STEERING DEVICE FOR A BED

Abstract: Steering device for a bed including a mainly rectangular frame (1) provided with four upright members (2) arranged mainly at each corner of the frame (1), whereby each upright member (2) is provided with a wheel (3), whereby a fifth steering wheel (4) is arranged at one gable of the bed closed to one of the other wheels (3) of the bed, that the fifth wheel (4) can be raised and lowered mainly in a vertical direction by help of a raising and lowering device (5). The support point on the floor of the fifth wheel (4) can be brought into a position below the support point on the floor of an adjacent wheel (3) thus unloading the adjacent wheel (3), whereby the stability of the bed is maintained. The second wheel (3), supporting against the floor at the gable with the fifth wheel (4), is constituted by a freely, around a vertical axis swivelling caster wheel.

Description: STEERING DEVICE FOR A BED TECHNICAL AREA The present invention concerns a steering device for a bed including a mainly rectangular frame provided whith four upright members arranged mainly at each corner of the frame. Each upright member is provided with a wheel, e.g. a freely, around a vertical axis swivelling caster wheel. ' BACKGROUND TECHNIC Present hospital beds are provided with caster wheels at one of its two, or at its both gables in order to steer the bed during transportation in hospital corri¬ dors and the similar. It has thereby been proved that this steering can not be done whith any accuracy and that it practically must be two persons to steer the bed around corners, in elevators and the similar. The stee¬ ring thereby demands a pushing of the bed in different directions and on different points on the bed in order to make it moving in a wished direction. If two wheels at the bed gable in the transport direction are made fixed, the steering certainly will be facilitated during trans¬ portation in relative straight corridors and the similar, but will be deteriorated when placing the bed in eleva- tors and treatment rooms. The american patent publication US 4 300 782 shows a bed whith four wheels, of which three are freely swivelling caster wheels and a fourth is a caster wheel to be steered. However this steering device does not ad- mit a disengagement of the steering wheel in that way that the bed can be handled on four freely swivelling caster wheels. None of the wheels can be raised or lo¬ wered in that way that the bed can be lowered on suppor¬ ting upright members resting upon the floor. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The purpose whith the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks whith the existing bed designs. The purpose has been achieved by the present invention, which concerns a steering device for a bed including a mainly rectangular frame provided whith four upright mem¬ bers arranged mainly at each corner of the frame, whereby each upright member is provided whith a wheel, e.g. a freely, around a vertical axis swivelling caster wheel. The invention is characterised in that a fifth steering wheel is arranged at one gable of the bed closed to one of the other wheels of the bed, that the fifth wheel can be raised and lowered mainly in a vertical direction by help of a raising and lowering device, that the support point on the floor of the fifth wheel can be brought into a position below the support point on the floor of a adjacent wheel thus unloading the adjacent wheel, whereby the stability of the bed is maintained, and that the second wheel, supporting against the floor at the gable with the fifth wheel, is constituted by a freely, around a vertical axis swivelling caster wheel. Preferably the fifth wheel is operated by help of ' a steering facility at least from a position at the opposite gable of the bed. By the invention a steering device has been achieved which admits caster wheels to be used at the four upright members of the bed on the same time as the bed can be steered during transportation by help of the fifth steering wheel. The fifth steering wheel is possi¬ ble to use as well at existing beds, where this is ar¬ ranged as an adapter, as at beds where the fifth wheel is integrated in the bed design. DESCRIPTION TO FIGURES The invention is described below as an embodi¬ ment according to the figures enclosed. Figure 1 shows a bed schematically in a perspec¬ tive view from one side and provided whith a steering device. Figure 2 shows a gable of a bed provided whith a steering device. Figure 3 shows the bed according to figure 2 from one side. Figure 4 shows a part of a fifth wheel partly in a cross section. A bed according to figure 1 includes a mainly rectangular frame 1 , which also can be foldable as shown on figure 1 , provided with four upright members 2 ar¬ ranged mainly at each corner of the frame, whereby each upright member is provided with a freely, around a verti- cal axis swivelling caster wheel 3. A fifth wheel to be steered 4 is arranged at one gable of the bed, according to figure 1 , at the gable which constitutes the foot end of the bed and which also is shown on figure 2. The fifth wheel to be steered, below called the steering wheel, is arranged closed to one caster wheel 3 of the bed and can be raised or lowered by help of a rai¬ sing and lowering device 5, which is operated in a ver¬ tical direction by a turning bar 6 provided whith a le-ver 7 arranged at the head end of the bed, whereby the sup- port point of the steering wheel 4 against the floor 8 can be brought into a position below the support point on the floor 8 of the caster wheel 3. When the steering wheel 4 is lowered from its raised position according to figure 2 and 3 the adjacent caster wheel 3 is raised the way that the load of the bed is transferred to the stee¬ ring wheel 4. Each upright member is provided whith a raising and lowering support 9 of a known kind. The supports 9 must be raised in order to transfer the load from one caster wheel 3 to the steering wheel 4. The steering wheel 4 can be steered by help of a steering facility 10 including a steering bar 11, which is vertically arranged at the head end of the bed, e.g. at the gable of the bed which is opposite to the gable at which the steering wheel is located. The steering bar 11 is provided whith a steering handle 12 at its upper end and is connected at its lower end to a flexible cabel 13, the casing of which is firmly clamped to the frame 1 of the bed, and by help of which pushing and pulling forces can be transferred by an arm 20 from the steering handle 11 to a steering support 14 on the steering wheel 4. The steering wheel 4 according to figure 4 includes a wheel body 15, which is carried on a journal 16 which is turning relative to a housing 17, which is firmly arranged on the bed. The journal 16 can be turned by help of the steering support 14, which is firmly con- nected to the journal 16. Further the journal 16 is axially movable in the housing 17 by help of the raising and falling device 5, which includes an excentrically carried ball bearing 18, which, when turned, pushes the journal 16 causing a lowering of the wheel body 15. When the ball bearing 18 is turned further or together to the initial position the journal is brought back to its re- • tracted position by help of a spring 19, which is shown dotted on figure 4. The lower end of the spring 19 is connected to the housing 17 and its upper end is connec- ted to the journal 16.

Claims: PATENT CLAIMS 1. Steering device for a bed including a mainly rectangular frame (1) provided with four upright members (2) arranged mainly at each corner of the frame (1), whereby each upright member (2) is provided whith a wheel (3), c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that a fifth steering wheel (4) is arranged at one gable of the bed closed to one of the other wheels (3) of the bed, that the fifth wheel (4) can.be raised and lowered mainly in a vertical direction by help of a raising and lowering device (5), that the support point on the floor of the fifth wheel (4) can be brought into a position below the support point on the floor of a adjacent wheel (3) thus unloading the adjacent wheel (3), whereby the stability of the bed is maintained, and that the second wheel (3), supporting against the floor at the gable whith the fifth wheel (4), is constituded by a freely, around a vertical axis swi¬ velling caster wheel. » 2. Steering device according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the fifth wheel (4) is operated by help of a steering facility (10) at least from a position at the opposite gable of the bed.

Inventors: NORELIUS STURE, NORELIUS, STURE
Applicants: NORELIUS STURE, NORELIUS, STURE
Application year: 1987
Main classification: A61G7
IPC codes: A47C19, A61G7