JPH0612765Y2 - Wheel lock device for walking aid - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wheel locking device, and more particularly to a wheel assisting device having a pair of left and right side frames having wheels at their lower ends which can approach and separate from each other. The present invention relates to a wheel lock device for a walking aid.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a walking assist device has been used to assist a person with a physical disability in walking. This walking aid generally has a pair of left and right side frames each having a wheel at its lower end. At the time of use, the user walks by pushing the upper part of the side frame forward while the user partially supports the weight on the upper part of the side frame.

Among such walking aids, a foldable one has been proposed by the inventor of the present application (Japanese Patent Application No. 1-223786). This foldable walking aid can be stored compactly, and
It can also be used as a cane in the stored state (folded state). Therefore, if the wheels can be locked in the folded state, it is preferable in terms of safety.

However, the conventional wheel lock device requires a troublesome operation at hand, and the wheels cannot be locked easily.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a wheel lock device for a walking aid that can easily lock wheels.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A wheel lock device according to the present invention is for locking the wheels of a walking aid equipped with a pair of left and right side frames having wheels at their lower ends which can approach and separate from each other. It is a wheel lock device for a walking aid.
This device includes a protrusion, a lock, and an interlocking mechanism.

The protrusions are provided on the both side frames and are capable of protruding and retracting so as to come into contact with each other when the side frames are folded. The lock part is for locking a wheel. The interlocking mechanism is a mechanism arranged between the lock part and the protrusion so that the lock part interlocks with the retracting operation of the protrusion.

[0008]

In the present invention, when the side frames are brought close to each other and brought into the folded state, the projections of the side frames abut against each other and sink. Then, the interlocking mechanism causes the lock portion to interlock with the retracting operation of the protrusion to lock the wheel.

In this case, since the wheels are automatically locked when the side frame is in the folded state, the locking operation can be easily performed.

[0010]

【Example】

First, the overall configuration of a walking aid using one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The walking assist device 1 mainly has a front frame pair 2 having left and right side frames 2a and 2b extending vertically and a left and right side frames 3a and 3b extending vertically arranged behind the front frame pair 2. Side frame pair 3,
It is composed of connecting mechanisms 11 to 13 for connecting these side frame pairs to each other so that they can approach and separate from each other, and a lock mechanism 30 for locking the connecting mechanisms 11 to 13 in a deployed state.

The front frame pair 2 has rotatable front wheels 4 at its lower end. The upper part of the front frame pair 2 is approximately 90 ° rearward.
It is bent, and the grip 5 is attached to this bent portion. The grip 5 may be provided by bending the upper portion of the front frame pair 2 toward the front side, or may be formed in a T shape by protruding in the front-rear direction. Also, front frame pair 2
The upper part of the may be stretchable, and with this structure, the grip position can be set according to the height difference of the user. A hook 6 is provided on the upper portion of the front frame pair 2. As shown in FIG. 5, a bag 7 for accommodating small articles or the like can be hung on the hook 6. A stopper 7 for fixing the front frame pair 2a, 2b to each other and a pin 8 with which the stopper 7 engages are attached to the attachment portion of the hook 6 when the walking aid 1 is folded (see FIG. 7). It is provided. One end of the stopper 7 is provided on the side frame 2 of the front side frame pair 2.
It is rotatably attached to a.

The pair of rear side frames 3 are also rotatable rear wheels 9
At the lower end. The upper portions of the side frames 3a and 3b of the rear side frame pair 3 are bent forward, and the tips of the bent portions are rotatably connected to the corresponding side frames 2a and 2b. A brake device, which will be described later, is attached to each rear wheel 9, and a brake lever 10 for operating the brake device is provided below the grip 5.

The connecting mechanisms 11 to 13 respectively connect the left and right side frames 2a and 2b of the front frame pair 2 to each other so that they can approach and separate from each other, and the front frame pair 2 and the rear frame pair 3 respectively. A connecting mechanism 12 that connects the left-side frames 2a and 3a so that they can approach and separate from each other, and the right-side frames 2b and 3b of the front frame pair 2 and the rear frame pair 3 respectively.
And a connecting mechanism 13 for connecting the two so that they can approach and separate from each other.

The connecting mechanism 11 includes linear members 11a, 11
It is composed of an X-shaped connecting member in which b is crossed at each central portion and is rotatably connected to each other. Each member 1
The upper ends of 1a and 11b are rotatably connected to the upper portions of the side frames 2a and 2b of the front frame pair 2. In addition, each member 11a,
The lower end of 11b is rotatably connected to a slide member 15 which is slidable on the side frames 2a and 2b, respectively. As a result, each slide member 15 is attached to each side frame 2a, 2
By sliding on b, the crossing angle of the members 11a and 11b is changed so that the side frames 2a and 2b can approach and separate from each other.

Details of the connecting portion A between the member 11a and the slide member 15 are shown in FIGS. The same applies to the connecting portion on the member 11b side. In these drawings, the member 11a is attached to the slide member 15 via a pin 16 that is inserted through the lower end of the member 11a, and is rotatable around the pin 16. Further, a stopper pin 17 is fixed to the central portion of the side frame 2a in the longitudinal direction. On the other hand, a notch 15a is formed in the upper part of the slide member 15, and this notch 15a can engage with the stopper pin 17 from below. Thereby, the members 11a and 11b
The crossing angle of is regulated.

The connecting mechanisms 12 and 13 have a side rod 20 arranged between the front frame pair 2 and the rear frame pair 3. One end of the side rod 20 is rotatably connected to one end of the slide member 15. Further, the lower end of the side rod 20 is rotatably connected to a fixing member fixed on each of the side frames 3a and 3b of the rear frame pair 3. Details of the connecting portion B on the side of the side frame 3a are shown in FIGS. The same applies to the connecting portion on the side of the side frame 3b. In these figures, the fixing member 21 has a U-shaped protruding portion 21a protruding forward. The rear end 20a of the side rod 20 is fitted in the recess of the protrusion 21a. The protrusion 21a and the rear end of the side rod 20 are pin 22
, And the side rod 20 is rotatable around a pin 22. Further, a U-shaped member 23 is provided on the side of the protrusion 21a. The U-shaped member 23 is also attached to the protrusion 21 a via the pin 22 and is rotatable around the pin 22. Inside the U-shaped member 23, one end of an auxiliary member 25 is rotatably connected. The other end of the auxiliary member 25 is connected to the lock mechanism 30.

The lock mechanism 30 is provided below the connecting mechanism 11 between the members 11a and 11b. The lock mechanism 30 is configured by rotatably connecting flat plate-shaped members 30a and 30b, and the respective members 30a and 30b.
The other end of each of the members 11a and 11b of the coupling mechanism 11 is
Is rotatably connected to. With this configuration, the lock mechanism 30 can be folded in two in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 (see FIG. 6).

FIG. 12 shows details of the connecting portion between the members 30a and 30b. Note that FIG. 12 shows a view C of FIG. The joints 3 are respectively attached to the tips of the members 30a and 30b.
1, 32 are fixed. The tip portion 31a of the joint 31 is formed in a U shape in a plan view, and the tip portion 32a of the joint 32 is fitted in the recess of the tip portion 31a. Also,
A boss 33 is attached to the tip portion 31a. The boss 33 has a pin 34 through which the tip portions 31a and 32a are inserted.
Is provided, and the member 30b is rotatable around the pin 34. Further, the long hole 3 is formed in the tip portion 31a.
5 is formed.

On the other hand, the claw member 3 is inserted through the base of the boss 33.
6 is provided slidably. A pin 37 is fixed to one end of the claw member 36. The pin 37 has a tip 3
It is arranged in the recess of 1a and is slidable in the long hole 35. The other end of the claw member 36 is bent at about 90 °, and a coil spring 38 is mounted between the bent portion and the boss 33. One end of the coil spring 38 is in pressure contact with the bent portion of the claw member 35, and the other end is in contact with the boss 33.
Is pressed against. The pawl member 36 is always urged upward (downward in FIG. 12) by the spring force of the coil spring 38. In addition, the pin 3 is attached to the tip portion 32a of the joint 32.
An L-shaped notch 39 is formed on which the 7 can be locked.
With this configuration, as the lock mechanism 30 changes from the two-folded state shown in FIG. 12 to the extended state (FIG. 1), the pin 37 is moved in the elongated hole 35 and locked in the notch 39, whereby The locking mechanism 30 is locked in the extended state.

A universal joint 40 as shown in FIG. 13 is attached to each member 30a, 30b of the lock mechanism 30. 13 shows the universal joint 40 on the member 30a side, the same applies to the member 30b side. The universal joint 40 has a U-shaped joint 41 fixed to the member 30 a, and a similar U-shaped joint 42 is fitted in the U-shaped joint 41. Joint 42 is joint 41 and 4
It is rotatable around a pin 43 through which 2 is inserted.
One end of the auxiliary member 25 is fitted into the joint 42, and the auxiliary member 25 is rotatable around a pin 43 that passes through the joint 42 and the auxiliary member 25. With this auxiliary member 25, the walking aid 1 in the deployed state (FIG. 1)
Is reinforced.

At the upper part of the connecting mechanism 11, each member 11
A chain 45 is attached between a and 11b. Both ends of the chain 45 have members 11a and 11b, respectively.
It is fixed to. Further, the pin 46 is provided on the member 11a.
(FIG. 4) are provided. When the chain 45 is loosened in the partially expanded state (FIG. 6) of the walking assist device 1, the pins 45 are used to extend the chain 45, so that the members 11a and 11b of the coupling mechanism 11 are separated. The opening can be regulated.

Next, the mounting portion of the brake lever 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. In these drawings, holes 51 are formed so as to penetrate the brake lever upper portion 10a and the grip 5, respectively. The holes 51 are formed at positions facing each other. In each hole 51,
A J-shaped pin 52 is inserted so as to be retractable. The brake lever 10 is rotatable around the pin 52. Further, in the normal neutral state (solid line state in FIG. 14), the tip portion 52a of the pin 52 is in contact with the back side of the brake lever 10 (the back side of the paper surface of FIG. 15).
Moreover, the pin 52 has a head portion 52b. Each pin 52
Heads 52b are provided on opposite sides.
A coil spring 5 is provided between the head 52b and the grip 5.
3 is mounted in a compressed state. Due to the spring force of this coil spring 53, each pin 52 is constantly urged in the direction in which the head portion 52a projects.

A wire 54 is stretched inside the brake lever 10. One end of the wire 54 is connected to an adjusting mechanism 55 provided inside the brake lever 10, and the other end is connected to a brake device described later. The adjusting mechanism 55 includes a rotating member 56 and an adjusting screw 57 that is screwed into the rotating member 56 from outside the grip 10. One end of the rotating member 56 is rotatably supported on the brake lever 10 side and the other end of the wire 54 is locked. The tip of the adjusting screw 57 is in contact with the wall inside the grip 10. By rotating the adjusting screw 57, the rotating member 56 is rotated in the vertical direction, and the length of the wire 54 is adjusted.

The mechanism shown in FIG. 17 may be used as the adjusting mechanism. In FIG. 17, the brake lever 10
A slide member 60 is slidably provided therein. The end of the wire 54 is locked to one end of the slide member 60. An adjusting screw 61 is screwed onto the other end of the slide member 60 from the outside of the brake lever 10. By adjusting the tightening amount of the adjusting screw 61, the slide member 60 slides and the length of the wire 54 is adjusted.

Next, the brake device and the wheel lock device will be described with reference to FIGS. In these figures, the fixing members 6 are provided on the lower portions of the side frames 3a and 3b.
5 is fixed. The axles 66 of the wheels 9 are fixed members 6
5 The lower part is inserted. A rivet 67 is attached to an upper portion of the fixing member 65 from a direction orthogonal to the axle 66. A slide member 68 is vertically movable below the rivet 67 in the fixing member 65.
The end of the wire 54 is locked to the upper end of the slide member 68. Further, the slide member 68 has a cylindrical protrusion 69 at the upper end thereof. A coil spring 70 is mounted around the protrusion 69. The coil spring 70 is contracted between the rivet 67 and the upper end of the slide member 68. The slide member 68 is always urged downward by the spring force of the coil spring 70. Further, as a result, the tension of the wire 54 acts on the brake lever 10 (FIG. 14), and the brake lever 10 rotates around the pin 52 in the direction of contacting the tip portion 52a and is placed in the neutral state. ing. A cutout 68a with which the axle 66 is engaged is formed in the lower portion of the slide member 68. Further, a long hole 71 extending in the up-down direction is formed on the side of the fixed member 65 facing the wheel 9. A U-shaped support portion 88 is provided above the fixing member 65.

A brake shoe 80 is provided between the fixed member 65 and the wheel 9. This brake shoe 8
As shown in FIG. 20, 0 is a flat plate-shaped member that extends in the vertical direction, and has a base portion 81 and pressure contact portions 82 formed on both sides of the tip portion 81 a of the base portion 81. Pressure contact part 8
2 is composed of two divided pressure contact portions 82a and 82b. The pressure contact portions 82a and 82b can contact the inner peripheral surface 83a of the rim 83 of the wheel 9. Further, the base 81 is formed with a hole 85 into which the lock pin 84 can be inserted and a long hole 86 formed in the lower portion thereof into which the axle 66 can be inserted.

At the time of assembling the brake shoe 80, the slide member 68 is housed in the fixing member 65, and the tip portion 81a of the brake shoe 80 is inserted in the supporting portion 88 above the fixing member 65. Lock pin 84 with hole 85
And through the long hole 71 and into the hole 89 of the slide member 68 (see FIG. 23). Inside the slide member 68,
For example, a resin washer 90 is fitted. As shown in FIG. 22, the washer 90 (FIG. 21) has a hole 90a formed in the center and a notch 91 formed around the hole 90a. The inner diameter of the hole 90a is slightly smaller than the diameter of the lock pin 84. As a result, in the state shown in FIG. 21 in which the lock pin 84 is inserted into the hole 90a, the periphery of the hole 90a of the washer 90 is deformed so that the lock pin 84 cannot easily come off. Moreover, the brake shoe 80 and the slide member 68 are integrally moved up and down via the lock pin 84.

On the other hand, on the wheel 9 side, a locking portion 95 for locking the lock pin 84 is provided. This locking portion 95
Has a boss 96 fixed to the axle 66 and six protrusions 97 radially formed around the boss 96. The lock pin 84 can be engaged between the adjacent projections 97 from above (see the chain line in FIG. 19), whereby the wheel 9 is locked.

Next, the opening / closing operation of the walking aid 1 will be described. First, the case where the open state shown in FIG. 1 is changed to the closed state will be described. In this case, first, the lock mechanism 30
The claw member 36 is pushed downward to release the locked state by the pin 37, and each member 30a, 30b is rotated in the arrow direction in FIG. As a result, each of the members 30a and 30b is in a two-fold state. Next, a force is applied inward while gripping the grip 5 to bring the side frames 2a and 2b of the inner frame pair 2 closer to each other. Then, the slide member 15 on the front frame pair 2 descends, whereby the side frames 2a, 2b of the front frame pair 2 and the side frames 3a of the rear frame pair 3 are connected via the coupling mechanisms 11, 12, and 13. , 3b approach each other (see FIG. 6), and finally, as shown in FIG. 7, the side frames 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b are in parallel with each other and are in a folded state.

At the time of the above operation, the auxiliary member 25 needs to be simultaneously rotated in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. Since the front end of the auxiliary member 25 is connected to the members 11a and 11b of the connecting mechanism 11 via the universal joint 40 as described above, the auxiliary member 25 is rotatable in each direction and changes from the open state to the closed state. The operation is smooth.

In this folded state (closed state), by engaging the stopper 7 with the pin 8, the closed state can be maintained. Also, in this closed state, each wheel 4,
9 are at the same height position, respectively, and the walking aid 1 can stand on its own. Thereby, it can be accommodated in a very compact state. In this closed state, the walking aid 1 can also be used as a cane.

At the time of folding, the heads 52b of the pins 52 provided on the brake lever 10 come into contact with each other and are pushed in. As a result, the tip portion 52a of the pin 52, which is in contact with the back side of the brake lever upper portion 10a,
Is released from the back side of the brake lever upper part 10a (see the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 15). On the other hand, the upper part 10a of the brake lever
The tension of the wire 54 is exerted on the wire 54 due to the spring force of the coil spring 70. Therefore, when the tip portion 52a of the pin 52 retracts from the back side of the brake lever upper portion 10a, the tension of the wire 54 causes the brake lever upper portion 10a to move.
a rotates around the pin 52 forward (left in FIG. 14).
As a result, the brake lever 10 is in the locked state (indicated by the alternate long and short dash line L). On the other hand, in the fixed member 65, the slide member 68 descends due to the slack of the wire 54. As a result, the lock pin 84 fixed to the slide member 68 moves downward in the long hole 71 of the fixing member 65, and the locking portion 95.
Engages between the protrusions 97. In this way, the wheels 9
Is locked.

In this case, since the wheels 9 are automatically locked when the walking assist device 1 is folded,
A troublesome operation such as button operation at the user's hand is not required, and the wheels can be easily locked.

Next, the operation of changing the folded state shown in FIG. 7 to the expanded state (open state) will be described. In this case, first remove the stopper 7 from the pin 8 and
Applying force outward while grasping. Then, the front frame pair 2
The upper slide members 15 move up, and the connecting mechanisms 11, 1
2 and 13, the side frames 3a and 3b of the rear frame pair 3 rotate with respect to the corresponding side frames 2a and 2b of the front frame pair 2, respectively, and are in a semi-deployed state (FIG. 6). When a force is further applied outward to the grip 5, the slide member 15 further rises, and the pin 1 is inserted into the cutout portion 15a of the slide member 15.
When the slide member 15 is engaged, the slide member 15 stops rising. In this way, the sliding width of the front frame pair 2 and the rear frame pair 3 can be increased by bringing the slide member 15 into contact with the pin 17.
The rotation angle with respect to the corresponding front frame pair 2 is restricted.

Next, the boss 33 of the lock mechanism 30 is pushed upward to expand the lock mechanism 30 to the extended state. Then, due to the dead point effect, the pair of side frames 2 and 3 are fixed via the coupling mechanisms 11 and 12 and 13. In this way
The walking aid 1 is in the deployed state.

Further, when the brake lever 10 is lightly gripped at the time of this development, the tip end 52a of the pin 52 is again inserted into the back side of the brake lever upper portion 10a by the spring force of the coil spring 53. As a result, the locked state is easily released.

Next, the method of use will be described. When the walking assist device 1 is unfolded by the above-described operation, as shown in FIG. 4, between the left and right side frames 3a and 3b of the rear side frame pair 3, there is a space in which a user can enter. It is formed. When the user enters this space and grips the grip 5 of the walking aid 1, or puts his or her arm on the grip 5, a part of the weight is supported by the grip 5. Then, walking aid 1
On the other hand, a load acts in the direction of arrow D in FIG. By the load acting diagonally downward, the wheels 4 and 9 rotate, and the walking aid 1 moves forward.

In this case, each side frame 3a of the rear side frame pair 3,
The user enters between 3b, and the load is applied to the grip 5 located substantially above the intermediate position between the front wheels 4 and the rear wheels 9, so that the wheels 4 and 10 receive the load substantially evenly. be able to.

Therefore, in this embodiment as described above, the walking assist device 1 rapidly advances against the intention of the user,
Further, lifting of the front wheels 4 is suppressed, and safety during walking is secured. Furthermore, even when the user walks slowly, the walking assist device 1 can be easily followed and moved.

Further, in this embodiment, since the lock mechanism 30 is attached to the coupling mechanism 11, a space between the side frames 3a and 3b of the rear side frame pair 3 is large enough to accommodate a user. Can be secured. Further, since the lock mechanism 30 is vertically foldable, there is a space in which the user can enter between the side frames 3a and 3b even in the semi-deployed state of the walking aid 1 (FIG. 6). It is formed.

Further, when the brake is applied to the wheels 9, the user grips the brake lever 10 to bring it into the brake state (the state indicated by the alternate long and short dash line B in FIG. 14). At this time, the brake lever upper part 10a rotates around the pin 52 and moves rearward (rightward in FIG. 14). This allows
The wire 54 is pulled, and the slide member 68 with the end of the wire 54 locked rises. Then, the lock pin 84
The brake shoe 80 ascends via the, and the press contact portions 82a, 82b of the brake shoe press contact with the rim inner peripheral surface 83a of the wheel 9.

In this case, since the brake shoe 80 has two divided pressure contact portions 82a and 82b,
On the rim inner peripheral surface 83a, it is possible to surely make contact at two places, and the contact area can be increased. As a result, a large braking force is obtained. When the brake lever is loosened, the slide member 68 is moved by the repulsive force of the coil spring 70.
And the brake shoe 80 descends. As a result, the pressure contact portion 82 separates from the rim inner peripheral surface 83a, and the brake is released.

[0043]

According to the wheel lock device of the present invention,
The wheels can be locked simply because the wheels are locked simply by folding the side frames.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a walking aid according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a side view thereof.

FIG. 4 is a plan view thereof.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a usage state.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a half-deployed state of the walking assist device.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a folded state of the walking assist device.

8 is an enlarged view of the connecting portion A of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line IX-IX.

10 is an enlarged view of the connecting portion B of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line XI-XI.

FIG. 12 is a view on arrow C of FIG.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of a connecting portion of an auxiliary member.

FIG. 14 is a schematic configuration diagram of a mounting portion of a brake lever.

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of the arrow D.

FIG. 16 is a schematic configuration diagram of the inside of a brake lever.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing another configuration example inside the brake lever.

FIG. 18 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a brake device and a lock device.

FIG. 19 is a schematic front view thereof.

FIG. 20 is a view showing an assembled state of each component forming the brake device and the lock device.

FIG. 21 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a slide block that forms a connecting portion.

FIG. 22 is a partially enlarged view thereof.

FIG. 23 is an assembly view of the brake device and the lock device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Walking aid 2 Front frame pair 3 Rear frame pair 4,9 Wheel 52 pin 54 Wire 68 Slide member 84 Lock pin

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A wheel lock device for a walking assist device for locking the wheels of a walking assist device, comprising a pair of left and right side frames each having a wheel at a lower end thereof that can approach and separate from each other, and the both sides are provided. A protrusion provided on the frame, which can come into and out of contact with each other in the folded state of the side frame, a lock portion for locking the wheel, and the lock portion interlocking with the retracting operation of the protrusion, A wheel lock device for a walking aid, comprising: an interlocking mechanism arranged between the lock part and the protrusion part.