WO2004110330A1

WO2004110330A1 - Adjustable bed support and bed

Info

Publication number: WO2004110330A1
Application number: PCT/AU2004/000785
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stephen Dichiera
Original assignee: Stephen Dichiera
Priority date: 2003-06-13
Filing date: 2004-06-10
Publication date: 2004-12-23

Abstract

A tiltable bed (10) with a bed support (11) having an upper support portion (12) adjacent the bed for holding the bed (10) spaced above a ground surface, the bed (10) is elongate extending between a foot and a head of the bed. The bed (10) is pivotable relative to the upper support member (12) at a pivot axis (113), between a horizontal position over the bed support (11) and an upright position with the foot of the bed downwards, the pivot axis (113) is lateral to the length of the bed and positioned proximal to the foot of the bed. A ground engageable roller (135) is positioned at the foot of the bed (10), and the bed (10) or the upper support member (12) is slidable relative to, the pivot axis (113) along a slide path extending longitudinally along the bed from a first position with the bed horizontal to a second position with the bed (10) upright. A distance between the foot of the bed and the pivot axis (113) is longer than a height of the pivot axis (113) from the floor when the bed is in the first position.

Description

ADJUSTABLE BED SUPPORT AND BED

This invention relates to bedding for patients, and in particular to features of bedding to assist with manual handling and positioning of patients.

Bedding for patients or individuals with a range of medical conditions places additional demands on construction in comparison to bedding for normal healthy individuals, largely because of the limited mobility of certain patients or because certain types of movement are either painful or undesirable. Additionally bedding for patients that are required to stay in bed over a prolonged period are preferably adjustable to assist with their comfort.

It is therefore desirable for a bed for patients to be tiltable at least along the length of the bed so that the patient can be maintained in a partially upright position. For patients with back lesions it is often undesirable that the back is bent, and therefore it is desirable that the bed can be tilted from a horizontal position to a vertical position for access from an upright standing position to a lying position so that the patient does not bend his or her back. Furthermore individuals whose mobility is more severely impaired may require a hoist to assist with lifting onto the bed.

Mechanisms to deliver the above flexibility are known, however, the present invention provides an alternative mechanism to provide one or more of the above requirements.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect the invention might be said to reside in an adjustable bed support, including an upper support portion spaced above a lower support portion, the upper support portion adapted to support a bed, and the lower support portion being directly or indirectly ground engaging, at least one front upright member connecting a front part of the upper and lower support portions and at least one rear upright member connecting a rear part of the two support portions, the front upright member being pivotably connected with the upper support portion, and the rear upright member pivotably connected to the upper support portion and the lower support portion, and the pivotable connection between rear upright member and the lower support portion is slidable front to rear relative to the lower support portion to adjust the relative height of the rear and front of the upper support portion.

Preferably the front upright member is pivotable with respect to the front part of the upper and lower support portions so that the height of the upper support portion can be raised or lowered relative to the lower support portion.

Preferably both support portions are generally rectangular and preferably two upright members are connected at respective front corners of the upper and lower support portion, and two upright members are connected between respective rear corners of the upper and lower support portions.

It will be understood that different shaped support portions may be desired, and that perhaps three upright members might be suitable instead of four so that, for example, two upright members might be provided at the front and one at the rear. Alternatively two members may be all that is required with some lateral stability being provided because the uprights have a significant lateral dimension relative to the width of the respective support portions.

It is preferable that there are also provided means to control the position of the lower rear pivotable connection relative to the lower support portion. Such control means might include a drive means such as an hydraulically operated ram, or other means such a screw threaded spindle. Either of these can be operated and controlled in a known manner. Alternatively the position of the rear pivotable connection might be achieved manually whereby, for example, the rear pivotable connection registers at a number of alternate positions, for example by a lug, axle or other protrusion registering within one of a plurality of grooves spaced front to rear, and which relative position can be shifted by manually disengaging one of said grooves and engaging a second of said grooves. Preferably also provided is an angle control means to control the angle of the front upright member. The angle control means might include a drive means such as an hydraulically operated ram, or other means such as a screw threaded spindle. This might include also a manual means of altering the angle, whereby for example a disc is fixed relative to the upper support portion with a plurality of apertures therethrough whereby a pin can be inserted through the upright member and the disc to set the relative angle between the two integers.

The above two controls are sufficient to permit raising and lowering of the upper support portion as well as adjusting the tilt relative to the lower support portion.

Preferably all upright members are of equal length and connected such that when they are all vertical a side of the support describes a rectangle with the lower support extending beyond the rear upright.

In the above configuration both the rear end and front end of the upper support portion can be lowered relative to the other end, and similar adjustability is accordingly provided for any bed supported thereon.

The slidability of the lower rear pivotable connection may be achieved by a wheel supported at a lowermost portion of rear upright, a path of the wheel being defined within a guide aligned front to rear with a side of the lower support frame. Preferably a respective stop is provided at either end of the path of the wheel thereby defining the limits of the path.

The support frame may be ground engaging by reason of downwardly depending legs, thus the support frame may be generally stationary. Alternatively ground engaging wheels might be provided to facilitate shifting of the bed from one location to another. Other arrangements known for ground support for beds may also be employed.

Typically the upper and lower support portions take on the form of a rectangular frame made from four tubular steel members joined together perhaps by welding. Alternatively a plastics moulded rectangular frame may be made, or perhaps the support portions might take the form of a unitary moulded flat web with downturned peripheral skirt and perhaps one or more reinforcing ribs.

The bed itself will also typically be generally rectangular and is of a rigid construction. The bed may however in addition be adjustable and, for example include a number of subframes or segments that permit adjustment of support to portions only of the patient. Thus there might be the capacity to raise one leg, provide a means to raise the knees, or the upper body relative to the rest of the body.

In a second aspect the invention could be said to reside in an adjustable bed having an adjustable bed support according to the first aspect of the invention.

In a third aspect the invention could be said to reside in a tiltable bed arrangement, including a bed support having an upper support portion adjacent the bed for holding the bed spaced above a ground surface, the bed being elongate extending between a foot and a head of the bed, the bed being pivotable relative to the upper support member at a pivot axis, between a horizontal position over the bed support and an upright position with the foot of the bed downwards, the pivot axis being lateral to the length of the bed and positioned proximal to the foot of the bed, a ground engageable roller means positioned at the foot of the bed the bed or the upper support member slidable relative to the pivot axis along a slide path extending longitudinally along the bed from a first position with the bed horizontal to a second position with the bed upright, a distance between the foot of the bed and the pivot axis being longer than a height of the pivot axis from the floor when the bed is in the first position.

An advantage of this arrangement is that on pivoting the bed downwardly the roller at the foot of the bed contacts the ground when spaced away from the bed support thereby providing additional support for the weight of the patient thereon. This alleviates a lifting of the bed support toward a head of the bed, and thereby acts to stabilise the bed support during tilting of the bed.

It is generally desired to have the bed generally upright beyond an angle of the bed at which the roller first contacts the ground and the relative slidability of the bed support or bed relative to the pivot axis accommodates tilting of the bed to a more upright position and preferably at least approximately vertical after the roller has made ground contact.

The provision of slidability of the pivot between the bed and the upper support portion also allows the pivot axis to be more central longitudinally of the bed than if a fixed pivot axis were to have been provided. It is possible to construct the arrangement so that the pivot axis is at a set distance from the foot of the bed equal to or less than the distance of the height of the pivot axis, and the bed can be pivoted without ground contact. This however is disadvantageous to manual pivoting with attendant risk of overstrain by paramedical staff because the weight of the patient is more eccentric and thus requires more effort to tilt and such a risk is accentuated where the patient is obese. Where mechanical means are used for lifting greater input is required, where the eccentricity of weight is greater, when pivoting the bed relative to the bed support and is therefore not preferred.

There is preferably a drive means connected between the bed support and the bed to drive the relative pivoting of the bed with respect to the bed support. Such a drive means can be in the form of a ram such as an hydraulic ram. The ram may be connected to the bed on a first side of the pivot axis and to the bed support at an opposite, second, side of the pivot axis, the connection of the ram to the bed is preferably below the pivot axis so that any force exerted thereon has a downward component to cause tilting of the bed. Alternatively other guide means are provided to direct the downward tilting of the bed.

Where drive means are provided it is preferred that these are readily disconnectable so that the bed may be quickly, manually, pivoted upwardly or downwardly in the case of an emergency, for example where a cardiac arrest occurs and it is desired to quickly position the patient in an horizontal position.

Relative slideable movement between the bed or upper support portion and the pivot axis may be provided by a track and a slideable key within the track. The key might take the form of a roller. The track may be fixed to the bed and the key pivoted relative to the bed support or alternatively the track may be pivoted with respect to the bed support. In this embodiment the track is fixed relative to the bed and either pivotably connected to the bed support or engageable with the slidable key which is pivotably connected to the bed support. A stop is provided to limit movement of the bed under influence of gravity thereby defining one end of the slide path of the track or the slidable key.

The stop may be a dynamic stop to provide a varied one end of the slide path dependent on the degree to which the bed is pivoted relative to the bed support. Thus the stop might provide for a fixed limit whilst the bed pivots freely about the bed support, and then with further pivoting allows for a longer slide path to accommodated relative translational movement between the bed and the bed support after contact of the wheels on the ground. Preferably the dynamic stop depends from a lowermost surface of the bed and is urged against a slidable member, perhaps as a roller fixed against bed support.

The dynamic stop might thus present an initially arcuate surface reflecting the pivoting around of the bed downwardly until the foot contacts the ground followed by a cutaway portion to guide the lateral movement of the bed relative to the bed support, the degree of lateral movement required to bring the bed upright is accommodated by the degree of cutout.

In one form of this third aspect the bed support is in accordance with any one of the forms of the first aspect of the invention. In this form the pivot axis is directly connected to the upper support member and the drive means which may be a ram is also connected with the upper frame member, principally because this is fixed relative to the pivot axis. In a fourth aspect the invention might be said to reside in a demountable patient hoist arrangement for connection with a bed, having a lifting frame, the lifting frame including bed mounting means for mounting to the bed and a laterally extending member extending from a head of the bed, mounting means at a first end of the laterally extending member, a hoist lifting means including a flexible link member supported by the lifting frame and extending away from a free end of the laterally extending member, with patient engaging means at the free end thereof, drive means engaging the flexible link member for manual or automatic driving of the cable upwardly or downwardly to lift or lower a patient.

The bed mounting means may be a frame with two fixed side members that slide each into a respective guide fixed beneath the bed and open at the head of the bed, a guide stop is provided and positioned relative to the guide to maintain the side members at a fixed position when the bed is tilted upwards.

In one form the hoist lifting means is driven by an electric motor, the hoist means having an inbuilt actuation operator and an electrical connection being made on sliding the engagement frame into place. In an alternative form the hoist lifting means is driven by an hydraulic ram.

The hoist means including a pair of pulleys the cable extending around an outside of said pair of pulleys so that a length of the cable extending out of the free end of the lateral member can be shortened by driving the pair of pulley members apart to provide a lifting effect or extended by driving the pair of pulley members closer to give a lowering effect.

Preferably the flexible link means, for example a cable, extends internally of the lifting frame, so that the cable is generally covered apart from where it extends out of the free end of the laterally extending member of the lifting frame. The laterally extending members might also be configured with a bend so that the cable extends downwardly onto the bed when in the horizontal position to assist in hoisting a patient when lying down.

In a sixth aspect the invention might be said to reside in a bed arrangement including a hoist arrangement according to the fourth aspect and more preferably with a tiltable bed according to the third arrangement and preferably with a support frame in accordance with the first aspect of the invention.

For the purposes of this specification the word "comprising" means "including but not limited to", and the word "comprises" has a corresponding meaning. Also a reference within this specification to a document is not to be taken as an admission that the disclosure therein constitutes common general knowledge in Australia.

For a better understanding the invention will be described to a number of embodiments described with reference to the illustrations wherein

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 : is a schematic side view of a bed support supporting a bed according to a first embodiment of the invention in a raised position,

Figure 2 is a schematic side view as in figure 1 with the bed support supporting a bed in a partially lowered position,

Figure 3 is a schematic side view as in figure 1 with the bed support supporting a bed with a foot of the bed tilted downwardly,

Figure 4 is a schematic side view as in figure 1 with the bed support supporting a bed with a head of the bed tilted downwardly, Figure 5 is a schematic side view of a third embodiment of the bed support supporting a bed, the bed being supported in a horizontal position,

Figure 6 is a schematic side view as in figure 5 where, the bed is tilted upwardly and a roller at the foot of the bed has made ground contact,

Figure 7 is a schematic side view as in Figure 5 where, the bed is tilted to a vertical position,

Figure 8 is a schematic partial side view of a fifth embodiment of the invention with a hoist fitted beneath the bed,

Figure 9 is a schematic partial view from above of the fifth embodiment showing a further view of the manner in which the hoist is fitted beneath the bed,

Figure 10 is a schematic cross sectional view of the fifth embodiment showing the workings of the hoist,

Figure 11 is a further schematic cross sectional view of the fifth embodiment showing the workings of the hoist,

Figure 12 is a schematic partial view from above of the fifth embodiment showing a further view of an alternative manner in which the hoist can be fitted beneath the bed,

Figure 13 is a schematic side view of the sixth embodiment of the bed support supporting a bed, the bed being supported in a horizontal position, Figure 14 is a schematic side view as in Figure 13 where the bed is tilted upwardly and a roller at the foot of the bed has made ground contact, the bed support is in a fully raised position,

Figure 15 is a schematic side view as in Figure 13 where the bed is tilted upwardly and a roller at the foot of the bed has made ground contact, the bed support is in a partially lowered position,

Figure 16 is a schematic side view as in Figure 13 where the bed is tilted to a vertical position,

Figure 17 is a schematic partial side view of a seventh illustrated embodiment of the invention of the bed in the upright position showing a head end of the bed and a further embodiment of hoist,

Figure 18 is a schematic side view of an eighth embodiment of the invention wherein a yet further embodiment of the hoist includes raiser members, to provide a central lifting action for the hoist,

Figure 19 is a schematic side view of the eight embodiment where the raiser member is in a lowered position, the bed support frame being showed in simplified format,

Figure 20 is a schematic side view of the eight embodiment as shown in figure 19 except that the raiser member is in a raised position,

Figure 21 is a schematic side view as in figure 20 except that the bed is tilted with end wheels contacting a ground surface, and Figure 22 is a schematic side view as in figure 21 except that the bed in a substantially upright position showing the raiser member being lowered by the relative sliding movement of the bed relative to the bed support.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED AND EXEMPLIED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Figures 1 through to 4 shows the combination of a bed (10) and bed support (11). The bed support includes an upper support portion (12) and a lower support portion (13). The bed is supported on the upper support portion and the lower support portion is ground engaging.

In the illustrated embodiment one side only is shown of the construction but the upper support portion is substantially horizontal comprising four frame members arranged to outline a rectangle, thus comprising two side members one of which is shown at (12) and two end frame members, all frame members may be made of RHS steel and are fastened together by welding. Alternatively one or both of the end members may perform another function such as a pivot shaft and may therefore take the form of a rod that is bolted into place.

The lower support portion has a similar construction, having two side members one of which is shown at (13) and two cross member which join the two side members together. The two cross members (14) are spaced apart and provide integrity to the generally rectangular lower support portion. Legs (not shown) extend downwardly to engage the ground surface.

Four upright members, two of which are shown at (15, 16) connect between the upper and lower support portions. The front upright members one of which is shown at (15) are pivotably connected with the upper support portion and the lower support portion as shown schematically at (17, 18). Similarly the rear upright members one of which is shown at (16) are pivotably connected with the upper support portion and the lower support portion as shown schematically at (19, 20). The pivotable connection (20) between the rear upright member and the lowermost portion is slidable front to rear as indicated by arrow (21) in figure 1. An front upright member adjusting ram (22) is connected between the rear cross member (14) and a front connecting member (23) between the two front upright members (15). The ram is pivotable with respect to the cross member and connecting member as schematically indicated at (24, 25). Extension and retraction of ram (22) adjusts the angle of the upright members through a range as can be seen in figures 1 through 4.

A slide adjustment ram (30) is connected between the front cross member (14) and a rear connecting member (not shown) between the two rear upright members (16). The ram is pivotable with respect to the cross member and the rear connecting member as is schematically indicated at (31 , 32). Extension and retraction of ram (30) slides the rear upright members in a front and rear direction as indicated in figure 1 by arrow 21. The slidable movement is achieved by the provision of a wheel (35) rotatable within a slot (not shown) formed in side frame members (one is shown as 13) of the lower support portion. A front stop (36) and a rear stop (37) in the form of posts extending upwardly from the side frame member (13) define front and rear ends of the slide path.

The operation of the bed support can be seen in various positions shown in figures 1 through 4. Where the rear upright members are vertical and the pivotal connection (20) to the lower support portion is on virtual axis (40), defining the centre point of the slide path, the front upright members are also vertical and the bed support is at its maximum height. The bed is held in a horizontal position by reason of the vertical upright members all having an identical length.

Where front upright member adjusting ram 22 is retracted, as shown in figure 2, the front upright members are angled backwardly, with the rear upright member also following that change in angle, the bed is lowered in a horizontal aspect. The support frame acts in the manner of a parallelogram. The bed, when slept on, might be desired to be even lower than that shown in figure 2, depending on the inclination of the patient. The highest position shown in figure 1 might be desired where a procedure is to be performed on the patient. Should it be desired that the bed be tilted so that the foot of the bed is lowered relative to the head, the slide adjustment ram (30) may be extended to move pivotable connection (20) beyond the virtual axis (40). The angle shown in figure 3 illustrates this position, and the angle may be made more acute if desired. This might be desired where the patient, for example, may wish to view television from a slightly elevated position.

Figure 4 shows that bed tilted so that the head of the bed is lowered relative to the foot. It can be seen that adjustment of the rams (22, 30) can provide a great degree of flexibility of position of a bed supported on the bed support.

Turning now to figures 5 to 7 which show the tiltability of the bed with respect to a bed support. The bed support (100) is in the upright configuration shown in figure 1, and may take on the same configuration as that illustrated therein, however the bed support may alternatively, but perhaps less preferably, be a rigid structure. The bed is still shown in similar detail to that shown for the first illustrated embodiment.

The bed is connected with the upper support portion (112) of the bed support. Two side frame members of the upper bed support are connected by a shaft at (113) which additionally will be understood to define the pivot axis of the bed. On either side of that shaft just inside of the side frame members is journalled a pivotal bracket (not shown) onto which is mounted a track (114). Two slideable keys one of which is shown at (115) are fixed to the underside of the bed at positions aligned with the track. The slidable keys include a narrow (116) portion that fits through a slot in the track and an expanded portion (117) that engages the inside of the track. The slidable key is configured to slide within the track and a stop (118) is provided toward the head end of the track to define a head end of the relative slidable movement.

It can be seen that in the illustrated embodiment that track (114) extends only part way along the length of the bed, a second embodiment of track used in conjunction with the arrangement for fitting the hoist illustrated in figure 12 may include the track extending over a much longer extent. This is made possible because the hoist is mounted in a manner not including members extending on the side of the bed.

A bed tilting ram ( 120) is connected between a mounting tab ( 121 ) fastened to the upper support portion (112) of the bed support and a bed mounting tab (122) extending downwardly from under the bed. It can be seen that the ram is pivotable with respect to mountings at both ends as shown schematically at (123, 124). The pivotable mounting (123) is lower than shaft (113) on which the bed is supported on the bed support (100). It will thus be appreciated that on retraction of the bed tilting ram (120) that the foot of the bed is drawn downwardly, so the bed tilts relative to the bed support. A length of the bed between shaft (113) and its foot is greater than the length between the shaft (113) and the ground surface. The benefit of that is that the weight distribution about the pivot axis of the bed is somewhat more central and requires less effort to pivot. It can be seen in figure 6 however that on tilting the bed, roller (135) extending outwardly from the foot of the bed engages the ground before the bed is vertical. Further retraction of the bed tilting ram (120) draws the bed upwards to achieve a vertical portion as shown in figure 7. In doing so slidable key (115) slides within the track (114) to maintain the pivotal connection between the bed and the bed support. An additional advantage of this arrangement is that the roller bears some of the weight of the bed and patient thereon so that there is less pressure on the front part of the bed support and therefore less inclination for the rear of the bed to tilt upwards. This then provides additional stability to the bed support.

A quick release arrangement may be provided on the ram mountings so that should it be necessary to quickly tilt the bed this can be done manually without the ram.

A further preferred arrangement is shown as a sixth embodiment in figures 13 through 16. It can be seen that this embodiment combines aspects of the first and third embodiments of the invention. Full construction details are not shown in these drawings and they may be regarded as somewhat schematic. Whereas the third embodiment shown in figures 5 through 7 shown stop (118) as in a fixed position depending on a lowermost portion of the bed to limit the degree of translational movement between the bed and the bed support and this limit is fix irrespective of the relative rotational movement of the bed to the bed support. The stop (118) of the sixth embodiment takes the form of a plate extending downwardly from the bed. A stop roller (119) is fixed to the upper support of the bed support and contacts an outer surface of the stop. The outer surface of the stop comprises an arcuate portion (130) and a cutaway portion (131).

As bed tilting ram (120) is retracted the stop is urged against the stop roller to limit the extent of translational movement of the bed relative to the bed support. On further retraction the bed is tilted upwards with the stop roller maintained in contact with the stop. The relative movement of the stop to the stop roller is generally arcuate until the roller makes contact with the ground, and this is defined by the outersurface of the stop. On contact with the ground the stop is required to accommodate relative translational movement of the bed to the bed support as indicated by arrow (132), until the bed is drawn fully upright as shown in figure 16. The accommodation is achieved by providing for the cutaway portion of the outer surface of the stop. It can be seen that tilting of the bed may be achieved whilst the bed support is in the fully raised position, as indicated by figure 14, or whilst the bed support is partially lowered as indicated by figure 15. It will be appreciated that these illustrations are indication of the shape of the stop and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

Details of a hoist according to this invention are shown in figures 8 through 12 and 17.

The illustrated hoist includes a hoist lifting frame (200) which comprises a bed engaging portion (201) comprising two spaced apart frame members (202, 203) a central frame member (204) between the bed mounting portions and a laterally extending member (205) connected with the central frame member (204). Two stays (206, 207) are also provided for structural rigidity. A lifting cable (210) has at its free end a patient engaging means (211) which might be a bar for the patient to hold onto or a strap or straps to be fastened to the patient so that the patient can be passively lifted. Details of the cable and drive for operating the lifting cable will be described in more detail below.

The bed (220) has fastened underneath on both sides a respective guide (221, 222) which are shown as angled metal profile into which are slid the two spaced apart frame members of the bed engaging portion of the lifting frame. A stop (223) is provided at an internal end of both guides to limit the extent to which the lifting frame can be slid into the guides. It may be desired to provide another fastening arrangement to make the hoist more secure but it is the experience of the inventor that the present arrangement provides for adequate stability to the lifting frame.

The arrangement of the hoist lifting cable (210) and the hoist drive means can perhaps best be seen in figures 10 and 11. The lifting cable extends out of a free end of the laterally extending member (205) supported by an end pulley (225) but is otherwise enclosed within the lifting frame. The drive means is located within the central frame member (204) comprises two spaced pulleys (226, 227) and a drive (228) to draw a lower of the two pulleys (227) away from the other (226) as indicated by arrow (229). The cable is entrained around the outside of the pair of pulleys and it will be appreciated that as the two pulley are drawn apart that a lifting effect is exerted by the lifting cable on the patient engaging means. An actuator (230) is also positioned within the central frame member and is used to control the action of the hoist.

It will be appreciated that the hoist is readily dismountable by sliding it out of engagement with the bed, and therefore it may be sufficient for a hospital or other institution with multiple beds to simply have one hoist.

An alternate arrangement of the hoist and lifting frame (200) includes a different bed mounting portion, for example, in figure 12. The bed mounting portion includes an expanded central frame member (204) which slides within a complementary shaped guide defined by guide members (234, 235). Quick release clamps (231) can act between the central frame member and the guide members to clamp the lifting frame in place. Greater details of the construction of the bed is shown as also are details of the manner in which the slidable key (115) engages the sliding track (114)

A further alternate arrangement of the hoist and lifting frame (200) is shown in figure 17. The lifting frame comprises essentially a single tubular member and is mounted onto the head board (240) of the bed. The mounted end of the lifting frame is mounted by a suitable stable guide and rail arrangement (241) (not shown in detail) or another suitable mounting arrangement to the head board. The patient engaging means (211) may be similar to that illustrated for figure 8 attached to a cable extending out of an aperture in the lifting frame supported inside a free end by end pulley (225). The cable is attached to the piston (242) of a pneumatic ram which may be electrically actuated. It can be seen that a withdrawal of the piston into the cylinder (243) of the ram will exert a lifting effect whereas an extension out of the cylinder will permit a letting down of the patient. It can be seen that the ram is held inside of the hoist lifting frame. This form of lifting frame is very compact, and relatively easy to store because it is virtually a relatively straight tubular structure. The lifting frame can be mounted and dismounted readily and electrical power can be sourced by plugging or unplugging into a suitable socket.

A yet further embodiment of the hoist is illustrated in figures 18 to 22. The bed and support frame are substantially as described in respect of figures 13 to 16. The hoist arrangement is substantially as described in respect of figure 17 but additionally includes a raiser member (300) which takes on an inverted U shape and comprises a transverse upper section and two arms which are each pivotably secured by a respective pin (301) to opposing sides of the bed. The provision of the raiser member allows an upwardly lifting effect on a patient when the bed in a generally horizontal position. The specific illustrated embodiment also has the advantage of automatically moving the raiser member out of the way on the bed being tilted to the vertical. The bed support is shown in more detail in figure 18 than in figures 19 - 22 for simplicity. Not shown in any of the figures are the full workings of the connection between the bed and the bed support, including the position of the dynamic, arcuate shaped, stop.

It will be understood from figure 18 that the ram operated cable can vertically hoist a patient by mean of the patient engaging means (211) whilst the patient is supported by a horizontal bed. This has advantages for patient handling, for example, in changing the sheets of a bed.

The bed is slidable relative to the bed support, a key in the form of a roller (115) captured within a track (114) formed in the side of the bed allows for slidable movement therebetween. This allows for climbing of the bed upwards relative to the bed support once the bed has tilted sufficiently for rollers (135) at the end of the bed to have contacted the ground, as shown in figure 21.

The raiser member (300) may be stored under the bed as shown in figure 19, and held in place by suitable positioned hooks (305), or may be stored together with the hoist lifting frame (200) separate from the bed or bed support. Suitable apertures are formed on opposite sides of the bed with corresponding apertures formed adjacent the free ends of the arms of the U shaped raiser member. Pins (301) inserted through the apertures, perhaps with a snap fastener arrangements to secure the raiser member, hold the raiser member pivotably with respect to the bed.

The key (115) is pivotable with respect to shaft positioned at the top front edge (113) of the bed support. A raiser member stop (306) is similarly supported by shaft (113). The stop (306) is fixed relative to the bed support, whereas the pins (301) when in position are fixed relative to the bed. The stop forms a curved surface (307) against which lowers portions of the arms of the raiser member can bear. As can be seen in figures 20 and 21, the relative position of the raiser member and the bed remain the same during the tilting of the bed up until the time the rollers (135) at the foot end of the bed contact the ground. On further tilting whereby the bed slides relative to the bed support, as indicated by arrow (307) in figure 22 and described in more detail above, the lower portions of the arms of the raiser member are urged to rotate in the direction indicated by arrow (308) in figure 22. Once the bed is in its upright position the cable no longer contacts the raiser member and the patient is supported directly from the lifting hoist frame (200).

Various features of the invention have been particularly shown and described in connection with the exemplified embodiments of the invention, however, it must be understood that these particular arrangements merely illustrate and that the invention is not limited thereto and can include various modifications falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A tiltable bed arrangement, including a bed support having an upper support portion adjacent the bed for holding the bed spaced above a ground surface, the bed being elongate extending between a foot and a head of the bed, the bed being pivotable relative to the upper support member at a pivot axis, between a horizontal position over the bed support and an upright position with the foot of the bed downwards, the pivot axis being lateral to the length of the bed and positioned proximal to the foot of the bed, a ground engageable roller means positioned at the foot of the bed the bed or the upper support member slidable relative to the pivot axis along a slide path extending longitudinally along the bed from a first position with the bed horizontal to a second position with the bed upright, a distance between the foot of the bed and the pivot axis being longer than a height of the pivot axis from the floor when the bed is in the first position.

2. The tiltable bed arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the upright position is approximately vertical.

3. The tiltable bed arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the pivot axis is at a distance from the foot of the bed equal to or less than the distance of the height of the pivot axis.

4. The tiltable bed arrangement according to claim 1 having a tilt drive means connected between the bed support and the bed to drive the relative pivoting of the bed with respect to the bed support.

5. The tiltable bed arrangement according to claim 4 wherein the tilt drive means is a pneumatic ram.

6. The tiltable bed arrangement according to claim 5 wherein ram is connected to the bed on a first side of the pivot axis and to the bed support at an opposite, second, side of the pivot axis and the connection of the ram to the bed is below the pivot axis so that any force exerted thereon has a downward component to cause tilting of the bed.

5

7. The tiltable bed arrangement according to claim 4 wherein the tilt drive means are readily disconnectable so that the bed may be quickly, manually, pivoted upwardly or downwardly in the case of an emergency.

10 8. The tiltable bed arrangement according to claim 1 wherein relative slideable movement between the bed or upper support portion and the pivot axis is provided by a track and a slideable key within the track.

9. The tiltable bed arrangement according to claim 8 wherein the key takes the form of 15 a roller.

10. The tiltable bed arrangement according to claim 8 wherein the track is fixed to the bed and the key is pivoted relative to the bed support

20 11. The tiltable bed arrangement according to claim 8 wherein the track is pivoted with respect to the bed support.

12. The tiltable bed arrangement according to claim 1 wherein a stop is provided to limit movement of the bed under influence of gravity thereby defining one end of the slide path of

25 the track or the slidable key.

13. The tiltable bed arrangement according to claim 12 wherein the stop is a dynamic stop providing a variable position one end of the slide path the position of the one end being dependent on the degree to which the bed is pivoted relative to the bed support.

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14. The tiltable bed arrangement according to claim 13 wherein the dynamic stop depends from a lowermost surface of the bed and is urged against a slidable stop contacting member.

5 15. The tiltable bed arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the dynamic stop presents an initially arcuate surface reflecting the pivoting of the bed downwardly until the foot contacts the ground followed by a cutaway portion to accommodate further lateral movement of the bed relative to the bed support.

10 16. The tiltable bed arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the bed support is adjustable the bed support includes the upper support portion spaced above a lower support portion and the lower support portion being directly or indirectly ground engaging, at least one front upright member connecting a front part of the upper and lower

15 support portions and at least one rear upright member connecting a rear part of the two support portions, the front upright member being pivotably connected with the upper support portion, and the rear upright member pivotably connected to the upper support portion and the lower support portion, and the pivotable connection between rear upright member and the lower support portion is slidable front to rear relative to the lower support portion to adjust

20 the relative height of the rear and front of the upper support portion.

17. The tiltable bed arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the bed support is fixed.

18. The tiltable bed arrangement according to claim 1 including a hoist arrangement, said 25 hoist arrangement including a lifting frame with a laterally extending member extending from the head of the bed, the hoist arrangement further including a hoist lifting means including a flexible link member supported by the lifting frame and extending away from a free end of the laterally extending member, the flexile link member having a patient engaging means at the free end thereof, the hoist lifting means further including a hoist drive means engaging the flexible link member for manual or automatic driving of the cable upwardly or downwardly to lift or lower a patient.

19. The tiltable bed arrangement according to claim 18 wherein the hoist arrangement is 5 demountable and the hoist lifting means is wholly supported by the lifting frame.

20. The tiltable bed arrangement according to claim 18 wherein the flexible link means is a cable

10 21. The tiltable bed arrangement according to claim 20 wherein the drive means is an electric motor said cable being spooled on a pulley operable by said electric motor to extend or withdraw the cable.

22. The tiltable bed arrangement according to claim 20 wherein the drive means is a 15 pneumatic ram.

23. The tiltable bed arrangement according to claim 20 wherein the cable extends internally of the lifting frame so that the cable is generally covered apart from where it extends out of the free end of the laterally extending member of the lifting frame.

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24. An adjustable bed support, including an upper support portion spaced above a lower support portion, the upper support portion adapted to support a bed, and the lower support portion being directly or indirectly ground engaging,

25 at least one front upright member connecting a front part of the upper and lower support portions and at least one rear upright member connecting a rear part of the two support portions, the front upright member being pivotably connected with the upper support portion, and the rear upright member pivotably connected to the upper support portion and the lower support portion, and the pivotable connection between rear upright member and the lower support portion is slidable front to rear relative to the lower support portion to adjust the relative height of the rear and front of the upper support portion.

25. The adjustable bed support according to claim 24 wherein the front upright member is pivotable with respect to the front part of the upper and lower support portions so that the height of the upper support portion can be raised or lowered relative to the lower support portion.

26. The adjustable bed support according to claim 24 wherein both support portions are generally rectangular and preferably two upright members are connected at respective front corners of the upper and lower support portion, and two upright members are connected between respective rear corners of the upper and lower support portions.

27. The adjustable bed support according to claim 24 wherein there is provided a rear member control means to control the position of the lower rear pivotable connection relative to the lower support portion.

28. The adjustable bed support according to claim 27 wherein the rear member control means include a drive means such as an pneumatically operated ram.

29. The adjustable bed support according to claim 27 wherein the are provided angle control means to control the angle of the front upright member.

30. The adjustable bed support according to claim 29 wherein the angle control means include a pneumatically operated ram.

31. The adjustable bed support according to claim 24 wherein all upright members are of equal length and connected such that when they are all vertical a side of the support describes a rectangle with the lower support extending beyond the rear upright.

32. The adjustable bed support according to claim 24 wherein the slidability of the lower rear pivotable connection is achieved by a wheel supported at a lowermost portion of rear upright, a path of the wheel being defined within a guide aligned front to rear with a side of the lower support frame.

33. The adjustable bed support according to claim 32 wherein a respective stop is provided at either end of the path of the wheel thereby defining the limits of the path.