JP2002126023A - Caster walker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a caster walker of which height and side width not only can be adjusted, but also make a small sharp turn so that it can be used in a narrow passage-way, and moreover, it can be folded for storage. SOLUTION: In the caster walker 100 having an upper frame 12, a flower frame 13 with casters, a plurality of perpendicular pipes 14, 14 which are almost symmetrically provided in its right and left side, and cross bars 16 which are connected together with a shaft at an angle, the cross bars 16 are convex, and arranged in a protrusive in front of the perpendicular pipes 14, 14.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a walker for assisting standing and walking for persons who have difficulty standing and walking.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a walker for assisting walking of a person who is difficult to stand and walk, a four-wheel walker having a caster attached to a lower portion of a main body is generally used. There are various types of four-wheeled walkers, such as a rotatable caster in which all wheels are rotatable, or a fixed caster in which the front wheels are rotatable and the rear wheels are not rotatable. There was nothing that could easily be adjusted, so it had to be cramped for people with large body widths and difficult to use for people with small widths. If the walker is made large, not only does it take up space, but also the radius of rotation becomes large, causing problems such as reduced operability. or,
In hospitals and the like, permanent placement of walkers for people with large or small bodies results in a lot of occupation of a place for storing walkers. Therefore, there is a need for a walker that is compact, has good operability, and has several functions in one unit.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a walker which can adjust the height and width of the walker, has a small turn so that it can be used even in a narrow passage, and can be folded and stored. .

[0004]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, as a result of intensive studies, vertical pipes on the front, rear, left and right of the walker are provided with a vertical height adjustment mechanism, and a shaft provided on the front part. By providing the width adjustment mechanism on the movable crossbar, height adjustment and width adjustment of the walker became easy. Furthermore, by using a conventional four-wheeled walker as a six-wheeled walker, a fulcrum for rotation becomes a fixed caster provided in an intermediate portion, a turning radius is reduced, and small turning is achieved, We succeeded in solving the above problems. Hereinafter, the means for solving the above problems will be described using reference numerals in the drawings used in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0005] That is, a solution adopted by the invention of claim 1 is that a lower frame having an upper frame and a caster and a lower frame having casters are mutually connected to a plurality of vertical pipes provided substantially left and right facing the walker. In a walker having a crossbar fixed to an axis, the crossbar is provided in a convex shape so as to protrude forward of the front vertical pipe. The crossbar 16 is convex and the walker 1
By protruding forward of 00,
Even if the scaffold in front of the walker 100 is wide and the stride is wide, there is no obstacle to walking.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the upper end is slidably connected to the vertical pipe or a width adjustment case mounted on the front side thereof, and the lower end is walked by opening and closing a cross bar connected to the lower frame. The walker according to claim 1, further comprising a width adjusting mechanism for adjusting a lateral width of the walker. The present invention adjusts the width of the walker 100 by opening and closing the convex axially movable crossbar 16 provided at the front part of the walker 100 to the left and right.
It can be used comfortably for obese and large people. Also, by closing the crossbar 16,
When the walker 100 is not used, the walker 100 can be easily folded. By using this width adjustment mechanism to fold the walker, it can be loaded on a car or the like without taking up a storage space when not in use.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a walker having a rotatable rotatable caster provided in front and rear of a lower frame and a non-rotatable fixed caster provided in an intermediate portion between the front and rear casters. The walker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the front rotating caster is located inside the intermediate fixed caster and the rear rotating caster. Since the intermediate fixed caster 32 serves as a fulcrum of rotation, the front rotating caster 31 is connected to the intermediate fixed caster 3.
By being provided on the inner side than 2, the turning radius is reduced, and as a result, the corner of the building can be turned smoothly.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the walking device as set forth in any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the fixed caster in the intermediate portion can be mounted on the lower frame depending on the use condition. It is a vessel. When the intermediate fixed caster 32 is moved backward and mounted, it can be used as a four-wheel walker. In addition, by moving and wearing the intermediate part fixed caster 32 forward, a user who has a habit of putting weight on the front part of the walker 200 or a user who needs to take a forward bending posture is provided with a sense of stability. ,
The turning radius is further reduced so that it can be turned even in hospitals and the like, while it can be used in narrow corridors in homes.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is the walker according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein a resistance adjusting screw is provided on the fixed caster. By providing the resistor 34 on the intermediate fixed caster 32, a load can be applied to the fixed caster 32 according to the physical condition of the user, and the speed of the walker can be slowly advanced in accordance with the walking speed of the user. .

The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the vertical pipe is provided with a height adjusting mechanism for adjusting the height.
A walker according to any one of claims 1 to 5. By adjusting the height adjustment mechanism provided on the vertical pipes 14, 15,
By adjusting the height, both tall and low people can be accommodated.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the walker according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, further comprising a brake mechanism. By providing a brake mechanism on the walker 100 or 200, to avoid falling too fast on the slope of the hospital or on the slope of the road,
Alternatively, an unexpected accident such as a collision between encounters can be prevented.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the walker according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment. As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 1, a vertical pipe extends from an upper frame 12 having a cushion 11 at an upper portion to a lower frame 13 having a rotatable caster 31 at a front portion and a fixed caster 32 at a rear portion not rotatable. 14, 14, 15, 15 are fixed, and the lower portions of the vertical pipes 14, 15 are bent outward to form the walker 1.
The lower part is wider than the upper part of 00. Further, an axially movable crossbar 16 is provided at the front of the walker 100 so as to protrude forward. In the example of the walker 100, a grip 52 is provided in front of the cushion 11.
And a brake lever 53 are provided.

The crossbar 16 provided at the front of the walker 100 has two bars overlapping each other and is axially rotatably secured by a crossbar axle 17. The two crossbars 16 need to prevent one bar from interfering with the movement of the other bar. An upper end of each end of the two bars is pivotally connected to a crossbar upper pivot portion 21 of the width adjusting case 20, and a lower end is pivotally connected to a crossbar lower pivot portion 18 of the lower frame 13. The convex shape of the crossbar 16 may be square or semicircular as long as it has the function, but a rounded shape is desirable.

A method of bending the lower portions of the front, rear, left and right vertical pipes 14 and 15 outward and expanding the lower portion from the upper portion of the walker 100 is a method of gradually expanding from the upper portion as long as the feet are widened. Any method such as expanding from the middle part to the outside may be used. The shape of the crossbar 16 and the lower frame 13 including the vertical pipes 14 and 15 can maintain the strength of the walker 100 regardless of whether it is a round pipe or a square pipe, and does not cause any damage when it comes into contact with a wall or another person. Any one may be used, but a round pipe is desirable for the purpose.

Each of the vertical pipes 14 and 15 has an internal pipe 14 fixed to the upper frame 12 as shown in FIG.
a and 15a are loosely fitted. The height is adjusted by the vertical movement of the internal pipes 14a, 15a loosely fitted to the vertical pipes, and the screws 26,
There is provided a height adjustment mechanism for adjusting the height by fixing at 27. By providing a height adjusting mechanism for adjusting the vertical height provided on the front, rear, left and right vertical pipes 14, 15, the height of the walkers 100, 200 of the present invention can be easily adjusted. . The means for adjusting the height is not limited to this method, and examples thereof include a method of inserting a thin pipe into a thick pipe, and winding and fixing it with an annular screw.

The method for adjusting the left and right lateral widths of the present invention is provided on the upper portion of the crossbar upper pivot portion 21 of the front axially movable crossbar 16 as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. The width of the walker 200 is adjusted by tilting the left and right width adjustment levers 24 and adjusting the opening and closing of the axially movable crossbar 16, and then adjusting the width of the left and right width adjustment levers 24.
Is caused, the pin urged inside the lever 24 is fitted into the hole 25 urged by the width adjusting pipe 19 and is fixed at a desired width. Furthermore, upper frame 1
Along with the groove of the width adjustment plate 22 urged in front of 2, the width adjustment plate 22 is firmly fixed with the width adjustment fixing screw 23. The width adjustment mechanism using the crossbar 16 is not limited to the above-described method as long as the crossbar 16 is opened and closed to adjust the width and then fixed. For example, a method in which the width adjustment case is directly fitted into the vertical frame, or a method in which the upper end of the crossbar is axially fixed and the lower end is slidably fixed, such as by opening and closing the crossbar, is a walker. Adjust the width of the
Any method can be used as long as it can be fixed.

As shown in a perspective view of FIG. 3, a separate walker 200 of the present invention has a front rotatable caster 31 rotatable at the front of the lower frame 13 and a fixed caster non-rotatable at the intermediate portion. A crossbar 16 having a rearward rotation caster 33 and an axially movable crossbar 16 is provided in the front part in a convex shape. When viewed from the side, as shown in FIG. 4, there is a horseshoe cushion 11 for supporting the body with hands and elbows at the upper part, and the upper frame 1 below it.
The vertical pipes 14 and 15 are provided below the grip 52, the brake lever 53, and the upper frame 12 at the front. Fixing screws 2 for vertical pipes 14 and 15 after height adjustment
6, 27 and a width adjusting pipe 19 is fixed in front of the front vertical pipe 14, and a width adjusting case 20 is loosely fitted to the width adjusting pipe 19 so as to be able to move up and down.

The width adjusting case 20 has the upper end of the crossbar 16 that can be pivoted downward pivotally attached to the upper end pivoting portion 21 of the crossbar. Width adjustment lever 24 on width adjustment case 20
The crossbar 16 is opened and closed to adjust the width, and the width adjustment lever 24 is tilted to fit the pin provided inside the width adjustment case 19 into the hole 25 on the width adjustment pipe to adjust and fix the desired width. Is done. The lower portion of the crossbar 16 is pivotally connected to a crossbar lower end pivoting portion 18 provided in front of the front vertical pipe 14 of the lower frame 13.

The lower frame 13 is provided with a front rotating caster 31, a fixed caster 32, and a rear rotating caster 33. The screw holes 41, 42, 43, and 44 for moving mounting provided on the lower frame 13 are screw holes for moving and mounting the fixed casters. Moves forward, the radius of rotation is reduced, and a small turn becomes effective. In addition, a person who leans forward gives a sense of stability. The rear caster 33 can be removed by moving and mounting at the position of the rear mounting screw hole 44, and the rear caster 33 can be used as a four-wheel walker. The number of screw holes for moving and mounting the fixed caster is not particularly limited, and may be any number as long as the strength of the lower frame is not reduced.

As shown in FIG. 4, the axially movable cross bar 16 provided at the front portion is formed to have a forward convex shape, so that the axially movable cross bar 16 can be axially moved even if the user advances his / her feet forward. Bar 1
6, when the user enters the walker, it is safe and has the effect of making the user feel wide. Further, a resistance adjusting screw 34 is provided on the intermediate fixed caster 32, and a resistance adjusting mechanism that applies a load to the fixed caster 32 by tightening the resistance adjusting screw 34 is provided. This resistance adjusting mechanism can adjust the speed of the walker to the walking speed of the user by tightening the resistance adjusting screw 34 and applying a load to the fixed caster 32 according to the physical condition of the user. For example, when the elderly or critically ill patients must proceed slowly, there is a danger of falling if the walker unexpectedly moves forward. It is to put on the resistance and proceed slowly.

When the walker 200 is shown in a top view, as shown in FIG. 5, the lower frame 13 is bent inward at the front, so that the lower frame 13 is less likely to hit a corner or a wall at a corner. It is hard to be damaged. Further, the provision of the front rotating casters 31 inside the curved inside facilitates the rotational movement of the walker, and has the effect that it is not necessary to apply unnecessary force to the user. Further, as shown in the front view of FIG. 6, the lower ends of the left and right front vertical pipes 14 and the rear vertical pipe 15 are wider than the upper parts. It does not get in the way.

The method of moving the fixed caster 13 may be provided by providing a hole for mounting the fixed caster in advance, as in the present invention, or may be formed in a rail shape or by providing a groove. The fixed caster can be fixed by a thumbscrew or the like by sliding, and the method of moving and mounting the fixed caster is not limited to this method as long as the fixed caster can be moved and firmly fixed.

When the walker 200 is viewed from the front, as shown in FIG. 6, a width adjustment plate 22 is provided at the front, and a fixing screw 23 for fixing the width after adjusting the width is provided. Screw 51 provided beside upper frame 12
Is a grip fixing screw 5 for fixing the grip 52 integrated with the brake lever 53 or adjusting the angle.
It is one. The grip 52 can be adjusted to an easy-to-grip angle depending on the user's posture during use, and can be fixed with the screw 52. The lower portions of the vertical pipes 14 and 15 are widened from the upper portions, so that the vertical legs 14 and 15 have a wide foot and do not obstruct walking when walking, similar to the convex shape of the crossbar 16. The lower frame 13 has a front portion curved inward,
Since the front casters 31 are provided, the front casters 31 are located inside the rear casters 32.

The horseshoe cushion 1 shown in FIGS.
A grip 52 and a brake lever 53 can be provided at the front of the device 1 to provide a brake mechanism. The brake of the brake lever 53 is provided in the vicinity of the caster so as to be able to press against and separate from the fixed caster 32, a spring for urging the brake shoe in the separating direction, and a spring for urging the brake shoe to the spring. And a wire 54 that is driven in the direction in which the wheels are pressed against each other. The brake lever 53 is provided rotatably in front of the handle 52. The brake lever 53 is provided with a lever which rotates by the gripping state, pulls the drive wire 54 and presses the brake shoe.

As shown in FIG. 7, the folding of the walker according to the present invention is performed by using a convex axially movable crossbar 16 projecting forward at the front of the walker 100, and When the crossbar 16 is closed by tilting the left and right width adjusting levers 24 urged on the bar upper end pivoting portion 21, the walkers 100 and 200 can be easily moved when the walkers 100 and 200 are not used. Can be folded. By using the width adjusting mechanism in this manner, the axially movable crossbar 16 can be used.
The front casters 31, the fixed wheels 32, and the rear casters 33 can be stably stored even when folded. When not in use, it does not take up storage space, and can be loaded on a car.

[0026]

According to the present invention, the axially movable cross bar provided at the front portion has a convex shape, so that the foot can be widened and walking can be easily performed. By providing a mechanism for adjusting the height in the vertical direction and a mechanism for adjusting the lateral width in the left and right directions, the height and the width can be adjusted according to the height of the back and the degree of obesity of the user. The provision of the brake mechanism has an effect that braking and stopping can be performed when used in an inclined passage and when the vehicle must stop immediately. By providing the resistance mechanism, a load can be applied to the fixed casters according to the user who needs to move slowly, so that the slope can be used safely.
In addition, the provision of the folding mechanism has the effect of not requiring a large storage space.

In the six-wheel walker, in addition to the above-described effects, the front rotating caster is located inside the intermediate fixed caster and the rear rotating caster, so that it is easy to turn at a turning angle and even if it hits a corner. It has the effect of not being easily scratched. The fixed casters in the middle part can be worn back and forth according to the usage conditions, so that the fixed casters can be moved forward and worn, so that people who need to put their weight on the front, and the ability to make small turns at corners are effective. have.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a walker.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of a walker.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a walker.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a walker.

FIG. 5 is a top view of a walker.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a walker.

FIG. 7 is a folded front view of the walker.

[Explanation of symbols]

 100: walker 200: walker 11: horseshoe cushion 12: upper frame 13: lower frame 14: front vertical pipe 14a: internal pipe 15: rear vertical pipe 15a: internal pipe 16: crossbar 17: crossbar stop 18: Crossbar lower end pivot 19: Width adjustment pipe 20: Width adjustment case 21: Crossbar upper end pivot 22: Width adjustment plate 23: Width adjustment fixing screw 24: Width adjustment lever 25: Width adjustment Hole 26: Fixing screw for adjusting front height 27: Fixing screw for adjusting rear height 31: Front rotating caster 32: Fixed caster 33: Rear rotating caster 34: Resistance adjusting screw 41: Fixed caster moving wearing Screw hole 42: Fixed caster moving mounting screw hole 43: Fixed caster moving mounting screw hole 44: Fixed caster moving mounting Screw hole 51: Grip fixing screw 52: Grip 53: Brake lever 54: Wire

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A walker having an upper frame, a lower frame having casters, and a crossbar mutually cross-axis-fixed to a plurality of vertical pipes provided substantially on the left and right sides of the walker. The walker according to claim 1, wherein the crossbar is of a convex shape and protrudes forward of the vertical pipe on the front side. 2. An upper end portion is slidably connected to a vertical pipe or a width adjusting case mounted on a front side thereof, and a lower end portion adjusts a lateral width of the walker by opening and closing a cross bar connected to a lower frame. The walker according to claim 1, further comprising a width adjusting mechanism. 3. A front rotatable caster, comprising: a rotatable rotatable caster provided before and after the lower frame; and a non-rotatable fixed caster provided at an intermediate portion between the front and rear casters. Is located inside the intermediate fixed caster and the rear rotating caster.
Or the walker according to 2. 4. The walker according to claim 3, wherein the fixed caster in the intermediate portion is movable on the lower frame according to the use condition. 5. The walker according to claim 1, wherein a resistance adjusting screw is provided on the fixed caster. 6. The walker according to claim 1, further comprising a height adjusting mechanism for adjusting the height of the vertical pipe. 7. The walker according to claim 1, further comprising a brake mechanism.