GB2263096A

GB2263096A - Patient hoist.

Info

Publication number: GB2263096A
Application number: GB9125962A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Sanders
Original assignee: F J PAYNE
Current assignee: F J PAYNE
Priority date: 1991-12-06
Filing date: 1991-12-06
Publication date: 1993-07-14
Also published as: GB9125962D0

Abstract

A mobile hoist comprises: a wheeled chassis supporting a vertical column having a longitudinal axis; a carrier adapted for movement up or down the column along a path substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, the carrier having a extension projecting away from the column to a provide a supporting end of the extension remote from the column; a secondary carrier having a first end depending from the supporting end of the extension and a second end adapted to engage a chair or other person supporting device; the first end being coupled to the supporting end by way of a pivot whereby the secondary carrier can be rotated about a vertical axis substantially offset from the longitudinal axis. Typically the chassis incorporates box section cross member, whereby the column is supported, serves to house a battery to power a motor; and the column further incorporates a lead screw drivable by the motor for driving the carrier to move along the path. An indexing device is provided on the pivot to enable a particular angular alignment of the secondary carrier relative to the supporting end to be selected and maintained by way of locking device. <IMAGE>

Description

PATIENT HOIST This invention relates to a patient hoist.

When a person is physically incapacitated a need arises for them to be moved, whether by their own action, with assistance or solely by outside help. A range of equipment is available to assist in such operations. Typical equipment is a wheel chair to enable the person to be readily moved from one location to another. However getting a severely incapacitated person into and out of a wheel chair, such as into a bed or a bath, can itself involve handling equipment. Such equipment needs to be capable of operation in a confined space and to be usable in the vicinity of obstructions such as a bed, bath or toilet.

It is known to provide a hoist comprising a column which is located at a fixed point adjacent a bath, bed or other location. The column supports a carrier which can be driven up and down the column and rotated around it. In use a person on a seat carried on a wheeled chassis is placed alongside the column and the carrier is secured to the back of the seat. Thereafter the chair with its occupant is lifted clear of the chassis and pivoted around the column so as to locate the chair and occupant vertically above their end location to which they are lowered by lowering the carrier down the column. Such a column is necessarily mounted in use on a secure, static, foundation unit. Such an arrangement can be adapted for operation by the occupant of the chair.

It is also known to provide a mobile version of a column hoist along whose vertical axis a carrier can be driven by locating the column on a wheeled chassis. However in this case the carrier is not enabled to pivot around the vertical axis of the column so as to avoid the possibility of the weight of the combined chair and occupant being inadvertently moved vertically outboard of the wheelbase which could generate instability. Thus the mobile version has to be capable of aligning the chair and its occupant with the bath, bed or whatever prior to lowering or raising an occupant of the chair. A version of this type of mobile hoist is known where the chair is permanently mounted on the carrier. In this case a person to be moved by means of the hoist has to be placed into, and removed from, the chair.Again the carrier, and so the chair, while capable of movement in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the column cannot rotate about the axis.

According to the present invention there is provided a mobile hoist comprising 1 a wheeled chassis supporting 2 a vertical column having a longitudinal axis; 3 a carrier adapted for movement up or down the column along a path substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, the carrier having a extension projecting away from the column to a provide a supporting end of the extension remote from the column; 4 a secondary carrier having a first end depending from the supporting end of the extension and a second end adapted to engage a chair or other person supporting device; 5 the first end being coupled to the supporting end by way of a pivot whereby the secondary carrier can be rotated about a vertical axis substantially offset from the longitudinal axis.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing of a patient hoist of which: Figure 1 is a side view; and Figure 2 is a plan view of the hoist from above.

Items shown in both figures are given the same reference in each.

Hoist 11 is made up of a wheeled chassis 12 having: a box section cross member 13 housing batteries to power an electric motor for the hoist; and legs 14, 15 which are secured to the outboard ends respectively ends 16, 17 by way of pivots, respectively 18, 19. The pivots 18, 19 enable the legs 14, 15 to be displaced to vary the gap G at the leading end of the hoist 11 to enable the hoist to be located conveniently close to objects such as a bath, toilet, bed or whatever. The size of gap G is governed by way of a mechanical linkage operated by way of a lever 20 which is retained by way of engagement with a rack 21 in the selected working position.

A column 22 with longitudinal axis 22A is mounted on the cross member 13 and houses a lead screw 23 which can be rotated to raise or lower inboard section 24 of carrier 25 which is demountably connected to the lead screw 23 by way of lower mounting 26 and upper mounting 27 which extend through a slot running the major part of the length of column 22.

The carrier 25 has an outboard end 28 to which is attached upper end 29 of a secondary carrier 30 by way of a pivot 31 to provide for the rotation about axis 31A of the secondary carrier 30 relative to the carrier 25. Lower end 32 of the secondary carrier 30 has demountably secured to it a chair 33 of known type which can be coupled to a wheeled chassis (not shown) in a known manner to facilitate movement of an occupant of the chair. The pivot 31 incorporates an indexing device in the form of a pin 34 which can be engaged or disengaged by means of a lever 35 to temporarily fix the angular alignment of the secondary carrier 30, and so chair 33, relative to axis 31A.

Axis 31A is in this case substantially parallel to, and is offset from, longitudinal axis 22A by an amount sufficient to enable the chair 33, and any occupant, to rotate a full 3600 about the axis 31A without striking the column 22 or the carrier 25.

By providing for secondary carrier 30 to be rotated about a fixed axis 31A off-set from the axis 22A a stable configuration for the hoist is maintained regardless of the direction in which an occupant of the chair faces. Amongst other benefits this enable an incapacitated person to be readily positioned in any chosen horizontal alignment relative to a location or object with which they are to interact such as a bed, bath or toilet.

Claims

CLAIMS 1 A mobile hoist comprising:

1 a wheeled chassis supporting

2 a vertical column having a longitudinal axis;

3 a carrier adapted for movement up or down the column along a path substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, the carrier having a extension projecting away from the column to a provide a supporting end of the extension remote from the column;

4 A mobile hoist as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawing.

4 a secondary carrier having a first end depending from the supporting end of the extension and a second end adapted to engage a chair or other person supporting device;

5 the first end being coupled to the supporting end by way of a pivot whereby the secondary carrier can be rotated about a vertical axis substantially offset from the longitudinal axis.

2 A mobile hoist as claimed in claim 1 characterised in that the chassis incorporates box section cross member whereby the column is supported; the cross member further serving to house a battery to power a motor; the column further incorporating a lead screw drivable by the motor to cause the carrier to move along the path.

3 A mobile hoist as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the pivot coupling the first end of the secondary carrier to the supporting end of the extension includes an indexing device providing for a particular angular alignment of the secondary carrier relative to the supporting end to be selected and maintained by way of a locking device.