Patent Grant
10687998
The present invention relates to a bed apparatus that can be tilted by creating difference in height between the head side and the foot side of the bed bottom which is divided into a plurality of bottoms and placed on a frame and that includes actuation mechanisms for raising and lowering predetermined bottoms.
As bed apparatuses, in particular, bed apparatuses for medical use, nursing care and home use, there has been widely used the bed apparatus having bottoms including a back bottom, hip bottom, knee bottom and foot bottom, in which the back bottom and knee bottom are rotated to rise and lower to support the user on the bottoms in a suitable position depending on the case.
Disclosed as the bed apparatus of this kind has been a configuration in which the drive shaft for rotationally driving the back bottom and the drive shaft for rotationally driving the knee bottom are each equipped with a push-up arm and interconnecting arm while an interconnecting link (interconnecting member such as a back and knee interconnecting stem or the like) is connected between the interconnecting arms so as to be able to drive and rotate the knee bottom in linkage with the rotational drive of the back bottom (see Patent Document 1, for example).
As described in the above Patent Document 1, in the bed apparatus having back-raising and knee-raising functions, there has been developed a configuration in which a switching metal tool is provided for the interconnecting link so as to transmit or so as not to transmit the actuating force of the interconnecting link to the knee-raising mechanism by control of the switching metal tool via a changeover lever.
The applicant hereof has proposed a bed apparatus that can be tilted in order to change the bottom posture by changing the head-side and foot-side heights of the upper frame on which the bottoms are placed (see Patent Document 2, for example).
However, in the bed apparatus capable of the above tilting operation, if the upper frame is tilted when the knee bottom has not been raised, the user cannot be supported on the hips and may slide toward the foot side.
To deal with this, it is necessary for the bed apparatus to have a technology that prohibits the bed from being tilted if the knee bottom has not been raised. However, no bed apparatus having this kind of technical configuration has been found in the prior art.
Patent Document 1:
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open 2009-240583
Patent Document 2:
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open H11-104186
In view of the above circumstances, it is therefore an object of the invention to provide a bed apparatus that permits the bed to be tilted when the knee bottom in the bed apparatus is raised so as to be able to positively prevent the user from slipping toward the foot side when the bed is tilted.
The present invention resides in a bed apparatus including a plurality of bottoms placed on an upper frame thereof, one of the bottoms being a knee bottom for supporting part from the hips to the knees of a user, comprising: a tilting driver that can perform a tilting operation of the upper frame so as to create difference in height between the head side and the foot side and, at least, lower the foot side; and, an operational state detector that detects that a knee bottom actuation assembly for raising and lowering the knee bottom is operable, wherein the tilting driver performs the tilting operation when the knee bottom forms an angle of 0 degrees or greater relative to the ground and when the operational state detector has detected that the knee bottom actuation assembly is operable.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the bed apparatus further includes: a first actuation mechanism for raising and lowering a back bottom for supporting the back of a user; and, a bottom driver for supplying drive force to the first actuation mechanism, and that the knee bottom actuation assembly includes: a second actuation mechanism for raising and lowering the knee bottom; and, an interconnecting member that is attached between the first actuation mechanism and the second actuation mechanism and detached therefrom so as to transmit or so as not to transmit the drive force of the bottom driver to the second actuation mechanism via the first actuation mechanism, to thereby perform a raising and lowering operation of the back bottom by interconnecting with, or without interconnection with, the raising and lowering operation of the knee bottom, and, the operational state detector detects the actuation operability of the knee bottom actuation assembly, by detecting the attachment of the interconnecting member between the first actuation mechanism and the second actuation mechanism.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the operational state detector includes: an identification plug fixed to the interconnecting member by a string-like member; and, an attachment socket on the frame side of the bed for receiving the identification plug, and,
the length of the string-like member is specified so that the identification plug can be fitted to the attachment portion when the interconnecting member is set between the first actuation mechanism and the second actuation mechanism, and,
the operational state detector detects the actuation operability from the attachment of the identification plug to the attachment portion.
According to the bed apparatus of the present invention, the tilting operation controller enables the tilting driver to perform the tilting operation when the operable state of the knee bottom actuation assembly has been detected by the operational state detector. Accordingly, a tilting operation can be permitted on the condition that the knee bottom can be raised, so that it is possible to positively prevent the user on the bed from slipping out of place when the bed is tilted during back raising.
Now, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
To begin with, the first embodiment will be described.
As shown in
As shown in
The back bottom 12a and the knee bottom 12c can be interconnected. That is, in a state where a knee bottom actuation assembly 216 is ready to operate, when the back bottom 12a is back-raised (back-lowered), the knee bottom 12c also performs knee-raising (knee-lowering) operation in linkage therewith. In the present embodiment, the knee bottom actuation assembly 216 includes an interconnecting member 34 described later.
The bed apparatus also includes a height/tilt controller 220, which can perform a tilting operation of the upper frame 10 by actuating a head-side driver 222 and a foot-side driver 224 to create different in height therebetween and at least, lower the foot side.
The bed apparatus also includes an operational state detector 214 for detecting whether or not the knee bottom actuation assembly 216 is operable. That is, the operable state of the knee bottom actuation assembly 216 is detected by the operational state detector 214. When the operable state of the knee bottom actuation assembly 216 has been detected by the operational state detector 214, the bed apparatus enables the tilting driver (height/tilt controller 220) to perform tilting operation.
The configuration of the bed apparatus will be illustrated with reference to
As shown in
Further, in the bed apparatus, the plural bottoms 12 (back bottom 12a, hip bottom 12b, knee bottom 12c, foot bottom 12d) are arranged on the top frame (corresponding to “frame”) 10 while a first actuation mechanism 28 for raising and lowering the back bottom 12a and a second actuation mechanism 32 for raising and lowering the knee bottom 12c are provided.
In this configuration, the bottoms 12 support the weight of the user with a mattress (schematically shown by reference numeral “18” in
The upper frame 10 is set on the top ends of the head-side lift 14H and foot-side lift 14F, which are located under the head side and foot side of the upper frame 10.
As shown in
As to connection between the head-side lift 14H and the upper frame 10, the head-side lift 14H is joined to the upper frame 10 by means of hinges 22. The foot-side lift 14F and the upper frame 10 is connected so as to be movable relative to each other but limit the movable range therebetween, by providing a transmission member 24 for transmitting the vertical motion of the foot-side lift 14F to the upper frame 10 and a guide mechanism 26 that, at the time of moving up or down, restrains the upper frame 10 from moving sidewards relative to the foot-side lift 14F and correctly guides the upper frame along the front-to-rear direction.
The head-side lift 14H and foot-side lift 14F are equipped with actuators 14H1 and 14F1 as drivers, respectively. The actuators 14H1 and 14F1 are each equipped with a mechanism that moves up and down the top part when each actuator is operated. Each of the actuators 14H1 and 14F1 is configured so that their driving forces can be controlled separately.
When the head-side lift 14H and the foot-side lift 14F are moved up or down in linkage with each other, the height of the bed apparatus (upper frame 10) can be changed. It is also possible to tilt the upper frame 10 by making difference in vertical position (height) between the head side and the foot side by driving and controlling the actuators 14H1 and 14F1 in accordance with the control input from the user. Specifically, as the head-side lift 14H moves up and the foot-side lift 14F moves down, the upper frame 10 is inclined with the foot side down. Here, depending on the current height of the bed apparatus, the head-side lift 14H alone may be moved up or the foot-side lift 14F alone may be moved down. That is, any control is acceptable as long as the upper frame 10 is tilted so that the foot side is lowered.
Further, in this case, the knee bottom 12c (see
As shown in
Further, the knee bottom actuation assembly 216 includes a second actuation mechanism 32 for raising and lowering the knee bottom 12c and an interconnecting member 34 can be attached and detached between the first actuation mechanism 28 and the second actuation mechanism 32. The interconnecting member 34 transmits or does not transmit the drive force from the actuator 30 to the second actuation mechanism 32 via the first actuation mechanism 28, to thereby perform a raising and lowering operation of the back bottom 12a by interconnecting with, or without interconnection with, the raising and lowering operation of the knee bottom 12c.
The operational state detector 214 to detect that the knee bottom actuation assembly 216 is operable by virtue of attachment of the interconnecting member 34 between the first actuation mechanism 28 and the second actuation mechanism 32, includes an identification plug 38 and a socket 36a (disposed in an aftermentioned control box 36) (see
Arranged and fixed under the upper frame 10, as shown in
Further, the socket 36a as part of the operational state detector 214 is one of the connector terminals of the control box 36 including signal circuits and arranged so as to be exposed from the control box 36 when unused (see
The interconnecting member 34 is attached to the upper frame 10 as shown in
As shown in
The second actuation mechanism 32 includes links 32a having a roller that comes into rolling contact with the underside of the knee bottom 12c, the rotational shaft 32b for rotationally driving the links 32a, and an arm 32c that is connected to the second joint part 34b in order to rotate the rotational shaft 32b in accordance with reciprocating motion of the interconnecting member 34. Though not illustrated, the first actuation mechanism 28 and the second actuation mechanism 32 are each connected by a hinge pin, which may use a split pin so that the pin will not come off.
The upper frame 10 has a ladder form having cross-wise structures 10a, 10b arranged parallel to the rotational shaft 28b of the actuation mechanism 28, the rotational shaft 32b of the second actuation mechanism 32 and others. The structure 10a is configured to pivotally support the tail end of the actuator 30. The other structure 10b is formed with a support 10b1 for supporting the second joint part 34b when the interconnecting member is unused.
In the bed apparatus of the embodiment, when the knee bottom 12c is moved in linkage with the back bottom 12a, the first joint part 34a of the interconnecting member 34 is connected to the second arm 28d of the first actuation mechanism 28 and the second joint part 34b is connected to the arm 32c of the second actuation mechanism 32 so as to be able to raise and lower the knee bottom 12c by the actuating force of the actuator 30.
On the other hand, when the knee bottom 12c is not moved in linkage with the back bottom 12a (when the interconnecting member 34 is unused), the first joint part 34a of the interconnecting member 34 is disconnected from the first actuation mechanism 28 while the second joint part 34b is disconnected from the second actuation mechanism 32. Further, the interconnecting member 34 is fixed to the bed apparatus by attaching the attachment part 34c (see
As described above, in the embodiment, the back bottom 12a and the knee bottom 12c can operate in linkage with each other by attachment of the interconnecting member 34, whereas the back bottom 12a alone can be operated when the interconnecting member 34 is detached. Accordingly, the operating mode of the bed apparatus can be selected simply by attachment and detachment of the interconnecting member 34. Since the interconnecting member 34, when it is disengaged from the first actuation mechanism 28 and the second actuation mechanism 32, is attached to the bed apparatus so as not to cause any interference, handling performance of the bed can be improved.
In the bed apparatus of the embodiment, the overall drive controller 200 including control circuits and others in the control box 36 will be described with reference to
As illustrated in
In order to effect the back raising function, the bottom driver 212 is connected to the bottom controller 210. The bottom driver 212 corresponds to the actuator 30 in
In order to realize the back-raising and knee-raising function, when the interconnecting member 34 is connected between the first actuation mechanism 28 and the second actuation mechanism 32, the bottom driver 212 is connected to the link 28a of the first actuation mechanism 28 while the bottom driver 212 is connected to the link 32a of the second actuation mechanism 32 via the interconnecting member 34 from the rotational shaft 28b (see
The height/tilt controller 220 controls the height and tilt (tilting operation) of the bed and is connected to head-side driver 222 and foot-side driver 224. The head-side driver 222 corresponds to the actuator 14H1 in
Further, when, on the condition that the operational state detector 214 has detected that the knee bottom actuation assembly 216 for raising and lowering the knee bottom 12c is operable (outputs an interconnected state detection signal), the head-side driver 222 and the foot-side driver 224 are made to perform different amounts of control (that is, head-side lift 14H and the foot-side lift 14F are set to different heights), it is possible to perform a tilting operation whereby the foot side of the upper frame 10 of the bed apparatus set lower than the head side.
In the embodiment, the interconnected state detection signal of the operational state detector 214 can use a signal that indicates a change of state from the non-conductive state to the conductive state by connecting the identification plug 38 into the socket 36a, as shown in
Here, as shown in
The length of the string-like member 46 is specified so that the identification plug 38 can reach the control box 36 (the identification plug 38 can be connected to the socket 36a) when the interconnecting member 34 is set in the interconnecting position.
Also, the length of the string-like member 46 is specified so that the identification plug 38 cannot be connected to the control box 36 (the identification plug 38 cannot be connected to the socket 36a) when the interconnecting member 34 is not set in the interconnecting position.
This setting of the length of the string-like member 46 makes it possible to physically prevent occurrence of the worst case to avoid, that is, the case in which the bed is tilted without the knee bottom 12c raised due to insertion of the identification plug 38 into the socket 36a despite that the interconnecting member 34 is not attached to the interconnecting position.
For example, when, as shown in
On the other hand, when in the non-interconnected state, for example as shown in
In the non-interconnected state shown in
As shown in
A further detailed description will be given on the interconnected function. When the user presses a operation button 44a, back raising is performed. At this time, since the back bottom 12a and knee bottom 12c shown in
Then, when the knee-raising angle of the knee bottom 12c reaches a predetermined angle (the predetermined angle may be any angle as long as the user can be supported in safety, for example, when an angle of 5 degrees or greater relative to the ground is secured), the bed body is tilted. That is, the head side is moved up by the head-side driver 222 shown in
Then, when the tilt angle reaches the predetermined angle (for example, the angle relative to the ground reaches about 10 degrees), the tilting operation is stopped, whereas the back bottom 12a and knee bottom 12c alone continue moving. Even in this case, the angle of the knee bottom 12c relative to the ground is always secured to be equal to or greater than 0 degrees.
In back-lowering mode, the above operations are performed in reverse order. In the present embodiment, when back raising is performed using the interconnect function, the angle of the knee bottom 12c relative to the ground is necessarily assured to be equal to or greater than 0 degrees, whereby it is possible to prevent the user from sliding toward the foot side.
Herein, the operation display device 40 includes a display 42 for visual representation and operation buttons 44 as operation input means, as shown in
The display 42 displays various kinds of information such as current operational conditions, states of the bed and others. For example, an LCD panel, organic EL panel and others may be used for the display 42. Here, in the present embodiment, a power indicator 40a is provided so as to indicate that the bed apparatus is energized and controllable when this power indicator 40a is turned on.
The operation buttons 44 correspond to a functioning unit (operation input means) through which various operations are controlled and instructed to the bed apparatus. For example, in the present embodiment, there are groups of operation buttons “Interconnect”, “Head”, “Height”, as shown in
The operation button group “Interconnect” corresponds to operation buttons for controlling the interconnected function described above. In the interconnected function, control of a back-raising operation is performed while the bed is being tilted (back raising with the upper frame 10 of the bed tilted toward the foot side). Therefore, if the knee bottom 12c shown in
For example, when the interconnecting member 34 is not attached to the interconnecting position, the identification plug 38 cannot be inserted into the socket 36a as shown in
Conversely, when the interconnecting member 34 is attached in the interconnecting position, the identification plug 38 is inserted into the socket 36a as shown in
For example, in the case where the “Interconnect” operation buttons 44 are valid, when the “Up” operation button 44a is selected and operated, the back bottom 12a and the knee bottom 12c rise, and at the same time or afterward the upper frame 10 performs a tilting operation so as to position the foot side lower than the head side.
On the other hand, when the “Down” operation button 44b of the “Interconnect” group is selected and operated, the back bottom 12a and the knee bottom 12c lower from the raised position to the horizontal position, and at the same time or afterward the upper frame 10 performs a tilting operation so as to make the foot side move up to the horizontal.
When the “Interconnect” operation buttons are valid, the validity may be notified to the user. For example, the human pictogram provided on the operation display device 40 may be green lit when the user presses an operation button 44, to thereby inform the user of the validity of the operation button. This configuration is preferable since the user can operate at ease. It is also possible to display the validity on the display 42, inform the validity with a voice and/or use other informing methods.
Conversely, when the “Interconnect” operation buttons are invalid, the invalidity may be notified to the user. The fact of “non-interconnected state” may be displayed on the display, an alarm sound may be output, or a voice message “the button cannot currently be accessed” may be given. This makes it possible for the user not only to understand the current interconnected or non-interconnected status but also to be prevented from tilting without the knees raised.
The “Head” operation buttons are buttons for back-raising operation to raise and lower the back bottom. Operating these operation buttons 44 causes, at least, the back bottom 12a to rise or lower without tilting the upper frame 10.
The knee bottom 12c moves in linkage with the motion of the back bottom 12a, when the interconnecting member 34 is set in the interconnecting position. On the other hand, the back bottom 12a alone moves when the interconnecting member 34 is disengaged from the interconnecting position, or in the non-interconnected state.
The “Height” operation buttons 44 are buttons for lifting operation of the bed. Operating these operation buttons 44 causes both the head-side lift 14H and the foot-side lift 14F to move up or down in the same manner to change the height of the upper frame 10. For example, pressing the operation button 44c moves up the position of the bed, whereas pressing the operation button 44d moves down the position of the bed.
Accordingly, in the bed apparatus of the embodiment, the operation button 44 “Interconnect” and “Head” are both to implement back raising, however, the motions are different from each other. In the “Interconnect” operation, a tilting operation with back raising and knee raising is performed. In the “Head” operation, a back-raising and knee-raising operation, or a back-raising operation alone is performed.
As described heretofore, according to the embodiment, the tilting drivers (head-side driver 222 and foot-side driver 224) of the upper frame 10 are allowed to perform the tilting operation when the operational state detector 214 has detected that the interconnecting member 34 is set in the interconnecting position and the knee bottom actuation assembly 216 is ready to operate. Accordingly, since a tilting operation is permitted under the condition that the knee-bottom 12c is raised, it is possible to positively prevent the user on the bed from slipping out of place.
Next, the second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, as the operational state detector 214 the identification plug 38 and the socket 36a of the control box 36 are used. In the second embodiment, methods without use of an identification plug are provided.
Specifically, as the operational state detector 214 an identification member (e.g., using Near Field Communication (NFC) such as Felica® or the like) is provided beforehand for the interconnecting member 34. The position of the interconnecting member 34 is detected based on the position of the identification member.
With this method, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience of attaching the identification plug 38. It is also possible to avoid occurrence of such a situation that connection of the identification plug 38 has been forgotten although the interconnecting member 34 is set.
It is also possible to provide a detecting configuration without use of any identification member in the interconnecting member 34. Specifically, a state detection sensor is provided for the control box 36. Various types of sensors can be considered as the state detection sensor. For example, an infrared sensor is provided for the control box 36 so as to detect the position of the interconnecting member 34 by infrared rays. Thus, based on the position of the interconnecting member 34, it is possible to detect interconnection/non-interconnection between the back bottom 12a and the knee bottom 12c. Alternatively, a magnetic sensor may be used to detect the interconnecting member 34.
Here, since the other components in the configuration of the bed apparatus in the second embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment, so detailed description is omitted.
Next, the third embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, the configuration and control of the control device 40 are modified from those of the first embodiment or the second embodiment. Since the overall configuration of the bed apparatus is the same as in the first and second embodiments, detailed described is omitted.
In the control and display device 40 according to the third embodiment, the “Head” operation buttons are omitted. When the operational state detector 214 (see
That is, when the interconnecting member 34 is attached in the interconnecting position (in other words, the back bottom 12a and the knee bottom 12c are interconnected), selection and operation of the “Up” operation button of “Interconnect” causes back-raising operation in linkage with knee-raising operation. Further, during back raising, a tilting operation of lowering the foot side of the bed can be performed together. On the other hand, when the “Down” operation button is selected and operated, back-lowering operation is performed in linkage with knee-lowering operation while the bed is moved to the horizontal position.
On the other hand, when the operational state detector 214 detects the non-attachment state or that the interconnecting member 34 has been disengaged from the interconnecting position, back-raising operation alone, or the back bottom 12a alone being raised/lowered without a tilting operation, can be actuated and controlled.
In this case, for example, selection and operation of the “Up” operation button of “Interconnect” causes back-raising operation only without a tilting operation of the bed. On the other hand, when the “Down” operation button is selected and operated, back-lowering operation alone is performed without a tilting operation.
According to the third embodiment, attachment and detachment of the interconnecting member in the interconnecting position makes it possible to select performing back-raising and knee-raising operation together with tilting operation and performing simple back-raising operation, respectively. According to the present embodiment, it is possible to simplify the device configuration such as reducing the number of operation buttons, and realize simple control.
Though the embodied modes of the invention have been detailed with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration should not be limited to the embodiments. Designs and others that do not depart from the gist of this invention should also be included in the scope of claims.
The operation display device 40 described above includes operation buttons. However, the display unit and operation unit may be integrated by use of, for example a touch panel, or the like. The operation display device 40 does not need to include a display device as long as the user can perform control input. Instead of the operation display device 40, an application may be installed into another information terminal (smart phone, tablet terminal, and the like) so as to realize the same functions.
Further, since the above-described interconnecting member 34 is a member for interconnecting the back bottom 12a and the knee bottom 12c, the configuration and material should not be limited to those in the above embodiments. It goes without saying that the member may have, for example a metal rod-like configuration or may be formed of other material such as reinforced plastics.
The bed apparatus of the present invention can be applied to various kinds of bed apparatus such as in-home care nursing bed apparatus, facility care nursing bed apparatus, hospital bed apparatus and the like.
10 upper frame
12 bottoms
12
a back bottom
12
b hip bottom
12
c knee bottom
12
d foot bottom
14F foot-side lift
14H head-side lift
28 first actuation mechanism
30 actuator
32 second actuation mechanism
34 interconnecting member
36 control box
36
a socket
38 identification plug
40 operation display device
46 string-like member
200 drive controller
210 bottom controller
212 bottom driver
214 operational state detector
220 controller
222 head-side driver
224 foot-side driver
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-103094 | May 2013 | JP | national |
This is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/889,276, filed on Nov. 5, 2015, which is a national stage entry of International Application No. PCT/JP2014/058921, which claims priority to Japanese Application No. 2013-103094, filed on May 15, 2013, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5346285 | West, III | Sep 1994 | A |
| 6854141 | Nagaoka | Feb 2005 | B2 |
| 20050268401 | Dixon | Dec 2005 | A1 |
| 20080172789 | Elliot | Jul 2008 | A1 |
| 20090151074 | Nagaoka | Jun 2009 | A1 |
| 20130000041 | Receveur | Jan 2013 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 202 07 648 | Aug 2002 | DE |
| H10-146362 | Jun 1998 | JP |
| H10-216179 | Aug 1998 | JP |
| H11-104186 | Apr 1999 | JP |
| 2009-240583 | Oct 2009 | JP |
| 2010-178922 | Aug 2010 | JP |
| 2011-125552 | Jun 2011 | JP |
| Entry |
|---|
| Allowed Claims from Parent U.S. Appl. No. 14/889,276, filed Nov. 5, 2015. |
| International Search Report for corresponding International Application No. PCT/JP2014/058921 dated May 13, 2014. |
| International Preliminary Report on Patentability for corresponding International Application No. PCT/JP2014/058921 dated Nov. 17, 2015 (English translation). |
| Extended European Search Report dated Dec. 9, 2016 for corresponding European Application No. 14798168.2. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20190151173 A1 | May 2019 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 14889276 | US | |
| Child | 16231648 | US |
