JP2007082601A - Walking frame - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a means that facilitates optimization of a moving speed in accordance with a degree of disability or a walking speed of a handicapped person in a walking frame to assist the handicapped person with a lower limb disability in the walking. <P>SOLUTION: In the walking frame 1 with a supporting the frame body 3 which supports the weight of the handicapped person with a lower limb disability and moves while a sliding member 5 provided at the lower end of a leg part 2 slides on a walking surface H, recessed grooves 20 which extend in the moving direction and have a prescribed width are formed in a sliding surface of the sliding member 5 which makes slide contact with the walking surface H. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a walker for assisting walking of a disabled person or an elderly person who has difficulty in lower limbs, and more particularly to a walker capable of adjusting a moving speed in accordance with the degree of obstacle and walking speed.

  Physically handicapped persons with lower limbs, elderly persons with injured legs, or injured persons (hereinafter simply referred to as “disabled persons”) perform walking training as part of rehabilitation to restore walking function. In this walking training, a walker is used to assist walking of disabled people. As this walker, a support frame body having a plurality of legs is generally used to support the weight of the disabled person, and a rubber cap is attached to the lower end of each leg part so that the disabled person can Alternating walker that pulls out the legs alternately and advances forward, casters or wheels attached to the lower end of each leg, and a handicapped person pushes forward by putting weight on the support frame (for example, walker with casters) Patent Document 1) is used depending on the degree of failure.

  Here, since the caster with a caster shown by patent document 1 has a caster attached to all the leg parts, it is easy for a handicapped person to speed up only by pushing a support frame forward with a slight force. Therefore, the disabled person needs to adjust the force to push the support frame so that the speed of the walker with casters does not exceed the walking speed of his / her own, and there is a problem that the operation is difficult. Therefore, the present applicant is provided with a walker having a sliding plate made of polyethylene or the like on the leg located at the rearmost part in the movement direction among the plurality of legs of the support frame and having casters on the other legs. Conventionally proposed (see Patent Document 2). According to this walker, the sliding plate slides on the walking surface as it moves forward, and an appropriate frictional force is generated between them. As a result, the speed of the walker is not excessively increased, and the operation is facilitated.

JP-A-2005-118154 Utility Model Registration No. 3112734

  However, in the conventional walker shown in Patent Document 2, the magnitude of the frictional force generated between the pedestal and the walking surface is determined by the material of the sliding plate, etc., and this determines the moving speed of the walker. There is a problem that the moving speed of the walker cannot be finely adjusted according to the degree of obstacles and walking speed.

  Further, in the conventional walker, the sliding surface of the sliding plate with the walking surface wears with time, so that the contact area with the walking surface is increased and the frictional force is increased. If the fixing bolt for fixing the moving plate to the leg protrudes and comes into contact with the walking surface, normal sliding cannot be obtained. As a result, when the rattling occurs, only the sliding surface is worn. Nevertheless, there is a problem that the entire sliding plate needs to be replaced with a new one, leading to an increase in cost. There is also a problem that it is difficult to determine when to replace the sliding plate.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and in a walker for assisting the walking of a disabled person whose lower limbs are disabled, the present invention can be easily performed according to the degree of obstacle and the walking speed of the disabled person. Means are provided which make it possible to optimize the speed of movement.

  In order to achieve the above object, the walker according to claim 1, wherein the support frame for supporting the weight of a handicapped person whose lower limbs are incapacitated slides on the walking surface with a sliding member provided at the lower end of the leg. In the walker that moves while moving, a groove having a predetermined width extending in the moving direction is formed on the sliding surface of the sliding member with the walking surface.

  The walker according to claim 2, wherein the sliding member includes a mounting plate attached to a lower end of a leg portion of the support frame, and a groove having a predetermined width that is detachably provided on a bottom surface of the mounting plate and extends in a moving direction. And a formed sliding tape.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the mounting plate is made of a member having a friction coefficient between the mounting plate and the walking surface that is larger than that between the sliding tape and the walking surface.

  In the walker according to claim 4, the mounting plate is made of any one of curable silicon resin, synthetic rubber, wood, and bamboo.

  According to the walker according to the present invention, by appropriately adjusting the groove width of the groove formed in the sliding member, the contact area between the sliding member and the walking surface changes, and the frictional force generated between the two changes. The size changes. Thereby, the moving speed of the walker can be optimized according to the degree of obstacle and walking speed of the disabled person.

  Further, according to the walker according to the present invention, only the sliding tape constituting the sliding member is worn by sliding with the walking surface, so that the sliding tape can be simply replaced with a new one. It is possible to easily cope with wear of members.

  Further, according to the walker according to the present invention, when the sliding tape wears due to sliding with the walking surface and the mounting plate slides with the walking surface, the friction generated between the mounting plate and the walking surface. Since the force is larger than the frictional force generated between the sliding tape and the walking surface, the handicapped person feels caught. Thereby, the handicapped person can easily know that the sliding tape has reached the time of re-attachment.

  Hereinafter, a walker according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are views showing an appearance of a walker 1 according to the present embodiment, FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view, and FIG. 2 is a schematic side view. This walker 1 assists the walking of a handicapped person or the like who has a lower limb, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, has four legs 2 to support the weight of the handicapped person. A frame 3, a pair of left and right wheels 4 detachably provided on a pair of left and right legs 2 located in the front row in the movement direction among the legs 2 of the support frame 3, and a pair of left and right wheels located in the rear row in the movement direction And a pair of left and right sliding members 5 that are detachably provided on the legs 2. In contrast to this embodiment, it is possible to provide the sliding member 5 in the front row in the moving direction and the wheel 4 in the rear row in the moving direction.

  The support frame 3 is formed by bending, welding, fixing bolts, etc. an aluminum pipe. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of left and right side frames 6 arranged in parallel with each other, A connecting frame 7 for connecting the pair of left and right side frames 6 to each other and a reinforcing frame 8 for structurally reinforcing the support frame 3 are provided. The pair of left and right side frames 6 are formed in a substantially U-shape that is opened downward, so that a pair of leg portions 2 are provided, and rubber grip materials are provided at the uppermost and intermediate positions in the height direction. By being fitted, an upper gripping part 9 and a lower gripping part 10 are provided for the handicapped person to grip. Further, the connecting frame 7 is formed to be slightly curved so as to increase its strength, and both end portions thereof are respectively fixed to the front side in the moving direction of each side frame 6 by welding or the like. Further, both ends of the reinforcing frame 8 are bent by approximately 90 °, and the bent portions are fixed to the side frames 6 by bolts or the like. Thereby, the support frame 3 is reinforced so as not to be deformed by an external force acting in the horizontal direction.

  In addition, as long as the support frame 3 has a plurality of legs 2 and can support the weight of a handicapped person, the material, shape, and size of the support frame 3 are not limited to those of the present embodiment, and the design can be changed as appropriate. . In addition, the number of the leg portions 2 provided in the support frame 3 is four in the present embodiment, two in the front row and two in the rear row, but any number from the viewpoint of weight reduction and stability improvement. Can be a number. For example, a total of three leg portions 2 are provided, one in the front row and two in the rear row, or a pair of left and right leg portions 2 with a total of six leg portions 2 from the first row to the third row in the movement direction. It is also possible to provide it.

  FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the sliding member 5. The sliding member 5 is for applying an appropriate load to the movement of the walker 1. The sliding plate 11 that slides on the walking surface H and the support frame in a state in which the sliding plate 11 is attached. A height adjustment cylinder 12 fitted to the lower end of the leg 2 of the body 3, an attachment member 13 for attaching the sliding plate 11 to the height adjustment cylinder 12, and the attachment member 13 are fixed in the height adjustment cylinder 12. And a fixing screw 14 for the purpose.

  The sliding plate 11 is a plate-like member made of a member having a relatively small coefficient of friction with the walking surface H. In the present embodiment, the sliding plate 11 has superb wear resistance, heat resistance, and mechanical strength. The sliding plate 11 is formed from high molecular weight polyethylene, nylon resin, fluorine resin, or the like. By forming the sliding plate 11 from such a member, the walker 1 can be moved to such an extent that the wheel 4 can be prevented from rolling excessively by the frictional force generated between the sliding plate 11 and the walking surface H. An appropriate load can be applied, and the frictional force is not so large as to prevent the sliding plate 11 from moving while sliding on the walking surface H. Therefore, the moving speed of the walker 1 is disabled. The walking speed will not be slower. In this embodiment, the entire sliding plate 11 is made of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene or the like, but the sliding plate 11 is formed of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene or the like at least at the bottom surface that is a contact surface with the walking surface H. Of course, it is sufficient if it is done.

  4 to 6 are schematic views showing the configuration of the sliding plate 11. FIG. 4 is a bottom view, FIG. 5 is a perspective view seen from the bottom side, and FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section showing a cross section AA in FIG. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the sliding plate 11 is formed such that the front end portion 15 in the moving direction and the rear end portion 16 in the moving direction are curved obliquely upward, and forward or backward of the walker 1. At the time of movement, the front end portion or the rear end portion of the sliding plate 11 is not caught on the walking surface H. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a screw insertion hole 17 is formed through the sliding plate 11 in the thickness direction and through which the fixing screw 14 is inserted. The screw insertion hole 17 is drilled from the bottom surface 11 b of the sliding plate 11 and has a larger diameter portion 18 than the screw head of the fixing screw 14, and the fixing screw 14 drilled from the upper surface 11 t of the sliding plate 11. And a small diameter portion 19 having a smaller diameter than the screw head. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, when the fixing screw 14 is inserted into the sliding plate 11 from the bottom surface 11 b side, it can be screwed in until the screw head of the fixing screw 14 reaches the small diameter portion 19. It has become. At this time, since the screw head of the fixing screw 14 is housed inside the large-diameter portion 18 and does not protrude downward from the bottom surface of the sliding plate 11, the screw head contacts the walking surface H and is between the two. No large frictional force is generated.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the bottom surface 11 b of the sliding plate 11 is formed with a pair of concave grooves 20 on both the left and right sides with the screw insertion hole 17 interposed therebetween. The concave groove 20 is a groove having a depth substantially the same as that of the large-diameter portion 18 extending along the moving direction of the walker, and the sliding plate 11 is inclined at the front end portion and the rear end portion in the longitudinal direction. The portions 15 and 16 curved upward are respectively reached. The concave groove 20 is for reducing the contact area between the bottom surface 11b of the sliding plate 11 and the walking surface H and reducing the frictional force generated between them, and is substantially in the groove width W, that is, in the moving direction. The moving speed of the walker 1 can be adjusted by appropriately changing the width in the orthogonal direction. That is, when the groove width W of the concave groove 20 is narrowed, the contact area between the bottom surface 11b of the sliding plate 11 and the walking surface H is increased, and the frictional force generated when both slide is increased. The moving speed becomes slow. On the other hand, when the groove width W of the concave groove 20 is increased, the contact area between the bottom surface 11b of the sliding plate 11 and the walking surface H is reduced, and the frictional force generated when both slide is reduced. Increases movement speed. Thereby, the moving speed of the walker 1 can be set to a desired speed according to the degree of obstacles and the walking speed of the handicapped person. In this embodiment, a plurality of types of sliding plates 11 having different groove widths W are prepared in advance, and the sliding plates 11 are appropriately replaced according to the degree of obstacles and the walking speed of the handicapped. The cross-sectional shape and depth of the recessed groove 20 are not limited to the present embodiment, and can be appropriately changed in design. Moreover, although the ditch | groove 20 can be formed along arbitrary directions, the direction where the ditch | groove 20 was formed along the moving direction of the walker 1 like this embodiment has a corner | angular part of the ditch | groove 20 on a walking surface. The walker 1 is less likely to get caught in H and can move more smoothly.

  The height adjusting cylinder 12 is made of an aluminum pipe having a diameter slightly larger than that of the leg portion 2 of the support frame 3, and, as shown in FIG. Has been. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, a positioning convex portion 22 that can be fitted into the positioning hole 21 is provided at the lower end portion of the leg portion 2. The positioning convex portion 22 is provided so as to be able to immerse inside the leg portion 2 and to protrude outside the leg portion 2 by being biased by a spring (not shown). Accordingly, the height adjusting cylinder 12 is fitted to the lower end of the leg portion 2 in a state where the positioning convex portion 22 is pressed and immersed in the leg portion 2, and the height adjusting cylinder 12 is attached to the leg portion 2. The height adjusting cylinder 12 can be attached to the lower end of the leg portion 2 by sliding along the protruding projection 22 from the desired positioning hole 21. Further, by changing the positioning hole 21 through which the height adjusting cylinder 12 is slid to project the positioning convex portion 22, the height of the walker 1 can be adjusted according to the height of the handicapped person. Yes. In the present embodiment, the sliding plate 11 is attached to the lower end of the leg 2 via the height adjusting cylinder 12, but the height adjusting cylinder 12 is not an essential constituent element of the present invention. It is also possible to directly attach the sliding plate 11 to the lower end of the leg portion 2 without using the adjustment cylinder 12.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the attachment member 13 is a substantially cylindrical member made of metal or the like, and the outer diameter thereof is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the aluminum pipe constituting the height adjusting cylinder 12. The mounting member 13 is divided into an upper mounting member 23 and a lower mounting member 24 by being obliquely cut at the center in the longitudinal direction, and is screwed onto the top of the upper mounting member 23 with the fixing screw 14. A nut 25 is fitted. As shown in FIG. 3, the mounting member 13 configured in this manner is attached to the upper surface 11 t of the sliding plate 11 in a state where the cut surface 23 c of the upper mounting member 23 and the cut surface 24 c of the lower mounting member 24 are joined. It is placed and fitted to the lower end of the height adjusting cylinder 12. Then, the fixing screw 14 is screwed into the nut 25 of the upper mounting member 23 from below the sliding plate 11 through the screw insertion hole 17 of the sliding plate 11 and the lower mounting member 24. When the fixing screw 14 is tightened from this state, the upper mounting member 23 is pulled toward the lower mounting member 24, so that the upper mounting member 23 slightly slides along the cut surface 24c of the lower mounting member 24, and the upper mounting member 23 and the outer peripheral surface of the lower mounting member 24 are pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the leg 2. Thereby, the sliding plate 11 and the attachment member 13 are fixed to the lower end of the height adjusting cylinder 12. The design of the cross-sectional shape of the attachment member 13 can be changed as appropriate according to the cross-sectional shape of the leg 2. Further, the attachment member 13 can be integrally formed with the sliding plate 11.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the wheel 4 includes a wheel main body 26 that rolls on the walking surface H, a support piece 27 that supports the wheel main body 26 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis, and the support piece 27 about a vertical axis. And a height adjusting cylinder 28 fitted to the lower end of the leg 2 while being supported rotatably. Although the height adjustment cylinder 28 is not shown in detail in the drawing, like the height adjustment cylinder 12 of the sliding member 5, positioning holes 21 are arranged in a row through the peripheral surface thereof. A positioning convex portion 22 that can be fitted is provided at the lower end of the leg portion 2. Accordingly, the height adjusting cylinder 28 can be fixed to the lower end of the leg portion 2 by causing the positioning convex portion 22 to protrude from the positioning hole 21, and the height adjusting cylinder 28 is slid along the leg portion 2. Thus, the height of the walker 1 can be adjusted according to the height of the handicapped person or the like by changing the positioning hole 21 through which the positioning convex portion 22 protrudes. It is of course possible to fix the wheel body 26 so as to be rotatable only about the horizontal axis and not to be rotatable about the vertical axis. Of course, a caster or a caterpillar (not shown) may be used instead of the wheel 4.

  Next, a walker 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The walker 1 according to the present embodiment is different from the walker 1 according to the first embodiment in the configuration of the sliding member 5, and other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. Detailed description is omitted. As shown in FIG. 7, the sliding member 5 of the present embodiment has a mounting plate 30 with a sliding tape 29 attached to the bottom surface for adjusting the height via the mounting member 13 and the fixing screw 14 shown in FIG. It is attached to the cylinder 12.

  8A and 8B are schematic views showing the configuration of the mounting plate 30, in which FIG. 8A is a side view and FIG. 8B is a bottom view. The mounting plate 30 is different from the sliding plate 11 of the first embodiment in that the material is made of synthetic rubber such as curable silicon resin or urethane rubber, and the concave groove 20 is not formed. is doing. Since the other configuration is the same as that of the sliding plate 11, the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 4 to 6 are given in FIG. 8, and description thereof is omitted here. The material of the mounting plate 30 is not limited to curable silicon resin or synthetic rubber as long as the coefficient of friction with the walking surface H is greater than the coefficient of friction between the sliding tape 29 and the walking surface H described later. For example, it is possible to reduce the cost by using wood or bamboo.

  The sliding tape 29 is affixed to the bottom surface of the mounting plate 30 and slides with the walking surface H when the walker 1 moves. The sliding tape 29 is formed of a bendable thin plate made of polyethylene, nylon resin, fluorine resin, or the like, and a plurality of ridges 31 are formed at predetermined intervals on one surface thereof. The convex 31 is for reducing the contact area between the sliding tape 29 and the walking surface H and reducing the frictional force generated when both slide. By appropriately changing the width dimension of each protrusion 31 and the distance between the protrusions 31 and adjusting the contact area with the walking surface H, the walker 1 according to the degree of obstacle and walking speed of the disabled person. It is possible to adjust the moving speed. As a means for reducing the contact area between the sliding tape 29 and the walking surface H, a concave groove (not shown) can be formed on the surface of the sliding tape 29 instead of the convex shape 31. In this case, the moving speed of the walker 1 can be adjusted by changing the groove width of the groove.

  As shown in FIG. 7, this sliding tape 29 has its convex strip 31 oriented in the moving direction of the walker 1, and the other surface, that is, the surface opposite to the convex 31 is not shown in the figure. Or attached to the bottom surface of the mounting plate 30 with a double-sided tape or the like. According to such a configuration, when the sliding tape 29 is worn due to sliding with the walking surface H, it is only necessary to replace the sliding tape 29 with a new one, and the entire mounting plate 30 is renewed. Since there is no need for replacement, there is an advantage that the cost can be reduced. Further, when the sliding tape 29 is worn and the mounting plate 30 is exposed and the mounting plate 30 slides on the walking surface H, the friction coefficient between the mounting plate 30 and the walking surface H as described above is as follows. Since it is larger than the coefficient of friction between the sliding tape 29 and the walking surface H, a handicapped person feels caught. As a result, it is possible to easily know that the sliding tape 29 has been worn out and the time for replacement has been reached.

  Further, when using such a walker 1, the walker 1 covers the sliding member 5 in order to prevent the walking surface H from being scratched by sliding with the sliding plate 11 or the sliding tape 29. It is also possible to use a sliding member cover 32 that protects the surface H. FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the sliding member cover 32. As shown in the figure, the sliding member cover 32 includes a cover main body 33 formed of felt, canvas, synthetic fiber, or the like in a bag shape, and an upper opening 34 provided on one end side of the cover main body 33 so as to be bent. A lid 35 covering the cover, a pair of left and right winding fastener tapes 36 having one end fixed to the upper surface of the cover body 33, and a lid fixing fastener tape 37 having one end fixed to the inner surface of the lid 35. A pair of left and right lid receiving fastener tapes 38 projecting inwardly from the left and right side edges of the upper opening 34.

  When the sliding member cover 32 configured as described above is used, first, the sliding plate 11 and the mounting plate 30 that configure the sliding member 5 in a state where the lid portion 35 is opened outward and the upper opening 34 is opened. Is housed in the cover body 33 from the upper opening 34, and one of the pair of right and left winding fastener tapes 36 is wound around the lower end of the height adjusting cylinder 12, and then the lid 35 is moved inward. The lid fixing fastener tape 37 is bent and the base end portion is attached to the lid receiving fastener tape 38 and the distal end portion is attached to the one winding fastener tape 36. Then, the other winding fastener tape 36 is wound around the lower end portion of the height adjusting cylinder 12 from above the one winding fastener tape 36 and attached to the one winding fastener tape 36. Thereby, the sliding plate 11 and the mounting plate 30 are covered with the sliding member cover 32.

  Further, when the walking surface H is flooring or the like and is slippery, as shown in FIG. 10, the tennis ball 39 is attached to the lower end of the leg portion 2 of the support frame 3, so that the moving speed of the walker 1 is moderate. It can be. The tennis ball 39 is a so-called hard tennis ball, and its surface is covered with felt. Accordingly, since a frictional force having an appropriate magnitude is generated between the felt and the walking surface H as the walker 1 moves, the moving speed of the walker 1 does not exceed the walking speed of the handicapped person. In FIG. 10, the tennis ball 39 is attached to the two legs in the rear row in the moving direction, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the tennis ball 39 can be attached to any leg 2.

  The present invention is a walker for assisting the walking of a handicapped person or the like whose lower limbs are incapacitated, and in particular, a slide that slides with a walking surface at a lower end of a leg portion of a support frame that supports the weight of the handicapped person. It can be applied to a walker provided with a moving member.

The schematic perspective view which shows the external appearance of the walker 1 which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. The schematic side view which shows the external appearance of the walker 1 which concerns on the Example of this invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the sliding member 5. FIG. 3 is a schematic bottom view showing the configuration of the sliding plate 11. The schematic perspective view which looked at the sliding plate 11 from the bottom face side. The schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the AA cross section in FIG. The schematic perspective view which looked at the attachment board 30 of the walker 1 which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention from the bottom face side. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the attachment board 30, FIG. 8 (a) is a side view, FIG.8 (b) is a bottom view. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of a sliding member cover 32. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a tennis ball 39 is attached to the lower end of the leg part 2 of the support frame 3.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Walker 2 Leg part 3 Support frame 5 Sliding member 20 Groove 29 Sliding tape 30 Mounting plate H Walking surface

Claims (4)

In the walker in which the support frame that supports the weight of the handicapped person whose lower limb is handicapped moves while sliding the sliding member provided at the lower end of the leg on the walking surface,
A walker having a predetermined width extending in a moving direction on a sliding surface with the walking surface of the sliding member.   An attachment plate to which the sliding member is attached to the lower end of the leg portion of the support frame, and a sliding tape in which a groove having a predetermined width extending in the moving direction is detachably provided on the bottom surface of the attachment plate; The walker according to claim 1, comprising:   The walker according to claim 2, wherein the mounting plate is made of a member having a friction coefficient larger than that between the sliding tape and the walking surface.   The walker according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the mounting plate is made of any one of curable silicon resin, synthetic rubber, wood, and bamboo.

Images