JP2006136610A - Bathing assist - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bathing assist capable securing a sufficient bathing space even if being used for any type of a bathtub. <P>SOLUTION: This bathing assist is provided with a U-shaped frame 10 comprising a base part 100 and arm parts 200 approximately perpendicularly extending from the both ends of the base part and mounted on a rim of the bathtub, a lift 300 mounted on the frame, and a seat surface 50 mounted on the arm parts and capable of raising/lowering inside the bathtub via the lift with the frame mounted on the rim of the bathtub. The frame is provided with an arm length adjusting mechanism adjusting the length of the respective arm parts to vary the distance between the base part and the seat surface, and the arm length adjusting mechanism is provided between the seat surface mounting position and the base part of the arm part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a bathing assistance device that assists in bathing of a person who needs assistance when taking a bath, for example, an elderly person or a physically handicapped person.

2. Description of the Related Art A bathing assistance device that is attached to an edge of a bathtub and assists bathing of a person who needs assistance at the time of bathing, such as an elderly person or a disabled person, has been conventionally known (for example, see Patent Document 1). Such a bathing assistance apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a U-shaped frame that includes a base portion and arm portions that extend substantially vertically from both ends of the base portion, and is placed on a rim of a bathtub. Are provided with seating surfaces that are suspended at four positions from the opposing arm portions via wires. The frame is provided with an inter-arm spacing adjustment mechanism that allows the spacing between the opposing arm portions to be adjusted, so that the spacing between the arm portions of the bathing assistance device is adjusted according to the width of the bathtub to which the bathing assistance device is attached. It has become.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-267174 (page 5, FIG. 14)

  The bathing assistance apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is only capable of adjusting the interval between the opposing arm portions of the frame, as is apparent from the configuration. That is, since this bathing assistance device cannot adjust the length of the arm portion itself, the seating surface is moved up and down at a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction of the arm portion. And the seat surface is generally attached near the base end side of an arm part, in order to ensure sufficient bathing space of the bathtub at the time of bathing.

  On the other hand, the shape of the bathtub in recent years is not only a simple shape of a conventional square box type, but the bathtub rim, which is called a bathtub, has an elliptical shape in a top view and the bath wall is inclined obliquely, Various bathtubs are used such as a bathtub having a so-called bowl shape when the rim of the bathtub is viewed from above.

  When the bathing assistance device described above is installed and used in such a non-conventional shaped bathtub, when the seating surface shifted to the base end side of the arm part descends, it gently tilts There is a risk of the seating surface coming into contact with the bathtub wall. In addition, even if the seat surface does not come into contact with the bathtub wall surface in this way, the seat surface approaches the bathtub wall surface as the seat surface descends, so that the seated person's back contacts the bathtub wall surface while the seat surface is raised and lowered. Then, the seat surface may be lifted and lowered while rubbing, which may cause discomfort to the user of the bathing assistance device.

  Therefore, in order to prevent such inconvenience, the bathing assistance device is installed on the bathtub rim with the base portion shifted slightly forward from the rim at the longitudinal end of the bathtub so that the seating surface is smooth when the seating surface is raised and lowered. It is used so as not to contact the inclined bathtub wall surface and to prevent the seated person's back from touching the gently inclined bathtub wall surface. However, with such an installation, a sufficient bathing space in the bathtub cannot be secured, and the person being assisted cannot enjoy bathing.

  In addition, when a person other than the person being assisted, such as a family, takes a bath, it is generally performed to take off the seating surface of the bathing assistance device and leave only the frame on the rim of the bathtub, In order to prevent the caregiver's back from rubbing against the bathtub wall surface, as described above, when the bathing assistance apparatus is preliminarily shifted slightly from the rim at the longitudinal end of the bathtub and placed on the bathtub rim, the base part of the frame The bathing space in the bathtub cannot be secured sufficiently, and no one other than the person being assisted can enjoy bathing.

  The objective of this invention is providing the bathing assistance apparatus which can ensure sufficient bathing space even if it uses for any bathtub.

In order to solve the above-described problem, a bathing assistance apparatus according to the present invention includes:
A U-shaped frame that is composed of a base portion and arm portions extending substantially vertically from both ends of the base portion and is placed on the rim of the bathtub;
A lifting device attached to the frame;
In the bathing assistance device provided with a seating surface that is attached to the arm portion and is capable of ascending and descending the inside of the bathtub through the lifting device with the frame attached to the rim of the bathtub,
The frame has an arm length adjustment mechanism that adjusts the length of each arm portion to make the distance between the base and the seat surface variable, and the arm length adjustment mechanism is attached to the seat surface of the arm portion. It is characterized by being provided between the part and the base part.

  Since the length of the arm portion can be adjusted in accordance with the inclination of the bathtub wall surface, the bathing assistance device can be placed in accordance with the rim of the bathtub regardless of the inclination of the bath wall on the base portion side. As a result, even when a bathing assistance device for a bathtub with a gently inclined bathtub wall surface is used, the seat surface does not come into contact with the bathtub wall surface when the seat surface is lowered, and the seat surface does not touch the bathtub wall surface. By approaching, the caregiver sitting on the seat can use the bathtub widely when taking a bath without rubbing his back when the seat is raised or lowered.

  In addition, since the seat surface is lifted and lowered via the arm, the seat surface can be lifted and lowered in the bathtub as a simple mechanism by simply suspending the seat surface, and an extra moment is applied to the bathing assistance device when the seat surface is lifted and lowered. There is no need to make it happen.

  In addition, since the part that extends the arm part is between the position where the seat surface is suspended and the base part, the width to suspend the seat surface is constant even if the length of the arm part is changed. The seat can be moved up and down stably even if it is adjusted.

Moreover, the bathing assistance apparatus according to claim 2 of the present invention is the bathing assistance apparatus according to claim 1,
The elevating device is provided in the base portion, and the seat surface is suspended by a flexible member, and the flexible member is wound or fed out through the elevating device. .

  As the length of each arm is adjusted, the lifting and lowering drive force of the lifting device can be reliably transmitted to the seating surface simply by winding or unwinding the flexible member by the length adjustment of this arm. There is no need for a special adjustment mechanism for raising and lowering the seat surface associated with the length adjustment. As a result, the arm length can be adjusted with a simple configuration. Moreover, by taking such a structure, the height of an arm part can be restrained low, and it can be set as the bathing assistance apparatus with ease of use that a person being assisted is easy to sit.

Moreover, the bathing assistance apparatus of Claim 3 of this invention is the bathing assistance apparatus of Claim 2,
The flexible member is composed of four wires or a belt-like flexible member, and the flexible member is wound and fed out by the lifting device via a pulley provided in each arm portion. It is characterized by that.

  Since the seat surface is suspended at four locations via the pulley and four flexible members provided in the arm portion, the seat surface can be moved up and down while being stable. In addition, when the lifting device is driven using a battery, the suspension width of the seat surface does not change even if the arm portion length is adjusted. However, the battery lasts for a long time and the bathing assistance device can be used for a long time.

Moreover, the bathing assistance apparatus according to claim 4 of the present invention is the bathing assistance apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The arm length adjusting mechanism includes an arm advancement guide portion and an arm advancement slider portion, and the arm advancement guide portion and the arm advancement slider portion can be fixed at predetermined positions.

  The arm advancement guide part and the arm advancement slider part can be fixed at a predetermined position, so that the arm part can be maintained at a predetermined length, and the seat surface is raised and lowered at an optimum position according to each bathtub. It becomes possible.

Moreover, the bathing assistance apparatus of Claim 5 of this invention is the bathing assistance apparatus of Claim 4,
The arm length adjusting mechanism includes arm length confirmation means for confirming an advancement amount of each arm portion.

  By confirming with the arm length confirmation means that the amounts of advancement of the left and right arm portions are equal, the seat surface can be moved up and down constantly in a horizontal state without tilting the seat surface.

Moreover, the bathing assistance apparatus according to claim 6 of the present invention is the bathing assistance apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The seating surface is provided detachably with respect to the frame.

  The bathing assistance device can be placed on the bathtub rim regardless of the inclination of the bathtub wall surface, so the seating surface can be removed from the frame by removing the seating surface when a person other than the person being assisted takes a bath. The bathtub can be used widely.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, even if it uses with respect to what kind of bathtub, the bathing assistance apparatus which can ensure sufficient bathing space can be provided.

  Hereinafter, a bathing assistance apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, a bathing assistance apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a frame 10 having a U-shape in a top view, and an upper surface that is detachably attached to the frame 10 and can be moved up and down in a bathtub. An elevator device 300 (see FIG. 3) is attached to the base portion 100 of the frame 10, and a wire W that is a flexible member is wound up or fed out by the elevator device 300. Thus, the seat 50 is moved up and down.

  The frame 10 is made of, for example, stainless steel, and includes a base portion 100 provided with an elevating device 300 and arm portions 200 extending substantially vertically from both ends of the base portion 100 as shown in FIG. And the base part 100 is mounted on the rim | limb of the longitudinal direction one end part of a bathtub, and the arm part 200 is mounted on the rim | limb of the both sides of a bathtub. As shown in FIG. 1, the frame 10 is covered with covers 101 and 201 made of a resin having both strength and ease of molding on the base portion 100 and the arm portions 200, respectively.

  In addition, the base portion 100 of the frame 10 is provided with an arm advancement guide portion 150, and the arm portion 200 of the frame 10 is provided with an arm advancement slider portion 250. As shown in FIG. The distance between the base portion 100 and the seat 50 is made variable by adjusting each. Further, the frame 10 is provided with a reference position display section 151 as arm length confirmation means for confirming the advancement amount of each arm section 200 (see FIG. 3).

  FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state in which the covers 101 and 201 of the frame 10 are removed. As is clear from FIG. 3, the base unit 100 includes a DC motor 310, a reduction gear 320 that combines a worm gear and a spur gear, and a wire feeding and winding drum 330. Note that the reduction gear 320 and the wire take-up take-up drum 330 are firmly fixed to the base portion 100 with a support bracket 350. In addition, the base unit 100 includes a battery 370 for driving the DC motor 310 and a control box 360 for controlling the driving of the DC motor 310, and a wire that is wound around the wire feed and take-up drum 330 by a combination of a bracket and a spring. A wire turbulence prevention unit 380 that regulates the winding direction of W is provided. Moreover, the base part 100 is provided with an arm spacing adjusting mechanism (not shown) that can adjust the spacing between the opposing arm parts, and each arm of the bathing assistance apparatus 1 according to the width of the bathtub to which the bathing assistance apparatus 1 is attached. The interval between the parts is adjusted.

  Further, a guide pulley 390 for guiding the wire W fed from the upper peripheral surface of the wire feeding / winding drum 330 to a pulley described later is provided in the vicinity of one of the wire winding disturbance prevention portions (left side in FIG. 3).

  In the wire pay-out take-up drum 330, four wires W that form a flexible member for suspending the sheet 50, which are wires covered with resin with stainless steel strands, are provided for each arm part 200. Two pieces are wound toward each other. Further, both ends of the base portion 100 are provided with base pulleys 110 that change the extending direction of the wire W that is fed or wound up to the longitudinal direction of the arm portion 200.

  On the other hand, in the vicinity of the base side proximal end portion and the distal end portion of each arm portion 200, a first wire pay-out take-up pulley 210 that changes the extending direction of the two wires W extending along each arm portion 200, respectively. (Hereinafter referred to as “first pulley 210”) is provided for each wire W. The first pulley 210 is made of a resin having excellent strength, moldability, and slidability such as polyacetal (POM), for example, and the bath assistance device 1 is attached to the bathtub (hereinafter referred to as “device attachment state”). , The rotation center axis is directed in the vertical direction, and the four wires W extend from the arm extending direction toward the opposing arm portion 200 by the first pulley 210.

  Further, in the vicinity of the first pulley 210 and below the first pulley of the arm portion 200 and in the bathtub rim side when viewed in the apparatus attachment state, the second wire pay-out take-up pulley 220 corresponding to each first pulley 210. (Hereinafter referred to as “second pulley 220”). The second pulley 220 is made of, for example, a polyacetal resin having excellent strength, moldability, and slidability, and the rotation center axis of the second pulley 220 faces the horizontal direction when the apparatus is attached, and is opposed to the first pulley 210. The direction of the wire W extending toward the arm portion 200 is changed to the descending direction of the seat 50. Further, a stopper 230 for positioning and fixing the arm part 200 on the side rim of the bathtub extends downwardly at the substantially central part in the longitudinal direction of each arm part 200 and on the lower surface of each arm part. The attachment position of the first pulley 210 and the second pulley 220 corresponds to the seating surface attachment position in the arm unit 200.

  With the above-described configuration, the wire W partially wound on the wire feeding / winding drum 330 of the base portion 100 has the remaining portions directed to both ends of the base portion via the wire winding preventing portion 380 and the guide pulley 390, respectively. And extending along the arm portion 200 via the base pulley 110, and the forward portion thereof extends to the opposite arm portion side of each arm portion 200 via the first pulley 210. It goes in the descending direction of the seat 50 through the two pulleys 220. The ends of the wires W are detachably attached to the seating base 500 and are coupled to a support shaft 290 made of, for example, stainless steel.

  On the other hand, the base portion 100 of the frame 10 is provided with the arm advancement guide portion 150 as described above. The arm advancement guide part 150 extends vertically from both ends of the base part 100 and plays a role of guiding the arm part 200 to advance in a certain direction.

  The arm portion 200 of the frame 10 includes an arm advancement slider portion 250 that advances along the arm advancement guide portion 150 of the base portion 100. The arm advancement slider portion 250 of the arm portion 200 has a cross-sectional shape slightly larger than the cross-sectional shape of the arm advancement guide portion 150 of the base portion 100 in the width direction, and is attached to the arm advancement guide portion 150 to be attached to the arm advancement guide portion 150. On the other hand, the length of each arm part 200 can be lengthened or shortened by sliding. That is, by increasing the length of the arm portion 200 as shown in FIG. 2, the distance between the base portion 100 and the seating base 500 is increased, and by reducing the length of the arm portion 200 as shown in FIG. The distance between the base part 100 and the seating base 500 is made small, and the distance between the base part 100 and the seating base 500 is variable.

  The arm advancement guide portion 150 of the base portion 100 is formed with a plurality of lock holes (not shown) for fixing the arm advancement guide portion 150 and the arm advancement slider portion 250 at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction. The advancement guide part 150 is provided with a lock pin that selectively engages with the lock hole and locks the arm part 200 for each predetermined advancement amount, and a lock spring that urges the lock pin to the lock hole. The lock hole of the arm advancement guide part 150 and the lock pin and the lock spring of the arm advancement slider part 250 cooperate to fix the arm advancement guide part 150 and the arm advancement slider part 250.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the advancement slider portion 250 of the arm unit 200 is provided with a scale 251 corresponding to the arm advancement amount, and a reference position display unit attached to the arm advancement guide unit 150 of the base unit 100. Compared to 151, the arm advancement amount of the arm unit 200 can be confirmed from the outside. The scale 251 and the reference position display unit 151 constitute an arm length confirmation unit, and are marked on the arm advancement guide unit 150 of the base unit 100 and the arm advancement slider unit 250 of the arm unit 200 as shown in FIG. These scales may be confirmed from windows (not shown) formed in the covers 101 and 201, and the scales covered with the cover 201 of the arm part 200 with the scales attached to the cover 101 of the base part 100. This part may be directly visible from the outside according to the advancement amount of the arm unit 200, and a simple display configuration in which the advancement amount of the arm unit 200 can be confirmed.

  When the arm length is adjusted, it is possible to always raise and lower the seat 50 in a horizontal state without tilting the seat 50 by confirming that the advance amounts of the left and right arm portions are equal by the arm length confirmation means. become able to.

  When the arm length adjusting means as described above is used, the length of the arm part 200 can be easily adjusted according to the inclination of the bathtub wall surface, so that bathing assistance is provided regardless of the inclination of the bath wall on the base part side. The device 1 can be placed on the rim of the bathtub. As a result, as described later, the bathing assistance device 1 can be widely used regardless of the type of bath.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 6, the seat 50 is coupled to a seating base 500 made of, for example, stainless steel and made of a thin box having a rectangular shape when viewed from above, and one arm portion side of the seating base 500. Further, it has a sub-seat portion 510 made of a thin box body made of stainless steel and has a rectangular shape when viewed from above, and is made of a resin having sufficient strength that can be raised via a hinge (not shown) on each arm portion side of the upper surface of the seating portion. A flap 520 is provided.

  Note that when the seat 50 is lowered in the apparatus attachment state, the flap 520 is raised by the wire W as shown in FIG. 6, and when the seat 50 is raised and reaches the state shown in FIGS. After rising up by W, the end of the flap 520 gets over a part of the arm part 200 and maintains the horizontal state flush with the upper surface of the seating part.

  Hereinafter, the uppermost position (the position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5) when the seat 50 moves up and down in the bathtub in the apparatus attachment state is referred to as a “seat surface lifting upper limit position”. In this seat surface raising / lowering upper limit position, a clearance gap is not formed between the seating base 500 and the flap 520, and a handcuff of a care recipient is prevented. In addition, since the upper surface of the seating portion and the flap 520 are flush with each other at the upper limit position of the seating surface raising / lowering position, a so-called push-up called by a seated person lifts his buttocks slightly with the help of an assistant. This makes it easier to perform the movement of moving on the seating base. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the flap 520 rises upward by the wire W when the seat 50 is lowered into the bathtub, and covers a part of the wire W while the seat is lowered. It also plays a role in preventing the pinching of.

  Further, a support bracket 590 for hanging the seat base made of stainless steel is attached to the arm portion side of the seat base 500 as shown in FIG. Further, a support bracket 590 for hanging a seat base made of stainless steel is also attached to the arm portion side of the sub seat portion 510. The support bracket 590 has notches and the like (not shown), and the support shafts 290 described above are detachably attached to the support brackets 590, respectively. As described above, the seat 50 can be freely attached to and detached from the frame 10, so that the seat 50 can be removed and the bathtub can be widely used when, for example, a family other than the person being assisted takes a bath.

  Then, the actual usage method and the effect | action of the bathing assistance apparatus 1 mentioned above are demonstrated. In addition, although the bathing assistance apparatus 1 concerning this embodiment is not equipped with the backrest in the seating base 500, when the present invention is applied also to the bathing assistance apparatus equipped with the backrest, the bathtub wall surface at the time of raising and lowering the seat surface It is possible to exert an effect of preventing a backrest from touching and ensuring a sufficient bathing space in the bathtub.

  First, the bathing assistance apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration is placed on one end of the bathtub rim in the longitudinal direction, as shown in FIG. At this time, by adjusting an inter-arm spacing adjustment mechanism (not shown) provided in the base portion 100 of the frame 10, the arm portion 200 of the bathing assistance device 1 is placed on the side wall of the bathtub according to the width of the bathtub to which the bathing assistance device 1 is attached. Adjust to match the rim. The distance between the arms 200 can be easily adjusted by bringing a stopper 230 (see FIG. 3) provided on the lower surface of the frame into contact with the bathtub wall surface. Further, the base portion 100 of the frame 10 is placed so as to match the rim on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the bathtub.

  Next, a lock pin (not shown) provided on the arm advancement slider part 250 of each arm part 200 is pulled against the urging force of the lock spring, and a lock hole and a lock pin (not shown) provided on the arm advancement guide part 150 of the base part 100 are pulled. The engagement is released, and the left and right arm portions 200 are advanced from the base portion 100 as shown in FIG.

  At this time, before the arm unit 200 is advanced, the seat surface lowering button of the operation box is pressed to drive the lifting / lowering driving unit of the lifting / lowering device 300 to slightly feed the wire W. The reason for slightly feeding the wire W in this manner is to prevent the arm W 200 from being stretched due to the wire W being stretched.

  Next, the arm portion 200 is further advanced from the base portion 100 while checking the scale for checking the arm length for each of the left and right arm portions 200, so that the advance amounts of the left and right arm portions 200 are equal. Thus, by confirming that the advance amounts of the left and right arm portions 200 are equal by the arm length confirmation means, the seat 50 can be raised and lowered while always maintaining a horizontal state without tilting the seat 50 when the seat is raised and lowered.

  The advancement amount of the arm part 200 is that a person who is seated on the seat 50 (hereinafter referred to as “seat person”) makes contact with the bathtub wall on the base side when the seat 50 of the bathing assistance device 1 is raised or lowered. It is preferable that it does not occur. By adjusting the amount of advancement of each arm part 200 in this way, the seated person can keep his / her back when the seat is raised / lowered regardless of the bath wall shape of the bathing assistance apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. It is possible to secure a large bathing space for the seated person without rubbing and after the seat is lowered.

  As the arm portion 200 is adjusted in length, the arm portion 200 is advanced by an appropriate amount, and only a simple adjustment operation is performed in which the wire W is fed out by the length adjustment amount of the arm portion 200. Just do it. As a result, a special adjustment mechanism for raising and lowering the seat accompanying the arm length adjustment is not required. As a result, the arm length can be adjusted with a simple configuration. Moreover, by taking such a structure, the height of the arm part 200 can be restrained low, and it can be set as the bathing assistance apparatus which a person being assisted is easy to straddle and is easy to use.

  Subsequently, the person being assisted sits down on the flap 520 from the side of the bathtub, for example, the person holding the person's shoulder or waist and lifting the leg, or the person himself / herself floats the buttocks, so-called push-up. The person being assisted moves to above the seating portion by the operation called.

  In this state, the DC motor 310 of the elevating device 300 is not driven, and the wire W is tightly wound around the wire feed and take-up drum 330 by a combination of the worm gear of the reduction gear 320 and the spur gear. Therefore, the person being assisted can safely sit on the seat without causing the seat 50 to shift downward.

  Further, since the base unit 100 is provided with the lifting device 300 and the sheet 50 is suspended by the wire W, and the wire W is wound or fed out via the lifting device 300, the height of the arm unit 200 is increased. Therefore, the bathing assistance device is easy to use and easy to use.

  After the person being assisted is seated on the seat 50 in this manner, the person being assisted by the person seated on the seat 50 (hereinafter referred to as “seat resident”) or the assistant pushes a seat surface lowering button of an operation box (not shown) to raise and lower the apparatus 300. The DC motor 310 is driven, and the wire W taken up by the wire take-up take-up drum 330 is fed out toward each arm unit 200. The wire W taken up by the wire take-up and feeding drum 330 is extended in the extending direction by the first pulley 210 and the second pulley 220 in accordance with the operation amount of operating the lifting device 300 by operating a seating surface lowering button (not shown). The wire tip and the support shaft 290 connected to the wire tip are lowered toward the bottom of the bathtub.

  As a result, the seat 500 suspended by the four wires W starts to descend downward. At this time, in the case of the bathing assistance device 1 according to the present embodiment, the base unit 100 includes the lifting device 300 and the sheet 50 is suspended by the wire W, and the lifting device 300 lifts and lowers the sheet 50 via the arm unit 200. ing. Further, two pulleys 210 and 220 are provided in the arm portion for each of the opposing arm portions 200, and the wire W is wound and fed by the lifting device 300 via the pulleys 210 and 220. . Since the seating base 500 is suspended at four locations via the four pulleys 210 and 220 and the four wires W, the seat 50 can be raised and lowered while being stable. Further, since the seat 50 is lifted and lowered via the arm portion 200, the seat 50 can be lifted and lowered in the bathtub as a simple mechanism simply by hanging the seat 50, and an extra moment is applied to the bathing assistance device when the seat is lifted and lowered. It is possible to simplify the apparatus configuration.

  Moreover, since the part which extends the arm part 200 exists between the position which suspends the seating base 500, and the base part 100, even if it changes the length of the arm part 200, the width | variety which suspends the seating base 500 is constant, Regardless of how the length of the arm part 200 is adjusted, the seat 50 can be moved up and down stably. Further, since the suspension width of the seating base 500 does not change even if the length of the arm part 200 is adjusted, the lifting drive force of the lifting device 300 does not increase no matter how the length of the arm part 200 is adjusted. The battery 370 lasts longer and the bathing assistance apparatus 1 can be used for a long time.

  Further, as the seat 50 is lowered, the flap 520 connected to the side of the seating base 500 with a hinge is lifted by lifting each end thereof by the wire W. Thus, when the seat 50 is lowered, the flap 520 is raised to cover the wire W, so that the seated person does not touch the wire W when the seat is lowered, and the pinch between the wire W and the arm unit 200 is prevented. can do.

  By having the above configuration, not only a conventional box-shaped bathtub, but also a so-called bathtub, for example, a bathtub or bath rim with a considerably inclined bath wall or a rim of the bathtub forms a bowl shape in a top view Even when the base portion 100 of the frame 10 of the bathing assistance device 1 is placed on the rim of the bath, the seat moves up and down while the seat back is raised and lowered while the seated person's back is in contact with the bathtub wall surface. The user of the bathing assistance apparatus 1 will not be uncomfortable.

  In this way, when the sheet 50 reaches the bottom of the bathtub, the movement of the tip of the wire also stops, so that the wire W that is fed is bent at the wire feeding portion. A limit switch (not shown) is actuated by the bending of the wire W to detect that the sheet 50 has reached the bottom of the bathtub. As a result, the driving of the lifting device 300 is stopped and the seated person is immersed in hot water for a while.

  Next, after the seated person enjoys bathing, the bathing assistance device 1 is operated in the opposite direction to the above to raise the seat 50 to the seating surface raising / lowering upper limit position. Specifically, by operating an operation switch (not shown), the DC motor 310 of the lifting device 300 is driven in the sheet raising direction, the wire W is wound up, and the sheet 50 is raised. As a result, the seat 50 moves up in the bathtub. In addition, since the flap 520 connected to the seating base 500 is raised while the seat is raised and is interposed between the seater and the wire W while covering a part of the wire W, the seater can move the wire while the seat is raised. The hand pinching can be prevented without touching W, and the seat 50 can be raised while the seated person is relieved.

  Since the seating base 500 is suspended at four locations via the four pulleys 210 and 220 and the four wires W, the seat 50 can be raised while the seat is rising as in the case of the seat lowering. And

  When the seat 50 reaches the seat surface elevation upper limit position, the wire W is wound up and the vicinity of the tip thereof is accommodated in the arm portion, so that the flap 520 that has been raised by the wire W no longer rises and falls down to a horizontal state. . As a result, the seating base 500 and the flap 520 are flush with each other, so that a so-called push-up can be performed so that the seated person can move on the seating part without helping the assistant while floating his / her buttocks slightly. Become.

  In this manner, the seated person moves from the seating base 500 to the rim side of the bathtub through the flap 520 with the help of himself or his / her assistant, gets over the rim of the bathtub and finishes bathing.

  As described above, when the caregiver has finished bathing, for example, when a family other than the caregiver takes a bath, for example, the support shaft 290 connected to the wire tip is removed from the seating base 500 and only the frame 10 is in the bathtub. A person other than the person being assisted takes a bath as it is placed on the rim.

  In this case, even when the bathing assistance apparatus 1 is installed in a bath having an inclined bath wall, the arm 200 is appropriately advanced from the base 100 and the base 100 matches the rim on one end of the bath. Since it is attached and the frame is not attached to the front of the rim of the bathtub unlike the conventional bathing assistance device, the base portion 100 does not get in the way when a person other than the person being assisted takes a bath. In this case, rather, the bather can use the base portion 100 instead of the headrest, and for example, a family other than the person being assisted can fully enjoy the bath using the bathtub.

  As described above, the bathing assistance device according to the present invention can adjust the length of the arm portion 200 in accordance with the inclination of the bathtub wall surface, so that the bathing assistance device can be used regardless of the inclination of the bath wall on the base side. The device can be placed on the rim of the bathtub. Thereby, it becomes possible to use a bathtub widely even if this bathing assistance apparatus 1 is used for any bathtub.

  Further, since the seat 50 is lifted and lowered via the arm portion 200, the seat 50 can be lifted and lowered in the bathtub as a simple mechanism simply by hanging the seating base 500, and an extra amount is added to the bathing assistance device 1 when the seat is raised and lowered. It is not necessary to generate a moment, and the bathing assistance device can have a simple structure and a reduced weight. This improves the ease of installation of the bathing assistance device 1 and the ease of use of the device after installation in the bathtub.

  In addition, it cannot be overemphasized that the material of each component of the bathing assistance apparatus concerning this invention is not limited to the material described in the above-mentioned embodiment.

It is the perspective view which showed the bath assistance apparatus concerning one Embodiment of this invention in the state which most contracted the arm part of the flame | frame. It is the perspective view which showed the bath assistance apparatus concerning one Embodiment of this invention in the state which extended the arm part of the flame | frame most. It is the top view which showed the structure of only the flame | frame of the bathing assistance apparatus shown in FIG. 1 in the state which removed the cover of the base part and arm part of the flame | frame. It is a perspective view which shows the state which attached the bathing assistance apparatus shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which attached the bathing assistance apparatus shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which lowered | hung the sheet | seat a little after installing the bathing assistance apparatus in the bathtub.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bathing assistance apparatus 10 Frame 50 Sheet | seat 100 Base part 101 Cover 110 Base pulley 150 Arm advancement guide part 151 Reference | standard position display part 200 Arm part 201 Cover 210 1st wire delivery winding pulley (1st pulley)
220 Second wire take-up take-up pulley (second pulley)
230 Stopper 250 Arm Advance Slider 251 Scale 290 Support Shaft 300 Lifting Device 310 DC Motor 320 Reduction Gear 330 Wire Feed Winding Drum 350 Support Bracket 360 Control Box 370 Battery 380 Wire Distortion Prevention Unit 390 Guide Pulley 500 Seating Base 510 Sub Seat 520 Flap 590 Support bracket W wire

Claims (6)

A U-shaped frame that is composed of a base portion and arm portions extending substantially vertically from both ends of the base portion and is placed on the rim of the bathtub;
A lifting device attached to the frame;
In the bathing assistance device provided with a seating surface that is attached to the arm portion and is capable of ascending and descending the inside of the bathtub through the lifting device with the frame attached to the rim of the bathtub,
The frame has an arm length adjustment mechanism that adjusts the length of each arm portion to make the distance between the base and the seat surface variable, and the arm length adjustment mechanism is attached to the seat surface of the arm portion. A bathing assistance device, which is provided between a position and the base portion.   The elevating device is provided in the base portion, the seating surface is suspended by a flexible member, and the flexible member is wound or fed out through the elevating device. The bathing assistance apparatus according to claim 1.   The flexible member is composed of four wires or a belt-like flexible member, and the flexible member is wound and fed out by the lifting device via a pulley provided in each arm portion. The bathing assistance apparatus according to claim 2, wherein   The arm length adjusting mechanism includes an arm advancement guide portion and an arm advancement slider portion, and the arm advancement guide portion and the arm advancement slider portion can be fixed at predetermined positions. The bathing assistance apparatus according to any one of Items 3 to 4.   5. The bathing assistance apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the arm length adjusting mechanism includes an arm length confirmation means for confirming an advance amount of each arm portion. The bathing assistance apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the seating surface is provided detachably with respect to the frame.

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