Cane and Cylindrical Body

Abstract

Provided is a cane that has a sufficient impact-resistant strength; and is excellent in safety, durability and repairability and also lightweight but has a high stiffness. Such a cane has a shaft (4) and a grip,

the shaft (4) comprising a high-strength-organic-fiber-reinforced-resin layer (31) and a carbon-fiber-reinforced-resin layer (32),

the high-strength-organic-fiber-reinforced-resin layer (31) being integrally laminated onto each of the outside and inside surfaces of the carbon-fiber-reinforced-resin layer (32),

the shaft (4) comprising a glass-fiber-reinforced-resin layer (33a) on the inner side of the innermost high-strength-organic-fiber-reinforced-resin layer (31a),

the shaft (4) comprising a glass-fiber-reinforced-resin layer (33b) on the outer side of the outermost high-strength-organic-fiber-reinforced-resin layer (31b).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates to a cane such as a white cane for the visually disabled. More particularly, the present invention relates to a cane that has a sufficient impact-resistant strength against a force in a direction perpendicular to the axis of its shaft; and is excellent in safety, durability and repairability and also lightweight but has a high stiffness.BACKGROUND ART[0002]A cane is also called a stick or a pole, and used not only by the visually disabled and people with limb disabilities, such as elderly people, but also by healthy people for trekking, light mountain climbing, etc. Such a cane usually has a rod-shaped shaft, a grip which is designed for the user to grasp and formed at the upper end of the shaft, and a ferrule attached to the lower end of the shaft. Conventional canes, although are more or less structurally different from each other, are made of wood, an aluminum alloy, etc. in the most cases.[0003]For example, a so-called white can...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0040]The present invention, which has constitutions and...

Problems solved by technology

For example, a so-called white cane for the visually disabled is usually used with its tip slightly lifted from the ground for a prolonged period, and thus weight saving is desired, but conventional wooden canes are heavy and give a heavy burden to the users.

Furthermore, such wooden canes are unsatisfactory in strength, and may be repeatedly swelled and dried by environmental changes, resulting in undesired warpage of the shaft and detachment of the superficial coating thereof.

Aluminum alloy canes are more lightweight than wooden canes, but still heavy for prolonged use and disadvantageously tend to dent and bend in response to impact.

However, the cane according to Patent Literature 1, although is more lightweight than conventional canes made of wood, an aluminum alloy, etc., is not lightweight enough, particularly to allow the visually disabled etc. to use for a prolonged period, and thus further weight saving is desired.

However, since carbon fibers as inorganic fibers have a low elongation and lack flexibility, the shaft disadvantageously tends to break in response to an impact in a direction transverse to the shaft (flexural impact).

Considering this, the above-mentioned shaft has a sufficient mechanical strength as a golf shaft in striking, but is unsatisfactory as a cane shaft.

This is because a cane using this shaft is given an impact when the use...

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