GB2340034A

GB2340034A - Bath tub lifter

Info

Publication number: GB2340034A
Application number: GB9914203A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Klaus Janisch
Original assignee: AQUATEC PETER SCHMIDT GmbH
Current assignee: AQUATEC PETER SCHMIDT GmbH
Priority date: 1998-07-24
Filing date: 1999-06-17
Publication date: 2000-02-16
Anticipated expiration: 2019-06-17
Also published as: DE19833384A1; GB9914203D0; GB2340034B

Description

2340034 Title: BATH TUB LIFTER This invention relates to a bath tub lifter

with a lifting scissor mechanism, by means of which the height of a seat panel can be adjusted relative to a base panel, the free external ends of the arms of the lifting scissor mechanism being provided with pivotally mounted sliding blocks displaceably mounted so as to slide along the base or seat panel in guide rails. A bath tub lifter of this type is known, for example, from DE-A-197 01591.

With these bath tub lifters, the base and seat panel are usually formed from plastic panels which are riveted onto the C- or U-rails made of stainless steel in which there is guided either a thickened re gion moulded directly on the lifting scissor mechanism or a sliding block fastened on the lifting scissor mechanism. The problem arises that these riveted metal guide rails are difficult to clean, the installation costs are high and metal rails made of stainless steel are expensive.

According to a known alternative, a guide groove in the form of a Tgroove in which a sliding block is guided is injection moulded on the plastic panel. With these injection moulded guide rails, however, the sliding behaviour is undesirable because the material which has to be selected for the panels does not have optimum sliding properties.

On the basis of the foregoing it is the aim of the present invention to design a bath tub lifter of the type mentioned at the outset such that expensive steel parts can be avoided, easy cleaning is possible and optimum sliding behaviour is achieved.

According to the invention, there is provided a bath tub lifter with a lifting scissor mechanism, by means of which the height of a seat panel can be adjusted relative to a base panel, the free external ends of the arms of the lifting scissor mechanism being provided with pivotally mounted sliding blocks displaceably mounted so as to slide along the base or seat panel in guide rails, wherein the guide rails and the sliding blocks consist of a plastic material having desirable sliding characteristics 2 relative to one another and the guide rails are fastened on the base panel or seat panel.

This design allows an inexpensive guide rail to be produced from plastics material which is also easy to fasten. The guide rail can be so configured that it is easy to clean, which is particularly important for reasons of hygiene in the case of these bath tub lifters because they come into contact with used bath water.

The invention also desirably proposes that catch knobs are arranged on the underside of each guide rail, said catch knobs being adapted to engage in corresponding catch recesses in the base panel or seat panel.

In a further design, the sliding blocks include lateral guide projections which are engageable in respective holding rails which are open horizontally and laterally and are connected to the base panel or seat panel. The holding rail is preferably injection moulded integrally with the base panel or seat panel.

With the concept according to the invention, easy and thorough cleaning is permitted and the use of metal rails which are difficult to install and expensive to produce is avoided.

By splitting the functions, i.e. the sliding function on the guide rails and the holding fimetion on the holding rails, it is possible to select plastics materials having optimum sliding behaviour for the sliding blocks and the guide rails.

The invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which:

Fig. I is a side view of one embodiment of a bath tub lifter according to the invention; Fig. 2 is an end view of the base panel region of the lifting scissor mechanism of the bath tub lifter shown in Fig. 1; 3 Fig. 3 is a view corresponding to Fig. 2 from a lateral viewing direction offset by 900; Fig. 4 is a cross-section through one of the sliding rails; Fig. 5 is a side view of a sliding block; Fig. 6 is a front view of the sliding block shown in Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the sliding block shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Referring to the drawings, Fig. I shows a generic bath tub lifter of the type known, for example, from DE-A-197 01 591. A bath tub lifter of this type comprises a base panel I and a seat panel 2 as well as a backrest 4 which is pivotal 10 relative to the seat panel 2 via a pivot joint 3 and can be locked via a locking rod 5. The seat panel 2 is raised and lowered by a lifting spindle 7 which is driven via a drive unit 6 and is mounted in a bearing arrangement 8 at the rear end 9 of the base panel 1. A lifting scissor mechanism 10 comprising a respective scissors cross on each side 15 of the base panel I and seat panel 2 is arranged between the base panel I and seat panel 2. A construction with two pivot frames is feasible as an alternative. Each scissors cross is formed by two struts 12, 13 connected to one another at the cross centre by a pivot joint 11, the upper free end 14 of the strut 13 being mounted on a pivot bearing 15 of the seat panel 2 and the lower end 16 of the strut 12 being 20 mounted on a pivot bearing 17 of the base panel 1. The free end 18 of the strut 12 and the free end 19 of the strut 13 are mounted in sliding fashion via schematically indicated sliding blocks 20, 21 in guide rails 22 of the seat panel 2 and guide rails 23 of the base panel 1, respectively, as will be described in more detail hereinafter. 25 According to the invention, each sliding block 20 comprises a pivot bearing portion 24 with a pivot bearing orifice 25 by means of which it is pivotally 4 mounted via a bearing bolt 26 to the lower end 19 of the strut 13. The pivot bearing portion 24 is arranged on a base portion 27 which is widened relative thereto and comprises a rounded longitudinal recess 28, to the sides of which extend recesses 29 of smaller cross section serving to reduce the static friction and as protective channels. The longitudinal recess 28 positively engages a corresponding longitudinal projection 30 of the sliding rail 23 shown in Fig. 4 on an enlarged scale relative to the sliding block 20.

The longitudinal projection 30 is arranged on a base body 31 on whose underside there is arranged a row of mutually spaced cylindrical catch pegs 32 with a thickened lower catch projection 33 for engaging in corresponding catch recesses, not shown in the drawings, in the base panel 1.

On one side of the base portion 27 of each sliding block 20 there is provided a holding cam 34 which has a curved upper side 35 and a curved lower side 36 so that the centre is slightly swollen. This cam 34 engages in a groove 37, open toward the side, in a holding rail 3 8 which is injection moulded integrally with the base panel 1. Alternatively, the holding rail could also be designed as a screwed on or riveted-on plastics part. The engaging cam 34 ensures that the sliding block cannot lift upward, whereas the actual sliding guidance takes place between the sliding blocks 20 and guide rails 23. These components are produced from a plastics material or a combination of plastics materials such as POM/POM, POMIPA or PA/PA, which allows optimum sliding behaviour. A lubricant can also be added to the plastics material. On the other hand, the base panel 1 consists of polypropylene with a 30% content of glass fibres.

As described hereinbefore, the end 18 of the strut 12 is also slidably mounted on the underside of the seat panel 2 by means of the sliding blocks 21 which engage with the guide rails 22.

Claims

1. A bath tub lifter with a lifting scissor mechanism, by means of which the height of a seat panel can be adjusted relative to a base panel, the free external ends of the arms of the lifting scissor mechanism being provided with pivotally mounted sliding blocks displaceably mounted so as to slide along the base or seat panel in guide rails, wherein the guide rails and the sliding blocks consist of a plastic material having desirable sliding characteristics relative to one another and the guide rails are fastened on the base panel or seat panel.

2. A bath tub lifter according to claim 1, wherein catch knobs are arranged on the underside of each guide rail, said catch knobs being adapted to engage in corresponding catch recesses in the base panel or seat panel.

3. A bath tub lifter according to claim I or claim 2, wherein the sliding blocks include lateral guide projections which are engageable in respective holding rails which are open horizontally and laterally and are connected to the base panel or seat panel.

4. A bath tub lifter according to claim 3, wherein the holding rail is injection moulded integrally with the base panel or seat panel.

5. A bath tub lifter substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.