Patent Publication Number: US-6708622-B2

Title: Rail mounted patient lift

Description:
INTRODUCTION 
     This invention relates to a rail mounted patient lift. 
     Rail mounted patient lifts are well known. One such lift is disclosed in EP-A-1090620. The known lifts comprise a ceiling mounted rail and a carriage mounted for displacement along the rail usually by power operated drive means on or within the carriage. The lifts also comprise a flexible elongate support element, usually having a sling hanger attached to its free end, and power operated lifting means for extending and retracting the support element relative to the carriage. 
     These patient lifts are regularly installed in hospital wards and the like. Curtains are also installed in hospital wards to give privacy to patients on the ward. There is a problem in providing cross overs between the path of the curtain and the path of a ceiling mounted patient lift. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the present invention there is provided a rail mounted patient lift comprising a ceiling mountable rail, a carriage mounted for displacement along the rail, a flexible elongate support element and power operated lifting means for extending and retracting the support element relative to the carriage, wherein the rail comprises a plurality of rail sections which in use are suspended from a ceiling with a gap therebetween at a position where the rail is to cross the path of a curtain and wherein each rail section has at least one pivotable flap engageable by the carriage as it moves along the rail, the flap of one of a pair of adjoining rail sections being pivotable by the carriage as it moves in one direction to bridge the gap between the two sections and the flap of the other of the pair of adjoining rail sections being pivotable by the carriage as it moves in an opposite direction to bridge the gap between the two rail sections. 
     The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of one embodiment of rail mounted patient lift in a first condition of operation, 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic side view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the rail mounted patient lift in a second condition of operation, and 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic side view similar to FIGS. 1 and 2 but showing the rail mounted patient lift in a third condition of operation, and 
     FIG. 4 is the diagram of a carriage including components mounted thereto. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to the drawings, there is shown a rail mounted patient lift comprising a rail  10  attached to a ceiling  11  by suspension connecting devices  12 . 
     The rail comprises a plurality of sections, only two of which are shown at  10   a  and  10   b . The rail sections are aligned longitudinally but have a small gap  13  between adjacent ends. The gap  13  is provided at a position where the rail  10  crosses the path of a curtain  14  suspended from a curtain track  15  attached directly to the ceiling  11 . The curtain track  15  extends perpendicularly to the longitudinal extent of the rail  10 . The curtain  14  can thus be drawn across the path of the rail  10  when the rail mounted patient lift is not in use. 
     The rail mounted patient lift also comprises one or more carriages  16  mounted for displacement along the rail  10  by power operated drive means on or within the carriage. 
     The rail  10  in cross section is of generally inverted U-shape with an in-turned flange  17  at the lower free end of each of the two vertical limbs of the rail  10 . These in-turned flanges  17  define two spaced apart parallel track portions for guiding the carriage  16  along the rail. 
     The power operated drive means on or within the carriage comprises two drive wheels  18  which engage the two track portions  17 , respectively, of the rail  10  and an electric motor  20  (FIG. 4) for driving the drive wheels  18 . 
     The carriage  16  also comprises a flexible elongate support element  22  (FIG. 4) and power operated lifting means in the form of winch  21  within the carriage  16  for extending and retracting the support element relative to the carriage. A sling hanger  23  (FIG. 4) is attached to the lower free end of the support element which is suspended between the two track portions  17  of the rail  10 . 
     In order to allow the carriage  16  to bridge the gap  13  between the rail sections  10   a  and  10   b , each rail section has two pivotable flaps  19  adjacent to its end. The two flaps  19  of each rail section  10   a ,  10   b  are pivotably mounted on respective track portions and are urged to generally upstanding positions, as shown in FIG. 1, by springs, typically in the form of torsion springs. The flaps  19  are each pivotable in opposite directions according to the direction of travel of the carriage  16 . Thus, a carriage  16  moving from rail section  10   a  to rail section  10   b  (with the curtain undrawn) will engage the flaps  19  on the rail section  10   a  to pivot the flaps so that they bridge the gap  13  between the two rail sections  10   a  and  10   b  and the carriage will subsequently pivot the flaps on the rail section  10   b  so that these lie horizontally against their respective track portions  17  to enable the carriage  16  to pass by. FIG. 2 shows the flaps  19  of the rail section  10   a  bridging the gap  13  and the carriage  16  in contact with the flaps  19  of the rail section  10   b . After the carriage  16  has passed by, the flaps  19  will return to generally upstanding positions as shown in FIG.  3 . When the carriage  16  is travelling in an opposite direction the reverse will apply and the flaps  19  on the rail section  10   b  will bridge the gap  13 . 
     In practice, the rail  10  will comprise more than two rail sections  10   a  and  10   b  with each rail section, apart from terminal sections, having flaps  19  adjacent to opposite ends of the rail section. 
     The embodiment described above is given by way of example only and various modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, the rail may be of alternative cross-sectional shapes and may provide only a single track portion for guiding the carriage along the rail. Each rail will then have only one flap at one or each end.