BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a device which enables a wheelchair user to easily
move large rear-wheels of a wheelchair, which are obstructions when getting in or
off, rearward of the wheelchair when the wheelchair user wants to get in and off of
a chair or bed in a self-propelled wheelchair with large wheels that can be driven
by the user using both arms.
Background Art
[0002] One of the biggest challenges that a disabled wheelchair user faces when using a
wheelchair is getting in and out of the wheelchair. In order to put the wheelchair
user on or off of the wheelchair, a nurse or guardian may lift a user with hands and
move the user, or may put a transfer band on the wheelchair user and put the wheelchair
user on or off of the wheelchair through the transfer band. Both methods are very
difficult to use because the wheelchair user is transferred by human power, and thus,
it gives a very heavy burden on the nurse or guardian. In addition, a separate device
such as a hoist or a lifter may be used to pick up or drop off the user, but this
method also has inconvenience of using a separate external device.
[0003] The method most often used by the wheelchair user to get in or off a self-propelled
wheel body having large wheels that can be driven by the user using both arms is a
method of using a sliding board. In this method, the user lays the sliding board across
a wheelchair seat and a bed and moves across by sliding his or her buttocks (
US 4,288,124,
US 4,987,621,
US 5,067,188,
US 5,152,016,
US 5,193,233,
US 5,735,002,
US 5,947,501, and
US 6,748,612). However, the biggest challenge of this method is that the large size of the wheelchair
rear-wheels makes it difficult to mount the sliding board on a side surface of the
wheelchair. In
US 6,748,612, instead of moving the wheelchair wheels to the rear, a technology of installing
a separate cradle above the wheelchair wheels and then using the cradle as a sliding
board is proposed.
[0004] For a nursing care-type wheelchair having small rear-wheels of the wheelchair, it
is difficult to drive the wheelchair for mobility by the wheelchair user alone, and
a guardian or nurse should push the wheelchair from behind. In order to get in or
off of the nursing care-type wheelchair, there is a method of laying a wheelchair
side protector or the sliding board between the bed or chair to which the user is
to be moved, sliding a body of the user while riding the side protector or sliding
board, and putting the user in or off of the wheelchair (
KR 20-2004- 0035040,
US 5,060,960). The method using side protectors is difficult to apply to a self-propelled wheelchair
having large wheelchair wheels, and can only be applied to the nursing-type wheelchair
having small wheelchair wheels.
[0005] When the sliding board is used in the self-propelled wheelchair having large rear
wheels, the sliding board cannot be installed next to a wheelchair seat due to the
large rear wheels. Accordingly, as described in
US 5,947,501, a wheelchair is installed at an angle to a side of a bed, and the sliding board
is installed from a front of the wheelchair seat to the bed. In this case, the installation
of the sliding board is unsafe and there is a great risk of falling. As described
in
US 3,901,527 and
US 4,155,588, one of the best methods is to completely move the wheelchair wheels to the rear
and then install a sliding board on the side of the wheelchair.
[0006] US 3,901,527 and
US 4,155,588 suggest an idea to move the large wheels of the wheelchair to the rear, but there
is a disadvantage that it is difficult for a seated wheelchair user to directly move
the rear-wheels of the wheelchair to the rear. In
JP 2001-061897,
US 6,802,518, and
JP 201400147661A0, a separate sliding device is installed to move a wheelchair wheel to the rear. In
DE202018102424U1, a straight line movement mechanism is constituted to use a pivotable lever frame
to move wheelchair wheels to the rear.
[0007] The present disclosure proposes a mechanism that allows the wheelchair user to easily
move the wheelchair wheels to the rear by using wheelchair armrests alone without
the help of a nurse or guardian.
SUMMARY
Technical Problem
[0008] In a self-propelled wheelchair having large wheelchair wheels, a wheelchair user
should be able to easily move the large wheels to the rear without a help of a guardian.
In addition, since the wheelchair is a passive wheelchair, it is difficult to use
when a device that moves the wheelchair wheels to the rear is large or heavy. There
is a need to develop a lightweight device that allows a wheelchair user to easily
move the wheelchair wheels to the rear by himself/herself.
Technical Solution
[0009] In order for a wheelchair user to get in or off of a wheelchair, a wheelchair armrest
serving as a side protector should be removed or rotated to the rear side of a wheelchair
back support. In the present disclosure, the armrest to be removed or rotated is used
as a lever to move the wheelchair wheels to the rear.
[0010] In addition, when the wheelchair wheel is moved to the rear, a central axis of the
wheelchair wheel should move in a straight line. In order to easily move the wheelchair
wheels to the rear by using the wheelchair armrest as a lever, it is necessary to
develop a mechanism that allows the central axis of the wheelchair wheel to move in
a straight line while the wheelchair wheels roll.
[0011] In addition, in a case where a movement of the armrest and movements of the wheelchair
wheels are interlocked, an armrest fixing device needs to prevent the armrest from
moving easily when the wheelchair travels.
[0012] Since a disabled wheelchair user uses the wheelchair, when the wheelchair wheels
are moved to the rear or when the wheelchair user gets in or off of the wheelchair,
a safety issue of preventing the wheelchair from overturning is also very important.
ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS
[0013] When wheelchair wheels can be easily moved to the rear, a wheelchair user can easily
get in or off of the wheelchair without outside assistance from a nurse or guardian.
Because of this effectiveness, there have been many attempts over a long period of
time to develop a mechanism that can move wheelchair wheels to the rear. When a wheelchair
armrest is used as a lever and there is a lightweight mechanism that allows the wheelchair
user to easily move the wheel to the rear, it will be very helpful for disabled wheelchair
users to get in or off of the wheelchair.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014]
FIG. 1 illustrates an overall appearance of a mechanism that easily moves wheelchair
wheels to the rear using a wheelchair armrest.
FIG. 2 illustrates a mechanism for moving wheelchair wheel rearward in detail from
both sides.
FIG. 3 illustrates steps in which the wheelchair wheels move to the rear when the
wheelchair armrest is rotated.
FIG. 4 illustrates an appearance of a wheelchair user spreading a side protector on
a patient bed to get in or off of the wheelchair after moving the wheelchair wheels
to the rear, FIG. 4A illustrates a case where a height of a chair is lower than a
height of the wheelchair, and FIG. 4B illustrates a case where the height of the wheelchair
and the height of the chair are similar to each other.
FIG. 5 illustrates an appearance of a device for fixing the wheelchair armrest that
rotates about a pivot.
FIG. 6 illustrates a separation between the wheelchair wheels and a wheelchair wheel
shaft support to easily attach or detach the wheelchair wheels with respect to a wheelchair
frame.
FIG. 7 illustrates how a length of a variable link is changed when the variable link
rotates about a pivot, FIG. 7A illustrates an example of using the wheelchair frame
as a guide rail, and FIG. 7B illustrates a state where the wheelchair frame and the
guide rail are separated from each other.
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates an overall appearance of a mechanism for moving large wheels of
a self-propelled wheelchair to the rear.
[0016] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a wheelchair frame 110 of the present disclosure has a
different appearance from that of a general wheelchair frame. When a wheelchair user
gets in or off of the wheelchair, the user tries to move large wheels of the wheelchair
to the rear so that the large wheels of the wheelchair are not obstructions. In order
to move a central axis of the wheelchair wheel supporting a load of the wheelchair
user to the rear, the frame supporting the wheelchair wheel should be connected to
the rear portion. Alternatively, a guide rail 111 for supporting wheelchair wheel
may be added to the wheelchair frame. The wheelchair frame 110 of FIG. 1 is extended
to the rear portion, unlike a general wheelchair, to move the wheelchair wheel to
the rear while supporting a load of the wheelchair. As illustrated in FIG. 3A, the
extended wheelchair frame does not come out of the wheelchair wheels 220, and thus,
it is not inconvenient in terms of aesthetics and practical use.
[0017] The wheelchair includes a wheelchair armrest 150, in order to get on or off the wheelchair,
and the user removes the wheelchair armrest 150 or rotates the wheelchair armrest
150 to the rear side of a wheelchair back support 210 in order to get in or off of
the wheelchair. In general, in many wheelchairs, a method of rotating the wheelchair
armrest more than 90° to the rear side of the wheelchair back support is used. Unlike
the general wheelchair armrests, the armrest 150 of the present disclosure is not
fixed to the wheelchair frame, but is connected to a pivot link 140 for moving the
wheelchair wheels 220 to the rear as illustrated in Figs 1 and 2.
[0018] As illustrated in FIG. 2, a straight guide module 121 equipped with a wheelchair
wheel shaft support 122 may easily move in a straight direction along the wheelchair
frame 110 or guide rail 111 through a straight guide slider 120. As illustrated in
FIG. 2, the straight guide module 121 is connected to the pivot link 140, and the
pivot link 140 rotates about a pivot 130 attached to the wheelchair frame. When the
pivot link 140 rotates about the pivot 130, a pivot guide slider 123 installed on
the pivot link 140 has a sliding structure or variable structures 141 and 142 in which
a length of the pivot link is changed as illustrated in FIG. 7. Through this, it is
possible to generate a straight line movement of the straight guide slider 120 or
the straight guide module 121.
[0019] The pivot 130 is fixed to the wheelchair frame 110, and thus, becomes a center of
rotation of the pivot link 140. An end of the wheelchair armrest 150 is connected
to the pivot link 140. When the wheelchair armrest 150 connected to the pivot link
140 rotates about the pivot 130, the straight guide module 121 connected to the pivot
link 140 moves in a straight direction. For the straight line movement of the straight
guide module 121, when the pivot link 140 connected to the straight guide module 121
rotates about the pivot, the pivot guide slider 123 installed on the pivot link 140
slides, or the wheelchair wheels are moved forward or rearward through the variable
structures 141 and 142 by which the length of the pivot link 140 is changed.
[0020] The wheelchair wheels move forward and backward while rolling, and thus, the user
can move the wheelchair wheels with less force. FIG. 3 illustrates a step-by-step
process in which the wheelchair wheels 220 are moved to the rear while the wheelchair
armrest 150 rotates about the pivot 130. When the straight guide module 121 having
the wheelchair wheel shaft support 122 and the straight guide slider 120 moves in
a straight line along the wheelchair frame 110 or the guide rail 111, sliding occurs
through the pivot guide slider 123 installed on the pivot link 140 or the lengths
of the variable structures 141 and 142 of the pivot link are changed.
[0021] When the wheelchair wheels are moved completely to the rear, the wheelchair armrest
and wheels are located as illustrated in FIG. 3C. After the wheelchair wheel is moved
to the rear, as illustrated in FIG. 4, a side protector 180 attached to the wheelchair
frame is pulled out and laid on a chair or a patient bed. In general, a height of
a wheelchair seat and a height of the chair or patient bed of which the user is to
get in or off do not match each other. Accordingly, the side protector can be easily
laid on the chair or patient bed with different heights through a side protector connecter
190 capable of adjusting a height.
[0022] When the wheelchair user gets in or off of the chair or the patient bed from the
wheelchair, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the user lays the side protector 180 on the
chair or patient bed, and then naturally presses the side protector 180 to get on
or off of the chair of patient bed. The user presses the side protector 180 laid on
the chair or patient bed with hands, and thus, when the user gets on or off of the
wheelchair, the wheelchair is safely fixed to the patient bed so that the wheelchair
does not overturn.
[0023] As illustrated in FIG. 3A, when the wheelchair wheels return to their original state
(normal traveling state), it should be possible to fix the wheelchair wheels so that
they do not move forward or rearward while traveling. FIG. 5 illustrates wheelchair
armrest fixing devices 170 and 171 that fix the wheelchair armrest 150 to the wheelchair
frame. When the wheelchair armrest 150 is fixed to the wheelchair frame through the
wheelchair armrest fixing device 170, the central axis of the wheelchair wheel cannot
move forward or rearward when the wheelchair travels.
[0024] FIG. 6 illustrates an appearance of easily separating or attaching the large wheel
of the wheelchair from the wheelchair frame. When the wheelchair wheel central axis
pushing pin 222 is pressed, the wheelchair wheel central axis fixing ball 223 is lowered
so that the wheelchair wheel can be easily fixed or separated with respect to the
wheelchair wheel shaft support 122. When the wheelchair wheel central axis pushing
pin 222 is not pushed, the wheelchair wheel central axis fixing ball 223 comes out
so that the wheelchair wheels are fixed without being separated from the wheelchair
wheel shaft support 122.
[0025] FIG. 7A illustrates the wheelchair frame 110 performing the role of the guide rail
at the same time, and FIG. 7B illustrates the wheelchair frame 110 and the guide rail
111 being separated from each other.
INDUSTRIAL AVAILABILITY
[0026] A wheelchair in which a large wheel can move rearward can provide new convenience
to those who use the existing wheelchair. In particular, the wheelchair can be very
helpful for the elderly or patients who have difficulty moving alone to get in and
off of a wheelchair. The wheelchair can provide essential functions to the existing
wheelchair, not a special wheelchair with special functions. Accordingly, the wheelchair
can become a new standard for wheelchairs, and thus, can be sold in the existing wheelchair
market.
1. A mechanism for moving a wheelchair wheel rearward, comprising:
a guide rail 111 attached to a wheel frame to move a wheelchair wheel shaft support
122;
a straight guide slider 120 connected to the wheelchair wheel shaft support 122 to
easily move on the guide rail 111;
a pivot 130 fixed to the wheelchair frame 110 and becoming a rotation center of a
pivot link 140 moving the wheelchair wheel shaft support 122 forward or rearward;
the pivot link 140 slidable or changeable in length through a pivot guide slider 123
for a straight line movement of the wheelchair wheel shaft support 122 while rotating
about the pivot 130 fixed to the wheelchair frame 110; and
a wheelchair armrest 150 connected to the pivot link 140 to move the wheelchair wheel
shaft support 122 forward or rearward and serving as a lever rotating the pivot link
about the pivot 130.
2. The mechanism for moving a wheelchair wheel rearward of claim 1, wherein the wheelchair
frame 110 supporting a load simultaneously serves as a guide rail 111.
3. The mechanism for moving a wheelchair wheel rearward of claim 1, further comprising
a straight guide module 121, which adjusts an installation height of the wheelchair
wheel shaft support 122 which easily fits or removes a wheelchair wheel central shaft
221, and on which the straight guide slider 120 and the pivot guide slider 123 are
mounted.
4. The mechanism for moving a wheelchair wheel rearward of claim 1, further comprising
devices 170 and 171 configured to fix the wheelchair armrest 150 to the wheelchair
frame 110 so that the wheelchair wheel central shaft 221 does not move forward or
rearward of the wheelchair while the wheelchair travels.
5. The mechanism for moving a wheelchair wheel rearward of claim 1, further comprising
a wheelchair side protector 180 laid on a chair or a patient bed having a height different
from that of the wheelchair, through a soft connecter 190 of which one end is connected
to the wheelchair side protector 180 and the other end is connected to the wheelchair
frame 110 when wheels move rearward and then a user gets in or off of the wheelchair.