JPH10192344A - Help supporting transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device by which a person to be helped is smoothly moved without burdening a helper. SOLUTION: A knee pad 12 for permitting the knees of the person to be helped 25 to be brought into contact is arranged to face a front part, a lifting arm 17 to be inserted under the armpit of the person to be helped 25 is arranged so as to be extended forewards and, besides, an arm driving means 13 for vertically moving the lifting arm 17 is provided. Thus, the burden of the helper is drastically relieved at the time of moving the person to be helped and also movement is smoothly supported without giving an unpleasant feeling to the helper.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is used in the field of medical welfare mainly for the purpose of supporting the daily life of a caregiver shortage or a handicapped person. For example, the present invention relates to the case where a sick person moves from a bed to a wheelchair. Sometimes, it relates to an assistance support transfer device that assists movement.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When it is difficult for a person who is sleeping on a bed to move to a wheelchair or the like due to injury or illness, it is necessary to receive assistance from an assistant. However, since such work places a great burden on the caregiver, recently, a transfer device capable of moving the care recipient has been prepared in advance, and this device can be used for assisting the care. A method in which the caregiver himself moves the device by operating the device is being put into practical use.

Conventionally, as such an apparatus, as shown in FIG. 5, a rail 20 is fixed to the ceiling of a bed room or supported by a column and arranged above a care recipient. It is known that a self-propelled moving device 21 is attached, and a seat pedestal 22 on which a person is placed is suspended from the moving device 21 so as to be able to move up and down. The method of using the transfer device will be described. When the care recipient 25 is on the bed 23, the moving device 21 is caused to travel along the rail 20 and the seat pedestal 22 is raised and lowered to an appropriate height. In this state, the seat pedestal 22 is laid under the care receiver 25 with the assistance of the care assistant. Next, the seat pedestal 22 is raised to an appropriate position, and the moving device 21 is allowed to move along the rail 20 by itself, and the care recipient 2 is moved to a desired position near the wheelchair.
5 is suspended and moved. When the seat pedestal 22 reaches a desired position, the seat pedestal 22 is lowered to an appropriate position, and the person to be assisted 25 on the seat pedestal 22 is moved to a wheelchair or the like with the assistance of an assistant to be seated. These operations move the care recipient to reduce the burden on the caregiver. In the conventional example, the rail 20 is arranged and the moving device 21 is attached to the rail 20. In addition, the seat pedestal is suspended from the elevating device, and the elevating device is mounted on the upper part of the column with casters. A mounted transfer type transfer device is also known.

[0004]

However, as described above, the conventional transfer device is unstable during movement because a person is placed on the seat pedestal and lifted, and the person who moves due to this is transported as an object. There is a problem that you can feel like you are being done and hurt your self-esteem. In addition, there is a problem that the load on the assistant is not sufficiently reduced because the assistance of the assistant is required when the person gets on or descends on the seat pedestal. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and enables a care recipient to move with a natural feeling without impairing the self-esteem of the care recipient, and further facilitates care by further reducing the burden on the care recipient. It is an object of the present invention to provide an assistance support transfer device that can be used.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a first aspect of the assistance support transfer device according to the present invention is that a knee pad for applying a knee to an assisted person is arranged forward. A lift arm inserted under the caregiver's armpit is disposed at a position above the knee pad so as to extend forward, and further, arm driving means for vertically moving the lift arm is provided. Features.

According to a second aspect, in the first aspect, the driving source of the arm driving means is a hydrogen storage alloy actuator. A third invention is characterized in that, in the first or second invention, arm adjusting means for changing the height position and / or the inclination angle of the lifting arm in accordance with the vertical movement of the lifting arm is provided. And A fourth invention is characterized in that in the first to third inventions, a knee pad adjusting means for changing a position or / and an inclination angle of the knee pad in accordance with a vertical movement of the lifting arm is provided.

In the present invention, as described above, the knee pad, the lifting arm, and the arm driving means are the minimum components, and the connection structure between these members and the existence of other members are not particularly limited. However, in order to further facilitate the assistance, it is preferable that these members are attached to a common apparatus main body and the apparatus main body is movable by a caster or the like, and a driving device for movement can be provided.
Further, as described later, it is desirable that the position and the like change in conjunction with the knee pad and the lifting arm, and therefore it is desirable to provide a means for associating them.

It is desirable to provide two lifting arms so that they can be inserted on both sides of the care recipient, but the material, number, shape, and the like of the lifting arms are not particularly limited in the present invention. The lifting arm is moved up and down by the arm driving means, and various structures can be used for the arm driving means. However, among them, an actuator using a hydrogen storage alloy is suitable for the present apparatus.
This has the advantage that the hydrogen storage alloy actuator does not generate unnecessary noise or vibration, and therefore does not cause discomfort to the human body. This is because the driving force can be transmitted to the assisted person in a state where the assisted person is displaced, and the discomfort of the assisted person (feeling of being mechanically moved) can be reduced. Also, if an electric motor or compressor-type hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder is used for driving, the weight of the entire device increases, which is disadvantageous for a mobile device, whereas the hydrogen storage alloy actuator is relatively lightweight,
Another advantage is that the device can be reduced in weight. In addition, the driving device can naturally include a suitable driving force transmission mechanism in addition to the driving source.

It is desirable that the lifting arm is capable of adjusting the front-rear position, the inclination angle, and the like by arm adjusting means. In this case, it is preferable that the arm adjusting means adjusts the lifting arm in accordance with the vertical movement of the lifting arm. desirable. The arm adjusting means can be constituted by a drive device for changing the front-rear position and the inclination angle by moving, rotating, etc. the arm, but is connected to the driving means of the holding arm by an appropriate motion transmitting mechanism, and It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the front-back position and the inclination angle of the arm are adjusted with the movement of the arm. If the lifting arm is moved up and down and the front and rear positions and the inclination angles are changed, the lifting and lowering arm can be easily inserted and removed under the caregiver's armpits, and the posture of the caregiver when lifting can be appropriately adjusted. This makes it easier and reduces the burden on the care recipient. In addition, the front and rear position of the lifting arm,
The adjustment of the inclination angle or the like may be performed independently or may be performed in a composite manner.

[0010] In order to further facilitate the holding,
It is desirable to arrange a chest pad that supports the chest portion of the care recipient near the lifting arm, and when there are two lifting arms, it can be disposed between the arms. Note that the arm and the chest pad may be formed as a single body. Further, the position and the inclination angle of this chest pad can be changed with the movement of the lifting arm, similarly to the above-mentioned knee pad.

Next, the material, the number, the shape, etc. of the knee pad are not particularly limited as in the present invention, similarly to the lifting arm. For example, the knee pad may be appropriately selected from the viewpoint of being able to gently support the knee of the care recipient. Can be. Note that the knee pad may be any as long as the knee hits the knee in a state where the knee is raised at least at the time of lifting. Further, as the position of the care recipient changes as the lifting of the patient progresses, the angle at which the care recipient's knee hits the knee pad also changes. Therefore, it is desirable that the position and inclination angle of the knee pad can be adjusted by the knee pad adjusting means. This adjustment can be achieved, for example, by attaching the knee pad to the apparatus main body with a universal joint so that the knee pad can freely rotate. More preferably, the knee pad adjusting means can adjust the knee pad with the operation of the lifting arm. Should be adjusted. In this case, it is also possible to combine with the universal joint described above. As a result, if the knee pad is adjusted, the assisted person's knee can be favorably supported and the assisted person can be lifted in an optimal state without imposing a burden on the assisted person. As the above-mentioned knee pad adjusting means, in addition to the driving device for rotating and moving the knee pad, the driving means for the lifting arm and the lifting arm are connected to the knee pad by an appropriate motion transmission mechanism, and the lifting arm is moved. Accordingly, the position and the like of the knee pad can be adjusted. In the adjustment of the knee pad, one of the position and the inclination angle may be adjusted, or both may be adjusted.

That is, according to the present invention, the lifting arm is raised while supporting the body of the care recipient with the knee pad and the lifting arm, so that the body of the care recipient can be lifted and easily moved to a wheelchair or the like. . At this time, the care receiver is held up by the lifting arm, is appropriately supported by the knees, and in some cases has its feet on the floor or the like, so that the load is not concentrated on a part of the body, and There is no impression of being mechanically moved as in the case of a conventional suspension, and the user can smoothly move to the destination without damaging self-esteem. In addition, the caregiver can easily lift the caregiver during the movement, so that the burden on the caregiver can be significantly reduced.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. A base disk 3 is rotatably mounted on a substantially central upper portion of a base frame member 2 on which casters 1... 1 are mounted on a lower surface.
A main frame 4 that is slightly inclined rearward (left side in FIG. 1) is erected on the base disk 3, and a bar-shaped grip 5 extends right and left at a portion near the upper end of the main frame 4. It is provided as follows. Further, an auxiliary frame 6 which is short and slightly inclined forward (rightward in FIG. 1) is further provided on the base disk 3, and is reinforced between the upper side of the auxiliary frame 6 and the main frame 4. The frame 6b is erected and fixed. Main frame 4 and auxiliary frame 6
Are provided with rotating shafts 4a, 6a at the ends thereof, and connecting rods 8, 9, 10 are fixed between the rotating shafts 4a, 6a via the rotating shafts 7a, 7b, and a link mechanism is provided. It is configured. The rotating shaft 7a extends left and right,
Knee pad fixing rods 11, 1 extending forward on both side ends thereof
1 is fixed to the shaft, and a knee pad 12, which is slightly forwardly directed to the tip of the knee pad fixing rods 11, 11, respectively.
12 are attached. Note that a knee pad adjusting unit is configured by a link mechanism including the connecting rods 9 and 10, the rotating shaft 7a, the auxiliary frame 6, and the rotating shaft 6a.

On the other hand, an operating rod 13a of a hydrogen storage alloy actuator 13 is fixed to the rotating shaft 7b.
The base of the actuator 13 is rotatably attached to an apparatus body (not shown). An arm fixing rod 15 extending forward is fixed to the shaft portion 7b. A chest pad 16 is fixed to the tip of the arm fixing rod 15, and the chest pad 16 is extended forward on both sides of the chest pad 16. Holding arms 17, 17 are fixed. The linking rod 8, the rotating shaft 7b, and the actuator 13 constitute a lifting arm driving unit and an arm adjusting unit.

Next, the specific structure of the hydrogen storage alloy actuator 13 will be described in detail. The actuator 13 has a bellows cylinder 130 inside thereof,
An operation rod 13a extending upward is attached to 30. The bellows cylinder 130 includes a hydrogen transfer pipe 131
The hydrogen storage alloy container 132 accommodates a hydrogen storage alloy 134 and a Peltier element 135. A space from the hydrogen storage alloy container 132 to the hydrogen transfer pipe 131 and the bellows cylinder 130 is filled with hydrogen gas so as to be able to contact the hydrogen storage alloy 134. The Peltier element 135 is connected to an external power supply (battery) 136 and a control unit 137 outside the hydrogen storage container 132. The hydrogen storage alloy 132 and the external power supply 1
36 can be installed at an appropriate place of the transfer device, and can be housed in the above-mentioned chest pad 16, for example. Further, the control unit 137 can be arranged at an appropriate position of the transfer device so that the caregiver or the like can easily operate it and does not hinder the movement of the care recipient.

When the hydrogen gas is stored in the hydrogen storage alloy 134, a current in a predetermined direction is applied to the Peltier element 135 to absorb heat, thereby cooling the hydrogen storage alloy 134. As a result, the hydrogen gas sealed in the space is occluded in the hydrogen storage alloy 134, and the bellows cylinder 130 contracts due to the negative pressure. On the other hand, when releasing the hydrogen stored in the hydrogen storage alloy 134, a current is supplied to the Peltier element 135 in a direction opposite to the above direction to generate heat. As a result, hydrogen gas is released from the hydrogen storage alloy 134 and the hydrogen transfer pipe 1
The bellows cylinder 130 is extended through 33. The expansion and contraction of the bellows cylinder 130 appears as an expansion and contraction operation of the operating rod 13a, and raises or lowers the rotating shaft 7a. These operations can be easily performed by operating the control unit 137 described above.

The operation of the transfer device will be described below. The entire transfer apparatus is moved to an appropriate place by the casters 1... 1 to prepare for transfer. After this,
Casters 1 to prevent the transfer device from moving unexpectedly ...
It is desirable to provide a temporary fixing device in 1. Before raising the care recipient 25, it is necessary to make the lifting arm 17 stand by at a lower position.
Is not at an appropriate height position, a current is applied to the Peltier element 135 as described above, and the absorption or release of hydrogen in the hydrogen storage alloy 134 causes the bellows cylinder 1 to move.
The extension amount of the arm 30 is adjusted, and the height of the lifting arm 17 is adjusted. When the lifting arm 17 is at the lower position, it is positioned on the front side by a link mechanism (arm adjusting means), thereby facilitating insertion of the care receiver 25 under the armpit.

Next, the holding arm 17 adjusted to an appropriate height position is put under the side of the person to be assisted 25 so that the knee of the person to be assisted 25 hits the knee pads 12 and 12.
When it is difficult to take such a posture immediately, the lifting arm 17 is slightly raised by energizing the Peltier element 135 to slightly lift the care recipient 25, thereby facilitating the movement of the care recipient 25. Later, it can be shifted to the above posture. Thereafter, the operating rod 13a is further extended by releasing hydrogen, and the lifting arm 17 is extended.
Is raised, the lifting arm 17 is retracted while being raised by the link mechanism, and the care receiver 25 is made to stand more. The knee pad 12 is also moved forward by the link mechanism (knee pad adjusting means) while being raised in accordance with the raising of the lifting arm 17, and the posture of the care receiver 25 is eased. Due to the change in the angle and the position of the lifting arm 17 and the knee pad 12, the care receiver 25 can be lifted in a more comfortable posture, and the burden at the time of lifting can be reduced. Note that the care receiver 25 can also stabilize the posture by grasping the grip portion 5 as desired.

After the care recipient 25 is sufficiently lifted by the transfer device, the caster 1 of the transfer device is
… 1 and the care recipient 25 together with the transfer device
To the vicinity of a wheelchair or the like. Next, the care receiver 25 is positioned rearward in front of the wheelchair so that the person can sit on the wheelchair, and the lifting arm 17 is lowered.
At this time, the lifting arm 17 gradually moves forward as it descends, and the knee pad 12 also moves forward while descending, so that the care recipient 25 is in a posture that is easy to sit on, and finally the buttocks are placed on the seat of the wheelchair. You can get on and sit down.
Thereafter, the movement can be ended by pulling out the lifting arm 17 from the side of the care recipient 25. After sitting, the lifting arm 17 may be further lowered so that the lifting arm 17 can be easily removed. In this movement, little or no assistance from the caregiver is needed or greatly reduced. In addition, by the function of the hydrogen storage alloy actuator 13, when the care recipient 25 is lifted, the driving force is not directly transmitted to the care recipient 25 and transmitted in a manner similar to the compliance of the human joint.
The assisted person 25 receives an impression as if being held by a person, and can move quietly and smoothly without feeling discomfort.

In the above embodiment, the case of moving while receiving assistance from an assistant has been described. However, in the present invention, since the movement is facilitated, the assistance is conventionally required to assist the movement. People can move on their own. In the above embodiment, the lifting arm 17 and the knee pad 12 are connected by a link mechanism having a pivot on the rear side, and the lifting arm 17 is also attached to the intermediate shaft of the link mechanism. As a result, the lifting arm and the knee pad change positions, and the care receiver can be lifted in a more comfortable posture. Moreover, the link mechanism has an advantage that the lifting arm and the knee pad can be adjusted by a simple mechanism without requiring a special driving device.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the up-and-down position of the lifting arm is changed according to the vertical movement of the link mechanism. The angle of inclination can be changed by bending. In the present invention, irrespective of the above embodiment, by making the holding arm extendable and contractible or bendable as described above, insertion and removal from the care recipient can be further facilitated. For example, the extension and retraction of the lifting arm may be performed manually, but may be performed by appropriate driving means.
However, just as it is desirable to use a hydrogen storage alloy actuator for the vertical movement of the lifting arm, it is also desirable to use the hydrogen storage alloy actuator as a drive source for the expansion and contraction of the lifting arm for the same reason. When the lifting arm is extended and contracted by the driving means, it is desirable to extend and retract the arm as the lifting arm is moved up and down, as shown in the third aspect of the present invention. A source and a control device can be included in the arm adjustment means.

FIG. 4 shows the lifting arm 171 which can be extended and contracted. The lifting arm 171 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is slidably fitted to a hydrogen pressure cylinder 18 fixed to both sides of the chest pad 16. ing. In addition,
The hydrogen pressure cylinder 18 has its operating rod 18a facing forward, and the tip of the operating rod 18a is fixed to the bottom of a hole in the lifting arm 171. A hydrogen storage alloy container 19 accommodated in the chest pad 16 is connected to the hydrogen pressure cylinder 18 via a hydrogen transfer pipe 19a. Note that the hydrogen storage alloy container 19 can include a Peltier element similarly to the hydrogen storage alloy container 132. A hydrogen storage alloy actuator is constituted by the hydrogen pressure cylinder 18, the hydrogen transfer pipe 19a, the hydrogen storage alloy container 19, and an actuator control unit (not shown).

The holding arm 171 is extended so as to move forward by releasing hydrogen from the alloy in the hydrogen storage alloy container 19 and contracts so as to retract by storing hydrogen into the alloy in the hydrogen storage alloy container 19. I do. When the arm 171 is inserted into the care recipient, the arm 171 can be easily inserted by bringing the contracted arm 171 close to the care recipient and inserting it into the armpit of the care recipient while extending it. . On the other hand, when the arm 171 is extracted from the armpit of the care recipient or the like, if the arm 171 is expanded and contracted, these operations can be easily performed. The above-mentioned operation is greatly facilitated by extending the arm 171 by, for example, about 100 mm.

The hydrogen storage alloy container 19 can be used also as a hydrogen storage alloy container of a hydrogen storage alloy actuator used for vertically moving the lifting arm. At this time, a cylinder used for up and down movement of the lifting arm and a cylinder used for expansion and contraction are prepared, and the valve opening of the hydrogen transfer pipe connected to each cylinder is controlled, so that the arm can be moved up and down and expanded and contracted. And can be individually controlled.

[0025]

As described above, according to the transfer device of the present invention, the knee pad for contacting the care recipient's knee is arranged forward, and the knee pad is placed above the knee pad and under the care recipient's armpit. The holding arm to be inserted is arranged so as to extend forward, and furthermore, arm driving means for moving the holding arm up and down is provided, so that the person to be assisted can be greatly reduced without the helper or the burden on the helper. Can be moved. Further, since the care recipient is lifted and moved, the care recipient can be moved with a natural feeling without giving the emotion of mechanically moving the care recipient.

If a hydrogen storage alloy actuator is used as the drive source of the arm drive means, a movement closer to human care can be obtained, and the care recipient can move without giving any discomfort. In addition, the use of the hydrogen storage alloy actuator makes it possible to reduce the size and weight of the transfer device, and suppress the generation of noise and vibration.

Further, if the up-and-down position and the inclination angle of the holding arm, the position and the inclination angle of the knee pad, and the like can be changed in accordance with the up and down movement of the holding arm, the care recipient can be held in a more appropriate state. Since the support can be performed, an excessive force is not applied to the care recipient and the burden can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of the same hydrogen storage alloy actuator.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present invention, which is a stretchable holding arm.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a use state of a conventional transfer device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 4 Main frame 4a Rotating shaft 6 Auxiliary frame 6a Rotating shaft 7a Rotating shaft 7b Rotating shaft 8 Connecting rod 9 Connecting rod 10 Connecting rod 12 Kneepad 13 Hydrogen storage alloy actuator 13a Operating rod 16 Chest pad 17 Lifting arm 171 Lifting arm 25 Helper

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Shuichi Ino Kita-ku, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A knee pad for applying a knee to an assisted person is arranged forward, and a holding arm inserted under the armpit of the assisted person is arranged above the knee pad so as to extend forward. Further comprising an arm driving means for moving the lifting arm up and down. 2. The arm driving means according to claim 1, wherein the driving source is a hydrogen storage alloy actuator.
Assistance transfer device described in 3. The assistance support according to claim 1, further comprising an arm adjusting means for changing a front-rear position and / or an inclination angle of the lifting arm in accordance with a vertical movement of the lifting arm. Transfer device 4. The assistance according to claim 1, further comprising a knee pad adjusting means for changing a position and / or an inclination angle of the knee pad in accordance with a vertical movement of the lifting arm. Support transfer device