JPH11114006A - Bathing helping device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily arrange a bathing helping device in a bath tub in a general home and to easily use it by providing detachably and elevating/lowering means consisting of a pair of both side endless chains which are driven by means of an electric motor in a main frame erected inside the bath tub and linking connecting a folded chair to the elevating/lowering means. SOLUTION: The elevating/lowering means 4 consisting of a pair of both side endless chains 3 driven by a forward/backward electric motor 2 is provided in the main frame 1 which is detachably erected inside the bath tub W and the folded chair 5 is linked and connected to the elevating/lowering means 4. A pair of left and right restraining part pieces 23 where a restraining groove opening downward is formed are projectedly provided at the rear surface upper side of a seat back frame part 22a in the seat frame 22 of the folded chair 5 and a horizontal spindle is provided in the rear surface lower end corner of the seat back frame part 22a. Then, a guide roller 25 detachably engaged is fitted to the both end parts of the spindle along the outside end parts of the both left and right side frames 6 of the main frame 1. A water-tight cable to which a water-tight depression button switch is connected is extended from the electric motor 2 to a seat part seat 27.

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 used for bathing a person who needs nursing care, such as a bedridden sick person or a person with a physical disability, at home.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various types of bathing assisting devices for those who need nursing care have been proposed. However, most of the devices are large and large-scale devices. It can be used only in special bathtubs such as hospitals, and if it is to be used in ordinary households, the entire bathroom must be enlarged and a dedicated bathtub must be installed. It can be more expensive.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a bathing assisting device which is simple in structure and small in size and can be manufactured at a low cost, and which can be easily installed in a general home bathtub and used easily. And

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bathing assisting apparatus comprising a pair of endless chains driven by an electric motor on a main frame removably provided in a bathtub. , 3 and a chair 5 is connected to the lifting means 4 in an interlocked manner.

According to a second aspect, in the bathing assist device according to the first aspect, the chair 5 extends from the electric motor 2 installed at the upper end of the main frame 1 to a position near the seat 27 of the chair 5. The lifting and lowering operation is performed by a watertight push button switch 40 connected to the watertight cable 39.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the bathing assist device according to the first or second aspect, the chair 5 is provided with a backrest frame portion 22a.
And a seat frame 22b, which is substantially L-shaped when viewed from the side. The hook pieces 23, 23 protruding from the upper end of the back frame 22a of the seat frame 22 A pair of guide rollers 25, 25 on both sides of the main frame 1 are detachably hung on the horizontal support shaft 20 connected to the endless chains 3, 3, and attached to the lower end of the backrest frame 22 a. It is adapted to be rollably engaged.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the bathing assist device according to the third aspect, guide rollers 21 and 21 are attached to both ends of a horizontal support shaft 20 connected to the endless chains 3, 3. , 21 are guided by a pair of guide grooves 11, 11 provided on both sides provided in the main frame 1.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the bathing assist device according to the third or fourth aspect, a seat portion seat 27 is mounted on the seat portion frame 22b of the seat frame 22, and at least both right and left sides of the seat portion frame 22b are provided. On one side, an auxiliary sheet 28 that can be placed on the upper end portion a of the side wall of the bathtub W is pivotally attached so as to be bent only upward.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the bathing assistance device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the main frame 1 has two side portions,
A pair of brackets 31, 31 projecting from the upper end b of the short side wall of the bathtub W via the pedestal 30 is screwed to both sides, and is fixed to the bottom of the bathtub W by a suction cup 32 attached to the lower end of the main frame 1. It is made to be done.

[0010]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a state in which a bathing assisting device according to the present invention is installed and used in a bathtub W of a general household bathroom, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section of the bathing assisting device. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal rear view of the bathing assistance device, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view of the bathing assistance device. As can be seen from these figures, the bathing assist device is provided on a main frame 1 which is detachably provided in a bathtub W, on a main frame 1 which is driven by a forward / reverse electric motor 2 which can be connected to a household power supply of AC 100 V. An elevating means 4 comprising endless chains 3 is provided, and a chair 5 is connected to the elevating means 4 in an interlocked manner.

As can be seen from FIG. 4, the main frame 1 has a pair of U-shaped side frames 6 and 6 on both right and left sides, and an L-shaped cross-section attached to the center of the inner surface of each of the side frames 6 and 6. Frame 7, 7
, Upper and lower end plates 8 and 9 and a front decorative plate 10 for closing the front surface of the main frame 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a pair of slits 12, 12 extending vertically on both sides are formed in the front decorative plate 10 at predetermined positions. The lower end plate 9 does not cover the entire lower end surface of the main frame 1 but only the lower end surface of each side frame 6. Therefore, the lower end surface of the main frame 1 is 9
It is open except for.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lifting means 4 has rotating shafts 13 and 14 suspended between the upper ends and lower ends of the side frames 6 and 6 of the main frame 1, respectively. The drive shaft 13 is used as a drive shaft, and the drive shaft 13 is interlocked with the motor 2 through a pair of gears 15 and 16 to be fixed to both ends of the upper rotation shaft 13 and both ends of the lower rotation shaft 14. The pair of endless chains 3, 3 on both sides are hung on the fixed sprockets 18, 18, respectively, and both endless chains 3, 3 are caused to travel in the ascending or descending direction by the forward / reverse rotation of the motor 2. Things.
Although not shown, the motor 2 is covered with a water-tight cover so as to prevent electric leakage even if water is applied.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, each endless chain 3 is formed by connecting both end links 3a, 3a of an endless chain to both ends of a connecting block piece 19, respectively. Both ends of a horizontal support shaft 20 are connected and fixed to both connection block pieces 19, 19 of both endless chains 3, 3 so as to penetrate them, and guide rollers 21 are attached to both ends of the horizontal support shaft 20. , 21 are rotatably mounted, and each guide roller 21 is fitted in the U-shaped guide groove 11 formed between each side frame 6 of the main frame 1 and the auxiliary frame 7 as shown in FIG. It is fitted so that it can roll. Thereby, the seat frame 22 of the chair 5 is attached to the horizontal support shaft 20 as described later.
Even if a load is applied to the seat frame 22, the endless chains 3, 3 do not bend at the horizontal support shaft 20, so that the chair 5 can be raised and lowered smoothly. .

The seat chair 5 has a substantially L-shaped seat frame 22 in a side view composed of a back frame portion 22a and a seat frame portion 22b. As can be seen from FIG. The hooking grooves 23a, each of which opens downward,
A pair of left and right hooking pieces 23, 23 forming a pair 23a are provided protrudingly, and a horizontal support shaft 24 is provided at the lower rear end of the backrest frame 22a. As shown in FIG. 4, guide rollers 25, which are removably engaged along left and right outer frames 6, 6 of the main frame 1.
25 are attached. The seat frame 22 is formed of, for example, a stainless plate material. In order to connect the chair 5 to the lifting means 4 in an interlocking manner, as shown in FIG.
3 are hooked on the hooked portions 20a, 20a (annular grooves) of the horizontal support shaft 20 connected to the endless chains 3, 3, and are provided on the seat frame 22 side. The guide rollers 25 need only be engaged with the left and right sides of the main frame 1. In this case, since the front side of the main frame 1 is closed by the front decorative panel 10, both the hooking pieces 23 of the seat frame 22,
Reference numeral 23 denotes a slit 12 opened in the decorative plate 10,
12 and hooked on the horizontal support shaft 20.

A backrest seat 26 is mounted on the backrest frame portion 22a of the seat frame 22, and a seat portion seat 27 is mounted on the seat frame portion 22b. These sheets 26 and 27 are formed of a plastic or metal material. Also, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, on the left and right sides of the seat frame 22b, when the seat sheet 27 is positioned at substantially the same level as the upper end face of the bathtub W during bathing, the upper end a of the side wall of the bathtub W Put on
An auxiliary seat 28 for bridging the seat 27 and the upper end a of the side wall of the bathtub W is connected. Each auxiliary sheet 28 is made of plastic or metal, and has an inner end pivotally connected to one end of the seat frame 22b by a hinge 29 so that it can be bent upward only. As the chair 5 descends and enters the bathtub W, the inner end is bent upward along the inner surface of the side wall of the bathtub W, and the chair 5 rises from the bathtub W. Then, when it exceeds the upper end a of the side wall of the bathtub W, it is opened outwardly and the seat sheet 2 is opened.
7 and the same state. The auxiliary sheet 28 may be provided only on one of the left and right sides.

As shown in FIG. 1, a handrail 29 may be provided on one of the left and right sides of the chair 5 (the side opposite to the side where the bather enters the bathtub W). And the auxiliary sheet 2
8 is provided only on one of the left and right sides, the railing 2
9 is provided on the opposite side, that is, on the side where the bather enters the bathtub W.

As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG.
A pedestal 30 is mounted and fixed to the upper end portion b of the short side wall by a bolt or the like.
The main frames 1 are fixed to both brackets 31 and 31 with screws on both side frames 6 and 6, and a pair of suction cups 3 on both sides mounted on the lower end plate 9 of the main frame 1.
2, 32 are adsorbed to the bottom of the bathtub W, whereby the main frame 1 is fixed to the bathtub W.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG.
Each of the side frames 6 and the attachment frame 7 fixed inside the side frames 6 has a vertically long adjusting long hole 33 penetrating therethrough, and the bracket 31 has a bolt insertion hole 31a (FIG. 6).
The main frame 1 can be attached to both brackets 31 by inserting bolts 34 into the elongated holes 33 of the main frame 1 and tightening the bolts with nuts 35. Also,
The suction cup 32 is attached to a bolt 36 (see FIG. 2) fixed to the lower end plate 9 of the main frame 1 so that the angle can be adjusted in all directions, and at a position corresponding to the inclination angle of the main frame 1. Bathtub W
Can be fixed by suction to the bottom surface.

Elevating means 4 installed at the upper end of main frame 1
The electric motor 2 has a power cord 3 as shown in FIG.
By plugging the plug 38 of No. 7 into an outlet (not shown) provided in the bathroom, it can be connected to a household power supply of AC100V. This power cord 37 and its plug 3
8 has a watertight structure so as not to leak even if water is applied. Since the electric motor 2 has a watertight cable 39 to which the watertight push button switch 40 is connected extending to the vicinity of the seat 27 of the seat 5, the bather himself can sit on the seat frame 3. Switch 5 while sitting at 5 or on the chair 5 where the caregiver sits.
By pressing the 0 buttons x and y, the chair 5 can be moved up and down.

In this case, the button x of the push button switch 40 is, for example, a button for raising operation, and the button y is a button for lowering operation. When the button x is pressed, the electric motor 2 of the lifting / lowering means 4 is started, and the endless chain 3 is turned on. , 3 upward, the chair 5 is lifted. While the chair 5 is pressed, the chair 5 continues to rise, and when the button x is released, the electric motor 2 stops. When the button y is pressed, the electric motor 2 is activated, and the chair 5 descends due to the downward running of the endless chains 3. While the button y is pressed, the chair 5 continues to descend and is released. And stop. Although not shown, switch means (for example, a proximity switch) for stopping the driving of the electric motor 2 at the ascending limit position and the descending limit position of the chair 5 is provided on the traveling path of the endless chain 3. It is.

The cable 39 and the push button switch 40 have a watertight structure so as to prevent leakage of electricity even when water is applied or when the switch is immersed in the bathtub W. Further, the watertight cable 39 has a structure that is flexible and can be held in an arbitrary bent state so that the push button switch 40 can be fixed at a required position. Incidentally, even if the push button switch 40 is immersed in the bathtub W and a short circuit occurs, the voltage of the switch circuit is kept low, so that there is no adverse effect on the human body.

In this embodiment, the electric motor 2
Is connected to a household power supply. Of course, a power supply from a dry battery or a storage battery (battery) may be used, and the aforementioned watertight cable 28 is used as a switch for operating the motor 2. Alternatively, the electric motor 2 may be operated by a wireless method, for example.

Next, a method of using the bathing assisting device having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the main frame 1 is previously erected and fixed at a predetermined location of the bathtub W, and when a person who needs nursing care takes a bath, a chair 5 is attached to the main frame 1 and when a healthy person takes a bath, Remove the chair 5 from the main frame 1.

Thus, when bathing a person who needs care, such as a sick person, the caregiver is provided with the main frame 1 standing on the bathtub W.
After attaching the chair 5, the push button switch 40 is operated to set the chair 5 to a position where the height of the seat 27 is substantially the same as the upper end position of the bathtub W,
The state is as shown in FIG. At this time, auxiliary sheet 2
8 are placed side by side on the left and right sides of the seat 27 in a state of being placed on the upper end a of the side wall of the bathtub W. The seat 5 is mounted on both seats 23, 23 projecting from the seat frame 22.
On the horizontal support shaft 20 connected to both endless chains 3 in the main frame 1 and engage the guide rollers 25 provided on the seat frame 22 with the left and right sides of the main frame 1. This can be easily and easily performed.

Then, the caregiver carries the bather M, such as a sick person, to the bathtub W, and first places the bather M on the seat 27 of the chair 5 as shown in FIG. So that the bather M is seated on the seat 27.
The upper part is rotated by 90 degrees around the waist part to make it face forward as shown in the figure, and the back is directly supported by the backrest seat 26. When the bather M is seated on the seat 27 as described above, the auxiliary seat 28 that is flush with the seat 27 is provided on the front side of the seat 27, so that the bather M can easily work on the seat. The bather M himself does not deteriorate the feel because the thigh portion does not hit the upper end of the side wall of the bathtub W.

After the bather M is seated forward on the seat 27 of the chair 5 as described above, if the bather M can use his hands freely, the bather M himself can press the push button switch. By operating 40, the chair 5 is lowered to a bathing state as shown in FIG. 8 and the solid line in FIG. In this case, since the push button switch 40 is located near the bather M sitting on the seat 27, when the button y is pressed, the electric motor 2 is activated and the lifting / lowering means 4 is operated, and the seat chair 5 is moved. When the button y is released, the chair 5 stops. The main frame 1 is shown in FIG.
As can be seen from the figure, the bather M can take a bath in a stable posture because of the backward tilting posture.

When the bathing is completed, the user pushes the button x of the push button switch 40 to raise the chair 5 to the position shown in FIG. The bather M may be rotated 90 degrees to a horizontal state as shown in the figure, and then the bather M may be taken out and moved to a predetermined location.

When the bathtub W is used as a normal bathtub by a healthy person, the chair 5 may be removed from the main frame 1, and the use state is as shown in FIG. In this case, since the main frame 1 is located at the end in the bathtub W, there is hardly eight problems with bathing.

According to the bathing assisting device as described above, since the entire device is small, it can be used as it is in the bathtub W of a general household, and since its structure is simple, it can be manufactured easily and inexpensively. can do. In addition, since the electric motor 2 that can be connected to a household power supply drives the elevating means including the pair of endless chains 3 on both sides, the chair 5 can be easily moved up and down. Further, the seat 5 can be moved from the electric motor 2 installed at the upper end of the main frame 1 to the seat 27 of the seat 5.
Since the watertight push button switch 40 connected to the watertight cable 39 extending to the vicinity can be operated to move up and down, if the bather M can use his / her hands freely, the bather M himself / herself can use the seatchair 5. Lifting operation can be performed freely.

In this bathing assist device, the chair 5
Has a substantially L-shaped seat frame 22 as viewed from the side, which includes a back frame portion 22a and a seat frame portion 22b, and a pair of locking portions projecting from the upper side of the back frame portion 22a of the seat frame 22. Piece 2
3 and 23 are detachably hung on a horizontal support shaft 20 connected to both endless chains 3 and 3 of the lifting / lowering means 4, and a pair of guide rollers 25 on both sides mounted on the lower side of the backrest frame portion 22a. 25 is adapted to be removably engaged with both side frames 6 and 6 of the main frame 1, so that attachment / detachment to / from the main frame 1 is extremely simple and easy, and a seat chair attached to the main frame 1 is provided. The guide member 5 can be stably moved up and down without rolling by the guide rollers 25 engaged with the side frames 6 and 6 of the main frame 1 to give a sense of security to the bather M. And safe. Then, if the chair 5 is removed from the main frame 1, it can be used as a normal bathtub W.

The main frame 1 has a pair of brackets 31, 31 having both side frames 6, 6 projecting via a pedestal 30 at the upper end b of the short side wall of the bathtub W via bolts 34 and nuts. 35, and is fixed to the bottom of the bathtub by a pair of suction cups 32, 32 attached to the lower end of the main frame 1, so that the mounting to the bathtub W is simplified. Slot 3 on side frame 6 side
3 and the angle of the suction cup 32 can be adjusted in all directions.
, The main frame 1 can be easily attached.

[0032]

According to the bathing assisting device of the first aspect of the present invention, the whole device can be made compact and lightweight, so that it can be used as it is in a general home bathtub, and the structure is simple. Therefore, it can be easily manufactured and provided at low cost. In addition, since the electric motor that can be connected to the household power supply drives the elevating means composed of a pair of endless chains on both sides, the chair can be easily moved up and down and bathing can be performed easily.

According to the second aspect, the chair can be raised and lowered by a watertight push button switch connected to a watertight cable extending from the electric motor installed at the upper end of the main frame to near the seat of the chair. Since a bather can use his / her hands freely, the bather himself can freely lift and lower the chair to take a bath. In addition, since the cable and the push button switch have a watertight structure, even if it is splashed with water or immersed in a bathtub, there is no leakage and the safety is ensured.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the seat chair has a substantially L-shaped seat frame including a back frame portion and a seat frame portion, and a hook protruding from an upper portion of the back frame portion. The part is detachably hung on a horizontal support shaft connected to both endless chains of the elevating means, and a pair of guide rollers on both sides mounted on the lower part of the backrest frame part can be engaged and disengaged on both sides of the main frame , So that it is very easy and easy to attach and detach to and from the main frame, and the chair mounted on the main frame is guided by engaging with both side frames of the main frame. Thereby, it is possible to stably move up and down without rolling, and to give a sense of security to the bather, and it is safe. When the chair is removed from the main frame, the bathtub can be used as a normal bathtub while the main frame is standing on the bathtub.

According to the fourth aspect, guide rollers are attached to both ends of a horizontal support shaft connected to both endless chains of the lifting / lowering means, and the two guide rollers are paired on both sides provided in a main frame. When the chair is hung on the horizontal support shaft and the chair is raised and lowered, the endless chain is bent by the load of the chair and the bather sitting on the chair. Therefore, the chair can be raised and lowered smoothly and stably.

According to the fifth aspect, a seat sheet is mounted on the seat frame of the seat frame, and the auxiliary seat can be placed on at least one of the left and right sides of the seat frame on the upper end of the side wall of the bathtub. Since the seat is pivotally pivoted only upward, the auxiliary seat is used when the caregiver places the bather in a sitting chair when bathing, or when the bather himself sits on the chair. By bridging the seat with the upper end of the side wall of the bathtub, it becomes easier for the bather to sit down, and the bather himself feels worse because the thigh does not hit the upper end of the side wall of the bathtub. And safe.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, both sides of the main frame are screwed to a pair of brackets projecting via a pedestal at the upper end of the short side wall of the bathtub via a pedestal. Since the main frame is fixed to the bathtub by the suction cup attached to the bathtub, the main frame can be easily and reliably mounted to the bathtub.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a state in which a bathing assist device according to the present invention is installed and used in a bathtub, and a state in which a chair is removed from a main frame.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the bathing assistance device.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional rear view of the bathing assistance device, and is a sectional view taken along a line substantially along the line XX of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line YY of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view of the seat chair attached to the main frame as viewed from the rear side, and shows a state in which an auxiliary seat is attached.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a pedestal attached to a bathtub and a bracket protruding therefrom.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which a seat frame is attached to an endless chain of the elevating means.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method of using the bathing assistance device.

[Description of Signs] 1 Main frame 2 Electric motor of lifting / lowering means 3 Endless chain 4 Lifting / lowering means 5 Seat chair 22 Seat frame of sitting chair 23 Hanging piece 24 Horizontal support shaft 25 Guide roller 26 Backrest seat 27 Seat seat 28 auxiliary seat 30 pedestal 31 bracket

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A main frame removably erected in a bathtub is provided with elevating means comprising a pair of endless chains driven by an electric motor, and a chair is operatively connected to the elevating means. Bathing assistance device. 2. The seat chair is operated by a watertight push button switch connected to a watertight cable extending from an electric motor installed at an upper end of the main frame to a position near the seat of the chair. The bathing assistance device according to claim 1, wherein 3. The seat chair has a substantially L-shaped seat frame in a side view including a back frame portion and a seat frame portion, and a hook portion protruding from an upper side of the back frame portion of the seat frame. The piece is detachably hung on a horizontal support shaft connected to both endless chains of the lifting means, and a pair of guide rollers on both sides mounted on the lower side of the backrest frame portion can be detachably engaged with both side portions of the main frame. 3. The bathing assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the bathing assistance device is adapted to be engaged. 4. A guide roller is attached to both ends of a horizontal support shaft connected to the endless chain, and both guide rollers are guided by a pair of guide grooves on both sides provided in a main frame. The bathing assisting device according to claim 3. 5. A seat seat is mounted on the seat frame of the seat frame, and at least one of the left and right sides of the seat frame.
The bathing assist device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the auxiliary sheet that can be placed on the upper end portion of the side wall of the bathtub is pivotally mounted so as to be bent only upward. 6. The main frame is screwed to a pair of brackets on both sides projecting through a pedestal at the upper end of the short side wall of the bathtub at both sides, and a suction cup attached to the lower end of the main frame. The bathing assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the bathing assistance device is fixed to a bottom surface of the bathtub.