DE4428714C2 - Coupling device for traction devices on a wheelchair - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a coupling device for connecting a traction device in the form of a crank operated Unicycle with a four-wheelchair using a Coupling on which a swivel joint with horizontal Swivel axis and a underlying clasp with a are arranged on the wheelchair-side tie the one with a wheelchair user sitting in the grip area hand lever located the traction device to the wheelchair an assembly position in which all wheels touch the ground, is fixable in such a driving position in which the Front wheels of the wheelchair have ground clearance.

Such a coupling device between one crank operated unicycle and a wheelchair is out of the DE 41 07 410 A1 known. In this are from the traction means too one for each of the two front spars of the wheelchair Tension strut guided and with an articulated attached Jaw coupling detachably clamped. Under these tension struts each additional tension strut is articulated on the coupling attached and led to the first tension strut, which there with a handle gag is adjustable in length so that the wheelchair's front wheels are off the ground. At these length settings of the two connections must be Wheelchair users sitting in a wheelchair struggling with the crank drive push forward with one hand to raise the To reach the front wheels, and with the other hand Operate the clamping toggle one after the other. It is common to do so  outside help necessary. Both the jaw clutches the clamping toggles also give no security against Loosening the connection or setting the position.

Furthermore, GB 2 124 985 A is a wheelchair and a Unicycling means known with an open to the front Hook coupling and with a spaced above it detachable joint strut are connectable. Uncoupled the traction device finds a stand on a swiveling one Support. The clutch is for lifting the front wheels and to connect the hinge strut only with two hands Wheelchair users.

Furthermore, DE 93 03 981 U1 includes a wheelchair a crank-operated unicycle traction known superimposed coupling parts complementary to Has wheelchair coupling parts, each of which One lower, upper open fork coupling and one are upper, manually operated snap-in coupling, whose Brackets are adjustable so that the Front wheels of the wheelchair in the coupled state Have ground clearance. The parallel mounting of the Fork couplings and the subsequent tipping up of the Front wheels with the first hand and engaging the two locking clutches with the second hand are extreme tedious and practically not to be done without outside help.

Furthermore, DE 37 24 242 A1 is a wheelchair known, on the back of a bicycle rear part can be coupled, with an open at the bottom Hook coupling and a coupling hook on top serves which is connected to a hand lever. This arrangement is not to be operated by the wheelchair user while seated.

It is an object of the invention, the one mentioned above  Improve device so that the wheelchair user both couple the traction device to the wheelchair safely and effortlessly and should be able to separate from it effortlessly and safely from an assembly position to the driving position should be able to spend raised front wheels.

The object is achieved by the main claim 1 and the secondary claims 4 and 9 in variants. Advantageous refinements are specified in the subclaims.

The swivel connection with one is particularly simple Hinge with overhead swivel joint released by a lever-operated clasp is contractible. Of the Operating lever is advantageous in the grip area in front of the driver arranged. The clasp consists of one on both sides hinged tie and one  Support rod, which together with the hand lever Angle lever forms and is articulated on the drawbar and at the other end is supported on a hinge bracket, whereby the drawbar is hinged to the other hinge bracket is. The tie rod and the support rod thus form one Clamp that pulls the hinge tabs together when the Hand lever is operated.

It has proven to be advantageous Arrange the locking lever handle above the clutch as it are most easily grasped and operated vigorously there can. Depending on the formation of the angle to the Support rods and depending on their support on the The hinge bracket can be used to move the lever into the Design driving position on train or on pressure.

The large closing force on the is particularly advantageous  Hinge when the tie and in the driving position the support rod is approximately in a dead center position are located. A separate catch can be saved, by slightly exceeding the dead center position and there a stop for the support rod or the tie rod is arranged. This ensures a secure position and a rest and unlatching results from itself the corresponding actuation of the hand lever.

For reasons of space, it has proven to be advantageous spaced in the middle of two coupling parts to be arranged one above the other so that the coupling is easy in Grip area is to be joined and secured can. There are bushings and a as coupling elements Matching pin with a common pin lock proven.

A stand fork is advantageously fixed to the traction means arranged, which is placed towards the wheelchair is that it has ground clearance in the driving position and in the disassembled position the traction element side Coupling parts that hang on the hinge, for example aligned with the other coupling parts are held. The stand fork is for safety reasons formed from thin long elastic rods so that the Dodge any obstacles when driving over them can.

The swivel hinge and the upper part coupling can can also be integrated with one another by a horizontal pivot in a tight, hook-shaped Bearing shell is used. Furthermore, the preferably open downward, tie in one the pull direction open pivot bearing held  be, this pivot bearing is arranged so that overlapping the lower part coupling due to the coils is closed and thus when the clasp is over their Dead position is spent, the clutch is also secured closed is. The lower coupling parts are here expediently a centering pin and a matching one Centering mount and also the coupling, which is also coupling Drawstring.

Since the control lever and the clasp on the traction side are arranged, only the relatively little remains uncoupled annoying clutch holder on the wheelchair between the legs of the driver. The clutch holder is useful on lower longitudinal spars of the wheelchair with clamps strapped so that it fits in the longitudinal direction Arm length of the driver can be set so that the handles of the crank drive are good can operate. There are two spaced on each side Clamps and in between a torsionally stable bridge from one Provided side to side so that the train and Braking forces well absorbed and in the side rails be initiated and good steering and driving stability is guaranteed. The length of the bridge is each adjusted to the wheelchair and then through Welding set so that the clamps a safe Give hold.

Advantageous configurations are shown in FIGS. 1 to 5.

Fig. 1 shows a simplified side view in the first embodiment;

Fig. 2 shows the clasp of Fig. 1 in detail in a side view;

Fig. 3 shows a plan view of the clutch holder;

Fig. 4 shows a detail of a second clasp;

Fig. 5 shows a detail of a third clutch with clasp.

Fig. 1 shows a wheelchair ( 1 ) in a simplified form, ie without a seat and footrests, which is coupled to a pull wheel ( 2 ) in the driving position, so that the front wheels ( 11 ) of the wheelchair ( 1 ) have a ground clearance (BF) to have. The traction wheel ( 2 ) consists of a wheel fork which is pivotally held in a steering tube ( 21 ) and has a front wheel ( 25 ) which is connected to the drive with a hand crank drive ( 20 ) via a chain or a toothed belt and a hub gear. Two tubular frame spars ( 22 , 23 ) extend approximately horizontally from the steering tube ( 21 ) and are connected to a hinge bracket ( 32 ) to form a short frame.

The hinge bracket ( 32 ) is connected at the top via a transverse hinge joint ( 30 ) to a second swivel bracket ( 31 ), which carry two coupling parts formed as plugs ( 53 , 54 ) - Fig. 2 - spaced one above the other, which are designed as tubular bushings Insert complementary coupling parts ( 43 , 44 ) and fix them in it with a locking pin ( 45 ). The coupling parts ( 43 , 44 ) are detachably fastened with a coupling holder ( 4 ) to the lower longitudinal spar ( 12 ) of the wheelchair ( 1 ) with clamps ( 40 ). In the driving position, the front wheels ( 11 ) of the wheelchair ( 1 ) and the stand fork ( 24 ) of the traction wheel ( 2 ) have a ground clearance (BF), so that the assembled vehicle is a tricycle with large wheels ( 10 , 25 ), that is easy to drive on the road and effortlessly overcomes curbs.

The hinge ( 30 , 31 , 32 ) is held together securely by a clasp ( 6 ). In a first embodiment, this is shown in FIG. 2. The dash-dotted lines show the hinge ( 30 , 31 , 32 ) swung open. The tie rod ( 64 ) is articulated with the swivel joint ( 65 ) on the one hinge bracket ( 31 ), and a support bar ( 62 ) is supported on the other hinge bracket ( 32 ) on the one hand and approximately parallel to a dead center position and on the other hand with the tie rod ( 64 ) articulated. The support rod ( 62 ) forms an angle lever when connected at an acute angle to a hand lever ( 61 ). The hand lever ( 61 ) extends upwards and ends in a handle ( 60 ). The hinge-side end of the support lever ( 62 ) is equipped with a roller ( 63 ) which rolls on the hinge bracket ( 32 ) even under load. In addition to the dead position, it finds a stop on the lower tubular strut ( 23 ) in the position shown, so that the hinge is locked under a high pretension which is brought about by the elasticity of the components of the clasp ( 6 ). If the dead center position is not exceeded when the lock is actuated, there is no stop and the hinge opens again and the front wheels lower again to the ground. The safety of the clutch and clasp is guaranteed by exceeding the dead center; there is no undetected insecure position.

Fig. 3 shows a plan view of the clutch holder ( 4 ).

On the two longitudinal spars ( 12 , 12 A) of the wheelchair, pairs of clamps ( 40 ) are clamped one behind the other, between which a cross bridge ( 41 ) extends. It is welded together from a center tube ( 41 B) and lateral pins ( 41 A) in a centered and aligned position to match the wheelchair. A vertical ram ( 42 ) is welded to the top of the center tube ( 41 B) and carries the coupling parts ( 43 , 44 ), namely the cylinder liners. These are provided with aligned vertical bores into which a locking pin ( 45 ) is inserted. All parts are suitably made of stainless steel, so that the tight fits are not changed by corrosion and there is no jamming and always a tight fit.

Fig. 4 shows a further embodiment of the clasp ( 6 *) schematically. In this case, the tension clip ( 64 *) and the support rod ( 62 *) are each articulated on one of the two hinge legs ( 31 , 32 ) and articulated to one another. The position of the pivot points ( 65 *, 63 *) is selected with the hinge closed so that the dead center position is slightly exceeded and the hinge is held together with pretension.

The hand lever ( 61 *) is connected at an obtuse angle to the support rod ( 62 *); it must be moved forward for the closing process. Instead of the support rod, the operating lever can also be arranged on the drawbar.

Fig. 5 shows a further variant of the clutch and clasp, which are combined with one another. The overhead hinge joint is also the upper part coupling. It consists of a horizontal pin ( 30 Z) and a bearing shell ( 30 L) that is essentially open at the top or bottom. The pin ( 30 Z) is welded to the coupling holder ( 4 A) and the bearing shell to the tubular frame, the longitudinal spars ( 22 , 23 ) of which are connected vertically to one another by a tab ( 32 A). At the bottom there is a centering coupling made of a conical centering pin ( 54 A) and a matching centering bush ( 44 A) on the coupling holder ( 4 A). In addition, on the coupling holder ( 4 A) near the centering bushing ( 44 A) there is a hook-shaped joint shell ( 65 A) which can be opened essentially towards the wheelchair and with which the tie rod ( 64 A) can be attached to a horizontal swivel pin, which is fastened with a clasp ( 6 A) is articulated, as shown in Fig. 5. When coupling, the joints ( 30 Z, 65 A) are hooked in first and then the locking lever is actuated into the locked position. The arrangement of the bearing shells and journals and the choice of centering means can be varied professionally and combined from the examples. It is important that due to the different orientation of the coupling parts, longitudinal and transverse stability are achieved when the clasp is closed.

Claims (13)

1. Coupling device for connecting a traction device in the form of a crank-operated unicycle ( 2 ) to a four-wheeled wheelchair ( 1 ) by means of a coupling ( 3 ), on which a swivel joint ( 30 ) with a horizontal swivel axis and, underneath, a clasp ( 6 ) with a wheelchair side Articulated drawbar ( 64 ) are arranged, by means of a hand lever ( 61 ) located in the grip area of a seated wheelchair user, the pulling means ( 2 ) to the wheelchair ( 1 ) from an assembly position in which all wheels touch the ground in such a driving position. Position can be fixed in which the front wheels ( 11 ) of the wheelchair ( 1 ) have a ground clearance (BF), characterized in that on the wheelchair ( 1 ) with a coupling holder ( 4 ) the coupling ( 3 ) with several superimposed first coupling parts ( 43, 44 is fixed) and the traction means (2) complementary second coupling parts (53, 54) and the clasp (6) St tzstange (62) which is at one end hingedly connected to the Zugspange (64) and the other end supported Meshing with a roller (63) on a hinge bracket (32) which extends to the of the pivot joint (30) to a steering tube (21) Frame parts ( 22 , 23 ) arranged by means of traction means extend downward, and the support rod ( 62 ) is firmly connected to the hand lever ( 61 ) in the common joint and the support rod ( 62 ) and the pull rod ( 64 ) are arranged almost parallel to one another and thus formed are that they exceed a dead center position when pivoting the hand lever ( 61 ) to the driver and are in the driving position somewhat behind the dead center position at a stop, so that the clasp ( 6 ) is securely closed, and when the hand lever ( 61 ) is pivoted the Clasp ( 6 ) is so wide open that the front wheels ( 11 ) are supported on the ground ( Fig. 1, 2). 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the hand lever ( 61 ) extends upwards and is at an acute angle to the support rod ( 62 ) connected to it. 3. Coupling device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that from the swivel joint ( 30 ) a first hinge bracket ( 31 ) to the coupling parts ( 53 , 54 ) and a second hinge bracket ( 32 ) to the frame parts ( 22 , 23 ) each extend downwards and the tension clip ( 64 ) is articulated on one hinge bracket ( 31 ) and the support bar ( 62 ) with the roller ( 63 ) is supported on the other hinge bracket ( 32 ). 4.Coupling device for connecting a traction device in the form of a crank-operated unicycle ( 2 ) with a four-wheeled wheelchair ( 1 ) by means of a coupling ( 3 ), on which a swivel joint ( 30 ) with a horizontal swivel axis and, moreover, a clasp ( 6 *) with a are arranged on the wheelchair side drawbar ( 64 *), by means of a hand lever ( 61 *) located in the grip area of a seated wheelchair user, the pulling means ( 2 ) to the wheelchair ( 1 ) from an assembly position in which all wheels touch the ground in one can be fixed in such a driving position in which the front wheels ( 11 ) of the wheelchair ( 1 ) have a ground clearance (BF), characterized in that on the wheelchair ( 1 ) with a coupling holder ( 4 ) the coupling ( 3 ) with several superimposed ones first coupling parts ( 43 , 44 ) is attached and the traction means ( 2 ) carries complementary, second coupling parts ( 53 , 54 ) and the clasp ( 6 *) one Has support rod ( 62 *), which is articulated at one end to the tie rod ( 64 *) and articulated on the other side on the traction element side, and the support rod ( 62 *) or the tie rod ( 64 *) with the hand lever ( 61 *) in the common joint is connected and the support rod ( 62 *) and the tie rod ( 64 *) are arranged almost parallel to one another and are designed such that they exceed a dead center position when the hand lever ( 61 *) is pivoted away from the driver and slightly behind the dead center position in the driving position at a stop so that the clasp ( 6 *) is securely closed and, on the other hand, when the hand lever ( 61 *) is pivoted, the clasp ( 6 *) is opened so far that the front wheels ( 11 ) are supported on the ground ( Fig. 1, 4). 5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that the hand lever ( 61 *) extends upwards and is at an obtuse angle to the support rod ( 62 *) connected to it and is pivoted away from the driver in the driving position. 6. Apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that from the swivel joint ( 30 ) a first hinge bracket ( 31 ) to the coupling parts ( 53 , 54 ) and a second hinge bracket ( 32 ) to frame parts ( 22 , 23 ) each after Extend below and the tension clip ( 64 *) is articulated on one hinge bracket ( 31 ) and the support rod ( 62 *) is articulated on the other hinge bracket ( 32 ). 7. Coupling device according to one of claims 3 or 6, characterized in that the one hinge bracket ( 31 ) to the second coupling parts ( 53 , 54 ) and the other hinge bracket ( 32 ) are attached to the superposed frame bars ( 22 , 23 ). 8. Coupling device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second coupling parts ( 53 , 54 ) pins and the first coupling parts ( 43 , 44 ) are sockets, which are each arranged in pairs one above the other and in parallel and with a fuse ( 45 ) , preferably a single vertical securing rod, are releasably held together. 9.Coupling device for connecting a traction device in the form of a crank-operated unicycle ( 2 ) with a four-wheeled wheelchair ( 1 ) by means of a coupling ( 3 ), on which a swivel joint ( 30 Z, 30 L) with a horizontal swivel axis and a clasp ( 6 A) are arranged with a tie rod ( 64 A) articulated on the wheelchair side, by means of the hand lever ( 61 *) located in the grip area of a seated wheelchair user, the pulling means ( 2 ) to the wheelchair ( 1 ) from an assembly position in which all wheels hit the ground touch, can be fixed in such a driving position in which the front wheels ( 11 ) of the wheelchair ( 1 ) have a ground clearance (BF), characterized in that on the wheelchair ( 1 ) with a clutch holder ( 4 A) the clutch ( 3 ) is fastened with several superimposed first coupling parts ( 30 Z, 44 A) and the traction means ( 2 ) carries complementary, second coupling parts ( 30 L, 54 A) and on the coupling holder ( 4 A), the swivel joint ( 30 Z, 30 L) is arranged so that it can be separated in the vertical direction, and the tie rod ( 64 A) can be opened in a joint ( 65 A) so that it can be swiveled and detached, and the clasp ( 6 A) has a support rod ( 62 *) which is articulated at one end to the drawbar ( 64 A) and articulated at the other end on the tension side, and the support rod ( 62 *) or the drawbar ( 64 A) with the hand lever ( 61 *) in the joint is firmly connected and the support rod ( 62 *) and the tie rod ( 64 A) are arranged almost parallel to one another and are designed so that they exceed a dead center position when the hand lever ( 61 *) is pivoted away from the driver and are somewhat behind in the driving position Dead center position on a stop, so that the clasp ( 6 A) is securely closed, and on the other hand pivoted hand lever ( 61 *), the clasp ( 6 A) is opened so far that the front wheels ( 11 ) are on the ground support ( Fig. 1, 5). 10. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that vertically to the swivel joint ( 30 Z, 30 L) offset a horizontally separable centering coupling ( 54 A, 44 A) on the one hand on the coupling holder ( 4 A) and on the other hand arranged on the frame of the traction means ( 2 ) is. 11. The device according to claim 10, characterized in that the hand lever ( 61 *) with the support rod ( 62 *) is fixedly connected, so that in the driving position, the articulated with the support rod ( 62 *) connected tie rod ( 64 A) on the Dead position is spent and the clutch holder ( 4 A) and the frame of the traction device ( 2 ) in the centering clutch ( 54 A, 44 A) hold together. 12. Coupling device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the coupling holder ( 4 ) on the lower longitudinal spar ( 12 ) on both sides of the wheelchair ( 1 ) with a spaced pair of clamps ( 40 ) is releasably and longitudinally clamped, between which there is a suitable cross bridge ( 41 ) extends, on which a vertical plunger ( 42 ) is welded, to which the coupling parts ( 43 , 44 ) are welded. 13. Coupling device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the traction means ( 2 ) to the wheelchair ( 1 ) carries a stand fork ( 24 ) which has a ground clearance in the driving position and the second coupling parts in the mounting position ( 53 , 54 ) at approximately the same height as the corresponding first coupling parts ( 43 , 44 ).