Bathroom care chair

Abstract

To provide a bathroom nursing chair capable suppressing pain in the buttocks of a seated person.SOLUTION: A bathroom nursing chair 3 comprising a seat part including a seat frame comprises a central slot 11 extending forward and backward, formed at a center in a horizontal direction of the seat frame 10 of the seat part 4. The seat frame 10 includes a pair of stepped-down parts 12 formed at both left / right sides of the central slot 11 of a seat surface 10a thereof. The stepped-down parts 12 are formed lower than an outer seat surface part 14 surrounding the stepped-down parts 12 of the seat surface 10a to form steps 13 between the stepped-down parts 12 and the outer seat surface part 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a bathroom care chair, and more particularly to the structure of a seat of a bathroom care chair. [Background technology]

[0002] Bathroom care chairs, which are used by elderly people and people with physical disabilities to wash and shower in the bathroom, have a higher seat than regular bath chairs. Also, there are known bathroom care chairs for people who have difficulty lifting their hips, which have a central groove such as a recessed groove or a through groove formed in the center of the seat to allow for washing of private parts (see Patent Documents 1 and 2, etc.). The width of the central groove is usually around 10 cm, taking into consideration ease of washing private parts and preventing the seated person's buttocks from getting stuck in it. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-061509 A (Fig. 2) [Patent Document 2] JP 2018-130353 A (Fig. 1) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The inventors have found that the edge formed by the edge of the central slot and the seat surface can press against the occupant's buttocks, causing pain and discomfort. Generally, when sitting on a chair with a flat seat, the pressure on the buttocks is highest around the ischial tuberosities. Furthermore, for an average person, the distance between the left and right ischial tuberosities is approximately 11 to 15 cm. Therefore, when sitting on a bathroom care chair with a central slot, the left and right ischial tuberosities are positioned close to the edge, amplifying pain in the buttocks. While cushioning is commonly used on the seat to alleviate buttock pain, the presence of a central slot does not eliminate pain caused by pressure from the edge. While increasing the thickness of the cushioning material is an option, the inventors discovered that doing so would prevent the occupant from immersing themselves deeply in the bathtub water when the chair is placed in the bathtub. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a nursing chair for a bathroom with a central slot that can prevent pain in the buttocks of a seated person. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention was made based on this finding, and provides a bathroom care chair equipped with a seat frame, A central slot extending in the front-rear direction is formed in the central portion of the seat frame in the left-right direction, A pair of stepped portions are formed on both the left and right sides of the central slot of the seat surface of the seat frame, The stepped portion of the seat is lower than an outer seat portion surrounding the stepped portion of the seat, and a step is formed between the outer seat portion and the stepped portion.

[0006] With this bathroom care chair, the seated person's buttocks are positioned on the stepped portion, which disperses or relieves the pressure applied to the buttocks from the seat frame. In particular, the edge formed by the edge of the central slot and the seat surface is recessed by the stepped portion of the seat surface, which prevents the buttocks from being locally pressed by the edge portion. This helps to relieve pain in the buttocks. There is no need to increase the thickness of the cushioning material to relieve pain in the buttocks. Therefore, when the seated person enters the bathtub with the chair, they can immerse themselves deeply in the bathwater.

[0007] It is preferable that the stepped portion is disposed between the center portion of the seat surface in the front-rear direction and the back end portion. This allows the ischial tuberosities to be positioned on the stepped portion when the seat occupant is seated in a specified position on the seat frame, thereby preventing pressure on the ischial tuberosities and reliably relieving pain in the buttocks.

[0008] It is preferable that each of the left and right stepped portions is formed in a generally semicircular shape in plan view, with the step as an arc and the edge portion connected to the central slot as a chord. This ensures that the occupant's ischial tuberosities are positioned on the stepped portion, and also distributes pressure from the seat frame to the buttocks around the ischial tuberosities, preventing pressure from concentrating on the ischial tuberosities.

[0009] Preferably, the stepped portion has a stepped inclined surface that slopes downward toward the central slot. This ensures that pressure from the seat frame is distributed to the buttocks around the ischial tuberosities.

[0010] The outer seat portion has an outer inclined surface that slopes downward toward the step and the slope becomes steeper as it approaches the step, The step has an upwardly inclined surface that is steeper than the step side end of the outer seating surface portion, It is preferable that the gradient of the step-down slope surface becomes gentler as it approaches the central slot. This allows the weight of the seat occupant to be supported over a wide area of ​​the seat frame, i.e., pressure from the seat frame can be distributed over a wide area of ​​the buttocks.

[0011] The nursing chair for the bathroom further includes a cushion material covering the seat frame, A central through-hole communicating with the central groove hole is formed in the central portion of the cushion material in the left-right direction so as to extend forward and backward, It is preferable that the upper surfaces of the step covering portion covering the step portion and the outer covering portion covering the outer seating surface portion of the cushioning material are smoothly connected without any steps. This prevents the step from appearing on the outside of the chair. The step covering portion is deformed to conform to the step due to the weight of the seated person. The cushioning material can alleviate the pressure applied to the buttocks from the seat frame. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The nursing chair for a bathroom according to the present invention can prevent pain in the buttocks of a seated person. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wheelchair for bathing including a bathroom care chair according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the nursing chair for a bathroom. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the seat frame of the nursing chair for a bathroom. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the seat frame. [Figure 5] 5 is a front cross-sectional view of the seat frame taken along line VV in FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a side cross-sectional view of the seat frame taken along line VI-VI in FIG. [Figure 7] Fig. 7(a) is a front cross-sectional view of the seat of the nursing chair for a bathroom taken along line VII-VII in Fig. 2. Fig. 7(b) is a front cross-sectional view of the seat together with the pelvis of the seated person when the seated person is seated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figure 1, bathing wheelchair 1 includes carrier 2 and bathroom care chair 3. Carrying carrier 2 carries bathroom care chair 3. A person requiring assistance (not shown) is seated in bathroom care chair 3, and by pushing carrier 2, the bathroom care chair 3 can be transported and used to enter and exit a bathroom (not shown). Furthermore, although not shown, bathroom care chair 3 can be moved and raised and lowered on support rails installed on the bathtub frame, allowing the person requiring assistance (occupant) to enter the bath while remaining seated.

[0015] 1 and 2, the nursing chair for a bathroom 3 includes a seat 4 and a backrest 5. The seat 4 includes a seat frame 10 and a cushioning material 20.

[0016] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the seat frame 10 is formed in a roughly rectangular shape in a plan view. As shown in Figure 6, the front portion (left portion in Figure 6) of the seat surface 10a (upper surface) of the seat frame 10 is inclined upward toward the front. The end portion on the back side (right portion in Figure 6) of the seat frame 10 rises up to fit along the backrest 5 (Figures 1 and 2), forming a back rise portion 19.

[0017] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a central slot 11 is formed in the center of the seat frame 10 in the left-right direction. The central slot 11 penetrates the seat frame 10 in the thickness direction. The central slot 11 has an oval shape extending in the front-rear direction in a plan view. As shown in Figure 6, the front end (left end in Figure 6) of the central slot 11 is located forward of the middle part of the seat frame 10 in the front-rear direction. The rear end (right end in Figure 6) of the central slot 11 extends to the middle height part of the back rise part 19.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the seat surface 10a (upper surface) of the seat frame 10 slopes downwards towards the center as a whole. 3 and 4, a pair of stepped portions 12 are formed on both the left and right sides of the central slot 11 of the seating surface 10a. The stepped portions 12 are lower than outer seating surface portions 14 of the seating surface 10a that surround the stepped portions 12. A step 13 is formed between the stepped portions 12 and the outer seating surface portions 14.

[0019] 3 and 4, each stepped portion 12 is formed in a roughly semicircular shape in plan view and reaches the central slot 11. The steps 13 define the roughly semicircular outer edges of the stepped portions 12. In other words, each stepped portion 12 is formed in a roughly semicircular shape in plan view, with the steps 13 as arcs and edge portions 12e connecting to the central slot 11 as chords. Edge portions 12e define edges formed by the stepped portions 12 and the lateral edges of the central slot 11.

[0020] 3, the left and right generally semicircular stepped portions 12 face each other across the central slot 11. These stepped portions 12 are formed in a symmetrical shape.

[0021] As shown in Figure 3, the stepped portion 12 is disposed between the center of the seat frame 10 in the front-rear direction and the back-rising portion 19. This allows the stepped portion 12 to correspond to the ischial tuberosities A1 (Figure 7) of the pelvis A of an occupant correctly seated on the seat frame 10. Preferably, the widest portion 12c of the stepped portion 12, which is the widest on the left and right, corresponds to the ischial tuberosities A1.

[0022] As shown in Figure 5, each of the left and right step-down portions 12 has a step-down inclined surface 12a that slopes downward toward the central slot 11. The downward gradient of the step-down inclined surface 12a becomes slightly gentler as it approaches the central slot 11. Therefore, the step-down inclined surface 12a is a concave surface with a gentle curvature.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 5, the outer seating surface portion 14 has an outer inclined surface 14a that slopes downward toward the step 13. The gradient of the outer inclined surface 14a becomes steeper as it approaches the step 13. Therefore, the outer inclined surface 14a is a convex curved surface. The step 13 has an upwardly inclined surface that is steeper than the end of the step 13 on the outer inclined surface 14a.

[0024] Furthermore, a plurality of screw holes 16 and communicating grooves 17 are formed in the seat surface 10a of the seat frame 10. For example, screw holes 16 are disposed on the left and right outer sides of the widest part 12c of the stepped portion 12, and on the outer seat surface portions 14 on the left and right outer sides of the front end of the central groove 11. Each screw hole 16 and the stepped portion 12 are communicated with by a communicating groove 17 extending left and right.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 2, a cushion material 20 is placed on the seat frame 10. The cushion material 20 covers the entire seat surface 10a (upper surface) of the seat frame 10. A central through-hole 21 is formed in the center of the cushion material 20 in the left-right direction. The central through-hole 21 is formed in an oval shape extending in the front-rear direction and communicates with the central groove hole 11. A bath attendant can wash the private parts of the seated person through the central groove hole 11 and the central through-hole 21.

[0026] In the cushion material 20, the upper surfaces of the step covering portion 22 that covers the step portion 12 and the outer covering portion 24 that covers the outer seat surface portion 14 are smoothly connected without any steps. Therefore, the step portion 12 can be hidden from the outside of the chair 3. Preferably, the cushion material 20 is detachable from the seat frame 10 .

[0027] As shown in FIG. 7(a), when no weight is applied by a seated person or the like, a gap 12g is formed between the back surface of the stepped-down covering portion 22 and the stepped-down portion 12. As shown in Figure 7(b), when a person sits down, the load causes the step-down covering portion 22 to deform so as to conform to the step-down portion 12. More specifically, portions 20a, 20a on both sides of the central through-hole 21 of the cushion material 20, each of which has a portion 23 corresponding to the step 13 as an inflection portion, are curved so that the outer covering portion 24 warps upward along the seat surface portion 14, and the step-down covering portion 22 is recessed downward along the step-down portion 12, forming a generally S-shaped cross section. When the step-down covering portion 22 comes into contact with the step-down portion 12, the gap 12g is almost eliminated.

[0028] With the bathroom care chair 3, the area around the ischial tuberosities A1 of the seated person's buttocks is positioned on the stepped portion 12 of the seat frame 10. This can disperse or alleviate the pressure applied to the buttocks from the seat frame 10. Even in the case of a chair 3 with a central slot 11, the edge portion 12e formed by the edge of the central slot 11 and the seat surface 10a is recessed by the stepped portion 12, so that the area around the ischial tuberosities A1 of the seated person can be prevented from being locally compressed by the edge portion 12e. In particular, when the occupant is correctly seated in a prescribed position on the seat 4, the ischial tuberosities A1 can be reliably positioned on the stepped portion 12. This prevents pressure from the seat frame 10 from concentrating on the ischial tuberosities A1, and distributes the pressure to the buttocks around the ischial tuberosities A1. Furthermore, the curved shape of the entire seat surface 10a, including the stepped portion 12 and the outer seat surface portion 14, allows the weight of the occupant to be supported over a wide area of ​​the seat surface 10a, and distributes the pressure from the seat frame 10 widely over the buttocks. In addition, the cushion material 20 can absorb and relieve pressure applied to the buttocks from the seat frame 10. As a result, it is possible to prevent pain in the buttocks or to alleviate the pain.

[0029] There is no need to increase the thickness of the cushion material 20 in order to relieve pain in the buttocks. Therefore, the thickness of the cushion material 20 can be minimized. This allows the seated person to immerse themselves deeply in the bathwater when entering the bathtub with the chair 3 while seated. Cleaning can be facilitated by making the cushion material 20 detachable from the seat frame 10. When the cushion material 20 becomes soiled or torn, it can be easily replaced.

[0030] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the stepped covering portion 22 of the cushion material 20 may be thick enough to fill the gap 12g. The central slot 11 is not limited to a through hole, but may be a bottomed slot recessed from the seating surface 10a. [Industrial Applicability]

[0031] The present invention can be applied to, for example, a wheelchair for assisting a person requiring assistance in bathing. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] A. Pelvis A1 Ischial tuberosity 1. Bath wheelchair 2 Carrie 3. Bathroom care chair 4 Seat 5 Backrest 10 seat frame 10a Seat (top) 11 Central slot 12 Step-down section 12a Step slope 12c widest part 12e Edge 12g gap 13 Steps 14 Outer seat area 14a Outside slope 16 Screw hole 17 Communication groove 19 Dorsal end 20 Cushioning material 21 Central through hole 22 Step-down coating 24 Outer covering part

Claims

1. A bathroom care chair equipped with a seat frame, A central slot extending in the front-rear direction is formed in the central portion of the seat frame in the left-right direction, A pair of stepped portions are formed on both the left and right sides of the central slot of the seat surface of the seat frame, This nursing chair for a bathroom is characterized in that the stepped portion of the seat is lower than the outer seat portion surrounding the stepped portion of the seat, and a step is formed between the outer seat portion and the stepped portion.

2. 2. The nursing chair for a bathroom according to claim 1, wherein the step-down portion is disposed between the center of the seat surface in the front-rear direction and the back end portion.

3. The nursing chair for a bathroom according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, in a plan view, each of the left and right step-down portions is formed in an approximately semicircular shape with the step as an arc and the edge portion connected to the central groove as a chord.

4. The bathroom chair according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the stepped portion has a stepped inclined surface that descends toward the central slot.

5. The outer seat portion has an outer inclined surface that slopes downward toward the step and the slope becomes steeper as it approaches the step, The step has an inclined surface that slopes steeply downward from the step-side end of the outer seating surface portion and slopes from the outer seating surface portion toward the step-down portion in a plan view, 5. The bathroom chair according to claim 4, wherein the gradient of the step-down inclined surface becomes gentler as it approaches the central slot.

6. Further, a cushion material is provided to cover the seat frame, A central through-hole communicating with the central groove hole is formed in the central portion of the cushion material in the left-right direction so as to extend forward and backward, A bathroom care chair according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the upper surfaces of the step-down covering portion that covers the step-down portion and the outer covering portion that covers the outer seat portion of the cushioning material are smoothly connected without any steps.

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