Stair climber for autonomous climbing, adaptable to manual wheelchairs

摘要

The invention relates to a stair climbing aid for wheelchair occupants to allow autonomous stair climbing, based on the design known from the patent document GB 683 983. With small modifications the known design becomes an autonomous climber. The preferred embodiment is an attachment for commercially available active wheelchairs and includes, in addition to the driven caterpillar track (5), two levers (7) which effect the transfer onto and off the stairs. The levers are rotatably mounted on the frame with their axis of rotation (8) approximately parallel to the rear edge of the seat. In contrast to what is known from GB 683 983, these levers execute full turns during the stair-climbing process. By virtue of these and other features of the levers, as described in more detail in the patent document, the transfer onto and off the stairs is accomplished reliably and automatically with only one active component, and the operation does not require bodily force or the help of another person. In combination with the low centre of gravity this results in a compact stair climber weighing less than 10 kg. During the stair-climbing process the large wheels of the wheelchair are removed and secured elsewhere.