JP2001104433A - Bathtub - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bathtub capable of being safely and comfortably used by a person to be cared and also by a person requiring no carer or care, excellent in design effect and having a life seat and a drive part thereof. SOLUTION: A bathtub is arranged in a bathroom 10. The side wall 13a of the bathtub 1 is inclined and has a flange 11 at its upper end. A drive part 3 is arranged in a drive part arranging space 30 under an apron 14, and a lift seat 2 is formed from a seat part 21, a backrest 22 and a top part 23 and the inclination of the backrest 22 is made same to that of the side wall 13a. A seat part housing part 21a, a backrest housing part 131 and a top part housing part 11a are provided to the bathtub 1 and the whole of the lift seat 2 is fitted to these parts to be housed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bathtub provided with a lift seat for raising and lowering in a bathtub and a drive unit for the lift seat.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a similar technique, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-169424 describes a bathtub provided with a lift seat that moves up and down in a bathtub and a drive unit for the lift seat. In this bathtub, the lift seat and the drive unit are removable, but in order to make it easy to remove, the lift seat and the drive unit are mounted and fixed on the side wall of the bathtub. In addition, the drive unit uses the pressure of water, which is a working fluid having a predetermined pressure, such as tap water, to raise and lower the lifting seat with the piston rod of the cylinder.

[0003]

However, when using the bathtub described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-169424, a caregiver attaches an elevating seat and a drive unit to the bathtub.
Raise the lift seat, put the care recipient on the lift seat, and lower the lift seat. In this way, the caregiver can easily bathe the care recipient. However, in this bathtub, the lifting seat and the drive unit are mounted and fixed on the side wall of the bathtub so that the bathtub can be easily removed. For this reason, the driving unit is exposed, and is in a dangerous state for the caregiver. In addition, since the elevating seat is raised and lowered with the piston rod of the cylinder using the pressure of water which is a working fluid having a predetermined pressure such as tap water, even when there is no water in the bathtub, it operates by erroneous operation. There was a risk of getting rid of it. In addition, when a person who does not need a lift seat takes a bath, the lift seat and the drive unit are obstructed, so that it is necessary to remove them. For this reason, there is a problem that it takes time and a storage space for the elevator seat and its driving unit is required.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and can be used safely and comfortably by a bathing care recipient, a caregiver, and a person who does not need care. It is an object of the present invention to provide an excellent bathtub having a lift seat and a drive unit for the lift seat.

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bathtub provided with a lift seat for placing a bather and a drive unit for the lift seat, wherein the bathtub has a side wall. A tub having a flange at an upper end thereof, wherein the driving unit is installed in a driving unit installation space below the flange. As the drive unit of the present invention, a cylinder using hydraulic or hydraulic pressure, a linear motion device with a built-in motor, or the like can be used. Further, in order to make the operation length of the drive unit shorter than the elevating distance of the elevating seat, the principle of leverage can be used. In addition, it is preferable to raise the backrest from the seat portion of the elevating seat because the upper body of the bather can be supported.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the driving unit installation space is covered with a detachable apron extending from a side surface of the bathtub. It is a bathtub.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bathtub according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein a storage portion for the lift seat is provided at a bottom of the bathtub. Here, it is effective that, when the elevating seat is lowered to the lower end, the upper surface of the seat of the elevating seat and the inner surface of the bathtub bottom are substantially flush with each other when the elevating seat is lowered to the lower end. . Therefore, the storage portion can be effectively configured by providing a recess at the bottom of the bathtub into which the seat of the elevating seat fits, or providing a spacer at the bottom avoiding the seat.

[0008] The invention described in claim 4 is based on claim 1,
In the invention of the second or third aspect, the side wall of the bathtub is provided with an inclination, and the elevating seat is provided with a backrest having an inclination substantially similar to the inclination of the side wall, and the backrest slides on the side wall. A bathtub characterized by being made to do. In order for the backrest of the lift seat to slide on the inclined side wall, for example, a concave portion is provided in the side wall so that the backrest of the lift seat can be fitted, or a rail is provided on the side wall and the backrest is provided. A method such as providing a rail receiver can be adopted.

[0009] The invention according to claim 5 is based on claim 1,
In the invention of 2, 3 or 4, the driving section includes a cylinder and a piston rod, and the piston rod extends from a flange of the bathtub.
A bathtub, wherein the lift seat is connected to the piston rod.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect of the invention, the cylinder uses hydraulic pressure, and the bathtub and the cylinder are connected by a pipe via a hydraulic pump. It is a bathtub characterized by the following.

[0011]

In the bathtub according to the first aspect of the present invention, the bathtub has a flange at an upper end of a side wall thereof, and the driving unit is installed in a driving unit installation space below the flange. That is, since the driving unit is isolated from the user of the bathtub by the flange, the bathtub can be used widely and safely. Further, a bathtub excellent in design can be formed.

In the bathtub according to the second aspect of the present invention, the drive unit installation space is covered with a detachable apron extending from the side surface of the bathtub. Therefore, installation work and maintenance of the drive unit can be easily performed by removing the apron.

[0013] In the bathtub according to the third aspect of the present invention, a storage portion for a lift seat is provided at the bottom of the bathtub. That is,
When the elevating seat is lowered to the lower end, the elevating seat can be stored in the storage part, so that unnecessary unevenness can be prevented from being generated at the bottom of the bathtub.

In the bathtub according to the present invention, a slope is provided on a side wall of the bathtub, and a backrest having a slope substantially similar to the slope of the side wall is provided on an elevating seat.
The backrest slides on the side wall.
Therefore, when the care-requiring person moves up and down in the lift seat, the backrest of the lift seat is supported by the inclined surface of the side wall, and the movement of the lift seat can be stabilized.

In the bathtub according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the drive unit includes a cylinder and a piston rod, and the piston rod extends from a flange of the bathtub.
An elevating seat is connected to this piston rod. Therefore, since the piston rod is located outside the elevator seat, the care recipient and the care giver can use the elevator seat safely. Further, since the through hole for extending the piston rod is required only for the flange at a high position, the bathtub can be reliably waterproofed.

In the bathtub according to the present invention, the cylinder uses hydraulic pressure, and the bathtub and the cylinder are connected by a pipe via a hydraulic pump. Therefore,
The water sent to the cylinder is the water in the bathtub, and when there is no water in the bathtub, the elevator cannot be raised. In other words, the seat is not raised due to an erroneous operation, which is safe.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings based on embodiments. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the bathtub of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views showing a state where the bathtub of FIG. 1 is installed in a bathroom.

As shown in FIG. 2, the bathtub 1 of FIG.
The controller 4 of the elevator seat 2 and the handrail 5 are attached to the wall of the bathroom 10. Bathtub 1
Has a detachable apron 14 on the side surface, and side walls 13 and 13a are erected from the bottom 12 on four sides. The side wall 13a on the backrest side is an inclined surface, and has a wide flange 11 at an upper end thereof. The elevating seat 2 is formed of a seat portion 21, a backrest 22, and a top portion 23. The inclination of the backrest 22 is the side wall 13a.
It is the same as The bottom 12 of the bathtub 1 has a storage portion 12a for the seat 21 of the elevating seat 2, and the side wall 13a has a backrest 22.
The storage portion 131 of the top portion 23 is provided on the flange 11, and the entire lifting seat 2 is fitted and stored therein.

A drive unit 3 for moving up and down the lift seat 2
Is installed in the drive unit installation space 30 covered with the apron 14, the side wall 13a, and the flange 11. The driving unit 3 is 1
A pair of piston rods 32 are provided, and the piston rods 32 extend from through holes 11 b provided in the flange 11 of the bathtub 1. Thus, the through hole is
Since it is provided only on the flange 11 and does not receive water pressure, it can be easily waterproofed. Also, the piston rod 32
Is fixed to the top 23 of the lift seat 2 by bolts and nuts (not shown). By fixing in this manner, the lifting seat 2 can be easily removed from the piston rod 32 and removed from the bathtub 1.

FIG. 3 shows that the drive unit 3 controls the piston rod 32
As a result, the upper surface of the seat 21 of the lifting seat 2 is
2 shows a state in which the lifting seat is lifted so as to be at the same height as the upper end of the elevator. Here, the side wall 13a of the bathtub 1 is provided with an inclination, and the backrest 22 of the elevator seat 2 is attached to the side wall 1a.
3a, the same inclination as that of the backrest 2a is provided.
2 is fitted in the backrest storage portion 131, and the side wall 13a is
The backrest 22 slides on the top. Further, the length of the piston rod 32 is adjusted so that the height of the lift seat 2 in FIG. 3 is the upper limit, so that the side wall 13a and the backrest 22 do not separate. Therefore, while the elevator seat 2 moves from the lower end to the upper end, the backrest 22 is moved.
Can be supported by the side wall 13a.

Since the bathtub 1 is constructed as described above, the caregiver places the care recipient who is a bather on the elevator 2 with the elevator 2 raised, and then moves the elevator 2 to the lower end. By lowering, the care recipient can be easily bathed. Further, the drive unit 3 is isolated from the caregiver of the bathtub 1 and the care recipient. As a result, the bathtub 1 and the bathroom 10 in which the bathtub 1 is installed can be widely and safely used.
Further, the design of the bathtub 1 and the bathroom 10 can be made excellent.

When the elevator seat 2 is lowered to the lower end,
Since the seat portion 21 of the lift seat 2 can be stored in the seat storage portion 12a, unevenness of the bottom portion 12 of the bathtub can be eliminated, and a bather who does not need the lift seat 2 can comfortably use the bath seat. Furthermore, since the backrest 22 and the top 23 can also be stored in the backrest storage 131 and the top storage 11a, respectively, the inner surface of the bathtub 1 and the surface of the elevating seat 2 can be flush. That is, the bathtub 1 provided with the elevating seat 2 can be used as comfortably as a bathtub having no unevenness on the surface.

Further, when the care-requiring person moves up and down on the lift seat 2, the backrest 22 of the lift seat 2 is supported in a state of being fitted into the backrest storage portion 131 of the side wall 13a.
Movement can be stabilized. Further, since the piston rod 32 is located outside the backrest 22 of the lift seat 2, the care-requiring person and the care giver can use the lift seat 2 safely.

Next, the driving section 3 of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to the piping diagram of FIG. A hydraulic pump 33 is connected to the bottom 12 of the bathtub 1 by a piping member 36 via an electromagnetic valve 34a. The hydraulic pump 33 is connected to a pair of cylinders 31 by a pipe member 35.
Are connected to the pressurizing chamber 31a. Also, the piping member 35
Is connected to the piping member 37 via the electromagnetic valve 34b and the electric throttle valve 34c. The pipe member 37 is a drain pipe, and is communicated with a drain of the bathroom 10 (not shown). The hydraulic pump 33, the solenoid valve 34a, the solenoid valve 34b, and the electric throttle valve 34c are connected to the controller 4 by electric wires 42, respectively. The controller 4 is connected to the electric wire 41
Is connected to a power supply (not shown). Here, the upper ends of the piston rods 32 of the pair of cylinders 31 are respectively fixed to the tops 23 of the lift seats 2.

In order to use the elevating seat 2 of the bathtub 1 configured as described above, the following procedure is performed. First, as shown in FIG.
In order to raise the lift seat 2 from the state at the lowermost end as shown in FIG. 3, a signal and electric power are supplied from the controller 4, the electromagnetic valve 34a is opened, the electromagnetic valve 34b is closed, and the hydraulic pump 33 is turned on. Operate. As a result, the water (hot water) 15 in the bathtub 1 is pressurized by the hydraulic pump 33 and introduced into the pressurizing chamber 31 a of the cylinder 31.
The lift seat 2 is raised via 3. When there is no water 15 in the bathtub 1, the state is detected as an abnormality of the pressurized state of the hydraulic pump 33, transmitted to the controller 4, a stop signal of the hydraulic pump 33 is issued from the controller 4, and the operation of the hydraulic pump 33 is performed. Stop. Further, the abnormality can be notified by the display of the controller 4 and the signal sound. Further, the rising speed of the lift seat 2 can be adjusted by adjusting the rotation speed of the hydraulic pump 33 by the controller 4.

Next, in order to lower the lift seat 2, the solenoid valve 34a is closed by a signal from the controller 4 and the solenoid valve 3 is closed.
4b is opened, and the operation of the hydraulic pump 33 is stopped. As a result, the lift 2 supported by the piston rod 32 by the weight of the lift 2 or the weight of the occupant descends, and the water in the pressurizing chamber 31a of the cylinder 31 flows through the solenoid valve 34b and the electric throttle valve 34c to the pipe 37. From the tub 1 into the drain. Here, the lowering speed of the lift seat 2 is adjusted by adjusting the opening degree of the electric throttle valve 34c by the controller 4.

As described above, since the driving unit 3 is configured, the water sent to the cylinder 31 is the water 15 in the bathtub 1, and when the water 15 is not in the bathtub 1, the lifting seat 2 is raised. Can not do. That is, it is safe because the elevator 2 is not raised by an erroneous operation. Also, the solenoid valve 34
Since a and 34b are of a type that opens when a voltage is applied, when power is not supplied due to a power failure or the like, the solenoid valve closes and the lift seat 2 does not lower, so that it is safe.
In addition, since the controller 4 can adjust the ascending speed and the descending speed of the lift seat 2, the lift seat 2 can be used according to the user.

Referring to FIG. 5, the usability of the bathtub 1 with the lifting seat 2 removed will be described. By removing the bolt and nut (not shown), the lifting seat 2 is removed, the piston rod 32 is pulled down to below the flange 11, and then the through hole 11b of the top storage portion 11a is covered with the spacer 14 to make it waterproof and to store it. The portion 11a is flush with the flange 11.

In this manner, the user 6 of the bathtub 1 from which the elevating seat 2 has been removed can grasp the handrail 4 and stand up by stepping on the heel of the step portion in front of the seat housing portion 12a. That is, even in the long bathtub 1 with the bottom portion 12, it is easy to stand up without slipping, so that a user with low physical strength can safely take a bath. Also,
When entering the bathtub 1 from the washing place, use the wide flange 11
Can be used as a transfer platform. In addition, the bathroom 10 may be constituted by a bathtub from which the lift seat 2 and the drive unit 3 are detached at first, and they may be installed after the lift seat becomes necessary.

Referring to FIG. 6, another embodiment of the bathtub according to the present invention will be described focusing on the differences from FIG. Lifting seat 2B of bathtub 1B
Has a guide plate 24 attached thereto. One end of the guide plate 24 is rotatably connected to the tip of the seat 21, and the other end is a free end. In addition, a seat storage portion 12b is provided at the bottom of the bathtub 1B in the longitudinal direction so that the seat 21 and the guide plate 24 are stored.
By providing the guide plate 24 in this manner, the legs of the care-requiring person using the lift seat 2B can be naturally guided into a comfortable shape in accordance with the lift of the lift seat 2B.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and there are design changes and the like that do not depart from the gist of the present invention. Are also included in the present invention.

For example, the top housing 11a is
, The top 23 of the lift seat 2 may be placed on the flange 11. Further, the width of the flange 11 may be a minimum width capable of providing a driving unit installation space. Also, if the controller 4 is made wireless, it is very convenient because the controller can be used by the user of the elevator. Further, an electric valve may be used without using the electromagnetic valve.

[0033]

In the bathtub according to the first aspect of the present invention,
Since the drive is isolated from the bathtub user by a flange,
The bathtub is large and can be used safely. Further, a bathtub excellent in design can be formed. In other words, both the care recipient and the caregiver can use it safely and comfortably.

In the bathtub according to the second aspect of the present invention, installation work and maintenance of the drive unit can be easily performed by removing the apron. That is, the drive unit can be installed in the drive unit installation space below the flange of the bathtub when the elevator seat is required. In addition, maintenance costs can be reduced.

In the bathtub according to the third aspect of the present invention, when the lifting seat is lowered to the lower end, the lifting seat can be stored in the storage portion, so that unevenness on the bottom of the bathtub can be eliminated.
In other words, a user who does not need a lift seat can comfortably take a bath with the lift seat attached.

In the bathtub according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the user moves up and down on the elevator, the backrest of the elevator is supported by the inclined surface of the side wall, and the movement of the elevator is stabilized. it can. Therefore, the elevating seat with stable movement can be constituted by a simple mechanism.

In the bathtub according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the piston rod is located outside the lifting seat, the user can safely use the lifting seat. In addition, the bathtub can be reliably waterproofed.

In the bathtub according to the sixth aspect of the invention, the water sent to the cylinder is water in the bathtub, and when no water is in the bathtub, the lifting seat cannot be raised. In other words, the lift seat does not rise due to an erroneous operation, which is safe.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a bathtub of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a state in which the bathtub of FIG. 1 is installed in a bathroom.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a lifting seat of FIG. 2 is raised.

FIG. 4 is a piping diagram of a driving unit in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing usability when the lifting seat of FIG. 2 is removed.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a state in which another bathtub of the present invention is installed in a bathroom.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Bathroom 1 Bathtub 11 Flange 12 Bottom part 12a, 12b Seat storage part (storage part) 13 Side wall 13a Side wall (side wall) made into an inclined surface 14 Apron 2 Elevating seat 21 Seat part 22 Backrest 30 Drive installation space 3 Drive part 31 Cylinder 32 Piston rod 33 Hydraulic pump 36 Piping

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A bathtub having a lift seat for placing a bather and a drive unit for the lift seat, the bathtub having a flange at an upper end of a side wall thereof,
The bathtub, wherein the driving unit is installed in a driving unit installation space below the flange. 2. The bathtub according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit installation space is covered with a removable apron extending from a side surface of the bathtub. 3. The bathtub according to claim 1, wherein a storage portion for the elevator seat is provided at a bottom of the bathtub. 4. A slope is provided on a side wall of the bathtub, and a backrest having a slope substantially similar to the slope of the side wall is provided on the elevating seat, and the backrest slides on the side wall. The bathtub according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein 5. The drive unit includes a cylinder and a piston rod, and the piston rod extends from a flange of the bathtub, and the lift seat is connected to the piston rod. The bathtub according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein 6. The bathtub according to claim 5, wherein the cylinder uses hydraulic pressure, and the bathtub and the cylinder are connected by a pipe via a hydraulic pump.