JP2001079060A - Bathing device using lift - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bathing device by which the fear of a bathing person is reduced and the labor of a helper can be reduced. SOLUTION: A device comprises a bathing chair 1 and a lift 3 for lifting the chair, and the like to be used by combining these with a bathtub 4. The bathing chair 1 comprises a seat on which a bath-taking person X sits, a backrest and a footrest, which is shaped like a chair in a washing place and, when being reclined, the bathing person X can sit half. Also, when being reclined, the whole chair including the footrest is at a higher position than the top of the bathtub. Outside the bathtub, when the bathing chair 1 is made to be chair- like so that the bathing person X sits and is reclined to move vertically, the chair can move across the top of the bathtub 4 without changing its height. Then, the chair is put down in the bathtub to allow the person to take a bath. In order to move out of the bathtub, the adverse process may be taken.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in a lift bathing apparatus for lifting a person who needs bathing assistance together with a bath chair by a lift, moving the person to a bathtub and taking a bath.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An example of a conventional lift bathing apparatus is shown in FIG. FIG. 3A is a side view of a bath chair placed outside a bathtub, FIG. 3B is a plan view of the bath chair, and FIG.
(C) is a side view when a bath chair is moved to a bathtub. 3 is a bath chair, 32 is an arm, 33 in FIG.
Is an elevating unit, the bathing chair 31 is supported by one end of an arm 32, the other end of the arm 32 is connected to the upper end of the elevating unit 33, and the arm 32 is horizontally positioned about a connection with the elevating unit 33. It is supported so that it can rotate in the direction. In FIG. 3, 34 is a bathtub, h is the height of the seat of the bath chair, B is the height from the washing place to the frame of the bathtub, and D and L are the width and length of the bathtub.

A lift bathing device is used to bathe a person who can maintain a sitting position but cannot bathe on his own. Such a person often moves to the bathroom using a wheelchair, so that the seat height h of the bath chair 31 is set to a standard wheelchair seat height so that it is easy to transfer between the wheel chair and the bath chair 31. Often around.
Usually, a water depth of about 50 cm is required to fully immerse in hot water up to the shoulder opening when sitting at the bottom of the bathtub. In a commercial bathtub, in a stationary type in which the bathtub is placed on the floor, the height B from the floor to the frame of the bathtub is 60 c, considering the thickness of the bottom of the bathtub.
m. Further, when a bathing chair as shown in FIG. 3 is used, as shown in FIG. 3 (C), the water depth must be increased by the length of the chair leg. The length L and width D of the bathtub are
It is about the size of a normal bathtub used at home or slightly larger.

When bathing is performed using the bathing apparatus shown in FIG. 3, a bath chair 31 is first placed on the floor near the bathtub as shown in FIG. Activating the part 33 and putting the bath chair 31 in the bathtub 34
3 to a position higher than the height B of the frame, and then
As shown in FIG. 3B, the arm 32 is rotated and moved to the position above the bathtub 34, and as shown in FIG. 3C, the elevating unit 33 is operated to lower the bather to the bottom of the bathtub and take a bath.
When taking a bath, perform the reverse process.

[0005] Bathing can be relatively easily performed by using a bathing apparatus as shown in Fig. 3, but as described above, since the height B of the frame of the bathtub is considerably higher than usual, the bather can be raised from the floor. The bather must be lifted, which gives the bather a strong sense of fear and a high risk of falling. Furthermore, a larger amount of hot water is required than a standard bath tub, and the burden is increased economically.

As a means for solving this problem, FIG.
As shown in (D), a method of digging a bathtub on the floor is employed. In this way, the height from the washing place to the frame of the bathtub can be made lower than in the case of the stationary type shown in FIG. 3A, so that the fear of the bather can be reduced. However, there is a problem that it is necessary to separately perform excavation work and maintenance is difficult. Further, as long as the bath chair as shown in FIG. 3 is used, the depth of the bath tub is the same as that of FIG. 3A, so that the problem of consuming a large amount of hot water has not been solved.

FIG. 4 shows an example of another type of lift bathing apparatus. This is to reduce the fear of the bather by preventing the bather from lifting up and down when going over the frame of the bathtub. FIG. 4A is a side view when the bath chair 41 is placed outside the bathtub 44, and FIG.
FIG. 3C is a plan view showing how the arm 42 is rotated, and FIG. 4C shows how the bath chair 41 is moved up and down with the bath chair 41 being moved onto the bathtub 44. 41 in the figure is a bath chair, 4
2 is an arm, 43 is an elevating unit, 44 is a bathtub, h is the height of the seat of the bath chair, D, L and B are the width and length of the bathtub, respectively.
The height of the frame.

In this bathing apparatus, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the bath chair 41 is placed outside the bathtub, the seat height h is increased.
Is higher than the height B of the frame of the bathtub. Also, the size of the bathtub used is such that the height B and the width D of the frame are substantially the same, and the length L is longer so that the feet can be extended, as compared with the bathtub of FIG. When bathing with this device, FIG.
(A) As shown in FIG.
And the caregiver lifts the bather's feet, then
When the arm 42 is rotated as in (B), the arm 42 can be moved into the bathtub beyond the frame of the bathtub 44. After that, as shown in FIG.
When you take off the bath, the bather can be bathed. When taking a bath, the reverse operation is performed.

As described above, when the apparatus shown in FIG. 4 is used, it is not necessary to lift the bather high when moving over the frame of the bathtub, but only to move the bather in the horizontal direction, thereby reducing the fear of the bather. Can be. However, when the bath chair is set outside the bath tub, the height h of the seat of the bath chair 41 must be higher than the height B of the frame of the bath tub. Therefore, it is difficult to transfer, and both the bather and the assistant at the time of transfer are labor intensive. In addition, there is a problem in that the bather's feet have to be lifted when going over the frame of the bathtub, which requires extra labor of the caregiver.

[0010]

As described above, in the bathing apparatus of the type shown in FIG. 3, the height of the lift in the bathtub is increased because the height of the frame of the bathtub is increased, and the fear and danger of falling are further increased. Become stronger. Also, the amount of hot water consumed increases, which is uneconomical. In order to solve this problem such as fear,
3D, the height B of the frame of the bathtub can be reduced, but it is still necessary to raise the bathtub to some extent, so that the dread of the bather and the danger of falling can be eliminated. Absent. In addition, since extra work is required, it becomes expensive and maintenance is difficult,
The problem of consuming a large amount of hot water has not been solved.

On the other hand, when the apparatus shown in FIG. 4 is used, it is not necessary to lift the bather high, so that the bather's fear is reduced and a sufficient bathing is possible. However, since the bather's feet must be lifted to get over the frame of the bathtub when entering and leaving the bath, the labor of the caregiver increases. In addition, since the height h of the bath chair 41 is considerably higher than the standard, it is difficult to transfer to and from a wheelchair, so that the bather's effort and the helper's labor are required extra. Moreover, there is also a problem that the body shifts forward during bathing and becomes unstable. If the height of the seat of the bathing chair is made standard and the bathtub is dug into the floor, the transfer to the bathing chair becomes easy and satisfactory and sufficient bathing becomes possible. Drilling work is required, which increases costs and makes maintenance difficult.

The lift bathing apparatus has the characteristics that it is relatively inexpensive and that a person who can sit can easily take a bath. However, none of them satisfy all the requirements of no fear, safe and sufficient bathing, little care for caregivers, easy maintenance and low water consumption.

[0013]

In order to solve these problems, the present invention provides a bath chair (1) and a bath chair (1).
Means for reclining the whole and moving means for moving the bathing chair (1) between outside and inside the bathtub are provided, and when the bathing chair (1) is reclined, the bathing chair (1)
In order to move the bath chair (1) almost in a horizontal direction between the outside of the bathtub and the inside of the bathtub simply by moving the bath chair (1) almost horizontally so that the whole height is higher than the height of the bathtub frame. did. As an embodiment, the moving means for moving the bath chair between the inside and outside of the bath tub include an arm (2) for supporting the bath chair (1) and rotating in a horizontal direction, and an arm (2).
A lift composed of an elevating part (3) for elevating the
Moreover, the rotating shaft (A) is positioned higher than the height of the frame of the bathtub.
Was provided, and the entire bathing chair was inclined about the rotation axis (A) to recline. When the bath chair (1) is reclined, all parts of the bath chair (1) are positioned higher than the frame of the bathtub, and when the arm (2) is rotated horizontally, the height of the bath chair (1) is raised. The bather can be moved beyond the bathtub frame without changing the bathtub.

[0014]

By using the apparatus of the present invention, the seat height h of the bath chair (1) can be made the standard wheelchair seat height even when a bathtub of a standard size is used. Easy transfer between and wheelchair. In addition, simply by reclining the bath chair (1), the bath chair (1) is at a position higher than the height B of the frame of the bathtub, and can be moved in and out of the bathtub beyond the frame of the bathtub by simply horizontally moving. . In the embodiment using the arm (2), the arm (2) can be moved beyond the frame of the bathtub (4) only by rotating the arm (2) in the horizontal direction. For this reason, the bather does not need to be lifted high, and the fear of the bather can be greatly reduced, and the danger of falling is reduced. Further, the bath chair moved to the bath tub can be lowered to the bottom of the bath tub while being reclined.

When the bath chair (1) is reclined about the rotation axis (A), the bather raises his upper body a little,
The knee is lifted. This posture is called a semi-sitting posture, and it is said that since the body pressure is widely dispersed and the body does not shift in the front-back direction and is stable, a seated person can relax well. By using the bathing apparatus of the present invention, the bather can bathe sufficiently in hot water in a half-sitting position, so that he / she can relax and take a satisfactory bath. On the other hand, since the bather has almost reached the bottom of the bathtub and is reclining, the water depth may be less than or equal to the standard, so that the amount of hot water consumed can be reduced. In addition, since a stationary bathtub can be used, construction costs such as excavation are not required, and maintenance is easy.

[0016]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment in which a lift is used as a means for moving between inside and outside of a bathtub. FIG. 1 (A) is a front view of this embodiment, FIG. 1 (B) is a plan view, C) is a side view. FIGS. 1 (D) and 1 (E) show only a part of the bath chair of the present invention, and show a state when the seat is reclined and reclined, respectively. 1 is a bathing chair, 2 is an arm, 3 is an elevating unit, 4 is a stationary bathtub, 5 is a frame of a bathing chair, 6 is a headrest plate that supports the vicinity of the bather's head, and 7 is a bathing with the headrest plate 6. A link rod for linking the chairs, an air spring 8 for assisting the reclining of the bathing chair, and a handrail 9 for the bather. A is a rotating shaft for tilting the bath chair in a reclining manner, and is provided at a position higher than the frame of the bathtub. B is the height of the frame of the bathtub, h is the height of the bath chair seat, L is the width of the bathtub, D is the depth of the bathtub, and X is the bather. According to the present invention, as shown in FIG.
When the bather X is seated on the bathing chair (1) installed outside the bathroom and the entire bathing chair (1) is rotated backward about the rotation axis A and reclined as shown in FIG. Since all parts of the chair are higher than the height B of the frame of the bathtub 4, when the moving means between the inside and outside of the bathtub, that is, the arm (2) is rotated, the bathing chair 1 moves in the horizontal direction. Then, the bather can be moved into the bathtub beyond the frame of the bathtub.

FIG. 1A shows an embodiment using a lift as a moving means. This embodiment is an example in which a lift and a bathtub 4 are integrated, and an elevating unit 3 is housed in the bathtub 4, an arm 2 is connected to the upper end of the elevating unit 3, and the arm
Are arranged to rotate substantially horizontally. The rotation range of the arm 2 may be a range from the bathtub to the washing place beside the bathtub. However, depending on the case, the rotation may be performed in a wider range. The lifting range of the lifting unit 3 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (C), it is sufficient that the bath chair 1 can be moved up and down from the position where the bath chair 1 was moved to the bath tub to the bottom of the bath tub 4. However, some people do not soak in hot water due to circulatory diseases, etc., so that they can be stopped halfway. Any power, such as electric power, water pressure, and manual operation, may be used for raising and lowering and rotation. be able to.

The bath chair 1 is integrally formed with a seat, a backrest, and a footrest, supported by one end of an arm 2, and provided with a rotatable rotation shaft A at this fulcrum. In this embodiment, since the height h of the seat of the bath chair 1 is set to the height of a standard wheelchair, the transfer can be easily performed when transferring between the wheel chair and the bath chair. However, the height of the bathing chair may be slightly higher because a slightly higher chair is more easily seated for persons with knee disease. The bathing chair 1 is connected to the rotation axis A.
When reclining around the bather, the bather leans backward and assumes a semi-sitting position. In addition, when reclining, all parts of the bath chair 1 are made higher than the height B of the frame of the bathtub 4. By changing the height of the rotation axis A from the floor, the height of the bath chair when reclined can be changed, and the height can be adjusted even if the height of the frame of the bathtub is different.

The procedure of bathing using the bathing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below. First, as shown in FIG. 1 (D), the bath chair 1 is placed on the floor near the bathtub in a chair shape, and the bather X is seated in the bath chair 1. Height h of the seat of bath chair 1
Is the same height as a standard wheelchair seat,
Transfer is easy. Next, when the bath chair 1 is reclined, the bather X can be brought to a semi-sitting posture as shown in FIG. At this time, all parts of the bath chair 1 are located higher than the frame of the bathtub 4. When the arm 2 is rotated while the bathing chair 1 is reclined, the arm can be moved over the frame of the bathtub 4 and onto the bathtub as shown in FIG. Thereafter, when the elevating unit 3 is operated, it can be lowered to the bottom of the bathtub 4 as shown in FIG. In the bathtub, the bather X can be fully immersed in hot water in a semi-sitting position and enjoy a satisfactory bath. When taking a bath, the reverse process may be performed. Since the bather can be moved from the half-sitting position to the sitting position with the bather moved above the bathtub, and the lifting can be stopped at an appropriate position, a half-body bath or a lower limb bath is also possible.

The above is the basic configuration and operation of the present invention. Actually, the following measures have been taken to make bathing easier and more effective. That is, bath chair 1
A headrest plate 6 is rotatably connected to a frame 7 on the upper part of the backrest, and the headrest plate 6 and the arm 4 are connected by a link rod 5 to form a link mechanism. Even when the bath chair 1 is reclined, the headrest plate 6 I try to maintain the original angle. In other words, when the bathing chair 1 is reclined, the entire body of the bather leans backward and assumes a semi-sitting position, but the headrest plate does not change much in inclination, so that the bather's head does not tilt so much. When a person is switched from a sitting position to a semi-sitting position, some people may have a sense of fear. By using this link mechanism, the fear can be prevented. Moreover, when this link mechanism is used, the inclination in the direction of the head is restricted, so that the length L of the bathtub can be reduced, and as a result, the amount of hot water used can be reduced. further,
In this embodiment, a frame 7 provided above the bath chair 1
An air cylinder 8 is mounted between the arm and the arm 2 so as to assist the force when the bath chair 1 is inclined. This is to reduce the labor of the helper when the bathing chair 1 is reclined.

In the above, one embodiment has been described. In short, according to the present invention, the bath chair can be reclined, and when reclined, the bath chair is positioned higher than the height of the frame of the bathtub. It just needs to be able to move and cross the frame of the bathtub. For this reason,
The structure of the bath chair is not a problem, and it is not necessary to integrally form the seat, the backrest, and the footrest as shown in FIG. 1, and the footrest may be eliminated by supporting the lower leg from the knee to the lower leg. The lift is not limited to the structure shown in FIG. 1 as long as the bath chair can be moved in the horizontal direction and can be moved up and down in the vertical direction. Further, the lift and the bathtub do not need to be integrated, and may be separated.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
(A) is a lift type, 21 is a bathing chair, 22 is a base of a lift, 23 is a support, 24 is an arm, 25 is an elevating unit,
26 is a bathtub. The bathing chair 21 is connected to the arm 22 and, similarly to the embodiment of FIG. 1, a rotary shaft A is provided at this connection portion so that the bathing chair 21 can be reclined around A. Is higher than the frame of the bathtub 26. The column 23 is connected to the base 22 so as to rotate in the direction S in the figure around the longitudinal axis s. Further, the arm 24 is rotatable in the direction of R in the figure around an axis r provided at a connection portion with the support 23, and the arm 22 is moved by an elevating unit 25 inserted between the support 23 and the arm 24.
The bath chair 21 is raised and lowered by swinging in the direction. On the other hand, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, as the elevating part, a supporting part for supporting the arm and an elevating mechanism including an elevating mechanism part for elevating the elevating part are used as the elevating part. The attached arm was raised and lowered. When taking a bath with this lift, the bath chair 21 is installed near the bath tub 26 to allow the bather to sit down, the bath chair 21 is reclined, and the bath chair 21 is pushed to the bath tub 26 law. The arm 24 rotates around the center in the S direction in the figure.
Rotates to move the bather onto the bathtub. Subsequently, when the elevating unit 25 is operated, the arm 24 rotates in the R direction in the drawing, and the bather can be put in hot water. When taking a bath, the reverse process may be performed. FIG. 2B is an embodiment of another type of bathing apparatus. 21 in the figure is a bath chair, 26
Is a bathtub and 27 is a rail. The bath chair 21 is set outside the bathtub as shown in the figure to seat the bather, and the bath chair 21 is reclined around the rotation axis A so that the entire bath chair is positioned higher than the frame of the bathtub 26, and If it moves horizontally along, it can be moved into a bathtub. The bath chair can be raised and lowered in the bathtub. Although the present embodiment has been described as being able to use a stationary bathtub,
It can also be used in a digging bathtub, and if it is a separate type, the existing bathtub can be used as it is.

[0023]

According to the present invention, the height h of the seat of the bath chair (1) can be made the same as the height of the seat of the standard wheel chair, so that the bath chair (1) can be easily moved between the bath chair (1) and the wheel chair. The transfer can be performed, the transfer is easy, and the labor involved in the transfer of both the bather and the assistant can be reduced. In addition, the bather can be moved into and out of the bath tub simply by reclining the bath chair (1) without changing the height of the bath chair, and by simply horizontally moving the bath chair. In the embodiment of FIG. 1 (A), the fear of moving the bather to the bathtub can be greatly reduced because the arm can be moved beyond the frame of the bathtub only by rotating the arm, and the danger of falling may occur. Will also be lower. The same applies to the embodiment of FIG. Furthermore, the bath chair moved to the bath tub can be lowered to the bottom of the bath tub in the same posture, so the bather is in a half sitting position,
Because you can bathe in the water sufficiently deeply, your posture is stable, you can relax, and you can take a satisfactory bath.

On the other hand, according to the present invention, the water depth may be less than or equal to the standard, and the length L of the bathtub can be made shorter than that of the prior art (4). Is economical. Further, since the bathtub itself can be designed to be more compact, a bathtub that is less expensive than a conventional bathtub can be realized. Further, since a stationary bathtub can be used, construction costs such as excavation are not required, maintenance is simple, and overall running costs can be reduced. Of course, it can be a bathtub type. In addition, if the bathtub and the lift are separated and a stand-alone lift is used, the existing bathtub can be used as it is, so that the capital investment can be reduced. Moreover, by changing the height of the rotation axis A of the bath chair, it can be applied to bathtubs having different heights of the frame, and the versatility is high.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an example of a lift bathing device according to the present invention;
(A) is a front view, (B) is a side view, (C) is a plan view,
(D) shows a state in which a bather is seated in a chair-shaped bath chair outside the bathtub, and (E) shows a state in which the bath chair is reclined around a rotation axis A.

FIG. 2 is another embodiment of the lift bathing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an example of a conventional lift bathing device.

FIG. 4 is another conventional type of lift bathing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 21 ... bath chair 2, 24 ... arm 3, 25 ... elevating part 4, 26 ... bathtub 5 ... frame of bath chair 6 ... headrest part 7 ... link rod 8 ... Air cylinder 9 ... Armrest 22 ... Base 23 ... Post 27 ... Rail A ... Rotation axis of bath chair B ... Height of bathtub frame D ... Bathtub width L: length of bathtub h: height of bath chair seat s: center axis of column S: direction of column rotation r: axis of rotation of arm R ...・ Rotating direction of arm 31, 41 ... Bath chair 32, 42 ...
Arms 33, 43 ... elevating parts 34, 44 ...
Bathtub

Claims (2)

[Claims] A bath chair (1), means for reclining the entire bath chair (1), and moving means for moving the bath chair (1) between outside and inside the bath tub. ) Is reclined so that the entire bath chair (1) is higher than the height of the frame of the bathtub, and only by moving the bath chair (1) almost horizontally, the outside of the bathtub and beyond the bathtub beyond the frame of the bathtub. Bathing equipment that can be moved between the inside. The moving means for moving the bath chair between the inside of the bathtub and the outside of the bathtub includes an arm (2) for supporting the bath chair (1) and rotating in a horizontal direction, and raising and lowering the arm (2). A lift composed of an elevating part (3), a rotating shaft (A) provided at a connection part between the bath chair (1) and the arm (2),
The bathing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the entire bathing chair is inclined and reclined around the rotation axis (A).