Wheelchair tilt lift

A tilt lift for the positioning of a wheelchair having two wheels mounted about independent axles to each side of a seat, and having a brace positioned frontwardly of said axles beneath said seat, the lift comprising:

• a) a base mounted to a support surface;
• b) a housing mounted to the base for rotational and transverse motion with respect to the base;
• c) a frame mounted within the housing for vertical motion with respect to the housing;
• d) two wheel tubs, wherein each tub has a planar inlet segment joined to a semi-cylindrical rear surface which is curved about a horizontal axis, said rear surface defining a means for positioning the wheelchair with respect to the tubs, and said means engaging the wheels of a wheelchair and supporting the wheelchair thereby, and at least one tub outer lip extends from the rear surface on the outside of each tub to restrict a wheelchair supported therein from escape from the tubs;
• and
• e) a rod which is fixed to the tubs and extends between the tubs to space the tubs to receive the wheels of a wheelchair therein, wherein the rod defines a rotation axis for the tubs, and wherein the rod is pivotally mounted to the frame for tilting with respect to the frame, and wherein the tub rear semi-cylindrical surface engages against a wheel and remains in contact with a wheel as a wheelchair is tilted, and the tubs position the wheelchair brace frontward of the housing.

A tilt lift for the positioning of a wheelchair having two wheels mounted about independent axles to each side of a seat, and having a brace positioned frontwardly of said axles beneath said seat, the lift comprising:

• (a) a base mounted to a support surface;
• (b) a housing mounted to the base for rotational and transverse motion with respect to the base;
• (c) a frame mounted within the housing for vertical motion with respect to the housing;
• (d) two wheel tubs, wherein each tub has a planar inlet segment joined to a semi-cylindrical rear surface, and at least one tub outer lip extends from the rear surface on the outside of each tub to restrict a wheelchair supported therein from escape from the tubs;
• and
• (e) a rod which is fixed to the tubs and extends between the tubs to space the tubs to receive the wheels of a wheelchair therein, wherein the rod defines a rotation axis for the tubs, and wherein the rod is pivotally mounted to the frame for, tilting with respect to the frame, and wherein the tub rear semi-cylindrical surface engages against a wheel and remains in contact with a wheel as a wheelchair is tilted, and the tubs position the wheelchair brace frontward of the housing;
• (f) at least one pivotable tilt lock connected to a tub, wherein the tilt lock extends upwardly to block frontward motion of the wheelchair when the tubs are elevated above the support surface.

A wheelchair safety tilt lift comprising:

• a) a base for mounting to a support surface;
• b) a wheelchair bucket having two spaced wheel-receiving tubs, wherein the bucket is mounted to the base for vertical, horizontal, and tilting displacement with respect to the base, and wherein each tub has a planar inlet plate over which a wheel of a wheelchair travels on entry into the bucket, and each tub has a rear surface which is curved about a horizontal axis, said rear surface defining a means for positioning the wheelchair with respect to the tubs, and said means engaging the wheels of a wheelchair and supporting the wheelchair thereby;
• c) portions of the planar inlet plate which define a downwardly-opening hole;
• d) a tilt plate pivotally mounted about an axle to the inlet plate, wherein the tilt plate is pivotable between a lower position in which the plate is parallel to the inlet plate, and a tilted position in which the tilt plate extends upwardly from the inlet plate to prevent the escape of a wheel received within the tub;
• and
• e) a counterweight connected to the tilt plate axle for engagement with the support surface when the bucket is in a lowered untilted position, such that elevation or tilting of the bucket causes the counterweight to pivot the tilt plate axle to thereby raise the tilt plate to the tilted position and to thus prevent the escape of a wheelchair from the lift when the bucket is elevated or tilted, but to permit egress from the bucket when the bucket is in the lowered untilted position.