초록 ▼

A rear facing wheelchair passenger station for securing a wheelchair in a large accessible transit vehicle. The station includes a forward excursion barrier for preventing forward movement of a wheelchair, lateral excursion barriers for preventing undesired lateral and rearward movement of the wheel

A rear facing wheelchair passenger station for securing a wheelchair in a large accessible transit vehicle. The station includes a forward excursion barrier for preventing forward movement of a wheelchair, lateral excursion barriers for preventing undesired lateral and rearward movement of the wheelchair, wall side flip seats which are adapted to covert the wheelchair passenger station for use by non-wheelchair persons, hand holds, high friction floor material for assisting in the prevention of movement of the wheelchair, and an electro-pneumatic control system.

대표청구항 ▼

We claim: 1. A wheelchair passenger station for a transport vehicle, the wheelchair passenger station comprising: a forward excursion barrier which is adapted to prevent forward movement of a wheelchair relative to the vehicle; at least one moveable chair engaging support to restrict lateral moveme

We claim: 1. A wheelchair passenger station for a transport vehicle, the wheelchair passenger station comprising: a forward excursion barrier which is adapted to prevent forward movement of a wheelchair relative to the vehicle; at least one moveable chair engaging support to restrict lateral movement of the wheelchair, the moveable chair engaging support comprising at least one pivot arm which is configured to move between a stored position and a chair engaging position at least partially through rotation; the moveable chair engaging support being movable between the stored position, at least one intermediate position, and the chair engaging position; the movable chair engaging support being located in the stored position to provide lateral access for the wheelchair into the wheelchair passenger station; the movable chair engaging support being movable from the stored position to the intermediate position while the wheelchair is positioned in the wheelchair passenger station, where the movable chair engaging support is laterally spaced from at least a portion of the wheelchair; and, the movable chair engaging support being movable from the intermediate position to the chair engaging position, where the movable chair engaging support engages with the wheelchair to restrict lateral movement of the wheelchair. 2. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 1, wherein the forward excursion barrier includes a head restraint portion, a wheelchair stop portion, and a depressed portion disposed therebetween, the depressed portion being configured to receive various styled wheelchairs having structure which is laterally oriented and which is disposed rearward of a back rest of the wheelchair, the depressed portion allowing the wheelchair back rest to abut the wheelchair stop of the forward excursion barrier. 3. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 1, wherein the forward excursion barrier is positioned near a front side of the wheelchair passenger station whereby a back and a head of the wheelchair passenger would be adjacent the forward excursion barrier when secured. 4. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 1, wherein the portion of the moveable chair engaging support that engages with the wheelchair is a contact member, the contact member being pivotally attached to the pivot arm at a free end to more effectively engage with an uneven surface of the wheelchair. 5. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 1, wherein the movable chair engaging support is attached to the forward excursion barrier. 6. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 1, wherein the movable chair engaging support moves from the stored position to the intermediate position at least partially by lateral movement. 7. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 1, wherein the movable chair engaging support moves from the intermediate position to the wheelchair engaging position at least partially by rotation. 8. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 1, wherein the moveable chair engaging support comprises a first portion and a second portion extending from the first portion, whereby the second portion of the moveable chair engaging support engages with the wheelchair. 9. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 8, wherein at least one of the first and second portion of the moveable chair engaging support moves at least partially by rotation. 10. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 1, wherein the at least one movable chair engaging support includes a first movable chair engaging support and a second moveable chair engaging support, the first movable chair engaging support engaging with at least a portion of a first side of the wheelchair and the second moveable chair engaging support engaging with at least a portion of a second side of the wheelchair, whereby the first moveable chair engaging support and the second movable chair engaging support collectively exert a compressive force on the wheelchair. 11. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 1 further comprising a monitoring system for the at least one movable chair engaging support, the monitoring system providing an indication regarding the status of the wheelchair passenger station. 12. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 11 wherein the status includes the position of the at least one movable chair engaging support. 13. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 12, wherein the wheelchair passenger station further comprises at least one sensor for detecting the position of the at least one moveable chair engaging support. 14. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 11, wherein the monitoring system provides an indication when the at least one movable chair engaging support is moving. 15. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 14, wherein the indication is visual, auditory, or both. 16. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 11, wherein the monitoring system includes at least one interface that provides the indication regarding the status of the wheelchair passenger station, wherein the indication is visual, auditory or both. 17. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 11, wherein the status includes an indication of the amount of force that is being applied to the wheelchair by the at least one movable chair engaging support. 18. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 11, wherein the status includes whether a wheelchair passenger is positioned in the wheelchair passenger station. 19. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 1 further comprising a control system for controlling the movement of the at least one movable chair engaging support between the stored position and the chair engaging position. 20. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 19, the control system being responsive to at least one sensor. 21. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 20, wherein the at least one sensor includes a sensor that provides an indication of the amount of force being applied to the wheelchair by the at least one movable chair engaging support. 22. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 20, wherein the at least one sensor includes a sensor that provides an indication of whether a wheelchair passenger is positioned in the wheelchair passenger station. 23. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 20, wherein the at least one sensor includes a sensor that provides an indication of the position of the at least one moveable chair engaging support. 24. The wheelchair passenger station of claim 19 wherein the control system is electro-pneumatic. 25. A wheelchair passenger station for a transport vehicle, the wheelchair passenger station comprising: a forward excursion barrier which is adapted to prevent forward movement of a wheelchair relative to the vehicle; a first lateral barrier being disposed on a first side of the wheelchair passenger station; a second lateral barrier being disposed on a second side of the wheelchair passenger station; the first and second lateral barriers being movable to engage with the wheelchair from opposite sides to prevent lateral movement of a wheelchair relative to the vehicle; the first lateral barrier also being moveable between a stored position and a wheelchair restraining position, the first lateral barrier being positionable in the stored position to allow lateral access to the wheelchair passenger station by a wheelchair passenger, and subsequently being transferable to the wheelchair restraining position while the wheelchair passenger is positioned within the wheelchair passenger station.