Walker With Rotatable Foot Platforms For Seated Transitions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional walkers are difficult for individuals to use when transitioning from a sitting to a standing position due to instability, as they tend to tip backward when attempting to pull themselves up by the handle bars.
Innovation Solution
The improved walker design includes rotatable foot platforms and springs that allow the platforms to move between retracted and engaged positions, providing stability and support for users to rise from a sitting to a standing position by distributing the user's weight more evenly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a conventional walker with fixed handle bars is used, then the walker structure is simple, but the walker tips backward when the user attempts to pull themselves up from a sitting position
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the foot platforms rotatable and movable between retracted and lowered positions. This dynamic mechanism allows the walker to adapt its structure during the user's transition from sitting to standing, preventing backward tipping while maintaining structural simplicity through controlled movement rather than complex fixed components.
Solution Approach 2:
The walker is segmented into movable foot platforms that can be positioned independently. Each foot platform is connected to the walker frame through rotatable joints, allowing independent adjustment of each platform's position. This segmentation enables the walker to maintain stability during user transition without requiring a completely complex reconstructed frame.
2Ease of operation
If the walker allows free movement of foot platforms, then the user can easily position feet, but the walker becomes unstable and may tip
Solution Approach 1:
The foot platforms are designed with rotatable connections that allow controlled movement. The platforms can be easily positioned by the user through simple rotational motion, while the dynamic nature of the connection maintains overall walker stability by allowing adaptation to user positioning needs without compromising structural integrity.
3Reliability
If springs are added to urge foot platforms into retracted position, then the walker returns to stable position automatically, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring mechanism provides self-service by automatically urging the foot platforms back into the retracted position after the user has positioned their feet. The springs are pre-loaded to provide the necessary force for automatic return, eliminating the need for manual adjustment or additional actuation mechanisms, thus maintaining reliability while minimizing added complexity.
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 design enhances user safety and ease of use by maintaining stability during the transition, allowing individuals to securely grasp the handle bars and rise without the walker tipping, thus facilitating a more comfortable and efficient transition to standing.
Implementation Method 1
a left spring and a right spring, the left spring being secured to the left support bar and to the left foot platform and adapted to urge the left foot platform into a normally retracted position
Data Source
AI summary
An improved walker is disclosed. The walker may include a left frame spaced apart from a right frame and connected by at least one horizontal connecting member. The lower portion of each of the left and right frames includes a foot platform that is rotatably mounted and moveable between a retracted position and an engaged position, in which the foot platform is in contact with and resting on a floor surface. In use, a person may use the walker to assist the person rising from a sitting position to a standing position so that the person can then proceed to use the walker to assist the person in walking.