Patent ID: 6082957
Filing Date: 2000-07-04
Classification: A61G,Y10S

Abstract:
A vehicle having accommodations for a person in a wheelchair, comprising:a chassis on the vehicle comprising an upper floor panel disposed within the vehicle;the upper floor panel having an aperture therein and a lowerable portion normally disposed in the aperture being adapted to support the wheelchair, the lowerable portion having opposite front and rear ends which are both lowerable with respect to the upper floor panel;a lift mechanism mounted below the upper floor panel for raising and lowering the lowerable portion with respect to the upper floor panel;the lift mechanism including a plurality of horizontally spaced upright jack screws rotatably mounted below the upper floor panel for engaging respective internally threaded members rigidly mounted on the lowerable portion, and a reversible motor drivingly connected to the jack screws;the motor and the jack screws being drivingly connected by a first sprocket fixed for rotation with the motor, second sprockets fixed for rotation with the jack screws, at least one endless loop chain connecting the sprockets, and at least one idler sprocket located between an adjacent pair of the second sprockets for engaging the chain to take up slack in the chain between the pair of second sprockets.