JPH1119164A - Bathing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To arrange a supporter etc. in the corner part of the outside of a bath tub and to use it for permitting a cared person and a general person to bath by permitting an elevating/lowering rail to be horizontally moved between the seat body delivery position of a bath tub edge part and a bathing position in the nearly center part of the bath tub with a link mechanism between the elevating/lowering rail and an elevating/lowering driving mechanism. SOLUTION: When a physically handicapped person, etc., is bathed, the elevating/ lowering driving mechanism and a cylinder 23 are operated, the elevating/lowering rail 11 is arranged in the seat body deliver position in the upper part of the bath tub edge part and a wheelchair with the cared person is positioned at the prescribed position of the side part in the bath tub with a guide means 38. In this case, the rail of running truck and the elevating/lowering rail 11 are aligned in a straight line. Fixing of the running truck and the seat body is released in this state, a care assistant pushes the seat body so as to move it, a lock pin is engaged with a lock hole after the seat body with the handicapped person is moved onto the elevating/lowering rail 11 and the seat body is locked in an elevating/lowering stand 10. Then, the elevating/ lowering rail 11 is horizontally moved from the position for seat body delivery to that above the bath tub so as to be lowered after that so that the cared person becomes a bathing state.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bathing apparatus which enables a person who needs bathing assistance, such as a physically handicapped person or an elderly person, to take a bath safely and without much labor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of bathing apparatus, an elevating rail, which is raised and lowered by an elevating drive mechanism, is disposed inside a bathtub, and is mounted on a traveling cart provided with a rail on an upper side thereof. Prepare a wheelchair that can be separated while the seat body to be moved along the rail, and the lifting rail is adjusted to the height of the rail on the traveling trolley of the wheelchair, and on the lifting rail from the traveling trolley There has been known a type in which a seat body is transferred and a lifting rail is lowered in that state, so that a bather is brought into a bathtub together with the seat body (see JP-A-6-319778).

[0003]

By the way, in the above-mentioned bathing apparatus, the column supporting the elevating rail rises substantially at the center of the bathtub, and this column becomes a hindrance when an ordinary person takes a bath. There was a problem.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a column for supporting a lifting rail can be disposed at a corner of a bathtub or outside a bathtub without protruding from a central portion of the bathtub. It is another object of the present invention to provide a bathing device that can be used both for a person requiring care and for bathing for a general person.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided a wheelchair in which a seat mounted on a traveling carriage provided with a rail at an upper portion thereof can be separated while being moved along the rail, and a bathtub. And a lift rail provided in the wheelchair and moved up and down by a lift drive mechanism. The seat is placed on the lift rail from the running trolley in a state where the lift rail matches the height of the rail on the running trolley of the wheelchair. In the bathing apparatus for transferring a body, the elevating rail is provided with a seat body transfer position at an edge of the bathtub and a bath at a substantially central portion of the bathtub via a link mechanism interposed between the elevating rail and the elevating drive mechanism. It is characterized by being horizontally moved between positions. Preferably, the link mechanism is operated only when the lift rail reaches the upper position, so as to move the lift rail horizontally. Preferably, the link mechanism is a parallel link mechanism. The parallel link mechanism includes a rotating body that is rotated by a cylinder, and the rotating body is provided with an engagement portion that engages with the cylinder only when the rotating body reaches an upper position. Preferably, a rotation restricting means for restricting rotation of the rotating body when the rotating body is lowered and the engaging portion disengages from the cylinder is provided. It is preferable that the lifting drive mechanism is arranged outside the bathtub.

[0006]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. <First Embodiment of the Invention> FIGS. 1 to 5 show a first embodiment of the present invention.
1 shows a bathing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. This bathing apparatus includes a wheelchair 1 that can travel on a floor 2 and equipment on a bathtub 3 side.

[0007] The equipment on the side of the bathtub 3 is attached via a connecting member 7 to a column 5 erected outside the bathtub 3 and near the side wall of the bathtub, and to an elevating body 6 incorporated in the column 5. A parallel link mechanism 8, a lift 10 supported by the parallel link mechanism 8 via a support rod 9 in a cantilever state,
There is a pair of left and right lifting rails 11 fixed on the lifting platform 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, the inside of the column 5 is divided into a small square tube portion 12 and a large square tube portion 13. Small square tube part 12
The elevating body 6 is incorporated so as to be able to ascend and descend through a cross-shaped guide roller 14 attached to the upper and lower ends thereof. On the other hand, an elevating drive mechanism 15 for elevating the elevating body 6 is incorporated in the large-angle cylindrical portion 13. Elevating drive mechanism 15
As shown in FIG. 2, a cylinder 18 fixed to the upper lid portion 17 of the large-angle cylinder portion 13 and a chain 20 wound around a first sprocket 19 attached to the lower free end of the cylinder 18 It is configured. The chain 20
One end thereof is fixed to the upper lid portion 17 of the large-angle tube portion 13,
And an intermediate portion of the first sprocket 19, and a second sprocket 2 disposed between the small-angle cylinder portion and the large-angle cylinder portion.
1, and the other end is connected to the elevating body 6.

When the cylinder 18 is extended and retracted, the elevating body 6 is moved up and down in accordance with the movement of the chain 20. In addition, the cylinder 18 is provided beside the small-angle cylinder 12 and the large-angle cylinder 13.
In addition, hydraulic equipment such as a pump, a solenoid valve, and a tank for driving a cylinder 23 that rotates the lifting rail 11 via the parallel link mechanism 8 is provided.

The elevating body 6 is provided with the connecting member 7 so as to protrude to the outside through a vertical groove formed in the small square tube portion 12. The parallel link mechanism 8 is provided between the connecting member 7 and the lifting rail support 24, and the connecting member 7
When the rotating body 25 attached to the rail is rotated, the lifting rail support 24 moves in the horizontal direction while always maintaining the same orientation. The parallel link mechanism 8 is configured by connecting two large and small links 26 and 27 between the connecting member 7 and the elevating rail support 24 with pins at both ends.

A rotating body 25 is provided on the connecting member 7 so as to rotate horizontally via a bearing 25a, and one end of the large link 26 is fixed to the rotating body 25.
4 and 5, an engaging rod 29 is provided on the rotating body 25 via a stay 29a so as to extend in the vertical direction. A long hole 30 is provided at the upper end of the engagement rod 29.
While the lower end of the engagement rod 29 has a roller 3
1 is attached. The rotating body 25 is provided in the long hole 30.
When the rod 2 reaches the upper position together with the lifting rail 11 and reaches a predetermined angular position, the rod 2 of the cylinder 23 fixed to the side of the small-angle cylinder portion 12 and the large-angle cylinder portion 13
The pointed portion 23b attached to the tip of 3a is inserted.

On the other hand, a stay portion 34 is
A guide corner portion 34 is provided in the vertical direction via a, and the roller 31 is guided to the guide corner portion 34. The guide corner portion 34 is located at a position where the engagement rod 29 is slightly lowered from the upper position together with the rotating body 25, that is, from a position where the engagement rod 29 is disengaged from the pointed portion 23 b at the tip of the cylinder rod 23 a. The roller 31 is guided to limit the rotation of the rotating body 25 until reaching the lower limit position. When the engagement rod 29 reaches the upper position, the height position of the roller 31 is released so that the guide of the roller 31 is released. Is set. That is, the roller 31 and the guide corner 34 constitute a rotation restricting unit 35 that holds the rotating body 25 at a predetermined angular position and regulates the rotation of the rotating body 25.

The lift table 10 is supported on the lift rail support 24 via a support rod 9. Also,
Reference numerals 36 and 37 in FIGS. 2 and 3 denote frames for preventing falling, which are arranged at the ends of the bathtub so as not to obstruct the bather. Numeral 38 denotes a guiding means for guiding the traveling cart 41 below the wheelchair 1 with respect to the bathtub 3.

The wheelchair 1 will be described briefly. As shown in FIG. 1, the wheelchair 1 includes a lower traveling vehicle 41 and an upper seat body 51 which is separably mounted on the traveling vehicle 41. The traveling carriage 41 has a frame 42, and a caster 43 for traveling on the floor 2 is provided below the frame 42. A pair of left and right rails 44 for running the seat body 51 in the front-rear direction and a lock plate arranged between the rails 44 are provided on the upper surface of the frame 42.

The seat body 51 has a seat body 52 supported by the traveling vehicle 41. Wheels (not shown) rolling on rails 44 of the traveling vehicle 41 are provided on the lower surface of the seat body 52. A plurality is provided. The roller 53 shown in FIG. 1 restricts the movement of the seat body 51 in the left-right direction with respect to the lifting rail 11. In addition, the seat body 51 has a seat portion 54 attached to the upper part of the seat body 52 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and a footrest 5 in front of the seat portion 54.
5 At the rear end of the seat body 52, a handle 56 to be gripped when the caregiver presses by hand is attached. In addition, the chair 54 and the foot rest 55 are rotated in the vertical direction, so-called reclining. And a lock release lever 59 for releasing a lock mechanism for fixing the seat body 51 to the traveling vehicle 41 are attached.

A lock pin of the lock mechanism (not shown)
Is a member that can be freely inserted into and removed from a lock hole provided in a lock plate of the traveling vehicle 41, and is normally urged in the lock direction,
By fitting into the lock hole of the traveling vehicle 41, the seat body 51 can be fixed while being positioned on the traveling vehicle 41. The lock pin fits into a lock hole formed on the lift platform 10 side, so that the seat body 51 can be fixed to the lift platform 10.

Next, the operation of the bathing apparatus having the above configuration will be described. When bathing a physically handicapped person or the like, the elevator drive mechanism 15 and the cylinder 23 are operated, and the elevator rail 11 is moved.
Is placed at the seat transfer position (a) above the edge of the bathtub. In this state, the wheelchair 1 on which the care-requirer M such as a physically handicapped person has been previously placed is positioned at a predetermined position on the side of the bathtub 3 via the guide means 38. At this time, the rail 44 of the traveling vehicle 41
And the lifting rail 11 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 the rider rides the seat body 51 on the elevating rail 11 together. Let me move.

When the seat 51 moves on the lift rail 11, the lock pin urged in the locking direction automatically fits into a lock hole (not shown) of the lift 10 so that the seat 51 is fitted to the lift 10. Locked. Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the lift rail 11 is horizontally moved from the position (a) to the position (b), and then lowered, whereby the care-requiring person can be put in a bathing state.

That is, when the transfer of the seat body 51 to the elevator 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 lifting rail support 24, the lifting 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 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 in the same direction. In other words, lift rail 1
1 rotates in FIG.

Thereafter, the cylinder 18 of the lifting drive mechanism 15
Is driven by the elevating body 6 via the chain 20 and the rotating body 25 rotatably supported through the connecting member 7;
The elevating rail support 24 and the support rod 9 and the like connected to the rotating body 25 via the parallel link mechanism 8 are lowered. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, at the beginning of the downward movement, since the pointed portion 23b of the cylinder rod 23a is inserted into the elongated hole 30 of the stay 29a, 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 pointed portion 23b comes out of the elongated hole 30, the roller 31 of the engagement rod 29 is now moved to the guide corner 3
4 to regulate the rotation of the rotating body 25. In other words, during the descent and when the descent to the lower limit position, the rotation of the rotating body 25 and the elevating rail 11 and the like is restricted, and is 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 confidence.

After bathing, the lifting drive mechanism 15 is operated to raise the lifting rail 11. Then, the roller 31 attached to the lower end of the engagement rod 29 is disengaged from the guide corner portion 34 as the lift rail 11 and the rotating body 25 that moves up and down integrally therewith rise, but at the same time, the roller 31 waits upward. Pointed portion 2 of cylinder rod 23a
3b is inserted into the long hole 30. Thereafter, as the cylinder 23 extends, the rotating body 25 and the stay 29a rotate counterclockwise in FIG.
1 is moved to the seat transfer position (a). Thereafter, the lock mechanism that fixed the seat 51 on which the care recipient M is placed to the elevator 10 is released, and the seat 51 is moved rightward in FIG. Move. At this 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.

<Second Embodiment of the Invention> FIGS. 6 and 7
Shows a second embodiment of the present invention. The feature of this embodiment is that a small square tube portion 12 for housing the lifting body 6 and a large square tube portion 13 for housing the elevation drive mechanism 15 such as the cylinder 18 are arranged at the corners in the bathtub 3 respectively. By arranging the small-angle tube portion 15 and the large-angle tube portion 13 in the bathtub 3 as described above, the rotation center P of the elevating rail 11 can be arranged at a position close to the center portion of the bathtub 3, and accordingly, bathing can be performed. At times, the lift rail 11 and the seat body 51 fixed to the upper part thereof can be arranged at the center of the bathtub 3.
Further, the links 26 and 27 have a bent shape, thereby preventing the links from interfering with the lifting drive mechanism 15 and the like.

In this embodiment, the elevator 1
0 is translated in the horizontal direction via the parallel link mechanism 8, the point at which the elevating table 10 is rotated by the cylinder 23, and the rotation of the rotating body 25 is restricted by the rotation restricting means 35 when the rotating body 25 is lowered. This is the same as the first embodiment. Also, in this embodiment,
In supporting the lifting platform 10 by the lifting rail support 24, the lifting platform 10 is directly connected without using a support rod.
Is also different from the first embodiment of the present invention.

<Third Embodiment of the Invention> FIGS. 8 and 9
Shows 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 inside the bathtub 3, while the large-angle tube portion 13 that houses the elevating drive mechanism 15 such as the cylinder 18 is located outside the bathtub 3. And hydraulic devices (not shown) such as a pump, a solenoid valve, and an oil tank are arranged between them. Thus, even if it arrange | positions, the raising / lowering rail 1 via the parallel link mechanism 8
Since 1 is moved horizontally, the small square tube portion 12 can be arranged at the corner portion of the bathtub 3 instead of the central portion as much as possible, so that ordinary people can bathe sufficiently.

[0025]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the lifting rail is connected to the seat delivery position at the edge of the bathtub and substantially at the center of the bathtub via the link mechanism interposed between the lifting rail and the lifting drive mechanism. Since it is configured to move horizontally between the bathing position of the section and the column, it is possible to dispose the pillars and the like that support the elevating rail as far as possible from the center of the bathtub and at the corner of the bathtub or outside the bathtub. For this reason, the struts and the like do not become an obstacle, and the bathtub can be used in common for both those requiring care and those for general bathers, and is particularly suitable for home care. According to the second aspect of the present invention, the link mechanism is operated only when the lift rail reaches the upper position to move the lift rail horizontally.
When lowering the lift rail after rotation, it can prevent the lift rail and the seat etc. from rotating unnecessarily, and even if it is operated incorrectly, the lift rail etc. may hit the wall of the bathtub Therefore, damage to the bathtub and the like can be prevented. According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the link mechanism is a parallel link mechanism, even when the lift rail is turned through the link mechanism, the lift rail always faces in the same direction. The person who needs to be seated can take a bath or go out with peace of mind, and the burden on the caregiver is reduced. According to the invention described in claim 4, the parallel link mechanism includes a rotating body that is rotated by a cylinder, and the rotating body engages with the cylinder only when the rotating body reaches an upper position. A joining portion is provided, and the rotating body is provided with rotation regulating means for regulating the rotation of the rotating body when the rotating body descends and the engaging portion releases the engagement with the cylinder. With the configuration,
It is possible to prevent the lifting rail and the seat body from rotating unnecessarily. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the elevating drive mechanism is disposed outside the bathtub, the bathtub can be widely used, and it is advantageous in terms of the life of the elevating drive mechanism and 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.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 4, showing details of a rotating body and an engagement rod used in the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wheelchair 3 Bath tub 6 Elevating body 8 Parallel link mechanism 9 Support rod 10 Elevating stand 11 Elevating rail 12 Small square cylindrical part 13 Large square cylindrical part 15 Elevating drive mechanism 18 Cylinder 23 Cylinder 23b Pointed part 24 Elevating rail support 25 Rotating body 30 Long Hole (engaging portion) 34 Guide corner 35 Rotation restricting means 41 Traveling trolley 51 Seat

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A seat (5) mounted on an upper side of a traveling cart (41) provided with a rail (44) on the upper side.
A wheelchair (1) that can be separated while being moved along the rail, and a lifting rail (11) provided in a bathtub and raised and lowered by a lifting drive mechanism (15).
In the bathing apparatus for transferring the seat from the traveling trolley to the elevating rail in a state where the elevating rail coincides with the height of the rail on the traveling trolley of the wheelchair, Through a link mechanism (8) interposed between the lifting rail and the lifting drive mechanism, the horizontal movement between the seat delivery position at the edge of the bathtub and the bathing position at the substantially center of the bathtub is performed. Features a bathing device. 2. The bathing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the link mechanism operates only when the lift rail reaches an upper position, and moves the lift rail horizontally. The link mechanism is a parallel link mechanism (8).
The bathing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 4. The parallel link mechanism includes a rotating body (25) that is rotated by a cylinder, and the rotating body includes an engagement portion that engages with the cylinder only when the rotating body reaches an upper position. (30) is provided, and the rotator is provided with a rotation restricting means (35) for restricting the rotation of the rotator when the rotator descends and the engagement portion releases the engagement with the cylinder. The bathing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: 5. The bathing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lifting drive mechanism is disposed outside a bathtub.