JP2015070816A - Wheelchair for four-legged animal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wheelchair for a four-legged animal which can be used by a four-legged animal comfortably without disturbing the bending of a body when the four-legged animal having hind legs with an insufficient motor function because of a disease, an accident, or the like changes in a direction.SOLUTION: A wheelchair for a four-legged animal includes: a pulling part 110 attached to a shoulder part of a four-legged animal 10; a supporting part 130 where a hind leg side of the four-legged animal 10 is placed for supporting; a pair of wheels 140 mounted on the supporting part 130; and a connecting rod 120 for connecting the pulling part 110 and the supporting part 130. The connecting rod 120 is arranged in a position immediately above a backbone in a backbone direction of the four-legged animal 10, and both a first connecting part 150 at which the connecting rod 120 and the pulling part 110 are connected and a second connecting part 160 at which the connecting rod 120 and the supporting part 130 are connected are rotatable in a lateral direction (a horizontal direction).

Description

  The present invention relates to the technical field of wheelchairs, and more particularly to a wheelchair for use by a quadruped animal (limb animal) whose hindlimb motor function is insufficient due to illness or accident.

  A quadruped animal such as a pet dog whose hindlimb motor function has become insufficient due to illness or an accident cannot walk (run) by itself or be restricted from walking (running). From these circumstances, other diseases such as obesity may be induced by chronic lack of exercise. Also, from the owner's side, not only the desire to take a walk together is fulfilled, but above all, the beloved pets can not walk (run) freely, and they are full of pity.

  There have been many inventions and devices related to wheelchairs for quadruped animals (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “wheelchairs”) for the purpose of use by quadrupeds with insufficient hindlimb motor functions. To do.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, a belt that is wrapped around and tied to the body of a quadruped animal is provided in front of a rectangular plate-like body, and a pair of height adjusters is provided behind the plate-like body via a height adjuster that can adjust the height. A quadruped wheelchair with a wheel is described. By adopting such a configuration, the wheelchair can be used for many kinds of animals.

  Further, Patent Document 2 includes a frame formed in a “U” shape in plan view, wheels mounted on both sides of the frame, and a harness portion mounted in front of the frame. A foot animal wheelchair is described. In this quadruped animal wheelchair, the “U” -shaped frame can be adjusted in accordance with the size of the animal, that is, it can be adjusted according to the size of the animal. It can be used for animals.

JP 2004-187937 A JP 2009-95349 A

  However, these conventional wheelchairs have a traction part (a belt in the invention described in Patent Document 1 and a harness part in the invention described in Patent Document 2) and a wheel that grip the body of a quadruped animal and transmit the traction force. , By being fixed by a member that connects the two (a plate-like body in the invention described in Patent Document 1 and a “U” -shaped frame in the invention described in Patent Document 2), It was supposed to inhibit the bending movement of the trunk in the left-right direction that occurs during walking (or during running). When a quadruped animal turns, it is natural that the torso part bends in the direction in which it wants to bend (want to face), while the hind limbs continue to move so as to trace the curvature. Although it is a movement, the conventional wheelchair has a structure that hinders the natural curvature of the trunk, and it is not necessarily a comfortable wheelchair for a quadruped animal.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and a quadruped wheelchair that can be used more comfortably by a quadruped animal without inhibiting the curvature of the trunk when changing direction. The issue is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a traction unit to be mounted on a shoulder or chest of a quadruped animal, a support unit for placing and supporting the hind limb side of the quadruped animal, and an attachment to the support unit A pair of wheels, and a connecting rod that connects the traction portion and the support portion, and the connecting rod is disposed above or below the spine along the spine direction of the quadruped animal. The first coupling portion where the connecting rod and the pulling portion are coupled and the second coupling portion where the coupling rod and the support portion are coupled are both in the left-right direction (horizontal direction). It is the structure connected so that rotation was possible.

  By adopting such a configuration, when the torso bends left and right when the quadruped animal changes its direction, the first and second coupling portions rotate according to the curve. That is, the movement of the quadruped animal trying to bend the trunk in the left-right direction is not hindered. That is, a small turn is effective at the time of turning, and further a backward movement is easily performed. For example, even in a house or a narrow place, an obstacle or the like can be freely avoided with the high turning ability. In addition, the spine that inherently supports the body by the presence of the connecting rod connecting the traction part and the support part at a position directly above or just below the spine of the quadruped (ie vertical position). There is also a merit that the movement close to the movement of can be realized. Furthermore, since the connecting rod that connects the traction part and the support part is not located in the left-right direction of the body (body), there is also an advantage that it does not get in the way when passing through a narrow place.

  Further, it is desirable that the first coupling portion is further configured to be rotatable in the vertical direction.

  If comprised in this way, the movement of the up-down direction around the shoulder part produced when a quadruped animal walks (runs) will be permitted and will not be inhibited.

  Moreover, you may comprise so that the biasing mechanism which tries to return a rotation state to a non-rotation state may be provided in the said 1st and / or 2nd coupling | bond part.

  By providing such an urging mechanism, for example, it is possible to support walking (running) of a quadruped animal whose muscle strength has declined due to hind limb disorders. That is, if a state in which normal walking or running cannot be performed continues for a long time, muscle strength (muscle group surrounding the trunk part such as the back muscles and abdominal muscles) tends to be weakened thereby, and the curvature of the trunk cannot be sufficiently controlled. In such a case, the urging force generated by the urging mechanism prevents the body from being bent too much, and at the same time supports the operation of returning from the bent state.

  By applying the present invention, quadrupeds whose hindlimb motor functions have become insufficient due to illness, accidents, etc. do not block the curvature of the trunk when turning, and quadrupeds are used more comfortably A quadruped wheelchair can be provided.

It is a right view of the wheelchair for quadrupeds animals concerning the present invention. 1 is a plan view (partially omitted) of a quadruped wheelchair according to the present invention. 1 is a front view (partially omitted) of a quadruped wheelchair according to the present invention. It is the side view which showed the state equipped with the wheelchair for quadrupeds animals concerning the present invention. It is the figure which showed the state which is turning to right direction in the state which mounted | wore with the wheelchair for quadrupeds animals concerning this invention. It is a right view (partially omitted) showing a second embodiment of the wheelchair for a quadruped animal according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is an upper perspective view (partially omitted) showing a second embodiment of the quadruped wheelchair according to the present invention. It is an upper perspective view (partially omitted) showing a second embodiment of the wheelchair for a quadruped animal according to the present invention, and shows a state at the time of turning. FIG. 6 is a perspective view (partially omitted) showing a third embodiment of the quadruped wheelchair according to the present invention. It is a perspective view (partially omitted) showing a third embodiment of the wheelchair for a quadruped animal according to the present invention, and shows a state at the time of turning.

  Hereinafter, a quadruped wheelchair 100 as an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For easy understanding of the drawings, it should be noted that there are portions where the size and dimensions of each portion are exaggerated and there are portions that do not necessarily match the actual product. In addition, each drawing is viewed in the direction of the reference sign, and is expressed as upper, lower, left, right, near, and back based on the direction.

<Composition of a quadruped wheelchair>
The quadruped wheelchair 100 according to the present invention includes a pulling unit 110 to be mounted on the shoulder of the quadruped animal 10, a support unit 130 for placing and supporting the hind limb side of the quadruped animal 10, and this support A pair of wheels 140 attached to the portion 130, and a connecting rod 120 that connects the traction portion 110 and the support portion 130.

  The tow portion 110 includes a shoulder cover 112 formed in a semicircular shape when viewed from the front so as to cover the shoulder portion of the quadruped animal 10, and two fastening belts 113 and 114 attached below the shoulder cover 112. Composed. The fastening belts 113 and 114 are passed through the chest side (lower side) of the quadruped animal 10 and returned to the shoulder cover 112 side again. By adjusting the length, the fastening belts 113 and 114 are placed around the forelimb base of the quadruped animal 10 together. Installed. In the present embodiment, the shoulder cover 112 is a resin molded product, and the fastening belts 113 and 114 are made of leather.

  The support unit 130 includes a main frame 131 formed in an inverted U shape when viewed from the front, a subframe 134 fixed to the main frame 131 via a joint 132, and a placement cloth suspended from the subframe 134. 135. In the present embodiment, all of the main frame 131, the joint 132, and the sub-frame 134 are made of resin and finished to be lightweight. In addition, the placement cloth 135 is configured to be substantially T-shaped when seen in a plan view, and the two spaces 136 (see FIG. 2) formed between the placement cloth 135 and the subframe 134 are formed by the hindlimbs of the quadruped animal 10. Used as a through hole.

  A pair of wheels 140 are attached to both ends of the main frame 131 constituting the support portion 130 via a wheel support frame 133.

The connecting rod 120 is disposed substantially directly above the spine along the spine direction of the quadruped animal 10. The connecting rod 120 is coupled to the upper portion of the shoulder cover 112 that constitutes the pulling unit 110 (first coupling unit 150). At the same time, the connecting rod 120 is coupled to the upper part of the main frame 131 constituting the support unit 130 (second coupling unit 160).

  The first coupling portion 150 is configured with a joint member 152 as a center, and is supported on one end side (front side) of the joint member 152 so as to be rotatable about the shoulder cover 112 and the axis γ. . Furthermore, the other end side (rear side) of the joint member 152 is pivotally supported so as to be rotatable about the connecting rod 120 and the axis α. That is, the pulling unit 110 can rotate in the left-right direction (horizontal direction) about the axis α with respect to the connecting rod 120, and at the same time, it can also rotate in the vertical direction (front-rear direction) about the axis γ. It is the structure which can do.

  The second coupling portion 160 is configured with a joint member 162 as a center, and is supported on one end side (front side) of the joint member 162 so as to be rotatable about the connecting rod 120 and the axis β. . On the other hand, the other end side (rear side) of the joint member 162 is directly fixed to the upper part of the main frame 131 and is not configured to rotate. That is, the support portion 130 can be rotated with respect to the connecting rod 120 in the left-right direction (horizontal direction) about the axis β.

<Operation and function of wheelchair for quadruped animal>
As shown in FIG. 4, the quadruped wheelchair 100 according to the present invention is configured such that the hind limb side is placed on the placement cloth 135 of the support portion 130, and the shoulder cover 112 that constitutes the traction portion 110 is provided in four ways. It is put on the shoulder of the paw animal and attached by turning the fastening belt around the chest and abdomen. Accordingly, the hind limb side can be moved so as to roll on the ground while being supported by the wheel 140 via the support portion 130.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the quadruped animal 10 changes its direction with the quadruped wheelchair 100 according to the present invention attached, the first connecting part 150 and the second connecting part 160 become the torso. It rotates so as to follow the curve. That is, the movement of the quadruped animal 10 to bend the trunk in the left-right direction is not hindered. That is, a small turn is effective at the time of turning, and further a backward movement is easily performed. For example, even in a house or a narrow place, an obstacle or the like can be freely avoided with the high turning ability. In addition, since the connecting rod 120 that connects the pulling unit 110 and the support unit 130 is disposed at a position directly above the spine of the quadruped animal 10 (that is, a vertical position), it essentially supports the body. It is possible to realize a movement close to the movement of the spine. Further, since the connecting rod 120 that connects the towing unit 110 and the support unit 130 is not positioned in the left-right direction of the body (body), there is also an advantage that it does not get in the way when passing through a narrow place. In addition, since the 1st coupling | bond part 150 can also be rotated also in the up-down direction (front-back direction), the up-down direction (front-back direction) around the shoulder part produced when the quadruped animal 10 walks (runs). Since the movement of the curve in the direction) is not allowed and the movement is not hindered, the natural movement of the quadruped animal 10 can be realized and the occurrence of stress can be prevented in advance.

<Other configuration examples>
Next, a quadruped wheelchair 200 as a second embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. The basic configuration of the wheelchair 200 as the second embodiment is the same as that of the wheelchair 100 described above. Therefore, regarding the functionally identical or similar parts, only the last two digits are attached with the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  The wheelchair 200 is characterized by a biasing mechanism 270 that acts in a direction to return the rotation state to the non-rotation state when the first coupling portion 250 wants to rotate in the left-right direction (horizontal direction). When the 2 coupling part 260 wants to rotate in the left-right direction (horizontal direction), it is in the point provided with the urging mechanism 280 which acts in the direction which returns the rotation state to a non-rotation state.

The biasing mechanism 270 is a swing member 272 that is fixed to the joint member 250 and extends rearward.
And a rubber tube 274 attached to the rear end of the swing member 272. The rear end side of the rubber tube 274 is fixed to the connecting rod 220 by a fastener 276. In addition, the swing member 272 is fixed to the shoulder cover 212 (the towing unit 210) via the joint member 250. If the shoulder cover 212 (the towing unit 210) rotates in the left-right direction, the swing member 272 is interlocked with the rotation. The swing member 272 is also configured to rotate. Since the fastener 276 is fixed to the connecting rod 220 using the locking holes 222 provided in the connecting rod 220 at regular intervals, the tension applied to the rubber tube 274 is changed by changing the position of the locking hole 222 to be fixed. Can be adjusted. That is, it is possible to adjust the urging force to be generated.

  The urging mechanism 280 is configured around two rubber tubes 282 and 284 attached to the middle of the connecting rod 220 via fasteners 286. These rubber tubes 282 and 284 are respectively fixed to the left and right ends of the main frame 231 constituting the support portion 230. Since the fastener 286 is fixed to the connecting rod 220 using the locking holes 222 provided in the connecting rod 220 at regular intervals, changing the position of the locking holes 222 to be fixed to the rubber tubes 282 and 284. Such tension can be adjusted. That is, it is possible to adjust the urging force to be generated.

  Since the wheelchair 200 as the second embodiment includes the urging mechanisms 270 and 280 as described above, when the direction is changed to the right as shown in FIG. The state is as shown. That is, the rubber tube 274 is tensioned by the swing member 272 constituting the urging mechanism 270 being rotated (turned) in conjunction with the shoulder cover 212, and this rotation state is returned to the non-rotation state by the tension. An urging force (an urging force in the direction of arrow x) is generated. Similarly, the rubber tube 284 constituting the biasing mechanism 280 is tensioned, and the tension generates a biasing force (a biasing force in the direction indicated by the arrow y) that attempts to return the rotating state to the non-rotating state. .

  By providing such urging mechanisms 270 and 280, for example, it is possible to support walking (running) of a quadruped animal whose muscle strength has declined due to hindlimb injury. That is, if a state in which normal walking or running cannot be performed continues for a long time, muscle strength (muscle group surrounding the trunk part such as the back muscles and abdominal muscles) tends to be weakened thereby, and the curvature of the trunk cannot be sufficiently controlled. In such a case, the urging force generated by the urging mechanisms 270 and 280 prevents the body from being bent excessively, and at the same time supports the operation of returning from the curved state.

  Subsequently, a quadruped wheelchair 300 as a third embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. In this case as well, functionally identical or similar parts are given the same reference numerals in the last two digits, and redundant explanations are omitted.

  The feature point of this wheelchair 300 is that the connecting rod 320 that connects the towing unit 310 and the support unit 330 is arranged so as to pass through the abdomen rather than the back. In conjunction with this, the structure is changed so that the towing unit 310 is attached from the chest side instead of the shoulder side. As a result, it can be used even in a narrow space up and down.

  In the above description, dogs are used as examples of quadruped animals including drawings. However, cats, cows, horses, pigs, hamsters, etc. are not limited to animal sizes and can be widely applied to quadruped animals. Is possible.

  In addition, a cover or the like can also be configured to be detachable around the main frames 131, 231, 331 and the sub frames 134, 234, 334 that form the periphery of the connecting rods 120, 220, 320 and the support portions 130, 230, 330. . This makes it easier to clean if it becomes dirty due to use, and if you prepare cover variations of your favorite color and design, select the desired cover according to the color of the body of the quadruped animal and even the mood of the day It is also possible.

10 ... Quadruped animal 100 ... Quadruped wheelchair 110 ... Traction part 112 ... Shoulder cover 113, 114 ... Fastening belt 120 ... Connecting rod 130 ... Support part 131- ··· Main frame 132 ··· Joint 133 ··· Wheel support frame ··· Subframe 135 ··· Placement cloth 140 ··· Wheel 150 ··· First coupling portion 152 and 162 ··· Joint Member 160 ... second coupling part α, β, γ ... axis

Claims (3)

A traction part attached to the shoulder or chest of a quadruped animal,
A support part for placing and supporting the hind limb side of the quadruped animal,
A pair of wheels attached to the support;
A connecting rod for connecting the traction part and the support part;
The connecting rod is disposed above or below the spine along the spine direction of the quadruped animal, and the first connecting portion and the connecting rod in which the connecting rod and the pulling portion are connected to each other. A quadruped wheelchair characterized in that any of the second coupling parts coupled to the support part is coupled to be rotatable in the left-right direction. In claim 1,
The quadruped wheelchair is characterized in that the first coupling portion is further rotatable in the vertical direction. In claim 1 or 2,
The quadruped wheelchair is characterized in that the first and / or second coupling portion is provided with an urging mechanism for returning the rotating state to the non-rotating state.