JPH07328092A - Wheelchair type bathing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To arrange a bathtub in a relatively shallow pit and lift or lower the bathtub with a lifting cylinder having a small output. CONSTITUTION:This wheelchair type bathing device is provided with a bathtub 2 arranged in a pit 1, a pantograph 3 formed between the bathtub 2 and the pit 1 and vertically movably guiding the bathtub 2, a lifting cylinder 5 lifting or lowering the bathtub 2, and a wheelchair bearer 10 supported at the same height position as that of the surrounding floor surface above the pit 1 and having many hot-water passing holes. A press section 6 vertically moved integrally with the bathtub 2 is formed on the upper side of the bathtub 2, and the upper section of the lifting cylinder 5 is coupled with the press section 6.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wheelchair-type bathing apparatus which can be mainly used by a physically handicapped person, an elderly person or the like while sitting on a wheelchair.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ordinary bathtub is in the shape of a box with its upper part open, and a bather must enter the bathtub by straddling a side wall, which makes it difficult for a physically handicapped person to take a bath. For this reason, a wheelchair-type bathing device has been developed which allows a person with a physical disability to easily take a bath while sitting on a wheelchair.

That is, a frame for supporting the bathtub in the pit is provided so as to be able to move up and down by an elevating cylinder arranged below it, and the bathtub is supported by the frame for supporting the bathtub, and moreover, a large number of water passage holes are provided above the pit. A wheelchair-type bathing device has been developed in which a wheelchair cradle is provided at the same height as the surrounding floor surface. According to this wheelchair-type bathing apparatus, a bather seated on a wheelchair is lifted by an elevating cylinder while the bathtub is filled with hot water while the wheelchair for bathing is fixed on the wheelchair cradle. Can be bathed.

[0004]

By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional wheelchair type bathing apparatus, the frame for supporting the bathtub provided in the pit is moved up and down by the lifting cylinder provided below the frame. Therefore, it is necessary to have a space below the frame for supporting the bathtub so that the elevating cylinder is arranged in an upright state. As a result, there is a possibility that a pit with a certain depth is required, the pit construction becomes large-scaled, or the pit and the pipe located below the floor surface interfere with each other. Further, since the frame for supporting the bathtub as well as the bathtub is moved up and down, there is also a drawback that a high output cylinder is required as the lifting cylinder.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a wheelchair-type bathing apparatus in which a pit for arranging a bathtub need only be relatively shallow, and the bathtub can be raised and lowered by an elevating cylinder having a small output. The purpose is to provide.

[0006]

In order to achieve such an object, in the invention according to claim 1, the bathtub arranged in the pit and the bathtub provided between the bathtub and the bottom surface of the pit are movable up and down. A pantograph that guides the user, a lift cylinder that moves the bathtub up and down, a wheelchair pedestal that is supported above the pit at the same height as the surrounding floor, and has a large number of through holes, and an upper portion of the bathtub. It is characterized in that it is provided with a pressed portion which is provided laterally so as to move up and down integrally with the bath and which engages with the upper part of the lifting cylinder.

In the invention according to claim 2, the pantograph comprises an upper plate, a lower plate, and a plurality of links connecting the upper plate and the lower plate, and the pan plate is placed on the upper part by the upper plate to support the bathtub. In addition, the pressed portion is connected to the upper plate via a connecting member.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the wheelchair cradle is supported by a rod extending upward from the lower plate of the pantograph and penetrating the bottom of the bathtub through a seal portion. It is characterized by having a bubble generating hole and also serving as a bubble generating disk.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a pair of the elevating cylinders is provided on the left and right of the bathtub.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the pantograph is provided on the side of the bathtub.

[0011]

When bathing with the bathing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, first, the bather is run on the floor of the bathroom with the bather on the wheelchair, and up to the wheelchair cradle above the pit. Transport it and fix it in place on the wheelchair cradle. Then, the elevating cylinder is driven to raise the bathtub filled with hot water in advance. As a result, the bather seated on the wheelchair can be put in the bathing state.

Since the upper end of the lifting cylinder is engaged with the pressed portion provided on the upper side of the bath to raise and lower the bath, the bath and the lifting cylinder are separated from each other when the bath is located below. Since it overlaps when viewed from the side, it is not necessary to place an elevating cylinder in the standing state below the bathtub, and it is sufficient if only space for placing the pantograph is secured, and therefore the depth is shallow to some extent. Sufficient in the pit. Also, when the bathtub is moved up and down, in addition to the load of the bathtub, only the load of the top plate and part of the link of the pantograph is applied to the lift cylinder.
The load applied to the lifting cylinder is smaller than that in the case where the entire load of the conventional frame for supporting the bathtub is applied.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. <First Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a first embodiment of a wheelchair-type bathing apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of the same embodiment.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a pit, and 2 is a bathtub arranged in the pit 1. Bottom of pit 1 and bath 2
A pantograph 3 that guides the bathtub 2 so that the bathtub 2 can move up and down while restricting the bathtub 2 from shifting in the left-right direction or the front-rear direction is provided between and. The pantograph 3 includes an upper plate 3a, a lower plate 3b, and a plurality of links 3c, which are assembled in an X shape on the left and right of the bathtub so as to connect the upper plate 3a and the lower plate 3b. One end of the link 3c is the upper plate 3
a and the lower plate 3b are pin-coupled to predetermined positions on the respective ends, and the other end of the link 3c is movably pin-coupled along the long holes formed in the upper plate 3a and the lower plate 3b. The pantograph 3 is provided with adjusting means for setting the lower plate 3b of the pantograph 3 in a horizontal state on the lower surface of the lower plate 3b.

Between the bathtub 2 and the lower plate 3b of the pantograph 3, an elevating cylinder 5 for raising and lowering the bathtub 2 is provided.
A pair is provided on the left and right sides of the bathtub 2 approximately at the center in the front-rear direction. The lift cylinder 5 may be a hydraulic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, a single-acting type, or a double-acting type. Pressed portions 6 with which the upper portions of the lifting cylinders 5 are engaged are provided on the upper side of the bathtub 2 on both left and right sides of the bathtub 2 so as to move up and down integrally with the bathtub 2. . The pressed portion 6 is provided slightly below the upper edge portion of the bathtub 2, and is fixed to the upper plate 3a of the pantograph 3 via connecting members 7 provided at the front and rear of the lifting cylinder 5. There is. The pressed portion 6 and the connecting member 7 are each made of a member having excellent strength such as a metal plate or a shaped steel. When the elevating cylinder 5 is expanded and contracted, the elevating cylinder 5 elevates and lowers the pressed portion 6, and accordingly, the pressed members 6 are connected to the connecting members 7, 7.
The upper plate 3a of the pantograph 3 connected through the upper and lower sides is moved up and down, and thus the bathtub 2 placed and fixed on the upper plate 3a is operated to be moved up and down.

Further, reference numeral 10 is a wheelchair cradle having a large number of hot water passage holes 10a, ... Which are provided above the pit 1 at the same height as the surrounding floor surface. The wheelchair cradle 10 also includes a large number of bubble generating holes 10b, which are connected to the blower 40 by pipes (not shown), and also functions as a bubble generating board. The stuffing holes 10a and the bubble generating holes 10b may be alternately arranged, for example, every other row, and the arrangement is arbitrary. At a substantially central portion of the wheelchair cradle 10, there is provided a coupling portion 11 that is coupled to a coupled portion provided on the wheelchair 13 side to fix the wheelchair 13 to a predetermined position on the wheelchair cradle 10. In addition, the wheelchair cradle 10 is
It is supported by a rod 12 extending upward from the lower plate 3b of the pantograph 3 and penetrating the bottom portion 2a of the bathtub 2 in a liquid-tight manner via a seal portion. Although it is preferable that the number of rods 12 is as small as possible in terms of structure, the wheelchair support 1
The number 0 is set so that the wheelchair 13 can be supported on the upper side thereof, for example, 2 to 4. 1
Reference numeral 5 is an operation box for operating the lifting cylinder, 16 is a drainage mass, 17 is a drainage pump, and 18 in FIG. 3 is an inspection port.

Next, a case where a bather is allowed to take a bath using the wheelchair-type bathing apparatus having the above-mentioned structure will be described. First, the bather is placed on the wheelchair 13 while traveling on the floor of the bathroom, and is transferred to the wheelchair cradle 10 above the pit 1,
The wheelchair cradle is fixed to a predetermined place via a connecting portion 12.

Next, the bathtub 2 filled with hot water is raised by driving the elevating cylinder 5 through the connecting member 7 and the upper plate 3a of the pantograph 3 as shown by the chain line 2 in FIG. 1 and FIG. Let As a result, the bather seated on the wheelchair 13 can be put in the bathing state.

In order to move the bathtub 2 up and down, the upper end of the lifting cylinder 5 is engaged with the pressed portion 6 provided on the upper side of the bathtub 2, so that the pantograph 3 is placed below the bathtub 2. If the space is secured, the space for arranging the elevating cylinder 5 in the standing state becomes unnecessary. Therefore, the pit 1 need only be shallow to some extent.

When the bathtub 2 is moved up and down, in addition to the load of the bathtub 2, only the load of a part of the upper plate 3a and the link 3c of the members constituting the pantograph 3 is applied to the lift cylinder 5. The load applied to the elevating cylinder 5 is smaller than the case where the entire load of the bath supporting frame is applied. Therefore, the lifting cylinder 5 having a small output is sufficient, and the hydraulic pump or the air pipe for driving the lifting cylinder 5 is also small in diameter.

In the above embodiment, a wheelchair-type bathing apparatus for bathing only one bather, which is transported by being seated on a normal wheelchair 13 with a backrest standing up, is taken as an example. Although explained, the present invention is not limited to this, and as in a modification shown in FIG. 4, a bather of a type in which the backrest 20 is seated on a wheelchair 20 in which the backrest 20 can be slanted rearward, and which allows a bather to take a bath. The present invention can be applied to a device, and further, like the modification shown in FIG. 5, the present invention also relates to a bathing device of a type in which two bathers are allowed to take a bath at the same time with two wheelchairs 13 arranged in series. Is applicable.

<Second Embodiment> FIGS. 6 to 8 show a second embodiment of the present invention.
An example is shown. The feature of this embodiment is that the pantograph 3 is provided on the side of the bathtub 2. That is, reference numeral 3
The lower frame indicated by 0 includes a base 30a and the base 30a.
And a column 30b standing upright on the outside of the bathtub 2 and the pantograph 3 forms the bathtub 2 by the upper end of the column 30b.
Supported laterally. The pantograph 3 is a column 30
a lower roller guide 31 supported by b at its upper end,
It is composed of an upper roller guide 32 fixed to the side portion of the bathtub 2 by welding, and a link 33 which is movably supported between the roller guides 31 and 32 and is assembled in an X shape. .

The bathtub 2 is composed of the pantograph 3 and the roller guide portions 35 provided on the left and right sides of the bathtub.
It is guided so that it can move up and down without shifting in the left-right and front-rear directions. The roller guide portion 35, as shown in FIG.
The grooved roller 36 is provided so as to project outward from the
The lower frame 30 is guided by a protrusion 37 having a triangular cross section, which is provided inside the column 30b.

It is to be noted that the pushed portion 6 provided on the upper side of the bathtub 2 is pushed up and down by the lifting cylinder 5 and the bathtub 2 is raised and lowered, and the rod 12 penetrating the bottom portion of the bathtub 2 supports the wheelchair. The point that the table 10 is supported is common to the first embodiment described above. Also, in this example,
The lifting cylinder 5 is erected from the base 30a of the lower frame 30.

In this wheelchair-type bathing apparatus, since the pantograph 3 is provided at the side of the bathtub 2 rather than at the bottom thereof, a space for providing the pantograph 3 below the bathtub 2 is unnecessary, and the depth of the pit 1 is further increased. Can be shallow.

[0026]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the upper end of the lifting cylinder is engaged with the pressed portion provided on the upper side of the bath in order to move the bath up and down, It suffices if there is enough space to place the pantograph, and that the pit has a shallow depth. Moreover, the lifting cylinder has a load on the bathtub as well as a part of the upper plate and part of the link of the pantograph. Only the load is applied, and the load applied to the lifting cylinder is smaller than that in the conventional case where all the loads of the frame for supporting the bathtub are applied.
As a result, the bathtub can be moved up and down even with a small output lifting cylinder.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the pantograph includes an upper plate, a lower plate, and a plurality of links connecting the upper plate and the lower plate, and the upper plate supports the bathtub and the upper plate. Since the pressed portion is connected to the plate via the connecting member, when the elevating cylinder raises and lowers the bathtub, the pressing force of the elevating cylinder is not directly transmitted from the pressed portion to the bathtub, but the upper plate of the pantograph. It will be transmitted via the, and therefore the force of the bathtub will not be applied.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the wheelchair cradle is supported by the rod that extends upward from the lower plate of the pantograph and penetrates the bottom of the bathtub through the seal portion, so that the support of the bathtub is provided. The rod does not interfere with the bathtub and also with the wheelchair, so that the assistance work can be easily performed. In addition, since the wheelchair cradle also functions as a bubble generation board, compared to providing such a board separately,
It is advantageous in terms of cost and space.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, since a pair of lifting cylinders are provided on the left and right of the bathtub, the bathtub can be lifted and lowered in a well-balanced manner.

According to the invention of claim 5, since the pantograph is provided not at the bottom of the bathtub but on the side, a space for providing the pantograph below the bathtub is not necessary, and the depth of the pit is further reduced. can do.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a wheelchair-type bathing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a modified example.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing another modification.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of a wheelchair-type bathing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front sectional view of the second embodiment.

8 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Pit 2 Bathtub 3 Pantograph 3a Upper plate 3b Lower plate 3c Link 5 Lifting cylinder 6 Pressed part 7 Connecting member 10 Wheelchair cradle 10a Water passage hole 10b Bubble generating hole 11 Connecting part 12 Rod 13 Wheelchair 20 Wheelchair 40 Blower

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A bathtub arranged in a pit, a pantograph provided between the bathtub and the bottom surface of the pit to guide the bathtub up and down, an elevating cylinder for raising and lowering the bathtub, and a surrounding area above the pit. A wheelchair cradle supported at the same height as the floor surface of the wheelchair and having a large number of water passage holes, and a lift cylinder provided on the upper side of the bathtub so as to move up and down integrally with the bathtub. A wheelchair-type bathing device, comprising: a pressed portion with which the upper part of the bath is engaged. 2. The wheelchair-type bathing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pantograph includes an upper plate, a lower plate, and a plurality of links connecting the upper plate and the lower plate, and is placed on the upper part by the upper plate. A wheelchair-type bathing device, wherein the bathtub is supported by the upper plate and the pressed portion is connected to the upper plate via a connecting member. 3. The wheelchair-type bathing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the wheelchair cradle is supported by a rod extending upward from a lower plate of the pantograph and penetrating a bottom portion of the bathtub through a seal portion, and The wheelchair-type bathing device is characterized in that the wheelchair cradle has a bubble-generating hole and doubles as a bubble-generating board. 4. The wheelchair-type bathing device according to claim 1, wherein a pair of the elevating cylinders are provided on the left and right of the bathtub. 5. The wheelchair-type bathing device according to claim 1, wherein the pantograph is provided on a side of the bathtub.