JP2001247021A - Parking brake mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a parking brake mechanism made easy to be used by also the aged by providing an operation means requiring only small operating force in the vicinity of a grip. SOLUTION: A core material mounting part 8a of an operating lever 8 is in press-contact with an outer peripheral part of an eccentric interlocking cam 36 by rotating an operating knob 30 at a prescribed angle (about 1400 deg.), the operating lever 8 is also displaced into an operating state, a core material 21a is drawn, operating force is transmitted to wire 21 of a traveling brake mechanism 20 and brake units in left and right rear wheels 4, 4 are operated through a wire connecting device 22.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a parking brake mechanism suitable for a walking assist device used for assisting walking of, for example, a person having a walking disorder or an elderly person.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Hand-held carts, bicycles, and the like are still widely used as small-sized transportation means and easy transportation means. For example, when a person with a walking disorder or an elderly person goes out without the assistance of a caregiver, a walking assist device (hereinafter, a walking car) is often used. In any case, the brake means for stopping during the movement is indispensable, and it is more preferable if there is a parking brake means for maintaining the stopped state at the stopped position.

[0003]

However, some of the conventional parking brake means provided on a walking vehicle have a structure in which a brake lever in a grip of the walking vehicle is pushed downward. It took power. Further, there is a structure in which the wheel is directly fixed, but the usability is not good because the operation unit is in the immediate vicinity of the wheel. The present invention has been proposed in view of such a background, providing an operating means that requires only a small operating force in the vicinity of the grip, making it easy to use even for the elderly.
It is an object to provide a parking brake mechanism suitable for a walking aid.

[0004]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention relates to a human-powered moving means provided with a traveling brake mechanism operated by operation of an operating means,
In the vicinity of the operating means, a parking brake operating means for interlocking the operating means is provided, and the parking brake operating means sets the operating means in an operating state and activates the traveling brake mechanism, and sets the moving means in a stopped state. The configuration was maintained. According to the present invention, there is provided a human-powered moving means having a pair of grips and a traveling brake mechanism operated by operating an operation lever provided on these grips, wherein the traveling brake mechanism operates the one operation lever. By transmitting the operation force to the brake unit on one wheel to restrain the wheel, the brake unit on the other wheel is interlocked to restrain the wheel, and the operation lever is interlocked near the operation lever. Parking brake operating means for operating the brake unit of the traveling brake mechanism by holding the operating lever in the operating state via the interlocking means, and maintaining the moving means in a stopped state. The configuration was adopted. Further, the parking brake operating means is provided with a rotating shaft near the wire mounting portion of the operating lever to which a wire leading to the brake unit is mounted, and an eccentric interlocking cam is provided on the rotating shaft. Pressing the outer peripheral portion of the eccentric interlocking cam so as to be able to press against the end surface, operating the parking brake operating means to rotate the eccentric interlocking cam, and pressing the end surface of the wire mounting portion by the outer peripheral portion of the eccentric interlocking cam. By displacing the operating lever to the operating state, moving the wire, and operating both brake units in the traveling brake mechanism, by pressing the wire mounting portion of the operating lever by the outer peripheral portion of the eccentric interlocking cam, The operating lever is maintained in the operating state, and the moving means is maintained in the stopped state.

[0005]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, a parking brake mechanism according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, showing an embodiment applied to a walking aid. FIG. 1 shows a walking aid 1 (hereinafter, a walking vehicle 1). This walking car 1
Is formed by a pipe frame as a whole and has a front frame 3 on which relatively large-diameter front wheels 2 and 2 are mounted, and a rear frame 5 on which relatively small-diameter rear wheels 4 and 4 are mounted. These front frame 3 and rear frame 5
It crosses at a position closer to the upper part than the middle and is fixed to each other.

[0006] The front frame 3 is composed of a leg-shaped leg 3a on which the front wheels 2, 2 are mounted, and a pair of front struts 3b, 3b projecting obliquely upward and perpendicular to the leg 3a. I have. A grip 6 is attached to the upper ends of the front support portions 3b. A knob bolt 7 is provided near the upper ends of the front support portions 3b, 3b for adjusting the pull-out from the upper ends of the support portions 3b, 3b so that the grip 6 can be easily used by a user. The grip 6 is provided with an operation lever 8 constituting a traveling brake mechanism described later and an operation knob 30 constituting a parking brake mechanism so that the grip 6 can be operated by grasping.

The rear frame 5 is formed in a substantially inverted U-shape. At the lower end, a balancer 9 serving as a load means is provided along the upper part of the frame from right above the mounted rear wheels 4 and 4. On the other hand, the upper side crosses with the front frame 3 and is directed obliquely forward, and the backrest pad 10 is attached so as to function as a backrest along the upper side. The balancer 9 also has a function as a protective cover by being provided from right above the rear wheels 4 and 4 along the frame. An accessory bag 11 is held in a space below the intersection of the front frame 3 and the rear frame 5. In addition, on this accessory case bag 11,
A seat plate 12 also serving as a lid is arranged.

Next, an example of the traveling brake mechanism provided in the walking vehicle 1 having the above-described configuration will be described. FIG. 2 shows the traveling brake mechanism 20 as an example. In the traveling brake mechanism 20, the operation lever 8 provided on the pair of grips 6
Have wires 21 connected to each other. These wires 21 are connected to a wire connector 22 mounted on the accessory bag 11. Then, the wires 21 are connected to the brake units (not shown) provided on the rear wheels 4 and 4 from the wire coupler 22 so as to transmit the operating force. The wire coupler 22
The displacement of the core material 21a in the wire 21 caused by operating one operation lever 8 is
A wire 21 for transmitting to both the operating levers 8 and the brake units of the rear wheels 4 and 4
Are movably penetrated in a state of being parallel to each other with the core material 21a being exposed. A rotating disk 24 is rotatably mounted in the housing 23, and one point of a core 21 a of the wire 21 is bolted to the vicinity of the outer periphery of the rotating disk 24. In this case, the operation lever 8 of the left grip 6 and the brake unit of the right rear wheel 4 are connected by the wire 21 via a wire connector 22, and conversely, the operation lever 8 of the right grip 6 and the left rear wheel It is connected to the brake unit of the wheel 4 via a wire connector 22. Also, the core members 21a, 21a are provided on the distal ends of the wires 21, 21 connected to the brake units in the left and right rear wheels 4, 4 by a predetermined length so as to determine the movement stroke of the core members 21a, 21a. The protruding core members 21a, 21a are provided with spring members 25, 2
5 and the spring members 25, 25 are respectively connected to the wires 2
1, 21 and the core members 21a, 21a. That is, the core members 21a, 21a are urged by the spring members 25, 25 so as to always protrude.

An operation knob 30 constituting a parking brake mechanism in the vicinity of the operation lever 8 of each of the grips 6.
Has a structure that can be mechanically interlocked with the operation lever 8 as described later. That is, the operation knob 30 is, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, a support tool 31 attached to the grip base pipe 6 a that supports the grip 6 is provided adjacent to the operation lever 8. The operation knob 30 is rotatably provided via a spring member 34 on a rotation shaft 33 attached to a base frame 32 integrally formed with the support 31 so that the operation knob 30 can be rotated by a predetermined angle (approximately 140 °). An operation rib 30a is protruded.

An end of the wire 21 is fixed to an edge 32a of the base frame 32, and the core 21a is movably protruded. Next, the core member 21a is attached to the core member attaching portion 8a of the operation lever 8 attached to the support member 31 via the spring member 35 in a state of being urged to the open side (see FIG. 5). An eccentric interlocking cam 36 is attached to the rotation shaft 33. The rotating shaft 33 is connected to the base frame 32.
Is located closer to the outer peripheral portion of the core material attaching portion 8a of the operation lever 8 than the end portion 32a. That is, the eccentric interlocking cam 36 contacts the edge 32a of the base frame 32 and the outer periphery of the core mounting portion 8a of the operation lever 8 before operating the operation knob 30. Is set. On the other hand, the outer peripheral portion of the core mounting portion 8a of the operation lever 8 has a radius of curvature larger than the maximum radius of the outer periphery of the eccentric interlocking cam 36 so that the eccentric interlocking cam 36 can be continuously contacted while rotating. Concave portion. By rotating the operation knob 30 by a predetermined angle (approximately 140 °) with the above-described structure, the core material mounting portion 8a of the operation lever 8 is pressed and pressed against the outer peripheral portion of the eccentric interlocking cam 36, and the operation lever 8 is moved. Both are displaced to the operating state, and the core material 2
1a is pulled out, the operating force is transmitted to the wire 21 of the traveling brake mechanism 20, and the brake units in the left and right rear wheels 4, 4 are operated through the wire coupler 22.

Next, the operation and use procedures of the four-wheeled walking vehicle 1 provided with the parking brake mechanism configured as described above will be described. First, according to the growth of the user,
Adjust the height position of the grip 6. Front support 3b, 3b
With the knob bolt 7 near the upper end loosened, the grip 6 is adjusted at the upper ends of the front pillars 3b, 3b so that the grip 6 can be easily gripped. Next, the knob bolt 7 is screwed in, and the grip 6 is fixed so as not to shift. This allows the user to easily grip 6
You can walk by grabbing and pushing.

When it is desired to stop the walking car 1, one of the operation levers 8 of both grips 6 may be gripped and operated. Of course, both operating levers 8 may be operated. When one of the operation levers 8 is squeezed and operated,
The core 21a of the wire 21 is pulled toward the operation lever 8, and in the wire coupler 22, one of the wire cores 21a inserted into the housing 23 moves, and the fixed rotating disk 24 is displaced in conjunction with the wire. , Whereby the other wire core 2
1a is moved in the opposite direction by a couple. Therefore, the brake unit on the remaining one rear wheel 4 connected to the other wire core 21a can be operated to lock the remaining one rear wheel 4. As described above, the operating force of one operating lever 8 is reduced by the wire core material 2.
1a, the force is transmitted to the other wire core member 21a through the turntable 24 as a couple, so that the operating force does not increase so much, and the brake units in both rear wheels 4 can be linked.

When the user wants to take a break on the spot, the operation knob 3 in the parking brake mechanism is used.
Operate 0. The operating knob 30 is also operated only on one side, and the wires 21 connected to the brake units of the rear wheels 4, 4 via the wire coupler 22 are displaced and moved in opposite directions to each other. Can be locked.

When the operation rib 30a of the operation knob 30 is rotated by a predetermined angle (approximately 140 °) (see FIG. 3), the eccentric interlocking cam 36 is rotated through the rotation shaft 33 to the outer periphery of the core material mounting portion 8a of the operation lever 8. It rotates interlockingly while smoothly contacting the part. At this time, the portion of the eccentric interlocking cam 36 that comes into contact with the outer peripheral portion of the core mounting portion 8a gradually moves to the outer peripheral portion having a larger radius. The operation lever 8 is displaced to the operation state by being pressed by the portion. As a result, the core member 21 a is pulled out, and the operating force is transmitted to the wire 21 of the traveling brake mechanism 20, so that the brake units of the left and right rear wheels 4, 4 can be operated through the wire coupler 22. And the operation knob 30
Is rotated to the maximum, the contact point of the eccentric interlocking cam 36 with the outer peripheral portion of the core material attaching portion 8a reaches the outer peripheral portion of the maximum radius, and at this contact point, the eccentric interlocking cam 36
From the operating lever 8 side.
And the operating knob 30 and the operating lever 8 maintain the operating state due to the frictional force at the contact point, so that the locking of the brake units in the left and right rear wheels 4, 4 is achieved. The state can be maintained (see FIG. 6). Note that when performing the release operation, the operation knob 30 may be reversely operated by 140 °.
Thereby, the operation lever 8 is returned by the spring member 35 and the restoring force of the spring members 25, 25 in the wire cores 21a, 21a immediately adjacent to the brake unit. In this way, by simply operating the operation knob 30 and using the traveling brake mechanism 20 as it is, when performing the lock operation or the release operation, only operating one of the operation knobs 30 can be performed.
The operation can be performed without significantly increasing the operation force through the wire core material 16 communicating with both brake units.

As described above, one embodiment of the parking brake mechanism according to the present invention applied to the walking vehicle 1 will be described.
Although described, the present invention can be applied to other hand-held carts and the like.

[0016]

According to the present invention, the parking brake operation means constituting the parking brake mechanism is provided near the grip, so that the operation becomes much easier. In addition, the parking brake operating means can be completely used by using the traveling brake mechanism as it is, and the interlocking lock can be released without doubling the operating force even with only one side operation, so that a user who has one hand with a disability can safely use it Further, it is not necessary to provide a mechanism of a different system from the traveling brake mechanism as the parking brake mechanism, so that an increase in the number of parts and an increase in manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

[0017]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an example of a walking aid provided with a parking brake mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system explanatory diagram showing an example of a configuration of a parking brake mechanism and a traveling brake mechanism provided in the walking assist device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory side view of a main part showing an arrangement configuration of an operation knob of a parking brake mechanism and an operation lever of a traveling brake mechanism in the walking assist device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an arrangement configuration of an operation knob and an operation lever at a position shown in FIG. 3 from another direction.

5 is a perspective mechanism configuration diagram for explaining an interlocking relationship between an operation knob in the parking brake mechanism shown in FIG. 3 and an operation lever in the traveling brake mechanism.

6 is a perspective view for explaining an interlocking operation between an operation knob in the parking brake mechanism shown in FIG. 3 and an operation lever in the traveling brake mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Four-wheel walker 2 Front wheel 3 Front frame 3a Leg 3b Front support part 4 Rear wheel 5 Rear frame 6 Grip 7 Knob bolt 8 Operating lever 9 Balancer 10 Back pad 11 Accessory bag 12 Seat plate 20 Parking brake mechanism 21 Wire 21a Core material 22 Wire connector 23 Housing 24 Turntable 25 Spring member 30 Operation knob 30a Operation rib 31 Support tool 32 Spring member 33 Base frame 33a Edge 34 Rotation axis 35 Spring member 36 Eccentric interlocking cam

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Tsuyoshi Yagi 2-14-5 Higashisuna, Koto-ku, Tokyo Paramount Bed Co., Ltd. Development term F-term (reference) 3D050 AA04 DD03 EE15 GG06 JJ01 JJ07

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A human-powered moving means having a traveling brake mechanism operated by operation of an operation means, wherein parking brake operation means for interlocking the operation means is provided near the operation means, and the parking brake operation means comprises A parking brake mechanism wherein the moving means is maintained in a stopped state while the means is maintained in the operating state and the traveling brake mechanism is operated. 2. A human-powered moving means having a pair of grips and a traveling brake mechanism operated by operating an operation lever provided on these grips, wherein the traveling brake mechanism operates the one operation lever. By transmitting the operating force to the brake unit on one of the wheels to restrain the wheel, the brake unit on the other wheel is interlocked to restrain the wheel,
In the vicinity of the operating lever, parking brake operating means for interlocking the operating lever is provided, and the parking brake operating means includes:
A parking brake mechanism characterized in that the operating lever is held in an operating state via interlocking means and a brake unit in the traveling brake mechanism is operated, and the moving means is maintained in a stopped state. 3. The parking brake operating means according to claim 1, wherein a rotation shaft is provided near a wire mounting portion of an operation lever to which a wire leading to a brake unit is mounted, and an eccentric interlocking cam is provided on the rotation shaft. The outer peripheral portion of the eccentric interlocking cam is pressed against the end surface of the wire mounting portion, and the parking brake operating means is operated to rotate the eccentric interlocking cam. By pressing the lever, the operating lever is displaced to the operating state, the wire is moved, and both brake units in the traveling brake mechanism are operated, and the wire attaching portion of the operating lever is pressed by the outer peripheral portion of the eccentric interlocking cam. 3. The parking shake according to claim 2, wherein the operating lever is held in the operating state, and the moving means is maintained in the stopped state. Key mechanism.