AU2013200382B2

AU2013200382B2 - Device for aiding to board a stretcher and medical vehicle equipped with such a device

Info

Publication number: AU2013200382B2
Application number: AU2013200382A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Georges Fatisson; Vincent Goguillon
Original assignee: Nexter Systems SA
Current assignee: Nexter Systems SA
Priority date: 2012-01-26
Filing date: 2013-01-24
Publication date: 2014-07-31
Anticipated expiration: 2033-01-24
Also published as: EP2620132A1; EP2620132B1; ES2536540T3; CA2803850C; DK2620132T3; FR2986152B1; PL2620132T3; FR2986152A1; CA2803850A1; AU2013200382A1

Abstract

PATENT APPLICATION NEXTER SYSTEMS " Device for aiding to board a stretcher and medical vehicle equipped with such a device The invention relates to a device (11) for aiding to board a stretcher into a medical vehicle (1) which is equipped with at least one stretcher carrier (6) internal to the vehicle. This device is characterized in that it consists of a gutter (12) comprising a side arm (13) which is intended to be removably secured to an outer wall of the vehicle on a support (9) fixed to the vehicle adjacent an opening (4) of the latter. The invention also relates to a medical vehicle which can be equipped with such a device. -Fig.1- 111i Fig. 1

Description

I The technical field of the invention is that of medical vehicles and, in particular, of devices for aiding to board a stretcher into a medical vehicle. Known vehicles are usually equipped with at least one 5 stretcher carrier internal to the vehicle. One of the difficulties encountered during the implementation of the medical vehicles is the positioning of the stretchers inside the vehicle. Indeed, it is generally necessary to move the stretcher 10 through an opening which is raised above the ground. The stretcher-bearers have to move one after the other through the opening while minimizing the impacts transmitted to the patient placed on the stretcher. The space available inside the vehicle is also reduced 15 and complicates the positioning manoeuvre of the stretchers on the stretcher carriers. For example, from patent application WO2011/103545, is known a device comprising a motorized loading tray which is internal to the vehicle and which forms a ramp onto which the 20 stretcher is applied. This solution is complex and expensive. The tray is permanently secured to the floor of the vehicle and must be supplied with power. This solution cannot be used with a medical vehicle which can fulfill other functions, as it is the case in particular 25 in the military field where conventional infantry transport vehicles can sometimes provide medical vehicle (or ambulance) functions. In these vehicles, the passenger compartment receives in principle seats for the infantry soldiers and it is possible 30 to set up instead of the seats a swinging stretcher carrier which is folded against a wall of the vehicle in the non operative state. However, it is not possible to permanently secure a telescopic ramp against the floor.

2 From patent DE392708 is also known a stretcher boarding aid device comprising a gutter articulated at one of its end. The joint is arranged within the vehicle and must be permanently fixed to the vehicle floor. Moreover, this gutter 5 requires a foldable outer leg to allow its stabilization with respect to the ground. Patent GB699643 discloses another stretcher boarding aid device comprising a tray that is attached by hinges to a support internal to the vehicle. This device is also bulky, 10 the support remaining permanently connected to the vehicle floor. The invention aims to overcome such drawbacks by proposing a stretcher boarding aid device that is of a simple, light and removable structure, and which is compact. 15 Thus, the invention relates to a device for aiding to board a stretcher into a medical vehicle which is equipped with at least one stretcher carrier internal to the vehicle, wherein the device is characterized in that it consists of a gutter comprising a side arm having at least one attachment 20 point which is arranged between both ends of the gutter, the attachment point being intended to be removably secured to an outer wall of the vehicle on a support fixed to the vehicle adjacent an opening of the latter, one end of the gutter being intended to penetrate inside the vehicle, so as to be 25 positionable on the inner stretcher carrier when the attachment point is fixed to the support. According to a particular embodiment, the side arm of the gutter comprises two attachment points symmetrical to each other with respect to a plane perpendicular to the gutter and 30 located at equal distance from both ends of the gutter. The gutter may have a U-shaped section. The invention also relates to a medical vehicle incorporating such a device.

3 Therefore, this medical vehicle comprises a passenger compartment within which is arranged at least one stretcher carrier internal to the vehicle, wherein the passenger compartment communicates with the outside through an opening, 5 the medical vehicle being characterized in that it comprises at least one support which is fixed to vehicle at an outer wall of the vehicle and adjacent a side edge of the opening, which support is intended to removably receive a stretcher boarding aid device which consists of a gutter comprising a 10 side arm having at least one attachment point intended to be positioned at the support, the gutter further comprising a part which can penetrate inside the vehicle when attached to the support so as to be positionable on the inner stretcher carrier. 15 According to a particular embodiment, the vehicle comprises two stretcher carriers internal to the vehicle and two supports which are fixed to the outer wall of the vehicle on either side of the opening, each support being able to receive a boarding aid device the gutter of which can 20 penetrate inside the vehicle when it is attached to the support so as to be positionable on one of the inner stretcher carriers. Advantageously, the side arm of the gutter may comprise two attachment points symmetrical to each other with respect 25 to a plane perpendicular to the gutter and located at equal distance from both ends of the gutter, wherein one gutter can thus be positioned on either the one or the other of the supports. The support may comprise a cylindrical rod which is 30 intended to cooperate with an attachment point of the gutter in the form of a cylindrical sleeve. An advantage of the invention is that no fastener internal to the vehicle is required.

4 Another advantage of the invention is that the device is compact and can optionally be used on one side or on the other side of the vehicle. Another advantage is that the device is stably fixed to 5 the vehicle without the need to stabilize it with respect to the ground. The invention will be better understood when reading the following description of specific embodiments, which description is made with reference to the accompanying 10 drawings, in which: - Figure 1 is a schematic top view of a medical vehicle according to the invention, equipped with two stretcher boarding aid devices according to the invention, - Figure 2 is a rear view of this vehicle equipped with 15 only one stretcher boarding aid device, - Figures 3a and 3b are two orthogonal views of a boarding aid device shown alone, Figure 3a being a top view and Figure 3b being a rear view, - Figure 4 is a side view of a support alone, 20 - Figure 5 is a view of an alternative embodiment of a boarding aid device. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a medical vehicle 1 according to the invention (or ambulance) comprises a passenger compartment 2 defined by a mechanically-welded body 25 3. This vehicle is here a wheeled armored vehicle 8, which can also provide troop transport missions. Its use as an ambulance is occasional. The passenger compartment 2 communicates with the outside of the vehicle through an opening 4. In the example shown, 30 the opening 4 is a rear opening which is closed by a tilting ramp 5 (see also Figure 2). Inside the passenger compartment 2 are arranged two stretcher carriers 6. Each stretcher carrier consists of a tray delimited by two side rims Ga, 6b which allow to guide a 5 light operational stretcher (not shown). These stretchers are well known to those skilled in the art and generally include two transport bars connected by a flexible fabric. Each bar is equipped with feet which position and guide the stretcher 5 on the stretcher carrier 6. The stretcher carriers 6 are pivotally mounted on joints 7. Figure 2 shows on the right of the opening 4 a stretcher carrier 6 in the operating position (horizontal) and, on the left of the opening, a folded stretcher carrier 6 (vertical). 10 According to a feature of the invention, the vehicle 1 comprises at least one support 9 which is fixed to the body 3 of the vehicle in the vicinity of a side edge 4a or 4b of the opening 4. This support 9 is fixed at an outer wall 3a which is here the rear wall of the vehicle with the opening 4. 15 Figure 4 shows an enlarged view of a support 9 which is formed, for example, by a plate 9a, welded or bolted to the body 3, and bearing a bracket 9b onto which is fixed a cylindrical rod 10. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vehicle 1 comprises two 20 supports 9 which are fixed to the vehicle 1 on either side of the opening 4. Each support 9 is intended to removably receive a stretcher boarding aid device 11. Figures 3a and 3b show more precisely the structure of 25 such a device 11. Each stretcher boarding aid device 11 consists of a gutter 12 comprising a side arm 13 having at least one attachment point 14. The gutter is made of a bent metal sheet and has a U-shaped section. The arm 13 is, for example, 30 welded to the gutter 12. As can be seen particularly in Figure 3a, the attachment point 14 is arranged between the ends 12a and 12b of the gutter 12. Considering a median plane 15, perpendicular to the gutter 12, and midway between the two ends 12a, 12b of the gutter, saying that the attachment 6 point 14 is arranged between the ends 12a and 12b of the gutter means in other words that the attachment point 14 is at a distance d from the median plane 15 which is less than the distance D1 or D2 separating the end 12a or 12b from the 5 median plane 15. The attachment point 14 is intended to be positioned at the support 9. According to the embodiment described here, the attachment point 14 is in the form of a cylindrical sleeve 14 which can be engaged on the rod 10 of the support 10 9. Thus, the sleeve 14 has a diameter allowing its sliding fit on the rod 10. Once engaged on the rod 10, the sleeve 14 abuts on the bracket 9b. The device is thus positioned stably with respect to the vehicle alone and it is not necessary to provide a deployable kickstand resting on the ground as in 15 the prior art devices. As can be seen particularly in Figure 1, the gutter 12 includes a portion which penetrates inside the passenger compartment 2 of the vehicle 1 when fixed to the support 9. The end 12a of the gutter can enter the passenger compartment 20 because the attachment point 14 is arranged between the two ends 12a, 12b of the gutter. Of course, the length of the gutter 12 and the distance 6 between its end 12a or 12b and the attachment point 14 will be defined according to the geometric characteristics of the vehicle in question. 25 The arm 13 as well as the gutter 12 will be realized in the form of folded and welded metal sheets. The support 9 is positioned vertically on the body 3, so that when the boarding aid device 11 is fixed on the support 9, one end 12a of the gutter 12 is positioned on the inner 30 stretcher carrier 6. According to the embodiment of Figures 3a and 3b, the arm 13 has two attachment points 14. These attachment points 14 are symmetrical to each other with respect to a plane 15, 7 perpendicular to the gutter 12, and midway between the two ends 12a, 12b of the gutter. With such an arrangement, the gutter 12 is perfectly symmetrical to the median plane 15. Therefore, a similar 5 gutter 12 may be positioned on either the one or the other of the supports 9. Such an arrangement allows to reduce the equipment of a vehicle to a single device 11 which can be used on the left as well as on the right of the opening 4. 10 Implementation of the invention is as follows. A stretcher carrier 6 is positioned horizontally to receive a stretcher. In Figure 2, it is the stretcher carrier 6 on the right of the opening 4 which is therefore positioned horizontally. Then, the aid device 11 is fixed on the support 15 9 which is in the vicinity of the edge of the opening 4 close to the considered stretcher carrier 6. It has been said that the end 12a of the gutter 12 is then resting on the stretcher carrier 6. When the nurses engage on the ramp 5, their access is difficult near the edge 20 4a of the opening 4. They therefore position the lateral feet of the stretcher they carry (not shown) in the gutter 12 of the device. The gutter 12 provides support for this side of the stretcher. For a positioning on the device shown in Figure 2, it is the right side of the stretcher which is 25 supported. The gutter 12 of the device leads directly to the stretcher carrier 6. The stretcher can thus be easily set up by the two stretcher-bearers without requiring them to make excessive efforts to support the right side of the stretcher. 30 The boarding of the stretcher is thus facilitated. The operation is conducted in the same way for a positioning on the stretcher carrier on the left side. In this case it is the left side of the stretcher which is supported by the gutter 12 of the device.

8 Alternatively, it is possible to define a non-symmetrical device and therefore having a single attachment point 14. Figure 5 shows an example of such an alternative that comprises at the arm 13 only one attachment point 14. 5 However, this device can be used only on one side. A symmetrical device should have to be implemented for the other side of the opening. Such a solution, however, is sufficient for the vehicles with only one stretcher carrier. 10

Claims

1- Device (11) for aiding to board a stretcher into a medical vehicle (1) which is equipped with at least one 5 stretcher carrier (6) internal to the vehicle (1), the device being characterised in that it consists of a gutter (12) comprising a side arm (13) having at least one attachment point (14) which is arranged between the two ends (12a,12b) of the gutter, the attachment point being intended to be 10 removably secured to an outer wall of the vehicle on a support (9) fixed to the vehicle adjacent an opening (4) of the latter, one end (12a) of the gutter (12) being intended to penetrate inside the vehicle, so as to be positionable on the inner stretcher carrier (6) when the attachment point 15 (14) is fixed to the support (9).

2- Stretcher boarding aid device according to claim 1, characterised in the side arm (13) of the gutter (12) comprises two attachment points (14) symmetrical to each other with respect to a plane (15) perpendicular to the 20 gutter (12) and located at equal distance from both ends (12a, 12b) of the gutter.

3- Stretcher boarding aid device according to according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the gutter (12) has a U-shaped section. 25

4- Medical vehicle (1) comprising a passenger compartment (2) within which is arranged at least one stretcher carrier (6) internal to the vehicle, wherein the passenger compartment (2) communicates with the outside through an opening (4), the medical vehicle being characterised in that 30 it comprises at least one support (9) which is fixed to vehicle at an outer wall of the vehicle and adjacent a side edge (4a, 4b) of the opening (4), which support (9) is intended to removably receive a stretcher boarding aid device (11) which consists of a gutter (12) comprising a side arm 10 (13) having at least one attachment point (14) intended to be positioned at the support (9), the gutter (12) further comprising an end (12a) which can penetrate inside the vehicle when the attachment point (14) is attached to the 5 support (9) so as to be positionable on the inner stretcher carrier (6).

5- Medical vehicle according to claim 4, characterised in that it comprises two stretcher carriers (6) internal to the vehicle (1) and two supports (9) which are fixed to the outer 10 wall of the vehicle on either side of the opening (4), each support (9) being able to receive a boarding aid device (11) the gutter (12) of which can penetrate inside the vehicle when it is attached to the support (9) so as to be positionable on one of the inner stretcher carriers (6). 15

6- Medical vehicle according to claim 5, characterised in that the side arm (13) of the gutter (12) comprises two attachment points (14) symmetrical to each other with respect to a plane (15) perpendicular to the gutter (12) and located at equal distance from both ends (12a, 12b) of the gutter, 20 wherein a same gutter (12) may thus be positioned on either the one or the other of the supports (9) .

7- Medical vehicle according to anyone of claims 4 to 6, characterised in that the support (9) comprises a cylindrical rod (10) which is intended to cooperate with an attachment 25 point (14) of the gutter (12) in the form of a cylindrical sleeve.