JPH10295749A - Walk assisting unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a walk assisting unit which can deal properly with persons with various gait disturbances. SOLUTION: This walk assisting unit comprises a pair of right/left arm rests 10, 10 formed on the tops of paired right/left leg parts 1, 1 with a front wheel 4 and a rear wheel 5 and a support 2, installed in a freely detachable manner, across which a support bar 11 is spanned toward the width of one of the end parts of the arm rests 10, 10. In addition, the support 2 is set freely reversible forward/backward and ascendable/descendable with the leg parts 1, 1 and a space between both arm rests 10, 10 is adjustable. Further, the support 2 is reversed forward/backward with the leg parts 1, 1 depending upon the degree of gait disturbance and physique of the user to select between a state in which the support bar 11 is positioned forward of the body of the user and a state in which the support bar 11 is positioned backward. Also the support 2 is caused to ascend and descend with the leg part 1 according to necessity to adjust the height of the arm rests 10, 10. Thus the interval between the arm rests 10, 10 is adjusted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a walking aid which supports a body of a person with a walking disability and moves with the walking.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in FIG.
A pair of front wheels 51, 51 and rear wheels 52, 52 are provided at the front and rear ends of the lower end of 0, so that each front wheel 51 can be turned around the longitudinal axis 53, and the front end is closed at the upper end of the frame 50. The walking aid provided with the armrest 54 is used.

[0003] According to this walking aid, people with walking disabilities
The user can walk in any direction while supporting the body with both arms placed on the armrest 54.

[0004]

By the way, such a walking aid as described above can support the body by the front obstruction of the armrest, so that it is strongly inclined forward and the center of gravity of the body is located in front of the waist. It is suitable for people with disabilities, but it is not suitable for use by people with mild walking disabilities who need to walk in an almost upright posture and support their back.

[0005] Further, it is impossible to change the height and the interval of the armrests according to the user's physique and walking posture.

[0006] In addition, there are cases where it is inconvenient for a person with a walking disability who cannot move and stop because he moves only by depositing his weight.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a walking assist device that can appropriately cope with various people with walking disabilities.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has a pair of left and right legs having a front wheel and a rear wheel, wherein the front wheel turns around a vertical axis, and is detachably mounted on the upper part thereof. And a pair of left and right armrests, and a support having a support bar passed at one end thereof in the width direction, and the support is reversible and vertically movable with respect to the legs, The configuration in which the distance between the two armrests can be adjusted is adopted.

[0009] In this walking aid, the support can be inverted with respect to the legs so that the support rod can be selected from a state in which the support rod is located in front of the user's body and a state in which the support rod is located behind. On the other hand, since the height of the armrest can be adjusted by raising and lowering the support, and the interval between the left and right armrests can be adjusted, it is possible to appropriately cope with the degree, posture and physique of the user's obstacle.

[0010] Further, in the case where the rear wheel is provided with a rotation resistance applying device capable of adjusting the braking force, when a person with severe walking disability uses the braking force, the braking force is set to be large, and unexpected movement due to the load can be suppressed.

Further, in the case where the reverse rotation preventing mechanism is provided on the rear wheel, the reverse movement can be prevented, so that the safety at the time of use with the back support is improved.

In addition, with a stopper mechanism for preventing the front wheel from turning, the traveling direction can be kept constant.

[0013]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the walking assist device includes a pair of left and right legs 1 and 1 and a support 2 provided on an upper portion thereof.

The leg 1 is provided with a front wheel 4 at the front of the chassis 3 and a rear wheel 5 at the rear. The front wheel 4 is capable of turning around a longitudinal axis 6. 7, 7 are started. On the other hand, the support 2 connects the columns 8 arranged at the four corners so that both sides and one end are closed,
A pair of left and right armrests 10 and 10 is provided at the upper end of the support 8 via a mounting rod 9, and a support bar 11 extending in the width direction at one end.

The column 8 has a cylindrical shape with an open lower end, and a pillar 7 is slidably inserted into the opening, and the column 7 and the column 8 are fixed by a clamp 12. When the clamp 12 is loosened, the support 2 can be raised and lowered with respect to the leg 1, and the support 2 can be pulled upward from the leg 1.

The armrest 10 is slidable with respect to the mounting rod 9, and is fixed to the mounting rod 9 by a clamp 13. When the clamp 13 is loosened, the armrest 10 can be moved in the width direction of the support 2.

In the walking assist device having the above structure, when the support 2 is attached to the leg 1 so that the support rod 11 is located on the front side, as shown in FIG. When a person with a disability is used, the elbow can be bent and the forearm can be placed on the armrest 10, and the user can walk by holding the support rod 11. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, when a moderately handicapped person who can walk in a posture in which the upper body is slightly raised, the elbow is extended, and the hand is placed on the armrest 10 is used, the support rod 11 is positioned in front of the body. Therefore, a sense of security that the support rod 11 can support the body at any time can be provided.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, when a person with mild walking disability who walks in an almost upright posture is used,
Is pulled out from the leg 1 and turned upside down.
When attached to the leg body 1 so that the body 1 is located on the rear side, the back of the body can be supported by the support rod 11.

The height of the armrest 10 can be adjusted by raising and lowering the support 2 with respect to the leg 1 according to the physique and posture of the user. By moving in the width direction, the distance between the left and right armrests 10, 10 can also be adjusted.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the walking assist device is provided with a rotation resistance applying device 20 at the center of the chassis 3. The rotation of the rear wheel 5 is transmitted to the rotation resistance applying device 20 via endless belts 21 and 22. The belt 21 is stretched over pulleys 23 and 24, and the belt 22 is stretched over pulleys 25 and 26, respectively. Pulley 2
Reference numeral 3 is provided on the rotation shaft of the rear wheel 5 and rotates together with the rear wheel 5.
The pulleys 24 and 25 are located on the same axis, and the clutch 27
Is formed. The pulley 26 is provided in the rotation resistance applying device 20. Pulleys 23 to 26 and belt 21,
22 are toothed and mesh with each other.

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the rotation resistance applying device 20 includes a metal rotating plate 31 co-rotating with the pulley 26 between opposing magnets 29 and 30 in a case 28, and The eddy current generated on the surface of the plate 31 along with the rotation of the plate 31 gives resistance to the rotation of the pulley 26 to brake the rear wheel 5.

Here, one magnet 29 is fixed to the case 28, and the other magnet 30 is attached to the support plate 32a which rotates with respect to the case 28 in conjunction with the lever 32. The positional relationship between the two magnets 29 and 30 is changed, the rotational resistance of the pulley 26 is changed,
Can be adjusted. In addition, the case 28 is provided with a brake 33 that meshes with the pulley 26 as the lever 32 moves forward and backward, stops the rotation of the pulley 26 completely, and locks the rear wheel 5.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the clutch 27 has a pulley 25 slidably fitted on a boss portion 34 of the pulley 24, and a knob 35 rotatable by a predetermined angle on an end surface of the boss portion 34, And a knob core 37 for pressing the knob 35 toward the pulley 25 via a disc spring 36.
With the rotation of the knob 35, the head of the mounting screw 38 of the knob core 37 is disengaged from the recess 39 formed on the back surface of the knob 35, whereby the knob 35 and the pulley 25 are moved in the axial direction of the boss portion 34. Then, the pulley 24 and the pulley 25 are intermittently connected.

When a person with severe walking disability uses the walking aid provided with the rotation resistance applying device 20, the lever 3
If the braking force of the rear wheel 5 is set large by operating the
The walking aid does not move unexpectedly just by keeping the weight.

If no braking force is required, the knob 3
By rotating the clutch 5 and operating the clutch 27 to disconnect the pulley 24 from the pulley 25, the rear wheel 5 can be rotated without load.

The rear wheel 5 is provided with a reverse rotation preventing mechanism 40, as shown in FIG. The reverse rotation preventing mechanism 40 includes a ratchet 41 that rotates together with the rear wheel 5,
1 comprises a claw 42 urged toward the outer periphery of the
The operation can be canceled by operating the to move the claw 42 away from the ratchet wheel 41.

When the reverse rotation preventing mechanism 40 is operated, the backward movement of the walking aid can be prevented, so that the safety at the time of using the back support can be improved.

Further, the front wheel 4 is provided with a stopper mechanism 44 as shown in FIGS. The stopper mechanism 44 is provided with a pin 4 which moves forward and backward with an operation of a lever 47 in an engagement hole 46 formed in the front wheel cover 45.
8 is provided, and when the pin 48 is advanced, the distal end thereof is engaged with the engaging hole 46.
To prevent the front wheel 4 from turning. The lever 47 rises and falls with the rotation of the pin 48, and the pin 48 can move forward and backward with the lever 47 raised in the horizontal direction, and is fixed at that position when it is turned downward.

If the turning of the front wheel 4 is prevented by the stopper mechanism 44, the traveling direction of the walking assist device can be kept constant, particularly when the front wheel 4 is used with the back support.

[0030]

As described above, in the walking aid according to the present invention, the support is inverted with respect to the legs, and the support rod is positioned in front of the user's body and in the rear. In addition to being able to select the state, the height of the armrest is adjusted by raising and lowering the support with respect to the legs,
In addition, since the distance between the left and right armrests can be adjusted, it can be used in an optimal state according to the degree of the obstacle, the posture, and the physique of the user.

Further, in the case where a rotational resistance applying device capable of adjusting the braking force is provided on the rear wheel, when a person with severe walking disability uses the braking force, the braking force is set to be large, and unexpected movement due to the load can be suppressed.

Further, in the case where the reverse rotation preventing mechanism is provided on the rear wheel, the reverse movement can be prevented, so that the safety when used with the back support is improved.

In addition, with a stopper mechanism for preventing the front wheel from turning, the traveling direction can be kept constant.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a walking assist device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the above.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a use state of the above.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a use state of the above.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a use state of the above.

FIG. 6 (a) is a schematic plan view of the same chassis, and FIG. 6 (b) is a schematic side view of the same.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the rotation resistance applying device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing a movable magnet side of the above.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing the fixed magnet side of the above.

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal side view of the clutch of the above.

FIG. 11 is a schematic front view of the above.

FIG. 12A is a side view showing a stopper mechanism for the front wheel of the above, and FIG.

FIG. 13 is a bottom view of the above.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a conventional walking assist device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 leg 2 support 6 longitudinal axis 10 armrest 11 support rod 20 rotation resistance applying device 40 reverse rotation prevention mechanism 44 stopper mechanism

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A pair of left and right legs which have a front wheel and a rear wheel, wherein the front wheel turns around a vertical axis, and which are detachably provided on the upper part thereof, and have a pair of left and right armrests, and have a width at one end. A walking assist device comprising a support member having a support rod passed in a direction, the support member being capable of reversing forward and backward with respect to the leg, and being capable of moving up and down, and being capable of adjusting a distance between the two armrests. 2. The walking assist device according to claim 1, wherein a rotation resistance applying device capable of adjusting a braking force is provided on the rear wheel. 3. The walking aid according to claim 1, wherein a reverse rotation preventing mechanism is provided on the rear wheel. 4. The walking aid according to claim 1, further comprising a stopper mechanism for preventing the front wheel from turning.