JP2004275525A - Walking aid - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a walking aid that reduces the amount of movement during a walk, helps a user easily and quickly walk, a user can easily become capable of manage without a feeling of incongruity and get a natural feeling of walking, and is available at a low price. <P>SOLUTION: The walking aid has rollers 2 for running on a road surface R, a roller support 3 supporting the rollers 2, a shoe base 4 forward tiltably installed to the roller support 3, a shoe 5 mounted on the shoe base 4 and rearward tiltably supported thereby, a front braking system made up of a front braking shoe 45 and the like braking the front rollers 2 when the shoe base 4 gets into a forwardly inclining state, a rear braking system made up of a rear braking shoe 53 or the like braking the rear rollers 2 when the shoe 5 gets into a rearward tilting state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a walking aid that assists walking so that it can move with little energy.
[0002]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Bicycles and roller skates, for example, are relatively simple tools that can reduce the energy required when humans move on land and do not use a power source other than human power.
Of these, bicycles are energy efficient and can move with much less exercise than walking the same distance.
However, bicycles are large and are not considered to be carried around without traveling. In addition, the bicycles must be kept at home or on the go. For this reason, the problem of abandoned bicycles, especially around stations, has become a major social problem.
[0003]
On the other hand, roller skates are small, and although the above-mentioned problems have been solved, the rollers are always in contact with the road surface and glide, so there is always the danger of falling when sliding or stopping. You have to practice to move and stop. In particular, stopping as expected requires considerable skill. When used in places where people are crowded or traffic is heavy, the speed may be too high, which tends to bother others, and the playground equipment has a strong taste. Not suitable.
[0004]
Under such circumstances, the present applicant has filed patent applications such as Japanese Patent Application No. 11-242047 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-137421) and Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-047672. ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to these inventions, while reducing the amount of exercise | movement at the time of a walk, while being able to walk easily and quickly, it is portable, it is not troubled with a place, and it is a walking aid which does not require much skill in wearing it. It is possible to provide.
[0005]
By the way, in the walking aid of Japanese Patent Application No. 11-242047, which has already been disclosed by the present applicant, for example, a foot rest (a member corresponding to a shoe stand in the present invention) is supported movably up and down. It is equipped with a delay descent control device or the like that delays the descent of the table due to the load by applying resistance, and the walking aid of Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-047672 uses a one-way clutch or the like for wheels. Both have certain limitations in simplifying the structure, and are satisfied with the conventional technology when considering the provision of walking aids at low cost and aiming for a more natural walking feeling that allows them to ride quickly without discomfort. Instead, it was a technical issue to find room for further research.
[0006]
[Technical issues that we attempted to develop]
The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and, like the invention which the present applicant has already filed, reduces the amount of exercise during walking, makes it possible to walk easily and quickly, and without discomfort. It is an attempt to develop a new walking aid that can provide a more natural walking feeling that can be quickly operated and that can be provided at a low cost.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In other words, the 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, and a shoe stand which is installed to be able to tilt forward with respect to the rolling element support. A shoe mounted on the shoe platform and supported to be tiltable rearward, a front braking system for braking a rolling element in front when the shoe platform is tilted forward, and And a braking system after the rear rolling element is braked when it is inclined.
According to the present invention, since the user can walk while sliding with the walking aid, fatigue is reduced while the walking speed is increased. Because of the configuration of tilting forward and backward, it can be used with a natural walking feeling. Further, the rolling of the rolling element is braked when the body leans forward or backward, so that it is safe. Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-211586 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-137421), which has already filed an application, provides a step-down control device on a footrest to be raised and lowered, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-47672. Since the one-way clutch (reverse rotation prevention mechanism) is not used for the wheels unlike the walking aid of the above, the structure is simple and the implementation is inexpensive.
[0008]
The walking aid according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in addition to the above requirements, an elastic body that attracts the rolling element support and the shoe platform is hooked between the rolling element support and the shoe platform. It consists of.
According to the present invention, when the foot is raised, the rolling element support and the shoe stand are prevented from fluttering apart from each other in the air, and the landing of the walking aid can be prevented from being unsatisfactory.
[0009]
Furthermore, in the walking aid according to claim 3, in addition to the above requirements, the front braking system is provided with a brake shoe on a front lower surface of a shoe table or a front surface of a bottom surface of the shoe, and the shoe table is tilted forward to provide a rolling element in front. On the other hand, a brake shoe on the front lower surface of the shoe stand or a brake shoe on the front surface of the shoe bottom brakes it when it comes into contact, and the rear brake system is provided with a brake shoe on the rear surface of the bottom surface of the shoe. When the shoe leans backward and comes into contact with the rear rolling element, the shoe is braked.
According to the present invention, the braking system is not of a complicated structure, the manufacturing cost is reduced, the maintenance is easy, and it is possible to purchase a brake shoe or the like and replace it by yourself. In addition, when the body leans forward or backward, the rolling elements are securely braked, which is safe.
[0010]
Furthermore, a walking aid according to claim 4 is characterized in that, in addition to the above requirements, the rolling elements are wheels.
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it is easy for a walking aid to advance straight, and it becomes easy to get on a walking aid.
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on the illustrated embodiments. The reference numeral 1 in the drawing denotes a walking aid according to the present invention, which supports a rolling element 2 for traveling on a road surface R and a rolling element 2 as shown in FIGS. A rolling element support 3, a shoe stand 4 installed on the rolling element support 3 so as to be tiltable forward, and a shoe 5 mounted on the shoe table 4 and supported on the rear by tilting freely. A front braking system in which the front rolling element 2 is braked when the shoe base 4 is tilted forward, and after the rear rolling element 2 is braked when the shoe 5 is tilted rearward. And a braking system.
Note that the walking aid 1 forms a pair of left and right for the left foot and the right foot, and the left and right feet only differ in the shape of the shoe 5, so that a common description will be given.
[0012]
Hereinafter, each member will be described in detail. First, the rolling elements 2 will be described. The rolling element 2 uses a roller-shaped wheel of an appropriate material such as a rubber roller or a metal roller, and has a front wheel 21 and a rear wheel 22.
[0013]
The rolling elements 2 may be configured by one front and rear wheel, or may be configured by two front and rear wheels as shown in the layout diagram of the rolling element 2 in FIG. 7A, or as illustrated in FIG. Alternatively, it is also possible to configure one front wheel and two rear wheels. Further, in the present embodiment, the front wheel 21 and the rear wheel 22 have the same shape, but may have different shapes as shown in FIG. Further, as the rolling element 2, besides using a wheel, as shown in FIG. 7D, a spherical rolling element 2 supported via a steel ball 36 and capable of traveling in a 360 ° direction, or a 360 ° rotatable freely. It is possible to use a supported caster type.
[0014]
Next, the rolling element support 3 will be described. As shown in the sectional view of FIG. 4, the rolling element support 3 is constituted by a main body frame 30 having a rectangular shape as a whole, and an axle 31 is fixedly provided at a front portion and a rear portion. The rolling element 2 is rotatably attached to 31. A shoe table rotation support shaft 33 for rotatably supporting the shoe table 4 is supported by a bearing 32 slightly behind the axle 31 supporting the front wheel 21. Further, a spring hook pin 34 for hooking a tension coil spring 35, which is an example of an elastic body, is provided slightly toward the rear from the center. On the upper front surface of the axle 31 of the rear wheel 22, a shoe stand stopper 30a is provided for supporting the shoe stand 4 in a parallel position and stopping it from leaning further.
[0015]
Next, the shoe stand 4 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the shoe platform 4 has a rectangular flat plate shape, and a front bearing 41 for supporting the shoe platform rotation support shaft 33 is provided on the front lower surface. A spring hook pin 42 for hooking the body tension coil spring 35 is provided. The shoe platform 4 can be tilted forward by the shoe platform rotation support shaft 33, and the rotation of the shoe platform 4 from the horizontal direction to the rear is suppressed by the shoe platform stopper 30 a of the rolling element support 3.
Further, since both ends of the tension coil spring 35 are hooked on the spring hooking pin 34 of the rolling element support 3 and the spring hooking pin 42 of the shoe stand 4, respectively, An interval is provided between the rolling element support 4 and the rolling element support 3 so as not to flutter. As the elastic body according to the present invention, a synthetic or natural rubber band or the like can be used in addition to the tension coil spring 35. A shoe rotation support shaft 43 for rotatably supporting the shoe 5 is supported by a shoe bearing 44 at the rear end of the shoe stand 4. A front brake shoe 45, which is a front brake system, is provided at the front end of the lower surface of the shoe platform 4, and when the shoe platform 4 is lowered by a predetermined angle or more as shown in FIGS. The braking is performed by the front brake shoe 45 directly contacting the front wheel 21.
[0016]
Next, the shoe 5 will be described. Various types of shoes such as a business shoe type, a boot type, and a running shoe type can be used as the shoes 5, but a receiving groove 51 for receiving the rear end of the shoe stand 4 is formed at the rear of the bottom surface of the shoes 5. I have. As shown in FIG. 2, through holes 52 are formed in the heels of the shoes 5 on the left and right sides of the receiving groove 51, and the shoe rotation support shaft 43 is inserted to prevent the shoes 5 from coming off. Since the shoe 5 has about half of the heel off the shoe platform 4, the shoe 5 can be tilted backward about the shoe rotation support shaft 43 as a rotation center, and the toe is placed on the shoe platform 4. , And does not tilt forward with respect to the shoe stand 4.
A rear brake shoe 53 serving as a rear braking system is provided at the rear end of the bottom surface of the shoe 5, and when the shoe 5 is lowered backward by a certain angle or more, the rear brake shoe 53 is directly attached to the rear wheel 22. Braking is performed by contact.
[0017]
Of course, as described above, the front brake shoes 45 and the rear brake shoes 53 are not brought into direct contact with the rolling elements 2, but the brake drums 37 and 38 are provided on the axle 31 and the like as shown in FIG. The brake shoe 45 and the rear brake shoe 53 may be brought into contact. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, the outer peripheral surfaces of the brake drums 37 and 38 are formed in a tooth shape, and are engaged with the teeth of the brake drums 37 and 38 instead of the front brake shoes 45 and the rear brake shoes 53. The claws 46 and 54 may be used. Specifically, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the teeth of the front brake drum 37 are formed as circular sawtooth-shaped saw teeth 37a when viewed from the side, and the teeth of the rear brake drum 38 are trapezoidal teeth. 38a is used. This is because, when braking the front wheel 21, the body may fall forward if the brake is suddenly applied. Therefore, in order to avoid such a situation, the saw teeth 37a are gently braked so as to provide gentle braking. A shape is used. On the other hand, when braking the rear wheel 22, the heel side of the shoe 5 floats when the body is in a forward leaning posture due to a sudden brake, and the claws 54 come off naturally. Therefore, the shape of the trapezoidal teeth 38a is used in consideration of obtaining a strong braking force exclusively.
Further, in the front brake system, a front brake shoe 45 is provided on the front lower surface of the shoe base 4 and is brought into contact with the front wheel 21. In addition, as shown in FIG. Thus, the shoe 5 is set so as to protrude from the shoe stand 4, and a front brake shoe 45 is provided at the front end of the bottom surface of the shoe 4, and when the shoe stand 4 is inclined forward, the front brake shoe at the front end of the shoe sole is attached to the front wheel 21. May be contacted.
[0018]
The walking aid of the present invention has the above-described specific form as an example, and this operation mode will be described below.
As shown in FIG. 6, the wearer of the walking aid 1 puts his left foot forward, for example, and lands on the road surface R from the heel side. At this time, the shoe base 4 is tilted backward and downward, and the rear brake shoe 53 of the bottom surface of the shoe 5 comes into contact with the rear wheel 22 so that the rear wheel 22 is locked. Therefore, the left foot stops at that position without running. Then, with your weight on this left foot, kick your right foot backwards like a toe. At this time, the shoe base 4 of the right foot is inclined forward and lowered, and the front brake shoe 45 on the front lower surface of the shoe base 4 contacts the front wheel 21 to lock the front wheel 21, so that the right foot can kick the road surface R. is there.
[0019]
At the same time as the right foot is kicked backward, the entire weight is deposited on the left foot, and the left foot walking aid 1 slides on the road surface R. At this time, the body is maintained so that the center of gravity of the weight is between the shoe rotation support shaft 43 and the shoe platform rotation support shaft 33 (the center of gravity set position range B when sliding). In this state, the footrest 4 of the left foot is kept parallel to the rolling element support 3 and is not in contact with the rolling element 2 at all, so that the walking aid 1 slides on the road surface R. On the other hand, the shoe base 4 and the rolling element support 3 of the right foot, which are not installed, are also attracted by the tension coil spring 35, and maintain a parallel state without flapping, so that the landing of the next right foot can be smoothly performed. .
[0020]
Then, after skating an appropriate distance by the walking aid 1 for the left foot, the right foot is put forward, and the landing is made on the road surface R from the heel side. The following is the same as the case where the left foot is put forward, and the left and right walking slides are repeated.
It is safe to lose the balance of the body and to brake the front wheel 21 or the rear wheel 22 when the body leans forward or backward.
[0021]
As described above, according to the walking aid 1 of the present invention, in addition to the walking step length L1, the sliding distance L2 of the rolling elements 2 is added, so that the walking speed is high and the amount of exercise is smaller than when walking the same distance. , Fatigue is reduced.
[0022]
【The invention's effect】
According to the walking aid according to the first aspect, since the user can walk while sliding with the walking aid, fatigue is reduced while the walking speed is increased. Because of the configuration of tilting forward and backward, it can be used with a natural walking feeling. Further, when the body leans forward or backward, the rolling of the rolling element 2 is braked, so that it is safe. Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-211586 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-137421), which has already filed an application, provides a step-down control device on a footrest to be raised and lowered, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-47672. Since the one-way clutch (reverse rotation prevention mechanism) is not used for the wheel unlike the walking aid of the above, the structure is simple and the implementation is inexpensive.
[0023]
According to the walking aid according to the second aspect, the elastic body that attracts the rolling element support 3 and the shoe platform 4 is hooked between the rolling element support 3 and the shoe platform 4, so that the foot When raised, the rolling element support 3 and the shoe stand 4 are prevented from fluttering apart from each other in the air, and the landing of the walking aid 1 is also prevented from failing.
[0024]
Further, according to the walking assist device of the third aspect, the front braking system is provided with a brake shoe on the front lower surface of the shoe platform 4 or the front of the bottom surface of the shoe 5. On the other hand, a brake shoe on the lower surface of the shoe stand 4 or on the sole of the shoe is used to brake the shoe when the shoe comes into contact with the shoe. However, when the rear rolling element 2 is brought into contact with the rear rolling element 2, it is braked, so that the braking system does not have a complicated structure and the manufacturing cost is reduced. Further, maintenance is easy, and for example, it is possible to purchase a brake shoe or the like and replace it by yourself. Further, when the body leans forward or backward, the rolling element 2 is securely braked, and is safe.
[0025]
Further, according to the walking aid according to the fourth aspect, since the rolling elements 2 are wheels, the walking aid 1 can easily go straight, and the walking aid 1 can be easily mounted.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view showing a use state of a walking aid according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view of the same.
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a state when the front wheel is locked and a state when the rear wheel is locked.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state broken along line AA in FIG.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of being broken along line BB in FIG.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing an operation mode according to the embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a bottom view and a partial cross-sectional view showing another embodiment in which the configuration or arrangement of rolling elements is different.
FIG. 8 is a longitudinal side view and a longitudinal rear view showing an embodiment in which a brake shoe is brought into contact with a brake drum.
FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing another embodiment of a front brake system and a rear brake system in which claws are engaged with a brake drum.
FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing another embodiment of a front brake system in which a front brake shoe is provided in front of the bottom surface of the shoe.
[Explanation of symbols]
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 walking aid 2 rolling element 21 front wheel 22 rear wheel 3 rolling element support 30 main body frame 30 a shoe platform stopper 31 axle 32 bearing 33 shoe platform rotation support shaft 34 spring hook pin 35 tension coil spring 36 steel ball 37 brake drum 37 a Saw tooth 38 Brake drum 38a Trapezoidal tooth 4 Shoe table 41 Front bearing 42 Spring hook pin 43 Shoe rotation support shaft 44 Shoe bearing 45 Front brake shoe 46 Claw 5 Shoe 51 Receiving groove 52 Through hole 53 Rear brake shoe 54 Claw B Center of gravity during sliding Set position range L1 Step length L2 Sliding distance R Road surface

Claims (4)

A rolling element for traveling on a road surface, a rolling element support for supporting the rolling element, a shoe table which is installed to be able to tilt forward with respect to the rolling element support, and placed on the shoe table, A shoe that is supported to be able to tilt backward, a front braking system in which the front rolling element is braked when the shoe platform is tilted forward, and a rear brake when the shoe is tilted rearward. A walking aid, comprising: a braking system after a rolling element is braked. 2. The walking aid according to claim 1, wherein an elastic body for attracting the rolling element support and the shoe platform is hooked between the rolling element support and the shoe platform. In the front braking system, a brake shoe is provided on the front lower surface of the shoe platform or the front of the bottom surface of the shoe. The brake shoe of the present invention brakes when it comes into contact, and the rear braking system has a brake shoe provided on the rear side of the bottom surface of the shoe, and when the shoe leans backward and comes into contact with the rear rolling element, 3. The walking aid according to claim 1, wherein the walking aid is used for braking the walking aid. 4. The walking aid according to claim 1, wherein the rolling element is a wheel.

Images