JP7025831B2 - Walking support machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a walking support device for supporting the walking of a user.

In recent years, with the advent of a super-aging society and its aggravation, support for the elderly has become indispensable. Weakness of the locomotorium is one of the three major factors that cause elderly people to become bedridden or need long-term care. There are also statistics that the number of fatalities caused by falls in the elderly is higher than the number of fatalities caused by traffic accidents. In order to prevent these accidents, daily exercise is indispensable, and technology to support walking is required.

Various techniques have been proposed as techniques for supporting walking (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). The device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a frame having a three-dimensional elevating function and a moving mechanism (front wheel, intermediate wheel, rear wheel) provided at the lower part of the frame, and loads the user so as to cover the upper part of the frame. It is designed to be deposited and moved. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, a seat portion provided by a link mechanism so as to be able to move up and down is provided on a frame provided with four wheels at the lower portion, and both a wheelchair and a walking support machine are compatible.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-299420 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-8464

By the way, there are silver cars, electric wheelchairs, and the like as devices for supporting the going out of elderly people and the like, and various technologies have been proposed as described above. However, although a motorized movement support device such as an electric wheelchair has the advantage of expanding the range of movement, it does not move using its own muscles, so from the viewpoint of maintaining and improving the function of the locomotorium, it is not always the case. Not recommended for. Moreover, it cannot be easily used from the viewpoint of cost. On the other hand, although there are inexpensive walking support tools such as wands, there is a problem that the effect of reducing the load on the body is low. The technology of Patent Document 1 is basically the same structure as a silver car (wheelbarrow), and there is no seating part (supporting part from below), and the load is deposited so that the user covers the upper part of the frame. Since it is a moving configuration, there are problems that the walking posture becomes unnatural, the degree of freedom of movement is low, and the burden on the upper limbs of the user is heavy. Since the technology of Patent Document 2 is premised on the function of a wheelchair, the structure is complicated, it is wasteful for a person who does not need such a function, and it lacks mobility and cannot be easily used. There was a problem.

The present invention has been made in view of the above situations, and the walking support such that even a user with a weakened or impaired locomotorium can walk in the same walking posture and movement as a healthy person. The purpose is to provide technology.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is a walking support machine for supporting the walking of the user, the saddle for the user to sit on, and the saddle frame for supporting the saddle at one end thereof. A main wheel rotatably supported by the other end of the saddle frame is provided, and a support point of the saddle supported by the saddle frame is on a virtual rotation plane on which the main wheel rotates. , Above the rotation axis of the main wheel and at a position deviated to one side with respect to the vertical line passing through the rotation axis of the main wheel, sandwiching the rotation plane, and on the main wheel. On the other hand, it is a walking support machine in which at least a pair of casters are further provided on the side where the support point of the saddle is displaced.

The walking support machine having the above configuration is extended from the grip frame having a grip portion for the user to grip, the upper frame to which the grip frame is attached and one side is open to form a U shape, and the saddle frame. A connecting frame that is connected to the upper frame to support the upper frame and a pair of caster frames that are provided with the casters at the lower end thereof are provided, and the upper end portion of the pair of caster frames is each open end portion of the upper frame. It may be connected to each of them.

The walking support machine having the above configuration has a pair of caster frames having a grip portion for gripping by the user at the upper end portion thereof and the casters provided at the lower end portion thereof, and a U-shaped structure with one side open. The open end may be provided with an upper frame to which the pair of caster frames are connected to each other, and a connecting frame extending from the saddle frame and connected to the upper frame to support the upper frame.

In the walking support machine having the above configuration, it is preferable that the pair of caster frames are separated and opened in order for the user to transfer.

The walking support machine having the above configuration can move by the user rowing on the walking surface with two legs while unloading the weight of the user while the user is seated on the saddle. It is preferable that it is.

According to the walking support machine according to the present invention, it is possible to support a natural bipedal walking motion by distributing the weight to the main wheel and the caster while unloading the weight of the user sitting on the saddle.

It is a side view of the forward transfer type walking support machine by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the walking support machine of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the bipedal walking motion by the walking support machine of FIG. It is a side view of the backward transfer type walking support machine by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the walking support machine of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the bipedal walking motion by the walking support machine of FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the walking support device according to the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a side view of a forward transfer type walking support machine 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Further, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the walking support device 10. The walking support machine 10 includes a saddle 20 for the user U to sit on, a saddle frame 30 that supports the lower part of the saddle 20, and a main wheel 40 that is rotatably supported by the other end of the saddle frame 30. It is provided with a support frame portion provided with a pair of casters 80 for preventing the main wheel 40 from tilting sideways or falling. The overall size of the walking support machine 10 including the support frame portion is, for example, about 100 cm in height × about 80 cm in width × about 80 cm in length.

The saddle frame 30 is a frame member in which a post 31 whose one end is joined to the saddle 20 and a fork 32 extending bifurcated from the lower part of the post 31 are integrally formed of a pipe material. A rotation shaft (hub) of the main wheel 40 is pivotally supported at the tip of the fork 32 of the saddle frame 30. As the material of the saddle frame 30, for example, a metal such as an aluminum alloy or steel or a resin such as carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) can be used.

The main wheel 40 is an element capable of smoothly moving on the walking surface by rotating in a state where the outer periphery is in contact with the walking surface. Further, the main wheel 40 is preferably a unicycle wheel (unicycle) in view of facilitating and smooth turning on the spot.

In the walking support machine 10, the support point 31a of the saddle 20 supported by the saddle frame 30 is above the rotation shaft 40a of the main wheel 40 on the rotation plane on which the main wheel 40 rotates. In addition, the support position is displaced rearward with respect to the vertical line passing through the rotation shaft 40a of the main wheel 40. Here, the "rotation plane" of the main wheel 40 means a virtual vertical plane orthogonal to the rotation axis 40a and passing through the center of the wheel width of the main wheel 40. Then, the saddle 20 is connected to the rotation shaft 40a of the main wheel 40 via the saddle frame 30 which has a predetermined angle (caster angle) and is tilted rearward so that the saddle 20 is in the support position. .. Since the saddle 20 is installed so as to be slightly tilted rearward with respect to the main wheel 40, it is easy for the user U to transfer forward from the rear of the walking support device 10.

Further, in the walking support machine 10, the pair of casters 80 are arranged on the rear side where the saddle 20 is displaced (tilted) with respect to the main wheel 40, and are arranged on the left and right sides of the rotation plane of the main wheel 40. There is. With such a configuration, it is possible to distribute the weight to the main wheel 40 and the two casters 80 while unloading the weight of the user U seated on the saddle 20, and to stabilize the ground contact of the walking support machine 10. can.

Further, since the main wheel 40 is a unicycle wheel, the foot of the user U who sits on and straddles the saddle 20 does not interfere with the main wheel 40. Further, since the main wheel 40 and the walking surface are in contact with each other at one point, it is possible to smoothly turn around the main wheel 40. Therefore, the main wheel 40 is not limited to the unicycle wheel as long as the configuration can secure the viewpoint of interference between the main wheel 40 and the foot of the user U and the desired turning performance.

The support frame portion including the caster 80 is formed as a frame body having a plurality of pipe materials as elements. As the material of the pipe material constituting the support frame portion, for example, a metal such as an aluminum alloy or steel or a carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) can be used.

The structure of the support frame portion will be described in more detail. In the case of the forward transfer type walking support machine 10, the rear part of the support frame portion is open so that the user U can transfer from the rear side of the walking support machine 10.

More specifically, the support frame portion includes a pair of grip frames 51, an upper frame 52, two connecting frames 53, and a pair of caster frames 54.

The grip frame 51 is made of a tube member bent at a right angle, and has a grip frame vertical portion 511 extending in the vertical direction and a grip frame horizontal portion 512 extending in the horizontal direction. At the upper end of the vertical portion 511 of the grip frame, a grip portion 51a for the user U boarding the walking support device 10 to grip by hand is provided.

The upper frame 52 is made of a tube member that has a substantially U-shape when viewed from above. That is, the upper frame 52 is formed by being bent into a substantially U shape so as to have the upper frame front portion 521 and the upper frame side portions 522 and 522. The upper frame side portions 522 and 522 are separated by a width that both arms of the user U can reach, and the rear side thereof is open.

The grip frame horizontal portion 512 of the grip frame 51 is joined to the front portion of the upper frame side portion 522 by welding or the like. As a result, the grip frame 51 is attached to the upper frame 52 so that the grip frame vertical portion 511 extends vertically upward from the bent portion of the upper frame 52 in which the upper frame front portion 521 and the upper frame side portion 522 are connected. ing. The grip frame 51 may be attached to the upper frame 52 in such a manner that the vertical portion 511 of the grip frame is slightly inclined upward and forward from the bent portion of the upper frame 52.

Each of the pair of connecting frames 53 is made of a pipe member bent at an obtuse angle of 90 degrees or more. The connecting frames 53 and 53 extend from the saddle frame 30 in parallel with each other, and the other end thereof is connected to the upper frame front portion 521 of the upper frame 52 to support the upper frame 52.

The caster frame 54 is composed of a pipe member extending substantially vertically, and a caster 80 is attached to a lower end portion thereof. The caster 80 is rotatable due to its small rolling resistance, and is steered so that each axle turns around a vertical axis and faces the traveling direction. The caster 80 preferably has a stopper function.

The pair of caster frames 54 are composed of two pipe members separated to the left and right by a width that allows the user U to transfer in the walking support machine 10. The upper end portion of the caster frame 54 is joined to the rear end portion of the upper frame side portion 522 of the upper frame 52 by welding or the like. The caster frame 54 and the upper frame side portion 522 are joined to each other at substantially orthogonal directions. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, it is preferable to provide the reinforcing frame 55 so as to extend between the caster frame 54 and the upper frame side portion 522. Further, a caster frame connecting portion 541 may be provided to connect the lower part of the caster frame 54. As shown in FIG. 2, it is preferable that the central portion of the caster frame connecting portion 541 is slightly curved toward the walking surface so as not to interfere with the transfer of the user U to the walking support device 10. ..

Although not shown, an appropriate armrest may be provided on the upper frame side portion 522.

When using the walking support machine 10 having such a configuration, the user U can transfer forward from the open portion behind the upper frame 52 and the caster frame 54. The user U who has entered the inside of the upper frame 52 can sit on the saddle 20 across the central main wheel 40.

As shown in FIG. 3, the user U seated on the saddle 20 can move in the front-rear direction by paddling the walking surface S (floor surface, ground) with his / her feet. That is, it is possible to perform a bipedal walking motion, which is "a motion of putting a weight on a leg put out in front, kicking the ground with a hind leg, and descending forward". Further, the user U can turn (turn) on the spot around the main wheel 40 by using his / her own foot. Therefore, even the user U who has a weakness or a disability in the locomotorium such as a leg can support the walking posture and the walking motion similar to those of a healthy person, and can effectively improve the function of the locomotorium. In addition, since the weight unloading function is performed at the same time by sitting down, the user U can be used for a long time with less fatigue, and further improvement in function can be expected.

Further, when the height of the saddle 20 is adjustable, it can be adjusted by the walking ability of the user U at that time, and the degree of weight unloading can be adjusted. As a result, for example, the load at the time of rehabilitation can be adjusted.

(Second embodiment)
FIG. 4 is a side view of the backward transfer type walking support machine 11 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Further, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the walking support device 11. The walking support machine 11 includes a saddle 20 for the user U to sit on, a saddle frame 30 that supports the lower part of the saddle 20, and a main wheel 40 that is rotatably supported by the other end of the saddle frame 30. It is provided with a support frame portion provided with a pair of casters 80 for preventing the main wheel 40 from tilting sideways or falling.

For example, in Europe and the United States, the habit of "sitting on a chair" has taken root, and for users with such a habit and culture, the backward transfer movement may be rather natural. Therefore, the walking support machine 11 according to the second embodiment adopts a structure in which the front of the support frame portion is open so that the user can transfer to the walking support machine 11 from the front to the rear.

The saddle 20 and the main wheel 40 and other structures of the walking support machine 11 according to the second embodiment are the same as those of the walking support machine 10 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, in FIGS. 4 to 6, the components common to or corresponding to those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the details of these structures are referred to in the description of the first embodiment.

In the walking support machine 11, the support point 31a of the saddle 20 supported by the saddle frame 30 is above the rotation shaft 40a of the main wheel 40 on the rotation plane on which the main wheel 40 rotates. In addition, the support position is offset forward with respect to the vertical line passing through the rotation shaft 40a of the main wheel 40. Then, the saddle 20 is connected to the rotation shaft 40a of the main wheel 40 via the saddle frame 30 which has a predetermined angle (caster angle) and is tilted forward so that the saddle 20 is in the support position. .. Since the saddle 20 is installed so as to be slightly tilted forward with respect to the main wheel 40, it is easy for the user U to transfer from the front of the walking support device 11 backward.

Further, in the walking support machine 11, the pair of casters 80 are arranged on the front side where the saddle 20 is displaced (tilted) with respect to the main wheel 40, and are arranged on the left and right sides of the rotation plane of the main wheel 40. There is. With such a configuration, it is possible to distribute the weight to the main wheel 40 and the two casters 80 while unloading the weight of the user U seated on the saddle 20, and to stabilize the ground contact of the walking support machine 11. can.

Further, since the main wheel 40 is a unicycle wheel, the foot of the user U who sits on and straddles the saddle 20 does not interfere with the main wheel 40. Further, since the main wheel 40 and the walking surface are in contact with each other at one point, it is possible to smoothly turn around the main wheel 40. Therefore, the main wheel 40 is not limited to the unicycle wheel as long as the configuration can secure the viewpoint of interference between the main wheel 40 and the foot of the user U and the desired turning performance.

The support frame portion including the caster 80 is formed as a frame body having a plurality of pipe materials as elements. As the material of the pipe material constituting the support frame portion, for example, a metal such as an aluminum alloy or steel or a carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) can be used.

Next, the structure of the support frame portion of the walking support machine 11 according to the second embodiment will be described in more detail. In the case of the backward transfer type walking support machine 11, the front of the support frame portion is open so that the user U can transfer from the front of the walking support machine 11.

More specifically, the support frame portion includes a pair of caster frames 61, an upper frame 62, and two connecting frames 63.

The pair of caster frames 61 are composed of two pipe members separated to the left and right by a width that allows the user U to transfer in the walking support machine 11. Specifically, the caster frame 61 has a caster frame inclined portion 611 and a caster frame lower vertical portion 612 that bends at the lower portion of the caster frame inclined portion 611 and extends downward. A caster 80 is attached to the lower end of the lower vertical portion 612 of the caster frame. The caster 80 is rotatable due to its small rolling friction resistance, and is steered so that each axle turns around a vertical axis and faces the traveling direction. The caster 80 preferably has a stopper function. At the upper end of the caster frame 61, a grip portion 61a is provided for the user U boarding the walking support device 11 to grip by hand.

The upper frame 62 connected to the caster frame 61 is made of a tube member having a substantially U-shape when viewed from above. That is, the upper frame 62 is formed by being bent into a substantially U shape so as to have the upper frame rear portion 621 and the upper frame side portions 622 and 622. The upper frame side portions 622 and 622 are separated by a width that both arms of the user U can reach, and the front side thereof is open.

The upper part of the caster frame 61 (specifically, the lower part in the vicinity of the grip portion 61a) is joined to the front end portion of the upper frame side portion 622 by welding or the like. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, it is preferable to provide the reinforcing frame 64 by extending it between the caster frame 61 and the upper frame side portion 622. Although not shown, a caster frame connecting portion for connecting the pair of caster frames 61 and the lower portions of the 61 may be provided. It is preferable that the central portion of the caster frame connecting portion is slightly curved toward the walking surface so as not to hinder the user U when transferring to the walking support device 11.

Each of the pair of connecting frames 63 is made of a tube member that has been bent at an obtuse angle of 90 degrees or more. The connecting frames 63, 63 extend from the saddle frame 30 in parallel with each other, and the other end thereof is connected to the upper frame rear portion 621 of the upper frame 62 to support the upper frame 62.

Further, although not shown, an appropriate armrest may be provided on the upper frame side portion 622.

When using the walking support machine 11 having such a configuration, the user U can transfer the walking support machine 11 backward from the open portion in front of the upper frame 62 and the caster frame 61. As shown in FIG. 6, the user U seated on the saddle 20 can move in the front-rear direction by paddling the walking surface S (floor surface, ground) with his / her feet. Further, the user U can turn (turn) on the spot around the main wheel 40 by using his / her own foot. Therefore, even the user U who has a weakness or a disability in the locomotorium such as a leg can support the walking posture and the walking motion similar to those of a healthy person, and can effectively improve the function of the locomotorium.

As described above, the walking support devices 10 and 11 described as embodiments have merits such as high mobility and easy use by the user, although they have a simpler configuration than the conventional ones.

10, 11 Walking support machine 20 Saddle 30 Saddle frame 31 Post 31a Support point 32 Fork 40 Main wheel 40a Rotating shaft 51 Grip frame 51a Grip part 52 Upper frame 53 Connecting frame 54 Caster frame 55 Reinforcing frame 61 Caster frame 61a Grip part 62 Upper frame 63 Connecting frame 64 Reinforcing frame 80 Caster S Walking surface U User

Claims (2)

It is a walking support machine to support the walking of the user.
With a saddle for the user to sit on,
A saddle frame that supports the saddle at one end thereof,
It comprises one main wheel that is rotatably supported by the other end of the saddle frame.
The support point of the saddle supported by the saddle frame is above the rotation axis of the main wheel on a virtual rotation plane on which the main wheel rotates, and the rotation of the main wheel. It is located in a position that is displaced forward with respect to the vertical line passing through the axis.
A pair of casters located in front of the ground contact point of the main wheel across the rotation plane.
A pair of left and right caster frames that extend in the vertical direction and are separated from each other. A grip portion that is vertically erected is provided at each upper end portion of the caster frame, and the caster is provided at each lower end portion of the caster frame. A pair of left and right caster frames and
An upper frame having a U-shape in a plan view with the front side open, and an upper frame to which the upper portions of the pair of caster frames separated from each other are joined to each front end of the upper frame.
A walking support machine provided with a connecting frame extending from the saddle frame and joined to the rear portion of the upper frame to support the upper frame. According to claim 1, the user can move by paddling on the walking surface with two legs while unloading the weight of the user while sitting on the saddle. The described walking support machine.

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