JPH10216183A - Auxiliary device and method for walking - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an auxiliary device for walking which can help walking by making legs naturally forward from those users whose walkings are relatively hard to those users whose walkings are very hard. SOLUTION: An auxiliary device 10 for walking which supports a user M under his standing posture and helps his walking motion when the user M tries to walk on a walking face is provided and it is provided with a main body 12 which has a driving wheel 22 and is movable on the walking face by rotating the driving wheel 22, a side supporting means which is provided in the main body 12 and receives the sides of the user M, an elbow supporting means which is provided in the main body and receives the elbows of the user M and a back contacting means 16 which is provided in the main body 12 and receives the back of the user M and pushes the back of the user M when the main body moves.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to, for example, supporting a user trying to recover a walking function in a standing posture.
The present invention relates to a walking assist device for assisting a walking operation when a user tries to walk on a walking surface.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 24 shows an example of a conventional walking aid. This walking assist device has grips 1 and 1 that a user grasps by hand, and the grips 1 and 1 are supported by four struts 2 on a floor surface F to be walked. The user grasps the grips 1 and 1 with both hands, lifts the walking aid in the walking direction G, moves forward, and walks.

[0003]

However, when using a walking aid of this type, a user trying to recover the walking function must lift the walking aid itself and proceed in the walking direction G. No. For this reason, the user needs some walking ability, and it is difficult to use it for walking training.

Although this type of walking aid has been lightened, it has the following problems. Because it is a walking aid with a structure on the extension of a commonly used cane,
You can't use it unless you can walk to some extent. Since the user also moves the walking aid itself, the burden on the user is large. Also, no attempt has been made to allow a user who can hardly walk to walk naturally. The user's body is supported only by the arm because the user grips the grips 1, 1. When the user performs walking training by himself, there is a possibility that the rehabilitation effect can hardly be expected and the walking cannot be performed inevitably.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a walking assistance device and a walking assistance device capable of assisting walking from a user who has relatively difficult walking to a person who has extremely difficulty walking so that his / her feet naturally come forward. It is intended to provide a way.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to support a user in a standing posture and assist a walking operation when the user tries to walk on a walking surface. A main body capable of moving a walking surface by rotation of the driving wheel, side support means for receiving a side of a user provided on the main body, and a main body provided with the main body. With a walking assist device comprising: elbow support means for receiving the user's elbow and a back provided on the main body, receiving the back of the user, and pressing the back of the user when the main body moves, Achieved.

In the present invention, the user is supported in a standing posture, and assists the walking operation when the user attempts to walk on the walking surface. In this case, the main body of the walking assist device can move on the walking surface by rotating the drive wheels. The side support means receives the user's side, and the elbow support means receives the user's elbow. The back contact means receives the back of the user and pushes the back of the user when the main body moves. This allows the user to more firmly support the user's own weight on the side of the body and the elbow using the armpit support means and the elbow support means. In this way, the user is supported in a standing posture, and when the pedestrian tries to walk on the walking surface by rotation of the drive wheels of the main body, the back of the user is pushed by the back contact means. The user naturally walks with his feet forward.

The object of the present invention is to provide a walking assist device for supporting a user in a standing posture and assisting a walking operation when the user attempts to walk on a walking surface. There is a main body having a driving wheel, a walking surface can be moved by the driving wheel, a body supporting means provided on the main body for receiving at least the side of the user, and a back part of the user provided on the main body. This is achieved by a walking assist device including: a back contact means for receiving and pressing the back of the user when the main body moves.

According to the present invention, the user is supported in a standing posture to assist a walking operation when the user attempts to walk on a walking surface. In this case, the main body of the walking assist device can move on the drive wheel walking surface. The support means receives a part of the user's body. The back contact means receives the back of the user and pushes the back of the user when the main body moves. Thus, the user can firmly support the main body. The user is supported in a standing posture, and when the pedestrian tries to walk on the walking surface by the driving wheels of the main body, the back of the user is pushed by the back contact means so that the user naturally The foot comes forward to allow walking.

[0010] The object of the present invention is to support the user in a standing posture by receiving at least the side of the user by using the body supporting means of the main body so that the user can walk the walking surface. This is achieved by a walking assistance method in which a user walks in a direction in which the user wants to walk by moving the walking surface by driving force and receiving the back of the user on the main body side when walking.

According to the present invention, the user is supported in a standing posture to assist a walking operation when the user attempts to walk on a walking surface. The user is supported in a standing posture,
When a pedestrian tries to walk on a walking surface by driving force,
The back of the user is pushed so that the user naturally walks with his feet forward. In each of the above-mentioned inventions, the back of the user means a region including at least a part of the back, waist, and hips of the user.

[0012]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are preferred specific examples of the present invention,
Although various technically preferable limits are given, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these modes unless otherwise specified in the following description.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a state in which a user M is performing a walking operation using the walking assist device of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the state. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing only the walking assist device as viewed obliquely from the front side, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing only the walking assist device viewed diagonally from the rear side. 5 to 9 are views showing the walking assist device itself.

The walking assist device 10 has a main body 12, a body supporting means 14, a back contact means 16, and the like. The walking assist device 10 supports the user M in a standing posture as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and when the user M tries to walk on the walking surface F, the walking motion of the user M It is a device for assisting The user M can assist a walking operation or walking training from a person who has a relatively difficult walking operation to a person who has a very difficult walking operation, for example. As an example, if the user M is a person who is extremely difficult to walk and the foot FT of the user M cannot be naturally put forward, the weight of the user M is applied to the main body 12. In addition, the back abutting means 16 assists walking so that the foot naturally comes forward.

The structure of the main body 12 will be described. Figure 1
As shown in FIG. 4, the body 12 preferably has a frame structure and is foldable. The main body 12 includes two sets of front wheels 20, 20, and two drive wheels 22, 2,
2. Support frames 24, 26, plate 28,
It has columns 30, 30, horizontal bars 32, 32, and motors 34, 34 for driving.

The frames 24 and 2 of FIGS. 2 and 3
6 has a substantially U-shape, and can be formed by bending a steel or stainless steel pipe, for example. Frame 24
1 and 2, a user M can enter. The above-described front wheels 20, 20 are attached to one end of the frame 24 so as to be rotatable in the R1 direction. Therefore, these front wheels 20, 20 are steering wheels. On the other hand, drive wheels 22, 22 are rotatably attached to one end and the other end of the frame 26 via attachment portions 36, 36, as shown particularly in FIG. The drive wheels 22 are mechanically connected to a motor 34 via a gear box 38. The rotation of the motors 34, 34 allows the drive wheels 22, 22 to rotate forward or reverse. Therefore, the walking assist device 10 is driven by the drive wheels 22 on the rear wheel side in the forward direction AH and the backward direction BH.
The user M can move in all directions while walking by steering with the front wheels 20, 20.

The frame 24 can be folded or unfolded in the direction of R2 as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 by the connecting portion 40 shown in FIGS. It is the two horizontal bars 32, 32 that position the frames 24, 26 in place. Horizontal bar 32
Are fixed to the respective one end sides of the frames 24 and 26 in a detachable manner by threaded lock members 42 and 42. By turning these lock members 42 in a certain direction, the horizontal bar 32
The horizontal bar 32 can be removed from the frames 24 and 26 by turning the lock member 42 in the opposite direction.

The plate 28 of FIG. 3 and FIG.
6 fixed. In the middle of the horizontal bars 32, 32,
The chairs 46, 46 are set so that they can be stored and turned.
The chairs 46, 46 are stored in the state of FIGS. 2 and 4, but if the chairs 46, 46 are turned, they can be held horizontally adjacent to each other as shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 9. . In this state, in a case where the user M is tired of walking training, the user M can sit on the chairs 46 and rest.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the chairs 46, 46. Each chair 46 can be supported horizontally by arms 50, 52 with respect to the pipe-shaped horizontal bar 32 and the support 48. ing. One end of the arm 52 is a chair 4.
6, and the other end of the arm 52 is connected to the support 48 with a pin. Similarly, the arms 50, 50
Is fixed to the lower surface of the chair 46, and the arms 50, 50
Is movably connected to the plates 54 of the horizontal bar 32. FIG. 11 shows the plate 5 of FIG.
4 shows an example of a connection relationship between the arm 4 and the arm 50. A rotating body 56 is rotatably attached to the plate 54. On the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 56, projections 58, 58 are provided to protrude. The arm 50 has a hollow portion, and has a substantially circular end portion, in which an operating surface 60 having a special shape is formed. In addition, projecting portions 62, 62 are formed on the arms 50, 50.

Since the chair 46 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is housed as shown by the solid line, the arms 50, 50 are oriented substantially vertically upward, and the chair 46 is oriented diagonally downward. When the user lifts the chair 46 in the direction of R3 in FIG. 7, the arm 50 in FIG. 11 is guided by the rotating body 56, and the distal end 66 approaches the rotating body 56 in the direction of arrow R4 in FIG. When the arm 50 is slightly lifted in the direction of R5 in a state where one of the protrusions 58 of the rotating body 56 is fitted into the operating surface 60 of the distal end portion 66 as shown in FIG. 11B, the rotating body 56 is moved in the direction of R6. About 90 degrees. As a result, the protrusions 58, 58 of the rotating body 56 are positioned obliquely with respect to the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 11C, and the arm 50 is moved from the state shown in FIG. 11B to the arm 50 shown in FIG.
Is slightly lowered in the direction of R7, the projections 58, 58 engage with the projections 62, 62 of the arm 50. As a result, the arm 50 is no longer lowered in the R7 direction, and as a result, the chairs 46, 46 can be positioned horizontally and side by side as shown by the broken lines in FIGS.

Next, the support 30 of the main body 12 is shown in FIGS.
Will be described. The columns 30, 30 can be set perpendicular to the plate. The columns 30, 30 are attached to the plate 28 by attachment portions 70, 70. By operating the lock members 72, 72, the mounting portions 70, 70 can be moved in the R8 direction along the lateral groove 74 of the plate 28, and positioned and fixed. Moreover, the mounting portion 70 has a lock member 74, and by loosening the lock member 74, the columns 30,
The height of the column 30 in the Z direction can be adjusted by moving and positioning the support member 30 and tightening the lock member 74.

Next, the structure of the body supporting means 14 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 will be described. The body supporting means 14 supports the weight of the user M or the body so that the weight of the user M
To prevent the user M from falling down. Left and right body support means 14,
Reference numerals 14 are respectively arranged corresponding to the right arm 80 and the left arm 82 of the user M. The body support means 14,14 preferably comprises armpit support means 84 and elbow support means 86.

The side support means 84 has an L-shaped support pipe 88 and a cushion member 90 attached to the support pipe 88. This cushion member 90
Is made of a soft material such as a cylindrical sponge, for example, and is detachably fixed to a horizontal portion of the support pipe 88, for example. The support pipe 88
It is almost L-shaped. The cushion members 90, 90 of the armpit supporting means 84 support the body of the user M by being sandwiched between the arm members 91, 91.

The elbow support means 86, 86 are portions for supporting the elbows 96, 98 of the right arm 80 and the left arm 82 of the user as shown in FIG. The elbow support means 86 has a support 100, a support plate 102 supported by the support 100, an arm 104, and the like. The support plate 102 is made of, for example, wood, and as shown in FIG.

The support 100 can be positioned and fixed at a predetermined position in the Z direction by rotating the lock member 106 with respect to the column 30 as shown in FIG.
By operating the lock member 108, the support 10
The support plate 102 including 0 can be positioned by rotating in the R9 direction. Similarly, the side support means 8 described above
4 supports the lock member 1 of the support 110.
By operating 12, 74, positioning in the Z direction and R
By rotating in ten directions, positioning can be performed at a predetermined height and a predetermined direction.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, one support plate 1
A switch 114 for turning on and off the above-described motors 34, 34 is provided at the tip of 02. A switch 116 for switching between forward rotation and reverse rotation of the motor 34 is provided at the tip of the other support plate 102. These switches 114 and 116 are command means for the motor 34,
It is set at the tip of grip portions 118 and 120 that are gripped by the user's hand.

Next, the back contact means 16 will be described. This back contact means 16 has a waist contact member 16a and a support 16b as shown in FIG. The waist abutment member 16a is fixed to the distal end portion of the support 16b, and the support 16b can be positioned in the Z direction along the guide groove 16d by operating the lock member 16c. That is, the waist abutment member 16a can be positioned in the Z direction corresponding to the waist position of the user M. This support 16b is located at the center of the plate 28.

Next, FIG. 12 shows an example of a command system of the walking assist device 10 described above. Support plates 102, 10
The switches 114 and 116 above the second 2 are connected to the control unit 150, and the signals of these switches 114 and 116 are sent to the control unit 150. The control unit 150 controls the driving wheel 2
A drive signal can be sent to the motors,. Battery BA is connected to control unit 150.
Alternatively, power can be supplied by connecting to a 100 V commercial power supply CS instead of the battery BA.

The mounting portion 3 near the rear wheels 22, 22 in FIG.
The walking speed difference detecting means 160 of the user M is arranged in 6,36. The walking speed difference detecting means 160 has a light emitting section 161 such as a photodiode and a light receiving section 162 for receiving the light, and the light L emitted from the light emitting section 161 can be received by the light receiving section 162. This detecting means 16
0 detects that a difference has occurred between the walking speed of the user M and the driving speed of the driving wheels 22 of the main body, which is equal to or higher than the set speed. For example, when the normal user M is assisting walking with the walking assist device 10 and is practicing walking, if either the right foot or the left foot FT interrupts the light L of the light emitting unit 161, the light receiving unit 162 emits light. As a result, the control unit 150 determines that any one of the feet FT of the user
0, the control unit 15
0 immediately stops the supply of the drive signal DS sent to the motors 34, 34.

As the motors 34, 34, for example, DC brush motors can be used. As the battery BA, a secondary battery that can be charged many times, for example, a lithium ion secondary battery can be used. This lithium ion secondary battery uses a carbonaceous material capable of doping and dedoping lithium as a negative electrode, a composite oxide of lithium and a transition metal as a positive electrode, and a nonaqueous electrolyte obtained by adding an electrolyte to a nonaqueous solvent. Battery. This lithium ion secondary battery has, for example, a volume energy density that is approximately 1.5 times that of a nickel cadmium battery and a weight energy density that is approximately twice that of a nickel cadmium battery. The output voltage is 3.6V, which is about three times that of nickel cadmium batteries. High energy means that the size of the battery can be reduced if the same energy is used. Can be used as Further, the lithium ion secondary battery is attractive in that self-discharge is small and its life is long, and that a so-called memory phenomenon in which the capacity is reduced when the battery is charged before it is used up does not occur.

Next, an example of the operation of the walking assist device 10 having the above-described structure for assisting the walking of the user M as shown in FIG. 2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
And put the side portions 91 and 91 of the user M on the cushion member 90 of the side support means 84. Then, with the elbows 96 and 98 of the user M placed on the support plates 102 and 102, the right hand of the user M grips the grip 118 and the left hand grips the grip 120. In this state, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the waist portion of the user M is substantially located at the waist contact member 16 a of the back contact means 16. In this way, the person who supports the user M can use the lock member 1 of FIG. 4 so that the waist abutment member 16a corresponds to the waist portion of the user M.
By loosening 6c, moving the support 16b in the Z direction and fixing the lock member 16c again, the waist abutment member 16a can be positioned at the waist portion of the user M. Similarly, the cushion members 90, 90 can support the lock members 112, 11 of FIG.
2, 74, 74, and cushion members 90,
The height 90 in the Z direction and the positioning in the R10 direction are performed.
By operating the lock members 106 and 108 in FIG. 4, the position in the Z direction and the position in the R9 direction are adjusted according to the height of the elbows 96 and 98 of the user M. Such adjustment may be performed by a person who supports the user M.

Next, the user M turns on the switch 114 of the grip 118 with his / her right hand so that the control unit 1 shown in FIG.
50 gives a drive signal DS to the motors 34,34. Therefore, the drive wheels 22, 22 can rotate forward and move forward in the forward direction AH of FIG. As the walking assist device 10 moves forward, the user M supports the weight with the armpit supporting means 84, and furthermore, supports the elbows 96, 98 with the elbow supporting means 86, while the waist contact member 16a of the back contacting means 16 moves. User M
Of the waist is positively pushed in the direction E of FIG. As a result, the user M advances in the forward direction HH of the walking assist device 10, and at the same time, the waist portion of the user M is pressed from behind by the waist abutment member 16a. , The foot FT naturally moves forward and can perform a walking exercise or a walking motion. In other words, when the user M walks, the user M in FIG. 2 can perform a walking exercise or a walking motion in a comfortable state while supporting with the side portions 91 and 91, the elbows 96 and 98, and the waist portion. And these three
By changing a combination of the two support methods according to the degree of the obstacle of the user M, an optimal walking exercise can be performed, and a walking assisting exercise for a user who desires more walking exercises can be realized.

In FIG. 2, when the user M intends to change the walking direction, the grips 118 and 120 are consciously pressed in the direction in which the user wants to change the direction.
Since 0 and 20 turn in the R1 direction, the direction of the walking assist device 10 can be easily changed. Retreat direction B
When retreating to H, the user M switches the switch 116 with his left hand.
Operate. During such walking exercise, the user M cannot follow the forward speed of the walking assist device 10 due to tiredness or the like, and as shown in FIG.
When the light L of the walking speed difference detecting means 160 is blocked,
Immediately, the control unit 150 stops supplying the drive signal DS to the motors 34, 34. Thereby, the walking assistance device 1
Since the operation of 0 can be stopped immediately, it is safe. Of course, if the user M releases the switch 114 in FIG.
Stops the supply of the drive signal DS to the motors 34, 34, so that the operation of the walking assist device 10 stops.

When the user M is tired, the chairs 46 are held horizontally as shown in FIG.
You can sit down on 6,46 for a break. In order to eliminate the function of turning the front wheel 20 in the R1 direction, FIG.
By lifting the stopper 170 shown in FIG. 3 in the direction of R12, the stopper engages with the concave portion 24a at the end of the frame 24, so that the direction change of the front wheel 20 can be prohibited. The stopper 170 may also have a function of stopping the rotation of the front wheel 20.

Next, an example of an operation of folding the frames 24 and 26 when the walking assist device 10 is transported will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 14 shows a state in which the walking assist device 10 of FIG. Since the thickness of the main body 12 in the W direction is too large in this state, the horizontal bar 32 is removed and the frames 24 and 26 are removed as shown in FIG.
Can be folded to overlap. In this case, by rotating the lock member 42 as shown in FIG. 16, the horizontal bar 32 can be removed from the frame 26, and the other end of the horizontal bar 32 can also be removed from the frame 24. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the battery BA and the control unit 150 can be set, for example, on the support 30 side of the main body 12.

Next, FIGS. 17 to 21 show another embodiment of the walking assist device of the present invention. The walking assist device 210 in FIG. 17 has substantially the same structure as the walking assist device 10 in FIG. 1, but in the embodiments in FIGS. 17 to 19, the control unit 150 and the battery BA are set on the frame 26 side. ing. The walking speed difference detecting means 160 is located on the frame 26 or the horizontal bar 32 side. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the support bar 235 that can be gripped by the hand H of the user M is preferably set to the left and right. This support bar 235
Is horizontally supported forward with respect to the support 30 or the frame 26. These support bars 235 can be gripped by the right hand and the left hand H of the user M.

As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the chair 46,
46 can be made horizontal by turning in the direction of R12. The walking assist device 210 can be folded as shown in FIG. The width W1 in the front-rear direction in FIG. 17 is, for example, about 830 mm, and the width W2 in FIG. 18 is, for example, about 600 mm. FIG.
When the walking assist device 210 is folded as shown in FIG.
3 is about 300 mm, and the height W4 is about 1200 mm.

Next, FIGS. 20 and 21 show another embodiment of the walking assist device of the present invention. The walking assist device 310 of FIG. 20 has almost the same components as the walking assist device 10 shown in FIG.
At 0, the structure of the back contact means 360 is different. The back contact means 360 is a belt-shaped member made of a flexible material, for example, cloth or synthetic resin. The back contact means 360 is wound around the waist of the user, for example. By attaching, even when the walking assist device 310 advances in the forward direction AH, the waist portion of the user M can be pressed. The back contacting means 360 has a female fastener 362 and a male fastener 363 at one end of a belt 361.
By fitting these female type and male type 362, 363,
The waist portion of the user M can be firmly fixed. The other components in FIG. 20 are the same as the components corresponding to FIG. 1, and thus the same reference numerals are given and the description thereof is omitted.

In the walking assist device 410 shown in FIG. 21, the back contact means 460 is also different. The back contact means 460 has a back contact member 461 having a slightly larger area attached to the support 16b. The back contact member 461 can support not only the waist portion of the user M but also a part of the back and buttocks. In this way, the user M can more stably practice walking in the forward direction.

Next, reference is made to FIG. 22 and FIG. Although the drive wheel 22 of the walking assist device 10 described above was a rear wheel,
In FIG. 22, the front wheels 420 are drive wheels. That is, the motors 34 are attached to the front wheels 420, respectively, and the front wheels 420 are rotated by a command from the control unit 150. The other points of the embodiment of FIG. 20 are almost the same as those of the embodiment of FIG. 10, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 23, the motors 34 are provided for all the front wheels 20 and the rear wheels 22, and the walking assist device 520 is a four-wheel drive type device. By doing so, the walking assist device 520 can more stably assist the walking of the user M.

By using the walking assist device of the present invention as described above, when a user M who is extremely difficult to walk, for example, a user M whose feet cannot be put forward by himself, tries to walk. The body support means 14 of the walking assist device 10 supports the weight of the user, and the back abutment means 16 pushes the user's waist, for example, from behind, so that the user M can naturally move his or her feet forward. It is possible to realize a walking situation in which the person goes out. When the user M walks, the posture at the time of walking may be, for example, the side support means 84 and the elbow support means 8 shown in FIG.
6, or the hand-supporting means and the back-contact means 16 for pushing the waist or the like can assist walking in a comfortable state. In this method, an optimal assist method for walking assistance can be selected by changing the combination of these assist methods depending on the degree of obstacle. In particular, there are three types of posture when walking, namely, the user's elbow, armpits,
The most preferable form is one in which a part such as the waist is pushed from behind.

In this way, even if the user has difficulty walking, the rehabilitation effect can be obtained, and the user can naturally escape from the state in which he / she cannot walk. Then, the user who is trying to practice walking can walk naturally and exhibit a rehabilitation function, and when tired from the training, the user can rest on a chair set on the main body. With the assistance of various parts, the user can stand by putting weight on the main body. In addition, it is of course possible to convey by folding the walking assist device. The back of the back contact means 16 in the embodiment of the present invention refers to a region including at least a part of the user's back, waist, hip, and the like.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. In the above-described embodiment, the motor 34 can be driven and stopped by turning on and off the switch. However, for example, when driving the motor, a soft start function can be added so that a soft start can be performed. Further, the control unit 150 may further include a safety stop sensor that detects when the user performs an erroneous operation or when the user's standing posture is in a dangerous state.

In the above-described embodiment, the main body employs a frame structure. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is of course possible to employ other types of structures. Further, although two front wheels and two rear wheels are set in the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is of course possible to adopt a tricycle type or a multi-wheel vehicle of five or more wheels. Further, although an ordinary motor having a rotary output shaft is employed as an actuator for driving the drive wheels, the present invention is not limited to this, and other types of motors and drive systems can of course be employed.

[0046]

As described above, according to the present invention,
From users who have difficulty walking to people who have difficulty, walking can be assisted so that the feet naturally come forward.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a use state of a walking assist device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a use state of the walking assist device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the walking assist device of FIG. 2;

4 is a perspective view of the walking assist device of FIG. 2 as viewed from the rear side.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing the walking assist device in detail.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing the walking assist device in detail.

FIG. 7 is a rear view showing the walking assist device in detail.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a support plate of the elbow support means.

FIG. 9 is a view showing a state in which a chair is set in the walking assist device.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of a chair.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a mechanism for holding a chair horizontally.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a control system of the walking assist device.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a front wheel side of the walking assist device.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a state in which the walking assist device is laid on its side.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a state where the main body of the walking assist device is folded.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the vicinity of the driving wheel side.

FIG. 17 is a view showing another embodiment of the walking assist device of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a front view of the walking assist device shown in FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a view showing a state where the walking assist device of FIG. 17 is folded.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing still another embodiment of the walking assist device of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing still another embodiment of the walking assist device of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the control system of the walking assist device of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the control system of the walking assist device of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view showing an example of a conventional walker.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 walking assist device, 12 body, 14 ...
Body support means, 16 back contact means, 20 front wheels, 22 drive wheels, 24, 26 body frame, 34 motors (drive wheel drive actuators), 84 ... sidearm support means, 86 ... elbow support means,
88 ... Support pipe (first side support member, second side support member), 90 ... Cushion member (first side support member, second side support member), 102 ... Support plate (first elbow) Support member, second elbow support member), 118, 120... Grip (grip member gripped by user), M.
... User's feet

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masaaki Harada 4-14-1 Asahimachi, Atsugi-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Sony TechnoWorks Corporation

Claims (18)

[Claims] 1. A walking assist device for supporting a user in a standing posture and assisting a walking operation when the user attempts to walk on a walking surface, comprising a driving wheel, A main body capable of moving a walking surface by rotation of a wheel, side support means provided on the main body for receiving a user's side, and elbow support means provided on the main body for receiving a user's elbow and provided on the main body And a back abutting means for receiving the back of the user and pressing the back of the user when the main body moves. 2. The side support means is provided on one side of the user (first side).
The walking assist device according to claim 1, wherein the walking assist device supports the other side (second side) of the user. 3. The elbow support means includes one elbow of the user (first elbow).
The walking assist device according to claim 1, wherein the walking support device supports the other elbow (second elbow) of the user. 4. The walking assist device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first elbow support member and the second elbow support member is provided with command means for commanding the operation of the drive actuator of the drive wheel. . 5. The walking assist device according to claim 1, wherein the first elbow support member and the second elbow support member are each provided with a gripping member that is gripped by a user. 6. The walking aid according to claim 1, wherein the first side support member and the first elbow support member are arranged substantially parallel, and the second side support member and the second elbow support member are arranged substantially parallel. apparatus. 7. The walking assist device according to claim 1, wherein the main body has a front wheel and a rear wheel, and at least one of the front wheel and the rear wheel is a drive wheel. 8. The walking assist device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the front wheel and the rear wheel can change the direction. 9. The walking assist device according to claim 1, wherein the position of the side support means in the main body and the position of the elbow support means in the main body can be adjusted. 10. The walking method according to claim 1, further comprising a walking speed difference detecting means for detecting that a difference between the walking speed of the user and the driving speed of the drive wheels of the main body is equal to or greater than a set speed. Auxiliary equipment. 11. The walking assist device according to claim 1, wherein the back abutting means abuts on the waist region of the user. 12. The walking assist device according to claim 1, wherein the drive wheel is a front wheel or a rear wheel, the actuator for driving the drive wheel is a motor, and the battery includes a battery for supplying power to the motor. 13. The walking assist device according to claim 1, wherein the driving wheels are front wheels and rear wheels, the actuator for driving the driving wheels is a motor, and the vehicle includes a battery for supplying power to the motor. 14. The walking assist device according to claim 1, wherein the main body has a frame structure and the main body is foldable. 15. The walking assist device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the side support means, the elbow support means, and the back contact means is detachable from the main body. 16. Supporting the user in a standing posture,
A walking assist device for assisting a walking operation when a user attempts to walk on a walking surface, comprising a driving body, a main body capable of moving the walking surface by rotation of the driving wheel, and a main body provided on the main body. Body support means for receiving at least the side of the user, and back contact means provided on the main body for receiving the back of the user and pressing the back of the user when the main body moves. A walking assist device characterized by the following. 17. Supporting the user in a standing posture by receiving at least the side of the user using the body supporting means of the main body, and when the user attempts to walk on a walking surface, A walking assistance method characterized by receiving a back of a user on a main body side while moving a walking surface by a driving force and guiding the user in a direction to walk. 18. The walking assisting method according to claim 17, wherein the user receives the side and elbow by the body supporting means, and the back of the user is received by the back abutting means provided on the main body.