JP2006305111A - Bathing care apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bathing care apparatus in which a seat surface can move between a seat surface rising and falling position and a seat surface transferring position, and which is especially excellent in mobility of this seat surface. <P>SOLUTION: In the bathing care apparatus which has the seat surface 600, a base 500 movably attached to the seat surface, and a rising and falling device 300, making the seat surface and the base go up and down within a bathtub, and supports the seat surface so as to be horizontally turned relative to the base by a rotating shaft 510 arranged at a position in which the seat surface is deflected from the axis in a width direction, a sliding section 550 in which the seat surface makes contact with the base, is provided at a perimeter predetermined position of the rotating shaft and on the back side of of the base or the seat surface. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

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 an apparatus main body supported by a side wall of a bathtub, an assistance chair provided on the apparatus main body so as to be movable up and down, an elevation apparatus that moves the assistance chair up and down, and an elevation apparatus. The attached assisting chair has a support portion that can be turned between the lift position and the transfer position, and the bottom of the seat surface is supported on the upper surface of the bathtub side wall (side rim) when the assist chair is in the transfer position. It has come to be.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-347092 (page 5, FIG. 4)

  The bathing assistance apparatus as described in Patent Document 1 has a rotating shaft biased to improve the transferability to the seat surface, but the assistance chair attached to the lifting apparatus is located between the lifting position and the transfer position. Therefore, when the person being assisted is seated, a bending moment due to the weight of the person directly acts on the support portion (rotating shaft). As a result, such a bathing assistance device may cause insufficient strength of the support portion during the turning of the assistance chair.

  In this way, this bathing assistance device has a support portion attached at a position deviated from the center of the assistance chair, and only the support portion supports the weight of the person being assisted, so that it can withstand a large bending moment applied to the assistance chair. Sufficient strength of the assistance chair must be secured. In order to ensure sufficient strength of the assistance chair, for example, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the frame. As a result, the thickness of the assistance chair increases, and the height of the upper surface of the assistance chair increases accordingly, so that the transferability to the assistance chair is increased. It is not preferable because the upper surface of the assistance chair becomes higher from the bottom surface of the bathtub when the assistance chair is lowered or lowered into the bathtub, and the person being assisted is not sufficiently immersed in the hot water.

  Moreover, this bathing assistance apparatus is designed so that the bottom of the assistance chair is supported on the upper surface of the bathtub side wall when the assistance chair is in the transfer position. For this reason, after the person being assisted sits on the assistance chair, the weight of the person being assisted is directly applied to the contact portion of the assistance chair with the top surface of the bathtub side wall.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a bathing assistance device in which a seating surface is movable between a seating surface raising / lowering position and a seating surface transfer position, and in particular, a bathing assistance device having excellent seating surface mobility. is there.

In order to solve the above-described problem, a bathing assistance apparatus according to the present invention includes:
It has a seat surface, a base that is movably attached to the seat surface, and a lifting device that lifts and lowers the seat surface and the base into the bathtub, at a position deviated from the center line in the width direction of the seat surface. In the bathing assistance device that supports the seat surface so as to be able to turn horizontally with respect to the base by the rotating shaft arranged,
A sliding portion where the seating surface and the base come into contact is provided at a predetermined position around the rotation axis on the base or the back surface of the seating surface.

  In order to support the seating surface during rotation of the seating surface, it is possible to support not only the rotating shaft but also the sliding part. As a result, the strength required for the seating surface can be reduced, the seating surface can be reduced in weight, and the thickness of the seating surface can be reduced. As a result, the height of the upper surface of the seating surface at the seating surface transfer position can be reduced accordingly, improving the transferability to the seating surface during seating surface transfer, and the seating surface upper surface when the seating surface descends to the bottom of the bathtub. It becomes close to the bottom of the bathtub, and the person being assisted can sit deep inside the bathtub and fully soak in the hot water.

Moreover, the bathing assistance apparatus according to claim 2 of the present invention is
It has a seat surface, a base that is movably attached to the seat surface, and a lifting device that lifts and lowers the seat surface and the base into the bathtub, at a position deviated from the center line in the width direction of the seat surface. In the bathing assistance device that supports the seat surface so as to be able to turn horizontally with respect to the base by the rotating shaft arranged,
When no load is applied to the seating surface due to the seating of the seated person, it does not come into contact with the back surface or the base of the seating surface. The sliding portion that comes into contact with the base is provided at a predetermined position around the rotation axis on the back of the base or the seating surface.

  If the sliding portion is always in contact with the back surface or base of the seating surface, the sliding performance of the seating surface rotation with respect to the sliding portion is deteriorated. However, when the seated person is not seated on the seating surface, that is, when the load is not applied to the seating surface, clearance is provided so that the back surface of the seating surface or the base and the sliding portion do not come into contact, and the seated person sits on the seating surface. In other words, when the load is applied to the seating surface, the back surface of the seating surface or the base and the sliding portion come into contact with each other, whereby the seating surface can be rotated.

Moreover, the bathing assistance apparatus of Claim 3 of this invention is the bathing assistance apparatus of Claim 1 or Claim 2,
The slip portion is provided at least at a predetermined position of the base corresponding to a path through which the back surface of the seat surface opposite to the biased side of the rotation center that is biased when viewed from the top surface of the seat surface passes.

  The rotating shaft is biased to improve the transferability to the seating surface.If the seating surface is supported only by this rotating shaft, a large bending moment due to the seated person's weight will be generated when the person being seated is sitting on the rotating shaft and Although acting on the seating surface, by providing such a sliding part to ensure that the part of the seating surface that protrudes in the longitudinal center of the bathtub is supported, such a large bending moment is applied to the rotating shaft and seating surface. The seating surface can be supported so as not to act.

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,
Both the base and the seating surface have a rectangular shape, and the sliding portion is formed at a corner portion of a rectangular region on the base configured by overlapping the seating surface and the base at the seating surface transfer position. It is characterized by being.

  When the person being transferred to the seating surface is transferred to the seating surface at the seating surface transfer position, particularly the seating surface is subjected to an excessive impact, but a slip portion that effectively uses the dead space around the rotation axis of such a rectangular base is provided. Therefore, it is possible to receive a load in a wider range on the seating surface, and to prevent excessive stress and bending moment from being generated on the seating surface and the rotating shaft.

Moreover, the bathing assistance apparatus according to claim 5 of the present invention is the bathing assistance apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
In the state where the bathing assistance device is attached to the bathtub, the base side edge portion includes a blade that extends substantially horizontally from the inner wall surface of the bathtub rim to the outside of the bathtub in the seat surface raised position and rises at the seat surface lowered position, The blade is characterized by having the sliding portion.

  Since the load applied to the seat surface can be supported via the sliding part of the blade at the seat surface transfer position, the load applied to the seat surface can be received by a wider surface on the base. The strength can be reduced to reduce the weight, and the seating surface can be made thinner.

  Further, since the seat surface is also supported by the sliding portion of the wing plate at the seat surface transfer position, the seat surface can be prevented from wobbling when getting on and off the seat surface of the person being assisted.

  Moreover, it is possible to prevent the bottom surface of the seating surface from coming into direct contact with the rim of the bathtub, and it is possible to prevent the rim from being damaged or the seating surface from being deteriorated.

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 4,
The lifting device has a frame installed on the rim of the bathtub, and the frame includes a base portion and an arm portion correspondingly extending from both ends of the base portion to the side rim of the bathtub, The arm portion has the sliding portion.

  When the seat surface is placed on the arm portion at the seat surface transfer position, a load applied to the seat surface can be supported via the sliding portion of the arm portion. Therefore, the load applied to the seating surface can be received by a wider surface on the base, the strength of the seating surface can be reduced, the weight can be reduced, and the seating surface can be made thinner. Moreover, since a seat surface rests on an arm part, a bathtub is not damaged.

  Further, since the seat surface is also supported by the sliding portion of the arm portion at the seat surface transfer position, the seat surface can be prevented from wobbling when getting on and off the seat surface of the person being assisted.

  Further, the bottom surface of the seating surface can be prevented from coming into contact with the rim of the bathtub, and the rim can be prevented from being damaged or the seating surface from being deteriorated.

Moreover, the bathing assistance apparatus according to claim 7 of the present invention is the bathing assistance apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The sliding portion is formed of a rotating body.

  The sliding of the seating surface at the sliding part is improved, and the rotation of the seating surface is improved.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a bathing assistance device in which the seating surface is movable between the seating surface raising / lowering position and the seating surface transfer position, and in particular, the bathing assistance device having excellent seating surface mobility. .

  Hereinafter, a bathing assistance apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a bathing assistance apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a frame 10 having a U-shape when viewed from above, and a backrest that is attached to the frame 10 and can be moved up and down in a bathtub. The seat 50 has a base 500 and a seating surface 600, and only the seating surface 600 is swung between the seating surface raising / lowering upper limit position and the seating surface transfer position. In the drawings relating to the present embodiment, the two seat plates sandwiching the metal pipe of the seat surface 600 are not shown for the sake of explanation and easy understanding of the invention. Further, the seating surface elevation upper limit position referred to here is a seat when the seating surface 600 of the seat 50 moves up and down in the bathtub in a state where the bathing assistance device 1 is attached to the bathtub (hereinafter referred to as “device attachment state”). The position where the surface 600 reaches the upper limit (see FIG. 1), and the seat surface transfer position refers to a position where the seat surface 600 completely moves to the rim side of the bathtub and the person being assisted gets on and off the seat surface 600. (See FIG. 2).

  Further, the seat surface 600 is supported so as to be able to turn horizontally with respect to the base 500 around the rotation axis 510 on the base disposed at a position deviated from the center line in the width direction, and is in contact with the back surface of the seat surface 600. A sliding portion 550 is provided at a predetermined position around the rotation shaft 510 of the base 500. The configuration of the rotating shaft 510 and the sliding portion 550 will be described in detail later.

  Further, vanes 520 and 530 are provided on both sides of the base 500. The blades 520 and 530 can rise up with respect to the base 500 and have a protruding amount whose end protrudes more outwardly from the bathtub inner wall surface at the seat surface elevation upper limit position.

  The frame 10 is made of, for example, stainless steel, and includes a base portion 100 provided with an elevating device 300 (see FIG. 3) and arm portions 200 that extend substantially vertically from both ends of the base portion 100. 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 a cover 101 made of a resin having both strength and ease of molding. Each arm part 200 is covered with a cover 201 made of a resin having both strength and ease of molding.

  3 and 4 are plan views showing a state in which the covers 101 and 201 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) of the frame 10 are removed. As apparent from FIGS. 3 and 4, the base unit 100 includes components constituting the lifting device 300, that is, a DC motor 310, a reduction gear box 320 incorporating a combination of a worm gear and a spur gear, a wire feed winding. A take-up drum 330 is provided. Note that the reduction gear box 320 and the wire take-up take-up drum 330 are firmly fixed to the base portion 100 with a support bracket (not shown). The base unit 100 includes a battery 370 that drives the DC motor 310 and a control box 360 that controls the driving of the DC motor 310.

  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. Base pulleys 110 are provided at both ends of the base portion 100.

  On the other hand, each arm portion 200 is provided with a first pulley 210 and a second pulley 220 that change the extending direction of four wires W by two arm portions.

  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 portion extending toward both ends of the base portion and the arm portion 200 via the base pulley 110. , And the forward portion extends to the opposite arm portion side of each arm portion 200 via the first pulley 210, and then proceeds to the descending direction of the seat 50 via the second pulley 220. The ends of the wires W are detachably attached to the base 500 and coupled to a support shaft (not shown) made of, for example, stainless steel.

  On the other hand, the sheet 50 shown in FIG. 1 includes a base 500 having a rectangular shape in a top view made of, for example, metal, a seat surface 600 having a substantially rectangular shape in a top view made of resin having sufficient strength, and a metal on the seating surface 600. A backrest 690 attached via a pipe 680 and a handrail 685 provided on one side edge of the seating surface 600 are provided. In FIGS. 1 and 2, only the metal pipe 680 of the seating surface 600 is shown for clarity of explanation, but in actuality, it can be made of POM (polyacetal) up and down so as to sandwich the metal pipe 680. A flat seat plate is provided.

  A rotation shaft 510 is provided between the top surface of the base and the bottom surface of the seat so that the seat surface 600 can rotate with respect to the base 500. The rotating shaft 510 is provided to be biased to one side (right side in FIG. 1) from the center line in the seating surface width direction when the seating surface 600 is viewed from above. Further, the seating surface bottom surface is provided with a rotation stopper 615 and a stopper holder 616 that are adjacent to the rotation shaft 510 and limit the rotation of the seating surface 600 within a certain angle (see FIG. 5). The rotation stopper 615 protrudes from the stopper holder 616 by a predetermined amount by a spring (not shown) accommodated in the stopper holder. As a result, as described above, the seat surface 600 pivots with respect to the base 500 between the seat surface up / down upper limit position and the seat surface transfer position.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the base 500 is made of a metal box such as stainless steel and has a constant thickness and has a rectangular box shape when viewed from above, and the width of the base can be adjusted. A rotating shaft 510 for turning the seating surface 600 on the upper surface thereof, and a sliding portion for supporting the seating surface 600 during the turning movement of the seating surface 600 and smoothly turning the seating surface 600. 550 is provided.

  The rotation shaft 510 is disposed at substantially the center of the upper surface of the base 500, and is fixed to the rotation support portion 511 fixed on the base and the bottom surface of the seat surface plate, and the rotation support portion 511 of the base 500. An upper rotating body 612 and a lower rotating body 611 fitted between the lower rotating body 611 and the rotation supporting portion 511, and a lower bearing 515 that can relatively rotate them, and an upper rotating body 612. And an upper bearing 516 that can be relatively rotated.

  The rotation support portion 511 has a thin cylindrical shape with an inward flange formed on the upper portion, and is fixed by a fixing pin 501 protruding on the base and a fastening member such as a screw. The lower rotator 611 has a disk shape, and the upper rotator 612 has a thin cylindrical shape with an outward flange formed on the upper part. The upper rotator 612 and the lower rotator 611 Is fixed to a bottom surface of the lower seat plate (not shown) of the seat surface 600 with a fastening member such as a screw. The lower bearing 515 is interposed between the lower rotating body 611 and the lower surface of the inward flange of the rotation support portion 511, and the upper bearing 516 is connected to the upper surface of the upper rotation body 612 and the upper surface of the inward flange of the rotation support portion 511. (See FIG. 6). Further, a seating surface rotation angle regulating groove 511a for regulating the rotation angle of the seating surface 600 is formed in a certain circumferential range of the outer circumferential surface of the rotation support portion 511. The lower bearing 515 has a ring shape with a constant width, and rollers 515a are rotatably attached at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The upper bearing 516 also has a ring shape having a constant width, and rollers 516a are rotatably attached at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

  In this way, the seat surface 600 can be turned in the horizontal direction with respect to the base 500. Further, a rotation stopper 615 provided on the side surface of the seating surface 600 engages with the seating surface rotation angle regulation groove 511a to regulate the rotation angle of the seating surface (see FIG. 5). In addition, stopper engagement recesses 511b having a deep depth are formed at both ends of the seat surface rotation angle regulating groove 511a, and the rotation stopper 615 biased so as to protrude from the stopper holder 616 by a spring (not shown). The seats 600 are respectively engaged with the stopper engaging recesses 511b, so that the seat surface 600 is securely stopped at each of the upper and lower upper limit positions and the transfer position.

  In this embodiment, the rotation support portion 511, the upper rotating body 612, the lower rotating body 611, the upper bearing 516, and the lower bearing 515 are made of, for example, POM (polyacetal), and include rollers 515a and 516a, and a rotation stopper. In this embodiment, 615 and the stopper holder 616 are made of, for example, SUS (stainless steel).

  Since the rotation shaft 510 is mounted on a position deviated from the center line in the width direction of the seat surface 600, the seat surface 600 is rotated when the seat surface 600 is rotated from the seat surface up / down upper limit position to the seat surface transfer position. Is partly swiveled and moved toward the center in the longitudinal direction of the bathtub.

  Further, the width direction adjusting means of the base width adjusting portion 570 of the base 500 includes two slide shafts 571 and a shaft guide 572 that can be expanded and contracted in the width direction of the base 500, as shown in FIGS. I have. And the front-end | tip part of the slide shaft 571 is connected with the bracket 573, and while the shaft support part 574 which supports the support shaft for wire suspension is provided, the base 500 is abutted against the arm part 200 in a seat surface raising / lowering upper limit position. An abutting roller 575 for fixing is provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the other end portion of the slide shaft 571 is provided with a slide stopper 571 a having an enlarged diameter step portion, and the shaft guide 572 is fixed to the base 500 so that the slide shaft 571 is fixed to the shaft guide. As shown in FIG. 8, the slide shaft 571 is extended until the slide stopper 571a hits the shaft guide 572, and the width of the base 500 is set to the width of the bathtub. Can be adjusted to match. The base 500 is directly provided with a shaft support 574 and a butting roller 575 on the side of the base 500 opposite to the extending direction of the slide shaft.

  Four sliding portions 550 are provided on the upper surface of the base 500. The sliding portion 550 is provided at each corner portion of a rectangular region on the base configured by overlapping the seat surface 600 and the base 500, both of which have a rectangular shape at the seat surface transfer position. As shown in FIGS. 16 (a) and 16 (b), the slide portion 550 is made of, for example, POM and protrudes from the upper surface of the base and has a cylindrical slide rotating body support portion 551. And a spherical sliding rotator 553 that is rotatably fitted in the upper surface recess 552 of the sliding rotator support 551 in a state of being partially exposed from the upper surface of the support.

  Further, rectangular blades 520 and 530 made of a resin material such as PP (polypropylene) are provided on the side edge of the base 500 shown in FIG. The blades 520 and 530 have such a size that the bathing assistance device 1 is attached to the bathtub in the seat surface raised position and extends substantially horizontally from the inner wall surface of the bathtub rim to the outside of the bathtub. In addition, the base mounting portions of the blades 520 and 530 are provided with hinge portions 521 and 531 (see FIG. 13) made of a resilient material such as an elastomer, for example. , 531. Further, the blade plate 520 transmits a load applied to the seat surface 600 to the arm unit 200 via the blade plate 520 by a part of the bottom surface of the seat riding on the upper surface of one blade plate immediately before reaching the seat surface transfer position. And this load is partly supported. Thus, this one blade plate 520 also serves as a sliding portion in the present invention.

  The blades 520 and 530 also serve to cover the gap between the seat surface 600 and the bathtub side wall as shown in FIG. 1 when the seat 50 is in the seat surface elevation upper limit position. Further, in the vicinity of the hinge portion, which is a connection portion with the seat surface 600 of the blade plate 530, a notch (not shown) that prevents interference between the blade plate 520 and the handrail 685 of the seat surface 600 when the blade plate 520 rises. Is formed.

  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 a bathing assistance apparatus in which the seat surface 600 was provided with the backrest 690, this invention is applicable similarly to the bathing assistance apparatus in which the backrest 690 is not provided. .

  First, the bathing assistance apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration is installed at one end in the longitudinal direction of the bathtub rim, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 13. In this state, the seating surface 600 is at the seating surface elevation upper limit position, and the seating surface 600 is fixed to the base 500 at the seating surface elevation upper limit position. In addition, this seat surface raising / lowering upper limit position is a position which can raise / lower the sheet | seat 50 in the state which installed the bathing assistance apparatus 1 in the bathtub, as shown in FIG.1 and FIG.13. In this state, as can be seen from FIG. 1, the blades 520 and 530 cover the gap between the seat surface 600 and the bathtub side wall.

  Next, by operating an operation lever (not shown), the unlocking wire is pulled, the engagement between the rotation stopper 615 and the stopper engagement recess 511b is released, and the rotation stopper 615 is retracted toward the stopper holder. As a result, the seat surface 600 can be moved with respect to the base 500 within a range of rotation angles at which the rotation stopper 615 engages with the seat surface rotation angle regulating groove 511a, and the seat surface 600 is placed on the rim side where the person being assisted by the bathtub waits. To turn.

  At this time, since the rotation shaft 510 is provided so as to be biased to one side with respect to the center line in the width direction of the seat surface 600, one side portion (side portion on the handrail side) of the seat surface 600 is the center in the longitudinal direction of the bathtub. Rotate while projecting toward the end, and eventually the tip of the seating surface 600 rides on one vane plate 520. Then, the seat surface 600 stops at a position that is completely deviated to one side with respect to the base 500 by changing the direction by 90 ° (see FIGS. 2, 9, and 10). During the seat movement, the lower seat plate (not shown) of the seat 600 is supported by the sliding rotator 553 of the sliding portion 550 of the base 500 and is slippery from the vicinity of the seat surface transfer position. Since it rides on one vane plate 520 made of a good material, the seating surface 600 can be moved smoothly.

  Next, the person being assisted is seated on the seat surface 600 at the seat surface transfer position. In addition, since the blades 520 and 530 block the gap between the seating surface 600 and the base 500, a finger or a hand is not put into the gap when the person being assisted is seated.

  At this time, the rotating shaft 510 is provided with a deviation from the center line in the width direction of the seating surface as described above. Therefore, if the seating surface 600 is supported on the base 500 only by the rotating shaft 510, the seating surface is covered when seated. A large impact is applied to the seating surface 600 due to the weight of the assistant, and a large bending moment is generated on the seating surface 600 and the rotating shaft 510. However, as shown in FIG. 10, the bathing assistance apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment supports the seat surface 600 with the rotary shaft 510, the other sliding portion 550, and the blade plate 520 when seated. Even if an impact load is applied to the bearing surface 600, a large bending moment does not occur on the seating surface 600 and the rotating shaft 510. Therefore, even if the strength of the seating surface itself is low, there is no problem, and the thickness of the frame of the seating surface 600 can be reduced. That is, since the thickness of the seating surface 600 can be reduced, the height of the upper surface of the seating surface at the seating surface transfer position is also lowered accordingly, and the transferability of the person being assisted can be improved.

  Next, the person who is seated on the seating surface 600 (hereinafter referred to as “sitting person”) is moved to the seating surface raising / lowering upper limit position by the movement opposite to the movement of the seating surface 600 described above (FIGS. 11, 12, and (See FIG. 1). At this time, by grasping the operation lever (not shown) and pulling the lock release wire, the engagement between the rotation stopper 615 and the stopper engagement recess 511b is released again, and while holding the upper body and backrest 690 of the seated person, FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the seat surface 600 is moved to the center of the seating base, that is, the seat surface up / down upper limit position.

  From the seat surface transfer position to the seat surface up / down upper limit position, the bottom surface of the seat surface 600 is supported by the slide portion 550 of the base 500 at a certain angle rotation angle near the seat surface transfer position, and is made of a material having good slip property. The seat surface 600 is smoothly moved while riding on one of the wing plates 520, and the seat surface 600 is swung while being supported by the sliding portion 550 of the base 500 within the subsequent rotation angle. The seating surface can be smoothly moved while supporting the weight of the seat, and the seating surface transferability can be improved. In addition, since the blades 520 and 530 cover the gap between the seat surface 600 and the bathtub side wall during the movement of the seat surface, the seated person's hand and fingers do not enter the gap.

  When the seat surface 600 reaches the seat surface up / down upper limit position, the rotation stopper 615 engages with the stopper engaging recess 511b, and the seat surface 600 stops at this position (see FIGS. 1 and 12). Thus, after moving the seat surface 600 to the seat surface raising / lowering upper limit position, as shown in FIG. 13, the seat surface 600 is lowered toward the bathtub bottom. At the time of this lowering, the DC motor 310 (see FIG. 3 and FIG. 4) is rotated in a predetermined direction by pressing a seating surface lowering button of a lifting device driving switch of an operation lever (not shown) and wound by a wire feeding / winding drum 330. The wire W that has been used is fed out. The wire W is fed out while changing the extending direction by the first pulley 210 and the second pulley 220 according to the operation amount of the lifting device drive switch, and the wire tip and the support shaft to which the wire tip is connected are directed toward the bottom of the bathtub. Descend. As a result, the seat 50 attached to the support shaft is also lowered while placing the seated person, so that the seated person is immersed in the hot water of the bathtub.

  When the seat is lowered, the blades 520 and 530 connected to the base 500 via hinges 521 and 531 are connected to the wire W when the seat 50 is lowered into the bathtub as shown in FIG. It is pushed up and rises upward, so that a part of the wire W is covered so that the seated person's hand and buttocks do not touch the lower part of the wire W while the seat surface is lowered.

  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. Thus, the driving of the lifting device 300 is stopped and the seated person is immersed in hot water for a while.

  In this case as well, since the seat surface is thinned as described above, the height of the upper surface of the seat surface from the bottom of the bathtub can be lowered, and the seated person can be fully immersed in the hot water of the bathtub. Allows bathing.

  After the seated person enjoys bathing, the seat 50 is lifted by performing the reverse operation to that described above, and the seated person is moved to the seat surface transfer position via the seat surface lifting upper limit position. Specifically, by operating an operation switch (not shown), the DC motor 310 of the lifting device 300 is driven in the seat surface raising direction, the wire W is wound up, and the seat 50 is raised. As a result, the seat 50 moves up in the bathtub. Note that the blades 520 and 530 of the base 500 are raised and are interposed between the seated person and the wire W while covering a part of the wire W, and the seated person can move the lower part of the wire W while the seat 50 is raised. Therefore, the sheet 50 can be lifted in a safe manner without a hand or finger being caught between the wire W and the side wall of the bathtub or the arm part 200 of the bathing assistance device while the sheet is being lifted.

  When the sheet 50 is completely raised, the abutting roller 575 (see FIG. 5) of the base 500 abuts against the abutting part of the arm part 200, and the base 500 hits a limit switch provided at an appropriate position of the arm part 200. This is actuated to stop the raising operation of the seating surface of the lifting device 300. When the sheet 50 reaches the upper limit position, the blades 520 and 530 do not come into contact with the wire W, so that part of the blades 520 and 530 rides on the cover 201 of the arm part 200 and falls down to the horizontal state. In addition, since the blades 520 and 530 again cover the gap between the seat surface 600 and the bathtub side wall at the seat surface raising / lowering upper limit position, a gap is generated in this portion, and the seated person 600 is seated between the seat surface 600 and the bathtub side wall. Never put your hands or fingers.

  Subsequently, by holding the operation lever (not shown) and pulling the wire W, the stopper engaging recess of the rotation stopper 615 engaged with the stopper engaging recess 511b of the seat surface rotation angle regulating groove 511a by the urging force of the compression spring. The engagement with 511b is released. Then, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 9, the seat surface 600 is moved to one arm portion side of the base 500, that is, the seat surface transfer position while pressing the upper body of the seated person and the backrest 690. In this case as well, from the seat surface lift upper limit position to the seat surface transfer position, the bottom surface of the seat surface is supported by the rotating body of the sliding portion of the base within a certain rotation angle, and from the vicinity of the seat surface transfer position. Since the seat surface 600 is smoothly moved while riding on one of the blades 520 made of a good quality material, the seat surface 600 can be smoothly moved to the seat lift upper limit position while supporting the weight of the seated person. Can be improved (see FIGS. 11 and 10). In addition, since the blades 520 and 530 cover the gap between the seating surface 600 and the bathtub side wall at the seating surface raising / lowering upper limit position, the seated person's hand and fingers do not enter the gap.

  When the seat surface 600 reaches the seat surface transfer position shown in FIG. 2 in this way, the seat surface 600 stops at a position that is completely deviated to one side with respect to the base 500 by changing the direction by 90 °. At this time, the seat surface 600 partially protrudes from the rim of the bathtub, but since the vane plate 520 and the arm part 200 are interposed between the seat surface 600 and the rim of the bathtub, the seat surface 600. There is no risk of damaging the bathtub rim when reaching the seat transfer position. In addition, when a seated person gets down from the seating surface 600, an unreasonable force may be applied to the seating surface 600, but in the seating surface transfer position, the seating surface 600 includes not only the rotation shaft 510 but also four sliding portions 550 and one of them. Since the wing plate 520 is firmly supported, a large bending moment due to an impact load is not applied to the rotating shaft 510 and the seat surface 600 when the seated person descends from the seat surface 600. Further, when the person being assisted descends from the seat 50 to the seating surface transfer position, there is no fear of putting a hand or a finger into the gap between the rim of the bathtub and the seating surface 600, and the passenger can get off from the seat 50 with confidence.

  On the other hand, when the caregiver has finished bathing as described above, for example, when a family other than the caregiver takes a bath, the base 500 is removed from the support shaft connected to the wire tip, and only the frame 10 is attached to the rim of the bathtub. A person other than the person being assisted takes a bath. This makes it possible for these people to fully enjoy the bath using the bathtub.

  As described above, the bathing assistance apparatus according to the present embodiment includes the sliding portion 550 that contacts the back surface of the seating surface 600 at a predetermined position around the rotation shaft 510 of the base 500. As a result, the seat surface 600 can be supported not only by the rotating shaft 510 but also by the sliding portion 550 during the seat surface rotation. As a result, the strength required for the seating surface 600 can be reduced, the weight of the seating surface 600 can be reduced, and the thickness of the seating surface 600 can be reduced. As a result, the height of the seating surface upper surface is reduced accordingly, and the transferability to the seating surface 600 at the seating surface transfer position is improved, and when the seating surface 600 is lowered to the bottom of the bathtub, the seating surface upper surface becomes the bathtub bottom. As a result, the person being assisted can sit deep inside the bathtub and soak in the hot water.

  Further, the bottom surface of the seating surface 600 can be prevented from coming into contact with the rim of the bathtub, and the rim can be prevented from being damaged or the rotational property of the seating surface 600 from being deteriorated.

  Further, since the rotation shaft 510 is biased to improve the transferability to the seating surface 600, when the person being assisted sits down, a bending moment due to the weight of the seated person acts on the rotation shaft 510, but the sliding portion 550 Since it is provided at a predetermined position on the base corresponding to the path through which the back surface of the seat surface opposite to the biased side of the rotation center that is biased when viewed from the top surface of the seat surface passes, The protruding portion can be reliably supported, and the seat surface 600 can be supported without a large bending moment acting on the rotating shaft 510 and the seat surface 600.

  In addition, both the base 500 and the seating surface 600 have a rectangular shape, and a sliding portion 550 is formed at a corner portion of a rectangular area on the base configured by overlapping the seating surface 600 and the base 500 at the seating surface transfer position. Is formed. When the person being assisted is transferred to the seat surface 600 at the seat surface transfer position, particularly, the seat surface 600 is subjected to an excessive impact. However, the slip using the dead space provided around the rotation shaft of the rectangular base 500 is used. By providing the portion, it is possible to receive a load in a wider range on the seating surface, and it is possible to prevent excessive stress and bending moment from being generated on the seating surface 600 and the rotating shaft 510.

  In addition, a wing plate 520 is provided on the side edge of the seat surface so as to extend substantially horizontally from the inner wall surface of the bathtub rim to the outside of the bathtub when the bathing assistance device 1 is attached to the bathtub at the seat surface raised position, and to rise at the seat surface lowered position. The blade plate 520 also functions as a sliding portion. As a result, when the seat surface 600 is rotated at the seat surface raised position, the load applied to the seat surface 600 can be supported via the blades 520, so that the load applied to the seat surface 600 is received by a wider surface on the base. It is possible to reduce the weight of the seat surface 600 by reducing the strength of the seat surface 600 and to make the seat surface 600 thinner.

  In the present embodiment, preferably, when the seated person is not seated, the sliding portion 550 and the blade 520 do not contact the back surface of the seating surface and maintain a certain clearance, and only when the seated person sits, that is, the seating. A configuration in which the sliding portion 550 and the blade plate 520 are in contact with the back surface of the seat surface only when a load of, for example, about 30 kg or more is applied to the surface 600 is realized by providing the rotating shaft 510 with appropriate biasing means such as a spring. Is good. Thereby, the slidability of the seat surface 600 with respect to the sliding portion 550 and the blade 520 when the seated person is seated can be ensured, and the rotational performance of the seat surface 600 when the seated person is not seated can be enhanced.

  In addition, the bathing assistance apparatus 2 shown in FIG.14 and FIG.15 can be considered as a modification of the bathing assistance apparatus 1 mentioned above. Hereinafter, the bathing assistance apparatus 2 concerning this modification is demonstrated. In addition, about the structure similar to embodiment mentioned above, the code | symbol corresponding is attached | subjected and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted. 14 and 15, illustration of the upper and lower seat plates sandwiching the metal pipe 680 of the seat surface 600 is omitted for ease of explanation and understanding of the invention.

  The bathing assistance apparatus 2 according to the present modification includes a rotating shaft 510 at a position that is biased to one side with respect to the center line in the width direction of the seating surface in the same manner as the bathing assistance apparatus 1 described above, and sits at the seating surface transfer position. Sliding portions 550 having the same configuration as that of the above-described embodiment are provided at four corners of a rectangular area on the base configured by overlapping the surface 600 and the base 500. However, the blades such as the bathing assistance device 1 of the above-described embodiment are not provided on both sides of the base 500. That is, a part of the seat surface side protrudes outside the inner wall of the bathtub at the seat surface transfer position, and instead of the projecting portion riding on the blade as in the above-described embodiment, the arm portion 200 of the frame 10 directly It is on board (see FIG. 14). At the seating surface transfer position, a large load when the person being seated on the seating surface is received by the rotating shaft 510 and the sliding portion 550 around the rotating shaft 510 as in the above-described embodiment, and the above-described implementation is performed. Unlike the form, the arm 200 also receives the load. The cover 201 of the arm part 200 is made of a resin having excellent strength and moldability and excellent sliding properties with the seating surface 600.

  As a result, a large bending moment due to the weight of the seated person does not occur on the rotating shaft and the seat surface unlike the conventional bathing assistance device that supports the seat surface only by the rotating shaft, and the required strength of the seat surface itself is also reduced. be able to. As a result, the thickness of the seating surface 600 can be reduced by thinning the frame of the seating surface 600 as in the above-described embodiment, and the height of the seating surface upper surface at the seating surface transfer position is lowered accordingly. Transferability to the surface 600 can be improved.

  Subsequently, the seat surface 600 is pivoted and the seat surface 600 is moved to the seat surface up / down upper limit position. At this time, the seat surface 600 is supported by the rotating shaft 510, the sliding portion 550, and the cover 201 of the arm portion 200 at the beginning of turning as in the above-described embodiment, and thereafter supported by the rotating shaft 510 and the sliding portion 550. While turning. The sliding portion 550 is provided with the sliding rotating body 553 similar to that of the above-described embodiment, and the cover 201 of the arm portion 200 is also made of a material having excellent slidability. 600 can be smoothly moved to the seating surface raising / lowering upper limit position.

  In this way, after the seat surface 600 is moved to the seat surface up / down upper limit position (see FIG. 15), the seat surface 600 is lowered into the bathtub by driving the lifting device (not shown in FIG. 15). Also in this case, since the seat surface itself is thinned as described above, the upper surface of the seat surface 600 can be positioned closer to the bottom of the bathtub as compared with the conventional bathing assistance device, and the seated person has plenty of hot water. You will be able to enjoy bathing.

  Subsequently, after finishing bathing, the seat surface 600 is raised to the seat surface up / down upper limit position, and then the seat surface 600 is swung to the seat surface transfer position (see FIG. 14). Also at this time, the seat surface 600 is supported by the rotating shaft 510 and the slide portion 550 at the beginning of turning, and the seat surface 600 is moved toward the seat surface transfer position and the cover surface 201 of the arm portion 200 is covered with the rotating shaft 510, the slide portion 550. Will be supported. When the seated person gets down from the seating surface 600, the seating surface 600 is thinned as described above, so that the height of the upper surface of the seating surface at the seating surface transfer position is low, and the seating surface 600 is easily lowered. Further, since the seating surface 600 is supported by the rotating shaft 510, the sliding portion 550, and the cover 201 of the arm portion 200, the seating surface itself is less likely to swing and the seated person can safely get off the seating surface 600. Become.

  In this modification, preferably, when the seated person is not seated, the cover 201 of the sliding part 550 and the arm part 200 does not contact the back surface of the seating surface and maintains a certain clearance, and only when the seated person is seated. That is, a configuration in which the back surface of the seating surface 550 and the cover 201 are in contact with the sliding surface 550 and the cover 201 only when a load of, for example, about 30 kg is applied to the seating surface 600 is realized by providing the rotating shaft 510 with an appropriate biasing means such as a spring Good to do. Thereby, the slidability of the seat surface 600 with respect to the sliding portion 550 and the cover 201 when the seated person is seated can be secured, and the rotational performance of the seat surface 600 when the seated person is not seated can be enhanced.

  Instead of providing the spherical sliding rotator 553 shown in FIGS. 16 (a) and 16 (b) at the sliding portion as in the embodiment described above, a roller-like sliding as shown in FIG. 16 (c). A rotating body 554 may be provided. Also by this, the seating surface can be supported at a place other than the rotation axis, and the smooth turning movement of the seating surface 600 can be assisted.

  Further, the sliding portion does not necessarily need to be configured by the sliding portions and the blades disposed at four locations around the rotating body as in the above-described embodiment, and is configured only by the sliding portions provided around the rotating body. Also good. Alternatively, only the blades may form the slip portion without providing the slip portion around the rotating body. In addition, as in the above-described modification, the sliding portion may be configured by only the arm portion instead of the sliding portion and the arm portion formed at four places around the rotating body. In addition, the sliding portions arranged around the rotating body do not necessarily have to be formed at four corner portions, and may be configured at least on the side opposite to the biasing direction formed by the rotating body being biased. This also makes it possible to fully exhibit the effects of the present invention.

  In this case also, preferably, when the seated person is not seated, a certain clearance is maintained without contact between the back surface of the seat surface and the wing plate or the back surface of the seat surface and the arm portion, and the seated person is seated. Only when the seat surface is loaded with a load of, for example, about 30 kg, the rotating shaft is provided with an appropriate biasing means such as a spring so that the back surface of the seat surface and the blade plate or the back surface of the seat surface and the arm portion contact each other. It is good to realize with. Thereby, the slidability of the seat surface with respect to the wing plate and the cover when the seat occupant is seated can be ensured, and the seat surface can be rotated when the seat occupant is not seated.

  In addition, the seating surface according to the above-described embodiment has a configuration in which the frame pipe of the seating surface is sandwiched between the upper and lower surfaces by a hard seating surface plate such as POM, but it is not always necessary to have such a configuration. For example, the seating surface may be integrally molded together with the frame pipe of the seating surface using a material such as PE (polyethylene).

  In addition, the roller of the sliding portion does not necessarily have to be provided on the sliding portion side of the base. For example, the sliding portion of the base is composed of a simple protrusion having a flat upper surface, and the back surface of the corresponding seating surface. That is, a roller or a spherical rotating body may be arranged side by side on the path on the back surface of the seating surface that comes into contact with the protrusion during movement of the seating surface.

  In this case also, preferably, when the seated person is not seated, a certain clearance is maintained without contact between the sliding part of the base and the roller or rotating body on the back of the seating surface, and the seated person is seated. Only when, for example, a load of about 30 kg or more is applied to the seating surface, the sliding part of the base is in contact with the roller on the back surface of the seating surface or the rotating body. It ’s better to be prepared. As a result, the slidability between the sliding part of the base and the roller or rotating body on the back of the seating surface when the seated person is seated can be ensured, and the seat surface can be rotated when the seated person is not seated. Can do.

  In addition, it cannot be overemphasized that the specific material name described by the above-mentioned embodiment and its modification is a mere illustration, Comprising: It is not limited to those materials.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is the perspective view which attached to the bathtub in the state which removed the upper and lower seating surface plate of the seat surface for convenience of explanation, and showed the bathing assistance apparatus concerning one Embodiment of this invention from diagonally upward. It is a perspective view which shows the state which moved the seat surface of the bathing assistance apparatus shown in FIG. 1 to the seat surface transfer position. It is the perspective view which showed only the flame | frame and raising / lowering apparatus of the bathing assistance apparatus shown in FIG. 1 in the state which removed these covers. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the frame and the lifting device shown in FIG. 3 from a direction different from FIG. 3. It is the disassembled perspective view which showed the state which removed and decomposed | disassembled the rotating shaft of the bathing assistance apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a side view of the base in a state where the components shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 5 are assembled. It is the perspective view shown in the state which extended the slide shaft of the base shown in FIG. 6 to the width direction. It is the cross-sectional perspective view which showed the state which cut | disconnected the front-back direction center part of the base shown in FIG. 7 along the width direction. It is the top view which showed the bathing assistance apparatus in the seat surface transfer position shown in FIG. 2 from bathtub upper direction. It is the figure corresponding to FIG. 9, and is the perspective view which showed only the seat surface and base of the bathing assistance apparatus in the seat surface transfer position. FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the seat surface and the base illustrated in FIG. 10 are slightly swung from the seat surface transfer position. It is the figure corresponding to FIG. 1, and is the top view which showed the bathing assistance apparatus in a seat surface raising / lowering upper limit position from the bathtub upper direction. It is the front view which showed the state which lowered the seat surface of the bathing assistance apparatus in the bathtub to some extent with the cross section of the bathtub. It is a figure which shows the modification of embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is the perspective view which showed the state in which the seat surface of the bathing assistance apparatus which concerns on the said modification exists in a seat surface transfer position. It is the perspective view corresponding to FIG. 14, and the perspective view which showed the state which has a seat surface in a seat surface raising / lowering upper limit position. The perspective view (FIG. 16 (a)) which has the sliding part of this embodiment, XVIB-XVIB sectional drawing of FIG. 16 (a), and the perspective view (FIG.16 (c)) which showed the sliding part of the modification. is there.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 2 Bathing assistance apparatus 10 Frame 50 Sheet | seat 100 Base part 101 Cover 110 Base pulley 200 Arm part 201 Cover 210 1st pulley 220 2nd pulley 300 Lifting apparatus 310 DC motor 320 Deceleration gear box 330 Wire delivery winding drum 360 Control box 370 Battery 500 Base 510 Rotating shaft 511 Rotating support portion 511a Seat surface rotation angle regulating groove 511b Stopper engaging recess 515 Lower bearing 515a Roller 516 Upper bearing 516a Roller 520 Blade plate 521 Hinge portion 530 Blade portion 531 Hinge portion 550 Slide portion 551 Sliding rotator support portion 552 Upper surface recessed portion 553, 554 Sliding rotator 570 Base width adjustment portion 571 Slide shaft 571a Slide stopper 572 Shaft guide 573 Bracket 574 Shaft support 575 Abutting roller 600 Seat surface 611 Lower rotating body 612 Upper rotating body 615 Rotating stopper 616 Stopper holder 680 Metal pipe 685 Handrail 690 Backrest W Wire

Claims (7)

It has a seat surface, a base that is movably attached to the seat surface, and a lifting device that lifts and lowers the seat surface and the base into the bathtub, at a position deviated from the center line in the width direction of the seat surface. In the bathing assistance device that supports the seat surface so as to be able to turn horizontally with respect to the base by the rotating shaft arranged,
A bathing assistance apparatus comprising a sliding portion where the seating surface and the base come into contact with each other at a predetermined position around the rotation axis on the base or the back surface of the seating surface. It has a seat surface, a base that is movably attached to the seat surface, and a lifting device that lifts and lowers the seat surface and the base into the bathtub, at a position deviated from the center line in the width direction of the seat surface. In the bathing assistance device that supports the seat surface so as to be able to turn horizontally with respect to the base by the rotating shaft arranged,
When no load is applied to the seating surface due to the seating of the seated person, it does not come into contact with the back surface or the base of the seating surface. A bathing assistance device comprising a sliding portion that comes into contact with a base at a predetermined position around the rotation axis on the back of the base or the seating surface.   The sliding portion is provided at least at a predetermined position of the base corresponding to a path through which the back surface of the seat surface opposite to the biased side of the rotation center that is biased when viewed from the top surface of the seat surface passes. The bathing assistance apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.   Both the base and the seating surface have a rectangular shape, and the sliding portion is formed at a corner portion of a rectangular region on the base configured by overlapping the seating surface and the base at the seating surface transfer position. The bathing assistance apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein   In the state where the bathing assistance device is attached to the bathtub, the base side edge portion includes a blade that extends substantially horizontally from the inner wall surface of the bathtub rim to the outside of the bathtub in the seat surface raised position and rises at the seat surface lowered position, The bathing assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the blade has the sliding portion.   The lifting device has a frame installed on the rim of the bathtub, and the frame includes a base portion and an arm portion correspondingly extending from both ends of the base portion to the side rim of the bathtub, 5. The bathing assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the arm portion has the sliding portion.   The bathing assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sliding portion is constituted by a rotating body.

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