JP2024007921A - walking car - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a walking car having a lever structure not generating decline of holding power caused by sliding wear by lever operation at a leg opening/closing time, and by creep of a resin.

SOLUTION: A walking car 1 includes a leg part 10 formed by connecting, openably/closably by a slide, a first frame 20 which is a fixed frame and a second frame 22 which is a movable frame. A first member provided on the first frame 20 and a second member provided on the second frame abut on each other, to thereby restrict movement of the second frame 22, and to keep a leg open state or a leg closed state.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a foldable walking vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Among walking vehicles that assist the walking of elderly people, people with physical disabilities, etc., there are known walking vehicles that are foldable (see Patent Document 1: Design Registration No. 1444318).

Design Registration No. 1444318 Publication

In the walking vehicle illustrated in Patent Document 1, a front leg frame and a rear leg frame are connected so as to be openable and closable (that is, unfoldable and foldable) by a connecting member that is slidable along the front leg frame. As shown in FIG. 7, this connecting member includes a slide link 104 made of resin (PA6) and a leg opening/closing lever 106 also made of resin (PA6/GF), and is slid by a cam portion 106A of the leg opening/closing lever 106. By deforming the cutout portion 104A of the link 104 and regulating the sliding of the slide link 104 using the frictional force caused by its elastic force, the opening and closing of the leg portion can be maintained.

However, in this structure, although the cam mechanism functions when it is new, there is a problem in that the notch portion 104A and the cam portion 106A wear out and the holding force decreases after long-term use. Further, if the leg opening/closing lever 106 is permanently left in a locked state, creep occurs in the slide link 104, which causes a problem in that the holding force decreases. To solve these problems, since the mechanism uses the elastic force of resin to keep the front leg frame 100 and the rear leg frame 102 open and closed, it is impossible to use a material with high rigidity instead. Ta.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a walking vehicle equipped with a lever structure that does not cause a decrease in holding force due to sliding wear and resin creep caused by lever operation when opening and closing the legs.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems by means of solving the problem as described below.

A walking vehicle according to the present invention is a walking vehicle including a leg portion formed by a first frame that is a fixed frame and a second frame that is a movable frame that are connected to each other so as to be openable and closable by sliding, wherein the first frame The first member provided on the second frame contacts the second member provided on the second frame, thereby restricting the movement of the second frame and maintaining the open leg state or the closed leg state. Features.

According to this, since the opening and closing are held by the contact between the first member and the second member, it is possible to prevent a reduction in the holding force due to sliding wear due to lever operation and creep of the resin.

Further, when the legs are in the open state, the lower end of the first member and the upper end of the second member are in contact with each other, so that the legs are prevented from sliding, and the legs are in the closed state. In some cases, the upper end of the first member and the lower end of the second member come into contact with each other, thereby restricting the legs from sliding apart.

Further, a front wheel caster provided on one of the first frame and the second frame, a rear wheel caster provided on the other, a handle portion attached to the first frame, and an outer peripheral surface of the first frame. a slide stopper as the first member protruding in the radial direction; a slide link slidably fitted to the first frame and rotatably fixed to the upper end of the second frame; a leg opening/closing lever as the second member, which has a locking part that can be engaged and detached from the first frame and is rotatably fixed to the slide link, and the leg opening/closing lever is configured such that the leg part is in an open state. In some cases, the locking portion is configured to be engaged below the slide stopper, and the upper end of the locking portion abuts the lower end of the slide stopper, thereby preventing the leg from sliding. When the legs are regulated and the legs are in the closed state, the locking portion is configured to be engaged above the slide stopper, and the lower end of the locking portion is connected to the upper end of the slide stopper. It is characterized by a structure in which opening of the legs due to sliding is restricted by contact. According to this, stress acts on the leg opening/closing lever to cause it to elastically deform when it engages and disengages from the first frame, but since the opening/closing is held by abutting the upper and lower ends, sliding by lever operation It is possible to prevent a decrease in holding power due to wear and resin creep. In addition, the slide link is limited to the function of connecting the first frame and the second frame, and there is no pressure from lever operation, and there is no need to form a notch, so the durability of the slide link can be improved. can.

Further, the locking portion of the leg opening/closing lever has a lower end portion having a relatively short circumferential length, an upper end portion having a relatively long circumferential length, and a lower end portion having a relatively long circumferential length. It is characterized in that side edges connecting both circumferential end positions and both circumferential end positions of the upper end portion are formed in a smooth straight line or curved shape with no step. According to this, even if a load is applied to the handle with the locking part hanging at the intermediate position of the slide stopper due to an erroneous operation, the leg opening/closing lever will overcome the slide stopper and the first frame will be located below the slide stopper. Since the legs are engaged with each other and the legs are opened, it can be operated on the safe side.

Further, when the first frame and the second frame are in a closed state where they are closest to each other, play is generated between the lower end of the locking portion and the upper end of the slide stopper. It is characterized by the presence of According to this, even a weak user can easily perform the leg-closing operation by providing a width to the leg-closed state.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a walking vehicle equipped with a lever structure that does not cause a reduction in holding force due to sliding wear and resin creep caused by lever operation when opening and closing the legs.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing an example of a walking vehicle in a leg-spread state according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing an example of the walking vehicle of FIG. 1 in a closed leg state. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a connecting portion between a first frame and a second frame in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a connecting portion between a first frame and a second frame in FIG. 2; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a slide link of the walking vehicle shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a leg opening/closing lever of the walking vehicle shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a side view showing an example of a connecting member between front and rear leg frames of a conventional walking vehicle.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view showing an example of a walking vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Moreover, FIG. 2 is a side view showing an example of the leg-closed state of the walking vehicle 1. Further, FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a connecting portion between the first frame 20 and the second frame 22 in FIG. 1. Further, FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a connecting portion between the first frame 20 and the second frame 22 in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. Further, FIG. 5(a) is a perspective view of an example of the slide link 24 seen from the front and above, and FIG. 5(b) is a perspective view of the slide link 24 from the rear and above. Further, FIG. 6(a) is a perspective view of an example of the leg opening/closing lever 26 seen from above the front, and FIG. 6(b) is a perspective view of the leg opening/closing lever 26 from above. Furthermore, FIG. 7 is a side view showing an example of a connecting member for front and rear leg frames of a conventional walking vehicle. For convenience of explanation, arrows indicate the front and rear, left and right, and up and down directions of the walking vehicle 1 in the figure. In addition, in all the drawings for explaining each embodiment, members having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanation thereof may be omitted.

This walking vehicle 1 includes legs 10 that can be opened and closed (that is, can be expanded and folded), and is a device for assisting elderly people, people with physical disabilities, etc. to walk when their legs are open.

In this embodiment, the walking vehicle 1 includes, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, leg sections 10 that stand on their own on the ground, and a handle section 12 provided above the leg sections 10.

The leg portion 10 includes a first frame 20 that is a fixed frame and a second frame 22 that is a movable frame. The first frame 20 and the second frame 22 are connected via a slide link 24, and a leg opening/closing lever 26 attached to the slide link 24 maintains the opening/closing of the leg portion 10.

First, the first frame 20 horizontally connects, for example, a U-shaped pipe 30 that is bent and formed into a U-shape when viewed from the front, and vertical pipe portions 30A on both left and right sides of the U-shaped pipe 30. A seat pipe 32 is provided. The U-shaped pipe 30 and the seat pipe 32 are integrally formed by welding or the like, and are provided with a slide stopper 34 projecting in the radial direction on the outer peripheral surface above the connection point. A handle frame link 36 is fitted to the upper end of the U-shaped pipe 30, and a stop hole is formed so as to overlap the position of the stop hole drilled in the handle frame link 36 (both are not shown). ). In addition, swing-type front wheel casters 40 are attached to the lower part of the U-shaped pipe 30 via front wheel caster connection members 42 .

Further, the second frame 22 includes vertical pipes 44 arranged on both the left and right sides, and a seat pipe 46 that connects the vertical pipes 44 on both the left and right sides. The vertical pipe 44 and the seat pipe 46 are integrally formed by welding or the like. A connecting part 45 with the slide link 24 is formed at the upper end of the vertical pipe 44, and fixed rear wheel casters 48 are attached to the lower part of the vertical pipe 44.

Alternatively, the rear wheel casters 48 may be attached to the first frame 20, the front wheel casters 40 may be attached to the second frame 22, and the handle portion 12 may be provided to protrude in the opposite direction.

As described above, the first frame 20 and the second frame 22 are connected via the slide link 24. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the slide portion 52 of the slide link 24 is slidably fitted into the vertical pipe portion 30A (more specifically, the slide stopper is inserted from the lower end of the handle frame link 36). The connecting portion 54 of the slide link 24 is rotatably fixed to a connecting portion 45 formed at the upper end of the vertical pipe 44. Further, a leg opening/closing lever 26 is rotatably fixed to the slide link 24 (by the connecting portion 56 and the connecting portion 60), and the leg opening/closing lever 26 is removable from the vertical pipe portion 30A. It has a locking part 58.

Further, a link frame 50 is installed between the first frame 20 and the second frame 22. The front end of the link frame 50 is rotatably fixed to the front wheel caster connecting member 42, and the rear end of the link frame 50 is rotatably fixed to the vertical pipe 44, and is expanded and folded in conjunction with the opening and closing of the legs 10. Ru.

Here, the opening/closing operation of the leg portion 10 will be explained. When changing from the open leg state to the closed leg state, the leg opening/closing lever 26 engaged with the vertical pipe portion 30A is disengaged (unlocked), and the seat is moved until the upper end of the slide link 24 comes into contact with the lower end of the handle frame link 36. The operation of pulling up the pipe 46 and engaging (locking) the leg opening/closing lever 26 with the vertical pipe portion 30A again is performed. As an additional operation, after performing the above operation, the leg fixing belt (not shown) attached to the seat pipe 32 is passed through the lower side of the seat pipe 46, folded back and locked, so that the first frame 20 and the second frame 22 can be held together. According to this, even if the engagement of the leg opening/closing lever 26 is insufficient, the closed state of the legs can be maintained. The leg fixing belt may be of the pin type or side release buckle type, but it is preferably made of a hook-and-loop fastener that can be easily attached and detached. When changing from the closed leg state to the open leg state, the above operation may be performed in reverse order.

As shown in FIG. 3, the "leg open state" here means that the locking portion 58 of the leg opening/closing lever 26 is engaged with the lower side of the slide stopper 34, and the upper end 58a of the locking portion 58 is This refers to a state in which the closing leg by sliding is regulated (locked) by contacting the lower end 34b of the slide stopper 34. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the "leg closed state" means that the locking part 58 of the leg opening/closing lever 26 is engaged above the slide stopper 34, and the lower end 58b of the locking part 58 is engaged with the slide stopper 34. This refers to a state in which opening of the legs by sliding is restricted (locked) by contacting the upper end portion 34a.

That is, by bringing the end portions (lower end portion 58b, upper end portion 58a) of the locking portion 58 of the leg opening/closing lever 26 into contact with the end portions (upper end portion 34a, lower end portion 34b) of the slide stopper 34, the leg portion 10 It is configured to maintain (regulate) the opening and closing of. According to this, unlike the conventional technology in which the opening/closing is maintained by deforming the resin by lever operation, the leg opening/closing lever 26 (locking part 58) has a timing when it engages and disengages from the vertical pipe part 30A. Stress that causes elastic deformation is applied to the opening and closing, but since the opening and closing are held by abutting the ends (upper end 58a, lower end 58b), it is possible to prevent sliding wear due to lever operation and a decrease in holding force due to creep of the resin. Can be done. In addition, the slide link 24 is limited to the function of connecting the first frame 20 and the second frame 22, and there is no need to press the lever, and there is no need to form a cutout, so the durability of the slide link 24 is improved. can be improved.

Further, when the first frame 20 and the second frame 22 are in the closed state where they are closest to each other, play is generated between the lower end 58b of the locking portion 58 and the upper end 34a of the slide stopper 34. There is. According to this, by providing a width in the closed leg state, there is no need to pull up the seat pipe 46 (second frame 22) until it comes into contact with the lower end of the handle frame link 36. Even a person can easily perform the leg-closing operation.

The slide link 24 and the leg opening/closing lever 26 are preferably formed using a resin material with high material strength and elasticity, and an example thereof is POM (polyacetal). POM is particularly suitable for this embodiment because it has superior mechanical strength, wear resistance, creep resistance, and good sliding properties compared to ordinary resin materials. Moreover, in order to reduce the amount of resin, as an example, as shown in FIG. 6(b), a thinned-out portion 62 may be formed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6(b), the locking portion 58 of the leg opening/closing lever 26 has a lower end portion 58b having a relatively short circumferential length and an upper end portion 58a having a relatively long circumferential length. The side edges 58c connecting the circumferentially opposite end positions of the lower end part 58b and the upper end part 58a are formed in a smooth straight line or curved shape without a step. According to this, even if a load is applied to the handle portion 12 with the locking portion 58 hanging at the intermediate position of the slide stopper 34 due to an erroneous operation, the locking portion 58 will climb over the slide stopper 34 and move away from the slide stopper 34. By being engaged with the lower vertical pipe portion 30A, the legs become in an open state and can be operated on the safe side.

Incidentally, a seat surface 64 is rotatably attached to the seat pipe 32. The seat surface 64 can be used as a chair for a person to sit in when the legs are open, and by making the seat surface 64 horizontal (tilting it backwards), the seat pipe 46 can be placed in contact with the back surface of the seat surface 64. The two seat pipes 32 and 46 that are in contact with each other and spaced apart from each other can reliably support the user. In order to improve sitting comfort, the seat surface 64 is preferably formed into a shallow concave shape so as to follow the shape of the user's buttocks and thighs. The material of the seat surface 64 is not particularly limited, and may be made entirely of resin, a cushion attached to a hard core material, a core material and a cushion covered with upholstery, or the like.

Further, a storage bag 66 is attached below the seat surface 64. The storage bag 66 is open upward and is fixed to the seat pipes 32, 46 by attachment belts (not shown). The attachment belt may be of the pin type or side release buckle type, but in view of the fact that the storage bag 66 can be removed and carried, it is preferable to use a hook-and-loop fastener that is easy to attach and detach. In addition, according to the opening/closing mechanism of the leg part 10 in this embodiment, the leg can be closed even when the storage bag 66 is attached.

The handle part 12 includes a left and right handle frame 70 connected above the first frame 20, a grip part 72 at the upper end (rear end) of the handle frame 70, and a brake lever 74 attached to the handle frame 70. A backrest belt 76 is provided that connects the handle frames 70 on both the left and right sides.

The handle frame 70 is formed by bending a single pipe into a substantially L-shape, has an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the U-shaped pipe 30 of the first frame 20, and has an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the U-shaped pipe 30 of the first frame 20. are connected so that they can slide. A plurality of stop holes 80 for adjusting the handle height are bored in the handle frame 70, and one of the stop holes 80, the stop hole drilled in the handle frame link 36, and the vertical pipe portion 30A. The height of the handle can be fixed by passing the height adjustment screw 38 through the fixing hole drilled in the handle. According to this configuration, the handle frame 70 can be raised and lowered by removing the height adjustment screw 38, and by fixing it to an arbitrary stopper hole 80, the handle height can be set to suit the user. Moreover, since the stop holes 80 are bored in stages, it is possible to distinguish at a glance even when the left and right stop holes 80 are fixed at different heights. Further, even if the height adjustment screw 38 becomes loose due to vibrations while walking, the handle frame 70 will not fall down, so high safety can be achieved.

The grip portion 72 is a portion that is gripped by a person to operate the walking vehicle 1, and a grip 82 is fitted to the upper end (rear end) of the handle frame 70. The grip 82 is preferably one with a so-called ergonomic design that matches the shape of a person's hand in view of its role as a walking vehicle. According to this, since a feeling of close contact with the hand can be obtained by gripping the grip portion 72, comfortable operability can be achieved.

The brake lever 74 is attached to the handle frame 70 so as to be located below the grip portion 72. A brake wire 84 is attached to the front end of the brake lever 74, and a brake mechanism (not shown) provided on the rear wheel caster 48 is connected to the other end of the brake wire 84. The brake is applied by pulling it up toward the grip 72 side. Further, by pushing down the brake lever 74, a locking mechanism (not shown) provided on the rear wheel casters 48 is activated, and rotation of the rear wheel casters 48 can be locked.

The backrest belt 76 is fitted onto the handle frames 70 on both the left and right sides, and stretched so as to be convex toward the front. According to this, the user can lean back when sitting on the seat surface 64. Brake wire holding parts 86 for holding brake wires 84 are provided at both ends of the backrest belt 76.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a walking vehicle equipped with a lever structure that does not cause a decrease in holding force due to sliding wear and resin creep caused by lever operation when opening and closing the legs.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1 Walking vehicle 10 Leg portion 12 Handle portion 20 First frame 22 Second frame 24 Slide link 26 Leg opening/closing lever 34 Slide stopper

Claims (5)

A walking vehicle comprising a leg portion formed by a first frame, which is a fixed frame, and a second frame, which is a movable frame, connected so as to be openable and closable by sliding,
A first member provided on the first frame and a second member provided on the second frame come into contact with each other, thereby restricting movement of the second frame and maintaining the open leg state or the closed leg state. A walking vehicle characterized by: When the leg portion is in the open state, the lower end of the first member and the upper end of the second member are in contact with each other, thereby restricting the leg from sliding;
2. When the leg is in the closed state, the upper end of the first member and the lower end of the second member come into contact with each other, thereby restricting the leg from sliding. walking car. A front wheel caster provided on one of the first frame and the second frame, and a rear wheel caster provided on the other;
a handle attached to the first frame;
a slide stopper as the first member protruding in the radial direction on the outer peripheral surface of the first frame;
a slide link that is slidably fitted into the first frame and rotatably fixed to the upper end of the second frame;
a leg opening/closing lever as the second member, which has a locking part that is removable from the first frame and is rotatably fixed to the slide link;
When the legs are in an open state, the locking portion is configured to be engaged below the slide stopper, and the upper end of the locking portion is in contact with the lower end of the slide stopper. By touching, the closing of the legs by sliding is regulated,
When the leg is in the closed state, the locking portion is configured to be engaged above the slide stopper, and the lower end of the locking portion abuts the upper end of the slide stopper. 3. The walking vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the walking vehicle is configured to restrict opening of the legs by sliding. The locking portion of the leg opening/closing lever is formed such that the lower end portion has a relatively short circumferential length, the upper end portion has a relatively long circumferential length, and the lower end portion has a relatively short circumferential length. The walking vehicle according to claim 3, wherein side edges connecting both end positions of the upper end portion and both end positions of the upper end portion in the circumferential direction are formed in a smooth straight line or curved shape without a step. When the first frame and the second frame are in a closed state where the legs are closest to each other, play is generated between the lower end of the locking part and the upper end of the slide stopper. The walking vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that:

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