EP3669849A1 - Aid for propping up a person - Google Patents

Abstract

There is an erection aid (2) for erecting a person, with a frame (4), at least one support arm (14) movably arranged on the frame (4) with a handle (16, 18) and one with the frame (4) and the at least one support arm (14) coupled drive device (20) for moving the at least one support arm (14) into a lowered and in a raised position, and at least one cushion support (26) for supporting shins of the person when moving the at least one support arm (14 ) suggested. According to the invention, the cushion support (26) is made of a viscoelastic foam (32) with a thickness of at least 6 cm and is dimensioned such that the person's kneecaps always rest against the cushion support (26) when the support arm (14) is moved.

Description

The invention relates to an erection aid for erecting a person according to the preamble of claim 1.

Numerous erection aids for erecting a person from a seated position into a standing position are known in the prior art.

An erection aid usually has a frame with a handle that the person concerned can hold onto. The frame stands on the floor with a base, which is preferably equipped with castors. The handle is arranged on a pivotably mounted support arm which can be moved between a lowered and a raised position by means of a drive. The lifting aid is moved, for example, to a bed, seating or a wheelchair on which the person in question is sitting. The feet are then placed on a shelf connected to the frame and the support arm is lowered. The shins of the person to be erected are placed on shin pads which are connected to the frame, and the handle is captured. The shin pads are adjustably arranged on a lower area of the frame and serve as a counter bearing when the support arm is moved into the raised position. While this is happening, the person's shins are supported on the shin pads and the person follows the upward movement of the arm. In addition or as an alternative to the movable support arm, straps, belts or seat swings are also provided for straightening the back and / or the buttocks. It is known to couple these in particular to the support arm.

An example of a generic erection aid in WO 2014 154 611 A1 shown.

A disadvantage of the known erection aids is that the shin pads have to be adjusted to the respective person in a very complex manner, so that there is no excessive feeling of pressure or even a pressure point on the shins during the erection movement. Usually, the shin pads are loosened or loosened and a suitable position is found in a predetermined vertical grid until the person can put their shins very comfortably on the shin pads. An important aspect is that the kneecaps of the person, in particular, do not come into contact with the shin support, since this could be painful for the person during an upright movement. The entire procedure is therefore time-consuming and tedious, both for the person to be erected and for the nursing staff.

The aim of the invention is to overcome these and other disadvantages of the prior art and to propose an alternative erection aid with which the above-mentioned disadvantages can be remedied, so that complex adjustment of the shin pads is not necessary and nevertheless a pleasant sincere movement can be ensured .

Main features of the invention are set out in the characterizing part of claim 1. Refinements are the subject of claims 2 to 12.

It is an erection aid for erecting a person, with a frame, at least one support arm movably arranged on the frame with a handle and a drive device coupled to the frame and the at least one support arm for moving the at least one support arm into a lowered and a raised position, and proposed at least one cushion support for supporting the person's shins when moving the at least one support arm. According to the invention, the cushion support is made of a viscoelastic foam with a thickness of at least 6 cm and dimensioned such that the person's kneecaps always rest on the cushion support when the support arm is moved.

The frame can have a base which, as is customary in the prior art, can be equipped with rollers. This means that the erection aid can be comfortably moved on a floor and used flexibly in different rooms. The rack may also have a vertical portion that extends upward from the base.

The support arm can be made in one or more parts and / or can be pivoted about a particularly horizontal pivot axis on the vertical section of the frame. At least one handle, which is arranged on the support arm, is used for holding. It is conceivable to use several differently shaped and arranged handles that are adapted to certain habits, preferences or physical restrictions.

The frame can have a footrest to support the feet. This can prevent the frame from accidentally moving away from the person during the upright movement. The footrest can be arranged in a fixed, non-adjustable position.

The cushion support is located near the base and extends vertically well above the footrest. It is made of a viscose-elastic foam that is at least 6 cm thick.

This inventive design of an erection aid with an upholstered support made of a viscose-elastic foam makes it possible for the first time to support a person, in particular a patient, in an uncomplicated and largely painless manner when getting up.

In contrast to the solutions known from the prior art, the viscoelastic foam is able to reproduce the anatomy of the patient and thereby not only take up the shins of the person to be straightened, but also the knees.

A viscose-elastic foam differs significantly in its mechanical deformation behavior from that of cold foam. The material behavior is both elastic and viscous, so that the foam combines the properties of solids and liquids. This material is also known as "memory foam" and can mainly be used, for example based on polyurethane. Such a foam is significantly denser than a conventional foam and can exert an improved support force. The deformation behavior can also be adjusted in such a way that the foam adapts very well to the shape of the shins and knees of the person with slight and relatively slow movement with only a slow change in the mechanical pressure. With a faster change in mechanical pressure, however, sufficient support force can be provided since the foam does not change shape immediately. The cushion support thus forms an optimally adapted counter bearing for the uprighting movement. By using such a foam, due to the good shape adaptation, an ideal distribution of the mechanical pressure generated during the uprighting movement can take place, so that the knees are hardly noticeably stressed.

A particular advantage of the erection aid according to the invention is that the attachment position of the upholstery support does not have to be adapted to the respective user in a complex manner, but because of the positive properties of the viscose-elastic foam, the upholstery support is always optimally adapted to any person without manual interaction. A sufficient material thickness of the foam is helpful for this. It has been found that a thickness of approximately 5 cm and preferably 6 cm is sufficient to ensure such an adaptation. The cushion support can also be dimensioned in at least the vertical direction in such a way that for practically all conceivable body sizes of people the entire shin and knees come to rest and no readjustment of the cushion support is necessary.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the foam has a thickness of 7 to 13 cm and preferably 9 to 11 cm. The foam can particularly preferably be about 10 cm thick. Accordingly, the foam can support a soft sinking in and ensure that there is no fear of a mechanical limitation of the foam on a side facing the frame.

According to an advantageous development, the cushion support can have a pivotable bearing on a rear side, which is connected to the frame. This allows the entire cushion support to be tilted around the swivel bearing. During the uprighting movement, the upholstery support can consequently follow a changed orientation of the shins and knees of the person, so that only a locally increasing mechanical pressure between the upholstery support and the person is avoided. The cushion support therefore leads one Compensatory movement through, which further reduces the burden on the person. It is conceivable that by using a pivotable bearing on the upholstery support, the latter can also be equipped with a relatively low thickness of the viscoelastic foam layer, which can lie approximately at the lower end of the aforementioned range.

In a preferred embodiment, the bearing can have at least one horizontal hinge axis. When the erection aid is used as intended, it is aligned parallel to the floor. The hinge axis is preferably also arranged symmetrically to the frame. The cushion support can consequently perform a tilting movement about an axis which runs parallel to an imaginary connecting line of the two knees of the person concerned.

An advantageous development provides that the bearing is arranged essentially centrally on the cushion support. In particular, the bearing can be arranged in the geometric center of a back of the cushion support and, if necessary, can be offset a little in the vertical direction. This allows the cushion support to be aligned very well with the shinbones of a seated person and can exert sufficient supporting force at all angles of the shinbones of the person occurring during the uprighting movement.

In an advantageous embodiment, the cushion support can have a solid shell on a rear side, on which the foam is arranged. The shell could be formed from a metallic material, for example aluminum, or a plastic, such as polycarbonate (PC), polypropylene (PP), acrylic butadiene styrene (ABS) or a fiber-reinforced plastic. The solid shell serves in particular as a carrier for the viscoelastic foam and for coupling the cushion support to the frame. The upholstery support can consequently have only the soft foam on a side facing the person to be erected if the firm shell is present on the rear side. This can rule out the possibility that when the shins and knees initially cling to the upholstery support, there is a short-term contact with a hard border or holder of the foam, which makes the erection uncomfortable.

In an advantageous development, a base layer made of cold foam can be arranged between the foam and the solid shell. The base layer can prevent the viscoelastic foam from being pushed through to the solid shell. Of the Cold foam can have a conventional, exclusively elastic behavior by using an open-cell foam. In particular, it is preferred that the cold foam has a relatively high strength, which influences the mechanical behavior of the viscoelastic foam as little as possible.

It is advantageous if the base layer has a thickness which corresponds to at most a quarter of the thickness of the foam and preferably at most an eighth. The base layer therefore hardly contributes to the overall strength of the upholstery support. A thickness of the base layer of about 1 cm is conceivable.

In an advantageous embodiment, the cushion support has a flexible, waterproof protective layer. This protective layer could be designed as a lamination or foam. The protective layer can be based on polyurethane or have polyurethane. If a solid shell is used for the cushion support, the protective layer can surround the solid shell including the viscoelastic foam. This ensures insensitivity to water, mechanical and chemical effects such as during transport or disinfection.

In an advantageous embodiment, the cushion support can extend to a height of at least 65 cm and preferably at least 70 cm relative to a footrest. Almost all body sizes of people to be straightened could be covered, at least the 95th percentile. Compared to conventional erection aids, there would be enough space above the cushion support to extend the cushion support even further. In the case of known erection aids, this space is only available as needed for accommodating cushions when the shin pads are adjusted to a vertically upper position. However, since there is no contact with the knees there, the shin supports are only moved into this room if necessary. In the case of the erection aid according to the invention, however, the upholstery support can be extended so far up that all people of any height come to the upholstery support with their shins and knees.

In an equally advantageous embodiment, the cushion support has a width of at least 60 cm and preferably at least 70 cm. The width of the upholstery support can also be adapted to all conditions. A person has something voluminous thighs, knees that are further apart can also be comfortably placed on the cushion support according to the invention.

For extensive flexibility, the cushion support can also be made in one piece. This makes it easier to manufacture, hold, disinfect or clean the upholstery support.

Fig. 1

eine räumliche, schräg seitliche Darstellung der erfindungsgemäßen Aufrichthilfe;

Fig. 1a

eine Schnittansicht einer Polsterstütze der erfindungsgemäßen Aufrichthilfe;

Fig. 2

eine räumliche Darstellung der erfindungsgemäßen Aufrichthilfe von oben; und

Fig. 3

eine räumliche, auf die Rückseite der Polsterstütze gerichtete Detaildarstellung.

Further features, details and advantages of the invention emerge from the wording of the claims and from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings. Show it:

Fig. 1

a spatial, oblique lateral representation of the erection aid according to the invention;

Fig. 1a

a sectional view of a cushion support of the erection aid according to the invention;

Fig. 2

a spatial representation of the erection aid according to the invention from above; and

Fig. 3

a spatial detail view directed towards the back of the cushion support.

Fig. 1 shows an exemplary representation of an erection aid 2 in a three-dimensional representation.

The erection aid 2 has a frame 4 which has a base 6 with four rollers 8 which stand on a floor. The rollers 8 can preferably be blocked at least partially. From the base 6, a vertical section 10 of the frame 4 extends largely vertically upwards, i.e. in a direction away from the floor. There, a pivot bearing 12 is provided, on which a support arm 14 is pivotally mounted. The pivot bearing 12 is designed such that the support arm 14 can be moved about a substantially horizontal pivot axis between a lowered and a raised position. The support arm 14 has a plurality of handles 16 and 18, which allow a person to hold on. In addition, straps, belts or seat swings could be attached here.

The erection aid 2 furthermore has a drive device 20 which, for example, is equipped with a linear drive 22 which is coupled to the support arm 14. The drive device 20 is preferably arranged pivotably on the vertical section 10 of the frame 4, so that its orientation can be adapted to the respective position of the support arm 14 when the support arm 14 is pivoted.

On the base 6 there is also a footrest 24 on which a person can set up their feet, so that the uprighting aid 2 cannot accidentally roll away during an uprighting movement, but rather the person and the uprighting aid 2 are fixed relative to one another. There is a cushion support 26 vertically above the footrest 24, which is designed in one piece as an example.

The cushion support 26 has a largely flat structure and extends, for example, over a width of approximately 70 cm. Furthermore, their extension in the vertical direction is selected such that it can be ensured for practically all body sizes of people that the shins and knees can be placed against a contact surface 28 of the cushion support 26.

The cushion support 26 also has a fixed shell 30 which is arranged opposite the contact surface 28. The shell 30 serves to fasten the cushion support 26 to the frame 4 and to hold a viscoelastic foam 32, which is located in the cushion support 26 and extends up to the contact surface 28. For example, a base layer 34, which has a cold foam, can additionally be arranged between the foam 32 and the solid shell 30. This prevents a person from directly hitting the solid shell 30 when the depth of the foam 32 is completely penetrated (see also Fig. 1a ).

The foam 32 is a viscoelastic foam that has a thickness of at least 6 cm, preferably at least 7-13 cm and particularly preferably about 10 cm. Because of its viscoelastic properties, it is particularly suitable for the erection aid 2 according to the invention. If a person places their feet on the footrest 24, the shins and the kneecaps are to be snuggled to the support surface 28. With gentle contact, the viscoelastic foam 32 can follow the contour of the shins and knees in a short time and thus adapt perfectly to the person concerned. Due to the viscoelastic properties, however, the foam 32 can exert a sufficient counterforce in the case of faster movements or rapid changes in the mechanical pressure. If the foam 32 consequently adapts to the respective person, there is a very uniform surface contact via the shins and the knees. If the person stands up, the mechanical pressure on the foam 32 changes relatively quickly, so that a temporary, damped counterforce is opposed to it. The foam 32 thus functions as a support bearing and is characterized by the very uniform compressive force over the entire surface contact on the contact surface 28. As a result, the strain on the person's knees is hardly noticeable.

The cushion support 26 can therefore not be adjusted mechanically to suit a particular person, but can be adjusted as in FIG Fig. 1 can be provided in a relatively large format and, due to the viscoelastic properties, generate sufficient mechanical support with a low surface load. A sufficient width can also take into account people whose thighs are somewhat more voluminous and the distance between their knees is somewhat larger than that of other people. The cushion support 26 could even be made somewhat larger than in here Fig. 1 shown, since there would be sufficient space in the vertical direction.

To simplify cleaning or disinfection of the cushion support 26, a protective layer 35 can be provided which completely surrounds the foam 32 and the shell 30. The protective layer 35 is preferably waterproof and resistant to chemicals, in particular disinfectants.

Fig. 2 shows the erection aid 2 in a view obliquely from the front and above. In particular, the shapes of the different handles 16 and 18 and the shape of the support arm 14 can be seen here. The support arm 14 has, for example, a U-shape and extends at an uppermost end of the vertical section 10 over the base 6. A similar U-shape is taken up with the base 6, the footrest being in the U-shape of the base 6 24 is located. It can be seen that the cushion support 26 has a width that corresponds approximately to the width of the support arm 14 and the distance between the handles 16. Their width slightly exceeds the width of the footrest 24 and could be about shoulder-width.

Another essential detail is in Fig. 3 shown, in which the base 6 is shown obliquely from behind in a view. Here, a pivotable bearing 36 is arranged, which allows the cushion support 26 to tilt about a horizontal hinge axis 38. The hinge axis 38 extends approximately at half the height of the cushion support 26. The cushion support 26 is thereby permitted to perform a tilting movement about the hinge axis 38 when the person stands upright. Because during an upright movement from a seated to a standing position, the alignment of the shins and knees of the changes person concerned, the cushion support 26 can follow this movement very easily and completely flexibly, without losing its temporary shape adaptation to the person.

The bearing 36 is preferably freely movable. However, it is also conceivable to provide a spring arrangement in the bearing 36 which specifies at least one rest position of the cushion support 26. The spring device could be dimensioned such that nothing stands in the way of free movement of the cushion support 26 and only a torque about the bearing 36 caused by the weight of the cushion support 26 is compensated for.

The invention is not limited to one of the above-described embodiments, but can be modified in many ways. However, it can be seen that an erection aid 2 for erecting a person comprises a frame 4, at least one support arm 14 movably arranged on the frame 4 with a handle 16, 18 and a drive device 20 coupled to the frame 4 and the at least one support arm 14 for moving the has at least one support arm 14 in a lowered and in a raised position. The erection aid 2 also has at least one cushion support 26 for supporting the person when moving the at least one support arm 14. According to the invention, the cushion support 26 is formed from a viscoelastic foam 32 with a thickness of at least 6 cm and is dimensioned such that the kneecaps are to be erected Always rest on the cushion support 26 when moving the support arm 14.

All of the features and advantages arising from the claims, the description and the drawing, including structural details, spatial arrangements and method steps, can be essential to the invention both individually and in the most varied of combinations.

Reference symbol list

2nd

Raising aid

4th

frame

6

Base

8th

role

10th

vertical section

12

Swivel bearing

14

Beam

16

Grab handle

18th

Grab handle

20th

Drive device

22

linear actuator

24th

Footrest

26

Upholstery support

28

Contact surface

30th

Bowl

32

Foam

34

base layer

35

Protective layer

36

camp

38

Hinge axis

Claims (12)

Raising aid (2) for raising a person, with a frame (4), at least one support arm (14) movably arranged on the frame (4) with a handle (16, 18) and one with the frame (4) and the at least one support arm (14) coupled drive device (20) for moving the at least one support arm (14) into a lowered and into a raised position, and at least one cushion support (26) for supporting shins of the person when moving the at least one support arm (14), thereby characterized in that the cushion support (26) is made of a viscoelastic foam (32) with a thickness of at least 6 cm and is dimensioned such that the person's kneecaps always rest against the cushion support (26) when the support arm (14) is moved. Raising aid (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the foam (32) has a thickness of 7 to 13 cm, preferably 9 to 11 cm and particularly preferably 10 cm. Raising aid (2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cushion support (26) has on a rear side a pivotable bearing (36) which is connected to the frame (4). Raising aid (2) according to claim 3, characterized in that the pivotable bearing (36) has at least one horizontal hinge axis (38). Raising aid (2) according to claim 4, characterized in that the pivotable bearing (36) is arranged substantially centrally on the cushion support (26). Raising aid (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cushion support (26) has a fixed shell (30) on a rear side, on which the foam (32) is arranged. Raising aid (2) according to claim 6, characterized in that a base layer (34) made of a cold foam is arranged between the foam (32) and the shell (30). Raising aid (2) according to claim 7, characterized in that the base layer (34) has a thickness which corresponds to at most a quarter of the thickness of the foam (32) and preferably at most an eighth. Raising aid (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cushion support (32) has a flexible, waterproof protective layer (35). Raising aid (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cushion support (26) extends at a height of at least 65 cm and preferably at least 70 cm relative to a footrest (24). Raising aid (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cushion support (26) has a width of at least 60 cm and preferably of at least 70 cm. Raising aid (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cushion support (26) is in one piece.

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