JP2003245391A - Walking assistance tool - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a walking assistance tool capable of reducing an amount of motion during walking, attaining an easy and fast walking and realized in a less-expensive manner, despite of not requiring a certain training in familiar with its walking. <P>SOLUTION: This walking assistance tool comprises rollers 2 running on a road surface R; a roller supporting member 3 for supporting the rollers; and a foot mounting block 4 fixed to the roller supporting member 3. The foot mounting block 4 is installed near a central part of the foot mounting block 4 in such a way that it can be oscillated in respect to the roller supporting member 3. A stopper 31 for stopping an inclination of the foot mounting block 4 toward a forward and downward direction at a specified angle is installed at either the roller supporting member 3 or the foot mounting block 4. Further, there is provided a stopper means for stopping a rotation of the rear side roller 2 when the foot mounting block 4 is inclined in a rearward and downward direction, and at least the front side roller 2 is provided with an inverse rotation preventing mechanism C preventing the roller 2 from being moved in a rearward direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a walking aid for assisting walking so that the user can move with less energy.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Bicycles and roller skates are examples of relatively simple tools that can reduce energy when a person moves on land and use no power source other than human power. Among them, the bicycle is energy efficient and can move with a remarkably small amount of exercise compared to walking the same distance. However, bicycles are large in size, and almost no consideration is given to carrying them without traveling, and it is necessary to secure a place to store the bicycle at home or on the go. For this reason, the problem of bicycles being left unattended, especially around stations, has become a major social problem.

On the other hand, although the roller skates are small in size, the above-mentioned problems are solved, but the rollers are devices that slide on the road surface at all times, and there is always a risk of falling when sliding or stopping. , You have to practice to move and stop as you want. In particular, it requires a considerable amount of skill to stop at your will.
And when people are crowded or used in a place with a lot of traffic, the speed may be too fast and it may be annoying to others, and the playground equipment has a strong taste and is useful as a walking aid. Is not very suitable.

Therefore, the present applicant has filed Japanese Patent Application No.
The patent application of No. 1-242047 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-137421) has been reached. According to the present invention, a walking aid that reduces the amount of exercise during walking, can walk easily and quickly, is portable, does not pose a problem for the storage location, and does not require so much proficiency to wear it. It is possible to provide.

However, in the walking aid disclosed by the applicant of the present invention, for example, a foot rest is supported so as to be movable up and down, and a delayed descent control is applied to delay the descent of the foot rest due to a load. Since the device is mounted, the structure is relatively complicated, and considering that the walking aid is provided at a low cost, it is necessary to further review the members constituting the walking aid.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made from such a background, and like the invention already disclosed by the applicant of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the amount of exercise at the time of walking and to walk easily and quickly. This is an attempt to develop a new walking aid that can be provided at a low cost, though it is possible to do so and does not require so much skill to wear it.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] That is, a walking aid according to claim 1 is a rolling element for traveling on a road surface, a rolling element support for supporting the rolling element on front and rear axles, and this rolling element. In a device for assisting walking, comprising a foot rest attached to a moving body support, the foot rest falls rearward from the front downward direction with respect to the rolling body support near the center of the foot rest. Is provided so as to be swingable in any direction, and a stopper is provided on the rolling element support or the footrest so as to stop the inclination of the footrest on the front downward direction at a constant angle. When tilted to the state, a stop means for stopping the rotation of the rear rolling element is provided, and either or both of the front rolling element and the rear rolling element,
A reverse rotation preventing mechanism is provided for preventing the rolling elements from moving backward. According to the present invention, since walking can be performed while gliding by the walking aid, fatigue is reduced while walking speed is increased. In addition, since the rolling element reverse rotation prevention mechanism is provided, the rolling element does not rotate in the reverse direction, and it is possible to prevent the walking aid from falling backwards and to prevent one foot from moving forward while walking. Moreover, when kicking the road surface with the rear foot, the foot does not slip and it is possible to perform a reliable kick. Also, unlike a bicycle or the like, it is small and can be carried. Furthermore, the walking aid previously disclosed by the applicant (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-2001)
137421), for example, since there is no delay lowering control device or the like, the structure is simple and inexpensive implementation is possible.

Further, in the walking aid according to a second aspect of the invention, in addition to the requirements of the first aspect, the stopping means causes the foot rest to come into contact with the rolling element when the footrest tilts downwardly to the rear. It is characterized in that a brake shoe is provided at a place of the stand. According to the present invention, when walking, one foot is brought forward and the rolling element is reliably locked when landing from the heel, and the foot does not slip.

Further, in the walking aid according to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the requirements of the first aspect, the stopping means is provided at a rear portion of the footrest, and the footrest is lowered rearward. It is characterized in that it is composed of a road surface contact type braking body that comes into contact with the road surface when the vehicle is tilted by a predetermined angle or more. According to the present invention, when the footrest is tilted backward to a predetermined angle or more, the road surface contact type braking body comes into contact with the road surface, so that the rolling element is prevented from traveling and the walking aid is stopped. With such a configuration, one foot is kept forward when walking and does not slip when landing from the heel.

Further, in the walking aid according to a fourth aspect, in addition to the requirements of the first, second or third aspect, the reverse rotation preventing mechanism for the rolling element is provided between the rolling element and an axle supporting the rolling element. It is characterized in that a one-way clutch is provided. According to the present invention, it is possible to reliably prevent the rolling element from rotating in the reverse direction while the rolling element rotating mechanism for preventing the reverse rotation of the rolling element has a simple structure and is inexpensive.

Furthermore, in addition to the requirements according to claim 1, 2 or 3, the walking aid according to claim 5 is such that the mechanism for preventing reverse rotation of the rolling element allows the rolling element support to move backward. When the rolling element rotates in the reverse direction, the rolling element is in contact with the rolling element to stop the rotation. According to the present invention, the reverse rotation preventing mechanism for the rolling element is
The structure is simple and can be constructed at low cost.

Further, in the walking aid according to claim 6, in addition to the requirements according to claim 1, 2 or 3, the mechanism for preventing reverse rotation of the rolling element supports the rolling element support with respect to the rolling element support. A stopper flap that can support the body in a state where the rolling element is lifted up is provided.The stopper flap is in a retracted state when the rolling element support is moving forward, and the rolling element support tries to move backward. At this time, the grounding end of the tip comes into contact with the road surface to support the rolling element support in a state where the rolling element is lifted. According to the present invention, the mechanism for preventing the rolling element from rotating backward can be constructed at a simple structure at a low cost. Further, the material of the rolling element can be selected from various materials without damaging the rolling element.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will now be described based on the illustrated embodiments. Reference numeral 1 in the figure denotes a walking aid according to the present invention, which is a rolling element 2 for traveling on a road surface R, and a rolling element support 3 for supporting the rolling element 2.
And a foot rest 4 provided so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction with respect to the rolling element support 3. Note that the walking aid 1 is a pair of left and right feet and a pair of left and right feet. In the present embodiment, the left foot will be mainly described as an example and described, but the left foot and the right foot are not shown. Adopt a typical structure.

Each member will be described in detail below. First, the rolling element 2 will be described. The rolling element 2 is a roller-shaped wheel made of an appropriate material such as a rubber roller or a metal roller, and has a front wheel 21 and a rear wheel 22. The rolling element 2 is composed of one wheel each on the front and rear sides, or may be composed of two wheels on the front and rear sides as shown in the layout diagram of the rolling element 2 in FIG. 3A, or as shown in FIG. 3B. It is also possible to have one front wheel and two rear wheels. Further, in this embodiment, the front wheel 2
1 and the rear wheel 22 have the same shape, but FIG.
You may implement in a different shape as shown in (c).

Next, the rolling element support 3 will be described. The rolling element support 3 has a rectangular frame shape as a whole, and a stopper block 30 for facilitating kicking during walking is fixed to the front end of the running support, while the rolling element support 3 At the rear end of the footrest table 3, the inclination of the footrest table 4 in the front-down direction is stopped at a constant angle, and an inverted L
A letter-shaped stopper 31 is provided. An axle 32 is fixedly provided in front of and behind the rolling element support 3.
The rolling element 2 is rotatably attached to the axle 32. The front wheels 21 are attached to the axle 32 via a one-way clutch 34, which is an example of a reverse rotation prevention mechanism C, and rotation of the front wheels 21 in the reverse direction is restricted. The reverse rotation preventing mechanism C may be provided on both the front wheels 21 and the rear wheels 22 instead of being provided only on the front wheels 21 as described above, or may be provided only on the rear wheels 22. By the way, the one-way clutch 3
4 is a package type having an inner ring and an outer ring as an example, and the inner ring of the one-way clutch 34 is the axle 3
2, the outer ring is fixed to the front wheel 21. As the clutch element of this one-way clutch, a known mechanism such as a steel ball or ratchet pawl or a similar one which will be developed in the future can be applied. Further, a rotary support shaft 33 for supporting the footrest 4 is fixedly provided slightly rearward from the center of the rolling element support 3. The stopper 31 for restricting the inclination of the foot rest 4 in the front downward direction can be provided on the upper part of the rolling element support 3 in front of the rotation support shaft 33 as shown in FIG.

Next, the foot rest 4 will be described. The foot rest 4 is a rectangular flat plate that fits within the width of the rolling element support 3 and is rotatably connected to the rotary support shaft 33 at a connecting piece slightly rearward from the center.
It is located above the rolling element support 3 and the rolling element 2. The front end side of the foot placement table 4 is a toe placement part 40, and the rear end side is a heel placement part 41. Brake shoes 42 that brake the rolling of the rolling element 2 by coming into contact with the rolling element 2 when the footrest 4 is tilted to the rearward descending state on the bottom surface of the heel mounting portion 41 side.
Is provided. Of course, the brake shoe 42 is not directly brought into contact with the ground contact surface of the rolling element 2 in this manner, but a brake drum is provided on the axle 32 or the like, and the brake shoe 42 provided on the lower surface of the footrest 4 is brought into contact therewith. You may do it. Still further, as shown in FIG. 5, the heel placement site 4
On the bottom surface of the first side, a road surface contact type braking body 43 that comes into contact with the road surface R when the footrest 4 is tilted backward to a predetermined angle or more.
May be provided. In this embodiment, the shoes S
Is integrally provided on the footrest table 4,
It may be attached with an attachment band or the like, or may be attached barefoot with such an attachment band.

The walking aid 1 of the present invention has, as an example, a concrete form as described above, and its operation mode will be described below. As shown in FIG. 6, for example, the left foot is brought forward and landed on the road surface R from the heel side. At this time, the footrest 4 tilts backward and the brake shoes 42 on the lower surface of the footrest 4 come into contact with the rear wheel 22 to bring the rear wheel 22 into contact.
Is locked. Therefore, the left foot does not run and stops at that position. Then, while putting the weight on the left leg, kick the right leg backward to make the right leg float in the air. When the right foot is kicked backward, the front wheel 21 does not reversely rotate due to the one-way clutch 34 that is the reverse rotation prevention mechanism C, so that the right foot does not slip backward. Then, at the same time when the right foot is kicked backward, the entire weight is stored on the left foot and the foot rest 4 is rotated forward.
At this time, the rear end of the foot rest 4 comes into contact with the stopper 31 of the rolling element support 3 and the foot rest 4 is rotated in the front downward direction.
It is stopped in a horizontal state. In this state, the footrest 4
Is in a state of not being in contact with the rolling element 2 at all, the walking aid 1 slides on the road surface R. Since the rolling element 21 does not rotate in the reverse direction by the reverse rotation preventing mechanism C, the walking aid 1 does not always run backward in the backward direction, and therefore the risk of falling is small.

Then, after the left foot walking aid 1 has run an appropriate distance, the right foot is put forward and the road surface R is reached from the heel side.
Land on. The following is the same as the case where the left foot is brought forward, and the left and right walking glides are repeated. As described above, according to the walking aid 1 of the present invention, in addition to the stride of walking, the running distance L by the rolling element 2 is added. Therefore, walking is fast, and the amount of exercise is small compared to the case of walking the same distance, Fatigue is reduced.

[0019]

Other Embodiments The basic embodiment of the present invention is as described above, but various other modifications can be made. FIG. 7 shows an embodiment corresponding to claim 5, in which the one-way clutch 34 is used as the reverse rotation preventing mechanism C instead of the one-way clutch 34.
A lock pin 50 that contacts the front wheel 21 during reverse rotation is used. Specifically, the accommodation chamber forming wall 51 is provided at a position facing the rear end of the front wheel 21 of the rolling element support body 3,
An accommodation chamber 52 is formed between the accommodation chamber forming wall 51 and the upper rear portion of the front wheel 21, and the lock pin 50 is accommodated therein. The lower part 52a of the storage chamber includes the front wheel 21 and the storage chamber forming wall 5
The gap between the lock pin 50 and 1 is set to be slightly smaller than the shaft diameter of the lock pin 50, and the lock pin 50 is prevented from slipping down further. On the other hand, a stopper portion 51b is also provided above the accommodation chamber forming wall 51 so that the lock pin 50 does not come out upward. When the reverse rotation preventing mechanism C of the walking aid 1 is modified as described above and implemented, when the front wheel 21 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in the figure, it rotates normally, and in the opposite clockwise direction. When rotating, the lock pin 50 is sandwiched between the front wheel 21 and the accommodation chamber forming wall 51 to form a wedge, which prevents the front wheel 21 from rotating.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment corresponding to claim 6, in which the reverse rotation preventing mechanism C is replaced by the one-way clutch 34, and a stopper serving as a support member in which the ground end 53a at the tip comes into contact with the road surface R. The flap 53 is used. Specifically, stopper flaps 53 are rotatably provided above the left and right side portions of the front end of the rolling element support body 3 by a flap shaft 54, and the stopper flap 53 extends from the rotation center P of the stopper flaps to the tip of the stopper flap 53. The length m to the ground contact end 53a is set to be longer than the distance h (height of the flap shaft 54) from the rotation center P of the stopper flaps to the road surface R when all the rolling elements 2 are grounded. Further, a front regulation piece 55 and a rear regulation piece 56 for regulating the rotation angle of the stopper flap 53 are provided, and the front regulation piece 55 is provided at a position where the stopper flap 53 pivots forward and becomes substantially vertical. It is provided, and at this time, the stopper flap 53 supports the front wheel 21 in a floating state. On the other hand, the rear regulation piece 56 is provided at a position where the ground contact end 53a of the stopper flap 53 comes into contact with the stopper flap 53 at a position sufficiently separated from the road surface R. When the reverse rotation prevention mechanism C of the walking aid 1 is modified as described above and implemented, the stopper flap 53 rotates in a direction away from the road surface R when the walking aid 1 is moving forward. Therefore, the stopper flap 53 rotates in the direction vertical to the road surface R when the vehicle retreats in reverse without hindering the running.
From the center P of rotation of the stopper flap 53 to the ground end 53a
Since the length m up to is longer than the distance h from the rotation center P of the stopper flap 53 to the road surface R, the front wheel 21 is lifted by the stopper flap 53 as shown in FIG. 8B. Therefore, in this state, the walking aid 1 is stopped.

[0021]

According to the walking aid according to the first aspect of the invention, the foot rest 4 is provided so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction with respect to the rolling element support 3 that supports the rolling element 2, and the foot placement is also possible. A stopper 31 is provided on the rolling element support body 3 to stop the inclination of the mounting table 4 in the front-down direction at a constant angle.
Since the stop means for stopping the rotation is provided, the walking aid 1 can walk while gliding, the walking speed can be increased, and fatigue can be reduced. In addition, since the reverse rotation preventing mechanism C for the rolling elements 2 is provided, the rolling elements 21 do not rotate in the reverse direction, so that the walking assist tool 1 is prevented from falling due to backward running, and one of When putting the foot forward, the foot does not slip when kicking the road surface R with the hind legs, and a reliable kick can be made. Also, unlike a bicycle or the like, it is small and can be carried. Furthermore, the walking aid previously disclosed by the applicant (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
01-137421), for example, since there is no delay lowering control device or the like, the structure is simple and the cost can be reduced.

According to the walking aid according to claim 2,
Since the stopping means is provided with the brake shoe 42 at the position of the footrest 4 that comes into contact with the rolling element 2 when the footrest 4 is tilted to the rearward lowered state, one foot is moved forward when walking. When rolling out and landing from the heel, the rolling element 2 is securely locked, and the foot does not slip.

Further, according to the walking aid of claim 3,
When the footrest 4 is tilted backward by a predetermined angle or more, the road surface contact type braking body 43 comes into contact with the road surface R, so that the rolling body 2 is prevented from traveling and the walking aid 1 is stopped. With such a configuration, one foot is kept forward when walking and does not slip when landing from the heel.

Further, according to the walking aid of claim 4, the reverse rotation preventing mechanism C of the rolling element 2 is provided with a one-way clutch 34 between the rolling element 2 and the axle 32 supporting the rolling element 2. Therefore, the reverse rotation prevention mechanism C of the rolling element 2 has a simple structure and can be constructed at a low cost, but the rolling element 2 can be reliably operated.
It is possible to prevent the reverse rotation of.

Further, according to the walking aid of claim 5, the reverse rotation preventing mechanism C of the rolling element 2 includes the rolling element support 3
When the rolling element 2 rotates in the reverse direction so as to move in the backward direction, the rolling element 2 contacts the rolling element 2 to stop the rotation, so that the structure can be simple and inexpensive.

Further, according to the walking aid of claim 6, the reverse rotation preventing mechanism C of the rolling element 2 includes the stopper flap 5
3 is used, and when the rolling element support 3 tries to run backward, the grounding end 53a at the tip of this support member is used.
Touches the road surface R to lift the rolling element support 3 and lift the rolling element 2 above the road surface R, so that the structure can be simple and inexpensive. In addition, rolling element 2
The material of the rolling element 2 can be selected from various materials without damaging the.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a walking aid of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state of being broken along line AA in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing another structure of the rolling element.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing another embodiment in which the arrangement and configuration of stoppers are different.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional side view showing an embodiment in which a road surface contact type braking body is provided in place of a brake shoe.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an operating state of the walking aid of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the reverse rotation prevention mechanism is different.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional side view showing still another embodiment of the same.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Walking aid 2 Rolling element 3 Rolling element support 4 Foot rest 21 Front wheel 22 Rear wheel 30 Stopper block 31 Stopper 32 Axle 33 Rotation support shaft 34 One-way clutch 40 Toe tip rest part 41 Heel rest part 42 Brake shoe 43 Road surface Contact type braking body 50 Lock pin 51 Storage chamber forming wall 51b Stopper part 52 Storage chamber 52a Storage chamber lower part 53 Stopper flap 53a Grounding end 54 Flap shaft 55 Front regulation piece 56 Rear regulation piece C Reverse rotation prevention mechanism L Sliding distance R Road surface S Shoes h Distance from rotation center of stopper flap to road surface m Length from rotation center of stopper flap to grounding end P Rotation center of stopper flap

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A rolling element for traveling on a road surface, a rolling element support for supporting the rolling element on front and rear axles, and a foot rest mounted on the rolling element support. In the device for assisting walking, the foot rest is provided so as to be swingable from the front downward direction to the rear down direction with respect to the rolling element support in the vicinity of the center of the foot rest, and the foot rest of the foot rest is A stopper that stops the inclination in the front-down direction at a constant angle is provided on the rolling element support or the footrest, and when the footrest leans backward, the rotation of the rolling element behind is stopped. Stop means to be provided is provided, and either or both of the front side rolling element and the rear side rolling element,
A walking aid characterized by being provided with a reverse rotation preventing mechanism for preventing rolling elements from advancing backward. 2. The brake means is provided at a portion of the footrest that abuts on the rolling element when the footrest is tilted to a rearward lowered state. The walking aid described in 1. 3. The road contact type contact means, wherein the stopping means is provided at a rear portion of the footrest table, and comes into contact with a road surface when the footrest table is tilted backward by a predetermined angle or more. The walking aid according to claim 1, wherein the walking aid is composed of a braking body. 4. The walking according to claim 1, wherein the mechanism for preventing reverse rotation of the rolling element is provided with a one-way clutch between the rolling element and an axle supporting the rolling element. Auxiliary equipment. 5. The rolling element reverse rotation preventing mechanism is configured to circumscribe and stop rotation of the rolling element when the rolling element reversely rotates so that the rolling element support moves backward. The walking aid according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that. 6. The mechanism for preventing reverse rotation of the rolling element is provided with a stopper flap capable of supporting the rolling element support in a state where the rolling element is lifted up, with respect to the rolling element support. , When the rolling element support is moving forward, it is in a retreat state, and when the rolling element support tries to move backward, the grounding end of the tip comes into contact with the road surface and the rolling element lifts the rolling element support. The walking aid according to claim 1, 2 or 3, which is supported in a state.