JPH067849B2 - Openable bathtub - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a door opening / closing bathtub which is mainly used for bathing a physically handicapped person or an elderly person.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ordinary bathtub is in the shape of a box whose upper part is open, and the bather must enter the bathtub by straddling the side wall, which makes it difficult for a physically handicapped person to take a bath. Therefore, as a bathtub that can be easily bathed by a physically handicapped person, the following door-opening and closing bathtubs have been developed.

The openable door type bathtub has a structure in which an opening is provided in a side wall of the bathtub and the opening is opened and closed by a door which slides in the vertical direction, for example.

When a person with a physical disability is allowed to take a bath using this openable / closed bathtub, first, the hot water stored in the bathtub is transferred to a tank arranged in the vicinity of the bathtub, and when the bath is completed, the door is opened. Lower it and use the opening in the side wall to slide the disabled person to the side along with the chair for bathing and move it into the bath. Then, the door is raised to close the opening, and the transferred hot water is returned to the bathtub again. By the above operation, the physically handicapped person can be put in the bath state. In addition, when taking a bath, contrary to the above, once the hot water in the bathtub is moved into the tank, the door is lowered, and the person with a physical disability is slid sideways using the opening. Good.

[0005]

By the way, in the conventional door open / close type bathtub, the opening provided in the side wall reaches up to the vicinity of the bottom surface of the bathtub so that the physically handicapped person may be transferred into the bathtub or the reverse. In order to transfer hot water to and from the bathtub to the washing room, most of the amount of hot water stored in the bathtub must be the target, which results in a long bathing time. Such a drawback becomes particularly remarkable when a large number of bathers are held.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is sufficient to take hot water in and out of a bathtub for opening and closing the door only about half the hot water stored in the bathtub for bathing. The hot water transfer time that accompanies it can be greatly shortened, and a small amount of force is sufficient to move the door, and the door can be tightly sealed to the bathtub body, and many bathers can be continuously delivered in a progressive manner. The present invention provides a bathtub that can be opened and closed with a door.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a bathtub body in which left and right side walls facing each other are notched to a middle portion in the height direction and a square opening is formed. And left and right doors that are slidable parallel to the both side walls of the bathtub main body in a plane direction to open and close the opening of the side wall, and a chair receiver that is vertically movable inside the bathtub main body. A door base material in which each of the left and right doors is slidable in a plane direction with respect to a side wall of the bath body, and a door base material provided on the bath body side of the door base material and slid in a thickness direction with respect to the door base material. It is composed of freely provided door seal plates, and door moving means for individually moving the left and right doors in the plane direction with respect to the side wall of the bathtub main body is provided, and the respective door seals are provided for both door base materials. Push the plates individually to the side wall of the bath By, characterized in that a door seal plate moving means for sealing with a seal member between the side walls.

[0008]

When a person with a physical disability is allowed to take a bath using this openable / closed bathtub, the hot water in the bathtub is transferred to a tank arranged in the vicinity thereof, and then one of the left and right doors (bathing side) is opened. open.

At this time, the door seal plate moving means moves the door seal plate away from the bathtub main body, and the door moving means moves the door in this state. In this way, by moving the door while the door seal plate is separated from the bathtub body, it is possible to eliminate friction between the door and the side wall of the bathtub body due to the movement of the door, and to move the door. Only a small amount of power is needed to make it work. Moreover, since the shearing force at the time of movement does not act on the sealing material, the life can be extended.

Thereafter, the physically handicapped person is slid to the side together with the chair for bathing using the opening of the side wall, and is transferred onto the chair receiver in the bathtub. Then, the door is lowered to close the opening, the hot water transferred to the tank is returned to the bathtub, and the bather is lowered together with the chair receiver.

When the door is closed, the door seal plate moving means moves the door seal plate away from the bath body, and the door moving means moves the door in this state. Then, when the door comes to a position where it can close the opening, the door moving means is stopped. At the same time, the door seal plate moving means presses and moves the door seal plate toward the side wall of the bathtub main body to seal the space between the door and the side wall via the seal material.

Since the opening opened and closed by the door is cut out to the middle portion in the height direction, the hot water in and out of the bath required for opening and closing the door is stored in the bath. About half the amount of hot water required is sufficient, and the time required to transfer hot water can be shortened compared to the case where almost all the amount of hot water is transferred as in the past.

Further, the door seal plate is moved toward the side wall of the bathtub main body only when a seal is required between the side wall and the side wall of the bathtub main body, and when the door is opened and closed, the door seal plate is separated from the side wall, so that a small force is applied. It can be satisfied at the same time that the door can be opened and closed, that the door and the side wall of the bathtub body can be tightly sealed, and that the shearing force due to the movement is not exerted on the sealing material.

In addition, in order to take a bather out of the bath after a lapse of a predetermined time, approximately half the amount of hot water in the bathtub is transferred to the tank again, and the bather is lifted together with the chair and slid. Transfer from the opening to a washing area. After that, when another bather continuously takes a bath, the bath is moved from the bathing side opening into the bath. Hereinafter, by repeating the above-mentioned operation, a large number of bathers can be continuously bathed in a progressive manner.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, a door opening / closing bathtub 1 according to the present invention is fixed in a state of being placed on a base 2 and is installed on left and right side walls 3 (3A, 3B) facing each other. A box-shaped bath body 5 having a rectangular opening 4 (4A, 4B) formed by cutting out to a middle portion in the vertical direction and both side walls 3 (3A, 3B) of the bath body 5 On the other hand, a door 6 (6A, 6B) that is provided so as to be parallel and slidable in the surface direction and that opens and closes the opening 4 (4A, 4B) of the side wall is provided.

Both the doors 6 (6A, 6B), the door moving means 15 (15A, 15B) and the door seal plate moving means 16 (16A, 16B) attached thereto, which will be described later, are both symmetrical. Here, only one of them will be described, and the other will be denoted by the same reference numerals and omitted.

That is, the door 6A is provided with a door base material 11 slidably in the surface direction with respect to the side wall 3A of the bath body 1 on which the opening 4A is formed, and the bath body 5 of the door base material 11.
And a door seal plate 12 provided on the side and slidable in the thickness direction with respect to the door base material 11.

Further, the door 6A is adapted to be moved in the plane direction with respect to the side wall 3A of the bathtub body 5 by the door moving means 15A, and the door seal plate 12 is further moved by the door seal plate moving means 16A. It is structured such that it is pressed and moved to the side wall 3A side of the bath body 5 with respect to the base material 11 and is sealed with the side wall 3A via a sealing material 17.

Next, the details of each of these components will be described. The area around the opening 4A of the bath body 5 is the door 6
A sealing surface is formed so as to protrude toward the A side, and the sealing material 17 is interposed between the door 6A and the door 6A to be retained by the liquid honey. The bathtub body 5 is entirely covered with a bathtub cover 19 together with the left and right ends of the door 6A and the door moving means 15A.

The door base material 11 has both ends bent in the same direction as shown in FIG.
Guided members 20, 20 are attached to the outer surfaces of 1a, 11a, and ring portions 20a, 20a provided at the center of the guided members 20, 20 are erected on the base 2 so as to be parallel to each other. It is slidable in the vertical direction by being guided by the vertical bars 21 and 21.

The door seal plate 12 has bent portions 1 at both ends.
By fitting the bent portions 11a of the door base material 11 with 2a and 12a, the door base material 11 is provided slidably in the thickness direction. Note that the related configuration between the door seal plate 12 and the door base material 11 is not limited to the one in which the end bent portions 11a and 12a are fitted to each other as in this illustrated example, and, for example, a dovetail groove or the like is used. Alternatively, the door seal plate 12 may be slidable with respect to the door base material 11 in the thickness direction.

In the door moving means 15A, a box-shaped connecting member 23 is attached to the tip of the guided member 20 beyond the ring portion 20a, and both ends of the chain 24 are attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the connecting member 23, respectively. The chain 24 is connected and is wound around sprockets 26 and 27 attached at predetermined positions on the upper and lower inner surfaces of the bath cover 19, and the drive side sprocket 27, which is the lower side of both sprockets, is connected.
Is rotated by the motor 28 via the connecting shaft, whereby the door 6A can be slid in the vertical direction.

The door seal plate moving means 16A includes a hydraulic cylinder 31, ... Between the door base material 11 and the door seal plate 12.
The door 6A has, for example, 4 (which can be an air cylinder).
A total of four cylinders are arranged in the corners, and the cylinders 31 ...

FIG. 6 shows a hydraulic circuit which constitutes the door seal plate moving means 16A. In this hydraulic circuit, the motor pump 4
The pressure oil supplied by 2 is switched in its path by the solenoid valve 43, and is supplied to the head side of the cylinder or the cylinder body side via the manifold 44 and the conduit 45, and the hydraulic cylinder 31 with a switch is connected. Perform expansion and contraction with both being linked together. The motor pump 42 and the electromagnetic valve 43 are arranged in the lower part of the bath body 5, and the cylinder 31 and the manifold 44 are arranged in the door 6A which moves relative to the bath body 1, and the movement of the door 6A. Solenoid valve 4 for smooth
3 and the manifold 44 are connected by a flexible rubber hose 46.

Further, reference numeral 35 in FIG. 1 is a transfer table for transferring a physically handicapped person while being placed on the bath chair 33. The transfer table 35 is arranged adjacent to the base 2. By being placed on the step stand 36, and the locked portions 37, 37 in which the bath body of the transfer table 35 is attached to the side surface of the arm are engaged with the locking portions 38, 38 provided in the bath body 5. (Refer to FIG. 2), the transfer table 35 is positioned in the height direction and the left-right direction with respect to the bath body 5, and a physically handicapped person placed on the upper part thereof is taken together with the bath chair 33
The structure is such that it can be transferred into the bathtub main body 5 through the opening 4 of the side wall 3, or conversely, it can be transferred from the bathtub main body 5 onto the transfer table 35.

Further, reference numeral 39 in FIG. 2 is a rail stand (chair rest) of a pantograph structure arranged in the bathtub body 5, and a hydraulic cylinder 39a provided in the lower part of the bathtub body 5.
It is raised and lowered by. Reference numeral 40 is a tank for temporarily storing hot water in the bathtub when the door is opened and closed, and 41 is a pump for transferring hot water from the bathtub body 5 to the tank 40 and vice versa. .

In order to facilitate the transfer work of the bath chair 33, the side wall 3 (3
A rail for guiding the wheel 33a attached to the lower portion of the bath chair 33 may be provided on the upper surface portion of the opening 4 (4A, 4B) of (A, 3B). Also, as shown in the figure,
The rail on the rail base 39 may be projected toward the opening 4 (4A, 4B) side. In this case, the protruding portion of the rail is hinged to the rail directly above the rail base 39, and when the rail base 39 descends, the rail protruding portion is bent from the hinge portion, and the side wall 3 (3A, 3B) of the bathtub body 5 is bent. ).

Position detection sensors are provided at the upper and lower limit positions of the door 6 and the stretcher 38, and the water level limit positions above and below the bathtub body 5 and the tank 40 so that automatic operation can be performed. The sensor is electrically connected to the control board.

Next, the operation of the door opening / closing bathtub having the above-mentioned structure will be described. When you take a bath using this bathtub,
1) a method of taking a bath using only one door 6A, a method of taking a bath using only the other door 6B, and a method of taking a bath using both doors 6 (6A, 6B) on the left and right (See FIGS. 5 to 7).

First, the bathing method 1) will be described. In this method, for example, when a person with a physical disability takes a bath, the stretcher 38 is moved to the upper limit position in advance and is placed on the transfer table 35 by using the side wall opening 4 of the bath body 5 in the open state. The physically handicapped person is slid sideways together with the bathing chair 33 and moved to the rail base 39 in the bathtub body 5.

Then, an automatic bathing switch (not shown) is turned on. Then, the rail base 39 at the upper limit position on which the physically handicapped person is placed is lowered by the stretcher raising / lowering means to reach the bathing position, and at the same time, the door 6A at the lower position is raised by the door moving means 15A, so that the bathtub main body Side wall opening 4
Block A.

When opening and closing the door 6A, the door seal plate moving means 16A separates the door seal plate 12 from the bath body 5, and in this state, the door moving means 15A moves the door 6A. In this way, the door seal plate 1
If the door 6A is moved in a state in which 2 is separated from the bathtub body, friction between the door 6A and the side wall 3 of the bathtub body 5 due to the movement of the door can be eliminated, and the door 6A is moved. A small amount of power is sufficient for the task.

When the rail base 39 reaches the midpoint of the lowered position and the door 6A reaches the position where the door 6A closes the opening 4A, hot water is supplied from the mixing valve M of the bath body 5, and the hot water is fed into the bath body 5. The mixing valve M is closed when the height reaches the predetermined height. As a result, the physically handicapped person placed on the rail base 39 is in a bath state.

Then, after an appropriate time has passed, when an automatic bathing switch (not shown) is turned on, the pump 41 is activated and approximately half of the amount of hot water in the bath body 5 is once transferred to the tank 40.
When the transfer of the hot water is completed, the rail base 39 moves up from the lower limit position to the upper limit position, and the door seal plate moving means 16A and the door moving means 15A are actuated to open the door 6A from the closed state. Reach the state.

Then, when the rail base 39 reaches the upper limit position, the opening 4A in the open state of the bath body 5 is used to put a physically handicapped person on the rail base 39 into a bath chair 33. Each of them is laterally shifted and transferred to the transfer table 35 arranged adjacent to the bathtub body 5.

Further, when there is a bather subsequently, another person with a physical disability on the transfer table 35 is laterally displaced by using the opening 4A of the bath body 5 by the same work as described above.
It is moved to the rail base 39 in the bath body 5. Then, the automatic bathing switch is turned on again to lower the rail base 39 on which the physically handicapped person is placed to reach the bathing position, and at the same time, the door 6 at the lower position is raised by the door moving means 15 to move the door. The opening 4A is closed.

When the door 6A reaches the position where it closes the opening 4A, the pump 41 automatically operates and the tank 4
The hot water stored in 0 is returned to the bathtub body 5.
If the hot water still does not reach the upper limit position, an insufficient amount of hot water is supplied from the mixing valve M, and the hot water is filled to a predetermined height in the bath. As a result, the rail stand 3
A person with a physical disability placed on 9 can be put in a bath state.

Thereafter, by repeating the above operation,
A person with a physical disability can continuously bathe using only one opening 4A.

Since the bathing method of 2) is the same as that of 1), the description thereof will be omitted. Then, only the bathing method of 3) different from 1) will be described.

When bathing by the method 3), first, the left and right doors 6 (6) are operated by operating switches in the control system.
A, 6B) is switched to the side that works together. And
Both the left and right doors 6 (6A, 6B) are kept open, while the bather is moved laterally together with the bathing chair 33 into the bathtub by using the opening 4A on the left side in FIG. 1, for example. Then turn on the automatic bathing switch. Then, the rail stand 39
And at the same time, the left and right doors 6 (6A, 6B) are raised by the door moving means 15 (15A, 15B), and the bath is filled with hot water to enter the bathing state.

Next, when taking a bath, an automatic bath switch (not shown) is turned on. Then, the pump 41 operates, and approximately half of the amount of hot water in the bathtub body 5 is once moved to the tank 40, the rail base 39 moves up from the lower limit position to the upper limit position, and the door seal plate moving means 16 (16A, 16A, 1
6B) and the door moving means 15 (15A, 15B) respectively operate, and the door 6 (6A, 6B) changes from the closed state to the open state.

When the rail base 39 reaches the upper limit position, a person with a physical disability placed on the rail base 39 is utilized by using the opening 4A in the open state of the bath body 5.
The transfer table 3 is arranged laterally together with the bathing chair 33 using the opening 4B on the right side of the middle, and is arranged adjacent to the bathtub body 5.
Transfer to 5 above.

Further, subsequently, another bather who is adjacent to the bathtub in advance is laterally shifted using the opening 4A on the left side, and is moved onto the rail base 39 in the bathtub body 5. Then, the automatic bathing switch is turned on again to lower the rail base 39 on which the physically handicapped person is placed to reach the bathing position. At the same time, the door 6 (6A, 6B) at the lower position is moved to the door moving means 15. (15A, 15B) to raise and close the opening 4 (4A, 4B).

By repeating the above operation,
A physically handicapped person can continuously bathe in the form of progressive delivery using the left and right openings 4 (4A, 4B). That is,
The steps of underwash, main wash, bath, and rinse can be performed in sequence while moving the disabled from left to right.
Assistance efficiency can be increased.

In the above embodiment, the side wall opening 4 of the bathtub body is opened and closed by sliding the door 6 in the vertical direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the door can be slid left and right to form the side wall. The opening 4 may be opened and closed. As the structure of the sealing material 17, not only the sealing material is pressed by the door sealing plate 12, but a tubular hollow sealing material is pressed against the door sealing plate, and the hollow sealing material is expanded by air pressure or liquid pressure. A method of squeezing or pressing may be used.

[0046]

As described above, the door base material provided with the door slidable in the surface direction with respect to the side wall of the bathtub body,
A door which is provided on the bath body side of the door base material and is slidable in the thickness direction with respect to the door base material, and which moves the door in the surface direction with respect to the side wall of the bath body. Since the moving means is provided and the door sealing plate is moved to the side wall side of the bathtub body with respect to the door base material, and the door sealing plate moving means is provided to seal between the side wall and the side wall via the sealing material, Hot water in and out of the bathtub required to open and close the door need only be about half of the hot water stored in the bathtub, which can greatly reduce the time required to transfer hot water when bathing and to move the door. It requires only a small amount of force to do so, and a tight seal can be made between the door and the side wall of the bathtub body. Furthermore, since openings are provided on the left and right side walls facing each other and the openings are opened and closed by individual doors, a large number of bathers can be continuously bathed in a progressive manner. It is possible to improve the efficiency of care and drastically shorten the bathing time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a door opening / closing bath according to the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the door-opening / closing bath.

[Fig. 3] Fig. 3 is a front view of a bathtub with an openable door.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the same door opening / closing bathtub.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the door opening / closing bath.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the bathtub with an openable door.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing an operation of the bathtub with an openable door.

FIG. 8 is a hydraulic circuit diagram of door seal plate moving means.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Bathtub 3 (3A, 3B) ... Side wall 4 (4A, 4B) ... Opening part 5 ... Bathtub body 6 (6A, 6B) ... Door 11 ... Door base material 12 ... Door seal plate 15 (15A, 15B) ... Door Moving means 16 (16A, 16B) ... Door seal plate moving means 17 ... Sealing material 20 ... Guided member 21 ... Vertical bar 24 ... Chain 28 ... Motor 31 ... Cylinder 40 ... Tank 41 ... Pump 42 ... Motor pump 43 ... Solenoid valve

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A bathtub main body in which left and right side walls facing each other are notched to a middle portion in the height direction to form a rectangular opening, and a parallel and planar direction to the both side walls of the bathtub main body. The left and right doors are slidably provided to open and close the side wall openings, and the chair receivers are provided inside the bath body so as to be able to move up and down. And a door seal plate provided on the bath body side of the door base material and slidable in the thickness direction with respect to the door base material. A door moving means for individually moving the door in the surface direction with respect to the side wall of the bathtub main body is provided, and the respective door seal plates are individually pressed and moved to the side wall side of the bathtub main body with respect to the both door base materials, Seal between the side wall and a sealing material A door opening / closing bathtub provided with a door seal plate moving means.