JP3313558B2 - Automatic speed controller for walking assist vehicles - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic speed control device for a walking assist vehicle capable of maintaining a wheel rotation speed within a constant speed range.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A walking assist vehicle is useful for people with walking impairment and for rehabilitation after walking and elderly people who have difficulty walking. It is widely used for practical use with its shape and performance.

[0003] However, due to the general use conditions, the walking assist vehicle is designed so that the user can move the walking assist vehicle smoothly, lightly, and freely when used in addition to structural safety. Therefore, even if a person with mild disability or a person with walking disability who has relatively strong physical fitness can use it effectively without any problem, this lightness may be a burden on the severely disabled and elderly with reduced physical strength. Was. For example, the walking motion with respect to the movement of the walking assist vehicle is delayed, and the walking assist vehicle is pushed forward further with an unstable walking posture in which the trunk leans forward and the lower limbs bend and moves forward. As a result, there was a high risk of inducing unexpected accidents such as falls.

[0004] As a countermeasure, safety is taken into consideration by providing a brake device or the like for some walking assist vehicles and a brake lever or the like designed to be light and easy to operate for persons with disabilities. Have been. However, for people with severe disabilities and the elderly who are unable to support their body by declining as a whole or to support a walking assist vehicle, the brakes and There are many cases where control is difficult or no operation is possible. For this reason, a method of slowing down the movement of the walking assist vehicle by applying a slight brake in advance has been considered, but this time the smooth assisting function of the walking assist vehicle itself is lost and it is difficult to use. There was a problem that occurs.

[0005]

The problem to be solved is that a walking assist vehicle is different from a conventional brake device which requires operation with a lever or the like. This is a point that there is no functional device that can be controlled and automatically controls the rotation speed under various conditions of the rotation of the wheel without the need for operation from the outside, and can maintain the desired rotation speed of the wheel within a certain range. .

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, in order to add an automatic speed control function to wheels of a walking assist vehicle, a brake drum rotatably mounted on a fixed shaft and having wheels attached thereto is integrally formed with an input side. The internal gear to be output, the sun gear on the output side, and the planetary carrier fixed to the fixed shaft enable a predetermined gear ratio to be set, and the output shaft integrated with the sun gear is rotated at an increased speed. Equipped with a planetary gear mechanism, a governor-weight brake shoe provided on an output shaft that is rotatable on a fixed shaft, enables the required braking effect on the brake drum, and controls the rotation of the brake drum. The most important feature is to perform automatic control within a certain rotation speed range. This makes it possible to realize a safe and convenient walking assist vehicle in which the rotation speed under various wheel rotation conditions can be automatically maintained within a desired constant rotation speed range without the need for the user to operate the brake device. I made it.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The effects of the present invention in which a planetary gear mechanism has an internal gear as an input side, a planetary carrier is fixed to a fixed shaft, and an output shaft is integrally formed with a sun gear as an output side. 1 is an overall longitudinal sectional view, FIG. 2 is an external view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a planetary gear mechanism, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are brakes having a governor weight structure. It is explanatory drawing before and at the time of operation of one Example in a shoe. In the present invention, since the left and right wheels of the walking assist vehicle have the same structure, the description of the other wheel structure will be omitted. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

The brake drum 1 to which the wheels 3 are mounted has an open end at one end, and is rotatable around the end of the fixed shaft 4 by means of a bearing 2 'of a hub 2 integrally formed at the center of the other end. And it is attached without deviating. The internal gear 5 is integrally formed inside the brake drum 1 on the side of the hub 2 so that a planetary gear mechanism described later can be configured.
The opening end of the brake drum 1 provided with a mechanical part such as a brake shoe 9 having a weight structure is a cover disk 1 ′ integrally formed with a stopper pipe 12 that can be fixedly mounted on the fixed shaft 4. It is covered without impairing the rotation of the drum 1. The fixed shaft 4 is fixed to a frame, a pipe, or the like that constitutes the walking assist vehicle.

The stopper pipe 12 integrally forming the cover disk 1 'is fixed to the fixed shaft 4 by a stopper 12'.
Fixed to the fixed shaft 4 to prevent the output shaft 7 'integrally formed with the sun gear 7 to be described later from deviating, so that the sun gear 7 and the output shaft 7' can be fixed. The cover disk 1 ′ is released from the opening side end of the brake drum 1 by releasing the fixing and sliding the fixing shaft 4 on the fixing shaft 4. Inspection of a mechanism part such as a brake shoe 9 having a weight structure and a planetary gear mechanism part can be performed.

The planetary gear mechanism includes an internal gear 5 integrally formed inside the brake drum 1 and one end of a pipe-shaped output shaft 7 ′ rotatable about the fixed shaft 4 as a center axis. A sun gear 7 integrally formed with a pinion shaft 6 "for rotatably mounting a planetary pinion 6 'is provided at both ends.
The planetary carrier 6 is fixedly mounted on the fixed shaft 4. The rotation of the brake drum 1 integrated with the wheels 3 causes the internal gear 5 to rotate.
Is the input side, and the output side is the sun gear 7. In this case, since the planetary carrier 6 is fixed by the fixed shaft 4, the sun gear 7 rotates in the opposite direction to the rotation of the wheels 3, that is, the rotation direction of the internal gear 5. A predetermined speed-up rotation is performed based on the ratio between the number of teeth and the number of teeth of the sun gear 7.

Brake shoe 9 of governor weight structure
A governor is provided at a position near the other end of an output shaft 7 ′ integrally forming the sun gear 7 at one end thereof, and is provided symmetrically with respect to the output shaft 7 ′ as a center axis. Plate 8 and weight support
A governor-weighted brake shoe 9 under various rotational conditions by means of a pin 8 ′ and a governor spring 11.
By pressing the portion against the inner peripheral portion of the brake drum 1, a predetermined braking effect can be obtained. In addition,
Governor spring 11 provided for governor weight
The spring force can be adjusted by enabling the attachment / detachment exchange or the attachment position or the attachment height displacement.

A soft lining material 10 made of rubber or the like is used for a friction surface of the brake shoe 9 having a governor-weight structure, and the rotation speed of the brake drum 1 is automatically controlled within a certain rotation speed range. It is configured such that a required braking effect can be enhanced and that it does not peel off under use conditions.

The cover disk 1 'with the stopper pipe 12 is slid on the fixed shaft 4 and is detached from the brake drum 1, so that the brake shoe 9 and the governor spring having the governor weight structure are provided. 1
It is designed to be able to replace and replace 1 etc. and to perform necessary maintenance and adjustment.

With this arrangement, the wheels 3 rotating in the forward direction are provided with a planetary gear mechanism formed in the brake drum 1 and a governor weight structure brake which operates as required under various rotational conditions. The shoe 9 can automatically control the wheel rotation speed of the walking assist vehicle under the wheel rotation speed condition and maintain the wheel rotation speed within a desired constant rotation speed range. When the wheel rotates in the reverse direction, such as when the vehicle retreats, the brake drum 1 is removed from the structure of the planetary gear mechanism and the brake shoe 9 having the governor weight structure.
Has no braking action.

[0015]

The speed automatic control device for a walking assist vehicle according to the present invention has the following effects.

An automatic speed control device for a walking assist vehicle includes a planetary gear mechanism having an internal gear formed integrally with a brake drum as an input side in a brake drum integrally formed with wheels, A governor / brake composed of a governor spring or the like in which a required spring force is set to control a centrifugal force acting on a brake shoe having a governor weight provided on an output shaft which rotates at a predetermined speed under a rotational speed condition. The automatic control of the rotation speed of the wheels is enabled by integrally configuring the mechanism part. In addition, there is the convenience that an appropriate wheel can be freely selected according to the place of use. Thereby, in various conditions of use of the walking assist vehicle, the desired wheel rotation speed is always automatically maintained within a certain rotation speed range without impairing the function as the walking assist vehicle, and safety is ensured.
There is a great advantage that the user's anxiety is eliminated and the rehabilitation effect is further promoted.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration of a main part in an embodiment showing an effect of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a planetary gear mechanism portion formed in a brake drum 1 in an embodiment showing an effect of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a structure of a mechanical part such as a brake shoe 9 of a governor-brake structure formed in the brake drum 1 in an embodiment showing an effect of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state at the time of operation of FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Brake drum 1 'Cover disk 2 Hub 2' Bearing 3 Wheel 4 Fixed shaft 5 Internal gear 6 Planetary carrier 6 'Planetary pinion 6 "Pinion shaft 7 Sun gear 7' Output shaft 8 Governor・ Plate 8 ′ Weight support pin 9 Brake shoe of governor weight structure 10 Lining material 11 Governor spring 12 Stopper pipe 12 ′ Stopper 13 Floor

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A brake drum rotatably attached to a shaft by an integrally formed hub portion to allow wheels to be detachably mounted, an internal gear formed integrally with the brake drum in the brake drum, A planetary gear mechanism that consists of a sun gear and a planetary pinion made of a planetary carrier. The output on the output side of the planetary gear mechanism
A governor plate integrated with the shaft, a governor-weighted brake shoe attached to the weight support pin on the governor plate so that one end opens, and one end of the governor-weighted brake shoe A governor spring mounted between the governor plates, and a governor / brake mechanism that enables a braking action with centrifugal force acting under the rotational speed condition of the output shaft. An automatic speed control device for a walking assist vehicle characterized by the following.