Walking Assistance Device Wire Guide Anchoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing walking assistance devices, such as those described in Japanese Patent No. 6889187 B, face difficulties in adjusting the assisting force for swinging the thigh forward, making it challenging to customize the support effectively.
Innovation Solution
A walking assistance device featuring a waist attachment portion, a knee attachment portion, and a stretchable wire that connects the two, with a wire guide along the waist and anchoring portions, allowing for adjustable tension through anchoring points, facilitating easy adjustment of the assisting force.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a flexible strap connects waist belt and thigh brace, then the device can assist thigh swinging motion, but it is difficult to adjust the assisting force
Solution Approach 1:
The wire guide includes multiple anchoring portions positioned at different locations, allowing the wire to be selectively anchored at different points. This dynamic reconfigurability enables adjustment of the assisting force without changing the overall device structure, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the anchoring point of the wire along the wire guide, the effective length and tension of the wire can be adjusted. This parameter change allows customization of the assisting force magnitude, achieving adaptability while maintaining a simple device configuration.
2Reliability
If the wire extends along the front surface of the thigh, then it can assist thigh swinging motion effectively, but the device may be conspicuous
Solution Approach 1:
The wire guide extends along the outer periphery of the waist, utilizing the vertical and lateral dimensions of the waist area. This spatial arrangement allows the wire to route along the front surface of the thigh for effective assistance while keeping the wire guide structure distributed around the waist, reducing visual concentration and making the device less conspicuous.
3Ease of operation
If the wire guide extends along the outer periphery of the waist, then the wire can be routed effectively, but the device may become bulky
Solution Approach 1:
The wire guide is segmented into multiple anchoring portions distributed along the outer periphery of the waist. This segmentation allows the wire to be routed through multiple small attachment points rather than requiring a single large structure, achieving effective wire routing while maintaining a thin and inconspicuous device profile.
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
Enables simple and effective adjustment of the assisting force for thigh swinging motion, enhancing user comfort and customization of support, while maintaining a thin and inconspicuous design.
Implementation Method 1
a stretchable wire that connects the waist attachment portion and the knee attachment portion... in which the walking assistance device assists a motion of swinging the thigh forward by an elastic restoring force of the wire
Data Source
AI summary
The walking assistance device includes: a waist attachment portion attached to a waist; a left knee attachment portion attached to a left knee; and a stretchable left leg wire that connects the waist attachment portion and the left knee attachment portion and that extends along a front surface of a thigh. A motion of swinging the thigh forward is assisted by an elastic restoring force of the left leg wire. The waist attachment portion includes a wire guide extending along an outer periphery of the waist. The left leg wire extends from the left knee attachment portion toward the waist attachment portion, is guided by the wire guide and extends along the wire guide, and is selectively anchored to at least two or more anchoring portions separated from each other in a longitudinal direction of the wire guide.