JP2014233542A - Bathing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bathing device with improved safety for a bather.SOLUTION: A bathing device 1 comprises a seat part 20 provided in a bath, an up/down device 30 which moves up and down the seat part 20 using a first restiform body 314, and a safe device 50 which comprises a second restiform body 52 to support the seat part 20 when the first restiform body 314 is cut.

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a bathing apparatus suitable for bathing a person who is inconvenient and needs assistance (hereinafter, referred to as a person who needs assistance), such as an elderly person or a physically handicapped person.

  Conventionally, various bathing apparatuses suitable for bathing a person who needs assistance have been developed. For example, there is known a bathing apparatus provided with a lift mechanism that lifts and lowers a seating portion for sitting a bather in a bathtub body (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The lift mechanism provided in the bathing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a drive unit, a cord-like body that raises and lowers the seating portion in the height direction of the bathtub body by driving the drive unit, and a tension of the cord-like body is reduced. Tension detecting means for detecting this and stopping the driving of the driving unit.

  According to the bathing device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the seating portion can be moved up and down in the bathtub body by driving the driving portion to wind up or feed out the cord-like body. When the seating part is lowered, for example, when a bather's lower limb is sandwiched between the seating part and the bottom wall of the bathtub body, the tension detecting means detects the looseness of the cord-like body and The driving can be stopped. For this reason, in the said bathing apparatus, the situation etc. where a bather pinches the leg and makes a serious injury etc. can be prevented.

JP 2006-296715 A

  In a bathing apparatus provided with a lift mechanism that lifts and lowers the seat using a cord-like body, a strong cord-like body is usually used, so that the possibility that the cord-like body is cut is low. However, since the possibility that the cord is cut is not zero, it is preferable to take measures when the cord is cut in order to further improve the safety of the bathing apparatus.

  In view of the above points, an object of the present invention is to provide a bathing apparatus with improved safety for bathers.

  In order to achieve the above object, a bathing apparatus according to the present invention includes a seating portion disposed in a bathtub, a lifting device that lifts and lowers the seating portion using a first cord-like body, and the first cord-like body. And a safety device including a second cord-like body that supports the seating portion when the seat is cut (first configuration). In addition, as a cord-like body, a wire, a chain, etc. are mentioned, for example.

  According to this configuration, apart from the first cord used to raise and lower the seating portion, the second cord that supports the seating portion when the first cord is cut off is included. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the seat portion from suddenly falling.

  In the bathing device having the first configuration, one end of the second cord-like body is connected to the seating portion, and the safety device is interlocked with the raising and lowering of the seating portion using the first cord-like body. A rotating portion that winds or unwinds the second cord-like body, and a lock mechanism that stops the turning of the rotating portion when the first cord-like body is cut. Further, it is preferable to include the configuration (second configuration). Note that the second cord-like body and the seating portion may be connected indirectly or directly. According to this configuration, it is easy to provide a bathing device with excellent safety performance without adding expensive parts and devices to the current bathing device.

  In the bathing device having the second configuration, the lock mechanism rotates together with the lock operation unit that operates by cutting the first cord-like body and the rotating portion, and cuts the first cord-like body. Accordingly, it is preferable that the configuration includes a first engagement portion that engages with a part of the lock operation portion (third configuration). In this configuration, the rotation of the rotation unit can be stopped by the engagement of a part of the lock operation unit and the first engagement unit.

  In the bathing device having the third configuration, the lock operation unit is coupled to the lever unit biased by the biasing member, and the first locking unit is not cut by the biasing force of the biasing member. An abutting portion that abuts on the cord-like body, a second engaging portion that interlocks with the lever portion and engages with the first engaging portion in accordance with the cutting of the first cord-like body, It is preferable that it is the structure (4th structure) containing this.

  In the bathing apparatus having any one of the first to fourth configurations, the safety device includes a tension drop detecting means for detecting a drop in the tension of the first cord-like body (fifth configuration). Is preferred. According to this structure, a bather's safety can be improved more.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the bathing apparatus with which the safety with respect to the bather was improved can be provided.

The schematic perspective view which shows the structure of the bathing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The schematic perspective view which shows the structure of the raising / lowering apparatus with which the bathing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is equipped. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the structure of the raising / lowering apparatus with which the bathing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is provided, The figure at the time of removing a cover member The figure for demonstrating the structure of the safety device with which the bathing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is provided. The figure for demonstrating the effect | action of the safety device with which the bathing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is provided.

Hereinafter, a bathing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the bathing apparatus (of this embodiment) which concerns on embodiment of this invention is a suitable apparatus for bathing an important person, such as an elderly person and a physically handicapped person, for example in a sitting position.
<Schematic configuration of bathing device>

  FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of a bathing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the bathing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is roughly composed of a bathtub 10, a seating part 20 for a bather to sit on, and a lifting apparatus that lifts and lowers the seating part 20 in the height direction of the bathtub 10. 30.

  The bathtub 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape with the top opened. An opening 11 is formed on the first side wall 10a in the longitudinal direction of the bathtub 10 (a side wall on the near side in FIG. 1) so as to cut out approximately the upper half thereof. The opening 11 can be opened and closed by a door 12 that is slidable along the first side wall 10a (in the vertical direction). For example, a hot water supply unit 13 or a handrail (not shown) may be appropriately provided in the bathtub 10.

  The sitting portion 20 includes a seat surface portion 20a on which the bather places the buttocks, and a backrest portion 20b that supports the back side of the bather who places the buttocks on the seat surface portion 20a. The seating portion 20 is disposed on a receiving seat 21 (see FIG. 2 described later) so as to be rotatable and slidable in a direction to advance and retreat with respect to the opening portion 11.

  In FIG. 1, the front side of the seating portion 20 (the front side of the bather sitting on the seating portion 20) faces the opening 11, and a part of the front side of the seating portion 20 opens the opening 11. It is in the state which jumped out of bathtub 10 through. The state of the seating portion 20 shown in FIG. 1 is used, for example, when a bather who will enter the bathtub 10 is seated on the seating portion 20. In the state of FIG. 1, the bather is seated on the seating portion 20 and rotated 90 ° (in FIG. 1, rotated clockwise), and the seating portion 20 is slid in the direction away from the opening 11 (inward of the bathtub 10). The seat 20 is accommodated in the bathtub 10 by being moved.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the lifting device 30 provided in the bathing device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. 2A is a view from the front side, and FIG. 2B is a view from the back side. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the lifting device 30 provided in the bathing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a view when the cover member is removed. FIG. 3 is a view of the lifting device 30 as seen from the front side. 2 and 3 also show a seating portion 20 for easy understanding.

  The elevating device 30 is a device that elevates and lowers the seating portion 20 disposed in the bathtub 10 along the height direction of the bathtub 10. The lifting device 30 is roughly a main body 31 provided on the upper surface of a second side wall 10b (a side wall on the back side in FIG. 1) disposed opposite to the first side wall 10a in which the opening 11 of the bathtub 10 is provided. And a column part 32 disposed so as to extend in the height direction on the inner side (inner wall) of the second side wall 10b, and an elevating part 33 that moves along the column part 32 (see, for example, FIG. 2). ).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the main body 31 includes a base 310 that is fixedly disposed on the second side wall 10 b of the bathtub 10. A drive motor 311 and a battery 312 for supplying power to the drive motor 311 are mounted on the base 310. A first reel 313 that is rotated by driving of the drive motor 311 is mounted on the base 310. A main wire 314 is wound around the first reel 313, and the main wire 314 is unwound from the first reel 313 or wound around the first reel 313 by driving of the drive motor 311. To do.

  The main wire 314 is an example of the first cord-like body of the present invention. For example, a chain or the like may be used instead of the wire. Further, whether the main wire 314 is drawn out or wound up can be switched by switching the drive direction of the drive motor 311. Furthermore, the drive instruction to the drive motor 311 may be performed by, for example, a remote controller or an operation panel provided in the main body 31.

  The tip of the main wire 314 pulled out from the first reel 313 is changed in direction by a fixed pulley 315 arranged in front of the first reel 313 (expression based on FIG. 3), and One through-hole 310a is inserted. The tip of the main wire 314 inserted through the first through hole 310 a of the base 310 is connected to the elevating part 33.

  The column 32 has an upper side connected to the base 310 and a lower side fixed to the second side wall 10 b of the bathtub 10. The elevating part 33 includes a roller (not shown) therein, and is provided so as to be slidable while pressing the roller against the support column 32. When the main wire 314 is drawn out from the first reel 313, the elevating part 33 is lowered by its own weight. Further, when the main wire 314 is wound around the first reel 313, the elevating part 33 is raised.

The elevating part 33 is connected to a receiving seat 21 on which the seating part 20 is mounted. For this reason, if the raising / lowering part 33 goes up, the seating part 20 will also raise with it. Further, when the elevating part 33 is lowered, the seating part 20 is also lowered accordingly.
<Usage example of bathing device>

  Here, the usage example of the bathing apparatus 1 comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated. In bathing, as shown in FIG. 1, the bathing apparatus 1 is brought into a state where the door 12 is lowered and the opening 11 is opened. At this time, it is preferable that hot water is stored up to an appropriate position lower than the opening 12.

  Next, the seat 20 is pulled up as shown in FIG. 1 and the seat 20 is pulled out so that a part of the front side of the seat 20 protrudes from the opening 11 to the outside of the bathtub 10. It is. In this state, the bather sits on the seat 20 alone or with the help of an assistant. Thereafter, the seat 20 is rotated and slid by the power of the bather or with the assistance of a caregiver, and the bather puts his body into the bathtub 10. The front direction of the bather at this time is one direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the bathtub 10 (the direction in which the hot water supply unit 13 is the front in FIG. 1).

  Thereafter, the door 12 is raised, the opening 11 is closed, and the seating unit 20 is lowered by the lifting device 30 so that the bather can be immersed in hot water. At this time, the amount of hot water may be increased as appropriate. Further, the height position of the seating portion 20 may be appropriately adjusted by the lifting device 30. Moreover, in this embodiment, since the handrail part 40 which raises / lowers with the raising / lowering of the seating part 20 is provided, the bather can have the handrail part 40 suitably in order to stabilize own attitude | position. .

After bathing, hot water is appropriately discharged so that the hot water does not spill from the opening 11, and the door 12 is lowered (opening 11 is opened). Then, the seating unit 20 is raised by the lifting device 30, and the bather goes out of the bathtub 10 using the rotation and slide of the seating unit 20. At this time, the bather's operation may be assisted by an assistant as appropriate.
<Safety device>

  The elevating device 30 provided in the bathing apparatus 1 is configured to elevate the seating portion 20 using the main wire 314. In such a configuration, when the main wire 314 is cut, there is a concern that the seating portion 20 may suddenly fall. Therefore, the bathing apparatus 1 is provided with a safety device for preventing this sudden drop. Hereinafter, this safety device will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the safety device 50 provided in the bathing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the components constituting the safety device 50 are mainly provided in the main body 31 of the lifting device 30. The safety device 50 has a second reel 51 arranged in parallel with a fixed pulley 315 arranged on the base 310. Note that the second reel 51 and the fixed pulley 315 are arranged in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the main wire 314 extends from the first reel 313 to the fixed pulley 315.

  A sub wire 52 is wound around the second reel 51. The second reel 51 is configured such that a force in the winding direction is always applied to the sub-wire 52 that is drawn out (drawn) by rotation in a specific direction. Such a configuration can be realized by a known configuration using a spring. The tip of the sub-wire 52 that is fed out from the second reel 51 is inserted into the second through-hole 310 b of the base 310 and connected to the elevating part 33.

  Note that the force in the direction of winding the sub-wire 52 is weaker than the force required to pull up the elevating part 33, and the seating part 20 is not pulled up only by this force. The second reel 51 is an example of a rotating part of the present invention. The subwire 52 is an example of a second cord-like body of the present invention. The second cord-like body is not limited to a wire, and may be constituted by a chain or the like.

  Further, on one side surface of the second reel 51 (the side surface on the side where the fixed pulley 315 is provided), lock teeth 53 constituting the lock mechanism LO are provided. The lock teeth 53 rotate as the second reel 51 rotates. In the present embodiment, the number of lock teeth 53 arranged in the circumferential direction of the second reel 51 is four. However, the number of the lock teeth 53 is not limited to this, and may be changed as appropriate. Although there may be one lock tooth 53 in some cases, a plurality of lock teeth 53 are preferable. The lock teeth 53 are an example of the first engaging portion of the present invention. Further, the lock teeth 53 may be provided on both side surfaces of the second reel 51 or on other side surfaces (side surfaces without the fixed pulley 315).

  The safety device 50 includes a lock operation unit 54 that forms a lock mechanism LO in a pair with the lock teeth 53. The lock operation portion 54 includes a lever portion 541 that is rotatably attached to a wall 60 that is fixedly arranged with respect to the base 310. The lever portion 541 is provided in an elongated plate-like structure. The lever portion 541 is rotated around the central axis 545 by a tension spring 544 having one end fixed to the lever portion 541 and the other end fixed to the fixing portion 61 protruding from the wall 60 (FIG. 4). In the clockwise direction). The tension spring 544 is an example of the biasing member of the present invention.

  A lock shaft 542 protruding in a substantially vertical direction from the plate surface is fixed to one end of the lever portion 541 in the longitudinal direction (close to the second reel 51). The lock shaft 542 is an example of the second engagement portion of the present invention. An abutting portion 543 that is pressed against the main wire 314 pulled out from the first reel 313 (assuming an uncut state) is fixed to the tip of the lock shaft 542.

  In addition, although the lever operation | movement part 54 provided with the lever part 541, the lock shaft 542, and the contact part 543 may join and provide a some member, you may provide as one member by integral molding. In addition, the safety device 50 includes a switch unit 55 that is fixedly disposed on the wall 60.

  Next, the operation of the safety device 50 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the safety device 50 provided in the bathing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 (a) shows a state in which the main wire 314 is not cut, and FIG. (B) has shown the state which the main wire 314 cut | disconnected.

  When the main wire 314 is not cut, the lever portion 541 tries to rotate by the urging force of the tension spring 544, but the contact portion 543 (exactly part thereof) is pressed against the main wire 314, so that the lever The rotation of the part 541 is prevented. For this reason, the locking operation by the locking mechanism LO does not occur. The force with which the contact portion 543 presses the main wire 314 is adjusted so as not to hinder the winding and feeding of the main wire 314 using the first reel 313.

  When the main wire 314 is not cut, the second reel 51 winds and feeds the sub wire 52 in conjunction with the raising and lowering of the seating portion 20 by the main wire 314.

  When the main wire 314 is cut, no member is pressed against the contact portion 543, so that the lever portion 541 starts to rotate by the urging force of the tension spring 544 (rotates clockwise in FIG. 5). At this time, the lock shaft 542 also rotates with the rotation of the lever portion 541. Further, when the main wire 314 is cut, the weight of the seating portion 20 and the like is added to the sub wire 52, so that the second reel 51 rotates in the direction in which the sub wire 52 is fed out (in the clockwise direction in FIG. 5). To do). At this time, the lock teeth 53 also rotate together with the second reel 51.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the lock shaft 542 and the lock teeth 53 that have started to rotate are engaged with each other and become engaged. As a result, the rotation of the second reel 51 is braked, and the elevating part 33 (sitting part 20) is suspended and supported by the sub-wire 52. For this reason, even if the main wire 314 is cut, the seating portion 20 can be prevented from suddenly falling.

  Of course, it is preferable that the lock mechanism LO is not broken by the weight of the seating portion 20 or the like when the main wire 314 is cut. However, even if the lock mechanism LO is eventually destroyed, it is possible to prevent the seating portion 20 from dropping suddenly if there is a period in which the seating portion 20 is supported by the sub-wire 52.

  In this embodiment, the switch part 55 is provided as mentioned above. When the main wire 314 is cut and the lever portion 541 is rotated, the switch portion 55 is pressed by the end portion in the longitudinal direction of the lever portion 541 (the end portion on the side where the lock shaft 542 or the like is not provided). It is provided to be. For this reason, it can be detected that the main wire 314 has been cut, and the drive of the drive unit 311 can be stopped based on this cut detection.

  By the way, in the configuration of the present embodiment, the main wire 314 is not cut, but the locking operation by the locking mechanism LO is performed even when the main wire 314 is loosened (slack) to some extent (even when the tension is reduced). Then, a decrease in tension of the main wire 314 can be detected using the switch unit 55. For this reason, for example, when the lower limb is sandwiched between the seating section 20 and the bathtub 10, the driving motor 311 is stopped using the detection result by the switch section 55, and the seating section 20 of the subwire 52 is stopped. Suspension support is possible. For this reason, the possibility that the bather is seriously injured can be reduced.

When the lock mechanism LO is activated due to the loosening of the main wire 314, if the drive motor 311 drives the main wire 314 in the direction to wind the first reel 313, the main wire 314 supports the seating portion 20. As a result of the recovery, the second reel 51 also rotates in the direction of winding the sub-wire 52 (in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 5). It is preferable that the shapes of the lock teeth 53 and the lock shaft 542 are determined so that the engagement between the lock teeth 53 and the lock shaft 542 is released by this rotation.
<Others>

  The embodiment described above is an exemplification of the present invention, and the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment described above. That is, the configuration of the embodiment described above may be changed as appropriate within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

  For example, in the embodiment described above, a motor is used as a drive source for raising and lowering the seating portion 20 using the main wire 314. However, this drive source may be other than a motor (for example, an electric actuator or the like). I do not care.

  In addition, the second reel 51 of the embodiment described above may be configured to rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the fixed pulley 315 by being fixed to the fixed pulley 315 in some cases.

  Moreover, the structure of the bathing apparatus 1 shown above is only an example, and this invention is widely applicable to the bathing apparatus provided with the raising / lowering apparatus which raises / lowers a seating part using a cord-like body. In addition, the bathing apparatus to which the present invention is applied may be used not only by a person requiring assistance but also by a healthy person.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bathing apparatus 10 Bathtub 20 Seating part 30 Lifting apparatus 50 Safety apparatus 51 2nd reel (rotating part)
52 Subwire (second cord)
53 Locking tooth (first engaging part)
54 Locking part 55 Switch part (part of tension drop detection means)
314 Main wire (first cable)
541 Lever part 542 Lock shaft (second engaging part)
543 Contact portion 544 Tension spring (biasing member)
LO lock mechanism

Claims (5)

A seating portion disposed in the bathtub;
An elevating device that elevates and lowers the seat using a first cord-like body;
A safety device including a second cord that supports the seat when the first cord cuts; and
A bathing apparatus characterized by comprising: One end of the second cord-like body is connected to the seat portion,
The safety device is
In conjunction with the raising and lowering of the seating portion using the first cord-like body, a rotating portion that winds or unwinds the second cord-like body,
A lock mechanism that stops the rotation of the rotation unit in accordance with the cutting of the first cord-like body;
The bathing device according to claim 1, further comprising: The locking mechanism is
A lock operating unit that operates by cutting the first cord;
A first engaging portion that rotates together with the rotating portion and engages with a part of the locking operation portion as the first cord-like body is cut;
The bathing apparatus according to claim 2, comprising: The lock operation unit is
A lever portion biased by a biasing member;
A contact portion that contacts the first cord-like body that is not cut by the biasing force of the biasing member in conjunction with the lever portion;
In conjunction with the lever portion, a second engagement portion that engages with the first engagement portion as the first cord-like body is cut;
The bathing device according to claim 3, comprising:   The bathing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the safety device includes a tension drop detecting means for detecting a drop in tension of the first cord-like body.

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