AU646180B2

AU646180B2 - Adjustable bed

Info

Publication number: AU646180B2
Application number: AU22860/92A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Adrian Eric Morton
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-09-13
Filing date: 1992-09-08
Publication date: 1994-02-10
Anticipated expiration: 2012-09-08
Also published as: AU2286092A

Description

P/00/01i 2d/ Regulation,

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: ADJUSTABLE BED ~:.The following statement Is a full description of this Invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- I .I 1. This invention relates to an adjustable position bad, According to the invention there is provided an adjustable bed which comprises a base with framie members, a plurality of panels mounted on the base and comprising a head and back-supporting tiltable panel, leg and foot-supporting mutually-foldable panels, a fixed seat panel mounted on the base intermediate the tiltable panel and the matually-foldable panels, electro-mechanical lifting and lowering means pivotally mounted on the base and connected to the tiltable and mutually-foldable panels for actuating raising and lowering movements of the tiltable panel and raising, folding an~d lowering the mutually-foldable panels in 15synchronization with or independently of movements of the tiltable panel as required and by operation of a hand control unit, the tiltable panel being raisable from a horizontal r'est position level with the base to positions inclined to the horizontal and being lowerable the horizontal rest position, 7: 20 Preferably the base of the bed comprises a frame of -two side members Joined by cross members comprising two fixed outer cross members and two inner cross members pivotally mounted with respect to the base and providing support for lifting arms for timber panels mounted thereon.

Preferably over the base there are mounted four panels comprising a single, tiltable head and bea-k-supporting panel pivotally mounted on the base -2frame, a fixed intermediate seat-supporting panel ad a foldable, two-piece leg and foot-supporting panel unit consisting of two hinged segments pivotally mounted with respect to the base frame.

Preferably, a mattress and foot stop fixed panel is mounted on an outer edge of an outer member of the leg and foot-supporting panel unit.

Preferably there is mounted on a head panel-supporting cross frame member at least one pivoting arm with a guide wheel on a distal end thereof 'the guide wheel being adapted to move up and down the rear surface of the single head and back-supporting panel.

guide Preferably at least one pivoting arm with a guidewheel on the distal end thereof is mounted on an :inner cross frame member for movement of the guide wheel *:along and in contact with the underside of an inner panel of the leg and foot-supporting panel unit.

Preferably there is a pair of arms each with a 20 guide wheel on the distal end thereof.

More particularly, there is pivotally mounted .:foe:underneath and towards each side of the foot and leg-supporting panels a pair of hingedly connected articulated arms and an electric drive unit is pivotally ,Nounted on fixed cross member at the foot end ofthe base frame and has a distal end of a hydraulic or pneumatic ram pivotally attached to a pivotallynanted central cross member of the base frame tilt lifting and lowering the foot and leg-supporting panels and the said drive r<~ unit is operatively-connected to and is synchronized via control means with a tiltable panel drive unit pivotally mounted on a fixed outer cross member at the head end of the base frame, the head end fixed outer cross member' having pivotally mounted thereon a hydraulic or pneumatic ram pivotally connected to an intermediate, pivotally-mounted cross member of the base frame and to the tiltable panel to raise and lower the said tiltable panel.

Preferably, the lift motor and linear actuator has a ball and screw motor and gear box and a counter microswitch on the motor determines the travel time by number of revolutions of the motor and activated a microswitch to raise or lower the mutually-foldable panels and the tiltable panel.

Preferably the bed includes a vibratory massage unit underneath the tiltable panel.

In one form of the bed according to the :e *invention a hand control powered by 12 volt D.C. is 2: connected to the control box and electricals are supplied via the 240 volt AC electrical flex with three pin power plug, five manual push buttons or sensors being on the hand control, the buttons or sensors comprising a sliding bar which actuates the vibrator massage unit with a timer switch which runs from an IC chip timer, two intermediate buttons which control raising movements of tiltable and mutually-foldable panels and two buttons for controlling lowering movements of said tiltable and mutually-foldable panels.

-4- A non-limiting exrample of an embodiment or practical arrangement of the invention will nbw be described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of an assembled and operational adjustable bed constructed, arranged and adapted to operate in accordance with the invent ion.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown an adjustable bed unit which comprises a tubular steelframe base 10 comprising two side frame members 11, 12 Joined by four cross members 13, 14, 15, 16, che frame being movably supported on four legs each fitted with a see castor 17, 18, 19, 20, in a manner similar to a bed.

Two of the inner cross members 14, 15 are pivotally mounted with respect to the base and are lifting arms for timber panels while the first and fourth cross members 13, 18 comprising bed head end cross member 13 and the bed foot end cross member 16 are both fixed to 20 side frame members 11)12, of the base. Over the base there are mounted four timber C preferably particle board) panels 21, 22, 23, 24. A single tiltable head and back~-supporting timber panel 21 is pivotally mounted on the base frame via support hinges 14a, 14b an the Ease frame inner cross member 14 which is pivotally mounted on the base. A fixed intermediate seatsupporting panel 22 is mounted upon the base frame and a foldable leg and foot-supporting panel unit consisting of two hinged segments 23, 24 is pivotally supported on brackets 15a, 15b on the inner and pivotally-mounted cross member 15. The panel segments 23, 24, are mounted on the arms of two hinges 23a, 23b. A mattress foot stop 24a is mounted on an outer edge of the leg and foot-supporting panel 24. Mounted on the head and back-supporting panel pivotally-mounted frame cross member 15 are two parallel arms 25, 26, which each have mounted or the distal end thereof a guide wheel 26a, both of these wheels are preferably constructed of a synthetic polymeric material and are adapted to move up and down the rear surface of the single head and back-supporting panel 21. A similar pair of pivotal arms 27, 28 each with a guide wheel 27a and 28a mounted on the distal end thereof are mounted on the inner leg 15 and foot-supporting panel segment 23 which also has pivotally mounted underneath and towards each side a pair of articulated arms 29, 29a, 30, 30a. An electric motor drive unit 31 is pivotally mounted on the centre of the fixed outer cross member 13 at the head end cf 20 the bed frame and has one end of an hydraulic or pneumatic ram 32 pivotally attached to the bed base pivotally-mounted inner frame cross member 14 for lifting and lowering the head and back-supporting panel *9 .9 21 and the movement of this ram 32 is operatively connected to and is synchronized via control box 33 with another drive unit 34 with an electric lift motor and linear actuator pivotally mounted on the bed base frame pivotally-mounted, inner and central cross member which has the distal end of a hydraulic or pneumatic ram pivotally connected to the base foot end frame fixed outer cross member 16 to raise and lower the two leg and foot-supporting mutually foldable, panel segments 23, 24. The lift unit comprises an electric motor and linear actuator and has a ball and screw motor and gear box and a counter microswitch on the motor determines the travel time by number of revolutions of the motor and activates a microswitch to raise or lower the mutually-foldable leg and foot-supporting panels and the tiltable head and back-supporting panel. A vibratory massage unit 36 is provided underneath the head panel. A hand control 37 powered by 12 volt D.C.

is connected to the control box and electricals are '04400supplied via the 240 volt AC electrical flex with three 15 pin power plug 38. There are five buttons on the hand :control, the top one being a sliding bar which actuates 0, the vibrator massage unit with a thirty minute timer awitch which runs from an IC chip, timer and below this are two intermediate buttons which control raising 20 movements of panels. Two bottom buttons control lowering mo~vements of the tiltable panel 21 and the mutually-foldable panels 23, 24,

Claims

1. An adjustable bed which comprises a base with frame members, a plurality of panels mounted on the base and comprising a head and back-supporting tiltable panel, leg and foot-supporting mutually-foldable panels, a fixed seat panel mounted on the base intermediate the tiltable panel and the mutually-foldable panels,electro- mechanical lifting and lowering means pivotally mounted on the base and connected to the tiltable panel and mutually-foldable panels and for actuating raising and lowering movements of the tiltable panel and raising, folding and lowering the mutually-foldable panels in synchronization with, or independently of, movements of the tiltable panel as required and by operation of a hand control unit, the tiltable panel being raisable from a horizontal rest position level with the base to positions inclined to the horizontal, and being lowerable to the horizontal rest position.

2. The bed according to claim I wherein the base comprises a frame of two side members joined by cross members comprising two fixed outer cross members and two inner cross members pivotally mounted with respect to the base and providing support for lifting arms for timber panels nmounted thereon.

3. The bed according to claim i or 2 wherein over the base there are mounted four panels comprising a single, tiltable head and back-supporting panel pivotally mounted on the base frame, a fixed intermed- iate seat-supporting panel and a foldable, two-piece leg -8- and foot-supporting panel unit consisting of two hinged segments pivotally mounted with respect to the base frame.

4. The bed according to any preceding claim wherein a mattress and foot stop fixed panel is mounted on an outer edge of an outer member of the leg and foot-supporting panel unit.

The bed according to any preceding claim wherein there is mounted on a tiltable panel supporting cross frame member at least one pivoting arm with a guide wheel on a distal end thereof the guide wheel being adapted to move up and down the rear surface of the head and back-supporting panel.

6. The bed according to any preceding claim ;wherein at least one pivoting arm with a guide wheel on the distal eid thereof is mounted on an inner cross frame member for movement of the guide wheel along and in contact with the underside of an inner panel of the leg and foot-supporting panels.

7. The bed according to claim 6 wherein there is a pair of arms each with a guide wheel on the distal end thereof.

8. The bed according to claim 6 or 7 wherein there is pivotally mounted underneath and towards each side of the foot and leg-supporting panels a pair of hingedly connected articulated arms and an electric drive unit is pivotally mounted on a fixed cross member at a foot end of the base frame and has a distal end of a hydraulic or pneumatic ram pivotally attached to a (2* -9- pivotally-mounted centr*l cross member of the base frame for tilt lifting and lowering the foot and leg- supporting panels and the said drive unit is operatively connected to and is synchrr .ized via control means with a ti*f'table panel drive -unit pivotally mounted on an outer fixed cross member at the head of the base frame, the aaid outer fixed cross member having pivotally m~lunted thereon a second hydraulic or pneumatic ran pivotally connected to an intermediate, pivotally- mounted cross member of the base frame and to the tiltable panel to raise aaid lower the said tiltable panel.

9. The bed according to claim 8 wherein the electric drive unit comprises a lift motor and linear actuator with a ball and screw motor and gear box and a counter ricroswitch on the motor determines the travel 'time by number of revolutions of the motor and activates a microewitch to raise or lower the mutually-foldable paA.,els and the tiltable panel.

The bed according to any preceding claim which includes a vibratory massage unit underneath the tiltable panel.

:11. The bed according to any preceding claim which includes a hand control powered by 12 volt D.C. is connected to the control box and electricals are supplied via the 240 volt AC electrical flex with three pin power plug, five manual push buttons or sensors being on the hand control, the buttons or sensors comprising a sliding bar which actuates a vibrator siae unit with a timer switch which runs from an IG chip timer, two intermediate buttons which control raising movemenats ol tiltable and mutually foldable panels and two buttons for controlling lowering movements of said tiltable and mutually-foldable panels.

12. An adjustable bed substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing. Dated this 15th day of November, 1993 ADRIAN ERIC MORTON By Xy Patent Attorney *JOHN L. DAVIBES CO. ABSTRACT An adjustable bed has panels (21,22,23,24) mounted on a base frame a seat panel (22) is fixed and a single, hfaad and back-supporting panel (21) moves on hinaged arms (14a,14b) and has arms (25,26) each with a plastic guide wheel, mounted on a pivotal cross bar a pair of movable foot panels (23,24) are hinged together, one foot panel also has guide-wheel arms (27,28) pivotally mounted on a cross member the Qther panel (24) is mounted on a pair of folding articulated arms (29,30). The head and back-supporting 0* panel (21) is adjustable independently of the foot panels head and foot panels are actuated by a separate pneumatic rams (32,35) powered by lift motor :linear actuator units (31,34) incorporating motor drives *and timers which trigger microswitches proportional to motor revolutions through a common central control unit (33) to synchronise panel movements as required via hand ****control unit (37).