Medicine bottle opening assist device convenient for rheumatoid hand dysfunction patient to use

Abstract

The invention discloses a medicine bottle opening assist device convenient for rheumatoid hand dysfunction patients to use in the technical field of assist devices, the medicine bottle opening assist device comprises an assist device body, a grabbing mechanism and a rotating mechanism, the grabbing mechanism comprises a clamping block, a hollow groove is formed in the assist device body, and the clamping block is movably arranged in the hollow groove; a plurality of arc-shaped grooves are symmetrically formed in the clamping block, anti-skid plates are movably arranged in the arc-shaped grooves, arc-shaped baffles are arranged at the tops of the anti-skid plates, a user holds the assistor body by hand, the bottle opening of a medicine bottle is aligned with the clamping block, at the moment, the assistor body is pressed downwards, the bottle opening of the medicine bottle enters the clamping block through a flow guide groove, and the clamping block is clamped. At the moment, the bottle openings of the medicine bottles extrude the small anti-skid plates, the anti-skid plates move upwards, the bottle caps are clamped through the appropriate anti-skid plates, and the phenomena that due to the difference of the diameters of the bottle caps of the medicine bottles, self-adaptive adjustment cannot be conducted, the same assistor is only suitable for the bottle caps of the specific specifications, universality is poor, and the phenomena can be avoided through the mode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of assistive device technology, specifically to a medicine bottle opening aid that is easy for patients with rheumatoid arthritis-related hand dysfunction to use. Background Technology

[0002] In daily life, medicine bottles commonly use screw caps to ensure the airtightness and safety of the contents. However, patients with rheumatoid arthritis often experience swelling and deformity in their hand joints, accompanied by significantly weakened grip strength and severely limited finger dexterity, making it difficult to apply sufficient torque to open the bottle cap. Even when using commercially available bottle openers, it often requires users to have good gripping ability and wrist rotation function, which are precisely what these patients lack.

[0003] Therefore, existing medicine bottle opening aids have significant limitations in practical use and cannot meet the special needs of patients with rheumatoid arthritis-related hand dysfunction. On the one hand, most aids still rely on strong grip or wrist rotation, making operation laborious and inconvenient, and failing to achieve quick and effortless opening of medicine bottles. On the other hand, existing products usually adopt a fixed-diameter design, which cannot adaptively adjust to the differences in the diameter of medicine bottle caps (such as the common range of 20mm to 35mm). This results in the same aid only being suitable for specific cap sizes, with poor versatility, and even completely failing when faced with slightly larger or smaller caps. Based on this, the present invention designs a medicine bottle opening aid that is easy for patients with rheumatoid arthritis-related hand dysfunction to use, in order to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a medicine bottle opening aid that is easy for patients with rheumatoid arthritis-related hand dysfunction to use, in order to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: This invention provides a medicine bottle opening aid that is easy for patients with rheumatoid arthritis-related hand dysfunction to use, including an aid body, a gripping mechanism, and a rotating mechanism.

[0006] The auxiliary device body is covered with a first anti-slip pad, and a flow guide groove is opened at its bottom. A controller body is installed on the top, and the controller body is equipped with a control panel and control buttons.

[0007] The gripping mechanism includes a locking block movably disposed within a hollowed-out groove inside the auxiliary device body. The locking block has multiple symmetrically arranged arc-shaped grooves inside, each containing a movable anti-slip plate. An arc-shaped baffle is mounted on the top of each anti-slip plate. The gripping surface of the anti-slip plate preferably has anti-slip textures or is covered with a rubber layer to enhance friction. A permanent magnet is embedded within the arc-shaped baffle, and the locking block is made of a magnetically conductive metal material, allowing for a detachable connection between the arc-shaped baffle and the locking block via magnetic attraction, facilitating storage or cleaning maintenance when not in use. A second anti-slip pad is also installed at the bottom of the locking block.

[0008] The rotating mechanism includes a servo motor fixed inside the auxiliary body. The output shaft of the servo motor is connected to a connecting rod, and the free end of the connecting rod is connected to a telescopic rod. A return spring is installed inside the telescopic rod, and a connecting shaft is mounted at its bottom. An axial limiting structure is provided between the bottom of the connecting shaft and the locking block, and a transmission connection is achieved through a spline or keyway to ensure effective torque transmission and structural stability.

[0009] Furthermore, the guide channel is configured as a downwardly tapering trumpet-shaped structure with smooth inclined sidewalls, which is used to automatically guide and correct the mouth of the medicine bottle during operation, so that it can be smoothly and accurately centered and enter the interior of the card block.

[0010] The working principle of this invention is as follows: During use, the patient holds the first anti-slip pad on the outside of the assistive device and places the medicine bottle on a stable surface, aligning the bottle opening with the flow channel at the bottom. Pressing down on the assistive device causes the bottle cap to be guided into the clamping block through the flow channel. The outer edge of the bottle cap compresses a mismatched anti-slip plate, causing it to move upwards along the arc-shaped groove. Finally, a properly sized anti-slip plate, limited by the arc-shaped baffle, stably clamps the bottle cap, thus achieving adaptive gripping of bottle caps of different diameters. After secure gripping, the servo motor is activated via the controller. The servo motor drives the connecting shaft to rotate via the connecting rod and telescopic rod. The connecting shaft transmits torque to the clamping block, which in turn drives the anti-slip plate and the second anti-slip pad inside to rotate the bottle cap. During the unscrewing process, the bottle cap gradually moves upwards, and the return spring inside the telescopic rod is compressed to adapt to this height change, ensuring continuous and smooth rotation until the bottle cap is completely separated from the bottle body.

[0011] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: 1. This invention uses a gripping mechanism to grip and fix the bottle cap of a medicine bottle. The gripping mechanism includes a clamping block, an arc-shaped groove, and an anti-slip plate. When the device is needed to separate the bottle cap, the user holds the auxiliary device body and aligns the bottle mouth with the clamping block. At this time, the auxiliary device body is pressed down, and the bottle mouth enters the interior of the clamping block through the guide groove. At this time, the bottle mouth squeezes the smaller anti-slip plate, and the anti-slip plate moves upward. The bottle cap is clamped by the appropriate anti-slip plate, avoiding the inability to adaptively adjust due to the difference in the diameter of the bottle cap, which makes the same auxiliary device only suitable for bottle caps of a specific size and has poor versatility. This method can avoid such phenomena.

[0012] 2. This invention enables the rotational separation of medicine bottle caps via a rotating mechanism. The rotating mechanism includes a servo motor, a connecting rod, and a connecting shaft. When the bottle cap needs to be rotated and separated, the servo motor is activated, driving the connecting rod to rotate. During the rotation, the connecting rod drives the return spring to rotate, which in turn drives the connecting shaft to rotate. During the rotation, the connecting shaft, through the combined use of several anti-slip plates and a second anti-slip pad, rotates and separates the bottle cap. Attached Figure Description

[0013] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the first three-dimensional structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the second three-dimensional structure of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the first internal structure of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the second internal structure of the present invention; Figure 5 This is an enlarged structural diagram of part A of the present invention.

[0015] The attached diagram lists the components represented by each number as follows: 1. Auxiliary device body; 101. Guide channel; 2. Controller body; 201. Control panel; 202. Control button; 203. First anti-slip pad; 3. Hollowed-out groove; 301. Servo motor; 302. Connecting rod; 303. Telescopic rod; 304. Return spring; 305. Connecting shaft; 4. Locking block; 401. Arc groove; 402. Anti-slip plate; 403. Arc baffle; 404. Second anti-slip pad. Detailed Implementation

[0016] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0017] Please see Figures 1 to 5 The present invention provides a medicine bottle opening aid that is easy for patients with rheumatoid arthritis hand dysfunction to use, including an aid body 1, a controller body 2, a gripping mechanism and a rotating mechanism.

[0018] The assistive device body 1 serves as the overall support structure, and its exterior is covered with a soft, high-friction coefficient silicone or rubber first anti-slip pad 203, significantly increasing grip friction. Even if the patient has weak hand muscles or sweaty hands, they can still hold the device firmly and it is not easy to slip. A downward-tapering, funnel-shaped guide groove 101 is machined at the center of the bottom of the body 1. The inclined design of this guide groove 101 plays a crucial guiding role in practical applications. For example, when the patient's hand trembles or the alignment is inaccurate, as long as the bottle opening is roughly aligned with this area, the inclined surface can automatically correct the bottle opening position during the downward pressure, smoothly guiding it into the working area. This greatly reduces the requirements for fine motor skills, which is an important humanized design for patients with poor hand dexterity.

[0019] The controller body 2 is fixed to the top of the auxiliary body 1. Its top surface features a control panel 201 (which may include an LCD screen or indicator lights) and two control buttons 202, forming a simple human-machine interface. One button can be designed as "start / stop," and the other as "forward / reverse" (to handle special thread directions or accidental reset). The controller has a built-in conventional control circuit (not shown in the figure) for receiving commands and driving the servo motor 301.

[0020] The gripping mechanism is the core of the adaptive function. The gripping block 4 is movably mounted in the hollowed-out groove 3 inside the auxiliary body 1 via bearings or sliding pairs (simplified representation in the figure), allowing it to rotate relative to the body. Multiple (e.g., 6-8) radial arc-shaped grooves 401 are symmetrically formed inside the gripping block 4. Each arc-shaped groove 401 contains a sliding anti-slip plate 402. The gripping surface of the anti-slip plate 402 preferably has a serrated anti-slip texture or is bonded with a thin rubber sheet to provide extremely high static friction. An arc-shaped baffle 403 is fixed to the top of the anti-slip plate 402 by screws or clips. This baffle 403 contains a small permanent magnet, and the main body of the gripping block 4 is made of magnetically conductive stainless steel. This allows all the anti-slip plates 402 to be magnetically attracted to the center of the gripping block 4 when not in use, maintaining a folded state for easy storage and a neat appearance. A second anti-slip pad 404, typically a rubber disc, is bonded to the bottom of the gripping block 4 to provide auxiliary friction and cushioning from below during rotation.

[0021] A rotating mechanism provides the opening power. A servo motor 301 (preferably a low-noise, high-torque DC geared motor) is fixed inside the auxiliary body 1 by a bracket. Its output shaft connects to a connecting rod 302, and the end of the connecting rod 302 is connected to a telescopic rod 303 via a thread or pin. The telescopic rod 303 is essentially a sleeve structure with a return spring 304 inside. The upper end of the connecting shaft 305 is fixed to the bottom of the telescopic rod 303, and the lower end extends to the center of the locking block 4. The connecting shaft 305 and the locking block 4 achieve circumferential transmission through a spline (or flat key) engagement. Simultaneously, the shoulder of the connecting shaft 305 and the retaining ring inside the locking block 4 form an axial limiting structure, allowing the locking block 4 to float up and down to a limited extent on the connecting shaft 305 without disengaging.

[0022] Practical application scenarios and operation process examples: Scenario 1: Patients opening different sized medicine bottles at home Ms. Zhang, the patient, has suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for many years. Her fingers are severely deformed, and she is unable to open the medicine bottle. In front of her are a 28mm diameter bottle of antihypertensive medication and a 22mm diameter bottle of eye drops.

[0023] Preparation: She placed the assistive device on the edge of the table and wrapped the assistive device body 1 with the first anti-slip pad 203 with her entire palm (not her fingertips).

[0024] Adaptive gripping (for 28mm medicine bottles): She places the larger medicine bottle on the table, uses the guide groove 101 at the bottom of the aid to cover the bottle cap, and gently presses down. The bottle cap enters the locking block 4 area, its edge contacts several smaller anti-slip plates 402 and pushes them upward until the outer wall of the bottle cap is in close contact with the three anti-slip plates 402 of the best matching size, and forms a three-point stable grip under the limitation of the arc baffle 403. The second anti-slip pad 404 simultaneously adheres to the top of the bottle cap.

[0025] Electric opening: Ms. Zhang presses the "Start" button on the controller with her thumb. The servo motor 301 starts, transmitting rotational torque to the locking block 4 via the connecting rod 302, telescopic rod 303, and connecting shaft 305. The locking block 4 rotates the anti-slip plate 402 and the second anti-slip pad 404 that clamp the bottle cap. The bottle cap begins to loosen and move upward, pushing the locking block 4 and connecting shaft 305 slightly upward against the elastic force of the return spring 304. This process is automatic and requires no wrist twisting from Ms. Zhang. After about 2 seconds, the bottle cap is fully unscrewed.

[0026] Opening the small bottle cap: She then used the same procedure to open the 22mm eye drop bottle. At this point, the smaller diameter cap would push open different anti-slip plate combinations 402, achieving a secure grip and smooth opening. This fully demonstrates the adaptive versatility of this invention, making it "multi-purpose."

[0027] Scenario 2: One-handed operation and travel portability Mr. Wang, a patient, was traveling and could only operate with one hand (the other hand was on a crutch).

[0028] He secured the medicine bottle by placing it between his knees or in a recessed area of ​​the hotel sink countertop.

[0029] Hold the auxiliary device with one hand and press down to align it. Thanks to the guiding effect of the guide groove 101, it can be successfully fitted even if the alignment is inaccurate with one hand.

[0030] The lid can be opened by pressing the controller button with the thumb of the same hand. Throughout the process, his weak wrist and fingers do not need to exert any force or twisting; he only needs to maintain the grip and pressing action, greatly improving independence and convenience. When not in use, the anti-slip plate 402 folds up magnetically, making it compact and easy to put into a travel bag.

[0031] Scenario 3: Assisted Cleaning and Maintenance After prolonged use, the clamping surface of the anti-slip plate 402 may become dusty. Since the curved baffle 403 and the locking block 4 are magnetically connected, the user or caregiver can easily remove the curved baffle 403 together with the anti-slip plate 402 from the locking block 4 for wiping or cleaning, making maintenance simple and hygienic.

[0032] Working principle overview: This invention utilizes two core mechanisms—adaptive gripping and electric rotation—to break down the complex wrist twisting force required for traditional bottle opening into a simple "grip-press-button" action. The gripping mechanism employs an array of movable anti-slip plates 402 to simulate the adaptive gripping of the human hand on objects of different sizes; the rotation mechanism uses a motor to provide torque, replacing human hand muscles. The design of the return spring 304 and the telescopic structure cleverly compensates for the axial displacement of the bottle cap during the unscrewing process, ensuring smooth and continuous rotational motion. Details such as the flow guide 101 and anti-slip pads further mitigate the operational disadvantages caused by hand dysfunction from an ergonomic perspective.

[0033] In the description of this specification, references to terms such as "an embodiment," "example," "specific example," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0034] The preferred embodiments of the present invention disclosed above are merely illustrative of the invention. These preferred embodiments do not exhaustively describe all details, nor do they limit the invention to any specific implementation. Clearly, many modifications and variations can be made based on the content of this specification. This specification selects and specifically describes these embodiments to better explain the principles and practical applications of the invention, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to better understand and utilize the invention. The invention is limited only by the claims and their full scope and equivalents.

Claims

1. A medicine bottle opening aid that is easy for patients with rheumatoid arthritis-related hand dysfunction to use, characterized in that: Includes the auxiliary body (1), the gripping mechanism, and the rotating mechanism; The gripping mechanism includes a locking block (4), and the auxiliary body (1) has a hollowed-out groove (3) inside. The locking block (4) is movably arranged inside the hollowed-out groove (3). Several arc-shaped grooves (401) are symmetrically arranged inside the locking block (4). Anti-slip plates (402) are movably arranged inside each arc-shaped groove (401). Arc-shaped baffles (403) are installed on the top of each anti-slip plate (402). The rotating mechanism includes a servo motor (301), which is fixedly installed inside the auxiliary body (1). The output shaft end of the servo motor (301) is equipped with a connecting rod (302), the free end of the connecting rod (302) is equipped with a telescopic rod (303), and the bottom of the telescopic rod (303) is equipped with a connecting shaft (305).

2. The medicine bottle opening aid for patients with rheumatoid arthritis-related hand dysfunction as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The telescopic rod (303) is equipped with a return spring (304).

3. The medicine bottle opening aid for patients with rheumatoid arthritis-related hand dysfunction as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the card block (4) is equipped with a second anti-slip pad (404).

4. A medicine bottle opening aid for patients with rheumatoid arthritis-related hand dysfunction as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The top of the auxiliary device body (1) is equipped with a controller body (2), the top of the controller body (2) is equipped with a control panel (201), and the top of the controller body (2) is also symmetrically equipped with control buttons (202).

5. A medicine bottle opening aid for patients with rheumatoid arthritis-related hand dysfunction as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The auxiliary body (1) is provided with a first anti-slip pad (203) on the outside, and a guide groove (101) is provided at the bottom of the auxiliary body (1).

6. A medicine bottle opening aid for patients with rheumatoid arthritis-related hand dysfunction as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The arc-shaped baffle (403) is embedded with a permanent magnet, and the card block (4) is made of magnetically conductive metal material. The arc-shaped baffle (403) and the card block (4) are detachably connected by magnetic attraction.

7. A medicine bottle opening aid for patients with rheumatoid arthritis-related hand dysfunction as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The guide groove (101) is a downwardly tapering trumpet-shaped structure with smooth inclined sidewalls, used to guide the mouth of the medicine bottle into the center of the card block (4).

8. A medicine bottle opening aid for patients with rheumatoid arthritis-related hand dysfunction as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The clamping surface of the anti-slip plate (402) is provided with anti-slip texture or rubber layer to enhance the friction between it and the bottle cap.

9. A medicine bottle opening aid for patients with rheumatoid arthritis-related hand dysfunction as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The arc-shaped baffle (403) and the anti-slip plate (402) are detachable, making them easy to replace or clean.

10. A medicine bottle opening aid for patients with rheumatoid arthritis-related hand dysfunction as described in claim 1, characterized in that: An axial limiting structure is provided between the bottom of the connecting shaft (305) and the locking block (4), and the connecting shaft (305) and the locking block (4) are connected by a spline or keyway transmission.

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