JP5316052B2 - Traveling device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a traveling device in which a plurality of wheels are arranged in parallel, and more particularly to a traveling device that controls forward, backward, left-right turn, stop, and the like by moving the center of gravity of a passenger.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle such as that described in Patent Document 1 is known as a vehicle that travels on two wheels with a person on board. Patent Document 1 describes a traveling device that motor-controls the position of a handle or a step in order to achieve straight traveling while maintaining a passenger's posture vertical on a road surface with a lateral gradient.

  Such a traveling device may be used by a passenger whose lower limb function is reduced, such as an elderly person or a patient with a lower limb disease. For example, when a one-leg paralyzed person whose left leg is paralyzed gets on this traveling apparatus, the healthy leg 20 can be put on as shown in FIG.

  However, when the paralyzed leg 21 is put on the step 4L, the knee joint and the ankle joint cannot be bent freely, so that the rider rotates around the waist around the healthy leg 20 and pulls up the paralyzed leg 21. Become. At this time, the toe of the paralyzed leg 21 is caught to the side or the back of the step 4L, and it is difficult to put the paralyzed leg 21 on it.

JP 2008-120347 A

  In the traveling device described in Patent Document 1, the inclination of the roll axis of the step or the handle is calculated, and the inclination of the roll axis is controlled so that these inclinations are always parallel to the gravity axis. For this reason, these positions cannot be changed on a flat surface having no inclination on the road surface.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a traveling device that can easily get on and off even for a passenger whose lower limb function is reduced on one side. It is to be.

  A traveling device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of wheels arranged in parallel, a vehicle body that rotatably supports the plurality of wheels, and a drive unit that rotationally drives the plurality of wheels independently. A step plate that is provided on the vehicle main body and that the passenger rides in a standing position when driving; and a step plate that is provided in a direction in which the trunk is inclined when the passenger gets on, and is a part of the weight of the passenger And an auxiliary mechanism for supporting.

  A travel device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the travel device described above, further comprising a handle provided perpendicular to the step plate, and the auxiliary mechanism is a displacement mechanism that displaces the handle. It is what.

  A travel device according to a third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the travel device described above, the displacement mechanism is a mechanism that tilts the handle to the right or left when the occupant starts boarding. is there.

  In the traveling device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the traveling device described above, the displacement mechanism is a mechanism that allows a boarding assistance bar to be pulled out from a part of the handle when the passenger starts boarding. It is characterized by.

  A travel device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the travel device, the auxiliary mechanism is a cane receiver that is formed at an end of the step plate and holds a cane of a passenger. It is what.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a traveling device that can easily get on and off even if a passenger has lower leg function on one side.

1 is a front view showing a configuration of a traveling device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure explaining a mode that a passenger gets on the traveling device concerning Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure explaining the difference between the traveling apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1, and the conventional traveling apparatus. It is a front view which shows the other structure of the traveling apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing a partial configuration of a traveling device according to a second embodiment. It is a figure explaining a mode that a passenger gets on the traveling device concerning Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 10 is a front view showing a configuration of a traveling device according to a third embodiment. It is a figure which shows a mode when boarding the conventional traveling apparatus.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
The configuration of the traveling device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a traveling device 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1A is a front view of the traveling device 100, and FIG. 1B is a left side view thereof. Traveling apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle having an auxiliary mechanism that supports a part of body weight when a leg whose lower limb function is lowered is pulled up.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the traveling device 100 includes wheels 1L and 1R, driving means 2L and 2R, vehicle main bodies 3U and 3D, steps 4L and 4R, and a handle 5. In the following figures, the left side of the drawing corresponds to the right side as viewed from the passenger side. In the following description, the front view shows the direction as seen from the passenger side.

  The traveling device according to the present invention is a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle including two wheels 1L and 1R arranged on the same axis. The two wheels 1L and 1R are arranged in parallel. The wheels 1L, 1R are provided with driving means 2L, 2R such as motors independently. The driving means 2L and 2R are connected by vehicle bodies 3U and 3D which are divided vertically. The vehicle main bodies 3U and 3D rotatably support the wheels 1L and 1R.

  The vehicle main bodies 3U and 3D are arranged in parallel to each other. The vehicle body 3U is a vehicle body upper member, and the vehicle body 3D is a vehicle body lower member. The vehicle main bodies 3U and 3D are rotatably connected to a pair of side surface members 3S arranged in parallel to each other on the left and right. The vehicle main bodies 3U and 3D and the pair of side surface members 3S constitute a parallel link mechanism.

  Although not shown here, the vehicle main bodies 3U and 3D control the driving of the driving means 2L and 2R according to information such as the inclination of the vehicle detected by a sensor such as a gyro and the load on the vehicle. A circuit device such as a control means is provided. The traveling device 100 maintains the inverted state by controlling the driving means 2L, 2R according to the output from the gyro etc. and controlling the rotational driving of the wheels 1L, 1R. Further, by moving the center of gravity of the occupant, it is possible to perform control such as forward, reverse, left and right turn, and stop while maintaining an inverted state.

  On the upper side of the vehicle main bodies 3U, 3D, a step plate is provided on which a passenger gets in a standing position when driving. The step plate is divided into left and right. The left step plate as viewed from the passenger is designated as step 4L, and the right step slate is designated as step 4R. Steps 4L and 4R are respectively connected to a pair of side surface members 3S constituting the parallel link mechanism.

  A handle 5 is provided between steps 4L and 4R. The handle 5 is tiltable in the roll axis direction with respect to the vehicle main bodies 3U and 3D, and the handle 5 and the steps 4L and 4R are connected by a link mechanism (not shown) so as to be perpendicular to each other. Has been. In the present embodiment, the handle 5 is provided with a portion extending perpendicularly from the vehicle main body 3U and a U-shaped gripping portion 5A at the tip of the portion.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the handle | steering-wheel 5 of the traveling apparatus 100 which concerns on this Embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a part of traveling device 100 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, a boarding assist bar 6 is provided on the handle 5. The boarding assistance bar 6 is an auxiliary mechanism that supports a part of the weight of the passenger when boarding. The boarding assist bar 6 is provided in the vicinity of the grip portion 5 </ b> A that the passenger of the handle 5 grips.

  The boarding assist bar 6 is a part of the handle 5 and is provided so as to be able to be pulled out from the handle 5. That is, the mechanism that pulls out the boarding assist bar 6 is a displacement mechanism that displaces the handle. In the present embodiment, the boarding assisting bar 6 extends from the lower side of the U-shaped gripping portion 5A to the outside of the right wheel 1R in order to deal with a passenger whose left leg function is reduced. In addition, it is preferable that the boarding assistance bar 6 is provided so that it can be pulled out from the left side of the handle 5. When dealing with a passenger whose right leg function is reduced, the boarding assistance bar 6 can extend to the outside of the left wheel 1L.

  Here, an example in which a single leg paralyzed person who has a paralyzed left foot gets on the traveling device 100 will be described. The right leg of the occupant is referred to as a healthy leg 20, and the left leg is referred to as a paralyzed leg 21. In this case, the boarding assistance bar 6 is first pulled out of the handle 5. Thereafter, the boarding assist bar 6 is gripped with the right hand and the handle 5 is gripped with the left hand, and the healthy leg 20 is put on the step 4R.

  Then, while being held by the boarding assist bar 6 and the handle 5, the paralyzed leg 21 is pulled up to Step 4L with the healthy leg 20 as a fulcrum and lowered to Step 4L. In the present embodiment, the boarding assisting bar 6 extends from the handle 5 to the outside of the right wheel 1R. For this reason, the passenger can put his weight on the boarding assisting bar 6 side.

  FIG. 3 shows the difference between the riding posture in the conventional traveling device and the riding posture in the traveling device according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, conventionally, the occupant cannot tilt his / her posture, and the toe of the paralyzed leg 21 is caught on the side or rear of the step 4L.

  However, according to the present invention, the trunk can be tilted to the right by taking out the boarding assistance bar 6 from the handle 5 and putting the weight on the boarding assistance bar 6 side. For this reason, the toe of the paralyzed leg 21 is not caught on the side or the back of the step 4L, and the paralyzed leg 21 can be easily put on.

  After putting the paralyzed leg 21 on step 4L, the trunk is returned to a straight state, and the boarding assist bar 6 is stored in the handle 5. Thereafter, as in the past, the wheel 1L, 1R can be controlled by moving the center of gravity of the occupant to move forward, backward, turn, stop, and the like. Since the boarding assistance bar 6 is stored in the handle 5, it does not get in the way during driving.

  When a passenger whose function of one foot is lowered from the traveling device 100, first, the boarding assistance bar 6 is pulled out from the handle 5. Then, while holding onto the boarding assist bar 6, the trunk is tilted to the right. As a result, the weight of the passenger is put on the boarding assistance bar 6. Then, the paralyzed leg 21 is removed from step 4L and lowered to the ground.

  Thereafter, the healthy leg 20 is lowered from the step 4R to the ground while being held by the boarding assist bar 6 and the weight is put on the boarding assist bar 6. Then, the boarding assistance bar 6 can be stored away from the boarding assistance bar 6. Thereby, it is possible to get off the traveling device 100 easily.

  In the above-described embodiment, the boarding assistance bar 6 may be manually pulled out, or a driving means for taking in and out the boarding assistance bar 6 may be provided. Further, it is possible to provide an urging means such as a spring so that the boarding assisting bar 6 can be taken in and out by a button operation. You may make it a step type so that the length of the boarding assistance bar 6 can be changed.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
The configuration of the traveling device according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of traveling device 200 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a partial configuration thereof. Traveling apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment includes a mechanism for tilting handle 5. The basic configuration of traveling device 200 is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 4, also in the present embodiment, the vehicle main bodies 3U and 3D are divided vertically. The two wheels 1L and 1R are rotatably supported by the vehicle main bodies 3U and 3D. In the present embodiment, an example in which the step plate is divided into left and right as in the first embodiment will be described. Steps 4L and 4R are provided on the vehicle main bodies 3U and 3D, and are respectively connected to the pair of side surface members 3S constituting the parallel link mechanism.

  A handle 5 is provided between steps 4L and 4R. During operation of the traveling device 100, the handle 5 and the steps 4L and 4R are fixed so as to be perpendicular to each other. The handle 5 is tiltable in the roll axis direction with respect to the vehicle main bodies 3U and 3D. The handle 5 and the step plate 4 are rotatably connected by a connecting portion 7.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a lock release button 8 for tilting the handle 5 is provided at a substantially central portion of the lower side of the U-shaped handle 5. By depressing the lock release button 8, the handle 5 is released from being fixed, and the handle 5 can be tilted in the direction of the arrow in FIG. There is a restriction on the rotation range of the handle 5. When the handle 5 is rotated to the right or left to the limit, the handle 5 is automatically fixed at that position.

  Here, an example in which a one-leg paralyzed person who is paralyzed on the left side gets on the traveling apparatus 200 will be described. In this case, the lock release button 8 is first pressed to release the handle 5 from being fixed. Then, the handle 5 is tilted to the right side to the specified position, and the handle 5 is fixed at that position. Thereafter, the handle 5 is grasped and the healthy leg 20 is put on the step 4R.

  Then, while being held by the handle 5 tilted to the right, the paralyzed leg 21 is pulled up with the healthy leg 20 as a support, and placed on the step 4L. In the present embodiment, the handle 5 is inclined to the right side. For this reason, the passenger can put the weight on the tilted handle 5 and tilt the trunk to the right. Thereby, the toe of the paralyzed leg 21 is not caught to the side or the back of the step 4L, and the paralyzed leg 21 can be easily put on.

  After putting the paralyzed leg 21 on step 4L, the trunk is returned to a straight state, the lock release button 8 is pressed, and the handle 5 is unlocked. Then, the handle 5 is returned to be perpendicular to the steps 4R and 4L. Thereafter, the vehicle can be operated by controlling the wheels 1L and 1R by the movement of the center of gravity of the passenger as before.

  Thus, when a one-leg paralyzed person gets on a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle, the rider can tilt the trunk and take an oblique posture by inclining the handle 5 toward the healthy leg side when riding. As a result, the paralyzed leg 21 can be easily pulled into step 4L.

  Since the handle 5 can be tilted to either the left or the right, even if the function of any of the left and right feet is lowered, it is possible to cope with it by changing the direction in which the handle 5 is tilted. Note that the inclination of the handle 5 may be stepped, and the handle 5 may be fixed at an arbitrary inclination.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
The configuration of the traveling device according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7A is a front view showing a configuration of traveling device 300 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 7B is a right side view showing a part thereof. The basic configuration of traveling device 300 is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted. In the present embodiment, an example in which the step plate is divided into left and right will be described.

  The traveling device 300 is provided with a cane holder 9 for holding a cane that supports a part of the weight of the passenger. In the present embodiment, in order to correspond to a passenger whose left leg function is lowered, the cane receiver 9 is provided at the right end of the right step 4R. As shown in FIG. 7B, the wand receiver 9 is provided at the center upper portion of the wheel 1R.

  In addition, in order that the cane receptacle 9 respond | corresponds to the passenger with which the right leg function is falling, it is preferable that the boarding assistance bar 6 is provided also in the left edge part. Alternatively, the wand receiver 9 may be detachably provided so that it can be attached to either the left or right.

  Here, an example in which a one-leg paralyzed person who has a paralyzed left foot rides on the traveling device 300 will be described. Here, it is assumed that the right leg of the passenger is a healthy leg and the left leg is a paralyzed leg. First, the cane 10 held by the passenger is fitted into the cane receiver 9. Thereby, the cane 10 is held by the cane holder 9.

  The right hand is placed on the cane 10 and the handle 5 is grasped with the left hand. In this state, the healthy leg is put on step 4R. Then, while putting the weight on the cane 10 and tilting the trunk to the right, the paralyzed leg is placed on the step 4L while supporting the healthy leg. Thereby, a paralyzed leg can be easily put, without a paralyzed leg being caught in Step 4L.

  After putting the paralyzed leg on Step 4L, the trunk can be returned to a straight state, and the wheel 1L, 1R can be controlled by the movement of the center of gravity of the occupant as usual by grasping the handle with both hands. During driving, the wand 10 may be removed from the wand receiver 9, or the driving can be performed with the wand 10 attached as it is.

  As described above, according to the present invention, by providing an auxiliary mechanism that supports a part of the body weight when boarding, the trunk can be tilted, and even a passenger who has lowered the function of one leg can easily get on and off. can do.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the present invention can be applied to a traveling device having three or more wheels. In the third embodiment, the example in which the handle is provided has been described. However, the handle may not be provided.

1L, 1R Wheel 2L, 2R Driving means 3U, 3D Vehicle main body 3S Side member 4L, 4R Step 5 Handle 6 Boarding assist bar 7 Connecting portion 8 Lock release button 9 Cane receiving 10 Cane 100, 200, 300 Traveling device

Claims (5)

A pair of wheels arranged in parallel and facing each other ;
A vehicle body that rotatably supports the pair of wheels;
Drive means for independently rotating the pair of wheels;
A step plate that is provided on the vehicle body and on which a passenger gets in a standing position when driving;
A boarding assist gripper that can be gripped on the outside of either one of the pair of wheels when the passenger boarded ;
A travel device comprising: A handle vertically provided on the step plate;
The handle includes a driving grip portion that a passenger grips during driving, and a boarding auxiliary bar that extends from the driving grip portion to the outside of one of the pair of wheels.
The travel device according to claim 1, wherein the boarding assist grip is the boarding assist bar . The handle has a mechanism that tilts to the right or left when the passenger starts boarding ,
The traveling device according to claim 1 , wherein when the passenger boardes, the driving gripping part gripped by the passenger during driving is gripped as the boarding auxiliary gripping part while the handle is tilted . The travel device according to claim 2, wherein the boarding assist bar is a mechanism that can be pulled out from a part of the handle. Further comprising a wand receiver formed at an end of the step plate and holding a wand of the passenger ;
The traveling device according to claim 1, wherein when a passenger boardes, the cane fixed to the cane holder is gripped as the boarding auxiliary gripping part .

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