SEAT ARRANGEMENT AND ELECTRICALLY POWERED WHEELCHAIR COMPRISING THE SAME

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a seat arrangement (1) for an electrically powered wheelchair, wherein the seat arrangement comprises (1): a mounting arrangement for mounting the seat arrangement (1) to a chassis of an electrically powered wheelchair, a seat frame (3), a backrest frame (5), a backrest actuator (7), wherein the backrest frame (5) is pivotally coupled to the seat frame (3), forming a first pivot axis (A1), and wherein the backrest frame (5) is pivotally coupled to the backrest actuator (7), forming a translatable second pivot axis (A2), a retaining mechanism (11) arranged to retain the backrest frame (5) in an upright position while the backrest frame (5) is subjected to a forward-tilting force smaller than a threshold value, wherein the retaining mechanism (11) is arranged to allow movement of the backrest frame (5) to a forward-tilted position when the backrest frame (5) is subjected to a forward-tilting force equal to or greater than the threshold value, and a locking mechanism (13) arranged to lock the backrest frame (5) in the forward-tilted position. An electrically powered wheelchair comprising a seat arrangement is also disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A seat arrangement for an electrically powered wheelchair, wherein the seat arrangement comprises: a mounting arrangement for mounting the seat arrangement to a chassis of an electrically powered wheelchair, a seat frame, a backrest frame, a backrest actuator, wherein the backrest frame is pivotally coupled to the seat frame, forming a first pivot axis, and wherein the backrest frame is pivotally coupled to the backrest actuator, forming a translatable second pivot axis, a retaining mechanism arranged to retain the backrest frame in an upright position while the backrest frame is subjected to a forward-tilting force smaller than a threshold value, wherein the retaining mechanism is arranged to allow movement of the backrest frame to a forward-tilted position when the backrest frame is subjected to a forward-tilting force equal to or greater than the threshold value, and a locking mechanism arranged to lock the backrest frame in the forward-tilted position.

2. The seat arrangement of claim 1, wherein the retaining mechanism is arranged to retain the backrest actuator in a first position while the backrest frame is subjected to the forward-tilting force smaller than a threshold value, wherein the backrest frame is arranged to pivot about the first pivot axis and the second pivot axis to obtain a forward-tilted position when the backrest frame is subjected to a forward-tilting force equal to or greater than the threshold value, wherein the retaining mechanism is arranged to allow movement, corresponding to the translation of the second pivot axis, of the backrest actuator to a second position, and wherein the locking mechanism is arranged to lock the backrest actuator in the second position to thereby lock the backrest frame in the forward-tilted position.

3. The seat arrangement of claim 1, wherein the backrest frame is arranged to pivot about the first pivot axis and the second pivot axis to the forward-tilted position when an equilibrium state acting about the first pivot axis is broken by the forward-tilting force.

4. The seat arrangement of claim 1, comprising a backrest actuator bracket attached to the seat frame, wherein the backrest actuator is fixedly attached to the backrest actuator bracket.

5. The seat arrangement of claim 4, wherein the locking mechanism is arranged to lock the backrest actuator bracket relative to the seat frame to thereby lock the backrest actuator in the second position.

6. The seat arrangement of claim 4, comprising a first fastener, wherein the seat frame has a first seat frame through-opening and the backrest actuator bracket has a first backrest actuator bracket through-opening, wherein the first fastener is arranged in the first seat frame through-opening and in the first backrest actuator bracket through-opening.

7. The seat arrangement of claim 6, wherein the first fastener, the first seat frame through-opening and first backrest actuator bracket through-opening form the retaining mechanism.

8. The seat arrangement of claim 4, comprising a second fastener, wherein the seat frame has a second seat frame through-opening and the backrest actuation bracket has a first slotted backrest actuation bracket through-opening wherein the second fastener is arranged in the second seat frame through-opening and slidably arranged in the first backrest actuation bracket slotted through-opening.

9. The seat arrangement of claim 6, wherein the seat frame comprises a keyway and the backrest actuator bracket comprises a biased key which form the locking mechanism, wherein the first fastener is designed to break when the backrest frame is subjected to a forward-tilting force equal to or greater than the threshold value allowing sliding of the backrest actuator bracket relative to the seat frame, wherein the biased key is arranged to engage the keyway to lock the backrest actuator in the second position.

10. The seat arrangement claim 8, wherein the first fastener has a first mechanical strength and the second fastener has a second mechanical strength, wherein the second mechanical strength is higher than the first mechanical strength.

11. The seat arrangement of claim 9, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a leaf spring, wherein the key is biased by the leaf spring.

12. The seat arrangement of claim 1, comprising a third fastener, wherein the seat frame comprises a first seat frame slotted through-opening, and wherein the backrest actuator bracket comprises a second backrest actuator bracket through-opening, wherein the third fastener is arranged in the second backrest actuator bracket through-opening and slidably arranged in the first seat frame slotted through-opening.

13. The seat arrangement of claim 1, wherein the backrest actuator comprises the retaining member and the locking member.

14. An electrically powered wheelchair comprising: a chassis, and the seat arrangement of claim 1, attached to the chassis.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The specific embodiments of the inventive concept will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0026] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an example of seat arrangement for an electrically powered wheelchair, with the backrest frame in an upright position;

[0027] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the seat arrangement in FIG. 1 with the backrest frame arranged in a forward-tilted position;

[0028] FIG. 3 is a close-up view of a retaining mechanism and a locking mechanism of the seat arrangement with the backrest frame in the upright position as shown in FIG. 1;

[0029] FIG. 4 is a close-up view of a front portion of the seat arrangement in FIG. 1;

[0030] FIG. 5 is a side view of the seat arrangement in FIG. 1;

[0031] FIG. 6 is a close-up view of the retaining mechanism and the locking mechanism of the seat arrangement with the backrest frame in the forward-tilted position as shown in FIG. 2;

[0032] FIG. 7 is a close-up view of the front portion of the seat arrangement in FIG. 2;

[0033] FIG. 8 is a side view of the seat arrangement in FIG. 2;

[0034] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of section of a portion of a backrest actuator according to another example of the seat arrangement, when the backrest frame is in an upright position,

[0035] FIG. 10 is a section of a portion of a backrest actuator in FIG. 9 when the backrest frame is in forward-tilting position; and

[0036] FIG. 11 shows an example of an electrically powered wheelchair comprising a seat arrangement such as the one shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The inventive concept will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplifying embodiments are shown. The inventive concept may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the inventive concept to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description.

[0038] In general, the seat arrangements disclosed herein comprise a seat frame, a backrest frame, a backrest actuator, a retaining mechanism and a locking mechanism. The backrest frame is pivotally coupled to the seat frame, forming a first pivot axis, and to the backrest actuator, forming a second pivot axis. In normal operation, the backrest actuator is by means of an electric motor arranged to manoeuvre the backrest frame by translating the second pivot axis. The backrest frame is thereby pivoted about the second pivot axis and the first pivot axis simultaneously, whereby the backrest frame is pivoted for example backwards relative to the seat frame.

[0039] The retaining mechanism normally retains the backrest actuator in a first position in which the backrest actuator is able to manoeuvre the backrest frame. However, when a forward-tilting force larger than a threshold value acts on the backrest frame, as a result of e.g. an impact or collision, due to the momentum of the backrest frame the retaining mechanism releases the backrest actuator from the first position whereby the backrest actuator moves towards a second position relative to the seat frame. The release of the backrest actuator from the first position is provided by a translation of the second pivot axis. This translation occurs because the backrest frame is moved towards a forward-tilting position with pivoting about the first pivot axis. The backrest actuator is hence in a sense dragged to the second position. As the backrest actuator obtains the second position it is locked in this position by the locking means. As a result, the backrest frame is also locked in the forward-tilted position. The head of an occupant of an electrically powered wheelchair may thereby be caught by the forward-tilted backrest frame, reducing the rearward head movement.

[0040] An example of a seat arrangement will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0041] FIG. 1 shows an example of a seat arrangement 1 for an electrically powered wheelchair. The seat arrangement 1 comprises a mounting arrangement (not shown), for mounting the seat arrangement 1 to a chassis of an electrically powered wheelchair, a seat frame 3, a backrest frame 5, a backrest actuator 7, and a backrest actuator bracket 9. The backrest actuator 7 is fixedly attached to the backrest actuator bracket 9, in a first position relative to the seat frame 3. The backrest actuator bracket 9 is attached to the seat frame 3. Normally, the backrest actuator bracket 9 is fixedly attached to the seat frame 3. However, in the event that the backrest frame 5 is subjected to a forward-tilting force greater than a threshold value, the backrest actuator bracket 9 is forcedly translated relative to the seat frame 3, resulting in that also the backrest actuator 7 is moved relative to seat frame 3 from the first position to a second position.

[0042] The backrest frame 5 is pivotally coupled to the seat frame 3, thereby forming a first pivot axis A1. The backrest frame 5 is pivotally coupled to the backrest actuator 7, thereby forming a second pivot axis A2. The first pivot axis A1 and the second pivot axis A2 are parallel. The backrest frame 5 is pivotable relative to the seat frame 3 by a translation of the second pivot axis A2, resulting in pivoting of the backrest actuator 7 relative to the backrest frame 3. The backrest frame 5 will thereby pivot about the first pivot axis A1. Pivoting of the backrest frame 5 is normally obtained by means of the backrest actuator 7, which is operable by an electric motor.

[0043] In the following it will be elaborated upon seat arrangement designs which in a sense provides manoeuvring of the backrest actuator 7 to a second position relative to the seat frame 3 by means of a large enough forward-tilting force acting on the backrest frame 5, and locking of the backrest actuator 7 in the second position.

[0044] The seat arrangement 1 comprises a first fastener 10a and a second fastener 10b. The first fastener 10a may for example be a bolt, a pin, a screw or similar means. The second fastener 10b may for example be a bolt, a pin, a screw or similar means. The first fastener 10a, which is fixedly arranged relative to the seat frame 3 and to the backrest actuator bracket 9, and the second fastener 10b, which is slidably arranged relative to the backrest actuator bracket 9, attach the backrest actuator bracket 9 to the seat frame.

[0045] The seat arrangement 1 comprises a retaining mechanism 11 formed by the backrest actuator bracket 9, the seat arrangement 3 and the first fastener 10a. The seat arrangement 1 comprises a locking mechanism 13 formed by the backrest actuator bracket 9, the seat arrangement 3 and the second fastener 10b. Neither the retaining mechanism 11 nor the locking mechanism 13 are shown in detail in FIG. 1, but will in the following be elaborated upon with reference to FIGS. 3 and 6.

[0046] In the event that a forward-tilting force that is equal to or greater than a threshold value acts on the backrest frame 5, the backrest frame 5 is moved towards a forward-tilted position, wherein the first fastener 10a breaks and the second fastener 10b slides relative to the seat frame 3. The backrest actuator bracket 9 therefore slides relative to the seat frame 3 until stopped by the locking mechanism 13. Since the backrest actuator 7 is fixedly attached to the backrest actuator bracket 9, the backrest actuator 7 is also moved relative to the seat frame 3 to a second position, and since the backrest actuator bracket 9 is locked by the locking mechanism 13, the backrest actuator 7 is locked in the second position. The locking of the backrest actuator 7 results in that the position of the second pivot axis A2 is locked, and can thus no longer translate. The backrest frame 5 is therefore locked in its forward-tilted position.

[0047] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the seat frame 3 comprises several parts, namely two side beams 3a perpendicular to the first pivot axis A1 and a rear transverse element 3b extending between the two side beams 3a and a front transverse element 3c extending between the two side beams 3a. It should be noted that a number of variations of the seat frame is envisaged.

[0048] In the example in FIG. 1, the backrest frame 5 comprises a backrest portion 5a and a slewing bracket 5b, which in this example has a knee portion. The backrest portion 5a extends from a backrest frame top 5c to the first pivot axis A1. A portion of slewing bracket 5b extends between the first pivot axis A1 and the second pivot axis A2, where it is pivotally coupled to the backrest actuator 7.

[0049] The backrest portion 5a and the slewing bracket 5b are more clearly shown in FIG. 5. A first moment arm is defined between the first pivot axis A1 and a forward-tilting force F1, which has its line of action at the centre of gravity of the backrest portion 5a. A second moment arm is defined between the first pivot axis A1 and a counteracting force F2 having its line of action on the slewing bracket 5b. As long as the forward-tilting force F1, as shown in FIG. 5, acting on the backrest portion 5a provides an equal moment about the first pivot axis A1 as the counteracting force F2 acting on the slewing bracket 5b provides at the second pivot axis A2, the backrest frame 5 is in an equilibrium state. However, if a first moment provided by the forward-tilting force F1 upon the backrest portion 5a is greater than a second moment provided by the counteracting force F2, the backrest frame 5 will be tilted forwards.

[0050] FIG. 2 shows the seat arrangement 1 when the backrest frame 5 is in the forward-tilted position, and the backrest actuator 7 is in the second position.

[0051] The function of the seat arrangement 1 in the event of a collision will now be described with reference to FIGS. 3-8. FIG. 3 shows a close-up view of the area B shown in FIG. 1, in a section to expose the retaining mechanism 11 and the locking mechanism 13. In FIG. 3, the backrest frame 3 is in the upright position, which would correspond to a state of the seat arrangement 1 before a collision.

[0052] The seat frame 3 comprises a first seat frame through-opening 4a, and the backrest actuator bracket 9 comprises a first backrest actuator bracket through-opening 6a. The first fastener 10a is arranged in the first seat frame through-opening 4a and the first backrest actuator bracket through-opening 6a, thereby attaching the backrest actuator bracket 9 to the seat frame 3. The first seat frame through-opening 4a, the first backrest actuator bracket through-opening 6a, and the first fastener 10a forms the retaining mechanism 11.

[0053] The seat frame 3 comprises a second seat frame through-opening 4b, and the backrest actuator bracket 9 comprises a first backrest actuator bracket slotted through-opening 6b. The second fastener 10b is arranged in the second seat frame through-opening 4b and slidably arranged in the first backrest actuator bracket slotted through-opening 6b. The backrest actuator bracket 9 is thereby allowed to slide relative to the seat frame 3 when the backrest frame 5 is subjected to a forward-tilting force that is greater than a threshold value.

[0054] The seat arrangement 1 comprises an energy accumulating element, such as a leaf spring, and a key 15 biased by the energy accumulating element. The backrest actuator bracket 9 has a slot in which the key 15 is arranged, and the key 15 is biased in a direction away from the slot bottom. Alternatively, the slot may be arranged in the opposite direction and the key may then be biased away from the slot top, and the keyway may be arranged at a level below the key, wherein the key is pressed down into the keyway to obtain locking by means of the locking mechanism.

[0055] The seat frame 3 comprises a keyway 17 arranged to receive the key 15. Normally, the key 15 is displaced relative to the keyway 17. In particular, the keyway 17 is arranged downstream of the key 15, relative to the motion of the backrest actuator bracket 9 in relation to the seat frame 3 when moved as a result of a forward-tilting force acting on the backrest frame 5 greater than a threshold value. During this motion, the key 15 slides towards the keyway 17 and it is pushed into the keyway 17 by the energy accumulating element. The key 15 and the keyway 17 form the locking mechanism 13.

[0056] The first fastener 10a has a first mechanical strength and the second fastener 10b has a second mechanical strength. The second mechanical strength is higher than the first mechanical strength. The first fastener 10a would hence when subjected to shearing forces above a threshold value break before the second fastener 10b subjected to the same shearing force would break. As an example, the first fastener may for some electrically powered wheelchairs have M4 size, while the second fastener may have M6 size.

[0057] FIG. 4 shows a front portion of the seat arrangement 1, including area C in FIG. 1, when the backrest frame 5 is in the upright position. The seat arrangement 1 comprises a third fastener 10c, the seat frame 3 comprises a first seat frame slotted through-opening 4c, and the backrest actuator bracket 9 comprises a second actuator backrest bracket through-opening 6c. The third fastener 10c is arranged in the first seat frame slotted through-opening 4a and the second actuator backrest bracket through-opening 6c. The backrest actuator bracket 9 is thereby attached to the front transverse element 3c of the seat frame 3. The first fastener 10a and the second fastener 10b hence attaches the backrest actuator bracket 9 at one end thereof to the seat frame 3, and the third fastener 10c attaches the backrest actuator bracket 9 at the other end thereof to the seat frame 3. The third fastener 10c is slidably arranged in the first seat frame slotted through-opening 4c such that it can slide in the first seat frame slotted through-opening 4c to enable movement of the backrest actuator bracket 9 relative to the seat frame 3 when the backrest frame 5 is subjected to a forward-tilting force that is greater than a threshold value.

[0058] FIG. 6 shows a close-up view of the area B shown in FIG. 2, in a section to expose the retaining mechanism 11 and the locking mechanism 13. In FIG. 6, the backrest frame 3 is in the forward-tilting position, which would correspond to a state of the seat arrangement 1 after a collision.

[0059] In FIG. 6 it can be seen that the retaining mechanism 11 has released the backrest actuator bracket 9, and allowed movement of the backrest actuator bracket 9 relative to the seat frame 3. The first fastener 10a has been subjected to a shearing force due to the forward-tilting force F1 that has acted on the backrest frame 3, and has as a result broken. The breaking of the first fastener 10a triggers the movement of the backrest actuator bracket 9 relative to the seat frame 3.

[0060] As the backrest actuator bracket 9 slides in the rear direction, the key 15 moves towards the keyway 17 until it is received by the keyway 17. Concurrently, the second fastener 10b slides in the first backrest actuator bracket slotted through-opening 6b until it reaches the front wall 6b′ of the first backrest actuator bracket slotted through-opening 6b. Since the second fastener 10b has a higher mechanical strength than the first fastener 10a, it would typically not break during a collision, but instead abut the front wall 6b′ and provide a stop for the forward-tilting motion of the backrest frame 5.

[0061] FIG. 7 shows a front portion of the seat arrangement 1, including area C in FIG. 2, when the backrest frame 5 is in the forward-tilted position. The third fastener 10c has, as the backrest actuator bracket 9 has slid relative to the seat frame 3, slid along the first seat frame slotted through-opening 4c to the rear wall 4c′ of the first seat frame slotted through-opening 4c.

[0062] Movement of the actuator bracket 9 relative to the seat frame 3, leads to the same amount of movement of the backrest actuator 7, which is fixedly attached to the backrest actuator bracket 9, from the first position to the second position. The backrest frame 3 hence obtains its forward-tilted position shown in FIG. 8.

[0063] A suitable amount of movement of the backrest actuator bracket 9 and thus of the backrest actuator 7 may for example be in the range 10-15 mm. For a 12 mm allowed movement distance, forward-tilting of the backrest frame 5 provides an forward-tilting angle of about 8-9°, which has shown to provide a surprisingly high improvement in reducing the rebounding distance in the event of a collision. The amount of allowed movement of the backrest actuator bracket 9 may be designed by suitable dimensioning of the length of the first seat frame slotted through-opening 4c, the first backrest actuator bracket slotted through-opening 6b, and the position of the key 15 relative to the keyway 17.

[0064] Another example of a seat arrangement will now be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. The seat arrangement is similar to the seat arrangement 1, except that in the present example, the backrest actuator bracket is fixedly attached to the seat frame, without the above-described possibility of relative movement between the seat frame and the backrest actuator bracket.

[0065] According to this example, backrest actuator 7′ comprises the retaining mechanism and the locking mechanism.

[0066] According to one variation, the backrest actuator could be mounted directly to the seat frame, and the seat arrangement would in this case thus not comprise a backrest actuator bracket.

[0067] The backrest actuator 7′ comprises a first member 23 and a second member 25. The second member 25 is arranged to receive the first member 23. The first member 23 is normally fixed to the second member 25 by means of a retaining mechanism 11′. The first member 23 comprises a first though-opening and the second member 25 comprises a corresponding second through-opening. The backrest actuator 7′ further comprise a fourth fastener 21 arranged in the first through-opening and the second through opening. The first member 23 is thereby fixed to the second member 25. The first through-opening, the second through-opening and the fourth fastener 21 form the retaining mechanism 11′. The fourth fastener 21 may for example be a bolt, a pin, a screw or similar means.

[0068] In FIG. 9, the backrest actuator 7′ is arranged in the first position. In FIG. 10, the backrest actuator 7′ is arranged in the second position. The first member 23 has moved relative to the second member 25, due to translation of the second pivot axis A1, as a result of the backrest frame moving to the forward-tilting position. The fourth fastener 21 is designed to break when subjected to a shearing force greater than a threshold value determined e.g. in crash tests. The retaining member 11′ thereby provides relative linear movement between the first member 23 and the second member 25, and thus a movement of the backrest actuator 7′ relative to the seat frame 3.

[0069] The first member 23 has a locking member 13′a. Normally, the second member 25 covers the locking member 13′a, the inner surface of the second member 25 being essentially parallel with the locking member 13′a. However, when the first member 23 and the second member 25 are translated relative to each other and the backrest actuator 7′ obtains its second position, the locking member 13′a slides out from below the second member 25 and is thereby released. The locking member 13′a thereby provides a blocking surface towards the end face 13′b of the second member 25. The locking member 13′a and the end face 13′b form the locking mechanism 13′. The locking member 13′a may for example be flexible e.g. a leaf spring, which bends outwards when released, or it could be wedge-shaped. The locking mechanism 13′ prevents the first member 23 from sliding into the second member 25, and thus the backrest actuator 7′ is locked in the second position.

[0070] In general, the mechanical withstand strength any of the fasteners disclosed herein, i.e. of the first fastener, the second fastener, the third fastener, and the fourth fastener may be determined for example empirically in crash tests and/or analytically in simulations and/or by means of equilibrium equation calculations. The threshold value may for example be set in view of a lowest crash velocity in which it would be desirable to provide the herein described forward-tilting of the backrest frame.

[0071] Additional variations of the seat arrangement will now shortly be described. According to one variation, the slewing bracket may be designed to deform when the forward-tilting force is equal to or greater than the threshold value. The slewing bracket may in this case form the retaining mechanism in the sense that when a forward-tilting force is below the threshold value the slewing bracket maintains its shape and hence prevents the backrest frame from obtaining the forward-tilted position. The slewing bracket also comprises the locking mechanism, in the sense that unless the forward-tilting force has an extreme magnitude, only a certain deformation will occur, wherein the backrest frame is locked in the forward-tilted position. Thus, when the backrest frame is subjected to a high enough forward-tilting force, the slewing bracket is deformed, e.g. stretched or extended, allowing the backrest frame to tilt about the first pivot axis.

[0072] According to one variation, the slewing bracket has a hinge mechanism, which comprises the retaining mechanism and the locking mechanism. In case the backrest frame is subjected to a forward-tilting force equal to or greater than the threshold value, the hinge mechanism will allow pivoting of the slewing bracket about a pivot axis formed by the hinge mechanism, wherein the hinge mechanism locks the slewing bracket when the backrest frame has obtained the forward-tilted position.

[0073] FIG. 11 depicts a schematic side view of an example of an electrically powered wheelchair 27. The electrically powered wheelchair 27 comprises a chassis 29, a seat arrangement 1 attached to the chassis 29, and wheels 3oa and 3ob. The chassis 29 may according to one variation comprise a lift mechanism or a tilt/lift mechanism, and the seat arrangement 1 may be mounted to the tilt mechanism or tilt/lift mechanism. The exemplified electrically powered wheelchair 27 is of front wheel drive type. It should however be noted that alternatively the wheelchair could be of for example midwheel drive type, back wheel drive type, four wheel drive type or six wheel drive type.

[0074] The inventive concept has mainly been described above with reference to a few examples. However, as is readily appreciated by a person skilled in the art, other embodiments than the ones disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the inventive concept, as defined by the appended claims.