Device for adjusting the height of a patient bed

Abstract

Device (12) for adjusting the height of a patient bed (6), wherein the actuating means of the device (12) are arranged between an upper frame (8) connected to the patient bed (6) and a lower frame (10) connected to a base component, and wherein the device (12) can be manually actuated by means of a foot lever (20), characterized in that two lifting and lowering actuators are provided, which are designed as hydraulic piston-cylinder units (14, 16), that the two piston-cylinder units (14, 16) are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the patient bed (6) and vertically between the upper frame (8) and the lower frame (10), that a hydraulic control unit (18) for raising and lowering the patient bed (6) is provided, which can be actuated by means of the foot lever (20), and that the hydraulic control unit (18) is connected to the patient bed (6) via hydraulic lines (70, 76, 78, 86, 92). both piston-cylinder units (14,16) is connected.,

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device for adjusting the height of a patient bed, wherein the adjusting means of the device are arranged between an upper frame connected to the patient bed and a lower frame connected to a base component, and wherein the device can be manually actuated by means of a foot lever.

[0002] A patient couch, which is mounted as an operating table on a column of an operating room or as a transport couch on a rolling chassis, usually has a height adjustment device in order to be able to adjust its level to an optimal height for an operation, an examination or a care procedure.

[0003] DE 10 2005 015 392 B3 discloses a device for adjusting the height of a patient support bed. The device comprises a double scissor mechanism arranged between a lower base plate and an upper lifting plate, as well as a spindle drive arranged vertically between the base plate and an intermediate joint of the double scissor mechanism. The spindle of the spindle drive can be driven by an associated electric motor or hydraulically, pneumatically, or manually by foot force. Nothing is disclosed regarding the design of the hydraulically, pneumatically, or manually operable drive.

[0004] In view of the relatively complicated structure of the known device, the object of the invention is to present a device for adjusting the height of a patient bed that is simple in design and inexpensive to manufacture and can be manually operated without external power, but by means of a foot lever.

[0005] This object is achieved by a device for adjusting the height of a patient bed having the features of claim 1. Advantageous further developments are defined in the dependent claims.

[0006] Accordingly, the invention relates to a device for adjusting the height of a patient bed, wherein the adjusting means of the device are arranged between an upper frame connected to the patient bed and a lower frame connected to a base component, and wherein the device can be manually actuated by means of a foot lever.

[0007] To achieve the stated object, this device is provided with two lifting and lowering actuators which are designed as hydraulic piston-cylinder units, that the two piston-cylinder units are spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction of the patient bed and are arranged vertically between the upper frame and the lower frame, that a hydraulic control unit which can be actuated by means of the foot lever is provided for raising and lowering the patient bed, and that the hydraulic control unit is connected to the two piston-cylinder units via hydraulic lines.

[0008] The aforementioned base component is designed, for example, as an operating table column or as a chassis. In the latter case, the patient couch, including the height adjustment device and chassis, is suitable for mobile patient transport, for example, in a hospital, ambulance, or nursing home. Of course, the foot pedal can also be operated manually.

[0009] By utilizing two hydraulic piston-cylinder units as lifting and lowering actuators, as well as the aforementioned hydraulic control unit, the described device for adjusting the height of a patient bed is comparatively simple in design and inexpensive to manufacture. Furthermore, since the device raises and lowers the patient bed using the manually operated lever, it requires no external power, making it suitable for use in buildings without a power supply or with only sporadic power supply, for example, in emergency areas.

[0010] In this device, it can further be provided that the two piston-cylinder units are designed as double-acting actuating cylinders, each with a cylinder, in which a piston is arranged for axial movement. The two pistons divide the interior of the respective cylinder into an upper pressure chamber and a lower pressure chamber.

[0011] In addition, each piston is firmly connected to a piston rod that protrudes from the associated cylinder and points toward the patient bed. The cylinders of the piston-cylinder units are attached to the lower frame, and the piston rods are attached to the upper frame.

[0012] According to another embodiment of the device according to the invention, the hydraulic control unit comprises at least one oil tank, a hydraulic pump, and a lowering valve. The hydraulic pump is connected to the oil tank via a suction line and to a working port for at least one of the piston-cylinder units via a delivery line. The hydraulic pump is designed such that it can be driven by pivoting the foot lever downward. The lowering valve is arranged in a return line leading from the working port to the oil tank and is designed as a mechanically actuated 2 / 2-way valve that opens by pivoting the foot lever upward.

[0013] The patient bed is thus raised by pivoting the foot lever downwards several times as needed via the delivery stroke of the hydraulic pump by filling the lower pressure chambers of the piston-cylinder units, and lowered by pivoting the foot lever upwards once via the then opened lowering valve by the weight of the patient bed and the emptying of the lower pressure chambers of the piston-cylinder units.

[0014] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the device, the two piston-cylinder units are geometrically identical. Furthermore, the lower pressure chamber of the first piston-cylinder unit is connected to the first working port of the control unit via a first working line. The upper pressure chamber of the first piston-cylinder unit, in contrast, is connected to the lower pressure chamber of the second piston-cylinder unit via a connecting line. Furthermore, the upper pressure chamber of the second piston-cylinder unit is connected to a second working port of the control unit via a second working line, wherein the second working port is connected to the oil tank via a working line internal to the control device.

[0015] This arrangement of the hydraulic lines creates a closed hydraulic circuit in which, when the lower pressure chamber of the first piston-cylinder unit is filled with hydraulic oil, the same volume of oil is forced from the upper pressure chamber of the first piston-cylinder unit via the connecting line into the lower pressure chamber of the second piston-cylinder unit, causing the same lifting of the piston and piston rod as in the first piston-cylinder unit. The hydraulic oil displaced from the upper pressure chamber of the second piston-cylinder unit is pressed into the oil tank via the second working line, the second working connection, and the internal working line of the control unit. According to a practical embodiment of the device, the hydraulic pump has, for example, a delivery capacity of approximately 4 cm 3 per stroke.

[0016] The hydraulic control unit preferably has a pressure relief valve as an overload protection device, which is arranged in a first return line leading to the oil tank. This first return line is connected to the delivery line between the oil pump and a check valve on the delivery line side. According to one embodiment, the pressure relief valve can be set to a maximum pressure of, for example, 160 + / - 15 × 10 5 Pa must be set.

[0017] To prevent the patient bed from lowering too quickly, according to another advantageous development of the device, a throttle valve and a flow limiting valve are arranged in a second return line of the control unit to limit the return flow from the lower pressure chamber of the first piston-cylinder unit. The second return line is connected to the delivery line downstream of the check valve on the delivery line side and the first working connection. The flow limiting valve is set, for example, to a maximum flow rate of approximately 0.66 l per minute.

[0018] To enable easy disassembly of the piston-cylinder units and the control unit for replacement, repair, and maintenance work without oil loss, the working lines of the two piston-cylinder units are preferably connected to the working ports of the control unit via quick-release couplings that shut off on both sides. For the same reason, the connecting line between the piston-cylinder units can also be divided into two sections connected by a quick-release coupling that shuts off on both sides.

[0019] Due to pressure losses that are usually unavoidable over extended periods in practice, a slight tilt may occur when the patient bed is raised and lowered. If a precisely horizontal alignment of the patient bed is required, another advantageous development of the device can provide that the pistons of the two piston-cylinder units each have two passages for hydraulic oil with check valves that close in opposite directions for leveling, and that these spring-loaded check valves can be opened by opening pins arranged on the base or cover walls of the cylinders of the piston-cylinder units when the pistons approach the base or cover walls of the cylinders of the piston-cylinder units.This allows hydraulic oil to flow through the pistons from the smaller pressure chambers into the larger pressure chambers, resulting in the pistons being placed against the cylinder bottoms and thus ensuring an optimal horizontal position of the patient bed.

[0020] The invention will be further explained below with reference to an embodiment shown in the accompanying drawing. Fig. 1 a device according to the invention for height adjustment on an operating table in a simplified side view, Fig. 2 a device according to the invention for adjusting the height of a transport bed in a simplified side view, Fig. 3 a preferred embodiment of the device for height adjustment according to the invention in a detailed schematic illustration, and Fig. 4 the device for height adjustment according to Fig. 3 in a perspective view.

[0021] In the side view according to Fig. 1 shows an operating table 2 with a device 12 according to the invention for adjusting the height of a patient support 6. The adjusting means of the device 12 are arranged between an upper frame 8 connected to the patient support 6 and a lower frame 10 connected to an operating table column 4. The height adjustment device 12 has two lifting and lowering actuators 14, 16 designed as hydraulic piston-cylinder units, as well as a hydraulic control unit 18 that can be manually operated without external force by means of a foot lever 20. In this example, the hydraulic control unit 18 is attached to the operating table column 4.

[0022] The two piston-cylinder units 14, 16 are arranged vertically between the upper frame 8 and the lower frame 10, spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the patient bed 6. The control unit 18 is connected to the Fig. 1 and the Fig. 2 hydraulic lines (not shown) are connected to the two piston-cylinder units 14, 16. By pivoting the foot lever 20 downwards (according to the direction arrow 22), the patient couch 6 is hydraulically raised and by pivoting the foot lever 20 upwards (according to the direction arrow 24), it is lowered.

[0023] In the side view according to the Fig. 2 shows a transport couch 26 with a device according to the invention for adjusting the height 12 of a patient couch 6. With an otherwise identical structure, the transport couch 26 differs from the operating table 2 according to Fig. 1 in that the lower frame 10 is now arranged on a rolling chassis 28, and the hydraulic control unit 18 is attached to the chassis 28. As previously explained, the patient bed 6 is raised by pivoting the foot lever 20 downward (directional arrow 22) and lowered by pivoting the foot lever 20 upward (directional arrow 24).

[0024] In the schematic illustration of the Fig. 3 shows a preferred embodiment of the height adjustment device 12 in detail.

[0025] The two piston-cylinder units 14, 16 are designed as double-acting actuating cylinders, namely each with a cylinder 30, 36 with a lower bottom wall 32, 38 and an upper cover wall 34, 40, and each with a piston 42, 46 which is guided axially movably in the respective cylinder and divides the interior of the respective cylinder 30, 36 into a lower pressure chamber 50, 54 and an upper pressure chamber 52, 56 and is provided with an upwardly directed piston rod 44, 48. The cylinders 30, 36 of the piston-cylinder units 14, 16 are attached to the lower frame 10 and the piston rods 44, 48 are attached to the upper frame 8.

[0026] The hydraulic control unit 18 has an oil tank 60, a hydraulic pump 62, and a lowering valve 64, which are arranged in a housing 58. The hydraulic pump 62 is connected to the oil tank 60 via a suction line 66 provided with a check valve 68, and to a first working port 74 for the first piston-cylinder unit 14 via a delivery line 70 provided with a check valve 72. The hydraulic pump 62 can be driven by pivoting the foot lever 20 downward (directional arrow 22) and has a delivery capacity of, for example, 4 cm 3 per stroke.

[0027] The lowering valve 64 is designed as a mechanically actuated 2 / 2-way valve that opens by pivoting the foot lever 20 upward (directional arrow 24) and is arranged in a second return line 76 leading from the first working connection 74 into the oil tank 60. A corresponding mechanical actuating connection 65 between the foot lever 20 and the lowering valve 64 is shown in simplified form by two dashed lines.

[0028] The two piston-cylinder units 14, 16 are geometrically identical. The lower pressure chamber 50 of the first piston-cylinder unit 14 is connected to the first working port 74 of the control unit 18 via a first working line 78 and a quick-action coupling 80 that shuts off on both sides. The upper pressure chamber 52 of the first piston-cylinder unit 14 is connected to the lower pressure chamber 54 of the second piston-cylinder unit 16 via a connecting line 82. The connecting line 82 between the piston-cylinder units 14, 16 is divided into two line sections 82a, 82b connected to each other via a quick-action coupling 84 that shuts off on both sides. The upper pressure chamber 56 of the second piston-cylinder unit 16 is connected via a second working line 86 and a quick coupling 88 that shuts off on both sides to a second working connection 90 of the control unit 18, which is connected to the oil tank 60 via an internal working line 92.

[0029] The patient bed 6 is hydraulically raised by pivoting the foot lever 20 downwards (direction arrow 22) several times as needed via the delivery stroke of the hydraulic pump 62 and is lowered by its own weight by pivoting the foot lever 20 upwards (direction arrow 24) with the lowering valve 64 open.

[0030] As an overload protection, a pressure relief valve 96 is arranged in the hydraulic control unit 18 in a first return line 94 leading into the oil tank 60, which is connected to the delivery line 70 upstream of the delivery line-side check valve 72. The pressure relief valve 96 is set, for example, to a maximum pressure of 160 + / - 15 × 10 5 Pa set.

[0031] To limit the return flow from the lower pressure chamber 50 of the first piston-cylinder unit 14 into the oil tank 60 and thus to limit the lowering speed of the patient bed 6, a throttle valve 98 and a flow limiting valve 100 are arranged in the second return line 76 of the control unit 18 upstream of the lowering valve 64. The flow limiting valve 100 can, for example, be set to a maximum volume flow of approximately 0.66 l per minute.

[0032] To equalize the level between the two piston-cylinder units 14, 16, their pistons 42, 46 each have two passages with opposing, spring-loaded check valves 102, 104; 106, 108. These check valves are opened by opening pins 110, 112; 114, 116 arranged on the base and cover walls when the pistons 42, 46 approach the associated base and cover walls 32, 34; 38, 40 of the cylinders 30, 36. As the hydraulic oil flows through the pistons 42, 46 from the smaller pressure chambers into the larger pressure chambers, the pistons are brought into contact with the associated base or cover walls 32, 34; 38, 40.

[0033] The perspective view of the Fig.Figure 4 shows a practical component arrangement of the height adjustment device 12 according to the invention. It shows the two piston-cylinder units 14, 16 with their cylinders 30, 36, the control unit 18 with its housing 58, the oil tank 60, and the foot pedal 20. Also shown are the first working line 78 leading to the first piston-cylinder unit 14 with the associated quick-release coupling 80, the two-part connecting line 82; 82a, 82b with the associated quick-release coupling 84, and the second working line 86 leading to the second piston-cylinder unit 16 with the associated quick-release coupling 88. List of reference symbols (part of the description) 2 operating tables 4 Operating table column, basic component 6 patient beds 8 Upper frame 10 Lower frame 12 Device for height adjustment 14 First lifting and lowering actuator, first piston-cylinder unit 16 Second lifting and lowering actuator, second piston-cylinder unit 18 Hydraulic control unit 20 foot levers 22 Direction arrow, upward 24 Direction arrow, downward 26 transport beds 28 Chassis, basic component 30 cylinders of the first piston-cylinder unit 32 Bottom wall of the first piston-cylinder unit 34 Cover wall of the first piston-cylinder unit 36 cylinders of the second piston-cylinder unit 38 Bottom wall of the second piston-cylinder unit 40 Cover wall of the second piston-cylinder unit 42 pistons of the first piston-cylinder unit 44 Piston rod of the first piston-cylinder unit 46 pistons of the second piston-cylinder unit 48 Piston rod of the second piston-cylinder unit 50 Lower pressure chamber of the first piston-cylinder unit 52 Upper pressure chamber of the first piston-cylinder unit 54 Lower pressure chamber of the second piston-cylinder unit 56 Upper pressure chamber of the second piston-cylinder unit 58 housings 60 oil tank 62 Hydraulic pump 64 lowering valve 65 Adjustment connection between foot lever and lowering valve 66 Suction line 68 Check valve 70 conveyor line 72 Check valve on the delivery line side 74 First working connection 76 Second return line 78 First Work Management 80 quick coupling 82 connecting line 82a, 82b Sections of the connecting line 82 84 Quick coupling 86 Second Work Management 88 quick coupling 90 Second working connection 92 Internal work management 94 First return line 96 Pressure relief valve 98 throttle valve 100 flow limiting valve 102 First passage with check valve on piston 42 104 Second passage with check valve on piston 42 106 First passage with check valve on piston 46 108 Second passage with check valve on piston 46 110 First opening pin on cylinder 30 112 Second opening pin on cylinder 30 114 First opening pin on cylinder 36 116 Second opening pin on cylinder 36 QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 10 2005 015 392 B3

[0003]

Claims

[1] Device (12) for adjusting the height of a patient bed (6), wherein the adjusting means of the device (12) are arranged between an upper frame (8) connected to the patient bed (6) and a lower frame (10) connected to a base component, and wherein the device (12) can be manually actuated by means of a foot lever (20), characterized bythat two lifting and lowering actuators are provided which are designed as hydraulic piston-cylinder units (14, 16), that the two piston-cylinder units (14, 16) are arranged at a distance from one another in the longitudinal direction of the patient bed (6) and vertically between the upper frame (8) and the lower frame (10), that a hydraulic control unit (18) which can be actuated by means of the foot lever (20) is provided for raising and lowering the patient bed (6), and that the hydraulic control unit (18) is connected to the two piston-cylinder units (14, 16) via hydraulic lines (70, 76, 78, 86, 92). [2] Device according to claim 1, characterized by that the base component is designed as an operating table column (4) or a chassis (28). [3] Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized byin that the two piston-cylinder units (14, 16) are designed as double-acting actuating cylinders, each with a cylinder (30, 32), in each of which a piston (42, 46) is arranged so as to be axially movable, wherein the two pistons (42, 46) divide the interior of the cylinder (30, 32) into an upper pressure chamber (52, 56) and a lower pressure chamber (50, 54), wherein the pistons (42, 46) are each connected to a piston rod (44, 48) projecting from the cylinder (30, 32) and pointing towards the patient bed (6), and wherein the cylinders (30, 32) of the piston-cylinder units (14, 16) are fastened to the lower frame (10) and the piston rods (44, 48) are fastened to the upper frame (8). [4] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized byin that the hydraulic control unit (18) has at least one oil tank (60), a hydraulic pump (62) and a lowering valve (64), wherein the hydraulic pump (62) is connected to the oil tank (60) via a suction line (66) and to a first working connection (74) for at least one of the piston-cylinder units (14, 16) via a delivery line (70), wherein the hydraulic pump (62) is designed such that it can be driven by pivoting the foot lever (20) downwards (22), wherein the lowering valve (64) is designed as a mechanically actuable 2 / 2-way valve that can be opened by pivoting the foot lever (20) upwards (24), and wherein the lowering valve (64) is arranged in a return line (76) leading from the first working connection (74) into the oil tank (60). [5] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the two piston-cylinder units (14, 16) are geometrically identical, that the lower pressure chamber (50) of the first piston-cylinder unit (14) is connected to the first working connection (74) of the control unit (18) via a first working line (78), that the upper pressure chamber (52) of the first piston-cylinder unit (14) is connected to the lower pressure chamber (54) of the second piston-cylinder unit (16) via a connecting line (82; 82a, 82b), that the upper pressure chamber (56) of the second piston-cylinder unit (16) is connected to a second working connection (90) of the control unit (18) via a second working line (86), and that the second working connection (90) is connected to the oil tank (60) via an internal working line (92). [6] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat in the hydraulic control unit (18) a pressure relief valve (96) is connected to the delivery line (70) via a first return line (94) leading into the oil tank (60). [7] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a throttle valve (98) and a flow limiting valve (100) are arranged in the second return line (76) of the control unit (18) to limit the return flow from the lower pressure chamber (50) of the first piston-cylinder unit (14). [8] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the working lines (78, 86) connected to the two piston-cylinder units (14, 16) are connected to the two working connections (74, 90) of the control unit (18) via quick-action couplings (80, 88) which are shut off on both sides. [9] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the connecting line (82) between the two piston-cylinder units (14, 16) is divided into two interconnected line sections (82a, 82b), which are connected to each other via a quick-action coupling (84) which shuts off on both sides. [10] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the pistons (42, 46) of the two piston-cylinder units (14, 16) each have two passages with counter-blocking check valves (102, 104; 106, 108) for level compensation, and that these check valves (102, 104; 106, 108) can be opened by opening pins (110, 112; 114, 116) arranged on the base or cover walls when the pistons (42, 46) approach the base or cover walls (32, 34; 38, 40) of the cylinders (30, 36) of the piston-cylinder units (14, 16).

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