AU2017101582A4

AU2017101582A4 - Therapytrike, a physiotherapy device for delivering and facilitating muscle movement and work to and in the legs and back of a person. More specifically, the present invention relates to a physiotherapy device for delivery and facilitating such muscle movement and work to persons with physical and/or intellectual disabilities.

Info

Publication number: AU2017101582A4
Application number: AU2017101582A
Authority: AU
Inventors: David Ingerson
Original assignee: Find Me Technologie Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Ingerson David
Priority date: 2017-11-08
Filing date: 2017-11-08
Publication date: 2017-12-14
Anticipated expiration: 2025-11-08

Abstract

- 8 A device for facilitating physiotherapeutic exercise includes a front chassis; a front wheel mounted to the front chassis; pedals mounted to the front chassis; a clutch mechanism coupling the pedals to the front wheel; a rear chassis: and a seat 5 mounted to the rear chassis.

Description

PHYSIOTHERAPY DEVICE

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a physiotherapy device for delivering and facilitating muscle movement and work to and in the legs and back of a person. More specifically, the present invention relates to a physiotherapy device for delivery and facilitating such muscle movement and work to persons with physical and/or intellectual disabilities.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), conventional design, or to any matter which is indicated as known to the inventor, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that the prior publication, conventional design, or known matter constitutes prior art or forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this invention relates.

Fig. 3 illustrates a physiotherapeutic tricycle 500 according to a conventional design. The tricycle 500 comprises rear outlying wheels to facilitate stability, and further includes a cable, pushrod, and/or chain/belt drive mechanism connecting the wheels to the pedals. The drive mechanism operates such that when the tricycle 500 is pushed from behind by an attendant, the pedals of the tricycle 500 move correspondingly to thereby deliver movement to the legs of the user seated appropriately on the tricycle 500.

The tricycle 500 requires careful setup to ensure that all parts are correctly aligned for the user. Specifically, the seat height, distance from pedals, backrest height, angle and reach to handlebars, and handlebar height in relation to the seat need to be correctly adjusted for each user. Incorrect or inaccurate adjustment of any of these can lead to discomfort to the user during operation. The tricycle 500 therefore tends to be set up for one user, and is not readily usable by other users.

Additionally, physical characteristics of a user can change from time to time, sometimes frequently. Such physical issues include spasticity and muscle tone. Changes in these characteristics may cause the user to be unable to use the tricycle 500 in its current set up, requiring the tricycle 500 to be re-setup.

For non-ambulatory users, the process of installing the user on the tricycle 500 requires a number of people to aid them in order for it to be done correctly and safely. There is a tendency for the legs of non-ambulatory users to have limbs caught when placing the user in the seat due to spasticity or neuromuscular weakness. These physical conditions can lead to the tricycle 500 falling over while trying to fit the user into the device. This makes the tricycle 500 unsuitable for users with poor body control where the high centre of gravity of the user on the device makes them prone to tipping sideways. In some variations of the tricycle 500, the movement of the user’s back is restricted mostly by the use of a harness to hold the body in place upright to reduce the likelihood of tipping. However, restricting the user’s back movement prevents rather than promotes the strengthening of the user’s core back muscles.

The tricycle 500 can be steered and/or controlled either by the user or by an attendant who may push the device from behind. However, if the steering angle becomes too great (e.g. a severe right/left turn), the tricycle 500 is prone to tip sideways due to the high centre of gravity

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect device for facilitating physiotherapeutic exercise includes a front chassis; a front wheel mounted to the front chassis; pedals mounted to the front chassis; a clutch mechanism coupling the pedals to the front wheel; a rear chassis; and a seat mounted to the rear chassis.

In one form, the clutch mechanism is switchable between a first mode where movement of the front wheel is transferred to the pedals, and a second mode where movement of the front wheel is disengaged from the pedals.

In one form, the front chassis is adjustable with respect to the rear chassis, whereby a distance of the pedals to the seat is adjustable.

In one form, a height and/or angle of the seat with respect to the rear chassis is adjustable.

In one form, a tilt angle of the seat varies as the device is steered.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a physiotherapy device according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a physiotherapy device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a physiotherapeutic tricycle according to a conventional design; and

Figure 4 is a side elevation view of a seat and rear chassis of the physiotherapy device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In order that the present invention can be more readily understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Figure 1 illustrates a tricycle 100 according to the present invention. The tricycle 100 is constructed of a front chassis 110A and a rear chassis 110B. The front chassis 110a is adjustably coupled to the rear chassis 110B. In the preferred embodiment, the front chassis 110a is slid into the rear chassis 110B via a telescopic arrangement. The degree to which the front chassis 110A slides into the rear chassis 110B determines the overall effective length of the front chassis 110A. In the preferred embodiment, the front chassis 110A, once adjusted to a desired effective length with respect to the rear chassis 110B, is locked relative to the rear chassis 110B via a quick release catch.

The front chassis 110A includes a front wheel 112, pedals 114, and a clutch mechanism 116 mechanically connecting the pedals 114 to the front wheels 112. The clutch mechanism 116 may be toggled between a drive mode and a free mode. In the drive mode, the clutch mechanism 116 engages the pedals 114 to the front wheel 112 and movement of the wheel 112 is translated to the pedals 114 causing the pedals 114 to rotate. In free mode, the clutch mechanism disengages the peals 114 from the front wheel 112 and movement of the front wheels 112 is not translated to the pedals 114 and vice versa.

The rear chassis 110B includes rear wheels 122, rear braking mechanism 124, a seat 126, hand grips 128 with integrated brake levers 128a connected via first brake lines 128b to the rear braking mechanism 124, and handle bar 130 with integrated brake levers 130a connected via second brake lines 130b to the rear braking mechanism 124. The rear wheels 122 are fixed to a rear axle 142, which is in turn coupled to a head stock 144. The head stock 144 allows the rear axle to be rotatable about the rear chassis 11 OB, whereby steering of the tricycle 100 is effected. Specifically, the head stock 144 can be rotated by control of the handle bar 130 which connects directly to the headstock, which in turn causes rotation of the rear axle 142 and rear wheels 122, to effect steering. Alternatively, steering can be effected by a push/pull action on the hand grips 128, which push/pull action is translated via steering arms 148 to the rear axle 142 and then to the rear wheels 122. The seat 126 is positioned in a semi-reclined alignment on the rear chassis 110B, with a base of the seat close to, at, or below a centre line of the rear axle 142. In this manner, the seat 126, and hence the user seated therein, has a low centre of gravity. In the preferred embodiment, the seat 126 is coupled to the rear chassis 110B by way of a height adjustable clip-in mechanism 400 (Fig. 4) at the front, and a rake-adjusting telescoping tube 146 at the rear. The rake-adjusting telescoping tube 146 is preferably provided with a quick release catch to allow convenient adjustment of rake angle of the seat back. The height adjustable clip-in mechanism 400 allows for the height of the seat with respect to the rear chassis 110B to be adjusted. In conjunction with the rake-adjusting telescoping tube 146, the angle of the seat’s base and the rake-angle of the seat’s back is therefore adjustable, and thereby the seat’s angle(s) and position with respect to the pedals 114 can be adjusted to best suit the user. The height adjustable clip-in mechanism 400, in a preferred embodiment, is a bracket 410 attached to the seat 126, which bracket 410 includes one or more cut-out recesses 415 adapted to engage with a pin 420 affixed to the rear chassis 110B. In one embodiment, a plurality of pins 420, 425 may be affixed to the rear chassis 110B, and the rake-adjusting telescoping tube 146 may be coupled to the rear chassis 110B and seat 126 by pivotable hinges 430, 435 to provide for further adjustment of the seat base and seat back angles.

As described above, the degree to which the front chassis 110A slides into the rear chassis 110B determines the overall effective length of the front chassis 110A. By adjusting the effective length of the front chassis 110A a distance of the pedals 114 from the seat 126 can be adjusted to suit the user.

In a first preferred operation of the tricycle 100, a user is seated in the seat 126 and the tricycle 100 adjusted to provide the straightest path between the user’s body, legs and pedals 114. The user’s feet are placed on the pedals 114, and strapped thereto if necessary. This adjustment is effected by adjusting the degree to which the front chassis 110A slides into the rear chassis 110B, and further by adjusting the angle of the seat 126 via the rake-adjusting telescoping tube 146. A four point seat belt can be fitted to the seat 126 but in many cases is not required due to the curved shape of the seat 126.

When the clutch mechanism 116 is in the drive mode, and the tricycle 100 is pushed or pulled forwards or backwards by the attendant, the forward/backward rotation of the front wheel 112 is transferred by the clutch mechanism 116 to the pedals 114 and thereby to the user’s feet seated in the pedals 114. A pedalling motion is thereby generated in the user’s feet and legs, exercising the legs and connected muscles such as the lower back. In one embodiment, the clutch mechanism 116 is provided with a switch to allow the direction of rotation of the pedals 114 to be switched between a mode where the rotation thereof is aligned with the rotation of the front wheel 112, and a mode where the rotation thereof is counter to the rotation of the front wheel 112. In this manner, the movement and exercise provided to the user’s legs can be varied.

In one embodiment of the tricycle 100, the head stock 144 of the tricycle 100 is configured such that when the tricycle 100 is steered by the hand grips 128 or handle bar 130, the head stock 144 adds tilt angle to the seat 126, away from the centreline of the tricycle 100 and out of its normal vertical position, giving the user a chance to exercise their back muscles to compensate for the tilt.

In a second preferred operation of the tricycle 100, the user is seated in the seat 126 and the tricycle 100 adjusted exactly as per the first preferred operation. However, the clutch mechanism 116 is switched to the free mode such that rotation of the front wheel 112 is not transferred/transIated to the pedals 114.

The second preferred operation of the tricycle 100 is better suited to users with severe spasticity in the legs. By disengaging the clutch mechanism 116 and thereby not transferring the rotation of the front wheels 112 to the pedals 114 when the tricycle 100 is pushed/pulled, damage and injury to the limbs and muscles of a user with severe spasticity can be prevented. Tilting of the seat 126 by the head stock 144 can still however exercise the back muscles of the user if desired.

In a third preferred operation of the tricycle 100, the tricycle 100 is operated in an unattended mode, where the user pedals the tricycle 100 around and steers the tricycle 100 by themselves via the front hand grips 128.

Figure 2 illustrates a tricycle 200 according to a further embodiment of the present invention. The tricycle 200 is similar to the tricycle 100 of the first embodiment, but further includes a canopy 210 fitted over the tricycle 200 as a rain/sun shade. The canopy 210 is designed to rotate up and out of the way behind the mounting arm 211 to allow easy lowering of the user into the seat via a hoist, should it be required. The canopy 210 can then be rotated back into position without the need for any latching mechanism to be used. Positioning lugs may be used to ensure the canopy returns to the correct horizontal positon.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the front chassis 110A may be provided with two front wheels instead of a single front wheel 112.

VARIATIONS

It will of course be realised that while the foregoing has been given by way of illustrative example of this invention, all such and other modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as is herein set forth.

Throughout the description and claims of this specification the word “comprise” and variations of that word such as “comprises” and “comprising”, are not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A device for facilitating physiotherapeutic exercise, the device comprising: a front chassis; a front wheel mounted to the front chassis; pedals mounted to the front chassis; a clutch mechanism coupling the pedals to the front wheel; a rear chassis; and a seat mounted to the rear chassis.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clutch mechanism is switchable between a first mode where movement of the front wheel is transferred to the pedals, and a second mode where movement of the front wheel is disengaged from the pedals.
3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front chassis is adjustable with respect to the rear chassis, whereby a distance of the pedals to the seat is adjustable.
4. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a height and/or angle of the seat with respect to the rear chassis is adjustable.
5. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a tilt angle of the seat varies as the device is steered.