Wheel chair abstract
A motor coach designed generally for highway travel has a passenger
compartment between sides of the coach and forwardly of the rear
wall of the coach and defined above a raised floor of the coach.
Underneath the floor is provided an engine compartment behind the
rear wheels of the coach and luggage compartment forward of the
rear wheels. A lavatory compartment is located at the junction between
the rear wall and one side wall and immediately forwardly of the
lavatory compartment is provided a floor area on which the rear
seats at that side of the coach can be moved forwardly to a stored
position to form an open area of the coach aligned with a wheel
chair lift mounted in the engine compartment and arranged to lift
a passenger from the ground onto the floor of the coach into the
area forwardly of the lavatory compartment. The lavatory compartment
is modified by a double door arrangement so that the doorway at
the front of the lavatory compartment can be partly opened for ambulatory
passengers or fully opened for the wheelchair passenger on the floor
area immediately forward of the lavatory compartment. A curtain
is provided to enclose the lavatory compartment and the floor area
for privacy of the wheelchair passenger when the doors are fully
opened.
Wheel chair claims
We claim:
1. A motor coach comprising:
a coach body having two side walls, a roof, a floor spaced downwardly
from the roof and located between the side wails for receiving passengers
in a passenger compartment defined above the floor;
ground wheels mounting the coach body for movement across the ground
including at least one pair of front wheels and at least one pair
of rear wheels;
a plurality of passenger seats located in the passenger compartment;
a lavatory compartment located in the passenger compartment at
a junction between the rear wail and one side wall, the lavatory
compartment having a first wall generally parallel to and spaced
from said one side wall and a door which in a closed position is
generally parallel to and spaced from said rear wall;
a portion of the floor immediately forward of the lavatory compartment
having passenger seats thereon, which passenger seats can be moved
forwardly away from the lavatory compartment so as to leave said
portion immediately forward of the lavatory compartment free from
passenger seats;
and a wheel chair lift mounted at said one side wall and operable
to lift a passenger in a wheel chair from the ground alongside the
coach at said one side wall for movement onto said portion of the
floor immediately forward of the lavatory compartment;
said door being shaped and arranged such that the lavatory compartment
is accessible through the door by able-bodied passengers with the
passenger in the wheelchair on said portion and such that the lavatory
compartment is accessible through the door by the passenger in the
wheelchair from said portion.
2. A motor coach according to claim 1 including a rear compartment
beneath the floor at the rear wall for containing the engine and
including a luggage compartment forwardly of the engine, wherein
the lift is mounted in the rear compartment.
3. A motor coach according to claim 1 wherein the rear wheels are
located forwardly of the rear compartment and wherein the lift is
arranged rearwardly of the rear ground wheels.
4. A motor coach comprising:
a coach body having two side walls, a roof, a floor spaced downwardly
from the roof and located between the side walls for receiving passengers
in a passenger compartment defined above the floor;
ground wheels mounting the coach body for movement across the ground
including at least one pair of front wheels and at least one pair
of rear wheels;
a plurality of passenger seats located in the passenger compartment;
a lavatory compartment located in the passenger compartment at
a junction between the rear wall and one side wall, the lavatory
compartment having a first wall generally parallel to and spaced
from said one side wall and a door which in a closed position is
generally parallel to and spaced from said rear wall;
a portion of the floor immediately forward of the lavatory compartment
having passenger seats thereon, which passenger seats can be moved
forwardly away from the lavatory compartment so as to leave said
portion immediately forward of the lavatory compartment free from
passenger seats;
and a wheel chair lift mounted at said one side wall and operable
to lift a passenger in a wheel chair from the ground alongside the
coach at said one side wall for movement onto said portion of the
floor immediately forward of the lavatory compartment;
said door being shaped and arranged such that the lavatory compartment
is accessible through the door by able-bodied passengers with the
passenger in the wheelchair on said portion and such that the lavatory
compartment is accessible through the door by the passenger in the
wheelchair from said portion;
wherein the lavatory compartment has a second wall along said one
side wall, a third wall along the rear wail, said first wall being
generally parallel to the second wail and spaced part way across
the passenger compartment, the first wail having a first vertical
doorway edge and the second wall having a second vertical doorway
edge spaced forwardly of the rear wall, the first and second vertical
doorway edges defining a doorway opening therebetween, said door
closing the doorway opening, the door including a first openable
door panel and a second openable door panel said door panels being
arranged such that the first door panel can be opened independently
of the second door panel to allow a partial opening only in the
doorway opening at a position spaced from said one side wall so
as to be accessible by the able-bodied passengers with the passenger
in the wheelchair on said portion and both the first and second
door panels can be opened to allow a full opening of the doorway
opening so as to be accessible from the portion by the passenger
in the wheelchair.
5. The motor coach according to claim 4 wherein both the first
and second door panels are convexly curved outwardly of the lavatory
compartment.
6. The motor coach according to claim 5 wherein the first and second
door panels intersect to form a smooth contiguous curve.
7. The motor coach according to claim 4 wherein each of the first
and second door panels is hingedly connected at a respective one
of the first and second doorway edges to form a clamshell arrangement
with the first and second door panels having free edges meeting
at a vertical contact line part way across the doorway opening.
8. The motor coach according to claim 1 wherein the lavatory compartment
includes a commode located closely at the junction between the rear
wall and said one wall with a horizontal central axis of symmetry
of the commode substantially intersecting the junction and extending
outwardly therefrom at an angle of the order of 45 degrees relative
to said one side wall and the rear wall.
9. A motor coach comprising:
a coach body having two side walls, a roof, a floor spaced downwardly
from the roof and located between the side walls for receiving passengers
in a passenger compartment defined above the floor;
ground wheels mounting the coach body for movement across the ground
including at least one pair of front wheels and at least one pair
of rear wheels;
a plurality of passenger seats located in the passenger compartment;
a lavatory compartment located in the passenger compartment at
a junction between the rear wall and one side wall, the lavatory
compartment having a first wall generally parallel to and spaced
from said one side wall and a door defining a first closure member
which in a closed position is spaced from said rear wall;
a portion of the floor immediately forward of the lavatory compartment
having passenger seats thereon, which passenger seats can be moved
forwardly away from the lavatory compartment so as to leave said
portion immediately forward of the lavatory compartment free from
passenger seats;
a wheel chair lift mounted at said one side wall and operable to
lift a passenger in a wheel chair from the ground alongside the
coach at said one side wall for movement onto said portion of the
floor immediately forward of the lavatory compartment;
said door being shaped and arranged such that the lavatory compartment
is accessible through the door by able-bodied passengers with the
passenger in the wheelchair on said portion and such that the lavatory
compartment is accessible through the door by the passenger in the
wheelchair from said portion;
and a second closure member operable for movement between an open
position, in which access is allowed by said second closure member
for able-bodied passengers to the lavatory compartment, and a closed
position, in which the closure member acts to divide said portion
and the lavatory compartment from a remaining part of the passenger
compartment while allowing access by the passenger in the wheelchair
to the lavatory compartment.
10. The motor coach according to claim 9 wherein the second closure
member comprises a curtain on a track.
11. The motor coach according to claim 9 wherein the lavatory compartment
has a second wall along said one side wall, a third wall along the
rear wall, said first wall being generally parallel to the second
wall and spaced part way across the passenger compartment, the first
wall having a first vertical doorway edge and the second well having
a second vertical doorway edge spaced forwardly of the rear wall,
the first and second vertical doorway edges defining a doorway opening
therebetween, said door closing the doorway opening, the door including
a first openable door panel and a second openable door panel, said
door panels being arranged such that the first door panel can be
opened independently of the second door panel to allow a partial
opening only in the doorway opening at a position spaced from said
one side wail so as to be accessible by the able-bodied passengers
with the with the passenger in the wheelchair on said portion and
both the first and second door panels can be opened to allow a full
opening of the doorway opening so as to be accessible from the portion
by the passenger in the wheelchair.
12. The motor coach according to claim 11 wherein both the first
end second door panels are convexly curved outwardly of the lavatory
compartment.
13. The motor coach according to claim 12 wherein the first and
second door panels intersect to form a smooth contiguous curve.
14. The motor coach according to claim 11 wherein each of the first
and second door panels is hingedly connected at a respective one
of the first and second doorway edges to form a clamshell arrangement
with the first and second door panels having free edges meeting
at a vertical contact line part way across the doorway opening.
Wheel chair description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a motor coach of the type which is generally
designed for highway travel including a raised floor defining a
passenger compartment above the raised floor, an engine compartment
and luggage compartment underneath the raised floor and passenger
seating within the passenger compartment, and more particularly
relates to a layout of the coach which can accommodate most effectively
a lavatory compartment and a wheelchair lift which minimizes the
space requirement for these components and yet allows access to
the lavatory compartment by the passenger in a wheelchair.
Conventionally the lavatory compartment for a motor coach of this
type is located at one rear corner of the motor coach body. In most
cases the lavatory compartment is relatively small and provides
a single relatively small door which is accessible in effect only
by able bodied passengers without the possibility of a wheelchair
passenger accessing the lavatory compartment.
In some other cases where attempts are made to allow access to
the lavatory compartment by less than able bodies persons, the lavatory
compartment is significantly increased in size and requires a larger
area around it to accommodate wide opening doors. This increase
in size of the total area required for the lavatory compartment
of course reduces the area available for conventional passenger
seating thus reducing the number of fare paying passengers which
can be carried.
Wheelchair lifts are well known and readily available which mount
in the compartment underneath the floor and act to lift a passenger
in a wheelchair from ground level at one side of the motor coach
to a height equal to the floor of the motor coach so that the passenger
can enter through an additional opening at the one side of the motor
coach directly onto the floor at floor level. Generally the lift
of this type is mounted in the luggage compartment forwardly of
the rear wheels and thus must lift the passenger in the wheelchair
to a position approximately midway along the motor coach. The passenger
in the wheelchair is then located in an open floor area aligned
with the lift and is maintained in that area during travel. The
open floor area necessary for the wheelchair of course again limits
the number of passenger seats which can otherwise be accommodated.
In addition the open floor area for the passenger in the wheelchair
is spaced from the lavatory compartment located at the rear of the
motor coach thus preventing the passenger in the wheelchair from
reaching the lavatory compartment along the conventional very narrow
aisle which is provided between the passenger seats.
It has also been proposed to locate the wheel chair lift at the
rear of the coach just behind the rear wheels and one example of
this is shown in a brochure of KOS BV from Holland. In this arrangement
however there is no lavatory so that the cooperation of the lift
and that portion of the floor to which the lift extends with the
lavatory is not considered.
In another arrangement, it has been proposed to locate the wheelchair
lift behind the rear wheels with the lift cooperating with a portion
of the floor which is inside the lavatory. In this arrangement,
the lavatory must be of significantly increased size to accommodate
the normal lavatory functions, when the wheelchair is not in place,
and to provide a portion of the floor in front of the lavatory which
can accommodate the wheelchair. This arrangement has achieved little
success since it requires a very large lavatory area thus reducing
regular passenger seating and since the lavatory becomes inaccessible
to passengers when the wheelchair is in place.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is one object of the present invention therefore to provide
an improved layout of the motor coach which provides both a wheelchair
lift and a lavatory and which better accommodates the passenger
in the wheelchair while allowing access to the lavatory compartment
by the regular passengers and by the person in the wheelchair and
while minimizing the floor area utilized for the wheelchair passenger
and the lavatory compartment.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved
layout of a lavatory for the motor coach which can allow it to be
used with a wheelchair lift if required.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a motor
coach comprising: a coach body having two side walls, a roof, a
floor spaced downwardly from the roof and located between the side
walls for receiving passengers in a passenger compartment defined
above the floor; ground wheels mounting the coach body for movement
across the ground including at least one pair of front wheels and
at least one pair of rear wheels; a plurality of passenger seats
located in the passenger compartment; a lavatory compartment located
in the passenger compartment at a junction between the rear wall
and one side wall, the lavatory compartment having a first wall
generally parallel to and spaced from said one side wall and a door
which in a closed position is generally parallel to and spaced from
said rear wall; a portion of the floor immediately forward of the
door of the lavatory compartment on which passenger seats can be
moved so as to form a portion which is free from passenger seats;
and a wheel chair lift mounted at said one side wall and operable
to lift a passenger in a wheel chair from the ground alongside the
coach at said one side wall for movement onto said portion of the
floor.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided
a motor coach comprising: a coach body having two side walls, a
roof, a floor spaced downwardly from the roof and located between
the side walls for receiving passengers in a passenger compartment
defined above the floor; ground wheels mounting the coach body for
movement across the ground including at least one pair of front
wheels and at least one pair of rear wheels; a plurality of passenger
seats located in the passenger compartment; a lavatory compartment
located in the passenger compartment at a junction between the rear
wall and one side wall wherein the lavatory compartment has a first
wall generally parallel to said one side wall spaced part way across
the passenger compartment, a second wall along said one side wall,
a third wall along the rear wall, the first wall having a first
vertical doorway edge and the second wall having a second vertical
doorway edge spaced forwardly of the rear wall, the first and second
vertical doorway edges defining a doorway opening therebetween,
and door means for closing the doorway opening, the door means including
a first openable door panel and a second openable door panel arranged
such that the first door panel can be opened independently of the
second door panel to allow a partial opening only in the doorway
opening and both the first and second door panels can be opened
to allow a full opening of the doorway opening.
One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a motor coach according to
the present invention showing the location of the wheelchair lift
in a lowered position.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the motor coach of FIG. 1 showing only
the rear section and with the roof removed to expose the layout
of the interior elements of the motor coach, with the passenger
seating in the area of the lavatory and wheelchair lift moved aside
to allow loading of a wheelchair passenger.
FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2 on an enlarged scale
showing the lavatory in use by a person using a wheelchair.
FIG. 4 is a vertical cross sectional view along the lines 4--4
of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the interior of the lavatory
compartment of the motor coach of FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is a plan view similar to FIG. 2 showing the passenger seats
returned to the normal position.
FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the coach showing the seats
moved to the position of FIG. 2.
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A conventional motor coach is shown in FIG. 1 including a coach
body generally indicated at 10 mounted on ground wheels including
a front pair of ground wheels 11 and rear ground wheels 12. The
coach body includes a coach roof 13 and two coach sides 14. A floor
15 is located between the sides and forwardly of a rear wall 16
so as to define above the floor a passenger compartment 17 including
two rows of seats 18 divided by an alleyway 19 so that the passengers
can move from a door 20 at a front of the coach along the alleyway
to take up seated positions in the seats 18.
The coach as shown is of the type generally utilized for highway
transportation or touring so that the floor 15 is raised relatively
high and above the ground wheels 11 and 12. At the rear of the coach
just forwardly of the rear wall 16 and underneath the floor 15 is
provided an engine compartment 20 containing an engine 21 and associated
components shown only schematically. The engine compartment is defined
rearwardly of the rear wheels by a bulkhead 22. The axles and support
system therefore mounting the wheels 12 and the transmission driving
the wheels 12 is not shown as this will be well known to one skilled
in the art.
Forwardly of the ground wheels 12 under the floor 15 is provided
a luggage compartment 23 again of a conventional construction.
The coach further includes a wheelchair lift generally indicated
at 25 which operates to lift a person in a wheelchair from the ground
on one side of the coach up onto the floor 15 for transportation
of that person in the wheelchair in the coach.
The coach yet further includes a lavatory compartment generally
indicated at 26 for use by passengers, the lavatory compartment
being located at one rear corner of the coach at one side wall 14
and at the rear wall 16.
In the coach as shown in the drawings, the lift mechanism 25 and
the lavatory compartment 26 are arranged so as to cooperate to assist
in improving the suitability of the coach for transporting wheelchair
passengers while minimizing the amount of space lost to conventionally
seated passengers by the wheelchair modifications.
This is achieved by providing an area of the coach immediately
forward of the lavatory compartment 26 having a floor area 27 on
which the seats 18A and 18B can slide forwardly to a position closely
behind a fixed seat 18C to render the floor area 27 open and free
for receiving the wheelchair passenger. This area of the coach extends
across from the side wall 14 into the aisle 19. The dimensions of
the area 27 are therefore approximately 5 feet across the coach
and 4 feet longitudinally of the coach. It will be noted from a
comparison of FIGS. 2 and 6 that the sliding seats 18A and 18B move
from the normal position in which the back of the rear seat 18A
is against the lavatory door and the seats are normally spaced for
seated passengers to a folded position in which the seats have the
seat bottom folded upwardly to reduce the dimensions of the seat
in the longitudinal direction of the coach so that the seats can
no longer be used by seated passengers.
Also if required, the seats on the opposed side of the coach can
be moved to accommodate a wheelchair lift and loaded wheelchair
passenger. Thus the rearmost seat 18D at the rear of the coach remains
fixed but the next seat 18E moves rearwardly and the bottom folds
upwardly to leave the required 4 feet space in front of the seat
18E and behind the fixed seat 18F.
The wheelchair lift 25 is of a conventional type available commercially.
As shown best in FIGS. 2 and 4, the wheelchair lift comprises a
main rectangular frame 25A mounted inside the rear compartment inwardly
of an outside wall 25B of the coach. The frame 25A stands in a vertical
plane and is mounted on suitable frame elements 25C and 25D of the
coach structure. The frame 25A carries a main lift tower 25E which
is movable inwardly and outwardly of the coach side from an extended
position shown in FIG. 4 to a retracted position along side of the
frame 25A. This movement is effected by a scissor-lift arrangement
25X shown only schematically which holds the tower 25E in a vertical
orientation and moves the tower inwardly and outwardly by way of
hydraulic or electric actuators (not shown). The tower 25E carries
a vertically movable platform support element 25F which can be moved
vertically by an actuator schematically indicated at 25G. The support
25F carries a platform 25H and allows movement of the platform vertically
from a lowered position shown at 25J to the raised position shown
at 25H. The platform carries pivotal platform elements 25K and 25L
which can form extensions of the platform for engaging the ground
in the lower position now for engaging onto the floor of the coach
in the raised position. The platform 25H can be pivoted vertically
to lie along side or within the area of the tower section 25E. In
this way the whole of the wheelchair lift can be retracted inside
the side wall of the coach by lifting the platform to the raised
position and by retracting the scissors lift 25X. As shown in FIG.
2, the tower 25E comprises the two tower elements 25F each arranged
on a respective side of the platform 25H and similarly the scissors
lift portions 25X comprise two portions each arranged at a respective
one of the tower portions.
From the retracted position (not shown), the tower is moved outwardly
beyond the side wall of the coach, the platform is deployed and
the lift section 25F is actuated to move the platform upwardly and
downwardly to provide a lifting action for the person in the wheelchair
generally indicated at 25P.
The wheelchair lift is conventionally mounted on the frame of the
coach but instead of mounting in the luggage compartment as is conventional,
instead the wheelchair lift is mounted in the engine compartment
rearward of the wheels 12. This is achieved by a minor reorganization
of the elements of the engine compartment so as to leave sufficient
space in the engine compartment for the construction of the lift.
Instead therefore of the wheelchair lift being located approximately
midway along the coach, the wheelchair lift is instead located at
the rear immediately in front of the lavatory compartment so as
to cooperate with the floor space 27 thus lifting a wheelchair occupant
directly onto the space 27 for travel in that area. The coach is
provided with suitable opening panels 28 and 29 for cooperation
with the lift mechanism 25. Thus the panel 28 as shown in FIG. 1
and in FIG. 4 is mounted on a horizontal hinge at the roof line
for lifting upwardly and outwardly of the coach side to provide
an opening with which the lift 25 cooperates. The door panel 29
is mounted in the lower part of the coach work side covering the
lift mechanism itself when in retracted position.
Generally in operation, therefore, the lift mechanism operates
to lift the platform from a ground position at which the wheelchair
occupant can be moved onto the platform to the raised position aligned
with and cooperating with the floor 15 to allow the wheelchair occupant
to wheel from the platform onto the floor for travel within the
coach construction.
The floor area 27 can include tie downs for locating and holding
the wheels of the wheelchair to prevent movement of the wheelchair
during transportation.
The lavatory compartment is shown in more detail in FIGS. 2, 3
and 5 and is modified so that it is usable by able bodied passengers
and by wheelchair passengers.
The lavatory compartment therefore comprises a commode 40 covered
by a seat 41. The commode 40 forms part of a molded plastics bench
structure 42. The walls of the compartment are formed from molded
plastics defining a rear wall 43, a first side wall 44 and a second
side wall 45. The side wall 44 contains a window 46 aligned with
but smaller than the conventional exterior window of the coach body.
The window is suitably tinted for privacy. The side wall 44 is attached
to the wall 14. The rear wall 43 is similarly attached to the rear
wall 16 of the coach and also contains a window 47 aligned with
but smaller than the rear window (not shown) of the coach. The side
wall 45 extends at right angles to the rear wall 43 and the rear
wall 16 of the coach body and forms a vertical panel terminating
in a front edge 48 of the wall 45. The side walls 44 and 45 and
the rear wall 43 are integrally molded with a ceiling 49 from a
suitable plastics material such as fiberglass or vacuum formed acrylic
to provide a structural compartment which can be mounted inside
the coach body. A second component of the compartment is defined
by a floor and kick panel element 50 which is again similarly molded
and includes a floor panel 51 shaped to match the floor defined
inside the compartment formed by the walls 43, 44 and 45 and including
a kick panel which extends vertically upwardly at one side 52 and
at a rear 53 to cooperate with the walls 43 and 44 respectively.
The commode 40 and bench 42 are formed as a third component of
the compartment. The bench extends across the rear of the compartment
in a first portion interconnected with the wall 45 and having a
front edge 54 parallel to the wall 43. From the wall 45, the front
edge 54 extends at right angles to the wall 45 to a position just
forward of the commode 40. The front edge includes a second portion
55 extending from the position just forward of the commode diagonally
to the front of the wall 44. The bench extends horizontally from
the front edge 54, 55 to the rear wall and to the side wall. A center
line of symmetry indicated at 40A of the commode 40 is arranged
to substantially intersect with the junction between the rear wall
43 and the side wall 44 and to extend therefrom at an angle of the
order of 45.degree. outwardly from the corner or intersection. This
presents the seating position on the commode as shown in FIG. 3
so that the seated user of the commode faces outwardly from the
corner diagonally in toward the center of the coach.
A sink 56 is molded into the structure of the rear wall 43 and
the side wall 45 at the junction therebetween. A storage cabinet
and mirror assembly 57 is integrally molded with or mounted on the
side wall 45 above the sink. A trash compartment 58 is molded into
or attached to the side wall 44.
The side wall 44 includes an edge 59 defining an outermost edge
of the compartment. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the edge 59 is located
at a position spaced slightly inwardly from the side wall 14 at
the inner edge of the molding forming the garbage container 58.
The bench 42 includes a downturned front wall 60 at the edges 54,
55 which cooperates with an upper edge of the rear kick panel section
52, 53.
The area defined underneath the ceiling 49 and between the edges
48 and 59 defines a doorway through which a user can pass to utilize
the lavatory compartment. The doorway is closed by a door construction
generally indicated at 62. The door construction 62 is formed of
two door panels which can be opened independently.
In the construction shown in FIG. 3, the door panels are indicated
at 63 and 64 and are arranged as a clam shell arrangement. Thus
the door 63 is pivotally connected along the edge 59 and the door
64 is pivotally connected to the edge 48. Thus these doors can move
to a fully open position shown in FIG. 3 in which each door pivots
outwardly to leave the whole of the doorway open. However the door
63 can also be moved to a closed position indicated at 63A and can
be held in that position while the door 64 can be moved from the
open position to a closed position indicated at 64A. Thus the door
64 can be operated independently and the doorway section defined
between an edge 63B of the closed door 63A and the edge 48 provides
a sufficient area for an able bodied passenger to pass into the
compartment behind the seat 18A as best shown in FIG. 6 for utilizing
the equipment.
In the modified arrangement shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the door 62
comprises a first panel 65 which corresponds to the panel 63 and
is pivotally connected at the edge 59. However the door construction
further includes a second panel 66 which is slidably mounted on
the first panel 65 so it slides from a closed position abutting
the edge 48 to an open position inside the door panel 65. Again,
however, the door construction 62 operates so that able bodied passengers
simply operate the door panel 64 or 66 to provide an opening between
the edge 48 and an edge of the door panel 63, 65 and wheelchair
passengers can open the door fully to provide a full opening defined
by the doorway between the edges 48 and 59.
A further component of the lavatory compartment comprises a curtain
track 67 which extends from the wall 14 at the forward most position
of the floor area 27 behind the rear most seat 18A in a direction
generally across the coach to the opposite side of the aisle and
then rearwardly to meet a position at the edge 48. The curtain track
is of course mounted at the ceiling or roof the coach so as to support
a curtain 67A suspended from the curtain track from the ceiling
to a position at or closely adjacent the floor 15.
Normally the curtain 67A is stored at one end of the track so as
to leave the interior of the coach open for movement of the seats
18A and 18B to the deployed position. However when the seats have
been moved to the retracted position and a wheelchair passenger
loaded onto the area 27 wishes to use the lavatory compartment,
the wheelchair passenger or an assistant can move the curtain to
the closed position bounding the area 27 and the compartment 26.
This allows the wheelchair passenger to open the doors 62 to the
fully opened position shown in FIG. 3 while the wheelchair passenger
is maintained separate and private from the remaining passengers
by the curtain 67A on the track 67. The wheelchair passenger can
then effect a transfer from the wheelchair to the commode or can
carry out other ablutions as required.
When the wheelchair passenger has completed their ablutions, the
curtain can be opened and the wheelchair removed to a position at
one side 14 of the coach and immediately forwardly of the closed
panel of the door thus leaving the part of the area 27 adjacent
the aisle and forwardly of the door panel 64 open for normal movement
of passengers along the aisle to the lavatory compartment.
The positioning of the wheelchair lift immediately forwardly of
the lavatory compartment therefore allows the area 27 to be used
both for loading of the wheelchair passenger and as an adjunct to
the lavatory compartment thus minimizing the space requirement for
the wheelchair passenger while allowing that wheelchair passenger
full and proper access to the lavatory compartment.
In order to accommodate the wheelchair lift 25, the storage tank
for the commode 40 is modified to a low height, long rectangular
tank 40A shown in FIG. 7 which is located underneath the wheelchair
lift 25 along the bottom of the coach frame adjacent that side wall
containing the wheelchair lift. Thus the commode 40 includes a primary
storage tank 40B which is connected via a pipe 40C to the horizontal
lower storage tank 40A at the bottom of the coach frame.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein
above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments
of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without departing
from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained
in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative
only and not in a limiting sense. |