Electric wheelchair equipped with a raising/lowering function

Abstract

An electric wheelchair that enables users suffering from impairment of the lower extremities due to paralysis or weakness caused by aging to manage their daily lives independently for social rehabilitation by allowing them to raise and lower the seat of the wheelchair between squatting and standing positions, to support their body weight at any position by stopping the chair, and to operate the movement of the wheel chair by using their arms or elbows pressed on either the inner or outer surfaces of the armrests even if both hands are occupied or impaired.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 This is an overhead view from the front and slightly above to show the overall configuration of the wheelchair The seat is shown removed in order clarify the overall structure of the chair.

FIG. 2 Shows the lowest and highest chair positions, the raising and lowering mechanism, and the position of the user's body on the wheelchair.

FIG. 3 Shows the arrangement of the pressure sensors inside the armrests.

FIG. 4 This is the general electrical circuit diagram.

Claims

1. A wheelchair of special characteristics with a seat supported by four support rods attached to the center of the back of the frame behind the seat and intersecting at two points used to raise and lower the wheelchair seat through a wide, shallow arc that is higher on one end than the normal sitting position and lower on the other end than the normal sitting position, aforesaid up and down movement is accomplished with very little forward/backward movement of the chair which can also be inclined or reclined as needed.

2. A wheelchair of special characteristics with the seat that is designed in the shape of a bicycle seat with a prominent pommel at its front, so when the seat is raised and lowered the user can straddle the pommel with both legs hanging down.

3. Pressure-sensitive sensors are built into the left and right armrest of the wheel chair seat. Pressing with the arm or elbow on the inside surface of the right armrest rotates the right wheel of the wheelchair forward and pressing on the outer surface of the right armrest rotates the right wheel in reverse. Pressing on the inner surface of the left armrest rotates the left wheel forward, and pressing the outer surface of the left armrest rotates the left wheel in reverse. Pressing on the inner surfaces of both the left and right armrest at the same time moves the wheelchair forward, and pressing on both the outer surfaces at the same time moves the wheelchair back, and the chair can be rotated by pressing and holding either the inner or outer surface of an armrest on only one side. The speed of rotation of the wheels can be increased or decreased by increasing or decreasing the pressure on the armrests. This mechanism, which allows the application of more or less pressure to either the inner or outer surfaces of the left and right armrests to control movement, comprises a unique control device for a wheelchair.