GB2207042A

GB2207042A - Supports for disabled persons

Info

Publication number: GB2207042A
Application number: GB08811654A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Michael Rimington; David Edmund Talbot Garman
Original assignee: Mangar Aids Ltd
Current assignee: Mangar Aids Ltd
Priority date: 1987-07-22
Filing date: 1988-05-17
Publication date: 1989-01-25
Anticipated expiration: 2008-05-17
Also published as: GB8717292D0; GB2207042B; GB8811654D0

Abstract

Seat apparatus comprising a seat 11, a lower part 12, lifting means 14 to raise and lower the seat, and a support 10. The support comprises a leg support member 20 which is slidably mounted upon an upper member 21 connected pivotally to the seat, and a lower member 24 which is pivotally connected to the lower part 12 and the upper member 21, and is connected by a link 25 to the support member 20 so as to vary both the inclination of the support member and the distance between the support member and the seat automatically as the latter is raised or lowered. <IMAGE>

Description

SUPPORTS FOR DISABLED PERSONS This invention concerns supports, for disabled persons, such as legrests and seats incorporating such legrests.

Seats providing vertical adjustment of seat height are known.

For example, in our British Patent Application No. 8524851 there is known lifting apparatus which permits a platform to be raised and lowered relative to a base. Such apparatus can be employed as a portable seat or can be employed as or incorporated in a mobile seat such as a wheelchair, so that a user seated or supported upon the platform can be raised and lowered.

However, attempts to provide vertically adjustable seats with supports for the user's legs have given rise to problems of cost, complexity, the need for an attendant to operate or adjust the supports, discomfort to the user, and restrictions upon the manner and situations in which the seats can be used.

An object of the invention is to enable such problems to be reduced or avoided.

According to the present invention there is provided a legrest or like support comprising an upper member having an end part pivotally attached or attachable to a vertically movable seat or platform; a lower member pivotally attached to the upper member and having an end part pivotally attached or attachable to a base below said seat or platform; a support member, for a user's feet and/or legs, slidably carried by the upper member; and a linkage connecting the lower member and support member so that the support member is moved along the upper member automatically when the vertical distance between said end parts is varied to vary the inclination of the upper member.

The invention further provides seat apparatus comprising a seat or platform, a lower part or base, lifting means to raise and lower the seat or platform relative to the lower part or base, and a support; wherein the support comprises a support member which is mounted upon an upper member connected pivotally to the seat or platform, and a lower member which is pivotally connected to the lower part or base and to the upper member, and is connected to the support member so as to vary both the inclination of the support member and the distance between the support member and the seat or platform automatically as the latter is raised or lowered.

In the apparatus the lower member is preferably connected to the support member by a linkage.

Preferably, at least one of the connections between the lower member and the base or lower part, or between the upper member or the linkage and the lower member is adjustable to vary the resultant movement, or inclination and movement, of the support member, produced by a given displacement of the seat or platform.

The support member is preferably slidably supported by the upper member; and the upper member preferably comprises a frame providing spaced apart parallel guide runs which are disposed below and slidably support lateral margins of the support member.

The lower member may comprise a pair of levers pivotally connected to said guide runs; and each lever may be connected intermediate its ends to a respective one of said runs, and may have one end part which projects alongside one-lateral margin of the support member.

The linkage may comprise a pair of links, each of which links extends between and is pivotally connected to a respective one of said lateral margins and of said end parts.

The seat or platform is preferably supported by or incorporated into a wheelchair, and is arranged so that the support is held above a floor supporting the wheelchair irrespective of the position of the seat or platform. The support member preferably carries an adjustable footrest.

The invention further provides a chair, seat or wheelchair incorporating the support.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings wherein: FIGURE 1 shows a first embodiment of a support of the invention and part of a seat in a raised condition; FIGURE 2 shows the support and part of the seat in a lowered condition; FIGURES 3 and 4 are views similar to FIGURES 1 and 2 showing a second embodiment of the invention; and FIGURE 5 is a part sectional diagram showing a modified form of the invention.

In all embodiments the support 10 is provided on a wheelchair, which incorporates vertical adjustable seat apparatus, and of which only a seat or platform 11, a base 12 and a front wheel 13 are shown. The base 12 is provided by a frame of the wheelchair and supports lifting means, such as an inflatable bellows 14, to raise and lower the seat or platform 11 relative to the base between limits illustrated, for example, in FIGURES 1 and 2.

In the first embodiment the support 10 comprises a leg support member 20 slidably mounted on parallel guide runs 21 of an upper member 22; a footrest 23 adjustably mounted on the support member 20; a lower member 24 and a linkage 25.

The upper member 22 is in the form of a substantially U-shaped or rectangular frame of tubular metal, and has an upper end part 26 (which may consist of the upper end portions of those side parts of the frame which serve as the runs 21) which is connected by an upper pivot or pivots 27 to the underside of the front of the platform, or to the sides of the platform.

The lower member 24 comprises two parallel metal levers 28; and-has a rear end part 29, which comprises an end portion of each lever 28, and which is pivotally connected by lower pivots 30 to the front of the base 12.

The upper and lower members 22 and 24 are connected together by a further pivot 31 intermediate their ends so that the portions of the members 22 and 24 extending between the pivots 27, 30 and 31 lie on two sides of a triangle between points denoted by the axes of the pivots, which axes are parallel, so that the distance between the pivot 31 and the common plane of the axes of the pivots 27 and 30 is dependant upon the distance between the latter, and therefore the distance to which the support projects in front of the seat and the inclination of the upper member are inversely related (but not directly proportional) to the height of the seat.

The lower member 24 extends beyond the pivot 31 to a front end part 32 connected by further pivots 33 to the linkage 25, which comprises two rigid parallel metal links 34 alongside the runs 21.

Each link 34 is connected by a further pivot 35 to the support member 20, so that the distance between the support member and the upper pivots is also inversely related to the height of the platform. Thus the footrest is moved down the upper member and away from the platform as the latter is lowered, thereby preventing the legs of a user being longitudinally compressed as they are straightened by lowering of the platform.

The support is of simple, reliable and inexpensive construction; is convenient and comfqrtable to use; and is easily fitted to a seat.

Furthermore, when fitted to or incorporated in a wheelchair, the support offers minimal obstruction or hindrance to movement of the wheelchair.

In the second embodiment of the apparatus shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, those parts which are similar to equivalent parts of the first embodiment are indicated by the same reference numbers, and are not described again. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment primarily in that: (a) the footrest 23A incorporates a heel support portion 23B which is slidably located on the leg support member 20, and has securing means 23C to fix the portion 23B in any selected position in relation to the member 20; (b) the linkage 25 comprises tie-bar links 34A having Rose-joint end parts or pivots 33,35 connected to the lower member and the support member;; (c) the levers 28 provide alternative mounting points 33A for the further pivots 33 to offer reduced ratio of lever produced sliding motion of the support member to angular displacement of the lower member, whereby to cater for users having various popliteal heights; and (d) linkage covers 36 are provided on the support member.

The invention is not confined to details of the foregoing examples and many variations are possible within the scope of the invention. For example, whereas in the foregoing embodiments pairs of levers and links are employed and are disposed generally at the sides of the support member to act on lateral marginal portions of the support member, the mechanism for locating, moving and supporting the support member may be disposed substantially below and behind the support member.

For example, as indicated in FIGURE 5, the lower member may comprise a single central lever 40 and link; and the or each link may be replaced by a peg and slot linkage 41 in which the slot is provided in a bracket 42 secured centrally to the leg support member 20A to extend through a slot 43 in the upper member 22A.

The upper member 22A may be a panel having at the rear a further bracket 44 to locate the pivot 31. The lever 40 (or 28) may provide alternative positions 31A for the pivot 31 and positions 30A for the pivot 30, to adjust the lever ratio and footrest position. The support member 20A may have rearwardly directed side walls 21B to engage the sides of the upper member instead of brackets 37; and the upper member 21A may comprise a panel having lateral surfaces which serve as the guide runs 21 to support the lateral marginal portions of the support member.

The invention further provides apparatus or a support having any novel part or feature, or combination thereof, disclosed herein or in the drawings, and mechanical or functional equivalents thereof; and the parts and features of the embodiments disclosed herein may be employed in any suitable combination. For example, the first embodiment may be modified to employ a panel form of upper member, or the frame may have a panel superimposed thereon to avoid leaving a large gap between the platform and the support member when the platform is lowered.

Claims

1. A legrest or like support comprising an upper member having an end part pivotally attached or attachable to a vertically movable seat or platform; a lower member pivotally attached to the upper member and having an end part pivotally attached or attachable to a base below said seat or platform; a support member, for a user's feet and/or legs, slidably carried by the upper member; and a linkage connecting the lower member and support member so that the support member is moved along the upper member automatically when the vertical distance between said end parts is varied to vary the inclination of the upper member.

2. Seat apparatus comprising a seat or platform, a lower part or base, lifting means to raise and lower the seat or platform relative to the lower part or base, and a support; wherein the support comprises a support member which is mounted upon an upper member connected pivotally to the seat or platform, and a lower member which is pivotally connected to the lower part or base and to the upper member, and is connected to the support member so as to vary both the inclination of the support member and the distance between the support member and the seat or platform automatically as the latter is raised or lowered.

3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 2, the lower member is connected to the support member by a linkage.

4. A support or apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or 3 wherein at least one of the connections between the lower member and the base or lower part, or between the upper member or the linkage and the lower member is adjustable to vary the resultant movement, or inclination and movement, of the support member produced by a given displacement of the seat or platform.

5. A support or apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 wherein the support member is slidably supported by the upper member.

6. A support or apparatus as claimed in Claim 5 wherein the upper member comprises a frame providing spaced apart parallel guide runs which are disposed below and slidably support lateral margins of the support member.

7. A support or apparatus as claimed in Claim 6 the lower member comprises a pair of levers pivotally connected to said guide runs.

8. A support or apparatus as claimed in Claim 7, wherein each lever is connected intermediate its ends to a respective one of said runs, and has one end part which projects alongside onelateral margin of the support member.

9. A support or apparatus as claimed in Claim 8 as appended to Claim 3 wherein the linkage comprises a pair of links, each of which links extends between and is pivotally connected to a respective one of said lateral margins and of said end parts.

10. A support or apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 wherein a footrest is mounted adjustably on the support member.

11. A support or apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any Figure or Figures of the accompanying drawings.