JP2005118154A - Walker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a walker allowing a user to easily change the direction with simple operation. <P>SOLUTION: Front wheels 221 and 222 and rear wheels 231 and 232, capable of changing the direction of axles are mounted under a body 21 of the walker. Armrests 26 are mounted on top of supports 241 and 242 attached to the body 21, and projections 271 and 272 projecting upward are mounted on the outside of left and right armrest tables 261 and 262 of the armrests 26. The walker is advanced as the user pushes the walker forward with the elbows and upper arms put on the armrest tables 261 and 262. When the user presses either left or right projection obliquely forward, the walker is rotated in the horizontal direction so that the front of the walker can be turned obliquely forward, opposite from the pressed projection. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a walker that serves as an auxiliary tool when a person with reduced mobility, such as an elderly person or a disabled person, walks.

  Traditionally, when elderly people with weakness in the lower limbs or physically disabled persons with lower limbs (hereinafter referred to as “users”) walk or perform walking training, they support the user's body and walk. A walker is used to assist. In general, such a walker has a main body made of a metal pipe or the like, and a pair of left and right front wheels and a pair of left and right rear wheels are provided at the lower part thereof, and a user is provided at the upper part of the main body. A handle to be grasped and / or an elbow rest on which a user places an elbow or a forearm (hereinafter referred to as “elbow etc.”) are provided. Among these, the armrest is easier to put on the weight than the steering wheel and can walk more easily, so it is suitable for users with severe symptoms or when using for a long time.

  Further, in order to be able to freely change the direction, a caster that is freely rotatable around a vertical axis is used for a front wheel and / or a rear wheel of a normal walker. An example of such a caster is shown in FIG. This caster has a wheel 11 that rotates about an axle 12, an axle attachment portion 13 for attaching the axle 12 to the body of the walker, and a rotation portion 14 on the upper portion of the axle attachment portion 13. The rotating unit 14 has a bearing mechanism, and can rotate (rotate) the rotating shaft 16 of the axle 12 around the direction changing shaft 15 extending in the vertical direction. By this rotation, the direction of the axle 12 is changed, and the walker can be advanced in an arbitrary direction.

  In order to facilitate the direction change in the walker as described above, various studies have been made on the configuration and arrangement of wheels. For example, Patent Document 1 describes that a front wheel and a rear wheel having variable axle directions are provided, and an intermediate wheel having a fixed axle direction is provided between the front wheels and the rear wheels. By adopting such a configuration, the walker rotates in the horizontal direction around one of the left and right intermediate wheels at the time of changing the direction, so that the turning radius becomes small and a small turn can be made.

JP 2002-85498 A ([0003], FIG. 3)

  However, although various studies have been made on the configuration and arrangement of wheels, it has been easy to change the direction of the armrests and handles operated by the user when changing the direction. There was no consideration for this. Moreover, although patent document 1 describes the operation | movement of the wheel at the time of direction change, it does not describe the operation which a user should perform in that case.

  In the walker described in Patent Literature 1, the direction is changed by pushing the elbow rest in the lateral direction of the walker (slightly forward from the side) with the user's elbow placed on the elbow rest. In this case, the weight of the user can be used because a force is applied in the lateral direction to the armrest on the side of the user's body. However, in the conventional walker, the direction of the force applied to the armrest is parallel to the surface of the armrest, so that it is difficult to efficiently transmit this force to the armrest. In addition, the skin on the surface of the elbow or the like is pulled in that direction, giving the user unpleasant feeling. Furthermore, depending on the material of the elbow rest, the elbow or the like may slip and fall.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a walker capable of changing direction by an easy operation.

A walker according to the present invention made to solve the above-mentioned problems is a walker that assists the walking of a disabled person, such as an elderly person or a physically handicapped person,
a) a wheel provided in the lower part of the walker main body, the direction of the rotation axis being variable;
b) an elbow rest having a substantially horizontal elbow rest provided respectively on the left and right of the upper part of the walker main body, and an upward projecting portion provided on the outer side of the left and right elbow rest;
It is characterized by providing.

Embodiments and effects of the invention

  As the main body of the walker according to the present invention, for example, the one similar to the conventional walker can be used such as a combination of metal pipes. A wheel having a variable axle direction is used as at least a part of a plurality of wheels. For example, a pair of left and right front wheels and a rear wheel are provided, and wheels with variable axle directions are used for the rear wheels. In this case, the front wheel may be either one having a variable axle direction or a fixed one. For example, a conventional wheel as shown in FIG. 1 can be used as the wheel whose axle direction is variable. The elbow mount has a protruding portion protruding upward on the outer side of the elbow mount, and when the user places the elbow or the like on the elbow mount, the elbow or the like can be brought into contact with the protruding portion.

  The operation of the walker of the present invention will be described. The user places an elbow or the like on the elbow rest and uses the walker of the present invention while being supported by the walker. When walking in a straight direction, as with conventional walker, walk by pushing the elbow forward, and when changing direction, the elbow on the side opposite to the direction in which the walker is aimed An elbow or the like is brought into contact with the protruding portion provided on the table, and a force is applied so as to push the protruding portion in the lateral direction. Here, when using a wheel whose direction of the axle is variable only for the rear wheel (the front wheel is fixed in direction), the entire walker rotates around the front wheel, so the direction can be changed even if the protrusion is pushed sideways. Can do. On the other hand, when all the wheels have variable axle directions, a force is applied so that the protruding portion is pushed slightly forward from the side. Thereby, the direction of the walker changes in the direction opposite to the pushed direction.

  In the walker according to the present invention, the lateral force for changing the direction is applied in a direction close to perpendicular to the protrusion. Therefore, this force can be efficiently transmitted to the protruding portion, and the user can easily change the direction of the walker without needless force. Further, the skin on the surface of the elbow or the like is not pulled unlike the conventional walker, and there is no fear that the elbow or the like slips and falls. Further, the elbow and the like are stabilized by the protrusions not only during the direction change but also during normal use, so that a sense of security can be given to the user.

  In the walker of the present invention, it is desirable that the left and right elbow rests be extended forward, and the distance between them be narrowed toward the front, that is, in the shape of a letter “C” in Katakana. Furthermore, it is desirable that the protruding portion is also arranged in a “C” shape like the elbow rest. When pushing the projection slightly forward from the side when changing direction, this force is applied to the projection in a more nearly vertical direction by placing the elbow rest or / and the projection in a “C” shape. It becomes like this. Therefore, the user can change the direction of the walker more easily.

  The left and right elbow rests are preferably connected in front of the walker. As a result, a hand or the like can be placed on the front connection portion, and the user can be prevented from falling forward.

  A perspective view of one embodiment of the walker according to the present invention is shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the direction indicated by the arrow in the figure will be described as the front of the walker. This walker has a main body 21 assembled by welding metal pipes. The main body 21 is provided so as to surround the front and side of the walker. Moreover, the two pipes 211 and 212 provided on both sides are arranged so that the distance between them becomes narrower toward the front of the walker.

  A pair of left and right front wheels 221 and 222 and a pair of left and right rear wheels 231 and 232 are provided at the lower portion of the main body 21. All of these four wheels have variable axle directions. That is, like the wheels shown in FIG. 1, the whole wheel can be rotated around the vertical axis to change the direction of the wheels. .

  A pair of left and right columns 241 and 242 are provided on the upper portion of the main body 21, and an armrest 26 is provided on the upper portions of the columns 241 and 242. The columns 241 and 242 are attached to the main body 21 by screws, and the height of the elbow rest 26 is adjusted according to the user's physique by loosening the screws and sliding the columns 241 and 242 with respect to the main body 21. can do. In FIG. 2, only the screw 25 for attaching the column 242 is shown.

  As shown in the top view of FIG. 3, the elbow rest 26 has a horseshoe shape. Elbow rests 261 and 262 on which the user normally places elbows and the like are formed on the left and right sides of the walker, and a connecting portion 263 is formed at the front of the walker as an integral part of the elbow rests 261 and 262. The connection unit 263 has a role of preventing the user from falling forward. The user can also walk by pressing the connection portion 263 by hand. In the present embodiment, the elbow rests 261 and 262 are provided so that the distance between them becomes narrower toward the front. For the material of the armrest 26, it is desirable to use a cushioned material such as polyurethane in consideration of user comfort.

  Protruding portions 271 and 272 projecting upward are provided on the right side of the right armrest table 261 and the left armrest table 262 on the left side thereof. These protrusions are made of the same material as the armrest 26 and have a plate-like shape extending in a substantially vertical direction. Similarly to the elbow mounts 261 and 262, the projecting portions 271 and 272 are provided so that the distance between them becomes narrower toward the front, that is, in a “C” shape.

  The operation of the walker according to this embodiment will be described. The user stands behind the walker and places the elbows and forearms of both arms on the elbow rests 261 and 262. The user hangs a part of his / her weight from the elbow or the like and pushes the elbow rests 261 and 262 forward. Thereby, the walker starts moving linearly forward. The user walks along with the movement of the walker. At this time, since a part of the body weight is distributed to the elbows and the like, the burden on the user's foot during walking is reduced. Thus, when walking in a straight line, the axles of the front wheels 221 and 222 and the rear wheels 231 and 232 face the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction, that is, the left-right direction of the walker.

  When the direction is changed, the user applies an elbow or the like to the protruding portion provided on the elbow stand on the opposite side of the direction to be changed, and applies a force obliquely forward. For example, when the walker is to be turned to the left side, the right protrusion 271 is pushed diagonally right forward by an elbow or the like. In this embodiment, since the projecting portions 271 and 272 are provided in a “C” shape, in a direction perpendicular to the inner surface (the elbow rest side) of the projecting portions 271 and 272 (in the direction of the thick arrow in FIG. 3). You just need to add power. Therefore, this force is efficiently transmitted to the protruding portion, thereby reducing the user's labor. Due to the force applied as described above, the walker rotates and proceeds in an oblique direction. For example, when the right protrusion 271 is pushed, the walker turns counterclockwise and changes its direction in the diagonally left direction. At that time, all four wheels can rotate about the vertical axis, so when this diagonally forward force is applied, the wheel turns in that direction (the wheel axle is in a direction perpendicular to that direction). Therefore, the direction can be changed smoothly.

  After completing the turn, the user again pushes the elbow rests 261 and 262 to the front of the walker. As a result, the four wheels face the front of the walker, and the walker advances forward. The user can walk in the direction changed by the above-mentioned operation by proceeding with the movement of the walker.

  The configuration of the walker of the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment. For example, a pair of independent elbow mounts may be provided on the left and right, and the connection part as in the above embodiment may not be provided in front of the walker. Even in the walker having such a configuration, both linear motion and direction change can be performed in the same manner as in the above embodiment.

  Moreover, this invention is applicable not only to the walker provided only with the armrest like the said Example but with respect to the walker provided with both the armrest and the handle | steering-wheel.

  Furthermore, the front wheel or the rear wheel may have a fixed axle direction. In the case where a wheel having a fixed axle direction is used as the front wheel, when a diagonally forward force is applied to one of the left and right protrusions, the walker rotates around the front wheel on the opposite side. For example, when a force in the above direction is applied to the right protrusion, the walker rotates counterclockwise around the left front wheel. When comparing the walker with variable axle direction of all wheels as in the above embodiment and the walker with fixed axle direction of some wheels, the former is more smoothly changing direction, the latter is more Each has the advantage that the movement in the linear direction is stable.

The perspective view which shows an example of the wheel from which the direction of an axle shaft is variable. The perspective view which shows one Example of the walker based on this invention. The top view of the elbow rest of the walker of a present Example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Wheel 12 ... Axle 13 ... Axle attaching part 14 ... Rotating part 15 ... Direction change shaft 21 ... Main body 221, 222 ... Front wheel 231, 232 ... Rear wheel 241, 242 ... Post 25 ... Screw 26 ... Elbow rest 261, 262 ... Elbow rest 263 ... Connection part 271, 272 ... Projection part

Claims (4)

A walker that assists the walking of people with lower limbs, such as the elderly and the physically handicapped,
a) a wheel provided in the lower part of the walker main body, the direction of the rotation axis being variable;
b) an elbow rest having a substantially horizontal elbow rest provided respectively on the left and right of the upper part of the walker main body, and an upward projecting portion provided on the outer side of the left and right elbow rest;
A walker characterized by comprising.   The walker according to claim 1, wherein the left and right elbow mounts are arranged so as to extend forward and the distance therebetween becomes narrower toward the front.   The walker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the left and right protrusions are also arranged so that the distance between them is narrowed toward the front.   The walker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein front extension portions of the left and right elbow rests are connected in front.

Images