Indoor walking aid with a rising structure

Abstract

The present invention describes an indoor walking aid having a wheel or a leg at the rear with a parking brake and a clearance between walking handles, characterized in that, when extended to an active position, one or more retractable rise structures are positioned within a defined rise structure volume (VR). When retracted to a retracted position, one or more rise structures are positioned outside a defined walking volume (VW).

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an assistive device for the elderly, persons with disabilities, or people with chronic diseases, and more specifically, to an indoor walking aid equipped with an upward handle in the walking direction. Background Technology

[0002] The number and proportion of people using walking aids are increasing in most parts of the world, and the quality of life for these users depends on various assistive devices. Walking aids are one of the most important, enabling users to maintain independence, perform daily tasks such as shopping, and move according to their own free will.

[0003] As the number of users increases and senior facilities become crowded, local governments, the elderly, and the disabled themselves prefer that users stay at home as much as possible. With the use of wheelchairs or walking aids in mind, inventors have developed a lightweight, four-wheeled indoor walking aid that can be used in a standard home without furniture.

[0004] One of the problems is getting up from a chair. People with reduced muscle strength or balance may have difficulty standing up from a seated position. Often, the elderly have a single chair that they use most of the time, as it is a chair that allows them to stand up. Additionally, it can be difficult to stand up from a chair without a seat or armrests.

[0005] Using a chair's armrests in conjunction with the walking handles of a gaiter is an approach proposed by ergotherapists / physical therapists. This allows one hand to be placed on the armrest (close to the body for good force transfer), while the balancing hand is positioned in front of the user's center of gravity (COG). As the user stands up, the COG shifts toward the gaiter. During ascent, the COG terminates between the two supports, which is optimal for balance.

[0006] For a walking aid to function well in a typical home, it must be small, compact, and lightweight. This is somewhat inconsistent with stability requirements. Due to stability requirements for this type of product, the lifting handle must be positioned at a certain distance from the side of the product. This results in the space between the two handles becoming relatively narrow, making walking difficult. The present invention solves this problem to some extent.

[0007] Literature 2012 / 042918 A1 discloses a cane or crutch having a folding structure. The support of the stick is not sufficient to support the user in standing up from a seated position. Literature WO 2018 / 014139 A1 discloses a wheelchair with handles that allow the user to stand up from the wheelchair itself, but this document does not mention any assistive devices related to standing up from other seats. Literature EP 2853249 A1 discloses a solution that can help the user stand up from a seated position by folding an additional set of legs with handles. The handles (21) are aligned with the handles of the walking aid and add significant weight and unwanted parts to the walking aid.

[0008] The present invention describes an indoor walking aid having wheels or legs at the rear with a parking brake at the rear and a clearance between the walking handles. One or more loadable lifting structures are positioned within a lifting handle volume (VR) defined as follows when extended to an active position:

[0009] Higher than 45cm from the floor,

[0010] Lower than 75cm from the floor,

[0011] The front of vertical plane A extending from the center of the rear leg / wheel of the walking aid,

[0012] The rear of vertical plane B extending from the center of the two walking handles, and

[0013] The interior of vertical planes C and D, located 3 cm away from the interior of the vertical plane extending from the center of both rear legs / wheels and the front wheel, and

[0014] The rising structure is located outside the walking volume (VW) when stored in a contracted position and is defined as follows:

[0015] The rear of vertical plane B extending from the center of the two walking handles,

[0016] The interior of vertical planes C and D, located 3 cm away from the interior of the vertical plane extending from the center of both rear legs / wheels and the front wheel. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0017] For a better understanding of the present invention, some drawings illustrating some embodiments of the invention have been prepared. In these drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same features in other drawings. Figures 1a and 1b illustrate a walking aid with a rising handle retracted and extended, respectively. Figure 2 illustrates two embodiments of a gripping structure located at the outer end of a rising handle. FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a telescopic structure and a click-in system. FIG. 4 illustrates the use of a walking aid according to the invention described above. FIG. 5 illustrates the use of a walking aid according to the present invention from the side. Figures 6a and 6b show the rising handle volume and walking volume. Figures 7a and 7b show the rising bar of the active and storage positions. Figures 8a and 8b show a rising bar mounted on a telescopic structure. Figures 9a and 9b illustrate the foldable handles of the active and storage positions. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0018] In this specification, the front and rear are defined according to the general walking direction of the walking aid (1), and it is assumed that the walking aid is standing upright when speaking of height.

[0019] The present invention is an indoor walking aid (1) having one or more loadable lifting structures (6) as illustrated in the drawings. Generally, indoor walking aids have four wheels as can be seen in FIGS. 1a and b, but other embodiments are possible. Three wheels with one wheel at the front are common, and in the United States, an embodiment with legs instead of wheels at the rear is popular. The legged version improves stability and reduces costs, but reduces speed and increases the energy required to move. In the four-wheel / legged scenario, the walking aid has two sides (4a and 4b), each having a rear wheel (2) or a leg and a front wheel (3). In the three-wheeled version, the two sides share the same front wheel. In the four-wheeled version, the two sides are connected by a bridging structure (5) for the purpose of keeping the walking aid rigid and sturdy.

[0020] Since the walking aid (1) is intended for use in a general household, the width of the walking aid is smaller than that of a standard walking aid, and if the lifting structure (6) of the walking aid must be maintained within the stability requirements specified in ISO 11199-2, the lifting structure must be mounted at a certain distance from the side, more precisely, from a vertical plane rising from the straight line between the front wheel (3) and the rear wheel (2) toward the center of the walking aid. As a result, the lifting structure must be positioned to obstruct walking. Thus, the lifting structure has an active extended position for the lifting situation and a retracted passive position for walking. Clearly, the lifting structure can be useful for wider walking aids as well, but if the walking aid is wider, the fixed lifting handle does not obstruct walking to the same extent.

[0021] Through experiments and tests, we found that when expanded, one or more loadable rising structures (6) must be located within a volume defined as follows (see FIG. 6b):

[0022] Higher than 45cm from the floor.

[0023] Lower than 75cm from the floor.

[0024] * The front of vertical plane A (Fig. 6) extending from the center of the rear leg / wheel of the walking aid.

[0025] * The rear of the vertical plane B passing through the center of the walking handle (11).

[0026] The interior of vertical planes C and D, located 3 cm away from the center of the hind leg / wheel and the center of the front wheel on both sides of the walking aid.

[0027] We raise this volume to a structural volume (V RIt is called ). The rising structure (6) must be stored in a position where one can walk without obstruction. Fig. 6a shows the loading position and Fig. 6b shows the active position. The position of the rising structure (6) is significantly independent of the user's size because the user's initial position is sitting in a chair.

[0028] In one embodiment, the volume of the rise structure is further limited to more than 55 cm from the bottom and less than 70 cm from the bottom, more preferably more than 60 cm from the bottom and less than 65 cm from the bottom.

[0029] To define possible loading positions for the rising structure, we [describe] the walking volume (V W It defines the walking volume (V), which is the volume that must be available for the user to achieve unhindered walking (see Figs. 6a and 7b). W ) is defined as follows:

[0030] * The rear of the vertical plane B extending from the center of the two walking handles (11).

[0031] The interior of vertical planes C and D, corresponding to 3 cm within the vertical plane extending from the center of the rear legs / wheels and the front wheels on both sides of the walking aid.

[0032] The height limit for walking volume is clearly the total height of the walking aid.

[0033] In one embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 7a and b, the rising structure (6) is a foldable rising bar (13) that extends horizontally to the left and right within the rising structure volume (VR) as illustrated in FIGS. 7a and b. Preferably, the rising bar (13) is connected to a folding arm (15) on each side that is rotatably connected to the frame. The bar is folded upward in the stored position and folded downward to be secured to the frame via a blocking device (17). It is also conceivable to mount the rising bar (13) on two retractable arms as shown in FIGS. 8a and b.

[0034] In another embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1a and 1b, the rising structure (6) is a rising handle (16) that can be stored on each side of the mentioned volume. The rising handle can be moved between two positions via a telescopic structure (7). As can be seen in FIGS. 9a and 9b, using a kind of foldable arrangement is also conceivable, but such an arrangement is much more bulky and is not considered optimal for a lightweight indoor walking aid. The outer end of the rising handle is provided with a grip structure in the form of a notch or a grip ring, as in FIG. 2, to allow the user to extend the rising handle to an active extended position.

[0035] In a preferred embodiment, the telescopic structure (7) of the lifting handle (16) is provided with a click-in mechanism that holds the lifting handle in the retracted and extended position. A well-known click-in mechanism is a spring tension ball that partially fits into a hole slightly smaller than a ball, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0036] The rising structure should be positioned at the same height or directly below the general armrests of the chair. Generally, it is positioned at a height of 40 to 70 cm from the floor, and a height of 55 to 65 cm from the floor is more preferable. Typically, lightweight indoor walking aids have a crossbar (12) between the walking handles, as can be seen in FIG. 1. It can be seen that the vertical plane passing through the center of the grip area of ​​the rising structure (6) or the rising handle (16) should be 8 cm behind the vertical plane passing through the crossbar (12). There should be no structure of any kind in the space between the walking handles (11). This is necessary because when using the rising handle to stand up, the user leans forward to maintain their center of gravity over their feet, and their shoulders, chest, and head could easily hit any structure located between the walking handles.

[0037] For the lifting mechanism to function properly, at least the rear wheel (3) of the walking aid must be locked when using the lifting handle. This can be achieved using a parking brake system, or the walking aid may have a reverse brake system. That is, it means that the brake is always on unless the bar or handle is fixed in a specific position. In this text, the reverse system is considered a type of parking brake.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 4, by positioning the walking aid at an angle relative to a chair, the user can receive support from the lifting handle with one hand and the walking handle (11) with the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5. In this way, the walking aid can provide support in a manner similar to a chair with armrests. This allows some users to continue using chairs, sofas, and bathrooms even if there are no armrests in their homes. Some small users within the range for which the product is designed may place both hands on the lifting handle to reach a standing position if desired. For users with less strength than described above, therapists recommend placing both hands on the chair armrests. Using two lifting handles is considered an alternative when there are no armrests. Explanation of the symbols

[0039] 1: Walking aid 2: Front wheel 3: Rear wheel 4a, b: Side of walking aid 5: Bridging Structure 6: Ascending Structure 7: Telescopic structure 8a: Griping Ring 8b: Griping Notch 9: Spring 10: Ball 11: Walking handle 12: Crossbar 13: Rising bar 15: Foldable arm 16: Rising Handle 17: Blocking device

Claims

Claim 1 As a walking aid (1) having a space between walking handles (11) and a wheel (3) with a rear parking brake or a rear leg, one or more loadable lifting structures (6) are lifted structure volumes (V) defined as follows when extended to an active position. R It is placed within: 45 cm higher than the floor, 75 cm lower than the floor, in front of vertical plane A extending from the center of the rear leg / wheel of the walking aid (1), in the rear of vertical plane B extending from the center of the two walking handles (11), in the interior of vertical planes C and D 3 cm away from the interior of the vertical plane extending from the center of both rear legs / wheels (3) and front wheels (2), and when the one or more loadable lifting structures (6) are stored in a retracted position, the walking volume (V) W A walking aid characterized by being located outside and defined as follows: the rear of the vertical plane B extending from the center of the two walking handles (11), and the interior of vertical planes C and D located 3 cm away from the interior of the vertical plane extending from the center of both rear legs / wheels (3) and the front wheels (2). Claim 2 In paragraph 1, the one or more loadable rising structures (6) are the rising structure volume (V R A walking aid, which is a rising handle (16) pointing backward from each side of ). Claim 3 In paragraph 2, each rising handle is extended by a telescopic structure (7), a walking aid. Claim 4 In paragraph 3, the above-mentioned upward handle (16) has a grip structure (8) for holding the handle to extend the above-mentioned telescopic structure (7), a walking aid. Claim 5 In paragraph 2, the above-mentioned rising handle (16) is a foldable walking aid. Claim 6 In claim 1, the walking aid is a four-wheeled walking aid (1) comprising a frame having two walking aid sides (4a and b) each having a rear wheel (3) and a front wheel (2). Claim 7 A walking aid according to claim 2 or 5, wherein the rising handle (16) is mounted on a bridging structure (5) that secures the two walking aid sides (4a, 4b) together. Claim 8 In paragraph 1, the one or more loadable rising structures (6) are the rising structure volume (V R A walking aid, which is an upward bar (13) that extends left and right within ). Claim 9 In paragraph 8, the above-mentioned rising bar (13) is attached to the folding arm (15) on each side, a walking aid. Claim 10 A walking aid according to claim 1, wherein the raised structural volume is further limited to more than 55 cm from the floor and less than 70 cm from the floor.

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