VEHICLE FOR PERSONS USING A WHEELCHAIR, ESPECIALLY

FOR DISABLED PERSONS

The invention relates to a vehicle, which is basically designed for use by disabled persons using a wheelchair as a tool enabling them to move around outdoors.

Wheelchairs are widely used by disabled persons all over the world as a tool enabling them to move around, but first of all they are designed for moving around indoors. The person sitting in the wheelchair with large rear wheels and smaller front wheels normally uses his/her hands to make the wheelchair move, although engine-driven versions are also known.

European patent specification No. 0526 933 describes an engine-driven vehicle enabling disabled persons to move around outdoors, which vehicle has an internal space delimited at the bottom by a floor plate that can be lowered and lifted, and on the sides and at the top by a motor-car type bodywork attached to the floor plate, and this internal space can be accessed by a wheelchair through an opening in the bodywork, which opening is covered by an opening and closing back door, and the disabled person can drive the vehicle while sitting in his/her wheelchair. The disadvantage of this solution is that the floor plate needs to be lowered onto the walking surface together with the bodywork in order to make it possible to move the wheelchair onto it, and then the bodywork, the floor plate and the wheelchair, together with the person sitting in it, needs to be lifted into driving position, which requires rather great effort, that is a relatively complicated and

strong lifting-lowering mechanism. A further disadvantage is that the control units, such as the brake lever and the gas lever, cannot be placed on the traditional steering wheel, which makes the vehicle difficult to handle, and also it has a rather great space demand in the area facing the engine, which increases the length of the vehicle as compared to the length needed for the function; it may result in difficulties in parking and getting in and out of the vehicle.

Hungarian patent specification No. 2498 describes aa vehicle especially suitable for use by disabled persons, which has a bodywork delimited by a floor plate at the bottom, having a top- hinged back door, suitable for accommodating a wheelchair; an engine and steering mechanism favourably connected to the rear wheels of the vehicle, a unit making it possible to roll the wheelchair inside and out of the vehicle, and display and control units needed for operating the vehicle outdoors. The steering mechanism of this vehicle is a column control mechanism; and the unit making it possible to roll the wheelchair inside and out of the vehicle is an access ramp attached to the rear part of the floor plate in a lifting-lowering way practically with hinges and connected with a moving mechanism. Although the column control mechanism partly eliminates the above advantages of traditional steering mechanisms, its operating mechanism is rather complicated, and it has a relatively large space demand. The access ramp is a definitely simpler solution to enable the wheelchair to get into and leave the vehicle as compared to the solution described above, where the floor plate needs to be lifted and lowered together with the bodywork, but its operating mechanism is complicated and costly, and disabled or ill users may find it difficult to operate.

Hungarian utility model No. 2902 also relates to a vehicle designed first of all for use by disabled persons to move around outdoors, in which some of the deficiencies of the vehicles designed for a similar purpose described above have been eliminated, so that the lifting and lowering of the access ramp is in forced coupling with the opening of the door, which makes handling easier for the driver of the vehicle. However, in the case of this solution it is a problem that the fixing of the wheelchair in the vehicle is not solved appropriately, which is regarded as a factor of uncertainty from the aspect of the driver of the vehicle. Similarly, vibrations that may occur during acceleration and slowing down caused by the unbalance of the mechanical parts, and also the instability of the wheels and the steering mechanism caused by the unevenness of the road may also result in insecure and unstable driving. Furthermore, the manual opening and closing of the door is a problem from the aspect of safety engineering, as the user's hand or arm may get stuck between the moving parts, or the user may hurt himself/ herself while moving the door. Finally it is also a problem that when the front caster wheels of the wheelchair rotate to backward position while reversing out from the vehicle, they may get stuck in the bodywork crosswise, which is a serious difficulty for a disabled person.

The task to be solved with the invention is to improve the vehicle described in Hungarian utility model No. 2902 basically by making changes that increase the safety of the user of the vehicle and make it easier to use the vehicle at the same time, while retaining all the above favourable characteristics of the vehicle.

The invention is based on the recognition that safe, simple and comfortable use can be achieved by the automation of the

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opening and closing of the door, by ensuring a quick and simple way of fixing and releasing the wheelchair inside the vehicle, and finally by efficient shock absorption; and that the danger of the wheels getting stuck mentioned above can be eliminated completely by the releasable locking of the front wheels - caster wheels - of the wheelchair parallel to the vertical longitudinal geometrical mid- plane of the vehicle.

On the basis of the above recognition the set task was solved with the help of a vehicle suitable for use by persons using a wheelchair, especially disabled persons, which vehicle has a bodywork delimited at the bottom by a floor plate, having a top- hinged back door, enclosing a space suitable for accommodating a wheelchair; the vehicle has an engine favourably in driving connection with the rear wheels; a steering mechanism; an access ramp making it possible to roll the wheelchair inside and out of the vehicle attached to the rear part of the floor plate in a lifting- lowering way practically with a hinge or hinges and connected with a moving mechanism; and control and display units needed for operating the vehicle outdoors, and the access ramp moving mechanism has a moving unit operated by the opening and closing of the door of the vehicle, connected to the ramp; and the said vehicle is characterised by that it has a docking unit inside the vehicle suitable for accommodating and catching the docking pin belonging to the wheelchair, fixing by this the position of the wheelchair inside the vehicle and releasing the wheelchair from this fixed position. Practically the docking unit has a case with an opening on the side, favourably at the top, favourably rectangular- shaped, practically square-shaped in top view, and a locking pin with a cross-section at its lower end shaped to suit the lateral

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opening, which locking pin can be moved away from the opening against spring force in a spring-tube in line with the opening and can be driven inside the case through the opening by spring force, and the locking pin is pressed into the spring-tube against spring- force through the opening as the docking pin moving together with the wheelchair is advancing inside the case, and then it connects the wheelchair and the vehicle together by entering a seat in the docking unit due to spring-force, which seat covers the opening as the docking pin advances; and a unit is connected to the locking pin, which unit can be operated by the user of the vehicle and is suitable for pulling out the locking pin from the seat of the docking unit against spring-force releasing by this the docking pin and also the wheelchair from its fixed position. In this case favourably the spring inside the spring-tube is a coil spring surrounding the locking pin; the lower end of the locking pin with a rectangular- shaped, favourably square-shaped cross-section in contact with the docking pin has an inclined surface; and the unit designed for releasing the docking pin is a release lever connected to the upper end of the locking pin; the docking unit is attached to the steering column of the vehicle with a clamp.

The invention also relates to a vehicle with a bodywork delimited at the bottom by a floor plate, having a top-hinged back door, enclosing a space suitable for accommodating a wheelchair; the vehicle has an engine favourably in driving connection with the rear wheels; a steering mechanism; an access ramp making it possible to roll the wheelchair inside and out of the vehicle attached to the rear part of the floor plate in a lifting-lowering way practically with a hinge or hinges and connected with a moving mechanism; and control and display units needed for operating the

vehicle outdoors, and the access ramp moving mechanism has a moving unit operated by the opening and closing of the door of the vehicle, connected to the ramp, which vehicle is characterised by that it has a locking unit suitable for fixing the position of the front caster wheels of the wheelchair and releasing them from their fixed position. In this case favourably the locking unit has a spring-tube connected to the stationary part of the wheelchair and suitable for accommodating a locking pin that can be moved to-and-fro inside it and is surrounded with a coil spring, and it also has a locking plate attached to the fork of the caster wheel, in which locking plate there is a bore in line with the locking pin with a diameter suitable for accommodating the locking pin; and the locking pin has a head with cogs protruding downwards, which head can be rotated together with it, and the spring-tube has seats supporting the cogs, which seats have a surface holding the locking pin in upper position above the locking plate against spring-force and become in line with the cogs as the head is rotated, allowing by this the movement of the locking pin downwards into the bore of the locking plate due to spring- force.

The invention also relates to a vehicle with a bodywork delimited at the bottom by a floor plate, having a top-hinged back door, enclosing a space suitable for accommodating a wheelchair; the vehicle has an engine favourably in driving connection with the rear wheels; a steering mechanism; an access ramp making it possible to roll the wheelchair inside and out of the vehicle attached to the rear part of the floor plate in a lifting-lowering way practically with a hinge or hinges and connected with a moving mechanism; and control and display units needed for operating the vehicle outdoors, and the access ramp moving mechanism has a

moving unit operated by the opening and closing of the door of the vehicle, connected to the ramp, which vehicle is characterised by that a shock absorber is inserted between the articulated column mechanism of the steering unit and the stationary part of the vehicle. The construction of this vehicle is characterised by that the articulated column mechanism contains an auxiliary control lever attached to the steering column in a fixed position and cross-rods connected to it in an articulated way, the rod ends of which are connected to a control lever with articulated connection; and the shock absorber is connected to this control lever in an articulated way too. In this case favourably the shock absorber is a hydraulic or pneumatic power cylinder, the piston-rod of which is connected to the control lever in an articulated way, and its house is attached in a fixed position to the stationary part of the vehicle.

In the case of all vehicles the opening and closing unit of the door has a supporting unit, the one - external - end of which is attached with an articulated joint to the curved internal surface of the door, favourably to the central range of the door taking into consideration the height of the door, and its other end is attached with an articulated joint to the unit moving back-and-forth along the length of the vehicle. Favourably the unit moving back-and- forth is a handle that can be moved in a longitudinal guide-rail, practically on rollers. Furthermore, practically the moving structure of the supporting unit is an electric motor driven - chain- geared - endless chain mechanism, and a clutch is inserted between the electric motor and the chain gear of the drive chain.

Below the invention is described in detail on the basis of the attached drawings showing a favourable construction of the model and a few structural part solutions. In the drawings

figure 1 shows a construction of the vehicle in lateral schematic perspective view, with a disabled person sitting in a wheelchair about to get in; figure 2 shows the drive mechanism and access ramp operating mechanism of the vehicle as in figure 1 , in larger lateral schematic view; figure 3 shows the vehicle as in figures 1 and 2, ready to go, with its door shut, with the wheelchair inside and the disabled person sitting in it; figure 4 shows section A as in figure 2 on a larger scale, with the side-wall of the guide-rail removed; figure 5 shows the section taken along line B - B as in figure 4, also containing the side-walls of the guide-rail; figure 6 shows the steering mechanism of the vehicle as in figures 1-3, in schematic perspective view taken from the internal space; figures 7a-7c show the control units as in figure 4, on a larger scale; figure 8 shows the engine as in figure 3 and its connection with the door operating chain in perspective view on a larger scale; figure 9 a shows the vehicle in lateral schematic view, highlighting the position of the docking unit and certain characteristic parts of the vehicle; figure 9b shows the vehicle as in figure 9 a, with the docked wheelchair inside;

figure 10a shows the vertical section of the docking unit on a larger scale, taken across the longitudinal axis of the steering column; figure 10b shows a view in the direction of arrow C as in figure 10a, partly in section; figure 10c shows a partial section at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the steering column, in the plane of symmetry of the clamp shown in figure 10a; figure 11 shows the situation before docking; figure 12 shows the docked status; figure 13a shows the shock absorbing mechanism of the steering unit in section taken along line K - K as in figure 3; figure 13b shows part L as in figure 13a, on a larger scale; figure 14a shows the caster wheel of the wheelchair and its locking mechanism inside the vehicle; figure 14b shows part M as in figure 14a, on a larger scale; figure 14c shows a view from the direction of arrow N as in figure 14b.

Figure 1 - similarly to figure 2 - shows the vehicle 1 with its only back door 12 in opened position stabilised by supporting units 14 and 15, and behind the vehicle 1 there is a disabled person 3 sitting in a wheelchair 2 known in itself ready to roll inside the vehicle 1 with the wheelchair 2. One of the windows 19 and the steering mechanism 27 of the vehicle can also be seen in figure 1.

In figures 2 and 3 the upper part of the bodywork of the vehicle 1 is marked with reference number 5 as a whole, and the floor plate, which is constructed as one unit with the upper part 5, is marked with reference number 4. The access ramp 6, which is made of for example an appropriately strong metal or plastic plate and is able to bear upon the ground surface t with its external edge, is connected to the floor plate 4 with hinges 1 , around which it can be rotated, that is lifted and lowered, as shown by double- arrow a. The access ramp 6 bearing upon the ground surface t makes it possible for the wheelchair 2 shown in figures 1 and 3 to roll inside the vehicle 1 or leave the vehicle 1 by rolling down the access ramp 6. In the case of this construction example the operating mechanism of the access ramp 6 comprises a cable 8 and a lifting lever 10 on both sides, which lifting lever 10, in this case, consists of lever-parts at an obtuse angle (for example 70-80° angle) with respect to each other, basically pointing downwards, forming a stiff unit. The levers 10 - that is raising levers in respect of moving the access ramp 6 - are attached to pins 9 situated in a fixed position in the side-walls 5a of the upper part 5 of the bodywork, near the rear edges of the side-walls 5a, facing each other, in line with each other, protruding inside the vehicle 1, in a way that the levers 10 can be rotated in the vertical plane, that is in their own plane. There is a roller 11 fitted on the external end of the levers 10 each, which rollers lie against the internal curved surface of the back door 12 of the vehicle 1 in its closed position as shown in figure 3; in this case the access ramp 6 is in horizontal position, in line with the floor plate 4, and the lower edge 12 a of the door 12 slightly bending inwards goes under the external edge of the access ramp 6. The door 12 is attached to the upper part 5

of the bodywork with hinges 13. The cable 8 is attached to the other end of the levers 10 opposite the roller 11 at fixing point 8b, while the lower end of the cable 8 is attached to the access ramp 6 at fixing point 8a. As it can be seen in figures 2 and 3, the pins 9 are situated in space slightly above the steering mechanism 27 of the vehicle 1.

The vehicle 1 has front wheels 24 and rear wheels 23, and the latter ones are in driving connection with an electric motor 25 each - in a way known in itself -, for example via so-called "V" drive-belt gears 26. The motors 25 may be powered by two 12V 84Ah batteries each. It is pointed out here that in the interest of better comprehensibility in figures 2 and 3 the bodywork of the vehicle 1 is shown only with faint dashed lines, but the positions of the access ramp 6 bearing upon the ground surface t lowered for use and lifted up in line with the floor plate 4 are shown with continuous bold lines.

In figures 2 and 3 the supporting units 14, 15 mentioned above in connection with figure 1 are shown with continuous lines - on both sides of the vehicle 1, inside there are two supporting units 14 and one supporting unit 15 each - and the operating mechanism of the latter one is also shown with continuous lines. In this case the upper and shorter supporting unit 14 is a telescopic system "gas-spring" (pneumatic power cylinder and a rod moving in an out of it), the ends 14a, 14b of which are attached with hinges (pins) to the inside of the side-walls of the upper part 5 of the bodywork on the one part, and to the inside of the door 12 on the other part. The lower and longer supporting unit 15 is a rod, the external - upper - end of which is attached with a hinge 15a to the inside of the door 12, while its internal - lower end - as it can

be seen in figures 4 and 5 - is also attached with a hinge 15b to a handle 16. This handle 16 can be moved back-and-forth in a guide-rail 17 fitted inside side the bodywork on the right, with the help of rollers 16a. As it can be seen in figures 4 and 5, the rollers 16a with axis X situated at the ends of a connecting member 16b fit into a U-shaped guide-rail 17 facing upwards with edges protruding inside, and the stem 16c of the handle 16 is attached in a fixed position to the connecting member 16b, and the hinge 15b situated at the lower end of the supporting unit 15 - rod - is attached to the stem 16c. The described mechanism enables the manual operation of the supporting unit 15 with the help of the handle 16, but as an alternative solution it can also be operated with a remote controlled mechanism situated in the range of the steering mechanism 27, shown in figures 2 and 3 with a dashed line, containing an electric motor 18 with a chain gear, a built-in chain gear instead of a handle 16 with rollers, and an endless chain taken through these chain gears. A solution of this kind is shown in figure 8 on a larger scale and in greater detail, where - using the same reference numbers as above to refer to the structural parts already mentioned - beside the electric motor 18 motor the drive-house 83 is also shown, in which there is a friction clutch 82 (not shown separately); basically it can have the same system as mechanical clutches ordinarily used in motor vehicles operated with a pedal. Obviously the difference is that the clutch 82 according to the invention is electrically powered when the motor 18 is turned on. The main shaft 84 joins the input side of the clutch 82, while the chain gear joins the output side, which chain gear is situated in the drive-house 83 (so it cannot be seen

here) and belongs to the drive chain 81 situated in the guide-rail 17, and the drive chain 81 is taken through this chain gear.

The door opening and closing mechanism according to the invention is operated as below: when the motor 18 is not turned on, the clutch 82 is also out of operation, and there is an air-gap between its friction discs. In this case the door can be opened manually, with the help of the handle 16 as described above. If the user of the vehicle (not shown) turns on the motor 18 using a switch, e.g.: a remote control panel, the electromagnet built in the clutch 82 presses the friction discs against each other, as a result of which they are moved together by the generated friction force, and the running motor 18 transfers the torque onto the axle of the chain gear, and so the endless drive chain 81 opens and closes the door 12 of the vehicle 1 by operating the mechanism described above (also see figures 1-3).

The significance of opening and closing the door with the above motor and clutch mechanism lies in that the user is able to perform these operations without making any physical effort, which may be essential because of the possible weak health condition of the given person. Furthermore the motor-powered operation of the door is also advantageous from the aspects of safety engineering and accident prevention. If the door 12 gets stuck or the person sitting in the wheelchair gets stuck under the door, for example as a result of turning on the remote control panel accidentally, the door may exert a rather great pressure on this person and even hurt him/her. But due to the presence of the clutch 82 such accidents cannot happen, because when a previously set amount of force is reached, the clutch slips and the

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14 drive is terminated; in this way the risk of the user being hurt is automatically eliminated.

The window 19 of the vehicle 1 shown in figures 2 and 3, having a semicircular shape in the case of this construction example, can be turned from its closed position using its handle 20 - moving it along a curved track - into a seat constructed in the bodywork around the suspension pin 21, as a result of which the window 19 can be opened. The window 19 fits into a curved H- profile frame 22.

The steering mechanism of the vehicle 1 shown in figure 6 - including the dashboard - (as it has been mention above) - can be regarded as a combination of the steering mechanism of a motorbike and a car, as it has the minimal space demand of the former mechanism and the maximum control comfort level provided by the latter one. In accordance with this both the control and display units of the vehicle are shown in figure 6. In the interest of enabling the vehicle 1 to fulfil its function as perfectly as possible, the steering mechanism 27 also has a central handhold

29 extending towards the internal space to provide help to get into the vehicle 1, which is especially important for a disabled person. The following units can be regarded as units belonging to the steering mechanism 27: the main key switch 28; the display screen

30 and the touch-button display units 31a, 31b; the left and right grips 32a, 32b situated at the ends of the rotatable handlebars 32 of the steering mechanism 27, out of which grips the operating grip 32b can be turned; and the brake lever 33a situated next to the latter grip 32b operating the brake of the front wheels 24, and the brake lever 33b next to the left grip 32a operating the brake of the rear wheels 23. The brake fluid level indicator and filler (refiller)

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15 units are marked with reference number 34; the one on the right belongs to the front circuit, while the one on the left belongs to the left circuit.

Figures 7a-7c show further control units of the steering mechanism 27, and the display screen 30 shown in figure 7a displays the following information: greeting the driver (after the main switch 28 is turned) door secured brake on battery error

LEDs indicating battery charge level

LEDs indicating speed current speed (digits) daily number of km-s travelled total number of km-s travelled travelling direction indicator (arrow) speed control display (pictograph)

In figures 7a-7c reference numbers 40-53 relate to the display of the following functions: display screen 40; warning lights 41; windscreen washer 42; speed control 43; roof ventilator 44; defogger 45; horn 46; forward-reverse indicator 47; side lights 48; set 49; indicator 50; windscreen wiper 51; dipped headlights 52; hazard warning lights 53.

Returning to figures 2 and 3, it can be seen there that basically the steering mechanism of the vehicle 1 is like an ordinary car steering mechanism, but it is simpler than that, slightly similar to the steering mechanism of motorbikes. The steering mechanism of the vehicle 1 has an articulated column mechanism 37 known in itself with a central steering column 35

extending downwards from the middle of the handlebars 32 containing the grips 32a, 32b, and at the bottom the steering column 35 is attached to a cross-rod 38, the connecting rods 36 are attached to the ends of cross-rod 38, and the front wheels 24 are connected to the connecting rods 36.

Figure 13a shows the articulated column mechanism 37 of the steering in a section taken along line K-K shown in figure 3, while figure 13b shows the L section as in figure 13a on a larger scale. When the steering column 35 is turned as indicated by arrows b in figure 13b, the connecting rods 36 are moved as indicated by double arrow c, as a result of which the vehicle is steered with the mediation of the articulated column mechanism marked with reference number 37 as a whole, which also contains the auxiliary control lever 35a attached to the steering column 35 in a fixed position, for example by welding, the cross-rod 38 attached to the end of the auxiliary control lever 35a with a joint 54, e.g.: pin-joint, the movements of which cross-rod 38 are indicated by double-arrow d, and control lever 38a - plate lever - attached to the other end of the cross-rod 38 with a pivot 38b forming a pivoting point, and the one end of the control lever 38a is connected to the connecting rods at point 59 - as shown in figure 13a - and its other end is connected to the bodywork with a joint 58. The movements during the operation of the steering mechanism are shown by arrows b, c and d.

In accordance with the invention a lateral hydraulic shock absorber marked with reference number 39 as a whole is built in connection with the articulated column mechanism 37 of the steering mechanism described above, and in the interest of the stability of driving the function of the above shock absorber 39 - as

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17 mentioned above - is to compensate the vibrations occurring during acceleration and slowing down resulting from the unbalance of the mechanical parts, as well as the instability of the wheels and the steering mechanism caused by the unevenness of the road; due to its use road-holding can be achieved with less steering effort; it mainly fulfils the demands and expectations of disabled users. The shock absorber 39 has a house 39a formed by a hydraulic power cylinder and a piston-rod 39b moving inside it to-and-fro, the end of which is connected to the control lever 38a with a self-aligning joint 39c. The house itself 39a is attached to the bottom plate 55 belonging to the bodywork with the help of a clamp 56 with a fastening screw 57 - with a screw nut connection -, and the bottom plate 55 is attached to the floor plate of the vehicle with screws 55a screwed into its four corners from the bottom. In this way the stationary part of the whole shock absorbing system is attached to the floor plate of the vehicle. Obviously shock absorption is achieved by the hydraulically restricted axial movements of the piston-rod 39b.

In accordance with the invention the docking unit marked with reference number 60 as a whole in figures 9a and 9b also forms a part of the vehicle, and it is shown in detail in figures 10a- 12 on a larger scale. Figures 9a and 9b are basically the same as figure 1, so the same reference numbers are used accordingly. In figure 9a the wheelchair 2 is not inside the vehicle 1, the docking unit 60 attached with a clamp 63 to the steering column 35 described above is in open position ready for docking. If in this position the user rolls the wheelchair 2 into the vehicle, the docking pin (not shown here) of the wheelchair 2 enters the case 66 of the docking unit 60 and gets locked therein establishing by this

a secure connection between the vehicle 1 and the wheelchair 2; this position is shown in figure 9b. Figures 9a and 9b also show the release lever 62 connected to the docking unit 60, and by pulling the release lever 62 the docked position of the wheelchair 2 can be terminated.

The method of connecting the docking unit 60 to the steering column 35 with the help of the clamp 63 is shown in detail and on a larger scale in figures 10a- 10c. The clamp 63 is attached to the steering column 35 with four bolts 65 going through the bolt-holes 64 in the thick clamp-halves 63a, 63b of the clamp 63. The clamp 63 needs to be constructed as a thick block-like unit, because during the operation of the vehicle it is exposed to rather great stress. The described clamp-and-screw fastening unit also enables simple adjustment of the height of the docking unit 60 on the steering column 35. The pin 60a welded onto the lower clamp-half 63b enables the fine adjustment of the docking unit 60 at an angle. These adjustments are necessary to ensure smooth docking.

The docking unit 60 has a cylindrical case 66, which - as shown especially in figure 10a - is attached to the lower clamp-half 63b of the clamp 63. When the vehicle stands or moves on a horizontal surface, the Z ₁ longitudinal geometrical central axis of the case 66 is also in a horizontal position. The case 66 has a cone- shaped funnel-type reception head 67 widening outwards at the entrance 80. In the upper part of the case 66, in the central range of the case 66 there is a rectangular opening 68, which is for the purpose of letting the locking pin 69 go through it, which locking pin 69 is situated above it in a cylindrical spring tube 70 moving inside it to-and-fro, with zi longitudinal geometrical central axis at right angles to the longitudinal geometrical central axis. In the

spring tube 70 there is a spring 71 - coil spring - surrounding the locking pin 69, and the spring is supported at the top by an end nut 72 driven into the screwed end of the spring tube 70, and at the bottom by a shoulder 73 running around, extending from the locking pin 69 laterally. The upper end of the locking pin 69 is taken through the end nut 72, and at its protruding end there is a joint 61, e.g. a pin (see figures 10a, 10b and 11). This is designed for connecting the release lever 62 shown in figures 9a, 9b, by the operation of which - as described above - the wheelchair 2 can be released from its docked position. The rectangular - favourably square-shaped - lower end of the locking pin 69 has an inclined end-surface; the incline shall be meant downwards, looking at it from the entrance 80.

A cylindrical docking pin 74 attached to the wheelchair 2 in a fixed position co-operates with the docking unit 60, it can be seen - together with the docking unit 60 - in figures 11 and 12, more precisely in undocked position in figure 11 and in docked position in figure 12. The one end of the docking pin 74 is constructed as a threaded pin 78 - connected to the wheelchair with counter-nut tightening in the case of the present example - and the other end is constructed with a cone-shaped inlet head 75. The diameter of the docking pin 74 is determined so that it can be moved back-and- forth in the case 66 along longitudinal geometrical central axis zs, which coincides with the longitudinal geometrical central axis z\ of the case 66. In the front range of the cylindrical part 76, behind and near the inlet head 75 in the present example, there is a seat 77 or cavity, the 1 length and m depth of which (figure 11) is chosen to suit the lower end of the locking pin 69; for example the m depth can suit the radius of the cylindrical part 76, and the 1

length can suit the similar cross-sectional shape and size of the rectangular lower end part of the locking pin 69. This geometrical construction guarantees that the locking pin 69 cannot turn around its own longitudinal axis.

The docking unit 60 operates according to the following: in undocked position, as shown in figures 10a and 11, the lower end of the locking pin 69 extends inside the case 66.

When the user sitting in a wheelchair 2 (figures 1, 9a, 9b) rolls inside the vehicle 1, the wheelchair 2 is guided with the help of rails (not shown) belonging to the floor of the vehicle 1 parallel to the vertical longitudinal geometrical central place of the vehicle 1 in a way that the docking pin 74 penetrates the case 66 as indicated by arrow o in figure 11, which is facilitated by the reception head 67 of the case 66 widening like a funnel and by the cone-shaped inlet head 75 of the docking pin 74 with its cross- section diminishing forwards. When the latter is pressed against the lower inclined end-surface 79 of the locking pin 69 and continues to move forward, it presses the locking pin 69 upwards against the force of the spring 71 - coil spring - inside the spring tube 70 through the opening 68, where the spring is compressed and tense. When the seat 77 of the docking pin 74 gets into the position where it covers the opening 68 of the case 66, the force of the spring 71 pushes or clicks the locking pin 69 through the opening 68 and into the seat 77, as a result of which docking takes place and the wheelchair 2 is safely fixed inside the vehicle 1, as the locking pin 69 is clamped in the seat 77 and the possibility of the axial or lateral movement of the docking pin 74 is eliminated. Consequently docking takes place automatically.

When the user of the vehicle intends to leave the vehicle by rolling the wheelchair backwards, he/she pulls back the release lever 62 shown in figures 9a and 9b, as a result of which the locking pin 69 - as its upper end is connected to the release lever 62 with an articulated joint 61 - moves upwards against the force of the spring 71 and leaves the seat 77 of the docking pin 74, so the locking pin 69 can leave the case 66 freely together with the wheelchair 2, that is the user sitting in the wheelchair can roll out of the vehicle without being hindered, and the docking unit 60 returns to its initial position as shown in figures 10a, 11. According to the above the wheelchair can be released with one single movement, by lifting a hand lever. Consequently, as compared to blocking methods with straps, the docking unit enables safe, comfortable and quick blocking and release.

The front wheels of the wheelchair 2 are caster wheels that can rotate around their own vertical axis, because in this way they can be guided and turned in any direction; the rear wheels are fixed. However, in the solution according to the invention apart from guaranteeing the manoeuvrability of the wheelchair it is also necessary to fix the position of the front wheels while the wheelchair is inside the vehicle. It is required because caster wheels operate in a way that while the wheelchair is moved, they set in a position opposite the current direction of movement; if the user moves the wheelchair forwards, the front caster wheels drop backwards, and the wheelchair rolls into the vehicle while the front wheels are in this position, and when the wheelchair stops inside the vehicle, the wheels remain in this position. When rolling out of the vehicle - which is obviously done by reversing - the wheels try to rotate in a direction opposite the direction of movement again;

but it would result in the wheelchair getting stuck in the bodywork of the vehicle, so it could not reverse out from the vehicle. For this reason, before the person sitting in the wheelchair 2 rolls into the vehicle 1, but after steering the wheelchair in the position ready to roll inside the vehicle, standing in line with the guide-rails, in accordance with the invention, with the help of the locking unit shown in figures 14a- 14c and marked with reference number 89 as a whole, the front self-aligning wheels 85 of the wheelchair 2 fitted to forks 86 (also see figure 3) are fixed in a position parallel to the rear wheels 26 of the vehicle 1 and kept in this fixed position until the wheelchair reverses out of the vehicle again. As a result of this, the wheels 85 cannot rotate while the wheelchair rolls backward, they cannot get into a crosswise position, and so the wheelchair 2 cannot get stuck inside the vehicle 1, and after leaving the vehicle the locking can be released, and while the wheelchair 2 is moving, it can turn freely in the desired direction.

Returning to figures 14a- 14c - in which one of the front self- aligning caster wheels 85 is shown -, in figure 14a it can be seen that the fork 86 is attached to a bearing box 88 belonging to the frame structure 87 of the wheelchair - to its front end part -, the fork 86 can rotate around the neck 88a or pin together with the wheel 85, and when the wheel is locked, it is locked to the bearing box 88. Figures 14b and 14c show the locking unit marked with reference number 89 as a whole on a larger scale and in greater detail. The locking pin 89 has a locking pin 91 integrated with a cylindrical cogged head. The head 90 has two cogs 90a facing each other, situated at an angle of 180° with respect to each other; these cogs 90a extend downwards outside the locking pin 91 from the edge-range of the head 90 the diameter of which is larger than that

of the pin. The pin 91 moves inside a spring tube 92 threaded outside at the bottom - the two gaps along the edge facing each other are marked with reference number 92a -, the spring tube 92 is connected to the supporting plate 96 attached to the bearing box 88 with vertical axis t in a fixed position, e.g. by welding, and extending horizontally from the rear wheel range of the wheelchair, in a way that the spring tube 92 is taken through the bore 98 in the supporting plate 96, and its position is stabilised by tightening the safety nut screwed onto its threaded part, as shown in figure 14b. The supporting plate 96 is fitted in a way that the plane resting on the axes of symmetry of the locking unit 89 and bearing box 88 fixed to it is parallel to the longitudinal central plane of symmetry of the wheelchair 2, marking by this the moving direction of the wheelchair. The pre-tensioning of the spring 93 surrounding the locking pin 91 inside the spring tube 92 is ensured by a slotted end-plate 94; at the top it supports the spring 93, and at the bottom it supports the shoulder 99 running around and extending from the locking pin 91 laterally.

On the fork 86 - on its side facing the bearing of the rear wheel - the locking plate 97 may be fixed by welding underneath the supporting plate 96, parallel to it at an f distance, which locking plate 97 has a bore 97a situated on the same Z4 vertical geometrical central axis as the locking pin 91, and the diameter of the bore 97a is determined so that the locking pin 91 can fit in it. The plane defined by the axis Z ^■ A and the axis of rotation of the fork 86 must coincide with the vertical plane of symmetry of the wheel 85.

The locking unit 89 operates according to the following:

in unlocked - upper - position the cogs 90a of the cogged wheel 90 support against the upper surface of the spring tube 92 holding the locking pin 91 in raised position; at this point the spring 93 is in pressed - tense - position. This position is shown in figure 14b marked with continuous lines. To achieve locked position - in which the direction of the fork and the self-aligning wheel facing backwards is fixed - the head 90 is rotated by 90° - it is easy to do due to the knurled edge 90b (figure 14b) - as a result of which the cogs 90a come in line with the gaps 92a of the spring tube 92, above them, and when the head 90 is released, the tense spring 93 pulls the cogs 90a into the gaps 92a; at the same time the locking pin 91 is pushed out downwards, and after passing through the bore 97a of the locking plate 97 it gets into locking - lower - position as shown in figure 14 marked with a dashed line. The cogged connection guarantees the retaining of both the locked position and the unlocked position.

When the user sitting in the wheelchair 2 rolls out from the vehicle 1 backwards, the two caster wheels are locked in a given direction, they are fixed, so inside the bodywork the caster wheels cannot turn around. On leaving the vehicle the wheelchair becomes manoeuvrable again after unlocking it as described above.

The vehicle 1 described above operates according to the following: when for example a disabled person 3 stops the vehicle 1 and turns off the electric motors 25 by turning the main switch 28 shown in figure 6, he/she is positioned inside the vehicle 1 as shown in figure 3, sitting in his/her wheelchair 2, the door 12 of which is closed at this point, the access ramp 6 is pulled up and positioned in line with the floor plate 4 of the bodywork. The lever

10 with its roller lies against the internal curved surface of the door 12. The longer supporting units 15 are positioned almost horizontally slightly above the guide-rail 17, and the shorter supporting units 14 are shown in figure 3 in contracted position. The wheelchair 2 is docked in the vehicle 1 as described above, and the front wheels 85 of the wheelchair 2 are locked.

At this point, by lifting up the release lever 62 as described above the person 3 terminates the docked position of the wheelchair 2, and pulls the handle 16 backwards by hand from its frontal position shown in figure 3 to its back position shown in figure 2, as a result of which the supporting unit 15 - rod - turning around the hinge 15b, as its external end is attached with a joint to the door 12, moves upwards along a curved constraint path opening the door 12 at the same time; when the handle 16 reaches its external end-position, the hinge 15a reaches its upper end- position and the supporting units 14 and 15 reach their position shown in figure 2, in which position they securely stabilise the door. Obviously the door can also be opened with the help of the motor 18, by operating a remote control switch.

As the supporting unit 15 moves the door 12 upwards, it gradually moves away from the roller 11, and the lever 10 - which was held in a fixed position by the door 12 so far ensuring the practically horizontal position of the access ramp 6 suspended on a cable 8 as shown in figure 3 - turns in the direction shown by arrow b as a result of the downward force deriving from the access ramp's 6 own weight.

The access ramp 6 continues to move downwards until its outer edge rests on the ground surface t. Consequently the access ramp 6 is lowered by performing one single operation, by opening

the door. In the position shown in figure 2, when the door 12 is completely open and the access ramp 6 is in an inclined position resting on the ground, the person 3 sitting in the wheelchair 2 can roll out from the vehicle 1, and the door 12 can be closed by hand from outside 12. At this point the locked position of the front wheels 85 of the wheelchair can be released as described above in connection with figures 14a- 14c, and then the wheelchair becomes manoeuvrable .

But when the person 3 intends to use the vehicle after opening the door 12 - which is performed from the outside by slightly lifting the lower edge 12a of the door 12 -, the shorter and upper supporting units 14, while the door 12 turns along the hinges 13, get into a position shown in figure 2 from their position shown in figure 3, and supporting units 15 also move into their position shown in figure 2, and the inclined access ramp 6 turns downwards and its outer edge rests on the ground surface. At this point the person 3 sitting in the wheelchair 2 rolls into the vehicle 1 (this action is shown in figure 1) and pushes the handle 16 from its external end-position shown in figure 2 to its internal end- position shown in figure 3. By this operation the door 12 is pulled downwards, and the curved internal surface of the door 12 gets in contact with the roller 11 of the lever 10 and forces it to move downwards. As a result of this the lever moving around the pin with its internal end pointing upwards gradually lifts up the access ramp 6 with the help of the cable 8, and when the door 12 closes, the access ramp 6 also reaches its practically horizontal position shown in figure 3 - in line with the floor plate 4 -, which position is stabilised by the closed position of the door 12. At this point the vehicle 1 can be started by turning the main switch 28 (figure 6).

The vehicle 1 can be started and driven so that the person 3, for example disabled person, turns the main key switch 28; at this point the touch-button display units 31a, 31b of the display screen 30 are lit up. By holding the left grip 32a and turning the right grip 32b (similarly to operating an ordinary motorbike) the vehicle 1 starts moving in the direction shown by the flashing of the forward- reverse indicator 47 shown in figure 8. By turning the grip 32b - "gas grip" - the speed of the vehicle 1 can be increased or reduced.

To stop the vehicle 1 the grip 32b must be released and the brake levers 32a, 32b must be applied.

The advantage of the utility sample is that due to its use it is possible to roll inside the vehicle with a wheelchair and leave the vehicle in a quick and simple way, more precisely it is enough the lock the front wheel when getting into the vehicle and release the docking when getting out of the vehicle and open or close the door, because the access ramp is lifted and lowered in forced coupling with this operation. When getting into the vehicle docking is performed automatically. It makes it extremely simple for the driver of the vehicle to operate the vehicle, which is especially significant in the case of disabled persons. The comfort level of the vehicle is further increased by the fact that the shock-absorption of the steering mechanism having a small space demand and providing maximum amount of information is also solved. The steering mechanism enables the simplest driving and steering possible - similar to motorbikes; steering operations can be realised within a short reaction time by making small movements, which is especially significant in possible emergency situations. The two types of supporting units eliminate the possibility of the door getting stuck; The telescopic supporting units on two sides push

out the door symmetrically. It is especially significant that the docking of the wheelchair, the possibility of locking the front wheels and the shock-absorbed solution of the steering mechanism significantly increase the safety of the user of the vehicle.

Obviously the invention is not restricted to the above construction example, but it can be realised in several different ways within the scope of protection defined by the claims.