KR20230138579A - Walk Assisting Apparatus Capable of Detecting Fall Risk - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a walking aid that can prevent falls by detecting the risk of falling and informing the user of this. When using the walking aid car of the present invention, users who have difficulty walking can walk stably without falling or unintentionally slipping, and both sitting and standing driving are possible by adjusting the height of the handle.

Description

{Walk Assisting Apparatus Capable of Detecting Fall Risk}

The present invention relates to a walking assistance car that can detect the risk of a user's fall and prevent it.

In general, a walking aid is a device that assists the walking of patients or the elderly who have difficulty moving alone, and assists the patient in walking while standing upright. A walking assistance vehicle may have two auxiliary legs that touch the ground, but it is more common to have four legs supporting the ground. In the case of four legs, wheels are attached to two or four legs to enable the walking assistance vehicle to move smoothly. In addition, products combined with a saddle that allows the user to rest when not walking are also provided. However, in the case of such a saddle, it is only used for rest and does not allow walking in a stable seated state. In the case of some types of walking assistance vehicles that allow walking while seated, it is unnatural to switch to a standing state and walk. In addition, in the case of users who require a walker, there is a high risk of falling due to difficulty moving in most cases, and safety devices are needed to prevent this risk.

The present invention is intended to improve the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a walking aid that can detect the risk of falling and prevent the user from falling.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a walking assistance vehicle that allows the user to perform both seated and standing driving very comfortably.

In order to achieve the above object, the walking assistance device for detecting fall risk of the present invention includes a rear support frame (100); A handle portion (200) equipped with a brake (210) and coupled to the support frame; Saddle portion 300 coupled to the support frame; A fall detection module 400 coupled to the support frame; A pair of front wheels 510 and a pair of rear wheels 520 coupled to the bottom of the support frame; a front wheel motor that transmits power to the pair of front wheels and a rear wheel motor that transmits power to the pair of rear wheels; a control unit that obtains a tilt signal from the fall detection module and controls the pair of front wheel motors and the pair of rear wheel motors; and a power unit that supplies power to the fall detection module, the front wheel motor, the rear wheel motor, and the control unit, wherein the fall detection module includes a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, a tilt sensor, and a pressure sensor attached to the front wheel and the rear wheel. , or a combination thereof may be used.

The fall risk detection walking aid may further include a seat belt portion that secures the user seated in the saddle portion.

The fall detection module includes a gyro sensor; And it may include a combination of an acceleration sensor or a tilt sensor.

More specifically, the fall detection module may include a combination of a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor.

More specifically, the fall detection module may include pressure sensors attached to the front and rear wheels.

The handle may be provided coupled to a support frame to enable height adjustment.

According to the present invention, users who have difficulty walking can walk stably without falling or unintentionally slipping. In the case of a walking assistance vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, both seated driving and standing driving are possible by adjusting the height of the handle portion.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a fall risk detection walking aid according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a fall risk detection walking aid equipped with a seat belt as an additional configuration, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a fall risk sensing walking assistance car equipped with a height-adjustable handle, according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the height of the handle portion is raised and transformed into a state capable of standing up.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a fall risk detection walking aid according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the walking assistance device for detecting fall risk of the present invention, the frames horizontally connecting the left and right components are combined with each component based on a rear support frame 100 located behind the user's field of view as the basic skeleton. The shape of the rear support frame 100 is not limited to the shape shown in FIG. 1, and may be modified in various ways. The walking assistance vehicle of the present invention includes a brake 210 and a handle 200 coupled to a support frame, and can stop the rotation of the front wheels 510 and rear wheels 520 by operating with both hands. The present invention includes a saddle portion 300 coupled to a support frame, and has a structure that allows walking in a sitting state rather than a standing state. At this time, the handle portion 200 is height-adjustable, so the brake 210 can be controlled in a comfortable position with arms extended while sitting. Additionally, the present invention includes a fall detection module 400 coupled to a support frame. The fall detection module 400 detects the tilt of the walking assistance device or detects a state in which the pressure applied to some of the front wheels 510 and rear wheels 520 is reduced and levitated in the air, thereby preventing the walking assistance vehicle from overturning. and detects the user's risk of falling. To accomplish this, the fall detection module 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, a tilt sensor, a pressure sensor (not shown) attached to the front and rear wheels, or a combination thereof. It can be used. More specifically, the fall detection module 400 of the present invention can be manufactured in a form equipped with any one selected from the group consisting of a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a tilt sensor, reduces bias, and detects the risk of falling more precisely. It can be manufactured in a form equipped with a combination of two or more sensors selected from the group consisting of a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a tilt sensor. The walking assistance vehicle of the present invention includes a pair of front wheels 510 and a pair of rear wheels 520 coupled to the bottom of the support frame 100, and the front wheels transmit power to the pair of front wheels 510. It may include a motor (not shown) and a rear wheel motor (not shown) that transmits power to the pair of rear wheels 520. In addition, the walking assistance car of the present invention includes a control unit that obtains a tilt signal from the fall detection module and controls the pair of front wheel motors and the pair of rear wheel motors, and a fall detection module, front wheel motor, rear wheel motor, and control unit. Includes a power supply unit that supplies power. The front wheel motor and rear wheel motor of the present invention can also be used to control the active rotation of wheels for electric operation of a walking assistance vehicle, and in this case, a controller capable of controlling the rotation of the wheels must be additionally provided. In addition, the front wheel motor and the rear wheel motor of the present invention are basically used to control wheel rolling to prevent the pedestrian assistance vehicle from overturning by actively intervening only in situations where the risk of the pedestrian assistance vehicle overturning is detected. A situation in which the risk of the pedestrian assistance vehicle tipping over may be detected when the tilt of the pedestrian assistance vehicle is detected by the gyro sensor, acceleration sensor, and tilt sensor, and the degree of tilt exceeds a preset risk area. In addition, a portion of the pressure sensed by each wheel detected by the pressure sensor attached to the front and rear wheels may be lost, and it may be determined that some wheels of the walking assistance vehicle are floating in the air. In this situation, the motor attached to each wheel actively intervenes to prevent the walking assistance vehicle from overturning and prevent the user from falling.

Figure 2 shows an embodiment that additionally includes a seat belt portion 600 that secures the user seated on the saddle portion. The seat belt unit 600 can prevent the user from slipping and falling from the saddle 300 while seated and driving, and can promote safety. The shape of the seat belt is not limited, and to ensure higher safety, a five-point belt, etc. may be used.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a fall risk sensing walking assistance car equipped with a height-adjustable handle, according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the height of the handle portion 200 is raised and transformed into a standing driving state. represents. One embodiment of this walking assistance vehicle has the feature that both seated driving and standing driving are possible by adjusting the height of the handle, and when walking while standing while looking toward the rear of the walking assistance vehicle, more stable walking is possible. do. The height of the handle can be adjusted in various ways, and a method may be adopted in which the vertical frame itself provided on the support frame 100 and coupled with the handle is extended by sliding, and the handle portion coupled to the vertical frame can be adopted. A method in which the frame 200 is slid upward along the vertical frame may be adopted.

100: Rear support frame
200: handle part
210: brake
300: saddle part
400: Fall detection module
510: front wheel
520: rear wheel
600: Seat belt part

Claims (6)

Rear support frame;
A handle provided with a brake and coupled to the support frame;
Saddle portion coupled to the support frame;
A fall detection module coupled to the support frame;
A pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels coupled to the bottom of the support frame;
a front wheel motor that transmits power to the pair of front wheels and a rear wheel motor that transmits power to the pair of rear wheels;
a control unit that obtains a tilt signal from the fall detection module and controls the pair of front wheel motors and the pair of rear wheel motors; and
It includes a power unit that supplies power to the fall detection module, front wheel motor, rear wheel motor, and control unit,
The fall detection module includes a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, a tilt sensor, a pressure sensor attached to the front and rear wheels, or a combination of these.
According to paragraph 1,
A fall risk detection walking aid, characterized in that it additionally includes a seat belt portion that secures the user seated in the saddle portion.
According to paragraph 1,
The fall detection module includes a gyro sensor; And a fall risk detection walking aid comprising a combination of an acceleration sensor or a tilt sensor.
According to paragraph 3,
The fall detection module is a fall risk detection walking aid, characterized in that it includes a combination of a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor.
According to paragraph 1,
The fall detection module is a fall risk detection walking aid, characterized in that it includes pressure sensors attached to the front wheels and rear wheels.
According to paragraph 1,
A fall risk detection walking aid, characterized in that the handle part is coupled to a support frame to enable height adjustment.