JPS6366536B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Industrial application field
The present invention relates to a bathing device that is used when someone else takes a bath with assistance.

Prior Art The lifting and lowering operation of the bathtub in the conventional bathing device is the fourth step.
The configuration is such that it is carried out by a fluid pressure cylinder or a screw shaft operated by a motor as shown in the figure.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention Since the raising and lowering of a bathtub according to the prior art becomes a mechanically determined uniform operation, it is extremely difficult to perform delicate operations that take the psychological state of the bather into consideration. However, there is a problem in that the bather inevitably feels uneasy when raising and lowering the bath.

In addition, the entire device requires a highly accurate control section and operating section to ensure stable operation, making the configuration complicated and expensive.

Means for Solving the Problems Therefore, the present invention solves the problems of the conventional device as described above, and its first purpose is to make the overall structure significantly simpler and cheaper than the conventional device, and to
To obtain a bathing device that can be easily operated by a caregiver with a slight force.

The second purpose is to allow the caregiver to raise and lower the bathtub while monitoring the condition of the bather and finely adjusting the height of the bathtub, allowing the bather to bathe without making the bather feel anxious. The goal is to provide equipment.

That is, the present invention provides a balancer B that connects the bathtub A to the support column part 1 so as to be able to rise and fall freely, by installing the bathtub A on the opposite side of the support column part 1 from the installation side of the bathtub A. The weight of the balancer B is slightly smaller than the weight of the bathtub A containing a specified amount of water, so that both the bathtub A and the balancer B are in a substantially balanced state. An auxiliary tank 6 internally communicating with the bathtub A is installed above the side of the support column part 1, as shown in FIG.
The height of the bottom wall of the auxiliary tank 6, which appropriately gives and receives hot water in the bathtub A when the bathtub A is raised and lowered, is higher than the top surface of the bathtub A when the bathtub A is positioned at the lower limit, and the bathtub A when the bathtub A is positioned at the upper limit. The bathtub A, which is approximately the same height as the bottom wall of the balancer B and is slightly heavier than the balancer B, is always at the lower limit, and when an appropriate weight is added to the balancer B, the bathtub A
is a bathing device characterized by rising and reaching an upper limit.

In addition, the balancer B is connected to the weight B1 and the weight addition tool 5.
The weight adding device 5 is rotatably pivoted at one end to a fulcrum 8 provided at an appropriate location on the weight B1, and the other end is used as a step for a caregiver that slides on a fixed surface E. be.

Embodiments Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the bathing device according to the present invention will be described in detail based on the accompanying drawings.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 1-3.

A support column part 1 is vertically erected from a fixed surface E, and a frame 3 is attached to a lift guide part 1a of the support column part 1 so as to be movable up and down while maintaining the frame 3 in a horizontal state.

A bathtub A is integrally or removably attached to this frame 3, and guide rollers 2 provided on the support column section 1 are installed at appropriate positions.
One end of the suspension rope 4 guided by a and 2b is connected.

The opposite end of the hanging rope 4 is connected to the guide roller 2a,
2b, it is guided to the side opposite to the side where the bathtub A is installed, and a weight B1 is connected and suspended from the end of the predetermined length. The weight W of the weight B1 is made to be slightly lighter than the weight W1 of the bathtub installation side component when a specified amount of water is stored in the bathtub A, but approximately equal to the weight W1.

The balancer B is constructed by assembling the weight B1 and a gravity adding tool 5 that applies or releases an external force to the weight B1 in a related manner. In the illustrated configuration example, the weight adding tool 5 is One end is rotatably pivoted to a fulcrum 8 provided at an appropriate location on B1, and the other end is attached to a fixed surface E.
A step for the caregiver to slide on.

To explain in detail the structure of the auxiliary tank designed to prevent overflow of water that naturally occurs when a bather enters the bathtub A, the auxiliary tank 6 is fixedly installed at a predetermined location on the support column part 1. The lower end of one side wall of the auxiliary tank 6 and the upper end of one side wall of the bathtub A are internally communicated with each other by a flexible pipe 7 so as not to hinder the raising and lowering operation of the bathtub A.

The detailed location of the auxiliary tank 6 is shown in Figure 1.
As shown in FIG. 2, the auxiliary tank 6 is attached to the upper side of the support column part 1, and when the bathtub A is at the lower limit position, the auxiliary tank 6 is higher than the upper end of the bathtub A, and the bathtub A is The auxiliary tank 6 is located such that the bottom surface of the bathtub A is higher than or at the same height as the flexible connection part of the auxiliary tank 6 when it is at the upper limit position.

Function: In the device of the present invention, when a specified amount of hot water is stored in the bathtub A, the vertical relative positional relationship between the bathtub A side and the balancer B is maintained as shown in Fig. 1, and this state After moving the stretcher C that holds the bather in a bathing position and positioning the bather at the upper part of the bathtub A,
By applying an external force (a small amount of external force is sufficient) to adjust the balancer B side appropriately, the bathtub A side can be adjusted to the balancer B side.
As the balancer descends, it rises, allowing the bather on the stretcher C to be placed in the bathtub A. Conversely, if the external force applied to the balancer B is released, the bathtub A side's own weight will lift the bathtub. It is possible to lower the bathtub and take the bather out of the bathtub A.

While observing the bather, the caregiver gradually transfers the person to Step 5, or stops midway, and
Furthermore, by manually braking the edge of the bathtub A, etc., the bathtub can be moved up and down without making the bather feel uneasy.

The first effect of the auxiliary tank 6 is that when the bathtub A is in the lowered position as shown in FIG. When a bather enters the bathtub after being raised as shown in Fig. 2, the hot water removed by the bather flows into the auxiliary tank through the flexible pipe 7 and is stored in the bathtub A.
When the bather is allowed to escape from the bathtub and the bathtub A is lowered, the hot water stored in the auxiliary tank 6 is returned to the bathtub A.

The second function of the auxiliary tank 6 is to return the hot water that comes out of the bathtub A when the bather takes a bath into the bathtub A to the bathtub A when the bather escapes from the bathtub A, and to reduce the weight of the bathtub A side when going up and down. Bathtub A while going up and down with small changes
The objective is to balance the weight between the balancer B side and the balancer B side.

That is, when the weight is added by the caregiver to the balancer B side and the bathtub A rises, the bathtub A will gradually have a volume corresponding to the amount of intrusion as the bather and the stretcher C gradually intrude below the water surface. The weight of hot water becomes a burden on the power to raise the bathtub A, and the lifting operation of the bathtub A is braked, so hot water corresponding to this amount of intrusion overflows outside the bathtub A. This overflowing hot water flows into the auxiliary tank 6 through the flexible pipe 7, and the entire process of raising the bathtub A is carried out smoothly.

Conversely, in the process of lowering the bathtub A, the situation is reversed to that in the upward process. In other words, as the bathtub A descends, the bather who has entered the hot water in the bathtub A and part of the stretcher C escape, resulting in a lack of weight on the bathtub A side, which impedes the power to descend. becomes. By returning hot water equivalent to this insufficient weight from the auxiliary tank 6 to the bathtub A side through the flexible pipe 7 to supplement the weight, the balance between the bathtub A side and the balancer B side is maintained, and the bathtub A descends smoothly. can.

As described above, the position of the bathtub A is such that, after filling the bathtub A with a specified amount of hot water, when a caregiver steps on the weight adding device 5, the weight B1 is lowered and the bathtub A rises to reach its upper limit, and the weight adding device 5 If the helper does not get on the bathtub, the weight B1 will rise and the bathtub A will fall, reaching the lower limit.

Although omitted in the illustrated embodiment,
A mechanism for fixing and releasing the elevated bathtub A at a desired height position, that is, a sliding portion between the support column section 1 and the ascending/descending guide section 1a to prevent sliding of the ascending/descending guide section 1a. It is advantageous to provide a well-known mechanism, such as using a bayonet, and this can be easily implemented if desired.

Effects of the Invention The first effect of the present invention, which is structured and operates as explained above, is that while it allows suitable bathing operations, the overall structure does not require a hydraulic cylinder or screw shaft compared to conventional existing devices. Since the bathtub is raised and lowered by adjusting the weight of the weight, it is extremely simple and the manufacturing cost is low.

In addition, by providing an auxiliary tank, the weight balance between the bathtub side and the balancer side can be maintained almost continuously during the entire ascending and descending stroke of the bathtub, and as a result, delicate and smooth lifting and lowering operations can be easily performed. Furthermore, the caregiver can easily perform the above operation with extremely little force.

The second effect is that the caregiver can easily and freely operate the balancer to raise and lower the bathtub while observing and checking the condition of the bather, allowing the bather to bathe with peace of mind without making him or her feel anxious. can be done.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show specific examples of the present invention, and FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic side views according to the invention, and FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the conventional device. A... Bathtub, B... Balancer, C... Stretcher, 1... Support column section, 2a, 2b...
Lifting guide section, 3... Frame, 4... Suspension rope, 5
...Weight adder, 6...Auxiliary tank.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Bathtub A that can be freely raised and lowered to the support column section 1
is arranged opposite to the side opposite to the installation side of the bathtub A across the support column part 1, and is configured to be raised and lowered by the vertical movement of a balancer B connected to the bathtub A, and the weight of the balancer B is The weight of the auxiliary tank 6 is slightly smaller than the weight of the bathtub A containing a specified amount of water, and the auxiliary tank 6 internally communicates with the bathtub A is attached to the support column part 1 so that both the bathtub A and the balancer B are in a substantially balanced state. Bathtub A when the height of the bottom wall of the auxiliary tank 6, which is installed at the upper side and which appropriately transfers and receives hot water in the bathtub A when the bathtub A is raised and lowered, is located at the lower limit.
The height is higher than the top surface of the bathtub A, and the height is approximately the same as the bottom wall of the bathtub A when it is positioned at the upper limit.The bathtub A, which is slightly heavier than the balancer B, is always at the lower limit, and when an appropriate weight is added to the balancer B, the bathtub A is a bathing device characterized by rising and reaching an upper limit. 2 Balancer B is composed of a weight B1 and a weight addition device 5, one end of which is rotatably pivoted to a fulcrum 8 provided at an appropriate location of the weight B1, and the other end is pivoted on a fixed surface E. The bathing device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is a sliding step for a caregiver.