JP7535283B2 - Position changer - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applies (1-1) Exhibition date October 10, 11, and 12, 2018 (1-2) Exhibition name, etc. 45th National Welfare Equipment Exhibition H.C.R. 2018 Tokyo Big Sight (1-3) Public exhibitor Okudaya Giken Co., Ltd. (2-1) Exhibition date November 18, 2018 (2-2) Exhibition name, etc. Universal Design Lifestyle Exhibition International Communication Center for Persons with Disabilities (2-3) Public exhibitor Okudaya Giken Co., Ltd.

The present invention relates to a posture changer that can change the posture of a user.

Traditionally, when a care recipient is in a lying position for a long period of time due to old age, illness, injury, or other reasons, it has been necessary to change their position when cleaning the body.

When changing the position of a cared-for person, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, the position was changed by placing a foamed synthetic resin pad formed with an approximately triangular cross-section on the back or other part of the cared-for person.
By placing such a pad on the back of a care recipient who is lying on their back, the care recipient's body will be placed in a side-lying position, creating a gap between the floor and their back, allowing the caregiver to use both hands to perform the wiping task.

JP 2002-143233 A

However, when applying a pad such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1 to the back or the like of a cared-for person, the caregiver must lift the body of the cared-for person, who is in a supine position, to a lateral position, and then, while maintaining the cared-for person in the lateral position, insert the pad between the cared-for person's back and the floor.
Therefore, when changing the position of the person being cared for, the caregiver must exert a great deal of effort or multiple caregivers must be involved.

Therefore, the present invention provides a posture changer that has a simple configuration and can reduce the effort required by the caregiver to change the posture of the person being cared for.

The position changer that solves the above problems has the following features.
In other words, the position changer of the present invention comprises an air bag that can inject and expel gas, a pump connected to the air bag and for injecting gas into the air bag, and a guide plate that is arranged on at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the air bag and is formed from a material harder than the air bag, and the underside of the guide plate arranged on the underside of the air bag is provided with a friction plate such that the friction force generated between the guide plate and the floor surface is greater than that of the guide plate arranged on the underside of the air bag , and the position changer comprises a plurality of air bags, the plurality of air bags are stacked in the vertical direction and the plurality of air bags are connected to each other, and the plurality of connected air bags are folded at the connecting parts to form a stacked state, and are connected to each other at the connecting parts .

The guide plate is also disposed on the upper surface of the uppermost air bag among the plurality of air bags, and on the lower surface of the lowermost air bag among the plurality of air bags.

The guide plate is also positioned between adjacent air bags.

According to the present invention, when changing the position of the care recipient, the back of the care recipient is lifted by the pressure of the gas flowing into the air bag, so the caregiver does not need to lift the body of the care recipient, and the simple configuration reduces the caregiver's labor. In addition, the air bag and guide plate can be easily inserted between the back of the care recipient and the floor surface because the guide plate does not buckle.

FIG. 11 is a front view showing how the posture of a care recipient is changed from a supine position to a lateral position by the posture changer. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a care recipient whose body position has been changed to a lateral position by a body position changer. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a position changing section in which a friction member is provided on the lower surface of the first guide plate. FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a postural change unit provided with a plurality of air bags. 11 is a diagram showing a first air bag and a second air bag connected by a connecting portion. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a postural change section in which a guide plate is provided between a first air bag and a second air bag. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a postural change section in which a first guide plate and a second guide plate are provided between a first air bag and a second air bag. FIG.

Next, the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

A postural changer 1 shown in FIG. 1 is one embodiment of a postural changer according to the present invention, and includes a postural change section 1A and an operation section 1B.
The position change device 1 is an instrument that can change the position of the cared for by inserting the position change unit 1A between the cared for and the floor surface on which the cared for is lying, and changing the shape of the position change unit 1A by operating the operating unit 1B.

The position change section 1A of the position changer 1 includes an air bag 10 and a guide plate 20. The operation section 1B of the position changer 1 includes a pump 30, an air tube 40, a controller 50, a battery 60, and a case 70.

The air bag 10 is a bag that can let in and out gas such as air, and can be deformed by letting in and out gas. The air bag 10 is configured so that the thickness increases when gas is allowed to flow into the air bag 10, and the thickness decreases when gas is released from the air bag 10. The air bag 10 is configured, for example, from a film-like resin material.

The guide plate 20 includes a first guide plate 21 and a second guide plate 22. The first guide plate 21 and the second guide plate 22 are made of a sheet-like resin member. The first guide plate 21 and the second guide plate 22 are formed in, for example, a rectangular shape.
The resin material constituting the first guide plate 21 and the second guide plate 22 is a resin material that is harder than the resin material constituting the air bag 10, and has a hardness that prevents the position change unit 1A from buckling when inserted between the person being cared for and the floor surface on which the person is lying.

The first guide plate 21 is disposed on the underside of the air bag 10 and is attached to the underside of the air bag 10. The second guide plate 22 is disposed on the upper surface of the air bag 10 and is attached to the upper surface of the air bag 10.

One side 21a of the first guide plate 21 is connected to one side 22a that is located at a position corresponding to one side 21a of the second guide plate 22. The first guide plate 21 and the second guide plate 22 can be formed, for example, by folding a resin sheet of the combined size of the first guide plate 21 and the second guide plate 22 at a midpoint. In this case, the folded portion of the resin sheet becomes one side 21a of the first guide plate 21 and one side 22a of the second guide plate 22.

The pump 30 is configured to be able to cause gas to flow into the air bag 10. The pump 30 is configured, for example, by an air pump.
The air tube 40 connects the air bag 10 and the pump 30 , and the gas supplied from the pump 30 flows into the air bag 10 through the air tube 40 .

The controller 50 is configured to be able to control the driving of the pump 30, the pressure inside the air bag 10 when gas is introduced, and the like.
The battery 60 is a power source that supplies power to the controller 50 and the pump 30 .
The case 70 is a housing that houses the pump 30, the controller 50, and the battery 60.

The position changer 1 is configured to be able to switch between a supply state in which gas is supplied to the air bag 10 and a discharge state in which gas is discharged from the air bag 10, and the case 70 has a changeover switch 71 that switches the position changer 1 between the supply state and the discharge state. The case 70 also has an operation panel 72 for switching the power of the position changer 1 on and off and adjusting the pressure inside the air bag 10 when gas is introduced.

In the posture changer 1 configured in this manner, when the pump 30 is driven to flow gas into the air bag 10, the air bag 10 expands and increases in thickness, and when the pump 30 is stopped and the gas is discharged from the air bag 10, the air bag 10 deflates and decreases in thickness. When the gas is completely discharged from the air bag 10, the first guide plate 21 and the second guide plate 22 assume a substantially parallel position.

In this embodiment, the pump 30 is an electric pump and receives power from a battery 60 housed in a case 70, but it may also be configured to receive power from an AC power source. In this case, for example, the operation panel 72 may be provided with a connection port for an AC adapter through which AC power from a commercial power source is input. The battery 60 may also be configured to be rechargeable from a commercial power source.
As the pump 30 for causing the gas to flow into the air bag 10, a manual pump may also be used.

When using the position changer 1 to change the position of a care recipient, as shown in Figure 2 (a), the position change unit 1A, in which gas has been discharged from the air bag 10 and the first guide plate 21 and the second guide plate 22 are in an approximately parallel position, is inserted between the back of the care recipient, who is in a supine position, and the floor surface B, such as a bed, on which the care recipient is lying, as shown in Figure 2 (a).
In this case, the first guide plate 21 and the second guide plate 22 have a hardness that does not buckle when the position change unit 1A is inserted, so that the position change unit 1A can be easily inserted with a simple configuration between the back of the care recipient and the floor surface B. In other words, since the position change unit 1A does not buckle when it is inserted between the back of the care recipient and the floor surface B, it can be easily inserted.

After the position change part 1A is inserted between the back of the person being cared for and the floor surface B, the changeover switch 71 is switched so that the position changer 1 is in a supply state, the pump 30 is driven, gas flows into the air bag 10, and the air bag 10 is inflated.
When air bag 10 is inflated, the part of the back of the care recipient where position changing unit 1A is inserted is raised as shown in Fig. 2(b), and the position of the care recipient is changed to a lateral recumbent position as shown in Fig. 3. In this case, when the pressure in air bag 10 reaches the pressure set by operation unit 72, the operation of pump 30 is stopped, but the check valve connected to air tube 40 prevents gas from being discharged from inside air bag 10, and the pressure inside air bag 10 is maintained.

In this way, when changing the position of the cared for person, the back of the cared for is lifted by the pressure of the gas flowing into the air bag 10, so the caregiver does not need to lift the body of the cared for, and the simple configuration reduces the caregiver's workload. Also, the caregiver only needs to insert the position change unit 1A between the back of the cared for person and the floor surface B and operate the changeover switch 71 of the position changer 1, so the position of the cared for person can be changed by one caregiver. Also, because the position of the cared for person is maintained in a lateral position by the position change unit 1A, the caregiver can use both hands to perform wiping work.

When inserting the position change unit 1A between the back of the care recipient and the floor surface B, by inserting it from the side of one side 21a of the first guide plate 21 and one side 22a of the second guide plate 22, the first guide plate 21 is inclined at an angle that matches the inclination angle of the back of the care recipient in a lateral position, so that the position of the care recipient can be changed smoothly and the care recipient does not feel any discomfort in his or her back.

When changing the position of the care recipient from a lateral position to a supine position, the changeover switch 71 is operated to switch the position changer 1 from a supply state to a discharge state. When the position changer 1 is switched from a supply state to a discharge state, the check valve connected to the air tube 40 is opened to discharge the gas in the air bag 10, the thickness of the air bag 10 decreases, and the position of the care recipient is changed to a supine position. In this case, the weight of the care recipient promotes the discharge of the gas in the air bag 10, and the gas is easily discharged from the air bag 10 until the first guide plate 21 and the second guide plate 22 are in a substantially parallel position.

As shown in FIG. 4, a friction member 81 can be provided on the lower surface of the first guide plate 21, which generates a larger friction force between the first guide plate 21 and the floor surface B than the friction member 81 generates on the lower surface of the first guide plate 21.
By providing a friction member 81 on the underside of the first guide plate 21, when gas is introduced into the air bag 10 to change the position of the care recipient, it is possible to prevent the position changing unit 1A from slipping out from between the back of the care recipient and the floor surface B. The friction member 81 can be, for example, a rubber sheet.

Here, the first guide plate 21 contacts the floor surface B with a greater force when gas has flowed into the air bag 10 (the state shown in FIG. 2(b)) than when gas has been discharged from the air bag 10 (the state shown in FIG. 2(a)).
Therefore, when the position change unit 1A, with gas having been discharged from the air bag 10, is inserted between the back of the cared for and the floor surface B, it is preferable to use a friction member 81 that generates a friction force sufficient to allow the position change unit 1A to be inserted smoothly, and when gas is allowed to flow into the air bag 10 to change the position of the cared for, it is preferable to use a friction member that generates a friction force sufficient to prevent the position change unit 1A from slipping.

In this embodiment, one side 21a of the first guide plate 21 and one side 22a of the second guide plate 22 are connected, but even if one side 21a of the first guide plate 21 and one side 22a of the second guide plate 22 are not connected, it is possible to easily change the position of the person being cared for by letting gas flow into the air bag 10.

In addition, in the posture change device 1, it is also possible to provide only either the first guide plate 21 or the second guide plate 22. Even if only either the first guide plate 21 or the second guide plate 22 is provided, the posture change unit 1A can be easily inserted between the back of the care recipient and the floor surface B, making it possible to easily change the posture of the care recipient.

However, if both the first guide plate 21 and the second guide plate 22 are provided, when the position change unit 1A is inserted between the back of the care recipient and the floor surface B and gas is allowed to flow into the air bag 10, it becomes easier to maintain the position change unit 1A in a wedge shape, making it possible to more stably maintain the side-lying position of the care recipient.

The shape and size of the air bag 10 are not particularly limited and can be formed into any shape and size. The shape and size of the first guide plate 21 and the second guide plate 22 need only be formed into a shape and size that allows the position change unit 1A to be easily inserted between the back of the person being cared for and the floor surface B.

In addition, in the position changer 1, the position changer unit 1A can be entirely covered with a bag cover made of cloth or the like. By entirely covering the position changer unit 1A with a bag cover such as cloth, the feel when the position changer unit 1A touches the back of the person being cared for is improved, and the appearance of the position changer unit 1A can be improved.

The postural change unit 1A can also be configured as follows.
That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the postural change unit 1A may have a plurality of air bags 10.
In the body position changer 1 shown in Fig. 5, the air bag 10 has a first air bag 11 and a second air bag 12. The first air bag 11 and the second air bag 12 are stacked in the vertical direction, and the second air bag 12 is disposed above the first air bag 11.

The first guide plate 21 is disposed on the underside of the first air bag 11 and is attached to the underside of the first air bag 11. The second guide plate 22 is disposed on the upper surface of the second air bag 12 and is attached to the upper surface of the second air bag 12.

The position change unit 1A may have three or more air bags 10. In this case, the first guide plate 21 can be placed on the underside of the lowest air bag, and the second guide plate 22 can be placed on the upper side of the highest air bag.

As shown in FIG. 5, by having multiple first air bags 11 and second air bags 12 in the position change unit 1A, it is possible to increase the thickness of the position change unit 1A when gas is flowed into the first air bag 11 and the second air bag 12, compared to when a single air bag 10 is provided. By increasing the thickness of the position change unit 1A, the degree to which the back of the care recipient is lifted increases, increasing the distance between the back of the care recipient and the floor surface B, making it easier to wipe the care recipient.

Even if multiple first air bags 11 and second air bags 12 are provided in the position change unit 1A, by arranging the first guide plate 21 on the underside of the first air bag 11 and the second guide plate 22 on the upper side of the second air bag 12, when the position change unit 1A is inserted between the back of the cared person and the floor surface B and gas is allowed to flow into the air bag 10, it becomes easy to maintain the position change unit 1A in a wedge shape, and it becomes possible to more stably maintain the side-lying position of the cared person.

As shown in Figure 6, when multiple first air bags 11 and second air bags 12 are provided in the position change unit 1A, the first air bags 11 and the second air bags 12 can be connected and the inside of the first air bags 11 and the inside of the second air bags 12 can be made to communicate with each other.
6, the first air bag 11 and the second air bag 12 are connected by a connecting portion 13, and communicate with each other through a communication hole 14 that opens in a part of the connecting portion 13. The communication hole 14 is disposed on the end side of the connecting portion 13. The communication hole 14 may be formed in one place in the connecting portion 13, or may be formed in multiple places.

By connecting the first air bag 11 and the second air bag 12 through the communication hole 14, it is possible to allow gas to flow into both the first air bag 11 and the second air bag 12 by connecting an air tube 40 to one of the first air bag 11 and the second air bag 12.
The first air bag 11 and the second air bag 12, which are connected to each other, can be stacked by folding at the connecting portion 13. In this case, by arranging the communication hole 14 on the end side of the connecting portion 13, it is possible to improve the passage of gas through the communication hole 14.

The postural change unit 1A can also be configured as follows.
7, in the position changing unit 1A, the guide plate 20 can also be disposed between the first air bag 11 and the second air bag 12. In this case, the guide plate 20 is disposed on the upper surface of the first air bag 11 and on the lower surface of the second air bag 12. The guide plate 20 can be attached to at least one of the upper surface of the first air bag 11 and the lower surface of the second air bag 12.

In this way, even if the guide plate 20 is disposed between the first air bag 11 and the second air bag 12, the position change unit 1A can be inserted between the care recipient and the floor surface B without buckling, making the insertion operation easy.

As shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of first guide plates 21 and second guide plates 22 can be disposed between the first air bag 11 and the second air bag 12. In this case, the first guide plate 21 can be disposed and attached to the upper surface of the first air bag 11, and the second guide plate 22 can be disposed and attached to the lower surface of the second air bag 12.

A configuration in which multiple first guide plates 21 and second guide plates 22 are arranged between the first air bag 11 and the second air bag 12 can be constructed, for example, by reversing the folding direction at the connection portion 13 between the first air bag 11 and the second air bag 12 in the configuration in which the first guide plate 21 is arranged on the underside of the first air bag 11 and the second guide plate 22 is arranged on the upper side of the second air bag 12 as shown in Figure 5.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Posture change device 1A Posture change unit 1B Operation unit 10 Air bag 11 First air bag 12 Second air bag 20 Guide plate 21 First guide plate 22 Second guide plate 30 Pump 40 Air tube

Claims (3)

An air bag capable of injecting and evacuating gas;
a pump connected to the air bag for causing gas to flow into the air bag;
guide plates disposed on upper and lower surfaces of the air bag and made of a material harder than the air bag ;
a friction plate is provided on a lower surface of the guide plate arranged on the lower surface of the air bag, the friction force generated between the guide plate and a floor surface being greater than that of the guide plate arranged on the lower surface of the air bag ;
A plurality of the air bags are provided, and the plurality of the air bags are stacked in the vertical direction,
The air bags are connected to each other,
The air bags connected to each other are folded at the connecting portions to form a stacked state, and are in communication with each other at the connecting portions .
A position changer characterized by: the guide plate is disposed on an upper surface of an uppermost air bag among the plurality of air bags and on a lower surface of a lowermost air bag among the plurality of air bags;
The position changer according to claim 1 . The guide plate is disposed between adjacent air bags.
The position changer according to claim 1 .

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