JP3933753B2 - Bathing equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a bathing apparatus that allows a person who needs bathing assistance, such as a physically handicapped person or an elderly person, to take a bath safely and without much assistance.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as a bathing apparatus of this type, an elevating rail that is moved up and down by an elevating drive mechanism is arranged inside a bathtub, and on the other hand, a seat mounted on the upper side of a traveling carriage provided with a rail on the upper side is a rail. Prepare a wheelchair that can be separated while being moved along, and transfer the seat from the traveling carriage onto the lifting rail in a state where the elevation rail is matched with the height of the rail on the traveling carriage of the wheelchair. In such a state, a type in which the bather is brought into the bathtub together with the seat body by lowering the elevating rail is known (see JP-A-6-319778).
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the said bathing apparatus, the support | pillar which supports a raising / lowering rail stood up in the approximate center part of the bathtub, and when the general person took a bath, there existed a problem that this support | pillar got in the way.
[0004]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and can be disposed at the corner of the bathtub or outside the bathtub without protruding a column or the like for supporting the lifting rail to the central part of the bathtub, and requires care. An object of the present invention is to provide a bathing apparatus that can be used as a bath for the general public as well as for the general public.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention relates to a wheelchair in which a seat mounted on an upper side of a traveling carriage provided with a rail on the upper side is separable while being moved along the rail, and a lift drive mechanism provided in a bathtub. In a bathing apparatus comprising: an elevating rail that is moved up and down, and the elevating rail being made to match the height of the rail on the traveling carriage of the wheelchair, the seating body is transferred from the traveling carriage onto the lifting rail,
The elevating rail is horizontally moved between a seat body delivery position at the tub edge and a bathing position at a substantially central part of the tub via a link mechanism interposed between the elevating rail and the elevating drive mechanism .
The link mechanism is a parallel link mechanism (8);
The parallel link mechanism includes a rotating body (25) that is rotated by a cylinder, and the rotating body is provided with an engaging portion (30) that engages with the cylinder only when the rotating body reaches an upper position. The rotating body is provided with a rotation restricting means (35) for restricting the rotation of the rotating body when the rotating body is lowered and the engaging portion releases the engagement with the cylinder. .
It is preferable that the link mechanism is operated only when the elevating rail reaches the upper position so as to horizontally move the elevating rail.
The elevating drive mechanism is preferably disposed outside the bathtub.
[0006]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
<First Embodiment of the Invention>
1 to 5 show a bathing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This bathing apparatus includes a wheelchair 1 capable of traveling on the floor 2 and facilities on the bathtub 3 side.
[0007]
As the equipment on the bathtub 3 side, a parallel link attached to the column 5 outside the bathtub 3 in the vicinity of the bathtub side wall and the lifting body 6 incorporated in the column 5 via a connecting member 7. There are a mechanism 8, a lifting platform 10 supported in a cantilever state by a parallel link mechanism 8 via a support rod 9, and a pair of left and right lifting rails 11 fixed on the lifting platform 10.
[0008]
As shown in FIG. 3, the column 5 is divided into a small-angle tube portion 12 and a large-angle tube portion 13. The elevating body 6 is incorporated in the small-angle tube portion 12 through a cross-shaped guide roller 14 attached to the upper and lower ends thereof so as to be able to move up and down. On the other hand, an elevating drive mechanism 15 that elevates and lowers the elevating body 6 is incorporated in the large-angle tube portion 13. As shown in FIG. 2, the elevating drive mechanism 15 is wound around a cylinder 18 fixed to the upper lid portion 17 of the large-angle cylindrical portion 13 and a first sprocket 19 attached to the lower free end of the cylinder 18. And a chain 20. The chain 20 has one end fixed to the upper lid portion 17 of the large-angle tube portion 13 and an intermediate portion disposed between the first sprocket 19 and the small-angle tube portion and the large-angle tube portion. The other end is connected to the elevating body 6 by being wound around the sprocket 21.
[0009]
Then, when the cylinder 18 is expanded and contracted, the elevating body 6 is moved up and down following the movement of the chain 20.
Note that a pump, a solenoid valve, and a tank for driving the cylinder 18 and the cylinder 23 that rotates the elevating rail 11 through the parallel link mechanism 8 are provided on the sides of the small-angle cylinder portion 12 and the large-angle cylinder portion 13. Such hydraulic equipment is arranged.
[0010]
The elevating body 6 is provided with the connecting member 7 so as to protrude outside through a vertical groove formed in the small-angle cylindrical portion 12. The parallel link mechanism 8 is provided between the connecting member 7 and the lifting rail support 24. When the rotating body 25 attached to the connecting member 7 is rotated, the lifting rail support 24 is always in the same direction. It keeps moving and moves in the horizontal direction. The parallel link mechanism 8 is constructed by connecting two large and small links 26 and 27 between the connecting member 7 and the lifting rail support 24 at both ends.
[0011]
A rotating body 25 is provided on the connecting member 7 so as to rotate horizontally via a bearing 25 a, and one end of the large link 26 is fixed to the rotating body 25. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the rotating rod 25 is provided with an engagement rod 29 extending in the vertical direction via a stay 29 a. A long hole 30 is formed at the upper end of the engagement rod 29, and a roller 31 is attached to the lower end of the engagement rod 29. A cylinder fixed to the side of the small-angle cylindrical portion 12 and the large-angle cylindrical portion 13 when the rotating body 25 reaches the upper position together with the lifting rail 11 and reaches a predetermined angular position in the long hole 30. A sharpened portion 23b attached to the tip of the 23 rod 23a is inserted.
[0012]
On the other hand, a guide corner 34 is provided in the vertical direction through the stay 34 a in the small-angle tube portion 12, and the roller 31 is guided to the guide corner 34. The guide corner portion 34 has a position where the engagement rod 29 is slightly lowered from the upper position together with the rotating body 25, that is, a position where the engagement rod 29 is disengaged from the sharpened portion 23b at the tip of the cylinder rod 23a. The roller 31 is guided to the lower limit position to restrict the rotation of the rotating body 25, and when the engagement rod 29 reaches the upper position, the height position is released so that the guide of the roller 31 is released. Is set.
That is, the roller 31 and the guide corner portion 34 constitute a rotation restricting means 35 that holds the rotating body 25 at a predetermined angular position and restricts the rotation of the rotating body 25.
[0013]
The lifting platform 10 is supported by the lifting rail support 24 via the support rod 9. 2 and 3, reference numerals 36 and 37 denote frames for preventing the body from falling down, and are arranged at the end of the bathtub so as not to disturb the bather. Reference numeral 38 denotes guide means for guiding the traveling carriage 41 below the wheelchair 1 to the bathtub 3.
[0014]
The wheelchair 1 will be briefly described. The wheelchair 1 includes a lower traveling carriage 41 and an upper seat 51 that is detachably mounted on the traveling carriage 41 as shown in FIG. The traveling carriage 41 has a frame 42, and a caster 43 for traveling on the floor surface 2 is provided below the frame 42. Further, a pair of left and right rails 44 for causing the seat body 51 to travel in the front-rear direction and a lock plate disposed between the rails 44 are provided on the upper surface of the frame 42.
[0015]
The seat body 51 includes a seat body main body 52 supported by the traveling carriage 41, and a plurality of unillustrated wheels that roll on the rails 44 of the traveling carriage 41 are provided on the lower surface of the seat body main body 52. ing. Note that the roller 53 illustrated in FIG. 1 restricts the seat body 51 from moving in the left-right direction with respect to the lifting rail 11. The seat body 51 has a seat portion 54 that is attached to the upper portion of the seat body 52 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and has a footrest portion 55 in front thereof. In addition, a handle 56 that is gripped when the assistant pushes the hand is attached to the rear end of the seat body 52. In addition, the seat portion 54 and the footrest portion 55 are rotated in the vertical direction so-called reclining. A tilting lever 57 that is operated when the state is set to the above state and a unlocking lever 59 for releasing a locking mechanism that fixes the seat body 51 to the traveling carriage 41 are respectively attached.
[0016]
A lock pin (not shown) of the lock mechanism is detachable with respect to a lock hole provided in the lock plate of the traveling carriage 41, and is normally urged in the locking direction. By fitting, the seat body 51 can be fixed in a state of being positioned on the traveling carriage 41. In addition, the lock pin can be fixed to the lifting platform 10 by being fitted into a lock hole formed on the lifting platform 10 side.
[0017]
Next, the operation of the bathing apparatus having the above configuration will be described.
When a physically handicapped person or the like takes a bath, the elevating drive mechanism 15 and the cylinder 23 are operated, and the elevating rail 11 is placed at the seat body delivery position (A) above the edge of the bathtub. In this state, the wheelchair 1 on which a care recipient M such as a physically handicapped is previously placed is positioned at a predetermined position on the side of the bathtub 3 through the guide means 38. At this time, the rail 44 and the elevating rail 11 of the traveling carriage 41 are arranged in a straight line. In this state, the unlocking lever 59 is operated to release the fixation between the traveling carriage 41 and the seat body 51, and the assistant pushes the seat body 51 forward to move, and gets on the lift rail 11 together with the seat body 51. Move.
[0018]
When the seat body 51 is transferred onto the lift rail 11, the lock pin biased in the locking direction automatically fits into a lock hole (not shown) of the lift base 10 and the seat body 51 is locked to the lift base 10. . Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the elevating rail 11 is moved horizontally from the (A) position to the (B) position, and then lowered to bring the care recipient into a bathing state.
[0019]
That is, when the transfer of the seat body 51 to the lifting platform 10 is completed, the cylinder 23 is shortened, and the rotating body 25 is rotated 90 degrees clockwise in FIG. 3 via the stay 29a. Following the rotating body 25, the elevating rail support 24, the elevating rail 11 and the like also rotate 90 degrees in the same direction. Here, since the elevating rail support 24 and the connecting member 7 and the like constitute the parallel link mechanism 8, the elevating rail support 24 and the elevating platform 10 and the elevating rail 11 supported by the elevating rail support 24 face the same direction. In other words, the elevating rail 11 rotates while facing the left-right direction in FIG.
[0020]
Thereafter, the cylinder 18 of the elevating drive mechanism 15 is driven through the chain 20, the elevating body 6, the rotating body 25 supported rotatably through the connecting member 7, and the rotating body 25 via the parallel link mechanism 8. The connected lifting rail support 24 and the support rod 9 are lowered. At this time, since the sharpened portion 23b of the cylinder rod 23a is inserted into the long hole 30 of the stay 29a as shown in FIG. 5, the rotation of the rotating body 25 is restricted by the cylinder 23 in the extended state. On the other hand, after the descent proceeds and the sharpened portion 23b comes out of the long hole 30, the roller 31 of the engaging rod 29 is now guided to the guiding corner portion 34, thereby restricting the rotation of the rotating body 25. Is done. In other words, when the vehicle is descending and when it is lowered to the lower limit position, the rotation of the rotating body 25, the lifting rail 11 and the like is restricted and held at the position shown in FIG. Therefore, the seat body 51 does not rotate unnecessarily, and the care recipient can reach the bathing state with peace of mind.
[0021]
After bathing, the elevating drive mechanism 15 is operated to raise the elevating rail 11. Then, the roller 31 attached to the lower end of the engagement rod 29 is detached from the guide corner 34 as the elevating rail 11 and the rotating body 25 that moves up and down integrally therewith, but at the same time, the roller 31 is waiting upward. The sharpened portion 23 b of the cylinder rod 23 a is inserted into the long hole 30. Thereafter, as the cylinder 23 extends, the rotating body 25 and the stay 29a rotate in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 3, thereby bringing the elevating rail 11 to the seat body delivery position (A). Thereafter, the lock mechanism that fixes the seat body 51 on which the care recipient M is placed to the lifting platform 10 is released, and the seat body 51 is moved rightward in FIG. 3 to ride on the traveling carriage 41 of the wheelchair 1. Transfer. At that time, when the seat body 51 comes to a predetermined position on the traveling carriage 41, the lock mechanism automatically operates to fix the seat body 51 to the traveling carriage 41.
[0022]
<Second Embodiment of the Invention>
6 and 7 show a second embodiment of the invention.
The feature of this embodiment is that a small-angle cylinder part 12 that accommodates the elevating body 6 and a large-angle cylinder part 13 that accommodates the elevating drive mechanism 15 such as the cylinder 18 are respectively arranged at the corners in the bathtub 3.
Thus, by arranging the small-angle cylinder part 15 and the large-angle cylinder part 13 in the bathtub 3, the rotation center P of the elevating rail 11 can be arranged at a position close to the center part of the bathtub 3, and accordingly, bathing is provided. Sometimes the lifting rail 11 and the seat 51 fixed to the upper part thereof can be arranged in the central part of the bathtub 3. In addition, the links 26 and 27 have a bent shape, thereby preventing the links from interfering with the elevating drive mechanism 15 and the like.
[0023]
In this embodiment, the lifting / lowering table 10 is translated in the horizontal direction via the parallel link mechanism 8, the lifting / lowering table 10 and the like are rotated by the cylinder 23, and the rotating body 25 and the like are lowered. The point that the rotation of the rotary body 25 and the like is regulated by 35 is the same as in the first embodiment.
Further, in this embodiment, when the lifting platform 10 is supported by the lifting rail support 24, the lifting platform 10 is directly supported without the support rod. And different.
[0024]
<Third Embodiment of the Invention>
8 and 9 show a third embodiment of the invention.
The feature of this embodiment is that the small-angle tube portion 12 that houses the elevating body 6 is arranged at the corner in the bathtub 3, while the large-angle tube portion 13 that houses the elevating drive mechanism 15 such as the cylinder 18 is outside the bathtub 3. And a hydraulic device (not shown) such as a pump, a solenoid valve, and an oil tank is disposed between them.
Thus, even if it arrange | positions, since the raising / lowering rail 11 is moved horizontally via the parallel link mechanism 8, the small angle | corner cylinder part 12 can be arrange | positioned as much as possible in the corner instead of the center part in the bathtub 3. Thus, the general public can also take a bath sufficiently.
[0025]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the lifting rail is connected via the link mechanism interposed between the lifting rail and the lifting drive mechanism to the seat body delivery position at the bathtub edge and the bathing position at the substantially central part of the bathtub. Since it is made the structure which moves horizontally between, the support | pillar etc. which support a raising / lowering rail can be arrange | positioned in the corner or the outer side of a bathtub in a bathtub as far as possible from the center part of a bathtub. For this reason, a support | pillar etc. do not get in the way, and the bathtub can be used in common for both a care recipient and a general bather, and is particularly suitable for home care.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the link mechanism is a parallel link mechanism, the lift rail always faces in the same direction even when the lift rail is swung via the link mechanism. A care recipient who sits on the top can take a bath or take a bath with peace of mind, and the burden on the caregiver is reduced.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the parallel link mechanism includes a rotating body that is rotated by a cylinder, and the rotating body is engaged with the cylinder only when the rotating body reaches an upper position. Since the rotating body is provided with a rotation restricting means for restricting the rotation of the rotating body when the rotating body descends and the engaging section releases the engagement with the cylinder. With a simple configuration, it is possible to prevent the lifting rail and the seat body from rotating unnecessarily.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the link mechanism is operated only when the elevating rail reaches the upper position to move the elevating rail horizontally, so that the elevating rail is lowered during bathing or after rotation. In addition, it is possible to prevent the lifting rails and seats from rotating unnecessarily, and even if operated incorrectly, the lifting rails do not hit the bathtub wall and damage the bathtub. Can be prevented.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the elevating drive mechanism is arranged outside the bathtub, the bathtub can be used widely, and it is advantageous in terms of both the life of the elevating drive mechanism and the maintenance. .
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing the same embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the same embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing details of a rotating body and an engagement rod used in the embodiment.
5 is a sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 4, showing details of the rotating body and the engagement rod used in the same embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the same embodiment;
FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the same embodiment;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wheelchair 3 Bathtub 6 Lifting body 8 Parallel link mechanism 9 Supporting rod 10 Lifting stand 11 Lifting rail 12 Small angle cylinder part 13 Large angle cylinder part 15 Lifting drive mechanism 18 Cylinder 23 Cylinder 23b Sharpening part 24 Lifting rail support body 25 Rotating body 30 Length Hole (engagement part)
34 Guide corner 35 Rotation restricting means 41 Traveling carriage 51 Seat

Claims (3)

A wheelchair (1) in which a seat (51) placed on the upper side of a traveling carriage (41) provided with a rail (44) on the upper side is made separable while being moved along the rail, and in a bathtub And an elevating rail (11) that is raised and lowered by an elevating drive mechanism (15), and the elevating rail is raised and lowered from above the traveling carriage in a state where it coincides with the height of the rail on the traveling carriage of the wheelchair. In the bathing device for transferring the seat on the rail,
The elevating rail is horizontally provided between a seat body delivery position at the edge of the bathtub and a bathing position at the substantially central part of the bathtub via a link mechanism (8) interposed between the elevating rail and the elevating drive mechanism. Moved ,
The link mechanism is a parallel link mechanism (8);
The parallel link mechanism includes a rotating body (25) that is rotated by a cylinder, and the rotating body is provided with an engaging portion (30) that engages with the cylinder only when the rotating body reaches an upper position. The rotating body is provided with a rotation restricting means (35) for restricting the rotation of the rotating body when the rotating body is lowered and the engaging portion releases the engagement with the cylinder. Bathing device.   2. The bathing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the link mechanism operates only when the elevating rail reaches an upper position to horizontally move the elevating rail. The elevation driving mechanism bathing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is arranged outside the tub.

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