JPH0866439A - Walking assistance vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To provide a walking assist vehicle capable of performing leg strength training and capable of stable walking. [Structure] The handle shaft 7 is rotatably inserted into the front frame 1, and the front wheel 1 is attached to the lower end of the handle shaft 7.
0 on the upper end of the handle shaft 7
Is provided so that the direction of the front wheel 10 can be changed by operating the handle 11. . A rear wheel 14 is provided at the lower end of the rear frame 2. A saddle support shaft 15 that supports the saddle 20 is inserted through the upper end of the rear frame 2. The pedestrian places both armpits on the saddle 20. And handle 11 with both hands
Walk while operating. As described above, since the pedestrian walks by the cooperation of his / her legs and the wheels 10, 14a, 14b, the pedestrian can sufficiently perform leg strength training and can walk with stability. it can.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a walking assistance vehicle that assists a person with weak physical strength and weak legs to walk.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a person with weak physical strength and weak legs has been moving in a wheelchair or walking using a crutch or the like.

[0003]

However, since leg power is not used at all when moving in a wheelchair, leg power training (rehabilitation) cannot be performed, and a crutch does not provide stability during walking.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a walking assist vehicle capable of training leg strength and capable of stable walking. .

[0005]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, in the invention of claim 1, one wheel which is rotatable with respect to the frame is provided at the center of the front part of the frame, and the rear part of the frame is provided. 1 left and right wheels that cannot turn with respect to the frame
The gist of the invention is that wheels are provided one by one, a support for supporting the body is provided on the frame upper portion, and the wheel that can be turned is turned in conjunction with a handle operation provided on the frame upper portion.

[0006] The gist of the invention of claim 2 is to have a braking means for forcibly holding the wheel in a non-rotatable manner. In the invention of claim 3, the gist is that the support is provided in a pair on the left and right of the upper portion of the frame.

In the invention of claim 4, the gist is that the support is connected to the frame through an elastic member. In the invention of claim 5, the gist of the braking means is to hold the left and right wheels provided at the rear portion of the frame so that they cannot rotate.

The gist of the sixth aspect of the present invention is to provide rotation direction regulating means for limiting the rotation direction of the wheel to only one direction.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the invention, walking is performed with the body supported by the support. When the traveling direction is changed, the steering wheel is operated to change the direction of the wheels provided on the front portion of the frame, so that the traveling direction of the walking assistance vehicle is changed.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the walking is stopped when the walking assist vehicle is stopped. Further, when the walking assistance vehicle is stopped quickly, the braking means forcibly disables the rotation of the wheels. As a result, the walking assist vehicle can be stopped quickly. Further, when walking downhill or the like, it is possible to walk without braking the body by walking while braking the rotation of the wheels by the braking means.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the body is supported by placing the armpit on the support. Thereby, it becomes possible to surely operate the handle with both hands. According to the invention of claim 4, since the support is connected to the frame via the elastic member, even if the supporter walks on the uneven road, the impact at that time is absorbed by the elastic member.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, for example, when changing the traveling direction to the left side, only the left wheel is made unrotatable and the right wheel is made rotatable. In this state, operate the steering wheel to turn the front wheel to the left. At this time, since the left rear wheel is held non-rotatable, the walking assist vehicle turns around the left rear wheel. In this case, it becomes possible to make the turning radius of the walking assistance vehicle smaller than in the case of turning with the left and right rear wheels free. That is, the small turning degree of the walking assistance vehicle is improved.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the rotation direction restricting means restricts the rotation direction of the wheel to only one direction. For example, if the rotation direction of the wheels is only the forward direction,
Even if the walking assistance vehicle is stopped on an uphill, the walking assistance vehicle can be stopped at that position without holding the walking assistance vehicle so as not to run backward.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the front frame 1 and the pair of left and right rear frames 2 are connected to each other at upper and lower portions by a U-shaped planar overframe 3 and underframe 4. A twist bar straddle bar 5 is connected to the over frame 3 and the under frame 4. A basket 6 for accommodating small items is attached to the front portion of the front frame 1. A handle shaft 7 is rotatably and vertically movably inserted into and supported by the front frame 1. A front fork 8 is supported on the lower end of the handle shaft 7. Wheels (hereinafter referred to as front wheels) 10 are attached to the front forks 8 via shafts 9.
Is rotatably supported. A handle 11 is supported on the upper end of the handle shaft 7. Therefore,
When the steering wheel 11 is operated, the front wheel 10 changes its direction following the movement of the steering wheel 11. In addition, handle 1
The height of 1 can be adjusted by a handle height adjusting mechanism (not shown).

The rear fork 1 is provided at the lower end of the rear frame 2.
2 are supported. Wheels (hereinafter referred to as rear wheels) 14a and 14b are rotatably supported on the rear fork 12 via shafts 13. A saddle support pipe 15 is inserted through and supported by each rear frame 2 so as to be vertically movable. A saddle 20 as a support is connected to an upper end of the saddle support pipe 15 via a leaf spring 16 as an elastic member. The height of the saddle 20 can be adjusted by a saddle height adjusting mechanism (not shown).

A brake lever 17 is provided on the left side of the handle 11. A cantilever brake 18 is attached to the rear frame 2. The brake 18 and the lever 17 are connected by a wire 19. The brake 18 is operated via a wire 19 by gripping a lever 19. That is, by gripping the lever 18, the left and right rear wheels 14a and 14b cannot rotate.

In this embodiment, the front frame 1, the rear frame 2, the overframe 3, the underframe 4,
The handle shaft 7, the saddle support pipe 15 and the like form a frame.

Next, the operation of the walking assist vehicle configured as described above will be described. First, the pedestrian handles 11
Adjust the height of to a position where you can operate it easily. In addition, the height of the saddle 20 is adjusted to a position where the operator can lean easily. After adjusting the positions of the saddle 20 and the handle 11,
It goes into the overframe 3 and the underframe 4, puts both armpits on the saddle 20, and leans on the saddle 20. Then, the handle 11 is grasped by both hands to start walking. When changing the traveling direction during walking, handle 11
The front wheel 10 is directed in the desired direction by the operation. As a result, the traveling direction of the walking assist vehicle changes following the direction of the front wheels 10. Also, when a pedestrian wants to stop the walking assistance vehicle, he stops walking. Further, when it is desired to stop the walking assist vehicle quickly, the brake lever 17 is grasped and the rear wheels 14a and 14b are braked to stop.

As described above, since the walking assist vehicle is constructed in this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) Since the pedestrian walks by the cooperation of his / her legs and the wheels 10, 14a, 14b, he / she can sufficiently perform leg strength training and can walk with stability. .

(2) It is possible to easily change the traveling direction by operating the handle 11. Moreover, since the height of the handle 11 can be adjusted to a height that is easily operated by a pedestrian, it is possible to further reduce the burden on the pedestrian.

(3) The pedestrian supports his body by placing his armpit on the saddle 20. Thereby, it becomes possible to surely operate the handle with both hands. Moreover, since the height of the saddle 20 can be adjusted according to the height of the pedestrian, the pedestrian can be supported more stably.

(4) Since the saddle 20 is connected to the saddle support pipe 15 through the leaf spring 16, even if the saddle 20 walks on an uneven road, the leaf spring 16 absorbs the impact at that time. This makes it possible to walk more comfortably.

(5) Since the rear wheels 14a and 14b are provided with the brakes 18 forcibly disabling the rotation, the walking assist vehicle can be stopped quickly. Also, when walking downhill or the like, it is possible to walk without braking the body by walking while braking the rear wheels 14a and 14b.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but may be configured as follows, for example, within the scope of the invention. (1) In the above embodiment, one brake lever 17 is provided, and each brake 18 is interlocked by operating the lever 17. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the brake levers 17 are provided on the left and right, and the respective brake levers 17 and the respective brakes 18 are connected by respective wires. That is, when the left brake lever 17 is gripped, only the left brake 18 is activated, and when the right brake 17 is gripped, only the right brake 18 is activated.

With this configuration, for example, when changing the traveling direction to the left during walking, the left brake lever 17 is gripped, and only the left rear wheel 14a cannot rotate. Then, the steering wheel 11 is operated to turn the front wheel 10 to the left. At this time, since the left rear wheel is held non-rotatable, the walking assist vehicle turns around the left rear wheel 14a. In this case, it is possible to make the turning radius of the walking assist vehicle smaller than in the case where the left and right rear wheels 14a and 14b are turned to make a turn. That is, it is possible to improve the small turning degree of the walking assistance vehicle.

(2) As shown in FIG. 5, the rear wheels 14a, 1
A one-way clutch gear 40 that rotates integrally with the rear wheels 14a and 14b is connected to the 4b. Also, the rear fork 1
2 is provided with a pin 41 that meshes with the gear 40. And
The pin 41 is urged by a spring 42 toward the center of rotation of the gear 40. That is, the rear wheel 14a, 14b is provided with a rotation direction restricting means, and the rear wheel 14a, 14b is allowed to rotate in only one direction (forward direction). Also, the gear 41 and the pin 4
The engagement with 1 can be released by operating a lever (not shown).

With this construction, for example, even when walking on an uphill road, only the rotation in the forward direction is permitted due to the engagement of the one-way clutch gear 40 and the pin 41. Auxiliary vehicles do not run downward. As a result, the pedestrian does not need to apply an extra force for preventing the walking assist vehicle from traveling downward, so that smoother walking is possible. In addition, even if the pedestrian leaves the position by stopping the walking assist vehicle in the middle of the uphill,
It is possible to prevent self-propelled walking assistance vehicles. Further, when the walking assist vehicle is moved backward, it is possible to operate the lever (not shown) to release the meshing relationship between the gear 40 and the pin 41.

[0028]

As described above in detail, according to the first aspect of the invention, the traveling direction of the walking assist vehicle can be easily changed by operating the handle.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the walking assist vehicle can be stopped quickly. In addition, it is possible to reduce the burden on the pedestrian when walking downhill or the like. According to the invention of claim 3, it is possible to surely operate the handle with both hands.

According to the invention of claim 4, even when walking on a bumpy road, the impact at that time can be absorbed, and more comfortable walking can be performed. According to the invention of claim 5, the small turning degree of the walking assist vehicle can be improved.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, even if the user walks on an uphill or the like, the walking assist vehicle does not run downward due to the rotation direction restricting means. As a result, a pedestrian can walk smoothly without applying extra force. Moreover, even if the pedestrian is stopped from the position by stopping the walking assist vehicle in the middle of the uphill, the walking assist vehicle can be prevented from traveling by itself.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a walking auxiliary vehicle in an embodiment embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a walking assist vehicle in one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a walking assistance vehicle in one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a walking assist vehicle showing another example in which the brakes are actuated left and right respectively.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of a walking assistance vehicle showing another example in which the rotation direction of the rear wheels is restricted to only one direction.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Front frame forming frame, 2 ... Rear frame forming frame, 3 ... Over frame forming frame, 4 ... Under frame forming frame, 7 ... Handle shaft forming frame
... front wheel as a wheel, 11 ... handle, 14 ... rear wheel as a wheel, 15 ... saddle support pipe constituting frame, 16 ... leaf spring as elastic member, 17 ... brake lever constituting braking means, 18 ... braking A cantilever that constitutes the means, 20 ... a saddle as a support, 40 ...
One-way clutch gear constituting the rotation direction regulating means, 41 ... Pins constituting the rotation direction regulating means, 42 ... Spring constituting the rotation direction regulating means

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A front wheel of the frame is provided with one wheel capable of turning with respect to the frame, and one wheel which is not turnable with respect to the frame is provided at each of left and right rear portions of the frame, and the frame upper portion is provided. A walking assistance vehicle in which a supporting body for supporting the body is provided, and the wheels capable of turning are turned in association with a steering wheel operation provided on an upper portion of the frame. 2. The walking assist vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising braking means for forcibly holding the wheels in a non-rotatable manner. 3. The walking assist vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the supports are provided in a pair on the left and right of the upper portion of the frame. 4. The walking assist vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the support is connected to the frame via an elastic member. 5. The walking assist vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the braking means holds the left and right wheels provided at the rear portion of the frame so that they cannot rotate. 6. The walking assist vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising rotation direction restricting means for limiting the rotation direction of the wheel to only one direction.