APPARATUS FOR LIFTING PHYSICALLY DISABLED PERSONS

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for lifting physically disabled persons, comprising a support (1") to be attached to the floor, ceiling or wall, on which support a carriage (8) is mounted, displaceable in an at least essentially horizontal direction, whereto straps (14), or the equivalent, have been attached to be fastened around the limbs of the disabled person, and a lifting device (13) for lifting and lowering the straps to the desired height. To achieve a versatile design, easy to install, while still keeping the construction of the apparatus simple and stable, the apparatus is characterized in that the lifting device comprises a hoist system (13) arranged between the straps (14) and the carriage (8) and that the displacement means comprise a first cord (10), or the equivalent, attached to the carriage and arranged to pass over a first deflecting part (12) which is mounted on the support (1").

Description: APPARATUS FOR LIFTING PHYSICALLY DISABLED PERSONS The invention relates to an apparatus for lifting physically disabled persons, comprising a support to be attached to the floor, ceiling or wall, on which support a carriage is mounted, displaceable in an at least essentially horizontal direction, whereto straps, or the equivalent, have been attached to be fastened around the limbs of the physically disabled person, and a lifting device for lifting and lowering the straps to the desired height, the support comprising a vertical first support member and a second at least essentially horizontal support member, which is attached to the vertical support member that is provided with bearing means, so that it can be rotated about its longitu¬ dinal axis, and the apparatus comprises displacement means by which the carriage can be displaced on a track along said second support member. Known apparatuses for lifting physically disabled persons are usu- ally called 'ape trees' and they require that the person must be able to hoist himself into the apparatus by using hand power. A known apparatus of this type comprises a track attached to the ceiling along which the carriage can move. The lifting device of this apparatus comprises an electrical appliance that is located between the carriage and the straps. The disadvantage with that apparatus is that the carriage only can move in the fixed direction deter¬ mined by the track. This clearly poses a restriction when it comes to moving the physically disabled person and it normally implies that assisting personnel is needed. Besides, the apparatus is expensive to manufacture. Furthermore, the apparatus can only be attached to the ceiling, which requires the ceiling to have a certain supporting power and to be made of certain materials. In mod¬ ern houses the ceilings are not always such that they can be used for fasten¬ ing. It is, of course, a disadvantage that an electrical power supply is required for the apparatus, which can be difficult and expensive to arrange. This espe¬ cially applies as the apparatus typically is meant to be used in humid rooms, such as bathrooms with a bath tub and a toilet seat. US 4 125 908 discloses an apparatus for lifting physically disabled persons. The lifting apparatus comprises a motorized winch with a transmis¬ sion system arranged between the straps and the carriage. The apparatus comprises a horizontal, rectangular track that is meant to be attached to the ceiling. There is no vertical support member connected to the track and no bearing means which would make turning from the direction of the track possi- ble. The apparatus according to US 4 125 908 consequently moves the straps in one direction only. For instance, the big and widely recognized problem arising in the bathroom as the physically disabled person is to move between the wheelchair, the toilet seat and the bath tub or shower, without requiring assisting personnel, cannot be solved by this lifting apparatus, regardless of how the toilet seat is located in relation to the bath tub or shower. The present invention solves the mentioned problem. For this pur¬ pose the lifting device of the apparatus comprises a hoist system arranged between the straps and the carriage and the displacement means comprise a first cord, or the equivalent, attached to the carriage and arranged to pass over a first deflecting part that is installed on the support. The preferred embodiments of the invention are presented in the appended claims 2 - 6. The most important advantages with the apparatus of the invention are that it makes it possible to transport the physically disabled person in many ways without assisting personnel. Despite this, the apparatus is easy to install, the construction simple; it is easy to use and manufacture. No electrical power supply is needed if a manually controllable hoist system is used. The apparatus can advantageously be installed afterwards in accommodations, hotels being an important field of application. The cost of converting an ordi¬ nary hotel room into a room suitable for people in wheelchairs is low. Other possible fields of application are camping sites, hospitals, restaurants, ships and other means of transportation. The invention will be described below by means of two preferred embodiments with reference to the appended drawing in which: Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of the apparatus installed be¬ tween a toilet seat and a bath tub, seen from above, Figure 2 shows a side view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1 , Figure 3 shows a side view of a second embodiment of the appa- ratus, Figure 4 shows a third embodiment of the apparatus, Figure 5 shows a cross-section of the vertical support member of the apparatus, Figures 6 and 7 show an alternative way of attaching the apparatus to a corner in a room and Figure 8 shows a way of attaching the apparatus to a wall. The apparatus in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a support 1 , which is attached to the floor by means of a mounting piece 2, secured by screws 3 The mounting piece 2 comprises a base plate 4 and a cylindrical socket piece 5 rising upwards from it. A small sleeve bearing has been provided inside the socket piece 5 in the lower part of the vertical support member 6 of the sup¬ port. Hereby the mounting piece 2 comprises a bearing for support member 6, which is also cylindrical. The bearing is easy to arrange and stable. A suitable height for the socket piece 5 is 20 - 70 cm, preferably 30 - 60 cm, because this height gives good support to the rest of the support. If the apparatus is not regularly in use, which can be the case for instance in a hotel with rooms both for people who are disabled and for those who are not, it can easily be lifted off the mounting piece 2. Hereby it is desirable that the height of the socket piece 5 is not so great so as not to be unnecessarily in the way. The support comprises a vertical support member 7 with a track 23 for a carriage 8. The profile of the support member is oblong, its height being greater than its breadth, see Figure 5 that shows a cross-section of the sup¬ port member 7. In this way great stability is achieved in the support member 7 The support member 7 can, owing to the rotational movement of the support member 6, be freely displaced in the direction indicated by the arrows, see Figure 1. The carriage 8 that preferably moves on wheels inside the support member 7 can be displaced between the extreme positions, marked with a dashed line, by pulling the manually controllable cords 9 and 10, see Figure 2 The cords 9 and 10 which are attached to the carriage 8 pass over deflecting parts formed as pulleys 1 , 12. Pulley 12 is attached to one end of the sup- port member 7 and pulley 11 is attached to the other end of the support mem¬ ber 7, since the whole length of the support member 7 can then be used as a track 23 for the carriage. Alternatively it is, of course, possible to attach the pulley 11 to the upper end of the support member 6 or to some other place in the area where the support members 6, 7 are joined together or merge into each other. If the pulley attached to the support 1 is located far down, a lot of power is needed for pulling the cord 9 to move the carriage 8 with its sus¬ pended load, which would be a disadvantageous solution When cord 9 is pulled downwards the carriage moves to the left, and when cord 10 is pulled the carriage moves to the right. Of course some kind of braking means must be provided at both ends of the support member 7 to control the movement of the carriage 8. Cords 9 and 10 can preferably be replaced by only one cord, which implies that the free ends of the cords 8 and 9 are connected. To make the ends of the cords 9, 10 easily accessible the cords are arranged to pass through a loop 22 in the carriage 23. Below the carriage 8 a hoist block 13 with several, e.g. six, pulleys is located and provided with brakes, for instance slide brakes with several e.g. six pulleys. The kind of carriages 8 and hoist blocks known in the sail-boat branch can advantageously be employed. The hoist block can comprise two vertically arranged blocks provided with the necessary number of pulleys, the lower block being furnished with a sheet clip that locks the lower block at the desired height when the cord connecting the blocks is released. The straps 14 which are to be fastened around the limbs of the physically disabled person hang down from the lower part of the hoist block 13. The straps can be made of only one band loop 120 - 200 cm in length and 50 mm in breadth. By pulling the cords 15 of the hoist block, the straps 14 above can be adjusted to the de¬ sired elevation above the floor to enable the person to get into the straps from a sitting position. The cords 15 are easily accessible to the physically disabled person, since they hang straight down below the hoist block 13. To make the cords 9 and 10 very easily accessible while avoiding their getting entangled anywhere they can be arranged to pass through loops 16 in the straps 14. Different kinds of hoist blocks can be employed : instead of two cords 15 a system with only one cord can be used. Figure 2 shows that the support member 6 comprises two tubes 6a, 6b which can be telescoped into each other, and provided with a number of holes 17 that can be aligned in pairs to be penetrated by a locking pin 18 to lock the support member 7 at the desired level above the floor. The support member 7 can be adjusted to a level between 100 and 200 cm above the floor. An even greater elevation is possible in certain localities as well as additional applications where there is sufficient space. Reference number 24 denotes a handle by which the disabled per¬ son can make the horizontal support member 7 turn in relation to the vertical support member 6. At its other end the handle 24 has a bushing 25 which en¬ closes the support member 6 with play. By lifting the handle 24 into an essen¬ tially horizontal position it can freely rotate around the support member 6. If, again, the handle 24 is moved downwards friction arises between the bushing 25 and the support member 6. By utilizing this friction the physically disabled person can generate the power that makes the horizontal support member 7 rotate around the vertical support member 6. The apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2 makes the physically dis¬ abled person able to move himself on his own from his wheelchair 19 into the straps 14 of the apparatus, to hoist himself up to the desired elevation by means of the cords 15 of the hoist block while sitting in the straps, to displace himself sideways by pulling the cords 9, 10 and to move to the desired location that can be anywhere along the semicircular path described by the support member 7 as it is made to turn. Thus the physically disabled person can move himself from the toilet seat 20 to the bath tub 21 and from the bath tub directly to the wheelchair 19. The hand power needed to hoist oneself into the appa¬ ratus and to operate it is not greater than what is on the whole required of the disabled person if he is to manage on his own at his ordinary toilet and bath¬ room chores. The danger of slipping is also eliminated since the person moves in the air without the need of supporting himself/herself against the ground. 90 - 150 cm is a suitable length for the support member. The said length makes possible a carriage track 23 of the length 80 - 130 cm. In Figure 3 another embodiment of the apparatus of the invention is shown. In Figure 3 reference symbols analogous to those in Figures 1 and 2 have been used for the corresponding parts. The apparatus according to Fig¬ ure 3 differs from the apparatus in Figure 2 in that the pulley 11 and the cord 9 are lacking. Instead the support member 6 inclines at a small angle in rela¬ tion to the horizontal plane. The angle makes the carriage 8' move automati¬ cally in the direction of the support member 6' due to gravitation. This move- ment can be prevented by a locking action of cord 10'. When the carriage 8' is wanted to move towards the free end of support member 7 ', cord 10' is pulled. In Figure 4 another, simple embodiment of the apparatus of the in¬ vention is shown. The same reference symbols have been used for the corre¬ sponding parts as in the embodiments in Figures 2 and 3. The embodiment in Figure 4 shows a bearing 26" near the joint of the vertical support member 6" and the horizontal support member 7". The bearing 26" comprises a slide bearing preferably in plastic, for instance polyamide. The bearing provides the horizontal support member 7" with both radial and axial bearing. The radial bearing is made by employing a bearing flange 27" in the bearing 26" which bearing flange is in contact with the corresponding bearing flange 28" of sup¬ port member 7". The bearing flange 28" is made of metal. The vertical support member 6" is a steel tube embedded in the floor. The apparatus is not pro¬ vided with any height adjustment means per se, but the steel tube 6" is cut to the appropriate length before installation. The reference symbol 29" denotes a support in support member 6", to prevent the handle from falling down. In Figures 6 and 7 a bent angle mounting piece 4"" is shown which has been attached to a corner of a room and secured by eight screws. The mounting part 4"" comprises a socket 5"" for receiving the vertical support member 6"". The lower end of support member 6"" freely rests against the floor, see Figure 7 which shows a view in the direction indicated by the arrow A in Figure 6. The vertical support member 6"" and the rest of the apparatus corresponds to what has been shown in Figure 4. In Figure 8 a mounting piece 4'" is shown which makes it possible to attach the apparatus to a wall in a room. The embodiment shown in Figure 8 can advantageously be used where floor space is limited. However, the em- bodiment shown in Figure 8 requires a very strong wall. The apparatus of the invention is preferably made of steel tubes, whereby the construction will be stable and cheap. The apparatus is dimen¬ sioned to carry a load of 520 kg suspended from the straps 14 at a distance of 1500 mm from the vertical support member. Hereby the apparatus has a safety factor of four for a person weighing 130 kg. The invention has been described above by means of two embodi¬ ments and it is pointed out that the details of the invention can be modified in many ways within the scope of the appended claims. Hereby it is possible that the apparatus is attached to the ceiling instead of to the floor. Floor installation is better in the sense that it is always possible to do. Instead of cords 9, 10, 10', chains, wires or the equivalent can be used. The straps 14 can be con¬ structed in various ways. The deflecting parts do not have to be pulleys 11 , 12, 12', but can be sliding surfaces over which the cords can glide. It is possible that the vertical and horizontal support members are made so short that they are suited for installation in a small car, whereby the apparatus can be used in aiding a physically disabled person to get in and out of the car.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. An apparatus for lifting physically disabled persons, comprising a support (1; 1'; 1") to be attached to the floor, ceiling or wall, on which support a carriage (8; 8') is mounted, displaceable in an at least essentially horizontal direction, whereto straps (14; 14'), or the equivalent, have been attached, to be fastened around the limbs of the disabled person, and a lifting device (13; 13') for lifting and lowering the straps to the desired height, the support (1; 1') comprising a vertical first support member (6; 6'; 6"; 6'"; 6"") and a second at least essentially horizontal support member (7; 7'; 7"), which is attached to the vertical support member that is provided with bearing means (26"), so that it can be rotated about its longitudinal axis, and the apparatus comprises dis¬ placement means by which the carriage (8; 8') can be displaced along a track (23; 23') along said second support member (7; 7'; 7"), characterized in that the lifting device comprises a hoist system (13; 13') arranged between the straps (14; 14') and the carriage (8; 8') and that the displacement means comprise a first cord (10; 10'), or the equivalent, attached to the carriage and arranged to pass over a first deflecting part (12; 12') that is installed on the support (1; 1'; 1"). 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the first deflecting part (12; 12') is installed at a level that at least essentially corresponds to the level of the second support member (7; 7'; 7"). 3. An apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the first deflecting part (12') is attached to the second support member (7') in the area of its free end, whereby the second support member (7') has been ar- ranged to incline slightly in relation to the horizontal plane so that its free end is placed slightly higher up than the other end which is placed against the ver¬ tical support member (6'). 4. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a second deflecting part (11) and the displacement means corπ- prise a second cord (9), or the equivalent, attached to the carriage (8) and ar¬ ranged to pass over the second deflecting part (11), the first deflecting part (12) being attached to the second support member (7; 7") in the area of its free end, and the second deflecting part being attached to the support (1; 1") in the area where the second support member (7; 7") merges with the vertical support member (6; 6"), the second support member being essentially hori¬ zontal. 5. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the first and second cords (10 and 9) pass through a loop (22) in the carriage (8). 6. An apparatus according to claim ^characterized in that the apparatus comprises a mounting piece (2, 2') for attaching the apparatus to the floor, which mounting piece comprises a mounting plate (4; 4') and a cy¬ lindrical socket (5; 5') extending upwards from it, where the vertical support member (6; 6') and the socket are arranged to glide into each other and the socket functions as a bearing for the vertical support member. 7. An apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the height of the socket (5; 5') is 20 - 70 cm, preferably 30 - 60 cm. 8. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the vertical support member (6; 6') comprises two tubes that can be tele¬ scoped into each other (6a; 6b; 6a'; 6b') to adjust the height above the floor of the second support member (7; 7'), which tubes comprise locking means in the form of several holes (17; 17') that can be aligned in pairs to be penetrated by a locking pin (18; 18'). 9. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the vertical support member (6"; 6'"; 6"") comprises a bearing (26") at its up- per end to make it possible to rotate the second support member (7") in rela¬ tion to the vertical support member. 10. An apparatus according to claim 6 or 9, characterized in that it comprises means (18; 18') by which the level above the floor of the second support member (7; 7') can be adjusted to between 100 - 200 cm. 11. An apparatus according to claim 6 or 9, characterized in that the length of the second support member (7; 7') is 90- 150 cm, while the length of the track ( 23; 23') for the carriage (8; 8') is 80-130 cm.

Inventors: VON WALZEL PETER, VON WALZEL, PETER
Applicants: VON WALZEL PETER, VON WALZEL, PETER
Application year: 1997
Main classification: A61G7
IPC codes: A61G7