JP2024052420A - Brake device for walking aids - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a brake device for a walking aid vehicle that reduces the burden on the user and allows brake locking and release operations to be performed with a simple operation. [Solution] The device comprises left and right left wheel brake devices provided on the left and right wheels of the walking aid vehicle, a left wire 18 and a right wire 12 that lock or release the brakes of the left and right wheel brake devices by the difference in the pull-out length of the wires, and a brake operation lever 3 that operates each wire, the left wire 18 and the right wire 12 are fixed to two different points of the operation lever 3 that is operated to swing around a support shaft 5, the operation lever 3 increases the pull-out length of both the left wire 18 and the right wire 12 by operating one side of the swing, and the operation lever 3 decreases the pull-out length of both the left wire 18 and the right wire 12 by operating the other side of the swing, and each wheel brake device is locked or released at the same time by operating the operation lever 3. [Selected Figure] Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a braking device for a walking aid vehicle.

Conventionally, braking devices for ambulatory mobility assistance vehicles that assist a user in walking have often been configured to provide brake levers below the left and right grip portions of a handle frame, as exemplified by Patent Document 1 listed below.
Also, as disclosed in the following Patent Document 2, a parking brake used in a wheelchair is also known that directly locks the wheel by pressing the wheel surface.

JP 2019-137193 A JP 2013-226191 A

However, both methods require the user to operate both left and right brake levers, which can be a burden for some users, such as those with disabilities in one hand.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems.
An object of the present invention is to provide a braking device for an ambulatory assistance vehicle that reduces the burden on the user and allows brake lock and release operations to be performed with a simple operation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a brake device which can be easily operated even when the hands or arms are resting on a hand and arm support.

The braking device for an ambulatory assistance vehicle according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises:
A left wheel brake device and a right wheel brake device provided on the left and right wheels of the handicap assistance vehicle;
A left wire and a right wire for locking or unlocking the left wheel brake device and the right wheel brake device by a difference in wire pull-out length;
a brake operation lever for operating the left wire and the right wire,
The left wire and the right wire are fixed to two different points of the operating lever that is pivotally operated around a support shaft,
The operating lever increases the pull-out lengths of both the left wire and the right wire by operating one side of the swing,
The operating lever reduces the pull-out lengths of both the left wire and the right wire by operating the other side of the swing,
The left wheel braking device and the right wheel braking device are characterized in that they are locked or released simultaneously by the same operation of the operating lever.
It is characterized by:

A second aspect of the present invention is a braking device for an ambulatory assistance vehicle according to the first aspect,
The two different points are characterized by being composed of a point located on the tip side of the operating lever relative to the support shaft in the longitudinal direction in which the operating lever extends, and a point located on the base side of the support shaft.

A third aspect of the present invention is a brake device for an ambulatory support vehicle according to the first or second aspect,
The left wheel brake device and the right wheel brake device are characterized in that they have elastic means for stabilizing the locking or releasing operation of the brakes.
A fourth aspect of the present invention is a braking device for an ambulatory support vehicle according to the first or second aspect,
The present invention is characterized in that the operation direction of the operating lever is set to the left and right direction of the manually propelled vehicle.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is a braking device for an ambulatory assistance vehicle according to the fourth aspect,
The operating lever is provided in the left-right central area of a handle frame of the manually propelled vehicle.
A sixth aspect of the present invention is a braking device for an ambulatory assistance vehicle according to the first aspect,
The walking aid vehicle is characterized in that it is provided with an arm support section for assisting in standing up, etc., and the operating lever is provided on a handle frame disposed at a position above the arm support section.

The present invention can provide a braking device for an ambulatory assistance vehicle that reduces the burden on the user and allows the brakes to be locked and released with a simple operation.
The present invention can provide a brake device that can be easily operated even when hands or arms are resting on a hand and arm support.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ambulatory assistance vehicle for use in living space according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view of an ambulatory support vehicle for use in a living space according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a right side view of the ambulatory support vehicle for use in living space according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a plan view of an ambulatory support vehicle for use in a living space according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the periphery of a handle frame equipped with a brake case in the walking aid vehicle for living space according to the present embodiment. 4A is a plan view of the brake case, FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view from below of the inside of the brake case in a brake-released state, and FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view from below of the brake in a locked state. FIG. 4A is a perspective view illustrating the left wheel brake device in a released state, and FIG. 4B is a longitudinal sectional view of a main portion of the wheel brake device in the released state. 4A is a perspective view for explaining a state in which a left wheel brake device is in a locked state, and FIG. 4B is a longitudinal sectional view of a main portion of the wheel brake device in the locked state. 4A is a perspective view for explaining the state of the left wheel side brake device in a released state, and FIG. 4A is a perspective view for explaining a locked state of the left wheel brake device, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of a main portion thereof. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a wheel side brake device as viewed from inside the walking aid vehicle for living space. FIG. 11 is a perspective view for explaining another configuration example of the hand and arm support portion in the present embodiment.

Hereinafter, a braking device for an ambulatory assist vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In this embodiment, an example of an ambulatory support vehicle will be described using an ambulatory support vehicle for living space. Note that the present invention is not limited to ambulatory support vehicles for living space, but is an invention that can be widely applied to ambulatory support vehicles.

First, the configuration of the walking aid vehicle for living space will be described.
<Configuration of walking aid vehicle for living space>
The walking aid vehicle for living space 51 described in this embodiment is configured for the purpose of providing a walking aid vehicle that assists walking when moving around in a living space such as a room, and also supports the user when standing up from the floor, a bed, etc.

In the description of the walking aid vehicle for living space 51 in this specification, as shown in Figure 1, the direction in which the walking aid vehicle moves forward is referred to as the forward direction, the direction in which it moves backward is referred to as the backward direction (indicated as the X direction in Figure 1), the direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction is referred to as the lateral direction and left-right direction (indicated as the Y direction in Figure 1), and the direction perpendicular to both the front-to-back direction and the lateral direction is referred to as the up-down direction and height direction (indicated as the Z direction in Figure 1). The left-right directions are based on the direction seen by a user who is pushing the walking aid vehicle forward.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the walking aid vehicle for living space 51 has a hand and arm support section 52, a pair of support posts 67 erected on the hand and arm support section 52, a handle frame 64 fixed to the upper ends of the pair of support posts 67, a pair of rear legs 55 extending diagonally rearward and downward from the left and right end positions near the rear of the underside of the hand and arm support section 52, and a pair of front legs 56 extending diagonally frontward and downward from the left and right end positions near the front of the underside of the hand and arm support section 52.

A wheel brake device 22 (see FIG. 1) and a rear wheel 59 are fixed to the tip region of the rear leg 55. The wheel brake device 22 is driven by wires 12, 18 in brake cables 10, 16 drawn out from the brake case 6.
3, the front legs 56 have a straight section 57 extending from the underside of the hand and arm support section 52, and an inclined section 58 connecting the straight section 57 and extending diagonally downward and forward. Front wheels 60 are provided at the tip region of the inclined section 58. The front wheels 60 are each made up of a pair of left and right wheels, and are free-wheeling wheels that can move forward, backward, left and right.

When a pair of left and right support columns 67 (support frames) are erected from the horizontal section 53 of the hand and arm support section 52, they are configured to extend the straight section 57 of the front leg 56 upward. In other words, the axis center of the support columns 67 and the axis center of the straight section 57 of the front leg 56 are configured to be substantially aligned. With this configuration, the load from above can be distributed to the front leg 56 and the rear leg 55 and stably supported.
It is preferable that the angle at which the support posts 67 are erected is vertical (90° with respect to the horizontal portion 53 of the hand and arm support portion 52). With this configuration, a user who grasps the hand and arm support portion 52 can grasp the handle frame 64 without losing his or her body position.

As shown in FIG. 3, the inclination angle of the rear legs 55 relative to the vertical line is θ, and the inclination angle of the front legs 56 relative to the vertical line is Φ, where Φ is set to be greater than θ.

The hand and arm support section 52 is set at a height that allows the user to easily grasp it with their hands and arms and stand up indoors. To achieve this, the heights of the front legs 56, front wheels 60, rear legs 55, and rear wheels 59 to the hand and arm support section 52 are set. Specifically, the height of the hand and arm support section 52 from the floor is set to a height range of, for example, about 700 mm to 860 mm. However, this numerical range is merely an example and is not limited to this range.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the hand and arm support portion 52 has a horizontal portion 53 as a support surface on which the hands and arms can be placed, and rising portions 54 rising upward on both the left and right ends of the horizontal portion 53 .
1 and 4, the horizontal portion 53 has a generally forward-convex crescent shape or a generally forward-convex hyperbolic shape in a plan view. In other words, the horizontal portion 53 is configured in an inclined shape such that the width gradually increases from the front side to the rear side.
Additionally, the rear peripheral edge 52b (see FIG. 1) of the hand/arm support portion 52 is formed into a generally hyperbolic shape with a gentler curvature than the front peripheral edge 52a (see FIG. 1).

The rising portion 54 is a support wall erected upward along the left and right outer peripheral edges of the approximately crescent shape of the hand/arm support portion 52. The rising portion 54 has a large front rising height and a small rear rising height, so that it is formed in the shape of an approximately right-angled triangle in side view.
The upper ends of the rear legs 55, the upper ends of the front legs 56 and the lower ends of the supports 67 are embedded and fixed inside the rising portion 54.

Specifically, the upper end of the rear leg 55 is embedded in the rear end position of the underside of the rising portion 54, the upper end of the front leg 56 is embedded in the front end position of the underside of the rising portion 54, and the lower end of the support 67 is embedded in the front end position of the upper surface of the rising portion 54.

As shown in FIG. 5, the support 67 is composed of an outer pipe 61 and an inner pipe 62, and the inner pipe 62 is inserted into the outer pipe 61 to form the telescopic support 67.
The inner pipe 62 extends vertically upward, and the tip of the inner pipe 62 is connected to a handle frame 64 .
Grips 65 are provided at the left and right end positions of the handle frame 64. The grips 65 are provided along the left and right tip sides of the roughly crescent shape of the hand and arm support part 52. With this configuration, stability can be improved even when weight is applied to the handle frame 64.

As shown in the plan view of FIG. 4, the handle frame 64 has a generally forward-convex hyperbolic shape, and the front peripheral portion 64a of the handle frame 64 and the front peripheral portion 52a of the horizontal portion 53 are configured so that their curves approximately coincide.

The position of the front end of the handle frame 64 is disposed approximately midway in the fore-and-aft direction between the axle of the front wheel 60 and the axle of the rear wheel 59. The handle frame 64 is connected to the inner pipe 62 at a slight incline in the vertical direction so that the front side is higher and the rear side is lower.
In the living space walking aid vehicle 51 according to this embodiment, the handle frame 64, the grip portion 65, and the arm support portion 52 are configured to support the load so that the center of gravity of the living space walking aid vehicle 51 is tilted backward to achieve balance. With this configuration, the rear wheel brakes can function effectively.

The outer pipe 61 is set at a predetermined height from the horizontal section 53 of the hand and arm support section 52, and together with the straight section 57, ensures the vertical height at which the inner pipe 62 can expand and contract.

As can be seen from Figures 1, 4, and 5, the operating direction of the brake device operating lever 3 is set to the left-right direction of the walking aid vehicle for living space 51. In addition, the protruding portion 3T of the operating lever 3 is provided in the left-right central area of the handle frame 64 of the walking aid vehicle for living space 51 so as to protrude from the periphery of the handle frame 64.

In addition, the walking aid vehicle for living space 51 according to this embodiment is equipped with an arm support section 52 for assisting in standing up, etc., and the operating lever 3 is provided on a handle frame 64 which is provided at a position above the arm support section 52.
The arm support section 52 can also be recognized as an arm rest plate 70. As shown in Fig. 12, the arm support section 52 can be configured as an arm rest plate 70 as an optional configuration. The arm rest plate 70 is configured to be easily attached along the shape of the handle frame 64. In this configuration, not only can the handle frame 64 or the grip section 65 be gripped, but the arm can also be placed on the arm rest plate 70 to walk or rest in a comfortable position.
As shown in FIG. 12, the arm rest plate 70 has a front peripheral wall engaging portion 71 that corresponds to the curvature of the front side of the handle frame 64, and a plate lower side engaging portion 72.
Even if the arm rest plate 70 is attached to the handle frame 64, braking is possible, and the load position due to the arms being placed on the handle is the same as when the handle is gripped, so the center of gravity does not change significantly and stability can be maintained.

<Brake device>
This embodiment has a left wheel braking device 22 and a right wheel braking device 22 (not shown) which are provided on the left and right wheels of the ambulatory support vehicle, a left wire 18 and a right wire 12 which lock or release the brakes of the left wheel braking device 22 and the right wheel braking device 22 by the difference in the pull-out length of the wires, and a brake operating lever 3 which is operated to swing around a support shaft 5.

The brake device also has a brake case 6 provided in the central area of the handle frame 64 in the left-right direction.
The brake case 6 and the left and right wheel brake devices 22 are connected by a left wire 18 and a right wire 12. The left wire 18 and the right wire 12 are fixed to the operating lever 3 at two points that are different in position in the longitudinal direction of the operating lever 3.

A wheel brake device 22 having a movable engaging device 27 such as a movable pin is provided on each of the left and right wheels, and the movable engaging device 27 engages with the wheel-side engaging device 32, so that the brakes are locked or released simultaneously on both the left and right wheels.

A specific configuration of the operation unit will be described below.
The handheld operating unit 1 (see Figure 6) has a spindle 5 that is erected in a predetermined direction at a predetermined location on the walking aid vehicle for living space 51, an operating lever 3 that swings around the spindle 5, a pair of wires 12, 18 that drive a wheel braking device 22 described below, fixing parts 13, 19 that fix the pair of wires 12, 18 at two different points on the operating lever 3, a pair of cables 10, 16 that cover the pair of wires 12, 18 and act as outer layer means that allow the pair of wires 12, 18 to move in the direction of pulling out, and a pair of terminals 11, 17 that fix the pair of cables 10, 16 to a predetermined location on the walking aid vehicle for living space 51.

In this embodiment, the handheld operation unit 1 has a brake case 6 fixed by a frame support part 2 in the central area in the left-right direction of a handle frame 64 .
A support shaft 5 is provided in the brake case 6 in the vertical direction, and an operating lever 3 is supported on the support shaft 5 so as to be swingable in the left-right direction.
Fig. 6(a) is a plan view of the brake case, (b) is a cross-sectional view from below of the inside of the brake case in the brake release state, and (c) is a cross-sectional view from below of the brake in the locked state. Since Fig. 6(b) and (c) are views from below, the left and right are reversed from the actual state when viewed from above.

As shown in Figures 6(b) and (c), a disk portion 4 is provided on the base end side of the operating lever 3. In addition, a right fixing portion 13 to which the right wire 12 is fixed is provided on the base end side of the support shaft 5 in the longitudinal direction in which the operating lever 3 extends. A left fixing portion 19 to which the left wire 18 is fixed is provided on the tip end side of the support shaft 5.

The right cable 10 that covers the right wire 12 is fixed to the right side of the brake case 6 at a position toward the rear by the right terminal 11, and the right wire 12 that passes through the inside of the right cable 10 is configured so that its position can be moved in the direction of the wire's extension by rotating the operating lever 3.

In addition, the left cable 16 covering the left wire 18 is fixed to a position near the front side of the left side surface of the brake case 6 by a left terminal 17, and the left wire 18 passing through the inside of the left cable 16 is configured so that its position can be moved in the linear direction of the wire by rotating the operating lever 3.
The brake case 6 has a slit-shaped opening 9 extending in the left-right direction on the front side, and can swing left and right between the right and left contact surfaces of the operating lever 3 .

Figure 6(b) shows a case where the brake release position is set when the operating lever 3 is moved to the right end. With this configuration, the length of the wire pulled out between the right fixing part 13 and the right terminal 11 is greater. The length of the wire pulled out is also greater between the left fixing part 19 and the left terminal 17.

In other words, in a configuration in which the right fixed portion 13 is located in front (base end) of the spindle 5 and the left fixed portion 19 is located in the rear (tip end) of the spindle 5 as shown in Figure 6 (b), when the operating lever 3 is swung to the right end, the length of the wires pulled out toward the hand-held operating unit 1 for both the right wire 12 and the left wire 18 becomes greater, so that the movement of the wires driving the left and right wheel brake devices 22 can be made the same.
It is optional whether the extended wire length corresponds to a release or lock state in the operation of the brakes in the left and right wheel brake devices 22. Since it is simple to set the brake release state when the wire is extended toward the handheld operation unit 1, in this embodiment, the brakes of the left and right wheel brake devices 22 are released when the operation lever 3 is operated to the right as shown in Fig. 6(b) .

The state shown in FIG. 6(c) is also a view from below, so the actual left and right are reversed. In the state shown in FIG. 6(c), when the operating lever 3 is moved to the left end, the distance between the right fixing part 13 and the right terminal 11 is such that the length of the right wire 12 pulled out is smaller than in the case shown in FIG. 6(b). Similarly, the length of the left wire 18 pulled out is also smaller between the left fixing part 19 and the left terminal 17.

In other words, when the operating lever 3 is swung to the left end, the length of the wires of the right wire 12 and the left wire 18 that are pulled out toward the handheld operation unit 1 of the left and right wheel brake devices 22 becomes shorter, so that both the left and right wheel brake devices 22 can be set to lock.

The front edge 6s of the brake case 6 (see FIG. 6(a)) is configured to have a shape that follows the shape of the handle frame 64. Specifically, in this embodiment, the central portion of the handle frame 64 is formed into a generally forward-convex hyperbolic shape, so the front edge 6s of the brake case 6 is formed into a shape that is close to that curve. With this configuration, when the hand is moved along the handle frame 64, it hits the protruding portion 3T of the operating lever 3, making it easier to grasp the position of the operating lever 3 and operate it.

In addition, the movement of the walking aid vehicle for living space 51 can be fixed by a simple swing operation of the operating lever 3, so that the walking aid vehicle can be used as a standing aid with a simple operation that is easy for a user to understand when standing up from a bed or floor by holding onto the arm support part 52.
Furthermore, because the handle frame 64 is fixed to the support pillar 67 extending from the hand and arm support portion 52 in a substantially vertical direction, the operating lever 3 can be easily operated without moving the arm or hand while holding onto the hand and arm support portion 52. This configuration improves the inconvenience of the user standing up by holding onto the hand and arm support portion 52 when the brakes of the walking aid vehicle for living space 51 are not in the locked state.

As described above, the shape of the front side of the handle frame 64 and the shape of the front side of the hand and arm support part 52 are formed to be substantially the same, so when holding onto the hand and arm support part 52 to stand up from a bed or floor, the user can operate the handle frame 64 without changing his/her posture or center of gravity after grasping the hand and arm support part 52. On the other hand, if the handle frame 64 is located at a position in the front-rear direction away from the position of the hand and arm support part 52 in the front-rear direction, there is a possibility that the user's posture or center of gravity will change when reaching from the hand and arm support part 52 to the handle frame 64.
This effect is further enhanced if the structure has increased stability due to the difference in angles θ and Φ described above.

<Wheel brake device>
The mechanism for locking or unlocking the wheels during braking operation broadly comprises a wheel brake device 22 provided in the tip region of the rear legs 55 and/or front legs 56 of the walking aid vehicle for living space 51, and a wheel side engaging device 32 provided on the inner wall 37 of the wheel.
The wheel brake device 22 has a movable engagement member 27 which moves up and down by guide means such as a long hole 26 in response to the up and down movement of the wires 12, 18. In addition, in Figures 7 to 10, reference numeral 30 denotes an axis indicating the center of rotation of the rear wheel 59.

As shown in FIG. 10, the movable engaging device 27 is lowered by operating the left wire 18 and engages with the guide wall 34, which serves as the wheel-side engaged means, thereby locking the wheel. Also, as shown in FIG. 9, the movable engaging device 27 is raised by operating the left wire 18, and is released from its engagement with the guide wall 34, thereby unlocking the brake lock.

A specific configuration will be described below.
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the wheel brake device 22 is formed integrally with the lower part of the rear leg tubular portion 21, for example, connected to the lower end of the rear leg 55.
The wheel brake device 22 has a pair of support walls 38 on both the left and right sides, and a connecting wall 39 connecting the pair of support walls 38 at a front position. The wheel brake device 22 also has a pair of elongated holes 26 extending in the longitudinal direction of the support walls 38, a movable engaging device 27 such as a movable pin that fits into the elongated holes 26, and a sliding portion 28 that slides in the longitudinal direction inside the wheel brake device 22 by the movable engaging device 27.

The left cable 16 passes through the inside of the rear leg 55 , enters the wheel brake device 22 , and is fixed by the lower left terminal 24 on the underside of the wheel brake device 22 .
The lower left terminal 24 on the lower side is fixed to an upper wall 23 provided on the upper side of the wheel brake device 22 .
The left wire 18 is drawn out from the lower left terminal 24 and connected to a lower left fixed part 29 fixed to the lower side of the sliding part 28 .

An elastic means 20 such as a compression spring 25 is provided between the lower left terminal 24 and the lower left fixed portion 29, and the elastic means 20 such as a compression spring 25 is provided to urge the slide portion 28 downward in the locking direction.
As shown in Figures 9 to 11, the movable engagement device 27 protrudes from the long hole 26 on the rear wheel 59 side toward the wheel inner wall 37 (see Figure 7). When the left wire 18 is pulled up, it moves upward as shown in Figure 9, and when the left wire 18 is lowered, it moves downward as shown in Figure 10.

A wheel-side engaging member 32 is provided on the wheel inner wall 37 of the rear wheel 59 .
The wheel-side engagement device 32 has guide walls 34 extending radially in the circumferential direction at a predetermined angle around the wheel on the wheel side of the walking aid vehicle, and a curved guide tip portion 33, and has an engagement space 35 between adjacent guide walls 34.
Although the number of guide walls 34 is shown as eight in Figures 9 and 10, the number of guide walls 34 can be changed by increasing or decreasing the angle as long as the angle allows the movable engagement device 27 to be inserted into 35 as appropriate.

In this embodiment, the guide tip portion 33 has a circular tip portion when viewed in the axial direction in order to guide the movable engaging member 27 into the engaging space 35 without resistance.
The movable engaging member 27 is also formed in a cylindrical shape so that it can be inserted between the guide walls 34 without resistance.
In Figures 9 and 10, the left-right height of the guide wall 34 is drawn low so that the overall shape can be easily seen, but in reality, the wheel inner wall 37 is formed by being recessed toward the outside of the left and right sides of the axle, and the movable engaging device 27 is configured to fit into the engaging space 35 between the support walls 38 and have a protruding length sufficient to lock the rear wheel 59.

When the operating lever 3 is operated to the release side as shown in Figure 6 (b), the right wire 12 and the left wire 18 both move upward as shown by the arrows in Figures 7 and 9, so that the left wire 18 on the wheel brake device 22 side is also pulled upward, and the movable engaging device 27 moves upward and is positioned above the guide wall 34. In this state, the rear wheel 59 can rotate freely, so the brake is released.

On the other hand, when the operating lever 3 is operated to the lock side as shown in Figure 6 (c), the right wire 12 and the left wire 18 are pushed downward as shown by the arrows, and the movable engaging device 27 moves downward so that the movable engaging device 27 is accommodated in the engaging space 35 between the guide walls 34, and the brake is locked, as shown in Figures 8 and 10.
Furthermore, by passing the right cable 10 and the left cable 16, which have the right wire 12 and the left wire 18 built in, through the inside of the rear leg 55 or the front leg 56, the cables are not exposed at the lower position of the walking aid vehicle for living space 51, thereby preventing inconveniences such as objects getting caught on the cables.

<Modification>
The present invention is characterized in that both the left and right wheels can be locked or unlocked at the same time by rotating the operating lever 3 in one direction and the other direction, so the location of the hand-operated operating unit 1 is not limited to the central area in the left-right direction of the handle frame 64, but can also be installed at the end of the handle frame 64 or other locations on the walking aid vehicle for living space 51, such as the arm support unit 52.
Furthermore, the mechanism for locking or unlocking the wheels during braking operation is not limited to the configuration of the wheel brake device 22 and wheel side engaging device 32 shown in this embodiment, and any wheel side brake mechanism operated by a pair of wires can be adopted.

Furthermore, in addition to the configuration described above in which the locked state is released by pulling up a pair of wires and the locked state is established by lowering the pair of wires, a configuration in which the locked state is released by lowering a pair of wires and the locked state is established by pulling up a pair of wires can also be adopted, if necessary.

Although the present invention has been described above by way of example embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above embodiments. The technical scope of the present invention should be determined based on the claims, and it goes without saying that various modifications, additions to configurations, and improvements can be made within that scope.

3: Operating lever 12: Right wire 13: Right fixed portion (an example of a point located closer to the base end of the operating lever than the support shaft)
18: Left wire 19: Left fixed portion (an example of a point located closer to the tip of the operating lever than the pivot)
20: Elastic means 22: Left wheel brake device (wheel brake device)
25: Spring 51: Walking aid for living space (an example of a walking aid)
52: Hand and arm support section 64: Handle frame

Claims (6)

A left wheel brake device and a right wheel brake device provided on the left and right wheels of the handicap assistance vehicle;
A left wire and a right wire for locking or unlocking the left wheel brake device and the right wheel brake device by a difference in wire pull-out length;
a brake operation lever for operating the left wire and the right wire,
The left wire and the right wire are fixed to two different points of the operating lever that is pivotally operated around a support shaft,
The operating lever increases the pull-out lengths of both the left wire and the right wire by operating one side of the swing,
The operating lever reduces the pull-out lengths of both the left wire and the right wire by operating the other side of the swing,
The left wheel brake device and the right wheel brake device are simultaneously locked or unlocked by the same operation of the operating lever. The brake device of the ambulatory assistance vehicle described in claim 1, characterized in that the two different points are a point located on the tip side of the operating lever from the support shaft in the longitudinal direction in which the operating lever extends, and a point located on the base side from the support shaft. The brake device of the ambulatory assistance vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the left wheel brake device and the right wheel brake device have elastic means for stabilizing the locking or releasing operation of the brakes. The brake device for an ambulatory assistance vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the operation direction of the operating lever is set to the left and right direction of the ambulatory assistance vehicle. The brake device of the ambulatory assistance vehicle according to claim 4, characterized in that the operating lever is provided in the left-right central area of the handle frame of the ambulatory assistance vehicle. The brake device for the ambulatory assistance vehicle described in claim 1, characterized in that the ambulatory assistance vehicle is provided with a hand and arm support for standing up, etc., and the operating lever is provided on a handle frame located above the hand and arm support.