JP2007000256A - Bathing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bathing device reducing a burden related to a bathing operation of a bathing caregiver by automatically counting a elapsed bathing time by lifting/lowering a bathtub body and dispensing with a dedicated operation for counting the elapsed bathing time. <P>SOLUTION: This bathing device 1 fixedly provided with a frame 13 supporting a stretcher 3 on which a bather is laid in the bathtub body 2 lifted/lowered in a prescribed section is so constituted as to automatically start the counting of the elapsed bathing time simultaneously with the lifting command of the bathtub body 2 or when the bathtub body 2 is lifted to a prescribed position in the prescribed section, and to automatically stop the counting of the elapsed bathing time simultaneously with the lowering command of the bathtub body 2 or when the bathtub body 2 in the lifted state is lowered to a prescribed position in the prescribed section. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to counting and display of a bathing elapsed time in a bathing apparatus for bathing a physically handicapped person or an elderly person (hereinafter referred to as a bather) who has difficulty walking.

  In Patent Document 1 below, “a door-opening bath tub that allows a bather to take a bath while on a wheelchair” and “a bather placed on a stretcher takes a bath from above the bath tub with a lifter, A technique is described that allows the bathing time to be counted in the "bathtub of the type of bathing".

  However, a technique related to counting the bathing time in a bathing apparatus of a type in which a bather is raised by moving a stretcher on which a bather is placed on a stand fixed in a tub that can be moved up and down Is not mentioned at all.

JP-A-10-146374

  The present invention automatically counts the elapsed bathing time by raising and lowering the bathtub body, and reduces the burden on the bathing caregiver's bathing operation by eliminating the need for a dedicated operation for counting the elapsed bathing time. The purpose is to do.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a bathing apparatus in which a gantry supporting a stretcher on which a bather is placed is fixed in a bathtub body that can be moved up and down in a predetermined section. Simultaneously with the ascending instruction of the main body or when the bathtub main body rises to a predetermined position within the predetermined section, the bathing elapsed time is counted simultaneously with the lowering instruction of the bathtub main body or in the rising state. When the main body is lowered to a predetermined position in the predetermined section, the main body is automatically stopped.

  Moreover, the time display part which displays bathing elapsed time was provided in the bathtub main body. In addition, a notification device that generates a notification sound when the elapsed bathing time reaches the set bathing time is provided, and the notification of the bathing time is given to the bather and the bath caregiver by the notification sound from the notification device.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, for example, the counting of the elapsed bathing time is started by depressing the rise switch of the bathtub main body provided in the operation panel unit and instructing the bathtub main body to rise, When the bath body is lowered to the lower limit position by pressing, the counting of the elapsed bathing time automatically stops, so the bathing caregiver only needs to press the up / down switch to perform the raising / lowering operation of the bathtub body. There is no need to press the counting switch to start and stop counting the bathing elapsed time separately from the descent switch, reducing the number of switch operations and reducing the burden on the bathing caregiver's bathing device operation. it can.

  Further, as a result of forgetting to depress the counting switch, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of an unfavorable situation in which the elapsed bathing time cannot be confirmed. Furthermore, it is not necessary to equip the operation panel part with an extra counting switch dedicated to counting the elapsed bathing time, the number of switches can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the bath caregiver can easily grasp how long the bather has been bathing by visually observing the time display section provided on the operation panel section.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, for example, it is possible to reliably notify the bath caregiver who is performing other work in the bathroom away from the bathing device that the time for taking a bath has arrived. It is possible to avoid the danger of leaving the bather in a hot water bath for a long time and causing the bather to have cerebral anemia.

  The purpose of reducing the burden of bathing caregivers' bathing operations by eliminating the need for a dedicated operation for counting the elapsed bathing time by automatically counting the elapsed bathing time by raising and lowering the bathtub body. The bathing elapsed time is automatically counted at the same time when the bathtub body lift switch is turned ON, and the bathing elapsed time is automatically counted when the lowering switch is depressed and the bathtub body is lowered to the predetermined lower limit position. Realized by having a configuration that stops.

Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the bathing apparatus 1, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the lifting means of the bathtub body 2, FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram showing the main electrical configuration of the bathtub body 2, and FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial view of the main part of the main operation panel unit 20.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bathing apparatus 1 of the present invention has a bathtub body 2 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, a gantry 13 provided in a bathing portion 31 of the bathtub body 2, and a bather lying in a supine posture. The main component is a stretcher 3 to be mounted and a transport vehicle 4 on which the stretcher 3 is placed and transported.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the bathtub body 2 is arranged on a base 5 having an L shape in side view and placed on the bathroom floor 18 via a plurality of legs, and the bathtub body 2 is placed on the base 5. The predetermined section can be moved up and down by the bathtub lifting means 6 provided. The bathtub elevating means 6 includes an X-shaped pantograph 7 provided between the base 5 and the lower surface of the bottom wall 2a of the bathtub body 2, and a rod 11a tip connected to a predetermined portion of the pantograph 7 and a piston part 11b. And a hydraulic pump 8 that drives the pantograph 7 in the closed leg direction or the open leg direction by extending or contracting the rod 11a of the hydraulic cylinder 11 with respect to the piston portion 11b. The hydraulic unit 9 is provided.

  The hydraulic pump 8 and the piston part 11b are connected by a pipe 10, and an electromagnetic valve 12 for contracting the rod 11a inward of the piston part 11b is interposed at a midway position of the pipe 10. Accordingly, the bathtub body 2 rises when the rod 11a is extended and the pantograph 7 is driven in the closing direction, and conversely, it is lowered when the rod 11a is contracted and the pantograph 7 is driven in the opening direction.

  Further, one end portion of the base 5 is fixed to the base 5 and a column portion 13a that extends vertically through a substantially central portion of the bottom wall 2a of the bathtub body 2 and the column portion 13a. A gantry 13 comprising a support plate portion 13b having a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view for supporting the stretcher 3 is provided at the other end of the frame. It should be noted that the bottom wall 2a through which the support 13a passes is sealed with a sealing member (not shown) or the like so that hot water stored in the bath 31 is not leaked out of the bath 31. Guide rails 17 and 17 for guiding the stretcher 3 moved from the carriage 4 to a predetermined position on the support plate 13b are arranged in parallel with a predetermined interval at the left and right positions on the upper surface in the longitudinal direction of the support plate 13b. It is arranged. A proximity sensor 29 that detects that the stretcher 3 and the gantry 13 are locked is fixed to the center of the support plate 13b (see FIG. 1).

  An upper limit switch 14 that automatically stops rising of the bathtub body 2 at a predetermined upper limit position at a predetermined position of the upright portion 5a of the base 5 and a lower limit switch 15 that automatically stops lowering of the bathtub body 2 at a predetermined lower limit position. Are arranged respectively. A projecting piece 16 for turning on / off the upper / lower limit switch 14/15 is attached to the lower part of the outer surface of the side wall 2b of the bathtub body 2 on the side where the upright portion 5a is formed. In addition, FIG. 2 has shown the state which the bathtub main body 2 rose to the predetermined upper limit position. In FIG. 2, 32 is a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of hot water supplied into the bath 31, 33 is a lower limit water level sensor that detects the lower limit water level of the hot water in the bath 31, and 34 is hot water in the bath 31. It is an upper limit water level sensor which detects an upper limit water level.

  Next, the main electrical configuration of the bathing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The control device 19 includes a main operation panel 20 (on the right end side of the bathtub body 2 in FIG. 1) and a sub-operation panel 21 (shown in FIG. 1). In addition to the various switches provided on the left end side of the main body 2, signals from the above-described upper / lower limit switches 14, 15, proximity sensor 29, etc. are received to control the operation of the bathing apparatus 1. Since the sub operation panel unit 21 is partially equipped with switches equivalent to those provided in the main operation panel unit 20, only the switches provided in the main operation panel unit 20 will be described below. .

  The ascending switch 22 instructs the raising of the bathtub body 2, the descending switch 23 instructs the lowering of the bathtub body 2, and the stop switch 24 instructs the raising and lowering of the bathtub body 2. The counting counter 26 is a counter that counts the elapsed bathing time, and starts counting when a control start signal is sent from the control device 19, and stops counting when a counting stop signal is sent. .

  The control device 19 reads the elapsed bathing time counted by the counting counter 26 and displays it on the time display unit 27. The alarm 28 is a speaker built in the bathing device 1, and when the bathing elapsed time counted by the counting counter 26 reaches a bathing time set in the control device 19 in advance (hereinafter referred to as a set bathing time), a sound is heard. Is generated. The voice switch 25 instructs permission / prohibition of the voice from the alarm device 28. In addition, although illustration and detailed description are abbreviate | omitted, the said set bathing time can be suitably changed as needed by a bathing caregiver etc.

  When raising the bathtub main body 2, hot water is collected in the bathtub main body 2 at the lower limit position using hot water supply means (not shown), and then the transport vehicle 4 is moved closer to one side position in the longitudinal direction of the bathtub main body 2. The main body 2 and the transport vehicle 3 are connected using a locking means (not shown). The stretcher 3 is slid from the transport vehicle 4 onto the gantry 13. Although not shown, the stretcher 3 and the gantry 14 are formed with locking means so that the cradle 3 is automatically locked when the stretcher 3 reaches a predetermined position of the gantry 14. When the lock between the stretcher 3 and the gantry 13 is completed, the proximity sensor 29 is turned ON, a signal is transmitted to the control device 19, and the bathtub body 2 is allowed to rise.

  Next, the hydraulic pump 8 is driven with the electromagnetic valve 12 closed, the rod 11a of the hydraulic cylinder 11 is extended, and the pantograph 7 is operated in the closed leg direction. The operation of the pantograph 7 raises the bathtub body 2 so that the bather can take a bath. The upward movement of the bathtub body 2 automatically stops when the protrusion 16 comes into contact with the upper limit switch 14 and the switch 14 is turned on (upper limit position).

  When the bathtub body 2 is lowered, the rod 19a of the hydraulic cylinder 11 contracts and the pantograph 7 is driven in the leg-opening direction by controlling the electromagnetic valve 12 to be opened by the control device 19, so that the bathtub body 2 is driven. Descends. The lowering of the bathtub body 2 automatically stops when the protrusion 16 comes into contact with the lower limit switch 15 and the switch 15 is turned on (lower limit position). In addition, what is necessary is just to press down the stop switch 24, when stopping raising / lowering of the bathtub main body 2 between an upper limit position and a lower limit position.

  Next, based on FIG. 4, control related to counting the elapsed bathing time will be described. In FIG. 4, S indicates a step. When the power switch 30 of the bathing apparatus 1 is turned ON, the elapsed bathing time is displayed as zero on the time display unit 27 (S1). In S2, it is determined by the control device 19 whether or not the bathtub body 2 is in the lower limit position. In the case of YES, that is, when the control device 19 detects that the bathtub body 2 is at the lower limit position and the lower limit switch 15 is ON, the process proceeds to S3.

  Next, in S <b> 3, it is determined whether the stretcher 3 is moved from the transport vehicle 4 onto the gantry 13 and is locked. If YES, that is, if the control device 19 detects that the proximity sensor 29 has been locked, the process proceeds to S4.

  In S4, it is determined whether or not the ascending switch 22 is pressed and turned ON. When the control device 19 detects that the ascent switch 22 has been turned ON, the control device 19 operates the bathtub elevating means 6 to raise the bathtub body 2 and count the bathing elapsed time to the counting counter 26 that counts the elapsed bathing time. And the counter 26 starts counting the elapsed bathing time (S5).

  The control device 19 reads the elapsed bathing time counted by the counting counter and displays it on the time display unit 27 (S6). When the bathtub body 2 rises to a predetermined upper limit position where the upper limit switch 14 is turned on by the operation of the bathtub elevating means 6, the rise automatically stops.

  When the control device 19 detects that the elapsed bathing time counted by the counting counter 26 has reached the set bathing time in S7 (determined as Yes), it is detected in S12 that the voice switch 25 is ON. If this happens (determined as Yes), a sound is generated from the speaker (notifier 28) (S13), and this sound is used to notify the bather and bathing caregiver that the bathing time has arrived.

  The generated sound is a melody sound for a predetermined time stored in advance in the control device 19, and the melody sound is automatically stopped after a predetermined time has elapsed (S14). When the voice switch 25 is OFF, even if the bathing elapsed time reaches the set bathing time, no sound is generated from the speaker.

  The bathing caregiver confirms that the elapsed bathing time has reached the set bathing time based on the melody sound, and then shifts to a work for bathing the bather. When the bathtub main body 2 is lowered and bathing is completed, the lowering switch 23 is pressed (S8). The control device 19 determines whether or not the bathtub body 2 has been lowered to a predetermined lower limit position at which the lower limit switch 15 is turned on (S9). If YES, the counting of the bathing elapsed time by the count counter 26 is stopped. (S10), the bathing elapsed time displayed on the time display unit 27 is returned to zero (S11).

  In addition, when it determines with No in S2, it is the state which the bathtub main body 2 is raising or lowering, the count of the bathing elapsed time is continued by the count counter 26, and the time is displayed on the time display part 27. When it is determined No in S3 to S4, S8 to S9, and S12, all are looped to the predetermined positions shown in FIG.

  In the first embodiment described above, when the raising switch 22 is turned on, the control device 19 detects the start of bathing, the counting counter 26 starts counting the elapsed bathing time, the depression switch 23 is depressed, and the bathtub body 2 is set to a predetermined lower limit. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described configuration. For example, after the rise switch 22 is turned on, the bathtub body 2 is set to a predetermined upper limit position. Counting of the elapsed bathing time may be started when the upper limit switch 14 is turned on (or when the upper limit switch 14 is turned ON), or the elapsed bathing time is counted after a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds) after the rising switch 22 is turned ON. In addition, regarding the timing of stopping the counting of the elapsed bathing time, the counting of the elapsed bathing time may be stopped when the lowering switch 23 is turned on, or The predetermined time after the lowering switch 23 to ON (e.g., 5 seconds) may of course be stopped counting bathing elapsed time after.

  The present invention can be applied to a bathing apparatus for bathing a physically handicapped person or an elderly person who has difficulty walking.

It is a top view which shows the bathing apparatus of Example 1 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram explaining the raising / lowering mechanism of the bathtub main body of Example 1. FIG. It is a simple block diagram which shows the main electrical structures of the bathtub main body of Example 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a control example related to counting / displaying a bathing elapsed time according to the first embodiment. 2 is an enlarged partial view of a main part of a main operation panel unit 20 according to Embodiment 1. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bathing apparatus 2 Bath body 3 Stretcher 13 Mount 27 Time display part 28 Alarm

Claims (3)

  In a bathing apparatus in which a gantry for supporting a stretcher on which a bather is placed is fixed in a bathtub body capable of moving up and down a predetermined section, the counting of the elapsed bathing time is performed simultaneously with an instruction to raise the bath body or the bathtub body Is automatically started when it rises to a predetermined position in the predetermined section, and the counting of the bathing elapsed time is performed simultaneously with the lowering instruction of the bathtub main body or until the bathtub main body in the rising state reaches a predetermined position in the predetermined section. A bathing apparatus characterized by being automatically stopped when lowered.   The bathing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a time display unit for displaying the elapsed bathing time is provided in the bathtub body.   An alarm device that generates a notification sound when the bathing elapsed time reaches a set bathing time, and notifies the bather and bathing caregivers of the timing of bathing by the notification sound from the alarm device. 2. The bathing apparatus according to 2.

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