GB2296901A - Patient handling hoist and chair comprising a parallelogram linkage on a wheeled frame. - Google Patents

Abstract

Provides a hoist with a similar wheelbase to a conventional wheelchair. A 'd' shaped frame 10 has front and rear arms 20, 21 respectively pivotally attached to each side of its upper surface with the other end of the arms connected to a horizontal and cantilevered support 22 bearing a sling 23. An extensible handle 25 is rigidly mounted on and perpendicular to each front arm 20 and may be used to raise the patient to within the wheelbase of the frame, the handle may be secured by sliding rod 29 into a horizontal hole in upright 15. Another embodiment attaches a harness to an extention of rear arm 21 to aid a patient when standing.

Description

PATIENT LIFTING AND TRANSPORT APPARATUS This invention relates to patient lifting and transport apparatus. The apparatus is for the purpose of lifting patients for example from seats or beds and moving them to other locations. The term "patients" is intended to include all people who are temporarily or permanently impaired in mobility for whatever reason, due to injury, infirmity or congenital defect. The apparatus is intended to be suitable for use in hospitals, or institutions or residential care homes, or in the homes of otherwise healthy long-term patients.

Apparatus is of course known for moving such patients, since the alternative is bodily lifting of a patient by one or more staff members, involving not only indignity to the patient but also a real risk of injury to staff The known devices generally take the form of hoists or miniature cranes, and are not usually in themselves suitable for transporting a patient comfortably over any distance, so that it is necessary to use a wheelchair as an intermediary - using the crane eg to life a patient from a chair or bed to a wheelchair, and then from the wheel chair, to for example, a bath or toilet.

Further wheel chairs are well known as a means for providing mobility for people who are temporarily or permanently disabled due to injury, disease or ageing. A wheel chair consists essentially of a seat with a backrest, and a chassis with a pair of main wheels and a pair of smaller castor mounted guide wheels. Footrests are usually provided, and provision may be made for features such as a seat belt, and for mounting a hood. The wheel chair may be powered by an electric motor, be provided with pusher handles, and the wheels usually have pusher rims to enable the user of the chair to self-propel the chair.

It is necessary however, for the user to mount or dismount the chair, to either be manually assisted by attendants, fiends or family members, or for the user to struggle to transfer him/her self to or from the chair, trusting to sticks, crutches or furniture (not always reliably) for support. The difficulty depends upon the degree of disablement and body weight of the user, and the assistants as well as the wheel chair user may be at risk of injury.

An object of the present invention is to provide a patient lifting and transporting apparatus which is mechanically simple, stable, and safe, and which has a wheelbase area similar to that of a standard wheelchair, so that it can be used to lift and transport patients without using additional apparatus, or direct manual lifting.

According to the invention, a patient lifting and transport apparatus comprises a wheeled carriage structure, means mounted on said carriage structure so as to be pivotable from a transporting position, substantially within the wheelbase area of said carriage structure to an extended position, for picking up or releasing a patient, before or after transportation.

The pivotable means preferably includes a parallelogram linkage at each side comprising arms pivotally connected at one end to the carriage structure and at the other ends to a pair of horizontally extending members between which a preferably interchangeable canvas sling can be slung.

A handle member is preferably connected rigidly to one set of said pivotable arms.

The handle is preferably extensible and retractable, and thus serves as a lever for gaining a mechanical advantage when lifting a patient, when extended, and as a handle for pushing the apparatus when retracted.

Locking means may be provided to lock the handle in a desired retracted or extended or intermediate state.

In use, each of a plurality of patients may have their own respective sling, which they sit upon all the time, and the sling is connected to the apparatus when required to move the patent, from a bed or chair, to go for toilet or bath or move to a feeding area, etc, as required, each patient being moved in turn by the apparatus always using their own respective sling.

In a preferred embodiment, extremes may be provided on the arms to provide parts having detents to which straps of a harness for the upper torso of a patient may be attached, and a foot-platform removably mounted in the base of the carriage, for use in pulling a patient from sitting to a standing position.

In a preferred embodiment a wheel chair is provided which comprises a chassis having a pair of main wheels and a pair of castor mounted guide wheels, and seat means, characterised in that said seat means is mounted on said chassis in such a manner that it is capable of being moved between a first position wherein said seat means is wholly within the wheel base of the wheel chair, and a second position wherein said seat means is extended outside of the wheel base.

The said first position corresponds to the normal seat position of a wheel chair, whilst the second position enables the seat to be moved to pick up or set down a wheel chair user, without the user having to be handled or struggle with sticks or other support in mounting or dismounting the wheel chair and transferring from or to an ordinary lounge seat or the like.

The wheels may be mounted with a main wheel and a castor wheel on a respective side frame. The seat means may be carried by a pivoted arm arrangement at each side of the seat, the arm arrangement at each side preferably comprises a pair of equal parallel arms, which form a parallelogram linkage with the seat and side frame parts to which they are attached, whereby the seat means is maintained level throughout the range of movement of the seat means.

There is preferably a handle provided which is connected rigidly to the arm arrangement at each side, to effect movement of the seat means. This handle may be extensible.

The side frames of the wheel chair may be connected into a single chassis by a disconnectable or foldable member carried in from of and above the level of the seat, sod that it forms a bridge over the legs of an occupant of the wheel chair when the seat means is in the first position. This member could be used to support a tray, book support or sketching board for example. Additionally, the side frames may be linked by foot rests being moveable between alternative positions wherein they are directed outwardly of the chair, or wherein they form a foot platform extending across the front of the wheel chair, the foot rests being linked by for example intermeshing detents to form a continuous platform which in this position links the frames, but can be disengaged as required.

The wheel chair according to the invention is preferably characterised by a zone below the seat, which is substantially free of obstruction, to allow the legs of a person sitting in the seat to be moved freely as the seat is moved between the first and second positions, or vice versa. This zone may be terminated at the front of the wheelchair by the above mentioned foot platform.

The seat may be rigid, semi-rigid (eg of plastics material) or of canvas, and may be padded as required for comfort.

The wheel chair may be foldable, for example by detaching the disconnectable or foldable member, and folding the seat to bring the side frames together.

A number of embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig I is a side elevation of a first embodiment of lifting and transporting apparatus according to the invention, in a folded or transporting position; Fig 2 is a similar view of the apparatus being used to lift a patient from a seat or bed into the transporting position (or alternatively lowering a patient into a seat etc.); Fig 3 is a side elevation of a modified embodiment of apparatus according to the invention, with optional additional features, for raising a patient to a standing position; Fig 4 is a side view of an embodiment of apparatus according to the invention as applied to a wheel chair; Fig 5 is a view of the wheel chair of Fig 4 from above; and Fig 6 is a side view, similar to Fig 4, showing the lifting apparatus in use to pick up or set down a user.

Referring first to Fig 1 and 2, the first embodiment of patient lifting and transporting apparatus according to the invention comprises.

A wheeled rectangular base frame 10, which is open to one side 11, hereinafter referred to as the "front" and two side frames, 12, carried by side member 13 of the base frame 10. Each side frame has an upright 15 at the rear end of the frame which extends about double the height of a second upright 15 near the front of the side frame, and the top of the second upright 14 is connected to the upright 15, at about halfway up the latter by a horizontal bar 16. The base frame 10 is carried on a pair of larger, fixed front wheels 17, and a pair of smaller, castor-mounted rear wheels 18 mounted directly below respective side members 13.The rear castor wheels 18 each have an associated foot-operable brake mechanism 19 which includes a spring-loaded brake shoe, (not shown in detail in the drawings), which can be flicked into and out of engagement with the wheel with the user's toe, to hold the apparatus stationary during lifting of a patient into or out of the apparatus.

Two members 20, 21 are pivotally connected to each horizontal bar 16, member 20 at the front end of bar 16, and member 21 at about 2/3rds of the distance along the bar 16. The upper ends of the members 20, 21 on each side are each pivotally connected to a respective arm member 22. The members 20, 21 form a parallelogram linkage at each side of the frame, connecting the base frame 10 to the arm members 22. The linkage enables the arm members 22 to be extended forward and lowered, whilst keeping them extending horizontally from the frame.

An interchangeable sling 23 is slung between the arm members 22, and this forms a seat in which a patient 24 may sit whilst being transported by the apparatus. The sling is interchangeable, because, as the sling has to be passed below the patients buttocks to be sat on by the patient, it is convenient for each patient to be provided with their own sling, upon which they sit whilst in bed, or on an easy chair, etc. The ends of the sling may be connected to the arm members 22 at each side, by means of hooks, runner loops etc, when the arms are extended forwards, as in Fig 2, and then the patient lifted from the bed, seat etc, supported by the sling 23, into the Fig 1 position.

An extensible handle 25 is rigidly attached to the front members 20, at each side, and this is composed of two sections, the outer and rearward of which can be extended in the direction of arrow 26 in Fig 1, or pushed in. The extensibility of the handle 25 enables the handle to be fully extended when lifting a patient to give maximum mechanical advantage to the lifting force, so that normal strength can suffice to lift even obese patients. The handle can afterwards be pushed back in, for pushing the apparatus from place to place, and to enable the apparatus to fit into confined spaces such as lifts. The handle 25 is associated with arms 28 which rest on top of upright 15 in the Fig 1 position.

A catch or rod 29 is provided in each side of handle 25, so that when the handle 25 is pushed in, the rod engages in a hole 30, in the respective upright 15, thus preventing tilting of the linkage, and keeping the arms 22 and sling 23 secure in the transport position. The rods 29 are disengaged from holes 30 when the handle is pulled out, to allow tilting of the linkage to allow lifting, or setting down of a patient.

The apparatus has a wheel base area, in the Fig 1 position, with the handle 25 retracted, the same as that of a standard wheelchair, and thus can use all the same ramps, lifts and other access facilities provided for wheel chair use. The tilting mechanism can be electrically operated, eg by an electric motor 31 mounted in the base, with a gear train 32, and transverse drive shaft 32, a company side levers 33, 34 at each side which are connected to members 21.

Fig 3 illustrates a modification of the apparatus of Figs 1 & 2 for the purpose of lifting a patient into a standing position, for transportation in that position. This is useful for rapid emergency transporting of patients for example toileting immobile patients.

For this purpose a base plate 40 is provided to be removably mounted in the base of the chassis, having an arm 41 at each side which rests on the base side frame member 13. Arm 41 fits into a detent 43 in the member 13. A knee pad 44 is carried by a shaft 45 which fits into the open end of a tube 46 on the step 42.

Members 21 at each side carry upwardly extending extension posts 47 which have upper and lower detents 48, 49 for engagement with bands on straps of a body-sling 50. Body-sling 50 is a canvas or similar fabric sling with pairs of straps. Upper straps 51 which pass over the patient's shoulders, and engage in the armpits and also engage in the upper detents 48; and lower straps 53 which engage in the lower detents 49.

The sling 50 holds the back, shoulders and upper torso of the patient, whilst the feet are placed on the base plate 40 which is slid under a chair or seat occupied by the patient, the harness put onto the patient, the frame tilted forward, the straps then attached to the detents 48, 49 and the frame returned to its upright position by pulling the handle down.

Figs 4, 5 and 6 illustrate a wheel chair including patient lifting apparatus according to the invention which comprises a pair of side frame, each consisting of a base member 110, upon which is mounted a respective rear main wheel 111, on a stub shaft, and towards the front, a castor mounted guide wheel 112. The front end of each base member 110 carried a respective foot rest 113, which can be alternatively placed in a splayed position 1 13a (broken lines Fig 5) and a running position 1 13b (full lines in Fig 5). In the splayed position, the foot rests are removed from an area where they might cause obstruction to a person mounting or descending from the wheel chair by the normal, frontal route.In the running position, the ends of the foot rests interlock to form a foot platform upon which the user's feet may rest when the wheel chair is being used. This linked platform forms a temporary structural connection between the two side frames.

A further structural connection between the side frames if provided by a detachable or foldable cross bar 15, carried by struts 116, 117 above the base member 10 at a height which as illustrated, is above the knees of a person sitting normally in the wheel chair.

A pair of parallel limbs 118, 119 each mounted pivotally and spaced apart on each base member 110, are connected to a respective arm member 120 which is extended to form a pushing handle 121. A removable seat 122, including a backrest 123 is suspended between the arm members 120 at each side. Each side frame also includes an operating lever 124, rigidly connected to the forward one 18 of the respective limbs.

This lever 124 can be retracted as shown in Fig 4, or extended as shown in Fig 6 and is used to tilt the parallelogram linkage constituted by the limbs 118, 119 in order to move the seat 122 between a first position, as shown in Fig 4, wherein the seat 122 is accommodated above the wheelbase formed by the wheels 111 and 112, and a second position, wherein the seat is extended, as in Fig 6, out behind the wheelbase. A hand operated brake 125 is provided at each side of the wheel chair to enable the rider to retard or stop movement of the wheel chair. This enables the patient to be lifted into the chair from behind the wheelchair.

This facility can be used to life a person form eg a lounge chair or other sear into the wheel chair, or alternatively to dismount a person from the wheel chair onto a chair or other seat, without either the person having to use sticks or other supports (such as furniture) to get from the seat to the wheel chair, or without having to be guided, supported, or lifted by helpers or attendants.

Modifications and variations may be made to the apparatus according to the invention within the scope thereof. For example, if no frontal access is required, to the wheel chair the foot platform may be a single fixed member, instead of disconnectable and moveable foot rests, and the cross bar 15 may be made fixed. Any of the embodiments may be modified for power operation of the lifting frame, using an electric motor and levers as in Figs 1 and 2, or using hydraulic or pneumatic rams as extensible arms to effect tilting.

The apparatus according to the invention is of utility particularly in caring for elderly and infirm patients, where it is currently necessary to manhandle patients who are unable to move themselves - into wheel chairs, or for bathroom visits or other purposes. Using the apparatus of the invention there is a reduced risk of injury to a patient or to an attendant and it is easier for the patient to preserve dignity than when being handled.

Claims (10)

Claims

1. Patient lifting and transport apparatus comprising a wheeled carriage structure, means mounted on said carriage structure so as to be pivotable from a transporting position substantially within the wheelbase area of said carriage structure to an expanded position, for picking up or releasing a patient, before or after transportation.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said pivotable means includes a parallelogram linkage at each side comprising arms pivotally connected at one end to the carriage structure and at the other end to a pair of horizontally extending members between which an interchangeable canvas sling can be slung.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 1 wherein a handle member is connected rigidly to one set of said pivotable arms, and is extensible and retractable, and thus serves as a lever for gaining a mechanical advantage when lifting a patient, when extended, and as a handle for pushing the apparatus when retracted.

4. Apparatus according to Claim 3 wherein loading means are provided to lock the handle in a desired retracted, extended, or intermediate state.

5. Apparatus according to Claim 2 wherein extensions are provided on the arms to provide upwardly extending posts having detents to which straps of a harness for the upper torso of a patient may be attached, and a foot-platform removably mounted in the base of the carriage, for use in pulling a patient from a sitting to a standing position.

6. Apparatus according to Claim 1 comprising a wheel chair which comprises a chassis having a pair of main wheels and a pair of castor mounted guide wheels, and a seat means, the said means being mounted on the chassis in such a manner that it is capable of being moved between a first position wherein said seat means is wholly within the wheel base of the wheel chair and a second position wherein said seat means is extended outside of the wheel base.

7. Apparatus according to Claim 6, wherein the seat means is carried by a pivoted arm arrangement at each side of the seat, the arm arrangement at each side comprising a pair of equal parallel arms which form a parallelogram linkage with the seat and side frame parts to which they are attached, whereby the seat means is kept level throughout the range of movement of the seat means.

8. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the tilting is effected by an electric motor carried on the carriage structure, and connected by levers to the tilting parts.

9. Apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 7 wherein tilting is affected by hydraulic or pneumatic apparatus.

10. Patient lifting and transport apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figs 1 and 2, or Fig 3; or Figs 4, 5, and 6 of the accompanying drawings.