Traveling-type care lift

Abstract

To provide a traveling-type care lift that can be easily turned by handle operation of a caregiver and in which assist drive wheels are out of the way.SOLUTION: A traveling-type care lift comprises an operation handle 5 to be operated by a caregiver, a column part 21 with the operation handle 5 attached to the back surface thereof and capable of lifting a care recipient, assist drive wheels 4 respectively provided on both left and right sides and driven by operation of the operation handle 5 to assist movement, and a width-direction frame 20 including a column erection part 200 on which a column part 21 is erected, to which the assist drive wheels 4 are attached, and which is provided across the width direction. In plan view, at least a part of the column erection part 200 is located in a region connecting both left / right assist drive wheels 4 of the width direction frame 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a mobile care lift that assists the movement of a care recipient by hoisting the care recipient and traveling on a floor surface. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the aging of society has progressed rapidly, and the demand for mobile care lifts that assist the movement of care recipients by hoisting the care recipients and traveling along the floor is increasing.

[0003] As prior art, Patent Document 1 discloses a traveling care lift in which a pillar is erected on a vehicle body to which running wheels are attached, an arm for hoisting the care recipient is attached to the pillar, an operating handle for the caregiver is provided on the pillar, the operating force acting on the operating handle is detected by a detection unit, an electric motor that drives the traveling wheels is controlled according to the operating force detected by the detection unit, and traveling is assisted by the driving force of the electric motor.

[0004] This type of traveling care lift uses the driving force of an electric motor to assist its travel, reducing the burden on the caregiver. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-327554 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] With a traveling care lift such as that described in Patent Document 1, when attempting to turn the vehicle body by operating the operating handle while the care recipient is suspended, the action of inertia can have a significant effect or excessive resistance can be applied to the assist drive wheels, resulting in a large load on the drive mechanism and unstable turning, making it difficult for the caregiver to operate the vehicle to turn.

[0007] In addition, large diameter running wheels are used to obtain large torque, but if the large running wheels protrude to the rear of the vehicle body, they can get in the way and hit the caregiver's feet when operating the operating handle to move the care lift.

[0008] To address this issue, the inventors focused on the positional relationship between the pillar erection section, where the column section to which the load is applied is located, and the assist drive wheels on both sides, and discovered that the above issue can be resolved by bringing the straight lines connecting the pillar erection section and the assist drive wheels on both sides closer together.

[0009] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a traveling care lift that can be easily turned by a caregiver operating the handle and in which the assist drive wheels do not get in the way. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] Means 1 is a mobile nursing lift comprising an operating handle for operation by a caregiver, a pillar section with the operating handle attached to the back and capable of hoisting the care recipient, assist drive wheels provided on both the left and right sides and driven by operation of the operating handle to assist movement, and a widthwise frame provided across the width direction with a pillar erection section on which the pillar section is erected and to which the assist drive wheels are attached, wherein in a plan view, at least a part of the pillar erection section is located in the area connecting both the left and right assist drive wheels of the widthwise frame.

[0011] Means 2 is the traveling nursing lift according to Means 1, characterized in that the assist drive wheels are provided on the outer side in the width direction than both ends of the width direction frame.

[0012] Means 3 is a mobile nursing lift as described in Means 2, characterized in that legs extending in the front-to-rear direction are supported at both ends of the widthwise frame so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis, a drive wheel mounting frame is provided which protrudes outward in the widthwise direction beyond the vertical axis, and the assist drive wheels are attached to the drive wheel mounting frame, avoiding the legs.

[0013] Means 4 is the mobile nursing lift described in Means 3, characterized in that the legs extend forward and backward from the widthwise frame, and rear wheels are attached to the rear ends of the legs.

[0014] Means 5 is the traveling nursing lift according to any one of means 1 to 4, characterized in that an output shaft of an electric motor is directly attached to the rotating shaft of the assist drive wheel. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the traveling care lift of the present invention, at least a part of the pillar erected part on which the pillar part with the operating handle is erected is located in the area connecting the left and right assist drive wheels of the width direction frame, so that when the operating handle is operated to rotate the width direction frame around the pillar erected part, the load on the drive mechanism of the assist drive wheel is suppressed from becoming large and the rotation becomes unstable. As a result, the caregiver can easily perform the rotation operation.

[0016] Since the large-diameter assist drive wheels do not protrude significantly forward from the width direction frame, only the portion in front of the width direction frame can be lowered, and they do not get in the way when inserting the wheelchair under a bed, etc., and since the assist drive wheels do not protrude significantly backward from the width direction frame, they are unlikely to get in the way of a caregiver operating the operating handle.

[0017] In addition, since the assist drive wheels are provided on the widthwise outer side of both ends of the widthwise frame, the caregiver is less likely to hit his / her foot against the assist drive wheels, and there is no need to install the assist drive wheels inside the case to protect the caregiver, resulting in a simple structure and low costs. In addition, since the assist drive wheels on both sides are installed at positions spaced apart in the width direction, the stability of the traveling nursing lift in the width direction is increased.

[0018] In addition, legs extending in the front-to-rear direction are supported at both ends of the widthwise frame so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis, and a drive wheel mounting frame is provided which extends outward in the widthwise direction beyond the vertical axis. The assist drive wheels are attached to the drive wheel mounting frame avoiding the legs. Therefore, even if the legs are rotatable, the assist drive wheels can be provided outward in the widthwise direction beyond both ends of the widthwise frame so that the movement of the legs and the assist drive wheels do not interfere with each other.

[0019] In addition, if the legs extend forward and rearward from the widthwise frame and rear wheels are attached to the rear ends of the legs, the front parts of the legs can be prevented from lifting up due to the inclination of the running surface, the movement of the person being cared for, etc.

[0020] In addition, when the output shaft of the electric motor is directly attached to the rotating shaft of the assist drive wheel, there is no need for a gear to be interposed between the electric motor and the assist drive wheel. As a result, the drive part of the assist drive wheel is not bulky, and costs are reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of a mobile nursing lift according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the mobile nursing lift according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a plan view of a mobile nursing lift according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of a mobile nursing lift according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the positional relationship between the pillar upright portion and the assist drive wheel of the traveling nursing lift according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

[0023] Figure 1 is a side view of a mobile care lift, Figure 2 is a rear view of the mobile care lift, Figure 3 is a plan view of the mobile care lift, Figure 4 is an exploded oblique view of the main parts including the part where the assist drive wheel is provided on one side of the mobile care lift, and Figure 5 is a schematic plan view showing the positional relationship between the pillar erection part and the assist drive wheel.

[0024] The present embodiment is a mobile care lift 1, a so-called floor-mobile care lift, which supports the movement of a care recipient by hoisting the care recipient and traveling on a floor surface or the like.

[0025] In this specification, a care recipient is a person who receives care from a caregiver, and care refers to care provided to assist a person who is not in a healthy physical or mental state, and includes not only care provided in nursing homes but also care provided to patients in medical institutions.

[0026] As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the traveling care lift 1 includes a body 2, traveling wheels 3, assist drive wheels 4, an operating handle 5, a detection unit 6, a control unit 7, and an electric motor 8 (Fig. 4).

[0027] The vehicle body 2 has a widthwise frame 20 that is arranged across the width when viewed in a plane, pillar portions 21 that stand on the widthwise frame 20, and legs 22 that are arranged on both ends of the widthwise frame 20 across the front-rear direction.

[0028] The width direction frame 20 has a pillar standing portion 200 where a pillar portion 21 is erected in the center of the upper surface. The pillar standing portion 200 is a portion to which the lower end of the pillar portion 21 is attached. In other words, the pillar portion 21 rises upward from the width direction frame 20 from the pillar standing portion 200.

[0029] In this embodiment, the pillar standing portion 200 includes a reinforcing portion 200a surrounding the lower end portion of the pillar portion 21, into which the lower end portion of the pillar portion 21 is inserted and fixed with a bolt or the like. The reinforcing portion 200a has a square shape with an open upper surface.

[0030] A control unit 7 is installed on one side of the pillar standing portion 200 on the upper surface of the width direction frame 20. The control unit 7 includes a control device and a battery (not shown).

[0031] The column portion 21 has a square tube-shaped support column 210 standing up from the column erecting portion 200, and an arm 211 fitted into the upper end of the support column 210 so as to be slidable and fixable. The lower end of the support pillar 210 is inserted into and fixed to a square reinforcing portion 200a of the pillar erecting portion 200, the upper surface of which is open.

[0032] An arm drive motor 212 is installed on the lower back surface of the support column 210 . A case 2100 is provided on the rear side of the support 210. An arm driver 213 is provided penetrating the inside of the case 2100 in the vertical direction.

[0033] The arm driving unit 213 includes a cylinder fixed to the support 210 , has a lifting rod 213 a , and is connected to the arm driving motor 212 . The upper end of the lift rod 213 a is connected to a bracket 211 a provided on the back surface of the arm 211 .

[0034] When the arm drive motor 212 is driven to raise and lower the lift rod 213a, the arm 211 rises and falls, and the height can be changed.

[0035] A control panel 214 is provided on the rear side of a case 2100 that covers the arm driving unit 213 . The arm drive motor 212 is driven and stopped by operating an operation panel 214 provided on the rear side of the case 2100 .

[0036] Arm 211 is roughly inverted L-shaped, and its upper part exposed from support 210 forms forward extension 2110 that extends forward, and a belt 216 having a hanging device 215 attached to its lower end is suspended from the front end of forward extension 2110.

[0037] In this embodiment, the suspender 215 has a rod-shaped main body 2150 that is long in the width direction, and engaging hooks 2151 formed on both ends of the upper surface of the main body 2150. A net or belt on which the care recipient is placed is attached to the engaging hook 2151 of the suspending device 215, and the arm 211 is raised, whereby the care recipient can be hoisted up.

[0038] The width direction frame 20 has leg attachment frames 201 at both ends. The legs 22 are attached via the leg attachment frames 201.

[0039] As shown in Figure 4, the leg mounting frame 201 has an upper piece 2010 and a lower piece 2011 that are parallel to each other, and an inner piece 2012 that connects the inner ends of the upper piece 2010 and the lower piece 2011, and is a U-shaped frame body with openings on the front, rear and outer sides, and the inner piece 2012 is fixed to both end faces of the main body of the widthwise frame 20.

[0040] The leg mounting frame 201 is provided with a vertical shaft 202 that passes through an upper piece 2010 and a lower piece 2011 in the vertical direction.

[0041] The legs 22 are inserted between an upper piece 2010 and a lower piece 2011 of the leg mounting frame 201 in the front-rear direction, and the vertical shaft 202 passes through, so that the legs 22 are rotatably supported about the vertical shaft 202. In other words, the legs 22 extend through the width direction frame 20 in the front-rear direction.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 3, the leg 22 is formed such that the portion in front of the vertical axis 202 is significantly longer than the portion behind the vertical axis 202 .

[0043] During normal travel, the left and right legs 22 are arranged parallel to each other, but by rotating the legs 22 to widen the distance between the front ends of the left and right legs 22, a toilet bowl or chair can be placed between the legs 22 to easily move the person being cared for.

[0044] The running wheels 3 include a front wheel 3a attached to the lower surface of the front end of the leg 22 and a rear wheel 3b attached to the lower surface of the rear end of the leg 22. The traveling wheels 3 are swivel casters whose direction can be changed, and they rotate while changing direction as the traveling care lift 1 travels.

[0045] Since rear wheels 3b are provided on the underside of the rear end of the leg 22 protruding rearward from the widthwise frame 20, it is possible to prevent the front of the leg 22 from lifting up due to the inclination of the running surface or the movement of the person being cared for suspended by the suspension tool 215.

[0046] The assist drive wheels 4 have a relatively larger diameter than the traveling wheels 3, and are attached via drive wheel mounting frames 40 on the widthwise outer side of both ends of the widthwise frame 20 and on the widthwise outer side of the legs 22.

[0047] As shown in Fig. 4, a wheel cover 41 is attached to the outer side of the assist drive wheel 4. By providing the wheel cover, safety is increased even if the side of the assist drive wheel 4 that protrudes at the maximum width of the traveling care lift 1 interferes with other objects.

[0048] The drive wheel mounting frame 40 has an upper piece 400 and a lower piece 401 that are parallel to each other, and an outer piece 402 that connects the outer ends of the upper piece 400 and the lower piece 401, and is a U-shaped frame body with openings on the front, rear and outer sides.

[0049] The upper piece 400 is formed with an insertion hole 403 for passing the vertical shaft 202 therethrough, and the outer piece 402 is formed with an opening 404 having a smaller diameter than the assist drive wheels 4 and the electric motor 8 .

[0050] The drive wheel mounting frame 40 is fixed to both ends of the widthwise frame 20 so that it protrudes outward in the width direction beyond the vertical shaft 202 by passing the vertical shaft 202 through the insertion hole 403, and overlapping the upper piece 400 and the lower piece 401 with the upper surface of the upper piece 2010 and the lower surface of the lower piece 2011 of the leg mounting frame 201, respectively, and fastening them with screws.

[0051] Between the outer piece 402 of the drive wheel mounting frame 40 and the inner piece 2012 of the leg mounting frame 201 , a space is formed that allows the leg 22 to rotate around the vertical shaft 202 .

[0052] An electric motor 8 is attached to the space on the inner surface of the outer piece 402 of the drive wheel mounting frame 40, outside the leg portion 22, so as to close the opening 404. The electric motor 8 is connected to the control unit 7, and is supplied with power and controlled for drive.

[0053] The output shaft 80 of the electric motor 8 is directly attached to the rotating shaft 42 of the assist driving wheel 4 arranged outside the outer piece 402 of the driving wheel mounting frame 40 through the opening 404 . Therefore, the assist drive wheel 4 is attached to the drive wheel mounting frame 40 while avoiding the leg portion 22, and is driven by the electric motor 8.

[0054] Since the assist drive wheels 4, which have a comparatively large diameter, are provided on the outside of both ends of the widthwise frame 20, the widthwise frame 20 on which the pillars 21 on which the weight of the care recipient acts can be positioned lower. This increases the stability of the traveling care lift 1. Also, since the legs 22 need to be formed low in order to be inserted under a bed or the like, the widthwise frame 20 can be made lower, so that the step of the legs 22 attached to the widthwise frame 20 can be made smaller, the structure is simplified, and structurally weak parts such as stress concentration can be reduced.

[0055] Since no gear is interposed between the output shaft 80 of the electric motor 8 and the rotating shaft 42 of the assist drive wheel 4, the structure of the drive part of the assist drive wheel 4 is simple, compact, and inexpensive.

[0056] The assist drive wheels 4 are drive wheels and therefore have a relatively large diameter, and are attached on the widthwise outer side of both ends of the widthwise frame 20, so there is no risk of the caregiver operating the traveling care lift 1 hitting his / her foot, as would be the case with drive wheels that are provided protruding rearward in the width direction of the widthwise frame 20.

[0057] In this way, there is no need to worry about the caregiver hitting his / her foot, and therefore there is no need to cover the assist drive wheel 4 with a cover or store it inside a case, etc., which also reduces costs.

[0058] Since the assist drive wheels 4 on both the left and right sides are installed at positions farther outward in the width direction than both ends of the width direction frame 20, the stability in the width direction of the traveling nursing lift 1 is increased.

[0059] The operating handle 5 is operated by the caregiver to move the traveling care lift 1, and as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, is fixed to the upper part of the back surface of the case 2100 with the detection unit 6 sandwiched therebetween so as to protrude to the left and right.

[0060] When a caregiver holds both sides of the operating handle 5 with both hands and pushes and pulls it, the assist drive wheels 4 are driven to assist the movement, and the traveling care lift 1 can be moved forward and backward and around curves.

[0061] The detection units 6 are load cells or the like that detect distortions caused by pushing and pulling both sides of the operating handle 5, and are installed between the operating handle 5 on both sides of the case 2100 in the width direction.

[0062] When a caregiver presses the operating handle 5 to move the mobile care lift 1 forward, the detection unit 6 detects the strength of the pressing force.

[0063] Furthermore, when the caregiver pulls the operating handle 5 to move the traveling care lift 1 backward, the detection unit 6 detects the strength of the pulling force.

[0064] The operating force detected by the detector 6 is sent to a control device built into the control unit 7, and the control device controls the electric motor 8 in accordance with the operating force detected by the detector 6.

[0065] For example, when a caregiver presses both sides of the operating handle 5 with equal force above a certain level, the control device controls the left and right electric motors 8 to rotate the assist drive wheels 4 on both sides in the forward direction at the same speed.

[0066] For example, when the caregiver pulls both sides of the operating handle 5 with equal force above a certain level, the control device controls the left and right electric motors 8 to rotate the assist drive wheels 4 on both sides in the reverse direction at the same speed.

[0067] When the travelling care lift 1 is to make a curve or turn, the caregiver pushes and pulls both sides of the operating handle 5 with different forces, so that the detection units 6 on both sides detect the different strengths of the operating forces and send the results to the control device.

[0068] The control device controls the left and right electric motors 8 to rotate the assist drive wheels 4 on both sides in a forward or backward direction at different speeds, or to rotate only one of the assist drive wheels 4. In addition, the control device may control the left and right electric motors 8 to rotate the left and right assist drive wheels 4 in opposite directions to each other.

[0069] When turning the traveling care lift 1 while suspending a care recipient, the assist drive wheels 4 on both sides often become the center of turning, but if the pillar erection parts 200 are positioned forward or backward from the straight line connecting the assist drive wheels 4 on both sides, the effect of inertia force becomes large, excessive resistance is applied to the assist drive wheels 4, etc., causing a large load on the drive mechanism of the assist drive wheels 4 and making the turning unstable. As a result, it can be difficult for the caregiver to perform the turning operation.

[0070] Since the assist drive wheels 4 have a larger diameter than the other travel wheels (driven wheels (front wheels 3a, rear wheels 3b)) in order to generate torque efficiently, if they protrude farther forward than the pillar erection part 200, the assist drive wheels 4 will get in the way when inserting the part in front of the vertical shaft 202 of the leg part 22, which has been set low, under a bed, etc. On the other hand, if they protrude farther backward, there is a higher possibility that the caregiver operating the operating handle 5 will hit his / her foot against the assist drive wheels 4.

[0071] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, at least a part of the pillar standing portion 200 is positioned in a region connecting both the left and right assist driving wheels 4 of the width direction frame 20 in a plan view.

[0072] In the example shown in FIG. 5(a), the center of the pillar standing portion 200 is located on a straight line L connecting the centers of the assist drive wheels 4 on both the left and right sides.

[0073] In the example shown in FIG. 5(b), the rear portion of the pillar standing portion 200 is located on a straight line L connecting the centers of the assist driving wheels 4 on both the left and right sides.

[0074] In the example shown in FIG. 5(c), the front portion of the pillar standing portion 200 is located on a straight line L connecting the centers of the assist driving wheels 4 on both the left and right sides.

[0075] In this way, by positioning at least a portion of the pillar erection portion 200 in a region connecting the assist drive wheels 4 on both the left and right sides of the widthwise frame 20 in a plan view, an increase in the load on the drive mechanism of the assist drive wheels 4 and unstable turning are prevented.

[0076] In addition, the large-diameter assist drive wheel 4 that protrudes far forward from the pillar 21 does not hinder the leg 22 from being inserted into a low space such as under a bed, and there is no risk of the caregiver operating the traveling care lift 1 hitting his / her foot against the assist drive wheel 4 that protrudes far backward from the pillar 21.

[0077] [Other Modifications] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and may also include the following, for example.

[0078] In this embodiment, the arm is slidable and fixed to the support column to raise and lower the hanging tool, but the forward projection of the arm may be made swingable up and down.

[0079] In this embodiment, the hanging tool has a structure in which locking hooks are provided at both ends of the upper surface of a rod-shaped main body, but it may be a general hook. In addition, the hanging tool can be raised and lowered by winding up and down the belt with the hanging tool at its lower end.

[0080] It is also possible to change the shapes of the leg mounting frames and the drive wheel mounting frames. For example, in this embodiment, the leg mounting frame and the drive wheel mounting frame are U-shaped frames with an upper and lower piece connected by a side piece, but they can also be inverted L-shaped frames with an upper piece and a side piece.

[0081] In this embodiment, the control device and the battery are built into a control unit installed on the upper surface of the width direction frame, but they may also be stored inside a box-shaped width direction frame.

[0082] In this embodiment, it is preferable that a portion of the pillar erection portion is located in an area connecting the centers of the assist drive wheels on both sides of the widthwise frame, but it may also be located in an area connecting any portion of the assist drive wheels 4 on both sides.

[0083] In this embodiment, the detector is provided between the operating handle and the case, but is not limited to this. For example, the detector may directly detect distortion of the operating handle.

[0084] In this embodiment, the pillar erection part 200 includes a reinforcing part 200a that surrounds the lower end of the pillar part 21 so that the lower end of the pillar part 21 is inserted and fixed, and the reinforcing part 200a has a square shape with an open upper surface, but is not limited to this. For example, the lower end of the pillar part may be directly attached to the upper surface of the width direction frame by bolts, welding, or the like.

[0085] Each technical matter in any of the embodiments including the modified examples may be applied to other embodiments to serve as examples. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 1 Mobile nursing lift 2. Body 20 Width direction frame 200 Pillar erection section 200a Reinforcement 201 Leg mounting frame 2010 top piece 2011 Lower piece 2012 inner piece 202 Vertical axis 21 Column section 210 Post 2100 cases 211 Arm 211a Bracket 2110 Front overhang 212 Arm drive motor 213 Arm drive unit 213a Lifting rod 214 Control panel 215 Hanging Device 2150 Main unit 2151 Locking hook 216 Belt 22 Legs 3 Running wheels 3a front wheel 3b rear wheel 4 Assisted Drive Wheels 40 Drive wheel mounting frame 400 top piece 401 Lower piece 402 Outer piece 403 Insertion hole 404 Opening 41 Wheel Cover 42 Rotation axis 5 Operating handle 6. Detection section 7. Control Unit 8 Electric motor 80 Output shaft

Claims

1. an operating handle for a caregiver to operate; a pillar portion having the operation handle attached to a rear surface thereof and capable of lifting up a care recipient; Assist drive wheels are provided on both the left and right sides and are driven by operation of the operation handle to assist movement; a width direction frame provided across the width direction and including a column erection portion on which the column portion is erected and to which the assist drive wheel is attached, In a plan view, at least a part of the pillar erection portion is located in a region connecting both the left and right assist drive wheels of the width direction frame. A mobile nursing lift characterized by the above features.

2. The traveling care lift according to claim 1, wherein the assist drive wheels are provided on the outer side in the width direction than both ends of the width direction frame.

3. A mobile nursing lift as described in claim 2, characterized in that legs extending in the front-to-rear direction are supported at both ends of the widthwise frame so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis, a drive wheel mounting frame is provided which extends outward in the widthwise direction beyond the vertical axis, and the assist drive wheels are attached to the drive wheel mounting frame while avoiding the legs.

4. 4. The mobile nursing lift according to claim 3, wherein the legs extend forward and backward from the widthwise frame, and rear wheels are attached to rear ends of the legs.

5. 5. The traveling care lift according to claim 1, wherein an output shaft of an electric motor is directly attached to a rotating shaft of the assist drive wheel.

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