JP7648486B2 - Walking car - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a walking vehicle.

Walkers that assist elderly people and others when they walk have been known for some time. Walkers have wheels at their lower end and a handle at their upper end. Users can walk safely by holding the handle and pushing the walker forward.

Some walking vehicles are equipped with a braking function that applies a braking force to the wheels. Such walking vehicles are provided with a brake lever below the handlebars, and brake pads are provided near the wheels (see, for example, Patent Document 1). When the user operates the brake lever on such walking vehicles, the brake pads are activated and come into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the wheels. This applies a braking force to the wheels, and the brakes are applied. Furthermore, the portion of the brake pad that comes into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the wheels is usually shaped to fit the outer circumferential surface of the wheels, making it possible to apply an appropriate braking force to the wheels.

JP 2014-177219 A

However, in the case of a walking frame, the wheels may be replaced with wheels having a different outer diameter. In such cases, the existing brake pads are not able to apply a sufficient braking force to the wheels, so when the wheels are replaced, the brake pads must also be replaced with new ones that match the outer diameter of the replaced wheels.

However, if brake pads are replaced with new ones when changing wheels, multiple types of brake pads will need to be prepared, which can make brake pad management difficult and increase costs.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its main objective is to provide a walking frame that allows the use of the same brake pads as before the wheels were replaced, even when the wheels are replaced with ones having a different outer diameter.

In order to solve the above problem, the first invention of the walking vehicle is a walking vehicle that includes a main body frame, wheels attached to the lower end of the main body frame via a rotating shaft, and brake pads that have abutment parts that abut against the outer circumferential surface of the wheels based on a brake operation and brake the wheels by the abutment of the abutment parts. The main body frame can be fitted with a first wheel and a second wheel having different outer diameters as the wheels, and the brake pads have a first abutment part that abuts against the outer circumferential surface of the first wheel when the first wheel is attached to the main body frame and a second abutment part that abuts against the outer circumferential surface of the second wheel when the second wheel is attached to the main body frame as the abutment parts. The first abutment part is formed to correspond to the outer circumferential shape of the first wheel, so that it can abut along the outer circumferential surface of the first wheel, and the second abutment part is formed to correspond to the outer circumferential shape of the second wheel, so that it can abut along the outer circumferential surface of the second wheel.

According to the first invention, when a first wheel is attached to the main body frame, the first abutment portion of the brake pad can be brought into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the first wheel to apply the brakes to the first wheel. Also, when a second wheel having an outer diameter different from that of the first wheel is attached to the main body frame, the second abutment portion of the brake pad can be brought into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the second wheel to apply the brakes to the second wheel. This makes it possible to use the same brake pads as before the replacement, even when the wheel is replaced with one having a different outer diameter.

The second invention is a walking vehicle according to the first invention, wherein the first contact portion is composed of a plurality of first protrusions arranged in the circumferential direction of the first wheel when the first wheel is attached to the main frame, and the plurality of first protrusions are adapted to contact the outer circumferential surface of the first wheel based on the braking operation, and the second contact portion is composed of a plurality of second protrusions arranged in the circumferential direction of the second wheel when the second wheel is attached to the main frame, and the plurality of second protrusions are adapted to contact the outer circumferential surface of the second wheel based on the braking operation.

According to the second invention, the first contact portion of the brake pad is composed of a plurality of first protrusions, and the second contact portion is composed of a plurality of second protrusions. In this case, the braking force applied to the first wheel can be adjusted by adjusting the number of the first protrusions, etc. Similarly, the braking force applied to the second wheel can be adjusted by adjusting the number of the second protrusions, etc. Therefore, such a configuration can be said to be suitable for applying appropriate braking forces to the first wheel and the second wheel according to each wheel.

The third invention is a walking vehicle according to the second invention, which has boundary protrusions located at the boundary between the first contact portion and the second contact portion and corresponding to the first protrusion and the second protrusion, respectively.

According to the third invention, the boundary protrusion located at the boundary between the first and second contact parts constitutes part of the first contact part and also constitutes part of the second contact part. In this case, the boundary protrusion is shared between the contact parts, so the number of protrusions can be reduced accordingly, and the brake pad can be made more compact.

The fourth invention is a walking vehicle according to any one of the first to third inventions, which has a pad holding part that is slidably provided along the main body frame and holds the brake pad, and when the first wheel is attached to the main body frame, the pad holding part slides along the main body frame from a predetermined first standby position based on the brake operation, so that the first contact part of the brake pad abuts along the outer circumferential surface of the first wheel, and when the second wheel is attached to the main body frame, the pad holding part slides along the main body frame from a second standby position different from the first standby position based on the brake operation, so that the second contact part of the brake pad abuts along the outer circumferential surface of the second wheel, and the pad holding part is slidable along the main body frame between the first standby position and the second standby position, and is positionable at each of the first standby position and the second standby position.

According to the fourth invention, when replacing the wheels from the first wheel to the second wheel, the pad holding portion is slid from the first standby position to the second standby position along the main frame, and the pad holding portion is positioned at the second standby position, so that the position of the brake pads can be set from a position corresponding to the first wheel to a position corresponding to the second wheel. This makes it easy to change the position of the brake pads when replacing the wheels.

FIG. 1A is a side view of the brake operating portion and the periphery of the rear wheel as viewed from the outside in the left-right direction, and FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the brake operating portion as viewed obliquely from above, FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the brake operating portion as viewed obliquely from below, and FIG. 1C is a perspective view of the positioning portion as viewed obliquely from above. FIG. 4 is a side view of the lower frame seen from the outside in the left-right direction. 1A is a side view of the brake operating portion and the periphery of the second rear wheel when the second rear wheel is attached, as viewed from the outside in the left-right direction, and FIG. 1A is a side view showing the state in which the pad portion of the brake pad abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the first rear wheel, and FIG. 1B is a side view showing the state in which the pad portion abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the second rear wheel.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a walking frame 10 as seen from diagonally forward. In the following description, the direction in which the walking frame 10 moves is defined as the front-rear direction, and the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction is defined as the left-right direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the walker 10 comprises a pair of left and right frame parts 11 extending in the vertical direction, and front wheels 12 and rear wheels 13 provided on the lower end side of each frame part 11. Each frame part 11 is made of a light metal such as aluminum, and is connected to each other via a connecting member 14. The frame parts 11 constitute a main body frame.

Each frame section 11 has a lower frame 15 provided at its lower part and extending in the front-to-rear direction, and a vertical frame 16 extending upward from the middle of the lower frame 15. A bent section 17 is formed in the middle of the lower frame 15. Due to this bent section 17, the front section 15a of the lower frame 15 extends horizontally in the front-to-rear direction, while the rear section 15b is inclined downward toward the rear. The front wheel 12 is attached to the front end of the front section 15a, and the rear wheel 13 is attached to the rear end of the rear section 15b.

A handle 21 and an armrest 22 are provided at the upper end of the vertical frame 16 of each frame section 11. The handle 21 is the part that the user grasps when driving the walker 10, and is provided protruding forward from the vertical frame 16. The armrest 22 is the part that the user places his/her elbow on when driving the walker 10, and is provided protruding backward from the vertical frame 16.

A front lever 32 and a rear lever 33 are attached to the upper end of each vertical frame 16 via an attachment part 31. The front lever 32 and the rear lever 33 are levers for applying the brakes to the walker 10. The front lever 32 is provided below the handle 21, and the rear lever 33 is provided below the armrest 22.

A brake wire (not shown) is connected to the front lever 32 and the rear lever 33, and the brake wire is inserted into a brake tube 34. The brake tube 34 is connected to a brake actuator 29 provided on the rear end side of the lower frame 15. The brake actuator 29 is actuated by operating the front lever 32 or the rear lever 33, and applies a braking force (braking force) to the rear wheel 13.

Between each vertical frame 16, a seat 25 is provided on which a person can sit. A storage basket 26 capable of storing items is provided on the underside of the seat 25. In addition, a tray 27 on which items can be placed is provided below the handle 21.

Next, the configuration around the brake actuation unit 29 will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 4. In Figure 2, (a) is a side view of the brake actuation unit 29 and the periphery of the rear wheel 13 as viewed from the outside in the left-right direction, and (b) is a side view as viewed from the inside in the left-right direction. In Figure 3, (a) is a perspective view of the brake actuation unit 29 as viewed diagonally from above, (b) is a perspective view of the brake actuation unit 29 as viewed diagonally from below, and (c) is a perspective view of the positioning unit 41 as viewed diagonally from above. Figure 4 is a side view of the lower frame 15 as viewed from the outside in the left-right direction.

As shown in Figures 2(a) and (b), the rear wheel 13 is attached to the lower frame 15 via a rotating shaft 19 extending in the left-right direction. This allows the rear wheel 13 to rotate around the rotating shaft 19. The rotating shaft 19 is also inserted into an insertion hole 37 formed in the lower frame 15 (see Figure 4).

The lower frame 15 is provided with the above-mentioned brake actuation portion 29 and a positioning portion 41 for positioning the brake actuation portion 29. As shown in Figures 3(a) and (b), the brake actuation portion 29 has a rubber brake pad 42 and a pad holding portion 43 that holds the brake pad 42. The brake pad 42 has a plate-shaped pad portion 44 and a pair of boss portions 45 (see Figure 6) that protrude from the pad portion 44.

The pad holding portion 43 has a slide portion 46 that can slide along the lower frame 15, and an attachment portion 47 to which the brake pad 42 is attached. The slide portion 46 has an insertion hole 48 through which the lower frame 15 is inserted. The lower frame 15 is inserted into the insertion hole 48, and in this inserted state, the slide portion 46 and therefore the pad holding portion 43 can slide along the lower frame 15. In more detail, a cover member 49 is attached to the lower end side of the lower frame 15 so as to surround the lower frame 15, and the cover member 49 is inserted into the insertion hole 48 together with the lower frame 15.

The mounting portion 47 is provided by extending laterally from the slide portion 46. The brake pad 42 is attached to the mounting portion 47 with the pad portion 44 positioned on the underside of the mounting portion 47. More specifically, the mounting portion 47 is provided with an insertion hole 51 for a screw 52, and the screw 52 is fastened to the boss portion 45 (see FIG. 6) of the brake pad 42 through the insertion hole 51, thereby attaching the brake pad 42 to the mounting portion 47.

As shown in FIG. 3(c), the positioning portion 41 has an insertion hole 53 through which the lower frame 15 is inserted. The lower frame 15 is inserted into the insertion hole 53, and more specifically, the cover member 49 is inserted together with the lower frame 15. In this inserted state, the positioning portion 41 is fixed to the lower frame 15 using a bolt 55 and a nut 56. More specifically, the positioning portion 41 and the lower frame 15 have insertion holes 57, 58 for the bolt 55, respectively (see FIG. 4), and the bolt 55 is inserted into each of the insertion holes 57, 58. The nut 56 is then fastened to the inserted bolt 55. The cover member 49 also has an insertion hole 62 for the bolt 55 (see FIG. 5(b)).

In the following description, the fixed position where the positioning portion 41 is fixed on the lower frame 15 is referred to as the first fixed position X1. In addition, when the bolt 55 and nut 56 are removed, the positioning portion 41 is slidable along the lower frame 15.

As shown in Figures 2(a) and (b), the brake operating unit 29 and the positioning unit 41 are arranged on the lower frame 15 such that the brake operating unit 29 is on the upper side and the positioning unit 41 is on the lower side. The pad holding unit 43 of the brake operating unit 29 is provided with a pair of extensions 43a, 43b extending on both sides of the lower frame 15. Similarly, the positioning unit 41 is provided with a pair of extensions 41a, 41b extending on both sides of the lower frame 15.

The extensions 43a, 43b of the pad holding portion 43 and the extensions 41a, 41b of the positioning portion 41 face each other on both sides of the lower frame 15. Coil springs 61 are disposed between the opposing extensions 41a, 43a and between the opposing extensions 41b, 43b. As a result, the pad holding portion 43 and the brake operating portion 29 are biased toward the side away from the positioning portion 41 by the elastic force (biasing force) of each coil spring 61. More specifically, they are biased toward the side away from the positioning portion 41 in the longitudinal direction of the lower frame 15. The brake operating portion 29 is held at the first standby position Y1, which is a predetermined distance away from the positioning portion 41, by the biasing force of the coil spring 61. In this case, the brake operating portion 29 is positioned at the first standby position Y1 via the coil spring 61 by the positioning portion 41 fixed to the first fixed position X1. When the brake operating unit 29 is located in the first standby position Y1, the pad portion 44 of the brake pad 42 faces the outer peripheral surface of the rear wheel 13 from above. In this case, the pad portion 44 is located at a position spaced a predetermined distance from the outer peripheral surface of the rear wheel 13.

The lower end of the brake tube 34 is connected to the extension 43a of the pad holding portion 43 via a connector 63. When the front lever 32 or the rear lever 33 is operated (brake operation), the pad holding portion 43 and therefore the brake operating portion 29 slides from the first standby position Y1 toward the positioning portion 41 along the lower frame 15 against the biasing force of the coil spring 61. This sliding causes the pad portion 44 of the brake pad 42 to abut against the outer peripheral surface of the rear wheel 13. This applies the brakes to the rear wheel 13.

Here, in this walker 10, it is possible to attach another rear wheel 23 (hereinafter referred to as the second rear wheel 23) having a larger outer diameter than the rear wheel 13 (hereinafter referred to as the first rear wheel 13) to the lower frame 15 instead of the rear wheel 13. Hereinafter, the attachment configuration when the second rear wheel 23 is attached to the lower frame 15 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, (a) is a side view of the brake operating unit 29 and the periphery of the second rear wheel 23 when the second rear wheel 23 is attached, as viewed from the outside in the left-right direction, and (b) is a side view of the periphery when the second rear wheel 23 is attached, as viewed from the inside in the left-right direction. Note that the first rear wheel 13 corresponds to the first wheel, and the second rear wheel 23 corresponds to the second wheel.

As shown in Figs. 5(a) and (b), the second rear wheel 23 is attached to the lower frame 15 via a rotating shaft 24 extending in the left-right direction. This allows the second rear wheel 23 to rotate around the rotating shaft 24. The rotating shaft 24 is inserted through an insertion hole 38 (see Fig. 4) formed in the lower frame 15. That is, the rotating shaft 24 is inserted through an insertion hole 38 different from the insertion hole 37 of the rotating shaft 19 of the first rear wheel 13. The insertion hole 38 is located above (directly above) the insertion hole 37 of the rotating shaft 19 of the first rear wheel 13. In this case, the pitch (distance between the centers) of the insertion holes 37, 38 corresponds to the difference in the outer circumferential radius of each rear wheel 13, 23. Therefore, when the first rear wheel 13 is attached to the lower frame 15 and when the second rear wheel 23 is attached, the lower end positions of the rear wheels 13, 23 are both at the same height.

In this embodiment, the same brake actuation unit 29 can be used when mounting either the first rear wheel 13 or the second rear wheel 23, which have different outer diameters, on the lower frame 15. Therefore, when replacing the first rear wheel 13 with the second rear wheel 23, it is possible to use the same brake actuation unit 29 as before the replacement. Therefore, the configuration in this regard will be described below.

When the second rear wheel 23 is attached to the lower frame 15, the positioning portion 41 is fixed to the lower frame 15 at a second fixed position X2, which is higher than the first fixed position X1 (see FIGS. 2(a) and (b)) when the first rear wheel 13 is attached. The positioning portion 41 is fixed at the second fixed position X2 using a bolt 55 and a nut 56 with the lower frame 15 inserted through the insertion hole 53. In detail, the lower frame 15 is provided with an insertion hole 59 (see FIG. 4) for the bolt 55 corresponding to the second fixed position X2, and the bolt 55 is inserted through the insertion hole 59 and the insertion hole 57 of the positioning portion 41. The nut 56 is then fastened to the bolt 55, thereby fixing the positioning portion 41 to the second fixed position X2.

When switching the fixed position of the positioning part 41 from the first fixed position X1 to the second fixed position X2, the positioning part 41 is slid along the lower frame 15 from the first fixed position X1 to the second fixed position X2, and is fixed to the lower frame 15 at the second fixed position X2 using the bolt 55 and nut 56.

When the second rear wheel 23 is attached to the lower frame 15, the brake operating unit 29 is held (positioned) in the lower frame 15 at a second standby position Y2, which is higher than the first standby position Y1 (see FIGS. 2(a) and (b)) when the first rear wheel 13 is attached. Even in the second standby position Y2, the brake operating unit 29 is held in a state in which the lower frame 15 is inserted through the insertion hole 48 of the pad holding unit 43. The brake operating unit 29 is also positioned in the second standby position Y2 via the coil spring 61 by the positioning unit 41 fixed to the second fixed position X2. The configuration for this positioning is the same as the configuration when the brake operating unit 29 is positioned in the first standby position Y1.

When switching the position of the brake operating unit 29 from the first standby position Y1 to the second standby position Y2, the brake operating unit 29 is slid from the first standby position Y1 to the second standby position Y2 along the lower frame 15. Specifically, at this time, the positioning unit 41 is slid from the first fixed position X1 to the second fixed position X2 along the lower frame 15 together with the brake operating unit 29, and the positioning unit 41 is fixed to the second fixed position X2, thereby positioning the brake operating unit 29 at the second standby position Y2.

When the brake operating unit 29 is located at the second standby position Y2, the pad portion 44 of the brake pad 42 faces the outer peripheral surface of the second rear wheel 23 from above. In this case, the pad portion 44 is located at a position spaced a predetermined distance from the outer peripheral surface of the second rear wheel 23. When the front lever 32 or the rear lever 33 is operated (brake operation), the brake operating unit 29 slides from the second standby position Y2 toward the positioning unit 41 along the lower frame 15 against the biasing force of the coil spring 61. Then, due to this sliding, the pad portion 44 of the brake pad 42 abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the second rear wheel 23. This applies the brakes to the second rear wheel 23.

In this embodiment, as described above, the same brake operating unit 29 is used regardless of which of the rear wheels 13 and 23 is attached to the lower frame 15. In this embodiment, the shape of the pad portion 44 of the brake pad 42 is characteristic so that an appropriate braking force can be applied to the rear wheels 13 and 23 regardless of which of the rear wheels 13 and 23 is attached. Therefore, the brake pad 42 having such a characteristic configuration will be described below based on FIG. 6 in addition to FIG. 3. In FIG. 6, (a) is a side view showing a state in which the pad portion 44 of the brake pad 42 abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the first rear wheel 13, and (b) is a side view showing a state in which the pad portion 44 abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the second rear wheel 23. In addition, for convenience, in FIG. 6(a) and (b), only the brake pad 42 of the brake operating unit 29 is shown, and the pad holding portion 43 is omitted. In addition, the first rear wheel 13 and the second rear wheel 23 are shown only by the outer peripheral surfaces with dashed lines.

As shown in Figures 3, 6(a) and (b), the pad portion 44 of the brake pad 42 is provided with a number of protrusions 65 that protrude toward the outer peripheral surface of the rear wheels 13, 23. These protrusions 65 extend linearly in the width direction (in other words, the left-right direction) of the rear wheels 13, 23, and are aligned in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of each protrusion 65. Each protrusion 65 has a mountain-shaped cross section (a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the protrusion 65), and the cross-sectional shape is the same over the entire longitudinal area of the protrusion 65.

As shown in FIG. 6(a), the multiple protrusions 65 (65a-65g) include multiple protrusions 65a-65e that come into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the first rear wheel 13 when the first rear wheel 13 is attached to the lower frame 15. These protrusions 65a-65e are arranged so as to line up in the outer circumferential direction of the first rear wheel 13 when the first rear wheel 13 is attached. More specifically, the protrusions 65a-65e are arranged at equal intervals in the outer circumferential direction of the first rear wheel 13.

When the pad portion 44 of the brake pad 42 abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the first rear wheel 13 based on the operation of the front lever 32 or the rear lever 33, each of the protrusions 65a to 65e of the pad portion 44 abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the first rear wheel 13. In this case, each of the protrusions 65a to 65e abuts along the outer peripheral surface of the first rear wheel 13. Each of the protrusions 65a to 65e corresponds to a first protrusion. Also, each of the protrusions 65a to 65e constitutes a first abutment portion 67 that abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the first rear wheel 13. In this case, it can be said that the first abutment portion 67 is formed to correspond to the outer peripheral shape of the first rear wheel 13.

As shown in FIG. 6(b), the multiple protrusions 65 (65a-65g) include multiple protrusions 65e-65g that come into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the second rear wheel 23 when the second rear wheel 23 is attached to the lower frame 15. These protrusions 65e-65g are arranged so as to line up in the outer circumferential direction of the second rear wheel 23 when the second rear wheel 23 is attached. More specifically, the protrusions 65e-65g are arranged at equal intervals in the outer circumferential direction of the second rear wheel 23.

When the pad portion 44 of the brake pad 42 abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the second rear wheel 23 based on the operation of the front lever 32 or the rear lever 33, each of the protrusions 65e to 65g of the pad portion 44 abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the second rear wheel 23. In this case, each of the protrusions 65e to 65g abuts along the outer peripheral surface of the second rear wheel 23. Each of the protrusions 65e to 65g corresponds to a second protrusion. Also, each of the protrusions 65e to 65g constitutes a second abutment portion 68 that abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the second rear wheel 23. In this case, it can be said that the second abutment portion 68 is formed to correspond to the outer peripheral shape of the second rear wheel 23.

The number of protrusions 65 (65e-65g) constituting the second contact portion 68 is different from the number of protrusions 65 (65a-65e) constituting the first contact portion 67. In this embodiment, the number of protrusions 65 constituting the second contact portion 68 is less than the number of protrusions 65 constituting the first contact portion 67. In addition, in the second contact portion 68, the distance between adjacent protrusions 65 is different from the distance between adjacent protrusions 65 in the first contact portion 67. In this embodiment, the distance between the protrusions 65 in the second contact portion 68 is greater than the distance between the protrusions 65 in the first contact portion 67.

The number of protrusions 65 on each abutment portion 67, 68 and the spacing between the protrusions 65 do not necessarily need to be set as described above, but may be set appropriately depending on the outer diameter and material of each rear wheel 13, 23, etc.

Of the protrusions 65, the protrusion 65e located at the boundary between the first contact portion 67 and the second contact portion 68 constitutes part of the first contact portion 67 and also constitutes part of the second contact portion 68. Therefore, the protrusion 65e is adapted to abut against the outer circumferential surface of the rear wheels 13, 23 regardless of which of the rear wheels 13, 23 is attached. The protrusion 65e corresponds to the boundary protrusion.

The configuration of this embodiment described above provides the following excellent effects:

When the first rear wheel 13 is attached to the lower frame 15, the first abutment portion 67 of the brake pad 42 can be brought into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the first rear wheel 13 to apply the brakes to the first rear wheel 13. When the second rear wheel 23, which has a different outer diameter from the first rear wheel 13, is attached to the lower frame 15, the second abutment portion 68 of the brake pad 42 can be brought into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the second rear wheel 23 to apply the brakes to the second rear wheel 23. This allows the same brake pad 42 to be used even when a rear wheel with a different outer diameter is replaced.

The first contact portion 67 of the brake pad 42 is composed of multiple protrusions 65a-65e, and the second contact portion 68 is composed of multiple protrusions 65e-65g. In this case, the braking force applied to the first rear wheel 13 can be adjusted by adjusting the number of protrusions 65a-65g. Similarly, the braking force applied to the second rear wheel 23 can be adjusted by adjusting the number of protrusions 65e-65g. Therefore, this configuration can be said to be suitable for applying appropriate braking forces to the first rear wheel 13 and the second rear wheel 23, respectively.

The protrusion 65e located at the boundary between the first contact portion 67 and the second contact portion 68 constitutes part of the first contact portion 67 and also constitutes part of the second contact portion 68. In this case, since the protrusion 65e is shared between the contact portions 67 and 68, the number of protrusions 65 can be reduced accordingly, and the brake pad 42 can be made more compact.

The pad holding portion 43 (and thus the brake operating portion 29) is slidable along the lower frame 15 between the first standby position Y1 and the second standby position Y2, and can be positioned by the positioning portion 41 at each standby position Y1, Y2. With this configuration, when replacing the rear wheel from the first rear wheel 13 to the second rear wheel 23, the pad holding portion 43 (and thus the brake operating portion 29) is slid along the lower frame 15 from the first standby position Y1 to the second standby position Y2, and is positioned at the second standby position Y2 by the positioning portion 41, so that the position of the brake pad 42 can be set from the position corresponding to the first rear wheel 13 to the position corresponding to the second rear wheel 23. This makes it possible to easily change the position of the brake pad 42 when replacing the rear wheels 13, 23.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be implemented, for example, as follows:

- In the above embodiment, among the multiple protrusions 65, some protrusions 65e (corresponding to boundary protrusions) located at the boundary between each abutment portion 67, 68 are shared between each abutment portion 67, 68, but such sharing is not necessarily required. In other words, the multiple protrusions 65 constituting the first abutment portion may abut only against the first rear wheel 13, and the multiple protrusions 65 constituting the second abutment portion may abut only against the second rear wheel 23, without sharing.

- In the above embodiment, each abutment portion 67, 68 of the brake pad 42 is configured with a plurality of protrusions, but each abutment portion does not necessarily have to be configured with a protrusion. For example, the first abutment portion may be formed as an arc surface portion along the outer peripheral surface of the first rear wheel 13. In this case, the first abutment portion (arc surface portion) is formed with an arc radius that is the same as the outer diameter radius of the first rear wheel 13. With this configuration, it is possible to bring the first abutment portion into surface contact with the outer peripheral surface of the first rear wheel 13 along the outer peripheral surface based on the brake operation.

Similarly, the second contact portion may be formed as an arcuate surface along the outer circumferential surface of the second rear wheel 23, and the second contact portion may be brought into surface contact with the outer circumferential surface of the second rear wheel 23.

- In the above embodiment, the walking frame 10 has two brake operating parts, a front lever 32 and a rear lever 33, for operating the brakes, but the present invention may also be applied to a walking frame that has only one brake operating part.

- In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the brake pads 42 that apply the brakes to the rear wheels 13, 23, but the present invention may also be applied to brake pads that apply the brakes to the front wheels.

10...walker, 13...first rear wheel as first wheel, 23...second rear wheel as second wheel, 42...brake pad, 43...pad holder, 65...projection, 67...first contact portion, 68...second contact portion.

Claims (5)

A body frame,
A wheel is attached to a lower end of the main body frame via a rotating shaft;
a brake pad having a contact portion that contacts an outer peripheral surface of the wheel in response to a brake operation, the contact causing the wheel to be braked;
A walking vehicle comprising:
A first wheel and a second wheel having different outer diameters can be attached to the main body frame as the wheels,
the brake pad has, as the abutment portion, a first abutment portion that abuts against an outer circumferential surface of the first wheel when the first wheel is attached to the main body frame, and a second abutment portion that abuts against an outer circumferential surface of the second wheel when the second wheel is attached to the main body frame,
The first contact portion is disposed on one end side of the brake pad in a circumferential direction of the wheel,
The second contact portion is disposed on the other end side of the brake pad in a circumferential direction of the wheel,
When the first wheel is attached to the main body frame, the first contact portion contacts an outer circumferential surface of the first wheel based on the brake operation ,
The second abutment portion abuts against an outer peripheral surface of the second wheel based on the brake operation when the second wheel is attached to the main body frame . the first contact portion is configured with a plurality of first protrusions arranged in a circumferential direction of the first wheel when the first wheel is attached to the main body frame, and the plurality of first protrusions are adapted to contact an outer circumferential surface of the first wheel based on the brake operation,
2. The walking vehicle described in claim 1, wherein the second abutment portion is composed of a plurality of second protrusions arranged in an outer circumferential direction of the second wheel when the second wheel is attached to the main frame, and the plurality of second protrusions are each configured to abut against the outer circumferential surface of the second wheel based on the braking operation. The walking vehicle according to claim 2, which has boundary protrusions located at the boundary between the first contact portion and the second contact portion and corresponding to the first protrusion and the second protrusion, respectively. 4. A walking vehicle as described in claim 2 or 3, wherein the number of the plurality of first protrusions constituting the first abutment portion is different from the number of the plurality of second protrusions constituting the second abutment portion, or the distance between adjacent first protrusions in the first abutment portion is different from the distance between adjacent second protrusions in the second abutment portion. a pad holding portion that is slidably provided along the main body frame and holds the brake pad;
the pad holding portion is slidable along the main body frame between a predetermined first standby position and a second standby position different from the first standby position,
When the first wheel is attached to the main body frame, the pad holding portion can be positioned at the first standby position, and the pad holding portion slides along the main body frame from the first standby position based on the brake operation, so that the first abutment portion of the brake pad abuts against an outer circumferential surface of the first wheel,
5. A walking vehicle as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the second wheel is attached to the main body frame, the pad holding portion can be positioned at the second standby position , and the pad holding portion slides along the main body frame from the second standby position based on the braking operation, so that the second abutment portion of the brake pad abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the second wheel.

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