English cane for a person with mobility impairment

Abstract

English cane for a person with mobility impairment, comprising in its internal part a linear actuator ( 7 ) likely to transfer pulling and pushing loads and having on one hand a pair of toothed belts ( 18, 18 ′) equipped respectively with regularly spaced pads( 19, 19 ′) on their face opposed to the toothed face, and having on the other hand driving members ( 11, 11 ′) positioned on the opposed sides of said pair of toothed belts ( 18, 18 ′) and cooperating with actuating means to allow the pads ( 19, 19 ′) of said belts ( 18, 18 ′) to engage with one another, with the result that said belts are flexible and mutually independent at a first length on one side or upstream of the driving members ( 11, 11 ′), while at a second length on the opposite side or downstream of said driving members ( 11, 11 ′) said belts are securely attached and extend in a straight line as an integral rigid bar suitable to transfer pushing loads as well as pulling loads.

1 . English walking stick for a person with a mobility impairment, comprising a telescopic tube ( 1 ) made up of at least two tube segments capable of sliding one inside the other, namely a top tube segment ( 1   a ) and a bottom tube segment ( 1   b ), and fitted with an ergonomic handle ( 2 ) at its top end comprising a largely cylindrical part ( 2   a ) which extends transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the telescopic tube ( 1 ) and which provides support for the palm, and a part ( 2   b ) which extends upwards from the part ( 2   a ) at an oblique angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the telescopic tube ( 1 ) and provides antebrachial support, characterised in that 
 the walking stick is equipped with a linear actuator ( 7 ) in its internal part, capable of transmitting traction and thrust forces and comprising, on the one hand, two identical notched belts ( 18 ,  18 ′) respectively provided with regularly spaced blocks ( 19 ,  19 ′) on their face opposite the notched face, and, on the other hand, driving members ( 11 ,  11 ′) disposed on either side of the two notched belts ( 18 ,  18 ′) and co-operating with actuator means enabling the blocks ( 19 ,  19 ′) of these belts ( 18 ,  18 ′) to engage in one another so that they are independent of one another and flexible on a level with a first length located at one end or upstream end of the driving members ( 11 ,  11 ′), whereas on a level with a second length disposed at the opposite end or downstream end of these members ( 11 ,  11 ′), they are fixedly assembled and extend integrally in a straight line acting as a rigid bar capable of transmitting thrust forces as well as traction forces, and    the driving members ( 11 ,  11 ′) and the actuator means are housed in a casing ( 26 ) fixed to the top end of the top tube segment ( 1   a ) and shaped so as to serve as an ergonomic handle ( 2 ) so that the first length of the two notched belts ( 18 ,  18 ′) extends through part ( 2   b ) of the ergonomic handle ( 2 ) providing antebrachial support, whereas the second length of these belts extends into the top tube segment ( 1   a ) and is fixed to the internal part of the bottom tube segment ( 1   b ) by its downstream end, and actuation of the driving members ( 11 ,  11 ′) drives the sliding action of the second length of the notched belts ( 18 ,  18 ′) in the internal part of the telescopic tube ( 1 ) and modifies the length of this tube.    
   
   
       2 . Walking stick as claimed in  claim 1 , characterised in that the actuating means comprise an electric motor ( 8 ) with two directions of rotation supplied with current by a battery of rechargeable accumulators ( 25 ) as well as a geared speed-reducing mechanism ( 9 ) which is coupled with the motor ( 8 ) and has two output pinions ( 11 ,  11 ′) which respectively move into engagement with the two notched belts ( 18 ,  18 ′) and constitute the driving members.  
   
   
       3 . Walking stick as claimed in  claim 1 , characterised in that the linear actuator ( 7 ) has a power selected so as to be enough to supply a thrust corresponding to a substantial part of the weight of a person supporting himself on the ergonomic handle ( 2 ).  
   
   
       4 . Walking stick as claimed in  claim 1 , characterised in that the linear actuator ( 7 ) has control means ( 36 ) borne by the ergonomic handle ( 2 ) in order to control the go/stop function and the direction of rotation of the electric motor ( 8 ).  
   
   
       5 . Walking stick as claimed in  claim 4 , characterised in that the control means ( 36 ) comprise a reversing switch ( 37 ) with two unstable closed positions and one stable intermediate cut-off position.  
   
   
       6 . Walking stick as claimed in  claim 5 , characterised in that the reversing switch ( 37 ) has an operating member ( 38 ) which projects out radially on the largely cylindrical part ( 2   a ) providing support for the palm, in the region of the free end of this largely cylindrical part, so that it can be activated by a thumb of the hand of a user of the walking stick holding this largely cylindrical part.  
   
   
       7 . Walking stick as claimed in  claim 1 , characterised in that the battery of accumulators ( 25 ) is electrically connected to an electrical connector ( 58 ) accessible from the exterior of the casing ( 26 ) to enable this battery of accumulators to be recharged by means of a battery charger.  
   
   
       8 . Walking stick as claimed in  claim 1 , characterised in that the casing ( 26 ) is made up of two half-shells ( 26   a ,  26   b ) made from a moulded plastic material in particular, for example polyethylene, which have a joint plane ( 27 ) corresponding to the vertical median plane of symmetry ( 28 ) of the ergonomic handle ( 2 ) and are assembled by means of screws ( 29 ).  
   
   
       9 . Walking stick as claimed in  claim 8 , characterised in that the two half-shells ( 26   a ,  26   b ) each have a rib ( 32 ) in the internal part of their part corresponding to part ( 2   b ) of the ergonomic handle ( 2 ) providing antebrachial support, and when the two half-shells ( 26   a ,  26   b ) are assembled, these two ribs ( 32 ) together define a partition isolating the first independent and flexible lengths of the two notched belts ( 18 ,  18 ′).  
   
   
       10 . Walking stick as claimed in  claim 1 , characterised in that the casing ( 26 ) has a hollow flared part ( 31 ) in the region where the part ( 2   a ) providing support for the palm joins part ( 2   b ) of the ergonomic handle ( 2 ) providing antebrachial support, inside which the electric motor ( 8 ), the speed-reducing mechanism ( 9 ) and the battery of accumulators ( 25 ) are disposed.