GB2191989A

GB2191989A - Lifting apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2191989A
Application number: GB08614386A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stuart Pugh; Douglas Gordon Smith; Guillermo Jose Aguirre-Esponda; Peter John Connolly; Simbo J Kimaro; Madjied Lamsechi; Mohammad Hossain Sadeghi; Geoffrey Smith
Original assignee: Loughborough University; University of Strathclyde
Current assignee: Loughborough University; University of Strathclyde
Priority date: 1986-06-13
Filing date: 1986-06-13
Publication date: 1987-12-31
Also published as: GB2191989B; GB8614386D0

Abstract

Apparatus for lifting and lowering a person in a seat 6 has a support frame 1 with an arm 4 mounted for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis, and actuating means 5 operating on one end of the arm 4 to pivot it, with the seat 6 mounted at the other end by a parallel motion mechanism 7 including a flexible inextensible member 8, such as a wire rope. The parallel motion mechanism 7 has a pair of quadrant members 30, 31, one of which is mounted on the support frame 1, and the other on the arm 4 to carry the seat 6. The actuating means 5 may be any suitable actuator such as a manually-operable winch 20. The support frame 1 may be rotatable about a vertical axis, and this is particularly useful where the apparatus is used to assist people in getting into and out of swimming pools. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Lifting apparatus This invention relates to apparatus for lifting and lowering a person in a seat, and in particularto apparatus for assisting disabled people to get into and out of swimming pools.

According to our invention, apparatus for lifting and lowering a person in a seat comprises a support structure on which is mounted an arm for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis, and actuating means for pivoting the arm, the actuating means operating on one end of the arm, with the seat provided at the other end and mounted by a parallel motion mechanism including a flexible inextensible member.

The apparatus has a simple and compact construction, due in particular to the use of the flexible inextensible member.

The parallel motion mechanism preferably includes a pair of quadrant members; one of these being mounted on the arm to carry the seat, and the other being mounted on the support structure. Each quadrant member has a curved guide portion for the flexible member, and attachment means for an end of the flexible member. The quadrant members conveniently have the same construction, for ease of manufacture. The flexible member preferably comprises a wire rope.

The actuating means preferably comprises a manually-operable winch, but may also be any other suitable actuator, such as a water or oil hydraulic cylinder, or an electric linearactuator.

The support structure may be mounted for rotation about a substantially vertical axis. This is particularly useful where the apparatus is used to assist people in getting into and out of swimming pools, as rotation of the support structure can position the seat on the pool side or over the water.

An embodiment of our invention is illustrated, by way of example only, in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure lisa side view of an apparatus for raising and lowering a person in a seat; Figure2 is a cross-section along the line 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a cross-section along the line 2-3 of Figure 1; Figure4isacross-section along the line 3-4of Figure 1; FigureS is a cross-section along the line 5-5 of Figure 1; Figure 6 is a cross-section along the line 5-6 of Figure 1; and Figure 7is a side view of a quadrant member.

The apparatus illustrated in the drawings for lifting and lowering a person in a seat is designed to assist people to get into and out of swimming pools. It has a support frame 1 mounted on the side 2 of the pool 3, and an arm 4 mounted on the frame 1 for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis. The arm 4 is operated by an actuating means 5 acting on the inner end of the arm 4, and a seat assembly 6 is mounted on the outer end of the arm 4 by a parallel motion mechanism 7 which includes a flexible inextensible member 8.

The support frame 1 is of steel, and is mounted on a shaft 9 located in a socket 10 in the side 2 of the pool 3. The frame 1 has a tube 11 rotatably mounted on the shaft 9 by bearings (not shown), with a pair of supportarms 12extending from thetube 11 to provide the pivot axis for the arm 4. Each support arm 12 comprises two box-section members 13,14 welded to the tube 11 at their inner ends and welded to each other at their outer ends, with a boss 15 welded to the outer end of the member 13. An arm pivot shaft 16 (at the axis) is located in the boss 15 and is retained by a roll-pin 17 (see Figure 2). An abutment 18 is also welded to each member 13. The frame 1 furthermore has a box-section upright 19 for carrying the actuating means 5, which is in the form of a manually operated winch 20. A steel winch rope 21 is guided down the upright 19, round a pulley 22 provided on a bracket 23 welded to the lower end of the upright 19, and is then attached by a pin 24 to the inner end of the arm 4.

The arm 4 comprises a steel box-section member opened out at its ends. Each end has a pair of reinforcing plates 25, with each plate 25 having an aperture 26, to which is welded a boss 27. The arm 4 is rotatably mounted on the arm pivot shaft 16 by the bosses 27 on the inner plates and bearings 28 (see Figure 2). The arm 4 is similarly mounted on a sheet pivot shaft 29 at the outer plates 25. The parallel motion mechanism 7 has a pairofquadrant members 30,31 mounted on the respective shafts 16,29, with the flexible member 8 comprising a stainless steel rope guided on the quadrants and attached to them.

The construction of both quadrants 30,31 is the same, and is shown in Figure 7. Each quadrant comprises a pair of steel plates 32 connected by a curved guide 33 for the rope8 and a stiffener34, the guide 33 and the stiffener 34 being welded to the plates 32. Each quadrant also has three apertures. A boss 35 is welded in the first aperture 36, the quadrant being mounted on the shaft 16 or 29 between the plates 25 by this boss. The second aperture 37 takes a pin 38 by which an eye 39 on the end of the rope 8 is attached to the quadrant. As can be seen in Figure 3, the pin 38 is retained by circlips 40. The third aperture 41 takes a quadrant pin 42. On the inner quadrant 30 the pin 42 is a stop pin retained on the quadrant by circlips 40 (see Figure 4), and which engages the abutment members 18 through an adjusting screw and nut arrangement 43. On the outer quadrant 31 the pin 42 provides a mounting means for the seat assembly 6.

The seat assembly 6 comprises a polypropylene seat shell 44 and a tubular frame 45 having upper and lower pairs 46,47 of steel tubes 48. Each tube 48 is of angled outline, and is swaged and drilled at each end, for fixing. Each upper tube is welded to the adjacent lower tube for strength. The outer ends of the tubes 48 are bolted to the shell 44, while the inner ends are attached to the arm 4 and the quadrant 31.

The upper arms 46 are mounted on the seat pivot shaft 27 outwardly of the plates 25 and, as shown in Figure 5, the arms are retained by washers 49 and circlips 40. The lower arms 47 are mounted in a similarwayon the quadrant pin 42 oftheouter quadrant 31,as shown in Figure 6.

All the metal components are provided with suitable protection against corrosion, and the frame 1 is enclosed by a cover 50 of plastics material.

In use, if a person is to be helped into the water, the frame 1 is rotated so that the seat shell 44 is overthe side 2 ofthe swimming pool 3, and the winch 20 is operated so that the seat shell 44 is at a suitable height for the person. It will be noted that this height can be varied according to the needs of different people using the apparatus. Once the person is seated, the winch 20 is operated to lift the seat so that the person's legs are clear of the pool side 2, and then the frame 1 is rotated so that the seat is over the water (the position shown in the solid lines in Figure 1). The winch 20 is then operated again to lowerthe seat right into the water, as shown by the chain-dotted lines in Figure 1. During this movement the arm 4 pivots about the shaft 16, but the quadrant 31 and the seat assembly 6 maintain the attitude shown, as the quadrant 31 is constrained by the rope 8 and the quadrant 30 which is fixed to the frame 1.

Relative movement of the arm 4 and the quadrant 31 is accommodated by the arm 4 pivoting on the shaft 29.

This sequence of operation is reversed to raise a person out of the pool 3.

The apparatus has a simple and compact construction, due mainly to the use of the rope 8.

Arranging for the quadrants 30,31 to have the same construction also simplifies manufacture.

The socket mounting for the frame 1 means that the apparatus can be removed if required. In a modification, not shown,the apparatus may be permanently mounted on the pool side 2.

In a further modification (not shown) the frame 45 forthe seat shell 44 may comprise a single central support member.

The actuating means 5 need not be a winch, but instead may comprise any suitable actuator, such as a water or oil hydraulic cylinder, or an electric linear actuator. The frame 1 is designed so that the different actuators can be accommodated easily.

Claims

1. Apparatus for lifting and lowering a person in a seat comprising a support structure on which is mounted an arm for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis, and actuating means for pivoting the arm, the actuating means operating on one end of the arm, with the seat being provided at the other end and mounted by a parallel motion mechanism including a flexible inextensible member.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the parallel motion mechanism includes a pair of quadrant members, one of which is mounted on the arm to carry the seat, and the other being mounted on the support structure.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which each quadrant member has a curved guide portion for the flexible member, and attachment means for an end of the flexible member.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 orclaim 3, in which the two quadrant members have the same construction.

5. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the flexible inextensible member comprises a wire rope.

6. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the actuating means comprises a manually-operable winch.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, in which the actuating means comprises a fluid-pressure operated cylinder.

8. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, in which the actuating means comprises an electric actuator.

9. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the support structure is mounted for rotation about a substantially vertical axis.

10. Apparatusforlifting and lowering a person in a seat substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.