Wheelchair wheel
AssigneeP + L Innovations GmbH
InventorsMichael EICH, Wolf-Dietrich PFLAUMBAUM
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wheelchair wheel which is rotatable around an axis of rotation includes: a hub, which can be connected to a wheel axle of a wheelchair frame; a wheel body which is arranged on the hub, forms a running surface of the wheelchair wheel and constitutes the connection between the running surface and the hub, the wheel body being composed of three wheel body segments, each wheel body segment having a rim profile and a tire portion arranged in the rim profile; three fastening devices which are independent of one another, each wheel body segment being releasably fastened to the hub by one of the fastening devices.
Claims24
1:
- A wheelchair wheel (1), which is rotatable around an axis of rotation (2) and comprises:
- a hub (3), which can be connected to a wheel axle (18) of a wheelchair frame;
- a wheel body which is arranged on the hub (3), forms a running surface (12) of the wheelchair wheel (1) and constitutes the connection between the running surface (12) and the hub (3), said wheel body being composed of three wheel body segments (5, 6, 7), each wheel body segment (5, 6, 7) being provided with a rim profile (19) and a tyro tire portion (20) arranged in the rim profile (19);
- three fastening devices (8, 9, 10) which are independent of one another, each wheel body segment (5, 6, 7) being releasably fastened to the hub (3) by one of the fastening devices (8, 9, 10).
2:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 1, wherein the three fastening devices (8, 9, 10) are arranged at the hub (3) radially offset to the outside in relation to the axis of rotation (2) of the wheelchair wheel (1).
3:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 1, wherein each fastening device (8, 9, 10) has a manually operable handle piece (33) with which the fastening device (8, 9, 10) can be transferred from a closed position securing a wheel body segment (5, 6, 7) to the hub (3) into an open position releasing the wheel body segment (5, 6, 7) from the hub (3), and wherein the handle piece (33) is arranged on the outside of the wheelchair wheel (1) in the area of that wheel body segment (5, 6, 7) which is secured to the hub (3) by this fastening device (8, 9, 10).
4:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 1, wherein the hub (3) has a wheel body segment seat (15) in the form of a circumferential groove on its outside, and wherein the wheel body segments (5, 6, 7) are seated in the wheel body segment seat (15) with a fastening section (16) facing the hub (3).
5:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 4, wherein the wheel body segment seat (15) is formed by two essentially parallel, ring-shaped hub discs (13, 14) protruding radially outwards, which stand at a distance to one another in the axial direction in relation to the axis of rotation (2) of the wheelchair wheel (1) that essentially corresponds to the thickness of the fastening section (16) of the wheel body segments (5, 6, 7).
6:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 1, wherein each wheel body segment (5, 6, 7) is provided with a profile at least in sections on its face ends (21, 22) facing the adjacent wheel body segments (5, 6, 7), and wherein the profiles of adjacent wheel body segments (5, 6, 7) fastened to hub (3) engage in one another.
7:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 6, wherein the profile on the one face end (21, 22) of a wheel body segment (5, 6, 7) is in the form of a groove (23) and on the other face end (21, 22) of the wheel body segment (5, 6, 7) is in the form of a tongue (24), and wherein the wheel body segments (5, 6, 7) fastened at the hub (3) form a tongue and groove joint when connected.
8:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 1, wherein the tyre tire portions (20) of all wheel body segments (5, 6, 7) form a continuous tire (11) with an essentially cohesive running surface (12) around its circumference.
9:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 1, wherein each wheel body segment (5, 6, 7) comprises a hand rim section (25), and wherein the hand rim sections (25) of all wheel body segments (5, 6, 7) fastened to the hub (3) form a continuous, cohesive hand rim of the wheelchair wheel (1).
10:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 9, wherein the hand rim sections (25) of each two wheel body segments (5, 6, 7) secured adjacent on the hub (3) engage in one another.
11:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 1, wherein the three fastening devices (8, 9, 10) are identical.
12:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 1, wherein the fastening devices (8, 9, 10) are in the form of clamping devices which clamp the wheel body segments (5, 6, 7) to the hub (3).
13:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 12, wherein each fastening device (8, 9, 10) comprises an eccentric clamp (29).
14:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 13, wherein the eccentric clamp (29) is self-locking.
15:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 3, wherein the eccentric clamp (29) has a clamping lever (30) that can be rotated around a clamping axis (31) fixed at the hub (3), and wherein the clamping lever (30) comprises the handle piece (33) and a clamping part (34) that has a clamping cam.
16:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 15, wherein the clamping axis (31) is perpendicular to the axis of rotation (2) of the wheelchair wheel (1).
17:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 15, wherein, in an open position of the fastening device (8, 9, 10), the clamping part (34) is at a distance to a wheel body segment (5, 6, 7) arranged on the hub (3) or makes contact with this without force, and wherein in a closed position of the fastening device (8, 9, 10) the clamping part (34) presses against a wheel body segment (5, 6, 7) arranged on the hub (3) with a force specified by the clamping cam.
18:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 17, wherein a counterbearing is arranged at the hub (3) which interacts with the clamping part (34) in the closed position of the fastening device (8, 9, 10), and wherein a wheel body segment (5, 6, 7) is clamped between the clamping part (34) and the counterbearing in the closed position of the fastening device (8, 9, 10).
19:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 5, wherein the counterbearing is formed by one of the two ring-shaped hub discs (13, 14).
20:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 15, wherein each of the wheel body segments (5, 6, 7) has a depression (28) in which the clamping part (34) comes to rest in the closed position of the fastening device (8, 9, 10).
21:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 3, wherein the handle piece (33) on a first side has at least one handle recess (36) for one or more fingers and on a second side facing away from the first side has a support area for a person's ball of the thumb.
22:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 3, wherein the handle piece (33) with the fastening device (8, 9, 10) in a closed position makes contact with that wheel body segment (5, 6, 7) that is fastened by this fastening device (8, 9, 10) to the hub (3), and wherein the wheel body segment (5, 6, 7) thereby forms a stop for the handle piece (33).
23:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 1, wherein each fastening device (8, 9, 10) has a base (32) arranged on the hub (3), parallel to the axis of rotation (2) of the wheelchair wheel (1), and wherein each wheel body segment (5, 6, 7) has a recess (27) on the fastening section (16) facing the hub (3) in which the base (32) lies upon fastening the wheel body segment (5, 6, 7) at the hub (3).
24:
- The wheelchair wheel according to claim 15, wherein the clamping lever (30) of the eccentric clamp (29) is arranged rotatably on the base (32).