JPH02198552A - Movable supporting stand for face downward - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To enable a user move around freely even if he/she is at the stepping location or the other location, by having a means for fixing a center housing provided with center driven wheels to a frame member vertically and adjustably, and a stretchable frame for supporting a user's body, which is fixed to the housing so as to be tiltable. CONSTITUTION: A patient fixes a movable stooping support base 10 and a body supporting frame 14 to the vertical location. If he/she wants to adjust a frame 14, the height of the center housing 60 should be adjusted against frame members 16a and 16b in order to locate a leg supporting member 32 right over a floor. A user can approach the floor more closely as the frame 14 is being tilted ahead. After the frame 14 is fixed, the user is fastened by a leather strip 110, and makes a motor driven system, which raises and lowers the frame 14, to be acted using controller 112 as requested. Consequently, the user can operate the movable stooping support base by hand by turning wheels 18.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to walking devices for people who have lost the use of their legs. More specifically, the invention provides:
Concerning the idea and construction of a downwardly tilted support platform having a movable frame and a tiltable body support that allows the user to move between a vertical or upright position and a forwardly tilted position. be.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Many devices have been developed over the years to enable people who have lost the use of their legs to gain some degree of mobility. The most well-known device is, of course, the wheelchair, which can be moved by manually rotating a pair of large drive wheels on either side of the seat frame in which the user is in a seated position.

Although highly successful, these wheelchairs alone cannot meet all the needs of immobilized individuals. In many instances, a person who is immobilized will desire to move around in a nearly upright position, which is not possible in most wheelchairs. Additionally, the ability to bend or bend forward is often desired, but such ability, if possible, is only available in limited wheelchairs.

To provide these extra capabilities, a device called a mobile prone support was developed. Generally, these devices have a pair of large drive wheels similar to those found on regular wheelchairs. However, rather than having a seat for the user, this movable prone support has a tiltable body support frame or base to which the user is strapped in an upright position facing the body support frame. Become. This body support frame can be tilted about one axis located relatively close to the axis of the main drive wheel, so that the user can reach the main drive wheel regardless of the position of the support frame. Thus, the user can move around while in the upright position or any other position.Such a movable prone support particularly allows for enhanced exploration of its surroundings not available with traditional wheelchairs. It is beneficial for children who are developmentally incapacitated and who would benefit from such abilities.

Previous constructions for movable prone supports, however, have had certain drawbacks. In particular, the ability to adjust the size and positioning of the body support frame to accommodate different sizes of users has been extremely limited. Although a given body frame is generally extensible,
The ability to adjust the position of the tilt axis is usually very limited.

Furthermore, the construction was generally not suitable for the use of motorized drive means for raising and lowering the body support frame.

For these reasons, the axis of inclination spans a wide range of heights, typically at least about 6 inches (15,2 cm).
It would be desirable to provide a movable prone support having a body support that is adjustable, preferably over 12 inches (30.4 cm) or more. This is also useful for a motor-driven mechanism for raising and lowering the body platform such that this structure can accommodate a mechanism for adjusting the height of the axis of inclination of the body support platform. This is desirable if it is provided.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,578 describes a movable prone support having a body platform tilted about one axis fixed to a movable frame.

Although the length of this body platform is adjustable, no mechanism is provided to adjust the ground space to accommodate the increased length. U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,714 discloses the above method, except that the position of the body support is adjusted horizontally and vertically by placing serrated plates 29 and 30 mounted on a movable frame. A movable prone support platform has been described that is similar in terms of the structure described; however, the degree of vertical adjustment is very limited and the mechanical stability of the attachment appears to be insufficient. Seem.

If such a drive were mounted on a movable frame, it would be very difficult to provide a drive linkage that could accommodate changes in the position of the body platform.

The following US patents are of interest as they disclose devices for assisting people who are unable to stand up and move or remain in a standing position. That is, Section 4.11
No. 5.416, No. 4.054.319, No. 4.029
, No. 089, No. 3,629.880, No. 3.493,
No. 245, No. 3.165, 314, No. 3.107.1
No. 05 and No. 3.042.131.

[Means to solve the problem]

In accordance with the present invention, a movable prone support includes improved means for attaching a tiltable body support frame to a movable frame. The movable frame includes a pair of spaced apart elongated frame members, and a central drive wheel is mounted on each frame member near its center. Typically, caster wheels are provided at each end of the elongated frame member to provide stability. A central housing is secured between the elongate frame members, and this manner of securing provides for vertical adjustment of the housing relative to the frame members over a relatively wide distance, typically at least 6 inches (15,2 cm).
), preferably at least about 12 inches (30,4c+
a). The body support frame is then tiltably secured to the central housing such that the axis of tilt is raised and lowered with the housing. In this way, the elongation of the body frame members, in particular of the lower footrest portion of the body frame member, can be accommodated while preserving sufficient ground space and ensuring that the user's center of gravity is always kept as low as possible. Become something. Keeping the axis of tilt as low as possible makes it easier for the user to reach the ground when the body support frame is tilted forward and also provides a compact shape for storage.

In a preferred embodiment, a drive assembly with mounted motors for raising and lowering the body support frame is mounted inside the central housing.

Such a construction has the advantage that the linkage between the motorized drive and the body support frame is not disturbed when the height of the axis of inclination of the body support frame is adjusted. Such an integral construction, in which the motorized drive is mounted inside a housing attached to the body support frame, is not found in the prior art as described above.

In a further preferred embodiment, the central housing comprises:
It is attached to the elongated frame member by a pair of cantilever plates that are removably attached to the central housing at preselected opposite angles (with respect to the horizontal plane). In this way, by tilting both cantilever plates downward, the central housing is biased downward, while by orienting this cantilever plate upward, the central housing is lifted upward. It will be done. Therefore, this reversible cantilever plate allows the central housing to assume one of two basic configurations, a raised configuration and a lowered configuration, which are dependent on the cantilever plate. This can be easily obtained by reversing the position. It will be appreciated that an angled or beveled cantilevered plate is not essential to the invention, and other configurations that provide reversible offset mounting of the central housing are also suitable.

The central housing typically includes a plurality of vertically spaced mounting points for the cantilever plates. This mounting allows for much less spacing between the points than the height difference obtained by reversing these cantilever plates, so both large and fine adjustments in the height of the housing are This can be accomplished by selecting the location of the beam plate and which mounting points are used. Preferably, the mounting is such that continuous adjustment of the height of the housing is obtained in equal increments by suitably selecting the spacing between the points.

In a particular embodiment of the invention, knee pads are provided on the body support frame to support the user's knees. Each of these knee pads includes a pair of vertically spaced contact pads that contact the user's leg just above and below the patella.

The knee pads are pivotally mounted on a universal joint so that the knee pads are self-aligned and adjustable to provide maximum comfort to the user.

In a second particular aspect of the invention, the body support frame includes a solid shaft portion, a downwardly extendable leg support portion, and an upwardly extendable thoracic support portion. The shaft portion has an elongated body having a pair of parallel axial holes;
Both the leg support portion and the chest support portion, on the other hand, include a pair of parallel extension members received in the upper and lower ends of the holes, respectively. This construction provides a high degree of stiffness and resistance to rotation and also simplifies housing installation. Conveniently, the solid shaft portion is pivotally attached to the central housing using a single clevis formed in the housing.

〔Example〕

Referring to FIG. 1, a movable prone support platform IO constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention includes a movable frame 12 and a body support frame 14. The movable frame 12 also has
It includes a pair of elongated frame members 16a and 16b that are spaced apart and generally parallel to each other. A central drive wheel 18 is rotatably mounted to each elongate frame member 16 about its central point. Frame member 16 with elongated caster wheels 20
are attached to each end of the movable frame 12 to provide stability to the movable frame 12. Skids or other stabilizing features (not shown) may be provided in place on at least some of the castors, but are generally not preferred.

Each elongate frame member 16 includes a solid shaft portion 22, and the castor 20 is mounted on an extension rod 24 that is received within a hole formed within the shaft portion 22.

In this manner, castor 20 can be extended away from shaft portion 22, as best seen in FIG. 5, where the extended castor is shown in dashed lines.

Body support frame 14 includes a central frame member 26 that has a thoracic support 28, a lumbar support 30, and a leg support 32 attached thereto.

Chest support 28 is extendable upwardly as shown by arrow 34, while leg supports 32 are extendable downwardly as shown by arrow 36.

Central frame member 26 is connected to shaft portion 22 of frame member 16.
It includes a shaft portion 38 which is similarly constructed. This shaft portion 38 includes a pair of parallel holes extending axially therethrough, the upper ends of which are connected to a pair of rod extensions 4.
0 into the socket, and its lower end receives a pair of rod extensions 42.

References to upper and lower herein and in the claims refer to the prone support in the upright position as shown in FIGS. 1-3. Chest support member 2
B is attached to the upper rod extension member 40, while the foot support member 32 is attached to the lower rod extension member 42.

In this manner, the length of body support frame 14 is extended both by raising chest support 28 and lowering leg supports 32.

Still referring now to FIG. 2, a pair of knee pads 48 are attached to a transverse bar 50 having a depending shaft 52. As shown in FIG. Each knee pad includes a pair of contact pads 54 that are vertically spaced apart and shaped to fit snugly over the user's legs just above and below the patella. These knee pads 48 are attached to the shaft 52 by means of a self-joint that allows full rotation in two planes and thus provides self-alignment of these pads to the knee of the user.
installed on. It has been found that this construction of the knee pad provides particularly comfortable support for the user over long periods of time.

3A and 3B, the shaft portion 38 of the central frame member 26 of the body support frame 14 is pivotally mounted to the central housing 60, as will be described in further detail. The central housing 60 is an elongated rectangular box with multiple openings to reduce its weight. A U-link 62 is formed at the rear end of the central housing 60 (on the right in Figure 3A, Figure 3) and receives a reinforcing sleeve 64 formed over the shaft portion 38 of the body support frame 4. A pivot pin 66 extends through the clevis 62 and into the reinforcing sleeve 64 such that the body support frame 14
It is possible to freely tilt or rotate around an axis defined by 6.

Although the axial portion of the body support frame 14 can rotate relative to the housing 60, it cannot move relative to the housing. That is, no device is provided for changing the position of the axis of rotation relative to the housing 60 itself, but the chest support 28 and leg supports 32 can be raised and lowered, respectively, relative to the central housing.

To accommodate different lengths to which the foot supports 32 are extended, the central housing 60 is provided with a vertically adjustable mounting mechanism including first and second cantilevered plates 70 and 72. Each support beam plate 70 and 72 includes a pair of beam members 80 and a support plate 82 therebetween. The cavity defined between the beams 8o is utilized to mount a battery for powering the motor-driven support frame tilting mechanism, as further described below.

The beam member 80 is removably secured to both the central housing 60 and the shaft portion 22 of the frame member 16, conveniently using bolts or screws 90 (FIG. 4A).

Equivalent rapid attachment/disassembly devices are also suitable. Each end of the beam 8° is cut at an angle oblique to a plane perpendicular to the axis of the beam. That is, when the beam members are secured to both the central housing 60 and the shaft portion 22, the beam members will be biased upwardly or downwardly with respect to the horizontal plane between the frame members 16. As shown in FIG. 3A, beam member 80 (and thus also cantilever plates 70 and 72) are oriented generally downwardly in a direction from frame member 22 toward central housing 60. As shown in FIG.

The central housing 60 will therefore be carried in a relatively low or depressed configuration. In Figure 3, on the contrary,
Beam member 80 (and thus cantilevered plates 70 and 72) is angled upwardly from frame member 22 in a direction toward the central housing. The central housing is therefore carried in a relatively high or elevated configuration. Thus, the central housing has cantilevered plates 70 and 72.
The beam member 80 can be easily raised and lowered by reversing its position. Other such reversible bias mounting mechanisms, such as L-brackets, are also suitable.

In addition to the primary change in height obtained by reversing the arrangement of cantilever plates 70 and 72, a similar change in height can be achieved by The attachment of the beam member 80 to the member 16) is achieved by varying the height of the points. 4th A and 4th
As best seen in Figure B, multiple installations are required at point 86.
are provided on each side of the central housing 60. The height of the central housing 60 can be adjusted by increasing the distance between the cantilever plates 70 and 72 even though their attachments remain in fixed positions. As shown in solid lines, the cantilever plate beam member 80 is shown in its lower position, with the central housing in its lowermost position. However, the central housing 60 can be simply moved upwardly by loosening the screws 90 securing it to the mounting points 86 and resecuring the next lower set of mounting points. This raises the pivot point 66, as shown by the dashed pivot point 66 in FIG. 4A. Similarly, central housing 60 is shown in its fully raised configuration by dashed lines in FIG. 4A. But housing 6
0 is the next upper mounting point 86 for each of the beam members 80.
It can be lowered gradually by moving .

Referring now to FIG. 5, the body support frame 14 is raised and raised by a motorized linkage 100 extending from the central housing 6°0 to a clevis or projection 102 attached to the lower end of the shaft portion 38. be lowered.

Tension springs 104 are provided to help balance the body frame 14 and raise the frame against the weight of the user. It will be appreciated that the motor and linkage 100 need not be adjusted each time the central housing is raised or lowered to produce a corresponding change in the height of the pivot point 66. That is, the housing 60
and the body support frame 14, whose height is the same as that of the housing 6.
0 and the frame 14 form an integral unit that can be adjusted by changing any of the connections between the frame 14 and the frame 14.

In use, the patient normally mounts the movable prone support 10 with the body support frame 14 in a substantially vertical position. If it is necessary to adjust the body support frame 14, the height of the central housing 60 is adjusted accordingly so that the foot support member 32 is moved to the support surface S, which may be the floor or ground.
located directly above. By keeping the axis of inclination as close to the ground S as possible, the user can
As it is tilted forward, it can approach the ground more closely. This allows small users, especially children, better access to the ground.

After installing the body support frame 14, the user is strapped in using a leather strap 110, as best seen in FIG. The user then uses controller 112 to raise or lower body support frame 14 as desired. The controller operates a motor drive that is housed in the housing 60 and moves the link arm 100 axially to raise or lower the body support frame 14. At any time, the user can manually move the movable prone support by rotating the wheels 18 in a manner similar to a conventional wheelchair.

Although the invention has been illustrated, exemplified and described in detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be obvious that certain modifications and variations may be practiced within the scope of the appended claims.

The embodiments of the present invention are listed below.

1. The movable prone support platform according to claim 1, wherein the body support frame includes a shaft portion, a downwardly extendable foot support portion, and an upwardly extendable chest support portion.

2. The shaft portion includes a pair of parallel axial holes, the foot support portion includes a pair of extension members received at the lower ends of the axial holes, and the thoracic support portion includes a pair of extension members received in the lower ends of the axial holes; 2. The movable prone support stand according to claim 1, further comprising a pair of extension members received at the upper ends thereof.

3. The movable prone support platform according to claim 1, wherein the body support frame includes a pair of knee pads.

4. The knee pads each include a pair of spaced contact pads such that the pads are positioned above and below the user's kneecap when the user is seated on the support frame. The movable face-down support stand according to 3 above.

5. A movable prone support as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means mounted with a motor attached to the central housing for raising and lowering the body support frame.

6. means for vertically biased attachment includes first and second cantilevers, said first cantilever being removably attached to one side of said central housing and said first cantilever being removably attached to one side of said central housing; a second member of the frame member, and a second cantilever removably attached to the opposite side of the housing and extending to a second member of the frame member, each of the cantilevers being inclined with respect to a horizontal plane. 3. A movable prone support as claimed in claim 2, wherein the housing is raised or lowered depending on the position of these cantilevers.

7. Cantilever beams are attached to the housing along a plurality of vertically spaced mounts to allow further vertical adjustment of the housing within each area of the raised and lowered configurations. 6. The movable prone support stand according to 6 above.

8. A movable prone support as claimed in claim 2, wherein one castor is attached to each end of each frame member.

90. The movable prone support stand according to 8 above, wherein the caster is extendable from the frame member.

10. The movable prone support platform according to claim 2, wherein the body support frame includes a shaft portion, a downwardly extendable leg support portion, and an upwardly extendable chest support portion.

11. The shaft portion includes a pair of parallel axial holes, the foot support portion includes a pair of extension members received in the lower ends of the axial holes, and the thoracic support portion includes a pair of extension members received in the lower ends of the axial holes. 11. The movable face-down support stand according to 10 above, comprising a pair of extension members received at the upper ends.

12. The movable prone support platform according to 9 above, wherein the body support frame includes a pair of knee pads.

13. The knee pad includes a pair of spaced apart contact pads such that the pads are positioned above and below the user's kneecap when the user is seated on the support frame. 13. The movable face-down support stand according to 12 above.

14. The movable prone support of claim 2 further comprising motorized means attached to the central housing and adapted to raise and lower the body support frame.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a sloped view from the rear of the movable support base of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a detailed view showing the attachment of the knee pad of the present invention to the main body support frame, and Fig. 3A is the FIG. 3B is an enlarged front perspective view with a portion of the movable prone support shown in FIG. 1 cut away, showing the central housing in its uppermost position; FIG. An enlarged slope view taken from the front.
FIG. 4A is a detailed view of the central housing of the present invention, with the central housing shown in its lowest position, showing the height difference obtained by reversing the cantilever support plates; Its lowermost position is shown by a solid line, its uppermost position is shown by a broken line, and its axis position is shown by an imaginary line. Fig. 4B is a front view similar to Fig. 4A, and Fig. 5 shows that the main body support frame is fully tilted forward. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing the movable prone support of the present invention in a closed position; 1O... Movable prone support base, 12... Movable frame, 14... Main body support frame, 16a, 16b... Elongated frame member, 18... Central drive wheel, 20... Castor, 22 ...Solid shaft part,
24... Extension rod, 26... Central frame member, 28... Chest support, 30... Lumbar support, 3
2... Foot support, 38... Shaft portion, 40, 4
2... Rod extension member, 48... Knee pad, 54... Contact pad,
60...Central housing, 62...U link, 64
... Reinforcement sleeve, 66... Rotating bottle, 70,
72... Cantilever plate, 80... Beam member, 82... Support plate, 90... Bolt or screw.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A pair of frame members disposed at intervals, a central drive wheel rotatably fixed to each of these frame members near the center thereof, and a central drive wheel disposed between these frame members. a central housing; means for vertically adjustably attaching the housing to said frame member; and means tiltably attached to said housing having an extendable length adapted to accommodate ground clearances by vertical adjustment of said housing; A movable prone support platform comprising: a body support frame having a body support frame; 2. a pair of spaced apart frame members; a central drive wheel rotatably fixed to each frame member near the center thereof; and at least one central drive wheel attached to each frame member for providing equilibrium. a central housing disposed between the frame members and having a clevis at one end; a shaft portion and a downwardly extendable foot support portion, the shaft portion being connected to the central housing; a body support frame adapted to be tiltably received in the clevis; and a motor mounted within the central housing for moving the body support frame between a vertical position and an inclined position. means for mounting the housing on the frame member in a vertically biased manner, the housing being elevated above the frame member; and means for vertically biasing the housing onto the frame member; and a second mounting arrangement that is lifted.