Bath lift

Abstract: A bath lift, for raising or lowering an invalid or disabled user out of and into a bath tub 5, comprises a frame 3 and a seat member 2. The frame 3 mounts on the rim 4 of the bath tub 5, and the seat member 2 is suspended at each side on flexible supporting tapes 15,17,19,21. The tapes 15,17,19,21 are wound on respective and separately mounted shafts 9 and 10 which extend along opposite sides of the frame 3. Thus rotation of either shaft 9 or 10 effects controlled lifting (or lowering) of the corresponding side of the seat member 2.

Description: The invention relates to bath lifts for raising or lowering invalids and disabled users out of or into a bath tub in a seated position. It is particularly concerned with a bath lift which comprises a frame, two separately mounted shafts respectively extending along opposite sides of the frame, and a seat member suspended at the sides by flexible cables or tapes wound on the shafts which are independently driven by respective geared electric motors. Such a bath lift is known from DE-A-3434663 in which the frame and bath tub provide an integrated structure and which specifies that the two shafts are synchronously driven at the same speed. The invention provides a bath lift which is less restrictive as to the bath tub used, and which provides advantageous control of the shaft driving motors. A bath lift according to the invention is characterized in that the frame mounts on the bath tub and by a control circuit operative to control the motors dependent on stepping counts of the angular movements of the shafts, whereby to maintain rotational movements of the shafts in step and thus to ensure even raising and lowering of the seat member, and to determine the fully-raised position of the seat member by sensing decrease in motor speed as the lifting cables or tapes become taut. The frame is preferably adjustable in width to suit the bath tub at the time in use. The cables or tapes are conveniently webbing tapes. However, the words "cables or tapes" as used herein are to be construed broadly as including any elongate flexible members usable to suspend the seat member for the purposes of the invention. The stepping counts of shaft angular movement is, for each shaft, preferably sensed at the output shaft of the corresponding drive motor gearing. In determining the fully-raised position of the seat member the control circuit may sense a decrease in motor speed to a predetermined minimum value. As a correcting feature to compensate for tape stretching, etc. the control circuit may commence the stepping count of each shaft at the fully-lowered position when the seat member is resting at the bottom of the bath tub, which thus provides the control datum position. Side flaps may be fixed along the side edges of the seat member so as to drop down at the fully-raised position to extend over the respective shafts. This makes it easy for a user to slide on to, and off, the seat member from the side over either of the so-covered shafts. The shafts may, alternatively, be shrouded for the same purpose, for example housed within hollow side arms of the frame. A back rest may be provided associated with the seat member and which has an inclination dependent on the height position of the seat member. This back rest may be hinged to the rear of the seat member and connected through a linkage to the frame of the bath lift, the linkage being operative to provide the desired control of the inclination of back rest as the seat member is raised or lowered. A head rest may also be provided, fixed at the rear of the frame which may also house the complete lifting mechanism, control circuit and energizing batteries to power the lift. The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, two embodiments of bath lift in accordance with the invention. In the drawings: Figs. 1 to 3 illustrate diagrammatically and in perspective view the basic structure of one bath lift in accordance with the invention, respectively showing a seat member in fully-raised, intermediate and fully-lowered height positions; Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view on the line IV-IV in Fig. 1; Fig 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment, Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively diagrammatic side and front views illustrating support of a back rest in the fully-raised position; and Figs. 8 and 9 are similar views illustrating support in the fully-lowered position. The bath lift illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 has a seat assembly 1 including a seat member 2 of rectangular shape, shown in the drawings by way of example as a flat board whereas in practice it will normally be contoured or otherwise formed to provide more comfortable seating for the user. The seat member 2 is suspended from the side arms of a U-shaped frame 3 which sits on the rim 4 of the bath tub 5 at the head end of the latter. The frame 3 comprises two L-shaped sections 6 and 7 which, at the base of the frame U, fit slidably one within the other for telescopic width adjustment of the frame 3 to suit the bath tub 5 with which the lift is at the time being used. Each frame section 6 or 7 has two spaced locator plates 8 which engage within the bath tub rim 4 for lateral location of the frame 3, as is clearly shown in Fig. 4. Locking means (not illustrated) are provided to lock the frame members 6,7 together at the adjusted frame width. Parallel winding shafts 9 and 10 are rotatably mounted on the frame members 6 and 7, in bearings in spaced support brackets 11,12 and 13,14 respectively, these shafts running along the side limbs of the frame U. The seat assembly 1 is suspended at the four corners of the seat member 2, from the side shafts 9 and 10, by webbing tapes. These tapes are wound in pairs 15,16 and 17,18 on the shaft 9 and pairs 19,20 and 21,22 on the shaft 10, the shafts respectively being turned by individual reversible electric motors 23 and 24 to raise and lower the seat assembly 1 windlass-fashion. The frame members 6 and 7 include tape guides, respectively 6a and 6b, with guide slots through which the tapes pass and which thus maintain the overlying paired tape relationships. The seat assembly 1 includes bottom hinged plates 25 and 26 which are freely hinged along the opposite side edges of the seat member 2. The outer webbing tapes 15 and 17 are secured to the bottom edge of the side plate 25, as by pins such as 27 (Fig. 2), and continue around and below the plate 25 to be secured at the centre of the seat member 2 at 28. Similarly, the outer webbing tapes 19 and 21 are secured to the side plate 26 at the bottom edge thereof and to the seat member 2 at the centre 28. The result is that in a suspended, i.e. partially-lowered, position of the seat assembly 1 the lower end portions of the tapes 15,17,19,21 are taut to define slightly inwardly inclined positions of the side plates 25 and 26. This condition is illustrated in Fig. 2, the side plates 25 and 26 thus acting as struts through which the seat member 2 is supported during raising and lowering movement by the tapes 15,17,19,21 with the inner tapes 16,18,20,22 at this time slack. As the seat assembly 1 reaches the bottom of the bath tub the side plates (struts) 25 and 6 are engaged by the side walls 5a and 5b of the bath tub 5 with a camming action so that they deflect inwardly and fold up beneath the seat member 2. At the fully-lowered position, as illustrated in Fig. 3 and shown in broken lines in Fig. 4, the plates 25 and 26 lie flat against the bottom 5c of the tub 5 and the user can bathe, or be bathed, immersed in the bath water. Turning of the shafts 9 and 10 in the appropriate contra-directions by the motors 23 and 24, respectively, raises the seat assembly 1 with the side plates extending back to the Fig. 2 intermediate-height position condition as the assembly 1 clears the tub bottom 5c. The motors 23 and 24 are coupled to the shafts 9 and 10 through right-angle reduction gearings 29 and 30 which, being irreversible in the drive sense, effectively lock the shafts 9 and 10 at any height position of the seat assembly 1 and, in particular, produce controlled lowering movement as the suspended weight cannot "run away" with the drive and braking mechanisms are not required. The final drive to the shafts 9 and 10 is through flexible couplings 29a and 30a, respectively. Side flaps 31 and 32 are also freely hinged along the opposite side edges of the seat member 2, so that at intermediate- and fully-lowered height positions these flaps rest against the respective side supporting tapes. However, as the assembly 1 reaches the fully-raised position the seat member 2, due to the provision of the side plates 25 and 26, is lifted above the bath rim 4 by the tapes 15, 17, 19 and 21 and the flaps 31 and 32, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, drop down until they lie level with the seat member 2 and rest on the support brackets 11 and 12, or 13 and 14, respectively. Thus a seating surface is provided above the height of the of the bath tub 5, on to and off which the user can slide or be slid. This makes the bath lift especially suitable for access to and from the bath by a wheelchair user. As mentioned this advantage results from the provision of the side plates which enable the seat member 2 to be raised above the height of the tub 5 whilst, being hinged, they fold up beneath the seat member 2 and thus do not substantially restrict the usable depth of the tub 5. As the fully-raised seat position is approached the inner webbing tapes 16,18,20,22 also go taut and thus, when the seat assembly 1 is fully raised, all the tapes are taut and the seat assembly is firmly suspended between the shafts 9 and 10. As Fig. 4 makes clear a triangulated tension supporting arrangement results, at each side of the seat member 2, from the provision of the webbing pairs and the side plates 25 and 26. Thus the seat assembly is firmly and rigidly held and located centrally of the bath tub 5 whilst the user slides on to and off the seat member 2. The individual shaft-drive motors 23 and 24 are controlled by a low-voltage control circuit (not illustrated) which has control switches accessible to the user for self operation. This control circuit is servo-controlled, so that the two motors remain in step, and the full-raised position is determined by decrease in motor speed to a minimum value as all four webbing tapes become taut. This position is determined by the control circuit which senses the predetermined minimum value of motor speed. The control circuit incorporates rotation measuring means to compare rotation of the shafts, the rotation measurement starting during each cycle of lifting operation at the fully-lowered position. Thus at each cycle of operation any necessary corrective action is taken to compensate, for example, for differential stretching of the webbing tapes. Rotation measurement is effected by a stepwise count of angular movement, for each shaft the count being effected at the output shaft of the corresponding drive gearing. The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 5 to 9 is functionally similar to that already described. Thus a seat assembly 101, which includes a contoured seat member 102, is suspended from the side arms 103,104 of a U-shaped frame 105 which sits on the rim 106 of the bath tub 107. As before the seat member 102 is suspended from rotatable side shafts housed and fully shrouded within the side arms 103,104 which are hollow for this purpose. The suspension is via webbing tape pairs such as 108,109 as previously described. The lifting mechanism is also completely housed within the hollow frame 105 which has a rear member 111 in which the control circuit 112 which functions as previously described, and two rechargeable batteries 113, are housed. The batteries 113 energize the control circuit and power the lift. "Up" and "Down" control switches 114 and 115 are conveniently positioned at the outer ends of the side arms 103 and 104 for self-operation of the lift by a user seated on the seat member 102. The rear member 105 is again telescopic for adjustment of the frame 105 to suit the width of the bath tub 107 with which the bath lift is at the time being used. Not only are both illustrated lifts thus adaptable to fit different bath tubs, but they can readily be removed from the bath tub when not required to allow unimpeded bathing by non-disabled users. A padded head rest 116 is fixed on the rear frame member 111. In this embodiment the seat assembly 101 also includes a back rest 117 which has a variable inclination, which is controlled automatically in dependence on the height of the seat member 102. To this end the back rest 117 is attached to the seat member 102 and also supported from the frame 105. Referring particularly to the diagrammatic views of Figs. 6 to 9, the back rest 117 is hinged to the rear of the seat member 102 at 118. It is also supported from the frame 105 by a linkage 119 which, at each side of the back rest 117, comprises a Siamese double-tubular guide member 121 the cross-section of which is shown as an enlarged detail in Fig. 9. One tubular section 121a of the guide member 121 provides a guide for a slide member 122 which is pivotally supported at a fixed position on the inner side of the corresponding side arm 103 or 104. The other tubular section of the guide member 121 provides a guide for a slide member 123 which is pivotally mounted at the corresponding end of a support rod 124 which is fixed laterally of and behind the back rest 117. The slide members 122,123 slide freely on the guide member 121, in each case sliding movement being limited by end stops 125 on the member 121. The result of this linkage support is that in the fully-raised position (as shown in Figs. 6 and 7) the members 121 extend upwardly from the frame 105 and support the back rest 117 in a generally upright position for support of a seated user. When in the fully-lowered position (as shown in Figs. 8 and 9) the members 121 extend downwardly from the frame 105 into the bath tub 107 with the back rest 117 at a backward inclination for comfortable to support of a reclining user with head on the head rest 116. During raising and lowering movement of the seat assembly 101 the inclination of the back rest 117 varies smoothly between these two illustrated limit positions.

Claims: A bath lift for raising or lowering invalids and disabled users out of or into a bath tub (5;107), comprising a frame (3;105), two separately mounted shafts (9,10) respectively extending along opposite sides of the frame (3;105), and a seat member (2;102) suspended at the sides by flexible cables or tapes (15-22;108,109) wound on the shafts (9,10) which are independently driven by respective geared electric motors (23,24), characterized in that the frame (3;105) mounts on the bath tub (5;107) and by a control circuit (112) operative to control the motors (23,24) dependent on stepping counts of the angular movements of the shafts (9,10), whereby to maintain rotational movements of the shafts (9,10) in step and thus to ensure even raising and lowering of the seat member (2;102), and to determine the fully-raised position of the seat member (2,102) by sensing decrease in motor speed as the lifting cables or tapes (15-22;108,109) become taut. A bath lift according to claim 1, wherein the stepping count of shaft angular movement is for each shaft (9,10) sensed at an output shaft of the corresponding drive motor gearing (29,30). A bath lift according to either one of the preceding claims, wherein the control circuit (112) is operative to commence the stepping count of each of the shafts (9,10) at the fully-lowered seat position, which thus provides a control datum position. A bath lift according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein side flaps ((31,32) are fixed along the side edges of the seat member (2) and at the fully-raised position extend over the respective shafts (9,10). A bath lift according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said shafts are respectively housed within hollow side arms (103,104) of the frame (105). A bath lift according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a back rest (117) is hinged to the rear of the seat member (102) and also supported by said frame (105) through a linkage (119) operative to control the inclination of back rest (117) as the seat member (102) is raised or lowered.

Inventors: BASSIL ROB, JAMES GAVIN HUGH, BASSIL, ROB, JAMES, GAVIN HUGH
Applicants: HELPING HAND CO LEDBURY, THE HELPING HAND COMPANY (LEDBURY) LIMITED
Application year: 1991
Main classification: A61G7
IPC codes: A61H33, A47K3, A61G7