Abstract: A stair climbing wheelchair carrier operable by an unassisted wheelchair user is provided. The carrier includes a crawler drive unit and a carrying unit. The carrying unit includes a carrier main frame whose position is adjustable up and down relative to the crawler drive unit, an anchor unit for securely holding the back of the wheelchair set in a wheelchair mounting position on the carrier main frame, and a holding and moving unit for holding the wheelchair on the ground in the front part of the crawler drive unit and for moving the wheelchair to the wheelchair mounting position that is in the rear part of the crawler drive unit as the wheelchair user tilts the wheelchair backward by shifting the body weight. This stair climbing wheelchair carrier allows even a wheelchair with a relatively short front to back length to be mounted in the rear part of the carrier for stable transport up and down stairs.

Abstract: An extension/retraction cylinder stops or starts tilting the platform of the stair-climbing wheelchair carrier based on a detection signal from an inclination sensor provided in the crawler drive unit. When the crawler drive unit is detected to be not tilted, the tilting motion of the platform is stopped at an intermediate angle (e.g. 20°) of a maximum preset angle (e.g. 40°). When the crawler drive unit is detected to be tilted, the platform is tilted up to the maximum preset angle, and as soon as the crawler drive unit is detected not to be tilted after tilting, the platform is driven so as to decrease its inclination angle relative to the crawler drive unit. Thus, a comfortable and usable stair-climbing wheelchair carrier can be provided.

Abstract: A stair climbing wheelchair carrier operable by an unassisted wheelchair user is provided. The carrier includes a crawler drive unit and a carrying unit. The carrying unit includes a carrier main frame whose position is adjustable up and down relative to the crawler drive unit, an anchor unit for securely holding the back of the wheelchair set in a wheelchair mounting position on the carrier main frame, and a holding and moving unit for holding the wheelchair on the ground in the front part of the crawler drive unit and for moving the wheelchair to the wheelchair mounting position that is in the rear part of the crawler drive unit as the wheelchair user tilts the wheelchair backward by shifting the body weight. This stair climbing wheelchair carrier allows even a wheelchair with a relatively short front to back length to be mounted in the rear part of the carrier for stable transport up and down stairs.

Abstract: An extension/retraction cylinder stops or starts tilting the platform of the stair-climbing wheelchair carrier based on a detection signal from an inclination sensor provided in the crawler drive unit. When the crawler drive unit is detected to be not tilted, the tilting motion of the platform is stopped at an intermediate angle (e.g. 20°) of a maximum preset angle (e.g. 40°). When the crawler drive unit is detected to be tilted, the platform is tilted up to the maximum preset angle, and as soon as the crawler drive unit is detected not to be tilted after tilting, the platform is driven so as to decrease its inclination angle relative to the crawler drive unit. Thus, a comfortable and usable stair-climbing wheelchair carrier can be provided.

Abstract: There is provided a stair-climbing vehicle for transporting a wheelchair with a person sitting on. The vehicle comprise a crawler device including a pair of endless belt crawlers disposed on opposite sides of the vehicle; a vehicle body including a driving motor for driving the crawler device to enabling the stair-climbing vehicle to climb up or down a stairway; a load-carrying platform for mounting a wheelchair, said load-carrying platform being provided above the vehicle body capable of pivoting in vertical direction about one end thereof. The load-carrying platform is provided with a inclination sensor. The inclination sensor includes a first inclination sensing element and a second inclination sensing element, each inclination sensing element is a tubular member containing a flowable electrically conductive material and a pair of electrically conductive terminals.

Abstract: A transporter main body has a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels, each of which is adapted to contact with a step of an escalator, a resilient member connected to the bottom of the transporter main body, a mounting structure for mounting a wheelchair, and an extending/retracting device connected with one end of the mounting structure for pivoting the mounting structure in vertical direction. After a wheelchair is mounted on the mounting structure, the wheels allow the transporter main body to be wheeled on the escalator. The resilient member grips the steps of the escalator to allow the wheelchair to ascend or descend with the escalator.

Abstract: There is provided a transporter for patient's emergency escape, comprising: a transporter main body including a main body frame structure; a pair of crawler devices disposed on opposite sides of the transporter main body, each crawler device having a ground contacting surface extending for at least two steps of a stairway; a load-carrying frame structure provided above the transporter main body, said load-carrying frame structure being adapted to serve as a chair for carrying a person; a pair of tandem wheel structures each having a pair of ground contacting wheels arranged in the longitudinal direction of the transporter main body, said pair of tandem wheel structures being provided on opposite sides of the transporter main body near the rear ends of the crawler devices; a single tandem wheel structure having a pair of ground contacting wheels arranged in the longitudinal direction of the transporter main body, said single tandem wheel structure bing provided on the bottom of the transporter main body at a s