KR102496149B1 - The secondary walker having object detection function - Google Patents

Abstract

An assistive walker capable of preventing safety accidents by detecting obstacles in the front or side of the walker through a sensor member so that the user can quickly recognize it, but by easily informing others of the user's location through a lighting member In a walker including a handle, a frame, and wheels, the walker further includes a safety means, wherein the safety means includes a controller mounted on the frame operated by power applied from a battery, and a control signal of the controller. Including a sensor member for detecting an obstacle present in at least one direction of the front or side of the walker and a lighting member for irradiating light in at least one direction of the front or side of the walker in response to a control signal from the controller , The sensor member and the lighting member are installed on the outer surface of the frame or a storage box installed to be accommodated between the pair of frames.

Description

The secondary walker having object detection function}

The present invention detects an obstacle present in the front or side of the walker through a sensor member so that the user can quickly recognize it, but easily informs others of the user's location through a lighting member to prevent safety accidents. It's about a walker.

In general, walking aids refer to assistive devices used by patients, the elderly and the disabled for safety during walking, and are widely used in hospitals and nursing hospitals, for example.

As modern society enters into an aging society, interest in walking aids is increasing, but the reality is that active development of walking aids has not been made so far.

In particular, since walking aids are used by patients, the elderly and the handicapped, they must meet high expectations for safety as well as convenience, but recent walking aids do not satisfy these requirements.

In other words, users who want to use an assistive walker have significantly lower thinking and judgment abilities than ordinary people, so in which direction the obstacle is to be avoided in order for the user to avoid other obstacles (for example, other pedestrians or parked vehicles). It is possible to avoid the obstacle only when it is quickly recognized that it exists, but current walking aids have a problem in that they do not function properly.

Domestic Patent Publication No. 10-2019-9128 (published date: 2019.01.28.) Domestic Patent Registration No. 10-1902995 (Announcement date: 2018.10.02.) Domestic Patent Registration No. 10-1908926 (Announcement date: 2018.10.18.)

In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention aims to prevent safety accidents by promptly recognizing an obstacle to the user of the walking aid when an obstacle exists in the front or side of the walking aid. there is

In order to solve the above technical problem, the assistive walker having an obstacle sensing function according to the present invention is a walker including a handle, a frame, and wheels, wherein the walker further includes a safety means, wherein the safety means is applied from a battery A controller mounted on the frame operated by power, a sensor member detecting an obstacle existing in at least one direction of the front or side of the walker by a control signal of the controller, and the front of the walker by a control signal of the controller Or a lighting member for radiating light in at least one direction of the side surface, wherein the sensor member and the lighting member are installed on the outer surface of the frame or a box that is installed to be accommodated between the pair of frames. .

The sensor member may include at least one of an F-sensor for detecting an obstacle in front of the walker, an L-sensor for detecting an obstacle on the left side of the walker, and an R-sensor for detecting an obstacle on the right side of the walker. However, it is preferable that the controller allows at least one of a pair of vibration elements provided on the pair of handles to operate in addition to a speaker outputting an audio signal according to the sensing information of the sensor member.

In addition, the lighting member provided in the storage box is rotatably coupled to the installation groove formed in the storage box to adjust the angle of the light emitted from the lighting member, and a pair of frames are provided on both sides of the storage box to adjust the distance. When the distance or length is adjusted in the horizontal or longitudinal direction by the member, it is connected to the frame so that it can be placed in place by an elastic member that expands and contracts by an elastic force, and the elastic member has one end coupled to the frame The other end is preferably a coil spring or elastic wire fixed to the outer surface of the box.

According to the present invention, unlike the prior art, detection information on obstacles detected by a plurality of sensor members installed in a walker is received and analyzed by a controller, and through voice guidance of a vibration element or speaker, the user is informed in which direction the obstacle exists. At the same time, it has the effect of preventing safety accidents by notifying others of the user's location even at night through a plurality of lighting members.

In addition, unlike the prior art, the position of the F-sensor provided on the front of the box is always located in the center based on the interval through the elastic member provided on the outer surface of the box, so that the obstacle located in front of the walker is easily detected. will have

1 is a front view showing an assistive walker having an obstacle sensing function according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a side view showing an assistive walker having an obstacle sensing function according to the present invention.
Figure 3 is a plan view of a storage box provided with a sensor member and a lighting member for the auxiliary walker having an obstacle sensing function according to the present invention.
Figure 4 is an operation concept diagram for an assistive walker having an obstacle sensing function according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, other objects and features of the present invention in addition to the above objects will be clearly revealed through the description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, and unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, are used herein. It has the same meaning as commonly understood by a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and unless explicitly defined in the present application, they should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaning. don't

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, an assistive walker having an obstacle sensing function according to the present invention (hereinafter, simply referred to as 'assistant walker') will be described in detail. Prior to description, the walker 10 described below is a pair of frames 12 provided with handles 11 that can be gripped by a user with both hands through a plurality of bars having lengths in vertical and horizontal directions. ) and a pair of wheels 13 provided at the lower part of the frame 12, which means a general walking device that can support and walk the elderly and the weak with difficulty in walking while walking, and does not flow the gist of the present invention. Detailed descriptions are omitted so as not to prevent the present invention, and the sensor member 200 and the lighting member 300 described below can be installed on the outer surface of the frame 12 in order to enhance the understanding of the present invention, but below, a storage box 14 capable of storing things and the like ) Note that the installation on the outer surface is described as an example.

First, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the assistive walker 1 according to the present invention includes a safety means, and the safety means largely includes a controller 100, a sensor member 200, and a lighting member 300 includes

In more detail, the controller 100 is configured to control the sensor member 200 and the lighting member 300 through power applied from the battery 130, and the sensor switch 110 and the lighting switch 120 includes

For example, the controller 100 is provided with a sensor switch 110 and a lighting switch 120, the body is detachably installed on the outer surface of the frame 12 by using fastening means such as bolts or screws in close proximity to the handle 11 It is provided to enable quick operation by the user, and after moving in the longitudinal direction of the frame 12 according to the tightening degree of the corresponding fastening means, it is made of a structure that can be fixed and the position of the body can be freely adjusted according to the user's preference. have

When each sensor switch 110 and lighting switch 120, which can be electrically turned on/off by a push, is turned on, a plurality of sensor members 200 or a plurality of lighting members described later 300 is controlled to collectively have an 'on' state, and in the case of being off, collectively have an 'off' state.

On the other hand, the controller 100 in the present invention is a vibration element 140 that is installed in a pair of handles 11 and vibrates by the applied power or a speaker (not shown) that outputs a guide sound stored in a memory. Including, through the vibration element 140 and the speaker it is possible to execute a warning to the user about the obstacle.

Further, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the sensor member 200 detects obstacles present on the front or both sides of the walker 10, and transmits the detected information to the controller 100 so as to be user friendly. An F-sensor 210 located in front of the walker 10, an L-sensor 220 detecting an obstacle present on the left side, and a right side present on the right It includes an R-sensor 230 that detects an obstacle.

For example, the sensor member 200 is installed on the outer surface of the box 14, that is, on the front and left/right sides of the box 14, respectively, and the F-sensor 210, L-sensor 220, and R- The sensor 230 is selectively disposed and connected by a cable (not shown) or the like so that it can be controlled by the controller 100 .

The sensor member 200 may use a sensor capable of detecting an obstacle existing at a certain distance from the walker 10 by detecting a laser L reflected by the obstacle or a light having a variable shade by the obstacle. .

At this time, it is preferable that the controller 100 analyzes the sensing information individually transmitted through each sensor to control whether or not the plurality of vibration elements 140 controllably provided in the pair of handles 11 operate. .

For example, when an object of affection is detected by the F-sensor 210 provided on the front of the storage box 14 and the first detection information, which is the detection information, is transmitted to the controller 100, the controller 100 moves the walker 10 forward. In order to alert the user that there is an obstacle, a pair of vibration elements 140 are operated to cause an alert, and the L-sensor 220 detects an obstacle in the left direction or the R-sensor detects an obstacle in the right direction ( 230) detects an obstacle and transmits any one of the sensing information, the second sensing information or the third sensing information, to one of the pair of vibration elements 140, that is, a handle belonging to the sensed side ( 11) by separately operating the vibration element 140 provided in the inside so that the user can recognize that there is an obstacle on the left or right side.

Furthermore, the controller 100 generates a signal by the operation of the vibration element 140 as needed in an ambiguous situation, that is, when obstacles are detected on the front and left (or right) sides of the walker 10, respectively, or on the front and both sides (left and right). When an obstacle is detected on both the right side), it is possible to output a guide voice through a speaker in addition to the vibration element 140 to improve the user's perception of the obstacle.

In addition, the sensor member 200 in the present invention is described and described as having one sensor on the front and side of the box 14, but this is only one embodiment, and if necessary, a plurality of sensors per side It is also possible that a sensor is provided and controlled by the controller 100 .

On the other hand, the sensor member 200 in the present invention is provided on the outer surface of the storage box 14 provided in the center between the pair of frames 12 to easily detect obstacles around the walker 10. ) Some of them are provided with a distance adjusting member 16 capable of adjusting the distance D between the pair of frames 12 as well as the length of the frame 12 for the user's convenience. In particular, when the distance is adjusted by the adjusting member 16, the F-sensor 210 provided on the front of the box 14 moves out of the fixed position, that is, is not located in the center of the distance D and moves in one direction. A biased positioning problem may arise.

In order to compensate for this problem, the outer surface of the box 14 in the present invention is installed so that it can be connected to a pair of frames 12 by the elasticity of the elastic member 400, and is always disposed in the center of the gap D by the elasticity. to have the shape to be

That is, at least one elastic member 400 provided on both sides of the box 14 is installed so that one end is fixedly coupled to the side of the box 14 and the other end is fixedly coupled to the outer surface of the frame 12 to have an elastic force that increases or decreases. The storage box 14 is always arranged at the center of the interval D by the elastic force, and the F-sensor 210 provided in the front center of the storage box 14 (for example, based on the length from one end to the other end of the storage box) ) is always located in the center.

At this time, the elastic member 400 may use a coil spring or an elastic wire, and the spacing adjusting member 16 allows frames 12 having different outer diameters to enter and exit, but the length is reduced or increased according to the tightening of the frame 12 ) It is preferable to use a structure that fixes by pressing.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lighting member 300 facilitates the location of the user by others (eg, other pedestrians, as well as vehicle drivers, etc.) when walking at night. It is possible to use an LED that emits light by power applied as a configuration to be easily identified.

For example, the lighting member 300 may include a first LED installed on the outer surface of the storage box 14, that is, the front surface, and a second LED installed on both side surfaces, and at least one of the lighting members 300 is It is rotatably coupled to the inner wall of the installation groove 15 installed in the holder 14 so that the light emitted from the lighting member 300 is directed downward to the ground.

Through this, the intensity of light emitted from the lighting member 300 is prevented from affecting the field of view of other pedestrians or drivers approaching the user using the walker 10 .

As described above, the assistive walker 1 according to the present invention receives and analyzes detection information about obstacles detected by a plurality of sensor members 200 installed in the walker 10 from the controller 100 differently from the prior art. So, through the voice guidance of the vibration element 140 or the speaker, the user recognizes in which direction the obstacle exists, and at the same time, through a plurality of lighting members 300, the user's location is notified to others even at night to prevent safety accidents. have an effect

In addition, unlike the prior art, the location of the F-sensor 210 provided on the front surface of the box 14 is always in the center based on the distance (D) through the elastic member 400 provided on the outer surface of the box 14. By positioning the walker 10, it has an effect of facilitating detection of an obstacle located in front of the walker 10.

As described above, the present invention has been described by specific details such as specific components and limited embodiments and drawings, but these are provided to help a more general understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. , Those skilled in the art in the field to which the present invention belongs can make various modifications and variations from these descriptions.

Therefore, the spirit of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, and it will be said that not only the claims described below but also all modifications equivalent or equivalent to these claims belong to the scope of the present invention. .

1: assistive walker having an obstacle sensing function according to the present invention
100: controller
110: sensor switch 120: lighting switch
130: battery 140: vibration element
200: sensor member
210: F-sensor 220: L-sensor
230: R-sensor
300: lighting member
400: elastic member
10: walker
11: handle 12: frame
13: wheel 14: storage box
15: installation groove 16: spacing adjusting member
D: Interval

Claims (3)

In the walker 10 including the handle 11, the frame 12 and the wheel 13,
The walker 10 further includes a safety means,
The safety measure is
A controller 100 mounted on the frame 12 operated by power applied from a battery 130;
a sensor member 200 that detects an obstacle existing in at least one direction of the front or side of the walker 10 by a control signal from the controller 100; and
A lighting member 300 for irradiating light in at least one direction of the front or side of the walker 10 by a control signal from the controller 100; including,
The sensor member 200 and the lighting member 300 are installed on the outer surface of the frame 12 or a storage box 14 installed to be accommodated between the pair of frames 12,
The lighting member 300 provided in the storage box 14 is rotatably coupled with the installation groove 15 formed in the storage box 14 to adjust the angle of light emitted from the lighting member 300, ,
On both sides of the box 14, a pair of frames 12 are connected to the frame 12 when adjusting the distance or length in the horizontal or vertical direction by the spacing adjusting member 16, so that it is stretched and reduced by elastic force To be placed in the right position by the elastic member 400,
The elastic member 400 is a walking aid having an obstacle sensing function, characterized in that one end is coupled to the frame 12, but the other end is a coil spring or elastic wire fixed to the outer surface of the holder 14.
According to claim 1,
The sensor member 200 is
An F-sensor 210 detects an obstacle in front of the walker 10, an L-sensor 220 detects an obstacle present on the left side of the walker 10, and an R-sensor 220 detects an obstacle present on the right side of the walker 10. Including at least one of the sensors 230,
The controller 100 operates at least one of a speaker outputting a voice signal according to the sensing information of the sensor member 200 or a pair of vibration elements 140 respectively provided on the pair of handles 11. Assistive walker having an obstacle detection function, characterized in that for controlling.
delete

Images