JP2016041159A - Bath apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bath apparatus capable of saving hot water and time when a user enters or leaves a bathtub, while avoiding upsizing of the bath apparatus.SOLUTION: A bath apparatus comprises: a wheelchair 2; a bathtub 1 comprising a door 11 for opening and closing an opening 10b for receiving the wheelchair 2; a driving part 15 for adjusting the height of the seat 221 of the wheelchair 2; and a processor 16 which, when the wheelchair 2 received into the bathtub 1 through the opening 10b is provided in a predetermined position, performs processing to adjust the height of the seat 221 by using the driving part 15.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a bathing apparatus suitable for bathing a person who needs assistance such as an elderly person or a physically handicapped person (a person who needs assistance).

  Conventionally, a bathing device is known in which a door provided in a bathtub is opened, a wheelchair is placed in the bathtub, hot water is accumulated in the bathtub after the door is closed, and a person in need of the wheelchair is immersed in the hot water. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  Such a bathing apparatus generally includes a tank for storing hot water to be supplied into or discharged from the bathtub. At the time of bathing, after the wheelchair carrying the bather is put in the bathtub and the door is closed, hot water is transferred from the tank to the bathtub. Thereby, the bather who got on the wheelchair can be immersed in hot water. On the other hand, when bathing, the hot water in the bathtub is returned to the tank, and then the door is opened and the wheelchair with the bather is taken out of the bathtub.

JP-A-8-33693

  In the bathing apparatus as described above, for example, it is necessary to change the amount of hot water transferred from the tank into the bathtub depending on the height of the bather. For example, when the tank capacity is small, when the bather's height is high, the amount of hot water stored in the tank may not be sufficient, and work for adding hot water may be required. That is, extra time is generated to add hot water, and it may take more time than necessary to take a bath. In addition, when bathing, since hot water has been added, it may not be possible to store all of the hot water in the bathtub in the tank, and the hot water may need to be discarded. In this case, wasteful use of throwing away the accumulated hot water occurs. The above problem does not become a problem when the tank capacity is sufficiently large. However, when the tank capacity is large, the floor area and the space volume necessary for installing the bathing apparatus are not preferable.

  In view of the above points, an object of the present invention is to provide a bathing apparatus that can save hot water and time during bathing while avoiding an increase in the size of the bathing apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, a bathing apparatus of the present invention includes a wheelchair, a bathtub having a door that opens and closes an opening for receiving the wheelchair, a drive unit for adjusting the height of a seat of the wheelchair, A processing unit that performs processing that enables height adjustment of the seat using the drive unit when the wheelchair received in the bathtub from the opening is disposed at a predetermined position (first) 1 configuration).

  According to this structure, the height of the seat part of the wheelchair received in the predetermined position in a bathtub can be adjusted. For this reason, the height of the seat can be adjusted according to the height of the bather, and the amount of hot water supplied from the tank into the bathtub does not have to be changed according to the height of the bather. That is, in this configuration, even when a bather with a high height takes a bath, it is possible to avoid adding hot water or throwing out hot water. And in this structure, bathers of various heights can be appropriately immersed in hot water without having to enlarge the size of the tank for storing hot water supplied into the bathtub or discharged from the bathtub. It is possible to avoid a large bathing device.

  Moreover, in this structure, since a fixed restriction | limiting is given about the timing which can adjust the height of a wheelchair in a bathtub, the failure prevention of an apparatus and ensuring of a bather's safety can be aimed at.

  In the bathing apparatus having the first configuration described above, a configuration (second configuration) in which an operation unit that operates the drive unit is provided in the bathtub is preferable. According to this configuration, a person who adjusts the height of the seat (such as an assistant) can easily see the operation unit.

  In the bathing apparatus having the second configuration, the processing unit performs a process of allowing the operation unit to be operated by the operation unit when the wheelchair is disposed at the predetermined position, and the wheelchair is operated at the predetermined position. It is preferable that the configuration (third configuration) is performed to perform the process of making the operation of the drive unit impossible by the operation unit when the operation unit is not arranged. According to this structure, it is easy to prevent a failure of the apparatus and to ensure the safety of the bather.

  In the bathing apparatus having any one of the first to third configurations, the drive unit may be configured to be provided in the bathtub (fourth configuration). According to this configuration, it is easy to reduce the weight of the wheelchair. The drive unit may be provided in the wheelchair. According to such a configuration, for example, even when a bather is transferred from a bed or the like to a wheelchair, the seat can be raised and lowered, and the burden on transfer work can be reduced.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the bathing apparatus which can save the hot water and time at the time of bathing can be provided, avoiding enlargement of a bathing apparatus.

The schematic perspective view which shows the whole bathtub which comprises the bathing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The schematic perspective view which shows a part of bathtub which comprises the bathing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The schematic side view of the wheelchair which comprises the bathing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention In the bathing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, the schematic plan view which looked at the state in which the wheelchair was received by the bathtub from the front side The figure for demonstrating the state when the wheelchair received in the bathtub is arrange | positioned in the predetermined position in the bathing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure for demonstrating the state when an actuator drives from the state shown in FIG. The block diagram for demonstrating the relationship between the actuator operation part with which the bathing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is equipped, and an actuator.

  Hereinafter, a bathing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following, front / rear and right / left expressions are used based on a person who bathes using a bathing apparatus (a bather).

  First, the bathtub 1 which comprises the bathing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention using FIG.1 and FIG.2 is demonstrated. In addition, FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view which shows the whole bathtub 1 which comprises the bathing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Moreover, FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view which shows a part of bathtub 1 which comprises the bathing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  The bathtub 1 includes a bathtub main body 10 having a space 10a in which hot water is stored, and a door 11 for opening and closing an opening 10b (facing the space 10a) formed on the front surface of the bathtub main body 10. The bathtub body 10 is adjusted by the height adjusting means 12 provided on the bottom surface thereof so that the bottom 101 is horizontal and is arranged on the floor of the bathroom. The bottom 101 is provided with a notch 102 extending rearward from the front surface. The notch 102 is used when a wheelchair described later is accommodated in the space 10 a of the bathtub body 10.

  The door 11 is coupled to the bathtub body 10 via a hinge 111. Further, a known mechanism is applied to the door 11 so that the state in which the opening 10b of the bathtub body 10 is closed and the release thereof can be released. Furthermore, a substantially U-shaped sealing member 112 that is in contact with the peripheral edge of the opening 10b and seals the portion is attached to the door 11.

  An operation unit 13 for performing various operations related to bathing using a bathing apparatus is provided on the upper surface of the rear edge of the bathtub body 10. For example, by operating the operation part 13, hot water can be automatically stored in the space 10a of the bathtub main body part 10, or hot water can be automatically discharged from the space 10a.

  A tank part 14 capable of storing hot water is provided behind the bathtub body part 10. The bathtub main body 10 has a hot and cold hot water supply means (not shown) for transferring the hot water stored in the tank section 14 to the space 10a of the bathtub main body section 10 and returning the hot water stored in the space 10a to the tank section 13. ) Is provided. Examples of the hot water supply / drainage means include pipes, valves, pumps, and the like for flowing hot water. In addition, the bathtub main body part 10 and the tank part 14 are provided with supply and discharge hot water outlets (not shown) at appropriate positions.

  Next, the wheelchair 2 which comprises the bathing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention using FIG. 3 is demonstrated. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the wheelchair 2 constituting the bathing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The wheelchair 2 includes a pedestal portion 20 including casters 20a at each of the four corners. A hollow column 21 is erected on the pedestal portion 20, and an upper frame 211 is attached to the upper end of the column 21. On the upper frame 211, the chair portion 22 is placed so as to be separable from the upper frame 211. The chair portion 22 has a seat portion 221 on which a bather puts a buttock, a backrest portion 222 provided to be rotatable with respect to the seat portion 221, and a footrest portion 223 provided to be rotatable with respect to the seat portion 221. And are included.

  In addition, the wheelchair 2 is provided with a lifting mechanism 23 that lifts and lowers the seat 221. The elevating mechanism 23 includes a link mechanism 231 disposed on the pedestal portion 20 and a support rod 232 coupled to the link mechanism 231. The support rod 232 is inserted into the support column 21, and an upper end portion of the support rod 232 is connected to the seat portion 221. The support rod 232 moves up and down according to the operation of the link mechanism 231, and the seat portion 221 moves up and down as the support rod 232 moves up and down. In addition, the structure of the raising / lowering mechanism is only an example, The structure may be changed suitably.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of a state where the wheelchair 2 is received in the bathtub 1 as viewed from the front side in the bathing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4, the door 11 is omitted. The wheelchair 2 is put into the space 10 a of the bathtub body 10 through an opening 10 b provided on the front surface of the bathtub body 10. The wheelchair 2 is put into the space 10a from the rear side (backrest 222 side).

  When the wheelchair 2 is put into the space 10 a of the bathtub body 10, the support column 21 enters the notch 102 of the bathtub body 10. The pedestal portion 20 of the wheelchair 2 is located below the bottom portion 101 of the bathtub main body portion 10. That is, the wheelchair 2 enters the space 10a where a part of the wheelchair 2 including the chair portion 22 accumulates hot water. In addition, when the wheelchair 2 is disposed at a predetermined position (position suitable for bathing) in the bathtub body 10 (space 10a), the support column 21 is sandwiched from the left and right sides of the bottom surface of the bottom 101 of the bathtub body 10. A seal member 103 for sealing the notch 102 is provided. The seal member 103 is provided so as to be movable in the left-right direction by a drive unit (not shown), and can seal the notch 102 as necessary.

  In the bathing apparatus according to the present embodiment, when the wheelchair 2 is received in the bathtub 1 and disposed at a predetermined position suitable for bathing, as shown in FIG. The movable portion 15a can move the link mechanism 231 (the movable portion 15a and the link mechanism 231 are connected). When the actuator 15 is driven, the link mechanism 231 operates and the support rod 232 moves up and down. For example, when the movable portion 15a of the actuator 15 extends from the state shown in FIG. 5, the height of the seat portion 221 increases with the support rod 232 as shown in FIG. Conversely, when the movable portion 15a of the actuator 15 is contracted from the state shown in FIG. 6, the height of the seat portion 221 is lowered together with the support rod 232. That is, the actuator 15 is an example of a driving unit for adjusting the height of the seat 221 of the present invention.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram for explaining the relationship between the actuator operation unit 131 and the actuator 15 provided in the bathing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the processing unit 16 is interposed between the actuator operation unit 131 and the actuator 15. The actuator operation unit 131 is an operation key that is included in an operation unit (see FIG. 1) provided in the bathtub body 10 and operates the drive of the actuator 15.

  The processing unit 16 performs processing that allows the actuator operating unit 131 to operate the actuator 15 when the wheelchair 2 received in the bathtub 1 is disposed at a predetermined position suitable for bathing. On the other hand, when the wheelchair 2 received in the bathtub 1 is not disposed at the predetermined position, the processing unit 16 performs a process of making the operation of the actuator 15 by the actuator operation unit 131 impossible. Note that the predetermined position suitable for bathing is not particularly limited, but for example, the wheelchair 2 pushed into the space 10a through the opening 10b may be pushed to the end.

  As the processing unit 16, for example, when the wheelchair 2 is disposed at a predetermined position suitable for bathing, the processing unit 16 is mechanically pressed and turned on, and when the wheelchair 2 moves from the predetermined position, the pressing is released. A switch that turns off can be used. In the on state, the actuator 15 can be moved by operating the actuator operation unit 131. In the off state, the actuator 15 cannot be moved even if the actuator operation unit 131 is operated. That is, the actuator 15 can be driven only when the wheelchair 2 is disposed at the predetermined position. The switch is preferably provided outside the space 10a where hot water is stored.

  Note that the processing unit 16 is not limited to the above switch, and may be configured by, for example, a position sensor (mechanical switch, magnetic sensor, optical sensor, or the like) that can detect the position of the wheelchair 2 and a microcomputer connected to the sensor. Good. In this configuration, when the microcomputer recognizes that the wheelchair 2 is disposed at a predetermined position suitable for bathing based on information from the position sensor, the microcomputer performs processing to drive the actuator 15 according to the operation of the actuator operation unit 131. On the other hand, when the microcomputer recognizes that the wheelchair 2 is not arranged at the predetermined position based on information from the position sensor, the microcomputer performs processing so as not to drive the actuator 15 even if the actuator operation unit 131 is operated.

  Next, the usage example of the bathing apparatus of this embodiment comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated. The wheelchair 2 carrying the bather is transported to the front of the bathtub 1. Before and after that, the door 11 of the bathtub 1 is opened, and the wheelchair 2 is pushed into the space 10 a in which the hot water of the bathtub body 10 is stored. At this time, the bather on the wheelchair 2 enters the space 10a while backing backward. Further, the actuator 15 cannot be operated until the wheelchair 2 is arranged at a predetermined position suitable for bathing. For this reason, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of a situation in which the actuator 15 moves until the wheelchair 2 is set at an appropriate position, and the machine is broken or the bather is injured.

  When the wheelchair 2 is put to a predetermined position suitable for bathing, the actuator 15 and the lifting mechanism 23 of the wheelchair 2 are connected. Further, the processing unit 16 performs processing so that the height of the seat portion 221 can be adjusted by the operation of the actuator operation unit 131. As a result, the seat portion 221 can be moved up and down. Therefore, when the wheelchair 2 is inserted to the predetermined position, the height of the seat portion 221 is adjusted before and after the operation of closing the door 11. The seat 221 is set to a low position when the bather's height is high, and is set to a high position when the bather's height is low. When the wheelchair 2 is put to a predetermined position suitable for bathing, the notch 102 is sealed by the seal member 103.

  When the height position of the seat portion 221 is set to an appropriate height and the door 11 is closed, hot water is transferred from the tank portion 14 to the space 10a of the bathtub main body portion 10. Thereby, a bather is immersed in hot water appropriately. After the hot water is transferred, the height of the seat portion 221 may be finely adjusted as necessary. In addition, since the sealing member 212 is arrange | positioned between the support | pillar 21 and the support rod 232 of the wheelchair 2, the hot water in the bathtub 1 does not leak outside through the support | pillar 21.

  During bathing, the hot water stored in the space 10 a of the bathtub body 10 is returned to the tank 14. Then, the door 11 of the bathtub 1 is opened, and the wheelchair 2 is pulled out from the space 10a. At this time, various processes such as releasing the support 21 from the seal portion 103 may be performed so that the wheelchair 2 can be easily pulled out from the space 10a. Further, when the wheelchair 2 is moved out of the bathtub 1, the actuator 15 is not driven, so that it is difficult for the device to break down and for the bather to be injured.

  In the present embodiment, it is preferable that the height position of the seat portion 221 when the wheelchair 2 is taken in and out of the bathtub 1 is determined at a predetermined height position. In some cases, when the seat portion 221 is not at a predetermined height position, the wheelchair 2 may not be able to be taken in and out.

  According to the bathing apparatus of the present embodiment, for example, the height of the seat portion 221 can be adjusted according to the height of the bather, so the amount of hot water transferred from the tank portion 14 to the space 10a of the bathtub body portion 10 is adjusted by the bather's height. It does not have to be changed according to height. That is, even when a bather with a high height takes a bath, it is possible to avoid adding hot water or throwing out hot water. And in order to implement | achieve the structure which can save such hot water and time, since it is not necessary to enlarge the capacity | capacitance of a tank more than necessary, the enlargement of a bathing apparatus can be avoided.

  Moreover, according to the bathing apparatus of this embodiment, since the height of a seat part can be lowered | hung, depending on the case, the edge height of the bathtub 1 can also be lowered | hung and it can also make an assistant's operation | work easy. It is. Furthermore, according to the bathing apparatus of this embodiment, since there is a certain restriction on the timing at which the height of the wheelchair 2 can be adjusted in the bathtub 1, it is possible to prevent failure of the bathing apparatus and ensure safety.

  The embodiment described above is merely an example of the present invention. The configuration of the embodiment described above may be changed as appropriate without departing from the technical idea of the present invention.

  In the embodiment described above, the actuator 15 is provided on the bathtub 1 side, but the actuator 15 may be provided on the wheelchair 2 side. Providing the actuator 15 on the bathtub 1 side has an advantage that the wheelchair 2 can be reduced in weight. On the contrary, when the actuator 15 is provided on the wheelchair 2 side, there is an advantage that it is possible to reduce the work burden when the bather transfers from the bed or the like to the wheelchair 2.

  Moreover, in the above, although the operation part for adjusting the height of the seat part 221 of the wheelchair 2 was provided in the bathtub 1 side, depending on the case, you may provide in the wheelchair 2 side.

  In the above description, a part of the wheelchair 2 is configured to enter the space 10a to store hot water, but the present invention can also be applied to a bathing apparatus in which the entire wheelchair enters the bathtub.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bathtub 2 Wheelchair 10b Opening part 11 Door 14 Tank part 15 Actuator (drive part)
16 Processing part 131 Actuator operation part 221 Seat part

Claims (4)

With a wheelchair,
A bathtub having a door for opening and closing an opening for receiving the wheelchair;
A drive unit for adjusting the height of the seat of the wheelchair;
When the wheelchair received in the bathtub from the opening is disposed at a predetermined position, a processing unit that performs a process that enables height adjustment of the seat using the drive unit;
A bathing apparatus characterized by comprising:   The bathing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an operation unit that operates the driving unit is provided in the bathtub.   The processing unit performs a process of allowing the operation unit to be operated by the operation unit when the wheelchair is disposed at the predetermined position, and the operation unit when the wheelchair is not disposed at the predetermined position. The bathing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a process for making the operation of the driving unit impossible is performed.   The bathing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the driving unit is provided in the bathtub.

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