Wheelchairs.
The degree of disability of people who use wheelchairs varies considerably. For some of those who use wheelchairs being able to leave the wheelchair to deal with body functions is a relatively simple matter. For others, it is impossible. This invention provides a solution to the need for people who are wheelchair bound to be able to perform certain body functions with a relative degree of simplicity.
In an embodiment, there is disclosed a wheelchair, comprising a frame supported on wheels, a removable seat supported by the frame, a receptacle supported by the frame under the removable seat, a lifting tower supported by the frame and a sling carried by the lifting tower; and the sling being operable by the lifting tower through a lifting range to move between positions in which a person carried in the sling is raised above the removable seat so that the removable seat may be removed and a person carried in the sling is lowered to be supported over the receptacle.
In various embodiments, there may be included any one or more of the following features: in the lowered position the person is supported by a toilet seat that is supported by the frame; the sling has at least a first supporting section and a second supporting section that are separated to be positionable respectively under the back and legs of the person; the sling is suspended from the lifting tower by cables; the lifting tower includes a part that extends upward above the frame of the wheelchair from the back of the frame; the lifting tower includes a lever arm that pivots on the part that extends upward above the frame, with a forward portion of the lever arm extending over the removable seat, and the sling being suspended from the forward portion of the lever arm; and a rearward portion of the lever arm is connected through a linear actuator to the frame. These and other aspects of the device are set out in the claims, which are incorporated here by reference.
Embodiments will now be described with reference to the figures, in which like reference characters denote like elements, by way of example, and in which:
Referring to
A lifting tower 34 is supported by the frame. There are many ways to have a lifting tower supported by the frame. In an example shown, the lifting tower 34 includes a part 36 that extends upward above the frame of the wheelchair 10 from the back 14 of the frame, more specifically from posts 25 that may be secured to the back supports 24 in this example, and a lever arm 38 that pivots on the part 36, with a forward portion 40 of the lever arm 38 extending over the removable seat 30, and a sling 42 is suspended from the forward portion 40 of the lever arm 38. Components of the lifting tower 34 may be made easily removable for example by using quick release connections.
The forward portion 40 of the lever arm 38 may include a cross-bar 43 to assist in lateral stabilization of the sling 42. In this manner, the sling 42 is carried by the lifting tower 34. In the embodiment shown, the sling 42 is suspended from the lifting tower 34 by straps 44 or other suitable suspension element. A rearward portion 46 of the lever arm 38 is connected through a linear actuator 48 to the frame, which in this example includes a plate 50 secured to the frame in any convenient manner to which the linear actuator 48 is attached. The plate 50 may be secured to the posts 25 and supported by support legs 29, that connect to rearward extensions 19 of the frame of the wheelchair 10. The linear actuator 48 may be any suitable linear actuator such as a pneumatic, hydraulic or electric linear actuator. The linear actuator 48 may be powered by a suitable motor 51 with control and power pack 53, which may be placed in any suitable location on the wheelchair 10 such as at the back 14 or one side of the frame.
For use during lifting of a person, stabilizer bars 27 may be secured to a suitable part of the frame such as rearward extensions 19 of the legs 18. When stabilizer bars are used on the rear of the wheelchair frame, it is preferable that the brakes for the wheelchair be on the front wheels.
As shown in
In each of the examples of
The lift or lifting tower shown in
The toilet seat 33 is preferably concealed below the removable seat 30 or cushion, and fitted to the size of the person expected to use the wheelchair 10.
The receptacle 32 functions as a commode pot or bedpan. The size and shape of the receptacle is dictated by the structure of the cage 26, which varies from wheelchair to wheelchair. For example, the receptacle 32 may need to be shaped to accommodate cross-struts of a collapsible wheelchair.
The lifting sling may have a variety of designs. The design shown is a known sling for lifting a person that provides good upper back support. However, the leg slings do interfere somewhat with clothing adjustment for changing and toileting purposes when the individual is in the lift position. Therefore it is preferable to use under the knee supports attached directly to an upper part of the lifting tower (such as the lifting arm) and that moves in concert with the rest of the sling. Other options may be used for making the sling more accessible for dressing and undressing. For example, the second, under the knee part, piece of the sling might need to be fastened by two straps on either leg (back and front) to the sling belt to act as a counter weight and keep the belt from sliding into the rib cage.
The lifting tower 34 may be retrofitted to an existing wheelchair as disclosed, or built into a new wheelchair. In the retrofit case, the supports of the lifting tower 34 may be separate posts 25 as shown that are secured to the back supports 24 of the wheelchair by any suitable means. The lifting tower 34 should be rated for the intended use for example lifting up to 240 lbs. The particular wheelchair shown is an Invacare 9000xt wheelchair, but any suitable wheelchair may be used. Depending on the design of the wheelchair, the following general but detailed procedure may be carried out:
Preparation:
Facing the user, apply brakes.
Place sling around the user.
Walk to the rear of the chair, install stabilizer bars (if being used).
Install lifting tower, sling and actuator if not already installed, and check and correct any hazards, for example loose connections, sharp edges or components being in the way of the user.
Lifting and Commode Use:
Begin lifting the user. Once the user is raised high enough above the seat, remove the seat.
Lower the user on to toilet seat by operating the actuator with its control system.
Once the user has finished, raise the user to height below maximum to ensure there is still room to raise the user when the seat is replaced.
Remove an armrest if better access is needed.
Remove waste receptacle out, for example by sliding, and place on floor/ground.
Finish cleaning process, wipe down seat and plate if needed.
Replace seat, possibly raising the user higher than before, and secure seat to chair, if required, for example using Velcro straps.
Lower the user onto seat, remove sling, remove or move any components of the lifting tower that might be in the way.
Secure the user with seat back rest straps, if required by that user.
Remove and store any lifting tower components in the opposite order they were placed, if required.
Empty, clean and replace receptacle
Remove stabilizer bars (if being used)
Release brakes
Parts may be stored in a bag or on the chair at the discretion of the operator.
Parts should be cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis. Lifting tower, actuator, control box and batteries should receive weekly cleanings using a gentle antibiotic solution, unless otherwise needed.
The control should be provided with an emergency stop button. Depressing the button should only cause the actuator to stop moving but will not lower the user back to her seat.
Depending on the design of the wheelchair, there may be a high risk of the user lurching during regular use of the chair and frame. In such situations, it may be desirable not to leave the user alone in the wheelchair, there should be no sharp exposed edges that the user might press against, and in some situations, stabilizer bars may need to be in place when using the frame.
Depending on the design of the sling, it may be necessary to ensure that the seat is easily replaced after cleaning, and that the user is not raised to the maximum height in case she might slip through the sling. When ready to replace the seat, raise the user to near or at the maximum height and slide seat in. This procedure may need some experimentation before figuring out the optimum heights.
Other features that might be desirable: Use foam covers on sharp components of the lifting tower. Make cloth wrappings for foam covers to permanently hold them in place. Place hooks on chair to carry lifting frame when not in use. Make an insulating cover for the linear actuator, control box and battery to protect them from cold. Keep sling straps as short as possible. Stitch Velcro disks into seat.
In a preferred embodiment, under the removable seat 30 within the seat supporting cage 26 is a receptacle 32 for body waste which comprises a bowl 134 and a removable drawer 136. In
In
In
In an embodiment (not shown) but intended to be covered by the claims, the lifting tower may be built along with the frame so that the frame is not readily separable from the lifting tower. If the back of the wheelchair is formed by the lifting tower, then the frame is the parts of the wheelchair that support the seat, including the seat supporting cage, legs and wheels.
Immaterial modifications may be made to the embodiments described here without departing from what is covered by the claims. In the claims, the word “comprising” is used in its inclusive sense and does not exclude other elements being present. The indefinite articles “a” and “an” before a claim feature do not exclude more than one of the feature being present. Each one of the individual features described here may be used in one or more embodiments and is not, by virtue only of being described here, to be construed as essential to all embodiments as defined by the claims.
This application claims the benefit under 35 USC 119(e) of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/581,837 filed Dec. 30, 2011.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61581837 | Dec 2011 | US |