Patent Application
20140165287
The present invention generally relates to an apparatus for lifting and moving a person or item from one position to another, and more particularly, for lifting, transporting, and transferring a person from a wheelchair to a seat, such as in a vehicle.
A person who depends on a wheelchair may face challenges when traveling and need assistance when moving from a wheelchair to a passenger seat in an aircraft, train or other vehicle. For example, in order to move from a wheelchair to a passenger seat in an aircraft, before boarding the aircraft, this person must first move from the wheelchair to a specially designed wheelchair that fits within the narrow aisle an aircraft. This transfer typically occurs in a waiting room, a departure lounge, a concourse, or on an aerobridge of an airport. After this person is moved into the specially designed wheelchair, he or she is transported onto the aircraft and into a passenger seat on the aircraft. This process requires two transfers. The first transfer is from the wheelchair to a specially designed wheelchair that fits within the aircraft's aisle. The second transfer is from the specially designed wheelchair to the passenger's seat. This multi-step transfer process often requires close physical contact with the passenger's thighs, knees and underarms, which may be an unpleasant and awkward experience for both the passenger and the person assisting the passenger, such as an airline employee. This process may also be physically onerous and injurious to the passenger being lifted or the person assisting the passenger, due to size or strength disparities between the two people. For example, an airline employee who repeatedly lifts heavy passengers from wheelchairs and into airline seats without mechanical assistance may risk injury.
According to one aspect, the present invention provides a lift apparatus for lifting and transferring a person from a wheelchair to a passenger seat in an aircraft efficiently, quickly, easily, and inexpensively. The apparatus allows a person assisting the passenger to lift the passenger into a passenger's seat on an aircraft while minimizing the extent of physical contact between these people.
On embodiment of the present invention is directed to an apparatus and a method for lifting, transporting, and transferring a person from a wheelchair to a seat in an aircraft. The present invention also facilitates lifting and transporting passengers of a wide range of sizes and weights, regardless of the passenger's size.
In one such embodiment, the apparatus of the present invention may be used to lift, transport, and transfer a person from a wheelchair to a seat in an aircraft quickly, easily, efficiently, and inexpensively.
In one such embodiment, the apparatus comprises a base frame, a lift mechanism, an overhead support arm member, an outrigger support, a hanger, and a control system.
The base frame may include base frame members, and a plurality of wheels.
The lift mechanism may include a cylindrical guide housing fixedly attached to the base frame, a lift rod telescopingly housed within the cylindrical guide housing for controlling the lift apparatus's position, a selector collar that is movable along the rotatable head into a predetermined vertical position, and a lift actuator.
The overhead support arm member is affixed to the lift rod and pivotably movable to a predetermined laterally extended position on a selected side of the lift apparatus, such as the right or left side of the apparatus.
The outrigger support comprises a laterally rotatable outrigger bar pivotably affixed to the base frame and rotatable to the selected side of the lift apparatus, and an outrigger locking mechanism for maintaining the laterally rotatable outrigger bar in a predetermined laterally extended position on the selected side of the lift apparatus.
The hanger is also slidably supported on the overhead support arm member and adapted to support a load, such as a person or heavy object.
When the outrigger locking mechanism locks the laterally rotatable outrigger bar into the predetermined laterally extended position on the selected side of the lift apparatus and when the selector collar is in the predetermined vertical position along the rotatable head, the control system activates the lift mechanism and the overhead support arm member is limited to be rotatable only to the selected side of the lift apparatus, which is the same side of the apparatus to which the outrigger support bar extends.
In another embodiment, the method of using the lift apparatus of the present invention includes rotating the laterally rotatable outrigger bar to a selected side of the apparatus in order to activate at least one outrigger position sensor switch associated with the selected side of the apparatus, locking the laterally rotatable outrigger bar into the predetermined laterally extended position on the selected side of the lift apparatus, moving the selector collar into the predetermined vertical position along the rotatable head that is associated with the selected side of the lift apparatus, activating the lift mechanism, elevating the overhead support arm member, and rotating the overhead support arm member to the same selected side of the lift apparatus. In yet a further embodiment, a lift apparatus is provided, comprising:
a base frame;
a rotatable support arm connected to said lift member wherein said lift member is operable to control a vertical position of said rotatable support arm, and wherein said support arm is movable to a laterally extended position on a selected side of said lift apparatus;
a support arm selector movable to a position corresponding to said selected side and to maintain said support arm on said selected side;
an outrigger support comprising: a laterally movable outrigger affixed to said base frame and movable to said selected side of said lift apparatus; an outrigger locking mechanism for retaining said outrigger in an extended position on said selected side of said lift apparatus; and
a control system for controlling said lift mechanism, wherein when said outrigger is retained in said laterally extended position on said selected side of said lift apparatus and when said support arm selector is in said position corresponding to said selected side, said control system activates said lift mechanism and said support arm is limited to be movable to said selected side of said lift apparatus.
While aspects of the following description relate to operation of the apparatus in transferring a person from a wheelchair to a seat in an aircraft, the invention is not to be limited to this use.
Further advantages of the invention will become apparent when considering the drawings in conjunction with the detailed description.
The device and method of using the device according to several embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing figures, in which:
Like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
The lift apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be used to lift a person or an object from one position to another. In a particular embodiment, the lift apparatus 1 may be used to move a person between a wheelchair or other assistive device and a passenger seat on a vehicle such as an aircraft. The lift apparatus 1 may be vertically and horizontally adjustable to allow for movement in multiple directions, which permits the person or object being lifted to be moved between various positions. The lift apparatus 1 may be sized to fit within an aisle of a vehicle such as an aircraft. It may also be modular and foldable so that it may be stowed in relatively small space, such as within the vehicle such as an aircraft. The lift apparatus 1 may desirably include one or more safety features to stabilize it while it is in use. These safety features mitigate the risk of the lift apparatus 1 tipping over or otherwise losing stability when, for example, an airline employee uses it to lift a heavy person from a wheelchair in an airline terminal or to place the person into a passenger seat in an aircraft.
In one embodiment, the base frame 2 is supported such as by wheels 4a, 4b and 4c, 4d (not shown) which permits the lift apparatus 1 to be moved horizontally across a surface by rolling. The wheels 4a, 4b may be any type of wheels known in the art for vehicles used for transporting and lifting a person or heavy object, such as caster wheels. In an embodiment, the base frame may also have wheel locking mechanisms for preventing rotation of the wheels. The wheel locking mechanisms may be any suitable wheel locking mechanism known in the art for vehicles used for transporting and lifting a person or heavy object. In an embodiment, the wheels may have wheel frames and wheel frame locking mechanisms 5 for preventing the wheels from swiveling.
The lift 1 may also include a sling or other load supporting device (not shown) affixed to the hanger 19 to facilitate lifting a person who is immobile or semi-mobile. The lift apparatus 1 may also be used with any suitable seat 41 and/or footrest 44 known in the art when used to lift and transport a person. When using the apparatus 1 to lift and transport a person who is immobile, the seat 41 and footrest 44 may provide greater physical comfort to this person.
The base frame 2 and rotatable support arm components such as overhead support arm 6 and rotatable head 20 may be fabricated from any suitable materials, such as aluminum, stainless steel, iron, plastic, or other material with a suitable strength to weight ratio to support the weight of a person or heavy object. In one embodiment, the base frame 2 includes base frame members 3 and a plurality of wheels 4a-4d which are attached to the base frame 2. The base frame 2 may be formed as one uniform object or alternatively as a set of separate, discrete members connected to one another by any suitable connections or mechanical fasteners known in the art, such as welds or bolts, for example.
In one embodiment, the lift apparatus 1 may also have a handle bar 11 for facilitating transport of the apparatus across a surface and a bracket, such as support bracket 13 that connects the rotatable head 20 and the overhead support arm 6 to one another. The hanger 19 is supported by the overhead support arm 6. A sling (not shown) may be affixed to the hanger 19 to facilitate lifting and moving a person or heavy object into and out of the lift apparatus 1.
In an embodiment, a lift member, such as lift rod 9 may be telescopingly housed within a cylindrical guide housing 8 for controlling a vertical position of the overhead support arm 6 that is pivotably movable to a predetermined laterally extended position on a selected side of the lift apparatus, such as the left or right side of the apparatus. In such an embodiment, the overhead support arm 6 and the lift rod 9 may be rotatably connected to one another by any suitable mechanical connection known in the art, such as a bearing or bushing, for example.
The outrigger support 14 may be manually or automatically actuated and controlled. In a particular embodiment, the outrigger bar 15 is raised and lowered manually from the stored, vertical position as illustrated in
In an embodiment, the shape and length of the outrigger bar 15 may be fixed. In an alternate embodiment, the shape and length of the outrigger bar 15 may be modified to help stabilize the lift apparatus 1 and prevent it from tipping when it is used on an uneven surface. For example, the outrigger bar's length may be fixed or extendable using attachments in order to adjust its length and provide greater stabilization when the lift apparatus 1 is used to move a relatively heavy person or object. Also, spacers or attachments may be added to the end of the outrigger bar 15 in order to stabilize the apparatus when it is used on an uneven, stepped, or sloped surface.
In a particular embodiment, the selector collar 10 has at least two lateral extensions 51a, 51b and the vertical selector collar locking mechanism may have a combination of spring-loaded pins 52 disposed within each lateral extension 51a, 51b and indexing detents 53 disposed on the rotatable head 20. The pins 52 engage with the indexing detents 53 to index vertical positions of the selector collar 10 along the rotatable head 20. In a particular embodiment, the indexing detents 53 are sized to accommodate the spring-loaded pins and prevent the selector collar 10 from slipping down the rotatable head 20. Also in a particular embodiment, there are two sets of indexing detents 53, one disposed on each side of the rotatable head 20 (not shown). Each set of indexing detents 53 contains three indexing detents 53 disposed in a vertical relationship with respect to one another along the rotatable head 20 and aligns with one of the spring loaded pins 52 disposed in the selector collar's lateral extensions 51a, 51b, respectively.
Alternatively,
In a particular embodiment, the control system 21 is configured to activate the lift mechanism 7 only when a set of switches associated with either one or the other side of the apparatus is closed and activated.
The at least one outrigger position sensor switch 25 and at least one locking mechanism position sensor switch 26 are operationally connected to and communicate with the at least one selector collar position sensor switch 28. In a particular embodiment, the control system 21 has two sets of switches, each set corresponding to a selected side of the lift apparatus, such as the right or left side. In a particular embodiment, each set of switches has an outrigger position sensor switch 25, a locking mechanism position sensor switch 26 and a selector collar position sensor switch 28. For example, there may be one set of outrigger, locking mechanism, and selector collar position sensor switches associated with the right side of the apparatus 1 and another set associated with the left side of the apparatus 1. In a particular embodiment, the lift mechanism 7 is activated only when all of the switches in one set of switches associated with a particular side of the apparatus is closed and activated.
In a preferred embodiment, the outrigger position sensor switches are activated when the outrigger bar 15 is moved into a predetermined laterally extended position on a selected side of the lift apparatus 1. This activates the outrigger position sensor switch 25 associated with this selected side of the apparatus. When the outrigger locking mechanism 16 locks the outrigger bar 15 into this position, it activates the locking mechanism position sensor switch 26 also associated with this selected side of the apparatus 1.
For example, in a particular embodiment, the outrigger position sensor switch 25 and locking mechanism position sensor switch 26 associated with the right side of the apparatus are activated only when the outrigger bar 15 is rotated and locked into position on the right side of the lift apparatus 1. Conversely, the outrigger position sensor switch 25 and locking mechanism position sensor switch 26 associated with the left side of the apparatus are activated only when the outrigger bar 15 is rotated and locked into position on the left side of the lift apparatus 1.
Also, in a particular embodiment the selector collar position sensor switches 28 are activated only when the selector collar 10 is moved into a predetermined, uppermost or lowermost, vertical position on the rotatable head 20. In a particular embodiment, when the selector collar 10 is moved into the uppermost vertical position on the rotatable head 20, as illustrated in
In a particular embodiment, when the outrigger bar 15 is rotated to the right side of the apparatus and the selector collar 10 is moved into an uppermost position on the rotatable head 20, as illustrated in
In one embodiment, the control system 21 and the selector collar 10 design may desirably prevent the lift mechanism 7 from being actuated when the outrigger bar 15 and overhead support arm member 6 are rotated to opposite sides of the lift apparatus 1 with respect to one another. For example, in a particular embodiment, when the outrigger bar 15 is rotated to the right side of the apparatus 1 and the selector collar 10 is moved into the lowermost indexed position along the rotatable head 20, which would permit the overhead member 6 of the support arm to be rotated to the opposite, or left side, of the apparatus 1, the control system 21 would not be able to activate the lift mechanism 7 because the outrigger position sensor switch 25 and selector collar position sensor switch 28 associated with the right side of the apparatus 1 would be closed and open, respectively. The control system 21 and mechanical design of the selector collar collectively prevent the life mechanism from being actuated unless the outrigger bar 15 is locked into a position on a selected side of the apparatus and the overhead support arm member 6 is rotatable only to that same selected side of the apparatus to which the outrigger bar 15 extends. These configurations and safety features may desirably prevent the lift mechanism 7 from being actuated unless both the outrigger bar 15 and the overhead support arm member 6 are configured to be rotated to the same side of the apparatus in order to mitigate the risk of the apparatus tipping or otherwise becoming unbalanced while in use.
A method of using the lift apparatus 1 to move an immobile or semi-mobile person from a wheelchair or other assistive device, such as located in an airline terminal to a passenger seat on a vehicle such as an aircraft, and vice-versa, is described as follows in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
First, the lift apparatus is used to move the person from a wheelchair and into the apparatus 1. The lift apparatus 1 may be positioned immediately beside and as close as possible to the wheelchair, for example, such as immediately beside the right side of the wheelchair. The person operating the lift apparatus 1 such as an airline employee may then lock the one or more wheels 4a-4d into place in order to prevent the lift apparatus 1 from sliding horizontally during use. The operator then presses the release pedal 17, releases the outrigger locking mechanism 16, and rotates the outrigger support bar 15 from the stored, vertical position to a laterally extended position on the left side of the apparatus 1. Once the outrigger bar 15 is fully extended laterally the outrigger locking mechanism 16 locks the outrigger bar 15 into this left side laterally extended position.
A sling (not shown) is then placed around the person in the wheelchair. The apparatus operator then moves the selector collar 10 into a predetermined position on the rotatable head 20 corresponding to the left side of the lift apparatus 1, for example in the lowermost position, and rotates the overhead support arm member 6 to the left side of the apparatus. The lift apparatus 1 operator then presses the power button on the user controller 24 in order to turn on the lift mechanism 7. The lift operator then presses the lift control button in order to lower the overhead support arm member 6 down toward the person in the sling. The operator then connects the person to the lift apparatus 1 by attaching the sling to the hanger 19 on the overhead support arm member 6. Next, the operator presses the lift control button on the user controller 24 in order to raise the lift mechanism 7 and elevate the person in the sling. Next, the operator rotates the overhead support arm member 6 to a central position directly over the lift apparatus 1 such as directly over the seat 41 in a particular embodiment. Then, optionally, the operator presses the lift control button on the user controller 24 in order to lower the sling and the person onto the lift apparatus 1, and in a particular embodiment, onto the seat 41 in the lift apparatus 1. The operator may then optionally move the selector collar 10 to the centre neutral position along the rotatable head 20. The operator then returns the outrigger bar 15 from the laterally extended position to the stored vertical position by releasing the outrigger locking mechanism 16 (i.e. depressing the release pedal 17) and rotating the outrigger support bar 15 back into the stored, vertical position.
In a particular embodiment, the outrigger support bar 15 may be spring loaded using a spring 34 such that the outrigger support bar 15 rotates back into the stored, vertical position automatically when the operator presses the release pedal 17, which automatically releases the locking mechanism. Next, the operator unlocks the wheels. Next, the operator may optionally disengage the wheel frame locking mechanisms 5, such as if rotation of the lift apparatus 1 is required, and then pushes the lift apparatus 1 in order to transport the person. The optional wheel locking mechanisms may be any suitable wheel locking mechanisms known in the art, such as locking casters, for example, such as to prevent at least one of movement of the wheel around its horizontal axle, and/or swiveling or turning of the wheel around a vertical axis.
The lift apparatus 1 may optionally also be used with a portable ramp (not shown), which may be stowed below the apparatus 1 in order to facilitate transporting the apparatus 1 over an uneven or discontinuous surface on the airline terminal floor or for example, across a gap or angled surface between the aircraft entrance and the terminal or jetway floor.
Next, after the operator moves the lift apparatus 1 along the aisle in the vehicle such as an aircraft and prepares to unload the immobile person from the lift apparatus 1 and into the passenger's seat. First, the operator places the apparatus 1 immediately beside the immobile person's seat on the aircraft. Next, the operator may lock one or more of the wheels into place in order to stabilize the lift apparatus 1 and prevent it from sliding along the aisle in the aircraft. The operator then presses the release pedal 17, releases the outrigger locking mechanism 16, and rotates the outrigger support bar 15 from the stored, vertical position to a laterally extended position on the same side of the apparatus as the passenger's seat on the aircraft. In a particular embodiment, the locking mechanism may be spring-loaded such that by depressing the release pedal 17, the bar 15 automatically and independently rotates back into the stored, vertical position. Once the outrigger bar 15 is fully extended, the outrigger locking mechanism 16 locks the bar 15 into the laterally extended position. Next, the operator moves the selector collar 10 into the predetermined position on the rotatable head 20 that would permit the overhead support arm member 6 to be rotated to the same side of the apparatus where the passenger's seat is located and the operator presses the power button in order to activate the lift mechanism 7. The lift operator then presses the lift control button in order to lift the overhead support arm member 6. The operator next rotates the overhead support arm member 6 over the seat on the aircraft such that the person in the sling is suspended directly over the passenger's seat. The operator next presses the lift control button on the user controller 24 in order to lower the overhead support arm member 6 and gently lower the person into the seat. The operator then removes the sling from the person's limbs. The operator may also remove the sling from the hanger 19 at this time.
After the operator helps the immobile person into his or her airline seat, the operator may then stow the apparatus on the aircraft or transport it back to the terminal by rotating the overhead support arm member 6 back to a central position, pressing the lift control button to lower the overhead support arm member 6 and hanger 19, moving the selector collar 10 from the uppermost or lowermost position to a centered, neutral position and rotating the outrigger support bar 15 into the stored, vertical position, releasing the wheel locking mechanisms, and transporting the apparatus back to the airline terminal or stowing it in the aircraft for subsequent use at the passenger's destination.
According to a further embodiment, the lift apparatus 1 may have features that are modular, such as easily removable or re-fastenable structural components in order to facilitate quick disassembly and storage of the device, for example, into small spaces within an aircraft. For example, the overhead support arm member 6 may be optionally removable from the lift rod 9 and the hanger 19 may be optionally removable from the overhead support arm member 6.
According to a further embodiment, the control system may include an emergency override switch for immediately shutting off the control system and stopping all actuation and lifting, for example, in the event of an emergency.
According to a further embodiment, the lift apparatus 1 may be self-propelled using any self-propulsion unit known in the art. The present invention may also be used to lift, transport, and transfer a person from a wheelchair to a seat in a vehicle, chair, bed, toilet seat and/or shower chair and vice versa in, for example, a home, nursing home, or hospital environment.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible in the practice of this invention without departing from the spirit or scope of it. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be construed in accordance with the substance defined by the following claims.
