See Application Data Sheet.
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The invention relates to a medical bed of the type comprising a frame made up at least of two parallel beams secured to a chassis equipped with means for adjusting the height of said frame, said chassis comprising two assemblies extending symmetrically below said frame, each assembly comprising at least one first arm, a first end of which is mounted rotating relative to the frame on a first axis parallel to the plane formed by the frame and perpendicular to the beams, said first axis being mounted translatably on the frame along a beam, while a second end is mounted rotatably on a rolling base around a second axis parallel to the first axis, each assembly further comprising at least one second arm, a first end of which is mounted rotating relative to the frame on a third axis parallel to the first axis while a second end is mounted rotating relative to the first arm on a fourth axis parallel to the first axis.
Medical beds are in particular used in hospital centers and traditionally comprise structural means allowing them to be configured based on specific needs of a patient or medical staff. They also aim to meet the needs of patients, elderly individuals who have lost autonomy or suffer from a handicap and/or whose health condition requires long, bedridden periods at home or in specialized care centers. Such beds are in principle designed to facilitate the tasks of caregivers by decreasing the physical efforts they must exert when raising and lowering the patient. Preferably, they must also make it possible to reduce the risks of incorrect manipulations and falls.
Thus, a medical bed generally includes means making it possible to vary the height when lying down, raising or lowering at least part of a portion of the base, and if applicable, movement means such as associated or integrated carriages, making it possible to move them between different periodic usage zones.
This type of bed is either purchased or rented and must be able to be assembled, disassembled, moved and stored easily.
Due to the different functionalities associated with medical beds, they may be very cumbersome and very heavy, and therefore difficult to move. Their assembly and disassembly may prove complex, require special tools and take considerable time, or even require the participation of several operators. Furthermore, they may take up considerable space to store.
To resolve this issue, collapsible medical beds have been developed and are commercially available. In particular known from publication EP 2,583,653 is a medical bed whose removable transport carriage is partially retractable.
Another medical bed, known from document FR 2,769,832, comprises means making it possible to move the two subassemblies forming its rolling base between a usage position and a transport position of the bed, in which they are respectively moved away from and closer to the bed frame.
Despite all of this, the parts making up these two types of beds remain heavy and cumbersome, complex to assemble and disassemble.
The present invention therefore aims to propose new means in order to resolve the drawbacks of the prior art. In particular, one aim of the invention is to provide a medical bed that is quick and easy to disassemble and reassemble without tools, in order to optimize the tasks of the installer and improve his working conditions. Furthermore, another aim of the invention is also to propose a medical bed that can be transported based on the considered situation, either in the form of a compact assembly with an integrated transport carriage, or in several separate parts handled individually. Indeed, the first solution makes it possible to release the installer from a risk of forgetting or losing elements specific to the transport means of the bed, while the second solution makes it possible to move the bed, if applicable by just one person, in cramped environments. The invention further aims to provide a medical bed having a particularly compact structure in the storage position so as to minimize its bulk when it is stored. In other words, the present invention aims to provide the technical means making it possible to convert, with minimal structural means, in the smallest possible number of operations, safely and reliably, an assembled medical bed into a compact, mobile, self-supporting, transportable and storable assembly, and vice versa.
To that end, the invention relates to a medical bed of the type indicated in the preamble, characterized in that it comprises means for translating each assembly of the chassis relative to said frame between at least a retracted position and a deployed position of said rolling base.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will appear upon reading the following detailed description related to one example embodiment provided for information and non-limitingly.
The understanding of this description will be made easier in reference to the attached drawings.
In the example embodiment illustrated in
The chassis 3 is suitable for adopting a low position (cf.
According to the invention, the chassis 3 is further mounted translatably on the bed frame 2 and can thus be moved, once placed in its low position, between a retracted position (cf.
In the illustrated alternative embodiment, the chassis 3 traditionally comprises two assemblies 3a, 3b each equipped with a rolling base 4 and connected to the bed frame 2, symmetrically relative to a plane parallel to the panels forming the headboard and footboard 9a, 9b and extending between the two parts 5a, 5b of the base 5.
Thus, as appears in the figures, the medical bed 1 according to the invention includes first and second modules 1a, 1b connected to one another by securing means (not illustrated) and able to be separated from one another after unlocking of said means. Thus, the first module 1a includes the part 5a of the base 5, the two beam segments 20a of the half-frame 2a, the headboard 9a, the assembly 3a of the chassis 3 equipped with a rolling base 4. The second module 1b includes the part 5b of the base 5, the half-frame 2b, the footboard 9b, and the assembly 3b of the chassis 3 equipped with a rolling base 4.
The two assemblies 3a, 3b of the chassis 3 are identical. They each traditionally comprise two parallel first arms 7, a first end 71 of which is pivotably connected to the bed frame 2, around a first axis X1, parallel to the plane of the frame 2 and perpendicular to the beams 20 of the frame 2. The axis X1 is mounted sliding inside a first rail 8, secured to a beam segment 20a, 20b of the frame 2. It is therefore translatable along said beam segment 20a, 20b along a certain travel in a direction F1 or in an opposite direction F2 (cf.
Owing to the invention, the medical bed 1 further comprises means for translating each assembly 3a, 3b of the chassis 3 respectively relative to a half-frame 2a, 2b making it possible to keep the rolling bases 4 in a retracted position, in which they are kept below the frame 2 (
To that end, the third axis X3, on which a first end 101 of each second arm 10 of each assembly 3a, 3b is mounted rotating, is mounted translatably relative to said frame 2 along a beam segment 20a or 20b. Thus, the invention provides that each third axis X3 associated with an assembly 3a, 3b is mounted sliding in a second rail 11 secured to a beam segment 20a, 20b. The second rail 11 allows the translation, over a certain travel of the second arm 10, in a direction F3 or in an opposite direction F4 (cf.
Advantageously, the medical bed 1 also includes control means that control the passage of the chassis 3 from the retracted position of the rolling bases 4 to their deployed position and vice versa. These control means allow the movement of the chassis 3 simply and easily by a user working alone and without using specific tools.
Indeed, in reference to the figures, in the illustrated alternative embodiment, each axis X3 is coupled, using a connecting rod 12 and a connecting member 13, to one of the panels defining a headboard 9a or a footboard 9b. Each of said panels 9a, 9b is mounted pivoting using two connecting members 13 relative to a half-frame 2a, 2b around a fifth axis X5, parallel to the first axis X1 between the usage position of the medical bed 1 in which the panel 9a, 9b is perpendicular to the plane defined by the frame 2 (
Furthermore, each connecting member 13 further includes an indexing system making it possible to obtain locking in position of the chassis 3 in the retracted or transport position of the rolling bases 4 and thus to provide the safety either of the patient and medical staff, or of the transporter.
Indeed, owing to the structure described above, when it is provided to transport the medical bed 1 according to the invention to a different location, in particular for storage thereof for reuse, it is very easy for an operator working alone and without specific tools to carry out the various conversion steps of the bed 1 making it possible to take it from its usage state illustrated in
Thus, in reference to
In specific cases where the movement and/or storage of the bed on the transport carriage is unsuitable (stairs, significant level differences, tight passages, unsuitable passenger vehicle trunks, etc.), the present invention also sets out that each module 1a, 1b can be transported as separate parts, each assembly 3a, 3b being able to be separated, easily and without using tools, from the corresponding bed half-frame 2a, 2b, and from the respective headboard or footboard 9a, 9b. Thus, the medical bed 1 may also, if applicable, be moved and/or stored in the form of separate subassemblies (not shown) with weights and volumes acceptable for being carried and manipulated by a single person.
Of course, the reverse operations of those described above also make it possible to reposition the medical bed 1 according to the invention in its usage position illustrated in
As clearly shown by the preceding, the medical bed 1 according to the invention meets the aims set out in the introduction. It is particularly suitable for rental, which involves frequent assembly/disassembly operations, and preferably assumes easy transport and storage. These operations are greatly facilitated owing to the structure of the medical bed 1 described above, which further makes it possible to achieve substantial savings on labor and storage space.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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1652860 | Apr 2016 | FR | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/FR2017/050721 | 3/29/2017 | WO | 00 |