JP2017035406A - Walking aid - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lightweight, inexpensive, and self-standing walking aid.SOLUTION: A walking aid (stick 1) comprises: a cylindrical first shaft component 2a having an open bottom end; a cylindrical second shaft component 2b having both open ends, the second shaft component being slidably mounted on the first shaft component 2a and having a ferrule 3 on its bottom end; and a shaft fixation mechanism for fixing the second shaft component 2b at a predetermined position on the first shaft component 2a. On the first shaft component 2a's bottom end's inner peripheral edge are fitted three leg bodies 7a, 7b, 7c so as to be capable of opening/closing. In the lower vicinity of part on which the leg bodies 7a, 7b, 7c are fitted is disposed a rubber ball 9 inside the leg bodies 7a, 7b, 7c, which makes the leg bodies 7a, 7b, 7c be in a state where the leg bodies are energized in the opening direction. Vertically sliding the second shaft component 2b on the first shaft component 2a makes the leg bodies 7a, 7b, 7c open/close.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a walking aid including a shaft gripped by a user and a stone thrust provided at a lower end of the shaft. More specifically, the present invention relates to a walking aid that can be easily used thereafter by being self-supporting when not in use.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, walking aids include a cane, a walking stick, a support bar, and the like, and as a walking aid that can stand on its own, for example, the one disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. The cane having a self-supporting structure disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured to open and close leg portions that enable self-supporting by the power of a motor.

JP 2006-288608 A

  However, since the cane having the self-supporting structure disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a built-in motor or the like, there is a problem that the weight increases and the cost increases.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems in the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a lightweight and low-cost walking aid that can stand on its own.

In order to achieve the above object, the configuration of the walking aid according to the present invention includes:
(1) A walking aid including a shaft gripped by a user and a stone thrust provided at a lower end of the shaft,
The shaft includes a first shaft constituent member having a cylindrical shape with at least a lower end opening, and a slidably mounted on the first shaft constituent member, and a both-end opening provided with the stone thrust at the lower end. A cylindrical second shaft constituent member, and a shaft fixing mechanism for fixing the second shaft constituent member to a predetermined position on the first shaft constituent member,
A plurality of legs projecting from the lower end of the first shaft constituent member are attached to the inner peripheral edge of the lower end of the first shaft constituent member so as to be openable and closable, and the plurality of leg bodies are disposed inside the plurality of leg bodies. In the state where the elastic member is disposed and the lower end of the second shaft constituent member is disposed above the lower end of the first shaft constituent member, the elastic member is urged and opened, and the second shaft When the component member is slid downward on the first shaft component member and its lower end protrudes from the lower end of the first shaft component member, the component member is pressed in the closing direction by the second shaft component member and is arranged inside. The provided elastic member is deformed into a vertically long shape, is in a closed state, and is accommodated in the second shaft constituting member.

  In the present invention, walking aids include walking sticks used for elderly people and those with weak physical strength, walking sticks used for those who climb or climb, hiking rods, and the like.

  According to the above configuration (1) of the walking aid of the present invention, a state in which the second shaft constituent member can stand by itself and a normal use state by a simple manual operation of sliding the second shaft constituent member up and down on the first shaft constituent member. And can be switched. Therefore, according to the configuration of (1) of the walking aid of the present invention, it is possible to provide a lightweight and low-cost self-supporting walking aid that does not require a motor or the like.

  In the above configuration (1) of the walking aid of the present invention, the following configuration (2) is preferable.

(2) The shaft fixing mechanism includes stopper means having a pin that penetrates a peripheral wall of the second shaft component member in a radial direction and is biased radially inward of the second shaft component member; A groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft component member along the longitudinal direction and capable of sliding the tip of the pin; and a locking portion formed in the groove and locked by the pin,
The pin is urged radially inward of the second shaft component by a wide rubber band attached to the outer peripheral surface of the second shaft component and a part of which is fixed to the base end of the pin. ing.

  According to the preferable configuration of (2) above, the pin urging means in the shaft fixing mechanism can be realized with a simple configuration.

  According to the walking aid of the present invention, it is possible to switch between a self-supporting state and a normal use state by a simple manual operation of sliding the second shaft constituent member up and down on the first shaft constituent member. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a lightweight and low-cost walking assist tool that does not require a motor or the like and can be self-supported.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a perspective view ((a) is a normal use state, (b) is the state made to stand by itself) which shows the structure of the cane in one embodiment of this invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a side view ((a) is a normal use state, (b) is the state which made it stand alone) which shows the structure of the cane in one embodiment of this invention. It is the figure ((a) is a normal use state and (b) is the state which made it stand alone) which looked at the cane shown in FIG. The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the shaft fixing mechanism of the cane in one embodiment of this invention ((a) is the state which slid down and fixed the 2nd shaft structural member, (b) is the 2nd shaft structural member upward. And is fixed by sliding). It is a side view which shows another example of the shaft fixing mechanism of the cane in one embodiment of this invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration around a leg of a cane according to an embodiment of the present invention ((a) is a state where the leg is stored (the leg is closed), and (b) is a case where the leg is expanded ( The leg is open). It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view (The state which developed the leg (the leg opened)) which shows other composition around the leg of a cane in one embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to preferred embodiments. However, the following embodiments are merely examples embodying the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[Configuration of walking aid]
First, the structure of the walking aid in one embodiment of this invention is demonstrated, referring FIGS. In the present embodiment, a case where the walking aid is a cane used for an elderly person or a person with weak physical strength will be described as an example.

  1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a cane according to an embodiment of the present invention ((a) is a normal use state, (b) is a self-supporting state), and FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of the cane. Figure ((a) is a normal use state, (b) is a self-supporting state), FIG. 3 is a view of the cane shown in FIG. 2 from the left side ((a) is a normal use state, (b) is 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the shaft fixing mechanism of the cane (FIG. 4A is a state in which the second shaft constituent member is slid downward, and FIG. 4B is an upper view of the second shaft constituent member. 5 is a side view showing another example of the shaft fixing mechanism of the cane, and FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration around the leg of the cane ((a) shows the leg. The stowed state (legs closed), (b) is the leg unfolded (legs opened).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 (a), 2 (a), and 3 (a), a cane 1 according to this embodiment includes a shaft 2 held by a user and a stone provided at the lower end of the shaft 2. And a protrusion 3. Here, the handle 4 is fixed to the upper end of the shaft 2, and the user can grip the shaft 2 by gripping the handle 4 with his / her hand.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the shaft 2 has a handle 4 fixed to the upper end and a hollow cylindrical first shaft component 2a having an open lower end, and is slidably mounted on the first shaft component 2a. 1 (see arrows A and B in FIG. 1, arrows D and E in FIG. 4, arrows F and G in FIG. 6), and a hollow cylindrical second shaft component 2b having both ends opened with a butt 3 at the lower end. And a shaft fixing mechanism that fixes the second shaft constituent member 2b to a predetermined position on the first shaft constituent member 2a. The details of the shaft fixing mechanism will be described later (see FIG. 4).

  As a material of the shaft 2, for example, any material such as aluminum, iron, or carbon can be used.

  As the material of the stone bump 3, for example, an arbitrary material such as an elastomer or plastic that can be elastically deformed and has good surface contact property can be used. As shown in FIG. 6, the stone bump 3 is formed in a substantially truncated cone shape, and a cylindrical through hole 3 a having the same diameter as the outer diameter of the second shaft component 2 b is formed on the central axis thereof. Has been. And the stone thrust 3 is being fixed to the lower end part of the 2nd shaft structural member 2b by fitting the lower end part of the 2nd shaft structural member 2b in the through-hole 3a. Here, the lower end of the second shaft constituent member 2b is located slightly above the lower end of the stone thrusting 3 so that when the cane 1 is used, the lower end of the second shaft constituent member 2b directly hits the ground and makes an abnormal noise. It has been made not to emit.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the shaft fixing mechanism described above penetrates the peripheral wall of the upper end portion of the second shaft constituting member 2b in the radial direction and urges radially inward of the second shaft constituting member 2b. The stopper means 6 having the pin 6a formed, the groove 5 formed along the longitudinal direction on the outer peripheral surface of the first shaft constituting member 2a and capable of sliding the tip of the pin 6a, and the bottom surface of the groove 5 Are provided as through holes 5a, 5b,..., Which are examples of a plurality of locking portions that are drilled and into which the pins 6a are inserted. Here, the pin 6a is integrally formed with a knob 6b at a base end portion located on the outer side of the peripheral wall of the second shaft constituting member 2b, and the pin 6a is pinched to be inserted into the through holes 5a, 5b, ... (See arrow C in FIG. 4).

A wide rubber band 6c is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the upper end portion of the second shaft constituting member 2b, and a part of the wide rubber band 6c is fixed to the base end portion of the pin 6a (see FIG. 4). . As a result, the pin 6a is urged radially inward of the second shaft constituting member 2b as described above.
According to this configuration, the biasing means for the pin 6a in the shaft fixing mechanism can be realized with a simple configuration.

4B, when the pin 6a of the stopper means 6 is positioned at the upper end of the groove 5, the tip of the pin 6a is pressed against the bottom surface of the groove 5 by the urging force of the wide rubber band 6c. . And thereby, the 2nd shaft structural member 2b is fixed to the 1st predetermined position on the 1st shaft structural member 2a. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6B, the lower end surface of the second shaft constituting member 2b is substantially flush with the lower end surface of the first shaft constituting member 2a.
When the second shaft component 2b is slid downward from the state shown in FIG. 4B (see arrow E in FIG. 4B), the tip of the pin 6a slides in the groove 5 and the top through hole 5a (see FIG. 4A). And thereby, the 2nd shaft structural member 2b is fixed to the 2nd predetermined position on the 1st shaft structural member 2a. When the second shaft component 2b is to be slid further downward, the knob 6b of the stopper means 6 is pulled (see arrow C in FIG. 4 (a)), and the tip of the pin 6a is removed from the through hole 5a to form the groove 5 Just place it on the top. The same applies when it is desired to slide the second shaft component 2b upward from the state of FIG.

  In addition, the cane 1 is an auxiliary groove 5a ′, 5b ′,..., Which is an example of a locking portion shown in FIG. 5, instead of the through holes 5a, 5b,. May be formed. Auxiliary grooves 5a ′, 5b ′,... Extend in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the groove 5 extends, are formed integrally with the groove 5, and can slide the tip of the pin 6a from the groove 5. . In this case, the user slides the second shaft constituent member 2b downward from the state of FIG. 4B, for example, when the pin 6a is arranged at the position where the auxiliary groove 5a ′ shown in FIG. 5 is formed. Then, the second shaft component 2b is rotated about the first shaft component 2a. Thereby, the front-end | tip part of the pin 6a enters into the auxiliary | assistant groove | channel 5a ', is locked, and it can control that the 2nd shaft structural member 2b moves up and down with respect to the 1st shaft structural member 2a.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, FIG. 2B, FIG. 3B, and FIG. 6, three rod-like legs 7a, 7b, and 7c are formed on the inner periphery of the lower end of the first shaft constituting member 2a. Are attached via rubber materials 8a, 8b, 8c so as to be openable and closable. Further, in the vicinity of the lower part of the attachment portion of the legs 7a, 7b, 7c, air enters inside the legs 7a, 7b, 7c (that is, sandwiched between the legs 7a, 7b, 7c). A rubber ball 9 is provided, and the legs 7a, 7b, 7c are thus urged in the opening direction. Further, the legs 7a, 7b, 7c are connected to contact portions with the rubber ball 9 swelled in a spherical shape via rubber materials 10a, 10b, 10c, respectively.

  The rubber ball 9 protrudes from the lower end of the shaft 2 and swells into a spherical shape with the pin 6a of the stopper means 6 positioned at the upper end of the groove 5 (see FIG. 4B). Are expanded and held in a triangular pyramid shape (see FIGS. 1B, 2B, 3B, and 6B).

On the other hand, when the second shaft constituent member 2b is slid downward from the state of FIGS. 1B, 2B, 3B, and 6B (arrow B in FIG. 1B, 6B), the legs 7a, 7b, 7c are closed by the inner peripheral portion of the lower end of the second shaft constituting member 2b, and accordingly, the rubber ball 9 becomes the legs 7a, 7b, It is pushed by 7c and deforms vertically. At this time, the tip of the pin 6a of the stopper means 6 slides downward from the upper end of the groove 5 and is inserted into the uppermost through hole 5a, so that the second shaft constituent member 2b becomes the first shaft constituent member. It is fixed at a second predetermined position on 2a. The legs 7a, 7b, and 7c are housed in the lower end portion of the second shaft constituting member 2b together with the rubber ball 9 (FIGS. 1A, 2A, 3A, and 6). a)).
According to the configuration of the cane 1 of the present embodiment, the legs 7a, 7b, and 7c can be housed in the lower end portion of the second shaft component 2b together with the rubber ball 9 as described above, so that the appearance during use is improved. A self-supporting cane that is not different from a normal cane can be provided.

  If the second shaft component 2b is slid further downward and the pin 6a of the stopper means 6 is inserted into the lower through-holes 5b,..., The length of the cane 1 is increased. be able to. That is, according to the structure of the cane 1 of this Embodiment, the self-supporting cane which can be adjusted to the length suitable for a user's physique can be provided.

  When the pin 6a of the stopper means 6 is removed from the through hole 5a and placed on the groove 5 from the state of FIGS. 4 (a) and 6 (a) and the second shaft component member 2b is slid upward, When the pin 6a reaches the upper end of the groove 5, the rubber ball 9 protrudes from the lower end of the shaft 2 and swells into a spherical shape (FIGS. 1B, 2B, 3B, 6B). )), The leg bodies 7a, 7b, and 7c are developed and held in a triangular pyramid shape, and the cane 1 is in a state where it can stand on its own.

  As described above, according to the cane 1 of the present embodiment, a state in which the second shaft constituent member 2b can be self-supported by a simple manual operation of sliding the second shaft constituent member 2b up and down on the first shaft constituent member 2a and normal use. You can switch between states. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, a lightweight and low-cost self-supporting cane that does not require a motor or the like can be provided.

[How to use walking aids]
Next, the usage method of the walking aid (cane 1) in this Embodiment is demonstrated.

  When the cane 1 is not used, the pin 6a of the stopper means 6 is positioned at the upper end of the groove 5 as shown in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6B, the lower end surface of the second shaft constituting member 2b is flush with the lower end surface of the first shaft constituting member 2a, and the rubber ball 9 protrudes from the lower end of the shaft 2 to be spherical. Swell. As a result, the legs 7 a, 7 b, 7 c are urged by the rubber balls 9 and are expanded and held in a triangular pyramid shape at the lower end portion of the shaft 2. When the legs 7a, 7b, and 7c are expanded and held in a triangular pyramid shape, the cane 1 is allowed to stand on its own (see FIGS. 1 (b), 2 (b), 3 (b), and 6 (b)). .

When the cane 1 is used, the cane 1 that has been self-supported is picked up, and the second shaft component 2b is slid downward from the state of FIG. 4B (arrow E in FIG. 4B). reference). Thereby, the tip of the pin 6a of the stopper means 6 slides in the groove 5 and is inserted into the uppermost through hole 5a (state shown in FIG. 4A). At this time, the lower end of the second shaft constituent member 2b protrudes from the lower end of the first shaft constituent member 2a, and the outer surfaces of the legs 7a, 7b, 7c are pressed by the inner periphery of the lower end of the second shaft constituent member 2b. The leg bodies 7a, 7b and 7c are closed, and the rubber ball 9 is pushed by the leg bodies 7a, 7b and 7c and is deformed vertically. The legs 7a, 7b, and 7c are housed in the lower end portion of the second shaft constituting member 2b together with the rubber ball 9 (FIGS. 1A, 2A, 3A, and 6). a)).
In this state, the user can grip the shaft 2 by grasping the handle 4 and can use the cane 1.

In the present embodiment, three legs 7a, 7b, 7c are attached to the inner peripheral edge of the lower end of the first shaft component 2a so as to be openable and closable via rubber members 8a, 8b, 8c, respectively. Although the case has been described as an example, the present invention is not necessarily limited to such a configuration. The number of legs may be four or more. Moreover, the leg may be mechanically supported by the lower end inner periphery of the 1st shaft structural member 2a.
In addition, the legs 7a, 7b, and 7c expand more widely as the portion protruding from the lower end of the first shaft component 2a becomes longer, and the self-supporting cane 1 becomes more stable.

  Moreover, you may form the through-hole in which the pin 6a of the stopper means 6 is inserted in the groove | channel 5 of the 1st shaft structural member 2a in the position where leg 7a, 7b, 7c expand | deploys in a triangular pyramid shape. As a result, when the user inserts the pin 6a into the through-hole when using the cane 1, the user can use the leg 7a, 7b, 7c in a deployed state, and the pin 6a is inserted into the through-hole 5a or the like. In this case, the legs 7a, 7b, 7c can be used in a state of being accommodated in the lower end portion of the second shaft constituting member 2b. That is, the user can use the cane 1 as a three-point supporting cane or a one-point supporting cane.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the rubber ball 9 containing air is disposed inside the plurality of legs 7a, 7b, 7c has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. It is not limited to a simple configuration. As the elastic member disposed on the inner side of the plurality of legs, a solid elastic member having a spherical shape in a swollen state can be used. Further, the elastic member disposed inside the plurality of legs may be a hollow or solid truncated cone-shaped elastic member 11 as shown in FIG. 7, for example. Further, a spring material can be used as the elastic member.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, although the case where the 1st shaft structural member 2a consisted of a single member was mentioned as an example, this invention is not necessarily limited to such a structure. The first shaft constituent member may be composed of a plurality of members slidably connected, for example. According to this configuration, it is possible to provide a self-supporting cane that can be adjusted in length according to the body shape of the user.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, although the case where the hollow shaft-shaped 1st shaft structural member 2a with which the lower end was opened was mentioned as an example, it demonstrated, This invention is not necessarily limited to such a structure. . The 1st shaft structural member should just be formed in the cylinder shape with a lower end opening at least.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the handle 4 is fixed to the upper end of the shaft 2 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to such a configuration. Walking aids that do not have a handle at the upper end are also included in the present invention.

Further, in the present embodiment, the shaft fixing mechanism has a stopper having a pin 6a that penetrates the peripheral wall of the second shaft component 2b in the radial direction and is biased radially inward of the second shaft component 2b. Means 6 and a groove 5 formed along the longitudinal direction on the outer peripheral surface of the first shaft constituting member 2a and capable of sliding the tip of the pin 6a, and formed in the bottom surface of the groove 5, and the pin 6a Although the case where the through holes 5a, 5b,... To be inserted are provided has been described as an example, the present invention is not necessarily limited to such a configuration.
The shaft fixing mechanism may have a configuration using a slide cap, for example.

1 walking stick (walking aid)
2 shaft 2a first shaft component 2b second shaft component 3 stone thrust 4 handle 5 groove 5a, 5b through hole 6 stopper means 6a pin 6b knob 7a, 7b, 7c leg 8a, 8b, 8c, 10a, 10b, 10c Rubber material 9 Rubber ball (elastic member)
11 Elastic member

Claims (2)

A walking aid provided with a shaft gripped by a user and a stone thrust provided at the lower end of the shaft,
The shaft is
A first shaft component having at least a lower end portion formed in a cylindrical shape with a lower end opening;
A cylindrical second shaft constituent member having both ends open, slidably mounted on the first shaft constituent member, and provided with the stone thrust at the lower end;
A shaft fixing mechanism for fixing the second shaft constituent member to a predetermined position on the first shaft constituent member,
A plurality of legs projecting from the lower end of the first shaft constituent member are attached to the inner peripheral edge of the lower end of the first shaft constituent member so as to be openable and closable,
The plurality of legs are
An elastic member is disposed inside the plurality of legs,
In a state where the lower end of the second shaft constituent member is disposed above the lower end of the first shaft constituent member, the elastic member is urged and opened.
When the second shaft component is slid downward on the first shaft component and the lower end protrudes from the lower end of the first shaft component, the second shaft component is pressed in the closing direction by the second shaft component. The walking aid is characterized in that the elastic member disposed inside is deformed into a vertically long shape and is in a closed state and is accommodated in the second shaft constituting member. The shaft fixing mechanism is
Stopper means having a pin that penetrates the peripheral wall of the second shaft component member in the radial direction and is biased radially inward of the second shaft component member;
A groove formed along the longitudinal direction on the outer peripheral surface of the first shaft component, and capable of sliding the tip of the pin;
A locking portion formed in the groove and locked by the pin,
The pin is urged radially inward of the second shaft component by a wide rubber band attached to the outer peripheral surface of the second shaft component and a part of which is fixed to the base end of the pin. The walking aid according to claim 1.