WO1992016176A1

WO1992016176A1 - Hospital bed

Info

Publication number: WO1992016176A1
Application number: PCT/FI1992/000070
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jyrki MÄKELÄINEN; Kari Olkkonen
Original assignee: Ahlstrom Consumer Products Ltd.
Priority date: 1991-03-18
Filing date: 1992-03-13
Publication date: 1992-10-01
Also published as: FI89870B; AU1362092A; PT100257A; FI911301A0; FI911301A; FI89870C

Abstract

The invention relates to a hospital bed with an integrated lifting system for transferring a patient. The hospital bed comprises a body (4), a raisable and lowerable patient supporting portion (2), a lifting device (6) for the patient supporting portion, and a supporting body (12) which is connected to one end of the body (4) of the bed and is formed at least of a substantially elongate body portion (12a) and an overhead, horizontal body portion (12b) extending to a distance over the patient supporting portion and provided with means (18), for example straps, for carrying the patient. The lifting device for the patient supporting portion, preferably a scissors mechanism (6), and the horizontal body portion (12b) are connected to each other via power transmission devices. The power transmission device preferably comprises hydraulic cylinders (22, 24) provided in the scissors mechanism (6) and in the horizontal body portion (12b) and connected to each other via a hydraulic tube (28). The driving power of the hydraulic cylinders is the counter force of the adjustment of the patient supporting portion (2) of the bed. The carrying devices (18) are provided in connection with the hydraulic cylinder (24) in the supporting body. According to the invention, a patient can be transferred in a sitting position from the bed to a wheelchair and back to the bed without manual lifting operations by the nursing staff.

Description

HOSPITAL BED

The present invention relates to a hospital bed with an integrated lifting system for transferring a patient.

There are different devices available for the transfer of a patient or a corresponding person by which the patient can be transferred without the use of physical force. For example published International Patent Application WO 91/05532 discloses a hospital bed in which two adjacent U- shaped bearer rods turnable around their vertical axes are connected to an end of the body of the bed. The upper and the lower arm portions of the rods are connected to each other by transverse supports. The upper transverse support is provided with a bearer beam and the lower transverse support with wheels. A transfer frame and the patient lying on it can be transferred in lateral direction, without changing the alignment, supported by straps connected to the bearer beam, onto a transport frame. The wheels provided in the support move simultaneously in the same direction whereby the bed is well balanced during the transfer operation. However, this apparatus is suitable for lifting and transferring a patient in a lying position, only. If the patient is able to sit, he or she must be helped to a sitting position on the bed and manually lifted from the bed to a wheel chair in which he or she can be transported.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved hospital bed or a corresponding means, from which a patient can be lifted and transferred to a wheel chair or a corresponding means and back to the bed without the need of the nursing staff to manually lift the patient.

The present invention relates to a hospital bed which comprises a body, a liftable and lowerable patient supporting portion, a lifting means for the patient supporting portion and supporting body connected to one end of the body of the bed and formed at least of a substantially elongate body portion and of an upper body portion extending to a distance over the patient supportion portion and being provided with means for carrying the patient, for example straps. A characteristic feature of the bed is that a lifting device of the patient supporting portion, preferably a scissors mechanism, and the upper and preferably horizontal body portion are interconnected via power transmission means.

The power transmission means preferably comprises hydraulic cylinders provided in the scissors mechanism and in the horizontal body portion and interconnected via a hydraulic tube. Instead of a hydraulic transmission, for example a wire transmission can be used.

The driving force of the power transmission means, such as hydraulic cylinders, is the counter force of the adjustment of the patient supporting portion of the bed.

The invention is described furhter, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a side view of a hospital bed according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the bed of Fig. 1 as seen from the foot end of the bed and with the supporting body turned aside; and

Fig. 3 is a view of a hydraulic cylinder, and of carrying means provided in connection therewith, disposed in the horizontal portion of the supporting body.

The bed illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises a body 4 and a patient supporting portion 2 the height of which can be adjusted by lifting means 6. The lifting means is preferably an encased scissors mechanism. The position of the scissors mechanism 6 is adjustable by means of a screw spindle 9 driven by a motor 8. The head end and the foot end of the bed are preferably separately inclinable, the head end by means of a spindle motor 10 and the foot end, for example, by means of a pneumatic spring (not illustrated) .

In one end of the bed body, preferably in the head end, there are provided two supporting bodies 12 which are located at a distance from each other and pivotable in the horizontal direction about their vertical axes, and formed of substantially vertical body portions 12a and of nearly horizontal body portions 12b. Body portions 12c extending under the bed are connected to the lower end of the body portions 12a. The portions 12c are connected to each other by a transverse beam 20 provided with wheels.

The body portions 12b extend to a distance over the patient supporting portion 2 and they are connected to each other by a transverse beam 14. A bearing beam 16 is connected to the transverse beam 14 and bearing means for the patient, such as a strap 18, are disposed in the bearing beam 16.

The supporting bodies 12 are pivotable about their vertical axes in alignment due to their connection with each other in the manner described above whereby also the bearing beam 16 retains its alignment relative to the longitudinal axis of the bed when the beam is turned beside the bed.

A hydraulic cylinder 22 is provided in the scissors mechanism 6 for regulating the heigth of the bed. Fig. 3 illustrates in detail the manner in which the bearing beam 16 is provided with a hydraulic cylinder 24 and a winding device 26 for the reeled strap 18. When the strap is wound up it passes over a guide roller 27 disposed on a piston shaft 25 of the hydraulic cylinder 24 and over a guide roller 29. The hydraulic cylinders 22, 24 communicate via a hydraulic pipe 28 and are driven by the counter force of the height adjustment of the bed whereby lifting of the patient supporting portion 2 of the bed by means of the scissors mechanism causes the piston shaft 23 of the hydraulic cylinder 22 in the scissors mechanism to be pulled outwards and correspondingly the piston arm 25 in the bearing beam to move inwards in the cylinder 24. The opposite happens when the patient supporting portion is lowered.

When a patient is to be transferred from the bed to a wheel chair or a corresponding means beside the bed the patient lying on the bed is dressed in a lifting vest. There is a loop in the upper edge of the vest at the chest height and a buckle in the lower edge between the legs. The patient supporting portion of the bed is lifted up and also the head end of the bed which lifts the patient into a sitting position. The end of the lifting strap 18 is pulled out from the bearing beam, slipped through the loop in the lifting vest and secured to the buckle in the vest between the legs of the patient. The patient supporting portion of the bed is lowered down whereby the lifting strap is tightened and lifts the patient in a sitting position in the vest from the patient supporting portion. The supporting body 12 is turned aside (Fig. 2) and a wheel chair is pushed under the patient. The patient supporting portion of the bed is lifted up which causes the piston of the cylinder in the bearing beam to be pushed in whereby the lifting strap is slackened and the patient lowered down to the chair. The lifting strap can now be detached from the vest.

When the lifting strap is not used for lifting, the winding device rolls up the lifting strap by means of a spring while the height of the patient supporting portion of the bed is changed. Any device known per se can be used as the winding device, cf. for example the seat belts in cars. Utilizing the bed according to the invention, a patient can be transferred from the bed to a wheel chair and back to the bed without manual lifting operations by the nursing staff.

Although a hospital bed is referred to in the description of the present invention, it is clear that the same inventive concept can be applied also in other corresponding beds and apparatus.

Claims

We claim:

1. A hospital bed comprising a body (4), a raisable and lowerable patient supporting portion (2), a lifting device (6) for the patient supporting portion, and a supporting body (12) connected to one end of the body (4) of the bed and formed at least of a substantially elongate body portion (12a) and of an upper body portion (12b) extending to a distance over the patient supporting portion and provided with means (18), such as straps, for suspending or carrying the patients, characterized in that the lifting device for the patient supporting portion (2), preferably a scissors mechanism (6), and the upper body portion (12b) are connected to each other via power transmission devices.

2. A hospital bed according to claim 1, characterized in that the power transmission devices comprise hydraulic cylinders (22, 24) provided in the scissors mechanism (6) and in the upper body portion (12b) and connected to each other via a hydraulic duct (28).

3. A hospital bed according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the driving power of the power transmission devices, such as hydraulic cylinders, is the counter force to the adjustment of the patient supporting portion of the bed.

4. A hospital bed according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the carrying means (18) is provided connected to the hydraulic cylinder (24) in the supporting body.