DE8816941U1 - Wheelchair access in the driver's seat area of passenger vehicles, especially public buses - Google Patents

Description

Description

The invention relates to a wheelchair entrance which is arranged in the area of the driver's seat in an existing front entrance of a public bus, with a base platform arranged behind the opening of the entrance doors in the vehicle, a lifting/lowering device by means of which the base platform and a wheelchair or the like located on it can be raised or lowered between different positions and optionally with a step arranged above the base platform and which can be moved out of the path of movement of the base platform.

A wheelchair entry of this type is known from DE-PS 28 52 228. In this previously known wheelchair entry, the lifting/lowering device consists of at least two lifting elements, which are located on both sides of the base platform and

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are arranged next to the door leaf or leaves that occupy their restricted position. This wheelchair entry is intended to be particularly suitable for installation in normal buses. However, it has been found that this wheelchair entry does not meet the requirements for smooth entry and exit for wheelchair users without outside help.

At this point it should be pointed out that for the installation of a Kollstuhl entrance in regular buses and in particular in standard regular buses, both the manufacturers of such regular buses and the operators demand that, for cost reasons, no structural changes may be made to the interior outside of the front entrance. This applies in particular to the arrangement of the rows of seats and the area of the driver's seat with the cashier's console, the dimensions of which are generally fixed regardless of the vehicle type and may not be changed. The area of the front entrance to the driver's seat and the first row of seats is quite narrow. By installing the familiar wheelchair entrance, the passageway or through-way is narrowed even further, which means that a wheelchair has to be moved to pass through the space remaining between the wheelchair entrance and the cashier console so that it can be rolled from the base platform, which is then level with the vehicle floor, to the designated place in the bus. Moving the wheelchair is laborious and time-consuming, and the wheelchair user is always dependent on outside help.

Therefore, in the current state of technology, the wheelchair user must drive backwards onto the base platform to get in.

This is the only way for the driver to get through the narrow gap between the driver's console and the wheelchair entrance due to the familiar design of wheelchairs (rigid axle at the rear, steerable wheels at the front). However, this type of entry causes problems when driving onto the base platform when it is lowered to the roadway. This is because the wheelchair user must be guided onto the base platform by another person, as the wheelchair user's field of vision is naturally very limited when reversing, particularly as the wheelchair does not offer the driver sitting on it and strapped into it much freedom of movement. This means that the wheelchair user is again dependent on outside help. Due to his limited field of vision when reversing, the wheelchair user will naturally drive carefully and slowly onto the base platform, which in turn takes up a lot of time.

All of this means that with the familiar wheelchair entry, it is not possible to get in and out quickly without outside help. This could only be achieved if the first bench seat was removed and the driver's console was partially "cut away". However, this would mean a structural intervention in the interior, which is in stark contradiction to the above-mentioned requirement of the manufacturers and operators of buses and, in particular, of standard buses that the design of the bus's interior must not be changed.

In DE-GM 86 30 827 a wheelchair entrance is described, which also has two sides of a platform.

arranged and has vertical guides belonging to the lifting mechanism, so that the same problems as described above arise with this wheelchair entry. Although a wheelchair entering in a forward direction is shown in this publication, the?; only
possible if there is enough space in the wheelchair entry area. This is actually the case with the vehicle used in this state of the art.
Case, since the wheelchair entrance is not in the front
entry opening is installed, but an additional wall opening is provided in the side wall specifically for wheelchair entry. Such an arrangement
forming an additional wall opening
perhaps conceivable for coaches and other vehicles for passenger transport, but for buses and especially standard buses completely
excluded. Because the installation of wheelchair access in buses and especially in standard buses requires that
that the bus in its design and construction
must not be changed, as explained in detail above. A further disadvantage is that if the wheelchair entrance is arranged next to the
middle passenger entrance opening, the driver no longer has the wheelchair entrance in his field of vision. For
For a functionally reliable operation of the wheelchair entrance, it is extremely important that the driver always has the wheelchair entrance in his field of vision in order to
to be able to operate.

The invention was therefore based on the task of eliminating the disadvantages of the prior art mentioned above | and developing a wheelchair entry of the type mentioned at the beginning in such a way that wheelchair users in forward

(&igr; direction and quickly and without outside help in

[I ₁ get on or off a bus.

This task is solved by integrating the lifting/lowering ^device into a single unit in the area of the vehicle

front adjacent boundary of the base platform in

'-[ Vehicle-mounted column in which the

t. Base platform is guided on one side.

The inventive arrangement of a single

i; Pillar in the passage between the driver's seat and the

?;i the first bench seat opposite the entrance

Area on the base platform, considerable space is gained for the route from the base platform to the passenger area (and back). This is because this route is no longer occupied by parts of the lifting/lowering device such as

the second lifting column hinders wheelchair entry according to DE-PS 28 52 228.

A loading lift for wheelchairs is known from DE-GM 87 14 582, the lifting/lowering device of which is essentially

chen consists of a single vertical support profile, which is, however, arranged centrally on the side opposite the entrance opening. In addition, the lifting/lowering device also includes additional elements with which the known loading lift is attached to a vehicle. The known loading lift is only suitable for installation in a passenger vehicle with a tailgate. The wheelchair is only driven onto the platform and remains there during the journey. Further movement of the wheelchair into the interior of the vehicle is not possible due to the arrangement of the lifting/lowering device and is also not intended. This state of the art could therefore not provide any inspiration in the direction of

on the teaching of the invention.

Preferred embodiments and further developments of the invention are specified in the subclaims. In particular, for a wheelchair entrance in which the base platform can be moved between a rest position in which the entrance is used by non-disabled passengers and a lower and upper loading and unloading position in which wheelchair users or the like can drive onto the base platform and, after raising or lowering it, drive into or out of the vehicle interior, it is provided that the step can be moved horizontally under the vehicle floor for a loading or unloading process. The step can therefore have an almost arbitrary step length while at the same time setting the step height above the rest position of the base platform as desired, approximately both dimensions are not limited by the need to fold the step in a vertical direction to put the wheelchair entrance into operation, as is necessary in known wheelchair entrances.

It is preferred that the drive for raising and lowering the base platform has a first hydraulic arrangement containing a column-fixed cylinder and a platform-fixed piston rod and that the step can be moved horizontally by means of a second hydraulic arrangement arranged in the vehicle floor.

A further development of the invention is also advantageous, according to which an additional platform is guided in the base platform that can be lowered into it and can be moved out over the outer edge of the vehicle. This additional platform is preferably formed by means of a third hydraulic arrangement arranged in the base platform.

extended and retracted horizontally, with the additional platform in the base platform being guided by at least one pivoting roller. This extension of the base platform for entry and/or exit makes it possible to make the step length of the base platform itself that extends into the vehicle shorter, which creates more space for the passage between the driver's seat and the first bench seat on the entry side.

To secure a wheelchair or the like on the base platform, but also to create an easy transition from the roadway or a sidewalk to the base platform, a ramp is hinged to the outer front edge of the additional platform, which is parallel to the lateral outer edge of the vehicle and can be pivoted from a loading and unloading position that is essentially in the same plane as the additional platform into a securing position that is essentially perpendicular to the additional platform and points upwards. At least one further hydraulic arrangement is also provided for pivoting the ramp, which is preferably arranged in the additional platform.

All hydraulic arrangements for wheelchair access can be activated by an electronic sequential control system at the push of a button from the driver's seat, whereby the movement sequence of the step, the base platform, the additional platform and the ramp for entry and/or exit is automatically controlled. However, in the event of an emergency operation being required, a hand pump is also provided to carry out all hydraulically operated functions.

In order to increase the operational safety of wheelchair access, it may be advantageous to have two control buttons that trigger movement of the platforms or the step, so that the relevant function is only triggered when the bus driver presses two buttons at the same time.

Further embodiments and developments of the invention are essentially directed to various safety devices when operating the wheelchair entry and are explained in the following description . |

A preferred embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to a drawing. The drawings show:

Fig. 1 a side view of a wheelchair entrance looking in the direction of travel (without vehicle doors);

Fig. 2 a front view of the wheelchair entrance according to Fig. 1 looking in the direction of entry;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the wheelchair entrance according to Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 a top view of a wheelchair entrance installed in a public bus in the rest position; and

Fig. 5 is a top view of the wheelchair entrance according to Fig. 4 in the loading or unloading position.

The embodiment of a wheelchair entrance according to Fig. 1 has a column 8 arranged in a vehicle, in particular a bus, in which

the base platform 4 is guided on one side and by a«? \ lifting/lowering device 2 housed in the column in

vertical direction. The lifting/lowering device 2 consists of a first hydraulic arrangement, which includes a column-fixed (and thus vehicle-fixed) cylinder 16 and a platform-fixed piston rod 18. The base platform 4 is located

here in the vertical direction still in its rest position, in which its underside 5 is in contact with the vehicle

fe bottom 32 is level. Shown is the

&Kgr; Wheelchair entry in an already advanced

I Phase of a loading or unloading process for a rolling

chair driver or the like, for which a guided in the base platform 4 by means of several rollers 28

|: and in the base platform 4 horizontally retractable

f, additional platform 22 over the vehicle outer edge 24

t\ is extended.

p At the outer edge 24 of the vehicle, which forms the side

j* li ght boundary of the bus, parallel

;", outer front edge 25 of the additional platform 22 is a

I ramp 26 is articulated, which consists of a loading and unloading position A, in which the ramp 26 is essentially in

% of a level with the additional platform 22, in a

·■ can be pivoted into the safety position B, which is essentially perpendicular to the additional platform 22. In this way, the base platform 4 can be pivoted in the vertical direction in the

' movable in the designated shaft of the entrance

is, for example, halfway between the rest position of the base platform 4 and the

Vehicle floor 7 arranged step 10 in the &bull; automatic movement sequence already horizontal

under the vehicle floor 7. Before the base

In order for the platform 4 to be raised or lowered, it must first be unlocked by a locking device 27, which can consist, for example, of a hydraulic arrangement fixed to the vehicle, the piston of which, when locked, engages in a recess in the base platform 4. For a boarding process, the base platform 4 would now be lowered to the roadway level 14 or to the height of a footbridge. The lowering movement is automatically stopped if one of the switch strips 30, 34 encounters resistance, for example the roadway, the sidewalk or even a foot accidentally placed underneath.

Fig. 2 shows a front view of the wheelchair entrance as it appears to a person boarding. The entrance is limited on both sides by the doors 3 of the bus. The base platform 4 is also in its rest position in this illustration and the step 10 forms an intermediate step halfway between the base platform 4 and the vehicle floor 7. The base platform 4 is guided in the column k by several pivoting bearing rollers 20. On the inside of the entrance doors 3, at the level of the base platform 4 in the rest position, further switch strips 36 are attached, which immediately stop the movement of the base platform if a foot is accidentally hooked under it when the base platform 4 is raised from the lower loading and unloading position. An electronic sequence control 40 is arranged under the vehicle floor 7 to control the automatic movement sequence for operating the wheelchair entrance, which can be triggered by the bus driver at the push of a button. The hydraulic unit required to operate the hydraulic arrangements is also located under the vehicle floor 7.

Fig. 3 shows a top view of the wheelchair entrance at a time when the additional platform 22 has been moved horizontally out of the base platform 4 and the ramp 26 connected to the additional platform has been pivoted into the loading and/or unloading position P (see Fig. 1). Two ^{symmetrically} arranged ^hydraulic arrangements 23 are provided for pivoting the ramp 26 and a further hydraulic arrangement 21 is provided for the horizontal movement of the additional platform 22. In the stage of the movement sequence shown here, the step 10 is no longer in the vertical path of movement of the base platform 4. For this purpose, the step 10 was moved under the vehicle floor 7 by means of a hydraulic arrangement 19.

The following describes the movement sequence of the wheelchair entry from the rest position for an entry and exit process, which is automatically controlled by the sequence control 40, using a few steps:

In the rest position, the lower edge 5 of the base platform 4 is at the same height as the lower edge of the vehicle 32. After the bus driver has opened the entry doors 3, he initiates the entry or exit process with a first press of a button, whereby the step 10 is retracted horizontally under the vehicle floor 7, the additional platform 22 extends from the base platform 4 and the ramp 26 initially folds up into the safety position B for safety reasons.

By pressing another button, the base platform 4 is lowered from its rest position until it

_19_

has reached its lower end position, or one of the safety switch strips 30, 34, 36 is activated or until the bus driver releases the button. Stopping the downward movement by releasing the button can be useful in order to stop the base platform 4 and the additional platform 22 that follows it at the height of a sidewalk. As soon as the downward movement of the base platform 4 is stopped, the ramp 26 swings from the safety position B into the loading and unloading position A. A wheelchair or a stroller can now be driven or pushed onto the base platform 4 and the additional platform 22. It is very important that a wheelchair user can drive forward onto the platforms 4, 22.

If the wheelchair is on the platforms 4, 22, the bus driver can initiate the raising of the platforms by pressing another button, whereupon the ramp 26 first swings from its position A into the safety position B to prevent the wheelchair from rolling down. The platforms 4, 22 are then raised to the height of the vehicle floor 7, where the upward movement stops automatically. However, the upward movement can also be interrupted at any time during the movement by releasing the button. If the platforms 4, 22 have reached the upper loading and unloading position, the wheelchair user can quickly and effortlessly drive forward into the aisle of the bus to the space provided for him.

If platforms 4, 22 are free, the bus driver initiates the return of the platforms to their rest position by pressing another button, whereupon

.afirst the ramp 26 from the safety position B into

&idiagr; the loading and unloading position A is swivelled, the additional

platform 22 with the hinged ramp 26 is retracted into the base platform 4 and the base platform is lowered into its rest position. Once this is reached, the step 10 extends out from under the vehicle floor and thus again forms an intermediate step between the step height of the base platform 4 and the vehicle floor 7.

All or some of the buttons to be operated by the bus driver can also be double and each

be designed to be connected in series with the double,

§ This prevents incorrect operation or accidental activation

ti of functions is avoided as far as possible.

j In Fig. 4 the wheelchair entrance is in the rest position.

situation in which he is portrayed as an ordinary

I got on a bus with non-disabled passengers

£ can be used. The first step of this standard

The first step of the entry is formed by the base platform 4 in the resting position and the second step by the extended step 10.

In Fig. 5, the same wheelchair entrance is shown in its loading and unloading position adapted for disabled people for an entry or exit process. It is clearly visible here that the additional platform 22 and the ramp 26 attached to it extend far beyond the vehicle's outer side edge 25. This wheelchair entrance therefore offers sufficient space for longer wheelchairs or strollers on its platforms 4, 22, which means that the base platform 4 can manage with a shorter step length reaching into the vehicle interior.

In a practical embodiment, the circuit for operating the platforms and the associated parts is designed as an electronic sequential control. This means that the driver of the bus operating the wheelchair entrance in the manner mentioned several times above only needs to hold down one button for raising and another button for lowering, in order to automatically activate the various hydraulic cylinders in the required and internally specified manner - either simultaneously or one after the other. The sequence of movements can be interrupted at any time and for any length of time both during raising and during lowering by releasing the respective button. An additional button is used in the practical embodiment to automatically bring the platforms etc. from any position into the basic position, i.e. into the position required for non-disabled people to get in and out or while the bus is driving with the doors closed. This additional key is assigned an auxiliary key, which must be pressed simultaneously with the additional key in order to return to the home position.

The structural design of the wheelchair entrance according to the invention results in a significantly reduced loading and unloading time. The relief of the driver through the described sequence control significantly supports and promotes the increase in speed achieved. A bus equipped with the wheelchair entrance according to the invention can therefore be used in normal scheduled services without changing the timetable.

Finally, it should be emphasized that the planned hydraulic drive of the various components of the wheelchair entrance enables a significant reduction in noise compared to the state of the art compared to the previously common spindle drives.

Claims (20)

Expectations 1. Wheelchair entrance, which is arranged in the area of the driver's seat in an existing front entrance of a bus, with a base platform (4) arranged behind the opening of the entrance doors in the vehicle, a lifting/lowering device (2) by means of which the base platform (4) and a wheelchair or the like located on it can be raised or lowered between different positions and, if necessary, with a step (10) arranged above the base platform and movable out of the path of movement of the base platform (4), characterized in that the lifting/lowering device (2) is accommodated in a single column (8) which is fastened in the vehicle in the region of the boundary of the base platform (4) adjacent to the vehicle front (12), in which the base platform (4) is guided on one side. 2. Wheelchair entry according to claim 1, in which the base platform can be moved between a rest position, in which the entrance is used by non-disabled passengers, and a lower and upper loading and unloading position, in which wheelchair users or the like can drive onto the base platform and, after raising or lowering it, drive into or out of the vehicle interior, characterized in that the step (10) can be moved horizontally under the vehicle floor (7) for a loading or unloading process. 3. Wheelchair entry according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the drive for raising and lowering the base platform (4) has a column-fixed Ej cylinder (16) and a platform-fixed piston rod I (18) containing the first hydraulic arrangement. I' 4. Wheelchair entry after at least one of the above I claims, [5 characterized in that the step (10) with- Si by means of a second arranged in the vehicle floor (7) |l Hydraulic arrangement (19) is horizontally movable. I 5. Wheelchair access after at least one of the f. standing claims, j characterized in that the base platform (4) in $ the column (8) by at least one rotatably mounted f, bearing roller (20) is guided. U 6. Wheelchair entry after at least one of the above ■; standing claims, f characterized in that in the base plate (4) ■* an additional platform (22) which can be lowered into it : is, which extends over the vehicle outer edge (24) '0 bar. [f] 7. Wheelchair entry according to claim 6, characterized in that the additional platform (22) can be moved horizontally by means of a third hydraulic arrangement (21) arranged in the base platform (4). 8. Wheelchair entry according to one of claims 6 or 7, characterized in that the additional platform (22) is guided in the base platform (4) by at least one rotatably mounted bearing roller (28). 9. Wheelchair entry according to at least one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that a ramp (26) is hinged to the outer front edge (25) of the additional platform (22) parallel to the lateral outer edge (24) of the vehicle, which ramp can be pivoted from a loading and unloading position (A) lying essentially in the same plane as the additional platform (22) into a securing position (B) directed upwards essentially perpendicular to the additional platform (22). 10. Wheelchair entry according to claim 9, characterized in that at least one further hydraulic arrangement (23) is provided for pivoting the ramp (26). 11. Wheelchair entry according to claim 1, characterized in that the hydraulic arrangement (23) is arranged in the additional platform (22). 12. Wheelchair entry according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a locking device (27) is provided for locking the base platform (4) in its rest position. 13. Wheelchair entry according to claim 12, characterized in that <2i3 the locking device (27) includes a vehicle-fixed hydraulic arrangement, the piston (29) of which engages in a recess in the base platform (4) for locking. 14. Wheelchair entry according to claim 12/ characterized in that the hydraulic arrangement of the locking device (27) is arranged under the vehicle floor (C ⁷ ). 15. Wheelchair entry according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a switching track (30) running at least along a peripheral edge is arranged on the undersides (5, 5') of the platforms (4, 22) facing the roadway (9), which interrupts the lifting/lowering movement of the platforms (4, 22) when triggered. 16. Wheelchair entrance according to claim l ^r j, characterized in that the switching strip (30) runs parallel to the front edge (25) of the additional platform (22). 17. Wheelchair entry according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that on the underside of the vehicle (32) there is arranged a switching strip (34) running parallel to each peripheral edge of the access shaft, which, when triggered, controls the lifting/lowering movement of the platforms (4, 18. Wheelchair entry according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that further switching strips (36) are attached to the inside of the access doors (3) at the level of the base platform (4) in the rest position, which run parallel to the side surfaces (38) of the base platform (4) when the doors (3) are open. 19. Wheelchair entry according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized by an electronic sequence control (40) for controlling the button-operated triggered automatic movement sequence of the step (10), the base platform (4), the additional platform (22) and the ramp (26) for loading and/or unloading. 20. Wheelchair entry according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a hand pump is provided to carry out all hydraulically operated functions for emergency operation