JP2007267932A - Walking support device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a walking support device capable of supporting a user to walk with the body weight load on the user relieved by hanging the user's body and improving the straight moving performance. <P>SOLUTION: End side travelling bodies 11A arranged in front end right and left sides and rear end right and left sides of the lower side of a device frame 9 has movable support portions 93 secured to the lower side so as to be able to rotate around vertical axes 94 relative to a travelling face 10a, wheel shafts 92, and wheels 91, the wheels 91 arranged in the movable support portions 93 rotatably around the wheel axes 92, central side travelling bodies 11B arranged in central right and left sides of the lower side of the device frame 9 has a wheel shaft 96 has securing and supporting portions 97 fixed to the lower side, a wheel shaft 96 supported by the securing and supporting portions 97 and extending in a right and left direction, and wheels 95, the wheels 95 are arranged in the securing and supporting portions 97 rotatably around the wheels shaft 96, and the diameter of the wheels 95 is larger than that of the wheels 91 of the end side travelling bodies. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a walking support device capable of improving straight running performance.

2. Description of the Related Art A walking assistance device that supports a user's walking in a state in which the user's body is suspended to reduce (unload) the user's weight load is known. As this walking assist device, there is known a device provided with a traveling portion at the lower part of the device frame in order to facilitate movement. The traveling unit has a structure in which traveling bodies having wheels are provided on the front left and right of the lower part of the device frame and on the rear left and right of the lower part of the device frame like a four-wheeled vehicle. The traveling body is a so-called free caster formed of wheels, an axle, and a support portion. The support portion is attached to the lower portion of the apparatus frame so as to be rotatable about an axis perpendicular to a running surface such as a floor. The wheel is rotatably provided on the support portion with an axle that is parallel to the traveling surface as a center.
However, in the walking support device, since the support portion of the traveling body can rotate around a vertical axis, the rolling direction of the wheel, that is, the traveling direction of the walking support device is easily changed, and the straight running performance is poor.
JP 2005-279209 A

  The problem to be solved by the invention is that the conventional walking support device has poor straight running performance, and a person who has difficulty walking cannot go straight.

The walking support device according to the present invention is a walking support device having a traveling unit at the lower part of the device frame, wherein the traveling unit is provided at the two traveling bodies provided at the left and right of the front end side of the lower part and at the left and right of the central side of the lower part. It is formed by two traveling bodies and two traveling bodies provided on the left and right of the lower rear end side, and the end traveling bodies provided on the front end side left and right and the rear end side left and right are perpendicular to the traveling surface. A center side provided with a movable support portion, an axle shaft, and a wheel attached to a lower portion so as to be rotatable about an axis, the wheel being rotatably provided on the movable support portion about the axle shaft, and provided on the center side on the left and right sides The traveling body includes a fixed support portion fixed to a lower portion, an axle and a wheel supported by the fixed support portion and extending in the left-right direction, the wheel is provided rotatably on the fixed support portion around the axle, and The wheel diameter is larger than the wheel diameter of the end-side traveling body And said that no.
A support rod, a suspension rod attached to the top of the support column so as to perform a seesaw motion that reciprocates in the vertical direction at a fulcrum, and a human body suspension point provided at the other end located behind the fulcrum of the suspension rod A mechanism suspension point provided at one end located on the front side of the fulcrum of the suspension rod, and a lifting device connected to the mechanism suspension point and attached to the apparatus frame connected to the column and the column, The other end side dimension from the fulcrum of the suspension bar to the human body suspension point of the suspension bar is also longer than the one end side dimension from the fulcrum of the suspension bar to the mechanism suspension point of the suspension bar.
A support rod, a suspension rod attached to the top of the support column so as to perform a seesaw motion that reciprocates in the vertical direction at a fulcrum, and a human body suspension point provided at the other end located behind the fulcrum of the suspension rod A mechanism suspension point provided at one end located on the front side of the fulcrum of the suspension rod, an elastic expansion / contraction mechanism suspended at the mechanism suspension point, an adjustment rope coupled to the lower portion of the elastic expansion / contraction mechanism, A hoisting rod having a winding mechanism for winding and unwinding an adjustment rope attached to a support frame and a device frame connected to the support post in order to adjust a lifting force with respect to a human body suspended from a human body hanging point The other end side dimension from the fulcrum to the human body suspension point of the suspension bar is longer than the one end dimension from the suspension point to the mechanism suspension point of the suspension bar.
The elastic body provided in the elastic expansion / contraction mechanism is also a coil spring.
The center-side traveling body is also characterized in that it is provided on the left and right of the lower part of the position corresponding to the position directly below the center of gravity of the walking support device in a use state in which a person is lifted at a human body suspension point.

According to the present invention, since the diameter of the wheel of the center side traveling body is made larger than the diameter of the wheel of the end side traveling body, a walking assist device with improved straight traveling performance can be obtained. In addition, the wheel of the center side traveling body can increase the running resistance between the running part and the running surface, and it is safe and easy to use even for users who do not keep walking such as those who cannot support their weight by themselves. A support device can be provided.
With a suspension rod like a seesaw, the other end side dimension from the suspension bar fulcrum to the suspension bar human body suspension point is longer than the one end dimension from the suspension bar fulcrum to the suspension bar mechanism suspension point Therefore, the vertically movable width of the human body suspension point can be increased and the lifting force applied to the human body suspension point by the lifting device can be increased. That is, it is possible to increase the vertically movable width of the user suspended at the human body suspension point and to increase the lifting force for reducing the weight load of the user. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a walking support device that can reduce the user's weight load and can follow the user's vertical movement accompanying the user's walking motion to support natural walking. In addition, since the vertically movable width of the mechanism hanging point can be made smaller than the vertically movable width of the human body hanging point, the fluctuation of the lifting force accompanying the vertical movement of the user suspended at the human body hanging point is reduced. it can.
Moreover, since the winding mechanism for changing the lifting force by the elastic expansion and contraction mechanism is provided, the lifting force can be easily changed by operating the winding mechanism.
By using the coil spring as the elastic body of the elastic expansion / contraction mechanism, the configuration of the elastic expansion / contraction mechanism can be simplified, and a walking support device having a configuration that can easily change the lifting force can be obtained at low cost.
Since the central traveling body is provided on both the left and right sides directly below the center of gravity G, it is possible to provide a walking support device that allows the user to easily turn the walking support device on the spot.

  1 to 4 show a walking support device according to the best mode of the present invention, FIG. 1 shows a walking support device, FIG. 2 shows a simplified configuration of the walking support device, and FIG. The structure of the case is shown exploded, and FIG. 4 shows the plane of FIG.

  With reference to FIG. 2 thru | or FIG. 4, the outline | summary of the walk assistance apparatus 1 is demonstrated first. The walking support device 1 includes a support 2, a suspension rod 3, a human body suspension point 4, an elastic telescopic mechanism 5, an adjustment rope 6, a winding mechanism 7, a mechanism suspension point 8, a device frame 9, and a traveling unit 10.

  The support column 2 extends vertically. The device frame 9 is connected to the support 2. The apparatus frame 9 includes a base frame portion 33 at a lower portion, and the traveling unit 10 is provided on the base frame portion 33.

  The suspension bar 3 is rotatably attached to the upper part of the support 2 to perform a seesaw motion in which the one end portion 12 and the other end portion 15 reciprocate in the vertical direction with the rotation center shaft 13 as a fulcrum 14.

The human body suspension point 4 is provided at the other end portion 15 of the suspension rod 3 located behind the fulcrum 14 of the suspension rod 3.
The mechanism suspension point 8 is provided at one end portion 12 of the suspension bar 3 positioned in front of the fulcrum 14 of the suspension bar 3.

  The other end side dimension a from the fulcrum 14 of the suspension bar 3 to the human body suspension point 4 of the suspension bar 3 is longer than the one end side dimension b from the fulcrum 14 of the suspension bar 3 to the mechanism suspension point 8 of the suspension bar 3. .

  The human body suspension rope 16 is suspended from the human body suspension point 4, and the lower end portion 17 of the human body suspension rope 16 and the mounting tool 18 are connected to each other. The mounting tool 18 is suspended by a human body suspension rope 16 in order to support the human body of the user 19 at the human body suspension point 4. When the human body of the user 19 wearing the mounting device 18 is suspended from the human body suspension point 4 by the human body suspension rope 16, the lifting force by the elastic telescopic mechanism 5 is given to the user 19, and the user 19 is self- It becomes possible to walk in a state where the weight burden of the child is reduced.

  The mechanism suspension point 8 and the upper end portion 22 of the elastic telescopic mechanism 5 are connected to each other by a mechanism suspension rope 20 such as a connection fitting or a rope. That is, the elastic telescopic mechanism 5 is suspended by the mechanism suspension rope 20 to the mechanism suspension point 8.

  The winding mechanism 7 is formed by a manually wound winch device including a winding frame 26 that winds the adjustment rope 6, an operation handle 27 that rotates the winding frame 26, and a lock mechanism (not shown) that locks the rotation of the winding frame 26. The That is, the take-up mechanism 7 is attached to the apparatus frame 9 and adjusts the adjustment rope 6 in order to adjust the lifting force for suspending the user 19 supported by the mounting tool 18 suspended from the human body suspension point 4. It is a mechanism for winding and unwinding. The winding mechanism 7 is attached to the column 2 and the device frame 9 connected to the column 2 by set screws 28 or welding.

  One end 23 of the adjustment rope 6 and the lower end 24 of the elastic telescopic mechanism 5 are connected to each other, and the other end 25 of the adjustment rope 6 and the winding frame 26 of the winding mechanism 7 are connected to each other. The adjustment rope 6 is connected to the winding frame 26 so that it can be wound and unwound by the winding frame 26.

  The upper part of the support column 2 is provided with a tipping prevention stopper 29 for restricting the movement of the suspension bar 3 beyond the set value below the human body hanging point 4 and the movement above the set value above the human body hanging point 4. A suspension rod rotation prevention stopper 30 is provided.

  2; The elastic expansion / contraction mechanism 5 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the elastic expansion / contraction mechanism 5 includes a coil spring 51 and a storage case 52 as elastic bodies. As shown in FIG. 3, the storage case 52 includes a large-diameter cylinder 53 that is closed at the lower end of the upper end opening, a small-diameter cylinder 54 that is closed at the upper end of the lower end opening, and a fastening cap 55. The inner diameter d of the large diameter cylinder 53 is larger than the outer diameter of the small diameter cylinder 54. A groove 58 is formed in the cylindrical wall of the large-diameter cylindrical body 53. The groove 58 extends from the inner peripheral surface 56 to the outer peripheral surface 57 of the cylindrical wall and extends in a straight line from the upper end opening 59 toward the lower end 60. A scale 61 for lifting force is provided on the outer peripheral surface 57 next to the groove 58 in the vertical direction of the groove 58. A pointer shaft 63 that protrudes outward from the outer peripheral surface 62 is provided below the outer peripheral surface 62 of the cylinder of the small-diameter cylindrical body 54. When the small-diameter cylindrical body 54 is accommodated in the cylinder of the large-diameter cylindrical body 53, the pointer shaft 63 protrudes to the outside of the outer peripheral surface 57 of the large-diameter cylindrical body 53 from the groove 58 via the groove 58. It can move up and down. When the pointer shaft 63 is positioned beside a certain scale value of the scale portion 61, the scale portion 61 is formed such that the scale value indicates the lifting force. A threaded portion 64 is formed on the outer peripheral surface 57 of the large-diameter cylindrical body 53 on the upper end opening 59 side. A threaded portion 64 a (see FIG. 2) that is screwed into the threaded portion 64 is formed on the inner wall of the cylinder of the fastening cap 55. As shown in FIG. 2, the elastic expansion / contraction mechanism 5 is provided on the bottom surface of the cylinder of the small-diameter cylindrical body 54 by connecting one end 66 of the coil spring 51 to the anchoring portion 65 provided on the bottom surface of the cylinder of the large-diameter cylindrical body 53. The other end 68 of the coil spring 51 is connected to the moored portion 67 so that the cylinder portion on the lower end opening side of the small diameter cylindrical body 54 is fitted inside the cylinder on the upper end opening 59 side of the large diameter cylindrical body 53 and the pointer shaft 63. Is inserted into the groove 58, and the fastening cap 55 is inserted into the outer peripheral surface 62 of the small diameter cylindrical body 54 from the upper end closing side of the small diameter cylindrical body 54 and fastened to the screw portion 64 of the large diameter cylindrical body 53. The coil spring 51 can be connected to the small-diameter cylindrical body 54 and the large-diameter cylindrical body 53 by hooking hooks at both ends of the coil spring 51 to the anchoring portion 65 and the anchoring portion 67. The mechanism suspension point 8 of the elastic expansion / contraction mechanism 5 and the upper end 22 of the elastic expansion / contraction mechanism 5 are connected to each other by the mechanism suspension rope 20, and one end 23 of the adjustment rope 6 is fixed to the lower end 24 of the elastic expansion / contraction mechanism 5. Then, the other end 25 of the adjustment rope 6 is fixed to the winding frame 26 of the winding mechanism 7. With the above configuration, by operating the operation handle 71 of the winding mechanism 7 and winding the adjustment rope 6, the large-diameter cylindrical body 53 moves downward and the coil spring 51 extends in the vertical direction. At this time, the force that the coil spring 51 tries to return to the original state (the force that the coil spring 51 tries to contract) becomes the lifting force, and the value of the lifting force is the scale on the side of the pointer shaft 63 at that time. Indicated by value. That is, the lifting force can be increased by operating the winding mechanism 7 to wind the adjustment rope 6, and the lifting force can be decreased by unwinding the adjustment rope 6. That is, the lifting force (weight unloading amount) for lifting the body of the user 19 wearing the wearing tool 18 becomes the walking support device 1 determined by the winding amount of the adjustment rope 6 by the winding mechanism 7. The walking assist device 1 can be obtained which can easily change the lifting force and can easily change the lifting force.

  A method of using the walking support device 1 will be described. First, a caregiver or the like wears the wearing tool 18 on the user 19. By operating the operating handle 27 of the winding mechanism 7 by a hand-wound winch device, the adjustment rope 6 is wound up to a desired lifting force, and the winding frame 26 is locked by the lock mechanism to set the lifting force. To do. When the user walks while grasping the column 2 or the device frame 9, the traveling unit 10 rolls on the traveling surface 10a and the walking support device 1 also moves.

  In the best mode, the other end side dimension a from the fulcrum 14 of the suspension rod 3 to the human body suspension point 4 of the suspension rod 3 is the one end side from the fulcrum 14 of the suspension rod 3 to the mechanism suspension point 8 of the suspension rod 3. Since the length is longer than the dimension b, the up and down movable width of the user 19 suspended at the human body suspension point 4 can be increased. That is, the vertically movable width of the human body hanging point 4 = the vertically movable width of the mechanism hanging point 8 × (a / b). Therefore, it becomes possible to follow the vertical movement of the user 19 accompanying the walking motion of the user 19 and increase the lifting force for reducing the weight load of the user 19. Therefore, the walking support device 1 that can support walking so that even the user 19 who cannot support his / her weight by himself / herself can walk naturally can be obtained.

  Moreover, when the position of the human body hanging point 4 moves up and down with the walking motion of the user 19 from the state where the lifting force is acting on the human body hanging point 4, the lifting force varies. Since the other end side dimension “a” is longer than the one end side dimension “b”, the vertically movable width of the mechanism suspension point 8 can be made smaller than the vertically movable width of the human body suspension point 4 and is suspended at the human body suspension point 4. The fluctuation of the lifting force accompanying the vertical movement of the user 19 can be reduced.

  For example, when the ratio of the other end side dimension a to the one end side dimension b is 7: 1, in order to apply a lifting force of 25 kg to the human body hanging point 4, the mechanism hanging point 8 is set to a force of 175 kg. It is necessary to pull it down. Then, the position of the human body suspension point 4 can be moved up and down by 10.5 cm in accordance with the user's walking movement from the state in which a lifting force of 25 kg is applied to the human body suspension point 4 (that is, In order to make the vertically movable width of the human body hanging point 4 21 cm), the mechanism hanging point 8 must be movable up and down by 1.5 cm by extending and contracting the coil spring 51 (that is, the mechanism hanging). The vertical movable width of point 8 is 3 cm). Therefore, in this case, a coil spring 51 that can apply a force of 175 kg to the mechanism suspension point 8 and can move the mechanism suspension point 8 up and down by 1.5 cm may be used. That is, the coil spring 51 may be selected according to the maximum lifting force that is desired to be set and the maximum vertically movable width of the position of the human body suspension point 4. In this case, the vertically movable width of the user 19 suspended at the human body suspension point 4 can be increased to 21 cm, and the lifting force for reducing the weight load on the user 19 can be increased to about 25 kg. Therefore, the human body hanging point 4 can follow the vertical movement of the user 19 accompanying the walking movement of the user 19, and the lifting force for reducing the weight load of the user 19 is also large. Even if it is the user 19 who cannot support, the walk assistance apparatus 1 which can assist walk so that natural walk can be performed is obtained. Further, the vertically movable width of the mechanism hanging point 8 can be 3 cm with respect to the vertically movable width 21 cm of the human body hanging point 4, and the vertically movable width of the mechanism hanging point 8 can be vertically moved by the human body hanging point 4. Since it can be made smaller than the possible width, it is possible to reduce the fluctuation of the lifting force accompanying the vertical movement of the user 19 suspended at the human body suspension point 4.

  When the other end side dimension a and the one end side dimension b are the same, when the other end side dimension a is made shorter than the one end side dimension b, and when the other end side dimension a is made longer than the one end side dimension b When the other end side dimension “a” is longer than the one end side dimension “b”, the user 19 suspended at the human body suspension point 4 can have a larger vertical movable width and the weight of the user 19 can be increased. The lifting force for reducing the load can be increased, and the fluctuation of the lifting force accompanying the vertical movement of the user 19 can be reduced.

Moreover, according to the walking assistance apparatus 1 of the best form, since the winding mechanism 7 was provided and the lifting force was determined by the winding amount of the adjustment rope 6 by the winding mechanism 7, the winding mechanism 7 was By operating and winding the adjustment rope 6, the lifting force can be easily changed, and the walking assist device 1 that is easy to operate for changing the lifting force can be obtained.
In addition, since the coil spring 51 is used as the elastic body of the elastic expansion / contraction mechanism 5, the configuration of the elastic expansion / contraction mechanism 5 can be simplified, and the walking support device 1 having a configuration that can easily change the lifting force can be obtained at low cost. it can.
Further, by using a hand-winding winch device as the winding mechanism 7, it is possible to easily change the lifting force.
Further, since the fall prevention stopper 29 is provided, the fall of the user 19 when the user 19 slides his / her foot can be prevented.

  Next, referring to FIG. 1, an example of the walking support device 1 according to the best mode in which the support column 2, the suspension rod 3, the device frame 9, the traveling unit 10, and the like are more concretely described.

  First, the structure of the support | pillar 2 and the apparatus frame 9 is demonstrated. The column 2 is formed by a left column 31 and a right column 32. The device frame 9 is connected to the support 2. The apparatus frame 9 includes a base frame portion 33 and a support column support frame portion 34.

  The base frame part 33 includes a left frame part 35, a right frame part 36, and a front frame part 37. The left frame part 35 and the right frame part 36 extend in the front-rear direction and are arranged in parallel with a certain distance therebetween. The front frame portion 37 extends in the left-right direction, and the left end is connected to the front end of the left frame portion 35 and the front end of the right frame portion 36. An open / close portion 38 is opened between the rear end of the left frame portion 35 and the rear end of the right frame portion 36. The user 19 can go in and out between the position just below the human body suspension point 4 and the outside via the access portion 38. That is, when a person stands outside the right frame portion 36 and faces the left frame portion 35 as viewed from above, the base frame portion 33 has a U shape with the rear portion opened. The left column 31 is provided to rise above the rear position from the middle of the front and rear of the left frame portion 35. The right column 32 is provided so as to rise above the rear position from the middle of the right frame portion 36 before and after. The left column 31 and the right column 32 are provided to be inclined forward from the rear.

  The column support frame part 34 includes left and right intermediate support frame parts 41; 42, an intermediate upper connection frame part 43, an intermediate front connection frame part 44, left and right upper and lower connection frame parts 45; 46, and left and right front and rear connection frame parts 47; 48. The upper connection frame part 49 is provided. The left intermediate support frame portion 41 connects a position shifted to the left with respect to the left and right intermediate portions of the front frame portion 37 and the upper and lower intermediate positions of the left support column 31. The right intermediate support frame portion 42 connects the position shifted to the right from the left and right middle of the front frame portion 37 and the upper and lower middle positions of the right column 32. The intermediate upper connecting frame portion 43 connects the intermediate positions where the left column 31 and the right column 32 face each other. The middle upper connecting frame portion 43 connects the left connecting point 71 between the left intermediate supporting frame portion 41 and the left column 31 and the right connecting point 72 between the right intermediate supporting frame portion 41 and the right column. The middle upper connecting frame portion 43 includes a left front and rear portion 73 extending forward from the left connecting point 71, a right front and rear portion 74 extending forward from the right connecting point 72, a left front and rear portion 73, and a right front and rear portion 74. It is formed by the front left and right portions 75 to be connected, and is U-shaped when viewed from the top like the base frame portion 33. The middle front connection frame portion 44 connects the left middle support frame portion 41 and the right middle support frame portion 42 to each other at a portion located below the left connection point 71 and the right connection point 72. The left upper and lower connecting frame portion 45 connects the left end portion of the intermediate front connecting frame portion 44 and the left end portions of the front left and right portions 75 of the intermediate upper connecting frame portion 43 located immediately above the left end portion. The right upper and lower connecting frame portion 46 connects the right end portion of the intermediate front connecting frame portion 44 and the right end portions of the front left and right portions 75 of the intermediate upper connecting frame portion 43 positioned directly above the right end portion. The left front / rear connection frame portion 47 extends rearward from the left side portion of the left intermediate support frame portion 41 corresponding to the left end portion of the intermediate front connection frame portion 44 beyond the left column 31 and the left side portion of the left intermediate support frame portion 41. And the left column 31 are connected to each other. The right front and rear connection frame portion 48 extends rearward from the right side of the left intermediate support frame portion 41 corresponding to the right end portion of the intermediate front connection frame portion 44 over the right column 32 and the right side portion of the left intermediate support frame portion 41. And the right column 32 are connected to each other. The upper connecting frame portion 49 connects the upper end of the left column 31 and the upper end of the right column 32, extends to the left from the left column 31, and extends to the right from the right column 32. The support column frame 34 gives strength to the support 2 with respect to the force applied from the left and right directions of the support 2 and the force applied from the front and rear directions of the support 2. The winding mechanism 7 is attached to a mechanism fixing plate 29a provided at the right end portion of the front frame portion 37 in the base frame portion 33 by a set screw, welding or the like. The upper connecting frame portion 49 is provided with a fall prevention stopper 29 and a suspension rod rotation prevention stopper 30.

  The configuration of the hanging rod 3 will be described. The suspension rod 3 includes a left suspension rod 81, a right suspension rod 82, and a coupling rod 83, and a plurality of coupling rods provided in the front-rear direction in a state where the left suspension rod 81 and the right suspension rod 82 are opposed to the left and right. 83 are connected to each other. Hanging rod support portions 84; 85 are individually provided at the left end portion and the right end portion of the upper connection frame portion 49 so as to extend upward. The suspension rod 3 is rotatably attached to the suspension rod support portion 84; 85. That is, the suspension rod 3 has a left and right suspension portion in which a portion closer to the one end portion 12a than the center portion in the length direction of the left suspension rod 81 and a portion closer to the one end portion 12b than the center portion in the length direction of the right suspension rod 82 are provided. The rod support portion 84; 85 or the left suspension rod 81; the rotation center shaft 13 provided on one of the right suspension rod 82 and the left and right suspension rod support portions 84; 85 or the left suspension rod 81; the other of the right suspension rod 82 It is the structure supported rotatably by the fulcrum 14 formed by the fitting with the bearing part 86 provided in this.

  The human body hanging point 4 is connected to the other end 15a of the left hanging rod 81 and the other end 15b of the right hanging rod 82, which are the other end 15 of the hanging rod 3 located behind the fulcrum 14 of the hanging rod 3. Provided. The mechanism suspension point 8 is provided at one end portion 12 b of the right suspension rod 82 that forms the one end portion 12 of the suspension rod 3 positioned in front of the fulcrum 14 of the suspension rod 3. The human body hanging point 4 and the mechanism hanging point 8 are formed by ring-shaped connecting portions 88 and 89. The connecting portion 89 that is the mechanism suspension point 8 and the upper end portion 22 of the elastic telescopic mechanism 5 are connected to each other by a mechanism suspension rope 20 such as a connecting bracket or a rope. By hooking a hooking device 161 provided at the upper end of the human body hanging rope 16 attached to the mounting tool 18 to the connecting portion 88 which is the human body hanging point 4, the human body of the user 19 wearing the mounting device 18 is human body. It is suspended from the suspension point 4 by a human body suspension rope 16.

  The configuration of the traveling unit 10 will be described. The traveling unit 10 is formed by six traveling bodies 11 provided on the front left and right sides of the base frame portion 33, the center side left and right sides of the base frame portion 33, and the rear left and right sides of the base frame portion 33, respectively.

  Four end-side traveling bodies 11A provided on the front left and right sides of the base frame portion 33 and the rear left and right sides of the base frame portion 33 are formed by wheels 91, an axle 92, and a movable support portion 93. The movable support portion 93 is rotatably attached to the base frame portion 33 around an axis 94 perpendicular to the traveling surface 10a. The wheel 91 is rotatably provided on the movable support portion 93 around an axle 92 that extends in a direction orthogonal to the vertical shaft 94. That is, the traveling body 11A is a so-called free caster in which the movable support portion 93 and the wheels 91 can rotate around a vertical axis 94, so that the direction of the wheels 91 is easily changed and the traveling direction is easily changed. .

  Two central traveling bodies 11B provided on the left and right of the central side of the base frame portion 33 are formed by wheels 95, axles 96, and fixed support portions 97. The fixed support portions 97 are provided at intermediate positions before and after the left frame portion 35 and the right frame portion 36 of the base frame portion 33, respectively. The wheels 95 are rotatably provided on the fixed support portion 97 around a left frame portion 35 extending in the front-rear direction of the driving support device 1 and an axle 96 extending in the left-right direction orthogonal to the right frame portion 36. That is, the wheel 95 can be rotated on the fixed support portion 97 so that the center-side traveling body 11B can advance only to the left frame portion 35 and the right frame portion 36 in the extending direction of the left frame portion 35 and the right frame portion 36. It is formed by a straight traveling body provided.

  In the best mode, the diameter of the wheel 95 of the central traveling body 11B that is used for straight traveling is made larger than the diameter of the wheel 91 of the end traveling body 11A. For a user 19 who does not remain walking, such as a person who cannot support his / her weight by himself / herself, the movement speed of the walking support device 1 is fast while using the walking support device 1 or it moves easily in the left and right direction. The user 19 may not be able to maintain his posture and may be dangerous. In the best mode, when the diameter of the wheel 95 of the center-side traveling body 11B is made larger than the diameter of the wheel 91 of the end-side traveling body 11A, the straight traveling performance is improved, and there is a step on the traveling surface 10a. The ease of getting over and the influence of the unevenness of the running surface 10a can be reduced, and the running resistance between the running unit 10 and the running surface 10a can be increased. Therefore, it is possible to provide the walking support device 1 that is safe and easy to use even for a user 19 who does not keep walking such as a person who cannot support his / her weight by himself.

  The end-side traveling body 11A and the center-side traveling body 11B are configured such that the wheel, the axle, and the support portion are separately formed, the axle is rotatably provided on the support portion, and the wheel is rotatably provided on the axle. A configuration in which the axle portion of the axle wheel in which the wheel and the axle are integrally formed is rotatably provided in the support portion, and the wheel is rotatable in the axle portion of the support portion with the shaft in which the axle and the support portion are integrally formed. Any one of the configurations provided in the above may be used. That is, it is only necessary that the traveling body has a configuration in which the wheel is rotatably provided on the support portion around the axle.

  The center side traveling body 11B was provided at the position determined as follows. In the walking support device provided with the end-side traveling body 11A on the front left and right of the base frame portion 33 and on the rear left and right of the base frame portion 33, respectively, the standard of the human body suspension point 4 is provided. A person with a weight is suspended, and the center of gravity G of the walking support device in a use state in which a predetermined lifting force is applied to the suspended person is obtained, and is orthogonal to the front-rear direction from a position corresponding directly below the center of gravity G. A straight line X extending to the left and right is obtained, and the position at which the straight line intersects with the left frame portion 35 and the right frame portion 36 of the base frame 33 is defined as the center of the bearing portion of the fixed support portion 97, and the straight line with the center line of the axle 96. An axle 96 was provided so that X coincided with X. And the center side traveling body 11B of the structure by which the wheel 95 was rotatably provided in the fixed support part 97 centering on the axle shaft 96 was formed. For example, in a walking support device that does not include the central traveling body 11B, the center of gravity G of the walking support device in a use state in which a 50 kg person is suspended from the human body suspension point 4 with a lifting force of 25 kg is calculated and obtained. . That is, the center-side traveling body 11B is a walking support device that does not include the center-side traveling body 11B, and the center-side traveling body 11B is in the use state in which a predetermined lifting force is applied to the user 19 suspended from the human body suspension point 4. It was provided on the left and right of the position corresponding to the position just below the center of gravity G of the walking support device. Thus, since the axles 96 of the central traveling body 11B are provided on both the right and left sides directly below the center of gravity G, when the user 19 turns the walking assistance device 1 on the spot, the walking assistance device 1 that is easy to turn is provided. Can be provided.

According to the best mode, since the diameter of the wheel 95 of the central traveling body 11B is made larger than the diameter of the wheel 91 of the end traveling body 11A, the weight of the user 19 is reduced by hanging the body of the user 19. Thus, the walking support device 1 that can support the walking of the user 19 in the state and has improved the straight running performance is obtained. Further, the wheel 95 of the central traveling body 11B increases the running resistance, and can provide the walking support device 1 that is safe and easy to use even for a user 19 who does not keep walking, such as a person who cannot support his / her weight by himself. .
Further, since the axles 96 of the central traveling body 11B are provided on both the right and left sides directly below the center of gravity G, the walking support device 1 that allows the user 19 to easily turn the walking support device 1 on the spot can be provided.
Further, the user 19 feels as if he / she pushes the heavy front side by using the front side where the elastic expansion / contraction mechanism 5 is provided as shown in FIGS. Easy to move to.
When the user 19 is used facing the front side where the elastic expansion / contraction mechanism 5 is provided as shown in FIG. 1, if the elastic expansion / contraction mechanism 5 is in the front center as shown in FIG. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, by providing the elastic expansion / contraction mechanism 5 close to the front right end (or left end), a device that does not obstruct the front view is obtained.

Other form 1
Without using the winding mechanism 7, the lower end of the elastic expansion / contraction mechanism 5 is connected to the column 2 and the apparatus frame 9, and the lower end 21 of the mechanism suspension rope 20 and the upper end 22 of the elastic expansion / contraction mechanism 5 are connected to each other. It is good also as a structure. That is, the elastic expansion / contraction mechanism 5 may be used as a lifting device connected to the mechanism suspension point 8 and attached to the support column 2 or the device frame 9.

  A plate is provided at the upper and lower ends of the coil spring, the upper end plate is connected to the inner bottom of the large diameter cylindrical body 53 with a wire, the lower end plate is connected to the inner bottom of the small diameter cylindrical body 54 with a wire, and the adjustment rope 6 is wound. By using the elastic expansion and contraction mechanism 5 having a structure in which the force that the coil spring tries to return to the original state (the force that the coil spring tries to extend) is the lifting force by contracting the coil spring between the upper and lower plates. May be. In this case, since the state in which the coil spring is fully contracted functions as a fall prevention stopper, it is not necessary to provide the fall prevention stopper 29 on the upper portion of the column 2. Rubber may be used as the elastic body of the elastic expansion / contraction mechanism 5. You may use the elastic expansion-contraction mechanism 5 using the elastic function by a fluid. If a motor-driven winch device is used as the winding mechanism 7, operability can be improved. The winding mechanism 7 may be attached to the upper side of the support 2 and the adjustment rope 6 may be hung on a pulley or the like to fix the other end 25 of the adjustment rope 6 to the winding frame 26 of the winding mechanism 7. The winding mechanism 7 may be connected to the device frame 9.

The perspective view (best form) of a walking assistance apparatus. The side view (partial cross section) of a walking assistance apparatus (best form). The disassembled perspective view which shows the storage case of an elastic expansion-contraction mechanism (best form). The top view (best form) of the walking assistance apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 walking support device, 2 struts, 3 suspension rods, 4 human body suspension points,
5 Elastic telescopic mechanism, 6 Adjustment rope, 7 Winding mechanism, 8 Mechanism hanging point,
9 equipment frame, 10 running part, 11 running body, 11A end side running body,
11B center side traveling body, 14 fulcrums, 51 coil spring, 91 wheels,
92 axles, 93 movable support parts, 95 wheels, 96 axles, 97 movable support parts,
a other end side dimension, b one end side dimension, G center of gravity.

Claims (5)

In the walking support device provided with a traveling part at the lower part of the device frame,
The traveling portion is formed by two traveling bodies provided on the left and right of the lower front end side, two traveling bodies provided on the left and right of the lower central side, and two traveling bodies provided on the left and right of the lower rear end side. ,
End side traveling bodies provided on the left and right of the front end side and the left and right of the rear end side include a movable support portion, an axle, and wheels attached to the lower part so as to be rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the traveling surface. The wheel is rotatably provided on the movable support portion around the axle,
The center-side traveling body provided on the left and right of the center side includes a fixed support portion fixed to the lower portion and an axle and wheels supported by the fixed support portion and extending in the left-right direction, and the wheels are fixed support portions around the axle. A walking assistance device, characterized in that the wheel has a diameter greater than that of the end-side traveling body.   A support rod, a suspension rod attached to the top of the support column so as to perform a seesaw motion that reciprocates in the vertical direction at a fulcrum, and a human body suspension point provided at the other end located behind the fulcrum of the suspension rod A mechanism suspension point provided at one end located on the front side of the fulcrum of the suspension rod, and a lifting device connected to the mechanism suspension point and attached to the apparatus frame connected to the column and the column, The other end side dimension from the fulcrum of the suspension bar to the human body suspension point of the suspension bar is longer than the one end side dimension from the fulcrum of the suspension bar to the mechanism suspension point of the suspension bar. Walking support device.   A support rod, a suspension rod attached to the top of the support column so as to perform a seesaw motion that reciprocates in the vertical direction at a fulcrum, and a human body suspension point provided at the other end located behind the fulcrum of the suspension rod A mechanism suspension point provided at one end located on the front side of the fulcrum of the suspension rod, an elastic expansion / contraction mechanism suspended at the mechanism suspension point, an adjustment rope coupled to the lower portion of the elastic expansion / contraction mechanism, A hoisting rod having a winding mechanism for winding and unwinding an adjustment rope attached to a support frame and a device frame connected to the support post in order to adjust a lifting force with respect to a human body suspended from a human body hanging point 2. The walking according to claim 1, wherein a dimension of the other end from the fulcrum of the suspension bar to the human body suspension point of the suspension bar is longer than a dimension of the one end from the fulcrum of the suspension bar to the mechanism suspension point of the suspension bar. Support device.   The walking support device according to claim 3, wherein the elastic body provided in the elastic expansion and contraction mechanism is a coil spring.   The center-side traveling body is provided on the left and right of a lower portion of a position corresponding to a position directly below the center of gravity of the walking support device in a use state in which a person is lifted at a human body suspension point. The walking support device according to any one of 4.

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