JP3012008U - Illuminator built-in cane - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] At the same time as the function of a cane as an aid for the elderly and physically handicapped people while walking, at the time of night walking without supplying a separate illuminator, supply power to the grip area. By providing a cutting and throwing mechanism, it is possible to immediately obtain lighting from the illuminator to the front, and to provide a walking stick having a function that does not interfere with walking without being occupied by another lighting fixture of one hand. At the same time, to provide a cane with the same effect that can be used as a sports equipment such as mountain climbing for a healthy person. [Structure] In the cane body 1, an illuminator 2 is provided at a lower front portion thereof.
And a power supply 6 for supplying electric power to the illuminator 2 and a mechanism 7 for cutting off and supplying the power.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention belongs to an assisting device for the elderly and the physically handicapped, and a sports device such as mountaineering, and their application fields.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Conventionally, as a cane in the field of assisting devices for the elderly, people with disabilities, etc. or sports devices, etc., in the field of canes or sports equipment that does not have any structure inside the cane body, Wands or similar devices such as ice ax have been used.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 The present invention was made based on the experience of the inventor's voluntary welfare activities for the elderly and the physically handicapped, and the strong demands from the elderly and the physically handicapped. A person can function as a walking stick as a walking aid while walking, and at the same time illuminate the front with one hand at night without carrying a separate lighting device, etc. It is an object to provide a walking stick having a function of protecting persons and the like from a dangerous place in front. The cane according to the present invention provides a cane that can be used not only for the elderly, the physically handicapped, and other persons with walking disabilities but also for the healthy persons as well as for sports equipment such as mountain climbing. Will also be an issue.

[0004]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to solve the above problems, the branching means taken in claim 1 is to have a device for illuminating the front inside the cane. Further, the technical means taken in claim 2 is a mechanism for cutting off or turning on the power supplied from the power source for supplying power to the lighting equipment of claim 1 and the power source arranged near the cane. Has been arranged.

[0005]

According to the above technical means, an elderly person, a physically handicapped person, or the like can illuminate the front side at night with one hand without holding a separate lighting device or the like when walking, so that the elderly person, It has the function of protecting persons with physical disabilities from the dangerous area ahead. This action eliminates the inconvenience of having a separate lighting device or mounting it on the head, both for healthy people and for sports such as mountaineering, and increases the degree of freedom of one hand. Therefore, it also has the function of protecting against sudden danger.

The point of the present invention lies in the positive use of the inside of the cane body, which has been ignored in the past. Details of the operation of the present invention will be described based on the following embodiments.

[0007]

【Example】

 FIG. 1 is an embodiment for explaining the working principle of the illuminator built-in type cane according to the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a cane body according to the present invention, 2 is an illuminator disposed inside the cane 1, and its illumination range is indicated by 3. Reference numerals 4 and 5 are wiring members for supplying electric power to the illuminator 2 arranged inside the cane 1, and a power supply shown by 6 and a mechanism 7 for cutting off or turning on the electric power supplied to the illuminator 2 (hereinafter referred to as a switch). Abbreviated) is arranged near the grip portion 8 of the cane body 1.

Since the power source 6 and the like are arranged inside the cane body 1, there is a possibility that the strength of the cane body 1 may be slightly reduced. In order to make up for this decrease in strength, it is possible to provide an inexpensive illuminator-embedded cane according to the present invention by using high-strength wood, but from the viewpoint of the strength of the cane body 1 only. Then, a lightweight and high-strength metallic material such as titanium alloy, a lightweight and high-strength inorganic material such as carbon / glass / fiber, and a polymer material such as so-called ABS resin are preferable. Generally, such lightweight and high-strength material is expensive, but if the cane according to the present invention is mass-produced, the cost can be sufficiently reduced.

The illuminator 2, the power supply unit 6 and the switch 7 can be downsized as described below, and the space for such a mechanism rarely causes a large decrease in the strength of the cane body 1. As for the material of the cane body 1, if the grip portion 8 of the cane body 1 is joined to an aluminum alloy pipe by using a method such as processing or welding, the cane body 1 is inexpensive and has high strength. It is also possible to provide a cane with a built-in illuminator according to the invention. The diameter of the cane body 1 should be determined in consideration of the convenience of the user and the strength of the material used.

A tungsten bulb or the like is generally used as the illuminator 2 inside the cane body 1, but a so-called halogen bulb is preferable for the same electric power because it has a higher light emission intensity. In addition, a light emitting diode or the like is more preferable because it has a high light emission intensity in spite of low power consumption, but it is difficult to obtain white light in the conventional technique. The present invention is not intended to be limited to an example of such an illuminator, and the illuminator 2 may be any light source with low power consumption and light emission intensity. In the prior art, a halogen light bulb has a diameter of about 5 mm and a total length as a small mechanism, and a sufficient emission intensity is obtained with a current consumption of 100 mA or less.

Another requirement of the illuminator 2 is that it can be replaced. This is because the material of the illuminator 2 generally has a finite life, and deterioration occurs due to long-term use, and eventually the light emitting part is broken, and in the case of a light emitting diode, the light emitting material itself deteriorates. Since it has been determined, it is an essential condition to replace with a new illuminator 2 after using for an appropriate time.

As for the installation position of the illuminator 2, in order to protect from vibration of the cane body 1 transmitted from the ground and contamination of the illuminator 2 during rainfall, it is necessary to have at least 5 cm or more from the bottom of the cane body 1. Is. It is necessary to determine the illumination range 3 of the illuminator 2 according to the user, and adjust the projection angle of the illuminator 2. This is because when the user is an elderly person or a physically handicapped person, the stride is generally smaller than that of a healthy person, so the lighting range 3 is about 30 cm to 1 meter in front of the cane. preferable. If the illumination range 3 is too large, the load on the capacity of the power supply 6 will increase and the practicality will decrease. In addition, when a healthy person uses it for sports such as mountain climbing, the lighting range 3 can be set wider than the above, and as a result, even if the weight of the entire cane is slightly increased, It does not place an excessive burden on physical fitness. The point may be determined by comprehensively considering the physical strength, application, power capacity, etc. of the user.

As the material of the wiring members 4 and 5, a material having a small loss due to Joule heat caused by the current flowing through the wire itself, that is, a material having a low electric resistance is preferable. In the illuminator built-in type cane according to the present invention, the loss of electric power has a great influence on the life of the electric power source 5, so that a highly conductive material is preferable for the wiring members 4 and 5. In order to prevent the functional stop of the cane according to the present invention due to the disconnection of the wiring members 4 and 5, it is preferably embedded in the cane body 1. When the material of the cane body 1 is wood, aluminum alloy pipe, etc., it becomes impossible to embed the wiring materials 4 and 5, but in the case of other materials such as carbon, glass fiber, resin, etc. Since the cane main body 1 can be integrally molded by a technique such as an appropriate mold, the wiring members 4 and 5 can be embedded in the cane main body 1 at the time of molding.

As a power source 6 for supplying power to the illuminator 2, batteries that use a chemical reaction such as a manganese battery or an alkaline battery can be cited as being inexpensive, but these batteries are generally heavy and necessary. In consideration of such electric power, at least a so-called AA type is required at least, and there is a drawback that the weight increase of the cane body 1 imposes a physical burden on the user especially for the elderly and the physically handicapped. For the elderly and people with physical disabilities, it is preferable to use small and lightweight high performance batteries such as so-called button type batteries. On the other hand, when a healthy person uses it for sports etc., the weight of the battery 6 does not become a heavy burden, and considering the usage time and frequency, inexpensive batteries using the above chemical reaction and nickel-cadmium are used. A rechargeable battery such as a battery is economical.

The mechanism 7 for cutting off or turning on the power supplied to the power source 6 and the illuminator 2, that is, the switch 7, preferably has a mechanism for cutting off and turning on the power supply each time it is pressed. . Although it may be integrated with the cane main body 1, the switch 7 is generally composed of mechanical parts, and as a result, there is a possibility that contact defects may occur, so it is preferable that the switch 7 be replaceable. The switch 7 is preferably installed near the grip portion 8 of the cane body 1 for use.

The grip portion 8 of the cane body 1 is preferably provided so that a user can know a specific direction in order to know the direction of the illuminator 2.

As described above, there is no intention to limit the illuminator built-in cane according to the present invention to the embodiment of FIG. 1, and each component of the present invention may be any combination of conventional materials. Therefore, it may be configured according to the user and the purpose of use. The point of the present invention is that the illuminator 2 is arranged under the cane body 1, and it is needless to say that there is no intention to specify the material or the material of each component of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment.

In the drawings, the grip portion 8 of the cane body 1 has a so-called T-shape, and the structure and the configuration of the cane body 1 are the same, except that the tip is thin. Although the function is exactly the same as that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, it is shown with the intention of illustrating a more practical form as compared with FIG.

In the figure, 1 is a cane main body, 2 is an illuminator arranged inside the cane 1, and its illumination range is indicated by 3. Reference numerals 4 and 5 are wiring members for supplying electric power to the illuminator 2 arranged inside the cane 1, and a power source shown by 6 and a mechanism 7 for cutting off or inputting electric power supplied to the illuminator 2 are provided. It is arranged near the grip portion 8 of the main body 1.

[0020]

[Effect of device]

 The present invention has the following effects. Elderly people and people with disabilities have the function of a cane as an aid for walking, and have a power cut-off mechanism that is placed in the grip when using it at night without having to carry a separate illuminator. By putting it in, lighting is immediately obtained from the illuminator, and one hand is not occupied by another luminaire, and walking is not hindered. At the same time, it has the same effect on healthy people as a sports equipment such as mountaineering.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a simplified embodiment for explaining the operation of a wand with built-in illuminator according to the present invention.

[Simple explanation of symbols]

 1 Main body of illuminator built-in cane 2 Illuminator built in cane 6 Power supply for supplying power to illuminator

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a illuminator-embedded cane according to the present invention, which has a shape closer to a practical example.

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A walking assistance cane, comprising a replaceable illuminator for illuminating a lower part of the front of the walking cane in order to protect the pedestrian from obstacles in front of the walking cane. A cane with a built-in illuminator. 2. The cane according to claim 1, wherein a replaceable power supply for driving the illuminator is provided inside the cane, and a mechanism for cutting or turning on the power supplied from the power supply is provided near the grip of the cane. A cane with a built-in illuminator.