A patient hoist device for lifting a person

Abstract

A patient hoist device 1 for lifting a person, the patient hoist device 1 comprises a trolley 2, a drum casing 3 and a motor 5 The trolley 2 is adopted to cooperate with a track for transporting the patient hoist device 1. The drum casing 3 comprises a strap guiding part 4 and a drum shaft 6. The drum shaft 6 is adopted to cooperate with a lifting strap 7 adopted to be connected to the drum shaft 6. The drum shaft 6 is arranged to cooperate with the motor 5, the motor 5 is arranged during operation to transfer rotational movement from a motor shaft 8 of the motor 5 to the drum shaft 6 for the drum shaft 6 to regulate length of the lifting strap 7. The trolley 2 and the drum casing 3 are connected to each other via a load cell assembly 9, the load cell assembly 9 is adopted to measure weight of a person lifted by the lifting strap 7.

Description

[0001] A PATIENT HOIST DEVICE FOR LIFTING A PERSON

[0002] Technical field

[0003] The invention relates to a patient hoist device comprising a load cell for determining weight of a person while lifting the person. The patient hoist device may be arranged to a ceiling in a room, for example in a hospital. The ceiling may be arranged with a track system, and to which track system the patient hoist device may be arranged to allow transportation of the patient hoist device along the track system.

[0004] Background art

[0005] In patient care, a patient hoist device for lifting a person may be used for lifting a person. For example, in a room in a hospital a person who may be a patient may need to be lifted and transported from one position to another position in a room or corridor. The patient hoist device, connected to a track system arranged in the roof in room, may via a lifting strap lift the patient. Via the track system, the patient may be transported to a desired position, for example, to a chair, bed, or other device.

[0006] When lifting a person with a patient hoist device, it may be relevant to be able to determine the weight of the person being lifted and how high it may be possible to lift the person. Among known technologies, patient hoist devices may be arranged with various weight measure equipment. Some devices are constructed such that the weight measure equipment is arranged inside the patient hoist device, for example incorporated and in line either below or above the lifting mechanisms inside the patient hoist device. In such patient hoist devices, the patient hoist devices may become large and bulky, especially the patient hoist devices may encompass a high design between its top part closest to the ceiling and its bottom part towards to patient. The height of the patient hoist device may affect how high it may be possible to lift a person. To overcome this, various patient hoist devices have been developed where the weight measure equipment has been removed from the lifting mechanism inside the patient hoist device, to rather be arranged as an external element arranged on the lifting strap to measure the person being lifted by the lifting strap. However, even though such solution may have managed to reduce the height of the patient hoist device, it has the negative effect the patient being lifted cannot be lifted near towards the patient hoist device because the measuring device is arranged on the lifting strap between the patient and the patient hoist device. In rooms with a low ceiling to the floor, the known patient hoist devices explained above would be difficult to use because the patient wouldn't be able to be lifted high enough from the floor. Another negative effect of arranging the weight measure equipment as an external element on the lifting strap is that the equipment moves with the strap and the weighing information is thus not completely visible and / or reliable and the workflow will be less efficient.

[0007] Summary of the invention

[0008] It is an object of the invention to at least partly overcome one or more of the aboveidentified limitations of the prior art. One object is to provide a patient hoist device with the possibility to measure a person's weight and which patient hoist device has a height between its upper part and bottom part enabling it to be used in standard room without having to consider the height between the ceiling and the floor of the room. Also, to be able be used in situations where the person to be lifted may be a tall person and therefore may need to be lifted higher compared to a person who is shorter.

[0009] The object, as well as further objects that may appear from the embodiments and the description below, are at least partly achieved by a patient hoist device for lifting a person according to the independent claim, and embodiments thereof being defined by the dependent claims. A first embodiment relates to a patient hoist device for lifting a person.

[0010] The patient hoist device comprises a trolley, a drum casing and a motor. The trolley is adopted to cooperate with a track for transporting the patient hoist device. The drum casing comprises a strap guiding part and a drum shaft. The drum shaft is adopted to cooperate with a lifting strap adopted to be connected to the drum shaft. The drum shaft is arranged to cooperate with the motor, the motor is arranged during operation to transfer rotational movement from a motor shaft of the motor to the drum shaft for the drum shaft to regulate length of the lifting strap. The trolley and the drum casing are connected to each other via a load cell assembly. The load cell assembly is adopted to measure weight of a person lifted by the lifting strap.

[0011] The trolley and the drum casing are two separate elements, which are kept in place in relation to each other via the load cell assembly. An effect of this is that hoist device may have a compact construction because the load cell assembly is arranged as an internal component between the trolley and the drum casing.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the centre of the load cell arrangement is arranged offset to an imaginary plane extending through the patient hoist device. An effect is that the hoist device may have a compact construction.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the trolley comprises a top plate, which during operation is vertically arranged. The top plate may be arranged in and parallel to the imaginary plane extending through the patient hoist device whereby the drum casing is arranged on one side of the imaginary plane and the load cell assembly on the other side of the imaginary plane. An effect of the vertical arranged top plate is that wheels may be easy mounted or arranged against the upper part of the top plate on each side of the top plate. An effect of that the top plate is arranged in and parallel to the imaginary plane such that the drum casing is arranged on one side of the plane and the load cell assembly on the other side of the plane is that the load cell assembly may contribute to equilibrium with respect to the drum casing. The patient hoist device may be arranged to cooperate, via wheels arranged on the trolley, against a track, which may be arranged to ceiling in a room where the patient hoist device is being used. In this cooperation, the hoist device may be arranged to hang from the track. To have the patient hoist device with the top plate to hang vertically from the track via its wheels, the components of the patient hoist device are arranged such that equilibrium may be achieved. Therefore, the load cell assembly is arranged on one side of the imaginary plane, and the drum casing is arranged on the other side of the imaginary plane. Further, this has the effect, during lifting, weight from the person being lifted is substantially equally divided between each side of the imaginary plane, whereby the wheels and elements for attachment of the wheels to the top plate may be made of a same type because they are exposed for the same type of force and wear. Further, with or without load, have the hoist device properly levelled at all time.

[0014] In some devices present in prior art, the drum casing and the load cell assembly may be arranged above each other which may cause such patient hoists to be large and bulky and consequently may limit how high it may be possible to lift a patient.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the load cell assembly is arranged with an upper part and a lower part. The upper part is connected to the top plate and the lower part is connected to the drum casing. An effect of the load cell assembly connected to the top plate and the drum casing is that the load cell assembly may be able to determine the weight of a person lifted by the patient hoist device without that the load cell assembly adds extra height to the patient hoist device.

[0016] According to a further embodiment, the load cell assembly comprises a middle part comprising a load cell, which is connected to the upper part and the lower part. The load cell is a single point load cell or a single point beam load cell. An effect of the load cell being a single point load cell or a single point beam load cell is that such a load cell is compact, highly accurate, and easy to mount compared to other load cell types. Further, the single load cell can intrinsically compensate offset force and therefore be rigidly mounted, which is important in the lift construction because it is easier to assemble and movement between the hoist and the trolley is not required, so the hoist remains levelled with respect to track during usage.

[0017] According to one embodiment, a gearbox is arranged to the drum casing, and the motor communicates with the gearbox via a motor shaft extending through the imaginary plane. A further embodiment, a respective imaginary centre axis of the drum shaft and the motor shaft with respect to each other are perpendicularly arranged with respect to the top plate. An effect of the gearbox is to transfer torque movements from the motor shaft to the drum shaft to allow a patient carried by the lifting strap to be lowered or raised with respect to the floor.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the motor, with respect to the imaginary plane, is arranged within a vertical defined length between a top surface and a bottom surface of the drum casing. An effect of this is that the motor therefore will not affect the height of the patient hoist device.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the strap guiding part comprises a guide element adopted to guide the lifting strap, extending from the drum shaft, from the guide element in a vertical and downward direction. A further embodiment, the guide element is parallel arranged with respect to the drum shaft. The guide element may be arranged such that when the lifting strap is arranged around the guide element and a free end of the lifting strap is hanging downward from the guide element, the lifting strap is substantially arranged in and parallel to the imaginary plane. An effect of the guide element is to position the lifting strap to be in the imaginary plane whereby the patient hoist device is in equilibrium when lifting a person. The equilibrium has the effect the weight from the person being lifted may be equally divided between the wheels, which are in contact and cooperating with the track system.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the guide element, in a vertical direction and parallel to the imaginary plane, is arranged above a bottom surface of the drum casing. An effect that the guide element is not arranged below the drum casing is that the guide element may therefore not affect the height of the patient hoist device.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the load cell assembly may be arranged to communicate with a digital device to register weight of the person being lifted by the patient hoist device. An effect of the digital device is signals relating to weight of the person being lifted may be registered and processed in a processor for possible further activities. A further effect may be it may function as a safety arrangement and sound an alarm if the weight may be too large, or if the patient may move whereby centre of mass will be affected and risk falling from the device holding the person in lifting position.

[0022] Brief description of the drawings

[0023] The invention is described in more detail below with reference to the appended drawings in which:

[0024] Fig 1 illustrates an overview of a patient hoist device. Fig 2 illustrates a front view of a patient hoist device.

[0025] Fig 3 illustrates a rear view of a patient hoist device.

[0026] Detailed description of preferred embodiment of the invention

[0027] Fig 1 illustrates an overview of a patient hoist device 1. The patient hoist device 1 comprises a trolley 2, a drum casing 3 and a motor 5. The drum casing 3 includes a strap guiding part 4. The trolley 2 comprises a top plate 10 and wheels 19a-d. The trolley comprises a rear end 22 and a front end 23. Between the rear end 22 and the front end 23, the top plate 10 is arranged with an upper edge extending between the rear and the front end 22, 23. At the rear end 22 and close to the upper edge, two wheels 19a, b are arranged. At the front end 23 and close to the upper edge, two further wheels 19c, d are arranged. The wheels 19a-d are arranged at the rear and at the front, and are arranged as pairs with one wheel on each side of the top plate 10.

[0028] At a close vicinity to the top plate 10, the drum casing 3 is arranged. The drum casing 3 is arranged with a drum shaft 6. The drum shaft 6 is adopted to have lifting strap 7 rolled around the drum shaft and to winding the lifting strap 7. The drum shaft 6 has an imaginary centre drum axis 24. The centre drum axis 24 is parallel to the top plate 10. The strap guiding part 4 comprises a guide element 18, i.e. a strap roller. The guide element 18 is a pin arranged between the two connecting elements 4a, 4b. The guide element 18 may be arranged to rotate between the two connecting elements 4a, 4b. The guide element 18 has a centre guide axis 20, i.e. strap roller axis, which is parallel to the imaginary centre drum axis 24. The lifting strap 7, which may be winded around the drum shaft 6, extends from the drum shaft 6 to the guide element 18. At the guide element 18, the lifting strap 7 is in contact with the guide element 18, arranged to extend above and partly around the guide element 18 to extend from the guide element 18 with a free end 21 in a downward direction. In the figure, to visualise the guide element 18, the lifting strap 7 extending between the drum shaft 6 and the guide element 18.

[0029] At an upper region of the strap guiding part 4, above the guide element 18, a load cell assembly 9 is arranged. The load cell assembly 9 is connected with a lower part 12 against the drum casing 3. The load cell assembly 9 is connected with an upper part 11 against the top plate 10. The upper part 11 and the lower part 12 are connected to each other via a middle part 13, a load cell. The load cell 13 may be a single point load cell or a single point beam load cell.

[0030] Fig 2 illustrates a front view of the patient hoist device 1. In this front view, the patient hoist device 1 comprises the top plate 10. The top plate 10 is vertically arranged in and parallel to an imaginary plane 14 extending through the patient hoist device 1. In a vicinity to the front end 23 on the respective side of the top plate 10 a respective wheel 19c, d is arranged. Towards a lower area on one side of the top plate 10, the load cell assembly 9 is attached. The load cell assembly 9 is attached with its upper part 11 to the lower area of the top plate 10. The lower area on the other side of the top plate 10 is arranged for connecting elements arranged to connect through the top plate 10 and secure the upper part 11 of the load cell assembly 9. The strap guiding part 4 is attached against the lower part 12 of the load cell assembly 9. The strap guiding part 4 of the drum casing 3 is attached to the load cell assembly 9. The load cell assembly 9 is arranged to carry the drum casing 3 and the motor 5. By releasing the connecting elements arranged to connect through the top plate 10 to hold the load cell assembly 9, the load cell assembly 9, the drum casing 3 and the motor 5 may be separated from the trolley 2. An effect of this is that it may facility service, repair or installation of the patient hoist device 1.

[0031] The imaginary plane 14, which has a central extension through the patient hoist device 1. The centre of mass of the hoist device 1 is substantially located in the imaginary plane 14. The drum casing 3, the motor 5, and the load cell assembly 9 are arranged to achieve equilibrium with respect to vertical arranged top plate 10 of the trolley 2. With equilibrium, the weight of a person being lifted by the patient hoist device is substantially equally shared between the wheels being in contact with a track system.

[0032] Height of the patient hoist device 1 is an aspect of importance. This because its height may determine in which rooms the patient hoist device 1 can be possible to install and efficiently use for lifting persons. The motor 5, the drum casing 3 and the gear box 15 (shown in Fig 3) are arranged within a defined vertical defined length L, shown in figure 2. The vertical defined length L is the length between a top surface 16 of the load cell assembly 9 and a bottom surface 17 of the strap guiding part 4 of the drum casing 3. The motor 5 and the gear box 15 are arranged not to extend below the bottom surface 17, nor above the top surface 16 of the drum casing 3. An effect of this is that the height of the patient hoist device 1 thus can be arranged such that it is mainly the diameter of the drum casing 3, which determines the height of the patient hoist device 1.

[0033] Fig 3 illustrates a rear view of the patient hoist device 1. Like Fig 2, the imaginary plane 14 is vertically arranged and extending centrally through patient hoist device 1. The top plate 10 rear end 22 comprises two wheels 19 a, b. The top plate 10 is vertically arranged and arranged in and parallel to the imaginary plane 14. The guide element 18 (see Fig 2) has such an arrangement in the strap guiding part 4 such that lifting strap 7 by the guide element 18 is arranged with its free end 21 in a downward direction from the strap guiding part 4 as well as arranged in the imaginary plane 14. The motor 5 is arranged such that its imaginary centre motor axis 25 of the motor shaft 8, with respect to the imaginary plane 14, is perpendicularly arranged. The motor 5 is arranged on one side of the imaginary plane 14, and the drum casing 3 is arranged on the other side of the imaginary plane 14. In one embodiment, the motor 5 is arranged on the same side as the drum casing 3. Against the side of the drum casing 3, which also is the rear end 23 of patient hoist device 1, the gear box 15 is arranged. The gear box 15 is arranged such that torque movement from the motor shaft 8 may be translated to the drum shaft 6 of the drum casing 3.

[0034] The load cell 13 is arranged to cooperate with a digital device (not shown in figure), i.e. a hand control. The load cell 13 is connected to a circuit board 26 to register and process signals from the load cell 13. The load cell 13 is arranged to communicate with the digital device to register weight of the person being lifted by the patient hoist device 1. The registered weight is displayed to the user on a display unit (not shown in figure).

[0035] The motor 5 is connected to an electrical source via an electric wire 27.

[0036] From the description above follows that, although various embodiments of the invention have been described and shown, the invention is not restricted thereto, but may also be embodied in other ways within the scope of the subject-matter defined in the following claims. Reference list

[0037] 1. patient hoist device

[0038] 2. trolley

[0039] 3. drum casing

[0040] 4. 4a-b. strap guiding part

[0041] 5. motor

[0042] 6. drum shaft

[0043] 7. lifting strap

[0044] 8. motor shaft

[0045] 9. load cell assembly

[0046] 10. top plate

[0047] 11. upper part of load cell assembly

[0048] 12. lower part of load cell of load cell assembly

[0049] 13. middle part or load cell

[0050] 14. imaginary plane

[0051] 15. gear box

[0052] 16. top surface

[0053] 17. bottom surface

[0054] 18. guide element

[0055] 19a-d. wheels

[0056] 20. centre guide axis

[0057] 21. free end

[0058] 22. rear end 23. front end

[0059] 24. centre drum axis

[0060] 25. centre motor axis

[0061] 26. circuit board

[0062] 27. electric wire

[0063] L. vertical defined length

Claims

Claims1. A patient hoist device (1) for lifting a person, the patient hoist device (1) comprises a trolley (2), a drum casing (3) and a motor (5), the trolley (2) is adopted to cooperate with a track for transporting the patient hoist device (1), the drum casing (3) comprises a strap guiding part (4) and a drum shaft (6), the drum shaft (6) is adopted to cooperate with a lifting strap (7) adopted to be connected to the drum shaft (6), the drum shaft (6) is arranged to cooperate with the motor (5), the motor (5) is arranged during operation to transfer rotational movement from a motor shaft (8) of the motor (5) to the drum shaft (6) for the drum shaft (6) to regulate length of the lifting strap (7), characterised in that, the trolley (2) and the drum casing (3) are connected to each other via a load cell assembly (9), the load cell assembly (9) is adopted to measure weight of a person lifted by the lifting strap (7).

2. A patient hoist device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the centre of load cell assembly (9) is arranged offset to an imaginary plane (14) extending through the patient hoist device (1).

3. A patient hoist device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the trolley (2) comprises a top plate (10) which during operation is vertically arranged.

4. A patient hoist device (1) according to claim 3, wherein the top plate (10) is arranged in and parallel to the imaginary plane (14) with the drum casing (3) arranged on one side of the imaginary plane (14) and the load cell assembly on the other side of the imaginary plane (14).

5. A patient hoist device (1) according any one of claim 1-4, wherein the load cell assembly (9) is arranged with an upper part (11) and a lower part (12), the upperpart (11) is connected to the top plate (10) and the lower part (12) is connected to the drum casing.

6. A patient hoist device (1) according to claim 5, wherein the load cell assembly (9) comprises a middle part (13) comprising a load cell, which is connected to the upper part (11) and the lower part (12).

7. A patient hoist device (1) according to claim 6, wherein the load cell (13) is a single point load cell.

8. A patient hoist device (1) according to claim 6, wherein the load cell (13) is a single point beam load cell.

9. A patient hoist device (1) according to claim 2, wherein a gear box (15) is arranged to the drum casing (3), and the motor (5) communicates with the gear box (15) via a motor shaft (8) extending through the imaginary plane (14).

10. A patient hoist device (1) according to claim 9, wherein respective imaginary centre axis (24, 25) of the drum shaft (6) and the motor shaft (8) with respect to each other are perpendicularly arranged with respect to the top plate (10).

11. A patient hoist device (1) according to claim 2, wherein the motor (5), with respect to the imaginary plane (14), is arranged within a vertical defined length (L) between a top surface (16) and a bottom surface (17) of the drum casing (3).

12. A patient hoist device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the strap guiding part (4) comprises a guide element (18) adopted to guide the lifting strap (7), extending from the drum shaft (6), from the guide element (18) in a vertical and downward direction.

13. A patient hoist device (1) according to claim 12, wherein the guide element (18) is parallel arranged with respect to the drum shaft (6).

14. A patient hoist device (1) according to claim 13, wherein the guide element (18), in a vertical direction and parallel to the imaginary plane (14), is arranged above a bottom surface (17) of the drum casing (3).

15. A patient hoist device (1) according to anyone of claim 1 to 14, wherein the load cell assembly (9) is arranged to communicate with a digital device to register weight of the person being lifted by the patient hoist device (1).

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