Stairway wheelchair lift

A carrier for supporting a passenger lift platform for movement along a rail assembly of a passenger stairway lift mechanism, the stairway lift mechanism including a drive chain housed within the rail assembly, the carrier comprising:

• a platform support bracket for supporting the passenger lift platform;
• coupling means for coupling said platform support bracket to the chain within the rail assembly;
• a pair of opposed brake members housed within the rail assembly adjacent said coupling means;
• a wedge member coupled to said platform support bracket and drivable between said brake members to bias said brake members outwardly, said wedge member being movable between an extended position wherein said brake members are biased outwardly into engagement with the rail assembly to substantially prevent movement of said platform support bracket, and a retracted position wherein said brake members do not engage the rail assembly with sufficient force to substantially prevent movement of said platform support bracket;
• and
• brake control means responsive to a control input for causing said wedge member to move from said retracted position to said extended position in response to said control input whereby movement of said platform support bracket is substantially prevented following response of said brake control means to said control input.

A passenger lift platform for use in a stairway wheelchair lift, said passenger lift platform comprising:

• a vertical housing having a lower and an upper end, said vertical housing being adapted to be supported for movement along a rail;
• a platform having a load supporting surface, said platform being pivotally joined adjacent said lower end of said vertical housing for movement between a raised generally vertical position wherein said platform is substantially folded against said vertical housing and a lowered position wherein said platform extends substantially horizontally perpendicularly from said vertical housing;
• a first elongate arm coupled to said vertical housing adjacent said upper end and movable between a raised position wherein said first arm extends upwardly from said vertical housing a lowered position wherein said arm extends substantially horizontally perpendicularly outwardly from said vertical housing;
• a second elongate arm coupled to said vertical housing adjacent said upper end and movable between a raised position wherein said second arm extends upwardly from said vertical housing and a lowered position wherein said second arm extends substantially horizontally perpendicularly outwardly from said vertical housing;
• and
• hydraulic actuating means for controllably raising and lowering said first and second arms.

A passenger lift platform for use in a stairway wheelchair lift, said passenger lift platform comprising:

• a vertical housing having a lower and an upper end, said vertical housing being adapted to be supported for movement along a rail;
• a platform having a load supporting surface, said platform being pivotally joined adjacent said lower end of said vertical housing for movement between a raised generally vertical position wherein said platform is substantially folded against said vertical housing and lowered position wherein said platform extends substantially horizontally perpendicularly from said vertical housing;
• a first elongate arm coupled to said vertical housing adjacent said upper end and movable between a raised position wherein said first arm extends upwardly from said vertical housing and a lowered position wherein said arm extends substantially horizontally perpendicularly outwardly from said vertical housing;
• a second elongate arm coupled to said vertical housing adjacent said upper end and movable between a raised position wherein said second arm extends upwardly from said vertical housing and a lowered position wherein said second arm extends substantially horizontally perpendicularly outwardly from said vertical housing;
• and
• hydraulic actuating means for controllably raising and lowering said platform, said hydraulic actuating means including a hydraulic cylinder mounted within said vertical housing and a bell crank coupled between said hydraulic cylinder and said platform so as to pivot said platform between said raised and lowered positions in response to extension and retraction of said hydraulic cylinder.