screws screwed into threaded bushings.

[0005] The seat has a gusset.

[0006] The manual vehicle is manufactured advantageously using FDM technology.

[0007] The wheels are secured with a spring-loaded circlip.

[0008] The threaded bushings are molded into the body of the vehicle. The vehicle has a hole in the seat.

[0009] The advantage of the invention is that the seat spacing is highly adjustable to the changing body proportions of the child and the footrest can be adjusted in three configurations.

[0010] As a result of adapting the vehicle to be manufactured using, among other things, generative technology (3D printing) - FDM technology - and owing to the availability of relatively cheap printing equipment on the market, the vehicle can be manufactured by anyone with access to such equipment. The object of the invention is a cheaper and more personalised alternative to existing and commercially available devices of this type.

[0011] The object of the design is shown in the figures, where fig. 1 shows the assembled vehicle in an isometric view from the front left, fig. 2 shows the individual components of the vehicle in an isometric exploded view from the front left top, fig. 3 in an isometric exploded view from the rear right bottom, fig. 4 shows the vehicle in a left-hand view, fig. 5 shows the vehicle in a front view, fig. 6 shows the vehicle in a rear view, fig. 7 shows the vehicle in a top view. Three different footrest extension configurations are shown in fig. 8 in an isometric view and fig. 9 in a side view with the seat in one position, and in fig. 10 the footrest and seat position configurations are shown in different positions. Fig. 11 shows the vehicle in use by a carer who is pushing it. Fig. 12 shows the assembly of the swivel wheels with screws and threaded bushings and fig. 13 shows the assembly of the wheels and axle to the body of the vehicle. Fig. 14 shows a cross-section along the plane of symmetry of the vehicle, and fig. 15 shows a prototype of the vehicle.

[0012] The invention is shown in an example of implementation.

[0013] The body of the wheelchair consists of five main components adapted to be manufactured using, inter alia, generative technologies (3D printing) - FDM ( Fused Deposition Modelling) and has an adjustable footrest, which allows adjustment on 3 levels to match the growing child in the range from about 9 months to 4 years.

[0014] According to the design, the manual vehicle consists of a body comprised of 5 elements: a seat (1), a main base (2), a footrest (3), a rear base (4) and a connector (5) between the seat and the rear base (4). In the main base (2) there are axles (6) screwed by screws (13) into threaded bushings (10). The brass threaded bushings (10) are fused into the body elements with the use of a soldering iron as shown in fig. 12. There is a wheel (7) seated on each axle (6), and each wheel is then mounted on iglidur sliding sleeves (16). The wheels (7) are prevented from moving on the axle (6) by a spring-loaded circlip (15). in addition, plain washers (14) are placed between the flange of the sliding sleeves (16) and the flange of the axle (6) / circlip (15). The whole vehicle is symmetrical with respect to a vertical plane running along the length of the cart. In the front part of the vehicle there is a footrest (3), which is inserted into the main base (2), and in addition its longitudinal movement is blocked by an element such as a screw (12) with a cylinder head and an Allen socket mounted in the footrest (3a) hole, which vertically positions 4 elements: the footrest (3), the rear base (4), the main base (2) and the seat (1), in which there is a threaded sleeve (10) that was fused with a soldering iron. The seat (1), the main base (2), the footrest (3) and the rear base (4) have mounting holes (1b, 2a, 3a, 4a) for the set screw (12).

[0015] The screw (12) allows the footrest extension to be adjusted in three different configurations or the seat (1) to be adjusted away from the axle (6) of the wheels (10), allowing the vehicle to be adapted to the changing body proportions of children up to approximately 4 years of age. 2 swivel wheels (8) with a diameter of

30 mm, which stabilise the vehicle, are screwed to the rear base (4). One swivel wheel (8) is also attached to the footrest (3), which stabilises the vehicle when, for example, the user leans over. The swivel wheels (8) provide stability to the vehicle and allow it to be easily manoeuvred. The swivel wheel plates are attached to the footrest (3) and the rear base (4) by means of components such as ball-head screws (11) with Allen sockets, which are screwed into the threaded bushings (9) molded into the body of the vehicle. The seat (1) of the vehicle is equipped with a handle (17) for moving the vehicle. In addition, there is a hole (18) in the seat (1) on the rear surface of the backrest that allows to attach a pusher (push bar) intended for driving the wheelchair by a carer. There is a gusset (1a) in the front of seat (1) to prevent patients/users from sliding out of the vehicle. The seat (1) also has two mounting holes for a lap belt (optional), which can provide additional protection for the user (depending on the condition) from slipping out of the vehicle.

[0016] The robustness of the vehicle for use by children aged between approximately 9 months and approximately 4 years was tested virtually (the maximum user dimensions considered in the calculations were for a child with a height of approximately 115 cm and a weight of approximately 20 kg, which is close to the 97^th percentile for height and weight for boys aged 4 years) and experimentally by making a PLA material-based prototype. The weight of the assembled model with printed parts is less than 5 kg.

Key:

[0017] 

1. Seat

1a. Gusset

1b. Mounting holes in the seat

2. Main base

2a. Mounting holes in the main base

3. Footrest

3a. Mounting holes in the footrest

4. Rear base

4a. Mounting holes in the rear base

5. Connecting rod

6 Axle

7. 10" wheel

8. Swivel wheel

30mm

9. M4x8 threaded bushing

10. M6x8 threaded bushing

11. M4x8 ball-head screw with Allen socket, DIN 34805

12. M6x70 pan head screw with Allen socket, DIN 912

13. M6x100 pan head screw with Allen socket, DIN 912

14. Plain washer

24 mm, DIN 125

15. Spring washer

19 mm, DIN 6799

16. Iglidur sliding sleeve with an IGUS flange

24mm

17. Seat holder

18. Pusher mounting hole

Claims

1. A manual vehicle for children, having a body with a seat mounted thereon, moving on wheels, equipped with a footrest, characterised in that the body consists of: a movable seat (1), a main base (2), an extendable footrest (3), a rear base (4) and a connector (5), the seat (1) being mounted on the main base (2) and the rear base (4a), wherein an extendable footrest (3) with a swivel wheel (8) are mounted to the main base (2) and the seat (1), is mounted to the rear base (2) having swivel wheels (8) through a connector (5), whereby the seat (1), the main base (2), the footrest (3) and the rear base (4) have mounting holes (1b, 2a, 3a, 4a) for a set screw (12), and a wheel (7) is mounted on each axle (6) and each wheel is connected to the main base (2) through screws (13) screwed into threaded bushings (10).

2. A manual vehicle for children according to claim 1, characterised in that the seat (1) has a gusset (1a).

3. A manual vehicle for children according to claim 1, characterised in that the seat (1) is advantageously manufactured using FDM technology.

4. A manual vehicle for children according to claim 1, characterised in that the wheels (7) are secured by a spring-loaded circlip (15).

5. A manual vehicle for children according to claim 1, characterised in that the threaded bushings (9, 10) are molded into the body of the vehicle.

6. A manual vehicle for children according to claim 1, characterised in that it has a hole (18) in the seat (1).

Drawing