EP0541935A2 - Crutch - Google Patents

Abstract

A crutch for patients with a walking impediment has a support part (1) on the upper end of a cane (3) and a ground piece (2) on the lower end of a cane (3). In order to extend the range of movements of a patient with a walking impediment or with muscular weakness by means of a controllable extension of the crutch it is provided, according to the invention, that the cane (3) comprise an outer support pipe (4) connected with the support part (1) and a lifting pipe (5) which can be displaced telescopically relative to the support pipe and is located therein, that drive means (9) be located in the region of the support part (1) and at least partially in the outer support pipe (4) and can be actuated by control means (17-19) fixed to the outside of the support pipe (4). <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a walking support / walking stick for the handicapped with a support part at the top and a floor attachment at the lower end of a stick.

As is known, people with walking difficulties use fixed crutches, which are designed either as armpit crutches or as forearm crutches. The support part is then an arch-padded part which is pushed under the armpit of the handicapped person, or in the case of the forearm crutch it is a protruding handle in connection with one above arranged, also from the open U-shaped arch. With a walking stick there is a stable handle that is adapted to the shape of the hand. These configurations are known and are referred to in the context of this application as a support part. These fixed crutches help the handicapped to stand and walk.

However, there is often a problem with getting up and sitting down for the handicapped or for those with weak muscles in old people's homes, hospitals etc. Height-adjustable wheelchairs and lift cushions that can be inserted in the bathtub are known for this. However, many handicapped people cannot get up from lying or sitting without help and vice versa. For this purpose, nursing staff are employed in old people's homes, hospitals and homes for the disabled to improve the mobility of the disabled.

The object of the invention is to design a crutch of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that the movement possibilities of a disabled person or a person with weak muscles are considerably expanded by controllably extending the crutch.

This object is achieved in that the stick consists of an outer support tube connected to the support part and a lifting tube which can be displaced telescopically relative to this and is arranged within the support tube, that drive means are accommodated in the area of the support part and at least partially in the outer support tube and from the outside control means attached to the support tube can be actuated. With such a crutch, not only walking is supported, but also getting up and sitting down by a disabled person. The new walking support according to the invention has, so to speak, a lifting device which is available to the user at any desired location. As a result, the disabled person is no longer reliant on nursing staff, so that they are considerably relieved in hospitals and old people's homes. The inventive crutch (users may use two crutches in a manner known per se) also encourages home care for the elderly and the disabled. The persons in need of care can get up again and sit down and carry out necessary activities even if the relatives are out of the house during the day through work, which would not be possible without the crutch according to the invention. The basic idea of the new walking support is the telescopic displacement of an inner lifting tube in an outer supporting tube, whereby the user of the new walking support is given drive means by which the force required to extend the support is applied. The drive means are actuated by control means attached to the outside of the support tube, for example switches, push buttons, shift levers and the like, as are also used by wheelchair users and the like be used.

If, for example, a handicapped person has fallen, he has rarely been able to sit up without outside help. The crutch according to the invention, however, can be pushed together up to half in a preferred embodiment. The disabled person can straighten himself up without external help by operating the drive means accordingly.

With the new crutch, standing up and slow sitting can be made possible in the case of muscle weakness in the legs or in the case of a plaster cast. This is particularly helpful for older people because they can get up at home, in a nursing home or in a hospital and can sit down slowly.

An embodiment is particularly preferred in which the drive means has a drive motor and / or pneumatic and / or hydraulic cylinder / piston drive and preferably at least one energy store is accommodated in the region of the support part. One or the other type of energy or a combination thereof can be used as the drive means. As a motor you can use, for example, an electric motor, a pneumatically driven vane cell motor or other devices that directly drive the inner lifting tube or only indirectly drive pneumatic and / or hydraulic means, which in turn move the lifting tube in the outer supporting tube. In the case of pneumatic or electric drive motors, an energy supply line in the form of compressed air lines or electrical cables from the socket can directly establish the connection to the crutch. However, it is preferred to be independent of such strand-like lines, especially since these can in turn restrict the mobility of the handicapped. Therefore, it is preferred to use in the area of the support part, e.g. Arrange batteries, cartridges, print cartridges or the like in rooms under or next to the U-shaped arch or on the support. This provides the drive motor or the cylinder / piston drive with the necessary energy that should enable the handicapped to support the weak muscles and to get up or sit down slowly.

It is also expedient according to the invention if the motor is mounted in the upper part of the outer support tube and is connected to a threaded spindle which extends through a ball nut attached to the lift tube, and if the lift tube is non-rotatably slidable relative to the outer support tube. This non-rotatability is achieved, for example, by a rail-like projection on the lifting tube, which is softer over its entire length than one The rail protrudes, in which case a guide groove is to be arranged in the outer support tube surrounding the lifting tube, in which the guide rail of the lifting tube can slide. In this way, the lifting tube and the supporting tube can be displaced translationally in relation to one another in the longitudinal direction without one tube being rotatable relative to the other.

The nuts with ball bearings, known as ball nuts, are known per se and are particularly suitable for converting a rotary movement into a translatory movement: in the present case, converting the rotational energy coming from the drive motor into the lifting movement, which support the handicapped by the telescopic movement of the pipes should. Therefore, the ball nut is attached to the lift tube while the motor is attached to the outer support tube. The devices for achieving the non-rotatability (guide rail and guide groove), the threaded spindle and the ball nut provide simple drive means which can easily be accommodated in elongated tubes and which convert an energy present in an accumulator, a battery or the like into thrust or lifting force to convert, namely precisely the force that the handicapped needs to get up or sit down slowly.

The comfort of the walking support according to the invention can be further improved in that, according to the invention, a vibration-damping clutch is switched on as a mechanical connection between the motor shaft and the threaded spindle. Regardless of the type of drive, e.g. a vibrating electric motor, the user can get up or sit down gently by slowly extending or shortening the crutch.

Another and very favorable embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the interior of the outer support tube is designed as a fluid cylinder, which is sealed on the one hand by a piston or valves and on the other hand by a seal attached to the upper end of the lifting tube. In this case, the function of lifting takes place via a fluid, that is to say a flow agent, which can be gaseous or liquid. Experiments have already been successfully carried out with compressed air and a CO₂ cartridge. In this case, the fluid is a gas which is arranged in a pressure cylinder as an energy store in the region of the support part and, for example, fills the interior of the outer support tube directly through an inlet valve when the user opens the inlet valve by actuating a corresponding switch . Then the inner lifting tube is pushed out by the resulting overpressure in the fluid cylinder until pressure equalization is given. The seal attached to the upper end of the lifting tube works like the head of a piston. The user does that Exhaust valve, then flows out of fluid from the fluid cylinder due to the load on the crutch by the user again, whereby the crutch is shorter and the user can sit down slowly. The muscular strength that is insufficient for lowering the user's body is replaced by the compressive force of the fluid of the crutch.

It is also advantageous according to the invention if the piston sealing the one side of the fluid cylinder is adjustable by the drive motor while changing the cylinder volume. Another embodiment of the walking support according to the invention is discussed here, in which the fluid does not move the inner lifting tube directly. Rather, it is provided in this embodiment that the drive motor pushes a piston into the fluid cylinder, which is then already filled with a fluid, via a small threaded spindle, as a result of which the fluid pressure is increased, so that the fluid displaces a cylinder volume and thus the lifting tube from the can push out the outer support tube. This embodiment has the advantage that, like in a hydraulic system with a relatively weak electric motor, high pressure forces can nevertheless be generated.

A similar goal is the use of a threaded spindle with a very flat pitch, because then a low motor power is also sufficient to generate the necessary lifting movement.

It is also expedient according to the invention if the fluid cylinder is sealed by an inlet and an outlet valve and a pressure cartridge is preferably connected to the inlet valve. This embodiment has already been mentioned above. The print cartridge is preferably filled with a pressurized gas, e.g. with CO₂ or compressed air. This cartridge then represents the energy store, because the lifting pressure is available at all times by opening the inlet valve. The slow extension of the walking support means that the user is raised or, depending on the reversal, lowered. Sitting down is done either by opening the outlet valve and flowing out the fluid in the fluid cylinder; or by switching the electric motor in connection with the spindle and the ball nut so that it rotates in the opposite direction. Then the inner lifting tube can be telescopically retracted into the outer supporting tube as slowly as it had been previously pulled out.

With the combined electric motor - hydraulic version you can switch the electric motor to sit down so that it rotates backwards and slowly pulls the piston out of the hydraulic tank. The user will be pleased with the technical advantage of the invention Determine the crutch, namely by giving in to the extension by slowly moving the inner lifting tube into the supporting tube, the user resumes a sitting position and is lowered until the same is reached or until lying down.

It is also advantageous according to the invention if a preferably mechanically lockable pull-out bar is arranged at the lower end of the inner lifting tube. This is an additional measure that has nothing to do with the movable lifting tube. Rather, this pull-out bar makes it possible to change the crutch of a smaller or shorter design so that it can also be used as a full crutch, e.g. can be inserted under the armpit of a disabled person.

This relates in particular to the design of a walking stick with a lifting device and an extension rod.

This version can be used either as an elevator walking stick or an armpit.

Older people often use two walking sticks. If your strength diminishes, you will immediately have two armpit armrests at hand.

Figur 1

die Querschnittsansicht einer ersten Ausführungsform der Gehstütze als Vollkrücke mit pneumatischem Antrieb,

Figur 2

eine andere Ausführungsform einer Unterarmstütze mit elektromechanischem Antrieb mit Motor und Gewindespindel,

Figur 3

die Veranschaulichung des Betriebes der elektromechanischen Version der Figur 2, hier etwa schematisiert, und

Figur 4

die Querschnittsansicht durch inneres Hubrohr und äußeres Stützrohr mit Führungsschiene und Führungsnut bei der Ausführungsform der Figur 2.

Further advantages, features and possible uses of the present invention result from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the attached drawings. Show it:

Figure 1

the cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the crutch as a full crutch with pneumatic drive,

Figure 2

another embodiment of a forearm support with electromechanical drive with motor and threaded spindle,

Figure 3

the illustration of the operation of the electromechanical version of Figure 2, here schematized, and

Figure 4

the cross-sectional view through the inner lifting tube and outer support tube with guide rail and guide groove in the embodiment of Figure 2.

The two common embodiments described here are the support part 1 at the top and the floor attachment 2 at the bottom of the crutch. The generally designated 3 floor of the walking support consists of the outer support tube 4 and the telescopic inner lift tube 5. This can be seen in the embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3 4 shows a cross-sectional view through the two tubes 4 and 5, the inner lifting tube 5 being provided on one side with a radially outwardly projecting guide rail 6, which is slidably arranged in a complementary guide groove 7 in the outer support tube.

The outer support tube 4 is firmly connected to the support part 1. In the embodiment of Figures 2 and 3, the outer support tube 4 merges into the housing of the support part; while in the embodiment of Figure 1, a valve support body 8 is interposed and provides the mechanical connection to the support part 1 upwards.

According to Figure 1, the drive means 9 consists of a compressed gas cartridge, the front end of which is connected downward to a schematically indicated inlet valve 10. Next to this is the outlet valve 11, both of which provide the upper seal on one side of the fluid cylinder 12. The latter is the interior of the outer support tube 4 above the inner lift tube 5, at the upper end of which a seal 13 is attached.

FIG. 1 also shows the pull-out rod 15, which can be mechanically locked by means of the locking screw 14 and is arranged displaceably in the lower end of the inner hollow tube 5.

On the outside of the support tube 4 there is a radially projecting handle 16, on the outer front end of which two pushbuttons 17 and 18 are attached, which in the embodiment of FIG. 2 are designed as switches without a grid.

The lines emanating from the switches 17 and 18 are also coupled via a slide lock 19, which in the embodiment of FIG. 2 is designed as a locking pin 19.

In the operation of the embodiment of FIG. 1, the user presses the push buttons 17 after unlocking by the slide lock 19 and thereby opens the inlet valve 10 to the compressed gas cartridge 9 as a drive. Compressed gas flows into the fluid cylinder 12 and increases its volume in such a way that the inner lifting tube 5 is telescopically extended downwards. This allows the user to move from sitting to standing, for example. If he closes the valves 10 and 11, the crutch can maintain the set length. If the user wishes to sit down somewhere, he can open the outlet valve 11, compressed gas escapes from the fluid cylinder 12, and since the inner lifting tube 5 moves telescopically upward, shortening the Length of the crutch.

If the size of the user is very different or if the crutch of the embodiment according to FIG. 1 is to be converted for other purposes by considerable extension, the locking screw 14 is loosened and the pull-out rod 15 is pulled out to increase the overall length or pushed in the other way around. After tightening the set screw 14, the end position is then fixed.

The other embodiment according to Figures 2 to 4 differs mainly in the drive means. Here, the drive means consists of an electric motor 20, which is connected via the cable connection 21 to the energy store 9 designed as an NC accumulator. A charging device 22 is also shown in FIG.

The motor is connected to the switches 17 and 18 via the control lines 23, the locking pin 19 also being taken into account by a corresponding circuit.

The motor 20 is fixed in the upper part on the outer support tube 4 and is connected to a threaded spindle 24 via a gear, not further specified, in this case via a vibration-damping coupling 25. The threaded spindle 24 extends through a ball nut 26 attached to the inner lifting tube 5 .

The operation of the walking support designed as an armrest according to FIGS. 2 to 4 is similar to that of FIG. 1. The user unlocks the circuit by actuating the safety pin 19 and switches on the electric motor 20 by actuating the switch 17, the torque of which is via the motor shaft 27 and is transmitted to the threaded spindle 24 via the vibration-damping coupling 25. When the spindle 24 rotates, the ball nut 26 inevitably moves up or down. To extend it moves downward, so that the inner lifting tube 5 telescopically moves out of the outer supporting tube 4. The crutch is extended. If the user wants to sit down or lower himself for other purposes, he switches the direction of rotation of the electric motor 20 by actuating the switch 18, so that the ball nut 26 moves upwards by a corresponding rotation of the threaded spindle 24; and thus the inner lifting tube 5 is telescopically inserted into the outer support tube 4. The length of the crutch is shortened.

Claims (8)

Walking support / walking stick for the handicapped with a support part (1) at the top and a floor attachment piece (2) at the lower end of a stick (3), characterized in that the stick (3) consists of an outer support tube (1) connected to the support part (1) 4) and a telescopic relative to this, within the support tube (4) arranged lifting tube (5), that drive means (9; 20) in the area of the support part (1) and at least partially housed in the outer support tube (4) and from the outside on the support tube (4) attached control means (17-19) can be actuated. Walking stick / walking stick according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive means has a drive motor (20) and / or pneumatic and / or hydraulic cylinder / piston drive (5, 12, 13) and preferably at least one energy store (9) in the region of the Support part (1) is housed. Walking crutch / walking stick according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the motor (20) is mounted in the upper part of the outer support tube (4) and is connected to a threaded spindle (24) which is secured by a ball nut attached to the lifting tube (5) (26) extends, and that the lifting tube (5) relative to the outer support tube (4) is non-rotatably slidable (Figures 2 and 3). Walking crutch / walking stick according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a vibration-damping coupling (25) is switched on as a mechanical connection between the motor shaft (27) and the threaded spindle (24) (Figure 3). Walking crutch / walking stick according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the interior of the outer support tube (4) is designed as a fluid cylinder (12), on the one hand by a piston or valves (10, 11) and on the other hand by one at the upper end of the Lifting tube (5) attached seal (13) is sealed. Walking stick / walking stick according to claim 5, characterized in that the piston sealing the one side of the fluid cylinder (12) can be adjusted by changing the cylinder volume by the drive motor (20). Walking crutch / walking stick according to claim 5, characterized in that the fluid cylinder (12) is sealed by an inlet (10) and an outlet valve (11) and a pressure gas cartridge (9) is preferably connected to the inlet valve (10) (Figure 1) ). Walking stick / walking stick according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a preferably mechanically lockable pull-out rod (15) is arranged at the lower end of the inner lifting tube (5).

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