Ambulatory aid

An ambulatory aid is revealed. The ambulatory aid includes a hollow main rod and a hollow support pole connected with each other, and a cushion unit therebetween. The main rod, the hollow support and the cushion unit all have insertion holes, aligned with each other. By insertion pins inserted into the insertion holes, the main rod, the hollow support and the cushion unit are assembled with each other. The structure of the assembly of the main rod, the hollow support and the cushion unit is more firm and tighter. When the ambulatory aid is pressed by a larger pressure, the assembly will not come loose and move around and the unstable walking stick makes the users fall down due to a loss of support.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an ambulatory aid, especially to an ambulatory aid having a tight and firm structure for preventing instability and providing high safety.

2. Description of Related Art

Refer toFIG. 9, this is a walking stick for old people who have low-level moving activity due to poor physical function or people with wounded legs. The walking stick mainly includes a hollow main rod6and a support pole7. A cushion unit8is arranged between the main rod6and the support pole7. The cushion unit8consists of a sleeve81, an assembly rod82, an elastic body83and a support block84. One end of the assembly rod82is connected to and fixed on the one end of the support pole8and the elastic body83is placed around the assembly rod82while the other end of the assembly rod82disposed with the support block84is mounted into a hollow part of the sleeve81. Due to the support block84, the sleeve81with grooves811around a wall thereof is forced to expand. By the expanded sleeve81assembled into a hollow part of the main rod6, the main rod6, the support pole7and the cushion unit8comprise the walking stick.

However, in the walking stick, the cushion unit8and the main rod6are connected and fixed with each other mainly by friction between the expanded sleeve81and an inner wall of the hollow part of the main rod6. When the users press the walking stick downward with a larger pressure or a ground reaction force is lager than the friction between the sleeve81and the inner wall of the main rod6, the connection between the cushion unit8and the main rod6has come loose, cushion unit8is retracted and the walking stick is getting shorter. The user easily falls down.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an ambulatory aid having a tight and firm structure for preventing looseness and instability at connection sites and providing higher safety.

In order to achieve the above object, an ambulatory aid of the present invention includes a hollow main rod and a hollow support pole sleeved with each other, and a cushion unit disposed between the main rod and the support pole. The main rod, the support pole, and the cushion unit all include insertion holes, corresponding to one other. And insertion pins are inserted into the corresponding insertion holes.

By the insertion pins that fix the cushion unit, the support pole and the main rod, the structure of the assembly of the main rod, the support pole and the cushion unit is more firm. Thus the user will not fall down or lose body control due to movement of the assembly caused by damaged or loose structure when the ambulatory aid is pressed by a larger pressure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Refer fromFIG. 1toFIG. 3, an ambulatory aid according to the present invention includes a main rod1, a support pole2, a cushion unit3and a fixing unit4.

The main rod1is a hollow tube and having a plurality of insertion holes11arranged vertically on two sides thereof. The insertion holes11communicate with a hollow part12of the main rod1. A handle part13is arranged on the top of the main rod1.

The support pole2is a hollow tube, connected with and sleeved in the main rod1. Each of two sides of the support pole2is disposed with an insertion hole21that communicates with a hollow part22of the support pole2. An anti-slip block23is disposed on a bottom of the support pole2.

The cushion unit3is set between the main rod1and the support pole2. The cushion unit3is composed of a hollow sleeve31, an assembly rod32and an elastic body33. The assembly rod32is mounted into a hollow part311of the sleeve31. One end of the assembly rod32for being mounted into the sleeve31is disposed with an insertion hole321and two slots312are respectively arranged at each of two sides of the sleeve31. An insertion pin34is passed through the slots312of the sleeve31and the insertion hole321of the assembly rod32. And two ends of the insertion pin34are inserted and mounted in the insertion holes21on two sides of the support pole2. The other end of the assembly rod32extended from one end of the sleeve31is sleeved into the hollow part22of the support pole2and an against block35is set on this end of the assembly rod32. The elastic body33is placed around the assembly rod32. Two ends of the elastic body33are respectively against the against block35of the assembly rod32and one end of the sleeve31. The other end of the sleeve31arranged with insertion holes313is mounted into the hollow part12of the main rod1. The insertion holes313are corresponding to the insertion holes11of the main rod1.

The fixing unit4includes an insertion pin41, and a C-shaped holding block42. The insertion pin41is passed through the insertion holes11of the main rod1and the insertion holes313of the sleeve31. One end of the insertion pin41(that projects out of the insertion hole11of the main rod1) is connected to the C-shaped holding block42and the C-shaped holding block42includes an open part421that is attached closely to the main rod1.

The elder or people with wounded legs whose legs are unable to support their weight require the ambulatory aid to move around. In use, refer toFIG. 2andFIG. 3, users can adjust the length of the ambulatory aid. During the adjustment of the ambulatory aid, user's hand holds the holding block42of the fixing unit4to pull out the fixing unit4from the insertion holes11of the main rod1and the insertion holes313of the sleeve31of the cushion unit3. Then adjust the relative position of the main rod1to the sleeve31of the cushion unit3connected with the support pole2according to the user's height. After the ambulatory aid being adjusted to the required height, the insertion pin41of the fixing unit4is inserted through the insertion holes11of the main rod1and the insertion holes313of the sleeve31so as to fix the length of the ambulatory aid.

Next a downward pressure is applied to the main rod1when the user holds the handle part13of the main rod1to move the support pole2forward/backward or standing on the ground. Refer toFIG. 4, the sleeve31of the cushion unit3assembled with the main rod1is pressed downward, against the elastic body33. By elastic compression of the elastic body33, an elastic buffer force toward the main rod1is generated and a reaction force on the support pole2against the ground is eliminated so as to achieve vibration mitigation. After reduction of the reaction force, he cushion unit3, the cushion unit3further reduces friction between user's hand and the handle part13. Thus the users' hand will not have uncomfortable feelings caused by vibration after long term use. Users have more comfort and ease. Moreover, by the anti-slip block23on the bottom of the support pole2keeping contact with and against the ground, friction between the device and the ground is increased and the anti-slip effect is improved. Thus it's safer for users to use the ambulatory aid of the present invention while walking or standing.

In the present invention, the insertion pins34,41respectively are used to fasten the cushion unit3on the support pole2and the main rod1firmly. Thus the structural strength is high and the cushion unit3will not come loose or fall out from the support pole2and the main rod1due to the large downward pressure from the user or the ground reaction force. Thus not only the service life of the ambulatory aid is increased, the safety in use is also improved. During the use of the ambulatory aid, the user will not fall down or lose body control due to movement of the support pole2and the main rod1caused by damaged or loose internal structure.

Moreover, refer toFIG. 5andFIG. 6, another embodiment is revealed. The assembly rod32of the cushion unit is replaced by an assembly block36with an insertion hole361. The assembly block36is mounted into a hollow part311of a sleeve31and the insertion hole361is corresponding to slots312on each side of the sleeve31. An insertion pin34is passed through the slots312of the sleeve31and the insertion hole361of the assembly block36. And two ends of the insertion, pin34are inserted and mounted in insertion holes21on two sides of a support pole2. An against block35is mounted in a hollow part22of the support pole2while an elastic body33is assembled with both the assembly block36and the against block35while two ends of the elastic body33are respectively leaning against the against block35and one end of the sleeve31. Thereby the material is saved and the cost is down by the replacement of the assembly block36with the assembly rod32with similar structure strength and buffering effect.

The structure or size of the present invention is not limited. Refer toFIG. 7, a radial frame24is arranged at the bottom of the support pole2for improving the stability of the support. As shown inFIG. 8, the present invention can also be applied to rods51of a walker5.