JP2002065762A - Caring lifter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a self-operating caring lifter which can be utilized comfortably by handicapped. SOLUTION: The caring lifter for moving between plural places has a present position detecting means for detecting a present position, a control pattern storing means for storing plural posture control pattern and a control pattern selecting means for selecting the control pattern in accordance with the present position. By automatically selecting a hanging up control pattern corresponding to a body type, a moving destination, etc., by the moving instruction of a user and controlling hanging up along this control pattern, the caring lifter which can be used comfortably is constituted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a nursing lifter that can be worn by one's own operation and moved to a desired place even if a physically handicapped person having a disability in one half or lower body is used. The present invention relates to a self-operating nursing lifter capable of hanging and moving comfortably without physical and mental pain.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art One of the most difficult bottlenecks for a physically handicapped person with a disability in one or the lower body to live independently is to move from one's own bed to a wheelchair or to a portable toilet. It is difficult to say. Usually, such cases require the assistance of a caregiver, which places a significant physical burden on the caregiver. In order to reduce the burden on the caregiver, the development of a device that can be worn by its own operation and moved to a desired place without the need of the caregiver's assistance is desired. JP-A-9-308654, "Method and Apparatus for Lifting a Human Body" has been proposed.

In this method and apparatus, a user wearing a clothes-type hanging device connects a hanging belt to a predetermined position of the hanging device by himself / herself, and then operates the remote controller to wind up the hanging belt to lift itself. In this state, it is configured to move laterally along the rail, and to wind down and suspend the suspension belt at a predetermined location. According to this device, since it can be operated and moved to a desired place without requesting the assistance of a caregiver, it is very effective in helping a physically handicapped person to become independent.

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned apparatus does not propose a fine lifting and hanging control suitable for a user's body shape and a plurality of moving places. Therefore, the seating after the hanging is not proposed. It may require the assistance of a caregiver to adjust the posture to a position appropriate for the location, or may force the user to be extremely uncomfortable even without the assistance of a caregiver, providing comfortable and safe use. It is not enough for a device that can be used.

[0005] For example, when a physically handicapped person takes a sitting posture on a bed, he or she tends to lean his back as compared to a case where he or she usually sits in a portable toilet or a wheelchair. Also, with regard to the legs, the user sits in a stretched state on the bed, but sits in a bent state in a portable toilet or a wheelchair. For this reason, when moving with a nursing lifter, it is natural that the posture of sitting on a place where the backrest is relatively lying down like a bed and the posture of sitting on a place where the backrest is relatively standing such as a toilet or a wheelchair. Its attitude is different.

However, as described above, in the conventional nursing lifter, when the user is lifted or hung, the sitting posture of the place where the user is or the place to which the user is heading, that is, the angle of the backrest, the bending and extension of the legs, and the like are used. The drive of the lifter is not controlled in consideration of this. Therefore, when the user is lifted by the lifter, the state before the lifting, that is, the sitting posture, causes a slight variation in the lifting state, that is, the posture at the time of the suspension movement, and the user may feel anxiety by the movement. Also, at the time of suspension, the user cannot sit down in a correct posture according to the sitting position because the suspension is not performed under the control according to the posture of the sitting position.

[0007] As a result, for example, when moving from a bed to a wheelchair, in order to sit back deeply from a shallow hang,
Some kind of assistance is required, such as having the caregiver pull the waist back after sitting down. Furthermore, although the size of the clothes-type hanging device is different depending on the user's body type, the control is performed using control parameters fixed in advance at the time of lifting and hanging. Sometimes the user felt pain.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is a care lifter capable of always performing comfortable and stable suspension control in accordance with a seating position or a physique of a suspended person (user). The purpose is to realize.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a care lifter according to the present invention comprises a current position detecting means for detecting a current position, a control pattern storing means for storing a plurality of attitude control patterns, Control pattern selecting means for selecting a posture control pattern according to the position.

According to this configuration, the most suitable one can be selected from a plurality of control patterns according to the current position and used for control, so that the suspended person can comfortably suspend without feeling anxiety or pain. A suspending operation can be performed. In addition, a body shape setting unit that sets the body shape of the suspended person, a control pattern storage unit that stores a plurality of posture control patterns according to the body shape of the suspended person, and a control that selects a posture control pattern according to the body shape A care lifter comprising a pattern selecting means is provided.

According to this configuration, the most suitable control pattern can be selected from a plurality of control patterns in accordance with the body shape of the suspended person and used for control. The suspended person can move between a plurality of places in a stable posture without making fine adjustments during suspension. Further, instructing means for instructing movement in the vertical and horizontal directions, a lifting height detecting means for detecting a lifting height, and a lifting height determining means for determining whether the lifting height is less than a predetermined height set in advance In addition, the present invention provides a care lifter provided with a movement prohibiting unit that invalidates a movement instruction in the left-right direction when the lifting height is less than a predetermined height.

[0012] According to this configuration, the height of an object to be used in daily life, such as a bed, a portable toilet, or a wheelchair, is set in advance, so that the height of the suspended object can be increased when the suspended height is insufficient. Even if the suspender erroneously issues a lateral movement instruction, the apparatus does not move in the lateral direction, so that it can be used with confidence.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. First, the configuration of a mechanical part of a care lifter to which the device of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show a front view and a side view when a care lifter according to an embodiment of the present invention is used. These figures show an embodiment of a care lifter installed on a floor in a room of a general household,
In particular, an example is shown in which a load-bearing frame structure is formed so that the entire weight of a human body can be lifted and moved between different positions.

In both figures, a pair of columns 1 that can be installed on the floor surface and rails 2 having both ends connected to the columns 1 form a load-bearing bridge means 50.
A lifter body 3 which is supported by the rail 2 and has a structure to be described later is movably suspended along the rail 2 in a running state in the left-right direction of FIG. A belt suspension device 3a for a suspension belt 4 is attached to the lifter body 3.
From this belt suspension device 3a, a suspension belt 4 made of a synthetic resin material, for example, a nylon material, is lifted up in a pull-up manner with respect to the pulleys 4c, 4b and the like, and is hung down in a roll-down manner. I have.

One of the suspension belts 4
a constitutes a pair of thigh suspension belts 4a, and the lower end thereof hangs at an appropriate position on both thighs of the suspended person M (at a position close to both knees where one hand of the suspended person M can reach). The other belt 4b forms a pair of shoulder suspension belts 4b, and hangs on the upper part of both shoulders of the person M to be suspended. As shown in FIG. 2, the suspended belt M is attached to the suspended belt 4a for the thigh during suspension.
In order to suppress swaying, a sway-suppressing fastener 5 is provided to bring the pair of thigh suspension belts 4a connected to both thighs into a united state.

The upper end of the suspension belt 4 is fixed to the pulleys 4c and 4d of the belt suspension device 3a, and is suspended downward after being wound around the pulleys 4c and 4d by an appropriate amount. On the lower end side, there are attached couplings having good operability by the suspended person M, for example, male couplings 6a and 6b composed of a well-known carabiner or the like. These male couplers 6a, 6b are clothes-type suspenders 8 on which the suspended person M is dressed.
Are connected to the corresponding female couplings 7a, 7b provided at the both shoulders and the thighs, and the suspension belt 4 is attached to the clothes-type suspension 8
Is formed so that the suspended person M can be easily connected with one hand.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show that a suspended person M, such as a physically handicapped person having a disability in one half or lower body, moves from a bed 10 to a portable toilet 11a or a wheelchair 11b by his own operation. It is configured as a device that horizontally moves along the rail 2 of the frame means 50 so that it can return. Remote control)
9 shows a state in which the suspended person M is lifted up from the upper surface of the bed 10 by operating the suspended person M with one hand. The remote controller 9 is, for example, an infrared remote controller that transmits a signal to a control unit of the present apparatus, which will be described later, by infrared rays, and includes an “up” button corresponding to execution of lifting of the suspension belt 4 and a “up” button corresponding to execution of suspension. A "down" button, a "right" button for performing a lateral movement to the right along the rail 2 of the lifter body 3, a "left" button for performing a lateral movement to the left, and a "tight" button for performing an emergency call. , Five buttons in total.

FIG. 3 shows a detailed structure of the lifter main body 3 which can be horizontally moved along the rail 2 of the above-mentioned bridging means 50. The lifter main body 3 and the belt suspension device 3a are connected to each other. A drive motor (hereinafter, referred to as a motor) 13 for moving is fixed and mounted on the upper surface side of the coupling substrate 12 to be coupled,
This motor 13 is connected to a shaft 1 via a speed reducer 14 and a shaft coupling 15.
6 are rotatably connected. A gear 17 having an appropriate number of teeth is fixed to the shaft 16, and the reduction gear 1 meshed with the gear 17.
The driving wheels 19 are rotationally driven through 8 to travel along the rails 2 together with the coupling board 12.

A driven wheel 20 is provided at an appropriate distance from the driving wheel 19, and prevents a yawing operation from occurring during the progress of horizontal traveling, and similarly, a guide wheel 21 to prevent the rolling operation from occurring. Are provided in rolling contact with the pair of side surfaces of the rail 2 before and after in the traveling direction of the coupling substrate 12. A reversible servo motor is used as the motor 13 so that the motor 13 can move forward and backward (or move left or right) along the rail 2 and can stop at a desired position. As another embodiment, a drive source may be configured using a known linear motion piston device or the like instead of the motor.

FIG. 4 shows a state where the coupling board 12 is viewed from the lower surface side, and shows a belt suspension device 3a. Two suspension drive motors 22a and 22b (hereinafter, referred to as motors 22a and 22b) for driving the belt suspension operation are attached and fixed to the lower surface side of the coupling board 12. The former motor 22a is provided for driving the suspension of the thigh suspension belt 4a, and the latter motor 22b is provided for driving the suspension of the shoulder suspension belt 4b.

These motors 22a and 22b are respectively connected to shafts 26 of one belt drive pulleys 25a and 25b via reduction gears 23a and 23b and shaft couplings 24a and 24b, respectively.
a, 26b, and is configured to rotationally drive the belt driving pulleys 25a, 25b via the coaxials 26a, 26b. Now, these belt drive pulleys 25
The suspension belts 4 (a thigh suspension belt 4a, 4a, a shoulder suspension belt 4b,
4b) The driven pulleys 31a, 31 attached to the other shafts 32a, 32b provided with the upper ends of the belts 4a, 4b fixed and fixed in parallel with the shafts 26a, 26b.
After hanging over the upper peripheral surface of b, it is hung downward.

On the other hand, the shafts 26a and 26b
a, 27b are mounted, and the gears 27
The other shaft 29a disposed in parallel with the shafts 26a and 26b via gears 28a and 28b meshed with the shafts a and 27b,
The rotation driving force is transmitted to the shafts 29a, 29b.
b, other belt drive pulleys 30a mounted on
30b is rotationally driven. Here, the gears 27a, 27
b and the gears 28a and 28b meshed therewith are connected to the shafts 29a and 29b by selecting the ratio of the number of teeth to 1: 1.
It is configured to be driven to rotate at the same speed and in the opposite direction as 6a and 26b. The other belt drive pulley 30
a and 30b also have another belt 4a,
The upper end of 4b is fixed and fixed, and the lower end is hung downward.

These belt driving pulleys, driven pulleys and the like correspond to the pulleys 4c and 4d shown in FIG. The gear 27 fixed on the shafts 26a and 26b
a and 27b are rotation detecting encoders 34 fixed and arranged on the coupling board 12 via other small gears 33a and 33b.
a, 34b, these encoders 34
The rotation amount of each shaft 26a, 26b can be detected from a, 34b, and the rotation detection values of the encoders 34a, 34b are transmitted to a control unit described later.

Instead of providing the encoders 34a and 34b to detect the rotation amounts of the shafts 26a and 26b, a servo motor in which an encoder is incorporated in the motors 22a and 22b itself is used, and the rotation amounts of the motors 22a and 22b are detected. The rotation amount of the shafts 26a and 26b may be detected via the. Here, it should be noted that the encoder 34
a, 34b are respectively connected to the three belt driving pulleys 25a, 30a, 3a through detecting the rotation of the shafts 26a, 26b.
The configuration is such that the amounts of rotation of 1a and 25b, 30b, 31b are indirectly detected, and thus the amount of hoisting and lowering of the suspension belt 4 can also be indirectly detected.

From the structure of the belt suspension device 3a described above, the thigh suspension belt 4a and the shoulder suspension belt 4b of the suspension belt 4 are provided.
It can be easily understood that the lifting operation and the hanging operation by the vertical movement of the motor can be driven by controlling the operations of the motors 22a and 22b as the driving sources. Moreover, the thigh suspension belt 4a and the shoulder suspension belt 4b are configured to be driven independently of each other, and the amount of lifting and the amount of suspension can be detected from the encoders 34a and 34b.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown a structure of a clothes-type hanging device used in combination with the above-described care lifter according to the embodiment of the present invention. That is,
FIG. 5 shows the clothes-type hanging device 8, which is formed in a structure in which a suspended person M, such as a physically handicapped person, who cannot perform daily activities normally due to half body paralysis or the like is dressed in advance. The upper body and the lower body are formed integrally with each other according to the physique of the suspended person M, and have a structure without any irregularities on the back side. It is formed and considered so as not to cause such problems.

When viewed from the side of the person M to be hung on the clothes-type hanging device 8, an upper surface near the knee of the thigh is provided on the front side of the body.
The above-mentioned female couplers 7a and 7b are fixed to the two places separated from the upper part of both shoulders, and these female couplers 7a and 7b are fixed.
a and 7b are provided at positions within a range in which the suspended person M can perform a coupling operation with the male coupling tools 6a and 6b on the suspension belt 4 side with one hand, and at the same time, the bed 10 (FIG. ,
2) and the suspension belt 4
When lifted, the lifting force acts on almost the entire area of the suspended person M and the lifting force acts on the suspended person M. Selected.

That is, the suspended person M is lifted and supported by the hanging belt 4 via the clothes-type suspending device 8 over a wide range from the entire back of the suspended person M to the periphery of the hip and the lower surface of the thigh. Therefore, no discomfort such as a feeling of oppression or cramping is given to the suspended person M. One end of the female coupler 7b is disposed at the top of the shoulder of the clothes-type suspender 8, but the part where the female coupler 7b is coupled to the male coupler 6b is the movable range of one hand in the chest. Because the male couplings 6a and 6b and the suspended person M can be easily coupled using only one hand together with the female coupling 7a disposed within the movable range of one hand. Attention.

In FIG. 5, an opening 8a (shown by a broken line) that can be freely opened when the suspended person M reaches the position of the portable toilet 11a and uses the clothes is provided in the clothes-type hanging device 8. ) Is drilled before and after each,
The opening 8a is formed so as to be freely opened by an opening assisting tool 39 having a wound skirt shape. When the suspended person M excretes, the opening 8a on the front or back side of the body is exposed by squeezing the opening assisting tool 39 by one-handed operation, so that the toilet can be used.

The clothes-type hanging device 8 shown in FIG.
The suspension belt 4 is formed to have an appropriate size in advance in conformity with the body shape of the suspended person M, and is provided at an appropriate position on both thigh upper surfaces and both shoulder crests.
The lifter main body 3 and the belt suspension device 3a are provided with the female couplers 7a and 7b for coupling with the male couplers 6a and 6b of the a and 4b and the opening assistant 39 of the opening 8a.
In cooperation with the above, the suspended person M can be lifted and lowered, and the movement between the positions can be smoothly advanced. Note that the clothes-type hanging device 8 is formed in a predetermined size S, M, and L, and an appropriate size is selected according to the body shape of the suspended person.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the care lifter main body 3 having the above-described mechanical configuration as viewed from the functional aspect. The lifter main body 3 includes a traveling section 200 for traveling on the rail 2, a current position detecting section 300 for detecting a current position of the lifter main body on the rail 2, and a light receiving section for receiving infrared rays from an infrared remote controller (operation means) 9. Unit 400, a notifying unit 500 for notifying the occurrence of an abnormality by a buzzer sound or a light beam when an abnormality occurs, and two suspension belts for each of the shoulder and thigh are independently driven by two independent sets of motors. A belt suspension unit 600 for controlling, a load detection unit 700 for detecting whether or not the suspended person is normally lifted from the tension applied to the suspension belt, and an extension length of the four suspension belts. It comprises a suspended belt feeding length detecting section 800 for detecting, and a control section 100 for controlling the operation between these sections.

The traveling section 200 includes a motor 13 shown in FIG.
It is composed of a reduction gear 14, a shaft 15, a shaft 16, and the like, and has a function of running the lifter main body 3 along the rail. The control unit 100, the light receiving unit 400, and the notification unit 500 are respectively provided at appropriate locations of the present care lifter. For example, the control unit 1
Reference numeral 00 denotes a lifter body 3 as shown in FIG.
May be provided in an electric box mounted on the electronic device. The light receiving unit 400 is provided in a place where light from the remote controller is easily received, for example, on the outer surface of the electric box. The notification unit 500
The support may be provided at an appropriate place on the support column 1 so that the caregiver can mechanically release the buzzer or the like.

FIG. 7 schematically shows the structure of the current position detecting section 300 of the lifter main body. Current position detector 300
Is basically a reflective seal 2a attached to the traveling rail 2.
(See FIG. 7A) and a photo interrupter 3b (FIG. 7) provided in an electric box 3c mounted on the lifter main body 3.
(B)). The reflective seal 2a is affixed on the rail 2 corresponding to a position that the suspended person may use, such as the bed 10, the portable toilet 11a, and the wheelchair 11b. Identify. That is, each place can be specified by attaching one reflective tape on the bed and two sheets on the toilet and the wheelchair.

Since the toilet and the wheelchair have substantially the same sitting posture, the lifting control of the lifter body is the same. Therefore, in this embodiment, the positions to be detected are classified into two, that is, “on the bed” and “on the toilet or wheelchair”, and one reflective seal is attached on the bed and two reflective seals are attached on the portable toilet or wheelchair. I have. The current position is recognized by detecting the reflected light from these reflective seals using two photo interrupters.

In addition to the above, the detection of the current position can be realized, for example, by installing an oscillator for transmitting a weak radio wave at a desired position in place of the reflective seal and detecting this. Also, instead of detecting the position directly,
For example, it is also possible to measure the moving distance from the end of the traveling rail by using the encoder to measure the number of revolutions of the traveling vehicle and use the integrated value of the measured values.

In the present embodiment, as described above, since the sitting posture is close between the toilet and the wheelchair, the positions to be detected are classified into two positions, "on the bed" and "on the toilet or wheelchair." However, if it is desired to perform finer control in accordance with the sitting posture, the positions can be further finely classified. FIG. 8 shows a schematic configuration of the load detection unit 700. In the figure, 35a is a thigh suspension belt 4.
4A shows a tension detector. The tension detectors 35a and 35a 'are turned off when a load of about
N, a limit switch. The present invention is not limited to this example, and the tension applied to the suspension belt 4a may be directly detected by a so-called tension meter, or the torque of the suspension drive motors 22a and 22b may be detected. In the present embodiment, the load detector 700 includes two tension detectors 35a and 35 for the thigh suspension belt 4a.
a 'and two tension detectors (not shown) for the shoulder suspension belt are configured to detect the tension applied to each of the four belts, and to detect the load applied to each belt therefrom. .

A suspension belt upper end detector 36a is provided with a mechanical stopper 37a provided on the suspension belt 4a.
And detects the upper limit of the belt winding.
Reference numeral 36a 'denotes a lower end detector of the suspension belt, which detects the lower limit of the lowering of the belt by detecting a reflection seal attached to the suspension belt 4a (not shown) by a photo interrupter. Although not shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, reference numeral 38 denotes an overrun detector provided on a side surface of the lifter main body 3, and a mechanical stopper 3 provided on a side end of the rail 2.
In cooperation with 9, the lifter body 3 is prevented from moving unnecessarily towards the end of the rail 2.

FIG. 8 is a view of the lifter main body 3 as viewed from the left side of FIG. 4. Therefore, only the tension detectors for the thigh suspension belt 4a and the upper and lower end detectors of the thigh suspension belt are shown. Along with the shoulder suspension belt 4b, their tension detectors and upper and lower suspension belt detectors are located on the opposite side of the lifter body 3. The belt suspension unit 600 shown in FIG. 6 includes the belt suspension device 3a shown in FIG. Further, the suspension belt feeding length detection unit 800 includes an encoder 34a shown in FIG.
34b.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the infrared remote controller 9. As shown in the figure, the infrared remote control 9
Operation buttons 91 to 95 for forming operation signals corresponding to a total of five instructions of upward movement "up", downward movement "down", left movement "left", right movement "right", and emergency notification "tight", and It comprises a light projecting section 96 for transmitting an operation signal by infrared rays and a control section 97 for controlling the light projecting section 96 so that an optical signal corresponding to the operation signal is formed.

These operation buttons are configured so that a signal is transmitted only when the suspended person is pressing the button, thereby making it possible to omit the ON / OFF button. As a result, only the minimum required five operation buttons are arranged on the control panel of the remote controller 9, so that the button selection operation can be easily performed by the suspended person.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of control unit 100 shown in FIG. The control unit 100 includes a current position recognizing unit 101 that recognizes the current position of the lifter main body 3 based on a signal from the current position detection unit 300, and a suspension belt extension length output from the suspension belt extension length detection unit 800. From the output signal indicating whether the lifting height is less than a preset height, and a lifting height determination unit 102 that determines whether the tension applied to the four suspension belts by the load detection unit 700 is all predetermined. A load abnormality determining means 103 is provided for detecting whether or not the suspension belt is forgotten by detecting whether or not the value is equal to or greater than the value, or for determining whether or not a human body is being lifted.

The control unit 100 further includes an operation signal recognizing unit 104 for recognizing which button of the infrared remote controller has been pressed based on the output of the light receiving unit 400, and a control storing a plurality of control patterns relating to the elevation control of the lifter body. A pattern storage unit 105 and a control pattern selection and setting unit 1 for selecting and setting an appropriate pattern from a plurality of control patterns according to the current position and the size of the clothes-type hanging device of the suspended person.
06 and traveling control means 1 for controlling traveling on a rail
07, shoulder and thigh suspension belt control means 108, 109 for controlling the shoulder and thigh suspension belts 4a, 4b.
And a notification control means 110 for notifying a danger by sound or light when an abnormality occurs. Reference numeral 111 denotes control means for controlling the operation between the means.

The control pattern storage means 105 stores the position of the lifter main body 3 and the size of the clothes-type hanging device 8 in accordance with
Further, various control parameters are stored for each of the lifting control and the hanging control, and an appropriate pattern in the control pattern storage means 105 is selected by the control pattern selection setting means 106 based on the result recognized by the current position recognition means. Then, set the stored various parameters.

FIG. 11 shows an example of the control pattern. Pattern 1 sets various parameters when the suspended person whose clothes-type hanging device has the size S is lifted from the bed and when the suspended person is suspended on the bed. Pattern 2 sets various parameters for lifting and suspending a suspended person whose suspension size is S from a toilet or a wheelchair. Patterns 3 to 6 set various parameters corresponding to different sizes of the clothes-type hanging device.

In the control pattern shown in FIG. 11, the size of the clothes-type hanger S, M, and L is initially set in the lifter main body as described later, and the current position of the lifter main body is determined by the reflection sticker attached to the rails and the photo. The current position detecting unit 300 constituted by the interrupter detects the current position, and further controls lifting and hanging of the belt based on whether the “up” button or the “down” button of the remote controller is pressed. Is done.

Therefore, when the suspended person of the clothes type hanging device size S is on the bed and the "up" button of the remote controller is pressed, the control means automatically selects the lifting control parameter of the pattern 1, and The lifting control is started according to the parameters. Also, this suspended person reaches the toilet,
When the user presses the "down" button on the remote controller to drop on the toilet, the control means automatically selects the hanging control parameter of the pattern 2 and starts the hanging control according to this parameter. Hereinafter, the same selection is made for each pattern by the control means.

The operation of the above-described care lifter according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
First, the initial setting of the care lifter will be described. This nursing care lifter includes the physique of the suspended person, the physical size of the bed and toilet, the wheelchair, the suspension speed and the lateral movement speed, and the lateral movement height determined by the height of the toilet and wheelchair (the height at which the person can move laterally). A dip switch (not shown) for initial setting of various parameters such as S) is provided, and the initial setting is performed. This initial setting is usually set by the installer when installing the apparatus at the user's house, and does not need to be set by the suspended person or his caregiver during daily use.

Among the above parameters, the suspension speed and the lateral movement speed are set to such a speed that the suspended person does not feel fear. As for the physique of the suspended person, the dip switch is set in accordance with the size of the clothes-type hanging device such as S, M, and L. When the clothing size is set, the control parameters used for lifting, which will be described later, specifically, the various feeding lengths of the suspension belt are changed according to the size of the clothing-type hanging device.

Next, the basic operation of the present lifter body will be described with reference to FIG. When the main care lifter main body 3 is powered on, an initial setting of the suspension belt payout length is first performed. First, the tension of the suspension belt is detected by the load detection unit 700, and after confirming that the human body is not suspended, the belt suspension unit 600 is operated to activate the mechanical stopper 37 of the thigh or shoulder suspension belt.
Wind up each belt until a is detected. This position is detected by the suspension belt feeding length detection unit 800, and the value is set as the feeding length origin of the suspension belt.

The detection of the mechanical stopper 37a of each belt is realized by detecting with a micro switch provided on the lifter main body. Note that the detection of various parameters such as the thigh suspension belt lifting height and the shoulder suspension belt lifting height shown in FIG. 11 are all performed by detecting the extension length of the suspension belt. When the initial setting of the suspension belt payout length is completed, the apparatus waits for input from the remote controller. As described above, the infrared remote controller has five “up (upward movement)”, “down (downward movement)”, “left (left movement)”, “right (right movement)”, and “tight (urgent)”. There is a button. The apparatus operates only while any operation button is pressed. As a result, even if a sudden trouble occurs in the suspended person, secondary damage can be prevented by stopping the apparatus when the button is released. After the operation of each button, it is checked whether the power of the remote controller and the lifter body is abnormal.

The care lifter main body stands by on the bed where the suspended person usually spends, with the suspension belt wound up. This is because the suspended person is usually lying on the bed, and to use the nursing lifter when transferring to a toilet or a wheelchair, the request from the suspended person is made by waiting the nursing lifter on the bed. This is because it is possible to respond quickly.

Next, the operation of lifting the suspended person from the bed will be described. First, the suspended person (user) wakes up the bed with the electric remote controller attached to the bed and takes a sitting posture on the bed. Next, the "down" button of the infrared remote control attached to the apparatus is pressed, and the suspension belt is lowered to a height at which the suspended person can easily connect to the clothes-type hanging device worn by the suspended person. When the suspension belt is lowered to a desired height, the suspended person connects a total of four suspension belts on both shoulders and thighs to predetermined positions of the attached clothes-type suspenders.

When the connection to the clothes-type hanging device is completed and the suspended person presses the "up" button on the remote controller 9, the control unit 100 confirms that the current position of the care lifter main body 3 is on the bed. , A control pattern at that position is selected, and lifting control is performed based on the control parameters set by the selected pattern. Hereinafter, assuming that the "up" button of the infrared remote controller is continuously pressed by the suspended person, a control at the time of lifting the suspended person will be described with reference to a flowchart.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a flowchart in the case of carrying out lifting control, and FIG. 13 is a diagram schematically showing a state of a suspended person at a predetermined stage of the control. When the "up" button is pressed in step S1 of FIG. 12, the control unit 100 drives the belt suspension unit 600 while determining whether the height of the thigh suspension belt is equal to or more than a predetermined value (step S2). The thigh suspension belt is wound up (step S3). Here, the predetermined value is the knee lifting height a1 shown in FIG. 11, and as shown in FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (e), a height at which the knee bends about 15 to 20 degrees from the state where the knee is extended on the bed. That's it. Bending the knee to this angle prior to lifting prevents the clothes-type lifting device from shifting upward during lifting.

As shown in FIG. 11, the height a1 varies depending on the size S, M, and L of the clothes-type hanger of the person to be hung. The height can be automatically set by setting the height of the seat surface and the size of the clothes-type hanging device. Next, the shoulder suspension belt is wound up until the deflection of the shoulder suspension belt is eliminated, that is, until the tip of the shoulder suspension belt reaches the height b1 (steps S4 and S5). The state of the suspended person at this time is shown in FIG.

Next, the both ends of the shoulder suspension belt and the thigh suspension belt are connected to the body lifting height a2,
Wind up further until it comes to the position of b2 (step S6,
S7). This height is, for example, a bed fence, portable toilet,
The height is such that it can be safely moved without being disturbed by a wheelchair or the like, and is preset in advance as described above. The state of the suspended person at this time is shown in FIG.

Although not shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, it is also possible to carry out the suspension belt connection confirmation processing until the suspended person reaches the body lifting height. In this case, both the shoulder suspension belt and the thigh suspension belt are set so that the body of the suspended person is slightly lifted from the bed, and the tension applied to the four suspension belts is detected by the load detection unit 70.
By checking at 0, it is detected that the suspension belt has been forgotten to be hung or that it has been missed. If it is detected that the suspension belt has been forgotten to be used, the current position of the lifter body is confirmed using the above-mentioned reflective seal, etc., and the position can be safely suspended, such as on a bed or portable toilet. Then, the suspended person is automatically lowered.

When it is confirmed in step S6 that the body of the person to be suspended has reached the predetermined height, that is, the body lifting heights a2 and b2, the shoulder suspension belt is then moved to the shoulder end. The suspension belt is wound up to the seating posture height b3 (steps S8 and S9), and the seated posture of the suspended person is made suitable for sitting on a toilet or a wheelchair (see FIG. 13D).

The height b3 is a value determined in accordance with the angle of the backrest of the portable toilet or the wheelchair, which is the destination, and as a result of this control, the angle of the back in the state where the suspended person is lifted at the destination is determined. It becomes close to a sitting posture, and it becomes possible to sit in a comfortable posture. In general, a suspended person has a lower backrest on a bed than on a chair. The posture of being suspended in such a place and sitting is different from the posture of sitting on a portable toilet or a wheelchair where the backrest is relatively standing. That is, the suspended person cannot sit comfortably unless he / she is suspended in a posture corresponding to the angle of the backrest after sitting.

In this case, a suspended person who has a disability in one or the lower body cannot sit down again after sitting, so it is necessary to have a caregiver or the like pull back and sit down deeply after sitting. However, in the apparatus of the present invention, as described above, after being lifted to a height at which the suspended person can move laterally,
Since the correct sitting posture on the toilet or the wheelchair can be automatically taken, the suspended person can comfortably perform the lift movement by himself.

If it is confirmed in step S8 that the suspended person has taken the correct sitting posture, the lifting control is stopped (step S10). Here, the suspended person mistakenly presses the "up" button. If the tip of the thigh suspension belt exceeds the height a2 or the tip of the shoulder suspension belt exceeds the height b3 so that there is no danger even if the user keeps pushing, In response to this, an alarm such as a buzzer is issued, and the lifting drive motor is automatically stopped.

Next, with reference to a flow chart shown in FIG. 14, a description will be given of the control when the suspended person moves laterally between the bed and the toilet or wheelchair. After the lifting control is completed, when the suspended person presses the "left" or "right" button of the infrared remote controller (step T1), the horizontal movable height initially set at the time of installation of the apparatus, that is, the above-described body lifting height It is determined whether or not the suspended person is being lifted at a2 and b2 based on the length of the suspension belt payout (step T).
2). This processing is performed by releasing the “up” button and “left” even though the suspended person is not lifted to the height a2.
Alternatively, when the "right" button is pressed, a buzzer is sounded (step T3) to warn of danger and to stop the movement control.

In step T2, if the suspended person has been lifted to the height a2, b2 at which it can move laterally, the lifter body 3 is moved to the right or left on the rail according to the button pressed in step T4. (Step T
5). If the “right” or “left” button is not pressed in step T4, the horizontal movement is stopped (step T4).
6).

It should be noted that a configuration is also possible in which the load detector 700 constantly monitors the tension of all the suspension belts at a predetermined value or more during the lateral movement. In this case, in consideration of the possibility that the suspended position is high and the suspended person may be in danger, unlike the above suspension belt connection confirmation processing, the automatic descent processing is performed even when an abnormality is detected in the suspension belt connection. Instead, the suspension and traveling motors are stopped, the buzzer sounds, and an emergency call is made. This is because the lifter body may not always be on a safe place to be lowered, such as a bed, a toilet, or a wheelchair.

Next, with reference to the flow chart of FIG. 15, the suspension control of the suspended person on a portable toilet or a wheelchair will be described. Note that, as apparent from the control pattern shown in FIG. 11, this suspension control is performed on the bed except for the difference in height parameter based on the difference between the height of the bed and the height of the seat surface of the toilet or wheelchair. It is the same as the suspension control above. Therefore, it should be noted that the flowchart of FIG. 15 also corresponds to hanging on a bed.

When the "down" button of the infrared remote controller is pressed, the current position of the lifter main body is confirmed, parameters are selected and set, and then the hanging control is started according to the flowchart of FIG. First, it is checked whether the "down" button is pressed (step P1). In step P2, the tip of the thigh suspension belt or the shoulder suspension belt is at a height a5 at which the belt can be detached from the clothes-type hanging device. It is determined whether or not b5 (a4, b4 in the case of hanging on a bed) has been reached. If not, the thigh and shoulder suspension belts are lowered (step P3).

If the height of the thigh or shoulder suspension belt becomes the belt removal height in step P2, it is determined in step P4 whether the height of the thigh or suspension belt is removable. If not, lower the thigh suspension belt. If the height has reached the removable height of the belt in step P4, it is determined in step P6 whether the height has reached the height at which the shoulder suspension belt can be removed. The belt is wound down (step P7), and when it reaches its height, the suspension control is stopped (step P8).

Similarly, in the case of lifting a suspended person from a toilet or a wheelchair, the suspension belts for the thigh and the shoulder are independently controlled, and the belts are wound up until the deflection of each belt is eliminated. Roll up the belt together to the body lifting height. In the present embodiment, since the posture in the state of being suspended to the body lifting height is close to the sitting posture on the bed, posture control suitable for sitting on the bed is not performed. However, when finer seating posture control is required, it is also possible to control the height of the shoulder suspension belt seating posture so that the seating posture on the bed is achieved after the body is lifted to the body lifting height.

In the above-described embodiment, the toilet and the wheelchair are treated with the same control pattern on the assumption that they have substantially the same seating height and seating posture. However, when more precise control is performed, For example, it is also possible to separate the control patterns for a portable toilet and a wheelchair.
However, in this case, since the suspension position cannot be assumed at the time of suspension, the same control method as in the above embodiment cannot be used.

For this reason, the posture in the suspended state, that is, the posture at the time of movement is fixed, and when suspending, the current position is confirmed with a reflective seal, a seating posture suitable for the position is taken, and then the suspension control is performed. Do. Thereby, it is possible to sufficiently cope with fine control.

[0071]

As described above, the nursing lifter according to the present invention is suitable for the user's body type and the seating position when the human body is lifted and moved in a plurality of places. Since the lifting posture can be automatically taken, the user can use the device much more comfortably than the conventional self-operated care lifter. for that reason,
It is very effective in supporting the independence of physically handicapped persons with one or lower body disabilities.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing one mode of use of a care lifter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the lifter, specifically illustrating a lifting position by a suspension belt including a shoulder suspension belt and a thigh suspension belt.

FIG. 3 shows the lifter main body when the lifter moves between positions along a straight path using the weight of a human body or the like as a load.
FIG. 3 is a top view as viewed from above.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the lifter as viewed from below.

FIG. 5 is a front view and a rear view of an embodiment of a clothes-type hanging device worn by a suspended person.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a care lifter main body.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a current position detection unit.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a load detection unit.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an infrared remote controller.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a control pattern.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining lifting control of a care lifter main body.

FIG. 13 is a view for explaining lifting control according to the flowchart of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining lateral movement control of the care lifter main body.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining hanging control of the care lifter main body.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 ... Rail 2a ... Reflective seal 3 ... Lifter main body 3a ... Belt suspension apparatus 3b ... Photo interrupter 3c ... Electric box 4 ... Suspension belt 4a ... Thigh suspension belt 4b ... Shoulder suspension belt 8 ... Clothes type suspension Tool 9 Remote control 10 Bed 11a Portable toilet 11b Wheelchair 13 Moving drive motor 22a Suspension drive motor 22b Suspension drive motor 34a, 34b Encoder 35a, 35a 'Suspension belt tension detector 36a, 36a ': Suspended belt upper / lower end detection unit M: Suspended person 100 ... Control unit 105 ... Control pattern storage means 200 ... Running unit 300 ... Current position detection unit 600 ... Belt suspension unit 700 ... Load detection unit 800 … Suspension belt extension length detector

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A care lifter that moves between a plurality of places, a current position detection unit that detects a current position, a control pattern storage unit that stores a plurality of posture control patterns, and the control according to the current position. A care lifter comprising: a control pattern selecting means for selecting a pattern. 2. A care lifter that moves between a plurality of places, a body shape setting means for setting a body shape of a suspended person, and a control pattern for storing a plurality of posture control patterns corresponding to the body shape of the suspended person. A care lifter comprising: storage means; and control pattern selection means for selecting a posture control pattern stored in the control pattern storage means according to the body shape. 3. A care lifter that moves between a plurality of places, an operation means for instructing up, down, left and right movement, a lifting height detection means for detecting a lifting height, and the lifting height being predetermined by a lateral movement instruction. A lifting height determination unit that determines whether the height is less than a predetermined height, and a movement prohibition unit that invalidates a lateral movement instruction when the lifting height is less than a predetermined height. 4. The current position detecting means includes: light irradiating means for irradiating light; light receiving means for receiving light reflected by the light irradiating means; and a current position based on a light receiving pattern received by the light receiving means. The care lifter according to claim 1, further comprising: a position recognition means for recognizing.