WHEEL CHAIR

FAUTEUIL ROULANT

English Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A wheel chair or the like comprises a frame having
rollers, wheels or the like; a seat section including arm,
foot, and back rests, mounted on the frame; and a drive mounted
on the frame for the travelling movement of the wheel chair.
The seat section along with the arm, foot, and back rests is
rotatably mounted on the frame for tilting from a normal seat-
ing position upwardly and backwardly relative to the frame,
and there is provided a lifting device, operable by the drive,
for tilting the seat section into a desired position.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive
property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A wheelchair or the like of the type comprising
a frame having rollers, wheels or like means; a seat section
including arm, foot and back rests, mounted on said frame;
and drive means mounted on said frame for the travelling
movement of the wheelchair; characterized in that:
said seat section along with said arm, foot and
back rests is rotatably mounted about horizontal shaft means
affixed to said frame for tilting from a normal seating position
upwardly and backwardly relative to said frame;
there are provided lifting means, operable by said
drive means and responsive to control means for tilting said
seat section into a desired position; and
said control means are mounted on said seat section
in the vicinity of said arm rests for rotating with said
seat section within reach of a user's hand.

2. A wheelchair or the like as claimed in claim
1, wherein said lifting means comprise a jack, operable
mechanically, pneumatically or hydraulically, and mounted
between said seat section and said frame.

3. A wheelchair or the like as claimed in claim
1 or 2, wherein said back rest is adjustable relatively to
said seat section.

Description

~L4~ 4t~


This inVention relates to a wheel chair or the like.
For more or less seriously physically handicapped
patients, there have been developed certain provisions on
wheel chairs which enable the patients to transport them-
selves without the help of others.
This is more difficult if the patient is very
seriously disabled, for example, owing to congenital or
acquired damage to the spine or the central nervous system.
In addition to having difficulties in walking, such
patients are in need of supports at various places, and
further require adaptation of their sitting posture to
different activities~
Wheel chairs driven by a motor are well-known. In
those cases, however, they have been designed particularly
to meet a patient's difficulties in walking, and it is
contemplated that practically all other functions can still
be performed by the patient.
It is an object of the present invention to make
a wheel chair of the last-mentioned kind more universally
applicable, that is to say, to render it suitable for use
by patients having not only a walking handicap, but also
other serious con~itions involving the loss of normal
muscular functions, with particular attention to the patient's
sitting posture, adapted to particular activities.
The present invention aims at providing a wheel chair
or the like, which is a help~ul aid even in cases in which
the patient is able virtually exclusively to move the
fingers.




- 2 -
`~

9L5


According to the invention, then, there is provided
a wheelchair or the like of the type comprising a frame having
rollers, wheels or like means, a seat section including arm,
foot and back rests, mounted on the frame, and drive means
mounted on the frame for the travelling movement of the wheelchair
characterized in that the seat section along with the arm,
foot and back rests is rotatably mounted about horizontal
-shaft means affixed to the frame for tilting from a normal
seating position upwardly and backwardly relative to the
frame; there are provided lifting means, operable by the
drive means and responsive to control m~ans for tilting the
seat section into a desired position, and the control means
are mounted on the seat section in the vicinity of the arm
rests for rotating with the seat section within reach of
a user's hand.
Accordingly, in addition to causing the wheelchair
to move, to stop and to perform other functions connected
with the transportation of a patient, the patient i5 capable
of adjusting the seat section to any desired tilted position,
using the drive means provided in the frame.
The lifting means for causing the seat section
to tilt relatively to the frame can take various forms. An
effective solution is a lifting device disposed between the
frame and the seat section, and operable via an operating panel.
A mechanical, pneumatic, or hydraulic jack has been
found to be very suitable for the purpose.
Further features will become apparent from the following
description, read with reference to the accompanying drawing,
which, highly diagrammatically, illustrates a side view of
a preferred embodiment of the wheelchair constructed according

to the present invention.
-- 3 --



Referring to the drawlng, there is shown a wheel
chair having a ~rame 1, preferably made of ligh-t and strong
tubing. The wheel chair has two large rear wheels 2
provided with pneumatic tyres and two small front wheels or
rollers 3, which can act as steering wheels.
Mounted in frame 1 is a drive unit 4, comprising, for
example, an electric motor, a battery, conduits, switches
and the like, for enabling certain functions.
Mounted on frame 1 is further a seat section 5,
equipped with arm rests 6, foot rests 7, and a back rest 8.
This seat section subassembly is mounted for tilting
movement relative to frame 1 about a shaft 9. In order that
seat section 5 may be put into any desired position, a
lifting device 10 is provided between seat section 5 and frame
1. This lifting device may be a ~ack operable mechanically,
pneumatically or hydraulically. The actuating command can
be given from an operating panel 11, which is conveniently
situated within easy reach of the patient's hand. The lowest
position of the seat section is shown dotted in the drawing.
Any other position, for example as shown in fully drawn lines,
is obtained by sending, via the operating panel, a given
actuating pulse to the commanding mechanism.
In the embodiment shown, the wheel chair can be
displaced by electric means, and the same source of voltage
is here used to provide the power to tilt the seat section.
For heavily handicapped patients, the tiltability of
the seat section alone is not sufficient to meet requirements.
Therefore the wheel chair according to the invention has still





4~5


other facilities.
- The foot rests, for example, are rotatable and
slidable relatively to the frame portion 13 at 11 and 12.
The angular position of back rest 8 relative to the seat 5
is adjustable through a mechanism comprising a strip 15
wlth holes therein and a peg plate 14.
The back rests has a cushion 16 with adjustable lumbar
rests, one of which is shown at 17. An adjustable head rest,
of known construction, is shown at 18. For completeness'
: 10 sake the back rest is provided with handlesl one of which
is shown at 19. This provision is necessary to provide for
the case when the automatic traveI actuating system fails
or possibly is absent.




.