JP3314289B2 - Adjustable sitting height bath car - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bathing assist device for the elderly and physically handicapped.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A mobile sitting height variable type bathing vehicle currently used in facilities and the like has problems in structure and power application, and it is necessary to sink a bather's buttocks without power until it reaches the bottom of hot water. However, the method of tilting the backrest backward has been used in combination, but there are considerable inconveniences in use and psychology.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a bathing vehicle used for nursing bathing in a facility, in which a seat can be lowered until the buttocks are attached to the bottom of the bathtub, and the power is reduced. It is possible to raise and lower the seat sheet manually in the bathtub without the need.

If the buttocks cannot be reached at the bottom of the bathtub using a bathing car, the extra depth remains from the buttocks to the bottom of the bathtub when soaking in the bathtub. It is deeper than necessary, and even those who do not rely on the bathing car have a strong sense of anxiety about bathing, both psychologically and practically.
Also, for the caregiver, during various nursing operations performed in the bathtub, the legs are soaked in the hot water and walking resistance increases accordingly, and the skin area of the legs in contact with the hot water becomes large, and there is a concern that the legs may be obstructed by the hot water. Therefore, nursing care that requires many people to take a bath for a long time suffers considerable physical strength loss and nerve fatigue. In addition, the amount of water consumed and the cost of fuel are wasted economically.

[0005] As a means which can replace the power for supporting the body load applied to the bathing vehicle, a mechanism for supporting the body load by applying an upward spring reaction force from under the chair seat can be considered. However, if the chair seat is lowered by the operation of bathing care, the upward spring reaction force becomes considerably large as the spring is compressed, while the increase in the volume of the human body sinking in the hot water increases the buoyancy and the weight increases rapidly. Therefore, manual settling operation is completely impossible. For example, considering a support spring that raises and lowers a body weight of 60 kg by human power, at the highest position of the chair seat (normally about 50 cm above the floor as a bathing vehicle), the spring reaction force needs at least 50 kg or more, and then the chair seat sinks and the bath bottom , The spring reaction force becomes strong. Moreover, the weight as the load almost disappears due to buoyancy, and it is impossible to handle the operation by ordinary means.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems As means for allowing the buttocks of a person who gets on a bath car to be attached to the bottom of a bathtub, first, a chair seat is formed into a flexible connector as described below. That is, the length from the front edge to the rear edge of the seat sheet (2) is reduced so that the buttocks are removed, and a strong thin material such as a cloth material is used between the rear edge and the lower end of the back sheet (3). A flexible sling belt (5) is used to form a series of seats in such a manner that the buttocks are received there.

A frame (4) is mounted on an X-shaped link mechanism mounted on the truck (1), and the front edge of the seat (2) and the frame front edge (15) are rotatably connected to each other. Further, a double speed mechanism (21) described below as a double speed mechanism in the frame (4) is connected to the upper edge of the back sheet (3), and the flexible connector is suspended from front and rear to form a chair seat. To hold.

The double speed mechanism will be described with reference to FIG. A pair of pulleys (9) at the top and bottom inside the vertical portion of the frame (4)
Are fixed at positions arranged side by side on the left and right, and a wire loop (10) is stretched on each of them. A point where the upper end of the support member (11) rising vertically from the cart (1) and the wire loop (10) coincide with each other is defined as a loop fixing point (20), and this point and both are connected and fixed. Further, a point on the wire loop which turns around the pulley (9) and becomes a substantially symmetrical point is set as a double-speed action point (19), and a horizontal rail is passed over these two points on both the right and left sides and attached to the wire loop. Since the pulley (9) has its axle (8) fixed to the frame (4), the frame (4)
If the wire is moved up and down at an arbitrary speed, both the pulley (9) and the wire loop move up and down, but the wire loop stops at the loop fixing point (20), so that the wire loop moves up and down while moving up and down with the pulley. As a result of rotating at the same peripheral speed as the speed, the double speed action point (19) moves up and down at a speed twice as fast as the frame (4). That is, the double-speed mechanism can simultaneously operate a system having the same speed as the drive source and a system doubled in speed with one drive source. If the upper edge of the back seat (3) is connected to the double-speed action point and the front edge of the seat (2) is connected to the front edge (15) of the frame, the flexible connector moves up and down at a speed ratio of 2: 1. When the frame body (4) is at the highest position, the flexible connector takes a normal chair sitting posture, and at the lowest position, it takes a squatting position with the buttocks on the bottom.

Next, a means for obtaining a negative spring characteristic necessary for solving the buoyancy problem which occurs when assisting the lifting and lowering operation of the chair seat by the spring reaction force will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, an upward reaction force of a gas spring (12) which expands and contracts upward in a frame (4) is transmitted to a vertically extending drive wire (6) which extends downward to generate an upward traction force, and the deflection reel ( In step 18), this is directed horizontally to an X-shaped link mechanism, which is connected to and pulled near the upper end of a link lever (16) having a rolling wheel on the upper side, and the inclination angle of the link lever (16) The chair seat is raised by the action of standing up, the buoyancy and the spring reaction force gradually reduced at that time are compensated, and the supporting lift is further increased to solve the problem.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the present system, the actual springs used to reverse the spring characteristics are all positive spring constants, and the constant values are generally quite large. Since it is impossible to change the spring characteristic itself to a negative value, the present invention employs means for mechanically adjusting the component force distribution to create a negative spring characteristic. Therefore, the plus spring constant as an essence still exists in the component distribution. Therefore, there is a concern that the configured negative spring characteristic effect is reduced. Therefore, in the present invention, a gas spring in which the spring constant of the spring is extremely small in principle is adopted to reduce the concern. However, since the structure of the gas spring has poor water resistance, it is necessary to take measures such as setting a position where the gas spring is not submerged, and placing the gas spring in a waterproof pipe with a bottom.

In an ordinary X-shaped link mechanism used for an industrial lift, for example, the central axes of two sets of left and right link levers are passed through the left and right by one strong common material, and two sets of link levers are further connected. Are joined together by a strong horizontal beam,
The rigidity required for the mechanism is ensured, and a hydraulic cylinder or a thrust bar of the electric motor, which serves as a power source for raising and lowering, is driven to expand and contract from the base of the mechanism toward the horizontal rail. With such a structure, there is no room for elevating the seat intended by the present invention, and the object cannot be achieved. Therefore, first, the shaft, the horizontal rail, and the like are removed from the space between the left and right link levers which are arranged so as to extend to the full width on both sides, and the space from the seat to the floor is completely free. As a means for compensating for the rigidity lost as a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the axis of the deflecting reel (18) is a single synchronous shaft (7) passing through the left and right as a shaft having a sufficient diameter, and both the right and left deflecting reels ( 18) With two grooves each, the lifting drive wire (6) is separated before and after the deflecting reel (18) and wound around separate grooves to prevent slippage between the wire and the reel. The wire loop (10) is crossed to compensate for mutual load imbalance to prevent twisting and tilting.

Although the present invention has been described with a view to improving the function of a bathing vehicle used for nursing care bathing in nursing homes, it is not limited to home bathing, but a lift for raising and lowering an object in liquid is manually operated. This is also effective in special cases such as changing the holding posture of the object during the lifting process.

Although not shown in the drawings, the number of persons taking a bath for nursing care in a facility or the like is unspecified and large, so that the distribution range of the body weight is wide and the size of the corresponding spring is impossible with only one kind. In the present invention, for this purpose, gas springs are separately arranged on the left and right, and two are used when corresponding to a person with a heavy weight, and only one is used for a person with a light weight. , One of the deflection reels is divided into two with one groove, and only the reel connected to the link lever is fixed to the synchronous shaft (7), and the reel connected to the gas spring is a synchronous shaft (7) with a clutch. Separate from the weight so that it can handle the weight.

[0015]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention in which a chair is raised and FIG. 2 shows a body immersed in hot water with the chair lowered. The operation and operation in such a situation will be described. The bathing car undergoes a care treatment before bathing by a helper in a dressing room and a washing room in the state of FIG. 1 and enters the bath through a slope leading into the bath tub when finished. Here, the helper depresses the stop pedal (22) to stop the movement of the cart (1), and locks the lift (1) with the lock lever (1).
4) Unlock by pulling with your left hand, put your legs on the lifting / lowering step (17) and add your own weight as appropriate, and the weight obtained by subtracting buoyancy from the added weight and the weight of the person sitting on the chair. Is larger than the support lift P, the chair seat descends. At that time, the backseat (3) descends twice as much as the seat (2), loosening the sling belt (5) to a deep V-shape and allowing the rider's hips to rest on the bottom of the bathtub. Become. Here, if the hand is released from the lock lever (14) and the elevating operation is set to the locked state, a bathing state is set. Next, when going out of the bathtub, the helper reverses the procedure, pulls the lock lever (14) with the left hand, grasps the lifting / lowering step (17) with the right hand and pulls up with the lock released. At this time as well, if the upward force, which is the sum of the buoyancy, the lifting force, and the support lift P, is greater than the weight of the person sitting on the chair, the load increases. When the ascending is completed, the lock lever (14) is released to fix the elevating of the chair seat, the stop pedal is released, and the bath returns to the state of FIG. 1 and the bathing car returns to the dressing room to finish bathing.

Equation 1 and Table 1 show how the assisting lift P corresponds to a change in the angle of attack α of the link lever in the process of raising and lowering the chair seat. As shown in FIG. 4, when the angle of attack α of the link lever becomes large, the chair seat rises and the depth S of the seat (2) becomes shallow, and the lifting drive wire (6) moves right by the amount of L × Cosα. Horizontally, the gas spring extends upward and relaxes the reaction force. However, since the assisting lift P is a Tanα component of the horizontal traction force applied to the upper end of the link lever, the rate of increase is larger, so that the system eventually exerts a function similar to negative spring characteristics.

[0017]

P = [KL · (Cosα−CosA) + F] Tanα S = YL · Sinα−DP: Support lift applied to the seat K: Spring constant of gas spring L: Effective length of link lever A: The maximum angle of attack of the link lever α: The angle of attack in the process of elevating the link lever F: The horizontal pulling force of the wire when the link lever is at the angle of attack A L · (Cosα−CosA): The horizontal drive distance of the wire, that is, compression of the gas spring Distance S: Depth from bath surface to seat Y: Depth from bath surface to bottom D: Height of bogie

[0019]

[Table 1]

[0020]

[Table 2] Graph of Table 1 Ks (system spring constant) = 2P / S = 1.752 kg / cm

[0021]

The variable sitting height bathing vehicle according to the present invention solves the problem of reaching the buttocks to the bottom of the bath and the problem of enabling the user to manually ascend and descend in the bath with a special spring characteristic. Has dramatically improved the bathing care problem, but has also brought the following benefits. In other words, during the descent process, the seat surface angle of the seat gradually shifts to the posture in which the knees are lifted up while tilting afterwards, and the posture which is originally unstable due to buoyancy in the posture where the seat reaches the bottom of the hot water However, at that time, both sides of the waist are surrounded by a frame, and after such a natural sinking operation, the buttocks are scooped up by a sling belt and arrive at the bottom of the bathtub, so anxiety is extremely high Feel calm and comfortable feeling of bathing. Furthermore, in recent years welfare has become increasingly mechanized, and the nursing care problem, which tends to detract from the sense of handling, has become the most difficult and closest to the skin as the basic human-to-human skinship fades. It is significant to pioneer the technology of expelling mechanical power in many nursing baths.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which a seat (2) is at a normal height position and is a transport wheelchair.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a state in which a seat (2) enters a bath tub and descends to the floor surface.

FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory view of a double speed mechanism formed in a frame (4).

FIG. 4 is a structural explanatory view of creating a negative spring characteristic by using an X-shaped link mechanism.

FIG. 5 shows means for preventing twisting by crossing the wire loop (10) left and right.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a synchronous shaft (7).

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Dolly 2 Seat seat 3 Back seat 4 Frame 5 Sling belt 6 Elevating drive wire 7 Synchronous shaft 8 Pulley shaft 9 Pulley 10 Wire loop 11 Support material 12 Gas spring 13 Damper 14 Lock lever 15 Frame front edge 16 Link lever 17 Elevation Step 18 Deflection reel 19 Double speed action point 20 Loop fixed point 21 Double speed action rail 22 Stop pedal

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] An X-shaped link mechanism is provided below a frame (4) in a seating chair structure of a bathing vehicle for supporting bathing care, extending horizontally left and right of a seat (2), and extending below the seat (2). The front edge (15) connecting the two channel members receiving the lifting force and the front edge of the seat (2) ascending and descending between the two channels are rotatably connected to each other to form a frame (4) body. Four pulleys (9) are arranged and configured in two separate systems on the left and right inside the housing that stands upright at the rear, and are positioned closer to the upper side inside the two sets of wire loops (10) that are respectively stretched. 2 points at the same height
9), a pulley double-speed action bar (21) is passed between the two points and fixed, and the upper edge of the back seat (3) is rotatably connected to the rail, and the lower edge of the back seat and the seat seat are fixed. (2) A flexible hammock is connected to the trailing edge with a flexible and strong cloth-like sling belt (5), and the double speed action point (19) is provided outside each of the two sets of wire loops.
The fixed point (20) is defined as a fixed point (20) at which two points that are lower by half the distance of the seat seat elevating distance range are fixed, and the upper end of the upright support member (11) having the lower end fixed at an appropriate position of the bath cart is fixed to this point. As a result, the rear edge of the seat sheet moves up and down at twice the speed of the front edge, and the buttocks position of the flexible hammock-shaped sling belt (5) moves up and down prior to the knee position, and the buttocks of the care-receiver. A bathing vehicle of the type that the lower surface can be attached to the bottom of the bathtub, and at the same time, the buttocks are dropped to surround the waist to stabilize the bathing posture. 2. A frame body (4) for forming a chair seat in a format in which a chair seat is combined with an X-shaped link mechanism mounted on a trolley (1) in a bathing vehicle for supporting bathing care and the seat height is raised and lowered. Gas spring built into the rear housing (12)
Of the cylinder rod extending downward and supporting the lower end thereof, and the lifting drive wire (6) hanging from the upper end of the cylinder extending and contracting upward is directed toward the X-shaped link mechanism located forward by the deflection reel (18). , Is coupled to the front upper end of the X-shaped link lever, and applies a spring reaction force to the point as a rearward horizontal traction force to change the crossing angle of the X-shaped link, thereby forming a rectangular quadrilateral formed by the tip of each lever. The change of the vertical force obtained by changing the aspect ratio of the spring, that is, the spring reaction force using the X-shaped link mechanism is used to offset the buoyancy that increases as the depth of bathing in the bath increases the work of the nursing bath support lift. A bathing vehicle whose means is converted into an approximate inverse function.