JP3112734U - Walker - Google Patents

Abstract

A walker for assisting the walking of a handicapped person with lower limbs, which can be moved at an appropriate speed close to the walking speed of the handicapped person with easy operation and low cost. provide.
The walker 1 includes a plurality of legs 2, and a walker that moves along a walking surface while supporting the weight of a disabled person whose lower limbs are handicapped. At the lower end of the leg portion located at the rearmost part, a sliding plate 5 is provided which is formed with the front end portion curved in the upward direction and slides on the walking surface, while the wheel 4 is provided at the lower end of the leg part other than the rearmost part. Is provided.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a walker for assisting the walking of a disabled person or an elderly person whose lower limbs are disabled, and more particularly to a walker that is excellent in safety and operability.

  Physically handicapped persons with lower limbs, elderly persons with injured leg muscles or injured persons (hereinafter simply referred to as “disabled persons”) perform walking training as part of rehabilitation to restore walking function. In this walking training, a walker is used to assist walking of disabled people. As this walker, a support frame body having a plurality of legs is generally used to support the weight of the disabled person, and a rubber cap is attached to the lower end of each leg part so that the disabled person can Alternating walker that pulls out the legs alternately and advances forward, casters or wheels attached to the lower end of each leg, and a handicapped person pushes forward by putting weight on the support frame (for example, walker with casters) Patent Document 1) is used depending on the degree of failure.

JP 2005-124740 A

  However, the alternating walker requires an operation that requires a person with a disability to raise the left and right sides of the support frame in a rhythm in accordance with his / her walking and to push it forward, and this operation is difficult and requires time to master. There is. In addition, the walker with casters has a problem that it is difficult to operate because the force for pressing the support frame must be adjusted so that the moving speed matches the walking speed of the handicapped person. Here, in order to make it possible to easily adjust the moving speed of the walker with casters, a walker with casters having a means for controlling the rotation of the casters and wheels using the attractive force of the magnet has been proposed. However, this walker with casters incurs an increase in cost due to the increase in the number of parts such as magnets, and it is difficult to add only means for controlling the rotation of casters to the walker that is in use. It is.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems. In a walker for assisting the walking of a disabled person whose lower limbs are inconvenient, the walking speed of the disabled person can be easily controlled and at a low cost. Provided is a walker that can be moved at a reasonable speed.

  The walker according to claim 1, wherein the walker includes a plurality of legs, and the lower limb moves along the walking surface while supporting the weight of a handicapped person. The lower end of the leg part located at the rearmost part in the traveling direction is provided with a sliding plate whose upper end in the traveling direction is curved upward and slides on the walking surface, while the lower end of the leg part other than the last part In addition, wheels are provided.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the sliding plate has a front end surface in the advancing direction, a rear end surface, and both left and right side surfaces formed in a curved shape.

  In the walker according to claim 3, the sliding plate is made of polyethylene, nylon resin, or fluororesin.

  According to the walker according to the present invention, the frictional force generated between the sliding plate and the walking surface can give an appropriate load to the movement of the walker to such an extent that the wheels can be prevented from rolling too much, and Since the frictional force is not so large as to prevent the sliding plate from sliding on the walking surface, the moving speed of the walker does not become slower than the walking speed of the handicapped person. In addition, the alternating walker and the walker with casters in use can be easily changed to the walker according to the present invention. Furthermore, since the number of parts does not increase, the cost does not increase.

  Further, according to the walker according to the present invention, the sliding plate has a front end surface, a rear end surface, and left and right side surfaces formed in curved shapes, so that the sliding plate can be When tilted in the left-right direction, the contact area between the respective surfaces and the walking surface can be reduced, and it is possible to prevent a large frictional force from being generated between the two surfaces and hindering the movement of the walker.

  Hereinafter, a walker according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are views showing an appearance of a walker 1 according to the present embodiment, FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view, and FIG. 2 is a schematic side view. This walker 1 assists the walking of a handicapped person or the like who has a lower limb, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, has four legs 2 to support the weight of the handicapped person. A frame 3, a pair of left and right wheels 4 detachably provided on a pair of left and right legs 2 located in the front row of the legs 2 of the support frame 3, and a pair of left and right wheels located in the back row of the directions of movement And a pair of left and right sliding members 5 that are detachably provided on the legs 2.

  The support frame 3 is formed by bending, welding, fixing bolts, etc. an aluminum pipe. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of left and right side frames 6 arranged in parallel with each other, A connecting frame 7 for connecting the pair of left and right side frames 6 to each other and a reinforcing frame 8 for structurally reinforcing the support frame 3 are provided. The pair of left and right side frames 6 are formed in a substantially U-shape that is opened downward, so that a pair of leg portions 2 are provided, and rubber grip materials are provided at the uppermost and intermediate positions in the height direction. By being fitted, an upper gripping part 9 and a lower gripping part 10 are provided for the handicapped person to grip. Further, the connecting frame 7 is formed to be slightly curved in order to increase its strength, and both end portions thereof are respectively fixed to the front side in the traveling direction of each side frame 6 by welding or the like. Further, both ends of the reinforcing frame 8 are bent by approximately 90 °, and the bent portions are fixed to the side frames 6 by bolts or the like. Thereby, the support frame 3 is reinforced so as not to be deformed by an external force acting in the horizontal direction.

  In addition, as long as the support frame 3 has a plurality of legs 2 and can support the weight of a handicapped person, the material, shape, and size of the support frame 3 are not limited to those of the present embodiment, and the design can be changed as appropriate. . In addition, the number of the leg portions 2 included in the support frame 3 is four in the present embodiment, two in the front row and two in the rear row, but any number from the viewpoint of weight reduction and stability improvement. Can be a number. For example, a total of three legs 2 are provided, one in the front row and two in the rear row, or a pair of left and right legs 2 with a total of six legs 2 from the first row to the third row in the direction of travel. It is also possible to provide it.

  FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the sliding member 5. The sliding member 5 is for applying an appropriate load to the movement of the walker 1. The sliding plate 11 that slides on the walking surface H and the support frame in a state in which the sliding plate 11 is attached. A height adjustment cylinder 12 fitted to the lower end of the leg 2 of the body 3, an attachment member 13 for attaching the sliding plate 11 to the height adjustment cylinder 12, and the attachment member 13 are fixed in the height adjustment cylinder 12. And a fixing screw 14 for the purpose.

  The sliding plate 11 is a plate-like member made of a member having a relatively small coefficient of friction with the walking surface H. In the present embodiment, the sliding plate 11 has superb wear resistance, heat resistance, and mechanical strength. The sliding plate 11 is formed from high molecular weight polyethylene, nylon resin, fluorine resin, or the like. By forming the sliding plate 11 from such a member, the walker 1 can be moved to such an extent that the wheel 4 can be prevented from rolling excessively by the frictional force generated between the sliding plate 11 and the walking surface H. An appropriate load can be applied, and the frictional force is not so large as to prevent the sliding plate 11 from moving while sliding on the walking surface H. Therefore, the moving speed of the walker 1 is disabled. The walking speed will not be slower. In this embodiment, the entire sliding plate 11 is made of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene or the like, but the sliding plate 11 is formed of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene or the like at least at the bottom surface that is a contact surface with the walking surface H. Of course, it is sufficient if it is done.

  4 and 5 are schematic views showing the configuration of the sliding plate 11, in which FIG. 4 (a) is a side view, FIG. 4 (b) is a bottom view, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view. As shown in FIG. 4A, the sliding plate 11 is formed such that the front end portion 15 thereof is curved obliquely upward, and the tip portion of the sliding plate 11 walks when the walker 1 moves. The surface H is not caught. Moreover, the front end surface 16, the rear end surface 17, and the left and right side surfaces 18, 19 of the sliding plate 11 are formed in a curved shape as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). Thereby, when the handicapped person applies a force to the support frame 3 and the sliding plate 11 is inclined in the front-rear direction or the left-right direction, the surfaces 16, 17, 18, 19 and the walking surface H are in contact with each other. The area can be reduced, and a large frictional force is generated between the two to prevent the movement of the walker 1 from being hindered. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, a screw insertion hole 20 is formed through the sliding plate 11 in the thickness direction and through which the fixing screw 14 is inserted. The screw insertion hole 20 is drilled from the bottom surface of the sliding plate 11 and has a larger diameter portion 21 than the screw head of the fixing screw 14, and the screw of the fixing screw 14 drilled from the upper surface of the sliding plate 11. It is comprised from the small diameter part 22 smaller in diameter than the head. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, when the fixing screw 14 is inserted into the sliding plate 11 and screwed into the mounting member 13, it can be screwed in until the screw head of the fixing screw 14 reaches the small diameter portion 22. It has become. At this time, since the screw head of the fixing screw 14 is housed inside the large diameter portion 21 and does not protrude downward from the bottom surface of the sliding plate 11, the screw head comes into contact with the walking surface H and is between them. It is possible to prevent a large frictional force from being generated.

  The height adjusting cylinder 12 is made of an aluminum pipe having a diameter slightly larger than that of the leg portion 2 of the support frame 3, and as shown in FIG. 1, five positioning holes 23 are arranged in a row through the peripheral surface thereof. ing. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, a positioning convex portion 24 that can be fitted into the positioning hole 23 is provided at the lower end portion of the leg portion 2. The positioning convex part 24 is provided so as to be able to immerse into the leg part 2 and to protrude outside the leg part 2 by being biased by a spring (not shown). Accordingly, the height adjusting cylinder 12 is fitted to the lower end of the leg portion 2 in a state where the positioning convex portion 24 is pressed and immersed in the leg portion 2, and the height adjusting cylinder 12 is attached to the leg portion 2. The height adjusting cylinder 12 can be attached to the lower end of the leg portion 2 by sliding along the protruding projection 24 from the desired positioning hole 23. In addition, by changing the positioning hole 23 that slides the height adjusting cylinder 12 and projects the positioning convex portion 24, the height of the walker 1 can be adjusted according to the height of the handicapped person. Yes. In the present embodiment, the sliding plate 11 is attached to the lower end of the leg 2 via the height adjusting cylinder 12, but the height adjusting cylinder 12 is not an essential constituent element of the present invention. It is also possible to directly attach the sliding plate 11 to the lower end of the leg portion 2 without using the adjustment cylinder 12.

  FIG. 6 is a view showing a BB cross section of the attachment member 13 in FIG. 3. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the attachment member 13 is a substantially cylindrical member made of resin or the like, and the outer diameter thereof is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the aluminum pipe constituting the leg portion 2. The attachment member 13 is divided into four in the circumferential direction by forming a substantially cross-shaped cross groove 25 in a plan view over a predetermined depth from the upper surface thereof downward. The cross groove 25 has a groove width W slightly smaller than the shaft diameter R of the fixing screw 14, and a pair of screw insertions reaching the bottom surface of the mounting member 13 as shown in FIG. A hole 26 is formed. As shown in FIG. 3, the mounting member 13 configured as described above is fitted to the lower end of the leg portion 2 while being placed on the upper surface of the sliding plate 11. Then, the fixing screw 14 is screwed into the cross groove 25 of the mounting member 13 from below the sliding plate 11 through the screw insertion hole 20 of the sliding plate 11 and the screw insertion hole 26 of the mounting member 13. Here, as described above, since the groove width W of the cross groove 25 is slightly smaller than the shaft diameter R of the fixing screw 14, the details are not shown in the figure, but the mounting is performed as the fixing screw 14 is screwed into the cross groove 25. The member 13 expands in the radial direction, and the peripheral surface thereof is in pressure contact with the inner peripheral surface of the leg portion 2. Thereby, the attachment member 13 and the sliding plate 11 are fixed to the lower end of the leg part 2. The design of the cross-sectional shape of the attachment member 13 can be changed as appropriate according to the cross-sectional shape of the leg 2. Further, the attachment member 13 can be integrally formed with the sliding plate 11.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the wheel 4 includes a wheel body 27 that rolls on the walking surface H, a support piece 28 that rotatably supports the wheel body 27 around a horizontal axis, and the support piece 28 that moves around a vertical axis. And a height adjusting tube 29 fitted to the lower end of the leg 2 while being rotatably supported. Although the height adjustment cylinder 29 is not shown in detail in the drawing, like the height adjustment cylinder 12 of the sliding member 5, positioning holes 23 are arranged in a row through the peripheral surface thereof. A fitting convex portion 24 is provided at the lower end of the leg portion 2. Accordingly, the height adjusting cylinder 29 can be fixed to the lower end of the leg portion 2 by causing the positioning convex portion 24 to protrude from the positioning hole 23, and the height adjusting cylinder 29 is slid along the leg portion 2. Thus, the height of the walker 1 can be adjusted according to the height of the handicapped person or the like by changing the positioning hole 23 through which the positioning convex part 24 protrudes. It is of course possible to fix the wheel body 27 only around the horizontal axis and non-rotatably around the vertical axis. The wheel 4 according to the present invention has a broad meaning including casters, caterpillars, and the like.

  Since the walker 1 according to the present invention has the above-described configuration, the alternating walker 1 and the wheeled walker 1 in use can be easily changed to the walker 1 according to the present invention. That is, for the walker 1 with wheels having a total of four legs 2 in the two rows in the traveling direction, the wheels are removed from the two legs 2 in the rear row, and the sliding plate 11 and the mounting member 13 are respectively attached. It can change into the walker 1 which concerns on this invention by replacing | exchanging. On the other hand, for the alternating walker 1 having a total of four legs 2 in two rows in the traveling direction, the rubber cap is removed from the two legs 2 in the rear row, and the sliding plate 11 and the mounting member 13 are attached. While exchanging each, it is possible to change to the walker 1 according to the present invention by removing the rubber cap from the two legs 2 in the front row and exchanging each with the wheel 4. On the contrary, it is of course possible to change from the walker 1 according to the present invention to the alternating walker 1 or the walker 1 with wheels.

  In this embodiment, the walker 1 having a total of four legs 2 in two rows in the traveling direction has been described as an example. However, the number of legs 2 is not particularly limited as long as it is at least three. It is not something. For example, it is also possible to provide a total of three legs 2, one leg 2 with wheels 4 attached to the front row in the advancing direction and two legs 2 with slide members 5 attached to the rear row. It is. Further, four leg portions 2 with wheels 4 attached to the front row and the second row in the traveling direction, and two leg portions 2 with slide members 5 attached to the last row, a total of six leg portions. 2 can also be provided.

  The present invention can be applied to a walker 1 that assists walking of a disabled person or the like who has difficulty in lower limbs and includes at least three legs 2.

The schematic perspective view which shows the external appearance of the walker 1 which concerns on the Example of this invention. The schematic side view which shows the external appearance of the walker 1 which concerns on the Example of this invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the sliding member 5. The schematic side view and schematic bottom view which show the structure of the sliding plate. The schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the AA cross section of the sliding plate 11 in FIG. The schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the BB cross section of the attachment member 13 in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Walker 2 Leg part 4 Wheel 11 Sliding plate 15 Advancing direction front-end | tip part 16 Front end surface 17 Rear end surface 18, 19 Side surface H Walking surface

Claims (3)

In a walker that has a plurality of legs and moves along the walking surface while supporting the weight of a disabled person whose lower limbs are handicapped,
While the lower end of the leg portion located at the rearmost portion in the traveling direction among the respective leg portions, a sliding plate that is formed by bending the distal end portion in the traveling direction to be curved upward and slides with the walking surface is provided,
A walker having wheels provided at the lower ends of the legs other than the last part.   The walker according to claim 1, wherein the sliding plate has a front end surface, a rear end surface, and left and right side surfaces formed in a curved shape.   The walker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sliding plate is made of polyethylene, nylon resin, or fluororesin.

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