Standing aid for standing a person upright

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a lifting aid for lifting a person according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Numerous lifting aids for lifting a person from a seated position to a standing position are known in the state of the art.

[0003] A standing aid typically consists of a frame with a handrail for the user to hold onto. The frame rests on the floor with a base, preferably equipped with wheels. The handrail is mounted on a pivoting support arm, which can be moved between a lowered and a raised position by means of a drive mechanism. The standing aid is moved, for example, to a bed, chair, or wheelchair on which the user is seated. The user then places their feet on a support attached to the frame and lowers the support arm. The user's shins are placed against shin pads attached to the frame, and the handrail is held. The shin pads are adjustable and positioned at the bottom of the frame, acting as a counter-support when the support arm is moved into the raised position.During this process, the person's shins rest against the shin pads, and the person follows the upward movement of the support arm. In addition to or as an alternative to the movable support arm, straps, belts, or seat rockers are also provided to straighten the back and / or buttocks. It is known to couple these, in particular, with the support arm.

[0004] An example of a suitable erection aid is shown in WO 2014 154 611 A1.

[0005] JP 3 816 173 B2 discloses a lifting aid which can also be used by the person being lifted alone. Lifting is achieved by a lifting mechanism positioned under the person's arms, while the person is additionally supported by a shin pad.

[0006] NL 1 012 559 C2 also describes a lifting aid in which a loop is used to lift the person under their arms and behind their back. This lifting aid also includes a shin pad.

[0007] CN 103 356 352 A describes a device that not only supports standing but can also be used for rehabilitation as a walking aid. In addition to a shin pad, it includes several supports or handles that the person can use for support and / or holding on to.

[0008] One disadvantage of conventional standing aids is that the shin pads require a rather complex adjustment process to fit each individual, preventing excessive pressure or even pressure sores on the shins during the standing movement. This typically involves loosening or removing the shin pads and finding a suitable position within a predetermined vertical grid until the person can comfortably rest their shins against them. It is crucial that the person's kneecaps do not come into contact with the shin support, as this could be painful during the standing movement. The entire procedure is therefore time-consuming and laborious, both for the person being helped to stand and for the caregiver.

[0009] The aim of the invention is to overcome these and other disadvantages of the prior art and to propose an alternative straightening aid with which the aforementioned disadvantages can be eliminated, so that a complex adjustment of the shin pads is not necessary and yet a comfortable upright movement can be ensured.

[0010] The main features of the invention are specified in the characterizing part of claim 1. Embodiments are the subject of claims 2 to 11.

[0011] A lifting aid for a person is proposed, comprising a frame, at least one support arm with a handle movably arranged on the frame, and a drive device coupled to the frame and the at least one support arm for moving the at least one support arm into a lowered and a raised position, as well as at least one padded support with a foam insert for supporting the person's shins when the at least one support arm is moved. According to the invention, the padded support has a pivotable bearing on a rear side with two independent, spaced-apart horizontal hinge axes, which is connected to the frame, and the padded support is dimensioned such that the person's kneecaps always rest against the padded support when the support arm is moved.

[0012] Furthermore, the inventive proposal includes that a first hinge axis of the pivotable bearing is formed by a first pivot bearing which pivotably supports a retaining plate on the frame, wherein a second hinge axis of the pivotable bearing is formed by a second pivot bearing and that the second pivot bearing has a flange connected to the cushion support which pivotably supports the retaining plate.

[0013] The first and second pivot bearings form a series arrangement such that their movements directly overlap, with the movements of both pivot bearings being limited by stop pins.

[0014] The frame can have a base which – as is common in the prior art – can be equipped with casters. This allows the lifting aid to be easily moved on a floor and used flexibly in different rooms. The frame can also have a vertical section extending upwards from the base.

[0015] The support arm can be designed in one or more parts and / or be pivotable around a pivot axis, particularly a horizontal one, on the vertical section of the frame. At least one handle, attached to the support arm, serves for gripping. It is also conceivable to use several differently shaped and arranged handles, adapted to specific habits, preferences, or physical limitations.

[0016] The frame can have a footrest to support the feet. This can prevent the frame from accidentally moving away from the person during the standing motion. The footrest can be in a fixed, non-adjustable position.

[0017] The padded support is preferably positioned near the base and extends vertically well beyond the footrest. It is made of a viscoelastic foam with a thickness of at least 6 cm.

[0018] This inventive design of a standing aid with a padded support and a pivotable bearing with two independent, spaced-apart horizontal hinge axes makes it possible for the first time to support a person, especially a patient, in getting up in a simple and largely pain-free manner. A second hinge axis allows the padded support not only to be tilted backwards horizontally, but also to be moved vertically, at least slightly, upwards. This gives the movement of the padded support an additional degree of freedom. Tilting of the padded support can be carried out at various heights above the footrest.

[0019] When the lifting aid is used as intended, the hinge axes are aligned parallel to the floor. Preferably, the hinge axes are also arranged symmetrically to the frame to allow for symmetrical force directions and to prevent tilting of movable components. The upholstered support can therefore perform a tilting movement about two axes that run parallel to an imaginary line connecting the two knees of the person in question. Depending on their distance, the movement of the upholstered support can also be achieved in the form of a vertical translation.

[0020] Due to its rearward positioning, the entire padded support can be tilted around the pivoting bearing. During the standing movement, the padded support can therefore follow any changes in the alignment of the person's shins and knees, thus preventing a merely localized increase in mechanical pressure between the padded support and the person. The padded support consequently performs a compensating movement, which further reduces the strain on the person.

[0021] This combined mobility allows the padded support to follow the contours of the shins and knees until full extension is achieved, thus preventing uncomfortable pressure, especially on the kneecap. During the standing movement, the kneecap moves upwards relative to the lower leg. The padded support's additional, albeit slight, vertical movement accommodates and follows this movement of the kneecap.

[0022] In an advantageous embodiment, the support cushion is made of a viscoelastic foam with a thickness of at least 6 cm, preferably 7 to 13 cm, particularly preferably 9 to 11 cm, and most preferably 10 cm. The viscoelastic foam is able to conform to the patient's anatomy, accommodating not only the shins but also the knees of the person being supported. The mechanical deformation behavior of a viscoelastic foam differs significantly from that of a cold foam. The material's behavior is both elastic and viscous, so the foam combines the properties of solids and liquids. This material is also known as "memory foam" and can, for example, be primarily polyurethane-based. Such a foam is significantly denser than a conventional foam and can provide improved support.The deformation behavior can also be adjusted so that, with gentle and relatively slow movements and only gradual changes in mechanical pressure, the foam adapts very well to the shape of the person's shins and knees. However, with faster changes in mechanical pressure, sufficient support is provided because the foam does not immediately change its shape. The padded support thus forms an optimally adapted counter-bearing for the straightening movement. Due to its excellent shape adaptation, the use of such a foam allows for an ideal distribution of the mechanical pressure generated during the straightening movement, so that the knees are barely perceptible.

[0023] In combination with the two hinge axes, this allows for particularly beneficial support of the person during the standing movement. The chosen thickness of the foam allows for a gentle sinking motion and ensures that there is no risk of the foam hitting a mechanical limit on the side facing the frame. It is conceivable that the upholstered support could also be equipped with a relatively thin viscoelastic foam layer, perhaps at the lower end of the aforementioned range, as the swivel bearing allows for particularly good adjustment of the support.

[0024] A further particular advantage of the lifting aid according to the invention lies in the fact that the mounting position of the padded support does not need to be laboriously adjusted to the individual user. Due to the positive properties of both the novel swivel bearing and the viscoelastic foam, the padded support always adapts optimally to any person without manual intervention. Sufficient foam thickness is helpful for this. It has been found that a thickness of approximately 5 cm, and preferably 6 cm, is sufficient to ensure such an adaptation. Furthermore, the padded support can be dimensioned, at least vertically, in such a way that the entire shin and knees are supported for virtually all conceivable body sizes, and no readjustment of the padded support is necessary.

[0025] The use of a series arrangement of pivot bearings is to be understood as meaning that one pivotally mounted element supports another pivotally mounted element.

[0026] Alternatively, two mounting plates can be used, which are pivotally mounted on either side of a frame strut. The upholstery support can be connected to the mounting plate via a flange. In addition to the desired movement, this also ensures a robust yet mechanically simple and highly load-bearing connection.

[0027] Preferably, at least one of the second pivot bearings allows a pivoting angle of at most 30° and preferably at most 25°. The alignment of the upholstery support at the beginning of the lifting movement then requires no special support measures, and the movement of the upholstery support is limited to the necessary extent.

[0028] An advantageous further development provides that the bearing is positioned essentially centrally on the padded support. In particular, the bearing can be located at the geometric center of one of the back sides of the padded support and, if necessary, offset slightly vertically. This allows the padded support to be very well aligned with the shins of a seated person and to exert sufficient support force at all angles of the person's shins during the standing movement.

[0029] In an advantageous embodiment, the upholstered support can have a rigid shell on its rear side, on which the foam is arranged. The shell could be made of a metallic material, for example, aluminum, or a plastic such as polycarbonate (PC), polypropylene (PP), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), or a fiber-reinforced plastic. The rigid shell serves, in particular, as a support for the viscoelastic foam and for connecting the upholstered support to the frame. Consequently, the upholstered support can consist solely of the soft foam on the side facing the person being stood up, provided the rigid shell is present on the rear side. This prevents the initial contact of the shins and knees with a hard edge or support of the foam, which could make standing up uncomfortable, when the person is first pressed against the upholstered support.

[0030] In a further advantageous embodiment, a base layer of cold foam can be arranged between the foam and the rigid shell. This base layer prevents the viscoelastic foam from being pressed through to the rigid shell. The cold foam can exhibit conventional, purely elastic behavior by using an open-cell foam. It is particularly preferred that the cold foam has a relatively high strength, which has as little influence as possible on the mechanical behavior, especially of the viscoelastic foam.

[0031] It is advantageous if the base layer has a thickness that is at most one-quarter, and preferably at most one-eighth, of the thickness of the foam. This means the base layer contributes only minimally to the overall thickness of the cushion support. A base layer thickness of approximately 1 cm is conceivable.

[0032] In an advantageous embodiment, the cushion support has a flexible, waterproof protective layer. This protective layer could be designed as a lamination or foaming. The protective layer can be polyurethane-based or polyurethane-based. If a rigid shell is used for the cushion support, the protective layer can surround the rigid shell, including the viscoelastic foam. This ensures resistance to water, mechanical, and chemical influences, such as those encountered during transport or disinfection.

[0033] In an advantageous embodiment, the padded support can extend to a height of at least 65 cm, and preferably at least 70 cm, relative to a footrest. This would allow for almost all body sizes of people being helped to stand up, approximately at least the 95th percentile. Above the padded support, however, there would be sufficient space compared to conventional standing aids to extend the support even further. In known standing aids, this space is only available for accommodating cushions when needed, specifically when the shin pads are adjusted to a vertically upper position. Since contact with the knees must be avoided in this position, the shin supports are only moved into this space when necessary.However, in the lifting aid according to the invention, the padded support can be extended upwards so far that all persons of any height can reach the padded support with their shins and knees.

[0034] In an equally advantageous embodiment, the padded support has a width of at least 60 cm and preferably at least 70 cm. The width of the padded support can also be adapted to all circumstances. If a person has somewhat more voluminous thighs, even knees that are further apart can be comfortably placed against the padded support according to the invention.

[0035] For maximum flexibility, the upholstery support can also be made in one piece. This simplifies manufacturing, mounting, disinfection, and cleaning of the upholstery support.

[0036] Further features, details and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the wording of the claims and from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings. The drawings show: Fig. 1 a spatial, oblique side view of the lifting aid according to the invention; Fig. 1a a sectional view of a cushion support of the lifting aid according to the invention; Fig. 2 a spatial view of the lifting aid according to the invention from above; Fig. 3 a spatial detail view directed towards the back of the cushion support; and Fig. 4 a detail view of the bearing in a side top view.

[0037] Fig. 1 shows an exemplary representation of a standing aid 2 in a three-dimensional representation.

[0038] The lifting aid 2 comprises a frame 4 with a base 6 and four casters 8 that rest on the floor. The casters 8 can preferably be at least partially locked. From the base 6, a vertical section 10 of the frame 4 extends largely vertically upwards, i.e., in a direction away from the floor. A pivot bearing 12 is provided there, on which a support arm 14 is pivotally mounted. The pivot bearing 12 is designed such that the support arm 14 can be moved about a substantially horizontal pivot axis between a lowered and a raised position. The support arm 14 has several handholds 16 and 18 that allow a person to hold onto it. Additionally, straps, belts, or seat rockers could be attached here.

[0039] The lifting aid 2 further comprises a drive device 20, which is exemplarily equipped with a linear drive 22 coupled to the support arm 14. The drive device 20 is preferably pivotably arranged on the vertical section 10 of the frame 4, so that its orientation can adapt to the respective position of the support arm 14 when the support arm 14 is pivoted.

[0040] A footrest 24 is arranged at the base 6, on which a person can place their feet, so that during a standing movement the standing aid 2 cannot accidentally roll away, but rather the person and the standing aid 2 are fixed relative to each other. A padded support 26, which is shown as a single piece, is located vertically above the footrest 24.

[0041] The padded support 26 has a largely flat design and extends, for example, over a width of approximately 70 cm. Furthermore, its vertical extension is chosen such that, for practically all body sizes, it can be ensured that the shins and knees can be placed against a contact surface 28 of the padded support 26.

[0042] The upholstery support 26 also has a rigid shell 30, which is arranged essentially opposite the contact surface 28. The shell 30 serves to attach the upholstery support 26 to the frame 4 and to hold a preferably viscoelastic foam 32, which is located in the upholstery support 26 and extends to the contact surface 28. By way of example, a base layer 34, which comprises a cold foam, can additionally be arranged between the foam 32 and the rigid shell 30. This prevents a person from directly impacting the rigid shell 30 when the foam 32 penetrates the entire depth (see [reference]). Fig. 1a ).

[0043] The foam 32 is preferably a viscoelastic foam with a thickness of at least 6 cm, preferably at least 7-13 cm, and particularly preferably about 10 cm. Due to its viscoelastic properties, it is particularly suitable for the standing aid 2 according to the invention. When a person places their feet on the footrest 24, the shins and kneecaps conform to the contact surface 28. With gentle contact, the viscoelastic foam 32 can gradually conform to the contours of the shins and knees within a short time, thus adapting ideally to the individual. Due to its viscoelastic properties, the foam 32 can, however, provide sufficient resistance during faster movements or rapid changes in mechanical pressure. Consequently, as the foam 32 adapts to the individual, very uniform surface contact is achieved across the shins and knees.When the person stands up, the mechanical pressure on the foam 32 changes relatively quickly, resulting in a temporary, damped counterforce. The foam 32 thus acts as a support bearing and is characterized by a very uniform pressure force across its entire contact area at the support surface 28. Consequently, the person's weight on their knees is barely noticeable.

[0044] The cushion support 26 is therefore still not mechanically adjustable to adapt to a specific person, but can be adjusted as in Fig. 1The cushion is designed to be relatively large and, due to its viscoelastic properties, generates sufficient mechanical support while maintaining a low surface load. Furthermore, its sufficient width allows it to accommodate individuals with somewhat larger thighs and a wider knee spacing than others. The cushioned support 26 could even be designed to be slightly larger than shown here. Fig. 1 shown, since there would be sufficient installation space in the vertical direction.

[0045] As indicated by the dashed lines, the upholstered support 26 is pivotally mounted on the frame 4 by a bearing 36, forming a first hinge axis 38 and a second hinge axis 40. The two hinge axes 38 and 40 are spaced apart and independent of each other. The bearing allows the upholstered support 26 to easily follow the movement of the person's knees. For this purpose, the bearing provides two degrees of freedom of movement, so that the movement can always be followed even with different body sizes and knee shapes.

[0046] To simplify cleaning or disinfection of the cushion support 26, a protective layer 35 can be provided that completely surrounds the foam 32 and the shell 30. The protective layer 35 is preferably waterproof and resistant to chemicals, especially disinfectants.

[0047] Fig. 2Figure 2 shows the lifting aid 2 in a view taken obliquely from the front and above. The shapes of the different hand grips 16 and 18, as well as the shape of the support arm 14, are particularly visible. The support arm 14 has a U-shape and extends over the base 6 at one end of the vertical section 10. A similar U-shape is reflected in the base 6, which incorporates the footrest 24. It can be seen that the padded support 26 has a width that corresponds approximately to the width of the support arm 14 and the distance between the hand grips 16. Its width slightly exceeds the width of the footrest 24 and could be approximately shoulder width.

[0048] The aforementioned Camp 36 will be located in Fig. 3The figure shows the base 6 in a rear oblique view. Here, the pivoting bearing 36 is visible, which allows the upholstery support 26 to tilt around the two horizontal hinge axes 38 and 40. The first hinge axis 38 is realized by a first pivot bearing 42, which pivots a retaining plate 44 on the frame 4. The first hinge axis 38 runs approximately at half the height of the upholstery support 26.

[0049] The mounting plate 44 can be a sheet metal plate extending from the frame 4 to the upholstery support 26. The second hinge axis 40 is realized by a second pivot bearing 46, which pivotally supports a flange 48 connected to the upholstery support 26 on the mounting plate 44. The flange 48 is approximately L-shaped, with the vertical leg of the L-shape connected to the upholstery support 26. The short leg has a recess 50 on its downward-facing side in the plane of the drawing, i.e., in the direction of the footrest 24. A pin 52 engages in the recess 50 and consequently limits the movement of the second pivot bearing 46 by the travel length of the recess 50 when the flange 48 rotates about the second pivot axis 40. By way of example, an angular limitation of at most 30° and preferably at most 25° can be achieved.

[0050] The movement of the first pivot bearing 42 is also limited. For example, the mounting plate 44 and the frame 4 each have a pin 52 that acts as a mechanical stop for the mounting plate 44. The upper right pin (in the plane of the drawing) abuts the mounting plate 44 on its hidden side during an upward movement. The lower pin 52, however, abuts the frame 4 during a downward movement. The positions of the pins 52 can be selected to adapt to the desired swivel range.

[0051] Both pivot bearings 42 and 46 thus form a kind of series arrangement. Their movements directly overlap. This allows the upholstered support 26 to perform a combination of two tilting movements around the two hinge axes 38 and 40 when the person rises. Since the orientation of the shins and knees of the person changes when rising from a seated to a standing position, the upholstered support 26 can follow this movement very easily and with complete flexibility without losing its temporary adaptation to the person's shape.

[0052] Preferably, the bearing 36 is freely movable. However, it is also conceivable to provide a spring arrangement in the bearing 36 that defines at least one rest position for the upholstery support 26. The spring device could be dimensioned such that nothing impedes free movement of the upholstery support 26 and only compensates for a torque around the bearing 36 caused by the weight of the upholstery support 26.

[0053] The invention is not limited to one of the embodiments described above, but can be modified in various ways. It is evident, however, that a lifting aid 2 for lifting a person comprises a frame 4, at least one support arm 14 movably arranged on the frame 4 with a handle 16, 18, and a drive device 20 coupled to the frame 4 and the at least one support arm 14 for moving the at least one support arm 14 into a lowered and a raised position. The lifting aid 2 also has at least one padded support 26 for supporting the person when moving the at least one support arm 14. According to the invention, the padded support 26 is made of a viscoelastic foam 32 with a thickness of at least 6 cm and is dimensioned such that the kneecaps of the person being lifted are always in contact with the padded support 26 when the support arm 14 is moved. Reference symbol list

[0054] 2 Erecting aid 4 Frame 6 Base 8 Roller 10 Vertical section 12 Swivel bearing 14 Support arm 16 Handle 18 Handle 20 Drive device 22 Linear drive 24 Footrest 26 Upholstery support 28 Contact surface 30 Tray 32 Foam 34 Base layer 35 Protective layer 36 Bearing 38 First hinge axis 40 Second hinge axis 42 First swivel bearing 44 Retaining plate 46 Second swivel bearing 48 Flange 50 Recess 52 Pin

Claims

1. Standing aid (2) for helping a person stand up, having a frame (4), at least one support arm (14) arranged movably on the frame (4) with handles (16, 18), and a drive device (20) coupled to the frame (4) and to the at least one support arm (14) in order to move the at least one support arm (14) to a lowered and to a raised position, and having at least one padded rest (26) with a foam (32) for supporting the shins of the person during the movement of the at least one support arm (14), wherein the padded rest (26) has, on a rear side, a pivotable bearing (36) with two mutually independent, spaced-apart horizontal hinge axes (38, 40), which is connected to the frame (4), wherein a first hinge axis (38) of the pivotable bearing (36) is formed by a first pivot bearing (42) which pivotably supports a holding plate (44) on the frame (4), wherein a second hinge axis (40) of the pivotable bearing (36) is formed by a second pivot bearing (46), wherein the padded rest (26) is dimensioned in such a way that the person's knee caps at all times bear on the padded rest (26) during the movement of the support arm (14), characterized in that a flange (48) connected to the padded rest (26) is pivotably supported on the holding plate (44) by the second pivot bearing (46), wherein the first and the second pivot bearing (42, 46) form a serial arrangement in such a way that their movements directly superpose each other, wherein the movements of both pivot bearings are limited by stop pins (52).

2. Standing aid (2) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the padded rest (26) is formed from a viscoelastic foam (32) having a thickness of at least 6 cm, preferably a thickness of 7 to 13 cm, particularly preferably 9 to 11 cm, and especially preferably 10 cm.

3. Standing aid (2) according to Claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the second pivot bearings (46) permits a pivoting of at most 30° and preferably of at most 25°.

4. Standing aid (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pivotable bearing (36) is arranged substantially centrally on the padded rest (26).

5. Standing aid (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the padded rest (26) has, on a rear side, a fixed shell (30) on which the foam (32) is arranged.

6. Standing aid (2) according to Claim 5, characterized in that a base layer (34) made of a cold-cure foam is arranged between the foam (32) and the shell (30).

7. Standing aid (2) according to Claim 6, characterized in that the base layer (34) has a thickness corresponding to at most one quarter of the thickness of the foam (32), preferably at most one eighth.

8. Standing aid (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the padded rest (32) has a flexible, water-tight protective layer (35).

9. Standing aid (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the padded rest (26) extends to a height of at least 65 cm and preferably at least 70 cm relative to a foot rest (24).

10. Standing aid (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the padded rest (26) has a width of at least 60 cm and preferably of at least 70 cm.

11. Standing aid (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the padded rest (26) is in one piece.