WO2004021956A1

WO2004021956A1 - Patient bed

Info

Publication number: WO2004021956A1
Application number: PCT/KR2003/001726
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ho-Cheol Kang
Original assignee: Ho-Cheol Kang
Priority date: 2002-09-04
Filing date: 2003-08-26
Publication date: 2004-03-18
Also published as: JP4123484B2; JP2005537847A; CN100417370C; CN1681463A; AU2003256112A1

Abstract

Disclosed is a patient bed. The patient bed is Provided with legs erected from respective corners and a Mattress mounted on the upper surfaces thereof, and includes An excretory hole formed through a central portion of the mattress; stiffening members fixed to the legs; a case, having an opened upper end, fixedly installed on the stiffening members, and provided with a rail installed in a longitudinal direction on an inner bottom surface of the case; horizontal transfer main body installed in the case such that it is horizontally moved along the rail by driving of a horizontal transfer driving unit; a bedpan and a closed box respectively installed in front of and in the rear of the horizontal transfer main body such that they are vertically moved by driving of front and rear vertical transfer driving units; and a controller for controlling the horizontal transfer driving unit and the front and rear vertical transfer driving units.

Description

PATIENT BED

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a patient bed, and more particularly to a patient bed, which enables physically disabled persons or patients living thereon to conveniently defecate, and provides their assistants convenience.

Background Art Generally, as shown in Fig. 12, a conventional patient bed 100 comprises bed frame 110, protection frames (not shown) respectively installed at ends of the bed frame 110 such that the protection frames goes up and down, a mattress 120 mounted on the protection frames so that a patient is laid thereon, and a table 140 connected to a hinge 130 fixed to a designated position of the protection frame such that the table 140 is rotated centering on the hinge 130. A mattress-adjusting lever (not shown) for erecting an upper or lower end of the mattress 120 is installed at a lower portion of the bed. In case that a patient using the above-described conventional patient bed 100 can carry himself/herself, the patient goes to the toilet. However, in case a physically disabled patient, such as one who has an injured spine and one who is seriously ill, uses the conventional patient bed 100, the patient moves only in a limited range, thus not capable of going to the toilet. Accordingly, in order to defecate, such a patient under the condition that he/she is in an inconvenient posture or in a lying posture on the conventional patient bed 100 uses an additionally installed bedpan by the support of an assistant's arms.

In case that the disabled patient need to defecate on the bed, the assistant as well as the disabled patient has a hard time in positioning the bedpan to a suitable position of the patient .

Disclosure of the Invention

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a patient bed, which minimizes movement of a physically disabled person living thereon by means of simple manipulation, and enables the physically disabled person to conveniently defecate.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a patient bed, which allows an assistant to simply and easily help a physically disabled person living thereon to defecate, thus providing the assistant convenience.

In accordance with the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a patient bed provided with legs erected from respective corners and a mattress mounted on the upper surfaces thereof, comprising: an excretory hole vertically formed through a central portion of the mattress; stiffening members fixed to the legs below the excretory hole; a case, having an opened upper end, fixedly installed on the stiffening members below the excretory hole so as to be separated from the excretory hole by a designated distance, and provided with a rail installed in a longitudinal direction on an inner bottom surface of the case; horizontal transfer main body installed in the case such that it is horizontally moved along the rail by driving of a horizontal transfer driving unit; a bedpan and a closed box respectively installed in front of and in the rear of the horizontal transfer main body such that they are vertically moved by driving of front and rear vertical transfer driving units; and a controller for controlling the horizontal transfer driving unit and the front and rear vertical transfer driving units .

The patient bed of the present invention is operated according to purpose of use by simple manipulation of a patient such as a physically disabled person or a seriously ill person. For example, the bedpan is inserted into the excretory hole in an excretory mode, and the closed box is inserted into the excretory hole in a normal mode, thereby allowing the patient to conveniently defecate under the condition that he/she is laying on the bed. Further, since the closed box or the bedpan is vertically transferred so that it is inserted into or separated from the excretory hole formed through the central portion of the mattress, the patient bed of the present invention allows the patient laying thereon to conveniently defecate without excessive movement and the assistant to conveniently and easily help the patient to defecate.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a patient bed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the patient bed shown in Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a case of the patient bed in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a schematic view illustrating an installed state of the case shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a schematic view illustrating an internal structure of a horizontal transfer main body shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of Fig. 5; Figs . 7a and 7b illustrates operation of the patient bed of the present invention, and more specifically:

Fig. 7a illustrates the patient bed in a normal state; and

Fig. 7b illustrates the patient bed in an excretory state; Fig. 8 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a bedpan cover means of the patient bed of the present invention;

Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view of Fig. 8; Figs . 10a and 10b illustrate operation of the bedpan cover means shown in Fig. 8, and more specifically:

Fig. 10a illustrates a bedpan in a closed state; and

Fig. 10b illustrates the bedpan in an opened state; Fig. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a mattress of the patient bed of the present invention; and

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a conventional patient bed.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Now, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the annexed drawings . Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a patient bed 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the patient bed 10 shown in Fig. 1. Hereinafter, constitution of the patient bed 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is described. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the patient bed 10 comprises a bed frame used in a conventional patient bed and provided with four legs erected from respective corners, a mattress 1 mounted on the upper surface of the bed frame and provided with an excretory hole 13 vertically formed through a central portion thereof, stiffening members 2 fixed to the legs of the bed frame, a case 3 separated from the excretory hole 13 by a designated distance and fixed to the upper surfaces of the stiffening members 2, a horizontal transfer main body 4, which is horizontally transferred against the excretory hole 13 along a rail (not shown) installed in a longitudinal direction at both ends of the inner bottom surface of the case 3 through a horizontal transfer driving unit (not shown) in the case 3, and is provided with a bedpan 7 and a closed box 8 vertically transferred to the excretory hole 13 through front and rear vertical transfer driving units (not shown) in the case 3, and a controller (not shown) for controlling the horizontal transfer driving unit and the front and rear vertical transfer driving units of the horizontal transfer main body 4. That is, in the patient bed of this embodiment of the present invention, the horizontal transfer main body 4 provided with the bedpan 7 and the closed box 8 in the case 3 is moved in front of or in the rear of the excretory hole 13 by the driving of the horizontal transfer driving unit, and the bedpan 7 or the closed box 8 is inserted or separated from the excretory hole 13 by the driving of the front and rear horizontal transfer driving units based on purpose of use. Then, the bedpan 7 is separated from the case 3 at both sides . For example, in a normal mode of the patient bed 10, the closed box 8 installed in the rear of the horizontal transfer main body 4 is inserted into the excretory hole 13 by the rear vertical transfer driving unit so that the excretory hole 13 formed through the mattress 1 is closed by the closed box 8. On the other hand, in an excretory mode of the patient bed 10, the bedpan 7 located in front of the excretory hole 13 is transferred toward the excretory hole 13 by the horizontal transfer driving unit, and is then inserted into the excretory hole 13 by the front vertical transfer driving unit. Hereinafter, with reference to Figs. 3 to 6, constitution of a patient bed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail . Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the case 3 of the patient bed in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a schematic view illustrating an installed state of the case 3 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a schematic view illustrating an internal structure of the horizontal transfer main body 4 shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of Fig. 5.

As shown in Fig. 3, the case 3 of the patient bed in accordance with this embodiment of the present invention includes an opened upper surface, and a rail (31 in Fig. 5) , installed in a longitudinal direction at both ends of the inner bottom surface of the case 3, for transferring the horizontal transfer main body 4 toward the excretory hole 13. Accordingly, the horizontal transfer main body 4 is horizontally transferred below the excretory hole 13 along the rail 31 of the case 3. In this embodiment, preferably, the case 3 is made of plastic in order to minimize noise generated by the horizontal transfer of the horizontal transfer main body 4.

As shown in Fig. 4, the case 3 is fixed to the upper surfaces of the stiffening members 2 below the excretory hole 13. That is, tap holes 32 are respectively formed at corners of the lower surface of the case 3 , and through holes 21, formed in a H shape corresponding to the tap holes 32, are formed through the stiffening members 2. The case 3 is fixed to the stiffening members 2 by connecting the tap holes 32 to the through holes 21 by means of bolts 22.

Thereby, the case 3 can be fixed to a designated position of the stiffening members 2 so that the case 3 corresponds to the excretory hole 13. Accordingly, although the position of the excretory hole 13, i.e., the position of the mattress, is changed by replacing a sheet with a new one, the position of the case 3 can be readjusted to fit to the position of the excretory hole 13.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the horizontal transfer main body 4 is provided with a partition 46 for dividing its inner space into upper and lower spaces . The horizontal transfer driving unit 41, and the front and rear vertical transfer driving units 42 and 44, for raising and lowering the bedpan 7 and the closed box 8 to and from the excretory hole 13, are installed on the upper surface of the partition 46. Rollers (not shown) are installed at designated positions of both ends of the outer surface of the horizontal transfer main body 4, corresponding to the rail 31, thereby allowing the horizontal transfer main body 4 to travel along the rail 31 by the driving of the horizontal transfer driving unit 41.

Preferably, the horizontal transfer main body 4 further includes a cover 6 for preventing foreign substances from being introduced into the horizontal transfer main body 4.

The horizontal transfer driving unit 41 includes a rack shaft 411 fixed into the inside of the case 3, and a horizontal transferring motor 413 having a pinion 412 fixed to the horizontal transfer main body 4 and engaged with the rack shaft 411 to be rotated so that the horizontal transfer main body 4 is transferred forward and backward.

That is, one side surface of the rack shaft 411 is fixed to one side surface of the case 3, and the pinion 412 engaged with the rack shaft 411 to be rotated moves forward and backward on the rack shaft 411 by means of the horizontal transferring motor 413. Thereby, the horizontal transfer main body 4 moves to and from the excretory hole 13 along the rail 31.

The bedpan 7 is installed on the front vertical transfer driving unit 42. The front vertical transfer driving unit 42 includes a front guider 421 vertically erected in front of the horizontal transfer main body 4, a front rack shaft 422 inserted into the front guider 421 to rise and fall and provided with a front support plate 43, which is installed on the front rack shaft 422 and from which the bedpan 7 is detached, and a front elevating motor 425 fixed to the horizontal transfer main body 4 and engaged with the front rack shaft 422 to be rotated so that the front rack shaft 422 is raised and lowered. Thereby, the front rack shaft 422 inserted into the front guider 421 vertically fixed to the lower surface of the horizontal transfer main body 4 so as to be raised and lowered is engaged with the front pinion 424 rotated by the front elevating motor 425, thus being safely raised and lowered along the front guider 421 without shaking, and inserting/separating the bedpan 7 into/from the excretory hole 13.

In this embodiment of the present invention, a subsidiary support plate 423 supporting the front support plate 43 is installed on the upper surface of the front rack shaft 422. However, the subsidiary support plate 423 is not an essential component, and is thus capable of omission.

Preferably, protrusions 431 for preventing the shaking of the bedpan 7 are provided on the upper surface of the front support plate 43. Since the case 3 is installed at a space below the patient bed 10, the protrusions 431 prevent the bedpan 7 mounted on the front support plate 43 from being shaken due to external impact or movement of a patient. Preferably, in this embodiment of the present invention, connection grooves 71 corresponding to the protrusions 431 of the front support plate 43 are formed in the external bottom surface of the bedpan 7.

More preferably, a prominence 432 is additionally provided at one end of each of the protrusions 431 for limiting the range of movement of the bedpan 7 when the bedpan 7 is connected to the front support plate 43. In case that the bedpan 7 is washed and then reconnected to the front support plate 43 , the bedpan 7 easily coincides with the position of the excretory hole 13 using the prominences 432 for limiting the moving range of the bedpan 7.

The closed box 8 is installed on the rear vertical transfer driving unit 44. The rear vertical transfer driving unit 44 includes a rear guider 441 vertically erected in the rear of the horizontal transfer main body 4, a rear rack shaft 442 inserted into the rear guider 441 to rise and fall and provided with a rear support plate 43, on which the closed box 8 is mounted, and a rear elevating motor 445 fixed to the horizontal transfer main body 4 and engaged with the rear rack shaft 442 to be rotated so that the rear rack shaft 442 is raised and lowered.

Preferably, the closed box 8 is fixed to the rear support plate 45 mounted on the upper surface of the rear rack shaft 442 by a conventional connecting means such as bolts or an adhesive agent. A subsidiary support plate 443 supporting the rear support plate 45 is installed on the upper surface of the rear rack shaft 442. However, the subsidiary support plate 443 is not an essential component, and is thus capable of omission.

In the rear vertical transfer driving unit 44, the rear rack shaft 442 inserted into the rear guider 441 vertically fixed to the lower surface of the horizontal transfer main body 4 so as to be raised and lowered is engaged with the rear pinion 444 rotated by the rear elevating motor 445, thus being safely raised and lowered along the rear guider 441 without shaking, and inserting/separating the closed box 8 into/from the excretory hole 13.

Through holes 61 allowing the front and rear rack shafts 422 and 442 to be raised and lowered therethrough by means of the driving of the front and rear vertical transfer driving units 42 and 44 are formed through the cover 6 for preventing foreign substances from being introduced into the horizontal transfer main body 4. More preferably, guiders 62 are respectively formed around the through holes 61. The guiders 62 serve to protect the front and rear rack shafts 422 and 442 provided with the subsidiary support plates 423 and 443 so that the front and rear rack shafts 422 and 442 are vertically moved without shaking due to external impact when the front and rear rack shafts 422 and 442 are raised and lowered by the driving of the front and rear vertical transfer driving units 42 and 44.

In case that the horizontal transfer main body 4 is closed by the cover 6, the inner surface of the cover 6 is connected to the external upper surface of the horizontal transfer main body 4, the front and rear support plates 43 and 45 are respectively fixed to the upper surfaces of the front and rear rack shafts 422 and 442 protruded from the through holes 61 of the cover 6, the bedpan 7 is connected to the upper surface of the front support plate 43, and the closed box 8 is connected to the rear support plate 45.

As described above, the horizontal transfer main body 4 of the patient bed 10 of the present invention is moved forward and backward along the rail 31 in the case 3 by the driving of the horizontal transfer driving unit 41, and then the bedpan 7 or the closed box 8 is inserted into/separated from the excretory hole 13 by the driving of the front and rear vertical transfer driving units 42 and 44.

The controller 5 controls the horizontal transfer driving unit 41 and the front and rear vertical transfer driving units 42 and 44 by user's manipulation of a button. That is, the controller 5 controls driving motors of the horizontal transfer driving unit 41 and the front and rear vertical transfer driving units 42 and 44 by user's manipulation of the a button. For example, in case that a patient wants to defecate under the condition that the closed box 8 is inserted into the excretory hole 13 , the controller 5 controls the rear elevating motor 445 of the rear vertical transfer driving unit 44 to separate the closed box 8 from the excretory hole 13, controls the horizontal transferring motor 413 of the horizontal transfer driving unit 41 to transfer the horizontal transfer main body 4 backward so that the bedpan 7 is located below the position of the excretory hole 13 , and then controls the front elevating motor 425 of the front vertical transfer driving unit 42 to insert the bedpan 7 located below the excretory hole 13 into the excretory hole 13.

The operation of the controller 5 for controlling the respective driving units is not limited to the button manipulation, and may instead be performed by a remote control unit .

That is, the controller 5 includes a receiving unit 51 for receiving a manipulation signal outputted from the remote control unit, and controls the operations of the horizontal transferring motor 413 and the front and rear elevating motors 425 and 445 based on the manipulation signal of the remote control unit inputted through the receiving unit 51.

Hereinafter, with reference to Figs. 7a and 7b, operation of the patient bed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

In a normal state, the patient bed, in which the closed box 8 is inserted into the excretory hole 13 , is used as a conventional bed. In case that a disabled person laying on the patient bed wants to defecate, the disabled person presses a manipulation button or a start button of the remote control unit as described above. Thereby, the rear vertical transfer driving unit (not shown) provided with the closed box 8 is lowered, so that the closed box 8 is separated from the excretory hole 13 as shown in Fig. 7a and then lowered to the horizontal transfer main body 4.

The horizontal transfer main body 4 provided with the closed box 8 lowered thereto is transferred backward along the rail 31 installed in the inside of the case 3 by the driving of the horizontal transfer driving unit (not shown) , and is then, as shown in Fig. 7b, stopped at a position in which the bedpan 7 corresponds to the excretory hole 13. Then, the front vertical transfer driving unit (not shown) provided with the bedpan 7 is raised so that the bedpan 7 is inserted into the excretory hole 13.

After the bedpan 7 is inserted into the excretory hole 13 and the disabled person finish his/her defecation, the above process in an opposite direction is performed such that the closed box 8 is inserted into the excretory hole 13. An assistant separates the bedpan collected through the above process from the side surface of the patient bed, washes the bedpan, and then returns the bedpan to its earlier position so as to be used again.

The patient bed of the present invention further comprises a cover means for covering an opening of the bedpan 7 containing patient's excrement.

That is, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the cover means 9 includes a cover 92 connected to the bedpan 7, a cover support unit 91 for supporting the cover 92, and a groove 93 formed in the bedpan for receiving the cover 92.

The cover support unit 91 includes a vertical block 911 installed at the front end of the case 3, and roller blocks 912 respectively installed at both sides of the front end of the horizontal transfer main body 4 and respectively provided with rollers 913 thereon.

The upper end of the vertical block 911 is inserted into a front transversal groove 921 formed in the lower surface of the cover 92, and both sides of the lower surface of the cover 92 are supported by the roller blocks 912. Here, preferably, guide grooves for guiding the rollers 913 of the roller block 912 are respectively formed in both sides of the lower surface of the cover 92, thus more easily sliding the cover 92 toward the bedpan 7. Preferably, in order to easily perform the insertion of the cover 92 into the groove 93 of the bedpan 7, both edges of the rear end of the cover 92 are rounded.

The groove 93 is formed in both sides of the upper end surface of the bedpan 7, and serves to guide the both sides of the cover 92. After the patient finishes his/her defecation using the bedpan, in case that the bedpan is replaced with the closed box, the horizontal transfer main body is moved forward so that the cover 92 is horizontally inserted into the groove 93 of the bedpan, thereby sealing the opening of the bedpan. As shown in Fig. 9, the bedpan provided with the cover 92 connected thereto is separated from the patient bed.

That is, the front transversal groove 921 formed in front of the cover 92 is fixed to the vertical block 911, and the cover 92 is horizontally supported by the roller blocks 912. Thereby, the horizontal transfer main body is moved forward along the rail so that the both sides of the cover 92 are inserted into the groove 93 of the bedpan.

Further, the transversal groove 921 of the cover 92 inserted into the bedpan is separated from the vertical block 911, thereby separating the bedpan closed with the cover 92 from the patient bed.

Accordingly, in the patient bad of the present invention, the bedpan containing the excrement is closed with the cover means, thereby preventing smell from the excrement from diffusing. Further, the bedpan closed with the cover means is separated from the patient bed, thereby allowing the assistant to conveniently and hygienically carry the bedpan. Hereinafter, with reference to Figs. 10a and 10b, operation of the cover means 9 will be described in detail.

In case that the disabled person laying on the patient bed wants to defecate, the disabled person presses the manipulation button or the start button of the remote control unit as described above. Thereby, the closed box 8 is separated from the excretory hole 13 and lowered. Then, the horizontal transfer main body 4, in which the closed box 9 is lowered, is moved backward along the rail provided on the inner bottom surface of the case 3 by the driving of the horizontal transfer driving unit (not shown) .

As shown in Fig. 10a, the cover 92 having the front end fixed to the vertical block 911 of the case 3 is supported by the roller blocks 912 and horizontally separated from the bedpan 7 by the backward movement of the horizontal transfer main body 4. When the bedpan 7 is located below the excretory hole 13, the cover 92 is completely separated from the bedpan 7 so that the bedpan is opened.

In case that the closed box 8 instead of the bedpan 7 is inserted into the excretory hole 13, the horizontal transfer main body 4 is moved forward by the driving of the horizontal transfer driving unit. Here, as shown in Fig. 10b, the cover 92 maintains its horizontal state by the roller blocks 912 provided in front of the horizontal transfer main body 4 by the forward movement of the horizontal transfer main body. Thereby, the rear portion of the cover 92, to which one side of the front end of the vertical block 911 is fixed, is inserted into the groove 93 of the bedpan 7, and when the closed box 8 is located below the excretory hole 13, the bedpan 7 is completely closed by the cover 92.

In the mattress 1 of the patient bed in accordance with this embodiment of the present invention, the same as a mattress used in a conventional patient bed, an angle of a back portion is adjustable. As shown in Fig. 11, the mattress 1 is divided into a front mattress 1 provided with the excretory hole 13 , and a rear mattress 2. The upper surface of a rear end 111 of the front mattress 11 is connected to the upper surface of a front end 121 of the rear mattress 12. Particularly, the front mattress 11 includes an upper sheet 113 detachably connected to circumferences of the rear end 111 and the excretory hole 13 by a Velcro tape 112.

Accordingly, although the rear mattress 12 serving as the back portion of the mattress 1 is erected from the front mattress 11 at a designated angle, the front mattress 11 provided with the excretory hole 13 is still laid.

As described above, the patient bed 10 of the present invention includes the separated front and rear mattresses 11 and 12, thereby preventing the upper sheet 113 mounted on the front mattress 11 from moving backward when the rear mattress 12 serving as the back portion is erected from the front mattress 11. That is, it is possible to prevent the excretory hole 13 from being clogged due to the movement of the upper sheet 113 of the front mattress 11, and to erect the rear mattress 12 from the front mattress 11 at a designated angle, thus allowing the patient to defecate in a comfortable posture.

Further, the upper sheet 113 is provided with the Velcro tape 112 detachably connected to circumferences of the rear end 111 and the excretory hole 13 of the front mattress 11, thus being easily replaced with a new one. The connection means between the upper sheet 113 and the front mattress 11 is not limited to the Velcro tape, but may be a zipper.

Industrial Applicability

As apparent from the above description, the present invention provides a patient bed, in which a closed box and a bedpan are alternately inserted into and separated from an excretory hole formed through a mattress by simple manipulation, thereby enabling a physically disabled person laying thereon to conveniently defecate without excessive movement and providing the disabled person hygienic circumstances by closing the excretory hole with the closed box after defecation.

Further, the patient bed of the present invention allows an assistant to separate the bedpan, which is transferred forward and backward below the excretory hole, from the excretory hole after the disabled person's defecation, thereby not requiring any additional bedpan and allowing the assistant to conveniently and easily help the physically disabled person to defecate . The patient bed of the present invention includes protrusions formed on the upper surface of a front support plate on which the bedpan is mounted, thereby preventing the bedpan from shaking due to external impact or movement of the patient. Further, the patient bed of the present invention includes prominences formed at one end of each of the protrusions, thereby allowing the bedpan to precisely coincide with the position of the excretory hole when the bedpan is washed and then reconnected to the front support plate. The patient bed of the present invention includes a cover means for covering the bedpan containing the patient's excrement, thereby preventing smell from the excrement from diffusing. Further, since the bedpan is closed with a cover, the patient bed allows the assistant to conveniently and hygienically carry the bedpan separated from the bed.

The patient bed of the present invention includes the mattress including front and rear mattresses . Accordingly, although the rear mattress serving as a back portion is erected from the front mattress at a designated angle, the front mattress provided with the excretory hole is still laid, thereby allowing the patient to defecate in a comfortable posture .

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims .

Claims

Claims :

1. A patient bed provided with legs erected from respective corners and a mattress mounted on the upper surfaces thereof, comprising: an excretory hole vertically formed through a central portion of the mattress; stiffening members fixed to the legs below the excretory hole; a case, having an opened upper end, fixedly installed on the stiffening members below the excretory hole so as to be separated from the excretory hole by a designated distance, and provided with a rail installed in a longitudinal direction on an inner bottom surface of the case; horizontal transfer main body installed in the case such that it is horizontally moved along the rail by driving of a horizontal transfer driving unit; a bedpan and a closed box respectively installed in front of and in the rear of the horizontal transfer main body such that they are vertically moved by driving of front and rear vertical transfer driving units; and a controller for controlling the horizontal transfer driving unit and the front and rear vertical transfer driving units.

2. The patient bed as set forth in claim 1, wherein the horizontal transfer driving unit includes: a rack shaft fixed to the inside of the case in a longitudinal direction; and a horizontal transferring motor having a pinion fixed to the horizontal transfer main body and engaged with the rack shaft to be rotated so that the horizontal transfer main body is transferred forward and backward.

3. The patient bed as set forth in claim 1 or 2, wherein: the front vertical transfer driving unit includes : a front guider vertically erected in front of the horizontal transfer main body; a front rack shaft inserted into the front guider to rise and fall and provided with a front support plate installed thereon, from which the bedpan is detached; and a front elevating motor fixed to the horizontal transfer main body and engaged with the front rack shaft to be rotated so that the front rack shaft is raised and lowered; and the rear vertical transfer driving unit includes : a rear guider vertically erected in the rear of the horizontal transfer main body; a rear rack shaft inserted into the rear guider to rise and fall and provided with a rear support plate installed thereon, on which the closed box is mounted; and a rear elevating motor fixed to the horizontal transfer main body and engaged with the rear rack shaft to be rotated so that the rear rack shaft is raised and lowered.

4. The patient bed as set forth in claim 3, wherein: protrusions for preventing the bedpan from shaking are provided on the upper surface of the front support plate; and connection grooves corresponding to the protrusions are formed in an external bottom surface of the bedpan.

5. The patient bed as set forth in claim 4, wherein prominences are respectively provided at ends of the protrusions for limiting the range of movement of the bedpan when the bedpan is connected to the front support plate.

6. The patient bed as set forth in claim 3, further comprising cover means including: a cover support unit including a vertical block installed at the front end of the case, and roller blocks respectively installed at both sides of the front end of the horizontal transfer main body and respectively provided with rollers protruding therefrom; a cover, in which a front transversal groove formed in a lower surface thereof is inserted into the upper end of the vertical block, and both sides of the lower surface thereof are supported by the roller blocks; and a groove formed in both sides of the upper end surface of the bedpan for receiving the both sides of the cover by horizontal driving of the horizontal transfer main body.

7. The patient bed as set forth in claim 3, wherein: tap holes are formed at corners of the lower surface of the case; and through holes in a H shape, corresponding to the tap holes, are formed through the stiffening members so that a position of the case mounted on the stiffening members is changeable .

8. The patient bed as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the controller includes a receiving unit for receiving a manipulation signal outputted from a remote control unit, and controls operations of the horizontal transferring motor and the front and rear elevating motors based on the manipulation signal of the remote control unit inputted through the receiving unit .

9. The patient bed as set forth in claim 3, wherein: the mattress includes a front mattress provided with the excretory hole, and a rear mattress; and the upper surface of a rear end of the front mattress is connected to the upper surface of a front end of the rear mattress .

10. The patient bed as set forth in claim 9, wherein the front mattress includes an upper sheet detachably connected to circumferences of the rear end and the excretory hole by a Velcro tape.