JPS6313703B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electrically operated hospital bed having an articulated mattress support frame. In particular, the present invention provides a mechanism that can automatically and selectively bring the frame for supporting the pinerest into the lying state by raising the thighs as the head of the bed inclines. It is related to the bed containing.

Retractable electrically operated hospital beds are well known in the industry. In such devices, the upward movement of the head of the pinerest frame causes the movable frame to move longitudinally relative to the stationary frame, so that the head is lifted and the seat is moved above the head of the bed. move towards the direction. Automatic profiling of the thighs is achieved in this type of bed by using relative motion between the frames to raise the thighs and operate the mechanism when the head is lifted. It is carried out at the same time. Examples of such are shown in US Pat. No. 3,237,212 and US Pat. No. 3,821,821.

The benefits of having a mechanism for automatically leveling the pinerest support frame are well recognized. The automatic lifting of the knees counteracts the forces pushing the patient toward the foot end of the bed while the head end of the mattress support frame is raised. Since the thighs are lifted by an automatic device in proportion to the height of the head, the operator who is adjusting the bed does not have to make any special judgments. In addition, the control member can be simplified and a separate actuator actuated independently on the thigh can be eliminated.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Hospital beds having articulated mattress support frames, but which are not retractable, are commonly used and are widely desired in industry. Many beds, including those that are manually operable, are also equipped with a device that automatically raises the thighs while the head is raised. This example is from U.S. Patent No.
No. 1908530, No. 3398411 and No. 3965500. In each of these structures, the lifting load caused by raising the thigh is directly or indirectly generated by the mechanism that lifts the head. As a result, this mechanism has to be made with appropriate dimensions, and the structure is complicated and expensive.

A recent example of an attempt to improve electrically operated hospital beds is the invention disclosed in US patent application Ser. No. 659,162. In the bed of this invention, the lifting of the head and thighs is performed simultaneously through an electric circuit. Two spaced motors and actuators are provided, one for raising the head and the other for raising the thigh.

The bed of the present invention also has features in common with that disclosed in the above-cited US patent application Ser. No. 659,162. Therefore, technical matters disclosed in the US patent application may be described in the present specification.

The hospital bed of the present invention has a fixed frame, and on this frame there is provided a head portion whose head height can be varied and a knee portion whose knee height can be varied. An articulated pine tress support frame is supported. An electrically operated actuation mechanism mounted on the head moves the head to place it in the proper tilted position.

The self-profiling mechanism of the bed of the present invention includes a selectively actuatable linkage inserted between a main frame movable in response to movement of the thigh and the head; The thigh is supported on top of the head, and the thigh is gradually raised in response to the upward movement of the head. The profiling mechanism can also be left inactive in order to perform a head-only lifting operation.

A manual thigh lifting mechanism may also be provided to assist the automatic tracing mechanism. This manual mechanism can be operated independently of the automatic profiling mechanism,
It may also be used to raise the thigh to a higher position than the maximum height that can be raised by the automatic profiling mechanism.

The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown an electrically operated hospital bed that is one embodiment of the present invention.

The bed consists of two elongated frame members 12 connected at their ends by a transverse beam 14.
It has a main frame 10 including. At the foot end of the bed a foot plate 16 is supported by a cross beam 14, and at the opposite side a head plate 18 is supported by a cross member 14.
Supported by.

The main frame 10 is supported above the floor by a pair of leg assemblies 20. These leg assemblies are
The bed is operably attached to the bed by a member which allows the height of the bed relative to the floor to be adjusted and allows the main frame to be placed in a forward and reverse tilted position.

The actuating member is a motor 22 as shown in the figure.
, a drive rod 24, a link mechanism 26, and a torque tube 28.

The mattress support frame includes a mounting frame 30 secured to the main frame 10 by webs 32 connected to elongated frame members 12. The head portion 34 consisting of a circular frame is connected to the pin 3
It is pivotally connected to the mounting part by 6.
Similarly, a thigh frame 38 is pivotally connected to the opposite end of the mount by a pin 40. A foot section 42 comprising a circular frame is pivotally connected to the thigh at a pivot pin 44. A spring 46 is partially shown in FIG. 1 and is secured to a frame member forming the pinerest support surface.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the mattress support frame is supported by depending support rods 50 at the pivot connection between thigh 38 and foot 42. As shown in FIGS. In the flat position, the support bar 50 rests on a cross member 52 fixed to the main frame member 12.

A pair of swing links 54 are pivotally connected near the free ends of the foot portions 42 of the mattress support frame. These swing links can be manually adjusted to raise the foot 42 to various height positions by engaging the notches 56 with cooperating stops 53 provided in the main frame 10. can. The stop pin 55 is a swing link 54
The main frame member 12 is adapted to engage the main frame member 12 to prevent excessive movement.

Depending legs 48 are secured to the free ends of head 34 and foot 42 and typically rest on main frame 10. These legs act as leveling members when the pinerest support frame is in a flat position.

A roller 43 is provided on the depending leg 48 at the end of the foot. Normally the foot end is held by a swing link 54. However, when the thigh 38 is lifted, the foot 42 is lowered beyond the position given by the notch 56 of the swing link 54 engaging the stop 53. Under such conditions, the rollers 43 support the ends of the feet 42 on the main frame member 12 while the mattress support frame returns to a flat position.

The head 34 is provided with a torque transmitting tube 58 attached along the entire length of the main frame member 12. The tube includes a central transverse bar 60 spaced downwardly from the pinerest support surface. A pair of spaced apart webs are secured to the transverse bar 60, forming a bell crank 62. An upward force is applied to the bell crank, and this force is applied to the torque tube 5.
8 to the opposite side of the frame of the head 34.

Thigh 38 includes a torque transmission tube 64 similar to torque tube 58 . A bell crank 66 made up of two parallel plates is attached to this torque tube 64. The bell crank is provided with a removable pin 67. This bellcrank is adapted to cooperate with a manual member to raise the thigh, as will be explained later.

The lifting operation of the head 34 is effected by an actuating member indicated generally at 68. The actuating member includes a motor and transmission 70 pivotally connected on the cross member 52 at a junction 72 as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 5. This arrangement allows for some pivoting of the motor and transmission as required during operation of the lifting mechanism.

The actuation mechanism includes an extendable tube 73 having a stationary portion 74 connected to a transmission and motor 70 and a telescoping portion 76 extending from the free end of the stationary portion 74 . The extendable tube includes an internal drive screw operable by a motor and transmission. The end of the telescoping portion 76, which is also located within the stationary portion 74, includes a nut threadedly connected to the drive screw. Operation of the motor and transmission 70 moves the nut along the drive screw to extend and retract the telescoping portion 76.

The free end of telescoping section 76 of extensible tube 73 is pivotally connected at section 78 to bell crank 62 which is connected to torque tube 58. When the pinerest support frame is in the flat position as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the actuation mechanism is in the retracted position.

A lift controller (not shown) for raising the head drives the motor 70 to rotate a threaded member within the stationary portion 74 of the extensible tube. A nut secured to the telescoping portion 76 of the tube 73 moves along the screw pressing the telescoping portion 76 outward from the stationary portion, elongating the extensible tube (Figs. 3 and 5). figure). With this, the bell crank 62
is subjected to a lifting force which is transmitted through torque tube 58 to the frame of head 34 to pivot the head about pin 36 to the required tilted position.

In accordance with the present invention, an automatic profiling mechanism, generally indicated at 80, is provided which transfers the thigh portion 38 of the pinerest support frame to the head portion 34.
The positioning is performed according to the positioning of the This profiling mechanism can be selectively activated so that the head 34 can be lifted without lifting the knee portion.

Self-profiling mechanism 80 includes a U-shaped transverse tube 82 pivotally connected to thigh 38 by pin 84 . This transverse tube is for distributing lift loads to the sides of the frame 38 during femoral lift operations.

As shown in detail in Figures 2 to 5,
A pair of spaced apart plates 86 are secured to transverse tube 82, such as by welding or otherwise. These plates extend downwardly at an angle and are connected to the elongated frame members 12 of the main frame.
are placed on opposite sides of one of the Each plate is elongated and includes a movement slot 88.

The automatic profiling mechanism 80 includes an extendable tube 7
3 includes a follower operatively attached to the follower. This follower consists of a roller 90 located intermediate a plate 86 shaped to cover an elongated pad 91 on the main frame member 12.

Roller 90 is rotatably supported on elongated tie rod 92. The tie rod 92 has a slot 8 for movement outward from one side of the roller.
8 includes an end forming a central shaft portion 94 extending through the shaft. The opposite end 96 of the tie rod is connected to the head 3.
4 is pivotally connected to a telescoping portion 76 of an extensible tube 73 attached to the tube. It should be noted that the central longitudinal axes of extensible tube 73 and tie rod 92 are generally aligned. Therefore, the central axis 94 of the roller 90,
The pivot connection point 96 between the tie rod 92 and the telescoping portion 76 is aligned with the force application center axis of the head end actuation member 68.

A pair of spaced fixed links 97 are disposed outwardly of the plate 86. Each fixed link 97 is provided with a slot 102 in which a latch pin 104 is disposed. Fixed link 97 is secured to operating handle 100 which is pivotally supported by plate 86. Positioning of the fixed link using the handle 100 allows the mechanism, which will be described later, to be placed in the activated or inactivated position.

Plate 86 is provided with two sets of notches 105, 106 adapted to receive latch pins 104. A spring 107 coupled between the latch pin and handle 90 urges the latch pin toward plate 86 and releasably retains the pin within one or the other notch. The profiling mechanism can be placed in an inactive mode by positioning the fixed link 97 so that the latch pin 104 engages within the notch 105, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The profiling mechanism can also be placed into an operative mode by positioning the fixed link 97 so that the latch pin 104 engages within the notch 106, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Each fixed link 97 includes a free end forming a seating surface 108. Fixed link 97
When placed in the actuated position as shown in FIGS.
It can be placed in an operational relationship with In this state, transverse tube 82, plate 86, and fixed link 97 constitute a collapsible rigid link extending between axle portion 94 and pivot point 84 of transverse tube 82 to thigh 38. ing.
Transverse tube 82, plate 86, and fixed link 9
A rigid link defined by 7 extends at an angle below the thigh and connects the thigh 38 and the elongated frame member 12 of the main frame 10.
and has a length that increases the vertical distance between. As will be appreciated, when the link constructed as described above pivots toward the head end of the bed, the roller 92 comes into contact with the pad 91 on the main frame member 12. If the link continues to pivot in the same direction, this link will exert an upward force on the thigh at pin 40, but
This causes the thigh to gradually incline with respect to the stationary portion 32. The supporting load of the upwardly lifted thigh 38 is transferred directly to the main frame member 12 via the rigid link.

In FIG. 4, fixed link 97 is inserted such that latch pin 104 engages within notch 105.
Positioned. Stretching the telescoping portion 76 of the extensible tube 73 causes the head 34 to pivot about the pin 36. The elongated tie rod 92 is also pulled toward the head end of the bed, causing the roller 90 to move in the same direction. The tie rod applies a tension force on plate 86 by coupling mandrel portion 94 to free movement slot 88, allowing plate 86 and transverse tube 82 to pivot about pin 40. The mandrel moves along the movement slot 88 as the plate pivots toward the head end of the bed. The thighs do not rise at all. That is, as shown in FIG.
6 pivots, the pair of plates 86 is allowed to move past both sides of the main frame member 12. As a result, the second
Transverse tube 82, plate 8, which constitutes a rigid link by engagement of seating surface 108 of fixed link 97 with stem portion 94 in FIGS.
6 and fixed link 97 are disengaged into a "folded" condition as shown in FIG.

To activate the self-profiling mechanism, stationary frame 97 is pivoted in a direction that moves latch pin 104 into notch 106 (FIGS. 2 and 3). As a result, the seating surface 108 becomes
It is positioned on the opposite side of roller 90 to cooperate with mandrel portion 94 .

Activation of motor 70 to raise the head also causes tie rod 92 to pull roller 90 toward the head end of the head. However, fixed link 97 is positioned such that notched surface 108 engages mandrel portion 94 and prevents movement of the mandrel along movement slot 88 .

As head 34 continues to rise, link 92 and roller 90 continue to move towards the head end of the bed.
Roller 90 engages pad 91. Transverse tube 82, plate 86, and fixed link 97 constitute a rigid link extending between roller axle portion 94 and pivot link pin 40. The rigid link is the thigh 3
8 has a length that increases the vertical distance between this thigh and the main frame 10 when it is in a flat state.

As shown in FIG. 3, by continuing to pivot about pin 40, the rigid link raises the thigh. Transverse tube 82, plate 86,
Maximum lifting operation occurs when the rigid link constituted by fixed link 97 is in the vertical position.

The lifting force for supporting the thigh 38 in the raised position is transmitted directly to the main frame member 12. The link 92 and the head lifting mechanism 68 receive only the horizontal component of the lift load, which is at a minimum value as the link 92 moves vertically, ie, to the maximum lift position. Additionally, because the general longitudinal alignment of tie rod 92 and extensible tube 73 is maintained throughout the travel cycle, bending moments on the tie rod are avoided. This is important in that the links of the profiling mechanism 80 move slightly beyond the vertical position during the raising operation and the load on the die rod 92 changes from a tensile load to a compressive load. .

The length of the plate 86 and the fixed link 97 is the same as that of the head 34.
The rise of the thigh is set to be relative to the rise of the thigh under optimal conditions. Maximum 18 to 20
I found out that I needed to create an angle of degrees. This maximum angle is achieved by tilting the head 34 approximately 35 degrees. Although the head 34 is raised to an angle of up to about 60 degrees, no appreciable change occurs in raising the thighs.

In many cases, it is necessary to supplement the thigh elevation provided by the automatic profiling mechanism 80 in order to increase the elevation of the knee region. It has also been found that it is sometimes advantageous to raise the knees without raising the head 34. Accordingly, the bed of the present invention is provided with a manual operating member 110, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

Manual operating member 110 includes a hollow channel member 112 secured to elongate frame member 12 of main frame 10 below thigh 38 . The groove member extends generally transversely to the bed on the opposite side of the automatic profiling mechanism 80. A screw member 114 is rotatably supported within the groove 112 and a crank 116 is provided on the side of the bed.

A nut 118 engages threaded member 114 and is dimensioned so that it does not rotate within groove 112. Therefore, the crank 116
When the nut 118 is rotated, the nut 118 moves along the threaded member 114.

Nut 118 includes vertically aligned holes for receiving and securing the end of cable loop 120. This cable runs from nut 118 to pulley 12.
2 and the outside of the groove member and passes through the opening 123.

The loop end of the cable 120 is connected to a bell crank 66.
surrounding the transverse pin 67 of. A spring 126 coupled to pin 67 overlaps the annular end of the cable. This maintains the cable in operative engagement with pin 67 regardless of whether there is slack in the cable while the automatic profiling mechanism is operating.

Manual lifting of the thigh 38 is achieved by providing a hand crank 116. When the crank is rotated in such a direction that the nut 118 moves towards this crank, the guide pulley 12
2 and the transverse pin 67 is reduced. For this reason, bell crank 6
6 is applied with a lifting force, and this lifting force is transmitted to the thigh 38 through the torque tube 64.

It becomes clear that using a cable ring to convert the cranking motion of bellcrank 116 into a lifting force applied to bellcrank 66 has several advantages. When the cable ring 120 is bent 90 degrees at the guide pulley 122, it exerts a lifting force on the bell crank 66 in the longitudinal direction of the bed. As a result, the groove member 112 is attached horizontally to the bed, and the crank 116 is
Position yourself so that the nurse can most easily approach the bed.

Further, the operation of automatically raising the thigh 38 by operating the automatic tracing mechanism 80 is performed by the manual operation member 1.
This can be done without affecting the operability of 10 in any way. While the automatic tracing mechanism 80 is raising the thigh 38, the bell crank 6
6 and pin 67 move towards the foot end of the bed. This reduces the distance between pin 67 and guide pulley 122. Cable ring 120 acts as a free movement link and can accommodate such distance changes without engaging an actuating element.

In order to increase the height of the thigh to a higher level than that obtained by operating the automatic profiling mechanism 80, the crank 116 is rotated to tighten the nut 114.
Just tighten it toward the crank. Through this operation, the distance between the pin 67 and the guide pulley 122 is
Attempt to reduce the length of the cable until the cable ring 120 becomes taut. Furthermore, the crank exerts an upward force on the pin 67 to further tilt the thigh.

Similarly, the automatic profiling mechanism 80 is adapted to allow the manual operation member 110 to operate freely. Transverse tube 82 is pivotally connected to thigh 38. An elongated tie rod 92 is pivotally connected to the telescoping portion 76 of the extensible tube 73, and the link axle portion 94 is positioned within the movement slot 86 of the plate 86. When the manual operating member 110 is operated to raise the thigh 38, the pivot pin 46 follows a precise path and moves upwardly away from the main frame 10. This movement causes the transverse tube 82 and tie rod 92 to pivot about their pivot points and also prevents forces from being applied to the telescoping portion 76 of the tube 73. During this movement, follower 90 is free to move upwardly from pad 91. When the thigh 38 is lowered by turning the crank handle 116 in the opposite direction, the transverse tube 82 and tie rod 9
2 and 2 respectively pivot around the pivot connection point. Plate 86 moves downwardly toward main frame 10 and roller 90 returns to its operative position relative to pad 91.

Various aspects of the invention have been described above. However, it should be understood that many further modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an electrically operated hospital bed according to the present invention. Figure 2 shows the line 2-- in Figure 1.
FIG. 2 is a side view cut at 2; 3, 4 and 5 are side views of the hospital bed of FIG. 1 detailing certain portions of the mode of operation of the automatic profiling mechanism of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the manual operation member for raising the thigh of the mattress support frame. FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway view taken along line 7--7 in FIG. 6. Explanation of symbols, 10: Main frame, 38: Thigh, 22: Motor, 42: Foot, 24: Drive rod,
58: Torque tube, 26: Link mechanism, 6
2: Bell crank, 28: Torque tube, 6
6: bell crank, 34: head, 68: operating member.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A main frame; an articulated pinerest support frame supported on the main frame and including a head and a thigh that are movable toward various tilted positions; an actuating member operatively connected to the head for operation to raise it to a tilted position;
and a collapsible linkage forming a rigid link incorporated between the thigh and a main frame, supporting the thigh on the main frame and connecting the thigh to the various an electrically operated hospital bed comprising: an automatic profiling mechanism having a linkage selectively actuable in response to tilting movement of the head to gradually raise the bed to a tilted position; 2. The collapsible rigid link constituted by the link mechanism has a length that exceeds the vertical distance between the thigh and the main frame, and supports the thigh and gradually rises. 2. A hospital bed according to claim 1, wherein said hospital bed is movable in response to upward movement of said head causing said links to move into a vertical position. 3. The linkage comprising the collapsible rigid link includes: a transverse tube pivotally connected to and depending from the thigh; a transverse tube depending from the transverse tube and actuated with respect to the main frame; a pair of parallel, spaced apart plates disposed in engagement with the main frame and mounted on the head actuating member for movement in response to upward movement of the head; a pair of parallel plates supporting operatively coupled followers; positionably coupled to said plates for fixing the position of said followers relative to said plates to define said collapsible rigid link; A pair of fixed links;
A hospital bed according to claim 1, characterized in that the hospital bed comprises: 4 The collapsible rigid link constituted by the transverse tube, the plate and the fixed link has a length that exceeds the vertical spacing between the thigh and the main frame and supports the thigh. and is movable in response to an upward movement of the head which causes the link to move to a vertical position so as to gradually rise and press the follower into engagement with and support the main frame. A hospital bed according to claim 3, characterized in that: 5. The actuation member for operating the head includes a telescoping tube operatively connected between the main frame and the head, and the linkage is movable in response to the linkage. including a tie rod connected to said retractable tube, further defining a central shaft rotatably supporting said follower, and including an end connecting said follower to said plate; Claim 4 characterized by
Hospital beds mentioned in Section 1. 6. The longitudinal axis of the retractable tube and the tie rod are substantially aligned, and this alignment is maintained during continued operation of the head actuating member. A hospital bed according to claim 5. 7. The plate includes a free motion slot receiving the shank of the tie rod supporting the follower, and the fixed link is configured such that the shank of the tie rod has a raised head. positionable between an inoperative position in which the fixed link is movable within the idle motion slot while the link is in place, and an operative position in which the end of the fixed link engages the shaft to define the collapsible rigid link. A hospital bed according to claim 5, characterized in that: 8. The bed includes a manual member for raising the thigh independently of the automated profiling mechanism, and the thigh has a bell crank depending from the portion, and the manual member: Claims further comprising an actuator having a member movable in response to manual manipulation of the manual member and a cable loop operatively connecting the bellcrank and the movable member. A hospital bed as described in Scope 1. 9. The actuator is a screw-and-nut type actuator with an exposed handle arranged transversely to the longitudinal axis of the bed for use on the side of the bed, and the cable loop is connected to an operating nut. Claim 8, characterized in that the lateral movement of the nut of the actuator can be converted into a movement in the longitudinal direction of the bed in order to apply a lifting force to the bell crank of the thigh. Hospital beds mentioned in Section 1. 10 The bellcrank fixes the cable loop in contact with the bellcrank, and the lifting of the thigh by the automatic tracing mechanism causes the cable loop to become slack intermediate the bellcrank and the actuator. A hospital bed according to claim 9, characterized in that: 11. The manual member for raising the thigh is operable to move the thigh to a position of inclination greater than the maximum inclination created by the automatic profiling mechanism. A hospital bed according to claim 8.