JP2024094660A - Walking car - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a walking car with a simple structure and a small turning radius.SOLUTION: A walking car for assisting walking has: a pair of front frames which rotatably support a pair of front wheels respectively; a pair of rear frames which rotatably support a pair of rear wheels respectively, and comprises a brake gear for the rear wheel; an operation handle on an upper side of the walking car; and a brake handle which operates the brake gear which is rotatable in reverse directions during travelling and during parking below the operation handle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a walking aid that assists walking.

Conventionally, various walking vehicles have been known.
For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a walking frame that is provided with brake levers for driving and parking near the handle section for manually operating the walking frame provides excellent convenience in braking.
However, the walking frame of Patent Document 1 has both front and rear wheels that cannot turn freely, and a user of such a walking frame must move the walking frame back and forth several times to change the direction of the tires when changing direction, etc., making it difficult to change course smoothly and difficult to say that it is maneuverable when used around the home, for example.
Furthermore, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, walkers with a roughly U-shaped lower frame are also prone to colliding with pillars that form corners, for example, when turning corners, and as disclosed in Patent Document 3, walkers with complex configurations are prone to becoming heavy.

JP 2008-183228 A Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-26859 JP 2019-201900 A

The present invention aims to provide a walking vehicle with simple structure and easy maneuverability.

The walking frame of the present invention is a walking frame for assisting walking, and is characterized in having a pair of front frames each supporting a pair of front wheels so that they can swivel freely, a pair of rear frames each supporting a pair of rear wheels so that they can swivel freely and equipped with braking devices for the rear wheels, an operating handle on the upper side of the walking frame, and a brake handle below the operating handle for operating the braking devices which can be rotated in opposite directions when driving and when parking.
In this way, the four wheels (a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels) can turn freely, and the user can operate the brakes when driving and parking at their fingertips, making the walker easier to maneuver and ensuring safety when walking.

In the present invention, the rear frame may have an upper portion connected to the front frame to form a human-shaped configuration in a side view with the front frame, and the rear wheels supported by a lower portion may be located outside the front frame in the left-right direction.
In a walking vehicle in which a front frame and a rear frame connected to the upper part form a human-shaped structure when viewed from the side, for example, the operating handles arranged on the upper ends of the pair of front frames may be positioned above the rear frame.
By positioning the rear wheels on the left-right outside of the front frame, the rear wheels are less likely to come into contact with the feet of the user pushing the operating handle, and the rear wheels rotate on the left-right outside of the user's feet, allowing the user to walk lightly using the walker.

For example, the rear frame may have a rear frame portion extending diagonally downward and a protrusion portion protruding rearward and outward from the rear end of the rear frame portion, and the rear wheel supported by the protrusion portion may be located on the left-right outside of the front frame and rear frame portion.
This allows the user's feet to be positioned between the rear frame portions, and when the user pushes the operating handle back and forth or left and right, the rear wheels turn below the protrusions.
For example, if the rear wheels supported by the protruding portions are configured to turn so as not to go inside the pair of rear frame portions in the left-right direction, they are less likely to interfere with the user's walking.

In the present invention, the front wheels may be located approximately on the extension line F of the front frame when the walker moves backward, and the rear wheels may be located approximately on the extension line B of the rear frame when viewed from the side when the walker moves forward.
This allows the user to push the walker forward and backward with less force.

The walking frame of the present invention has four rotatable wheels and allows the user to operate the brakes when driving and parking at their fingertips, making it easy to maneuver when walking, safe, and convenient.
The walking frame of the present invention is easy to use even in places where the walking space is narrow, such as indoors, and may be used in place of handrails for indoor rehabilitation or by people with mild disabilities.

An example of the structure of a walking frame according to the present invention is shown in a perspective view of a frame structure with the basket and other components removed. 1A and 1B are side views showing the state in which the stem is completely stored in the front frame, where (a) shows the walker moving forward and (b) shows the walker moving backward. For the purpose of explanation, a partial plan view is shown with the stem, holding portion, operating handle, brake handle, etc., omitted, and (a) shows the walking vehicle moving forward, and (b) shows the walking vehicle moving backward. An enlarged side view of the rear wheel area is shown. FIG.

A walking frame according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a frame of a walking frame 1 with the basket and other components removed, FIG. 2 is a side view, and FIG. 3 is a partial plan view.
In this specification, the stomach side of the user pushing the walker 1 is defined as the front, the back side as the rear, the left hand side as the left, and the right hand side as the right, and when the user is facing forward, moving the walker 1 forward, backward, left, and right is referred to as moving forward, backward, left, and right, respectively.

The walking vehicle 1 has a pair of left and right front frames 12 which rotatably support a pair of left and right front wheels 11, respectively, and a pair of left and right rear frames 22 which rotatably support a pair of left and right rear wheels 21, respectively.
In this embodiment, the front frame 12 extends diagonally upward from the lower front to the upper rear as shown in FIG. 2(a), and together with the rear frame 22 which is connected at its upper part to the front frame 12, a human-shaped configuration is formed in a side view.
The rear frame 22 has a rear frame portion 22a extending obliquely downward from an upper front to a lower rear, and a protruding portion 22b protruding obliquely rearward and outward in the left-right direction from the rear end of the rear frame portion 22a.
Here, the outside refers to the outside when the space between the pair of front frames 12 is defined as the inside.
As shown in FIG. 3(a), the protruding portion 22b protruding rearward and outward from the rear end of the rear frame portion 22a has its tip portion 22c positioned outward in the left-right direction from the front frame 12 and the rear frame portion 22a, and is provided with the rear wheel 21 and the brake device 23 at the lower end of this tip portion 22c.
It is preferable that the degree to which the protrusion 22b protrudes rearward and outward is such that the rear wheel 21, which is rotatably supported by its tip end 22c, does not go inside the pair of rear frame portions 22a even when the rear wheel 21 turns from a position facing in the fore-and-aft direction as shown in Figures 3(a) and (b) to a position facing in the left-right direction.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the upper part of the rear frame 22 (rear frame portion 22a) is rotatably connected to the approximately vertical center of the front frame 12 via a connecting portion 13, and the front and rear frames 12, 22 are foldable in the front-to-rear direction.
The lower sides of the pair of front frames 12, the upper sides of the pair of rear frame portions 22a, and the pair of connecting portions 13 are connected by connecting frames 31, 32, and 33, respectively.

The walking frame 1 has an operating handle 15 and a brake handle 16 at the upper end of a stem 12 a that can be stored inside the front frame 12 via a holding portion 14 .
By changing the amount of extension of the stem 12a from the front frame 12, the height of the operating handle 15 and the brake handle 16 can be adjusted.
There are no particular limitations on the shape of the operating handle, so long as it allows the walking frame to be pushed and operated by hand.
For example, a pair of operating handles may be provided on the upper end sides of the pair of front frames, or as in this embodiment, a single operating handle may be provided connecting the upper end sides of the pair of front frames, and the frame supporting the wheels and the frame supporting the operating handle may be different.
In addition, the brake handle for operating the brake device may be similar in shape to the operating handle.
In this embodiment, the operating handle 15 is substantially U-shaped and both ends thereof are supported by a pair of holding portions 14 .
The brake handle 16 has both ends of a generally U-shape rotatably held within a pair of holding portions 14, and the wire 17 is pulled by the rotation of the brake handle 16 disposed below the operating handle 15.
As shown in FIG. 4, when the wire 17 is pulled, a pressing portion 23a of a braking device 23 connected to the wire 17 presses against the rear wheel 21 to apply the brakes.
The brake handle 16 can be rotated in the opposite direction when driving and when parking. For example, when driving, the brake handle 16 is rotated upward by the amount desired to slow down the speed to activate the brake device, and when parking, the brake handle 16 is rotated downward to engage the brake handle 16 side with the retaining portion 14 side, thereby keeping the wire 17 pulled, i.e., the rear wheels 21 locked, and parking the walker 1.

The front wheel 11 and the front frame 12, and the rear wheel 21 and the rear frame 22 will now be described in more detail.
As shown in FIG. 2A, the front wheel 11 has a front wheel shaft 11b of a front wheel 11a that holds a tire, which is rotatably supported on the lower end side of a front holder portion 11c having a generally U-shaped cross section.
The front frame 12 has a cylindrical, rotatable front shaft portion 12c inside a housing 12b fixed to the lower end thereof, and this front shaft portion 12c is fixedly connected to the upper end side of the front holder portion 11c.
As a result, the front wheel 11 is supported rotatably relative to the front frame 12 .
The front wheel 11 and the front frame 12 are arranged with the front wheel axle 11b and the front axle portion 12c offset from each other in the fore-and-aft direction so that, when the walker 1 is moving backwards, as shown in Figure 2(b), the front wheel 11 is positioned approximately on the extension line F of the front frame 12.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 2(a), when the walking frame 1 moves forward, the front axle 12c rotates and the front wheel 11 (front wheel axle 11b) moves toward the user who is holding the operating handle 15 from behind.
On the other hand, the rear wheel 21 has a rear wheel axle 21b of a rear wheel 21a that holds a tire, which is rotatably supported on the lower end side of a rear holder portion 21c that has a substantially U-shaped cross section.
The rear frame 22 has a cylindrical, rotatable rear axle portion 22d within the tip portion 22c of the protrusion 22b, and this rear axle portion 22d is fixedly connected to the upper end side of the rear holder portion 21c, so that the rear wheel 21 is rotatably supported on the rear frame 22.
As shown in FIG. 4, the brake device 23 has a device shaft 23b of the brake device supported rotatably within the rear holder portion 21c, and when one end of the brake device 23 is pulled by the wire 17, a pressing portion 23a protruding downward at the other end presses against the rear wheel 21.
The rear wheel 21 and the rear frame 22 are arranged with the rear wheel axle 21b and the rear axle portion 22d offset from each other in the fore-and-aft direction so that, when the walker 1 is moving forward as shown in Figure 2(a), the rear wheel 21 is positioned approximately on the extension line B of the rear frame portion 22a in a side view.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 2(b) and FIG. 3(b), when the walking frame 1 moves backward, the rear axle portion 22d rotates so that the rear wheel 21 (rear wheel axle 21b) comes closer to the user.
As a result, when the walker 1 moves forward, the front wheel 11 on the direction of travel is closer to the user, and the rear wheel 21, which is located approximately on the extension line B of the rear frame portion 22a in a side view, is more likely to follow, allowing the walker 1 to move forward with less force.
In addition, when the walker 1 is moved backwards, the rear wheels 21 are closer to the user, and the front wheels 11, which are located approximately on the extension line F of the front frame portion 12, tend to follow suit, so that less force is required to push the walker 1 backwards.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the walking frame 1 with the basket 35 attached.
For example, a connecting frame 34 for attaching a basket 35 may be further provided on the upper side of the pair of front frames 12 .
The cage is merely an example, and a desk or a board that can serve as a seat may be attached to the cage.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Walker 11 Front wheel 12 Front frame 15 Operating handle 16 Brake handle 21 Rear wheel 22 Rear frame 22a Rear frame portion 22b Protruding portion 23 Brake device

Claims (4)

A walking aid for assisting walking,
This walker is characterized by having a pair of front frames each supporting a pair of front wheels so that they can turn freely, a pair of rear frames each supporting a pair of rear wheels so that they can turn freely and equipped with braking devices for the rear wheels, an operating handle on the upper side of the walker, and a brake handle below the operating handle for operating the braking device which can be rotated in opposite directions when traveling and when parking. The walker described in claim 1, characterized in that the upper part of the rear frame is connected to the front frame to form a human shape when viewed from the side, and the rear wheels supported by the lower part are located on the outer side of the front frame in the left-right direction. The walker according to claim 2, characterized in that the rear frame has a rear frame portion extending diagonally downward and a protruding portion protruding rearward and outward from the rear end of the rear frame portion, and the rear wheels supported by the protruding portion are located on the left-right outer side of the front frame and the rear frame portion. The walker according to claim 3, characterized in that the front wheels are positioned approximately on the extension line F of the front frame when the walker moves backward, and the rear wheels are positioned approximately on the extension line B of the rear frame in a side view when the walker moves forward.

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