Patent ID: 6325168
Filing Date: 2001-12-04
Classification: A61G,B62B,Y10S

Abstract:
A powered transit vehicle operable by a person positioned in the rear of the vehicle, for transporting a wheelchair accommodating an occupant while being transported by the transit vehicle without requiring active cooperation of said occupant, the wheelchair being of the kind having a plurality of ground-interfacing wheels and a rigid support structure, the transit vehicle comprises:(a) at least one driving wheel adapted to engage the ground and at least one motor which powers at least said driving wheel; and(b) a frontal lift mechanism adapted to lift said wheelchair by a secure grip of at least one segment of said support structure such that the wheelchair is maintained at a lifted transit position in which all the ground-interfacing wheels do not engage the ground, said lift mechanism comprises:i. a piston-cylinder unit that is mounted on the chassis of the transit vehicle and is operable to retractably move at least one freely rotatable support wheel, at least one connecting rod having opposing first and second ends, wherein said first end of said connecting rod is hingedely coupled to said chassis and the second end of said connecting rod is hingedly coupled to said support wheel, so that the moving forward and the retracting of said support wheel by means of said piston-cylinder unit tilts up or down, respectively, the front part of said chassis and lifts or lowers, respectively, the wheelchair; andii. a grip mechanism having at least one horizontal extendible bar, laterally extendable from a retracted position into a gripping position adapted to securely grip a respective niche or aperture of the support structure of the wheelchair.