JP2012210237A - Self-help device for in-door traveling, and safety apparatus for caster - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable an indoor small step such as a doorsill to be easily gone over, and at the same time, to enable automatic stop and release which are adjusted to the using state of a user to be performed.SOLUTION: This self-help device includes: a sitting section 10 for the user; a frame 20 to which the sitting section 10 is fixed, and at the same time, of which the section for placing the feet of the user in front of the sitting section 10 is opened; at least three main casters 22 which are arranged under the front end section and the rear central section of the frame 20; and an auxiliary caster 24 for fall prevention which is arranged between the main casters 22 under the frame 20. In addition, the self-help device can include: a load sensor 28 which is arranged on the supporting point for the rear seat surface of the sitting section between the rear side of the sitting section 10 and the frame 20; and a braking mechanism 30 which applies braking to at least one of the main casters 22 when a load detected by the load sensor 28 is within a specified range.

Description

  The present invention relates to a self-help tool for indoor movement and a safety device for casters, and in particular, to assist a person who has temporarily become difficult to walk for some reason so as to assist his / her movement so that his / her leg strength does not deteriorate, and to promote independence. The present invention relates to a self-help device for indoor movement as a chair that can be freely moved as well as sitting, and a safety device for casters suitable for that purpose.

  Many proposals have been made regarding wheelchairs, their aids, and safety devices.

  For example, Patent Document 1 is provided with a vehicle body composed of casters or wheels at the lower four corners in a substantially U-shape, a step that can be widened forward, and a cane fixed cylinder that can be moved to the left and right. There is described a wheelchair / walking aid provided with a detachable chair that can be adjusted, and further provided with two extensible canes whose front ends are loosely fitted into a cane fixing cylinder.

  Patent Document 2 describes an indoor movable stool in which the direction can be freely changed by attaching a caster to a seat support and the stool can be fixed by providing a front caster with a stopper. .

  Patent Document 3 discloses a wheelchair having two casters disposed on the left and right in front of a seating portion on which a user sits down and two drive wheels disposed on the left and right behind the seating portion. In the above, it is described that an auxiliary wheel is provided in front of the seating portion and in front of or behind a line connecting the two casters.

  Patent Document 4 discloses an electric wheelchair that moves up and down on a normal self-propelled wheelchair, or a dual-purpose wheelchair that floats a rear wheel for self-propelled movement and can move laterally and obliquely. For example, it is described that a self-propelled rear wheel can be removed and a brake structure that can be remotely operated when using the above-mentioned free-wheeling vehicle is provided so that the vehicle can easily move laterally.

  Further, in Patent Document 5, a general electric wheelchair is equipped with an objective sensor and a device for releasing power or driving at the control box of the electric wheelchair by inputting the objective sensor, and the electric wheelchair is input by inputting the attached objective sensor. It is described that it is possible to release the power supply or driving of the vehicle so as to prevent collisions with surrounding objects during operation and to ensure safety.

  Further, Patent Document 6 describes a transfer assist device installed on the side of a bed or the like, which has a function of restricting the free rotation of a wheelchair's free caster, and assists the user in shifting his / her weight. It is described that by providing a function, a user can move by himself / herself from bed to wheelchair or from wheelchair to bed and to realize an independence support system that can go to a favorite place at any time. Has been.

  When you live in a wheelchair, your leg strength declines and it becomes difficult to walk independently. Therefore, in hospitals and elderly care facilities, etc., training is conducted in order such as standing up, standing up, and walking for those who still have difficulty in walking but have difficulty in walking. Since these trainings require the assistance of a caregiver to avoid accidents such as falls, they are burdensome in terms of personnel, time, and equipment.

  Aiming to enable leg recovery and free action by using a leg recovery training device for daily activities in order to prevent people from sitting down, and to enable independent action without assistance, for some reason. Non-Patent Document 1 proposes a self-help device for assisting exercise and promoting independence for a person who is difficult to walk, so that the leg strength does not deteriorate.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the seating portion 10 of the user, the frame 12 to which the seating portion 10 is fixed, and the portion where the user's feet enter the front of the seating portion 10 are opened, and the frame 12 between the three casters 14 disposed below the leg portions 12 and the rear center portion and the casters 14 disposed below the frame 12 and in front of the both leg portions of the frame 12 for preventing overturning. A support column 16 and a handrail 18 provided above the seating portion 10 of the frame 12 are provided.

JP 2003-24398 A Registered Utility Model No. 3110227 JP 2006-1116080 A JP 2008-264450 A JP-A-6-190007 JP 2005-152556 A

Shoji Kashii et al. “Prototype of self-supporting mobile self-supporting device for indoor use” The 13th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Welfare Engineering (November 28, 2009, Hino)

  However, from the observation of the usage situation, the support column 16 provided to prevent the body from tilting and falling when the user changes, when moving left and right rearward, when moving forward, when standing up, when leaving the device, A slight step of about 20 mm hinders the movement and causes inconvenience in overcoming the threshold.

  Furthermore, when moving to the user's side (release), when the user is trying to sit down (stop), when the user is about to move on (release), and when the user is trying to get up (Stopped) In these states, the self-helper needs a stop device, but the conventional safety device does not fully meet these requirements.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described conventional problems, and can easily overcome a slight level difference in a room such as a sill and can be automatically stopped and released according to the use state of the user. It is a first object to provide a self-help device for indoor movement provided with a safety device.

  It is a second object of the present invention to provide a safety device for casters suitable for use in a self-help device for indoor movement and a chair with casters.

  The present invention includes a seat for a user, a frame in which the seat is fixed, and a portion in which a user's foot in front of the seat is open, a lower front end portion and a lower rear center portion of the frame. A self-help device for indoor movement, comprising: at least three main casters disposed on the main frame, and an auxiliary caster for preventing overturning disposed between the main casters below the frame. Thus, the first problem is solved.

  Here, the size of the wheel of the auxiliary caster can be made smaller than the size of the wheel of the main caster.

  A handrail can be provided above the seating portion of the frame.

  The frame may be formed of a substantially U-shaped pipe, and the handrail may be formed by bending the substantially U-shaped pipe into a substantially L-shape.

  Further, the front of the seating portion of the frame can be opened.

  A load sensor disposed at a seat back support surface between the seat back and the frame, and at least one of the main casters when a load detected by the load sensor is within a predetermined range; And a brake mechanism for applying a brake.

  In addition, the brake mechanism includes a motor that can be rotated forward / reversely, and a caster rotation shaft stop member and a caster wheel stop member that are driven by the motor and that are disposed in the mounting portion of the main caster. it can.

  In addition, an interference prevention mechanism can be provided for making the operations of the caster rotating shaft stop member and the caster wheel stop member compatible.

  The present invention also includes a load sensor for detecting a load applied to the caster from above, and a brake mechanism for braking the caster when the load detected by the load sensor is within a predetermined range. The second problem is solved by a safety device for casters characterized by the above.

  Here, the brake mechanism includes a motor that can be rotated forward / reversely, and a caster rotation shaft stop member and a caster wheel stop member that are driven by the motor and that are disposed in the mounting portion of the caster. it can.

  Furthermore, an interference prevention mechanism for making the operations of the caster rotating shaft stop member and the caster wheel stop member compatible can be provided.

  According to the present invention, the caster is moved to the position of the front anti-falling support post to be the main caster, and the rear anti-tip support post is changed to the auxiliary caster, so that a slight step in the room such as a sill can be easily overcome. It becomes possible. Therefore, it can move in any direction and can be used without assistance. In addition, it can be made lightweight with a simple structure and is easy to handle.

  Furthermore, it is possible to realize a safety device that can be automatically stopped and released according to the use state of the user.

The perspective view which shows the conventional self-help tool for indoor movement which the inventor proposed The perspective view which shows embodiment of this invention Side view showing the brake mechanism of the embodiment Side view showing force detected by a load sensor of the brake mechanism Sectional drawing which shows operation | movement of the said brake mechanism Cross-sectional view showing two types of stop states Block diagram showing the control circuit

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

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the seating portion 10 of the user and the seating portion 10 are fixed, and the portion where the user's foot in front of the seating portion 10 enters is opened. The frame 20, the three main casters 22 disposed below the front end portion and the rear center portion of the frame 20, and the main casters 22 disposed below the frame 20, are prevented from falling. Auxiliary casters 24, handrail arms 26 provided above the seating portion 10 of the frame 20, and load sensors 28 provided at the seating portion rearward seating support points between the rear of the seating portion 10 and the frame 20. And a brake mechanism 30 that brakes the two main casters 22 in front when the load detected by the load sensor 28 is within a predetermined range.

  The seat portion 10 has a shape that can increase the range of motion of the thigh so as not to hinder the movement of the user's legs, for example, a shape similar to a bicycle saddle.

  The frame 20 is formed, for example, by bending a pipe into a substantially U shape, and the front of the seating portion is opened to the left and right so that the user does not get in the way when putting his / her leg and is easy to sit on. A substantially conical rubber cap 21 is put on the front end of the frame 20 to protect the wall and the frame 20 when the front end of the frame 20 collides with the wall. Protect your hands from getting caught.

  The handrail arm 26 is formed, for example, by bending a pipe into a U shape and then bending it into an L shape.

  The size of the wheel 25 of the auxiliary caster 24 is made smaller than the size of the wheel 23 of the main caster 22.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the brake mechanism 30 includes a direct current (DC) motor 32 that is disposed at an attachment portion of the main caster 22 and is capable of rotating in the forward and reverse directions, a worm gear 34 that is driven by the motor 32, The operations of the push-down arm 36 driven by the worm gear 34, the caster rotation shaft stop gear 38 and the caster wheel stop arm 40 driven by the push-down arm 36, and the caster rotation shaft stop gear 38 and the caster wheel stop arm 40 are as follows. And a spring 42 as an interference preventing mechanism.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the brake mechanism 30 is detected by a load sensor 28 made of, for example, a strain gauge, based on the analysis result of the force Fa applied to the handrail arm 26 and the force Fs applied to the seating surface of the seat 10. If the user exceeds the first predetermined value (for example, 20N) that is considered to have been moved, the driver presses down the push-down arm 36 as shown in FIG. When it is equal to or greater than a second predetermined value (for example, 200 N) that the person is seated on, as shown in FIG. 5B, the push-down arm 36 is lifted to release the braking.

  6A, the lower end of the caster wheel stop arm 40 hits the wheel 23 of the caster 22 before the caster rotary shaft stop gear 38 is sufficiently lowered, so that the caster rotary shaft stop gear 38 functions. If not, the caster shaft rotation stop operation is enabled by allowing the caster rotation shaft stop gear 38 to descend as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the control circuit 50 of the brake mechanism 30 includes a preamplifier 52 and an amplifier 54 that amplify the output of the load sensor 28, a microprocessing unit (MPU) 56 that performs necessary processing, and two direct current ( DC) driver circuits 52A and 52B for driving the motors 32A and 32B, shunt resistors 54A and 54B attached to the driver circuits 52A and 52B, and the motor 32A detected by the outputs of the shunt resistors 54A and 54B, Comparators 56A and 56B are provided for stopping and protecting the motors 32A and 32B when the load on the 32B exceeds a predetermined value.

  The MPU 56 rotates the DC motors 32A and 32B, for example, forwardly when a load (for example, 20N) on which the user puts the hand on the handrail arm 26, and as shown in FIG. 5A, the brake mechanism 30 of the main caster 22 is rotated. To fix the state of the main caster. Further, when the load reaches the seating portion 10 (for example, 200 N), the DC motors 32A and 32B are reversely rotated, and as shown in FIG. 5B, the brake mechanism 30 of the main caster 22 is reversed. The fixed state of the main caster 22 is released by operating. The MPU 56 determines that the DC motors 32A and 32B are at the stop position of the motor operating range and protects them by stopping the DC motors 32A and 32B when an overcurrent flows when the DC motors 32A and 32B rotate forward and backward.

  The control circuit 50 and its power supply battery can be fixed, for example, on the back side of the seating portion 10 so as not to stand out.

  The control circuit 50, for example, confirms the load at intervals of 0.1 second, and compares it with the value one second before, thereby configuring the sensitive operation, the temperature change of the load sensor 28, the frame 20, and the handrail arm 26. It is possible to prevent the influence of fluctuation due to the elastic characteristics of the material to be used (for example, ABS).

  According to this embodiment, the rotation of the caster wheel and the rotation of the caster rotation shaft can be stopped by one sensor and one motor (actuator). Note that the configuration of the brake mechanism is not limited to this, and for example, the number of sensors can be increased, the position can be changed, or anything other than a strain gauge or worm gear can be used.

  Furthermore, this brake mechanism can be used not only for the indoor movement self-help device of the above-described embodiment, but also for other products generally provided with caster wheels, such as self-help devices of other configurations, rowing wheelchairs, and office swivel chairs. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Seating part 20 ... Frame 22 ... Main caster 23, 25 ... Wheel 24 ... Auxiliary caster 26 ... Handrail arm 28 ... Load sensor 30 ... Brake mechanism 32 ... Motor 34 ... Worm gear 36 ... Push-down arm 38 ... Caster rotation shaft stop gear 40 ... Caster wheel stop arm 42 ... Spring 50 ... Control circuit

Claims (11)

The seating area of the user,
A frame in which the seating portion is fixed and a portion in which a user's foot enters the front of the seating portion is opened;
At least three main casters disposed below the front end of the frame and below the rear center;
An auxiliary caster for preventing overturning disposed between the main casters on the lower side of the frame;
A self-help device for indoor movement characterized by comprising:   The size of the wheel of the said auxiliary caster is made smaller than the size of the wheel of the said main caster, The self-help tool for indoor movement of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The handrail for indoor movement according to claim 1, wherein a handrail is provided above the seating portion of the frame.   The indoor frame according to claim 3, wherein the frame is formed of a substantially U-shaped pipe, and the handrail is formed by bending the substantially U-shaped pipe into a substantially L-shape. Self-help equipment.   The self-help device for indoor movement according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the front of the seating portion of the frame is open. A load sensor disposed at a seating portion rear seat support point between the seating portion rear and the frame;
A brake mechanism that brakes at least one of the main casters when the load detected by the load sensor is within a predetermined range;
The self-help device for indoor movement according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: The brake mechanism is
A motor that can be rotated in the forward and reverse directions, disposed in the mounting portion of the main caster;
A caster rotating shaft stop member and a caster wheel stop member driven by the motor;
The self-help device for indoor movement according to claim 6.   The self-help device for indoor movement according to claim 7, wherein an interference prevention mechanism is provided for making the operations of the caster rotation shaft stop member and the caster wheel stop member compatible. A load sensor for detecting a load applied to the caster from above;
A brake mechanism that brakes the caster when the load detected by the load sensor is within a predetermined range;
A safety device for casters, comprising: The brake mechanism is
A forward / reverse rotatable motor disposed in the caster mounting portion;
A caster rotating shaft stop member and a caster wheel stop member driven by the motor;
The caster safety device according to claim 9, further comprising:   The safety device for casters according to claim 10, wherein an interference prevention mechanism is provided for making the operations of the caster rotation shaft stop member and the caster wheel stop member compatible.

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