TRANSPORT CHAIR FOR THE DISABLED Technical Field

The invention is related to transport chairs for the disabled, which provide transportation of orthopedically disabled people (who cannot use their feet) from one place to another. The invention is especially related to transport chairs for the disabled, which enable orthopedically disabled people (who cannot use their feet) to get on and get off the transportation vehicles easily without leaving their seats without any companion assistance.

State of the Art

Disability is the restriction of some movements, senses etc. due to physical or mental disorder occurring congenitally or afterwards and affects the life quality of substantial proportion of individuals. According to the National Disabled People Database, a portion of 8.8% is constituted by the orthopedically disabled people. Orthopedic disability is defined as loss of movement capability as a result of disorders in skeletal, muscular and neural systems.

Today, studies are being made to increase the life level of the orthopedically disabled people in many fields. Overcoming the difficulties experienced during transportation is the most important one of these studies. In particular, if there is a need for using another vehicle with wheelchair, transportation becomes quite troublesome. In such cases, as an option, individual with disability is taken from the wheelchair and transferred to another seat in the vehicle. Such a transport becomes almost impossible for said individual alone or an outside help or a companion is needed.

In the state of the art, some improvements have been made in car seats and wheelchairs to facilitate for the disabled individual to get on the vehicle from the wheelchair. For example, U.S.A. Patent numbered US5884929 suggests a wheelchair allowing the disabled individual to get closer to the vehicle during the transfer thanks to the rail system thereon. Although the concerned invention makes the transfer easier, it doesn't make the transfer possible for many disabled people and still a companion is needed. As another option in transitions to another vehicle, the disabled individual is transferred together with his/her wheelchair. In such cases, a foldable ramp is generally used as also described in the Turkish Patent numbered 2008/08881. Although such a ramp makes getting-on and getting-off easier, it still causes the disabled individual to make some effort to a certain extent or a companion is needed. In order to prevent this drawback, actuated devices whose examples are found in the Turkish Patent numbered 2008/03798 and 2008/04897 are used. They; partially eliminate the need for a companion and outside help. However, they cannot be used in every vehicle because of their sizes and a need for additional space for wheelchair causes other problems to occur.

As a result, the presence of a need for transport chairs for the disabled, which provides orthopedically disabled people (who cannot use their feet) to get on and get off the transportation vehicles easily without leaving their seats without any companion assistance and the inadequacy of current solutions have made it necessary to make an improvement in the related technical field.

Objects of the Invention

The object of the invention is to provide different technical properties bringing a new development into this field unlike the embodiments used in the state of the art.

The main object of the transport chair for the disabled according to the invention is to provide orthopedically disabled people (who cannot use their feet) to get on and get off the transportation vehicles easily without leaving their seats without any companion assistance.

Another object of the invention is to allow the disabled individual to get on and get off the vehicle without leaving his/her seat (without standing up) thanks to the seat with pluggable wheels and capable of being positioned in the vehicle. Another object of the invention is to create a system which does not require force thanks to the motors thereon. In this way, getting-on and getting-off easily of the disabled individual are made possible without using any force.

Another object of the invention is to control all elements of the system from a single place. In this way, ease of use is provided.

Another object of the invention is that it can be applied both to right side and left side of the vehicle. Thus, the disabled individual can reach to all seats of the vehicle including driver's cab and also manage and conduct the vehicle when necessary.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, all elements of the system are managed by a remote control. Therefore, the system can be managed both from inside and outside of the vehicle. The structural and characteristic features and all the advantages of the invention will be understood more clearly thanks to the figures and the detailed description written with reference to these figures; and therefore, the evaluation should be made by taking those figures and detailed description into account.

Figures to Facilitate Understanding of the Invention

In order for the advantages of the present invention together with its embodiment and additional elements to be understood in the best way, it should be evaluated together with the figures described below.

Figure- 1 : Side view of the transport chair for the disabled according to the invention while it is inside the vehicle.

Figure - 2: Top view of the transport chair for the disabled according to the invention while it is inside or outside the vehicle.

Figure - 3: Side view of the transport chair for the disabled according to the invention while it is outside the vehicle and its wheels are mounted.

Figure - 4: Front view of the transport chair for the disabled according to the invention while it is outside the vehicle and its wheels are mounted.

Figure - 5: Overall view of the mechanisms moving the transport chair for the disabled according to the invention in and out, up and down.

Figure - 6a: Top view of the lock mechanism while the transport chair for the disabled according to the invention is inside the vehicle.

Figure - 6b: Back view of the lock mechanism while the transport chair for the disabled according to the invention is inside the vehicle.

Figure - 7: Overall view of mechanisms moving the transport chair for the disabled according to the invention back and forth. Drawings do not need to be scaled necessarily and details that are not necessary for understanding the present invention may have been neglected. Further, elements at least substantially identical or having at least substantially identical functions are indicated with the same number. Part References

100 Transport chair for the disabled

1 Seat

2 System Lock

2a Valve

3 Position motor

3a Position drive wheel

4 Steering drag link

5 Steering drag link motor

5a Steering drag link

6 Worm gear

7 Worm gear motor

8 Pulley

9 Bottom table

10 Bottom ball-bearing

11 Top table

12 Top ball-bearing

13 Chair wheels

13a Wheel bearing

14 Relay box

15 Control box

16 Chair base

16a Base slide

16b Chair slide

16c Position screw

17 Driving gear

18 Drive wheel

200 Vehicle

201 Center pillar

202 Chair bearing

Detailed Description of the Invention

In this detailed description, transport chair for the disabled (100) according to the invention is described with examples only for a better understanding of the subject without any limiting effects. The preferred embodiment of the transport chair for the disabled (100) according to the invention comprises a seat (1) on which the disabled individual sits, chair wheels (13) which are mountable and demountable to and from said seat (1), a steering drag link (4) enabling said seat (1) to enter into and exit from the vehicle, a steering drag link motor (5) controlling movement of said steering drag link (4) towards inside and outside of the vehicle, a worm gear (6) enabling said seat (1) to move up and down, a worm gear motor (7) moving the seat (1) up and down by rotating said worm gear (6).

Said worm gear (6) has a cylindrical structure containing grooved and gear structure designed unendingly. The worm gear (6) is engaged to bottom table (9) with bottom ball-bearing (10) at the bottom and to top table (11) with top ball-bearing (12) at the top. While said bottom table (9) and top table (11) provide the connection of the transport chair for the disabled (100) with the vehicle (200), bottom ball-bearing (10) and top ball-bearing (12) reduce friction by enabling the rotation of the worm gear (6). Driving gear (17) is placed on the worm gear (6) and engaged with the drive wheel (18). Drive wheel (18) is located on worm gear motor (7).

Around worm gear (6) is covered with the annular pulley (8). Said pulley (8), in which grooved and gear structure are formed, moves up and down with rotational movement of worm gear (6). Pulley (8) is connected with the steering drag link (4) curved just like the neck of a camel, swan etc. While steering drag link motor (5) providing circular movement around the axis of the steering drag link is engaged to said steering drag link (4), steering drag link drive wheel (5a) is connected to steering drag link motor (5). Steering drag link drive wheel (5a) is of spiral structure and touches driving gear (17). The spiral structure of steering drag link drive wheel (5a) provides both circular and up and down movement on driving gear (17). Chair base (16) found on the distal end of the steering drag link (4) from pulley (8) provides the connection between steering drag link (4) and seat (1) and also allows the circular movement of seat (1) on steering drag link (4). Position motor (3) adjusting the position of seat (1) is engaged to chair base (16) and drives the position drive wheel (3a). Position drive wheel (3a) has the form of an endless screw and passes through position screw (16c) formed on chair base (16). Seat (1) is fitted to chair slide (16b) formed again on chair base (16) and has one-dimensional movement capability thereon. System lock (2) found at the bottom of the seat (1) is connected with valves (2a) found under the chair base (16) and controls the movements thereof. When closed, said valves (2a) cling to chair bearing (202) mounted to the vehicle (200) base and allow system to remain stable and also immobilize all the elements. Base slides (16a) are formed on the sides of chair base (16). Said base slides (16a) pass to wheel bearings (13a) formed on chair wheels (13) and have one-dimensional movement capability thereon. Position motor (3), steering drag link motor (5) and worm gear motor (7) are connected to control box (15) controlling their movements with the cables and to relay box (14) providing needed power for them.

Transport chair for the disabled (100) can be positioned anywhere on frame on the right or left side of the vehicle (200) preferably in center pillar (201) for saving on space. While the transport chair for the disabled (100) is within vehicle (200), the system lock (2) is off and it keeps the system steady on chair bearing (202). In case of getting-off, the door of vehicle (200) is opened and firstly by ungearing the system lock (2) it is ensured that valves (2a) leave the chair bearing (202) and the system is released. Then, steering drag link motor (5) and thus steering drag link drive wheel (5a) are activated via control box (15). Steering drag link drive wheel (5a) moving gives a circular motion to steering drag link (4) by proceeding on driving gear (17) and takes the seat (1) out of the vehicle (200) together with the disabled individual thereon. The reason why the steering drag link drive wheel (5a) cannot rotate the driving gear (17) and moves on its own during the movement thereof is that worm gear motor (7), another motor to which driving gear (17) is connected, is stronger. While seat (1) is still suspended in the air, chair wheels (13) are mounted by being fitted to base slides (16a) by means of wheel bearings (13a). Thus, seat (1) is transformed into chair wheel. Following the creation of wheelchair, first the circular motion of drive wheel (18) and then of driving gear (17) is provided by starting worm gear motor (7) by means of the control box (15). Thus, the worm gear (6) pushing pulley (8) upward with motion provided by driving gear (17) brings the wheelchair created down from seat (1 ). Finally, the wheelchair separated from chair base (16) is ready to go.

When getting on, all of the operations performed during getting-off are performed in an inverse way. The wheelchair coming closer to vehicle (200) is connected to the chair base (16) and then lifted up with movement of worm gear motor (7) activated by means of the control box (15). Idle chair wheels (13) can be placed on trunk or at back seat of the vehicle (200) by being displaced. Then, steering drag link motor (5) is activated by means of the control box (15) and the circular motion is provided to steering drag link (4) and seat (1) is taken into the vehicle (200) together with the disabled thereon. After taken into vehicle (200), door and then system lock (2) are closed. Position motor (3) managed by means of the control box (15) provides comfort and safety to the user by adjusting the position of seat (1), while seat (1) is found both inside and outside.

An alternative embodiment of the invention is the system attached to the driver and passenger side, moving only the vehicle seat (1) out of the vehicle with carrier steering drag link (4) and providing the transfer of the disabled individual from his/her own wheelchair to said seat. In this system, the transfer of the disabled into the vehicle is provided with the help of companion. In said system, chair wheels (13), steering drag link motor (5), worm gear (6) and worm gear motor (7) are not needed.

The preferred embodiment of the invention can be applied to every vehicle (200).

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the control box (15) is wireless.