CA1045753A - Bedding for sitting or lying - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a bed for sitting or lying.
The surface is divided into surface elements which are connected to a driving member so that part of the elements are moved downwards from the initial position to a lower level and then upwards to the initial position, after which the remaining elements are moved downwards and then upwards after which the cycle is repeated. The elements are located in such a manner that each lowered element is surrounded by six elements in the initial position so that they all have the same distance both mutually and to the lowered central element.

Description

~04~;i7~3 BEDDING FOR SITTING-OR LYING.

The invention relates to a bedding for sitting-or lying, the sur-face of which is divided up into surface elements which are connected to a driving member in such a manner, that part of the elements are moved downwards from the initial position to a lower level and then moved upwards to the initial position, whereupon the remaining ele-ments are moved downwards and then upwards, after which this cycle is repeated.

Such beddings are used for persons, who must constantly be sitting or lying e.g. on account of paralysations and who are, therefore, ~.

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5 d 5 3 exposed to contrac-ting seating-or bedsores, unless the nursing personnél helps the persons in question to change position at suitable intervals.

A known bedding of the type mentioned by way of intro-duction is known from the Danish patent no. 133.232, which deals with a bedding for sitting or lying with surface elements which are mounted on rods, which are moved up and down in a cycle. These elements are arranged in such a manner, that a lowered element is surrounded by four elements in their initial position, which causes that no sufficient sidewards movement takes place, as a varia-tion lies in a displacement from one point to the adjacent point. The achieved massage ~
effect is, therefore, insufficient to cause the desir~d circulation of -the blood, which is a condition of the healing of seating-or bedsores. Furthermore the sur-face pressure is proportionally high, as 50~0 of the support will be removed by the lowering and the weight of the body is supported by the remaining supports.

It is an object of the invention to remedy these draw-backs and to improve the known beddings for si-tting or lying, and this is achieved when the elements are place in such a manner that each of the lowered elements is surrounded by s:ix elements :Ln the ini-tial position in such a manner, that -they have all the same distance both mutually and to -the lowered central element.

Ilereby is achieved in the firs-t place, that the surface pressure is reduced as only 25l% of the support is low-ered, whereby -the remaining 75% will be able to bear the weight of the body. This means a relief to the si-tting or lying person, that the surface pressure only rises a little. Furthermore this placing of the ele-ments causes a considerably greater variation of the support pattern between the single lowerings, as the : , .
~ 2- -as the 25% lowered are varied between -the remaining 75%, so that there are three lowerings between each initial cycle. This great variation means an essen-tially improved massage effect, which implies that persons wi-th sores are expected to be fully cured of sores when using this support.

In using the mounting of elements on rods dealt with in claim 2, oné can in an easy and suitable manner move the elements by means of a driving member.

- 2a -S~S3 Besides -the mounting of elements of mutual displace-abili-ty on the rods dealt with in claims 3 and 4 contributes to a hithertounknown support, as each element in the inital posi-tion will now be able to yield -to the body and will moreover equalize the sur-face pressure in such R manner tha-t the body is sup-ported complctely uniformly all over the layer of surface elements. This equalizes the variations o~
surface pressures an~ will be felt as a grea-t relief by the person, who does hereby become less stressed on particularly exposed par-ts of the body, which -have in the hithertoknown cases of supports had to take up a disproportionate large weigh-t, resulting in ulceration.

The invention will be described in details below with reference to the drawing, in which ~ig. 1 shows a section o~ a seat in top view in two si-tuations of support, fig. 2 shows a partial section of a rod with sup-porting elements.

In fig. 1 is shown an example of a bedding for sitting or lying in top view. The individual supporting ele-ments 1,2 are mounted on longitudinal or transverse rods I,II,III,IV, which can be moved in relation to an ini-tial position with all -the rods on the same leve`1 by means of a not shown driving member. This driving member moves the rods in such a manner that every fourth rod e.g. all rods indicated by I to the left in fig. 1 are moved downwards in rela-tion to the ini-tial posi--tion, while the remaining rods remain on a level.

Hereby a pa-ttern appears, which is formed by a circle of six elements 2, which are cen-tred about -the lowered ~ _ 3 _ yl element 1. Such a pattern is accentuated by a dotted line in fig. 1, in which the lowered element 1 is hatched. By raising of the rods with the idication I and lowering of e.g. the rods idicated by II) see right side fig. 1, the pattern is moved both long-itudinally and transversely. By a subsequent lowering of the rods indicated by III and a subsequent lowering of the rods indicated by IV, the support is thus moved in a very regular and pleasan-t manner, which ensures the desired massage effect.

- 3a -The driving me~ber may be of any know~ type such as a hydraulic wi-th a cylinder or by means of a bellows arrangement or a mechanical one by means of e.g. rocker arms or cam disks or an elec-tromagnetic one.

The distance 3 be-tween the individual elements 1,2 is ,~
the same, as indicated in fig. 1. Hereby is achieved an even distribution of the points of support.

The individual elements 1,2 consist of a cup-shaped bottom part 7, which is attached to the piston rod 4 at -top. In the bott~m part is located a yielding to part 8 which can consist of a closed ball body with a yielding wall and filled with air. The top part 8 is '~
flat-tened at top 9, in order that the elements 1,2 can together ~orm a proportionally flat surface of support, where each element can absorb a pressure all over the sufrace of support 9.

To ensure the desired equal distribution of the weight of the body on the elements, the rods are arranged as shown in fig. 2. The rods I-IV'are hollow,and provided with a number of cylinders 6, which have each a piston 5 with a piston rod 4, to which the elemen-t 1,2 is attached, so that all the elements have at start the ', same distance A ~rom the rods wi-th the piston 5 e.g.
in -the middle of the cylinder 6.

In order to secure that the liquid does not leak out o:~ the cylinder 6 round the piston 5 there can be attached a generally known yielding membrane of by way of example rubber in a liquid proof manner to the inner side of the cylinder wall, said rubber membrane being impenetrable to liquid. This membrane fits tightly to the undersside of the pis-ton and can fol,low A~, . i _ 4 _ \ ~

-the up-~nd downgoing movement of the piston withou-t hampering this movement. Hereby is ensured -tha-t the system is comple-tely liquidproof and simul-taneously -tha-t -the piston can be moved freely up and down, as it is unnecessary to provide the pis-ton with sealing rings as e.g. O-rings.

By a pressing down of some elements e.g. by a person being seated on the support, the oil is pressed over in-to the other cylinders, the elements of which are hereby raised for contact with the body. The - 4a -hydraulic system is a closed system. Hereby a uniform weigh-t of body is absorbed by the elements mounted on -the same rod and the surface pressure is reduced to a hi-thertounknown level. It has proved in practice that while by a weight of the body of 70 kg one is ex-posed to a surface pressure of approx. 35/g/cm2 in a sitting position, the surface pressure is by means of the invention reduced to between 10 and 15 g/cm2 at a number of elements of between 500 and 600 in one seat.

In ano-ther embodiment each elemen-t consists of a s-ta-tionary, yielding cyclinder, a so-called roller mem-brane, which membrane can be filled by air or a liquid.
In order to form a closed system, all membranes on one row, corresponding to the elements on a rod, are connected by means of e.g. a hose or a pipe. By le-t-ting the upper side of the membrane form the very support and stress the membrane by a pressing in, the upper side is raised to form an element in the initial posi-tion, while a removal of the stress will resul-t in a lowering of the surface and with that o-f the element.
Hereby is created a leakageproof system, which secures the user against the risk ~f leaking out and bad function of the system.

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Claims (4)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. Bedding for sitting or lying, the surface of which is divided up into surface elements (1,2), which are connected to a driving member in such a manner, that part of the elements (1) are moved downwards from the initial position to a lower level and then are moved upwards to the initial position, after which the re-maining elements (2) are moved downwards then upwards, whereupon this cycle is repeated, c h a r a c t e r -i z e d in that, the elements (1,2) are located in such a manner, that each lowered element (1) is sur-rounded by six elements (2) in the initial position so that they have all the same distance (3) both mutu-ally and to the lowered central element (1)

2. Bedding according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r -i z e d in that, the surface elements (1,2) are mounted on rods (I-IV), which are connected to the driving member.

3. Bedding according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e r -i z e d in that, a number of elements (1,2) are mounted on each rod (I-IV) in such a manner, that the distance (A) of the elements (1,2) from the rod can be varied continuously and in such a manner, that the sum of the distances to the rod remains constant.

4. Bedding according to claim 3, c h a r a c t e r -i z e d in that each element (1,2) is attached to a piston rod (4), the piston of which (5) slides in a hydraulic cylinder (6) on the rod (I-IV), said cylinder (6) on the rod (I-IV) so as to to form a closed hydraulic system.