TW201904546A - Bath assistance system and control method thereof capable of preventing falling over accident caused by center of gravity of lifting seat being too high - Google Patents

Abstract

A bath assistance system mainly comprises a bathtub and a lifting seat. The height of the lifting seat is detected by a seat height sensor. A sensor is connected between the bathtub and the lifting seat through the rail to detect whether both of them are connected or not. When the seat is not connected with the bathtub, the lifting seat cannot rise above a safe height predetermined by the system. When the bathtub is connected with the lifting seat and if the lifting seat at this time is yet lowered to the aforementioned safe height, the connection between the bathtub and the lifting seat cannot be released. Thus, the bath assistance system of the present invention can prevent from falling over accident caused by the center of gravity of the lifting seat being too high.

Description

Bathing auxiliary system and control method thereof

The invention relates to a bathing auxiliary system, in particular to a bathing auxiliary system with a safety protection mechanism and a control method of the bathing auxiliary system.

For patients who are bedridden for a long time, elderly people who are unwell, or people with disabilities, because of their inconvenience or inability to stand up, they usually rely mainly on family members or caregivers for physical cleaning by bathing. If it is necessary to wash in the bathroom, the family or the caregiver will move the patients with inconvenience to the bathroom in a helping or cuddling manner, and then after the shower, the patient will be moved back to the bed or chair in the same manner. However, because the process of moving the patient requires a lot of effort, and at the same time, it is necessary to pay attention to whether the patient will collide with the surrounding objects, so it is bound to cause trouble and inconvenience to the family or nursing staff.

In order to solve the above problem, the transfer device disclosed in the JP 201558054 patent mainly uses a seat that can be vertically lifted and horizontally displaceable to take a bath or a bath with a patient sitting on it. During the bathing process, the driver's seat is first lifted from the trolley to engage with the track, then the seat is pushed over the tub along the track, and finally the driver seat is lowered into the bathtub to allow the patient to bathe, as during the bathing process. First, drive the seat up to let the patient leave the bathtub, then pull the seat back from the top of the tub to the top of the trolley along the track, and finally drive the seat down to connect with the trolley and simultaneously disengage from the track. Move the seat along with the patient to the resting place through the trolley.

However, in the aforementioned conventional patent case, there are two time points that may cause the patient to have an accident. One of the time points is that the seat is not connected to the track during the bathing process, and the other time point is that the seat is in the bathing process. When preparing to derail, since the seat is at the highest point at these two points in time, if the shift is made at this highest point, the seat is easily dumped because the center of gravity is too high, causing the patient to occur from the seat. A dangerous situation of falling. Therefore, the aforementioned patent cases need to be strengthened in terms of security protection mechanisms.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A primary object of the present invention is to provide a bathing assistance system having a safety protection mechanism to prevent an unacceptable accident caused by a caretaker who is in a row from being displaced during bathing/out of bathing due to too high a center of gravity.

To achieve the above object, the bath assist system of the present invention includes a bathtub unit, a lift seat unit, a seat height sensor, and a track connection sensor. The bathtub unit has a bathtub, a first track and a first track connector, the first track support frame, the first track is disposed at one end of the bathtub, and the first track connector is disposed on the first track One end; the lift seat unit has a movable tripod, a second track, a second track connector, a seat controller and a seat, the second track is disposed at the top of the movable stand, the first a second track connector is disposed at one end of the second track and detachably connected to the first track connector of the bathtub unit, so that the first and second tracks can be mutually connected by the first and second track connectors Connecting or disengaging, the seat controller is displaceably disposed on the second rail and reciprocally displaceable between the first and second rails when the first and second rail connectors are connected to each other, the seat is configured And the seat controller can be raised and lowered by the driving of the seat controller, and can be reciprocally displaced between the first and second rails with the seat controller; the seat height sensor Electrically connecting the seat controller The seat controller is located on a side of the seat to sense the height of the seat; the track connection sensor is electrically connected to the seat controller and is located on the bottom surface of the seat controller, Sensing whether the first and second track connectors are connected together, so that the seat controller can limit the seat according to the sensing result of the track connection sensor and the seat height sensor. Lifting height.

As can be seen from the above, when the track connection sensor senses that the first and second track connectors are not connected yet, the seat controller controls the position of the seat not to rise beyond one of the seats. a center of gravity height, when the track connection sensor senses that the first and second track connectors are connected to each other, the seat controller can raise the position of the seat beyond the height of the center of gravity of the seat However, if the position of the seat is higher than the center of gravity of the seat at this time, the seat controller controls the seat to fall below the center of gravity of the seat.

Preferably, the first rail connector has a fixing base and a first fixing post. The fixing seat is disposed at one end of the first rail and has a card slot. The first fixing post is disposed on the first fixing piece and Adjacent to the card slot, the second track connector has a first positioning piece, a second positioning piece adjacent to the first positioning piece, and a second fixing post disposed on the first positioning piece. The first positioning piece is pivotally disposed at one end of the second track and has a hook portion. The second positioning piece is pivotally disposed at one end of the second track and has a positioning portion. The first positioning piece of the second track connector is hooked to the first fixing post of the first track connector by the hook portion when the first and second track connectors are connected to each other, and the first positioning piece is hooked to the first fixing post of the first track connector. The second positioning piece of the second track connector is embedded in the slot of the fixing seat of the first track connector by the positioning portion, and the second track connector triggers the track connection by the second fixing column Sensor.

Preferably, the lifting seat unit further has a limiting component, the limiting component has a driving source, a gear, a rack and a baffle, and the driving source is disposed in the seat controller, the gear Connecting the driving source, the two racks are oppositely engaged with the gear, and the baffle is disposed at one end of the rack so that the baffle can follow the action of the rack and protrude from the lower side of the seat controller Or hidden under the seat controller. Thereby, when the position of the seat is higher than the height of the center of gravity of the seat, the seat controller controls the baffle to protrude outward to block the positioning portion of the second positioning piece of the second track connector from being separated from the The card slot of the fixing seat of the first track connector prevents the first and second tracks from being separated.

Preferably, the seat has a support rod connected to the seat controller by a rack drive assembly, the support rod having a bump on a side of the seat controller, the seat being The seat height sensor is triggered by the bump of the support rod during lifting.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a control method for the aforementioned bathing assistance system. First, the seat controller determines whether the seat height sensor is triggered. If yes, it indicates that the position of the seat is at the height of the center of gravity. The seat controller continues to determine that the seat is ready to rise or fall. If it is determined that the seat is ready to rise, the seat controller further determines whether the track connection sensor is triggered, and if it is determined that the seat is triggered, indicating that the first The second track has been connected, the seat controller controls the seat to rise above the height of the center of gravity, and if it is determined that it is not triggered, indicating that the first and second tracks have not been connected yet, the seat controller controls the seat The chair stops rising to prevent the seat from tipping over the height of the center of gravity. If the seat controller determines that the seat is ready to descend, the seat controller further determines whether the track connection sensor is triggered, and if it is determined that it is triggered, indicating that the first and second tracks are not separated, and The seat is located above the movable tripod, and the seat controller controls the seat to descend below the height of the center of gravity. If it is judged that it is not triggered, it indicates that the first and second rails are originally separated, and the seat is only Decrease in the direction of the movable stand, and then repeat step a) to determine the position of the seat.

Preferably, when the position of the seat is higher than the height of the center of gravity of the seat, the seat controller further controls a baffle to block the disengagement of the first and second track connectors, so that the lift seat unit The bath unit cannot be separated to prevent accidents. When the seat is lowered below the center of gravity, the seat controller further controls the baffle to release the restriction between the first and second track connectors, so that the lift seat unit can be disengaged from the bathtub unit .

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 6, the bathing assistance system 10 of the present invention includes a bathtub unit 20, a lift seat unit 30, a seat height sensor 50, and a track connection sensor 60.

The bathtub unit 20 has a bathtub 21, a first rail 22 and a first rail connector 24. The first rail 22 is disposed at one end of the bathtub 21, and as shown in FIG. 3, the first rail connector 24 has a fixing base 25 and a first fixing post 26, and the fixing seat 25 is disposed at one end of the first rail 22. The first fixing post 26 is disposed on the fixing base 25 and adjacent to the slot 27 .

The lift seat unit 30 has a movable stand 31, a second track 32, and a second track connector 34. The second track 32 is disposed at the top end of the movable stand 31. As shown in FIG. 4, the second track connector 34 has a first positioning piece 36, a second positioning piece 37 and a second fixing post 38. The first positioning piece 36 is pivotally disposed on the second positioning plate 36 and has a hook portion 362. The second positioning piece 37 is pivotally disposed on the second rail 32 and has a positioning portion 372. The second fixing post 38 is disposed on the first positioning piece. 36. Thereby, when the first and second track connectors 24, 34 are connected to each other, as shown in FIG. 5, the first positioning piece 36 of the second track connector 34 is hooked to the first track by the hook portion 362. The first fixing post 26 of the second rail connector 34 and the second positioning piece 37 of the second rail connector 34 are embedded in the slot 27 of the fixing seat 25 of the first rail connector 24 by the positioning portion 372, so that the first and the first The two tracks 22, 32 are joined together.

The lift seat unit 30 further has a seat controller 39, a seat 40 and a limit assembly 44. The seat controller 39 is disposed on the second rail 32. When the first and second rail connectors 24, 34 are connected to each other, the seat controller 39 can reciprocate between the first and second rails 22, 32; The back of the chair 40 is provided with a support rod 41. As shown in Figures 1 and 6, the support rod 41 of the seat 40 is coupled to the seat controller 39 by a rack drive assembly 42, so that the seat 40 can be Raised or lowered by the seat controller 39, and on the other hand, when the first and second track connectors 24, 34 are connected to each other, the seat controller 39 can be followed between the first and second rails 22, 32. Reciprocating, in addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the seat 40 is mounted with a bump 43 on one side of the support lever 41 toward the seat controller 39; the limit assembly 44 has a drive source 45, a gear 46, and two The rack 47 and a baffle 48, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the drive source 45 is disposed in the seat controller 39 and electrically connected to the seat controller 39, and the gear 46 is connected to the drive source 45. The rack 47 is engaged with the gear 46, and the baffle 48 is provided at one end of one of the racks 47. Thereby, the driving source 45 is controlled by the seat controller 39 to drive the gear 46 to rotate, and then the gear 46 drives the rack 47 to move, so that the baffle 48 protrudes outward to block the second positioning of the second track connector 34. The positioning portion 372 of the sheet 37 is disengaged from the card slot 27 of the holder 25 of the first track connector 24, as shown in Figures 5, 6 and 10, thereby preventing the first and second track connectors 24, 34 from being separated.

As shown in FIG. 6, the seat height sensor 50 is electrically connected to the seat controller 39 and is located at one side of the seat controller 39 facing the seat 40, so that the seat height sensor 50 can be seated. Triggered by the bump 43 of the chair 40, when the seat height sensor 50 is triggered by the bump 43 of the seat 40, it indicates that the seat 40 is positioned just above its own center of gravity.

As shown in FIG. 7, the track connection sensor 60 is electrically connected to the seat controller 39 and mounted on the underside of the seat controller 39. When the first and second track connectors 24, 34 are connected, as shown in FIG. 6, the track connection sensor 60 is just triggered by the second fixed post 38 of the second track connector 34.

When ready to enter the bath, and the first and second track connectors 24, 34 are not yet connected, the seat controller 39 controls the position of the seat 40 not to rise above the center of gravity of the seat 40. After the first and second rails 22, 32 are coupled together by the first and second track connectors 24, 34, the track connection sensor 60 is just by the second mounting post 38 of the second track connector 34. Trigger, at this time, the seat controller 39 controls the position that the seat 40 can rise to the highest point. When the seat 40 triggers the seat height sensor 50 by the bump 43 during the ascent, the seat controller 39 will Further controlling the baffle 48 to protrude outwardly to block the positioning portion 372 of the second positioning piece 37 of the second track connector 34 from being disengaged from the slot 27 of the fixing seat 25 of the first track connector 24, so that the first and second tracks 22 are 32 cannot be separated. The seat controller 39 can then be moved from the second rail 32 to the first rail 22 together with the seat 40, after the seat 40 is moved over the first rail 22 to above the bathtub 21, the seat controller 39 controls The seat 40 is lowered into the bathtub 21 to allow the caregiver to bathe.

After the bathing is completed, the seat controller 39 controls the position of the seat 40 from the bathtub 21 to the highest point, and then the seat controller 39 together with the seat 40 is returned from the first rail 22 to the second rail 32. When the track connection sensor 60 is again triggered by the second fixed post 38 of the second track connector 34, the seat controller 39 determines that the seat 40 is already above the movable stand 31. However, since the position of the seat 40 exceeds the height of its center of gravity at this time, the baffle 48 still blocks the positioning portion 372 of the second positioning piece 37 of the second track connector 34, so that the first and second tracks 22, 32 cannot be made. separate. Next, the seat controller 39 controls the seat 40 to start to descend. When the seat 40 re-triggers the seat height sensor 50 by the bump 43 during the lowering process, the seat controller 39 controls the shutter 48 to move inward. Retracting to the underside of the seat controller 39 completes the unlocking, at which point the first and second rails 22, 32 can be separated.

As can be seen from the above, when the first and second track connectors 24, 34 are not connected, the seat controller 39 controls the position of the seat 40 not to rise above the center of gravity of the seat 40. After the first and second track connectors 24, 34 are connected to each other, if the starting position of the seat 40 is lower than the center of gravity of the seat 40, the seat controller 39 controls the seat 40 to rise above the seat 40. The center of gravity height, if the starting position of the seat 40 is higher than the center of gravity of the seat 40, the seat controller 39 controls the seat 40 to be lowered below the center of gravity of the seat 40, yet the seat 40 has not been lowered to a low level. At the height of the center of gravity of the seat 40, the seat controller 39 restricts the first and second track connectors 24, 34 from being uncoupled by the shutter 48 to effectively prevent the center of gravity from being overturned.

The above is the structure of the bathing assistance system 10 of the present invention, and the control method of the bathing assistance system 10 of the present invention will be described below, as shown in Fig. 11;

Step a): When the seat controller 39 controls the seat 40 to start to operate, the seat controller 39 first determines whether the seat height sensor 50 is triggered.

Step b): If YES, indicating that the seat 40 is positioned just above its own center of gravity, the seat controller 39 then further determines that the seat 40 is ready to go up or down.

Step c): If the seat controller 39 determines that the seat 40 is ready to rise, the seat controller 39 further determines whether the track connection sensor 60 is triggered, and if so, indicates the first and second track connectors 24, 34 has been connected, the seat controller 39 on the one hand controls the seat 40 to rise above the center of gravity of the seat 40, and on the other hand the control flap 48 projects outwardly to limit the second track connector 34 from being able to disengage from the first track connector 24, the first and second rails 22, 32 cannot be separated; if not, it means that the first and second rail connectors 24, 34 are not connected, and the seat controller 39 controls the seat 40 to stop. Conversely, if the seat controller 39 determines that the seat 40 is ready to descend, the seat controller 39 will also determine whether the track connection sensor 60 is triggered, and if so, indicating that the first and second tracks 22, 32 have not yet been Separately, and the seat 40 is located just above the movable stand 31, the seat controller 39 controls the seat 40 to be lowered below the center of gravity of the seat 40 on the one hand, and the control baffle 48 releases the second track on the other hand. The limitation of the connector 34 enables the first and second rails 22, 32 to be separated; if not, it means that the first and second rails 22, 32 are not originally connected, and the seat 40 is only lowered relative to the movable tripod 31. Therefore, the seat controller 39 re-executes step a) to determine the position of the seat 40.

In summary, the bathing assist system 10 of the present invention has a safety protection mechanism to prevent an unacceptable accident of the caregiver who is in the process of preparing for bathing/bathing due to too high a center of gravity, so that the caregiver can It is convenient and labor-saving to help the caregiver achieve the effect of bathing/bathing.

10‧‧‧ bathing aid system

20‧‧‧ Bathtub unit

22‧‧‧Bathtub

22‧‧‧First track

24‧‧‧First track connector

25‧‧‧ fixed seat

26‧‧‧First fixed column

27‧‧‧ card slot

30‧‧‧lifting seat unit

31‧‧‧ Activity stand

32‧‧‧second track

34‧‧‧Second track connector

36‧‧‧First positioning piece

362‧‧‧Hook

37‧‧‧Second positioning piece

372‧‧‧ Positioning Department

38‧‧‧Second fixed column

39‧‧‧Seat controller

40‧‧‧ seats

41‧‧‧Support rod

42‧‧‧Rack drive assembly

43‧‧‧Bumps

44‧‧‧Limited components

45‧‧‧Drive source

46‧‧‧ Gears

47‧‧‧Racks

48‧‧ ‧ baffle

50‧‧‧Seat height sensor

60‧‧‧Track connection sensor

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the bathing assistance system of the present invention. Figure 2 is a front view of the bathing aid system of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a first track connector provided by the bathing assistance system of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a second rail connector provided by the bathing assistance system of the present invention. Figure 5 is a partial bottom view of the bathing aid system of the present invention, mainly showing the first and second track connectors being connected to each other. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Figure 2. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a seat controller provided by the bathing assistance system of the present invention. Figure 8 is a partial plan cross-sectional view of the seat controller provided by the bathing assistance system of the present invention. Figure 9 is a bottom plan view of the limit assembly provided by the bathing aid system of the present invention. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 of Figure 2. Figure 11 is a block diagram showing the control method of the bathing assistance system of the present invention.

Claims (6)

A bathing assistance system comprising: a bathtub unit having a bathtub, a first track and a first track connector, the first track being disposed at one end of the bathtub, the first track connector being disposed at the first One of the rails; a lifting seat unit having a movable tripod, a second rail, a second rail connector, a seat controller and a seat, the second rail being disposed at the top of the movable tripod The second track connector is disposed at one end of the second track and detachably connected to the first track connector of the bathtub unit, the seat controller is displaceably disposed on the second track and can be at the first 1. The second track connector is reciprocally displaced between the first and second rails when connected to each other, and the seat is disposed on the seat controller and can be raised and lowered by the driving of the seat controller; a seat height sensor electrically connected to the seat controller and located at a side of the seat controller facing the seat for sensing the height of the seat; and a track connecting sensor, the electric Sexually connected to the seat controller and located in the seat control The bottom surface of the device is configured to sense whether the first and second track connectors are connected together, so that the seat controller can connect the sensing sensor and the sensing result of the seat height sensor according to the track Limiting the lifting height of the seat; wherein when the track connecting sensor senses that the first and second track connectors are not connected yet, the seat controller controls the position of the seat to not rise Up to a height of the center of gravity of the seat, the seat controller enables the seat to rise above the distance when the track connection sensor senses that the first and second track connectors are interconnected The height of the center of gravity of the seat. The bathing assistance system of claim 1, wherein the first rail connector has a fixing base and a first fixing post, the fixing seat is disposed on the first rail and has a card slot, and the first fixing column is disposed on the The fixing frame is disposed adjacent to the card slot; the second track connector has a first positioning piece, a second positioning piece adjacent to the first positioning piece, and a second positioning piece disposed on the first positioning piece a fixing post, the first positioning piece is pivotally disposed on the second track and has a hook portion, the second positioning piece is pivotally disposed on the second track and has a positioning portion when the first and second track connectors are mutually connected When the first positioning piece of the second track connector is hooked to the first fixing post of the first track connector, and the second positioning piece of the second track connector is positioned by the positioning The portion is embedded in the slot of the fixing seat of the first track connector, and the second track connector triggers the track connecting sensor by the second fixing column. The bathing assistance system of claim 2, wherein the lifting seat unit further has a limiting component, the limiting component has a driving source, a gear, a rack and a baffle, and the driving source is disposed on the In the seat controller, the gear is connected to the driving source, the rack is engaged with the gear, and the baffle is disposed at one end of the rack; when the position of the seat is higher than the height of the center of gravity of the seat, The seat controller controls the baffle to block the positioning portion of the second positioning piece of the second track connector from the slot of the fixing seat of the first track connector, so that the first and second tracks cannot be separated. The bathing assistance system of claim 1, wherein the seat has a support rod connected to the seat controller by a rack drive assembly, the support rod having a side of the seat controller A bump that triggers the seat height sensor by the bump of the support bar. A control method for a bathing assistance system according to claim 1, comprising the steps of: a) the seat controller determines whether the seat height sensor is triggered; b) if yes, the seat controller Determining that the seat is ready to rise or fall; and c) if the seat controller determines that the seat is ready to rise, the seat controller further determines whether the track connection sensor is triggered, and if so, the seat control Controlling the seat to rise above the center of gravity, and if not, the seat controller controls the seat to stop acting; if the seat controller determines that the seat is ready to descend, the seat controller further determines the track Whether the connection sensor is triggered, and if so, the seat controller controls the seat to fall below the center of gravity, and if not, step a). The control method of claim 5, wherein in step c), when the position of the seat is higher than a height of a center of gravity of the seat, the seat controller controls a shutter to block the first and second rail connections. The first and second rails are disengaged from each other; when the seat is lowered below the center of gravity, the seat controller controls the flap to be released between the first and second rail connectors The restriction enables the first and second tracks to be separated.