Patent Application
20090016836
The embodiments described and claimed herein relate generally to wheelchair securement devices for transport vehicles. More specifically, a first embodiment described herein relates to an improved retractable wheelchair anchor which includes a spring or the like for biasing the wheelchair anchor in an extended position and includes a pedal or lever for releasing the anchor from a retracted position.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates that all public transit service providers must accommodate persons with disabilities, including those who must use a wheelchair as their seat in the transport vehicle. ADA also mandates that, for the safety of the wheelchair user and near-by passengers, the wheelchair must be secured so that it will not move more than 2″ in any direction during normal vehicle operation. In addition, restraints must be attached to the wheelchair—generally two in front and two in the rear—that are sufficiently strong to keep it secured in the event of a crash event.
There are multiple types of wheelchair securements in use in today's transit vehicles. One example of a wheelchair restraint is a retractable wheelchair anchor, such as the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,359, which is adapted to be mounted to the floor of a vehicle and serves as a tie-down point for a wheelchair. Prior art retractable wheelchair anchors typically include a plurality of beam assemblies which slidingly engage with one another and which are adapted to collapse or telescope, when not used, to reduce the length of the anchor. As such, the prior art wheelchair anchors, when collapsed or retracted, do not obstruct movement of the wheelchair into or out of position and do not prevent the space in the vehicle from being used for other passengers. The prior art retractable wheelchair anchors include at least two brackets which are spaced from one another when the anchor is in an extended position. These brackets are adapted to be used with restraints for connecting to the wheelchair. Other examples of similar systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,888,038; 6,113,325; 6,428,254; 6,575,677; and 6,966,733. With specific reference to FIG. 1 of the 5,888,038 patent, belt retractors are attached to the spaced apart brackets for restraining the wheelchair.
While the prior art retractable wheelchair anchors meet the above described ADA requirements, there are a number of unaddressed problems with the anchors. First, the prior art anchors are believed to be time-consuming and difficult to use. To extend the prior art wheelchair anchors, the vehicle driver must manually release, extend, and lock the anchor in the extended position by hand which undesirably increases dwell time at stops. Some designs even require the use of two hands. Moreover, since the driver must manually release the mechanism, they must constantly bend down to do so. This causes increased potential for back or other work related injuries which is a serious concern for transit operators. Second, although some portions of the prior art anchors retract, at least some of the prior art anchors still include a floor plate which does not retract. The floor plates are adapted to be mounted or bolted to the floor of the vehicle and, as such, can provide an uneven floor surface. Consequently, when the anchor is not in use by a wheelchair passenger, the floor plate could present a tripping hazard for other passengers. Third, the prior art anchors are not designed to hold the retractors at their optimal angle. Instead, the retractors (or restraint straps) are mounted in a vertical direction. Existing restraint straps on the market are designed to be installed ideally where the restraint is horizontally mounted (i.e., the webbing extends from the retractor in the horizontal direction and the width of the webbing is aligned horizontally) and the restraint creates a 45 degree angle towards the chair. The prior art anchors do not accommodate this configuration.
Accordingly, there is a need for a retractable wheelchair anchor which is easy to use and not time-consuming, allows for optimal securement angles, reduces the risk of driver injury, and presents less of a tripping hazard than the prior art anchors.
The embodiments described and claimed herein solve at least some of the problems of the prior art. Various embodiments of a wheelchair anchor described and claimed herein comprise two or more structures which are configured to telescope between retracted and extended positions. A first embodiment includes two such structures: a housing and an arm, wherein the housing is adapted to be affixed to a floor surface or wall of a vehicle. At least one retractor is mounted to the arm of the wheelchair retractor, although a second retractor could be mounted to the housing.
The first embodiment differs from the prior art in several respects. First, the wheelchair anchor includes not only a biasing member for urging the arm of the anchor in an extended position but also a foot operated locking member for locking the arm in a retracted position. As such, the arm can be extended quickly, simply by stepping on a release pedal which is linked with the locking member. The arm could be locked in the extended position or could be held in the extended position by the biasing member. Thus, extending the arm is a one foot (or hand) operation as compared to the two hand operation of the prior art. Moreover, extending the arm does not require the driver to bend over, thereby reducing the risk of injury. To retract the arm, the arm is simply pushed axially into the housing of the anchor until the locking member engages with the arm. It is believed that such simple and quick extension/retraction will reduce dwell times at stops as compared to the prior art anchors. Second, the first embodiment of the arm can be generally characterized as a cantilever which extends from the housing. As such, the wheelchair anchor does not utilize an elongated track plate. Instead, the first embodiment of the arm utilizes flanges which depend from the housing for mounting the anchor to a floor surface. The flanges are approximately half the length of the track plate of the prior art. Consequently, it is believed that the wheelchair anchor will present less of a tripping hazard as compared to the prior art. Third, the retractors are mounted the first embodiment in their optimal configuration, whereby the axis of the retractor spool is aligned horizontally and the webbing extends from the retractor in the horizontal direction. This configuration presents several advantages as compared to the prior art. For example, the anchor has a lower profile, thereby presenting less of a tripping hazard. Also, aligning the webbing in a horizontal direction also reduces the potential for the webbing to twist inside the retractor (if it's a retractor) causing the restraint to not function properly.
These and other features, aspects, objects, and advantages of the inventions described and claimed herein will become better understood upon consideration of the following detailed description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale and that the embodiments are sometimes illustrated by graphic symbols, phantom lines, diagrammatic representations and fragmentary views. In certain instances, details which are not necessary for an understanding of the inventions described and claimed herein or which render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the inventions described herein are not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.
Like reference numerals will be used to refer to like or similar parts from Figure to Figure in the following description of the drawings.
In a typical use, a wheelchair is restrained at the front of the wheelchair by restraints 12 which extend from the anchor 10. Although the wheelchair will typically be restrained at the rear of the wheelchair by restraints which extend from a barrier, it is contemplated that the wheelchair may be restrained at the rear of the wheelchair by a second retractable wheelchair anchor 10.
Note that it is contemplated that the biasing means 50 could instead urge the arm towards the retracted position. With such configuration, the manipulation of the release lever 60 when the arm 20 was in the extended position would cause the arm 20 to be released from the extended position such that the arm 20 automatically retracts to the retracted position. To extend the arm 20, the user would have to first manipulate the release lever 60 and then manually extend the arm 20.
Referring now to
The arm 20 is generally comprised of an elongated member 21, which is preferably tubular in structure to provide adequate strength and light weight, and a retractor saddle 26. The retractor saddle 26 includes at least one bore 28 or the like for engagement with a fastener for attaching the restraint retractor 70b to the arm. Although depicted as a separate component, the retractor saddle 26 may be integrated with the elongated member 21 or may be eliminated altogether. Accordingly, the elongated member may include the bores 28 to facilitate attachment of the restraint retractor. Alternatively, the arm 24 may include brackets for mounting of the restraint retractor 70b or for receiving a separate restraint (not shown). The elongated member includes at least one bore 22 or 24 for engagement with the lock component 62, as described in more detail below. As shown, there are two bores 22 and 24 which are aligned along the length of the arm 20 such that the bore 22 engages with the lock component 62 when the arm 20 is in the extended position and the bore 24 engages with the lock component 62 when the arm 20 is in the retracted position.
The housing 30 generally comprises a body 31, a front support plate 42, a rear support plate 46, front cover plate 44, two side cover plates 40a and 40b, and a spring holder or support 48. The body 31 is generally tubular in structure and comprises an opening 32 for receiving the arm, two flanges 33, and at least one bore 35 or the like for engagement with a fastener for attaching the restraint retractor 70a to the housing. Alternatively, the body 31 may include brackets for mounting of the restraint retractor 70a or for receiving a separate restraint (not shown). Each of the two flanges 33 include include a plurality of bores 34 for use with fasteners (not shown) to fasten the anchor 10 to an appropriate surface in a vehicle 2, such as the floor 6 or a side wall. As discussed in more detail below, the tubular structure also includes a flange 38 for engagement with the release lever 60 and a corresponding bore 36 for engagement with the lock component 62. The flange 38 comprises two opposing bores which are adapted to receive a pivot pin 68 about which the lever 64 is adapted to pivot. The spring holder or support 48 is adapted to receive a biasing means or spring 50 and is preferably fixed to the rear support plate which in turn is fixed to the body 31. The front cover plate 44 and the two side cover plates are primarily for aesthetic purposes.
The biasing means 50 is adapted to be disposed between the housing 30 and the arm 20 to bias the arm 20 in either the extended position or the retracted position. The biasing means 50 can be any resilient member known in the arm that is capable of regaining its shape after being compressed or expanded, such as a coil spring or a gas spring. As shown, the biasing means 50 is a gas spring 50 as shown in
In another embodiment, it is contemplated that the biasing means is a two-way hydraulic cylinder, whereby the cylinder is powered by the vehicle's pneumatic system. Controls for the arm could be provided near the arm or at the driver's station.
The two restraint retractors 70a and 70b are typical restraint or belt assemblies which house coiled restraints. The first restraint retractor 70a is preferably attached to the housing 30 at a first distal end 14 of the anchor 10, while the second restraint retractor 70b is preferably attached to a second distal end 16 of the anchor 10. However, it is contemplated that the restraint retractors 70a and 70b may be disposed along the length of both the arm and the housing, so long as the restraint retractors 70a and 70b are adequately spaced apart when the arm 20 is in the extended position.
The release lever 60 is generally comprised of a lever or pedal 64, two pivot pins 66 and 68, and a lock component or lock pin 62. As best shown in
Although the inventions described and claimed herein have been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the inventions described and claimed herein can be practiced by other than the preferred embodiments, which have been presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred embodiments contained herein.
