JP2001149442A - Bathing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bathing system capable of simplifying the structure and reducing its cost while assuring the safety of a bather at the raised position of a wheelchair. SOLUTION: When a rack 19 is moved to an arm rising side by a hydraulic cylinder 18, a pinion 27 is rotated, a rotary arm 12 is rotated upward, and a wheelchair 11 is raised. Thereafter, the arm 12 is turned horizontally to dispose the wheelchair 11 above a bathtub 13. Then, when the rack 19 is moved reversely by the cylinder 18, the arm 12 is rotated down, and a bather can bath in the bathtub 13. Thus, since a rack drive type is adopted as the vertically rotating means of the arm 12, the system can be simplified and reduced in its cost while assuring the safety of the bather at the raised position.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bathing apparatus, and more particularly, to a bathing apparatus that enables an elderly person, a physically handicapped person, or the like to take a bath safely and with less labor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a bathing device capable of bathing an elderly person or a physically handicapped person who needs assistance with a small amount of assistance, there is known a bathing lift described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-137315. This conventional bathing apparatus has a vertically long column standing upright on a side of a bathtub as a main body of the apparatus. One end of each of the cylinders is fixed to the floor and the ceiling of the bathroom, and a vertically-long elevating guide rod whose axis is aligned with the cylinder axis is attached to the outer periphery of the cylinder. An elevating arm that is raised and lowered by an elevating motor is attached to the elevating slide guide, and a horizontal revolving arm is pivotally supported by the elevating arm so as to be horizontally revolvable. The chair on which the bather sits is suspended from the tip of the horizontal swing arm. At the time of bathing, the bather sits on a chair, and then raises and lowers the lift arm by the lift motor to lift the bather once. Thereafter, the horizontal swivel arm is swiveled horizontally to place the bather above the bathtub. Then, the bather is bathed by inverting the lift motor and lowering the lift arm vertically.

[0003]

However, such a conventional bathing apparatus has the following problems. That is, (1) Conventionally, a long column fixed to the apparatus main body in a stretched state between the floor and the ceiling of the bathroom has been adopted. For this reason, the bathing apparatus has been increased in size. As a result, the installation of the bathing apparatus in the bathroom has been troublesome, and the cost has been high. In addition, since a bathing device requiring such a large space is installed in a small bathroom, a caregiver is obstructing the bathing of the bather. Therefore, as a simple measure, it is conceivable to shorten the cylinder and downsize the device. However, in the conventional bath apparatus, since the vertical raising and lowering type of the arm is adopted, in order to safely raise and lower the bather, a column must be stretched between the floor and the ceiling. Therefore, as long as such a vertical elevating type is employed, the size of the apparatus has been inevitably increased.

(2) FIG. 13 attached to the specification of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 10-137315 shows that the rotational motion of an electric lifting motor is converted into a linear motion by a power transmission system having a rack and pinion structure. Further, there is disclosed a device for raising and lowering a lifting arm. However, in this conventional rack and pinion structure, since the pinion is rotated by the elevating motor as described above, the rotational force is converted into a vertical linear motion of the rack to which the elevating arm is connected. , To raise the chair to a level where it can turn horizontally,
At least the rack must have a length equal to the distance from the lowest position of the chair to the highest position. Therefore, there is a problem that the rack becomes long and the rack and pinion structure, and eventually the bathing apparatus as a whole, becomes large.

[0005] In addition, for example, when the chair in which the bather sits is stopped at the lifting position, the rack tends to descend with a large load from the lifting arm with the chair. The lifting motor receives the force via the pinion. Generally, electric motors are not designed to withstand such loads. Therefore, unless a stopper for supporting the rack and pinion structure is provided at a key point of the rack and pinion structure, the lifting arm cannot be stopped at the lifting position. Even if stopper means for inserting the ratchet claw into the pinion teeth are incorporated, the chair in which the bather is seated until the claw is engaged with the outer teeth of the pinion may have an impact upon a later stop. It will fall at a stretch just as far away as you feel. At that time, the bather feels fear of the bathing device.

(3) By the way, a bather is raised or lowered to a predetermined height while sitting on a chair. For this reason, during the movement of this chair, one always feels the danger of falling. Therefore, in order to alleviate this anxiety, it is preferable to fix the bather's body to a chair. Conventionally, as a means of fixing such a bather,
2. Description of the Related Art A seat belt attached to a chair is known. However, the seat belt is a band for tying the bather's body to the chair. Therefore, there was no one that the bather could safely hold to support his or her body while moving the chair, and there was a sense of instability. Therefore, for example, when the chair is lifted as described above, if a drop with an impact occurs, there is a problem that the upper body is greatly shaken.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a bathing apparatus which can reduce the size of the apparatus while ensuring the safety of the bather at the lifting position, thereby reducing the cost. That is its purpose.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a bathing apparatus that allows a user to take a bath while in a wheelchair. It is another object of the present invention to provide a bathing apparatus that can prevent a bather from falling off a chair while moving a chair, and can also ease anxiety about falling of the bather while moving the chair. And

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a rotating arm to which a chair is attached is rotated upward by vertical rotating means for rotating the rotating arm in a vertical plane. After lifting a bather sitting on the chair,
The chair is moved to a position above the bathtub by pivoting the pivot arm in a horizontal plane, and then the chair is lowered by pivoting the pivot arm downward in the vertical plane by the vertical pivot means. Bathing device for bathing,
A bath apparatus comprising: a vertical rotation unit, a drive unit, a rack moved by the drive unit, and a pinion in which outer teeth are meshed with teeth of the rack, and the rotation arm is connected to an end surface. It is.

The type of bathtub to which the bathing apparatus is applied is not limited. For example, a unit bus may be used. The chair may be fixed integrally to the rotating arm,
It may be one that is detachably attached as in claim 2. The material, shape, number of used, and arm structure of the rotating arm are not limited. For example, as this arm structure,
A parallelogram link structure having four long and short links and capable of withstanding a large load is exemplified. The horizontal rotation of the rotation arm may be performed manually, or may be automatically performed by a driving unit such as an electric motor. The structure of the vertical rotation means is not limited as long as a power transmission system of a rack and pinion type is incorporated in a portion for transmitting the driving force of the driving unit to the rotation arm. However, a rack must be provided on the drive unit side and a pinion must be provided on the rotating arm side in order to secure the safety when the bather is lifted by rotating the rotating arm upward.

The type of the driving unit is not limited. For example, various actuators such as a hydraulic cylinder, an electric motor and the like can be mentioned. The number of drive units used is not limited. The shape of the rack moved by the driving unit is not limited. For example, a linear rack or an arc-shaped rack may be used. Further, the moving direction of the rack by the driving unit is not limited. For example, the movement may be a linear movement or a movement in a direction in which a curve is drawn. The size and shape of the pinion are not limited. The connection of the pinion of the rotation arm may be such that the rotation arm is directly connected to the end face of the pinion, or may be connected via a connection member. Further, the connection position of the rotating arm is not limited. For example, it may be connected to the rotation shaft of the pinion, or may be connected to the outer peripheral portion of the end face of the pinion.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the bathing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the rotating arm has a clamp means for detachably holding the chair. The clamp structure of the clamp means is not limited. For example, a part of the chair may be gripped from both sides by a pair of clampers. Further, the gripping position of the chair by the clamping means is not limited. For example, it may be on both sides of the back of the chair or on the back of the seat. In addition, the number of chair clamping points is not limited. Only one location or a plurality of locations may be used.

The invention according to claim 3 is the bath apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the chair has an openable and closable arm bar that wraps the upper body of the bather from outside. The shape, size, material, mounting position on the chair, and the like of the arm bar are not limited. Further, the opening and closing structure of the arm bar with respect to the chair is not limited. For example, an arm bar having a U-shape is provided on both sides of the back portion of the chair,
You may make it rotatably support in a vertical plane.

[0013]

According to the present invention, when the drive unit moves the rack to the arm raising side, the pinion meshed with the rack rotates. As a result, the pivot arm connected to the pinion pivots upward to raise the chair. Thereafter, the rotating arm is swiveled horizontally to place the chair above the bathtub. Subsequently, the drive unit moves the rack to the arm lowering side. Thereby, the rotating arm rotates downward, and the bather can automatically enter the bathtub and take a bath. When going up from the bathtub, the above operation may be performed in reverse. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the device while ensuring the safety of the bather at the lifting position, and as a result, it is possible to reduce the cost.

In particular, according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the rotating arm is provided with the clamp means for detachably holding the chair, as a preparation for taking a bath, an intervening person can bring the bather to the bath. There is no need to take off the wheelchair. That is, the bather can take a bath while sitting in a wheelchair.

According to the third aspect of the invention, since the arm bar holds the body of the bather sitting on the chair so as to wrap it from the outside, the bather can hold the arm bar when moving the chair. it can. Therefore, even if the chair vibrates for some reason when the chair is lifted, the possibility that the bather sitting down falls from the chair or is greatly shaken on the chair is eliminated. In addition, the arm bar is harder and easier to grip than the conventional seat belt, so the bather's anxiety about the movement of the chair with raising and lowering is felt from the sense of security that the arm bar integrated with the chair can be held. , Some can be relieved.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A bath apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of a bathing device according to an embodiment of the present invention in a used state.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the bathing device according to one embodiment of the present invention in use. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the bathing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the bathing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part showing an operation unit of the bathing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 10 denotes a bathing device. The bathing device 10 simultaneously moves a pair of rotating arms 12 to which a wheelchair (chair) 11 is detachably mounted upward in a vertical plane. The wheelchair is moved to above the bathtub 13 by pivoting to lift the bather and then simultaneously pivoting each pivoting arm 12 in a horizontal plane, and then pivoting each pivoting arm 12 downward in a vertical plane simultaneously. This is a device that moves the wheelchair 11 to move the bather to take a bath. In addition, an arm bar B bent in a substantially U-shape is provided between the outer frame pipes 11a on both sides of the backrest portion of the wheelchair 11 at a central upper portion thereof via a rotation pin 11b so as to be vertically rotatable. It is suspended. The arm bar B is a bar that wraps the upper body of the bather so that it can be opened and closed from the outside. Incidentally, the dimensions of the bathing apparatus 10 are designed such that its main body is 75 cm in height and 50 cm in diameter, and the dimensions of the rotating arm 12 are 67 cm in length and 67 cm in width. Hereinafter, the bathing apparatus 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the bathing apparatus 10 has a cylindrical body 14 having an open upper end.
have. The device main body 14 is provided with a turning casing 15 which is horizontally turnable around its axis and has an open lower end surface. That is, a pair of upper and lower annular LM guides 16 are interposed between the outer peripheral surface of the device main body 14 and the inner peripheral surface of the revolving casing 15. A substantially annular partition plate 15a is provided at an intermediate portion of the inner peripheral surface of the revolving casing 15 in the height direction. This partition plate 15
A hydraulic cylinder (driving unit / vertical rotating means) 18 is vertically provided via a bracket 17 at a part of the portion a. The tip of the rod 18a of the hydraulic cylinder 18 is
The lower end of a rack (vertical rotating means) 19 in an upright state is fixed to this portion.
The rack 19 is relatively short (17 cm in length), and a large number of teeth arranged at a predetermined pitch are directed toward the center of the revolving casing 15. A guide roller 20 for guiding the raising and lowering of the rack 19 is fixed on one end of the partition plate 15a.

The guide roller 20 of the partition plate 15a
To the outer edge, a small diameter slide ring 21 is used.
An elongated guide rod 22 is inserted so as to be able to move up and down.
A lock lever 24 for fixing the rack 19 via a short link 23 is provided at the distal end of the guide rod 22.
It is pivotally and freely pivoted in a vertical plane. The distal end of the lock lever 24 projects out of the apparatus from an opening 15b cut out in the peripheral plate of the revolving casing 15. At the base of the short link 23 and the lock lever 24, a small-diameter coil spring 24 for returning the posture is provided.
a is inserted (see FIG. 4). At the tip of the lock lever 24, a lock block 25 having a flat frictional action surface pressed against the back surface of the rack 19 is fixed. Also, this opening 15b is
It is covered by the operation plate 27a. As shown in FIG. 5, a shift groove 26 having a vertically long wedge shape in a side view is cut out in the operation plate 27a.
At the upper end of the shift groove 26, an upper concave portion 26a that is slightly bent in the horizontal direction is formed. On the other hand, a lower concave portion 26b bent in the same direction as the upper concave portion 26a is formed at a lower end portion of the opposite shift groove 26.

That is, when the lock lever 24 is rotated upward in the vertical plane to be engaged with the upper concave portion 26a, the friction action surface of the lock block 25 is pressed against the rear surface of the rack 19, and the rack 19 is Fixed at the current height position. When the lock lever 24 is engaged with the lower concave portion 26b, the lock block 25 is separated from the rear surface of the rack 19, and the rack 19 can be moved up and down, that is, the wheelchair 11 can be moved up and down.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a pinion (vertical rotation means) 27 having outer peripheral teeth meshed with the teeth of the rack 19 is slightly above the partition plate 15a and at the center of the revolving casing 15. Located in the department. The pinion 27 is fixed to an intermediate portion of a large-diameter and long rotary shaft 28 whose axial direction is horizontal. The rotating shaft 28 is laid between a pair of bearings 29 having both ends fixed at positions facing the peripheral plate of the revolving casing 15. Each bearing 29
Are displaced by 90 degrees in the circumferential direction of the revolving casing 15 about the opening 15b. Also, the rotating shaft 2
The both ends of 8 protrude outward from the corresponding bearings 29, respectively. Each bearing 29 has a circular shape when viewed from the front, and the vicinity of both sides of the rotating shaft 28 is supported at eccentric positions facing each other.

At both ends of the rotating shaft 28, base portions of a main arm 12a constituting a part of the rotating arm 12 are fixed. The rotation arm 12 is an arm having a parallelogram link structure. Therefore, these main arms 12a
, A slave arm 12b disposed below and parallel to the main arm 12a, and a corresponding main arm 12a-slave arm 12
b has a short connecting link 12c for connecting the distal ends thereof via a pair of pins 30a and 30b. The intermediate portions of the main arms 12a are connected by a connecting rod 31. In addition, each slave arm 12b
Are located on the outer periphery of the corresponding circular bearing 29.
It is rotatably supported via 0c.

At the distal end of each connecting link 12c, a clamp means 32 for gripping the outer frame pipe 11a of the backrest of the wheelchair 11 is provided. This clamping means 3
Reference numeral 2 denotes a substantially semicircular clamper 33 which is pivotally supported by the connecting link 12c so as to be openable and closable in a plan view, and a locking pin 34 which detachably locks the distal end of the clamper 33 to the connecting link 12c. Have. A groove having substantially the same curvature as that of the inner peripheral surface of the clamper 33 and having a substantially semicircular shape in plan view is formed on a surface of the connection link 12c facing the clamper 33. That is, the outer frame pipe 11a is firmly gripped between the groove of the connecting link 12c and the groove of the clamper 33. After being grasped, the retaining pin 34 is inserted in a series into the pin hole of the clamper 33 and the pin hole of the connection link 12c, and the grasped state is maintained.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, on one side of the upper end plate of the revolving casing 15, a rotating arm 1 is provided.
Two vertical rotation operation sections 35 are provided. The vertical rotation operation section 35 has a rectangular outer case 36 having an inclined surface at one end, and is disposed in the outer case 36, and is disposed inside the outer case 36. A base 38 fixed to the inner surface of the base portion, and an operation lever 39 which is rotatably supported on a side surface of the base 38 in a vertical plane and controls supply and discharge of oil to and from the hydraulic cylinder 18.
And a pair of return springs 40 for returning the operation lever 39 to the stop position of the operation origin. One end of each return spring 40 is fixed to the base of the operation lever 39, and the other end is fixed to the upper end or lower end of the mounting plate 41 erected on the base of the bracket 37. Have been. A shift groove (not shown) is formed on the inclined surface of the outer case 36. A lower recess, a center recess, and an upper recess are formed in the shift groove. When the operation lever 39 is engaged with the lower concave portion, the hydraulic cylinder 18 causes the rod 18a to protrude and lowers the rotating arm 12. When the operation lever 39 is hooked on the central recess, the rotation of the rotation arm 12 in the vertical plane is stopped. Furthermore, when hooked on the upper recess,
The hydraulic cylinder 18 causes the rod 18a to be retracted and raises the rotating arm 12.

Next, a bathing method using the bathing apparatus 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, first, a caregiver puts a bather such as a physically handicapped person and an elderly person on a wheelchair 11, and rotates an arm bar B disposed above to a position in front of the chest. Thereby, the upper body of the bather is wrapped around by the arm bar B from the outside. Then, wheelchair 1
1 is moved to the vicinity of the bathtub 13. At this time, wheelchair 1
1 faces backward with respect to the bathtub 13. Next, the both sides of the outer frame pipe 11a of the wheelchair 11 are
The second clamping means 32 firmly grips from behind. Subsequently, the operating lever 39 is operated to engage the upper concave portion on the arm rising side. Thereby, both the rotating arms 1
2 is simultaneously rotated upward in the vertical plane, and the wheelchair 11 on which the bather has been picked up is raised to a predetermined height. At this time, it is assumed that the lock lever 24 is engaged with the lower concave portion 26b of the shift groove 26, and the lock block 25 is separated from the rack 19. Thereafter, when the wheelchair 11 reaches a predetermined height, the operation lever 39 is returned to the central recess, and the rotation of the rotation arm 12 is stopped.

Then, the lock lever 24 is
6 and engages with the upper concave portion 26a. As a result, the lock block 25 is pressed against the back of the rack 19, and the rotating arm 12 is fixed at the position where the wheelchair 11 is lifted. Thereafter, the caregiver horizontally rotates the rotating arm 12 together with the rotating casing 15 about the axis of the apparatus main body 14. Thereby, the wheelchair 11 is moved to above the bathtub 13 (see FIG. 2). Then, the lock lever 24 is returned to the lower concave portion 26b, and the fixed state of the rack 19 is released. Subsequently, the operation lever 39 is engaged with the lower recess. Thus, the hydraulic cylinder 18 causes the rod 18a to protrude upward. Therefore, both the rotating arms 12 simultaneously rotate downward in the vertical plane, and the bather can be put into the hot water in the bathtub 13 while riding on the wheelchair 11. Thereafter, by returning the operation lever 39 to the stop position of the central concave portion, the downward rotation of the two rotation arms 12 is stopped. After bathing, the above operation is performed in reverse. Thereby, the bather can be pulled out of the bathtub 13.

As described above, since the rack and pinion structure of the rack drive type is adopted as the power transmission system of the vertical rotation means for rotating the rotation arm 12, the safety of the bather at the position where the wheelchair 11 is lifted is adopted. The apparatus can be made compact while ensuring the above. That is, the conventional bath apparatus is of a pinion drive type, and when the bather stops the chair seated at the lifting position, which is a problem of the conventional apparatus, the load from the rotating arm is transferred via the rack and the pinion. Thus, the inconvenience that the lifting motor cannot be fully supported and the chair gradually descends can be solved. In addition, in the bathing apparatus 10, the length of the rack 19 is shorter than that of the conventional one, and the rack drive type is employed, so that the rotation of the pinion 27 to which the rotation arm 12 is connected directly causes the rotation. The arm 12 is moved up and down. Therefore,
The bathing apparatus 10 can be designed to be small. As a result, cost reduction can be achieved.

Further, since the rotating arm 12 is provided with the clamp means 32 for detachably holding the wheelchair 11, it is possible to take a bath with the wheelchair brought in by a bather, for example. Further, since the arm bar B is provided on the wheelchair 11, the body of the bather is held so that the arm bar B wraps the body of the bather while the wheelchair 11 is moving. Thereby, the bather can hold the arm bar B during this movement. As a result, temporarily at that lifting position,
Even if the wheelchair 11 vibrates for some reason,
The possibility that the bather falls from the wheelchair 11 or is greatly shaken on the wheelchair 11 is eliminated. Moreover, the arm bar B is harder and easier to grasp than the conventional seat belt. Therefore, a sense of security that the arm bar B integrated with the wheelchair 11 can be held can be obtained. As a result, the anxiety of the bather about the movement of the wheelchair 11 with the elevation can be reduced.

[0029]

According to the present invention, the rack and pinion structure of the rack drive type is adopted as the power transmission system of the vertical rotation means, so that the safety of the bather at the lifting position can be ensured while the apparatus is being used. The size can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced.

In particular, according to the invention of claim 2, claim 1
In addition to the effects of the above, since the rotating arm is provided with the clamp means for detachably holding the chair, it is possible to take a bath in a wheelchair.

[0031] According to the invention of claim 3, according to claim 1 of the present invention.
Alternatively, in addition to the effect of the second aspect, since the arm bar is provided on the chair, it is possible to prevent a bather from falling off the chair when the chair is moved. In addition, it is possible to ease anxiety about falling of the bather during the movement.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a bathing device according to an embodiment of the present invention in use.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the bathing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention in use.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a bathing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the bathing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part showing an operation unit of the bathing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 bathing device, 11 wheelchair (chair), 12 rotating arm (vertical rotating means), 13 bathtub, 18 hydraulic cylinder (drive unit), 19 rack, 27 pinion, 32 clamping means, B arm bar.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A bathing person sitting on a chair is lifted by turning a turning arm on which a chair is mounted upward by vertical turning means for turning the turning arm in a vertical plane. Thereafter, the chair is moved to above the bathtub by rotating the rotating arm in a horizontal plane, and then the chair is lowered by rotating the rotating arm downward in the vertical plane by the vertical rotating means. A bathing apparatus for bathing a bather, wherein the vertical rotation means includes: a driving unit; a rack moved by the driving unit; and outer teeth meshed with teeth of the rack, and the rotation arm has an end surface. Bathing device with a pinion connected to the bath. 2. The bathing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotating arm has a clamp means for detachably holding the chair. 3. The bathing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the chair has an openable and closable arm bar that wraps an upper body of a bather from outside.