EP0558858A1 - Armchair transformable into a bed or a stretcher - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an armchair which can be transformed into a bed or a stretcher and comprises a backrest (5), a seat part (7) and a leg rest (6) bracing a set of two rectangular lateral frames, hinged at their tops and integral in their deformation, of which the front sides (1) and rear sides (2) are extended respectively upwards and downwards in order to form the lateral reinforcements of the backrest (5) and of the leg rest (6), and of which the lower sides (3) form the lateral reinforcements of the seat part (7), and of which the upper sides (4) are each hinged about a horizontal hinge pin (8), normally perpendicular to the vertical planes passing through the said frames, and integral with a base (9) resting on the ground, this armchair being characterised in that the hinge pin (8) of the upper side (4) of a frame is arranged either below or above the said upper side (4) at a distance from the latter not exceeding 10 centimetres. This armchair is intended more particularly for the handling, transporting, laying down and seating of disabled or able-bodied persons who are to be examined or operated on. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to an armchair which can be transformed into a stretcher bed, particularly intended for the handling, transport, sleeping and putting in a wheelchair of incapacitated or able-bodied persons to be examined or operated on. This chair is also intended for semi-disabled people who can be helped by an assistant to sit, stand or lie down.

We do not know, to date, armchair or stretcher bed to take care of a helpless or able-bodied person in a standing position, to then tilt it into a sitting position then, if necessary, from the sitting position in a lying position , this in order to carry out a medical, surgical or radiological examination. For example, in patent US-A-2 676 643, a wheelchair is described, the frame of which is formed by two vertical deformable parallelograms, linked in their deformation, and the base of which is connected to each armrest by two axes of fixed rotation in a horizontal plane; such an arrangement prohibits tilting the seat relative to the horizontal and therefore does not allow the seat to be brought into a vertical position, called "verticalization", or in a quasi-vertical position, called "standing".

In another field than the medical field, we know, from patent FR-A-652,063, a relaxation and relaxation seat with variable inclination comprising a set of two deformable rectangular frames, connected by horizontal crosspieces on which is stretched. a canvas, which are suspended laterally from two lateral supports resting on the ground; the suspension of the two frames forming the frame of this chair is taken, in the manner of a swing, at a horizontal transverse articulation axis, which is arranged very above the large upper side of each of the two frames . Such an arrangement of the articulation and suspension axis does not allow the seat to be tilted more than a few degrees from the horizontal. Therefore, such an arrangement, applied to a bed chair for medical use of the type described in US-A-2 676 643 already mentioned, would not allow the chair to be brought into the upright position or in a standing position.

The present invention aims to remedy these drawbacks by proposing an armchair convertible into a stretcher bed comprising a backrest, a seat and a legrest bracing a set of two rectangular lateral frames, articulated at their apices and integral in their deformation, the sides of which anterior and posterior are extended upwards and downwards respectively to form the lateral frames of the backrest and legrest, the lower sides of which constitute the lateral frames of the seat, and the upper sides of which are each articulated around a horizontal articulation axis, normally perpendicular to the vertical planes passing through said frames, and integral with a base resting on the ground, this chair being characterized in that the articulation axis on the upper side of a frame is arranged either below or above the said side, at a distance from the latter not exceeding 10 centimeters.

Preferably, the upper sides of the two frames form the armrests of the chair.

In addition, since the armrests of an armchair are generally situated at the same height, the articulation axis of the two armrests will normally be a common horizontal axis; in this regard, the two side frames of the chair will then have the same dimensions.

In a preferred embodiment variant of the invention, the horizontal articulation axis, to which the chair is articulated or suspended, passes slightly below the plane defined by the armrests, and it is normally located along the latter , at respective distances of one third and two thirds of the length separating the points of articulation of said armrests on the rear and front sides of the two frames.

This configuration of the chair according to the invention considerably reduces the effort required to deform the chair or to tilt it forwards or backwards, so much so that it becomes very easy for the practitioner to raise the seat. vertically, or practically vertically, without the help of any auxiliary energy source usually required on armchairs of the same kind. The practitioner is therefore able to very simply take charge of a person standing, or sitting upright, on his examination chair; when the caregiver presses his buttocks against the seat of the chair, the general balancing of the chair, and in particular the position of the horizontal articulation axis along the armrests, contributes to causing immediate deformation of the two rectangular frames of the chair, which allows the person to sit effortlessly, neither on his part, nor on the part of the practitioner.

This remarkable advantage provided by the invention essentially comes from the fact that, unlike previously known armchairs, the deformations of the bed in an armchair, and from a horizontal sitting position to an inclined or vertical seat, are completely independent of one another. 'other. In this respect, the chair according to the invention can therefore be placed in any intermediate position, which can optionally be maintained, either manually, or by blocking means provided at various points on the chair.

In particular, while the deformations of the frames are normally free, provision is made to be able to block at least one of the points of articulation of these two frames so that, in the event of assumption of responsibility standing position, the practitioner can tilt the person directly in the supine position (reclining position), and vice versa, simply by playing, forwards or backwards, on the back of the chair. The latter then passes in a single operation of its so-called vertical position to its so-called stretched position.

Likewise, the horizontal axis of articulation of the armrests can be locked in its rotation, normally free, so that the chair can be, for example, locked in a set of intermediate positions for which the seat is more or less inclined compared to the horizontal.

In all transfers from one position to another, it is important to note that the wheelchair does not use any auxiliary energy source, for example electric, even if it would of course be possible to assist certain movements for reasons related more to the safety and control of chair deformations than to a real need for actuation energy. This is also why, when auxiliary means, for example electric, are installed on the chair to control its deformations and its general inclination, these means can be dimensioned according to criteria much less severe than on armchairs convertible into beds of the same kind.

• la figure 1 est une vue schématique de côté dudit fauteuil, permettant de mieux comprendre son principe d'utilisation,
• les figures 2 à 6 sont des vues en perspective latérale du fauteuil représenté sur la figure 1, dans diverses positions, respectivement de verticalisation, de prise en charge assise debout, de brancardage assis, de brancardage allongé et, enfin, d'examen radiologique allongé incliné,
• la figure 7 est une vue en perspective du fauteuil placé en une position propre à un examen gynécologique, avec le repose-jambes basculé contre le piètement.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will emerge more clearly from the description which follows of an embodiment of an armchair convertible into a stretcher bed, given by way of nonlimiting example with reference to the appended drawings in which:

• FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of said chair, making it possible to better understand its principle of use,
• Figures 2 to 6 are side perspective views of the chair shown in Figure 1, in various positions, respectively of verticalization, standing seated support, seated stretcher, elongated stretcher and, finally, elongated radiological examination inclined,
• Figure 7 is a perspective view of the chair placed in a position suitable for a gynecological examination, with the leg rest tilted against the base.

The chair shown schematically in Figure 1 comprises a set of two articulated rectangular frames, of which only the left frame is visible in the figure, which are connected by transverse spacers, perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. These two frames, of the same dimension, each consist of an anterior side 1, a posterior side 2, a lower side 3 and an upper side 4 forming an armrest, and are integral in their deformations. The joints on sides 1 to 4 between them are normally left free but at least one of them could be fitted with a locking means or a brake. Furthermore, the front 1 and rear 2 sides are extended, respectively upwards and downwards, to constitute, with the transverse spacers, the frames supporting the backrest 5 and the leg rest 6 of the chair, more particularly visible on the Figures 2 to 7. Similarly, the lower sides 3 of the frames form, with the transverse spacers, the frame of the seat 7 of the chair. It will be observed that, in the case of an armchair / bed for medical use as described here by way of example, it is important that the backrest 5, the legrest 6 and the seat 7 are made in the form of removable cushions of a flexible material, such as high density foam, covered with a synthetic fabric which can be sterilized.

According to the invention, the two frames are suspended, or articulated, on a horizontal articulation axis 8, extending perpendicular to said frames, this axis 8 being integral with a base 9 resting on the ground. This base 9, normally provided with rollers 10, can have any shape, but preferably comprises at least one horizontal cross member 11 at its lower part so as to form a stop disposed at the rear of the leg rest 6. The horizontal cross member 11 is used in particular to limit the deformation of the frames, and therefore of the chair, so that the sitting position, for which the backrest 5 is the most raised, is comfortable for the patient.

The hinge pin 8 is normally mounted free in rotation, so that when the leg rest 6 abuts against the cross member 11 of the base 9 or, if necessary, against the ground, said leg rest 6 can slide against said cross member 11 causing the tilting of the seat 7 towards the front, which enables the chair to be placed in a seated upright position, as shown in perspective in FIG. 3, and diagrammatically in phantom in FIG. 1 .

By causing additional deformation of the side frames of the chair, it can be put in the bed position so that, once tilted forward by the same process as that described above, it finds itself in its so-called verticalization position , as shown in perspective in Figure 2.

According to a particular characteristic of the invention, the horizontal articulation axis 8 of the chair can be temporarily blocked, either directly or indirectly by auxiliary means blocking the position of the seat 7 in a horizontal, vertical or inclined position, intermediate between these two extreme positions.

Similarly, at least one of the axes of articulation of the sides 1 to 4 of the deformable frames forming the frame of the chair can be temporarily blocked. In this way, it is possible to maintain the seat 7 of the chair at any angle. In this way, by combining the deformations of the frames and the inclination of the seat 7, the temporary blocking of the chair makes it possible to obtain all of the positions shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, namely a seated stretcher position ( fig. 4), an elongated stretcher position (fig. 5 and in phantom in figure 1) and an elongated position, inclined towards the front, making it possible to carry out a radiological examination (fig. 6).

We will now describe, referring again to FIG. 1, certain preferred characteristics of the chair according to the invention. In particular, in the normal embodiment of the chair, intended for the care of patients whose weight varies between 50 and 100 kilograms, the horizontal articulation axis 8 will be disposed at a distance from the posterior sides 2 of the frames approximately equal to a third of the length of the upper sides 4 forming armrests. It has been demonstrated that this proportion is perfectly suited to an automatic balancing of the chair towards a stable sitting position, when the patient is supported in the standing sitting position; in this case, it should be noted that the seat 7 must be free to rotate.

According to another preferred characteristic of the invention, the horizontal articulation axis 8 passes just below the plane of the armrests, at a distance of a few centimeters, for example 15 millimeters, from the axis of the armrests, with a maximum about 10 centimeters; in this way, the chair is in a more unstable equilibrium position than if the horizontal articulation axis 8 were, on the contrary, located above said plane. This arrangement facilitates the tilting of the seat 7 of the chair from one position to the other.

In an additional characteristic of the invention, not shown in the figures, the seat 7 can be constituted by a wardrobe seat, superimposable, if necessary, on the bowl of a WC.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the height of the chair is adjustable by means of a conventional device with jacks, for example electrically controlled, or by means of a purely mechanical lifting system of the type of a jack or its analog. The possibility of adjusting the seat height 7 explains in particular why it is generally necessary to have a cross member 11 at the front of the base 9, the leg rest 6 being able, in fact, in the highest position of the chair, no longer come into abutment against the ground when it is completely folded back (extreme sitting position).

It will be readily understood that the passage from one position to the other can be obtained in various ways, depending on whether the deformations of the chair and / or the inclination of the armrests are blocked or not. In particular, the lifting of the chair from an extended stretcher position (fig. 5) to a verticalization position (fig. 2) can be carried out directly with the side frames (1,2,3,4) locked in their maximum extension position (bed position), in which case only the rotation of the armrests around the hinge pin 8 is left free.

In a last characteristic of the invention, apparent in FIG. 7, the chair can be placed in a position derived from its seated or lying stretcher position so that the practitioner can perform a gynecological examination of the patient installed on the armchair. To this end, the leg rest 6 is separated from the rest of the side frames forming the frame of the chair, which allows it to tilt, by simple gravity, against the base 9. In this position, where the backrest 5 can be indifferently in the upright, elongated or inclined position, the release of the legrest 6 towards the rear leaves the practitioner free to position himself facing the length of the chair.

Claims (8)

Armchair convertible into a stretcher bed comprising a backrest (5), a seat (7) and a legrest (6) bracing a set of two rectangular lateral frames, articulated at their apices and integral in their deformation, including the front sides (1 ) and posterior (2) are respectively extended upwards and downwards to constitute the lateral frames of the backrest (5) and the legrest (6), the lower sides (3) of which constitute the lateral frames of the seat (7), and the upper sides (4) of which are each articulated about a horizontal articulation axis (8), normally perpendicular to the vertical planes passing through said frames, and integral with a base (9) resting on the floor, this chair being characterized in that the hinge pin (8) on the upper side (4) of a frame is arranged either below or above said upper side (4), at a distance of the latter not exceeding 10 centimeters. Armchair according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper sides (4) of the two frames form the armrests of the armchair. Armchair according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the horizontal articulation axis (8), to which the armchair is articulated or suspended, passes slightly below the plane defined by the armrests, and is normally located along the latter, at respective distances of one third and two thirds of the length separating the points of articulation of said armrests on the rear (2) and front (1) sides of the two frames. Chair according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the horizontal articulation axis (8) of the chair can be temporarily blocked, either directly or indirectly by auxiliary means blocking the position of the seat (7) in a horizontal position, vertical or inclined, intermediate between these two extreme positions. Chair according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the articulations of the sides (1, 2, 3, 4) between them, normally free to rotate, is provided with a locking means or 'a brake. Chair according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the base (9) has at least one horizontal crosspiece (11) at its lower part, so as to form a stop limiting the movements of the legrest (6) towards the back. Chair according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the height of the chair is adjustable by means of a conventional jack device, for example electrically controlled. Armchair according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the backrest (5), the legrest (6) and the seat (7) are produced in the form of removable cushions of a flexible material, such as high density foam, covered with a synthetic fabric that can be sterilized.

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