U.S. patent application number 10/819312 was filed with the patent office on 2004-09-30 for elevation chair.
This patent application is currently assigned to KOMURA CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Adachi, Kazuya, Kaneda, Takashi, Komura, Seiichi, Mizuseki, Isamu, Yamashita, Katuhiko.
Application Number | 20040189071 10/819312 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 19045713 |
Filed Date | 2004-09-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040189071 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Komura, Seiichi ; et
al. |
September 30, 2004 |
Elevation chair
Abstract
An elevation chair having a seat which is elevated by a driving
mechanism, provided with a seat frame and a seat main body attached
to the frame as to incline forward, the seat main body has an
oscillation mechanism to automatically incline the seat main body
forward at a predetermined height, and an angle detecting means to
stop the driving mechanism when the seat main body reaches a
predetermined inclination angle. And, the elevation chair has an
automatic braking mechanism which releases wheels when a footrest
attached to a position above a front wheel is laid to be
horizontal, and brakes the wheel when the footrest is standing.
Inventors: |
Komura, Seiichi; (Osaka,
JP) ; Kaneda, Takashi; (Osaka, JP) ;
Yamashita, Katuhiko; (Osaka, JP) ; Adachi,
Kazuya; (Osaka, JP) ; Mizuseki, Isamu; (Osaka,
JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ARMSTRONG, KRATZ, QUINTOS, HANSON & BROOKS, LLP
1725 K STREET, NW
SUITE 1000
WASHINGTON
DC
20006
US
|
Assignee: |
KOMURA CORPORATION
Yao-shi
JP
|
Family ID: |
19045713 |
Appl. No.: |
10/819312 |
Filed: |
April 7, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10819312 |
Apr 7, 2004 |
|
|
|
10180343 |
Jun 27, 2002 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/311 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61G 7/1094 20130101;
A61G 7/1098 20130101; Y10S 297/10 20130101; A61G 5/14 20130101;
A61G 5/125 20161101; A61G 2200/36 20130101; A61G 7/1074 20130101;
A61G 7/1019 20130101; A61G 7/1063 20130101; A61G 7/1046 20130101;
A61G 7/1088 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
297/311 |
International
Class: |
A47C 001/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 11, 2001 |
JP |
2001-210213 |
Claims
1 (cancel).
2 An elevation chair having a seat ascended and descended by a
driving mechanism, comprising a seat main body to which the seat is
attached to a seat frame and a forth end portion of the seat frame
as to incline forward, an oscillation mechanism which inclines the
seat main body automatically at a predetermined height, and an
angle detecting means which stops the driving mechanism when the
seat main body reaches a predetermined inclination angle, wherein
the oscillation mechanism has a non-inclination switching mechanism
which interrupts the automatic forward inclination at the
predetermined height and elevates the seat kept horizontal.
3 (cancel).
4 An elevation chair having a seat ascended and descended by a
driving mechanism, comprising a seat main body to which the seat is
attached to a seat frame and a forth end portion of the seat frame
as to incline forward, an oscillation mechanism which inclines the
seat main body automatically at a predetermined height, and an
angle detecting means which stops the driving mechanism when the
seat main body reaches a predetermined inclination angle, wherein
the angle detecting means is provided with a shielding plate
attached to the seat main body, and a photosensor attached to the
seat frame to detect the inclination angle of the seat main body
through a position of the shielding plate which inclines along with
the seat main body.
5 (cancel).
6 An elevation chair having a seat ascended and descended by a
driving mechanism, comprising a seat main body to which the seat is
attached to a seat frame and a forth end portion of the seat frame
as to incline forward, and an oscillation mechanism which inclines
the seat main body automatically at a predetermined height, in
which the driving mechanism is provided with an sliding member
connected to the seat and elevatable, an expansion actuator which
expands and contracts in up-and-down direction, a running rotation
pulley disposed on an upper end of the expansion actuator, and a
flexible member, of which one end is attached to a lower fixation
portion, extending upward and suspended on the running rotation
pulley, and of which another end is attached to the sliding
member.
7 The elevation chair as set forth in claim 6, wherein the flexible
member is a flexible belt, the flexible belt is a double belt
composed of an outer belt and an inner belt, the outer belt is
suspended on the lower fixation portion, the running rotation
pulley, and the sliding member untensed in a normal state, and the
outer belt is tensed to suspend the sliding member for retaining
the position in an emergency in which the inner belt is cut.
8 The elevation chair as set forth in claim 7, wherein a
position-corresponding plate is disposed between the outer belt and
the inner belt as to be pressed to the outer belt, the outer belt
is tensed to suspend the sliding member for retaining the position
in an emergency in which the inner belt is cut, and the
position-corresponding plate is moved as a displacement detecting
mechanism, connected to the position-corresponding plate, stops the
driving mechanism.
9 The elevation chair as set forth in claim 6, 7, or 8, wherein:
the oscillation mechanism has an elevation pulley attached to the
sliding member ascended and descended by the driving mechanism, a
middle deflection shaft, a hook with a deflection shaft hitched to
a hitching protruding portion of a post standing on the lower
fixation portion, and a suspension belt, of which one end portion
is connected to a rear end portion of the seat main body as to
suspend, extending upward and suspended on the elevation pulley,
then suspended on the middle deflection shaft, extending downward
and suspended on the hook with the deflection shaft, and of which
another end portion is attached to an upper part of the post; and
the suspension belt is disposed between the middle deflection shaft
and the hook with the deflection shaft as to work as a stopper to
hitch the hook with the deflection shaft with tensile force in the
post side.
10 The elevation chair as set forth in claim 9, wherein the
oscillation mechanism is provided with a non-inclination switching
mechanism, in which plural hitching protruding portions are formed
on the post to change hitching height position of the hook with the
deflection shaft, to interrupt the automatic forward inclination of
the seat main body at the predetermined height and elevate the seat
kept horizontal.
11 The elevation chair as set forth in claim 10, wherein the
oscillation mechanism is provided with an adjustment mechanism, in
which plural hitching protruding portions are formed on the post to
change hitching height position of the hook with the deflection
shaft, to change the height at which the forward inclination
starts.
12 An elevation chair having a seat ascended and descended by a
driving mechanism, comprising a horizontal leg portion composed of
a rear fixation portion and a front oscillation arm portion
constructed as the oscillation arm portion is attached to the
fixation portion at a base end portion of the oscillation arm
portion as to be freely switched between a forward-protruding used
state and an upward-folded stored state, and an auxiliary wheel on
the base end portion of the oscillation arm portion protrudes
downward to contact a ground in the stored state.
13 The elevation chair as set forth in claim 12, wherein the seat
is freely switched between a horizontal used state and an upright
stored state, and an armrest is disposed on both of left and right
sides above the seat as to be freely switched between a horizontal
used state and an upright stored state.
14-16 (cancel).
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates to an elevation chair.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Conventionally, an elderly person sitting in a chair whose
knees and legs are weak, and a physically-handicapped person having
knees and legs disabled, hold an armrest or a hand rail to stand up
from the chair. And, when an auxiliary device to incline the seat
of the chair is provided, the inclination angle can not be
certainly and easily set and adjusted. And, in a case of a running
chair, the chair can not be certainly and easily fixed without
failure when the person get on and off the chair.
[0005] It is difficult for the elderly person and the
physically-handicapped person to stand up from the chair they are
sitting by themselves safely and smoothly, great labor is required
to stand up, and physical stress is high. And, even in the case of
the seat provided with the inclination auxiliary device, setting
and adjustment of the inclination of the seat is complicated and
difficult to be conducted by a user, and the user may be injured by
malfunction. And, in the case of the running chair with wheels, the
chair may move backward and the person may fall on the ground when
the person gets on and off the chair.
[0006] It is therefore an object of the present invention to
provide a safe and secure elevation chair with which standing
movement of the elderly person whose knees and legs are weak or the
physically-handicapped person having knees and legs disabled, is
smoothly supported and the stress in standing is alleviated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The present invention will be described with reference to
the accompanying drawings in which:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an
elevation chair of the present invention;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a side view of a driving mechanism;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a top view of a driving mechanism;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view showing the embodiment
of the elevation chair of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view showing another
embodiment of the elevation chair of the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view showing still another
embodiment of the elevation chair of the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a principal
portion showing a component;
[0015] FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a principal
portion showing a component;
[0016] FIG. 9 is a front view showing a braking state of an
automatic braking mechanism;
[0017] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional side view showing the braking
state of the automatic braking mechanism;
[0018] FIG. 11 is a front view showing a non-braking state of the
automatic braking mechanism;
[0019] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional side view showing the
non-braking state of the automatic braking mechanism;
[0020] FIG. 13 is a rear perspective view in which the elevation
chair is disassembled;
[0021] FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a further embodiment
of the elevation chair of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 15 is a perspective view for explanation of a driving
mechanism;
[0023] FIG. 16 is a perspective view for explanation of the driving
mechanism;
[0024] FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional side view showing the driving
mechanism and an oscillation mechanism;
[0025] FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a pedal braking
mechanism;
[0026] FIG. 19 is a side view showing a non-braking state of the
pedal braking mechanism;
[0027] FIG. 20 is a side view showing a braking state of the pedal
braking mechanism;
[0028] FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of
the elevation chair of the present invention;
[0029] FIG. 22 is a perspective view to explain a leg portion;
and
[0030] FIG. 23 is a perspective view to explain the leg
portion.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0031] The present invention will be described in detail with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0032] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an elevation chair (a chair
with a seat which is lifted up and down) of the present invention.
This elevation chair, running on the floor, etc., has a seat 4
which is inclined and elevated (lifted). A lower part of the
elevation chair has a pair of bar-shaped leg portions 36, a wheel 2
is attached to both (front and rear) end portions of each of the
leg portions 36, and the leg portions 36 are connected with a base
member 37. A post 38 is fixed to the base member 37 as to incline
backward, and a driving mechanism M, to elevate (ascend and
descend) the seat 4 and a back portion 10, is detachably attached
to the post 38.
[0033] A battery 15 is placed on the post 38 to elevate and incline
the seat 4 of the elevation chair independently with electricity.
And, handle 25 for movement is disposed on an upper rear side of
the post 38 as the elevation chair can easily run (move).
[0034] The seat 4 is provided with a seat frame 5 and a seat main
body 7 attached to a forth end portion 6 of the seat frame 5 as to
incline forward, and, keeping a horizontal state, elevated (lifted
up and down) by the driving mechanism M. And the seat main body 7
is inclined forward by an oscillation mechanism N.
[0035] The driving mechanism M to elevate (lift) the seat 4 is, as
shown in FIG. 2, provided with a motor 16, a reducer portion 17, a
guide rail portion 18, a rotating male screw portion 26, a sliding
female screw portion 27, and a sliding member 28 which are united
into one unit. And, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional top view of the
driving mechanism M in which rotation (torque) of the motor 16 is
transmitted to the rotating male screw portion 26 through the
reducer portion 17 to revolve.
[0036] And, the sliding female screw portion 27 screwed to the
rotating male screw portion 26 has a pair of first rollers 29 which
fit to guide rails 18' parallel to the rotating male screw portion
26, and moved (screwed) up and down by the rotation of the rotating
male screw portion 26. That is to say, the sliding female screw
portion 27 elevates (screws) the rotating male screw portion 26 up
and down by restriction of the rotating male screw portion 26 by
the guide rails 18'.
[0037] The sliding female screw portion 27 is connected to the
sliding member 28 through a connencting shaft 19 (refer to FIG. 3),
and the sliding member 28 is connected to the seat frame 5 of the
seat 4 (refer to FIG. 2). Therefore, the seat 4 (the seat frame 5)
is elevated by elevation of the sliding female screw portion 27.
And, the seat frame 5 is set to be guided by inner faces of the
post 38 shown in FIG. 1.
[0038] To switch ascent to descent of the seat 4, the rotating
direction of the motor 16 is switched by a controller not shown in
Figures mounted on the elevation chair. And, threads of the
rotating male screw portion 26 and the sliding female screw portion
27 are set to be self-locked and prevented from spontaneous
falling.
[0039] And, as shown in FIG. 3, second rollers 30, having
rotational axes at right angles with rotational axes of the first
rollers 29, are attached to the sliding member 28 as to rotate and
disposed as to hold a guide rail 18" parallel to the rotating male
screw portion 26. The guide rail portion 18 is composed of the
guide rails 18' and the guide rail 18", which are constructed as
that the first rollers 29 prevent deviation (sheering and
trembling) of the sliding member 28 (the seat 4) in back-and-forth
direction and the second rollers 30 prevent the deviation in
left-and-right direction.
[0040] Returning to FIG. 1, the seat frame 5 is a L-shaped
supporting frame having a horizontal portion supporting the seat
main body 7 horizontal and a vertical portion holding the back
portion 10, and an armrest 20, laid horizontal and raised vertical,
is attached to each of left and right sides of the vertical portion
as to be oscillatable. And, a headrest 10a, detachable and
position-changeable to correspond to the head height of the user,
is disposed on an upper part of the back portion 10.
[0041] The driving mechanism M is disposed on an upper and a lower
side of the post 38 respectively, the sliding member 28 as a
component of the driving mechanism M is attached to the vertical
portion of the seat frame 5 of the seat 4, and the seat 4 is
elevated stably with the seat frame 5 guided by grooves on the post
38.
[0042] Next, in a side view of a principal portion of FIG. 4
showing the embodiment of the elevation chair (from which cushion
material to be attached to the seat main body 7 and the back
portion 10 are removed), the elevation chair has an oscillation
mechanism N to elevate the seat 4 horizontally and automatically
incline the seat main body 7 forward at a predetermined height.
FIG. 4 shows the elevation and inclination of the seat 4.
[0043] The oscillation mechanism N is provided with a tension
spring 44, a running pulley 46, a flexible member 39, a first
pulley 40, and a second pulley 41. To describe in detail, an end of
the flexible member 39 is attached to a supporting portion 42 on a
rear end of the seat main body 7, and another end is attached to an
attachment member 43 through the running pulley 46, the first
pulley 40, and the second pulley 41. And, the attachment member 43
is hitched to a hitching member 53 of a fixation portion 45 fixed
to the base member 37.
[0044] A long hole is formed on a side face of the seat main body
7, and the running pulley 46, guided and supported by the long hole
as to be movable, is connected to an end of the tension spring 44
disposed in front of the seat main body 7. The tension spring 44 is
set to be always pushing the running pulley 46 forward, giving
tension to the flexible member 39, and stored in the seat main body
7 without laxation.
[0045] When the seat 4, in a state in which the seat main body 7 is
held horizontal, namely, the state shown with a mark A.sub.1, is
ascended, the running pulley 46 is moved backward by the flexible
member 39 along the long hole, and the running pulley 46 contacts a
rear end of the long hole and stops when the seat 4 reaches a
predetermined height to make a state shown with a mark A.sub.2.
[0046] When the seat 4 is ascended further, the rear end of the
seat main body 7 is raised along the ascension through the running
pulley 46, the seat main body 7 is oscillated around an axis G to
gradually incline forward, and the seat main body 7 is in a
forward-inclined position with a predetermined inclination angle
.theta. as shown with a mark A.sub.3 when the seat 4 reaches a
predetermined height.
[0047] The height, at which the seat main body 7 begins the
inclination, can be changed by hitching the attachment portion 43
on the end portion of the flexible member 39 to another hitching
portion 53' on the fixation portion 45 fixed to the base member 37.
That is to say, the attachment member 43 as a component of the
oscillation mechanism N has an adjustment mechanism F to change the
forward-inclination starting height. And, although not shown in
Figures, the number of the hitching members 53 and 53' may be 3 or
more, and plural hitching holes may be formed on the flexible
member 39 to be hitched onto a hitching piece on the fixation
portion 45. With the adjustment mechanism F, the height at which
the seat main body 7 begins the inclination is changed in plural
stages.
[0048] And, as shown in FIG. 6, the attachment member 43 on the end
portion of the flexible member 39 may not be hitched to the
fixation portion 45 fixed to the base member 37, namely, may be
freely ascended and descended to interrupt the automatic
inclination of the seat main body 7 at the predetermined height,
and the seat 4 can be elevated with horizontal state. That is to
say, the attachment member 43 as a component of the oscillation
mechanism N has a non-inclination switching mechanism E to
interrupt the automatic forward inclination of the seat main body 7
and elevate the seat 4 with horizontal state.
[0049] And, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the seat 4 has an angle
detecting means L to stop the driving mechanism M when the seat
main body 7 reaches the predetermined inclination angle .theta.. To
describe in detail, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the angle
detecting means L is provided with a shielding plate 8 and a
photosensor 9 attached to the seat frame 5 to detect the
inclination angle .theta. through an inclination angle of the
shielding plate 8 which inclines along with the seat main body
7.
[0050] To describe further in detail, as shown in FIG. 7, in a
state that the seat main body 7 (shown with solid lines) of the
seat 4 is horizontal (the seat main body 7 and the seat frame 5 are
overlapped in a side view), the photosensor 9 attached to the seat
frame 5 is blocked by the shielding plate 8 attached to the seat
main body 7. That is to say, as shown in a cross-sectional view of
the angle detecting means L in FIG. 8, the shielding plate 8 is
placed between an emission portion 9a and a receiving portion 9b
disposed on a U-shaped main body 9c, and the driving mechanism M
works when the photosensor 9 is switched off. Then, in a state that
the seat main body 7 of the seat 4 inclines to the predetermined
inclination angle .theta. (shown with two-dot broken lines in FIG.
7), the shielding plate 8 is departed from the photosensor 9
attached to the seat frame 5, the photosensor 9 is switched on to
send a signal to a control circuit not shown in Figures, and the
driving mechanism M is stopped.
[0051] And, the inclination angle .theta. of the seat main body 7
can be changed by changing the attached angle of the photosensor 9.
The inclination angle .theta., which is preferably 15.degree. to
35.degree., is most preferably 25.degree.. And, although not shown
in Figures, the angle detecting means L may be composed of a micro
switch and a contact piece which contacts and parts from a terminal
of the micro switch.
[0052] Next, FIG. 9 through FIG. 12 show an automatic braking
mechanism B mounted on the elevation chair. The wheels 2 are
disposed front and rear portions on the elevation chair, and the
automatic braking mechanism B is disposed on a position of each of
the wheels 2 on the front portion (as shown in FIG. 1). The wheel 2
is released when a footrest 3 attached to the wheel bracket 1 of
the wheel 2 is laid horizontal (as in FIGS. 11 and 12), and the
wheel 2 is braked when the footrest 3 is raised upright (as in
FIGS. 9 and 10).
[0053] To describe in detail, the automatic braking mechanism B has
the footrest 3 of flat plate attached to the wheel bracket 1 as to
held vertical by an elastic member 47. And, a front supporting
shaft 11 is disposed on a front upper position of an axle 48 as to
be parallel to the axle 48 and a rear supporting shaft 21 is
disposed on a rear upper position of the axle 48 as to be parallel
to the axle 48, and a front braking arm 12 having L-shaped cross
section is attached to the front supporting shaft 11 as to
oscillate and a rear braking arm 22 having L-shaped cross section
is attached to the rear supporting shaft 21 as to oscillate.
[0054] As shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, a receiving portion 13 on an
end of the front braking arm 12 and a receiving portion 23 on an
end of the rear braking arm 22 are protruding from an opening on a
top plate 35 of the wheel bracket 1, and a brake pad 14 attached on
another end of the front braking arm 12 and a brake pad 24 attached
on another end of the rear braking arm 22 are respectively pressed
to front and rear parts of the wheel 2 by self weight of the front
and rear braking arms 12 and 22, and the brake pads 14 and 24. That
is to say, the brake pads 14 and 24 are pressed to the wheel 2 to
brake the wheel 2 in the vertical upright state of the footrest 3.
As shown in FIG. 9, widths of the brake pads 14 and 24 are larger
than the width of the wheel 2 to slide on the whole width of the
wheel 2 to enhance the braking ability by enlarging the sliding
portion.
[0055] The automatic braking ability with the front and rear
braking arms 12 and 22 is determined by positions of tangent points
14a and 24a of the brake pads 14 and 24 with the wheel 2 as shown
in FIG. 10. That is to say, the tangent point 14a is an
intersectional point of a radius R of the wheel 2 and an
oscillation radius r.sub.1 of the front braking arm 12, and a
distance C, between the front supporting shaft 11 of the front
braking arm 12 and the axle 48, is set to be smaller than a sum of
the radius R of the wheel 2 and the oscillation radius r.sub.1 of
the front braking arm 12. Therefore, when the wheel 2 starts
rotation in clockwise direction H in FIG. 10, the brake pad 14
presses toward the center of the wheel 2 in the radius R direction
to enhance the braking ability by frictional force. This automatic
braking function stops the rotation in the clockwise direction H of
the wheel 2.
[0056] In this case, the front braking arm 12 is free from rotation
of the wheel 2 in anti-clockwise direction J. The wheel 2 can run
while the brake pad 14 is sliding on a rotating face of the wheel 2
(without braking). Therefore, in the automatic braking mechanism B,
the rear braking arm 22 is disposed on a position symmetric to the
front braking arm 12 with respect to a vertical line going through
the axle 48, the rotation of the wheel 2 in the anti-clockwise
direction J is prevented by the braking function to prevent the
wheel 2 from moving in back-and-forth direction.
[0057] Next, as shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, in the state that the
footrest 3 is laid horizontal, a reverse face 3a of the footrest 3
faces the top plate 35 of the wheel bracket 1 and pushes the
receiving portions 13 and 23 down, the front and rear braking arms
12 and 22 oscillate around the front and rear supporting shafts 11
and 21, and the brake pads 14 and 24 are parted from the wheel.
Then, the wheel 2 can run and the chair can freely move back and
forth. To lay the footrest 3 horizontal, the self weight of the
footrest 3 overcomes the elastic force of the elastic member 47,
attached to the footrest 3, to lay down the footrest 3.
[0058] The footrest 3, larger than the width of the wheel 2 (the
wheel bracket 1) as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 11, has a sufficient
size as shown in FIG. 1 with which a person can put the foot when
sitting on the seat 4. Therefore, the footrest 3 must be raised
upright as shown in FIG. 9 when a person sits on and stands up
because the large footrest 3 occupies footspace necessary for
sitting and standing. That is to say, the footrest 3 must be raised
upright and brake locking (braking) is certainly conducted. With
this mechanism, the person is prevented from falling when sits on
and stands from the seat by the braking of the wheel 2 without
spontaneous backward movement of the chair. And, injury caused by
dragging is prevented by putting the foot on the footrest 3 when
the person sitting on the seat 4 is transferred.
[0059] As described above, the driving mechanism M for elevating
the seat 4 is provided with the motor 16, the reducer portion 17,
the guide rail portion 18, the rotating male screw portion 26, the
sliding female screw portion 27, and the sliding member 28, and
united as a unit. When the elevation chair of the present invention
(the driving mechanism M) is maintained, a cover 49 and an electric
portion 50 are removed from the main body of the chair, fixation
screws 51 to fix the driving mechanism M to a vertical portion of
the seat frame 5 are unscrewed to remove the driving mechanism M as
one unit from the post 38. That is to say, the driving mechanism M
to be maintained can be removed from the main body of the chair
without disassembly into individual parts.
[0060] And, to facilitate the removal from the main body of the
chair, an upper part of the driving mechanism M is pinned to an
upper part of the post 38 with a fixation member 52, and, although
not shown in Figures, a lower part has a hook-shaped hitching
portion to be hitched to a lower part of the post 38. Therefore,
the driving mechanism M can be taken out of the post 38 only with
removal of the fixation member 52.
[0061] Next, another embodiment of the elevation chair of the
present invention as shown in a perspective view of FIG. 14 is
described. This elevation chair, similar to the elevation chair
described with FIG. 1, has a seat 4 which is elevated (lifted) and
inclined, and runs on floor, etc. A lower portion of the elevation
chair is provided with a lower fixation portion 64 as a base
portion to hold the post 38, having leg portions 36 connected to
the front of the lower fixation portion 64 on left and right sides.
Wheels 2 are attached to forth end portions of the leg portions 36
and wheels 92 are attached to the lower fixation portion 64 on the
left and right sides as to rotate. The posy 38 is placed on and
fixed to the lower fixation portion 64 as to incline backward, and
a driving mechanism M, to elevate (ascend and descend) the seat 4
and a back portion 10 (a sliding member 28), is detachably attached
to the post 38.
[0062] A battery 15 is mounted on the post 38 to independently
conduct elevation and inclination of the seat 4 of the elevation
chair electrically. A handle 25 for transfer is disposed on a rear
side of the post 38 to easily transfer (move) the elevation chair.
And, as described later in detail, a pedal braking mechanism D is
mounted behind the lower fixation portion 64 to brake the wheels 92
and certainly fix the position of the elevation chair.
[0063] The seat 4 is provided with a seat frame 5 and a seat main
body 7 attached to a forth end portion 6 of the seat frame 5 as to
incline forward. The seat 4, keeping horizontal state, is elevated
(lifted up and down) by the driving mechanism M, and the seat main
body 7 is inclined forward by an oscillation mechanism N at a
predetermined height. The seat 4 is connected to the sliding member
28 elevated along the post 38 to be elevated.
[0064] The driving mechanism M to elevate the seat 4, as shown in
FIG. 15, is provided with the elevatable sliding member 28 to which
the seat 4 is connected, an expansion actuator 61 which expands and
contracts up and down, a running rotation pulley 62 disposed on an
upper end of the expansion actuator 61, and a flexible member 63.
The flexible member 63, of which end 63a is attached to a fixation
metal 69 of the lower fixation portion 64, is expanded upward and
suspended on the running rotation pulley 62, and another end 63b of
the flexible member 63 is attached to an attachment metal 68 of the
sliding member 28 situated low.
[0065] As shown in FIG. 15, to obtain necessary elevation stroke
(2.times.S) of the sliding member 28 (the seat 4), the running
rotation pulley 62 on the upper end of the expansion actuator 61 is
moved for a half of the stroke (S) because the running rotation
pulley 62 on the expansion actuator 61 serves as a running
pulley.
[0066] With this pulley device, elevation movement dimension of the
running rotation pulley 62 as a component of the driving mechanism
M can be diminished. Vertical dimension and expansion length of the
expansion actuator 61 can be made small, and the device is made
compact and light. Therefore, the elevation chair can be
light-weight, moved easily, and handled properly.
[0067] The flexible member 63 is composed of a flexible belt 65
having a double-suspension construction in which an outer belt 66
and an inner belt 67 are layered. In normal working, the inner belt
67 is suspended to be tensed as to suspend the sliding member 28
(the seat 4) from the fixation metal 69 (the lower fixation portion
64) through the running rotation pulley 62 as shown in FIG. 15, and
the outer belt 66 is untensed and suspended on the lower fixation
portion 64, the running rotation pulley 62, and the sliding member
28. That is to say, in normal working, only the inner belt 67
suspends the sliding member 28 to elevate with the expansion
actuator 61.
[0068] And, a safety device is constructed as that in emergency in
which overload is generated by malfunction of the expansion
actuator 61, and the inner belt 67 is broken by aging, as shown in
FIG. 16, the outer belt 66, suspended in loose state, is tensed to
suspend the sliding member 28 and retain the position (prevent
falling).
[0069] As shown in FIG. 16, the sliding member 28 is provided with
two rollers 96 on each of upper and lower positions to elevate
along the guide rails of the post 38 to smoothly elevate the
sliding member 28 without trembling.
[0070] As shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, a position-corresponding
plate 70 is disposed between the outer belt 66 and the inner belt
67. The position-corresponding plate 70 is pushed to press the
outer belt 66 in normal working to hold the outer belt 66 as not to
be excessively loosened. And, as shown in FIG. 16, in emergency in
which the inner belt 67 is broken, the outer belt 66 is tensed to
suspend the sliding member 28 to retain the position and push the
position-corresponding plate 70 to the inner belt 67 side to change
the position. Then, the position-corresponding plate 70 contacts a
detecting portion of a displacement detecting mechanism 71 (a limit
switch) to stop (by electric shielding) the expansion actuator 61
of the driving mechanism M.
[0071] Therefore, even if the inner belt 67 is broken by overload
generated by the expansion actuator 61, the expansion actuator 61
does not break the outer belt 66, and the seat 4 is (although
slightly descended by idle length of the outer belt 66) suspended
and held.
[0072] And, as shown in FIG. 16, the outer belt 66 and the inner
belt 67 are attached to the attachment metal 68 of the sliding
member 28 at different heights. In production of the flexible belt
65, a belt is folded at the middle which is an end 63a, and two
ends on the opposite side are ends 63b. These two belts are the
outer belt 66 and the inner belt 67. The end 63b on the outer belt
66 side is attached to an upper pin 68' of the attachment metal,
and the inner belt 67 side is attached to a lower pin 68".
Therefore, the outer belt 66 is naturally loosened when the inner
belt 67 is tensed. The flexible belt 65 is easily made thereby
without error in assembly. And, the belt does not fall out of the
lower fixation portion 64 when the inner or the outer belt is
tensed because the folded portion is formed into a loop by
sewing.
[0073] Next, in inclination movement of the seat main body 7 in the
embodiment shown in FIG. 14, although the seat main body 7 is
inclined as in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 similar to that of the embodiment
shown in FIG. 1, a suspension belt 78 (corresponding to the
flexible member 39 in FIG. 4) of the oscillation mechanism N is
differently composed from the embodiment in FIG. 1.
[0074] To describe in detail with FIG. 17, the oscillation
mechanism N is provided with an elevation pulley 75 attached to the
sliding member 28, a middle deflection shaft 76 attached the post
38, and a hook 77 with a deflection shaft hitched to a hitching
protruding portion 80. The suspension belt 78 raises the seat main
body 7 as to incline forward with this pulley mechanism by
elevation movement of the elevation pulley 75 of the sliding member
28. To compose the suspension belt 78, an end portion 78a is
connected to a rear end portion 79 of the seat main body 7 to
suspend (composed similar to the embodiment in FIG. 1), and another
end portion 78b is fixed to a fixation metal 72 on an upper portion
of the post 38. And, the suspension belt 78 extends upwards from
the end portion 78a to be suspended on the elevation pulley 75 and
on the middle deflection shaft 76, then, extends downwards to be
suspended on the hook 77 with the deflection shaft and connected to
the upper fixation metal 72.
[0075] With this construction, an elevation movement stroke of the
sliding member 28 (the elevation pulley 75) to incline the seat
main body 7 is required to be only a half of that when the seat
main body 7 is directly raised because the elevation pulley 75
elevated by the sliding member 28 works as a running pulley.
[0076] The hook 77 with the deflection shaft, as described later,
can change the height of hitching position, although not shown in
Figures, only by hitching a hole on the hook 77 to the hitching
protruding portion 80 of the post 38. The hook 77 with the
deflection shaft is always pulled up by the suspension belt 78 to
prevent the hook 77 from falling off the hitching protruding
portion 80. So the hook 77 with the deflection shaft is positioned
lower than the elevation pulley 75, and the end portion 78b of the
belt 78 is fixed to the upper fixation metal 72 to make a loop of
the belt.
[0077] Further, the middle deflection shaft 76 is disposed as the
suspension belt 78, between the middle deflection shaft 76 and the
hook 77 with the deflection shaft, is pulling the hook 77 with the
deflection shaft always in a constant direction, and the hook 77
with the deflection shaft receives a component of tensile force.
The hook 77 with the deflection shaft is prevented from falling out
of hitching, and having a simple construction, not receiving strong
bending force, which can resist only tensile force in one
direction.
[0078] The suspension belt 78, unstretchable and having a constant
length, raises the seat main body 7 to be inclined forward with the
pulley mechanism. As the oscillation mechanism N to make the
movement, an adjustment mechanism F which can change the height at
which the inclination of the seat main body 7 begins corresponding
to height of the person who sits on the seat 4. The adjustment
mechanism F, composed of hitching protruding portions 80 and 80'
disposed on different heights on the front side of the post 38 to
which the hook 77 with the deflection shaft is hitched, expands
application range of the elevation chair corresponding to the
difference of the height.
[0079] To describe concretely, as shown in FIG. 17, the hitching
protruding portions 80 and 80' are disposed on the front side of
the post 38 on plural stages (two stages) in vertical direction.
Then, the length that the end portion 78a of the suspension belt 78
contacts the rear end portion of the long hole 73 on the seat main
body 7 to raise the seat main body 7 is changed by changing the
hitching height of the hook 77 with the deflection shaft from the
protruding portion 80 to the protruding portion 80' (or from the
protruding portion 80' to the protruding portion 80) to change the
height at which the forward inclination begins.
[0080] When the hook 77 with the deflection shaft is hitched to the
protruding portion 80, the seat main body 7 starts the inclination
at an early (a lower) predetermined position for a short person.
When the hook 77 with the deflection shaft is hitched to the
protruding portion 80', the seat main body 7, later than the case
of the protruding portion 80, starts the inclination at a higher
position for a tall person. With the construction of the running
pulley including the elevation pulley 75 described above, the
difference of the height, at which the inclination begins, between
for the short person and for the tall person is the twice of the
difference of height between the protruding portion 80 and the
protruding portion 80'.
[0081] Further, the seat 4 can be kept horizontal when elevated
without the automatic forward inclination of the seat main body 7
at the predetermined height by changing the hitching height of the
hook 77 with the deflection shaft to the position of a hitching
protruding portion 80" (the uppermost stage) disposed further (a
non-inclination switching mechanism E). When the hook 77 with the
deflection shaft is hitched to the upper predetermined position,
the end portion 78a of the sliding member 78 does not contact the
rear end portion of the long hole 73, and the rear end portion 79
of the seat main body 7 is not raised even if the sliding member 28
ascends to the uppermost portion.
[0082] To detect a height position of the seat main body 7 (the
sliding member 28) at which the seat main body 7 is stopped after
the elevation and forward inclination, the expansion actuator 61
itself detects the elevation stroke S, stops its expansion
movement, and the inclination of the seat main body 7 is stopped.
As another method, as shown in FIG. 17, a position detecting
mechanism 81 such as a limit switch is disposed on the post 38, a
protruding piece 82 on the sliding member 28 contacts the position
detecting mechanism 81 when elevated to a predetermined height, and
the driving mechanism M (the expansion actuator 61) is stopped by
the position detecting mechanism 81.
[0083] And, as shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 17, a working switch 83 is
disposed near (above) the protruding portion 80 on the post 38.
When the hook 77 with the deflection shaft hitches to the
protruding portion 80, the hook 77 with the deflection shaft pushes
the working switch 83 to electrically switch on the position
detecting mechanism 81 (the limit switch) above.
[0084] In the case that a two-staged height adjusting mechanism is
applied (for short and tall persons) as described above, a
two-staged upper limit position detecting means is required. To
describe concretely a stopping mechanism for the driving mechanism
M, when the hook 77 with the deflection shaft is hitched to the
protruding portion 80 for a short person, the hook 77 with the
deflection shaft pushes the working switch 83 to electrically
switch on the position detecting mechanism 81 (the limit switch)
above, the sliding member 28 is elevated by the driving mechanism
M, the protruding piece 82 on the sliding member 28 contacts the
position detecting mechanism 81 at the predetermined height to stop
the driving mechanism M (the expansion actuator 61).
[0085] When the hook 77 with the deflection shaft is hitched to the
protruding portion 80' for a tall person, the position detecting
mechanism 81 (the limit switch) is electrically switched off, the
detection is not conducted when the protruding piece 82 contacts
the position detecting mechanism 81, the sliding member 28 is
elevated further, then, the expansion actuator 61 itself detects
the predetermined elevation stroke to stop its expansion
movement.
[0086] Next, the pedal braking mechanism D, disposed behind the
elevation chair in FIG. 14, is described. A schematic perspective
view is shown in FIG. 18, and FIGS. 19 and 20 are side views. In
FIG. 18, rotation of the wheel 92 on the rear side is restricted by
pressing an end portion 89a of a brake shaft 89 to the wheel 92.
Although FIG. 18 mainly shows the wheel 92 on the left side, the
wheel 92 on the right side has a similar and symmetric
construction. That is to say, the brake shaft 89 is a rod-like
member bent U-shaped approximately.
[0087] The braking mechanism D is provided with a brake pedal 86 of
plate and the rod-like metal brake shaft 89. An end portion 86a of
the brake pedal 86 is attached to an inner portion of the lower
fixation portion 64 on the rear side as to oscillate around a first
horizontal axis 87 in lateral direction, and an operation pedal
portion 88 is disposed on another end portion 86b (another end side
portion) as to protrude outward from the lower fixation portion
64.
[0088] The U-shaped rod-like brake shaft 89 is provided with a leg
portion 89', namely, a supporting rod in proceeding direction of
the chair, and a back portion 89", namely, a horizontal beam in
lateral direction. A middle portion 90 of the leg portion 89' of
the brake shaft 89 is attached as to oscillate around a second
horizontal axis 91 in lateral direction near the wheel 92 of the
lower fixation portion 64, and the end portion 89a of the leg
portion 89' can contact the wheel 92 with the oscillation movement
of the brake shaft 89 around the second horizontal axis 91 to brake
the wheel 92. The back portion 89" of the brake shaft 89 is
attached to the lower face side of the brake pedal 86 on a position
on the operation pedal portion 88 side toward the position of the
first horizontal axis 87, and, as shown in the side view of FIG.
19, out of an imaginary line going through the first horizontal
axis 87 and the second horizontal axis 91 (above the imaginary line
in FIG. 19), and oscillatable around a third horizontal axis 94
along with the brake pedal.
[0089] And, when the operation pedal portion 88 of the brake pedal
86 in FIG. 19 is stamped by foot to oscillate around the first
horizontal axis 87 as to become the state in FIG. 20, as shown in
FIG. 18, the back portion 89" of the brake shaft 89, being pulled
and elastically deformed (for a displacement .epsilon.), is
oscillated around the second horizontal axis 91 to brake the wheel
92. Similarly, the operation pedal portion 88 of the brake pedal 86
in FIG. 20 is pulled up by foot as to become the state in FIG. 19
to release the brake.
[0090] The elastic deformation of the back portion 89" of the brake
shaft 89 works to keep the braked state and the released state.
Especially, in the braked state, the wheel 92 is firmly pressed by
elastic force with the end portion 89a.
[0091] This position retaining work is caused by elastic work of
the brake shaft 89 (the back portion 89") made of metal, and, as
shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20, difference between an oscillation
radius r.sub.11 of the first horizontal axis 87 and the third
horizontal axis 94 of the brake pedal 86 and an oscillation radius
r.sub.12 of the second horizontal axis 91 and the third horizontal
axis 94 of the brake shaft 89, namely, the oscillation radius
r.sub.12 is longer than the oscillation radius r.sub.11.
[0092] And, the connecting point of the brake shaft 89 and the
brake pedal 86 (the third horizontal axis 94) passes an imaginary
line going through the first horizontal axis 87 and the second
horizontal axis 91, and the brake shaft 89 becomes static on two
intersection points 95 of two different arc traces without elastic
deformation. That is to say, the connecting point above (of the
third horizontal axis 94) between the two intersection points 95
automatically returns to one of the two intersection points 95 with
elasticity.
[0093] Returning to FIG. 14, a footrest 93 of plate is disposed
above the forward wheels 2 as to be position-changeable. In the
state shown in FIG. 14, a person sitting on the seat 4 can put the
feet on the footrest 93 to prevent the feet from dragging in
transfer. And, the position of the footrest 93 is changed parallel
to the leg portion 36 not to hinder the person to get on and off
the seat 4.
[0094] Next, FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing another
embodiment of the elevation chair of the present invention. This
elevation chair, similar to the elevation chair described with FIG.
1 and FIG. 14, runs (moves) on the floor and has a seat 4 elevated
(ascended and descended) by the driving mechanism M as described
above. A lower part of the elevation chair is provided with a base
member 37 to hold a post 38, horizontal leg portions 36 are
disposed both sides of the base member 37, and wheels 2 are
disposed on front positions and rear positions of the leg portions
36 as the elevation chair has 4 wheels.
[0095] The leg portion 36 is composed of a rear fixation portion
103 and a front oscillation arm portion 101 which is before the
base member 37. The oscillation arm portion 101 is a horizontal
supporting member protruding forward, and a front wheel 2a is
attached to a forth end of the oscillation arm portion 101. And,
the front wheel 2a, with a rear wheel 2b attached to the rear
fixation portion 103, supports the elevation chair stably as to
run.
[0096] And, the oscillation arm portion 101 is attached to the
fixation portion 103 as to be freely switched between a
forward-protruding used state and an upward-folded stored state at
a base end portion side of the oscillation arm portion 101. FIG. 21
is showing the used state, and the oscillation arm portion 101 is
folded at the base end portion side in a direction of arrows V to
be changed to the stored state. FIG. 22 and FIG. 23 are perspective
views to explain the leg portion 36. FIG. 22 shows the used state,
and FIG. 23 shows the stored state.
[0097] As shown in FIG. 23, an auxiliary wheel 102, disposed on the
base end portion of the oscillation arm portion 101, protrudes
downward and contacts the ground in the stored state.
[0098] To describe concretely, the base end portion of the
oscillation arm portion 101 is attached to the fixation portion 103
as to freely oscillate, and 104 is an oscillation center. To
describe further, a fixation piece 105 is fixed to the fixation
portion 103 and an oscillation piece 106 is fixed to the base end
portion of the oscillation arm portion 101 as to face. And, the
fixation piece 105 and the oscillation piece 106 are connected with
a first connecting shaft 107 and a second connecting shaft 108. The
second connecting shaft 108, although fixed to the fixation piece
105, slides along an arc long hole on the oscillation piece 106,
and the oscillation arm portion 101 (the oscillation piece 106), of
which oscillation angle is restricted to approximately 90.degree.,
can oscillate around the first connecting shaft 107 as a
center.
[0099] As shown in FIG. 22, in the used state, the oscillation arm
portion 101 is held approximately horizontal by insertion of
fixation bolts 110 to two fixation holes on a side face of the
fixation portion 103 (not shown in FIG. 22) and two fixation holes
109 on a side face of the oscillation arm portion 101. And, as
shown in FIG. 23, in the stored state, the oscillation arm portion
101 is held approximately vertical (folded state) by insertion of
the fixation bolt 110 to one of the fixation holes 109 on the rear
side of the oscillation arm portion 101 in the used state and one
of the fixation holes on the side face of the fixation portion 103
on the front side.
[0100] And, the auxiliary wheel 102 is attached to a base end face
of the base end portion of the oscillation arm portion 101.
Therefore, the auxiliary wheel 102 is oscillated to protrude
downward toward the ground by the above-described folding movement.
The chair can move (run) with 4 wheels, namely, the auxiliary
wheels 102 and the two rear wheels 2b.
[0101] Further, as shown in FIG. 21, the seat 4 is freely switched
between a horizontal used state and an upright stored state. And,
an armrest 20 is disposed on both sides above the seat 4 as to be
switched from a horizontal used state to an upright stored
state.
[0102] Therefore, when the oscillation arm portion 101, the seat 4,
and the armrests 20 are folded upward, the elevation chair becomes
compact without protrusion to be stored in small space, handled
easily in transfer. And, it is preferable that the auxiliary wheel
102 can freely change its rolling direction.
[0103] In FIG. 21, safety belt 111 is disposed on the back portion
10 to keep safety as a person does not fall from the chair
accidentally when the seat 4, on which the person is sitting, is
elevated and the elevation chair is moved with the person.
[0104] According to the elevation chair of the present invention,
the seat main body 7 is elevated horizontally to a desired height,
automatically inclined forward, and certainly stopped to incline
when reaches the predetermined inclination angle .theta.. User's
standing movement from the seat 4 and sitting movement on the seat
4 are safely and certainly supported. And, the predetermined
inclination angle .theta., not influenced by elevation height of
the seat 4, can be controlled constant, and constant inclination
angle .theta. can be set as to correspond to various heights of
users.
[0105] The seat main body 7, being kept horizontal, can be elevated
to a desired height to enlarge the application range.
[0106] The set height of the seat main body 7, at which the seat
main body 7 kept horizontal and elevated to a desired height starts
automatic forward inclination, is easily changed, and the height is
properly adjusted to various heights of the users.
[0107] And, the seat main body 7 is certainly stopped to incline
when reaches the predetermined inclination angle .theta..
Malfunction and instability of movement are eliminated because the
detection of the angle is conducted without contact. The
predetermined inclination angle .theta. can be control led constant
without influence by the elevation height of the seat main body 7,
and excessive inclination and insufficient inclination of the seat
main body 7 are prevented thereby. And, the inclination angle
.theta. is freely changed.
[0108] Further, maintenance is easily conducted because it is not
required to remove many components for maintenance, regulation, and
repair. When the chair is broken, only the driving mechanism M is
sent to the maker's workshop for check up and repair without
transfer and repair of the whole large and heavy chair.
[0109] And, according to the elevation chair of the present
invention, the seat main body 7 is elevated horizontally to a
desired height, and automatically inclined forward. User's standing
movement from the seat 4 and sitting movement on the seat 4 are
safely and certainly supported. And, working stroke of the
expansion actuator 61 is a half of necessary elevation stroke of
the seat 4 because the running rotation pulley 62 has a function as
a running pulley, and the apparatus is made compact and
light-weight to be easily handled.
[0110] Mechanical noise in elevation of the seat 4 is decreased for
comfortable use.
[0111] In an emergency in which the inner belt 67 suspending the
sliding member 28 (the seat 4) is cut by excessive load generated
by malfunction of the expansion actuator 61 or degradation of the
belt, the person sitting on the seat 4 is not injured by falling of
the sliding member 28 (the seat 4).
[0112] For an emergency in which the inner belt 67 is cut and the
sliding member 28 (the seat 4) is suspended only by the outer belt
66, a safety device with simple construction is made to certainly
stop the working of the expansion actuator 61 to prevent the outer
belt 66 from cutting by overload generated by the continuously
working expansion actuator 61.
[0113] The hook 77 with a deflection shaft, of which position is
freely changed, can be raised always in constant direction by the
suspension belt 78, and safe without parting off the hitching
protruding portion 80. And, the hook 77 with a deflection shaft,
mainly receiving tensile force and not receiving strong bending
force, is safe and its components can be simplified.
[0114] The wheel 2 is prevented from being unbraked because it is
difficult to have a seat for the footrest 3 occupying footspace
when not raised vertically. And, the user is prevented from falling
because the chair is restricted as not to spontaneously move
backward when the user sits on and gets off the seat 4
[0115] And, the wheel 2 is prevented from being unbraked because it
is difficult to have a seat for the footrest 3 occupying footspace
when not raised vertically. And, the brake is automatically works
simultaneously on both of front side and rear side in proceeding
direction, and the chair is made safer when the user sits on and
gets off the seat 4. And, the brake is released when the footrest 3
is horizontal, and the user can put the feet on the footrest 3 for
safety.
[0116] And, according to the elevation chair of the present
invention, the chair can be stored in small space when the chair is
not in use. Further, the chair is easily moved even in the stored
state with the auxiliary wheels 102 and the wheel 2 on the rear
side.
[0117] And, the elevation chair is compact without protrusions and
stored in smaller space, and handled easily in transfer.
[0118] Further, the brake is made certain with a small number of
parts. And, a safe brake excellent in operation can be composed as
that the rotation of the wheels 92 is completely restricted, and
the elevation chair does not move spontaneously when the user gets
on and off the seat 4.
[0119] While preferred embodiments of the present invention have
been described in this specification, it is to be understood that
the invention is illustrative and not restrictive, because various
changes are possible within the spirit and indispensable
features.
* * * * *