Therapeutic Walking Trainer with Elastic Support and Drivable Rollers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing therapeutic walking trainers are not stable and accessible, requiring extensive setup time and prior walking ability, making it difficult for individuals with limited mobility to relearn walking effectively.
Innovation Solution
A therapeutic walking trainer with elastic support rods, drivable rollers, a U-shaped lower bracket, and additional safety features like armrests and a belt system, which provides stability and support, allowing for effective gait training and easy access, combined with a motor-free treadmill for space-saving training.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a complex holding device without torso is used, then the pendulum movement of the body is not restricted, but it takes a very long time to fix the person to be treated
Solution Approach 1:
The holding device is divided into separate functional components: upper bar with armrests for upper body support, lower bracket with rollers for lower body movement, and elastic support rods connecting them. This segmentation allows for quicker assembly and adjustment while maintaining body movement freedom.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic support rods provide dynamic adaptation to the user's movements, automatically adjusting to maintain stability without requiring complex fixed structures. This reduces the complexity of the holding device while preserving natural body pendulum movement.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a traditional walking trainer is used, then stability is provided, but the person to be treated must have already re-learned a little of their ability to walk
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic support rods can be adjusted in terms of their elastic properties and length, allowing the trainer to adapt to users with varying levels of walking ability. This parameter adjustment provides both stability for security and accessibility for beginners who have not yet relearned walking skills.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic support rods act as intermediaries between the upper and lower brackets, providing a flexible connection that adapts to the user's movement capabilities. This intermediary element allows the trainer to be stable while accommodating users with limited prior walking relearning.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the number of rollers is increased to at least four, then the gait trainer is prevented from tipping over, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The roller arrangement uses an asymmetric configuration where at least one roller is drivable while others are passive. This asymmetric design provides enhanced anti-tipping stability through the drivable roller's active control capability while keeping the overall structure simpler than a fully active multi-roller system.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the lower bracket is made heavier to reduce the overall center of gravity, then stability is improved, but the ease of moving and positioning the trainer decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The drivable rollers provide an active counterbalance mechanism that compensates for the heavier lower bracket. By actively controlling the roller positions and movements, the system maintains stability despite the increased weight of the lower bracket, while still allowing for repositioning when needed.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures stable and accessible gait training, preventing tipping and providing pelvic stabilization, allowing effective relearning of walking skills without prior ability, and enabling training in a compact, stationary setup.
Implementation Method 1
two support rods (4) are provided with an elastic lower part (20)... the elastic base protects the person exercising from bumps caused by uneven ground
Implementation Method 2
the person to be treated being prevented by the drivable rollers from following the movement of the gait trainer
Data Source
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AI summary
A therapeutic walking trainer for improving the ability to walk, in particular for re-learning the ability to walk, with an upper frame, which has a torso-free body holder and provides forward support, and with a lower frame, which is connected to the upper frame by means of at least one supporting bar and has a number of rollers. To compensate for a torque acting on the vertical axis, the rollers are at least four in number, with at least one of the rollers, preferably exactly two of the rollers, being formed as drivable rollers. In addition, the invention relates to a combination of a therapeutic walking trainer with a motor-free treadmill, and the at least one supporting bar is connected to the lower frame via an elastic lower part.