When transporting a person bound to a wheelchair and sitting in it, an important thing is that the transport can be done with the greatest possible security. Different kinds of wheelchair-lifts, known so far, do not fulfil these requirements. The platform according to the Swedish patent 504 141, on which the transport of the wheelchair is done, is hanging in four carrying ropes. Then, the loading platform is not guided neither sideways nor forwards or in the returning direction. That is why the platform can start rocking during the transport upstairs or downstairs which can make the person in the wheelchair feel uncomfortable.

Lifts of this kind as well as conventional lifts must be equipped with safety brakes according to law. According to the patent 504 141, the wheelchair-lift is equipped with a safety brake, too. The purpose of this brake is to start functioning if the carriage starts an uncontrolled rolling when moving along the transport rail. To save space, it has been difficult to equip the carriage with a sufficiently efficient safety brake because of the limited size of the carriage in relation to the relatively large weight it is supposed to drive and the relatively steep inclination it is meant to transport the mentioned weight.

The present invention aims at setting aside the disadvantages in the mentioned respect from which particularly wheelchair-lifts of the type, stated in the Swedish patent 504 141, suffer. In order to prevent the platform from vibrating, it is stabilized by two arms of scissors, connected to the carriage and the platform, one on each side of them.

Each of the arms is equipped with a brake arrangement in the upper end to limit the forwards-and returning vibration of the platform.

According to the invention, the service brake of the wheelchair-lift is arranged in a separate unit, which is connected to the carriage through a flexible axle. Owing to this, the brake can be done sufficiently efficient to fulfil high requirements.

The invention will be described below in connection with the enclosed drawings.

Fig. 1 shows as an example a wheelchair-lift seen from the side in the position to be used by a person in a wheelchair.

Fig. 2 shows the wheelchair-lift according to fig. 1 also seen from the side at the transport in a staircase Fig. 3 shows the lower section of the wheelchair-lift seen in the transporting direction with a wheelchair and a passenger.

Fig. 4 at last shows a section of the wheelchair-lift, shown in fig. 3, drawn to an enlarged scale.

According to the invention, the wheelchair-lift consists of a supporting platform 1 on which a wheelchair with the wheels 2 and 3 is intended to be placed. In the example, shown in fig. 1, the supporting platform 1 is resting on a horizontal plane, for instance a landing. It is hanging from a carriage 4 which is meant to be driven along a transport rail, installed in the staircase. The rail has the shape of a C-profile balk. The sliding carriage 4, shown only schematically is carried in the rail 5 through a wheel, driven by an electric motor. The wheel is covered with rubber in order to increase the friction between the rail and the wheel and at the same time make the sliding carriage as noiseless as possible. The stabilizing elements for the supporting platform 1 consist of two arms of scissors 6, one on each side of the sliding carriage 4 respectively the supporting platform 1 and also two lifting bands 7, also arranged one on each side of the sliding carriage and the supporting platform.

Each lifting band 7 is composed of two parts and is in its upper end attached to a band drum 8 which is driven by an electric motor 9. From the drum 8 goes the double lifting band 7 over a breaking roller 10, stored in the sliding carriage 4 and down to a breaking roller 11, stored in one side gable of the supporting platform 1. At the breaking roller, the lifting band 7 separates in their outer ends, attached to each one end gable on the supporting platform 1. When the platform is submerged and resting on a landing, the foldable end gables 12 are in the same level as the carrying surface of the supporting platform in order to by that make it easier to roll the wheelchair on and off. As soon as the lifting band 7 is stretched to lift up the supporting platform 1 for transport, the end gables 12 are pulled up at the same time and, in that way, prevent the wheelchair from rolling off the supporting platform 1.

Each arm of scissors 6 is composed of several rods, flexibly attached to each other.

Such an arm of scissors is attached on each side of the sliding carriage 4 and the supporting platform 1, with its upper end pivotally attached to the sliding carriage 4 and with its lower end through two bars 14, attached in each side gable on the supporting platform 1, with the purpose to centre the arm of scissors in relation to the supporting platform. The two bars are arranged to the respective arm of scissors in pairs, whereby, in their upper ends, they are flexibly attached to each one of the lowerst rods of the arm of scissors and, in their lower ends, flexibly attached to each other and to the side gable of the supporting platform.

The arms of scissors 6 have the purpose to prevent the supporting platform from rocking sideways and also in order to prevent the supporting platform from starting to rock forwards and returning, in its upper end, one of the two upper rods 13 on each arm of scissors 6 is equipped with a stationary brake disc 15. The brake disc co-operates with a brake arrangement, installed on the side of the s ! iding carriage. This brake arrangement consists of the brake blocks 16, arranged on both sides of the brake disc 15 and lying close to and elasticly against this brake disc. The pressure of these brake blocks against the brake disc has been chosen in such a way that the loaded platform 1 always is horizontal but the brake pressure is sufficient to prevent the supporting platform from starting an uncontrolled forwards-and returning rocking.

The outer ends of the two lowest rods on each arm of scissors are free and equipped with each one wheel 17 so that the arms of scissors 6 can be extended or shortened at the raising and lowering of the supporting platform. As the length of the arm of scissors varies, these wheels are intended to roll on the bottom of the supporting platform along each side gable. In order to renforce the connection between the arm of scissors and the supporting platform without hindering the raising-and lowering movements of the supporting platform, two rails 18 are installed, for instance in the shape of lying U-profiles, on the bottom of the supporting platform 1, after each other and along each side gable.

Inside them the wheels of the arm of scissors 17 are intended to roll.

According to the invention, the service brake of the wheelchair-lift is arranged in a separate unit, which is equipped with a rolling wheel 19 along the transport rail 5. The unit is connected to the sliding carriage 4 through a cardan joint 20. If the sliding carriage starts rolling uncontrollably aiong the transport rail, one of the rotation speed dependence of the wheel 19 and a centrifugal brake, arranged in the unit, are intended to start functioning in co-operation with the transport rail 5 so that the sliding carriage can be stopped.