Multifunctional automatic walking aid vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a multifunctional automatic walking aid vehicle comprising: a main body composed of a pair of horizontal frames which have a moving means composed of a front wheel and a rear wheel and which are arranged in parallel in a state of being spaced apart from each other, and a pair of vertical frames extending vertically upward from an upper portion of one side of the horizontal frames; a seating part comprising a chair that rotates horizontally about the pair of vertical frames and is coupled to and separated from the pair of vertical frames for a user to sit on; and an arm support part provided at the upper end of the pair of vertical frames together with a handle, wherein a cylindrical slider on a surface of the vertical frames is configured to be lifted and lowered along the vertical frames or to be rotated left and right about the vertical frames by an electric cylinder device provided at a lower portion of the cylindrical slider in a state of being connected to left and right side brackets.

Description

Multifunctional automatic walking car

[0001] The present invention relates to a multifunctional walker for assisting movement in a standing or sitting state, as well as toileting and bathing, of patients with difficulty in moving, the elderly, or the disabled, and more particularly, to a multifunctional automatic walker configured to be able to acquire biometric information including weight and to be operated by the user himself or herself without the assistance of a caregiver as well as with the assistance of a caregiver.

[0002] In a general sense, a walker refers to a medical device configured to support a user, such as a patient, the elderly, or a disabled person, and enable the user to walk. The structure of a typical walker includes a body that is open toward the rear to accommodate the user's body, a caster that is mounted on the lower part of the body and rolls while supporting the walker, an armrest that is fixed to the upper part of the body and configured to allow the user to place their arms, and a braking unit that functions as a brake for the caster.

[0003] However, since these walkers have a standing structure that requires the user to push their body with their own strength while standing, it is quite difficult for a person with mobility impairment who has difficulty standing to use the walkers with the above-mentioned standing structure.

[0004] In addition, users of standing walkers may also need a sitting structure instead of a standing structure depending on their mobility environment, so in this case, the economic burden may increase due to the need to have both standing walkers and sitting walkers.

[0005] Meanwhile, as an example of a conventional walking vehicle, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2033055 discloses a wheelchair equipped with a toilet as a device to assist in the movement and defecation of patients with mobility difficulties, the elderly, and other people with mobility difficulties.

[0006] These wheelchairs equipped with toilets were developed with the understanding that people with mobility impairments often experience difficulties in even simple daily tasks such as using the toilet on their own, and that even with the help of a caregiver, it may be difficult for the caregiver to support the weight of an adult patient.

[0007] However, the above patent only discloses a configuration for assisting a person with mobility difficulties to defecate while sitting in a wheelchair, and does not describe the process or configuration for seating a person with mobility difficulties in a wheelchair equipped with a toilet, nor does it describe a configuration for enabling movement and walking while standing.

[0008] Typically, patients with mobility difficulties, the elderly, and others rely on a guardian or caregiver for mobility assistance or use a walker like the present invention to navigate and perform daily tasks. However, most existing walkers are fixed in either a standing or sitting configuration, making them difficult to adapt to their intended use. Furthermore, they are difficult to board and disembark, and are unsuitable for assisting with activities like bowel movements or bathing. Furthermore, they lack functionality that allows for measuring or managing the user's biometric information while seated in the walker, as described in the present invention.

[0009] Accordingly, the present invention was developed to solve the above problems, and the purpose is to provide a multi-functional automatic walker that can be easily operated by the user without the help of a caregiver, and has an electric raising and lowering device that can change the structure to a standing or sitting position with a simple operation to assist in the movement of patients with difficulty in moving, the elderly, or the disabled in a standing or sitting state, and in defecation and bathing, and has a function to acquire biometric information including the user's weight.

[0010] According to one form of the present invention for achieving the above purpose, a walking vehicle comprising a main body having a moving means including front wheels and rear wheels, a pair of horizontal frames arranged in parallel and spaced apart from each other, and a pair of vertical frames extending vertically upward from an upper portion of one side of each of the horizontal frames; a seating portion including a chair that rotates horizontally about the pair of vertical frames and is coupled and separated for a user to sit on; and an armrest portion provided with a handle at the upper end of the pair of vertical frames to assist a user in standing walking.

[0011] The above seating part further includes a defecation opening perforated in the center of the chair to enable a user with limited mobility to defecate while sitting.

[0012] The above chair is divided into two symmetrically left and right seats with the defecation opening as the center, and the left and right side brackets of the left and right seats are connected to cylindrical sliders on the vertical frames so as to be rotatable 90 degrees up and down, and in order to convert the standing structure of the seating section into a sitting structure, the left and right seats are lowered 90 degrees and supported horizontally by a support protruding from the surface of the cylindrical slider, and in addition, in order to convert the sitting structure of the seating section into a standing structure, the left and right seats are raised 90 degrees and vertically inserted between the pair of vertical frames.

[0013] The above cylindrical slider is configured to move up and down along the vertical frame or rotate left and right about the vertical frame as an axis by an electric cylinder device provided at the bottom of the above cylindrical slider while connected to the left and right side brackets of the left and right seats.

[0014] The above electric cylinder device is composed of a drive cylinder that supports the lower part of the cylindrical slider and a power supply unit connected to one side of the drive cylinder.

[0015] The above driving cylinder includes a cylinder arm configured to enable a lifting and rotating motion by driving a built-in motor, and the cylinder arm is set to rotate in the left or right direction or perform an extension motion in the upward or downward direction when power is supplied to the driving cylinder by operation of a remote controller.

[0016] A multi-functional automatic walking vehicle is provided, characterized in that the cylinder arm rotates each cylinder slider so that the left and right seats open in an open direction and close in a closed direction, and the cylinder slider can be raised and lowered to adjust the height of the chair, and the upper end of the cylinder arm is connected to the lower end of a stand protruding from the surface of the cylinder slider.

[0017] According to the present invention, a multi-functional automatic walking cart is provided, wherein the power supply unit includes a power connection unit and a rechargeable battery, and the remote controller is set to drive the cylinder arm in an upward or downward direction to adjust the height of the chair in 1 to 4 stages.

[0018] According to the present invention, a multifunctional automatic walking vehicle is provided, wherein the chair is configured to have a plurality of weight sensors built in at least 2 to 4 points on each of the left and right seats, and the weight sensors are embedded at regular intervals between the seat top molding portions of the left and right seats and the seat bottom frame integrally connected to the left and right side brackets, and two weight sensors are embedded on each side between the seat top molding portions and the seat bottom frame, and a signal transmission contact terminal is arranged at the front end of the left and right seats to electrically connect each weight sensor and a control unit to transmit data, so that when a user sits on the chair, the weight values ​​detected by the weight sensors at each point are distributed and added up in the control unit, thereby calculating the user's exact weight.

[0019] From the above-described features, the multi-functional automatic walker of the present invention can be easily converted into a standing or sitting configuration with a simple operation, thereby more easily assisting patients with mobility difficulties, the elderly, or the disabled with activities such as standing or sitting movement, defecation, and bathing. Furthermore, the present invention has the advantage of being able to easily operate the walker by the user without the assistance of a caregiver, along with the function of acquiring biometric information, including the user's weight.

[0020] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the basic form of a walking vehicle according to the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 is a side view showing the seating structure of the walking vehicle according to the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 is a side view showing the standing structure of a walking vehicle according to the present invention.

[0023] Figure 4 is a side view showing the height adjustment structure of the walking vehicle according to the present invention.

[0024] Figures 5a and 5b are drawings showing the state and process for a user to get on and off the sitting structure of the walking vehicle of Figure 1.

[0025] Fig. 6 is a drawing showing the riding movement state in the sitting structure of the walking vehicle of Fig. 1.

[0026] Fig. 7 is a drawing showing the walking movement state in the standing structure of the walking vehicle of Fig. 1.

[0027] Fig. 8 is a side view showing another embodiment of a walking vehicle according to the present invention;

[0028] Fig. 9 is an enlarged drawing showing the configuration of the main part operated by the remote controller in the walking car of Fig. 8.

[0029] FIG. 10 is a drawing showing the configuration of a chair as another embodiment of a walking vehicle according to the present invention and data display through a weight sensor installed on the chair.

[0030] Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. In describing the present invention, illustrations and descriptions thereof will be omitted except for essential parts. Throughout the specification, identical or similar elements will be assigned the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will not be repeated.

[0031] FIG. 1 shows the basic form of a walking vehicle according to the present invention, and FIGS. 2 to 4 illustrate a sitting structure and a standing structure of a walking vehicle according to the present invention. The walking vehicle comprises a main body (100) having a moving means including a front wheel (111) and a rear wheel (112), a pair of horizontal frames (110) arranged in parallel and spaced apart from each other, and a pair of vertical frames (120) extending vertically upward from the upper part of one side of each horizontal frame, a seating part (200) including a chair (220) for a user to sit on, and an armrest part (300) provided with a handle (310) on the upper part of the pair of vertical frames (120) to assist the user in standing walking.

[0032] In this embodiment, the walker can be configured to be converted into a sitting structure for a user to sit in and a standing structure for a user to walk while standing, as described below.

[0033] In the main body (100), a pair of vertical frames (120) may be used as handles for the safety of movement when the user is seated on the seating portion (200) when the walker is used in a sitting structure. It is preferable that the length of the pair of vertical frames (120) be designed to have an abdominal height based on the average height of an adult, considering that the walker is used in a standing structure. In particular, considering that there may be height differences by gender, race, or individual users, these vertical frames (120) may be configured to have a multi-stage length adjustment function for changing the height from the basic design length above (see FIG. 4).

[0034] Meanwhile, the front wheel (111) and the rear wheel (112) may be a steering wheel formed by a caster that allows one of them to rotate freely, and in this case, the other may be a brake wheel that limits rotational movement.

[0035] The armrest (300) may include a structure in which a support plate (320) is detachably mounted on the upper portion so that the user can support the elbow to support the body weight while holding the handle (310) when the walker is used as a standing structure for standing walking.

[0036] This support plate (320) can be used as an arm support plate by being placed on the upper part of the arm support part (300) as shown in FIG. 3 in the standing structure of the walking vehicle, while in the sitting structure of the walking vehicle, it can be used as a foot support plate by being placed on the upper part of a pair of horizontal frames (110) as shown in FIG. 2.

[0037] As mentioned above, the walker of the present invention can be converted into a sitting structure or a standing structure depending on the purpose of use. When the walker is used in a standing structure, the seating portion (200) can be maintained in a folded state on the side of the vertical frame (120) of the main body (100), and when used in a sitting structure, it can be converted so that a user can sit by unfolding horizontally at 90 degrees from the vertical frame (120) of the main body (100). Therefore, the walker of the present invention can increase space utilization during storage without hindering passage by converting from a sitting structure to a standing structure.

[0038] According to this embodiment, the seating portion (200) may further include a defecation opening (210) perforated in the center of the chair (220) to enable a user with limited mobility to defecate while sitting.

[0039] The chair (220) has a shape that is divided into two symmetrical parts (left and right seats; 221, 222) with the defecation opening (210) as the center. When used in a sitting structure, as shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b, the left and right seats (221) (222) can perform a separation (opening) and combination (closing) operation of opening or closing in the horizontal direction inward and outward by rotating each vertical frame (120) about its axis. Through this, a user with difficulty in moving can easily sit on the chair (220) while sitting on a bed. The left and right seats (221) (222) of the chair (220) can be fastened by a fixing clamp (224) provided on the rear of the seat backrest (223).

[0040] In addition, the chair (220) is connected so that the left and right side brackets (230) (240) of the left and right seats (221) (222) can be rotated 90 degrees up and down to the cylindrical slider (130) on the vertical frame (120), so that the left and right seats (221) (222) can be lowered 90 degrees and supported horizontally by the support (131) protruding from the surface of the cylindrical slider (130) to convert the seating structure (200) from the standing structure to the sitting structure, and also, in order to convert the seating structure (200) from the sitting structure to the standing structure, the left and right seats (221) (222) can be raised 90 degrees and vertically inserted between a pair of vertical frames (120).

[0041] The cylindrical slider (130) provided on the surface of the vertical frame (120) is installed to be rotatable in the circumferential direction with the vertical frame (120) as an axis so that the left and right seats (221) (222) of the chair (220) can be rotated in the opening (opening) direction to separate from each other and then rotated again in the closing (collecting) direction to connect to each other.

[0042] In addition, the cylindrical slider (130) can be configured to move up and down along the surface of the vertical frame (120) so as to adjust the height of the chair (220) according to the user's sitting height or other physical conditions, and can be configured to selectively engage with a number of height adjustment holes on the vertical frame (120) as illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0043] However, this chair height adjustment structure is only one of many possible embodiments of the present invention, and the walking vehicle of the present invention is not limited to this structure, and it is natural that other suitable forms among various known height adjustment means can be selected and applied.

[0044] For example, the cylindrical slider (130) can be configured to electrically move up and down along the vertical frame (120) or rotate left and right about the vertical frame (120) while connected to the left and right side brackets (230) and (240) of the left and right seats (221) and (222).

[0045] This type of electric drive can be performed through remote controller operation, and the operating configuration of the walking car for this purpose can be described as follows.

[0046] FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment of a walking vehicle according to the present invention, and FIG. 9 shows an enlarged view of the main components of the walking vehicle of FIG. 8 operated by a remote controller.

[0047] According to this embodiment, the operation of rotating the cylindrical slider (130) to open the left and right seats (221) (222) of the chair (220) and to close them, and the operation of raising and lowering the cylindrical slider (130) to adjust the height of the chair (220) can be performed by an electric cylinder device (400) provided at the lower portion of the cylindrical slider (130).

[0048] The electric cylinder device (400) may be composed of a driving cylinder (410) that supports the lower part of a cylindrical slider (130) and a power supply unit (420) connected to one side of the driving cylinder, and the driving of the electric cylinder device (400) may be controlled using a remote controller (500).

[0049] Here, the power supply unit (420) may include a power connection unit and a rechargeable battery. The drive cylinder (410) includes a cylinder arm (411) configured to enable an upward and downward movement and a rotational movement by driving a built-in motor (not shown), and the cylinder arm (411) is set to rotate in the left or right direction or perform an upward or downward expansion movement when power is supplied to the drive cylinder (410) by operation of the remote controller (500).

[0050] In addition, it is preferable that the cylinder arm (411) be connected to the lower end of the stand (131) of the cylinder slider (130) so that the left and right seats (221) (222) can be opened and closed, respectively, and the cylinder slider (130) can be raised and lowered to adjust the height of the chair (220).

[0051] With this configuration, the electric cylinder device (400) operates the drive cylinder (410) when power is supplied from the power supply unit (420) by the operation of the remote controller (500), thereby allowing the user to adjust the height of the chair (220) of the seating unit (200) to suit the user, and also, by operating the drive cylinder (410) by the operation of the remote controller (500), the cylinder arm (411) is rotated to the left or right, thereby causing the cylindrical slider (130) to rotate to the left or right, thereby automatically performing the operation of opening the left and right seats (221) (222) of the chair (220) in the opening direction and closing them in the closing direction.

[0052] Meanwhile, the remote controller (500) can be set to drive the cylinder arm (411) in an upward or downward direction to adjust the height of the chair in multiple stages, for example, 1 to 4 stages.

[0053] The following describes a method of using the walking vehicle of the present invention from the above-described configuration.

[0054] First, in order to have a user with difficulty moving ride on the walker of the present invention, as illustrated in FIG. 5, a caregiver raises the user and makes him sit on the bed, then operates the remote controller (500) that drives the electric cylinder device (400) to raise and lower the cylinder arm (411) of the drive cylinder (410) so as to align the height and level of the left and right seats (221) (222) of the chair (220), and then opens the left and right seats (221) (222) by rotating them in the left and right opening directions. Then, the walker is moved so that the lower horizontal frame (110) is pushed under the bed so that the vertical frame (120) of the main body touches the side of the bed.

[0055] Afterwards, the caregiver rotates the left and right seats (221)(222) in the closed direction to gather them under the user's buttocks, and after confirming that the user is safely seated, fastens the fixing clamp (224) on the back of the chair backrest. In this state, the caregiver pushes the walker to drive around the room or moves it over the toilet so that the user can comfortably relieve himself or herself on the toilet while sitting on the walker.

[0056] Next, in order to get the user off the walker, the process can be performed in the reverse order of the boarding process. First, the remote controller (500) that drives the electric cylinder device (400) is operated to push the chair (220) to the height of the position to be dismounted, then the fixing clamp (224) on the rear of the chair backrest is released, the left and right seats (221)(222) are opened by rotating them in the left and right directions, and then the user is seated on the floor at the position to be dismounted. For example, in case of getting off again on the bed, the walker can be pushed so that the bed fits into the space between the chair (220) and the horizontal frame (110), and then the left and right seats (221)(222) are opened by rotating them in the left and right directions, and then the user can be seated on the bed.

[0057] Meanwhile, the walker of the present invention can adjust the height of the chair (220) by operating the cylindrical slider (130) using a remote controller (500) that drives the electric cylinder device (400). For example, when moving to a high-structured bed, the chair (220) can be raised as much as possible, and when using a toilet with a sitting structure, the height can be lowered to match the height of the toilet seat, etc., so that it can be used according to the height of the facility being used.

[0058] In particular, when a user wants to practice walking or exercise by using a walker, the caregiver can rotate the left and right seats (221) (222) of the chair (220) by 90 degrees, fold them between a pair of vertical frames (120), and then hold the handle (310) while placing the elbows on the armrests (320) and practice walking.

[0059]

[0060] FIG. 10 illustrates the structure of a chair as another embodiment of a walking vehicle according to the present invention. In addition to the above-described configuration, the walking vehicle of the present invention may further include a configuration that provides a function of measuring the weight of a user when riding and obtaining biometric information through the same.

[0061] The walking device of the present invention having such a configuration can have multiple weight sensors (225) built in at least 2 to 4 points on the left and right seats (221) (222) to measure the weight of a user with mobility difficulties. The weight sensors (225) arranged in this manner are distributed to each point when the user sits on the chair (220), and the weight values ​​detected are added up in a control unit (not shown), thereby calculating the user's exact weight.

[0062] In order to measure weight in this way, the left and right seats (221) (222) are rotated in a closed direction to gather them under the user's buttocks, and the measurement is made while the user is fully seated and the fixing clamp (224) on the back of the chair backrest (223) is fastened. In order to measure accurately, it is important to ensure that no part of the user's body leans against or comes into contact with other parts of the walker.

[0063] Meanwhile, it may be desirable that the weight sensors (225) be embedded at regular intervals between the seat top molding parts (221a)(222a) of the left and right seats (221)(222) and the seat bottom frames (221b)(222b) that are integrally connected to the left and right side brackets (230)(240). Preferably, two weight sensors (225) are embedded between the seat top molding parts (221a)(222a) and the seat bottom frames (221b)(222b) of the left and right seats (221)(222), and a signal transmission contact terminal (226) that electrically connects each weight sensor (225) to the control unit and transmits data is arranged at the front of the seat.

[0064] The user's weight measurement signal transmitted from the weight sensor (225) to the control unit (not shown) through the signal transmission contact terminal (226) is transmitted via short-range wireless communication, and can be displayed on a smartphone or PDA by linking with a dedicated application or using the Bluetooth function, and can also be configured and managed so that preset biometric information can be confirmed in conjunction with the weight value.

[0065] For example, the weight sensor (225) can be used to obtain various bio-information such as body fat, bone density, muscle mass, body water content, and basal metabolic rate using the user's weight value when sitting, and the user's bio-information data can be managed through a display by analyzing this information.

[0066] In this way, the present invention is manufactured as a device that helps reduce the burden of caregivers' labor and promote the health of users by having a spatial movement function that moves the user to a toilet, bathroom, examination room, etc., an electric height adjustment function of the chair using an electric cylinder to facilitate sitting and leaving according to the height of the device used, and a function to acquire at least six or more types of biometric information such as body fat, moisture content, bone density, etc. including body weight when sitting on the chair.

[0067] While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the contents described so far are merely illustrative of some of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not limited by the above-described contents, except as may be indicated in the claims attached below. Accordingly, the present invention should be understood by those skilled in the art that many changes, modifications, and substitutions of equivalents can be made within the scope of the claims below without departing from the technical spirit and gist of the invention.

Claims

1. A main body comprising a pair of horizontal frames arranged in parallel and spaced apart from each other, having a means of transportation consisting of front and rear wheels, and a pair of vertical frames extending vertically upward from the upper part of one side of each horizontal frame; A seating unit including a chair that rotates horizontally around the pair of vertical frames and is coupled and separated for the user to sit on; and In order to assist the user in standing and walking, an armrest is provided at the top of the pair of vertical frames together with a handle, The above seating part further includes a defecation opening perforated in the center of the chair to enable a user with limited mobility to defecate while sitting. The above chair is divided into two symmetrical left and right seats with the defecation opening as the center, and the left and right side brackets of the left and right seats are connected to cylindrical sliders on each vertical frame so that they can rotate 90 degrees up and down. The left and right seats are configured to be lowered 90 degrees downward and supported horizontally by a support protruding from the surface of the cylindrical slider to convert from a standing structure of the seating section to a sitting structure, and to be raised 90 degrees upward and vertically inserted between the pair of vertical frames to convert from a sitting structure of the seating section to a standing structure. A multi-functional automatic walking vehicle characterized in that the cylindrical slider is configured to move up and down along the vertical frame or rotate left and right about the vertical frame as an axis by means of an electric cylinder device provided at the lower portion of the cylindrical slider while connected to the left and right side brackets of the left and right seats.

2. In paragraph 1, A multi-functional automatic walking vehicle characterized in that the above electric cylinder device comprises a drive cylinder that supports the lower portion of the cylindrical slider and a power supply unit connected to one side of the drive cylinder, the drive cylinder includes a cylinder arm configured to enable an upward and downward motion and a rotational motion by driving a built-in motor, and the cylinder arm is set to rotate in the left or right direction or perform an upward or downward extension motion when power is supplied to the drive cylinder by operation of a remote controller.

3. In paragraph 2, A multi-functional automatic walking vehicle characterized in that the cylinder arm rotates each cylinder slider so that the left and right seats open in an open direction and close in a closed direction, and the cylinder slider can be raised and lowered to adjust the height of the chair, and the upper end of the cylinder arm is connected to the lower end of a stand protruding from the surface of the cylinder slider.

4. In paragraph 2, A multi-functional automatic walking vehicle characterized in that the power supply unit includes a power connection unit and a rechargeable battery, and the remote controller is set to drive the cylinder arm in an upward or downward direction to adjust the height of the chair in at least 1 to 4 steps.

5. In paragraph 1, The above chair is a multi-functional automatic walking vehicle having a configuration in which a plurality of weight sensors are built in at least 2 to 4 points on each of the left and right seats, and the weight sensors are embedded at regular intervals between the seat top moldings of the left and right seats and the seat bottom frames that are integrally connected to the left and right side brackets, and two weight sensors are embedded on each side between the seat top moldings and the seat bottom frames, and a signal transmission contact terminal that electrically connects each weight sensor to a control unit and transmits data is arranged at the front ends of the left and right seats, so that when a user sits on the chair, the weight values ​​detected by the weight sensors at each point are distributed and added up in the control unit to calculate the user's exact weight.

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