FR2725894A1 - Bath immersion chair for water therapy - Google Patents

Abstract

The apparatus immerses persons carried in a chair, in a bath, for therapy. It comprises a column (23) sliding inside another, static, column. The top of the sliding column carries an arm (19), or crossbeam, pivoting through 360 degrees and holding the chair (4). The chair carries the person and can be raised or lowered. The columns may have square or cylindrical section. The chair may be raised or lowered by a screw thread (22) driven in rotation by an electric motor (9), in a nut (8) fixed to the sliding tube. Alternatively, movement may be obtained hydraulically by water pressure against a piston, fixed to the slider. The static column may be stabilised by several support tubes. Limit switches may control the movement end.

Description

DIP ARMCHAIR.

 The present invention relates to a device for immersing people in a bath.

 This immersion is preferably intended for balneotherapy and concerns more bedridden or disabled people.

 Therapy, which consists of immersing patients in a bath in order to provide them with care, is more and more widespread because it gives excellent results.

 In the massage technique, the performance is better when the patient is immersed, because in addition to being impregnated with bath water, the administration of care is made easy.

 Immersion of a person is not always therapeutic. It can affect healthy people, but whose weight added to age requires a lot of effort to bathe in the pool.

 The invention promotes access to indoor pisane, whose edges formed of light materials do not allow support points.

 This difficulty increases with non-buried swimming pools whose edges often reach a meter high.

 In this case, appropriate ladders are used and compatible for healthy people, but remain very bulky for indoor pools.

 Nowadays, what one does best to immerse a handicapped person, it is an expensive staircase and very cumbersome because of its soft slope, because the patient must be carried with human arms.

 Hydraulic or mechanical arms can replace these handlers, but their bulk and cost are very often unaffordable and unprofitable for therapists.

 In the most industrialized countries where automation comes to serve man to replace his muscles, a simple and not bulky device to access and exit a bath, must be part of the equipment within the reach of very many users .

 By its mobility, its small size, the simplicity of its system, the present invention eliminates all the difficulties which have just been listed.

 In general, the invention therefore relates to a device intended to immerse people in a bath, and it is characterized in that it consists of a static drum in which slides another drum or rod, the top of which receives an arm in the form of a gallows which swivels on 3600 and which supports an armchair to seat a person, and to which one can communicate an upward and downward movement.

 According to a first embodiment in accordance with the invention, the device is in the form of a light tube inside which slides another tube, the base of which preferably receives a spiral screw and the top of which retains an arm.

 This arm is fixed horizontally on a pivoting axis which allows it to rotate 360 under a simple manual push.

 The other end of this arm receives a vertical arm on which is fixed a chair preferably designed to receive a person favorably.

 This arm is intended to receive a whole range of armchairs according to the variety of the applicants.

 The telescopic tube stroke is preferably caused by a low voltage electric motor housed at the base of the main static tube either inside or nearby.

 This motor drives the spiral screw whose rotation mechanism is fixed at its base in the main tube and whose top is connected to the movable tube.

 A limit switch connected to the movable tube cuts the contact at the end of its upward movement.

 The engine is started up preferably with a standard mobile contactor located within reach of the manipulator.

 In one of the applications of the invention, the manipulator must press the contactor only once to carry out the complete cycle which consists in automatically immersing a person using the device of the invention.

 The ascending end-of-travel stop immobilizes the movable tube.

Then, by a simple manual push, the manipulator describes a rotation of 1800 to the horizontal arm by pushing lightly on the chair.

 The axis of rotation of the arm comprises two pawls located at 1800 from each other, one intended to stabilize the arm during the upward movement and the second to stabilize it after a rotation of 1800 in anticipation of the descent.

 The mobile contactor is fitted with a so-called emergency stop contactor. This contactor is connected to another switch fixed on the device within reach of the patient located on the chair and easy to access for the manipulator.

All of these organs are waterproof in accordance with safety rules.

 A mechanical coupling connected to the spiral screw is provided for its manual rotation by means of a pedal or a crank in the event of current problems or as a measure of economy.

 The worm is specially designed for the safety it provides as an inertia brake as soon as its rotation is interrupted.

 According to another embodiment, the upward movement is caused by a simple arrival of running water and the descent by means of the emptying by means of a simple tap.

 The components used to manufacture the device are all compatible with humidity and commonly used near swimming pools.

 The device rests on a support polygon formed by four removable tubes in order to facilitate the transport and packaging of the whole assembly.

 One end of the tubes is attached to the top of the static cylinder and the other rests on the ground.

 The two tubes outside the water receive a curve intended not to hinder the access of the manipulator around the loading chair and the access to the bath. Those housed inside the bath run along the wall of the pool. The radius implied by the support polygon is completed by the length of the stabilizing plates fixed to each end of the tubes.

 In one of the applications of the invention, the device is designed to immerse people in inground pools. With its two stabilizers that descend along the pool, it has the advantage of being removable and does not require drilling or civil works for its use which, therefore, is instantaneous.

The invention and the advantages which it brings will however be better understood thanks to the exemplary embodiments given below by way of indication but not limitation, and which are illustrated by the attached diagrams in which
- Figures 1 to 4 illustrate a first embodiment of implementation of a device according to the invention, in which the upward and downward movement is obtained by mechanical action by means of a spiral screw, Figures 11 and 12 showing two other embodiments in which the upward movement and the downward movement is performed mechanically;
- Figures 5, 6 and 7 illustrate a second embodiment in which the upward movement is caused by a simple inflow of running water and the descent by means of the drain through a simple tap; ;
- Figure 8 illustrates the implementation of such a device for an inground pool;
- Figures 9,10,13,14 and 15 illustrate how a device according to the invention can be stabilized.

 In one of the applications of the invention and in FIG. 1, the operator (1) holds in her right hand an electrical control unit (2), the conducting wire of which is designated by the reference (3). The base (4) of the chair is intended to receive the patient (7). The arm (19) holds the chair on which the patient rests (7). This arm is articulated on an axis (12) integral with the sliding tube (23), the latter being housed in the static tube (24). A spiral screw (22) turns in the nut (8), the fixing of which is integral with the sliding tube (23) and the thread of which is compatible with that of the rod (22). Its fixing is integral with the sliding tube (23). The nut (8) in which the screw (22) rotates allows the tube (23) to slide. In one direction of rotation, the screw raises the sliding tube (23). In the other direction, it brings it back down. The threads of the screw and nut are compatible. The tapered bearings (11) serve as stops during the rotation of the screw in the upward movement and that of the descent of the cylinder (23). The electric motor (9) receives a bevel gear meshing on the pinion (17) integral with the screw (22). One of the four removable stabilizing plates (5) is placed on the ground to receive one of the lift tubes, as referenced (6). The attachment (13) of the lift tubes referenced (6) and (17) is done on one side of the static cylinder (19). The shape is preferably curved (15) in order to exceed the top (16) of the pool and allow the arm which is immersed (26) to descend more vertically into the pool in order to rest on the base (21) covered with flexible materials. The maintenance of the pool liner (25) is ensured by a rod (20) .

 In FIG. 2, the patient (7) is raised to a height sufficient to exceed the maximum level of the edge of the swimming pool (16). The operator (1) did not move. The nut (8) is at the end of its travel. The drive pinion (18) is meshed in one of the applications of the invention on another compatible pinion (17), housed at the base of the screw (22) which, in this application, is placed under the drive pinion. The stability and rotation ball thrust of the screw (22) is referenced (11).

 In FIG. 3, the operator (1) manually pushed the chair (4) to make it describe a rotation of 1800. The arm (19) has pivoted on the axis (12). The patient is placed above the pool. In another application of the invention, this rotation is driving. The cylinder (23) has not moved. The operator kept the contactor (2) in her hand for a possible emergency stop simply for absolute safety because the patient is simply at the edge of the pool. At any time, the operator can interrupt this maneuver to return to the starting position. That's why she keeps the switch in her hand. The conductive wire (3) is provided to allow it to move.

The switch complies with current regulations, as does the entire electrical circuit. A limit switch is activated at the end of the upward movement by the cylinder (22). Contact is reestablished as soon as the arm (19) has described a rotation of 1800. The descent of the cylinder (23) according to FIG. 3 is pre-adjusted in its course, but can be interrupted at any time or may be extended by means of the switch (2).

 In FIG. 4, the operator (1) will free herself from her movable switch, because her patient (7) is immersed. The chair (4) is in the water. It came to a standstill thanks to the pre-set limit switch or by the control of the switch (2). The cylinder (23) is three-quarters retracted.

The nut (8) is positioned accordingly. The stabilization tubes (6) and (26) in no way obstruct the access of the manipulator near the pool or inside.

 In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 7, the upward movement is caused by a simple arrival of running water and the descent by means of the drain.

 In Figure 5, the axis (12) on which the arm (19) is articulated, is fixed to the extension of the rod (40). This cylinder rod slides in the barrel (41).

It receives a sealing ring (42). Its stroke is limited by the ring (43) located in the barrel (41) at the height imposed to lift the seat (4).

The ring (44) serves as a guide and seal. The tap (46) for running water comes from a conventional installation in a building whose standard pressure is at least 3 bars. This tap is double and has an inlet and a drain. The tap lever is referenced (47).

 In Figure 6, the tube (49) slides in a compatible tube (50). I1 is driven by the piston (40), the top (55) of which receives an axis (51) fixed to the tube (49). The spring (56) is intended to accelerate the hydraulic emptying (48) when the seat (4) is lowered. In one application of the invention, it is intended for the opposite effect if the water supply (69) lacks pressure. The emptying is carried out by the tube (48). The valve foot control is designated by the reference (57).

 In FIG. 7, the device of the invention receives a pneumatic or hydraulic thrust via the inlet (52) and the pipe (53), connected to the radio-controlled generator (54). The ascending limit switch box is designated by the reference (60) and the automatic contact box for immersion by the reference (59). These contactors are double acting for the automatic return thanks to an internal ratchet.

 In FIG. 8, in one of the applications of the invention, the device is used for an inground pool. The static cylinder (24) is placed at the edge of the pool wall (16). The submerged stabilizers (26) and (28) are longer. The stabilizers (6) and (27) are identical. The armchair (4) is preferably positioned 45 "from the edge of the pool. The electrical system is identical to that of the previous device. Sealed switches are housed in the arm (19) within reach of the seat user such as referenced (29). In the starting position, the cylinder (23) is extended as much as possible during manual or electric rotation. To immerse the chair (4), the cylinder (23) is retracted according to the same principle as that described in these pages.

 In Figure 9, the stabilization tubes (6,26,27,28) rest on the plates as referenced (5). These tubes are arranged on 90 "angles. Their lengths from their attachments to the static cylinder (24) or a square tube in one of the applications of the invention to the end of the plates, such as (5), is imposed by the length of the arm (19) and the length of the armchair. In general, the invention retains standard armchair dimensions and a short reach of the arm (19), because the device is placed very close to the walls of swimming pools as shown in the appended figures In all applications of the invention, the length of the arm (19) is not limited, since the stabilizers are spaced from the center of the static cylinder (24) as a function of this length, which gives great performance to the device In one of the applications of the invention, the stabilization tubes are telescopic as is the arm (19).

 In Figure 10, there are three stabilizers.

 In FIG. 11, in one of the applications of the invention, the static barrel (24) is formed by a standard square tube in which slides the barrel (23) of a smaller dimension, provided with two plates to facilitate its sliding, or bearings such as those used in some drawers. A bevel gear (18) is controlled by the electric drive motor (9) meshed with a second gear (17). The mechanism (11) holds the screw (22) at its base. It allows its rotation by tapered bearings intended to receive in addition the pressure due to the upward movement of the barrel (23) and that which results from the descent.

In another application of the invention, the motor (9) is placed in the static drum (24). In another application, the motor (9) is fixed vertically and the transmission takes place by belt or by standard chain. The axis (12) receives the rolling mechanism of the arm (19). The devices (33) and (34) receive the removable stabilization tubes.

The nut (8) is integral with the barrel (23) into which the rod (22) is screwed, whose rotation in one direction or the other moves the barrel (23).

 In Figure 12, the arm (19) and the holes (31) are intended to receive the fixing (29) (see Figure 6). The cam (32) has the function of stabilizing the arm (19) at two points located 1800 from one another. The cam (32) actuates the contactor (35) when it encounters it under the effect of the rotary movement exerted on the arm (19). This rotational movement is manual or motorized. The lifting limit switch is designated by the reference (36). This contactor is double. It receives a pawl (39) which actuates the descent switch after rotation. The reference (37) designates the limit switch in the start position. All these contactors are connected to ground on negative current. The electric current of the sector is transformed into low voltage by the transformer (30). The positive current arrives in the motor housing (9). Negative current from the limit switches and through the switch (2).

 In FIG. 13, the stabilizers (27) and (6) external to the pool are fixed to the base of the static drum (24). In one of the applications of the invention, their removable and adjustable plates are of circular shape.

 Figure 14 shows the attachments of the stabilization tubes designated by the references (33) and (34), the bent shape (15) and the arms (28,26) immersed whose anchor spades (5) are covered with foam .

 In FIG. 15, the barrel (24) rests on a support polygon formed by the tubes (56, 57) fixed to the top of the barrel and stabilized on the ground, the third tube (58) being in turn fixed horizontally to the base. barrel (24).

Claims (6)

 1 / Device intended to immerse people in a bath, characterized in that it consists of a static drum (24,41,50) in which slides another drum (23,49) or rod (40), whose top (12) receives an arm (19) in the form of a gallows which pivots 360, and intended to retain a chair (4) for seating a person, the assembly being associated with means making it possible to cause an upward movement and descent for said chair.  2 / Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the upward and downward movement is obtained by the action of a spiral screw (22) driven by an electric motor (9) rotating in a nut (8) integral with the sliding tube ( 23) and moving the latter.  3 / Device according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the barrels (23,24) are of square or cylindrical section.  4 / Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the upward movement is caused by a simple supply of running water (46) and the descent by means of the drain through a tap (46).  5 / Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises stabilization means consisting of several tubes (six) fixed to the top of the static barrel (19) and directed downward to form a polygon of sustenance.  6 / Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises pre-adjustable limit switches.