JP3413156B2 - Walking aid - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a four-legged two-wheel type walking assist device for assisting walking of a person with a walking disorder.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, walking aids include walking sticks, fixed walkers, alternating walkers, three-wheeled walkers, four-legged two-wheeled walkers, four-legged four-wheeled walkers, chair-equipped walkers, horseshoe walkers. There are various types depending on the user. By the way, recently, the present applicant has proposed a four-legged four-wheeled walking vehicle. Such a walking car
It is very easy to use for ordinary elderly people.

[0003]

However, for example, in the case of gait disturbance due to severe lumbar spine disease, limitation of range of motion due to advanced rheumatoid arthritis, movement limitation due to severe osteoarthritis, gait disturbance, etc. It is possible that four-wheeled walking vehicles cannot be applied. In other words, in such a physical condition of the user, the walking vehicle cannot keep up with the traveling speed of the walking vehicle, and only the walking vehicle runs first, which may be a dangerous state. The present invention has been proposed in view of such a background, and an object thereof is to provide a four-legged two-wheel type walking assist device for assisting walking of a person with a walking disorder.

[0004]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, in a walking aid, a grip for a user to grip is provided on a main body frame, and at least wheels are provided on legs near a traveling direction. Disclosed is a structure in which a fixed leg and a wheel can be selectively mounted on a leg opposite to the traveling direction. In the present invention, the front frame and the rear frame are made to intersect at a position closer to the upper part than the middle and are coupled to each other at the intersection, and a seat plate is arranged in the lower space of the intersection, and the front frame is A front wheel is attached to the lower end side and has a pair of front support columns that are directed obliquely upward toward the upper end side.While a grip is attached to the upper ends of these front support columns, the upper side of the rear frame is directed diagonally forward. Disclosed is a structure in which a backrest member is provided so as to be oriented along the upper side, and a fixed leg and a wheel can be selectively mounted on the lower end side. Furthermore, it is also possible to adopt a structure in which a weight imparting means is provided on the rear frame.

[0005]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, a walking assist device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, showing one embodiment thereof. FIG. 1 shows a four-wheeled walking vehicle 1 which is a walking aid. This four-wheeled walker 1 (hereinafter, walker 1) is formed by a pipe frame as a whole, and the front frame 2 and the rear frame 3 are crossed at a position closer to the upper part than the middle and are axially fixed to each other at the crossed position. Then, in the space below this intersection, seat plate 4 and accessory bag 5
Are arranged. A front wheel 6 is mounted on the lower end side of the front frame 2 and has a pair of front support columns 2a, 2a which are directed obliquely upward toward the upper end side. A grip 7 is attached to the upper ends of the front support columns 2a, 2a, while a backrest member 8 is provided along the upper side with the upper side of the rear frame 3 oriented obliquely forward. The fixed leg 9 is attached to the lower end of the rear frame 3.

The rear frame 3 is formed in a substantially inverted U-shape, and the backrest member 8 provided on the upper side is a seat plate 4.
An elastic member is arranged on the side so that the user can lean on the seat plate 4 when he / she sits down and rests on the way. The fixed leg 9 on the lower end side of the rear frame 3
Is configured to be detachably attached to a bifurcated fork member 10 provided at the lower end of the rear frame 3 with a screw 11 and a nut 12. The fixed leg 9 has a structure in which a rubber foot 9b is attached to the end of a leg shaft 9a having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe forming the rear frame 3, and when the fork member 10 is attached, the tip end side of the leg shaft 9a is rearward. It is placed inside the frame 3 pipe. In addition, depending on the condition of the user and the way of using the fork member 10,
In some cases, a wheel (not shown) is more suitable than the fixed leg 9, so that the wheel is also attached.

Further, on the lower end side of the rear frame 3,
A balancer 13, which is a load means, is provided along the rear frame 3 from directly above the fixed leg 9. In this case, the balancer 13 is composed of an elongated tank that covers from the rear side of the rear frame 3 to the fork member 10 where the fixed leg 9 of the rear frame 3 is attached to the middle portion of the rear frame 3. There is. That is, the balancer 13 swells in the width direction corresponding to the fork member 10 on the lower side in the figure, and has a notch 13a, and
Engagement groove 13b extending from the lower side to the upper side along the longitudinal direction
Is formed, and the rear frame 3 is formed through the engagement groove 13b.
The balancer 13 is engaged with and the fixing screw 14 is used for fixing. The balancer 13 is composed of, for example, a blow molding body made of synthetic resin, has a water injection port (not shown) on the upper side, and after the water injection, the cap 1
It is configured to be sealed with 5. In this case, by adjusting the amount of water, it can be used as a weight according to the usage situation. In addition to water injected from the water injection port, other liquids, particles, powder, etc. can be applied.

In the pedestrian 1 having the above structure, the user holds the grip 7 and pushes the fixed leg 9 on the lower end side of the rear frame 3 so as to float the pedestal 1.
Can be moved to walk with the pedestrian 1 as a support. Since the pedestrian 1 is substantially composed of the front frame 2 and the rear frame 3, the pedestrian 1 is originally light in weight and can be easily moved by rotating the front wheels 6 and 6. If the balancer 13 is mounted along the upper part of the rear frame 3 from directly above the fixed leg 9 on the lower end side of the rear frame 3, the center of gravity is near the position from directly above the fixed leg 9 to the upper part of the rear frame 3, so that especially the inclined ground It can provide walking stability when walking.

When the user wants to take a break during walking, if the user releases his / her hand from the grip 7, the fixed leg 9 on the lower end side of the rear frame 3 of the walking vehicle 1 can be grounded. 1 can be stopped immediately, and the user can sit on the seat board 4 on the spot and lean on the backrest member 8 to take a break. As described above, even if the brake is not provided, the fixed leg 9 on the lower end side of the rear frame 3 can be stopped by simply releasing the hand from the grip 7, and thus the walking vehicle 1 may move forward. In addition, the structure is simplified and the manufacturing cost can be suppressed because the brake mechanism is not provided.

Although the operation of the walking vehicle 1 according to the present invention has been described above by way of example, the wheel may be more suitable than the fixed leg 9 depending on the condition of the user. At that time, the fixed leg 9 can be removed and the wheel can be attached to the fork member 10 on the lower end side of the rear frame 3.

[0011]

As described above, according to the present invention, the specifications are intermediate between the fixed walker and the four-legged four-wheeled walker, and it is possible to cope with the physical condition of the user. By eliminating the rear wheels and brake system, it is possible to significantly reduce costs and set prices according to functions.

[0012]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an example of a walking aid according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the walking assist device shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols] 1 pedestrian 2 front frame 2a Front support 3 rear frame 4 seat plate 5 accessory bags 6 front wheels 7 grip 8 Backrest member 9 fixed legs 9a pedestal 9b rubber feet 10 Fork member 11 screws 12 nuts 13 Balancer 13a notch 13b engagement groove 14 fixing screw 15 caps

Front page continuation (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A61H 3/04 A61G 5/02 B62B 1/00-5/06

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. In a walking aid, a grip for a user to grip is provided on a main body frame, wheels are provided on at least legs near a traveling direction, and a fixed leg and a wheel are selectively provided on legs opposite to the traveling direction. A walking aid characterized by being configured so that it can be attached to . 2. The front frame and the rear frame are made to intersect at a position closer to the upper part than the middle and are connected to each other at the intersecting position, and a seat plate is arranged in the lower space of the intersecting part. A front wheel is attached to the lower end side and has a pair of front support columns that are directed obliquely upward toward the upper end side.While a grip is attached to the upper ends of these front support columns, the upper side of the rear frame is directed diagonally forward. A walking assist device characterized in that a backrest member is provided along the upper side so as to be oriented, and a fixed leg and a wheel can be selectively mounted on the lower end side. 3. Weighting means is provided on the rear frame.
Walker of claim 2, wherein the digit.