JP7795192B2 - coupling device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a coupling device that connects a small medical equipment stand, such as an IV stand, oxygen cylinder stand, gastrostomy treatment stand, or enterostomy treatment stand, to a mobile object such as a pushed wheelchair, bed, or walking aid in order to tow the stand.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a device that includes an auxiliary member that can be attached to a bed, stretcher, or wheelchair; a first attachment member that can be detachably attached to the auxiliary member; a second attachment member that can engage with the support pole of an IV stand; and a connecting member that connects the first attachment member to the second attachment member, wherein the connecting member is flexible, and the second attachment member has a frame-shaped main body portion that has an opening that allows the support pole to enter and exit and engages with the support pole, and is rotatably attached to the main body portion at one end of the opening, with its tip engaging with the inner surface of the main body portion at the other end of the opening. A connecting jig having an open/close member is disclosed, in which the first mounting member comprises a bolt having a head and a threaded portion, a cylindrical, elastic bulging member that fits into the threaded portion, and a nut that screws onto the bolt and compresses the bulging member longitudinally between the bolt and the head, thereby increasing or decreasing the outer diameter of the bulging member. The bulging member is inserted into a pipe attached to a bed, stretcher, or wheelchair, and the gap between the head and the nut is adjusted to expand the bulging member, thereby frictionally engaging the bulging member with the pipe and securing it in place.

Patent Document 2 discloses a connecting device for attaching and fixing a wheeled stand that can be equipped with infusions and medical equipment to a wheelchair. The connecting device comprises a main body, a connecting arm connected to the rear of the main body, and a stand fixing part connected to the rear of the connecting arm and fixing the support part of the wheeled stand. The front part of the main body is connected and fixed to a frame on the back side of the wheelchair, and the connecting arm can expand and contract in the front-to-rear direction and/or bend at its middle part. The stand fixing part connected to the rear part of the connecting arm can connect and fix to the support part of an IV stand.

Patent Document 3 discloses a connector for an IV stand, which includes a first clamp that can be detachably connected to an IV stand, a second clamp that can be detachably connected to a mobility device, a first connecting rod, a second connecting rod, a single-axis rotation unit that supports one end of the first connecting rod and one end of the second connecting rod so that they can rotate about one axis, a first free rotation unit that is attached to the other end of the first connecting rod and rotates freely, a second free rotation unit that is attached to the other end of the second connecting rod and rotates freely, and a one-lock mechanism that simultaneously locks the single-axis rotation unit, the first free rotation unit, and the second free rotation unit, with the first clamp connected to the first free rotation unit and the second clamp connected to the second free rotation unit.

Patent No. 6186034 JP 2017-94043 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-29581

An IV stand has a hanging hook at the top end of a long rod-shaped body suspended from the center of a cart with three to five casters, and is used by hanging items such as blood transfusion pumps, urine packs, drain bags, low-pressure continuous suction devices, chest drones, syringe pumps, and oxygen cylinders from the hanging hook. When a heavy object is hung from the hanging hook, the center of gravity becomes higher and moves away from the axis of the rod-shaped body in the direction in which the heavy object is hung. This makes the IV stand unstable and prone to tipping over when towed.

The means for securing the connecting jig to a moving object in Patent Document 1 is a structure in which the connecting jig is inserted through the opening at the top end of a vertical pipe auxiliary member attached to the frame of a bed, stretcher, or wheelchair, causing an expanding member to expand and engage with the frame through frictional engagement. As shown in Figure 8 of Patent Document 1, the means for securing the auxiliary member to the frame is a band-shaped member that is roughly U-shaped in plan view and contacts the outer surface of the wheelchair's pipe-shaped frame. The band-shaped member is fitted into the frame from the opening side of the roughly U-shaped portion and fastened with screws. However, the fastening force is weak, and if the IV stand collides with the corner of a hospital corridor or an elevator door, for example, and the impact force exceeds the screwing force, the auxiliary member may rotate and slip off the pipe-shaped frame. As a result, the installation height of the connecting jig is such that the auxiliary member falls near the bottom end of the vertical pipe frame of the wheelchair or other device, and the height of the connecting jig is significantly lower than the height of the center of gravity of the IV stand, which has a higher center of gravity when a heavy object is suspended from it. This creates the problem of the connecting jig being prone to tipping over due to the inertial force that tries to maintain a stationary state at the center of gravity or the inertial force that tries to move forward, and the pulling force at a height significantly lower than the center of gravity of the IV stand.

Furthermore, because the connecting member is made of a flexible material, the IV stand tends to swing left and right while being towed. For example, when towing an IV stand with a wheelchair, the IV stand may spread outward in the left and right directions, potentially hitting other people in the hospital corridor, or the IV stand may move left and right toward the wheelchair, potentially hitting the wheelchair or the person pushing the wheelchair.

The coupling device in Patent Document 2 is roughly U-shaped in plan view and is attached to the vertical pipe-shaped frame of the wheelchair. It fits into the frame from the opening and is fastened with screws, but the fastening force is weak. For example, if the IV stand collides with the corner of a hospital corridor or an elevator door, the force of the collision exceeds the fastening force, and the coupling device can easily slip down from the frame or rotate left or right. This creates a problem because the telescopic arms of the four-bar link mechanism, which are attached to the vertical frame at the rear of the wheelchair and deform up and down and extend and retract in the front-to-back directions, extend rearward within the left and right handles of the wheelchair, creating a high probability of collision with the person pushing the wheelchair.

The IV stand connector in Patent Document 3 locks the first free rotation part by pressing part of the sphere of the first free rotation part with the end face of the narrow rod of the first pressure shaft, so the pressing force is weak. For example, if the IV stand collides with the corner of a hospital corridor or an elevator door, the impact force may exceed the pressing force, causing slippage between the sphere and the rod, making the IV stand connector on the IV stand side more likely to rotate downward or left or right from the first free rotation part, resulting in a collision with the person pushing the wheelchair.

Furthermore, the fixing means to the frame has a V-shaped abutment that clamps the pipe-shaped frame, and the first and second resin grippers, which have jagged surfaces on the four flat surfaces of the V-shape, are gripped and fastened with screws. Because the contact area is linear, the pressing force is weak. For example, if the first clamp is gripped against a vertical frame, and the IV stand collides with the corner of a hospital corridor or an elevator door, the force of the collision exceeds the pressing force, causing the abutment to slide left and right relative to the frame, causing the IV stand connector to rotate left and right relative to the frame, potentially hitting the person pushing the wheelchair.

On the other hand, when the first clamp is gripped on the front-to-rear frame, the IV stand connector is attached to the handle or tipping lever, which limits the installation height of the IV stand connector to the height of a high handle or a low tipping lever. This creates the problem of making it difficult to adjust the height of the IV stand connector to the height of the center of gravity of the IV stand to match the weight of the small medical device hanging from it. Therefore, when the IV stand connector is attached to a position far away from the elevated center of gravity of an IV stand with a heavy small medical device hanging from it and is towed, the inertial force of the IV stand comes into play, causing the IV stand to easily tip over when starting to tow or when hitting steps in hospital corridors during towing.

The present invention was conceived in light of these problems, and aims to provide a coupling device that can be attached at a height close to the center of gravity of a small medical device stand, such as an IV stand with a hanging small medical device, regardless of the structure of the towing mobile object, such as a wheelchair, bed, or walking aid, and that can firmly secure the device to the towing mobile object.

The coupling device described in claim 1 is a coupling device for coupling a mobile body and a small medical equipment installation stand that is caused to follow the mobile body, and includes a towing-side attachment portion attached to the mobile body, a follower-side attachment portion attached to the small medical equipment installation stand, and a generally rod-shaped connecting portion that connects the towing-side attachment portion and the follower-side attachment portion, wherein the towing-side attachment portion has a long fixed support portion and a height/angle adjustment portion that can adjust the connecting portion so that it is movable in the axial direction of the fixed support portion and rotatable in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction and is fixable to the fixed support portion, and the height/angle adjustment portion is inserted into a through hole formed by arranging two semicircular cross-section bodies facing each other in a pair so as to sandwich the fixed support portion, and moves along the outer peripheral surface of the fixed support portion in the axial direction. the height and angle fixing part integrally connected to the sliding and rotating part, and having a plurality of segmented pieces attached at predetermined intervals around the outer periphery of the fixed support part and having an arc-shaped cross section with a radius substantially the same as the radius of the outer periphery of the fixed support part; and a lever-tightened ring clamp attached around the outer periphery of the plurality of segmented pieces and pressing the plurality of segmented pieces against the outer periphery of the fixed support part; after the sliding and rotating part adjusts its axial position and rotation angle in the direction perpendicular to the axis, the sliding and rotating part is fixed to the fixed support part by the height and angle fixing part.

The connecting device described in claim 2 is the same as claim 1, characterized in that the fixed support part is in form A, in which a long inserting cylindrical body to which the height/angle adjustment part is attached is inserted into the inside of a long inserted cylindrical body from the upper end side and is freely expandable in the longitudinal direction, or in form B, in which a single long cylindrical body to which the height/angle adjustment part is attached is formed.

The connecting device described in claim 3 is the same as claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the base of a lever-tightened clamp that can be opened and closed by operating a lever is rotatably supported on a shaft inserted into a through-hole in a bearing portion that protrudes longitudinally from the upper end of the fixed support portion and/or on a shaft inserted into a through-hole in a bearing portion that protrudes longitudinally from the lower end of the fixed support portion, and the lever-tightened clamp is swivelable so that it can be fixed at any angle relative to the moving body.

The connecting device described in claim 4 is characterized in that, in any one of claims 1 to 3, the connecting portion of the generally rod-shaped body is in a first form having a member that can bend only laterally in the radial direction without torsional deformation in the circumferential direction and has a biasing force that allows it to return to a linear state; a second form having a member that can bend 360° in the radial direction without torsional deformation in the circumferential direction and has a biasing force that allows it to return to a linear state; or a third form having a rigid rod-shaped member.

The coupling device described in claim 1 can attach the coupling section at a height near the center of gravity of small medical equipment stands, such as IV stands, oxygen cylinder stands, gastrostomy treatment stands, and enterostomy treatment stands, regardless of the structure of the person-pushed mobile object, such as a wheelchair, bed, or walking aid. This effectively eliminates the risk of the small medical equipment stand, such as an IV stand, tipping over when the towing begins or is underway.

The height of the connecting part can be easily adjusted by gripping one of the sliding and rotating parts with one hand, so that it is close to the height of the center of gravity of the small medical equipment installation stand, and the horizontal angle can be adjusted to change the orientation so that it does not get in the way of the person pushing the connecting part. The sliding and rotating part can be easily secured by simply pushing the lever-tightened ring clamp in the closing direction.

The connecting part can be rotated 360 degrees horizontally, so it can be attached to either the right or left side of a moving object, such as a wheelchair, and the connecting part can be fixed to the moving object by changing its orientation at a horizontal angle so as not to get in the way of the person pushing the wheelchair.

The sliding and swiveling unit is secured to the fixed support part by applying pressure to multiple segments that are attached at predetermined intervals around the outer periphery of the fixed support part and have an arc-shaped cross section with a radius approximately equal to the radius of the outer periphery of the fixed support part. This secures the unit by applying pressure across a wide area of the segments that contact the outer periphery of the fixed support part, providing an extremely high pressure and securely fixing the unit in place. This effectively prevents the sliding and swiveling unit from shifting relative to the fixed support part when it collides with corners of hospital corridors, elevator doors, etc. The fixed support part is attached to the wheelchair by a connecting clamp that is a lever-tightened ring clamp, with its upper end held by a handle that extends approximately forward and backward, and its lower end held by a tipping lever that also extends approximately forward and backward. This prevents the fixed support part from shifting vertically or horizontally relative to the wheelchair when it collides with corners of hospital corridors, elevator doors, etc.

Furthermore, when not in use, the connecting portion can be changed from a substantially horizontal position to a substantially vertical position and can be stored compactly below the handle in a plan view. This has the effect of making it easy to fold the wheelchair from the left or right side when not in use, for example, without having to remove the connecting device of the present invention from the wheelchair.

In the connecting device described in claim 2, type A of the extendable fixed support part is suitable for attachment to parts where the vertical distance between the graspable parts is long, such as simultaneous attachment to both the handle and tipping lever of a wheelchair, or simultaneous attachment to both the legs and rails of a bed, while type B of the non-extendable fixed support part is suitable for attachment to parts where the vertical distance between the graspable parts is short, such as attachment to bed rails.

The connecting device described in claim 3 has the advantage that, for example, the handle portion at the top of a wheelchair has a three-dimensional curved shape. Even in such a three-dimensionally curved portion, the lever-type clamp can be rotated to firmly grip the curved portion of the wheelchair handle portion at a right angle to the diagonal of the curved portion.

The connecting device described in claim 4 has three types of connecting portion, any of which can be attached. For example, in places where the hospital has wide corridors, spacious elevator cabins, and little traffic of nurses, doctors, and hospitalized patients, the third type of connecting portion equipped with a rigid rod-shaped member can be used. In places where the hospital has narrow corridors, narrow elevator cabins, and heavy traffic of nurses, doctors, and hospitalized patients, the first type of connecting portion can be used, equipped with a member that can bend radially in only one direction without circumferential torsional deformation and has a spring force that allows it to return to a linear state, making it easy to bring the small medical equipment installation stand close to a wheelchair, bed, or walking device. Or, the second type can be used, equipped with a member that can bend radially 360° without circumferential torsional deformation and has a spring force that allows it to return to a linear state, and is inexpensive.

1 is a schematic view of a right side of a coupling device according to the present invention. 1 is a left side view of an outline of a coupling device according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 2, showing the height and angle adjustment section. This is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in Figure 3, showing the height and angle fixing portion. However, the lever-tightened ring clamp is not shown in cross section, but the split pieces and the insertion side cylindrical body are shown in cross section. This is a cross-sectional view of the slide and swivel section taken along the line CC in Figure 3. However, the connecting section is not cross-sectional, and only the slide and swivel section is shown in cross section. This is an enlarged view of part E in Figure 2, and is an explanatory diagram in which the lever-type clamp is omitted when the inserting-side cylindrical body is inserted into the inserted-side cylindrical body, (a) is an external view, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line D-D in (a). 10 is an explanatory view showing the expansion and contraction of the fixed support part which expands and contracts by moving the inserting cylindrical body relative to the inserted cylindrical body. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the height/angle adjustment part is slid up and down relative to the insertion-side cylindrical body. FIG. An explanatory diagram of the situation when the height/angle adjustment part is rotated left and right relative to the inserted cylindrical body, where (a) is a diagram showing the state when it is rotated to a straight angle toward the rear, and (b) is an explanatory diagram of the state when it is rotated from the angle of (a) in the rotation direction. These are explanatory diagrams of the rotation of lever-type clamps, where (a) is an explanatory diagram of a form in which only the lever-type clamp at the upper end of the inserting cylindrical body can rotate, and (b) is an explanatory diagram of a form in which the lever-type clamps at both the upper end of the inserting cylindrical body and the lower end of the inserted cylindrical body can rotate. This is an explanatory diagram of the configuration for expanding and contracting the fixed support part in the longitudinal direction, and is an explanatory diagram of a spring part that has a biasing force in the direction of inserting the inserting side cylindrical body into the inserted side cylindrical body, and a lever-tightened ring clamp part that stops the insertion due to this biasing force. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the state in which a wheelchair and an IV stand are connected using the connecting device of the present invention. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a comparative example in which the mounting height of the connector is near the bottom end of the vertical pipe-shaped frame of the wheelchair. 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams showing an example of a second embodiment in which the connecting portion is provided with a member having a biasing force that can bend 360° in the radial direction without twisting deformation in the circumferential direction and can restore to a linear shape, where (a) is an external view and (b) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view. 1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams showing an example of a first embodiment in which the connecting portion is provided with a member that can bend only laterally in the radial direction without undergoing circumferential torsional deformation and has a spring force that allows it to return to a linear state; FIG. 1A is an explanatory diagram showing a built-in chain that can be bent only laterally, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram showing a coil spring that has a spring force that allows it to return to a linear state, provided on the outside of the chain. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a third embodiment in which the connecting portion includes a rod-shaped member having rigidity. 2A and 2B are explanatory views of a swing mechanism of a lever-type clamp, in which FIG. 2A is an enlarged view of a portion T1 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of a portion T2 in FIG. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the storage of the connecting part; (a) is an explanatory diagram of a locking device for the connecting part provided on the fixed support part, and (b) is an explanatory diagram of the state in which the connecting part has been rotated downward and is locked to the locking device in a parallel state to the fixed support part. FIG. 18( b ) is an explanatory diagram of the state after being attached to the wheelchair. These are explanatory diagrams of the plan view when the connecting device is attached to the right side of the wheelchair, where (a) is an explanatory diagram of the state in which the connecting part is straightened outwards and (b) is an explanatory diagram of the state in which the connecting part is rotated outwards so as not to get in the way of the person pushing the wheelchair. These are explanatory diagrams of a plan view of the coupling device when attached to the left side of the wheelchair, where (a) is an explanatory diagram of the state in which the coupling part is rotated outward so as not to get in the way of the person pushing the wheelchair, and (b) is an explanatory diagram of the state in which the coupling part is straightened outwards. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a fixed support part in form B.

As shown in Figure 12, when moving a mobile object 2 such as a wheelchair, bed, or walking aid, a person may grab and move the small medical equipment mounting stand 3, which is the object to be moved, such as an IV stand, oxygen cylinder mobile stand, gastrostomy treatment mobile stand, or enterostomy treatment mobile stand. This coupling device 1 connects the small medical equipment mounting stand 3 to the mobile object 2, making it possible to tow it, so that the person does not have to grab the small medical equipment mounting stand 3 by hand.

As shown in Figures 1, 2, 12, or 22, the connecting device of the present invention is a connecting device 1 that connects a mobile body 2 and a small medical equipment installation stand 3 that follows the mobile body 2, and includes a towing-side mounting portion 4 that is attached to the mobile body 2, a following-side mounting portion 5 that is attached to the small medical equipment installation stand 3, and a generally rod-shaped connecting portion 6 that connects the towing-side mounting portion 4 and the following-side mounting portion 5. The towing-side mounting portion 4 has a long fixed support portion 9 and a height/angle adjustment portion 10 that can adjust the connecting portion 6 so that it is movable in the axial direction of the fixed support portion 9 and rotatable in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction and can be fixed to the fixed support portion 9. As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the height/angle adjustment portion 10 is inserted into a through hole formed by two semicircular cross-sectional bodies 21 arranged opposite each other so as to sandwich the fixed support portion 9. The device comprises a sliding and rotating unit (20) that is adjustable so as to be movable in the axial direction along the outer surface of the fixed support unit (9) and rotatable in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction; a plurality of segmented pieces (31) attached at predetermined intervals circumferentially to surround the outer surface of the fixed support unit (9), each having an arc-shaped cross section with a radius substantially the same as the radius of the outer surface of the fixed support unit; and a height and angle fixing unit (30) integrally connected to the sliding and rotating unit (20), the height and angle fixing unit (30) having a lever-tightened ring clamp (32) attached to surround the outer surfaces of the plurality of segmented pieces (31) and pressingly fixing the plurality of segmented pieces (31) to the outer surface of the fixed support unit (9). After adjusting the axial position and rotation angle perpendicular to the axis of the sliding and rotating unit (20), the sliding and rotating unit (20) is fixed to the fixed support unit (9) by the height and angle fixing unit (30).

The mobile object 2 refers to equipment used by patients or those requiring care, such as a wheelchair 2a, bed, or walking aid, and the small medical equipment installation stand 3 refers to a wheeled transport means on which small medical equipment 52 that must be moved along with the patient or person requiring care when moving around or during treatment, such as an IV drip stand 3a, an oxygen cylinder mobile stand, a gastrostomy treatment mobile stand, or an enterostomy treatment mobile stand, is suspended.

The connecting device 1 comprises a towing-side mounting portion 4 that is attached to the mobile body 2, a following-side mounting portion 5 that is attached to the small medical equipment installation stand 3, and a generally rod-shaped connecting portion 6 that connects the towing-side mounting portion 4 and the following-side mounting portion 5.

First, we will explain the towing side mounting portion 4. The towing side mounting portion 4 is the portion that is attached to the moving body 2. The towing side mounting portion 4 has the fixed support portion 9 and the height/angle adjustment portion 10.

The fixed support part 9 is a means for fixing the connecting part 6 to a mobile object 2 such as a wheelchair 2a, and the height/angle adjustment part 10 is a means for adjusting the height of the connecting part 6 to a height near the center of gravity of a small medical equipment stand 3 such as an IV stand 3a, and for changing the horizontal orientation of the connecting part 6 so that it does not get in the way of the person pushing the mobile object 2.

The fixed support part 9 can take the form of a fixed support part 9a (Type A), in which the long inserting cylindrical body 7 to which the height/angle adjustment part 10 is attached is inserted into the inside from the upper end of the long inserted cylindrical body 8, allowing it to expand and contract longitudinally, as shown in Figure 1; or a fixed support part 9b (Type B), in which the height/angle adjustment part 10 is attached to a single long cylindrical body, as shown in Figure 22.

First, we will explain the fixed support part 9a of Form A. As shown in Figure 1, the fixed support part 9a comprises an insertion-side cylindrical body 7 on the upper side having a connecting clamp 12a at its upper end, and an insertion-side cylindrical body 8 on the lower side having a connecting clamp 12b at its lower end, and the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 is inserted into the inner cavity of the insertion-side cylindrical body 8 from the upper end side. As shown in Figure 6, the inner peripheral wall of the insertion-side cylindrical body 8 is shaped so that the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 cannot rotate left and right inside the insertion-side cylindrical body 8 and can slide up and down. The shape of the outer peripheral surface of the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 and the shape of the inner peripheral surface of the inserted-side cylindrical body 8 can be designed to prevent the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 from rotating horizontally by, for example, providing a portion where the distance from the axis of the inserted-side cylindrical body 8 to the inner peripheral surface in the short direction is shorter than the radius of the arc-shaped portion 23 on the outer peripheral surface of the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 in the short direction. This is not limited to the shape shown in FIG. 6 , and any shape may be used as long as the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 does not rotate left and right inside the inserted-side cylindrical body 8 and can slide up and down. Furthermore, the height/angle adjustment unit 10, which has a circular inner peripheral surface, can rotate smoothly left and right along the arc-shaped portion 23 on the outer peripheral surface of the insertion-side cylindrical body 7.

11 and 17, a string 17 is tied to each of the vertical ends of a spring 16 that exerts a compressive force. The string 17 is tied to each of the vertical ends of a spring 16 that exerts a compressive force. These ends are then tied to shaft 14a connecting the upper end of the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 to the base of connecting clamp 12a, and shaft 14b connecting the lower end of the receiving-side cylindrical body 8 to the base of connecting clamp 12b. This constantly reduces the gap between the upper end of the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 and the lower end of the receiving-side cylindrical body 8. To prevent the insertion of the insertion-side cylindrical body 7, a lever-tightened ring clamp 15 is provided on the outer surface of the insertion-side cylindrical body 7. The lever-tightened ring clamp 15 prevents the lever-closed lever from being inserted into the receiving-side cylindrical body 8. Because the fixed support part 9 is constantly biased in the direction of contraction, the insertion side cylindrical body 7 will not pop out of the inserted side cylindrical body 8 when the connecting device 1 is carried alone.

Therefore, to extend the fixed support portion 9a, grasp and extend the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 with your hand, then close the lever with the lower end of the lever-tightening clamp 15 in contact with the upper end of the receiving-side cylindrical body 8. This prevents the insertion of the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 and fixes the length between the upper and lower ends of the fixed support portion 9a. On the other hand, to shorten the fixed support portion 9a, grasp and insert the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 with your hand, shortening the length between the upper and lower ends of the fixed support portion 9a to a predetermined length. Then, close the lever with the lower end of the lever-tightening clamp 15 in contact with the upper end of the receiving-side cylindrical body 8. This prevents the insertion of the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 and fixes the length between the upper and lower ends of the fixed support portion 9a. In this way, the length between the upper and lower ends of the fixed support portion 9a of the connecting device 1 can be adjusted to suit the size of the wheelchair 2a, etc.

As shown in the left diagram of Figure 7, the insertion side cylindrical body 7 can be fully inserted to place the fixed support part 9a in its most shortened state, and as shown in the right diagram of Figure 7, the insertion side cylindrical body 7 can be fully extended to place the fixed support part 9a in its most extended state, allowing the length of the fixed support part 9a to be adjusted within the range of length M. In this way, because the vertical length of the fixed support part 9a can be adjusted, the fixed support part 9a can be easily fixed to the mobile body 2, such as a wheelchair 2a, bed, or walking aid, regardless of the structure of the mobile body 2 or the vertical spacing between pipes.

As shown in Figures 10 and 17, the bases of lever-tightened connecting clamps 12a, 12b, which can be opened and closed by operating a lever, are rotatably supported on shaft 18a inserted into the through-hole of bearing portion 13a protruding longitudinally from the upper end of the inserting cylindrical body 7 and/or on shaft 18b inserted into the through-hole of bearing portion 13b protruding longitudinally from the lower end of the inserted-side cylindrical body 8, and the connecting clamps 12a, 12b are swivelable so that they can be fixed at any angle relative to the movable body 2.

As shown in Figure 10(a), there is a configuration in which only the connecting clamp 12a on the upper end of the inserting cylindrical body 7 is swivelable, and as shown in Figure 10(b), there is a configuration in which both the connecting clamps 12a, 12b on the upper end of the inserting cylindrical body 7 and the lower end of the inserted cylindrical body 8 are swivelable. For example, if the handle of a wheelchair 2a has a three-dimensional bend, the upper lever-tightened connecting clamp 12a can be swiveled to easily grip the handle pipe at a right angle. If the tipping lever at the bottom of the wheelchair 2a has a three-dimensional bend, the lower lever-tightened connecting clamp 12b can be swiveled to easily grip the tipping lever pipe at a right angle.

Next, we will explain the fixed support part 9b of Form B, which is a component of the connecting device 1. As shown in Figure 22, the fixed support part 9b is a single, long, non-stretchable cylindrical body, and has the same shape as the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 of the fixed support part 9a of Form A. The height/angle adjustment part 10 has a connecting clamp 12a at its upper end and a connecting clamp 12b at its lower end, and has a circular inner circumferential surface, so it can rotate smoothly along the arc-shaped portion 23 on the outer circumferential surface of the fixed support part 9b.

As shown in Figure 22, the base of a lever-tightened connecting clamp 12a that can be opened and closed by lever operation is rotatably supported on shaft 18a inserted through a through-hole in bearing portion 13a that protrudes longitudinally from the upper end of the fixed support portion 9b, allowing the connecting clamp 12a to swivel so that it can be fixed at any angle relative to the movable body 2. Furthermore, the base of a lever-tightened connecting clamp 12b that can be opened and closed by lever operation is rotatably supported on shaft 18b inserted through a through-hole in bearing portion 13b that protrudes longitudinally from the lower end of the fixed support portion 9b, allowing the connecting clamp 12b to swivel so that it can be fixed at any angle relative to the movable body 2. The overall length of the fixed support portion 9b can be shorter than that of the fixed support portion 9a, allowing it to be attached to a bed rail.

Next, the height/angle adjustment unit 10 will be described. The height/angle adjustment unit 10 allows the connecting unit 6 to be adjusted so that it can move freely in the axial direction of the fixed support units 9a and 9b and rotate freely perpendicular to the axial direction, and can be fixed to the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 in the adjusted state. The height/angle adjustment unit 10 has the function of moving and fixing the connecting unit 6 so that its height matches the height near the center of gravity of a small medical device installation stand 3, such as an IV stand 3a. The configuration of the height/angle adjustment unit 10 is the same for both fixed support units 9a and 9b, so the height/angle adjustment unit 10 will be described below when attached to fixed support unit 9a. Fixed support unit 9b has substantially the same configuration as the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 of fixed support unit 9a.

As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the height/angle adjustment unit 10 includes a sliding/rotating unit 20 that is adjustable so as to be slidable in the axial direction and rotatable in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction along the outer surface of the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 (fixed support unit 9), which is inserted into a through-hole formed by arranging two semicircular cross-section bodies 21 facing each other so as to sandwich the fixed support unit 9 (in the case of fixed support unit 9a, this corresponds to the insertion-side cylindrical body 7, and in the case of fixed support unit 9b, it has approximately the same shape as the insertion support body 7). The sliding/rotating unit 20 is mounted at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction so as to surround the outer surface of the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 (fixed support unit 9) and has a cross section that is approximately the same as the cross section of the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 (fixed support unit 9). and a height/angle fixing unit 30 integrally connected to the sliding and rotating unit 20, the height/angle fixing unit 30 having a plurality of segments 31 forming an arc shape with a radius approximately the same as the radius of the outer surface of the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 (fixed support unit 9), and a lever-tightened ring clamp 32 attached so as to surround the outer surfaces of the plurality of segments 31 and press the plurality of segments 31 against the outer surface of the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 (fixed support unit 9). After the sliding and rotating unit 20 adjusts the axial position (which is the height direction of the connecting unit 6) and the rotation angle (perpendicular to the axis) (which is the horizontal orientation of the connecting unit 6), the sliding and rotating unit 20 is fixed to the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 by the height/angle fixing unit 30.

The sliding and rotating unit 20 and the height and angle fixing unit 30 are integrated, and rotate left and right together, and slide up and down together. One possible integration structure is to connect and integrate a portion of the sliding and rotating unit 20 with a portion of the height and angle fixing unit 30, as shown in Figure 3, but any structure that allows for integration is acceptable. For example, a protrusion 11 can be provided on the semicircular cross-sectional body 21 of the sliding and rotating unit 20, and a lever-tightened ring clamp 32 of the height and angle fixing unit 30 can be attached to the protrusion 11.

As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the sliding and rotating unit 20 has a through-hole formed by a pair of semicircular cross-sectional bodies 21 arranged facing each other so as to sandwich the insertion-side cylindrical body 7. The insertion-side cylindrical body 7 is inserted into the through-hole, and can be adjusted to move freely in the axial direction along the outer surface of the insertion-side cylindrical body 7, i.e., slide freely up and down, and rotate freely in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, i.e., pivot freely left and right.

After the fixed support part 9a is fixed to, for example, a wheelchair 2a using the sliding and swiveling part 20, as shown in the left diagram of Figure 8, if the small medical device 52, such as a urine bag, is light and the center of gravity G of the IV stand is low, the height of the connecting part 6 can be adjusted to attach it near that low center of gravity G. Alternatively, as shown in the right diagram of Figure 8, if the small medical device 52, such as a blood transfusion pump, is heavy and the center of gravity G of the IV stand is high, the height of the connecting part 6 can be adjusted to attach it near that high center of gravity. As shown in Figure 8, the sliding and swiveling part 20 allows the attachment height of the connecting part 6 to be adjusted in the vertical direction within a length N. The height of the center of gravity G is determined as the height near the center of gravity when the device is grabbed and pulled by hand and is unlikely to tip over.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 9(a) and (b), two semicircular cross-section bodies 21, each with a circular inner circumferential surface, are arranged opposite each other along the outer circumferential surface of the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 and can be rotated left and right to adjust the left and right angle, which is the orientation of the connecting portion 6.

As a result, the connecting part 6 can be rotated 360° horizontally, and can be oriented straight backward in the fore-and-aft direction, the same as the handle 65, as shown in Figures 20(a) and 21(b), for example. As shown in Figures 20(b) and 21(a), the connecting part 6 can be rotated and fixed in an outward direction that will not get in the way of the person pushing the mobile unit 2. Therefore, whether the connecting part 6 is attached to the right or left side of the wheelchair 2a, for example, the connecting part 6 can be attached and fixed in an orientation that will not get in the way of the person pushing the wheelchair 2a.

Next, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the height/angle fixing portion 30 is composed of a plurality of segments 31 (for example, four segments 31) attached at predetermined intervals 33 around the circumferential direction of the insertion side cylindrical body 7, and whose cross section forms an arc with substantially the same radius as the radius of the outer peripheral surface of the fixed support portion 9 (in the case of fixed support portion 9a, this corresponds to the insertion side cylindrical body 7, and in the case of fixed support portion 9b, substantially the same shape as the insertion support portion 7).The multiple segments 31 can be fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the insertion side cylindrical body 7 (the fixed support portion 9) with a lever-tightened ring clamp 32.

For example, as shown in Figure 4, in the case of four divided segments 31, the four segments 31 are attached to the outer peripheral surface of the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 (the fixed support portion 9) with gaps 33 formed between the segments 31. The inner surfaces of the four segments 31 are brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 (the fixed support portion 9) so as to surround the outer peripheral surface of the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 (the fixed support portion 9). When pressure is applied with a lever-tightened ring clamp 32 surrounding the outer peripheral surface of the segments 31, the gaps 33 narrow and the inner peripheral surfaces of the segments 31 come into contact with the entire outer peripheral surface of the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 over a wide area, thereby achieving a high pressing force.

The inventors tried various fixing methods, such as screwing in bolts or applying pressure to a piece with a circular arc cross section and slits. As a result, they found that the greatest pressure was achieved by using multiple segments 31 that formed an arc shape with a radius roughly the same as the radius of the outer surface of the insertion side support 7 (fixed support part 9). This resulted in the sliding and rotating part not shifting relative to the insertion side support 7 (fixed support part 9) when, for example, the IV stand 3a being towed collides with the corner of a hospital corridor or an elevator door.

After adjusting the axial position and rotation angle perpendicular to the axis of the sliding and rotating unit 20, the sliding and rotating unit 20 is fixed to the insertion-side cylindrical body 7 by the height and angle fixing unit 30. As a result, as shown in Figure 12, the connecting unit 6 can be attached to the small medical equipment stand 3 at a height near the center of gravity G of the IV stand 3a, for example, rather than being attached at a predetermined height depending on the structure of the wheelchair 2a. This eliminates the risk of the IV stand 3a tipping over due to being pulled.

As shown in Figure 12, the connecting device 1 of the present invention is compared with a comparative example, as shown in Figure 13, which is a connecting device attached at a predetermined height depending on the structure of the wheelchair 2a. The small medical device 52 hanging from the IV stand 3a is heavy, and its center of gravity G is located above the IV stand 3a and at a distance R rearward from the axis of the IV stand 3a. In this case, the position g of the center of gravity G on the floor is within the range H formed by the four casters 51. If position g moves outside of the range H, the IV stand 3a will tip over.

The coupling device 1 of the present invention is attached at a height near the center of gravity G of the IV stand 3a, regardless of the structure of the wheelchair 2a. Therefore, even if the IV stand 3a is pulled by the wheelchair 2a, the position g of the center of gravity G is within the range H formed by the casters 51, so it will not tip over.

On the other hand, in the comparative example, if the connecting part 70 is attached at a height near the tipping lever on the bottom of the wheelchair 2a, when the IV stand 3a is towed with the wheelchair 2a, the IV stand 3a is towed at a height lower than the center of gravity G. Therefore, when the wheelchair 2a is towed forward F, the center of gravity G, which is at a position higher than the towing height, shifts relatively backward R, and the position g of the center of gravity G extends outside the range H formed by the casters 51, causing the wheelchair to tip over.

In this way, the connecting device 1 of the present invention can be attached near the height of the center of gravity of the IV stand 3a, regardless of the structure of the wheelchair 2a. Therefore, by towing the wheelchair at a height near the center of gravity G of the towed device, it is possible to prevent the towed device, for example the IV stand 3a, from tipping over.

Next, the connecting portion 6 will be described. The connecting portion 6 is in the form of a generally rod-shaped connecting portion 7, and may be in a first form 41, as shown in Figures 15(a) and (b), which has a member that can bend only laterally in the radial direction without torsional deformation in the circumferential direction and has a biasing force that allows it to return to a linear state; a second form 42, as shown in Figures 14(a) and (b), which has a member that can bend 360° in the radial direction without torsional deformation in the circumferential direction and has a biasing force that allows it to return to a linear state; or a third form 43, as shown in Figure 16, which has a rigid rod-shaped member.

The connecting part 6 of the first form 41 uses, as shown in Figure 15(a), a chain 55, for example, which can bend only laterally in the radial direction without twisting in the circumferential direction, and as shown in Figure 15(b), a coil spring 56, for example, is used as a member with a biasing force that allows it to return to a linear shape.

As shown in Figures 14(a) and (b), the connecting portion 6 of the second form 42 can be bent 360° radially without circumferential torsional deformation. The member 57 can be, for example, a cylindrical body having a roughly cylindrical reinforcing layer made by weaving thin materials cross-woven in a direction symmetrical about the longitudinal centerline; a rod-shaped body having a stranded material laminate structure in which two stranded materials are twisted so that the twisted wire directions are symmetrical about the longitudinal centerline, and one cylindrical stranded material is inserted into the through-hole of the other cylindrical stranded material; or a cylindrical body having a cross-structure stranded body in which multiple stranded wires are twisted so that the twisted wire directions are symmetrical about the longitudinal centerline and the multiple stranded wires cross each other.

The biasing member 58, which has a linear restorable biasing force, can be, for example, a coil spring into which the entire bendable member can be inserted and which has a linear biasing force along the entire length of the bendable member; a rod- or plate-shaped spring material, rubber material, glass fiber, or carbon fiber, which is attached to the entire bendable member and has a linear biasing force along the entire length of the bendable member; a rod- or plate-shaped spring material or rubber material which can be inserted into a through-hole in the tubular bendable member and has a linear biasing force along the entire length of the bendable member; or a torsion spring attached to a bendable joint.

In the first and second configurations 41 and 42, for example, when the IV stand of the small medical equipment installation stand 3 needs to be pulled toward the wheelchair on the mobile body 2 to prevent collisions with people passing by in a narrow corridor in a hospital, or when the IV stand needs to be pulled toward the wheelchair when getting on an elevator, the IV stand can be easily pulled toward the wheelchair.

In addition, the member has a spring force that allows it to return to a straight line, so even if it has a bendable member when towing, it will autonomously return to a straight line, allowing it to be towed safely without coming into contact with the person pushing it.

As shown in Figure 16, the connecting part 6 of the third form 43 has a rigid body 59 that can be a straight cylinder or a straight rod, but for lighter weight, an aluminum pipe is preferable. The third form 43 is suitable for cases where the corridors in a hospital are wide or the elevator is large enough to accommodate a bed, for example, as it does not require the IV stand to be pulled toward the wheelchair.

Next, we will explain how to store the connecting part 6 when not in use. After the connecting part 6 is used with the connecting part 6 facing backward in a roughly horizontal direction as shown in Figure 18(a) when in use, when not in use it is rotated from a horizontal position to a vertical position around the axis 61 as shown in Figure 18(b) and brought close to the fixed support part 9a, so that it can be compactly stored below the handle 65 in a plan view as shown in Figure 19. This has the advantage that, for example, when folding the wheelchair 2a from the left or right side when not in use, the connecting device 1 of the present invention does not need to be removed from the wheelchair 2a.

Next, the follower-side attachment portion 5 will be described. The follower-side attachment portion 5 is attached to the free end of the connecting portion 6, on the side that is attached to the small medical equipment installation stand 3, and includes, for example, a lever-tightening connecting clamp 12c. The follower-side attachment portion 5 may be any clamp that can grasp the pipes or rods that make up the small medical equipment installation stand 3, such as the IV stand 3a, oxygen cylinder mobile stand, gastrostomy treatment mobile stand, or enterostomy treatment mobile stand.

In the connecting device 1 of the present invention, the fixing means for attaching to, for example, the pipes of the wheelchair 2a or the IV stand 3a are all ring-shaped clamps that reduce the diameter of the rings when a lever is closed with a finger, thereby fixing them by applying pressure, so they can be easily tightened and fixed by hand.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connecting device 2 Moving body 3 Small medical device installation stand 4 Towing side mounting portion 5 Following side mounting portion 6 Connecting portion 7 Inserting side cylindrical body 8 Inserted side cylindrical body 9 Fixed support portion 10 Height/angle adjustment portion 11 Protrusion portion 12 Connecting clamp 13 Bearing portion 14 Shaft 15 Lever-tightening clamp 16 Spring 17 String body 18 Shaft 20 Sliding/swivel portion 21 Cross-sectional semicircular body 23 Arc-shaped portion 30 Height/angle fixing portion 31 Divided piece 32 Lever-tightening ring clamp 33 Spacing 41 First form 42 Second form 43 Third form 51 Caster 52 Small medical device 55 Chain 56 Coil spring 57 Bendable member 58 Urging member 59 Rigid body 60 Locking device 61 Shaft 65 Handle 70 Connecting portion G Center of gravity H Range

Claims (4)

A coupling device for coupling a moving body and a small medical equipment installation stand that follows the moving body,
a pulling-side mounting portion attached to the moving body, a following-side mounting portion attached to the small medical device installation stand, and a connecting portion having a substantially rod-like body connecting the pulling-side mounting portion and the following-side mounting portion,
The towing side mounting portion has an elongated fixed support portion,
a height/angle adjustment unit that can adjust the connecting portion so that it is movable in the axial direction of the fixed support portion and rotatable in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and that can be fixed to the fixed support portion;
The height and angle adjustment unit is
a sliding and rotating part that is adjustable so as to be movable in the axial direction and rotatable in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction along an outer peripheral surface of the fixed support part, the sliding and rotating part being inserted into a through hole formed by arranging two semicircular cross-section bodies in a pair opposite to each other so as to sandwich the fixed support part;
a height/angle fixing unit integrally connected to the sliding/rotating unit, the height/angle fixing unit having a plurality of divided pieces attached at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction so as to surround the outer peripheral surface of the fixed support unit, the divided pieces having an arc-shaped cross section with a radius substantially the same as the radius of the outer peripheral surface of the fixed support unit, and a lever-tightened ring clamp attached so as to surround the outer peripheral surfaces of the plurality of divided pieces and pressing the plurality of divided pieces against the outer peripheral surface of the fixed support unit,
A coupling device characterized in that the sliding/rotating part is fixed to the fixed support part by the height/angle fixing part after adjusting the axial position and the rotation angle in the direction perpendicular to the axis. The coupling device described in claim 1, characterized in that the fixed support part is in the form of Form A, in which a long inserting cylindrical body to which the height/angle adjustment part is attached is inserted into the inside of a long inserted cylindrical body from the upper end side and is freely expandable in the longitudinal direction, or Form B, in which a single long cylindrical body to which the height/angle adjustment part is attached is used. A coupling device as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the base of a lever-tightened clamp that can be opened and closed by operating a lever is rotatably supported on a shaft inserted into a through-hole in a bearing portion that protrudes longitudinally from the upper end of the fixed support portion and/or on a shaft inserted into a through-hole in a bearing portion that protrudes longitudinally from the lower end of the fixed support portion, and the lever-tightened clamp is swivelable so that it can be fixed at any angle relative to the moving body. A connecting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the connecting portion of the generally rod-shaped body is in a first form comprising a member that can bend only laterally in the radial direction without torsional deformation in the circumferential direction and has a biasing force that allows it to return to a linear state; a second form comprising a member that can bend 360° in the radial direction without torsional deformation in the circumferential direction and has a biasing force that allows it to return to a linear state; or a third form comprising a rigid rod-shaped member.